Sarah Rose lost in Thought

 

Sarah Rose is so beautiful when she is lost in her thoughts. She is one of my quiet ones, who can sit looking very carefully at something for quite some time. I love watching her, without distracting her, imagining what she could be thinking about. I imagine that she is pondering some amazing thoughts, things that will change the world some day. She is so smart, and kind and considerate and very passionate and strong willed. She is very sensitive and gets her feelings hurt easily and wants adults to take her seriously. She knows what she is talking about and if she says that something is true, most likely it is. Unless of course, she is creating a story or game about something or someone. She is my babiest one, my pinky-pie, my turkey. The tender golden curls that adorn her face make my heart ache of her beauty. They are not strong curls, but fragile ones, that are easily brushed out if we are not careful. We scrunch them back into place after combing her hair when it's freshly washed. Her eyes are ever changing hazel, mostly green but sometimes shades of brown and yellow. They are enchanting, causing one to gaze in wonder at their marvelous beauty and their captivating stare. God has blessed us with such amazing and beautiful children, and each have such different elements of beauty.

She has Daddy wrapped around her finger, whether he is willing to admit that or not, but not in a horrible way, just a charming old fashioned way. She likes to dance, sing and be silly, but sometimes is so serious you can hardly believe that she is only 4. She has been talking since she was one, using words way beyond her years. She dazzles me. I wait, captivated, through time, as she grows more and more each day. I can't imagine not having this little person around me each and every day, but I know that the young woman that she will grow into will amaze me even more.

A Second look at the Seattle Science Center.... and other good news :)

We had Sarah Rose's Post Op. appointment today in Seattle, so for the 3rd time this summer we drove down for a day in Seattle. We began bright and early leaving here a little after 8 and got down there a little after 10 (the science center doesn't open till 10, so we were right on time) We spent our time walking around the areas that we didn't get to spend much time on last time and ended with the 3D Ocean Wonders IMAX Film which was great!! We then headed out to Children's Hospital eating our packed lunch on the way and got there just in time :) The appt. went great and she doesn't have any more follow-ups thankfully cause the gas down there and back each time has been killing us!! But we made it, and she is all healed up and won't even remember what happened a few years from now probably :) Here are a few pictures from the Science Center....

Charity Ann, Noah and Cayleb

Me!!! You actually get one of Me, thanks to Jason :)

Sarah Rose :)

And last but not least, the Birthday Boy (this was the day before his Birthday!)

Sarah Rose's Surgery

Bright and early, well almost bright, we left for Seattle yesterday morning. It's about a 2 hour drive from here to Seattle Children's Hospital and our check in for pre-op was scheduled for 6:45 a.m. I arranged the day before (well, actually several weeks before, but finalized the details yesterday) to have the boys stay with our neighbor over night so that we could leave and not have to drop them off at 4 in the morning :) So yesterday around 4:20 a.m. Jason, the girls and I left for our day. The drive was uneventful, nice, though the girls didn't sleep very much. We got to the hospital at 6:25 and got them dressed in the car. Check-in was easy this time, there aren't nearly the amount of people waiting that early in the morning! And then before we knew it we were being taken back. Hallway after hallway winding this way and then when were completely lost we were given a room. A Big glass sliding door on one side, frosted glass walls on either side of us and a wall with instruments, gauges and cabinets at the back. There was a pretty inviting reclining chair in the middle of the room and a few extra chairs so we settled in and got comfortable. Next was the onslaught of anesthesiologists, doctors, nurses all with their list of questions for us. But they were all VERY nice and comforting. And then I was given my scrubs so that I could escort Sarah Rose back to the operating room and hold her while they put her to sleep. We got to go back a little after eight in the morning and I held her while they told her a little about the mask and how it was strawberry flavored, and then before I knew it she was relaxing down onto the table :( Time for Mommy to go :(. Then I just went back and waited with Daddy and big sister Charity Ann. They told us the surgery would be about 30 minutes plus about 30 minutes for her to wake up from anesthesia, so that left us with an approximate time of 9:20 ish..... I was pointed to the beverage counter where I found lots of teas, hot coffee, apple cider and cocoa. I fixed us each something warm and then looked through the snack drawers and found some cheese and crackers and grahams for Charity Ann. As you probably guessed it was no food or drinks for Sarah Rose after Dinner time, so we didn't even breach the subject while she was with us and now Charity Ann was getting hungry. So we had our coffee/cocoa/apple cider and crackers and waited. After about 30 minutes we were called on by Dr. Freidrich and were told that she did wonderfully and that we could expect her in about a half an hour or so. So we watched the little TV in our room patiently until we saw her being carried down the hall towards us :) There she was, groggy and concerned about this woman that was holding her, but otherwise our Sarah Rose.... Perfect. She was given to Mommy and that's when she started crying, I am sure that she was wondering what the heck just happen to her, why she was feeling that way, and why Mom had left her with this strange though very nice nurse. So we rocked and whispered and she calmed down and napped for a few minutes. Daddy and Charity Ann decided to go for a walk so that she could rest for a little while and he made some phone calls. I just held her and tried to keep her comfy and gave her juice and Popsicles. Every once in a while she would start crying again which they told me she was probably just reacting to the anesthetic. And then after about a half an hour we got Daddy to come back, she started smiling like her usual self and we began the check out process. Amazingly it didn't take very long and we were heading out of the hospital doors at about 10:30!! I called a few people as we were driving away and then we settled in for our ride home which both of the girls slept most of the way home! Jason had taken the whole day off so when we got home we called the neighbor, told her that the boys could come home any time and thank you very much for watching them and that we were going to all go rest and watch a movie! So that's what we did, after some lunch. I think that we made it through both Black Stallion movies before dinnertime. Since then we have just been sure to keep on top of her Tylenol w/codeine and she has been pretty much unaffected by the whole ordeal. She has to keep her bandages on for 2 days, so that means I will take them off prolly after nap (or right before) on Thursday and we are just supposed to keep band aids on for a few more days after that. She has a post-op appt. on August 12th, and after that I think that we can just put this whole thing behind us :) Really it's been pretty straight forward and to the point. I am glad that it's over and we can stop wondering about it. All we will have is a story to tell and maybe two very small incision scars. :) So, all that said, here are a few pictures from this morning so that Sarah Rose can show off her bandages :)

Sarah Rose and her bandages

Mom, this is me Smiling!

Left hand

Right Hand

Sarah Rose

Update on Sarah Rose, the Big Girl!! She's not wearing pullup's or diapers AT ALL!! Not during nap, not at night!! Mommy has a few to spare for those emergency times, (fellow mommies will know what I mean by that!) but other than that, Jason and I have so far averted buying any Pull-up's or Diapers for this little one for ever! I bought Diapers in May! And still have over half a box sitting on a shelf in her room....... Size 3's anyone?? Hehe :) July 7th was the official potty training success day, the first day we tried, and NO ACCIDENTS what-so-ever on the FIRST day! Mind you, she's not yet 2 1/2! I am so proud of her and she is growing up so fast :(!!! Mommy is Pouting!!!!

Is Summer Half Full or Half Empty ??

That is the Question! I know that some people out there DREAD the summer home with their kids. I know that some people have to deal with Childcare issues all summer long, and can't wait for school to begin again. But I, on the other hand, don't have either of those problems. I've been spending the summer enjoying my kiddos for the most part. There are always going to be those times that they infuriate me, but for the most part, we have been having a lovely summer :) We had lots of visits from family fairly early on, all around the 4th of July. And then I had a Surprise Baby Shower that I planned for a good friend of mine, which turned out phenomenal

After that adventure ends I am hoping to be able to help my friend Kristy move her and her family across town (closer to us!). Not that our town is huge or anything (pop is less than 3,000 year rounders I would guess.) Our town isn't really set up like a typical town, with a general downtown area, though the area down by the water is generally the most populated, it's more like little islands of sub divisions divided by farms, people with acreage like us, and wetland areas that can not be developed. It's really nice, because even though we are all clustered around the beautiful bay, we all have our own space, some more than others, but really, even the subdivisions have only a short brisk walk to some sort of open space or water. Sorry, I know that I have digressed. Part of the "move" is a smallish yard sale that we are going to have here, because they are moving into a substantially smaller home so they need to purge a little extra stuff and I always have a collection going on of things I would usually just donate to the local "A.R.C." That is planned for this Saturday, so hopefully we will get good yard sale weather and will sell all of our crap stuff. Hehee :)

We also got the second installment of our "swingset" built. And, yeah, I talked myself and Jason and the kids out of the Costco one, even though is it a great playset. But, here's the cool part, we have a 20 foot double slide (for racing) going down the side of one of our hills, right off to the side of where the actual swing set is going to be built!! I am going to go take a picture and post it on here in a few minutes, but I have to go move laundry around :) Okay, here you go :)

So here is the grass almost full grown, I am so excited it looks so BEAUTIFUL out my back windows now, no more garbage, piles of blackberry brambles, fallen trees etc. Look back to May's posts to find some in progress pictures and see the change!!

Another back yard shot. You might be able to find a blog in May with Progress shots where these two trees can be located. It is really an amazing difference!

The Slide!!

Who Hoo!!

You can see how big it is compared to Cayleb! and Sarah Rose!!


Cayleb :)


Cayleb and Sarah Rose getting ready to race :)


Cayleb ready to race :)


Sarah Rose still getting ready to race :) I had to catch her, so I don't have a slide shot, sorry!

Cayleb going down the slide! Usually he's got his arms above his head in roller coaster stance!

So, either way, the answer to the question for me is the summer is still half full, though I see it disappearing ever hour of every day, which only gets us closer to the new school year that I am anticipating greatly!! I think that I need to start making some lists of materials and library books that we are going to need for the first several weeks, so that I feel "prepared." I know that for the most part, however, I am not going to be able to prepare myself for the adventure beyond that :)

Sarah Rose

I just wanted to mention that Sarah Rose's Surgery has been moved to the 29th of July. Just a few weeks away.... I'm not worrying about it right now, but I know that when it gets closer I will start showing my concerns :( I know, it's a really simple procedure, but you never like the idea of your babies getting hurt, much less when you are responsible for it happening.... I know that she will get over it quickly, and that it will be better for her in the long run to just have it taken care of, but still, allow me my worry time, K :)

A visit to the Pacific Science Center and the Rainforest Cafe!

Yesterday we had a family trip down to Seattle, centered around an appt. for Sarah Rose at Children's Hospital. Her appointment was for a condition that we now know as "Trigger Thumb." In Layman's terms, there is a sheath around the tendon in your thumb and hers have both inflamed and since it has been like that for over 3 months, they consider the condition permanent.So, we have scheduled a surgery for July 25th to have the tendon sheaths cut, and they said that it will never reoccur and that the surgery is one of the easiest ones that they do, especially considering this is Children's Hospital that we are talking about. It is a "simple" procedure, which requires her to be put to sleep, and they make a small incision at the base of each thumb to go in and cut the sheath, the thumbs are supposed to react immediately to the cut and will spring straight again. Currently they are both slightly bent and do not straighten out completely even when you try to push gently on her thumbs..... So, surgery in July and then one post op. appt. August 5th and then she should be all better :) They said that the general anesthetic is the most dangerous part of the procedure, but that we have a greater chance of getting into a car crash on the way there or home again, than having any sort of problem. So, I know that we will be worried for her, but I am sure that she will be fine. The hardest part will be getting her to keep the bandages on for 3 days and keeping them relatively clean! So.... Before her appt. Jason and I decided to treat the kids to a trip to the Pacific Science Center. They LOVED that!!! the huge Dinosaurs, the Butterfly house was my favorite!! And the other exhibits were amazing! The featured exhibit was the "Speed" exhibit, all about Speed, speed of light, speed of sound, motion in general, reflex speed etc. Lots to walk through, though not as big as the commercials try to make it seem :) But over all they had a fabulous time. We saw the IMAX film that went along with the "Speed" theme and they all loved that as well. After lunch and a quick trip through the "store" we headed over to Children's for Sarah Rosy's appt. After her appointment, we went down to Southern Seattle, actually called "Tukwilla" to the Rain Forest Cafe! A place that we have been dying to take them ever since we went several years ago with Sarah. We went to the San Francisco one, however, and when I heard there was one in Seattle a few years ago, it's been on my mind. Charity Ann was with us then, but only about a year old, so I am sure that she doesn't remember any of it! Anyways!! It was an adventure of a day, long, as we left our house about 8 and didn't get home until about 9:15. But we didn't run into much traffic in Seattle, and the kids were awesome!! We even purchased a membership to the Science Museum so that we can go back unlimited whenever we want to in the next year! And we have 5 more IMAX tickets, so I want to go back maybe when we go for Sarah Rose's Post Op appt. and see the Ocean Wonders 3-D film :) Well, have to wait and see. BTW-This is post #50!!! WOW!!!

"Huge fish that was eyeballing us while we ate our dinner!"

Remembering....

I posted this a little over a year ago on another blog and just really loved how it turned out....

Well, Sarah Rose just celebrated her 1st Birthday! I can't believe that my babiest one is one already. I doesn't seem possible that a whole year has gone by since she was born.
I recall the day that she was born very vividly still. Waking up around 3:45 and feeling little "contractions." My body likes to tease me, I have always had "false labor" nearly every night the last six weeks or so of my pregnancies. So, I woke up and felt them.... wondering quietly if this was the day that my baby would be born and I could finally meet this little person who has been growning inside of me for the past nine months.... I wait patiently in my bed for about a half hour. They are still there, so I decide to get up and quietly walk around the house to see if I can get them to stop or become more consistent. So, there I am, pacing around the house at 4 in the morning trying to keep quiet. I would hate to wake anyone for fear of having to explain myself and then dissapoint them when things stop again.... The kids are so excited, they wake up each morning and ask if the baby will be born today. All I can tell them is that when our baby is ready he or she will be born. God has a perfect day already picked out for our little one, but he likes suprises even more than we do. So, there I am pacing around the house, glancing at all the clocks as I pass to see how many minutes has passed since I last felt anything. So, I do this for about 45 minutes and then dicide that they seem to be pretty consistent but that I should probably be trying to rest rather than exhaust myself pacing around the house. So, I go back to bed. Laying carefully down next to Jason, I wait quietly, they keep coming, not much stronger but closer together.... About 5:15 I roll over and pet Jason's shoulder to see if he is awake. I think that he has been, he asks me where I have been. I tell him that I think that I might finally be in labor that I got up and was walking around the house trying to get them to either go away, or keep coming. So, we lay there, silently, to see where all this is going. About 5:25 I get up and decide that this better be the real thing, because if it's not, its crewl. So, at 5:30 I call my midwives. We are supposed to try an make it to Bellingham, about a 25 minute drive, to the birthing center and I tell her that I think I can make it. So, they get ready to meet us there. We call MaMa, who is over at their vacation house around the block with a few kids... Honestly, I can't remember who spent the night over there, but they all ended up here within about 5 minutes! I am trying to get dressed now things decide to pick up. I catch Jason as he's rushing in from one of his trips with baggage that goes to the car and I tell him, I don't know if I can make it. He stops.... after just carrying almost everything out to the car and says well, what do you need.... I just sort of stand there, pondering, trying not to panic. Really we are prepared for the baby to be born here we knew that things usually go really fast for me once we figure out that it's real labor and not just false labor teasing me.... So, I brace myself through another racking round of cotractions and then tell him I need to stay. So, I call the midwives back, and tell them that I have just had 3 really strong contractions in the past 9 minutes and they say, no problem were already on our way! So, I go and draw a bath in our bath room. Nothing sounds nicer to me at this moment than a nice warm bath. I climb in as its filling, night gown and all. Jason rushed out, and grabs all the stuff he's just carried out to the truck and brings it all back in. He runs out and grabs a few extra space heaters and plugs them in. It has been a cold February and our bedroom isn't exactly a sauna! The kids come in and sit on stools watching me in the tub. They're eyes are wide with excitement and wonder. They are being so good, just sitting there being calm and quiet. Once in a while someone will ask me if I am okay. I tell them that I love them and that our baby is going to be here soon. Each contraction is bringing me closer to the event that will bring our baby home. I stare down at the swirling water in concentration at each contraction. Finally, Jason is done with his jobs and climbs into the tub with me. It's a pretty big tub, a circle about 5 feet in diameter. He sits up on the side and caresses my hair and the midwives arrive. Smiling. They love their job and it is so nice to have people there that love mothers and babies and birth. I think that it's about 6:25ish.... I wait a few more contractions and then decide that I need to start pushing. I climb out of the tub, I just can't seem to get confortable, and climb up on our bed. It's about 6:30 now and they just got it ready for me. Clinging on to Jason, my strength, my support; the reason this being is inside of me.... I hear MaMa talking on the phone, she called PaPa, who wasn't able to come to Washington with her. Later I hear that they have me on speaker phone both here and at Papa's work... :) Completely and intensly focued on my life altering task. Task, just doesn't seem to be enough of a word really. I need a word that carries more weight, but more positive sounding than burden. I push, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my being, with every muscle that I have in my body. I push. I push. I push push push push and then, at 6:36 she slips out. This little screaming wriggling thing. Christine passes her through to me and I clutch her close to me, I have seen her, I have seen that she is a girl. Though Midwives don't shout out the sex as if it's the latest football score. I keep it to myself for a few seconds thinking about it. Then, Jason hands me the phone. It's my Mom and I tell her that its a girl.... Jason hears. I tell him that it's a girl. He tells MaMa and the anxious brothers and Sister that are watching so anxiously from across the room. And, then I crawl back to the head of the bed and sit holding dearly to this little baby that we have named Sarah Rose Gabrielle Clark. Our Little Sarah Rose. This precious baby that I have been waiting so long for. It's a girl. The perfect ending to a perfect experience. It couldn't have gotten any better if I had sat down and written it out like a script. She's here. Not to much longer I call my friend Sarah and tell her that she's an auntie again. When she asks and I tell her the name I think I can hear the joyful smile that covers her face. I think that she was honored. Sarah may not know this, but she has held a very special place in Jason's and my heart for quite some time now. We both think that this is the most wonderful name for our little daughter.
So, I look back and smile on this day and what it means to me. A perfect day, a perfect Birth, and Perfect little Sarah Rose Gabrielle Clark.