The Dixon Seven

BOW-Heads and a Boy

2009-10-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

If you have daughters, then you know how much fun it is, to get them all dolled up and make them feel special. My girls have been picky about the clothes they wear from an early age. It's so funny the way that happens. It's like a female instinct to want to match. Thanks to a super sweet friend of mine, taught me how to make bows a couple years ago. Since we have three girls this has turned out to be a wonderful thing. If you buy all your bows at the mall, you know how expensive they are. Think of that times three every time you buy a bow. You could go broke just putting together one outfit. Making hair bows is now one of my favorite hobbies. The girls always feel pretty when they have bows in their hair. Today the girls are wearing some of my most recent bow designs.

Watermelon Bow

Fall Bow

I Have "FALL"en In Love

2009-10-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Signs of Fall are here in Texas. I love this time of year! The weather is beautiful! Cool days and even cooler nights! We have had a lot of rainy days lately, which I love. I love this sort of weather. I love cloudy fall days that are crisp and make me want to make apple crisp and homemade chili. Do you know what I am talking about? The smells are wonderful. I love driving down the road and seeing pumpkins and scarecrows and all the fall colors. I just absolutely love this time of year...I just wish it would last longer.

Here are some pictures of the Quads that were taken yesterday. We pulled these dresses out from the back of their closets. And they even had to wear a sweater over them so they would not get chilly. A perfect fall morning.

My Life Could Be A Grey's Anatomy Episode

2009-10-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

We got some good and bad news this week. Good news is that there is a very slight improvement in my blood clot compared to about 2 months ago. Bad news is the doctor had the interventional radiologist study the films and they have determined that it has been too long for the procedure we were hoping for to be affective. There is nothing the hematologist or interventional radiologist can do to help treat me. The next step, the doctor is referring me to a vascular surgeon. Hopefully, they will have an answer to take care of me. Otherwise, there is no telling how long this very large blood clot will take to resolve.

In other health news, Monday, the doctor sent me to the emergency room for some tests. For the last several days I have been having severe chest pains, and tightness. Making it hard and painful to breath. I have also had a lot of swelling in my arms and hands. At first it was an immediate worry that part of the clot may have broken off and traveled to my lungs causing a Pulmonary embolism. However that is not the case, thankfully. The doctor says I have a pleurisy. And the doctor says I probably have a blood clot in my arms. However, since my treatment would be the same as the treatment I am already receiving for the leg clot, they did not scan my arms. There is no treatment for pleurisy. You just treat the pain. I'm already on heavy pain medications so there was no reason to keep me in the hospital. They sent me home and I'm back to resting. I was told it takes anywhere from a few days to two weeks for the pleurisy to go away.

"What is pleurisy?
Pleurisy is swelling (inflammation) of the thin layers of tissue (pleura) covering the lungs and the chest wall.
The outer layer of the pleura lines the inside of the chest wall, and the inner layer covers the lungs. The tiny space between the two layers is called the pleural cavity. This cavity normally contains a small amount of lubricating fluid that allows the two layers to slide over each other when you breathe.
When the pleura becomes inflamed, the layers rub together, causing chest pain. This is known as pleuritic pain.
Pleurisy is sometimes called pleuritis.
What causes pleurisy?
In young, healthy people, an infection of the lower respiratory system by a virusor bacteria may cause pleurisy. Pleurisy usually lasts a few days to 1 or 2 weeks. In very rare cases, the virus or bacteria may spread and cause pleurisy in others.
Other causes of pleurisy include air leaking into the pleural cavity from a lung (pneumothorax), injury to the chest (such as a broken rib), tuberculosis or other infections, or a tumor in the pleura.
Other conditions may also cause pleurisy. These include rheumatoid arthritis,lupus, sickle cell crisis, pulmonary embolism, or pancreatitis. Pleurisy may also develop as a complication of heart surgery.
What are the symptoms of pleurisy?
The symptoms of pleurisy are chest pain and difficulty breathing. The chest pain usually starts suddenly. People often describe it as a stabbing pain and it usually gets worse with breathing. The pain:
May always be present, but it usually gets worse when you breathe in. You may avoid breathing deeply to prevent the pain.
Usually is on only one side of the chest.
May extend to a shoulder or the belly.
Is usually worse when you cough, sneeze, or suddenly move.
May ease when you hold your breath or press on the painful area." (www.webmd.com)

Another Masterpiece

2009-10-07T08:13:00.000-07:00

Logan has been hard at work. Here is his second published piece of art. This piece of artwork is " a Piet Mondrian Inspired Shape Collage". What an artist!

Check out my new WHEELS!

2009-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm officially OLD. No, I did not turn 30 yet. I got a wheel chair! Thanks to this chair, I can get around in the downstairs of the house easily and go outside the house and to my appointments without passing out, from standing and walking with my walker. Whohoo!

There's nothing real pretty about it. Not exactly on the list of most fashionable accessories to add to your wardrobe. So to make it a little more me, I decided to decorate it with ribbon. So I made two bows to add to my chair. Now I'm styling.

(I'm exhausted and in pain, early bedtime tonight.) Look for current Health updates to come, from doctors visit, report from interventional radiology, ER visit, and more...

Being Real

2009-10-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

A month after we moved into this house Donny lost his job. Thankfully, he was hired with another company soon after and a month later started a new job. Although, with this job he had to take a big pay cut. That put us in a situation where we were just barley getting by. Until about five months ago when the quads fell out of medicaid, and we lost all the supplemental income we were getting for the kids. That was keeping us afloat. Raising five kids is not cheap. We had recently gone through Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover which we learned so much from. Anything that was an extra expense was eliminated and we were down to the bare bones of what we needed to live. God made it really clear to Donny and I that we needed to sale our house. If not having money to buy groceries to feed our kids was not already enough. In June we put our house on the market. We have had almost a dozen 2nd showings, but no offers yet. Every month that goes by that we don't sale the house the worse off we become. When we do sale the house, we don't know where we are going to live. That's another part of trusting God to provide for us and show us the way, when he is ready. There's been many of times I have wished that I could see in the future--it sure would help at times; however we don't know what tomorrow holds--but I DO know WHO holds tomorrow...and I know He will hold our hands throughout the good and the bad.

Storms are hardly fun, the rain can most defiantly get overbearing, the heartache will continue…but the journey WILL come to an end…somehow, someway—with God we will get through this. Every day is a new one, not all will be good…but not all will be bad! God saw something special inside us and he trusts us with this journey, so no matter how hard the days may get I trust that he will guide me through the storm and help me to dance in the rain! Have you ever realized that it takes some people a hardship to really rely on God the way that we should always rely on Him? I'll be the first to admit I am guilty. I was raised in a Christian home, I've believed in Him very early in life...however I never let him guide me the way I am now. I never fully understood what it meant to give 'all' your worries to God, maybe because I didn't have many...however-I trust in Him more so then ever before, I believe in him more so then ever before and I have faith and know that "With God ALL things ARE possible."

I do believe in miracles, I hear of them happening daily…so I do believe that if it’s God’s time something could happen before then, and that is what I am praying for. I am praying for a miracle from God. I say it all the time, but he has a special plan for us. I truly believe that, he will not put us through anything we can’t handle. So whats next....we will keep on praying and keep on going down this journey knowing that with God we will be ok :) "I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13" God doesn’t give us more than we can handle…at times I wish he didn’t trust me so much. I do trust him and I am trying my very hardest to lean on him throughout all of this. God has a plan; a special plan—a plan that only he knows…I have Faith; that’s all I can have…he is in charge of the rest.

We have an ARTIST on our hands

2009-10-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Logan loves doing art projects. At his school they use this really neat art program where the students art work is downloaded online to share with the parents or others in a kids art museum. Logan has had his first official peice of artwork published. Check this out...One day this painting could be worth a lot of money. Way to go Logan, can't wait to see what artwork you will create next.

Latest with Liz...

2009-10-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

After seeing the Hematologist yesterday the doctor has ordered another scan. I will be going to the hospital this morning for this sonogram. Pray that they can see everything clearly as they need to make decisions on what to do next. The doctor is going to discuss it with the interventional radiologists to determine what procedures would be possible to clear out the clot. He discussed one option he was thinking of, but was unsure if too much time had lapsed already, for it to be an option. It would however require me to be in the hospital a couple days. Monday, I will go back to the doctor and we will discuss the findings, results, what my option/s are and decide what we will do now.

Do our kids have a blood clotting disorder? *UPDATE BELOW

2009-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

That is the question. (In case you don't know, I have a blood clotting disorder called Protein S Deficiency).

"Protein S Deficiency (PSD) is a rare blood disorder that affects just a few thousand people worldwide. It is one of several known risk factors for thrombophilia and can increase the risk of blood clots such as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE)."

Since the kids had their last doctor checkup the pediatrician has been doing some research and talking to some other doctors. He called today and told me that it is very important for us to get all the kids tested for this blood disorder. The doctor says there is a 50% chance that they have it. It is a genetic disorder. The doctor is going to be contacting my hematologist and speaking with him to make sure they do all the right tests. When he calls back they will set up some time to bring the kids in to draw blood on each one so they can run this test. Of course we are praying that none of the kids have this blood disorder. I would hate for any of our children to have to go through even one ounce of what I have been through with this deficiency. The doctor said that typically it stays silent during the younger years and the older you get the more likely it is to cause harm.

**UPDATE: The pediatrician and my hematologist both spoke over the situation and have decided the appropriate tests to be done. Once we can get all the orders in our hands we will be able to set up a time for all five to go by the Children's Hospital for the testing.

Surgery, Blood Clot & Bedrest

2009-09-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have yet to explain what happened since my bile duct procedure. Turned out that after the first procedure to put the stint in I had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia. I had seizure like episodes and ended up in the Intensive Care Unit. Once I was stable and everything seemed to resolve they decided to wait three days and then take the stint back out and do the second procedure where they opened it up. So they kept me in the hospital and I was going to get to go home after the second procedure. Everything went great with the procedure and my stomach was feeling GREAT. Unfortunately, I got a very large clot in leg. Ended up in the hospital a few more days. Went home, and instead of things getting better with the clot..they got worse. This point I could barely walk, and was in tremendous constant pain. Doctor saw me, sent me immediately to the emergency room. The blood flow in my leg was 100% blocked off. I was admitted to the hospital that day and spent a couple weeks there, getting all sorts of medications and treatments for the clot and pain.

Finally, I was discharged to go home two weeks ago. I have been on bed rest. I have a walker to use when I do get up, but the only place I am suppose to go is to the doctors office. So really I'm just getting up to go the bathroom. And I cant lift over 10lbs. So that limits me a lot. The medicine makes me very tired, so I take a lot of naps. And to anyone who thinks I am lucky, think again. Being on bed rest like this is far from fun. But the wonderful part it, is I'm able to be home with Donny and the kids instead of being stuck by myself in a hospital bed. Before I was discharged I was told that it could be a matter of months and even up to a year before this all resolved. So I am being treated by a pain management doctor to control my pain the best possible, the hematologist and cardiologist to watch and treat the clot.

Latest Update: Saw the doctor today. They tested my heart and it is great. The Doppler on my leg showed no change in the blood clot. It has not gotten any smaller, nor has it grown or moved. My INR levels were pretty high today. All in all, the doctor wants to see things are in a month, and if there is not much change, he wants to see about taking another look, seeing if another approach to treat the clot may be more advisable. Great news is the procedure on my bile duct seems to have been a huge success. I have had little to no pain or attacks in my stomach like I was all the time, before the surgery. I am so thankful it worked!

GO BIG ORANGE!!

2009-09-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

I realized one of the most important day's of Brown Bear Week was forgotten. How could I forget to post pics from Orange day?! After all, this family roots for the TN VOLS! GO BIG ORANGE!! Here are the quads right before school. Don't they all look so cute? If you can't tell recently, Sam has become quite fond of having her picture taken. She is always ready with her smile and putting her arms around others posing. So cute! I love it!! It's funny too, because when Logan is not around, it's like Sam is the ring leader. All of a sudden she becomes the one in charge and tells the others what to do, or the way it is going to be.

That evening I caught a moment with Donny holding Sam and I had to take a picture. The lighting was really bad, and there was a bad glare, but I still love the picture of them two.

Of course Daddy got some tickles out of Sam. That's a daily Daddy thing. No matter the day, good or bad, each child gets some tickle time with Daddy. I love watching it! I love hearing it! Especially when Maddy is the one getting the tickles. That girl can laugh like no other. I can be having the worst day, but to hear Madison and her famous giggle, you cannot help but smile. It's pretty awesome when I think about things like this, and the little ins and outs of our children's personalities right now, a part of me can see into the future, a picture of them and what they will be like as they get older. The way they will act, interact and react. The kind of friend they will be to others. The kind of student they will be. The kind of teenager they will be. These are the fun and wonderful things we can and get to think about. We don't need to worry about what we are going to do when all the kids need braces, or figuring out how to manage the schedules and costs when all five children are interested in different sports or hobbies. We get to make the most the way things are now, the amazingly different and special children that we have, and all the many ways that they bless our lives each day.

And here's Sam for a close up...

I downloaded a new program the other day, so I was playing around with it and here is the result.

Dressed To Impress

2009-09-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today was picture day at school! So the kids got all dressed up today. The girls were so beautiful and Hudson and Logan were very handsome. (Here are some pics of the quads before school. I know our pictures have been lacking Logan recently. Just hard to get pics of him since he goes to school so much earlier. I'll try to get some of Logan soon.)

Hudson snuck outside with his little Tiger. He loves that animal so much!

Isn't this so precious??!

We Got the Blues!

2009-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

The Quads were all dressed in blue last week, to take part in Blue day. Learning about colors is so much fun! They have enjoyed picking out clothes for each day.

Another day in Dixonville...

2009-09-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

The quads are doing very well this year in school so far. Just remembering and thinking back to the last few months and now...it's crazy how far they have come. Each one of them has come so far in their communication skills. Even Hudson in the last month has taken leap and bounds forward. Speaking of the Hud man, he has done amazingly well learning to walk with his leg/foot brace.

Who said you can't wear WHITE after Labor Day?!!!

2009-09-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

The Dixon Quads were sporting white today. The color of the day at Pre-K was WHITE. Only two more days left of learning colors. Can you guess what color's will be next?

Shades of Purple...

2009-09-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today the quads had purple day at school. The girls had various shades of purple on they picked out. Well, Hud on the other hand....come on, not many boys wear purple. Ours is on of them. But look in Donny's closet, well...hehe...he does!

GOING GREEN!

2009-09-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

The quads are doing their part to save the envoirnment. Friday the color of the day was GREEN. So they all let their green shine. Haha! How's that for going going green?!?!!

Dr. Seuss, Here We Are!!!

2009-09-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

Everyday this week the quads are learning about a different color at school. To help them learn each day they were to wear the color of the day. Here are the quads sporting their Dr. Seuss shirts for RED day. In order of birth, they are represented. Hudson is thing 1, Madison is thing 2, Candice is thing 3 and Samantha is thing 4.

There is no doubt that they get tons of attention when they wear these shirts. I think they should make a book cover, don't you?! Hehe!

Do You TWITTER?

2009-08-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Do you have a Twitter account?! If so, leave me your username. I'd love to follow you! For daily updates on the Dixon 7, follow me @QuadMommy. So what are you waiting for...Go TWEET away!!

Back In The Hospital

2009-08-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard that right. I'm back in the hospital. Thursday afternoon I went back to the doctors office to get my blood checked once again, thinking things were going to be looking up. Turns out the blood clot is so large and has effected so much of my veins that there is complete occlusion of the veins in my leg. The doctor sent me to the emergency room, and i was admitted into the hospital that night.

"An occlusion is a blockage of a vessel. There are two types of occlusions: partial or complete.

An occlusion of an artery in the heart or in another area of the body may be caused by the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque, by plaque that has broken off from one area of a vessel and traveled to another part of the body, or by a blood clot. Partial occlusions limit, but do not completely block, blood flow. On the other hand, complete occlusions completely restrict blood flow.

Occlusions prevent organs and tissues from obtaining the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive. This, in turn, causes tissue death and serious conditions, such as a heart attack or stroke."

In turn this causes an extreme amount of pain, pressure to my entire leg. I am currently on bed rest, although, I can barely stand on my leg anyway. I have never really been a typical patient and usually am far from a textbook case so things don't always appear from the outside as they are on the inside, or vice-versa. It's just one complicated thing after another really. The good part though is, I now have an excellent team of doctors on my case that are all working together, communicating and trying to make the best, wisest and most safe decisions when it comes to my treatment. Apparently, things were not handled well originally when i was in the hospital, and I should not have been discharged as I was. But now, we have moved on and are dealing with the present situation the smartest way possible. As of last night they started me on an iv heparin drip, to help aid in the thinning out of my blood, and speed up the process of breaking up the clot. They have stopped Lovonox and I'm continuing on Coumidin as well.

Last night a group of my girlfriends came up to the hospital to see me. We hung out in my room, chatted away, and enjoyed each others company. And even had some incredibly scrumptious cupcakes that Melissa brought. Mine was red velvet cake. Heavenly! Thank goodness I was aloud to eat food by then. Hehe! How wonderful it is to have friends who are so loving and caring and took time from their Friday nights to share some laughs with me. I am blessed!!

Logan has come up a couple times to see me, which was awesome. I love that boy so much! And Donny has brought all the kids up, and I got to take turns cuddling with each one in the bed. I'm thankful I got the time I did with them through this week, and got to see their excitement about their new school and all the new things they are experiencing for the first time this year.

Huddy Got His Special Bracelet!!

2009-08-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

Hudson had a great appointment at the orthopedic doctor yesterday. He got his leg brace, and it fits perfect! He was such a trooper and did so well wearing it all day, and did not complain. We are so proud of you Huddy! We tried to make it a very special thing, so we told him and his siblings that it is his special bracelet he gets to wear. Of course, the girls are all wanting to know when they are going to get one. Haha! :) I can already tell it is going to be a huge help in his walking and running! Yeppie!

Blood Clot Update

2009-08-25T15:28:00.000-07:00

I have been experiencing a great deal more pain in my leg since I have been home from the hospital. Especially, in the last couple days. To the point where sitting is painful and walking is just plain baaddd. Hard to walk anyway, but the more I'm upright, the more intense the pain is. If I'm laying with my leg propped it helps, but any other position is not fun. I had another ultrasound yesterday, and they found that the clot has gotten worse, and is also up into my abdomen, so only makes sense that the pain has increased and not gotten better.

Thankfully, at this point this change does not mean much, just continue on my blood thinning medicines and shots as I have been. My INR was still way low yesterday, so need that to go up asap, so no other clots form. With my history you just never know. Nothing ever seems to go the way any doctor says should be expected. So pray that the clot begins to dissolve, and the pain lessons, so I can get back to being super mommy. Daddy Donny has been filling in the gaps for me, and am so grateful for how he always steps up and takes charge and takes care of our family so well.

The kids had another great day at school! Logan even got to ride home on his scooter with Daddy. Good times!!

Quads go to Pre-K

2009-08-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

The quads also had a big day yesterday. They started Pr-K! They go to same school as Logan, except their school day is in the afternoon for three hours. This year they have lots of firsts like eating lunch at school in the big cafeteria. They are riding the bus again this year, so that's fun too.

Logan goes to Kindergarten

2009-08-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Logan started Kindergarten yesterday! That's right, Logan is officially in elementary school. He had a great day and came home very worn out. His teacher said he did very good. :) This should be a fun year.

Logan is all smiles, minus two teeth.

The sign says it all...

We are proud of you Logan!!

Home From The Hospital!

2009-08-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

So my procedure for my bile duct turned up to be a big stay in the hospital. That was defiantly not what we had thought or had planned for. If you have kept up with Donny's blog and Facebook status, then you know how crazy this last week in a half has been. Instead of coming home after the first procedure, I ended up, staying for what ended up being a total of nine days in the hospital.

The procedure itself went very well. However, immediately afterwards I ended up in ICU after having what they concluded as a negative reaction coming out of the anesthesia. I had several (seizure like) episodes, they could not stop, so ended up putting me back under. Later doing all sorts of tests. Scaring the heck out of my husband. All along I was unaware any of this was happening. I still have very little memory of my stay in ICU.

Couple days later, had the second procedure, and all went well. I was then going to be able to go home, but that all changed when it was discovered that I had developed a blood clot in my leg. Thus the treatment to dissolve the blood clot began.

I'm home now! My stomach has never been better! I was laying in bed tonight, and realized, WOW, my stomach does not hurt. I can't remember the last time I did not have stomach pain. It has been something I have lived with for soooo long. I am not getting around much. My leg is still in pain, and walking is difficult due to the blood clot. Thankfully, we caught it in time before something tragic happened. Overall, I am doing well, all things considered. Thankful to be home in the warmth and comfort of my home!!

My Kids Say The Darndest Things!

2009-08-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

I had to share this, it was just too funny. This trip to California was Samantha's first time on an airplane. It was Logan's second time, but the first time old enough for him to remember. So this was all a new experience for the both of them. You know how kids are always saying silly things, or always asking questions? While traveling the first day on the airplane Sam and Logan both were full of cute comments. Here are some of the things that were on their minds the day they went to California.

Logan …

When are we going to blast off?
There’s a restaurant at the airport.
I smell something scrumptious.
Do airplanes have seat belts?
I love you K.
We are in the airplane! I am so excited!

As Logan see the clouds, he says, ” there’s the world.” “We are going into space.”
That man looks like a girl. He has a ponytail.
After Logan lost his first tooth he asked, “How am I going to eat?”
I see mountains K, so we are close to California.
It was a big day today. (after we get to San Diego)
Where is the Congo K?

Sam…

This is so much fun.
What is in the clouds? Logan’s response to Sam: “cotton candy”
There are a lot of clouds guys.
I like clouds.

Logan and Sam's Trip To California

2009-08-10T19:22:00.001-07:00

Logan and Samantha got the opportunity to go on a vacation to San Diego, California with their grandparents, Frostie and K. They returned home Sunday evening. I'm sure the time went by super fast for them..they were having such a wonderful time. Of course, back home, Hudson, Madison, Candi, D and I were missing them like crazy. But talk about a dramatic difference in the day to day routine with only having three kids. Part of the week Donny went out of town and so it was just me and the three kids. I have never heard the house so quiet. So strange. After almost a week with the threesome, I determined it would be so easy if we only had three kids. Hehe! I know what some of you are thinking? But seriously, adding two more to the mix makes a huge difference.

They have been telling me all kinds of stories of what they did and saw on the trip. From Sea World, the zoo, the animal shows, roller coasters and rides, and so much more. I know I will be hearing about this trip for days, months and years to come. Afterall, Logan has an amazing memory.

There are so many pictures from the trip...here are several for a sneak peak of the trip. I'll post more later as I get the chance.

Thank you K and Frostie for taking such great care of Sammy and Logan while you were away. They had a blast!! :)

Getting Lost In The Lord

2009-08-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Worship is a passion of mine. God, I believe, has placed it in all our hearts to be extraordinary worshipers. Worship is not always about the music...the song, the choir, the band, or the leaders. Worship is about turning our hearts to God letting Him transform us and lead us. It's about losing ourself in God and loving our God.

In the book "Extravagant Worship," Darlene Zshech speaks of worship in such true fashion. "Although music is a wonderful expression of worship, it is not itself the essence of it. The core of worship is when one's heart and soul, and all that is within, adores and connects with the Spirit of God." It is hard for me to remember that it is not always about the music, since I feel such an emotional connection to it. It's not about getting lost in the music, worship is about getting lost in the Lord.

Darlene Zshech goes on to say, Even if you are part of a worship team, your most glorious moments of worship would be off the platform when you are alone with God" Sure we are not all a part of a worship team, but what she is saying is true for all. As followers of Christ, we need to have some of most intimate moments with God, in worship, when we are alone with Him. We cannot forget our relationship with God and get caught up in a show we put on Sunday mornings. Worship is a lifestyle. It's a constant thing. It should never stop. "Worship involves the giving of ourselves totally to the Lord. Worship is a movement of our hearts, our thoughts, and our wills towards God's heart, thoughts, and will."

GI Procedure

2009-08-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday, I will be having a endoscopic procedure. The doctor will be placing a stent in my bile duct. If successful the following week I will go back in, and he will remove the stent. At that time he will correct the problem fully. If the stent does not correct the problem, the doctor will remove the stent the following week and leave everything be. We are hoping and praying that this will be our answer.

"The ERCP procedure involves passing a flexible tube (endoscope) through the mouth, esophagus, and stomach into the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) where the drainage opening for the bile and pancreatic ducts is located. The doctor then passes a small plastic tube (catheter) through a channel in the endoscope and out into view in the duodenum and inserts it into this small opening. A contrast solution (dye) is then injected through the catheter into the bile and pancreatic duct system(s), and x-rays are taken. These can be viewed immediately so that the doctor can make a diagnosis.

The doctor may take specimen samples for analysis if the x-rays (and any previous tests) suggest the possibility of cancer. Tiny wire brushes are used to scrape the duct lining and retrieve cells for microscopic examination. Small pinching biopsy forceps can be used to take larger pieces of tissue. Bile or pancreatic juice can be retrieved and sent to the laboratory to check whether there is any infection or to look for disturbance of the normal digestive constituents."

These are the treatments that will be used for this ERCP...

Papillary stenosis and sphincter dysfunction. "Sphincterotomy (of the bile duct and/or pancreatic orifice) is used also when there is scarring of the papilla (papillary stenosis) or evidence of overactivity (spasm) of the muscular valve. This is called sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. Sphincterotomy is more hazardous in this context than when used for stones.
Duct dilatation and stenting. ERCP x-rays may show partial blockage or narrowing of the bile duct or pancreatic duct. This narrowing can be stretched (dilated) using a sausage shaped balloon catheter. Often a small tube (stent) is left behind to maintain the stretch, and allows the duct to drain more easily." (www.digestivehealthnetwork.com)

Tooth Fairy Is Coming Again!

2009-08-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Logan lost ANOTHER tooth. I can't believe he lost his first two teeth all in one week. Hard to think that he is already five years old. My first born is growing up sooo fast! Congrats Logan!!

Look Mommy, I lost a tooth!

2009-08-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Logan lost his first tooth on the airplane to California. He was biting into a cookie and says it was too hard and made his tooth come out. I did not even know he had a lose tooth. Guess who got a visit from the tooth fairy?!!

The Dixon Quadruplets & Big Brother

2009-08-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

The kids have been having a great summer! I took these pics of the kids a while back but never posted any of them here. Check out those t-shirts that Daddy found while he was on business trip in Florida! It always get peoples attention when we take the quads out in these shirts. They are too cute!!

What's up with Hudson?

2009-07-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a long awaited appointment for Hudson with the orthopedic specialist. You may have hears about the not so great experience we encountered from the doctor who was less than professional, or have seen some remarks I made about it on Facebook. But despite all that, we did actually get some actual diagnosis and reasons to explain the issues that he does have. The layman's terms of it, Hud's left leg is shorter than his right leg because his his brain is not telling his leg to grow at the same rate due to his grade 4 brain bleed at birth. Also, his hip turns out when he walks. We did get an official diagnosis of cerebral palsy.

"Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders characterized by loss of movement or nerve functions. Cerebral refers to brain and palsy to weakness or poor control of muscles. Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal brain development during fetal development or by injuries to the brain from birth through the first three years of life.

A person with cerebral palsy can have mild to severe physical disabilities. Some people have only a slight limp or an uncoordinated walk. Others have little or no control over their arms and legs or other body part."

So that just confirms what we already thought. He has some issues with the use of his left arm/hand, which we are told there's nothing he can do now, that he's not already doing, besides trying to find an interest that would require him to use his arms like martial arts, dance, playing an instrument. To help with his leg issues, he is going to be put back in a orthopedic brace.

"For children with cerebral palsy, muscles do not grow fast enough to keep pace with lengthening bones. The resulting contracture can disrupt balance and trigger loss of abilities. Special braces (orthodox devices) combined with physical therapy and other interventions may prevent this complication by stretching spastic muscles."

This time, this one he may need for years to come, or possibly the rest of his life. But hey, we aren't going there, cause this boy has come leaps and bounds. Who knows what amazing things God has in store for this precious little boy. Anyone who knows him, knows what a happy, sweet, loving boy that he is. He just loves life, loves to laugh, and loves to love!

Experiencing Life Change Together

2009-07-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

(Since It's been a while since I have updated on the blog, I figured I would try to post something for a few days till I can get caught up to where we are now).

Our church youth group is on my mind right now, so I will share on this subject today. Recently, Donny and I had our 1 yr anniversary at the church God led us to right before Donny lost his job at RSI. If you have not heard that story...WOW, such a God thing!

We love our church family so much! What a huge support and blessing they have been to us through all the ups and downs of life we have faced in the last year. As Donny and I got more involved in the church, we wanted to find an area of the church where we could serve together as a couple. We both had a passion for the youth in the church, and felt led to serve in that capacity. God opened the doors, and we have been there ever since.

We recently finished a series called "Wipeout," named after the reality show..I'm sure you have seen the previews on tv if you have not seen the show itself. Donny played a character called the Unicorn Ninja. If you keep up with us on Facebook, you may have seen some of the footage on Donny's Facebook page. Lots of laughs! Wednesday nights are always a great time with the youth group.

We don't know what God has in store for the youth at Genesis Metro, but look forward to experiencing life change with the youth!

Quality Time!

2009-07-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Several months ago I made a choice to spend more quality time with our children. Sure, I'm a stay at home mom so I'm almost always with them, but so many days it's just routine and I want it to be special. I tend to get wrapped up with all the housework and things I want to do and accomplish and I forget some of the best times are unplanned times. I want my kids to know that they are loved and cared for by their mommy and daddy!! So, Donny and decided to start having special time with the kids individually or one take the girls and one take the boys. These times have been wonderful!

We have five incredible kids!! They are so silly and make me giggle. There are only few years I can enjoy this time of their lives and I want to make the best of it. My health is still not the greatest, I've had a couple surgeries since I last blogged and several hospital stays, and there's no way for me to know how I will feel from one day to the next. But I do know I want to spend time with my kids and share things and moments they will always remember while I have a chance to do so.

I know I'm way behind on updates and so much has happened...Stay tuned to hear some updates on what the Dixon's are up to now.

Logan Has A Girlfriend!!!

2009-03-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, It is true! Logan has himself a girlfriend. Her name is Lexi. She is in the same class as Logan at church. Logan talks about Lexi all the time. This past weekend Lexi's sister, Annabelle, had a birthday party. The whole time Logan and Lexi were glued at the hip. Who knew he would grow up this fast. Hehe!!

One More Piece To The Puzzle

2009-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

As many of you have heard, we received a unofficial diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy for our son Hudson. This really came as no surprise to me, seeing that I have thought this was the case for years. Just based on watching Hudson, my own personal research on Cerebral Palsy and what doctors have said in the past. Granted no one has wanted to label him like that. Maybe thinking it would cause fear in us as parents or just to keep from the worry. Or just plan because no one really fully understands this diagnosis and what it could mean for the child. Seeing that each and every child has different types, and degrees of CP, it can be complicating to diagnose.

The recommended action for a child with Cerebral Palsy can and will vary a great deal as "Cerebral Palsy" is used to diagnose a vast range of problems having to do with brain damage/trauma. We do not know what exactly the future holds, but then who does? All having a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis means is that we now have answers as to why Hudson did and does certain things. It means sometime his brain experienced trauma; in his case it was a grade IV brain bleed a few days after he was born. It means the control he has over his muscles isn't the same as what you and I may have. It means some things are harder for him to do. It means he may need help doing things that others take for granted. There’s no clear cut answer to how this will indeed effect him as he gets older. We do know that Cerebral Palsy never gets worse. You just notice other things with age. After the brain bleed, we were told Hud would prob not survive. And he did! Then later we were told he may never walk, and he walks! Hud is an amazing kid! He’s a handsome, sweet, caring little boy with the greatest smile.

For many, getting a diagnosis may mean the start of some serious life changing things, (possibly among them Occupational, Speech, Physical, Surgery, Medications, etc.) In his case he has already been receiving occupational, speech and physical therapy since birth, and has had heal toe cord surgery as well. We are doing everything we can to get him the help and or assistance that he needs to be the wonderful boy that he is. We will see what is to come. I can only see a bright future ahead of him. We can only live each day to the fullest, and keep track of anything that is out of the ordinary. We also need to be the best parent advocates we can be; our children need us. Talk with each other and share our stories. We will get through this. We just have to stay strong and be there for each other.

"God only gives us things he knows we can cope with. We may stumble and fall but we will get there in the end"

Goodbye Flu Bug!

2009-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

We're still here...just been fighting off illnesses that have been passed around the house. The kids all seem to be doing so much better now. Just a few upset tummy's every once and a while. Whatever this illness was it got to me earlier this week and I'm getting over it now. Whew! Glad that's over!! D is off on his first business trip since the new job. We are hanging out, enjoying the nice weather while he is away.

On The Road To Success

2009-02-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

Today, I met with Logan's current Pre-K teacher for his Parent Teacher conference. Overall he got a wonderful report and is doing very well in school and has showed tremendous progress during the year. As in the words of his teacher, "Logan continues to do an awesome job during phonics and reading groups." This was something new that they started during this semester. His spoken language skills are performed most the time. He has mastered all the reading and phonics skills, except reading a complete sentence. He is writing very well, although he has been able to write his full name since day one. So he was already ahead of the game on that one. What can I say, my kid is a genius! Hehe! That's what all parents say, right?! What I can't believe is that his mathematics skills are almost all mastered. Now I have to say he does not get his mathematics skills from his mother, nor his father. All the credit there goes to good ole G-Pa! He's always teaching him counting skills etc. when they are together. Way to go G-Pa!!

In regards to his social developmental you really can't get any better than he is right now. Well, I guess there is always room for improvement right. But seriously. This boy has the social skills of his father. His daily living and motor skills are almost mastered completely. His classroom behavior overall is very well. His talking in class has improved greatly since last semester, and his misbehavior seems to occur when he does not know what is going on, and there is not enough to do or focus on.

This brings me to Kindergarten talk. His teacher is encouraging us to observe all the classes soon before he is placed in a classroom, so he can be matched up with the best fit for a teacher. Because Logan needs constant activity and likes to be aware of everything that is going on throughout the day. His teacher is conference that he will have major behavior problems if he does not get a teacher that works more in that manner. So I will defiantly be speaking with the elementary school soon and meeting with them and speaking with the principal to make sure they understand his situation.

Overall though, he is doing fantastic! He has the ability to do any and all work that is presented to him. He has proved that. He just has to be focused or determined enough to do it.

Candice's Day In The Emergency Room: UPDATED 02/12/09

2009-02-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

For those of you that may have have been keeping up with us on Twitter, or Facebook, know that today was a rough day. For all those that have not heard. I took Candice to the doctor first thing this morning, her ENT said her lungs did not sound good at all, she had some stridor and was dehydrated. She spent all morning throwing up. More like day..cause it totaled up to 16 times. The doctor sent her down to the Emergency Room for a work up. She got fluids, electrolytes, blood work, breathing treatments, nausea meds and steroids. Turns out they think the respiratory infection she was diagnosed with about 2-3 weeks ago, caused some narrowing in her airway. You just never know with our little Candi-cane. Even though she has had reconstructive airway surgery, due to the subglottic stenosis that she got after the prolonged intubation while she was in the NICU for five months, her airway does have a more likely chance of becoming compromised when she is sick. So an illness that our other kids get, can affect her in a more serious way. Thankfully, we have been really lucky up to this point and she has done really well. But we still have so much to be thankful for, because Candice was released from the hospital and is home tonight in her own bed. Hopefully she will have a good night, and can keep from throwing up. Soon as we left the hospital she threw up all over the car. But, hopefully tomorrow will be a much better day. Great news though, her ears look great, tubes are functioning perfectly and her hearing test today was completely normal. Yeah! She will be with me for the day tomorrow, while the other kiddos go to school. Mommy's gotta take care of her baby!

Update: Candice had a good night at home. She threw up first thing this morning, but has been fine since, Been able to eat small amounts and actually using the restroom today. So great sign that she is back to being hydrated and feeling better. :) She stayed home from school today, which I think she was way to excited about. She sounds way better, not perfect and still has the cough but breathing fine and that's what counts. Hehe!

Kindergarten Is Just Around Corner

2009-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Our first born is growing up!! Logan has been loving every minute of his pre-K program this year, and all the teachers just love him. How could you not love Logan anyway. Hehe! Although he has more energy than the energizer bunny, and is taking after his fathers people skills way too well, in his quiet moments, he is one of the most sweetest, loving and caring kids and person for that matter. You should see him caring for his brother and sisters. Nothing can top the special bond he has with Hudson though. It is just perfect. He really does seem to watch over his little brother and, loves on him, and keeps him safe. It's all the little moments of seeing them hug or laying together, or Logan whispering something to Hud, that I live for. That is what LIFE is all about!

Today, I registered Logan for Kindergarten! Ahhh! I can't believe it. He is so excited he is going to get to go to the "BIG SCHOOL". Where we live now, the elementary school is literally just across the street. I know we still have several months left in this school year, but it will be here before ya know it. :) Our boy is getting big!!

Kuddos To The Kiddos!

2009-02-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Quads have and continue to enjoy there three hours of school Monday-Friday. They have come so far. It is amazing! The other day we got progress reports/evaluations of them in regards to there speech therapy. They all were said to of mastered 70% of almost every goal and step stone that was tested. Except for one, that they all received 80% on, in regards to recognizing names of things, people, etc.

Hudson is the only one receiving physical therapy now, and he scored 50% on each goal. Although, he continues to do well and plays well with the others and can keep his own, he does continue to have a consistent difficulty physically because he is not able to use his left arm/hand normally, and though his leg is much better since his heal toe cord surgery, it is still not normal. Not that it needs to be or ever will be, but of course as his parents, we want to do whatever we can for all of our kids to have the best possible life they can have. So we are looking into other options and seeking other opinions of what is the best plan of action to help him along, as much as we can.

Back In The Swing Of Things

2009-02-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know..It's been a while since I last posted and I'm sure I left some of you hanging wondering about how my surgery went and all. Well, I'm back in business now. The overnight stay I was suppose to have after the surgery, turned into a six day stay instead. The surgery itself went very well, they did everything just as they needed to do, and from what they tell me anyway..it was about 5 hrs. Much easier being the one on the other side of it I know, not having a clue to time or anything for that matter. The doctors were wonderful and were so nice to call Donny to give him updates and let him know how everything went, since he had to be on the job (it was his second day at the new job, little to early to ask off..haha). The next day when I was suppose to be released, instead of the doctor coming in to send me off, she was ordering tests and scans to determine what was going on with me. My blood pressure shot up way high, and I had significant pressure and heaviness and pain in my chest. They were very worried that I had a pulmonary embolism, similar to three years ago. Turns out there was no PE, thankfully. But there was fluid in my lungs, which from what I was later told is common with the procedure I had done. My blood pressure remained very high for a few days, and then one day it just finally went down. I really don't remember much of the time I was in the hospital. So much that, I know I talked to my husband on the phone and I know I saw him in person, but the details are not there. But I think that's a good thing. Cause I do know that after the surgery I was in a lot of pain and the simplest of things was almost impossible. After a few days of being at home, and virtually doing nothing, I began to come around. And here I am now, doing very well. The major surgical pains, numbness and tingling that were due to the surgery, finally went away a couple days ago, and I've gone the last three days with no pain meds. Only at night to sleep, cause by the end of the day I'm pretty sore from doing normal activities. Sleeping is really the hardest thing right now, because it's hard to get comfortable and I don't have many options how I can lay. But hey, I can deal with that! I'm feeling really good at this point about the surgery. Hopefully the relief I am feeling from my symptoms before surgery will continue to stay away or be very minimal. For those who are wondering..I have no further surgeries on the agenda. Haha!

Thoracic Thursday

2009-01-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning, I will be undergoing the surgery I spoke of recently. It is called thoracic outlet surgery.

"Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a complex condition involving compression,
irritation or direct injury of major structures within the thoracic outlet such
as the subclavian vein, subclavian artery and the Brachial Plexus. TOS can be
very painful, debilitating and sometimes life and limb threatening."

I'll be in the hospital overnight and then be home recovering. Overall, recovery is a month. I won't be able to lift my arms up for a whole month. That's the crazy part. Wondering how I'm going to figure out to do simple things like wash my hair, dry my hair, etc. Hmm! The hardest part will be fighting the urge to lift of my hands in church during worship. Makes me
very thankful for my arms. I'm sure I'll be back on the blog, but It will be a bit difficult typing with one hand. Well, slower anyway. :) HEHE!

Thank you for your prayers!

New Look, New Job, for a New Year!

2009-01-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

President Obama is not the only one who started a new job today. So did Donny D. Today is Donny's first day at his new job. I'm so proud of you Donny! We are so thankful for all the prayers, encouragement, support and gifts that we have received during this time. We are so blessed! Thank you all!

Check out our new blog design! All the thanks goes to my sweet friend Hollie for putting this together. You rock Hollie! :)

Dear Donny...

2009-01-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl, I played make believe. I pretended to cook and clean and to be a Mommy to my baby dolls. (I did not role play walking around Super Target with screaming kids, because there are some things that you must experience to truly appreciate). But in my naive mind, I imagined a man, a husband. He was brave, strong, tall and very handsome. And he loved me. It was a dream. And some might call this a silly fairy tale or the immature longings of a girl who loved romance. But I call it my life. Because you are the man of my dreams. You are the first to hold me when I am afraid. You are my encourager when I doubt myself. You are the one who made me a Mother of five. You are also the one who still leaves his clothes on the floor. Ok so this is getting a bit better...just moved from the floor to the chair. (Just keeping it real).

I am not a little girl anymore. I am a woman and you are a man. But I can't help but think of the things I didn't dream about....I didn't dream that I would hear my husband praying over me as I laid in a hospital bed in ICU fighting for my life. . I didn't dream that my man would be a Chicken Fried Steak fairy, delivering me my favorite food while I lay in bed rest pregnant with quadruplets. I didn't dream that my husband would be the kind of father that blow dries his girls’ hair at night. I didn't dream that my man would face sudden job loss and show me what true confidence in God to provide looks like.

Today you turn 30 years old. And more than anything, I want you to know that I love you more than I ever dreamed. You are a man among men. You stand out as you lead our family. You are my heart, my life, my best friend, and my soul mate. Happy Birthday, Donny! I am so proud of you. Thank you for making my dreams come true.

I love you, I’m in love with you, and I choose to LOVE you forever!

The Latest and Greatest...

2009-01-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while. First of all, thank you for praying us through this last unexpected surgery. (If you did not hear through the grapevine, I had another ovarian surgery) Thankfully, this time they were able to do it laparoscopically. It could not have been any smoother or easier. And with my experience that is very hard to come by. I'm doing very well in recovery, and should be cleared to drive again tomorrow at my post-op visit. Whohoo!

Before all this unexpected surgery came about I had been seeing a thoracic specialist. The last year I have been going through physical therapy and had multiple tests and injections to treat my thoracic problems. Now the time has come and It looks like I will be having thoracic surgery next week. I'll be seeing the two different surgeons this week who will both be involved in my surgery. All the blood work will be done the next day. And the following day, Thursday the 22nd I will have the surgery. Please be in prayer for a safe and successful surgery. If the surgery is successful it will change my life. (Chronic issues, pains and numbness I deal with daily would go away). The surgery involves dividing a muscle in the neck and removing a portion of the first rib. It is a 5 hr surgery. Pray for D, at this point, he will be at work at his new job that day. :) (Yes that's right D got a new job! Well, actually he has been offered two positions, he accepted one...and if the background check comes back good he is in and starts next week. But we will see cause he has also had several interviews since for other companies and is one of the top candidates for another position with another company and will be meeting with them again Monday. So if he gets a job offer from them, that may change the direction he will go. Only God knows, and we will find out. But D hit the ground running looking for a job and has kept busy at it, and it is paying off. Yeah for Donny!!) As of today my blood levels were right where they need to be and I started on Lovinox shots. This is the last big medical issue I have been dealing with as a result from complications after the quads. So hopefully...after this I will be sitting pretty!

We appreciate your prayers!

In The Midst Of It

2008-12-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

Here again, we are faced with another fire. Thankfully it has nothing to do with any health issues. This time it is financial. Donny was let go from his job Friday, due to downsizing throughout the company, and economic hard times facing the company as a whole. Here I thought he was getting out to talk to his buddies from work and enjoy the company Christmas party and having a nice day and then he returns with this news…boy was I wrong. Being a man of much sarcasm and a love of joking around, I did not know he was being serious when he first shared with me this news. After a few minutes of him repeating it, I realized this was far from a joke. Of course I was speechless, and emotional and upset. To go from everything being great for 7 years and then losing the only career he has ever had…all we have known…where do you go? What do you do? Unfortunately, they did not take our five children in consideration when choosing to let my husband go from his job. Don’t they know we have five little mouths to feed.? Our Christmas has taken a sudden twist, and wont be what we had originally planned. But we will still do everything possible to make Christmas day fun for the kids, and make them feel special. We don’t want the kids to feel our worry or problems, so we will do our best to make like everything is ok. Although, we do not know what the weeks and months to come have in store. All we can do now Is be in prayer for God’s direction, and provisions. We are waiting to see where God is going to take us and how is going to provide. We are scared and uncertain and feeling all kinds of emotions but we can only do so much and let God do the rest. Your prayers and job leads are most welcome and appreiciated.

Our Little Shepherd Boy

2008-12-17T15:52:00.001-08:00

Logan's School Play, originally uploaded by mommyofmultiples.

Friday at school, Logan stared in his first play ever. It was a wonderful Christmas play full of songs and stories of Jesus. Logan was a shephard. He said his lines so well, and looked so cute on stage. It was hard not to brake down and cry. Seeing him involved in something like this, just reminds me that he growing up so fast. I am so proud of you Logan!!

(His favorite Christmas song is "Go Tell It On The Mountain.)"

Holly Jolly Christmas From The Dixon's

2008-12-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Pretty As A Princess

2008-12-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T06:36:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving, we made our annual trip up to the Christmas tree farm (a family tradition) to cut down a Christmas tree. This year, Nana, Pops, Uncle Doug & Aunt Rachel all joined us for this fun adventure. The kids had a blast and were able to enjoy it to the fullest this year. What a fun day...and we only got rained on a little bit. Below is a scrapbook of som of our day. Click on it and enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Candice's Praise Report & The Troll

2008-12-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Wonderful news!! Candice had her ABR (sedated hearing test) yesterday and she did great. Everything went very well, and best news of all, the test showed absolutely no hearing loss. In fact she has perfect hearing! So now we know everything from this point is developmentally, or vocal cord related. Thanks for your prayers!

(I had every intention on posting this update last night, but as I got online I was taken back by messages I had received. There is someone out on the Internet posing as the mother of our children. She has stolen pictures of our kids and is living in a pretend world of her own lies. Apparently, this troll has been up to no good for some time now and has taken advantage of many multiple birth families. I am working with some others to get her shut down).

Our Little Vacation!!

2008-11-29T15:17:00.001-08:00

Donny and I had a wonderful time on our little trip to Tennessee. Huge thanks to all the grandparents for making it possible and caring for the kiddos while we were away. We had a GREAT time! And we even got to see SNOW! Check out our scrapbook for pictures of our trip.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Candice's ABR Test

2008-11-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Candice is having a sedated hearing test. This will determine if Candice has any hearing loss. She has failed all her previous hearing tests and due to her age and still not having a clear answers, she will undergo this test and we will be able to determine if there is a hearing loss. She was suppose to have this test done earlier in the year, but due to sickness and conflicts that occured with the hospital, we are getting it in right before the end of the year.

It is called an Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test.

"An infant is sleeping or sedated for the ABR. An infant may be sleeping naturally or may have to be sedated for this test. Additionally, older, cooperative kids may be tested in a silent environment while they're visually occupied. Tiny earphones are placed in the ear canals. Usually, click-type sounds are introduced through the earphones, and electrodes measure the hearing nerve's response to the sounds. A computer averages these responses and displays waveforms. Because there are characteristic waveforms for normal hearing in portions of the speech range, a normal ABR can predict fairly well that a baby's hearing is normal in that part of the range. An abnormal ABR may be due to hearing loss, but it may also be due to some medical problems or measurement difficulties."

We should have answers that day, so come back and visit for updates.

Red

2008-11-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

We asked you if you could guess, What is Logan's favorite color?

Here is how you responded

Blue 4 (36%)

Green 1 (9%)

Orange 3 (27%)

Red 3 (27%)

And RED it is!! Logan is always saying how RED is his favorite color. One week he just had to wear a pair of underware that was red or had red in it. I guess he takes after his mommy (the lady in red).

Vacation?!?

2008-11-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all who participated in our Vacation Destination Poll. Yes, it is really true! Even I can't believe it. Donny and I are going on our first vacation since our honeymoon almost 6 yrs ago. We will be flying into Knoxville, TN next weekend. Then we will drive into Pigeon Forge where we will be staying. It will be a short trip, 3 days and 2 nights. But we are getting away, just the two of us. We will have a fun filled trip, mountains, Dollywood, and all. We can't wait! Huge thanks to K, Nana and Pops, for keeping the troops entertained and cared for so we can get away. And we are certainly thankful for all those points and miles Donny has accrued so that we can make this trip possible.

I asked...
Where are Donny and Liz going on vacation?
A Bed and Breakfast across town 6 (20%)
Maui, Hawaii 5 (17%)
Colorado 1 (3%)
Hotel ZaZa in Dallas 3 (10%)
Knoxville, Tennessee 7 (24%)
Las Vegas 3 (10%)
St. Lucia 2 (6%)
The Outlet Mall 0
(0%)
What vacation?! 5 (17%)
Votes so far: 29
Poll closed

Check out My Newest Blog: Jesus Take The Wheel

2008-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

You may have read some of my personal blog, Mommy Time. Well, I have been inspired to make some changes and start fresh. I will no longer be posting on that site. As a part of purpose to reach out to others, and to let my story be known, I am introduucing a new blog. You can find me at Jesus Take The Wheel. Or just type www.mommyofmultiples.blogspot.com into your browser. Please note: The Dixon Seven Blog will still remain here, so for all family updates, and pictures keep coming back toThe Dixon Seven. To see what Donny is thinking, see Dixon Staduim.

PINK EYE!!!!!!!

2008-11-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hudson and Candice had to stay home from school today. Instead, they got to take a trip to the doctor to get an official diagnosis and meds. Pink eye it is. Or bacterial conjunctivitis for a better medical term. Not that I did not know what was coming...but needed the prescriptions so we can get them better. And hopefully before they spread the love to the other kids. The doctor was nice enough to give me extra, just in case one or more of the other kiddos started showing symptoms. Usually, they are less kind about this sort of thing, and want them to come in as well, but today this doctor decided to have a heart for this mommyofmultiples. Apparently, everyone thought I had my hands full this morning with the two of them. Comment after comment was made to that affect. I almost wanted to laugh. This was a walk in the park. If they only knew, I had three more at home. Most assumed they were twins. So for a brief moment in time having twins felt like a piece of cake! (For all you twin moms out there, I'm just joking around, we all have our own battles and struggles, no matter if we have twins, triplets or quads. Just as do the moms of singletons! I love you all, and keep on keeping on!!)

Four M&M's and A SuperLogan!!

2008-11-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

What a fun and colorful Halloween it was! As you can see from the pictures, Samantha, Candice, Madison, and Hudson were everyones favorite Halloween treat...How can you not love these M&M's?! Who needs real candy when you have these cuties! The night would not have been complete without Super Logan, our own little superhero! His cape was flying last night, as he ran from house to house with the BIG kids! He was right at home.

This was the Quads first year to go trick or treating. Who knows what they were thinking, but Sam and Maddy sure got the hang of it quickly. Sam was keeping up with the big boys. Hud and Candi were not so sure about what to do but were having fun walking around, seeing all the decorations and getting candy. Apparently, Hudson likes skittles like his daddy, cause at one house he stuck around as the others ran off, and kept going back for more skittles. Like father, like son!

Madison our silly little Green M&M!

Sam, our little red bull, energizer M&M. And Candi, our sweet little yellow M&M.

Do they look like sisters, or what?! Gotta love these M&M's!

Hud, our handsome little blue M&M!

And Don't forget Logan, OUR REAL American Hero!!! SUPER LOGAN to the rescue!!!

Da BOYS!!! Keeping It Real In the Neighborhood!

Time to go trick or treating. Check ya later!

Need A New Blog Design?

2008-10-27T06:42:00.001-07:00

Starting today my blogger friend Julie is launching her new and improved, blogging business. She is giving away a bunch of fun stuff this week, and has many neat free layouts for use as well. Go check her out at http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com.

Got Quads?! Results are In!

2008-10-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who participated in the poll. After 83 votes, 9 of you got it right. Congrats! If you guessed right, I'd love to hear from you. Believe it or not, a few days before the quads were born, I had gained 82 lbs. However, when we were referred to a multiple specialist I was told that I should gain at least 80lbs, but he really wanted me to gain 100 lbs. I thought that was crazy! I could not imagine at the time gaining that much weight. When your in the middle of a high order multiple pregnancy, you get weighed in bed. After all, I did go on hospital bedrest at 16 weeks. We delivered the quads by emergency cesarean section at 26 1/2 weeks.

POLL RESULTS: How much weight did Liz gain with the quads? Can you guess?! 40- 45 lbs. 13 (15%) 50- 55 lbs. 20 (24%) 60- 65 lbs. 18 (21%) 70- 75 lbs. 16 (19%) 80- 85 lbs. 9 (10%) 90- 95 lbs. 2 (2%) 100 lbs. 5 (6%) Votes so far: 83 Poll closed

According to Most.com (Mother's Of SuperTwins):

"Unlike singleton pregnancies when mothers-to-be worry about gaining too much weight, doctors recommend expectant mothers of triplets or more gain at least 20 to 25 pounds in the first 20 weeks of their pregnancy. Some expectant mothers of higher-order multiples experience problems with severe morning sickness(hyperemesis) making this weight gain goal difficult, but typical overall weight gains for higher-order multiple pregnancies are: 50 to 80 pounds for triplets 70 to 100 pounds for quadruplets. These amounts may depend on the mother’s weight at conception, how many babies are involved, and other medical factors. See statistics from the MOST Medical Birth Survey for more information."

On About.com I found some Interesting Facts About Quadruplets.

"The state with the highest population of quadruplets is New York, followed by New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

There are about 3500 sets of quadruplets worldwide; only 60 or so are identical or monozygotic.

Parents of quadruplets will change close to 30,000 diapers before their kids are potty trained.

The most premature surviving quads were born in 1997 at 25 weeks, 1 day.

The incidence of quadruplet birth rose more than 400% in the last quarter of the
20th century, but rates have declined somewhat in the years since 2000.

Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Arizona is believed to have delivered the most sets of quadruplets, abuout 75 sets."

Liz's Quad Pregnancy Poll!

2008-10-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

In case you have not already put in your vote...you have two more days. On the left sidebar you will see a poll...make your best guess, how much weight I gained with the quad pregnancy. Time is running out....let's see how many of you can get it right? Be sure to come back for the results and see if you guessed correctly.

I know it has been a week now since I have made any updates on the blog. Lot's has been going on with our family, the kids, some fun and some not so fun things, including another stay in the hospital. Our life is never dull! I have not had a chance to write about it all. So expect a long post soon!

I Love These Kids!!

2008-10-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Retreat...

2008-10-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

According to Webster's dictionary retreat is listed as,

1 a (1): an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable (2): the process of receding from a position or state attained b (1): the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or from an advanced position (2): a signal for retreating c (1): a signal given by bugle at the beginning of a military flag-lowering ceremony (2): a military flag-lowering ceremony2: a place of privacy or safety : refuge3: a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

This weekend I am going on a women's retreat with our church. I can't wait! I have never been on a women's retreat. However, I grew up going to children's camps, mom/daughter conferences, father/daughter conferences, and many youth retreats, children's camps, and mission trips. However, I have not had the opportunity to share in the experience of a spiritual retreat with other women. My hearts is filled with great expectation as I prepare for this weekends women's retreat. Although, I don't know the schedule or the agenda or really what to expect (which is driving me crazy inside, cause I like to be prepared and know things in advance) I am letting go and letting God to his thing. I heard that saying a while back..."Let go, and let God." Don't know who said it, but what a great thought, and what a great action. I'm opening my heart to what God wants to say to me this weekend. I look forward hanging out with friends and making new friends. I'm ready to worship God with a bunch of awesome Christian women and hear from God through His word and His people. I look forward to sharing stories of great fun, play, laughs and tears when I return.

I am so thankful for each of the staff and volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to make this retreat possible. And more than anything, I am thankful for my sweet, loving husband, who has given me this opportunity to get away for a couple days, free from mommy duty. Thank you GM friends! Thank you Donny!!

Health Updates

2008-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here we go again...It's official. All five kids went to the doctor today, and as nature would have it, they all have a sinus infection. Madison and Candice both have what could be strep throat, but we don't know for sure, cause they did not run a test. The antibiotics the doctor was prescribing for the sinus infection for everyone would work for strep as well. So it was not necessary. At least we have proper medicine and hopefully they will be back to full health very soon.

Mommy had her post op appointment this morning and passed with flying colors. Whohoo! The incision is healing up nicely and there is no infection present anywhere. I'm now taking very little pain meds if any. I'm seeing the ENT next week about my ear, for further consult.

In other health news...Candice's sedated hearing test was finally rescheduled and that will happen on December 2nd.

Our Favorite Time Of Year

2008-10-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Christmas decorations up in the stores? Have you been enjoying the cooler weather? I sure have, and I'm so looking forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Oh, how I LOVE this time of year! We have been living in our new house for a little over a month now. The other day we were out in the garage going through stuff and could not believe how many boxes we have that were marked Christmas. It was crazy! Donny said, somebody must like Christmas. And this could not be further from the truth. Since Donny and I married (getting close to six yrs ago), the season of Christmas and the months leading up to it have always been for us such a special, fun, exciting, and memorable time. Everything else in the world can be bad, everything in our lives can be bad for that matter, but the spirit of Christmas just makes us happy. We are those people who could listen to Christmas music all year round. And are not annoyed at the radio stations that start playing earlier each year. While others are complaining about it, we are celebrating. Donny and I got married a couple weeks before Christmas. So the month of December really could not be any more perfect. :) Each year since the quads were one we have tried to get Christmas cards out, but having quads plus one, and dealing with medical issues with Candice, and photographers that we not honorable, we have not been able to send out cards as we would have liked. I know some of you received an edited version I through together last year, after a bunch of tears and sweat, but it was not what I wanted it to be and only a select few of you got one since the pics I had were limited, (due to our photographer that bailed on us). I'm planning on a better year! In order to share our new address with you and some Christmas cheer, please send me your address. You can email me at mommyofmultiples@yahoo.com.

Germs, Germs, Everywhere!!

2008-10-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is a long weekend for us. The quads were out of school on Friday and there is no school on Monday for Fair day. Unfortunately, we are unable to enjoy the extra family time, cause we have a house full of sick people. All five kids are sick. Logan is the better of the five, for now anyway, but the quads have some nasty bug. It is not pretty in no shape or form. I've had a lot of trouble sleeping at night the last several nights. Sorry Donny! Between recovering from surgical pains, my body reacting the medicines that I'm on, and an ear infection (well, it's not really an infection, but I really don't know any other easy way to say it). There's an problem with my ear that's causing major ear pain, as if I had an infection. In order to not bother Donny any more than I already have, I decided to go lay in the other room for a while. Soon as I got up I heard crying from the upstairs, and I listened and heard a cry for mommy. Then more crying. I went upstairs, Sam and Maddy were both in bed asleep, crying and Sam was the one calling my name. It was so sad. But yet so precious. I got them out of bed one at a time and held them for a while, wiped their tears, gave them so medicine and put them back down. I feel so bad when my babies don't feel good. :( Poor munchkins! Logan came home from a friends birthday party yesterday not feeling well...and the quads were, let's just say, a mess yesterday. Not much has changed. We are not going far. We are stuck in this germ infested house.

The WINNER is...M&M'S !

2008-10-12T09:58:00.001-07:00

Colorful & fun M&M'S milk chocolate!, originally uploaded by RajRem.

Thank's for participating in our quiz! The polls are now closed and the results are in.
We asked.."What should the Dixon Quads dress up as for Halloween?"

M&M's 41 (62%)
The Wizard Of Oz 14 (21%)
Superheros 4 (6%)
Animals 5 (7%)
Clowns 4 (6%)

Suddenly, I am craving chocolate!!

The Quads First Year In School

2008-10-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Today was our first ever parent teacher conference. It was for the Quads. I'm just proud of their teacher for learning so much about them, and remembering little details about each one. Some people have trouble telling them apart much less, recognizing detailed information. She is a great teacher. She is super sweet and is very good with them. She has fallen in love with each one of them and adores them. Although, it is very hard to spend much time with the quads and not fall in love with them. :P They are each so special, and have their own little cute and loving qualities about them. I know, I'm their mom, so It's easy for me to say these things. But they are so true!! :)

So how are the quads doing in school? Let's see... Madison is eager to participate in all school activities. She is learning colors and speaking and playing well with her peers. She seems to enjoy school and always has a positive attitude. Samantha is playing cooperatively with her peers. She is adjusting well to the classroom routines, and beginning to participate in group time. Her fine motor skills (as far as coloring goes) are age appropriate. Candice is confident playing independently or with peers. She enjoys patterning activities and excels at them. Candi also enjoys sorting by color and working puzzles. Hudson always has a smile on his face and seems to enjoy school. He is talking more in class to peers and adults. (This is a good thing, cause he was to shy to talk at the beginning of the year). He really enjoys the water table, sandbox and tricycles during outside play. We will continue working on all the goals discussed in the ARD yesterday, along with working on some of the fine motor skills and verbal skills at home. But they are all off to a great start for the year and I am very proud of how far each one my little preemies have come. GOD is GOOD!!

Have I told you that the quads are riding the bus again this semester. It is wonderful. They LOVE it and makes things much easier for mom and dad. "The Wheels On The Bus" has to be their favortie song right now becuase of it. The bus driver is such a sweet and loving woman. The kids adore her and I'm always confident that she is taking good care of them and keeping them safe. I'm so thankful for such wonderful people, caring for, and watching over our children each day. I never have to worry cause I know they are doing everything they can to teach, love, and protect our kiddos. :) What a refreshing thought, there are good people out there in this evil world. Praise God!!

Full Of Personality!

2008-10-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview of Logan's school pictures. He brings smiles and laughter everywhere he goes.

ABC's and 123's

2008-10-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

The quads are learning more and more each week. They have been in the new special education program for a month now, and already reaching and mastering developmental goals. There vocabulary is increasing and they are using simple sentences. They are responding, identifying, and participating in daily activities and directions. They are learning basic colors, numbers and shapes and will continue to work on these this year. Today I attended an ARD meeting where we discussed the objectives and goals that they will be working on for the rest of the school year. Hudson, Madison, Candice and Samantha will all continue to receive speech therapy services. While Hudson will also receive physical and occupational therapy. The quads have fit right in the classroom and are doing great with the other children. Madison in particular has really blossomed and seems to have won over the affection of the teachers. Apparently she really is a drama queen. Very expressive, very involved, and very interactive in each activity. In addition, I am told that Madison has very good recall, and picks up on things quickly. Candice works very on her own or with others, and is very interested in numbers. She may not tell you, but she knows how to count 1-10. That's just a little bit of what I was told today. Tomorrow is parent teacher conference for each of the quads, so we will get more specific about each child and how they are doing in the classroom. So stay tuned for more on our precious little foursome!

Spiderman!

2008-10-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

Throughout the school year, each child has a week that is dedicated to them. They focus on that child and all the ways that make them special. This week Logan is star of the week! He gets to be the teachers helper, line leader, and they do special things throughout the week. There's a poster in his classroom with pictures of Logan and a mural that I helped Logan color and create, that talks all about Logan. We had a lot of fun doing that together! It was a fun mother and son moment. Yesterday, I surprised Logan and brought a "special"snack for the class. Spiderman Cupcakes!!! Logan was super surprised, and his friends were very excited too. Logan loves Spiderman! That's been his recent kick; aside from power rangers, so I thought it would be fun to bring Spiderman cupcakes. It was so fun to see all the kids smile with delight and enjoy gobbling up the cupcakes and leaving that extra blue and red icing behind on their faces. Logan was the envy of all the kids in that moment. But it was Logan's moment to shine. After all, this week he is star of the week. It was nice to be a part of making his week special. What was really awesome, was when the class told me that they had been praying for me to get better, and that God would heal me so I could come home from the hospital. And they recognized that God had answered their prayers, and their I was. :) Hard not to get a little teary eyed, knowing that a bunch of four and five year olds have been praying for me for several weeks. On Friday, Donny is going as a special guest to Logan's school and reading a book to the class during story time. I know Logan will think it is the coolest thing ever, that his daddy is reading to his class. I can't wait to hear about it! :)

Down With The Dixon's

2008-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

We had a nice restful weekend. I even felt well enough to get out of the house for the first time since being home from the hospital, and went to church with the family. It was probably a little much, but I'm glad I went. I had really been missing worship the last couple weeks while I have been in and out of the hospital. We had long list of things to get accomplished after church... but did not get to. I was in major pain and feeling sick after a long morning and had to take the rest of the day to recuperate. I felt much better this morning, (or afternoon, I should say, seeing that I slept in and did not really start my day till early afternoon) and have done pretty well all day. We got a couple things done and I'll have to get to the other things later this week. Big thanks to my hubby for getting the kids up and ready for school and bathed and ready for bed this evening. It's so nice to have him in town this week! I really do appreciate you Hun! More than you know. :) I know he will be ready for me to be back to full time mommy a.s.a.p., and I as well am looking forward to that. It really is hard for me to sit back and watch the kids be taken care of and not be the one involved. It's my God given job after all. Every once in a while I get spurts of energy and then I get really burned down. So as I know from experience it will take a while before I'll be back to full speed. I do however feel so much better health wise, and I'm thankful to have that health bump behind me. Now my concerns are much less trivial. I'm having fashion issues right now. My clothes just don't fit me. Well, at least not comfortably. Due to the surgical site I can't wear anything that buttons or zips or is tight around my waist. That pretty much eliminates most all my wardrobe. Except, for my pajama pants, sweatpants, and dresses. In other words, if you happen to see me about in the next couple weeks, I may just look like I am going to a slumber party, am headed to the gym, or am going to a funeral. Until next time... Goodnight and God Bless!!

On The Road To Recovery

2008-10-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

My doctor released me from the hospital this afternoon. So goodbye hospital gown! No infections and cyst free!!! My abdomen is pretty swollen right now, and the surgical site burns to the touch, so it makes wearing normal day clothes a bit difficult. So for a while anyway...I'll just be dressing for comfort and not style. I'll see the doctor for a check up in a week. I'm very limited to what I can do for the next several weeks. So I know that will be a challenge. I'm not one of those kind of people that do good at doing nothing. My mind is running this constant checklist of things to be done, projects to start, projects to finish, or preparing for whatever is next on the checklist. Overall, I feel good. I mean, I'm certainly in pain from the surgery. I had the majority of my abdomen cut open, but the pain medicines help a lot and I don't have to deal with the horrible pains I was having before surgery. I know this pain is only temporary and part of the course, so I can deal with this. I am on the road to recovery and going to back to being a fun, young, stylish mommy of multiples in no time. Let's get this party started!

Don't you just LOVE hospital gowns?!

2008-10-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

I usally don't tend to get anxious or nervous about medical procedures. But for some reason I had been very emotional and nervous about it this time. Thanks to your prayers and support, all nervousness and weakness went away. God made Himself very present through our friends and family. My heart was touched by your words, prayers, hugs, and love. My surgery went VERY well yesterday. The doctors were able to do everything they needed to do, remove the cyst, save my ovary and do a little repair to some previous abdominal scaring. No complications. PTL! My colon was attached to my ovary so it could have been really bad. But, God gave perfect guidance to the doctors and answered our prayers. All previous pelvic and abdominal pain has gone away. They removed my catheter this morning, I got out of bed for the first time and had a small walk down the hall, and even got a quick shower in. I'm in much more surgical pain today, (to be expected) but I know that is just a part of the process. That pain will improve with time as the abdominal adhesion heals. I'll be here in the hospital again tonight. I should be able to be released sometime tomorrow. :)

Off To The Hospital

2008-10-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. Donny is on a plane right now, headed back to Dallas. Nana and Pops are also on a plane headed here. Donny will be back just in time to come see me before I go back for surgery. Nana and Pops should arrive close to 5pm. I'm dressed and getting ready to get picked up to go to the hospital. They have a lot of prepping to do to get ready for surgery. Placing a central line, blood work, starting antibiotics and such. I did get some sleep last night. But had horrible night sweats. Well, I'm still sweating, so I guess it's really not night sweats. I cried allot yesterday. I really just wanna see my hubby and know that everything is going to be ok. Hopefully, next time I write, I will be feeling better. I don't know how long I will be in the hospital, so we will see. Thank you for your prayers! Until, next time...

Pops And Nana Are Coming To Town!

2008-09-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

It sure has been a while. Tomorrow, Pops and Nana will arrive in the states. Whohoo! They have been planning this trip for a while and we are looking forward to spending some time with them as they are in town. The kids don't even know it yet. They will be very surprised. Now, how it ended up that I am going into the hospital the day they are getting here from Portugal is beyond me. How is it, that every time they come around I end up in the hospital. Don't worry, Nana and Pops, I'm not holding it against you. Hehe! So I'll try to hurry this process up so we can enjoy your stay and have some real quality family time together while you are in Dallas. Praying for your safe arrival. I better get back to this colon prep. :) See you soon!

Tomorrow Is Surgery Day

2008-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's already been a long day. Mostly cause I barely slept last night. And spent the entire morning in the doctors office. It's official. I am having surgery tomorrow. I will be going in for a laparotomy at 1pm Wednesday. My options were either to wait a couple more weeks, then have the surgery or go ahead and get it done. I'm choosing to not wait for the inevitable and get it done asap so I can be as pain free as possible and well as soon as I can, so I can go back to my normal life with quads plus one. :) There's nothing I hate more than being here but not being well enough to do things with my kids. It makes me sad. I wanna be the superhero mom that everyone talks about.

Please pray for my family while I am in the hospital. Pray that they are well taken care of and for all my babies to know how much I love them. (That includes my Big baby, Donny). I hope to be back and at very soon. So stay tuned for more blogs soon as I can get home and type. Until then I'm sure that my hubby with keep you posted about our family at http://dixonstadium.wordpress.com/.

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me The News...

2008-09-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

I saw the doctor today. The MRSA infection has healed up well. Meaning that it is no longer active in my body. Whohoo! I've been given some burn cream to help heal my arm. Unfortunately, the pain I have been experiencing has not gone away. It continues and is at it's worst. I am getting little sleep and not able to eat normal. I've spent most the day curled up in a ball. I talked to the doctor tonight, and he is going to see me first thing in the morning. I'll be getting an ultrasound and then go to get my blood checked. We will see where we are at after the doctor can see what is going on.

Welcome To Our New Blog!

2008-09-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time of year it is. I just love this time of year. The changing weather, the warm colors, the smells and the holidays that are just around the corner. In addition to all the new wonderful things going on this time of year, I thought it would be fun to have a neat new look for our blog. So a sweet and talented gal named Julie has worked with me to create me a new blog space design. I'm so excited to finally announce our new blog http://www.thedixon7.blogspot.com/. Please bare with me as I play around with things. I'm new to blogger. Enjoy!!

Back To The Blogging World

2008-09-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

We have a new place to call home. We have settled into our new house and are enjoying life here. Don't get me wrong. There are still plenty of boxes to be unpacked, or stored somewhere. Just don't look in the garage. We have enough of the essentials in place that a few more weeks won't hurt the unopened boxes. There has been little time for unpacking between school and church events and business trips. Shortly before we sold our home, we found a new home church. God has opened so many doors through this church and we are loving every minute of it. I look forward to telling you more about that later. The quads are riding the bus again this year, and are in school three hours each morning. It's going great! Logan is in a new school and is loving it! He has already learned so much and the school year has just begun. Most recently he has come home reciting scripture verses and telling us about the Trinity. I mean seriously! I could not be more proud. Today, Logan came home from church and has been singing "The B-I-B-L-E." How cute is that. I remember singing that as a child. It use to be that, if I went a while without writing on the blog, then that was a sign that something was wrong. However, for some time that has not been the case. Until recently, the Dixon fam has been wonderful and we have been enjoying life in the most normal way that we possibly can. I say until recently, due to the fact that as some of you may be aware of, I was hospitalized a couple weeks ago (after a surgery) and have been sick and trying to recover. I got a skin infection following a laparoscopic procedure. Some of you may have heard of this not so nice infection, MRSA. I am on heavy antibiotics trying to fight it off. Also, I have a ovarian cyst that continues to grow and get more and more painful each day. I'm on lots of pain meds to deal with that until it bursts, or my MRSA goes away and I can have surgery to remove it. We will see. So many friends and family have reached out to us and helped us with meals, laundry, babysitting, and cleaning and we are so grateful. You guys are awesome!! We love you!!

Multiples Mania

2008-01-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

Helpful Multiple Birth Websites and Support:

Incredible Births
Marvelous Multiples
Mostly Multiples
Mothers Of Supertwins
Multiple Birth Families
Multiple Birth Statistics
Multiple moms Rock
Multiple Pregnancy
Plano Mothers Of Multiples
Texas Moms Of Multiples
The Triplet Connection

Other Very Cool Multiple Mom's:

Barron Triplets
Burkett Quads
Demarias Quads
Gerwer Quads
Goerlich Quads
King Quads
Life On Oregon Avenue
McNulty Quads
Michaels Quads
Pam's Triplets
The Arrington Twins
The Cranford Twins
The Graf Quads
The Hickey Triplets
The Pollard Triplets
The Pruetz Twins
The Russ Family
The Steece Quads
Triple The Blessings
Tubre Quads
Urech Quads
Wilke Quads
Wilkinson Quints