Eli's Party Pics

We had a little family party for Eli this past Saturday following his 2 year birthday.  It was the perfect day for a park & picnic birthday party.  The kids played, we ate Chick-Fil-A on blankets, did a piñata and had cupcakes and presents.  I don't think any two year old boy could ask for more than that!  Here are some photos of our fun day courtesy of Papi!

*Grace*

Thank You Jesus!

Some of y'all may or may not know this because I've been fairly quiet about it here on my blog (well, except for this post), but the last several weeks have been an emotional and spiritual roller coaster.  Long story short, my OBGYN found a mass in my abdomen.  Pelvic sono and CT determined what was likely an ovarian cyst on my left ovary.  My ovary was completely engulfed because of the size of the cyst (think softball size), and my Dr. ordered a cancer screen to check for certain cancer markers.  The cancer screen came back negative (thank God) and surgery was scheduled (removal of the cyst/mass and my left ovary and tube) and performed a couple weeks ago. 

Following my surgery I stayed two nights in the hospital and the last couple of weeks I've been recovering.  The pathology report classified the mass in my abdomen as a Borderline Mucinous Ovarian Tumor...not exactly what I was thinking it was going to be, BUT, after having my 2 week followup visit with my Dr. last week I feel completely amazing because the correct standard procedure for that type of tumor is to remove it along with affected ovary/tube on whatever side the tumor is growing...and I already had that done during surgery!  Phew!  My doctor did run the results from the pathologist/surgery by a well respected Gynecological Oncologist, and that doctor thought that since everything else was looking fine in my abdomen (right ovary, uterus, appendix, etc.) that I am in the clear and need no further treatment!  Hooray!

You have no idea just how relieved I am because of this wonderful news, I had seriously started planning my kids and husband's life following my death...lining up in my head who I thought would be good spiritual mentor's for them, paying all the bills 'til kingdom come, writing down extensive lists on how to care properly for my boys, you know, all the good stuff that worry-warts do when they know impending doom is coming their way.  However, I am more than grateful that God saw fit to keep me around for a little bit longer and there are some things I want to change about how I live.  More on that later.   

So, all that to say I'm happy to be here, to be alive and I hope I'll be blessed with many more years to make a difference in my children's lives and the lives of those around me. 

Amen!

*Grace*

Oh, and many many thanks to all the wonderful people who helped me before and following my surgery.  We have been truly blessed. 

Look Who's Two! :-)

It's hard to imagine that 2 years have already gone by with this sweet little guy.  It seems like just yesterday, and at the same time lifetimes ago when I posted about the "still, small quiet voice" that led me to seek help when things with my pregnancy with Eli started going downhill.  And now look at him, healthy and happy and one firecracker of a little boy!  He brings so much life (and noise!) to our family.  What he may have lacked lung-wise when he was born he has definitely made up for...can we say two's tantrums, lol?!!

Eli is a wonderful little brother (most of the time!), enjoys all things outdoors and could probably run, jump and play outside all day! 

He enjoys climbing...on the coffee table, the kitchen table, counter tops, shelves and oh, yes, on the playground too!  He is not afraid of heights by any means, and is always scrambling up on top of something! 

He enjoys every moment of each day, and really does live his little life to the fullest.  He is such a joy to watch grow, and I love being his mommy!

Eli, Mommy and Daddy love you so very much.  We pray that you see the love of God through us, and that you will be a man after God's own heart when you're grown.  

Love you little dude!

Happy Birthday!

*Mommy*

Giveaway on Grace Note Gifts Blog!

Just a heads up, y'all!  I'm hosting my first ever giveaway on my Grace Note Gifts blog!  Up for grabs are some of my Hand Poured Soy Wax Melts

 

PLUS a pair of the cutest owl earrings you'll ever see! 

Visit me on my Grace Note Gifts blog to find out all the details!

Blessings,
*Grace*

To Do Today:

I am a total list person.  If I need to get something done, it goes on "the list"...if it's not on the list, it doesn't get done...usually it simply gets forgotten!  :-)

So, yesterday (Friday) I had a lot on my plate, and I knew that the best way to make sure it all got done was to put it all on the list...and boy, what a long list it was!  And yes, I'm totally blogging about what I got accomplished yesterday because, well, I'm pretty impressed with myself that I got it all done, haha!

Here was yesterday's "To Do Today" list:

• Clean 1/2 Bathroom
• Wash/Dry Boys' Bedding
• Change Boys' Sheets
• Wash Laundry (4 loads)
• Fold/Put Away Laundry
• Pick up Drycleaning
• Empty Dishwasher
• Clean Our Bathroom
• Organize Play Room
• Vacuum Entire House
• Pay Bills/Balance Check Book
• Make Card for Baby Shower
• Make Gift for My Niece, Ava
• Grocery Shop
• Dust House
• Clean Kitchen
• Clean Back Patio
• Put Away Ironed Shirts (Aaron doesn't like the drycleaners hangers, so I have to switch all his shirts out when we get them back home!)
• Water Indoor/Outdoor Plants
• Clean up Side Yard
• De-Poo Back Yard (doggie duty, or should I say doodie, yuck!)
• Wash Eli's Cloth Diapers

This is totally not a typical day...usually I have a hard time just completing one task start to finish, but the boys were both in great moods, helped along the way, and I didn't do anything else the whole day (not counting taking care of my boys, feeding them, changing them, etc.) except for what was on the list...I even skipped lunch to get stuff done, unless you consider eating a few cheetos during bill-paying eating lunch!  Phew! 

Last night I was so worn out, but it felt good knowing that today I can just relax, have fun and hang out with the people I love best!

Happy Saturday!


*Grace*

Negative & Unremarkable...Words I {Love} to Hear...

...medically speaking, that is!  The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion, a growing time spiritually, and boy oh boy I think God wants me to just trust Him!  :-) 

Long story short, at a recent visit with my OBGYN a mass/cyst was discovered on my left ovary.  A pretty big one, like as big as a softball...I am just so glad that my stomach pooch is from something other than just being out of shape...I was starting to wonder why I wasn't fitting into my clothes like normal!  :-)

I won't go into any detail about what kind of cyst it is...mostly because some of the options are pretty gross, and I just don't want to go into that here, and also because my doctor gave me several possibilities of what it could be, so it's really not all that certain what the mass is yet.  BUT, the blood work I had done to figure out the likelihood of it being cancerous came back Negative...so that's good...although not 100% accurate, so this puppy needs to come out.   

So, I'm having surgery this next week to get this thing out and get on with life as normal.  Life plus another stomach scar, sans one ovary...and minus one unwelcome mass, thank you very much!  My right ovary will have to take over, and thankfully that is one area from my testing results that came back Unremarkable...and you know what, that's more than fine with me!  I hope ol' rightie can compensate, because I think that another little Aldape baby would look pretty good in our family...just as soon as I recover from surgery of course!

Anyways, I would love your prayers as I go into surgery next week.  I'll be in the hospital a couple of days, and I know I'll be in little boy withdrawal because of that. 

Hope everyone's having a good week.  I am...even with all the crazy stuff that's been going on I still feel so blessed, and I love my life!  Every day is a new blessing!

Much love,
*Grace*