When Grandpa Comes to Town

My dad came to visit for a week in September and it was so much fun.  We relaxed a little and played a lot.  Here is our week in pictures.  :)

Couldn't have dad come to town and not see what Friday Night Lights is all about.

We went to a game at Allen High School.  It was RIDICULOUS!  They just built a 60 million dollar stadium.  They have over 4000 students, 85 on the football team, over 900 in the marching band.  It is craziness.  Seriously worth going to though...seriously.

We went to an indoor play place at a local church.  I had heard a lot of good things about it, but we hadn't been, so we decided to go while grandpa was here.  Soren loved it.  

We get to play the driving game while we wait for our table at Red Robin.

We went to the Indoor Safari Park, Soren liked it a lot, but he enjoyed the other play place just as much and it was free.  This one cost $5, not much, but when he likes the free one just as much...

We went and watched the Rangers beat the A's with a walkoff single in the 9th inning.  It was a fun game, Soren was a champ, as always, even though it was way past his bedtime.

Thanks for coming, dad!  The door is always open, we miss having you here!

Jess' Thoughts

Oh where do I even begin?  Where does one start to write down their feelings about the day they thought they were going to lose their little boy?  I guess from the beginning..

Soren was breathing on his own before the paramedics arrived (they were here within two minutes of me getting off the phone with the operator), but he was still very calm and lethargic (which you know he is NEVER still).  He didn't fight them at all or grab at anything while they were checking his vitals which seemed strange to me.  All of his vitals were good, but they recommended I take him to Plano Presbyterian ER to get more thoroughly checked.  Having the paramedics here was both calming and nervewracking.  Calming because I knew they could take care of Soren.  Nervewracking because there were SIX of them, it felt extremely overwhelming.  I am so grateful that he was breathing on his own when they got here.  I don't think I could have handled watching them try to recessitate my baby.  I can't even begin to say how grateful I am that I was right next to him when this happened.  He will often wander around the house and play by himself in different rooms and I will go check on him every few minutes if I haven't heard or seen him.  I cannot imagine what may have happened if this had happened when he was by himself somewhere in the house.

I opted to drive Soren to the hospital myself instead of riding in the ambulance because he seemed to be coming around.  He fell asleep as soon as he got in his carseat and stayed asleep through much of the admissions process.  I carried him in sleeping on my shoulder and told them what had happened.  He was moved to the top of the priority list and we were taken in right away.  After checking his vitals, hearing the story of what happened, and getting his height and weight the nurse took us to a room to wait for the doctor.  The doctor came in, where I again told the story of what had happened.  He then ordered a chest x-ray, blood work, and a heart EKG.  Everything came back normal.

When they said they were going to draw blood, I assumed it would be a simple heel prick, no they put the needle in his hand like they would for an adult.  I know that there are many parents that have to watch their children go through much worse, but for me, watching them draw blood was nearly unbearable.  They had to wrap him up in a sheet so he couldn't kick and then me and another nurse had to hold him down while they drew the blood.  He of course was screaming the whole time and all I could do was talk to him and kiss his forehead while I cried.  Luckily, he recovered quicker than I did. They kept a saline lock on him so that they wouldn't have to poke him again if they needed more blood or if they needed to give him any meds.

So, as I said, all of the tests came back normal.  The ER doctor then called Soren's pediatrician to let him know what was going on and ask what he wanted done next.  He ordered an overnight monitoring.  So we waited for about an hour while they got his room ready.  (I was in the ER with Soren by myself because Richard asked if I wanted him to come home and be with us, but I honestly thought we would be home by the time he would be able to get up there.)  So we got up to the room, met the nurses and the new doctor (told the story once again).  He got hooked up to a machine to monitor the oxygen levels in his blood.  Richard got to the hospital with dinner around 7:00 and I was so grateful, I was starving!  Soren had been sleeping but woke up a few minutes after Richard got there and we gave him some dinner and he went right back to sleep.  The poor baby was so tired, this whole ordeal happened right before nap time so he did not get his nap.  I slept much better being in the hospital, knowing that he was being monitored in case something happened.  I prayed before bed that if something was wrong it would happen in the hospital so that the doctors could find the problem.  Soren's oxygen and heartbeat rates were steady and healthy through the night.

We got discharged at about 10:15 this morning and Soren was asleep as soon as he got in his carseat and slept until 12:30, he was sooo tired, it had been a very long 20 hours.

I am so grateful for my little boy.  Loving him is such a natural feeling, that sometimes I catch myself wondering if I don't love him as much as I should (stupid mom thought, I know), but after yesterday I know that even though it is a natural feeling, it is still an overwhelming love.  I did not think he was dying when he turned blue yesterday, I thought he was already dead.  The panic and hysteria that set in at that moment was more than I have ever felt in my life.  I now understand why 911 calls always sound so chaotic...they are.  I couldn't even think straight let alone talk.  Luckily he started breathing again while I was on the phone so I was able to calm down a little and speak clearly.

All yesterday as I had to recount the story over and over again I could not get the horrible image out of my head and I was living in fear that I would forever have to have that image of my little boy in my head.  But thankfully, Heavenly Father has blessed me and I am quickly forgetting what he looked like in that moment.  Even if I try to picture, I can't really.  I consider that such a huge blessing.  I can move forward and not be haunted by that image.  I can just see my beautiful, healthy little boy.

Can't Even Think of a Good Title

Does this face look like it belongs in the ER????

Email written at 8:00pm on September 25, 2012:

I think everybody is aware of what happened today, but just in case I wanted to give the quick rundown.  At about 1:45 this afternoon I was changing Soren's diaper (which he never appreciates), he was fussing and trying to get away and I noticed he had a diaper rash that was bleeding a bit so I went to get the desitin.  I put some desitin on and Soren started crying (it probably stung) when suddenly he stopped breathing and started to turn blue.  I started to shake him and yell at him but there was no response so I picked him up started slapping his back as hard as I could and called 911.  He began crying a little bit while I was on the phone, but he still seemed very lethargic and glassy eyed so they were sending the paramedics over.  He was blue for probably 20-30 seconds.  The paramedics came and Soren was very calm (which you all know, he never is still), his vitals and everything were good.  But the recommended that I take him to the ER to get him more thoroughly checked.  

So here we are, sitting in the hospital.  He had a chest x-ray, and EKG and blood work.   All of those things came back normal, so the ER doctor called Soren's pediatrician and he wanted him to get admitted and monitored through the night.  So we are here in his hospital room for the night.  It has been an emotional day watching my poor baby get poked and bothered by all of these tests.  But I am willing to pay and do whatever I need to in order to ensure that this doesn't ever happen again.  Tonight they are monitoring the oxygen level in his blood and making sure there is no seizure like activity while he sleeps.  

Today I have learned that you never really know how much you love somebody and how much your life revolves around them until you face that fear of losing them.  I really thought I was losing my little boy in that short moment.  I am so grateful that I didn't, I love him so much, he is such a wonderful blessing in my life.  

Love you all.  Thanks for your prayers and well wishes.

Update September 26, 2012:

The night of monitoring went smoothly.  His blood oxygen levels were steady at about 97% through the night and his heart rate was steady around 100.  He was our happy sweet boy when he woke up and we just roamed the hospital waiting for the doctor to come check on him and let us go home.  I gave Soren some jello from the hospital kitchen, because really, he deserved it for being such a champ through all of the poking and bugging he went through.  And let's be honest, you can't stay in the hospital overnight and not have at least once serving of jello.

One Year Ago

One year ago today, my sweet boy was due to make his appearance...but....his birthday isn't for another TEN days!  It was a long ten days, but baby, you were worth the wait.

Playing Ping Pong with Grandpa

Playing with Grandma

Happy Birthday

We were in Utah for Richard's birthday, so we sent him this picture.

1

Drumstick

Enjoying the end of grandma's drumstick.

11 Months

At 11 months:

-In the process of moving up to 9-12/12 month clothes (but still wears some 6-9)

-Still loves to eat, but is on a veggie strike

-Got his first ear infection :(

-Starting to let go of furniture and trying to stand on his own

-Took his first step (hasn't done it since)

-Learned his second word, "hi" -- sometimes he will wave and say hi at the same time

-Waves

-Claps

-Likes to yell at people in the checkout line until they pay attention to him and then he gives them a nice big smile

-Enjoys playing with toys more

-Loves to skype with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Jordan

-Sent his Uncle Justin off to Brazil for the next 2 years

-Finally got his 3rd tooth

-Diaper changes are still torture

-Dances when music starts

-Thinks his puppy is hilarious

I can't believe that my next monthly Soren update will be his BIRTHDAY!!!

Try Not to be Jealous

I hate to tell you this, but I have the best brothers in the whole world.  I love them so much.  They are both such wonderful people and I love seeing them grow up and make such good decisions.  

I am 5 and 7 years older than them, so I am sure that they feel I was a little (okay...A LOT) too bossy and motherly at times.  But I really do love them and they are 2 of my best friends in the whole world.  I want the best for both of them and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them.

Farewell, See Ya in Two!

So, as you now know from the last post, I am a horrible person, and I left my husband on his birthday.  But I really had a valid reason.  My brother (who is now Elder Beary) was leaving on his mission.  Soren and I went to Utah for 15 days to spend time with my family before he left.  This post may be long and random.  But I decided it was just easier to document the whole trip in one post in chronological order than to do a bunch of different posts.

Soren loves being at grandma and grandpa's house.  He gets spoiled, getting new toys, clothes and getting to try lots of delicious treats.

I was able to go with my brother when he went through the temple.  Jordan was a fabulous uncle and had a wonderful time babysitting my little man.

Spending time with Uncle Justin

 Jordan also had his Eagle Scout Court of Honor while we were there.

My dad is seriously the Soren Sleep Master

Cuddling with Great Grandma

We went to the splash pad.  The water was too cold for me, I'm a Texan now!  Uncle Jordan was the only one brave enough to get in and play with Soren.

This picture had to be documented because we have a picture of
Justin sitting in the fridge when he was little.

Grandma gave him the end of her drumstick,
he was quite pleased.

 Monday night Justin got set apart as a full time missionary for The Church of 

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Then we had to take him to the airport.  That wasn't so fun.  :(  He was so excited to go, but the nervousness set in as soon as we got the airport.  But I think his excitement was still stronger than the nerves.  We are so proud of him and the decision that he has made to serve the Lord and the people of Brazil for the next 2 years.  We miss him like crazy, but we know he is where he should be and where he wants to be.  We got our first email from him on Wednesday.  He is happy and working hard to learn the language and he loves his companion.

Last picture with Uncle Justin until 2014!

We did a lot of other things that I don't have pictures of:
-Went to the BYU duck pond with some friends
-Went to dinner with friends
-Went to lunch with grandma...a lot!
-Went swimming with my aunt and her cute girls

We had such an amazing trip and I am soooooo grateful to Richard for letting us be gone for so long and understanding how important it was to me to be there for his farewell talk and to take him to the airport.  

Tulsa...Sure Why Not??

Richard's birthday was while Soren and I were in Utah :( so we celebrated the weekend before.  Birthdays are a big deal to me (not just my birthday, of course I love mine the most, but I love everybody's birthday) and I love surprises.  So I rarely tell Richard what the plans are for his birthday, it drives him a little bit crazy, but he is a good sport.

This year I was having a hard time figuring out what we were going to do.  I was doing my daily Groupon perusing when I came across a two night stay in Tulsa, OK.  So, I googled how far of a drive it is from Dallas to Tulsa and discovered it was just over 4 hours...we can do that, I thought and I proceeded to purchase the groupon.

On Friday, I told Richard that I was going to take him to work (he usually rides his bike) because I needed to pick him up so we could begin his birthday festivities.  He had NO idea what was going on.  So we started driving and he was very confused as to where we were going.  There was a cooler and the stroller in the back seat so he thought maybe we were going to a park or something.  Earlier in the day he had texted me, "if we are going to be outside bring me some shorts and a hat."  So as we were driving he asked if I had brought shorts and I said yes.  After about 30 minutes of driving I decided I was ready to spill the beans.  It was about 5:30 and I told him that Sam (our GPS) said that our estimated time of arrival would be 9:30.

"FOUR HOURS???  Where are we going, what is 4 hours north of Dallas?  Are we going to Oklahoma?"

"Yep.  We are going to Tulsa."

"Haha, why?

"Why not?"

"Sounds fun to me, I'm excited."

And there you have it, I pride myself in my ability to surprise people.  :)

Needless to say, there isn't much to do in Tulsa, but I had scoped out a few things (mostly places to eat).

Saturday morning we found a little diner for breakfast then we swam at the hotel.

For lunch I had scoped out a delicious looking taco truck, but we were disappointed to learn that it was closed on Saturdays (we soon found out most of Tulsa is closed on Saturday...weird).  So we drove around, me very disappointed, trying to figure out where to eat, when we stumbled upon another taco truck.  It was delicious!  And you can't beat $7 to feed two people!

After lunch we went and walked around University of Tulsa.  Richard loves walking around different campuses.  It was very pretty.  In the chapel on campus they were setting up for a wedding so that was cool to see.

After walking around campus we went back to the hotel so that Soren could take a nap.  Then we headed downtown to walk around...again, Richard loves to walk around downtowns.  He must be a civil engineer or something...
As we were walking around we quickly discovered something strange about this town.  It is seriously SHUT DOWN on Saturdays.  We were downtown, in the heart of the city, and no restaurants were open...not even Quiznos...weird...most of them were breakfast and lunch only M-F.  It was weird.

Luckily the place I had scouted out on the internet for dinner was open...one of the few places that was...I was very close to being 0 for 2.  We had dinner at Joe Momma's pizza.  We waited for over an hour for our table (I guess that is what happens when you are the only restaurant open...), but it was well worth the wait.  It was SO GOOD!!!

Sunday morning we found a 9:00am sacrament meeting to go to before starting our drive back to Dallas.  But on our way out we had to go find Bixby High School.  I know you are all saying, "Bixby, OK...what is so great about that...never heard of it."  I know, but you should have heard about it.  If you haven't heard of Bixby then you need to read the Midnighters trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.  We have both read them and thoroughly enjoyed them.