My Avery

Avery in a clam shell at the Phoenix Zoo during our visit over Spring Break.

I have been trying to write down when the girls say something funny or do something cute, so that I can remember them 50 years from now. Well Avery has accumulated quite a few lately and I thought I better get some of these posted before I forget. My little Avery, whose only ambitions in life are to be a mermaid and marry her daddy, has quite the personality for those of you that have not met her. Again, I remind you she will be 4 years old in May.

1. Yesterday she told me she liked to see boys kissing girls. I asked her why, she says to me, "It looks fun." Uh, Oh!!!
2. Today on our way to church, we saw a couple of quails. I love the little quail families that run around our subdivision. Well, I say how cute they were and then Avery responds, "Oh, they are so cute, let's kill them." Yeah, I'm not sure where she got that idea from, we have never been hunting, ever.
3. Like I mentioned a few times, Avery is obsessed about marrying Lucas. I try to explain the whole growing up and finding her own husband thing, but she insists we can share. Well, the other day she tells me, "Momma I don't want to hurt your feelings. I won't marry daddy. I'll marry Uncle Leon, because he is my best friend."
4. My mother-in-law has these nicknames for the girls. Andie is Pertties (like Pretties) and Avery is Poopers (because she literally poo'd as soon as she was delivered). Well, Avery doesn't think that it is so cute to be called poopers anymore. When I asked her why she didn't like it she stated, "It's disgusting!!"
5. Tonight we went to my sister's house and bowled on her Wii. This was my first time and I was so excited because I won! I then turned to my sister and said, "Just call me Franklin." (I had a boss in high school named Franklin. He used be a serious bowler.) My little Avery with her sweet voice then sings, "Go Franklin, go Franklin!" We all started laughing.
6. Last one, the girls used to have this princess tent that they played with til no end. Well, it got really tattered and torn, so we threw it out. Avery tells me that we should get another princess tent for her to play with. I told her that I would think about it and she looks at me so seriously and states, "I've already thought about it!"
   

So as you can see, we have our hands full with this little one, but we love her to death and wouldn't trade her for anything.

She is so full of spirit and life. She is determined at such a young age. She can be so stubborn and sweet at the same time. Whenever Lucas asks her if she is sweet or sour, she proudly answers every time, "Sour!!"

Testimonies

I know that I shouldn't be blogging on Sunday, but had to get this down.

Since I have been LDS, I have never gotten up and shared my testimony. I always enjoyed listening to everyone else, especially the little ones that can barely talk.

So today, I'm sitting there like I usually do in Sacrament, when the floor is open for members to go up and share their testimonies. I can't explain it, but it just felt different today. I knew a half-hour into Sacrament that I would be one of those up there today. I tried to put it off as long as I could. I practiced what I wanted to share in my head and every time I got emotional. I told Lucas that if I went up in front of everyone, I knew that I would cry. I get very emotional at Fast and Testimony meetings.

So I am sitting there building up my courage when Avery turns to me and says, "Mommy can I try. Can I go up after him and try." I lost it. I knew that was my cue. Avery has never asked to go up before, so I knew that going up to help her would be my chance to get up myself.

It was like the Lord had planned it all along. He used my little 3 1/2 year old to get me up there, but I did it and I'm glad that I did!! Of course I did cry, but it felt good to finally get my first time under my belt. I'm always amazed at how little ones can go up with no problem, but it is the adults that have the issue with nerves.

In Relief Society today we talked about educating and how we learn by example. Well, I am glad that I had the opportunity to educate my kids and be an example. To teach them that it is a great thing to bear your testimony to friends and family. Even though it might be scary at times, it can be a tool to help your faith grow.

Almost whole night of sleep

Last night I got out of the house for a bit and left Lucas in charge of getting baby down. He hasn't had much time to do this lately with work, baseball, and online classes. Erynn likes to throw little fits when daddy tries to lay her down. I think it is because she misses him and wants to spend more time with him, (wink, wink).

So Erynn had already been nursed and bathed when I left the house. When I got home, Lucas was so excited because she went to bed with no fits or crying. He swaddled her up and layed her in her crib, awake, and she fell off to dreamland peacefully. I was so happy for him. I was a getting a bit concerned. I go back to work in two weeks and worried about he and Erynn would do when I worked nights.

When I got home at 9:30, she was already fast asleep. I was even more excited when I was awoken at 3:30am for her feed. That was a whole 7 hours between feeds and a 6 hour stretch of sleep. She then woke up at 7am as usual. I think we are getting closer and closer to a whole night of sleep. I honestly can't remember the last time I slept through the night. This sleep deprivation is so worth it though!!!

Bathtime

Just a real quick pick of me and Erynn. I am always the one taking the pictures and wanted of me with her. I can't believe how big she is getting. I finally got to put this outfit on her. It has been so warm lately, but today was pretty chilly.

Daddy being silly and having Erynn peek around the corner of the bathroom at me. He does this to me a lot. Sometimes with my kids or with the dogs. Pretty much with whatever he can get his hands on.

I have to say that bathtime is becoming one of my favorite times of the day. I have decided to bath Erynn everynight. I want to make sure to keep her clean in the hopes of avoiding another infection. It helps us both to wind down. It is our alone time. There are no crazy sisters running around and no loud noises. It is just her and me in the bathroom. She used to scream bloody murder during her baths, but lately she is pretty calm, dare I say enjoying it.

Tonight she was actually playing in the tub. I had my hands down by her feet. She would kick at my hand over, and over, and over again. She was splashing in the water and made quite a mess of my counter. Afterward, Lucas came in and assessed the damage. Sure enough, there was water everywhere. Lucas gave me a hard time about letting her kick water everywhere, but I couldn't help myself. She was just so cute doing it!!!

Twilight!!!

So I just got my copy of the "Twilight" movie. I can't wait to watch it, again. I know, I know. I'm 27-years-old and totally obsessed about teenage vampires. I can't help myself. I was even more excited because I got a mini-poster of Edward. I saw a 4ft tall poster of Edward and just about died. Lucas was with me and of course shared his snorts and evil looks with me. I explained that it is not Robert Pattinson the actor that I adore, it is just the character Edward. Don't get me wrong, Robert Pattinson is not bad looking, but he would be nothing if not for the character Edward. I found out that the next installment of the series is do to come to theaters in November. Still too early to start a countdown, but be prepared come summer, I will have one on my blog. Happy B-day to me!!! (My b-day is in November.)

WW here I come

So today I had my 6 wk postpartum check-up. It is official, I no longer have excuses for being overweight. The good news is that I am re-starting WW (Weight Wathers) next Thursday. I plan to document my progress here. I am doing it with my little sister and a happened to run into a good friend Taylor Kerby. We are going to take before pics next week and I can't wait to see the weight come off. I have had great results in the past and hope to get back down to what I was at last time I did WW meetings. Wish me luck!!!

Happy B-day Mom!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Hope that you had a great b-day!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. That's right she is a St. Patty's baby. She is the youngest of my grandma's five children and was definitely the princess. She still acts like a princess, ha ha! Don't' get me wrong, she can be crazy when she wants to be. I have to admit that it is funnest with my mom when she just relaxes and lets herself be silly. It is fun to make her laugh.

She is such a great grandma. My girls absolutely adore her.

She has been there for the birth of all three of my daughters. I think that it is nice to have things in common with my mother. We both are mothers to three girls. She is the one that introduced me to "Period Films". It is because of her that I love Jane Austen so much. She has a mild obsession for "Gone With the Wind". She even has the theme song as her ring tone.

She has a really good heart and works heard to do things for others. She works as a school counselor on the reservation. She does her best to help out the kids with troubled backgrounds and home lives. She has told me that they are like her kids.

My mom has worked really hard to be a mother, as well as an educated woman. She is very independent and smart. She has a Bachelor's and Master's degree and inspired me to get my degree after having Andie. I think that it is really important to show my girls that education is important and I learned that from my mother.

I love you mom!!!

Bestest Little Sister

Alisa Marie Wren

25-years-old today!!!

"You are more than my sister. You are friend, companion, keeper of memories, and a reservoir of who I was and what I am becoming."

I can only hope and pray that my girls are as close as you, me, and Angela are.

My little sister turns 25 today. She was actually born one day before my mother, so ya, my mom's b-day is tomorrow. Alisa is two years younger than me. Growing up we spent most of our time fighting, I'll admit that, but I wouldn't trade her for any other little sister. This blog will have some memories and gushing about what a great person she is.

Alisa is a great auntie. My girls adore her. She loves to be the nice one. When I am yelling at the girls for something or other, she is the one telling them it's O.K. to do that. The funny thing is when I am O.K. with what they are doing and they are driving her crazy, she tells me I need to get after my kids more often. Go figure. I know that when the time comes, she will be a great mother. (Don't worry, I'll teach you how to braid.)

Alisa is such a ham. She can always make me laugh, she can make anyone laugh. There are so many times when we are together, we are laughing. She can make me laugh so hard I cry. There was this one time at Red Lobster where Alisa made me laugh so hard that I actually had an accident (you know what kind of accident). How embarrassing. We laugh at some of the dumbest things, ("Hello Oliver," "Ja-pan-eese").

Alisa is always willing to help me. Well, most of the time. I can't remember how many times I bugged her to come over and help me choreograph a dance routine. We have danced together for many years. We started dancing really young and were always making up our own dances. (Remember "Baby Baby"?) We were on the dance team together and I couldn't have been more proud to be a team member with her. She is the best dang hip-hopper I have ever seen. (I have to share this Alice.) When we went to Vegas for her b-day/bachelorette party a few years ago, she was dancing on the bar at Coyote Ugly and one of the bouncers was really getting into seeing her dance. He even pulled me aside to say how good she was.

Like I said there were the times that we fought as well. I remember this one time when we were home alone, we were fighting about something. Well Alisa got really mad at me. (She can get a little violent when pushed to far.) I ended up locking myself in my room to get away from her. She then went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I'm not joking. She wrote "kill you" on it and pushed it under my bedroom door. Well my plan was to show my parents, but she got in the room and cleaned it off before my parents got home.

There was also this other time when she was mad at me and threw a remote control at my head. It really didn't hurt that bad, but when I saw my mother walk by, I started to cry. She got in trouble for that.

Spring Break '09

This past week was our Spring Break. I can't believe that it is already over, but that also means we are 9 wks closer to Summer, whoo hoo!!! To kick off our Spring Break, Lucas put the girls' new beds together, all three of them. They all slept well that first night.

Erynn in her crib

Avery in her first twin bed, she was in a toddler bed before this

Andie in her twin with her new headboard, yes we are still working on the girls' room, but almost done

We took the girls to the Phoenix Zoo this past weekend. It was so much fun. The girls had a great time. The last time we were at this zoo, Avery was a baby. I guess we are sort of starting a tradition.

Erynn at the zoo. When she wasn't looking adorable, she was sleeping

Andie and Avery posing for the camera at the zoo's entrance

Andie and Avery peeking over the bridge to look at the biggest Goldfish I have ever seen

These fish were seriously bigger than Avery

Some lazy turtles lounging around greeting the zoo visitors

We took many pictures, but I'll only share our favorite with you. Unfortunately, we happened to go to the zoo when most of the animals were napping. The Jaguar, Tiger, and Lion's were all sleeping and hard to photograph.

Andie happened upon a group of Peacocks, they were beautiful and were only like 3 ft away from us. There was no fence, so I freaked out when they started to walk toward us.

This Wallaby looked like it was about to pounce, but so cool to see

Avery likes to call herself a monkey and swore up and down that this was her daddy

We were all amazed at the size of this tortoise

This ostrich was so close, hard to believe birds can get this big

A big reason we went to Phoenix was for my sister-in-law Lisa's baby shower. Earlier in the week, Andie and Avery went to the ceramic shop in downtown Safford and painted presents for their new cousin.

Avery painted a butterfly pink and purple. She also painted that little farmer, because she broke off his rake.

Andie painted a little teddy bear and got to do a "dry brush" paint job on it

The shower was fun and Lisa got some really nice stuff. Plus it's always fun to get around family and eat yummy food.

This is Lisa giving us her best "Miss Graham Cracker" wave

So that pretty much sums up our Spring Break, oh ya, I also got in some great shopping!! I loved being able to spend so much time with my family, especially my husband. Thank goodness I was still on maternity leave during the break, there is no way I would have had so much time off otherwise. I have 4 more weeks before I have to go back to work. I miss my work, but enjoying my time with my girls way to much. I know that my work buddies read this, so I'll give them a shout out:

I really do miss you guys. Hope I remember how to do my job when I get back, ha ha!!

The Johnson Dictionary

Words Andie has made up

doorthologist: someone who fixes a door
(We have a closet in our hallway that is broken and I told Andie that if she opened the door, she was going to have to fix it. She then turned to me and said she was not a doorthologist.)

spreadtacious: she meant to say contagious
(Andie was talking about germs and how they are "spreadtacious". I then said you mean contagious. She said, no I mean SPREADTACIOUS.)

Words that Avery has mixed up
created: she meant decorated
(Avery called me the other day and said, mommy look how I "created" this book, and I said decorated, and she said that was what she meant.)

This is an ever growing list that I will add to as words pop-up.

Vesicoureteral Reflux

It is confirmed, Erynn does in fact have VU Reflux. We had our appointment in Tucson today and they did the x-ray with contrast dye in the bladder. It indicated that she has "significant" reflux to both sides. Right now the plan of action is prophylaxis antibiotics in the hopes of preventing another infection. She will have to have another US in six months and then another VCUG at one year of age. It looks like we are in this for the long haul. Erynn is going to have to be monitored very closely for the rest of her life. There is the possibility that she will out grow this in a few years. We are going to do everything we can to prevent further infections. If break through infections occur, then we have to start thinking surgery.

Thank you to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. We love Erynn so much and are so grateful for the support of friends and family.

Oh, forgot to mention that Erynn is one tough cookie. She hardly cried at all during the procedure. She handled it like a champ. I am so proud of her.

One Month

Can you believe that an entire month has gone by and what a crazy month it has been. I am happy to report that Erynn is such a wonderful baby. Dare I say the best one yet. She is so much fun and we all just adore her. Here are some pics of her first month her in this crazy world. We are praying and hoping that our trip on Wednesday gives us good news. I know that Erynn is a fighter already. She is so strong for her age and I can't wait to see her grow and bond with her sisters. There are some special things in store for this little one, I know it.

Avery gazing adoringly at her baby sister.

Andie loves to hold Erynn until she falls asleep. She wants to help all the time. A great big sister.

Erynns favorite thing to do is play on her mat. She likes to kick the toys with her feet.

I can't wait to see how she changes and molds into her own self over the next couple of years.

Erynn we love you so much!!!

A Day of Dress Up

Having all girls and having danced for "umpteen" years, it should come as no surprise that we have accumulated quite a collection of dress up clothes. Well, Andie and Avery had their friend come over and "perform" for me. It was so cute. They took turns trying on different outfits and dancing to music. They had a really great time! Here are a few pics of their escapades.

Kenzee dancing as an angel. You can tell that she has taken dance lessons. She made sure to point her toes.

Kolbee playing the rich girl. This is like the only pic that I got of her face. She was running around so much, most were of her back.

Avery wants to be a mermaid so bad, so she danced as one. This actually looks like a mermaid flapping out of water.

Then of course there is Andie, loves to have all the attention and was the ring leader in their little performance.

I remember when I was younger doing this exact same thing. My older sister Angela would put together performances for all of us. Alisa was always the big performer, she loved the attention too. I was usually too shy to finish a performance and Angela was the ring leader. Funny how traditions continue.

Upside of Life

Erynn is looking so much better these days and we are really looking forward to meeting with the Pediatric Nephologist in Tucson on Wednesday. I can only be optimistic at this point. Everyday Erynn get bigger and bigger, her little personality is coming out more and more. She is definitely our calm little baby. She is laid back and such a flirt. At three weeks she is already smiling at everyone. Today while I was feeding her, she kept smiling at me, so I asked Avery to hurry over with my camera. They aren't focused very well, but here are Erynn first smiles caught on camera. I can't help but smile and even laugh when I look at them.

Isn't that the most precious smile.

This one looks like she is laughing hysterically.

Update on my grandma. Grandma had her surgery yesterday. She did very well. I went and visited her about an hour after getting out of PACU and she was awake and joking about how numb she was. Then again last night she was so anxious to start moving. She is one tough cookie. We are all praying for a speedy recovery and hoping that comes home soon.

Can't Get a Break

This evening (well I guess it was yesterday evening) I was on my way to take the girls to dance when I decided to call my Grandma. When she answered the phone she told me that she had fallen. I was like "Oh My Gosh." She told me that there was a lady there helping her get up. I asked if she wanted me there now, she said yes. So I rushed to my sister's house, dropped off all three girls, called Lucas and headed out to San Jose. By the time I got there my cousin Marty was there and a few other relatives. They had already called the ambulance.

Turns out my grandmother had gone to town earlier that day and after eating dinner and putting away groceries, she tripped over a rug and fell on her left side. She was not able to crawl to the phone for help, so began calling for my cousin Ronald to come and help her get up. Well it just so happened that her neighbor was riding their horses and heard her calling for help and came to see what was going on.

When the ambulance got there two EMTs came and put her on a stretcher, they said what I had already been thinking. She either dislocated her hip or broke it. I was leaning more toward the break because of how much pain she was in. We got to the hospital and after 5 hours, we found out that she indeed broke her hip and is going to need surgery today.

I was really hoping to stay at the hospital until she was settled in a room, but I needed to get home to feed the baby. My grandma is in a lot of pain right now and I pray that she is getting some rest with the help of pain killer and a sleep aid.

Can I just say that I am so sick of hospitals at this moment. I know that I work at one and it isn't the work that bugs me, it is having to be there for family. My grandpa fell in November and then again at the end of December. In January he was at St. Joes in Phoenix. I had to take Andie to TMC in January as well. Erynn was admitted at the end of February and now my grandma in March. That is 5 months of hospital visits.

Well I am now going to try and get some rest before the poo really hits the fan. Is that even really possible?

VCUG

So after posting my last post, I received a call from Dr. Smith about Erynn and his discussion with the Pediatric Urologist. It looks like we will be making a trip to Tucson to meet with a specialist there.

Dr. Smith explained to me that there is a procedure called a VCUG or Voiding Cystourethrogram. It is where they insert a tube into the bladder and inject a dye. They then do an x-ray to indicate if there is any dye going into the kidneys to rule out VU Reflux. Basically there is a valve in the lower urinary tract that prevents urine from flowing back into the kidneys. If there is an abnormality with this valve, children are more susceptible to infections like UTIs.

Until we meet with the specialist, Erynn will have to be on prophylactic antibiotics to prevent any further infections.

Dr. Smith is thinking that this might be the case for Erynn considering she is so young to have urinary problems. It also appears that her kidneys were slightly enlarged when we left the hospital. I have been told the way to treat VU Reflux is surgery.

I feel a little bit better knowing that we might have found our explanation. I am just sad that Erynn will have to endure more poking and prodding in the future and possibly have surgery. This all seems worth it if surgery can fix the problem.

Freaking Out!

So we followed up with Dr. Smith this am and he says that Erynn looks really good. I explained that she is doing much better at home, aside from the diaper rash.

There was a renal ultrasound of Erynn's kidneys done prior to her discharge on Monday morning. Well, the final results indicated "questionable mild nephrosis". What does this mean? Well Dr. Smith said that he wasn't too concerned because is said QUESTIONABLE and that could mean that it really doesn't exist and if it does, it is a mild case. Just as a precaution, he is consulting with a Pediatric Nephrologist about Erynn and her UTI. He also said that it looks like her infection was in the kidneys as well as urinary tract.

Well if you do any research on NEPHOSIS, it does not sound good. Basically it is kidney disease, which could be hereditary or caused by something else, like diabetes and even cancer. It also says that meds to treat nephrosis include diuretics and antibiotics. The article that I read online even went as far as to say that in many cases, the patient may ultimately need dialysis or even kidney transplant in severe situations.

Right now I am trying to keep rational, but my nursing side is telling me to prepare for the worst. I don't want to think about worse case scenario with my newborn. Erynn is such a good baby. She is so mellow and has the sweetest temperment. I am just praying that Dr. Smith is right and it turns out to be just an isolated incident. Please keep us in your prayers over the next few weeks while we investigate this further and try to come up with a final ruling of Erynn's hospitalization.

1st Hospitalization

Talk about the longest weekend ever. It is official, Erynn is now three weeks old and has already been hospitalized for the first time. Now my other kids have been to the ER a time or two, sometimes for being clumsy (Andie) or because of an ear infection (Avery). Neither of them however, have ever had to stay the night in the hospital.

Erynn had a really high fever Thursday night. I called the Answering Service and was told to give Tylenol and monitor her at home. Well, Friday morning her temp got up to 102.5. I called the clinic and made an appointment. Dr. Smith then had us go to the hospital for blood tests. When the results came in, we were then told to go to the hospital for further testing and possible admission. At the ER, Erynn was poked twice for an IV, had to have a spinal tap, chest x-rays, and was straight-cathed twice. It turned out she had a UTI, which is very rare in newborns.

We were in the hospital from Friday night, until this am. I am happy to report that she is doing so much better. No more fever. She is acting more like herself. The only downside is she was on so many antibiotics that now she has really bad diarrhea and a raw bum. We are so happy to be home. We are also so grateful for our family for their support and taking care of our older two girlies. We are also so thankful to our Home Teachers for coming to the hospital and giving Erynn a blessing. That night her fever was gone and never came back. Also, a thank you to our Bishop and Brother Green for checking in on us and to the Relief Society President and Visiting Teachers. It was so nice to know that they cared about my little girls and were willing to help whenever and wherever they could.

I am so happy to have Erynn back home and to be back home, although my house is trashed and I feel like I will be playing catch up for a while. Catch up on housekeeping and on sleep.

Oh and during all the craziness, we lost not one, but two fish. Patrick and Pearl were purchased to replace Jake not too long before Erynn was born. Well, Patrick lasted two weeks, so then Lucas went and bought a really pretty blue male fish I just called "The Blue Ninja". Well, he and Pearl appeared to be getting along well, but I noticed on Saturday that he too was belly up. I think Pearl might be a black widow. She has outlasted two "partners". I think that Pearl will be single from this point forward.