Why the name change?

Why the blog name change? Well, that's easy. Anyone who has been following our blog is well aware of the year we've had. But, if you're new here, this is the breakdown:

January - Got a stomach virus that led to LOTS of blood work (I have the best OBGYN in the world). My thyroid levels were off, so my OB sent me to an endocrinologist. Found a nodule on my thyroid (I was 28 weeks prego).

February - Was admitted to hospital for pre-eclampsia and was put on bed rest for 3 1/2 weeks.

March - Delivered a perfectly healthy baby boy via c-section at 37 weeks, Cooper James Edwards.

April - Learned to be a mama to a baby with a milk allergy. Lots of formula changes. Poor fella was miserable most of this month. In the middle of all this, Jared's dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Renal Cancer. He had one of his kidney's and 1/3 of his lung removed.

May - Biopsy of my thyroid nodule was benign. A few days after a partial thyroidectomy on May 18, we learned the biopsy was wrong. I was diagnosed with follicular thyroid carcinoma (my 2nd run-in with cancer in 13 years). On May 31, I went back into surgery for a completion thyroidectomy. In the middle of ALL this, Cooper had to have an ultrasound of his esophagus and an upper GI. That was scarier than any cancer diagnosis for this mama. Turns out, he may not have a milk allergy after all (and then again he might, but we aren't testing those waters). He was diagnosed with severe reflux. Meds and new formula ... He's much better! Oh, and I quit my job and started my own work-from-home-marketing biz!

June - Attempted to recover from 3 surgeries in 3 months, got Cooper feeling better. Jared's dad started his chemo pill and is feeling much better. Things are starting to feel more like normal.

July - Started and completed my treatment for thyroid cancer including a low iodine diet, becoming ridiculously hypothyroid and undergoing radioactive iodine therapy. Had to be away from Cooper and Jared for 2 weeks. Isolation - worst part of this whole shin dig. Cooper stayed with my sister. We facetime'd. It was better than nothing. Oh, and did I mention that my calcium dropped down to stroke level, and my phosphorus was too high. I feel like I'm 100 years old.

August - Got my calcium and phosphorus straightened out. GOT COOPER BACK!!!! Jared caught a cold. Cooper caught a cold that turned into Croup. Cooper spent his first night in the hospital for Croup. Yes, Croup. It's not just a cough like most people think. It's when your airway closes, and your child can't breathe. It's dangerous and scary! Also, Cooper cut his first 2 teeth at the same time. And, last but not least, somewhere in there I tried to recover from my cancer treatment. (Insert laugh here.)

Now, it's September. Jared is sick again. He's on his way to the doctor right now. Cooper is beginning to show signs of his cold disappearing. And, I'm tired just from typing this!

I went through all of this not to complain. Trust me. I don't ever want you to think that I'm bitter about anything that has happened in my life. I'm not. I'm a believer that all things happen for the good of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All things. Not just the good things. I will always do my best to either find the good in every situation or at least praise His name knowing that good will come out of it.

So, now that it's September, and I'm hoping all of our sicknesses are on the mend, I'm on a mission to have a healthy family. But, my focus - and this blog - will not just be on health and wellness. When I say that I'm on a mission to find our healthy road of happiness, I'm talking about a lot of things: eating better (and not to the extremes of some folks - we WILL have chocolate on occasion), exercising, laughing, spending time with each other, spending time with family, spending time with friends, enjoying more with less, having our finances where they need to be, growing our relationship with our Heavenly Father, etc. To me, a healthy happy means we love each other, we give our whole life to God, we teach our son the true meaning of life. It's pretty much having our life as "together" as possible ... all while having loads of fun! So, stay tuned. The Edwards family is on a mission (or at least the mama is and everyone else has to tag along)!