Painting

When the kids weren't able to play outside with their friends (hand, foot & mouth) I got out the paints, old clothes, old sheets to cover things up and let them go to town. They had so much fun!

That night I was getting things ready for the next day and found Kenna sitting on the couch looking at one of my magazines. It was pretty cute, apparently she wasn't tired.

The latest

I've been quite the slacker at posting so I've been trying to add stuff from the past couple of weeks.

Matt went back to Dr. Sundar (the Pulmonologist) on Tuesday. They didn't have the results back from the oxygen test he did at home which I have no clue why they even had him do it in the first place. They still had him make an appt to have a sleep study done at the sleep center.

Dr. Sundar was concerned with the size of his tonsils and referred him to an ENT. He felt they are probably having a negative effect on his sleep apnea. It just so happens that the ENT was downstairs on the way to the sleep center.

The ENT had other concerns regarding his tonsils. Apparently they are asymmetrical. This is fine if they have been like that for most of your life, however, his have not always been inflamed. He noticed that one was getting larger than the other a couple of years ago. It just so happens that it could be due to something growing there that shouldn't be.

He would really like to do a tonsilectomy on Matt plus something else to do with his mouth. This is a horrible procedure to have done when you're an adult but he feels it is necessary. The dr told him it's sheer hell and he's going to hate him for doing it to him. Matt said he needed to think about it.

He goes in for his sleep study October 16th. They'll hook him up to all sorts of probes and monitor him while he sleeps. He'll then follow up with Sundar at the beginning of November.

He did decide that he was going to have the tonsilectomy but it won't be in the immediate future. They want him to do the sleep study and find out the severity of the sleep apnea.

We finally found a day care that would work with our schedules. It isn't real easy trying to find someone to watch your kids with no set schedule. As our luck would have it, she decided she needed to focus on her family and will not be doing it anymore. So, now we are trying another lady that will work with our schedules. I just really hope she works out.

Maybe now things will normalize....NOT!

Need a blankie???

Just wanted to share this.......Kenna thinks that she needs every blanket in the house and tries her hardest to carry them all. I took this the other morning when she came in the kitchen right after she woke up.

Ouch!!

When I picked up the kids on Friday Camden told me his hands hurt and showed me two specific spots. I couldn't see anything so I just figured he had some slivers.

On Saturday when we were getting in the car he asked me if I would please open the door for him because he couldn't because his hands hurt. I still didn't think much about it.

I don't recall him saying anything about them hurting yesterday but I guess he was up several times last night saying they were hurting. I vaguely recall him coming in once and Matt saying something about sleeping on his hand wrong and it fell asleep. I was OUT so I don't remember any other times but I was told there were a couple.

This morning he was complaining again and Matt looked at his hands and they were covered in blisters. We had no clue what it was from. We thought he may have touched something but couldn't really get an answer out of him. I called and got him into the dr and it turns out he has Hand, Foot & Mouth disease. Here is a link that has more info about it : http://mayoclinic.com/health/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease/DS00599 The dr said he must have a pretty high pain tolerance because when her kids had it they were crying constantly. It could also be that he has a more mild case, who knows. I'm glad either way because there isn't anything you can do to cure it since it's a virus. You just have to let it run it's course and manage the pain with Motrin and Tylenol.

Another bad thing is that it's highly contagious, therefore, he can't go to pre-school or daycare this week. Fortunately, Jen said she would take them since her kids have already been exposed to it. Thank God for Jen!!

He only has a couple on his feet and we're not sure if he has any in his mouth. There are some spots but the dr wasn't positive it was a blister. I hope it isn't because that is when it gets really painful and you have to worry about dehydration.

Sleepover

Yesterday we had Chloe and Butters while Jen & Harley went to Wendover for the night. I thought it was so cute that they all fell asleep in practically the same position and facing the same way. Notice they all have their sippy cups and blankies.

2008 Wyoming Antelope Hunt

Matt went with Mike, Mark and Jeramie to Wyoming for an antelope hunt. It was a successful hunt, they all got one.

My new niece

Last night I witnessed the most amazing thing. I was there to see my niece come into this world!! Ella Hope was born at 7:15pm weighing 6lbs 8oz and 18 inches long.

When Melissa went to her appt on Tuesday they diagnosed her with sever toxemia and decided it was in the best interest of hers and the babys health to deliver Ella. She went in Tuesday night to be induced. She was between 36-37 weeks so there was some concern about her lung development.

I was totally planning on going home, taking a nap and then going up to the hospital around midnight so I could be there. Then we found out that they were going to soften the cervix first so nothing would be happening that night. I was a bit relieved because I was so tired but was still worried I might miss it.

At work on Weds I started getting antsy about 10am. I hadn't heard anything and I knew they would be starting the pitocin that morning. By noon I was beyond antsy and kept informing Jayme(my co-worker) that I was getting pissed. She just kept laughing at me and told me to just call. But I didn't want to bother anyone. Finally Melissa called me and gave me an update. She still wasn't 100% thinned and dilated to a 2. The dr had come in and told her it would be a while, probably early evening. My mom called a couple hours later and told me she got her epidural and it would be about 5 or 6. I told her I was going to work for about another hour and then head up. She called back a few minutes later and told me that Melis was afraid I was going to miss the birth. I kind of laughed but I was truly touched that she wanted me to be there.

I got to the hospital a little after 6. The room was dimly lit and there was definitely some tension in the air. I could tell they were both exhausted both physically and mentally. Hell, who wouldn't be. The past two weeks have been extremely stressful for them. They were stressing out about what to do with Aviry. I could tell that Melis was really worried and feeling so helpless about it all.

I do have to say though that my sister is hilarious when she is miserable. She doesn't hold back at all. She had sunk down a little and wanted help sitting up higher. Scott put the bed back and tried to help her but she just got pissed because it didn't really work. She sat up and then tried pushing herself up but that didn't do much either. I was trying not to laugh but between the efforts being made and the words coming out of her mouth it was next to impossible.

The dr came in a checked her and she was finally 100% thinned and at a 4. Now it was just a matter of time, It could be 20 minutes or it could be a couple hours. We decided to go get something to eat and let her rest a little. We stoped by the nursery and then went to Subway. I had just sat down when my mom called Scott and said she was at a 9. That boy took off!!

I figured we would have some time but they were setting up when we got back to the room and was going to have her start pushing. Things started out fine but then she wasn't feeling her contractions. They put the monitor back on her to get Ella's heart beat and they were having a hard time finding it. I could see the panic take over her face. They finally found it and then Ella's heart rate dropped. She was having a contraction so she started pushing again. Melissa asked again what was going on and they told her that Ella wasn't tolerating the contractions very well. The same thing happened with Aviry but I don't think there was the urgency that was happening with Ella. He told her that they needed to get her out as quick as possible so he was going to use the vacuum and had the nurse call for NICU to come to the room. The nurse explained that they call them whenever they do an assisted delivery. The explanation was nice but it didn't make it any easier. The color just drained from her face and she started crying. It was killing me to see my little sister go through such agony. I'm tearing up just thinking about it again. It's amazing how fast circumstances can change when your bringing a baby into the world. I was so afraid that they were going to have to do an emergency c-section. I was trying to keep my composure because I didn't want her to see me upset also. She needed to be able to look over and see support and encouragement, not fear. Part of me wanted to yell at the dr to shut up and quit telling her what was going on because he was scaring her. But that is just the sister in me wanting to protect her. I knew that if I were in her situation I would want the honest truth about what was happening.

After a couple of pushes Ella made her debut. It was such an amazing thing. I just watched my niece physically come into our lives. Words just can't even describe how amazing it was. I was worried about getting pictures because Melissa is so big on pictures and I didn't want to let her down. I'm pretty sure I got some good pictures. It seemed like it took forever but Ella finally cried. What a sweet sound!

The dr cut the cord and put her on Melissa's belly for a quick minute. Then the nurses took her and cleaned her off and did the assessments. Her apgars were 8 & 9.

After they got her all cleaned up they went to get Aviry. The smile on her face was so big when Scott brought her in. She missed her mommy so much, and Melissa missed her too. It was kind of one of those moments when a lost child is reunited with their parent and you get a lump in your throat.

Aviry was so excited to see Ella. She has been waiting so long to get to meet her and you could just see the instant love in her eyes.

I am so lucky to have witnessed something so special.

I'm not very good at expressing my feelings out loud to people but if you're reading this Melis, I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you sharing this experience with me. I will never forget it, ever. You are an amazing mom and a wonderful sister. You have given me such a precious gift. I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you how much it really means to me, thank you just doesn't seem to even come close.