Fizz

Shortly after Phil and I got married in June 2004 we adopted a cute little kitten named Fizzel!
He was our baby...he was the craziest kitten we'd ever met. He would just straight into the air for no reason. He would freak out on occasion. He was a funny kitty.
We moved into our condo and I'm not sure if he smelled something or what but he was freaked out ALL the time. We thought he was a schizo cat.
We moved into our new house in 2008 and he got better. He didn't freak out quite as much. He started doing a little better.
Then when Ava came he did ok...but then around the time Ava turned a year, he was different. He started going potty on the floor in Ava's play area. We thought maybe he was becoming jealous. Then around September he started dropping weight. So we started buying wet food. He started gaining a little bit but it was still slow. So we tried heart worm medicine. He seemed to be doing better.


Then about three weeks before we went out of town he started losing weight again and while we were gone he didn't eat much of the food.
So when we returned from vacation we vowed to take him in to get looked at or turn him into the humane society.
We took him in on Wednesday. We fully expected to take him home. When they looked at him, they said he didn't look good. The tests they wanted to run on him, just the tests came out to $700. Cash, up front. The tests they wanted to run on him were AIDS/Cancer, kidneys, everything that was not curable. If we were to go through with the testing not only would we be paying for the tests but we would then be paying, out of pocket, for a treatment plan that might not work. Phil and I decided together that the best option at this point would be to put Fizz down. It was a hard decision for us, but with the medical bills, we also had to think about Ava, if Fizz kept up his uncontrollable bathroom issues, all of her toys would be ruined and it would be unsanitary for her to play around that. Also, what kind of life would it be for Fizz if he was kept alive, even if they gave him medicine to make him better, or at least feel better.
It was a very very sad day for us. We miss him. He was part of this family. He was one of our first babies. He is missed.

Mom

I'm not sure where to start.
On February 2nd at about 10:50pm. I lost the most wonderful woman I've ever met. My Mom. She was my best friend, my counselor and my go to gal when things were out of the norm. I loved-love her with all my heart. She and I had a relationship I wish every daughter, or child could have with their Mom. She was my everything. She and I shared stories, our lives and everything. I wish every mother and daughter could experience a relationship like ours. She truly cared for me, and for Ava and Phil too. She had so much love. She gave of herself like no other. She gave of her "healthy" life to care for Ava instead of sorting through her books which I know she wanted to do since I was small.


My Mom was diagnosed in 2007 with Lupus, Scleroderma and Diverticulitis. They gave her three years to live. My mom had a majority of her colon removed from the Diverticulitis. She had a really rough recovery. While in the hospital she was over medicated. When she got home she had a yeast infection in most of the common areas, upper legs, chest and arm pits. My dad did such a wonderful job treating her and taking care of her. He was awesome. I was able to visit and help out for a bit, but my dad was great!


In November 2008 and bought a house just down the street from us in Sparks, Nevada. A week after they started moving their stuff up here, I found out I was pregnant!


My mom was still doing ok. She had rough days but at that time there were more good days than bad. She was able to move a lot. She loved moving her boxes. She loved her sheds. She loved her storage units (yes...my mom had TONS of stuff).
In July 2009 Phil and I were blessed with a little girl.


My mom stayed with me the in the hospital. It was one of the best nights of my life. We stayed up most of the night talking about Ava. Her life, how blessed we were to have her in our lives, how incredibly cute she was! We were like giggly little schools girls on a sleep over! Mom held Ava often. We certainly had fun that night.
After Ava was born. I spend the first couple of weeks mostly at my parents house. It was really helpful. I enjoyed it.

When it was time for me to return to work, my parents took care of Ava. They sent me pictures, they took her on day trips. When my mom became really ill, my dad took over most of the care. He would spend hours taking her on outings around town, especially to Costco.


Towards the end of summer, just after Ava's first birthday we had to find more permanent care for Ava. My mom was too sick, and my dad was taking care of my mom.
This fall my mom had more bad days than good days. Around Thanksgiving she started spending more and more time in bed. She complained of pain ALL the time. The week before Christmas she was in the hospital for a week. Then 4 days around MLK's birthday weekend she was in the hospital again.


At this point she hadn't eaten food since Novemberish.
Then on February 1st my mom complained of being in a lot of pain. She was supposed to start Hospice on February 2nd and go to the hospital for a class on one of her medications. My Dad and I convinced her to go to the hospital that night (February 1st) since she was in so much pain. She also couldn't move on her own either. My dad and I had to get her from the chair to the bed she was sleeping in. So we called an ambulance (per her request). So the firemen came, and the paramedics too.
On February 2nd she went back in for surgery. Apparently she didn't look great before going into surgery. They put several pints of blood in her plus some plasma. She went into surgery and they found that the scleroderma was worse than predicted. When they did the surgery they found her stomach had molded itself together, it was kinked like a hose so nothing could get through. No food, no medication or anything.
Then they found that her colon lining was thinned to the point that there were holes so her bowels were going throughout her body.
That night, she didn't wake from surgery.
February 2nd I lost my best friend in the world to Scleroderma.
Everyday I miss my mom. Every morning and every night Ava says hello and goodnight to her Me-Ma.
My life has changed. It will not be the same without my mom. Most days I feel lost.

An Ava Update

So Ava had her 18 month well baby check on Wednesday February 2nd.
We got bad news. Ava lost 3 oz in the past 3 months, which has halted the progress we've been making. Ava also did not gain any inches either. So at her appointment little Ms. Ava weighed in at 17 lbs 11 oz and measured 29 inches tall. We are in size 3 diapers, but they she can fit in the size 2 diapers if she has to. Shirts, she can still fit in some 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 12 months. Paints are mostly 12 months except for either having a belt or safety pinning them so they stay up.

Its amazing she is so small because she eats so much!! She literally will eat everything on her plate. For an example tonight Phil fed her three baby Gerber jars of those chicken stix, 2 fruit bars, and a package of mumm mumm's (2 come in a package) and meat. When we went to the pizza place, about an hour after she ate dinner, she still continued to eat pizza crust.
We go through $50 of groceries for just Ava in one week. She drinks over 2 gallons of milk.

Our next step is to go back to the specialist, and possibly see a GI.

Friday we had her allergy test reading. Ava is allergic to Shell Fish, Dogs, Peanuts, Eggs, and several other things. UGH.....

Ava also now says full sentences today we were sitting in the car she said "shoe. where it go?" I had only brought one shoe for her....I've been a little out of it this weekend.

I'll explain more about that in my next blog.

Ava can also count...backwards and randomly, but she can count. She can also sing songs, dance, and try and sing along with songs on the TV. She is really smart. She can tell us what she wants. She seriously started using full sentences today.

Well I better go to bed if I have any hope if getting to work tomorrow.