Isabella Amira Nigreiros (our last name)

I don't like to post the whole name of these little people!

I think she is just beautiful. She was sleeping so good here. She has just finished nursing and was a little fussy and I got to put her to sleep...what a wonderful feeling to feel that little body relax in my arms.

Since my last post I have seen the physical therapist and she has taught Wayne and my Mom how to wrap my legs. I couldn't believe the first time I took the wraps off how normal my ankles and feet looked. It worked!! And, the fear I had of the burning pain didn't happen. Dr. Stillson was right...if I can get rid of some of the swelling the burning pain would bet better too. I am having Wayne wrap my legs right before bed and leave them on till I have to go somewhere or till late morning. He didn't get it right the first time but I think he did a better job last night. I won't know till I take the wraps off. The funny thing is if he doesn't do it right there can be big lumps of edema where the wraps were put on wrong.

Friday we got to welcome a new granddaughter to the family. She is grandchild #7. I was just as excited about her as I was about the 1st. I waited at the hospital with Alan and he tried real hard to get me in to watch the c -section. They said no and I had mixed feelings about it. I wasn't sure I could handle it and come to find out they had a real hard time getting the baby out so I'm glad I was not in the room. They tried to suction her out by using the suction cup on her head and she came only so far and the suciton cup fell off so the doctor had to reach in there and really tug and pull to get her out. She is a beautiful healthy baby. What a blessing!!

I spent the afternoon with Rhebeca yesterday. I think she was feeling kind of left out and displaced at the same time. The timing couldn't be worse because they moved to Plymouth yesterday too. Talk about major stresses. She and I went to the pool and spent 1 1/2 hours swimming. We talked and talked about anything she wanted to talk about....it ended up being a lot of talking about American Idol...we both love that show. The pool wore her out so much that she came back to our house and laid in my hospital bed watching TV.

I feel so bad for Alan. He has had so much stress with having a new baby and trying to get them moved and having the major back problems on top of that. This morning he called me and has a migraine headache with nausea. It's not like he can just stop today either. He has to close on their house. Please pray along with me that he can make it through this day!!

Tyler at T-Ball 2006
This is the latest for the design team. I really struggled with this. I have found that when I don't feel well it is very hard to concentrate on scrapbooking. This is all I got accomplished this weekend! (except for a very messy scrapbook room).

I saw my general practitioner last Friday (April 20th) and came away pretty discouraged. He does not sugar coat things for me and I really don't want him to. He had finished reading the lengthy report from Mayo Clinic and was looking at it again when I came in the office. He just kept shaking his head....he said they've got quite a list of ailments for your here. He said you have such a messed up immune system and metabolism. I told him..I know! I said...I just don't understand how I landed where I am when I was so healthy during my life. Here I am sick all the time and taking so much medicine. I keept hinking ...just what could I cut out of the medicine and the answer always is...nothing. He agreed. He said the only way you're going to get that fluid out of your leg is to have therapy so Wayne can learn to wrap your legs and push the fluid up. I agreed to make it a priority to get in to therapy. I had been dragging my feet a little bit because I don't want my feet wrapped because of the nerve pain. He thijks that the nerve pain might even get better after getting some of the fluid removed. I have an appointment on Thursday, the 26th. There is only one therapist that is trained to do this in Plymouth. I am just glad I don't have to drive (or have someone drive me) to South Bend.

I went to the pool yesterday (Monday) and felt so much better afterwards. The nerve pain is almost completely gone when I get out of the pool. One of the rules of the pool is that no one can swim alone. Wayne was out of town today so I took Tyler with me. We stayed and played games in the pool for over an hour. Before we left he wanted to stay at my house and it took his Mom and me to get him in the car. Once while we were convincing him to go swimming I told him my feet hurt so bad and getting them in the water helps me so much...he said...Well, why don't you just put them in a bucket of water? I thought that was so funny...especially knowing the mechanics of why walking makes me better.

On the way home from the pool we were talkingabout all kinds of things. I said...your nana (Steve's mom) sure looks good since she lost weight. I know she's worked really hard at losing weight. He said yeah..she is sure shrinking. I think she's going to turn into a little kid again. I told Katie and she said she wondered what Tyler thought about her weight loss...now she knows!

Friday night I tried to start the Nutri System diet. My first meal was almond chicken. Sounds good, right? Well, it looked like someone threw up on my plate and tasted about like it too. I had to toss it. I haven't gotten back on it again because I've had so much nausea over the weekend. I don't know whny but I was so miserable all weekend. I am a little better today and might start trying the diet again tomorrow. There are just a few items I can see that I'll have to send back and exchange.

Jacob at 2 years old

This is one of the pictures Kristi took of Jacob when he was 2 years old. It is the latest entry for the design team!

At the park

My Mom stopped by on her way to the park yesterday and I decided to go with her. Caden and Kael were the ones with us. They had the best time. I love watching children playing and having fun. It was such a beautiful day yesterday and just enjoyable being outside.

Kael thought he could do these rings and I had my doubts. He ended up falling on his face but got right up to play again.....you wouldn't want to miss any park time after all.

Here's Kael doing a little climbing. You notice the boots? I asked why he had his boots on and my Mom said he came to her house that way. His Mommy was in the hospital and Daddy probably couldn't find his shoes. How funny! It didn't seem to slow Kael down one little bit.
Caden thought Kael was taking a little too long so he crawled through his legs to get going a little faster.
Here's Caden trying the bars with Grandma Marilyn's help.
When I took this picture I kept telling them to put their arms around each other. I think it is so sweet that Kael tried to do what I asked but didn't quite understand what I wanted.

I had one of the worst days I have had for a long time yesterday. My feet were swollen terribly and the nerve pain in my feet just wouldn't go away. I'm so glad to have woken up this morning and be feeling a little better. I have a dentist appointment this afternoon and I'm really nervous about it. I will be having conscious sedation and I haven't had that before...it will be quite interesting. I think once I've had it and know what to expect that I won't be quite as apprehensive about it.

Easter Egg Coloring with Rhebeca

When Rhebeca came here to color easter eggs she found the bag we had for her and had to try on the sunglasses. What a little model she is. She is a natural and knows just what to do. I wouldn't have thought of posing like she did.

Beca was really creative with her egg decorating. She even had an American Idol egg:) This is the 2nd year we have had the grandkids over to color eggs and I would like to make it a yearly thing. Wayne wasn't nearly enthusiastic about doing eggs as I was but I think in the end even Grandpa Wayne enjoyed the egg coloring.

There's always room for improvement in anything we do. Last year I put paper towel down to counter tops but this year we got smart and got smarter and covered the floor and the counter tops with a small tarp.

I have had a couple of really bad days. My back, neck and joint pain were just terrible for about 2-3 days. I woke up this morning and it's so much better. My feet are swollen almost double this morning and were burning until I took the medicine for the burning pain. I wonder sometimes how I got to this place...taking medicines I don't want to take and so much pain some days I want to just crawl in a hole. I guess the good days more than make up for the bad ones and I still love being around our kids and grandkids that it makes it worth it.

Well, I did it yesterday. I placed my first order with Nutri System. They send you the meals all ready to be heated up so there is no cooking required. My biggest concern is the amount of nausea I have that I think is from the pump and the medicine in it. It is a strong medicine and some days I just get very sick to my stomach. Those are the days I don't know if I can do this. I am also concerned because I'm VERY picky about my food. I decided to give it a try because I can send it back if it doesn't work out. I asked my doctor last week if there were any diet pills that he could prescribe...he said...Not for you! I figured that but wanted to ask anyway. I know a couple years ago I took a diet pill and ended up in the ER with my blood pressure through the roof...it's not worth that. I was so sick that night with vomiting and the worst headache.

Our doctor called and woke us up this morning to tell us that the radiologist didn't see a kidney stone in Wayne's x-ray. I told him that the tech that took the x-rays saw the kidney stone. He told me why there could be that difference and truthfully I don't remember why because I was so sleepy when I talked to him but said Wayne needs a CT scan to check things out for sure. There is definitely something wrong and has been for about 3 months. He has his CT scan on Friday the 20th of April.

I wished I would have remembered to tell the doctor while I had him on the phone that my cellulitus in my leg hadn't gone away with the antibiotics that he gave me so I called the office right back and left a message. The doctor called me back in the afternoon and told me he just doesn't know what to do at this point...he said he read the Mayo Clinic report and they didn't have any answers either. He said he would do some reading and call me in something that would hopefully help the cellulitus to go away once and for all!!

We got an exciting call this afternon...Eutemia called and talked to Kristi and then called her doctor and decided at that point to go to the hospital because she was having contractions. I've never gotten ready so quickly...washed my hair and took a shower and got to the hospital in record time. The nurse sent her home after about an hour!! Braxton hicks contractions...oh shoot!! I thought I'd be holding our newest granddaughter tonight. It should be soon...any day. Eutemia is so uncomfortable and just wants to get that baby out of her. I can't blame her...she is just all baby.

I had another design team meeting. I am really enjoying it so far and I am getting to know some of the other ladies a little better at every meeting.

Easter 2007

Kaleb didn't get to join in the easter egg hunt but he sure enjoyed the spoils of the hunt....the chocolate!!

The Easter Egg Hunt

My Mom...known to the kids as Grandma Marilyn


Wayne's Dad, known to the kids as Great-Grandpa Vic





Marylou, Tyler, Katie and MarilynWayne & Becky

I don't let too many pictures of me to be taken because of my added weight and I don't like how the picture looks but Rhebeca wanted to take one of Wayne and I and kept telling me how pretty I looked so I agreed to have this picture taken.

Tyler was just a little bit leery of the Easter Bunny when we first got to the restaurant but by the time we had our meal he was giving the bunny a high 5! How cute.

Kaleb has latched onto the Laa Laa that Beca loved as a baby.

Beca modeling the sunglasses she got in the easter basket we gave her. She looks pretty good in them!!

Rhebeca became the photographer for the afternoon and did a great job. This is her Great-Grandma MaryLou.

Kael is checking out his Easter basket from Grandma Becky and Grandpa Wayne.

It has been a tradition that when the family has a meal at a restaurant that Beca and I take a walk together while the adults finish their meal. The last couple of years Tyler has joined us and for the first time Kael joined us this year. Beca really didn't want her little brother (or is it bother?) along but I insisted that we wouldn't leave anyone out. We found this part of the restauant that was empty and the boys were racing and running and Rhebeca asked me if I wanted to see her dance...of course I did! She did a beautiful job and was so light on her feet!

Tyler enjoyed the strawberries that he dipped in chocolate. He informed us that there were a few strawberries in the bottom of the chocolate that he dropped!:)

Rhebeca modeling her Easter dress! She can wear anything and look good but this dress was a good choice for her for Easter.

Tyler greeted us with a big smile and excitement when we got to the restaurant. Sure makes a person feel good to get such a good welcome by a Grandson.

Caden and Rhebeca at the pond. Rhebeca is trying to figure out how to catch the muskrats that are making holes in the grass down by the pond. She thought that maybe if she held the net over the hole that the muskrat would come out and be trapped. Caden is having a blast throwing rocks into the water but is bothering the fishermen trying to catch the "catch of the day".

Two 5 year old boys + one fishing pole = name calling and shoving resulting in Tyler coming to my house for the afternon. Neither one of them could handle the competition and since this is Connor's first time to spend the night in Plymouth we wanted it to be a good experience for him. Connor is my brother's son and lives in the Indianapolis area.

Caden is getting ready to try and net some fish:)

There's always time for a little photo shoot and posing before fishing.

This is Connor...too bad I didn't notice he closed his eyes on the only picture I took of him:(

A closeup picture of Tyler.

Rhebeca's seashell find for the morning!!

Tyler casting the fishing pole before it was Connor's turn.

I had an appointment with the neurologist today...Dr. Strawsburg. He thinks the problems with tremors in my hands and the way my knees almost buckle when I stand up might me medicine related but to be on the safe side he is doing some testing. I will have some blood work done, an MRI, another EMG and maybe more that I can't remember. I told him I have to be almost completely put out for the MRI because of the back pain so he agreed that I can go to ELkhart and they can use what they did last time for my MRI. This time the MRI is of the brain. Before he did an exam he asked me to remember 3 words. After he did the exam he asked me what the 3 words were and I could only think of 1 of them. That really stressed me out. I have always had a wonderful memory but this goes along with the stuttering and my inability to think of words. I hope it's medication and nothing else shows up! I see him again in 2 weeks.

Not much else new. I will post some pictures of Rhebeca coloring eggs yesterday in tomorrows post.

This is Phantom, Tyler and Caden's cat. He started out as a stray cat that came on a cold winters day to their porch. Katie felt sorry for him and fed him. She was tough about it and said she would NOT feed the cat again. Well, guess what?, she continued to feed him and the coldest of nights she felt sorry for him and he eventually came in the house. He is now a neutered, declawed house cat. Tyler and Caden love him!! While we were there for my birthday luncheon Tyler gave us a few pointers about cats. 1. Never pull their tail. If you do pull his tail you will get bit.

This is how the cat roars at you if he's mad:)