Spring Break Part Two

We had lots of fun activities planned for Spring Break.  This was not one of them…

After the Easter Egg Hunt at grandmas, Matti laid on the couch and simply could not breathe.  Recently diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma just weeks before, we rushed her home for several doses of medication from her inhaler.  It was not working.  After a few hours of waiting for her to get better, she didn’t.  I decided I couldn’t watch her body labor to breathe any longer and took her to the Emergency Room.   On a scale of 1-12, with 1 being “getting 100% oxygen” and 12 being “not breathing at all”, she was rated an “8” in the ER, with 5 being signifcant enough to be admitted to the hospital, and she was shortly thereafter. 

They immediately started her on oxygen and breathing treatments every 2 hours.  The only way she could leave the hospital was if she could breathe on her own with an oxygen level above 90 for 6 hours while sleeping, breathing treatments extended to 4 hour intervals, and she stayed hydrated.  (She didn’t want to eat or drink anything the first day and a half).  It took until Tuesday to reach these criteria.   

Although she was sick, Matti’s stay at Primary Childrens was as enjoyable as it could be.  They gave her a wand to paint, crayons, coloring books, an easter basket full of toys, puzzles and candy, a new teddy bear that she named, “Jellybean”, and unlimited slushies and drinks.  She said the chicken noodle soup was her favorite part of her stay. 

On Monday afternoon, Britney came to spend the day and evening with her sister.  She climbed into her hospital bed with her and they played Barbies, painted and watched a triple movie feature along with the Disney channel  all...day...long. 

It turned out that Matti had a virus in her lungs that caused the asthma.  We now know the signs, symptoms and what action to take if this happens again.   Although I am not thankful for 3 straight days with NO SLEEP, I am so thankful for modern-day medicine and educated doctors and staff that were so sweet to my daughter.  I heart Primary Children’s Hospital!    

Spring Break Part One

Celebrating Easter was a great way to kick off 9 days of school-free fun for Spring Break. 

We colored easter eggs.  I didn’t think Cameron would join in, but he did.  That was a pleasant surprise.  

The kids took such pride in their work…

We watched “HOP” in our theatre while the kids anticipated the arrival of the “Easter Bunny” that night. 

On Easter Morning, the kids opened their Easter baskets.  The extra sugar in the candy fueled their energy for sack races.  They come up with some pretty creative ways to entertain themselves!  

We didn’t really have time to take pictures Sunday before church, but I had the kids pose for a quick shot.  It was absolutely the wrong time of day with the harsh sunlight blinding them, but they’re still cute, squinty eyes and all.

That night, we went to Grandma Carmen’s for an Easter Egg Hunt since we don’t have a yard yet.  Brooklyn is always lucky.  She found the one and only golden egg. 

Matti was having a hard time breathing after the hunt.  Little did we know we would be taking her to the Emergency Room later that night to spend the next 2 days and 2 nights at Primary Children’s Hospital.  More on that in the next post!

Let me just put it out there right now.  Although the kids have fun with all the holiday activities, sometimes we are just plain tired of the commercialization!   Justin and I felt we needed to focus a part of Sunday on the Resurrection.  We watched a video, talked and read scriptures about why we really celebrate Easter.   I am thankful for the Atonement of our Savior and I hope the kids appreciate the significance and sacredness of observing this day.

The Coltonator

“Sometimes the most special souls are housed in the most fragile frames” Elder Ronald Rasband of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints said during General Conference today.  Colton is not “fragile”,  by all means.  Grandma Carmen is sure he has magnets on the bottom of his feet, because when you go to pick him up, he just sticks to the ground because he is so heavy.  He is definitely a “special soul”. 

We still don’t know what is causing his severe developmental delay.  He still doesn’t talk or attempt to communicate.  His next step is an MRI.  Hopefully we will get some answers.  After administering a multitude of tests, the last (4th) doctor we saw said he just “can’t learn”.  If he does learn something, it gets stuck in his brain and he can’t access that information again.  He doesn’t process something as simple as the sign for “more” or “eat”, even though he has used those signs correctly in the past and we have used them at every meal for the last 2 years.   In the meantime, we have gotten him more one-on-one help in hopes that he will progress at a faster rate.  Justin and I are definitely “fixers”.  We want to know what’s wrong so we can just fix it. 

Here are just a few snapshots that I actually captured Colton smiling at the park. 

He has learned to like the slide since last summer.  What a good workout!

Bouncing up and down on this piece of equipment brought a smile for a split second. 

Swinging has always put him in a trance.  I can usually get his attention by grabbing his toes. 

Colton is the master of spinning.  He can put a spin on just about anything he finds, or will at least try.  This was the attraction of the day.  He would spin it, leave and come back when it slowed down and repeated this over and over. 

Boy, he is flexible!  I don’t think I can stretch my hamstrings like that!

When I took him to the doctor, he was entertained with spinning the doctor’s chair like this for 45 minutes straight while we were waiting. 

There’s nothing we want more than the best for this little boy.  One day we hope he will be able to communicate and catch up.  We love him so much!