One Year...Many Miracles

Summer Shuntin'

At the end of summer we were able to finally correctly diagnose why Tommy's heart rate would keep jumping up even when he looked totally fine. Thanks to the OI Parents Group that I am a part of on Facebook, I was able to learn of the symptoms for Hydrocephalus. As I inquired further with one of the moms I had an "Aha!!!" moment. I prayed and thought about it overnight and by the next morning I KNEW that this is what he had and I contacted our pediatrician right away. She called me back quickly and trusted my reasoning for the diagnoses. She scheduled us a CT, MRI, and a consult with Neurosurgery at Primary Children's. Dr. Brockmeyer was able to come down and meet with us right after the MRI. Thomas did have hydrocephalus and would need surgery the following Monday. We were scared for another surgery, but were grateful that Thomas has a guaranteed airway because of his trach so there is no need for intubation. We knew that the shunt would likely be a lifetime commitment but that it was a needed surgery.

Thomas had so much fluid in his head that he had gained several pounds over the summer. Initially, our healthcare team had thought he was being overfed. Not only had his grown large, but his veins were protruding and his heart rate would sky rocket likely from headaches and the pressure in his brain.

Falling in Love- Our New Home

The surgery took place at the end of August. Tommy was only the hospital for a few days. The last day his arterial line came out while I was holding him and blood ran all down my clothes and had soaked through. They gave me scrub pants but had nothing to lend me for a top. Sadly, that night was the same night that I needed to go meet Taylor's new teachers for her preschool by our new house. Kids Academy is about halfway between Kent & Margaret's house and my house. So right after I left the hospital Taylor went with me to shop for an emergency outfit (while I was still blood stained) and then we back to my inlaw's to change. We were a little late to the preschool meeting but I made it. Taylor's teacher was very nice and quickly learned how unexpected things can be with our family.

Our new house is a spacious rambler with a master and Thomas room on the main, laundry room,  a large family room upstairs, and 3 bedrooms, another large family room, and storage in the basement. The home will work really well for Thomas when he starts using a wheelchair. For now, it's great because Thomas can finally be moved into his bedroom for nap time and bed time. We are able to wheel his machines around and still have a lot of room to play. I'm able to do laundry, give the kids baths, cook and get things done without leaving the main floor. We joke that we could retire here!

We were so blessed to have neighbors from our old ward help us move. If they had not come there is no way we would have been able to get out of the house on time. Moving into our new house we had family members, friends, and neighbors all come to help. It was wonderful.

The next day there was a terrible wind storm that knocked out our power. We had to go over and spend the night at my in laws since Tommy's machines can only go so long without power. The next morning we returned to the house to try and unpack using only natural light since the power was still out. Later that day I was brought to tears of gratitude for a neighbor across the street who came and shared an extension cord with us to his power generator. It was so touching the support that we already felt from our neighborhood.

Later that night, Shane went out to Costco who luckily still had power and was able to purchase one for us to have on hand for the next emergency. 

 

 

 

October

We started fall with some exciting events and the ball kept rolling into October. Tommy broke his leg from his pulse ox off accidentally getting pulled. We used ortho glass for the first time. We also had our annual Halloween Spooktacular with Shane's best friends from college and their families. 

 

We were able to get Tommy started with his helmet to reshape his head and it was a disaster. He received his helmet right before we went on our trip to Disneyland. We had been planning this trip since before Tommy was born. The trip included two of Shane's siblings and their families, Grandma & Grandpa Broadbent, and our family. We flew with Thomas while Taylor made the road trip with Grandpa and Grandma. Shane had us renting a beautiful house near the park that was perfect for a large group and swimming in a backyard lazy river. The trip was just what we needed. It was a milestone and celebration. It was our first time going to Disneyland together and we loved it.
 Tommy was only able to go on It's A Small World, Tikki Tikki Room, and the Jungle Cruise. It was really hard because of the machines and that Tommy needed to stay in his stroller. We promised ourselves we'd go again when he's graduated from the machines.

The night we flew home we took off Thomas's helmet that he had only had one week and his skin look really irritated. We thought "good thing we have our one week consultation on Monday", cleaned the inside of the helmet and put it back on for the night. Thomas was up screaming and crying all night. It wasn't until the next morning that we found out why. His helmet had rubbed against his skin so bad that it made an opened, infected wound right where his shunt line was.

Thomas ended up getting an emergency shunt externalization surgery and a month long admission with a PIC line of antibiotics. It was horrible. Thomas was healing from surgery and from the infection but he was in the hospital which we hate. We couldn't play with him or position him like we normally would because of the externalized shunt. Every day we would be up there to see him and to spend time with him. It was really hard on Taylor. We were grateful for the friends and family who stepped in to help with meals, visiting him, and to help with Taylor. Luckily, she was able to visit Thomas because it wasn't RSV season yet.

Finally, Thomas was able to get his new shunt on the other side and was able to come home. He handled the surgery like a champ except for the massive bruising across his chest.

Holidays

Thomas came home right before Thanksgiving! Hooray!!! We enjoyed doing all of the holiday things that we tried to do last year at the end of my pregnancy for our bucket list in case he didn't make it. It was a wonderful feeling to do this things with him here! Thomas was able to celebrate his birthday with so many friends and family members.... It was so special. Instead of gifts, we collected items for the NICU families of Primary Children's. Shane and I were so touched by all the baby toys, clothes, gift cards, money, hygiene items, and baby blankets that were donated. We took the kids with Grandma/Grandpa Broadbent to the hopsital to donate the items and it felt so good to help out those families that were going to celebrate Christmas with their babies in the NICU. We were so grateful that we have passed that stage of life but will never forget it.

We made it through the month with one broken arm. But it has taken longer to heal than in times past so we're still extra careful with it. We splinted him pretty good and that helped a lot. 

One of my favorite things was going to Taylor's Christmas dance recital! She's currently taking ballet and tumbling. Taylor celebrated her birthday at a nearby nail salon with two of her cousins Katie and Claire Bear then went to McDonald's for lunch and to play. We're classy like that. Taylor was in heaven! She's seemed like she was 4 for quite a while so her birthday was overdue.

Words cannot begin to describe how grateful I was to be able to celebrate Christmas as a family this year. No hospital. No worry of death. It was peaceful and uneventful. That's all we wanted. We look back on all the miracles that took place to help us reach the end of year together and I am amazed.... God knows me and knows my family. Prayers are answered. The Holy Ghost has guided us. Thomas is a strong boy with a special spirit and a mission to complete. At the beginning of this year, Shane and I assumed Thomas would not be with us for the end of it. Now, we feel that there are so many possibilities for our family. Our goals are big! But our favorite goal is to have a peaceful and uneventful 2017 with minimal breaks, no hospital admissions, and family getting to just enjoy being together. I hope Taylor will learn to read more this year. I hope Thomas will hold his head up on his own and roll to his side on his own. For Shane and I, I hope we can get in more date nights and finish our back yard. :)

Day 27,28, 29 Summer is almost over!

Day 27- Finished my 10K!!!

About a month ago, I set out to complete a 10K as one of my goals for summer. Last Friday night, I smashed that goal!

Shane and I had arrange for my dad to come out and spend the night. He was going to help support me at the race and watch Taylor. He came over right after work and enjoyed dinner with us. Then he played with Taylor and watched Frozen for the very first time. It was sweet to watch him spend some one on one time with her. It was so funny, because Taylor had seen only pieces of the movie before because she couldn't sit still. This time, she was so captivated by it and couldn't look away!

Taylor and Grandpa Steve mesmerized by Frozen.  

After Taylor went to bed, I had to wait a couple more hours before it was time to head down to the race. It started at 11:30 so my dad and I headed down at 11pm. I had decked myself out neon clothes and glow sticks. My friend Molly met me down there and she had made herself some pretty awesome glow in the dark braids!

Molly and I before the race!

This was a big deal to me because I hadn't been able to run like this since way before Taylor was born. Within a month, I was able to get myself to run a mile, then 2, then 3, and then 4. I was going to run 6 miles and my promise to myself was that I wasn't going to stop and I wasn't going to go slower than about a 12 min mile.

Molly and I ran together the entire time giving ourselves pep talks to keep going. It was such a nice night out and the trail was great! Little lights from glow sticks could been seen bouncing all along the way. We ended up running a lot faster than anticipated! We completed it with an 11 min mile and we both sprinted across the finish line. Molly was the 17th  person to cross the finish line and I was the 20th! 

I did it!

My dad had returned home to watch Taylor so Shane could greet me at the finish line! I felt so alive sprinting my hardest during the last few seconds of the race. It felt so good accomplish something that proved to myself I CAN!!!

Now, I don't want to lose motivation or ability so I've signed up for another 10K on August 9th. Pushing myself to go farther, I've also signed up for my second half marathon! On August 30th I'll be running a half marathon down Emigration Canyon!

http://www.sports-am.com/Emigtation-Half-Marathon.html

Day 28- My Summer Bucket List

I used to be really into Pinterest. During the spring I was so excited for summer break that I kept looking at Pins for all these fun ideas and activities to do with Taylor. Some of the Pins would be title "Summer Bucket Lists"... things that you had to do before summer was over because they were just that awesome! Well, I came up with a summer to do list of my own and now that summer is almost over I can either look at the list and get all frantic about all the things that I haven't accomplished yet or be happy to be enjoying summer with my little girl and the memories we've made. 

• We've gone on picnics
• We've gone on many MANY walks
• We clean the house together
• We cook together
• We play sidewalk chalk together 
• We blow bubbles together
• We play in her little pool together
• We water the flowers together
• We go to the community pool
• We took swim lessons together
• We went camping together
• We color and paint together
• We sit on the porch together
• We've laid around watching cartoons together
• We've done our own "preschool" most mornings where she's expanded her vocabulary
• We've gone out to lunch just the two of us
• We go to the library weekly
• We've watched fireworks together
• We read scriptures together
• We've cleaned the church together
• We've visited family and friends
• We've worked out together!!!
• We've been to the aquarium
• We've been to the zoo
• We've been to Thanksgiving Point
• We've milked a cow
• We've napped together....

I don't need Pinterest to tell me the most important 100 things that I need to do with my child over the summer to make it meaningful. Just being together and doing what kids do in the summer was meaningful for me. Sure, there's things on my own to do list that will still probably not get done before I go back to teaching mid-August. I'm ok with that. She will only have ONE summer where she is one year old. I know that I haven't missed it. I've loved our summer together!

My favorite thing? Sitting out on the front patio as the sun sets and watching Taylor play. Taylor is squealing because she is excited she found another rock to show me. Shane is sitting next to me.

Day 29- Plans and Plateaus!

I only have a couple of weeks left before I'm back at work. One of MY goals that I had this summer was to kick a plateau I've been on with my weight loss. Plateaus occasionally happen and no matter how long they lasted I always broke through! I know that hard work and adjustments help push me through so I continue to reach new fitness and health goals. 

Right now, I'm running and doing PiYo. I love it!!!

I know that my eating needs to be better and that I need be focused on my long term goals and not instant gratification. Cold Stone Ice Cream is instant gratification... Just saying. Some days I've even worked out three times, but fitness is nothing without nutrition. 

I'm excited for my last Challenge Group for the summer. It's a 60 day challenge focusing on nutrition and fitness. The complete package. We're going to follow a 30 day meal plan and I'm starting the challenge off by doing 3 Day Refresh. It's brand new from Beach Body and so many people have seen great results and have loved  it! I'm not hoping- I'm COMMITTED to refresh my body and get off of this plateau on the 28th. That's when our challenge starts. I'm so excited. This is the biggest challenge I've done so far. I'm excited for the challengers that will be doing it with me and the progress that I know they will make!!! For myself, I'm going to lose 10 more pounds before school starts. Hopefully, we will be able to get pregnant this fall and I want to be at my goal weight before that happens. I want to be healthy for this baby!

Also, I'm getting to the point where I need several other coaches working with me. I know there are people out there who are wanting to help motivate others (and themselves) while they are on their own fitness & health journey.  I want to find them! 

When I first became a coach, I thought the discount will be great and I'm excited to learn what my coaches have learned. Now, I'm grateful that I am blessed to be in a position to help, coach, and motivate people to go after their goals. This job entails my favorite things- teaching, marketing, inspiring, and fitness/health. It not only holds you accountable but it seriously makes you walk the walk.

I want to help one person learn about this job and work with them! 

Day 22 & 23- Appreciation in small things and hurtful moments

Day 22- Appreciating the Small Things

Taylor accidentally erased this even as I was typing. The other day I was on a walk with her over to the Oquirrh Temple and was thinking about how incredibly blessed I am to be the mother to this precious daughter of God. I appreciate her sweet spirit so much and the happiness she has brought to our little family. This little one year old has taught me a lot about giving, patience, forgiveness, love, and fun.

• Whenever I tell her let's go for a walk she'll run and find my sandals and try to help me put them on. 
• While cleaning the house Taylor will clean and "wipe" things down with us. She also loves to vacuum and sweep. 
• She will say she's sorry by nuzzling her head in our chest and giving a warm smile. 
• When Shane comes home she lights up like a Christmas tree and that look is only reserved for him. 

Shane and Taylor walking to swim lessons! 

• Even if we accidentally bonk her (she is at just the right height to get bonked often) she will show forgiveness by hugging us after we've said we're sorry. 
• She will run up to us randomly to hug us and lay her head on us. Also if she catches our glance while she is playing she will pull a funny face to make us laugh. 
• When she sees a baby she will say hi and try her best to be "soft". 
• MY FAVORITE!!! Whether it's an animal or a bug, Taylor shows love and appreciation to all of God's little creatures. She will talk to them and watch them with the most loving care a one year old could muster. Taylor will get excited over an ant walking by her toes and get the most joyful and curious look on her face!

Taylor is trying to pick up a bug that looked injured...

Day 23- Finding Appreciation in a Hurtful Moment

Taylor and I went to the library to return our books and she kept running around. I think she really likes the other kids, the child sized furniture, and all the books to choose from. While we were waiting to check out our books, one of the items dropped from my hands. I had a squirmy Taylor in one arm and a pile of children's books in the other. The mother in front of me said "Oh let me get that for you" with a kind smile on her face. She bent down to pick up the item and said "It's hard enough to have a one year old, but to have a one year old and to be pregnant is REALLY hard." She gave me sympathetic eyes while she put the item in my hand. I said "Thank you so much" without pausing or showing the hurt that her comment had made. However, I couldn't stop thinking about ir while we checked out our books... while we walked to the car... while I drove home... and while I tried to enjoy the evening with my family.

I couldn't stop thinking about it because I KNOW that at my heaviest weight after having Taylor I still looked like I was pregnant. I didn't just look like I was barely showing- I looked like I was 6 months along. For any woman, it's hard to be overweight but it aches to be so overweight that people mistake you for carrying another life in your belly. I had been working so hard! I had gained close to 50 pounds with Taylor and have lost all of it. What is left is a work in progress...  I thought my body was showing progress as well so this made me take a step back and look at what had just happened. 

Another woman with sincere intentions was trying to help me out because she thought I was pregnant and struggling with my one year old in a library. That was very kind of her. On the other hand, she didn't know that I have lost 30 lbs, bra sizes, pant and shirt sizes, and inches in the last couple of months. She didn't know that I used to have a hard time going to church because I felt that no matter what I wore I looked frumpy. She didn't know that I've struggled with my weight for the past 7 years of my life and am finally doing something about. She didn't know that I'm so happy about working out and eating healthier that I'm a coach now. 

But she didn't need to know all of that. She just needed to have me say thank you and show appreciation for her simple gesture of kindness. 

It made me think though about my latest plateau. I've been stuck at the same spot for about a month. Why have I not continued to make progress? I am not where I want to be even though I'm happy at how far I've come. I'm not happy staying in the same place and want to continue making progress. I'm thinking that maybe the efforts I've been making were enough to get me this far but not enough to take me farther...

I'm wanting to go farther so I need to push my efforts farther. I need to keep challenging myself. So I'm registering for a 10k in July and going back to tracking my food in My Fitness Pal. I'm going to be more diligent about my blog as well. :) Change makes change!

Day 20- Summer is on it's way!

Shane and I spontaneously decided to go camping down in Moab with some friends for Memorial Day weekend. I can't believe I've never been there before! It was so beautiful! I loved the scenery, the hiking, the quality time with my family, and laughing with friends...

On our way! Thirty minutes in and realize that Taylor didn't get in the car with any shoes!

Yes, we look like we belong to Big Bird's family. 

I love this picture of Shane. He didn't get why I had him point his finger. 

Shane and Taylor were great climbers!

Taylor's first s'more!

Getting ready for a swim to cool down... 

I have about 5 days left of school. I'm two days in to my second Beach Body Challenge and am loving it! The accountability and the workouts are going to help me smash my goals! I have big plans for the summer:

• Continuing to read the Old Testament. 
• Put Taylor in a "mommy and me" swimming class. 
• Camping! Lots of camping...
• Get reunited with my cousins for my grandparents' anniversary party. 
• Take care of my first garden and make some homemade salsa with what I grow. 
• Succeed with second Beach Body Challenge. 
• Go to the temple regularly. 
• Take Taylor to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. 
• Run a 5K. 
• Go mountain biking with Shane. 
• Get my hearing checked... (I can't hear what people say unless they practically yell)
• Take my family on picnics to the near by parks/lake. 
• Try new recipes!