Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Kendra's Home and Doing Well!

I don't like seeing my baby like this! Sick, sick, sick little girl. She had a cough and fever, then vomiting, continual fever, etc. until Saturday. She woke up from her nap and was bright red, gasping for air, and breathing really fast trying to get in any oxygen she could. We were in Chico visiting my parents for the weekend, giving Trent time to study alone with no children. We rushed over to the prompt care clinic and they hooked her up to machines and gave her oxygen and determined she needed a higher level of care than they could provide. So, they called in an ambulance and off we went to the Chico ER. This was my first ambulance ride! I held her on my lap and held the oxygen mask over her face while we drove.
They ran a battery of tests on her. Steroid shots, antibiotic shots, chest x ray, blood draw, catheter, nasal swab for RSV, etc. The test came back positive for RSV and then we waited to hear if we'd be admitted or flown via helicopter to Sacramento for higher level peds. care. Fortunately, they said they could take care of us there and we were quickly admitted and taken to our room. This pic is of poor Kendra finally relaxing after all those terrible tests that she cried through the whole time. I felt so helpless just watching her and holding down her tiny body while they pricked her and tried to figure out why she couldn't get a full breath of air.
She got the electrodes placed on her body and we watched her heart rate, pulse oxygen rate, and breath rate for 4 days straight.

Kendra got a nasal canula to keep a steady flow of oxygen going in to her. Every time they turned her O2 down or off, her levels would drop dangerously low meaning she couldn't breathe on her own. I hated seeing her like this. She's usually so happy and smiley and content.
Here she is getting one of many breathing treatments with a nebulizer. The nurses had to wear an extra layer every time they came in the room and scrub down afterward since we were in an isolation room. Little angel sleeping
We slept in the bed together at night and with all the breathing treatments, monitors beeping, nurses checking stats, and an uncomfortable baby, we didn't get much sleep.
The girls came to visit a few times and give her some lovin.
Papa came after work to visit and so I could go for a walk to stretch my legs.
Magaw watched the big girls and then came to the hospital to play with Kendra and bring me yummy food!
Changing diapers was tricky with all the cords and monitors. And thanks to Leann, a Chico friend, who came to visit with the heart blanket and pillow and magazines for me. Thanks to the Chico Bishop too for coming to visit, I appreciate all the phone calls, texts, emails, and love and prayers! Finally feeling better! RSV is REALLY common in infants and symptoms present themselves like a common cold at first and get worse and worse. As was our case. Long, thick strands of mucous line the throat and nasal passages into the lungs. As the coating gets thicker, breathing gets more difficult. We were forunate to catch it before it turned to pneumonia. Babies with RSV who also get pneumonia have a high mortality rate. Only 2-3% of those infected with RSV get it badly enough to be admitted to a hospital and Kendra's case was pretty severe. We feel quite blessed and fortunate that she's doing so well now. We have a nebulizer and give her breathing treatments every 3-4 hrs. around the clock. We'll do this for the next month or so and then re-evaluate her condition at that time.

In Mikayla's prayer the other night she said "thank you for making baby Kendra better. And thank you for helping the Dr.'s make her better too since they needed your help to do their job Heavenly Father. We know that you and Jesus love us and love baby Kendra and answer our prayers." It was so sweet, I wanted to cry. Yes, we are all very thankful.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sick, sick, sick.

Poor little Kendra had a cold that turned into much more. She has severe RSV and we went to the hospital yesterday and will be there at least another night. She's on oxygen to help her breathe. Every time they take her off, her stats drop. The poor thing has had chest x rays, a catheter, nasal swab, steroid shots, antibiotic shot, blood drawn, etc. etc. Trent's relieving me at the hospital right now so I can shower and rest a little and then I'll head back in a bit. We'll come home and I'll post more as soon as she can breathe on her own again...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

3 months old

Little Miss Kendra is 3 months old on the 22nd. I can not seriously believe how quickly those 3 months have flown by. We love this little girl so much! She has the biggest, most expressive eyes and her smile lights up the room every time. She just crossed over the 11 lb. mark and is fitting solidly in her 0-3 month clothes. She rolls from her tummy to her back and can hold her head up during tummy time quite well! Kendra goes to the gym with me often and watches me workout from her carseat. (poor child--that's quite a sight I bet!).
Today though, she woke up during the weights class I was taking and was making all kinds of cute noises. I held her during squats and lunges, did my pushups abover her and kissed her each time I came down, and did my ab work with her on my tummy and thighs. A little less productive sure, but we both loved the time together. She is such a sweet, beautiful baby...I am in love.
Don't be fooled by the paci! She doesn't *actually* use one, unfortunately. It's pretty seldom that she accepts the paci and even rarer that she can keep one in. So, this pic makes me laugh since it looks like she loves it and is holding on for dear life! She does take a bottle quite well though and for that I am happy.

No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk...

Unless it has been painstakingly squeezed out of your body!! Seriously, I came close to crying the other day when one of my children, (who shall remain nameless), accidentally knocked over a fresh-pumped bottle of over 4oz of precious, creamy, beautiful milk meant for my baby. Grrrr.... that's all I have to say.
P.S. I hate pumping. Nuff said.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tech-savvy two-yr old

The girls love starfall.com It's full of fun, quick, easy ways to learn the alphabet and the letters the sounds make. After helping Megan with the website for a few months, she declared she wanted to do it on her own. Well, now she spends about a half hour a day or sometimes several times a day playing Starfall. I am amazed at how well she maneuvers a mouse! She says the sounds and the letters along with the computer and can navigate her way by herself to different pages and through matching games etc. I think the website is great for 18 mos-early readers. Mikayla has found other aspects of the website that she enjoys, like the short reading stories, but there's lots of fun stuff on there if you're looking for a boredom buster during all this winter weather!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Classic Kendra

Kendra is the cutest child--she goes from observant, wide-eyed, complacency to...
the biggest ear-to-ear grin you've ever seen! I think she smiles much more readily than either of the other girls did. She is a happy baby and smiles all day long with little provocation.
Example #2: From this, to...
this! I rest my case.
We are all enjoying having church at 11:30 now. The girls have time to pick out their own dresses, come up with their own hairdstyles, and take pictures before church.
This was the "Ode to Valentine's Day" week.In order to get them to take pictures now, I have to trade them one silly pic for one good pic!

Girls and Dolls

How cute are these dolls?! Aunti Keltie got the girls dolls for their birthdays last year and new clothes for the dolls for Christmas. They are so cute and the clothes are to die for! Here they are playing "bus ride" with the dolls.
Walking from the bus to school...
back on the bus to go home... The girls come up with all kinds of places to go with their dolls.
Such a stinkin' cute outfit!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

German Pancakes

If you've never made German Pancakes, you're missing out! Totally quick, totally easy, totally yummy! It looks crazy and never turns out the same, it's always cratered differently, but you serve it up with some syrup and it's de-lish!

6 eggs
1 C. milk
1 C. flour
1/4tsp. salt

Beat all in a blender. Melt 6Tbs. butter in 9x13 pan. Pour mix into butter, stir, and bake at 425 for 20 min.

I've even halved it and done it in a square pan(back when we only had Mikayla). Next time I think Ill try it with less butter and see how it turns out b/c I don't think it needs that much. :)

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Hello Baby K!

Seriously?

Mikayla likes having her bed made nicely and doesn't want to spend time each day re-making it. So, she's asked to sleep on top each night with a blanket, but I got tired of that after a few days and said 'no more blanket.' So, with that rather stubborn streak of hers, she decided to still sleep on top of the bed, but to use the pillow sham to keep her legs warm.
It was so funny to walk in and see her like this!

Grandma and Grandpa Came To Visit

Trent's parents came down for a week and it was so good to see them and for the girls to spend time with them. They got to meet Kendra, we went to Churck E. Cheese, played at the park, fed the ducks, went to dinner, and played tons of games at home.

We all love those baby K smiles

AND..... this is the house crew out at Leatherby's, which means.... IT's ALL DONE!!! That's right, the final inspection's over, everything's painted and carpeted and being lived in and lovely, and just plain done. We love the house addition and all these great people who worked so hard on it.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Kendra's Blessing Day

Here is Little Miss Kendra on her blessing day. She looked so adorable in a new dress made by Grandma. It is such a beautiful little dress with tiny flowers on the back to cover the closures.
I can't kiss those cheeks enough!
All dolled up and ready to go!
With great-grandpa Allen and Satomi.
With Grandma and Grandpa Dudley, who were able to come down from Canada to visit.
4 generations: Great-grandma Brown, Grandma Carr, Mom, and baby Kendra
Grandpa and Grandma Carr

Uncle Josh and Aunt Chloe. We somehow didn't get a picture with Uncle Dusty and all of the other friends and family that came, but there were several more great-uncles and aunts and lots of my cousins there too.
"I'm pooped from all those pictures! Thank goodness it's over!"

Monday, January 4, 2010

My Resolutions

* I resolve to complain less. I need to put my big girl panties on and take it! Curveballs, fastballs, and all. I'm going to *try* to love it all and be more positive.
*Lose 15lbs., because doesnt every list include some kind of weight loss/fitness goal? I just had a baby 2 months ago and that is my excuse now, but gosh dang it, I can't keep using the excuse all year! This will be hard, because let's face it, I love food. I have a major sweet tooth and well, it'll be hard.
*On the flip-side, I want to live more guilt-free. I don't want to feel guilty for not trekking it to the gym, for enjoying the delicious Subway white chocolate macadamia cookie, for not getting every craft project done, for not cleaning up the toys, and for taking a little time out for me. I've decided life's too short to spend my time thinking I coulda', saying I shoulda', or wishing I woulda'. I can only do the best I can and if I can do that--I'm doing quite well.
*I want to spend as much time snuggling, smelling, and kissing my baby because now that she is my third I know just how very fast she will grow into a tantrum throwing, back-talking, mess-making, pigtail-wearing little girl. I've decided one of the first questions I'll ask on the other side is why babies can't stay babies longer. Kendra already has grown so much it's not fair, but wait, there I am complaining again... ah crap.
*I want to take more videos of the girls. We were good with Mikayla and have totally slacked off for whatever reason, but I know it's important to record memories in that way and I want them to be able to look back and see what they were like as children.
*I think I need to stop now before my list becomes so long that I don't accomplish anything and then I'll feel guilty for not doing these things.... and I can't handle that right now. :)

There are things about this year I look forward to and things that make me wish it was 2011, but we'll take each day as it comes. So here's to another year of loving, another year of living, and another year of being me.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Kendra's first Christmas! She got a little help opening her gift.
Mikayla got the "brown teddy bear with a pink bow tied around its neck" from Santa--the one thing she asked the big guy for.
I--er, Santa and the elves made tutus with leotards and crowns for the dancing princess ballerinas.
Chloe and I got Twilight socks from Mom! "I'm a sucker for vampires!" and "I love vampires!" Love it, right?! Holy hannah we look tired--too many late night games!
Megan had fun playing with Satomi and doing some Starfall.
Megs played with lots of toys with Magaw.
Mikayla sang all kinds of Christmas songs while Magaw accompanied her on piano.
Megs also played with Great Grandpa Allen.
Papa got all kinds of smiles from Kendra.
And don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic to use my new sewing maching I got for Christmas from my parents, but THIS sweet thing is my favorite gift of all this year.