The night the Triplets were born!

Wow! So a lot of time has passed since I first started creating this blog post, and it is far from done, but that could take forever. At this holiday season and Thanksgiving just around the corner it seems appropriate to share the things that we are grateful for.
There are so many to consider, and so many persons to thank that I dare not try to name you all! However, there are a few people that should definitely receive an honorable mention. All the staff down at Salem Hospital for their service to our family. Their kindness and friendship was so wonderful for me as I struggled to know how to take care of every one's needs. They made sure I took care of me. They helped our babies come home to us.
I want to thank all those people in our ward and family who helped us through some very difficult trials. With bed rest, and school mid-terms and finals, LSAT exams, and work, two young children longing for something fun to do, the anticipation of the financial burden, and the hope that the journey we were about the embark on would be the best it could be. The Relief Society sisters were (and so totally, still are) the BEST! You all have helped in your own ways. Rex and I have learned a lot about service, and it will take our entire life time to pay it forward.
We have truly been blessed to have had all of your support! Thank you!
Thank you Helen, for offering your home to Rex and me as a place to raise our family for a time. Your generosity has been unmatched in the eyes of all those who know our story. We can't imagine how we could have done any of these things with out the benefits of living in your beautiful home. We think every one should know...
Helen asked us to stay in her house here in Salem so that she wouldn't have to hire some one to rent it out and in hopes that she could help us out while Rex has been in school.
Her gift has been the gift that has just kept on giving. Every trial we have encountered we have turned to each other and said, "Wow, imagine if Helen hadn't offered us her house." Life could have been so very much more difficult!
We are eternally grateful to Helen for all her kindness, and are sad to part ways when we move on to law school this summer. We don't know where the road will take us, but we think he will attend U of O's law program if BYU doesn't work out. Which would put us moving at least an hour away from Salem. We are not sure what Helen will do after we leave, but we wish her the best and she will always be in our prayers. We love and appreciate you Helen.
The other thing that rings so true in our lives is Family! I am so thankful for Family! All types... parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, our children, ward family, and our Heavenly Father and elder brother Jesus Christ. If there is one thing all these people have done for us, at one time or another, it is heartfelt service. We love you all, and thank you for your selflessness.
Happy Thanksgiving!

So I know you have all been waiting for the pictures of the babies during their first weeks of life. This is all I have complied. Be prepared to see some yucky stretchmarks, and brand new pictures of the boys right after birth. You've been warned. lol

Sunday February 8th late at night.
We hurried to the hospital because my contractions wouldn't stop.
(Read previous blog entry about their birth story for entire story.)

Just looking at this makes me feel it all over again!
My stomach will never go back to normal. Ouchy.

You know, I was trying to lift my head up... so I could see over my belly.
Wasn't going to happen! =)

Mt. Vesuvius!

Rex Sr.
Sharon came too, she took this picture and many others while we were in this room.
Lacey was home watching Seth and Madison. (thanks pooh bear)

Rex Sr and Rex Jr watching me fight through a contraction, I think.

Yep, this was a bad one.


Rex comforting me between contractions.

I was worried... constantly listening to every word the nurses and doctors were saying even out in the hall way. In this picture I was watching the monitor.

Dr. Bowen
He delivered Seth 5 years ago. We would have had him deliver Madison too, but we moved out of state before she was born. He delivered the triplets in the operating room.
They were his first triplets delivery. Awesome job Dr. Bowen!

They told Rex and I that we would not be able to see the babies if something went wrong during their deliveries. One of the nurses said, "Just listen for them to cry... if they cry then I can bring them around the curtain for you to see, before we take them away to be examined." I think Rex and I both were praying so hard, just to hear those three, good- loud cries.


Monday, February 9th 2009
Alex Jesse White 4 # 8 oz ~ 17.25 inches long
Born at 12:46 am

Zachary Ryan White 3# 11oz ~ 16 inches long
Also born at 12:46 am

Riley Cade White 3# 13 oz ~16.5 inches long
Born at 12:48 am
Riley was up in my ribs and breach, so it took longer for them to get him out.

Rex took this picture of me right as we heard the first cry...
Rex and I cried tears of joy as we heard each on of the boys take their first breaths and cry out "I made it!"
All I could think was 'good their lungs are working well enough to cry.'
What a blessing to get to see each of them right after they were born. I was so worried that something would be seriously wrong and I wouldn't get to see them until later.

Mommy in the recovery room.
C-Section surgery is a breeze but the recovery from that
moment forward was a beast!

Mommy being taken to the NICU to meet our babies

Baby "B"~Mommy meeting Zach for the first time and holding his tiny hand.

Mommy and Daddy counting Zach's fingers and toes.

Baby "C"~Mommy meeting Riley, he was so long and skinny like Zach

Mommy and Daddy holding Riley's hands


Baby "A"~Mommy met Alex last. His ribs didn't show as much and he was visibly bigger than Zach and Riley.

The boys had to be on C-PAP for 4-5 days.
After that they could breath on their own. (with some lingering apnea issues)

Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Rex in the waiting room.

"The hospital played twinkle twinkle little star over the intercom
3 times when the boys were born." (Sharon)

Grandma and Grandpa meeting the babies for the first time (This is Alex)

Rex finally getting some sleep... still wearing his church clothes.
I took my own picture... I wanted to always remember how happy I was-
by looking back at this picture. lol
I had no idea at the time how beat-up I looked. (yikes)

Seth and Madison came to the hospital the next morning to see mom, dad and the babies. Madison reading daddy's card to mommy.

Madison always has a thumb in her mouth. Daddy looks tired.

The proud big brother, about to meet his little brothers.

Need I explain this look?

Seth and Madison's first time meeting their new brothers.

Be prepared, more belly pictures! Ahhhh!


12 Hours after the babies were born.

Looks like there could still be another one in there doc!


Nope, just a bunch of Fluff!

Battle wounds (all the places they had to stick me with needles)... I bruise easily I guess.

Mommy, so tired. 12 hours after the C-Section.

Still having fun...

My milk came in fast and I started pumping 16 ounces every 3 hours. At my largest supply point I remember pumping 24 ounces when I was 1 hour late for a pumping.
Can you say, "Holstein" Milk Supply!
I would later switch to breast feeding the triplets until they were 5 months old.



Riley waving hello at 4 days old. :)

Daddy doing "Kangaroo Care" with Alex

Daddy doing "Kangaroo Care" with Riley
Mommy doing "Kangaroo Care" with Zachary


Alex had his Breathing tubes removed one day before Zach and Riley. He was always ahead of the game. All three boys had them off by 5 days old.
Alex taken it easy... reminds me so much of his daddy.
Daddy sleeps like this 90 percent of the time.


Zachary just had his tubes removed... still had the shell over his nose.


Riley...
This was the best time ever for mommy and daddy, when all three boys no longer needed the breathing assistance. They all looked like babies again.

The Triplets First Video.



Pre-Surgery Video

Our original predictions on the boys and their personalities:

Alex: Competitive, Athletic... a fighter.
Zachary: Methodical, thinking things through, figuring things out. (Scrunched forehead)
Riley: Class Clown, Gymnast (tried to scoot out of the incubator at 5 days old), happy-go-lucky.

So far we are right on with Riley. Zach is more physical than we expected, and likes to go for it. Alex has proven to be a lover! Just like daddy, "It's all good!" Taken in easy.

This will be fun to re-evaluate in a few more years.

Thanks so much every one for watching the blog so eagerly awaiting an update! I know I was way behind on this, but it has seriously taken me 9 months of all my little "free times" to compile this. I'm not sure it is ready to be released to the public, because it has none of the pictures from when the boys were at Legacy Emanual Hospital for RSV, or when they were at OHSU Doernbecher's Children's Hospital for a cold, and then again for Zach and Riley for Hernia Surgery, or pictures of all of Seth and Madison's adventures with the Ronald McDonald House, and all the fun things they have for kids at the hospitals, but this is the best I could do for now.

So much of our lives left to be documented... but I plan to make this blog like a journal, again. A record~ of our family events, trials, and testimonies. Stay tuned...

LOVE The White's

We're Back and a little BANANAS! :)

All three boys are finally out of the Children's Hospital in Portland. I don't know if you heard, but Rex, the kids, and I gave the babies RSV. We were sick at the time that they sent them home. The doctors told me we would be fine as long as I gave them my breast milk with the antibodies (well, we thought we just had a bad flu) turns out it was bronchitis, which is RSV for infants. I will write up a complete history of what happened, some day~ On the blog and email you all letting you know it is finished :)
I have tons of pictures, and tons of stories, and.... NO TIME! lol :D All I can promise is... Some day.

I miss you all so much! Thanks for all the support you have been to us... we really depended on you guys, and you all helped in so many ways! We have been home for 2 weeks now. Zachary and Riley came home 2 Tuesdays ago, and Alex came home this last Thursday.
Since they have been home we have had a "house-call nurse" come out to the house to weigh the babies twice. It is a free service to us so we don't have to take the babies into a doctors office for more than immunizations. The last time they were weighed before this was right before leaving the Salem NICU. At that time I think their weights were as follows:

Alex was 5 # 10 oz,
Zachary and Riley were both about 4# 8 oz.

Well, 4 days ago they were all weighed for the first time since being home and they did so well!
Alex weighed 7# 2.5 oz.
Zachary was 6 # 4 oz and
Riley was 6 # 6 oz

AWESOME HUH? Then they were weighed again today so here are the new numbers:
Alex is 7# 1 oz ~ You will notice he lost weight... I will explain that in a minute.
Zachary is 6# 10 oz (Gained 6 ounces in 4 days!) and
Riley is 6# 10.5 oz (Gained 4.5 ounces in 4 days!)

They want the babies to gain about an ounce a day so Zach and Riley are doing great, but how about Alex? He is currently on Methadone. It is a sedative/pain killer that they had to give him and Zachary when they were inti-bated. Zachary was already weaned off of the Methadone before coming home, but still had the jitters and withdrawals associated with coming off street drugs. They say that the only help for them is the binki... and Zachary LOVES his bink like he never did before! Anyway, about Alex... why did they not wean him off this drug at the hospital you might ask? We asked that too... basically he was on it for so long that it will take considerably longer to wean him off of it. He was on it for 3 weeks! Well. he is still on it actually, but I have weaned him gradually down to one fourth the dose they sent him home on. He is doing good... but the drug is a sedative so he sleeps a lot and struggles to stay awake long enough to finish a meal. He eats enough to barely maintain his weight, but he doesn't eat as much as we would like for him to gain an ounce a day. So I am hopeful that once I have him completely off the Methadone that he will perk up and take his full feeds again. ;) Already today he nursed 3 times with in 2 hours... we are on a good track, but I don't know if I can keep making enough milk for these three! It's a full time job in it's self! ha ha!

So that is my update. Email me if you have questions, I'll write back within the year! (maybe) ;) Miss you all!

Love The White's

Riley

As you all should be aware (thanks to Sharon sending updates to all of you on my mailing list) the boys are back in the hospital.

• Zachary is doing better... still on a respirator, but they are talking about the possibility of him being taken off of it as early as tomorrow! Yeah Zach!
  
• Alex is right in the thick of it... I tear up when I look at him, cause he looks the most sedated and lifeless out of the three of them. He is at the hardest part of his fight against the virus. Hopefully he doesn't get pneumonia like Zach did.

• Riley has had 3 rapid RSV tests done on him... all three of which came back negative so they moved him to the "floor" (meaning the pediatric floor). Where babies go when they are not seriously sick. I had a bad feeling about this, because Riley was showing all the tell tale signs that his brothers showed at the beginning of their sicknesses. Earlier this week they told me that they were going to send Riley home on Wednesday. I told them that they weren't sending him any where unless they tested him again, and this time do the longer test. All along they have been doing the rapid version which has a larger margin for error. It can have a false negative! Well, yesterday I talked to Riley's doctor on the floor and she said that she thinks he doesn't have RSV. She thinks he "just has another virus that can be treated at home," she obviously wasn't very good at listening, so I had to be frank with her. I said, "I will not take him home only to have to turn around in a day and do the whole ER, intibation and Ambulance Transport back to Legacy! I know he has RSV... he is Lethargic, he has spells (oxygen saturation dropping, and heart rate going up too high) His lips turned blue and his face grey when I was feeding him today, and he has a cough and mucus in his nasal passages. You guys have just got to trust my instinct as a mom, I don't care what the test says, he has what his brothers have." She finally took me seriously I guess, cause she ordered the test that is more accurate, and also ran more blood work on him. This morning Rex went over to the hospital for "Rounds" (all the staff that works with the boys meet at their room every morning to discuss the game plan for that day~ they did the same thing at the NICU in Salem). After rounds for Alex and Zach in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) Rex went over to the Pediatric floor to get the over night update on Riley. The test results were back and Riley is POSITIVE for RSV! Here we are saying "I TOLD YOU SO!!!"

I asked Rex to go over to the PICU and talk to doctor Buchottz (one of Alex and Zach's doctors) and tell him that Riley is positive. Rex explained to him that his wife is frustrated because they haven't made a decision on whether or not to send him back to the PICU. Doctor Buhottz said, "Don't worry... now that we know, we will make sure to get him over here asap!" So when Rex and Seth and Madison and I went to the grocery store this afternoon we got a call from the peds floor letting us know that Riley has been moved back to the PICU and is now in room 12. Alex and Zach are in room 7. They can't fit all three in one room.

So I am greatly relieved that all three boys will be treated well.

3 New Arrivals!

I just have to pinch my self when I am sitting holding all three of them! That's right... the triplets are here!

All three born on Monday 2/9/09

• Alex Jesse White born at 12:45am and weighing 4# 8 oz

• Zachary Ryan White born at 12:46am and weighing 3# 11oz

• Riley Cade White born at 12:48am and weighing 3# 13oz

Here is the blow by blow account of how they got here:

Sunday, the 8th of February was a lazy day for me. Rex and the kids went to church while I slept (good thing I had with what was coming next). Rex and the kids came home from church and Rex put them down for naps while he read one of his required reading books for class. I got up to go to the bathroom and my hips were killing me, as I climbed back into bed I got a contraction. No big deal, I have had lots of those. Well, I fell back asleep with no more contractions. Later that night Rex called to the kids to get up to the table for dinner which woke me up. My hips were hurting again... guess I was just sleeping through the pain. So I got up to go to the bathroom again, which walking helped with the pain this time. I didn't want to eat in bed, so I walked to the table and sat down. While Rex was dishing every one up and trying to organize the kids I had a contraction. After prayer and five bites into my meal I had another contraction (more like a braxton hicks). A few bites later I had another real contraction. (well, the doctor said that if I were ever to have 4 or more contractions in an hour that I need to rush to the Salem Hospital Family Birth Center. I left my dinner knowing I already had 3 contractions close together and needed to lay down. As I was walking to my bed I got contraction #4, and OH did it hurt!!! I was holding on to the walls in the hall way to brace my self as I walked. Rex ran to my side and helped me get in bed. Usually when I lay down the contractions ease up or go away. Not this time!

As I was laying there I had another 3 contractions, mixed braxton hicks with some very painful ones too. Rex asked me what we should do. I reminded him of what the doctor said, but I didn't know if it was necessary to go in. Rex asked again, "Aleece what do you want to do?" I said, "If it weren't for putting every one out (meaning his family) I would say I need to go in, and..." Rex cut me off and said, "Okay we are going in." He called his parents and asked them to meet us at the hospital to pick up Seth and Madison. I was worried that we would get there and it would have been false labor and every one would have wasted their time.

We drove FAST to the hospital (laws were probably broken). Total, I had 12 contractions from dinner time to the time we got to the hospital and they didn't stop once we got there. The nurse checked me and I was still only dilated 2 centimeters. I thought, great... everyone has jumped for nothing! So they did some test and sent it to the lab which would take 45 minutes to get back. They said the test would help determine how soon I would be having the babies. Well, they wanted to get me and the babies on the monitors while we were waiting. So they did non stress testing. From there every one could see on the monitors that I really was having contractions, but they couldn't get the babies to hold still (what's new, huh?). So they took me out for a BPP (ultrasound) where they checked on the babies. All three were doing great so we were rolled back to the room to put me back on the monitors (Mind you... contractions happening all through this!). The nurse had checked me again some where in that time and said I was still at a 2. After some time of waiting the feeling seemed to be that we would be going home, but we were just waiting for that stinken test result. The on call doctor, Dr. Frank, came in to meet with us and the nurse asked him to check me before discharging me. (It had only been about 15 minutes since the last time I was checked.) He did, and the next words out of his mouth threw me into a whirl wind, "We're having a birthday tonight! You are dilated to 3 1/2 centimeters." Then every one started rushing around and I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I kept telling my self, "wait until doctor Bowen gets here... he will give you other options!" Doctor Bowen was called right away and got there with in 10 minutes. He checked me and I was to 4 centimeters now! He said it was all progressing too fast to stop, and they wouldn't be able to buy enough time to give the babies the two shots of steroids (that takes 24 hours). As soon as all the nurses and doctors left the room I broke down into tears. This wasn't good enough for me. I wanted to make it at least one more week to 34 weeks. Rex held me and tried to comfort me. I reluctantly accepted my fate, but not with out help... I asked Rexy to give me a blessing. Rex's dad and mom had taken the kids home and then returned when Rex called them to say it was going to happen tonight- leaving Lacey home with Seth and Madison (Thank you, Lacey). When doctor Bowen came back I asked him to stand in on my blessing with Rexy and Rex Sr. He did. Rex Jr (my hubby) gave the blessing. It was beautiful! I was told that the babies would be fine and so would I. We then hurried like crazy to get ready for surgery (C-Section). You know the expression?... "Hurry, hurry, hurry.... and wait." Yeah, we had to wait for the O. R. to be cleaned since there were two other C-Sections that had just gotten done. Anyway... we got into the hospital at about 9:30pm on Sunday and had them starting with Alex at 12:45 am on Monday.

C-Section Recovery:

TOUGH STUFF!!! I hate it! I am used to being able to be good old Aleece with in a few days after a vaginal birth, but this C-Section recovery has been kicking my butt! Today is the first that I have been able to cough or sneeze with out feeling like my whole gut is going to rip open. On the positive side, I am loosing significant inches daily, and I have already dropped 25+ pounds. I gained 43 pounds in the pregnancy... so I am relieved that in just one week I have dropped more than half of that! Once the swelling in my feet and hands goes down I will loose even more weight. Lots of people have told me that they can't believe I had triplets one week ago. That makes me feel awesome and gives me motivation to keep loosing inches. (Extra skin I am afraid will never be resolved, but who knows!)

The triplets had their one week birthday on Monday the 16th. All three babies have lost weight, which is normal, but scary for their mommy and daddy. At one week old here are their weights:

Alex: 4 # 4.4 oz (original weight 4# 8 oz)

Zach: 3# 4.7 oz ( " " 3# 11 oz)

Riley: 3# 7.7 oz ( " " 3# 13 oz)

All three of the triplets are off CPAP (breathing assistance) and all three are off the billyrubin lights as of yesterday when Riley came off. They are all three off of IV's and can now wear clothing. I am boarding in a room at the hospital for free while the triplets are in the NICU. (They will probably be there for 3-4 total weeks.) I got my milk in with in 2 days after having the triplets. They are solely on my breast milk which has been fortified with some additional vitamins. It's amazing but I am able to pump 12 oz of milk every 3 hours. The nurses are freezing my milk now. They have over 30 - 4 oz bottles already frozen and I am consistently adding to it. Right now my life consists of visits to the NICU every 3 hours for their feedings. I then do Kangaroo Care (skin to skin contact) with each of the babies. They say it is so important for preemies to have this contact with their parents. Rex has Kangaroo Cared for each of the boys... I think they love being with their dad, but he has got to get rid of the chest hair! lol Poor little Riley holds his hand between is face and his daddies chest, I assume because it tickles his face. They already have soooo much personality showing through. Alex might be Mr. Tough Guy with a soft inner core. Zachary might be Mr. Methodical and very serious (his forehead is always wrinkled like he is thinking really hard). Riley might be our little class clown. He giggles and smiles sooo much! They are all so precious. We love them so much!

Seth and Madison have gotten to come into the NICU to see the babies. They came tonight with grandma and grandpa and Seth and grandma and grandpa got to hold Zachary one at a time. Madison isn't interested in holding them, yet... thank goodness. We have a ways to go in teaching her to be soft. Regardless of how soft she is or isn't, she obviously loves her brothers. I was telling Rex that one of these days I would like to take Seth and Madison out for a few hours with mom, one at a time. I am feeling well enough now that I could handle that I think. I would just have to do it between feedings of the triplets, and I would have to have the car. We are trying to work out the details of this. Maybe tomorrow I will spend time with Seth. Grandma Sharon says he has been home sick.

I will post again in a week telling you all the babies 2 week birthday stats and any other progress we have made in getting them home soon. We plan to have the babies blessed on March 29th in our ward building (45th Street) at 11 am. All are welcome. Thank you every one for your help through this! We love you all!
Love the White's

6 years of Marriage Bliss! Hehehe, okay, but we are happy!

These pictures were both taken our senior year of high school 1999.

Rex's year book picture.

Mine was from my participation in the Miss Richfield Pageant.
(Fun experience but heavy competition, not my kind of thing!)

Rex and I have been married 6 years on Friday, February 6th. I think back to the day we were married and how much in love we were. I remember a few people, from our ward now, coming to the open house at Sharon and Rex Sr.'s home to give gifts and wish us the best. It was a wonderful time in my life. You know what is nice about reminiscing on your anniversary... it is a time to reflect with optimism on the years you have spent together and resolve to move on together with your best foot forward.

My favorite of our wedding Photos

Rex and I have this thing we do... Since we were married a week before Valentine's Day we decided we would transfer our celebration of Valentine's to August 14th of each year! We have done this for the last 2 years and we like it a lot better! This way we spread out the lovey times and sentimental dates which evens out the year a little more. So you may wonder who would have a silly idea like that, right? Must have been a guys idea? Nope, it was all me! I am a cheap-O! It's expensive enough to have an anniversary during Valentine's season due to the high flower prices and such, and we save our selves a little money and peace of mind by doing "Our" Valentine's Day 6 months after every one else. Plus, you know how hard it is to find a babysitter on Valentine's Day! I swear they are booked 2 months in advance! :)
Okay, so this Anniversary Rex wants to take me to dinner and a movie... wheelchair and all! :) How romantic! LOL We'll see how I am feeling I guess.

You know, about 3 years back Rex had two surgeries on his left foot (two screws were put in to fix a broken navicular bone). Well, we had a tradition of going to the Duck games every year. (During Football Season we didn't do dates... we chose to put that money towards going to games, which then turned into our dates! We actually spent less money on game tickets, gas and food than we would have had to for dinner, a movie, snacks, and a babysitter!) Thanks to Sharon watching the kids for us for free. But the point is... Rex was in a wheel chair during the football season and couldn't make his way up the steep ramps at Autzen Stadium with out me pushing him the whole way! I pushed that man in that wheelchair many, many, many times! (true love) So it is kinda sweet "revenge" that he now has to push me every where. :) hehehe! I love you Rex!
Okay, enough silly mushy stuff... you all want to know about the pregnancy right? Well, we have stellar news... I am now just past 32 weeks along! Only 26 more days! My cervix is the same as last time (dilated 2 centimeters and holding), and the babies are sounding good in their non-stress-tests (NST). On Friday we go in for another NST and my physical therapy(PT). Monday we go in for NST and then have to drive to Portland for a measurement/growth ultrasound for the babies (we will find out their weights and percentages again). Wednesday I have PT and I go back into the OB/GYN to have my cervix checked again. We will continue this crazy schedule until the babies get here. Wish us luck that we make it to March 3rd (36 weeks).
Sharon insisted on taking a picture of me at Brian's Birthday Party tonight, so there is a belly picture in existence, but I don't have it yet. As soon as Sharon can email it to me I will post it here on the blog with all the other belly pics. After taking my picture she then grabbed a measuring tape to measure around my back to the biggest part of my belly, and I am 51" around! WOW! I will never forget how this feels! It's very vivid now, but I know It's easy to forget after the fact! I will never take certain things for granted ever again, like: being able to turn over in bed, or sleeping on my belly, or BREATHING normally! or being able to get up or sit down with out having to brace my self! and I would love to get up in the middle of the night with out having to hold on to the furniture around me so I don't collapse! I will be so glad to have my old body back, even with it's imperfections! :) LOL Sister Reedy was talking to me today about how I should take more profile belly pictures of the end of this pregnancy, just so I have something to look back on to remember this whole experience and so the triplets will know too. So I will make more of an effort to add one every time I write a post.
This week one of my best friends' dad died, it has been very difficult for her, and I feel like I am so out of touch. Tonight since we were invite to Rex's parents for pizza for Brian's party, Rex decided to make dinner and desert for her and her family and drop it by on our way to West Salem. Rex took it to the door... he said she was crying pretty bad. I feel so helpless. Many of you may know who I am talking about. If you do, I think bringing in meals is a great way to help them out. I know we are getting a lot of help too, so I hate to seem like I am pushing for this, but I think if my dad had just died the last thing I would have energy to do is cook meals. This really is just a heads up every one... I love you all and know you have probably already started planning something to assist her and her family. I wish I could join the ranks... believe me I would rather be on the giving than the receiving end. You ladies rock, and I love you all! Thanks for your support to Rex and I by continuing to sign up each time the list comes around at church. We have needed you, and greatly appreciate everything you are doing! Lots of love! Aleece