A Little Bit Crazy

Ok...Now that is has been 24 hours - I think I can safely write about our day....

I was looking forward to this day.  It was one of those BIG days, where 5 out of the 6 kids had a doctor appointment.  More importantly, this was our yearly NF check in/up for the 3 NF kids.  The Multi-Disciplinary Clinic where we get the privilege to meet with several different doctors and spill our guts about anything and everything.

These appointments are different than a regular doctors appointment- where you may get a referral for another doctor--then have to wait several weeks or months to see them.

These doctors were RIGHT HERE!  VERY AWESOME PROGRAM!  

Anyways....Our first appointments were non-NF related Urology visits...That went smoothly enough.

We had an hour and a half before the next set of appointments, so we headed to McDonalds for lunch.  When we got there....We were lucky enough to witness a drug bust and arrest...With not ONE...But TWO police cars!

I just LOVE Aurora.

When we got back to the hospital, Rachel was waving 'HELLO' to a fellow NFer, who just so happens to go to the same school as the younger kids.  

It's always neat to see someone you know, in a place you least expect to see them....And the fact that this little girl has NF just like my clan...Made the meeting, somewhat magical! 

Our appointment started off great, with a meeting with Molly ( I just LOVE her )  And a Neuro Doc, who did VERY thorough exams on all 3 kiddos.  

I felt listened to. Not something I always get, when visiting the DR...

More DRs filtered in and out....and I was beginning to feel very overwhelmed....But at the same time, it was comforting knowing that I was talking with Drs who genuinely cared AND wanted to help. 

We had a few breaks, where I was able to look out the window....The snow had started to fall.

Normally- This wouldn't be a big deal...But we still had a few doctors to see, and it was already 3pm.

The kids were growing increasingly restless....And we were saved a few times by some wonderful folks, who allowed my kids into a room with a computer, and some coloring supplies.

Our last stop was to get a blood draw for Rachel.  The drs were concerned about her complaints of leg pain, along with the fact that Rachel has very low muscle tone and delayed motor development/coordination...The Dr very lightly mentioned that these are symptoms of Cerebral Palsy.

I felt a huge lump in my throat, and the tears began to fall.  

I cried a LOT during this appointment...and THIS was just something so far in left field, that when I heard it, it just about knocked me over.

"We are ruling it OUT, not in...Ok?"  Those words were nice...But NOW I have these thoughts rolling around in my head.

Rachel is scared of needles....But bravely extended her arm to the doctor, as 3 vials of blood were taken.

My mind kept chanting....That everything was going to come back "normal"...And that life will be okay...

As we headed out, I was handed a bunch of papers, that summarized EACH child and the details from the doctors we had seen.  THANK GOD!  My mind was a mess with those details, and I was wondering how on Earth I was going to make sense of it all.

These papers were THE BEST part of my day!  I grabbed them up and THANKED the Drs, for spending so much time with us...And for treating us so well!

The weather had turned from snowy...to REALLY SNOWY, and it was beginning to get dark.  As we got into the car, each of us said a prayer, that we would get home safely.

What normally takes us 30/45 minutes, took us THREE HOURS!  

Snow and slide offs, and general parking lot conditions.....

I white knuckled the entire drive and stopped at McDonalds to get the kids dinner....It was about 8pm when we finally got home, and I was totally spent.

I didn't even know how to begin to download our day to my hubby...But managed to, after a hot bath, and some time to just relax.

If there was a day to THRIVE, this was it.