5th & 6th Surgeries

We just came home on Sunday from a 26 day hospital stay with our 5 year old.  He had his 5th and 6th major surgeries.  He ended up getting a very nasty infection and abscess.  We are soooo happy to be home.  He still has a PICC line and IV antibiotics.  And based on his lab results yesterday he still has an infection.  But he's getting stronger by the day.  I think we might try to send him to school next week.


Here's some pictures of our journey!

 We loved Holly the Child Life Specialist.  She helped him get ready for the many procedures he had.

 Oh that scowl!  I'm surprised his face didn't permanently stay that way!

 Poor thing hated that NG tube.

 He did NOT want anyone bugging him if they didn't have to.

 After surgery.

 LOVE that his hands were stained with paint.  Shows how much fun he had.

 The craft room kept us all sane.  Ian and I made silly medical hats.  We had so much fun walking through the hospital with these on.

 One of our favorite nurses, Annette.

 I have never stayed anywhere so long that I unpacked my suitcase.  But I did here.  I was thankful for that.  And it's hilarious that Spider Man is on the TV.  I think he watched that movie over 50 times.

 You tend to accumulate a ton of stuff in 26 days!

 Who showed him how to do this with an orange?  Yep, yours truly.

 Carter LOVED going to the play room to play Spider Man and Battleship.

 This is Kathy one of the BEST techs ever!

 The Hubs snapped this shot after I left for the night.  He was NOT happy that Mommy was going home to get some much needed rest.

 We have a future football player in the family!  Go BYU!!

 Helping make the Valentines Day displays.

 Carter thought it was hilarious to put his freshly painted hand on my face.  I left his cute little hand print on my face all evening!

 I made him a fort in his room.  He loved it.  

 He discovered how to turn on the sink.

 Our nurse, Dez gives him his antibiotics.

 That's me learning how to flush and Heprin his PICC line.

 He loved that tractor!  We kept it hidden in the room so it wouldn't get taken. Is that bad?  We gave it to the little boy across the hall on the day we left.  

 We got special permission for our dog to come and visit.  We figured it was appropriate since it's Carter's animal companion.  

   Thank you to all who emailed us, prayed for us, came to visit, brought in a meal and just listened.  We love you all.  And I'll keep you updated on his progress.  We go back next week for more blood work and to schedule an out patient procedure to make sure the whole in his bowel is closing.  Until then...

How to Survive a Hospital Stay / 5 on Friday

So another week has come and gone and we are still up at the hospital with Carter.  He's 1 week and 1 day post op.  He's not doing very well.  He had some food on Monday night and ever since he's been miserable.  He had an x-ray yesterday and after they put a tube down his nose and irrigated his bowels. 

He's still not any better today.  His white cells are up considerably from yesterday.  They put in a PICC line.  It was awesome because I was able to stay in the room while they inserted it.  AMAZING!!  He did sooooo well.  They were amazed at how still he was.  He only complained when they took the tape off.  He HATES adhesives being removed.  Does he cry when they put in an IV?  Nope.  He will cry when they take the tape off. 

We are waiting to go downstairs for a CT scan.  They are looking for an absess or other.  They are starting the contrast fluid as I'm typing this.  He's asleep and won't know a thing.  I'm praying for answers.

As I'm laying awake in bed at night I think of all the things that have made this hospital stay just a little better.  So if you find yourself in my shoes someday take note.  Here's how to survive a hospital stay with your child...

1.  Bring your own blanket and pillow from home.  Hospitals aren't known for their comfy beds. 

2.  Bring your own towel and toiletries.  I didn't even buy travel size toiletries.  I brought my huge bottles of my favorite shampoo and conditioner.  I also brought some yummy smelling bath gel too.  I hate hospital towels.  They are tiny and don't dry you at all. 

3.  Be nice to your nurses and nurses' assistants.  They aren't there to serve you and clean up after you.  We've only had a couple of nurses over the course of many stays that I didn't like.  Carter has been spoiled rotten up here this time. 

4.  Bring a book and magazines.  It's boring here.  It's hard to just sit around all day long watching Disney Channel or PBS. 

5.  Don't EVER feel guilty for leaving your child alone while you run and grab something to eat or take a break.  I left Carter to come to the parent resource center to type this up.  They will survive.

6.  Don't ever get your hopes up about how long your stay will be.  Seriously, don't.  Your doctor or surgeon might say that the stay will be 3-5 days.  I've made this mistake one too many times, only to be extremely disappointed.  Something might happen to make that stay just a little bit longer than expected.  Look at me now.  But then don't assume that it WILL be longer.  Just take it day by day.   

7.  Bring an ipod or something to listen to music on.  I'm a firm believer in the power of music.  Again the Disney shows get old and it's nice to tune out.

8.  It's OK to cry.  It's OK to have a "break down."  I've definately shed some tears over these last two days.  Between the lack of sleep and watching helplessly it's bound to happen.

9.  It might surprise you who comes and visits and who doesn't.  It's hard when some don't make the effort.  But they don't know how hard it is at the hospital.  They probably don't know that visiting or calling would brighten your day.  I promise though that you will meet people in the hospital that are amazing and understand exactly how you feel and what you are going through.  It's awesome!

10.  The food at the hospital will give you the worst gas you've ever had!!  It will destroy your tummy.  Bring some fiber with you!  You think I'm kidding?  Just try eating that food 3 times a day for weeks.  YUCK!

Ok...now for the best and worst parts this week.
Thanks for hanging in there for this long post.

Top 5...

1.  Carter made a super hero cape in the play room this week.  It's adorable and I can't wait until he feel well enough to wear it and play.

2.  We have been spoiled rotten.  Or I should say that Carter has.  The nurses and staff LOVE him.  Our nurse last night even let him go and choose what prize he wanted.  He chose a Power Ranger glove and phone set.  

3.  I get to go home and get a good night's rest today.  

4.  I have had just as much fun at the play room as Carter has.  It's so fun to play!!

5.  We have been shown so much love by our friends and family.  Thank you so much for those that have sent gifts and emails.  Oh and Dan, we LOVE Yoda!!

Bottom 5...

1.  Watching helplessly is awful!

2.  The food...uggg my poor tummy.

3.  The hurry and wait game I hate!  

4.  We have the most amazing view from our room but the inversion is terrible.  Yuck!

5.  Taking cat naps all night long is getting to me.  Maybe that's why the tears are so close to the surface.

Thanks again!!  I love you guys!!   

5 on Friday...Hospital Version

Ok, I know it's Saturday but I had to get this posted.  Even if it's a day late.  I'm posting from the hospital again.  Lucky me!  Our 5 year old is here for another surgery.  We got here Wednesday for his bowel prep.  His surgery was on Thursday.  He's doing well.  Actually today he's grumpy.  I'll keep you all posted as to his progress.

So without further ado, here is my hospital version.

Top 5

1.  We've had the best nurses!  We even saw Emily, one of our favorites!  She was working on another pod and so we stopped by to say hi!  It was so fun to see her.

2.  The child life specialists are AMAZING.  Carter LOVES Star Wars (did you know that it's coming back to theaters in Feb in 3D?  Oh yea!!) so child life totally tapped into that.  The made him two sticks to hold.  One has General Grevious (is that right?) and the other has Annakin (again, not sure how to spell these).  They help him "fight" through his pain.  They also printed off some pictures to hang up in his room.  Awesome!!

3.  We have a great view.  We can see downtown Salt Lake and we can even see the Salt Lake Temple!

4.  When we arrived on Wednesday we saw the coolest ice sculptures outside.  It was Santa's sleigh and his reindeer.  We went outside today and it's all melted. 

5.  The Hubs spent the night here last night (yes we are still together!!) and I took our older two to a movie.  We saw We Bought a Zoo.  It was excellent!  I was in bed by 7:30.  Fantastic!

Bottom 5...

1.  The food.  It's good.  But it will mess with your bowels VERY quickly!

2.  Carter is a GRUMP today.  I don't blame him, poor little guy but wow!  This is when it gets really hard staying here.

3.  The "bed" in his room is super comfy.  Oh wait, I typed that wrong!  It's the most uncomfortable thing ever invented.  Imagine taking your grandmother's chair wrapped in plastic, pulling it out into a flat thing and then sleeping on it. 

4.  I don't have any sheet music to play.  There's a baby grand just sitting here and my fingers are itching to play!

5.  The playroom is awesome but they give me funny looks as I'm making puppets and painting.  Can't moms play too??? 

Thanks for the visits, emails, texts, etc.  They are VERY much appreciated.  I'll keep you posted. 

If you want to send Carter an email you can!  He would love it, especially since the gift shop is closed until Jan 3rd.  Click HERE to send him a message (Carter Warner). 

Happy New Year!  I'm excited for 2012.  And no, I'm not sad that we are spending it at the hospital!

5 on Friday

I'm getting this going again!  Hooray!

Top 5 this week...

1.  I deleted my facebook account.  Why?  Because I am simplifying my life.  It was a time waster for me.  It was REALLY hard though!  2012 is going to be the year I concentrate on ME and I don't need distractions.  I have a lot of hard work ahead of me.

2.  My 5 year old is finished with his musical theater performances.  I'm sad about that though.  It's on the top this week because I LOVED each and every performance.  They never got old for me.  I can't wait for summer's performances now.

3.  The generosity and Christmas spirit shown to our little family has been overwhelming.  This truly is becoming the BEST Christmas I've ever had.  Thank you so much my Christmas angels!  

4.  The inversion is gone (well for right now).  We have sunny skies with no smog!  

5.  I enjoyed a quiet night all by myself last night.  The kids spent the night with the Hubs at his parents house.  I got some junk food at Harmon's and even met Bob Harmon.  It was fun!  I watched a favorite movie and then went to bed.  I was seriously in bed by 7.  Ahhhh...I love my sleep!  

Bottom 5...

1.  Attitudes, attitudes, attitudes!  I hate them.  Enough said.

2.  My 5 year old is throwing tantrums again.  His poor little world has been turned upside down this last little while and I'm sure that he's very nervous about his surgery in a few days.

3.  Speaking of surgery, his surgery is soon.  It's only a couple of days away.  I'm not looking forward to seeing him in such pain.  And what if it doesn't work again?  I'm super stressed about it.  It's a BIG surgery.  

4.  I'm realizing more and more that I'm a summer kind of girl.  This cold really stinks!  Put me on a warm tropical island for the rest of my life and I'd be happy!  Could you imagine spending Christmas on the warm beach?  Oh yea!  I'd gladly give up hot cocoa for the rest of my life for that!

5.  So much to do and so little time.  That's how I feel right now.  The little man gets admitted just 3 days after Christmas!  This mama is stressed to the max right now!  I see Calgon in my future!

I hope you all have a VERY merry Christmas!  I hope that your new year is amazing!  I'm kind of excited to spend New Year's in the hospital.  Maybe we'll see fireworks again like we did on the 4th of July.  2012 is going to be an amazing year!  

Merry Christmas my friends! 

Where Have YOU Been??

Yea, yea...I know!  I've been MIA for the last 6 weeks or so.  I won't sugar coat this post.  Life has been in the crapper for the last little while and the very last thing I've wanted to do is blog about it.  

I won't bore you with the details.  I'm just hoping that 2012 is a MUCH better year for my and for my children.  

So I do promise to keep this updated just a bit more!  It's going to shift just a little bit.  I'm actually going to add some new material about single moms!  

It will be fun, I promise.  So bear with me as I figure all this out!  

Love you!

GIVEAWAY Winners!

Thank you for entering my latest giveaway!  I used random.org to get the winning numbers!  It generated 5 & 6!

So congratulations to Marielle over at Brothers of Jared.  And Tauni over at Tenacious Tauns!  Marielle you have won the youth theme CD and Tauni you have won the primary CD.  Congratulations!

I feel bad that 4 people entered and I only had 2 to giveaway.  So I'll tell you what If Jan and Shirleen can wait a week or so I'll send you your choice of CDs!  Just comment below and I'll run to Jenny's house next week and grab some especially for you!  

Congratulations everyone! 

5 on Monday

I have GOT to get this list done for last week.  I'm so sorry it's late.  My dog ate the list.  Oh, wait that excuse won't work, will it?

It was a better week!!  Hooray!  I hope you all had an amazing week filled with more ups than downs.

Top 5...

1.  Ian received his Arrow of Light.  He we all worked so hard on it.  Honestly, if it wasn't for his leader, Brother Anderson Ian would not have received it.  Brother Anderson took Ian for a 6 mile bike ride and helped him with other things he needed to complete.  He's an amazing leader.  And the primary president, Sister Kind did a great job on the ceremony itself.  The last ceremony I went to in this ward was goofy.  It had NOTHING to do with the arrow and what it represented.  So I was soooo grateful for Sister King and her efforts.  

2.  My dad is now officially, DR. Bruce Kusch!  I am so excited for him and my mom!  Now they can play and travel and spend some much needed time together.  Congratulations Dad!

3.  We had a great time on Halloween.  All the kids went out and got loads of candy.  Ian decided to stay in our neighborhood and trick or treat with his friends.  The rest of us headed to my sister in law's house.  It was soooo nice to have kids old enough to take the little kids out with them!  So the adults just sat around talking and laughing.  It was great!

4.  I seriously saved us 30% on our car insurance.  Thank you Progressive Snap Shot!  

5.  We got the first REAL snow storm of the season.  Now that gives me more motivation so clean out my part of the garage.  I really do love the snow!

Bottom 5...

1.  I got pulled over on my way taking Addison to school.  It was on the freeway.  I got pulled over for having my headlight out.  DANG!  I also got issued a ticket because I couldn't find my current insurance card.  I swear it was in there somewhere I was just too nervous and couldn't find it.  No biggie though because I just have to show that the light is fixed and that I did have insurance.  So it shouldn't cost a dime!  Oh and yea me for fixing the light my by self!  That's right!!  

2.  Stomach flu bites!  I just wish I was only one stomach flu away from a size 6!  

3.  When sad things happen to good people it breaks my heart!  

4.  We had our phones and cable turned off.  Actually that's really not THAT bad.  We've got a couple of local channels to watch and so I won't miss The Amazing Race and Survivor.  I just need to make sure I'm home because we don't have a DVR anymore.  I do have talk free/text free on my cell phone which is awesome.  We just couldn't afford them anymore.  Life goes on.  There's WAY more important things than TV for us right now.

5.  They are already playing Christmas music on the radio and at Wal Mart.  I walked into Wal Mart the other day and almost started crying.  This Christmas is going to be hard.  But I'm determined to make it a magical Christmas despite our circumstances.  Hmmm...I sense a theme to December's blog posts.  How to have a VERY merry Christmas on next to nothing!  Love it!

I'm excited for the holidays ahead.  I'm excited to make our lives memorable.
There is a woman in our ward dying of cancer.  It breaks my heart.  She was Ian's primary teacher.  He loves her.  Every week she asked the kids what they did to LIVE!  I'm choosing to LIVE instead on focusing on what we don't have!

I hope you do the same!  What are you doing to LIVE?