Hemophilia Sucks!

For those of you who don't know, I have a type of Hemophilia called Von Willebrand's Disease. Basically I am low on certain factors in my blood that help it to clot properly. This typically does not affect me on a day to day basis but every once in awhile it kicks me in the butt. Today was one of those days.

Yesterday while walking down the stairs I took a clumsy fall. I knew it must have looked bad when my Mom, who is one of those Mom's who says 'if they are hurt they will come to me', jumped up and ran over to make sure I was OK. I knew right away that I hurt my toe and my wrist had a nice scratch on it. To be honest, at the time I was more concerned about picking up the children't Tylenol chewables that spilled out of the bottle everywhere. As the evening went on my wrist bothered me more and more. Last night was awful. Everytime I rolled over or bumped my wrist I awoke in pain. BLAR! I was booked in for annual Hemophilia testing today so I figured I would have the Doctor look at my wrist while I was there. Upon seeing my wrist and my toes the Doctor was concerned. My wrist, hand and fingers especially looked bad. My fingers were not unlike sausages. So they sent me for my annual blood work and then once I returned the Doctor looked more closely at my wrist and toes. The toes are broken and the wrist has some soft tissue damage, possibly more. They decided to treat me for an internal bleed with DDAVP. DDAVP is basically a fake clotting agent. I have had DDAVP many times in the past without issue. Today however did not go so well. I was given it to quickly which caused my blood pressure to drop quite low. On top of that one of the side effects of DDAVP is slowed kidney function which is always something to watch for. Basically because my wrist looked so bad and because I had a bad reaction to the DDAVP I have to go back to hospital tomorrow and maybe Thursday. BLAR #2. BLAR #3...the room I was put in was the room Mike's Dad spent a significant period of time in while he was passing away from cancer. Of course the nurses didn't know this. They were trying to be accommodating for space and comfort since I had brought Evelyn with me.

The nurses and doctors were all fabulous. I had brought Evelyn with me thinking it would be a routine in and out thing. 5 hours later I was on my way home. Far from routine. The room I was set up in had a large bed and a couch. The room had a TV with a VCR which they setup a movie for Evelyn on. They also brought Evelyn healthy snacks and some juice.

Our day was long and emotional but adventurous. I feel lucky to be part of such an amazing clinic and have such wonderful doctors and nurses who are invested in our family and my health. They have referred Evelyn to the Children's hospital for Hemophilia testing later this year. I can only hope that her nurses and doctors will be as amazing as mine.

Fabulous Fridays!

Items of the week...we got an amazing nursing bra in at work. I wish this bra was around when I was nursing. It is by Bravado and the style is called bliss. This bra has molded foam cups which will hide your nursing pads. Has pretty lace detailing and is oh so comfy. And for you busty girls like me, it actually has support! I needed some new bras this week and I actually considered this bra even though I am no longer nursing.

You can find the Bravado Bliss at bo bebe lifestyle stores in Calgary.

Here is the link to the website:

http://www.bravadodesigns.com/shop/the-bliss-nursing-bra

Happiness

OK, so recently a good friend of mine has been going through some marriage troubles and decided to attend some counseling. One of the things she was challenged to do was to come up with 5 things each night about her day that made her happy. It could be as simple as a good cup of coffee. Seems simple...right? Well, here is the challenge, those five things can NOT include her daughter in any way. So I got to thinking what five things made me happy that day. I tell you, it was hard to do when I couldn't include Evelyn. That child is the smile in my heart. I do have some great items to share however.

1. Starbucks delivered me a coffee to the store! Seriously, how awesome is that! I usually get a coffee on my way into work. They had a long lineup and one of the machines was not working. There was no time to wait :( The staff noticed and brought me a coffee to the store :()

2. Mike did ALL the dishes. There wasn't even his annoying, perpetually there cup sitting by the sink :()

3. My family is coming today!!!! :()

4. God will always provide when you trust him and do good work in his name :()

5. My nummy lasagna is bubbling away in the oven...mmmmm cheese :()

Making a list of 5 happy things each day is unfortunately always easy but I tell you it has made me realize how truly blessed I am.

Fab Fridays!

Ok folks, this is my most favorite item Evelyn has right now. It is custom so don't all go copying me..lol. It is a chalkboard made by a local Calgary Mom. Creative Artwork by Denise is the name of the company. Denise is amazingly talented and so fabulous to work with! Think of your own fabulous design and get one done for your playroom, kids room, kitchen whatever you like! Our chalkboard is hanging proudly in Evelyn's room. I searched and searched for something fabulous to put on the walls of her big girl room and this so perfectly fit her personality I couldn't resist.

Here is Denise's link on Facebook...

http://www.facebook.com/creativeartworkbydenise?ref=ts

Princess!?

As I sit here writing this I am curled up on the couch with Mike and Evelyn watching Beauty and the Beast because Miss E has requested a "Princess movie". I am astounded at the young age of two she already knows and loves what princesses are. Mike and I have never taught her what princesses are. In fact, we have spent a lot of time exposing her to all sorts of things in hopes of avoiding the little girl princess syndrome. We honestly thought we were safe when a few months back Evelyn fell in love with 'Cars' and 'Toy Story'. In the Disney Store recently she picked Buzz up and said 'I love you boyfriend Buzz'. Now suddenly we are faced with a girly girl who asks for princess movies and princess clothes and only wants to wear purple.

I am curious...do you, as parents, expose your children to the "gender specific" colors, toys, games and so on?? Or do you allow your child to explore what they want without concern??

Evelyn has been girly since she came out of the womb. She has from the start loved jewelry, dresses and high heels. We have an abundance of photos of her loaded up with costume jewelry and wandering the house in nothing but a pair of my heels. Each day when getting dressed Evelyn has a strong opinion about what she should/shouldn't wear. As of late, the color purple is a strong asset. I wonder, am I encouraging this behaviour or is it something inside of her that needs no encouraging? I remember babysitting my brother at a young age with my sisters and my parents coming home to Kurt dressed in our baby clothes singing and dancing. Kurt seems perfectly masculine to me now, aside from the butt bongoes he likes to play on Mike and my brother in law (sorry Kurt, I couldn't resist). I am sure Evelyn's girly girl clothes and behaviour won't slow her down as a strong independent woman in her adulthood but one wonders how long this will last...

Fabulous Fridays...a fews days late

So sorry about the late Fab Friday post. I was off and away celebrating mine and my husbnad's anniversary. So, without delay, here is my fab product of the week...

The 'Sweetpea' baby mp3 player is a fab item! It is cute, easy to use and my personal fave Mommy feature of it...only Mom and Dad can change the volume. The Sweetpea is great for lulling babies to sleep in their crib, letting your toddler dance around to their favorite tunes and great for taking out of the house as it is durable. I am quite certain our sweetpea has been through more than any toy should go through and it keeps on working. We have owned ours for over a year now and it is still a favorite in the car, on trips and in bed for Evelyn. The player comes prerecorded with a handful of stories and songs plus with a simple process (even I can figure out) you can add all your own music and stories. Currently ours has most of the original come with stories and songs plus a few of Evelyn's current favorite bands...Bobs and Lolo, Pearl Jam and the Beetles. Yes, I said Pearl Jam and the Beetles. Evelyn has an eclectic taste in music for a two year old. This is likely Mike's genes...lol.

http://www.sweetpeatoyco.com/

Quran burning in Florida

While watching the news tonight I was very disheartened to hear of Pastor Jones in Florida and his plan to have a Quran burning. As someone of devout faith I always worry about the ripple effects of misguided 'Christians'. While listening to Pastor Jones speak I was shocked to hear his reasoning that Jesus was a man of action who often did extreme things to prove his point. That Pastor Jones believes if Jesus was here today he would participate in the burning event is so sad to me. Jesus would never instill this amount of prejudice or hatred into anyone.

I truly believe that God works in mysterious ways and has an incredible way of bringing good to any situation. I hope and pray that He is able to work a miracle into this one. I pray for the beautiful Pastor in the neighbouring church who is hosting an evening of peace and love at the same time as Pastor Jones' awful hatred filled event. I pray for all the brave men and women who are working so hard overseas to protect people like Pastor Jones and I pray that these awful actions will not harm those soldiers in any way. I pray thay Pastor Jones will see the error in his actions, receive a divine intervention from God and turn away from the awful event planned.

I hope that you all will pray for peace, understanding and love.

In his service,

Amen

Fabulous Fridays!

OK all! I have decided it would be great fun to post some of my fave baby items. Each Friday I will post a fabulous baby/toddler item on the market that I either a: LOVE or b: am dieing to own. I work in the trendy baby industry so I am always being exposed to all sorts of fab products on a daily basis. Hopefully you will find this fun and as the blog gets more established I will throw in a few draws for the oh so fab items posted!

This week's item is from the 'b' category. I saw this item while reading an 'Everyday with Rachel Ray' magazine and I am now on the hunt to own one. The item is called a Jaq Jaq Mat and can be found on the sam and bellie website (which I have included). This totally fab product seems like it is the end to our restaurant/eating out troubles. The Jaq Jaq mat is an eco friendly chalk mat. It is a placemat on one side and a chalkboard on the other. It has a handy little pocket for chalk, crayons etc....and I am in LOVE! I have included pictures for your enjoyment. I pictured the owl print because I am totally obsessed with owl prints as of late but there is a whole assortment of great patterns and styles for both boys and girls.

http://www.samandbellie.com

Mixed Emotions

Today my heart broke into a thousand pieces. When Mike picked Evelyn up from her dayhome she said 'bye Mommy Tara'. I keep trying to convince myself that this is a good thing, that it means Evelyn is happy at her dayhome but I can't help but feel a slight bit jealous. I don't want Evelyn to love someone as much as she loves me! She is supposed to be my baby and me her Mommy. No one else is supposed to have the name Mommy except for me. Ok, I know I am being a touch irrational but this whole decision to go back to work has been a tough one for me. I always thought that I was meant to be a Mom, to stay home and raise beautiful children, keep a nice house and cook fabulous meals. When I started working part time last fall I realized that I actually like being out of the house a bit. As time went on I realized that I really like being out of the house and that maybe it would be a good thing to work full time. In the back of my mind though I thought Evelyn would hate being in a dayhome and I would have to drop down to part time again for her sake. Now she is loving the dayhome and I am happily, well, most days happily, working. I am thankful that Evelyn is happy but I think I am transitioning into this whole dayhome thing as much as she is...and in my heart of hearts I know she loves me the most ;)

As a funny little side story. While I was complaining to my Mom about this whole situation my Mom shared with me that I called her and my Dad by their first names for years all the while calling my grandparents Mom and Dad.