Don't Blink...

The Kenny Chesney song "Don't Blink" came on the radio the other day and it has been stuck in my head ever since. Life lately seems to run like the lyrics of the song... ~Don't Blink...Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you wake up and you're 25 and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife ~Dont Blink... You just might miss your babies growing like mine did, turning into moms and dads... Next thing you know your better half of 50 years is there in bed and you're praying God takes you instead... Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think.... Don't Blink.

Yeah... Seams every time I blink these days I fast forward so quickly it feels like a blur. My oldest 3 boys don't live at home any more, David is 18 and is moving quickly into the next phase of his life... he is a senior in High School, he works, he has staff to take him places and do things with him.. we are starting to think aboutr what his adult life is going to look like etc... Jake is a High school Junior... he is always on the go and Ben and Caroline are both in Midddle school... Don't Blink.

  It seems like yesterday that my house was full, the dinner table was crowded, the laundy pile was huge... now most Saturday nights its me and Dave maybe David, and Ben and Caroline. The dinner table is all but empty and I don't know how much food to cook... I am used to cooking for a small army of boys... now there are 5 of us most nights and 3 with PWS... I throw so much food away!! Part of me is enjoying the change of pace, looking forward to the next phase when maybe just maybe it is just me and Dave again... and another part of me really really misses the days when my house was full of activity and the crazyness that comes with having 7 kids in the house...  Don't Blink.

  It is a parents job to raise their children to be self sufficient and independent. I have done my job if they spread their wings and fly... but it also leaves a hole in me where they used to be. I used to go to the grocery store often with all 7 of them in tow. I never thought a thing of it. We had a routine, everyone had a job and there was usually someone who had a problem or a meltdown or an issue... its just how we rolled. Now, when I am wondering the isles of the gorcery store all by myself and I come across a mom navigatging the store with several young children I look at her with envy missing those days. Missing the chaos. Missing everything that goes with it.... Don't Blink.

All I can offer to those of you who still have young ones at home is enjoy it. It goes by in the blink of an eye.

A Better World: Rare Disorder Changes the Lives of this Family - WFSB 3 Connecticut

A Better World: Rare Disorder Changes the Lives of this Family - WFSB 3 Connecticut

The Knopfs visit Channel 3... Better Ct!

Hi Everyone! I know.. It's been forever since I have written here... I promise to stRt trying to update things more often! Tomorrow Ben, Caroline, and I will travel to Rock Hill Ct to be on the Better Ct show on channel 3! We had a film crew out to our house last week to tell our story! I am hopingi will be able to post a link to then story here, but if you are local it will air on WFSB Channel 3 here in Ct tomorrow at 3pm! Tune in! I promise updates on things soon.... Vicki

Things Don't Always Go As Planned...

You would think that would be my mantra... In my life, it seems that this happens more than not.

I had routine (or so I thought) knee surgery in May to help to correct and old injury that had left my knee full of arthritis... according to my Orthopedist, I have the knee of a 60 year old.... perfect.

So, I have the surgery and am home the same afternoon. All is well... my Doc is happy with his work. I am in moderate pain, but nothing I didn't expect... I was sent home with some good drugs.
Day 3 after my surgery I didn't feel well all day. Nothing I could really put my finger on... I just felt off. More tired, and kid of disoriented. David got invited to a friends house to spend the night, and I decided to go along for the ride to take him to his friends thinking I might feel better if I got out of the house for a bit. It was kind of humid out, and I felt like I couldn't get enough air, which didn't help how I had been feeling all day. I remember sitting in the back eat with my leg propped up on a pillow... I went to say something to Dave and it didn't come out right... I remember thinking it was the narcotics and just decided to stay quiet.

I went to be early thinking a good nights sleep would help. I was sleeping in Caroline's bed and Dave was in our room. I woke up a couple of hours later feeling like my chest was being crushed. I called for Dave who helped me get up.... once I was sitting I felt a little better, but decided I must be getting pneumonia and after going back and forth on what to do, we decided to head to the ER at 11:30pm.

Once we got the ER, things went crazy. I knew I was in trouble when we got there... I was sweating profusely, and couldn't get my breath.. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. They took me in right away and were very concerned... my O2 levels were only in the low 80s and my heart rate was 175... I was sent to x-ray to get a picture of my lungs and was told that I did NOT have pneumonia and that they wanted a CT scan of my lungs... when the results of that came back, I was diagnosed as having pulmonary embolism and an ambulance was called to take me to the hospital! This was just nuts! The Dr. was telling me that I was lucky to even be alive... that a lot of times, people die immediately and don't even know what hit them!

I spent a few days in the hospital while they dissolved the remaining clot in my leg which is where the blood clot originated from and the clots in my lungs slowly dissolved and I didn't need oxygen any more. I was sent home on blood thinners that I now have to take for 6 months... not fun... blood draws at least once a week, lots of dietary restrictions etc... but I guess it could be worse!!

Pretty scary to think I could have died from this.... I'm young and healthy..... things like this only happen to other people... It's been a real wake up call for me to live each day to its fullest and to not take things for granted.

The knee is healed nicely... I'm still going to physical therapy, but it getting stronger and i pain free.

I think this post catches everyone up on the last few months and explains why I haven't posted in so long!!!

Have a good day everyone!!!