The Curtis Family

Scripture

2012-02-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

Here is one of my favorites it's in the book of Moroni chapter ten it reads..

32 Yea, acome unto Christ, and be bperfected in him, and cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be eperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye asanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the bblood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your csins, that ye become dholy, without spot.criptures it always makes me happy I hope you will also enjoy it.

New person in charge (at least until my mother figures out).

2012-01-22T16:54:00.002-07:00

Hi this is Tim and Allisons oldest son Spencer I got tired of seeing this blog without a post since Halloween two years ago so I took charge. So with any one reading this I'm just going to say that this blog is back in action.....

SEE Ya!

Meet the Band

2010-10-30T19:15:00.003-06:00

Tim has warped my children. My kids LOVE KISS! So the natural choice for Halloween costumes are as follows:

Emily aka Paul Stanley
(Lead Singer)

Spencer aka Ace Frehley
Lead Guitar

Gavin aka Gene Simmons

Bass Guitar

Ethan aka Peter Criss
Drums

KISS

They will be signing autographs later :)

Happy Halloween!!!!

Emily's Rodeo Ride

2010-08-25T12:07:00.002-06:00

It took a while for Emily's video to download, but now, here it is for your viewing pleasure.

She says she can't wait until she can do it again. I love my crazy girl!

---Allison

Gavin's Rodeo Ride

2010-08-25T11:32:00.004-06:00

I tried to post both Gavin and Emily's rodeo ride, but for some reason it won't let me. So here is Gavin's, and I will do Emily's in a seperate post.

Gavin was so excited to get some unexpected money from his ride. He was a hoot to watch! Anyway, here is Gavin's ride on his sheep.

Gavin and Emily (and several of their cousins) heard about this fun opportunity and couldn't wait to give it a try. Neither of the kids have ever ridden on a sheep or a cow, in fact, I don't even know if they have ever been to a rodeo before. Regardless, they couldn't wait to get on and ride! Surprisingly, they each showed up with a certificate and $3. The kids were so excited. They didn't even know that they would get a prize from the rodeo itself. Their uncle Bryan had previously given an incentive of $5 for each catagory (the sheep and the cow) for the child who stayed on the longest.

Is it a surprise that both Gavin and Emily won the money? Not if you know them! Not a bad days work I'd say.

---Allison

Bryce Canyon Vacation

2010-08-25T09:42:00.006-06:00

We went on a week long family vacation to Bryce Canyon a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, Tim and Spencer were unable to join us until the 2ND to last day due to some circumstances out of Tim's control. I have to tell you, I sure missed them. It's always hard to go on a family vacation without having the whole family there. Especially when the kids that were with me have different interest and/or activity levels. Luckily, I had my parents and most of my siblings (missed you Adam and Angela) there to visit with and to help me out when I needed it. I felt the worst for Spencer, though. I just imagined him sitting a home alone by himself knowing that we were having fun without him. Tim did his best to make it up to him that week and we've already made some plans for him to go on the deer hunt this Fall to try and pay him back for his missed vacation.

Anyway, although it was stressful at times, we were able to do a lot of fun things. I was kind of worried about how the elevation would effect Ethan, but he seemed to do really well. The overall favorite things that went on were the rodeo (this will have a post of it's own), horseback riding, staying in a tee pee, hiking, visiting with family, and of course the swimming.

Here are just a few pictures from this amazing and one of a kind vacation!

Spencer, Emily and I went on a 2 hour horseback ride through the canyon. It was AMAZING! Although hot and dusty, we were able to go to places that you never could by simply hiking. It was well worth the money and definitely a highlight.

Spencer, cousin Austin, and Tim.

We drove to quite a few lookout points when Tim arrived. It was the best way to see as much as we could with our limited time.

Here is the tee pee we stayed in. It was much bigger than a tent would have been and the kids loved the novelty of it.

These last 4 photos were on a short hike that the kids and I went on. This was the only hike that Ethan and Gavin went on. Emily was able to go on some longer hikes with my extended family while I stayed back at camp with Gavin and Ethan. The reasoning was, I didn't trust Gavin on some of the more dangerous hikes, and I didn't think Ethan would tolerate the longer hikes very well.

Out of order from the others, but Emily on her horse. She was disappointed because Spencer and I had mules and she wanted one as well. But in the end, she was pleased with her horse.

Again, these photos are out of order (sorry) but these last few photos are from the same hike as above. We went to a waterfall and let the kids play in this small river. Gavin's shoe fell off and my dad luckily caught it down stream. He was standing guard just in case it was a child instead of a shoe that was swept away, but either way, I was glad that he was watching and standing guard. It would have been a long hike back to the car with only one shoe.

Gavin and cousin Boe at the swimming pool. The kids all got to spend some fun time with their cousins. It was quite hot during the day and the swimming was a nice treat. Plus, it kept them somewhat clean since we were always so dusty and dirty. Kinda gross, I know.

So all in all it was a great trip. It would have been better had we all been together the whole time, but we made due with what we were given and made the best of it. Stay tuned for the "Rodeo" post. A lot of the cousins signed up to ride in it for fun and it was HILARIOUS to watch!

Take care!

---Allison

Our St. George Family Vacation

2010-07-09T16:08:00.007-06:00

Not that I didn't already know that it's been a while since my last post, but it was confirmed when I uploaded all of the pictures and they came out completely mixed up. So, I will just give you the basic run down of our little family vacation and you can just figure out how the pictures fit in to it.

Tim informed me a week before our vacation that he would not be able to come down with the kids and I but would have to come down a couple of days later. I was definitely bummed, but Tim needed to get some things done at work and didn't feel he could take the time off. Unfortunately, I couldn't change the dates, so there was nothing I could do but just roll with it. Anyway, the kids and I woke up early (5am) and made the 4 1/2 hour drive without too much trouble. We got settled into the condo we rented and of course the first thing the kids wanted to do was to go swimming.

Our whole vacation consisted of swimming, napping, swimming, golfing, swimming, mini golfing, swimming, reading, swimming, shopping, and then a little bit more swimming. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time with just our little family and we hope to make it a yearly event.

The only thing that put a little kink into our vacation was Ethan started having rapid respirations (65-75 per minute) and an increased heart rate the afternoon before we were supposed to come home. I watched him closely that day and although he was acting fine his respirations never resolved. I woke up around 5:30 (the morning we were supposed to leave) to find his respirations were still in the low to mid 70's. I called the on-call Cardiologist at PCMC because I was starting to get bugged that his breathing wasn't resolving. I wasn't sure if we should come home and have him looked at PCMC or if we should take him to the Emergency Department in St. George before we made the long drive. Anyway, although there were no other symptoms and he was acting fine, the Cardiologist felt that he should be seen that day and since the cardiology clinic was closed due to the holiday (it was July 5th) we should just go to the ER in St. George. He felt that it would probably be best to have him checked out before we left for home.

So, even though it was not the end of our vacation that we had planned, it turns out that everything was fine and they let us go home after about 5 hours in the Emergency Department. They did x-rays, an EKG, and lab work and everything came back normal. They didn't see any signs of heart failure, dehydration, kidney troubles, infection, or anything abnormal for that matter.

His breathing continued to be fast the rest of that day as well, but by Tuesday, he was back to his normal self. I still have no idea what was wrong, but I am very relieved that it was nothing serious. Ethan does have a routine appointment with his cardiologist next Thursday, so we'll see what he thinks during that visit.

Well, that is the basic run down of our 5 day St. George vacation. Here are the pictures to go along with all of my jibber jabber. Again, sorry for the randomness of the pictures.

They had this simple mini golf course in the club house of where we stayed. The best part is that it only cost $1 and the kids loved it.

Ethan was not happy when I woke him up and told him that I was taking him to the hospital. He kept telling me that he didn't want a poke, but he stayed calm and didn't panic too much. Unfortunately he did end up having to have an IV placed and although he was upset and cried, afterwards he told me that "he was brave". He is such a sweet boy.

This picture of Spencer was taken the night of the city fireworks. It was a fun fireworks show and of course, the kids had a great time.

This is how Ethan would watch the older boys when they would play their video games on the TV. He honestly loves his brothers and admires anything that they do.

There was a kiddie pool that was perfect for Ethan to play in. It was a little bit warmer than the big pool and although he liked the big pool, his lips turned purple a little to quickly for my comfort. It didn't take too much encouragement to keep him in the little pool once he realized that the temperature was a little bit more pleasant.

We honestly spent about 4 hours each day in the swimming pool. We'd usually go down for 2 hours in the morning or early afternoon, and then another 2 hours after dinner. Needless to say, we went through a LOT of sunscreen.

Spencer had been grounded from his video games for a little while before our vacation. However, he had no problem making up for lost time while on vacation.

These last 2 pictures were taken on the 1st day that we arrived. The kids were SOOOOO excited to go swimming. I knew that I would have to be quick with the camera once the sunscreen was on.

We've been doing a lot this summer and we have been keeping very busy. I will update again after Ethan's cardiology appointment next week. Until then, take care!

---Allison

Birthday Catch-Up Post

2010-05-14T14:46:00.008-06:00

So I don't have any pictures of Spencer on his Birthday. He is at the age where it is hard to get him in any pictures. However, this is a quick re-cap of our birthday festivities.

Gavin got a Nintendo DS for his birthday. He was VERY excited about it.

He also loves SpongeBob and puzzles. So this floor puzzle was a good find.

My Birthday was yesterday. A sweet friend of mine (thanks again, Rachel) brought me by this cute clown ice cream. I used to admire these from afar when I was a little kid. It was fun to finally get one.

We combined Emily and Ethan's family party and had a SpongeBob theme. The kids had fun with the extra hats.

Ethan opening one of his presents.

We went to Chuck-E-Cheese on Ethan's birthday to celebrate. He LOVED this dog ride and had a hard time sharing with the other kids who wanted a turn.

These pictures are a little out of order, but Ethan simply LOVES cupcakes. He had about 3 the night of his party.

Emily and one of her gifts. The kids always get spoiled and love every minute of it.

Emily making use of her extra hat.

This is my niece Addison. She is the cutest little bug ever. Her mom says that this is her "flirting" face. She is honestly too cute.

Again, out of order, but you can see how delighted Ethan was when riding with his dog at Chuck-E-Cheese.

Spencer and Emily playing one of their favorite games. Spencer was too into it to even look at me for the picture.

Gavin and his tickets. He loves shopping for prizes with his tickets before we go home. The prizes are totally lame, but hey, whatever makes them happy.

Ethan waiting at the table for another turn on his dog ride. He really had a hard time letting the other children have a turn. It's so hard being 3.

Emily is such a poser. She is my one child who doesn't EVER shy away from the camera. She LOVES being in the spotlight. It makes me wonder what she will be like when she gets older.

Anyway, I still have lots of pictures from a previous Hope Kids event, a family wedding in March, and from Spencer's band concert last night. But these will have to wait for another time.

Also, we are finally going to have Emily's friend birthday party tomorrow (I know, 3 weeks late), but she wanted to go to a fish farm and so we've had to wait for good weather. Anyway, I am sure I will have some pictures from that as well. Until next time! Muah!

---Allison

Really, Are You Surprised?

2010-05-13T17:21:00.003-06:00

I'm hopeless. Even when I set a goal for a weekly update, I still can't get my rear into gear. In my defense though, we have been busy.

We've had all 6 of our birthday's in the last 2 months. I also started watching my neice 3 days a week which has kept me busy. I realize that this should just give me some material to post, but, as you can see, I am struggling to make the time to sit and do some posts.

We've also been busy with the Springs sporting season. Both Gavin and Emily were in soccer (I say were, because Emily's last game was Tuesday). Between the 2 of them we've had between 2-3 games a week. This was a cold and rainy season, so it was hard to get any "action" shots. We were either bundled up in a blanket, hiding underneath an umbrella, or in the rush to get people where they were supposed to be, I would forget my camera altogether.

Spencer has also been very busy with his school track team. He has been training for the discus and shotput events. He has worked very hard and has really enjoyed being a part of the team.

Tim and I also went out of town last week. We went to Phoenix for a DRI conference for Tim and had such a fun time. It was a totally adult trip and I couldn't have needed it more. It has been a long and stressful winter for the both of us and it was so nice to just spend some time together as well as some other very fun and entertaining adults.

We stayed at a really nice resort and spent lots of time relaxing and basking in the hot sun. Also, Tim's boss was extremely generous and bought a round of golf for him (his favorite thing) and a massage for myself (my favorite thing) while we were there. The whole trip was heavenly (minus the day I was sick, boo hoo). It honestly couldn't have come at a better time.

Anyway, I PROMISE I will do another "catch-up" post tomorrow with a lot more pictures (my computer is running really slow right now for some reason). But until then, I can at least give you some of the sports pictures that I did take.

---Allison

A New Post

2010-04-16T15:13:00.002-06:00

So, I needed a few reminders. And I don't have any pictures to post since I keep forgetting my camera when I go anywhere. But, at least it is a post, right?

Really, our life is pretty mundane. In fact, you really don't have to continue past this point unless you are REALLY interested in how boring our lives are. Anyway, if you are still reading, here is what we've been up to, minus the visual additives.

Spencer is on a turkey hunt with my Dad and my brother. He has been struggling with following through with his school work lately and this was used as a motivator to keep his grades up. He went last year and had a ton of fun. He is such a low key kid, it's nice to know that there are still a few things that motivate him.

The other kids and I went to a Hope Kids activity last night (of course, I forgot my camera). Emily was really excited when she found out that the Chanel 5 News was there in an attempt to raise awareness for the group since it is new to Utah. However, when we sat to watch the 10:00 news, the story must have been bumped. There was a small earthquake somewhere here in Utah and I guess that was more important. Emily was really bummed about it because she was really looking forward to seeing herself on TV.

I also took Gavin and Ethan to the park today (of course, I forgot my camera). They have had so much fun now that the weather is getting nice enough to play outside.

I've also started watching my niece 3 days a week for my sister Angela. Both Gavin and Ethan really look forward to the days that she comes over. Although Ethan really enjoys her, he is also trying to adjust to having someone younger than himself needing so much attention. He has actually been pretty naughty lately and I think this has contributed to it a little bit.

As far as Tim, he's just as awesome as ever.

Anyway, so there is my post as promised. I will try and have pictures for the next time I post.

---Allison

Let's Make A Deal

2010-04-03T11:36:00.006-06:00

I just seem to be getting worse and worse at this whole blogging thing. Here's my solution. I am going to try and make a goal of posting at least once a week. If I do more, then I'll consider it a bonus. If I don't post at least once a week, feel free to heckle, complain, remind, taunt, bribe, or leave guilt provolking comments on my most recent post (which go straight to my e-mail) and you can expect a post within 2 business days. Deal? Deal.

We've actually had a lot of fun stuff going on that I can blog about. So hopefully, I can get into the swing of things soon and be more consistent.

To celebrate my re-emergence into the blogging world, I will start by posting this video that I took of Ethan last night. He is a little out of breath because he had be doing this for at least 5 minutes before I started taping. For only having half of a heart, this little guy has more heart and soul than most. He's my little Rock Star!

Oops, Sorry :(

2010-01-12T14:06:00.002-07:00

Tim has politely informed me that I have been slacking on my blogging responsibilities. And going back and reading the last post, I will have to agree with him. So, first my apologies, and then second, a quick update. It's hard to remember to blog when things are running smooth, regardless, I will try and be better about making regular posts.

In my previous post, I had mentioned a clotted PICC line. Tim was planning on taking the kids on the Trax train to visit the Christmas Village in Ogden with my brother Darren and his kids that night and weren't sure what would happen now that Ethan's line was clotted. Well, we contacted the on-call nurse and she too had plans that evening to visit the Christmas Village! So, Tim actually met up with her there and they were able to fix his line. I didn't go and missed "all the fun". At the time I was still struggling with the blah's and so Jenn (my sis-in-law) and I went and got pedicures while the guys took the kids.

Ethan has since had his PICC line pulled (on New Year's Eve) and has loved being able to have baths and showers again. I was going to make an event out of his first bath since his surgery but I was sleeping after one of my graveyard shifts and Tim let him get in the tub with Gavin while they were getting ready for church. So no big event with new tub toys and pictures, but he is clean and happy all the same.

Christmas was really nice. The kids all loved their gifts and I ended up really enjoying myself and having a nice day. Tim surprised me with some beautiful diamond earrings and a garnet bracelet which I am sure helped pull me out of my funk. Now that I am a little bit removed from things I can see how emotionally stressed and tired I was even though at the time I didn't think I was.

New Year's Eve was also a lot of fun. We had all of my family (which is a HUGE group) come over to my house for a night of food and fun. We played games and visited and ate way too much. I had already gained some weight from the stress of Ethan's surgery, but that combined with the holidays didn't help out much. I have already started losing some of it but I still have a long way to go. I am jumping on the weight loss bandwagon and I am hoping to not fall off again any time soon.

Also, since the last post we have had another cardiology appointment. They decreased Ethan's Lasix to just once a day. So we have 4 pills in the morning and just 1 pill at night. I can't tell you how nice it is not to have to set my alarm clock countless times a day to keep track of medication times. They said that he looks great and that they don't need to see him for 6 months! Yeah! We still need to keep him away from germs over the winter months, but honestly, I am starting to feel our life getting back to "normal". Also, just in case you were wondering, Ethan's CRP level has never actually gone back to normal. They drew some labs at his appointment last Wednesday and although down it was still 1.4 (which was down from 1.9). Since Ethan has been asymptomatic, our Cardiologist felt that it was close enough to normal and trending in the right direction that we will call it good.

So, as you can see, things are settling down. Tim got a new calling at church to be 1st counselor in the Elder's Quorum. I've started back to work and although I was a little nervous to go back after having 2 months off, it was really nice to see some friends and to start making a little bit of money to help cushion things a little bit.

I apologize that this post is long and without pictures. I just figured I'd better get it all written and then in the next few days (or week) I will do a post just of pictures to get things all caught up.

I hope that your holidays were memorable and that you will all have a blessed new year. Thank you for your love and support during these last few months. I don't know how we would have made it without all of your love, prayers, and support.

---Allison

The Results Are In

2009-12-23T16:30:00.002-07:00

The results from Ethan's CT scan this morning are in. Nothing. No bone infection or anything else that might be odd. They also drew some labs to check his kidney function and they all came back good.

So, here is the "new" plan. We will stop his Vancomycin on Christmas although we won't pull his PICC line just yet. We will keep it in and watch him very closely for signs of infection (like fevers) until next Wednesday. It will be then, that they will draw labs again and see what his CRP has done without the antibiotics. And then obviously, depending on the labs, decisions will be made from there.

The reasoning behind this (according to our Cardiologist who consulted with the Infectious Disease doctor) is that sometimes when you have long term IV Vancomycin therapy, the CRP won't clear completely. I pray that this is the case and that we will be able to discontinue everything in a week.

However, here is the catch. This is all depending on his PICC line working. I don't know what they did at the hospital, but when I went to hang his 4:00 dose of Vanco, his PICC line is clotted off. I've got a call into the Home Health nurse to see if we can (again) TPA his line open and get it working. If it doesn't work, then all of the previous jabber might not be true anyway.

So, we will wait and see what will happen. I am going to go call the nurse back now since I've given her 40 minutes, and heaven forbid, I'm not very patient these days.

---Allison

Sigh

2009-12-22T12:34:00.005-07:00

So we just got Ethan's lab results back from his lab draw yesterday afternoon. His Vancomycin level is getting too high and so they need to adjust his dose so that it doesn't cause kidney damage. I was hoping that maybe they could just keep him on the same dose but just spread it out to twice a day instead of every 8 hours. This way I could get a full night's sleep. But instead, I was told that the Pharmacist will adjust the dose and send us another delivery of the Vancomycin.

As far as his other labs go, his CRP is slowly going down but is still 2.9 (not even down 1 full point from his last draw) and his ESR has mysteriously gone back up to 29. He is acting fine, no fevers, and his lump is still gone. I was really hoping that we would be done with all of this and given a bill of good health today. I am sad and frustrated that things aren't resolving like they thought it should be.

I spoke with Dr. Williams (our Cardiologist) and he wants Ethan to have a CT scan tomorrow (at 9:00 am) to see if there are any pockets of infection or any signs that the infection is in his bone. And to be honest, I am not sure how this would effect or change what we are currently doing anyway.

This wasn't exactly how I was hoping things would turn out but I guess we can only do what we can.

I will let you know when I hear back on anything new.

---Allison

Where's My Christmas Spirit?

2009-12-18T22:19:00.006-07:00

Warning: This post contains, in part, the appearance of complaining, whining, venting, guilty feelings, and other crazy nonsense. Read at your own risk.

I have to admit that I've been having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. On a day to day basis I don't think I'm feeling completely overloaded. However, my actions might speak differently. I have completely forgotten (a couple of things) that I had committed to being a part of. Things that I wanted to do. Things that make myself (and others) look bad, and I REALLY hate letting people down.

I finally put my Halloween and Fall decorations away just a couple of weeks ago. There is dust an inch thick where my decorations used to be and to be honest, it will likely remain that way for a while. And since I am on this honest kick, I was even OK without putting up a tree this year (despite my kids begging me, which makes me feel like a horrible mother) and finally told Tim that if he wanted a tree he would have to be in charge of it.

I didn't even start my Christmas shopping until tonight (anything that has been done, has been done by Tim up to this point). I don't feel depressed, or angry, or sad, or even stressed. I really don't know what my problem is. I just feel blah.

Yes, we've had a few curve balls thrown at us the last few months. We've obviously had Ethan's surgery and subsequent infection which has really drawn out his whole healing process. Our "reliable" vehicle has broken down TWICE in the last 2 months which has cost us an arm and a leg to fix. And then to top it off, yesterday I got a LARGE bill in the mail for Ethan's surgery which should have been covered by our insurance, but, after an hour and a half phone conversation (and several tears), I was told that we were now responsible for it (a very long and complicated story). Seriously?

Well of course I panicked and called Tim at work over this bill. But to my surprise, he remained very calm and reassured me that everything would be worked out and even if it meant that we would have to pay more than we had expected, we are OK because we still have Ethan. And not only do we still have him, he is happy and he is healthy (OK, cue the guilt).

Well to make this story quick, Tim was right. His boss was amazing and immediately got things taken care of. I get teary thinking about it because honestly, that was my "straw". That one bill is what threw me over the edge, and it didn't need to. We're fine. And like Tim told me, we would still be fine, even if things didn't go as planned.

So where is my faith? I've been shown time and time again that things work out the way they are meant to. Do we have a lot of bills? Sure. But who doesn't? Life happens. Cars break down. Hospitals want to get paid. Kids want to eat :).

Are we rolling in the dough? No. But, can we pay our bills? Yes. We have good jobs. We have 4 priceless children. We have a wonderful marriage. We have our health. We have a supportive and loving extended family. We have good friends. We have our educations. We have a nice home. We have great neighbors who care about our family. And when it all boils down, we are happy (although I am aware that it may not seem like it in this venting session of mine).

I feel strongly about showing gratitude and being aware of the things that we DO have in our lives. My list could go on and on for what I am grateful for. Honestly, I count my blessings daily. I really do.

But all of that just makes me more confused and feeling guilty. Knowing all of this, why am I so blah? Why can't I FEEL the Spirit of Christmas? Why can't I get myself in gear? I'm going through the motions but I just can't seem to get there. I don't want to make excuses for myself. Everyone has their own trials and mine, although they may be different, are no worse than anyone else's. In fact, I have it better than a lot of people out there. So why can't I get that feeling? Why?

This is the point in my post where any suggestions will be welcomed.

For what it's worth, Merry Christmas!

---Allison

Infectious Disease Appointment

2009-12-15T17:38:00.002-07:00

Ethan and I went up to PCMC today to have a consult with the Infectious Disease doctor. Basically, they said that he looked good and to continue with the Vancomycin for the time being. We will have labs drawn again on the 21st. If the numbers are normal, then we can discontinue the antibiotic treatment and pull Ethan's PICC line. If the numbers are staying somewhat stagnant or even increasing, then we will have further tests done (like a bone scan) to determine if there is a pocket of infection or something else that is resisting the treatment. I don't expect this to be the case (think positive, right?), but we will just keep doing what we are doing until then.

This is Ethan's most recent delivery of his Vancomycin (one week's worth). Too fun.

---Allison

Bummer

2009-12-10T15:47:00.003-07:00

Ethan had a cardiology appointment yesterday. His chest x-ray and EKG both looked good. He still needs to stay on the oxygen at this point because his liver is still enlarged. This should improve over time as his body normalizes to the new pressures from the Fontan, but until then, the oxygen will be helpful at night. Some good news is that we were able to go down on his Lasix to just twice a day which will be nice.

At this appointment we had some labs drawn to check his CRP and ESR again. I just got a call (from the doctor that we saw yesterday), and she consulted with the original Infectious Disease doctor that we saw before we were discharged from the hospital. The long and the short of it is that both his CRP and ESR are coming down (his CRP was 3.7 and his ESR was 21). The bad news is that the Infectious Disease doctor felt like at this point, they should have resolved all together. So what this means is 2 MORE WEEKS OF VANCOMYCIN!!!! Ugh.

I shouldn't complain, but I was REALLY hoping that Friday would have been our last day of the PICC line and the Vanco. I guess that we will just keep plugging away at this infection and hopefully he will be able to have his PICC line out by Christmas.

Sigh.

---Allison

I'm Confused

2009-12-04T17:02:00.002-07:00

Are any of you lab result brainiacs? Home health came by this morning to draw some labs on Ethan and to do a dressing change on his PICC line. This time they only drew an ESR and CRP (they didn't draw a CBC, I think because it's been normal for a while now). Well, the nurse called a little bit ago and his CRP is now 5 something (remember it was as high as 25 but should be less than 0.8). But the weird thing is that the ESR is going UP! It is now 33 (on the last post I said it was 32, but I was corrected today and it was actually 30). The normal (I think) should be 5-9. These tests both indicated infection or inflammation.

So this brings me to my question. The lump looks WAY better. Ethan is acting fine. I would think that with the CBC being normal and the CRP going down, that the infection is almost better. But why would the ESR go up? Does anybody have any ideas? If you have any, give me your ideas.

Ethan has a cardiology appointment next Wednesday. I'll be sure to ask then. But in the meantime, help me brainstorm what would be inflamed and/or infected.

---Allison

Just Some More Pics

2009-12-01T18:34:00.003-07:00

Emily and Ethan were lying on the couch watching t.v. the other day. Usually Ethan and Emily don't snuggle very often. So when they were, I thought I should take a picture.

Doesn't Ethan's lump look good? I got a call yesterday from the home health nurse saying that she was coming today to pull Ethan's PICC line. I questioned her and told her that this didn't sound right to me since the Pharmacist told me that an additional 2 weeks of Vanco had been ordered. She just said that she had an order and that she would be by to pull his line in the morning. Well, I didn't like that answer.

So, I called PCMC. I talked with the Caridothoracic Nurse Practitioner (a different one than we've been seeing) just to see if this is what was supposed to happen. She told me that she did in fact order the PICC line to be discontinued (because of what she'd been told from the previous nurse practitioner). I asked her what the previous labs had been and she said that his CRP had only dropped from 6.7 to 6.3 and that his ESR had "dropped" to 26. What!? When we were discharged, the Infection Disease doctor said that we could go home as long as his ESR was below 20 (and his was 18 at that time). I guess that when the lump got huge, his ESR went up to 32, but I obviously wasn't aware of that. So anyway, after talking with me, she wasn't sure what was going on either.

So, to make this long story short, she called me back, apologized for the mix up (and the possible consequences), and then thanked me for following up and questioning something that didn't make sense to me. So, not to pat myself on the back, but, I was really proud of myself for not letting something stupid happen and make Ethan go through having to get another PICC line.

This is just a picture of Ethan "rockin' out" while Spencer is playing Guitar hero. He is obviously starting to feel better. I sure love this little man.

---Allison

No Go

2009-11-27T14:01:00.004-07:00

Ughhhhhh. Two more weeks of IV antibiotics.

I am not sure what the exact numbers were from Ethan's labs this morning (because I've only heard from the pharmacist, not the nurse yet), but the pharmacist said that he had been notified that Ethan's labs were not down enough to discontinue the PICC line and that they wanted to do another course of antibiotics for 2 weeks. He will still be on the vancomycin every 8 hours which means 2 more weeks of up twice in the middle of the night for medications and line flushes. I was really looking forward to a solid night's sleep tonight! Oh well. There are worse things out there.

Even though this is disappointing, I have to be grateful that there IS a treatment and that we are all together as a family.

In other news, Gavin stayed home from Thanksgiving yesterday with Tim and Ethan because of a fever of 102. He had no other symptoms and so I wasn't too worried. Today, however, he just doesn't look very good and his breathing sounds really tight and raspy. So, in light of this new development, I will be taking him into the doctor's today. I am hoping that it is not H1N1 because Ethan just barely got his vaccination 2 days ago and it would not be protecting him at this point. Hopefully we can get Gavin healthy soon and keep the bug from spreading around. The last thing Ethan needs is a nasty cough or lung issues so soon after surgery.

I'll post as soon as we know what is going on with Gavin. Keep us in your prayers for something mild.

** Update**

Tim took Gavin to the doctor and he has been diagnosed with pneumonia. They didn't do a H1N1 test (which I wish they did, just in case), but they didn't feel that he had the right symptoms. After they did a chest x-ray they felt that pneumonia was the culprit of his difficult breathing and fevers. I am surprised on how fast it came on. They've put him on a 10 day course of oral antibiotics (Omnicef) which will hopefully start helping soon. I will keep a close eye on him because his breathing seems to be getting a little worse as the night progresses. I hope this isn't contagious!

---Allison

Clinic Update

2009-11-25T13:27:00.005-07:00

We went to our post-op clinic appointment today. We had to drop Gavin off at my parent's house and when I told Ethan that we were going to "the doctor's office", these next few pictures show just how upset he was about it. He just kept crying and saying "No hospital, no hospital!". I seriously think that we have caused some major anxiety. I hope he gets over it.

As far as his appointment went, I am very pleased. We are able to go down on 2 of his medications to just once a day. They also said that he only has to wear his oxygen at night now. His chest x-ray, EKG, and vital signs all looked good. As far as "the lump" goes, they are pleased with how much smaller it is getting. All of his labs from this morning are good (his CRP was 6.7) and trending in the right direction. Ethan's last dose of Vancomycin should be this Friday. They will have more labs drawn then, and if everything looks good, they will pull his PICC line! Yeah! If that happens, he can also FINALLY have a bath.

After his appointment, we met Tim for lunch at Winger's. Ethan was again rebelling against taking pictures by pulling his oxygen down. Little does he know that it doesn't matter because he doesn't have to wear it during the day anymore. (This isn't a very flattering picture of myself, but it does give me motivation to start hitting the gym again. UGH.)

He was SO happy to leave the hospital and not "sleep over" there. He was all smiles once we were in the car to come home. The only "owie" that he had to get today was for his H1N1 vaccine. I am glad to have him finally be able to get it. Although we will have to give him another one again in a month as a booster. We'll just worry about that then.

And last but not least, we came home from Ethan's appointment to find this amazing fruit basket. It is HUGE! The kids are so excited to tear into it. I just told them to let me take a picture of it before they tore it apart. Thank you SO MUCH Betty and Larry. You are both so wonderful and we love you dearly.

I'll update again on Friday with those lab results and if we get to remove the PICC line or not. In the meantime HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

---Allison

No New News, Just Pics

2009-11-24T10:32:00.003-07:00

I know that this picture isn't the greatest but I was just trying to get an image showing just how scrawny this little guy is now (this picture doesn't even give it justice). He officially lost 2 pounds (real weight, not water), which doesn't sound like a lot, but on this little man, it is.

These 2 pictures were taken before his haircut this morning. I needed to place new stickers on his cheeks for his oxygen, but his hair was too long. I also wanted to show you that his lump really is shrinking. Go Lump, Go!

These last 2 pictures were taken just after I cut his hair and changed his arm wrap (he likes to pick out the color). He wasn't happy about the whole process, and it's not the best haircut that he's had, but at least he's not so shaggy. It will look even better when it is actually styled.

Both Gavin and Spencer have been neglected in the haircut department as well. So little do they know it, but they will be ambushed as soon as they get home today. Why do boys hate getting their hair cut? I like getting my hair cut. Silly, silly boys.

---Allison

On The Right Track

2009-11-23T14:54:00.002-07:00

I think that we are finally on the right track! Ethan's CRP this morning went back down to 8 and his WBC's are still looking good. He still has not had any fevers and "the lump" is finally starting to get smaller (it's still bigger than when we were discharged to come home, but hey, progress is progress). His electrolytes are a little off. His potassium was 4.9 so we will decrease his Aldactone (that's the diuretic that spares potassium) to just twice a day. Also, his sodium was low at 2.1 so they said to have him eat some potato chips or other salty foods.

We weren't able to draw his Vancomycin level this morning because when I went to hook him up to his IV at midnight, his PICC line had clotted off. I have to say that having that happen was just not what I needed. Especially since the morning labs depended on me giving that medication on time (not to mention that they couldn't draw labs through it if it was clotted off).

Well, I was already in a bad mood when I called the on-call home health nurse. But when she told me that that there was nothing she could do about it, and then proceeded to tell me that "It wouldn't be the end of the world" if he missed a dose of his antibiotic (or had to get poked for his labs in the morning), well that was not what I needed to hear. Seriously, can you say FURIOUS! I was honesetly livid at this point. It could of been since I was tired and just wanted to be asleep, but honestly, this nurse was absolutely zero help and just kept giving me excuses as to why she couldn't help me when I would press further and ask questions on what the next step would be. She finally just told me to wait until the day nurse came and that she could take care of it (which by the way, she would not have had what she needed to help me since this nurse wasn't going to call her to let her know of the problem beforehand). Although frustrated, I accepted her answer and went to bed.

So to make a long story short. I called our "normal" home health care nurse before she came to let her know that his line was clotted and that he needed TPA to get it opened. She made an extra trip to her office, got a doctor's order for the TPA, and then came down. Luckily, the TPA did the trick and busted up the clot. She was able to get most of the labs and I was able to give him his morning dose of his Vancomycin.

Needless to say, I called and complained to the manager this morning, because this could have (and should have) been done last night with my first phone call. I can't stand to be left hanging, especially if it is your job to help me.

So, the plan now is to go to his scheduled clinic appointment Wednesday morning. Home health will come prior to his appointment to draw his labs (and check his antibiotic level this time) so that they will have the results when we get there.

Overall, I am feeling much better about how things are progressing. I just hope that it will continue to move in the right direction. As far as Ethan goes, he is also beginning to act more like himself (which means that he is unfortunately putting up more of a fuss with wearing his oxygen), but hey, feisty is good.

As always, thank you so much for your kind words and prayers. And to Liz and Todd, we got your care package today in the mail and the kids LOVE it (and I love the M & M's). You know our family well. Thank you SO much!

---Allison

"The Lump" Update

2009-11-21T15:24:00.003-07:00

Just a quick update on "The Lump". I think this thing is taking on a life of it's own. Not because it is getting any bigger (Yeah!), but because my thoughts revolve around it.

Anyway, I talked with the Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioner this morning (who consulted the Infectious Disease doctor) and she said that his WBC was 14 but didn't have any bands (the immature WBC's that you see when the mature ones are used up from fighting infection) and that his CRP went up to 14.7, up from 8 at discharge (it should be less than 1).

The plan at this moment, since he is not having any fevers, is to have home health come and draw more labs Monday morning. Once the surgeons are available in the afternoon and they have the lab results from that morning available, we will go up to PCMC to have them look at it. We will still go on Wednesday as well for his clinic visit with the Cardiologist.

Until then, Ethan is acting "normal". I've also put a pressure dressing on his lump (recommended by the Nurse Practitioner) to try and reduce the swelling and disperse the pressure. It doesn't seem to bother him with it on. Hopefully it will help.

---Allison

Just Waiting

2009-11-20T18:26:00.004-07:00

These 3 pictures were taken this morning. I still think that it is getting bigger (even from yesterday). He still hasn't got a raging fever but has been flirting with one all day (high 99's to the highest being 100.4). The lump is definitely hurting him. He doesn't even like me taking pictures of it. Also, when he is laying down he will just whine and say "Ow" and pull the blanket up to his neck.

We took him to the Pediatrician's office and they wanted home health to come and draw some labs (a CBC and a CRP). The nurse just left and we should know if it is infection or just fluid by the results. Now, with that being said, the doctor won't call us until the morning, but at least I will have a small idea of what we are dealing with tonight.

The overall impression that I get from the doctor's is that they are not too concerned with it unless he starts running a fever again (since he is already on such a heavy duty antibiotic). But honestly, even if it is "just" fluid, eventually you would have to drain it if it keeps getting bigger, right?

This is all starting to get to me. I am trying my best to roll with the punches, but my reserves are pretty low at the moment. I know that many families have endured worse (and for much longer time periods) but this yo-yo is getting me down.

On a lighter note. Ethan was kind of grumpy this morning (come on now, can you really blame him? Look at that thing!). Anyway, Ethan was lying in bed watching a show and as soon as Gavin walked into the room, Ethan's face LIT up and he wanted Gavin to lay next to him in bed. Once they got settled in, Ethan reached out his hand for Gavin to hold while they watched t.v.. It really was the sweetest thing and truly warmed my heart. They really missed each other during the last 2 weeks. They are such good brothers.

---Allison

Give Me Your Opinion

2009-11-19T18:55:00.003-07:00

Does his "lump" of infection look like it's getting worse to you? Ya, me too.

I've sent these pictures to the cardiothoracic nurse practitioner and she will show them to Dr. Kaza in the morning. He's already on the antibiotic that is supposed to treat his infection. I guess we'll have to wait and see what the doctor says in the morning. I'll keep you updated.

---Allison

The Last Few Days in Pictures

2009-11-18T18:04:00.002-07:00

He looked so relaxed when he was taking this nap. He must have been having some good dreams about somewhere other than the hospital.

Ethan enjoys listening to music, so we brought this one to the hospital for him to listen to some of his favorite songs.

Ethan eating his dinner in his new SpongeBob jammies last night.

These next few pictures were taken right before coming home. He has lost around 3-4 pounds (depending on how many diuretics he is on and if he has a wet diaper or not). He looks SO skinny and gaunt to me. We need to get him to gain some weight again.

This is Ethan getting his first dose of Vancomycin at home. I love these cool little bulbs that just give the medication all by themselves. I've seen them before but have never actually used them. Way cool.

---Allison

We Are Home!

2009-11-18T16:25:00.004-07:00

We arrived home just about 45 minutes ago. The home health nurse is on her way to bring Ethan's antibiotics and PICC line dressing supplies. Ethan is SO happy! He has been all smiles and very animated since we talked to him about going home today. I didn't mention it earlier to him just in case it didn't happen. Anyway, he is very good with dragging his oxygen tubing around the house and becomes very distressed when it gets pulled off of his face. He is talking more than I've heard in the last 2 weeks.

On similar news, med time is MUCH easier since we switched him to pills. Yes, that's right, pills. I noticed that he wouldn't chew his chewable Tylenol and would just swallow them whole. So we switched his other medications to pills and he does FANTASTIC! We had to pay for all new prescriptions, but oh well. It will be SO much easier on all of us at med time.

Also, prior to discharge today, they had to move Ethan's PICC line out 2 centimeters. To do this they had to take off the sterile dressing, take out the stitches holding it in place, re-stitch it where they wanted it, and then clean and re-dress it. Ethan SCREAMED during this procedure. They had the music therapy people come as a comfort and as a distraction, and although they helped, it was still a traumatizing procedure. They also told me that they would use Lidocaine to numb the area before they stitched it, but if any of you have ever had that, it BURNS (and this is on the inside part of his upper arm, OUCH). My poor guy. We thought we were done will all of the ouchie stuff. Needless to say, he is happy to be home!

We have to go back in one week for lab work, EKG, another chest x-ray, and to see the Cardiologist. Hopefully everything will look good between now and then.

Thank you for all of your prayers. I am exhausted and hope to get a peaceful night's sleep (in between his middle of the night Vancomycin dose).

At least we are home. Sigh.

---Allison

Echo Results

2009-11-17T17:38:00.003-07:00

The Echo looks good. Yeah!

We also had another "infectious disease" doctor come in to talk. She doesn't think that the infection is in Ethan's sternum, but wants to draw more labs in the morning and to keep a close eye on it just in case (the reason being that if it is in fact in the bone, the infection will come back once the antibiotics are stopped). If his CRP and ESR labs are elevated, they may choose to lengthen his antibiotic therapy past the 14 days (but as of now, 14 days is the general consensus). So, again, I am not too worried about a bone infection, but I am glad that they are taking his infection seriously. Also, after talking with Dr. Kaza tonight, he said that we are still "looking" at discharge tomorrow but even tonight wouldn't give me any promises. I guess everything is riding on Ethan's morning labs. We'll just have to wait and see.

---Allison

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

2009-11-17T10:37:00.004-07:00

As you can see, I've stopped trying to get creative with my titles. In fact, writing the date seems to help keep me on track (because things are beginning to all run together).

So, we still haven't gone for the echo. They had a hard time fitting us in somewhere but they have found us a slot at 12:30 this afternoon. In the meantime, Ethan is taking a nap and I figured I would just give a quick update.

As far as I can tell we will still be coming home tomorrow. Although we just had a consult with an "Infectious Disease" doctor to see if they felt he may have osteomyelitis (a bone infection, in this case, his sternum). I don't think they feel that this is the case but are simply ruling it out to cover all their bases. I sure hope he doesn't have a bone infection because the treatment is 6 weeks of in hospital antibiotics. Yikes! Don't panic, although the lump is still there he hasn't had anymore fevers and seems to be feeling better. I think that it is just a soft tissue infection.

Speaking of his infection, they got the culture and sensitivity back yesterday and it turns out that the only thing that they changed was that they discontinued the Zosyn. The staph he has is only resistant to Vancomycin (the other one that he was already on) and one other antibiotic (I forgot the name). I was told that they always use the Vancomycin first and do the other one only if the Vanco doesn't work. I was hoping that he could get off of the Vanco because it can be toxic to the kidneys, but they've checked his blood levels and so hopefully his kidney's won't take too hard of a hit. Anyway, I believe that today is day #5 of his current 14 day antibiotic therapy. We're only a couple of days away from being half way there. Not too bad.

I will update again after his Echo and with any more information. Please continue to keep Ethan in your prayers. Although he is improving he could still use them. Thanks!

---Allison

Monday, November 16, 2009

2009-11-16T11:39:00.003-07:00

Ethan and I had a rough night's sleep last night. He was having bad dreams about the hospital and talking in his sleep about it. He was very restless and wanted me to constantly hold his arm where his PICC line is. It seemed we were up at least every hour if not more for various meds and vital signs and just to comfort Ethan.

Our morning officially started at 5 am with lab draws (but he didn't have to get poked this time because he now has his PICC line that they can draw blood off of) and then a chest x-ray at 6 am.

After talking with the doctors when they made rounds, Ethan's CRP level is still dropping which is very good. They also got the culture and sensitivity tests back this morning, so now they can switch his antibiotics to be more specific to his infection. His chest x-ray looked good and he will go for a sedated Echo tomorrow morning (not today as originally thought).

The plan, assuming that everything still looks good, is to be discharged on Wednesday. We will still be doing IV medications through his PICC line at home for a couple of weeks. But hey, at least we will be home.

---Allison

Sunday, November 15, 2009

2009-11-15T13:21:00.005-07:00

Ethan now has his PICC line in. I was told by Dr. Kaza that his WBC's are normalized but his CRP is still elevated (although coming down). His chest x-ray is looking better and they will start working on getting his IV diuretics oral again. He will still get an Echo on Monday and will need a dietary consult before we can go home. Ethan was skinny before, but after losing a few pounds, he just looks like a stick with a swollen belly.

I also think that he had a small bowel obstruction. He's been having diarrhea for the last two days. Before each bowel movement he would just cry out in pain and say that his "bum hurt". We didn't know why since he doesn't have any skin breakdown and he'd say it before his bowel movement. Well, not to be too gross, but this morning he "gave birth" to a very hard and very large (just a bit bigger than a large egg) bowel movement. Since then, he appears to be much more comfortable.

After talking with his doctor, he is thinking that we may be able to be discharged with home health care mid week. Between now and then, I am hoping that it snows again. Ethan loved watching the snow fall from his window. I also took him for a wagon ride yesterday and we went outside so that the snowflakes could fall on his face. He had the biggest smiles and absolutely loved it.

Well, we hope that Ethan's Echo looks good tomorrow and that we will be coming home soon. I'll post more as I hear more.

---Allison

Today's Happenings

2009-11-14T23:09:00.004-07:00

Ethan did really good today. He is only taking Tylenol for pain now and that seems to be enough. He hasn't needed any Morphine since last night. They pulled the pressure dressing off today and although the color is better, Ethan still has the large lump above his incision. The doctor seemed a little disappointed with this and now wants to get more aggressive. I wasn't at the hospital when the doctors made rounds this morning, but I guess the plan now is to place a PICC line. They wanted to do it today, but being the weekend, they didn't have the correct staff in house to get it done. They will try and get it done tomorrow, but if not, they will for sure place one on Monday. From what Tim has said (I haven't talked with anyone myself) they are placing it because his CRP and WBC's are still elevated even though he is on some strong antibiotics. So in light of his labs (and the existing lump), they want to run a course of IV antibiotics for 14 days. Tim said that once he is stable, then we can maybe go home with the PICC line and do his antibiotic therapy from home. I will be at the hospital tomorrow and will hopefully get a little bit more specific answers to what the plan of treatment will be.

Here are a few pictures from today.

Ethan didn't eat much on his lunch tray, but as you can see, he really enjoyed his ice cream sandwich.

My parents came up to see Ethan tonight. My dad brought a couple of books that Ethan likes him to read when they are together. Ethan's face honestly lit up with a huge smile and started kicking his leg when he saw the books. My dad read them both a few times.

Ethan has had about enough of everything at the hospital and that includes my picture taking. He was perfectly content right before this picture was taken, but then he saw the camera and began to fuss. I didn't think that I took THAT many pictures.

This is what he started to do in protest of me taking his picture.

And again, we were going on a wagon ride and he was very happy until the camera AGAIN came out. I guess I should just stop taking pictures, but I can't bring myself to stop.

So, this was my attempt at getting a picture of Ethan and I together. Tim is not a camera person and will never pick it up when he is there. So, I took matters into my own hands and this is the best I could get. I think the only reason I wasn't getting an attitude was because he was eating his Cheetos.

---Allison

The Plan as I Know It

2009-11-13T20:03:00.004-07:00

This is Ethan on Tuesday night. He was admitted on Wednesday morning. I love how even though he's not feeling well, he still has attitude. I think that is actually why he does as well as he does. He's a tough kid.

These 2 pictures (above and below) were taken on Wednesday after we were admitted. His fever was pretty high at this point and he was just not feeling well. Plainly stated, he was simply NOT happy to be back in the hospital.

This picture was taken this morning in the PICU. His fever had broken at this point and he was sweating profusely. He literally left a body length's wet spot that went through 2 layers of bedding. I don't know if you can see it well, but even his hair was seriously wet with sweat.

This last picture was just taken tonight in our new room on the surgical floor. He is still not feeling well (he got a fever again late this afternoon), but I believe that he is now on the right track to recovery.

So, the plan as I know it only takes us to Monday. The only reason why I say that is because Dr. Kaza wants to get another Echo on Monday to check Ethan's heart function. I still don't know how long they will want to keep him after that for antibiotic therapy, but Ethan's chest x-ray this morning confirmed that he does NOT have pneumonia. However, it did show that his lungs are getting "wet" with fluid. He is already on 3 different diuretics so they upped the doses, increased the frequency and changed 2 of them to IV so that they wouldn't get spit out. Hopefully this will work and pull off the fluid from his lungs.

Also, they haven't changed his antibiotics yet, so he is still on Vancomycin and Zosyn. As soon as they get a sensitivity to his staph infection they will switch them around to be more specific to the bugs making him sick. I don't think that Ethan will be able to come home until they are sure that both issues (the infection and wet lungs) are resolved. But we at least have until Monday to try and work it out.

Until then, Tim is taking the next 2 night shifts and I will be there during the days (as opposed to me being there 24/7 like the last few days). We are in room 3087 if anyone would like to call. Overall, I think that although tired, we are holding up well. I attribute that to all of the physical, spiritual, and moral support that we've received from all of you. Thank you.

---Allison

The Source

2009-11-13T07:11:00.004-07:00

It looks as if they may have found the source of Ethan's infection. Any guesses? It turns out that one of the samples that they sent from the OR of Ethan's hematoma did in fact have some gram + cocci (infection) in it. They are not sure which "bug" is the culprit yet (I would guess staph), but it looks like they will probably take him off of the Vancomycin and change him to a different antibiotic now. They are also running some more blood cultures just to be proactive.

As far as Ethan is doing, he looks to be feeling much better. He didn't have a fever all night and even the profuse sweating is slowing down. He is still painful (but what do you expect?).

I am still not sure of the exact plan or length of stay at this point, but I believe we will still be moved out of the PICU to the floor sometime today. I will update more as I get more information.

Also, I just wanted to let you know what an amazing family I have. They have completely taken care of my kids, have sent gift packages for all of them in the mail (Ethan isn't the only one who has had to make some sacrifices), made meals, sent flowers and treats, brought DVD's and toys for Ethan, and also coordinated a surprise cleaning of my house (by multiple members of my family I found out, and it was GROSS).

I just want all of them (and everyone reading) how much I love and appreciate each and every member of my BIG extended family. You all mean the world to me and have made my heart full with the knowledge of how much I am loved and that I am truly never alone.

Also, I can't sign off without publicly thanking all of my many neighbors and friends for your sweet phone calls, FB and blog comments, meals, rides for my kids, and for the very thoughtful and fun gift bag (thanks again, Diana).

I have the greatest family in the WORLD. I have cherished friends who I love dearly. I have wonderful neighbors who look out for us. And to top it off, I belong to an amazing "heart family" support group. Honestly, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Thank you. All of you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

---Allison

Just a Quick Update

2009-11-12T16:11:00.002-07:00

Ethan still has a temp.

The cause is still unknown.

He is doing well (taking in account 2 surgeries in the last 9 days).

---Allison

He Is Out Of Surgery (Again)

2009-11-12T10:18:00.005-07:00

For starters, all of Ethan's blood cultures and viral tests (RSV and such) have so far come back negative. The antibiotics appear to be helping, but as of this morning, Ethan is still running a fever. The good news is that he does not have to be in isolation any more and when he is ready, we can move back into the "good rooms".

As far as our morning went, Ethan went into the OR with our surgeon and the anesthesiologist (Dr. Evans) about 7:15 this morning. The surgery took only about an hour, and he is now back in the PICU to recover (we will hopefully be moved to the floor tomorrow).

Although on the surface, this may appear as a "small" surgery to drain the hematoma, this surgery really scared me. This is the first time that Ethan hasn't gone into a surgery "strong". I didn't like that he would have to go under anesthesia again when he is already recovering from last week's surgery and is also battling with some unknown infection (they still haven't ruled out pneumonia). Also, last night Dr. Kaza came to talk with us and told us that depending on where the bleed was, they might have to re-open his chest wall and flush around his heart. This would mean that he would basically be starting over with the chest tubes and recovery time. Needless to say, we feel very blessed that this was not the case this morning.

Dr. Kaza did have to re-open his chest incision but did not have to cut through his chest wall. The large blood clot was sitting on top of his sternum (which I was told was an odd place to have a bleed) but that there was no damage to the sternum itself. He also didn't think that there was any infection in the clot, but sent a sample to be cultured to be on the safe side. They flushed out the area really well and then closed him back up. They have placed a large pressure dressing on top of his chest to try and control the bleeding (they considered putting in a drain, but due to Ethan's combative history coming out of anesthesia, they opted to try the pressure dressing instead). Dr. Kaza said that after seeing the bleeding, that he is not surprised at how much pain Ethan has been in. I'm hoping that he will start feeling better now that this is taken care of and that they can find where the source of the infection is stemming from.

Tim and I have been able to go in the PICU to seem him and he looks pretty good. He is still very groggy but isn't currently too agitated or combative. I suspect that we will be here for a few more days until they can find and treat the infection, or until they've given him enough antibiotics and he remains fever free.

Again, we appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. This little guy has been through a lot.

---Allison

Re-Admitted

2009-11-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

So the long and the short of it is, Ethan's CRP level came back at 25 which is very high and an idication of infection. He hasn't had a temp since the one time Monday night, but while we were waiting for his chest x-ray to be done today, I noticed that he started feeling a little warm again. Sure enough, his temp was 101.5 when they finally took his vitals. He is also breating fast again (anywhere from high 40's to 70's) and his heart rate is back in the 160's again. They thought he might have pneumonia from the look of the x-ray, but our surgeon looked at it and doesn't think it looks too bad. At this point, they don't know what is causing the fever and have started him on some broad spectrum antibiotics. They're also running an H1N1 test as well as blood cultures in an attempt to find the source of the infection.

As far as the hematoma on his chest, the surgeon came in and said that he needs to drain it and try to stop the bleeding since it is getting larger. We will go back into the OR tomorrow morning and hopefully it will just be a local incision, although he said he may have to open his chest again.

I had a small breakdown in the office when they told us we would be re-admitted, but since then, I am keeping it together fairly well. I wasn't surprised (in fact, I'm more surprised that they didn't re-admit us Monday night with his first fever), but I am sure frustrated. It is so hard to see Ethan in pain and sick on top of it. He has had to be poked 5 times just this afternoon and he just panics whenever anyone enters the room.

Please keep Ethan in your prayers. We pray that the infection will be taken care of and that his surgery in the morning will go well.

---Allison

What's Grosser Than Gross?

2009-11-11T07:41:00.002-07:00

This is a re-cap of an event that took place last night. Proceed with caution, it's gross.

Seriously, there has to be a "Mommy Award" for this one.

Ethan woke up in pain around 2:00 am. It was time for his Motrin and without much fuss he took his chewable tablet and asked for his "chockie milk". No problem. Well, I guess he cheeked his tablet while drinking. When he was done drinking, I told him just to chew it up and swallow it (which he did), however, he didn't want anything more to drink.

Now, this is where it starts to get bad. Ethan was resting in the crook of my arm and started snuggling into me. About a minute later, without any warning, he vomited all 8 0z of his stomach contents onto my face. I was too far away to tap Tim and therefore had to call out his name to wake him up. (The act of which causing regurgitated Pediasure to seep into my mouth.) I am seriously trying not to throw up myself at this point. It took a minute for Tim to realize what was happening and to get out of bed to turn on the light.

Tim eventually figures it out and took Ethan to get him cleaned up, but honestly Ethan looked good compared to me. It was all over my hair and face, pooling on my chest and dripping down the back of my neck. Although disgusting, I wasn't horrified yet. I calmly went into the bathroom and started to get cleaned up. I washed as much stuff out of my hair as I could and then just put it up in a bun. I changed my clothes and got a warm washcloth to clean my face, chest, neck, and arms.

I got back into bed thinking that I could to go back to sleep when I realize that while laying down, vomited Pediasure had dripped into my nose and was now sitting in my sinuses. As I laid there trying to go back to sleep, this disgusting Pediasure would slowly drain down the back of my throat!! I had to get up several times to spit in the sink (because it was just too yucky to swallow) and this morning I have really cute Pediasure boogers to remind me of the events of last night.

True story.

Sorry, I told you it was gross.

---Allison

A Rough Start

2009-11-10T19:11:00.003-07:00

For starters, this post has pictures of Ethan's incision, so if you are squeamish, you may choose not to proceed.

Ethan has been enjoying being home but has had a little bit of a rough start. It started last night with a temperature of 101.9. He already had Motrin on board that I had given him an hour before for pain control. We called PCMC and talked with Bonnie (one of the Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioners) and she had us given Ethan's Lortab (which has Tylenol in it) early to see if his temp would come down. Luckily it did and he has not had one since. I'm glad that it came down, but it bugs me to not know what was causing it in the first place. Anyway, Annie (another Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioner) called us back this morning and wants us to come into the clinic tomorrow morning instead of next week to get some blood work done.

I've also been concerned about a pink raised area above his incision that I was told to keep an eye on to make sure that it didn't start oozing or looking like it might be infected. Well, I ended up calling Bonnie again tonight because this "spot" is definitely changing. It is getting larger, darker, and is now hard (where it was soft earlier). It could easily just be a large bruise that is finally showing through (since there are green edges it looks kind of old). However, it seems to be getting bigger and I am afraid that he might have a small bleed underneath. We were told that there was probably nothing that they would do about it, but they would look at it tomorrow in clinic. What do you think?

I took this picture last night around 10:00 pm. It was more pink than it shows here, but you get the idea.

This picture was taken today around 11:00 am. It is starting to have more color to it.

This picture was taken around 5:00 tonight.

And this picture was taken around 7:00 tonight. Although you can tell that it is obviously changing colors, it is hard to tell in these pictures how raised it is. The size looks as if you cut a golf ball in half and then painted it purple. We'll see what they say and/or do about it tomorrow morning.

---Allison

Tears

2009-11-09T15:35:00.001-07:00

Tears of relief. Tears of gratitude. Tears of joy. Enough said.

---Allison

We're Coming Home!!

2009-11-09T12:29:00.002-07:00

So we are just waiting to get Ethan's prescriptions filled and for his home oxygen to be arranged and then we will be on our way home. We have to come back on Thursday for a chest x-ray and lab work but in the meantime, we get to be home where Ethan should hopefully be more comfortable.

I know that I have said it before, but I can never thank each of you enough for your prayers, thoughts, and well wishes. I know my limits and how quickly I can reach them. I have felt the love and concern for Ethan and I. It truly has made this journey a much easier one. I have also felt the love of my Savior and the peace that only He can bring.

I realize that this recovery is not over and is just going to be taking place in a new environment, but to be a little bit cheesy, there really is no place like HOME!

---Allison

Post Op Day #6

2009-11-08T20:09:00.006-07:00

This is Ethan rebelling against his Oxygen. He is also constantly pulling off his sat monitor and knows that he is being naughty when he does it. As frustrating as it is, it's nice to see a little fight come back into his eyes.

I don't know what specifically was upsetting him here, but this was not an uncommon face today.

The whole day wasn't grumpy. He did have fun playing with his new cars and eating his fish crackers.

He wasn't happy about walking or going to the playroom today. I think that his pajamas pretty much sum up what Ethan is feeling at this point of his recovery.

As you can see from the pictures, today has been a day of ups and downs (but mostly downs). I don't think that he is in a lot of pain, however, I do think that he is obviously uncomfortable and has just about had enough of the hospital. He fusses and covers his mouth when anyone walks into his room. He is just in a bad mood! He is also still fighting all of his medicine (which is all oral now). In fact, as I type this, he is sleeping in the bed next to me and talking in his sleep saying "I don't want it medicine, NEVER!", "I don't like it, EVER!". Poor guy. He can't even escape in his dreams.

As far as I know, the plan is that we will be discharged tomorrow. They were actually thinking about sending him home today, but he was still on some IV meds and we decided that it would be better to spend one day here on complete oral meds before going home. He is honestly such a trooper. The last couple of days he has only been on Tylenol and Motrin (or Toradol).

I am excited to get home and get into somewhat of a normal routine again. Although I know that Ethan's recovery won't be complete for a while and will take up a lot of my time since he likes to have someone right there with him literally holding his hand. I now wish I had the house clean prior to his surgery because it has really gotten out of hand since we've been here. Oh well, we'll get to it in time.

So, I hope we get a good night's sleep tonight because it seems like we will have a big day tomorrow. I'll post when we get home.

---Allison

Just Some Pictures

2009-11-08T08:24:00.003-07:00

Post Op Day #5

2009-11-07T23:05:00.002-07:00

Ethan had a great day today! He has been interacting with us and talking a lot more as well as smiling and laughing at his favorite shows. It truly is a relief to see him coming back to life. His heart rate and respirations are also finally going down to a more normal range (his heart rate was in the 150's-160's and his respirations were in the 50-60's for the last 2 days). We went on some "long" walks and went for a few wagon rides. He had another messy diaper (yay poop!). His tummy is now soft and it doesn't seem to be causing him any discomfort. He also had a few visitors today and has started eating a little bit better. However he has not been drinking much the last couple of days and that needs to improve before they will let him come home.

I took a lot of cute pictures today but I left my camera at the hospital. Towards the end of the evening Ethan was getting grumpy and tired and so the pictures are the complete opposite from yesterday (grumpy turning to happy vs. happy turning to grumpy). Tim is going to spend the night with him tonight and I will go back in the morning. Tim's computer got a virus on it yesterday and so I haven't been able to make any posts from the hospital. I think he may have it fixed now, so I will post some pictures tomorrow.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers (and treats and gifts for Ethan). It means more than any of you may realize.

---Allison

Post Op Night #4

2009-11-07T09:02:00.003-07:00

Tim spent the night with Ethan last night and the report I got from Tim when I called this morning was the Ethan has finally pooped (all over Tim in the cafeteria I might add)! I think he is finally feeling better and I wouldn't be surprised if we started hearing the "home" word in the next day or so. He is getting his pacer wires out today and so after that he will just have his IV and monitors to deal with. Tim said that he ate a few scrambled eggs and a little bit of french toast this morning. At this point, if he will keep eating we just need to work on getting him to take his oral meds. I am excited to go up and see my little man. Yay Ethan!!

---Allison

Post Op Day #4

2009-11-06T17:35:00.002-07:00

As you can tell, our little man is just not feeling well. They stopped the morphine all together and wanted to start him on Motrin. I voiced my concerns that he probably wouldn't take that just like all of the other meds. They decided to try Toradol instead and it is proving to be better for him on the pain front. He seems to have better pain control and his blood pressure is starting to come down. He is really struggling with taking ANY of his meds orally. I am not sure what they are going to do when he will either spit out or throw up his meds.

Ethan's x-ray this morning looked good so they felt that they could remove all 3 chest tubes. This was really painful, but as always he handled it like a trooper. He just cried out the word "Ow!" with each tube removal but didn't cry once. Since his tubes were removed, they really wanted us to get him up and walking. You could just see the pain in his face when he took his first few steps. He was really weak and wobbly. We've gotten him up about 4 times tonight to walk and once we took him to the playroom. As you can see from the pictures, he wasn't too thrilled.

The best news of the night is he had his first smile in 4 days!!! Tim had to act like a complete idiot to make it happen (but that's nothing new hee, hee). It was a fleeting smile and was followed a scowl but it was a smile nonetheless. He must be feeling at least a little bit better to get a smile, right? I hope we are turning a corner.

---Allison

Night #3 Update

2009-11-06T07:53:00.003-07:00

So the morning sun is beginning to shine through Ethan's window and not much has changed since last night. He is still in a lot of pain but is refusing his Lortab. They've hesitantly been giving him Morphine since they don't want to slow down his bowels any more than they already are. They tried giving him an Enema last night which produced some small results but overall didn't help a whole lot. His belly is still very distended and firm. The good news is that his chest x-ray looked good today, so they will remove his chest tubes and hopefully get him walking today which should help with his belly issues. Please keep our little guy in your prayers. He could sure use them.

---Allison

Post Op day #3

2009-11-05T18:32:00.002-07:00

Ethan is miserable. He still hasn't "pooped" and is really struggling with pain. He was moved out of the PICU today to the surgical unit which means that overall he is stable but something needs to happen to make him feel better. I actually think he looks worse today than he did yesterday. He is just really having a hard time with pain control. His heart rate and respirations are increasing and he is breathing very shallow. He looks really flushed and I am hoping that he is not getting a fever. He still has his chest tubes in and got a new IV today. We'll see what the night brings (hopefully a HUGE messy diaper) and some better pain control. Pray for poop!

---Allison

PICU Night #2

2009-11-05T07:50:00.003-07:00

Ethan is looking SO much better. He had a sponge bath last night and it seemed to help him relax a little bit. However, he is fighting taking the Lortab. It tastes yucky and he doesn't understand that it will help him. They gave him Morphine a couple of times and that seemed to help some, but it just doesn't last as long. He gets painful he just whimpers and moans. His body gets very tense and rigid and then he trembles. He gives you the saddest look and says"Ow, ow". Oh how I wish I could make it all better.

He is also struggling with a very firm and distended belly. He hasn't "pooped" since Monday which is also causing him a lot of pain and discomfort. They have tried a couple of things (juice, suppository, Miralax) but it's not working. He is actually to the point where he isn't breathing the way he should be. He also threw up all over himself this morning because his tummy is just not moving much. I've been told that this is all common after the Fontan because the blood flow to his organs (including his stomach and intestines) is all different now. All in all, he is definitely showing improvement but he has a long way to go.

---Allison

A Better Day For Ethan

2009-11-04T16:56:00.003-07:00

I talked to Tim not too long ago and he said that Ethan is having a better day. They've removed his Arterial line, his Jugular central line, and his Atrial lines today. He still has 2 IV's (one in his neck and one in his foot), his pacing wires, chest tubes, and urine catheter. Tim said that he is still groggy but is not as combative as last night.

I will again take the night shift and will be trading Tim places shortly. I wasn't able to get a good sleep today because the refinery (just under 1/2 mile away from our house) had an explosion and made me literally jump out of bed. It happened just after 9:00 this morning. There are no words to describe how loud it was. It was NOT a nice way to wake up! I was literally trembling. The house looked like it sucked in and then bowed out. The power went off. The house and windows shook. It knocked a picture off of the wall in our hallway. Needless to say, it was scary. There were houses down our street that had the windows blown out and at least one home has been condemned. As far as I can tell there was no damage to our home. I am just glad that I was the only one home. From what I've read on the Internet the blast was heard MILES away. Anyway, I am OK but I didn't get much sleep. You can read about it on kls.com if you want.

Here's to hoping that there are no more explosions and that Ethan will have a good night tonight (and that I will be able to catch up on some sleep, tomorrow).

---Allison

A Rough Night

2009-11-04T07:22:00.002-07:00

I just got home from spending the night shift with Ethan. He had a rough night to say the least. His lungs are still "wet" and so they are giving him more Lasix to decrease his chest tube drainage. All of his "numbers" are looking good, but they had a hard time keeping him comfortable. He kept wanting to get up or roll over. He wanted juice and they wouldn't let him have any. He was miserable. They tried Morphine and Ativan. They increase his sedative a couple of times. They switched his crib to a big bed so that I could lay next to him to try and comfort him and that didn't even seem to help too much. They also tried switching rooms to a quieter one, but to no avail. He was up pulling at his lines and thrashing around about every 5 minutes throughout the night. He finally fell asleep around 0445 this morning and slept comfortably up until I had to leave at 0700. Tim is on his way up to be with him now while I try and get some sleep. Hopefully he has a better day today.

---Allison

Pre & Post Op

2009-11-03T16:51:00.003-07:00

Ethan and I getting some camera time in Pre-op.

Ethan playing the Game Cube in Pre-op.

Ethan LOVES the bubbles that they have in the exam rooms. It's the first thing he asks for when he gets there.

Dr. Hannon (the anesthesiologist) listening to Ethan prior to taking him to the OR.

Ethan going on his wagon ride to the OR with Dr. Hannon.

Ethan in the PICU.

Tim loving his little guy in the PICU.

So it's been a very long day. Tim is at the hospital with Ethan and I left to try and get a couple of hours of sleep before I go back to stay with him all night.

As far as Ethan's condition, although they have him on a medication that sedates him (as well as morphine for the pain, and a bunch of others, of course) he keeps waking up and getting combative and agitated. He tries to pull at his lines and keeps trying to roll over. He is also running a fever and having high blood pressures which they are currently trying to get under control. His breathing is also very labored and they just gave him some steroids to try and help out his airway constriction.

He is such a fighter and I know that we will get through this. I just hope that he doesn't tear out all of his lines in the meantime.

---Allison

Surgery Update #5

2009-11-03T13:48:00.003-07:00

He is out of surgery!!! We've spoken with Dr. Kaza and he said that so far everything is looking good. He didn't run into anything unexpected (they anticipate a lot of scar tissue to go through and such). He is already off of the ventilator (breathing tube) and we expect he will stay that way. We will be able to go to the PICU in about 20 minutes to go and see him. Other than the surgery the next 24 hours are the most critical and he will be watched very closely.

It is such a surreal feeling to have the surgery over. I've been looking into this day for so long now. I realize that there is an often bumpy road of recovery. But, to think that this morning my focus was on coming to the hospital and this afternoon my focus is on recovering and leaving the hospital. It is all too much at times.

Words can't express enough how appreciative Tim and I are to all of you who have had our family in your thoughts and prayers. From the bottom of my heart, "Thank you".

---Allison

Surgery Update #4

2009-11-03T12:20:00.002-07:00

We just got a call that Ethan is off the heart/lung bypass machine and now they are working to disconnect it. His echo looked good and so after he is disconnected from the bypass machine they will work on getting him closed back up. He is still doing well and we should be able to talk to Dr. Kaza in about an hour. We will update after speaking with him.

*Just to answer your question, Jenn. The heart/lung bypass machine basically makes the blood bypass his heart but keeps it flowing to the rest of his body. If they have to repair the actual heart (like as in his 1st surgery), they will stop his heart so that it is not moving while they are trying to work on it. However, if they are not working directly on the heart, they will let it keep beating since there are less complications than if they stop it all together. They still don't want it beating like normal (because according to our surgeon it can "suck air into it") so they make it "fibrillate" instead of beat. This basically means that it is moving but not in a synchronized manner (but at least it's still moving). After the repair is over, they make it beat in a normal manner again.

---Allison

Surgery Update #3

2009-11-03T11:32:00.003-07:00

Ethan is currently on the heart/lung bypass and they are working on the actual repair to his heart vessels. He is still doing well as are Tim and I. We feel of your love and support and appreciate all of you. I will update when they come and talk to us again which will be roughly in another hour.

---Allison

Surgery Update #2

2009-11-03T10:29:00.002-07:00

We just got another update from Bonnie (the Nurse Practitioner) and I guess I made a mistake on my last post which was that he did have all of his lines in but he was not on the heart/lung bypass machine yet. She said that he is stable and doing well and that the surgeons "are almost through his chest wall" which is when they will have access to his heart. After that is complete, they will then hook him up to the heart/lung machine. She said that we will have another update in about an hour.

---Allison

Surgery Update #1

2009-11-03T09:10:00.002-07:00

Ethan was kissed goodbye and went on a wagon ride with Dr. Hannon (the Anesthesiologist) around 7:45 this morning. We just got a call that all of his lines are in, he is hooked up to the heart/lung bypass machine, and that they have made the first incision.

We spoke with Dr. Kaza (the surgeon) this morning and we really liked him. We feel like Ethan is in good hands and that he will be OK. He told us that he won't have to stop Ethan's heart this time which is comforting. We will keep things updated as the morning progresses. Thank you for all of your support.

---Allison

Pre Op Stuff Today

2009-11-02T15:47:00.004-07:00

This picture has nothing to do with pre-op today but I thought it was too cute no to share. I found Ethan putting these on the morning after Halloween. He's always trying to be like his older brothers.

The last few pictures were from this morning (although they are out of order). The first one is of him getting his x-ray. The 2ND one is him wearing his sunglasses (his prize from the lab where he got his blood work done). And the last one is him in his "wagon". (He rode this police car to and from each department.)

Overall, he did really well for all of the pre-op work ups. The only snag we ran into was that his first blood sample clotted and he didn't want to go back to the lab. He put his feet firmly on the floor so that I couldn't push his car back into the lab waiting area. He ended up getting poked 3 times and was very upset about it. We made amends with an Elmo balloon and so now we're friends again.

As far as the rest of us, we are all doing relatively well. I did get that sinking feeling in my stomach on the ride to the hospital this morning and had to choke back the tears. But once we got there, my mind turned to getting business done and then getting out of there.

The general time frame tomorrow is as follows. We have to be at PCMC at 6:00 in the morning. We will meet with his surgeon, Dr. Kaza, and tie up any loose ends. He will go into the OR at 7:30. We're expecting the surgery to take around 5 hours. They will update us hourly and we will be posting along the way to keep you all informed. He will be in the PICU after his surgery where we will be able to go and see him.

I wish that with each surgery things would get easier. However, this one scares me the most. I fully expect things to go well, but that doesn't take away the pain and fears that you have when you are going through it.

We've already received so many well wishes and offers for help. I just want you all to know how much I appreciate all of your kind words, prayers, and support. I will keep you all updated and post pictures when I can.

---Allison

Halloween Night

2009-10-31T21:18:00.002-06:00

I couldn't get a really cute picture of Ethan looking at the camera. He always new when to look away right before the picture snapped.

Gavin and Ethan both LOVED wearing their costumes. They all had some glowing swords to take with them as well.

This picture of Emily makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. I tried to get the red eye out of it but to no avail. She looks like a drunken pirate. Oh my.

Spencer had a hard time coming up with a costume this year but finally settled on this ensemble. Again, oh my.

So as you can see, this year we were a Gang of Pirates and a Disco Man for Halloween. We didn't go to any indoor or organized gatherings in an attempt to keep away from germs. We did however, go around our neighborhood. Spencer and Emily went out on their own and I took Ethan and Gavin down and back on our street.

This was Ethan's first year "Trick or Treating" and I have to say that he was just so cute. At each house he would say "Tick o Teat!" and "Happy Halloweeeeeeeen!". Gavin also mentioned that this was the "Best trick or treating, EVER!"

It was nice to get out and to have a fun filled weekend before the stress of next week comes. Now the fun begins with picking through all of the "loot" for the good stuff when the kids go to bed. So much for my diet. Oh well.

---Allison

One Week

2009-10-27T09:26:00.004-06:00

One week from today, the wait will be over.

One week from today, I will be tired from a restless night's sleep.

One week from today, I will put my "happy face" on so Ethan won't be scared.

One week from today, my eyes will be puffy and red.

One week from today, I will be full of confusing emotions. Love. Fear. Sadness. Guilt. Anticipation. Hope.

One week from today, I will hand my "baby" over to a stranger.

One week from today, regardless of any outcome, I will thank the surgeon for his knowledge and for the opportunities that he has given us.

One week from today, my children will be in school wondering if their brother is OK.

One week from today, I will be waiting with a knot in my stomach for any word on Ethan's condition.

One week from today, I will remember "the good times".

One week from today, my heart will ache in spite of it all.

One week from today, I will try to appear strong, but I will weep uncontrollably when I am alone.

One week from today, I will be on my knees begging the Lord for His mercy.

One week from today, I will be so proud of Ethan.

One week from today, he will be pink.

One week from today, I will shed countless tears.

One week from today, I will feel of your love and support.

One week from today, the pain will be too great, and I will feel alone.

One week from today, I will wish things were different.

One week from today, I will regret feeling this way knowing that it can always be worse (and has been for many families).

One week from today, I will watch my son struggle.

One week from today, I will see him confused and in pain.

One week from today, I will want to comfort him, and not know how.

One week from today, our hopes for the future will be bright.

One week from today, Ethan's heart will be as good as it ever will be.

One week from today, I will ask for your prayers, even if I don't know you.

One week from today, our lives will be touched by the kindness of family, friends, and strangers.

One week from today, I will cry because of it.

One week from today, my heart will be break, even though it's Ethan's heart which is truly broken.

One week from today, I will be comforted by my Heavenly Father.

One week from today, I will grieve for all of the mother's who have lost their "babies" too soon, and feel guilty because I still have mine.

One week from today, I will count my blessings and realize how much we are truly loved.

Please keep our family in your prayers this next week. We are anxious and hopeful that things will turn out well.

The countdown is on.

---Allison

Hence, His Nickname, "Blue"

2009-10-26T14:11:00.004-06:00

This is why Ethan's 3rd surgery is needed. I've had a hard time capturing his true color but got lucky with this shot (although this picture still doesn't do his "blueness" justice). His index finger is the worst, but even his overall color compared to my hand shows that he truly does need the Fontan. Last night, we checked his O2 levels and he was about 77-78%. Fontan, here we come.

---Allison

Hanging In There

2009-10-22T13:15:00.002-06:00

I wish I could report good news, but it turns out that our sweet Emily now has the "piggy flu". We sent her to go stay with my parents yesterday. I think that she got it from Spencer (since I was told that H1N1 has about a 5 day incubation period) and she started with some mild symptoms (just a mild sore throat and a very infrequent cough) on Tuesday. We kept her out of school that day even though she didn't have a fever "just in case". I started wondering if I was taking her symptoms "too serious" and started 2ND guessing myself keeping her out of school. Well, she ended up getting the fever early Wednesday morning which is when we finally took her in and started her on Tamiflu.

Since the rest of us are still feeling good, I am really hoping that we now have it contained. We quarantined Emily for the day prior to her having a fever "just in case" she got a temp.

I also talked to one of the Nurse Practitioners from surgery and she said that as long as Ethan himself wasn't showing symptoms, to plan on going ahead with his surgery. I guess only time will tell. Until then, we will continue living in our Lysol aerosol cloud.

---Allison

I'll Tell You What's Next!

2009-10-18T17:24:00.002-06:00

You know on my last post titled "What's Next"? Well I have an answer for you. Drum roll please.......................SWINE FLU!!! That's right. My sweet, sweet Spencer is now a confirmed statistic in this year's flu scare.

He started feeling a little yucky Thursday night, but nothing distinct. He was feeling tired and said that he was coughing in first period earlier that day, but not since. He felt well enough to go to football practice and everything earlier that evening, so I told him to wake me up in the morning if he still wasn't feeling well and that we would keep him home from school . He never said anything more about it and went to school on Friday. However, once coming home from school he said he was tired all day at school and was now starting to get a headache. We'd taken his temperature several times since his first complaint on Thursday, and just like the other times, he had no fever. So, I told him to go and lay down and rest if he was feeling tired. Well, a couple of hours later he came into my room and said that he thought he was feeling warm. We took his temperature and this time it was 102.6.

By this time, Tim was on his way home from work and so he took Spencer to the InstaCare for a diagnosis. They did a full workup on him and felt that he had H1N1 since everything else came back negative and he was showing the "classic" symptoms. They started him on Tamiflu, and he's been staying at my parents house ever since.

He doesn't seem to have a terrible case of it. He's mainly tired and has been having headaches along with the fevers. I was really hoping that it would be something else since he hasn't been too sick. But no such luck. We got the phone call today that said he is indeed positive for the swine flu. Yeah! (you know I'm being sarcastic, right?)

So, I've sanitized our house and so far (knock on wood) none of the rest of us are showing symptoms. I REALLY hope we nipped it in the bud since we can't afford Ethan getting sick right before his surgery (especially with H1N1!).

I tell you, this H1N1 thing scares me.

---Allison

What's next?

2009-10-16T11:34:00.006-06:00

So they say that it comes in 3's. For us this last week this meant, our SUV broke down and was in the shop for 1 1/2 weeks, Tim's cell phone died after getting wet, and our Internet went out for over a week. Needless to say, I've felt lost without my normal transportation, a way to talk to Tim when he is not in his office, or a way to check up on my e-mail, on-line accounts, or my fellow on-line friends. So, in case you thought I was rude (or just keeping to myself like I have a tendency to do sometimes), I was REALLY out of commission this time. I know that it is hard to tell sometimes when I do go for long amounts of time without a post. But this time, it truly wasn't my fault.

You'd think that without all of these things out of commission, that I would have a lot of time on my hands. I assure you that this is far from the truth. In fact, I've had a lot of prior commitments (work, carpools, meetings, trainings, Dr. appointments, preschool, soccer games, football practices) all of which complicated this situation. Luckily, as of the last 2 days, all things are back to normal and my stress level is beginning to return to normal.

That is, until this morning.

Ethan's surgery is in less than 3 weeks now and I've started having the bad dreams that always seem to come when I am stressed. Just the other day, I dreamt that we were handing a teary eyed Ethan over to the anesthesiologist when she informed me that she was just "on-call". I was fear stricken and yet couldn't tell her that she couldn't be in on his surgery. Lame. I know. But really, those type of dreams are very stressful.

Anyway, getting back into real life. Just this morning Ethan and I were playing the "What's this?" game. You know the one where you point to a body part and the child tells you what it is. Well, Ethan and I were play this game and at one point I pointed to his chest and asked, "What's this"? Ethan told me in his cute little voice. "Scar". No bid deal, right? But then, he innocently asks, "all better?". I have to tell you that I didn't know what to say. What am I supposed to say? He's only 2! Who knows how much of this he really understands? And so out of my "Mommy wants to make it all better tendency" I said "Yes. All better".

The only problem is, right after I said that, I felt SO guilty. I know that it's not "all better". It's not ever going to be. But how do I tell him that? Especially when he is going into surgery in just a couple of weeks? I don't think that if his surgery was so close that I would even be struggling with this right now. It's just that I don't want him to feel like we set him up.

I want to talk to him about going to the hospital. Let him know that he will have "owies", but that he will be OK. That we will be there with him, and that he will never be alone. I don't want him to be scared, but I also don't want him to feel like we are tricking him. I don't know where the balance is. I have a hard time being optimistic and also being realistic at the same time. Especially when I don't know how much he understands what is going on.

So anyway, to wrap up a long story. A couple of minutes after my confirmation of "all better", I rescinded my comment. I sit here with a tight throat and tears in my eyes, because I decided to tell him the truth. I told him that the "Dr.'s need to fix your heart again". And do you know what he did? To my surprise, he got MAD. He put his hand to his chest and started yelling "ALL BETTER, ALL BETTER"! And then he ran out of the room. I, however, sat and cried.

Where's the balance between being honest and preparing your child for trials they will face (in an age appropriate manner, of course) vs. hiding the truth from them to keep their innocence (but feeling like you're tricking them along the way)?

Oh, the stress of it all.

---Allison

'Tis The Season

2009-09-29T21:47:00.001-06:00

This year we've had a busy sporting season with football, soccer, and more soccer.

Both Gavin and Emily wanted to play soccer this year. Not surprisingly, they are both pretty good. They both have abundant energy and really go after the ball. Sometimes a little too much in Gavin's case. We were always reminding him to not push the other players (even his own teammates). He would run with his arms out so that I guess no one would get in his way. Although he really loves soccer, I think football might be his preferred sport in the future.

Emily is also really good at soccer. This is her 2ND year playing (although she didn't play last year because she played baseball instead). So far, she always plays forward and works really hard when she's on the field. She's not afraid of the ball (or much of anything for that matter). Overall, I think that sports are a really good outlet for her.

As far as Spencer, this is his 3rd year playing football (although he took last year off). His position is offensive tackle and defensive end. He has some really great coaches this year. In fact, this is the first year that he hasn't complained about all of the practices and commitment that it takes to play football. It's nice to see him learning and enjoying himself at the same time.

And then there is Mr. Ethan. It's kind of sad to see how much he wants to be a part of all of the sporting events. He loves to kick the ball and to play catch. He also has two football jersey shirts that he loves to wear. I know that he looks up to his older siblings and wants to do the same things that they do. I hope that he doesn't feel too left out when he gets older. We're going to have to find a sport that he enjoys that he will be able to physically handle. Golf maybe?

Anyway, here are a few pictures of their uniforms and games.

---Allison

Oops, My Bad

2009-09-25T21:08:00.005-06:00

So, I guess Tim has had a few complaints that I didn't show "enough bike" on my recent post about his "new toy". So, for all of you who want to see the bike (instead of the cute kids on top), these pictures are for you.

---Allison

Gavin's New Trick

2009-09-22T14:32:00.005-06:00

The fascinating part about this trick is that is 100% self taught (remember, he's only 4)! He went in the middle of the room last week and just went up. (He started by doing on my couch which would drive me crazy when I would have to constantly tell him to "sit on the couch the right way".) He does it all the time now and can hold the position for about 30 seconds or so. Gavin is such a physically strong kid, but I have to admit, I didn't expect this one.

---Allison

Tim's New Toy

2009-09-21T19:13:00.002-06:00

Well, Tim FINALLY got a motorcycle. He's been wanting one for years (and I have been resisting for years). He works SO hard for our family and I finally decided to to succumb to the inevitable. However, I'm not naive. I only gave my blessing after he promised to get life insurance. Is that bad?

We Got the Call

2009-09-15T14:21:00.003-06:00

So it seems that this cute little man will be having his 3rd surgery (the Fontan) on Tuesday, November 3rd. Although we obviously new it was coming, just having a date starts bringing on the tears and anxiety.

I am relived that it will happen after the kids' soccer and football seasons are over. I was worried about how to get 3 different kids to 3 different places while we were in the hospital. Also, as superficial as it sounds, it also doesn't hurt that it will be after Halloween. I already bought his costume and I was really hoping that he would be able to enjoy the festivities this year. All in all, none of those things really matter, but it sure makes it a whole lot easier for the older kids when they don't have to give up as much.

Anyway, between now and then, we will keep on feeding Ethan anything that he will eat and hopefully he can gain a pound or two before November. Keep us in your prayers.

---Allison

The Wagon

2009-09-01T20:54:00.004-06:00

The wagon was a hit. So much so, that Gavin asked Tim why we didn't get one sooner. Because according to him, he's "been alive for lots of years". Both Gavin and Ethan have been having a blast going on rides through the neighborhood with Spencer or Emily pulling them around. I guess we should have bought one sooner.

---Allison

We're Home

2009-08-31T18:51:00.008-06:00

We got a call last night asking us if we could come in earlier this morning since the case before us got canceled due to a fever. So, instead of our 9:00 appointment, we showed up at 7:00 instead. It made for an early morning but was worth it since we were discharged by 5 pm.

First of all, thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. I don't think I realize how stressed out and emotional I am until I find myself getting choked up and tearful from all of your kind thoughts and words.

As far as the actual procedure goes, it went well. There were no complications and he was out of the cath lab a lot sooner than we had been told. Dr. Cowley performed the cath (he did his last one as well) and said that Ethan's function looks good and that his lung pressures were low. What that means, is that he is healthy enough to have the Fontan. He went on to tell us that he has never seen a repair as well done as his. We are so blessed to have had Dr. Hawkins as our surgeon and I am terribly saddened that he won't be performing Ethan's Fontan.

After the echo and the cath, we spent the next 5 1/2 hours in recovery to watch for bleeding or other possible complications (they put catheters in both his groin and neck this time). He was supposed to lay flat this whole time, but the truth of the matter was Ethan was agitated, grumpy, and pulling all of the cuffs, lines, and monitors off of him. They finally took everything off (since it wasn't going to stay on anyway) but left his IV. He kept pulling at it and would break down in tears when we would scold him or tell him that he couldn't have it out yet. In light of seeing all of this, I am very scared for the Fontan. Ethan just wanted to be held, but was not comfortable or content when being held. I don't know how he'll react when he'll be in a lot more pain and with more lines and tubes to contend with. I just hope they keep him pretty sedated until we can hold him. I can tell already that this is not going to be pretty.

Anyway, here are some pictures of today. Thank you again for your kind words and support.

This was taken in pre-op. He was having a great time blowing bubbles and didn't really have too many cares at this point.

He LOVED the wagon! In fact, he wanted to ride in the wagon to go home and we couldn't find one. He was VERY sad and didn't want to go home. Needless to say, Tim is at WalMart with Ethan buying a wagon. I think he earned it today.

They gave him some Versed to calm him down (he was climbing all over the place and was seeming anxious). He spit out the oral dose, so they gave him a nasal dose instead. They said that even though they put it in his nose, it leaves a bitter after taste. He obviously wasn't a fan.

However, AFTER the Versed was given, he was obviously a BIG fan!

Sorry, this picture is crooked. Ethan insisted on holding his own oxygen mask up to his face. He would put it on like it was supposed to be, but he would also put it up to his ear like he was talking on the phone (which didn't help his oxygen levels much).

He only threw up once. But as you can see, he wasn't a happy camper.

After a couple of hours, he started to perk up a little bit and was acting a little more like himself.

But as you can see, it didn't last for very long. This was the look he gave the nurse after she took out his IV.

All in all, it was a good day (for what is was anyway) and we're glad to be home.

---Allison

Heart Cath and Sedated Echo Tomorrow

2009-08-30T20:34:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to let you all know that Ethan will be going to PCMC tomorrow morning (Monday) to have the pre-op testing for his 3rd heart surgery (the Fontan). Tomorrow he will be having a heart cath and a sedated echo (although, I am not sure in which order). We have to check in at 9 am into Same Day Surgery and should be home later that night. I will be posting when there are any results or if there are important updates. Overall, I don't expect any surprises and feel that everything should be OK. However, since Ethan's birth, my innocence is lost. I know that there can be upsets, surprises, and complications that can't be anticipated. Please keep Ethan in your prayers tonight. We hope that things will go smoothly and that the test results will be positive. Thanks for your love and support.

----Allison

Brothers

2009-08-28T09:06:00.003-06:00

Since the older kids have been at school during the day, these 2 little guys have been having a lot of fun playing with each other. Can you see how much Ethan looks up to (and copies) Gavin?

By the way, Gavin thinks he is "Mr. Cool" and pulls these "moves" often. In fact, at his first soccer game this week, he pulled one of his "Mr. Cool" poses (as seen in the picture just above) right before he was ready to kick a goal kick back into play. There are variations to the "Mr. Cool" poses such as facial expressions and the finger positions (like maybe the "rock on" fingers, with the thumb, pointer, and pinkie fingers up). He is such a funny kid.

---Allison

It's That Time of Year

2009-08-26T16:49:00.003-06:00

I have to say that this was a fun summer. However, all good things must come to an end.

Spencer was VERY nervous to start Jr. High and wanted me to take a picture of him before he came home black and blue. I guess he had the impression that everyone gets beat up in Jr. High. I think I would have been nervous too if that is what I was expecting. Luckily for Spencer, he came home in one piece and with a smile on his face. He says Jr. High is MUCH better than elementary school.

Miss Emily was so excited and in such a rush to get to school, we forgot to get her picture taken. So, needless to say, the photos of her were taken on her 2ND day of school. She really likes her teacher and has made a "friend" named Tyler which she seems VERY excited about. They play with each other at recess and eat lunch next to each other. Don't worry, I've told her she can't have a "boyfriend" and she reassures me that they are "just friends". Really. She is only 8. This crush thing is happening WAY too early. I've always known that she is going to give me a run for my money. Wish me luck!

---Allison

Say Cheese!

2009-08-22T11:21:00.004-06:00

Do you think Nutella and cheese will fatten him up for surgery? We're crossing our fingers!

(By the way, neither of these items were given to him, but really, whose going to take it away?!)

---Allison

Starvation Reservoir

2009-08-04T10:15:00.009-06:00

About a week and a half ago we went on a 5 day family vacation to Starvation Reservoir. This was our first real camping trip since before Gavin was born and the kids LOVED it. Tim wasn't able to come up for a few days but it wasn't too bad. The kids played a lot with their cousins and I had a lot of help from my parents and siblings. Although I have to admit, it wasn't too fun setting up tents and camp without him.

We spent most of our days trying to keep cool. It was MISERABLY hot and to be honest, I was concerned about how the heat would effect Ethan. There was only a little bit of shade and we stayed in it as much as possible. We also spent most of our days in the water, and would even take an occasional drive in the car just to get some air conditioning. Luckily, the last couple of days we were there, the heat mellowed out a little bit and we got the occasional rain.

Also, this just happened to be the 24Th of July weekend (a State holiday here in Utah) and so one morning we went to the local "parade" which consisted of some 4 wheelers, a few horses, a goat, some kids on bikes, 2 candidates for the local election, and was completed by the firetruck and ambulance. It went right down the main street (it was just detoured for a few minutes) and lasted no more than 10 minutes. Although short, the kids came away with more candy than any of them needed.

While at camp, the older kids had a fabulous time being pulled on the tube behind my Dad's boat. Gavin and Ethan were content just playing in the sand. Surprisingly, my Gavin (who usually has no concern of danger) was scared of the boat and after just 1 ride, he refused to go on another. I think we found my Superhero's kryptonite.

Anyway, we came home tired, dirty, sunburned (we went through 3 bottles of sunscreen and we still ran out), and full of a lot of fun memories. Despite the heat, wind, and dirt, Emily told me that she wants to make this a "family tradition". Good times. Good times.

I don't know why Emily is wearing this hat sideways. It looks really goofy that way. But honestly, no one cared what they looked like. We were all just happy to keep the sun off of our faces.

Ethan was really good about wearing his hat, however, he kept turning it around which didn't help keep the sun off of his face.

Spencer was not into getting his picture taken. This is one of the few that I was allowed to take.

Gavin is in this "Mr. Cool" stage. When he sees a camera, he automatically assumes this stance. Silly kid.

---Allison

Cardiology Visit

2009-07-28T12:15:00.003-06:00

So today was Ethan's 6 month cardiology appointment with Dr. Williams. Ethan did much better today than his last appointment. You could tell he was anxious but at least he wasn't screaming and hysterical like last time.

As usual, Ethan had a chest x-ray and an EKG done. Both looked good. He also had his vital signs checked which also were good. His oxygen levels are dropping a little bit and were 78-80% at this visit. Dr. Williams said that this is still OK as long as he doesn't drop below 75%. We also checked his height and weight which were 37 inches long and 26.5 pounds.

What all this means is that Dr. Williams feels Ethan won't make it through the winter without needing the next surgery (the Fontan), but feels that we still have a couple of months to try and get him to gain weight. He will submit the paperwork to have Ethan's Echo and Cardiac Cath done in September and depending on the results, we will plan his surgery for October/November before RSV season hits.

I am not quite sure how I feel about all of this. I held it together pretty well at office but got anxious and tearful on the ride home when I had a little time to process everything. I hate looking this close into the eyes of another surgery. Especially where Ethan is very aware of everything happening to him. Also, Ethan's surgeon , Dr. Hawkins, is no longer working due to personal issues. There are 3 other surgeons but we only know personally of one of them. Of course we were told that they are all competent to perform this next surgery. We were also told that we could request one if we wanted, but I am unsure of what to do at this point. Anyway, start sending your prayers our way. As always, we can always use them for comfort and guidance.

Also, if any of you have any great ways to fatten up a very picky eater (and not the rest of us), please give me suggestions. Our MD says every pound counts, so I have at least 2 months to try and butter him up.

---Allison

Texas, part 2

2009-06-11T08:49:00.008-06:00

Again, this post is later than I intended it to be. I had planned on getting it done last week, but obviously, it didn't get done. It is a little long, but I figured I had just better get it done. I hope you enjoy!

These were all taken at the Water Gardens in down town Ft. Worth. We used to enjoy coming here when we lived in Texas and always make it a point to visit when we come back. Good times.

These 2 pictures were taken at one of the two BBQ/B-day parties that we went to while in Texas. This one consisted of a lot of visiting and a fun water party for the kids. We had a great time and ate WAY too much. Ethan definitely has a blue tint in this picture. He must have been a little cold.

Before the BBQ, we went horseback riding at Katrina's parent's house. The kids were really looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. They wore their cowboy hats that they got from the "Big Texan".

Before we started riding horses, the kids were being shown this rat snake. Gavin was a little too close and got a "kiss" from this good sized snake. Gavin was taken back but didn't cry. Poor kid. He just couldn't catch a break this trip. If you notice, (as if you couldn't miss it) the green band-aid is covering the stitches that he had to get just a couple of days earlier. I guess he was playing tag with the older kids and tripped and fell into a ceramic dolphin. The dolphin shattered and it's fin opened up his forehead down to the bone. It just so happens that I was out with some friends and missed the whole thing. Tim and his sister, Rachel, took him to the ER. You just can't call it a vacation without stitches and a snake bite. Right?

We also spent one day at Six Flags. Rachel was kind enough to watch Gavin and Ethan and we brought Ashley and Katie with us to join in on the fun. The weather was great and after all of the high school/field trip kids left, we pretty much walked onto every ride. As you can see, the kids loved the water ride. I always sit out on this one. I don't enjoy the feeling of damp Levi's all day. Also, Spencer went on a couple of rides that he "swore" he would never go on. He finally tried them and found out that he really liked them. There were still a couple of rides he refused to go on. But that's OK. There is always next year.

In the past, we usually go to the Ft. Worth Zoo. However, this year, we decided to go with some cousins to a place called Fossil Rim. Basically, you slowly drive and look at all of the animals. Along the way, you have a bag of food that you get to feed the animals. There are zebras, giraffes, ostrich, and a bunch of exotic deer/animals. It takes a couple of hours to drive through and the kids really enjoyed feeding the animals out of their hands. We stopped in the middle of the drive for a picnic, petting zoo, and souvenirs. It was a lot of money, but well worth the experience and the memories.

Here are just a couple of more pictures from the Stockyards. I love the one where it looks like the Cowboy is patting Gavin on the head. Also, isn't Emily a pretty girl when she isn't covered with dirt and/or snakes?

Gavin has such a fun personality. He is usually the center of all the fun and likes being the life of the party. He is such a fun kid.

Well, that is the last of the "Texas" post. Until, next time. Love you all!

----Allison

Family Vacation in Texas

2009-06-03T10:44:00.005-06:00

Yes, I realize that we have been back for over a week now, but really, it takes a while to get back into the swing of things. As soon as we returned home, Tim hit the ground running and I only had a couple of days to get things in order before I had to do my 2 weekend shifts. I am still behind but I am not complaining. We had a wonderful time and it was well worth the drive (and speeding ticket). Anyway, we were all very excited to go and visit our family and to do some fun things along the way. I will have to break this up into 2 posts because we did so many fun things and I took way too many pictures. (These pictures are a little out of order, but you will get the idea).

We spent a lot of time just visiting and catching up. The kids were often found with their cousins and the adults passed time talking and playing cards. One day Tim and his brother Matt took all of the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese while "The Girls" went and got pampered. I didn't get any pictures of it, but Betty treated herself, my 2 sisters-in-law, and I to our first facials. They were heavenly. A few of us even got henna tattoos on our feet by the Indian woman in the salon. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

We also did a lot of eating on this trip. Ethan surprised us by finding an appetite. He was eating everything and loving it! He didn't even throw up ONCE on this trip. I don't have an official weight but I am sure that he gained some. Even if he didn't, it was fun seeing him enjoy his food.

Spencer found a girlfriend while in Texas. Isn't she cute!

We spent a day in the Stockyards with cousins Sarah and Ashley. We did a lot of shopping, eating ice cream, finding our way through the wood maze, and taking pictures, of course.

The first night we arrived, Betty had arranged a birthday party for Ethan, Emily, and their cousin Tyson. As you can see, Ethan really enjoyed his Sponge Bob cake.

Emily was in heaven once she learned that there were snakes in the backyard. She would sneak around for hours looking under rocks. She actually found several baby snakes while we were there. These little things don't bother me, but I am very glad she didn't find their mama!

On our drive down to Texas, we stayed in Amarillo. The kids had remembered going to The Big Texan on a previous trip and wanted to go again. We didn't spare any expense and even let them get the "souvenir" boot drinks. But after the bill came, I think Tim and I decided that next time, we won't be stopping in Amarillo.

This pretty glass ball was mysteriously broken a few days after we arrived. I am not sure, but I think I may know who couldn't keep their hands off of it.

Now, as you can see in the above pictures that I am married to a very handsome man. However, EVERY TIME I would try to take a picture of him and I together, THIS is what I would get. I even told him that these were going on the blog and to give me a good one. Do you think it worked? Obviously, not.

Assuming I can get all my work done, in the next day or so, there will be more to come from Texas!

---Allison

All About Emily

2009-05-27T15:11:00.005-06:00

Miss Emily recently turned 8. She was very excited because this was the first year that she got to have a friend birthday party. The party she chose was very unique and as you can see in the pictures, there were no princesses to be found. Instead of pink dresses and frills she instead invited lizards, snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas. It definitely fit her spunky personality and the kids all had a blast.

Also, with turning 8, Emily chose to be baptized. She was very excited to receive her own set of scriptures. Emily is definitely one of a kind and I love her with all of my heart.

A Letter for Ethan

2009-05-01T09:59:00.011-06:00

Dear Ethan,

I can't believe that 2 years have already gone by. I have to admit, when I first found out I was pregnant, not only was I surprised, but I was scared. I didn't have enough faith in myself to believe I could raise another child. I was quickly humbled when I realized that both you and the Lord had enough faith in me to send me this great blessing.

I went to bed last night thinking back to when I went into labor. I remember the excitement, the anticipation. I stayed up all night enduring labor pains and anxiously waited for your arrival. I didn't want an epidural or pain medications, and because of this you came on your own schedule and didn't want to wait for the doctor to come. Luckily my nurse was very competent and did a good job in helping me deliver you. When they finally handed you to me, all I could do was cry. I remember being so excited to see you and to finally meet the little guy who came, against the odds, to join our family. You looked so healthy and strong. I instantly realized how blessed I had just become. We had no idea that anything was wrong.

When I woke up this morning, I took a few minutes to just watch you sleep. I was thinking, "in just a few minutes you will have been born". It's hard for me to put my feelings about your birth day into words. It was quite simply one of the most blessed and devastating days of my life. My heart was both lifted and broken on that day.

It was not long after you were born, you and I were finally alone in my room. I was very tired and so we took a nap together with you lying on my chest. It may sound silly, but that nap has haunted me. I cried about it for months. You see, after we got news of your diagnosis, things happened so fast. You were intubated, and then life flighted to PCMC.

We were never alone after that. There were always people around. I couldn't comfort you. I couldn't hold you anymore and I didn't know if I would ever get to hold you again. My heart ached to wonder if you even knew that I was your mother. I couldn't stand that I threw away the only moment of "normal" that we would ever share together. I sat at your bedside and wished over and over again, that I didn't take that nap. I wished I had taken the time to just hold you. To feel your warmth. To smell you. To memorize your small features. To etch your soul into mine. To simply appreciate and love everything that you were. I felt that I had wasted precious time that I would never get back.

As hard as it was, it was a lesson I needed to learn. Ever since then, I've tried to live without regrets. You've taught me to live in the moment and to appreciate all of those little things that sometimes go unnoticed.

At the time, my mommy heart was shattered. I wasn't sure if I would ever get the chance to raise you. I felt so cheated. I didn't understand why God didn't just leave well enough alone. Why didn't He just let me be happy with my other 3 children. Why would He go out of his way to send you to me only to take you away? It seemed so cruel.

Since then, I've come to a conclusion. He didn't take you away, because I think, God knows how much I need you. He knows I am too weak to do this without you. He knows that you have too much to teach me, and that takes time. So far, He has blessed our family with 2 wonderful and amazing years with you. He has blessed you with good heath, a strong spirit, a wonderful medical team, and a family who loves you and would do anything in our power to make you happy and healthy.

Although I will be forever grateful for the time we've had, I have to admit, it still scares me when I think about how long we might really have. Please don't misunderstand, I KNOW that families are forever. I KNOW that you will always be mine. But that's not enough. Not yet. I need to see you grow, to ride a bike, and learn to read. I need to hold you on your birthdays, your good days, and your bad days. I want to comfort you when a girl first breaks your already broken heart. I want to see your school programs and see you play with your friends. I need to kiss your skinned knees. I want to teach you to drive and to see you graduate.

I guess what it comes down to is, I want to be your mother for a very long time.

Ethan, you continue to make me a better person. I needed you when I didn't even know it. I am grateful everyday that the Lord sent you to me. My broken mommy heart heals everyday with the joy that you bring to it.

I hope you will always know, and feel, how very deeply you are loved. One cannot measure the amount of pure joy you bring into my life.

On your birthday, my humble and simple prayer, is that we are able to celebrate many, many, many more........together.

Happy birthday baby!

Love,
Mom

Emily's Birthday Dinner

2009-04-27T17:33:00.002-06:00

We decided that we would let Emily choose where she wanted to go for her birthday dinner. She had never been to the Texas Roadhouse and wanted to try it out. When the servers came with the saddle for her to sit on, Emily tried to put on an embarrassed face (as see above). But if any of you know Emily, not only was she NOT embarrassed, she was absolutely LOVIN' the attention (as seen below).

Kids Will Be Kids

2009-04-04T17:46:00.004-06:00

Gavin decided that while I was trying to get a nap in before I had to work yesterday, that the new spring fashion includes the mustache.

Then, while I was at work for only a few minutes, I received a phone call from Tim which started with, "Guess where I'm at right now"? This of course never follows with good news and this time was no exception. The answer was "Insta Care".

This is what he does when you ask him if he has and owie. Even right now, he is sitting on my lap, pointing at his picture, and saying "Ow"? "Ow"?

For as active as he is now, surprisingly these are his first "accidental" stitches. Of course, he already has many scars from is past surgeries, so really, what's one more?

---Allison

Have You Been Worried?

2009-03-10T12:27:00.006-06:00

Well, no need to worry. Everything is going really well. The kids started back to school last week from being off track. We did a couple of fun things while they were out of school. We went bowling once and also spent an afternoon at the zoo. The problem is, the weather is still cold and Ethan still can't go out due to RSV season. It really limits what we are able to do. Anyway, we are really looking forward to some warmer weather. I realize that it has been WAY too long since my last post, so to try and make up for it, I've posted some cute pictures. Enjoy!

Now, please don't look too closely at my mess. The point is just to show you that Ethan is following in Gavin's footsteps and is becoming a little monkey. He is climbing everywhere now and getting into lots of trouble. Just last week, he tried to climb the corner shelf in our sitting room and pulled it over on top of himself. The potted plant on the shelf shattered and dirt was everywhere. Ethan was screaming and hopefully scared himself enough that he won't try that again.

Ethan and Annie love to wrestle and play together. This was just taken this morning. Annie and Ethan are good little friends. Although Ethan still isn't really talking yet, I think "Annie" is the clearest word that he currently says.

He is such a cute little guy. He really has a special place in our family.

Spencer and Gavin had a family birthday party on Sunday. It was right in between each of their birthdays. They both had fun but I had a hard time getting a cute picture of Gavin. He had been waiting ALL day for his guests to arrive and could not wait for them all to get here so he could open his presents. Each time I tried to get a cute picture he was either too busy opening presents to look at the camera or simply just not interested in having his picture taken.

Spencer turned 12 this year. Instead of presents, he just asked for money. Every time he would open a card, the words "Oh yeah!" would come out of his mouth. He is trying to save up for an XBox and I think he will be almost halfway there after this.

The weather has been cold and snowy, but there have been a couple mild days in the mix. On one of these days Tim took the kids to a park to play to get them out of the house while I rested for work.

So, there you have it. A cold day at the park. I really will try and do better at keeping this blog updated. I've been feeling guilty about not blogging or taking as many pictures lately, so this will be a good goal for myself.

On a side note, my niece, Addison is having her open heart surgery to correct her AV canal defect tomorrow. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

---Allison

Africa Post #6

2009-02-03T10:00:00.003-07:00

I hate that in this picture my feet are so puffy but I wanted you to see how cute my feet were (minus the bug bites and shoe rub marks). Anyway, the night before we left Africa, a few of us decided to get some ornamental tatoos by a couple of the local women. I took a picture of mine when we got to Germany and I could finally shave my legs. One of the first things I did when I got home was to go and get a pedicure with my mom. It looked a lot better with my toenails painted. The tatoos are pretty much gone now, but it was a sure a fun thing to do.

This is how they did the tattoos. (I offered to hold the flashlight, but she wanted to do it.) I think that the material they use is hair dye. Anyway, they smash it into the corner of a baggie and squeeze it out into these pretty designs. It took a lot of patience on their part and a lot of flexibility on mine. I had to keep twisting and turning so that they could get all the way around my foot and then hold that position until they were done.

This sign was just outside of our compound where we stayed.

This is the view that I had every morning when I brushed my teeth. I thought it was interesting how they have rocks holding their roofs on.

These 2 little guys were using these old tires and sticks as toys. They would run and then hit the tire with the stick to get it rolling along beside them.

Even though dressed in blue, this is a little girl. Her mother was pregnant with twins and the local doctors delivered her vaginally. You can tell that she is the first born because of the tie around her wrist. However, the 2ND baby got stuck sideways and passed away before she could be delivered. The local doctors were unable to get her out and so our team did a C-section to deliver the 2ND little girl.

While in Ouelessebougou, we also did an emergency C-section. The mother had been laboring for too long and local doctors new the baby was in distress and feared it would die. They came and got us and luckily we were able to save this little girl. This is Dr. Kammeyer with the healthy mom and new baby.

I thought this little pumpkin was so cute with her hair clips shaped like feet.

This cutie pie was so smiley and playful. She belonged to a family member of one of our patients. We gave her a sucker on our last day there and she was in heaven!

----Allison

The Village of Kaban

2009-01-30T09:21:00.008-07:00

Before we left Mali, we traveled by van to a remote village named Kaban. In this village we met with the Chief and asked his permission to do check ups on the children and to clean and bandage any wounds that the people in his village might have. We also gave him an offering of 50 lbs of rice for his people. He gave us his blessing and said that we were the 1st American group to ever come to his village. Many of the children were given antibiotics for ear infections and such. As the doctors did the check ups, the rest of us cleaned wounds. The sores we cleaned were crusted in dirt, ulcerated and infected from the lack of proper care. However, even the smallest children held still while we scrubbed their wounds, applied ointment, and then bandaged them up.

I hope that this picture is not offensive to anyone, but I have to say that I got a kick out of it.

This is inside the school building. The children sit on these wooden benches in this concrete room.

This is me cleaning the sores on this little guy. Honestly the children were so brave.

These pictures are a little out of order, but this is also inside the school house. They just use chalkboard paint on the concrete walls for a blackboard.

This is a picture of the village chief offering Dr. Kammeyer a chicken in his gratitude for us coming and helping his people. He said he wished he could give us 5 chickens, but he could only afford to give us one. This was a very kind gesture considering their lack of food and resources.

This is just me looking out one of the windows of the school house.

This little girl came to us with 2ND degree burns on her arms from spilling scalding hot porridge on herself. I actually got sick to my stomach listening to her scream as I watched another nurse scrub off all of the dead, burnt, and infected skin. My nausea was probably made worse by the mid day heat. But either way, I had to walk away and sit down for a few minutes.

The top part of this sign reads "Educate a girl and you will educate a community". Pretty forward thinking in these parts.

As a side note to the three of you who played the "pay it forward game", I finally put your gift in the mail a couple of days ago. You should be getting them soon. I am anxious to know if you like it.

Take Care!

---Allison

Cardiology Appointment

2009-01-28T12:34:00.005-07:00

We just got back from Ethan's cardiology appointment and I am happy to say that everything continues to look good. He was 32 3/4 inches and weighed 23.9 lbs. According to his MD his EKG, vital signs, and Chest X-ray all looked good. However, he did agree that Ethan is looking more blue. (His oxygen levels in the office were 79-80%.) So, the plan at this point is to go back in 6 months and we will start talking surgery. The main thing we need to keep an eye on is that Ethan is breathing heavy with exertion/activity. We were told that if it gets worse, we need to take him in sooner, but hopefully we won't go back until the summer. The doctors want him to be as big as possible for the 3rd surgery (Fontan). So hopefully he will start eating again and we can plump him up in the meantime.

---Allison

Africa Post #5

2009-01-27T13:07:00.005-07:00

OK. Are you getting tired of these Africa posts yet? Well, the next time I post I will give you a break and will update on Ethan's cardiology appointment which is tomorrow. Until then, you're stuck with Africa.

If you look closely, you will see two women in the background pounding millet (one even has a baby on her back). Every morning I would wake up to the sound of this rhythmic pounding.

Just a couple of shots of some different houses. I think the thatched roofs look pretty cool.

The women were always seen working so hard. I was told that a lot of the women didn't mind if their husbands took another wife because it helped in their work load. (Again, they never bend at the knees.)

They of course didn't have running water. So they would have to haul up the water by hand (no pulleys) to have access to water.

It is no surprise that people have infected sores on their legs and feet. Look how dirty these little guys legs are.

I thought that this bike was unique with this thatched chicken basket on the back.

Brandie, Carie, and Myself on our mosquito netting beds.

I couldn't help but take a picture of these little friends. They were so stinking cute! Do you see why I said that little children just roam around with no supervision? Honestly, how old do you think they are?

---Allison

Africa Post #4

2009-01-21T08:55:00.006-07:00

My cousin Holly arranged a service project making bracelets for the women in this village. I have to say that the woman and children absolutely LOVED them. I looked forward to passing them out every day. I would sometimes wear a few at a time and let the women have one of mine. I think that made them feel extra special to get my "personal" bracelet. Thanks Holly!

These 2 ladies were from the Dogon (sp?) tribe. Their faces were a lot longer and thinner and they also had the distinctive mouth tattoos.

This is the baby that we saved by performing an emergency C-section. Once delivered, the local nurse will take the baby and do the "standard" measurements. I have to say that I was obviously surprised to see how they measured the baby. They were not even the least bit gentle with these little ones. I guess it just goes to show how hearty these children really are.

This is just a picture of the Post Op Girls (Carie, Myself and Brandie) and our Transporter (Paul). This was taken on our last day just after we had packed up the OR.

OK, I'm really not trying to be gross here, but you just have to see it (I wish you could smell it) to really appreciate it (looking down inside was 100 times worse). This is the bathroom that we had to use during our days at the hospital. It was truly remarkable to see women who'd had an abdominal hysterectomy the previous day, walk out to this and squat. These women were amazing! Really, we are truly blessed.

We each got to scrub in on a case to get up nice and close. It was really cool to actually help assist the doctor and see everything first hand. Very exciting and educational.

Now, you can't have all work and no play, right? This is Kammisa giving me a WONDERFUL foot rub. This was the day that we went to the market and my feet were killing me! Honestly, Kammisa was the best. (I think it is really interesting that they never bend at the knee. They always bend straight down from their hips. Also, you can't help but notice how straight their backs are.)

These 3 ladies were hilarious! (The one in the middle was our patient and the other 2 were family members). The 3 of us in post op were given African names (mine is Yiridio Doumbia). From what I understand, certain family groups get along better with eah other than others. These women would tease Brandie and I and tell us that they didn't like us and to go home because their family didn't get along with our "families". However, they did get along with Carie's "family". So she could stay. Funny ladies.

Foosball anyone?

---Allison

A Day at the Market

2009-01-20T15:51:00.007-07:00

Have you ever wondered what a Wal Mart in Africa would look like? Well, here is your glimpse. Every Friday, 44 villages come together in Oulessebougou to sell their goods. Surprisingly, you can find almost anything you need. (I actually found some Betamethasone cream for the rash on my face.)

This is what the Market looks like Saturday through Thursday. Very empty.

This was the hardware stand.

Anyone care for some dried fish? Honestly this stuff stinks!!!! There are flies all around this stand. The people would put the whole fish, (or parts) in their porridge. It was really gross to watch them eat it. I'm not a fish lover anyway. But this, was gross!

When I say that you can sell anything at the market, I mean Anything! This was from part of the stand selling things for medicinal healing. A dead rat still in the trap? Disgusting!

This is from that same stand. Turtle shells, snake skins, dead parrots. Seriously, the market was CRAZY!

This was just a stand selling produce. Notice the flies all over the cut up pumpkin (I think).

Here is another display of the dried fish. Since there are a couple of piles missing, I am assuming that someone was having a yummy dinner that night! (Eeeewwwww)

While in the market, the children would follow you everywhere trying to sell you their items. I felt bad that I didn't want what they were selling. Don't you love the Mt. Rushmore sweatshirt in the 95 degree weather?

In the tied up leaf balls, you will find Shea butter. It comes from Shea nuts that they roast and then prepare to get the oils out of. The oils harden and they put them in these leaf bundles to keep it from re-melting in the heat.

There are still more posts to come. Stay tuned.

---Allison

Africa Post #3

2009-01-16T08:54:00.005-07:00

This is Tanini on fly duty/control in the OR during surgery. There were also lots of spiders in the OR on the ceiling which would sometimes beat us to the punch. They looked like very big Daddy Long Legs. It was actually pretty cool to watch.

OK. This one is for the ladies. For all of you who may feel that you had a bad labor and delivery experience. Next time, just be grateful that it didn't take place in this labor and delivery room. Honestly, can you imagine?

This is Brandie, Carie, and myself outside the hospital wall. We were the 3 post op nurses that came on this mission to Ouelessebougou.

This was taken just inside the hall in our surgical building. (Just past those double doors in the background is the actual OR and the stretcher in the hall is the one use for our lovely transports.) This woman was selling fresh papayas. We bought some and had them with our lunch that day. Not only was she very beautiful, she was amazingly poised carrying these melons on her head with a baby strapped to her back.

This is just a couple of our patients before they were discharged home.

Don't forget that this is 95 degree weather. I just can't get enough of the babies.

The children when not playing were often seen doing chores.

I asked if there were any wild animals in Mali. Lions, Zebra, Giraffes maybe? No. I was told that there were donkeys and goats. (Although they did say that there were hippos in the Niger river a couple of hours away). Honestly, there were donkeys, goats, and chickens roaming everywhere. They didn't seem to belong to anyone.

---Allison

Africa Post #2

2009-01-15T09:22:00.004-07:00

After looking through all of my pictures, I've decided that this is going to take a while if I only do 5 pictures a post. So, thanks to Melanie, I will do 10 in a post. Some posts will be structured and some will be very random, like this one. Enjoy.

Unlike here, there are no clothing stores in this village. You have to buy material at the market or the material shop and then have the tailor make whatever you desire. I had a couple of outfits made and a bunch of fun purses. (Hint, Hint, for the 3 of you that I am sending "pay it forward" gifts to,{I still need your contact information Emily}).

For New Year's Eve we were invited to a dance club called the "El Dorado". I am not sure who came up with that name, but anyway, we had fun. We were unable to stay very long due to having to be up bright and early for more surgeries the next morning. The work never ends.

This picture just illustrates why you always felt dirty (even the cold showers were from well water and so were deceivingly clean). The orange dirt was so fine that it was easily stirred up into the air. I developed a fine itchy rash along with big welts on my face and neck after a few days in Africa (add a sunburn from the day at the market and you'll understand why some of my pictures are not very flattering). I really think the rash had to do with the dirt (and whatever it contained) that was in the air. I also had multiple itchy welts on my feet and ankles .

Proof that this trip was not just a vacation. We really worked hard and I am proud to say that we helped improve many lives.

I couldn't get enough of the babies. They were SO cute! The women carried them on their backs with cloth. In this case, it was a beach towel.

I was shocked when I saw this for the first time. I don't know who came up with the design of the hospital, but the OR is about 5 buildings down from the Post Op Recovery Room. We would have to take these poor ladies across a busy courtyard filled with people along a very rocky and bumpy path. True to form, they never complained.

Some of the women had very interesting tattoos (the men were never tattooed, just the women). Some of them had the soles of their feet and hands tattooed and many of them had their lips/mouths tattooed. Also, most of the women and teenage girls had two cut mark scars next to their eyes like this lady. I am not sure exactly why, but I would guess that it is considered a sign of beauty.

These 2 pictures are of Yatt's house. He was kind enough to let us inside his compound to meet his family and see how they lived. You will meet him in a future post. He spoke some English and interned last year for the Utah Alliance which is how some of the group already knew him.

This is just a picture of the first surgery performed. In our time there, we were able to perform 24 surgeries and 2 C-sections. The first C-section was an emergency and the baby was saved. With the 2nd C-section, the baby had already passed away and was stuck making the surgery necessary.

Let's Give This a Try

2009-01-14T14:26:00.006-07:00

So, I've been trying to figure out a way to cram in 2 weeks of stories and photos into 1 post. I finally came up with a solution, which is, to not even try. So, I am going to do it over several posts and break it up into the countries that we were in (Mali, Munich, and Paris). There will be several Africa posts since we were there the majority of our time. Again, if any of you have any questions about the pictuers or Africa in general, please ask. Anyway, here we go.

This picture was taken inside one of the compounds (multiple families will live together). People will live with their parents/brothers/sisters in family groups. Also, each man can have up to 4 wives and they will all live together.

Everywhere you turned, there were children. They were usually caring for a child smaller than themselves and appeared very happy. I once saw a child no more than 3 years old with a newborn infant strapped to her back. I wish I had gotten a picture of it. It was actually very nerve wracking. I also could not get used to seeing small children (I mean small as in 2-3 years old) wandering unsupervised (except for mayby a slightly older sibling) and they were wandering even until dark.

This little girl was being treated by one of the local doctors and had Yellow Fever (one of the immunizations I was required to get). Sadly, she died only a few hour after this picture was taken.

This is Camisa. Oh my goodness. What do I say about Camisa. Camisa worked in the hospital washing the surgical instruments (just in the sink, I might add. Gross, I know.) Luckily, we performed AIDS tests on all of our patients and would not do surgery if they were positive. This is good because everyone (specifically, Camisa) would dig through our trash and take everything from used cleaning canisters to bloody surgical drapes. Every job has it's perks, right? She was seen carrying large boxes of trash home with her on her head. We also saw her grandchildren with a black sack of said bloody rags. Whatever she didn't want, she would then burn in a hole next to the hospital. It truly is a different world there.

This is post op where I performed my job duties. The sticks on the beds were for mosquito netting. I promise you that not only was this area very dirty, it was also very hot, stinky, and fully equipped with flies. The average daily temperature during our stay was around 95 degrees. Although this room had 2 small windows, they didn't open and so there was not much fresh air coming in. Needless to say, I didn't spend any more time than I had to in here.

I have plenty more pictures and for some reason I can only have 5 in each post. So, I will post at least daily if not more. Until then.

---Allison

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-12T10:11:00.003-07:00

I am home, I am safe, and what an adventure it was!!! I have a lot to do to get settled in, but I will plan on finding some time to post pictures and share some of my experiences soon. I assure you that it was an experience of a lifetime and I hope to be able to do it again someday. If any of you have any specific questions, just ask in the comments and I will try to address them in my next post.

It's good to be home.

---Allison

Let the Adventures Begin!!!!

2008-12-27T20:05:00.004-07:00

WOW!! It's that time! In just a couple of hours I will be on my way to France and then on to Africa.

I have to admit, I am having a hard time keeping my emotions at bay. I am completely excited for this experience and yet I am having a VERY hard time saying goodbye to my family.

Thank you so much for all of those who have helped make this trip possible. I will try and post while in Europe but if I can't, I will for sure post more in 2 weeks upon my return.

Wish me luck!!

---Allison

Christmas Followup

2008-12-27T19:57:00.002-07:00

Christmas, as always, turned out great this year. The kids loved all of their gifts and we enjoyed the time that was spent together as a family.

Tim's sister, Liz, and her family spent a few days with us as well as his cousin Chloe. It is always nice having them stay with us. Whether Tim admits it or not, he gets lonely being the only one in his family still here in Utah. His loneliness tends to show more around the holidays. However, just spending some time with his family really seems to fill up his bucket.

My pictures will be non existent in this post, not because I didn't take any pictures, but because I took them on the SD card that is now in Emily's camera and I can't find it at the moment. So, when it is found I will have to post some of our Christmas pictures.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We love you all.

---Allison

Christmas Village

2008-12-15T20:30:00.002-07:00

One of our family traditions is to go up to Ogden and visit Santa at the Christmas Village. The kids look forward to it every year. We always get hot chocolate to keep us warm and there is usually a Christmas performance to entertain while we wait. This year Ethan was actually able to get out of the car and "sit" on Santa's lap. However, as you can see in his picture, that didn't go over very well.

Off the subject, it's less than 2 weeks before I will be in Africa. I've decided that I will get my "pay it forward" gifts while I am there. I am excited as to what I will find. I hope you are all enjoying your holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

---Allison

The Winners Are...

2008-12-12T08:39:00.002-07:00

Yeah! So the winners of this game are Emily, Brynn, and Rachel! What I need you to do next is to email me with your mailing information so that I can send you a gift in the mail.

Now, I am also bending the rules a little bit and I am going to ask the 3 of you if you have a preference. I have not bought anything yet because I wanted to see who my winners would be first. So, with that being said, you have a choice to make. I can send something off in the next couple of days and have it to you by Christmas, OR, if you are willing to wait a little bit, I will get something for you while I am in Africa, but you won't get it until mid January.

So, send me your contact information and gift preference at allisoncurtis19@hotmail.com. I will let you know what the decision is when I hear back from everyone. Thanks for playing!!!

---Allison