Today is Seth's last day of clinicals! Yay for no more paying money to go to work or 6 day work weeks!
And despite the dreary rain outside, we are all doing a little happy dance! Congrats to my amazing hubby for all the hard work to get here! We couldn't be more proud of you, love!
P.S. Doctor says I probably will be able to go with Seth to do his poster presentation! Woo Hoo! This will be our first family vacation in a VERY long time and we are all so excited! Pray that it all works out for us, will ya? I had to buy a maternity swimsuit for the first time...kind of depressing when you are hugely pregnant, but enjoying the sunshine and swimming with the kiddos will be worth it, right!?
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
sweet moment - not forgotten
A few weeks ago we had a beautiful Sunday and the kids spent the afternoon at Grandma Becky's outside enjoying the sunshine with Uncle Stephen. As I was updating my new laptop with all of the custom settings and workspaces I had on my old laptop (which is a giant pain, by the way), I found this gem. The kids love to play with Uncle Stephen and I never have to worry a bit when they are with him. He will certainly be missed when he is off on his mission in England for 2 years!
As we are interviewing for jobs and as graduation gets closer and closer, the reality of moving away from all of our wonderful family and friends is sinking in deeper and deeper. So just like this beautiful ray of sunshine on a cold Sunday in March, we are soaking up our time with all of the people we love at every chance we get!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
keenly aware
Every few months I get all sappy and post the deeper thoughts of my heart, which usually involve spiritual thoughts, and this is one of those posts. I would be lying if I told you that things have been all roses around here lately. It seems as if every time I turn around something else has gone or is going wrong. Car troubles, contractions that shouldn't be happening, ladders making giant holes in walls while we are standing on them painting over dings and scratches, Seth's approval to begin the research element of his capstone project being delayed and threatening a delayed graduation, packing, packing, painting, packing, rain and snow interfering with mini-sessions and causing me to reschedule all of them, my laptop screen going out, sick kids, 4 doctor's appointments in one week, the uncertainty of applying to jobs in cities we have never seen...and the list goes on.
Truly, looking at it all like that, you would think our lives have been one big giant mess...and in a way it kind of has! But every little glitch that comes along, we pray and hope and try to go on faith that it will all be ok, and in every single instance, an immediate blessing is poured out upon us. My testimony of prayer has been strengthened time and time again as needs are met with perfect timing when everything feels completely hopeless. The awareness that a loving Father in Heaven knows me and my family personally and knows even the simplest of our trials has been reaffirmed as caring friends and family have reached out to help or offer help. Our little family has been so blessed with feelings of love for each other and many little moments when we just beam with happiness at the chance to spend time together. And as I look at all these "trials" I see blessings, sweet sweet blessings that have made me stronger, brought me closer to the Lord and strengthened our little family so much.
Here we are with only 2 days left of clinicals, call backs for interviews at every job Seth has applied for, an extra date added for capstone presentations, a few days off next week for spring break and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Blessings, I tell you!
So, where do we go from here? Our house will be on the MLS later this week (I just have to take a picture of the front of the house and the kitchen - after I clean it - and send it over to our agent. The biproduct of being a photographer is wanting to take your own pics of your house). Seth is in the initial phase of phone interviews for jobs and then we will proceed from there, but there are quite a few opportunities out of state that look promising and we are getting excited for the adventure (especially because a number of the jobs pay relocation costs so hired movers will be doing all the work - love that.) Seth will present his capstone project on April 25 and it is getting close to being finished and ready, and graduation is coming up on May 5. On our fun date night, we picked up his cap and gown and it is certainly a fancy ensemble! Special robe, and doctorate hood, and even fun little honors society tassles...I am so proud of him for all that he has done to get here!
As part of his capstone project, Seth had to submit his project for consideration to be featured at an upcoming conference. We fully expected (and, dare I say, hoped) that it would not be accepted as it is very competitive and more work if it is accepted, but news came yesterday that his project was accepted and he needs to be there to present it...fabulous news for his resume...not so fabulous news as far as additional work, money, time and travel involved, particularly because I will be 36 weeks at the time of the conference, but a great opportunity regardless and another reason to be so proud of my wonderful husband. Then it is on to boards, pharmacy boards and state licensing in May. Little miss still-no-idea-what-we-will-name-her (suggestions?) is due June 6, but will likely be born at least a week earlier, maybe more if I keep moving furniture and lifting boxes, but Seth will be around more to prevent that, so probably just a week early. And if everything works out timing wise, we are hoping to be moved and starting a job by the end of June.
It has been a rollercoaster ride, and I am certain the ride will continue for at least a few more weeks, but I wouldn't trade it. I am so grateful for the support of friends and family and especially for the help from heaven! And, I promise to post some pictures when my new laptop arrives and I get it all set up, until then words will have to do! :)
Truly, looking at it all like that, you would think our lives have been one big giant mess...and in a way it kind of has! But every little glitch that comes along, we pray and hope and try to go on faith that it will all be ok, and in every single instance, an immediate blessing is poured out upon us. My testimony of prayer has been strengthened time and time again as needs are met with perfect timing when everything feels completely hopeless. The awareness that a loving Father in Heaven knows me and my family personally and knows even the simplest of our trials has been reaffirmed as caring friends and family have reached out to help or offer help. Our little family has been so blessed with feelings of love for each other and many little moments when we just beam with happiness at the chance to spend time together. And as I look at all these "trials" I see blessings, sweet sweet blessings that have made me stronger, brought me closer to the Lord and strengthened our little family so much.
Here we are with only 2 days left of clinicals, call backs for interviews at every job Seth has applied for, an extra date added for capstone presentations, a few days off next week for spring break and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Blessings, I tell you!
So, where do we go from here? Our house will be on the MLS later this week (I just have to take a picture of the front of the house and the kitchen - after I clean it - and send it over to our agent. The biproduct of being a photographer is wanting to take your own pics of your house). Seth is in the initial phase of phone interviews for jobs and then we will proceed from there, but there are quite a few opportunities out of state that look promising and we are getting excited for the adventure (especially because a number of the jobs pay relocation costs so hired movers will be doing all the work - love that.) Seth will present his capstone project on April 25 and it is getting close to being finished and ready, and graduation is coming up on May 5. On our fun date night, we picked up his cap and gown and it is certainly a fancy ensemble! Special robe, and doctorate hood, and even fun little honors society tassles...I am so proud of him for all that he has done to get here!
As part of his capstone project, Seth had to submit his project for consideration to be featured at an upcoming conference. We fully expected (and, dare I say, hoped) that it would not be accepted as it is very competitive and more work if it is accepted, but news came yesterday that his project was accepted and he needs to be there to present it...fabulous news for his resume...not so fabulous news as far as additional work, money, time and travel involved, particularly because I will be 36 weeks at the time of the conference, but a great opportunity regardless and another reason to be so proud of my wonderful husband. Then it is on to boards, pharmacy boards and state licensing in May. Little miss still-no-idea-what-we-will-name-her (suggestions?) is due June 6, but will likely be born at least a week earlier, maybe more if I keep moving furniture and lifting boxes, but Seth will be around more to prevent that, so probably just a week early. And if everything works out timing wise, we are hoping to be moved and starting a job by the end of June.
It has been a rollercoaster ride, and I am certain the ride will continue for at least a few more weeks, but I wouldn't trade it. I am so grateful for the support of friends and family and especially for the help from heaven! And, I promise to post some pictures when my new laptop arrives and I get it all set up, until then words will have to do! :)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
DATE NIGHT!
That's right...Seth and I are going on a date tonight! It has become such a rare event with all the craziness happening around here. Of course the time should probably be spent finishing our painting project or finishing up moving the last of the furniture and holiday decor that is going into storage, but we are throwing caution to the wind, leaving the kids with a sitter and heading out!
Curious to know what we are doing for our date that is so exciting?
Do we know how to go on an intimate fancy date or what? ;)
Curious to know what we are doing for our date that is so exciting?
Our date night itinerary:
order a graduation cap and gown
attend a job fair
Honors society induction dinner at La Caille
Do we know how to go on an intimate fancy date or what? ;)
Monday, March 28, 2011
More Birthday Fun
In honor of Chloe's birthday and the fact that smileabunch photography is celebrating its first birthday, I am giving away a session and product credit over on the blog! Click on this link to see the HAPPY BIRTHDAY post and leave a comment there to be entered to win...it is seriously that easy (comments on this post will not count). Even if we do move out of state, I plan to schedule sessions in Salt Lake whenever we come home to visit, so don't worry...we will make it happen even if you want to schedule after maternity leave. :)
Yay for birthdays...next up is SETH! 31 and done (with school) baby!
Yay for birthdays...next up is SETH! 31 and done (with school) baby!
Happy 4th Birthday Chloe!
Well, my little lady's birthday is finally here! She has been anxiously awaiting this day and now she is finally four years old!
Dear Chloe -
Thank you for introducing me to mothering girls! You came to us from heaven on a pink cloud, loving princesses and dolls and playing house and dressing up and wanting to be pretty and immediately we were smitten with you! You love to have your nails painted and your hair curled and to coordinate every outfit with lovely accessories! You would wear a dress every single day if I would let you and you love it when mom makes you pettiskirts, tutus and hair bows. You love to read books and color and play princesses/barbies/ponies/littlest petshops/dressups/house. Most of all, you love to play with your brother and sister. They are your best best friends and you always want to be with them! You have a mind of your own for sure...and you let us know when our plan is not in line with yours, but you are great at taking a deep breath (after we remind you) and listening to the reasons for our plan...and usually you can be persuaded to be agreeable. You are such a talker. You have been speaking in complete sentences since long before you were 2, and you haven't slowed down since. You have an expansive vocabulary and are constantly making Mom and Dad and random strangers giggle with your "proper" phrases that you love to interject correctly into sentences. You don't say "yeah"...you say, "Of course. I'd love to do that!"
I love your cheery outlook...to you the world is roses and there is joy to be found in all of it! Mommy loves to be reminded of that each day as you find life's little joys! You love to pray...every time we say a family prayer you volunteer. You love primary and learning from your teachers and you have so much faith. As we teach you about the gospel and the values and rules in our family, we also try to teach you that it is ok if other people believe differently and make different choices. You have grasped this concept so deeply at such a young age. You know what is expected of you, but you love everyone even if they do things that you have learned not to do. You are such a loving and caring girl. You LOVE to give snuggles and hugs and kisses and your morning/rest time/bed time are not complete until you have gotten at least one hug and kiss from Mom or Dad or both. When you play with a friend, you love to hold their hand and get really close to them and go places together...it isn't really that great when someone likes their personal space, but you are learning to be aware of that too. ;)
You are the pickiest eater in the family, but you still eat just about anything we give you. You do NOT like the texture of coconut (but you don't mind the taste, which is good because I use a lot of coconut in my cooking). If you eat an Almond Joy you immediately gag it back out and wipe it off your tongue. It is so funny to watch. Sometimes you think things look icky, but you usually try them and end up liking them. You love salad and you still love your meat! Give you a steak any day of the week and you will undoubtedly ask for seconds! You love peanut butter sandwiches and ask for them every.single.day for lunch. mom hates making peanut butter every day, so you acquiesce and have other things, but you would definitely prefer peanut butter. Your favorite shows are Super Why and Backyardigans. You love pretty much all disney movies, but of course, the princess movies are your favorites. You use the term princess pretty liberally though, so Morgan often tries to convince you to watch the movie he wants by telling you that the girl in it is a princess...and you follow along. You have a firm grasp on real and pretend...and if someone is pretending or teasing trying to be silly, you call them out on it. You love to play pretend, but you realize that it is only pretending.
You are not in love with school, but you always have fun when you go...I can't say I blame you because I am not thrilled with your school this year either. You are fabulous at math and can count like a pro (you may skip a few numbers along the way, but you can pretty much count to thirty). You are learning your letters, but they are coming a little slower. You love to draw and have started to draw very realistic images, but you have no interest whatsoever in writing. You love your family...you know all of your aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins by name and you love them all. You talk about them often and I know that you feel loved when you are around them. You love your mom and dad and you tell us often. Not a day passes when I don't have a snuggly little girl on my lap telling me how much she loves me. You adore your Daddy and love to spend time with him whenever you get the chance. You can't wait for baby sister to join our family and you have gotten rather impatient waiting for her and have started demanding that she come out RIGHT NOW! I am so glad that you want to be my best buddy forever sweet girl! I am looking forward to a lot of fun fun times in the future with you! Thank you for being my shopping buddy, cooking helper, hug and kiss giver, and optimistic chatterbox. I love you with all my heart!
xoxoxo,
Mommy
Dear Chloe -
Thank you for introducing me to mothering girls! You came to us from heaven on a pink cloud, loving princesses and dolls and playing house and dressing up and wanting to be pretty and immediately we were smitten with you! You love to have your nails painted and your hair curled and to coordinate every outfit with lovely accessories! You would wear a dress every single day if I would let you and you love it when mom makes you pettiskirts, tutus and hair bows. You love to read books and color and play princesses/barbies/ponies/littlest petshops/dressups/house. Most of all, you love to play with your brother and sister. They are your best best friends and you always want to be with them! You have a mind of your own for sure...and you let us know when our plan is not in line with yours, but you are great at taking a deep breath (after we remind you) and listening to the reasons for our plan...and usually you can be persuaded to be agreeable. You are such a talker. You have been speaking in complete sentences since long before you were 2, and you haven't slowed down since. You have an expansive vocabulary and are constantly making Mom and Dad and random strangers giggle with your "proper" phrases that you love to interject correctly into sentences. You don't say "yeah"...you say, "Of course. I'd love to do that!"
I love your cheery outlook...to you the world is roses and there is joy to be found in all of it! Mommy loves to be reminded of that each day as you find life's little joys! You love to pray...every time we say a family prayer you volunteer. You love primary and learning from your teachers and you have so much faith. As we teach you about the gospel and the values and rules in our family, we also try to teach you that it is ok if other people believe differently and make different choices. You have grasped this concept so deeply at such a young age. You know what is expected of you, but you love everyone even if they do things that you have learned not to do. You are such a loving and caring girl. You LOVE to give snuggles and hugs and kisses and your morning/rest time/bed time are not complete until you have gotten at least one hug and kiss from Mom or Dad or both. When you play with a friend, you love to hold their hand and get really close to them and go places together...it isn't really that great when someone likes their personal space, but you are learning to be aware of that too. ;)
You are the pickiest eater in the family, but you still eat just about anything we give you. You do NOT like the texture of coconut (but you don't mind the taste, which is good because I use a lot of coconut in my cooking). If you eat an Almond Joy you immediately gag it back out and wipe it off your tongue. It is so funny to watch. Sometimes you think things look icky, but you usually try them and end up liking them. You love salad and you still love your meat! Give you a steak any day of the week and you will undoubtedly ask for seconds! You love peanut butter sandwiches and ask for them every.single.day for lunch. mom hates making peanut butter every day, so you acquiesce and have other things, but you would definitely prefer peanut butter. Your favorite shows are Super Why and Backyardigans. You love pretty much all disney movies, but of course, the princess movies are your favorites. You use the term princess pretty liberally though, so Morgan often tries to convince you to watch the movie he wants by telling you that the girl in it is a princess...and you follow along. You have a firm grasp on real and pretend...and if someone is pretending or teasing trying to be silly, you call them out on it. You love to play pretend, but you realize that it is only pretending.
You are not in love with school, but you always have fun when you go...I can't say I blame you because I am not thrilled with your school this year either. You are fabulous at math and can count like a pro (you may skip a few numbers along the way, but you can pretty much count to thirty). You are learning your letters, but they are coming a little slower. You love to draw and have started to draw very realistic images, but you have no interest whatsoever in writing. You love your family...you know all of your aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins by name and you love them all. You talk about them often and I know that you feel loved when you are around them. You love your mom and dad and you tell us often. Not a day passes when I don't have a snuggly little girl on my lap telling me how much she loves me. You adore your Daddy and love to spend time with him whenever you get the chance. You can't wait for baby sister to join our family and you have gotten rather impatient waiting for her and have started demanding that she come out RIGHT NOW! I am so glad that you want to be my best buddy forever sweet girl! I am looking forward to a lot of fun fun times in the future with you! Thank you for being my shopping buddy, cooking helper, hug and kiss giver, and optimistic chatterbox. I love you with all my heart!
xoxoxo,
Mommy
Sunday, March 27, 2011
What a month
March is almost over and what a month it has been! When I posted the adorable picture of my little girlies, Brynn had just gotten over the stomach flu. Luckily, the worst of it was during the 2 days that Seth was home because he was in between clinical-rotations. But the day after our photo shoot, she got a cough. The next day the cough turned a little wheezy and it was keeping her up at night and during her naps. The next day was a Saturday. She woke up with a slight fever, so Seth gave her motrin before heading off to work. She perked up and seemed to be doing better and Morgan had a busy day of birthday parties, so I loaded everyone in the car and we ran errands in between all the picking up and dropping off at birthday parties.
By the time we picked Morgan up from the last party, Brynn was burning up, coughing like crazy and didn't want to do anything but have me hold her little body close to mine. I called Seth at work and we decided it would be best to take her into an Urgent Care. The Urgent Care doctor suggested I take her up to the Primary Children's Hospital ER immediately where they would most likely admit her and keep her overnight because it was very likely that she had RSV.
None of my kids have ever had to go to the ER and the stress of the day, combined with my pregnant hormones, and feeling completely overwhelmed at the thought of doing it all alone, I completely broke down and burst into tears. My sweet mother-in-law was happy to take the older kids and endure my breakdown on the phone, so I dropped Morgan and Chloe off there and headed up to the hospital with little miss Brynn. Seth called when I was almost to the parking lot to let me know he was able to get off of his shift early and that he was heading up to the hospital. I could not have been more thankful for my sweet husband at that moment, who knew that I really needed his support even though I hadn't told him or subjected him to my sobbing breakdown. There was no wait in the ER, so they took us right back and checked her. She was such a trooper. She did everything they asked her to do and smiled and told everyone thank you and waved goodbye any time someone left the room. After Seth got there, they did an RSV swab and she completely freaked out. Unfortunately, that was followed by an albuterol treatment and it took me, Seth and the respiratory therapist to keep the mask on her. She is definitely a determined little thing. It completely wore her out, though and she fell asleep on Seth after she calmed down.
They took a chest x-ray and found that she possibly had pneumonia as well, and her RSV swab came back positive. She was happily drinking the gatorade juice box they gave her, her fever had normalized and she was so cheerful that they decided to start her on a 2 day sterroid treatment and send us home with albuterol treatments. On the way home from the hospital she was loopy from the sterroid...she pointed to every random thing she saw and said, "Look Mom, a _______" (window, rain drop, house, car, etc. etc.). It was kind of hilarious, because I have never seen her like that before.
She slept well Saturday night and Sunday morning she woke up with energy, a low fever which was easily managed with Motrin, and drinking and eating whatever we gave her. But, within 2 hours of giving her the morning albuterol treatment, she was struggling to breathe so much that you could see her little rib cage every time she took a breath and seeming like she needed another treatment. I called the hospital to see if I could just give the treatments closer together, and they told me that I needed to wait the full 4 hours and if she was consistently needing them more frequently to bring her back to the ER. Throughout the day, she continued to get worse. We had my little brothers over for dinner, and Brynn took a short nap after we went for a walk to the playground, but woke up pale and clammy and struggling so hard to breathe that she was exhausted. After giving her the 2nd sterroid dose for the day and seeing no improvement, we decided it would be best to take her back in.
This time I took her blankie and sippy cup, just in case we ended up staying so she had some comfort objects in the waiting room because they were much busier that night. After we got her into a room, the Dr. told me right away that I should plan on staying for the night because the home treatment was just not enough for her. They gave her a triple dose albuterol treatment which she fought and fought (it was more than 20 minutes long, so both she and I were exhausted by the end), and took some blood tests and started her on an IV to get her hydrated.
She was such a good sport...she didn't try to pull at her IV and she left her vitals monitor on and she didn't even fuss when they took her blood pressure. Once I knew we were going to be admitted, Seth's brother came to hang out at our house and Seth came up to the hospital with sweats for me and some books and treats for Brynn. They finally admitted us to the Rapid Care Unit and once we were settled Seth headed home to sleep so he could get the kids off to school in the morning. I "slept" with Brynn in her hospital bed for 2 hours at a time (hello - I am not ready for a newborn!) in between giving her albuterol treatments, forcing (literally...she tried to spit it out every time) medicine down her throat and feeling extremely uncomfortable in my big and pregnant state. They had to do the albuterol treatments about every 2 hours and ended up placing her on oxygen because she kept dipping so low when she was sleeping.
The next morning she was feeling cheery and energetic again, but still had to be on the oxygen. The doctor said we could reevaluate that night and see how she was doing, but that we would most likely be spending another night in the hospital. We colored and read books and watched movies and ordered "room service".
She was not allowed to leave her room because she was considered high risk, but she was so good about staying in the bed and keeping occupied with stationary activities. After Seth picked the kids up from school, he brought them to visit and have a picnic lunch and to trade shifts. She was so excited to see her siblings! They had to bring us an extender for her oxygen because she just wanted to run around her room and dance and play with them! Morgan and Chloe thought the hospital looked like fun...toy areas (which Brynn couldn't go to), a moving bed, movies, room service smoothies...I had to bring them back to reality by talking about shots and medicine and being stuck in your room, but they still would like their turn to be in the hospital. I, however, would prefer their turns never come. :) They masked Brynn and took her for another chest x-ray to see if there had been any change with the possible pneumonia.
By the time she got back, the big kids were stir crazy, so I shuffled them out of there and took them home.
After dinner, my brother came to put the kids to bed so I could go back up to the hospital and take overnight stuff for Seth. Because Brynn's x-ray came back showing improvement, they called our pediatrician and decided to give us the option of taking her home on oxygen. Since Seth had already missed a day of clinicals and we felt comfortable with the oxygen and the big kids were really needing to regain some stability of having their parents home, we decided to do it. We didn't get home until about 11:30 pm, but it was so nice to sleep in our own bed and Brynn slept like a rock! In the morning we took her to see our pediatrician for a follow-up and she was doing great!
We were able to take her off the oxygen during the day and only have her use it at night and during naps. Within a few days, we were able to eliminate the oxygen altogether. She is doing perfectly now and we are so happy to have our happy, healthy little lady back!
In the midst of it all, we had to start packing our stuff into storage because our new carpet was installed the week Brynn came home from the hospital and my baby brother got his mission call (details about his call and a photo here), and we had all of our family over for Chloe's Birthday (a little early so Michael and Sarah could come while they were in town...I took very few pictures, but she felt so loved and adored so thank you to all of our family who spoiled her to pieces with love and presents). So, it has been truly crazy at our house! But, we have been so blessed with many many willing hands to watch our kids, move furniture between rooms, disassemble furniture, provide us with moving boxes, pick up the kids from school, dinners and offers to bring dinner and many notes and calls of concern and prayers in our behalf. I am certain that we have the most wonderful family and friends and ward you could ask for. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you!!!
Most of all, it was a sweet experience to spend uninterrupted one-on-one time with Brynn. As the third child with a Daddy working and in school and a pregnant Mommy juggling 24/7 motherhood and dabbling in a photography business, it isn't often that I can spend hours snuggling Brynn with no interruptions. I loved snuggling her close to me all night and giggling with her and reading books with her and listening to her tell me all about things. I loved seeing her be polite and obedient and adorable with the hospital staff. I loved discovering how much she LOVES stickers and convincing her that the medicine wasn't so bad if we turned the process into a tea party (the nurses laughed when we had our medicine tea party complete with pinkies up and English accents, but it worked). I was surprised to discover just how OCD Brynn is. I knew she sucked her thumb and liked to snuggle a soft blankie against her face, but I had no idea that she had to bite the blankie first and that there was a very proper order to the timing of the blankie bite, thumb suck, and face rub. I also didn't realize that she would repeat the process until it was done to her liking. She is one who knows what she wants and oh.how.she.wants.to.do.it.herself. Spending that one on one time with her really clued me in to how I can better match my parenting to her personality. Maybe the other kids do need their turn in the hospital...or maybe just some one-on-one mommy dates. :) I think that even the most elaborate mommy dates would be much cheaper than our portion of the hospital stay.
By the time we picked Morgan up from the last party, Brynn was burning up, coughing like crazy and didn't want to do anything but have me hold her little body close to mine. I called Seth at work and we decided it would be best to take her into an Urgent Care. The Urgent Care doctor suggested I take her up to the Primary Children's Hospital ER immediately where they would most likely admit her and keep her overnight because it was very likely that she had RSV.
None of my kids have ever had to go to the ER and the stress of the day, combined with my pregnant hormones, and feeling completely overwhelmed at the thought of doing it all alone, I completely broke down and burst into tears. My sweet mother-in-law was happy to take the older kids and endure my breakdown on the phone, so I dropped Morgan and Chloe off there and headed up to the hospital with little miss Brynn. Seth called when I was almost to the parking lot to let me know he was able to get off of his shift early and that he was heading up to the hospital. I could not have been more thankful for my sweet husband at that moment, who knew that I really needed his support even though I hadn't told him or subjected him to my sobbing breakdown. There was no wait in the ER, so they took us right back and checked her. She was such a trooper. She did everything they asked her to do and smiled and told everyone thank you and waved goodbye any time someone left the room. After Seth got there, they did an RSV swab and she completely freaked out. Unfortunately, that was followed by an albuterol treatment and it took me, Seth and the respiratory therapist to keep the mask on her. She is definitely a determined little thing. It completely wore her out, though and she fell asleep on Seth after she calmed down.
They took a chest x-ray and found that she possibly had pneumonia as well, and her RSV swab came back positive. She was happily drinking the gatorade juice box they gave her, her fever had normalized and she was so cheerful that they decided to start her on a 2 day sterroid treatment and send us home with albuterol treatments. On the way home from the hospital she was loopy from the sterroid...she pointed to every random thing she saw and said, "Look Mom, a _______" (window, rain drop, house, car, etc. etc.). It was kind of hilarious, because I have never seen her like that before.
She slept well Saturday night and Sunday morning she woke up with energy, a low fever which was easily managed with Motrin, and drinking and eating whatever we gave her. But, within 2 hours of giving her the morning albuterol treatment, she was struggling to breathe so much that you could see her little rib cage every time she took a breath and seeming like she needed another treatment. I called the hospital to see if I could just give the treatments closer together, and they told me that I needed to wait the full 4 hours and if she was consistently needing them more frequently to bring her back to the ER. Throughout the day, she continued to get worse. We had my little brothers over for dinner, and Brynn took a short nap after we went for a walk to the playground, but woke up pale and clammy and struggling so hard to breathe that she was exhausted. After giving her the 2nd sterroid dose for the day and seeing no improvement, we decided it would be best to take her back in.
This time I took her blankie and sippy cup, just in case we ended up staying so she had some comfort objects in the waiting room because they were much busier that night. After we got her into a room, the Dr. told me right away that I should plan on staying for the night because the home treatment was just not enough for her. They gave her a triple dose albuterol treatment which she fought and fought (it was more than 20 minutes long, so both she and I were exhausted by the end), and took some blood tests and started her on an IV to get her hydrated.
She was such a good sport...she didn't try to pull at her IV and she left her vitals monitor on and she didn't even fuss when they took her blood pressure. Once I knew we were going to be admitted, Seth's brother came to hang out at our house and Seth came up to the hospital with sweats for me and some books and treats for Brynn. They finally admitted us to the Rapid Care Unit and once we were settled Seth headed home to sleep so he could get the kids off to school in the morning. I "slept" with Brynn in her hospital bed for 2 hours at a time (hello - I am not ready for a newborn!) in between giving her albuterol treatments, forcing (literally...she tried to spit it out every time) medicine down her throat and feeling extremely uncomfortable in my big and pregnant state. They had to do the albuterol treatments about every 2 hours and ended up placing her on oxygen because she kept dipping so low when she was sleeping.
The next morning she was feeling cheery and energetic again, but still had to be on the oxygen. The doctor said we could reevaluate that night and see how she was doing, but that we would most likely be spending another night in the hospital. We colored and read books and watched movies and ordered "room service".
She was not allowed to leave her room because she was considered high risk, but she was so good about staying in the bed and keeping occupied with stationary activities. After Seth picked the kids up from school, he brought them to visit and have a picnic lunch and to trade shifts. She was so excited to see her siblings! They had to bring us an extender for her oxygen because she just wanted to run around her room and dance and play with them! Morgan and Chloe thought the hospital looked like fun...toy areas (which Brynn couldn't go to), a moving bed, movies, room service smoothies...I had to bring them back to reality by talking about shots and medicine and being stuck in your room, but they still would like their turn to be in the hospital. I, however, would prefer their turns never come. :) They masked Brynn and took her for another chest x-ray to see if there had been any change with the possible pneumonia.
By the time she got back, the big kids were stir crazy, so I shuffled them out of there and took them home.
After dinner, my brother came to put the kids to bed so I could go back up to the hospital and take overnight stuff for Seth. Because Brynn's x-ray came back showing improvement, they called our pediatrician and decided to give us the option of taking her home on oxygen. Since Seth had already missed a day of clinicals and we felt comfortable with the oxygen and the big kids were really needing to regain some stability of having their parents home, we decided to do it. We didn't get home until about 11:30 pm, but it was so nice to sleep in our own bed and Brynn slept like a rock! In the morning we took her to see our pediatrician for a follow-up and she was doing great!
We were able to take her off the oxygen during the day and only have her use it at night and during naps. Within a few days, we were able to eliminate the oxygen altogether. She is doing perfectly now and we are so happy to have our happy, healthy little lady back!
In the midst of it all, we had to start packing our stuff into storage because our new carpet was installed the week Brynn came home from the hospital and my baby brother got his mission call (details about his call and a photo here), and we had all of our family over for Chloe's Birthday (a little early so Michael and Sarah could come while they were in town...I took very few pictures, but she felt so loved and adored so thank you to all of our family who spoiled her to pieces with love and presents). So, it has been truly crazy at our house! But, we have been so blessed with many many willing hands to watch our kids, move furniture between rooms, disassemble furniture, provide us with moving boxes, pick up the kids from school, dinners and offers to bring dinner and many notes and calls of concern and prayers in our behalf. I am certain that we have the most wonderful family and friends and ward you could ask for. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you!!!
Most of all, it was a sweet experience to spend uninterrupted one-on-one time with Brynn. As the third child with a Daddy working and in school and a pregnant Mommy juggling 24/7 motherhood and dabbling in a photography business, it isn't often that I can spend hours snuggling Brynn with no interruptions. I loved snuggling her close to me all night and giggling with her and reading books with her and listening to her tell me all about things. I loved seeing her be polite and obedient and adorable with the hospital staff. I loved discovering how much she LOVES stickers and convincing her that the medicine wasn't so bad if we turned the process into a tea party (the nurses laughed when we had our medicine tea party complete with pinkies up and English accents, but it worked). I was surprised to discover just how OCD Brynn is. I knew she sucked her thumb and liked to snuggle a soft blankie against her face, but I had no idea that she had to bite the blankie first and that there was a very proper order to the timing of the blankie bite, thumb suck, and face rub. I also didn't realize that she would repeat the process until it was done to her liking. She is one who knows what she wants and oh.how.she.wants.to.do.it.herself. Spending that one on one time with her really clued me in to how I can better match my parenting to her personality. Maybe the other kids do need their turn in the hospital...or maybe just some one-on-one mommy dates. :) I think that even the most elaborate mommy dates would be much cheaper than our portion of the hospital stay.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
sisters
I love these two and their little sisterly bond! They LOVE to give kisses!
Also love the sunshine we enjoyed at the park today...
it was so lovely that we went back after rest time to soak up a little more!
it was so lovely that we went back after rest time to soak up a little more!
Many more pictures to come from our sunshine-soaking day,
but I just couldn't resist sharing this one before I head off to bed!
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