The Many Uses of Coal

So, here's a quick recap on our christmas this year:

Unfortunately, our kids were beginning to get sick so we had a very low-key christmas eve. After dinner, we sang some carols with the kids and then tried re-enacting the nativity. It was hilarious! At one point, I think all three of our kids were crying -- hysterically. Evan was the busiest baby Jesus I've ever seen, Aubrey who was supposed to be Mary, didn't want ANYTHING to do with it, so I stepped in in her place. And Joseph (played by Jacob) had just finished throwing a whopper of a tantrum about his dinner and kept wanting to kick the original Mary (aka Aubrey) out of the manger. Ahhh, isn't this what Christmas is all about?!!

After the kids were tucked safely into bed, Dallin and I cooked a GREAT dinner and ate it in peace. We had grilled lobster tails (I think we've decided to make this a yearly tradition), Guatemalan tamales, stuffed mushrooms, spinach and artichoke dip, and shrimp cocktail. Everything was awesome!

As expected, Santa visited our home this year. He brought all kinds of goodies to our kids (who were "nice" most of the year), but also left a piece of coal in Jacob's stocking (just to remind him to be nice to his sister and throw less tantrums throughout the year) with a letter explaining his reasoning behind the coal. Jacob's reaction was pretty funny. He didn't seem too surprised that he had a piece of coal in his stocking, but he was pretty determined to "make lemonade out of lemons." After reading his note from Santa, he began talking about why he was actually happy he had gotten coal. Because you can use it for keeping your face cool (said while rubbing it up against his cheeks) and putting it on top of stuff (kind of like a paperweight). Not exactly the reaction we were hoping for with this whole coal-gifting incident, but I would expect nothing less from my Jacob! :)

Aubrey's vocabulary has really taken off the last 4-6 months. We can understand almost everything she says, although we still have to play charades every now and then. My favorite phrase of hers is "this is pun." Obviously, she means fun, but she says it with such enthusiasm and sincerity, it just makes your heart melt. She is becoming more and more of a daddy's girl every day. We just got over the stomach flu and in the evenings when she'd wake up crying, I'd go to her room to console her, and she would say in a very loud voice, "No, Mommy!" -- which means, "I don't want you, I want daddy." So then I'd gladly crawl back to bed (remember this is like 3 a.m.) and send in daddy to save the day.

And Evan is starting to pull himself up on furniture. He can say "da da" and we swear, he can say "ticket." THat's a long story about how he learned to say that. But still no "mama."

Lastly, I just got back from getting a second opinion on my possible PRP diagnosis. The doctor there was great but was "genuinely baffled" by my condition. He said he THINKS it looks like PRP but did two more biopsies to rule out other things. I'll keep you posted...

Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this posting for a cute little slideshow of our christmas adventures here at home! As you'll see, my little video gets cut off a little on the side. But being the technological genius that I am, I had to leave it as is.


CHRISTMAST 2007

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Best Christmas Program Ever

So, last weekend, we attended Jacob's christmas program at his preschool and it was awesome. For those of you who don't know, Jacob goes to a preschool at a local bible church. It's a great preschool and they teach them all kinds of christian songs. They're a little different than what we're used to in our Mormon world (a lot more 'praise the Lord'-type music, but it was so great!) Jacob did great and sang all of the songs loudly and recited the bible versus they had memorized. We stayed for a few minutes after his 'performance' and attended their service. They had a full band, complete with guitar and the keyboard "drums" you hear a lot in 80's songs. It really was awesome! :) I'll post pictures later on this week when I get a chance.

Here's the update on my journey into the PRP world: Every night I notice changes that show me my rash is evolving. I'll spare you the gory details. I have set up some doctor's appointments with some specialists to confirm diagnosis. I've also been in contact with some PRP patients to learn more about what lies ahead, treatment options, is it really as bad as I think? And unfortunately, it sounds like the answer is "yes." But these people seem wonderful and compassionate, and are giving me all of their tips and advice to ride this storm that awaits me. I'm scared, but ready. I figure the sooner we get into this, the sooner we'll get out (hopefully!)

Say WHAT?!!!

At this point, some of my family is aware of our newest trial in life. Right before Halloween, I caught a BAD cold. It persisted for about a month or longer, and I developed a rash on my face and body. I've seen several doctors here in Reno, have gotten numerous blood tests done and a biopsy. I went to the dermatologist yesterday to get my stitch removed (from the biopsy), and I knew something was wrong when I arrived. All the nurses were whispering my name and pulling up charts. And when they took me back to the exam room, the nurse told me that the doctor wanted to see me in person to discuss the lab results. I've watched "many-a-episode" of ER and Grey's anatomy, and I've learned that when a doctor wants to see you in person, that is NEVER good.

That is how I learned that I may have a rare skin disease called Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris. Say WHAT? THat was exactly MY response. It's called PRP for short. It's very rare... not much research has been done on it. So we still don't know a lot about how it's caused, its symptoms and there doesn't seem to be a cure for it. It is a chronic, long-lasting skin disorder that basically makes you look like "grumpy smurf" -- red all over. It can last for up to 3 years (on the good side) to up to 20 years (yuck!) Even though it's not life threatening, I am not happy about it and spent most of yesterday bawling my eyes out as I looked at countless pictures of PRP patients. Not a good idea!

Today I feel much better. It is amazing what a good cry can do! I'm anxious to learn more about this and see specialists who can confirm my diagnosis or disagree completely with it. I'm hoping for the latter. Anyway, to all my friends and family, it is NOT contagious. And please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.