How far your little candle throws its beams! -W.S.

As scary as this looks, I couldn't be any happier.  She sailed through the surgery and is doing great.  I just can't wait to bring her home and hold her and love her.  

OH HAPPY DAY!

So I was at the hospital for a majority of the day today (well, technically yesterday now) with Mimi and Mia. There hadn't been much change with Mia. Mimi was going to come home too and I got almost back to Puyallup when I got THE CALL!

MIA IS GETTING HER HEART!!! WITHIN HOURS!!

The wait is over....the day is here. I don't remember the last time I cried out of joy but I will never forget this! I turned my car around so fast I swear I was on two wheels for a second. I made it here unscathed which is more than I can say for everyone (see Mimi's blog).

Right now she just seems so content, lying in her dad's arms, feeling the beats of the little heart that has done its best to get her this far. I am so grateful that the little guy was able to hold out this long but I am so glad she is upgrading.

They told Mimi that it could take up to 4 months for this to happen, Mia was four months old on the 8th, got the good news on the 9th, and will have surgery on the 10th. I tried not to think about this moment because when it kept never coming I would just get sad. Now that it is here I realize that I had no idea what a wonderful feeling it would be. I just want to do one of those running, jumping, heal clicks.

I can't help but think of the family that has donated their babies heart so that Mia can survive. I have seen so much tragedy in my life working in the ER that my heart aches for them knowing that this is a day that they will never forget but for completely different reasons. I am so grateful for their selflessness and understanding.

I wish I had a picture to post with this. You will just have to use your imagination. Close your eyes, think back to your best moment, now try to think of it at a current event, not a pleasant memory. That is the picture.

Heartache

This is a pic from Saturday.  I went up to the hospital to see babe.  It is hard to just watch her in the bed and not pick her up and love her and hold her.  It took everything I had to not get in the crib with her and spoon.  I can only imagine what the nurses would say or do if there was a big lady curled around one of their patients in the crib.  She is hard to resist though.  

The big tube that wasn't there in the previous post is an ET tube.  She is on a ventilator and that is why we can't hold her now.  She is so small and tender.  I just love her so much.  Max would be jealous if he wasn't so indifferent!  

Keep Mia in your prayers.  With any luck we will not be waiting for much longer.  

Mama Cat

I just love this picture and had the good fortune of the rebirth of my camera and it was still on my card!  As many know, Mia loves the bink but didn't always have the strength to keep it in her mouth.  We had several animals with beaks that we would use to keep the bink in her mouth but this kitty was perfect.  This was also pre haircut.

Insert Wedding Photo Here

NO!  Not mine!  So long time no bloggy.  Sorry about that folks (all three of you that read this!)  So much has happened....not really.  I went to my last single sister's wedding in Colorado in September.  Within 30 minutes of being there something I like to call "The great purse flood of '08" occurred.  An unopened, defective bottle of water opened in my purse and in 30 seconds did about $500 of damage.  It was more but luckily my purse managed to dry to pretty much the original condition.  My camera and cell phone weren't so lucky.  Long story short no pictures of the wedding.  No pictures of anything since.  I was never the best at taking pictures of events anyway so now its even easier to not document anything.  Luckily I was blessed with sisters who want to take pictures of everything, all the time so I'm covered.  

So I'm still here in Washington.  Its rainy here.  I moved into a studio apt/motel which I now lovingly refer to as the "no tell" if ya know what I mean.... I am one step closer to my dream of living in a single wide.  No offense to you trailer folk.  I would really like to live in a trailer unless it was in the midwest during hurricane season.

Still working graves in the ER.  Its a special person that works graves in the ER.  We are a unique people.  I have liked it here and have considered extending my contract except I'd have to continue living in a motel.  

Max is still cute as a button.  I have a picture to prove it.  He is such a boy.  He was outside Mimi's for less than 10 minutes and managed to find paint from a paintball and apparently thought it looked tasty.  

You Belong in 1958

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

So I stole this from Crystal... I guess I should have known that it would be no where near my actual year of birth....  I kinda feel like I'm this old right now.... I need a nap!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Baby girl

I just love these pictures!  Check out babe's hair-do!  And the popular hand comparison shot.  

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

So I'm back here hanging out with my new BFF, Mia.... We are pretty much in love (its a good thing Max doesn't know how to read yet...he might be jealous)  It is amazing how strong this little girl is.  She has endured more in three months then I have  in 29 years!  Okay, 31 years...  She is really my hero.  I just wish that I could give her a break and breathe for her and have my heart beat 180 times a minute, even for just an hour!  It just doesn't seem fair.  Being in the hospital has really given me a new perspective on being a nurse and understanding the patient's and family's perspectives.  I think it has made me better at what I do.  Sure its a lot easier to hold a little baby than to calm down someone in drug or alcohol withdrawal or someone who has been in the waiting room for an hour (I will post a blog on that later, I'm sure) but I think that I will be more understanding of their situation.

Mia and I have an agreement that if she can just hold on a little longer then I would buy her a car when she turns 16.  She didn't seem impressed but I assured her that it was a big deal.  I don't want her cousins to be sad so I will have to see what I can work out for them.....better start saving now!

Best aunt ever!

So Jense's birthday was on the first.... If he couldn't wake up to mom and baby being home he would wake up to a special birthday breakfast.  I made him (and John, Jim, and Ellie) blueberry pancakes.  John picked a few year's worth of blueberries and we put them to good use.   I think Jensen liked the 5 in whipped cream so much that he didn't eat it!  I think he had a pretty good day.  This pretty much concluded his birthday week....even though he is still working on opening up his presents.  

Ellie's favorite part of breakfast was torturing Max with the sausage... it seemed kind of cruel. 

 I put Max outside so he didn't have to bast in the aroma of breakfast meats but that didn't 

stop her!  Poor baby boy.  He really would like to be human.

Look at me...big blogger!

So after months of nagging I am finally starting a blog. My sister has asked me to do this and I always responded with "What am I going to blog about? This is what Max did today..." That is only exciting to me, I know. But now I am up here in Washington and there are other things happening. I am a single mom part-time, I have a new job, I go long amounts of time without talking to another adult....so much to say!

I am at Children's right now, I just want to hug and love and kiss Miss Mia but she is in sleepytown and you don't want to disturb that. I wish I could give her my heart or trade a kidney for a heart on the organ black market....anyone know anything about that...maybe contact me personally... I also have a functioning liver. I am kidding of course Mimi! Jeeze...

The kids are fun. I especially love it when Ellie asks me, "Why are you still here? When are you going home? I want my room back!" I at least have an ace in the hole with Jensen...he is in love with Max and I see that as a bargining chip. I haven't had to use it yet. He is such a good kid.

I have worked two nights in the ER and realize that they are all the same. I love my old ER in Provo though. I miss you guys!