Ministry through Mary Kay

I want to share a little bit with y'all as to why Mary Kay is important to me. Mary Kay is my opportunity to stay home with Levi. We know that a point in time will come (maybe has come?) when Levi will require more intensive care than a daycare can provide. When that time comes, I still need to be able to help support our family, Mary Kay is providing me the chance to put God first, Family second, and career third. God has also provided me with an opportunity to use Mary Kay to help other families. Through facebook, I have also gotten to connect with other Kidney Mamas. As I get to know these moms, I realize that I'm not the only mom that feels alone. Many of our husbands have to go back to work while we're still in the hospital with our babies. Some of us have to be the bad guy that hold our child down 5 days in a row for blood work. And let me just tell you, it sucks. My goal is to be able to have a successful enough business that I can donate items for fundraisers for our kidney babies, and also to be able to afford to travel to meet these moms, and help raise awareness about Kidney Disease. I don't ever want to hear about a mom having to hear bad news, go through a surgery, or endure a hospital stay alone. Finally, I want to help empower women. I truly believe that women can accomplish anything that they set their minds to. I want to help other women reach their potential as mother, wives and servants of God. I also want to help women feel their best. And as y'all know, when we look better, we feel better! So, if you have questions about my story, about how Mary Kay can help you and your family, or the Mary Kay opportunity, please don't hesitate to ask.

Picture of Levi and I that Levi took with my computer today :)

Kansas City, Again

What started out as a normal trip to our pediatrician ended us on KC. I took Levi in because his g-tube was leaking from the hole that the mic-key button sits in. When they weighed him at the pediatrician's office, he had lost 4 oz over the weekend. Because of that, combined with the leakage and dehydration, we decided that getting him admitted was our best course of action.

Since being at Mercy, we've seen a huge improvement in Levi's attitude . Unfortunately, his weight has remained about the same, and we're still seeing skin breakdown and leakage around the mic-key.

I know that we're blessed to be in such a great place, but I just want my baby to feel better, and I want to go home.

Talking to Adults

After talking with another Kidney Mama last night, I realized something, we all LOVE talking to adults! What's even better, talking to adults who understand what you're saying. Many times when I start a conversation with another adult, they can catch everything up until they ask the dreaded question, "How's Levi doing?". I'm glad that you asked, really I am. The problem is, I can't tell you the truth. If I could put it into terminology that you'd understand, without making his case sound like a disaster, I would. If I could tell you things about my son, without you feeling bad for him, and tell you how bad things are in a way that you'd see the same amount of hope that we see, I would. But, I can't. Because of this, many days the nurse at Levi's doctors are my best friends. When they ask, "How's Levi doing?" and I give them the grim outlook, they still see the hope and get excited with me because he's gained 1.5oz in two weeks, she is always genuinely excited. She's also not afraid to tell me that sometimes, it's just not enough. I'll tell you, I cannot wait for the next "phone date" that I get with the Kidney Mom that I talked with last night. After knowing this, I also want people to realize how important is is to keep asking us how Levi's doing. Even if you don't understand a word that comes out of my mouth, I need you to ask. I need you to pretend like you know exactly what I'm talking about. That's how I'll get through this. A lot of prayer, friends and support.