The Accident

I work in surgery... I see trauma... I see death... worse, I see life changing injuries. The last thing I'd wish on anyone is what I went through. In July, 2009, we were at Riverside Country Club swimming. We were getting out of the pool and drying off to leave. I sat Jack down wrapped in his towel in his car seat which was sitting on the chair. No, he was not strapped in. I had to change him because he was wet from the pool. To keep him warm, he was still wrapped in the towel as I prepared a soft spot on the table to change him. Before I knew what happened he was on the concrete floor, face down. Some kids had flown past the back of the chair and bumped into it. I can still hear the sound he made today. We quickly grabbed him and I examined his body. They say nurses are the worse in these situations when it has to do with their own children. I'll give myself props. I did ok. We grabbed everything and headed to the car. I knew we were going to the hospital. On the way I called the best neurosurgeon in the state. Yes, I have is cell number. Perks for my profession. He was going to meet us at the hospital and read Jacks head CT.
Not good. He had a right temporal sub-arachnoid bleed in his brain and a parietal fracture. We were going to Primarys Childrens Hospital. My heart broke! Everyone at work knew and came by to comfort, but really it made it worse. seeing them gave Jacks diagnosis a reality.
At Primarys we were treated very good! Our nurses rocked and doctors really are some of the best in the country. We spent the weekend there until they re-check Jack's Ct to find all bleeding had stopped and all the blood had been washed out.
We were lucky. We still have our sweet boy. but I will never forget that day and experience.

Fourth of July 2009

Lesley's husband Ryan Porter has family in Monicello Ut, about 3-4 hrs south of us, and for the past couple of years, we meet them in Blanding, Ut for some four wheeling! Thank you Ryan and Lesley. Fourth of July has been so much fun joining them in that tradition. This year was no different! Well, maybe it was. We could take turns riding and watching Jack. But there was more.... MUV! This would be the first time she'd meet Jack! Her and the rest of the family!

Lake Powell 2009

Lesley and Ryan, her hubby, were so sweet and invited Dan and I to Lake Powell, on their new house boat. Unfortunately, because of Dan's work, we don't take off too much in the warm months because he's always busy. I begged him that we could go down for the weekend. Fri to Sun. Wow that was a lot of driving, and little relax time. Jack was a champ. He slept the whole way down, and most of the way back. we had SO much fun! That was my first time the Lake Powell, and I left wanting more!

Little Family Trips Summer 2009

So, since Dan and I came and went as we pleased, pre May 13th 2009, we figured why would we change? About 4 weeks after Jack was born, we headed up to Park City for a weekend with Dan's family. We stayed in a home that we shared with the creatures in the walls!! It was fun though. I wrapped Jack up, and went shopping at the outlets, dinner on main, and went to the Olympic ski park.

THE BIG DAY! MAY 13th 2009

So I'm at work.... I'm at work, Wed May 13th2009.... And my WATER breaks! Really! In surgery, and then SPLASH!!! Just like the movies! I gasped, everyone looked at me, and then I started laughing! It didn't feel like I peed my pants/scrubs, it felt like a fish tank had exploded down my legs! AHHH! It was funny.
I got wheeled up to Labor and Delivery by a friend/anesthesiologist Dr. Brandon Dial. I was calling Dan at the same time. When Dan answered and I told him, because I was laughing at the same time, he didn't believe me. I even put Brandon on the phone, and he didn't believe him either. Dan was in SLC dropping my dad off at the airport. My brother Ramon was graduating that weekend with honors, with his bachelors in science. GO RAMON! My dad had just gotten done telling Dan that I better not go into labor this weekend when I called with the news. Dan told him I was just lying and trying to get him worked up. Little did he know.....
I finally convinced Dan to head home, grab our stuff, and get his butt to the hospital. Later, Dan said that he was expecting it to be a big joke put together by me and co-workers!
When I checked myself in, another girl from the operating room was checking in too! It was too funny. Both of us in labor at the same time. They even put us next door to each other and with the same nurse;)
I got my epidural when I was 5 1/2 dilated. I could have gotten it when I checked in, but I wanted to feel the contractions! I know, I know. Why!?! Well, I just did. But as I was holding on the bed for dear life, I was ready. Good thing too, because, because of the epidural, they were able to figure out that I still had some membrane holding the baby in, they removed it, and 20 mins later, I was a 10!!!
Pushing sucked! 1 1/2 hours later, they figured out that my baby was posterior! But I pushed that baby out!! All they had to say was possible c-section!
I'm not going to say I had this "rush" of love! I actually had anxiety! This was it! My life was changed!! My day was no longer mine!
After talking to Muv a few hours later, she let me know that what I was thinking was normal. I loved this little baby, and yes life had changed, and it was ok.
Because I gave birth at the hospital I worked at, and there was another girl from my department that had just had a child too, 4 hours later, we had LOTS of visitors. 88 to be exact! It was crazy! Fun, but over whelming. We were glad to leave so we could rest at home.
The drive back was interesting. dan and I laughed the whole way home. We yelled at every car that came close to us or got in front of us. We got home, fed Jack, and all three of us passed out!
6 lbs 2 oz, 4 weeks early!

GETTING READY! 2009

So 2008 was over, I'm pregnant, and here comes 2009! I was due June 5th 2009. I was working full time still at the hospital and as a private first assistant for an orthopedic group in Provo. Dan was still working even though the economy was slowing down. He was truely blessed.
On Tuesday, Feb 13th, 2009, I had an almost life changing event. I was at work when I had a gush of blood come out of me. I had just had a placenta abruption! I was losing my baby! Luckily was was at work, which is at the hospital, and working down the hall from my OBGYN's. I walked in their OR room, told them what had happened, they hurried me upstairs and into Labor and Delivery. I was so scared! I called Dan and he hurried down to be with us ( my baby and I). I can only imagine how he felt after that phone call....
This was the first time I cared! The whole time I had been pregnant all I could think about was how this was affecting me. I was so selfish! I could openly admit it too! But now, 19 weeks pregnant, I had to wait and see. Wait and see if the bleeding would stop, or if I'd go into labor and lose the baby. They told me since I wasn't 24 weeks, my baby would die without them being able to do anything. I felt helpless.
Eventually things settled down and I was put on bed rest for 6 weeks! Muv came into town the very next day to help me adjust to doing nothing!!! Things healed, but I was now considered high risk, and could go into labor any time. I couldn't work, work out or have sex.... Hummm.....
I was pumped when I made it to 36 weeks! Meantime we got Jack's room put together! And because I was high risk, we got ultrasounds done every 2 weeks!!!

I need to hurry, update and become current!!!

Egyptian Women!

Oh the baby bump!

On top of a 3000 year old monastery!

K, so Kenya was a lot of work and very rewarding. I was nervous b/c of the food, so I packed a ton of food. I normally partake in the locals food, but seeing how I already threw up 3 times a day here in clean, beautiful America! I knew I was screwed! lol! I did ok, and we totally partied it up in Egypt! Dan met me in Cairo, and I never knew how excited I would be to see him till I got off the stinky plane! lol! Here are a quick few things we did....
We jumped in a car and drove through a country that we could read the signs or maps and made it to the boarder of Israel, to a place called Tabia. We crossed by foot through the boarder into Israel, and then into Jordan. We were headed to Petra. One of the oldest cities in the world, BC. this is where Indiana Jones was filmed, The Temple of Doom! It was breath taking. We rode camels through this city literally carved into the mountains. The people the lived here were referred to as the Bedouin people. Many of them still live in the caves and take care of this amazing ancient city. We hiked to the top of a monastery that was over 3000 years old and just sat and took in the amazing view and experience we were having. I was with good people and my soul mate and best friend. And my baby bump was growing.
We headed to the relaxing part of the trip, Sharmalshek, Egypt. It's on the Red Sea. There we relaxed in our amazing 5 star hotel and went diving! Yes, we drove in the Red Sea. Our first drive... can we say spoiled and lucky! Diving was a controversial topic for me, but after the research I did, I knew I could dive safely. We had a drift dive and a normal one. Shark Reef was one of the dives! But no, no sharks ;)
We ended our trip back in Cairo where we visited the Pyramids and all I could think about was my mother. She had always wanted to do this trip, and here I was! I love you mom!