Arthur's Trip to the ER for Stitches

On Thursday of this past week Arthur had a little accident and split his head open. It's only been about six months since his last trip to the ER but luckily that time his wound wasn't too wide or big and could be glued. This one however was a bit deeper and much wider. (Be aware that there are a few pictures of the actual open wound and a bit of blood.)

So you might be asking how he split his head open. He was on the washer in the laundry room and decided to stand up. He lost his balance and fell. Right onto the hard tile floor. Arthur immediately picked himself up and was just standing there screaming. My mom went to get a wet cloth to hold to his head while I called the pediatrician to see if I could go to their office or not. The doctor told me I needed to go to the ER. I took a band-aid to my mom so we could hold the gash together. Good thing Arthur loves Lightning McQueen and let us put the band-aid on his head. I'm so grateful I had my mom right there to help out and to watch Camilla. It would have been so much harder going to the ER with both kids in tow.

Arthur calmed down as soon as I got him outside and he realized we were getting in his car seat and going for a drive. We didn't have to wait at all once we got to the ER besides the few minutes it took me to fill out one form and sign a couple of others. The rest of the time there took much longer. In total we were there for over three hours. The nurses were wonderful though and the doctor was very kind and patient with Arthur. The nurses even brought Arthur a little bag with some toys and a coloring book. That helped get us through the first hour and a half. He also was given some graham crackers and apple juice, which just so happen to be two of his favorite things. He was also starved because he fell just before we were going to eat lunch.

About an hour after we arrived they brought some cream to put on his head that helps cleanse and numb the wound. Arthur really hated that part. I'm sure it stung and hurt a lot. I got him calmed down pretty quickly and then we had to wait another half hour for the medicine to take full effect. The doctor also gave me the option of either holding Arthur down for the stitches or sedating him. I really didn't want to sedate him and the doctor even said that if this was his kid he would choose to just hold them down. It's much quicker and doesn't have any chance of causing harm to the child that sedating them does.

The doctor came back when it was time with one nurse and she wrapped Arthur up in a sheet so he couldn't move his arms. Then she held his face and I held his legs while the doctor began. Just as Arthur was getting really mad another nurse came in and he helped hold down Arthur's legs. He also had a boy about Arthur's age and so he pulled a video up on his iPhone to help distract Arthur. Within about two minutes Arthur fell asleep and slept through the rest of the stitching. He was such a brave little boy though and only seemed to hate being restrained and confined. Once the doctor was finished, the nurse cleaned up all the blood on Arthur's face and put some ointment on the stitches.

After another hour the other nurse came back with the discharge papers and we were able to leave. I'm glad I didn't mind how long it took because it allowed Arthur to sleep a little longer and he really needed the sleep. I'm so proud of how brave and patient he was with the whole ordeal. I can tell his head still hurts him at times and yet he is still just as energetic and adventurous as ever. His stitches will be coming out on Tuesday and then hopefully it will continue to heal.

Arthur with his Lightning band-aid.
 

The very wide, gaping wound. The first time I saw it I was really queasy.
 

Arthur's favorite toy from the bag the nurse brought him.
 

 

 

 

 

He kept making noises as he played with the slinky. It was so cute.
 

 

His big cheesy smile while we waited for his head to get numb.
 

Arthur all wrapped up and not really liking it.
 

Another view of the wound just before the stitches.
 

My little burrito.
 

I finally got a smile out of him, sort of.
 

Fast asleep after the stitching is all done.
 

A view of the stitches before all the blood was cleaned up.
 

All cleaned up at last.
 

Zonked out. My poor boy.
 

Seven stitches in all, on the outside. There is also at least one more inside. I'm not fully sure if it was just one or if it was two stitches.
 

The view as of today. All ready to go to church.
 

A Very Long Post...With a Big Surprise!

I am finally getting around to updating the blog. Be aware that there are a lot of pictures and I'll try to keep the descriptions as brief as possible while still providing enough details for me to remember these events in our lives. As for the surprise mentioned in the title, you will need to read to the bottom of the post to find it! Trust me, though, it's worth it! Of course, you are not expected to look at all of the pictures or read all of this so I don't mind if you skip ahead to the end!

So these past few months since I last posted have been extremely eventful. After my graduation we arrived back to Moscow where I immediately started working on doing an inventory of all of our things and packing up as I did so. It took a lot of work but I had some great friends who came and helped me. I am so grateful to them for all they did for me during the time we were in Moscow and are definitely missed.

Tim's Graduation

Then on May 11, Tim graduated from the University of Idaho with his Masters of Accountancy! I am so proud of him for all of his hard work these past few years, especially while having a family and getting me through school too!

Graduation was really long but it wasn't too bad. Tim's parents and grandma came up to visit for his graduation and so I had their help during the program. Luckily not long after the processional Camilla fell asleep and was transferred over to her grandfather to hold. He had a couple of good hours to cuddle with her before she woke back up. Camilla woke up just before Tim walked to receive his diploma cover but I was still able to catch it on film. Arthur somehow lasted through the whole thing without too much complaining or wiggling.

Afterwards we went up to the Albertson building, which is where Tim had all of his classes and worked in the lab. They had a lunch and we were able to say some last goodbye's to his teachers and a few of our greatest friends!

 

 

This is my friend, Steffanie, and her son, Josh. Unfortunately he got cut off a little bit.

With Brielle!

 

This is Arthur with Brielle's son, Parker. They became pretty good friends in Moscow.
 

 

Saying good-bye!

  

Tim with Marla. She's the dean of the department and an amazing woman who helped us out so much!

Our family with Marla and Amber, the administrative assistant for the department. They are both missed!

We took some family pictures the day after graduation, which also happened to be Mother's Day! It was a wonderful day and yet sad at the same time as we said more good-bye's at church. We made so many wonderful friends in the ward in Moscow.
 

 

 

 

Moving
While moving from Moscow had it's sad moments we were really excited for our new adventures! We said some more good-bye's to friends and then finally to Tim's family before finally loading up the kids and hitting the road. Tim drove the moving truck and I drove our Jeep.
That first night we only made it about three hours before I was getting too tired to drive. We stopped in Missoula for the night and then drove for a very long time the next day. It started out early and then we took breaks in Butte, Idaho Falls, and Logan. In Idaho Falls we were able to meet up with our amazing friends who also happened to be our neighbors from Moscow. They were in Idaho Falls at the time so we took a break there in order to see them again. It was a short visit but then we had to get going again in order for us to make it to our other stops. We made the stop in Logan in order to see Tim's paternal grandparents. We made it just in time for dinner which they made for us. It was nice to spend some time with them and let them see their great-grandchildren who they had never met. Then it was time to make one last leg of the day's drive to my sister's house. My mom was there to meet up with us so she could drive with me for the rest of the way to Denver. I was so grateful to have someone with me who I could talk with to keep me more alert on the drive. Plus I just enjoyed the quality time I had to spend with her. We finally arrived in Denver a little more than three days after leaving Moscow.

Camilla was worn out from all the work of moving and fell asleep in my arms before I was able to pass her off to her great-grandma for some cuddle time of their own. I'm grateful she was able to have that nap as she kept getting into so many things and making it hard to clean and pack.
 

 

Saying bye to Charlie, another awesome friend!

Our amazing friends we stopped to see in Idaho Falls! We will especially miss being their neighbors!

Arthur and Camilla with their great-grandma and great-grandpa.

Ramah, New Mexico
About a month after we arrived in Denver there was a family reunion on my mom's side of the family. Her mother grew up in a tiny little town in New Mexico called Ramah. When I was little we would make trips down there about once a year to visit my great-grandma. Those visits stopped when I was nine and my great-grandma passed away. I haven't been back since but I still hold a lot of dear memories of the place.
I made the drive to Ramah with both kids and my parents. We visited with family and friends, spent plenty of time at the cemetery, saw my great-grandma's old house, and learned about some of my ancestors. I loved the mini-vacation and the time spent with my parents.

This is where my great-grandma and great-grandpa are buried. I never knew my great-grandfather as he passed away when my grandma was only a young girl but I knew my great-grandma and love her still today. Camilla is even named after her. My great-grandma's name is Jessie Mae and that is why Camilla's middle name is Mae. I love how happy both Arthur and Camilla are in this picture!

This is where Jessie Mae's mother, Mary Eliza, is buried. When I went on my first pioneer trek as a 16-year-old I walked for Mary Eliza. I spent many hours learning about her and what she experienced in her life. I may not have ever met her in this life I sure feel as though I know her well and I love her for what I have learned from her experiences.

Camilla with grandpa!

Me, Camilla, Arthur, my mom, and grandma!

Arthur at the Ramah museum! He loved it!

This was taken on the front step of my great-grandma's home. I have a picture of me on that same step when I was a little girl!

Canada Day and Independence Day

For July 1, which is Canada Day, Tim and I took the kids to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It was really interesting and fun to have the time together but a lot of the stuff was for older children. However, we did get to go to a planetarium show which was fun for both of them. Arthur got a little scared at times but you could tell he still enjoyed it. Camilla just stared in fascination at it all.

Then for Independence Day we had a ward breakfast and then spent the rest of the day just relaxing and spending time together. It was a wonderful week!

Arthur and Camilla with a few of their cousins!

Camilla's First Birthday
On July 20 Camilla turned one. We didn't do anything major but instead just spent time together as a family. That morning we went to Costco with my brother and his wife. We spent most of the time there eating samples. Both kids loved that! Later we went home and I made dinner and then Camilla's birthday cake. I decided to make her a simple Minnie Mouse cake. For Arthur's two birthday's I have done cupcakes so he could have his own little cake and so I figured with Minnie having ears I could give Camilla one of those for her little cake. She absolutely loved it and just went to town.

Trip to the Farm
Last weekend we went on a little trip to Delta, Colorado. It's a small town where my mom grew up. My oldest brother, Christopher, drove out with his two kids from California and so we met up with him there. We were able to spend time with my grandma, some of my uncles and aunts and cousins, and with Chris and his kids. It was a fun weekend. Unfortunately most of the pictures were taken on my mom's camera or on Christopher's. These two pictures were taken at a waterfall on the way to my grandma's. When we go this way we always stop to see the falls. Arthur was a little scared of the falls but loved putting his feet in the water. Camilla, of course, was as daring as ever and just loved it all.

Disney Store

In the mall near here we have a Disney store and we took the kids to it this weekend. While we were there they had a demonstration to teach the kids how to draw a character from a Disney movie. This time it was to draw Pascal from the movie Tangled. Arthur enjoyed coloring for a bit but soon lost interest and Camilla lost interest even faster. They both just wanted to run around the store and play with the stuffed animals and other toys. They really love Disney stuff, just like their daddy!

Random

Here are just a few pictures taken over the past month.

This one is of the view from my parents house. There was a big storm moving in one night and it created some really cool looking clouds.

This was at Golden Corral and Arthur was stuffing himself with brownie. He sure loved it.

Camilla all dressed up for church.

Arthur making another mess while eating chocolate pudding.

The Surprise

Now for the big surprise! Just after we left Moscow we found out that we are expecting another baby! We are both very happy and excited about this new addition to our family and look forward to the blessings that will come with another baby! I am currently 15 weeks along and so far everything is going great! I have been a lot more sick with this one than with either of my other two pregnancies but it honestly still isn't all that bad. I am due on January 26, 2014 and I am feeling pretty strongly that this one is a girl! 

Well I think that is all for now! Sorry that it was so long! I hope you still enjoyed the update on our little family that is expanding once more!