tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162824217448959772024-03-05T13:19:44.612-07:00The MaughansNatalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-23703861666120844802015-09-15T14:51:00.000-06:002015-09-15T14:51:16.484-06:00Time to catch up~<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Summer is over as far as school is concerned and I haven't put any pictures up. Today is a beautiful, rainy day and a perfect time to add some pics!</div>
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Let me start with pictures of My Wee. This little girl has spunk and style. I have been saving pictures of her until I had enough to put on here, and she does not disappoint! She loves to mix and match her clothes and add layers upon layers. And to add to the "look" is her attitude! She is either the happiest little stinker you've ever seen or a monster!! </div>
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OOPS! Her chocolate cake she was making in the sandbox exploded! But it doesn't distract from the style.</div>
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Every summer the firemen in our area come and flush the hydrant by our house, and this day we happened to see them just in time to play in the water. She followed these guys to the end of the circle and probably would have kept going with them if I hadn't stopped her! Fun summer days playing in the gutter!(Yes, I joined in with her!!)</div>
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This is such a cute picture I couldn't NOT put it on here. My Vaeh; I used to babysit her, but we have continued to love each other forever! I call her my 9th grandchild!And I would even take her parents as my kids! (Just watch yourself, Jay! I'm strict!!)</div>
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Another pic I had to put up. One of my best friends who also happens to be my sister-in-law. We took a night off from mommy-hood and went go-cart racing!! Yes we did!! My daughter-in-law came, too but she is camera shy....</div>
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...unless she's dressed like a minion. Then she's ok to be involved!</div>
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Al got new glasses!! He picked these out because he looks like his best friend Paul. (Paul in our neighbor who is an adult with adult children, but is always sweet with Al!)</div>
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A lot of church events; this was a service project the girls made for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bebravebaylee" target="_blank">Baylee</a>. These girls have a heart of gold and really enjoyed making this; they were so particular! They wanted it perfect for her!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/youth/activities/stake-and-multistake-activities/camps-and-youth-conferences/youth-conferences?lang=eng" target="_blank">Youth Conference</a>; we went downtown to <a href="http://www.templesquare.com/" target="_blank">Temple Square</a> and was involved with other<a href="https://www.mormon.org/faq/ward-stake-branch" target="_blank"> wards</a> in many activities; a scavenger hunt, lunch at <a href="http://www.templesquare.com/lion-house/" target="_blank">The Lion House</a>, a movie, a special speaker, a dinner at <a href="http://www.templesquare.com/explore/jsmb/" target="_blank">The Joseph Smith Memorial Building</a> and more! We have a small group compared to most in the area!!</div>
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Beautiful <a href="http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/saltlake/" target="_blank">Salt Lake temple</a>!!</div>
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My faithful <a href="https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/young-women?lang=eng" target="_blank">Young Women</a> and a few leaders!</div>
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The first morning we had breakfast made by two of our <a href="https://www.lds.org/handbook/handbook-2-administering-the-church/melchizedek-priesthood?lang=eng" target="_blank">Priesthood brethren</a> and then headed to<a href="http://www.slcgov.com/cemetery" target="_blank"> The Salt Lake cemetery</a>. Fascinating!!! This is a picture of us in front of <a href="http://www.enjoyutah.org/2011/08/salt-lake-city-cemetery-christmas-box.html" target="_blank">The Christmas Box Angel</a>.</div>
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One of the activities we did was <a href="https://familysearch.org/" target="_blank">genealogy</a> work. After finding out what your ancestry was, you got to paste your face onto what your ancestors may have worn. Yes, this is Alex as a Swedish man. Kinda scare, funny and lovable all in one!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.lds.org/youth/activities/stake-and-multistake-activities/camps-and-youth-conferences/young-women-camp?lang=eng" target="_blank">YW Girl's Camp</a> is another summer tradition! This was the first year in a lot of years that I wasn't the camp director (the one in charge!) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The girls even brought me breakfast in bed! (My bed being the back of my van because I snore too loudly to sleep with anyone else. Yes, sad but true)</div>
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This is Bobert. No that's not a typo. He has been called that by the young women for at least 15 years! He is a camp guru and we love having him come up with us. Yes, he has lipstick on his face; that's from a game called<a href="http://www.geocities.ws/kairaus/Cheeky-weeky.html" target="_blank"> cheeky-weeky</a>. We couldn't go on a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe_hunt" target="_blank">snipe hunt</a>, which is usually our traditional yearly game, because we only had one newbie and someone spilled the beans!! </div>
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Our awesome Stake Camp Director! Yes, she's wearing a jacket and using an umbrella in July.</div>
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And this picture, though not the best of everyone, is where we hung out one day; our trailer with all our camping equipment. It was too cold and too wet to be outside!! We still had a great time and the girls were good sports and great helpers!</div>
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Something we did this summer - that we haven't done for at least 4 years - is we finally went boating!! It was so awesome to see this view in my side mirror!! Our boat is a classic! Bought in the 70's by George's uncle, then we bought it in the 80's and boating has become the BEST summer tradition that we have missed. Unfortunately, just like everything else, getting older sucks and the boat had old man issues. It would putt-putt-putt like an old man walking up the stairs instead of going full out fast!! Our friend Jay helped George work on it at the end of last summer and we finally got it out on water! Once. But it was worth it!!</div>
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George LOVES this boat!!! And he sure looks good in it!!</div>
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My 2 favorite men doing one of our favorite things!!</div>
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Did I mention getting older sucks??!? He did great, but it took him a while to get up on the ski and then a while to recuperate!!</div>
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The weather was perfect and the water was glass, but the smoke in the air from the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/14/us/california-wildfires/" target="_blank">California fires</a> made it hard to distinguish water from sky.</div>
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Our boat's wake is awesome!! And it ran amazingly great the whole day!! No old man issues for the boat on this day!</div>
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This isn't a very good picture because he looks so uncomfortable, but this is Alex's favorite place in the boat. It's inside the bow of the boat; he plays with his guys and "paints" the carpet on the roof. He loves to take paint brushes and brush material that shows the path of the brush and that happens to be what's in the boat bow. It's quite a big area and perfect for newborns and Al!!</div>
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But Alex did try on some skis! It was exhausting for him just putting them on but he tried!! It is really difficult for him to hold the skis together, but we will keep trying!</div>
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The end of our day; not one we wanted. Waiting our turn to load the boat - so we were just motoring around the area - and hit a sandbar. Yup. Stopped. Cold. For the second time in our boat owning years we had to be towed in by a jet ski. This time we just needed a tug while we pushed off of the sandbar, but I'm afraid George questioned his masculinity after having a lowly jet ski tow his manly boat!!!</div>
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Some random summer fun....</div>
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CUTE!!</div>
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Not so cute!! But there is a great story behind it; M was telling me about her upcoming 6th birthday party for her friends. Lou was invited to do hair and nails, TJ was invited to do makeup, but I wasn't invited! So I asked what I could do. My daughter-in-law - who knows better - said, "You can dress like a cow and dance." So I did. She swears she didn't say 'dress like a cow', but she did. I'm right. The funny part was my children's reactions. Everyone else laughed hilariously at this cow's version of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjW8wmF5VWc" target="_blank">Whip-Nae Nae</a>, while Colby acted like it was an everyday occurrence, Lou just rolled her eyes and TJ wouldn't acknowledge my presence. Huh. Wonder what that all means?</div>
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Speaking of embarrassing moments... thank goodness no pictures!!! (That I know about!)</div>
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This picture of George and Al is during the <a href="http://cottonwoodheights.utah.gov/community/events/butlerville_days" target="_blank">Butlerville Days 24th of July Parade</a>. We got to ride on the cemetery's golf carts and throw candy to the parade goers. Kind of a way to advertise and show that cemeteries aren't just for Halloween. Well, I was standing on the back of one of the golf carts (it wasn't even George's) and after throwing some candy I felt something around my feet. I thought, "Who threw something back at me?", looked down and my skirt was down around my ankles! No kidding! And since I was on the back of a golf cart I couldn't bend down graciously and pull it up. Oh, no. I had to full on bend OVER sticking my butt out then pulling it up. I looked around and noticed some poor little 5 or 6 year old boy tapping his dad's legs saying, "Dad. Dad! Dad!!" and I just looked at him and said, "I know, right!?!"</div>
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If you do find a picture, please destroy it!!!</div>
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<a href="https://www.sevenpeaks.com/SevenPeaks/Home.aspx/SITEID.1001_1" target="_blank">Seven Peaks</a> fun!!</div>
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Maughan family reunion 2015</div>
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Al did a lot of go-cart racing. He's actually really good! The first time he hit every corner there was during every lap! But he has improved a ton, and the employees know him by name and treat him really well!!</div>
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And George and I got to go see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_(band)" target="_blank">Journey</a> at the <a href="http://www.freedomfestival.org/event/stadium-of-fire/" target="_blank">Stadium of Fire</a>!! Oh I love that group - but I love this guy even more. Couldn't have been a better day!! </div>
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So, that's part of our summer. And as much fun as it was, I can't wait for Fall!</div>
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<br />Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-67100824838209432592015-08-03T11:06:00.000-06:002015-08-03T11:06:28.420-06:00FAMILIES ARE FOREVERI belong to <a href="http://lds.org/" target="_blank">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints</a> (aka LDS or Mormon). I have the opportunity to work with the young women of our unit (called a ward) from ages 12 - 18. And no matter how hard my <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/calling" target="_blank">calling</a> is, I love the girls I work with and the other leaders!! A-maz-ing!!!!<br />
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This past week we got to have a Youth Conference with the young men in our ward. This is basically a family reunion with the youth and leaders in our ward and each year we get to choose a different activity. This year we went to Temple Square and attended some classes and tours that were absolutely wonderful. The best part about it was the spirit that you feel so deeply while on these sacred grounds. There is a feeling of peace, tranquility, love and joy that just permeates the area. <br />
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I will write more later with more details, but I had to share these pictures for Alex's birth family to enjoy - since we got a kick out of it!<br />
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One of the things we got to do was work in the <a href="https://familysearch.org/locations" target="_blank">Genealogical Library</a>. It was fascinating!!! I thought they would sit us in front of a computer and say, "Ok. Figure out who your great-grandpa was!" <br />
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Yippee!<br />
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Not that knowing who my relatives are is bad, but I always figured the work would be boring. Far from it! First they had the kids type in their name and take a selfie on an ipad. Then they were able to connect the ipad to different areas where we were able to get so much information about our genealogy that it was just incredible.<br />
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For instance -<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TYmHkE5xPGapIZUEfc6zvPtPUXsoCVPOeF-ObuREr9rfa_7Szl6L0HIp3FTR1umFnIuyFdm9srRdUa1_W78lLmRMF7jW-kDEdjCsL_LxmCDwn9zMCSawIEf_KW9aRWNwdLYfU36DRBs/s1600/explore_my_story_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TYmHkE5xPGapIZUEfc6zvPtPUXsoCVPOeF-ObuREr9rfa_7Szl6L0HIp3FTR1umFnIuyFdm9srRdUa1_W78lLmRMF7jW-kDEdjCsL_LxmCDwn9zMCSawIEf_KW9aRWNwdLYfU36DRBs/s320/explore_my_story_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now remember, this is Alex's genealogical history according to the Maughan family name. How incredible is this?!? And this is already IN the system. We just had to access it. </div>
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Another spot Alex enjoyed the most made it possible to add a picture of your face to an image depicting the different countries. He thought this was hilarious because he would pull some weird faces and it would attach them to the image. I picked my favorites to show as an example.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOGROGM9wW8FnB1D3kZLDsYhCFz_pcRHBclEahgSUKfo-uMbL3OjU5P15f8JFe5UhJU2u5-XF-WqSD1CTbSoZ88HaowHpm5vamqWycnMAwMF6k16E0CUbdDCc16OpYqszvhOfe6VidvQ/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOGROGM9wW8FnB1D3kZLDsYhCFz_pcRHBclEahgSUKfo-uMbL3OjU5P15f8JFe5UhJU2u5-XF-WqSD1CTbSoZ88HaowHpm5vamqWycnMAwMF6k16E0CUbdDCc16OpYqszvhOfe6VidvQ/s320/1.png" width="149" /></a></div>
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This is Alex as a man from Switzerland. </div>
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And here he is as a Native American.</div>
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Handsome dude, huh?</div>
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So - Daddy Ernie and Mommy Dana - I REALLY want specific names and dates of your parents and grandparents with their birth date and death date!!!! Please!?!? It would be fascinating and I think it would be something important Alex should know.</div>
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Enjoy the pics and I will add more info and pics later about the whole Youth Conference.</div>
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Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-429380156242134002015-07-02T12:06:00.001-06:002015-07-02T12:06:29.884-06:00I am officially pissed!Pissed is such a disgusting, harsh word, but I am disgusted and need to harshly emphasize how angry I am!!<br />
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Let me start by apologizing to anyone who may be offended by my opinion. Hopefully you know me well enough to understand my feelings are warranted and that venting on this blog will help me work towards forgiving the person I am mad at. <br />
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This person happens to be one of Alex's many doctors; he is someone we should trust and I don't. This mistrust goes back to when Al was 5 years old! I didn't worry about replacing him 13 years ago because Alex didn't need to see this doctor often - twice in 15 years - and when we went back recently I figured everyone has bad days and I needed to give him a second chance. <br />
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***SPOILER ALERT*** Do not read any further if you don't want to hear details of my opinion of a certain ENT we will call Dr. M.<br />
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When Alex was 5 he had a hole in his eardrum. It never closed up after the tubes fell out of his ear. His first ENT, whom I loved, was watching it carefully for over 2 years, but he didn't take Alex's insurance anymore so we ended up going to Dr. M. Dr. M IMMEDIATELY suggested surgery. Insisted is more like it; he used the scare tactic of an infection getting into Alex's lymph nodes which are so close to the ear, and if that happened Al could die. Yup. That's how he addressed it.<br />
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Surgery a few weeks later. They took a piece of muscle from another part of his ear and patched the hole with it. What Dr. M failed to mention is they would need to make a C-shaped incision around the back of his ear so they could flop his ear and the skin over to work on the inside. Now, you may be thinking, "But how did you think they were going to do the surgery?" Well, having had 2 kids get multiple tubes put in their ear, I thought this surgery would be similar. I thought they would go through the ear canal, especially since he said it was a "simple surgery" and would be a bit longer than putting tubes in ears, but not by much. That was all the explanation I got. <br />
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Recovery room; Alex has a huge mound of gauze on his ear with an ace bandage holding it in place by being wrapped around his head. He looked like a freakin' war victim. We were stunned! And to top it off, it didn't help his hearing any, which was a hope.<br />
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Thirteen years later; the present time. As I have reported before, Alex's oxygen sats have averaged in the high 80's for more than a year now. (Anything below 90 causes concern to doctors.) There was no clear explanation for why this was happening so Alex's pulmonologist (Dr. P) suggested we go to an ENT because they would know what tests to run to see where the problem could be, if the problem lied in the neck / facial area. So off to Dr. M we go. After a quick 5 minute appointment, we leave with orders for a CT, MRI and swallow study. I was truly excited for this so we could see what could possibly be going on to cause low oxygen sats. The swallow study was fascinating. I got to watch a video of Alex's skeleton swallowing different degrees of thickness of fluids! The MRI and CT were done a different day because it had to be done under anesthesia. Two days after these tests I got a call from Dr. M with the results; Alex needs a tongue reduction surgery. They need to remove 1/3 of his tongue because as he sleeps his tongue falls back into his airway and blocks it. He said it was a very "clear indication for tongue reduction." When I asked, "But why are his sats low during the day? That was the main reason for these tests!" He replied there is no indication as to why his sats are low, other than his recent rapid weight gain (caused from a medication he takes for anger issues.)<br />
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Not. Comfortable. With. That!! I mean how barbaric can we get? Are we living in the 1500's? I talked to multiple Speech Language Pathologists who had never even heard of the surgery being done except in cases of tongue cancer, and to another ENT who said we should go to the cardiologist and see how his heart is doing. If his heart is staying stable, and if we could get him to wear his CPAP he wouldn't do such a drastic surgery.<br />
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We took Alex to a behavior specialist that deals with getting kids to wear their CPAP, and he now wears his CPAP all night long with no problems. Check. Saw the cardiologist who not only says his heart is doing great, but as we watched the CT and MRI on his computer (the first time for me) he asked what the ENT's explanation of Alex's trachea being squished was.<br />
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HUH?<br />
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A normal trachea is circular in shape, with a size of 15 (mm?). Alex's is hot dog shaped with a size of 5 (mm?). <br />
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Called Dr. P - the pulmonologist - and scheduled an appointment. Now let me just mention here that in my job I talk to a lot of parents about the different doctors out there, and when we discuss Dr. P I let them know that she can be a bit overwhelming and sometimes seems forceful when it comes to children with sleep apnea (which I am a firm believer that most kids with Down Syndrome have) wearing their CPAP. <br />
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So, the visit with Dr. P today; lung disease caused by silent aspiration over and over. His trachea is VERY small and there are other anomalies in the structure of his bronchial area and ALL of this would explain his low oxygen sats during the day. She would NOT recommend the tongue reduction surgery for Alex because he has so many other 'obstructions' that fixing one (the tongue) wouldn't help any of the other problems. Actually, nothing will help the other problems. We could do major surgery to see if his trachea is being squished by something or it's just misshapen. And if it is being squished by his aorta we could do bypass surgery. But that surgery would need to be done every 10 years or so. And then we still would have the other disfigurations in his broncial area that would cause obstructions. End result; we could thicken fluids for Alex so he doesn't silent aspirate anymore to cause more lung disease and monitor his oxygen to make sure it doesn't go lower than his average, and continue with the CPAP,<br />
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I'm sure I looked surprised as we were discussing this. This was all news to me - except for the smaller trachea, which the cardiologist wasn't even sure he was reading the images correctly because it's not his specialty. I finally told Dr. P that no one had discussed this with me. She mentioned it is all in the notes that I would have gotten from Dr. M. <br />
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HUH?<br />
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Nope. No notes. No mention of the several reasons for Alex's low oxygen during waking time. No explanation of the swallow study results. BUT in the notes that Dr. P was reading from - and to which I should have had a copy of - Dr. M wrote that it was "discussed with mom" about oxygen concerns being caused by malformations, and the suggestion to thicken Alex's fluids.<br />
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OOOOOOO!!!! I'm seething! My child is not yours to butcher, just to get you in the medical publications. My child has many, many health and emotional issues and let's discuss EVERYTHING that pertains to his well being! Let's discuss SOMETHING that will benefit my son. Not you!<br />
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In all these years, and all these doctors that I have taken Alex to, this is only the 2nd one I won't ever return to. Only the 2nd one I do not trust to give me the information I need. (The first doc was an arthritis specialist who told me that Alex needed to buck up and I needed to let him grow up because there was nothing wrong with his<b><i> knee</i></b> that would cause him the agony he was in and not able to walk for 6 weeks. That doc ended up being called by an orthopedic surgeon at the 6 week mark when it was discovered in a <i><b>hip</b></i> xray that his hip was completely out of it's socket. The orthopedic chewed him out because apparently it's common knowledge that if a person has knee pain, you should always check the hips as well as the knees. The hip pain radiates to the knee. And I have to give this arthritis specialist kudos; he came to Alex's hospital room everyday he was in the hospital to apologize, and to let me have <i><b>my</b></i> chance to chew him out. Because of this incident, this specialist said he realized he needs to listen to the parent's concerns more and judge less. Unfortunately Alex now will have a lifetime of hip troubles because of this doctor.) I say this to show I am not one of those vengeful people who look for something to be wrong. I feel I am pretty optimistic and can work with many types of personalities and people. <br />
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BUT IF YOU MESS WITH ANY OF MY LOVED ONES - LOOK OUT! I will not hesitate to let anyone who asks know what kind of jerk you are. And I may even blog about you!!<br />
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Take that!Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-66689702502371834202015-07-01T12:07:00.003-06:002015-07-01T12:08:02.843-06:00Next big step<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Now that Al is 18 he needed to get a picture ID. It was so weird walking into the DMV with him! Seeing all these other teens there to get their license - he felt like he was just where he needed to be. I didn't tell him the difference between their cards! And he has been told he can't get his license until he's as tall as his brothers. (Not gonna happen!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ_NQDzgifw8NrgRFPdqmQPHmXICiSE0CPapaiaD8UlDEzlin-ZTeuOG8GZNLLTocOphYhbrH3fGmtsh42qU2Erlt-3RzHuy9eqCt14tN9YBRmkFrN0qT6nwPBuvn8FWCb3-RpBFsX5o/s1600/wait.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQ_NQDzgifw8NrgRFPdqmQPHmXICiSE0CPapaiaD8UlDEzlin-ZTeuOG8GZNLLTocOphYhbrH3fGmtsh42qU2Erlt-3RzHuy9eqCt14tN9YBRmkFrN0qT6nwPBuvn8FWCb3-RpBFsX5o/s320/wait.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There was hardly a wait at all! (We went to the Draper location instead of West Valley. Will definitely go there from now on!) He sat, I took his picture, they called his number. Awesome! But I still had to post a picture of him looking bored in the DMV waiting room. It wouldn't be complete without it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5pACgJuh_Oufu8dHipcCbmPXgUhouFkKpY4fnAIghWBVxsbks-B_aD1OVP7nKhHNifNyG4IsZWkoHoCP8gWWNNg0D2NatZ4j_52JGA-RyASOu8Ims7bHaigygIRstXXHU1CJufNoF2Q/s1600/at+computer.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5pACgJuh_Oufu8dHipcCbmPXgUhouFkKpY4fnAIghWBVxsbks-B_aD1OVP7nKhHNifNyG4IsZWkoHoCP8gWWNNg0D2NatZ4j_52JGA-RyASOu8Ims7bHaigygIRstXXHU1CJufNoF2Q/s320/at+computer.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This gentleman treated Al with respect an adult deserves. (Even when Al whined because he only got a temporary card!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAVTkzcir6mAHxxEqZjiOOQ4mq2BiUMV1FKBlbXZXE2-s93zFSoteR6Immx9ABWPodiTwVB_LfHuPbz2KMppROP6p1Jn7Te-_70bJK8a5qvWTy_NTlpuHYjMLRuUt4fRanLgonGM7teQ/s1600/eye+exam.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAVTkzcir6mAHxxEqZjiOOQ4mq2BiUMV1FKBlbXZXE2-s93zFSoteR6Immx9ABWPodiTwVB_LfHuPbz2KMppROP6p1Jn7Te-_70bJK8a5qvWTy_NTlpuHYjMLRuUt4fRanLgonGM7teQ/s320/eye+exam.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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He didn't need his eyes tested for the ID card, but he checked it out anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CWMSMP2__TYaDSHrKDrQmP5x1yqUA0-8P5S2yB3Gqp56IYeFBcGYe7swZqgnLEtvJ3tEWQbZqO1SwCN9PYccRdmH1HG6K_5niAX1xkltBhxmMhOOU82rf8mJRs2zdPacSwsUxZUm5fk/s1600/id.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CWMSMP2__TYaDSHrKDrQmP5x1yqUA0-8P5S2yB3Gqp56IYeFBcGYe7swZqgnLEtvJ3tEWQbZqO1SwCN9PYccRdmH1HG6K_5niAX1xkltBhxmMhOOU82rf8mJRs2zdPacSwsUxZUm5fk/s320/id.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here he is! The proud owner of his first picture ID card!! </div>
<br />Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-2419686644611392552015-06-25T09:46:00.000-06:002015-06-26T22:51:50.310-06:00So THIS happened<div style="text-align: center;">
I know. I know. It's been a while. After a while it seems overwhelming because I have so much I want to put on here, so I'm just gonna do a quick update with pictures.</div>
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<b><i>Yup. THIS happened!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOeqQlkuvvAhywrHio2J6zFELjb8a7q3aGew1DVRxoMWVoARZ7uWlpH86rkQNMK0OoamFmmpg2nxYQylx0txDm7udPnrMePWUJOa_jYCTsjMZ69UF5FJOuirAgzhXqc6CDJLPsmGL2Vo/s1600/dani.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOeqQlkuvvAhywrHio2J6zFELjb8a7q3aGew1DVRxoMWVoARZ7uWlpH86rkQNMK0OoamFmmpg2nxYQylx0txDm7udPnrMePWUJOa_jYCTsjMZ69UF5FJOuirAgzhXqc6CDJLPsmGL2Vo/s320/dani.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Grand baby #8 (granddaughter #5) arrived safe and sound! We will call her D. She is a very alert little stinker who is starting to smile and thinking really hard about laughing. She is as beautiful as all the others, and has her aunt's Marty Feldman eyes.</div>
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<b><i> I can't believe THIS happened...</i></b></div>
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N's dad gave Mike and I his frequent travel points and we went to Florida!! I went there with Cali after she graduated and fell in love with the beach there and have always wanted to take Mike. He is a beach fanatic!! And I knew he would love this one!</div>
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I found a few creatures while trekking around the beach. The bluish, puffy things are air-filled sacs. When we got back to the hotel I googled them to find out what they were and discovered they are Man of War Jellyfish - one of the top 10 poisonous to man!! As you can see, I held them in my hands. And since I'm typing this post WITH those same 2 hands, it's fair to say they weren't poisonous anymore. But they are still REALLY cool!!</div>
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Of course we dined at Bubba Gumps!</div>
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This was Mike out about waist deep. Now the funny part of this story is the whole reason I wanted to take him to Florida is because there were no waves at the beach. Just aqua-blue water and white sand as far as the eye can see. We just happened to catch it while tropical storms were passing through. Didn't matter, though. We still had the best time ever!!</div>
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I couldn't resist a corny pic with THIS guy!</div>
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<b><i>I cried when THIS happened!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfo-yG_IX1QOKxlT5l8b-1tnHyF0b1cP_aZmTaWJGX-jreucvDYkCjnuapSp45rYEm8L5a2mJUUQZlp_VjJnYXKbpOqs9gnHP93qGxn-Ye3nJj6uI6WXdJ9RR97pVGtZn-t6Szs8Jh0Q0/s1600/al+dance+group.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfo-yG_IX1QOKxlT5l8b-1tnHyF0b1cP_aZmTaWJGX-jreucvDYkCjnuapSp45rYEm8L5a2mJUUQZlp_VjJnYXKbpOqs9gnHP93qGxn-Ye3nJj6uI6WXdJ9RR97pVGtZn-t6Szs8Jh0Q0/s320/al+dance+group.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV93HzgrU24H8jYM5zul0QkDtlIv4gzw5myJApB09DIGq67lv8vlwD_I84gAADSHT7KRXDiv6WU4i7QqiAzIT65AKlzH4fH4wAitEDmSnHR3pFQ4uXfkslRw4HTpum5YbPPxCjvZFXM6E/s1600/al+dance+partner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV93HzgrU24H8jYM5zul0QkDtlIv4gzw5myJApB09DIGq67lv8vlwD_I84gAADSHT7KRXDiv6WU4i7QqiAzIT65AKlzH4fH4wAitEDmSnHR3pFQ4uXfkslRw4HTpum5YbPPxCjvZFXM6E/s320/al+dance+partner.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This sweet, young lady with Al was a peer tutor in his class, and also belonged to the dance team for the school. She noticed how amazing the boys in his class were at dancing to <i>Wii Just Dance </i>videos on YouTube, and suggested the boys teach the dance to the dance team, and then perform it at their end of year concert together. AMAZING! Yes, the boys rocked it! And, yes, Al was the best! (I might be a bit prejudiced...) I didn't cry until the end of the dance when you could see how excited these boys were that they had accomplished such a feat, and the reaction of the audience blew me away. It makes me teary just thinking of it. They cheered so loud and did a standing ovation that lasted at least 3 minutes!</div>
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<b><i>THIS sorta happened...</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepAkkUsXU1GUdDzMx6XAJrXrrGcP-qZYXORnepau_brlKZcAIGR0YzFL3fwOyQLkX7mNU_FXAwUYBW0xetbeFTfkb_VBhoQVYAY_xZaEDyGLgIG9m-bB7ujXFhaiW6Yl3eeI7b60DV_0/s1600/prom+bus.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepAkkUsXU1GUdDzMx6XAJrXrrGcP-qZYXORnepau_brlKZcAIGR0YzFL3fwOyQLkX7mNU_FXAwUYBW0xetbeFTfkb_VBhoQVYAY_xZaEDyGLgIG9m-bB7ujXFhaiW6Yl3eeI7b60DV_0/s320/prom+bus.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Prom 2015, Baby!! A chilly, rainy pic in front of the yellow limo.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Xt7P94wZvDSEpQ5Mh_bB2QThgoUBrZpTPVuPB4GcafuiRw9go9HHCwsquChUR3hD1LqC9OvGud1ghGD-4WC6VjDq3-ledYl6S9SzKsZu9Bh5PBI1Yk6fbdEUPjlwcYAErVS32FggXMA/s1600/prom+boys.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Xt7P94wZvDSEpQ5Mh_bB2QThgoUBrZpTPVuPB4GcafuiRw9go9HHCwsquChUR3hD1LqC9OvGud1ghGD-4WC6VjDq3-ledYl6S9SzKsZu9Bh5PBI1Yk6fbdEUPjlwcYAErVS32FggXMA/s320/prom+boys.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stud muffins!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfIdJPOA_DgnJ980d3rdIPGd9eoqgfH9qAQ6DpO0ZWw8KeCzT_JqeGzd_8QzBMQo-PDLp69-cE4NJjxh3QQAtwhpJni6fLk52hS_rtis0V3rNe6crItVo6DIGAoF97sM6I8Om22XvPjs/s1600/prom+parking+lot.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfIdJPOA_DgnJ980d3rdIPGd9eoqgfH9qAQ6DpO0ZWw8KeCzT_JqeGzd_8QzBMQo-PDLp69-cE4NJjxh3QQAtwhpJni6fLk52hS_rtis0V3rNe6crItVo6DIGAoF97sM6I8Om22XvPjs/s320/prom+parking+lot.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I say this sorta happened, it's because we left early. They held Prom this year up at the U of U football stadium's press box; a long, skinny room. The view was amazing, but the area was just too cramped and loud for Alex to enjoy. He hasn't minded the loud music before at Prom, so I think it was mostly the small area. So he hung out in the hallway, which is where I took this picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUVfqZaIvBoc5zIC8TV97S9za53MQNVMQ0c-o1B6hGs3ipG87T1D34MYExTC8SUtsFWbvH-6uz-NbqBvR-QIX8angPzIMjSd8ebvf5OZA2AS4Z4E7k6p92KvyYhKzlwXra4uZ2JweXCk/s1600/prom+U.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDUVfqZaIvBoc5zIC8TV97S9za53MQNVMQ0c-o1B6hGs3ipG87T1D34MYExTC8SUtsFWbvH-6uz-NbqBvR-QIX8angPzIMjSd8ebvf5OZA2AS4Z4E7k6p92KvyYhKzlwXra4uZ2JweXCk/s320/prom+U.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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They had the area blocked off with this view, but I snuck in and took a great 50 yard line picture!</div>
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<b><i>Both grateful and sad that THIS happened.</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHD2DNgQet0EWnL7pmyH7i-hv10Ic_WWSiVHWuvQjiNdjDbZZP4IdhRSJU9eZZpLG9IM0_ZYn5BTX5jKF9mKxmE7bi7IMDLdih2rdvcPowrs8e9YjHtvKy9ejRAe1o_3m8o78w5iFaLA/s1600/casket.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHD2DNgQet0EWnL7pmyH7i-hv10Ic_WWSiVHWuvQjiNdjDbZZP4IdhRSJU9eZZpLG9IM0_ZYn5BTX5jKF9mKxmE7bi7IMDLdih2rdvcPowrs8e9YjHtvKy9ejRAe1o_3m8o78w5iFaLA/s320/casket.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alisa Johnson Linton Passed away after fighting melanoma for 8 years. Her family lives across the street from us and even though Alisa had graduated from high school when we moved in, we still knew and loved her like the rest of the family. Glad she's not in pain anymore, glad I have a testimony of where she is now, but sad for her family.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-St6sGkZLErrt4XHlsgpIQgMaP79Ese6paJGUibsXVhHnGP0O6fMpc5x8UIWTCO_QsmYuNTUF46fhJKYEBOLSlup5c8zdfMVjKIQiBrN4-SsZ3GZqi5-Nmh9J1rGPxRhbGlerU15T44/s1600/alisa+parents.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ-St6sGkZLErrt4XHlsgpIQgMaP79Ese6paJGUibsXVhHnGP0O6fMpc5x8UIWTCO_QsmYuNTUF46fhJKYEBOLSlup5c8zdfMVjKIQiBrN4-SsZ3GZqi5-Nmh9J1rGPxRhbGlerU15T44/s320/alisa+parents.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was taken just a few weeks before she died. It was at her youngest sister's wedding reception. She wanted a picture with my dad because while she was a young woman he was the bishop of the ward. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwN1WSYmcO1KeMcmfOI8nwirxzzHwQTYXgy-2EgmEUirve4OcLxLyup_Z6j606dPU0WSd_7duoaMnx8JwXimt85Y2-lIJSG9hfS-CMnRPQw2Dm_85yaWttpKujHjF1xFJgZfjNvMm0SE/s1600/jill+paul.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwN1WSYmcO1KeMcmfOI8nwirxzzHwQTYXgy-2EgmEUirve4OcLxLyup_Z6j606dPU0WSd_7duoaMnx8JwXimt85Y2-lIJSG9hfS-CMnRPQw2Dm_85yaWttpKujHjF1xFJgZfjNvMm0SE/s320/jill+paul.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My neighbors whom I love like family.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa6lTULX8j8lUakCOBy1Ww2UGJFwmMdLlmDVFJjjC4bHZZE96H7WR2UgNEd-j66uJ0jHMCGq4xp96JQNjMgebRFW7EM8Qo2vMDpUOSsJCNSGwAKD33dwig1BSeM_gu19EMKJnGwNau4w/s1600/linton+boys.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLa6lTULX8j8lUakCOBy1Ww2UGJFwmMdLlmDVFJjjC4bHZZE96H7WR2UgNEd-j66uJ0jHMCGq4xp96JQNjMgebRFW7EM8Qo2vMDpUOSsJCNSGwAKD33dwig1BSeM_gu19EMKJnGwNau4w/s320/linton+boys.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alisa's family; Ginger, husband Josh and the 3 boys. They handled this day with honor and respect, and still amaze people with their generosity and kindness to others in need.</div>
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While driving to the cemetery - first of all, Ginger was allowed in the hearse and had her head sticking out the window, which I thought was VERY appropriate since Alisa loved her - the whole elementary school student body stood respectfully in front of the school as the procession went by. </div>
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So sweet. So tender. Yes, I bawled like a baby!!</div>
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While I'm being morbid and talking death, Cali and I 'celebrated' "SUCK A DUCK, MY DAUGHTER DIED" day. It's an official holiday; see, it's on my calendar!</div>
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3 years ago Cali suffered an amniotic fluid embolism and survived. Her story has touched hundreds of people and she is doing fantastic! A little memory loss, but not enough to hinder her life.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOZtYxmNTmkNvKLH_6-S-Fl6BNJ1SJE6MdGQyUaqQuHT6eeel8_yFp0nB4fT9botaA_y0GyIloaLevhwbzWQp8n_jNbnxZhRTfwCdh8z8Xl9X-G7MIZHvNX4DJTtrfq_ha8QLygxMj38/s1600/at+store.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOZtYxmNTmkNvKLH_6-S-Fl6BNJ1SJE6MdGQyUaqQuHT6eeel8_yFp0nB4fT9botaA_y0GyIloaLevhwbzWQp8n_jNbnxZhRTfwCdh8z8Xl9X-G7MIZHvNX4DJTtrfq_ha8QLygxMj38/s320/at+store.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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First we went to the store to buy goodies for us and the ducks at the lake.</div>
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(CR, Al and O)</div>
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And then we went to the lake and fed the ducks on "SUCK A DUCK" day. The day after this is when Quincy was taken to spare Cali's life, so we celebrate his birthday on that day. He would be 3 years old!! Wow. </div>
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Obviously this isn't much of a celebration, but it's more of a chance to help Cali handle a difficult time. And a time for me to thank my Father in Heaven for all the miracles in my life.</div>
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Cali and me</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubd1jyqiwKSGZMrhsIqBBkCjcIcSK0dqWCP7dOkyT8pN2CLaOb-FnobvmhWhspg8AVXvKOl9lhacAEyov-FYfqAWKwm4CHZcFcEVvQe8DsRmbzksrH-BnSxUaMAibm3ip8acPg-ZFep8/s1600/me+cam.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubd1jyqiwKSGZMrhsIqBBkCjcIcSK0dqWCP7dOkyT8pN2CLaOb-FnobvmhWhspg8AVXvKOl9lhacAEyov-FYfqAWKwm4CHZcFcEVvQe8DsRmbzksrH-BnSxUaMAibm3ip8acPg-ZFep8/s320/me+cam.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And CR knew Nanny needed a hug. Isn't this picture just too cute?!?</div>
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<b><i>So happy THIS happened!!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QP3Pzno1wDF4w6b3eQB-QcvjeX3sobRtfHc4p28J8Cu_-HjGSdlERY8IHqSLeofHTESMQkluV8WBakmKeZZBIZbSq-J-5jcQYvN50ncU20Y-O9R24PQ_bsUjDq-cKXw0pLSsGOdLNYU/s1600/ernie+at+pool.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QP3Pzno1wDF4w6b3eQB-QcvjeX3sobRtfHc4p28J8Cu_-HjGSdlERY8IHqSLeofHTESMQkluV8WBakmKeZZBIZbSq-J-5jcQYvN50ncU20Y-O9R24PQ_bsUjDq-cKXw0pLSsGOdLNYU/s320/ernie+at+pool.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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If you don't recognize this good-looking man that Al is hugging, this is his birth dad, Ernie. They came into town for 5 days and we had a blast!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2tcjLZM6iHcDY1blpOU4VtqEw3EJuQt2KeX8O1dxFvW_E2mxTo0UNSpdYHPD__W3H-jR4hZ4V4e6RQaMXXwhWf8zIwo24x_pEew_AZ02DjtnlhlGTXBt8UsmlnTicZdXWte248OzdzY/s1600/all+snake.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2tcjLZM6iHcDY1blpOU4VtqEw3EJuQt2KeX8O1dxFvW_E2mxTo0UNSpdYHPD__W3H-jR4hZ4V4e6RQaMXXwhWf8zIwo24x_pEew_AZ02DjtnlhlGTXBt8UsmlnTicZdXWte248OzdzY/s320/all+snake.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We went to see snakes, lizards and alligators...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTUXLpK1SwTStcpJz8KkRoNXPcbIZudyNZsY3Ex6iEOaVZdImiCNd-2KRWh4Byd7CGrkz4-WAp5hXDiXJHP-TeA-EbcE9VBgpJKzM1pdcodXkSFmr1sLRiJgbjEwMdVd0YIE-1Ib8aOY/s1600/al+sierra+car.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkTUXLpK1SwTStcpJz8KkRoNXPcbIZudyNZsY3Ex6iEOaVZdImiCNd-2KRWh4Byd7CGrkz4-WAp5hXDiXJHP-TeA-EbcE9VBgpJKzM1pdcodXkSFmr1sLRiJgbjEwMdVd0YIE-1Ib8aOY/s320/al+sierra+car.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN4oljwGceC_UlgDxUbHfM-1WAnaZXIZo5h0d20H1-2d31ygTFLO8YzQenl4f-51WQkQkaacVhp8ed2e6NW7yZ0tgGCkDMS8fnytYwVeRlDf91t843trduZkZIJyOJ3qR0_mMvZ9w1FQ/s1600/al+sierra+boat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN4oljwGceC_UlgDxUbHfM-1WAnaZXIZo5h0d20H1-2d31ygTFLO8YzQenl4f-51WQkQkaacVhp8ed2e6NW7yZ0tgGCkDMS8fnytYwVeRlDf91t843trduZkZIJyOJ3qR0_mMvZ9w1FQ/s320/al+sierra+boat.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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... had fun at Seven Peaks...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aco8R_vMu7Kh9SaOdkpcA6kO1Rro8TR_L-C1qUXFtDccMXjUrt80Z2GtNZbkADFNccbpcdIMXE3pphF1OgGMT-feYDCmN_xH3z3pEt0I61XOOcwWT8ynxCqTaNcPqcLvQR32PjhgoPM/s1600/girls+long+board.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aco8R_vMu7Kh9SaOdkpcA6kO1Rro8TR_L-C1qUXFtDccMXjUrt80Z2GtNZbkADFNccbpcdIMXE3pphF1OgGMT-feYDCmN_xH3z3pEt0I61XOOcwWT8ynxCqTaNcPqcLvQR32PjhgoPM/s320/girls+long+board.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGmias6hCrpfKHwwhqxC1VHIYc5Aw7j1D3sogI3KAPsm3RFeO-4HxiGb9XdtSEBpkNIHIDD04zwXWcSaaNIIZHA9kYEDjlL2q0QZ4xRp-VUFzdzADBSAX5I0VHd0VgTHKeyEpp-Jwyh8/s1600/paddle+boat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifGmias6hCrpfKHwwhqxC1VHIYc5Aw7j1D3sogI3KAPsm3RFeO-4HxiGb9XdtSEBpkNIHIDD04zwXWcSaaNIIZHA9kYEDjlL2q0QZ4xRp-VUFzdzADBSAX5I0VHd0VgTHKeyEpp-Jwyh8/s320/paddle+boat.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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...enjoyed the sun and water at the lake by Cali's house...</div>
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...and one day when the boys went paint balling, us ladies got a pedicure!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6ICLNDL_h-bIr4mSUWQDlzDOfBADQrhLHKsr6-FK6LpTNT_7MoXGCcJpwPibg19uUTDPT6nWxo9yMO5_CVymdCrIrrQcLB5h9P9Q19kjQcz8pWo7l51E9SQjnQPYCyTJNxckIkP8f-U/s1600/grace+with+sis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6ICLNDL_h-bIr4mSUWQDlzDOfBADQrhLHKsr6-FK6LpTNT_7MoXGCcJpwPibg19uUTDPT6nWxo9yMO5_CVymdCrIrrQcLB5h9P9Q19kjQcz8pWo7l51E9SQjnQPYCyTJNxckIkP8f-U/s320/grace+with+sis.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is Alex's youngest sister SH. Whenever she was at our house she grabbed Gracie's collar and walked her all over the place!! Both of them loved it!</div>
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<b><i>The reason they were in town was because</i></b></div>
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<b><i>THIS happened!!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwU4nfeIZu_RS6cR_0Ij8SeSBwGvE96FgBNdNRBTkbCtSOBmsqZpzi0g4wWr5ADUJqfyEyw0vzWjsexn05QgJk7E2__n2Uh4AhOChEXjhPMW0-sb2o6Dn1FRxtIazjGAvFpv3zV4pHKY/s1600/al+grad.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivwU4nfeIZu_RS6cR_0Ij8SeSBwGvE96FgBNdNRBTkbCtSOBmsqZpzi0g4wWr5ADUJqfyEyw0vzWjsexn05QgJk7E2__n2Uh4AhOChEXjhPMW0-sb2o6Dn1FRxtIazjGAvFpv3zV4pHKY/s320/al+grad.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Graduated (with honors!) with the class of 2015</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIQm4I1frjFvlLhHA7SIQD-69oF_hSp1l9HJKjrCaKDMq0jHA4eRD1eLSCaGpiItqOZ74BGgOjKmeZCw5VaGuUd_IlkGwwuN_btk2lKtu22jQDa-gT2yjGs6g5tQOIdB0eNzwx4OyQZo/s1600/alheather.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIQm4I1frjFvlLhHA7SIQD-69oF_hSp1l9HJKjrCaKDMq0jHA4eRD1eLSCaGpiItqOZ74BGgOjKmeZCw5VaGuUd_IlkGwwuN_btk2lKtu22jQDa-gT2yjGs6g5tQOIdB0eNzwx4OyQZo/s320/alheather.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Al really likes this pic because he looks taller than his teacher, Heather! </div>
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So, so proud of Alex. He is such a good kid and even when he's not, you can tell he's trying his darndest to be good!</div>
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<b><i>THIS better happen again!!</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkljNwOGLrghLYpuE1Qpz6DDc4ImyTx6gMM10Z0yS9RWv5spiqJIf18pUD6NHlEISbDjQs1lCz8Y6v4E-CTygOJHmhG8ZQNGhAYGrzohX7501E-d-s6kjtcHkRg5z2RkAjcpXFEyVDFzQ/s1600/cuz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkljNwOGLrghLYpuE1Qpz6DDc4ImyTx6gMM10Z0yS9RWv5spiqJIf18pUD6NHlEISbDjQs1lCz8Y6v4E-CTygOJHmhG8ZQNGhAYGrzohX7501E-d-s6kjtcHkRg5z2RkAjcpXFEyVDFzQ/s320/cuz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two of my cousins and I got together and drove to Fairview to put flowers on our grandma's and aunt's graves. Meet Wendy and Kristen. Growing up Wendy was one of my best friends; I had a lot of sleepovers with her and spent a lot of time at her house. Kristen is a few years older than us, but I always looked up to her. She was the cousin that always had fun stuff for us all to do. They are hilarious and we had a great time. Next year we are hoping to at least double our number in cousins!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_SrjeV7lIVgFQtNNyRHkVPrk7t16jCmI5WRMCr4pqfqhav-0OZN6WzlH8DgzYA2XFwnqqOxtvMgBc7pfJxJuc01D4xIVZbMETRFG0Zc1Cu5ekkurjIBLTQ-jqZTtoLIlj5_GXVhkRqA/s1600/joan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_SrjeV7lIVgFQtNNyRHkVPrk7t16jCmI5WRMCr4pqfqhav-0OZN6WzlH8DgzYA2XFwnqqOxtvMgBc7pfJxJuc01D4xIVZbMETRFG0Zc1Cu5ekkurjIBLTQ-jqZTtoLIlj5_GXVhkRqA/s320/joan.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We never knew Aunt Joan. She died as a little girl. Grandma had a big bucket of boiling water on the floor to use for mopping and Joan fell into it. </div>
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We had fun walking around and trying to guess which Vance or Mower we were actually related to. And some of the headstones were so old! And interesting. So many children were buried there. Some families had 5 or 6 children all lined up side by side as they were stillborn. </div>
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Thanks Wendy and Kristen for a great time!! And thanks to all my family who came before me. Your sacrifices have not been dismissed!</div>
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THIS just happened the other day. Al's first real crash on his bike.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPf95MFjw6NyMyEE61rFCQU-tF6nc5CO_w4zO16QUNvc_Xh_o0NpRS6QoKBTh_mydhyphenhyphenjlyzvJMQVGnKC1gUWQmfqkldOJeKILLRnzHuyawTtIfAakHLdOKCfG6_u2pKJFQjQJiTjAmLc/s1600/arm+ow.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPf95MFjw6NyMyEE61rFCQU-tF6nc5CO_w4zO16QUNvc_Xh_o0NpRS6QoKBTh_mydhyphenhyphenjlyzvJMQVGnKC1gUWQmfqkldOJeKILLRnzHuyawTtIfAakHLdOKCfG6_u2pKJFQjQJiTjAmLc/s320/arm+ow.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We even took him to the ER for this injury because he complained a lot about it and had a hard time moving it. But it was just a deep bruise.</div>
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And obviously not much of an "emergency".</div>
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THIS happened in early summer. I know it's a random pic (I think Al was trying to get a pic of SH walking Gracie) but I have to show off how beautiful my flower bed is in spring!! It makes me happy! Unfortunately the snaps die off once it gets too hot and now it looks like I'm trying to grow dried flowers. Not pretty.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQofYo0AsxOkjmBfuu86pkZeL80TOev6HlJxCPHLyEO6Pl9zflXEUHSILbEvuH5CBWnjzKyIiDtJwNMFosCT-4bAMvSLdJiomzhd-4TG4v5WdRPYs57Ngbqa-rMiX_w_8BJnKzQ_9ePoc/s1600/flowers+yard.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQofYo0AsxOkjmBfuu86pkZeL80TOev6HlJxCPHLyEO6Pl9zflXEUHSILbEvuH5CBWnjzKyIiDtJwNMFosCT-4bAMvSLdJiomzhd-4TG4v5WdRPYs57Ngbqa-rMiX_w_8BJnKzQ_9ePoc/s320/flowers+yard.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i>THIS happened 31 years ago this June 30!!</i></b></div>
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<b><i></i></b>I got to be sealed for time AND all eternity to my best friend EVER! He loves me. He gets me. He likes me. And he even puts up with all my crap! Even if it embarrasses him. </div>
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31 years is a long time - but it's not long enough!</div>
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(elevator in Florida)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlUw_eFX4nu0L1SbnttvI4UzVOum53Ftw2-tMybLugYkM3FuCHMqAz347qZplPWR9R3g2U2D3yV-riqahoI-zqHtv1O5a_1MiiAxsb7ngwKtpZ5FW-x_-lte4hRj6NAJr3fmTr8meQrY/s1600/funny+elevator.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlUw_eFX4nu0L1SbnttvI4UzVOum53Ftw2-tMybLugYkM3FuCHMqAz347qZplPWR9R3g2U2D3yV-riqahoI-zqHtv1O5a_1MiiAxsb7ngwKtpZ5FW-x_-lte4hRj6NAJr3fmTr8meQrY/s320/funny+elevator.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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(second shot in elevator)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bpf4aUaw-YZwdpzbwLjDnpWTNutkOMsfrbGheSq1i1vNCM9Zq_nlQ55aZm233Sihg639s9ZXEpwo194XC83XnOln-wWu-an0Wl1tAL1TICjN8Qvij_2h-RMUxiLENlw0gVUOZ1UWD6o/s1600/me+george+car.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bpf4aUaw-YZwdpzbwLjDnpWTNutkOMsfrbGheSq1i1vNCM9Zq_nlQ55aZm233Sihg639s9ZXEpwo194XC83XnOln-wWu-an0Wl1tAL1TICjN8Qvij_2h-RMUxiLENlw0gVUOZ1UWD6o/s320/me+george+car.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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On our way to the Florida beach for the first time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFOAI9PpcwaFBZUjDgdzkJZjcXcRthvPvXstQLET_-qIEM-8JbFYZmz0hO52TpI0gEOjxCA4pB03bVwaiThEbjl72B4TLPjfDNS3V7pRZiSDe-moct0ZAtaJs0oFyKM8rgTr7_BFJutk/s1600/initials+sand.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFOAI9PpcwaFBZUjDgdzkJZjcXcRthvPvXstQLET_-qIEM-8JbFYZmz0hO52TpI0gEOjxCA4pB03bVwaiThEbjl72B4TLPjfDNS3V7pRZiSDe-moct0ZAtaJs0oFyKM8rgTr7_BFJutk/s320/initials+sand.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(hotel room)</div>
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(airplane coming home from Florida)</div>
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<b><i>Thanks for being mine, George!!!</i></b></div>
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<br />Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-37485051883585683382014-11-04T10:37:00.001-07:002014-11-04T10:37:31.556-07:00NovemberIt's November and once again I realize how behind I am in writing on my blog; I have a new family picture I need to add. I REALLY need to update the grandkids' birthday tickers. But what I'm actually doing is sitting up at nights to make sure Alex wears his oxygen! Stinker!! I shouldn't complain, in fact I should congratulate all of us! He's wearing it up to 85% of the day. But for some reason at night is a fight. He fell asleep on the couch the other day, so I laid on the other side bound and determined to keep the oxygen on him through the night. Yeah... Neither one of us got any sleep. And Mike didn't either because I made him lock the cat in with him so he wouldn't bug Alex and me. Instead he bugged Mike!<br />
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Alex caught a cold and has missed almost a whole week of school. It's not a horrific cold, but with his low sats to begin with it just adds to the complications. I was going to send him today since he played well yesterday afternoon, but when I woke him up his sugars were at 38...that's not good!! So he's home again, today. <br />
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Since he's been home, he's got me hooked on <em>Dr. Who. </em>It's a good, clean show! And I must admit, I'd go with The Doctor if he showed up in my neighborhood in his TARDIS. And I'm only a couple seasons into it!<br />
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Did I mention in my last post why Alex is on oxygen? Or at least the guess? For the past 6 months or so whenever we went to any doctor his oxygen levels were at 88 or below; if levels are below 90 the doctors get worried. Well, this became a problem that no one could seem to figure out. After seeing the cardiologist, the pulmonologist and the pediatrician multiple times, getting x-rays and sleep studies, the decision was that for some reason he needs oxygen. The guess is it's because he's gained so much weight lately that the lower lobes of his lungs aren't inflating enough. (Some of the meds he's on for behavior cause weight gain, plus he's at the age of maturity, which hits kiddos with DS hard in the weight gain department.) Since wearing the oxygen, we have all seen an increase in his activity level. He's participating much more in gym and wrestling classes. He will go for walks with me. He will ride his bike around the neighborhood again. So, hopefully with more exercise we will see more movement and maybe some weight loss. Then we will know if the weight gain is the reason. The only problem is Alex is quite the sloth. Even though he's moving more, he is SO slow there's no way he's burning calories! So - that's it in a nutshell.<br />
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So that's about it. Chillin with Al watching Dr. Who and trying to get some sleep while making sure he has oxygen on. It's a glamorous life and I wouldn't trade it for nothin!!Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-55637243310529697772014-09-21T14:05:00.001-06:002014-09-21T14:05:47.424-06:00Bowling and disco lights at 3 a.m.<em>(Let me start this post with a clarification that I am writing this with a sarcastic tone. I am being snarky, silly, imaginative; however you want to say it I am really not angry with my angel boys!)</em><br />
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No, I wasn't bowling in the middle of the night! The only thing I'm doing at 3 a.m. is either sleeping or wishing I was asleep. But I have two grandsons who thought it would be a great time for a bowling game.<br />
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So picture this... beautiful evening. Windows open, a slight breeze, crickets chirping their melodious tunes to the man in the moon.<br />
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Sleeping. Or trying to. I wasn't even in my own bed! I've been fighting a sinus infection so I thought I would sleep upstairs and let my sweet honey have a break from my tossing and turning and snuffing and snorting. But that didn't mean that I didn't keep myself awake with all that racket. <br />
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And then it hit. A searing white flash of light followed shortly afterwards with a huge BoOm!! It shook the house! It scared the animals! And it quite frankly scared me!!<br />
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McKallister and Quincy were at it again! They love to bowl! Usually they are polite young men and bowl in the middle of the afternoon or early evening. We've even enjoyed sitting out on the front porch and cheering them on for their obvious strikes or laughing at their pitiful blunders. I guess they didn't like the pressure because they started this match at 3:00 a.m. AND they had to go all out with the disco lights for fun, too! <br />
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Whoever decided, "Mmmm. Let's build an enclosed area, with wooden floors and throw / roll a large, solid object down a row into more pieces of wood / plastic to make a crashing sound and add flashing lights to it and call this fun!" has a weird sense of humor. Oh, yeah, and then someone else decided to add alcohol to some of the matches. Good call!<br />
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So, back to Mac and Quincy. Mac is the poorer bowler of the two. I'm not sure if he's just letting Quincy win to be a nice big brother or he's just not good at the sport, but he pretty much sucks. Whenever it's his turn you can hear the ball meander back and forth between the bumper pads and then ding a pin. But Quincy on the other hand - WOW! That boy has some moves! His turn always consists of lightning zippy balls roaring down the lane and plowing through the pins!! <br />
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Back to the other night. I think Mac may have given up after a few rounds because the game didn't last all that long, but what they did play was with vim and vigor! A few strikes, a few slashes of light across the sky and that was it! <br />
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Next time, boys, if you're gonna wake me up let's at least have a little ABBA in the background to go with the lights! OK?Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-46936703367370681882014-09-12T09:08:00.001-06:002014-09-12T09:24:36.519-06:00I am so blessed.Just feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude lately. I have a job that I absolutely love and have enjoyed my whole life! Whether it's working in <a href="http://babyyourbaby.org/#" target="_blank">Early Intervention</a> or babysitting my grand kids I am doing what I love, and I learn something new everyday! <br />
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Just the other day I had the opportunity to have 2 of my granddaughters come to one of the Early Intervention classes. One of them is 2 1/2 years old and the other is only 1 1/2 years old. This class is for children 2 1/2 - 3 years old with delays, but we love having non-delayed peers come in the class to 'teach' the other kids appropriate play and behaviors. So the younger one of my granddaughters (<strong><em>C</em></strong>) gets to come just because she has a lot of language, and because it's a really small class! So I watch them - as I'm manhandling another child across the room! - and am just in awe of the process of life and how <strong><em>C</em></strong> , no matter how smart she is, has such a hard time sitting down for any length of time. <strong><em>A </em></strong>on the other hand, is sitting and participating like a champ. Just those few months of learning added to <strong><em>A </em></strong>vs. <strong><em>C </em></strong>and her attention span is tenfold. <br />
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I guess in my profession it makes me more aware of the little things kids seem to do automatically and we take them for granted. Using our hands; did you know there's a real learning process there? We all start grasping things from the outside in, so from our pinkie to our thumb. As our grasp gets improved we only need to use our three inner fingers - thumb, pointer and middle finger - to rake things into our palm. As our eye-hand coordination improves, and we learn to get a better pinch, we only need the two fingers - thumb and pointer. It just takes time! Some people more time than others. And some people, depending on their ability, may never be able to have a fully functioning pincer grasp. But how many of us just watch a baby reaching for his binky and never even notice<em> how</em> that just occurred? It's amazing!!!<br />
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And then there's the love of my life. My honey bunny. My sweetheart. I love my George so much that sometimes it hurts. That may seem odd, but it's true. I miss him when we aren't together. But I am so lucky to have him, and to love him and that he loves me back! I know that's a rare thing to have in this world, and I am very gratefully to have someone who I love and respect soooo much! Ewww!! So mushy!!<br />
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And then there's my Al. Oh, that boy! He's been struggling with low oxygen saturations for about 6 months now and I'm worried they may put him on oxygen 24/7, but he has so much spunk and charisma that he can get away with just about anything! He puts his oxygen on the other day because he had lost the chance to watch a movie after school because of bad behaviors, but his teacher said if he wore his oxygen he could watch a short one. So, he so dutifully put the oxygen on, had me take a picture of him to send to his teacher and said, "MMMM. This makes me feel better!" Then when I went down 10 minutes later, he not only had the oxygen off, but he had broken the cannula and ripped apart the filter that goes on the back of the machine. But, of course, the movie was still on!! He's a smart kid. As much as I vent about him - and I really am not complaining, it's just a lot of work being his mom! - I wouldn't trade my life with him for anything! He teaches me so much love and understanding - that is, when I actually look at him and what he has to offer. It's my fault I don't learn something from him, not his!! I got a good laugh on his expense yesterday that I need to share. We had a <a href="https://www.lds.org/youth/?lang=eng" target="_blank">Stake combined YM/YW</a> activity last night where they served us a dinner then we had a water balloon 'fight' (each team had a launcher and they launched balloons one at a time so we could make sure everyone was safe). So Alex was conniving his way into getting some water balloons and then chasing some of us leaders with it and trying to get us wet. I think he picked on us because we are slower than the young women, but it was still fun. I tried to intervene and try to get him to throw it at someone from a distance so they had time to dodge it (it was chilly last night!) and I would yell, "Alex, look! A dolphin!" This is something we have done with him since he was young, and to this day, he will stop what he's doing and still look!! No, he has never seen a dolphin, especially since we are usually in our house or yard when we say this, but he always trusts us and looks. Others around us that heard got a good chuckle, but that boy just warms my heart! AND yesterday after school his oxygen levels were above 90! Yahoo!!!! Keep taking deep breaths Al!!!<br />
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As you can see, I'm just gushing with love and blessings and am one lucky lady!!Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-79675307028277405722014-09-10T23:10:00.000-06:002014-09-10T23:10:03.747-06:00nine elevenNever have 2 words meant so much to so many people. Just thinking them brings back that day...<br />
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I was doing laundry. I always turn the TV on to have sound on while folding. <br />
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News. News. News..... wait. What?<br />
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New York. Airplane. Fire. <br />
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I actually watched the second plane hit the building. I remember holding my mouth over my hand, even though the scream that I felt never left my body. <br />
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I also watched as the twins dropped. I think I fell to the ground with them. I didn't know what I felt. Pain. Fear. Confusion. Nothing good, that's for sure. <br />
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New York has always had a dear place in our hearts. That's where Mike served his <a href="https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary?lang=eng" target="_blank">LDS mission</a> (New York / New Jersey). He has a love for the people there that will never diminish. I got to fall in love for myself when we got the opportunity to go there together about 8 years after he got home. The sights. The smells. The languages - even English spoken there is a different language! And we even went to the twin towers and stood on the observation deck. That's where I stood and listened to probably close to 100 people talking to each other as I walked around, and I don't think I heard any English spoken. So weird to be on American soil and not hear English. At all! And then we went downstairs to the shops. Of course! We were tourists!! We found a tie and suspender set for sale that was absolutely beautiful! But we didn't buy it. At least not that day! I actually had Mike's mission mom - who worked in one of the towers - buy them and send them to me for Mike for Christmas that year. Best present I ever got him! That's still one of my favorite ties! He wears it every 9/11.<br />
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As bad as those memories are, and always will be, what I remember most is the emotions over the next few weeks. At the time I had a paper route. Don't laugh! I've tried everything I could to stay home with my kids, and a paper route helped. But at 4 am there isn't much on the radio but talk and news, especially after a big event like this. And for all the negativity that <em>could </em>have been dribbled, there was so much love. Compassion. Sincerity. Patriotism. Pride.<br />
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I remember driving and running through the neighborhood in the dark, but feeling full of light and wanting to bang on every one's door shouting, "Thanks for being my neighbor!" "Thanks for helping me feel safe." "I'm proud to be an American!!" <br />
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Thirteen years later. I haven't been back since 1992. I want to! OH. I so bad want to. I want to add my tears to those that have been shed in honor of the brave men and women who risked their lives to try to valiantly save complete strangers in a dark, unforgiving mess. To feel the spirit that I'm sure is there. How could it not be? <br />
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But since I'm home, I will just raise my flag in honor. I will think about those people, their families probably all day long. And I will thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to live in America at this time of history. <br />
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May we NEVER forget......Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-11177723074397572642014-09-08T22:20:00.000-06:002014-09-08T22:20:38.998-06:00I haven't forgotten you, my dear friend BLOG!Wow. In March I wrote that it had been far too long, and now it's September and this is the first I've sat down to write. <br />
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I do have a confession to make. Part of the reason my blog has been suffering is I hurt someone's feelings with a post I wrote, and that hurt me incredibly! I didn't mean to hurt this person, but I can see how what I said may have caused tender feelings. But on the flip side of that, I blog as a way to vent my feelings, so it's been hard to sit down and write down my feelings worrying that I will offend someone. <br />
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So... fresh start!! I will still express my feelings and I hope that everyone who has an interest in reading them will just know that I don't mean them to offend or criticize. I just need a safe place to share my feelings.<br />
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The other reason for my lack of interest in blogging is it seemed so overwhelming!! It's like laundry; you get behind and it just seems impossible to catch up! I have so many pictures I want to share, and so many cute stories or happenings in my life that I've missed writing down. And the thought of taking a few hours to catch up just doesn't seem possible. So, I'm not going to catch up. At least not completely. I will let you know some goings on in my life, but some of the other stuff will just have to wait. And maybe another time I will put a few 'fillers' in here and there!<br />
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George - still loving working at Memorial Estates and doing a fantastic job! I'm so glad he finally enjoys what he's doing. He's also the second counselor in our Stake presidency, which keeps him hopping. But he's hopping with some fine gentlemen and I'm so glad they are the leaders in our stake.<br />
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Colby's family - well, Kierra quit her job and is a stay at home mom and also babysitting the other 2 kiddos I was watching!! <em><strong>M</strong></em> has started kindergarten and is taking gymnastics and piano lessons and <em><strong>A</strong></em> is going to come to a pre-school type class I work in, and loves having mommy around more often. Colby still works for the same company, but is looking to change.<br />
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Cali's family - Josh is still building big water tank thingy's, Cali is loving life staying home with her 2 little ones<em>, <strong>O</strong></em> <em> </em>is back in pre-school and taking gymnastics, and <strong><em>CR </em></strong>is working up the courage to try to walk by himself. Recently Cali and Josh were able to meet the first responders who helped out when she was so sick! <a href="http://calis2ndchance.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">An awesome day!</a> Check out her link for details.<br />
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Taylor's family - Brandon loves working in finance and I think has decided not to become a lawyer, but to continue schooling in finance. Taylor works a few hours a day but gets to spend the rest of her day with her little <strong><em>Ch </em></strong>who is a sweet, precocious, smart little human being! <br />
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All my grandkids absolutely amaze me!!! I remember feeling this way watching my kids grow up. And now I'm so proud of how well they are raising their own kids!<br />
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Alex - started his senior year in high school, baby!!!! Him and I got to go to Oregon with my parents, and my brother and his family this summer and had a great time!! It was to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, but we were the lucky ones to enjoy the trip with them! Beautiful country, and great family fun!! <br />
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Alex has also struggled a bit lately with his health. He's gained a lot of weight these past few years; partly because of his hip surgery, partly because of some of the meds he's on, and partly because the hormones have kicked in and with people with Down Syndrome, they unfortunately most of the time gain weight. Well, because of this his lungs aren't working like they should. His oxygen sats are normally at 88. Anything below 90 is not good. We're working on it, but he really hates wearing oxygen. And it's really hard to get that kid to move fast enough to get his heart rate going to try to lose weight. Long process, but we're in it together!!!<br />
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Me - obviously I'm not babysitting anymore! I've picked up a few more hours at work but get to be home with Alex, which has been nice since he's had a bad cold which has made the oxygen sats even worse!! I also got called to be the Young Women's President in our ward. That means I'm over the girls ages 12 - 18 that live in our area for Sunday services as well as weekly activities. I'm so excited to work with the women I have been called with and am hoping we can keep the activity level up so we can have a good sized group!<br />
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So, lots of changes. Lots of new things. But not much to report. <br />
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That's ok. At least I'm here.<br />
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I'm happy, and I'm here!!Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-18462114233055436132014-03-04T20:42:00.001-07:002014-03-04T20:42:48.517-07:00It's been far too long!Oh, how I love to blog. And oh, how little time in the day there is to do it! Somehow, other things take priority, like laundry, dirty diapers, kids, dogs, life. But here I sit hoping to update a bit that's been going on in the world of us.<br />
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A while ago, my little N got some braces for her legs. Her tone is so low that she can put her legs around the back of her neck without touching her legs to move them back there, which is really cool to see, but doesn't help her learn to walk at all. So, thanks to Shriner's Hospital she got these braces for her feet and legs....<br />
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...AND these cute shoes!! It's really hard to buy shoes for kids with braces so I guess they decided to give them with the braces so they are fit properly. She doesn't fight us to put them on her and she is walking around more thanks to a walker that was donated to the Early Intervention program that sees her. It's a bit tall for her, but at least she doesn't have to crawl everywhere or wait to be carried. I can't wait for good weather so we can go outside. I think she will really take off, then. (She has been sick the past few days and I sure miss her!!)</div>
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I found this old picture of Alex from a 6th grade dance in some computer files I was looking through and guess who he is dancing with? Yup! That's Ashley that took him on his first date! Even then she was 2 feet taller than him!</div>
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Meet Dex. He's the cute, little guy on the left. He is actually my son's family dog, but they are moving soon and can't take him with them. He has been hanging out with us during the day because while they are at work they put him outside, and it's been just too dang cold, so I've told them to just bring him when they bring the girls. It's really sad that he's so much smaller than my cat - even though he's closer to the camera in this picture - but I thought it was cute they were trying to snuggle on the bed together. I don't know if you remember, but when they first got Dex he surprised Moose while he was sleeping on the chair and Moose attacked him. Dex was a beaten man after that, but they both seem to have forgotten that. He's a good little dog. Follows me everywhere!</div>
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And then there's my sweet Gracie Goo. Here she is laying on her favorite couch, which she has completely taken over. A few months ago she started freaking out; standing in the backyard, even in the snow (she hates the cold and wet!!) and just looked around like she had no idea where she was or how she got there. And she would get so scared of every day sounds that she would just hide in the back bedroom instead of on her couch. I found out that Danes have a higher chance of getting Alzheimer's. Yup! My dog has Alzheimer's and my cat is a diabetic. Between all of Alex's meds and insulin, giving the cat insulin and the dog Prozac, it's surprising I'm not standing out in the rain wondering where I am and how I got there!!</div>
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And now meet <strong><em>J & L</em></strong>....</div>
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...and <strong><u>Little J</u></strong>. </div>
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I signed Alex up with a group called "I Run 4" that matches up competitive runners with people with special needs that would never be able to run competitively. Well, <strong><em>J, L and Little J</em></strong> are Alex's runners!! They have been so sweet to keep in contact and tell Alex (via Facebook through me) all that they are doing to stay active. <em><strong> J</strong></em> and I have talked quite a bit through e-mail, too. It's so nice to have another adult to talk to! They are awesome and I'm so glad Alex was matched with them.<br />
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So this may seem weird to some people, but the kids and I just HAD to make a thank you card for our garbage man! He's been on this route since Alex was little, so at least 14 years, and <em>every</em> week if we are watching him, he makes a point of waving and honking at the kids. They get so excited when they hear him come up the street so they can wave and yell at him. So they all colored a picture around the THANK YOU and while he was dumping our cans <strong><em>M </em></strong>took the poster out and gave it to him. It's good to know there are nice people still in the world.</div>
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<strong><em>N </em></strong>and <strong><em>A </em></strong>have gotten in the habit lately of climbing <u>into</u> our upstairs fireplace. Don't panic! It hasn't been used in years! But, still, it's nothing but a dark, dirty hole. And that wall has always been a problem for me because it takes away valuable space for seating. So, my daughter, her husband and I came up with an idea; let's make the hearth a seating area! With their help, and some help from George and my dad we created this beautiful bench that the kids LOVE to sit on to read books and color. The lights that shine on the bench were on some bookcases downstairs, but the lighting downstairs is so much brighter than upstairs so we've never used them down there. We brought them upstairs, and voila! No more dark hole, no more hard, cold hearth for the kids to bonk their heads on and hello comfort!! I'm pretty proud of it if I do say so myself! (See the before and after below!)</div>
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And last, but not least, I wanted to share another little project. Did you know the month of March is Special Education month? And on the 5th is "Spread the Word to End the Word" Day (retard / retarded), and on the 21st (3/21 for <em>TRI</em>somy <em>21) </em>is National Down Syndrome Day! Because it's such an important month in the life of Al and since he's been so bored since wrestling is over with I thought he could help make some posters to put up in the hallway near his classroom to make others aware of these happenings. When I asked his teacher if he could put them up in their hallway, she said, "No!" After the initial shock wore off and I said ok, she said, "I want the posters put up all over the school, not just our hallway!" I asked TJ to help since she's our resident artist - even though there's no drawings on them - and she came up with these amazing posters in a short amount of time.<br />
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And this one is my favorite! Especially the part that says "4.0 stubent". Classic!! (We will put a picture of Alex in the bottom left corner)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxez0oTn0kyEUinNcCN9Zqa7OrosvTixmZCRZ0oSNEG7HWBq4n6sHYRCY-VteH2ELwptu2hpbyipAOx51LFicBFh-RREh-smt-bgq3-qi43lHqmjLRfdOn32aLuvmrfbI9ofUbmaG_aM/s1600/i'm+a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxez0oTn0kyEUinNcCN9Zqa7OrosvTixmZCRZ0oSNEG7HWBq4n6sHYRCY-VteH2ELwptu2hpbyipAOx51LFicBFh-RREh-smt-bgq3-qi43lHqmjLRfdOn32aLuvmrfbI9ofUbmaG_aM/s1600/i'm+a.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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We will make some more over the next few days so they can be hung up at school soon. I will take pictures of the others so we can show them off.</div>
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So Happy Special Education / STWTETW / National DS month / day!!</div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-olBYnBMDM5o%2FUxaNal-eAaI%2FAAAAAAAAC14%2FW_qAkhxQapk%2Fs1600%2Ffireplace.jpeg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wqazapYLZwVUTE1Omm898glRA_3WqSGLF5M56QbXXdIjblp2Nl4FUNqEEuC-uec8U1FaVK1bJi3sa3f1PEI3F2nfnknF4LRNYUjijkhfjkNv9VY1zRIZPjRECUFouydPyRbNDNwS1Mc/s1600/fireplace.jpeg" -->Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-65887245733528011712014-02-08T22:09:00.004-07:002014-02-08T22:09:43.842-07:00Alex's first official date - a school dance!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A few weeks ago I got a call from a girl that Alex has gone to school with all through the years, starting in first grade; she wanted to ask Alex to the Valentine's girl's choice dance and asked me if that would be ok. OK? Of course it's ok! </div>
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I remember this girl (Ashley) at another Valentine's dance, this one in middle school. It was the only after school dance Alex had seemed interested in going to and his teacher was going to be there so I let him go. I went to watch when it was about 1/2 way done and Alex had just asked Ashley to dance. Now remember, my boy isn't known for his height, and Ashley is. But this kind, sweet girl danced her heart out with him. When the song was done, Alex said, "Let's dance again," and how Ashley handled that impressed me beyond measure. She told him that she would love to, but he needed to learn to ask others and dance with others. Then she asked him who he wanted to ask next and after he pointed out another girl, she encouraged him to ask her to dance. She wasn't mean, yet firm. She wasn't discouraging, but very encouraging. Great girl. So would I mind him going on his first real date, which also happens to be his first real dance with her? Heaven's no!!</div>
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So, this goon is on his date right now!! We tried to take a few pictures before Ashley showed up, but he was so excited he looked like he was going to explode standing there. </div>
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His whole family was there waiting in anticipation for his date. Look closely in the background....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXaRF1JG_hwgJEJSbtr4LVCNlwmEZj-QAqIgxjTsD1Nr3DvTnr-DZtDfGUE0BhUUVMtAf16tNSdk3uXia7wxACwWeN5F2Gqvq3tGvpt6olJuzw24MNm0ZTKa-eqpo_A5CjfCSS1wW3wM/s1600/20140208_165503.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXaRF1JG_hwgJEJSbtr4LVCNlwmEZj-QAqIgxjTsD1Nr3DvTnr-DZtDfGUE0BhUUVMtAf16tNSdk3uXia7wxACwWeN5F2Gqvq3tGvpt6olJuzw24MNm0ZTKa-eqpo_A5CjfCSS1wW3wM/s1600/20140208_165503.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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...Alex is looking out the window waiting ever so patiently for his date to arrive!! </div>
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She looked absolutely beautiful! Her parents came with her because they wanted to meet Alex. We took lots of pictures, of course, and I told Ashley's mom how sweet this was for her to ask him. She told me that she wanted to ask him to last year's girl's choice dance because she wanted to be his first date, but that she wasn't 16 yet and they wouldn't let her. Well, she waited a year until she was 16 and she is still his first date!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAloViTnHi7OI15atvx_4-gBZfOrukONhuB7ClR0OlXURhf1cXhqNS3lrbtB0CkksBlEKglmWask_qJFk7TGhsqNo67WxXCvddcMJCeRTx6FhARxWmOvuZsf44EoBw0QFFACSWdKXd5g/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAloViTnHi7OI15atvx_4-gBZfOrukONhuB7ClR0OlXURhf1cXhqNS3lrbtB0CkksBlEKglmWask_qJFk7TGhsqNo67WxXCvddcMJCeRTx6FhARxWmOvuZsf44EoBw0QFFACSWdKXd5g/s1600/1.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
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Alex gave her the corsage....</div>
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...and made her mom put it on her! What you can't see is Mike is in the other room tying the tie that Ashley bought (so it would match her jewelry and sash) and struggling to get it the right length, since Alex is so short!</div>
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Then we took pictures....</div>
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... and more pictures....</div>
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...and more pictures...</div>
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...and even more pictures! All that before they left to take pictures with their group! </div>
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We kept snapping pictures even as they left because it was such a big occasion for us all! </div>
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After dinner I met them at the school so I could give him his shots (which felt really awkward, like I was meeting someone for a drug fix in the school parking lot or something). I asked Ashley if he was being good and she said he was being so good and even held her chair out for her at dinner, and all the other girls in the group chewed their dates out because Alex was the only one who had! That's my boy! I'm sure he's dancing up a storm. No one dances as well as Alex and with a good friend by his side, he's going to have all the fun in the world!</div>
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Thanks to Ashley, and all the other friends in Alex's life who have helped him become the great young man that he is!</div>
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*If you want to comment on this, please comment on the blog, not on Facebook - I want Alex to see the comments in one place so it looks like a lot!!</div>
Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-20258695895741574592014-01-18T12:14:00.002-07:002014-01-18T12:42:50.220-07:00A match and another win for Alex!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I would love to give commentary to each of these pictures and videos, but the embarrassing part of this is I <strong><em>still</em></strong> don't understand wrestling! All I know is if you pin the guy you win and if no one gets pinned the winner is determined by points and he's the guy the ref puts his hand in the air. Lame, huh? But, Alex had another match the other night and the opposing team didn't have anyone to wrestle Alex so a fellow Beetdigger (an<em> independent</em> as the announcer called him) wrestled him and "lost" to him. (I mentioned to one of the coaches that it would be OK for Alex to lose once in a while, and he said, "Tell that to the boys. They don't want to be <em><span style="background-color: white; color: red;">the one</span></em>!" Ha! Never thought of it that way!</div>
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While watching this first video, listen to the coaches in the background telling him moves to do. How cool is that that they have taught him well enough to yell out actual moves for him and he gets it?!! </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzcNtCit01LK6DUewcxEVQG72MrNXUqiws92JFjHle825-vLHNwHH_WY3sODXyqLZ9cLGidA6JqcU35ZkKbdg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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In this next video you can hear the wrestling managers (girls) giggling. It's not to be mean, it's because this is so awesome that a big, bad wrestler (who is darn cute and I'm sure the love of many girl's dreams) will allow this little, bad wrestler (who is also darn cute and the love of many people) kick his butt! One thing you can't hear or see in these videos is how Alex's opponent is telling Alex what to do to wrestle correctly. Amazing!!</div>
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Notice at the end of this video I say, "I love this position!" I call that Alex's signature move. He seems to do it quite often. If you can't tell what he's doing, he is on top of his opponent but holding his ankles. I don't think it's very productive as an actual wrestling move, but it does tend to confuse the opponent which then lends to a certain win!</div>
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Two things to mention for this video below; Yes, that is a coach on the left side of the screen telling Alex to pull his opponents hair! All in jest I assure you! And you can hear them telling him he needs to be on top...he has the kid pinned but he's just lounging next to him. Again, not an actual wrestling move, but it sure adds to the entertainment value.</div>
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I have to add some comments here; this cute, young man that gives Alex a medal is a brother to one of the wrestler's on Jordan's team. I guess one day he told his parents he wanted to give Alex one of his wrestling medals because "he (Alex) would wear it all the time, and I won't" Isn't that sweet!! And, yes! He does wear it all the time! He's very proud!</div>
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You can see in the videos he doesn't have as much energy as he used to. Who knows why... could be his weight gain, could be his diabetes wearing him down (he did test low just 20 minutes after this match), or it could be his hip has slowed him way down. Who knows? All I know is his record is 1 loss and many wins!!</div>
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And now a little addition about his upcoming dance date....</div>
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...this video is a bit dark, but Alex likes to turn off the lights in the living room, turn on the lights in the kitchen, crank the tunes real loud and practice dancing with his shadow. Look out, Ashley! You're gonna go out with the mamba king!!!</div>
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Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-42883710316532810122014-01-15T19:58:00.002-07:002014-01-15T19:58:37.704-07:00Alex's first school dance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I got a phone call the other day from a girl that has gone to the same schools as Alex since first grade. She wanted to know if it would be OK if she asked him to their high school's Valentine Dance. Of course I said, "YES!"</div>
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A few days later we found this on our porch....</div>
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(the bananas had letters on them to spell out the name of the girl who asked him)</div>
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It's been fun to watch his little brain process all of this. For instance, we went to take his "answer" to her house and he couldn't figure out why I wasn't making him dress up since he was just in a t-shirt and pajama bottoms! I don't know if he thought the dance was tonight or what, but it has been fun to see how he's handling it. </div>
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Here is how he answered her....</div>
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Inside the pinata was candy and some crumpled up pieces of paper, on one of which he had written YES and signed his name. So she had to open the piñata and then go through all the papers to find the one that he had written on.</div>
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The dance is in a few weeks. I will take lots of pics and do a post afterward with all the details!! </div>
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My baby is going on his first date! </div>
Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-26663836964793949022014-01-07T20:33:00.000-07:002014-01-07T20:33:22.349-07:00LET IT DOE!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have shared before how talented my children are, and even though this isn't one of them, this reminds me so much of TJ that I just had to share! </div>
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First of all, she's the one who showed this video to me. She is ALWAYS showing me music videos that she thinks I will like or youtube videos to make me laugh. Well, this one is awesome!!! And by the way, if you haven't seen Frozen, it's a must see!</div>
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AND second of all, this reminds me of TJ when she was little. She was (still is!) always singing and trying to get the other kids to harmonize with her. But this little girl's voice is so blasted cute I can't stop watching this. </div>
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So, sit back, get ready to grin and let it doe....</div>
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<br />Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-22707177255201938782014-01-04T11:09:00.001-07:002014-01-04T11:09:30.338-07:00AWWWW! My boys!<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Alex got a b-day / Christmas gift from Daddy Ernie and fam and obviously he knows what his boy likes! I took this video last night of Mike and Al having a duel. It lasted about an hour! They had a great time. Thanks B family for all you do for Al!</div>
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And I finally got a picture of Quincy that I like - I wanted his footprints put next to something for a size comparison, and a baseball was perfect! Thanks to TJ for tweaking it for me to make it just right!<br />
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And last, but not least, a bit more recent pic of CR. He was officially made a member of our family when he was adopted the week before Christmas and the weekend before Christmas he was sealed to Cali and Josh for time and all eternity!!! He's a sweet man and gives us the best smiles!<br />
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I love all my boys - the young and old - and am a grateful woman to be surrounded by such amazing men!</div>
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Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-55459113009509544482013-12-30T10:00:00.000-07:002013-12-30T10:00:45.342-07:00TRADITIONS! (As said like Tevye says on Fiddler on the Roof)This is the time of year when traditions are a huge part of every day life, so I thought I would share a few of our family's traditions. If I were to think about it, I should probably re-name the title of this blog because these aren't your typical traditions, but they are things we do that make us a unique family and are sweet memories for all of us.<br />
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Such as - when you make a grilled cheese sandwich, you HAVE to cut it with the spatula / flipper you used while cooking it instead of a knife. No, we are not suffering from OCD and just don't want to dirty another utensil, it's just the law of making a grilled cheese sandwich in our home. (You also have to choose between having your sandwich cut into squares or triangles. A small detail of the law.)<br />
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Music is a huge part of our lives. Even though not all of us are thoroughly, amazingly filled with the talent of music, we all are known to sing at the top of our lungs, whether we know all the words or not! Actually, when I think about it, those of us who AREN'T very musically talented sing louder and more often than those that are gifted. But to continue with our traditions; when you like a song you must put your thumb and pointer finger together, kind of in an A-OK sign, and shake it back and forth to the beat of the song. That's the Maughan-universal sign for, "This song is the bomb!" My dad (Scott, Papa GG) actually is the one who started this gem. But it is forever linked to our family as a tradition. Another musical custom we do is a definite Christmas time love; whenever we hear the song "Silver Bells" played - no matter the version, no matter where we are - we have added to the chorus by singing, "Silver Bells. <span style="color: red;">DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG!</span> Silver Bells. <span style="color: red;">DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG!</span><span style="color: black;">" We are actually singing "ding" but it sounds more like "dang" when you do it obnoxious enough, which is the goal. We have even been known to be alone when hearing this song and sending out a mass text to each other with only the words, "DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG, DANG!" It has to be done!!</span><br />
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We also have a <strike>nasty habit </strike>tradition of saying words incorrectly, but it's completely on purpose. Yes, it does seem like we are making fun of the person who originally said it wrong, but in actuality it's a sign of endearment. For instance...molasses will forever in our family be known as "moles ass." The story behind this is when our kids were little and my sister was babysitting them one time, they decided to make some cookies. They couldn't find the molasses, so my sister (who is deaf) told the kids to go to the neighbor's house and ask to borrow their "moles ass." When we got home, the cookies were delicious and a new word was a part of our vocabulary. My sister has also added "What's your prob-a-blem" to our vocab. <br />
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Alex is another person who has enlightened our minds with new words or phrases. Probably everyone's most used is to say, "Look! A dolphin!!" while pointing in the opposite direction when trying to distract the other person to steal food off their plate, or get a head's start to run away. And to answer your question, no. There is no dolphin! <br />
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And if you do something again, you've done it "two-twice." <br />
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Another famous Al-dialogue is "It's funny so hard!" instead of "laughing so hard."<br />
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This is just a few of our quirks. Yes, they are awesome!!! And they are what makes us, well, us!<br />
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I may add to this list as I think of them or as my children remind me of other things, but this is a good start. If you comment, please tell me some of your quirky family traditions that are unique to your family. I would love to know others are as <strike>weird </strike>amazing as we are!!<br />
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Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-85843847748719703842013-11-14T16:53:00.001-07:002013-11-14T18:31:30.302-07:00My side of the story...<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong><em>I started this post over a year ago! It's been hard to write, and hard to read through each time I added to it. Not only because of the memories that rush back and flood my head and heart, but because I know I can not do this story justice. I'm just not able to write what I feel, what I see and even smell and taste that make the whole situation alive. This time in all our lives has changed us significantly, and hopefully for the better. I hope writing this down helps Cali see a part of her life that is gone from her memory, but emblazoned on her stomach as scars, seared into her heart as a never ending ache, and even in her veins as she continues to stay healthy for O and CR, and Josh. I will add a postlude at the end of some more things we have learned since this time..... </em></strong></div>
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We had a family reunion on Saturday, and after that Josh, Cali and <strong><em>O</em></strong> went to their home together for the first time since Cali "died"! Josh didn't have to work on Monday or Tuesday and only had a couple meetings on Sunday so they have gotten to spend a long weekend together and see how Cali's emotions do at their house and with Josh coming and going. I think so far so good! </div>
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Yesterday they got to pick up Quincy's ashes. Cali was insistent on doing it by herself. Josh drove her there, but she wanted to go in and get them by herself. She said she didn't have any memories of any of the past month's events, and she needed to have something that was HERS to remember. We chuckled that not only is the box labeled Baby Nolast, but Quincy was cremated on Mac's birthday. Kind of coincidental... (I've never seen ashes from a cremated body before. It was interesting. There were definite bone fragments, including what I swear was a femur bone. I have pictures, but I will let Cali post them if she wants. That's kind of personal) She said she was surprised with how she reacted; she expected a lot of emotions and feelings, but she actually just felt calm. She said she thinks it helps to have <em>something...</em> with McKallister we were able to see him, to take pictures of him, etc. We did get hand and feet molds of Quincy but this is him in a way. For whatever reason, it was a calming thing for her.</div>
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Cali has asked us to write down what happened to her from our perspective. Since she has no recollections or memories all she has is what we tell her and since we all have a different point of view, she would like to have it in writing. I probably won't get the days right; even as they were happening I noticed they were all running together and a big blur, but I suppose the most important point is just what happened.</div>
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This will definitely be a long post, and probably boring to anyone but Cali, so now is the time to stop reading unless you're interested...<br />
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It was a Sunday afternoon. I was finishing the final touches on spare ribs for dinner with my parents and brother's family and sister. TJ and Brandon had stopped over for a few minutes before their dinner with his parents and we were laughing at a picture of Colby that had a horrible sun reflection off his head. We were laughing at how bald the picture made him look and how he looked like a monk. (Interesting the things that you remember so vividly in a crisis!) My cell phone rang, and I noticed it was Josh and I thought, "He's calling to see if they can come over to eat." <br />
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Still chuckling at Colby's picture, and that my first thought is 'Josh wants dinner', I answer very non-chalantly, "Hey!"<br />
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"Cali has stopped breathing and the paramedics are working on her right now and we are waiting for life flight to take her to the hospital."<br />
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"What? What are you talking about?" <em>I must admit I'm thinking, "Yeah, you can come and eat here. But why are you talking about Cali breathing?"</em><br />
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"Cali and Oak went down for a nap and she called me struggling to breathe-" <em>I start snapping at Brandon and Taylor. You know the way a mom does when she trying to tell the kids to be quiet while she's on the phone. Their faces go from smiling to serious instantly. I'm sure I looked scared. </em>"- I called 911 and the ambulance got here and they are working on her and we are waiting for life flight."<br />
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"OK. Where's Oak? Do you need me to come get her or meet you somewhere?"<br />
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"I have called my mom to get Oak and I will call you when we decide where they are taking Cali."<br />
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My mind went into 'just do it' mode. I threw the rest of the meal into the pan, I sent Brandon to the church house to get Mike who was at a meeting for youth conference. But then it clicked; "they are working on her." "She had stopped breathing." I broke. I grabbed a hold of Taylor and just cried. But I had to take care of things so I hollered over to our neighbor, Kirsty, "Will you come over here with Taylor, please?" And I ran the food to my parent's house - literally ran, slopping BBQ sauce all over my clothes; I must have told them what happened, and I must have taken Alex up there, but honestly I don't remember taking Alex there. Mike was coming up the street then. I ran out and hugged him before I remembered I was covered in sauce. So we ran home to change and wait for Josh's call. While waiting my sister came over. I remember the comfort I had to be able to sign to her because I didn't feel like I could catch my breath to talk, but I didn't need my breath to sign. I must have been crying quite loudly because my neighbor Jill heard me and ran over to see what was wrong. About the same time Josh called and told us to meet them at the U. Mike drove and Taylor and Brandon came with us. It's a good thing they were with us because it was them that called Colby to tell him and they were able to keep communication with the neighborhood open. <br />
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When we pulled up to the U I didn't even wait for Mike to stop. I just jumped out. I ran to the reception desk and told them we were Cali Hinckley's family. They asked me where she was being life flighted from and how old she was. I answered them but I remember thinking, "Don't ask me such details! Just tell me where she is!!" The receptionist got on the phone and then told us the helicopter was about 20 minutes out. I couldn't take it. I felt like I was smothering so I went outside and looked out over the valley towards Stansbury willing the helicopter to come. Any movement and I was holding my breath hoping it was the helicopter. That was the longest 20 minutes I've ever known. <br />
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After a while I noticed Mike was outside, too and he was talking to a security guard. I went over and the guard was telling Mike which direction the copter would be coming from, where they would wheel Cali from and where they would go from there. I know now he was just trying to keep us calm, and I hope I get the opportunity to thank him for that information. We were able to stand on a table and see her feet as they were wheeling her into the ER. From there we waited in the waiting room.<br />
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*This is a picture of the 2 ladies that were on the flight. Obviously this picture was taken later since everyone is smiling. These ladies hold a special place in our hearts and they have kept in touch.*<br />
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* This picture was also taken later - one of the times Cali went back for problems after she was released - but this is the actual trauma room that she was put in. Dozens of doctors and nurses and specialists crammed in this room with her all trying to figure out what went wrong. We found out during later ER visits that Jo Nolast was a well known name around the trauma room, but they all thought she had died.*<br />
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Josh arrived and we then found out exactly what had happened; Cali and Oak were taking a nap. Josh got home from church - early because he felt he needed to be home with his family - and grabbed a snack and went downstairs to watch TV. Cali called him (he usually drops his phone on the stair banister when he's home but had it with him this time) and he could tell something was wrong. He ran up the stairs and must have dialed 911 while running because when he got to her and put her on the ground to see what was wrong he heard the operator yelling at him through the phone, "What's your address?" He put her on speaker and proceeded to do chest compressions on Cali. She was breathing in but not out except when he would compress her chest. The sheriff arrived quickly, followed not too long after by the ambulance. I guess when emergency staff hears the patient is pregnant they automatically call the helicopter. When they arrived Oak started yelling at Josh. He finally looked at her and said, "What do you want?" to which she replied, "I need Tooty Frooty's dad!"<br />
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When Josh tells us this we all laugh, but there's no humor in our chuckles. Just more of an exhale of breath from all of us.<br />
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A social worker comes out to talk to us. I don't remember his name but he was a big help to us. He made sure we knew what was happening at least every half hour. He moved us to a private waiting room just outside the emergency waiting room. Eventually the Hinckley family and Colby and Kierra arrived so we were all together. Again, I felt claustrophobic so I went into the hallway, where an air med worker walked by. I had no idea if she had been on Cali's flight or not but I just had to thank her for doing her job. I probably looked like a crazed lunatic because I kind of chased her down and gave her a hug before telling her why. She was one of the women on the flight and came into the room and talked to the family. While she was there a doctor came in to ask questions; was she a healthy person? How about as a child? Is there any family history of ______________? They asked a whole bunch of questions, and looked just as confused as when they first came in. One thing they did ask was if she had a history of seizures because they were pretty sure she had one in the ER. Josh mentioned he thought she had one while he was working on her. Now is when my head starts thinking about "IF she lives will she be a vegetable?" "IF." If." If."<br />
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After the docs leave, Josh starts crying and says, "Will someone say a prayer?" His dad, Gordon gave a beautiful prayer that gave me some comfort, but I still felt like there was no way Cali was going to live. The comfort was in the fact that we had just communicated with our Father in heaven and I knew he heard our prayers. But I also knew everything is in His hands, and that could mean Cali could still die.<br />
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Eventually they move all of us to the 4th floor by the MICU (medical ICU).<br />
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This sign was on the door for the next 2 days. It was in this small room that we lived; we sat, we talked, we cried, we checked on each other. </div>
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This is a good picture of Mike showing how utterly useless and scared we felt. If we weren't in our little, assigned cubby hole we were taking turns being with Cali or out in the hallway trying to make sense of all of this.<br />
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After hours and hours of being in that small room, Josh was allowed to go see Cali. Mike and I took turns going back, too. This is the first we saw of her after that terrible phone call. She was in a medically induced coma (they call it the Michael Jackson drug because it causes the patient to forget what they are going through), she had a tube down her throat to breathe for her, although she was on only a small amount of forced air which means she was trying to breathe on her own. All the white things on her forehead were measuring brain activity to check for seizures. She seemed comfortable in a very weird sort of way. Of course when we talked to her there was no kind of response at all. The doctors still had no idea what had happened, but were eliminating things one at a time. <br />
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Her nurse told us all to go home (which I think everyone had slowly left through out the evening, only leaving the 3 of us) and get some sleep. There was nothing we could do tonight and we needed to get some sleep. This was after midnight and she told us there was no reason to come back until 8 am. <br />
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*This is a picture of the arm restraints they had on Cali so she wouldn't pull the tube out of her throat. They say it is what they do to anyone who is intubated.*<br />
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Mike and I went home and Josh went to his parent's house. I think we slept. Maybe we passed out, but our eyes did close even though our minds kept racing. Before we went to the hospital, Mike and I went to my parent's house to check on Alex. What a blessing to have such a support system that I never once thought about Alex, where he was or how he was doing. I knew he was fine, but I still needed a hug!<br />
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*This is how Cali looked that morning. There was no signs of any more seizures so they took all those connections off. They had been "glued" onto her head with this goop that was stuck in her hair, which is why it looks so messy. She is starting to look a little swollen because of all the fluids they are pumping into her. *<br />
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When we got to OUR waiting room, Josh's parents and sister Rachel were already there. They said the doctors had just told Josh that they needed to take the baby to save Cali's life. We went into the ICU to be with Josh and Cali - actually I'm not sure if it was just me or if both of us went - but that was when it was explained to us what had happened; some of the amniotic fluid had gotten into Cali's system. Once it hit the heart (instantaneously) it caused an infection in the heart, which causes cardiac arrest. There is no test to make sure that is what happened, just elimination of every other possibility. When we asked how much of the fluid got in her system, we were told they have no idea, and they have no idea HOW it gets into the mother's system. All they did know is that with THIS pregnancy the risk was too high of it happening again so they needed to evacuate the baby because if this did happen again Cali <em>would</em> die. There would be no way of saving her. It was hard to watch Josh struggle to make this decision; he didn't question whether they should try to save the baby's life or Cali's, but you could see the pain this caused. There was nothing medically wrong with the baby. He was just too premature to survive outside of the womb. And to wait for 4 - 8 weeks for him to be 'viable' was too risky for Cali.<br />
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I was able to go be with her and Josh in her room in the ICU. I remember her nurse being a man, being good-looking, and being very quiet. I could tell he took his job very seriously and I was so grateful he was there. I don't think he ever went home the whole time she was in this ICU. He was a comforting presence in that room. Another person I hope to be able to thank someday! <br />
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The next part of the story is such a blur, yet so vivid in parts. I asked Josh if Cali knew they were going to take the baby. "No and they probably won't tell her because they don't know how her reaction will affect her health." That's what I was told, but I don't know if Josh said it or the nurse. AND the next thing I know they are bringing her out of the drug-induced coma just long enough for us to tell her what had happened. I'll never forget how Cali looked at Josh; with such love and devotion, and you could tell he was her strength. I was just off to the side holding her hand being the third wheel until she signed, "Baby." Then Josh looked at me with absolute terror in his eyes which made Cali look my direction. I don't know which one of us told her the doctors would have to take the baby to save her life, but I'll NEVER forget the pain, the anguish that we all felt in that room while Cali <em>screamed</em> "NO!!!" in sign language, without a sound coming from her because of the breathing tube, but with that word reverberating through the room. <br />
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Then silence. <br />
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They had put her back under. <br />
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I left the room shortly after that.<br />
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Colby was in her room for a bit, but came running into the waiting room saying, "Cali is signing something and we can't understand her." So I went in. She was asking about the baby and about Oakland. The interesting part of this is at that time there were multiple specialists in her room to discuss how much brain damage she could have / should have suffered. After watching Cali and I talk back and forth for a minute, they left shaking their heads saying, "If she can sign and communicate with someone, she will be just fine!" I think they were actually perturbed that they had been bothered to come observe someone who obviously didn't need to be observed. Little did they know the miracle they just witnessed!<br />
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Again, the timing of all of this is so random. I'm not sure of the order of what happened next. I do remember most of both families were at the hospital while they evacuated the baby. They put Cali back in the medical ICU to watch her closely. Three of Cali's co-workers came to see her; looking back on that it must have been hard for them to come visit, not knowing what to expect and her not being able to respond or even know they were there. But she was coherent; when her co-workers came to visit I mentioned she needed to get back to work and she flipped me off....<br />
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Here's the PROOF!!! I made her do it again so I could take a picture of it. I'm a horrible mom! <br />
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Just to backtrack a bit here, I called her boss on Monday morning to make sure he knew where she was. He had no idea!! I thought a neighbor of theirs, who also used to be a co-worker would have said something, but she hadn't. It was really weird to verbalize that "she was in an induced coma, would lose the baby, and maybe not live." But we are so glad they were supportive and patient. A good place to work at! Thanks, <em>Uppercase Living</em>!<br />
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This is another weird thing I photographed that at the time I felt was important. This is a tag on a cooler that was in her room at one time. Jo Nolast was the name that Cali was listed under on the hospital records; it's her "trauma name." That's the name given to her when she was life-flighted so the hospital could gather and store her blood type just for her and make sure she had enough for her stay. When people would call the hospital looking for Cali Hinckley, they were told they didn't have a patient by that name. There were a lot of people who thought she had died and that's why there was no record, when actually she was listed as Jo Nolast. We are only guessing but we think the Jo came from <em>Jo</em>sh's name and Nolast referring to no last name. Since this time we have had trauma nurses tell us it's funny what some trauma names are. One told us that the best one was a big, motorcycle riding man who crashed into a deer - or I guess the deer crashed into him - and the biker's trauma name was Pink Deer.<br />
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The rest of that day was calm until dinner time. Everyone had left except for me, Mike and Josh. Mike and I convinced Josh to go out to dinner with a friend who had come to visit and get out of the hospital for a few minutes. It was 7:00 at night - a time in ICU that no visitors are allowed in the rooms so the staff can change and the patients can be discussed. I'm sure it's also a time they "force" on husbands and parents to get something to eat. Mike and I went down to the cafeteria and grabbed a bite to eat, then back to OUR room down the hall from the ICU. At 8:00 sharp, Mike and I started into the ICU to be with Cali. There was a real urgency in her room. An electricity almost. It wasn't just the quiet room with a nurse sitting by her side watching all the monitors. There were 3 or 4 people in there. Her blood pressure was diving and they needed to go into surgery again. They needed Josh's permission. <br />
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"What? Just do it!"<br />
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"No. We need his permission."<br />
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Mike had to leave. It's interesting how when Mike is stressing out, I'm calm and vice-versa. Well, this was too much for Mike. I stood outside her room as they unhooked her, called Josh and told him to get back to the hospital (they wouldn't take a phone call for the permission) and just watched. I truly think I felt her spirit standing next to me because I felt as if this was "it," and yet feeling OK if it was. The doctors and nurses were so efficient, quick and worked great together. With all those people moving, talking, giving orders and stats I'm sure it was noisy. But to me I was in a tunnel and all I could see clearly was Cali while everything else around was a blur. When Josh got there - and remember he's 6'5" and 200+ lbs talking to a doc who is no taller than 5'8" and quite thin - he stood face to face with the doctor as the doc explained that she was bleeding internally and they wanted to go in and stop the bleeding, but they may have to do a hysterectomy if they couldn't control the bleeding. Josh had had it by that point. He stood as tall as he could, got as close to the doctor as he could and said, "Just take the damn thing out!" The doctor stayed strong, but noticeably cowered a bit while explaining they would only do a hysterectomy if there was no alternative. <br />
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As Josh signed all the papers he needed to I stepped into the room to take another picture of Cali. I thought this would be the last I would see her alive. My heart was hurt, but it was also numb. They wouldn't let me near her (too many other people and equipment that was necessary), but I don't think her spirit was in her body at that time anyway. In fact, I felt it was her "telling" me to take this picture. As they wheeled her away, I grabbed Josh's arm and we went and got Mike and Colby (who had shown up at the perfect time to be with Mike) then went to another waiting room to await the outcome. <br />
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Slowly, one by one and two by two, family members and friends arrived as we waited in the surgery waiting room. This is when my "freak out" happened. I couldn't sit still yet felt as if my body was heavy. So heavy! I walked. I walked the empty hospital hallways looking down every corridor that was within hearing distance of the waiting room in case a phone rang or a doctor came to talk to Josh. I don't remember talking to anyone. I don't remember really seeing anyone, actually. I couldn't tell you how long I walked, but I eventually made it to the waiting room with the others. Such a comfort to have a group of people - some of whom I met for the first time that night - that were all silently praying and all there for each other!<br />
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I have to add another piece to the puzzle here. Another little piece that is so important to this story, and yet a simple piece; Dr. Ryan Ollerton. No, he's not the expert here, or anyone on staff at the U of U. He is Cali's OB/Gyn. He has been a god-send to our family from 4 years ago, and I will never forget he was one of the first people I called when we heard Cali was sick. <br />
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After Cali had Mac and she went in for her 6 week appointment to her OB at the time (NOT Ollerton) and he <em>forgot </em>she had had a stillborn, even though he had told me when she delivered Mac that he could count on his hands how many stillborns he had delivered and he would never forget any of them, Cali<u> had</u> to find a new OB. So after getting referrals Cali chose Dr. Ollerton. I think she went to see 3 other OB's during her search, but just felt comfortable with Dr. Ollerton. (I work with his aunt and am so grateful to her for reaching out and suggesting him.) During Cali's pregnancy with <strong><em>O</em></strong> he gave her the security she needed, allowing her to come to his office any time to be checked to help alleviate any fears. He became a part of our family that was the source of strength we needed then, and the first person I reached out to now.<br />
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On our drive to the U after Josh's initial call, I texted (or maybe I called?) my friend Sue (Doc Ollerton's aunt and my co-worker) asking for Ryan's phone number. She called him, who then called me on his cell and told me to keep his cell number near and keep him in touch. He then called Josh's cell phone and told him the same thing. He may have regretted that decision! I texted him with ANY news we got over the next few weeks! And believe me that was a lot of texts! Sometimes dozens in an hour. <br />
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I tell you this piece of the puzzle because that night in the surgery waiting room with all of us was Dr. Ollerton. Tears fill my eyes as I think of the kind look he gave me when I finally arrived in the room to stay. Such a quiet strength. Such a relief. <br />
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We were in that waiting room way too long with no news and I couldn't take it any more. I called the crisis phone line (they gave us the number our first day there saying we could always get info if we called that number.) They said they would call us back....<br />
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I think we all talked while waiting. I think the TV was on. I think there was laughter and tears. I'm not sure.<br />
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I got a phone call and a few minutes later the surgeon came out to talk to Josh while the multitudes gathered around. The person on my call was someone from the operating room who told me that she had gone through a lot of blood, that they had had to revive her a few times (I think he said 4 times) but she was still alive and someone would be out to talk to us soon. As we were signing off the call the surgeon came out. Since I was finishing the phone call I was on the outer edges of the circle, and I couldn't hear anything he was saying. I'm sure he was trying to be discreet and talk <em>to </em>Josh, but "dammit man!" we all want to know what's going on!! Finally, I pulled the embarrassing mom card and said, "Talk louder! We can't hear you!!" (To this day Josh reminds me how tacky that was. Too bad!)<br />
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She had survived the surgery. They told us how much blood she went through, but I don't remember details. Only that it was more than 2 times the volume of blood a body holds. They had to revive her multiple times during the surgery, and they did have to do a hysterectomy. The uterus was just too traumatized to keep. Even though that cut short my daughter's chances of conceiving any more children, I was so glad they took her uterus out! I think that was the majority consensus in the room that night! "She's alive and won't be able to have any more children!! YAY!" Sounds morbid, but so true!! None of us wanted to see her suffer any more; no more stillbirths. No more blood clots - at least due to pregnancy - and no more amniotic embolisms!<br />
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One by one, two by two people went home. Josh, Mike and I got to go see her in the ICU, but then we all went home to try to rest. We were told she would continue to be vented for a few days and so she would be kept in the induced coma so she wouldn't know if we were there.</div>
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First thing the next morning we got a call saying she was off the vent but things didn't look good so hurry in. What? I thought she was going to stay on the vent? I thought she would be allowed to recover in a coma? What?</div>
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We got there and she was off the vent. Whatever the problem had been seemed to have righted itself because they were no longer as concerned as they were when they called. (Sorry I don't even remember what the drama had been for!) Josh was there. Cali looked at us, but was in and out. A lot of docs came through checking everything from blood levels to temperature. At one point she smiled and I noticed the left side of her face didn't move. I told this to the doc and he said they were watching it. Wanna hear something funny? When <em>I</em> don't feel good and I smile the left side of<em> my</em> face doesn't move! It's not paralyzed, it's just a crooked smile we give when we are trying to be positive yet don't feel good. I didn't even know I did this until I watched her so closely over the next few weeks!</div>
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What happened next? The physical therapists came in and helped her walk around her bed. Yup! PT doesn't really stand for physical therapy, it stands for pain and torture, and that's what it was for me to see her be MADE to stand, to walk, to sit back down and then lie down after having 2 major stomach surgeries in the past 48 hours! Meanies! But I have to admit, that was when I first started seeing the spirit come back into her eyes. Until that point, I believe her spirit lingered between here and the eternities, staying more often in heaven than here. </div>
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We still took turns in the ICU, but we didn't have our own little room anymore so when we were in the waiting room we got to meet a lot of people who had family in ICU as we watched the time sludge by. Cali got a lot of flowers, we got a lot of food and notes as well as phone calls and even visitors. One in particular stands out, just because it was another source of relief; Elder Paul Johnson (member of The Seventy of <a href="http://www.lds.org/" target="_blank">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)</a> is also our neighbor. His wife, Jill, is one of my best friends and our kids helped raise each other! Well, Paul brought some fresh fruit for us and said when Cali was awake he had a message from President Monson for her. Ummm.... she's awake... come in!!</div>
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Paul said, "Cali. President Monson wanted me to come check to see why all the answers to prayers were being directed to the U of U hospital. I can now go tell him that they are being put to good use and not to worry!" Now, I don't know if President Monson <em>really</em> sent well wishes to Cali, but I do know that Cali's name was presented to the General Authorities to add to their prayer list, and I also know that God does hear and answer prayers!</div>
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Another side note here. Remember the "vulture lady" I eluded to in a previous <a href="http://mikenatalieandalex.blogspot.com/2012/06/blog-post.html" target="_blank">post</a>? Margaret? Sweet, little, old lady who was the ICU's social worker that was waiting for Josh and Cali to sign either Quincy's death certificate or permission to cremate or something or other? Well, she had been walking past Cali's room off and on that morning and when I brought Paul in to say HI to Cali, she made another pass past the windows. After Paul declared President Monson's concerns, Cali looked at me and said, "Who is that creepy stalker lady?!" then went back to sleep. Josh, Mike and I knew who she was referring to, but poor Paul thought <em>he</em> was the creepy stalker lady!</div>
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Since Cali was in ICU this whole time, <strong><em>O</em></strong> didn't get to see Cali. That is until they took Cali for some test - an MRI or CT scan - and we had <em><strong>O</strong></em> waiting in the hallway for her, and the techs made sure to take her a certain way so they could see each other. It was very endearing! </div>
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I truly think this was a huge turning point in Cali's recovery. The love was physical in nature in that hallway that evening! Josh holding <strong><em>O</em></strong>, them waiting in anticipation for Cali, Cali's pure joy when she saw them for the first time together! This is another point I can't say I know who took care of <strong><em>O </em></strong>all this time, but I never worried about her!<br />
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This is a picture of Cali without a vent! She's supposed to be giving us a 'thumbs up' but it looks more like she's threatening me if I take her picture!</div>
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Besides the ashes, this is all we have of our sweet Quincy. A little hand print and 2 sets of feet. They are beautiful! To believe that a baby who is not able to survive outside of his mother is so perfectly formed to have fingers, toes, even the cute, little lines in his hands! God is great! I had asked Margaret if it was a possibility to get something - anything! - but this was the day <em>after</em> they took Quincy. She had no idea, but obviously she took control and thanks to her we have a few treasures we wouldn't have if she hadn't tried! One person can really make a difference - something we should never forget!<br />
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It's interesting how I can't be as specific about events from this time forward. I simply can't remember them. I know we were back and forth from home and the hospital, and that either Josh, Mike or I were always with her.<br />
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I do remember when they took her out of ICU they put her on the birthing floor - not the smartest of moves! Their thinking, of course, was to give her the medical help she needed post-partem. But they put her in a room with an isolette sitting in the corner. Cali had a major headache which wasn't going away with any form of pain meds, and I tried to rub her head - something her and I do quite often for each other. She got frustrated with me - I know it was from the pain - but between seeing that isolette, her getting upset with me and lack of sleep, I broke. I left the room, and the first thing I hear is a newborn baby crying. I found the closest poor nurse available and gave her a lashing (as if it was her fault!) telling her to get that isolette out of that room, and find a different place to put my daughter! It wasn't fair for her to hear newborns, and it was hard for us, too. I was mad at myself for taking out my concern on a poor nurse. Mad that I had to be put in that situation, and yes even mad that I couldn't do anything to help my poor little girl! They moved her, not sure where probably because I was in Mama Bear mode and was just glad they moved her. I stayed with her, but was useless... I zonked out! The nurse got Cali a headache "cocktail" from the ER, stayed and talked with her, and I guess I knew she was in good hands and I slept well enough to interrupt their discussion with my snoring! Mommy of the Year Award, here I come!<br />
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They moved her again the next day. She was still in maternity, but in a different area that was more accommodating, and less..... maternity! Josh, Mike and I took turns staying with her, and we wouldn't have it any other way! It was nice for <strong><em>O</em></strong> to finally be able to come spend time with Cali, and it was nice for Cali to be able to have more visitors than just the 3 of us. She still had some problems; weird swelling (that's all I'll say about that), her milk came in, dizziness and weakness, but all in all she was slowly getting better. She even peed on her dad! Yeah, you read that right! A bonding experience not many adult children get to have with their dad. It was Mike's turn to spend the night, she needed to use the bathroom, and they didn't make it. OOPS! Oh, well. They laughed about it, and it just shows how grateful we were that she was alive. "Go ahead! Pee on all of us!!" I got to help Cali with her first shower of her new life. It was long, greatly appreciated and we both came out sopping wet even though I was still dressed and wasn't supposed to get wet! Who would have known a shower would bring such happiness! You can read past posts to get even more details of this time frame, <a href="http://mikenatalieandalex.blogspot.com/2012/06/blog-post.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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When Cali was released from the hospital, they stayed with us for a few weeks. She wasn't allowed to be alone for any length of time, so while Josh tried to get some work done, she was stuck with me and all my little hoodlums. She did end up back in the hospital a few times (see this <a href="http://mikenatalieandalex.blogspot.com/2012/06/good-not-so-good-and-random.html" target="_blank">post</a>, and <a href="http://mikenatalieandalex.blogspot.com/2012/06/yard-sale-was-huge-success.html" target="_blank">this post,</a> and <a href="http://mikenatalieandalex.blogspot.com/2012/06/opps-she-did-it-again.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://mikenatalieandalex.blogspot.com/2012/06/opps-she-did-it-again.html" target="_blank">even here</a>) but she recovered so much better, and quicker than anyone expected.<br />
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<strong><em>I guess this is my postlude. I'm not sure where else to start this. Within this past month a lot has happened in this "story." Cali's flight nurses - yes, they belong to her now! - got the opportunity to present Cali's case to a conference of Life Flight crews from around the nation. It was held in Virginia and as they were preparing for it, they talked a lot to Josh and Cali to make sure they got information right. Cali and Josh decided they needed to be there. They needed to go to hear the whole presentation, beginning to end, and let Cali have something of a memory. Before they left, they were able to get a copy of Josh's 911 call. Mike insisted on NOT ever listening to it. I insisted on listening to it because I knew I could separate myself and be analytical, and I thought, "How interesting! Not many get the opportunity to hear such calls." HA! Analytical my eye!! I didn't last 30 seconds and I bolted out of the room. I heard Josh talking to the operator. And then slowly, as if someone was turning up the volume, I could hear Cali moaning. You've heard of a death moan? This had to be it. No other way to describe it. When the tape was over, the rest of the family that was able to continue to listen came out, mostly in tears. </em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>During the presentation, Josh and Cali got to sit in the back of the room. They were surprised at the size of the group; it was smaller than they expected. This was a huge conference and they expected a couple hundred people to attend this class. But, it was one of the last classes (participants got to choose from multiple classes) on the last day of the conference, and a lot of people had already headed for home, or attended another class. So, in this class of about 50 people - all medical professionals, Cali and Josh sat in the back and watched and listened to their reactions.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>They started the presentation with how Josh and Cali met, their love story, using pictures from Facebook and their blog. Then they introduced Mac, then O, showing pictures of both. They told of all of Cali's health issues with each pregnancy; the fear that they had to try to have another baby. The excitement when they found out she was pregnant again, with another little boy! Then they played the 911 tape...</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Heads started shaking. Whispers back and forth to each other. </em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>"Sounds like a stroke."</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>"This can't be good!"</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>They discussed how combative Cali was when they first arrived. There were 5 EMS men trying to help when these 2 women walked in, and the one's comment was, "That little thing is kicking all of your asses?" </em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Their first thought was that she must be freaking out on some drug. When they asked Josh what she was on he of course answered "pre-natal vitamins..." and they figured the poor husband didn't know his wife was a druggie.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>They vented her; in other words they knocked her out so that they could do what they had to do medically to help her. They think this is what saved her life. In preparation for the presentation, they had to do a lot of research and study a lot of material on amniotic embolisms. They found that Cali is the only pre-birth sufferer that is still alive. They also found that among those that had an amniotic embolism during childbirth, 90% of those died, and of the 10% that lived, 90% of them have significant brain damage. (My numbers may not be 100% correct. The point being that she shouldn't have lived, and she certainly shouldn't be able bodied!) </em></strong><strong><em>They think that because she had machines breathing pure oxygen for her during this time frame since she was vented, that that not only kept her alive, but kept her brain from going to mush. It is the only thing they have found different from Cali's case to others they investigated. Now, we can get all scientific and say that they vented her for safety sake. Which is true! But even those that were there admit that they had angels helping them protect Cali. They admit that for one thing, Cali shouldn't have lived long enough to call Josh, let alone be combative to fight off the EMS workers. They acknowledge that there should be no reason that an amniotic embolism diagnosis would cross their minds, seeing that the patient was alive, and yet that is what they radioed ahead to the hospital when they were en route. A higher power was in charge of what was going on in Cali's life, Josh's life, the AirMed's crew's lives and many others who helped take care of Cali.</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>OK. Back to the conference. The nurses presented everything; surgeries, amount of blood lost and given, doctors, specialists, problems that occurred. They showed them pictures that we took of everything... the whole while the audience is just soaking it all in. Near the end of all this, the one nurse walked to the back of the room and got Josh and Cali. As they neared the front of the room, they were recognized and as they walked onto the stage the audience gave them a standing ovation! Then they were just mobbed!! Questions were thrown out from every angle! Finally, someone had to put a stop to all of it by inviting Cali and Josh to dinner with all of them. They got toasted over and over during dinner. People apologized if they were staring but they were just astounded how "normal" Cali was. Josh got toasted from someone saying, "I know I've been trained to do what I do, and as a professional I do it. But as a husband, I don't think I could have done what you did with the calmness and strength you did it with!" Multiple times they were told that their story, and being able to meet them made this the best conference ever!</em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Since this time Cali, Josh and O have been blessed to have a new baby placed in their home that they will adopt in December. Cali's health has been amazing when you consider what she went through. In fact, there were a few times I had to remind her that "Of course you should be tired! You died and had 2 major surgeries 2 months ago!" The clot she got in her neck has caused her to have constant headaches, and her memory at times isn't what she thinks it should be, but all in all she has recovered completely. </em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>Please know that what I lack in writing skills, I have gained in a testimony of a loving God and Savior who know each and every one of us and is with us through all our trials. They won't let us go through anything we can't handle, and they are always putting people in our paths to help us through these times. Tell family and friends your love for them. Don't let a moment go by that you don't appreciate what it's worth. Live. Laugh. Love. Believe. Hold on!</em></strong>Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-68122848890883812282013-10-05T12:39:00.001-06:002013-10-05T12:39:27.811-06:00October is a GREAT month!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I love Fall! Love, LoVe, LOVE!! It's crisp, cool, beautiful. This week has been a bit too cool for me, I would rather move into it a bit more slowly, but it still has been a great Fall beginning. But that's not why I think October is a great month.... and NO! It definitely has NOTHING to do with Halloween! (Not a fan!) It has to do with 2 very important events that occur during October that have made me the person I am today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="background-color: orange;">October is National Down Syndrome Awareness month</span>! Happy month!! Where would I be without Alex? First of all I think I would be a more selfish person. I would definitely still be working full time, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that me quitting work has been the best thing for my whole family, not just for Alex. And I'm not just saying the other kids had an easy time of finding daycare. No. Or that my house is a pristine palace. Definitely not!! I really feel that taking care of Alex, quitting my job, being more aware of the needs around me that I was a better mom than I would have been if he hadn't come into our lives. Has it been easy? NO - did you read one of the last posts? But it has so definitely been worth it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">On Facebook I posted an announcement that October was DS awareness month and to "hug everyone you see because that's what a person with DS would do." My funniest - and most truthful comment came from Taylor. She said, <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm thinking I'll try to
wrestle everyone I know, and hit on people I've never seen before." Definitely</span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">a better description of our Al!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The other reason I love <span style="background-color: orange;">October</span> is because <span style="background-color: orange;">our church has a semi-annual General Conference</span> where our leaders speak to us and we hear beautiful music that is as inspired as the talks. This morning's session - WOW!!! Inspiring, electrifying, satisfying, calming... I can't say enough! And as I listened to the words our prophets and apostles spoke (yes! Living prophets and apostles spoke to us!) I was so very impressed with the happiness all the speakers exuded. But how could they not be happy? OK. Maybe speaking to millions of people would make one nervous, but they still are so happy. And that's because they are sharing the Lord's gospel. The same gospel that Christ himself taught and was such a great example of, was restored by a young man of 14 years of age, and is still here on earth. This church is led by Christ himself, hence the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! The prophets and apostles teach us, just as they did so long ago, but it is through inspiration so everything they say is truly what Christ wants us to hear. Please. Please! Follow <a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng" target="_blank">this</a> link and listen to or read their words. It will make you happy!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">So. Happy October!! Hug someone. Wrestle someone. And listen to the Prophet's voice. What a great month!</span></span>Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-65744126125590344332013-09-17T20:54:00.001-06:002013-09-17T20:54:14.450-06:00Now is so much better!<div id="storyTitle">
<span style="color: magenta; font-family: Helvetica;"><em>Megan Goates is a Westminster College and USU alumnus, a mother, and a blogger at </em></span><a href="http://herestooursurvival.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #2354ac; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><em><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Helvetica;">Here's to Our Survival</span></em></span></a><span style="color: magenta;"><em><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">.</span></em><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 22.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I used to be a perfect mom, but my
special-needs kids taught me otherwise<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SALT
LAKE CITY — Ten years ago I was the perfect mom. I mean it — I really had the
parenting business buttoned up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom doing just what I had always wanted. I had
finished college and graduate school and after five years of married life, I
was getting down to business in the field of my dreams. I lived in a little
World War II-era bungalow near Sugarhouse Park where my engineer husband worked
out of his office in the basement and I spent my days caring for our darling
1-year-old son. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every
morning I brisk-walked to the park with a group of my friends. We pushed our
toddlers in jogging strollers while discussing baby milestones and
post-pregnancy recovery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
started a playgroup and a book club. I canned my own strawberry jam. I
volunteered at the church cannery. I handcrafted our Christmas cards. I learned
to piece a patchwork quilt and hand quilted a small masterpiece. I cleaned my
tiny house every Monday, took my child to the zoo every Wednesday, and visited
story time at the library every Friday. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was the president of the Young Women's organization at my church. I hiked
nearby trails with my baby on my back. I took a 30-minute power nap every
afternoon while he slept. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
seemed every time I left the house with my precocious strawberry-blond son,
friends and strangers alike complimented me on my adorable little boy. I mean
seriously, when it came to motherhood, I had nailed it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
lot can happen in 10 years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
now live in a bigger house and I drive a bigger car. We have four sons instead
of one. I no longer can jam or hand stitch quilts or handcraft cards. I
definitely do not take a nap every afternoon. But it's not just the trappings
that have changed in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With
my second son's birth nine years ago, my family's trajectory changed in a big
way. Our baby was diagnosed with a rare syndrome and autism. Beginning then, we
entered the realm of <i>different</i>. We learned about developmental delay. We
met with oodles of pediatric specialists. We aligned ourselves with Early
Intervention and a support group. We stopped going out in public much because
of our second child's meltdowns. Our focus turned to survival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everything</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
became harder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
year we learned that our third child also has special needs, albeit in a very
different manifestation than his big brother. This turn of events has not been
easier than the last diagnosis because we have done it before. If anything, it
is more traumatic because we <i>have</i> done it before. And now there are two.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
with these diagnoses, my clan has become more of what we started to become nine
years ago when the second boy arrived. <span style="color: red;">We are less apt to judge people who look
or act differently. We are vastly more tolerant of messes because they are our
constant companions, no matter how hard we try to eradicate them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: red;">We
know the embarrassment of being a frequent public spectacle with a tantruming
child. We have had practice looking past people's quirks to see the person at
the core. We understand that "destruction of property" takes on a
whole new meaning when special-needs children are around. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in 0in 14.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: red;">We
(meaning me) are way less smug. In fact, we (me) acknowledge that most of the
time, we don't know what the heck we are doing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: red;">We
have more patience with people. We have less patience for unnecessary
activities, which deplete our time and energy. We've learned to sometimes say <i>no</i>
when we are asked to do things because anything extra usually takes us past the
tipping point. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue;">We
care less about <i>stuff</i>. We are gentler. We feel genuine empathy for
someone else's hardship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue;">We
aren't anywhere near perfect. We don't even care about perfect. We think
perfect should be dropkicked down the street.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
isn't the family I envisioned as a newlywed or as a young know-it-all mom of
one kid. But it's <i>my</i> family. And they're making me into someone I like
much more than that smug 26-six-year-old who thought she had it all figured
out.<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
</span>Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-30977278413090032562013-09-05T21:57:00.001-06:002013-09-05T21:57:21.845-06:00Counting my blessings...Enough of the blues! No more whining and complaining. I'm gonna pull up my big girl panties and tell you some things that make me happy! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDo644s-sUHREUxCyUvBxREaGV-F4eLQzdfd40H1IFJa89u3x4_jWvLEzNsNLcnMvcfhTWUAzUnIhPQ7N9wIj5C7YLLWVeNOiT8ncH9F_eVwvSPbdEdDbtjTOzl4_mcjEolblPFLb1HaM/s1600/ash+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDo644s-sUHREUxCyUvBxREaGV-F4eLQzdfd40H1IFJa89u3x4_jWvLEzNsNLcnMvcfhTWUAzUnIhPQ7N9wIj5C7YLLWVeNOiT8ncH9F_eVwvSPbdEdDbtjTOzl4_mcjEolblPFLb1HaM/s320/ash+shirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yup! This little girl's Papa makes <em>me</em> happy, too. Funny thing is, I had to make sure and not put her face in the pic because she was crying. But she loves her Papa, and I love him, too and he makes me so very, very happy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBfcaJPZm5TJxwNhxWP5FmASB6VZaTh4VJX_veFwTogMjaF1l43YcyyO-r8tHno96ofEuXmvyC_WCbaYhOZW2BGY1VjXuBUvYhveppxm4-ZVk9aQn3CvOx32emJXIs36Th8Ak_w851Mg/s1600/boys+turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBfcaJPZm5TJxwNhxWP5FmASB6VZaTh4VJX_veFwTogMjaF1l43YcyyO-r8tHno96ofEuXmvyC_WCbaYhOZW2BGY1VjXuBUvYhveppxm4-ZVk9aQn3CvOx32emJXIs36Th8Ak_w851Mg/s320/boys+turtle.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Turtles. Why not? They make me happy. It's so fun to watch how the kids react to a turtle. This turtle lives in Brandon and Taylor's front yard. He's lived there for 40+ years! He's survived many kids loving him and feeding him, and I hope he lasts another 40!</div>
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Castles. Especially castles with a porta potty in the front yard...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicP3vuMWfvhvM0xy0EH6WwLSFgUcUtGVEd-pEIwTnjg8eFNGWCzmbPpp7QWt6LPCByMPU8TsV0BW1dm31rzwDEV4KWjZvh5-wtbXdRfkiocFPxA0dT7G2VcIMF2jy0ZQvpqhwTtHgtVI/s1600/me+and+al.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicP3vuMWfvhvM0xy0EH6WwLSFgUcUtGVEd-pEIwTnjg8eFNGWCzmbPpp7QWt6LPCByMPU8TsV0BW1dm31rzwDEV4KWjZvh5-wtbXdRfkiocFPxA0dT7G2VcIMF2jy0ZQvpqhwTtHgtVI/s320/me+and+al.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The castle and this cute pic of me and Al are actually at a dinner and dance provided by a company in Heber. They served us turkey legs - each and every one of us, along with a buffet of salads and rolls and desserts. They have this party every year for people with special needs and we crashed the party! It was a lot of fun and I'm so grateful for people like this company who give people with special needs an opportunity to have fun. Especially at a castle with a porta potty!! Pure happiness.</div>
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Conveniences. I could make a list a mile long about this. The button on the car keys so it unlocks, locks the doors or even opens them... can openeners... socks... make-up, make-up remover... paper towels...</div>
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These are pictures of Taylor mowing with <em><strong>C </strong></em>and me getting ready to edge with <em><strong>N</strong></em>. Taylor and Brandon hosted a baby shower for Cali, Josh, <em><strong>O</strong></em> and baby <em><strong>CR</strong></em>. They did such a good job and things worked out beautifully, even though it down-poured for 2 hours right before the shower was supposed to start. But this was us the day before sprucing up their yard.... </div>
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...and this is Taylor holding <em><strong>CR</strong></em>, Cali and I under Taylor and Brandon's patio the night of the shower. It was a great night, with good friends and a special occasion to celebrate! Happiness!!</div>
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Ducks and geese. Wheeler Farm - the fact that it's FREE! </div>
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The sound the geese make when they are so happy to see us! The sound the kids make when the geese are getting a little too close!</div>
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And the bravery of this one goose who allowed <em><strong>N</strong></em> to pet him for a good solid minute. Until she decided to smack him on the beak. Yeah. Even that made me smile!</div>
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Kisses....</div>
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...and hugs and cuddles. I am so blessed to be able to see my grandkids often! And I steal all the kisses, hugs and cuddles I can!</div>
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Come on! Cute, old men! How can they NOT make you happy?! So, this isn't an old man, but he sure is pulling off the old man look in this pic. What I want to know is, why are old men cute and old women aren't? Don't deny it! It's true!!</div>
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Rainbows!! And double rainbows make you giggle!</div>
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Ummm... ???</div>
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<em><strong>A</strong></em> went through a faze where she put on any piece of clothing she could find; hence the swimming diaper around her ankle. And <em><strong>N</strong></em> is in the car seat, so <em><strong>A</strong></em> HAD to kiss her. Even the random "Ummm"s make me so happy!</div>
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Smiles. Giggles. Laughs. Guffaws. </div>
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Yup. All on my happy list...</div>
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And I will end this list with a beautiful sunset. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the sun this night was blood red! Too many wild fires about, but it made for a gorgeous evening! </div>
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And last but not least, I have to thank my Heavenly Father for all of these blessings, for I know that all I have, or all I will ever receive is because of Him. Even comfort; when I was so down about - well, a lot of things - I sat in church trying not to cry and just opened the Hymn book to read to calm my heart. The book opened to hymn number 110. I didn't know the tune so I couldn't sing it in my head, but the words were of such comfort and peace;</div>
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<em>CAST THY BURDEN UPON THE LORD</em></div>
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<em>Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He never will suffer the righteous to fall. He is at thy right hand. Thy mercy, Lord, is great and far above the heavens. Let none be made ashamed that wait upon thee.</em></div>
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So, look around and see the glories that we have been blessed with. Smile. Hug. Pet a goose or hold a turtle. Read a hymn. Whatever it takes, find that happy place and hold on tight!!!</div>
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Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-43736994958277044932013-08-29T12:33:00.001-06:002013-08-29T12:40:30.937-06:00MAJOR RETRACTION!!!!In the heat of my blubbering and the pity party I threw myself yesterday, I also threw Daddy Ernie and Mommy Dana under the bus. I have changed the previous post to still address my concerns, but hopefully without sounding like I'm placing the blame on anyone.<br />
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Daddy Ernie - you were a kid and yet you took the responsibility - and continue to take responsibility -as Alex's birth father! You are a kind, caring man and we are so lucky to have you and your family in our lives! I'm grateful for our relationship and hope I didn't hurt your feelings too badly. It was out of selfishness and I am so sorry. And I also know that you pray constantly for Alex and think of him often, as he does with you and your family. You are a great father, and we thank you for sharing Alex and the rest of the clan with us.<br />
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Mommy Dana - it's been a long time since we have seen you, but I want you to know you are always welcome to be a part of Alex's life when you are ready. What I wrote earlier came across as rude towards you and I did not intend for it to. I was frustrated, but that's no excuse and I am so sorry. We pray for you always and Alex knows how amazing you are, because we tell him constantly that only an amazing person could share their little boy. And just look at your 2 kids! Wow! Thank you!Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-45243220883819879122013-08-28T20:54:00.000-06:002013-08-29T12:37:43.559-06:00I need a Fluffy, a stiff drink, or a good cryOr maybe I need all 3!<br />
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This is a picture of a Fluffy. Yes. I know this is really Winnie the Pooh, but according to <strong><em>M</em></strong> his name is Fluffy. And obviously since I'm having to hold him sitting up while taking his picture his name didn't come from the fluff and stuff inside of him. Nope. It's because as she's falling asleep, <strong><em>M</em></strong> "fluffs" his nose with her thumb. (That's the technical term for rubbing his nose.) <br />
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There's only 1 Fluffy and he's <strong><em>M'</em></strong>s, I don't drink, stiff or otherwise and I <em>have</em> had a couple of good cries lately, but sometimes you just need to scream if nothing is left! Hence, the new post! Instead of screaming I'm going to vent through the blog sphere. Again.<br />
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You know, it's not even that bad of a thing. I know of others who are living trials right now much harder than mine. Heck,<em> I've</em> had much harder trials than I am going through right now. But OOOOOO. Sometimes being the mother of a child with special needs is so hard. And I've been feeling that stress lately.<br />
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Right before school started I wrote his teacher an e-mail and vented; I'm a pretty strict mom, and when I say "If you don't stop doing that I will ___________", then __________ will happen! But this obstinate child of mine hasn't figured out that I mean business. We set up an appointment to talk, and after she assured me that part of the problem is hormones (a 16 year old going on 3 isn't a good mix!) then she agreed with me that there is something more neurological going on. She has seen the anger - for no good reason really - and how hard he fights that emotion. It really is a CAN'T stop more than a DON'T WANT TO stop when he gets in that mode. It's hard to watch. He knows right from wrong. He knows what is appropriate and what isn't. And, yes, he knows how to push my buttons. But honestly, that's not it! I know when he (or most other children for that matter) is testing me or trying to get my attention, and this just isn't that.<br />
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I TRULY believe there is something more happening in his little body. And I'm OK with it. But when I talk to the doctors and I get nothing - no, worse than nothing - I get poo-pooed about it, I get so frustrated.<br />
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I e-mailed his docs just to see if there IS any actual studies done that would validate my feelings, or could help us know what else we need to do to help Alex, and in that e-mail I told a story of something that happened at school. I'm sure I've blogged about this, but I will re-tell the story to jog the memory; he had been off of one of his ADHD meds for 36 hours because of an insurance snafu and all of a sudden at school he zoned out. Way out! His teacher asked him if he was OK, to which he answered, "NO!" and ran out of the door. It took 2 teachers and a police officer to catch him and bring him back to the class. While his teacher calmed him, he kept saying to her, "That was so scary!" "I was scared!" And she said you could see the fear in his eyes. And when he was finally calmed down a bit he looked at her and said, "I need a smoke."<br />
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For those who don't know, no one in our house smokes. No one in our immediate family smokes. Actually, no one in the neighborhood does, as least in Alex's line of vision. But there are times in his life that he is obsessed - and I'm not using that word to make a statement - he truly is obsessed with smoking. He has followed people to watch them smoke. He will stand by an outdoor ashtray and count the cigarettes. Once when we went camping he spent over 2 hours looking through the ashes in the fire pit because the person before us had obviously smoked and put the butts in the fire pit and you would have thought he found a pirate's treasure! This doesn't happen all the time. I wish I had been a bit more observant as to when he has gone through this obsession, but it's such a strong need for him that he has actually taken one of his K'nex sticks and put it in and out of his mouth like he would a cigarette. Now this is where I got poo-pooed. The doc says, and has said before, that he thinks Alex is just doing it to get attention. That I need to stop making such a big deal out of it. I think the doc thinks I'm this little Molly Mormon who doesn't want my child doing anything to embarrass me in front of all my Molly Mormon friends. What he doesn't get - even thought I have told him this - is I HAVEN'T made a big deal out of this. When he would smoke his K'nex I just asked him to please go outside to smoke so the house didn't stink, and then asked him to shower when he was done. There have been times he has spent an hour on the back porch smoking! And what other mom would let their child poke through a fire pit for 2 hours? He's not getting extra attention from me, but these are things I would ask any family member to do in my house if they smoked. I'm not just going to let him "smoke" and act like he's reading a book! If he was picking his nose constantly I would at least take his hand out of his nose because it's offensive! <br />
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But the smoking was just an example I gave about his <em>obsessions</em>. He also obsesses about matches and guns. Yeah - all great things for someone to want so badly it could kill them and /or others in the process! What I'm really frustrated with is I'm not being taken seriously. I feel like I'm getting a bad reputation as a complaining mother when in actuality, I could complain a whole lot more than I do! And maybe that's what I need to do. You know, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But that's not me. I'm trying so hard to look at the positive side of things, that to complain will only highlight things that are bothersome.<br />
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OK. I need to know some answers! And is it too much to ask for answers without judging me? A simple 'yes' or 'no' would suffice!<br />
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I think I'm feeling overwhelmed with this because EVERYTHING with and for Alex is a fight. Anything I ask of him I get a negative answer. I could ask him to play a video game - something he would do 24/7 if I let him- and I would get some sort of snide remark from him. At church I have been kind of pushed to the side so that Mike can answer their questions... I'M THE ONE WHO DOES EVERYTHING FOR HIM! I'M THE ONE WHO KNOWS WHAT HE CAN AND CANNOT DO! Sure, Mike can probably answer the questions, but I can promise he more than likely will ask my opinion first because he knows I'm the one who truly knows the answer!!!<br />
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And then I have been filling out the forms for SSI. OH. MY. GOSH! How many times do you have to answer the same question? They want so many details I'm worried they are next going to ask when I last had a bowel movement!<br />
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I just wish that people could see in my heart and understand all I want is what is best for my boy. All I want is for him to be happy, comfortable and confident. Is that too much to ask???Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-44543269378580348862013-06-30T16:12:00.001-06:002013-06-30T16:17:05.900-06:00Where have I been?WOW! It's been a while since I've blogged. Let's try to catch up a bit...<br />
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School is out and the hot summer weather is here! It's been 105 degrees the past few days. Anything over 90 is too hot for me! <br />
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But before summer we had some fun things happen at school...PROM! <br />
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Of course, we had to start with a haircut...</div>
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Al and I went out to Olive Garden (thanks to a gift certificate from Ken). Al ordered Sausage Penne and LOVED it! The night got off to a great start!</div>
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Then we met everyone at school....notice the "yellow limo" in the background? Yup. We went on a bus! This group cleans up nice!</div>
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Here's a picture of their group picture. Only 11 of the kids pictured are in Al's class and the others are peer tutors. They had a great time and I was very impressed with how the rest of the school treats his class. A lot of people were coming up to Alex to say HI and then when he asked them to dance, they all danced. The person saying HI, their date, and Al! I have loved having Alex in high school. Between him growing up and trying so hard to be a big kid and the teachers and peer tutors, I have to say that high school has been a great experience for Alex. Next year he will be an "almost senior" (Junior - but he's stuck on the senior part), he will be on the wrestling team again (and now that we've been through a year I will feel more comfortable letting him be more involved (meaning go to some away matches), and thank goodness he will have the same teachers. I'm so proud of him and all he's accomplished!</div>
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As you can see from the big picture at the top of our blog, we got our family pictures taken! I am so excited to show these off!! We had them taken by <a href="http://melanieisaacphotography.blogspot.com/p/pricing.html">Melanie Isaac</a> and I would suggest her to anyone that is looking for a photographer. She did a great job capturing everyone's personality and has great pricing.</div>
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A, Kierra, M, Colby</div>
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O, Josh, Cali, and the balloons represent McKallister and Quincy</div>
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Taylor holding C, Brandon</div>
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My baby! He's becoming a man; he's shaving and everything! He has to or else he has this really sparse, icky hair patch growing off his chin. But, man, is he handsome!!! And I have to tell you my secret about him driving. NO! He's not driving!! I have told him when he's as tall as his brothers he can get his license. When he gets his license he can get a phone. I have it all figured out. And I'm pretty sure I'm safe. Thank goodness he hasn't figured out that I'm no where near as tall as his brothers! If he ever does....well, I'm a girl. The rules are different for girls! BUT he mows our lawn with grandpa's riding mower! I walk in front of him (yes, I'm <strike>dumb</strike> brave!) and he follows behind driving the mower. He does pretty good, too! He's only taken our 1 of our sprinklers and demolished one bird house. Not bad!</div>
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We are so proud of our little gaggle of girls!<br />
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Oh. My. Beautiful! Thank you Melanie!!!</div>
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And, of course once we got our pics taken, we had an addition to our family. ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDaspNPPK-LvsXyVCh2_ZOr05dfElcKh1luH8y6VxxrAZkyhOOUo5hkD-pW0W4_IbvYdHwcajxrlKc6HSDgsZ8qrILu8yxfD9RIUUDJuvYXNCI6Vs8fxD5SFxtyKVDOtvA6xT8muJTLc/s1536/IMG950692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDaspNPPK-LvsXyVCh2_ZOr05dfElcKh1luH8y6VxxrAZkyhOOUo5hkD-pW0W4_IbvYdHwcajxrlKc6HSDgsZ8qrILu8yxfD9RIUUDJuvYXNCI6Vs8fxD5SFxtyKVDOtvA6xT8muJTLc/s320/IMG950692.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Meet CR. He was born a few weeks before we had pictures taken, and we had met him, but birth mom had not signed adoption papers, yet. Let me fill you in....</div>
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Our neighbor's daughter's friend's dad's fiancé (whew!!) was pregnant. It wasn't a planned pregnancy and they were having troubles financially to raise the kids they already had. They were considering adoption so they were told about Josh and Cali. (That's really the only way to adopt anymore - word of mouth. Even going through an agency there are just so many couples waiting and not enough babies available.) So Cali and birth mom met one Friday evening and got along great. When they were saying their good-byes birth mom made a comment that made Cali uncomfortable so she pushed that baby to the side. The next day, Saturday, Cali got a text; "I am 15 and have a 5 week old baby. Are you still looking at adopting?" After texts and phone calls, they met Sunday evening with birth mom, her parents and birth dad. They had been looking at their blog for the past 6 months and birth parents were just realizing they couldn't raise this baby. They were so convinced that they wanted Cali and Josh to adopt this little girl that they brought ALL of her belongings and left her with them that night! The plan was to meet them at the adoption agency on Monday evening for parents to sign papers. So, they have this sweet, little girl in their home for 24 hours, they bond, they fall in love and they even had spiritual confirmation that she belonged in their family. </div>
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Monday around noon, birth mom's dad called Cali and said that things were changing. Birth dad's mom and her partner both had to give children up for different reasons, and had convinced this young couple that they could do it with their help! It was more than heart breaking for Josh and Cali to put this baby in a car that smelled of drugs with this young couple and his mom's partner. They got a few texts from birth mom over the next few days, but that was the end of that story. A big affirmation of how we all have our agency, even if it's not what God planned.</div>
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While Cali and Josh were working through this fiasco, they got a bunch of calls from the first mom (that she met with on Friday) saying that she had given birth to a baby boy and she wanted them to have him! Of course with the comment this birth mom had made that had made Cali uncomfortable, and then with getting and losing this little girl, their emotions and nerves were raw. Cali texted her and told her they were sick and they would call her in a few days. When Cali did call her she made it very clear that if birth mom wouldn't go through an agency, that they weren't able to continue. Birth mom said that was great! Come see him! </div>
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He was premature not sure how premature but guessing a 34 weeker) and in the NICU but they had saved a wrist band for Cali. Cali visited him almost everyday after that, with Josh going as often as he could. All of us grandparents even got to go see him a couple of times!</div>
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Whenever Cali walked in the room and said his name, CR would turn his head towards her! They fed him, changed him, loved him, all while he was in the NICU. Birth mom didn't sign her rights away until the day he was released (3 weeks later) so there was still some concern that he would be theirs, but he is home with them and growing like the great man he will become! So even though we knew about him when we got our family pictures taken, since papers hadn't been signed and Cali and Josh had already had a baby slip through their fingers, we didn't dare wait to have our pictures taken. It just means we have to do it again real soon!!!</div>
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Papa and I LOVE holding our little man!</div>
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Alex and I went on a hike recently with the Maughan family up Bell Canyon. It was really hard for Alex but he pushed through it! Every once in a while he would rub his hips and say, "Yup. They're still there." He was real hesitant. I don't know if he was scared of getting hurt or what, but like I said, he persevered!!</div>
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A is a climber and is walking all over the place now!... I think she's crazy!! And I have NO idea where that would have come from??</div>
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OK, OK, OK.... she may be a bit like me.</div>
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Remember N's hairdo?....</div>
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...she got a big girl's haircut and looks soooo good! We loved the wild look, but she looks like a 2 year old now! AND...</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwWqzYd5Jo0-hALlTItjsfioI3WWuD0_kxYQCNL7Bt2JD3mNsHH8X1Z61dnQKdtAZsreupr9sXrkAszaTep9A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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...she's crawling!! It's a little unorthodox, and this video was actually taken when she first started crawling but it's so cute I couldn't resist sharing. I will put a more recent video of her crawling soon. She's really improved! But this is so cute!!!</div>
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So. Life is good. Life is busy. Life is grand! And I'm the luckiest lady in the world!!!</div>
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Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316282421744895977.post-5883481363301904762013-05-05T19:48:00.000-06:002013-05-05T19:48:26.540-06:00My Sneaky Boy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Every other Sunday all the kids come over here for dinner. Today as Brandon and TJ pulled up, Alex saw them and thought they didn't see him, so he hid...</div>
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...but obviously not very well.</div>
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Then, just to make sure they didn't see him...</div>
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...he snuck a peek to see if they realized he was gone, yet. </div>
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And, yes. Those are Cookie Monster pants he is wearing. It's Sunday - my kids have always come home and put pj bottoms on as soon as they get home. My girls even kept their skirts on but put pj bottoms on. We are a stylin' family!</div>
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So next time you're in the neighborhood, look out because Alex might be hiding from you!</div>
Natalie Maughanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09958567019356122827noreply@blogger.com1