Credit Card

Most babies prefer toys that light up and make noise.  Not Simon.  His favorite toy is his plastic credit card.  If he's fussy, this card is the magic fix.  Love this little guy and all his silly quirks!

Thanksgiving

Because of the huge blizzard that happened already this week and impending freezing rain in the forecast, we decided to stay in Rhinelander for Thanksgiving this year.  It was disappointing to have to change plans, but we ended up having a nice and relaxing day.  Eric's family doesn't gather until evening, so we had most of the day to hang out at home before we headed down to Jamie's house in Wausau for the big meal.  Simon resurrected the adorable turkey suit that his brother and sister wore years before him.  He filled it out a bit more than the others... ;)  We enjoyed a delicious meal of all the favorites and had a wonderful time talking and catching up with our family members.  Nolan and Livi were so excited to get to play with Emmett and Charlie and they all got along so well.  It was great.

 We pray that we will practice gratitude daily and instill a sense of thankfulness in our children.  Our blessings are numerous and we are thankful.

Thanksgiving week blizzard

On Tuesday night, we got a huge blizzard.  It is the first early BIG snowfall that I can remember.  The whole landscape is covered in HEAVY snow, which was beautiful but dangerous.  We lost several limbs of trees that couldn't stand up to the weight of it all, but the Kremers had the biggest loss.  Their huge pine tree in front of their house cracked and fell over while the kids were outside playing that morning.  I told the kids when they went outside to stay out from under the trees.  I'm so glad they did.  The tree blocked the entirety of their driveway, as well as part of the road.  I'm so relieved no one was injured!  I can't help but feel a little bummed about this much snow this early in the year.  Here's to hoping we get some nice, warm days and a bit of this melts or we're going to breaking some snow records this year!

Wausau Trip

My kidney stone has led to many trips to Wausau to visit the urologist.  We've tried to make those days a little more fun by bringing Grandma Patti along with us.  We went to Olive Garden for some yummy lunch and hit up a few store before it was time to head home.  We're thankful to have such awesome grandmas to help us out and have fun with us!

love notes

Olivia drew this picture of the two of us and wrote the word love on it.  She hung it up on the wall next to my bed. Best surprise ever.  I have the sweetest kid.

Craft Day

This past Saturday was the annual crafting day at the LDS church.  Katie and her girls invited me along to partake in the many different craft projects, as well as lunch.  I made several pairs of leather earrings, learned how to wood burn on some wooden serving utensils, and made some cute Christmas teacher gifts.  Best of all, I got to spend some time with friends who feel more like family.  I'm always grateful for time with this crew.

Kidney Stone

On Wednesday morning I woke up with an all-to-familiar, searing pain in my back.  I rolled over and hoped I had just slept wrong or something and tried to get back to sleep.  The pain increased and I started feeling really nauseous, so I got up and went to the bathroom and that's when I was certain I knew what was going on.  I came out, collapsed on the couch, and said, "Eric, I have a kidney stone and I need to go to the hospital."  We called Eric's parents for some help while I laid on the couch  writhing in pain with my throw up bowl.  I couldn't even get up to get dressed.  Steve arrived a few minutes later and took me to the Emergency room.  The 3 minute drive felt like an hour, but that was nothing compared to the 20 minutes in the waiting room.  I was doubled over two different chairs, contemplating laying on the ground, with my puke bowl in absolute agony.  I was in tears by the time they took me back to my room.  I thought once I got there I would get some relief, but instead they needed me to try to give a urine sample and dressed in a gown.  I was vomiting from the pain.  FINALLY they got an IV hooked up with some fluids and pain meds, but they didn't touch it.  After another hour of pain, they finally brought in the narcotics and I got some of the relief I was desperately needing.  I opted out of imaging at that time (because our deductible is high) and was sent home with pain meds, dilators, and instructions to drink like crazy in the hope of passing it without intervention.  I wasn't so lucky...

The afternoon I was discharged from the ER, I got a call from the urologist in Wausau, stating they were concerned and would like to see me that week to make sure I didn't have a serious obstruction.  Being that I was on pain killers and wasn't feeling that great, Patti drove me down to my appointment - an x-ray first and then a meeting with the urologist.  The imaging confirmed that I had an 8mm stone stuck in my left ureter.  I had two options: wait and see if it might pass (it could take months!) or have the procedure to get it out.  I knew that I didn't feel comfortable waiting indefinitely and she said there was only a 50% chance that it would pass on its own.  I opted for the lithotripsy procedure to be performed down in Wausau.  However, it was 2 full weeks before there was an opening.  I felt like a ticking time bomb, just waiting for the stone to start moving again and for the pain to start up.

I can't say I wasn't nervous the morning of the procedure.  Having never had anesthesia before, I didn't really know what to expect.  We had to be in Wausau by 6:30 for an x-ray before the lithotrispy so it was an early morning!  When we got to the surgery center, they called me back to the prep/recovery room and started to get things rolling.  I got gowned up and got my IV in just in time for Dr. Bluestein to pop in and tell me that my kidney stone was no longer visible on the x-ray.  He thought that I potentially passed it without knowing and that I now had two options: 1. go home and get a CT scan  which would show if the stone moved behind my pelvis or 2. have a ureteroscopy that I may not need if the stone did indeed pass.  He strongly recommend option 1.  So, after a needless early morning and a needless IV, we headed back home to Rhinelander.

It was another couple of weeks before I was able to get on the schedule for the CT.  Thankfully I was able to do that in Rhinelander.  And of course, there was that little 8mm bugger, hiding behind my pelvis.  There were also several other tiny kidney stones sitting in my kidneys.  My doctor decided that it was time for the uretoscopy - a procedure where they thread a scope up my urinary tract and can then grab or blast the stone.  Thankfully, there were a surgical opening only a few days later, so I didn't need to wait long this time.  

Everything went super smoothly with my prep that morning.  My nurse was really friendly and my anesthesiologist made me feel really comfortable about going under.  In no time flat, it was time to be wheeled back for my procedure.  Within 30 seconds of being in the room, I was out cold.  I woke up in the recovery room after the procedure with Eric laughing at how responsible I was being...checking my med doses with the nurses, asking about the details of the procedure...barely groggy in the least.  The procedure was successful and Dr. Bluestein was able to blast that nasty stone to smithereens. Because my kidney and ureter were pretty angry and inflammed, he did have to put in a stent that would stay in for two weeks in order to keep the ureter from swelling shut.  I sailed through the anesthesia, without even a trace of nausea.  Aside from some bleeding and some pretty minimal pain in my kidney (the dr said this was normal due to the stent), I felt very well and was thrilled to be putting this chapter behind me.

Two weeks later, I visited Dr. Bluestein again for a recheck and the removal of my stent.  They were able to do that procedure right in the office and without anesthesia.  They used a scope to go up into my bladder and grabbed the long skinny tube that was kept inside my ureter.  It took about 5 minutes.  With the stent gone, the rest of my pain when away and I was feeling back to normal.  I still do have a twinge of kidney pain every once in a while, so I'm trying to drink a lot more water and hope that one of those tiny ones still in my kidney doesn't decide to let loose and unleash its havoc. But in the meantime, I am so thankful that this chapter is closing and that life can move away from endless doctor appointments, imaging, and procedures.  It has made for a rough fall! 

Sleepover at Tom and Sara's

Nolan and Livi were invited over to Tom and Sara's house for a sleepover this weekend.  They were so excited to get to spend some time with their aunt and uncle.  Sara had gotten a bunch of crafts for them to do together and they kicked off their evening with that.  They had Culver's for dinner, complete with delicious custard for dessert.  After some play time, they settled down to watch a movie together, all piled into Tom and Sara's bed.  Both kids brought their babas and favorite stuffies to make them feel at home.  Bedtime approached and they settled in pretty well to their bed on the air mattress in Tom and Sara's room.  They did great overnight and they had an amazing time.  We're so glad our kids are so loved by their aunt and uncle and have the opportunity to make these special memories together!

Seven Months

Seven Months:

He can sit completely on his own.  Reaches for toys. Loves the remote and cell phones. Won't sleep in his pack and play without a memory foam mattress.  He's extremely good at putting in his own pacifier.  Still likes to be in the swing and loves fuzzy blankets.  Likes kicking, especially in the bathtub or on the changing table.  He's definitely thinking about crawling...he gets frustrated that he's not mobile.  Will only fall asleep if you're standing with him or if he's in his swing.  Adores his brother and sister.