Liam turns 2!

In September, our energetic, mischievous, wall-climbing (OK, that is a little exaggerated but he does climb everything including baby gates), vibrant little boy turned two!

Since he 'has' to watch Toy Story everyday, we went with a Toy Story theme for his birthday party.

We couldn't ask for better weather for his birthday party.  It was nearly 80 degrees outside and since we recently installed a wooden fence in our backyard (to keep the kids in the backyard when playing), we were outside for the birthday party.

Nearly 12 of Liam's friends and cousins enjoyed the party.  The kids bowled, played on the swing set, played baseball, rode the Power Wheels Jeep and did a lot of running and screaming.  I'm sure they all slept well that night (and some the next day!).

Thank you everyone that helped to make Liam's day so special.  And thank you for all the great gifts.  We have replaced the batteries in each of his trains four times already!

Bountiful Baskets

 About a year ago, a dear friend of mine introduced me to Bountiful Baskets.  Bountiful Baskets is a food coop that distributes fresh vegetables, fruits and breads every other week.  For $15 plus $4.50 handling fee that goes to the truck driver, you receive about $30-$40 worth the produce.  The 'basket' is made up of about 50% fruits and 50% vegetables each time.  The breads are considered add-ons and can be purchased for an additional cost. 

The baskets can be ordered from noon Monday until Tuesday night or until all the baskets are gone.  Each pick up location receives 100 baskets maximum at each pick up.  Each person that orders a basket can order up to three baskets.  Since we have a family of four, we only get one basket each time, otherwise the produce goes bad before we can eat it. 

Our pick up day is Saturday.  So we order our basket and pay for it online earlier in the week and pick it up on Saturday.  Each pick up site is run by volunteers that sort the produce into the baskets to ensure the produce is of good quality and each basket has an equal share of produce.  Since the pick up sites are run by volunteers, we have a 20 minute window to pick up our basket.  Now, I said we pick up our basket, but we have to take our own bags to put the produce in.  We do not get to keep or take home the basket that the produce is sorted into.  They reuse the baskets for every pick up. 

Since we started ordering the produce baskets, our family have been making healthier food choices and including more fruits (although eating fruit in our family has never been an issue) and vegetables (we struggle to get enough servings of vegetables daily).  The USDA has a recommended daily allowance for fruits and vegetables and we try to meet these recommendations each day. 

If you don't already order Bountiful Baskets, I encourage you to visit their website, learn more about it and try a basket.  There are no obligations, you can order a basket whenever it works for your family, you choose the pick up location, and your family has better food options. And the best party, you receive much more than $19.50 worth the produce - you receive at least $30 every time you pick up.

Since I have been talking about Bountiful Baskets and posting pictures on social media, I have several friends and family members that order baskets every two weeks - and some order a basket each week since there is a pick up each week in their city. 

Will you accept my challenge and try Bountiful Baskets?

Where has the summer gone?

As I flipped over the calendar to August, I thought 'where has the summer gone?'  In May when summer was just starting, Jason and I made plans for the summer.  We were going to go fishing, camping, take the kids to different parts of the state, visit family in Chicago, and enjoy our family time together.

While I can't say, we didn't get any of that accomplished, it seems like the summer went by too fast to enjoy all of our plans.  The best part of the summer was spending time outside with the kids and watching them grow.

Our summer was spent with Jason spending about six weeks painting at a couple of side jobs (and he has a couple more to do yet).  In addition to these side jobs, Jason spent a fair amount of time - and overtime - working at job sites for his day job, which he hasn't done since he began estimating about four years ago.

Olivia had her tonsils and adnoids removed on July 13th.  I was a tough decision to have her go through surgery at 3 1/2 years old, but we knew it was the best decision for her health and future.  Her tonsils were so large, they inhibited foods she could eat, she would snore so loud she would wake herself up and she had long periods of apnea while sleeping.  Because of her snoring and apnea, she never got a good night's rest.  The recovery after surgery was long and painful - for both her and I.  I was fortunate to be between jobs for a couple weeks after her surgery so I was home during her recovery.  Since she was in pain, she refused to drink or take her medicine. It is difficult explaining to a 3 year old that if she swallows and it hurts for five seconds, the pain will be gone for the rest of the day.  It was about a three hour battle every morning to get her to take her pain medicine and drink.  It is amazing that at the two week post-surgery mark, she was 100% better and without any pain. And it took the full two weeks!

Olivia had some special visitors at the hospital while she was recovering.  And the day after surgery, she wanted to paint an art project, which is now her jewelry box.

Since her surgery, Olivia is eating much more and new foods, she doesn't have any apnea, and her snoring has gone away.  I check on her now to make sure she is breathing since we don't hear her 'snoring' anymore.

Olivia was feeling better three days after surgery and wanted to be a princess.

This summer I was planning to stay home with Olivia and Liam and do some contract work.  However, God has other plans for me.  As Jason and I made the decision for me to stay home, a Dairy Extension Educator position came open at UNL.  Anyone who knows me, knows that my passions are dairy and education and I have always wanted to do Extension.  When this position came open, I had to apply.  After several interviews and conversations, I accepted the position at UNL and now am a Dairy Extension Educator for Nebraska.  My primary responsibilities will be dairy communication and program planning for the state.

Area county fairs have started and the kids have not lacking in riding the rides.

The beginning of August, we went to a Saltdogs game.  We didn't watch much of the game, but the kids had fun on the bounce house.  And Liam found Homer, the Saltdogs mascot, and took a liking to him right away.  Olivia now has bragging rights, too.  She was the "Smile of the Game" and was on the big screen at the game.

We spend a large amount of our summer playing outside and going to the pool.  Olivia learned to float, turn in circles, and 'swim' while wearing her life vest.  When we started the summer, she would float, but it would be face down.  Now she can keep afloat upright.  Liam is a water boy.  When we turn on the sprinkler, go to the pool or it is raining, Liam can be found playing in the water and splashing.

We didn't make it fishing, camping, to Chicago or sightseeing Nebraska, but we have enjoyed our summer as a family.

Our plans for the fall?  A Vegas vacation for Jason and I, preschool for Olivia, exploration for Liam, and a debt free household for the family.

Stay tuned with us on our journey this fall. 

I lived to tell about it.....Part 3

Fast forward a year and a half from the MRSA hospitalization and I appear to be healthy, but this isn't true.

Yes, I am healthy on the outside and have been fortunate to not have many complications.  But I am affected emotionally.  I have never been through anything that has affected me emotionally like this illness.  Don't get me wrong, I was very emotional during the births of both my kids but this is different.

Here is why I am so effected by this disease.

1.  I will always be a positive carrier of the bacteria.  Anytime I visit a new doctor I have to disclose I am MRSA positive. I feel as if I'm carrying a disease and it was my fault that I contracted it.  I know this isn't true, but that is how I feel.
2. We would like to have more children. Now we are having second thoughts.  Jason and I always thought we would have three or four kids.  We are very blessed with two healthy kids - a girl and a boy.  I don't want to face those complications again.  The extra precautions that will have to be taken in the delivery room, not only for me but also for the nurses and doctors, to ensure the MRSA isn't spread to anyone else is lengthy.
3. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't cry.  I know a flare up is less than likely to occur, but it could really happen anytime. Not only am I scared to have the bacteria become present again, but I am also scared it will take over my body again.  I want to be around as long as I can for my family. I don't like the thought that if God decides it is my time to go then Jason will be alone raising the kids.  And I cry because my dreams of having more kids was taken away from me.
4. I am sick more frequently.  Before I was diagnosed with MRSA, I got sick once every three or four years.  I hadn't seen a doctor for an illness in nearly eight years.  Because MRSA weakened my immune system, I have been to the doctor four times in one year for medication to treat other bacterial infections.   

I have learned a lot from the MRSA incident, too.

1. Life is precious. Each day my kids and I drive by a billboard on the highway that says "Defend life because life is precious." This couldn't be more than true. I really felt the full meaning of these words when I was in the hospital getting treated.  Although I have always given my kids and husband a hug and kiss everyday, I squeeze them a little harder and say "I love you" every chance I get.  
2. I pray a different way.  It is amazing how a person or a life changing event changes the way you pray.  I thank God daily for life, my daily blessings, keeping me safe, keeping me healthy and having faith.  When I pray, the first thing I do is thank God.  The second prayer I ask God to continue to keep my family and I safe, healthy and continue our faith.  The power of prayer is too large to measure.
3. Doctors make mistakes.  Doctors are humans and make mistakes like we all do.  Some mistakes are bigger than others. In my case, the mistake was nearly deadly.  If only the doctors would have scrubbed in a little longer or the instruments sterilized a little better, my abdomen scrubbed longer, I wouldn't have received MRSA in the delivery room. But there isn't anything that can be changed now.  The mistake was made, and we all have to make the best of it.  No one is perfect.  The fact is, this could have happened to anyone. 
4. Stop and smell the roses.  Before receiving MRSA, I was a workaholic.  Now, I live for daily family time and time with my kids.  The best part of my day is waking up my kids and giving them hugs and kisses every morning AND getting home from work and getting to spend the rest of my day with my family.  No one can take away the precious time I get to spend with my family each and every day. Without this experience, I would probably still be a workaholic and I have now learned to 'stop and smell the roses'.
5. God carried me.   I will never forget the day I heard 'you may only see one set of footprints in the sand because I am carrying you'.  That was the day I knew I was going to live.  Now I know God will always carry me and watch over me and my family when we are down.  

This illness has been a roller coaster ride and I know the ride is not over.  I wouldn't change this journey God has given me for anything.

I lived to tell about it....Part 2

After attending church on Sunday and hearing God speak to me, I knew it wasn't my time to go, and the next week was proof I was going to be OK.

                                   

I sailed through Sunday as if I was feeling the best I had ever felt when really I just wanted to die. I spoke to my mom that evening and told her I thought I was feeling better, but I needed her help, again.  I was too weak to do anything.
Mom showed up Tuesday morning to help me with EVERYTHING.  I didn't get out of bed or off the couch except to use the bathroom.  She even brought me Liam to nurse.  I couldn't take care of myself let alone the kids at that point. Relief was coming, but when?

I made another call to the doctor.  They had to find medicine, soon, that would work.  And Wednesday afternoon was my appointment.  My incision was oozing more than ever, and it was red and hard, too.  Dr. Hutchens, who I was now seeing, asked it I would be OK to have a CT scan.  The caviot was I couldn't nurse Liam for 24 hours after because of the die.  YES, YES, YES!!!! Although I support nursing 100%, I was ready for answers.  I was sent immediately for a CT scan.

It took me 45 minute to drive home from the hospital, I no sooner walked into the house, and the doctor called.  She said I had an internal infection between my organs, and now that they know I have an internal infection, they can better treat with antibiotics.  I went to bed that night with a sense of relief.

I was awoken to my phone ringing at 6:00 am the next morning. It was my OBGYN.  She said she as going to admit me into the hospital, and I needed to get there as soon as possible.   This must be more serious than she thought!  I was October 3 and I was supposed to be celebrating my fourth wedding anniversary.  Happy Anniversary to me!!! What a better way to spend your wedding anniversary than in the hospital.

Mom and I loaded up the car and got Liam ready.  He was going to be in the hospital with me. I wanted to continue nursing and caring for him. Another bump in the road hit as I was on the way to the hospital. I got a flat tire, and had Jason come change it for me.  Where was roadside assistance or the police when you need them?

Once I arrived at the hospital, they took my vital signs and my heartrate was 40.  Within minutes they were rushing me off for surgery. In surgery, they removed as much of the infection as they could and inserted a drainage tube to remove the remainder of the infection.  They sent a small portion of the infection for testing to determine the exact type of infection I had.

Not only did I see my OBGYN in the hospital, but  I also saw the infectious disease doctor, wound care doctor, and the interventional radiologist.  Although no one knew they type of infection, they did insert an IV and had several antibiotics going at the same time.  It was amazing how much better I felt right after they removed a large portion of the infection.

My heart rate continued to remain low even after surgery.  The nurses would laugh when they took my vitals and asked if I was a marathon runner.  I laughed back and said I hadn't run in a couple of years.  What did that dangerously low heart rate mean?  The bacteria was taking over my organs and slowly shutting everything down.  My body was in septic shock.  Since my health was deteriorating so quickly, I only had about 48 hours to live.

Two days after surgery the culture results came and back showed I had methicillin-resistent Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).  It is a gram positive bacteria and a strain of staph that's resistant to antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections.  Knowing this, the doctors had to change their plan of attack and start a completely different antiobiotic: vacomycin.

At this point I have lost track of the antibiotics I have taken to treat this infection, but now I know I would be taking a very high dose of vacomycin through a PIC line for the next two weeks.  Because of the concentration and administration through a PIC line, the vacomycin was mixed in a lab and in a time release ball.  I had to be hooked up for one hour twice a day for two weeks. The great news is that I was able to do everything from the comfort of my own home with a little bit of training.

I was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday evening although my heart rate was still low.

Fast forward two weeks and all my vital signs were back to normal, I was feeling like a human being again and I had the energy to care for my family.

I can't say everything is fine today.....

In the next part of this blog series I will talk about my health over the last year and a half.

I lived to tell about it.....Part 1

Hallelujah! He is risen.

Many of us were fortunate enough to celebrate Easter with our families and the meaning behind Easter - the celebration of Jesus rising from the dead.  It was a day to reflect what Jesus did for us and how he has saved us.

How fitting for me to write about Jesus saving me.

In January 2011 nearly 11 months after our daughter, Olivia, was born Jason and I found out we were expecting baby #2.  We were excited, scared and nervous.  We just felt comfortable being parents after nearly a year, and in September we will have an 18 month old and a newborn.  We knew we could do this.

My pregnancy was great other than feeling a little tired from chasing a toddler.  My blood pressure was normal, my glucose test can back in normal range, my feet weren't swelling and I was gaining a "normal" amount of weight - more than I wanted but who really wants to gain weight? -

My first pregnancy ended in a cesarean section, but my doctor and I discussed about having a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) and since there weren't any complications with my first pregnancy and delivery there wasn't any reason to schedule a c-section.  So we planned to have a VBAC with baby #2.

On September 10 my water broke about 9:30 pm, and I started having contractions.  Because my contractions stopped in the middle of the night and I couldn't feel the baby move any longer, we headed into the hospital.

We arrived to the hospital about 5:30 am and checked in.  I was having contractions, but they were minimal.  I walked to bring on the contractions and help the labor for what seemed like days.  Around 3:00 in the afternoon I was only dilated to five centimeters, but I was making progress.  While in labor, I learned that one of my friends had come into the hospital and had her baby on the 9th.  Her delivery ended in major complications and scary situations (you can read about it here), but praise be to God everything ended well, and she and her son are doing well today.  Ironically, we shared the same doctor and when the doctor came to check on me, she mentioned how she was still shaken up from my friends delivery.

Around 7:00 that evening, the doctor came in to check on me, and I hadn't dilated anymore.  It was at that point that she thought it was best to move forward with a c-section since it was nearing 24 hours since my water broke.  I agreed.

Everything went well in the operating room, so we thought, and Liam Colton was born at 8:29 pm on September 11. He was perfect!  Our family of three became a family of four.

After delivery, I had some sharp pains in abdomen.  I was having pain from the c-section, but I didn't remember this kind of pain after my first c-section.  I mentioned this pain to the nurse, and she said it was just the anesthesia wearing off and pain from the c-section. Every delivery and c-section is different which will bring different pains, too.

Three days later, on September 14, I was released from the hospital. Liam was doing well and with the exception of a little pain, I was getting along well, too. We endured the rest of the weekend with a newborn, toddler and me still recovering from the c-section.

On Tuesday, September 17 everything changed.  I woke up running a slight fever, had the chills and just didn't feel right.  I called the doctor, and they asked me to visit their office to give me an assessment.  There was a virus going around at that time,and the doctor thought I had a touch of the virus since everything else seemed fine.  She told me if I wasn't feeling better by Friday to call back.

Friday came and I was still running a fever.  Another visit to the doctor where they didn't find anything wrong. I was sent home, again.

Tuesday, September 24 came and still I was running a fever.  I made another call to the doctor's office. My doctor was on vacation so I saw another doctor in the practice.  She examined me and thought maybe I had a uterus infection, and I was put on antibiotics. I was hesitant to take them since I was nursing but knew it was best for my family and me.

Each day came and went.   I was running a fever, had the chills and no energy.  My mom came to stay with us the second week we were home, but we thought she should go back home since I was just fighting an infection.  Each day she would call and check up on me.  Each time I would tell her I was feeling better.  I was hiding how terrible I was feeling.  I was hoping the antibiotics would start working soon so I could feel "normal" again although I had a baby two weeks prior.

Friday, September 27 came and I still had a fever, chills, aches, and now the pain in my stomach was getting even worse.  Every time I would try and sit up from laying down it felt like someone was stabbing me.  Could they have left something inside me from the c-section?  I was beginning to wonder.  Again, I made a call to the OBGYN's office.  At this point, I had puss oozing from my incision site, and it was red, hard and swollen.  She called in another antibiotic for me.  Sigh! Round two of antibiotics.

On Sunday, September 29, my family and I went to church.  Although I wasn't feeling fell, I always pushed myself to play with the kids, clean the house, do laundry and other housework.  I was really hoping my lack of energy was from taking care of a newborn.

My prayers in church took on a whole new meaning that day.  I knelt down, thanked God as I always do and had a great conversation with Him. "I'm ready, God.  I understand if this is my time to leave Earth, but please let me say goodbye to my family. Please keep my family safe and take care of them.  I feel terrible and need you to carry me."  It was then that I heard the Footprints poem.

I knew it wasn't my time to go and God was carrying me.  He was going to help me.

Part 2 will talk about the next week of being sick and ending up in the hospital with a short time to live.