so much...

So, so much has happened.
I hadn't intended to take a summer sabbatical of sorts; but life got hectic- and it just kind of happened.
It's been busy busy busy at our house. 

Since Olivia's diagnosis we have really been focusing on our little family. It has been an adjustment to say the least. Though we are eternally grateful that her condition is not serious and completely manageable, it is still tough to watch your child go through something like this. Thank you for continuing to keep our family in your prayers. We will forever be thankful for all of them.

Olivia started preschool and ballet. My heart has nearly exploded many times.
My best friend threw me a surprise birthday party.
Chance and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary.
And about a thousand other little things.

Writing posts on all those things today, and planning future posts. Lots of exciting things going on and coming up!!

Blessings Abound.

Last Thursday we took a day trip to Nashville, TN.
As soon as we got to Nashville we headed to Joe Naturals and had lunch with new friends..

Y'all I got to have lunch with Raechel and her sweet babes! Let me tell you, as delightful as she seems on her blog- multiply that by about a million and that's what you have in person. She's amazing, and I pretty much love her heart!

Olivia and Hazel were born only a week apart and had a blast playing together- they were so cute!

Lunch was amazing- and reason enough to drive 2.5 hours; but the main reason we went to Nashville was to take Olivia to see the specialists at the Infectious Disease Clinic at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

{If you are not familiar with Olivia's medical condition you may want to read this, this or this first.}

After about 2 hours, and a ton of questions- we finally got the answers we've waited since November to get. She has been diagnosed with periodic fever aphthous pharyngitis and cervical adenopathy (PFAPA.) Commonly referred to as periodic fever syndrome. She will require medication at the onset of each episode, and will grow out of it between the ages of 7 & 8. This is definitely the diagnosis we were praying for, and it eliminated a lot of very scary alternatives.

The staff at Vanderbilt was truly a blessing. They were so thoughtful and thorough. It was such a relief to finally feel heard. The Lord has shown His grace and love to us through the people we have met during this season and those who've prayed with us for healing and answers. We thank each and every one of you! God is good friends, and His blessings abound.

Happiness is...

..talking about our favorite colors. And the favorite colors of everyone we know.
..planning for our Florida trip later this summer.
..early morning send offs with Daddy. Love watching our little girl give her Daddy his bye-bye's.
..Remembering to set the coffee maker last night so I was able to greet Chance with coffee this morning. Always makes me look like a rock star- even if my hair is sticking straight up and I have eyeliner smeared clear to my cheek bones.
..spontaneous prayers with Olivia. And her saying 'Good Job' after every prayer.
..getting the same amount of kisses this morning from Olivia as I did yesterday. Reminds me that her love is unconditional and doesn't care what day it is.
..Liv's hair is growing so fast- it's almost to her shoulder blades now. With just the right amount of curl. Seriously, so cute.
..planning a day trip to a splash park with our best friends.
..Charlotte's Web.
..our pool being almost ready. Getting excited!
..Livi's little voice singing along with her music. Be still my heart.
..being able to see past the day to day stresses of adult life to see joy. So grateful for the blessings in our lives. So grateful.

What are you grateful for today?

The Fever.

Olivia was always a very healthy baby girl. Not so much as a runny nose of a diaper rash; until November. That's when the fevers started. Every 2-3 weeks, like clockwork she would spike a high fever, ranging anywhere from 101.7 to as high as 106. Terrifying. We went through 6 or more rounds of antibiotics, with no results. The fever kept coming back. She's had 5 chest x-rays, nasal and throat cultures, urine analysis {via a rather torturous catheter experience,} and more blood work than I can count; with no answers.

{at an appointment back in December.}

We kept getting the "it's a virus" run around. But I just didn't buy into that theory. A momma knows her baby, and I wasn't about to let it go at that. We reached the end of our rope in March of this year, and at her 24 month well visit Olivia's pediatrician decided that it might be time to seek another opinion. She referred us to the infectious disease clinic at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. We discussed what they would do and say at our appointment. My stomach did a somersault when the words "spinal tap" escaped her lips. 

Big, scary words like cancer and immunodeficiency swam around in my head. It was a scary time for all of us. We tried to prepare ourselves and Olivia as much as possible. In true fashion, I researched the facility to the ends of the internet. Read tons of information on preparing your child for these kinds of procedures. My mother-in-law got Olivia a play doctor set and we began talking about what they would do when we got to the hospital- as best we could in terms a 2 yr. old could understand. We prepared for an over night stay in Nashville if that became necessary. And then we waited for April 19th, and prayed a lot.

Two days before her appointment we had a conference call with our pediatrician and his P.A. It was April 17th, and Olivia had not had a fever since March 26th. We started to think that maybe it was just a virus all along. We all agreed that it was not wise to put Olivia through the traumatizing invasive tests at Vanderbilt, unless we knew it was absolutely necessary. So, we canceled her appointment. The next day, on the 18th, she spiked a fever. Of course. This fever, however, did not go a high as the ones before and only lasted one day. 

So now we wait. We wait to see if she has another fever- or if the fever on 4-18-12 was an isolated incident. And we pray. We pray for peace and understanding, we pray for healing for Livi's little body, we pray that if she is sick- that the doctors are able to find out what's wrong, we pray for wisdom for her doctors. And then we pray some more.

a few things.

{I should note that most of the pictures, if not all of them are repeats from my instagram feed. So if you follow that too- these will be repeats. But let's be real here, what are the odds that the someone follows both my blog and my instagram feed?!}

Liv and I are trying something new, I think they call it exercise. I stole scored this jogging stroller at a yard sale for $15. We've laced up our walkin' shoes a few times. I'm hoping to get more routine with it. Momma's got some work to do.

I more than love my new coffee up that was given away at the (in)RL meet up I attended in Nashville. It can be found here. Seriously, this would make a wonderful mom day gift.

Summer has arrived here in western KY and this little lady is loving it. We have been soaking up as much sun as possible, and making some exciting plans with friends for the next few weeks. {She also loves strawberries.}

I almost don't want to post this, for fear of jinxing it. But I know that it could give hope to someone else struggling in this area. Olivia, who used to co-sleep with us, has slept in her big girl bed every night for a month. As with everything else in her life. She transitioned when she was ready to. So thankful that she has such a strong spirit.

Liv is loving her new swing. It's quite the up-grade from the "baby swing" that we bought her for her half birthday. We attached it under the arbor in the back yard. I see hours of pushing and many "wee's" in our future.

This girl is becoming more and more independent by the day. On this particular day she insisted on wearing this bow. The regular pink bow? It simply would not do.

In true form, it's taking me far to long to finish this book. I promise it's not for lack of interest. Because, let me tell you sister,  it is awesome. It has truly been a blessing to me, and Olivia apparently.

This picture reminds me how thankful I am that our Heavenly Father provided Olivia with an Earthly Daddy that loves her, and loves her well. They have the sweetest bond.

We sang "How Marvelous" during our worship at church this morning. What a beautiful song. It reminds me of my great-grandmother, Granny B. That woman is singing in the angel choir, I know it.
Praising the One who makes all things possible; that he has blessed us beyond measure. My cup runneth over.

Last Saturday.

Last Saturday I faced one of my greatest fears. Last Saturday I thought I might lose my best friend, my husband.

To say it was scary would be an understatement. It's no secret that Chance and I have been through our share of 'rough patches,' and I have spent many hours wondering what my life would be like with out Chance. But there was a finality in my fears that night. It was paralyzing.

We were eating dinner on a rare night out. Having a great time- I was thanking God for those moments. Chance told me he wasn't feeling right. We'd been passing a nasty cold around at our house; so at first I thought that maybe he was starting to feel bad again. Then he bit his tongue, hard and started getting really hot. He was instantly drenched in sweat.. He stood up and then he fell.
Words like heart attack, stroke and seizures were swimming in my head. Just moments before I was thanking God for the night we were having and in a heartbeat my prayers switched to begging the Lord to give us more time.

When the paramedics arrived his blood pressure was 76/42. We were transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where we spent the next 2 nights. After a chest x-ray, many panels of blood work, 2 EKG's, a cat scan, a 2D echo of his throat and heart, a full stroke assessment, and an MRI the final diagnosis was that he had what is known as a vagal response. Which caused his blood vessels to open up {making him feel disoriented} and when he stood up from his seat his body was unable to fight the gravitational pull on his blood. All this to say that his brain was deprived of oxygen and he lost consciousness.
Odds are that this was a one time ordeal and it will never happen again. I pray that this is the case.

That night reminded me that nothing is guaranteed. My next breath could very well be my last. I want to know that I have lived not only the length of my life-- but also the width of it.

We're Back!

We're home from Virginia!
Olivia did awesome on our flights!! What a relief.

Tons of fun was had.
Two life long friendships were strengthened.
Lots of sweet moments between two little girls.
Lots of relaxing.
It was a good trip.

Here are a few pictures from our week away...

Ready for our first flight!

  

Olivia was so good, on both flights.

 

 She really liked looking out the window.

We took a field trip to the library. Olivia had never seen that many books- she was in awe. Precious.

Thanks for having us Nikki, Michael and Ellie!!!

December, really?

First things first, a very dear family friend is struggling right now in the ICU at a local hospital. They believe he may have had a stroke but has been in pretty much the same condition since early last week. Please pray for his healing, for comfort for his family and wisdom for the doctors and nurses caring for him.

December snuck up on me. Big time!
I was so busy with the bustle of Thanksgiving, I feel like I blinked and November was over! And here we are in December- the happiest month of the year. I love everything about the holiday season; especially all the fun traditions.

Last Firday was Chance's birthday, he's 28 now.

Olivia helped make his birthday cupcakes- carrot cake with cream cheese icing. He's the only one in the house that likes them. (I gag a little just thinking about them)

Saturday was a big day for us too. We took Olivia to see her very first Christmas parade. We were able to meet up with our dear friends the Pooles. You've heard me talk about our awesome play dates before.
Olivia and Adley just have the best time together, and it's so fun to watch them learn to interact.

Adley (Right) & Olivia (Left)

Olivia liked the marching bands and the gymnastics teams... Adley liked the pup-pups (dogs) best.

These girls make my heart smile. I love that Olivia is building friendships even at her young age. She asks for Adley all the time. I sure hope we're able to squeeze in a few playdates before the Christmas craziness starts!



Olivia is at such a fun age right now. She is so articulate, and has no problem telling you exactly what it is she wants!

In other fun news, and adding to the craziness, Olivia and I get to spend the week in Lexington, VA. We fly out on the 14th and won't be back until the 21st!! So the Bendel Christmas has to be planned and prepared for by the 13th! Whew- I feel a list coming on.

Our days now..

Today I'm linking up to Gussy Sews for her inspiration workshop. This week's challenge is "A Day in My Life," and since the real reason I blog is to record our family memories I thought it would be neat to write {in detail} what an average day consists of for the Bendel's at this stage in our lives.

Our day starts with two alarms at 7:30; one for Chance - one for me. I proceed to poke, kick, and whisper/yell until Chance finally gets out of bed around 7:45. I do my best to keep Olivia asleep through all this non-sense, but I'm rarely successful. Once I'm up and moving around the first thing I do is to look at our calendar that hangs on the wall. For now our schedule isn't too crazy but I over analyze every minute of the day and I'm constantly afraid I'm going to drop one of the many balls I'm juggling. Hence the color-coded calendar.

Second on our to do list is breakfast, typically Olivia eats a waffle with raspberry jam or syrup. It's her fave. This almost always results in a bath. I let her play for about 15 minutes {or until my butt starts going numb from sitting on the floor.} While she plays, I "wake up" - enter coffee.

Oh sweet coffee, what would I do with out you?? While she's in the bath I try to clean the bathroom as best I can from my spot next to the tub. {this includes: cleaning the toilet, straightening the shelves, refolding any towels that Olivia unfolded while waiting for her bath water etc.} I find that for me, several small daily rituals like this eliminate the need for entire days spent cleaning. It makes life so much easier.

After Liv's bath we both get dressed for the day. She always wears a bow- always. It's a southern thing. Her hair is getting so long, though it's very fine.

By now it's about 9:00, and we make the bed and do a quick straightening up of the bedroom. {another one of my small daily rituals.}

This is when Olivia watches the bulk of her t.v. shows. Her favorites are Olivia, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Yo Gabba Gabba, Big Music Show, The Fresh Beat Band, and Bubble Guppies. She sits on the bed and watches t.v. - sometimes I sit with her, others I fold and put away laundry. {I try to wash laundry every time a load builds up. Instead of waiting and doing it once a week- that's just too much for me to tackle at once.
One of the greatest things I've done for myself this year was realizing and accepting my limits. I feel so much more in control now. Like all my many 'jobs' are manageable. It has completely changed my life.

Around 12:00 we have lunch. Olivia likes to eat peanut butter sandwiches, cucumbers, grapes, grilled cheese, hot dogs, and spaghetti-o's. She's such a good eater. Not picky at all! After lunch we strip down and clean up. Then I try for about 45 minutes to get Olivia down for a nap. Eventually she gives in and I can finally lay her down. While she naps I tackle any large projects that I can't do when she's awake. If there are no biggies on my to do list, I catch up on my blog roll, posting, and DVR. She's usually sleeps for about and hour and a half.

She wakes up somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00. And we have play time. She loves to play with her dollies. Bay-bee {with extra emphasis on those e's} as she calls them. She also can't get enough of my jewelry! Such a girlie-girl!!

 

Not too long after she wakes up it's time for us to go downstairs and start dinner. I do my best to have dinner ready just after Chance gets home from work. Sometimes I even succeed! Liv is really good about playing in the den while I cook. On fussier days I sit her in her high chair and let her play with spoons of give her a light snack. Chance walks through the door around 5:15. We eat around 6:00. Then I clean up while Chance and Olivia have a little 'Daddy/Daughter time'. Bath time is 7:30. Liv plays, while I do another mini touch-up in the bathroom again. After her bath we have family snuggles. Chance is usually playing video games in the bedroom and Liv loves to 'play' with him. It's precious!!

These moments are so precious to me. When I can see the bond they have. She has such different relationships with both of us. It's funny to see the different aspects of her personalities that come out with each of us. We do our best to have her in bed by 8:30. She usually falls asleep around 9:15. We move her to her bed and Chance and I catch up on our over-burdened DVR and we fall asleep around 11:30.

Then we start all over again.

Sorry if this post completely bored you. But I know I'll appreciate it 4 years from now when I can look back at the 'easy' days!