our brush with thrush

in the past my other kids have had thrush and contrary to popular belief thrush is not caused by a dog kissing your face - we dont have pets! Anyway...it was never painful for me when the baby would have thrush...well this time was different. i guess since the baby was in the nicu and had antibiotics and i thought i was getting mastitis a week later i took antibiotics as well. that just escalated the thrush. it was so bad that my nipples were cracked and bleeding and it looked like chucks were missing. heres what i did for it. most strains are resistant to nystain. and both baby and mom need to be treated no matter who has and doesnt have the symptoms. the baby had nystatin and it worked for him and i used monistat. with the monistat you need to buy the 2%. then they started to bleed and so my dr. prescribed bactroban. it is also a cream to speed up the healing process. this worked for us. neither cream need to be wiped off prior to nursing. wiping off may cause further damage. put it on after nursing. i also would rinse my breasts after each nursing and let them air dry and then put the creams on. i write this so that anyone in the future who may have this can be informed. :) happy nursing!!!

society has made it where if u have a big family or want a big family everyone says nyour crazyn. i will say that with my pregnancy with marek this was confirmed. people i respected gave me the hardest time. it broke my heart to hear things like youre crazy or when i told them their tone and fake congrats just really tore me up inside. or they would ask r u done after this one and when i say probably and they ask y and we say our reasons they say well you should of thought about that before this one. so many daggers were thrown at me and i learned that people are people. and people are mean. respecta for people went out the door and i had to learn to let it go and forgive and move on. its a hard lesson to learn but it only helps me grow. i learned to appreciate the good responses we got when we shared our news. my favorite was my dad. with a big smile on his face he was happy and said you make me feel old. i write this because i learned to apprecite so much in this pregnancy. life is a gift. i learned to appreciate those who love our family no matter the size. just because something is hard or someone is having a hard time doesnt give u the right to bash them. we are supposed to encourage each other on this journey. my advice to you...you never know the impact of your words...choose them carefully...you can never take them back. and so i will continue to cuddle my sweet boy. hide these lessons learned in my heart. toxic comments will not take me captive. but the joy of the lord...that is what i want to pass on.

2011 here and gone...recap recap

As I entered 2011 I was entering my 30th birthday. Jan brought me 69lbs thinner and a wonderful b-day bash put on by dear friends and family. I am blessed to be loved so much by so many people. It was a night to remember that I will never forget. I rode in a Hot Rod in a form fitting dress. My make up was done and hair was done. I felt like a princess!!! Thank you to those that made that night so special. One memory I dont think I will ever forget..first some background. When I was 9 my mom remarried a man who has 2 sons (theyre still married). I spent most of my life trying to get them to love me and accept me as their sister. Though I havent pursued that for a long time, it was heart breaking. You can never earn love from someone they have to be willing to love you for who you are. I never was and never will be accepted as a sister to them, I am the evil step-sister and to that I am fine with. The awesome thing is that God knows the desires of my heart. He blessed me with 2 brothers. On the night of my bday bash I heard words I have been longing to hear for so many years. My brother in law Nathan gave me a hug told me he loved me and called me sis. Music to my ears and peace to my soul. When you spend so many years and nothing in return only to have someone fulfill those dreams, words cannot express. Needless to say my other brother in law also tells me the same thing and I am truly blessed. I will never forget that night. I love my Na Na and Mattmu!!! So we ate and danced and enjoyed ourselves!!! What a wonderful night!!!
As March drew near my husband surprised me with a cruise to Hawaii for my birthday. He worked out all the babysitting and plans. What a beautiful time we had. He means the world to me and again God knows the desires of my heart when he brought my hubby into my life. Though most thought he was scary, eventually he was all mine. :) He humors me, comforts me, loves me unconditionally, washes me in the Word. He is a picture of Christ to me, and to that is irreplaceable and beautiful, again words cannot describe.
We then became pregnant with our 5th child. It breaks my heart to say that so many babies in the last few months of 2010 and the year of 2011 left their parents and went to heaven. The world says miscarried, but to me they are precious babies in Jesus' arms. So as our baby grew and lived I know he is special and that God has a special plan for him. For some reason God allowed our baby to live. We found he was a boy and mt kids could not have been more exciting. Christian was exceptionally excited. He made many lego projects and other projects for Marek as decorations. He talked about the sharing rooms and playing. I love it!
We also gave up the fight for our condo in March. For about 3 years and with 2 different companies asked for help so we could keep it. No one would help us. We even appealed and still no help. We are still here and God will move us on in His timing.
Summer came and went. We went to the beach and played with friends. The kids took swim lessons and loved it. We celebrated Christians 5th birthday and Hannahbelles 2nd birthday with family and friends. We also went to the Del Mar Fair as a family and then I stayed for the 3rd annual Switchfoot concert with a couple of friends.
This year was tough for Erics family as his grandfather passed away. It was a sad time. Eric spoke at his Memorial Service and his Military Funeral. He was close to him. His grandfather is greatly missed.
As winter ( I say that lightly as we dont really get a winter here) approaches we were eagerly awaiting the birth of our baby. We also thought we were moving in Oct. God extended it and thus we havent moved yet and it is a blessing. We started schooling again, Awanas started again and we adjusted to Eric's new work schedule.
Ah and then December comes. What a month for our family. So many unexpected things happened. My husband ended up in the E.R. and then in emergency surgery about 1.5 weeks later. Moriah turned 7 years old. Then our sweet baby was born on December 26th at 10:28 pm. he was born in his sac completley. he is beautiful. he is the perfect addition to our family. we love him so much. he is a blessing in so many ways. He then was in the NICU. We celebrated New Year's Eve in the NICU but thankful that our baby was healthy and that nothing was wrong with him.
Now we look to a new year. full of many blessings.

Our Party in the NICU

At Marek's well baby check up on Dec 29th our Dr. thought his chest was retracting. He said if it doesnt clear up in 24 hours then to call and he would send us to Childrens. He thought it might be amniotic fluid in his lungs. So it didnt clear up so we went to Childrens ER. They did a chest x-ray, blood tests, virus test, and ultrasound/echo. They though the x-ray looked hazy in his lungs so they admitted us to the NICU. When we got to the NICU they said he was not retracting but that he has Pectus. Basically his chest structure is deeper than most. If he was retracting then it would look like he was struggling to breathe. But since the ER dr said the ex-ray was hazy that they were treating him for Pnemonia. He was not showing any signs of pnemonia but it was preventative. Since heart disease was rulled out earlier on it was either pnemonia or amniotic fluid. They said at minimum we would be there 48hrs from when the meds were given. First they had to have more tests. They grew his blood, tried to cathereter out some urine but he had just peed so they couldnt get any out, gave him a heploc for the meds. At about 6pm they finally started his meds. So we were in ER all day and then had to stay in NICU for at least 48 more hours. We asked to be transferred to another part of the NICU for less intesive care. In the room we were in we could not sleep in the room. So I would of had to sleep in the waiting room and come back every 2-3 hours to nurse. They did transfer us to a shared room but we could sleep in the room with him. At that point that is all I cared about. So we got to our room and got barely any sleep that first night. The next day which was sat. a Dr came in and said that the x-ray was not hazy, it had streaks but was not hazy. However, he wanted us to finish out the meds. Im sure the look on my face was interesting. Whats funny is he came in while I was nursing and he said can I come in? I said oh yeah come in, 5 kids later all modesty goes out the door and that he was a Dr. not some stranger off the street. He laughed. We really tried to make the most of our situation. We were blessed because we would only be there another day and get to bring our baby home. Most parents in the NICU dont get to bring their baby home. Our night nurse was kicked back and our daytime nurse was fresh out of grad school. She was a Christian which was a huge blessing to us. So needless to say we partied (not really) in the NICU for a few days and left. I did wake up at midnight on New Year's Eve to nurse, I kissed my hubby and said Happy New Year, nursed and we went back to (bed). The sleeping places were not comfortable but we were able to sleep a little both nights. The second night we got more sleep than the first night. So Sunday night we were discharged with a clean bill of health for our sweet boy. He did so well in the NICU. We are truly blessed and all I know is it happened for a reason I may never know of. Thank you Jesus for watching out for our sweet boy!

Marek's Birth Story

Marek’s Birth Story

At 4 am on December 26^th 2011 my water broke. So we called Best Start Birth Center and we went down. I figured I would start contracting within the half hour. We got there and still no contractions. So they tested and made sure it was my water that broke and did a non-stress test. Yep, definitely my water but no contractions. So we came home to wait it out. I took a nap and then went on a walk with my mom and a drive. Still nothing, so we came back and hung out with the family. Then I started to contract. I was finally in early labor. We laid the kids down to bed around 7pm and at about 830pm they stated to get closer and more intense. So at 9pm they were close and intense. They were 6min to 4 minutes apart. So we called and went to the Birth Center again. We arrived and I didn’t tell anyone I was there I just went upstairs where I knew we would be going to give birth. I laid on the bed. The older 2 kids followed us in but my mom was downstairs with the younger 2 kids. I immediately grabbed Eric’s shorts and would not let him go. Eventually my mom figured out Eric was not coming back down and got the younger 2 kids upstairs. I knew he was coming quickly. The midwife came and checked me and I was 4-5cm. In my mind I thought that’s it! But she said the next part will go fast. She left and about a minute later I knew he was right there ready to come. So my mom had to go find her and she eventually came back. I was thinking Eric might be delivering this one if she didn’t come up fast enough. I had no contractions in my tummy just in my pelvis, legs and back. So opening my legs so he could come out was so painful. He came out at 10:28pm. He was born in his sac completely. The part that broke was the outer sac. They had to cut a hole in his sac so he could breathe. So real labor was 1.5 hours. It was fast which is what I was praying for! He is a beautiful and precious addition to our household.

The Adventures of Slippers

When I packed for Hawaii...I had no clue how famous my slippers would become on the ship. We packed extremely light because we did not check in any bags on the plane. Yes we carried them!!! Whoo whee how was I going to fit tennis shoes, 2 pairs of flip flops, my red high heels and my slippers?? Well I wore my tennis shoes and packed the others along with very few clothes. As my slippers were coupled over my red high heels they had no clue of their famous adventure!!! This is the story of SLIPPERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we arrived on Honolulu...Slippers was a happy girl!!! Though she was missing her babies terribly, she knew this would be a grand adventure!!! Mr. Slippers was also very excited as we haven't been on a vacation just the two of us since our honeymoon, about 7.5 years ago. Ahhh a cruise in Hawaii!!! What a treat for us. We were pretty tired from traveling all day, so we tucked in early sat night. Yes, I know, crazy huh!?!?! It's ok though I made up for it later...trust me...just keep reading!!! In all seriousness there are no words to describe the beauty of Hawaii and all that it beholds. Here I will log where we went but there are no words for me to describe its Hawaii and all the things we did.

Our first post was in Maui. We had 2 days there so we rented a convertible mustang (the car of Maui). Everywhere we looked it seemed almost everyone had a mustang convertible! It was silver and a lot of fun. The first day we went to Lahaina to snorkel in front of the Sheraton, on the recommendation a friend who lived there, so that’s what we did. We brought our own snorkel gear and set out; I swam out and snorkeled but the flippers were not my friend so I swam back to Mr. Slippers, took them off and then swam farther out. I always made sure I was around other people and it's a good thing too! I almost became one with the ocean! I got stuck in a current and pulling out of it I got tired so I swam to the corral where people were climbing to jump off. However, the current was so strong on the corral I had to call for help. By the time someone came over I was stable on the corral. He made sure I could get off of the corral and as I started to swim back to Mr. Slippers on shore my asthma started to kick in and I started to panic. Then I started to pray and I asked God for help to get me back. When I was swimming out it seemed everyone had a floatie, noodle etc. Do you think that anyone had one in my time of need??? Nope not a single floatie in sight! So I turned and saw a woman and I asked her if she was standing where she was and she said no and caught on that I was struggling. So she took my hand and helped me swim ashore. Her husband also came to help as he looked at his wife and thought "Wow she caught a big fish and then realized it wasn't a fish it was Slippers in distress!" So he helped. Yes I was a damsel in distress twice. It was very humbling but it did not discourage me in the slightest. I wanted to go back out but I didn't. Back at the ship I learned to Hula and we made a Paniolo (Hawaiian Cowboy) Bandana. Then we ate dinner and watched the Polynesia Show. We then headed to the comedy stylings of Tim Kaminski. He was hilarious but in the crowd was an older lady who was drunk as all get out and she would not keep quiet. He was handling it well...still handling it...still handling it...he couldn't do any of his show because of her, so security escorted her out. It was very um...interesting...the show must go on...so then he was able to get on with his show.

The second day in Maui we drove to the Haleakala Crater. We spent the day up there and it was amazing. We stood in the clouds and learned a lot by talking to the people who worked there. One of the people working there was very knowledgeable and we talked with her for a while. We took a lot of pictures and spent the day there. When we got back to the ship I took the Hula class again and we both made Kukui Nut Leis. We ate dinner at East Meets West (specialty restaurant) and then we saw the end of The Second City Showtime (dinner extended longer than expected). We then went to Bonkers for Bingo. This is where Slippers made her debut. One of the crew staff saw my slippers on my feet, happily sitting waiting for bingo and started to call me Slippers. It spread like wildfire and alas Slippers was born!!! We won the grand prize for Bonkers for Bingo and won a gift certificate for East Meets West.

Tuesday we were in Hilo. We did the Volcano and Rainbow Falls Excursion. We had a great guide (Captain Rob) who educated and entertained us with info and jokes while we saw the Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcano’s. We also stopped at Rainbow Falls, Akatsuka Orchid Gardens and The Mauna Loa Macademia Nut Factory. We had a lot of fun at each of these places. Back at the ship I made a fresh Orchid lei (that I still have) and we ate at East Meets West (using our gift certificate), did a little Hawaiian Language 101, lost in the TV Trivia Challenge :( and then I judged Karaoke. I was the "Paula" and I was expecting a bunch of inebriated people with no talent!! What we got was an amazing American Idol. They were all sober and about 8/10 could sing really well. I mean really well...did I mention that these people could SING!!!!!!! It was awesome!!! Then we went to Tim Kaminski’s Comedy Session. Yes I laughed and laughed and laughed!! He said that I needed to come to all of his shows so that someone was laughing at his jokes!!! Haha..anyone out there can you hear me laughing???? Me at a comedy show...who would've thought!!!!

Wednesday we were in Kona and that was our kick back, become a lobster day! We headed to the beach to snorkel a little and just hang out. It may not seem like we did much but our days were packed off the ship and so many things to do on the ship we had a hard time picking what to do and when to squeeze in eating!!! So we hung out and hung out and saw turtles and hung out!!!! We were in the shade and though sun block was applied it was in fact ineffective!!!! Yes I showed up to Kona a translucent white haole and went back to the ship in a lobster!!! If you kiss me do I become a haole princess??? Back at the ship I made a Lauhala Ribbon Weave Lei. We ate lobster and saw the end of Oh What A Night (eating sure did interrupt our on ship entertainment!) Mr. Slippers then headed to bed and I went to the White Hot Dance Party. Because Norwegian is not a party cruise this is their one night to get down. Yes slippers danced the night away and pretty much closed down the party. Can you imagine me at a dance party? How could I refuse especially when the best DJ, DJ Dynasty, was there. He was awesome!!! Tim Kaminski was there in a rather um…interesting outfit paying penance for his cruel and usual punishment to the cruise director, Doug. Well the older female I talked about earlier showed up and was...well there are no words to describe what she was doing to Tim but it was...well....not for kids...let’s just say that!!! Though Tim did try to ask Slippers for help – really no one could save him from this lady! So anyway...back to Slippers...yes, Slippers danced and danced and danced!!!!

Thursday we were in Nawiliwili Kaua'I, where we kayaked in the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge. We kayaked to the rope that Harrison Ford swung on running away from the natives in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Last Ark. We then hiked to 2 different waterfalls, the upper and lower discovery (or Jungle) falls. After we took a picture at the lower falls, across from the falls, we saw beautiful and extremely tall bamboo. We then went to the second water fall and we were able to swim in it. It felt good on my sunburn. Although I had applied Kukui Nut oil to it...it still hurt. So yes the cold water was very refreshing!!! During this excursion we saw from a distance where some movies were filmed including: Jurassic Park, Mighty Joe Young, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, etc. Yes, Mr. Slippers was excited about this. When we returned I made a fresh flower hair pick and we headed to the Luau. We didn't pay for the preferred seating at the Luau, we were just hoping for a decent seat. While waiting to depart the Excursion Liason, that we had set up all of our excursions with, came over and handed us a paper with preferred seating. The day we kayaked he squeezed us in as there was only one spot available. Wow!! We were blessed by his generous acts of kindness this trip and in turn brought him some cookies. The Luau Kalamaku was voted best Luau in Hawaii 2009. It was very good and we really enjoyed it, however next time we want to have more traditional food as there wasn't as much traditional food as we would've liked. When we returned to the ship it was time to ‘dance with the stars.’ The Cruise staff were the stars and the passengers were the dancers. Well...do you think Slippers would do such a thing as this??? OF COURSE she did!!! The judges were the Cruise Director Doug, Second City performer Jen and Tim Kaminski. After each round there were 2 couples that were on the chopping block and the audience voted who was to get the boot. Slippers danced to many songs including ballet!!! Yes Slippers version, though noted that she has had some experience in ballet, was equated to the Sesame Street Ballet. Slippers also did her version of a cartwheel and many other fantablous moves!!! It was one of those...you had to be there...the judges did love Slippers. However...Slippers did get the boot...and she came in third place. In the losers lounge where all the losers were interviewed...we were in "Tim Kaminski's Room" ahhh.....let the comedy ring!!!! I convinced the host Andy to let me pretend to be the drunk older female that has made herself known to anyone who had the privilege to witness her charades!!! Oh boy...that lady...so he agreed and I did my bit...and boy did they crack up!!! The crew loved it and both comedians said that my act trumped their entire night of comedy that night! Honestly that was an honor to hear them say that. They are very funny comedians and very talented and for them to say that - was truly an humbling! I know that some of you may be surprised that I can act...right??? I mean all those years in high school where I was just a recluse paid off (oh wait that my husband’s the recluse)...we then ate at Cadillac Diner and headed to bed since we had an early excursion Friday morning. Trust me it was late.

Friday we did a Kauai Back roads 4x4 Adventure. Here we saw the Jurassic Park posts from the wooden gate that was in the movie along with the now field, but at the time where the lawyer got eaten off of the toilet and the area where the T-Rex escaped his pen. We also met Nicole our tour guide, who happened to live in La Mesa and Mira Mesa, so we reminisced a little. We also talked about the ghetto schools we had attended. Yep good ol Kearny (me) and Gompers (her). As we went on the hike (more of a nature walk) we ate off the plants on the side of the road and discussed the beautiful scenery. We went to canals that were so high neither of the guides had seen it that high, as the previous day it had been low. That's one of the amazing things about Hawaii, the different climates and the weather one day completely different than the next day. Kauai has the wettest spot on Earth, over 350 inches per year, which we went to. We also saw the desert on the Big Island and the Rain Forest on the Big Island. Ok…back to the Adventures of Slippers... We came back to the ship and I talked with Malu - she was one of the Hawaiian ambassadors on the ship. We got to know her and just love her. We had our final Hula rehearsal and then we went and played pool games. Now for those of you that have made it this far…CONGRATS!!! Wow thanks for sticking with me...I would like to announce that Mr. Slippers participated in the pool games. Yes one and all he sure did!!! We then saw the Na Pali coast. You can only get to it via helicopter, boat or backpacking. It has been the background for quite a few movies as well (backgrounds for Jurassic Park, and the beach where they filmed South Pacific). Mr. Slippers was very tired because Slippers had kept him up past his bedtime the night before, so he went and took a nap. Slippers went and ate dinner and then went to the Farewell Variety Show and the Kanikapila and Hula Graduation. At the Variety Show I finally got to see Murray. He was hilarious!! Mr. Slippers met up with me at my Hula graduation. We then went back to the room because there was a lull of activities on the ship and we fell asleep. We missed a show I wanted to see :( but we woke up and went to dance. (well Slippers went to dance and Mr. Slippers went to watch) and instead ended up talking to some of the crew. I absolutely loved the crew on this cruise. Jen (comedian from Second City) asked me if I had had any experience in theater. I asked does high school count?? She said yes and I said I had some directing experience as well, we chatted for a short while and then we headed to bed.

That night I got a letter from Jaclyn whom I had become friends with along with many other staff. She just wrote to me and said it was fun having me and to keep in touch. I ran into her sat morning before we disembarked, which was nice so I could say goodbye. Some other comments from the staff were a blessing to me. They said that people like me make their job worth it and that it makes it much more fun for them. It was funny because one of the bottle service staff would always say hi and call me Slippers. We even saw him in town when we had to buy a camera battery charger :(. He said even Slippers goes shopping!!! I saw him when I ate dinner alone and Mr. Slippers was napping and I finally asked him his name. Yep Patrick...thanks for always saying hi!!!! I loved that they called me Slippers!!! The passengers called me Slippers too. I'd be walking around or sit for a show and people would say hi Slippers or there's Slippers. I would in turn say where did you see me? And start up a conversation. Though I did talk to many people just to talk to them - I loved meeting all the people that I could, though not everyone I talked to called me Slippers. To all of the cruise staff and entertainers - you made the cruise a great experience for us and we are so thankful for meeting all of you!!! I do hope we meet again!!!! AAAALOOOOOOHHHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To my mom, my in-laws and my bff – thank you so much for taking care of my babies. We are so truly thankful to have you in our lives. No words can express our gratitude!

Im sure there will be more to add and I will as I remember it!!!

shout out to Mandie

this is my friend's blog and shes giving away one of her creations!!! i love her stuff!!

http://messedupmixedup.blogspot.com/2011/02/giveaway-free-necklace.html