Our Florida Trip

We had planned months ago, to go to Florida to see Stewart's parents and meet up with his brother's family. It was going to be kind of like a family reunion. We were really looking forward to the warm sun and seeing the family. Plans kind of took a bit of a detour when I fell and broke my leg. We were wondering if we should still go and how were we going to do it with me on crutches. After much thought, we asked our Nanny Sara to go with us and help out; of course she said yes! The trip was set and the packing began. We packed and packed and packed again. The packing was finally done, when all of our clothes were able to fit into one BIG suitcase. That doesn't count the booster seat, the car seat, the diaper bag and a backpack. We were going as light as possible.

Wednesday morning came VERY early as the alarm rang at 4:00am. We made it to the airport via taxi (because it had snowed) and did curbside check in. Stewart made a good call and arranged a wheelchair for me; it helped SO much. We made it through security and got breakfast to go. We figured that we would eat on the airplane. We got to board early and it worked out well. We opened our bag of breakfast and began to eat. The bagels we bought were terrible! They were so hard, none of us ate them. We sat on the airplane parked at the gate for an hour; while waited to be De iced. We were so concerned that we were going to miss our connecting flight. Finally we were off, and had a smooth flight to Vegas. Somehow we arrived early and was able to get lunch for our flight. Our plane left on time and we were on our way to Florida. We did a lot of reading, napping and eating! We arrived on time and collected our bags and headed to pick up our rental car. After a few minutes of installing the car seat and booster, we were on our way to Sarasota. We were only an hour away! Grandma Grace and Zayde met us at our condo and had our kitchen totally stocked. We were SO excited to finally see them. We had two days with just Grandma Grace and Zayde before Stewart's brother's family came. We played in the pools, went to the aquarium, walked in the sand, had great meals and visited. Friday night Stewart's brother's family arrived. (Dan's family (Stewart's brother) had never met Brooklyn and we had never met their newest little boy Jonah.) Bright and early Saturday morning, we met up. It was AWESOME! It had been about two years, since we last saw them. All the kids were so excited to see each other. From here on out, it was spent playing in the condos, going in the pools, going for walks, and playing on the beach. The weather wasn't great, but we made the most out of it. On Monday we went to Sears and had our family pictures taken. (This is when things kind of went downhill) Stewart began to not feel well during our photo session, so we kind of hurried it up. While we decided on which pictures each of us wanted to order, Brooklyn had a little accident. (I am not talking about a diaper accident.) She and Stewart were walking around in the tire department when she pulled a jug of antifreeze off the shelf. It cut her lip, her gum line and her tongue. Blood was all over her face. Good thing we already took the pictures! Some lady from security/first aid, came to assist us. By this time, Stewart just wanted to lay down. We left the mall and headed home. It wasn't long before Stewart was in bed. That night when he still had a fever, I knew he was not well. We left the kids with Nanny Sara and went to the ER. After a few hours, he tested positive for Influenza A. The next day was tough! Stewart spent the day in bed, Nanny Sara wasn't feeling good, and I had a headache. Thankfully Grandma Grace and Zayde helped with the girls. (Dan's family left early that day to fly home. We really didn't even get to say a real goodbye.) That night we packed and cleaned the condo. On Wednesday morning, we said our goodbyes to Grandma Grace and Zayde and headed to the airport. We returned the rental car and headed to the gate. We were in bad shape! Stewart was as sick as a dog, Brooklyn had a runny nose and Maya had a tummy ache. We left on time and was on our way home. We weren't even on the plane for an hour when Maya decided to throw up. Yes, she told me that she was going to, so I did have time to get a barf bag. The guy sitting next to us, was not so nice. He rang his call button and asked the flight attendant if her could change seats. He told her that the smell of the throw up was making him ill! Good thing he left, Maya and I got the whole row to ourselves! We finally made it home after a long day of travel. We all had doctor appointments the next day... I was diagnosed with bronchitis, Maya had the flu and Brooklyn had another ear infection. What a trip it was!

Brooklyn had no problem sleeping on the airplane.

Brooklyn's first time with pig tails!

The view from the back.

Thursday morning we went to the aquarium...
Of course, Stewart needed a picture of the "porkfish." Personally, I didn't see anything special about this fish. Sorry!

Grandma Grace showed Maya the hermit crab in the bottom of the tank.

Brooklyn was very interested in the jellyfish. Thanks to daddy, she got a front row seat!

Check out those dimples on Maya's face---so sweet!

"Hey come look here. There are a lot of Nemo fish! There is one, two, three, four...they are moving around too fast, I can't finish counting them."

This lobster was a big hit... he was HUGE and his colors were so cool.

Goof balls! After a few moments Maya wanted to be "something else," so they all traded places and.......

she still ended up wanting to be the turtle. Oh well.

We visited the shark and stingray tank when the trainers were feeding them.

The stingrays were so big.

Nanny Sara and Maya visited the "touch" tank where they each felt a stingray.

While we all stopped for a cup of hot cocoa, Brooklyn had her snack. A meal wouldn't be complete without yogurt!

We compared our heights to a manatee...here was Sara.

Here was little B.

And then Miss Maya.

Maya had never seen a manatee or a sea turtle before.

Brooklyn did some exploring on her own.

That was until Maya saw what she was doing and wanted to do the same thing.

We saw two dolphins in the outdoor pool.

And on our way out, we stopped off to see some owls.

On Friday, we split up. Grandma Grace gave Sara and I a tour around the area. Daddy and Zayde took the girls to the beach and hung around the condos.

Brooklyn was "feeding" the pretend flamingo outside on our patio. She LOVED this plastic bird!

Zayde and Brooklyn had a snack on the patio.

Maya took the baby doll for a walk in the sand.

On Saturday, we spent the entire morning on the beach.

Nanny Sara helped Brooklyn walk on the sand. The sand in Florida is much different then we are used to in Oregon. It was VERY firm and SO clean.

Maya found some garbage, just as Zayde told us that people don't leave garbage here on the beach. We thought it was so funny.

While Grandma Grace, Stewart, Hannah and Maya went for a walk, the other kiddos stayed behind to play in the sand.

It was especially cute seeing Brooklyn and Jonah play together.

This was Brooklyn's first time EVER playing in sand. She absolutely LOVED it!

Not sure who had more fun....Uncle Danny or the kids?

After the girls woke from their naps, we met the others at the pool.

Everyone had a great time swimming (playing) together.

Hannah and Emma were so good to Maya. They pushed and pulled her all over the pool.

Emma and Maya played so nicely together.

Maya: "I made such a funny face. Hannah said that the purple thing was a noodle. Isn't that silly?

Brooklyn was never left out of the fun. She loved spinning in the water with Nanny Sara. Big D was so funny with that noodle. He rode it like a horse. I wish I could have gotten a picture when he jumped into the pool with it. That was the best!

Good thing we were the only family in the pool. With all the rafts, boards, noodles and kids, there wasn't a ton of room left for anyone else.

The hot tub was a big hit too.

Both families brought silly bands to trade with each other. Emma and I were trying to separate all of them. We had A LOT!

After dinner, Big D told Maya he would read a book to her. She SO badly wants to learn to read.

Sunday was much like Saturday. After breakfast we went to the beach and played in the sand.

Maya liked that the sand was so soft.

Emma gave Jonah a great piggy back ride.

Big D relaxed in the sand.

Maya tried to bury herself with sand.

After we played on the beach and before we headed in for lunch, we stopped for a kodak moment.

Again, after naps we met up at the pool for some afternoon pool time.
Maya and Em got warmed up in the hot tub. Oh look, there is me in the background; too bad I wasn't able to use the pool or hot tub.

Family fun!

Daddy's favorite place!

Little B swam with daddy.

It wouldn't be right if Maya didn't get special swim time with daddy.

After dinner, while the adults played Yahtzee the kids watched a movie.

Monday morning was the big day....PICTURES! While we waited for Sears to open, the kids had a good time at the mall playground.

Jonah and B in the big blue car.

Brooklyn and Maya in the big red car.

How funny is this...Brooklyn is so little she wasn't even sitting on the seat!

Hey were missed Hannah! Where was she? Oh yeah, she walked down to Starbucks with Auntie Elisa.

Brooklyn crawled through the tunnel.

TA DA!! Here they are....

The grand kids with Grandma Grace and Zayde.

All the cousins together!

The whole gang.

On Tuesday, we just bummed around the condo. We spent most of the day on the beach and at playground.

Brooklyn's favorite was the swing. Thanks Auntie Linda for Brooklyn's ADORABLE sweatshirt; it finally fits her.

Our last visit to the beach. I only put this photo in, to show everyone that I really did make it down on the beach and that I really experienced Florida's sand!

Hopefully next time we go, it will be less eventful. We loved being with our family and we appreciated all the help from everyone who made this trip possible. Now Stewart and I need a vacation....just the two of us!

Brooklyn's First Surgery

Poor Brooklyn had been suffering from bilateral fluid build up and ear infections almost every week for about two months now. When we saw her doctor two and a half weeks ago, she suggested that we retest her hearing; I got her in right away and she failed. Her doctor then told us to see a pediatric ENT. I made the appointment (at this clinic, you see the nurse practitioner to screen for all surgeries) and of course, we were told that she needed ear tubes. She also mentioned that Brooklyn might be a good candidate for her adenoids to be taken out at the same time. I pushed the clinic really hard, to please, please, please work her in for her surgery. The girl has been on antibiotics straight for two months. We were also very concerned about her speech. She began talking at about a year and at 13 months she stopped. We were also wondering if her balance was affected. She was very tipsy and would fall while walking. Well the scheduler did a great job and yesterday morning was the big day.

We woke at 5:30 am, and gave Brooklyn a full bottle. We needed to stop all liquids by 6. We got Maya off to school and then headed to the Children's hospital. We checked in a 8:00 and not too long after, we were called back to the short stay unit. After she got her vitals sign taken, she was busy playing with toys. She did lots of exploring of the unit. We were told that surgery would start between 9-10am. Around 9:30 is when we met with the anesthesiologist, the resident and the doctor. The doctor examined her and told us that Brooklyn had fluid in one ear and an infection in the other. We were so confused! How can she have an infection when she is still on antibiotics from her last ear infection? The doctor was wondering the same thing. She told us that she just wanted to do the tubes and NOT take her adenoids. (She said that the NP gave us the incorrect information and that normally adenoids are removed around age 4-5 if they have to be removed at all). We agreed on just tubes. By this point, Brooklyn was mad. It was probably a combination of being hungry, thirsty and tired. The doctor then excused herself so that she could go change and said she would meet up with us again when surgery was over. It wasn't long before one of the nurses brought some "special juice" to Brooklyn to relax her. (It was a mixture of Versed and Tylenol). We immediately changed Brooklyn's diaper and put her into her fancy hospital gown. Brooklyn was SO funny during this time. She was trying to stick her head through the bars of the crib, running back and forth around the crib, and making strange faces and noises. Within 10 minutes, the juice had done its job; Brooklyn was calm and groggy. At 10:15am, a team and nurses and anesthesiologists came to get Brooklyn. We walked with them to the surgery doors and said our good byes. Stewart and I gave each other a hug and kiss and proceeded to walk back to our "spot." I was so thirsty, I went upstairs to get a drink. I came back down and pulled out my magazine. At 10:30, the surgeon came over and told us it was done and that it went perfectly. We were so amazed that it only took 15 minutes. We knew that it was quick, but that was REALLY quick. The doctor told us that Brooklyn had so much "icky infection and fluid in both ears that they refer to kiddos like this "glue ears." She told us that this had been going on for many months; like 4-8 months. She said that there was NO way that antibiotics would have been able to penetrate all the "icky and fluid." That is why week after week, she was on antibiotics. She said that she was able to suction out all the "icky" stuff and the tubes went in well. She said that her walking will improve and there shouldn't be a balance problem anymore. Brooklyn should start to talk a lot; we will give it 30 days and if speech therapy is necessary, we will start that. Stewart and I were relieved! Stewart then heading off to work and I waited to reconnect with B. About 30 minutes later, her nurse carried her over to me and said that she was still a bit groggy, but good. Within a few minutes, B went hysterical. She was throwing her body around and screaming. The nurse came over and said that sometimes, kids have a hard time coming off of anesthesia. I got her a bit calmed down when the nurse brought me some apple juice to give her. That was the golden ticket...Brooklyn was starving! She gulped down 22 oz of apple juice and returned to her happy self. By the time, I got her dressed, got her discharge papers and her ear drops it was about 11:45. We said our goodbyes and went home.

Here are some memorable pictures of our day:

Oh, I forgot to mention that it was snowing. It was too warm for much to accumulate, but it was pretty while it lasted.

Having her vitals taken.

Playing with the toys out in the waiting area.

Her favorite toy! Just look at the concentration on her face.

Having a little fun on the rocking chair. Not the best option, but it kept her quiet and content.

One of our favorite pictures!

It was getting hard to keep her happy. She was beginning to lose it.

Finally, I found some matchbox cars to keep her occupied for awhile. It soon became a game to see how far she could push them off her crib.

Sitting pretty in her gorgeous gown. Waiting for her "special juice" to kick in.

The "special juice" kicked in. She was feeling very groggy.

Gulping down the last of the 22oz of apple juice after surgery.

Sweet girl taking her nap at home.

Brooklyn's first night with "new ears." That night was the first night in months, that she didn't cry herself to sleep. She went down so easy! Hopefully this is the start of something new.

Her first full day after surgery went great. She is babbling A LOT and is so happy. She is walking without falling, and is dancing up a storm. We are so grateful that the surgery went well. We have a follow up hearing test in two weeks and we are hoping for perfect hearing. I will keep you posted.

The Portland Spirit: Cinnamon Bear Cruise

This last year, Stewart and I decided that Maya was old enough to enjoy the Cinnamon Bear Cruise. We figured that if she enjoyed it, that we would make it one of our family traditions to do every December.

About two weeks before our cruise, we started reading the story of the Cinnamon Bear. Neither Stewart or I had ever seen or heard the Cinnamon Bear Radio Show. We figured that this would be a great way for all of us to understand the story and know the characters.

The morning of our cruise, we dropped Brooklyn off at my parents house and headed down to the river to board. Once we boarded, Maya became EXTREMELY excited. We made our way to our private table and enjoyed a yummy buffet brunch. When the boat left the sea wall, all of a sudden the fun REALLY began....

Maya's first glimpse of Paddy O'Cinnamon Bear.

She even followed him back towards the bathroom so she could get a hug from him.

While waiting for more of the characters to come by to visit, Maya loved looking outside.

Since it was a special occasion, Maya was given hot chocolate to sip. I think she actually gulped it down!

Mommy and Maya loving on each other.

Maya couldn't take her eyes off of Queen Melissa. She was thrilled to have her picture taken with a Queen!

The most memorable picture of our cruise!

Maya held on tight to that cinnamon bear cookie. Daddy kept hinting that if she put it down that he would eat it...guess what?? She shared it with both of us.

The Crazy Quilt Dragon appeared on the top deck of the boat. It was pretty windy up there, but once we saw him, she didn't want to go back inside. Seriously, I think he was about 9 feet tall.

Daddy and Maya at the back of the boat before heading indoors.

Mr. Presto, the magician caught her attention when he pulled a real rabbit out of his hat!

Ah ha, caught Miss Maya in the act...kneeling on the window sill looking out.

Sitting in Queen Melissa's chair.

Judy and Jimmy sang a bunch of Christmas songs together.

One of Maya's favorite characters, Sweetie. Not only did she like her name, but she also liked her bright pink hair.

All the characters were outside as we left the boat. Maya could have stayed at the sea wall all day waving to all of them. She had a GREAT time and we know that The Cinnamon Bear Cruise will be added to our yearly traditions for the holidays. Next year, Brooklyn will join us.

"Oh Maya!"

This last Thursday, both Stewart and I woke up sick with the terrible "stomach bug." Luckily for us, my mom came over late morning to watch and entertain the girls. Stewart and I headed upstairs to bed where we spent almost the entire day. By the afternoon, we were no better. My mom generously offered for her and my dad to take both girls to their house so we could have a quiet night. We accepted the offer and packed the girls up. When the girls left, we went back to bed. A few hours later, we tried calling mom and dad to find out if the girls were alright. They didn't answer and we just thought they were busy putting the girls to bed. A few minutes later, my dad calls me on my cell and tells me that there has been a little incident with Maya.

Here was the phone conversation:

Me: "Oh no, what did Maya do?"

Dad: "She told us that she swallowed a dime."

Me: "What? You have got to be kidding."

Dad: "No, that is her crying in the background. We called the hospital and they told us that if she was breathing ok and had good color, that we really shouldn't need 911 and just to bring her in to get checked out."

Me: "Oh shit! Oh my g-d. "

Dad: "She has good color and she is breathing ok. She says that it is stuck in her throat and that her throat hurts."

Me: "Oh crap! I will call you right back. Call 911 if you need too. I am going to talk to Stewart. I will call you back."

I crawled downstairs trying not to vomit and told Stewart what happened. After a few "not too kind words" from him, we got dressed and drove like crazy people across town to pick her up. On the way out the door, I called dad back.

Me: "We just left. Is she in her pj's? Grab her binky and her blanket. Put her shoes on, we will be there in 15 minutes!"

Dad: "She is in her pj's and I will get her shoes on. She has her binky and blanket with her."

Of course, there was an accident on the freeway and so we had to make a little detour. We finally made it and I jumped out of the car and into the house. I grabbed Maya and ran back out to the car. As I buckled her up, I yelled back to dad "keep Brooklyn and we will get her in the morning. We will call you soon from the ER." I jumped into the backseat and sat next to Maya on the way to the hospital. The look in her eyes was scary. She was wheezing and so sleepy. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to hold my hand. Ten minutes later, we arrived. Stewart let Maya and I out at the door and he went to park. I checked her in and went to the waiting room. A couple of minutes later, Stewart arrived and the triage nurse called us in. She took her vitals and history and sent us back to the waiting room. She fell asleep in Stewart's arms. Stewart and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. The nurse called us back about 20 minutes later. Stewart carried her back and set her down on the gurney in the room. It wasn't even a minute later when Maya said, "mommy, I am going to throw up." The nurse opened the cupboard and handed me a basin. I just got it under her chin, when she threw up A LOT and I heard a "ping" sound. I looked at the nurse and said, "I think she just threw up the dime." "Really?" the nurse said. "That was quick." She took the basin out of my hand and went to the nurses station where she needed to "drain" it. A couple of minutes later, she came back in and said, "she didn't swallow a dime, she swallowed a quarter." "A quarter, WOW." The nurse told us that the doctor would be in quickly, so we could be on our way. About two minutes later, the doctor came in. He took one look at Maya and said, "wow, you are one lucky girl. How do you feel?" Maya looked at him and said, "better, can I go back to grammy and papa's now?" He giggled and smiled and said, "I want to take a quick look at you and then give you a popsicle to make sure you can swallow ok." Maya agreed and then asked for a grape one. When the doctor examined her, he noticed that she had a laceration above her tonsils that probably happened when she vomited the quarter up. The doctor looked at me and said, "did you get the quarter back?" I am sure that I made a funny face and said, "um, no. Do I want it back?" He said, "you might want it for her baby book." "If you can get it, sure?" We heard him at the nurses station, say, "does anyone have the quarter that 5 threw up?" The nurse said, "It is in the biohazard bag along with her vomit." "I am going to fish it out for her, which bin is it in?" A few minutes later, he arrived with the quarter she swallowed. "As good as new," he said. "I washed it off and sanitized it."

Well, Just as promised, we were out the door within a few minutes. Stewart walked to get the car and I carried Maya out. When we were in the car, leaving the hospital, Maya said, "can I now go back to grammy and papa's house to spend the night? I promise that I won't swallow anymore coins." Stewart and I looked at each other, smiled and together said no. We made it home and it wasn't long until we were all asleep.

Leaving the hospital. I guess we forgot to wipe the grape popsicle off her face before we left.

One VERY tired girl. It took her all she had to give us a thumbs up that she was feeling better.

"Mommy look! It is the quarter that I swallowed!"

THE clean and sanitized quarter that now lies in her memory box!

Hopefully Miss Maya has learned her lesson, that only food goes in the mouth. We are VERY lucky that she was able to throw it up and it didn't get stuck in her lungs. The doctor even told us that if it was about another inch further down, she probably would not have been able to get it back up. The chances of her then having surgery would have been extremely high. Never a dull moment around here!

Sorry this post is late. It actually happened Thursday December 9th, 2010. On the 12th, I started writing this post and the following night (Monday the 13th), I slipped off our bottom step and broke my leg. Yes, you heard me right. I broke my fibula right in half. No surgery but in a cast. It has been one tough month around here. It has taken me a LONG time to get back on to our blog, but now I am back. I have many more posts, so check back soon.

Who Knew?

The other night, Stewart called me into the other room to show me where Brooklyn had fallen asleep. He told me to bring the camera, because I would want to take a picture of this. When I walked in, this is what I saw.....

While trying to get a decent picture, we were laughing so hard. What the heck? She had seriously fallen asleep!

About an hour later, Stewart called me in again. He told me to bring the camera because I would want to take another picture. (I was a little bit worried, because how could she top where she had fallen asleep before). When I walked in, this is what I saw.....

Awe...So sweet!

Of course, when we showed Maya the pictures of Brooklyn from the night before, she wanted to sit in the chair too. When I told her that she was too big for it, she told me that it was her perfect size. I walked back into the kitchen and a few minutes later, she was awfully quiet. I went in to check on her and she was reading a book. I quietly walked out to grab the camera. When I came back in, this is what I saw.....

"See mommy, I fit perfectly! It is a perfect place to read library books!"

"Yep, I see Maya." What could I say? As long as she was happy, and wasn't bothering anyone, what could I say. She looked pretty comfortable to me!