Quite The Ride....

It's been quite the ride since Friday afternoon. Not our greatest trip to Chicago, but ended with great news! 

We got the call on Friday afternoon that stated they wanted us in Chicago by Monday for testing and possibly surgery.  We felt all of the feels because we were worried about the urgency of appointments.  Yet, we couldn't say no and try to push it back to be more prepared.  We've had too many emergent situations with Macy that we don't ever want to be in that position again.  So after calling Jeremy and making sure that we could make it happen we told them we'd be there.  He booked the hotel and called his parents to see if they could help with McKenna.  I spoke with medical imaging and surgery, and put all of the plans into place.  We were told on Friday night at 5:30 p.m. that Macy would need a Covid test and that someone would call us over the weekend to tell us where to go.  I worked all night Friday night writing lesson plans, and went into work on Saturday to get my classroom ready to be out, possibly through Wednesday.  In the meantime, McKenna woke up with a low-grade fever on Saturday and we couldn't very well take Macy to Chicago to have procedures and leave McKenna behind if she was sick.  So we squeezed a doctor's appt. in on Saturday too.  While there, they tested McKenna for Covid and the flu, and they were kind enough to do Macy's Covid test for us.  Sunday we got the house ready, packed, and headed to Chicago late afternoon.  No one from a Covid hotline ever called (more to come on that soon).

We had orders to arrive for her MRA on Monday at 8 a.m.  The girl who scheduled it tried to tell me that Macy could eat beforehand.  I knew better.  This isn't our first rodeo.  Since it's an abdominal MR, she cannot eat, like when she has an abdominal ultrasound.  Only 1 parent could attend, so Jeremy stayed at our hotel to work remotely.  Our nurse seemed new and unsure of MANY things, and it made me uneasy.  She was asking me if Macy had ever had this specific contrast during an MR, and explained that it was a special kind.  She said it was slowly administered over a 15 minute period and that she had to be monitored closely due to the chance of hypertension.  She said that a cardiologist would be on standby.  I immediately asked her if everyone was aware that she was a cardiac patient.  She said yes, however she was kind of a mess and made me feel unsure.  Finally once we got back to the MR room, I made the tech check her previous MRs to see if she had that specific contrast before and sure enough she had.  Good grief!  Maybe that nurse needs to not tell so much information to the patients.  It takes a lot to make me nervous, and she did a great job at doing that.  

Macy was a champ during her MR.  The first half was without contrast, and then the 2nd half was with contrast.  It took about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  It was a long study.  During the MR, when they were getting ready to start the contrast, a doctor from Interventional Radiology came in and wanted to know if Macy had a Covid test before her scheduled surgery on Tuesday.  I explained that I gave the results to our nurse and she uploaded it into the system, and explained that no one ever called us either.  She took the test documentation to Infection Disease and they said they couldn't accept it.  I was thoroughly annoyed, especially since no one called us!  So following the MR, they made Macy do another test, and this time tested her for a full list of respiratory viruses.  They then pushed her Tuesday surgery back because they needed to make sure results were back.  I didn't know how far back they pushed it, but she acted like it was just pushed back a little.   

Following the MR, I grabbed Macy some soup and chips from a local restaurant (she was starving), and we headed back to the hotel.  We all worked for a couple of hours, getting work and school completed for the day.  Around 2 pm, a nurse called me about the surgery on Tuesday.  At this point, we still hadn't heard any MR results, and I had put in 2 phone calls to the doctor's office.  I feel bad for the poor girl who called to tell me the info about the surgery on Tuesday.  She was just trying to give the times and info on not eating, etc. I kind of gave her a piece of my mind when she told me that surgery had been pushed back to 2 pm.  All because no one called us from the "Covid hotline" to tell me the specific place to go for the specific test.  

Long story short, we were forced to book another night at the hotel because we went to bed last night still not knowing if Macy was having surgery or not.  We didn't know if she could get up and eat or not.  We couldn't mentally prepare for knowing if our daughter was facing surgery the next day, her 34th surgery to be exact.  Worst of all, Macy couldn't prepare.  I laid there last night, and closed my eyes with faith that everything was going to be okay.  She looks healthy, she is gaining weight better than ever, and all her bloodwork except her platelet count has been normal.  

Luckily the doctor's office redeemed themselves when they called first thing this morning!  It helped a little that they had great news!  Macy's MR looked great!  As a matter of fact her words were "her MR has never looked better"!  She canceled the surgery!  Another crazy things is that her platelet count went back up!  It's not normal yet, but higher than in January and December.  She said that they will look over Macy case next week at their Radiology conference, and decide what our next appointment will look like.  Our NP chatted about how concerned she was given the lower numbers and Macy's previous history, and this must have just been a fluke.  Macy is a pioneer in this specific area.  She is only 1 of 3 that have ever been changed from an Abernethy patient to a Rex Shunt patient.  She is also the only 1 that had this surgery who had only 1 side of her liver developed.  With that said, no one likes to take changes with Macy.  We are okay with that!   

For those of you trying to remember exactly what there were looking for, here's a little background.  In April of 2019, they took a vein from Macy neck and placed it in as a portal vein in her liver.  In a normal body the portal vein carries 25% of your cardiac output to your liver.  Macy was originally getting 0% to her liver.  When they looked at it yesterday, it is carrying 25%.  Just like you and me!!!  It truly is unbelievable!  

After we got the okay to leave, we headed to a donut shop to grab a gluten free donut for Macy, since she could eat.  Then, we packed up and headed home.  We were so excited that we made it home in time for Jeremy to go pick McKenna and her carpool buddies up from school.  She was so excited to see us all!!!  I felt like crying when I saw her.  I hate leaving her.  

I have to give a huge shout out to my in-laws!  They jumped in to help, no questions asked.  Papaw Mark should receive a special award for his part!  They are doing some renovating at their house, and Mamaw needed to keep those workers in line.  So Papaw spent both nights at our house playing the role of Papaw Mom.  According to McKenna, he did a fabulous job!  We are so thankful for them! 

In other news, both girls were negative for Covid and the flu.  Macy also tested negative for multiple other respiratory illnesses, but tested positive for the common cold.  We wouldn't of known though, since she's been fine.  Weird.

Anyway, thanks again for following Macy and her journey.  We are so blessed for so many people who step in to help in so many ways.  All of the prayers are working, and Macy is living proof of that.  This girl is truly a walking miracle!  

I'll leave you with the only 3 pics I took while we were in Chicago.

Medical Update

It's been a while since I've updated on Macy.  She's doing great! We just realized this week that we haven't been to Chicago in a year.  We were supposed to go back in March, but ended up doing a virtual visit.  She did her MR in June at Riley and had the results sent to Chicago.  It was all around good news there!  They wanted to have us do an MR or Ultrasound in December, but with COVID numbers getting even worse, we opted to just do some labs at Riley.  All labs were in range except her platelet count.  Her platelet count has been running lower on a regular basis, so we rechecked again earlier this week.  Her platelet count dropped again, so we are heading to Chicago this week for an MR and possibly a Venoplasty surgery.  The Venoplasty is the same surgery Macy had in October 2019.  They basically go in and balloon her vein in order to stretch it.  When she had it done the first time, they told us that it often has to be done 2-3 times total. We were a little caught off guard with this, but after her platelet count dropped last month, I had a feeling this might be coming.  

We had our 6 month check up with Endocrinology in December.  Macy has grown more in height and gained weight!  Yay!  However our Endo is pretty sure that she is nearing the end of her growth.  She might grow another 1/2 inch or so.  She's going to be shorter than me! That's pretty unbelievable considering how short I am, lol.  She's currently the same height at Simone Biles (the Olympic gymnast) and Snookie (Jersey Shore), lol.   She is 4'8".  Yep, she's tiny!  With all of her health challenges throughout the years, we are just happy to see her healthy, and that is all that matters!  We go back in 6 months, and might be able to stop her growth hormone injections.  She's been on these injections since 2015, so it will be very strange not giving nightly injections anymore!  Our doctor said if we were really pushing to stop them now, she would let us, but she knows how we are.  I left it up to Macy, and she wants to continue to see how much more growth she can gain.  She might surprise us. So pray for some big gains!

In other news, I got Covid in December.  We didn't see family over Christmas, and decided to stay home from any group gatherings.  The only thing we did was go to some stores and go out for dinner.  We have no idea how I got it.  I was being treated for a sinus infection, but while still on antibiotics and after feeling better for a couple days, I started with a sore throat.  It got worse, and wouldn't go away.  The nurse said she could change up my antibiotic, but wanted me to get a Covid test so that we could rule it out.  I was shocked when the test came back positive.  I didn't have most of the symptoms.  It was so weird.  So the whole family got tested and they were all negative.  I have no idea how, but they were.  Due to close contacts and this upcoming surgery, Macy has been tested for Covid a total of 3 times, and McKenna twice now.  So far, everyone else has remained healthy.  

I just wanted to give a brief update and ask for some prayers for this week.  We have so many prayer warriors out there, and we are praying for a good MR, and if surgery is required, a great outcome!  Thanks for checking in on us!  

Big Mac's Surgery 2020

I have had quite a few people ask me about McKenna's surgery.  We've shared with family and friends when it comes up in conversation, but not something shared on social media since there were many unknowns.  Also, she is extremely scared of everything medical related, so we didn't want to make a big deal about it.

So last year in October, McKenna ran into the edge (corner) of two walls in the hallway.  It was on the side of her face, above/in front of ear in her temporal area.  It hurt, she iced it, and life moved on.  About 1 month after that she said that she still had a bump from it.  She showed me, and was pretty shocked.  It freaked me out enough that I called the doctor.  Over the phone, they recommended massaging it a couple times a day to see if the fluid would reabsorb.  I did that, however it started to look worse.  Almost bruised.  They had us come in, and honestly had no idea what it was.  They started her on an antibiotic as a precaution for 2 weeks and said to call back if it doesn't go away.  There was still no change following the 10 days, so they sent us to a dermatologist.

McKenna was freaked out and thought they were going to try to remove it right then and there.  She was so serious during her appointment.  She rarely has to face anything medical, so it was interesting to see her in this environment.  I am so use to Macy having no fear, so I had to learn how to be a little more sympathetic to McKenna.  Dermatology had two thoughts about what it might be, but said we couldn't be certain what it is until it was removed.  Due to her age, and it being facial, they couldn't remove it using a local in the office.  She would have to be put to sleep, so they sent us to see plastic surgery at Riley.  

Our plastic surgery appointment fell during the quarantine, so that made it very interesting considering they really needed to look at the mass in person.  I sent the most detailed pics that I could, and even used a ruler so they could get an idea about the size.  We met online, the NP looked at the pics, and tried to see it over the camera.  She again recommended removal, however they couldn't get us in for surgery until October 2.  So we booked it!

McKenna was freaking out the entire week last week, knowing she was going to be put to sleep and have surgery.  I asked her what she was so worried about....going to sleep?  the pain following?  Nope, she was nervous just to know that they were cutting her open.  Macy was a great support and talked McKenna though what the whole experience would be like, even the before in pre-op, the during as she arrives in the OR, and the after in recovery.  It was amazing to see and hear this!  It helped for sure!

So when we arrived and met the surgeon, the first thing he said was "I can tell you right now that this isn't from her hitting her head on the wall."  I was like "what?!?!?!".  He said that he thought it was a Pilomatricoma.  Basically it is a slow growing tumor.  No where along the way had anyone set us straight saying that this probably wasn't from her hitting her head, until this moment.  I felt kind of silly because that is what I had been saying all along.  I just assumed since no one said otherwise that it was the case.  I really liked this surgeon.  He was fun, happy, and told it like it was!  Following surgery, he came back to the room while she was in recovery, sat down in the chair, and chatted about it.  He said removal went great, and that he still felt like it was a Pilomatricoma, and that we would know for sure following a report from pathology.  He said they are very slow growing, and usually discovered following some sort of accident or bump.  

Of course I read up on it when we got home, and was comforted to know that most of those tumors are benign.  I just hoped that was what it was and it was benign.  By Monday morning, I couldn't take it anymore, and called to see if they had heard anything from pathology.  They told me that it could take 2-3 weeks to get results.  However on Wednesday, the phone rang and I could see that it was the plastic surgery office.  Freaked me out for a moment, wondering why they were calling so soon.  Great news came though!  It was a Pilomatricoma, and it was benign!  

So if they got it all out on removal, it is very unlikely that it will not grow back.  Our surgeon said it went great, and they removed it all, so I think we are good there.  He did tell us that it can be a totally isolated event, or patients can get more over time.  It just depends.  We are praying that it was her one and only!  Here are some before and after pics so you can see what it looked like:

 I want to see what it looks like under the tape, however they want us to wait for the tape to fall off on it's own.  He said they cut right along her hairline so it should be a nice scar.  We'll treat her scar with the same stuff we use on Macy's scars, so hopefully that helps too.  

As always, thanks for checking in on us!  Happy Fall! 

Slowing Down in Fall......

.....just joking!   We usually feel like things slow down in the fall, however they haven't this year.  Life is busy, but I love the fact that my kids are involved.  We are trying out best to still find as many family moments as we can even with as busy as we are.  Family dinner, movie nights, and family outings are very important to us, and they always have been.  Those are things that we make time for. 

Macy is playing golf on the high school team this year.  She is enjoying playing a lot of golf!  Honestly though, she has spent 2 years playing for her Jr. PGA coach, and she's struggling with having a different coach that is telling her to do different things than she's ever been told.  She will return to play for her other coach this winter and in leagues in the spring and summer, and I think she is looking forward to that very much.  She will continue with Girl Scouts as well this year.  This group of girls have been together since 1st grade, and it's turned into such a special group.  I think all of us moms love getting together as  much as the girls.  

McKenna is currently in soccer season.  They played their first tournament last weekend and placed 2nd.  They hadn't played together in almost a year due to spring season being cancelled, so we were very proud of them!  She finished her summer softball season with Indy Lightning, and will no longer be playing softball on that team.  She was offered a couple positions with different travel teams and accepted a position on a team called Red Storm.  We are excited for this new adventure!  Practice has already started, and she will be playing in a couple of fall tournaments.  Basketball season starts in about a month, which is one of her favorites.  Yep, we are busy!

School started back for all of us as well.  McKenna and I are full-time 5 days a week.  McKenna was placed in a special program at school this year called Reach.  It is a program for gifted children.  She is loving it, and we are very proud of her.  She skipped the 5th grade content and is doing 6th and 7th grade work.  Macy is on a hybrid schedule and goes to school 2 days a week and is home 3 days a week.  It's been a lot to manage.  I have to remind myself often what day of the week it is and whether she is going to school or not.  She is trying to manage virtual work vs. in-person work, and make sure she gets things completed on time and turned into the correct places.  One of the biggest challenges is that all of her teachers post their virtual work differently and require the work to be turned in differently.  It's very frustrating!  However, she is doing a very good job managing it.  

Jeremy is still working from home, and will continue to do so.  He is on a lot of meetings daily, and tries to support Macy with any questions she encounters while working.  This is just a completely whole new world than I ever envisioned us living.

I have had a lot of people ask me about how school is going this year.  It's very different!  I am SO happy to be back in the classroom, face to face with students.  See those sweet faces and hearing those sweet voices and laughter mean more than I remember before.  I am praying that we don't have to go virtually this year.  I can't imagine "leaving" my students again.  The end of the school year last year completely broke my heart.  On another positive note, I am teaching at a new school this year.  It has been such an amazing move, and the transition has been so smooth.  I'm loving it!

We've got so many prayer warriors that follow us, so I wanted to reach out for prayers for another family we know.  One of our family friends is facing the scariest, most challenging time of their lives right.  Their 3 year old daughter Addie is currently getting treatment for a brain tumor called DIPG.  It is highly aggressive and difficult to treat, but their team at Cincinatti Children's Hospital is on it!  I have seen miracles happen with Macy, and I have all the faith that miracles can happen in the most challenging circumstances.  Please pray for this family as they continue their journey through this difficult time!

Thanks for checking in on us and always continuing to pray for health and happiness for our family!

Summer Normals & Medical Follow-Ups

Well, the Coronavirus is still out there affecting our world, however it feels like life is slowly starting to get back to normal.  Macy is back to golf.  She is golfing in a Jr. PGA League this summer.  She is playing in the 17U division, and is the youngest one on the team.  She is doing a great job! She has also started practicing on the high school team. McKenna has started playing softball again, and we are enjoying watching her team play. She has a few more weekends of tournaments to play.  She's having a lot of fun with her teammates!  The lack of masks and social distancing at all of these events still make me, but we are outside, and we try our best to make smart, safe decisions. 

We have headed to the lake house a few times now.  It's been great to see our family, and do "normal" things like fish, swim, boat, tube, etc.  We spent most of the week during the 4th up there, and had such a nice time relaxing and feeling normal again.  We also had a lot of fun times with Mamaw and Papaw this summer.  We done some bike riding, swimming, cooking out, and watching softball! 

We've had quite a few appointments for Macy this summer.  So I thought I would give a medical update.  First of all, I get comments all of the time how good Macy looks.  Yes she does!  She is growing and gaining weight, and we are so happy about her health!

Liver Update:  About a month ago Macy and I headed to Riley to have an MRI.  We were very thankful that Dr. Superina's office allowed us to have the MR at Riley vs. driving to Chicago.  We got the images and reports the next day and I mailed them to Dr. Superina.  I chatted with them the day they viewed all of the images.  They said there was a collective gasp in the meeting when they all saw her images.  Her shunt is "beautiful"!  It is open and flowing!  We are beyond excited!  That means no surgery this summer for an angioplasty to stretch it, and she is able to stop the Plavix!  Yay!  We had a video appointment with Dr. Superina at the beginning of  this month. We got to chat with our favorite nurse practitioner Joan, and then got to "ride" on two elevators to go see Dr. Superina.  He is so happy with how her liver looks.  He said it is not likely that she will even need another angioplasty, and that things look great!  He wants an ultrasound and labs in December, and stated we could do those at Riley if we want to.  He will see her back in April of 2021!  Wow!

Endo Update:  We saw endocrinology a couple of weeks ago.  Macy has grown and gained weight!  Yay!  She is still growing and has the opportunity for a couple of more inches.  We are hoping she makes it to about 4'10" or 4'11".  I am just shy of 4'11", so we hope she catches me!  She will remain on her growth hormone injections until she is growing less than 2 cm a year. 

Cardio Update:  We just saw cardio this week.  Macy had an ekg and an echo.  Her heart remains mostly unchanged, however her numbers are a little higher.  She still has moderate leakage around her pulmonary valve.  We know for sure that she will need another surgery, but at this time we don't know if it will be in the cath lab or a full open heart surgery.  We've always known there would be another surgery.  At our next annual visit, she will have a cardiac MRI and a stress test.  This will give them a really good look at the pulmonary valve area and give them an idea of what kind of surgery they will do when we decide it's time.  He said he likes to wait until they are done growing, since that can help long term with keeping the valve longer. 

We are so happy that Macy is strong and healthy, and we can't wait to see how much she continues to grow in her health!  Please pray as we make the transition back to school with the Coronavirus continuing.  I worry about her being exposed while attending school, but  I also worry about me or McKenna bringing it home.   Thanks for checking in on us!

The Coronavirus Life

*This post is mainly for myself, and documentation of this unbelievable event taking place in the world*  However, read away if you want!

I've had multiple conversations with friends over the years about 9/11. The main question is "Where were you at when you found out about the terrorist attacks?"  You remember exactly where you were, what you were doing, and what you did afterward.  It was a very traumatic event for the entire country, and has had lasting effects on how we think, how we do things, and the way we live.  We were forever changed!

I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.  Never in my mind would I have ever thought we would be going through something as life-changing as we are right now.  Yes, we've all anticipated more terrorist attacks or mass shootings.  We've prepared our minds for natural disasters.  And maybe if you watch shows like The Walking Dead, you've even thought about what you would do in a zombie apocalypse.  I know I've thought about those things.  However, never in my mind would I have thought that we would live through a time where a virus wreaks havoc on our entire world, causing everything in life to be put on hold, and basically shut down the world.  Where were you when you found out the first case?  How are you handling it?  What is your life like now?

Small mentions of the virus happening in other parts of the world were mentioned in January, and then talk about the first US case in February.  However, the first case in the US was on January 21 in Washington State.  This person had recently traveled to Wuhan, China.  At first everyone thought it was a virus that could only be transferred from animal to person, and then changed to "limited" transfer from person to person.

Over the month of February, cases started spreading here in the US. More information started coming out about the transfer from person to person, and the immense challenges that China and Italy were facing (too many cases, not enough hospital beds and ventilators, and many deaths).

So what is Coronavirus?     Covid-19 is a new disease caused by the Coronavirus the emerged from China in December of 2019.  The symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.  It can be passed from person to person, can be diagnosed with a nose swab, and has no vaccine.  Some cases are mild and some are severe.  It is unknown how each person will individually react.  The treatment can often include supplemental oxygen and ventilator support.

At first, we were told to not worry.  We were told that this would most likely stay in other countries and have a short life here in the US.  However, as this virus started to spread in the US, we all became more and more concerned.

I started hearing more and more about the concern for individuals with compromised immune systems and other health challenges such as diabetes, heart conditions, and breathing challenges.  They also spoke about the concern for the elderly.  I started thinking more and more about the concern for Macy.  I was concerned for my grandpa and my parents.  I was concerned about myself and McKenna as well due to our asthma.  The virus is new and unknown and SCARY.

On Friday, March 6th, I was sitting in my classroom with one of my high school students who helps on Fridays.  My class was at related arts class, and I was working and chatting with my high schooler.  She looks down at her phone, and then said "Oh my gosh, we have the first case in Indiana!"  We had a few minutes before picking up our students from related arts to turn on the news and take a peek.  That is when I got very concerned.  It was hitting very close to home at that point.

At some point over that weekend, I told my teaching team that I really just wanted to be at home, safe in my bubble.  A bubble that my family has spent a lot of time in before.  See, this may be new to some people, but we've practiced this many times before.  We often isolate our family before Macy's surgeries, or during illness.  Actually, we spent 2 weeks last year in March in isolation following a flu diagnosis before her big liver surgery scheduled in April.  My bubble is safe.

When we returned to school on March 9th, I spent my first 20 minutes of class discussing hand-washing and appropriate measures we can do to protect everyone at school.  Schools are like a petri dish, especially kindergarten students.  They cough without covering, they use their hands as tissues, and they don't wash their hands properly because they want to be out of the restroom as quickly as possible so they can be the first in line.

As the week progressed, more and more cases were noted.  The staff at school began talking about the fact that we might not return to school the next week. Sports were starting to cancel such as the NBA, the Masters Tournament, the N.C.A.A., etc. 

On Thursday, March 12th, I sent my car riders to the gymnasium for dismissal.  I placed my bus riders on the school bus.  I gave them all my same goodbye, just like I do each day.  I said "I'll see you tomorrow!"  Little did I know, I was actually saying goodbye to them without even knowing it.

I went home right after school that night, and hopped on the treadmill.  I was training for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon.  As I was running, my phone started going off like crazy!  The governor was Live and discussing the cases in Indiana and closed all Marion County Schools in Indianapolis effective immediately, and they would be closed until at least April 6th.  I could not believe what I was hearing.  That was the moment when I knew how serious this was, and that I needed to protect my family.

After dinner that night, Jeremy and I headed to Meijer.  Friday is normally grocery day, however I was afraid to wait until Friday because I had been hearing for the last week about people shopping like crazy and hoarding items such as toilet paper, meat, hand sanitizer, etc.  Meijer was insane.  We got enough meals for a couple of weeks.  Knowing we didn't want to get out of the house to go get more if we didn't have to. We couldn't get toilet paper while at the store, the aisle was bare.  As we waited in the long line that ran down the aisle toward the back of the store, I told Jeremy to go back and check the aisle.  Thankfully they had just brought out another big box, and he grabbed a pack.  Not 2 packs, not 4 packs, not 6 packs, he grabbed 1.  It was insane what people had in their carts.  I get it, but seriously people!

Our district had implemented eLearning the previous year for inclement weather or closings.  eLearning is learning that can take place online when the school has to close.  We also have paper packets available to families that don't have internet access.  Our tech integration specialist in our district made this all possible, and we are so thankful for her and all of her hard work.  When schools started closing, it was shocking to see all of the districts that had no plan.  Thanks to her, we had a plan, and it was easily put into place.

We did eLearning lessons starting immediately (March 13-20).  March 21st, started our scheduled Spring Break.  Spring Break for us lasts until April 5th.  Our plan was to return on April 6th.  Well, the news was changing daily.  More cases here in the US, more deaths, and more and more things being cancelled and shutdown.

Universities declared online learning for the rest of the year and told students they needed to move home, schools closed, restaurants were told they could no longer have dine-in service (only take-out), etc.  Life was changing on a day to day, hour to hour basis.  We all waited by the TV around noon to hear President Trump speak (along with his team of specialists).  In Indiana, we waited again by the TV in mid-afternoon to hear Governor Holcomb speak about our state specifics.

On March 19th, Governor Holcomb made more changes.  Our state of emergency was extended another 30 days.  Indiana schools were set to remain closed through May 1st.  We were up to 56 cases in Indiana, most of them in Marion County.  Our first death was on March 16th, and by March 20th we had 3 deaths total. In his speech he said something to the effect that it would take a "miracle" to get our students back into school before the end of the year.

My heart completely broke!  This was the time that so many people realized that life was completely changed.  College students heart broken about not finishing out their school year in the normal "college life" ways.  High School seniors know they can't finish out their senior year sports and activities, and may not even get to have a "real" graduation.  The same goes for college seniors!  Eighth graders who will miss their first "real" dress-up dance.  Pre-K and Kinders who might not get to "graduate".  So many kids in general who are missing out on all of their normal activities and sports.  Parents who are home because their job is closed.  Many who are not getting paid now, and they are now "teachers" at home.  This is a first for many in their lifetime, and I pray it's the only time it ever happens.

We quickly had to adjust to a "new" life.  I have been an educator for 17 years, and know the importance of a schedule.  We started a schedule in our house.  Our initial schedule involved academic time(eLearning), accompanied by creative time, outdoor time, educational app time, quiet time, free time, and chore time.  We also have implemented daily family walks 2 times a day with the dogs.  We go once in the morning, and once in the evening.  Our dogs are loving it, mostly.  Penny is so out of shape that I think its really wearing her out.

After our last week of school, we switched to a "spring break" schedule.  This was partially the same, but I replaced the eLearning time with physical activity time.  I keep reading about people posting that they aren't going to make their kids live by a schedule, and they are going to just let them be kids.  Well, this is the first time in a long time that my kids have gotten to just be kids!  However, they aren't constantly saying "I'm bored" and "What can I do?"  The schedule has allowed them to organize their time better.  When it's creative time, they choose what they want to do. Some days they paint, other days they do crafts, and sometimes they cook.  It's been amazing to see all of the new things they are learning, and how much fun they are having.

Don't get me wrong, we miss school!  I miss my students, and I want them to be at school learning from me. I want them to be interacting with each other.  My kids miss their friends too, and they'd love to go somewhere other than our house and our neighborhood.

However, we have completely embraced this "new" life.  It may never happen again in our lifetime.  This is a new life where "time" is not a factor.  We can't say that we don't have "time" to cook a nice meal and "time" to eat it as a family.  We can't say that we don't have "time" to take that long walk around the pond or on the trails.  We can't say we don't have "time" to workout.  We can't say we don't have "time" to go for a bike ride, play a game, or have a movie night together.  We can't say that we don't have "time" to teach our kids new things.  We have all the TIME in the world right now!  We really need to make it count!

Our girls are finding joy in the simple things in life.  The other day I watched them skip down the trail in the woods behind our house.  They were so happy just skipping away next to each other!  They found joy in riding their bikes around the cud-a-sac in circles.  They found joy in painting rocks, making pot holders, and cooking scrambled eggs.  Family movie nights and family game nights mean so much to them right now!  They spent hours walking laps around the ponds in our backyard, and even saw a deer jump up from the woods and run.  They were beyond excited!

I know these are hard and uncertain times, however, we have also been given a gift.  A gift of "time" with the family.  "Time" that we will never have again!  "Time" to enjoy the small things in life and really get a chance to come out stronger and better afterward!

As of March 25th, our state has been placed on a complete lock down. One essential travel is allowed, meaning work, medical care, food, and exercise.  Unfortunately some people still don't understand the magnitude of what this virus is doing, and they are still doing things that they probably shouldn't be doing. They are not staying home and practicing social distancing (6ft away from others, no groups larger than 10 together).

To date in Indiana, we have about 645 total cases and 17 deaths.  We have over 85,000 cases in the United States and over 1,00 deaths.  We have the most cases in the world, bypassing China and Italy yesterday.  It's scary what we are facing!  The experts are saying that it's going to keep climbing and get worse.  The hospitals are running out of space, they don't have enough personal protective equipment for the doctors and the staff, and they don't have enough ventilators that the patients need.  The doctors and nurses are being worked overtime and scared to death that they are going to get the virus themselves or give it their own families.

Jeremy will continue to work from home until otherwise told.  He's been home since March 16th.  He has his office set up in the dining room, and he hides in the bedroom for conference calls. He works from 7:30-3:30 each day and breaks at noon for lunch.  The girls will start back with eLearning on Monday, April 6th, and I will be back teaching as well.  We will continue that for the whole month of April.  Macy will do eLearning M-W, and then have class online Th-F on a website called Zoom.  It's a video chat forum.  I am planning on doing Zoom lessons with my students as well, but they will be voluntary.  I just want to see their sweet faces and let them know that I am still here for them, and that I think about them every day!

It's such strange and unknown times we are currently living in.  Schools sit unused and locked up, businesses are hanging "closed" signs, and the streets in downtown cities sit empty.  I am not sure exactly how to end this post, because all of this chaos created by this virus is far from over.  Each day we receive new information, and new guidelines.  For now, we are staying home.  We are protecting ourselves, the ones we love, and the vulnerable.  We will continue to navigate this new life, and know that we will never again be the same.  Thanks for checking in on us!

Ending Quite the Year

It's hard to believe that 2019 is already coming to an end.  I cannot believe all of the amazing and challenging things that we've experienced over the last year!

We've are all now a year older.  Jeremy is officially "old", lol.  He hit the big 4-0!  Over the last year Macy hit the teenage years and is closing in on 14 soon.  McKenna is now in double digits.

We have vacationed to Georgia, Florida, and Illinois.  We've seen some amazing stage shows such as Cirque Du Soleil, So You Think You Can Dance, The Blue Man Group, Disney on Ice, Jurassic World Live, and the Nutcracker.  We've been to 3 Disney Parks, farms, and fairs.  We have spent days exploring cities we've never been to before as well as cities we've been to many times. 

We've spent evening and weekends involved in softball, soccer, golf, girl scouts, basketball, and robotics.  We spent March through November getting up at the crack of dawn and coming home after dark.  Our faces were burned and our minds and bodies exhausted, yet fired up from some fierce battles on the fields.

We've had mother/daughter dates and father/daughter dates.  We wore fancy clothes and smiling faces!  We've spent many nights around the city finding new places that serve gluten free food, and celebrating afterward when Macy still has a happy stomach!  We've laughed until other tables in restaurants have stared at us, and until we've cried.

We've spent weekends at the lake making memories of a lifetime.  We laid in the middle of the lake floating on huge flamingos and dragons, listening to our "lake" music. We had our annual fish fry, danced and sang with the family on the porch, and then filled ourselves up.  We watched beautiful fireworks reflecting over the lake as we floated around in our boat.

We faced 7 surgeries, 23 overnight stays in the hospital, and lots of pain and recovery.  We blew up gloves and put them on our heads like roosters. We watched endless episodes of "Pitbulls and Parolees" and "Lone Star Law".  We walked the hallways of Lurie Children's Hospital memorizing the views from each window and the pics on the walls.

We been given bad news, happy news, and news in between.  We've cried happy tears, and sighed out loud as we have felt a huge sense of relief.  We've been astonished at Macy's ability to overcome, and McKenna's steadfast support.

We've cried, we've laughed, and we've missed each other.  We've cherished our family movie nights and game nights.  We've spent nights apart chatting over Face time.  We've placed our heads on our pillows thankful for a successful day, and praying for another one the next day.

It's been quite the year!  I can't say it was my favorite, but I can't say it's been the worst.  I could easily say that I am ready for 2019 to be over, but not because it was so challenging, but more because I can't wait to see what this new year holds for our family.  I have a good feeling!  It's going to be a great year!  Bring on 2020!