- Random Summertime crafty stuff
- Trip to the zoo for Jared's company picnic
- Trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Seattle
- Trip to Jared's family mining claim in Montana, via Grandpa Pixton's airplane
- Skye's Portland to Coast relay
Thursday, August 28, 2008
What We've Been Up To
Obviously I can't seem to find the time to post regularly lately. Here's a photo album of the past 6 weeks or so. Events it captures:
Reflections on our time in the E.R.
Seville is doing fine now, thanks. This is a long post, but I've wanted to write some about our adventures in the Emergency Room, for those who might be interested. Here are my (many) thoughts:
1. Emergency rooms are no fun. We went to Emmanuel, which is supposed to be about the best children's hospital in town. They have an emergency room just for children, which is nice. But no matter how many little fishy stickers you put on your walls, you're still cramming a small child into a little room with a hospital gurney, a chair, a big intimidating light thing hanging from the ceiling, and not much to do for HOURS while you wait, wait, wait for everybody to get around to looking at your case. The endless waiting between each and every doctor or test or procedure was probably the second worst thing about it.
The winner of the worst award goes to the sounds of the other children in there. Seriously. The number one thing emergency rooms could do to make themselves more humane would be to soundproof the walls. Seville tried to nap on that hard hospital gurney, and I spent the whole time (about an hour) holding her with one arm, and holding her ear with my other so she wouldn't hear the screaming of the other children as they got their blood drawn, or their stitches, or whatever it was. While she was awake I would distract her like mad when the baby next door cried. It was excruciating to listen to them. My heart went out to them so much, and it made our situation seem ever more dire and scary. And I wanted to do everything in my power to keep Seville from hearing the house-of-horrors noises and feel at ease and comfortable.
2. I should trust my instincts. Throughout the course of the whole thing I can cite decision after decision where my instincts told me something. With every single one, if I trusted my instincts I was right and/or glad. If I went with what someone else said or recommended, against my inner pull, I was universally regretful later.
For example, they needed a blood test early on. The doctor recommended that we go ahead and put in an i.v. line at the same time because it would save a step later if we needed it (which was likely). Something in me felt that I shouldn't do it, but the various people there convinced me otherwise. As it turned out, the nurse was unable to get the i.v. in the first time, so she had to try again (first strike against the decision. Now we've no longer saved her a step. And how hard was it to hold Seville while they were attempting this!). The second, successful attempt was in the bend of her arm, so they had to strap her whole arm to a board to keep her from bending it and messing it up. She HATED it! She spent more time crying and whining about her arm all day than anything else, including her hip, which is what we were there for (second strike, because it's just making her more miserable than ever). Many hours later I asked for some Motrin or something, but because she hadn't eaten (another story there!) they couldn't give it to her orally. They went to give her some pain killer in her i.v. only to discover - after MUCH horrible fiddling, prodding, tugging, etc - that the i.v. line had closed up and was useless (strike 3, it was a waste). They took it out and freed her arm from the board, at which point she was immediately in better spirits. They said they could give her the i.v. she needed for surgery after she was under anesthesia (WHAT?!! Then why did we torture her all day with this thing to begin with?!! a BIG strike 4!). Obviously, I regret not following my gut on that one.
Here's one I followed: We went to the E.R. in the morning, but had actually been told by my doctor to go the night before. It was after midnight and Jared and I were ready to head out the door. I walked into my bedroom to get my wallet and Seville immediately calmed down until I walked out again. Something in me felt I should try lying down with her in my bed before we left. I told Jared, "what if half of her crying and upset is because she is tired and exhausted and frustrated and just wants to sleep?" Jared looked at me a little incredulously. His hand was on the doorknob. We were dressed and packed and ready to go, but he trusted me and agreed to try it (so grateful for him!). We lay down in bed in our clothes. Seville calmed down and went to sleep for the rest of the night, between us in bed. I was so glad. It didn't save us a trip to the E.R., but it did give us all some rest before we went, which I think was critical. And Seville was in better spirits the next day, and much easier to work with.
3. No matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse. The next morning Seville and I went to the play room in the infant/toddler wing. Seville's havin' a good ol' time with the hospital's toys when a couple other moms come in. We exchanged stories, and it turns out both these moms' tiny babies have been living in the hospital for months now. One of them has never been home. They both have serious heart conditions and have had several surgeries and stuff. I felt almost guilty telling them we'd only been there 24 hours, and that we'd be sent home today. They only talked about how blessed they were that their babies were still alive.
4. The doctors and hospital staff can and will tell you what to do, but healthcare decisions are ultimately your own. I repeated this mantra to myself when I felt I needed to advocate for Seville -- like when I fed her, against their advice, because I wasn't about to starve her in addition to everything else she was going through, "just in case" she needed surgery later. I decided if she needed surgery, and it was that critical that her stomach was empty, they could postpone the surgery a couple hours. Everybody there had a different number of hours she's not supposed to eat before anesthesia anyway (ranging from 2-6). I understand and respect that they make recommendations based on what they're trying to do for her healthcare. But I'm responsible for more than just her healthcare, and the big picture was that she needed to eat. And she needed to go outside and get out of the room for a while too - another thing I insisted on against their policies, that did her a world of good.
1. Emergency rooms are no fun. We went to Emmanuel, which is supposed to be about the best children's hospital in town. They have an emergency room just for children, which is nice. But no matter how many little fishy stickers you put on your walls, you're still cramming a small child into a little room with a hospital gurney, a chair, a big intimidating light thing hanging from the ceiling, and not much to do for HOURS while you wait, wait, wait for everybody to get around to looking at your case. The endless waiting between each and every doctor or test or procedure was probably the second worst thing about it.
The winner of the worst award goes to the sounds of the other children in there. Seriously. The number one thing emergency rooms could do to make themselves more humane would be to soundproof the walls. Seville tried to nap on that hard hospital gurney, and I spent the whole time (about an hour) holding her with one arm, and holding her ear with my other so she wouldn't hear the screaming of the other children as they got their blood drawn, or their stitches, or whatever it was. While she was awake I would distract her like mad when the baby next door cried. It was excruciating to listen to them. My heart went out to them so much, and it made our situation seem ever more dire and scary. And I wanted to do everything in my power to keep Seville from hearing the house-of-horrors noises and feel at ease and comfortable.
2. I should trust my instincts. Throughout the course of the whole thing I can cite decision after decision where my instincts told me something. With every single one, if I trusted my instincts I was right and/or glad. If I went with what someone else said or recommended, against my inner pull, I was universally regretful later.
For example, they needed a blood test early on. The doctor recommended that we go ahead and put in an i.v. line at the same time because it would save a step later if we needed it (which was likely). Something in me felt that I shouldn't do it, but the various people there convinced me otherwise. As it turned out, the nurse was unable to get the i.v. in the first time, so she had to try again (first strike against the decision. Now we've no longer saved her a step. And how hard was it to hold Seville while they were attempting this!). The second, successful attempt was in the bend of her arm, so they had to strap her whole arm to a board to keep her from bending it and messing it up. She HATED it! She spent more time crying and whining about her arm all day than anything else, including her hip, which is what we were there for (second strike, because it's just making her more miserable than ever). Many hours later I asked for some Motrin or something, but because she hadn't eaten (another story there!) they couldn't give it to her orally. They went to give her some pain killer in her i.v. only to discover - after MUCH horrible fiddling, prodding, tugging, etc - that the i.v. line had closed up and was useless (strike 3, it was a waste). They took it out and freed her arm from the board, at which point she was immediately in better spirits. They said they could give her the i.v. she needed for surgery after she was under anesthesia (WHAT?!! Then why did we torture her all day with this thing to begin with?!! a BIG strike 4!). Obviously, I regret not following my gut on that one.
Here's one I followed: We went to the E.R. in the morning, but had actually been told by my doctor to go the night before. It was after midnight and Jared and I were ready to head out the door. I walked into my bedroom to get my wallet and Seville immediately calmed down until I walked out again. Something in me felt I should try lying down with her in my bed before we left. I told Jared, "what if half of her crying and upset is because she is tired and exhausted and frustrated and just wants to sleep?" Jared looked at me a little incredulously. His hand was on the doorknob. We were dressed and packed and ready to go, but he trusted me and agreed to try it (so grateful for him!). We lay down in bed in our clothes. Seville calmed down and went to sleep for the rest of the night, between us in bed. I was so glad. It didn't save us a trip to the E.R., but it did give us all some rest before we went, which I think was critical. And Seville was in better spirits the next day, and much easier to work with.
3. No matter how bad you think you have it, someone else has it worse. The next morning Seville and I went to the play room in the infant/toddler wing. Seville's havin' a good ol' time with the hospital's toys when a couple other moms come in. We exchanged stories, and it turns out both these moms' tiny babies have been living in the hospital for months now. One of them has never been home. They both have serious heart conditions and have had several surgeries and stuff. I felt almost guilty telling them we'd only been there 24 hours, and that we'd be sent home today. They only talked about how blessed they were that their babies were still alive.
4. The doctors and hospital staff can and will tell you what to do, but healthcare decisions are ultimately your own. I repeated this mantra to myself when I felt I needed to advocate for Seville -- like when I fed her, against their advice, because I wasn't about to starve her in addition to everything else she was going through, "just in case" she needed surgery later. I decided if she needed surgery, and it was that critical that her stomach was empty, they could postpone the surgery a couple hours. Everybody there had a different number of hours she's not supposed to eat before anesthesia anyway (ranging from 2-6). I understand and respect that they make recommendations based on what they're trying to do for her healthcare. But I'm responsible for more than just her healthcare, and the big picture was that she needed to eat. And she needed to go outside and get out of the room for a while too - another thing I insisted on against their policies, that did her a world of good.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Friday, August 08, 2008
26 1/2 Hours
Last Saturday we took Seville to the doctor for a limp. He thought it was something called Toxic Synovitis, but when she got suddenly way worse Wednesday night, we all grew suspicious. So Thursday morning, having been up most of the night with her, we took Seville to the doctor again. He sent us straight to the emergency room at Emanuel, and after various tests, poking, prodding, ultrasounds, X-rays, etc, they sent us to the O.R. to have a surgeon take a look. He did a needle aspiration to check her out and by the time all was said and done it was around midnight. We stayed overnight in the infant's and toddler's ward, and around noon today, over 24 hours later, we were released, various medical professionals having determined that Seville is clear of the most scary and urgent possible problems, and it probably is, in fact, Toxic Synovitis (which is benign, and should resolve on its own). We have to watch and observe for several days. More on this later, for now I plan to get some sleep for the first time in... let's see....
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Followup
For those who are still wanting updates on Jared's new and improved cancer-free health, he had his checkup yesterday with celebrity Dr. Nichols. Everything looks clean. (I love how boring this post is. Yay for boring!)
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Catching Up
It's been far too long since I've found the time to blog (or to read yours. so sorry). Here's what we've been up to...
Two of my bestest friends - my roommates from before I got married - came into town to have a "goddess gathering." We rented a beach house and spent our first weekend together in about four years (they have been living in such places as Korea, Montana, India, and Salt Lake. That was the weekend Lumina moved back the states). It was so sweet and refreshing to be with my soul sisters again, if only for a short time.
Two of my bestest friends - my roommates from before I got married - came into town to have a "goddess gathering." We rented a beach house and spent our first weekend together in about four years (they have been living in such places as Korea, Montana, India, and Salt Lake. That was the weekend Lumina moved back the states). It was so sweet and refreshing to be with my soul sisters again, if only for a short time.
Emily teaching Seville how to romp on the beach.
The three (well, four) of us
Me n' Seville share a blissful moment
Emily celebrates, as Emily is wont to do
Wedding Weekend
My brother Bryce and his fiance'(now wife) Kadra got married a couple weeks ago. Bryce is my oldest brother, and the next day, my youngest sister, Kyrstyn, got married. So it was one big crazy double-wedding weekend with all our family and friends and two weddings at my parents house two days in a row. So much fun! A few select moments from Bryce's wedding:
In my estimation, Seville was the best eye-candy there (other than the bride, of course).
Ah, sweet bliss
Seville sees fun stuff over there
Gettin' tuckered out
look at the whole album (25 pictures)
In my estimation, Seville was the best eye-candy there (other than the bride, of course).
Ah, sweet bliss
Seville sees fun stuff over there
Gettin' tuckered out
look at the whole album (25 pictures)
 |
| Bryce & Kadra's Wedding |
"Strike Up, Pipers!" *
Lots of people asked me why Bryce and Kyrstyn didn't just have their weddings together instead of one day apart. Answer: veeeeeery different weddings! Bryce was married in the LDS temple and had a fairly standard and very classy reception at my parents' house/yard. Kyrstyn, on the other hand, had her actual ceremony in my parents' backyard along with hours of festivities. She and her husband met at Burning Man, all their friends are "burners," and her husband is doing his PhD in ancient Greek Festival (or something like that), so they had this very artistic and unusual festival-type wedding. A few select moments:
The musicians for the procession and festivities (it sounded sort of midieval, sort of carnival-esque, depending on the moment and the combo)
The musicians for the procession and festivities (it sounded sort of midieval, sort of carnival-esque, depending on the moment and the combo)
The bride and groom catch a moment together on the lawn after the "feast"
Four sisters
Seville dancing to the live band (Trashcan Joe. They're so fun! If you live in Portland, go see them. (and, yes, Kyrstyn is in the band) )
see the whole album (51 pictures)
 |
| Kyrstyn & Mathias Wedding |
or even better, if you're really interested, look at my Dad's pictures. Way better (and more - 158 pics): http://www.flickr.com/photos/12596028@N00/sets/72157606001167092/
*"Strike up, Pipers!" ~Benedick in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing calling in the beginning of their typical Shakespearean double wedding
Familymoon
After the crazy wedding weekend, all the extended family members (other than those on real honeymoons) went to a beachhouse for the week for what we dubbed the "Familymoon."
Seville working toward getting buried in the sand. Only patient enough for the legs, so far
Seville's first "horsey" experience on Daddy's back
My brother in law just graduated from Dental school. As a graduation gift, he got a whole selection of fake "hillbilly" teeth.
see the whole album (21 pictures)
 |
| Familymoon |
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Reunion 2008
Thanks to my dear friends for converging on Portland all at once. It was such sweet nostalgia to be together again (most of us) for one night.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Meet Chester
This is Chester. Say "hi," Chester.
Chester and I have a bit of a difficult relationship, though I think it's one of mutual respect nevertheless. Here he is eating the birdseed that is in a "squirrelproof" bird-feeder, meant specifically for goldfinches.
He and I have spent many a moment staring each other down through the kitchen window, him thinking, "is she gonna get out the stick again?" (that I poke him with), and me thinking, "you better not go for my feeder right in front of me, dude."
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Double Barrel
Seville has been an expert nose-picker for some time now...
But this special skill emerged just the other day...
... he may have been smart enough to stop when I pointed the lens at him, but make no mistake, Seville didn't come up with this idea on her own (thanks, daddy, for the valuable life lesson).
Monday, May 19, 2008
Technological History/Nostalgia
I begin by conceding the randomness of this post, both because of the subject matter and because of the infrequency of my contributions to this blog of late. I showed up at my office this morning and had this thought (fleshed out below), but it's too "monday morning" to go try and talk to anybody in the office about it. So here goes:
I pulled out this mini-cassette player I have in my office because I may need to record part of a meeting later today. As I rewound the cassette to the beginning, I pulled it out to make sure I had rewound it to the beginning of side A. Given that I don't use the mini-cassette player frequently, I had to remind myself that with mini-cassettes, side A is fully rewound when the left reel of the two reels is empty, unlike regular cassettes where the right reel is empty (when looking at side A). (As a side note, I confess that I had to double-check the spelling of "cassette" because I use the word so infrequently anymore.) I've never understood why cassettes and mini-cassettes don't use a consistent format, but that's neither here nor there at this point. The bigger realization for me was that generations of people will soon have no idea how to use a cassette tape.
These people won't instantly appreciate the ability to queue to a particular song based on viewing the relative thickness of the brown magnetic tape on the left reel and the right reel of the cassette. They won't know the pain of seeing your favorite cassette getting eaten by the tape player only to salvage it through the art of tape splicing. I'm waxing nostalgic now. And sounding oldish. I will stop (accompanied by the sound of a mechanical click as I depress the button on my mental boom box) and get back to work.
I pulled out this mini-cassette player I have in my office because I may need to record part of a meeting later today. As I rewound the cassette to the beginning, I pulled it out to make sure I had rewound it to the beginning of side A. Given that I don't use the mini-cassette player frequently, I had to remind myself that with mini-cassettes, side A is fully rewound when the left reel of the two reels is empty, unlike regular cassettes where the right reel is empty (when looking at side A). (As a side note, I confess that I had to double-check the spelling of "cassette" because I use the word so infrequently anymore.) I've never understood why cassettes and mini-cassettes don't use a consistent format, but that's neither here nor there at this point. The bigger realization for me was that generations of people will soon have no idea how to use a cassette tape.
These people won't instantly appreciate the ability to queue to a particular song based on viewing the relative thickness of the brown magnetic tape on the left reel and the right reel of the cassette. They won't know the pain of seeing your favorite cassette getting eaten by the tape player only to salvage it through the art of tape splicing. I'm waxing nostalgic now. And sounding oldish. I will stop (accompanied by the sound of a mechanical click as I depress the button on my mental boom box) and get back to work.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I Can't Help Myself
I am indulging in yet another post of frivolous pictures. But there's a reason, I swear! (other than the usual, "ooh, isn't Seville cute" reason). I just got...
Seriously. I have been forewarned never to expect something like this again, and understandably so.
Behold, the work of my new mother's day present, the Nikon D40 SLR 6.1 megapixel camera:
The Best Mother's Day Present Ever.
Seriously. I have been forewarned never to expect something like this again, and understandably so.
Behold, the work of my new mother's day present, the Nikon D40 SLR 6.1 megapixel camera:
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