Hip Hip Horray for Christmas Vacation!

This past weekend we went to Branson for our Kerr Family Christmas. Last year we rented a house in Branson and it was so fun we decided to do it again. However this year our house was even nicer and I believe we all had a great time.

After we got up there I realized I had forgotten my camera. So I have not evidence that we even had a Kerr Family Christmas. Well I do have some evidence - a 6'5" 15-year-old teenager on my couch the last two nights. You see I used to babysit this precious little blond boy...who has in the past 15 years become my nephew and is head and shoulders taller than me. BUT he is the sweetest teenage boy you will meet. Since our lives are going different directions we don't get to visit with our nieces and nephews very much and Zak wanted to come stay with us a few days on his Christmas break. So, he is getting to enjoy our much quieter slower pace than his house that is full of an older sister, a younger sister, a foster sister and a 2-year-old brother. I believe he has enjoyed himself.

He is going home this evening since we are fast approaching Christmas! If my niece's get the pictures they took out on Facebook, I'll pull some of them over to this post. But for now...just know we had a great time with our Kerr family (as always)!

Monday Morning Update

Monday afternoon/evening update:

Mimmie has been moved from CVICU to a room!!!! She is doing much better tonight. She has had some ensure and the Phyicial Therapist was to have her walking down the hallway again tonight.

Update from Momma (which she got from her sister):

The news is better this morning on Mother. Praise the Lord! She has been up in her chair, eaten some Insure chocolate pudding and a saltine cracker and has walked all the way down the hall pushing a wheel chair! This is great since yesterday she could hardly get from the bed to the chair without getting dizzy. They are to take the catheter out today also. Her heart is still in A Fib, but she is sounding more perky and is not nauseated! Yeah!!!! Thanks for your prayers on her behalf! They are working!

Weekend Update

Here are the e-mail updates from Momma. As you can tell there are lots of ups and downs with recovery from this surgery. I ask that you pray that today they will see great improvements!


Saturday:
Well, if there is one thing I have learned today it is that nothing is definite when it comes to patients in CVICU and a patient's status can change in a matter of minutes. Mother did not get to move to the step down unit as we had thought she would. She began to have fluid build up around her lung which made her breathing difficult. They put her back on the lasix and canceled the move to the third floor. She did well all day while I was there. She ate pretty good until the evening meal. In her words it was YUCK! I ended up going to get her some chicken nuggets and a Jr. Frosty from Wendy's so she would eat a little. Around 7 PM her nurse came in to say he was going to put her back on the Ameoderone drip...her heart had gotten out of sinus rhythm again. So, I am not sure what tomorrow will hold. I am just asking that you pray for her to get a good night's rest. She didn't rest much at all last night since she was unable to breathe well. Also, please pray that the fluid build up around her lungs will subside and that her heart will get back in sinus rhythm. I will send out another note tomorrow as I know anything further. I was sure hoping to get to send out good news from the step down unit, but I guess that will come later.









Sunday:
Well, today has not been a very good day for Mother. To me this has been the worst day thus far as far. She looks very weak eyed and lethargic. She has been nauseated most of the day which keeps her from eating. They are giving her meds for the nausea but she is still experiencing that feeling from time to time. They gave her a concentrated protein drink to try to keep her strength up. She was able to hold it down but has just not felt good at all today. She has napped most of the day. Her kidney output is still doing good. They continue to give her lasix for the fluid and ameoderone to try to get her heart to convert to sinus rhythm. It is still in A Fib. I am about to go back up to sit with her for a while. I have to leave for home around 5 PM. Please be in prayer that the nausea will go away and that she will begin to eat. She has to have nurishment to gain her strength so she can get out of CVICU.
Thanks for your prayers. We are really needing them today!

PRAISE THE LORD!!

Friday Morning update from Momma:

Good morning to all of you and Praise the Lord!
I just called to check on Mother from Sherwood (I am back at work) and she is doing very well this morning. They said she was alert, talking, her vital signs are good, her kidneys are working and she is back in sinus rhythm! What an answer to prayer! I think she has turned the corner and will soon be moved to step-down and then home. Thanks so much for all your prayers and notes!



Also, on Sunday night when we all went down to be with Mimmie, Momma got this picture of Andrea, Mimmie, Camryn and me. I had to share!

Updates on Grandmothers

As referenced here, my Mimmie had heart valve replacement surgery on Monday. Everything went great with the surgery. Recovery is going slow. This is the latest information I have from Momma:
Subject: Wednesday evening update on Mother
Well, today has been somewhat of an out of it day for Mother. They did get her heart back in sinus rhythm, but she was given morphine for the pain she was experiencing and it has built up in her body causing her to be knocked out most of the day. She is also talking out of her head and hasn't really known us when we go in to see her. They have given her a drug to counteract the morphine so once that takes affect maybe she will be more alert. We have not gone in to see her too many times today so she can rest and hopefully sleep this medicine off. It seems that when we do go in it gets her all riled up and then it takes a while to get her calmed down. When we left around 5:30 she was resting peacefully. She is on 40% oxygen still, vital signs are all good and her heart is doing as it should. They are thinking if she progresses well tomorrow that she may get to move to the step-down unit by Friday and maybe go home by Sunday or Monday. Please pray with us that she will be able to come out of the affects of the morphine and be more at herself tomorrow so she can move to the next phase of the recovery process.
Again, we can't thank you enough for the calls, notes and prayers for her.
Hugs!
Alicia

Update on my Daddy's mother (my Memaw):
I talked to Daddy on Tuesday and he had called his parents to let them know that Mimmie's surgery went well and to check on his mother. She is doing much better. They have continued to adjust her medication and it is really working well. She even went with Pawpaw to visit with folks at Southeastern Bible College (where Pawpaw worked for most of his life). They visited for about 3 hours and Memaw was very clear. Daddy said he talked to her for 10 minutes or so and she seemed really clear to him as well and Pawpaw sounded less tense. So thank you for your prayers for her as well.

All of my grandparents have always told me "getting old is for the birds"...I tend to agree!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

I couldn't hold out any longer. I was thinking of waiting for BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes to post the Christmas decorations that have been up for a while, but I just couldn't do it, Captain! I'll just make sure to link back to this post on December 15th!

So welcome to our home! If you were here in person I'd offer you some Spiced Tea...and I'd probably make some No Bake cookies. So grab a mug of spiced tea...a couple of cookies and join the next tour, beginning in 5...4...3...2...1

Welcome!

Here are our windows decorated with Snowflake lights and my cute decoration of snowmen!





Once you are inside the living room/Kitchen/Office/Laundry Room combo (it is a one bedroom apartment people...work with me), you will find our nativity scene and some angels on our entertainment center which is to your left after you come in the front door.


Directly to your right in front of the window is our Christmas Tree...Thank goodness I purchased a skinny tree in 2006 on the day after Thanksgiving shopping trip. A fat one (I mean "full" one) would have never fit. There are pictures of our 2008 Ornaments as well...Christmas Beagle for Gus, glittery penguin for me and Hoopin' in up Santa for John.




The stockings are hung on the wall behind the couch and under the wreath with care!



Right next to the entertainment center is this DVD holder (deguised as a bookcase)...it has our collections of Santas and snowmen.Moving forward into the Kitchen...look up above the cabinets...

Now moving to the bedroom...on the armoire...

Snowman village on the chest of drawers...

This cute little sign was purchased with the 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago.

I think that about sums up the tour...please leave your mugs in the sink on your way out! Merry Christmas to all! I hope that this year, everyone takes time to enjoy old family traditions and make new ones. Also, remember the reason we celebrate this time of year...our Savior!