Jennifer Ireland

P's arm is going to be just fine...

The orthopedic doctors at Children's Mercy said that Peighton's arm will be just fine.  Three weeks in a cast - a very large cast - and she'll be like new.  Already one day into the cast wearing and she acts as if it is a part of her.  No complaints.  Emma has a scratch on her arm from our kitten Belle and she thinks she needs a cast too. 

I know I said I'd have the "Crawl" entries posted tonight, but as usual, I have run out of hours in the day...I'm going to hit the sack instead.  I'll post them ASAP.  In the meantime, have a great weekend.

Broken appendage...

Things seemed to be going well, then Peighton woke up with a pretty swollen elbow.  The x-rays in the ER show a jagged break across her humerus, just above the elbow joint.  The accident must have happended sometime over the past couple of days.  She definitely showed the same signs of courage that her mother showed over the past year and hasn't complained much at all.  She was very, very good in the ER.  Tomorrow we'll go to Children's Mercy to have an orthopedic doctor take a look at the fracture and put a hard cast on her.  Let's hope that the plan won't require any thing other than natural healing.  I'll let you know what the doc says!  In the meantime, the picture of P and her new friend Dominic prove that she is doing fine. 

Oh, by the way, I'll post the entries for the Crawl for Cancer tomorrow.

Belle is doing well...

I have had many people ask how Belle is doing.  Our new kitten is doing well.  I failed to mention that the night before St. Patrick's Day, she got out of the house.  I was totally unaware until late in the morning on St. Patrick's Day when I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen her in a while.  Man did I panic!  How was I going to explain to the girls that their new kitten was lost.  At some point that afternoon our wonderful neighbors found Belle under their deck where two of their dogs had cornered her.  She had been out for well over 18 hours.  Since that day, Belle has become very patient with the girls.  She must have decided that being picked on indoors by a 2 and 4 year old is much better than the great outdoors.  Thursday she has an appointment to be de-clawed and spayed.  Let's hope all goes well and she'll be back to her adventurous self in no time.

I'd also like to welcome Stephanie into our household.  She is our new live-in nanny and is quickly fitting right in.  Due to my abnormal schedule and our need for more than just middle of the day help, we put out the word that we were searching for a nanny.  In less than a week, thanks to my aunt Leslie and cousin Courtney, we found Stephanie.  This week she is getting used to her new domain in the basement and learning our routines.  We are excited to have her and feel blessed that such a great young lady is willing to help.  Don't worry though - Jana is still with us!  She will continue to help out during the week.  With new consistency in the house, I'll be more effective with my work and I'll be able to get back to some of the things I've been missing...especially my personal fitness.

Not a rainout afterall...

The weekend ended up being beautiful.  The girls kept very busy.  Saturday morning they went to Disney on Ice with Papa Dan and cousin Dominica and family.  They were so excited to tell me all about it.  Following naps, they headed to Nana's and went on several walks, church, played outside, and went to Build-a-Bear.  Jan says they built cats instead of bears!  I also got a lot accomplished and spent some time out with friends.  As soon as I catch up on a few things, I'll start making time for the golf course!

Tonight and tomorrow I'll finish putting together our entries for the Crawl for Cancer.  It looks like I'll be submitting about 170 participants.  That is crazy and doesn't even include some of the people that went ahead and submitted teams but noted they were with Jen Ireland's groups.  I'll post a list on the blog in the next few days with everyone's name just so you all can verify that nobody slipped through the cracks.  We have built in a cushion of "slots" just in case someone was missed.

I also want to mention a great event scheduled for Thursday evening at 6:00 PM.  The owners and staff at Finishings for Her in downtown Lee's Summit are holding their annual Brighton Bunco night.  They would like all proceeds to go to the Jennifer Ireland Foundation.  We are very honored.  Please click on the document below for details...

Download bunco_night.pdf

Last call for the Crawl...

The first bit of news tonight is that Jan has a healthy heart.  She is relieved and hopefully can get some restful sleep tonight.  Peighton was also her old happy-go-lucky self today.  It was good to see her playing hard and smiling all day.  Thanks for the prayers...it looks as though they worked!

Now for some business.  If you are like me, you tend to procrastinate quite often.  Unfortunately a deadline is drawing near.  Tomorrow, March 23rd is the day we would like to have all of the Crawl for Cancer entries completed.  I'm planning on dropping them in the mail first thing Monday morning.  Rachael Althaus and I sat down tonight and compiled the entries thus far and we are at least 10 teams strong.  However, there are people missing from our list that I know are wanting to go.  No matter if you are a individual, group of 4, or a full team of 10, sign up.  Please click here to look at my post from several weeks ago for details.  There is a Paypal link on the right side of this blog that you can pay for the entries.  If you have any questions or would like to participate but can't get a check to us in time, e-mail Rachael at [email protected].  The Courtyard Marriott in Blue Springs has graciously offered up rooms to anyone interested for $69.00 per night if you mention Jennifer Ireland.  We also have reserved transportation for around 80 people that will take us to Westport and back from Blue Springs.  Tomorrow I will be speaking with a member of the Crawl for Cancer committee regarding the plan for our "special" t-shirts.  I'm getting excited for what will be a blast!

Today I was part of a great meeting regarding the Kansas City premiere of the movie The Wind That Shakes the Barley.  This first class, red carpet event will be Thursday May 10th and will directly benefit the Jennifer Ireland Foundation.  The preliminary details are so exciting that I'll have to save them for another post in the coming days.  In the meantime, Google the movie title and check out the great reviews it is getting from all over the world.

Jana brought cookies for the girls today.  Gotta eat the icing first!

Hey there...

I usually try to avoid writing on the blog if I'm not feeling real positive.  I hate to depress everyone!  Tonight I'm feeling a little "blue", but I need to recruit some prayers for my mother-in-law, Jan.  Following several painful episodes over the past few days, she paid a visit to the doctor today.  Based on a couple of tests, she is in need of an appointment with a cardiologist.  Tomorrow morning is that appointment and she'll go through some more testing to determine if there is anything to be concerned about.  As usual, she's staying strong and but knowing that you all are praying for her helps.  My gut tells me that she will be fine.

Peighton also paid a visit to the doctor today.  For the past several weeks she has been very fussy, had a loss of appetite, hasn't slept well, and has had some pretty nasty diapers.  I noticed that she has two molars about ready to pop through in her mouth.  That may explain these symptoms, but I wanted to play it safe and get her to the doctor.  Knowing that Jen most likely had cancer while pregnant with Peighton tends to make me over react when she isn't feeling well.  The probability of her contracting something as horrible as cancer from Jen is pretty much zilch, but I worry anyway.  Long story short -- she's fine.  Her teeth should be through the gums soon and we'll just watch her diet and diapers closely to see if maybe there's a food allergy of some sort that may be contributing to her minor bowel issues.

I've spoken to or received e-mails from many people sending their condolences but mentioning that they could not read the blog from start to finish.  The reasons vary.  A few minutes ago I attempted to look back at a year ago today and it was very difficult.  I have to admit that I don't think I could read it either.  That being said, I do think that many out there could benefit from Jen's posts.  You can quickly see which posts are hers in the archives because her titles do not have ... after them, mine do.  Jen's attitude and love jump right out of the screen at you.  I feel the same when I read Shawndra Turner's blog at www.shawndraturner.blogspot.com.

Thanks for a great Sunday event...

Thanks to everyone that participated in Sunday's event at the Trouser Mouse.  We had a great time.  The owner's, Brad and Angel, are two of the nicest people I have ever met and I'll make it a point to spend a little more time up there.  What a great place to hangout!  The Nace Brothers Band was fantastic.  Not only did the adults enjoy them, but the kids were all over the dance floor.  Emma was already making plans for her next birthday where she wants the "music guys from the party last night" to play.  Thanks to Tim and Ginelle Ries for coordinating everything, including the silent auction.  Thanks also to Tony and Ellen Trakas for donating a vacation stay at their Colorado home for the live auction.  I don't have an official tally yet, but unofficially around $4000 was raised.  This money will help serve as starter funds as we officially kick off the Jennifer Ireland Foundation.

Speaking of the Foundation...Bill Carr has us officially incorporated and we will now begin the tedious task of applying for 501(c)(3) status (tax exempt, charitable organization).  Over the next several weeks we will appoint a board of directors so that we may focus on our mission and objectives.  Then the fun part will come -- helping others in the name of my lovely wife, Jennifer Ireland.  I hope we can make her proud!

Have a good St. Paddy's weekend...

It has been a pretty productive week around here.  I owe a big thanks to my brother-in-law Jason for spending the week with us and helping me catch up.  I've always had a lot on my plate, but now...wow...I need about three plates.  Thanks also to my babysitters.  We miss Jana (who is on spring break), but Carlee, Amanda, and Jason have filled in wonderfully.  As usual, Jan is always around when we need her. 

We are looking forward to seeing everyone Sunday at the Trouser Mouse.  Several people have asked if children are welcome and the answer is yes.  The bar and grill is typically an adult establishment, but the kids are welcome to enjoy the atmosphere Sunday. 

The Crawl for Cancer registrations are starting to pick up.  Check out my March 6th post for details.  Rachael Althaus has kindly volunteered to help me coordinate everything.  She'll be compiling the registrations, setting up transportation, and working on hotel arrangements for those coming in from out of town.  Feel free to e-mail her at [email protected]. 

Have a great weekend!

Thanks to the great weather, Dennis and Tina were able to deliver Emma and Peighton's Christmas present last week.  We enjoyed the visit and the girls love the seesaw.  Jana seems to fit it perfectly!

Don't forget about Sunday's event...

 

               

     

A great time! 

Sunday March 18th we hope to see you at the Trouser Mouse Bar and Grill in Blue Springs.  We'd also like to announce that one of Mid-America's most popular touring bands, the Nace Brothers, will be performing.  Please come and enjoy the food, drink, and music as we remember our dearly beloved Jennifer.  A great night out with friends and family topped Jen's list of favorite things to do. 

This event was originally planned to benefit Jen and our family as we dealt with the burden and expense of traveling around the country looking for alternative treatments when locally we were out of options.  It will now serve as a benefit for our family and will also aid in establishing funds for the newly incorporated Jennifer Ireland Foundation.  Let's make it a celebration...so save some of your St. Paddy's energy for Sunday evening!

Colorectal Cancer Awareness...

There has been a decent amount of media coverage announcing the fact that it is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month.  I thought I'd mention it too.  My grandfather (Ivan Ireland) and my wife both had their lives cut short by this disease.  My grandfather fell into the demographic that is most often focused on when awareness is being encouraged.  Jen did not.  In hindsight, what would we have done differently to possibly catch Jen's disease early?  I'm not sure.  When Jen was plugging away with life, treatments, and and hopes for eventual cure we only looked forward.  Now I need to start looking backward with her doctors and others to try to find answers to what we could have done.  It would mean so much to me and our family to know that lessons learned from Jen's experience had saved another life. 

Please take a few minutes to read the "Know the Issues" page on the Colon Cancer Alliance website.  Maybe with a little bit of education in combination with the knowledge gained by following Jen's story, we can effectively help someone recognize a serious issue.  Early detection can save a life.