A tragedy has happened. It has taken me quite a while to recover and have enough faith to blog again.... My computer betrayed me. It died, but was revived by a very cool, techy brother-in-law, but not without LOSING ALL OF MY PICTURES!!!!! I have tried to be brave about the whole thing (and, please, spare me the lecture about having hard copies, etc.) but my heart is a little broken because I had some really sweet photos that are now only memories. But, never fear, I have rallied and I am going to recap the Thibadeau Family Adventures with words only. Here goes:
FEBRUARY: After recovering from surgery and starting to finally feel better, I was back to work for only a short time before Bella came down with a very high fever and cough. Her asthma soon became uncontrollable. At her first doctor's visit she was diagnosed with croup. At her second doctor's visit she was diagnosed with bronchitis with a touch of pneumonia. At the emergency room she was diagnosed with pneumonia, a bacterial lung infection and a severe case of RSV. Bella has been in the hospital numerous times, but this one scared me. I mean really scared me. All sorts of specialists were in and out of her room and their parting words were always something to the effect of, "Your daughter is very sick. We are not sure how to get her better." The respiratory therapist teared up while I cried over Bella's chest x-ray. We spent a week in the hospital and sent home when her oxygen level finally stabilized. She was still very weak - and skinny! - so it was a slow recovery at home. I am so grateful for the staff at St. Luke's Hospital and the pediatric wing in general. I felt so lucky to be taking my baby home and my heart went out to those parents who live in the hospital, waiting for good news, hope, a cure... As a mother, it is instinctual to care for our young, to make them feel better, to kiss away the boo-boos. When circumstances are out of our control we are forced to rely on prayer, faith and professionals. Isabella is perfectly fine, but I still think often of those children we saw and met who are not. A big thank you to our family, friends, ward members and my boss and co-workers for their support, love and get well wishes.
MARCH: Our little Katie Bug hit the double digits and turned a whopping 10 years old. We measured her and she had, indeed, grown - even though it wasn't very evident. She had her first (AND LAST) sleepover with 16 screaming girls. I was forced to stuff marshmallows in mouth and say, "Chubby Marshmallow" over and over without gagging. Patrick hid. I wanted to. Katie had the very best birthday ever and that made all the noise worth it.
APRIL: April was a crazy month. Patrick turned 38 on April 1st. No party for him, too tired!! Maddy turned 12 on April 3rd and graduated from Primary to Young Women's. Maddy is a beautiful young woman who is 12, but looks... 16? It is bitter sweet to see her grow and mature so quickly, my, how time flies. She has made us very proud with her sweet disposition and always trying her best. She is a great example to her sisters and has filled my shoes countless times. I am excited to see her blossom, but I would like the ability to freeze time as well.
I turned 30 something on April 23rd and Pat and I celebrated surviving a year of opposite schedules by taking a 5 day VK in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In very lean times, this was quite a luxury, but one we will never forget. I fell in love with my husband again. I almost had forgotten who he was and what he looked like! It was five days of sun, fun and uninterrupted conversation. Ahhhh... Mexico. Now, a shout out to my mom who moved in to take care of our bambinos. I am sure she got more than she bargained for, but she was still intact when we returned and so was the house, kids and even the cats - who continuously used the carpet as their litter box. Thanks, Mom. What are you doing in April 2011???
MAY: Well, May was a dream come true month for me. I checked off one of my bucket list items by visiting Washington D.C. I still think of myself as a stay at home mom, even though I get up and go to work almost every day, so I never imagined I would be participating in an Orthodontic conference, much less, one in the the nation's capital! Dr. Payne and his staff flew to D.C. and stayed for 5 days. We had a blast!! I'm sure if you remember any of my posts regarding Orthodontics at BridgeTower, you can imagine the kind of antics that went on. Again, I feel so lucky to work with such an amazing group of women, oh, and one man. There were many highlights (all of which were on my hard drive...), but the pivotal moment for me was when I visited the WWII monument and the Holocaust Museum. I have a love/passion for learning anything and everything I can about that era and it really was a dream come true to finally be where I had always wanted to go. Thank you, Dr. Payne and his family for a fabulous vacation. Oooops! I mean, business trip. As a sweet friend said to me, "Who would have ever thought that one of your biggest dreams would come true by working at a job you never wanted?"
