The end of an Era...

First, I know that some of you wont understand this but thats because you didnt go to Penn State. You dont call Happy Valley your home, you didnt stand and scream in those stand behind a coach that means the world to you. Penn State football is as much about JoePa as it is about the team.

Today is one of the saddest days of my life. I am so sad for those children and families.  I am sad this happened at all. I am sad for Joe Paterno. I am sad because I think that the AD and Spanier betrayed him and let him take the fall for thier lack of action. I am sad that a man who has always stood for morality, charity, education and the love of the game is having his spotless record tarnished.

I am mad that Sanducky is an aweful human and I am mad that he put my univeristy and my coach at risk and in this situation in the first place.

I am DEVASTATED that my son wont grow up watching Joe Paterno coach at Penn State. I am devastated that he wont get the opportunity to grow to love a man and a football program rich with tradition and coached by a man of epic proportions.

I knew that at some point Joe woud retire and I feared that day because I dont know a Penn State without Joe Paterno. I love him. I will always love him. I know what he stood for and I believe in him.
At this point my heart is broken but my spirit remains true... WE ARE PENN STATE.

The boys in blue and white know what Joe stands for and they are at Penn State playing because they want to play for Joe Pa. So this weekend, and the rest of this season, those players in their nameless jerseys are going to play their hearts out for a man that we all love.... they are going to play as ONE, the way that Joe preaches, in the uniforms that he has kept unchanged, FOR HIM. So, if you want to see heart then watch as the Nittany Lions play their hearts out for JOE PATERNO... because a fire has been lit that noone can put out while Joe is in Beaver Stadium.
Thanks for the memories, Joe. We love you!

Sorry its been so long

I am sorry that it has been so long since my last post. The past week and a half has been rough. Last tuesday I had surgery to remove my gallbladder. Things went well but recovery was/has been a lot harder than I had expected. I had a lot more pain than what I had intended.

About a week and a half ago we notice a round "bump" on the right side of Foster's head. It wasnt soft or bruised the way that it would be if he had bumped his head so it had me worried. I called the pediatrician and they had us come in to see them. They agreed that it was an odd shape because shifting plates doesnt make a round bump shape but that it felt like skull. They said that it could be a dermoid cyst on his brain or something else or nothing at all. They said that the best thing to do would be to send him for an ultrasound of his skull and brain. So the next thursday (2 days after my surgery) we took him to a Children's hospital location to get checked out. Here are some pictures from the event:

First they did the ultrasound and they had Foster stay in his car seat. He did pretty good but of course cried and resisted his head being held still and in one direction.



After the ultrasound the technician went to call the radiologist to make sure that she got the pictures that he wanted. When she came back in the room she said that he was requesting us to now get x-rays of the skull. They had to call the pediatrician and wait for orders so they had us go to the waiting room and wait to see what was happening. They got the order and it was x-ray time. They had to get 4 different positions:











It was so sad to see my little baby on that table. I know that people go through much worse but it is hard to imagine somethig being wrong with my PERFECT little baby because he is perfect in my eyes.

Here is a picture of him in his adorable little hospital gown that they had him wear for the x-rays:





 

Such a stud =) They called us later that day and told us that while "there is an elevation. there are no fractures in the skull, no apparent bone thickness issues, and no cyst that they saw. So, there is an elevation, we arent sure why, but we need to watch it." I was hoping for a definiative answer but at least this news seems good. Yay, Foster!

On sunday I ended up back in the hospital. I started having STABBING pains in my right upper quadrant so when I called the resident on call they said that I needed to go to the ER and get a CAT scan to check for an abscess or bile leak. So I went. They had to put in a HUGE IV because I was to get a chest CT that requires dye to be injected under pressure to check for blood clots in the lungs. They had to insert 4 IVs before they got one to work and then had to redraw blood because the first blood draw hemolyzed before it got to the lab. UGH. Needles much? I got all the tests and they came to the conclusion that I have pleurisy (inflammation and irritation of the pleura and chest wall) and inflammation of the diaphragm. OUCH. They normally treat pleurisy with predinose but I cannot take it because I just had surgery and it inhibits healing. So, I have to just double up my pain meds and grin and bear it.