Elbows Higher Mama!

This was the resounding war cry at my house this morning. Instead of waiting for Ty to take a nap before I pulled out my exercise video- I decided that Ty could use some activity too (he's driving me nuts- I cannot figure out where all of his energy reserves come from- so in an effort to help make the rest of the day a little easier, I've been trying to wear him out in the mornings). So I plugged in "Turbo Jam" and told him to come and play with me. He totally got into it- it was so funny watching him try to follow what the video was doing. Halfway through though, he turns and starts watching me. He studied my movements for a few minutes and then told me that my elbows weren't high enough. He then stopped me, stood in front of me and said "Like this mama- let me show you." I guess if you tell the kid something often enough- eventually you ARE going to get it back. I wish I had taken a picture of him moving and grooving- but I was having too much fun doing it with him. Though I could have done without the additional instruction. Also- this picture has nothing to do with anything, but I hate posts without pictures.

Go Utes!

Much to my disappointment, summer has said its good-byes and fall has ushered itself in. And as such, football has started again. I don't mind a game here and there, so when my dad called and said that he wanted to go to the Utah/Utah State game in Logan last weekend- we all jumped at the chance. My mom hates football so she opted to stay at the cabin with Ryan while the rest of us went to watch the game. We had pretty decent seats- though there really wasn't a whole lot to watch. Utah State is terrible this year (and the year before that and the year before that...) so it was supposed to be a blowout. It was still fun (Utah won) and we enjoyed the chance to get out with just Ty for a few hours- I sometimes think that so much revolves around the baby now that Ty sometimes gets left out. So it was good. And he loves the Utes so it was fun to see him jump up and down to the fight song and try and sing along. Grandpa and dad tried to point out the finer points of the game to Ty, but for the most part he just yelled "Get him! Get him! Get him!" Not ever really understanding who had the ball or what they were doing.

My sister, Melissa and her husband Mark came up for the game too- it was fun to see them. Melissa likes football just about as much as my mom does, so she was really good to make sure that Ty had food and drink (I think that was more about having an excuse to get up and walk around than anything else- but it was nice to have someone so concerned about my three year old).

The Days Are Just Packed

You know those days where nothing goes right and you feel like you have too many hands and too many feet? Ty is having one of those days. It's like the neurons in the brain just aren't firing right or something. Ty has a hard time anyway- he's kind of stumbly to begin with. But today- is something else. We have hardwood floors throughout the entire house- which can make for a slippin-slide effect when you are wearing nothing but socks on your feet. That's what happened this morning. I was trying to get Ty dressed and we had made it as far as a t-shirt and socks, but as I was trying to coerce him into wearing underwear he took off running. He promptly slipped and fell. He almost caught his balance, but because of the sock thing- he ended up slipping again and then tripping over a chair in his room. He went down in a blaze of glory and ended up smacking his head on the door and his mouth on the floor. I couldn't believe that he didn't knock his tooth out, and I really couldn't believe how quickly his lip swelled to roughly the size of a baseball. It was a rough morning, so I let him snuggle up on the couch with a blanket, a cup of juice and a movie.

Ryan had a better day. He just layed around and pooped most of the day. He's gotten to the point that he recognizes our voices and will break out into the biggest grin everytime we come near him. I LOVE it! He is such a happy baby, who hardly ever cries (unless you are either trying to get him dressed or are too slow with the food). I am amazed at how blessed we have been to get two incredibly good babies. Ty continues to maul Ryan, but I think it's a comfort to both of them- Ryan never gets upset when Ty starts playing with his cheeks or when he gets big wet kisses. And Ty is so stoked everytime Ryan "kisses" him. They are such cute little boys and I know there will come a time when they will start throwing hard things like rocks at each other rather than kisses- but for now- I'm just trying to soak up the moment.

Spring Canyon

This last weekend we had a family reunion of sorts down in Eastern Utah, in a place called Spring Canyon (near Price) which is where my grandpa grew up. It was established as a mining town and spent many years as a thriving little community before the leases on the land were up and the mines closed down. What's interesting is that the government has decided to let the wilderness take back what once belonged to them and all of the houses and buildings have been bulldozed- leaving nothing but the foundations and a few walls. Notwithstanding the lack of evidence in Spring Canyon, my grandpa does not want his legacy to leave this world when he does- so in an effort to preserve some memories, he showed us around both Spring Canyon and Standardville. It was so unreal to see the rocks that marked what once stood as homes to so many families and to see the entrances to the mines completely caved in. My cousin Nicole and I took turns videoing grandpa telling stories and we took a few pictures. Our hope is to somehow document all of this for the entire family so that everyone has a piece of grandpa's history. We would also like to be able to do the same thing down in Mona with grandma in the spring.

A Tag

Okay... so I usually don't really do tags because I rarely have time enough to sit down and show off pictures of my kids let alone sit and tell you all about myself... but I think this one is exceptionally cute and I still get to show off my kids- so thanks Steph! So anyway- you are supposed to take pictures of the different things listed and you have to do it right away. There is no cheating allowed- which means you can't clean up or re-arrange things to make it look better or the way that it is supposed to be. So... let me introduce you to my messy and chaotic house!

1. Refrigerator: And I want to add here that we are leaving town this evening- so there is literally no food in our fridge because I didn't want it to go bad. I also want to add to anyone out there thinking of buying a fridge... stay away from the stupid KitchenAids!! They are stupid and they don't work.

2. Laundry Room: This is down in our basement and is obviously unfinished- but it's huge and I love it!

3. Bathroom: We only have the one bathroom on the main floor and it is one of the cleaner rooms of the house. Just because Ty has figured out that he can pee in the toilet does not mean that he has figured out that it is just as gross to play in the toilet. So I figure if I can keep it clean at all times- the possibility of him getting something really gross on his hands or something is pretty minimal. Right?! Also- it's dark in there so sorry if the picture didn't come out really well.

4. Closet: Shaun and I do not share closets. We both have too many clothes and there is just no way to have them fit nicely into one closet. So Shaun took over the closet that was in the extra bedroom upstairs when we moved into the house. Now the room is technically Ryan's- but Shaun still uses the closet. My closet is the one with the blue walls and Shaun's is green.

5. Kitchen Sink: To be fair- when I checked the blogs- I had just finished washing bottles- so they are off to the side drying.

6. Favorite Room in the House: My favorite room is the kitchen/dining room. It really and truly is the place that we can all get together and yet sometimes- I can still have some alone time when I'm making dinner. I always freak out because it's messy, but Shaun continually stands by the fact that it is "lived in."

7. What are your kids doing right now? Very silly things really. Ryan has found his voice... and is actually a little suprised by it everytime he "talks" so he'll coo and then get this really shocked look on his face. Kind of funny. And Ty is outside playing in a box. In fact he's having a snack in his box.

8. Self Portait: I'm not impressed by this particular one- but I'm playing along with the game.

9. Favorite pair of shoes:

10. Dream Vacation: I dont' know. I'd like to be able to take Ty to Disneyland because I think he'd just eat it up!

Hmmm... I tag Erica, Jeni, Mary, Nat and Jen

TLC

I have a new definition for TLC- no longer does it stand for Tender Loving Care... In my home it stands for Toddler Loving Care which, while cute, is something you almost have to watch for constantly. Ty loves his little brother and is always looking for ways to "help." He wants to feed Ryan, he wants to burp him and he is the first one to reach for Ryan's hand whenever he can. I caught Ty in Ryan's room the other morning. I had set Ryan in his Boppy in his crib so that I could dry my hair and when I came back into his room- Ty had found him and was reaching for his hand (I know it's not a very good picture because of the window behind them- the sun was still on its way up so it was really shining brightly through the window). I am so grateful that Ty loves his little brother the way that he does. I hope that as they get older they continue to be good friends. Being one of three kids in my family- I know that siblings can totally drive you nuts (both when you're growing up and now), but I also know that you can be such great friends as well.

T- Minus How Many Days...? And Counting...

Did you know that I have two very good little boys. Granted I will not state this every moment of every day because heaven knows there are times that I would sell one or both of them for a few minutes of peace. But today... I have two very good little boys. Ryan is doing really well here at home- in fact he is even sleeping through the night pretty consistantly. We put him to bed around 10:30 or 11 and he sleeps until 6 or 7. Yay! I function and am a much happier person when I get a few consecutive hours of sleep. I remember when Ty was a baby- I was talking to my mom who had been doing foster care for infants the past several years and we decided that if you can somehow figure out how to get five hours of consecutive sleep- that you can function so much better the next day. And luckily- Ryan gives me so much more than that.

And Ty is also on a roll... We haven't had a potty accident for three days. I hope I didn't just jinx him. I'm not really sure what has triggered it, but I'm thankful nonetheless. Keep your fingers crossed that things continue to go well.

Hmmm... What other updates do I have for you. Things around here have really been pretty quiet. It is definately turning to fall. The weather has turned and the air usually has a pretty good nip to it. In fact- it snowed on Monday morning. We took a video of it because it was so unreal. Shaun's back in school and seems to be enjoying it- though since football season has started it's hard to pull him away from the TV long enough to find out how his day went. I think that once there starts to be a permanent butt-print in the lazy-boy you should be declared legally dead and your estate probate. I'm well on my way to my inheritance if that's the case.

Hold on a second... What's that sound?

Oh yeah! It's the sound of silence! Quiet! Nothing! Which means that I get to update for a few minutes! I will NOT apologize for the length- we've had a lot going on. This has been the craziest summer I think that I have ever had. And this last month has been no different. We have been trying to settle into a routine that works for everyone- but I can't believe how different it is when you have two little ones verses just one. I feel very lucky though- Ty loves his little brother and is always willing to help me out when I need it. He is the first one to run and grab a diaper or to go put a dirty blanket in the laundry basket for me.

I really have to keep my eye on Ty though- for all his help- he is constantly trying to hold Ryan or give him a binky or make sure that the blanket is wrapped around him just right. While very sweet- Ty is as gentle as you could expect any three year old to be. We have to keep reminding him that Ryan isn't as tough as Ty- so he needs to be careful. Still though- it's cute to watch. I'm so grateful that Ty isn't resentful of Ryan's presence in our home. If anyone asks about the baby, Ty will actually stop the conversation and let the other person know that it is "his" baby Ryan. In fact- as far as older siblings go- he's pretty protective. To give you another idea about how far this devotion goes- take last night for an example. Any of you that know Ty, knows that he has a little silky blanket that he calls his "Baby HooHoo" (we're not really sure where the term "hoohoo" came from- but that's what he has called the silly little thing from day one). The baby hoohoo goes with us everywhere and heaven forbid that you should wash the thing. Ty totally flips out when it's time to do laundry. He sits and waits for it to come out of the dryer- I call it the "Linus Sydrome"- but whatever. If it makes him happy then fine. However- last night, Shaun and I came into the living room (where we have the portable crib set up for Ryan) and found Ty hanging over the edge tucking his baby hoohoo around Ryan and saying "Don't cry baby Ryan- it's okay." I was so touched. I stubbed my toe the other day and I didn't get the hoohoo. All Ty did was jump up and down with me and then he laughed. Little fart.

Anyway- on with the update... I know that we spent a month away from home but apparently we're gluttons for punishment because not too long after we came home, we left for Declo to visit Shaun's parents. And let me tell you- packing for two kids is a royal pain in the butt. If I didn't like our extended family so much I'd tell them all to stuff it because I am staying home. However- I happen to love both my family and my in-laws so no such luck there. Anyway- it was the Cassia County Fair the week that we went (Shaun was stoked because he got to eat his weight in Maple Bars). Probably the most fun part of the fair is the rodeo on Saturday night. It's a small town rodeo- but I think it's so much fun to go to. Every year we go and we sit with Shaun's aunt and uncle's family (and a special thanks to Kent and Kim for saving us a seat twice). We were even able to talk Papa Orllo into going- I don't think I've ever seen him at the rodeo- but I sure appreciated the extra pair of eyes and hands. Wherever Papa went- Ty was quick to follow. Thanks Papa. I don't know if Ryan enjoyed the rodeo all that much, but he was really good. He had a bottle (no I did NOT nurse at the rodeo- I'm no where near talented enough for that) and a nap, but other than that he sat in his car seat and stared of into space. We'll have to introduce him to the finer arts of the rodeo a few years from now I guess. It was a lot of fun though and even though I'll have to pack for two kids again- we'll be excited to go again next year.

Hmmmm... Let's see- the next blog-worthy moment was probably last weekend when my parents came up to visit us (which they are doing again this weekend- I'm glad that they don't get sick of us because it sure is nice to have company). We took advantage of a rare quiet moment on the lake to go for a quick ride. Ty takes any opportunity available to push Grandpa into the water. He just thinks it is so funny. However- Grandpa got his revenge when Ty pushed him in- Grandpa grabbed onto Ty's life jacket... and bombs away! They both ended up in the water. Ty was so suprised that he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or to cry. Luckily the humor won out and he came out of the water just giggling. I think that Ryan must have questioned our sanity when he felt the rocking of the boat under him- but I think he forgave us the second that it put him to sleep. It was a fun weekend- my mom and dad watched the boys for us for a couple of hours so that we could go over to Logan and run a few errands.

And a fun little note about me (which I don't think that I post about very often since I'm not very exciting- however, you will have to indulge me today since I'm pretty excited). During all this mess of being pregnant and having a baby and then the mess after Ryan was born... I forgot to tell you all that I finally graduated from college! Yay! I got an email several months ago that they were conferring my degree and sending it to my house. That's right people. I am officially a graduate (granted it took a while- but whatever- I finished and that's all that counts) in English with an emphasis on Technical Writing. Pooh on all the nay-sayers out there that didn't think I would finish.


Anyway- I think you're all up to date now. I just can't help but think how lucky we are to have such a wonderful family. I couldn't ask for a better husband, toddler or baby. They each represent such a special place in our home that I can't imagine it without them. Yes Shaun- I'm going there (Shaun hates syrupy posts and has asked me never to do one- however- I've never listened to him before so why start now?). We blessed Ryan a few weeks ago and I was too much of a chicken to get up and say anything in church- and not that this is really all that different- but I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't thank all of you for your support and love through these few weeks. I remember lessons from primary and from young women's about how Heavenly Father "allows" you to have trials in order to make you stronger. I have never liked this side of my father in Heaven. I wish that He would just trust me and leave it at that. However, this is apparently NOT how things work. I am grateful now that everything is said and done for the testimony that it gave me of the power of prayer and the power of the comforter in my life. I can remember very clearly the night that the pediatrician from the NICU came up to my room and told me how serious the situation was (at 3:30 in the morning)- I prayed for several hours that my baby boy would be alright. And I can remember very clearly a voice telling me to have faith and to have hope. I can't imagine my life without the influence of the spirit and I am so grateful for it.

Anyway- love you all and hopefully it won't be so long again between posts.

This is not a real post

I just wanted to let you all know that we are not dead. But it's been three days since I've showered and I'm going to go do that instead of sitting down to do an actual blog while I have a few minutes. Sorry. Maybe I'll be able to get my crap together another day and get some pictures up.

Home At Last

We were finally able to bring Ryan home yesterday! Talk about the longest two weeks that Shaun and I have ever had to face. As happy as we were leaving the NICU though- it was almost bittersweet. As we sat there through Ryan's feedings and such- we got to know several of the other couples that were in there with their own babies and the problems that they were facing. Sometimes Ryan's breathing problems paled in comparison. I almost felt guilty leaving (but not enough to stay)- I wish there was a better way to stay in touch so that we know what happens to them. We got Ryan all tucked into his carseat and took a picture of his empty bed to prove that we actually got to leave. I almost feel like I have been sleepwalking and I really can't remember a lot of what has gone on- so I'm glad for the blog and the pictures we have been taking.

It sure is nice to be home (sort of- we're hanging out at Grandma Janet's for a few more days- but that's like home right?). I was a little worried about his first night home (but what mom with a brand new baby isn't a little apprehensive about the first night?)- but his temperment is something else. I have never met such a patient baby. Ryan will kind of make a few noises to let you know that he is awake- and then he just sits there with his eyes open and waits for you to get everything ready for him. It's unreal. I know that the words "sweet spirit" get a bad rap- but I think Ryan really is sweet. Ty was just excited to finally get a chance to hold his "baby Ryan."

Ty continues to enjoy the summer and playing with Grandma and Grandpa. He got to go on another motorcycle ride this afternoon with Grandpa and one of the neighbors gave him a popsicle- he was such a mess. Grandpa gave him the hose to help him wash off and it was so cute watching him. I snapped a few pictures and I feel like it captures the essence of summer- sticky popsicles, dirty faces and stained t-shirts.

The Zoo

I suppose I should have saved one of those cute pictures from yesterday to post with today- because I have no new pictures. But I do have news. Ryan passed his car seat test last night with flying colors and if all goes well tonight- he may be discharged in the morning. The nurses joke that they don't use the "H" word though when they talk about discharge- instead they tell the babies that they are going to the zoo instead. Of course, in the case of the Kidd household- the zoo and home are probably some words that can be used simultaneously. Anyway- that's all we have for tonight. Thanks again for all of your support.

Happy Birthday Ty!!

Today is Ty's third birthday and he was not excited for it. We kind of had to talk him into the fact that today is supposed to be "his" day. He started to come around tonight when he got to order cheese pizza and have some chocolate ice cream from the Dairy Queen down the street. But he still wasn't sure. I asked him tonight if he had a good birthday and he told me "I guess." Perhaps next year we should build up to it a little bit more than we did this year. In the defense of the parents- it's been kind of a crazy two weeks.

The picture below is one of Ty enjoying his birthday pizza. We asked him if he wanted a candle on it and he told us no.

Here is one of Ty enjoying his ice cream. He was so excited to have a cone all to himself- and after watching him eat it- I'm glad it was his. The kid goobered all over it.

This was the main reason I was glad that we weren't sharing tonight. Ty doesn't really understand the concept of a lick. Instead of licking along the sides to keep it from melting all over the place- Ty just took bigger and bigger bites from the top. It resulted in a cold headache- but I think he was excited just the same.

However- Ty finally got to meet his baby brother today. No Ryan hasn't been discharged. But since he did so well last night without his oxygen (it was turned off last night at 11:00), the nurse that was on duty decided that it was okay to take Ryan out into the "Bonding Room" to meet his older brother. Ty was so cute. When Grandma Janet brought Ty into the room- he immediately ran over to Ryan and gave him a love and a kiss. He looked up at me and said, "Look Mama- it's my baby Ryan." It was really sweet. There's a few pictures here- so I'll just post them below.

Ryan is getting really close to coming home. He will have officially been off oxygen at 11:00 tomorrow night and if he passes his "car seat test" tonight- then he'll be discharged on Thursday morning. We're trying not to get our hopes up- but really- how can you not? This has been an extremely long two weeks and I really feel for the babies and parents that have been there for months. Anyway- the car seat test consists of Ryan sitting in his car seat for two hours without his oxygen levels going haywire. The problem is his neck- it's pretty chubby and sometimes he slumps down and cuts off his airway- so think thin everyone and hopefully he'll be home by the end of the week.

Is it there? Is it gone?

Okay- the answer to both questions is: No. But we're getting close. On Ryan's oxygen that is. The nurses have been able to turn his level down to a little below 20cc's per minute- which in reality is barely on. The nurse that was on duty tonight said that she was going to turn it off to see how he did. Cross your fingers and say your prayers that he does well. Other than that- Ryan is doing really well and we're hoping he is able to come home soon.

Big brother Ty is keeping busy as well these days. We signed him up for another go at swimming lessons- this one is the next level up- that means no Grandma hanging out in the pool with him. And he's done really well! His new favorite thing is to run and jump into the water. We either try to keep him in the shallow end for this or make sure that he has his little floaty-tube thing on. He's not that good of a swimmer yet! He sure has fun though- I'm not sure he'll be all that excited to go home after all of this!

Losing things left and right

I know that it seems like such a tiny little thing- but the last of the needles in Ryan was taken out yesterday. He is officially off of his antibiotics and therefore doesn't need to have a needle in his foot anymore.

Last night I was talking to the nurse about his feeding tube- I wanted to know how long it needed to be in there since it seems like food and oxegyn are his two biggest obstacles at this point. Apparently they are supposed to take the feeding tube out if the baby can go 24 hours without using it and Ryan had gone about two days. The nurse said that they were keeping it in as a safe guard- thinking that as soon as they take it out they would need it again. But this nurse said that if he went the rest of the night without using the tube- she would take it out. And this morning... NO TUBE! Yay! And he did really well today without it. He can be a little pokey sometimes- but I think that everyone has those moments when they just aren't that hungry. Right? Anyway- he's done really well and we feel like this is one more thing that we can cross off the list. I know that this picture still has the feeding tube in- but I kept forgetting to take my camera in today to take an updated picture. I'll remember tomorrow. In looking at this picture though- I hope we get a better one tomorrow. In every picture that I have posted- he just looks kind of blah. He really is a cute little kid and is so much more alert now. We'll work on that.

We also have an update on his oxygen levels. Last night they also tried to take his oxygen saturation down to 30 percent (remember he started at 100 and he has been between 35 and 40 the last two days) but he started to D-stat (which means that his lungs couldn't handle it and his O2 levels went way down). So the respiratory therapist had a different idea. Instead of putting a high flow of oxygen into Ryan, he was going to turn up the saturation back up to 100 and decrease the actual flow. So instead of it being on high- it's now down to a trickle- and it seems to be working. Ryan is on just a minimum of oxygen now and is just that much closer to being completely off. We also wanted to show you guys a picture of his new bed now that he is in a different room. There is a lot less equipment and a less intense feel to it now. It's not home or anything but I think that it has a better feel to it.

Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls and emails. We appreciate it all!!