Weekly Update

SO now I'm apparently a weekly blogger... and I'm ok with that. I do daily updates on Snapchat but this has been a bit of a season of introverting for me. I do more "pondering" than communicating lately. Just a season of life I'm going through at the time, feeling all the feels. Here are a few highlights/things I can remember from the past week.

The bronchitis is getting better, I think. I'm on day 9 of antibiotics and still coughing but not as bad. This is what bronchitis does in my body... sets up camp and refuses to leave. This is why I have a COPD diagnosis, although I'm obviously not walking around with a tank of oxygen or experiencing symptoms that many with COPD have.

My doctor suspects that the undetermined autoimmune disorder is a disease called sarcoidosis. There's a lot of info out there about it but the first symptom is granulomas in the lungs. Mine were discovered 7 or 8 years ago. I have an appointment with a rheumatologist in January to follow up on it. I'm not really sure I want to see this doctor because his practice does not like to see patients with a fibromyalgia diagnosis. They were rather rude about it over the phone when I was scheduling my appointment. They aren't even treating me for fibro... I see the pain doctor for that. And it's quite likely that the symptoms that have been attributed to fibro are from sarcoidosis instead. I don't know. Just nuts. A new diagnosis probably won't change my quality of life but it will give my medical team a better idea of complications to watch for.

Austin is still not working. He's discouraged. He's applied so many places, places that have help wanted signs and then they tell him they aren't hiring. I don't know what is happening. I'm afraid that Ingles is saying negative things about him when they are contacted to verify his work history. Please continue to pray for him as he wants to work - needs to work - and it's just so hard to find something in this small town.

We had so many adorable Cosy moments last week! One blessing of Austin being out of work is that he has been able to spend a lot of time with Cosy. She's 19 months old now and just soaking up knowledge like a sponge. Last week she was trying to learn to work the zipper on her Sofia the First purse that she got for her birthday. She got so frustrated that she threw it to the side and crossed her arms and pouted in protest! It was hilarious. I took her into my lap and put my hands on her hands and we zipped and unzipped over and over again until she fell asleep. When she woke up the first thing she did was zip and unzip that same purse and she could do it! She is talking a lot more - although she is still more of a point and whine communicator. We are constantly trying to get her to say things and she is good to attempt. She loves shopping... I mean LOVES it! She loves makeup and jewelry and shoe shopping and clothes shopping and, of course, toy shopping. She loves "Maw" and gets excited when we pull into the driveway because she knows she's going to see her. I'm always exhausted when we take her home but I feel so blessed to have her spend so much time with us.

I got busy on Saturday and wrapped lots of presents. My favorite thing that I've gotten for the babies is Leapfrog's My Pal Violet and My Pal Scout. They spell and say the kids' name along with their favorite food, color and animal and lots of other things. When I went to program Cosette's name it was not in their database. They can spell her name but not say it. Oliver's name, of course, was in there. It's a much better interactive toy when it says their name. I tried Cosy and Cosette and neither one was there. I didn't think to do her middle name - Camille - and that IS in there so I'll reprogram it later. It's wrapped but it's just in a homemade gift bag so it's easy to pull it out and re-wrap it. I would rather use her first name but it's better with her middle name than no name. Maybe if I buy another of this type toy I should get it in France? Oui? Anyways... I found these for $15 at Walmart back in the Summer and when I went online to find one for my nephew Finn on Saturday (because I love them soooo much!) they were $30 on Amazon. Then I decided it might be better to get him something similar but not identical so there is no confusion. We are just entering the "mine" stage with the grandbabies. If you want the My Pal Scout or Violet toy, do a bit of online research. Target has it for $13 this morning and it's $42 at Walmart online. So... huge price difference! It's worth $42, for sure, because it really does a lot but if you can find it cheaper, why pay more? Anyways... end of toy talk for today.

We had a really rainy day yesterday. We had planned to go see my niece Jamie in Beauty and the Beast but the cold damp weather ramped my arthritis into high gear. I could not move. Every step was agony. Sitting in a chair in the high school auditorium would have been absolutely impossible, especially since I couldn't take pain meds and drive. It makes me nervous because this is going to be a busy week and the next practical day for us to go is next Sunday, closing day. Friday is my Aunt's graveside service and Saturday we're taking the babies to see my grandma. Both involve a long time in the car which is misery for me but... Lord willing, I'll be able to get it all in.

My mom's sister Linda, the baby of the family, passed away on Friday. She had been really depressed since her husband had died in 2013 and truly just gave up the will to live. She was diabetic and wasn't taking care of herself and it was just so heartbreaking to see her health decline over the past few months. She asked my mom not to come and see her during those last weeks and it was so hard for her but mom honored her wishes. She also didn't want a funeral, just a graveside service so that is what we will do. Friday the high temperature is forecast to be in the low 40's which is really cold for Georgia. We want to take the babies because it is a rare opportunity to be with family but we're not sure that we will take Cosy because of the cold. There is a building in the cemetery where Austin could take Cosy to keep warm during the service if he had to. We are hoping that we will have some gathering as a family before or after so that we can spend some time together. There is a viewing Thursday evening but that would be impossible for us to do - for me to do anyways - and we can't keep Cosy out that late.

I wanted to write a whole blog post about Linda and I may do that later this week. Right now it's all so raw, one of those things that hits too deep to share at the moment. My mom's brother David passed a year or two ago but I barely knew him and had only seen him once or twice in my adult years. When Uncle Charles (Linda's husband) passed away in 2013, it was sad but he had suffered so terribly with cancer that we wanted him to be at peace. Linda was a huge part of my childhood, a huge part of my kids' childhood - as she owned a daycare that Austin went to in the Summer and her grandson Devyn was Austin's "best cousin". Losing her is the first loss of a relative that will truly impact our day to day lives so I'm still processing the emotions but I do want to share some special memories of her.

All that being said, our house is decorated for Christmas. My mom is embracing the season this year. She was in so much pain from the pancreatic cancer last year and we truly don't know what the next year will bring for her health so we are eager to make merry as much as we can this year. I have sparsely decorated my tree because of the cats and the toddlers but it's still lovely. I have finished my shopping except for Ryan and Austin and have wrapped most things. I ordered a big shipment of stocking stuffers from Oriental Trading yesterday. (had a little problem with the shipping charges so I had to call their customer service and they were wonderful, just wanted to make note of that!). On Tuesday I have a doctor's appointment in Gainesville so we're taking Cosette to see "Ho-Ho"... which will probably be a picture of Austin holding a screaming Cosette as close to HoHo as possible but I'm looking forward to buying the biggest package of photos they sell so as to have photos to share with the special people in her life. My brother and sister-in-law are coming to spend Christmas in Georgia and I canNOT wait to see my nephew Finn! So... despite our sadness over losing Aunt Linda, we are celebrating this year in a big way and I know she would have wanted that.

I guess that's enough catching up for now. I'll be posting on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram as we go through our busy week ahead. If you want to see what's going on the FB is linked in the sidebar. My Snapchat handle is HGant5 and my Instagram is HeatherNancine. I'm on social media every day even though I'm not blogging every day. I'm out there, people! Hope you have a wonderful week and that your December is merry and bright! Love and hugs to all of you!