Poopy PIE and Goopy EYE

Time was on Kyan's side today. These kids were a mess this morning so after Pie's usual banana and Kyans breakfast it was time to hit the tub. Usually the big guy is the first to run up the stairs, strip down and jump in at the mention of warm running water. Not this morning through, something came over him, he was tired still and asked to lay down on the couch (this is a rarity) so he got a blanket and pillow and did just that. Meanwhile, my pie and his goopy eye(s) (ill touch base on that point later) started the water and the strip down. Nolan has one of those chairs still for the tub, for Kyan I loved it, for Nolan it needs a recall. This child is out of control when it comes to staying put. Straight jacket him, and he could get out! Thank goodness they changed car seats to 5 point harnesses a three point would be no challenge for our Pie! Ok back to the bath, about five minutes into our splashing fun I stood up by the sink to clean it up a bit, looked over my shoulder to see pies face..pink...pinker....red....redder....back to normal. Hmm...pink....pinker....red ....redder back to normal. By the time I walked the 2ft over to the tub my pie was swimming with some friends! AAAAAHHHH I yelled to Mick and Kyan "We got the poopy PIE, they came running with the video camera, the poor guy just sat there innocent and giggling, feeling a few ounces lighter, not a care in the world. After all is said and done, or pushed and pooped, I can't believe Kyan was brave enough to take a bath with this kid! (yes I cleaned out the tub first!)



Goopy Eye

As most of you know Kyans first sound was gggoooo gggoooo. Not because its a normal baby sound but because we called him goo ggooo gggooopy eye. The kid has had Pink eye (with out the pink) for most of his life, on and off. Ok I guess they call it a clogged tear duct. It went away for the most part by 10months but I feel now that we live in a colder climate it comes back more often, I think your eyes just water more in the cold? Anyway, the Pediatrician would like it fixed now. He is scheduled for next month, when they are older (guess 3 is old for and opthamologist) they need to be put under for the procedure :( Mr. Pie will need some tear duct plumbing himself. He's due for a 12mnth check up in a few weeks....to be continued

Why In The World Did We Leave Arizona?

Here is a pic of the 10+ inches of snow we got the Friday before Easter. And now mother nature is dumping another 3-6inches on us tonight. Somebody if you have time please send Mother Nature a memo! Never mind, I'm on it!

March 27, 2008 (SPRING)

Dear Mother Nature,

What the *#$! is your problem? In case you lost your planner, winter is over! Spring started last week. The date never changes, its always the same every year! Your lucky you don't serve at the whim of Michigan voters. Your @%% would be out of office! Stop your nonsense, my skin is pale dry and ashy, I need some sun and humidity (but not 100%, I know how you can get in July) Maybe you should see a doctor, and get a script to calm these obnoxious

mood swings? Come on get with the program, I mean season.

Sincerely

Jen (and everybody else in Michigan)

Family Time

Bennie Corrupting Kyan

We went and ate with a few of our friends tonight. Ms. Bennie Hanna and Mr. Mario invited us over for a fabulous dinner of Lasagna. This was wonderful because our entire family loves this meal but I have never tried to make it!!!! Maybe I can take a lesson next time Bennie? Next time, our house for some Smoked Goutta Mac and cheese and a lesson in "How to make your own Baily's Irish Cream" It was a long family filled weekend, we got to hang out with Daddy on Thur., Fri, Sat. AND...... Sunday!!!! Thurs. we attended an annual auction at the Law School at U of M. It was an ok time, we bid on some things in the silent auction and are waiting to see if we won (it was a day of sailing so I hope we won, Kyan would love it) couldn't really afford to drop a few grand in the live auction.......maybe AFTER law school as an alumni!!!! Friday it was beautiful here in SE MI a whopping 59 degrees, all of us got out of the house for a family walk around the neighborhood. (It was quick because Mama had to go bring in some Bacon) Sat. we took the kids to the bar and then Sunday we went and hung out with Bennie and Mario! Oh the Bar, yeah its more like a family bar ....um yeah I swear, anyway we left around 9:30 after eating dinner with a few guys from Mick's hockey league and there wives/girlfriends(we actually got kicked out, no kids after 9 its the law don't you know?!!) So it was fun hanging out with daddy so much in the past few days!!! We sure cant wait until law school is over, we love hanging out with you!!! Its back to reality over the next few days. I'm on for 3 in a row but then Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Sue are coming on Thurs and Gramma Judy and Papa Dave on Friday.....Cant wait for everybody to get here!!! Oh yeah and even a visit from auntie Amy to go hit up Ikea!!! CANT wait!

Video Experiment (Fishing Last Summer)

Some Pics of Our Day

Drive with me baby brother!

Cuising around in Home Depot!

Chronicals of a NICU Nurse

The last few days I've been feeling down in the dumps. At the same time I am feeling extremely selfish for having these feelings. You all know what I do for a living. I work as a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse. My work can be very emotionally challenging at times and also very rewarding at others. Sat. morning I drove home from work in tears, thoughts just raced through my head. My heart was aching for the pt. I just left. Its so hard to leave work when your patient is so critical, I feel I can't or shouldn't leave, I feel I need to stay, its not fare that I get to leave and just carry on with life, go home and play with my perfectly healthy boys, its like having unfinished business. Its so hard to run your ass off for 12hours straight exhausting all the energy I have in effort to help save a baby, a life that has barley begun and so close to ending. You have to be strong, you have to numb yourself from the constant sobbing you hear a few feet from yourself, a mother, begging, pleading with God, with anybody, to let her first born, her only child survive. The baby they have tried for years to get and now here it is weighing just over a pound. Its so hard when I can see my own boys lying there, I try not to but I do think about it, it does happen. The baby blue in color, bloated with edema, multiple foreign lines and wires connected to this little life, a machine the size of a full grown man breathing for the baby, a body the size of a dollar bill. Its chest vibrating from high frequency ventilation, so unnatural its disturbing, monitors beeping with alarm, decreasing heart rate and oxygen saturation's, a plummeting blood pressure, Parents sobbing and the baby getting more blue. I hate it when I look up and see the mother and tears build up in my own eyes, that large knot in my throat wont go away and the ache in my chest. I am so sad and yet my pain is nothing remotely close to what she is going trough. Its not easy seeing a baby in states that I have. I find it hard to talk to anybody about this. These feelings I have is why I have been feeling selfish, why should I be worried about my feelings ? These poor parents are losing their baby! But at the same time I cant help it. Prematurity is a problem that not too many people are aware of. I mean yeah, people know it exists but they haven't seen what I have seen. A lot of people think of a preemie as a 4-5 pound baby. To me, that's a huge baby! They haven't seen that baby weighing 500 grams (just over a pound ) in fluid volume overload, or cynotic because of lack of oxygen, their skin slothing off because its so premature its barley there. They don't know what NEC is (where the bowel dies and can perforated its contents into the abdominal wall causing a fatal infection) or seen that baby suffering through the infection in will to survive. Or worse of all a baby taking its last breath. I don't wish anybody ever to have to see these things, its just hard to talk about my experiences when nobody has been in my shoes. Its like the parents who lost the babies, Nobody knows their pain, nobody. Your probably thinking if I cant handle my job I should find another? It's not like that at all, it just adds up over time and you need to get it all out, like my good cry on the ride home sat. morning. The greatest times are seeing a 23wk baby born with her eyes fused shut, open them one at a time for the first time, or helping a mother hold her baby for the first time when he is now 20 days old, seeing that micro preemie go home with its family after 120 long days in the NICU, getting updates from all the babies I've cared for, pictures, emails, phone calls, cards. Knowing I made a difference in someones life, knowing I have impacted them in a positive way in either a good or bad outcome , knowing I did all I could do for the sake of somebody else, that's why I do it.