More Surprises

Now that the "cat is out of the bag" I can share the other surprise from last weekend.  Focused on surprising my sister, Erin, in Portland, I was more surprised to find out that she is engaged to her boyfriend, Nik!  I was excited for this happy couple that has traveled the world over together in the past year.  They are passionate and driven to succeed in the future and will surly do so together! 

Congratulations Erin & Nik!  

Here's to a bright new future together :)

Surprise Visit to Portland

I snuck away last Thursday to rendezvous with my sister in Portland on her birthday.  She didn't quite know I was making the trip so it was fun to surprise her.  I stayed in her great little apartment with her partner Nik and dog Wanda.  They were nice enough to share their space and time for the weekend.

 Erin and I did a run up to Washington Park and visited the rose garden.  I love how easily plants grow in Western Oregon!  It makes everything in my garden seem miniature in scale.

Amazingly the weather held out and we managed to get away with little rain and mostly blue skies.  We visited a pumpkin patch complete with corn maze and wandering chickens.

 We ate out at some delicious spots which are heavenly for a pregnant lady that isn't interested in cooking. 

A little shopping and an evening with their friends made for a fantastic surprise weekend!
Happy Birthday Erin!  Can't wait to visit again :)

Autumn in the City

Originally, I was thinking "Fall in the City" for the title of this blog but it seemed like a conundrum when thinking of the rock climbing taking place.  "City" in our neck of the woods generally refers to the "City of Rocks".  A locals paradise for rock climbing about 3 hours Southeast of Hailey.

Zach and some friends slipped away this weekend for just that and had a great time amongst the autumn backdrop.  Hardly any one there this time of year which left the usually crowded area wide open for the taking.

Thanks Ian and Sarah for letting Zach tag along with you this weekend!  So happy he has good friends to play with while I'm temporarily out of commission. 

Dwell Baby & Kids Sale!

White Canvas Designs is excited to kick off a new partnership with Dwell Studio

and wanted to give you a tremendous savings!

From now until the end of October, 

White Canvas Designs

is offering a

 30% discount on

Dwell Baby & Kids!*

Browse the website and find goodies for your children,

your friend’s children or your grandchildren.

Stock up on Christmas gifts, baby showers, and birthdays.

This is the time to save big on Dwell Studio Baby & Kids

items that you can't get discounts online for.

To place an order email: sarah@whitecanvasdesigns.net

with the items you would like to purchase and your payment preference.

*Sale applies to Dwell Studio Baby & Kids regularly priced items.  Discounted items on the website will not receive an additional mark down.  Cash, check or credit cards are accepted.  Items will be shipped once a minimum order requirement has been met with the manufacturer and depending on availability.  Taxes and standard shipping rates apply. All sales are final for this event.  

A Medium Shrimp

We have one!  At least that's what the baby book says is the relative size of our baby, 3 inches long today.  Next week we will move up to a lemon at 14 weeks.  Eventually we will have progressed from poppy seed to a pumpkin.  I think by the pumpkin stage I will be ready to give up all analogies.

This pregnancy has been far from easy for me in the first trimester!  I've learned that my sense of smell could crack any crime scene investigation, that sleeping is a MUST, and clothes are no longer a fashion statement but a way to go out in public without terrifying people, hopefully.  And most importantly morning sickness (despite it's name) does not limit itself to the morning!  I no longer can wake up with my morning cup of tea and ease into my day.  I'm now slave to my stomach and it's limitations throughout the morning, afternoon, and middle of night.  Whatever goes in and stays in is the best thing for me!  Although, I appreciate all the advice, I am way past soda crackers and ginger ale.

Despite my physical state and lack of "glow" we are still excited to be expecting a baby and feel very blessed to have this opportunity.  April 15th your taxes are due and so is our baby!  Ready or not, we are moving up to a lemon...:)

Fall is Here

Over the weekend the air got a little crisper, leaves continued to change and fall from the trees, and pumpkins were appearing everywhere.  I'm enjoying this new season upon us and feeling more restful around the home.  With our new windows in place Zach and I took to cleaning out our wood burning stove and gathering our final nuts for winter.  I'm looking forward to family gatherings, holiday meals, cooler temperatures, and nesting at home.

Images from here.

Michael Update

For over the past week Michael has fought hard and is "out of the woods and into the shrubs" as described by his sister, Jennifer.  He has exceeded all the doctors expectations and is improving rapidly.  Another letter from Jen describes it best:

Mike and I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.  They were slowly weening him off the sedatives and his eyes were open all night like a baby discovering new things.  I asked him if he loved me and he winked three times.  I told him that Alabama lost and Mississippi State won and I got a high five.  He tried to write for me but i couldn't make it out - he has never had good handwriting anyway.  Even though we shared tears because we are so ready for this to be over, and I am the one that is supposed to comforting him, I found that he was comforting me.  He was telling me that everything is going to be ok by patting my hand and reaching for hugs.  I LOVE that dude.

Mike has been on what they call Jackson Juice since we have been here.  You know, Diprivan, the drug that killed Michael Jackson.  The only difference is Michael Jackson did not have a ventilator when he was on it.  Michael Lyons did.  YES, I said DID.  My baby brother is off the ventilator and will be moonwalking in NO TIME :-)  And let me tell you, the kid can dance.

During this process, Michael has developed pancreatitis which causes the gallbladder to swell.  The best treatment for this is to let the bowels rest and, of course, this will be closely monitored.  There is still pnemonia on the right side and some in the lower left lobe but the doctor does not seem too concerned.  He said he made more progress in the last 24 hours than he expected.  We hope to have him up and taking short walks within the next couple of days and respiratory therapy will start as well.   He still has two more days of antibiotics left. His central line in his chest has been removed and we have moved to an IV in the arm. Today is a day of Thanksgiving.

I couldn't be more thrilled for Michael, Jen, and the Lyons family!  

Thinking of Michael

A dear friend, Jennifer, was rushed to Austin, Texas Monday night to be at her brothers bedside.  Michael is in his late twenties and fighting for his life.  I thought I would repost her letter here so whomever happens to read it will think of Michael and appreciate their loved ones a little more.

Image from here.

It is 10:30 on Wednesday night and Michael and I are having a slumber party.  He is sleeping like a baby while I am sitting here watching the monitors like a hawk.  Blood pressure looks great, heart rate is good and the paralytic medicine is a thing of the past.

Last week Mike was not feeling good so he went to the doctor and was sent home with a shot.  His fever never broke so he headed to the hospital Sunday night hoping to get a drip and be on his way.  God had another plan. He was admitted to the ICU around 6 Monday morning with pneumonia in all four quadrants of his lungs and was immediately set up with an oxygen mask.  I had a really good feeling when I left the hospital that night that things were going to be ok.  Unfortunately, his breathing quickly deteriorated around 4:00 Tuesday morning which only meant one thing.  A ventilator.

By 7:30 it was in place and he was on a paralytic drug - meaning he had no control of anything.  Not even his breathing.  Scary?  Words can't describe.  The best thing for him?  Absolutely.  The first ventilator that he had was doing the maximum work it could and his breathing spiraled out of control.  It is never good when a nurse tells you she is scared.  But she had to be honest.  The doctor was called in immediately to put in a more efficient ventilator - why wasn't this done in the first place?  Because they had no idea he was THIS SICK.  He took to the new ventilator very well and his levels began to even out.  When it was first in place, it was at 100% capacity with 24 breaths per minute.  Right now we are at 50% capacity with only 10 breaths per minute.  We are taking PO2 levels every 6 hours to see what needs to be adjusted.  The past several tests have come back great but they do not want to be too aggressive and adjust things too fast for fear of shocking his body.  Our ultimate goal is to let him help the ventilator breathe - starting with him taking one breath per minute while the ventilator takes 9 for him. 

During all of this, he has also developed ARDS or Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome which is a very serious condition that complicates the pneumonia. He is on 3 of the strongest antibiotics made and the doctors are still growing cultures to pinpoint exactly what is going on so we can become more focused on what we need to treat.  These cultures are taking a bit longer to grow because doctors believe the shot he received on Saturday is masking the real cause of the pneumonia.

His condition improved significantly today.  He was weened from the paralytic drug - he fought it at first but seems to be responding very well.  He opened his eyes for me earlier and squeezed my hand.  We have received good reports from a very reserved doctor.  However, he tells us that Michael will have a long road to a full recovery.

Both his nurse and doctor have provided extraordinary care and concern. He has a nurse dedicated to his care alone.  Sitting in here day and night.

Words cannot describe the love and support we feel.  I sit by the bed and tell him who all has called, emailed, send text messages.  Every one of your names has been mentioned.  I promise.  And he can hear me.  I just know it.  He is fighting like hell for all of you and i KNOW he will not disappoint. 

Please continue to pray for this battle Michael is fighting and for his strength.  Please also keep our family in your prayers.  We have been on an emotional roller coaster this week searching for answers.

Love to everyone.
Jennifer

Just in time!

We finished installing our windows...just before the rain set in!  Thank goodness we don't have a huge whole into our house anymore and have beautiful new windows to look out of to safely enjoy the changes in the weather. 

Before

Nick and Zach with a new window

Bryan trying to escape

No way could we have completed this huge project without the help of Bryan (brother-in-law) and Nick.  It meant so much to us to have the extra hands and advice.  Nick was outstanding and has stuck with us for EVERY weekend of work on our new windows.  And final thanks to Jean for lending us Nick for all this time when I know you have projects of your own to work on.

Lucy hard at work

Sarah repainting the trim

We aren't completely done though.  The outside work is mostly done but we still have to tape, foam, verathayne, and re-trim twenty windows from the inside.  But it can be accomplished and now we aren't slaves to the weather. 

New windows!