TEETH AND TRACK

Stevie's been anxious all week. She was scheduled to have three teeth pulled today. The baby ones just weren't falling out and the adults were coming in sideways. The poor girl already has less teeth than most people. She was afraid that she would look ugly. I told her it would take A LOT more than three teeth being pulled to make her ugly. Besides...she'll fit right into the NH look! ;) I have to be honest. Teeth aren't my thing. I have a hard time listening to the crunching sound of teeth being ripped out. Stevie was way more brave than I would have been. To top it off...we went from the dentist chair to her very first track meet. She's a tough cookie. She barely stopped bleeding by the time the meet started. She competed in the shot put, 4x100 relay, long jump and 100 meter hurdles. She's a born track star. Stevie would have come in first for the hurdles but fell on the 2nd to last hurdle but she got right up and placed second. I was so proud of her. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY/MAN DOWN

Happy Birthday to my 39 year old.

He's had better birthdays.

We've post-poned his until further notice.

It's no fun to celebrate when you don't feel like celebrating.

You KNOW he's sick when he doesn't even want cake.

The only present he received so far was a full body rash.

THAT'S a good time.

I gave him a party favor bag full of 

benadryl and hydrocortisone cream.

He's not the only one feeling down.  

A couple more have joined his party.

Can you guess WHO?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!
Hope you feel better soon.

BED TIME RIDES

Pick your favorite ride OR come up with an original ride and leave it in the comment section. The three most unique/original will have their ride demonstrated by Steve and kids via video when he gets back from his business trip. (you can even choose WHICH kid you want to have demonstrate your ride)

STEVIE+CAMERA=FUN

PHOTO SHOOT:

THE DAY THAT...

Yesterday was Friday. The day that my husband left town. The day that Ben started misbehaving again. The day that I tore my calf ligament for the 10th time. The day that I had to call 911 for Ben. The day that TEN emergency crew people showed up at my door because in a small town we were the excitement for the night. The day that those TEN people tracked mud and dirt all through my house because it was raining out. The day that we ended up in the ER and the PICU. It was a crazy day. Today is Saturday. The day that my girls had their AAU tournament in Burlington, VT. The day that I had to drive hours just to get them there. The day that I took a corner a little too close and blew out my back right tire 1/2 mile from the gym. The day that Kayla's knees became inflamed and swollen and we were without her meds. The day that I had only a couple hours of sleep and had to sit through four basketball games and three hours of driving.

BUT...here's the good news. Dartmouth was the half way point to Burlington so the driving part was cut in half today. Three dad's from my girl's team rescued me by taking my tire to a local tire store and having it replaced so that I could drive safely back to the hospital. Kayla was really brave and played through her pain and had the two best games I have ever seen her play. As sleep deprived as I was, I made it back to the hospital safely. I am so grateful for the tender mercies in my life and more importantly, the ability to recognize them as they come.

TRY, TRY AGAIN

FUN IN THE SPRING SUN!

MY BIRTHING DAY

    It was a beautiful April day.  I was 38 weeks pregnant and feeling very large.  I bribed my OB doctor to induce me because I didn't think my stomach could stretch any further.  After hours of pitocin nothing was happening.  That's when they decided to prick my amniotic sac in hopes that it would start leaking.  The hopeful leak turned into an all out flood.  So much so that I remember the doctor leaping out of the way as the damn let loose.  I heard rumor that the water might even have gone out the door.  My stomach shrunk to two-thirds it's size.  I almost didn't feel pregnant anymore.  (come to find out later I was polyhydramnios)  Soon after I received my first ever epidural which was heavenly.  An hour later Benjamin McKay Orton was born.  I recall during the birthing process how smoothly everything went.  The first time out of four births.  It was a tender mercy.  Even his head came out smoothly...the first time I wasn't ripped from stem to stern.  His shoulders though, they were burly and wide.  I almost escaped unscathed until his shoulders.  Immediately after birth he was lifted onto my chest.  Beautiful.  That was the first word into my brain when I saw him.  His cry, it was weak and faint...unlike any of my other babies.  He was struggling to breathe and needed to be suctioned.  They took him from me and gave him some oxygen.  He still wasn't doing so well.  They removed him from my room and into the nursery.  Steve stayed with Ben and would update me on his condition as the doctor's were trying to figure it all out.  Soon after birth he started having what looked like full body myoclonic jerking and/or seizures.  Then they noticed how small his head was.  The doctor's became nervous.  Nobody saw this coming.  Nobody but me.  You see I felt those myoclonic jerks during my pregnancy and I had those motherly instincts that told me something wasn't right.  They called Dartmouth to come get him.  I kissed him and my husband goodbye, told Steve to keep me posted as I had to go back to my room for overnight care.  I had lost too much blood and was not stable enough to go with him.  It was my worst fear come true.  I was that mother who gave birth to a child with serious problems.  The mother who didn't have a baby to hold.  The nurses avoided my room.  I sat in the dark crying and praying that my baby would somehow be alright.  My parents came the next morning.  They drove me up to Dartmouth where I met with Steve and the doctor's.  The news was not good.  I remember the word "vegetable" being used.  "He was not going to make it" they told me.  My world and everything I knew came crashing down.  I have never felt such despair, such anguish in all of my life.  I didn't care how disabled Benjamin would be...WE just wanted to take him home.  For 11 days we stayed in the Intensive Care Nursery.  He fought for his life and won.  We took him home.  Eight years later he continues to fight for his life and I as his mother fight right along side him.  Happy birthing day to me.