Mariah

Wow, life can change in a hurry. This past Saturday we were looking forward to a quiet day at home. Marc and I had gone for a morning run, and we were back busy doing things around the house. McKenzie and I were sewing in the dining room and Marc had gone outside and was cleaning the baby chick feeders out. Mariah had wandered outside to be with her daddy. One minute everything was peaceful and the next I heard Madeline say something about Mariah getting kicked. My heart stopped because just this past spring she rode her bike into the back of one of our horses and was kicked in the head. (After a trip to the ER we were told that miraculously, she was fine.) I jumped out of my seat and felt like I couldn't get to the back door fast enough. I saw my husband with Mariah in his arms come running up. He came inside and she immediately started vomiting everywhere. All I could do was stand there and scream, "Get her in the van!" over and over again. I didn't realize at the time, but Marc was almost in shock because he said he realized that it was not good. We put her in the van and headed to the little hospital in the town closest to us. The 45 minutes we were there seemed like an eternity. They did a chest x-ray to look for broken ribs and then told us they needed to do a CT scan to look for internal bleeding. It was gut wrenching to sit there with my child pleading with me to "Do something mama, I am hurting!" I have never felt so scared and helpless in my entire life! They gave her some morphine through an IV while we waited on the CT report. It kicked in fast and she dozed off. We were sitting there scared to death praying when the ER doctor motioned for my husband to come with him. I knew at that moment something was wrong. I desperately watched through the glass to read my husband's facial expressions and I knew immediately it wasn't good. He came back to me and told me they were taking her by ambulance to a larger hospital with a Children's Trauma center.

To make a long story short, she had a lacerated spleen. By the time the ambulance reached the trauma center her blood work showed that she was definitely bleeding internally and they admitted her. Fortunately, they no longer automatically operate and take the spleen out. They said spleens in children heal pretty well in most cases. The hard part is that it takes a couple of months of restricted activity to let it heal.

Looking back over the whole ordeal seems like a nightmare. However, I am so grateful for God's protection and mercy in sparing her life, wonderful medical people that took care of her, family and friends that prayed for her, an oldest daughter that by herself took care of the house and children left at home, and a husband that never left Mariah's side through the whole thing.

Mariah getting ready to leave the hospital.

I was really hoping that she would be scared of horses and NEVER want to go near them again. Getting kicked two times in just a few months time you would think she would be. The thing that bothered her the most is when the doctor told her no running, jumping, wrestling, riding bikes or HORSES for several months. Her eyes got big and she said, "Oh no, I can't ride Abasha for months!?" Abasha is the old horse that is the reason why she has no fear of horses. He is my oldest daughters very first horse. She got him when she was nine years old. He is a great horse and so sweet with the kids. I think she had in her mind that our younger ones are just as sweet. Unfortunately she has learned that they are not. The following pictures were taken by McKenzie just a week or so ago. Mariah didn't know anyone was watching her. This horse puts up with so much. The kids drag him all over everywhere and have even dressed him up in Hawaiian stuff. He is the only horse that I like! :>)






Please continue to pray for Mariah's healing and protection. It is going to be a rough couple of months keeping her still with a wild two year old in the house and a new baby coming next month.

Random Ramblings

It has been a busy week. We started school this past week. Our first day (Monday) I also had an appointment with my midwife. I was busy from the time my feet hit the floor trying to get everything done before I had to leave. Malachi made the day anything but boring. I was schooling Mariah in my bedroom. We don't have a set "school room". I had one schooling at the dining room table, one in the office, one at her desk in her room, Mariah in my room and Malachi bouncing off the walls. He is very different than the others were during school. With the others I would get something special out like Legos or blocks and they would sit and play at least for a little while. Not Malachi! He thought throwing the blocks across the room was much more fun. During the middle of her lesson, Mariah looked at me and asked when she was going to get "summer break". I told her she wasn't having a summer break, that she would have "baby break" in September! Actually, she did have lots of days off this summer. We did school about three days a week just to get some days out of the way before the baby comes. But to her, she was jipped out of her summer break!

After I was finished schooling Mariah I put Malachi in the bathtub. I was busy in the kitchen when I heard Mariah say to Madeline, "Come look at Malachi, he is under water." I thought I was going to pass out before I could get to the bathroom. I never put more than a few inches of water in the tub with him and typically don't worry when they get older, but in that moment I envisioned him floating face down! Something about pregnancy makes me more anxious! When I got in there he was laying on his back with nothing but his little face sticking out, grinning from ear to ear. He had dumped shampoo in the water and had bubbles everywhere. I went to get his towel and clothes and by the time I got back in the bathroom he had climbed up and gotten my razor and sliced his thumb open. He was bleeding all over everywhere and had a melt down when I tried to put a band-aid on it. I tried to find a "picture" band-aid and could only find a princess one. He really cried then and Matthew came to his defense and said, "Come on mom, he isn't stupid. He knows that's a girl band-aid!" So, we finally convinced him that the plain one was a "baseball" band-aid and he let us put it on him! Another day this past week he ate hydrocortisone cream. After a panicky call to poison control I learned it isn't dangerous. And yet on another day he fell face down on the wood floor and busted his nose. It appeared to be broken. We went through that about 6 months ago (and it ended up not being broken) and I really didn't want to x-ray his head again! A friend of mine that is a nurse (not to mention the mother of four boys) said she wouldn't take him. She said, (knowing Malachi's personality) "If it isn't broken this time he probably will break it eventually!" The bruising and swelling are better now and his nose appears to be straight! Oh for just one day without a crisis! :>)

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9
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My midwife appointment on Monday went well. I lost three pounds which was a nice surprise! She wasn't concerned because my belly has grown. The only change in my diet is that I am drinking nothing but water. I must have been consuming a ton of calories in lemonade and tea! I go back in another week for an ultrasound to check the size of the baby.

Speaking of the baby......................... we still don't have a name! We are keeping the sex a surprise, but if anyone has any name suggestions please share them. It has to be an "M" name.

Childhood Fun