It happened to us...could you be next?

That's an xray of one almost 3 month old, baby EZ. And that is a penny!!!

Here's the story:

On Saturday night, B-rad and I were doing dishes when we heard some giggling from the other room. We went in to "spy" on the cute happenings when we heard C start to say, EZ is spitting up. So we grabbed him and I simultaneously noticed she had her hand cupped around a fistful of coins. I calmy (and very gently, I might add) said, "chloe, this is very important, did you put some of that money in the baby's mouth". She responded by telling us that she had put the money in his mouth. I asked her again and she told me the same answer. She's a smart and very talkative girl so we trusted that she was accurately explaining what had happened.

At his point, EZ was just smiling and appeared fine.

Off to the ER. I have to add that this Saturday was the first day Brad had been home since the ill-fated surgery rotation started. Each night he comes home at 9, doesn't get to eat with us, doesn't get to see Chloe or EZ. So this was "our family night". We were supposed to be going for icecream and a movie rental but instead our car drove to the local ER.

Fortunately, we were admitted quickly because we had an infant with "a foreign body" in him.

At 8 we got the xray back and learned that he would have to have the "coin" removed (at this point there were bets going on to which coin it actually was). The ENT came and told us the situation. He could do the "removal surgery" but afterward the hospital didn't have anyone who could care for our little man. It's a pretty serious thing to give an infant anesthetic because their brain deosn't deal with it well. There was also a concern that he would cry and eventually cause the penny to move into a different position or block his airway which would be really bad. So, We would need to go to a pediatric specialty hospital. The nearest one was 45 minutes away in Peoria, Illionois.

So they rolled Ezra one way and we went the other. We sat and waited. We ate a butterfinger.

Shortly, the doc (bless his heart...he was such a sweet sweet man) came out and told us everything was fine. They removed the coin with some skinny forecep type things. He presented us with the coin. We have the penny in the keepsake cup on our counter now. Ezra will keep that souvenir forever, I'd imagine.

I went to feed him in recovery while Brad talked "doctor" with the anesthesiologist and the ENT. At this point they presented the "student" with the keepsake xrays. Not sure you're supposed to get that treatment but we did. They also told the "student" he would be permitted to ride on the lifeflight to Peoria.

So, I was driving at midnight on the dark streets of Illinois, headed to see my son in a strange place and hospital while my cute husband got to ride above in the helicopter. Brad takes care of me so this was very uncharacteristic of him that he would go and "leave" his poor wife to fend for herself and try and stay awake on the narrow roads...(I digress). It really was pretty cool they let him go and I am glad that he was with Ezra in the event that something did go wrong.

Our crappy night officially started at 2am. We had to try and get some sleep in the hospital room. Ezra was fine. He just needed to be monitored for the next 12 hours. They only had one "bed" in the room and Brad was told he's have to sit in a chair. Luckily, the ended up bringing him a rocking chair. The guy slept like a baby. At 5am, I said to myself, he's gonna be an awesome doctor because he can obviously sleep anywhere and function fine. As for me, I couldn't get comfortable and the constant beeping was like a screwdriver being jabbed under my toenails every 3 seconds. I don't do well with any noises at night!

At 11 am the next day we were discharged with a doctors note of : "no med, no procedures, no followup." We literally just slept there. On the drive home I had Brad teach me CPR and today I roleplayed with Chloe and Ezra. Do you know how to do CPR?

Ezra is doing fine. He actually slept all night last night...ALL NIGHT.

This afternoon, while Chloe was supposed to be sleeping, she called out to me that her nose was bleeding. Last week she pulled that stunt and I went in to find a smiling girl who just wanted more hugs and kisses. So today I didn't go in to the tales of a "bloody nose". I checked on her about 30 minutes later and found her covered in blood. Nice Mel. She did have a bloody nose. She was covered in blood. Her favorite toy and pillow and blanket were covered in blood. I laughed and thought to myself that these are the joys of being a parent!

Mr. EZ

February 4th. it's been fun to think of new projects I am going to make this month and projects that I want to finish this month and actually did (see February 1st).

I couldn't be prouder of these 2 "accomplishments" in our family.

Here she is in all her cuteness.

Love these two with a million hearts.
And this guy... I will post again about him on his official 3 month date, but I hope these make you smile (Emily!)

GroundHog Day

I heart breakfast food. I do. I love everything about breakfast: the morning, syrup, pancakes, french toast on texas bread or french bread, crepe with brown sugar inside, dutch babies, ebelskievers, eggs (soft, hard, yokey, 3 minutes), oatmeal and cream of wheat, the breakfast meats, coffee cake, homemade muffins, (ARE YOU HUNGREY, YET?) jam on toast, hot cocoa, oj with icecubes...and these delicious friends below. I've decided in an effort to get my 5 f and v's a day I need to have a fruit for breakfast and what better than blueberries-on everything. Blueberries on oatmeal yesterday, a handful of blueberries the day before with orange slices, and today I added them to the pancake.

Chloe got Mickey and Minnie pancakes. She's not so into the blueberries so chocolate chips will do...why not?

Try making this delicious homemade syrup (there's no going back once you try it)

2 c. water

2 c. sugar

1/2c. brown sugar

boil the above ingredients. Turn to simmer.

Add

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. maple

let simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool before you put in your pouring container.

And...ode to Ground Hog Day.

"Phil, Phil Connors. It's me Ned Ryarson."

"Whatch that first step, it's a dooooozy.

"I can't die Rita. I'm immortal."

It's February 1st.

I really like February. It has always been up there as one of my favorite months.

We have 14 days till LOVE. Then 10 more days till my birthday. Since medical school has started though February has been a gloom and doom month except for the before mentioned 2 important days. The first 2 years of school the schedule was crazy hard in February and this month, ta da, Brad has to do Surgery. We've heard nothing but Bad about the surgery rotation so we are trying not to make any plans and have no expectations.

So, while B-rad is busy cutting bodies I will be busy making things. Here is 1 and 2 of my projects. Not bad considering February just started.

I'm also going to dedicate this month to all the things I love (one thing i love for sure is my birthday)

As for Brad, he will endure this rotation and learn what he can and gain new skills and...collect 30 bags of chips and nutra grain bars.

Here's to 28 days of LOVE.

early memories

My sister did this fun childhood memory post on her blog and I am following suit. It's fun to recollect so try it if you like.

1. I loved taking lessons as a kid. I wanted to try EVERYTHING. I took dance, tumbling, iceskating, girlscouts (that counts cause it was once a week), skiing, tennis, this singing and dancing thing, painting (several times), and piano. I started piano when I was 8, a little late to become a Suzuki prodigy but I caught on and my teacher said I could "really play the notes with feeling" I wasn't and have never really been great at site reading but I can "play". I took piano till I was 17. It was the one constant lesson I had and I loved and appreciated my teacher. In addition to all the classics you play in Suzuki she valued the Hymns and so I learned and loved those songs from an early age. I cried when I quit. I quit because I was doing track and student government and volunteering and on and on and on. But I loved and still love the piano. I can't wait till the day when Brad takes me to pick out my very own piano for our house so that I can play again and the kids can play and we can just have the piano presence in our home. I love my mom's piano. it's a beautiful upright. I wish we lived closer to my mom because she would teach Chloe and Ezra. And..and...and...this is going to be a long post I can already tell.

2. As mentioned above, I was a girlscout. This was before the achievement girl days. I don't remember much about girlscouts except for selling cookies. I went door to door. I went to gymnastics camp, this theatre type camp, and horse camp. In addition to lessons, I think I was kindof unusual in that I really liked going to camp. I think I went to camp (more than one some summers) starting from age 12 on. Maybe it was the camping, maybe the freedom, maybe just singing Taps and CoomBaYa:)

3. Once my sister Emily and I were riding this little motorcycle we had and we crashed turning the corner up to the cabin. Emily burned her leg really bad and had to be taken to the ER. No one realized I had also burned my leg to the 3rd degree until after the cars left. My mom nursed me back to health and I had a scar on my lower leg for a very very long time. I used to have this raise callous thing until about a year ago when I got really frusterated at it's ugliness and I shaved it off. It actually came off which was part disturbing and part fascinating. It never grew back and the scar is pretty much gone. My sister still has her scar.

4. When we left the cabin if we cleaned really really good my mom would take us for an icecream treat at the gas station by RockPort dam. We did this until we discovered this other delicious restaurant that served icecream cones as big as your head for the same price, but like all good things, the restaurant no longer served icecream cones that big and they raised the price. But those were such fun memories (the icecream) and the cabin of course.

5. Life didn't exist out of Cresthill Circle. I had Cassie, Kristine, Erin, Patrick, Heather, Marja, the Hills, Jed, Jason, and Courtland. We rotated houses and activities from PowerPad (you know it!), making up dances and actually charging people to watch, German, Hide and seek, jumping on our tramp, and more. Wasn't it the best being a kid and hearing your parents call "come in...it's dark." And you run and ask them for 5 more minutes and they let you stay our longer than 5 more minutes. It was a very ideal place to grow up.

6. We had a weiner dog named Loka for most of my growing up. She was the cutest dog. My brother and I gave her a "voice" and would often argue through Loka. (that's really wierd, I know)

7. I used to make treasure hunts. I still like making treasure hunts.

8. I took dance and always wanted to have a "makeup" lesson. I thought the "makeup" lesson really involved getting to put on makeup and I always wondered why the same few people got invited to the makeup lessons. This was the class I also learned what "stagefright" was because we all were set to parade on stage in our carebare costume (I was wish bear) and Christie Olson threw up all over the floor. Her mom said, "sorry girls, but Christie has stage fright and won't be dancing today." I felt really bad and hoped that stagefright was something I never got.

9. My dad owned a little baseball league and we all played. When I was 5 I played on the Jays and this boy on our team hit the ball and ran to the pitchers mound instead of first base. I also was an umpire for this league when I got older and was shocked, absolutely, shocked at the behavior of the parents of 5 year olds.

10. I ran my first 5k when I was 10, I think. It was the Holladay City classic. I ran and my dad ran with me. He kept telling me to just look at the person ahead and concentrate on passing that one person and then move on to the next person and before you know it you're moved way ahead and you don't feel the pain as much. Concentrate on one thing at a time. And now when I run and I am suffering, I still remember hearing him tell me that when I was suffering so badly as a little girl running her first race trying to impress anyone who would be impressed.

2 months

Ezra's blessing day. Beautiful baby boy. Typical big sister pose. If I look tired it's cuz I am very very tired and ohhh...cute Bradley A.

2 months old. Seriously, he's two months??? We went for his check up and he's weighing in at an impressive 12. 5 lbs and 22 inches. When the doctor asked Chloe what Ezra does at home she said, "he smiles a lot." The doctor was taken a back and said, "oh, they usually say they cry." He really is happy and only cries when he is hungry. This little guy melts my heart.

We spend ALOT of time playing hide and go seek. So we have to be creative. He's hiding under the rug. The first time he did this Chloe couldn't figure out where he was. She's smarter now:)

Santa brought Chloe this kitchen. Santa cut his finger, almost off, trying to assemble it. It took Santa 4 hours to assemble. He said he'd be playing with it if Chloe didn't love it, but she does love it. She cooks in her kitchen while I cook in my kitchen.
Snow days. Illinois has had some very impressive snow accumulation. We made paths in the snow and jumped off the deck.
She melts my heart, too.
As for the new year...Bring it on. I am going to be full of "better" this year. Better mom, better cook, better cleaner, better artist and creater, better church member, better "server", better friend and daughter and wife. We should constantly be AIMING HIGHER and that's where my "betters" are going to come from...some place higher.

the best of the best.

Oh how I LOVE Christmas. We had such a wonderful time in Utah visiting family and friends. As always, I can't ever figure out why the blog does the pictures in the order it does so these are in no particular order.

Here is Chloe Christmas morning with her aunt. She was treated very good for Christmas thanks to Grandmas and Grandpas.
Opening her princess backpack which she wore around all day and during our flight home.
This is a picture of Ezra on the plane ride. He was awake for most of the ride and happy as can be. He is such a good baby and very very cute I must say.

Christmas Eve. We always go bowling with the Nelson clan. That's my cute dad holding his bag of quarters he passes out as we bowl. We do a little talent program at my parents house that night, too. That's the 3 of us singing and ringing the bells to Jingle Bells. We also performed an exceptional version of Rudolph (chloe starred as Rudolph) We do a little Nativity play and Ezra was the baby Jesus. I love that picture of his cousin Sadie holding him.
We got to see some friends while in town. Chloe experienced her first sledding and was in heaven. I'm glad because the winter and snow and mountains are all Brad and I can think about so it's good Chloe loves them too. I also met up with my dearest friend of all to have breakfast and meet her new little guy. Chloe and her Lulu (the blondes) sure gave each other a run for their money. So cute.
Each December (for a lot of Decembers) we have been going out to lunch for my sister's birthday. I love the chance to get together with my sisters, mom and sister in law. We are eating Japanese food here. Don't ask if they have eggrolls or fortune cookies. Wrong country.
6 wonderful years. He surprised me and took me to the Little America breakfast buffet. Three things I love...My Brad, breakfast food, and going out to eat. He's so cute!!!!
Every year we do the lights and I take this same picture. This is a special place.
The reason for the season.
Cousins, cousins, and cousins. Chloe is lucky to have wonderful cousins who will play with her. We got to meet Josh (the cute as a button blondey, round-faced boy down there in the car seat. He's 6 months older than Ezra), and our new cousin Carter (3 months older). It's always funny to see who Chloe will just attach herself to each year. This year it was Alex (he's in the very bottom picture hugging her and Sadie) When we got home from our trip, she and Brad were coloring and her new thing is to draw faces. Brad asked her who's face she was drawing and she said, "dad, that's Alex and those are tears because he misses me) She drew tears! We all shed some tears when we had to leave. We love visiting and are so glad our family loves us so.