My Life Could Be A Grey's Anatomy Episode

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)

Check out my new WHEELS!

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

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.

Latest with Liz...

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.

Surgery, Blood Clot & Bedrest

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!

Back In The Hospital

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.

Blood Clot Update

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!!

Home From The Hospital!

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!!

GI Procedure

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)

Quality Time!

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.

Goodbye Flu Bug!

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.

Back In The Swing Of Things

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

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!

The Latest and Greatest...

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!

Our Little Vacation!!

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

Vacation?!?

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

Four M&M's and A SuperLogan!!

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!

Got Quads?! Results are In!

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!

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!

Retreat...

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!!