I Love My Blog

Some days, like today, I have nothing interesting to talk about, but I still ramble out thoughts of nothingness on my blog.  I love my blog.  I love looking back through my blog and wondering why I didn't start it sooner.  I've never been good at scrap books, I'm horrible at recording the kids milestones on paper or in any type of journal or baby book, and I'll be the first to admit that my memory sucks.  With that said, thank goodness for my blog!  I record it all here.  For all to read, some to comment, and mainly for my own documentation.  Thank you blogger.com for giving me this space on the world wide web to record life's happenings.  Without this blog my life's most amazing moments would happen, but the details would be forgotten. 

And a little more randomness for today:

I bought a rug for the family room.  Yes, carpet over carpet.  Some day I dream of a wood floor under the rug, but until then... double carpet.  Not my favorite look, but I wanted a rug. 

 I spray painted!  What did I learn?  ...that I like painting with a brush better, but it was still fun. 

The basement walls are finally getting decorated!  I am loving these pieces that I picked up at Pier 1.

Here's my latest little pinterest project.  I painted the clothes pins, hot glued them to a 4 foot ruler, and hung it on the wall.  I used the back side of the ruler because it lists fun measurement facts.  I love reading those facts to the kids.

My walls look really yellow in these pictures.  Yuck.  Here is a glimpse of the kids hallway.  Next up, new pictures frames and more of them.  That is Mariah's door at the end of the hall.  Can you tell?

My boys ;-)  Ethan drives pretty crazy so we put a bike helmet on Carter just in case he were to tumble out of the gator.  Carter holds on really tight though so I don't think we have much to worry about.  

Look at this little man go!  He is definitely walking!  He's a bit wobbly still, but is finally choosing walking over crawling.  Way to go Carter!

That's all for now! 

Ethan's Results

Last Friday we took Ethan in for a work up of tests following the possible seizure scare mentioned here.  Ethan had some blood taken, an EKG test, and he had to pee in a cup.  All of his test results have come back normal.  He has been completely fine since the scare.  We really have no idea what happened or why it happened.  I am hoping it never happens again.  We have an EEG schedule for this Friday morning, but we need to confirm with his doctor whether or not this test is necessary. 

Thanks for all of your kind words and prayers! 

A Seizure

We think Ethan might have had a seizure yesterday morning. 

We were going through the normal morning routine.  Struggling with getting Ethan to brush his teeth before getting dressed.  He is pretty messy with his tooth paste so we try to save the day's clothing for after brushing teeth.  Yesterday morning Ethan started complaining about a stomach ache.  This is also pretty much a daily occurrence.  Then he used the bathroom (#2) and came back to the sink to finally start brushing his teeth.  He complained more of his tummy hurting.  Then grabbed his chest between his collar bones and started squealing about how much it hurt.  I put my hand on his chest and asked if it was his stomach that was hurting because he was grabbing much higher.  At that moment he went limp and fell in to my arms.  I carried him across the bathroom asking him to stand up.  He wouldn't straighten his legs.  I though maybe he was joking around because he can be very dramatic and very noodle-like in the morning when he wants to lay back down instead of brush his teeth.  I managed to get him in to our bedroom as I yelled for Cory.  Cory came running in and as I explained what was going on, Cory picked up Ethan and held him.  I looked at Ethan's face over Cory's shoulder.  Ethan's arms were straight down to his side with no movement.  Ethan's face was blank.  His eyes were half open.  I was yelling to him that he needed to use his words and tell us what he's feeling and what's going on.  He didn't respond.  He just kept staring straight ahead.  Cory told me that I had to calm down and he walked across the room and put Ethan on the bed.  We were ready to call 911, but at that moment Ethan finally let out a little grunt, then started mumbling about his tummy hurting.  We sat and watched him for a couple minutes as he came back around.  We were unsure if this episode was real or if Ethan was being dramatic about it.  I know that sounds horrible to say, but he is a very dramatic child that has scared us in the past, but never, never, like this.  After processing what happened we knew that something was wrong, but what?  What caused our loving little man, fever free, cold free, otherwise completely healthy little child, to completely blank out for about a minute?  I put my head on his chest and listened to his heart beat.  It was normal.  I felt his forehead for a temperature, but he felt fine, a little clammy, but his temp was fine.  His face was white.  His lips had a tinge of blue, but was that the tooth paste that he had just put to his mouth?  I grabbed a towel and wiped off his lips.  He was pale.  His lips matched his skin.  We decided against calling 911.  We saw that he was recovering and we wanted to watch him.  Within minutes he started watching tv and talking about the ice cream on the commercial.  About 5 minutes later he sat up and drank a cup of milk.  20 minutes later he ate a pancake and had some more milk.  For the rest of the day he was completely normal.  He was himself.  He wasn't sure if he knew what happened.  He tried to recall it, but all he could say was, "I was trying to tell you I didn't feel good".

I took Ethan to the doctor at 10am and told the pediatrician about the incident.  The doctor thinks that Ethan may have had a small seizure.  He said we may never figure out what exactly happened or what caused it.  I have to be honest, I hope the doctor is right.  I hope we never figure it out and that it NEVER happens again.  I am okay with the mystery as long as Ethan is okay from here forward.  The doctor is ordering lab work, an EKG, and an EEG.  We start most of the process tomorrow and go back next Friday for the EEG.  Please say some prayers for Ethan.  Keep us in your thoughts and pray that nothing life changing comes out of this. 

I was fine yesterday.  I handled the situation pretty well after my initial panic.  Some friends asked how I was doing and I said fine.  I go numb with medical situations after all that we went through 6 years ago with Mariah.  I didn't want to be numb yesterday, but I was.  I enjoyed my day home with Ethan.  I took him shopping, bought him some new shoes, a new toy, and snuggled with him as much as possible.  He was fine.  His tummy hurt on and off, his farts were off the chart stinky, but his energy level was normal.  Today, Ethan is still fine.  He tells people that he had a seizure.  Means nothing to him.  Doesn't scare him at all, it's just something that happened.  Today, I am not fine.  I am not with Ethan so I am over processing and starting to panic.  The doctor's office called me and set up the appointment for the EEG.  I asked a ton of questions and the more I asked, the more worried I became.  The doctor mentioned heart palpitations yesterday.  I have heart palpitations.  The doctor asked how Ethan's breathing was during his episode.  I have no idea.  He wasn't showing signs of rapid breathing.  He was still.  Was he breathing?  I have no idea.  What if that entire time I was freaking out and he was still, what if he wasn't breathing?  Is that why he was pale?  That is what keeps replaying in my mind today.  What happened.  Where was my little man during that minute that he blanked out?  Will this happen again?  I am scared. 

My Favorite Spot

Do you have a favorite spot in your house?  A place where you go to be alone, drink your coffee while the kids are still asleep, or talk on the phone without interruptions? 

I have a favorite spot.  It's small, but charming.  It's the first place people see when they walk in my front door.  We rarely use the front door so it's often forgotten space until one of us needs a moment away or a moment to watch the cars go by.  I love sitting on the bench while drinking my coffee on weekend mornings. I love even more when one of the kids quietly joins me.  I've even found the kids sitting on this bench with a book enjoying a little quiet time of their own.  Just a quiet little place to sit and enjoy.  

Camping!

We went on our first camping trip and we survived!  We have been talking about going camping for years, but I just couldn't break down enough to be okay with sleeping outdoors.  Sounds crazy, right? I grew up on a farm and used to tent camp all the time as a child, but as an adult I just had no desire to leave my comfy indoor elements overnight.  Well... before you give me too much credit for giving in and sleeping outdoors... I'll have to confess that we weren't actually camping... we were "glamping" otherwise known as glamour-camping when sleeping outdoors in a luxurious camper.  I never in my life thought I would own a camper.  Cory must have worn me down over the past five years of begging, because I finally gave in.  This ugly-lawn-ornament beauty is all ours. 

We had a lot of fun camping.  We spent the weekend at a local campsite with some great friends.  We wanted to stay close to home since we had no idea what we were doing and how to operate this large  beast.

We spent a lot of time in the water.  The pond was very clean and inviting.  There were a couple nibbling fish incidents (myself included), but as long as we kept moving around we were okay.   
 

The girls ventured off and did their own thing most of the time.  It was a very active campground with tons of activities.  Mariah and Paige spent a lot of time on the water.

Cory and Ethan went out fishing early Sunday morning.  They caught three blue gills and one sunfish.  They didn't keep any of the fish, but they had some memorable father-son time which is exactly what this trip was all about, staying connected as a family.

Our area is under a drought warning so we were banned from burning which meant no campfires for us. Being the resourceful bunch that we are, we made our own make-shift campfire using our small charcoal grill. Worked perfectly for burning roasting marshmallows. Delicious!

 

I'm glad I finally gave in to this camping-glamping-outdoor-adventure. We will definitely be taking a lot more family camping trips. I'm already working on planning our trip for next month.  We can do this!

Carter's 1st Birthday

Our sweet "baby" boy turned one year old on Monday, June 25th. It is hard to believe that he is no longer a baby. He is approaching the toddler stage. Getting in to and on top of everything. Not afraid to explore the world. This has been a very bitter sweet for me. I wanted to keep him a baby. Keep him tiny and cuddly and loving and dependent on me. I'm not ready for him to grow up. I'm not ready for him to tell me that daddy is his favorite because he's a boy. I want to keep him a mama's boy. Knowing that is not possible, I am doing my best to embrace all of the new firsts that Carter explores. Watching him learn is heart warming. Watching his first steps sends shivers of excitement through me time and time again. Hearing his new noises and attempts at phrases like "uh-oh" and "ah-da" (all done maybe?) are amazing. A friend of mine posted on facebook: "Super Happy Birthday to a gorgeous blue-eyed boy! That is one, very loved little man in your family.". She couldn't have said it any better. He is loved. Very loved. Carter you are loved more than you will ever know. Being a parent is an amazing honor. Being a parent to three silly, loving, strong willed kids, well that is a blessing.

We had perfect weather and fabulous company for Carter's 1st Birthday party.  We couldn't have asked for a better day!  Unfortunately my camera broke the morning of his party so we had to capture all of the special moments with iphones.  Here is a slideshow that I put together from those pictures:

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a497a4d7a637a4f4452384e7a4d7a4f5451314d6a4d3d0d0a&sb=1

In case you can't open the smilebox show, here are a couple of my favorites pictures.  

Happy Birthday Carter Oliver.

xoxoxo

Carter's 1st Birthday Party

Carter's turning one and we are throwing him a sock monkey birthday party! 

The sock monkeys are ready for their new homes.

The pictures are framed and ready to hang on the wall.

The grocery list is made. 

We are picking up the bounce house today. 

The weather looks like it's going to be beautiful. 

It's party time!

Just like that...life can change.

On June 9th around 9:00pm we were sitting around our bonfire in our backyard with my brother and sister-in-law.  The air was calm.  It was a beautiful evening.  We were relaxing and just taking in the surroundings while watching the kids play with glow sticks and roast marshmallows.  We could hear laughter and squeals coming from my sister's house just acres away from us.  This was a normal sound in the distance. 

Then it all changed. The still quiet air was interrupted by sirens howling down the street behind us.  This is a main street to the hospital.  The uncommon part was how each siren stopped as it got behind our home.  Blocked by a long row of trees, we were unable to see the lights. 

I called to my sister's house and jokingly asked if another car had flipped over on their front yard.  My sister didn't respond to my comment.  She was on her cell phone leaving a message for someone else.  She was calm, but frantic.  She responded to me by saying, "I can't talk, we had a kid under water".

I turned to Cory and my brother and told them Dawn's response.  They hopped on the ATV and dashed over to my sister's house.  The rest of us walked over moments later.  Shaking and praying the entire way over.  Completely unaware of who was under water. 

The squeals we heard were not of laughter, but of fear from the children when they realized the three year old boy had gone under water and was not breathing. 

The rest taken from: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/with-call-dispatcher-s-cpr-training-helps-save-boy-s/article_384bf0a4-bacb-11e1-a7bf-001a4bcf887a.html

Lifesaving Award



WITH 911 CALL: Dispatcher’s CPR training helps save boy’s life


YORKVILLE — It was just an average Saturday night on June 9 when Julie Baker and her four kids decided to take a quick swim in a friend’s backyard pool.


The kids were in the water. The adults, having just counted all their heads, looked away from for a few seconds to apply some insect repellent.


And then it happened. Baker’s oldest son Brad, 7, started screaming. His 3-year-old brother, Danny, had slipped under the water. He wasn’t breathing. “I turned around and he was lifting him up to (his sister) Katie,” Julie Baker recalled. “He was blue with no pulse. It was terrible.”


Lucky for the Baker, and her friends the Scott and Dawn Loffquist, Racine County Dispatcher Emily Johnson was at the other end of the line when they called 911. Johnson, like all of the county’s dispatch technicians, had recently received some additional emergency medical dispatch training.

After immediately sending rescuers from the Union Grove-Yorkville Fire Department to the Loffquists’ Spring Street home, Johnson walked Scott and Dawn Loffquist through the steps of child CPR.
“I need you to put one hand on the forehead and put the fingers of your other hand under the bony part of the chin and gently tilt the head back,” Johnson can be heard saying during the 911 call. “Do you see him breathing at all? I want you to roll the baby onto his side and hold the baby’s feet.”

Scott Loffquist followed Johnson’s instructions by the letter, and a few seconds later Danny was breathing.

“Julie, he’s breathing,” Dawn Loffquist can be heard saying to Baker during the call. “He’s breathing, honey. He’s going to make it, honey. He’s going to make it.”

Danny ended up spending the night in the hospital, but the following day he was back at home and doing fine — “just like he was before,” according to his brother.


Johnson, 27, will tell you she was only doing her job, but on Tuesday the dispatcher received a Lifesaving Award for her efforts.

“Danny Baker is alive and well today as a result of the efforts from all of those involved, especially Dispatcher Johnson,” Racine County Executive Jim Ladwig said presenting Johnson with her award. “This truly is a success story. And, it’s important that we focus on and honor those that are responsible for doing great work.”


Getting ready for her 3 to 11 p.m. shift on Tuesday Johnson, who used to watch the show “Rescue 911” as a child, said that while she appreciates the recognition for her work the best gift of all was saving Danny’s life.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” she said. “It’s why I do what I do.”

(photo source) 

Julie Baker holder her three year old son Danny.  Emily Johnson on the right.  The miracle 911 dispatcher that helped my brother-in-law save little Danny's life. 

Happy Father's Day!

Hope all of you dad's out there had a fabulous Father's Day! 

Our weekend was very nice.  Filled with lots of family time, strawberry picking, jam making, swimming, grilled food, and a creative gift for the main man in our house. 

The kids and I put this picture frame collage together.  We took a piece of construction paper and cut it to fit inside the 10x13 frame.  Then we glued on some pictures, some circle art with the kids names and ages, and added the all about my dad piece to the upper corner, inspired from this pin and this pin.  It turned out better than I had imagined.  Cory (daddy) loved it!  Success! 

Here are the kiddos presenting the frame to dad. 

(sorry for the blur.. moving kids can be hard to capture with my phone)

Friday Phone Dump

Another week, a ton more phone pictures.  Is this all I do?

Let's start with Sunday morning.  Is my head hanging off the bed?  We look pretty comfy all snuggled together.  xoxo

Little bit of grocery shopping together.  Carter is big enough to ride up front with Ethan! 

 Oh Ethan, you are my crazy man.  I love the expression in this picture.  By the way, this was an impromptu jump in the pool.  I let him strip down to his undies and hop in.  Who really wants to take the time to go in the house and put swim trunks on?

A little shopping with Mariah.  Look at these feet planters!  Seriously, would you put these on your porch and fill them with flowers?!

A little bonfire (okay BIG bonfire) fun on Saturday night.  The weather was absolutely beautiful.  We roasted marshmallows, watched the kids play, and took in the beautiful nature.

The kids played with glow sticks.  Ethan put them on his ankles and ran around the yard laughing.

And then there is my obsession with home decorating.  This is the view when I drive up the driveway every day.  Yuck.  The rest of my yard is so pretty, but we put the pool and dog cage at the end of the driveway.  Nothing blocks it.  It looks horrible.  We've tried plants, but the dogs pee on them and kill them.  We've added white lattice, but that looks horrible too.  No idea what we are going to do about this area, but we have to do something!

A lamp.  I finally bought a lamp for our bedroom.  I love it.  Seriously, who waits until they are in their 30's to buy a lamp?  Guess I did...

Paint.  Here is a start to my I need to paint something post.  See anything you like?

A little fun decor for our monkey man!  I love Pottery Barn Kids.

It only took 6 years, but I finally bought some art work for the basement family room.  Movie time!

That's all for this week.  ;-)

I need to paint something!

I have the urge to paint.  I want to paint all the trim in my house white.  I want to paint my kitchen cabinets white.  I want to add board and batten to my dinning room and paint it white.  I want to paint my laundry room cabinets white.  I want to paint an old dresser white.  I want to add some color to the walls in the basement with maybe a blue color?  I want to change the color or our mud/laundry room.  I want to get rid of the red paint in our half bathroom.  I want need to touch up the paint in my family room... or maybe just give the entire room a new look with a new color?

We've been in our home for over six years.  Most of the rooms are still their original color.  It's time to paint.  I need a new look for our home.  A brighter fresher more uplifting look.  I love splashes of color, but all of the brown's and dark colors are starting to make me feel boxed in. 

 Where should I start?? What can I get Cory to agree on? For some reason most of the homes in our area are full of stained wood, dark wood colors, lots of heavy wood patterns, and dark wall colors. If you look at southern homes they are full of beautiful woodwork, board and batten on the walls, and lots of white woodwork with beautiful dark wood furniture accents. I want that. White woodwork with wood furniture accents.

Look at this beautiful white and bright kitchen.  So fresh and clean looking.  I could cook and clean in this kitchen all day.  I hear birds chirping and sunshiny songs playing in my head when I look at this picture. 
 

(source)

And this dinning room with tall board and batten walls.  Dark color on top, but the white b & b makes the room pop with life.  I love the dark wood accents and colorful artwork.

Ahh to dream... and then to paint.