Poor Kamryn

Kamryn has a broken arm. I know it was just last year that I was blogging about her broken leg. I guess my kids have fragile bones. (Seth broke his arm twice.)

Kam fell down some stairs and broke a bone in her arm and her wrist. She has a cute little pink cast. She picked out the color by herself. She is being really good about it too. I also got a waterproof cast to make my life a little easier.

This too shall pass!

Well, I figure I had better blog about the birth of our new baby girl before she is 12 years old and I can't remember a single detail. I was very preoccupied the last month and a half of my pregnancy. My car accident took up all my energy and elevated my stress level. Needless to say, blogging was the last thing on my mind.

The story begins on June 30th at my 38 week appointment. At this Dr. appointment, Dr. Froerer informed me that I was only dilated to a 1 (and I think he was being generous with that) and only 40% thin, however, he did not see a reason that we needed to wait for natural labor to occur. I agreed since it would be much easier to make arrangements for the other 3 children if we had a set day. He asked me when I wanted to have the baby. I reminded him that the coming weekend was the 4th of July and we both agreed that we did not want to be having a baby then. So, he suggested an induction on the 6th of July. I checked my calendar and let him know that was no good for me since I had a hair appointment that day. He chuckled and said, "Most women at this stage would be shouting to get the baby out but I understand that you have to look good for this event!" So, we scheduled an induction on July 7th.

We arranged for Seth, Ryker, and Kamryn to stay at Aunt Brenda's house while we were at the hospital. I dropped them off on the night of the 6th since we were scheduled first thing in the morning on the 7th. I said goodbye and let them know that the next time they saw me they would have a new baby sister to love.

That night Joe took me out for ice cream which was lovely. We went to Cold Stone and sat out on Rubio's patio in the warm summer night and talked while we ate our ice cream. It suddenly became realized that we were actually going to have a baby the next day and I became nervous and sad at the same time. After all, this was (and still is) to be my last pregnancy.

We were so excited we did not go to bed until 1:00 in the morning even though we had to get up at 6:00 to go to the hospital. We just couldn't stop talking. It was kind of like Christmas.

We arrived at the hospital at 7:00 on the morning of the 7th and were ready to have a baby. That was until the baby's heart beat wasn't in the right place. A quick ultra sound verified that the baby was lying transverse in my uterus. It was like a flashback of Kamryn. They immediately called Dr. Froerer because if we could not get the baby to turn it would mean a c-section. Luckily by the time he had arrived she had moseyed down to a head-down position but was not engaged in my pelvis. So, while I pushed on my left side and the nurse pushed downward on the top of my uterus Dr. Froerer reached in (elbow deep it seemed) to find the baby's head with a scalp lead. He literally shouted, "I got her" like he was catching a fish. The scalp lead was to keep her in place or at least allow us to monitor her position.

The nurse started my pitocin right away and my water broke shortly after this procedure. We were on for a regular delivery. Thank the lord.

Pitocin was started at 9:00 in the morning and Natalie Ann Versluis was born at 3:04 in the afternoon. Six hours is not bad if you ask me. She was out after one push and a chuckle. When I was dilated to a 10 they called the doctor down and he arrived just in time for my first push. So, I pushed once and he asked me to stop because her head was out. Then he said to push again at 40% strength. I reminded him that I had an epidural and had no way to gage my strength level. I asked him about a cough and if that would help. He said, "sure" which made me laugh and at that time the rest of her body was out. So it was literally one push and a chuckle.

She was absolutely beautiful when she was born and was given an apgar score of 9. Pretty good if you ask me. We did skin-to-skin contact right after she was born which was a first for me. I usually have waited until they are all cleaned up and wrapped in a blankie but the new trend is skin to skin right after they are born. They do wipe off a majority of the goo but it was still a little weird. The cool thing was that she wanted to nurse right away so we started that immediately.

Everything went smoothly and it was the best delivery and best recovery I have ever had. So we welcome Natalie Ann Versluis. Weighing in at 6 lbs 8 oz and measuring 19 inches long.

What a blessing!

Car accident

I figure I'd better write about this before I forget about it.

So, exactly a week ago today I was in an auto accident. The worst accident I have ever been involved in. I was broad sided by a 19 year old driver who was texting while driving and ran the red light. Luckily no one was hurt in the crash but there were several "what if's" that could have made a very different outcome.

The kid was driving a small pickup truck so it did not overpower my van. He hit on the passenger side but not exactly at the door where Kamryn was sitting. It still turned her carseat diagonally in the seat. He hit me on the rear portion of the van. This is where Ryker normally sits but I had to move him about a week prior to lay down that part of the seat and just had been to lazy to move him back. This laziness paid off because where it hit, he could have been seriously injured. That part of the van has the innards all exposed on the inside of the van. The airbags deployed which is a really loud and scary noise. I had no idea where they even came from and now I know. Some even blew out of the side of the seats ripping the seams. I didn't know airbags even existed in there.

The force of the wreck spun my van around which was a little surprising. They estimate the other driver was going at least 40 mph.

Also, to my advantage, there were witnesses. One of which was stopped at the red light that the kid drove through who had been driving behind him for quite some time who testified to the texting theory. Another was an off duty police officer at a gas station nearby.

Unfortunately, I am at the mercy of a base model rental van and the other guy's insurance company. It is a week later and we don't even have a prognosis. I have no clue if they are going to fix my van or total it. Actually, the adjuster isn't calling me back.

When do I get my attorney involved?

You can't just turn off super powers

About 20 minutes after we put the boys to bed we hear little feet climbing up the stairs and Ryker appears in the living room. He complains that he can't fall asleep because he can hear the t.v. downstairs and it is keeping him awake. Joe turns down the volume and tells Ryker to go to bed now that the t.v. is turned down. Ryker looks at us like we are idiots and says, "I have super powers you know."

Joe and I both laugh and Joe tells Ryker to turn off his super sonic hearing and just go to sleep. Ryker's response was, "I don't have a switch to turn off my super powers!"

Spring break has come and gone and I did survive. Did my children? That is still to be determined.

Kids are such creatures of habit that having 6 days off of school and their schedules all wrecked up turned them into monsters. After a couple of days Seth became ultra obnoxious and Ryker became pathetic and whiney. They were fighting with each other. Talking back to me. And wrecking up my house. It was snowy and cold all week so I couldn't even send them outside.

I am thankful to be sending them back to their teachers tomorrow. (Sorry teachers.)

Note for next year: Plan a vacation for Spring break.

Kamryn is walking

Finally! It is about time!

Kamryn has been walking on her knees for almost 3 months now just torturing us. I have been so concerned but also knew that she wouldn't be going to kindergarten walking on her knees. She turned 18 months on Saturday the 27th and on the 28th I reminded her that she had her doctor appointment on Monday and we were going to discuss with the doctor what we need to do to get her walking (on her feet). I let Kamryn know that this might involve physical therapy and exercises that she may not like. It was within minutes that she started walking.

Joe was on the floor and I was on the couch with Kamryn. She asked to get down and I put her on her feet as I always do to encourage walking and she just walked to Joe like no big deal. Then she walked back to me. Joe scooted further away and she walked to him again. By the fourth time of this routine she just bypassed Joe completely and walked down the hall into the toy room. She didn't waiver or fall. It was as if she has been walking for weeks.

What a jerk!

I am glad she is finally on her feet and moving.

12 years and counting

On 3/27 Joe and I celebrated 12 years of marriage. We were in San Francisco on vacation and spent the day in San Jose and the evening at The Stinking Rose in San Francisco. (Thanks to Cassie from Coit for the awesome restaurant suggestion.) We had a wonderful weekend celebrating each other's company. Our weekend was filled with great conversation and silly games that kept us laughing. We had the most wonderful time.

It was great to realize that even after 12 years we could have fun just like when we were first dating. We were reminded that it was at the Coit convention a little over 12 years ago in Orlando that Joe proposed. I guess I was in such a bliss that I didn't even realize Joe was traveling to Orlando for work. I guess I thought it was just our vacation!

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Beautiful weather, good food, and sharing it all with my honey. Thanks babe!

Looking forward to many years more.

We are having a wonderful family day today. I could not ask for better. We went to breakfast at the Red Rooster Waffle Co. for the first time and it was delicious. It is Kent's birthday today so we celebrated his birthday at breakfast along with Brenda, Tony, their kids, Bryce, Trudy, and my mom. The whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday and that was fun.

Then Joe and I and the kids went to Walmart and Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pass some time before our movie started. We had fun looking at stuff, playing with gadgets, and acting silly.

Around noon we went to see Alice in Wonderland. We had a wonderful time there. Kamryn was fully entertained until she decided to fall asleep. But she lasted more than halfway through without getting ornery or bored. She was talking to the screen and laughing. She absolutely loved the talking dogs. (I loved watching her watch the movie.)

Seth loved the movie and Ryker got a little bored in the middle. I think it is a little too grown up for his age or maybe he just didn't care for it. We loved it but could have done without the beheading of the jabberwockie (sp). Ryker can explain in graphic detail how his head was cut off and bounced down the steps of the broken castle. I think that was too much for children's eyes. Quite gory I thought. But, the boys loved that part and that disturbs me.

Afterwards we have just been relaxing at home and it has been wonderful. I had a lengthy nap and the children are just playing and playing. Too bad it isn't warm out or this day would have included a little golf to make it perfect.

Ultimate pregnant moment

So, I get an advertisement in the mail for Krispy Kreme donuts. They have a new banana pudding donut that sounds fantastic. I feel the "need" to go buy this donut. Now, the last time I had a donut was a little over 6 years ago and apparently I have not kept up with the times because I began to drive to the Krispy Kreme store that I know of here in Salt Lake. I arrive at the location only to discover that it is no longer there. I have no idea how long it has been out of business since it has been 6 years since my last donut adventure.

I then proceed to take 25 minutes to figure out the mobile web on my phone and locate a krispy kreme store (I can't trust gas stations to have the specialty donut in stock so I am going right to the source).

The boys are getting super excited to go to the "donut store". Ryker was especially excited because he didn't even know what a donut was. He asked me and when I told him what it was he said "Oh, like that piece in the Simpsons game that Homer has", which is a little metal donut to the Simpson's Clue that we have. I said yes but they are the real kind that you can eat. I don't know what was running through his head as far as what a donut is but he was super excited to eat it.

After my mobile web experience I find that I am off to Orem for a Krispy Kreme donut. AND IT WAS WORTH IT!

The donut was delicious and they have that big window where the kids can watch them make the donuts. That entertained them for at least 30 minutes, until they were donut experts.

3 hours, $15.00, and 2 dozen donuts later we returned home from our fun filled outing. And, no, I didn't eat them all at once. I brought the rest home to avoid future trips to Orem!

You know your family plays too much poker when you hear your children, who a playing with dominoes, ask each other if all the blinds are in!

man crush

Have you ever heard the term "man crush"? This is when a grown man just talks and talks about another grown man (friend or not) envying his stuff, lifestyle, whatever...I have seen men have these "crushes" on other men but never have seen it in children. Until today....

Ryker has a friend in his class named Ryken (yep that's right, Ryken). Maybe it is the closeness in name that creates this bond between my son and his new friend. I am pretty sure Ryker has a "boy crush" on Ryken. He is constantly talking about him and how cool he is. He tells me all about Ryken's house (even though he has never been there) and all of the cool things that Ryken has. So far Ryken has a transformer house and a car that turns into a tree house. I learned today that Ryken has the largest bathtub in the world that will fit all of the kids so that they all can bath together. I just feel bad for Ryken's mom, having to wash all that hair!

I am amazed at Ryker's imagination about the things that Ryken has and am a little worried that Ryker is so concerned with material things at such a young age.

As for now, I will just listen to all the stories about Ryken and his coolness.

Update on HaLee

HaLee is doing much better and may be coming home from the hospital soon (if not today). She is tracking things with her eyes but we really won't know the extent of visual damage until she can "say" what she is seeing. Being only 13 months old she can't really tell us what she sees but she tracks objects so that is good. She has been happy and smiling and laughing. Seems to be bouncing back really well.

Looks like the daycare provider will be arrested for this incident and so the court proceeding shall begin. The media has been notified and will release the story as soon as the daycare provider has been arrested and charged with the crime.

Not so cheery post

I am just writing a quick note about my nephew, Steve's, daughter. I am simply writing this because I am disgusted, infuriated, and saddened by the light of recent events.

On Friday my nephew's girlfriend, Shandee, picked up their daughter, HaLee, from the babysitter where she was promptly told that the baby had fallen during the day and hit her head. As a result she was fussy and had not had a nap. Shandee didn't think anything of it until during the ride home when HaLee's eyes went blank and she started throwing up. Shandee immediately pulled over to assist her daughter and called and ambulance. They took HaLee to IMC where she was immediately life flighted to Primary Children's hospital in critical condition. Her brain was bleeding. After several test and MRI scans they have other older brain bleeds and also bleeding behind her eyes. They have diagnosed it as shaken baby.

As it stands right now they are not pointing fingers at the parents (who have been interviewed several times by DCFS and the police) but now have turned to the day care provider. The day care provider has refused speaking to anyone without her attorney present. So far all signs point to her.

Now, they are not sure the entire damage that has been done and probably won't know the extent of it for quite some time as her brain heals. They have determined that she is blind although she has identified some objects but they are not sure what she is actually seeing but know that there is severe damage to her retinas. They are doing another MRI tomorrow to find out if the bleeding has stopped and if there are other injuries. The doctors will have a better action plan when those results are in.

I guess I don't understand what kind of person can do that to a child and that is why I am so furious about this situation. What a monster...

HaLee will have lifelong effects from someone's stupid decisions. Not to mention her parents having to deal with the results of these injuries for the rest of HaLee's life. Their dreams of what their daughter was supposed to grow up to be like have been officially shattered. I understand that you can take the positive side and look at what she can be and utilize her strengths to amplify her talents but no matter how you look at it, it is still a sad situation.

It just goes to show that life can change in the blink of an eye so be grateful for what you have.

Also, PLEASE don't text and drive.

I haven't been on here for a couple of weeks so I thought I better at least write something.

We have been having a crazy time here in the household where the domestic goddess reigns. The thing mostly on the agenda has been talk of moving to Nashville. We still don't have all the information we need to make a permanent decision but it is very clear that both Joe and I would like for it to work out. And we are both not sure why. It is like we are excited about something we don't know anything about. Change maybe?

We attended a shotgun wedding this past Saturday which I deemed weird. I guess it is hard to get excited about a wedding that is planned in a week and that is only happening so that the bride and groom can live with the bride's mother who forbids fornicating in her house. I am not sure what message they are sending there but it seems like they are saying that it is ok to enter into the holy constitute of marriage just so they can have sex (which they have been doing for years) just for it to end in divorce later. Who knows, maybe it will work out...(Our gift, a pack of condoms to prevent further unplanned pregnancies which they have had 2 of already and some mixing bowls.)

Seth is still rockin' at reading. He has moved up another level and is considered on a mid year 1st grade reading level. So that puts him a year ahead when it comes to reading. It is fun to listen to him figure things out. Ryker is following suit and is trying to sound things out too which just makes us laugh...it is so cute.

Kamryn is not walking on her feet yet. Her new thing is walking around on her knees. She barely crawls anymore and just walks around on her knees. I am sure I should get her knee pads but for now I am just using a lot of stain remover on all of her pants. It is driving us crazy. If only she knew how much easier it is to just walk on her feet.

Baby #4 seems to be coming along nicely. I am measuring right on and gaining weight appropriately (whatever that means). We do the 20 week ultrasound next week on Feb 16.

That's all for news....wish I had something more entertaining but I don't.

Peace out!

Waking up is hard to do.

Boy, Ryker sure is a product of his mom when it comes to waking up in the morning. He is not a morning person. Not that he is ornery in the morning (he is usually cheerful) it just takes a while for him to wake up and get out of bed.

For instance...

this morning I go in to wake him up and he is just rolling around in his bed saying that he is still sleeping. He pulls the blanket over his head and says that it is not morning yet. I lay down beside him and hug him and kiss him to try and wake him up. He says, "Just sleep mom. It is better."

Even though I agree with him 100% I also know that we have to leave the house for school in 30 minutes. And, believe it or not, school is more important than sleep.

Then, Ryker tries to get up and he says, "Mom, I can't get up. Somebody has glued me to my bed."

So, I had to proceed with a "super glue remover" and pry him from his bed.

Ryker then jumps out of bed with a smile and says, "Thanks for taking off the glue, now I can go to school." He has the widest smile on his face and his eyes are bright. Ready for the day. What a character.

(This whole waking up process only took 15 minutes. Next time I better not "snooze" twice and jeopardize our punctuality.)

Kam's new words

Kamryn has a few new words this week including cracker and drink. But the two she is using most often which are pretty serious are "mine" and "No". She has learned them well. She grabs or points to something and immediately yells mine. And, whenever a question comes her way she answers no. Plus, when she is doing something she is not supposed to you just hear her saying, "No, No, No"

That is how I know she is getting into trouble.

Happy New Year!

By the way, Happy New Year. 2009 was shit balls for us. We did a lot of fun things but we also had what seemed like everything go wrong. Now we are in debt up to our eyeballs (40k on cc's) and I am working (boo) but it is what it is. I hope 2010 is a little better.

I did not make any resolutions except to stick to our budget but I had made that a goal back in December when Joe and I reviewed our budget and realized that we need to tighten the reigns or we will find ourselves in an even worse position than we are already in.

I hope for Ryker that he has a little better year. He has been sick since September. Ear infections, fevers, swollen glands, etc...It is always a "virus" according to the doctors. He has been on antibiotics once a month since September as well. He just finished up his last batch and seems to be doing better but if he gets sick again it is off to the witch doctor we go.

I am now 15 weeks pregnant. So that is something promising for 2010. A new baby due to arrive in July. That will be awesome. I hope it is a girl but there is nothing I can do to determine that. I will find out what I am having on Feb 16th.

I wish everyone a happy new year and hope the best for all of you.

Kamryn's teeth

Kamryn finally cut her first two teeth. One appeared on New Year's day up on top which is not the one that has been teasing us for months. We have been waiting for one on the bottom since about September when it first started peeking through and it finally came through yesterday. And it is sideways!