Recent Randomness

~Snow Day~

“I’ve got my snowsuit on! Can I go out and play now?”

 

Rich was just as giddy about going out to play in the snow as the kids were. We were supposed to be cleaning while the kids played. He was out there with them for over 2 hours.

Most fun dad EVER!

 

~Cupcakes~

They begged and begged to make cupcakes.

I gave in…

Seconds later Eva started crying and I was stuck trying to make cupcakes and suction/sooth a crying baby. We are just not at the cupcake making stage in our lives yet. Lesson learned.

~Special Visitors~

Uncle David and Aunt Yesenia were in town for Navaar’s wedding and came over for a visit!

~Tea Party~

That pose just kills me!

Floss with your tea, anyone?

Maya is becoming quite the expert photo bomber

What I noticed in the fruit bowl the day after the tea party…Arabella!

~I’ve Been Busy~

What have I been busy doing?

Not sleeping: Eva on my chest at 12pm after not a wink of sleep that night. Her favorite place to sleep.

Cleaning up poop

Cleaning up vomit at 3am

 

Making her an elf hat

This is the face she made after I got home from shopping for 3 hours and didn’t take her from daddy right away. She is such a momma’s girl and I love it!

This is her after waking up from her nap today.

And immediately after

Christmas Day

I know I look tired and it’s because I am!

I’ve guess I’ve just been busy being a mom! I’m tired but I’m loving this time with my kids.

Christmas 2013!!!

Fun, fun, fun! I was worried about Christmas this year because I’ve been pretty much homebound with Eva with the exception of the occasional getaway to do some grocery shopping. Keeping up with life and preparing for Christmas was definitely tricky but Amazon.com saved the holiday! I did 95% of my shopping online and the other 5% was stocking stuffers for the kids that I got while doing grocery shopping, haha!

Christmas Eve we had a get together with some friends at our place. We ordered pizza and we each made an appetizer or dessert. It was great fun and made the day special even though we couldn’t be with our families. The Jarnot’s and the Bladh’s were our family this year:D

Rich and I decided that we need to simplify Christmas around here. In previous years I’ve kind of gone nuts and bought them a bunch of little gifts and they end up having so many presents that they don’t really appreciate anything. Everything ends up in the trash after a few months. Waste. Of. Money. They each got one big gift with just one or two smaller gifts. I loved it so much better this year. Next year I think I will do what my friend suggested and they will each get one big gift from Santa and from Rich and I they will each get 3 gifts…something they need, something they want and something to read. My friend said that this is their tradition because 3 gifts was enough for baby Jesus so it should be enough for them. I love that!

Eva was so tired Christmas Eve night that she went to bed before the kids opened their Christmas Jammies…

Here she is being festive the previous Sunday.

We set out the cookies that the girls made for Santa and they were off to bed.

Santa brought them their gifts and laid out their stockings…

From what I heard, they were all so excited in the morning. That’s right, I wasn’t there to see their excitement:( I didn’t know they were up and just snoozed the morning away with Eva. She is still sick so it was yet another sleepless night and I was tired. Aidan has recently gotten into Legos so Santa brought him a lego helicopter that he’s been building with daddy. Santa brought Maya some Magna Tiles which have been a huge hit with all of the kids. And he brought Arabella 2 build-a-bears with lots of cute clothes…(thanks Alisha!)

When I heard some commotion in the living room, Eva and I quickly jumped out of bed and the kids were so excited to see us because that meant they could open their presents! I didn’t take any pics, I just sat back with Eva and enjoyed watching their faces.

Aidan also got croup for Christmas and has since shared it with his sisters.

I got Rich a mirror to shave in the shower because I know how much he hates shaving after his showers and an Ironman visor to be worn after he completes his very first Ironman in June. He got me a new lens:D He sure knows what makes me happy. Just get me something for my camera and I’m happy girl. He got me an 85mm 1.4 manual focus lens. It's been fun to play around with and try to become an expert manual focuser. Here is my first example of what not to do…don’t take a million pictures while putting forth a lot of effort to get the kids to look at you while being out of focus.

On a more positive note, the tree is in focus! It’s gonna be fun learning this one:/ I really am excited.

We spent the rest of the day playing with their new toys and just hanging out. It was such a great day spent together having fun and not worrying about going anywhere or doing anything. Just being together made it so special.

Eva’s G-tube

About 2 1/2 months into Eva having the NG tube, Rich and I realized that it was doing more bad than good. We felt like it was contributing to her vomiting which was the reason for her oral aversion. She had gone from loving the pacifier to crying and vomiting every time I offered it to her. It was traumatic for her every time I had to replace the NG after she pulled it out. There just seemed to be too many things that just weren’t working in her favor as far as the NG went. We decided that it was time to get rid of it and instead get a g-tube. I felt really good about the decision because we had done everything and given her every opportunity to feed without getting the g-tube. It was just time to move forward.

We went in for a consultation and scheduled the g-tube surgery for Friday November 8th. The night before I gave her a good scrub down since I knew it was going to be a while before she got another.

I was so ready to do away with that darn tube in her nose. It had become such a stress. This is Eva on her way to the hospital the morning of the surgery.

Checked in and waiting in the waiting room.

 

Dressed and ready for surgery.

I just handed her off to the anesthesiologist and he walked her back to the OR. I didn’t see her again until she was awake and crying in the Pediatric ICU (PICU).

She had been out of surgery for about 30 minutes when we were finally allowed back to see her. They had been trying to get her to settle down the entire time and were unsuccessful. They decided that they would go ahead and allow me to hold her even though her surgery was fresh. She needed my comfort.

She immediately calmed down and fell asleep.

A little over an hour later, she woke up and started to cry. She was getting help with her breathing by a ventilator. The pressure of the ventilator was forcing air past her trach and I was able to hear her cry for the very first time. While it was uncomfortable for her and she hated it, I enjoyed the sound of her sweet little cry.

Until I get to hear her voice again, I love and cherish this video.

She only spent one night and day in the PICU. Our room and the couch I slept on. Not too bad!

She was doing so well by the next day and she was off the ventilator and only on tylenol for pain management. They decided that she was doing well enough to leave the PICU and transferred us to the infant unit where we spent one more night and then were released the next afternoon.

Eva’s g-tube stoma can’t be submerged for 8 weeks so until then we will do sponge baths!

Having the g-tube has been AMAZING! She has began to thrive. As of today she has only thrown up 2-3 times in the past 2 weeks which is incredible considering she was throwing up 3-4 times a day! She is trying really hard to overcome her oral aversion all by herself. Her hands are always in her mouth and slowly but surely they are going a little further back.

So proud of her and her and how strong and resilient she is. Baby girl is powering through her obstacles and I’m so grateful to be able to love on her while she does so.