sleuthing

A family favorite. We probably put too much

chocolate in each glass of milk.

We can't help it, can you?

(If you said yes, you're probably being untruthfull with yourself. I hope so, because if you really only use one Tablespoon in each glass you are missing out!!) I try to keep it under control with an "out of sight out of mind" tactic (ie the top shelf in the pantry behind something else.) But the other day I came into the kitchen to find the pantry door open wide with the tallest stool ready and waiting. An empty glass of chocolate milk was sitting next to the gallon milk jug on the counter. As I was putting the lid back on the container and pondering who it was that had the tasty treat the answer was revealed. The culprit had left his fingerprints...

I'd say they're just about Jack size-wouldn't you?

Best Friends

The sweetest sound in the wide world is the voice of a 3 1/2 year old saying to his baby brother in a high sing songy voice, "Are you my best fwiend? Are you the cutest baby in the woorld?" and "EEEW stinky mustwerd buns!" TRUTH TIME...Will is never happier than when Jack is in his face!

my FAVORITE people

Does it get ANY better than this?!

Pre School 2011

(L-R Kemp, Chase, Jack, Deja, Josie)

My best bud!

Pre School

he's only 3 1/2. it's just a mommy co-op preschool. he doesn't care. he's so excited to get together with friends and wear his own backpack. he has school work and experiments. his first week he are worms and dirt! and he's gonna "beat you on the top of the coconut tree..." it's so fun to see him after school, all boy, my little man.

Random-ness

I was busy teaching my "games" class for Kids Kollege (more on that to come) and after 45 minutes realized Jack-et was missing and WAY too quiet. I sent Monte Birk to find him...he COULDN'T. I went running in a slight panic, checked the pool, checked the front door, checked my closet...where I've got a rocker and crib for overnight with William. You can't see it in the picture but the rocker is only on it's hind legs. The only thing keeping it from falling all the way back is my clothing-good thing I have a hard time throwing anything away!

Monte Birk saved this little guy from drowning this week. He found him clinging to the pool hose for dear life. Poor guy could swim but couldn't climb his way out!

Hooray for Grandmas!

It's always so FuN when your birthday lasts for a month! At least that's what it feels like when your present comes in the mail a month later...

ThAnKs Grandma Gardiner!!

3! 3! 3!

He's done it! He's gotten there!

My baby boy is 3 YeaRs OlD!

Where has the time gone?

Happy Birthday sweet Jackson. You are my perfect "all american" boy!

You love cars, trucks, 'diggers', the sandbox, dogs, wrestling, balls, fire and anything else to do with fire (candles="hots")

Your Mom, Dad, Grandpa and "brudders" love you like crazy!!

We are so grateful to have you as part of our family.

HaPpY BirThDaY
to our sweet Jack, Jack-et, Jack rabbit, Jack-ster, Jackson and then some!!

Just Burps

Jackson came to find me outside the other night to let me know he had "poopies." "Well," I say, "let's get inside and change your diaper OK?" "OK Mommy." We get in the house and I strip him down, with wipies at the ready, only to find his little rump is totally clean. "Jack, you're not poopie!" "WAIT MOM!" and he proceeded to push for all he was worth. I had my concerns, but all he was rewarded with was little toot. Then he told me, "Oh! You're right mom, no poops, just burps."

He's also found the cabinet that I hide left over candy in and I think his fear of falling is officially over.

To nap or not to nap that is the question

He still needs the nap and yes, he actually still wants the nap. It's the Mom. She is in a quandry and now she is experimenting. If she cuts the nap short he wakes up grumpy and is a bear for the rest of the day (not worth it.) But if she lets him sleep as long as he would like (2-3 hours) he is up late into the evening. While it creates a nice afternoon for said mom the evening is not so fun.

And yet, like I said, he still needs the nap and...

he still wants the nap.

Maybe not in his bed but on the floor with the TV blaring and mom working in the kitchen he'll take less of a nap and still go to bed tonight.

Yeah, I know, not likely.

I'm doing it!!

We've begun crawling!! It's so exciting and a little bit sad to watch him learn all of these fundamentals all over again. This time around though I get to hear a sweet little voice say, "Mommy!! Look at me! Look at me! I'm doing it!" Every moment brings another new milestone. Yesterday there was quite a bit of crawling etc going on. By the end of the day his legs were shaking horribly and visibly. Today he took it easy. It's a lot of work for those little muscles. The best news of all? He almost slept through the night last night!!!

bye bye BABY bye bye

Can you believe the technicians asked us if we wanted to bring it home? I'm still not sure if they were serious or not!!

BLETCH!!

Dr Udall was finishing up a surgery next door and the PA tried to tell us that we should keep it on for 2 more weeks or so - ummm did you look at the X-rays? because Udall said we'd get it off today if they looked good. - Yes, and they look perfect for 5 weeks in - you mean 5 1/2 - 5 weeks - 5 1/2 - 5 weeks - Um I'm a mom and I've been counting down, it's been 5 weeks and 4 days - Well, I conferred with our other Dr and he agrees that it should stay on for a few more weeks. - Is this based on the x-ray or just your experience? - experience - When will Dr. Udall be here? a few minutes? Oh well...we'll just wait.

hooray for just waiting!!!!

Afterword he held his legs in this position and cried for an hour or so. Once home we took a nice long Epsom salt bath in this basic position while we scrubbed and rubbed and massaged. There weren't as many tears in a bubble bath and after an hour more...

He still makes no movement on his own and is getting used to the stiffness and slight pain. But we're on the right road.

Thanks to ALL that have prayed for us - helped out in our home - brought in meals - gifted things on our doorstep. We appreciate and love you all. Next step? finding another new normal...hopefully one with much less TV.

long awaited update!

Everyone keeps asking, "How is Jack doing?" and instead of talking a lot about it, I've been trying to deal with it. Now that I've got a bit of a routine back in our lives here is the

long awaited update!

Jackson is happy as can be, a real trooper. Actually the truth is it makes you feel even worse that he is so nice about his immobility. If he would cry and mumble all the time you could relate to him more but he is, in fact, so nice about it, it kind-of breaks your heart.

We can wash the bodice with rubbing alcohol and that has made a world of difference. We also spend an hour each morning and evening with the hair dryer. Drying out moisture from various sources...Just recently though he has taken to putting things down into the cast so I have to be diligent in keeping things out. If they make it into the legs we are goners!

The cast comes off December 16. The Doctor says there is a small chance his leg won't be ready by then, but I think he just has to say that so moms like me don't go berserk on the off chance that happens. I swear he is getting heavier and more awkward for me to carry every day.

His brothers, Dad and Mom spoil him rotten and I fear that we will have ruined our easy independent boy child. The real problem is that the more frustrated he is becoming with his cast the more tired and impatient I am becoming with him.

Nights are still by far the worst. Monte and I are both desperate for real sleep. We take turns with him over night. He still is not very comfortable and tries to shift in his bed. Then he gets very frustrated to be woken up even if it is he who has woken himself. Basically a no win situation.

Still we are happy to be not hurting anymore and have routine back in our lives. Now that we know how to do things it is easier to get out and about. I don't go out very often but at least the things I have to do can get accomplished. A sweet girl from the ward comes over every afternoon to sit while I pick up the older boys from school. That is probably my biggest life saver.

After the cast is off we've been told he won't be walking for "a month or so." He'll do his own physical therapy...crawling, pulling himself up, toddling. And even then he'll walk with a limp for "quite a while"

Update complete...

Now...how to get the Christmas shopping done?

Definition

Spica cast: A spica cast (also called a hip cast or body cast) immobilizes the hips and thighs so that bones or tendons can heal properly. It is usually put on in surgery while the child is sleeping.

There are several types of spica casts. They begin at the chest and may extend down to cover one leg, both legs, or the leg on one side and down to the hip or knee of the other side. The doctor will decide what type of spica cast your child needs.

Guess which one we needed!

(Tell me that's not gonna stink-literally-in less than a weeks time...I dare ya!)

You don't actually put a diaper on him. The cast is somewhat like I'd image a chastity belt (without the key.) You get a small diaper, size 2 or 3, and sort of tuck it into the cast around his crotch. We got a cool new car seat today to transport him around in. I'm going out to buy a big gardening wagon to fill with pillows to get us through the holidays. He's got to wear it 6 weeks- hopefully it will come off the week before Christmas...sorry all if our scent begins to offend...) The cast is slightly bent at the waist maybe 20 degrees so he will be able to sort-of sit up The bean bags at home will come in very handy the next few weeks. I'm also moving his bed to my room to avoid the stairs. Seeing his brothers today helped a TON but he's staying in the hospital tonight again because of concern for his heart rate. It's been above 135 for 3 days straight. They anticipated it going down when his pain was lessened, but it went UP instead towering around 166. (Ideally it should be low 90's or under.) It also stays uncomfortably high while he is asleep which is abnormal as well.

Looks like he's coming home tomorrow though so...

Wish us Luck!!

This photo was taken at the end of the day today once he was weaned off the heavy meds and had a clearer head. He still spikes with pain every so often but it is FAR more managable. Thanks for the prayers...please keep them coming!

Morphine anyone?

They upped his timing so he can get the morphine evey hour instead of evey two hours. That wasn't quite covering it. The problemb is the morphine gives him BIG body twitches. The "feel like you're falling" kind you sometimes get right before you fall aslep. They jerk his leg and even with the drugs he cries out. He's just done...I can't blame him. Last night stunk.

calling all prayers!!

Did you know hospitals have internet access? I wish I didn't know. Jackson was with a sitter this afternoon and he broke his femur. It's been a long, very dificult and horribly painful 8 hours from ER to Ambulance to Children's Hospital. Morphine has helped and mommy's singing worked for many of those hours. Tomorrow at 10am he will be having surgery. Start praying now for him to get through this aweful night & the next week...pretty please!

Monte Sr is in Utah with Seth and Clyde, coming home tomorrow, Monte Jr is with cousins (he's not actually too upset this being his first sleep over.) Mom? Well, I'm at the hospital no toothbrush, no pj's no soap, no...you get the picture. Who thinks a trip to the ER will result in a week at the hospital?

He cries out in pain every few minutes in his sleep. 15 more minutes and he can have more morphine. It is breaking my heart to see my brave little tough guy go through this.

bay leaf?

I was cooking the pork butt for MB's baptism lunch...outside

(the raw meat stinks...didn't know that...now I do...)
And while I was placing the seasonings in, Jack-et ran off, "I GOT IT, MOM, I GOT IT!!!" huh? A few seconds later there was yet another spice in the pot, right next to the bay leaf...

not quite Jack...keep trying...

My little fairy

I bought these at the $ store for our girlfriend that we have weekly playdates with. She may never get them. Had I known I would, at the very least, have gotten the blue wings!!

He's walking around saying, "FLY! FLY!"

BaD IdEa

So maybe it's not such a good idea to leave the baking supplies in a lower cabinet. Even if it has baby locks...

FYI I moved the baking goods out before I took this shot hoping to minimize the damage done.

2! 2! 2! 2!

HapPy BirThDaY to JacKson

HapPy BirThDaY to Jack-et

HapPy BirThDaY to Jaxaphone

HapPy BirThDay to JaCk!!

...and many more...

tired?

This is the child that WILL NOT, NO WAY, NO HOW, fall asleep anywhere but in this own bed. And yet, today in nursery at the church...

Sitting Indian Style and folded in half.