An Answer To Our Prayers.....

We made it through week 1......whew! I must admit there is never a dull moment. Even though it has been A LOT of work and very STRESSFUL, I absolutely LOVE having Kate home. My sweet Mom came up this week to help out. Kate had a cardiology follow-up appointment at Primary's on Tuesday...and what a fiasco it was. It literally took me 2-hours to prepare the equipment, get it loaded into the car and get Kate ready before we were out the door......NOT KIDDING. Then, it was even more of a process to get her in the stroller and try and make all the equipment fit. It's making me so tired just typing about it. But, we did it and I guess that's all that matters.

Before making the decision for Kate to have this life-altering surgery, we were told over and over that there is a huge shortage of home health nurses who are specialized with trachs and we would not have any help at home. This factored, somewhat, into our decision especially with a new baby on the way. Most families who have a child with a trach generally have help. Knowing that we would be doing this on our own with the help of family and friends, we made the decision that somehow we could make it work.

A couple of days before Kate was released from the hospital, the discharge planner came to us with some great news. She said that they were able to find home nursing for Kate, not only for a few hours a week, but for 8+ hours a day 5-days a week. I can't even tell you what a blessing this has been. I was a little worried about having someone in my house all day, but it has been such a great transition. I feel like we hit the jack-pot with Amber. She is darling and absolutely adores Kate. I feel 100% comfortable with her taking care of Kate. Having her there has allowed me to take some "Me" time during the day, where I can work-out, run errands, clean my house or just take a nap. If anything, it's just nice to have an extra set of hands to help. It's amazing how things tend to work out and fall into place. I feel like some of the stress has been lifted off my shoulders and hopefully will allow me to relax and be a better mom.

"They Say It's Your Birthday...."

In honor of Bryan's 33rd Birthday.....yes I said Birthday #33, I wanted to share 33 things I LOVE about Bryan:

1. He loves being a Dad.....and he's a darn good one. It absolutely melts my heart to see Bryan interact with Kate and realize how much he loves her. Kate is one lucky girl.

2. He thinks arguing is lame. Even when I try and pick a fight, he finds a way out of the argument.

3. He does the laundry......and he's good at it!

4. He is a hard worker. He always has some project he is working on.

5. He loves life and likes to have fun.

6. His family is his priority and nothing comes before that.

7. He can fix ANYTHING!!

8. He prefers to alter his own pants (he does better with the sewing machine than I ever could).

9. He's very PATIENT!!!

10. He's very complimenting (especially when he knows I need it).

11. His glass is always "Half-Full." He is always looking at the positive rather than the negative.

12. He comes from a great family, with great parents who raised him into the man he is today.

13. He loves treats (like me).

14. He doesn't like to waste time, especially watching TV or playing video games.

15. He is dependable. If he is ever asked to do something or be somewhere, he will be there.

16. He loves to snow ski and is an amazing skier.

17. He is a great listener. If I ever need to vent (even about something lame), he will just listen and let me get it off my chest.

18. He loves my family. He's always up for a trip down to Fillmore to visit my family.

19. He makes friends easily and is a true friend.

20. He honors his Priesthood authority.

21. He is so handy. I swear he fan fix ANYTHING!

22. He is conservative with money. If we can't afford it......he won't buy it.

23. He is always respectful.

24. He is infamous for putting his foot in his mouth, but somehow always seems to redeem himself.

25. He's very nice to look at :)

26. He's not easily influenced.

27. I love that his hands are always calloused, but his fingernails are always well groomed.

28. He gives amazing back rubs and usually doesn't complain (okay, he complains a little, but ends up giving in).

29. He will watch "chick-flicks" with me.

30. He has goals. He is always looking for ways to better himself.

31. He NEVER complains. If there is something he is not happy with, he will find a way to change it.

32. He makes me want to be a better person.


33. He has 100 more qualities that I love about him, but I'm sure he will be grateful that I stopped at 33.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN.....I LOVE YOU!!!!

Home again, Home again....Jiggity Jig!!!

Kate's a litte emotional about leaving all of her friends!
Thanks Nurse Angie for taking such great care of us!!!


Well, today was the big day and what a day it was. Everything went quite smooth, but it's been a pretty big adjustment getting settled in. However, we did it and are excited to be home. Through the transport, Kate seemed to develop a little anxiety with all the changes. We were a little worried when we got home because she had a pretty elevated heart rate and seemed to be quite agitated. However, once we got her settled in, she has slept like a baby......we'll keep our fingers crossed!!! I think the fact that she is in a quiet environment and she is not being poked and prodded all the time makes her very happy. It was a little bitter sweet leaving, as we made so many great friends while in the hospital. As hard as it was to be at Primary's for as long as we were, we appreciate the wonderful people who took such great care of Kate. I hate to say this, but I think we are going to miss Primary's. We are excited, though, to get into a routine and help Kate grow and progress.

Kate's New Look!

This is Sue, one of Kate's favorite nurses. She spoils Kate and is always making sure Kate looks her best :) In fact, she gave Kate this darling outfit so she would be festive for Valentine's Day!
I have to say...one great thing about Kate having a Trach is that it allows her to not have anything attached to her face anymore. However, I do think that it has added a few pounds to her cheeks :)

Well, I think we have fianlly gotten comfortable with the Trach. We have offically graduated from the Trach training and now have 3-days of ventilator training. I have to say it's not as intimidating as I imagined it would be. We currently have her on the ventilator she will be going home with and it's small enough to fit into a laptop bag.....Not bad!! The word around here is that Thursday might be the big day. However, we have learned from past experiences to not get our hopes up. Before Kate is released, Bryan and I have to "room-in," meaning they put us in a private room and we basically take care of her for 24-hours. This is to allow us to get used to taking care of her on our own, with back-up (if necessary). We're so excited to get Kate home and are so proud of her for the fighting personality she has and the progress she has made. We are so blessed to have such a sweet little angel.

VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Bryan and I had a pretty uneventful Valentine's Day this year. I personally think that Valentine's Day is overrated. However, we were able to get away for a few days last week. Bryan had some business in Phoenix and when I found out where he was staying ( The Arizona Biltmore....see pictures below), I couldn't resist. So, we flew out on Monday morning and spent 2-days in the beautiful Arizona weather. We are so grateful for Grandma Rosenvall, Grandma Roper and a few friends from the ward who came and kept Kate company while we were gone. It was a much needed trip for the both of us!!

The golfing was a little pricey....okay, it was downright ridiculous. So, we just settled for the driving range. Let's just say golfing is not that easy when you are 7-months pregnant.

Happy Love Day!

I feel like I don't brag on Bryan as much as he deserves it, so I thought what better day to do it than on Valentine's Day!

I feel so lucky to have such an incredible husband. Over the past 4 1/2 years since I have known him, my life has been so blessed. Bryan is such an amazing husband, father, brother and friend. I just wanted to share some of my favorite pictures. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

"I'm a Big Kid Now"......Literally!

So, one great thing about Kate is that she has never had any problems gaining weight. Back in December when Kate first went into the hospital, she was in a size 3 diaper. Since then, not only has she outgrown the 3's, but she is now out of the 4's....are you kidding me??? Well, the hospital only provides diapers up to size 4, so when the 4's started fitting Kate like string bikinis, we had to figure out a better solution. So, one of our nurses brought out these "big girl diapers" (aka oversized green maxi pads with Velcro). I don't think so!!! Instead, they were able to find some Princess Pull-Ups....which were much more suiting to Kate. Even though we are far from potty training.....THANK GOODNESS for Pull-Ups!

The last 2 days have been really good. Kate seems to be adjusting to the the Trach quite well. The first 2 days......well..... not so pleasant. We had to keep her pretty sedated so she wouldn't irritate the site. She's finally been able to come off the sedation without fighting and pulling tubes. Bryan and I started the training course yesterday. We have eight 2-hour classes that we have to attend where we learn how to care for the Trach and all the equipment. It sounds overwhelming, but we have completed 2 of the classes and it hasn't been too bad. We hope to be able to finish by next week. On Tuesday, the surgeon who did the Tracheostomy, will come and change out the Trach and make sure everything looks good. From there, we should be able to talk about bringing her home. And believe me......we are so ready!

P.S. I will be posting some pictures next week when Kate is feeling a little better!

Change can be good.....Right???

I just wanted to share some cute photos of Kate. Over the last couple of weeks, she hasn't really progressed to the point where we feel comfortable taking her home. I guess the good news is that she hasn't digressed either. Yesterday, we had another conference with the doctors to figure out where to go from here. The main issue has been her blood has been very acidodic, meaning she is not blowing off her CO2 and her kidneys are not compensating. We hit the 9-week mark today and our goal at this point is to just get her out of the hospital and home. Since August, we have debated the issue of a Tracheostomy and have prayed and prayed that this would not be the answer for Kate. I think we were praying so hard that Kate would not need to have this procedure...but ignoring the answer that maybe this is just what she needs. As much as we didn't want to have to make this decision, we felt that in order for Kate to come home and improve her lung and heart function a Trach had to be the answer. Once we came to this decision.....both Bryan and I felt at peace (which we haven't felt for a while). So, early this morning Kate went in and had the Trach placed.

The surgery went really. After the anesthesia wore off.....Kate let us know that she was MAD!!! It's definitely going to take her some time to get adjusted to this, but this sweet little fighter will be able to do it.

Even though it has taken us this long to get to this point, we needed to feel as though we did everything possible to see if Kate could come out of this on her own. After feeling like we had exhausted every possible avenue, we finally feel okay with making the decision for a Trach. So from here (considering everything goes well with the recovery) she'll probably be here for another 1-2 weeks. It's so nice to FINALLY see an end in sight :)

Every Day is Groundhog Day!!!!

Do you ever feel like it's the same old thing....different day? Well, I have been feeling like this lately. I consider myself to be somewhat of a hibitual person, but when I started paying closer attention to my daily routine....I have realized lately that I have been living a "Groundhog Day" life. Let me just tell you a little bit about my typical day:

8:00 am sharp - (not a second before and not a second after) I receive a sweet wakeup call from Bryan (whether I want to wake up at that time or not).
9:51 am - I catch the bus taking me to the Sandy Trax station (this is always a treat). It never fails....the bus driver always makes the comment to me, "Breaking the piggy bank again, huh?" I am always trying to scrounge up enough change for the $1.75 bus fare (it's usually all nickles and dimes).
11:36 am - I arrive at Primary's and call Bryan letting him know that I made it safely and tell him of the MANY interesting people I encountered.
11:40 am - I pass the $0.25 candy machines in the waiting room and wish I hadn't used all my spare change for the bus.
11:45 am - I'm finally able to see Kate. We have story time, play beauty parlor and sing songs.
2:00 pm - Lunchtime in the cafeteria. I always think I am going to get something different every day and I end up getting the same boring thing EVERY time.
2:35 pm - Pass the candy machines again and wish I had a quarter.
2:40 pm - More story time and singing time.
4:00 pm - Kate goes down for a nap and I get my e-mailing and blogging done.
4:30 pm - Get a call from Bryan letting me know he has left work and is on his way up to Salt Lake.
6:00 pm - Bryan arrives and holds Kate while I finish e-mailing and blogging (maybe fit in some on-line shopping/browsing).
7:00 pm - We are kicked out of the PICU for an hour while they do their shift change. Bryan and I always debate what to do for dinner. We usually end up going to Wendy's (and I get the same thing EVERY time).
8:00 pm - We arrive at the hospital again, get Kate on her CPAP, read The Jester has lost his Jingle (Kate's favorite.....plus a personal favorite of mine), chat with the nurse for a few minutes and say our good-byes.
9:00 pm - On our way home. I call my mom and talk to her the whole way home.
9:43 pm - Go through the mail and check phone messages
10:00 pm - Watch the News
10:30 pm - Call the nurse and check on Kate.......hit the lights!!!

Then as soon as I know it....my day starts all over again!!!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!!