A short Hospital stay.....

Unfortunately, Jacob ended up needing to be admitted to the hospital. He wasn't able to maintain his oxygen saturation. They get worried when kids drop and stay below 94% and he was sitting around 91% after neb treatments. So, it was decided he should go into the hospital for more aggressive therapy and constant monitoring. They had a repiratory thereapist working with him doing nebs and lung checks. We were only there for about 8 hours, and then he was maintaining well enough that we could bring him home. Now he's on albuterol nebs every 3 hours (as needed) and steroid nebs 2x day. I'm not sure how long he'll have to be on the steroids. Ryan was on for 8 months before he was able to stop them. Jake's still not feeling great, that's obvious, but he's starting to breath easier.

Thank you to our friends and family who helped out at the last minute and helped us pull through this.

I hope we can all start to get healthy now and move on with our regular lives. This being sick all the time isn't much fun, especially for the boys.

Naughty Ryan

A while back, I think in early November, my friend Katie started to teach me to knit. I caught on to a couple basic stitches and thought.....this isn't so hard, I'm going to make a blanket. So I bought some yarn and decided to knit a blanket for my soon to be nephew. I had 6 weeks till the baby shower and figured that it would be more than enough time to complete it. I worked diligently on it almost every night for 3 weeks. Then one day I left it unattended, and Ryan pulled it off the needles and I had to start over. I was upset, but figured I could use the practice and this time I would really do it right. Well, needless to say, I lost my motivation to have it done by the baby shower, and then his birth, so I have been really trying to get it completed so maybe I could get it to him before he's a month old. Well, while my friend Katie had Kaleigh and the boys were napping, I figured I could probably complete it. So I sat down and worked on it for over an hour before Jake started making noise and I had to quit. I put it under my pillow because I was in the middle of a row and didn't have time to complete it. Then I took a blanket and put it over my pillow....for added protection. Well, somehow Ryan managed to find 15 seconds of no supervision, and he took it upon himself to get into a little trouble. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves as to what actually transpired. I suppose I could have wrapped the yarn back up and started over (again), but sometimes you just have to make a point. So, sorry baby Braeden, no blanket for you. Maybe I'll make you some booties, they take a lot less time and are easier to hide!

Another Illness

Over the last few days, we unfortunately were stricken with yet another bug. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's nasty. Ryan has bronchitis, and Jake and I both have viral respiratory infections. I'm tolerating now that he gave me some good cough medicine, and Ryan's on antibiotics, so he started feeling better right away. Jake on the other hand, is getting hit hard. He's wheezing almost non-stop, and the albuterol nebs aren't helping. The urgent care MD put him on Prednisone (a steroid) but after talking to our regular pediatrician today, and asking why it wasn't helping he informed me that Prednisone isn't appropriate for a viral infection. He said as long as he's still drinking fluids he didn't need to be seen. But since the wheezing has gotten worse, I'll be taking Jake to see him tomorrow morning. That's assuming we make it through the night without an ER visit.

Thankfully, Kaleigh hasn't shown any symptoms yet, which is a miracle. It would be devastating if she caught this. Preemies are predisposed to respiratory problems. We're doing our best to keep her away from the kids. A big thank you to my friend Katie who came and picked her up today and took her home for the afternoon. It allowed us to all rest at the same time, and it was 6 less hours Kaleigh was exposed.....

We'll hopefully get some sleep tonight without too many coughing fits and take Jake to the pediatrician in the morning.

Baby Braeden, and Baking Cookies

I finally got to see baby Braeden again. He's getting cuter by the day! The first time i went I took all the kids, and forgot my camera, but Joel and I went again this weekend. I got some great pictures of him. Dan and Sarah have fallen into parenthood very smoothly. They really seem to have a handle on things.

Ryan and I baked cookies today. He stood at the counter and dumped in the ingredients after I measured them out. I poured the chocolate chips into a bowl right off the bat, and he ate a lot of them. When I told him it was time to put them into the batter, he started adding them one at a time. (we were making a double batch.....) I Finally had to "help" him pour it into the bowl-but not all of them. He made me leave some out for him. The cookies turned out excellent, he's quite the little baker.

And finally, Joel couldn't get the truck started after work today. He thinks it must need a new fuel pump. We're already down one vehicle cuz the van needs a new transmission, but now we're down 2!! I got the kids all ready to go pick him up and started on my not-so-merry-way, and when I got about 15 miles into the 40 mile trip Joel called to say his dad was picking him up and he could borrow his mom's truck until we get ours fixed. Once again, thanks Bryce and Sharon. So the kids and I turned around and headed home. It was a little late to bed, but ended up being an ok night.

Jake's Birthday Party

We had a nice intimate party with just family. The party started out with close to 35 guests invited, but between the weather, illnesses, and babies being born, it was narrowed down to just 14 of us. It was a lot of fun. Jake was much more interested in the wrapping paper than in actually opening his gifts, which worked out for Ryan who could barely keep his hands off them! But by the time cake rolled around, Jake was beyond tired, having only had a short nap. So he wasn't too interested in it. Auntie Kendall made another one of a kind cake for him-an orange crayon. It was cute, and good tasting too!

Jake's first birthday....

Today is Jake's birthday! Hard to believe he's already a year old. He's such a little man already, but he's still my baby. We're having a party for him this weekend with all the grandparents and aunts/uncles. Unfortunately, we've all been stricken with a NASTY stomach bug. It hit Ryan first-and the hardest, then me, then Joel, then Jake. I hoped we would be able to spare Kaleigh, but at her 4 mo check up the pediatrician thought she had it too. Bummer for us all. Hopefully we'll be healthy by this weekend, and I'll get the house "aired" out so we don't get anyone else sick. Due to the illness, we haven't been able to get over to see baby Braeden. Hopefully we'll be able to soon. Danny says they're doing well. Anyway, Happy Birthday Jacob Kendall!! We'll put pictures up after the party.

Jake's First haircut

I can't get these pictures in the order I want, but the one with the sucker is the final results. Bob the barber did a great job, and was a good sport about the whole thing. During-not really enjoying himself:

Busy Busy Bathtime

After a long day of waiting at the hospital for baby Braeden, I thought I'd let the boys have a nice long "tub-bub" as Ryan calls it. They love bathing and playing in water. Duchess loves to watch them bathe, and tries to drink the water when they splash it, eat the bubbles we blow, and licks up the water off the floor. Well, apparently last night she decided enough is enough and she got right in with them!!

Pictures from Auntie Kendall

Thankfully we were able to get some photo's from Auntie Kendall of the new baby. Talk about the proud mom and dad! I hope to get some shots of my own soon, and when I do, you can bet I'll add them. Who says you can't brag about nephews as much as your own?

P.S. He already outweighs Kaleigh!!

A New Cousin/Nephew

Today we welcomed baby Braeden Robert Heins into the family. He joined us after a grueling overnight labor, hours of unsuccessful pushing, and finally a c-section. He was determined to make his appearance his own way, and he won!! He weighs in at 7lb 4 oz and is roughly 21" long. We didn't get an exact time of arrival yet. Mom and dad are both doing great, although they are understandably exhausted. Braeden has brown hair and his mommy's big eyes. We are so lucky to have him in our family, and can't wait to get to know him better. I'll put some pictures on when I get them. It was such a long day, that when I finally got to meet him I didn't have my camera on me!! We plan to go to the hospital as a family and visit tomorrow or the next day. Congratulations Dan and Sarah, you'll be wonderful parents!!

Ryan and Daddy's turn

After Jake came down and I caught him, it was Ryan and Daddy's turn to head down the hill. You can see from the video the size of the hill. We only took 4 runs up and down due to the length of time it took to get the boys back up to the top. It was so much fun though!

Sledding with both boys

We took both boys sledding down by Bryce and Sharon's house. It was a lot of fun, but a little scary since I haven't been sledding in like 15 years!! We decided it would be okay for Joel to send Jake down and me to catch him (it wasn't very far). He LOVED it! He was grinning from ear to ear from the moment he got into the sled til we were finished. I can't even imagine what it will be like taking them next year!!!

A way around the system......

I asked Joel to take a shot of "the girls" snuggling in the chair last night. Afterward, I realized you couldn't see anything on Kaleigh. It led me to thinking I could share the picture, so you could see what a peanut she really is,(keep in mind she's 3 1/2 months old) without breaking any rules!!

Some Random Thoughts

We had to find another nursing agency for baby Kaleigh. They kept dragging their feet, and actually delayed us coverage another 30 days or more!! It's such a disappointment to me because I've always had such good things to say about them. So we're on to another one. They seem to be very diligent in trying to help, but due to the previous agency's slow actions, they aren't able to speed things along any faster. It's very frustrating going through this process. I know some of the "behind the scenes" stuff seeing as I've been in this field for almost 4 years, and I'm already overwhelmed, I can't imagine what a lay person must feel like. Well, enough on that subject or I'll just get worked up.

Ryan is starting to reach the terrible twos. I think more than anything he just needs to get outside to play and burn off all his extra energy. It's really hard to do that with the little ones, so in the meantime we've been trying to do as many play dates as possible and take him with on any "one on one" errands if possible. His pre-school starts up again in two weeks, and that will be really nice. It's two days a week for and hour and a half, and he gets to play with all his friends, and the toys at the school. It's a lot of fun for him. Jake goes to the school childcare so I can be in class with Ryan. He loves it and the gals ogle over his hair all the time!

Jake is starting to let go of things on his own and try to balance. Before he would only do it if we let go of him in the middle of the room. He's also discovered the push toys make it easy for him to walk! He does things at his own pace that's for sure.

We still don't have our washing machine fixed. It's been 8 weeks since the repair guy came out. First he thought it was the computer, and after that finally came in-4 weeks later, he discovered it was actually a faulty motor. So he ordered that, and just when I finally thought I was going to get my washer back, he says "they sent the wrong motor" GRRRR! So now it's going to be another weekend of hauling 8+ loads of laundry to my in-laws to wash. They've been a great help, and it's nice to see them every weekend, but I'll be glad when I can wash clothes at home again.

On a positive note, I got all my Christmas decorations down and got everything dusted and put away, so that's a huge burden off my list! Now it's time to plan a birthday party for Jake! Hard to believe he's almost one.

Happy New Year!

We would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! May it be filled with happy days, prosperous times and new memories to be cherished. We spent the evening at our friends Katie and Adam's house. They are the ones who have really helped us get started and find the right path toward foster parenting. They are great friends and good examples. Another nurse friend and her family were there so that made the grand total of children under the age of 3....wait for it....8!!! It wasn't as chaotic as you would think, it was a lot of fun (and picking up after they went to bed). At one point we had all 8 sitting on the couch and got a ton of pictures. Most in various stages of one child or another trying to get off the couch, poking another kid, or making some goofy face. After the kids all went to bed we popped the champagne and played some board games. It was fun, but it got even more fun when the gals figured out how to "help" each other win and the guys were never the wiser!! I couldn't hardly believe it when it was 2am and we were just loading up the car to head home. I can't remember the last time I was voluntarily up that late! Thankfully we were all able to catch some good naps today, and should get back to our normal life tomorrow. Jake's still only taken two steps at a time, and is preferring to crawl....(he must have some stubborn Arbuckle in him) I guess he's going to tell us when he's ready.