Splat! Ninja mom to the...rescue!

Rabbit Spies a Star

2011-12-22T12:53:00.003-07:00

What happens when you give a Beautiful Rabbit a video camera?

Good Girl

2011-11-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

Angel & Seraph

For a long time now, I've felt like Seraph understands what's going on around her even though she doesn't communicate much. Lately she's starting to really show that she understands!
When we came home Friday, I ran upstairs to turn off the beeping on her feeding pump. She immediately burst into tears when I left the room. (like babies do when they see mom leaving). When I came back, I learned it wasn't me she was missing at all! On the way home, I'd told the girls we could watch Dora when we got home. Then, I'd run upstairs before turning on Dora!! Naughty mommy! Seraph pointed at the TV and said, "Dora, Dora!!"
Good girl!

We've been sick a lot this month. I've kept Seraph home for preschool for the last 3 weeks. Today, as I was helping her get dressed, I told her that she would be going to school today. After we came downstairs, she started talking about her shoes. I left to grab a brush....and when I came back she was holding her backpack and pointed out the window and said, "bus!" The bus wasn't here yet, but she knew it would be coming for her :)
Good girl!

She's been letting me snuggle with her lately. Yay :)
Last night she practiced falling (onto the bed) and letting me comfort her. We played this game over and over. She'd fall. I'd ask if she was OK or if she bonked her head or if she needed a kiss or if she needed help getting up. She led me through lots of scenarios. This is one of my favorite games because....this morning when she really did fall down, I knew exactly what to say. and she was immediately comforted and went on her way as if nothing had happened.
Good Mommy!

I Can Do it Myself: the MakeUp Edition

2011-11-17T17:41:00.001-07:00

The girls like to get into my makeup. It's a nightmare. They smear it all over the cabinets, floor, bed. They mix, dig-out, and dump out everything. So....we made a deal. When they want to play with my makeup, they come tell me. Then I get to help them. Then it's not so destructive. So, don't tell Dad, but here's my pretty girls:

Finch applying her eye shadow

Seraph loved the blush best

Angel wanted blue!

she did pretty good for no help.
Her blush was a little low

Finch helped Seraph
and liked the colors

This gives me hope that I'll
be able to do all the girls' hair
before school each morning

Kisses!

Seraph kisses!

Angel kisses
I love this picture!

Halloween Party

2011-10-19T12:28:00.001-06:00

The girls woke up early today to attend
Seraph's preschool Halloween Party!

Seraph LOVED being a kitty-cat just like Finch.
She even LOVED wearing her "ears."

the girls played lots of games

Seraph wasn't very interested in decorating cookies.

Instead she found a HUGE spider and
played and danced with it for a LONG time.

Angel making sure she had all her treats

Delightful Finch showing us how to
blow the bubbles

Seraph enjoying her "pet" spider.

Other games included:

Halloween pictured Bingo (Seraph knew all the pictures, and she'd say the word then put the candy on the correct picture. My jaw dropped. Amazing!!)
"Fishing"
Ring Toss (onto a blow-up Octopus)
Cookie Decorating
pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern
Halloween bowling (they put socks over the toy bowling pins to make them look like ghosts...and we bowled them with toy pumpkins)
making Monster hands (food services preparation glove filled with popcorn with candy corn as the fingernails. Seraph loved this one the most because they'd filled a water-table with popcorn instead of water and she thought it was crazy fun to play with the popcorn.)
Story Center (TONS of Halloween books for us to read to our kids while they sit on chairs or bean bags.)

We might have been stuck at the story center all day.....luckily they have a fish tank by the main office so I was able to tear them away from the books.

Rabbit Spies an Angel

2011-10-01T17:29:00.003-06:00

What happens when you send a Beautiful Rabbit and Angel outside with a camera?

First they find the flowers!

love the toes!

I love how big sister got her shadow in this one :)

everything is more perfect with flowers!!

Angel

Big Hugs!! (This is sooooo Angel)

Give me an "A"

2011-09-27T00:57:00.001-06:00

My new keyboard came today. (The spacebar on the old one was half gone...somehow). I love the new one - logitech - I wanted a keyboard with a sleep button...but not one that's the easiest button in the world to press :p

So, I gave my old keyboard to Seraph. She was delighted!!

I didn't expect her to completely destroy it so quickly. (I didn't even put bbq sauce on it!)
Once she realized I wasn't going to yell at her for biting off the letters, she really went at it.

Once she finished demolishing the old keyboard, she went straight to my new keyboard and started typing on it. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous. But, at the end of the day, my new keyboard was still intact. Does that mean she can tell the difference between new and junk?

Red

2011-09-16T20:31:00.000-06:00

I was transferring the Red Vines to a Zip-lock bag. The kids were all downstairs except Seraph, so I thought it was safe. Seraph said, "Mommy, I want some RED."
Now, that counts as talking, right? Can she officially be a talker now?
Yes, I gave her the candy.
Yes, she promptly threw it on the floor instead of tasting it.
I guess one miracle is enough for today ;)

Sun Daze

2011-09-11T20:56:00.000-06:00

Sundays are a tiny bit easier than I remembered. I'm looking forward to the time when the kids are old enough that I can sit next to Haqon at Church. For now, we stick the kids between us and blow each other kisses. I like to sit where I can see the tiny babies. I guess my youngest is old enough now that I'd be getting baby hungry if I wasn't done having kids. It doesn't make them any less cute ;)
Everyone asks about Seraph. She is doing well. I can't say she knows how to talk...but she knows how to sing. She sings ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Wiggle Wiggle, and a few others. The cool part is that she enunciates well enough for non-family members to understand what she's saying.
She plays with Angel all the time. It's cute!

2011-08-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

Finch, Seraph, Bear, Angel (left to right)

Seraph has been putting food in her mouth on purpose! She doesn't like to do it when Mom is nearby......but she'll climb up when everyone is gone and poke food with the back side of a spoon and then taste it. So far she likes Oreo ice cream (ooops, she's allergic to dairy!) and strawberry jam. What?? When did she start liking sweet stuff??

Her skills at making HUGE messes with food have really developed this past month. (This is a big step from not wanting any food to touch her!)

She's added many new words this month, too. Yesterday she said: "Mom, I need you to give me drink." When I reminded her to ask for water in her cup. She says, "Mommy" every time she sees me...which I just love!! She's very loving...and gives us hugs and kisses...and her favorite toys hugs and kisses....and my kids' friends hugs and kisses.

She's getting more used to taking the bus to preschool. Today she frowned, but didn't cry. Delightful Finch kept asking, "Mommy, where is my bus? I want a bus to take me to my class!" She's out of luck as we live very close to the school she'll be attending next year.

Finch is also having a hard time with Angel's potty training. Finch doesn't understand why we don't all get candy when *she* goes potty. Beautiful Rabbit (as the oldest child) is very sympathetic of Finch's plight.

First day of Preschool

2011-08-17T14:27:00.007-06:00

Angel & Finch playing outside waiting for Seraph to come home.

"Hey, where's Seraph's bus?"

"I think I see it!"

"Seraph!!!! How was your first day of preschool?"

Seraph didn't stop to give me hugs or even
say hello. She bee-lined straight for the water
cup I'd left on the steps. It must've been a
thirsty day because usually ignores her sippy cup.

bye bye, bus!

Seraph's AVSD and HeartBabyHome

2011-08-17T00:41:00.003-06:00

Last year I shared Seraph's Story. This year I find myself looking back.

This is Seraph:

This was Seraph's heart at birth:

Dextrocardia,
AVSD--Atrioventricular Septal Defect,
DORV--Double Outlet Right Ventricle,
PFO--Patent Foramen Ovale
1--Coartation of the aorta,
2--Transposition of the Great Vessels,
3--Pulmonary Vein Stenosis

I remember driving home from the OB's office, still in shock, pregnant with TWINS!! I stopped at the gas station, leaned against my tiny, blue car, and took deep breaths. Unbelievable. Life is going to be so different. Wow.

I had no idea....how much it would change.

I remember driving home from my first fetal echocardiogram at the hospital. My parents had been watching the older kids. I walked them out to their car to speak with them privately. I stood on the curb, picked green leaves off a short tree, and told my dad that we were gonna need a miracle.

I had no idea....that we'd need more than one.

I remember standing in the poring rain by the lake trying to get far enough away to hear the doctors when they called to summon us to the hospital. Seraph was very sick and they didn't think she'd make it through the night. I remember my family being there for me. for us. I remember the doctors being wrong....again.

I had no idea....how hard I could pray.

I remember the red bow they stuck on Seraph's head in the ICU on Christmas Eve. Her meds made her cheeks bright red, too. Seraph was very sick and spent too much of her first year in the hospital. My two biggest fears (before she was born) were losing a child and driving in crappy weather. I remember cascades of slushy snow spurting from a snowplow as I edged around it in a blizzard to get to Seraph in the ICU.

I had no idea....how many babies spent their holidays in the ICU.

I remember Seraph's eyes lighting up as she watched videos of her brother and sisters playing at home. I'd throw blankets over her head and she'd giggle. I'd hold her and rock her and hold her some more. Then I'd go home and call the nurse to see if she was OK. I'd touch her empty crib and whisper a prayer. I'd wake up in the morning and call her doctor to go over the plan.

I had no idea.....how fiercely we would love her.

I remember going in to check on her late one night. Seraph was sleeping peacefully. ....her g-tube beside her on the bed, her feeding pump spilling formula everywhere. I rolled her over. The hole in her tummy was too far closed for me to put the gtube back. I'd have to wake her. Take her to the ER. They'd hold her down and force it in. I took a deep breath. Grabbed the supplies. Lubricated everything and shoved that gtube in so fast that she didn't wake up.

I had no idea....that I could do that...it was better than shoving that yellow tube down her nose.

I remember sitting on the lawn with my friends picking one blade of grass at a time and telling them about a little boy who'd earned his angel wings while waiting for a heart transplant in Texas. I didn't know the family but my heart ached and I wept. I wondered if the Grinch hurt when his heart grew 3 sizes in one day.

I had no idea....how much more my heart could grow.

I remember sitting in a canoe watching the sparkles dance on the waves and explaining to my husband why I wanted to draw heart illustrations to help moms explain congenital heart defects to the friends and families. That's when www.HeartBabyHome.com was born. It was my birthday. He did all the paddling while I dragged my feet in the water to steer.

I had no idea.....how wonky hearts could be or how many little hearts would touch my own. Your children are precious and amazing. Thank you for letting me draw their hearts.

I remember sitting in recovery after a very short heart Cath trying to keep Seraph's leg straight for 6 hours. Ya right. Miserable. I didn't know how I'd make it through another surgery. I remember her carefully worded request: 'Mom, I need you to CAR' when the doctor walked in.

I had no idea....her high pressures would rule out the Fontan.

I remember being approached by a young boy at church. It was the day we fasted and prayed for Seraph. He had both concern and determination in his eyes as he asked me if Seraph was OK. "She's doing really well today."

I had no idea....how much people would care about my little girl. Thank you.

I remember meeting other heart moms who filled me with so much hope that I'm left wondering if they were real...or angels in disguise. Perhaps a little of both. I had no idea how closely God watches over us.

Tomorrow will be Seraph's first day of preschool. Wow. I have no idea.....how I'll survive ;)

Mah!

2011-08-08T12:21:00.002-06:00

When Seraph was little, she noticed that everyone was giving her kisses and she wanted to give us kisses back. She couldn't quite figure out how to do it. So, instead, she'd push her lips against your face while saying, "Mmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaah!"
Seraph has since learned how to make kissing sounds with just her lips. So, she doesn't say it anymore. However, it's become traditional in our family to say, "Mmmmmmmmaaaah!" (even without the kiss) as a loving greeting or farewell.

"Love you, Mom, mmmmmmmmmmaaaaaah!"

"Goodnight, sweetie, mmmmmmmmmmaaaaah!"

"I'm going over to Jeff's house - mmmmmmmmmaaaaah!"

"Have a good day at school! Mmmmmmmaaaaah!"

"Missed you! Mmmmmmaaaaaah!

Get a Kix out of Food

2011-08-06T13:45:00.000-06:00

Kix Cereal is fantastic for feeding therapy. Here's the game we played with Seraph today:

get a small bowl and some Kix Cereal (or anything small and spherical)
put one Kix ball just inside your mouth and then blow it out into the bowl and count, "ONE"
Now put a Kix ball in Seraph's mouth and tell her to blow it into the bowl and count, "TWO"
Let her have lots of turns, but do it again yourself if she starts freaking out.

The beauty of this game is that you're telling her to spit it out. So, she doesn't freak out that something is in her mouth. Yet, it's in her mouth long enough for her to lean over the bowl. This gives her time to taste it AND time to manipulate it around her mouth with her tongue. Put it under her tongue or in her cheek. Yes, she let me put it in her mouth. The most important part is that you're showing her to spit it out...and telling her to spit it out. This is what makes the game non-threatening.

Other games we play with Kix cereal:

pick up the balls one at a time with fingers and drop them in the bowl and count them
blow them across the table
put them just inside your lips and then blow them with a puff of air (Seraph finds this game so hilarious, she forgets food is touching her mouth).

Day One

2011-08-05T09:20:00.008-06:00

Oral Feeding.
It's time to get this little girl eating. We took a break from feeding issues for a whole month. It's been really good for her. She seems more interested in tastes than before.

I grabbed the NUK/Gerber Healthy Start Training Toothbrush Set

at my local grocery store. Seraph loves them! She chomps away both near her front teeth and near her molars. She likes them even when I dip or spray them with food. Amazing!

She also let me blast her with this sour candy:

Quick Blast Sour Candy Spray - Kidsmania

It just squirts out a tiny bit of the candy when you press the black piece on top. Last time I tried something like this, she'd gag and drool it all out. It helps that her siblings are so excited to try it, too.

I also got miniature marshmallows and threw them up in the air so they'd fall like rain. Seraph thought this was hilarious. I didn't expect her to eat any. But, a few minutes later I saw one in her mouth. She tried it out for a while and then pushed it out of her mouth with her tongue. She really hates anything sweet so this was a huge step for her.

Goals for August:

She will tolerate 5 different flavors
She will put things in her mouth even if they taste like food.
She will sit at the kids' table for at least 5 minutes while we're eating lunch and dinner.

We're still brushing and flossing her teeth every night. This helps her oral aversions a TON. She LOVES brushing now (used to really hate it, though).

We'll be doing lots of oral play with the toothbrush training set and anything else I can get her to chomp on. (like the rubber ducks. we have about 30 rubber ducks. It started as a collection from doctor's office visits, but now we buy them, too. I don't allow the kids to play with them in the water because I don't want them to get all gross inside.)

We'll also be giving her new tastes of food as often as possible. Hopefully we'll find a flavor that she likes enough to tolerate two tastes of it in a row.

Wish us luck!

First Sentence -

2011-07-29T11:58:00.000-06:00

Per the speech therapist's instructions, I don't lift Seraph out of her crib until she says "up" or at least points up. More often than not, she needs prompting. Today I was a bit late getting her up. As soon as I came into sight, she yelled, "UP!!!" Then when I got to the crib she surprised me with her first full sentence: "I need you lift help me to up."

Then when we got downstairs she said, "I need you to help me Dora." Wow. I found the kids' Dora Movie and got her a Dora shirt for good measure. She's playing along with the Dora Movie and giggling. Yay!

Footprints

2011-07-23T02:45:00.001-06:00

We've been really sick this past week. Feeling better today. We rode bikes to the school to check on the class lists. Then Seraph ran over to see the sprinklers. Bear and Finch were sopping wet in seconds, but Seraph stuck to the outskirts of the water. Still, she was very brave.

Surgery Date Set for Seraph's Next Open Heart Surgery: August 30th

2011-06-27T17:14:00.001-06:00

Angel & Seraph 11 days old
(minutes before Seraph's first open heart surgery)

Beautiful Rabbit (8yrs) holding Seraph & Angel
the day we brought Seraph home from the
hospital the first time (1 month old)

Angel & Seraph the night before Seraph's second
open heart surgery (4 months old)

Delightful Finch, Seraph, & Angel 2 months *before*
Seraph's third open heart surgery (3 years old)

----------------------------------------------------

Seraph's (Fontan) open heart surgery is scheduled for August 30th. We're planning on requesting a day of prayer and fasting for her to be held on the first Sunday in August. More details on that and the surgery later.

This should be her last surgery for 15+ years if all goes well.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T00:39:00.000-06:00

Oh Dear...

2011-06-14T18:02:00.000-06:00

Dear health insurance: Why d'ya have to be so complicated?....just because you'll eventually pay the bills doesn't mean I don't hate you.
Dear Seraph's Impending Surgeries: there's a thin line between preparing fully and worrying oneself into depression
Dear Seraph's Heart: Please let go of the creativity and try it the cardiologist's way. kk thx.
Dear Sexy Haqon: YES!
Dear Mom: I love you
Dear Safire: take good care of our Flower :) and send her home happy
Dear iPad: Sorry your screen is so dirty. The kids love you
Dear Bed: I miss you!
Dear God: Thanks!
Dear Ani: *hugs*
Dear Rabbit: you are NOT a teenager. No need to practice early.
Dear Grandma V: you still trying to pull my hair??
Dear html: the H stands for 'headache", right?
Dear SITS: I wanna play...but the time keeps slipping by...
Dear "the Glades": thanks for being around when Castle wasn't
Dear "Psych": you're late!
Dear headache: please stop coming back
Dear Food: ok so on video games...I just have to have food in my pouch and then I don't go hungry. Could we try it like that? so...if there's food in my kitchen that's the same as eating, thx.
Dear John Sandford and Stephen Moffat: More, please. (no...like right now!!)
Dear Internet: they're updating our router so you'll be faster. <3. Don't ever stop!
Dear my-kids'-Cousins: come on over!
Dear Heart-illustration-I-can't-figure-out-how-to-draw: um...what???
Dear my-neice's-chemistry: I just don't get you.
Dear books-that-make-me-cry: I don't care if you're good. Get lost.
Dear Moms-that-were-inpatient-w/-me: I can't believe it's been 3 years...
Dear fellow-heart-moms: I'm sorry
Dear siblings: come visit!
Dear money: ....why are you always just smaller than my eyes..
Dear Kelly and Pippa: Why do people sip wine while they're making dinner?
Dear Angel: sorry I lost your binky. (I found it again, but DAD says you don't need it.)
Dear Tylenol: Can we work out some sort autoship/payment plan?
Dear Bathroom: Clean thyself more regularly.
Dear Family: thinking about having a naked day once a week so we can cut back on laundry. Any prefs on which day I pick:
Dear MsBabyPlan: what's up, girL?? You in Canada now? Miss your cute posts...hope you're knocked up.
Dear kitchen floor: I *just* swept you...what are all these crumbs....
Dear Me: *ahem* ...aren't you supposed to be doing something productive right now?...

There must be something going on up there....

2011-06-12T23:01:00.000-06:00

I asked my SIL, Safire, to do this with me...and I just noticed she's already posted it. So, I'm gonna sneak it in. The deal is you just sit down and write for 5 minutes and then you're done - no editing or planning things out. So, forgive me if it comes out a huge mess. and here we go!

Cousin H is leaving tomorrow. She's flying back to visit Safire and her cute family. We'll miss Cousin H. She's been coming over more and more. She takes Beautiful Rabbit swimming. Seraph LOVES playing with her keys --carries them around the house jangling them like they're some priceless treasure. Strong Bear was brought to tears one time when Cousin H left before he had a chance to say goodbye (he was upstairs and supposed to be in bed asleep.)We haven't seen Cousin C for a while.I guess my thoughts inevitably turn towards August and Seraph's looming surgeries. I give her extra kisses every day. She's so warm. So happy. So alive. Really, really full of life. Tonight Sexy Haqon threw a rubber ducky over and over and she'd fetch it like a puppy dog. She'd bring it back in her mouth and clink to it tightly with her teeth as Haqon tried to break it free. She thought it was the funniest game ever.Yesterday the funniest game ever was me spinning a frisbie on its side (like a quarter). Fascinating!We took Seraph swimming a few days ago and she loved it!I've been practicing comforting her. She sings the ABC's while she's crying to self comfort.Time passes so quickly!

Have you done your 20 minutes of reading yet?

2011-06-03T11:49:00.000-06:00

My girlie was bit by the reading faerie at a very young age...

It's not so much have you done your reading....

as hey, turn off your light you're supposed to be in bed SLEEPING!

Her backpack is crazy heavy because of all the library books and personal books she hauls around just in case she has spare time to read. Now if I could just get her to remember to get her reading minutes signed each night....ya know, so she gets credit for all this reading.

Honk, Honk

2011-06-01T01:31:00.002-06:00

I Change the Words...

2011-05-31T01:41:00.002-06:00

The first time I sang "You are my Sunshine" to Seraph:

"You are my sunshine,

my only sunshine,

you make me happy,

when skies are gray.

you'll never know dear,

how much I love you...."

[I couldn't bring myself to say the words...so I sang:]

"each and every day!"

It didn't start with Seraph, though....the first night I was a mother, I took took a very tiny Beautiful Rabbit in my arms and rocked her to sleep. While I rocked her, I sang:

"Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top,

when the wind blows the cradle will rock.

When the bough breaks,

the cradle will fall,

and mommy will catch you,

cradle and all."

My kids still think those are the real words....

Accidental Souls...

2011-05-30T00:33:00.000-06:00

I can't find my camera!! I've missed a few days of the twins-pictures....but it started seeming like a LOT of pictures. But now I'm sad that I don't have the days I missed. OK, I *will* find my camera tomorrow.

Sitting in church today,...
it's hard to keep all 5 kids reverent for that long. Haqon and I usually sit with the kids between us to keep them boxed in. Today we sat together, which was heavenly.... :) But, when we were singing, he accidentally sang "souls" when he should've sang a totally different word. It completely changed the meaning and I may have elbowed him a bit. Then I got distracted towards the end (by one of the twins) and *I* sang "souls" in the same line of the chorus because he totally infected me! So not my fault!!

Finch

2011-05-06T13:30:00.002-06:00

Finch: I'm not in trouble, Mommy. I'm AWESOME!! and Beautiful Rabbit is awesome, too!

Tells it Like it Is...

2011-04-19T19:21:00.000-06:00

Finch and Angel were playing a game. Angel fell down and started crying. Finch decided the game was over and walked away....
Mom: Finch! Go see if Angel is ok! [like go give her a hug and ask if she needs anything]
Finch: She is NOT ok. [task completed, walks off]

A Very Happy Echo

2011-04-17T17:12:00.000-06:00

Seraph had a sedated echo cardiogram this week. It's like an ultrasound on her heart. They sedated her so she'd lay still long enough for them to get a good look at everything.

Seraph didn't mind being up at 6am. I had to be up late to do her midnight feeding and then switch to pedialyte at 2am. I was really tired. Thank heavens Daddy was driving! Seraph loves driving. She mostly watches out the window and kicks her feet.

Seraph liked the toys outside of xray. She hated xray. They make her sit still and mommy leaves!! I like to stand back by the computers so I can take a peek at her xray as it pops up on the screen. Her xrays looked fantastic this time :) yay!

There was a computer in the examination room! Seraph couldn't quite reach the keyboard...but some nice person had left the mouse on the floor for her to play with.

There was a LOT of waiting....and Daddy got lots of work done on his phone. Thankfully, I had the iPad along to keep Seraph busy. (I brought it to read a book while she was sedated, but once she saw it, she demanded her app-play time!)

The nurse practitioner and the cardiologist were super smart - no lab coat today so Seraph had no negative reaction to them even when they listened to her heart and lungs. Seraph was congested from allergies, but they felt she was OK to be sedated.

Seraph was very happy and very social...until the IV-team started putting on gloves. It was a HUGE warning signal for her. She cried immediately and looked around for a way to escape. I used to offer to help hold her still.....but I just can't do it anymore. I figure she needs big hugs when they're done and that's my job.

We almost left her favorite puppy under the chair, but the NP saw it. I would've had to buy her a new one. She loves her puppy that much!

After the IV...we moved to the echo room. I held her on my lap while they started sedating her.
Seraph was almost a year old before she decided to allow me to give her comfort via hugs and touching. Before that she would just shove everyone away. Now she wants me to hold her and give her love. I never knew it was something to be grateful for....but I am ever so grateful she let me hold, comfort, and sooth her as the meds started kicking in. :) She is one tough cookie!

Recovery time was fast. We had our chat with the cardiologist. It was all good. Her heart function/xrays/valves...everything looks good. We've set up a heart Cath in August. Cardiologist is optimist about her next open heart surgery...and feels we'll be able to do it in August.
He also cut back on several of her meds.
It was crazy talking to him....because this was the first time that it was all good news. I feel better about her upcoming surgery. I think she'll do well.

Here's a picture of Seraph the day after her echo:

They told me she would be cranky....boy were they right! but she was also happy to be home.

Tulips and Italian Chores

2011-04-01T18:19:00.001-06:00

July 2008 - the twins were less than a month old. I was still nursing Angel. Seraph was in the step-down unit of the children's hospital (better than ICU and almost ready to come home).

I was invited to a lunch for moms with heart babies (babies born with a congenital heart defect.)

Seraph was asleep in her hospital bed (with nurses watching over her) and hey, free food, so I decided to go.

I remember four things about that lunch:

1-everyone thought Angel (5 lbs and looking every bit like a preemie) was my heart baby and that I (being completely crazy) had somehow unhooked her from all the monitors and snuck her out of the ICU. I got dozens of odd looks until one mom finally confronted me about not being allowed to take babies out of their rooms.

2-The (crazy-pushy) lady sitting next to me decided I was fat and proceeded to tell me that I should go on a diet immediately and lose 30-40 lbs. She used to be fat and now that she'd shed all that extra weight she felt much better and her husband was happier with her now. This after I mentioned the yummy blueberry cheesecake offered in the hospital cafeteria. Yes, I put on weight when I had the twins....but going on a diet with a newborn in the hospital didn't seem like an excellent plan.

3-The heart-baby story about wanting to take a trip to Italy and ending up taking a trip to Holland instead.

4-"don't treat your heart-defect child differently....give her chores just like the rest of your kids."

Chores. cool. OK. I'll do that. Lame. Why would any parent need to be told that?...then Seraph's therapist said it again 2 weeks ago. "Give Seraph chores."

What? You mean now? already?

Ok, so...I give Angel chores. *but* Angel talks. Angel understands me. Angel does the job I ask her to do.
I don't give Seraph chores. What would be the point?

Seraph's new chore is taking her (wet but not poopy) diaper to the diaper pail. At first she'd throw it on the floor and then clap her hands. Great fun. Then I'd pick it up with her hand and walk her to the pail. Four times later, I just tell her to do it...and she does. Wild cheering and high fives follows.

With my mom watching, I handed Seraph her old diaper today and told her to throw it in the diaper pail. Grandma's jaw dropped as Seraph walked down the hall, tossed it in the pail, cheered for herself, and then came back for high-fives.

I love my little "Holland" girl. She is fierce and full of joy.

Use your Words

2011-03-29T01:17:00.000-06:00

Seraph said a few new words today: "wow" (to copy a toy), "die" (much to the delight of her big brother).
She also made a recognizable attempt to sing the ABC's song.

She's right on the verge of talking...and I'm sooooo excited. In a few months I won't be able to remember when she couldn't talk. But, for now, I am trying hard to remember how long it took my kids to start talking once they reached this "almost" stage.

Walking to School today...

2011-03-21T12:59:00.000-06:00

Mom: Ok, Bear, give me a big hug! Have fun at school today

[big hug]

Mom: Hey, what's that on your coat? Why is your shirt wet?

Bear: I threw up.

Mom:....you threw up?

Bear: ya

Mom: When did you throw up?

Bear: Just now when we were walking to school.

Mom: Let's go home, bear.

Mom: Next time tell me before I put my nose up close to smell it, ok?

Bear: Ok, Mom.

-----------------------------------------

One

2011-03-14T16:25:00.000-06:00

Finch: Can I have another applesauce?
Mom: No, I told you that you could only have one.
Finch: But I want one!
Mom: No, you already had one!
Finch: but I want one that's a different one because this one is gone!
Mom:...
Finch: Say "yes", Mom.

Sweet Angel

2011-02-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Mom [on phone]: Love you, Sweetie. b-bye.
Angel: Was that Daddy?
Mom: Yep.
Angel: That's soooo COOL!!

Angel: Mom, I hit your computer.....and I'm so, so, soooo sorry :(
Mom: Awwww...I forgive you, sweetie.
Angel: Yay! Squeezie hug! [/big hugs]

[Bear, Finch, Angel are all playing in the castle...when Mom enters the room]
Mom: Bear, come here--is your tummy still hungry?
Finch: Mom, we're not in trouble
Bear: We're just playing - we're not doing anything.
Angel: [pokes her head out the castle window] Mom, we're playing Magic Cards!!! [/huge smile]**
Bear: ANGEL!! Don't say that!!
Finch: [scampers out of the castle] I need to go upstairs now.....

**no magic cards were hurt in the making of this memory. Thank goodness!

The Slumber Party

2011-02-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Finch and Angel dragged their beds together for a slumber party.

It wasn't long before Seraph was in on the fun:

Cuties! Hope they have fun :)

Seraph Teaches Angel a New Game!!

2011-02-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

Leaks

2011-02-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

Seraph whined for an hour today before I figured out her gtube was leaking. Her shirt was so dark that I didn't notice the stain. I tried all sorts of things and finally decided she just needed a nap...but couldn't calm her down. Right about the time I started to get worried, I patted her tummy and her shirt squished. Poor girl. I told her to just use her words next time. I think she ignored me. She was lots happier cleaned up and in dry clothes.

A few weeks ago her GI doctor told me to check her gtube every 4-6 days. He said sometimes they get a slow leak but if you check it often you can refill the balloon instead of inserting a new one. I refilled it. I'll check it again tomorrow to see if it's a slow leak or needs to be replaced. It was only half a ml low, but that was enough to leak.

Beautiful Rabbit saw me making a collage on picnik. OOoooooooh!! She wanted to try it:

You should try it - it's fun. :)

2011-01-28T01:28:00.002-07:00

Mirror mirror on the wall....

2011-01-27T02:22:00.000-07:00

Finch: Mom, I have to go look in the mirror.
Finch: OOOooh!! I am BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

On!

2011-01-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

No, this has nothing to do with certain rival football teams. Angel really, really, really wanted to wear the red one....and then Seraph wanted one, too.
Seraph has been sticking up for herself more lately. Angel was drinking from Seraph's sippy cup earlier...and Seraph made a HUGE stink about it.
She's also tall enough to grab all the spoons out of the drawer and throw them on the floor. She pretends she doesn't know she's not supposed to do it, but I know better!
I used to avoid putting Seraph in blue at all costs....(it makes her skin look even more purple)...but she loves this jacket and often brings it to me and makes me put it on her. and I'm a sucker for every bit of effort she puts into communication.

Seraph's Vocab

2011-01-24T00:41:00.000-07:00

Words: moo, meow, ruff, tweet, oh oh, up, down, jump, more, purple, thank you, ma, da, Elmo, blue, woah!

We watched the first half of the game. Go team Go!!!

What I did NOT do today

2011-01-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

I did not rush Seraph to the hospital when I saw that the bruise over her eye had doubled in size over night
I did not take pictures of Beautiful Rabbit sledding in the foothills
I did not send off the final full-color illustration for a book
I did not get the kids to go to sleep (or even stay in their beds) at bedtime
I did not watch a zombie kiss garlic or hug a walnut tree.
I did not watch the series finale of Medium for the third time
I did not withhold any tears while watching that finale for the second time
I did not cover Angel's entire bed with duct tape
I did not make lasagna for breakfast
I did not have a bad day

What I did today

2011-01-22T00:57:00.000-07:00

found the what I did today blog
played make-up with my "dolls"
"camera me!"
tickled Bear
ate sushi
a little shower/water therapy with Seraph
listened to that lil stinker (Seraph) empty the spoons out of the drawer ....twice!
reminded the kids about the "no water out of the tub" rule and made them clean it up.
walked Bear to the corner for school
hugs and kisses
"run for our lives!" (that's what Finch says every time she flushes the toilet....and you just have to run! She grabs her pants on the way out...and comes back to wash hands)
learned about a heart defect that doesn't affect my life
opened a late Christmas present that was beautiful (and my favorite color) with a note that make me LOL (thx, M)
watched the first Yin/Yang episode of Psych w/ Beautiful Rabbit.
mourned the loss of "Dora Saves the Day" because of a huge scratch......though Dora will always be with us in our hearts.....and also with us because Angel can recite the whole thing start to finish and does so almost every night at bedtime and then again at 4am.
ran out of room on my camera's memory card!
enjoyed being happy

Not again!

2011-01-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

I have sooo many things crammed into each day. That doesn't count changing diapers or dealing with icky insurance problems. So I'm big on multitasking. But, kids know when they're being multitasked. They know you're not really comforting them if you're clicking your mouse.....or not really reading them the book if you're folding laundry. You can double up too much and then no one feels like they got any time even though really everyone got all the time.
So, today I did it the other way. Instead of juggling all the kids, I grabbed the closest one and gave her 10 minutes of all my attention. It was Angel.
She taught me a new game: you say "not again" with different nuances giving it a slightly different meaning each time you say it. Clever girl.
Later I gave most of my attention to Finch (while I was preparing meds).
Instead of trying to split my attention fairly, I tried to give it out in bigger/more focused chunks.
Potty training went better.
The girls were happier.
I'm happier.

Ooops...

2011-01-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

Made the mistake of showing Finch how silly she looks when she's jumping up and down for the picture!

How do the kids know to be wild and crazy at bedtime when Dad's working late?
Strong Bear read bedtime stories to Finch tonight while I took care of the twins. Wow, it's nice to have another reader in the family!

Plant Soilers!

2011-01-19T01:36:00.001-07:00

My cute lil zombies love it when their cousins visit! It's like a bright sunflower bringing us rays of sunshine...with really cool music in the background!
Hope to see more of you soon :)

Under a Mountain of Laundry...

2011-01-18T01:30:00.000-07:00

I got bit by the cleaning bug today! I moved my bed to clean and vacuum under it. The kids cleaned their room:

Mom: is your room all clean?

Bear: yep

Mom: so, everything is off the floor and I can vacuum now?

Bear: oh, nope.

Mom: hey, why did you put your clothes in the garbage bag?

Bear: I didn't know you didn't want me to throw away my clothes!!!

Mom: is your room clean now?

Bear: all clean

Mom: so I can vacuum?

Bear: umm....maybe

Mom: you wanna go check?

Bear: well, Finch wasn't helping!!

....[etc]

Go Team!

2011-01-17T02:18:00.000-07:00

Watched the Jets with my lil football fan today. Sexy Haqon watched the game with us - rooting for the wrong team just to spice things up.
The kids also played a game where they stack all the pillows on the floor and then run and jump over the pillows or knock them down. At one point, they let the twins have a go. Seraph was crazy happy to be included in the game. Rabbit dropped her off on the couch afterwards and she couldn't stop jumping. Angel just ran to jump on the pillows again and again. I love our couch!

2011-01-16T02:29:00.000-07:00

Delightful Finch: Camera me!!!

Dinner time

2011-01-15T01:37:00.000-07:00

Silly Seraph

Dinner came early tonight because Mommy was craving pancakes at 4pm. Seraph had pancakes, eggs, pumpkin-spread, and cereal. She hated every moment...but was back to smiles for the camera. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever have another peaceful meal. ...but who am I kidding - meals weren't that peaceful before we started force feeding Seraph!
She's more and more grown up all the time.

Dress up

2011-01-14T02:27:00.000-07:00

princesses

The kids played dress up tonight....and then marched downstairs all together to show Dad. Ooops, guess they forgot Dad worked late and wasn't home yet. Good thing I got lots of pictures!

Doctor Visit: GI

2011-01-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

I thought Seraph's cardiologist trumped everyone else. I was wrong! Seraph's Gastrointestinal (GI) doctor says Seraph is on a good track for her weight and height gain and that she won't be 30 lbs by May. Cardiologist wanted her to be 30 lbs in May for her next surgery. I guess the surgery will be later.
I also learned that Seraph's stomach empties very slowly. This is why she's been having trouble with the last 3rd of her feed. I need to feed her (thru the g-tube) over 40-45 minutes. I told the doctor straight up that it's just not going to happen. We agreed to a modified feed where I do 1/3 of the feed and then go do something else for 20 minutes and then repeat until her feed is done.
I thought she'd be happier on this schedule, but she HATES being bugged so many times. I have high hopes that she'll get used to it.
The doctor also asked me if she'd been vomiting. No. I asked him if vomiting was common in cardiac kids and he said yes. He didn't know why - mumbled something about organs not getting enough oxygen for extended periods of time. He wants to see her again in 4 months.
It's still kinda funny to me that we're hoping Seraph will *become* a picky eater.

What did I say??

2011-01-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

B: Mom, can I have some gold fish [crackers]?
Mom: You haven't finished your dinner! You need to clean your plate before you can have any goldfish.
B: Mom, my plate is clean. [lasagna having been dumped in the sink] Now can I have goldfish?
Mom: ooops...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
poor word choice on my part. No, this wasn't delightful Finch...but I love this picture of her. I bought my current camera so I could take pictures of her that aren't blurry. That girl can NOT hold still when she's happy.

The Bedtime Games

2011-01-11T01:54:00.004-07:00

Tonight we put the kids to bed.....
and they just kept coming back downstairs. Finally I put Bear and Finch to bed for the last time. Under no circumstances where they to get up for any reason. If they got out of bed again, I'd close the door. (the lightbulb in their room is not working, so closing the door is a big threat.) If I had to come up again after the door was closed, no computer or iPad for either of them tomorrow. Less than a minute later.....I see a rope-like object dangling over the side of the stairs accompanied by giggles. Unbelievable!!!
Finch hurt her leg running back to bed.
It didn't help that Seraph was outside their bedroom door playing. Angel slept through all of this. She's an angel :) [Seraph goes to bed later than the other kids....but that's a story for another day]

Ouch

2011-01-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Rabbit: Tickle me!!

Mommy had a migraine today. ...til about 7pm
I bet my kids learned some new phrases...like, "no, I can't do that. My head hurts" and "ouch, ouch - you're kicking me in the head!!" It was great fun - they'd copy the new phrases and then giggle and scream. /sigh
They'll rotate them into their playtime this week.
silly gooses!

Snip and Load

2011-01-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

long hair [B.Rabbit: Mom, that picture is awesome!!Seriously, he looks like...older. Kinda like he's in a spy movie.]

short hair

Strong Bear. Spy movies aside, it was getting waaaaay too long and I'm happy to have it short again.
We also tested the nerf guns with a full on war against Dad. It was awesome!!

The Gal in Charge

2011-01-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

Delightful Finch woke me up this morning to tell me that she didn't want diapers any more and she was going to wear princess underwear today. She'd already taken off the (completely dry) diaper from last night and was fully dressed. I guess that's the end of that. Even with the weird week, she's still easier to potty train than her brother :p
Happy the weekend is here!
People are starting to get ready for CHD Month (February)....I can't think of anything I want to do to promote CHD awareness aside from drawing more hearts. ...and I'm already doing that, so I'm not sure it counts..heh!
Seraph has an appointment with her GI doctor next week. He'll check her G-tube and see that her eating/weight gain is on track.

One little, two little, three little...

2011-01-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

ninjas-in-training

Delightful Finch woke me up around 5am. She seemed upset but I couldn't understand what she was saying. I gave her hugs, told her the sun wasn't up yet, and sent her back to bed. Two hours later I came downstairs to find her eating dry cereal and watching Dora.
I'm pretty sure she just stayed up. She's crashed on the couch tonight. I hope she isn't having nightmares again.
She still refuses to use any potty but the one in the kids' bathroom. Instead of diapers or pull-ups, I've been putting her in swim diapers. They're great because they really don't work. She peed in the first one and it leaked all over and ran down her leg which totally freaked her out. Since that first time she's been keeping the swim diapers bone dry. She comes and tells me when she needs to go potty....almost like she's asking for permission. She hasn't gotten to the point where she just goes by herself. I'm plan to leave her in the swim diapers for a week or two.
Seraph's speech therapist came today with lots of presents! (little cups of food!) We discovered that Seraph hates Nutella and deviled chicken slightly less than she hates other food. She also cries when she's thirsty and can't reach her sippy-cup. She points and tugs on your hand 'til you get in the right spot and hand it to her.
We watched Dora the Explorer while waiting for the therapist to arrive. Seraph picked up some new words: "backpack" and "ya!!"
It was a good day :)

Meatloaf, please!

2011-01-05T16:37:00.002-07:00

We started a new thing for dinner last week. 7 people in my family...so each person gets a night to be in charge of dinner. (Mommy is their helper!) It's been crazy fun. The kids love measuring, stirring, and especially picking what to have. I get to kick everyone out of the kitchen save the ONE person in charge of dinner.

Tonight Delightful Finch is making meatloaf. We had it last week, and the kids loved it so much they wanted to have it again. Beautiful Rabbit declared it the week of yummy dinners every night. and Strong Bear said I'm the best mom he's ever known. (which, of course, is totally true!)
-----------------
Finch [kneeling in front of the oven staring at the meatloaf]: I did a great job, Mom!

Peace

2011-01-05T01:58:00.000-07:00

Seraph didn't scream during every second of dinner tonight. She didn't scream at all. Not even when I shoved beans and stars in her mouth. She took it out straight away and played with it!
Her new speech therapist missed our last two appointments. But, she's assured me that she's coming this week - we have a standing appointment. To be fair, the first miss was because she was sick...and the second was because she was snowed in!
Excited to see how Seraph acts around the therapist this week.
She's been sneaking sips from her cup instead of dumping all of it on the floor lately. Yay!

Babies take naps

2011-01-03T00:04:00.001-07:00

my "sleeping" princess

Delightful Finch is having some potty trauma. It started around Christmas time...and it's getting worse and worse. After being completely potty trained for a month, she's having accidents without realizing it. She's terrified of some (but not all) of the potties in our house. The scary toilets rotate a bit.
I put her back in diapers...but she still tries to hold everything in til she can go potty. So, we have to take off the diaper for potty breaks at various intervals.
No fever, no pain. Trying to get her to drink more water - with some success. However, it hasn't changed anything.
I can't figure out what's going on with her. Any ideas?

Two's

2011-01-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

Seraph & Angel 1/2/11

Nope, they're not in a corner for being naughty. That's where we had our Christmas tree. The couch is all pushed back funny to make space for it....and now there's just nothing there! I'm thinking of leaving it because I like funny spaces for playing.

I still have lots of things on my every day this year list...like exercising...and hugging my kids. I lost the licorice, though. (that's what happens when you pig out on New Years'.

The kids go back to school tomorrow.....

and I still can't find my keys!

wish me luck :)

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T21:25:00.001-07:00

Seraph & Angel

Things I've done every day in 2011 (so far):

Played Castle Ravenloft and Castle Panic
Slept in!
prayed
read scriptures
hugged my kids
ate licorice
Exercised
watched Sexy Haqon make dinner
watched the kids play with their cousins
killed half my pet fish then brought them back to life
read Lee Childs
watched Psych
washed dishes
updated my blog!!

Melts in your Mouth

2010-12-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Seraph is still fed via her gtube....and we're in the process of teaching her how to eat.

Twice a day (it's supposed to be every meal but that never happens), I strap Seraph into her chair and shove three bites of food into her mouth. Breakfast is apple-cinnamon stars! They melt in your mouth so I just grind them into her teeth a bit. The cinnamon is pretty potent for baby food. Her taste buds are fully in now but she's not used to tasting anything.....so we're working on getting used to tastes. She HATES it!

I leave a sippy cup in reach. (Filled with water, but I sometimes add some juice to the water)

The food does NOT go over well. Ever. But....she often grabs the sippy cup to help get rid of the flavors in her mouth.

When it's over, I have to wait til she's not crying before I can get her down. I usually hand her the sippy cup or put it down low where she can grab it. Sometimes I spy her sipping from it later. Yay!

Today I scooped up Angel and fed her the same way right along-side Seraph. She was a good helper! She helped me blow Kix around the table, too. (Seraph gets a big kick out of blowing the tiny Kix balls across the table...it helps distract her so we can take bites of food more often.)

It's incredibly important to Angel to show everyone that she can do anything her siblings can do -- even her lil sister ;) So, she LOVES being treated like Seraph....even if it means eating baby food.

When the therapist told us to explore new flavors with Seraph....

2010-12-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

I don't think she meant shoes.

Seraph's favorite napping spot.

2010-12-11T02:13:00.000-07:00

When our builder said "oh, and we purposely didn't screw in the vents so they'd be easier for you to take off," warning bells rang in my head but I didn't say anything. Seraph loves opening the vent. She's like a lil ferret--it's her "nest" and everything she loves ends up shoved down that hole.

Seraph prefers cooler temperatures. Her heart defects cause her heart to work harder and I think that makes her hotter. She loves cold. So, this vent is her favorite cuz it blows out cool air AND it's right by the front window so she can see everything outside.
I try to keep the vent covered...but,....
Once I came in to find her standing in it.....
She pushes away strategically placed chairs and bags to get to her favorite hole.

She's also started using sounds to communicate. When I put her to bed tonight, she came to the edge of the crib and said, "up!" (no, it didn't work--but I'm happy she tried.) and she likes to bring me her favorite book and say, "Elmo!" so I'll read it to her.

Slurrrrrrrp

2010-12-08T16:04:00.001-07:00

Speech Therapy

Today was our first day with the new speech therapist. We'll miss our friend, Dee, who'd been with us off and on since Seraph was 5 months old! (It's totally weird not having her over weekly now.)
Angel completely freaked out having someone new in the house. I had to hold her the whole time. I thought she'd grown out of this phase. Nope.
Seraph did well. She played with water and made lots of sounds and successfully played with spoons and cups without food while completely shunning anything that had even a tiny bit of food on it. She fed me Popsicles...and sorta tolerated it when I snuck her a few tastes.
We're supposed to touch her face more and have her sit at the table during meals and give her stuff to make messes.

The twins on the wheel go 'round and 'round....all day long!

2010-12-05T01:45:00.001-07:00

Festival of Trees

2010-12-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

Painting with Whipped Cream

2010-12-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Whipped cream painting is like finger painting but the mess isn't as permanent. We used to do this in preschool. What better way to trick Seraph into playing with food!!

Finch loved it!!

Seraph was NOT tricked. Not even for a minute. It was perfect for Angel, though.

Then I "wised-up" and put Strong Bear's on a plate. Big mistake. He barely drew at all! It went straight in his mouth.

A great holiday (or any day) activity. Clean up is easy - wipe everything twice with a warm/hot cloth. Maybe next time we'll try pictionary--naming shapes and letters.

Dinner Music

2010-11-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

I was sooooo busy playing card games that I asked my Sexy Haqon to please feed Seraph for me. When I looked over to see how it was going, she'd gathered a HUGE group of cousins (and an Auntie) to sing to her while Daddy filled up her tummy.
---------------------------------------------------------
I was brushing the tangles out of Angel's hair this morning when.....
Strong Bear: "Mom, you need to stop now. Her hair is pretty enough. You're done."
Angel gladly scooted away and showed off her beautiful do.

Gma & Gpa x 2

2010-11-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

We had both sets of grandparents up for a visit and it was a blast :) Seraph wasn't sure about Gpa C at first, but after a game of peek-a-boo where he jumped his whole body in and out of the room, she decided he was too much fun miss. Angel wasn't happy sitting on any lap--had to have the lap Seraph was already on!
So much fun!

Say Cheeeeeeeeeeeese!

2010-11-24T01:25:00.001-07:00

I forced Seraph to taste some food today - baby pears mixed with low-sodium saltine crackers. It smelled like pie! Seraph hated it! She pulled the most awful face and started crying. I ran across the room to grab my camera for a picture of her "hating the food" but as soon as she saw the camera, her tears turned into a huge smile. She loves loves loves seeing pictures of herself. She always blows herself kisses.

After two more bites of food, she was ready to cry for the camera.

Fingers in the ears is her sign for "stop, I don't like it"

The "danger" wasn't going away fast enough....so she threw all the spoons on the floor.

After lunch, when I was upstairs with Angel, Seraph started unloading the dishwasher for me. She's such a sweetie! She pulled out the dishes and threw them on the floor for me. Such a big helper!

Then she climbed into her new favorite chair--mommy's computer chair. She loves to sit in it and click on the mouse, type a bit, and then turn the monitor around. She may not be eating or talking yet...but she's got the important things down ;)

Snow Day and Cuz

2010-11-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

Cousin D came to visit. He was a huge hit. Everyone loves him. Seraph watched through the window as he made a snow bunny then a snow turtle.

Angel helped - she decided the bunny didn't really want to be left on the porch so she scooped him up and threw him down on the ground. Bunnies prefer to be on the ground.

Finch handed me snowballs (I was inside with Seraph) so I could throw snowballs at D and Beautiful Rabbit (not to be confused with snowy rabbit).

Beautiful Rabbit needs to work on her aim :p She threw very gentle (and barely packed) snowballs at Seraph's window (before we opened it). Seraph LOVED watching the snow splat right in front of her face. Giggles all around.

Ok, I need to get Seraph some boots.

Cousin D fixed snowy bunny...and then gave him a safe little hideout - safe from Angel and bunnies would rather be on the snow than the cement anyway....

Snowy Bunny's new house.

It's supposed to snow more tomorrow....and I haven't taken pictures of the snow turtle yet. He's HUGE! This was way funner than snowmen. Thanks Cousin D!!

My kids all took LONG naps after he left - can't wait for him to visit again :)...tehehe

Outside is funner than Inside

2010-10-28T01:49:00.000-06:00

Did you know it was Seraph?

S-M-L

2010-10-20T20:16:00.000-06:00

Strong Bear: [to Angel] You're small
Strong Bear: [to Finch] You're medium
Strong Bear: and I'm BIG!!
Strong Bear: and Mom, you are humongous!

My lil Vampyre

2010-10-12T23:20:00.000-06:00

Last night Seraph slipped and hit her lip on the bookcase. It bled like crazy!! (She takes a blood thinner). She looked all Halloweeny - it was spooky! I was really freaked out -- wondering if we needed to take her to the hospital. But...daddy said she'd be fine and a few mommy hugs later she ran off to play. Today she was hamming it up for the camera again.
She likes to bolt for the door whenever anyone opens it. She grabs handfuls of lavender and breaks them off and then plays with them like magic wands. Outside is way more fun than inside, even if it's a bit chilly.

Finch Earns a Puppy

2010-10-10T23:44:00.000-06:00

There comes a time when you're willing to stand on your head while singing Elmo's song while juggling a ball with your toes rather than keep changing diapers. Delightful Finch required just the right set of circumstances, but she is basically potty trained now!

I invite Angel to go potty all the time....and she tries, but nothing ever comes out......until today! It finally clicked and she just got it. Sexy Haqon agreed to take care of Seraph's meds/feeds/diapers/etc as well as feeding the kids and keeping the kids from getting bored so I could follow Angel around all day helping her learn this potty thing.
I'm happy with her progress. At first she was surprised by ummm..puddles...but now she can hold it in for almost an hour before needing to go potty. Soon, I'll be able to get Finch and Angel on the same potty schedule...and that'll be perfect.
Then I'll only have one in diapers! I can sooooo handle just one in diapers. Sooooo much nicer than 4 in diapers. AEEEEEEE!!! Thank heavens they grow out of that stage :)

I'm lucky my lil Angel is such a good copy cat. Way to go, lil roo. xoxo
------------------------------------------------------------------
Mom: Finch has been really awesome at this potty thing, so I'm gonna go ahead and get her a puppy.
Dad:[omg, are you crazy!!!] uhhhhh - don't you think we should talk about this first?
Mom: why?
Dad: ......
Mom: oooooh, not a real puppy, sweetie, ...one of those Leapfrog Puppies that says, "I love you, Finch" and sings her songs like Angel's and Seraph's.
Dad: Whew!
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Faerie Wings

2010-09-30T23:52:00.000-06:00

I usually skip contests, but these faerie wings are AMAZING!! and the contest is so simple:
click for details

or

and just in time for Halloween. I mean really, how cool is that? My oldest really likes sunflowers. Ok, you should've clicked thru but here's the link again: http://becauseidontscrapbook.blogspot.com/2010/09/enter-to-win-these-gorgeous-wings.html
You owe me brownies if you win instead of me :p

Happy First Day of Autumn!!

2010-09-23T14:28:00.000-06:00

My lil Angel had a fantastic day. We drove through heavy rain to the library. The rain stopped just long enough for us to run in and grab our books. We grabbed happy meals on the way home and then played til the school kids came home.
Watermelon for dinner plus way too many of Angel's favorite treats: gummi bears with chocolate pudding and donut holes. I forgot to break out the colored marshmallows, so maybe we'll do that today.
Thanks to everyone who called and sent cards for Angel's special day (that she doesn't have to share with Seraph like her birthday.)
--------------------------------
Angel: hey you, buzzy-bee fly!! Hi-yah!!! [complete with karate chop]
-------------------------------
Finch: Hey, can I have it?
Mom: I dunno, that's Dad's. You'll need to ask Daddy.
Finch: Oh, Daddy wants you to know that he wants me to have it.
Finch: [smiles sweetly with a "problem solved" look in her eyes]
----------------------------
Seraph: ssssSSSSSSsssssSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T15:25:00.000-06:00

Tis the Season...

2010-09-03T23:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, they started doing radio ads for flu shots. Flu shots? Seriously?? We usually get them mid-November...
Tonight, Strong Bear threw up. Yuck! It wasn't his peanut allergy (phew!)....Is it bad that I am hoping I just food-poisoned him with wilted lettuce? I just don't want anyone else to get it...and I've never successfully kept Seraph out of the hospital when she has diarrhea (her Nissan, for reflux, prevents her from throwing up...)

It's gonna be a long night....

Seraph's Story

2010-08-29T00:15:00.007-06:00

When Seraph was born, her heart was like this:

Her identical twin sister's heart was like this:

At birth, Angel was whisked off to the NICU and Seraph was whisked off to the PICU of the hospital next door. 10 days later, they were together again just before Seraph's first open heart surgery:

Angel & Seraph (11 days old)

The first year of her life, Seraph spent a lot of time in the hospital - Thanksgiving, Christmas, her first birthday... She was away so much, my son re-named the hospital "Seraph's other home". She was 5 months old when she had her 2nd open heart surgery (bi-directional Glenn). She almost didn't make it back to us. The hospital released her to us on palliative care - telling us she might have only days to live..possibly up to 6 months.

Seraph & Angel (1 month--hours before Seraph came home for the first time)

We prayed. We slept by her bedside. We pushed meds, re-adjusted pulse/ox monitors, changed diapers, sang, rocked her, and prayed some more. The kids gave her kisses and brought her toys. 7 months later, the doctors took her off palliative care. She got a g-tube, and started physical therapy.

Seraph is toddling now. (She graduated from physical therapy). It'll be atleast a year before she could have her 3rd open heart surgery (the Fontan--which is now back on the table). I still peek in at night to listen for her steady breathing on my way to bed. I pray for 80 more years of her sweet smile.

Seraph & Angel (2 years old)

Seraph is expressive even without words. She loves fiercely. She is all smiles (until she sees a doctor's labcoat). She loves music (but has no trouble letting you know if a certain song does NOT count as music.) She explores. She screams when her siblings fight. She blows kisses. She likes Elmo and rubber duckies. She likes books and playing with my computer. She is so full of happy.

A few days ago Seraph took my left hand and Angel took my right hand and we walked across the grass together--all smiles and giggles!

I believe in miracles. May God comfort you in your hard times, and may compassion fill your heart so you can't help but help others along their way. Look for silver linings...and they'll light up your whole world.

--------

This story brought to you as part of:

(click the image to read more CHD stories and check out Stef's blog while you're there).

Normal Heart Image

Unexpected Results...

2010-08-24T16:32:00.000-06:00

My darling, lil Seraph.....
We've been trying to get Searph to take more by mouth. So, we let her suck on a few of her medicine syringes (no needles involved, these are oral syringes) before pushing the meds via her g-tube. She sometimes likes the taste of the Argine one (it's a vitamin that keeps her salt levels in-line). This week, she learned that it's way funner to turn the syringe around and slam it against her mouth. This squirts all the meds across the room in a big arc. It's super FUN!! and it works with the Argine AND any other meds she can get her hands on. Doh!!

I hope she'll be this happy *after* she learns how to talk. She's my happiest child, atm...

New Seraph Cave

2010-08-22T18:35:00.000-06:00

Seraph found a new cave in the basement:

Seraph helped babysit BabyH while her daddy built the ~~shelves~~ cave.

There's a separate-but-equal cave for Angel on the other side.

And with that, our basement is finished! Yay!!

We started this project thinking it'd be good to finish it off so Seraph could actually go downstairs. She was just starting to try the stairs and I was worried about her getting hurt in the unfinished basement. (It's a mom thing, I know). I didn't expect her to love it so much. The basement is her favorite (inside) place to be. The playroom is perfect and I'm soooo happy :)

Oh, and if you're thinking of finishing your basement...I know a guy who does a great job ;) Thanks, B!

My new Heart Blog

2010-08-20T20:07:00.001-06:00

Please check out my new heart baby blog:

It really use some new comments (hint hint).
It's been keeping me busy...but now that it's up and running you'll be getting more updates here, too.
thanks, ya'll :)

How to save a Life: the peanut allergy

2010-08-14T13:43:00.000-06:00

Strong Bear has a severe peanut allergy.

Yesterday we all shared a donut Beautiful Rabbit brought home from school. Then I went upstairs while the kids ate goldfish crackers. About an hour later, Rabbit came up to tell me that Bear was "throwing up drool". It's the perfect description. His throat had closed off so much that he could not swallow his own spit. He cried and talked and switched between saying he could breath and couldn't breath. It was NOT what I'd expected.

I gave him an EpiPen shot and we got him to the ER.

The shot hurt. Moms shouldn't have to give shots to their kids. I always thought we'd be careful and never have to use the EpiPen. Until last month, I hadn't realized the seriousness of his peanut allergy. In preparation for kindergarten, we took him to an allergist. We came home with EpiPens. If this had happened a year ago, I might have told him to go lay down until he felt better. Would you take your child to the ER because of heavy drooling? The correct answer is YES. Immediately.

Last week, Sexy Haqon and I discussed exactly what we would do if he had a peanut reaction. Haqon went with Bear and I stayed with Seraph (and the rest of the kids).

I've learned to read the fine print on labels. "May contain trace amounts of peanut" is enough to stop my son from breathing. The weirdest things have it--ice cream, dried fruit, fruit snacks, chocolate.....etc etc. It happens when stuff is made in the same factory as peanuts. It's CRAZY how tiny an amount of peanut it takes to send him into danger.

Years ago (before I knew about Bear's peanut allergy), I read an article on peanut allergies and scathing comments of how inconvenient it was to have peanut-butter sandwiches banned from school. I remember being shocked that any mother could be so cold. I hope they just didn't understand the seriousness of the situation--even trace amounts can cause death without immediate medical attention. Shots, IVs, secondary reactions, more shots. ack!

The allergist said Bear was an unlikely candidate for outgrowing his peanut allergy. His reaction is too severe and too immediate. I'm sad that he'll have to deal with this his whole life.

He's OK today. He doesn't hate me for giving him the shot. (I was worried.) He said Dad took good care of him at the hospital and he took good care of Dad at the hospital. I told him that Seraph's favorite part of going to the hospital is the ride home. He understands. He feels closer to Seraph. He used to call the hospital "Seraph's other house". Now he knows better.

So, how to save a life? When you're picking up treats for school, please take the time to look for a treat with this image:

OR "made a peanut free factory"

Watch out for the: "may contain trace amounts of peanuts or tree nuts". Those ones are very, very bad because you don't expect it.

Man, life is scary enough already without peanuts to deal with, too. I haven't had a Butterfingers in years!! Yes, I'm still freaking out a bit. Breath. Breath. Breath.

If your child has a peanut allergy (or you think he might) go see an allergist. Call your pediatrician for recommendations.

A Beautiful Surprise

2010-08-02T23:58:00.000-06:00

Sunday I saw the cutest little baby at church. She was tiny and adorable. Then someone moved and I saw the baby's twin sister!!! I almost squealed aloud. I pushed my way over there...and met the girls' mom and then held one of the twins for about an hour. Ya know, just to help out. Oh, she was cute. and tiny! They're a few months old, but were even smaller than my girls when they were born (at 32 weeks).

It was wonderful to hold someone so tiny without being worried. We exchanged info and I was able to give her some of my twin's matching outfits from when they were tiny.

Bear - Kindergarten - Peanut Allergy

2010-07-30T20:06:00.000-06:00

Mom: How do you like your new kindergarten teacher?
Strong Bear: She's perfect!
--------------------------------------------------
I agree. Her teaching philosophies match mine perfectly. She even said only 10 minutes of homework and then stop! I love her already :)
More forms for his peanut allergy. There's another child in her other class who has a peanut allergy, too. On the advice of a friend, we picked up a bunch of peanut-free candy for his treat box. Whenever someone in the class brings in a treat, if we can't verify that it's COMPLETELY peanut free, he'll have one of his treats instead. With peanuts, even trace amounts can cause a life-threatening reaction--like if it's made in the same factory that peanuts are processed in. Scary!
I can just see him asking the teacher every hour for some of "his candy". I hope he understands that he only gets candy when the whole class gets candy.

The Joys of Having Twins

2010-07-28T00:58:00.000-06:00

Double the birthday cakes! All the sources say that separate cakes for the twins is a MUST! I don't think the girls cared at all. Angel slept through her birthday party and Seraph doesn't eat. She especially doesn't eat anything that's sweet. She pulled the most awful face when I shoved a taste of cake into her mouth.....(she loved the birthday song, though)

2. Buying Diapers in Bulk. I never run out of diapers. Seriously, we're in size 4 on autoship from Amazon.com. Angel is just a little bigger than Seraph, so she'll switch to size 5 before Seraph. It's perfect, diaper-wise.
3. When one cries, they both cry. It's cute when big sister takes extra care of little sister. It's beyond cute when the big sister is only 30 seconds older than the littler sister.
4. Some seriously cute clothes for two little girls! I hate spending money on clothes...but seeing my girls in matching or identical sets of clothes definitely loosens the purse strings.

The Final Frontier

2010-07-22T13:31:00.000-06:00

Dad: Back off. Everyone go downstairs. Go play downstairs. I need some space. Go play downstairs.
--------
Mom: Get down. Mommy needs space. NO, not on my lap. Get down, sweetie. Sorry, but mommy needs space. Get down!
-------
Rabbit: Mom, can I go take a shower? I need space
-------
Bear: [pushes out both hands knocking Angel over] I NEED SPACE!!
Mom: why is Angel crying?
Bear: She needed to move. I need my space.
------
Finch: [jumping, spinning, and giggling]: I need space, hehehe....I need space, hehehe...space space spaaaaaaace!
------
Angel: [all alone at the top of the stairs first thing in the morning when everyone else is still sleeping]: I NEED SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!! MOM, I NEED SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!
-----
Seraph: [looks around the room and then climbs down the stairs to play by herself in the playroom for while.]

Paul Cardall's Piano Improv - Summer's Song

2010-07-18T20:59:00.001-06:00

I had an amazing experience. I was at a Paul Cardall concert when he asked for a volunteer from the audience. My hand shot up fast and tall! He asked me to randomly pick 3 notes on the piano. Then he made up a song on the piano based on the notes I picked. He dedicated the song to my youngest twin (who has a congenital heart defect). I added the pictures of the twins from birth to age 2.

Paul Cardall is a congenital heart defect survivor and awareness advocate. Seraph was in the ICU at the same time he was there before his heart transplant. I own 2 of his CDs--LOVE his piano skills. He has a memoir coming out in September 2010 - Before my Heart Stops.

The gal sitting next to me at the concert loaned me her camera so I could capture the song. I'm thrilled to have it :)

Angel

2010-07-15T12:58:00.000-06:00

Mom: Will you please help Angel? I need to finish making lunch.

Helper: OK. Come here, Angel. Do you need a binky? a blanket? a hug? a banana?

Angel: No no NOOOO!! I need a MOMMY!

Today

2010-07-15T02:25:00.000-06:00

Bear, Finch, and Angel are all on antibiotics for a strep rash on their skin. Seraph does NOT have it. She's on a low dose of amoxicillin all the time because of her spleen. So, she fought it off before she had symptoms.

I'd like to believe this will teach them to NOT share binkies/cups/food....but that's just wishful thinking on my part.

New Carpet!

2010-07-09T00:21:00.000-06:00

Seraph played in the basement today! She never gets to go down there because it's such an unfinished mess....except now it's not. They put in the carpet today - wonderful, fantastic, thick carpet. It's amazing down there - no one wants to come back up.

Seraph navigated the stairs like a pro. We still need to put the doors back on the closets, but other than that it's all done. Oh, no furnishings of any kind....but how much furniture do you really need in a playroom??

Tonight I'm working on birthday presents. The twins already had their birthday...but we're celebrating it this weekend. I found the funnest presents - a play kitchen (thanks to my momo friends for the idea) and talking teddy-bears. I've been programing the bears...and I think they're good to go :) (er...they're actually puppies...from leapfrog...pictures later)

man...i just can't keep a secret. Don't tell Seraph and Angel! Shhhhhhhh. :)

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T23:44:00.000-06:00

Sexy Haqon took the big kids out on the Lake while I pulled the twins around the shore. Angel fell asleep first. Seraph wouldn't lean back. She fell asleep sitting upright with her arms on the arm rests. She was getting bounced around a TON but wouldn't relax. I think she snoozed alot...and then finally fell to one side which woke her up. I thought we'd have to go home but both twins woke up happy.

After we went for ice cream...but it was closed so we played in the splash park instead. Later we had smores!

Dear Angel,

2010-06-29T14:47:00.000-06:00

I love you, lil Roo!

You are a copycat. You learn by copying and you copy everything! You LOVE being funny--anything for a giggle. You LOVE LOVE LOVE teddy bears. You are like a little pixie faerie. Everything you do is cute. You show Seraph how to do her therapy. You used to just watch Bear and Finch and then play with their toys after they left the room. Now you jump right in. You love your binky. You like to share, but you don't let the other kids steal toys from you. You are the world's best snuggle bunny. You climb into my bed and just snuggle and snuggle in the mornings. I love it!

You can fall asleep anywhere. You like your pink blanket or your teddybear blanket when you fall asleep. You stand on the edge of the couch and play a game that Beautiful Rabbit started that you love: "I will bring you back to life", you sing. Then, you jump off the couch landing on your tummy. "Oh, I am dead....", you sing like an opera...on and on and on. Then your head pops up and you yell, "elmo and barney". Then everyone laughs.
You also like a bit about chickens and birds flying that I can't quite make out.
You know your alphabet. You've known how to walk for a whole year. You pick up song lyrics quickly. YOu love Funny Bear. You like to play princesses with Delightful Finch. You communicate vocally as well as the older kids....unless you're in need of a nap. Then you can only say, "binky"!!
You love to sit on my lap, on dad's lap,......on anyone's lap. You LOVE taking baths and showers...which is good because it makes your hair spring into rag curls.
You dance by spinning in circles. You don't stop spinning when you're dizzy...you just slow down a bit so you don't fall over. You have an infectious giggle.

You give the best hugs ever! You like copying Seraph just as much as you like copying the older kids. Sometimes you drop your words entirely so you can say "AAAaaaaaaaaa" back and forth with Seraph. When I sing a song with a name in it, you ask me to sing it about you....and then about Seraph, and then about mommy--you make sure every gets a turn to be in the song. You like playing games on the wii. When a new friend is playing the Wii for the first time, you stand in front of them and demonstrate what they need to do to play the game.
You're a fast learner. you like playing with (rubber) yucky ducky.
You love puppies and love to pretend that you're a puppy. You are endlessly cute....and your whole family adores you :)

Happy birthday!

Dear Seraph,

2010-06-29T14:21:00.000-06:00

I love you!

You are strong and brave and love your family soooo much. You kick your feet against the floor/bed for fun--even when you're asleep. I don't know your favorite color yet. You love your new mobility. You taught yourself how to go up and down stairs. At first that was scary, but now I'm just proud of you, glad I don't have to find safety gates for the stairs, and happy that we're finishing off the playroom in the basement so you can explore more places.

You have the hugest smile I've ever seen. You light up my whole world with that smile....and ensure that any nurses will hold you and play with you and take extra care with you. I can't stand it when you're away. I love that you proved the doctors wrong and I knew you would.

You love music -- swaying back and forth/giggling/kicking your feet if it's a good song. You like dolls and hard plastic you can chew on like toys and baby spoons.

You grab my hands and face and push/pull them where you want them to be. You tell grandpa (without words) when you want him to pick you up. You love to be punched. It's true! We punch your belly or face or toes (ever so lightly and playfully) and you think it's the funniest thing ever!

You don't let me put a binky in your mouth...but you'll let Angel put a binky in your mouth.

You stand up as tall as you can to grab the computer mouse and push keys on the keyboard because that's the thing to do!

You give kisses to your reflection. You practice giving mommy hugs around my neck about 20 at a time. You plug your ears with 2 fingers when your brother/sisters are being too loud. You cry when I yell at the other kids.

You love it when we leave a cushion off the couch so you can climb up onto the couch like the big kids. You are NOT easily distracted from your goals. You don't trust people in white lab coats. You are NOT easy to trick. You only allow things to go in your mouth if YOU decide it's a good idea at the time.

You hate things that are sweet. You still use your feet to grab things and push things away from you. When you want to play alone, you go in the den or up the stairs. When you want to be with the family, you insert yourself in the middle of whatever game looks the funnest. You pull off your oxygen whenever it gets in your way. Your hair is naturally curly and you've learned how to blow your own nose!

You make new friends easily--charming them with your smile. You weigh about 22lbs.

Happy Birthday :)

Happy Birthday, Angel & Seraph!!

2010-06-29T13:34:00.000-06:00

We did it! The girls are two years old. I've never been so happy for a birthday that wasn't mine! I love you, sweeties - Happy Birthday....and many more to come :)

Essentials - oral dispenser locking cap

2010-06-25T08:23:00.004-06:00

Seraph has meds 3-8 times per day. Sometimes I'm not home when it's time for meds. Packing for a doctor's appointment, I always draw out any meds that she might need while we're gone and take them with me. Previously, this was a pain in the be-hind! Then I found this treasure:

I tested the seal with water. Pushing with a fair amount of pressure did NOT pop off the cap. Pulling created a vacuum inside that pulled the syringe back to where I'd started when I let go.

I used to fill the syringes and then tape them to a hard strip of plastic to keep them safe. This is soooo much nicer. I love it when people invent stuff like this. Thanks, NeoMed :)

I get them through my favorite pharmacy--not the bland one you find at any grocery store but the nice pharmacy that does compounding. If your compounding pharmacy doesn't carry them, you might slip the pharmacist this web addy: http://www.neomedinc.com/distributors.php?dist=13.

Aside from the cap, they are very sturdy. They fit well into the connections I use--the bottle and the tubes.

Happy First Day of Summer (x2)

2010-06-24T11:33:00.000-06:00

The first day of Summer is Seraph's special day that she does NOT have to share with her twin, Angel. We celebrated with a pizza party and balloons! We also had whipped cream to play with :) Seraph didn't like drawing in the whipped cream like I'd hoped. She'd play with her balloon and accidentally get whipped cream on her fingers. Then she'd stop and try to clean the nasty/sweet white cream off her fingers. Beautiful Rabbit snuck a taste of whipped cream into Seraph's mouth. Seraph acted like she'd been poisoned! She couldn't believe that her loving sister would do such a thing to her.

We tied the balloons around the kids' ankles. Seraph learned to pull the string down until the balloon was low enough to play with. She also held onto the balloon's string to help her balance as she walked. She's getting more confident with walking each day.

My lil walker..

2010-06-16T15:13:00.001-06:00