Gonna have to make some changes

We are so happy to be settling in again at home. Livi has taken a few days to come back to 100%, but she has done some standing and walking in the stander and yesterday took three bites of baby food. We have had a great time.

Attitude, anyone?

And now to the changes... see those doors she's standing in front of in the last picture? I'm pretty sure they're original to the house--yes, they are 90 years old. There is no knob on the outside and we have done so much weather stripping on these its unreal. We've been talking a bit about putting a ramp in on the side of the house from these doors, but just kept it on the back burner. Being 15 weeks pregnant has moved this more to the front. Is it impossible for me to carry her? No. But it is getting a bit uncomfortable and the hard part is, we have to be honest about how long it might take for her to learn to walk, even in her walker. She is getting better, but is not going to be taking off on her own in the next few months. We are going to start making plans to go ahead and put the ramp in hopefully early fall at the latest. The humbling part is, this is all very expensive and tacked onto her medication costs, preschool coming up, and home medical supply rentals we might be needing some help. Brian and I are praying and considering our options, but the bottom line is, the ramp is moving from a preference thing to a necessary thing. Yuck.

Please be thinking about us and praying for us as we consider the best and most responsible way to care for all of Olivia and the new baby's needs. But, its not doom and gloom. I am feeling mostly really good. Olivia is doing great and we are having a wonderful time as a family this summer. I'm definitely more of a fall girl and am ready for football and the cooler weather, but I'll take what I can get.

Happy Birthday to My Amazing Wife

So...today is my wife's birthday.

She turns ___ today. I just wanted to say that I think that she is the most amazing wife and mother that this world has ever seen. I am a lucky man to get to spend my life with this incredible woman and I don't think Olivia (and new baby Key that is in the oven) could have a better mother.

So, honey, I hope that you enjoy your day. I hope that your friends and I can adequately express how grateful we are for your life and the love that you share with us. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

home sweet home

Olivia was released from Mercy yesterday afternoon. She isn't really sick any more, but its hard for her to change venues, so it was a rough night last night in her bed. No one got much sleep. Hoping that gets better soon.

Guess what.

We're still here. Sorry its been so long. Still in the hospital. Livi is doing much better. Is on the smallest measurable amount of oxygen, back on regular feeds, but still needs what they call "deep suction". Essentially they insert a very small catheter in her nose and down her throat to suck the gunk out. We don't do that kind of suction at home, so they will keep her here as long as she needs that extra procedure. Looking at at least Wednesday I guess now, but she is mostly in good spirits and much more her personality, which poses some problems laying in a hospital bed 24-7. Honestly, she's not laying the whole time. We are doing a lot of holding, but with the monitors she is on the farthest we can go is an extra foot and a half away from the bed to the recliner. Not very much of a field trip. She is being a good sport and spirits are high with our family now that she is mostly out of the woods. Thanks for the prayers and I will post a picture of her in those horrendous gown with her clean, but very nappy hair soon.

Still here

We're still in the hospital. Today Olivia is not quite as good as she was yesterday, but considering she is still doing very well. It changes, you know, about every 10 mintues or so. She was on 3L of oxygen when I went to lunch and an hour later was on 1L (a big jump). She might be in a better mood because I brought her christmas lights up and put them around her bed.

Being in the hopsital a lot gives me a lot of time to waste, piddle, whatever. A friend of mine told me about this interview. There are actually 3 of them, but here is the first one. If you have 25 mintues and some tissues around this is a good way to spend that time. Trust me. Since I was having so much trouble getting the video straight onto the blog, here is a link...

interview

Also wanted to take this time to say 'thank you'. Many of the ways John Knight talks about awe he feels when people treat his son 'normally' we feel and see everyday with you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

just 10 more minutes

10 minutes. thats how fast things change when Olivia is in charge. I kept thinking I'd wait to blog until she was clearly better for clearly worse. Better, worse, better, worse. Thats how things have been going. She was admitted Sunday night. Was NOT doing well on Monday. Monday night (midnight) admitted to PICU for precautionary sake. Noon on Tuesday back on a regular room. Great Tuesday morning. Less great Tuesday night. Even less great Wednesday morning and now, Wednesday afternoon: the best I've seen her look since Saturday (this is also while she was coming off of an almost 103 degree fever).

I know we all know by now Olivia does things her own way. That was reiterated to me this week. So, she is good now. But things change quickly here. It'll be another couple of days--Friday at the earliest. She is still just on IV fluids (no food) and still having fevers randomly (she hadn't had one before this afternoon in like 36-48 hours) and the labs came back and say just two really common cold viruses, in fact, the exact same 2 she had last October when she went into heart failure. What is it with this girl?!?!?

In the middle of all of that fun, Monday night on the way home from visiting her Brian explains to me he doesn't "feel well". Turns out that would include 36 hours of fevers including topping out at over 103 Tuesday night. He is better now and back to work, but banned from the hospital until tomorrow, so its been a little lonely here, but good.

Probably will blog again soon, when things either are more or less definitive. :)

Reporting live from the hospital

So, my intention to blog the last two weeks has ended with an unfortunate event: Livi is in the hospital. We brought her in yesterday afternoon after the runny nose turned into more of a deep growling cough and she needed more oxygen. They are keeping her for pneumonia. She is ok, she is on a lot of oxygen for her (3 liters) and since it is just day 2 of this illness (day 3-5 sometimes get worse) we are buckling down for a couple to several days (sounds exact doesn't it?) Of course we never know how long it will be.

We, of course, will keep to up to date on that business, but some other things have been happening too. We had our new baby's 12 week appt last Friday and heard another good heartbeat, so Brian and I are really letting down our guard about this pregnancy and feeling great about it.

Also, Livi and I took an all girls trip to Joplin to visit some friends from home who were having a double baby shower. It was so much fun and we had such a great time. I'll leave you with some stunning photos of the Yocum and Key women in their swimming attire (I didn't bring my suit) when we sat in the baby pool the backyard at my parents. Those glasses on Livi actually aren't goggles, they are sunglasses with elastic in the back. Perfect for her, but a little confusing looking. Pink, as always.

I have to say, this one is my personal favorite. If you don't know her well it looks like she is smiling. She is in fact gritting her teeth-- probably in frustration. Admittedly, the water was a little cold. Apparently, even when there is a heat index of 105 it takes longer than an hour for hose water to heat to an appropriate temperature.

Nosy-nosy

So, if you haven't met my dog I think I would describe him as strangely human. We're pretty sure he can understand everything we say and he does the funniest things-- just like people. So today, when I decided that during Livi's morning nap I would weed my flower beds I shouldn't have been surprised to hear some racket in the house behind me and to turn around and see this...

 and this...

He just cannot stand to be left out of anything. Some day he is going to break the blinds trying to do that.

On a side note, welcome, June. I got three bug bites today while outside for ten minutes. BOO!