A Very Special Visit

Addison received her first visit from Toothie the Tooth Fairy last night. She was so excited to get her tooth and place it under her pillow. Addison usually chooses not to sleep in her room, but for this very special occasion she climbed up into her bed and fell asleep! Toothie must have made her visit before 2:30 am because that is when Addison stood at the side of my bed holding her certificate & special gift. Addison told me that the Tooth Fairy had left me a note (her certificate) and gave her a necklace!! I took the certificate and placed it on my night stand and then encouraged Addison to head back to bed and NOT wake up her brothers yet! She fell asleep in her normal spot in the hallway until later that morning when once again she was standing next to my bedside beaming with joy!

Addison's certificate came with a special not from Toothie. She told Addison that she is becoming a very special young lady. Toothie gave Addison a bracelet with a single charm and the explanation that with each tooth she lost and shared with Toothie another charm (signifying a part of her life) for her bracelet would be left for her.

Toothie is a very caring and observant Tooth Fairy. She knows that Addison has a lot to go through in her life and that she spends a lot of time at "Her Hospital", so Toothie's first charm for Addison was from Phoenix Children's Hospital. Not only does Addison have a very pretty charm, but the Tooth Fairy was able to support Addison's hospital as well!
Addison wore her bracelet to school and running errands today and shared her special news with all of her friends and everyone she came in contact with that was willing to listen :) She sure is growing up fast!!!

Pirate's Play

Alex had his EEG today at Phoenix Children's Hospital. When we were being admitted to the hospital Alex was able to choose a bear to be his friend during his stay. His choices were a bear with pirates & swords and a bear with colorful shapes....if you know Alex or have read the title of this blog post you know which one he picked!!!
They took us into the EEG area and started getting Alex set up. I am not sure how many wires they attached to his head, but I was very proud of how well he sat still for the experience.

Once Alex had all of his attachments they wrapped his head in gauze. I told Alex he looked like a Pirate and he started singing "Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirates Life For Me"!! I showed him a picture of himself and he had a great big smile.

The most important part of receiving an EEG is that you stay very still. Alex has a hard time with that most of his life so you can imagine how worried I was. He did a great job though, I laid on the bed with him and tried to stop his movement as fast and often as needed.
They wanted him to fall asleep for part of the test, but of course that didn't happen! They flashed lights in his eyes and had him blow into a pin wheel for part of the test as well.
We don't know all of the results, but we will share as soon as we do.
We had to hurry out of the hospital and find Dad so that we could exchange Alex for Addison! She had OT at 2:00 and the timing couldn't have been better. All pirates need a little treat though so we stopped off in the cafeteria and found a treasure of rice crispy treat to enjoy :)

This picture was taken earlier this week...Alex found his way into my make-up. My mascara and my foundation bottles are very clean now, but as you can see his face and my bathroom were not. When my older kids would do things like this I wouldn't take the time to capture pictures during my surprise and frustration so I must be growing :)

A New Smile

Addison lost her first tooth today!! She is over the moon excited about not only loosing her tooth, but the visit she will be receiving tonight. I told her that the Tooth Fairy needs her to sleep in her bed so that she can find the tooth. We will see how that works out for us!
Addison took school pictures a few weeks ago and Daddy thought it would be important to buy her pictures this year because next year her sweet smile would be different. Good thing we listened to Daddy :)
Congratulations Addison, you are growing up so fast.

Addison's Crazy Day

Addison was scheduled to have her colonoscopy and EGD or upper GI exam yesterday. We did all of the prep on Tuesday to prepare. We arrived at the hospital at 12:00 pm for her procedures at 1:30. Of course there was a teenage girl eating Cheetos & M&M's. They need to make the no eating signs with neon lights! Addison was called to the back though and as you can see she was all smiles!

Addison's procedures went well. Dr. Hecht was surprised to find Helicobacter pylori gastritis and she had a few trouble spots. When Addison was in recovery her vocal cords spasamed, but the anesthesiologist was able to quickly come to her aid. She woke up and we began to start the discharge process. Addison took one sip of water and snubbed a Popsicle declaring she wanted a smoothly from Costco!

When we were in Costco Addison said she needed to go potty. We made our way to the bathroom and when I picked her up my hand was covered in blood. She sat on the potty and that the blood just filled the toilet along with a few blood clots. I quickly called the doctor and she said we needed to return to the hospital.
After the doctors saw her they decided that x-rays should be taken because of the amount of blood loss. They also wanted to get a blood draw and set up another IV. The only easy thing out of that experience was the x-rays.

Many people attempted to get and IV started . They tried both hands and both mid arms. The first person that tried lost the first vein in the hand and then tried the upper right arm and then was able to get a vein, but the blood was clotting as soon as it came out of the draw. He gave in and said that an expert in pediatric blood draw would come in.
The expert came in and tried using the IV location from her procedure earlier in the day. That didn't work and they they moved to her upper left arm. They were able to get a little blood, but when they were cleaning it they blew the vein and had to stop. Due to the lack of hydration from the prep and loss of blood she had nothing else to give.
They allowed her to drink some Gatorade and eat some crackers.

Through all of this Addison was patient, kind and full of smiles. Addison has gone through so many things in her life that she just takes things as they come. She didn't get upset or cry until the fourth IV was attempted. She is a real trooper :)
I am very grateful to my dear friend Krissy for bringing Addison a new change of clothes. Addison was very worried about having clean pants and she made that possible.
We arrived home at 10:30 pm with the instructions to watch. If we see blood again like we did yesterday we will be returning to the hospital to be admitted. We are all crossing out fingers!
Thank you for all the well wishes, thoughts and prayers.

I Know My Savior Loves Me (2010 Primary Program)

Addison was so excited to participate in the Primary Program this year. Her part was Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. While practicing her part and trying to learn and memorize her line she would flip her lines saying Redeemer and Savior. I thought it was cute and no matter what I said it never corrected the words. As Addison went up to the podium on Sunday I think she froze with fright. She starred at me and I mouthed her line. She quickly said " Jesus Christ Redeemer and Savior. " She quickly skipped to her seat!! When she sat down she gave me a thumbs up :)

Adam is an old hat when it comes to the Primary Program! However...the Pizza Party that came at the end of practice on Friday night was new :) Adam got into the car at the end of practice/pizza and said "I wonder if they knew this was my first pizza party?" He loved the pizza part. On Sunday he sang most of the songs and said his part very loudly!!! "Jesus made it possible for us to be saved from sin."

I am truly touched each year by the primary program. The testimonies of our Heavenly Father's children is truly a strength to my own testimony. One of the songs that they sang this year spoke of not living here on earth with Jesus or touching his hands or feet, but knowing that he lives. I am truly blessed by the strong testimonies of the primary in our ward.
I know that it takes a lot of work by the primary teachers, music leaders & presidency. Thank you for such an amazing program :)

Amelia's 8 Months!!!

My little one is growing up so fast. I can't believe that she is already 8 months old. Amelia is truly changing with each new day. She has started clapping a lot and scooting around our living room floor to find her toys. Her newest trick though is playing peek-a-boo!! I was playing with her the other day and she started playing along with me by covering her eyes too.
Our family is truly blessed to have Amelia in our family. She brings such joy into our home. I can't wait to see what she will do next :)

Addison's 5th Birthday!!

My little girls is growing up! I can't believe that five years ago today I held her in my arms for the very first time. I am so grateful for her and the amazing piece she is in my families puzzle. We are very lucky to have such a determined, thoughtful and compassionate young women as our little girl.
As I watch her go through this life and the challenges that have been placed before her I am grateful for the other gifts and strengths that she has been blessed with to counter her challenges. I truly love and am grateful for Addison and everything she has taught me in such a short time, I am excited to witness the amazing things that are still to come.
Happy Birthday Addison, Love you, Mommy!!

Addison celebrated her birthday Saturday with her dear friend Brynley. They had their finger/toe nails painted, decorated their very own cupcakes and enjoyed cheese & crackers and watermelon! Adam and Alex joined in the cupcake decorating fun and then after all the hard work was done Amelia helped her sister enjoy her birthday with a cupcake as well!!

Sunday night we enjoyed watching Addison open all of her cards & presents. She received a lot of wonderful gifts including a Princess Tiana dress & Princess bike.