Rielly is growing like crazy, he is 2 lbs 10 1/2 oz! He is starting to get chubby cheeks. It's so cute. He will probably be over 3 pounds by the end of the week! They have taken out all the IV lines and don't need to give him supplement nutrition anymore. He is solely on milk. He is getting one step closer to coming home every day.

Riellys lungs look clear on the xray so they are stopping most of the antibiotics. He is now 2 lbs 1 oz and is almost 14 inches long. He got down to 1 lb 8 oz last week so he is doing great with his weight gain. He is getting 12 milliliters of milk every 3 hours and is tolerating it great. THe next step is to try and wean him off the ventilator. I can't wait until that happens, his skin is raw from the tape they have kept on his face to hold the tube in his mouth. It will be nice to have that come off and to be able to see his face without the tube.

I'm laughing my butt off!!!!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Lesson Number One

If you are going to try and color your hair on your own with coloring from the grocery store, make sure you have both the time and the money to go to the salon and get it fixed. That's all...

Love,
The idiot

It's still snowing! I don't care, I am heading to the hospital no matter what. I have to see my little man.

We didn't make it to the hospital, the roads were just too bad. We called the hospital instead and they said they still didn't have the results back but they are treating him with 3 different antibiotics for pneumonia regardless of if he actually has it or not. They also said they have been able to wean him more off the vent so he likely does have pneumonia and the antibiotics have been doing their job. They also have been suctioning his lungs and have found lots of goop in there. He seems to be doing much better tonight than he has the last 2 nights. So good news!

Apparently, the milk he has been getting (1 ml every three hours now) has been doing him good. He is now 2 pounds 1 oz! That's 6 oz in 2 days! It's so amazing to be able to see him grow so fast and how he changes everyday. I have to work tomorrow night but hopefully I will make it up there tomorrow. I'm going through withdrawals.

Yesterday, the hospital told us that Rielly might have pneumonia. They did an xray of his lungs and it showed he had some fluid in there. We will find out more today, hopefully we can make it up there with the bad weather. They said they can clear the pneumonia with antibiotics. It still scares me.

No real new news, Rielly is still doing great. I wasn't able to see him today but I will tomorrow. I can't wait!

When we got to the hospital today, the nurses told us they had moved Rielly to the next room, which is for less critical babies. Another big milestone! He turned 2 weeks old yesterday. The most exciting part was that they were switching out the isolette which they have to do every 2 weeks, so Morgan got to hold him for a few minutes while they did that. She was so excited.

Rielly opened his eyes today! It's amazing how much he has changed in so little time. The other day when I saw him, he had some hair but today he looked like a little gorilla man. He has long hair all over his body, and the hair on his head is getting darker and more thick. He also was lifting up his head today while he was lying on his belly. He amazes us everyday. The nurse said that they were able to wean him off the vent some today because he is breathing more on his own. She also said he is out of the woods for anything major that can happen, except infection. I wish I could set up a bed right next to his because I don't want to leave him.

Oh my gosh. He is perfect! And where did all that hair come from? It wasn't there the other day.

He can finally open his eyes!

Look at that scar. It's alot larger than they said it would be.

Cutest baby EVER

Just before his surgery on Monday

Rielly is still doing great. They started feeding him milk today. He only gets 1 milliliter every 6 hours. I didn't get to see him yesterday because I had to work and it was yucky weather. I also can't get my camera to connect to my computer so I haven't been able to put any pictures up. Sorry!

Oh yeah! He also had another brain scan done today and it was totally normal again. No brain bleed! They won't do another one for a month! Woo Hoo!

Rielly had his surgery and it went well. We were worried sick and can't believe they can even do surgery on such a little guy. He was pretty doped up after the surgery but he looked so cute. His skin is getting really dry now and is starting to peel. He has definitely stolen all of our hearts. I'll add some more pictures as soon as I can. I'm working tonight and tomorrow night also but I'll try tomorrow.

I had to go back to work Friday night and haven't been able to go see Rielly. It's killing me! Yesterday was his worst day so far, they had to keep adjusting the vent settings. I'm assuming that is why they scheduled the surgery for Monday because the day before the nurse said they weren't in a rush to do it because he was doing so well. They weren't too concerned about his bad day yesterday though, they said it was completely normal and not to worry. Yeah right! I worry about him 24/7. Every time the phone rings and I see that it is the hospital calling, my heart sinks. Luckily, they have only called once about his condition, which is great because no news is good news. He is one week old!

The medication was not able to close Riellys ductus arteriosus so they are going to do surgery on Monday. They said that they go in under his armpit and they put a tiny little titanium clamp in which will be with him permanently. I'm still amazed at how well Rielly is doing and grateful that this is the only complication he has had to face so far. We are still taking it day by day.

****UPDATE**** The "credit card" I used is only a gift card and a used one at that. Sorry to all the psychos who thought they were going to go on a Christmas shopping spree!


Oh my gosh! I just want to grab those cute little toes! He had his hands up to his face all day today. He has little froggy legs. A credit card next to his leg. Wow We tried to put the ring on his foot but he didn't like it. He's a feisty one already. The credit card is bigger than his head!

Rielly has had a good couple of days. They did an echo of his heart today which shows that the hole in his heart hasn't closed yet with the indomethacin they gave him. They are going to give it to him again tonight and hopefully that will close it. If not, they will have to go in and do surgery, which they say is pretty minor but it's still scares me. They will also do another ultrasound on Monday to see if he has a brain bleed. He is back up to his birth weight now. I was able to touch his feet today. It was awesome. Morgan read him a few books, which he seems to like alot. His O2 sats keep jumping all over today but they made a small adjustment on the ventilator and his labs came back perfect, meaning the adjustment they made worked. The ventilator is pumping at 600 beats a minute! They are giving him Versed and Fentanyl to keep him sedated. Here is a video of Morgan changing his diaper for the first time.

Good News!

Just after his blessing on Sunday

The ultrasound shows that Riellys brain looks good. He does have patent ductus arteriosis (the hole in his heart that is supposed to close when the baby is born) but that is pretty normal and even full term babies can have that. He might need surgery to fix that but I'm so happy to know his brain is fine. He still can get a brain bleed at anytime though. The nurses are saying he's doing fantastic for how early he was.

Morgan was able to change his diaper yesterday. He received a blessing from great uncles Kirk and Steve on Sunday. They did a great job. We are just taking it day by day.

Don't bother me! I'm getting some sun

I love my mommy

The nurses hand

Still hangin in there

So far Rielly (as opposed to Riley) is still doing great. His kidneys aren't functioning yet (normal) so he's peeing off everything that is going into him so his sodium and potassium are high. He also had to have a little blood transfusion (11 ml). They did an ultrasound of his brain and heart yesterday and we will find out the results to that today. If he has a brain bleed, we will know what kind of brain damage if any he will have. The nurse said most babies his size will have a bleed but if it's small, the body can absorb the blood and the brain damage can be none to minimal. I am very anxious about getting the results because Morgans cousin who is in the next room and is 3 weeks old (born at 26 weeks) has significant brain bleeds and they said he won't walk and will have major brain damage.
The ultrasound of the heart will tell if the "hole" in his heart closed at birth or not. If not, he will need surgery to close it. I will post again when I find out anything more.

I'm a gramma!

Riley decided he wasn't going to wait another day and came tonight at 4:51 p.m. It all went VERY quickly, by the time the doctor realized she was actually in labor, they rushed her to delivery and he popped out 10 minutes later after 1 push. They just cut the cord and ran him to NICU but the nurses said he was crying and that he looks good. He is only 1 lb 11 oz. I'm sure we are in for a long road ahead but I'm relieved that so far things are going well. Here are some pix

Crazy week for Crazy Mom

Morgan is in the hospital and will be until she has the baby, which hopefully won't be for at least a month. She started having contractions on Wednesday and we rushed over to Jordan Valley Hospital where the doctor found she was dilated to a 4. They wanted to Lifeflight her to the U but the helicopter was too far away so she went by ambulance and they were able to stop the contractions. Well early Friday morning her water broke. So now she is on strict bedrest and as long as she doesn't develop a fever, she will be stuck lying flat in her bed until she has the baby.

No she didn't get arrested, Morgan went on a ride along with Stacies hubby who is an officer for West Jordan. She had a great time and wants to do another. Most of the calls were animal related so not too exciting but she loved it. Thanks Kevin! You're awesome!

I would like to put my Halloween pictures on here but stupid me, I gave Breanne my camera so she could take it to her little Halloween party and she ended up leaving it there. So, when I get it back, I can post some pictures.

8 Favorite TV Shows:
1- Oprah
2- The Office
3- Dancing with the Stars
4- 48 Hours
5- Kath and Kim
6- Dirty Jobs
7- America's got Talent
8- Myth Busters

8 Favorite Restaurants
1- Olive Garden
2- Iggy's
3- Morelia
4- Outback
5- Pizza Factory
6- Mimi's
7- Training Table
8- Cracker Barrell

8 Things that happened yesterday
1- Got off work at 8:00 am and went home and sleep for 2 hours
2- Got up and went back to my doctor appointment
3- Sat at my doctor appointment for 3 hours!
4- Had a lovely mammogram
5- Picked up the kids from school
6- Went to find Halloween costumes for the kids
7- Picked up some fast food on the way home
8- Came home, got a migraine and went to bed at 8:45 pm

8 Things to Look Forward To
1- Not having to work
2- My kids growing up
3- A vacation, hopefully to Europe again
4- Finding a man
5- Getting enough sleep
6- A clean house
7- Menopause
8- Being in better shape

8 Things I Love about Fall
1- The view out my front door
2- The smell of fall candles
3- Wearing sweaters and hoodies
4- The smell of the air
5- All the fall colors
6- Christmas shopping
7- Pumpkin pie
8- The kids having time off from school

Bonus 8 Things on my Wish List
1- For my kids to like each other
2- Travel the world
3- Live in Italy for a summer
4- Learn Italian or Spanish
5- To feel better
6- To raise happy, productive kids
7- To build my dream house
8- For my house to be organized and STAY that way

8 People I Tag
1- Tam
2- Stacie
3- Lori
4- Alisha
5- Rebekah
6- Tori
7- Deb
8- Carisa

Yippee!

I get to have a mammogram today! Can I just tell you how excited I am? I just can't wait!

Happy Birthday Morg!

Morgan turned 17! I can't believe how old my kids are getting. Just a few more years and I'll be all alone. Of course she didn't want to spend much time with her old mom on her birthday. She spent most of it with friends and then went to the Jazz game. She had a good day. Happy Birthday Morgan!

I don't know if it's the time of year or what, but every day I see a new spider in my house. I finally got the pest control guy to come because last week I found a big spider right behind my bed when I woke up! I freaked out! I hate spiders more than I hate just about anything. YUCK! I also found a black widow in the garage last week.

Grr, another day spent sleeping. I'm not working until Friday but still, after I took the kids to school, all I wanted to do was come home and sleep. I had a lot to do today but couldn't find the energy to do it while the kids were at school. I waited until I had to pick up the kids before I even started trying to get my stuff done. At least I did get most of it done though.

Proud Mama

Today was one of those days that left me with that proud feeling because of one of my kids. Carisa got a job, well two of them actually. The first job, she takes foster kids out and does activities with them about three times a week. They range in age from about 8 to about 12. I was surprised when she told me about this job because she has been my one kid that doesn't have a lot of patience with her siblings. I'm sure this will teach her many things and one day make her a better parent. The second one, she goes into elementary schools and teaches photography to 4th graders. Today was her first day of doing this. She had to make a lesson plan and go to the school and teach to the entire classroom of students. Now, I think I would have a heart attack and die before I would be able to do this. She was a little nervous about it, but she said it went very well. Wow, I can't tell you how proud I am of her. She is making a difference in a lot of young peoples lives and this is one of the days I've been waiting for, to see some rewards from all the hard work that parents do to raise responsible kids.

Working nights

I am officially announcing I hate working nights! It has messed my schedule up so bad. I couldn't get to sleep until 2am last night because I slept until 2pm yesterday because I thought I had to work which I ended up not doing (long story). Then today I woke up and got the kids to school but still felt so tired so I came home and went back to bed and slept on and off until about 5:30pm! Grrrrr. Plus on top of that, when I am awake, I have no energy to do anything. I've been making the kids do most of the cleaning which can be good and bad. I have another year and a couple of months until my contract is up and then I will be moving on to another area that isn't so busy during the day because I think that days is where I need to be.

Forever Strong

I took the kiddies to see the movie Forever Strong today. I practically had to drag them there because they are at the age that they don't want to be in the same vicinity of each other and they usually can't agree on one movie. Well, today I wanted to see this movie because I heard it's based on a true story and I'm a sucker for those and also, it was filmed in Utah. So, I picked them up from school and said we were going to the movie, because then they would have no escape unless they actually jumped out of the car on the way there, which I'm sure Breanne considered doing. SO, after convincing them that there was no way out of it, we finally made it to the theater without anyone sustaining any injuries from me. It was a good movie and I'm glad that I didn't take no for an answer because I almost had to turn the car around. Grrr, next time I'll sit at home and watch a movie BY MYSELF in my room with my door locked!

I am posting today because I was ordered by Stacie to do so. And also because I'm SICK of looking at those bodies every time I get on my blog. It's kinda funny though because today my kids went to see the Bodies Show for their field trip. They of course thought it was DISGUSTING and don't understand why they had to go. I have to agree with them. If I had to see that when I was their age, I would have DIED. So this post is for Stacie, the pregnant lady. I can say that now because she announced it to the world yesterday on her blog. Love ya my friend.

I went to the Body Worlds show yesterday with two of my best friends of all time, Stacie and Alisha. It was fascinating. The show is full of people who have donated their bodies specifically to be put on display. There were babies at various stages of gestation from about 5 weeks to 28 weeks. That was the most fascinating part of the whole thing. The baby that was 9 weeks had little fingers and toes. Amazing.

We have been trying to go to this show for a year and a half. The first time we were going to see it was in New York but we were unable to. Then we made a special trip to Vegas to see it but the show ended the day before we got there. :-( We were so excited when we found out it was coming to Salt Lake. We even got postcards in the mail for free admission since we work in healthcare.

The show was downtown but since we look for every opportunity to get away from our kids, we stayed at the Little America, went out to dinner and stayed up late just chillin. We were even able to sleep in the next morning before going to the show. To top it off, Carisa came over from her dorm and went to the show with us. Fun day!

So, I've been meaning to explain the title of my blog, Domestically Disabled. While I was in school, I wasn't able to really be the mom I like to be. I had to focus so much on school. When school ended, I felt totally out of practice and it took me a while to get back into the mom thing. It's been 9 months since school ended and I'm finally feeling more comfortable about my mom role. I know, sad huh. So there you have it, my confession for the day.

I went back to the doctor because I still am not feeling 100% and he said that I still have an ear infection. He gave me a steroid, another antibiotic, some antibiotic eardrops and another prescription for allergy meds. He said if it doesn't clear up, I need to go to an ear, nose, throat doctor and have him drain my ear with a needle. Oh lets all pray that it clears up because there ain't no way I'm doing that. Oh no, you are dealing with the biggest wimp of all time when it comes to people poking me.

Sick Sick Sick

I feel sicker than a dog, I have ear infections, a sinus infection, and bronchitis. I haven't been sick in forever, and now that I get sick, I really get sick!

It's My Birthday

Happy birthday to ME! Really, it was just another day, I hate birthdays nowadays. They just remind me how OLD I really am. My kids say happy birthday and sometimes I'll even get breakfast in bed or somebody doing a chore without me asking, but then it's business as usual. Mom, can you make me this... mom can you do that...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY

I can't believe Carisa is 22! What happened! I feel like I just graduated from high school. Happy birthday Carisa! You are an awesome kid, er, I mean adult.

It's Here

The book is here. We now own 2 of them! No, my girls couldn't buy just one and share, they had to have their own copy so they could read it not stop and then start again when they are done. They went to Barnes and Noble which apparently had a "Bridal Shower" for two characters that aren't even real! They dressed up in prom type dresses for this thing! When I left them at home today to come to work, they were half done with the book already. I'm sure they are sitting there right now in the middle of the night reading.

My girls are obsessed!

Two of my girls are completely obsessed over this



They have both read the whole series at least twice and they can't wait for the movie to come out. Breanne stays awake practically all night reading. I guess it's a good thing but I never thought I would be threatening to take a book away from my kid!

I was driving home today and noticed they put the Angel Moroni on the Draper Temple today. It looked beautiful.

Ty off to camp

Here is Ty this morning at 5:30 am ready for camp. He was actually excited about it! He is usually the one saying "why do I have to go", or "I don't like the other boys". He is going up to Bear Lake to an aquatics camp and will be back on Saturday. One down, one to go. Breanne leaves at 8am tomorrow morning.

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

It's camp time!

Tyson is going to scout camp Sunday night for the week and Breanne is going Monday morning. Oh how I love getting them all ready, the last minute run to the store, the frantic searches for the hidden camping gear, I'm so excited! And what will I do all week with them gone? Maybe I'll get a chance to do some organizing.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Braden

Braden just started a full time job. He handles computer problems that come up with all the employees and also sets up computers for new dealerships and all the tent sales that they have. He is also taking some classes to certify in different computer things which I can't even begin to explain. He is going to be on a salary soon (in a couple of months after he gets his first certification). He just bought himself a new one of these



and also a set of




I'm kinda glad the drum set won't be set up at my house. I am so proud of him. He is growing up. He is also planning on moving out with a friend in a month. Two down, three to go. It's kinda sad.

Carisa is back

Carisa came back from her study abroad in Italy. She went there to learn the Italian language. She isn't fluent in the language at this point but she goes around speaking Italian and I wish I could understand her. She had the best time and didn't really want to come back to Utah. I don't blame her, I decided when I was I was on vacation there that I wanted to live in Italy one day when I'm done raising kids.

Summer

Is anyone ready for the kids to go back to school again? I sure am! Don't like the kids having all this free time to be bored, fight with each other, sit on their butts... If we lived in a house that had anything outside to do, it would probably be a different situation. But since we live in a neighborhood with a bunch of old farts, the kids can't really do much outside to have fun. We need to move.

One Word

Answer the following with only one word.
Where is your cell phone?.........................floor
Your significant other?...............................clueless!
Your hair?.........................................undone
Your mother?.............................crafty
Your father?....................................awesome
Your favorite thing?.............................sleep
Your dream last night........................weird!
Your favorite drink................................rootbeer
Your dream/goal..............................debtfree
The room you're in..........................bedroom
Your children?...................................everywhere!
Your fear?.......................................tragedy
Where do you want to be in 6 years?........married
Where were you last night?.........................wrecking
What you're not?....................................maid:)
Muffins?.........................................maple
One of your wish list items?.............................Europe
Where'd you grow up?..................................Sandy
What'd you read last?...........................policies
What are you wearing?.........................grubbies
Your TV?.........................................Raven
Your pet?.................................Ruffles!
Your computer?...............................laptop
Your life?.....................................chaotic
Your mood?................................frazzled
Missing someone?............................always
Your car?.........................................Scion
Something you're not wearing?...................bra :)
Favorite store?..................................Target
Your summer?....................................busy
Like someone?.....................................nope
Your favorite color?................................green
Last time you laughed................................today
Last time you cried?.....................................yesterday

I tag Tammy, Erin, Em, Carisa, Alisha, Tori

Tagged

tagged by Tammy...

This is how you play- 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprise facts about you, & then 5 people you want to tag!


JOYS-
1. My kids
2. Chocolate
3. My job

FEARS-
1. Something happening to the kids
2. Dying and leaving my kids here
3. Spiders, the dark, and wild animals out my door

GOALS-
1. To raise kids who are honest, responsible, caring, and happy
2. LOSE WEIGHT!
3. Get my house organized

CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS-
1. I'm not into the collecting mode or obsessing mode, I'm in the survival mode. I barely have enough time to work, sleep, and say hi to my kids.
2. Reading
3. Losing weight

SURPRISES ABOUT MYSELF-
1. How very little patience I have lately.
2. That I made it through nursing school and am still somewhat sane.
3. How much I like being single.

PEOPLE I TAG-
Lori
Alisha
Tori
and whoever else feels like it

Joy and Sorrow

One of the greatest joys in life is buying a new car. One of the greatest sorrows in life is having someone crash into you a week later and having to have it towed.