Fourth of July and a Visit

So Nyah has been looking forward to "fire pops" for weeks so when we had a torrential down pour on Sunday night (the fourth) we decided to still drive down to the park to make sure they were really cancelled (even though we were sure they were).  We knew if she missed them, she would be so disappointed.  They were supposed to start around 9:30 and we waited another half hour (with lots of other people), just in case. 

Lisa, Jordan, and Hallie got here early Monday morning so they were here to celebrate with us since the "fire pops" were rescheduled for Monday. This was good fortune for Lisa and Jordan but not Hallie since she isn't a big fan of them.  It was funny that when the fireworks started there was actually a tree in the way (you will have to find out more of that story from Lisa or Jordan) but we quickly moved and had a good view of them.  Here are some pictures of us before they started.  It's actually funny because Nyah looks scared to death but she actually loved them...

Then I took advantage of Lisa's expertise bathing babies and we gave Ryker his first official bath while she was here since his umbilical cord finally fell off. You can see Hallie and Nyah both wanted to be very involved in the process as well - always such big "helpers".

 

Hallie and Nyah have an interesting relationship. They get along great until they decide they both want the same toy or they are tired and decide they want the opposite of what the other one wants (one wants the door open so the other wants it closed, etc.)  Below is a picture when they decided to get in trouble together.  Nyah wanted to put her swimming suit on and I told her no because I didn't want her playing in the water right then.  So the result is below....

 

Two very wet little girls in all of their clothes....

We were so glad Lisa, Jordan, and Hallie came to visit and I loved spending all day every day with them since I don't have work!!  I could get really used to this "not working thing"...

 

This picture below is funny because about two seconds before this, they were totally fighting.  At least they are quick to forgive and forget.

Thanks for coming to visit Lisa, Jordan, and Hallie. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon. :)

Grandma, Birthday Celebration, and Updated Pix of Ryker

So Grandma Marilyn didn't get to spend as much time with Ryker as she had anticipated.  This was due to him being born 6 days after she got here and the additional time we spent at the hospital.  Below is a picture of her doing what she loves the most - holding little babies.... 

We were still at the hospital on Mom's birthday so here is a picture of us celebrating her birthday.  As you can see Nyah loves birthdays and you will also notice Mom holding Ryker again. :)

Another picture of Ryker...

Mom and Nyah spent a lot of time together and by the end of the trip, Nyah thought Grandma Marilyn should do everything with her. :)  I love this picture of the two of them.  Plus Nyah learned some things from Grandma while she was here.  She now thinks she needs a hot pad if her bowl is too hot so she doesn't hurt the table.  One day I told Nyah she pulled her skirt up too high and she told me, "Grandma taught me that".  Too funny...  All joking aside, I really want to say how much I appreciated Mom taking care of Nyah so we could focus on Ryker while he was in the hospital.  I know she wasn't planning on being in charge of nap time, bedtime, meal time, etc on her own but it was a huge help to us.  THANKS!
 

More pictures of our cute little boy (not that I'm biased or anything)..

These are pictures when he was two weeks old.  He is growing up way too fast already!!

Ryker - The New Addition to our Family

We are so excited to have Ryker as part of our family. He is such a sweet boy and we love him so much. Now a little bit about our last week...

We had decided that if our baby wasn't born by the 17th, I would be induced. It was only two days after my due date, but I had already started maternity leave and was ready to have a little baby. Plus my mom had come on the 11th thinking he might be early and Ryan had high adventure on the 23rd.

No baby by the morning of the 17th so Ryan and I headed to the hospital for our 6:30 am check-in. They started the pitocin at about 8:00 and by 11:40 I had signed the consent for an epidural. :) They had given the epidural by 12:30 and Ryker was born at 1:13. All of us were very surprised (including my doctor) when we found out he was 8 lbs. 11 ounces and 21 inches long! He's a big boy.




He was born so fast that he didn't come out screaming and he actually had bruises on his face. They took him down to the nursery to check his oxygen levels and determined everything was fine. We spent the next couple of days at the hospital loving on him and waiting to come home. Here are some pictures of Nyah meeting Ryker for the first time and some other pictures while we were hanging out at the hospital. It was so cute to see Nyah's enthusiasm and her love for her little brother.

We were planning to go home on Saturday morning but then the last nurse said she really wanted us to stress with the pediatrician that he had a stridorous cry and we wanted to do some additional testing. He was basically making a gasping sound when he was crying. He also was making some grunting sounds. As I talked to Lisa about it, she said it could be several different things but agreed that it shouldn't be ignored. So the pediatrician ordered a swallow study and it looked good. He called and said he ordered one last spot check on his oxygen level and then we could go home if that was okay. Well when they went to do it, he was mad and his oxygen levels were only 72. They had the neonatologist from the NICU come look at him and she recommended that he be seen by an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) specialist. There were only two hospitals with ENT's for children and we decided on Children's Hospital.

So Sunday morning they figured out his transport to Children's Hospital and Ryker and I had our first (and hopefully last ever) trip in an ambulance. Crazy that his first car ride was in an ambulance. The transport team was great and actually came to check on us multiple times while we were still at the hospital. The ENT came to check out Ryker within a couple of hours of our arrival. They put a flexible scope down his throat to see what they could see. They determined that the soft tissue above his epiglottis were closing and partially restricting his airway. They determined he needed a simple surgery and he was headed to the OR less than a half hour later. The surgery went well and while they had him under, they did more "scoping" and found out that one of his vocal chords isn't moving as much as it should be and that there is a ring in the trachea that is more closed off than it should be. These things together are restricting his airway and making it harder for him to breathe. They fixed the one item with surgery and are going to wait and see what happens with the rest of them. They are things that can be outgrown so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Here are pictures of them getting him ready for transport and then his set-up at the NICU at Children's Hospital.

After the surgery we could definitely see improvement. Everything isn't all better yet but it was enough improvement for the doctors to feel comfortable letting him come home and waiting to see if he outgrows the other problems. The big thing once his surgery was over was for him to start eating again. The ENT said he was comfortable with him leaving on Wednesday morning so the big thing that day was for him to eat enough. Since he's nursing, we had to weigh him before and after each time he ate to see how much weight he had gained. It was kind of crazy. Finally that night they decided he was okay and they discharged us.

I was really impressed with Children's Hospital. The staff was great (very knowledgable and also very empathetic). They even have family sleep rooms that you can use so Ryan and I could both be there. It is an amazing facility.

It is so great to be home. We were so ready to bring Ryker home. Here is Nyah holding her little brother our first night home.

Through this last week I was very aware of all of the blessings that were apparent as all of this happened. I believe that in and of itself was one of the blessings. Here is a brief list of some of them....

1. A nurse that pushed us to bring up issues with the pediatrician right before we went home

2. A pediatrician that was willing to order more tests and defer to the "experts" when needed

3. He didn't pass his final spot check on his oxygen level so they did further checking

4. Having my mom in town to help with Nyah (and everything else) while all of this was happening

5. The priesthood and the comfort and healing power it provides

6. Being only 30 minutes away from an amazing hospital that covers a 9-state region

7. Intelligent and amazing doctors and nurses

8. Support from family and friends

I will work on getting some updated pictures posted as well. Time is already flying by!

A Fun Change

People in Colorado don't think you should use siding on your house so the result is - you get to paint the house instead. Ryan started talking about it last year and wondered if we should just do it ourselves. However, I really didn't want a summer long project (spending every spare second) painting the house. Ryan did a bunch of research and found a great company and they came and painted it in a day and a half. We completely changed the color, and we both really like it and .... I LOVE the fact that it's done.

Other Fun Things in April and May

I wanted to post some pictures from other things that have happened the last couple of months. The first picture is of Hallie and Nyah "dancing". They were so cute dancing together. Aaron, Lisa, Jordan and Hallie came the beginning of April. This was the first time Hallie and Nyah actually played together independently for blocks of time. It made it super nice because we could actually play games while they had their own fun. :)

Then there are some pictures of Nyah at tumble time. She still loves it. She just finished her first session of classes when she goes without parents and it sounds like it went okay so we have her signed up again in July. We are taking a break for the month of June since there are enough other things going on right now....

Then there are some pictures of Nyah with Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Grandpa when they came the first part of May. In the first one Nyah talked Grandma Marilyn into letting her put on the new doll clothes Grandma bought at the American Girl store. Nyah has one pony tail in and one out because Grandma wanted to see how long they were.

Next some pictures of Nyah at the park (Grandpa Grandpa and Grandma Marilyn were there too but not in the pictures). Nyah is making some good progress on the monkey bars these days and has decided she likes the toys where she can climb.

Nyah talked Ryan into laying down by her and this is how I found them an hour or so later. :)

Jana was the next to come visit in May and here is a picture of us at the airport. I did not do well taking pictures that weekend. I always think I'm going to do better and then don't. Maybe I just need to constantly where my camera around with me. And yes, Nyah is in her jammies after her Sunday nap (and they are snowman pajamas because that's what she wanted to wear). Gotta love the independence of a three-year old!

This last one is the new spot Toby has chosen to take a nap in the back yard. What a silly dog.