Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Love this clip...

I was watching this little video and really identifying with Rochelle. Adoption, special needs, religion, etc. Then when she got to the part about hitting teachers, I just wanted to hug her! Just a little comment, but it made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. She said it in a way that reminded me that "it's all good!" It's ok that Elli basically spit all day in school today. Life goes on.

So grateful for people who understand, even if I don't know them! So grateful to know the beauty of having special needs kids in my home. So grateful for the teachers who give so much to my kids and who sincerely love them. So grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.


(you can double click on the video to make it bigger)


PS Not so grateful for shingles. I have an appointment in the morning. Thanks for all your sweet comments and advice. I wouldn't have made an appointment if it weren't for reading them..

Lucky me...

So about a week ago I began to have some pain under my arm and by the side of my chest. It would come and go and sometimes was super painful. I thought maybe it was swollen lymph nodes, but I couldn't feel any. Plus, it felt more like nerve pain, if that makes sense. I was beginning to wonder if something more serious was going on. Then the other day, out of the blue, I broke out in a bumpy, red, horribly itchy and painful rash. Right where the pain had been. I googled pictures of rashes and found one that looked exactly like mine and found out that I'm 99% sure I have...

Shingles


Are you kidding me? I thought this was something that older people get! I didn't really know about shingles, but have found out that it comes from the chicken pox virus which lays dormant in your body. It can be triggered by things such as stress. I don't know how in the world I ended up with it! LOL

I have a new empathy for anyone that has dealt with this. The pain can be horrible and even just the slightest brush against my skin can feel like sandpaper. However, as I looked at other images of people with shingles, I felt so grateful that my outbreak is relatively small AND it's not anywhere near my face. And don't worry-- you can't spread shingles-- but I can give someone chicken pox that hasn't had it before--crazy!

Apparently there's not a great cure, so I'm trying to find one of my own. This morning I tried to see if eating three raspberry-filled, powdered sugar doughnuts for breakfast would help with the pain. I think it just may have... (:

So... yeah.

Shingles.

Just what I needed.

--Christianne

Xander Commander

Today my heart has been occupied with this kid:



Within an hour of meeting Xander, Jeremy and I (and our entire travel group) had decided he would someday be student body president. (: The boy just has "it." He is funny, engaging, sensitive, bright, independent, and loving. When he first saw us he laughed and jumped into our arms and has never looked back. He has the most fun imagination and makes the biggest messes with it! I'll often go into the kitchen and he's sitting there with a huge smile and a sandwich he's made himself-- we're talking mayo, mustard, meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce-- the whole shebang. He answers almost any question with "sure!" and loves to be my helper. He has the most sensitive heart, and if he sees someone crying, he's likely to join right in. He makes the funniest faces that make us all laugh. He dresses up as Batman or the Incredible Hulk or some other superhero almost every single day. He has the cutest little stutter. He is easygoing and always grateful.

I adore him.

--Christianne