Miracles after the trial of faith!!

So I was feeling pretty down Saturday morning as we left for the hospital. Things seemed to be going worse. They had my dad back up to 100% assisted oxygen and things weren't looking up. I really kept saying in my mind, "have faith, have faith, have faith."

Collin and I get to his room in ICU and my mom is standing there and says to get over there, "he's spelling something!!!" For real, he was totally still, couldn't speak or open his eyes, but was spelling letters on his leg with his finger!!!! My mom was too revved up and kept just looking at his face to figure it out, PLUS the nurse of course was like, nah....it's just a reflex..."they" do this...hahaha. I was like....no way, you don't know my dad. Collin and I were figuring out the letters. My dad was getting sort of frustrated, you could tell, haha! But he would do the thumbs up when we got a letter right.

"I AM THIRSTY!!!!!!!" and "TAKE THIS OUT!!!" (cafiter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ouch!)
We got the nurse to come in a swab his mouth. It helped a little. Then they gave him more meds to put him back to sleep again. Once he was out, my mom and Collin left to get some food and maybe I'm imagining it, but I think there was this moment when my dad lifted his hand just to hold mine.

Oxygen guy comes back, EJ, the most awesome guy ever, he has been moved to 40%, and his blood test came back great, so the doctor wants to take him off and wake him to see how he breaths on his own. This was an interesting experience, but over all, if he stayed calm and concentrated, he did really well. CS and mom get back, Dad starts spelling again, he has to go to the bathroom. Collin tells the nurse, who kicks us out.

We were out in the waiting lobby for like 45 mins, and we were thinking she had kicked us out for good because we kept bothering her with, "what's that beeping? what does this cord mean? why is he doing that?" etc.

A nurse comes and calls us back, surprisingly, and when we get back to the room, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My dad was up, in a chair, totally awake, off oxygen machine, doing great!!!! What a surprise of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!! From then on it all got better and better. He was sort of loopy from coming off the drugs and just saying everything that came to mind, so it was pretty funny. But really, he wasn't being crazy. He was just being super happy, sarcastic, funny dad. He said he felt he could jog a mile. He was saying rude stuff to everyone too, but hey, how often do you get away with that and everyone just laughs like crazy??? AJ, Joseph, and cousins visiting from FL came and it was a great family time.

Now, a hole in the heart issue: the doctor who does the non surgical PLUG (new procedure, has been done by this guy about 300 times) came in, talked to him/us. Hole has definitely been there from birth, and may likely have caused the fribulation. All babies have these holes in the womb, and it is supposed to close up MINUTES after birth, but with a few people, it doesn't. (Crazy to think, baby boy or girl has one right now, too.) Most people don't make it to 51 with them. In the end, it was decided that the doctor would start trying to get a team together immediately, and hopefully will try the plug on Monday. The worst that could happen is that they say, nope, it won't work, the hole is too big. And then they'd have to do open-heart surgery and sew a patch in. The doctor said that either way, he is a strong healthy guy and will recover well.

Well, I hope so!!! My dad will stay in the hospital till then and hopefully not too long afterward. So we'll need all the faith and prayers a little longer. Man, thank you to so many who are so loving and kind and thoughtful. We FEEL your friendship and prayers. It's overwhelming. Though my dad was being sarcastic and crazy funny, he kept giving all the credit to God and saying that for some reason, all these miracles happened and "the good Lord" wanted him to stay around for a while. I'm grateful he's okay. :)

My dad abbreviated version: had a fribulation, a flutter, in his heart, causing the heart not to pump blood to body correctly (fairly common). Went in for surgery to deaden the veins causing this. The procedure worked because heart is pumping normally now, but during procedure his oxygen levels dropped and he was put on a ventilator at 100%. They were quite worried about this and did not wake him up afterward because it's very uncomfortable to have all the tubes and everything down your throat. He was taken off the oxygen a little, down to 70% (good), then 60% and then 40% this morning, but after a blood test he was not getting enough air and had to go back up to 100%. Just recently they put him at 60%, but he probably wont change for the rest of the day, meaning he won't be woken up yet. He is a fighter and wants to be awake so quite a few times as the sedation stuff wears off before needing to be changed, he has woken and started raising his hands to his mouth, trying to get the tubes out. I won't go into too much detail, but we hold his hands, and squeeze and talk to him, trying to get him to calm down till the doctor could get him more medicine. It's very hard to see him like this, but the doctor and nurses say he will be okay; we just have to be patient. The good signs were that when he was slightly awake, he would turn his head when people were speaking, to the left or right, following it. And at one point I asked him something and he nodded yes.

During the surgery they also found a large hole in his heart between the two upper chambers that he was born with and has gone undetected until now. They will have to close that soon (in the next weeks/month) but won't address it until he recovers from this. It's very scary and humbling, but is bringing us together. Of course, I go through all these thoughts in my mind I won't discuss, but my heart starts racing, and I try to calm down. My mom has been so tender and has been by his side all but a few hours when the hospital made her leave. Luckily Collin and I live only 10 minutes from there and she was able to come get a little sleep.

If you can, please pray that everything will be okay. We feel really loved and supported. I know that God loves us and is aware of my dad and our family right now; I feel it strongly in my heart, no matter what happens. But I think everything will be fine!

dates and wnba

Some things Collin and I have been doing together, lately

Driving to Cooliage, AZ, to go to Randolf Center

the sky was blue; the desert was fresh; the husband 

was happy and there was great conversation.

Apparently this is the color we want for the baby's room.
I sort of got the picture.

I sat in back on the way home. feet needed to be up.
they are all puffy these days.

these were going to be pancakes, but
they were so thin so Collin called them belinis.
they were quite delicious.
we were so hungry that we ate each one as it was done.

Usually Collin takes the metro to work and I have the car,
but I was going to meet him downtown that day, so I decided
I wanted him to drive so that I could metro. I hadn't since we've
moved here.
It was great. Man, the metro in Phx sure is cheap and clean.
Lots of crazies, of course, which I like and which reminded me of DC.

Collin's coworker gave him tickets to a Mercury game. I'd never been,
but we were excited to do something different. It was a totally different
experience from going to a suns game, but man, were the fans loyal, excited,
and loud. the Mercury was behind 10-20 points the whole game and SOMEHOW
they came back and won by 1 basket at the last few minutes! it was pretty
exciting. hehe.

got these delicious nachos.

We've been wanting to see the Modern Mexican Paintings
exhibit at the Phx Art Museum, but we can never go because
CS works till after it closes. BUT! Wednesday nights they stay open
late, phew! It was a really great exhibit. I recommend highly.

I didn't see any "no photos" signs, so I took them freely at first, but then a very
nervous volunteer came up to me and asked me to stop. hehe, oops.

There was this one piece that we'd never seen anything like. It was so beautiful,
but I couldn't get a photo.

Go see it.

Loved these bibs in the gift shop.

Every night at 10:30, Collin falls asleep, exhausted. I usually am super tired too,
but sometimes I stay up a little later in bed, just reading.

I love him. We are making a human. We're going to be parents. A Mom and Dad.

It's like, whoa.

this guy is seriously incredible

http://www.jimspancakes.com/

He says he's just trying to make some cool pancakes for his daughter.

video of him trying out the golden gate bridge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPzu3Whe4xo&feature=player_embedded

There are so many creative people in this world. I want to try it all.

ninth month, bring it on!!!!

Today I start my 36th week!!! My ninth month of pregnancy!!! So that means I can have my babe anywhere between 3 and 7 weeks!!!!!! I can't believe it's coming up so quickly. I feel very good.

hips are stiff/sore-ish
hard to get up out of chairs/the car etc
gotta keep moving the feet and ankles or they get pretty stiff and a little swollen
peeing all night
not as much sleep

BUT there are always naps during the day,
a husband who rubs my feet during church and does ALL the hard labor around this place
laundry and decorating and dishes to keep me movin
Birthing room yoga to keep me stretching
dates just CS and me!
BATHS!!!!
buying nipple cream and california baby sunscreen and diapers with coupons and PAINT and little shelves

and so much more....

but mostly that WONDERFUL movement of that baby. sliding, slipping, flipping, pushing, hiccuping, nuzzling.

This is certainly going to be exciting.

PS. I like my new Iron Cover, don't you???

Montgomery turns 1

Last October we went to Martinsburg, West Virginia and

brought back this little bundle of joy. He forever changed us.

Montegomery Jack-O-Lantern Smith

hehehhehehhe, awwwwwwwwww.

Yesterday, August 13th was his first birthday. 

He's officially a cat!

Good Morning, Monte, it's your birthday.

Pretty big tummy!!!

birthday play fighting

Birthday guests

Dot gives me this look all the time. 

Her eyes are so pretty but it's sort of scary.

Nap time in each carrier

BIRTHDAY GIFTS!

more fighting. 

Collin's office

Volunteering at AZ Science Center. 

King for a day (well, every day)

They got a special pack of food for the birthday dinner.

They hated it. Left and went to eat

their dry food, hehehehe. 

Now Monte, you know we love you. And we know you love us.

Then Collin and I went out to celebrate together at Windsor, a 

delicious restaurant near our home. We're 2 for 2 with trying new

places out here. The food at this place was super adventurous, inventive,

crazy flavors, delicious, awesome. And great service and atmosphere. 

Collin is the best date ever. Even though I can barely get out of the car,

I'm a happy lady.