Legoland, Carlsbad, California

What a fun day we had at Legoland (way back on 3 October -- I'm just getting caught up). It's perfect for this age (3-4), and nice & low key for tired moms, after a day at Seaworld the day before (blog coming soon).

Jamie (almost 4 yrs) and Avery (4.75 yrs) playing "freeze" -- they were so excited to keep going, going, going, this is the only way we could get them to stop. I'd yell "freeze" and they'd "strike a pose" until we could catch up.
There was even a little bit of good ol' fashioned hand-holding. . . .
Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day -- kids & legos both
Diggin' for dinos (see video below)
Splash pads are always a HIT!!
Ugh, here was a little fight over who got to go first in the lion's mouth picture -- Avery was adamant that she was "the guest" so she got to go first. I guess Jamie's season pass precludes him from being the "guest" at Legoland -- in her opinion.
After the train ride (video below) they were all smiles again.
Volvo driving (see video below)
A little helicopter ride for Kim & Jamie

Legoland Videos

A day at Legoland (Carlsbad, California) with Kim & Jamie -- in video

A Big Weekend In Hope

Grandma Linda celebrated her 60th birthday last weekend. Her brothers Larry & Neil joined the festivities with a trip out west from Ontario (and stayed for over a week to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, too). Grandpa Earl's sister Maureen & her friend Jeff were also on hand from Ontario, and Devon, Avery, Jordan & I were also able to make the trip. Grandma Linda also spent a good deal of time on phone with friends & family calling with wishes, and more than a few neighbors in Hope stopped by to wish her a Happy Birthday as well.

Devon presents grandma Linda with a yummy birthday cake.
Opening gifts, Avery was right there to help while uncle Neil looks on
Aunt Maureen & Jeff
Jordan & me -- Jordan was still hanging in there like a trooper with her cold at this point
Uncle Neil, grandpa Earl, uncle Larry, and grandma Linda
Neil, Devon, Earl, Larry, Linda, & Avery
Then something strange happened -- Avery got an early birthday present from grandpa Earl & grandma Linda -- her own ice skates!! (her birthday isn't until 22 December, but this way she'll get extra use out of them this fall & winter)Now, to try them out -- at the Hope Arena
Funny how she forgot about "skating" once she got a hockey stick in her hand -- she couldn't resist after seeing all the other kids playing hockey during open skate time

Now for the live action videos, again

Unfortunately, Jordan's cold took a turn for the worse on Sunday night/Monday morning, so we left earlier than we planned. Grandpa Earl was going to take Avery skating again on Monday, but he didn't get the chance as we headed for home, and eventually ended up at the hospital that day.

An Afternoon At The Pumpkin Patch, Part I

I hope this is Part I -- Jordan was too sick to go, and Avery, Kate, & I just needed some fresh air in the sunshine. Hopefully we'll get nice enough weather over the next couple of weeks to go again to our favorite pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island in Portland. But for a quick afternoon jaunt, this one a couple miles from our house in Vancouver was good enough (but boy were they crowded for a weekday afternoon, I thought).

Avery in the hay maze

Kate in the haystack
Kate at the pumpkin slingshot
BFFs on the haystack
BFFs at the hay maze
The haystack, swarming with kids (a boyscout troop in yellow t-shirts)
Tractor rides
Avery's favorite attraction (I had to drag her away) -- Jasper the donkey (although she calls him Tonopah, which is our old burro's name, and who, at ~35 years of age, now lives with my old friend Rami & her horse Jessie in Oldtown, Idaho)
Kate made friends with this nice bunny
Once we got out of the animal feeding & petting area we stumbled on the pony rides. Avery rode Major
Kate rode Ginger
Finally it was off to the pumpkin patch out in the back 40. We got to take a hayride to get there, and we each got to pick a pumpkin to take home.
The end was near when Avery got sad for the (dead) sunflower head that Kate moved away from it's "friends" -- sometimes tired just hits all at once, and with no rhyme or reason. . . .
Hitchin' a ride on the wagon back to the main farm
The wagon loading area
Avery & her gi-normous pumpkin (I could barely manhandle the dang thing) on the wagon ride back. Kate picked a very nice, reasonable one -- but not Avery -- the bigger the better!
An overview of the corn maze. We didn't go, as we heard it takes about 45 minutes WITH the map & no wrong turns!

Home At Last

Jordan had a good day yesterday (Thursday) and a great night last night, so this morning they discharged her straight from the PICU!! Normally there would be a day or so on the floor, but with a nurse at home it's just as good. We were in the front door by noon & it feels great to be here. I can't wait to get a great night's sleep in my own bed for the first time 9 nights! Maybe I can even sleep in this weekend -- perfect timing!

It was even sunny enough this afternoon (after a week of rain) for a spontaneous trip out to the local pumpkin patch with Avery & BFF Kate. Avery has had a long week herself, and on top of being tired she is being "clingy" for mom. We needed an afternoon out together! It's tough to be happy & healthy and not have the attention of Portland's medical world, let alone your own nurses to care for you each day. It's a good thing Jordan is willing to "share" some of nurse Robin & nurse Lisa's attention each day.

Worn Out

Jordan is definitely getting better & stronger, but sleeping a lot today -- more so than yesterday. I think all the coughing just wears her out. She's still in the PICU, but they're finally talking about moving her out to the ward (or even home), possibly as soon as tomorrow. My mommy instinct thinks going home tomorrow is a bit unrealistic, but hey, we'll take it if she's ready. Her labs look good, nothing cultured out of her blood, her oxygen sats are okay (could be better, but she's holding her own on room air right now), she doesn't have pneumonia, and seems to have dodged bronchitis. Just a nasty old cold virus!

As for the rest of us, it's pretty much life as usual. Devon gets Avery up & off to pre-school, then works for the day. Yesterday Avery stayed at preschool for the whole day, but on Tuesday and today nana Noma is picking her up for the afternoon. I hang out here with Jordan until ~dinner time, then head home for 6 or 7 hours of family time, then come back to sleep in the old blue chair overnight. It's much less of an imposition on the family when Jordan's in the hospital during the week -- life can almost go on as "normal."

Life isn't too bad for me in the hospital, either. I know that Jordan is getting great care here in the PICU, and the staff has been incredibly nice to me, especially since I'm pregnant. They got Jordan an adult bed so I can sleep with her (we had a great 2.5 hour nap early this morning together), and have arranged meals for me as well (which are not at all bad -- they cater very well to my picky, no-meat palate, perhaps because we're in the infant/toddler area!). And of course, there's always chocolate milk in the fridge. . . .

Same Old Same Old

Mucus, suctioning, breathing treatments, mucus, suctioning, breathing treatments. . . you get the picture. And lots of sleeping, quietly I might add (thanks to last month's tonsillectomy, but that's a different "Hotel Emanuel" story).

Jordan is doing okay -- nothing major, just a cold (nothing cultured out yet at 24 hours, and her x-ray is still clear of pneumonia). She just can't handle them like you and I, so we're still in the PICU, and she's still getting lots of attention to keep her breathing strong & regular. I went home tonight for some family time with Devon & Avery so I didn't get to talk to the intensivist, but I'm guessing we'll be here for a couple more days.

While I certainly appreciate the level of care she gets in the PICU, I am looking forward to a flat bed (cot) & a private bathroom out on the ward. Having to leave the PICU to use the outside bathroom keeps a 6.5-month pregnant lady hopping! I guess I can't complain too much, I did sleep like a babe in the old-fashioned blue chair the nurse took out of an empty PICU room. They definitely shouldn't have upgraded to the other chairs, they are much harder to get a good night's sleep in . . . .

The Travel Stops Here. . . .

Avery & I had an exciting trip to Orange County, Seaworld, and Legoland on Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday, then flew straight to Seattle where Jordan & Devon picked us up on the way to grandma Linda's 60th birthday weekend in Hope, B.C. Everywhere we went were "sicklies" -- seems a nasty cold has been circulating the west coast. Avery had a cough and a runny nose, as did our friends Kim, Wil, & Jamie in OC. And sure enough, by the time Jordan & Devon met us in Seattle Jordan was coughing non-stop!

But we persevered. We had a wonderful weekend in Hope with birthday girl grandma Linda, grandpa Earl, Linda's brothers uncle Larry & uncle Neil, Earl's sister & friend aunt Maureen & Jeff, and great-grandma Mavis (who turned 91 herself just today). Jordan coughed and sputtered and needed alot of suctioning, but she was holding her own.

Until early this morning . . . . We ended up cutting our trip short and heading straight home with "little miss blue lips." It was clear that Jordan was not breathing well through all the mucus, and as we drove we decided that we didn't just need to go home, we needed to go to the hospital. So, we waved at the house from I-5 as we drove another 10 miles past it into Portland tonight and checked Jordan in at her favorite children's ER. Her oxygen sats were low enough (83) to get her straight to a room, and combined with her blood gases (pH=7.29 & CO2=71) she's now on BiPAP and awaiting a spot in the PICU for the night. She's well hydrated and still tolerating her food, and they were able to start an IV fairly easily, so it could certainly be worse.

I guess the good news is that I'll have some time to get my photos organized and a couple of blogs posted about our recent adventures over the next day or two -- if I can get any sleep in the PICU, that is (no beds, just chairs that fold out almost straight).