I'd like to think that this posting once a month won't stick, but here I am at almost the end of the month in retrospection on our own "March Madness".
Thanksgiving Point
Macie's dance competition went great! When her group walked on-stage, ooh's and aah's could be heard from the crowd. The girls had so much fun and they each got a medal afterwards. We left soon after she was done, but found out the next Wednesday at practice that Macie's group won 1st place in the mini-miss division and they each received a ribbon!
Brinnlie didn't know what to do with all the goings on around her!
Cousins Alisha, Annika, and Adlyn came to watch and say hi, too!
Broxton had a blast running around the whole time, as did Trevor who had to chase him ;)
(Annika posing for one of the kids.) 
We had never been to Cabela's and since we were right there, we decided to check it out. It was pretty neat to see the stuffed animals and we especially loved the walk through aquarium. We happened to be there at the time they were feeding the fish so we watched as they dumped the goldfish in, and the 'big' fish gulped them up! Macie and Broxton were fascinated to see it, especially the fact that the fish were so huge! It was fun to go and see what the hype was about...we're still enjoying the famous pretzel sticks :)
Vegas
Trevor and I made the trip to watch the Aggies play in the WAC Tournament. It's kind of a tradition for us to go and since we didn't make it last year, as our priorities were with a certain resident at PCMC, it was especially good to go this year and have some together time while catching up with long time friends Angie and Red. It was tough to leave the little ones behind initially, but we knew they were being well taken care of and by the time we reached Vegas Wednesday night, we were ready for our vacation to begin. After checking in, we walked down the strip to find some grub and then headed back for some sleep.
Thursday brought on some walking that led us to new heights...the Stratosphere and it's rides atop the tower. We would visit the rides again that night to experience them in the dark...fun, but I could only do it once and I was done. I can't handle as much as I used to :)
One thing on our list to do was to visit Gold and Silver Pawn...yes, we are fans of Pawn Stars so we continued our walk to their shop in hopes to see some stars. Unfortunately, we didn't see any big stars, unless you count the guard at the door, as they were busy filming in the back. It was fun to see some of the items that were on episodes that we'd seen and to be "on the set" of the show and to talk to some of the employees about the guys. One lady said that the "Old Man" has had the hardest time adjusting to the new found fame as he's bothered quite a bit everywhere he goes. He even has one of his employees get gas in his vehicles to avoid getting harassed. After a bit they kicked everyone out so they could continue filming up front, so we took a quick pic as we headed out the door.
The famous Little White Chapel.
Our journey continued up the strip, following the crowd, taking in the free shows outside the hotels. I think that the fountains at the Bellagio are so pretty and are my favorite by far!
We were ready to eat so we drove to the Rio hotel and found the World Buffet. Yummy food, and lots of it! Afterwards, we headed back to the Stratosphere.
Friday morning, Trevor and I attended a timeshare presentation, then met up with Angie and Red. We headed to Mandalay Bay, ate lunch at the Mexican restaurant there, then went to the Aquarium. It was really neat to see the ocean life and walk through the underwater exhibit with the sharks, turtles, and other marine life!
On our way back, we went to New York New York to ride the roller coaster there. Yeah, once is enough! It's really fast and extremely intense, but at the same time, very rough! We all had bruises on top of our shoulders the next morning! We then headed to the Aggie game and afterwards ended up at Circus Circus for food and a little gaming.
Our main thing to do on Saturday was to go to the Bodies exhibit at the Luxor. It was very informative and neat to see it in person and learn things about the bodies functions. Kind of gross if you thought about it too much, but intriguing. Definitely something you should check out if you have the chance. No picture taking was allowed.
We also went to the M&M's store for a bit before the game, then headed back to buy souvenirs afterwards.
The Tournament was great...the Aggies won the WAC Championship!
We were hoping Cameron would get a chance up the ladder at the net, but they never brought it to this end.
Way to go Aggies!
Cardiology & NICU Follow-UP
Brinnlie had her check-up with cardiology on the 15th. We made sure to get there early so we could meet up with Laurie, Brinnlie’s “other mom”. She was with Brinnlie from the very beginning and came to grow close with our little one and has a special place in our hearts forever. It was wonderful to meet up with her again since we hadn’t seen her since before Brinnlie came home. It was touching to see the excitement and love she has for Brinnlie. Laurie gave Brinnlie the cutest fluffy white bear that she loves to snuggle with at night. Brinnlie was a little out of it for being so early in the morning, but you could tell she ‘knew’ her surroundings and those who came to see her. We’re looking forward to meeting up again soon!
This time they sedated Brinnlie to do an ultrasound and EKG. She did very well with it and the IV team was super impressed by how well she did while they placed the IV. She didn’t even flinch! The worst part was holding her still so they could do it. All the cardiology team members we met were amazed at how well Brinnlie is doing from where she started. A couple of the nurses and the NP had been in the NICU before and said they’d never seen a 24 weeker that has done so well and overcome the odds for the many possible risk factors being born at that gestation. She’s quite the wonder!
The findings:
Improvement! Her Pulmonary Hypertension is within the ‘high normal’ range, so Dr. Day decreased the dosage of Viagra to twice a day from 3 times a day; still O2 at night, 1/4 liter flow to get her through the ‘tough’ season. He’s pretty confident that by the time she sees him again in June, that it will be completely resolved! (Cross our fingers).
The NICU Follow-Up Program is a program in which the staff from PCMC follows NICU graduates from the surroundings hospitals up to a certain age, depending on their situations, etc. to monitor their development. This was Brinnlie’s 2nd appointment with them and it made for a long day. It is held at the Ogden School For The Deaf And Blind, so at least we didn’t have too far to travel. At this appointment she saw the following, with the following results for her adjusted age of 9 months:
Nurses:
Height--- 26 1/2 inches = 5th percentile
Weight--- 14 lbs = –3rd percentile (yes, negative…but 14 lbs!!! She had been hovering around 13 8oz for the past little while, this was what she weighed at the cardiology, so not even a week later---14! I was excited.)
Nutritionist:
Not too happy with her weight gain since last appointment, so recommended intervention with the Up 2 3 OT…who we’ve seen before and stopped because Brinnlie was doing awesome at eating. Then those darn teeth! Said she wouldn’t be surprised if Brinnlie would be on Pediasure in the next few months. We’ll just see, she’s started eating better again.
Hearing:
Normal, with the exception of failing the tampandrime (sp?) where they stick the thing in her ear and measure the ‘bounce’ off the eardrum…so the pediatrician had to check for inner ear problems.
Ophthalmologist:
Good to go. Follow-up in 3 months.
Neurologist:
According to his chart of cognitive developmental things, she’s age appropriate on most things, but he’s concerned about her gross-motor delay and muscle hypertone (tightness). She’s at about 4-5 month level with these. He was curious to see what her brain looked like and said his concern would be that she had some form of a brain injury because of being so early and tiny, which would suggest Cerebral Palsy that’s very common with prematurity. He’s confident and gave her the next few months to see where she goes, and then decide from there whether to do an MRI to see the picture. The positive is that it’s a one time incident, and that from the point of injury on, she’s able to grow and compensate for the damage. There’s nothing that can be done, it’s done and we move forward.
Pediatrician:
Overall, great…the ear thing = fluid in the ear, amoxicillin Rx. (She didn’t seem too concerned about the weight thing.)
Psychologist:
Very impressed with her cognitive skills. Age appropriate cognitively, gross-motor wise, not so much. He said to help her to not get so frustrated at things by talking to her and showing her muscles how to do things. She will get frustrated because her mind is there, but her body won’t follow when she’ll like it too. Make the best of each situation and continue working with her.
She’s coming along, at her own pace…she’ll get there, when she gets there.
I have to keep telling myself. :)
Other Happenings
Trevor went to get his cast off last week and I wish I could say that he’s off to a good start with therapy and recovery. But, unfortunately, that’s not the case. The Dr. called in sick that day so his teaching fellow saw Trevor and after removing the cast, saw that it wasn’t right. An x-ray confirmed that the wrist had moved and hadn’t healed correctly. The next day after the Dr. looked at the x-ray, he scheduled surgery for next Wednesday. They’ll re-brake and put a plate and screws in. Trevor’s a bit discouraged to say the least, it means another 6-8 weeks of splint/cast…starting from the beginning.
The kids have been keeping busy; making messes, playing outside when the weather cooperates, and bringing smiles to our faces. It was fun to get away for a week…I do admit that it’s total chaos most of the time at our house, and sometimes can be a bit overwhelming…
But, it’s good to be home.
Holy canoly, it’s March already!
Looking back at our February happenings, you might say it’s been pretty uneventful, but a few things come to mind.
The first part of the month didn’t start out on a good note, as you’ve read from the last post. But, come the end of the month, it turned about face and it’s worked out. After CT scan results they did send Trevor to the U to see the specialist, however, he took a look at it said that surgery wasn’t necessary---hooray, right! So, we went back yesterday and they put on a hard cast and Trevor just has to heal for another 3 weeks then they’ll take it off and begin therapy. I’ve told many who’ve asked or commented about our dealings with hospitals and accidents,etc., that if there’s something that I need to learn from all these happenings, I’d sure wish I’d figure it out so we can go forward with hopes of not having to deal with these sorts of things in our future!
One huge milestone this month was that Brinnlie turned ONE! We didn’t plan a big celebration because of the time of year and because we want to have everyone come celebrate with us. So, our plan is to have a big get together in the summer time, maybe around her due date birthday…hopefully then, she’ll want to eat some cake too! She went for a week and a little bit eating fruits and veggies along with the cereal, but hasn’t shown an interest for the last couple weeks. I think this is because she got her first tooth, and another is breaking through! She’s getting stronger at pushing up on her hands and knees, and also sits with minimal stability help. She’s been rolling more and more, and pushing herself forward and backwards on her tummy and back, resulting in getting herself into things around her and even getting backed into corners! She’s found her voice and she loves to “talk”. She’s pushing the 14 lb mark, but still hasn’t hit it. I’m hoping her appetite will return once those darn teeth get in!
Maybe you saw this cute girl on TV…GTU Baby’s First Birthday!
The end of the month brought Cameron and Dailee’s wedding. They are such a great couple and we’re so excited to have Dailee in the family! I forgot my camera at both the temple and reception so I ‘borrowed’ these couple of pics from Shawna’s facebook. Michelle took some family pics of us and I will post them when I get them.
Brinnlie with her cute cuz, Kentley…
Congrats Cam & Dailee…Love you guys!
Broxton has been asking this entire Aggie basketball season to go, so Trevor and I took him to one of the last ones. He was SOOO excited, he had to have his own ticket (if you look real closely, you can see that it’s for one back in December---he’s still small enough to not have a ticket to get in, but for his sake he needed one :) ) he got dressed in his Aggie gear, and we were off. He LOVES basketball!
I just love these pictures. Gunnar is so good to his baby sister…He’s such a great reader too!
There you go, our February.
As for March, it begins with Macie’s dance competition at Thanksgiving Point, then Trevor and I are off to Vegas to cheer on the Aggies in the WAC Tournament, and for an overdue vacation!
Brinnlie loves to take herself off of oxygen. This picture shows just how much she gets into pulling it off her face. Notice the NG tube…now keep in mind for the end picture.
December seemed like we we're constantly on the go. Needless to say, as soon as Christmas was done, I was anxious to get it all put away…and that I did! Since it’s been a while ago, I’ll start from the beginning and go through our happenings of what I can remember :)
The first part of the month brought us together with fellow NICU graduates and their families to celebrate Noah’s 1st birthday! Good friends of Tina’s and fellow NICU family, the Cragun’s hosted at their home and we headed south. It was so much fun to see how much all the little ones had grown and how far they’d come in their first year of life---all of the babies at the party were at the U when Brinnlie was born, but we didn’t get to know them very well ‘cause she was transferred to Primary’s, but we’d heard so much about them from associating with Noah’s family and it was great to finally meet them! They are all so inspiring and have miraculous little ones!
Next came Macie’s Winter Dance Recital. She’s so excited to be in dance again and is loving it…I however, am still trying to get the day and time in my mind so she can get there! I don’t know why I can’t remember when it comes to this? She’s doing great and we’re looking forward to future recitals and competitions!
In the week leading up to Christmas we started with FHE in Brigham visiting Santa and the Nativity at the Tabernacle. It was sure cold, but fun to go out together.
Gunnar and Macie were worried that they didn’t see their names on Santa’s “list”…Brinnlie’s was there though :)
Gunnar asked for a 4-wheeler that he could drive.
Macie asked for a hair salon.
Broxton asked for a Christmas train.
We were also blessed to have “ward friends” give us the 12 Days of Christmas. They gave from their heart as well as their pocket to help make our Christmas extra special this year. We received various things like yummy treats, handmade ornaments, food for our liking, and even gifts for Christmas morning…we really felt the Spirit of Christmas, thank you. The kids (and Trevor) especially liked trying to sneak a peek and catch them in the act, but to no avail.
We’re excited to pay it forward through the year to come.
For Christmas Eve we did the traditional Jarrett Party with dinner, then talent show and the nativity following. The kids all sang a song; Gunnar and Macie did Jingle Bells and Broxton the ABC’s. They all had costumes for the nativity scene, but didn’t last long enough to let me get any pictures. I managed to get the boys singing on camera and Broxton got some pictures of the lights though. Maybe Grandma got some?
The kids were anxious to get home and went right to bed so Santa could come…
He did.
They all got what they asked for, and then some. Gunnar and Macie especially love their 4-wheelers…luckily, Christmas day and the couple days following, the weather was good and there wasn’t any snow so they could drive them before they got parked until Spring. Broxton got his trains and has spent the majority of his time building tracks and being Thomas. Brinnlie got some teething rings from Santa…all her other gifts she got earlier as she’s needed them such as a Bumbo chair, a Boppy pillow from the Carrigan’s, toys to grab and look at, ping pong balls, and clothes just to name a few.
As for Trevor and I, well we couldn’t ask for anything more than just being all together as a family…for we’ve received more than we probably deserved this past year. As we take moments to reminisce about things that have transpired and as we take in the present, we are amazed at how much we have to be thankful for and have no doubt who to give credit to. We could not have only gotten through 2010 without family, friends, medical staff, new acquaintances, and strangers who were willing to help ease our burdens in our times of need, but especially not without He who we owe our all too. From the mouths of our babes, “Happy Birthday Jesus”…We truly thank Thee.
As the day went on, we spent time at home and after things settled a bit, we headed to Great-Grandma’s for lunch and visiting the Gardner family. That night, my parents, Shanna and Nate, and Corey and Colten came for dinner and yummy food/treats. After presents and visiting, they headed home and we were ready for bed. We received a call from Sue, one of Brinnlie’s primary nurses wishing Brinnlie a happy 1st Christmas. We talked for a few minutes, giving updates and catching up, then said good night. It was great to hear from her and nice that she thought to call.
New Year’s Came, we slept.
Here’s looking forward to 2011!
