Liljenquist Family

My poor little girl

2009-05-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

So today was an eventful one. Ryan and I had spent the weekend in Vegas with some awesome friends:) and had a blast(no kids!!!). When we got back we found a rash on Bailee's leg. Apparently it started on Sat night and was just red skin and by Sun night it looked awful. So this morning after dropping the older girls off at school, I called the Dr and they wanted to see her.

Prognosis.........my poor Bailee has Shingles.

While I was talking to the Dr, Bailee was playing on the stroller w/ Brody and the Dr and I watched in slow motion as Bailee slid off the side and cracked her head on the table leg. I picked her up and held her and when I lifted my hand it was covered in blood. It bled hard for about 30 seconds and then just stopped so she didn't need stitches--thank goodness.

After all this the Dr said her main concern was for Brody. He just turned one and didn't have his chicken pox vaccine yet. Well as fate would have it, we are in between insurance right now. Its was effective May 1st but still being processed so we don't have any of the info. So I ended up having to take Brody to the clinic to get the free shots and hopefully he won't get chicken pox. We'll see. Poor guy had to endure 7 shots.

As for an update for Brody--At his Modified Barium Swallow he went back on Honey thick feeds so no more feeding tube!! YEAH!!!! We will start an electrical therapy in about two months that will help strengthen the muscles so he won't need thickened feeds. He is getting to be a chunk so he is definitely not missing out on any calories.

Easter time

2009-04-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

Quick update. Modified Barium Swallow scheduled for the 23rd for Brody so hopefully he can get rid of the nose tube. He is such a good boy, always smiling and eating whatever he can. He gets upset when he sees a sippy cup and can't have it.

These are just a bunch of randon Easter pics of the girls.

On the Saturday before Easter my mom's family gets together to eat and let the kids hunt some eggs and play.

This is Rylee trying to smile but it was sprinkling so she wouldn't look up.

My main man Brody with a smile as usual.

Cheesy grin by Kodee.
She refuses to keep anything in her hair or wipe off her mouth.
These are a few shots of the girls at my mom's house Easter morning finding their Easter baskets and the goodies inside.

Now it is time for finding the Easter eggs. Special thanks to Aunt Kelsey for helping the Easter bunny hide them all.

You would think that was enough fun for one day but we still had a ton more fun to have at Nana Bonnie's and Papa Randy's.

More eggs Brody and Kodee love their papa.

If you can't tell she just got up from a nap and is not too happy!
This is my brother in law trying to be sexy...maybe next time.

Cute as cute can be.

This is lil Miss Ava Brooklyn. KCs little one--I finally got a pic-she looks kinda scared but her mommy is holding her.

I'z jes kid-ding

2009-03-29T23:10:00.000-07:00

Sooooo.....Last Thurs morning @ 10am the dr said we are sending you home today----Yeah!!!!!!! After a few mix ups with the equipment company and waiting forever, we were released at 11 pm that night. We got home and nestled in bed- so glad that the ordeal was over. They had finally allowed him to start eating solids that morning and he did great. The endoscopy just showed reflux and the Bronchoscopy showed the airway was red and inflamed(because he was aspirating the feeds). No serious problem, it was just something that he was going to have to grow out of. Because he was still having problems with liquids, they were sending him home with the NG tube and we have a follow up Modified Barium Swallow next month and hopefully he can get the tube out. Anyway, cut to 1 am Fri morning(2hours after released) Brody is throwing up, same at 4am and again at 7am. He was on a continuous drip @ night. I called the GI dr and they wanted me to spread his day feeds over 2 hrs instead of 1. They thought it may be a little too much for is tummy since he had been reduced to eating 3 oz at feedings. Anyways, still throwing up all day and then the diarrhea started. He wasn't getting alot of fluid to start with and they were definitely coming out alot faster than they were going in. So 7pm back to ER and he was admitted w/ a virus. We were so close to freedom-that is where the "I'z jes kid-ding" comes in. So, it's Sunday night and he is still there with Ryan and I will head back to a fun filled day of being confined to a room with a 10 month old sick boy.(that is me complaining) He is still sick but they started he back on a little bit of formula today. Hopefully we will know the plan tomorrow and we can get back home soon.

This is Brody last Wednesday in the playroom. He is such a trooper. We can't go there this time since he is contagious.

He is so stinkin cute!!(If you ask me)

This was his favorite toy in the play room. He would push those things down over and over. His hands have socks taped on them so he wouldn't pull the IV in his head out. There was a bunch of toys he couldn't play with since he couldn't use his hands. But he always had a smile and the nurses loved him.

Oops, I did it again!!!

2009-03-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

It seems like any time I blog that things are going fairly well with Brody, I am made a liar. Yep, we are back at Phoenix Children's Hospital. He started to aspirate and choke on his pudding thick feeds. He had choked a few days ago and again Wednesday morning he started to turn blueish. After the 3rd choking episode I called his GI dr and took him to the clinic @ 1. They wanted to admit him so we went to the ER and were in the waiting room until5:30, then in a room until 1amuntil they moved us upstairs. It was a long day since you can't just put him down to crawl around and the bed was just a flat bed. They wouldn't let him have any fluids so he ended up not eating for 14 hours+(he was not a happy camper-neither was I) The nurse in the ER was apparently new and had to keep asking question to others. She put in an ng (feeding tube) which had to be redone upstairs and finally put in an IV at midnight which had to be redone upstairs too. Needless to say I was upset and so was the nurse upstairs. He was supposed to be being fed cuz they had to stop the feed at 2am because he had an MRI @ 8am but they moved it back so he could have some food. Thanks goodness. His MRI was clean. They have his feeding tube on a continuous drip right now. He has a bronchospy and endocospy on Mon so we will be there until next week. My poor little guy is such a trooper. It sounds like we will have to come home w/ the feeding tube-yuck! Hopefully they can figure out what is wrong.

Brody's update

2009-03-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

At the end of November, Brody had a Modified Barium Swallow. Because he was a preemie, he aspirates his feeds(his food goes down the wrong pipe into his lungs) so his feeds are thickened. His bottles were at a honey consistency. After the swallow test the results indicated that he was still having trouble so he was to stay on the thickened feeds---YUCK!!!

At the end of Feb. it was time for another Modified Barium Swallow for Brody. This time the results were worse. He went from a honey thickness to now pudding. Meaning any fluids he gets are as thick as pudding. I can only imagine how he would love to have a drink of water. The pudding thickness is the worst you can be before having to have a feeding tube put in. We followed up with his GI and pulmonary Drs who were not happy w/ the results so they want a repeat. If the results come back the same then he has to have a brain scan and also a scope down his throat. My poor little guy!! He is such a trouper though. He is always smiling and you would never know his was having some issues w/ eating. Only time will tell what is going on there. Hopefully we will know soon and it can be fixed. The next swallow test is scheduled for mid April.

I think that he is about 6 months here. Don't let the drool fool you-he just barely got his first 2 teeth this month.

These pics are from when he was about 9 months--about a week before he was in the hospital--read below). (I really need to start taken more pics) He is so stinking cute if you ask me.

It's been awhile!!!

2009-03-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

Alrighty now...I know it has been forever so I will just do a quick update on what has been going on in the last....oh... say...4+months. I know I am slacking in my blogging--what can I say, that's what having 4 kids will do to you.

November—
My family did the Turkey Trot in Mesa. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it.

I think this pic makes it look like Rylee is at the 3mile mark at 41.13 and still running strong.(We only did the 2 mile run)

This is my papa, Rylee, my mom, Bailee, Ryan, Kodee, me and Brody.

This is Rylee and Kodee doing the cake walk at our Thanksgiving get together. Our family is pretty big and we have lots of fun activities for the kids.

December—
This is Rylee and Kodee enjoying the grand town on Williams, AZ when we went up north for the Polar Express. We go every year and the kids love it. This year the cold wasn’t so bad, last year we froze—I am definitely an AZ sun girl(I like the heat and the sun, unless of course I am skiing)

As far as Christmas goes, I have to admit it but I think that my kids are a bit spoiled. This is a gift from one of their favorite aunts, Kelsey.
This is Bailee sporting her cool vans.

January—
We ended up taking Brody to the hospital on Wed, January 14. Brody had been sick with pooping and puking. His eyes looked weird to me that morning but I had been up with him all night so I just figured I was tired. This is from my phone but your can see how his eyes are kinda sunken in.

He was just laying there-just his eyes moving. So I called the dr and they said to take him to Phx Childrens. So off we went. By the time we got there he was so lethargic. They pricked his finger to ck his blood and he didn’t even flinch. We they put in the IV he just grunted then nothing. We had a ton of drs come in to check out he “listless baby”—kinda freaky. Anyways, he was in the hospital for 4 days. They drs said it was just a virus. He was back to his smiley self in no time.

I attended a camera workshop in the middle of Jan. It is put on by a girl I went to high school with. It is for people who want to become more familiar with their Nikon or Cannon Camera. Let me just say it was awesome. So much great info-almost too much. Then she shows how to use natural light to take pics. It was awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome!!! Anyone interested these are her sites:
http://www.sarahgoodmanphotography.com/htmlver/index.php
http://joyinthejourney.typepad.com/my_weblog/

February—
Phatty Jr was born. Finally, Ava Brooklyn Adair was born on February 12th to my sister Kaci and her husband Tyson. I don’t have any pics but if you ask me she is the spittin image of my sister KC.

As for now, nothing much is going on. We are getting ready to head to the Dunes next weekend--I can't wait!!

Fatty Magee

2008-11-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

Fatty Magee will be 6 months on the 11th. I can hardly believe that it has been 6 months since our ordeal in the hospital. He is quite the growing boy and just solid. He loves to laugh and when anyone pays attention to him. This month I have a total of 9 doctors appointments. He had his EKG/ECHO last week. The EKG is showing some thickening of his heart wall but the ECHO was clear so the cardiologist doesn't think that it will amount to anything but we still have to follow up in 6 months. He had a GI appointment on Thursday. He is still having problems with his acid reflux and taking Previcid(Follow up in 2months). The appointment with his Physical Therapist went well and she was impressed his progress and how strong he is. He has his 6 month appt with his pediatrician next week along with a RSV shot at another office. The following week we will see the pulmonologist again. They have taken him off caffeine and the apnea machine. The week of Thanksgiving we have an appointment with the Neurologist to have a head ultrasound to check the brain bleed. Also we have an appt to see the radiologist to have a Modified Barium Swallow. This is when we will find out if we can thin out his feeds or if he will still aspirate it into his lungs. Right now he is on a honey thick formula(1Tbls of rice cereal to every 1 oz formula). This is all of the fun that Brody and I get to have and poor Bailee will be dragged along. Luckily the older ones will be in school. I can't imagine if I have to entertain all of them at the dr.s

Brody was a pee in the pod for Halloween. We didn't get many shots of him so I took a few today before we put the costumes away. He is so stinking cute if you ask me:)

Bailee is 10 months older but you can hardly tell in this shot. Bailee is on the small side so I am sure it will not be long before Brody catch ed up.

His Physical Therapist wants him to sit as much as possible so here he is in a Bumbo. He will only stand it for a few minutes. He is still pretty stiff which is common for preemies. We do exercises with him everyday.

I thought this pic was cute. He was getting upset at being in the Bumbo and making faces.

Bailee's Update

2008-11-08T08:46:00.001-08:00

Bailee has been such a trooper through out her hand injury. I figure she must have a high pain tolerance because she really only cried the day it happened. She didn't really fuss everyday when we would have to change her bandages. In fact we would have to stop her from taking them off and picking at them. This pic is of Bailee a week after it happened when the doctors said that she didn't have to wear bandages any more. We just have to put lotion of them a few times a day and stretch them and they don't think that she will have any scars. YEAH!!!!

This is of Bailee today. Her hands are just pink and looking good.

Halloween

2008-11-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of the kids on Halloween. We hung out on the neighbors carport and ate pizza then took the kids around the neighborhood for trick or treating. The kids loved it. Kodee would say trick or treat all the way down the street, up the walkway and then when they would open the door she was suddenly shy. Go figure.

Thanks to Papa Tom for toting a wounded Bailee around.

This is Kodee and Maija, our neighbor. They are best friends and held hands while trick or treating.

Halloween Party

2008-11-08T07:17:00.000-08:00

OK-So it took me a little while to sit down and get things uploaded. I have been trying to catch up on all the crazy loan stuff that is going on right now and that takes up my nights. Which is the only time to sit down and use the computer without 4 kids in my lap. Here are some pics of the kids at Kodee and Rylee's preschool, Little Scholars Academy. It was so cute. They had face painting, arts and crafts, food and games. The kids did a little presentation of a pumpkin song which my kids refused to do because they were too busy eating. Apparently they take after me.

This is Rylee, her cousin Ana Milan, their teacher Miss Jenna, and some of the other student.

Here is my buzzy little bee playing with the doll house at the school.

Brody is passed out while Kodee and Bailee go to town making scarecrows. They had a blast.

This is my pretty princess with her cousin Ana Milan waiting to get their pizza. Rylee is only 2 weeks older. Ana Milan is closer to Kodee's height.

I just thought these were too cute of my little lady bug. I love the tongue.

My poor baby all bandaged up. Notice only one shoe one cuz the other one was too fat with the bandages on.

Have you done one of these???

2008-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Copy and paste the words. Bold the things you have done...

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run . 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke . 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business . 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check . 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt. 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job . 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone . 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House . 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee

My poor baby!!

2008-10-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

WARNING...the next few pics are heartbreaking. Yesterday all three girls were playing on the patio table(Its dark). Kelsey was taking them inside to eat lunch and put Bailee down for a nap. Bailee was just hanging out on the table when Kelsey lifted her up and she started to cry. Kels saw one of her hand and ran it under water when she saw the other hand and one foot. I called the pediatrician and they said come right in. We threw the other 3 in the car and Kels held her in the back. When we got the the dr.s they took one look at her and said take her to the burn unit. So off we went. Bailee was missing her nap and she was sooo tired that she would start to pass out then after about 30 seconds the pain would kick in and she would cry. She was crying to hard that she burst a blood vessel in her forehead. At the hospital we watched as a red/purple bruise just appeared. The burn center was great and immediately took her in and put soothing gel on her hands and the gave her some Tylenol w/ Codeine. She was still crying so hard until that kicked in then she passed out. They took off the dead skin and wrapped it up. She slept well through the night and didn't have medicine until about 11am. She started using her hands as much as she could bandaged up. She would get so frustrated that she couldn't hold anything. These pics are from when we changed out the bandages. About an hour later she took off one of the wraps and was picking at it. Disgusting!! We had to tape the bandages on. She is one tough cookie. She still managed to keep up with her sisters. Granted Kodee has 102 degree fever so that slowed her down some. Anyways, they said we will have to bandage it for at least 10 days. The doctors think that the table was not hot enough to instantly burn her but just hot enough to literally, slowly cook her skin.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Family Pics

2008-10-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, Ryan's cousin Cindy of lilypstudios took some family pics of us. I was amazed that we actually got some good ones. It was sooo stinkin' hot that the girls were miserable. They wanted nothing to do with cooperating. We are going to attempt it again next weekend now that it has cooled down a little. Thanks Cindy for the awesome pics and for being so patient. Here are some pics from round one.

Don't you just love this face. Can you see the defiance??

Now if I had this at home maybe it would stay somewhat clean

My Bailee knows how to get down and loves to do it. Anytime there is music playing she will start jammin' out. Especially in a store or in the car.

These two are two peas in a pod. They are very protective of each other. If one is getting in trouble the other will run to their rescue and say "No yell at my friend" Gotta love it!!

I just think that she is B-E-A-utiful. Maybe I am just biased cuz I'm the mom.

My Crew!!

I love Kodee's lone freckle.

How To Be A Good Wife

2008-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

I hope my cousin doesn't mind but I stole this article from her blog. It comes from a 1950's high school home economics book. While a few points may be true, I'm sure glad times have changed. I'm sure my husband would appreciate it if I did some of these things once in a while, either that or he'd think I'd gone completely crazy. I couldn't help but think that I am sure none of these women had more than 2 kids. There is no way that this would be possible in my home. I am lucky some days to have an ounce of sanity left. Rylee, my oldest was still 2 years old when my forth, Brody was born. Things are constantly on the go around here but I wouldn't have it any other way. Hope you get a laugh out of this!

" Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal-on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small. Comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him, greet him with a smile and be glad to see him.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints.
Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.
Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.Listen to him. You have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first
Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
Your goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit."

Giggles

2008-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today my sister Kelsey was doing Brody's physical therapy exercises with him and he started laughing so much and I could not resist putting it up on the Blog.

Who's a FATTY????

2008-09-04T09:31:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe that Brody is almost 4 months old. It seems like a lifetime ago when we dealt with the whole hospital thing.

This is a picture that aunt Lisa took right after he was born. You can see that his cord is still there. He was 3 lbs 14 oz and 16 inches long.

The next two pics are ones that the hospital took. These are the pics that they brought me to see him since I was in ICU. He was born on Sunday morning and the first time I saw him was on Wednesday afternoon. I still can not beieve how tiny he looks in Ryan's arm and how tiny his head looks next to Ryan's.

So who's a fatty you ask?? Well it would be this tank right here. Hardly the same baby. Last week he weighed in at 11 and a half pounds.

Family Reunion

2008-09-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend our family has a family reunion. It is great to see and spend time together. The kids always have a blast and love playing with their cousins. Our family is huge into games and it seems like there is always one going on at the cabin. Here are a few pics of all the fun we had. Most of them are inside cuz it rained a ton but we still had fun. Especially the kids who didn't let the rain slow them down a bit.

Jon, Megan, Kellee, Ryan and Tom playing Ticket to Ride.

Spencer, Miriam, Sterling,Kevin, Kim, KC, Tyson, Catherine, Harmony, and

Kristofer playing Trivia Pursuit--80s and 90s--oh yeah!!

Darla, Nan, Cindy, Marla, Grandma, Mikki, and Mike playing some new game the Kellis' made up and invented new rules all the time--jk
Here is Kodee on the first day we got up there. She had been plaing hard all day and decided she was tired so she climbed under the table as we were making dinner and passed out. She does that in the strangest places.

Here is Kodee on the 2nd day we were there. She passed out on the swing but would not give up here cookie which is still in her hand.

More Family Reunion Pics

2008-09-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Uncle Kevin and Chloe--all smiles.

Brandon doing the dirty deed.

All the kids love the trampoline.

Michelle, Kevin and Jake relaxing on the porch.

This is Kodee being Kodee.

Little Update

2008-08-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Brody is doing well. He has not had an apnea episode in over two weeks--YEAH!! We have an appointment with the pulmonologist next week. Hopefully things will continue this way. He is getting to be a fatty (probably from the dilly bars that aunt Kelsey feeds him)and finally starting to pay attention to things around him. We have appointments with his cardiologist and neurologist next month along with his 4 month appointment. I can not believe how fast time is going by. It is kinda sad but then again I can't wait for him to get bigger and stronger and past the preemie problems.

The other girls are doing great. Rylee and Kodee love going to school together. Their teachers tell me that they really look out for each other. Kodee is starting to use the potty every once in a while. She actually just loves to wash her hands. Bailee is finally walking after refusing to for months. The harder we tried to get her to walk the harder she would refuse and crawl every where. When I finally gave up and figured she would do it when she was ready, she started walking two days later.

Singing is not our family's forte

2008-08-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I have already accepted the fact that we will never be offered multi-million dollar contract let alone be asked to sing in church. That is perfectly fine with us. Unfortunately it seems that are children are subjected to the same fate.

She's not as innocent as she looks

2008-08-18T19:18:00.001-07:00

Story time...

The other day Brody was hanging out on the couch. His loving sister thought that he looked hungry and climbed on the couch. I was in the kitchen fixing dinner and heard Brody start coughing. I ran over to see what was going on and saw Bailee's hand in his mouth and thought she was just trying to gag him. I went over and picked him up cuz he started crying. He was coughing a little still and when I looked in his mouth I say the top quarter part of this---

in the back of his throat. I told Ry and he came over and tried to get it out while I held Brody upside down. No luck and Ry figured he would go looking for pliers--smart, I know. Anyways, Brody was coughing and crying pretty bad so I stuck my finger in his mouth as far as I could and did a quick sweep and it popped out. It as a scary moment. Brody was just fine as soon as it was out and Bailee was great thinking that she was helping out her little brother. She was all smiles, but she's not as innocent as she looks.

I spoke too soon

2008-08-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

I spoke a little too soon. On Wednesday, Brody started having apnea episodes every couple of minutes, meaning that he kept forgetting to breathe. He also had 102 degree fever. He was in the Pediatric ICU til Saturday and has been on the regular pediatric floor at Phoenix Children's Hospital since. The doctors said that he could possibly go home tomorrow or Wednesday. We saw everyone from cardiologists, neurosurgeons, pulmonologist, speech therapists, etc... Everyone trying to figure out why he was having these episodes. They think that he just had a cold that triggered them and being preemie, it affected him strongly. They did do a ton of test and found a few minor things unrelated to the apnea. He has a small brain bleed, which is common in preemies and should heal itself and something is up with his heart beat. When they do an EKG the beats are a little too far apart. It is something the doctors said that we will just have to keep an eye on. He has been a real trooper considering he has been stuck by a ton of needles and all the nurses love him but who wouldn't love that face.

Here is his big sister Rylee taking good care of him and feeding him.

This is video of Rylee telling Brody that it will be OK while feeding him then letting me know she was done.

Pics of the goings ons

2008-07-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile so I thought I would just throw up a few pictures of the kids. Brody is doing well. Still having a few problems with apnea but he is getting big and strong. He is 8 lbs 12oz. Which is normal for a newborn since his due date was last Sunday. Here he is working on tummy time and then being accosted by his big sister Bailee who loves to give him kisses--they are more like open mouthed tongue licks.

This is my two big girl princesses ready to go to church with daddy. They love nursery. Mommy stayed home with Bailee and Brody.

The other day Kodee didn't want to take a nap during the afternoon because we had friends over and she was too busy playing. So at dinner time she ate half of her dinner and I turned around to find her passed out like this.

This is my little man on his due date.

This is Bailee being a big sister to Brody. She loved holding him and fussed when we took him away. She also loves trying to feed him his bottle and shoving his pacifier in his mouth. Aren't they stinkin cute!!

My Little Man

2008-07-06T12:59:00.001-07:00

This is Brody's first bath after we got home. He did awesome and didn't cry at all. Although I think he likes showers best.

This is a picture of Brody as of today. At his last appointment he was 7 lbs 4.4 oz. Almost twice his birth weight. He will be 2 months on July 11th and is doing well even though he is still not due til July 20th. He is still on one machine that monitors his oxygen levels and 3 medications that help with his apnea, acid reflux, and constipation. He still keeps mom and dad up all night but maybe someday we will catch up on our sleep. Maybe!!??

A Summer of Swimming

2008-07-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

The girls absolutely love going swimming in our pool. It works great to get the girls to help pick up their toys before swimming and they are getting good.

Kodee is starting to insist on not using floating and loves to jump in on her own, so we always have to keep an eye on her.

Here is Rylee. She loves to jump off and swim to daddy. She can swim the entire length of the pool(about 35 ft). She also loves going off the slide and being thrown up in the air.

Bailee's 1st Birthday

2008-07-06T12:40:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe that Bailee is already 1 year. Where does the time go??? We had a little get together with family at our house with pizza and swimming. This is Bailee precake.

This is picture of Bailee postcake. All she wanted was the icing and spit out the cake.

Here she is opening gifts and I just thought it was a funny pic--kinda like a dance move.

Kodee Ba-godee

2008-07-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Since Kodee recently turned 2 she is now able to go to the preschool with Rylee. Both girls love it and are always excited to go and then come home and tell us what they learned. Rylee can spell her name and both girls are very good at recognizing letters and colors. It is so exciting to watch them learn. This is a pic of Kodee's first day at school.

Kodee is known as our adventurer. She is always on the go and getting into to everything especially if she knows she should not be in it. I came into the kitchen the other day to find her on the counter eating the mac and cheese out of the container. Funny thing though--the mac and cheese on her plate on the table wasn't touched. HUH!?!?

What a month!!

2008-06-12T13:19:00.003-07:00

Can I just say that it has been quite the month since Brody was born? 5 days after I was released from the hospital I was readmitted with 104 degree fever and infection. I was in the hospital 8 days. Brody was released 2 days later and the two of us went to stay at my moms since Ryan and the girls were sick. Sunday night Ryan was getting ready to take us home and I had a lot of pressure on my incision and looked to find it red and leaking. Needless to say--back to the hospital. After waiting 7 hrs in the ER I had one of the OB residents that helped with my surgery come to look at it. He popped the abscess(which was disgusting, packed it and wrapped it up). We headed home finally at 5am on Monday morning. Then on Wednesday morning at about 3:30 am Brody stopped breathing and turned blue. We had to call 911, which was a first for me. They took us to Mendy's Place at John C Lincoln Hospital, which was worthless. I have never been more frustrated at the inept medical profession. We were transferred to St Joseph's cause they were better equipped to handle premature babies and some of my fears were put at ease. They are taking very good care of him. We are not sure how long he will be in there. He is having trouble keeping his oxygen level up. Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and support.

Update for Us

2008-05-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

After 50 days in the hospital, they finally kicked me out. I have been doing good(thank goodness for pain killers). I went back to the hospital today to see Brody and they took the catheter out, which was my last tube to be removed. YEAH!!!! I am healing better than they expected. That has nice to hear after being told quite a few time that it was touch and go and I am lucky to be around. The doctors have said that if things had waited a little longer, like they wanted to, that chances are I wouldn't be here. I definitely have so much to be thankful for; especially my little man. He is doing awesome. He would be 32 weeks along if I was still pregnant. So he is 2 weeks today. He weighs 4 lbs 4.8oz(3lbs14oz at birth). He no longer has an IV and is bottle feeding all of his feeds as of last night. He was tired of the feeding tube and pulled it out. In the next few days they are going to see how he maintains his body temps. As of right now he is still in the incubator but according the the nurses--still feisty as ever. Thanks again to everyone that has helped with the girls and for keeping me and Brody in your prayers. We definitely has someone looking out for us. Here are a few pics of him and us.

Injuries

2008-05-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

I know that all of your were interested in seeing my battle scars:)

This is my tummy--ignore the stretch marks.

This the my neck where the a-line was stitched in to supply me with blood.

Here is my arm. I don't so well with IVs. They had one in my bicep, for arm and my wrist and they all leave marks.

He's Here

2008-05-16T06:47:00.000-07:00

Brody Vaughn Liljenquist

Sunday, May 11, 2008

9:51 am

3 lbs 14 oz

16 inches

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ME!!!

He is doing great, especially for being only 30 weeks. He only needed a breathing tube for a few hours then he was breathing on his own. He still has a feeding tube but eats very well; up about 2 Tbl per feeding already. All the nurses comment that he is feisty. Lets hope grows out of that some. Here are a couple of pictures of him, anyone who wants a few more gory details-the painful story is below.

OK, for a few more details: I had just been sent back to ante-partum on last Thursday which is like a long term, stable wing. I had a bleeding scare the Monday before. I was excited to be back from High risk cuz they are less fussy. I woke up on Mother's day to a little bleeding. The nurse put me on the baby monitor and about 30 minutes later--Whoosh--blood started coming out. The Dr. came in and said lets head to the OR and get this done. As they wheeled me down, I called Ryan and my mom to let them know what was going on. I was in the OR pretty quick and the rest of the story is from what other people have told me cuz I don't remember anything til Tuesday. When they put me under they quickly did the c-section with a vertical incision. Then the surgeons went to work. It was a lot worse than they thought. I was in surgery for over 5 hour. I used 18 unit of blood(drs are nervous if you lose 4 unit) and 8 more transfused over the next two days in recovery. When I came out of surgery I was minus a baby, uterus, cervix, 1/2 a bladder and 1/2 another female organ. But I had a tube down my throat, an a-line stitched into my jugular, an a-line in my left wrist, 2 IVs in my right arm, a catheter, lots of staples up my tummy and a drain line in my side. So i guess it was a give and take situation. All of the Drs and surgeon have let me know that I am lucky to be here. When I woke up they had my arms strapped down to the bed(It's a good thing cuz I would have ripped that stupid tube out of my throat-that thing sucks) So far everything has been removed except for one IV line, the catheter, the drain line and the staples. I have physical therapy now to try and build up my strength after being in bed for the past 45 days. It is exhausting. I get to see Brody once a day cuz that is all I have the strength for right now. If anyone else wants to see him AND visit me let me know when you are coming and I can take you into the NICU.

I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and for helping out with the girls. Ryan has done a wonderful time stepping up to the plate but I know he has been very appreciative of everyone doing what they can. Things really have worked out well. Brody is doing very well despite being born at 30 weeks and if the drs. were able to wait longer for the surgery things really could have turned out worse. I also wanted to thank my Father in Heaven for looking out for both of us, He has been a real comfort.

Birthday time

2008-05-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

We celebrated all 3 girls birthdays at the hospital last week. Rylee will be 3 on May 29th, Kodee turned 2 on April 27th and Bailee will be 1 on June 22nd. It was a blast. We had Olive Garden and cake & ice cream.

As you can tell Bailee loves ice cream and enjoyed every bite.

The 2 older girls got bikes. They have been bugging us lately cuz our neighbors Eric and Jake ride their bikes all the time out front. They were so excited when they saw them. I was so glad that I was there to see their faces.

Rylee caught on right away. She was so proud and would ride by us with a big ole smile on her face. She has a horn on her bike and would ride with one hand on her handle bars and the other honking the horn. It was so sticking cute.

Kodee's legs were a little to short to peddle but she liked to be pushed around on her bike. She didn't catch on to turning but she felt pretty special with her helmet on. She would just sit there and ring her bell on her bike.

Bruise

2008-05-08T16:17:00.001-07:00

I had a procedure, called a Cystoscope, a couple of weeks ago which is where they wanted to see is the placenta had grown into the bladder. For this procedure I had to have a spinal block. The anaesthesiologist had a hard time finding the spot on my back and had to try 4 different times. I thought that all of you would like to see the trauma. In the middle of the bruise you can see the needle marks.

Hospital Stay

2008-05-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have now been at St Joseph's Hospital for 30 days now.(Not that I am counting) There is no chance that they will send send me home. In other words, I will be here until I deliver. I am currently 29 weeks and they plan on scheduling the c-section between 34-36 weeks. So anyone that would like to visit, I will be here for awhile-in the hospital-all by myself. We would like to thank everyone that has helped out with keeping an eye on our girls. I really appreciate everyone being there for them while I can't. Everything is going great with our little boy. He is big, healthy and moving a ton. I will try to keep this up to date with what is going on with me, Ryan and the girls, hopefully put up a picture or two.