Monday, January 13, 2014

Halloween!

In 2012, J, C and I were mostly simple things. For J's work party, I was Cruella DeVil and that was fun. C was given two costumes, so he was a giraffe and a skeleton and J was a soccer player and I think Thing from The Addams Family.
So the day after Halloween, my (wonderful, dear….) friend, Tami and I went shopping because we were going to be the witches from Hocus Pocus!

So we got some things from Savers and then forgot about it for a few months.
We roped our husbands and children into it, and asked Cassandra to join us as the third sister.
Then I worked on making the costumes a bit more as Halloween drew nearer.
When C got sick, I hadn't made his costume, so I worried he'd be a very boring little boy not even remotely looking like his part. Thankfully, he let me do my embroidery (ha!) before Halloween!

Soooo I was Winifred Sanderson! J was Billy Butcherson (the zombie), and C was the Spellbook.
Tami was Mary Sanderson, her hubby was the band singer at the adults party, and their daughter was the black cat (Binx).
Cassandra was our Sarah Sanderson, her hubby was "Satan," and their son was Max!




"Black cats, dark nights…"-happy thoughts


I was quite proud of my costume. All of our costumes, really.
I twisted my hair up after it was wet and dealt with the oh so fun headache all day. I got the purple shirt, the green skirt, and the green velvet jumper from Savers. I cinched the skirt to fit me better and changed the jumper quite a bit. I cut the neckline down, sewed it into a V, and stitched it with gold string.
I then made a V from the bottom up to the waistline and hemmed that. It made it billow out a little more and looked a little more time appropriate. Then, I got some orange hair spray and did some makeup. It was awesome.

J's costume was pants from an old costume and a shirt from an old costume. The jacket, wig and fluffy neck…thingy… were from Savers. I made the cuffs and added to the…fluffy…neck…thingy... with a sheer material that Linda gave me. (what IS that thing called? And how on earth do you google it to find out?? haha)

C's costume was a block of fabric, a hole for the neck (made a bit bigger for that melon of a head), and stitching. I hemmed the sides up to give him arm holes and stitched an eyeball to it and embroidered the "skin" stitches all over. It was time intensive, but fun. I felt really accomplished.
J's mom is big into costumes and loves making them and holds a high bar in J's book. After the Ward Trunk or Treat, he told me that my costumes were up at her level! Score 1 for the wifey!


A few days later, Tami and Eric invited us over for a Dia de los Muertos party. There were two other couples there. You could visit, paint your faces, snack… Tami, Eric, J and I were the only ones to paint our faces. We totally rocked it. :) I put flowers on my cheek and forehead and J put flames on the side of his face. 
Funny story.
After I'd painted my face, my dad called me on FaceTime. So I answered and made a funny face so that would be the first thing he saw. I think I startled him. It was funny.

I love Halloween. I'm glad J likes it too and hope that C and all of our other future kids love it too. It's too much fun to dress up and just let go.
We already have some plans for this year… :)

Saturday, January 11, 2014

The Emergency Room Visits of October 2013

This is going to be long. I haven't really documented this event, so this is more for me than for you or for pity or to complain. It's going to be a lot of complaining, I think, so I'm sorry about that…
In advance, know that we are all doing well and C is healthy.

The last weekend of October, C got quite sick. He was throwing up, tired, sad…
We didn't think much of it except just a tummy bug.
I stayed home with C for some of church and J switched me places so I could go to Young Women's.

This picture is from Monday the 28th at about 9. Just unhappy and sick and not able to keep anything in his system.

At 11, I was sitting on the floor looking at his picture book of Christ with him on my lap when he went rigid.
His back arched, he stopped breathing, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He wouldn't respond and still kept on not breathing. I frantically called 911 and told them my baby wasn't breathing.
The guy on the phone told me to lay C on his back and make sure nothing was in his airway. Then, when I checked and found nothing, he said to just keep him calm until help could come.
He came to after about a minute and cried. He just cried and cried and was soooo tired that he zonked. 
The ambulance came and helped me by calming me down, telling me everything would be fine, and taking me and C to the ER.
On the way, he said that C could have had a seizure (which is what I had thought and figured it must be) and it could have been from a spike in his temperature.
Thing is, C hadn't had a temperature. Just throwing up.
I got hold of J and he left work as quickly as he could to come help me.

This is in the ER after a blood draw, several failed catheters, and lots of scary nurses and Drs with gloves.
Everything came back normal. He didn't have a fever, his blood was clean, his breathing was normal, they couldn't get any urine because he couldn't relax to get the catheter in, so they just wanted to get what they could with what they had.
The assumption was that he had a seizure-like episode because of throwing up, so they prescribed a tablet to put under his tongue to keep him from throwing up.

We went home about 2 hours later. We got some McDonald's on our way, got home, ate, got some crackers into C, and right at the end of the meal, C threw up allll over me and the chair I was in. (about 3)

I went over to clean up and wipe down, then sat on the floor with him to calm him down and another "episode" started. Same place, similar situation, but his eyes stayed open. 
He was still unresponsive, it still lasted the same amount of time, and he woke up crying, then fell asleep like the first time.
We got in the car, called the ER and told them we were on our way again, and rushed to the hospital.

The tests came back clean again, he still couldn't give them any urine, he was angrier with them, his Gma came, we walked around the halls, watched tv, and did whatever we could to keep him happy. He wanted NOTHING to do with the room, people in scrubs, and definitely tools. 
At one point, I sat down on the Dr.'s swiveling stool (you know the one I'm talking about… the one we all have wanted to spin around on) with C and sat at the sink where he proceeded to play and play and play and got me SOAKED! But he was happy, I was wet and covered in puke, but I was happy because he was finally happy.

The Pediatric Neural Physician said he wasn't too worried because C was a healthy boy and recommended we just go home so he could be comfortable.

So we went home. After another 2 1/2 hours or so.


Then at 6, I was sitting on the floor, reading him a book to calm him down after giving him some tylenol or something like that and it happened again. C's Gma was there helping us get settled in when it happened. 
By this time, we didn't FREAK out as much as time one and two because we knew there wasn't anything to do at that time.
We called our neighbors (she had texted me earlier to ask if everything was alright because she saw the ambulance. She then offered us food that she'd made and had ready for us) and had him help J give C a blessing. I stayed on the floor, holding C in the kitchen. Then, while J got things gathered together, I just cried. Linda (C's Gma) held me and comforted me.
She was such a blessing to me that day. She helped me, strengthened me, kept me going. I know it was so very hard for her, but I am thankful she was there.

So we left for the ER and called them in the car. They told us to go to Downtown Boise to the Pediatric ER especially since it was late (-er). 
At the Pediatric ER, we got him all dressed in the (adorable) little gown, they got him on an IV, and got a catheter to work. We told the whole day's story again, described the seizure/episode again, relived it again… It was so difficult.
Then we waited.
An Hour? 2? It felt like forever. Linda went and got us dinner at about 8, so I think we were down in the receiving room for about 2 hours.
The nurses brought in a pretty cool thing, though. I wish I could've gotten a picture of it. It was a large clear tube with water in it with a bubble maker and lights in the bottom of it. There were fiber optic lights to play with too. So we turned off the lights and played with this soother for a good 45 minutes-hour. When dinner came, we were moved upstairs to a room to spend the night in.
They wanted to watch C the whole night, get him on an oxygen reader-a little probe on his big toe- and just watch.
So we came upstairs, told the story, moved into a little 9x9 square, and thankfully didn't have to get poked. The IV was difficult because having a cord attached to a 15 month old who only wants to play is very very hard. He got used to it and used to the board to hold it there on his little hand eventually.
After lots of questions and 2 hours, they gave him a drug that should help him not have any seizures (by this point, we were all quite sure they were seizures, not just little episodes) and would put him to sleep.

So at 10, we waited for him to fall asleep. 

This was him when he finally did fall asleep.

Pads on the sides because of seizures, an IV, a board on his arm to keep the IV in place…
I had to put every diaper on the scale and throw away wipes (use your own wipes if you go to the hospital. Theirs are cruddy…useful tip…)

J went home for the night. I stayed there and slept on the couch. Before he left, he got me a toothbrush, toothpaste, a contact case and solution. 
The night was uneventful. Thank heavens. But I slept horribly. Those couches are NOT comfortable. And sleeping in jeans because people come in every 3 hours is not great either. 

At about 7, C woke up pretty happy. Groggy, but happy. And HUNGRY. A the same time, an EEG crew came to run an EEG on him. It's a test where they put lots and lots of probes on the head and measure electrical impulses from the brain for about 20 minutes.
Putting the probes on is a very time-consuming task. They put a cleansing goo on the head (like a sugar scrub), then put a soft goo (like crisco) on the probe, then stick it to the head. 
So while the lady is doing this, I'm PRAYING J is on his way soooooon, holding C, trying to keep him still and from pulling wires because apparently the crisco goo is supposed to keep the probes there? 

He calmed down the most when I gave him milk. 
Then threw up allll over me again.
Bah! I felt soooo gross! (thankfully, I had ordered clean everything from J when he returned)
So the lady took off the probes, took her computer, and left us in our messy, crying fun.
They would order the EEG when he was napping. (Ha!)

So J got there soon after the most recent vomit and I got to shower. Ah, the powers of a healing shower so you can cry and wipe off all the vomit and tears and slobber and snot (not your own…) and come out a better mommy.

We ordered food for C and me. I ate most, but he was interested in crackers and small things here and there.

Because of his IV, he started having lots more wet diapers. As the day went on, he even had some stools. They wanted to get some tests on those, so I happily handed over the stinky diaper 
(poor nurses! Gross!)

So we had lunch, tried to play, tried to eat, and struggled to keep him happy. Poor kid had gotten a reputation as the crying baby. And because he had thrown up, they had to put on those big gowns, masks, and gloves every time they came in. I don't think that made them more likable.

The EEG people came in at about 12 and got to work. This group was a little more stubborn. We pulled the rails down on the crib, I held one end, and J held the other of poor C while he SCREAMED bloody murder the entire 30 minutes it took to put all the probes on (with tape this time, thankfully).
The part I worried about the most was that during the EEG, they want them to be as calm as possible.
Amazingly enough, we finished putting the probes on him, wrapped him up like a psych patient, and he zonked.

He was so tired. This picture breaks my heart every single time I look at it. Every. Single. Time.
Look at all of those wires! And my poor tired babe!
 He slept through the entire thing. I was so proud. When we took off the probes, he woke up and wanted to play. The guy said that the goo would come out with water...
 it didn't… :)
I love his hair here. Makes him look soooo cute!

After a little bit, we wanted him to nap. And I needed one, too!
So since the window was rather bright, we put a sheet on his crib, but he saw that as a peek-a-boo game…
Napping didn't really work that day. :)

Dinner time, he was a happier, kinder kid. Linda came, J and I escaped to get dinner (with orders to not touch anything like our face and then the door because we'd held C), then came back with some food for C. He ate a lot more than any of the meals in the past 3 days, and threw cocoa puffs around the room while laughing. Oh, it made me feel so much better. (and I knew I didn't have to clean it up… :) )

The Dr's decided his seizures were from dehydration and being sick. So he was sick, his seizure threshold is lower than most, and then he was dehydrated, so his body went into a seizure. Three times. We still hadn't gotten results back from his stool. They were wondering about a bacteria.
He was prescribed a rectal medicine if he has another seizure lasting 5 minutes (KILL ME if that happens!!) or more than one in 12 hours.
I got to watch a video explaining how to do it, we packed, searched frantically for lost keys, and finally left at about 9.
This is him on our way out. Happily able to wiggle his fingers where the IV had stopped him. He had had to learn how to crawl with a stump instead of a wrist because bending his wrist meant kinking the IV. I'm amazed at his strength through this ordeal!
So we got home, put him straight to bed, and set an alarm to check on him every 3 hours. It was a long night, but an uneventful night.

The next day, we were able to sit and relax. I freaked out at every cough or pause, but he was fine.
This is us the next day. He was obviously tired, but definitely felt a lot better.
He has had no signs of seizures since October. He has been happy and healthy and we are thankful for it. We worry when he cries for so long that he'll make himself seize. But hopefully we can prevent that.
I will never forget what it felt like to hold a 15 month old who was having a seizure.
I will never forget what it looked like.
I will never forget what it felt like to panic and wonder what you were doing wrong.
I will always be thankful that it was only that one time. But I will probably see that in my head for the rest of my life.
However...
That weekend in Young Women's, we were challenged to write at least 2 things we were thankful for in a thankful journal.
My list was full of important things like modern medicine, ambulances, blessings…
I am so thankful for the blessings we have in this day. I'm thankful for the priesthood and that I have a husband who is worthy and willing to bless us with that power. I am so thankful my sweet boy is healthy and happy.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Octobler!


Octobler!
My mom would (still does) type October as Octobler instead.
It stuck. :) They have Octobler-fest every year. Maybe one day I can go to it again... 
Our October was a good month. It got INSANE at the end, but that'll be a whole other post.
First, we drove to Utah to be with my parents and little brother when they drove out. It was so great! 

C liked the singing part of General Conference. I've noticed that Conference is NOT the same for me anymore. I don't get as much out of it as I used to. I guess that's really why the Ensign prints out all of the talks is for people who weren't really able to put all of their attention on it.

C LOVES his grandparents. And I love that!

Feeding them treats
I need to do better at getting pictures when I'm visiting with my family. I tend to forget to document…
It was a nice weekend and very relaxing right after my subbing job. 

A very concerned dead bug

Documentation to prove that I DID run back then…now? not so much with snow...

C learned to walk!!
It was a little here and there and only when the goal was about 4 steps away, but he did it a little!
Then, the bruises came! This nice little one is from our very firm, metal coffee table edge…poor boy!!!

We did a lot of waiting on Daddy while the weather was still nice and he rode his motorcycle to work.
One night, we were driving back from J's parents' place and he had the bike and C looked out his window and said "Dada!" at his Daddy on the motorcycle. It was so cute!
This is after Daddy came home, so we had C try on his helmet. Too cute.

There's just something adorable about a kid asleep in a carseat that I love.
Oh, and we went to forward facing in October when we went to Utah. Best Decision EVER… He decided we'd been holding out on him… :)

Perched on his toys

TyTy left for his mission halfway through the month.
He was called to Tampa Florida English speaking.
Pretty sure he left a trail of broken hearts behind… those poor girls! :)

Ty with his parents

These two have been thick as thieves for a long while. It's a sweet, great relationship.

We love uncles!!
C didn't want to take a picture, but he loves playing with his uncle!


The Hortons came up from Utah for the farewell! How cool is that!

The picture is blurry, but this is the menu we had for his farewell party.
Lotsa Floridian stuff!-pretty yummy, too!-

Everyone assembling. (I took care of the baby and took pictures??)

We love the letters we are getting from him. He's truly learning a lot and saving lots of souls-maybe mine is on that list, too. He has said some very profound things that have spoken right to my heart.

Gma & Gpa C got this pop-up fort when TJ was littler and when I saw it in the closet, I HAD to get it out! C loves it, too! It's cute to watch him play in it.

Gma also organized her pantry a little so that C could go in as  he wanted. I'm pretty sure this room is his favorite in the entire house.

Apparently I let him play too long before he ate lunch.

I LOVE THIS KID!!!

J took me to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my success with the subbing job I had.
Here's C with his chicken tenders.

Yummy food!!

Dark picture… but the food was fantastic!!!

Too cute not to share!

In defiance and angst (I'm pretty sure), he takes off his pants and throws all of the things out of his crib when he cries too long. So funny. 

He wanted nothing to do with the leaves. One day, he will. :)
Octobler was great! I was able to be with my sweet babe and be home a lot more and I loved that. I am definitely made to be a teacher, but I prefer being a mommy.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

September

Man, I'm not doing well, am I??
Maybe I should resolve to blog more… But I'm not sure if that's attainable… lol

But here's September!

We had TyTy over for a weekend, so we played outside and drew pretty pictures





We made a delicious rice krispy treat cake with WAYYY too much frosting… :)

Ty's 19th Birthday!

I couldn't help but post this picture. I was taking pictures while he opened presents and I got this gem… 
We sure love Ty. :) 

I cut C's hair! Scary, took forever, made me sad, but it looked nice!



An after picture


 my cute little Ducky

This was earlier before the haircut. It rained a TON and C loves being outside, so we sat out there after a rain and played with the bark from the garden. I love that curly-haired kid!

 Ty received his mission call to Tampa Florida for 2 years, so we were able to attend his endowment session at the temple. It was a beautiful experience. It was also J and my first time with the new changes and, my goodness, it was amazing.

I did my subbing starting in August, right? Here are a few photos from the whole 7 week experience.
I love teaching, but these kids put me through the ringer.
I know, they are definitely cute… but they were really tough. :) I was thankful when it was over.
J was able to move his work hours and start in the afternoon and then my wonderful Mother in Law took C for the afternoon. Then, when she couldn't, our friend, Becky did. We were very blessed. I got a new computer from subbing there!! Huzzah! :)

The addition strategies I copied from my friend's classroom.

One of the moms brought a cake for my last day! How sweet is that?!

The teachers gave me a gift card to Olive Garden and a bouquet of flowers, J sent me orchids and lilies, and the mom with the cake brought this cool plant! (no idea what it's called…)

TJ sent C a hammering toy. He loves it. Problem is that he loves to hammer things now… the hammer has been put away, but this toy is still out… :)
I love the foot wrapped around it

We went to the zoo with Becky and family  one saturday. That was cool!

After, J, C and I went to Chick-fil-A. Love Chick-fil-A!!!

Playing on Daddy's head

Daddy got a motorcycle! It is a very pretty bike whose information has slipped my memory at the time… J might comment and tell us...

Here's C on the bike… :)

 C started walking a little but mostly with our help.
This is the best view in the house. sigh

 Every september, my MIL takes her daughters on a 5K that is in the valley every year. It's usually a women's only 5K, but this year, they opened it to families. I think I like it better as a women's only event. But there is a women's only 9K as part of it. I think I'd be interested in running the 4 by myself, then joining and walking the rest with them  next year…. we'll see...
 After the walk, C ate an apple and enjoyed it quite a bit.

 Cuteness dose of the day!

Playing video games with Daddy.
I love these two!!!