Moving!

I had a mental breakdown a couple of weeks ago that went a little something like this 1) I hate living in East Pasco 2)I have no friends in Pasco that have little kids that I hang out with 3)I drive too far to the babysitter and to work every morning 4)my husband is hardly ever home and I spend most evenings alone 5)I would like to have neighbors that I can borrow an egg from without having to get a Spanish translation from the Internet to communicate. This major breakdown has come and gone through the last 4 years but this time is was the last. WE ARE MOVING! And I could not be happier. Last year, Chris lost his job as the on site property manager at the park we live in so it has been even harder for me to be here and grin and bare it this past year. I have been suffocating in our house and have had a really hard time. Probably all the changes of my mother passing away, a pregnancy, then a new baby and a major change in work pace for Chris and I both in the last 2 years. Not to mention my dad getting married on top of it all 6 months after my mom died. Its all been a little too much. I have been trying hard to get through the "Stage," but am ready for a new beginning. A new young ward that meets at a decent time. A place that is 2 minutes from work for both of us. Close to the grocery store and central to everything else in town. A swimming pool for Keldon in the summer and for my sanity! It's time. I am excited and looking forward to the next year. It will definitely be a change. It is not a glorious house, or a fancy apartment. It is just simple, and I can handle simple. I just need something new and different. We move on Thursday and since it is General Conference on Sunday we will be able to enjoy the weekend absorbing the newness. I have been packing a few things each day so hopefully when it is time to go I am not so frazzled. Wish me luck!

Wednesday Date Day with Mom

The smell of sawdust mixed with pig poop and elephant ears, crowds of people, booths and millions of strollers and balloons, lemonade.....you guess it....THE FAIR! I haven't been to the fair in a long time. Chris hates the fair so since we have been married we have only gone once. I decided to take Keldy to the fair today because it was kids day and my sister was taking her crew as well. Growing up I have found memories of the week before school....the infamous week of the Benton Franklin County Fair. Where I met all the boys I was sure I was going to marry and also where I spent hours sweeping sawdust on barn duty as a dedicated member of 4H. Ha ha! They fair is a funny place. You get to see all sorts of people come out of the woodwork. Kim and I met at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick and took the transit bus down to the fairgrounds. It was super hot outside but Keldon did really good despite the blistering heat. He was pretty chill and just hung out in the stroller the whole time. We had the pleasure of getting nearly ran over by a pig on his way to the show-ring and he even left us a treat of poop on Keldon's blanket that was hanging over the side of the stroller. LOVELY! Kim brought her camera so I am super excited to see all the cute pictures of the kiddos and the animals. Keldon got to hold a Rabbit and he pet all sorts of animals. His favorite was a little hen in the chicken barn. We rode out to the horse barns on the tractor trolley and made our way in and out of all the exhibit halls.

I was choked up a bit as I saw a display of beautiful quilts that had been entered in the fair to be judged. I always told my mom that she should enter some of her quilts. She thought it was a silly idea. Each quilt had a story behind it and they had a notebook with all the stories behind the quilt. Next year, I want to enter one of my moms quilts in the fair. When she was sick, like sick sick, no hair and feeling awful she made a quilt for my dad. She wanted him to have a quilt and she was so busy making them for everyone else all the time that she never made him one. She was busy making it up till just before she had hospice come in. I was so impressed with her perseverance and love.

Overall, I had a good time. It was hot and Keldon was in dire need of a nap so we finally took off around 4. A good day at the fair. We will sleep good tonight!

Good Mommies....

Being a good mother means......

Letting your baby play with the pots and pans even if they are right under your feet and its loud and annoying

Cleaning up broken up pieces of crackers out of the couch cushions, the car seat....your hair and any other cracks babies find to smash things in

playing peek a boo even when you don't have time

reading the first 4 pages of a 12 page book....over and over again because your baby wont sit still

wiping hundreds of nasty boogies and wiping hundreds of poopy bums

finding enough patience to let the little tantrums go without freaking out

playing tickle monster with a snotty nosed, crying baby at 3 am

rocking with a blankie all night long, knowing you wont get a nap the next day

playing cars on the kitchen floor

eating banana cream pie and vanilla wafers for a snack because you're only one once

sharing an ice cream bar even though you know it will take 10 wipes to clean up the mess

Motherhood is a challenge.... you give and give but in the end, when I see this little face, it is all worth it!

Today I am proud to say, that I was a good mommy

FAB 3 Weekend

This past weekend was my older sister Sherri's 30th Birthday. I knew she was dreading it a bit and wasn't expecting anything fancy to happen so I came up with a little something fancy myself. Sometime last week I got the idea to drive up with my other sister Kim and surprise her. We had plans to pretend to be robbers and mug her down at the beach, or to kidnap her from the house and drive her to a Karaoke Bar or something wild. I had the help of her husband so I knew we could pull it off. Friday after work, I picked Kim up and we headed to Mukileto..... After getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic of course. We arrived at Sherri's just before dark and snuck around the back side of the house. The plan was to do what our family calls the "Grady Call," which is definitely an inside joke/thing. It basically entails making a very distinct call a little something like this..."Boo, Boo, Boo, Who, Who." It is weird I know, but unless you grew up in Finley and a house full of weirdo's you just wont understand. Anyway....No matter what and where, if you are part of my family and hear this, "Grady Call," You know it is a Carver, some where, some how.
Sherri ran outside the front door as we ran to the back yard to hide. She said that instantly she knew I was there at the house, but certainly wasn't expecting Kim who had left 4 kids and a husband at home. Yay! Sherri about peed her pants and screamed all at the same time.

The weekend went like this:
--Friday night stayed up late talking in bed with all us girls cuddled up.
--Saturday morning Sherri had church stuff and soccer to attend to so Kim and I taped her bedroom up and got ready to paint. Darin went to the store to get paint mixed up. We slapped a coat on, then left to get new handles/knobs for the bedroom furniture and ate lunch at Bento where the girls enjoyed sushi (not my thing, uhhek)
Back to the house, then to Ikea for a 3 hour rondavue of the worlds most fabulous store. I, by the way, ran from the front of that store, all the way through to get a throw pillow that we wanted but had apparently grabbed the display one. I almost passed out but I did it none the less 2 minutes before closing time. After wards we went to Baja Fresh and then back home at 10. Slapped another coat of paint on and let the magic happen.
--Sunday morning went to church, came home and ate a marvelous homemade pizza then I gave Sherri a massage while Kim finished decking out the room to look like a pottery barn magazine. We went outside and took a bunch of goofy pictures and then drove home and got home about midnight... Oh and Kim freaked out because she thought we were gonna run out of gas just past Yakima but we made it to Zillah!

Warning! Blogs are quite personal

Apparently, some people actually read this blog and dislike that I share my personal opinion and express my feelings about PERSONAL things. If I was brave enough like my fellow blog friend Cassidy I would post a disclaimer like she did so elegantly....

****Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed within represent my own and not those of my husband, daughter, son, unborn child, goldfish, withering house plants, or any other living thing within our house, unless specifically stated. Any complaints or dissatisfaction should be made known either directly to me (via comments, email, Facebook, carrier pigeon, etc.) or God himself, who I'm sure will intervene with the usual plagues, floods, locusts, or lightning bolts should I get out of line.****

Ahhhh...people that have opinions about people that have opinions. Such is life. Move on!

Your're invited to a Pity Party

LIFE IS HARD! It doesn't have to be, but sometimes we just make it that way. This month has been an especially challenging one for me. We have had a lot of things going on. Chris is really busy with getting his new lawn care business going and has been working super late hours and long weeks. I am a really needy when it comes to affection and like to be noticed and appreciated so I get my feathers ruffled easy when things are hectic. My business is doing well but is not quite on auto pilot and in order to make money you have to work so I feel like my priorities have been a little out of whack. I feel like the rope in the middle of a tug of war. My son spends more time with other people than he does with his parents, my house is always trashed because we are always on the go and I never buy groceries cause we don't ever make time to eat and I throw most of it out! AAHHH... Trying to balancing everything is making my brain hurt. I think too much, I talk too much, I care about other people too much and it sucks me in and drains my energy, and I try to hard to be perfect. I don't take enough time to smell the roses and all the while I am missing all the fun. Keldon will be 1 this Saturday.
That is right 1 years old....already. I know!

Am I who I want to be?

I'm I doing the best I can?

What is missing?

I wish my family was closer and that reality didn't hurt so bad.

Thankful

Today I have a thankful heart. I am thankful for the sunshine that has allowed my heart to smile. I am thankful for a supportive and close family that are just a phone call away. And most of all, I am grateful for my sweet husband and my healthy little boy.

Thursday morning the 25th of February, Keldon was eating breakfast and as he turned his head to reach for something on the table, I noticed a huge lump on the right side of his neck. I reached over and felt it and it was hard and he started to whimper and pull his head away. I started to panic and cried a little while I started to call Chris. He had just left the house for the day. I explained that something was wrong with the baby and he turned around to come home and take a look. I called Keldon's Pediatrician and made an appointment. I didn't know rather to take him to the E.R. or to wait and take him in to his Dr. When we went in, the Dr. was concerned and called an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Dr. for his opinion and advice. We were then sent to Kennewick General Hospital right away to start I.V. antibiotics. When we got to the hospital and checked in, Keldon started getting a fever. It was a struggle and completely awful to get an I.V. in him but I tried to stay strong. Grandma Stomstead (Chris's mom) came and helped. We were in hospitals for a week straight so alot of details are a blur. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I was suppose to be in Seattle for a Massage Intra-oral Class to learn massage techniques for jaw and headache/neck pain. I had already pre-paid and had arranged for a human model and had to cancel my class amongst all the chaos.

Throughout the next couple days, Keldon was on Motrin every 6 hours for pain and fever. At about 5 hours his fever would spike up and then go back down once the motrin set in. Day 2 at KGH, he was taken in for a CT scan which showed and Abscess inside the infected lymph node. He was diagnosed with Cervical Adneitis which is basically a swollen lymph node that gets infected. Most kids respond to antibiotics by IV within 3 days but because he had an abscess that had formed the drugs were not penetrating the wall his body had made around the abscess evidently. One day, his IV pulled out of his arm a little and the medicine and meds were going into his tissue causing his arm to swell up like Popeye and he was in a lot of pain. We didn't catch it for some reason. He had his iv all wrapped up so he couldn't pull on it and had been crying for about 2 hours and no one knew what was going on. The nurses check the iv frequently and if it is kinked the machine beeps and says "distal occlusion." We finally got it all unwrapped and out and then had to put another one in. He was so upset that when they stuck him in his other hand, the vein blew and the same with his foot. I had to try and hold him with the nurses and it was so hard watching him scream, I lost it and started bawling when we got back into the room. They couldn't get it in so they let him rest for the night and gave him a shot of his meds later in the night instead.

The ENT DR tried to drain his abscess but nothing came out. They put lidocain on the spot and gave him morphine. AHHH, another awful moment. After that it was "Let's wait 24 hours and we will see. We didn't really hear from anyone in between that time and I got tired of the wait. Keldon's Dr was out sick over the weekend and the on call Dr. came at one time while I was out taking a break and said that his node looked smaller and he could probably go home in the morning. IDIOT! They talked about doing surgery several times to go in and get the abscess out and because there are no pediatric ENT specialists in Tri-Cities I asked to be transferred to Seattle Children's. Chris and I both have sisters in Seattle so we choose Seattle rather than Spokane. The same day, Keldon's Pediatrician was back from being sick and switched his meds and gave him 2 doses of steroids. Tuesday morning he was looking better but still sick. They allowed us to transfer him to Seattle ourselves and unhooked him from the IV but the needle remained in his hand.

When we got to Seattle the IV wouldn't flush so they had to give him another one. His hand vein blew so they put it in his foot. Awful once again. That kids definitely doesn't have a problem with his lungs. Everybody commented on that! He was happy as long as you didn't poke, touch, prod or wear scrubs around him. If someone came in to look at him with scrubs on, he would look them up and down. It was super funny after awhile. One Dr. said he was STRATEGIC. I thought that fit him well. The nurses got a kick out of his smile and fun personality and agreed with us that he was a busy body. He kept getting his iv cord all wrapped up and we would have to unhook it and detangle him. I loved Children's Hospital. There were so many Dr's and specialists that came in, and when they switched nurses, they did a safety check in front of you and gave them all the information that was current. I felt like I was on Grey's Anatomy. It made me want to be a nurse.
I am so thankful that Keldon didn't have to have surgery. He is on an antibiotic 3 times a day and is doing well. It is nice to see the lump getting smaller each day and watching his energy come back.

He said Grandpa for the 1st time at the hospital and pointed to my dad. He signs "all done." He throws things and lets them fall and says "uh-oh." He started this squint faced smile thing that cracked everybody up. Unfortunately I was never able to capture it on camera. He has proved that he is in charge and is going to be a screamer. He is DONE with the bottle and enjoys sips of whatever it is that YOU are drinking out of a cup or a sippy. He likes yogurt now and is a fan of all kinds of crackers, especially Ritz.

FACEBOOK UPDATES:
FEb 25, 2010
Keldon is in the hospital as of yesterday. He has a swollen lymph node that has become infected apparently and has a 1/2 of abscess and fluid in it. We are waiting for the surgical consult to see if they have to remove the lymph node or drain it. Please keep him in your prayers. Entertaining a 9 month old with an IV....Priceless
FEB 26, 2010
The Surgeon says she can drain keldon's lymph node with a needle for now with a local and some morphine....hopefully that will do the trick and we can avoid surgery
FEB 26, 2010
The doctor tried to drain Keldon's neck and nothing came out so now we wait for another 24 hours for the antibiotics to work on the infection and for the labs from the fluid to come back with possible results for a true diagnosis. Keeps your fingers crossed.
FEB 26, 2010 I am so thankful for my family, the cutest toughest little munchkin in the whole wide world, love, medicine, good nurses, sleep and chocolate!
FEB 27, 2010
We finally got more than 2 hours of sleep. Looks like we will be shacking up at the hospital for awhile so better get use to the beeps and baby squeaks
FEB 28, 2010
His IV, along with antibiotics got backed up last night around ten and his arm was pumped full of fluid and blew up like Popeye so they took it out and tried to do another and his arm vein blew and foot vein blew....so now he has no iv, and one good foot left. Chris's mom took over last night so we could go home and get some sleep and still no iv ... See Morein this am because Keldon didn't go to sleep till around 4. My favorite nurse got off at 7am so who knows what is going to happen now. I HATE HOSPITALS! As for the infection, they gave him another 24 on the meds, the abscess is still there so still possible surgery today or tomorrow. They want the surrounding inflammation to go down. We find out more today from the surgeon. She wants to avoid surgery by doing antibiotics as long as we can, and let them try to do the work.
MARCH 1, 2010
Happy Birthday to me....the hospital smells like pee, my baby is still here and I'm getting sickee!
March 1, 2010
I have requested to be transferred to Children's hospital in Seattle tomorrow morning. Keldon's Ped Dr has been out sick for 3 days and now is back and is recommending Seattle and getting all the info rolling for transfer in the morning. The growth as not changed in size after 5 days of meds . Keeps us in your prayers please.
MARCH 2, 2010
heading to seattle in our own car with Keldon...surgery today or tomorrow by the afternoon.
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We are here, it is awesome....LOVE THE STAFF, waiting for the attending doc to come in. Just did medical history and checked in..blah blah blah. Waiting for more news
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No surgery tonight, he can eat until 2 am and then no fluids until surg consult at 6 am to see if there is a change with the new meds, if not 99.9% sure he will have surgery. They will flush it and put in a drain so it will stay open and heal from the inside out, only about an hour procedure including sedation and surgery.
March 3, 2010
still waiting this morning for the Dr's. All of us slept almost 7 hours straight. I feel like a half sane woman this morning. Our boy's in good hands. Went grocery shopping last night and stocked food here in the family center fridge. You need a map to get around in this place but I am loving all of it so far.
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soooooo, no surgery right now. He can eat soilds again and they are going to watch him today. They think the steroid given in Kennewick is still effecting the size of the node (its smaller) and don't want to cut if it can improve on its own. The "Team" of drs will come by again in a bit to discuss all opinions. watching... him for today. Surgery still possible
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we have had several doctors at both hospitals comment on how cute and happy Keldon is and that he looks like the e-trade baby....

March 3 PM
still in limbo....he's IS getting better but slower than usual, as far as his response to the antibiotic, but not getting worse either. They will do surgery possibly if he doesn't improve beyond the point he has made so far. No food after 2:00am and re-evaluate in the am. Trying to avoid surgery at all costs of course b...ut man, the wait is killing me. SO BORED!
March 4, 2010
No surgery this am, switching to oral meds if he can handle it and getting off the iv. Keeping him today to see how he responds to the meds and watching for more improvement as far as a continued reduction in size of the node. YAY- MORE PROGRESS
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packing the bags.....staying at my sister's for the night to get a good meal and good nights sleep in and to be close in case Keldon won't take his meds, and then home to TC in the morning. YAHOO! No more hot pockets and crackers

March 5th- Friday
Keldon slept 12 hours straight last night and is taking his meds like a champ. I swear that kid gets cuter every stinkin day!






























The Doctors never did find out what caused the infection in the first place. It coule have been staph, MERSA, or a strep bacteria. The blood work was showing high levels of inflammation in his body so it was obviously fighting some kind of infection , especially when he was having the fevers. Whatever it was, I hope we never have another encounter again!