The Dog Days of Summer

Sleepy, but handsome in his summer haircut......eating lunch

Such a BIG boy on his new play gym...(just tonight he learned he can slide down
on his tummy!!)

As the days grow longer and hotter, we are all adjusting to a new "normal", as, sadly, my
daughter, H, got laid off last week. My heart just breaks for her.....but we are praying that the unemployment benefits will allow her to stay at home for a few months with James. She is still waiting on the paperwork to "crunch the numbers", and see where they stand. The main concern is that she carried the family insurance through her job, and COBRA payments are so outrageous! All I can do is put it all in God's hands, and have faith that He has a reason for it. In the meantime, my days are suddenly quite long, and VERY quiet! Even his toys and stuffed animals seem sad and lonely, and I miss the sound of little feet running amuck through the house, and the sweet sound of his little voice,......(he had JUST started saying "I luff my Mammo"). And there are times that I swear my ears literally ache to hear his contagious laugh!
His vocabulary is absolutely exploding right now, and I long to hear his chatter. I still get to see him most anytime I want.....but I am trying to let them settle into their own new routine without my interrupting every day. If I had MY way, I would be over there every day at the crack of dawn and spend the whole day with him! LOL. The good stress is that I am getting motivated to get some things done around the house that seem to have been put on hold for the last two years, so that will keep me very busy, and I am actually starting to look forward to it. It has taken me a few days to wrap my head around it, and I'm sure my poor daughter thought I was some sort of whack job the first day or two. I cried a river of tears, and you'd have thought he was moving across the country!! I had to give myself an attitude adjustment, and did ALOT of praying about it, and I am in a much better frame of mind now. I still (and always will) worry about how they will make it, but H is a strong woman, and a force to be reckoned with when she needs to be, and I am sure she will be just fine. But as many of you know, they are ALWAYS your babies, no matter HOW old the are, and it's just my maternal perogative to worry. LOL.
Honestly, I am thrilled that she finally gets to be at home with James.......just as she always wanted.
On a lighter note, I am happy to tell you that our little friend in Florida, "Bella Bean", got to go home last week after MONTHS in the hospital in Ohio. She has a disease called Hurlers, and has been through the horrendous ordeal of a bone marrow transplant, and is on the road to a happy, healthy life. And she will be welcoming a new baby brother to the family in just about a month now. We are thrilled for them, and praise God for his blessing of restored health. I love you, sweet girl, and am so proud of your strength and courage. God Bless You!!
My sister Vonita gave us quite the scare a couple of weeks ago......and again, we are thanking God for his blessings. She was found at home by her best friend....breathing but unresponsive.
After countless tests, it was discovered that she had TOXIC levels of lithium in her system. She had been prescribed lithium quite some time ago, but the (so called) doctor that she switched to about a year ago kept increasing the dosage without any blood work, and it finally reached the critical point. Another few hours, and she wouldn't have made it! She was in the hospital for a week, and is continuing to recover at home now. It will just take time to get it out of her system, and then we will start from scratch again. Needless to say she has a NEW doctor now, and i have every confidence that he will stay on top of things. I love you, sister.....more than you will ever know. God Bless You!!
My dear friend Lora has also been through the ringer the past month or so. She had gastric bypass surgery, and had complications which led to a second emergency surgery, and between the two operations, she was so weak and so sick, and it has taken a few weeks to even begin to feel any better at all. On top of all her other medical problems this was just too much for her body to take, and I was scared to death for her for quite some time. AGAIN, we are thanking God for his blessings! I love you, Lora, to the moon and back, and that's just for starters! God Bless You!!
Mom is doing very well after her eyelid surgery, and looks cute as a button! Her face just looks so much brighter, and you can't even see any scarring......it's amazing! She is on the go again, and looking forward to going to see Lora with me this weekend. We can hardly wait.....we have so much fun together on our little road trips! I love you, sweet Momma, more than there are words to express it. God Bless You!!
So, that's my summer vacation thus far......the typical roller coaster! I'll be back soon with some pics of our trip to Lora's. Till then, hug your loved ones, and TELL them how much they mean to you......never let that opportunity slip past you. Thank you for sharing your time with me, and......God Bless You!!