One Week!

This is my hand over Aaron calming him down. Usually when I come in and talk to him he will wake up and "help" with his lines. I let him move and stretch for a few minutes and then do my best to calm him down so he doesn't have to have more medication to be sedated. The less sedation the better. Other than when he is weighed, this is as much as we get to touch him at one time.

See below: Aaron is "helping" with his breathing tube. Not really helping though, that tube is rather important and needs to stay there buddy! Notice the size of that diaper, the size of the smallest diaper is about half a graham cracker and it was big on him. This one is about half the size of a newborn diaper you can get at the store. They had to put him in this bigger diaper because he pees like crazy. We noticed when we changed his diaper the nurses had even stuffed gauze down the front hoping that would help with the tidal wave that seems to come. When they weighed this diaper it came in at 17 grams. When your entire weight is barely over 400 grams you can see that this is a significant amount he's peeing off! He's also pooping, which tells us his digestive system and bowel system are up and running! I know its crazy to hear me get so excited about my boy's diapers but that's what you get today. :)

Above: The tube taped to his hand is his pic-line, this line is used to give him his medications. He also has a peripheral line in his leg where they will draw and administer transfusions. Usually they would put a double pic-line in but Aaron is too small for that so this is what they had to do. They put these new lines in and took out his umbilical lines as those lines are prone to more infections. An infection now would be devastating so we are all for less germs!

One week ago today! That's right 1 week, Wonder Boy continues his fight and we are cheering him on! (This is one of my favorite pictures of him right after he was born, check out that hat, I need to track it down up there, it has to be so small!)

So the big news from yesterday..... did you notice the large respirator taped to his nose in this last picture???? Now go back and look at the upper pictures. That's right no respirator!!! Yesterday at 2:00 Aaron was extubated from his respirator and oxygen lines were put in. Aaron is breathing 100% on his own! The machine he is on now is called a high flow machine and will monitor his breathing pattern and give him a dose of oxygen anytime it registers that his breathe wasn't big enough, just fills in the gaps so to speak. It does not move his chest up and down or inflate his lungs, its just a support. We had not expected this to happen for a few more weeks so we are somewhat in shock as to how well he is doing. They do have the respirator right next to his isolette just in case they need it again. Hopefully not!

On Saturday the doctors also decided it was time for Aaron to start "eating" and started him on 1 ml of breast milk every 6 hours through his feeding tube. His stomach is checked before each feeding to make sure the last had been digested. So far he eats like a champ and everything is going through which leads to those poopy diapers I was talking about earlier. Last night we were there when he was fed and his little eyebrows raised up as if stay say, yum! He also calmed right down after it went through and went to sleep. He is doing so well with this that they are going to double his intake today. 1 ml every 3 hours. Aaron also grew 1 centimeter this last week coming in today at 25 cm long. I know 1 cm sounds so little but we cheer for each 1 we get. He is scheduled for his next nuero ultrasound Monday morning. They are mainly checking for bleeds in his brain. If all comes back normal he won't have another one for a month. We should get the preliminary results sometime tonight and the final ones in a day or two.

We are able to visit and call his nurse at any time day or night. We try to call every morning for an update, just after his "cares" at 3, and before we go to bed at night. At least one of us also visits him each day. He has his own nurse assigned to him so someone is there with him at all hours of the day. We wish one of us could be there with him day and night but that just isn't reality, for now this is enough.

Keeping Busy

The crazy thing about this tower is that only half our blocks were used in its construction! These are the blocks that Dad and Papa made for Christmas one year. They seem to still be getting plenty of use!

Forts and block towers seem to be the Sunday activities for our big kids. Mom and Dad even consented to a camp-out in the fort. The upstairs sure was quiet last night when they were down in the basement! I'm sure they didn't fall asleep until the wee hours but the fact that they are off track right now allowed that to happen. Hopefully a few naps will be in store for this afternoon.

Sat. May 21st Update

Ronny and I headed up to the "Hill" to visit Aaron tonight. We arrived just before "cares" so we were able to chat with the nurse practitioner and meet tonight's nurse. The nurse had a nursing student there training and told us that Aaron is such a unique case they feel like he is a good baby to train new recruits on. Really they just go over all his stats and monitors and explain all the lines he has in. It was actually interesting to listen to her train as we felt like we were learning and "training" too.

We were a little late then getting started and then after we changed his diaper and took his temperature the all too familiar knock at the window came. This means a new arrival is about to come in and everyone gets kicked out in preparation to stabilize the new infant.

Here's the good stuff though.... While I was sitting there waiting to change his diaper I noticed that two of Aaron's umbilical lines were gone and two pic-lines were now there. One in his leg and one in his arm. I also noticed that his feeding tube that usually just lies next to his head to allow air out of his stomach was hanging on the side of the isolette with milk in it! I leaned over and asked if they had started to feed him and they said they had just started that afternoon. So we were told yesterday the pic-lines wouldn't go in until Sunday and that they for sure wouldn't start feeding him until next week! Apparently he's doing well enough to move forward on both. Here's the really crazy news though... the neonatologist on today is considering taking Aaron off his respirator as early as tomorrow morning. We were stunned and asked if he was really ready. I think there is going to be a bit more discussion on that decision, at least we hope so. Part of me is saying "whoa, too much too fast, slow down" and the other part of me is cheering his progress on. This roller coaster seems to be picking up a lot of speed lately!!!

Aaron Update Thurs, May 19th

Ups and downs today.

Ups: Aaron is off all his blood pressure medication. He gained 20 grams in one day. He had his first poopy diaper (Ronny was there for that one!). He is taking more glucose which means he is using it to grow and they need to keep up on it. The swelling in his upper body seemed to go down today.

Downs: The NNP approached Ronny today with our first setback. I haven't had a chance to really go through it yet with him as he had to rush off today so he'll feel me in more tonight. Aaron seems to be having a hard time making new blood. His bone marrow seems to be falling short in replacing the blood that is taken for lab work each day. They mentioned it to me in passing yesterday but didn't seem to be concerned but if they approached Ronny today to discuss it, it seems to be more so today. He is getting blood transfusions for the time being to replace the blood but his body needs to pick up and make it on its own here at some point.

I'll go in tonight and see what else I can find out but that is the news for now.

Aaron pics

Some of you have been asking for a picture to give you an idea of how really small Aaron is. So here you go. This is the picture of the half second pause right after he was delivered and right before he was handed through the window to the NICU.

Here he is from today. Aaron's skin had a bit more thickness to it. I wasn't able to see straight into his abdomen like I could on previous days.

The light shining on Aaron is very bright and keeping him warm. The NICU isn't kept as dark as this pic makes it seem.

Aaron is doing well.

I know everyone is wanting to hear about Aaron (me included!). I was able to see him for about 1/2 hour yesterday when my Mom came. I still have to have someone to take me over in a wheelchair so I'm at the mercy of the staff or someone who can visit who is able to take me in. Ronny has been able to go over more and even change his diaper yesterday and has talked with the nurses more so I'll let him send his own updates when he gets a chance. I talked to his nurse then and she said he is doing really well. He had an EKG on his heart that showed a small amount of fluid just behind his heart. They were surprised at how little fluid there was and that so far they are not concerned about what he does have. They also did an ultrasound on his brain to check for fluid and other problems but everything looked normal. He does have something called PDA that most premies have and some newborns have but at this point they are not too concerned about it and if it becomes an issue later they will address it then. He does have a small whole in his heart but again they are not yet concerned and will watch it. Because of his size they only like to touch him every 6 hours to do their tests and change his diapers and linens. If we call ahead we can find out when that is scheduled and they allow us to help with that. I called his nurse last night to check on him. He had been fidgety she said so she gave him something to calm him but it dropped his blood pressure so they had to up his dopamine a little but that he was stable once again. The nurse told Ronny that this is going to be a critical week for Aaron. How he does this week should give us an idea of how things will play out. He has made it through his first day and we are absolutely thrilled. Aaron is not the smallest baby they have had but they said he is close to it so we know we have lots of hurdles to overcome here. He is a fighter, given that said we know that his life still remains in the Lord's hands and we are cautiously optimistic about the road ahead for him and our family.

Ronny and I tried to prepare for all of this as best we could but now we are seeing that in that prep work we are still so far behind. The staff here have been great and are really helping but things like realizing that I would need to be pumping here and what things I would need just didn't make the list in packing for the hospital last week so now we are doing our best to play catch up. I think part of it also was somewhat not knowing the outcome of Aaron's arrival and not wanting to over prepare for things that would be hard. Does that make any sense?

Its early Wed. morning and I am up feeling as if a freight train hit me in the gut. I don't know if its because I was still on all the pre-eclampsia meds or still hyped up on adrenaline with all that has happened but now I am feeling this c-section for the first time. Ahhhh! This is my first and my last but any advice from all you seasoned pros out there who could give me some hints and suggestions on how to get through this easier and better I would greatly appreciate it. I had cut my meds in half yesterday because I felt good and am now feeling the foolishness in that decision and asked for the full dose again. I wasn't allowed to walk yesterday but today it looks like I have work to do there and hopefully it means I can get over to the NICU more today. I'm on a floor where there are no babies so the nurses are a bit more hands off. I had my nurse come in last night and told her I feel like I don't know what I'm doing and had her write down for me what I should be doing and what I should expect to feel. That is on a white board in front of me now so that is helpful. With Aaron not here with me I feel like I need to be in the NICU more but I am also trying to figure out my bowel system once again so I can't go over unless I have that under control and again unless I have a nurse who can take me. I'm torn with wanting to be there, being miserable here, and worrying about my big kids and husband at home. its just so much to take in. I can feel my meds kicking in so I will sign off. Thank you all for your wonderful support and your prayers and continued prayers in Aaron's behalf. They have made all the difference.

All my love

baby Aaron pic

Aaron Thomas Bjarnason

Aaron Thomas Bjarnason was born Monday May 16th, 2011 at 3:02 p.m. He weighs approximately 14 oz and has blond peach fuzz hair. After two unsuccessful attempts at a vaginal delivery Aaron was having none of it, he flipped himself around into a breach position as if to demand a c-section. Once this happened things moved pretty fast.

Once Aaron was out he was immediately handed through a window into the NICU where they were unsuccessful in their first two attempts to intubate him. They had given up and were about to bring him back to us when he started to breathe on his own. They then tried again and were successful getting a tube down. They then moved him over for an x-ray to make sure the tube was in its proper position and little Aaron knocked out the tube completely. He then started to cry and they noticed he had normal O2 levels on his own. They waited to let his lungs get a good workout and then reinserted the tube. He has been on very low oxygen levels ever since and has been moved off of one ventilator to another that allows his lungs to do most of the work. He was causing so much fuss and trying to pull his tube out that they finally had to sedate him.

I was able to see him for only a minute before they transferred me to recovery but Ronny has been able to touch him and gave him a name and a blessing there in the NICU. He again went into see him late last night. The neonatologist has evaluated Aaron at being only 28 weeks gestational age. This is a wonder as he should be 31 weeeks. Nothing about this little boy is "normal" it seems and he has everyone guessing. I had some problems getting my blood pressure to stabilize (really high then really low) and so I have not been allowed to even sit up on my own yet. This morning the nurses are going to try to get me in a wheelchair so that I can go and see my little one.

We are overcome with emotions of gratitude for our Heavenly Father who has blessed us with this beautiful child. The miracles we have witnessed have been endless and we continue to hope and pray for more each day.

Delivery is Imminent

So our hopeful quick trip up to University Hospital for monitoring turned out to not be such a quick trip after all. My blood pressure looked good but several labs were ordered to make sure all was still well. Unfortunately this time around we were not so lucky. Blood and urine results came back positive for pre-eclampsia. The results in a normal woman 31 weeks pregnant with a larger baby with the same results would be in the mild to moderate range. Unfortunately with all my other issues going on (low fluid, abnormally small baby, placental insufficiency, mirror syndrome, etc....) I was immediately moved into the severe category.

This new diagnosis then brought in a move to labor and delivery, an IV and pump, a team of doctors and nurses, a quick ultrasound, and the Delivery Plan. Because I'm severe its no longer safe for me to continue growing Aaron much longer. Things have now been set in motion to deliver in 48 hours. In the ultrasound Aaron came in at 417 grams, our first weight milestone. I was then given steroids to help his little lungs and then put on magnesium sulfate to keep my blood pressure in order. I signed a consent to do a c-section and for the NICU to take our little one. At this time Aaron is looking good and his heart is going strong. As long as his heart stays good and my vitals and labs continue to be stable we may have a vaginal delivery and avoid the c-section. If all goes well Aaron will be delivered sometime on Monday and hopefully not sooner.

We met with the NICU doctors a little while ago and they walked us through what will most likely happen in the first few days. I think they expected us to be more overwhelmed. We smiled, asked a few questions here and there, told them as soon as it was possible Ronny would like to give him a blessing, and told them we were ready for a good long fight but that we would take things as they come one thing at a time.

Forward we go!

Bedrest What's that?

Since leaving the hospital last Monday things have not exactly been restful and relaxing. (Not too surprising at my house).

Tuesday started well enough with a decent doctor's apt. Later on we realized that Ronny's Mom was missing out an another family event so we spent a few hours searching for flights to allow her to get there. Sam mentioned he didn't feel well at scripture time. We didn't think too much of it and put the kids to bed. A few hours later I realized that Sam had shared this little gem of a bug with me. I then spent the next several hours loosing all the contents of my stomach.

Halfway through Wednesday I started to feel better and was able to eat some solid food at dinner. After dinner Ronny took the kids off to karate and I took Ronny's Mom to the airport.

Thursday started off slowly and then sped up when I received a phone call from the boys school informing me Sam was in the nurses office. I loaded Ben into the car and we headed over. We found Sam holding a swollen pinky in an ice pack trying not to cry. I looked it over and tried to assess if it was broken. The swelling and his cries of pain pretty much prevented that, so we checked him out and headed over to the instacare. The x-rays showed no break but each of the three joints were sprained. A splint was applied and advil was given and back to school Sam went.

Friday was spent at another doctor's appointment and a visit from a good friend. That night the stomach bug seemed to hit me again. This time however, instead of keeping my bp in normal range it seemed to jump up high one minute and go down low the next. This morning I was still feeling a little off so we called to hospital and called in my Mom and headed up. We had hoped for a quick visit and hopefully return home. Then the real fun began....

Freedom! (At least for now)!

Yesterday my doctor came in to see me and asked if I wanted to go home. I was shocked! So apparently every morning the specialty group gets together and goes over all their patients and the question lately on my case has been whether or not they should send me home. I was told that normally they do not allow someone like me to go home even with the good bp reads I was having because they don't trust the patient to come back when it gets bad again. They all agreed that I was a responsible patient who would return. (I had to promise a few times over that I would). I think the other factor was that I came in on my own in the middle of the night when it was bad the first time and wasn't sent in by a doctor. My discharge paperwork also requires that I will take my blood pressure at home regularly and that I now have 2 doctor appointments each week and its officially on paperwork that I am on bedrest. The other big factor in sending me home was that they asked how long Ronny's Mom was going to stay. I told them at least a few more days at which point they said ok, you have help at home, you are responsible, and you'll be seen biweekly by your regular ob so we are willing to let you go. I didn't argue!

I called Ronny at work and he came to get me. I think had he been there he would have argued with the doctor. He's worried, I know he feels more comfortable with me in the hospital being monitored than at home with the kids. I think my biggest hurdle in coming home will be convincing Ronny I can chill even when chaos ensues. I did remind him that we were saving tons of money is gas with me home as opposed to him driving up everyday. (That only helped a little).

The hardest part for me is when the kids just fall back into the routine with me here and come to me with all their problems and me having to send them to Nana or Dad to fix them. Its unnatural and I'm still working on it. For now I am home and we are moving forward. Forward we go, I think that is our new motto!

May 7th Update

Saturday was a little bittersweet for me. My doctor came to see me the night before and we talked about being able to go home. She told me that my blood pressure reads were looking really good and that she was comfortable with me being a good patient with help at home and knew that I would come right back if I had any problems with my blood pressure or any other ailment. We chatted for about an hour and in the process of our talks the nurse came in to take my vitals and my blood pressure had spiked again. Just when my hopes were up for being able to go home they ended right there. I was disappointed but at the same time I sure didn't want to go home just to turn right around and come back so it was a little bittersweet. She seemed more upset about telling me I had to stay then I really felt though. I want to be safe, we have come so far. The last thing I want to do is be foolish and mess up the good things going for us right now. I am now officially 30 weeks! Big milestone, yet we have so much work to do.

She stayed for a while longer and asked me about my family. I told her about my kids and how Ronny and I met, but then I felt really impressed to talk to her about why our family was special and why Aaron is so important to us. I asked how familiar she was with the LDS faith. I told her how important our family was and that our family was eternal. We talked about what it meant to be sealed in the temple and how whatever happens with the end of this pregnancy, Aaron is a Child of God and that he is our son and that whether we are given the chance here on earth to raise him or would have to wait until after we die, we would still have that opportunity as long as we were faithful to our covenants we made when we were sealed in the temple. It was such a great conversation and the spirit was really strong. She told me that she loves to see Ronny and I when we have appointments because she knows that we are in this together and that we are making decisions with all the information in mind and that she knows we take them seriously and that we pray about them as well. She said although she feels like she gives us bad news every time we see her but she always feels happier after she leaves us. She also said that she wants nothing more than to come to a big party on Aaron's first birthday!

In the end I'm sad that I am not home with my family but I'm glad I was here for that conversation. She has always been supportive of our decisions even when we disagree. Now though she knows the background of why and how we are making our decisions. That means a great deal to me.

May 5th Update

Today I met with my specialist as well as another high-risk specialist. (I liked mine so much more!) She is happy to see that my blood pressure is looking good and thinks that the bedrest is helping it to stay down and that she recommends that I be downgraded to a regular room where I will be monitored every 4 hours as opposed to every hour. (Sounds good to me, only a couple middle of the night wakeup checks as opposed to what I've been doing.) She recommends that I still deliver but understands my decision and respects it. My blood and urine tests have all come back negative for pre-eclampsia so they are sticking to the Mirror Syndrome diagnosis for now. Given that, they won't consider releasing me until I deliver and asked if I understood that I could be here for a long time. I told her the longer I am here the better chances Aaron has and will do what I can for him. She was concerned about the stress it would cause our family and our children especially not having Mom at home. I told her we had great family and friends who are stepping in to help out and we will do our best to maintain peace at home and help our children through this crazy time. Its good to know that she is thinking about the big picture, not just me and the baby but the rest of our family.

We also talked about Aaron and what we want to do once he meets the 400 gram threshold. To put things in perspective, a normal baby with normal fluid and no hydrops would have a small chance at survival at 400 grams but significantly better at 500 grams. So our little guy has two strikes against him already. The one good thing about Aaron's prognosis is that I am almost 30 weeks along. Although he is measuring significantly behind in growth, he is helped by the fact that his brain and heart and other organs have the added benefit of maturity. Does that offset the other mitigating factors? The answer is, they just don't know how much it helps but it does help some. So she and I talked about what we wanted to see happen and what a good decision would be once we met the 400 gram threshold. I told her that if it were up to me alone I would say lets get to 400 grams and re-evaluate where we are. If my health continues to be stable and he continues to show signs that he still has fight in him then lets set a new goal of 500 grams. If we reach that and things still look ok we shoot for 600 grams and so forth. The concern with this is that we are running out of time for him to grow and for my placenta to still function. If we get to the 400 gram mark and we see that he is struggling then we will decide if the NICU is the right place for him and if doing the "classic c-section" is better than doing an induction. I asked when the next ultrasound would be and she said 3 weeks. That seems like an eternity but if we can get to 3 weeks, hopefully we will have better options ahead of us. One day at a time, really thats the plan.

I also asked about visitors in the new room and we are told I can have visitors during visitor hours. I asked about my kids and were told that the only children allowed to visit are my own and that in order for them to come we have to show proof of immunization against measles. I told her no problem there, it will be nice to see them and give them hugs. I've been doing my best to facilitate daily routines from here over the phone and so far the kids seem to be back to a normal routine. This of course will all change when they go off track in two weeks but we'll figure that out when the time comes. Ronny is doing his best to juggle everything. He is torn between feeling like he needs to be here, at home with the kids, and at work. He is doing so much and I pray he has the endurance to keep it up. He is one amazing husband and father and I am lucky to have him!

Admitted

Last night my blood pressure spiked and I was admitted into University Hospital. I have now been diagnosed with Mirror Syndrome. In the short version my heart is now mirroring the same problems as the baby's. I stabilized quickly however and was monitored every 15 minutes. I am now monitored every 30 minutes so I am improving. They are concerned not only for my blood pressure but for swelling around my heart and brain like Aaron's. I don't seem to be retaining any fluid as of yet and am doing good to drink lots of water in combination with my IV. I was told I am now a permanent resident however and will stay until Aaron is delivered. We had an ultrasound done this morning and Aaron has made his greatest progress in the last 2 weeks and is now 335 grams. Our specialist then came into to see us and told us she is now more concerned for my health than the baby's. She wants to deliver immediately knowing Aaron would not survive and told us that although I am stable for now that could change at any minute and I could go down hill fast. We told her to give us a few minutes to talk about things and then decided that as long as I am stable we will continue. We have prayed about this and heard opinions from a few doctors now but we feel comfortable in our decision. We have asked for someone to come and assist us with a blessing and are waiting for them now. We are so close and feel we need to give him just a bit more time but also understand that my health has to come first and have told the doctors that if anything changes we will deliver then. My specialist is not very happy with our decision but she respects that we have not made it without thought, reservation, and prayer. For now she is consenting to let us continue. In our ultrasound we discovered that Aaron's hydrops had not increased in severity and possibly became better. We attribute that to the walks I have been taking. I am not yet convinced I have the mirror syndrome they suggest, I feel more like I over did it the last few days and hope to convince the doctors of this as well with good blood pressure reads. Time will tell. We hope Aaron continues in his progress and gains these grams quickly. We are indeed in need of more prayers for myself as much as for Aaron. I know the Lord is watching over us, I can feel the peace he brings. Ronny is sleeping, something I have yet to do with all these monitors alarms and tubes. They have now unhooked me from most of them and we hope to be transferred to a permanent room this afternoon. All our love, Denise and Ronny

April 26th Update

I had my weekly check-in with my ob today. I gained 2 pounds in the last two weeks (now I'm +4.5 lbs from the start of the pregnancy). My blood pressure is creeping up again and is at 130/90 but I told my doctor that I am done with bed rest. It hasn't seemed to have been helping much and when I move more Aaron moves more so he was ok with that. Aaron's heart rate was 130 bpm and then he moved and it jumped to between 140-150 bpm so that is a good sign that his heart is still working to pump in what he needs. He confirmed that we have surpassed all the odds and all the textbook cases and so we just keep watching and praying that his heart makes it long enough to get those grams he needs to be delivered. Another week down, forward we go!

Another Great Day

With the kids on Spring Break and knowing we couldn't stray too far from home with Aaron's arrival so near we looked for things to do around our area. We started off with our normal Saturday chores with the promise that once things were done Mom and Dad had fun plans for the day. Chores and lunch were done by noon and we started in on the fun.

First we started off with a trip to the movies to see Hop. We loved it and the kids enjoyed jamming to the music. Then we came home, had a snack, colored a few dozen eggs, and adorned our Cougar Blue. We met up with a fun family in our old neighborhood and headed South for the Men's Volleyball Quarter Finals at the Y. We stopped at Fudrucker's for dinner and enjoyed yummy food and catching up with our friends. Then we headed to campus. On the way we were trying to describe to the kids how loud and crazy these games can get and that watching one of the volleyball matches is a totally different experience than going to a football or basketball game. With school letting out on campus this week the House wasn't as packed as it usually was but we were rocking all the same. During the break after the 3rd game they had a kid's dance off. Both Ben and Sam headed down. They were so funny! Ben was even picked as a finalist. It was then I was kicking myself that I had left the camera in the car. Ben was all over the place, both sides of the court, hanging on the net, and just dancing everywhere. The announcer asked him his name and asked him why he liked dancing so much, he said, "Because it starts with a D!" Typical Ben!

Ben was in his true form and charmed the socks off the poor young woman sitting in front of us. She was clearly on a date and Ben was making his move. Sorry to say that he made it farther than the guy she was with, managing to get a few hugs and even a kiss or two before Mom and Dad intervened. She was a good sport and laughed when Ben told her "I just love you so much!" Sadly the cougars went down in 4 to the Gauchos of Santa Barbara (the kids kept calling them the Grouchos" which fit as well) but we had so much fun non-the-less.

On the way home we noticed the Hot light was on at Krispy Cremes and headed in for a free donut and a potty break. We also decided to add to the next day's sugar craze and picked up a few for Easter Morning. We didn't get home until after 11 and headed straight to bed. I love these kinds of days. I'm all for wearing ourselves out while having fun with the family.

Temple Walk Pictures

This is the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Its about 10 blocks or so from our house. The kids school is in the shadows of the Angel Moroni. We love living in the same neighborhood as the temple and seeing it everyday.

At first I felt a little awkward with all of us in our jeans and sweatshirts and then I looked around and discovered there were many others just like us enjoying the temple grounds in the spring time. I always want my kids to feel comfortable and respectful of the temple. As soon as we went through the gates the kids were very reverent even with the fountain and snacks we brought to enjoy. I love that they love being near the temple.

What a great view, the Temple with the mountains in the background. We live in a beautiful world!

Enough Lazy!

I've had it! I'm done being lazy! When I was pregnant with Joseph and my fluid levels were dropping I was told "take it easy, sit and be still, don't over exert yourself". I did that and his fluid levels continued to drop. I was so close to being full term and we had a move coming just a week after his due date so I decided it was time for him to be delivered. We were living in Provo at the time and each day when Ronny came home from school he and I and Charley would walk the loop around the Provo Temple pushing her in the stroller. After each one of these walks my fluid levels would rise frustrating my delivery plans.

So, things are much worse with this pregnancy and I've been told to be lazy. "Lay in bed as much as possible". I've been doing that for the past 8 weeks and I can't stand it any longer! Things don't seem to be getting any better and certainly can't get any worse so I'm done with lazy! We are taking a walk today! We once again have a temple in our neighborhood so I think it only appropriate to walk to the temple. The kids are off for spring break and going crazy inside. The sun is out, its a little cold but nothing we can't handle, so today we walk! Anyone care to join us?

Ultrasound Update

Our latest ultrasound was this morning. When we were taken back the technician asked if we were Dr. Heuser's patient. We said yes and then she told us our Dr. had been hovering around their office all morning waiting to see me. We thought that was funny, we later found out that she thought for sure we would have delivered and canceled the appointment but wanted to be there just in case we were.

So mixed news today. Aaron's heart is beating at 130 bpm. Up until now his heart has been pushing the small amount of blood one way towards his brain and lungs. Now his heart is struggling and not able to push blood one way and so some of it is pushing backwards. This is causing swelling under his skin (edema) and pockets of fluid have formed around his heart, brain, and lungs. This is a sign that heart failure is nearing.

Aaron gained 1 oz and is now at 281 grams approximately. We were really hoping to be at 400+. My fluid hasn't changed much since last time, still hovering between 2 and 3 and my placenta is bad but hanging in there for the time being.

We met with Dr. Heuser who said she was really hoping to deliver me today and is really sad that we weren't ready yet. We talked about the results. She said we could deliver and he would most likely make it through an induction but would be here for only a short time or we could keep going and push for those grams. If and when he makes it over 400 grams she will deliver immediately. She said it doesn't look good but nothing has looked good and so far we have surpassed all the odds and she can't explain it. We told her as long as his heart was over 100+ bpm we will keep praying and keep moving forward. She was very concerned that we may loose him in the next 3 weeks but she also said she didn't think we would be here today so forward we go. (I honestly think she was hoping we would say that and is as anxious as the rest of us to see how things play out.)

We really like Dr. Heuser and feel like she is pulling for us as much as our regular OB Dr Monte. She wanted to know how we were holding up and we told her we are doing good under the circumstances. We told her we were concerned he hadn't gained more weight but we are used to bad news and we just keep going. We asked whether or not she would be the one to deliver if things turned dramatically again and she said she would assuming she wasn't out of town for something. We also asked if our other doctor could come if he was available and she thought that it would be a great thing if he were there too (Dr. Monte if you are reading this we want you there assuming it works out with your schedule!). We really feel like we now have 2 great doctors committed to seeing us through until the end. That is really comforting.

Many people have asked us what exactly to pray for, I feel awkward and somewhat overwhelmed when answering that question. As far as I'm concerned that is between you and the Lord but if you want to know what we pray for its this: we pray for those much needed grams, we pray for his heart and mine, we pray for the doctors who watch over us, we pray for peace, but most of all we pray for faith and strength to follow the Lord's will.

Split and Sick

Yesterday we arrived at church to find the entire stake presidency on the stand. They have come a few times and we have thought, finally we will be split today to then later find out that they were there for a missionary farewell. Yesterday however was different. Our ward was finally split. We were pushing the 800 member mark and it was becoming difficult to fit in the stake center chapel and overflow. Its good to see so many active members though in our area. Even better news was that the Stake President announced that our ward would move to the 9:00 am session time in 2 weeks as a result of the split. Hooray!!!!

This morning the kids were getting ready for school and Ben came down and sat on his self proclaimed bar stool. He then told us his belly hurt and laid his head back down. Ronny moved him over to the couch where he quickly fell back asleep. I was about to wake him up to get ready for preschool when he popped up ran to the kitchen for a drink and then puked all over the kitchen floor. Then he ran to the bathroom and finished his business. As soon as he was done he came out of the bathroom with a smile on his face and said, "Mom I feel so much better!" No preschool today, which means he is missing his Easter Egg hunt at school. He seems to have taken it in stride however and is now snuggled in a blanket on my bed watching cartoons with a bowl right beside him. I just hope that whatever bug he has stays with him and doesn't continue to the rest of us!

Good update this week!

Today's Appointment: Aaron's heart rate is still very good and its pitch is lower. The doctor said that is a good indication that his heart is getting bigger. Hooray! My blood pressure was lower today 140/80 which is a significant improvement of last week's 160/90. So good there too. I lost 1 pound but 2 out of 3 good things is not bad! My next ultrasound is next Wednesday.

One More Item On the "To Do" List

Yesterday we started our day with Saturday chores and were finished before noon. (I love those days when we get up get things done and have lots of time to play!) We met some friends for lunch by the mall and then brought a couple back to hang out until they could get to their final destination. Ben was soooo excited to see our friends from Las Vegas that he jumped up and down swinging his arms whooping in glee. It was so funny.

After our friends left I had Joseph run out and get the mail. He came in with quite the stash and one bright green form addressed to me was in the mix. I glanced at it thinking it was junk at first and then realized it was from the county court. Can you guess what it was??? Notice to appear for Jury Duty! Really? Now? I groaned and Ronny came over asking what the matter was. Then he said surely they will let you out. I read through the notice and saw that I would need to have my doctor write a letter to get me dismissed for medical purposes. Good thing I see him on Wednesday. Surely I qualify right???

April 6: Update

I had an appointment today to check my blood pressure and Aaron's heart rate. Aarron's heart rate is still in the 140's and he is still active. I also gained 2 pounds and grew another centimeter, yahoo! (Big sigh of relief there!) My blood pressure though is a different story. Today I reached a new "High" so to speak. I also showed a small trace of protein in my urine. We waited 15 minutes and retook my blood pressure and it came down so that is good. I told my doctor that just thinking about coming in for a visit shoots my blood pressure up as every time I come I seem to have something else wrong. He laughed and said that is perfectly understandable. He also said that I am borderline high but that he is comfortable sending me home and rechecking next week. Although he told me to take it easy (already am) and to come in if my vision changes or if I start getting headaches. I just need my heart to chill for a few more weeks. Otherwise we are progressing.

Miracle

We had a miracle today! What more can I say, the Lord is hearing our prayers. Yesterday we had another ultrasound with the specialist at the University of Utah. We saw that Aaron's heartbeat was averaging in the 70's. We knew this was bad news. We then saw the specialist who was so kind. She said that she consulted all the doctors on our case and they as a team decided that they would not do a c-section until the baby had a chance at life in the NICU. She said he needed to be between 400-500 grams for this to happen. She said we had two choices now, to let things play out and let him pass or we could choose to be induced and see if his heart would make it through delivery. She didn't think it would. She then stepped out and we decided to deliver, we had made the decision that if we ever came to this point that would be our decision. We told her our decision and she said that we would have to wait 24 hours because the Law in Utah considered this a termination in pregnancy. We left frustrated not knowing if he would make it that long.

We came home and called in the cavalry for today's induction. My mom took the day off to come and Stephanie caught the next flight with available seats into town. As we drove to the hospital today we were quiet and somber knowing this would be a tough day. We were admitted and shown to our room. The nurse came in to get things hooked up and started. Just before she was about to put the IV in I asked her if we could hear the heartbeat just one more time. She called the resident on the floor and she came with the ultrasound machine. They hooked things up and the heart looked good, they then put the doppler on and the heartbeat was measuring 145 bpm. The resident left to call the specialist who came running. She came into the room with a shocked look on her face and said she needed to see for herself. The ultrasound was brought back in and she took a look and said I can't believe it, the heart usually doesn't rebound like this. I told her he had been active all night and I could still feel him moving. She then turned to us and said this changes a few things. She felt she needed to tell us the situation was still very grave but we could keep fighting. She wanted to run a few more tests and wanted to see the results before we left but she said we could go home and she would see us in 3 weeks at another ultrasound and that my regular ob could continue to care for me until then.

We are thrilled! The Lord knows of our battle and is watching over us. Keep those prayers coming, they are working!

Ben!

Earlier this month Ben turned 5 years old. This is a big milestone that brought with it preparations for kindergarten, new responsibilities, new freedoms, and usually a big party. Unfortunately Mom was unable to put a party together this year so we will have to have a big bash next year. We celebrated with cupcakes, presents, and a start in karate.
Ben visited the doctor's office for his check-up a few days later and announced to everyone in the office he was Benjamin Jared Bjarnason, he is now 5, he was there for a check-up, and he did not want any shots! He was taken back to complete all the normal check-up procedures and failed the eye exam miserably. Who knew??? We then saw the doctor and after just a few minutes of chatting with Ben the doctor turned to me and said, "Do you have plans for when he comes home bored from school? He is way ahead of most kids I see and he is reading the magazines in the room. When did he start reading?" I told him he taught himself to read at age 2 and his jaw dropped. He then said good luck with that! I then laughed and said, "Well he's reading but apparently we missed that he was blind to everything more than 10 feet away." He said that happens all the time, (makes me feel a bit better). The nurse then came in and gave Ben 2 shots. (Charley can't believe there were only 2, she had 5, its amazing that they can combine them all now). We left and made an appointment with an optometrist the following day. Ben chose BYU blue glasses, he says because we like the Cougars! At least that is what he tells everyone.In the last month Ben's preschool has been very busy. They captured a leprechaun, visited the fire station, had grandparents day, and had a parent teacher conference among normal class time. At the conference the teacher told me that they were starting rhyming, reading, and spelling. She told me during the lessons Ben is not allowed to give an answer until all the other kids give up and then they will ask Ben for the answer. Ben loves that he is the "special helper" in that way. I'm amazed he can keep his mouth shut long enough for everyone to have a guess before blurting anything out!On a side note, the other day Ben was at the top of the stairs holding something in his hand. Sam started up the stairs and the next thing we hear is, "Hey why'd you throw that at me???" At which point Ben yells out, "Sorry, I thought you were Joseph!" Ronny and I had to bite our tongues from laughing and then called Ben in to talk about the situation. Ben and Joseph go at it all the time. Ben puts up with nothing Joseph dishes out and dishes just as much back to him. Its hilarious and frustrating at the same time. We love Ben so much and are so happy he is in our family. He prays for his family every night with sweet sincerity and has lately been asking the Lord to bless Aaron to be healthier than healthy. Happy Birthday Ben!

On a lighter and faster note.....

While all the craziness is going on with the anticipation of Aaron's arrival life still continues on for us. For the last two weeks Ronny and Joseph have been working on Joseph's pine wood derby car. The two of them researched different strategies and different designs and came up with this year's version.

We all gathered at the church last night for the boys to show off their cars and race them down the track. All the cars were weighed in and Joseph's came in right at 5 oz. There was even a professional photographer there to snap photos of each of the boys with their cars and document the racing.

There were 4 heats and the winner of each heat went to the finals. Joseph smoked his heat and the his semi final heat. Another boy did the same (the bishop's son). In the finals Joseph went down to the other boy 2-1. I was really proud of Joseph, you could tell he was disappointed he didn't win but went and congratulated the winner right after the race.

Ronny breathed a huge sigh of relief after Joseph won his first heat. You would think it was his car racing out there. Joseph was also given the "Most Unusual Design" award. Ironically when Joseph was awarded his trophy he dropped his car and one of the wheels broke off. Thank goodness it wasn't during the races! What will happen next year when both Joseph and Sam will race cars???

Sometimes Specialists can be such downers!

Disclaimer: This is a long one so plow through as best you can!


We had another ultrasound appointment today and of course a different specialist. After the ultrasound tech was done she put up the stats on the screen and Ronny and I both saw that Aaron has grown 4 days in the last 11 and gained 2 oz (roughly 63 grams). This although isn't ideal its certainly better than the last month so we were thrilled. Then the specialist came in and killed our buzz, bah! He showed us the graphs and the regression curves (sorry, math term) where Aaron is at compared to other babies. Obviously we are way below the normal curves and on most of the stats we are in the 0-1%. He then told us that we had a 0% chance of having a normal delivery and 0% at having a perfectly healthy baby and that the chances of having this baby make it were very low. Nothing new there. He then told us that we needed to make a decision on how we wanted to proceed with this pregnancy. It looks as if my placenta has at most a month left to grow this little guy but that he thinks I will likely deliver in the next two weeks. (In my head I told myself we could hold out as long as we need too!) I then told the doctor that we will do whatever we need to do to get this little guy here with the best stats we can and then the doctors would take over and we will deal with whatever happens then. He asked if this was a decision we made because of religious reasons and I said yes but I also feel like religious reasons aside, I am his mother and this is my son and I will do whatever I can to give him the best possible chance at life, that's my job!

At this point I am now being transfered to the specialists at the University of Utah. They can intubate babies as little as 300 grams and will take whatever baby comes at whatever age and do their best. We are at 223 grams as of now, we can get there. I'm still pulling for a full pound, we are half way there now! Knowing that they can take a child as small as this we also know that the odds of his survival long term is very low but we will take whatever percentages they throw out and focus on the positive. I am now waiting on a call from my doctor's office to find out when I see these new specialists. Hopefully in the next day or two. I will now start Non Stress Tests (NST) a few times a week up at the U so that when the doctor says its time they will send me straight to delivery and I will have an emergency c-section. (My other thought was that if the U could be helping me better than why am I not there already????!)

We then discussed my positive results of MTHFR. 5% of people are positive with one marker of MTHFR and less than 1% have two positive markers, guess which one I fall under. Yep that's right, 2 markers! See we can do terrible odds and still succeed. Ha! Then the doctor said that even though I have this disorder this is not what is causing the problems with my placenta and that he really doesn't know why what is happening is happening and that he can't tell me it won't happen again in future pregnancies. I told him I wasn't too concerned about future pregnancies, I was concerned about my current one. He thinks that I have another rare clotting problem that they just haven't tested for yet and that he recommends testing for those and that there are even more clotting disorders that I should test for but can't do until after I deliver. (Really, how many rare disorders can there be????) He also said that I will need to see a cardiologist 6-8 weeks after I deliver to check on my ticker. I looked at Ronny and said I have enough on my plate right now, we will worry about that at a later date! I also told this to my ob when he called me today and he agreed with both the specialist and me that yes it will need to happen but there are bigger problems that need to be addressed first!

So, this wagon train is moving and picking up speed. I told my doctor that we are ready for the good fight and that I have great team players on my side and we are all praying with earnest. He said he is one of those players and that although he is transferring my care to someone with more experience he still wants to be on the team. I will take all the players who want to join in, this little one is coming and we are ready!

Blood Results

My blood results have finally come back. I do not have the clotting disorder the last specialist thought, however I do have an enzyme disorder called MTHFR. This disorder does not allow me to process folic acid which becomes a real problem when having children. Our 4 children with us now are true miracles. I have now been put an a crazy high dose of folic acid in hopes that some of it will get through.

Ultrasounds have ruled out any apparent neural tube problems like spina bifida and sections of brain missing. This disorder can also cause problems with my heart. I will now be watched pretty closely for pre-eclampsia. So far things have been fine. They check my blood pressure and urine for signs of distress regularly. I am now seeing either the specialist or my normal OB weekly. My next ultrasound is scheduled for this coming Monday and I will have them either weekly or bi-weekly from now on.

Its Small World After All (especially inside our church!)

This last Sunday Ronny and I met with our sweet bishop. We knew we needed to update him on what was going on with our family and we wanted to ask permission to give this sweet baby a name and a blessing in the event we are fortunate to have a live birth. He appreciated our willingness to perform this ordinance for our son and actually told us we didn't need his permission. The church handbook specifically outlines that in a case similar to ours the patriarch of our family can perform the ordinance without assistance and without prior approval. (I actually knew this but felt that since we had the time to ask we should).

Our bishop counseled with us for quite some time and lifted our spirits. Towards the end of our time the bishop started to tell us of a great doctor he knew in the military who at one point was the head of obstetrics for all of the troops and their families in Europe. He mentioned that he is now head of obstetrics at a hospital in San Antonio, TX and that he will soon be retiring and it would be great if he came back to this area. I couldn't believe that this was a mere coincidence and asked him if his friend happened to be Dr. Fausett. He exclaimed, "You saw Bardett?" We laughed and said that was the specialist we saw last week and that we could not have asked for a better doctor. The bishop agreed with us and said you could go all across this country and people would know who this man is and would all say he is the best. He quietly said next, "Well now you have two bishops watching over you, you could not be in better hands, the Lord is truly watching over you". We couldn't agree more.

At Peace

The last month for us has been trying at best. With the disappointing news we received yesterday about Aaron's prognosis we have come to terms with what lies ahead of us. The hardest part for me is feeling him move inside me and knowing that I may not feel his physical presence for much longer. Our hope is not lost, yet we understand what reality is and the chance of his survival rests in the Lord's hands. We know miracles happen all around us and know that the children we have been blessed with are miracles unto themselves.

When the first specialist gave us his recommendations and opinions 3 weeks ago we were crushed and felt as if the weight of the world was on our shoulders. Today the news was different but not any better. This time however we have felt so much better. It would be easy to fall into the trap of blaming that first doctor for what he missed and refused to consider. We did make a formal complaint with the office and will leave it at that. What is is, no amount of anger and frustration will change that so we have let it go. We are grateful for the specialist we saw yesterday who gave us a better picture of what is going on and who just listened and took our concerns seriously. He was truly a blessing for us.

At dinner last night I broke the news to our kids. I wanted them to understand that although we pray for the baby to grow and be healthy, Heavenly Father gets to make the ultimate decision. Even though we pray for the baby to come he may not come whole as we want him to, and that its not that Heavenly Father hasn't answered our prayers, he just answers them in the best way for us and that may be giving us peace to know that baby Aaron is where he needs to be. All 4 of them looked at me and said, "We already know that Mom, don't you?". I couldn't believe it, what a lesson for me. Such simple faith and yet as an adult I struggle with that so much.

We are at peace with where things are. What will come will come and we will deal with what the Lord has in store for us buoyed by the prayers offered in our behalf and the knowledge that our Father in Heaven knows our hearts and will give us the comfort that we need. The doctor assured us that Aaron is in no pain which comforts us as well. We are doing what we can to prepare for each outcome and have put the rest of the burden back in the Lord's hands.

Keep Praying

We had another ultrasound today to check on the growth of our little one. In the last 3 weeks he has only grown the equivalent of 5-7 days. We had a different specialist this time who was great. He walked us through what he was finding, asked us about our history with my other pregnancies, and what his thoughts were. Aaron is now growing asymmetrically and is sending all his nutrition to his brain and heart and other essential organs while sacrificing growth in his limbs to continue to survive. I do have placental insufficiency and it has gotten significantly worse in the last 3 weeks. I once again have low fluid and there is a small amount of fluid around Aaron's heart, he also weighs less than 1/2 of what he should so there is no possibility of a successful delivery at this point. The causes for these problems are: I have an autoimmune disease, I and/or the baby have a clotting problem, my placenta has a tear in it and is bleeding into the amniotic fluid, or I have pre-eclampsia, or a combination of some of them. He believes I have had the same placental problems with all my kids and the fact that we have 4 beautiful children is reason to cheer and to continue to have hope.

His best guess is that both I and Aaron have the same clotting problem and that I also may have a small tear in my placenta. He thinks I had the same clotting problem with all the kids but that I did not pass on the gene to them so they were able to make it as long as they did. He thinks Aaron may have the same clotting issue which is causing the problem with his growth. If this is the case there is treatment but it may be too late. They could put me on blood thinners and hope more blood flow gets in, unfortunately because there is the question of a tear blood thinners could cause more problems. The doctor who knows the most about these issues is here in town and the doctor we saw today has consulted and published material on this clotting issue. He said he will do whatever he can to help us (even though he lives in San Antonio, TX). We have found out that the specialists at this practice all live somewhere else and travel around the country to different clinics to treat women with Maternal Fetal Medicine issues. So, we most likely will see someone different every time and that none of them will do the actual delivery when that time comes.

The doctor ordered a slew of blood tests to see what we can find and if there is anything that can be done. He told me I need to be "lazy" as much as possible while still maintaining order at home. (That is certainly easier said then done as the kids are off track at the moment). The more I lay down the chances for better blood flow increases although strict bed rest is not yet warranted. We should have the blood results back in the next 2-4 days. We wish the doctor 3 weeks ago would have ordered the same tests and took into account my previous placental problems. We may have had a better chance but it is what it is. There is no going back now. I have to return for another ultrasound in a week and to see my regular doctor between now and then. Please continue to pray for him to grow. That is our hope now.

We asked how soon they could or would deliver. For any chance of survival he needs to be at least 500 grams, at the moment he is weighing in at only 160 grams. If they can put me on the blood thinners he should be able to gain weight quicker. He told us that there is still hope although the margin is slim. He told us to prepare for a good fight but also to prepare for Aaron not making it. How on earth do you prepare for that???? The fight I'm ready for!

computer down

Our home computer died yesterday so until we get it fixed or replace it the blog will be on hold. Our ultrasound is tomorrow so we will pass on the results when we get a chance.

Final Results

The nurse (Carrie) from our specialists office called again today with our final results. (She and I have had great chats lately, mostly centered around good results and questions I have.) All chromosomes are normal and no viruses. My AFP is elevated but ultrasounds have ruled out any problems with this.

So much of me wants to call the specialist and tell him "I told you so!" and ask if we can finally have the discussion about what else could be causing the delay in Aaron's growth. I promise to be good though and wait for our next ultrasound in 2 weeks. Both Ronny and I have been doing extensive research online trying to piece things together. Its very interesting how many studies seem to contradict each other. We both feel like we have a better idea of what is going on and some answers to some issues I had in previous pregnancies with my boys. We found one study that seems to match this pregnancy pretty closely and they give a flow chart of how to proceed with treatment. Lots of ultrasounds and non-stress tests look to be in our future. It also said the magical day is 32 weeks and 3.5 pounds for a safe delivery. That certainly seems doable and only 11 weeks away.

Its funny how things that seem so trivial before seem to be so important now. With my last two kids I was out of my normal clothes and into my maternity clothes within a few short weeks of a positive pregnancy test. Now I look at those clothes and wonder if I'll ever get in them. I have yet to gain any weight with this pregnancy (even lost a few pounds). You would never catch me saying this any other time but really....I certainly eat enough to get that scale to go up yet nothing so far.

He Has a Name

(sorry its upside down, I am still trying to figure out how to get this in right)

So Ronny and I were talking and decided that since this little guy has to fight so hard to get here he should have a name. Especially so those who are praying for him know who they are praying for. We decided on the name Aaron Thomas Bjarnason. We will keep you posted on his progress.

Preliminary Results

Preliminary results from the amnio just came back. So far no chromosome or viral markers were flagged. Good news! The final results will come back in 7 to 10 days. The nurse I spoke with said its very rare that the preliminary results and the final results differ. We have a fighting chance! Our next ultrasound is scheduled in 3 weeks and will tell us if this little guy is still growing.

We have certainly felt the numerous prayers offered in our behalf and have certainly been lifted up. Thank you all so much.

Call for Prayer

So we have some news to share, I am pregnant and we are having a boy. This little guy however is really struggling. We saw a specialist today who gave us not so great news. Our ultrasounds are showing the baby is significantly behind in gestation and I have been diagnosed with Early IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction). The causes for this are chromosomal deficiencies, virus, or placental insufficiency. I had an amniocentesis today to rule out the chromosomal deficiencies and any viral infections. If the results are positive for either of these two the baby will not survive. We should have the results back within 12 days. So, we are hoping and praying for placental insufficiency. This however brings with it its own complications but certainly better outcomes. My due date is in the middle of July but every day we get closer to that the better the chances this little guy will make it. The specialist is not very optimistic at this point but we are choosing to be so (we politely disagree). We can use all the prayers we can get! Pray for this baby to grow and be whole if it is His will and pray for us to have the strength to cope with what He has in store for us. This family is strong and our faith is just as strong.

We love you!

Ronny and Denise

He's a Wolf!

Last night was Joseph's first Blue and Gold Banquet. He was very excited. The theme: Turn Back the Clock". Joseph was designing his cake from the moment he was told he needed one. It went through many changes over the last few weeks and this was his final result. (Notice the "Flex Capaciter" ) He had a lesson in cake baking and Mom had yet another lesson in patience. (Those are frequent!) His troop preformed a skit about bears attacking scouts. It was about what you would expect from 8 year old boys. Last night Joseph was also awarded his Wolf Badge. He's been working very hard and was excited to have finally earned it.Our sweet Cub Master is so excited to hand out awards each month.

Discovery Gateway

For Christmas this year my mom got our kids a membership to Discovery Gateway. Its a children's museum with 4 floors of hands on fun for the kids. Last Saturday we headed up for a few hours of fun. It was fun watching all of them get their hula hoops going. It ended with Ben walking into Ronny's hoop and getting a nice welt on the side of his neck. Ouch!

This month the kids have also tested and passed to their green belts in karate. They now fight 2 on 1 in this belt. It gets quite intense. Sam also won his class spelling bee (he now moves onto the school wide bee next week). Joseph came in 4th just one place out of also going to the bee for his class. Charley is busy working on a history fair project on Nixon's trip to China. She is learning all about thesis statements, primary and secondary sources, and doing bibliography's right alongside learning about history. A few of you who remember this trip in the news may get a phone call from her this week. Its been a busy month.

Charley sporting her walking boot (She blessed us with a trip to the ER New Year's Eve night, (2010 had to go out with a bang apparently!). She's re-injured her foot a couple times so we are hoping it heals soon so she can get back to karate.

Creativity

While off track Joseph and Sam decided to have a sword fight. Mom had confiscated the swords for a while so instead of whining about getting them back, they made their own. The two of them spent the entire day making swords, sheaths, shields, helmets, and daggers. It was almost as much fun watching them as they did making them. The next several days were spent play fighting. I must say, there was far less arguing and crying with the new weaponry as there was with the plastic ones.

Their new adventure now revolves around the Tron movies. They have made discs they throw, (Mom has banned them from kitchen and living rooms!), and have put stripes down their shirts and pants with blue painters tape. When its over 20 degrees I make them take it outside. Joseph has made a target and taped it on the wall outside his bedroom. He takes aim from his bed at night. These boys are having quite the adventure lately. Its really fun to watch their imaginations go wild!