Happy 5th Birthday Elliana!

This pretty little girl is all grown up!


The day before her birthday she discovered two loose teeth, and I'm not sure if she was more excited about the teeth or turning 5!


We had five friends over for her Princess Belle party. The tutu skirts were a hit.


She also got to spend some time riding the rides at Mall of America with just her Daddy. This was pretty special. Although we also had free tickets that had to be used the week before, so mom and the three girls also got to spend some time on the rides! I love this picture because it is so candid.


I look at these pictures and can't believe how grown up she is! And just a couple weeks before her birthday, she finally figured out how to say her "R" sounds. So, she now talks all grown up too. This is one of my favorite ages/stages so far. She is so obedient, sweet, and loving. I feel like she can understand so much more, so she asks more thought-provoking questions, and we have deeper conversations. Do I really have to send her to Kindergarten in a few months? I want her sweet innocence to stay forever.





Ellie is so sensitive and smart and spunky! She is such an old soul -- so responsible and articulate. She is an awesome cleaner and organizer and thinks organizing is fun! This is definitely a talent of hers. She doesn't like clutter and easily trashes what is not used. She is great at remembering things. She is also opinionated and will defend herself if needed. How can someone be sweet and sensitive and strong-willed at the same time? I am not sure, but Ellie definitely is both. I love that little girl!

Living on Love

While waiting for Kyler to get his blood drawn today at Children's Hospital. I stood up to rock him because he got a little fussy. He cuddled up and dozed off. A lady in the waiting room starting to "ohhh" and "ahh" over how sweet it is to cuddle up to a small baby as they drift to sleep. She told me she misses that and can't wait to be a grandma. We began chatting, and I found out that she has seven children and wished she could have had more but couldn't. She had an ectopic pregnancy and lost a fallopian tube and then also lost twins when she had cervical cancer which also caused her to have her other fallopian tube removed. Too much information? That was my first thought, but this lady was awesome. These experiences obviously showed her how these babies are a total miracle and blessing.

She was so unapologetic for having seven kids (why do we always feel like we have to explain when we have big families?), just simply said that she loves kids. Then, I mentioned how impressive I thought it was that she made it that far because with four I feel like I am spread pretty thin. I said, "Well, he's had a lot of health issues though, so maybe that's a good part of it." She then told me that her 13-year-old-son who was sitting with her had 23 doctors! Wow!

She said, "You can do it! It's amazing what you can do when you are driven by love."

This totally brought tears to my eyes and was such a boost to me. It is amazing how much energy you have when love is the driving force. I am so sleep deprived, but I love this baby more than anything. And maybe what I'm dealing with isn't that bad. This is temporary, and I may not have sleep fueling me, but I sure have a lot of love!

Laughing till you puke

A rough road

I am writing this post today because not only is it the first time I've had two hands to type, but because it feels as if the sun is shining and maybe, maybe? Kyler has turned a corner. The above picture is his third "coming home from the hospital" picture from last week. We are hoping the third time is the charm.


For five and a half weeks, our lives have been consumed with doctor's visits, sleepless nights, medications, worry, hospital stays and screaming baby. But they have also been filled with hours of sacrifice, countless acts of selfless love, prayers, and food given to us by so many dear family and friends literally carrying us through these rough weeks.



I want to write this post in hopes that these things are of the past, but Dave warned me that just because we might get a 40-degree day in February, it doesn't mean we can pull out the swimsuits and shorts yet because most likely there is a lot of winter left. The above view is what I spent 14 days staring at. The Children's hospital is building a new facility. I sure hope to never see the finished version.


I have sat in this uncomfortable chair way too long staring at the above view. (Yuck, I do look tired!).


This sweet baby has endured so much more in his first 2 1/2 months than ever seems fair. He is a trooper though. I am certain that it was no accident that he was given the trait of having a fighting desire to eat. This trait that I noticed from day 1, has truly helped him through his RSV and surgery. Because of this, he has gained weight through all of this!


This is the drive Dave and I have made way too many times on the freeway into downtown where the hospital is.

For the past week, since we have been home from the hospital, Kyler has spent hours and hours crying, had diarrhea, and the longest he slept at a time (until this weekend) was 20 minutes. A few nights he cried the entire night. We thought this was probably due to the oral steroids and high-powered antibiotic he had to be on, but then it continued several days longer than the medications. Then he broke out in a rash, so maybe he had another sickness on top of it all? He doesn't sound great yet, but he sounds much better than he did. So, for this minute, we are feeling better. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all of you for everything you have done for us. I know now how loved I am and how sometimes we just cannot do it on our own. I love you all!

Aubrie turns 7!

My cutie Aubrie turned 7 (a month ago!). She is a smart little cookie and a deep thinker. Sometimes these two qualities are a rough mix for her because she tortures herself worrying about things. But she also constantly surprises us with her connections and deep thoughts. Some examples of this: she told us she thought 'The Grinch' must be Jewish since he doesn't like Christmas! One day, she told me how she thought it must have been hard for me when my parents got divorced, but she's actually glad for it because otherwise we never would have had Toni and Lauren (my stepsister and half sister). She often has deep discussions about books she reads and also has impressively creative ideas and projects. She is in love with art projects and her American Girl dolls and books. This is why she chose the theme of a doll craft party for her birthday party.


It is impressive how seven little girls can so intensely work on craft projects for hours and not want to do one other thing! It makes for an easy party! They made necklaces for their dolls, headbands, and decorated little bags for them. Notice the array of dolls they brought (sitting on the couch!).


Aubrie loves school until she feels like she isn't getting enough mama time (which has happened a lot lately with Kyler's health issues). But apparently she does well at school. Her first grade teacher recently emailed us describing her as "happy and silly and works hard. I can't ask for a better student!" Aubrie has many talents and one of them we have learned recently is that she is an awesome speller. She has many friends and is a great sister. We love you Aubrie and are so proud of you!

Surgery for Kyler

Since just after birth, Kyler has been making very squeeky sounds when he breathes. He also has struggled eating and sleeping. The doctor's clinically diagnosed him with Laryngomalacia and Acid Reflux Disease. The doc wasn't worried about it because almost always it is a benign condition that they outgrow by 18 months.

But with Kyler having such bad RSV and the doc's at the hospital feeling like he needed more testing, I got a strong feeling he needed to see the ENT and have a test done that would let us know exactly what his airway was doing. My doctor listened to me, so we did the test, and we found out last week that his airway is so small and tight that the ENT thought he was one of the very few kids who needed surgery to fix it.

She wanted to wait a couple weeks to have him totally over the RSV and see if his airway looked any better. But since then, twice he has turned a blue/grey color while he napped and had an episode where he was really struggling to breathe, and we had to call 911.


Because of a dramatic-filled weekend with trying to get an apnea monitor, him starting to get a new cold, and his struggling to breathe episode, I took him to the pediatrician yesterday morning to try to have my questions answered. She spoke to the ENT, and the ENT called and said the surgery has to happen today or else he will have to be hospitalized until we do it to keep him safe.

So Kyler is scheduled to have his Supraglottoplasty surgery today to open up his airway. It is a guarantee two nights in the hospital (one in the PICU) and a possible need for a breathing tube following the surgery. The biggest risk is scar tissue or the possibility of a tracheotomy. The pediatric surgeon has done about 100 of these and is confident that all should go well. The procedure lasts about 15 minutes and they open up the airway with tiny scissors and a CO2 laser.

My biggest worry about doing it today is that it he has this cold. They assured me they would look him over before hand, and if they thought he was too sick they wouldn't do it. The doctors feel that a monitor is not safe for him, because they aren't worried he's going to stop breathing but more worried if the air is going through or not.


I think he is in good hands at the Children's Hospital with these doctors, but I hope you will remember him in your prayers in the next few days. Specifically, that they will know if he is healthy enough to undergo the surgery and of course that there be no complications. My other concern is that he can't eat for five and a half hours before the surgery (this kid is screaming and ready to eat every two hours). It is scary to put him through something like this when he is so little, but it has also been painful seeing him struggle so much to breathe, eat, etc. Every cold he gets could mean more hospital or 911 calls, and that's just not a good way to be living!

With all the love, concern, prayers, and big and small acts of kindness to me and my family, I have felt my Heavenly Father's abundant love. I feel so blessed, so loved, and I am so grateful to know we have so many people to count on and help us through hard times. We love you and will once again try to keep you all posted. Thank you for all you do for me and my family!

He's home!

Kyler came home from the hospital on Friday! He is still sick, and should be for at least another week to three weeks, but he is doing much better. I can't believe we were there for 10 days! We are so thankful for the many prayers on our behalf as we know this is what helped him heal. Returning home has been a little wild to say the least since Kyler seems to be a full-time, around-the-clock job at the moment, and I am pretty much behind on every aspect of my life (especially sleep!). But, we wanted to update all of you to thank you for your prayers, concern, and love.

Our RSV story began when Teyah was quite sick for a good solid week. Then Dave got it, then Aubrie. They weren't quite as sick, but then Kyler and I got it at the same time. His started with two days of a little congestion. Then, I noticed a fever. I called the doc and they said because he's so young, I should bring him in. At that time, they discovered an ear infection. I couldn't believe a 5-week-old could have an ear infection!

The next day, he started a cough and became so sleepy. It was the best he's slept at night, but with his cough I didn't sleep at all and pretty much stood over him the whole night (oh, and I was sick with a fever and cough this night as well. This was the sickest I have been in years). The next day, his color looked bad to me, and he stayed really sleepy. That night, his cry started to sound weird and Dave, and I decided we better take him back to the doctor.

I took him to the after hours clinic. When I got there and undressed him for his weight check (10 pounds, 4 ounces), I noticed he was breathing fast. The doctor came in and was quite alarmed with how fast he was breathing. She then took his oxygen saturation levels, which were in the low to mid 80's. She told me he had RSV and needed to be sent to Children's Hospital to be admitted. She said, "I don't mean to alarm you, but I need to call 911 and you need to go by ambulance." Apparently, one of the scary things about RSV and newborns is that they work so hard to breathe that sometimes they just get too tired and stop breathing.



So, before I knew it, seven EMT's were there, and I was on the ambulance holding an oxygen mask over Kyler. The ambulance ride was an experience I have never had before -- and he experienced at only 6 weeks! We made it to the ER, and they took a chest x-ray and nasal swab to confirm the RSV diagnosis. Apparently, RSV causes bronchiolitis, which is inflammation of the small airways of the lungs. This was actually the reason for his hospitalization. He was hooked up to oxygen which didn't control his levels, so they moved to a special machine they call "high flow." Basically, it forces the oxygen into the lungs and also adds a little humidity to help the secretions move around in the lungs and forces the airways to open up. He did well on this and stayed on it for eight days. All the while, they tried weaning him off of it.

Since birth, Kyler has suffered with some other issues that the doctor had decided to wait to run tests on, clinically diagnosing him with Acid Reflux Disease and Laryngomalacia. The malacia makes him a VERY squeaky breather. It turns heads everywhere we go, and has made it nearly impossible for him to sleep on his back (yes we have been exhausted). We think because he already had airway issues to start out with is the reason it took him so long to overcome his severe portion of the sickness.


All ready to return home from the hospital!

We had a scary time in the hospital where he turned blue for a couple minutes. We are not sure if this was the RSV, the malacia, the reflux, or all of the above because each of those things can cause episodes like this. Our last day in the hospital, they chose to run a few tests on him (an upper GI series, swallow study, and airway fluoro). In hindsight, I wish we would have held off on these because that too was a very traumatic experience, and we truly didn't gain any information from the tests other than his anatomy looks in tact.

Whenever I have had trials in my life, I also have had tiny miracles to help me get through them. One of these miracles was Dave's Aunt Debbie coming to take care of the girls. Her ticket had been purchased for her to stay eight days, and the timing was such that literally as I walked into the house with Kyler, we gave her a hug and then Dave took her to the airport for her to return home. It would have been so difficult to be in the hospital for that long without her help with the girls. I was able to not worry as much about them and focus my efforts on Kyler. Thanks Debbie and family! We sure love you guys! (:

We will follow up this week with Kyler's pediatrician and most likely do some more testing on the laryngomalacia. For now, we are giving him nebulizer treatments every 4-6 hours, and is taking Prevacid for his Reflux.


While we were in the hospital, Aubrie turned 7! This was stressful to me because I wanted Aubrie to feel loved and special yet didn't know how to get away from the hospital. Fortunately, two wonderful friends came and sat with him while I was able to get away twice during the day to celebrate with Aubrie. I was able to go to Mall of America with her and ride some of the rides. It was a special time together that I will never forget. It felt so good to just let loose and enjoy being with her. It did feel a little odd to be having fun as my baby was in the hospital, but I think it was just what Aubrie and I both needed. The girls missed their mama and their mama missed them.


We were there long enough that Kyler continued to meet his developmental milestones. It was so surprising to me that this would happen while he was so sick in the hospital. But, I was so grateful. He became quite the smiler during this time, and he also LOVED this mobile they put on his bed. He smiled and smiled at it and even began to "talk" to it. This mobile was definitely one of my happier moments through these difficult days.


The girls are happy to have their baby brother home with them! They were so worried and prayed each night on their own for him.

The Kyler Update

Kyler has been in the hospital now for 6 days. At this point, we're still not sure how much longer he'll be here. He's been charming the nursing staff with his bright little smile, even as he has been hooked up to oxygen. Thank you for all the prayers and support as his health has been stable for the last few days.


Thank heaven for Dave's Aunt Debbie who flew out from California to help take care of the girls and run the house. We are also grateful to all of our friends who have helped.


As many of you have asked for more frequent updates, we will be providing a few "tweets" each day on our twitter account (twitter.com/KUpdate)

Prayers for Kyler

Our little Kyler has been hospitalized since Tuesday night with RSV (bronchiolitis). We sincerely ask that you consider praying for him. We know that prayer is the only medicine that will help him overcome this virus.

Budding performer

*I started this post right before Kyler got sick, so really this happened in December. Just playing catch up! (still!)


Aubrie performed her first piano recital. After just three months of piano lessons, we were pleasantly surprised how well she felt the music and truly performed it!


Her piano teacher is Russian trained and very skilled and just perfect for her.


Her best buddy Abby also played her first recital! These two have been great friends since they were two. Look at them now -- all grown up!

Merry Christmas!

The little dude shows his moves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Baby heaven

With four kids, it has made me truly appreciate and love having a newborn. I am certain that with my first, she couldn't get big fast enough or to the next stage quick enough. But I have learned how fast they grow that I appreciate it more. I know that Kyler will change and grow each day so I have to hold on to each day that he is so tiny and precious.


These little newborn outfits and socks that are swimming on him will fit him in a week and be too small in another week. His newborn smell and little lamb cry will vanish. His little squeaks will also disappear.


I had a rough pregnancy and at times, especially in the beginning, it was hard to imagine the reward I would get at the end. But as I hold my little baby boy I know it was worth every minute of nausea, heartburn, or random aches and pains. I could never trade him for those 9 months of my life back, and now it seems like such a small price to pay.


Aubrie was the only one of the kids who was able to meet Kyler in the hospital (because of the visitor policy with H1N1). She enjoyed helping give him his first bath.


Teyah affectionately calls him "Dady Dodder" (baby brother) and enjoys giving him his binky, diapers, blankets, etc.


Ellie was so surprised at how tiny he is. She wasn't expecting him to be so small and at first was kind of afraid. She didn't want to hold him. But then, she held his finger and wouldn't leave his side after that.


As I'm sure you've noticed, Kyler has WILD hair! If I slick it down, as soon as it dries it sticks straight up again. But the funniest thing to me is how curly it is when it's wet. If you click on this picture, you can see better.


One of the first things I learned about Kyler is he does not like to be cold. Poor guy... Being born in the winter in the great north is not going to work so well for him! This hat is really NOT as big as it appears to be!

Finally, another man joins the fam

Kyler Kent was born at 4:05 pm and his big sisters couldn't be more excited. He stands 20 inches tall and weighs 7 lbs 7 ounces. Everyone is doing great, and we will post more soon.