Thankful

What a day it has been. I guess I will start by saying that today my oldest is 7 years old, officially. Happy birthday Haleigh! Where oh where does the time go?

As I reflect back to the day she was born, I can remember everything like it was yesterday. I was so young(23 years old), so scared, so naive, and oh so blessed. I had experienced several problems through this pregnancy but at 24 weeks my life came to a screeching halt. Due to complications of an unknown placenta previa I went into labor. It was awful...without getting too graphic; it looked like a crime scene in my bedroom. Thanks to some amazing medications and amazing doctors, Haleigh held on until 31 weeks.

Haleigh was born a fighter, born with a will to live and survive. This is a trait that remains strong in Haleigh still today. I can remember holding her just days after she came into this world, her tiny 3.5lb body just got lost in my arms. She was born a whole 4lbs 3oz and 16 inches long. Due to the calories it takes for survival, the tiny babies drop weight fairly easily. I can remember one day in particular I walked in and saw her just as swollen as could be. Her tiny face was a perfect circle, her eyes were swollen almost shut. On this day Haleigh had experienced some kidney problems, and was treated with Lasix to help with the fluid retention.  Lasix was successful, and she grew and grew until she was ready to come home.

That day, the day she experienced her kidney problems, is significant as we spent her 7th birthday at the pediatric urologist. We are still dealing with Haleigh's kidneys. She was found to have bilateral kidney reflux at the age of 18 months. Things were going good the past few years but we seem to be experiencing some set backs. So, my big girl must undergo the gammett of tests again next month. My anxiety has already reared it's ugly head. These are not easy procedures, they are fairly invasive.  We will need lots of prayers on this day.

Haleigh has blossomed into a beautiful and smart social butterfly. She loves school. She loves everything about school from riding the bus to P.E to learning. Haleigh reads exceptionally well. That is her strong point, if you will. She also loves to write. Haleigh is also a rule follower and needs a detailed plan on everything she does or is going to do. This can get quite frustrating in such a busy house, but we do our best! I frequently have to remind Haleigh that I am the mother, and I have everything under control. I love her so much.

Now, the craziest part of the day started at about 4:00am. My middle child, Kendall, appearantly spiked an out of control fever in the middle of the night and starting hallucinating. SCARY. I was petrified. I was expecting to witness a febrile seizure for the first time in my life. Thank God it didn't get to that point. I'm no novice here, this is definately not my first rodeo but I was scared. The shakin' in my boots kind of scared. Oh, did I mention I was scared?!

Kendall explained to me, cool as a cucumber that there were "green goopy things" coming out. She said one tried to give her a kiss. Then she saw "snakies" everywhere, and didn't want to put her feet down. There were bubbles everywhere and watched a bouncy ball bounce in the kitchen. She also saw lights behind the pillow. These were not just quick bursts of these visions...she had full blown conversations with us, narrating her visions as she saw them.

Long story short (because I am low on sleep right now) the Motrin/Tylenol regiment combined with cold rags on the forehead was successful. Weird thing is, this morning after she was snapped out of everything and had some sleep under her belt, she asked me about the "green goopy things". She wanted to know why they came out and what they were doing. She also wanted to why the light was behind the pillow lastnight. She remembered everything.

I am really hoping for a hallucination free night tonight. Daddy promised her that he would not let the "green goopy things" come out tonight.