Back to normal?

Hey Everyone!

First of all, CONGRATS TO DAN AND LISA PUYLEART (and Kaylin too)!!! Baby number two on the way! Never a dull moment...

After a nice week, and a great weekend, I realized this morning that Aristana has been one week without "problem diapers." She still complains of stomach pain here and there, but is definitely doing much better. I called her gastro doctor's nurse this morning to let her know. As of now, we're keeping the scopes scheduled (Sept 29th). However, I'm supposed to call her next Monday to see where we go from there. If Aristana has another good week, we may take a different route. Please keep her in your prayers...this is so great!

We had a great weekend, celebrating cousin Laura Schumacher and Dave Zabrauskis (probably not the correct spelling)wedding. It was rainy. However, Racine missed a storm system that dumped seven inches of rain on Chicago. We have to be glad for the weather we did get. Laura was such a beautiful bride, and giggled a lot during the ceremony. She's definitely one of the most fun brides I've seen in a while. We're so happy for them, and wish them blessings in their life together.

It was also great to see lots of the family again. Matty rode to Racine in our van, so Aristana really enjoyed that. We got to see Nate, Lis, Rob, Shelly, Grandma, Grandpa, etc. Aristana didn't take a nap all day, so she was Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hide, throughout the event. During the ceremony, she yelled, "Mama, acky poo!" until Mike took her out, to change her diaper. The mood swings worked in her favor though, because we just kept giving her what she wanted, to keep her from exploding. She got a cupcake and some angel food cake from me, some snacks from dad, and cookies from Grandma and Grandpa. Unfortunately, she never crashed after a sugar high. She still wouldn't go to sleep until about 9:30pm. 2:30am was apparently the time for her to wake up, asking for "be-best." Breakfast...she and I, hanging out in the hotel lobby at 2:30 in the morning, eating a left over bean burrito and fruit snacks. Yummmmmmm. She finally went back to sleep at 4:30. By 7am she was ready to go again. What a girl...

Anyway... I'll still keep you posted. I hope this is the end of a tough phase. Thank you for all of your prayers and concern.

Later...

Test Results

Just letting you all know that so far, Aristana's lab results are coming in negative & normal so far, so that's great news. However, it's frustrating, not knowing if there really is something wrong, or if she's just going through something. I'll be setting up her endoscopy/sigmoidoscopy & biopsy appointments tomorrow.

I'm not planning on writing again until next week. I don't expect any new news in the next few days, and we'll be celebrating Cousin Laura Schumacher's wedding this weekend, in Racine. Until then, thanks again for all of your support!

Feeling Good...

Hey Everyone... Just letting you all know that Aristana has been having a good couple days since her appointment. She's still having bad moments here an there, but overall, seems to be feeling better. She ate lots today too, so that's great.

This past Saturday was my last Sturgeon Bay Farmers Market. Aristana of course, came along, and stayed at Grandma's house. She had a great time with Grandma, Aunt Lauren, and the kitty kitties, Moses and Pierogie.

Tonight we went to watch uncle Nate's volleyball game, and she had a great time. We were able to get out yesterday too, and hang out at a corn roast, hosted by a firefighter that Mike works with. Aristana was at home there, since there was tons of food, desserts, and a huge yard with lots of running around room.

We should hopefully have her blood test results back tomorrow, and I'll definitely keep you updated. We still don't have a date set for her scopes yet though. Hopefully we'll get that set up soon too.

Thanks everyone!

Back from Milwaukee...

Holy rain! Apparently it didn't rain as much up here today, as in Milwaukee. Visibility was very limited on the way there. A 1 hour 45 minute trip ended up taking two and a half. I'm glad we left early. There were a bunch of accidents messing up the highway. I've been in an accident in Milwaukee already, so I was even more on guard. (Um, yeah...and I still was willing to take pictures of myself driving, while I was actually driving. I'm a Smart Cookie!


Aristana was awake most of the trip, and did a great job! Granted,we played "I spy" for an hour...spying the same things over and over again. But it never seems to get old. We also sang a lot...she's so much fun! Even when she's sick...



When we made the appointment for Aristana to meet with the pediatric gastroenterologist at Childrens Hospital, it seemed as though she started to improve, having only a couple "bad diapers" a day. However, today, as soon as the nurse walked in, she needed a change. By the time we were done, they needed to redo the room, since the paint started peeling off the walls from the smell.
Aristana, needless to say, is no longer excited to see a doctor's office. She was by no means the princess she always acted like at prior visits. Dr. Venkat is a remarkable, and was able to check her belly, while she thought he was just tickling her. Okay, get this... his full name is Dr. Narayanan Venkatasubramani. Wow! He just goes by Dr. Venkat..thank God. Funny story though. He asked Aristana if she could say Venkat. She said "kitty kitty." Now he's Dr. Kitty Kitty. :)
He explained all of the possibilities, and what our path is from here. She had her first blood draw, and had three vials taken. We should have those results back by Monday. Thanks to her "bad diapers," Jean, the nurse, was able to collect four of the labs she needed. Unfortunately, it's my job to collect seven more. I'm getting very experienced at this...yipee. You don't learn this stuff at Mom school. We will also be heading back to Milwaukee in a few weeks, so she can have an endoscopy and a sigmoidoscopy. They will also do some biopsies during the scopes. She'll be put to sleep for that, so thankfully she won't feel or remember any of it. I'll keep you all posted throughout this ordeal.

She fell asleep shortly after we got in the van, to head home. Traffic was extremely slow, since the rain started falling heavier than before. There were a few accidents, and people were driving like complete idiots. I realized that my head was bobbing, and I didn't remember driving the previous ten minutes, around Cleveland. We stopped to get out of the van for a few minutes. We had to stop again in Manitowoc. But...now we're home. Aristana is in for a nap, and I'm going to do the same.
Thanks again for your prayers and caring! I know everyting will be fine. The process of getting there, however, doesn't seem to be so reassuring.
I'll write again soon

Quickly...

Hey Everyone...
Not too much to report on Aristana, since her next appointment is on Thursday. However, she's been having good days since I wrote last. She's eating more, and having fewer "sheet changes." She's even dancing again :)

Next, CONGRATULATIONS SHELLY & ROB!!! We found out yesterday that Mike's sister Shelly, and her husband, Rob, are going to be having a baby in March! We are so extremely excited for them. We know they will be absolutely wonderful parents, and make God so proud.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has been keeping my brother in prayer, over the last few months. We received word yesterday, that he has returned from Qatar, and is again in Tampa. Although, with this year's hurricane season in the US, he may have been safer across the ocean. We are so proud of him, and his passion for our country. Thank you Brady!!!

I'll probably write again on Thursday or Friday, once we have returned from her appointment in Milwaukee.

Aristana update... We took her in to see her doctor, with the understanding that she would be referred to another doctor. She has been tested, poked, and prodded, all with "negative" results. She is not sick in the flu sense of the word, yet has suffered from flu like symptoms for about a month and a half now. She's lost almost 1 1/2 pounds, 1/2 pound within the three days. We were referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Childrens Hospital in Milwaukee. I'll be taking her in next Thursday. Please keep her in your prayers. She's such a great kid. I just want her to not feel so miserable, as she does when she has a bad day.

I also need to send out my love and prayers to the family and friends of Nancy Kaster. Nancy passed away this week, after a five year fight with cancer. She was a great lady, who impacted our family in so many ways. I'm so glad we got to have her in our lives.

Sorry, not much fun stuff this time. Thanks for reading. I'll keep you updated.

Been a long time...

So, I've always had an issue with vomit, and feces...don't you? I never understood how people didn't get sick when having to deal with a child's sickness. As I rewashed Aristana's crib items for the fourth time in two days, only after I gave her her second bath of the day (she had only been awake for one hour), I realized that the thought of being disgusted never even entered my mind. I had made it through...not that I look forward to doing it again tomorrow. I just love that little one so much, and just wish that she felt better. It's been about a month since she started going through this on again, off again sickness. I finally decided to take her to urgent care on Friday, since the weekend seems to go by very slowly, when you're not sure you're doing everything you should, to make her feel better. We'll get her lab results back on Tuesday. Please say a prayer for her...she just doesn't deserve this...

Things haven't changed much around here otherwise. We've been able to spend some great family time together this summer. We've hit a few festivals, picnics, and fairs...danced to the Groove Hogs, and Nashville Pipeline...hung out at the park, and Grandma and Grandpa Hinz's farm...One of the greatest things though, is spending time at home in the backyard. Aristana loves to harvest the veggies from the garden. She eats the beans off the bush, and has a tendency to stick her finger in the tomatoes. She's also a huge fan of her sandbox, and waving to the airplanes flying overhead. I love Wisconsin summers!

An update... My brother Brady, who has been stationed in Tampa, FL (McDill Air Force Base) since May, was able to accompany his superior on a trip to Qatar. That's about all he can say, for security reasons. I am so proud of him, and his service to our country. What a great guy! He keeps a blog too. Click here if you're interested in checking it out. He will only be gone for a short time...but we're glad he was able to go over there, in a secure setting. I have always looked up to him, and his ability to be an outstanding brother, husband, father, and teacher. He is an amazing man!

I'm still selling lia sophia jewelry. I'm also still selling my mom's art at the Sturgeon Bay Farmers' Market, although that will only go for another couple of weeks. I can't believe how fast summer has flown.

Oh, weight update... I have lost around 80 pounds now. I have been on a plateau for almost a month, so I hope this doesn't mean that my weight loss has slowed down... arghhhh

See? Pretty boring. I promise, I'll let you know if anything exciting does happen.