How much is that doggie in the window

So as I mentioned in a previous post, A Year In Review, we had ourselves a litter of puppies last year. Maya Angel is our oldest Yorkie and she has become quite the little mom. We bred her with Harley, Kevin and Sue's yorkie. It was a very traumatic breeding process (for Corey and I, not the dogs) so this will be our one and only litter. Here's the story of how the delivery went.

I tried to prepare Corey and I as much as possible about the birth of the puppies but while combating my own pregnancy we left a lot of unturned stones. I was at work one night in late July when I got a message saying that I needed to call home for an emergency aka vet issue. I knew immediately that Maya must be in labor. I called Corey and tried to calm him but it seems that Maya was just not doing well. She was pacing, breathing irratically, not eating, vomiting, diarrhea, and not resting. Corey stayed with her and tried to help but they were both anxious. I knew that this stage could last hours but I also became a nervous wreck and left work early to be with my baby girl. These dogs are our children thus far and I was not going to be at work while my girl needed her momma. Mind you that Maya is a total momma's girl.

I got home and sent Corey to bed being that he couldn't escape his job as easily as I can mine. Maya was still getting sick and restless but once I sat down with her in the laundry room where she was nesting she settled down and went to sleep. I stayed with her for a few hours but eventually went to bed. Corey checked on her when he went to work and Maya was back to her usual self. I felt like a complete idiot for leaving work for her false labor. I laid on the couch for a mid morning nap since I'd been up most the night and awoke suddenly looking for Maya. She usually sleeps with me on the couch and she wasn't coming when called. I got up and went to the laundry room to find her and there waiting for me was 3 little pups and one very diligent mommy. She had birthed them all by herself. I was so excited. Ericka came over to see them. While we were watching her clean them, Maya started breathing really weird again. I quickly realized that she was having another one. This one she struggled a little with and so I helped to clean it and cut the cord. I was waiting for her to push the after birth out when I was surprised with a fifth pup. I did the same procedure with this one and then Maya finished the birthing process. She got the pups settled and then she zonked. I assumed we were done at that point and we were. 3 girls and 2 boys!

Maya was a wonderful mom. She nursed them all and took very good care of them. It was so hard to keep Cambry away from them but we didn't want Maya getting territorial or worse denying the pups. We sold them all to great families but not before falling in complete love with them.

Doggy Pile

"Tank" sitting in his dinner bowl!

Corey's Surgery

Here are the notes that I wrote on Facebook to tell the story. I am going to post them here and fill in the blanks.

Day 1-March 1
While getting off a graveyard today, Corey called and complained of some stomach pain but was going to work. Later in the morning I got a call saying that "the bad pain" was back, like he had two years ago. While he struggled with problems for years, this is only the second time it had gotten this bad. He was having intense, stabbing pain and throwing up. He couldn't even stand upright. I convinced the stubborn boy to meet me at the ORMC ER. We were checked in and proceeded with about a six hour wait for lab results and a CT scan. White blood cells were elevated to 13.5. CT scan showed a small bowel obstruction, exactly like two years ago. We were admitted to hospitalist services and the medical floor. We were told that it would be a waiting game to see if the obstruction could pass on it's own. a surgeon was consulted for precaution. When she came to see Corey his pain was untreated and very severe throughout his abdomen. She said she wanted to take him for surgery right away to explore what could be going on cause a 24 year old should not be dealing with these symptoms so frequently, let alone at all. She was concerned that blood supply to the bowel could be interrupted and the bowel could die. Corey was wisked away. At 8:08 pm he went into the OR, at 9:10 pm the Dr came and explained what happened. She found that a large portion of his bowel was tied up in "adhesions" (like scar tissue) and it was obvious the difficulty he was having. The hard part is knowing why he has these adhesions sine he's never had abdominal surgery. This could be a problem again in the future but at least we had a solution. She straightened out the bowel and removed his appendix since she noticed it was positioned weird and would be a difficult surgery if he ever had a problem with it. Corey hit the recovery room at 9:27 pm. At 10:15 pm they took me back to see him. Seems he was "having some problems". Well after the breathing tube came out they gave him some pain med and he stopped breathing, they put the breathing tube back in and gave Narcan to reverse the pain med. He only needed the breathing tube for three minutes but NO MORE NARCOTICS!! Corey is also sensitive to sedation and was very confused. He calmed as soon as I got to him. We proceeded to watch him for an hour and they gave him some IV ibuprofen. Pain control and breathing, two big problems, but the nurses were great at working to help resolve them. A transfer to surgical and recovery begins. He has a tube in his nose to drain everything out and IV fluids to hydrate him. He can't have anything to eat or drink. They did start a very conservative PCA and its working well. His incision is about 4-5 inches long down the middle of his stomach. He will be in the hospital approx. one week.

Thank you for all your concern. Please call/ text, especially before visiting.

Day 2
Corey's night when he got out of surgery was a struggle to keep him asleep and pain control was an issue. We were up most of the night. The day however went a little smoother with him sleeping on and off. Pain control is headed in the right track. Corey got up in the morning and stood by the bedside, he then walked out into the hall in the early afternoon, then a long walk to the end of the ward in the evening. This made Corey feel slightly human again. However things got a bit bumpy again in the night. Corey slept for awhile but then awoke feeling like he was "suffocating". We tried sitting up, coughing, deep breathing, repositioning the drainage tube for better flow, whatever we could think of. He was receiving 3 liters of fluid at the time and I was really concerned it was too much. we stopped the fluid for a bit and started a new IV and got him some more medicine. He started to feel better breathing wise but the med caused a massive headache so no more of that. We started his fluids at a slower rate and tucked him back in. This is where he is currently, sound asleep. I hope that lasts through to the morning. I've always seen the roller coaster of recovery and corey's case is no different. I can tell we'll have plenty more bad days and more and more good days. Hoping to keep his spirits up in the meantime. Thanks for everyone's loves, prayers and thoughts. We sure appreciate them.

Day 3
Corey slept pretty well last night after all the drama. He got up this morning and got a bath, took a long walk and sat in the chair for a few hours. Then back to bed with a headache still. So we were only having him use the pain pump and nothing else so we learned that that was causing the headache. The doctor came by and said that we would test how much was coming out of the drainage tube, change his meds and we needed to keep him walking to move his lungs so it'd be easier to breath. So he walked 3 more times and farther or faster each time. He is responding well to the treatments. No nausea or vomiting for 6 hours now that the tube has been clamped so hopefully they will check the output soon, if it's less than 100 mL then we get to clamp it for another 6 hours and check it again. If it is still less than 100 mL then they will pull the tube out. Then if he can go 24 hours without nausea or vomiting he gets to start with clear liquids, then they will advance his diet each day. They just checked his tube and there was nothing, YAY! That means stuff in his tummy is moving a little. We had several visitors today and while he has a hard time talking and sleeps thru a lot of it he loves people stopping by. He asked me to read to him all the comments (it's hard to read with the headache) that everyone has left and he is so appreciative, we both are. We have the best friends and family ever. Thank you all so much! Well he is sleeping so I will try to get some as well.

That was all that I had written about but there was so much that went on for the whole month of March. Corey was in the hospital for a whole week and was sent home then only because I was a nurse and could continue all of his treatments at home and watch for any decline. A little TMI here but he hadn't had a bowel movement and that was a concern. We went home and get him settled. For about a week we worked on his bowels, pain control and tried to keep him entertained. One day I was sleeping after having worked a graveyard and Corey woke me up because he was really nauseated. I gave him his meds and was getting ready for his follow up appointment when he started profusely throwing up. I called the doctors office and asked if we should go to the ER or just come to our appointment. They wanted another CT so off to the ER we went. An ileus was the diagnosis. A spot where the bowel stops working. He got readmitted and given lots of medicine. I had to go to work that night but told Corey to call me if anything changed or have his nurse call me. I got a call from Corey while I was giving report in the morning. He had started throwing up again so they were going to put a tube down his nose again. I booked it from work and got there so that I could help him through the procedure. (I was really wishing he could have been at McKay-Dee so as to save on driving and could have been there quicker for him) It took three tries to get the tube in. So there we were again, no food or drink, tube in the nose, pain and an uncomfortable hospital. Needless to say, Corey was incredibly grumpy. It took six days this time to send him home. After that though he did better and just had to deal with typical recovery symptoms.

Since this surgery, he has been feeling great. He doesn't have stomach pains anymore. He is not restricted in his diet or activity anymore and besides being self conscious about the scar, he doesn't have any complaints.  

A Year In Review: 2012

I have a lot of blogging to do to feel like I am caught up. I will start with a year in review and then move on according to priority. It will jump around a bit but there are some events I really want to get posted and then others that would be nice if time allows.

So lets get started...

January 2012

Moved in to our new house in West Point!

Started my last year of the Bachelors program

Hawaii with the Walton's - epic vacation in Maui. Loved scuba diving, boogie boarding, eating, and living. I have a serious love afair with Hawaii and wish I could live there.

February

Boring month of just school and work.

March

Corey's Surgery (see later post)

April

Found out we were pregnant!
It was April 27th and I was home from school and work. I took a test in the a.m. and was shocked that it was positive. I had developed this bad habit of just taking tests at random because I was so hoping to get pregnant. I took the test that morning with full intention that it would be negative... again. But it wasn't. I waited till that night when Corey got home from work to share the news. He was in a grumpy mood and very hungry (which go hand-in-hand for him). We were cooking dinner and I went and got the test from a hiding place and was holding it behind my back. I said that I had a surprise for him but that he had to guess what it was. He told me to quit playing games and to just tell him what it was. I tried a little longer to get him to guess but finally just showed it to him. It took about 30 seconds for it to sink in but then he wrapped me up in his arms and we started laughing together. He proceeded to dance around the kitchen and hoot and holler. He was instantly so happy. He may have even cried a little. We decided to keep it a secret until after the first trimester. That was a very hard task, but it was so special for just the two of us to know.

May

We had a lovely visit with Corey's grandparents

Throughout the spring and summer we installed a vinyl fence around the yard and it was the biggest pain in the butt!

June

Found out that our due date was January 1, 2013
We shared the good news with the family on Father's Day. I told my mom and siblings on Saturday the 16th. I brought it up by asking if they wanted to have an awesome New Years party at the hospital. Mom was the first to get it. We told the Walton's and my dad with the same way. I framed a copy of the ultrasound and gave them grandpa cards. They loved it!

Corey and I went to Park City for the weekend at the very end of the month. We had done the same thing the year before and we had so much fun on the mini vacation so we did it again. I was fighting morning sickness the whole time but we still had a blast.

July

Back in May we had bred our oldest dog, Maya with Kevin and Sue's male yorkie, Harley. We had no idea that it worked until we got back from Park City. We were blessed with a healthy litter and momma on July 23rd. (See later post for the whole story)

July 27th - Corey and his family went scuba diving to Blue Lake in Wendover. I stayed home due to my pregnancy. The opening ceremonies of the olympics were that night and I went and got some Chinese take out and curled up to watch them. That was when I felt the baby move for the first time. It felt like a goldfish swimming in my belly.

August

Found out on the 14th that we were having a GIRL!
We got into the appointment and we were so nervouse. Not only were we going to find out what we were having but if there was something wrong then they might find it here. It was amazing to see the little body so detailed and absolutely perfect! I felt like I was holding my breath the whole time until the technician showed us the gender.I hadn't cared one way or the other but knowing it was a girl, made me so happy. Corey pulled out his wallet, kissed it and said "I am going to miss you" then handed it over to me. I guess he already knew that she was going to be a princess!

September

I got in a fender bender on my home from the doctors office on the 11th. The baby and I were fine but it was such a bummer. I was driving the truck and the back bumper got dented really bad. I had to deal with getting that replaced for the rest of the month. It was a total pain!

October

Corey and I got pictures taken

November

The baby shower was on the 3rd and it turned out amazing! A huge thank you to everyone that made it possible and came out to show Riley and I some love.

December

Finish my school program and graduated on December 14th. I had sworn that I would graduate before I had a baby so that was a big day for us to get through. I was really big and uncomfortable and not feeling well that day but I walked down the stage and got my Bachelors degree in Nursing. Yipee! Afterward we went out to dinner with the family and then stopped by Babies R Us for a few things that I wanted to get before we had the baby. (Look forward to a later post to see how the rest of that night went) 

December 31, 2012
The end of an amazing year. We partied with our friends while Sue watched the baby. I kissed my husband at midnight and had a rush of images from the year. From finishing school, working as an RN, being pregnant, delivery, and everything in between. I am so blessed and grateful to everyone in my life. Thanks!

Here we go... Again!

Corey is working in Wyoming again and yesterday was the first day apart. I won't lie, it did not feel that weird in the morning but then in the evening hours when it was still just Riley and I, I was slightly freaking out. It's the hardest seperation we have ever had to endure now that Riley is here. Poor Corey is already depressed. I am so thankful that there is technology out there that allows us to communicate so easily and even visually. The only problem being that Corey is working in the armpit of the US and has no internet connection and is on domestic roaming so this greatly limits our communication. I can talk to my grandparents in Cape Town, Africa easier then my husband in Rock Springs, WY. LAME!

Yesterday we, meaning Riley and I, went shopping with Susan and Great Grandma Joyce. It was fun but only occupied four hours of our day. I was so bored by 6 o'clock. I ended going and getting a Redbox and snacking on junk food until the baby went to sleep around 11:00. I have got to make a game plan for the rest of the week or else I am going to quickly end up broke and heavy. Shopping and junk food are my two crutches when I am down in the dumps. Good thing I have miss Riley to make me smile everyday.

Four little letters, LOVE!

Wow! That is the one word I chose to describe my life over the last year. Beings that it has been over a year since my last post, I will apologize. I wish I was the type that was religious with blogging or even journaling but I am not. I am generally not comfortable writing and always get really busy. Unfortunately, by not making that special time my memory lane is full of pot holes. So here we are today. To let the world know how we are doing and to share what's in my heart as of right now.

Love! Over the last year and especially the last two months, I have learned to love in ways that I never knew existed. First,my love for my husband. Corey is my miracle worker. No matter what that man sets his mind to, he accomplishes it. No he doesn't just accomplish it, he conquers it! Second, my amazing family. No matter how long in between conversations, visits or occasions I can always count on my family. They have been by our sides in our toughest times and in our best times. Thanks. Lastly, the greatest love I have ever known or ever will know. Riley Nichol. My beautiful daughter.

Born December 15, 2012 at 4:09 pm. A cold saturday made brighter by God's special gift for Corey and I. She came to us in a very healthy, 7 lb 2 oz, 19.5 inch package of beauty and innocence. I thank her for my drive to blog now. She is growing fast and I am wanting to remember everything and even more than that, I want to share everything. She is my whole world!!

Crazy Days!

Corey and I have been SUPER DUPER busy lately.
We finally got an offer on our home, however it was a lease to own offer.
We were not thrilled initially and I don't think we are thrilled even now but...
after some negotiating we agreed and now we are moving...
BUT the ginormous catch to it all is that we have to be out of our condo by...
November 15th! AHHH!
Que the panic.
So...
While Corey is working either in Elko, NV or Evanston, WY and some pretty crazy hours in both.
I have to work full-time (or try to since business is slow) and go to school full-time (stupid school).
And we both have to pack and move our whole house into a storage unit and move ourselves into Corey's parents basement.
Oh boy...
Thank Goodness I LOVE my in-laws (no sarcasm to note, no really, none. I truelly do love them!)
I am so grateful that they are always there for us.
No matter when we need them, they step up to the plate.
We have lived with them before (car wreck '08) but for only a month... hopefully for everyone's sack...
this is not any longer.

AND while all of this is happening...
(we are still trying to get pregnant)
and an offer we put on a short sale in Roy, UT is still pending after several months.
We should be hearing back from them very soon.

THEN today to add madness to mayhem.
We went to look at another house in West Point, UT.
YES we put in an offer on that one as well.

BUT the one in West Point is the much better deal (and far cuter! the most important factor.. Right??)
PLUS it has a KILLER garage that I am pretty sure Corey is going to have an affair with.
(Did I mention it has not only double sinks in the master bath but also double shower-heads... HEAVEN!)

Well that is a snapshot of our life!
Gotta love it!

An Amazing Woman!

Today is a bitter sweet day for my family. Last night on Halloween, we lost the best grandmother a family could wish for. She fought long and hard to be here with this family but it was her time to go join the rest of them. She is finally with her husband that she lost 25 years ago. At the age of 91 years of age she passed in her own bed at home, with her faithfully doting daughters near her all the time. Lots of good-byes were said but she will never and could never be forgotten. I feel her with me all the time. She was a fierce woman with a kind heart and and beautiful mind. She taught me so much about life and love. I will cherish my memories of her. My step-mom made a beautiful quilt when I married Corey that was my memories of my grandma. Things like her apple tree, her rose bush, candy from the hand-made candy jar my grandpa made, Hallmark ornaments and the old barn out back, but the center block is a big tree like the one in her yard that says family over it. It is so true to her and to her heart. Our family is amazing and we owe so much to that beautiful woman. We love you Luella Henderson.