What Spring Break?

Spring Break 2016.
With both girls home 24/7 and Daniel working (and going out of town) for 16 days straight, there was really not much of a "break" for Mama.
But we all survived (even despite some sickness), and here are some pictures to prove it...

It started off low-key.
All day jammies. Non-educational app overload on the tablet.
Basically it was a full of day "lazin'" as Aubrey calls it. (Lazy + Relaxin' = Lazin')

And then came the junk food...

It wasn't all screen time and Happy Meals though -- Aubrey was super psyched that AR tests (Accelerated Reader) for her school were available 24/7 over the break. She devoured 17 chapters books! Go girl!

One day we drove a little out of town to eat lunch at the girls' favorite place...Patti's 1880's Settlement! 

We burned some energy at the jump park...

And at the park...

Then one day we drove to Union City, TN to the Discovery Park of America.

It's a science / history museum, which is Miss Aubrey's ultimate love. 

Unfortunately, about 12 minutes after we arrived, Mina had a horrific accident. There was a military helicopter that was open for kids (and adults) to go in and explore. Well, Mina-bug fell from the cockpit down the steel ladder and landed on her chin -- busting it right open.

Oh how I wish I could wrap this child up in bubble wrap. 

Thankfully no stitches were needed, just a good cleaning and butterfly bandage. When Mina sadly realized that the "butterfly bandage" didn't actually have butterflies on it -- Big Sis came to the rescue!

By mid-week, I needed a date night out. 

It was on this particular evening that I witnessed a man consume more sushi than I thought humanly possible. Oh Daniel-san. Your talents are truly endless. 

On the final stretch of Spring Break, Aubrey -- out of nowhere -- started feeling yuck.
Fever and stomach pains that turned into a nasty stomach virus that lasted 4-5 days.
I kept telling myself (and Aubrey), "At least we're not at the beach, and you're stuck inside with this yuckiness!" But we both had a good cry over the pitifulness of it all.

Meanwhile, Daniel was on a guy trip in NYC while I was home washing sheets and Clorox-ing everything in our house.

I had several pity-parties for myself at the end, but when Daniel finally got home (with a canister of Garrett's popcorn from his layover in Chicago) all was well. Health and happiness was restored.

But next year, I think we deserve a full family vacation! :)

Let's Just Start with Today

Aubrey's been sick, which means things like showering and blogging have taken a backseat for me.
But now that smiles have returned, and I've washed my hair...it's time to dust off the blog!

I have several things to post about, but I don't have the mental energy to write it all out.

So, until then, here are some random pictures of Aubrey and Mina from this afternoon.

Popsicles, insect catching, and just good old fun.

  

Ahhhh, it sure feels good to be back!

Monday was not fun.

Monday went down as one of my least favorite days...


Yes, that would be our little Aubrey conked out on a hospital stretcher with an IV and wrist guard.
Just looking at that picture breaks my heart all over again.

Let me fill you in...
Sunday Aubrey started intermittently saying her tummy hurt.
Like most moms, I suggested she try going to the potty.
Nope, that didn't help.
Then all Sunday night, she kept waking up saying her tummy hurt.
She was crying by the wee hours of the morning and was very uncomfortable.
We asked her where exactly it hurt, and she pointed to her belly-button.
Daniel examined her, and we both started thinking appendicitis.
We were ready to all go to the hospital with Daniel to ultrasound her appendix by 7 a.m., and then she fell asleep in her bed.
Sharp abdominal pains woke her up again, and she leaned over the side of the bed and threw up.
She said she felt better after that.
Then she said she was hungry.
I fixed her a waffle (her request) and after one bite, it all came back up.
Again, her belly seemed to feel better afterward so we started thinking maybe it was just a stomach bug.
Daniel went to work, and Aubrey and I assumed our positions on the couch for a low key/sick day.
It wasn't long before she was crumpled up in pain again. Writhing on the floor.
Mama, my belly huuuuuurts.


We pulled into the OU Medical Center parking lot 30 minutes later, and poor little Aubrey was growing more miserable by the minute.
Daniel looked at me and said, "I'm wondering if she has an intussusception."
"The thing that makes you come in to the hospital when you're on-call?"
"Yeah..."
"The same thing you say is horrible for any child to have to go through?"
"Yeah..."

 

Less than five minutes later, Daniel and an ultrasound tech began searching for the problem.

After looking at the appendix, which didn't raise any red flags, Daniel said, "WAIT. Go back, what was that..."

And there it was...a 3 cm intussusception (when part of the intestine slides into another part of the intestine. This "telescoping" often blocks the intestine, preventing food or fluid from passing through.)

Daniel walked us over to the main pediatric radiologist and had him personally scan her and confirm what he saw.

Yep. Intussusception.
By this point, we went to the Children's ER to have her admitted into the hospital while Daniel and his colleagues worked lightning fast to get Aubrey set up for the procedure.

 

The ER nurse we were assigned to just happened to be a member of our church, we even did a Bible study together awhile back. This was probably a good thing, because when her first attempt to get the IV in Aubrey's vein didn't go well, I might have been tempted to body-slam her to the floor. The second attempt was successful. (thankfully, and lucky for her...)
I'm pretty sure I will have recurring nightmares of Aubrey's screams from that horrendous experience. Not to mention I abhor needles...and needles being driven into my 4 year old's veins? I about lost it.

After the IV trauma was over, we were whisked to the fluoro room where the techs and radiologist would soon insert a large tube into Aubrey's rectum, then proceed to fill it with air to get her bowel/intestine to straighten back out. It's often called an air enema. I call it child torture.

 

Daniel "suited" up (lead apron to protect from radiation) and took care of the paperwork side. Having done countless of these procedures, he was on-hand to be a second set of radiology eyes to make sure everything went smoothly.

The radiologists watched on a screen as the air entered the bowel/intestine and then confirmed when the blockage was "fixed". There is always a risk of a perforation of the bowel during this procedure. In that case, the patient would instantly be taken to surgery.

By the way, Aubrey was fully awake during the entire thing. It was so traumatic that we think she has literally blocked it from her mind. Days later she still doesn't even mention it, only the IV part. Poor baby...

Thankfully, the procedure fixed the problem. To be on the safe side, the hospital likes to keep the patient overnight to monitor and to make sure there isn't a relapse. So after this horrendous event, we waited for our permanent room in the Children's ER. 

 

And a few short minutes later, we were ushered to room 9110 on the Children's surgical floor.

  

Aubrey received so many calls, personal "Get Well Soon" videos from her friends, and little surprise gifts/deliveries...she couldn't help but smile...

Daniel was on-call that night, and seeing as there was only one putrid green recliner in Aubrey's room, I sent him home to get some sleep. Besides, there was no way on earth I was leaving my munchkin's bedside.

I'm pretty sure I slept all of 20 minutes that night. Aubrey (thank the Lord) slept extremely well despite random machine alarms going off, blood pressure / IV checks every two hours and having an IV/wrist guard, three monitors strapped to her chest connected to machines and one taped to her finger.

I prayed for her all night long.

Prayed for all the other little ones who were sleeping (or trying to sleep) in the hospital.

Prayed for all the mamas and daddies who have had their hearts torn out watching their babies in pain.

Children's hospitals are definitely one of the saddest places on the face of the planet, despite their brightly colored walls / silly decorations / and up-beat nurses.

When Aubrey woke up, she was able to eat (it had been almost 40 hours since she had eaten or drank anything) and had her IV fluids stopped. She started acting like her old self (read: bossy) within no time, and we knew our girl was back! :) She was discharged and made a mad dash to the elevators!

 

Before we left, we went and personally thanked the techs and doctors who took such good care of our munchkin. They were all so thrilled to see how much better she looked. 

I took Aubrey to the Children's Hospital 6th floor rooftop playground before driving home.

We were definitely two girls in dire need of a bath and fresh clothes by this point!

The morning all this happened, I emailed myself a section from my devotional. Something told me I was going to need this reminder...

Try to stay conscious of Me as you go step by step through this day.

My Presence with you is both a promise and a protection. 

My final statement just before I ascended into heaven was: 

Surely I am with you always. 

That promise was for all of My followers, without exception.

God was definitely with us every step of the way.

In the bad moments, in the saddest moments, in the rejoicing moments, in the moments of relief.

Surely He is with us always.

Thank You for Your Patience.

I had all the best intentions of having a post about Aubrey's 3rd Birthday party up by now, but some sort of stomach bug/virus decided to attack both Daniel and me. If you've ever wondered, "What do you do with your child when both parents are sick and there's no family around to help?" Well, let me tell you it's not fun. In fact, it was downright miserable. But -- by the grace of God -- we made it through, and we're finally joining the land of the living again.

I hope to have a party post up soon!

Thank you for your patience.

I've Never Liked Balloons

I remember the day when I was informed that I would not be the sixteen-year-old who would walk outside and find a big red bow on top of a new car.

Not even a used car.
Not even the car my parents were tired of driving so they'd give it to me.

Nope.
No car for me.

With only $500 in my savings account, I realized rather quickly that I needed to get a job. So, I landed a part-time gig at a card/party supply store.

I didn't leave smelling like fried food, so that was a major plus.
It really wasn't a bad job.
I actually kinda liked it, truth be told.

Except for the balloons.

Why, oh, why did we have to sell balloons?

"Um, yeah...I'm going to need 25 pink balloons. And 25 purple ones. Oh, and what's that big cupcake balloon look like all blown up? How long do these usually last? Can you make some into a balloon bouquet? Can you blow up a balloon with a stuffed animal inside? That one isn't as full as the other ones, can you do another one?"

AHHHHH!

As my 16th birthday approached my parents agreed to match me dollar for dollar, and after many latex/helium/(occasional POP!)/knot/ribbons later...I was the owner of a 1989 Pontiac Grand Am.

I often wondered what would be worse: not having a car or driving that hunk-o-junk.

The fact that it got me from A to B (sometimes barely), made it better than nothing.

I suppose.

So, back to me not liking balloons...

I am currently in a Women's Bible Study going through Wisdom For Mothers. When I walked in last Wednesday, I noticed several clusters of balloons around the room.

Now, I am not very good at crowd estimating, but I could gather that there seemed to be just enough balloons for each of us. Then, I remembered something years back at a youth group. You write a sin or something you're struggling with on the balloon and then release it.

I don't want to sound mean/rude/etc., but I am not a fan of this type of thing.
I think it's stupid.
There, I said it.
Stupid.

Well, what do you know...when the leader (rather enthusiastically) said, "Okay, ladies -- I have something really fun for us to do! We each get a balloon. Now, I want you all to write down things you fear or worry about on your balloon. Then, we're going to go outside and release them!"

Yea! (in a major, unchristian, sarcastic tone)

But, being the good sport that I am (ha), I obligingly wrote down three fears/worries.

I walked outside and prayed, "God, you know I hate this kind of thing. You know my fears/worries. I know that I can release them to you without the help of helium, but for the sake of this study...here..."

1. Sickness
(I have turned into a major germ-a-phobe since Aubrey's birth.)
2. Nights alone.
(Daniel is currently on night-shift this month. He's gone from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. and then sleeps all day.)
3. Potty Training Aubrey

Fast-forward to 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.
I sit straight up in bed drenched in a cold sweat.
Nauseous.
2:14 a.m. The vomiting begins.
4 a.m. Call Daniel (he's at the hospital working.)
"Pray for me. I'm sick. Gotta go--"
BARF! (x9)
4:24 a.m. In between heaves, I leave a message with Aubrey's MDO director to call me if there's a spot available for Aubrey to come that day even though she's currently only enrolled for Mondays.
7:19 a.m. Daniel gets home.
8:43 a.m. MDO director calls and says they have to wait to see if anyone is absent in her class.
10:10 a.m. We get the go-ahead to take Aubrey to MDO.
10:15 a.m. Daniel takes Aubrey to school.
10: 40 a.m. He buys me some grape Gatorade on his way back home.
11:00 a.m. Crashes in the guest bedroom completely exhausted from working all night.
2:00 p.m. Daniel drags himself out of bed to pick-up Aubrey at MDO.
I continue to lay (lie?) half dead in our bedroom rising only for my urgent meetings with the toilet.
2:15 p.m. Daniel calls a fellow resident to see if they can cover the first few hours of his night-shift seeing as I cannot hold my head up for more than 2 minutes at a time.
7:19 p.m. Daniel leaves for work all night again.

So much for balloons.
My top 2 fears/worries simultaneously slapped me in the face.
But we survived, so thank God for that.

However, I must say, this leaves me slightly MORE fearsome/worrisome about #3 on my list...

*******

By the way, here's me and "White Lightning" circa 2000.

It's official.
Nothing good ever comes from balloons.

Friday Funsies FUNK

It's been a not-so-fun week over here. 

I'll spare you all the whiny details, but I will tell you that it has involved a toddler with a nasty cold/pink eye/teething (4 molars at once)/super short naps/tireless nights.

The cherry on top is that Daniel is working all weekend too. BOO!

But amidst this rather rotten week, there have been some intermittent smiles and laughs. There was even some singing caught on tape. 

So, to end on a good note (no pun intended)...here's the one and only Aubrey, performing her special version of "Jesus Loves Me".

P.S. There is a moment when she accidentally "poots" during her solo. It isn't audible, but see if you can tell when it happens...

(You can tell she's cutting teeth from all that drool on her chin!)

*******

Happy stinkin' Friday, everyone! ;)

Friday Funsies & Not-So-Funsies

Why is it that kids get sick on Friday afternoons after the pediatrician is already gone for the weekend?

I don't think it's anything too serious...just a bad-sounding cough and low-grade fever. Even so, it looks like we're just going to hunker down this weekend and make sure our munchkin gets well.
On the bright side, we just discovered we have free HBO/Cinemax this weekend. A mild illness is always the perfect excuse to have a TV binge. Bring on the movie-marathons! (If there's anything on worth watching, that is...)

And would you look who perked up and invited all her friends over when she heard about the free kid movies?

*******
Happy (Snuggly) Friday!

A spoonful of...?

There was a sick little girl at our house today who only wanted her Mama and pink, satin-trimmed blankies.

By the time dinner rolled around, however, she seemed to feel completely fine.

Now, I've heard a "spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down..." but never a spoonful of Jif.

Hopefully this is some magical home remedy because I sure don't want to see this peanut butter again at 2 a.m. ...

Here's hoping this stays "Creamy" and doesn't resurface as "Extra Chunky"!
Ewwww!

I'm alive

{Gorgeous flowers from my parents & Melanie and Todd}

As Daniel said, I was sick (really sick). I'm talking "never-been-that-sick-in-my-entire-life" sick.

Daniel told me I couldn't write a blog post about him watching Aubrey, but I'm sorry Daniel. I have to write at least a tiny one.

The minute Daniel walked through the door that Thursday evening, I bolted to the bathroom and began throwing up. Aubrey, who was understandably concerned at my frantic exit, started bawling. She was banging on the door screaming, "MAMA!! MAMA!!"

That was the scene Daniel walked into after a long day of work: A hungry/tired/inconsolable baby and a wife who was re-enacting clips from The Exorcist.

Once he processed what was happening, he went into SuperDad/SuperHusband mode.

He never asked me any questions about Aubrey's schedule, what to feed her, or anything. He just jumped right in and did an insanely amazing job.

He took care of Aubrey all day Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday all the while, also taking care of me.

He did the laundry. He did the dishes. He slept on the couch. He made 5 a.m. Sprite and popsicle runs to the grocery store.

He took Aubrey to Gymboree. He took her shopping. He played with her in the backyard where I could hear those precious giggles and squeals of complete happiness while peaking at them both through the blinds.

He did everything.

Now that I'm all better (praise the Lord above!) Aubrey sure misses her Daddy during the days.

I guess I would too if he fixed me chocolate chip waffles with raspberry syrup every morning...

;)

Sunday Snapshot

Poor Aubrey has been a sick little goose this weekend. And when you're sick, who do you want more than anyone in the world? Your Momma!

Needless to say, not much has been accomplished this weekend, but hey -- that's what Mommas are for, right?!

The "Real" Sunday Snapshot

The picture posted on Sunday Snapshot was taken earlier in the weekend.

This picture is a camera-phone snapshot actually taken on Sunday.

This is poor, little Aubrey at OU Medical Center getting an ultrasound of her hips.

Earlier in the weekend, our little girl woke up with a fever. Then -- what seemed out of nowhere -- she started limping, then completely unable to walk.

After some Ibuprofen and a 3 hour nap, she woke up still unable to walk or even stand. Daniel made some phone calls, and before I knew it we were in the car on our way to the hospital.

It wasn't until I called my mom when we were en route that it all really hit me. It's strange how the minute you have to articulate what's going on, your emotions really start to surface. I could barely utter "Aubrey can't walk..." when I just broke down on the phone.

Daniel said a prayer for Aubrey and us as a family before we got out of the car. I'm certain that's how I managed to get through the ultrasound and consultation with Aubrey screaming her lungs out.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 121:1,2 --

I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Several moments I had to literally lift my eyes to get help from Above -- and to keep in the tears.

Well, after a normal looking ultrasound and consultation with the Pediatric ER Attending, the diagnosis was Transient Synovitis, or more scarily called Toxic Synovitis. In layman's terms it basically means that the virus had settled into Aubrey's hip. It generally lasts 4.5 to 7 days. Some cases have been known to last for 2 weeks.

Believe it or not, this was actually a "good" diagnosis. It could have been a lot worse.

When we got home from the hospital, Aubrey was exhausted and didn't want to eat anything. We thought she might enjoy a bath (something she normally loves), but instead of fun splish splashies, it was filled with sad pitiful tears. We put her to bed an hour earlier than normal and just prayed over her.

When she woke up this morning, she was still a little out of sorts. We prayed for her as a family, and then Daniel had to leave for work. After she ate a tiny bit for breakfast, I sat her down to see if she would even want to try to walk. She held my hands and took some sad, little wobbly steps. We sat down and just played with puzzles and books. She would start to get up, but then sit back down.

Then she stood up. Took a few solo steps and sat back down. I was so excited. Yesterday she couldn't stand up without crying in pain. This was amazing progress in my eyes.

Then...she stood up and took some more steps.

Then...she stood up and did her little tap dance routine!

I started crying and said, "Thank you, Jesus!" and then Aubrey started saying "Desus!" over and over again, which make me cry even harder!

Thirty minutes later I captured this little clip on video:

She has been walking (or should I say "sprinting"?!) around the house ever since.

Praise the Lord from Whom all blessings flow!

I also just have to share the scripture verse in my devotional this morning:

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe. (Mark 11:24)

Here was the first sentence in the commentary:

When you are confronted with a matter that requires immediate prayer, pray until you believe God -- until with wholehearted sincerity you can thank Him for the answer.

The last bit was incredible:

You will never learn faith in comfortable surroundings. God gives us His promises in a quiet hour, seals our covenants with great and gracious words, and then steps back, waiting to see how much we believe. ...
...This is the time to look up through the storm, and among the trembling, frightened sailors declare, "I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me." (Acts 27:25)

Daily Devotional in Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman (Thanks, Jen for recommending it & Thanks, Mom/Dad for the Christmas gift!)

*******
Also, a very heartfelt "Thank you!" to all of you reading this who prayed for Aubrey. It was through your prayers that this little girl is back to her happy self again. I was planning on sending out a email to many of you to ask for your prayers, but the "first response prayer team" hit the ground running so fast Aubrey was better before I could even write it! If you think of it, please still lift her up!

Weekend Update

We had some of our favorite visitors this weekend: Grammy & Pop Pop! Daniel and I were going to the U2 concert on Sunday, and we thought these two would be the perfect babysitters. (Plus, we needed a good excuse for them to come and visit again!)

The day of the concert, Aubrey seemed a little "off" to me. We stayed home from church and by the time the afternoon rolled around she had a fever. She looked so sad and pitiful all curled up with her favorite electric blanket (Pop Pop), Mr. Duke (teddy bear), and some fluids ...
I have never mentioned on the blog (for fear of jinxing it), but this little girl has NEVER been sick a day in her sweet life. She had a tiny cold once, but that's it. So of course, when we're 2 hours from leaving for the concert my never-been-sick little girl gets sick. We asked Grammy & Pop Pop to go in our place, but they refused and insisted we go. I couldn't stop crying. I mean, what do you need most when you're sick? Your Mommy!!

Aubrey started perking up and acting like her normal self, and we reluctantly went to the concert. I gave Grammy & Pop Pop phone numbers for everything from her after-hours pediatrician clinic to Daniel's pager number in case there was bad cell phone coverage. We were very late, but we made it to the concert in time to see Bono in all his awesomeness. We texted Grammy & Pop Pop throughout the night and Aubrey did fine. She woke-up the next morning fever-free! Ahhh...praise the Lord. She still has a little cough, but overall I think she's on the up-swing.

It seems, however, that Daniel may have taken the bug from Aubrey. Either that or he is the one getting old and his body can't handle late night concerts, singing and cheering as loud as humanly possible, and the cool Oklahoma Fall weather. Poor fella... :)

*****

Thank you Grammy & Pop Pop for helping out with our little munchkin!

*It's impossible to get a picture these days when everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. This was the closest we got at a shot of the three girls. I think we are all looking in different directions and Aubrey was squirming and wanting DOWN!