Lydia-5 months

Look forward to lots of blog posts in the next little while. Well, hopefully there will be a bunch. We'll see how the kiddos do.

Blast back to 1 1/2 months ago and Lydia turned 5 months old! I should have posted what she was up to, but that obviously didn't happen. Oh well, at least I got a picture! Biggest news: Lydia started sitting up by herself at 5 months, with just a few backwards crashes here and there.

I know you don't really care, but for journaling's sake...

The doughnuts haven't done me in yet. I'm still alive and kicking, despite my blogging absence for several months.

Re-cap after the gall issues.

My one-time gallbladder removal turned into a three-day/two procedure event, but everything is looking fine now.

The night before I was scheduled to go in, through a series of major miscommunication and insurance authorization technicalities, my surgery was canceled indefinitely. I learned this just as my mother-in-law, who drove 7 hours to help us with our kids, arrived, and minutes after my doctor's office closed for the weekend, leaving us with no way to contact anyone helpful. 2 1/2 hours, and many miracles later, Tim was given confidential information about how to contact my doctor after hours, someone was still in the doctors' office after-hours and was willing to help us, and we were somehow put back on schedule to go under the knife at 7am the next morning.

When we arrived at the hospital at 5am the next morning(after a 2 hour drive of course), we were told again that the authorization hadn't come through. I was devastated when administration told us we could go ahead with the surgery and HOPE the authorization came through while I was in the OR, or we'd have to pay the entire bill.

Miracle #2,000, the authorization did come through.

You know how insurance companies and hospital administration can be... impossible to deal with.

So the gallbladder was removed... then we were told the x-rays showed another stone stuck in a duct. We stayed the night for another procedure the next morning-- no stone to be found.

After wearing a hospital gown for two days I was more than ready to go home, but the doctor was worried that some organs might be inflamed and didn't want us so far from the hospital, so we stayed another night.

Thank goodness my wonderful mother-in-law was here. I was planning on being gone for a few hours, and it turned into so much more; really, like a second honeymoon.

During all of this kid-free time, Tim bought a chess set and tried to teach me how to play, but I was way too tired and drugged to concentrate. I think he was pretty bored.

No more internal issues for now. AND... best news of all, Lydia learned to take a bottle!

Goodbye Gallbladder, Hello Doughnuts

I know I still need to give a few more details about the recent visit of the big bad wolf and his family. All in due time. However, a little more detail about my gallbladder. (I know you've been dying to hear about it!)

After Lydia was born I started having random "attacks," the worst of which was when Brooks and Miranda visited. You've heard all of this... at Miranda's urging, and after more painful episodes I found the best gastrointerologist ever. A few appointments, an ultrasound, and some blood-work later and I was informed that I "was the proud owner of about 24 gallstones."

I'm not sure PROUD is the word I would use to describe this ownership, but it is what it is. I'm proud of my kids and husband, and will certainly be proud to own a home... but gallstones? I think not. At any rate, don't tell the IRS because you better believe I'm not paying taxes on them...

Anyways, back to the doctor. He recommended I have surgery, and told me I needed to meet with the surgeon. This is where "best gastrointerologist ever" comes in. In light of our personal situation (living two hours away and having two young children that have to keep traveling back and forth to these appointments), the "best gastrointerologist ever," aka Dr. Chuang, personally called the surgeon and requested that he fit us into his schedule THAT day so we didn't have to make another trip. The surgeon, as well as his partners, had completely booked schedules, but after more pleading from Dr. Chuang, somehow managed to squeeze us in.

My faith in doctors has been restored.

Anyways, as a result, I am scheduled to have my gallbladder removed tomorrow morning. They just called to tell me my 8:30 arrival time has been changed to 5:30, so apparently the surgery time got moved up. I'm not going to lie, leaving my house at 4am is not ideal, but hey, earlier gone, earlier home right?

Thankfully, Tim's mom was able to drop everything in her life and come down to stay with our kids. Hopefully they aren't too unmanageable (Brooklyn's in the middle of being potty-trained and Lydia won't take a bottle), but if anyone can do it, I know she can. She's amazing.

So goodbye gallbladder, and hello fried foods (Especially doughnuts. I've really been craving one), cheese, and all things fattening. This low-fat/fat-free diet has really been lame. Just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hallelujah!


P.S.The jury is still out on whether we can keep the gallstones to make personalized earrings and/or Christmas ornaments. If we have your name for Christmas, keep your fingers crossed. :)

SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH

This morning a hunter stopped by to ask Tim a few questions. As he was leaving he asked what church we go to, and after telling him we go to the LDS (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) Church in town, he replied, "I thought so. You have that feeling [the Spirit] in your home. I'm a member too."

This is quite the compliment; that our home has the peaceful feeling it should have. Unfortunately, I am confident that he deduced our religious stance from the following "signs" rather than the feeling he felt when he walked in.

SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH (to name a few)
1. three foot long picture of Christ hanging on the wall
2. picture of the First Presidency
3. the framed documents "The Living Christ" and "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"
4. mother of two looks to young to have any children
5. no coffee at 9am

However, I will take his compliment at face value and believe that we do have the Spirit in our home. And if not, I have decided that it will be, and should be one of my top life priorities to make sure that regardless of what is hanging on the wall, someone can walk into my home at any time and be overwhelmed with the peace that only the Holy Ghost can provide.

"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf...?"

Remember that post about the calm before the storm? I guess I forgot to knock on wood when I wrote that. Well, the big bad wolf came. And he brought relatives!


In order of arrival on Monday, November 9, 2010:

SISTER BAD WOLF, 7am-- Lydia is projectile vomitting. Change of clothes 3 times before leaving the house at 8am. Continued vomitting all day.

FATHER BAD WOLF, 11am-- My gallbladder is coming out in the next month

BIG BAD WOLF, 6:30pm-- I start a load in the washing machine with the vomitty clothing and flood the house.

BROTHER BAD WOLF, 8:30pm-- I pull a borrowed fan out of the back of the truck, the cord gets stuck and then pops into my lip, cutting it open.

MOTHER BAD WOLF, 9pm-- We borrow a shop vac from the Bishop to start the cleanup at 8:30pm and soon flood the motor and break it.

GRANDPA BAD WOLF, 11:30pm, We borrow a carpet cleaner from another friend around 9:30pm, get things about as dry as we can, and break the carpet cleaner.


In all fairness, I was imagining a much meaner big bad wolf (knock on wood), so it really wasn't as awful of a day as I just made it sound. Just... interesting. More details on a few of the above-mentioned relatives soon.

Happy Halloween!

I don't know how I could have possibly forgotten to blog about Halloween this year! Our community had a Halloween carnival the day before Halloween that we decided to do a booth for, so we picked the fishing pond. We dressed up the girls to go to the Carnival; Brooklyn was a bumblebee and Lydia was a cow.



I had high hopes that Brooklyn would win/collect enough goodies to sustain the family for the next two months until Christmas... but those hopes were dashed as soon as we walked in the door and she started crying hysterically. Oh yeah... I forgot to "prepare" her for other people wearing costumes. She saw a little boy dressed up like Spiderman and decided she would be staying behind the fishing booth the entire night. I was pretty bummed about that. I have no doubt she and Lydia would have won lots of stuff. Granted, we needed both Tim and myself to run the fishing pond. But still. All the work getting into the costumes for nothing?!

At least the fishing pond was a success. We had customers non-stop all night, and we actually made quite a bit of money, even after paying for the toys and treats. I just didn't want to come out negative in the end, so I was pleasantly surprised!


I also donated a cake for the cake walk:


All in all it was a good time. We opted out of trick or treating on Sunday, but Brooklyn had no clue, so we're good.

4 Months Old

Lydia is 4 months old. It's hard to believe. So here's an update:


Weight: 17 lbs. 13 oz.
Length: 25 inches
Very interested in food, but has only had rice cereal 3 times now
Still wakes up 2-3 times a night to eat (and this is a good night)
Laughs at Brooklyn more than anyone else
Laughs at Brooklyn when she's crying
Loves watching Brooklyn
Likes kicking in the bathtub
Likes to be sitting up
Mainly poops when sitting up in the bumbo--> multiple up-the-back blowouts a day
Does NOT like having a messy diaper
Will suck on anything except a bottle or pacifier
Will sit and watch a movie with Brooklyn for a long time
Is pretty happy most of the time, as long as you are holding or playing with her
Is very needy
Likes being outside
Has rolled over a few times from stomach to back, but isn't doing this consistently yet
Does not like having her nails cut
Likes hearing songs
Doesn't mind being on her belly for a while

...and is adorable...