Deni's Buffet 'O Thoughts

Hello Peoples!

So so sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Our laptop has enter through the gates of glory into laptop heaven and while yes, we have a desk top, I've been BUSY and can't really use it when Parker's up because it's in our bedroom and he liked to pull out my undies! (Just sayin!) So hence, no updates to el blog for a while...

But if you like buffets and all it has to offer than you will LOVE this blog today. It's about as random as random gets...actually maybe not. But it offers a little bit of everything, happy news, sad news, a recipe, Parker news, prayer requests, me being all mature and stuff. So sit back, relax and take a load off while we dive in.

1) Parker News

I think we will start off with this, after all, he's the whole reason you come to this thing isn't he? (I don't blame you!) He's doing Ah-maz-ing. Seriously, except for the whole whiney toddler thing this boy is just getting so stinking big! See, here's a couple pictures as proof...





sorry about the quality, our digital is MIA and so I've been using my iphone! P.S. in the bottom one he found an m&m. Anyways, like I said, he's doing great. He got a second hair cut this week, horribly unemotional compared to his first, but boy was it fun. He sat in the chair like a big boy, flirted and did great! He looks so good now and no more rat tail. He also got kicked out of PT this week. Actually they dismissed him, he's just dandy in the physical department. Right on track. Still has 2 months of ST, but we know he could use a little more time there. He's pushing my buttons EVERY chance he gets and I am working on making days more structured. I am terrible at that! He had his first cold since going on his flovent a month ago and never had any breathing issues. I am so excited that I finally understand his asthma enough now! Praise Jesus!

2) Me Stuff

And now on to the boring things...me. Let's see, I am kinda on a diet, I was gun hoe (is that how you say it?) about it and am struggling. I have successfully switched to diet soda and have limited my intake, so that's good. I am trying to eat smaller portions and healthy, but that can be a challenge. Especially right now (mmmmmm girl scout cookies!) Let's see, Oh I went to a seminar yesterday called Joni & Friends - Raise the Roof. If you don't know the story of Joni Ereckson Tata, at the age of 16 she went swimming, dived intp shallow water and broke her neck. She is quadriplegic. She has her organization that works with disabled children in churches as well as the churches so that they can have disability ministry. Our church is growing and we realize that we need to start looking ahead and getting knowledge on disability ministry so that we can help future visitors feel completely comfortable at our church. And so I was asked to go and I gained some AMAZING knowledge on it. I look forward to helping our church grow.

3) Other Stuff

Faith, the little girl I told you about who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor is holding steady. She and her family certainly need prayers as it's super hard to watch your child suffer, but they are doing their best to enjoy her. She now not only has her caring bridge site, but also her own site here: Help Faith. It's still brand new so there isn't much to it yet, but it's a way to stay connected and donate. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM!

I came across another family a while ago whose 2 year old is suffering from neuroblastoma and really could meet her father in heaven very soon! My heart breaks for this family, but as I read their updates on both their blog and twitter I am amazed at the faith they have and the strength this little 2 year old is showing. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM!

One more person I'd like to share with you is Dave Plaster. He is a minister here in Columbus at a local church. He just recently fell very ill and has not been able to be diagnosed. He's currently up at a hospital here in Cleveland, but his prognosis looks very grim. Please pray for him and his family. He's quite a loved pastor, though I don't know him, I've heard great things. You can check updates on here at his site here. PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM.

My goal is to share prayer requests outside of my family as much as possible now. While I certainly love that you pray for us and I am sure you will, there are just so many heart wrenching stories out there and if I can shine a light on a few here or there. I want to. I want this blog to not only be about me, but to share my faith and to show you other's you can be loving towards.

4) Num, Num, Num - A Recipe

Finally for you today I have a recipe of something I made this week that's simple and healthy and will yummy.

Penne with Asparagus & Parmesan

1/2 pound penne
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 garlic clove - thinly sliced
1 (14.5oz) can of diced tomatoes, with their juice
1/2 cup reduced fat chicken broth
1 lb. asparagus, cut on the diagonal in 1 in. peices
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the penne according to package directions, drain and keep warm in pot.
2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, cook just until it begins to turn golden. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add the asparagus, cover and simmer until tender about 5 minutes longer; pour over the penne. Add the basil and Parmesan cheese, to to coat.

Super simple and if you are on weight watchers it's from one of their books and is 6 points. This make 4 servings btw!

I'm done with my buffet, have a great day!

Deep Breaths & Deep Snow

First of all, I want to thank those of you who left such encouragement on my last post. I don't like to be Deni-Downer, but I also want to make sure that I am raw and honest with those who still read this blog. I don't want to lie and sit here and tell you, "I am just fine, peachy keen jelly bean" when deep inside i am torn and hurt and broken. I have done that too many times in my life and I need to not do it.

Parker is doing GREAT! He's been stuffy and a little cough-y but other than that, his breathing is beautiful. I've had to do two alubterol treatments since Monday, at night, which honestly isn't surprising. I mean, if you think about how stuff settles and you heard how snotty he was, you'd do it too. It was completely precautionary. He wasn't wheezy, but his cough concerned me enough to go ahead and do it. And he's had no wheezing and is pretty much back to normal. FloVent will be on his daily regimen, but no biggie...anything to keep his lungs open and give him the ability to breath. It's good to hear him breath deep and not here him struggle. It was a long week.

I myself am doing better. I think I mentioned I was sick too. Sinus infection and congestion. Today is the first day really that I finally can breathe through my nose again. Still got a little junk in my throat, but I am doing well. It was a long week for me. Oh and I got blood tests back (I had them done Mon.) and everything looks great. I need to probably lost about 40-50 lbs to be mostly healthy, which I want to and intend to do, but my cholesterol is doing great (though I am on meds for that).

Parker and I are hunkered down inside for the next couple of days. Snowmaggedon is on in full force here in central ohio and I do not have any desire to be out in it. We could get up to 10 inches of snow and in some areas a foot. Which means I have every intention of hanging out in my home till Sunday. Mostly because of Parker and the fact that cold weather does trigger his issues and also because I HATE snow, I hate being out in it, I hate driving it, I hate cleaning it off my car and away from my front door.

Sunday is the BIG GAME! Colts vs. Saints in the Super Bowl. Our life group is having a party and I am pretty pumped. Can't wait to wear my jersey to church and show off my Colts pride. Have a good one and if you are in central OH - stay warm and don't get lost in the snow :)

GO COLTS!!!!!

....Thy Name Is....

Failure thy name is Denise...

OK before you start going off on me and telling me how wonderful of a mom and wife and friend and yadda yadda I am, hear me out on this one... ok. I promise it starts off rough, but gets SO much better.

For several weeks (ok so maybe my whole life) I have been feeling like a failure. A failure as a mom, family member, wife, woman, Christian...I could list more. I could make a list of all the things I am convinced I have failed at, HOWEVER, I won't. Mostly because you don't have the time to read them all and also because, they aren't important, especially past things. Most recently though there have been 3 areas and which I have felt like a colossal failure.

1) Parker - I can see you sitting there now about ready to beat your head (or perhaps past that point) on the desk. Bare (bear?) with me. Where he is concerned, because I care THAT deeply, I feel like I fail on a daily basis. This past weekend was one of those areas. My sweet little man had, yet again, another wheezing episode. On Thursday last week, he became congested. Paying close enough attention I noticed that he was coughing - ding ding ding - a light went off - I remembered that this is actually a first sign of potential wheezing....I albuteroled the heck out of him Thursday. Friday he sounded great, no real cough, so I didn't worry - until the evening. That's when the big coughs came - again...friend thy name is albuterol. Saturday morning the poor boy woke up a hot wheezy mess. I called his pediatricians office knowing full well that it was a Sat and I probably would get a co-worker of his normal dr. We went in, sure enough....my ears did not deceive me. *Feeling of failure comes in here* The Dr. whom I thought was REALLY awesome talked to me about how I did the right thing, and how we would start Parker on FloVent (a preventative breathable inhaler) and OraPred (oral steroid - know as to me - Parker's hyper happiness) and that we wouldn't need to go to the ER. (Side note: all the way to the dr. I was convinced I'd have to take him to the ER). I asked her about 4 times if she was SURE I wouldn't need to take him to the er. Nope she said. Ok sure. I told her that I felt so happy that I had gotten ahead of if for the first time and that I really though there would be no wheezing this time around and she said that I had. (Ok then why the wheezing huh?) With his lungs being as premature as they were it's not surprising that even though I was really vigilant he still wheezed. It's the nature of the beast.

I left feeling both relieved and worried. We got home and Parker's wheezing got worse. I call the Dr. back (feeling of failure #2) and asked what to do (I actually called my friend Crissy first...thanks for listening to me that day - Love you!) She said that again, I had done the right thing, calling her (she seems to know I need reassurance) and that we would put him on albuterol every two hours for 6 hours (that would be three doses before bedtime) to give both the Flovent and the orapred the ability to really get in his system. It worked! I was thrilled and those failure feelings left.

So that's the most recent "issue" with Parker and failure coming into play. Today's feeling of failure - my son too much TV (P.S. he's currently napping - I don't have him watching the Boob Tube). He actually doesn't get that much. He gets an hour of Sesame street after nap. And maybe 1-1.5 hours the rest of the day spread out. (The kid must watch Yo Gabba Gabba before bed....and I am ok with that, because by the time it's over, he's read to sleep.)

2) Keeping house
I am not gonna lie, I hate housework. I hate everything about it, but I hate my house being messy - imagine that. I think sometimes it feels pointless to clean. Like yesterday, I worked REALLY hard on cleaning the kitchen. It looked pretty (needed to sweep and mop but with my head cold, I just couldn't continue past what I had done.) and nice. I made dinner - and now, it's destroyed. Again. Ugh. Oh and the living room. Toys toys everywhere. Ugh. I feel like a failure in the house cleaning area. Maybe if I wasn't sick it would better. Oh who are we kidding, it wouldn't make a difference, I just have zero cleaning motivation.

3) My weight.
I am overweight. There - I said it. I know I am, I know I have been and I have a REAL TRUE desire to lose weight. If I can lose weight I should be able to have a healthy pregnancy again (when we are ready...and want to try again - READ I AM NOT PREGNANT) and I think I would like myself better. I want so bad to go on Weight Watchers or something, but I stress about the money and the doing it and the keeping the motivation part. Ugh. I hate it. I feel like such a failure in the weight loss area.

satan they name is snot

I mean really! I have had a head cold/sinus infection for a week now and I don't really feel too much better. I am still blowing my nose every 3.5 seconds (ok I exaggerate). I have used mucinex, sudafed, tylenol head and cold and I swear I am still so friggin clogged. I hate this and am convinced satan lives in my sinus' and is named snot.

Speaking of the red dude. I know that he is why I feel like a failure. He plays on my insecurities, my fears, my doubts. If he didn't know me so dang well and left me alone, I know that I would feel better. It gets frustrating, because I do try to not listen, but it's hard ya know? I am thankful that I have grown so much since P's birth because I truly believe that time and the growth afterwards has helped me to learn how to overcome satan's lies. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not perfect and there are times I listen to them, but a majority of the time, I am fine or I can notice them easier and get myself into a much better frame of mind.

So yah.

I think I will let you go....

Post thy name is long.....

(P.S. sorry for my obsession with the phrase "thy name is."





****Please note that I say "I Feel Like" not "I Am A" Failure! I am learning to not allow what I feel to constantly rule my life and me!****

Asthma and Sitters

Dear Asthma - YOU VACUUM (get it vacuum's suck?) and I STRONGLY DISLIKE YOU! YOU MAKE MY LIFE DIFFICULT and STRESS ME OUT. And I don't even have you!

Since Parker's ER visit on Dec. 21st I am finally starting to see his triggers, namely, this cold weather. He'd been fine, hadn't need any treatments and had been breathing fine since we saw his doctor on Christmas Eve. Then Sunday, boom, it hit. Don't think I didn't try to stop it...I mean, I bundled him up a lot: huge puffy coat (that might weigh more than him), gloves, hat, layers...but no, by the time he woke up from his nap at 4 that afternoon...he needed a treatment. Then he needed another before bed. And I went to bed super frustrated and bitter about the whole thing.

I am trying to learn Park's triggers...and it seems that the cold air outside is one. Which makes sense if you consider he started out with lung issues and the cold air can cause his lungs to be agitated and tighten. So thanks to this realization, I probably won't take him out much at all. At least not until the weather is warmer. He's always been fine when it's in the high 30's and higher, so until we see those days with little wind, we will stay in as much as possible. Don't get me wrong, obviously I will have to take him out at least on Sunday, but I am going to try to do my best to keep the cold air away from him...blanket anyone?

Which leads me to my next predicament. A sitter. I am not going to trust just anyone with my Park, sorry, I can't afford too. Which is making finding a sitter hard. I have plenty of friends who could watch him every now and then, but I would have to take him to them and I'd like to avoid that. I really would need someone that I could call up on a moments notice and be like, "Hey, need to do some grocery shopping, can you come play with Parker?" i don't know whether it would be good to post a craigslist ad for one or not. I feel like an employer, I want references and I want them to be CPR and First Aid certified. I want them to have experience and feel comfortable with a child who likely has asthma and who is my everything. Is this too much to ask? I don't want to sound harsh though... or no one will be interested. So what do you think, should I put up an ad and make sure that those interested know that I am going to be a bit picky in whom I choose.

Also, what's a good rate for a sitter? I haven't a clue on how much I should pay them. It's only going to be a few days a month and 2-3 hours those days. I hate this. I wish it were easier.

Advice would be appreciated on this...I have no clue how to handle finding a sitter and figuring pay and knowing what to ask those who are interested....

Out with the Old, In with the New

First of all, HAPPY 2010* everyone. I hope that your Christmas and New Years were good ones. Ours was fantastic! Lots of family, fun, food and rest.

*(That's twenty ten, none of this two thousand ten junk!)

2009 wasn't a half bad year for us. Sure we had our share of ups and downs, but considering we started the new year with a tiny little man and now we have a precious little toddler and we are happy, that's all that matters. I saw my son turn 1, have two seperate ER visits, be (mostly) diagnosed with asthma, be diagnosed with allergies, start walking, and now he's a jabbering fool who can actually use a fork and likes to throw his plate on the floor. Not too shabby. Parker's a true toddler now and growing physically and mentally each day. Our saw my marriage have a bit of a bump, but now it's stronger than ever. I saw my husband get another raise and watched him grow. And I saw myself grow tremendously, get a job I adore, a car I love and new friends to last a lifetime. All in all, 2009 wasn't too bad.

BUT OUT WITH THE OLD....

AND IN WITH THE NEW....

2010....day 2 of this year and already it's been pretty darn good. My step - sister had my nephew Dalton yesterday (1-1-10) at 9:13 am (he was the first baby born in that hospital in the new year. He's currently in the NICU for some lung issues, but is doing well. He was 7lbs, 6ozs and 19 inches long. He's a cute little man! I got to see many of my friends happy when the Bucks made dinner out of the Ducks in the Rose Bowl! And today, I got to enjoy a quiet afternoon with my two men and I get to go on a date tonight to see Avatar in 3D - so that should be fun. Oh and I get Chipotle for dinner. Some of you may not be thrilled, but I am!

I am looking forward to 20-10. I am not sure what all is in store and I am sure God has some plans that I may not enjoy, but nevertheless, I am excited. My baby boy, born at only 29 weeks, will turn two in May. He's car seat will FINALLY be flipped probably in the next few days. I will celebrate my 5 year wedding anniversary on Aug. 6 with a trip to either Chi-town or NYC. I will get to see my youngest brother, Brandon graduate from high school in June. And who knows what else really. I do look forward to it.

Oh did I also mention that the first meal I made in 20-10 was a delicious slow cooker full of ham and bean soup? Without a recipe? Yah, I am that good! We had a ton of left over ham from Christmas and I wanted to use it up and do something different. I happened to have some dry navy beans so I thought...hmmmm....let's try. It was easy peasy lemon squeezy! Want me to share what I did? Well fine, you twisted my arm...yeesh.

Ham N Bean Soup A'la Deni:

1.5 cups dry Navy Beans
Ham (I would say I had probably about 1.5 - 2 cups once I chopped it up)
1/2 an onion, sliced,
1 piece of celery chopped
6 cups of water
1.5 bullion cube (beef)

****The Dry beans need prepped first. I just did mine by soaking over night in a big bowl with 5 cups of water. I leave it on the counter and vent the lid a bit.****

I mixed all the ingredients in the slow cooker, added some spices, rosemary and thyme and pepper and cooked on low for 6 hours.

That's it folks. I mean, obviously their is the prep and all, but that's it. The beans cook great in the sc** and it ends up being yummy. I started out with 4 cups of water, but once the beans expanded I added two more. It made the soup not to thin and not too thick.

**slow cooker

Well that's my first recipe of 20-10. Let's write that one down in the record books! :)

I'll update again soon!

Just Breathe

Well, as promised I am back after the craziness of Christmas to update you on how things are. I decided to entitle this, "Just Breathe" for several reasons, but mostly because I need to be and just breathe. It's been a VERY busy month and it was topped off with an amazing program at Vista where we saw over 2,000 people come over three performances to hear the story of Hope! It was truly amazing. I cried some because of just how powerful it felt just being in the choir on stage. There was a very special testimony that I would love for you to watch. It's from Billy and Amy and it's just moving! It's the story of Hope. And it's beautiful.

We had several friend and family come into town to see the program and enjoyed spending time with all of them!

The Monday before Christmas I had to take Parker to the ER. He was having breathing issues and his albuterol was not at all helping. It was scary, but he's ok now. He does have asthma and so we will be learning more about how to deal with that. I won't lie, I am not happy about it, but I am thankful that it is nothing more serious.

Drew's parents came out for Christmas and we enjoyed having them around. I enjoyed them taking care of Parker for me. Christmas was great, we all got some wonderful presents. Some of my favs include: my Colts Snuggie! (Go Blue!), a hand made scarf, a scarf Drew got me at Forever 21 (it's so pretty), and a picture frame that says meow and has a picture of my kitty. I miss her :(

Parker got some great gifts...and enjoys all of them! Also, please be praying for Tabatha and Logan, he's been super sick and they are currently at the ER. I wish I knew how to help her.

So I think I am going to go and just breathe and be. If I don't say it before Friday - Happy New Year. I hope you have a blessed 2010

1 Parker + 1 Dog = Allergy Tests Galore!

Some of you follow me on facebook, others on twitter, some know me personally and already know this, but I want to share with you our current situation with Parker.

Saturday (Aug. 8) Parker and I went over to my friend Chrissy's new house. She has two precious dogs - Daisy and Darby. Parker was on the floor loving on Darby and she loving on him. They stopped for a brief moment and I noticed that poor Parker was red every spot where he'd been licked. I didn't think much of it, figured, hey, he's never been around dogs really (we have a cat) so it's probably just a small irritation. In fact, Chrissy and I giggled about it! Then, Parker started to itchy really bad - then puff up, and then hives started showing up. I took him to urgent care and it was confirmed that Parker had an allergic reaction to dog saliva.

Today, Parker woke up with a fever (totally unrelated to the allergy issue) and so knowing we needed to follow up anyways and being concerned by the highness of the fever I made a sick appointment. Parker has a virus, should be gone by the end of the week at the latest.

And here's where the fun comes in - Dr. D wants Parker to have allergy tests done. So tomorrow, we are going to a lab and he will get check for allergies to - dog dander and saliva, cat dander and saliva, wheat, soy and milk! We pretty much already know about the dog saliva - which means we can't even have a hypoallergenic dog - those are dander "proof" only). There is the possibility of cat allergies - which could explain his on going eczema. And the food, that's mainly precautionary, but again, it could also explain the eczema.

So I am a bit bummed. I love cats and dogs and now, we may need to get rid of our cat and we won't be able to get a dog. I realize down the road that Parker could very likely outgrow some intolerance to dogs, but still, its a huge bummer. Also, we will probably have to be prepared for asthma testing and such too. Woohoo!

I am taking this hard. Not sure why, just am.

So if you could be praying for Parker and the tests and for me as I come to terms with it, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks

Now What...???

Normally I wouldn't post anything on a Sunday - maybe I would do a Sunday Sabbath post with pictures, but today I am posting something. I just need to "let it out" as one would say.

We survived our first night home since our scary ordeal with the ER Saturday night. To say the first night home was hard is a complete understatement. I was scared over every little thing Parker did that wasn't normal. Drew had to explain to me on several occasions that the albuterol will make him breath faster because of it being a steroid. That would explain a lot. Thankfully, Parker is doing so well that he has only needed his puffs every 6 hours - which is much better than the once an hour that was basically happening at the hospital. PRAISE GOD!!!! I am learning the difference between wheezing and Parker excitement breathing (they are almost the same!) Which is very helpful as well.

Right now, we are keeping him confined to his bedroom. When we got home last night, the cat was automatically put in our bedroom and has been there since. She doesn't understand why, but I kept telling her, she did nothing wrong, but we have to protect her baby brother until we can find her a new place to stay or until May when her grandparents can take her back to New York! Anyways, Parker's room is the cleanest in the house and the room with the least amount of cat hair. We got home and did as best of a deep clean as we could - we did a lengthly vacuum and dusted like mad men! We plan to get a nice air purifier for his room (well for most of the house!) and do our best to keep his room the least allergen filled.

Once we get our state tax return - we are getting a Dyson!!!! We also plan to, like I said, get air purifiers, some good cleaning solutions, lots of hand sanitizer and really step up in our effort to be more cleanly. Now, we are by no means dirty people, but our house isn't immaculate either!

I know it sounds like we are going crazy - but if these actions can help make things less hard on his little body, I am all for them! I don't want a repeat of what happened Saturday night...It was super scary and emotionally and physically draining! I don't wish it on anyone. I am thankful we got him to the ER when we did...it could have been much worse, but I also don't want to put him at risk for anything getting more severe.

Emotionally....I am so drained. I haven't cried so much in a long time. Every breathing treatment pretty much inspired streams of tears, especially the first few at the hospital when he would scream and look into your eyes as if to say, why are you doing this. I barely slept at all while there. I was too into helping Parker. and when I did sleep, it was either in a recliner, a hard chair or the floor. To go from one day everything being ok and now, having to be careful with allergens and hand washing and cleaning things is so hard. I don't know that I right now can even completely comprehend what happened. I know I repeated my questions alot to the nurses - who, by the way, wanted to steal Parker (he's a charmer even when sick). The nurses we had in the observation unit were so nice and understanding. Praise God for them.

I have to say though...I realize just how much I love my baby boy. I mean, I knew I loved him deeply and unlimitedly, but with everything he went through in the hospital...my love is just gonna burst. I would do anything to help him, make him comfortable and make him not struggle like he was.

**I should note that he also had a virus, which made this all the much worse!**

Anyways, so now I have to learn a new normal. I feel like I did back in August when I first brought Parker home - like I have to learn how to be normal again. I am scared I will miss him needing his treatment. I am scared of a lot, I am scared I can't trust my own instincts...SCARED SCARED SCARED! Somehow though, I know we will be ok. Things will become normal and everyday again. God will protect him. I will learn and life will return to a better place.

Please keep us in your prayers - we have a rather long-ish road ahead of learning how to live and take care of an asthmatic child.

Ok, off to try to rest - I skipped church because 1) I am not ready to have parker out and about quite yet and 2) I am so dang tired!

Something I do NOT suggest...

...being in the emergency department of Children's Hospital for 12.5 hours. THAT'S RIGHT - 12.5 hours...

Last night is when it all started. Drew and I were hanging out, headed to bed when we heard Parker fussing - we didn't think anything of it, Parker fusses...but it was odd, I would go in and check on him and he would be a sleep, but wincing and that's when I noticed how he was breathing. It was not normal...far from it. He was labored, I could see ribs, and it was so fast...75 breaths per minute (that's too many!) We called our Ped's office and talked with the on call doctor. He suggested the ER and we packed up Parker and headed there.

We got there almost at midnight. Waited FOREVER to just get registered. We basically immediately got taken back to triage. And quickly ushered to an exam room. There, Parker has 3 breathing treatments and he couldn't keep his oxygen saturation level up. After 3 hours there, we were moved to observation. They were discussing the likely hood of Parker having asthma. We spent the rest of our time in observation - it was a long night as Parker did not want to sleep at all.

Parker ended up having 10 breathing treatments during his stay. He was diagnosed with asthma and RAD. We finally got discharged at 6:15 tonight. Parker will require the use of albuterol for the next few days. Also, he will have to take some steroids orally. It's going to be a long few days. He is doing a lot better right now, but I am scared that I will miss a treatment. I want to just sit and watch him breath!

Unfortunately we have to get rid of our cat - we are all pretty much convinced that is part of the problem. She will be going and staying with Drew's parents. :( I am so sad, I grew up around a lot of animals so to go to nothing will be hard. I also have to go through and thoroughly clean our house, dust, vacuum and get some air filters to run.

So yah, that was my saturday...how was yours? please keep us in your prayers.