In a Rut

I haven't written in a while and it's mainly because I'm in this horrible funk. Summer just isn't visiting us this year. It has been termed the summer that never was. And for those of you thinking that it's only the first part of July...our fall begins in August! We've gotten maybe a handful of really sunny days and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. It is just so strange, we usually have spectacular summers. I was even grumpy about going on a hike with the kids and achievement day girls. Of course once we got up there I momentarily forgot about the grey clouds and just enjoyed the breath taking beauty of the mountain pass. I just hope that this means it will be a totally awesome August. I must also add that this funk is probably helped along by the lack of sleep I get at night. This little girl of hours just can't sleep longer than a 4 hour stretch. Aah, well someday, I will look back and miss those sleep deprived times and wish for them back, when at least I knew exactly where my kids where!

On a completely different note we had a great visit from Matt's sister and her family. It was fun to be around cousins. We have never really had that since our kids are the oldest of the bunch and when others came along we moved to the North. I still feel very lucky to have married into a great family and born into a great family. It does make me wish we were a little closer, especially since it doesn't look like we can convince everybody to move up here.

I've been taking lots of flower pictures lately and here are a few. We have so many wild flowers everywhere it's crazy. And since I don't know what order the pictures are in. The bucket with Pop for a $1 and the creek was taken at a mine in Girdwood. You really put your dollar in the pail and picked your pop from the creek. There is no electricity thus the creek is the refrigerator.

 
 
 
 

TMNT, Rollerblades and High Waters

What do the three things in the title do to you? They take me back a few years! Meme let B. pick out a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie at the library and now I have two little boys with swords down the back of their pants. B. wakes up every morning looking for green shirts and shorts to wear. I couldn't believe it when C. walked out in B.'s superman jacket. For a moment I thought the world would come to a screaming end when Benjamin realized that Carsten was wearing the jacket. That was the official moment that I knew we were past the Superman phase. I wouldn't mind going back though, it was a whole lot less violent with Superman. So far we have B. with a bruised chin and Sophie got a good whack across her cheek. If only those turtles had stayed in the past.

Rollerblades though I am very happy to have come back out. It's been forever since I've been able to go, 5 years at least. Today I was able to break them out. We went 8 miles roundtrip with 4 kids! S. and B. rode their bikes and I pushed the two youngest in the stroller. I was just amazed at Benjamin but on the way back he started slowing down. I asked what was wrong and he responded, "the fast has just gone out of me!"

High Waters is our last flash back and that would be Sophie's poor fate in clothing. I don't know how that girl keeps growing but she does. Everything is just getting shorter and shorter. I keep waiting for the sun to come out so that we can play them off as capri's or something. The thing is she is all leg. It's incredible that S. has any coordination but she has lots of it. She scored two goals in her soccer game. The funny part is that she skips across the field and keeps up with all the girls. If she would run it would be amazing what she could do.

Benjamin came to my Softball game tonight. He is mister serious. I asked him on the way home when he got so smart. Benjamin responded, "I was a smart baby." Yes Benjamin you were!

Back To Crazy

We got to come home and resume "normal" life. The evening we came home from the hospital the skies cleared and the sun came out. Everything was smiling right along with us! THANK YOU so much for everyone's prayers and thoughts. I truly felt them and was strengthened by reading everybody's comments. I am just reminded again of how blessed we are and prayers are answered. Josette is doing great. She is very tiny. Being underweight to begin with she lost almost 2 pounds in the hospital. So she is weighing in at a whopping 14.6 lbs at 9 months. We got the red light from the Dr. to feed her calories any way we can. Why can't I get an order like that? I know why but still it would be nice. Pancakes drenched in syrup, scrambled eggs with cheese, anything she can get in her mouth and not choke on. Matt's first comment with this new order was, "Where's the ice cream?" Hopefully this new high calorie diet will help her sleep longer than a couple of hours at a time. OOH to sleep for 4 straight hours.

With the stress factor down a couple of notches Matt's thinking has become more focused on the current fishing reports. The plan is to go dip netting and get our year supply of Copper River Red Salmons on Friday. Reports from friends who went on Monday aren't very promising. If not he'll be hitting a river nearby. I'm not complaining I sure love to eat them. Heck, I even like fishing for them if I wasn't so worried about one of the kids getting hooked, falling into the river or attacked by a bear.

A funny story brought by Benjamin. So this evening before coming into the home B. picks up C. and totally body slams him into the grass. One of those it's really hard not to laugh because it really hurt C. but yet was hilarious to watch. And B. really shouldn't do that!

We Are...

GOING HOME!!!!!!

Enough said.

9 Months Today

Our Lil'Pumpkin

 

She is 9 months today, time is going fast. She was threatened with a central line and what does she do...she gives us what we've been waiting for. She started taking Pedialyte and she likes the orange. No more sticks as of right now and she seems to be doing really well.

 

Benjamin is here with us today. These pictures are showing how happy she is to be free of cables!

 

 

One Week Down...

It is very hard to believe that we have been here for a week already. It has been such a crazy week. I didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th until just a minute ago. We are still in a holding pattern. She had a small poop, if the stuff that came out can be qualified as poop. It was more like asphalt. We got a bit excited but the Doctor didn't think that it qualified as poop either. He needs some of the real stuff before we have a chance to go. They stuff that came out was probably just cooking in there for the past week, nothing to prove that everything is all hooked up and operating correctly.

They have held off on the PICC line for right now. The are just upping the nutrients that they can put in the IV. They will decide later what to do.

Carsten got his chance to be with Mom today. He came in the morning with Matt and spent the morning until Meme came and got him. It was good being with him. He always brings a smile to your face.

Who knows what the weekend will bring. Matt is a bit bummed because the salmon are coming in and he has to be here. Oh well, I think that he will survive.

Not so good a day

The PICC line attempt Failed. Her poor little veins are scarred from the NICU PICC lines and they couldn't push through to the heart. So on to plan B, which is....? The powers that be will be meeting and deciding what the best course of action will be. Well, I know one, she could have bowel movement and be able to nurse but that is not in our control. The women trying to put it in is the best around and everybody defers to her for sticking, she really has the respect of everyone. So I felt really good about her trying and failing. She needs to get nutrition and so they are going to give it to her through her regular IV. The problem is regular IV's fail and this means that this nutritional mix will leak and that isn't really good for tissue. Right now Josette is sleeping well after being made sleepy.

Sophie and I had a great day together and she helped keep me occupied during the 3 hours they were doing the procedure. She has gotten to be such a big girl. She also kills me at Memory.

FUNNY MOMENT: It all began after giving Josette an initial dose of something to "take the edge off" before the actual morphine was given. If she spoke her quote would have been " I love you man". I really wish I could have made a video of her. She was laughing and smiling. There was a red light on her finger and she would wave it in front of her face and laugh. She had us all rolling.