Tuesday, May 29, 2012

May 24, 2011


Last year on that day life threw us a curve ball. The day started out as all of them had since we had all three babies home with us. It had been just over a week since we were all home, no hospital, no nurses, no sleep :) We did a little photo shoot before Derek had to leave for work and then it was back to diapers, bottles and naps. 











     I had left Brinley bundled on my bed and it was about time to start another round of feedings so I went in to check on her. Brinley was a mover, she would grunt and squeeze her way out of the best swaddling job. When I looked at her she hadn't moved the entire time that she had been asleep. I picked her up immediately and she was limp, a quiet whimper was all she let out. She was also really warm. I took her temperature and it was 102.4 my stomach dropped. We met our pediatrician at the ER where they took blood for tests and did a spinal tap on my four week old baby girl. That was hard. She ended up being transported by ambulance to Summerlin Hospital in Vegas. That's where they were born and we felt more comfortable with them handling whatever this was.

     In the morning, the nurse practitioner came in and told us that they had some of the tests back, she had a bacterial infection in her blood and needed to be started on antibiotics. It would be a round of 10 days worth so we would be here for a while. We decided Derek would go home and pack what I would need for that time. Before he left, we got a call from my mom, Ethan had a temperature. My parents ended up coming down to Vegas with Derek and both of my boys that night. They were both admitted just to be safe, the same blood work had to be done. What an emotional mess.

     I shared a room with the boys, Derek and Brinley were down the hall. Jackson was diagnosed with the same infection as Brinley and Ethan never ended up needing treatment. He was discharged about a week later. I had to send my baby home with Derek knowing I wouldn't see him for at least a week.  It was Jackson, Brinley and Mom. At the end of her treatment Brinley got to go home with Grandma, again, really hard to send her home. Jackson and I got almost a week together before he was discharged. He had it rough, his iv ports kept going bad, veins were getting harder and harder to find. The Dr. there at Summerlin asked me to leave the room when they did his spinal. I walked away bawling because I knew what they were doing to him and I couldn't be there. I could hear him screaming and I had to keep walking away from that. After that I only put him in his crib when I had to leave the room, I always slept in the chair holding him.

     I spent around 16 days in the hospital between all three babies. It was an experience I will not soon forget. Our small family had amazing angels watching over us. My mom came down several times to be with us and as the babies were sent home helped care for them there. My sister Kelle left her 4 small children to spend a couple of hours before she had to turn back and go home. My good friend Jo did my laundry so I could have clean clothes to wear. Friends brought me food and good conversation. My mother in law came and stayed with Derek to help at home.

    I will forever be indebted to my Father in Heaven who saw fit to make my babies whole. Who comforted an emotional mom who had to see her babies go through so much. For a husband and father who gave priesthood blessings. Who blessed the nurses and Dr.'s with the wisdom to treat my babies. For my mom. For my friends and my family.

   

     Taken just before Ethan (left) went home with dad.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Good. The Bad. And the Yucky.

So there is a lot of good to talk about. Way more good than bad or yucky.  I'm not much of a "writer" of my thoughts but change is good, just this one time. probably. 

These Kodak moments all took place within the last two-ish weeks. 2 Sundays ago Ethan discovered how to use the lotion bottle upside down... as a rocket launcher. Jackson can get one leg into the toy box just fine, but then he gets stuck and cries until you help him in. I think he just wanted his own private fort because he played in there for a good ten minutes, and then Brinley wanted in :) Brinley wore this super cute dress for the first 1/3 of church, then she had a wardrobe change because the dress was really really wet. 






For a few days Ethan decided that he wasn't going to take naps when Jackson and Brinley took naps, after all he IS the oldest. So lunchtime rolls around and he can barely keep his... yep he fell asleep like this many times before he figured out that he can still be cool if he naps with the little kids. I added the picture of Derek because I think he and Ethan have the same problem :)







Jackson is such a stud. He was the only one awake and while I was in the kitchen doing my chores he propped himself up on a pillow and found himself a foot rest. 




Derek is usually behind the camera so we don't have any pictures of him and the kids, so we got a couple of snapshots with him and his favo... I mean him and Brinley. I don't think it's a secret that Derek loves her. Yes he loves his boys, but Brinley has been promised a pony as soon as she can ask!






Ethan getting thrown in the air. probably one of the last times because that kid weighs a ton! One year ago they weighed:
Ethan 5lb 11oz
Jackson 5 lb 4 oz
Brinley 4 lb 8 oz
Total:  15 1/2 pounds

One year later:
Ethan 23 lb 11 oz
Jackson 24 lb 14 oz
Brinley 21 lb 4 oz
Total: 70 lbs 

70 pounds of baby. yep. 






So. Big Day. My 3 awesome kids turned 1. Where has the time gone? Didn't go to sleeping, relaxing, shopping, showering. I'm pretty sure none of those things got the time they deserved. My super awesome sister Jo (all of my sisters are awesome) made some fun sweets for the big day. My boys love basketball hence the basketballs. 





Jackson ended up making the biggest mess, Ethan didn't really care, I think because he tried once and it didn't bounce like it should. Brinley was very dainty about putting her fingers in the frosting. Her cousin Em decided she needed help, so her fingers are the pink polished ones feeding Brinley her cake. 









Bath time!!!


Bedtime!!!


Jackson knew what was coming so he wasn't too excited about crawling to the top of the stairs. 



What a year this has been. I couldn't have made it without amazing friends and family.  I love love love these babies. 

So that was the Good. Lots of Good going on at our house. Now for the Bad and the Yucky. Not a lot of it. But here it is. 

The Bad. 

Ethan woke up yesterday with pink eye. I woke up today with pink eye. I'm really hoping that if Jackson and Brinley decide to join us that it happens tomorrow for both of them. So that we don't play "round robin" with pink eye!

The Yucky.

Normally I bath the kids in the sink after dinner because I'm alone and three messy babies going up the stairs would be yuck on the carpet. Tonight was feeling generous. I hauled them up and let them use the tub. They were all having so much fun and then someone decided they were relaxed enough to go #2. I will spare you the details but with 3 babies in the same tub, things get pretty messy really quickly. 

Sweet Ending.

Tonight. Jackson said mom mom. You could argue that he didn't know what he was saying, but I'm pretty sure that was the first time he's ever said mom mom :)