Opening your mind when someone has been diagnosed.

I have people that email me from time to time in regards to Jude's journey. They generally have a child that has recently been diagnosed with an issue and they are seeking answers. I try to be helpful but at the same time I try to be very honest. When you have a loved one that suffers a serious medical issue I believe you begin to bargain with God or fate. You pour yourself into the internet researching the diagnosis hoping to find a glimmer of hope.  I did this for a long time. Then I met Dr Riela and I always pass along his words of wisdom. However I do believe you have to be in the right frame of mind and at the right point in your journey to be receptive to his words. 

1. "No one can put an expiration tag on Jude but Jude." When we came into his office we had been told by a prior hospital that Jude wouldn't live past five years old. While shaking his head Dr Riela was blunt and honest. He mentioned the above sentence and then said not all doctors go off statistics. He explained very bluntly that Jude would never be normal. He said it doesn't take much more than a bran stem to be a baby and Jude may not ever do more than smile and giggle. Boy he hit that on the head. However he said that his responsibility was to take Jude as far as he could go with the best medical care possible and that it was up to Jude to let us know when his body has had enough. 

2. "Don't focus so much on the diagnosis". He explained a diagnosis is someones best educated guess and that not every patient responds the same to every diagnosis. For example he said "Yes Jude has Lennox Gestaut but what does that mean to you as a parent? It means to me he needs to be treated with certain medications and his healthcare is a bit more complex. We treat the symptoms and move on knowing the complexity of the case.".  Again he is very to the point. Basically he was saying he knows Jude has a seizure disorder but for him it really doesn't need a label. 

I rarely talk to Dr Riela anymore due to hospice taking over Jude's case. However I know if I picked up the phone to call him he would know Jude's case and would personally call me back. I think it's important to establish a lasting good relationship with at least one medical professional. Someone that you know will be there to answer questions and take care of your special needs child. Someone that doesn't require an office visit just to answer a simple question of concern. Someone that truly cares. We were blessed with several doctors like this but Jude's neurologist and pediatrician stand out the most. His pediatrician had lost a special needs child and was very connected to Jude. I think you need a professional who is honest and tells you how it is even if you don't want to hear it. I believe one of the most serious offenses to our society is sheltering women that are pregnant and not educating them on possible issues. There is no reason to scare anyone but there is a reason to educate. Teach them about milestones and what to look for and when to seek help! Hospitals should have readily available resources and packets for families that get that first dreaded diagnosis. We left the hospital feeling bewildered and overwhelmed and had no idea where to turn. Hence the reason we poured through the Internet.  We would have loved a packet of places to call regarding counseling, state help, insurance help, and more. Something regarding what your next steps may be after a frightening diagnoses would have been helpful. 

Jude is doing fairly well. He had a pretty good day yesterday and is still maintaining his oxygen levels. He is still pretty pale but I guess that's the nature of his illness. He is very happy and that is always a good thing.  

Thank you for your continued prayers they are much appreciated.

Jude the fighter

Jude is still very pale and he has a lot of lung congestion however he looks better. I'm thrilled but at the same time I hear the clicking of the roller coaster starting back up the large hill. Does that make sense? My aunt brought us some food today and stuck it in my fridge. It was a welcome sight today after work. We lost the house we liked (again) so I was a bit bummed but happy to see Jude's smiling face. I'm not sure what lies in store for us over the next few months regarding Jude's health but I guess no one ever knows what the future holds. Tonight I'll enjoy holding and talking to my little guy.

Jude's current situation.

Today was an emotional but restful day for us. Mike and I both left early from work and met up to talk and have lunch. We took Emily with us and let her know just how serious Jude's situation is and she truly understood. I think Mike and I just needed a day to process information without thinking about work at the same time.

When we came home Jude was having some issues again but was maintaining his oxygen levels which was an improvement. He even woke up at one point and looked at me and started smiling. He would try his hardest to mouth words to me and was so super sweet. He is very pale and very ill but he is trying his best.

Right before Jude took a decline I had found a house I absolutely loved. It wasn't cookie cutter, it was bright and open, and was exactly what I was looking for. However he got super sick and we just stopped everything. Today we actually discussed the house and it became eye opening. Mike said its important we keep moving forward with our lives and we move forward with Jude. He also said he believes this is giving us something else to focus on versus sitting on a couch watching, wondering, and waiting.  That part of this life is absolutely killing us.  So we will see what happens but it would be nice for us. Mike mentioned he wants to move with Jude because he wants Jude to always know where we are at. I just teared up when he said that but I completely understood what he was saying. Mike also said having something to work on will help him through this current situation.

Jude's a roller coaster but he is a huge fighter. We have had friends and family want to come see him and we have even considered giving him an early 7th birthday party. However I have had to explain to people that Jude looks and acts very sick right now. Seeing him can be very emotional for people and I just do not have it in me to help anyone right now. I believe everyone understands and everyone is doing their best to be supportive. My work is understanding, Mike's work is beyond understanding, our families are there if we need them, and many of my friends just show up with kind words. Mike's mom has been here the past two days and bless her heart she has had a hard time with this.

Mike and I switch off having meltdowns but for the most part we are both pretty calm. We know that Jude's situation can go from bad to worse and from worse to really good. It's just the nature of this lung disease.

Thanks for sticking with us and for all your prayers. At this moment Jude is on yellow and doing fairly well.

Jude's oxygen levels

Yesterday when I left for work I was pretty concerned about Jude. He had ran a fever through the antibiotic the night before and when Charlotte had arrived that morning he was retracing a lot. Charlotte really worked with him and hospice had shown up and they worked with him as well. They got him pretty comfortable but Charlotte said later that afternoon Jude started having difficulties maintaining his oxygen levels. In fact at one point while Jude was sleeping his oxygen went to 63 and Jude woke up panicked and crying. 

When I walked through the door from work Jude's oxygen alarms were going off and kept going off. His levels would range anywhere from 84-92. I remembered that Melinda (hospice) told us that eventually we would probably see a decline that took Jude to a new normal range of the high 80's low 90's oxygen stats. It seems we have hit that decline. We would really work with him with manual CPT, re positioning, suction, breathing treatments, medication, and more to try to get his levels back up. Eventually I took a deep breath then reached over and turned off his monitors. When the night nurse got there I explained what was happening and why the monitors were off. I told her we have switched to spot checking the oxygen about every 20 minutes or if we see a significant change in color or awareness. Then I remembered those lingering words from the doctor "maybe someday you won't need the monitors anymore". 

Jude would look at me last night and he was very calm with his medications. He even gave me a tiny smile under his mask but he is very sick. He is pale and doesn't have much physical strength but he is still a fighter. I told him I hated seeing him so sick and that if he was to tired mommy would find him someday. I tried to hold back the tears but they came anyway. 

Hospice got there about 1:30am due to tie ups with other families that needed their help. I had slept for a bit but not long so I got up with her and greeted her when she got there. Then I went back to sleep. I was up and down all night and Jude was too. I am physically exhausted and it's truly taking a toll on me because I need some good sleep. I am at work and I hate to leave again but I may just have to. Emotionally I am okay........we go up and down but I really am. I understand I have been blessed with Jude longer than anyone thought I would be. Like I have said before he may be here days, weeks, or years but he is here now and that's what matters. So we take it an hour at a time. 

Jude's update

So Jude's pretty sick and we really haven't seen improvement. If anything there has been a decline in his overall health. I believe everyone is doing what they can to keep him as comfortable as possible. At this point I'm not sure Jude is pulling out of it this time but he never ceases to surprise us with his determination and fight. Prayers for his comfort and I believe that in sickness or health he knows he is wrapped in love.

A quick update. I am overwhelmed so forgive any grammer issues.

The hospice nurse and the pulmo turned out to be 100% correct!!! I didn't mention it in my prior blog but when the nurse mentioned Jude was panicking like his COPD patients he said he thought Jude had mucus plugs. He believed Jude was panicking trying to expel the plugs so he could breathe and he was right. The day nurse had a hard morning with Jude but an okay afternoon. She mentioned she pulled out two large plugs from Jude's throat.

Tonight during my shift Jude started becoming very toned out and upset so I treated his pain with medication.  Then Jude started coughing violently and ended up turning a horrible purplish blue. Sweet Gina was with me and I was yelling commands that she was following to the best of her ability. The vital machine was screaming with sirens as I yelled.. RAG! SUCTION! SALINE! MASK! NO WRONG MASK! Gina followed while holding her breath. I was desperate and Jude wasn't breathing so I grabbed him and sat him up grabbing the suction and forcing it down his throat to grab the plug. Suddenly Jude threw up the biggest mucus plug I have ever seen. Poor Gina gagged a bit and Jude was so exhausted he started closing his eyes.

The night nurse is here now and we are in bed. We are really tired and Jude is too. The question is if this is just a mucus plug issue or if his lungs are breaking down creating thicker secretions and a build up of these life threatening plugs. I was scared tonight and I am so thankful Gina was with me. 

This is an overwhelming situation but it's unbearable if you are alone at the time something critical happens.

Jude's update.

Jude did fairly well between 1-4 last night. However at 4am it was consistent oxygen issues. The alarms went off so much that I just got up with the nurse and tried to help position Jude. When Charlotte got there at 8 Jude was still having issues. Mike called in and I called in late to work so we could try to get a little sleep and make sure Jude would be okay. Charlotte really worked with him and when I left at 10:30 he was sleeping soundly and his oxygen was finally holding. 

I am not sure what Jude's situation is except questionable. One day he seems like his normal self and then the next he is in respiratory distress. Jude always finds a way to rally back and of course we want Jude with us but we don't want him to suffer. He is very pale and Charlotte thinks his little body is just tired and needs lots of rest. 

So we will see how Jude does when he wakes up and how he does tonight. They do have new medication schedules and no one is holding anything. If he needs it he is getting it. It's a balancing act because you do not want to suppress his system anymore than it already is but we also don't want him in pain. 

Thank you for all the prayers. I am asking for prayers for Jude's comfort and prayers for Emily's safety. Also please pray for our dear friends whose father had a massive heart attack yesterday. He is currently in ICU. 

Jude's new situation

When I got home tonight Jude was not well. He was very toned out and after Charlotte left he only continued to deteriorate. Soon Jude was red faced, arched back, and screaming in pain. This went on for hours until I called hospice. They couldn't even hear what I was saying but only heard Jude screaming in the background. They could barely make out what I was saying and just replied "We have someone on their way". It took a bit but a nice saint of a man showed up at our door and really helped Jude. After several medications Jude was more calm and lying comfortably in his bed.

The nurse told me that he normally works adults and that Jude reminded him of his COPD patients. He said that the look in Jude's eyes is panic because he cannot breathe. That's probably giving him anxiety which is causing other issues. For instance Jude had a massive seizure tonight that the nurse witnessed. This all correlates with what Jude's pulmo said that Jude is panicking due to his inability to breathe properly. HOW AWFUL! ugh. He said Jude's lower lung lobes sound terrible and he suggested keeping him medicated for comfort.

So I told Mike that the truth is that even though I wrote that poignant blog about putting Jude on hospice I never really grasped the reality of it all. I don't want to lose him, Mike doesn't want to lose him, our families are still hanging on too. We keep Jude hanging on. We keep Jude fighting..........it's us and it's the truth. I really believe Jude fights for us. I talk to him sweetly each day encouraging him and I won't stop that. However............Jude's in pain and he needs comfort. I need to stop worrying about medications and give him what he needs based on the doctors assessment. We all know children with various disabilities but those issues combined with lung disease are just heart wrenching at times.

I will talk more on this tomorrow but I just wanted to give an update.

The house debacle

I have such a pretty house! I do. It's a two story home that we have done extensive remodeling too. It has beautiful flowers that bloom in the front and a gorgeous butterfly garden in the back. 

We now have laminate floors that make it easy to push Jude around on and we have converted our master bathroom into a shower that will accommodate Jude. A lot of people pitched in to help us make that shower possible. We are now in a much better position financially and have worked more on the house making it very nice inside. 

We have added floors, new appliances, painted the entire house, added texture, ceiling fans, and so much more. We are proud of it. The only thing I really don't like is that the street is so congested with cars due to us and the nurses. I also miss my bath tub. 

So why would we think of selling? A few reasons I believe. First as discussed before the profit we would make would literally pay off all of our bills except a mortgage but there is more to it than that. Our amazing journey with Jude started in 2007 when I found out I was pregnant. That's 8 years that we have been in our home learning how to walk a different path. I love being at home but sometimes being tied to home can become a bit stressful. Mike and I had big dreams when we got married. We wanted two children together and we wanted to move somewhere with land. All of that has been put on hold and for good reason. So I guess we finally decided to look at our lives and make a step for us. Our plan was to find about an acre of land with a home. We knew if we stayed close to our existing house we would have to remodel an older home. To get a new home we would have to go further out.  I stressed over this because I didn't want to add any stress to Jude or our nurses for our selfish wants. It's been a battle of my mind...........and yesterday we found a house we thought we could work with. It's the right price, it needs work but we can do it, and Jude would have his own "suite" basically. He would even have an area that's perfect for storage and a place for a desk for the nurses to write their paperwork at.  It's about 15 miles from our house so it's not that far but it's still a further drive for us and the nurses.  It's up a winding road that leads back into these gorgeous woods that remind Mike of Colorado. It's peace for him I think and a blank canvas to work with. It's marked very low because it needs work. It even has a little guest cottage we could rent out but again.........but I just don't think it's going to work logistically. 

I am not sure why I am writing about this on my blog. I guess I needed to hash everything out that is rolling through my mind in words.  Such first world problems we have that I am worrying about moving from a beautiful home to a home that will eventually be beautiful too. I guess maybe it's nice to worry about something new for a change. Something new to focus on after so many years can be healthy I guess. Even if I decide to just stay put it's been nice coming up with all these grand plans. 

Jude's doing alright. He did start running a slight fever again last night but he was sleeping well this morning when I left. I will check in on him soon. 

How we feel

In normal Jude style he is a fighter and after a long terrible weekend he is looking better. We were all a bit emotional and exhausted this weekend. At one point Mike just laid in Jude's room taking everything in and didn't emerge for awhile. He finally told me in the car that he was happy Jude was looking better and then at the same time he wasn't happy. He said he doesn't want to spend years watching Jude got through the torture of trying to breathe. That's exactly what that was in the early morning hours.........torture. Watching Jude try to take air in and watching his stats plummet was AWFUL! It was terrible for Jude, it was terrible for us, and it was just a sucky situation. 

The positive part of this is Jude is smiling today and although not back to his normal self he certainly looks better. Mike and I were watching the movie "Impossible" last night. If you haven't seen it it is an amazing story. When the main character was being churned by the sea after the tsunami hit I told Mike "that's how I feel this weekend". Like we are on spin cycle and it won't stop so we can catch a breath. I can only imagine how Jude feels but he manages a smile whenever he can so he is our inspiration to be positive. 

We distract ourselves with the possible move and looking at homes. We are blessed to be able to eat out at lunch a few times a week and we have each other which is what matters. Emily is home safely from camp and Jude seems to be conquering pneumonia (yet again) so we will look at this positive. However ........... sometimes you just want to throw your hands up and shake your head for a few minutes. 

A very hard overnight

Jude had a very rough night and morning. About 4am I kept hearing Jude's alarms go off so I got up to check the situation. Jude's heart rate would rise to the 160's and then fall quickly to the 50's. His oxygen was ranging from the low 70's up. We called hospice and they dispatched a sweet nurse named Pam. Before she got here the night nurse and I worked with Jude. She gave him breathing treatments; cpt, and more. Jude's hands were so pale from the lack of proper blood flow to his body. It was scary and sad. Finally Jude stabilized and I even got a tiny smile but he was still very out of it. We are all exhausted. The hospice nurse confirmed Jude was probably near cardiac arrest and she praised our night nurse for her hard work. She said this is a decline and she would be calling the doctor to update her. Now I'm turning off my phone and going to sleep. I may be asking someone to pick Emily up when the kids return from camp today.

Jude's update

Jude had a very hard evening with Mike and I yesterday prior to the nurse arriving. The only thing that could be done to make him feel better was to hold him. I told the nurse when she got there that Jude might want to be held but I don't think that ever happened. I know she worked with him through the night though. About 4am Jude started throwing up again and threw up three times that morning. So hospice is going back to see him. I am not sure what's going on but I am still leaning towards pneumonia. He had a slight temp this morning but it was a very mild temp. We will see. 

I am exhausted today. It's been a very busy week at work and with the stress at home I am just worn out. It just suddenly hit me around noon today and I am ready to go home and nap. I was going to blog something inspirational but my inspiration is to pooped. 

Jude, the house, and camp

Jude is pretty sick again but it's a guessing game (again) on what's going on. He is not running a fever but he has had issues with vomiting and is having oxygen issues. I had flashbacks to when I took him into Cook's and he vomited and then coded. So scary! Nurse Charlotte is with him and I know he is being tended to in the best possible manner. Hospice has also been out to see him and they are on stand by if something is needed like an antibiotic. He is still mustering some smiles and is always happy to see us. 

We found a house that we really liked and that would work well for Jude. It needed a bit of remodeling but it would have worked perfect. It had big lush trees, a carport Jude could sit under outside, and more. We debated on putting an offer on the house and listing ours because of Jude and because of other factors. Today we finally decided to take action and.........ready............someone put a contract on it yesterday. I am bummed today and the "well it wasn't meant to be" doesn't help so don't say it please. I will have a day of being bummed and then I will be alright and decide if we move forward or just stay put. 

Emily is at Young Life camp and it's odd not hearing from her everyday. I got a bit teary yesterday thinking of her going to college soon. I guess life marches on. 

An update on Jude and some pictures.

Jude is doing pretty well. He seemed to have kicked the butt of whatever he had again so he is yet again our little trooper. He is still having some oxygen issues and thick congestion but he looks so much better than he did.

My friend Sarah brought by the CD of Jude's photo's today that she took. I told her I love the photo's but hate my fat. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the ones that touched me the most. 

These are the moments we will always remember and cherish. 

I am still torn on the moving situation and I have been dreaming about it a lot. I am NOT one for change. However I talked to a friend that does property investing and he seems to think the property we are looking at would be a really wise decision. So we will see. I am just taking everything a day at a time. The hardest part for us was painting over Jude's red room. Mike and I couldn't do it so we hired a nice man who did. Mike said "I would prefer to move with Jude vs have to move because of Jude (losing him)". I also realized that Jude was growing older and in a "normal" situation his room would have already changed themes. So I took a picture of his wall so I could frame it.  Maybe next he can have spaceships, dinosaurs, or a Cowboy theme. 

Jude is sick

Jude is sick. He was on a great streak but it was inevitable that he would have to fight again. However this is presenting a bit different this time so I am a bit confused if it's pneumonia or a natural further breakdown of his lungs or both. Maybe he aspirated on secretions and it created a domino effect? I am not sure. I guess it's like the pulmo says........it doesn't really matter how it happened it's how do we treat it. 

On Friday we started noticing that Jude's heart rate was running pretty high which is generally a sign of a fever with him. However at that time he was not presenting any fever and not acting like he was in pain. He had a pretty rough Friday night and when nurse Allen got there Saturday it continued. When I came in to check on Jude Allen told me he wasn't holding oxygen and was at 10 liters. Allen never has Jude on 10 liters so I knew he was really struggling. This continued through the weekend and last night after the nurse left for the day Jude was really struggling. 

His temp was at 98.7 then quickly rose to 99 so I gave him Motrin. I checked again after about 20 minutes and it was 99.3. I waited some time period and when it kept rising I gave him Tylenol. Finally after retractions I couldn't get controlled I took Jude out of his bed and held him on the couch. I got him in a position that he felt comfortable, gave him some Valium, and he drifted off to sleep in my arms. For the first time all weekend his retractions stopped and he slept comfortably for about an hour and a half. 

I am not sure what's going on with Jude and I am really worried this time. I have had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach for the last week even prior to Jude being sick. I am also on edge and have little patience. I always say we all have our own struggles but life gets to me sometimes when I see people not appreciating their healthy children. Life is what you make it! 

Jude's update

Jude isn't feeling well again. He is very congested and is having oxygen issues. He is sleeping a lot more and he just doesn't seem himself to me. He still smiles at me but he is struggling. I plan on going home and holding him tonight and hopefully that will make him feel better. 

We are all doing well but I am wishing we could take a vacation. I will gladly give up any extra luxury for Jude but getting away with my husband for awhile sounds very nice. 

I will update more as Jude progresses or changes in anyway. 

Emily is growing up and a quick update on Jude

Jude is doing as expected. He is a happy little boy who has severe respiratory issues that require frequent suctioning and supplemental oxygen interventions. The recent storms that have ravaged Texas have affected Jude's well being. I am assuming this is because of pressure changes within the atmosphere. I made note of a seizure last night that lasted a few minutes. Luckily Jude has cluster seizures so he can catch a breath and offset the loss of oxygen.

We have made the decision to sell our house if the timing permits. We think that being more financially secure will help our entire family in the future including Jude. We are taking everything a day at a time and not rushing anything. We want Jude to feel safe and secure along with his nurses so again we are in no hurry. We will find the perfect place for our family and one that will help our entire family shine. If we had our wish we would have more land. 

Emily left for Cabo Mexico today for a vacation and I felt the apron strings being pulled. I cannot imagine Emily going away to college but I will be so proud when she does. I made sure that Emily's plane landed and that she was safe and then I began recounting her childhood.

Looking back I was actually pretty young when I had Emily at only 25. I remember hugging her close and watching every milestone she accomplished. I am so lucky that I was blessed with such an amazing girl!!! I remember she never wanted to leave my side when she was little and was very protective of "my mommy" if anyone got to close. Now she comes and goes easily and I am watching her find out really who she is and embracing just being herself. Sometimes I stop to realize that Emily will be leaving soon and Jude may end up leaving too. I sometimes begin to feel a bit sad and wonder what it will be like not to be a mom full time but then I realize I will always be a mom. I love having children around and sharing my life with them. I am very proud of both of my kids and I couldn't ask for a better family. 

So I have asked for some safe traveling prayers for Emily this summer and prayers I don't go crazy worrying, haha. Have a good weekend everyone. 

A memory

I found this picture today and it made me smile and then it made me think of a very chaotic time in our lives. 

This was Jude's second birthday cake. We had an entire Hungry Caterpillar theme for his party complete with this incredible cake and great decorations. Unfortunately the party never happened because the night before we rushed Jude to the hospital. It was his first round of aspiration pneumonia and we learned that weekend that Jude would never eat by mouth again. We took his cake to the hospital and let the nurses, doctors, and guests enjoy it in his room. 

Jude was to sick to undergo surgery so we had to take him home with an NG tube and schedule the surgery for his feeding tube. I remember it being so hard to let go of the normalcy of feeding my child with a bottle and by mouth. Now I cannot imagine our lives without a feeding tube. I cannot fathom not filling bags full of formula that connect to his GJ button. Aspiration pneumonia has been Jude's nemesis and the condition we fight at least once a year if not more. Jude aspirates on all liquids no matter how thin or thick so even his secretions are an issue. By the way putting an NG tube in your child is the WORST thing! Mike had to do this because I lacked the courage because I felt like I was inflicting pain on him. I understood it was providing him nourishment but it was such a hard situation. 

I am grateful Jude has been such a fighter and the lessons he has taught us but I dislike the struggle he has had. 

Jude's update

I promise I am not turning into an anti blogger. I am just overwhelmingly busy at work these days and life continues to march on. Jude is doing pretty well for the most part and continues to prove the statistics wrong. He has had a lot of thick secretions that always needed to be suctioned but overall he seems to be handling this situation a lot better than anyone anticipated. He is very smiley and pretty interactive. He is still having issues with some pain but we seem to be able to control that with medication. 

We are still contemplating the move and have not made any lasting decisions. However if we do move we are pretty sure we will build so we can get Jude exactly what he needs. 

Thanks for keeping Jude in your thoughts and I am sorry I haven't blogged more but I guess that's a good thing. I just haven't had a need to. 

Jude's cough and a major decision

Jude is still having some issues regarding oxygen and now a barky seal cough. Yesterday hospice came out and they were wondering if maybe his scoliosis has worsened and is causing respiratory issues. Everyone is watching him carefully and Charlotte is just amazing. I know as soon as she gets there each morning she is going to get him to the best point he can be. She really works hard on his lungs and works to get Jude feeling better. I feel so comfortable leaving him with her because I know the amazing care he gets. 

So my husband and I are contemplating a difficult decision, one that could add more stress that we may not need so some prayers for the appropriate decision would be great. We love our home.......Jude loves our home.........we have fought for years to keep our home. Through one of the worst financial crisis's a family can have we kept a roof over our family's head.  However.......the market in our area had exploded. If you know anything about TX real estate you know that houses just don't stay on the market right now. For example I have a client I am writing homeowners insurance for this week and when he called for the quote he told me his story. He said they kept finding houses they loved but they would be outbid on each one..........yep you heard me OUTBID. People are offering thousands of dollars above the asking price on some locations in our area. Regardless of a bidding war houses are just not staying on the market long and many go before even being listed on MLS. Our area has seen a great growth spurt with large homes being built around us that have greatly increased the value of our home. If we sell we stand to make a very large profit. For the first time since Jude's tragedy we would be in a good financial position. One that could potentially pay off our cars, pay off our debt, and even put us in a better home. After discussing this as a family even Emily said, "Mom you would be crazy not to do this". However trying to sell a house with Jude in his condition and potentially making not one but two moves sounds exhausting and stressful. Plus I don't want anything to be stressful for Jude or potentially aggravate his situation. I also worried about this being Jude's home but Mike pointed out that Jude's home is where we are as a family. He also pointed out this could give us the option to get a one story house built with wide hallways throughout the house for Jude. The good thing is if we do decide to take this route that if we don't get our asking price or we get to stressed we just don't go. Nothing is ever set in stone. So it's a hard decision but one we are contemplating. We will take our time and investigate all options prior to making any final decision. The market is steady in our area and I am being told it shouldn't change any time soon. God Bless Texas! 

So I would like to ask everyone to stop by my friend Beaux's go fund me page. Every year he provides school supplies and backpacks to underprivileged children. Only $6 can buy the complete kit and you would make a child's day. So let's all give up our Starbucks today and help a child out. 
http://www.gofundme.com/kidsbackpackdrive?fb_action_ids=878810912184329&fb_action_types=og.shares