Please take a moment to watch this video by Glen Beck commenting on Governor Sarah Palin who is the new VP for the Republican party.  REGARDLESS of your political affiliation, it is neat to see this type of report on our synical Television.  (Big thanks to ALL4MYGALS for posting this clip)

Glen Beck commentary on Sarah Palin

Today I went on a Down Syndrome of Central Texas (DSACT) meeting with the Anti-Defamation League.  Lori, the DSACT president and I met with a lovely woman at the ADL to discuss an upcoming Prejudice Awareness Summit here in Austin.  My husband and I have been volunteers and facilitators in the past couple of years and it is a great program.  Basically seven 8th graders are chosen from each of the Austin and surrounding school districts to come attend this all day summit.  These kids are typically leaders in their peer group.  Atthe summit the kids are immediately mingled to sit with people that they do not know to be sure that they have an individual experience and to be diverse in their groups.  They listen to speakers and go through a series of exercises to help understand awareness and acceptance of all different types of people.  It is a fantastic and very powerful project. 

The meeting went well and we learned of additional programs run by the ADL including the “No Place for Hate” program that is run in the schools themselves.  We were able to gather information from them and give them some Down Syndrome awareness as well.  Did I mention that I LOVE my new “job”? 

My list will come to no surprise to those who know me.

• Almost anything Mexican…  Chuy’s shrimp tacos (yummy)
• Rhonda’s salsa
• Blue Bell ice cream
• Carrot cake - loaded (can be used to bribe me… hint, hint)
• Brownies or dense chocolate cake
• Krispy Kreme pumpkin spice donuts
• diet coke (is that considered food?)
• mom’s swiss steak, beef stew, chili, etc.
• Randall’s meatloaf (really… it’s yummy)
• popcorn (movie theater or Kettle corn is the best)
• most Japanese food, including sushi
• Steak
• salmon

Okay, now I am hungry and it’s midnight.  Maybe I should have picked a better subject or write my posts at decent hours.

All of the swelling is gone, everything looks as it should.  Whew!  The doctors released her this morning and she is home with us.  She will stay here in Texas for a week before venturing back to Arizona.  She is feeling okay overall, just a low appetite and very tired.  I am praying that the meds that they gave her to take at home keep up the good work and we don’t have to return to the hospital.  Thank you for all of your prayers!

Today we finally saw some measurable improvement!  Woo Hoo!!  This thing is crazy!  The doctor said that they still cannot isolate the bacteria type, but the meds are finally working!  Her ear and cheek are almost back to normal, color and all.  Her neck is going down as well.  This thing has been like something off of a bad Sci-Fi movie.  The doctor said that she needs to remain in the hospital until we are positive that everything is gone because her antibiotics only come in IV form.  So, she will be in Texas at least for another week.  Thank you all for your prayers!  They mean so much. 

I do have to mention that Anthony is just LOVING all of the trips to the hospital.  He gets bummed when he can’t go.  One of my friends, Jan came and watched the kiddos for a while today so I could have some one on one time with my mom.  She got a couple of visitors as well, my BFF Kim and our friend Deborah (one of the godmothers).  I think the guests are a nice change of pace.  Thanks again for the prayers… get them coming.

Well, it’s been quite a roller coaster.  They still do not know what exactly it is, other than a bacterial infection. (DON’T get me started).  It’s a good news and bad news situation…. The good news is that her ear is decreasing the swelling and so is her cheek.  The bad news is that it is getting worse in her neck and throat.  I talked to her this morning after church and she seems in good spirits.  I am getting ready to head out to visit her, sans the kids.  I will bring the cribbage board and maybe she’ll be up for some cards to pass her time.  Please keep praying.  We do not have the end in sight yet.

My mom, Barbara, has been here for three weeks (moving my dad into the Seminary school downtown for a one year program) and was due to fly home to Arizona yesterday, when we had a medical issue pop up out of nowhere.  She woke up Wednesday morning with a swollen right ear.  We thought that maybe she had been bit by something so we made a doctor’s appointment for the late afternoon.  Unfortunately as the day progressed, she quickly went downhill.  She was vomiting and barely able to stand by the 3:00pm appointment.  The doctor gave her an antibiotic and some anti-nausea medicine and we went home.  The anti-nausea meds seemed to work, but her head was throbbing and the ear was very tender. 

She woke up yesterday morning and her ear swollen even bigger and her right cheek was swelling as well.  The doctor referred us to the ER where we spent 5 hours being diagnosed before they admitted her last night.  In those five hours the swelling increased as well as the pain and her ear and face went from pink to bright red.  The diagnosis is that she has some kind of infection (most likely either strep or staph) and diabetics typically have a much tougher time fighting these types of bacterial infections than most people.  The course of action was to pump heavy doses of antibiotics into her system and keep her overnight for observation.  Their big concern is that the infection will get into her bones which will cause major problems with her organs and permanent hearing loss.

The good news: As of this morning, the swelling hasn’t decreased, however her ear and cheek have not gotten any worse, Whew) This means that the medicine is having an effect.  The bad news: they still don’t know which infection it is (tests are pending) and the swelling is moving to the back of her head.  We are awaiting test results, but we know that she will definitely be there again tonight at a minimum.  I was at the hospital this morning and again this afternoon.  She has had no appetite until this evening when I brought outside food in.  My dad who is in his Seminary Orientation week has been coming up as much as he can, but can’t stay as much as we would like to.  I will be back in the morning, luckily she is only about 5 minutes away from the house. 

Please say a prayer for her healing.

This morning my mom and I took Ant and Syd to go get portraits taken.  They are ADORABLE!!!  I will post them in a few weeks when they come in.  Anyway, while we were at the photo studio trying to choose photos, pick a package, decide on special effects, blah, blah, blah…  The kids were getting restless. (I know, shocking)  The photographer pulled out a set of old fashioned wooden alphabet blocks for the kids to play with.  They LOVED them!  At home we have Peek-a-blocks which are bigger and harder for Sydney to pick up with one hand.  Her blocks are her favorite toys.  She can’t resist a tower of blocks… they MUST be knocked down.  That is how we encouraged her to crawl.

Anyway back to the alpabet blocks.  She was having a ball playing with these nice small blocks which were easy to hold.  She was watching Anthony stack the blocks and she did her usual destruction move.  Then we noticed that she stacked one block onto another herself, but chalked it up to chance.  Oh we of little faith!!!! When we got home this evening, Sydney went immediately for her peek-a-blocks and started stacking them.   One block onto another… then of course knocking it down and getting tickled by everyone getting so excited!  Another milestone for my baby girl!

Today, I think my heart completely stopped, I got such a scare.  I was sitting downstairs with my parents watching TV.  Randall was working on tearing apart our downstairs bathroom to lay new flooring and all was well.  Sydney was having a tough time going down for a nap today.  She was overtired and was upstairs fussing in her crib.  I had the monitor on, but the volume way down because I was giving her some time to settle down.  She was SOOO tired!  Now, because Anthony was going down for a nap at the same time next door in Zach’s room and Sydney was fussing, I allowed him to have the TV on.  I knew he wouldn’t sleep, but at least wanted him to rest.  Anyway, while I was sitting downstairs waiting to go settle Sydney again, all of a sudden I heard a shreik!  I looked at my parents and said…  “I think that was Anthony…”  (which was odd, b/c it was Sydney that we were hearing fuss).  Then I heard it again, but this time I heard a distinct panicked “MOMMY…”  I ran up the stairs in two seconds flat and into Zachary’s room where Anthony was.  I found him dangling from the top bunk by his hands and NECK!!!!  He apparently was sitting on the top bunk with his feet dangling down under the railing.  He must have slipped and was caught by his neck between the railing and the top of the mattress.  I lept over the lower bed railing and on to the bottom bed and grabbed his legs and pushed him up to get his neck above the railing.  I screamed “I NEED HELP!”  Randall ran in and we got Anthony back up onto the top bunk.  The poor thing was panting he was so scared.  He wasn’t the only one!!!!  Seeing him in that position has haunted me all day!!! 

After he was safe, I pulled him down onto the lower bunk and held him while his heart slowed down.  He was VERY shaken up.  (duh!)  We all were!!!  It was a parent’s nightmare to find your child in that kind of situation.  I am so thankful that he could cry out for help.  After everything was calmed down, we had a pointed discussion about him NEVER doing that again and that I DO NOT want him on the top bunk.  He told me that he didn’t want to go up there until he was 5.  (He is 4 and a half now).  THANK GOD he is okay.  At the end of the day he is fine, but I am still rattled from the experience!  I have no idea how my parents made it through my childhood.  Being a parent can be so scary!

What actor(s) do you love so much that if they are in a movie, you will automatically go see it?

• John Travolta
• Morgan Freeman
• Robin Williams
• Will Smith
• Tom Hanks
• Liam Neeson
• Russell Crowe
• Ed Hariss
• Johnny Depp
• George Clooney

I hate to say it, but no actresses come to mind.