I adore Christmas time! (I could do without the commercialism though!) I love getting Christmas cards from friends and family and seeing what a difference a year has made in everyone's lives!
My sister (in law) just made a fabulous blog post about getting free Christmas cards this year and I am so stoked to jump on that bandwagon!
Shutterfly has so many ADORABLE designs to choose from this year I don't even know which one to pick. I'm excited to send out my free cards to friends and family and show everyone our new family of 4. We've grown and changed so much this year as a family.
To see what Christmas cards they have to choose from, click here.
Also if you have some of those people on your Christmas list who already have all the things they need, you may want to consider getting them a fun personalized picture gift from Shutterfly like a calendar or a mug.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Kevin's announcement
I had this announcement designed by my friend Kristin Call. She and her husband are fabulous people. They have been trying to have a baby for quite some time now and are trying to save money to pay for in vitro fertilization. She is putting all money from her design work towards it. I would highly recommend using her for any of your design needs. Not only because she would be an amazing mom but also because she is very talented.
and then...
Just an update... Journaling
Today was supposed to be Kevin's cataract surgery. I got calls from several people telling me it was canceled. Dr. Larson has called me personally several times today. Apparently the anesthesiologist working at the Riverton hospital today is worried that Kevin's recent UTI may mean he'll react badly and need to stay overnight. Riverton is not equipped for an overnight stay. We could do the surgery today at Primary Childrens in Salt Lake but Dr. Larson strongly recommends we do it at Riverton hospital because the equipment is so much newer and nicer. In order to do it at Riverton we have to wait for an anesthesioligist who is on board with putting him under. We don't want to wait long because Kevin is already starting to use his one good eye so much and leaving the bad eye behind.
The plan has changed a few times but the new date is Wednesday. This is the day before Thanksgiving which means we will have to go back in on Thanksgiving for a quick check up on the eye. I think this shows a lot of dedication on Dr. Larson's part that he is willing to work on Thanksgiving and I'm willing to do anything to get this done.
I was prescribed the low dose of antibiotics by Kevin's usual doctor as a way to prevent future UTIs. This is common for children with VUR (the bladder reflux.) I've been opposed to the idea of living on antiobiotics from the moment I heard it. My doctor referred me to talk to urology about all my questions he couldn't answer so I'm going to talk to them about the VUR on Dec. 8th. I didn't fill the prescription but Dr. Larson wants me to as a precaution for now because we can't have another UTI get in the way of the surgery again. Uhg!
I'm exhausted. Between being sick, having a sick family, surgery worries, and not having answers to my questions about VUR I haven't been sleeping well. I want to do what's best for Kevin. I have since before he was conceived. What that is hasn't always been clear.
Ryan doesn't work for Riser anymore. The position they were trying to invent for him was really not what they needed as a company right now. If they ever get into video though, they know who to call. This may be a blessing because HOPEFULLY he'll finish his STUPID degree. I resent it. (I've been a widow for far too long!) He is still taking on freelance work and I'm hoping he doesn't let it get in the way of finishing. He's postponed graduation so many times now. He just has the final class left but it's a big deal. It's essentially turning in his thesis.
I think subconsciously Ryan is afraid to finish school... he has no idea what exactly he is going to do with the degree. Whether or not he finds a job those payments on $30,000 in tuition loans are going to smack us.
On top of school loans did I mention that hospitals, doctors, and surgeries usually come with a hefty price tag? I've heard that primary childrens has a lot of financial assistance options so hopefully we qualify for a little of that.
All I know is I can't wait for Thanksgiving. Nothing like a day with family to make life great!
Today was supposed to be Kevin's cataract surgery. I got calls from several people telling me it was canceled. Dr. Larson has called me personally several times today. Apparently the anesthesiologist working at the Riverton hospital today is worried that Kevin's recent UTI may mean he'll react badly and need to stay overnight. Riverton is not equipped for an overnight stay. We could do the surgery today at Primary Childrens in Salt Lake but Dr. Larson strongly recommends we do it at Riverton hospital because the equipment is so much newer and nicer. In order to do it at Riverton we have to wait for an anesthesioligist who is on board with putting him under. We don't want to wait long because Kevin is already starting to use his one good eye so much and leaving the bad eye behind.
The plan has changed a few times but the new date is Wednesday. This is the day before Thanksgiving which means we will have to go back in on Thanksgiving for a quick check up on the eye. I think this shows a lot of dedication on Dr. Larson's part that he is willing to work on Thanksgiving and I'm willing to do anything to get this done.
I was prescribed the low dose of antibiotics by Kevin's usual doctor as a way to prevent future UTIs. This is common for children with VUR (the bladder reflux.) I've been opposed to the idea of living on antiobiotics from the moment I heard it. My doctor referred me to talk to urology about all my questions he couldn't answer so I'm going to talk to them about the VUR on Dec. 8th. I didn't fill the prescription but Dr. Larson wants me to as a precaution for now because we can't have another UTI get in the way of the surgery again. Uhg!
I'm exhausted. Between being sick, having a sick family, surgery worries, and not having answers to my questions about VUR I haven't been sleeping well. I want to do what's best for Kevin. I have since before he was conceived. What that is hasn't always been clear.
Ryan doesn't work for Riser anymore. The position they were trying to invent for him was really not what they needed as a company right now. If they ever get into video though, they know who to call. This may be a blessing because HOPEFULLY he'll finish his STUPID degree. I resent it. (I've been a widow for far too long!) He is still taking on freelance work and I'm hoping he doesn't let it get in the way of finishing. He's postponed graduation so many times now. He just has the final class left but it's a big deal. It's essentially turning in his thesis.
I think subconsciously Ryan is afraid to finish school... he has no idea what exactly he is going to do with the degree. Whether or not he finds a job those payments on $30,000 in tuition loans are going to smack us.
On top of school loans did I mention that hospitals, doctors, and surgeries usually come with a hefty price tag? I've heard that primary childrens has a lot of financial assistance options so hopefully we qualify for a little of that.
All I know is I can't wait for Thanksgiving. Nothing like a day with family to make life great!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Opthalmoligist Appointment Update
Today I was at the Primary Children's Moran Eye Center in Riverton for nearly 4 hours because they were very busy. It was BORING! I was tired, thirsty, and hungry. Ryan and Kaylee were at home the whole time dying of some wretched flu that had me panicking last night while I watched Ryan's fever climb.
The diagnosis is a congenital cataract. This means he will be having surgery on Friday the 19th to remove the cloudiness and then he will wear an artificial lens until he is two. When he is two they will put a new lens in that will be permanent. The idea is to get his eye working well enough that they can both develop together and he doesn't just stop using his bad eye and get "lazy eye". There may be a series of battles in the future to ensure his eye is working but hopefully we will have a lot of luck!
The diagnosis is a congenital cataract. This means he will be having surgery on Friday the 19th to remove the cloudiness and then he will wear an artificial lens until he is two. When he is two they will put a new lens in that will be permanent. The idea is to get his eye working well enough that they can both develop together and he doesn't just stop using his bad eye and get "lazy eye". There may be a series of battles in the future to ensure his eye is working but hopefully we will have a lot of luck!
If you want to know more, I found this site to be relevant.
http://www.douglips.com/articles/cataracts/
That $450 I paid to add Kevin, Kaylee, and Ryan to my insurance at BYU was probably the best investment ever!
That $450 I paid to add Kevin, Kaylee, and Ryan to my insurance at BYU was probably the best investment ever!
Monday, November 8, 2010
VCUG test update
I took Kevin back for his VCUG test. Unfortunately he had the problem they were looking for. Basically the one way valve that goes from the kidneys to the bladder is a two way valve on his little body. This is luckily something he will most likely grow out of eventually. In the meantime he may need to go on a regular small dose of antibiotics. I am NOT excited about this. I am going to continue to see if there is another option.
If you are interested in learning more like I obviously was, here is an article I found (thanks google)
http://www.urologychannel.com/pediatric/vur.shtml
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Primary Children's Medical Center
On Wednesday night Kevin began to have a fever and was crying like he was in pain whenever he woke (I suspect now that it was every time he peed.) Kevin is not a cryer so it was clear something was wrong and it broke my heart.
Kaylee and I had both had recent fevers so I assumed he caught whatever we had and wasn't too worried. On Thursday morning I sent Ryan to pick up a thermometer so I could monitor his temperature and found it was over 101 degrees. I called his doctor and they said to take him to the ER right away because he was under 60 days which meant it could be serious. Ryan still felt they were over reacting so we took him to the instacare that was at the ER. The instacare also said they were not willing to look at him. They told me to take him to Primary Children's where he would undergo a bunch of tests. They recommended I find someone to watch Kaylee because we'd be there a while. I was a little panicky. My mom had said she wouldn't come home early that day because she had come home early too much that week. To my surprise as I tried to nail down a babysitter, she came home. I asked her if she felt inspired.
Ryan was finally able to head to work. My mom and I dropped Kaylee off at my sisters and drove to Salt Lake.
The staff was so kind at the ER there. Kevin underwent a spinal tap, an IV, blood withdrawn, and a catheter to take a little urine. The instacare told me not to feed him so he went ALL DAY without eating. He was so well behaved for a starving sick baby.
They ended up finding bacteria in the urine and were able to decide his fever was being caused by a urinary tract infection. They put him on some antibiotics and then checked us in upstairs so they could moniter his fever.
They made us stay till his fever was gone for over 24 hours.
They did an ultrasound on his bladder and he is scheduled to go back Monday for one more test on his plumbing (VCUG)
I was allowed to leave with an oral antibiotic in hand on Saturday evening.
Kaylee and I had both had recent fevers so I assumed he caught whatever we had and wasn't too worried. On Thursday morning I sent Ryan to pick up a thermometer so I could monitor his temperature and found it was over 101 degrees. I called his doctor and they said to take him to the ER right away because he was under 60 days which meant it could be serious. Ryan still felt they were over reacting so we took him to the instacare that was at the ER. The instacare also said they were not willing to look at him. They told me to take him to Primary Children's where he would undergo a bunch of tests. They recommended I find someone to watch Kaylee because we'd be there a while. I was a little panicky. My mom had said she wouldn't come home early that day because she had come home early too much that week. To my surprise as I tried to nail down a babysitter, she came home. I asked her if she felt inspired.
Ryan was finally able to head to work. My mom and I dropped Kaylee off at my sisters and drove to Salt Lake.
The staff was so kind at the ER there. Kevin underwent a spinal tap, an IV, blood withdrawn, and a catheter to take a little urine. The instacare told me not to feed him so he went ALL DAY without eating. He was so well behaved for a starving sick baby.
They ended up finding bacteria in the urine and were able to decide his fever was being caused by a urinary tract infection. They put him on some antibiotics and then checked us in upstairs so they could moniter his fever.
They made us stay till his fever was gone for over 24 hours.
They did an ultrasound on his bladder and he is scheduled to go back Monday for one more test on his plumbing (VCUG)
I was allowed to leave with an oral antibiotic in hand on Saturday evening.
Halloween
Trick or Treating took place on a rainy day but thankfully it slowed enough in the evening to go out.
Here is my little butterfly :)
We also had Alice, a ladybug, a monkey, and Buzz
This year was really fun because the kids were all old enough to understand what was going.
Here is my little butterfly :)
We also had Alice, a ladybug, a monkey, and Buzz
This year was really fun because the kids were all old enough to understand what was going.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Kevster
Here is Kevin sleeping in Ryan's arms at church. Love the little man clothes!
Kevin is about 10.5 lbs now! He loves to eat but he's been spitting up SO MUCH that I decided maybe I was being too liberal with the feedings. I've tried to make him wait a little and it's helped some but hasn't been a cure.
I took him to his first real doctors appointment. (He had his PKU tests done and weight checks by the midwives but hadn't had a real check up yet.)
The doctor did not see the usual red eye reflection that they look for when they shine light in the eyes. I've scheduled an appointment at the Primary Childrens' Hospital in Salt Lake with a pediatric ophthalmologist for Nov. 11th at 1pm.
This could be potentially serious so I am very anxious for the 11th to get here! Pray that all goes well!
Coming soon... Kaylee still loves Halloween
Kevin is about 10.5 lbs now! He loves to eat but he's been spitting up SO MUCH that I decided maybe I was being too liberal with the feedings. I've tried to make him wait a little and it's helped some but hasn't been a cure.
I took him to his first real doctors appointment. (He had his PKU tests done and weight checks by the midwives but hadn't had a real check up yet.)
The doctor did not see the usual red eye reflection that they look for when they shine light in the eyes. I've scheduled an appointment at the Primary Childrens' Hospital in Salt Lake with a pediatric ophthalmologist for Nov. 11th at 1pm.
This could be potentially serious so I am very anxious for the 11th to get here! Pray that all goes well!
Coming soon... Kaylee still loves Halloween
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