Coal on the look out for Santa!

Well Folks..I guess it is time for a Bradley Up date...Look for yourself? he is up, around, eating foods by mouth,doing all the daily things that he use to do...even now goes tot he Gym 2 times a day! he is doing AWESOME! the only thing different is he is 70 lbs smaller but he is a a healthy weight and loving his new life...we have lots of plans ahead of us and we are the Happiest we have been in years!
Hard to believe just a few months ago we were praying to God to keep Brad here with us and give him the strength he needed to pull through....our prayers were answered and we now are doing all we can to keep him healthy and Happy.
We are flying down to Florida in a few weeks for some R&R. Not the cruise we had planned that we ended up canceling due to his illness but a little Florida sun is just as nice....

I took the day off today as did Brad ( yes he is back to his job part time) and we spent the day together shopping for last minute gifts and wrapping, and out for Lunch for some Mexican.
I want to apologize to all my Blogger friends...this is the first time in years I have not sent out Christmas cards! I feel horrible but between Brad being sick, me working 6, 10 hour days and the horse chores I ran out of time for a Photo shoot and cards....hopefully I can send them out for New Years!

I am now facing having to share my Nissan Altima with my teen-aged daughter who will receive her Drivers Licence next Month,....so to make things easier I decided to get myself a new car and let her use my Nissan when she needs it....Also what helped me make the decision is that she is working 20+ hrs a week and I also just got a new Full time Job and Im not going to be available to get her to and from School and work so now she will have her own car to get where she needs to be...and help with getting Whitney from school.....
I Bought a New Saab ....Im a Nissan Girl but Im Loving the Saab. It talks to you! it is loaded with all sorts of new things im still trying to get use to and still trying to figure some out like...
On*Star, the navigation,memory seats....Love it, its been chilly here in the morning and the Heated seats are AMAZING~I tried taking a pic of the interior but didn't come out so well so I got this one off the Internet to give you an idea..... Love this car! My Favorite by far...

Especially....BLOG FRIENDS

Yep when I learned Leah was in Boston Ma on a business trip I took no time driving the 1 1/2 hr trip to see her! we met up at the Airport seeing how she was pressed for time so we went to a little restaurant in the airport sipped on Yummy Pumpkin Beer rimmed with cinnamon and sugar and snacking on hummus and veggies....Leah is so sweet I wish we had more time to catch up but she had a place to catch and Whitney was eager to get on the road to hot up the American Girl Doll Place..and the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, Brad even made the trip along with us...it was a long day for him and the poor guy was tired but he was a trooper and said he really enjoyed himself....Poor Tori had to work, she called in 2 times last week so her chance to take the day off was slim...she was bummed but she knows that work comes first....

We have been hit with the flu...ive been hit the hardest....Luckily Brad hasn't been here to catch it but Im going on my 5th week with a chest cold that now has led to Pneumonia, for the past 5 weeks ive had the head/chest cold, cough, fever....Ive been in bed straight the last 2 days, the Pugs are all snuggled in with me and never leave my side. They must love having me home sick.

whitney missed 3 days of school last week with the flu and a 103.+fever but managed to make up all her homework and and thrilled to say She made HIGH HONORS 2 A's and 3 B's! she was rewarded with a new cell phone ( touch screen like she wanted)

Tori just got hit with the beginning stages of the flu, she has been sleeping on the couch all afternoon with tissues and cough-drops...hope it passes soon. she just started Drivers Ed and she doesnt want to miss any of the classes....or miss any of her hours as a cashier at a local grocery store. Tori has changed schools and her new school is only 3 hrs a day all week, she is doing great in her new school and has already shown a big improvement so she also was rewarded with a new cell phone of her choice....

Oops I slacked off on my updates.... here is a quick one...

Brad is still not home, he is staying at his Moms house still...he now has something called a Wound Vac hooked up to him that helps heal the insides , he is on the machine 24/7 and will be for a month or 2. I cant stomach looking at it...it drains all the what I call Innards out...lol pretty gross if you ask me! once he is healed on the inside he will have to have so far 2 more surgeries...the nest one is to fix the hernia that formed after his major surgery and the other will be a skin graphing surgery by taking some of his thigh and graphing it to his stomach to cover the 3x3 hole he has in his stomach..... he lost now a little over 70 lbs..he is a bag of bones. He is a trooper tho with all that he is dealing with. he knows its going to be a long road so I guess he knows he needs to Grab the Bull by the Horns and take the ride...

Willow turns 5 today!!! HaPpY Birthday Miss Willow Bee! enjpy your day of lounging around and sleeping your day away!

Id like to announce that Bradley is out of the hospital and now is staying with his Mother where he can have everything offered on one level, a visiting nurse and most of all No Pugs jumping on him. He is doing well, so far can tolerate some foods but is still on his feeding tube. he is so tiny never seen him so frail but he is doing great! so far so good, when I have more time to write ill give more info..just thought you all would like to to know that he is doing well and is out of the hospital!!!!

sorry for the delay in my updating....
Brad is doing well, a few things have popped up but nothing serious, just a few obstacles to get towards recovery, he is still in the hospital, they are going to try him on soft foods to see if his stomach can tolerate it, he passed the clear liquid diet with flying colors! He is a little scared to try soft foods...( I would be too) he is still being fed with his feeding tube to be sure he is getting enough nutrients.... if he can tolerate foods its possible he can have his feeding tube removed.
still a long long long way to go but so far so good and each day he surprises us with something!

Whitney had her first Horse riding accident but didn't get hurt, he horse got spooked and threw her of its back, Whitney fell flat on her back ( yes she had on a helmet ) and it stunned her for a minute but she jumped up, dusted her dirty bottom off and said! that was fun can I do it again and got right back on her horse and never was fearful of her being bucked off again....lets just hope the next fall will be just as safe! lol

ha vent updated much about Tori lately, she is a busy young lady working 20 hrs a week at one of our local grocery stores, this week she is training for a cashier position, she loves it and just opened her own bank account and she save it all, she has put her entire pay checks into the back for savings, she has more money in her account than i do!

Pugs are good, Turbo has a foot infection, just brought him to the vet to have his back feet checked ( punchy remember I noticed his feet at the social?)
he has a yeast infection on his feet and he is on MORE pills so this makes 8 pills a day....
coal, willow and Belle are all well, snoring, spraying noses all is good with them.
thats about it...Im tired, still running on nervous energy and spending most of my time up at the hospital. im really starting to not like that place! lol

sorry for not updating the past few days, things are moving slow, at times but then seems like things are moving up. Brad Just has his Epidural removed so he is in alot of pain feeling the pain that was masked by the epidural the past week, he is still on a Morphine Drip to help take the edge off. He is still having to feed by his feeding tube and will start hom off on clear liquids to see if his stomach will tolerate it. He asked for no company the past 2 days so I gave him his wish and didn't go until today, today I spent most of my day with his and I thought today was his best day yet. he walked a little ( about 20 ft) and that took all he had out of him he dozed off shortly after, His breathing is hard and labored, his lungs got pushed around during the surgery and are a bit bruised and this makes it hard for him to breathe, he has oxygen for when he needs it and he has a little breathing exercise thingy he needs to use a few times a day to keep his lungs healthy... other than that it is being poked 100 times a day for blood draw, blood sugar, iv's gauze changes in his incision ( it became infected in some areas so he has gauze packed in here and there... he is not a happy camper but is doing his best to be a good sport. he is a little cranky today....but this is to me expected I guess...id be more than Cranky!

I took the Morning off to have a little me time, I need to find a healthy balance for me now that I found the girls one...Today I went to Target and got a few new CD's and little things that we needed and got a special something done today....when I learned my Dear friend Somer was back in the Hospital I sent her a care package to cheer her time there up and then made an appointment with my tattoo girl to do this..................... Somers Moto is to Live Love Breathe...I wear her necklac each and every day...now I will have her Tattooed on me for my entire life, she is such an amazing woman Check out her out at...

her website
http://lovetobreathe.com/aboutus.htm

and

Her personal Blog
http://lovetobreathe.blogspot.com/



Well...your Prayers are working because Bradley walked about 20 feet today!!!!!!! his belly is leaking and his fever is back up again but He walked!!!!!!!

Before I update Brad I want to announce that i got to meet up with PUNCHY from Pug possessed AGAIN~!!!! Brad's Dr said it was best if Brad didn't have visitors yesterday so whats a better way to kill time than to head 2 hours North to the Green MT. Pug social, I knew Punchy was going to be there and when I learned I wasn't going to the hospital Whitney and I drove up with OMT and Coal, ( our 2 GMPR rescues) She is just how I remembered her from our Bloggy Meet up 2 years ago, Fun,Witty, and just a ball of fun, My 2 Pugs joined her 4 Pugs, Cloe,Zoey,Rosie and Marty. they are even cuter in Person...Love them and not to mention her Husband Phil is the sweetest man. I have alot of pics to upload that I took during the day, once I have a few minutes Ill upload them and post them.... we had such a nice afternoon catching up and she certainly calmed my nerves all day long...Thank you Punchy!

Brad is doing very well, Yesterday morning while still in ICU they took him off his ventilator, he did well with this, when I went to see him he was groggy and in pain but talked with me and threw a few jokes out,he kept reaching for my hand and once he did he dozed off, like he needed me there to feel safe enough to sleep, My Father came by for a few minutes to check in on him before he left for his place at the lake and Brad talked with him also for a bit. After My Dad left Brad slept for a few hours, I kept watering down a washcloth and kept it on his forehead as he was sweating real bad, he has a throat tube and it is taped to his nose and his sweat kept making the tape come unstuck, so that was a pain for him, his coloring was ok, still pretty Jaundice, I sat with him for 5 hours and figured I should leave so he could get some good rest and the nurses needed to run a few tests, he did well during the day so about 10 pm they brought him into his own room. He did ok during the night but early this morning he had a high fever so they asked for no visitors, so Whitney and I did our own thing....( this will be tomorrows post!!! its exciting!)
so after Whitney and I did Our fun outing today she went to her friends house so this meant I was able to go to the Hospital to see him ( spouses are allowed) so I ran up and he was in alot of pain, still fighting a fever, I just sat with him and he talked a little but it took alot out of him so all he did was kept reaching for my hand, His nurse is very sweet and we chatted off and on most of the night, they hope to get him sitting tomorrow and maybe try to stand! If his fever goes down tomorrow I'll bring Tori and Whitney to see him.... Im so tired I hope this makes some scence....but Ive been up like 26 hours...im off to bed Ill update you again tomorrow.

Finally after a 12 Hour surgery ( yes 12 hours) Brad is stable and in ICU thank you for all your Prayers...Keep them coming he is not out of the woods just yet, a long road ahead of him.....Thank you all!!! XOXO

well after almost a year of training Whitney set a goal to Canter her horse Princess with in a year.... the second video is her very first canter ever... just a few weeks ago, Last night her Trainer knew she was sad and needed a pick me up so her trainer put her up on a world Champion Saddlebred show horse named Noah to canter on...This put Whitney on Cloud nine and lost all those sad feels of her Daddy being sick... Whitney rides 3 nights a week...I still am trying to balance a normal life for the girls and still making time to do the things they love most...and Whitney's passion is her horse riding...

the post below this one is a Bradley Update for today..................

Brad went in for surgery this morning. My father the sweet man he is slept by his side lastnight in his hospital room in a chair.....
His surgery may last 8 -10 hours or more, they are taking the bad section of his stomach, pancreas, Gallbladder, taking the obstruction on his liver causing it to back up the bile that is blocked and causing his liver distress...then attaching his intestines to his stomach....there is a chance the mass on his liver is cancer, we wont know until tomorrow.... he will remain in the hosp for 2-3 week to recover and when home it will be 8 months for recovery....that is if the surgery is successful....fingers crossed....

well....Brad is back in the Hospital, his Liver is showing signs of distress, we have no idea just what is going on at this point, as I write this he is in for scans and tests... his skin is yellow and the whites of his eyes look as if someone put yellow food coloring in them. he dropped some more weight also...once I learn what the tests show Ill let you all know..... thank you!

Update.... Brad was doing very well until we learned his Body is rejecting his Feeding tube, so I as I write this I'm sitting in the waiting room as he is back in for surgery. He is in good spirits and is feeling good and even felt well enough to shave and let me cut his hair. He has been in for a little over 2 hours now with no word...NO news is good news right? not much of an update but....I thought some of you would like to know since I have not updated in a couple days. Once I hear and have free time Ill get back on here and fill you in. So glad I have my Laptop to keep me sane and busy...

Pugs are great! OMT is doing a great job keeping up with his old age, Willow,Belle and Coal sure miss their Daddy tho...

Well folks its been a long time since I posted some of you already know but....

Brad ( My Husband) has been very sick ( due to serious Diabetes complications)...still in the hospital( been in off and on for the past 23 days) he was transferred to DHMC , he had surgery yesterday to try to figure out what is going on...they found his pancreas is attacking his stomach. he has a tube down his throat draining all the acid his pancreas was dumping into his stomach, and was draining 5 lbs of fluid every few hours, they found in the main section of the stomach is obstructed with scar tissue and didn't remove it due to internal bleeding. we are looking at a possible feeding tube for a few months to help give his stomach time to heal, if it doesn't heal he will be face with a stomach bi-pass surgery to reconstruct his stomach, he lost lost 47 lbs in 3 weeks, I'm scared out of my mind but trying to stay strong and focused for the sake of the girls......I'll keep you posted,

Update 9-11-09: Brad had surgery today ( a little over 3 hours) been placed with a JG Tube ( feeding tube and a tube to drain his stomach) you know when you get a blister and it keeps retaining fluid well that is what is going on in his stomach and since his stomach is so damaged it will only pool in there and wont pass...so he needs to keep it drained with his tube.
He has a long way to go, not sure if the feeding tube is a forever thing or not, he will be faced with a partial stomach removal at some point it his stomach doesn't heal on its own.... he is losing 2 lbs a day and is very weak, once he is home we will have a visiting nurse here to care for him, we have a long road ahead of us and we are staying positive for what the future holds for us......
if you know anyone with Diabetes....tell them to take care of it, it is an evil disease especially if your careless. and not taking it serious.....


Ill; do my best to keep you all posted....if you are on Face-book look me up there I'm on that more than here lately

We are at the Ocean for the week...( well not quite a week ) once we get home I will post when I have my laptop...hard posting with my Blackberry.... so here is just a preview of what we are up to here..........


Love our ocean view balcony off our hotel room...

We rented Whitney a Hummer Limo for her 11th Birthday that brought us to a town an hour away for Pizza and Mini golf....

Belle is already for the Big Night on the town for Whitney's Party! Yep Whitney turned the BIG 11 yesterday so tonight she and 10 of her friends are Celebrating! Im sure Belle is going to me Crushed when she learns she wont be able to attend and join in on the Fun..... Pictures to come!

I want to send a very HaPpY Birthday wish to Some Love....today she celebrates her 30th Birthday.....those of you who don't know Somer here is a little info of this amazing woman... she tries to live each day to the fullest by keeping her hopes high, and dreams big!! she thinks it is important to LOVE as long as you LIVE, and LAUGH as much as you BREATHE!! she is now a 30 year old adult living with Cystic Fibrosis, and an active advocate in the CF community. she make it a priority to raise awareness and help educate everyone on CF. Being diagnosed at 11 months old she was unable to make her own decisions. However, she is fortunate enough to have fabulous parents who chose to help fight her disease... This is her fight..... and today marks her 30th year fighting against CF....

We are nearing the end of the school year and Whitney's school had a 5th grade dance for a farewell dance before the leave to another school for their Middle School years... it was a Luau theme...Whitney won 2 contests and her trophy was a coconut and a Pine apple... here she stands with one of her classmates who also won a coconut.... she had a (fake)parrot on her shoulder before but the Bird didn't survive the night of dancing...the poor fake parrot was found stomped on the floor........