Week #20 - The Littlest Munchkin

Howie turned 2 on the 21st of May - where has my tiny baby gone? He's been toddling around here for months now and I can't believe he's 2.

About 3 years ago, Adam and I were on the back patio watching the kids play around us. I looked at Adam and asked him if he could be done having kids right now. He turned to me and said, "Could I be done? Yeah, I could be." I remember gasping and being totally taken aback by the response. I told him there was no way I was done having kids and proceeded to tell him we needed to have another one. It took a couple months of convincing him and it's a good thing it didn't take longer than that. With the struggles we had with infertility, we had to start right away with jumping through the hoops again to see if I could get pregnant.

Hoop after hoop, procedure after procedure, drug after drug, injection after injection one good "forced ovulation" and POW - I was pregnant! I was having baby number three. You see, I have a helluva time getting pregnant. But, once I get pregnant, I don't want to give up that pregnancy. I don't go into labor, which is why I ended up with 3 c-sections. Go figure, huh?

Boy am I glad this little guy came to our family.

Howie is such a character. He's silly, sassy, and an absolute JOY to have in our family. More often than not, he makes me laugh with his little antics throughout the day. He, like both of the other two kids, bring me such joy as a mother. He can be his own special kind of trouble - the mischevious kind of trouble, but is so cute, you can't help but to smile or laugh at him when you do, on the many occasions, find him doing something he shouldn't be doing.



I am proud to be this little boy's mom. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this boy, but not want the future to come too quickly. I am enjoying the littlest munchkin and wish most days he'd stay this little.

Week #19 - Eternal Bliss

It's ironic that on the 19th week of this "challenge" falls the 19th of May. You see, 10 years ago Adam and I were married in the LA Temple. It was a great day, filled with "stories", love, the Spirit, family, friends, food and wonderful feelings. Ya know the kind of feelings I'm talking about....eternal bliss.

I remember talking with Adam one night before we were married. I was telling him how much "fun" it was going to be married. He looked at me and with a deadpan face said, "You know, being married isn't the fairy tale you see in the movies. It's not like Cinderella or anything like that." I recall the feeling of being defeated and then thinking in my head, "Whatever. OUR marriage is going to totally be a fairy tale." We were young, in love and had the world at our feet. I couldn't wait to have this fairy tale begin!

Well, as the years have gone on, he's been more correct about that dose of reality he so freely gave me than I'd care to admit to him. It has been 10 wonderful years with the perfect man for me. The years of marriage have not been perfect but, then again, neither are we. We have had plenty of downs and lots more ups. We've had our struggles, our disagreements, and our fair share of frustrations. But, we've had more happy times, silly times, fun times, times of not being able to imagine what life would be like without the other person there that has made the last 10 years such a joy to be married.

Is there still the eternal bliss? You betcha! It's changed, evolved, ebbed and flowed into something that is deeper, more meaningful and more passionate than any fairy tale or what Cinderella could ever have. That's a good thing - our eternal bliss is it's own kind of fairy tale.

Our Own Little Twinkle Toes

Caroline has always enjoyed dancing. I've signed her up for the town's dance classes before and she's loved it. With a gal in our ward teaching dance I thought I would give it a try to see how well, or not so well, Caroline would do before spending the big bucks to take her to a "real" dance studio. "Miss Liz" teaches dance out of her home that is less than 2 miles from our home. It was impossible to not give it a try, if for nothing else the convenience factor alone made it more than worth it.

Having a little girl who wants to dance is kind of hard for me to accept. Not that I don't think she could do it, but I always imagined a little girl going out and playing sports, like me. Not dancing, heaven forbid. I want the "feminine tomboy" not the prissy dancer. Maybe there is a world that will allow her to be the dancing tomboy. Heaven knows it would do my heart good.

Every Monday afternoon I would take Caroline to Miss Liz's house where she and several other darling little girls, would tap and ballet their little hearts out until it was time for me to come get her. All of this dancing effort lead to her recital that was held today. Caroline looked super cute in the costumes that were for her class. One of the moms made the aprons for each girl that they used to the song "Hey Good Lookin' ". The other song they danced to was "On the Good Ship". The girls did a lot of work (or was it play time.....?) in order to prepare for the recital.

I couldn't resist the urge to buy the pink foam rollers to see if they would work in Caroline's hair or not. THEY DID! We all know she doesn't have the thickest hair or much hair for that matter - but they totally worked and her hair was the curliest I think I will ever see it. Hopefully she'll like it well enough to want to wear it curly more often, especially since it was super easy to do.

If I can manage to figure out how to post some video from the performance, I'll put it on. For now and until then, the pics below will have to do of our own little twinkle toes.

Winner By TKO!!!

The stomach bug that laid me on my behind last weekend, seems to have gone through this family for a few more rounds.

Owen came in my bathroom last Saturday morning, early since it was Father's & Son's campout - like 9:30 early - and said, "hi, mom we're home!"

My reply was "What are you doing home?"
Owen "I got sick. I threw up outside the tent."

Wonderful! At least he made it outside the tent, right? Adam came in shortly after that and said he wasn't feeling all that great either. Fabulous!

Howie was still on the mend, Owen was now throwing up, Adam has the chills and body aches, I've got tummy trouble too.

I declared last Sunday a "family sick day" and kept all of us home from church. I figured no one else would want or need to get this virus and, frankly, I wasn't in the mood. I was D-O-N-E DONE!

Adam flew off to Kansas that night and I braced myself for some serious lack of sleep. Much to my surprise, nothing really happened until the morning. Owen seemed to be fine and didn't complain of stomach hurting or anything. Weird! Then it came back with a vengeance.

Tuesday morning, as I'm getting ready for the gym and feeding the kids breakfast, Owen proceeds to throw up all over the kitchen table. If there's one bodily fluid I can't deal with, it's throw-up. I get that cleaned up, check Owen's temp and low and behold, fever and now he's complaining that his legs are "sore". Great - the body aches. Needless to say, other than Howie's swim lesson, we didn't go anywhere nor did I get anything done on my to-do list.

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday. Thursday was Caroline's preschool graduation and previous plans to go to the "blue and yellow store"; i.e., Ikea. I needed to go desperately and figured I'd just keep Owen with me rather than send him in the "Smaland" to play with Caroline and his cousin.

He brought his "burp bucket" with him into the store and off we went. He did really well and didn't lose his cookies once, thank heavens. He seemed to perk up a little bit as the day carried on, plus I got something accomplished on my to-do list for the week. As far as I was concerned, it was a win-win situation.

After being "burp" free and other issues free for 24hours, he headed off to his own preschool splash party. He had fun and seems to have returned to his usual self, for which I am grateful.

But, I must say, I declared this nasty stomach bug going around winner by TKO in our family. Hopefully, you can avoid it all together and don't have to go even 1 round with it. But, if you do, prepare yourself to declare it winner by TKO also. Just sayin.......

Week #18 - Refuge of Home

It was a doozy of a week. Doctor appointments, lab appointments, they never seemed to end. It's one reason why I loved coming back home to the refuge of our house. The feeling that I got each time I walked in the door, was one of belonging, peace, and safety. It didn't matter what was happening outside, I felt safe even just pulling around the corner to see our home. It's almost like the saying, "Home Sweet Home" was put into my heart and it was tangible to my heart.

The contentment I'm sure had a lot to do with the fact that Adam was home this past week. It's amazing to me how a week can seem so long and how quickly the comfort of our routine can fall back into place when he's home. I'm not looking forward to him leaving. I don't like it when he's gone. The feeling of peace and safety seem to disappear when he's gone. Regardless, Thursday will be a great day, Adam will be home that day and....it's a special day...FOR US!!!

Round 2 or is it 3?

Took Howie back to the pediatrician today. His tummy still isn't right from last weekend. Wait, I mean, it got slightly better and then back to the not-so-normal-normal he's been experiencing lately.

Great! I think it's a virus that is going around and he was just fortunate to get it before (or was it during or after) his hospital stay. Regardless, his tummy just ain't right. Round 2? He was suppose to go with Adam and Owen on the Fathers and Sons campout. He would have had a blast. Instead, I'm getting hit with the explosions and blasts. Who knew such a little boy could have such reactions. WHOA! Now, I get to stay home and help him complete and hopefully pass his stool study - GROSSSS! - just to make sure there isn't a bigger problem than just this mere virus going around.

Howie was so kind to pass this bug on to me. Sweeeeeet - thanks buddy! But really, could have done without it. Instead of painting my office, finishing the organizing, spending some much needed mommy-daughter time and spoiling the precious little girl rotten, I'm becoming well acquainted with my porcelain throne and trust me when I say, it is NOT spoiling me rotten. I wish we weren't so close right now.

Whether it is round 2 or 3, I am certainly hoping this family doesn't go a full ten rounds with this virus it is a terrible one. I'm hoping all of us will be feeling better, MUCH BETTER, by tomorrow and that a weekend and its plans can be salvaged.

It's Like De Ja Vu All Over Again

It was last Thursday night when it all started. The writhing in pain, the screaming and crying, the not being able to sleep, the "what-on-earth-is-going-on-here" thought; the "Do I call my dad and wake him up in the middle of the night?"; the "what if it's nothing?" then, the "this can't be nothing, something is seriously wrong."

And it was, this time with Howie.

Howie has night terrors. He was running around Thursday night, like he usually does laughing, goofing, just plain being silly. He ran into me in the bedroom (I was back early from school, another post for another time) to give me a kiss goodnight. Off to bed he went.

Around 9:30 was the first scream. I went in to soothe him back to sleep and sure enough, he fell right back to sleep. At 10:15 came the second scream, 11:45 was the third; 12:30 was the fourth (I lost count after that). After the third scream I became suspicious that this night was going to be something more than just the usual night terror night. Usually if it is a case of the night terrors, he'll scream out the first time around 11:30, the second time around 2:30 and the third time around 5:30. I just had a "hunch" that this was different and there wasn't something quite right.

On the fourth scream, I told Adam to bring Howie into our bed - I didn't want to have to keep getting up to soothe him every 45 minutes or so the entire night. This turned out to be one of the WORST nights of sleep I have ever gotten in my life. No pregnancy, no final trimester, no recovering from a c-section, no newborn was ever as bad as this night. Howie continued to thrash, writhe in pain, scream, cry, and take up an entire king size bed (I slept on less than 8" of the bed ALL NIGHT LONG). As if I needed an alarm clock, I got up around 630 to call my dad and ask him the signs of a kidney infection, urinary tract infection, appendicitis, etc. He told me the signs to look for and suggested that if it continues that I needed to get Howie into see the doctor. Howie then proceeded to throw up in bed around 715 (great, huh?) I got up and showered, just on the off chance that I needed to take him into the doctor.

Still the nagging thought of something just wasn't right, didn't and wouldn't leave me alone. At 8 o'clock on the dot I called the pediatricians office. The only thing they had with his regular doctor was a 945, 1045 or 1115. None of those times would work. I had an appointment with my doctor at 950, I had to pick up preschoolers at 11. I asked for a different doctor and got in at 830.

When we arrived, Howie was acting his usually cute self and looking at the "fooshies" (fish) in the tank. We got called back and that's when things proceeded to go south, if you will. I explained the symptoms and concerns to the doctor. She examined him and said definitely not a kidney, urinary tract or other infection. Fabulous! Not so fast. Instead, she looked at me and said, "I'm highly suspicious of an intussusception."

ARE YOU FOR REAL?! Tell me you're kidding, right? No siree, not at all. She did a rectal exam on the poor guy and determined that there was in fact blood in Howie's stool and then we proceeded to have the following conversation:


Dr. C: "I am pretty sure Howie has an intussusception. That is when the - "
Me: "Dr. C. we are all too aware of what that is. You see my husband had this happen to him almost 2 years ago, when Howie was just 3 1/2 months old."
Dr.C: "Really?!"
Me: "Yep, really."
Dr.C.: "Well, you need to go immediately to Carden Children's Hospital. I will call them now and tell them you are coming. By the time you get there they will be expecting you."
Me: "Okay. Thank you."

Fearing the worst and dreading that Howie was going to have to go through what Adam went through, I whisked Howie out of the office, called Adam on the way home to tell him the news, called my dad to update him, and began calling friends and neighbors to see if they could take the remaining two kids whilst we figured out what was wrong with Howie. I got home and Adam took Howie to the hospital. I got Caroline situated and then proceeded to go to my own appointment, which was in desperate need for me.

I met Adam and Howie at the hospital where Howie hadn't once writhed in pain or even flinched. I thought it was going to be a false alarm and we'd be sent home that day. When the ER doctor came into the room, Howie was bouncing on his knees while holding onto the rail of the bed. As I was talking to the ER doctor, Adam was telling Howie to not do that anymore because he was going to get hurt. Howie was turning around to look at Adam, lost his balance and then proceeded to knock his mouth against the rail, gave a good bump to his tooth to knock it loose and scrape his chin. Well, at least we were in the right place for that to happen!

The ER doctor talked to us and we explained our history of this possible diagnosis with him and told him that we wanted an ultrasound as well. He was more than happy to oblige us and ordered both tests to be done. The xray didn't show a whole lot, other than some big gas bubbles that were trapped. The ultrasound on the other hand, well that showed that Howie did indeed have an intussusception. I couldn't believe it. It's not common for adults to get it, but Adam did. And although it is fairly common in little boys between the ages of 10-24 months, what was the chance that our son, after Adam had his episode, would experience the EXACT SAME THING. C'mon really? It's like it's de ja vu all over again.

The radiologist did a gastrograph on Howie (a Barium enema with contrast die), to make sure that she was getting the intussusception reduced. She used 5 12 oz. bottles on the poor tyke. The pressure and fluid that was used was enough to reduce the problem and enough so that the entire 2nd flood could hear poor Howie screaming with this procedure being done. All in all it was a success, which meant no surgery. On the other hand, the chance of it happening again within the first 24hrs of reducing it was great. Which meant, Howie was going to be admitted for an overnight stay.

We got checked-in at the ER at around 945, by the time Howie was up to his room was 830. He slept maybe 1.5 hours all day long and with the sleepless night the night before that he had one would think that maybe he would crash right out once on the floor. WRONG! He was awake until about 1015. Then he crashed. The nurses would come in and monitor his vitals with the lights on, he didn't flinch. He was out!

Adam and I traded places once more. I slept at the hospital and Adam came home to be with the kids. As we waited for the pediatric surgeon to discharge Howie (the oncall pediatrician had already given us the okay to leave - one foot out the door!) he started to grimace in pain again. I immediately called the nurse to have the pediatrician come back into our room. I explained what he was doing and she ordered an xray for Howie. It was shortly after the xray was taken that I knew what was causing Howie so much pain.

The little stinker (pun intended) proceeded to let out the biggest toot I have EVER HEARD come out of a little boy. I couldn't believe it. When his nurse came back from lunch, not expecting to still see us there, she came into the room to find out what was going on. I explained to her what happened and then, well Howie obliged her with another round of ginormous flatulence that even the nurse was taken aback by. Sweet, huh?! I called Adam and for the last time, we traded places again.

This time, I was greeted at home by my own mom and dad whom had come over for the weekend. It was good to see them and I was grateful my dad could be here to help me understand what was happening and explain things further to me. We watched Howie and when I had questions about his behavior, my dad was right there to answer them. No phone calls this time, just a turn of the head and a question asked and answered immediately. It was an INCREDIBLE comfort to have him there.

Finally, I got a text from Adam about 330 that said they were just waiting for paperwork and they would be on their way home. Waaaaaawhooooooo! My baby would be home and not have to spend another night in the hospital. That was the best news I had heard all day.

So, now we deal with some of the side effects of the procedure, the bonked tooth and sore mouth, and wait and watch to see what happens next. If some of the side effects don't clear up by Friday, he'll be back to the pediatrician (he was just there today for a follow-up visit post hospitalization) to have further testing done. I am mindful and hopeful that everything will be better and that nothing more will need to be done.

I still can't believe the chances of this happening to two different people in the same family just under 2 years apart. The chances have to slim. It is definitely a de ja vu all over again. Let's just hope there isn't a "three times a charm" in the family!

Week #17 - Mothers

I am so grateful for my mother. She is such an inspiration to me. Quite often I stop to think of all that she has accomplished in her life. A convert to the church, she was a pioneer in her family with the Gospel. No other family members joined the church, but she was an example to them of how to live according to the Gospel. She moved to Hawaii not knowing a soul, but needing a change in her life. It was there that she met my dad and joined the church. She had 5 children in 7 years, moved 13 times in the first 13 years of marriage, supported my father through medical school, helped my dad start his own practice, still works in my dad's office (it was suppose to be "temporary" - going on almost 27 years now!) and has seen all 5 of us get married in the temple to our eternal companions, and now is a grandmother to 16 grandkids!

There are so many reasons why I am grateful to have my mother be a friend in my life. She means a lot to me. I can't imagine the day where I don't have her with me in this life anymore. I don't like to think of that day. So, I enjoy each and every telephone conversation I have with her each day, whether it is 2 minutes or 20 minutes. I love it!

I am also grateful to my Heavenly Father for my three children that have made me a mother. They are each so special and unique. They bring with them their own inherit challenges in raising them. But to have a day without their laughter, smiles, hugs, kisses, and snuggles would be a day that is less than perfect. I could do without the fighting, screaming, yelling, teasing, and so on. But, without all of it, I wouldn't be a mother.

Week #16 - The 'Ole Bod, Regardless of Blob Factor

I'm almost done with school. I can hardly wait - time to do some serious organizing around the house, paint a few craft projects, and organize and put together my office/craft room, finish projects that have been put way too far on the back burner, read books - like novel books - that I want to read, not necessarily HAVE TO read. I am thrilled with excitement about finishing school in just a few short days, like 5 to be exact!

This is the second semester that I have taken Anatomy and Physiology. It has been so much fun to learn about the 'ole bod!! I am by no means in any miraculous shape (blob doesn't really count) and I'm not quite so round any more. Regardless, as I have learned about the human body, there is one thing that has happened that has become so profound to me - the human body is no accident. It is a divinely inspired creation of God. There are no accidents in the design of the human body.

I am amazed time and time again with each section I have studied how marvelous the human body is. It isn't just skin, bones, muscles, organs. It is a machine - literally - down to every last cell in our bodies. There are so many checks and balances and safety features in the body that it is impossible to say it was not created by a Divine Being.

I am grateful for the knowledge that I have that my body is designed and created in HIS image. We are stewards of our body and are to take care of it, nourish it, exercise it, use it to it's ability, rest it. It is also comforting to know that because we are created in HIS image, the tears I shed, the hairs that fall from my head, the angst in my heart, or the worry in my head has all been felt before by my Savior, Jesus Christ, who too is created in HIS image.

If the 'ole bod was good enough for my Savior, it certainly is beyond good enough for me, regardless of the blob factor.

Week #15 - The Gift of Easter

This year, we had to do our Easter festivities early in the morning, like right when the kids got up - Adam was leaving for Kansas, of course. The kid woke early to see what "The Bunny" had brought them and to see if he had hidden all of the eggs they so carefully filled with all sorts of yummi-ness the night before. Sure enough, he had. The kids giggled with delight at each egg they found hidden in its own secret (or not so secret) spot. They had a lot of fun. Adam and I both had fun watching them "hunt" and find each egg.

One thing that came in their baskets was a book from Grandma and Grandpa Grimsley. Howie got a "lift and look book" with foam pages and pieces that come out of the pages. The story tells about Daniel in the lion's den. Owen and Caroline each got a Book of Mormon with their names engraved on the front cover. They were so excited. I felt guilty each Sunday Owen would come out of church asking when he was going to get his own Book of Mormon. Fortunately, I don't have to answer that question any more.

(all three of my angles - Caroline, Owen, Howie)

It was a happy Easter and a quiet one. Despite the goings on early in the morning, it was a quiet day. One that brought me into some reflection and introspection of mine own. I started wondering about my own testimony of Jesus Christ and how I came to know of His love for me. I can't say that it was one "ta-da" or "light bulb" moment. It's just kind of always been there. There have been days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years, when I didn't do much to foster it, nurture it or, dare I say it, even care about it. I wanted to do what I thought was best for me, regardless of what it may cost me, both temporally and spiritually.

But, without a doubt, without a shred of cloudy judgment, I KNOW my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me and are all too aware of me and what I do, need, think, feel, want, wonder. No other beings know me the way they do. How great a gift I was given to have my elder brother, Jesus Christ, atone for my many, many mistakes and grievances in the life. How great of a gift it is for me to know that despite my too many faults HE still loves me. He was willing to give his life for me.....ME! All to make it possible for me to repent, partake of the Atonement and return to live with my Heavenly Father again.

So, to all of you I say Happy Easter. But really, I hope you each understand the gift of Easter and what it means in your life. It is never too late to find out.

It's MY Birthday Party!

All week long we heard a daily squeal about how it will soon be "MY brithday party" from Ms. Caroline. In fact, and to be more correct, it was more like an hourly reminder.

It was adorable! This is the first year that Caroline had an "official" birthday party. She picked who she wanted to invite. I did have to limit the number of kids as it seemed like she wanted to invite everyone, and then some, to her party.

I wanted to do something a little different for her birthday party than what has been done in the past with her friends. She's always had a great time at the parties, but I was the one up for more of a change. Knowing that this sweet little girl loves (and I cannot emphasize that enough) to carry around purses, boxes, bags, whatever she can put her "treasures" into, I knew that I wanted to make some sort of craft. And, most importantly, I KNEW that I did not want that crafty mess in my house. I came up with the idea, after many trips in and out of the store, to take her to Michael's craft store and have her party there. Some thought I was crazy for even thinking of this place with 4 year old girls; some thought it would be a great idea; and still, even some thought I had completely lost all of my marbles.

Might I say, that was one of the more brilliant ideas I have had in my life! They gave me a list of things that I could do (or come up with one of my own) and when I scanned the list and saw the words "treasure box", it was like a choir of heavenly angels were signing. BINGO! - that was the ticket.

A couple of days before the party, I took her to the store to help me pick out the decoration for the boxes, the paints, and whatever else she wanted to do with them. In the end, and with a couple of girls in mind for specific decorations, we ended up with pink, purple, and white paint, bright pink bling for the boxes, different shades of pink feathers, and foam letters for the girls to stick the letters of their names onto the boxes. Of course, it being Ms. Caroline's birthday, the theme for the party day was all about pink, princess and all other things girlie.


I made the reservation about 3 weeks in advance, and I'm glad I made it that early. It seems that day was very popular for birthday parties as there were 3 more after Caroline's. But, we were first!

Caroline's friends came into the special room and we had a helper, Ms. Wendy, who took care of most of the work. Adam and I basically supplied the craft, balloons, and cake. It was that easy. Ms. Wendy helped the girls with the paint, glued on the feet to the boxes, glued on feathers, served the cupcakes, and did the clean up. Really - who could not ask for more?!

Caroline had such a great time at her party and was so happy to see everyone there. Now, she thinks she needs a birthday party every weekend. Me, I'm glad this one is done and she is looking forward to her next birthday. For now, none of us have to listen to "it's MY birthday party!" for a little while at least.

Personalize your own slideshow

Week #14 - Mini Me

We celebrated Caroline's birthday on Tuesday with her party over the weekend. She had a ton of fun! I think it went off without a hitch as well.

At the beginning of this semester, my teacher asked me to sum up my life in 6 words. Couldn't be more or less, just 6. Here were my two 6 word phrases that I came up with:

1. Mother of three. Wife. Daughter. Athlete.

2. Lugubrious middle daughter. Payback is hell.

Caroline not only looks like me, but is me emotionally as well. I now understand why I was picked on so much growing up - it was extremely easy to get a reaction out of me. Most of the time it was tears.

Now, being a mother to a daughter who is my mini me, in more ways than one, I feel my parents' pain at having heard me cry all those years over every little thing that would upset me.

Even so, I don't know what I'd do without her. She is so incredibly sweet, usually when she isnt' feeling threatened in one way or another. OR, the more likely scenario, when she isn't being mischevious behind my back driving one, or both, of her brothers to the point of frustration. She's growing up so fast. As hard as it is some days, I really do wish I could bottle the good days up and never let them go so I can hang on to this sweetness for years to come.

I love, love, love this girl to pieces. She makes it easy to do so being a mini me afterall.