Christmas 2011

We kicked off the Christmas season in Kansas right after Thanksgiving.  We were so happy that we were able to visit Great Mama and Papa, Aunt Lindy, Uncle Carl...and Pocky and Uncle Chris were there too!  About a week after we got back from Kansas Maddie Kate got sick so our plans changed a bit and if it weren't for some very helpful elves I would have never gotten all my shopping done!  Thank you Aunt Meredith and Mimi!  I had literally made out my list of gifts to finish buying and things to complete for Christmas the very day miss MK went in to the hospital.  You know what they say about life...it's what happens while we're busy making plans!  We were just so thankful that Maddie Kate got better and that we were home in plenty of time for Christmas.  We spent Christmas Eve with Nana, Papa and the Hankins.  We had a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner and then we all went to Christmas Eve mass.  Our family takes up nearly an entire pew these days!  Luckily we went to the "children's mass" so we were all able to sit together and not have to go to the cry room.  Landon was worn out from a fun day of playing and actually slept through most of it...that's actually the real reason we were able to avoid the cry room.  I'm sure of it!  Ha! On Christmas morning we woke up to see what Santa brought and then we headed back to Nana and Papa's to open presents there!  When we got home Mimi, Papa, Aunt Judy and Uncle Chris were at our house and we got to open MORE presents!  Talk about lucky!  We had a wonderful first Christmas as a family of 4 and we feel very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to spend it with.

Great Mama and Papa's tree is decorated with pictures of me, Uncle Chris, Landon and MK! 

Anxiously awaiting present time!

 

All of the stockings Mama has made...this year with Maddie Kate's!

First present...Christmas PJs!

MK got new pjs too!  Landon is so sweet to his baby sister!

Showing off her timmy time skills!

Elmo reindeer!

This year's family picture in Kansas!

Sweet Great Mama and Maddie Kate

Ornery buddies!

Great Mama and Papa with their favorite great grandkids!

Back home we cut out and decorated cookies!

Landon thought this was so much fun!

Yummy!

One night we took the kiddos to look at Christmas lights.  Before we left Daddy read Christmas in the Manger to Landon.

Maddie Kate got dressed up to go look at the lights!

This mommy sure does love her kiddos!  We had so much fun looking at lights!  Landon thought it was "so cool" and we even got hot chocolate while we were out.  Of course he didn't drink his...the kid just likes white milk.  Silly boy!

 

Jesus is in the manger! It's Christmas Eve!

The stocking were hung!

 We left cookies for Santa!

 Landon asked for a Spiderman!

 Maddie Kate didn't ask for much so Santa had to surprise her!

 Santa left Landon and MK a note!  Wow!!!

 Check out the adorable bed head!  Landon got Spiderman pjs on Christmas Eve!

 Landon was so excited that he tried to pick up several presents at once!

Santa even had Spiderman wrapping paper! 

What's this?  A slinky!?

 Opening presents is fun!

What's in my stocking?!

 Whoppers!  "I must eat them all gone!"

 Christmas morning is awesome!

Landon got a harmonica from Santa!  Dada helped him learn to play! 

He got the hang of it in no time...notice the pjs are missing...yep, he peed em.  

Maddie Kate needed some help opening her presents. 

She was really excited...as you can see.

 She opened her eyes...just barely...when big brother opened her new Sophie!

Uncle Chris and Landon passed out presents! 

 Wow!  More presents!?

Buzz Lightyear!!!!!!!!!!!  "Ohmydoodness!"

 Maddie Kate got this cute bib from our neighbors.  Her Nana got her a cute bib too but I forgot to take my camera to Nana and Papa's.  Papa got some fun pictures so I'll have to update this post when I get copies of them.

After the excitement was over we watched Toy Story 2...twice of course...with Buzz!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Landon had my phone earlier today and as you know he likes to take pictures. Well, he figured out how to take videos and as I was looking through his handy work today I found this!!! Sooooo cute and hysterical!!!

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Jingle Bells!!

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A collage of self portraits. by Landon

Landon likes to play games and watch videos on my phone. Yesterday in between games of Pop and Count and Angry Birds he found the camera and took some pictures of himself.













And my personal favorite



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Sweet Smiles!

Our sweet baby girl has been all smiles today!



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RSVP or Cheeseburgers "not in" Paradise

RSVP has a new meaning at our house this holiday season and it's RSV is the PITS!

Last Tuesday, December 6th Maddie Kate was a little lethargic and had a little cough. I didn't think much of the lethargy and sort of attributed the cough to reflux since we thought we were battling a potential milk allergy. I had taken her to the pediatrician the day before and her cough wasn't a concern and RSV wasn't either since she didn't have any noticeable secretions (read snot). We changed her formula and that was that. So, Tuesday evening MK just wasn't herself and had spit up most of a bottle...still thinking reflux, I just sort of overlooked it but then started noticing that she was kind of having trouble breathing and was retracting a little. I called the after hours nurse and they told me to just keep an eye on her and go to the doctor the next day if she wasn't better. A little while later I thought she felt a little warm so I used a new quick read thermometer to take her temperature. The first read was 100.4 but the thermometer wasn't quite working right. I took her temperature with another thermometer we have and it was below 100 but MK just wasn't herself and I just had a strong sense that something was really wrong. I went ahead and called the after hours nurse again and she suggested that we go ahead and head to the ER...I was a step ahead of her and was packing a bag while we were talking. She said that she had to tell me to go to the closest hospital which for us is Baptist. I thought we should probably go to Children's but I was scared to death by this point and just wanted to get someplace fast! It was after 11pm so I left Jim home with Landon and MK and I headed to the hospital. It was snowing really, really hard at this point so I was having trouble seeing and missed the exit to Baptist. I'm certain our sweet Jesus had the wheel. So, we headed towards Children's and I had to pull over once because I thought MK had thrown up and I was afraid she had choked since she was so out of it. She hadn't thank goodness. I was terrified!! We got to Children's and rushed into the ER. They took her temperature (still under 100) and weighed her and then sent us to a room. The nurses came in and started their evaluation and that's when it got a little crazy. There were several people in and out and they had to draw blood, get a urine sample and a few other things. At that point they weren't positive what was wrong and told me they may have to test for several things including meningitis. I felt awful and helpless...and I hated seeing my baby laying there struggling to breathe. They took her to a bigger room and brought in the x-ray machine for a chest x-ray. At this point I was praying it was only RSV! Everyone was so nice but they had me scared to death! A short while later they confirmed that our girl had RSV and they sent us to the PICU. Talk about scary! We got settled in our room and I was able to rock her for a while...and I didn't sleep at all! Jim got there early the next morning and the doctor that saw us that morning told us not to be surprised if she got worse before better...but she was already doing better by then so we decided not to believe him. Our nurse, actually a girl that Jim knew but hadn't seen in years, really thought we would be sent to a regular room that day or the next and we were so relieved. Our relief was short lived...the doctor was right. Our girl started getting worse and by mid-morning on Friday she was so bad there was a little talk of putting her on the ventilator. At this point they had already put in a feeding tube that bypassed her tummy since having a full belly from a bottle put too much pressure on her lungs...and taking a bottle made her too tired anyway. We were able to avoid the ventilator and everyone there was very reassuring in telling us that she was going to be okay but that it was just going to take some time...seeing her look so pitiful and hooked up to lots of things was hard! Monsignor Malone came to visit us on Friday and since MK hadn't been baptized yet we decided to have him baptize her while he was there...and guess what he used!? Her daddy's bottle of aquafina!! We thought that was pretty funny and were happy to have our girl baptized. We will do a ceremonial baptism without the water later...after germ season. Ha! So, by Saturday she actually started improving and by Sunday we thought we were going to a regular room but she started breathing a little hard again so they sent us to intermediate care. We spent one night there and they weaned her oxygen way down and on Monday we went to a regular room! I can't remember exactly when they took her completely off the oxygen but her oxygen saturation stayed up without it and they continued the breathing treatments they had been doing since early on. By Tuesday they had her feeding tube out and by Wednesday she was ready to come home!! She has a runny nose, a cough and snores a little but is otherwise healthy and we had a good first night back home!

And I'm glad to be back home and away from the Children's hospital cafeteria! I found comfort in cheeseburgers, french fries, cookies and gallons of diet coke...I surely need to detox and stick to salads and fruit for a while...after the holidays of course.

Maddie Kate,
You gave us quite a scare. Don't do that again. Next time you need a break from your crazy brother let me know and we will go shopping instead, ok? We love you so much and we are so glad you're okay. You are a very lucky girl blessed with family and friends who love you and have said countless prayers for you to get better. We are lucky too! We couldn't have made it through the week without the love and support from everyone. This holiday season we will remember the families at Children's who won't be home for Christmas and we will pray that they will eventually go home healthy and happy.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy


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Yay! We are home!

MK is so happy we are home and I sure can't wait for her big brother to get home from school! I sure have missed him!!!


What's that you say? We are going home???



Yipppeeeee!!!



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Bottles and breathing...and Stella

Maddie Kate is off the oxygen, taking bottles and feels much better!!




Her pulse-ox monitor isn't turned on and we don't have any other scary monitors beeping! Woohooo! I think (but don't want to jinx it) that we are on our way out of this place! Our fingers are crossed that she does well tonight...I have a feeling I may never sleep again for watching her every breath and overanalyzing her tone, color and alertness! This has been such a scary experience but pales in comparison to what other families here are going through. I saw a guy I recognized from college in the cafeteria a few nights ago and long story short...their 2 1/2 year old daughter Stella is battling a brain tumor that has spread to her spine. They are dealing with this after having already lost a baby 4 years ago. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through and my heart breaks for them and the other families going through the same or similar situations. Our girl still needs prayers...and while you're at it please, please say a prayer...lots and lots of prayers for Stella!




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Moving on up!!!!

Yesterday after I had already posted the "poop blog" we moved over to intermediate care! Yay! Definitely a step in the right direction...and now I just got word that we are moving to "the floor"!!! "The floor" is our last stop before we bust on out of here and take our sweet baby girl back home! Yay! Woohooo! Our girl is doing so much better and we are so very grateful!!


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Well poop...we're still in the PICU

So, I can't say I normally use the word poop to express frustration in place of a more colorful 4 letter word but today I will just say it. Poop!!!!! Because our girl is still in the PICU...and because it presents a great opportunity to share a Landon poop story! As you've read we are potty training. And we've drug it out far too long...live and learn. I don't like messes and can't get motivated to nix the pull-ups. I don't think he is quite ready anyway. He poops in the potty every time. Apparently pee peeing in the potty is much more difficult for our guy. Either he can't be bothered to stop what he is doing to go or he hasn't quite figured out how to stop from going when the urge strikes. Or maybe its because he knows he can get away with going in his pull-up. Anyway, we will get there. I have complete confidence that he will be pee peeing in the potty before his freshman year of college. At least. Meanwhile, he likes to make "big" poops and one day I was "coaching" him and told him to make a "greeaaaat big giant GIgantic giiiiiiiiinormous" poop! He thought that was just hysterical and kept asking me to say it over and over. Then he started calling his big poops "inormous". Haha! Well, over Thanksgiving in Lavaca I went to Fort Smith to have lunch with the girls. When I got back Daddy informed me that I should probably stop making a fuss over poop size because during lunch Landon was bothered by the little potato chips he was given and asked for a ......... "inormous poop sized chip"!!! Fantastic!!!

Keep praying for our girl! She is starting to improve but we are still in ICU. This RSV stuff is really no fun at all.

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