Day 5: Back To The Grind

Well, we survived the first four days. I pretty much spent Thursday and Friday sleeping on the couch. Jerome was AMAZING and took the kids swimming, to the museum, on adventures, and generally did everything.

Saturday morning a dear friend picked me up and we went to a baby shower. When we got home, I was so light-headed and nauseous I almost collapsed. After spending the rest of the day like that, we realized the pain meds were doing more harm than good. So we ditched them.

Sunday was great, with church and fro yo mixed with naps. And no puking.

And today, it's back to the grind. We have 2 more weeks of school, so the girls are gathered around the coffee table while I'm on the couch. Jerome is is going back and forth between home and work, and the cats are pestering the dog.

In other words, life is returning to normal. Although we still aren't sure what color cast I should get tomorrow. Stay tuned for the big reveal!

My birthday present

Jerome got me cookies, a new book, and gorgeous flowers.

I got myself an ice pack and an iced coffee. Not too bad of a day.

True Story Tuesday: When My Cell Phone Exploded

Nighttime in the hospital is very odd.  It's quiet, but it's not quiet.  The visitors have gone home for the day, most of the patients are asleep, the staff is fewer.  But, you hear the beep of the machines, the moans and groans (or cries) as patients attempt to rest despite their pain, the covered giggles of the night staff as they try to have fun at work without waking the neighborhood.  It's weird.


When we went in Saturday night, I asked Super Realtor (love this nickname, by the way - it just may stick) to bring my laptop.  Of course, I also asked him to bring my exercise pants, a pair of athletic socks, my tennis shoes, a tshirt, and my pajamas.  I got his exercise pants, one of his dress socks, a pair of my fuzzy socks, and a sweatshirt.  Whatever.  At least he remembered the laptop. 


I don't sleep well in hospitals.  Heck, I have trouble sleeping at home!  And I learned from our first stay with Violet that nighttime can be pretty boring for Mama while baby is trying to sleep.  So, while Violet tried to get comfortable and catch some zzzz's between all the beeps and boops and whooshes, I hopped on FB to catch up with the world and let my brain unwind. 


And that is when the trouble began.


I guess it started innocently enough.  Rachel (who is NEVER on FB, by the way), posted about their adventure of the day:

Now, I'm sure you missed the most epic part of that post.  Go look at the number of comments. 


No, that is not a typo.  We discovered how to use the comments as a 5-way IM.  Genius!


Of course, after a long and stressful day, my snarky meter was WAY off the charts:

My other friend Shana jumped in the fray, but her snarky meter was just a little tired that night, at first:

Really, only Shana could say something like that and have it seem completely normal.  But, we still needed to know WHY IN THE HECK THERE WERE TEETH IN HER DRIVEWAY!

At this point, sweet nurse-man Jeff snuck in the room to check Violet's temperature and vitals. 

Mr. Daddy, Rachel's hubby, must have wondered what all the snickering was about, because he jumped into the fray:

And then we discussed the finer points of target practice with 22s:

Seriously, what husband, given that wind-up, would not swing straight for the fences?  Mr. Daddy delivered a home run:

And, we have all learned one thing from the times Mr. Daddy hijacks their blog.  Don't get that man on a roll.  Cause it's gonna be dangerous!

At this point, Rachel was red beyond belief and trying to do ANYTHING to focus the attention away from her:

Oh yes.  Mr. Daddy won a gift card from a blog giveaway.  To Dress Barn.  And, if you would like to see Mr. Daddy "modeling" his final choices, you can simply go here.  Don't worry, I'll wait.  It's worth it. 



So, we all had a good giggle at Mr. Daddy's expense.  And then one of us had to pee.

No, really.  Shana has crabs.  Real ones.  You can look at photos of them here.  And if you're a crab person, they really are quite cute.  But, because Liz hadn't seen the crabs, they became FB friends so that she could see the crabs.  Weirdest conversation ever!

And, really, it didn't seem odd at all that Mr. Daddy randomly chimed in with an outhouse anticdote.  But then Rachel took it down a whole other road:

And apparently, once Mr. Daddy found out that we ALL knew his buttocks were unshaven, he became a spoilsport and made Rachel go to bed. 

Fuddy duddy old man.


Yes, this conversation lasted 2 1/2 hours, had almost 1100 comments, and covered just about EVERY random subject known to man.  I do not remember the last time I woke up with sore abs from laughing.  And my phone, which receives all my FB notifications, refused to work.  Apparently I made it think too hard the night before. 


But, thanks to three crazy ladies (and one nut of a man), my night at the hospital was anything but boring! 






Want to read Rachel's side of the story?  Or more stories that are just so nuts they have to be true?  Go harass visit Rachel and Mr. Daddy at Once Upon A Miracle.  Don't forget to tell them that Saint Poopicus sent you!

Well that was a weekend!

It started out normally enough.  Finished out work, came home and made a nutritious, organic dinner (read: take and bake pizza), and baked a nutritious, organic dessert for home group (read:  soda pop cake). 


What?  You have never made soda pop cake?  For shame!  My bloggy friend Becky turned me onto the Hungry Girl site, where I found the recipe.  All you have to do is take 1 box of cake mix, add with 12 oz soda, mix until smooth, then bake like normal.  Hopefully, your cake will come out looking something like this:

Yes, it is quite possibly the best cake you will ever eat.  You are welcome.  No, it is not the healthiest cake you will ever eat.  Anywho, this one was a combination of devils food cake and Dr. Pepper soda.  I also made a white cake with peach soda for the kids.  All were completely eaten.  Our home group likes food. 



Saturday morning, Super Realtor had to go show houses to some clients, so the girls & I headed into town for some fun.  We started out at the church, helping our friend/ mentor/ children's pastor Jen clean out her office from all the Daddy Daughter Dance stuff.  Then, Madi got to go the the fabulous Pinkalicious birthday party of her friend Kate.  They had a grand time.  You can see the pics, and wish the birthday girl a happy birthday, on her mommas blog here.



While Madi was at the party, Jen and I took the rest of the kids (hers + mine) to a healthy, organic lunch.  NOT!!!  Truth: we bribed them with fast food and a play place so we could have a semi-coherent, adult conversation.  While we were there, I managed to snap this precious photo of her smallest, ornery wonder:

Don't you just want to bite those cheeks?  Yeah, me too.



The entire day, I knew something was wrong with Violet.  Truth be told, she hadn't slept well in about 2 weeks.  Friday night was miserable.  We slept for about 2 hours total.  She was okay when she first got up, but progressively got worse throughout the day.  She tried to sleep that afternoon, but could not stop coughing long enough to get comfortable. 



So, we headed in to the urgent care after Super Realtor got home.  They took one look at her and started calling the hospital.  They started her on oxygen and IV fluids with antibiotics immediately.  X rays revealed what I suspected - pneumonia.  The only way I convinced them to not transport her from the urgent care to the hospital via ambulance was if I promised to drive her immediately there, no stops.  I knew she was bad, but not that bad.



So, Violet & I got to spend the night in the hospital.  Our nurses ( two dad of two kids each) were amazing, and Violet responded well.  They let us go on Sunday afternoon with oxygen, more albuterol for the nebulizer, and the rest of her antibiotics. 



Today we visited with her doctor again.  Looks like we are going to be chasing the leash at least until Friday.

At least she knows how to do it in style.

Road Trip

Today, Kat & I get to take a road trip.
A new state, a new city.




"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9






A new hospital, a new round of doctors.
More tests.




"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13



She is excited.  We are staying in a hotel that serves breakfast AND has a pool.  I am officially the coolest mom in the known universe.
She is excited to be alone with me for 3 days.  To have adventures together.  To meet new doctors who will, in her words, "help me 'cause I can't do it by myself."






"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1








I don't see an adventure.  I see a hospital.  I see more tests. 
I see a long road.
I see a possibility that could affect the rest of her life. 






"When I am afraid, I will trust in you."  Psalm 56:3







All of a sudden, I don't want to be the mom.  I don't want to be the one in charge.  I want to curl up on my dad's lap and let him face the monsters.  But I can't.  This time, he is the grandpa.  It's his job to spoil her.







"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27






 And just like he did for me, so many years ago, it is now my job to fight the monsters for my daughter.
To be an advocate, to explain, to hold her hand.






"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:18








And to let our Heavenly Daddy hold both of us.









* For more PYHO stories, visit Shell at Things I Can't Say.

I'm Back

I did not mean to neglect blogdom for so long, really.  And when I started getting the "are you ok, are you alive?" emails, I knew I had to get my lazy, exhausted behind on here and write something.  And there are so many things I need to write about, like:

• our Thanksgiving trip to Phoenix, where the zoo went to the zoo, we apparently brought the coldest weather in recent memory with us, goofed around in a hotel, spent 3+ hours at Cabela's (cue angels singing), and slid into a ditch 5 miles from home.
• Jerome's "business" trip to Paris (a.k.a. guys trip with his dad and brother)

• All the Christmas festivities we have been up to
• general updates on the family
• my baptism in October

But, today, you get none of those.  Instead, you get this adorable photo I took this morning:

Because they both looked fabulous in their hats, and were perfectly happy to have their photo taken together. 

And this:

 

Yes, Princess Needs A Bubble Suit got to have another visit to the ER this morning.  It's sad when they know you by name.  She landed wrong last night in gymnastics, and gave herself a high ankle fracture, right near the growth plate.  Lovely. 

Although I have learned to never underestimate the amount of sympathy shown by a herd of 2nd grade girls.  You would have thought she lost a leg or something. 

And this is my solemn promise to you, and I, to take a photo of my girls tonight.  We are having our office Christmas party, and the girls are wearing their hot pink, matching dresses.  Can anyone else say fabulous!

A long day

My brain is pooped.  My body is pooped.  And the bed is yelling at me.  So I will make this quick.

Today started off wonderfully.  We met the amazing Kari at S*arbucks so I could personally deliver her prize.  Yes, Brandi, she is just as amazing in person.  Like, really.  I could go on and on and gush for a while, but I don't want to embarrass her.  But, seriously, I had a ton of fun.  Sadly, Bella was in school, but I did get to meet Scout.  He is ADORABLE!  Almost two and full of energy!  Kari thought he was misbehaving, but I thought he was precious. 

And Kat did a pretty good job taking a photo of the two of us, don't you think?

Now, Rachel, no more whining about the lack of Tiff photos on the blog, ya hear?

After coffee, we met my sis-in-love, her mom, and my niece and nephew at the Children's Museum.  It was incredible.  And I will devote an entire post to it, when I have the functional brain cells.

Then, we headed to the hospital.  We met with the GI doctor.  Have you ever had that feeling that you weren't being taken seriously?  Yup, we got that sense pretty quick with her.  She told me that our pediatrician had done an excellent job ordering all the tests she would have ordered (cant argue that point), and that since they were all normal, she was having stomach pain because she was internalizing stress and worry (functional abdominal pain).  That since the pain seemed to be getting better the last few days, we should head home in the morning, but call the clinic if it came back or got worse.  But that most of these kids feel better once they know all the tests have been run and that there isn't anything really wrong. 

Excuse me?  I drove 8 hours for that?

Needless to say, it didn't sit well with mama.

So, then we had a conversation.  A conversation about how many labs and tests our local hospital has messed up with children, our own child included.  A conversation about how our pediatrician sent us here because he suspected that some of the test results were inaccurate.  A conversation about how she didn't even look completely through the test results I had brought up to see what had been done, and the inconsistencies in them.  A conversation about the licensed counselors and therapists we have been talking to, to make sure she wasn't internalizing stress or developing perfectionism issues, like her Mom. 

It is only by the grace of God that I was able to get through the appointment without crying or hitting something.  Believe me, I thought about it.  Katrina started crying when the doctor was talking about the functional abdominal pain, and the worrying.  It didn't click at the time why she was crying.  It should have.  We (and others) have questioned her so many times throughout this about worries, fears, stresses, etc., that she has struggled with whether or not people believe her.  She is afraid people think she is making this up.  She knew the doctor didn't believe her when tried to tell her she wasn't worried, or afraid, or stressed about anything.  And that broke my heart.

The doctor asked me why a CT scan wasn't done before.  When I told her it was because our pediatrician didn't trust our hospital to do it right on a child, the conversation changed.  She had us go downstairs for more blood tests, since apparently some of the tests we have already run are really easy to mess up.  While we were down there, her nurse got us scheduled for a CT scan tomorrow morning.  I have the joy of collecting more poop in a cup - the return of Saint Poopicus!

And if I am going to be functional AT ALL, I need to get some sleep.  I talked to a few of my girlfriends tonight on the phone.  They helped the mama bear claws retract.  I was slightly fit to be tied.  A wonderful family friend is meeting us at the hospital in the morning with coffee.  Because she knows what it is like to wait in a hospital, and didn't want me to do it alone.  I got to talk to our other two precious princesses, and found out they are having a fabulous time with Daddy.  Because Daddy takes them to get Frosties and lets them stay up late.  Whatever.  I got to cry out my frustrations over the phone with my sweet hubby, who loves me even when I snot.  No matter what, I have reasons to be grateful.

Big Day

I am getting ready to head to bed, but wanted to give you all a quick update.  We are up in Denver, safe and sound.  We are staying at the home of the parents of some of our dear friends.  They really are wonderful people.  Kat is sound asleep in our room.  She had a pretty good day.  We only had a few episodes of pain. 

Ever wondered what it is like to drive 7 hours through Colorado in November?  Well, the day starts like this:

Sunny, beautiful blue skies.  Snow on the mountains.  Gorgeous.  We ran into snowpacked and icy roady driving over Wolf Creek, but we figured that would happen.  Not a big deal.

Today, as we drove, the storm chased us.

It was incredible to watch a wall of snow come down the mountain.

And it is interesting, to say the least, to know you are driving straight into this.

But, the drive was completely uneventful, other than losing battery on the laptop with 10 minutes left in the movie. 

Tomorrow, we are having coffee with a bloggie friend (woohoo), going to the Denver Children's Museum with my sis-in-love, niece, and nephew (triple woohoo), then heading to the hospital.  Our appointment is at 2pm.  I really have no clue what to expect.  I do know that if they suggest that we head home and come back up in a few weeks for tests, I will pull out my best mama bear impersonation.  Jerome and I have decided that we are not leaving Denver without answers.  We just need to know. 

I have no clue what to expect.  I have no clue whether we will do the testing outpatient or inpatient.  I have no clue what tests they will want to run. 

But, for tonight, I am going to giggle at my inability to publish a post on the day it was supposed to post (take a look at the previous post) and go snuggle with my kiddo. 

Thoughts from the Other Side

This post is a long time coming. It has taken me a little bit to process my thoughts about Violet's hospital stay. Please understand, I am by no means trying to make it sound like a huge ordeal. There are so many other families and moms, like MckMama, Cari, and Linn, who have been and are walking through so much more. Our little adventure seems so pale in comparison. But it is still our adventure.

I was given the opportunity last Sunday to share a few minutes about small groups. Spend two minutes with me, and I'll probably ask you if you are involved in one. I love our group. We are by no means the smartest, wisest people in our group, but I love them all passionately. And, that Thursday, when I heard those words every parent dreads, I immediately thought of them.

We were supposed to start a new study that night, 40 Days of Love. All the usual suspects were to come over, along with some newbies we were looking forward to welcoming. But, I was going to the hospital with Violet. I called our amazing friend Jill, who immediately began calling & emailing the group, along with other friends from church.

Something amazing happened that afternoon. As I was sitting with Violet, comforting her as the nurses poked and prodded, I felt peace. I am not a peaceful person, by nature. I am a worrier/freaker-outer! But I was peaceful. I could literally and physically feel people praying over me. You may be tempted to stop reading here, thinking that this is too weird. Imagine how I felt! I could sense that, in the spiritual, friends and family were dropping to their knees and lifting my baby before the Throne of the Almighty.

What a humbling, honoring thought that is. That people were willing to pray for us, for Violet, for me. The entire time we were there, I was at peace. There is no more helpless feeling than watching your child sleep in a hospital bed, knowing that you as Mom cannot fix her. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that a large part of the reason Violet recovered so quickly was because of the prayers offered up on her behalf.

I am trying to write real thank you notes to everyone who visited, brought meals, took our kids, fed my caffeine addiction, etc while we were there, but for now a virtual thank you will have to suffice.

And if you are one of those who doubts the power of prayer, join the club. It is something I have struggled with since asking Christ into my life. It is much easier to believe that God will heal/answer prayers for others than for me. I cannot doubt that now. I have seen the proof. But, God knows it is a journey of faith and trust for us. This is one of my milestones, a time I will look back upon in the dark of night and say, without doubt, "God heard me then, He can hear me now!"

We're going home!

We just got the official word - we get to go home today! Woohoo! Violet is taking a nap right now while we wait for the pediatrician to make her rounds. We've already had our visit from the respiratory therapist, who delivered her first oxygen tank to go home with. Last night we kept trying to turn down her O2 while she was sleeping to see if we could wean her, but her levels kept dropping too low. So, Violet gets a tether for a while. She has been drinking, eating, and peeing like a champ (oh how she's going to love me for this someday), and feeling well enough to cause trouble.

All in all, this kid is completely different today than she was Thursday. It's amazing what 48 hours of oxygen & fluids can do for a kid. Thanks, everyone, for all the prayers, visits, coffee, stuffed animals, food, etc. It has meant the world to us!

A quick update

So, obviously, Jerome & I weren't able to get to a computer today to update everyone. We are here for another night, for a couple of reasons. They had to turn up the drip on her fluids this morning because, even after a full day of fluids, she still wasn't peeing. She's going to hate me someday for sharing this, but oh well. Her oxygen levels are looking great, and her lungs are starting to sound worse, which is actually a good thing. The noise and "crackling" means that her lungs are actually starting to open up. They've been slowly weaning her off the oxygen, but want to monitor her for another night to make sure she stays this good.

She has been off and on all day. She woke up when Papa got here this morning, but was not interested in anything (not even a croissant) and promptly went back to sleep. She then slept all morning. She woke up when they brought lunch, and promptly devoured a grilled cheese sandwich. She felt so good for a while, that we were actually playing. She also insisted that I take these pictures with my phone so she could show everyone that she's doing ok. I think she looks precious, even with all the tubes.



So, we wish you a good night from the hospital. Hopefully, we'll be able to go home tomorrow. We may or may not go home with oxygen for Violet, but we'll decide that tomorrow after seeing how she does tonight. Good night, everyone.

Thankful Thursday...from the hospital

What a week! In case you didn't read my previous post, Violet is in the hospital with pneumonia. It's been an interesting day, to say the least. But, there is always so much to be thankful for! This week, I am thankful:

• that Jerome did such an amazing job of taking care of the girls while I was away. I am truly blessed to have him in my life - he is a gift from Daddy!
• that we caught Violet's illness so early. The medicine is working quickly to comfort her & ease her pain - much easier than if we had let it go much longer.
• for the amazing staff here at the hospital. Our nurses (Lauren & Crystal - amazing), doctors, everyone is incredible. They are so loving & gentle with VRae, and take the time to make sure I understand everything. When her respiratory therapist hadn't shown up for her 8PM nebulizer treatment, one of the nurses went to track him down. He was literally saving a man's life in the ICU. He also has two more patients coming in tonight from other hospitals with the same problems. If you remember, please be in prayer for Violet's therapist, Dave. He has a long night ahead of him.
• for all our friend & family who came by, offered to make meals, called, texted, and prayed. This, to me, is truly the body of Christ - when we are willing to put our lives & agendas on hold to minister to someone else. You all need to know that you truly are loved and appreciated. Thank you so much!
• that we live 2 minutes from the hospital. JJ & the girls were able to hang out until bedtime. It was so sweet seeing Katrina & Madi love on VRae and help cheer her up.
• that Violet is sleeping peacefully. I think it may be time for me to join her!