Another Ambulance!

On Friday afternoon, Benjamin scared us as he struggled to breathe and kept crying in panic. He was feverish, wheezing and drawing quick, shallow breaths. Mark listened to his lungs and they didn't sound normal. His heart was also racing. I called his pediatrician's office at Tulane Pediatrics, told them his symptoms as well as how worried I was and they agreed to see him just before closing at 3:00 pm. Luckily, Mark was home early and able to take Benjamin to the doctor. (Mark is more persistent in making sure all of the correct tests are done etc., so I wanted him to be there.) I paced around our house, calling every few minutes to see if the doctor knew what was wrong yet.
Once the doctor had examined him, she was very concerned because he was flaring and grunting as he struggled for air. She was worried that he had some sort of obstruction in his lung and felt he needed more than just a chest x-ray. She ordered an ambulance and had him sent, with sirens blaring and lights flashing, downtown to Tulane Hospital through rush hour traffic to be admitted to the hospital and observed overnight. I was so panicked when Mark told me! He offered to switch me places and have me ride in the ambulance with Benjamin, but I was a nervous wreck and wasn't sure I could pull things together in enough time to make it before the ambulance arrived. We planned for me to meet him downtown, after packing up to spend the night, and calling someone to ask them to watch our other kids. After some tears and a prayer, I found someone who was kind enough to agree to take them for a few hours, but the kids weren't doing well enough to go. We still had four sick kids at home who refused to get in the car to go anywhere. So, I stayed at home to take care of them for a few hours while Mark cared for sweet little Benjamin at the hospital as they tested him.
Just before bedtime, I packed the kids into the car and headed to the hospital to switch places with Mark and spend the night with Benjamin at Tulane Hospital. When I got to the hospital, Benjamin was very feverish, but wasn't struggling for breath as much as he had been earlier in the day. He was still wheezing a little bit, but his breathing had calmed down a lot after a breathing treatment they had given him a little bit earlier in the ER. Benjamin and I spent another hour or two in the emergency room together after Mark left to take the other kids back home to bed. Just in the time I was there, he continued to improve. Finally, we were taken up to the sixth floor and, after meeting the nurse and having her check Benjamin, I put him down to sleep.
Needless to say, it was a long night but I was grateful that we were in the right place for Benjamin to receive the care he needed. By morning, he was still a bit fussy but his heart had slowed back down to normal and his blood pressure was much better. He had only had one breathing treatment during the night (around four o'clock a.m.) which calmed him down a lot from a panicked cry. He was crying so much it seemed ridiculous that he would need a treatment to help him breathe, but it did help.
He was released from the hospital around 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. The attending doctor was very kind to us and explained some possible reasons for Benjamin's symptoms the day before. He just told us to watch him carefully and try to pay attention to anything that could trigger such an attack again. Benjamin will be checked next week by the pediatrician again, but he is doing much better! Thank goodness nothing major was wrong, although I worry about this happening again. We don't know exactly why or what happened, so we will have to keep a close eye on Benjamin. We are so grateful for friends and family calling to check on little Benjamin and showing genuine love and concern! We are sure your prayers made a huge difference in Benjamin's relatively quick recovery!

Spring Fever

It all started with Peyton. She had a fever, tummy ache, sore throat and a runny nose for almost the entire past week.

Grant had a slight fever, never slowed down much (predictable) and got the runny nose. He seems over it although he hasn't eaten much over the past few days.

Carston has had a pretty high fever since Tuesday. He will hardly eat. He has the tummy ache and sore throat as well. He doesn't want to do much.

Poor Jackson doesn't seem to be able to completely shake the fever. He was feverish before Carston. Yesterday I thought he was totally over it but the fever is back again today. So, either we are going through another round or his body is just having trouble fighting this bug.

Benjamin (not pictured here) is also sick. He has been pretty good natured about it though. He has gone through mouth sores and a rash and now has the same fever as the other kids. Sorry little one, it has to be hard being #5!

What a funny spring break! We are still enjoying each other, though, and in some ways it is a good time for everyone to get over being sick. We aren't missing school or anything:) Luckily, next week is Daddy's spring break and we are headed to Disney World. It will be all of the kids' first time (Carston can't remember the first time he went at 4 months old). We are all so excited!!

Indoor Picnic

It is spring break at our house. We've been looking forward to it. We kicked it off today with a picnic. It was a little chilly outside, so we did it inside. There is nothing more fun for our kids than twisting everyday things into something special. They love candlelight dinners, picnics on the floor, meals with themes etc. As you can see, we go ALL out when we have picnics around here. Not only did I make peanut butter and cinnamon honey sandwiches, but I cut them into dinosaur shapes. We even had cookies for dessert.

The boys loved sitting on the picnic blanket in the middle of the floor. They only started to get annoyed when I kept trying to take the perfect picture of them. Jackson just plain ran out of smiles after a couple of minutes of being deprived of his meal and forced to look at the camera!
Enjoying the food! Jackson is still getting over the photo shoot, but Grant is all about getting the most out of his meal. It may not be a gourmet meal, but we love pb&honey around here. It is finger licking good.
Benjamin couldn't be kept from the fun. After eating in his chair, he insisted on being with the bigger kids. He sat right down, grabbed a sandwich and made himself at home. One might acknowledge that poor Peyton is missing from this scene. She woke up with a fever this morning and won't eat a thing. The bad news is that we tend to get sick one after the other. We're expecting a spring break full of sick kids.

Easter Eggs and Springtime!

I love springtime! I love the freshness and the rebirth, the crisp coolness of dawn that warms into day. There is something so invigorating and awakening about spring! Besides, you can't beat the chocolate eggs and the jelly beans.
We had our annual Easter egg hunt in the front yard this year. The Easter bunny thought the eggs might be easier to find that way. It was a slightly impromptu egg hunt because we had promised the kids that we would go to their playschool for their egg hunt and arrived too late to get any eggs. So, we had our own egg hunt at home with the eggs the Easter bunny had already prepared. The kids were so excited! By the way, this is a good example of the family portraits we have attempted to take. No one realizes that it is necessary to stop what they are doing and look at the camera. I can't blame them here, I wasn't paying attention and took this picture with them looking right into the sun. Hey, I'm still learning how to take better pictures!
Carston's favorite egg was the one that held a springtime Lightning McQueen and Mater. He isn't as much of a candy connoisseur as the other kids, although he does enjoy the occasional lollipop or chocolate treat.
Jackson smiled like this for the entire egg hunt. He is a little ray of sunshine and a few moments with him will make up for any gray or overcast day. He is well-balanced, loving his vegetables and his candy!
Peyton was anxious to get all of her eggs opened and eaten immediately. She couldn't stop sifting through her basket imagining all of the treats those plastic eggs contained. As soon as she got inside, she sat down at the table and sorted through her eggs, choosing to eat her favorite treats first. Okay, she takes after her mom.
Grant didn't wait to open his eggs. After gathering as many as he could see, he immediately went to work eating them as quickly as possible. You can see the fear of having them taken away from him flashing in those big blue eyes!
Benjamin opened his own egg and started eating jelly beans. If he sees any of us eating chocolate, he has to have a bite. He'll start making noise until we figure out he expects us all to share. It isn't hard to share with him, look at him--he could melt any heart!

Happy Easter and Hooray for Spring!

St. Patrick's Day: Going a little Green

We tried Jessica Seinfeld's green eggs for breakfast on Saturday, as an early celebration of St. Patrick's Day. That didn't go well. Our kids hold onto this strange idea that eggs are meant to be yellow instead of green. Reading Green Eggs and Ham over and over again this past week didn't convince them. They were adamant that green things are not to be eaten (this would explain some of the problems we are having with vegetables remaining uneaten on some of their plates). Where is that Sam I Am when you need him?
So, for St. Patrick's Day, we went only a little green: mint green plates and green pancakes, but white cream and milk. Maybe we will be a little more adventurous next year. Luckily, the kids loved the pancakes.
Grant was in the full spirit of the holiday in his green Thomas pajamas! These are his favorite pajamas and he cries when I change him out of them into his clothes in the morning. So, I let him wear them for awhile longer this morning.
Here are our other two "a little bit of green" lovers! It took some convincing to get Carston to even try the pancakes, luckily he was pleasantly surprised. Jackson is our only true green lover. He would have eaten the green eggs again. Luckily, he saves me from full failure as my only child who loves green vegetables!
Next year, we are going to go ALL green. Watch out!

Celebrating Benjamin! A picture for each month of his life:

This was taken shortly before we brought Benjamin home from Tulane-Lakeside Hospital where he was born at 8:31 am on Friday, March 16th 2007.
Our babies all take baths in our kitchen sink until they are too big to fit comfortably. This was one of the first baths that Benjamin took without crying. He was a month old. He wasn't a big fan of tubby time early on, but loves it now.
Here is Benjamin falling asleep in his swing at two months old. He would start relaxing just in time for one of his well-meaning siblings to come over and give him loves that would inevitably end his reverie.
At three months old, Benjamin was starting to realize he would be safest and given the most attention if he could see me at all times. Thus, his bouncy seat became a permanent fixture in the kitchen from which he could watch me in safety.
If you haven't noticed yet, Benjamin has the most beautiful brilliant blue eyes you've ever seen! This picture was taken when he was four months old, wrapped up in his towel fresh from the tub.
Benjamin insists on being in the thick of it, but likes to simply observe not necessarily participate. This picture was taken when he was five months old sitting on his daddy's lap while Mark was attempting to eat dinner. He prefers to be held so that he can watch us all interact and see what crazy thing we'll do next.
Benjamin at six months sitting in our beloved Bumbo seat. He started sucking his thumb when he was about two months old and still does when he first goes down for naps or to comfort himself when he is upset.
Our seven month old baby blue eyes allowing his sister to push him around the kitchen in her doll stroller. He was well strapped in and enjoyed himself. He was the center of attention for almost an hour as the kids all took turns pushing the stroller.
Our eight month old explorer! Jackson professionally outfitted Benjamin to accompany him on his safari.
Benjamin has a hundred different smiles that win any heart. This smile was one of triumph as he learned to stand up by himself leaning on our couch.
10 month old Benjamin really starting to look like a toddler instead of our little baby.
This picture was taken a month ago as Benjamin sat happily on his grandma's lap at a basketball game. He is really learning to pose.
One year old, hooray! Happy 1st Birthday sweet Benjamin!

Here is a short list of Benjamin's favorite things: bath time, his toothbrush, sucking his thumb, his blue silky blanket, being thrown up in the air, playing catch with any kind of ball, pulling all of the books off of the shelves, sitting at the kid's table looking through books, being held, being tickled, feeding himself and making all kinds of friends by smiling and waving at them.

We're off to discover!

This is how you dress if you are going exploring in the jungle! The problem is that you sometimes get too hot and have to discard all of these specialty items, but this can also be useful. Yesterday, Carston and Jackson announced that they were explorers going on an expedition deep into the heart of the jungle (their term for our backyard). Once they got outside, they left a trail of boots, glasses, hats and stuffed animals so that I could stay on their trail through the thick jungle foliage. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was able to retrieve not only these items but the tired and very dirty explorers for a "rain forest shower" (a favorite at our house). Thank goodness they are experts!

Frazzled!

Definitions:
1. A frayed or tattered condition.

2. A condition of exhaustion

It is never good to feel exhausted when you first get up in the morning. This morning I felt unraveled, on top of being tired. Grant's fitful sleep was partially the cause of my own lack of sleep. I hit the ground running this morning and continued rushing about, nursing Benjamin, changing diapers, taking kids to the potty, getting everyone dressed and picking up toys that were getting pulled out as I worked. I made pancakes, sat everyone at the table and served them (as I usually do), washed everyone up after feeding them, started the dishes, was out of time before needing to leave for school, found everyone pulling out toys faster than I could clean them up, no one had shoes on, I forgot to comb everyone's hair. I rushed for the comb and spray bottle. Mission accomplished on the boys. I didn't have time for Peyton. Benjamin suddenly had a stinky diaper, which had to be changed. I cleaned up toys. I put shoes on Carston and Grant brought me his shoes, or so he thought, they were Jackson's. I sent him for his shoes and then sent him out to the car, but he ended up going to the car without shoes on at all and in my frazzled state, I didn't notice. We ran and dropped Carston off at school and didn't go on to the gym as usual, instead I drove back home to finish the dishes. Yes, that is who I am. I left the kids in their car seats watching a show, controversial I know, and ran inside to finish the dishes, give the floor a quick sweep and brush my teeth. Five minutes later, we were on our way to the gym, without Grant's shoes and Peyton's hair still needed a little something. When we arrived much later than I had planned, I realized these two points and almost threw my hands up, turned around and retreated back home. I really wanted to be able to exercise and I knew the consequences of choosing to leave, so I carried Grant and Benjamin in and gave a rushed explanation to the child care workers at the gym about my shoeless child and went to beat it out on the treadmill. This was a first for me. I never would have entered the gym in that condition even a year ago, but life changes us. One of the women who I talk to often at the gym came over and told me she was glad to see that I was, indeed, human. I told her it made me unhappy to be so openly FRAZZLED and she smiled and told me to get used to it. She is right. I guess I'll just go with it. I just noticed that as I sit here, all salty from my own sweat, it is time to get Carston from school already. I'll shower later....here we go again. It is a good thing that I love being a mom.

Grant NEVER slows down!

Afternoon at Jean Lafitte National Park

Saturday afternoon was a perfect time to enjoy Louisiana. We are starting to recognize that we won't be here forever and that we should really visit places and do things that are unique to Louisiana. So, we drove to Jean Lafitte determined to see some "gators". We have visited Jean Lafitte three other times, but never actually seen alligators. I know, it seems unfathomable. We started on the Ring Levee Trail and enjoyed a nice walk.

Then we drove over to the Bayou Coquille Trail and walked to the overlook, hopeful that the chill hadn't driven all of the alligators deep into the cloudy water. It was a beautiful day, perhaps a bit cold when the sun decided to hide behind the clouds. We decided we'd much rather have a bit of chill than the overpowering and muggy heat of summertime here.

Jackson wasn't feeling well, as we walked along one of the boardwalks, and Carston was a bit upset that Grant was eating the marshmallows he had brought to feed the alligators. It turned out better for all of us that Grant ate all of the marshmallows, since you can apparently face up to six months in jail and/or pay a hefty fine for feeding the gators at Jean Lafitte.

It turns out that smaller gators don't mind the chill as much as the larger ones, so we lucked out and saw a couple of smaller alligators. The kids had a hard time spotting them since they hide themselves so well, but they saw this one pretty close to the trail we were on. Thank goodness I am an expert wildlife photographer (as witnessed here). This picture proves we can count ourselves among those who have seen gators in Louisiana!

Carston's "Pet" Crawfish

Carston was so pleased when his teacher let him bring three crawfish home from school. The point of sending them home was probably so we could eat them, but Carston considered them to be his new pets and thus a part of our family. There were two choices: keep them as pets (and watch them die) or set them free.

Their temporary sanctuary at our house was in our kitchen sink. Jackson and Peyton were terrified of them, but Grant was very curious. Carston sat and watched them "fight" and insisted that we separate them.

We convinced him that they would be happier if they were free, so we packed them up for the car ride to Lake Pontchartrain.

"Give us free!" We recognize they probably didn't survive, but please don't tell Carston.

For Starters

My friend encouraged me to start blogging and just before beginning this blog, I looked at her blogspot. The last entry was a tag that I think makes a great blog opener!

20 years ago - I was twelve years old and in the seventh grade. I had already been initiated into the Young Women. I was playing the piano, the violin and singing. I also played basketball and volleyball (and a little softball). I thought I was going to write a book, like Anne of Green Gables or Pride and Prejudice. I dreamed and dreamed and dreamed.

10 years ago - I was trying to adjust to real life after only a couple of weeks of being home from Austria where I had spent a year and a half as a missionary for the LDS church. I had ridden my bike through the hills that are alive with the sound of music in Salzburg. I had climbed several mountains in the Alps of Innsbruck. I had just enjoyed a magical Christmas season in Vienna teaching about the Savior and the true meaning of Christmas (and enjoying the Christkindlmarkt at the Rathaus). Now I was trying to reconcile myself to doing "nothing" important other than working and exercising to lose some mission weight.

5 years ago - I had been married to the love of my life, Mark, for three and a half adventurous years. My first child, Carston, was almost seven months old. After Mark's graduation from BYU a few months prior, we had moved our little family to Nashville, TN. Mark was working as a research assistant at Vanderbilt University in order to improve his resume for medical school. We were living in a great apartment near the Warner parks in Bellevue. We were enjoying being parents and not having homework or the necessity to study hanging over Mark's head when he got home each evening. I still hadn't finished unpacking from the move and had a few boxes shoved into the corner of our living room. We have moved far too many times in our marriage!

3 years ago - I had 10 month old twins, Jackson and Peyton, that were exclusively nursing (which made getting out difficult) and bringing a lot of happiness to their parents and their big brother, Carston. We had moved to Metairie, LA about seven months before for Mark to attend Tulane Medical School. We were enjoying our first year in the Big Easy as I struggled to care for three children two years old and younger. I had just discovered that I was pregnant with our fourth child, which was a happy surprise, and I was so sick!

1 year ago - We had moved into our first house 8 months before and were loving having a home to call our own in Metairie, LA. After Hurricane Katrina had turned our lives somewhat upside down, we were grateful to settle down again. This house has been such a blessing! We had also added to our family (we tend to do that) and were enjoying our sweet 15 month old son, Grant. I was only a week and a half away from delivering our fabulous #5, Benjamin Calder. I was feeling very pregnant and ready to give birth. I figured I had paid my dues over the past five years and deserved for this baby to come earlier than his due date. Luckily, he came 11 days early, March 16th, and started out his life on my good side:)

So far this year - I am learning what it will be like to have Mark doing his residency in orthopedic surgery. He just finished his surgery rotation, which he has been enjoying for the past two months while I have attempted to learn to run the show on my own at home. We are starting to plan Mark's fourth year of medical school, including away rotations, his MPH Capstone project(Thesis) and vacation time before graduation. We are starting to realize that, although we still have plenty of rotations left, the end of medical school is in sight. The beginning of this year also marked the mid-point in my parents' service as mission presidents in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission.

Yesterday- We got up EARLY, as we always do since we have four boys who think it is good to wake up before 6 am because it gives you more time to play. Peyton, as usual, slept through the yelling and inevitable growling for a good half an hour -- good for you Peyton. We got the kids ready for church, ate breakfast and slid into the chapel our usual five minutes late. (My habit of being late is an entirely different subject to explore at another time.) We enjoyed hearing a few words from testimony meeting, in between the incessant noise our kids were making. We did everything we could to make it through the meeting without a major catastrophe. We made Grant stay in the chapel for the entire meeting, which was a triumph on one hand and a total disaster on the other. After church we felt our usual relief that we had survived. After nap time, we went over to a friend's house and had a great time eating some really good food and talking with them while our kids threw dirt all over their yard and themselves.

Today - Mark got off early to go to orientation for his neurology rotation. I got all of the kids fed and ready for the day and ran out the door without a minute to spare. We dropped Carston off at school and went to the gym so I could get a much needed work out. We came home, had snacks and Benjamin went down for his morning nap. After picking up Carston from school, we had a great surprise when we got home: Mark was home from orientation and had the rest of the day off to study and be with us. After lunch, Jackson, Peyton and Grant went down for naps. I read to Carston, as usual, while Mark bonded with Benjamin. After naps, Mark made a nice spaghetti dinner while I cleaned and worked on laundry and this blog. We just enjoyed a nice family home evening about making good choices and Mark left to work out. So, I am having alone time. There is something so magical about a quiet house full of exhausted, sleeping children. I love sneaking in their rooms at night to kiss them, fix their covers and whisper in their ears that I love them and that they are my dreams come true.

Tomorrow - I will start over, with a clean slate. I love the idea that I can try to be a better person every day. I will attempt to have no expectation whatsoever about what time Mark will come home. I seem to have a better attitude if I keep it that way. Jackson and Peyton have playschool for a few hours in the morning and Carston has his long day at preschool. So, I'll have the morning to focus on playing with Grant and Benjamin and to run errands that have been waiting for one of my Tuesday/Thursday morning breaks to be accomplished. I also need to make bread and want to be able to make a few batches of strawberry freezer jam in the early afternoon, if Benjamin will allow.

This year - Mark will be doing his Neurology and Psych rotations and then he'll do Pediatrics. The kids will finish up playschool in mid-May and will attend a couple of weeks of summer camp in June and July. We are planning for Mark to take the USMLE Step 2 in the summer and then we'll do some away rotations. We have no idea how much time we will be spending in Louisiana and have wondered if we ought to sell our house as well, but it doesn't feel right for us yet. We are planning on doing a rotation in Utah around Thanksgiving time and one in Oklahoma just before the Christmas break so that we can spend the holidays with our families.

For those of you who have now survived me rambling on and on, kudos and please know this will be the exception and not the rule.