Kidney Stones

I keep telling myself to breathe, but I don't think it's helping. It has been a long and busy month. With taking care of both kids, taking care of a sick hubbie and kids, Brad leaving for the weekend, and people coming to visit us - and add on the day to day grind of cleaning, cooking, changing diapers, feeding, etc. it's a little hard to breathe right now.

Now add into the mix - kidney stones. Brad went to the doctor (our family doctor) right before he left - so almost 3 weeks ago now. He had an xray done and was diagnosed with having a kidney stone. We've been waiting for it to pass, and nothing. He had a CT scan done last Monday to verify that he had a stone, where it was, and how big it was. They saw the kidney stone - it being 3mm and it was found high in his ureter. Then he had an appointment with a urologist today. He was only in pain when he went to see the doctor, but the pain started again - so it was a good thing he kept his appointment today. The doctor (the urologist) told him the CT scans were a week old (LONG story about that) and that he needed to know where the stone was today - so he had to have another xray. After all of this pain, the stone has not moved.

So this week Brad will go in to have the lithotripsy done. Not sure if he is going to be in a lot of pain or not. The nurse at the urologist's office said that he's going to feel like he's been beaten up, but should be back to normal in a few days. Kind of wishing we were living closer to family right about now. His mom said that if I needed her to come out, she would. But I would feel bad if I asked her to come out and Brad was just fine - especially since they were just here this last weekend. But then again, knowing my luck - Brad will be in a lot of pain and my MIL won't be here to help. Still unsure of what I should do, but maybe something will come to me tonight. I can't wait for this month to be over with. I'm tired, just down right tired.

Pictures

My other post was too long, so I thought I'd do a separate one just for pictures - so here they are. I forgot to post any when Ashlee was here, when we went to the pumpkin patch (reading Melissa's blog reminded me), there are some misc. pictures, and ones of when Brad's parents were here. So enjoy.

Here is Josh riding in the cow on the tractor ride.

My son, fearless!
Maddie - having a good time as always.

New haircut, cute ponytail.

Our new couch. Ahh, leather.

Josh cozying up to Grandpa already!

I love this picture! Too cute.

Maddie and Grandma

Josh and Grandpa (best buds)

Lots of Stuff

Well a lot of stuff has happened in the last week. I hardly remember where I left off on my last post. So, I'll start with this...I had my candle party on Wednesday, and let's just say it didn't go too well. I feel bad for Anita (the candle lady) because she goes through all the trouble of setting up a date and time, showing up for the party and then hardly anyone comes. I invited 16 people and only 4 showed up. So I've decided that I'm not going to go through all of that work and just buy my candles when I want to buy them. No more parties. I say that every year, but then people start asking me when I'm having a party again - and this is the way it always goes. But thank you to the people that did make it, I appreciate it. But, no more parties.

In other news, Brad's parents were here this weekend. It was so nice to have family around, and to actually be around people that care about you and your kids! We had a great, fun-filled weekend, and I'm already wishing that they could come back. So it was a very nice weekend. They ended up getting here earlier on Friday than we had originally thought - but it was nice to visit with them a little before Brad got home from work.

On Saturday we went to the Dinosaur Park and Josh loved it even more this time than last. He kept saying, "look at THIS one, look at THAT one." I was a little nervous when we first got there because they had everything done up for Halloween, so I thought Josh might have gotten a little scared, but no. They had cobwebs, pumpkins, plastic bones, and body parts everywhere - so you could see how I was nervous. I mean, he is getting older, and starting to ask about more stuff. A couple of the dinosaurs had body parts in their mouths and Josh kept asking "what's this?" Of course, Grandpa answered by saying that it was chicken. And I guess that was enough for Josh, he just changed the subject and we moved on.

Sunday was spent hanging around the house and Brad's dad had a recipe for ribs - so we made that for our big dinner. It was delish!!! Then Deb and I headed off to the fabric store to look around. She saw some big sale ads, so off we went. I found some fabric for Brad that I'm going to use to make a blanket for him. This will be my big sewing adventure, so I'm a little nervous that it won't turn out - but I'm going to try. Deb walked me through how to do everything on the sly because I'm making this for him for Christmas. So hopefully he has no idea! Deb also got the sewing machine back on track and everything in tip top shape - so it will be good and ready for my sewing guinea pig. So to all of you out there that know how to sew, wish me luck!

Update

Well there is absolutely nothing wrong with me, except that I have a thyroid nodule. I called to double check on my lab work and my thyroid levels were completely normal, not too much or too little. So there is no explanation for my moodiness - Brad said it's just the "new" me. I probably just need more me time and a little bit less mommy time. So it's really good news!! I'm happy. I don't really like being on medication to begin with, so less of it is fine with me.

So thank you everyone for your support. I always worry for nothing, but I'm glad that my doctor followed up with it. Better to be safe than sorry. I always seem to make things bigger than they are - ugh, I sound like my mother. Ha! So thank you Melissa, Jen, and Heidi - I appreciate everything. No worries on our front for me (we're still waiting on Brad's CT results for his kidney stone). Hopefully everything is good with us. Sorry, I'm trying not to worry. My mom keeps telling me that I've been a worrier my whole life.

Doctor's Appointment

I had a doctor's appointment today. It was just my yearly exam, nothing too exciting. I've been having a few (female) problems, so this was the perfect opportunity to talk about those things. Not to get into too much detail - the doctor asked me some questions about female issues (that's putting it nicely) and one thing lead to another and he talked with me about my thyroid and the possibility of it being low (hypothyroidism). (If you want the full story, I will gladly tell you - but for virgin ears, I won't write anything here, and plus it's a lot easier to say than to type it all out). So anyways...we talked about my thyroid. Back when I was in nursing school, I had a check-up and the nurse practitioner found a few thyroid nodules. And I can't remember now, but I must have had blood work done then, and a follow-up with an ultrasound came shortly after. They didn't find anything on the ultrasound and I wasn't put on any medication due to hyper- or hypothyroidism. So evidently it must not have been a big deal or anything.

Well long story short, I have another nodule. It's not a huge nodule, as I had no idea that it was even there, but it's there - the doctor could definitely feel one. They took some blood to run a few tests, and I guess we'll wait until then to see if there is anything to this stinkin' nodule thing. I'm just a little concerned that I DO have another nodule. But also a little relieved because if my thyroid isn't functioning correctly - that would explain how I've been acting the last few months. I've been having troubles sleeping (which isn't a new), troubles concentrating and lately it seems like I'm just not enjoying life altogether. It would definitely explain a lot. And if nothing is wrong - I don't have hypothyroidism, then I guess I will just chalk all of this up to mommy brain.

But I've been down in the dumps, I always seem tired, my periods seem like they keep getting worse, and my skin is really dry (I can't keep enough lotion on it). But then again - the down in the dumps, tiredness, and periods could all just be from having 2 young kids and having a baby 10 months ago. Dry skin could be that we don't have a water softener. So who knows? I just need to wait for the results and go from there. And it's not a huge deal if my thyroid isn't functioning correctly - it's an easy fix. I'm just a little worried about the nodule. But most nodules are noncancerous and are pretty common, so I will just wait to worry.

Busy Week Ahead

This week, I guess like any other this month, is going to be a really busy week. Today was our only chance to go to Costco - so it was the big Costco day. I also made a dinner for another mom in the MOMS club. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment after I take Josh to school. Brad might be working an all-nighter, so we're going to drive to Anita's to pick up a candle. I'm having a candle party on Wednesday night, so Wednesday (and probably part of tomorrow) will be spent picking up the house, running last minute trips to the grocery store for food, and making food for the party. Thursday will be spent picking up the house from my candle party and cleaning up the basement for when Brad's parents get here. Friday will be a little more cleaning and waiting for Brad's parents. Then, we'll have another busy weekend going and doing fun stuff and probably carving pumpkins. And then, Monday we'll have a chance to relax and take a break. Luckily, we don't have anything going on next week - so that should be nice. Oh, I'm trying to prepare myself and catch my breath, but I know I'll be out of gas by the end of this week. I need another spa day! Ha!!

Weekend Adventures

So one of my good friends from elementary school, Ashlee, came down from Seattle for a visit this weekend and it was sheer fun! I haven't had fun like that in a really long time, so I was due. I picked her up at the airport late Thursday night - so she didn't get to see the kids and I had been trying to tell Josh that Ashlee was coming to visit. Well he must have thought that I meant she was coming to visit just him, because Ash-wee (as he calls her) became his new best buddy! It was Ash-wee this, Ash-wee that. He had to hold Ash-wees hand, and wanted her to sit next to him. It was pretty stinkin' cute!

Friday during the day was spent at the pumpkin patch, where we got the biggest pumpkins we could carry (with two kids in tow, mind you). Josh had a blast playing in the bounce house, looking at all of the animals (pigs, cows, goats, chickens), and going to get a punkin (according to Josh). And even though he had an accident in the pumpkin patch, as we are just getting off of the tractor (long story) - we still had a lot of fun. Then that night, it was just a girls night out. We went to Tepanyaki's - which is a sushi bar, and I had never been to one before - so this was really a treat! It was a lot of fun and we actually tried sake! It was ok, but I've wanted to try that forever and now I can finally say that I have. I definitely want to go back!!

Saturday we went over to Park City to shop, and boy did we shop! It was so much fun to get out of the house and have it just be us girls (we took Madison with us, so she got the full shopping experience - and I think she liked it). We went into Park City to shop around, ate lunch, and then headed over to the outlet mall to do some more shopping. We got stuck in OshKosh (of course), Guess, and J Crew for a while. Then Maddie started to get a little fussy (which was the first time of the day), so we decided we should probably head back. We got home around 5 and Josh and Brad had dinner ready and waiting for us.

Ashlee left today, and everyone was sad to see her go. Josh started crying when she got out of the car at the airport, so I know he'll be talking about this for quite some time. So hopefully in the near future she will get to come back and we'll have even more fun! I had completely forgotten what is was like to spend time with a friend and be somewhat "normal" and not constantly a mommy! Ah, good times.

Thank Yous

It was a tough week last week and this weekend, but we got through it and there are a few people to thank for it. As most of you know Josh has been sick and is still feeling under the weather, but luckily Madison nor I got sick (thanks for the prayers). Madison has been a little crabby, but that could be attributed to anything really - teething, just being tired, or she might have had a slight case of what Josh had, but nothing major. So I need to first thank everyone who called and/or emailed to check in on us and see how we were doing.

Second, thank you Julia for bringing us cake and me dinner on Sunday night. That was the day it had snowed and I didn't think we should drive any where just to get out of the house. So thank you Julia - I really appreciate what you did for us. She also was kind enough to bring some lollipops for Josh and some apple juice, which were a complete lifesaver! She also came over to chat for a little while (sorry I talked your ear off Julia!), which I needed because after not talking to adults for two days face to face - it was a needed change.

Thank you very much to Brock and Arin (I don't think they read this blog, but they need to be mentioned). We bought a new couch yesterday (a sectional) and the company wasn't going to be able to deliver it until Saturday, and then we called customer service and they said they could get it here by Thursday. But even then, Thursday - almost an entire week without a couch. So Brad called up Brock, who has a truck and a trailer and they met up in Salt Lake (which he lives down in Lehi) and Brock and Arin (his wife) drove all the way up here and helped us unload the trailer, put together the couch, and then drove all the way home. And they have a newborn - one week old newborn to be exact! Plus, Brock just got a cast off of his arm due to a broken wrist. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Also a quick mention to my mom and Deb (MIL) who called me on Saturday and Sunday to make sure that I was doing ok. Thanks again to everyone who called or emailed, or left comments on this blog. I appreciate everyone for their thoughts and words of comfort. And thanks to those of you out there that were thinking of us.

Since we don't have any family in the area, we have to rely on a lot of great friends and I feel very blessed to know these people. So THANK YOU!!!

Snow Day

Well, it snowed today. The news had been saying all day yesterday that it was going to snow, and I guess honestly I didn't believe them. It just rained yesterday, and it wasn't snowing when I went to bed. But when I woke up this morning, I looked outside hoping that it had snowed and it did. I do love the snow and I love seeing Josh play in the snow, but again, this just wasn't the perfect weekend to have it happen.

1. We weren't prepared for the snow. I don't have anything for Josh to wear. We never did buy him any snow pants last year, I can't find any of his stocking caps, and he doesn't have any warm boots to wear. Plus Maddie doesn't have anything to keep her (as Heidi said) cozy! And who isn't prepared for snow before Halloween? Of all things, I guess I'm just not a prepared person (SARcastic!).

2. Josh is still sick, so even though I really want to take him outside - it's probably not the best idea. Which I know there will a lot more opportunities for him to be outside when it's snowing, so I'm not too bummed.

3. I'm worried that Brad's flight might get delayed and if it's not - I worry about him making the drive from Salt Lake to our house. It's not too long of a drive, but it can be when it's been snowing and the roads are icy. Plus, it will be dark out.

4. We haven't taken the wheels and tires that we have on the Tahoe off. The ones that we have on there right now, aren't really made for snow. Which Brad was going to take care of that last weekend, but if anyone reads this you'll know that he was sick. So I kind of feel like I'm stuck at home, which really isn't true - but it still feels that way. I mean, if we really needed to go somewhere we could, but not just to get out of the house. Boo.

5. Our dog doesn't have a dog house yet. Poor doggie. I opened the door to the garage, but he refuses to go in there. So he's braving it out in the cold. Poor guy! Brad was also going to do that last weekend - but here we are. And these are in no particular order.

So yes, I do love the snow, just not right now. I think I'm still a little snowed out after last year. We got so much snow - it's the most snow I've ever seen. Brad was shoveling the driveway a few times a day at one point. Plus, having that much snow right after having a baby is not a good combination. It's pretty weird to see our Halloween decorations outside with the snow.

Well here are some pictures of the snow in our yard.

No Furniture

So we had our futon and couch for sale, and what happens to things that are for sale? Well - they sold. We sold the futon on Friday night and the couch sold yesterday afternoon. It's awesome that we sold that stuff because we have been wanting to buy a new couch, but needed to get rid of those items first. But it really sucks because Brad has been gone this weekend. No really, it sucks! Big time!! Of all weekends to have things happen, it seems like everything is happening THIS weekend.

Josh is still sick, and keeps complaining that his tummy hurts. He still says his leg hurts and wants me to carry him every where. Which, isn't a big deal when you have just one kid or both parents home. It's been a little challenging taking care of both kids when one of them is sick. But I should just say now, I am thankful that both of them are not sick!

Josh being sick on the futon. Poor guy completely passed out.

So with Josh being sick and wanting to rest and lay around, it's really inconvenient not to have any furniture and not to be able to go look at furniture. So it's a pretty sad state at our house. We have no where to sit. So, I brought out Maddie's rocking chair and ottoman and brought in a camping chair from the garage (which is what I've been sitting in). I know I'm going to laugh about this some day, but not right now. Not when we don't have a couch. I can't wait until Brad gets home. When the people came to pick up the couch, Josh was really sad and kept repeating - "My couch, my couch".

This was just too cute not to post. Julia let us borrow this adorable outfit! I love it!! Thanks.

In honor of daddy being at the Seahawks game today. Go Hawks!!

Madison Says Mama and Claps

Brad's 30th

Well yesterday was Brad's 30th birthday. It was really, REALLY uneventful for him. I had been so preoccupied with cleaning and washing everything, that I completely forgot to wish him a happy birthday until after he had gotten home. We weren't even able to get him a card, a card! I had planned on doing that when Josh was at school, but since he didn't go to school and I couldn't leave the house - it just didn't happen. I love birthdays. I love my birthday, I love going to birthday parties - so I've been really down on myself that I didn't do anything but say Happy Birthday. Brad is not too big on birthdays, so it wasn't a big deal to him - but I still feel bad. Poor Brad. Happy Birthday honey!

I'm so sad that he wasn't able to have a better birthday. I had thought about planning a surprise party for him, but I'm really glad that I didn't. Especially the way things stand right now. Josh is still sick and is now saying that his leg hurts (oh please no - I don't think I can handle another fracture and him in his boot again). It feels like everything comes in 3s, so I just pray that this is the end of everything. So it's off to wash more laundry and disinfect everything else.

The Bug Strikes Again - And Wins

Well I'm still taking care of a sick family member, but alas it's not Brad. Now Josh is sick. I feel bad for the guy, he's never really thrown up before. I mean, he's thrown up - but not like this. He spit up a little as a baby, and then maybe once or twice of real throwing up. Poor guy doesn't know what to do with himself. We've been up since about three this morning, so needless to say I'm a little tired. We changed his sheets the first time, thinking that it might be a one time thing. But no. We were wrong. Changed his jammies and bedding again, but decided we should bring him in bed with us. By this time it was 5 or so, so Brad just decided to get up for the day. Josh slept on and off with me, only getting up to throw up.

So he hasn't slept, I haven't slept, Brad hasn't slept. The only one that has slept is Maddie, and she only woke up once early this morning when we started the washer. She only needed the bink and then it was back to sleep. She didn't even wake up for the day until after 8, which is really unusual for her. Which I hope is not a sign of things to come.

My morning has been spent washing bedding (our and Josh's), washing dirty jammies, disinfecting anything I can think of, cleaning toys, and airing out rooms. I just pray that Maddie and I don't get sick. That would really not be good! Hopefully we're out of the woods, but you never know. So please send prayers (I'm not kidding) our way that we don't get this bug.

Carpet Shampooer

Well we finally gave in and bought a carpet shampooer! I didn't really want to spend the money to get one, but it's cheaper than replacing our carpet - so we finally have one of our own. Brad put it together last night, not too hard to do so. But the thing came with many, many steps on how to operate it. So I've been reading about it all day today. And it's a sad thing, but I can't wait to use it! It even has some attachments on it, so I could possibly clean the couch, futon, and maybe our kitchen chairs. Yay, more work for me - but I guess I want to do it.

Our carpets need a really good cleaning, and we had been borrowing Brad's parents' shampooer (I just like saying shamPOOer) - but since they haven't been down here this year, we haven't been able to that. Our carpets are getting really dirty from all of the sippy cup messes, Josh having (well, me too to be honest) his shoes all over the place, food, etc. So they need a deep clean. I don't want to have to replace this carpet, so we're going to try to keep it nice and keep it clean. Easier said than done with 2 young kids, but we're going to try.

And I will not bore you with a picture of the one we got. I'm resisting taking a picture of my new baby. How sad is that?

Tidbits of Our Fam

Well there has been a little bit of stuff going on at our house, I just either had the time to post, or haven't felt motivated to do so. So here is a quick little update for everyone.

• Madison had her 9 month appointment on Tuesday. It went well, I hardly had any questions. She is still really small (well, not underweight, just small) - she weighed in at 16 lbs, 6 oz and was at the 10% for her weight. And I can't remember the exact number for her height - but they said she was in the 55th percentile for her height. Which is good, she jumped from the 10% to the 55% in 3 months. So good progress there. The doctor said that he's not worried about her weight, and really I'm not either - because I know she's a good eater. She constantly eating, so no worries here. She did get her flu shot and had to have her finger pricked for the hemoglobin test - well actually her toe. And we found out that she hates band-aids. Every time she looked at any of her band-aids, she started to cry right away - it must have been little reminder that she had gotten a shot. Oh, it was so sad. So she took those off herself immediately, and the one on her toe was holding pressure. So we made a huge mess in the doctor's office - blood was all over me and the floor, and her and my hands. Oh, what a day! She is a little anemic, so we have to do this iron drops. But the doctor said that we'll just recheck everything at her one year.
• Let's see - since Brad passed his test they have had him being the foreman for a crew all last week. Which is really stressful, because if anything happens, it is his fault. So he had been pretty stressed, which made for a long week.
• I was able to get away from the family, which I really needed a break. I went to a Pampered Chef party on Friday night, and it was really fun! I didn't stay too long, but it was just enough to recharge my batteries a little bit. (And little did I know, I was going to need every ounce of strength and patience that I had.)
• Brad got really sick on Friday night and into Saturday. He was throwing up and everything else, so he was stuck in bed ALL day. Which I did feel bad for him, because being sick like that is no fun. But on the other hand, if it had been me being sick - I would have had to do almost everything that I normally do anyways. Moms don't really get a break, or get to be sick. We just have to keep going. So, to put it nicely, I was a little mad. I didn't want the kids getting sick or me sick - especially since Brad will be out of town this coming weekend. So if we all get sick, I pretty much out of luck to have anyone help me. Plus, I was supposed to get my hair done. And normally it wouldn't be a big deal to reschedule - but we are busy every weekend this month, and a couple into November. I was really looking forward to getting it done, for some time just to myself - and a woman getting her hair done is a big thing. Oh well, maybe I'm just being too selfish.
• Plus on Saturday, I was making another meal for a mom in our mom's club - and I think sometimes I just spread myself too thin. But I didn't know, and couldn't plan, that Brad was going to get sick - we think it's something that he ate, by the way.
• I also had to run to the store with both kids in the pouring rain. And Josh was terrible in the store. He hadn't been listening all morning, and when we went by the balloons, he completely freaked out because he wanted one. And I stuck my ground and I wasn't going to give in and get one for him, because he didn't deserve one. I don't want to teach my kids that if they throw a fit, I'll give in and say here, just have it. So we're in the check out aisle, and he is still throwing an all out tantrum. I'm doing my best not to pay him any attention. But I'm talking kicking, screaming, hitting me, throwing himself on the floor - tantrum! Ugh. It was all I could do to muster up a smile for the cashier and say thank you. When we got home, he was in a timeout for quite some time!
• Sunday we didn't do much, but Brad was feeling a lot better - so it was just a family day staying at home.

Hopefully this week won't be so fun filled (ha, ha - sarcastic tone). It's Brad's birthday on Wednesday, so we have that. But we're really not busy besides that. So maybe this week will be a little more calm. Let's hope so, because I just can't handle any thing else.

Sticky Note Craziness

This is really crazy! It's cool, but also kind of scary at the same time.


EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.