Sam is such a goof off. He is quite the ham for pictures.
Life is never dull when Sam is around!
But once in a while, I can get him to love on his sisters. Those moments are precious.


This picture sometimes makes me choke up. This is the day before Emily headed back to school. Elizabeth clung to her most of the day. She seemed so sad and didn't want to let her go.



In just a couple of days, Emily will be home for nearly a month. I am looking forward to that time. Jacob is working hard to get all his school work done Wednesday so he can have a few special days with Emily. He loves that one-on-one time with her. He really misses her; probably more then anyone does. She has a special place in his heart! I am confident that the feeling is mutual. Of everyone, Jacob is the one Emily misses most.

Happy Gotcha Day!

Memories of the past 4 years....
(Elizabeth's "gotcha moments" are in the first 5 minutes of the movie, then it covers Ri's adoption)

Our first glimpse of our baby. This is our referral picture.

This is the first moment that we saw our little girl in person. We are waiting for our names to be called so we can hold her.
Our first moments together.












































There are days in every ones life in which every detail and emotion are forever burned into our memory. And when the anniversary of that day rolls around, those memories come flooding back; often as if you are reliving it. On the birthday of each of our biological kids, my memory always takes me back to the moment that they were laid in my arms. I love to "relive" hours that lead up to their birth, the labor, the birth, the first few moments when Mark and I are alone and holding our precious child. I love to think about all that went on that day. They are fond, fond memories for me.

Today, though it is not one of my children's actual birth, it is one of those "forever moments" and times to reflect. Today brings the anniversary of the day we "gave birth" to Elizabeth. Today marks the 4 year anniversary of Elizabeth's "gotcha day". Four years ago, our family traveled to China to bring our precious daughter home. It was just as precious of a birth as it was when we traveled to the hospital to give birth to our biological children. In a room filled with 4 other families and 5 precious little babies awaiting to be held by their forever families.... we waited to hear our name called so that we could hold our little girl. The excitement in the room was exhilarating. There were 22 of us; all straining to see which of the babies was ours. All of was holding our breath and waiting to hear our name called. There was no formal ceremony, no fuss made over the first moments.. nothing happened as I had expected (but isn't that really how giving birth is?) When we heard our name, Mark and I walked forward and the man whom was holding Elizabeth placed her in our arms. In fact, I don't even remember him handing her to me. It was as if everything in that room disappeared and it was only Elizabeth and I. In that moment, I felt as if I had given birth to my daughter. Nothing in the room mattered but her. Just as when you give birth, in that moment all the waiting and anticipating is washed away. The labor, the contractions, the wondering, the fears, ... all the unknown of birth... is wiped away and the only thing that matters is that precious little one that you are finally holding in your arms. The LONG wait, the paperwork, the travel, the fears, the unknowns, the wondering what she would look like, feel like, smell like... it was all gone and FINALLY, I was holding my baby girl.... and she was perfect!

Four years have now gone by. She is still just as precious as she was no that day. She is as much my daughter just as if I literally gave birth to her. There is NO difference. Her birth was just a little different then my other 4. But she is my baby in every way she possibly could be. We talk about her birthparents. She understands as best a 4 years old can understand. She was very confused when I shared with her that she was not in my belly, but in her birthmoms belly. But it was exciting for her to know that there is some woman in China who was her birthmom. She says she loves her birthmom and wants to know what she looks like. I hope that she will always love her birthparents and understand that for some reason (unknown to us), her birthparents were just not able to raise her. I often explain how it was God's plan for us to be her family. He held her and brought her into this world through her birthparents. And then he held her as she waited for him to bring us to China. We share with her how God told us to go to China because our baby girl was waiting for us there. I thank God for her birthparents and I ache for their hearts. No doubt that on January 21st, their hearts ache the deepest ache possible. That whole week following her birth is probably forever burned into their minds. I pray that they come to know Jesus Christ as their savior and that Elizabeth will trust Jesus as her savior and then... one day (maybe not until we are on glory's side), she will be reunited with them and all will make sense.

Elizabeth is a vibrant, beautiful little girl. She has a sparkle that can warm anyone's heart and a "fear/withdraw" that can break your heart. Her favorite toys ... and I mean FAVORITE... are small stuffed animals (beanie baby size). She and Ri will play for ours with them. It is rare not to have one near by. I have never seen such an active imagination in a child as I do in both of the kids. If stuff animals are not around, they will choose the closest thing and pretend with that. I have seen them takes forks and paper and make an entire story up with using them as the characters. She LOVES movies/tv and if I don't watch it closely, she could sit there all day and be happy. But the minute I turn it off, she is up and playing as creatively as she knows how. SHe never asks to watch tv, but will drop everything the minute I turn it on again. She loves playing outside; but isn't a fan of the cold or the extreme heat. Summer seems to be her least favorite because she gets so hot. She is very, very picky about her clothes. I can not get a long sleeve shirt or dress on her for anything! It doesn't matter how adorable it is, if it has long sleeves, I'm done for. AND... as for short sleeves, there are very few of those that she likes as well. So, her wardrobe is not that big (though I have a closest full of beautiful clothes for her!) She still LOVES her "hulk" blanket. It is the uglies thing I have seen (I am not a fan of the hulk); but my mother-in-law found it at a garage sale just after she lost her blanket that she NEVER left home without. It had the exact same feel as that blanket. As soon as she felt the "hulk"; she loved it. So... I am stuck with my little baby GIRL attached to a blanket that bares the picture of the Hulk on it.

She adores her family. Her Daddy is her hero. He is so patient with her and willing to wait her out when she hits her withdraw moments. He gets down and dirty with her and she loves it. SHe has really missed Emily. When Em was home, she lit up. A few days before Em left, Elizabeth didn't want to leave her side. It was precious. She loves it when Erin interacts with her; especially when Erin takes time to do crafts with her. Sam is the biggest toy around. When Sam is in the room, the volume raises 10 fold! Jacob has become her rock. He is always here and always willing to watch her and always willing to play with her. And Ri... well Ri is her very, very best friend!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we are heading into another hectic season. Emily drove back to school yesterday. It is amazing to me the emotions that I have these days. I often hear that growing up is hard... but I am ready to argue that the growing up isn't so hard on the child; but mostly hard on the parent... and even more specifically...the MOM! But, despite the emotions that are flying through me at this stage in my life, I enjoyed every moment I saw my girl while she was home. And... as she so often mentioned... she is safely "home". To her, BBC is now home. Oh, it is just a silly phrase for her and it really doesn't mean all that us adults think of as "home".... but it is definitely a phrase that catches me off guard at times and rattles all those emotions of letting my little girl go.

Surprisingly, I didn't take a lot of pictures. My camera doesn't take very nice indoor pictures, so once winter comes, I really slow down on the shots I take. I wish that weren't the case, though. We only had one opportunity to take a family shot (only one time when we were all home long enough) and we failed to think of it. That makes me very sad. Maybe when she is home during Christmas break.

Everyone is finally healthy. It was a longer road then most illnesses around here; but one in which we recieved grace and made it through without any serious complications. I praise God for that! Our family seems to be making some changes in our lifestyle. Sam and Jacob have discovered the joys of lifting with their Daddy. Unfortunatley, Daddy hadn't been lifting for a while, so he is a little on the sore side. Erin is dating a young man who is very focused on working out; thus, my little girl is very focused as well. It is fun to watch. All three kids have really changed things around here. Jacob ran 9 miles Thanksgiving morning! Wow... it was amazing. We are very proud of his accomplishment. With their focus; it seems Mark and I are being dragged right into it.

About 6 weeks ago, Sam and his girlfriend asked me to swim in an alumni swim meet. The alumni take on the high school team. I only laughed at them! I haven't swam laps for at least 20 years and I haven't competed for more then 30. And.. worse... I am so out of shape it is ridiculous. But... I committed to trying to get into shape. I even went to the Y one time to swim just to see if I could still swim! I was doing great up until the swine flu hit. Then all workouts stopped and my eating went back to my usual diet (not great). So... I pretty much gave up the thought. But I couldn't give up the guilt. I had promised that I would do it. The night before, Sam's girlfriend sent me a text and told me it was ok if I didn't go. That made me feel worse. Then Sam begged me to do it and told me my excuse was a cop out. He was having fun with me, but I couldn't shake it. So..... the next morning I woke up and struggled for an hour with whether I would swim or not. Deep down, I knew I couldn't quit.... but I wanted to sooooo badly! Despite my fear of getting in a suit in front of so many I knew, my fear of dying in the water, and my fear of utter humiliation, I mustered the courage to dawn a swim suit out in public and climb a starting block in front of way too many friends and acquaintances. Oh what a horrible feeling that was! I wasn't the oldest there, 2 others I use to swim with joined the alumni team for a day as well. But most of the alumni had just recently graduated and are or have swam on a college team. It was quite the experience. After getting over the horrible feeling of walking around in a race suit in front of my peers and my childrens friends, I managed to get in the water and warm up. I hadn't dove off a block since I competed 30 years ago. I was very fearful of that. But I managed to get up without any incidence and dove into the water without breaking anything (I know I couldn't have, but I kind of felt that I might), and I managed to do still breath when it was all done. FOr a brief moment, I was swept back to the days when swimming was my life. When I hit the water, the "race" inside me came flooding back. I no longer felt 46 years old, but ... for a moment.. felt young again. THe taste of competition and racing overwhelmed me. It was a very strange sensation. And in the end I was actually still able to pull myself out of the water. I am glad that I did, but now I am haunted by the race. In the heat of the competition, I had forgotten about who I was racing and why I was racing. It was almost an out of body type experience. I was oblivious to much of my surroundings. I was back to the "race" that lived in me so deeply 30 years ago. Just before I hit the end of the race, my senses came back to me and I remembered the people in my life. But it was too late, I had made the mistake of allowing competition to rule my life. It was a race that meant nothing to me; in fact something I had dreaded. I only did it for my son and his girlfriend. It was a race that meant a lot to them. And in the end, I forgot about it all and ended up hitting the pad just before the one person I wanted to win! And now, everytime I think of the race, I die inside. This young lady is an incredible girl and a very good swimmer. She loves the sport and does very well in it. That one race was meant to encourage her and I allowed that brief thrill of competition to destroy it. Mark has always said how competitive I am and I have always gotten frustrated. I thought I had put that spirit to rest. And when I wanted it resting the most, it came out strong. Fortunately, this young lady is a beautiful young lady who is ready to work hard to take me on at the end of the season. I can guarantee that even if I try my hardest, she will beat me! She is determined and talented!

As for the rest of our lives, we are all doing well. I am so thankful for all that God has given us. We have 6 beautiful, healthy, wonderful children. I have a husband who STILL treats me like his princess, I have in-laws that so many women would be envious of!, I have a beautiful roof over my head, food on our table, clothes on our back, freedom in our country, and I can go to sleep at night not fearing whether any of it will be there the next day. I lay my fears and concerns at the feet of Christ; knowing that no matter what, He will hold me and carry me through.

Surprise!

Friday was such a great day for me! Mark and I made a decision that the best thing for Emily was to come home a little early to rest. Emily spoke with all her professors and everyone agreed that she should just leave a few days early for break. So, I was the one who got to go get her! Yeah! She knew I was coming and was very, very excited. I left at 4:30 am. The thing is, the only ones here who knew were Mark and Erin. So Thursday and Friday, I spent a great deal of time lying to everyone. It was horrible! The worst one was to my mother-in-law. I felt like I was decieving her and using her all at the same time. I had to call her and have her watch the kids for me so I called and told her that the little ones wanted to spend the night. She could only keep them until 2:00 Friday, so I had to get Erin to pick them up. ... which meant that Erin got out of school early (actually, she didn't even go to school that day). Erin was feeling sick the day before, so I encouraged her to stay home and rest on Friday. I told her it would be good for her as well as for me. That way she could pick the kids up in the afternoon. She told all her teachers that she had to babysit for me (which really wasn't the case, but Erin thought it was.... I just wanted her to stay home and stay healthy. I have a huge fear that she will get this swine flu!). Anyway, I lied to my mother-in-law and it just about did me in! Both Ri and Elizabeth were a little out of sorts and clingy when I was ready to leave (which didn't help things at all!). Before I made it home, Uncle Paul was calling to tell me that Ri wanted his mommy. I had to break down and tell my brother-in-law... begging him to try to keep the kids as long as he could. Anyway.... 4:20 am, I was ready to leave. I had informed Sam that i would not be here when he woke up (lying to him by giving the excuse that i was going to the Y to work out). You see... Emily wanted to surprise everyone she could; especially Jacob. But I pulled one over her! I swung by and picked up her very best friend. THey had not seen each other for 3 months AND she had been suppose to visit Emily this weekend. BUT her brother had been so sick for so long, that the trip would be too hard for him and we all decided that Emily's flu was the icing on the cake and the trip was canceled. I had so much fun with her friend. The trip flew by. It was so nice to have her as a traveling companion (even though I would have absolutely loved having my husband). We completely floored Emily. It was great! She had absolutely no clue ... judging by the scream she let out in the hallway when she figured out who the strange girl was leaning against the hallway. We spent an hour or so on campus and then loaded up and headed home. It was a long trip home, but we made it safely and successfully surprised all! I will give a few more details on that a little later. For now, I have to go.

For some reason, I have not been able to log onto blogger. But this morning, I had success. A week has gone by since I last updated. All the kids are doing well, at least all but Emily. Sam took the longest to recover from the influenza A. He ran a low grade fever Sunday night and has been run down, but the past couple of days have been good and he seems pretty much back to normal. Elizabeth still has a little left in her chest (at least it sounds that way when she coughs). Ri is more working on a runny nose. Both get run down very quickly; Elizabeth especially. Her eyes show it the most. By mid afternoon, she has very big dark "circles" under her eyes. She just looks run down. Mark has fought hard, but lost the battle some. He needed to take a few days in bed. Erin has been tough through it all. It hasn't seemed to find her yet... though I heard her coughing last night and she looks pretty wiped out. As for Em? Well, she started with a fever and feeling horrible on Sunday. Monday she went to the nurse and was told to see the doctor on Tuesday. Tuesday she went to the doctor on campus and was treated for swine flu. She was put on Tamiflu and quarantined in her room. Tuesday she was the worst; fever of 102, deep continual cough, and unable to mover unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. At one point, I called her and asked her to take tylenal for her fever (100.8 at the time). 2 hours later, I checked her temp and it was something like 102.8. I asked her if she had taken the tylenal and she said no because she just didn't want to get out of bed "the medicine is too far away". She felt so badly that even walking across the room to get medicine was too much for her. It was very difficult being here knowing she was so sick and all alone. I was on the edge all day, just waiting for notification to come get her. At 10:00 that night, I was finally able to speak to her dorm mom to find out what the plan was for students with swine flu. It was a relief to talk to her. Students are quaranined to their room until they have been free of any fever for 24 hours. We decided for me to wait until Wednesday to see if Em's fever broke or not. If it hadn't, then I was going to go get her since it was worthless for her to be quarantined all week and only have 2 days of classes before break. Well, her fever broke at some point in the middle of the night. It was normal by Wednesday morning. She still felt miserable, but at least not like she had the night before. She took a hot shower around 11:00 and then took her temp right afterward. It was 99.2. An hour later it was normal again.... but because of the 99.2 temp, she was quarantined until after 11:00 the next day. :( That means she misses classes this morning as well. She is going stir crazy being "locked" in her room. There are a group of young men who have taken turns stopping by her room and "serinade" her. They call her and have her look out the window and then carry a conversation on with her. It is very sweet. Tony went to Arby's and picked her up a special lunch and delivered it to her. That was sweet as well. The movie ban gets lifted for kids in quarantine; so she has been able to enjoy watching some movies while so sick. She is anxiously counting down the hours for her "ban" to be lifted.

As for everything else, life is normal around the Miller home.... well... maybe not "normal". Erin and Sam are both done with soccer; so we have had a few family meals at the dinner table. That has been very strange. Erin is really blossoming and maturing lately. It is exciting to see growth in some areas. She is such a beautiful young lady and such a joy to be around when she is "sparkeling". Lately, I have seen the beautiful twinkle in her eye. Jacob has caught some kind of fire for working out. He is back to running again and has now begun lifting with Mark. He has some goals in his mind. When Jacob sets a goal, he is one who rarely gives up. He gets focused and that is all it takes. It has been fun watching him so motivated. He also has been a joy at home. He has been working hard at completely his school work every day. And.. he is really getting an interest in cooking. He made General Tsaos Chicken (from scratch) for us the other night and yesterday, he made fried ice cream! He is so much fun to watch.

On Senior night for the marching band, the seniors all wore masks and did a dance to the song "Thriller".














Well, I like this shot, but I really didn't like the coloring in it, so I played around and came up with this. It isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it is a start.
It has been a long week. I think most of us are going stir crazy. I was out a lot yesterday, though; that was nice. I ended up teaching the Sunday school class simply because something came up at the last minute for Mark and he was not able to leave. He watched the kids for me and I went to church. That afternoon, Erin was willing to take some senior pictures.... I have learned that you have to grab your camera and run when she finally is willing! Mark has learned the same thing, so he was more then willing to watch the kids and let me go. Erin is much the opposite of Emily when it comes to taking pictures! And.. I found my card reader! It was a good day :).

Elizabeth has been hit the hardest. As of yesterday, she was still having a fever and a high pulse rate. Her lungs are definitely effected by the virus. We have not had any major issues, though... so I am thankful. Sam is still out of school; but it is more precautionery. He is so wiped out that I am afraid if I send him back today, he will turn worse. I will make him do some things today and then send him for half a day tomorrow and then get him back in by Wednesday. His body just isn't strong enough yet to go full blown. Jacob has probably been down the longest. His has just been a constanst and steady worsening. Nothing serious, but definitely each day he seems to be sicker. I think he probably had something before and then when he was exposed to this, he got this as well and since he never got put on the tamiflu, it has taken longer.

Emily comes home in 2 weeks. I can not wait to spend some time with her! She is doing well. Her best friend is traveling this weekend to visit her. They are both very excited about it. And I think for the first time, I can honestly say that I am not battling emotions about someone going to spend time with her when I can't.

Emily discovered a program on her computer that would allow her to play around with some of her pictures. She is like me and loves to be creative. This is one of the results:

Well.. three down (probably four) with the influenza A virus (which is most likely the swine flu). I have symptoms of it, though it is hard to tell because I lost my voice for ten days due to post nasal stuff and ended up with a hard cough at night... so the discomfort I am having could be from that. Who knows. Erin is avoided it as much as possible. She is never around much, but when she is she pops in says hello and pretty much runs to her room and shuts the door. Everyone at school is a little afraid of her right now. THat cracks me up ... and I don't blame them at all! Sam has been down now for 5 days. He is exhausted and unable to move a whole lot. We are suppose to be watching for any dangerous signs; rising temperature, rapid pulse rate, bluish nailbeds, etc... if so, then we are to take him to the ER right away. But... God is faithful. He had a good nights sleep (and still is sleeping). The little ones are wanting to play, Ri is still on the ill behaved side (I think it is the medicines and feeling poorly). But I am pretty sure we are out of the woods with them. Both were put on tamiful right away and both seem to have very little problems. Jacob is becoming a bit of a concern. His chest was really hurting him last night. He has had a horrendous headache for 8 days now. He seems to be getting worse everyday. Though his test was negative on Monday, I am pretty sure he has it now.

It is hard to be sad or upset about the flu being here. I figure God has answered our prayers. We were on the fence about the vaccination and now we don't have to be anymore. God has held all 4 kids in His arms and has made this "thing the media has made us all fear" something that really hasn't been too bad. In fact, I think I have gotten more sleep then I have ever had during any previous sickness! All 4 kids have slept in my room for the past 3 days. Mark has moved out of the room (anxiously asking when he can move back in... poor guy!) so that I can be right beside them and monitor them all through the night. Noone has had terrible fevers and none have had horrible restless/struggles at night. That is usually when the "fearful things" set in. I have had many nights with other sicknesses where I could hardly close my eyes because the kids were so sick and the worst part of those sicknesses were in the middle of the night when I was all alone with them. The hardest part seems to be trying to keep Ri and Elizabeth from running around. When they do, they begin coughing and wearing themselves out. It definitely is a virus that hits the lungs. All have had it hit there. I can surely see the danger in patients with underlying issues like asthma or conditions that cause them to be much weaker during illnesses then others are.

We have been so blessed by family and friends. I shared with you the help with the banquet. Yesterday, a good friend from church (who has the swine flu in her home), showed up with 2 bags of groceries to minister to our family. It was amazing to see her at our door. I know her situation and what she just went through.. and yet, she took the time to come to our house just to bless us. She is an amazing woman. In fact, her whole family is! Pray for her, if you will, she is battling some health issues which put her at very, very high risk with this flu. Then my mother-in-law and brother-in-law showed up with a basket of clothes she had taken home to wash for me and arm loads of snacks and such for the kids. The day before, she had showed up with tons of drinks and yogurt and rasberries. While she was here taking care of kids for me to be at the banquet, she had cleaned out my laundry room and did SEVERAL loads of laundry, washed, dried and folded! And took what was left home. When she brought them back, she took all the new loads. I am so blessed! (see why I view her as a saint?). And.. Thursday night was the night for college moms at our church. I have been longing to go, but missed the first 2. They meet once a month to pray for the college kids and make care packages. I wanted desparately to go, but the only night we could do the banquet was that night; so I was going to have to miss it AGAIN! My dear friend heard about the sicknesses in our home and called to tell me that she would make sure Emily had a package made up! SHe took a box, a card, and snacks to fill the box. THey all prayed for Emily and put together a care package (sorry Em... I might have just spoiled your surprise!). She dropped it off with another friend, they dropped it off at my house Thursday night, and then my in-laws took it to the post office for me yesterday! I am so blessed!!!

Well.. enough rambling. God is so good and so faithful! I rejoice in His grace in my life.

No pictures for now. I have misplaced my card reader and I have no way to download :(. So sad.

Erin's banquet was last night. She was awarded the honor of 1st team all OCC. She was very happy. IT was a nice evening. We had worked on the banquet plans for sometime. A good friend and I planned most of it, but with the influenza A in our house, I ended up having to leave a lot of it on her shoulders. My mother-in-law (a saint in my eyes) came and sat with everyone so I could go to the banquet. I really felt I needed to be there since it was at our church and since my not being there would land it all on Deb's shoulders. So I helped set up and stayed to the end and even helped clean up as much as I could... but Elizabeth had taken Ri's tamiflu (purposely because she had a fever and the doctor wanted her immediately on the medicine because of her health conditions) and had been starting with hives. I wanted to get home to her and I needed to pick up her medicine (tamiflu) before the pharmacy closed. When i left, we had SEVERAL parents pitching in for the clean up and a member of our church willing to stay around and supervise so that everything was ok. I am so blessed! Our church secretary called 3 men who were so kind as to come and set the banquet tables up so that I wouldn't have to leave Ri and Sam. I praise God for such great friends!

Sam is still wiped out. Yesterday was his worse day (feeling). He is exhausted just walking up the stairs (and very winded). Today, he feels like his throat is better, his back is better, but his lungs are worse. He feels like he can't get a full breath. It has been 5 days so far. He didn't go on the tamiflu until Wednesday. My timeframe of 48 hours was almost up when I finally decided to get him on it. It is possible that he had symptoms earlier and I missed the window of opportunity. I sure wish I had just put him on it the first day instead of "fearing" his reaction to the medicine. Yet, even in my decision, God is in control! Ri is so ill behaved today. I am attributing that behavior to his not feeling well. HE has slept very well both nights (I am praising God for that!!). His lungs seem to be ok. He has a lose cough, but definitely sounding like stuff is there. He does not have a fever yet today. Elizabeth is very, very clingy and tired. She looks wiped out, yet she has no fever this morning and is trying to play some. Her lungs sound more full then the others. She had a restless night, but never really woke up. I gave her 2nd dose of tamiflu this morning and so far, she has had no reaction to it. (ANOTHER answered prayer!). Jacob, I am confident, probably has it as well. He was negative on Monday (but so was Ri). I never had him retested just because the window period for tamiflu was over. His is different, though. He has a horrible headache (and has had one for almost a week). He feels worse each day. Poor guy.

Well, another adventure in the Miller home. I dare say that there is never a dull moment! Emily is doing well. She is tired, but I think she has stayed healthy. We have set her appt up with a neurologist, for her shaking, when she comes home on Thanksgiving break. I can't wait to see my little girl again!

Sometimes I just have to chuckle. I read my previous post in which I was really struggling with the H1N1 vacination. Well... my struggle appears to be over. Today, we were informed that Sam has influenza A; which means the likelihood is that he has the H1N1 virus. They are treating him as if he does. I giggle because I took him in and once again felt like an overprotective mom. We sat and had a strep test and an influenza A test done. We waited 15-20 minutes and our nurse popped her head in and said that it was negative so far, but they wanted to wait the full 15 minutes. There have been a few tests that have shown positive in those last few mintues. So we waited patiently. 10 or so minutes went past and she announced that he was negative to both. I was much relieved and somewhat frustrated because I thought I knew my son better. There are times I just know soemthing is wrong and when I get that "negative"... it makes me feel like I am some overprotective worrier. The nurse practioner prescribed Z-pack for his cough. She felt he definitely needed something for the cough. I found out later that it was bronchitis. So, being a good mom, I went right over to the pharmacy, waited an hour and had his presciption in my hot little hands. As soon as we got home, I made him take the first dose (which is a double dose); he was feeling very badly. Relieved to get some meds in him, I went about my business. The phone rang, Elizabeth answered, and it was the doctors office. The nurse quietly said that this isn't really funny, but kind of ironic... Sam's test showed positive for influenza A. Evidently, 10 mintues after we left, they had not thrown the test away and noticed that it was showing positive. Yikes... I'm very glad they noticed it.

Now... he will be on both tamaflu and z-pack. I am assured there is no problem with that. Just pray for him. Sam does have asthma, so he has been one I feared getting it. Ri has a temperature of 100 (under his arm) and a horrible cough. It came on quickly. And Jacob has a horrible headache, body ache and runny nose. They are both going back into the doctor this afternoon. So.. we are off and running in another challenge.

Please pray for us as we battle this sickness. Sam, Ri, Elizabeth, and I are all considered in the high risk category. But.. our God is mightier!