The First Two Weeks Part ONE

Things are settling down, now that Jett is home and healthy and the holidays and craze that come with them have come and gone. Finally, I am getting around to writing about our INSANE experience!

How it all began

As you know, my pregnancy was high risk with the membrane and all, and so from July-August I saw the Perinatologist every two weeks, and then every week around September. Our stress and worry had eased quite a bit with each visit being uneventful (meaning no further complications with the baby). And we were begining to make preparations for scheduling a c-section.

- as a side note, I had a lot of anxiety over whether a c-section was really necessary, and seriously did not want to have one. There was a lot of medical curiosity involved (from doctor's perspectives) and I wondered if they were pushing the c-section so they could have the thrill of seeing the membrane and have a better "view". I talked to the doctor's about it a lot, and the perinatologist explained things really well, and told me I had the option not to do a c-section, that it very well may not be necessary, but that we wouldn't know until after delivery. Anyways, I never would have been able to forgive myself if I chose not to do the c-section and something happened... like strangulation by the membrane. Not.worth.it. even though c-sections really do suck)

The Appointment

So October 29th comes and I go to my 37week appointment at 1:30pm. The tech starts scanning and what do you know.... No fluid! Dr. Kramer (Perinatologist) comes in and says in his awesomest South African accent "Ashley, I know when you're having that baby! Today! It's over. This has been the longest pregnancy ever! I can't believe it, congratulations. Go to the hospital." I asked if I could go home first, and he said absolutely not. So.... I went home. (HELLO! I was not about to have a baby without my camera! Plus Mason was in the middle of a medical test that he needed a final dose of Activated Charcoal in an hour and there was no way I was going to repeat that test... have you ever tried to give a 20month old activated charcoal? It is not fun. Or pretty. It's a mess. We strip him down to his diap. And he gets covered in it's black nastiness. And so do I. And so does Kevin. And so does the kitchen. And don't get me started about the bucket of poo we'd been collecting...)

I met Kevin at home, and grabbed a few things for the hospital, plus the kid's Halloween costumes for the Trunk-or Treat party that night, and went to our friend's house to tell the kids their brother was coming that night! Yay!

Delivery

Okay, fast forward to the hospital (I can't believe I've written this much and still haven't gotten to his birth! Have I said this will be long? Cause this will be long!) I had an awesome nurse who we told our hesitations of naming our baby Jett. She said she named her kids all plain Jane names until her last one. They named him Bucky.




The OR experience was so strange. Being on the table, tube in nose, cap on head... can't feel a thing, except you can (you know what I mean fellow c-sectioners). And then the Anestisologist tells Kevin to start shooting pictures, and next thing I know I hear the cry of my precious child! A HUGE sense of relief comes over me, as they declare him as "perfect." He had escaped the dangers of the membrane, and had all his fingers and toes. I caught a few glimpses of him, but it felt like forever before they finally wrapped him up and brought him around were I could see him better. And then they took him to the nursery... and everything became a blur for the next 24 hours ish.

After Delivery

I was loopy. It took over 3 hours before I could wiggle my toes (they told me one hour!) and I was throwing up every 10 minutes, which also happened to be how often they would come push on my stomach. And they asked if I wanted to try to nurse my baby... I said no. Kevin gave him a bottle in the nursery. Let me tell you, that's how miserable I was. If you'd asked me before I would have said "I will most definitely nurse my baby. There is NO WAY he will have a bottle. I will nurse. It doesn't matter how terrrible I feel, I will suck it up and I WILL NURSE HIM!" But I didn't say that. I didn't even hesitate to say "no." I knew I couldn't do it, and I didn't want my baby to be hungry, so I let him have a bottle.

At some point I was moved to my room. And nurses talked to me. And doctors talked. And I fell asleep. And the nurse brought the baby (remember, he still doesn't have a name) in. And told me he was having a tough time keeping his temperature. And I tried to nurse him. He wouldn't latch. And so I just held him. For a few minutes. And I fell asleep again. And the nurse took him back to the nursery. And I snoozed on.

Jett Goes to the NICU
(click images to see in larger size)





It was the middle of the night by now, and the nurse came in several times to check on me and tell me I wasn't breathing very well (I did not remember this detail until a few nights later when she reminded me of it.) Apparently she was hovering over me, wondering if I was going to take another breath. I was only taking about 7 or 8 every minute. She concluded I was okay, since I would carry on a conversation with her if she talked to me. I don't know what we talked about! Then she came in again, and told me the doctor would be in to talk to us, but that she wanted me to know our baby was in the NICU because he wasn't keeping his temperature and his left leg was a little swollen.

Next thing I know, the lights in our room are on (SOOOO BRIGHT for drugged up eyes!) and the Neonatologist is in there telling us something about our baby... in the NICU... swollen... cold... skin... I honestly can't remember most of what she said. I just caught the jist that he was "okay" and I kep thinking "I have to close my eyes. I hope she doesn't think I'm a bad mom, or that I don't care about my baby because I have my eyes closed. I know it looks like I'm sleeping, but I'm not. I'm just...my eyes are just closed."

Kevin went the next morning to the NICU by himself. He cried.

It wasn't until after 10am that I finally made it to the NICU. Kevin wheeled me there, and I closed my eyes. And asked for a bin. And stood by my baby for about 2 minutes. And sat back down. The Neonatologist (a different one) Dr. Miller, came to talk to us. She pointed out our baby's skin. The redness, the peeling, the cracks. And diagnosed him with Ichthyosis. And the nurse handed me a box of tissues. And I cried. And I felt sick again. And then we left. And I puked on the ride back to my room.

I made it up to the NICU several more times that day, and tried unsuccessfully to nurse him. He would take a bottle though. His stomach started to become distended, but x-rays showed nothing. Just air. By now he had a tube in is nose, and the nurses would periodically suck air out of his belly.

Tage and Mason came to meet their new brother, I didn't go with them, but Kevin took them in individually to see him. Mason kept pointing to his tube and said "Bebe...owie..."


When Sunday came, I had a melt down. I bawled my eyes out to Kevin that our baby was in the NICU and I couldn't nurse him, he wasn't sleeping next to me, we weren't going to be taking him home on Monday, and I didn't even know what to call him. He STILL didn't have a name! And that's when we decided on Jett Thomas.


Sunday and Monday were pretty much the same health wise for Jett. He was lubed every few hours with globs of Aquaphor, the doctors were still concerned about his risk of infection from his skin being so raw, he wasn't nursing, and he wasn't super interested in a bottle but he could be convinced to take it. His belly was still distended but it was still believed he was just swallowing a lot of air. Monday he wasn't pooping very well, so he was given a suppository, and that worked like a charm.


Jett's Health Becomes Critical



And then Tuesday came. Oh, Tuesday. Kevin went to do a delivery in the morning for the courier he works for. He would be back at 11:30am. I was going to be discharged that day. Jett was not. I was struggling with that. I didn't want to go home without him. I walked over to the NICU for his 9am feeding. Once again, he wouldn't latch. I tried to give him a bottle. He wouldn't take it. So, we fed it through his tube. I went back to my room, pumped, and then returned again at 11am, to try to nurse him yet again.


When I walked in, Dr. Miller came to talk to me immediately. Little did I know she was about to hit me with a ton of bricks. Jett had not pooped in over 12 hours. He'd had 2 suppositories. Neither of them had come out. His stomach was extremely distended. Dr. Miller suspected Jett had Hirschsprung's Disease, but the only way it can be definitevly diagnosed is by a rectal biopsy, which must be done by Pediatric Surgeons. The hospital we were at doesn't have Ped. Surges. They were calling an Emergency Transport Team to take Jett to the University of Maryland Med Center in Baltimore.


I was trying to understand it all, and take it all in, and I started to cry. Then the nurse handed me a box of tissues. And then I really cried. They needed to change Jett's tube to a bigger size and do a few other things to prep him for his departure, and told me to they would phone my room when they were finished. I went back and called Kevin... he was in the parking lot of the hospital. I told him. He came into my room and we both cried. Hard.


Jett Takes a Trip

When we were told we could come back to be by Jett, we did. His new, bigger tube was used to suction anything and everything out of his stomach. His stomach was so distended, he was at risk of rupturing his colon. We sat next to him for about an hour, he moaned a lot and looked extremely uncomfortable. We wanted the team to be there immediately, so that Jett could get the help he needed.


It was interesting... being there. In the NICU, next to Jett. Up until then, Jett seemed very healthy, other than his skin and his distended belly they wanted to keep an eye on. The other babies in the NICU were so tiny, so fragile. Jett was the biggest baby there, weighing in at 7lbs 13oz! I had felt like we were in a better position than other parents there. And then, suddenly, we were the center of attention. Jett had the most critical needs at that moment. Other parents were looking at us with sorry eyes, glad they weren't in our shoes.


And then, I heard the transport team come in and I cried...a lot. They put Jett in a little isolette, talked to the doctor, talked to us, got his medical records, and then left. We walked behind them as we paraded through down the halls, through the MAIN LOBBY, and down past the ER and then outside to where the ambulance was waiting. And it was awful. I could feel everyone watching. I could hear people talk, say "ohhh" and " (gasp) look at that little baby" a few nurses gently touched my shoulder as we walked by and said "good luck". I know everyone genuinely felt sorry for us, but it was really a weird feeling to have such a private and emotional moment be so public and open for all to see.


Just before the EMT closed the doors to the ambulance, one of them stuck his head out and reassuringly said "we'll see you there." and then Kevin and I watched them drive away, takin our hearts with them. And we bawled. And Kevin held me. We then walked back into the hospital, back through the main lobby... this time without a baby. It was awful.



To be continued....

My Little One

Welcome Home Jett!

We are THRILLED that we were able to bring Jett home Friday night. Such a blessing to have our family all together! Jett is doing wonderfully, he is such a strong little boy!

Newest Addition!

Born October 29th, 2010 at 7pm! 7lbs. 13oz. After a few days, much turmoil and agony on the parents part, we finally decided to name him Jett Thomas Harrison. I have liked the name Jett for quite a long time now, but hesitated because ONE: a good friend recently named her baby Jett and as it is an uncommon name I wasn't sure if I should do it as well, although the two boys are very likely to never even meet. When I was early in my pregnancy and didn't know the gender yet, this friend had her baby and when I saw she named him Jett, I actually kind of hoped that our baby would be a girl so I wouldn't have this dilemma :) Reason number TWO: a lot of people had really negative reactions when we told them Jett was on our list of names. Funny though, ever since we officially named him Jett, everyone LOVES his name!

We feel so blessed to have Jett, and can not wait to bring him home. He has been in the NICU, and on Tuesday, Nov. 2nd, he was transported by and emergency transport team to Baltimore to the University of Maryland Med Center. He has Hirschsprung Disease, as well as Ichthyosis. The Ichthyosis is more towards the milder version, and has improved since birth, as he has been slathered every few hours with Aquaphor to keep his skin hydrated. It seems we will be able to control this aspect of his health quite well.

Hirschsprung Disease, on the other hand will ultimately be okay, but he requires surgery which will take place on Monday. Part of his colon will be removed and the good part will be reattached. Last Tuesday when he was transported to Baltimore his belly was so huge from not being able to pass stool (or two suppositories) that he was at risk or rupturing his colon. He was very fussy and looked so uncomfortable. Since then, the doctors have been cleaning out his colon and his belly has gone down more than 5cm in girth.

A long time ago this diagnosis was lethal. We feel very blessed that there is a procedure now to fix this and that he is expected to live a normal, healthy life. We thank our Heavenly Father for the opportunity to live at this time when there is so much medical knowledge. All of the nurses and doctors have been absolutely fabulous!

Every night when we leave the hospital, I feel like I am forgetting something, and I look around at what we are carrying, and know we have all our bags, jackets, etc. and then realize the feeling must be that we don't have our baby. We are expecting to be able to bring him home next weekend. We.Can't.Wait. Please keep him in your prayers tomorrow!

P.S. In the picture, we have crafted his hair into a faux hawk. It is always so greasy from the ointment, we like to style it :) Also, he doesn't have the tube in his nose anymore... it is now in his mouth, going down to his belly, to suck out anything and everything in his belly (mostly just gastric juices now, he hasn't eaten since Tuesday morning and is on IV's.) The bandage on his hand is for his IV.

Last Friday

See the membrane? It covers the baby like saran wrap.

We went last week to the Perinatologist again, and it was an encouraging visit. The baby still has no abnormalities and is growing good. We feel like we understand a little better what is going on. We are still nervous and can.not.wait. until our next appointment, but feel a little less stressed. We are confident that we will be bringing our baby home, and that he will be in overall good health. We do feel very blessed that our situation is not worse, and that the outcome looks very good. Thanks for everyone's prayers! We love you all!

Mom Wins!

Tage said a few things today that surprised me. First, (my favorite) when she came in the kitchen for lunch, she was holding a Book of Mormon, she handed it to me and said "Mom, we haven't read the Book of Mormon yet today. Will you read it to me?" And when I read it, she would even make comments about certain words and go off into tangents about that word in a separate gospel-oriented topics, such as baptism. It was great lunch conversation. She seemed so focused!

Then at dinner, she was done eating, and I made myself a salad and was about to start eating it. She pulled a chair up to me, and said "Mom, I want to sit next to you, and will you share your lettuce with me?" I began sharing it, and then decided to give her a plate of her own. She ate it all, and then said "Mom, will you please get me some more lettuce?" I was SHOCKED! She'll usually eat one or two pieces of lettuce, just so she can make horse noises, but never a plate full, and never asking for more! Yay!

Besides those two incidents that really stuck out, the day was really great with the kids. They were both so fun today and got along great with each other. It was a great fun-filled day for all! (Except Kevin, who has been at class all day, and won't be home until 10:30 tonight. Poor guy!)

P.S. Thanks everyone for your kind words and prayers for our family and baby!

Because I Can't Tell Anyone Else....

What I write here today is only because I know no one that I see on a regular, weekly basis reads our blog. I am not ready for people here to know, I don't want to see them at church or other social functions and get the "pity" look, or answer questions, or comments. But I need to get it out. My friend left me a voicemail last week, after my ultrasound, to see what we are having (IT'S A BOY!!!) and also, asked if it had all it's fingers and toes. I have avoided calling her back.

Rewind. Last week at my ultrasound the tech found an unusual membrane lying on top of the baby. I was referred to a Perinatologist, who wanted to see me immediately, despite the fact that their schedule was already booked, double booked, and even triple booked. We waited a long time, but were not very nervous about the appointment. When the doctor saw us, he did another ultrasound and told us that the membrane was from the amniotic sac, which has partially ruptured. He said it is very serious, and that I am considered extremely high risk. Actually not me, but the baby.

The baby is currently OKAY, with no known complications. But that can all change. The risk is that the membrane will tear more, causing "bands" or "rings" that can wrap around the baby's limbs, cutting off circulation and causing self amputation, or limbs may need to be amputated after birth. These bands can also restrict growth, wrap around the umbilical cord (obviously NOT good), restrict growth of other organs, and cause facial deformaties which can restrict growth of the brain and cause mental disabilities.

The doctor told us he this the outlook is good facially and mentally, because he did not see any current deformation, and the brain looked normal, and the skull has already formed, providing more protection. And again, there are no current (as of Friday, July 2nd) visible deformaties or loss of limb. But there is no guarentee that it will stay that way. We can only hope and pray that all will continue to go well with the baby's growth and development. Apparently my condition is pretty rare, and the specialist doctor has only seen 4 or 5 cases in his career thus far. It's really a weird feeling being "high risk" and "rare." There is nothing we can do to prevent it, and there is nothing we did that brought this condition on. It just "happened."

Kevin and his Dad gave me a priesthood blessing, and Kevin's Dad also gave him one. Our families also fasted for us this past Sunday. We feel strengthened, and trust in the Lord, but are obviously very nervous. It is going to be a loooonnnngggg 20weeks. That is if I make it that far. We have absolutely no idea what to expect as far as delivery goes, although I doubt I'll carry until 40 weeks and be allowed to go into labor on my own. The doctor wants a team of specialists present for delivery, to cover every scope of what might possibly happen. One of his examples was an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor incase the baby swallows some of the membrane and cannot breathe. We have so many questions for our next visit, although we know we won't get any real, concrete answers because of the unpredictability of our situation. Really, we have no idea what to expect in these upcoming weeks. Please pray for us!

You can see in the picture below the membrane, lying over top of the baby, kind of enveloping it.

Crazy Driver

I love it!
You're gonna wanna click the picture to enlarge.... it's better.... promise.

Can't Sleep...

As I laid down to sleep tonight, I could not stop the thoughts from racing. So much uncertainty. So much confusion. So many choices.

We have our house for sale, and are anticipating an offer in the next few days. We are fairly certain that the offer will come, but what will the offer be? How much lower than what we are asking? The asking price already requires us to bring a fairly hefty chunk of change to the table... so the thought of an offer that is LOWER, is deeply terrifying to me. We are talking at least over $10,000 that we would need to bring to closing.

At the same time though, how can reject ANY offer? If these people don't buy it... who would? Seriously. For the type of house we are dealing with, these people are probably our only chance. Renting the house is an idea that makes me want to vomit. This is NOT the kind of house we want to rent out. Too much maintance. Too many quirks. Too much liability. As stressful as taking $15,000 to the table would be, renting it could possibly be much, much worse.

The worst part of the thought of taking so much money, is that we haven't even enjoyed this house. At all. Yes, I have been grateful to have a place to live. I'm grateful for lessons I've learned here. I'm grateful for the countless people we have met and friendships that we have forged as a result of being in this house. I am grateful for wonderful experiences that we have had because of the circumstances and situations we have been in because we were in this house. I am grateful for the PRECIOUS memories that we have made with our children in this house. BUT living in this house has been an absolute nightmare. Starting in Feb. 2006, two months after we bought the house, when there was an abnormally warm couple of days that brought swarmer termites flying out of cracks inside the house. They shed their wings, and I would find them EVERYWHERE. It was disgusting. I have not enjoyed the mice. I have not enjoyed paying thousands every winter for heating and still being cold. The drafts. The well. The septic. The inability to flush our one and only toilet when it rains too much. The floor plan. The ONE tiny closet. The being pregnant and having to walk downstairs at night to pee. or puke. So many things that have been so troublesome for us... paying an additional $15,000 to get out of the house is like salt to an open wound. But if I could, would I ask to have never bought this house have have all of those experiences taken away? No. I wouldn't. This house has been such a blessing, and a curse, at the same time.

And yet, I PRAY with all my heart, that these people will make us an offer. Any offer. Please, just give us an offer....

Selling the house, even at a painful loss would be worth it. It would give us the ability to go where we need to for Kevin's schooling. It would give us more options for what we could do if Kevin can't get a job for this next school year. (Which has also been a subject of many tears and questions of WHY??? And wondering what exactly happened that made Kevin's supervisors give him the choice of termination or resignation. If anyone know Kevin, you know he didn't deserve it. No one he works with understands why, especially not us. And we will never know what happened, or why they targeted him, why they made him look like an awful teacher, unfit for employment in that county.... WHY?)

So, sell the house we will. Even at great cost. Even though we don't have that much money. Even though in two weeks we won't know where our next dime will come from.

Despite it all.... despite the stress and feelings of anxiety, and (yes) sometimes feelings of anger... in the mix of all of that, I do feel peace. I know that the Lord has a plan for us. I know that He will take care of us. That I do know. He made that clear to me the week that the situation at Kevin's job began and I was thinking "No way. No. No. It won't happen. He can't lose his job. They can't do that to him. They won't. It's just not possible. No." and the Lord told us "Yes, they will." Kevin and I both had impressions that they would indeed not renew his contract. But the Lord also sent me a beautiful message that week, through the actions of someone else, that told me that He would take care of us. That everything would be okay... eventually. And it is that peace that I reflect upon and carry with me through this stressful time. Things might get worse first, but they will get better.

Awesome.

I'd be the coolest mom if I had this. Click here

I'm a Mother...

baltimore aquarium, march 2010

I haven't posted much lately... mostly because I feel like I have nothing positive to talk about. Boy am I so WRONG! Although not much in my life seems to be going well lately, the one thing... the most important thing... that is going right is my family. My husband, and my 2 (and a half!) children. If my life only consisted of them, and didn't involve anything with jobs, people who treat you unfairly, money, crappy termite-infested houses that we are apparently the only ones in the world who thought it could be a good idea to invest in,cars that break down, or recycle trucks that demolish your mailbox... then life would be perfect. Really though, despite our current hardships and uncertainties, life could be a lot worse. A lot. My family and I have been greatly blessed, and continue to be... and we are waiting to see how this part of our lives is part of the Lord's plan is for us. I am so grateful for my family (extended included), and that brings me to the very special day coming up....

Mother's Day. A day we should give Mom a break. No cleaning, cooking, dealing with the kids, laundry, etc... Just kick back and relax, Mom, don't worry about a thing... give Mom breakfast in bed, tell her how much you love and appreciate her, give her a gift... etc. Lots of expectations for Mother's Day. When I think about what I expect, of course I want to be recognized, give me a few moments to feel special... but it is MY DAY, so don't give me a break from EVERYTHING that makes me who I am as a Mother. Serious.

When I think about my Mother's Day, I get excited. Really excited. Not because I think I'm going to get an awesome gift (because I'm not! and I don't need one!) but because it is a day set aside for ME, to be incredibly grateful that I am a Mother. That I have the privlege of cleaning up after everyone, taking care of my family, and spending my days with my children. Let me do those things on Mother's Day with a joyful heart. It is a day to rejoice in mother-hood, to be grateful for the Mothers in our lives... I am certainly grateful for my mom, and I am so blessed to be a Mom.

Sometimes I get caught up in the grudgery of daily household/ kid raising tasks and find myself with a negative attitude about my responsibilities. But Mother's Day reminds me that being a Mom is a blessing, as is all of the chores and responsibilities that come with it. This Mother's Day, I resolve to hug my little ones a little tighter, kiss them more often, play with them more frequently, read them that extra story, be calmer when tantrums break out, and rejoice daily that I have the great responsibility to be Mom. I. Love.It.





p.s. My favorite thing about being a Mom??? Making my kids laugh.

Dear 2010...

Is this the best you got? I hope you plan on making the next 7 months a little kinder. If not, I promise, I will not look back and think pleasanlty about you. (Except for a certain day that will come in November...that will be a grand and glorious day, and one for the record books) Please, decide now to change your ways, and stop being mean to me.

Smurf Life Lessons

Who doesn't like the Smurfs? I love them! I have been listening to Smurf songs lately, and one of my favorites is the Merry-go-Round song. I feel like I can really relate to the chorus:

We're spinning around,

We're up and we're down.

We're taking a ride on the merry go round.

We're ringing the bell of life's carousel,

And when we get off it nobody can tell.

We don't have a care

When we get the fear that sometimes we don't

And we're left standing there.

But soon it's okay and we're up off the ground,

And we are riding again on the merry go round.

The past month and a half has been such a carousel ride for me and my family. So full of ups and downs. Actually, lots of downs, and a few ups. Despite all the times we keep feeling like we have fallen off the ride, we feel incredibly blessed and have faith that everything will work out... eventually.

photo from bluebuddies.com

Down By the Bay

Tage loves the song "Down by the Bay" and will randomly make up verses to it without actually singing the song. A few minutes ago, we were eating cinnamon rolls... she said:

"Have you ever seen a tongue with arms and legs that walked over to the frosting and licked it all up?" {que Tage to throw head back and laugh hysterically...}

I.love.it.

Makes Me Laugh

(Click on picture... it must be viewed LARGELY to get the best appreciation for it)

Kevin's pig is in the middle. The Pigs on the right and left are from the Tagester.

Can't.

Stop.

Laughing.

Old Man Winter

The past week and a half ROCKED. Maryland got record snow fall and we rolled in it. We built snow caves so Tage would have a place to relax and eat her snow....

Mason took a quick trip out prior to being ill... (which, might I mention was scary because he choked numerous times on his snot, to the point where he was not breathing for a few seconds... Thank goodness each time it worked out just fine, and thank goodness we live across from the fire department-- JUST in case.)

Kevin took the opportunity to jump and spin off of the porch... what.a.stud.

Most of our pictures involve Tage eating snow... YUM!

Our neighbors used their tractors to plow the driveway and parking lot... and we enjoyed having our personal snowy mountains to play on, slide on, and jump off of.

SNOW ME IN ANYDAY!

Oh cud

The other morning, I was in the bathroom, and Tage was in the kitchen. This is what I heard...

"Mom! The cows are out!"

and I Quote

Tage's Friend: "Mason is just a little baby. He doesn't even know what 100 times 10 is! (long pause............) Neither do I. But I do know what 9 plus 5 is. But I'm not going to tell you. My brother can tell you. I know what it is though."

Kevin From Heaven!!

First of all, Kevin has had that shirt FOREVER. and he probably will have it FOREVER more. Came from D.I. pre ME days. The past few years have been a bit challenging financially for us. We couldn't have picked a worse time for him to quit his job as a teacher and enter the financial industry than Summer 2008... right when the market crashed. and then burned. and is still burning. We were blessed when he secured a part time teaching job a few days before the school year began... it was piddle income, but we had full healthcare benefits, which was GREAT becasue I was pregnant with Mason. So what did he do? He got another part time job delivering pizza. I thought it was a bad idea... but it turned out to be perfect. They were very flexible with his schedule... he picked when he worked and when he didn't. Paid decent too. AND we kept the house (bummer!) AND we didn't go into debt. AND I found a way to save a million on diapers. AND we got some things we didn't need, because we wanted them. And then he got a Full time job teaching again. He can't stand it. But he does it!
Now he is taking classes to eventually make a career change. He works hard, and does whatever he can to help around the house. Although I'm sure he wants to crash and relax when he come home from work, he never does. He is always 100% for the kiddos. Best Dad EVER. Did you know he never yells? NEVER. EVER. He can't. It's not in his nature. He did yell once at his students a few years ago, and his face got all hot and red and the students applauded him for yelling and it created more of a distraction, which he was trying to stop in the first place....
He is also extremely easy to shop for. There is nothing that he wants. So anything that you give him he is grateful for. Seriously, I got him Bacon Salt for Christmas... so that everything he eats can now taste like Bacon. And he LOVED it. How easy is that? Guess what he's gonna get for Valentine's Day??? Bacon salt. And his birthday?? Yup. Bacon Salt. And Father's day? Baaacccooonnnn salt! And our anniversary? Nope. not bacon salt.
I love him because he always does his best, does what's right, and puts me and the kids first and never complains when I didn't cook dinner or clean the house. Before we got married I feared that after we sealed the deal I would wake up one day and think "Crap! What did I do! I don't love this guy, I ruined everything!" But now I know those thoughts will NEVER come. I will always love him and I will alway love being around him!


Oh, by the way... his hat is older than his shirt... I think. A Snickers for anyone who can tell me who Caesar Rodney was.... without google!

It's Sad...

But TRUE!

I...don't.....

know how to do my hair!

Never have.

Dear Mason

It feels like it was just yesterday that I was terrified I would be giving birth in Sam's Club (I would have never been able to shop there again. Can we say EMBARRASSING? Wow, thanks "Butter" for staying put.) I told myself to ditch the cart and go home. I didn't. I told myself to ask the people in front of me at the register if I could pretty please, with a cherry on top, PLEASE go ahead of them. I didn't. I yelled (okay, I screamed) all the way home from the pain. I sped. a lot. 85 in a 55. And prayed that a cop wouldn't pull me over. And if he did, I prayed that he would believe me when I screamed "I'M IN LABOR!" in his face. Thank heavens there wasn't a cop in sight! A year ago today, I snuggled you for the first time.

And now, a year later, you are still just as sweet as ever! I can't believe you are ONE year old! I love you so much Butter! Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mom

P.S. You have just as much hair today as you did a year ago. Maybe less. Love you anyways!

8 Dollars

Gets me... 2 gallons of Grapefruit juice, 10 lbs. of grapefruit, and 34boxes of pasta! Endorphins were gushing as I paid for my goods! What next?!

A favorite

Mason- about 3 weeks old, and Tage 2 years.

Oh! My heart!

Back In The Day

Tage, about 3 months old... oy

Open WIDE

This is a picture of Tage chillin out at the dentist with her moon boots. I took her for the first time a few weeks ago... she did GREAT! I took her to my dentist appointment a few months ago, so she could see it being done to me, and I played "dentist" with her before her appointment. I think it helped her feel more comfortable. I took her to a Pediatric dentist, and the office was very fun with huge, awesome murals on the walls. Tage's room had a unicorn. Because Tage's teeth are supposedly really tight, they wanted to take x-rays to be sure there were no cavities. They said if Tage wouldn't let them, it was okay, because she is so young they doubted she would comply... but Tage once again did AWESOME... (isn't she cute??!!) and they got the images they wanted.

And then...the hygenist said...

"the docotor will be out to talk to you in a minute about her x-rays"
I sighed loudly, and said "ahh no... really?"
and she gave me the "sorry" look and said "yeah..."

The verdict? EIGHT cavities. Every molar.
The solution? Do it through the hospital. Put her to sleep. Pay LOTS and LOTS of bucks.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? How does a 3 year old, who almost never gets to drink juice, is limited to sweets, and never goes to bed without having her teeth brushed by her parents get eight stinkin cavities?

Apparently you are supposed to floss your children's teeth right from the get-go. I admit I failed there. And since Tage's teeth are tight... and no flossy flossy... we won ourselves eight cavities! Man, I felt like Loser Mother of the Year at that appointment. Okay, not really, because I know I'm awesome. But I do feel like I let Tage down. Now she has to go through getting them worked on and being put to sleep.

So, learn from my Horrible Mommy Moment #3: Floss your tot

I learned my lesson and now floss Mason's (11mo.) teeth, despite the 2 inch gap between each tooth. Ain't no one gonna tell me I messed up when I didn't floss his teeth. No way.

IMMUNIZE

Taking a basic microbiology class in college made me a firm believer in immunizations. Meeting my sister-in-law, Shannon, who is a scientist reasearching Malaria, made me more of a believer. Enrolling my kids in th H1N1 vaccination study increased my belief in it even more. But when I hear other people's real life experiences with disease that could have been prevented through vaccination, I KNOW I am doing the right thing when I take my kids to the doctor and let them be stabbed with needles and injected with various vaccines. If you haven't felt the need to vaccinate you children, read natalienortonphoto.blogspot.com and pray for baby Gavin, who is fighting for his life. (I believe Natalie said the vaccines that would have helped him are not given until the 8week appointment... he got sick prior to that age.)
I don't know Natalie personally, but started following her blog after reading an article she wrote for a photography website. I then learned that she and I are of the same faith (LDS a.k.a mormon) and feel more connected to her. Talk to people who know a thing or too (preferably ones who have a doctorate degree in the field) about vaccines before you decide not to vaccinate your kids.