Baby Announcements

Now that Sidney is better and I LOVE to have people love her, I am finally sending out baby announcements, since she is two months old, and I have no more excuses!

She is already so special to us! We all love her so much! She is starting to smile and coo. She loves the kids and their attention (lucky for me-I can't keep them away from her)! We have made up a few songs for her, but the one we sing the most frequently is to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb":

"Sidney is our special girl,

special girl,

special girl,

Sidney is our special girl, we love her very much.

Ashlyn loves her and Alex, and Janey, and Daddy,

Ashlyn loves her and Alex and Jane, and Dad and Mom!"

Each of the kids have a song I made and up and sang to them since they were little. Jane loves to sing each one as she dances "ballet" around the house with her arms above her head. We are so happy to add Sidney's song to our "playlist". It's great to have her home, the extra rolls of legs and chins are bonus! She is quickly becoming the picture of health!

smothering mothering

"I get her, I get her!"

" Ohhh, baby Sidney, Janey here!"

Whether Sidney is in a swing, carseat, bouncer, or even my arms, this is usually the response Jane gives when she hears Sidney crying. She isn't quite smothering, but definitely mothering. I love that Jane loves Sidney. Actually Alex and Ashlyn love her too. The best part is, they can help me with her. When she is crying and I can't get to her right away, I have 3 helpers that love and distract her! Sidney is already responding to them, she really likes being the center of attention.

I'm not saying she loves Sidney all the time, but apparantly she doesn't feel threatened by her presence, because when she needs a hug and attention she knows where to go: "My baby Sidney!"
"Mom, my hair looks hideous! (something she picked up by having older siblings) "I want bows like Sidney!" (everything is said in exclamation). My next door neighbor made these cute bows for Sidney, and Jane wanted to be a part of the action, unfortunately one bow was not enough to make her un-hideous.

Things have been going so well. There has been such love and support given since Sidney was sick, I really appreciate the prayers and concern. She is acting like a "normal" baby now and I couldn't ask for anything more! Thank you.

Best Birthday

On January 15th, 2002, Alex David was born. He was the most handsome boy I think I have ever seen! He was the only one of my children I have had to "push" out, and the biggest by far (of course he was). I remember being absolutely in love with him from the first time I saw him. He had dark eyebrows and a perfect nose. I called him my little man. I was so in love! He and Ashlyn were best friends from the moment he could sit up and interact with her. Now he has a shadow named Jane.

Alex is very smart, and quite funny. The questions he asks makes us all laugh, but give Ben the biggest kick since I think he sees himself in Alex and all his "boyness". Things are very exact in Alex's mind. He doesn't hesitate to correct people when he thinks they've said things wrong, and only recently noticed that sometimes he says things a little "funny". (R's and S's).

While Sidney was in the hospital, Alex turned six years old! We were staying at my mom's to be closer to the hospital, and lucky for me and Alex, my mom makes birthdays special. She made a poster with "6 reasons why Alex is special" on it. Then she made his favorite breakfast (German pancakes), gave him a book and outfit that morning. She even took him to Build-A-Bear in the mall despite the raging snow storm. They ate lunch in the mall and she even let him get a gumball where the gum goes through a little maze before you get to eat it. He told her right then and there,"This is the best birthday ever!"

That night Ben had Alex open a few presents from us (rollerblades, and a new lightsabor), but of course the big hit was the gift card from Nana and Grandpa to Best Buy, with which he got a Lego Star Wars game for the PS3! He wanted artichokes for dinner, and our neighbor brought over cake and ice cream!!!

Spoiled by my standards, but I guess the "best birthday ever" takes everyone's help! We will have to wait to have his friend party until Sidney is older, but at this point I don't feel too worried, it can't get better than BEST!

in six weeks...

In six weeks Sidney turned our lives upside down! She has spent nearly half of her life in a hospital!

• 3 days when she was born
• then at 3 weeks old, she spent 3 more days at American Fork hospital for RSV
• after being immediately life-flighted to Primary Children's Medical Center, she ended up spending 13 days in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit)
• finally, 4 days on the regular "floor" of the infant unit to fully recover

From bad to worse, first just on oxygen in American Fork hospital, then on EVERYTHING in Primary's. She had a total of 5 IVs, 10 tries for a PICC line, so many pokes in her heels they had to move on to toes and fingers to test her blood. She had to be intubated for the life-flight, and with that came the ventilator, and feeding tube, and of course oxygen for the duration. Honestly the worst thing we have ever gone through! Every neighbor, friend and especially family member has helped, prayed, and fasted for us and Sidney. THANK YOU!!!

They had to put her ID on her leg in the form of a sticker, since there was not an extra limb to put a bracelet around. All the machines they had on her, and the medical personnel were quite impressive. Not so impressive...when the alarms of all these high-tech machines go off! We had quite a few scares even in the hospital, from blockages in the tube, to bradycardia episodes where they were just about to start compressions! All in all a real nightmare!

Much better! This is after the scare of the PICU, on the "floor", she only had oxygen and some monitors on her. I could actually hold her and feed her and just had to wait around to be discharged (4 more days). At home, we are still on O2. I have a 50 foot long tube to watch wherever she goes. After everything we had been through, it's a relief to see her so much better! She is so cute and fun and even when she cries (hoarse still from being intubated), I LOVE to hold her, and smell her non-hospital smell, and kiss her still-soft skin (not on her face, and still using hand-sanitizer, but hold her still the same)!