No promises

I stink at finding the time to blog. I have a ton of posts in my mind on a daily basis, but finding the time to sit and allow those thoughts to flow out of my brain and down to my fingertips is a bit hard to come by.

Life is good. Crazy good. I want to pull my hair out on a daily basis, and I smile more often than I can count. So as long as those two things balance each other out, I am okay.

This weekend we went up to Williams, Arizona to go on the Polar Express. The kids loved it and so did my roommates and I. Kyla (curly haired one in the photos) bought the tickets and the hotel room for the night as a Christmas present to us all. Giving time together is one of the best gifts imaginable. Very many memories were made...and I hope the kids remember it just as well as I will.

My favorite drink...

Mindless Babble and other things

*places left hand on Bible and raises my right hand* I solemnly swear to blog more often.

I think God has been trying to tell me that I need to blog more often. I keep meeting people (whether in person or via the lovely internet) that have mentioned that they read my blog when Bree was a wee little bee. So yes God, I have heard and seen your repeated nudgings and here I am!

 Since I don't have Adam to talk to on a regular basis (more on that later) I will try to use the blog as an outlet of mine. So hooray! you get to read my mindless babble. :D


Long story short, we are a seperated family. Now now now don't get the wrong idea here. Adam and I are still married and on speaking terms. He is just in Korea on a year long tour. So we are a family that is physically apart, yet still together at heart.

This is a picture we took for Daddy a few weeks ago and are mailing it out for him and for all our Grandma's and Auntie's for mother's day. Overall we are well. We moved in with Bree's early interventionist (love ya Kyla!) so that I would not go too crazy being alone with three kiddos. Both Bree and Derrick are on thickener (this is new since Bree's stroke incident) and Riley is just as spunky as ever. :)

I have been having some health issues and just recently got out of the hospital from having a blood transfusion. Something in my body is off and a chemical that usually starts the production of blood when your body is low is not working for me. That combined with a low iron count to begin with is not a great thing. So after two days in the hospital, and two units of blood I am feeling a bit better.

I am very thankful for my roommate (housemate? we don't really share a room), and good friends (Sara, Rae and Jenn!) who helped cover my kiddos needs while I was absent. I am truly blessed to have friends who are willing to jump in and help when I truly do need it. I also thank all of those who prayed for me...prayer is just as important as the physical help. Look at Bree...I do not think we would be near where we are with her had it not been for all the prayer we received and had on behalf of her.

Signing off for now...gotta go pick up the kiddos!

Time for some good old Gonce family bonding time...waiting for an appointment! Derrick has a swallow study this morning to see what thickness his liquids need to be at...whether we can stay or go thicker or less. Then next monday he has a meeting with the aero digestive team to decide what procedures they want to do on him (biopsies, scopes, etc) and then on Tuesday he will be put under for those procedures. As always we never have a dull moment in our house!

No news is good news

That seems to be the case in our life. The only time I have excessive amounts of time has been when Bree is in the hospital. Yup...she is again in the hospital, except this time no one has any idea of what is going on. She presented with stroke like symptoms on Tuesday and we went to PCH...long story short, they were not taking me seriously and we ended up signing out AMA (against medical advice) and going to a different children's hospital.

This hospital (Cardon's) has been great at helping us. Her MRI, CT scan and spinal tap have all come back fine so we have no answers. At her worst she could not hold herself up and would slide to the left. She could barely get out words she used to be able to say with ease. She could not drink without spilling immensely and/or choking. She has slowly improved....

Since being here this morning I have noticed that Bree is doing much better! Her speech is still "off" as in I can't always understand her, but she is speaking in 3 to 4 word sentences again and is conveying her wants and needs. As I am typing she is asking me "why Mama?"...she is very weak and can barely stand, and is not able to walk right now, but we will work on that!

The plan is for her to have some labs drawn during the night when her body temp is down, and then an echo and EKG in the morning. As long as all that is clear she will be going home tomorrow with a referral to an endocrinologist and a neuro-developmental pediatrician.

We have a long road ahead of us with recovering lost speech and strength, but we have been down this road before and we can do it again!

FirstGiving - Your fundraising

FirstGiving - Your fundraising

Hello!


Our family taking part in the 3rd Annual HopeWalk- 5K Family Walkathon to raise money for Hope Kids.

Hope Kids is near and dear to our heart! Through Hope Kids we are able to attend fun, family oriented events that allow us to let loose and forget about the stresses of all Bree's medical needs. The fact that we get to laugh, smile and have a good time is priceless to us, and I know it is to all the other families who are a part of Hope Kids. The smiles on the faces of the kids shows us that they are forgetting about all the needle pokes they have endured, the countless treatments, and the surgeries that have filled their lives. They are living in the moment, and that moment is fun and exhilarating.

The fundraising allows Hope Kids to put on these family friendly events. Without the money to put on these events free of cost to the families, they would not be happening. There would be no movies, birthday parties, baseball games, hockey games and so many more activities. Hope Kids helps families with medically challenged children. These families benefit so much from the little slivers of sunshine that Hope Kids offer.

Please search your heart and donate if you are able. Please know that you will be helping to bring smiles and joy to the hearts of those children who truly deserve it and need it. Please make a donation by visiting my FirstGiving page: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/goncefam/2011?fge=ask

You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to HOPEKIDS INC by FirstGiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation.

Please send our page on to anyone who might like to donate!

Team Bumble Bree
Adam, Tasha, Riley, Bree and Derrick Gonce