Twas the night before Christmas

 

Twas the night before Christmas, and in each isolette
Little creatures were squirming and getting all set;
Machinery sat by their bedsides with care,
In hopes that good breathing skills soon would be there.
Day shifters were home all snug in their beds,
As visions of overtime danced in their heads;
While preemies on ventilators, and some on CPAP,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap...
When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,
The residents woke up to see what was the matter.
Away from the sink I flew like a jet
To make sure all was well at my baby's isolette.
Some bilirubin lights with their powerful glow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to babies below,
When, there before my wondering eyes, it would seem,
Was an oversized stroller and a medical team.
With a handful of needles with which they could stick you,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nicu.
More rapid than eagles his specialists came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"Now, Nurses! Now, Residents! Now, Neonatologists!
On, Social Workers! On, Respiratory and Occupational Therapists!
From the front of the unit! To the end of the hall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
Up to each baby's cribside they flew,
With the stroller full of toys, and St. Nicu too.
And then, in a twinkling, they stopped at each bed
And tucked in the babies and got them all fed.
As I looked at my baby, and was turning around,
Down our aisle St. Nicu came with a bound.
He was dressed in red scrubs, and I could instantly tell
That his clothes had an obvious hospital smell;
A bag of stuffed animals was flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
A little red pen he held tight in his teeth,
And a stethoscope encircled his neck like a wreath.
He was chubby and plump, with a few extra pounds,
And I laughed when I saw him there doing his rounds.
A turn of his clipboard and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke few words, but came straight to my side,
And running down his face was a tear he had cried.
And laying his hand on the back of my head,
He gave me a nod, and slowly he said:
"Each night you come here you're aware of the danger,
But your baby is loved by the One in the manger."
Then the medical team gave a thumbs-up and smiled
And St. Nicu placed an animal next to my child.
But I heard him exclaim, as they rolled out of sight,
"Merry Christmas, tiny baby, and have a wonderful night!

 

    I have so many other pictures of Jake, Emma, and Grady hanging stockings and getting ready for Santa, but I really wanted to share this poem I found.  I guess the Christmas post will have to do double duty.

   Gretchen is holding her own, we will get an update posted soon.  Keep praying for us, and hopefully she’ll be home by New Years.

Sweet Sunday Surprise

 

    My day did not start our well at all, but it sure finished sweet.  About 4 AM, my sleep deprived mind snapped and I had a little bit of a breakdown.  Being pregnant, pumped full of IV fluids, fetal monitors strapped to my tummy and trying to sleep in an unfamiliar bed finally took its toll.  Thankfully my wonderful doctor decided that I needed rest more than anything and disconnected all the monitors and IV fluids and I was able to sleep for a couple of hours.

  I was awoken to the news that my lab work was improving, and if the numbers were the same on Monday the decision to induce labor was even less clear.  The question of sending me home came up, but they still couldn’t guarantee that I would be home for Christmas.   So once again, my condition was “clear as mud” – but getting murkier.

   I got up to use the potty and everything changed.  I won’t go into details for the fainter of tummy, but let’s just say it was obvious something was wrong.  My nurse checked me and I had gone to 4 cm, so she called in Dr. Greenhaw.  The pitocin was started and epidural ordered….things progressed quickly.  I went from 4cm to  7cm in 45 minutes.  All that time I was frantically calling Jason, who had taken the kids to church.   I finally got a hold of  Brother Jackson on the church phone line, who had the fun job of finding Jason and telling him the news.

   After a very easy (and short!) labor, Gretchen made her way into this world screaming like a banshee at 3:05 PM.  She is 6 lbs, 2oz, and 19.5 inches long.  Quite the big girl for 34 weeks and 6 days – I shudder to think how big she would have been if I went full term!   She is breathing on her own, and has some minor preemie issues so she is in the NICU, we hope not for too long.  The neonatologist said maybe by Christmas.

  I forgot to put the memory card back into the camera after downloading pictures last night, so all the great shots Jason took of her being cleaned up, weighed, and measured don’t exist.  Thankfully they let him follow them to the NICU and he was able to get some there.

  We both thank all of you for your prayers, well wishes, offers of meals once we get home, and babysitting!  Without our extended family this would have been so much harder.  We can’t wait to get her home so we can share this tiny Christmas miracle with all of you.

Family Field Trip

 

     Since I have some catching up to do, I figure I might as well start with the more recent events, since they are still “fresh” in my mind…

  Last weekend we took the kids on a surprise trip to Gainesville.  We didn’t tell them where or why we were going, just piled them in the car.  Why Gainesville, you might ask?  Because that’s the nearest Macy’s.

  It all started when Emma wrote her letter to Santa.  She mentioned how neat it would be to drop it in the big red mailbox at Macy’s just like in the commercial.  I thought the closest one was Orlando, but thankfully I was wrong!  I told Jason (World’s Greatest Daddy) about Emma’s wish and he was all for it.

  So Saturday morning we loaded up and drove down to Macy’s. We had to make one stop to photocopy Emma’s letter – thankfully Jason knew a place ; )  We pulled into the parking lot and I asked Emma if she knew where she was…I told her “ ‘Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus’ ”.  She said “Moooom, that’s from the Macy’s commercial with the Santa mailbox.”  Then she yelled, “We’re at Macy’s! The big red mailbox!”  It was all we could do to get keep her buckled in until we got the car parked.  Thankfully the mailbox was right inside the door, so they didn’t have to wait long to mail their letters to Santa.

  After we mailed our letters we had some lunch at the food court…It was so crazy busy!  I remarked to Jason that I couldn’t remember the last time I had been at a mall on a Saturday…he responded with “let alone in December!”  After lunch we took the kids to play on the playground – they had such a great time running, squealing, climbing, and carrying on that Jason and I were happy to just sit back and watch them play.

   The kids hated to leave the mall, but we had one more surprise for them…but that will just have to wait until next time!

Slacker

Yep, that’s me. I could use the excuse that I have been really busy, but I know all my other mommy friends have been just as (if not) busier than me.  I could use the excuse that I haven’t been feeling up to par, but since the whole swine flu thing I’ve been off my game and still managed to post a couple of times.  The only excuse I have this time is I’m lazy, and forgetful. Every time I powered up the computer to start blogging I would think of another website I needed to check, or an email I needed to return, or some other thing and before I knew it the laptop was turned off and I had (again) forgotten to post anything.

  Well, no excuses this time.  I am currently attached to a hospital bed by no less than 4 tethers (fetal heart monitor, contraction monitor, BP cuff, and IV)…and I will be until they decide to deliver this baby.  I have been given a chance to catch up.

   I am currently 34 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  I am also having runs of high blood pressure that is breaking through the medication, and labs that slightly indicate pre-eclampsia.  It is too dangerous to send me home – the condition could worsen to a coma stage in less than an hour without constant monitoring and medications.  My doctor consulted with my high risk doctor last night and agreed that my course of treatment was “clear as mud”.  If I were 36 weeks, they would have already delivered Gretchen, but only being 34.5…they need to wait.  If my blood pressure continues to rise, or if the protein markers in my lab work  increase, or if I go into labor naturally (which could happen, I am 3cm dilated)  they will deliver.  If not, they will consider delivering Monday, when I roll over to 35 weeks. 

   I can understand the caution, but if they don’t induce Monday, I will probably be here for Christmas.  This especially upsets me because of the visitation rules – due to flu risks, no children under five are allowed to visit.  We could bring Christmas here, but not without my whole family.  It has barely been 24 hours, and already I am missing them like crazy.

  At least I get to see Emma.  She prepared for her visit! She made me a craft (with a little help) and picked out flowers:

And she brought me friends to keep me company:

I love the beds she created for them in my bedside table.

     I am trying to be a trooper through all of this, but I miss my family and I hate all the Christmas things I am missing like the ward party,  “Christmas” sacrament meeting, baking cookies with the kids, Christmas lights, and all that fun stuff.   I keep telling myself that this is all happening for a reason, and it is all the will of Heavenly Father.  I am just not good at accepting trials with grace! I have been shown many times though…

  Ye can not behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.  For after much tribulation come the blessings.   (Doctrine & Covenants 58: 3&4)

   This is but a small bit of tribulation in the grand scheme of eternity, and enough of me complaining.  Just say a prayer for us and hopefully I’ll (and Gretchen) be home for Christmas.

   In the meantime, check back often.  I just might go backwards and catch up on all the year’s excitement I never posted!

Kiddo Pride, Part 1

 

   Last Thursday I broke the rules, and I paid for it.  I think I set myself back a day or two, but it was so worth it.

   Halloween Friday Emma not only came home with a perfect report card, but a note stating that she was going to receive an award.  The assembly was last Thursday morning, and even though I was on bed rest, I wasn’t going to miss it.

    Of course, I forgot my camera.  I blame the medications.  Thankfully, Ms. Miskowski (Emma’s wonderful librarian) was kind enough to let me borrow hers and then email me the pictures.

   I really enjoyed the program.  All the children were so cute and so proud of themselves, which they well deserved!  Each of the teachers gave out two awards for math, two for reading, two for citizenship, and then perfect attendance.  Guess which one Emma got?

  I love that Mrs. Taylor gets down on the children’s level every time she takes pictures with them – she is just the best!

  We are so proud of Emma for everything she has accomplished this year – she has overcome her stage fright, you can actually read what she writes now, she has started the gifted program at school, and she has continued to astound us with her reading progress.  Her math is improving, and she is even making strides in PE – not her best subject, but she tries!

   I know pride is a sin, but all of my kiddos are a constant source for Jason and I.  Even Heavenly Father said repeatedly, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”  If we can’t follow His example of parental love, whose can we?

Quality Time

  

    First swine flu, now viral bronchitis.  Some days I think I am a walking petri dish.   Unlike my last illness, this time around my breathing  is so labored that I have to do breathing treatments.  It wouldn’t be bad, but the medication raises my already borderline blood pressure.  This means that after the treatment I have to stay in bed so I don’t start having contractions and go into preterm labor.  I just keep telling myself how much worse it could be.  I am thankful that I am doing bed rest in my own bed, and not at the hospital!

  However, there is always an upside….with Mommy on bed rest and being so sick lately, the kids have found new ways to spend time with me:

  They love when I have to do my breathing treatments, because the mist makes me look like I can breathe fire.  I thought Jake might avoid me during these times, because he had to do so many breathing treatments when he was little (hence the extra masks – the one Jake is wearing is actually a dragon.) He seems to forget how much he hated it.  He even insisted that Grady join in.

   After a few minutes, my wild things decided that Daddy needed to have some fun, too.

   This is a game Emma invented called “Lion Pounce”.  It involves jumping on someone from behind – when they aren’t expecting it.  Her prey is usually her littlest brother, who seems to find it fun.  I hope she is a lot more gentle with him than she is with her daddy.

   As much as I enjoy these little moments, I am looking forward being able get around the house and spend more time in the living areas with my sweet family…I am just glad that right now they are coming to me!

Happy Halloween x4

      So how many times did you get to celebrate Halloween this year?  Not counting an adult party that Jason and I went to, we did it 4 times.

  The first was over a week ago, when we went to Trunk or Treat at Jason’s mom’s ward.  It was a good run-thru to make sure all the parts of the costumes fit and how Grady was going to do in his Minnesota-winter Dalmatian costume. 

Our next celebration was Trunk or Treat at our ward. In my opinion, this is our real Halloween celebration.  We get to visit with all of our friends, see all the kids dressed up so cute, and we know any candy the kids collect is safe. 

This year, we actually had a theme in the family -  Jakers was a firefighter and Grady was a Dalmatian.  Emma chose to be a veterinarian. (In case the dog got hurt.)   Even our stroller got into the spirit and dressed up as a fire truck.

The kids had a great time playing games, and it turns out that Emma and Jake both had great aim – they made it through the clown and into the toilet!

  Grady seemed to have a great time just relaxing in the stroller and sampling the candy.

    The third celebration was actually two separate parties – Emma had a “Storybook Character” parade at school and Jake class went trick or treating at the office complex that is attached to the school.  Well, Jake’s class went trick or treating.  Jake, not so much….

 

    Even though it was Jake’s turn to have Mommy at school, I guess he might have been better off without me.

Emma got to have Grady and Nina though, so she wasn’t too upset. At least I was able to get her ready for school before passing her off.

  I love that Emma’s teacher dressed up like the Cat in the Hat! By the way – look closely and you might spot someone you know in this shot!

     Finally Saturday arrived and with it the big day.  Unfortunately, so did a sinus infection.  I woke up just miserable, and after a long phone call to my OB, it was decided that because of my drug allergies and the baby, there were no antibiotics that were safe to prescribe.  Instead, I got fluids and bed rest.  I couldn’t take my babies trick or treating!

   Thankfully, they have a great daddy that was brave enough to take them.  Well, he got lucky and only had to take Emma and Grady.  Jake wasn’t feeling well and refused to even look at his costume, so the two of us sat on the couch, ate pizza, and watched TV. 

   It certainly didn’t turn out to be the Halloween I had in mind, but it was sweet time for Jakers and I, and Emma got Daddy pretty much to herself.  As for Grady, he sat quietly in the stroller and collected candy – and he didn’t melt in his costume.

Emma’s New View

 

  It certainly has been a momentous week around here, and today was no exception. 

A couple of weeks ago Emma told me that she thought she needed glasses.  Why? Because her friend Bailey has glasses. (This is really the reason she gave me. I can not make this stuff up.)  Even though I thought this was a silly reason, our new vision insurance is only $10 for an exam so I made the appointment.  Not to mention that she has had eye surgery twice – when she was 13 months, and again when she was four.  And the fact that nearly everyone on both sides of her family tree wear glasses.  My eyes were so bad – even with contacts – that I had Lasik done a couple of years ago.

  Once again, it has been proven that my six-year-old is smarter than I am…she needed glasses.  Her prescription is very slight, but on top of her near-sightedness, she has an astigmatism.

  She was so happy!  Watching her try on frame after frame was hard for me.  When I got glasses I was teased unmercifully.  I don’t want anybody to hurt my baby girl!  Of course, I was 13, and that is an evil age.  Hopefully six-year olds are more accommodating, and Emma has a stronger sense of self than I did. Anyway, she finally settled on a pair, and we went home where I was questioned everyday if her glasses had come in.

  Today was the day.  She is so proud of her new look, and she reports that she can see better.  She seems to be adjusting to them very well, except taking them off to polish them every hour.    I think it will take me a little longer to get used to seeing her in glasses, but she just looks even cuter than she did before, and if it is possible, those big brown eyes are even bigger!

  We had some celebratory pizza for lunch, then she showed her new look to all her stuffed animals and doll friends.  What a big day for my precious little girl!

Coppergate’s Open (& Crowded) House

 

  What a night for the Howles! 

After spending last night in Labor & Delivery (just really bad pain &  pressure, no pre-term labor yet, thank heavens) the last thing I really felt up to doing was going to Open House at Coppergate.  I know, Bad Mommy.  But there was no way I was going to disappoint my little girl, so we pawned Grady off on my mom and headed to school.

  As usual, we had a wonderful time.  I have been in Emma’s classroom a few times, but this was Jake’s first visit and she wanted to show him everything. It was so cute to watch her with him – she is the best big sister!

     She is having a super year in school, I think it has a lot do with how much she loves her teacher Mrs. Taylor and her friends.

    After we visited her classroom we had to fight the throngs of people to get to the cafeteria where were treated to a little patriotic concert.  I am glad so many parents attended, but I almost passed out in the hallway.  No problems, though – Emma made it well worth the crushing as once again our girl overcame her stage fright.  We can’t be more proud of her!

  Jake was also a source of pride tonight.  This was the first time we have taken Jakers to an “unfamiliar” place without a stroller.  He was such a big boy and behaved so well!  He loved watching his big sister perform as much as we did:

 

      I am so proud of both my “big” babies – I can’t believe how much they have accomplished in just the last couple of months.

She started it!

Okay, Kim. This one is your fault. ;)

First our friends the Jarvis family posted their Monster Mash. Then the Shaws. Jake laughed so hard I had to make one for us. I am not as adept at pasting the faces as my friends, but it made Jake howl. (no pun intended) I think he watched it about four times in a row, and three more times before bed. Emma however, is not amused.

So my challenge to all of you is to go make one of your family. Even if you don’t have five people you can use your pets, or Jib Jab has a ton of celebrity faces. So let’s see those monsters!

I couldn’t manage to imbed the video in my post, so this is only part one - so please scroll down to see my monsters!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Primary Program

   Even though Emma is six years old, and has been in Primary for three years, today was her first Primary Program.

People don’t believe me when I tell them how shy she is.  Emma shy?!  As outgoing as she is, Emma has a terrible case of stage fright.  She generally won’t get up in front of anybody to do anything unless they are family. 

Emma’s first program she got up on the stand with her class and sat.  She didn’t sing, she didn’t her part, I don’t think she even made it through the whole time.  Her second program she didn’t even get up on the stand.  Today she shined.

  The program started with the children walking from the back of the church up to the stand while singing “I am a Builder”.   The primary theme this year is My Eternal Family, and each child had a small part to recite about  the roles they fulfill in building their eternal families.  After they said their part, they went over to a very large house (that I think our bishop built) and added their family’s brick to the house.

  Emma sang all the songs, and she had her part memorized:

 “Each member of a family has important jobs.  I like to help take care of my little brothers.”

  After all the songs had been sung, and all the children had put their family bricks in the house, our sweet primary president called the names of each child or set of siblings, and when she did the family of those children in the congregation stood up.  It was one of the simplest, most moving things I have ever seen. And as if that weren’t enough to get me teary, then our Bishop shared a few thoughts, and at one point he turned to the children and spoke to them. The program closed with first the children then the rest of the ward singing “Families are Forever”

   In all our years of going to church, I can honestly say this was the most wonderful Primary program I have ever seen. Thanks so much to our wonderful presidency for working so hard to put it together, and to Emma’s teachers for encouraging her.   But mostly, thanks so much to Emma, who practiced so hard and made Mommy so proud today.

Grady’s Grand Adventure

 

    The hardest thing about having three babies  so close together is finding time and special things to do with them one on one.  That is one of the main reasons I am a Girl Scout leader, so Emma and I have that time. 

   So far, Grady’s big adventures with mommy have been trips to Wal-Mart, and if he is really lucky, we might make it to Target.  But today was Grady’s big day.  We went to the Zoo!

  We met up with our playgroup outside the main gate, and then it was time to have some fun!

  This is Grady’s view of the zoo most of the time.  Between chasing Emma and Jake, our quiet little man  usually gets left in the stroller, but today I was able to get him out and let him play.

  It was a great day to be at the zoo, too. Not only was the weather beautiful, but the zoo was decked out in all its Halloween splendor.  There were plenty of great spots to take pictures!

   He had a great time hangin’ with his friends….

Going down the slide (with some help from Mandi)…

And feeding the giraffes! (Thanks, Katheryn for taking such great pictures.)

  It was a day FULL of what we call “Grady Grins”

   He was so worn out that after lunch (and a much needed change of clothes) there was only one picture left to take…..

Poor little man fell asleep while I was loading the stroller in the van….Thanks so much to all of our friends that shared this great day with us -  I think the cornfield is next!