Still waiting

We are still waiting for that coin to pass. We went for our follow up X-ray Thursday & it is still right inside the stomach. So when I talked to her pediatrician yesterday she was a little concerned. The coin should have moved out within hours & it appears to be stuck. For the last week I've been digging in poop for NO reason. We are going back in Monday morning for another exam & X-ray. If it is still in the stomach she is sending us to the GI doctor we saw in the ER to see about having it taken out. the good news is she is I'm good spirits & doesn't seem any worse for wear! She's my same old, wild & crazy baby! I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate little Delilah on getting potty trained! She's 29 months & totally done with no accidents even at night!! Such a huge accomplishment for her! 

Our favorite!

This is hands down my favorite time of the year. We spent this week getting our tree set up & decorating for Christmas. Delilah is really "getting" it this year & is so excited! 

This is a picture from Thanksgiving. The kids really didn't care about that at all! Haha, there's nothing exciting about eating turkey is there?  Other than that we are patiently waiting on Peanut to poop out that coin! We went today for a follow up X-ray to see if it came out, & it's still in there! I am waiting on her pediatrician to call me tomorrow to see what she wants to do! I will keep everyone updated! 

So close..

I debated whether to share the events of yesterday with everyone but I thought I would in hopes it may encourage someone to get CPR & 1st Aid certified. Yesterday Delilah choked & swallowed 2 coins. I'll try to make it as short as possible as this is NOT my proudest moment as a mother. Chris left for work early & Delilah climbed in my bed to watch cartoons. I got up to use the bathroom & came out just in time to hear the clink of 2 coins in her mouth. Before I could get the 5 feet from the bathroom door to her, she inhaled sucking them both into her throat. The first one went down into her esophagus & the other, a penny, immediately stuck in her airway blocking all air. I grabbed her by her arm & pulled her into a standing position so I could attempt to get it out. My 16 year old brother was asleep on the couch & I tried 2-3 times to yell for him to call 911 because I wanted them on the way in case I wasn't able to get it out, but I just couldn't seem to get the words out loud enough, no matter how much I tried. I decided to attempt to get the coin out first rather than run to get him. The first two times I attempted the heimlich it wouldn't budge. Her airway was completely blocked so the 3rd time I tried even harder & was able to get the penny to pop out. Let me say I've taken the class at least 3 times & it was still VERY difficult to get it correct! It was very hard to remember how to position myself & how to grab her. My first reaction was still to grab her & flip her over & use my finger to scoop it out. I knew the other coin had gone down her airway so I went into the living room & had my brother call 911 while I kept an eye on the baby & put on pants (hey I just woke up give me a break). It took an ambulance 14 minutes to get here & while we waited I put on actual clothes & called Chris in case we needed to be transported. The EMTs did come out & looked the baby over. She wa acting OK & didn't seem to be uncomfortable so they, like I did, assumed she swallowed the other coin & was fine. About 15 minutes after they left she started to grab at her chest & cry. She kept telling me "owww" and scratching at her chest area. I grabbed her & rushed her to the nearest ER which happens to be a stand alone ER. At first they said she seemed fine & they doubted it was stuck in her airway because she was breathing alright. I called Chris while we were waiting & he could hear her cries & like me, knew something was wrong. He left work to go home & come meet us. As time went on she became more & more inconsolable & they rushed us back for an X-ray. Within a minute of leaving the room they came back to tell me to try & keep her calm that the coin was lodged either in her esophagus or in one of her bronchial tubes leading to her lungs. They immediately started calling hospitals to get us transfered out for surgery. I immediatly texted Chris what was going on & asked him to pack us overnight bags before he came to meet us. The hospital really wanted to send us to a Texas Childrens branch & after about 30 minutes a Dr at their main campus accepted her as a patient & they sent an ambulance to pick us up. Chris was able to get to the ER where we were in time & followed us to Texas Childrens because I rode with her in the ambulance. As soon as we got there they took us in & had a room waiting. Within 3 minutes a nurse came in to tell the Dr that the OR was calling down for her & they were prepped. The Dr wanted to do one more X-ray before we went to surgery to be sure of the coin placement & to verify herself it was located in the esophagus not the bronchial tube. They were able to see right away that at some point the coin had become dislodged & slipped into her stomach. It was such a huge relief because she wouldn't need surgery we just needed to wait for her to pass it. So we did get to come home last night & we are patiently waiting for her to pass the coin which may or may not be a quarter. We do have to go back for an X-ray this upcoming week to verify if she has passed the coin. 

She was very happy when she got permission to eat & drink! It was after 3 & the poor thing hadn't eaten or drank all day & neither had I. Today she is better but still seems a little worn out from the drama of yesterday's events. It can happen SO fast, you can't depend on 911 to get there in time to save your child. I get sick when I think what would have happened in those 14 minutes had I not been able to get the penny out! Get CPR & 1st Aid certified.

A little late...

Sorry I'm a little late posting about Halloween! My sister brought her kids over so all the cousins could trick or treat together. It was a lot of fun & the kids really loved it. The older kids wanted to buy their costumes at the store but Delilah wanted to be Minnie mouse so I made her costume. We are already gearing up for the fall! We LOVE this time of year, from Thanksgiving to Black Friday to Christmas! There are tons of awesome things coming up so I should have some good posts over the next couple of months.

What can I say..

 

         

What can I say? I have been busy enjoying life. Every day we are settling into a normally that is so sweet & relaxing. The crazy hustle & bustle is calming down & we are really getting into the great part of our lives. The girls are doing awesome & all the struggles that came with their placement are becoming memories. I'm not sure if there was an exact moment when things changed but they really have. The kids are getting older, easier & way more fun! Having a 7, 3 & 2 year old is worlds away from a 6, 2 & 6 month old! They can play quietly, Delilah is listening better (though she has a LONG way to go to be where our other 2 were at her age). We are really excited for Halloween next week. I'll be sure to do a post with some of the recent happenings around here!

I'm alive...

I'm alive, I swear!! Sometimes weeks pass & I don't even realize I haven't blogged at all! Things have been pretty uneventful lately. The kids are all doing really well. We are currently still working on potty training Delilah. She is so hard headed & so stubborn. If she doesn't want to do something, she's just not going to do it! Slowly but surely she's getting there, and I'll be SOOO happy to have my last one out of diapers :)  . Tuck is doing really well in 2nd grade. He's had a couple of rough patches but his daddy has been cracking down & making him finish all uncompleted work on the evenings, then adding extra work for not doing it in class. This really seems to work for Tuck & I am VERY relieved that his grades are improving. His grades usually are comprised of 100's & 0's . If he does it he gets a perfect score, but there was lots of work he wasn't finishing at all. Ever has been quite the easy child lately. So often she gets lost in the mix because she's so easy & I hate that! She's so mild & well behaved often she just blends right in. I realized most of her negative behavior is for attention & that's our fault. We're really trying to make sure we are giving her the attention she needs, not just when she's in trouble.

The End of Summer....

  So many changes lately! Tuck went back to school recently, 2nd grade!! I can hardly believe it, he is growing so fast. I also went back to class full time, and its been quite an adjustment. Everyone is doing so well, and though we're sad the summer is over, we love the winter too! We hope to take the kids to see real snow this winter, and I love Halloween, while Chris loves Christmas. We went & spent this past weekend at my parents house on the lake & enjoyed some time on their boat. This was the first time we took the girls out & they loved it! Of course they did, they love the water park and swimming in general. Delilah is also getting over being sick. She has a nasty little cold that turned into a respiratory infection, but she is doing much better. We also had a very sad incident happen today. A local school where we live (and our children would go later), had an act of violence today that took the life of one student. Its always sad when violence occurs at a school, a place where children are supposed to be safe. Its even more devastating when that moment of anger and one STUPID decision takes the life of a child, and ruins the life of another. I just wish these children would know NOW, what they will realize when they are older. A fight is not worth throwing your life away, and taking the life of someone else.

My Momma & Granny having TOO much fun on the boat!

Delilah touching the waves with Daddy.

Only 2 of the kids made it into this shot, I tried.

Sick Delilah.