The Ides of March! (Did I use that correctly? I never really knew what that meant)

My little trooper!

Thursday March 8th, I took Brigg to the Dr. for a cough he had been struggling with for a few days.  They gave him a breathing treatment and sent him home, even though the doctor was surprised that the treatment didn't seem to help at all.

With just a few hours I could tell he was really struggling to breath and now his cough was very tight.  He would cough once and just freeze up and couldn't cough any more.  I was worried about him and knowing that night time tends to be worse, Gary and I decided to take him back into the doctor.  

We saw a different doctor this time and he said there was no way we should take him home.  He needed to be admitted into the hospital.  It was confirmed with a test that he had RSV.

I thought maybe they would send him home the next morning but we would need to stay four days.  They didn't send him home until Monday morning.

This was taken the first morning there.  Don't his eyes just look tired?

Poor little guy.  He was just miserable.  He couldn't even sleep for very long.   (Notice the coolio affect on the picture?  I downloaded an app to make cool pics on my cell phone!)

Like always the best way to get him to sleep was having his Daddy hold him.

I thought I would have time to read and catch up on some blogging...but the little guy just needed held and played with.  

I am so grateful to good friends who helped feed my family while I was gone.  I also am so grateful for all the prayers on his behalf, as well as putting his name in the temple.  That first night he was absolutely miserable until Gary gave him a blessing, and then he just settled right down. I am so grateful for the priesthood power.

By the time he was able to go home we were both so sick of being cooped up in that hospital room!  I love to see these pictures of how happy he is.  He was feeling much better for sure!

 So here is it Saturday night.  He is still on oxygen although only when he sleeps.  He has 3 breathing treatments a day but is done taking his antibiotic.  He still has to wear a monitor on his big toe to measure his oxygen.  (I learned that is called an oximeter in case you wanted to know.)

As for a little update about the rest of us, Gary (who just finished working a month of nights) left town Tuesday for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!  (And leaving on a Tuesday means he will be gone for TWO weekends not just one.)  Yes, I am losing my mind!

The hospital stay seemed to be exactly what I needed to finally get my sternum to stop hurting from the wreck.  My hand has been another story.  The doctor put a brace on it which I wore for two weeks, (I was supposed to wear it for three) but when Gary left town and I had to manage six kids and my little patient, it was clear the brace had to go.  It hurt really bad at first but I think the movement is actually good for it because it is feeling quite a bit better (although all this typing makes it hurt a bit!)  Oh! and I somehow hurt my upper arm (like just under my shoulder) while Brigg was in the hospital.  I think it was from sleeping in a ball at the end of his bed.  It sure does hurt but I'm sure it will heal.

Scottlynn is totally healed from the wreck, thank heaven!

Oh!  And Kennedy... sort of a long story.  Hmmmm should be a separate post but dude!  Its almost midnight.  So she has always had a mild hearing loss.  Well it seems to be getting quite a bit worse.  So after tests and a visit to a LAME Vernal specialist, it was decided that she needed tubes in her ears to hear better.  Well her hearing is sooooo much WORSE!!!  Brilliant doctor says that is just a side affect of the tubes.  Uhhhhhh.....  waaaaaiiiiiitttt a minute.  Isn't that what we were trying to fix?

So after making some idiotic suggestions like maybe pulling just one tube out and seeing if it helps we decided to just take his referral to a doctor at Primary Children's Hospital.  I am not even going to go over scenarios Mr. Wizard discussed since I think he is a mindless bafoon!  We will meet with the new doctor in April. 

So, to sum up:

*Gary works nights for a month.  

*Scottlynn and I get T-boned, total the van and sustain injuries.

*Brigg spends 4 days in the hospital with RSV.

*Gary leaves town for two weeks

*Kennedy is going deaf.

*And we still live in Vernal.

Christian's first surgery

 Christian has always wanted to be a surgeon.  So last night when Scottlynn came to me with a slight surgical need I knew the perfect person to pass the buck to.  Scottlynn had a new molar that had pushed through the gum, leaving a chunk of gum dangling in her mouth, which is most annoying! 

  Scottlynn was a little nervous but a good patient.  

  

Quynn wanted to play nurse but was mostly in the way.  Of coarse the head lamp was added for a better visual of the surgical site and it looks cool too!

.

He played around with it for a while.  It was clearly stuck on too hard for him to pinch it off using tweezers so he decided to just go for it with some tiny scissors.  Scottlynn wasn't sure about that idea but it actually didn't hurt one bit. :-)

One quick snip and there it was! EW!  Isn't that disgusting?!!!

 

A quick inspection of his work showed she was good to go. Christian was so thrilled!  And Scottlynn felt much better. 

I am thinking in his future career he wont be allowed to have his cat in the operating room

I feel like I've been hit by a truck!

 Yesterday I picked Scottlynn up from dance.  I took the long way home because I hate turning left onto main street with out a light.  At one stop light I actually waited in the intersection until the light was red because you are never sure if those people coming at you are going to stop for a yellow light.  We were then driving east. Straight.  

Then everything happened so fast!

I could see a truck plowing towards an intersection where he has a stop sign and I didn't.  I knew a crash was inevitable.  I hit my brakes hard and turned left hoping for more of a sideswipe than a full blown T bone. All I could say was "Oh! Oh! Oh!"

WHAM!!!

I hate that sound. 

It's so strange how after something like that happens you can't really think straight.  It's like you are kind of paralyzed.  I just remember wondering if Scottlynn was okay.  Luckily she tucked in a ball right before it happened.  She saw my reaction to seeing him and it was just her natural instinct to tuck.  She was very scared and upset but overall in good condition.  She was shaken emotionally and a bit physically but no serious injuries.  Thank Heaven! 

It terrifies me to think if he had hit us another  foot back.  It would have crushed her.  I am so glad that I have always been a seat belt Nazi.  The officer said that if she hadn't had her seat belt on, we would be taking her to Primary Children's.

I too, am good although quite a bit more banged up.  At first I couldn't move my hand at all.  There was no pain at all, in fact I couldn't even feel my arm or hand.  That was kind of freaky.  As the numbness wore off it was replaced by pain.  I noticed my chest was slightly sore too.  That would magnify as the shock wore off as well.

We were both checked out in the ER.  They took x-rays of my chest, hand and foot.  Nothing broken, again, thank Heaven!

I have always heard the second day is worse but I think I am doing better today.  My arm and hand are much better.  I put some Lavender oil on the air bag burns and they are totally healed (thanks Brooke).  I do have a black and blue boob.  Yep.  Don't worry, I will spare you those pictures for multiple reasons.

Anyway, it hurts to do much of anything.  Holding Brigg is almost impossible.  I have to prop him with a pillow to nurse.  Lifting him hurts my chest and he is too squirmy to hold without him banging into my chest in some way.  My arm is still very sore and bruised but I can use it fine.

Here are some pics of the van.

 Behind that cop car is the road I was driving on.  He hit us so hard we flew to where you see the van now.

He hit the front so hard the back whipped around and hit again.  I may have to see if I can rescue our BYU decals today.  GO COUGARS!

I am counting my blessings today and grateful that Heavenly Father protected us.  A little bummed about the van. :-/

Get whatcha get and get over it!

Okay, I keep thinking about this post.  I have had many grand ideas but dude, I have no time.  Just wanted to post a little update about what's going on around here.

Christian - He is doing amazingly well!  He is a 4.0 student.  He ran cross country this past fall and is already preparing for track this spring.  He runs almost every day with a group of kids.  I don't know where he gets it from but he is fast and loves it!   He also had the lead part in the school play this past fall.  He did such a good job.  It was wonderful to watch him just jump right into his character with no fear.  That is pretty much how he does life now days.  He has finished his Eagle Scout project and is just working on the mountain of paperwork now.  As soon as that is in he will be able to get his drivers learner permit.  I have mixed feelings about that but mostly, I am NOT excited.  For his elective in school, he is a peer tutor that works with disabled kids and he loves it.  He is also the Teachers Quorum President.  Now, I know he sounds like the perfect son but just to keep it real you (moms like me that feel like everyone else has amazing kids and I am somehow failing) will be happy to know that his room is a trash heap, he is mostly self centered and he is fighting for his life not to get a job.  I am so sick of telling him to get a job every time he asks me for something I have learned to say it in sign language so I don't have to hear it.  Plus, it just makes me smile. :-)

Kennedy - This girl is changing so fast right now, in every way.  She is currently competing in Vernal's got Talent.  It is a musical competition and she is singing.  Let me just tell you, she can knock it out of the park!  That girl sings so beautifully I just want to run around after her performance and yell, "I AM HER MOTHER!  SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!!!"  We also just found out she has a pretty severe hearing loss.  We knew she had a mild one, but it has gotten way worse so we had to put T tubes in her ears.  We won't know for a month or so if it worked to correct the problem  but I will get back with you.  Kennedy is the Beehive President.  Oh!  Actually, hmmmm.  Now I guess she is a miamaid soooo...... I guess she isn't anymore? Strange I don't really know that.  There are only a handful of young women anyway.  And in case you are thinking this child is perfect, she has quite a temper!  Actually for the first time she is greatly improving, but it has been a long road!  I am enjoying her more and more every day.  (Well, not on her bad days. haha)

Scottlynn - Oh this girl!  She is a girl after my own heart.  She LOVES dance.  Just lives for it.  I am so thrilled to announce that she has earned her toe shoes in ballet.  It has been kind of melancholy for me.  My parents pulled me out of dance right before my entire class got their point shoes and I remember crying and crying.  I am so happy that this is something that she desires and that I can help her follow through on her dreams.  She is such a sweet and silly girl.  She is so full of love.  She wears crazy...I mean CRAZY socks a lot.  Like knee high rainbow striped socks with a skirt.  She is always wearing bright colors and doesn't care what anyone things.  Although I know they are thinking, "I wish I could pull that off as cute as she does".  She has her bad days and she can be a real space case but this girl is a keeper for sure!

Boston - What a crazy kid!  This boy is always on the go.  He eats like a horse!  Seriously, he out eats Christian, me or even Gary.  He has two full dinners a night and is showing no signs of slowing down.  He performed the part of the narrator in his class play today.  He is an excellent student and has a million friends.  He is always giving me hugs and kisses and compliments me almost daily.  He has a hard time though remembering to wash his hair and yet he can use an entire bottle of shampoo in one shower just playing in the bubbles.  Will he EVER grow out of that?

Quynn - We have actually started the adventure of potty training.  She is doing so well.  She is not perfect but at this point she is doing better than any of my other kids have.  Still they all have to criticize my methods and think it is despicable when she is running around bare bottomed because she peed in her princess panties.  She talks a million miles an hour.  It's usually a story about scary monsters in her room but occasionally she just throws in random words like, "6,7,8!"  She sings super loud all the time!  She loves to pet her brother Brigg and say, "It's okay.  I'm here." 

Brigg - Oh how I love this boy.  He STILL can not sit up alone.  He is almost 7 months old.  His newest trick is to roll onto his belly (only in the past week has he figured that one out) and then cry because his head is too heavy to hold for very long and he can't roll back over.  It's really quite tragic. :-(  He is so funny and loves to laugh!  He is loving baby food, finally!  It's hard to put into words my feelings about this last baby.  I want him to stay a baby.  I adore him so much right now and I know he is my last so I just want him to stay little, but on the other hand, I am excited to know I will soon be done with diapers.  I am excited about moving on to the next phase of life.  I try not to think of it as never having babies again, but rather looking forward to grandbabies someday.  (which sooooo better not be for a while!)

Gary is working nights at the moment.  That really stinks.  He works a lot and when he isn't working he is the young men's president for our ward so that takes up a fair amount of his time.  He is a great father.  When Kennedy has to sing for this competition he gets so nervous he is nauseous . lol.  He has helped Christian with his eagle scout project and often takes Boston to young mens too.    He gets to have some one on one time with Quynn most days because he wakes up while the kids are still at school.  He is like a sleeping pill for Brigg.  I think its the soft belly. ;-)  He is spread very thin but somehow he manages to take time for each of the kids.

As for me,  I almost feel like I don't exist sometimes.  I know that sounds bad and if I had time, maybe it would be, but at the moment I am running so fast I can't think about it.  There is never enough of me to go around.  I am just doing what I can and trying to find joy in all my blessings.  Really, it isn't hard.  I love my kids and I love my hub.  Of coarse there are days I want to kill one or all of them, but most of the time I am pretty happy.  I must admit, I have given it a year and a half and you know what?  I still don't like Vernal.  There, I said it.  I mean, I can be happy anywhere.  I have my family.  I have already had to change my outlook on friendships.  But it's like the people here just don't even have a clue of how it can be.  And honestly, I am too busy to make friends or really do much of anything outside my family.  I don't have time and to be honest, I don't really want to right now.  So there.

Okay, now if I were wonderful I would post the video of Kennedy singing, and Christians play.  Pictures of Quynn on the potty, Scottlynn's bright socks and all that but dude, if I could do that I would have sent the pictures I have been promising the great grandparents for months.  So all I can say is, get whatcha get and don't throw a fit.  Get whatcha get and be happy with it!

Thinking about the blog

This morning I am too tired and lazy to get off my rump and do anything productive.  I was up until almost 1 am with a naughty teenager and then up again at 6:30am (because Brigg was nice and slept IN that long).  Brigg of coarse went back to bed but then Quynn got up.  Who let all these kids in here anyway?

ANYWAY!  So after reading the two new posts on Facebook since last night and spending some time on Pinterest I ended up reading through some old posts on this blog. Can I just say...I MISS BLOGGING!

It was so fun.  It was an outlet for me.  It was a place I could count my blessings and rant about the inequalities of life.  A place to keep favorite recipe's and a journal of my kids big events.  I rarely have time for facebook or pinterest anymore but maybe if I cut those out completely I could post once in a while.

I don't know, it seems like a lot of people are loosing interest in blogging.  I haven't lost interest mind you, just the time to do it.  Is blogging lame?  I mean, I know its great for those people who have HUGE blogs and sponsors and its their life goal to change the world and get a spot on Good Things Utah.  Is that show even on anymore?  But for people like me... and no, I actually don't think I will ever make a grand book of my blog, is their a point?  Is it a waste of time?

I'm pretty crappy at keeping any kind of a journal.  And now a blog just feels like a journal failure on a grander scale.  If I just ramble off about life and the crazy circus I live it, is it worth it to record?  Does anyone in the world read this but me?  If not I guess I can ramble away and no one cares anyway, right?

Okay, kids are needing me off by fanny and Gary brought home donuts last night that are calling my name.

Blessing Baby Brigg

Brigg Garrison ***

Blessed September 4th, 2011

He was given a wonderful blessing by his Father Gary

Lots of family came

Now our family is complete! 

Mom, Dad, and Brigg

Mom and Brigg

Here are some pictures in his little outfit.

What a handsome little man!

The complete outfit.

"Uhhhh...What did you just put on my head?"

"I LOOK LIKE A GIRL!!!"

 

 And NO we did not bless him in the girly bonnet.  

I just think it's funny they even make them with the boy outfits.

Brigg

What better reason to blog than a new baby? Tuesday, July 12th Brigg Garrison came into the world. This little man is so amazing!

I started out the morning with a pic of the huge baby belly. Notice the finger printed windows behind me. This would have something to do with the fact that I haven't been able to walk for a couple of weeks.

Labor was incredibly hard. The epidural did not work at all. I had some sort of spinal block that did work, but only for about and hour and a half. Lets just say it was PAINFUL!

Nevertheless, at 2:32 PM He came into the world. Here is a picture of him still all slimy. Like that HUGE KNOT? YIKES!
He was so mad he peed on the doctor and then again on the nurses. He weighed NINE POUNDS!!! What a chunk! No wonder I couldn't walk!Here is a picture of him with my doctor Ben Williams.


Gary was a great labor coach. He helped me to breath and acted very calm even though I think he was a bit freaked out. I hemorrhaged after and lost a lot of blood. He said that was scary. I think he was as glad as me when the whole thing was all over.The kids came over shortly after and instantly fell in love with this little guy. Christian was working at scout camp and wasn't able to see him until the weekend. These two boys share the same birthday 15 years apart. How cool is that?!

Christian and Brigg
Kennedy and Brigg

Scottlynn and Brigg
Boston and Brigg. (He wanted to wait till we got home to hold him. I think he was worried he would break him.)
Quynn and Brigg
My soul sista Lisa came and completely entertained the kids. I don't think they have had so much fun all summer. She was a lifesaver as usual.

Her daughter Megan also came.

Notice Boston's awesome shoes! Lisa brought all the kids white keds and they dyed them funky colors. What a great idea!


They also decorated the outside of the house to welcome home their new baby brother.

It amazes me how much I love him. He is just as special to me as the first one is. Speaking of which, he is waking up and HUNGRY. :-)