1 Week after Hailey's accident

So it's been a week since the big accident. Hailey is doing great! Me, not so much. I kind of feel like our time at the hospital was all just a blur and now all of the emotions and stress are finally catching up with me. I find myself trying not to cry at least at some point throughout each day. The tears are usually either from all of the "what if" thoughts from the accident, or feelings of guilt from all of the important stuff that is getting overlooked and missed out on because of my crazy busy schedule. Sometimes the tears are from the complete opposite and are feelings of gratitude and of being appreciative for all that my Heavenly Father blesses me with.

Because Hailey needs to slow down, I want to slow down. I just feel like being at home, taking my time with the kids, skipping a few soccer practices and taking it easy. I'm really looking forward to winter when our family's schedule completely clears up of all extra curricular activities.

Lately Hailey has been asking why she can't remember the accident. She doesn't remember the fall, the firemen, the ambulance ride, being at the first hospital, and the helicopter ride is a little fuzzy too.

Here is how I explained all of that to my 6 year old. I told her...

"You have lots of little workers in your brain all in charge of different things." (While pointing to different parts of her head I said) "These over here help you to speak, these over here help you to move, this part of your brain tells your heart to beat, (etc.) and this part helps you to think and remember things.

"When you fell and hit your head all the workers in your brain stopped what they were doing and ran over to help fix your big owie on the back of your head. Your brain stopped doing all of the stuff it didn't need to do like remembering and thinking and went to help where they were needed." She accepted that answer and then said to me...

"I wish I could go see the ambulance and helicopter I went in now that all of my remembering guys are back working again."

So that's what we did! Hailey, Kase and I went to the Fire Station and the Richland airport so she could meet the people who helped her and see the vehicles she traveled in.

This is one of the ladies who took care of Hailey the day of the accident. She was surprised and happy to see Hailey doing so well. She took us on a little tour of the ambulance that Hailey rode in.

She asked Hailey if she had thought of a name for the bear that they had given her during the ambulance ride. This picture is Hailey informing her that she threw up all over the bear in the helicopter and that the hospital gave her a new one in Spokane :)

She showed the kids all of the stuff in the cupboards and explained that an ambulance is like a hospital in a car. She was asking Hailey if she remembered getting an IV started in the ambulance and was showing her the IV bag. Hailey quickly lifted up the sleeve of her shirt to show the bruise and little dot from where her IV had been and explained how in the hospital her machine kept beeping every time she would bend her arm, but she tried to ignore it.

Of course while we were there we had to try out the fire trucks!

Then it was of to Med Star to see her helicopter.

Here is Hailey checking out the pilot's seat and seeing where dad got to sit during the flight.

They showed her how they roll the beds in through the back of the helicopter.

This is Hailey sitting on her bed looking around talking about things she remembers about the flight. She showed us where her medical team (George and Spence) were sitting and taking care of her throughout the flight. She talked about throwing up. (That must have been very memorable for her) She thought that things in the helicopter looked different from how she remembered them.

So that's where we sit one week after her accident. I'm sure over time I'll get my emotions under control. Despite the emotions though, I am truly grateful for the way things turned out and for what I've learned from this experience. At a minimum it has put things into perspective for me.

The "DANGERS" of Home Decorating.

I love this time of year! Today I felt like getting festive,

so I decided to do a little home decorating with the kids.

The kids had fun pulling out the old holiday tubs and checking out the treasures inside. The girls were a big help and even borrowed some of the extra decorations to go and decorate their own dressers in their bedrooms.

Once everything was in place and extension cords run we noticed that our outside pumpkins were not lighting up. I checked inside, and found the twinkle lights, from our other display, were plugged in, but also not working. I decided it must be the circuit breaker in the garage and didn't think much of it when I ran out and flipped the breaker switch.

When I came back into the house from the garage I walked straight into a cloud of smoke and an awful burning smell. I ran into the living room and saw smoke and small flames shooting out from behind a leather couch and my T.V.

The extension cord I ran outside to my decorations was pinched to tight under the door and was rubbing metal on metal. The cord shorted and pretty much exploded out of the wall. The plug portion of the cord remained plugged into the outlet and the rest of the cord was on fire melting on my wall and furniture. 

It took about 7 hours for the smoke and awful smell to leave our house. But my house sure looks cute now! I think from now on I'll leave the wiring up to Dan.

Safe and happy decorating everyone!

Hailey gets an unexpected Helicopter ride

Tuesday, September 30th (6:10 pm)

Dan took the kids out tonight to pass out fliers for a little family business he is helping them with this fall. As they moved through the neighborhoods Dan would leave the van doors open so the kids could grab fliers easily and also to let the kids jump in and out quickly when they moved to the next block, street, or culdesac. With all the kids in, and seated, Dan pulled around the corner to the next street and asked Kayleb to jump out and put fliers on the first 5 houses. Hailey jumped up with him to get out and Dan said "not yet, you're going to do this little culdesac up here. So at about 10 miles an hour he started pulling forward, Hailey started waving at Kayleb as they passed him by and then accidentally took a tumble out of the car. She landed on her feet but with the momentum of the moving car she was quickly flipped to her back slamming her head into the pavement. Dan was there by himself with the kids so they ran over to her immediately and found her lying in the middle of the road unconscious and completely non responsive with blood pouring out of the back of her head. After a few minutes she came to but wouldn't respond to any of their questions. At this point a witness called 911 and this was also the point I was called. When I pulled up on the scene there were 6 EMT's kneeling around Hailey putting her on a back board, and checking her vitals. Dan was across the street being questioned by a police officer and my other kids were white as ghosts watching what was going on with Hailey. Talk about traumatizing! For Dan and the kids.

I rushed over and talked to the kids and Dan for a minute and then jumped into the ambulance with Hailey. She was taken to Kadlec Medical Center where I was met by the hospital Chaplin. All I was thinking about at that point was how in the movies they always send the Chaplin out to tell the family their loved one had died. I was thinking "I sure hope this guys talks to the people who's loved ones aren't dying. "

Once at the Hospital Hailey was evaluated and then taken in for a CAT scan. At this point Hailey doesn't know what's going on. She was very frightened and confused asking us over and over (about every 30 seconds) Where am I? What's going on? What happened? The Doctor finally came in a told us Hailey had suffered a skull fracture. He explained to us that he saw a small but significant skull fracture and that it was bleeding on the inside, slightly beginning to move her brain. He believed it was a low-pressure venous bleed, as opposed to an arterial bleed. The team at Kadlec determined that she needed to be in pediatric ICU care, and so she was life-flighted (Helicopter ride) to Spokane. The deal is that if it turns out to be an arterial bleed, it can go south in a hurry requiring quick neurosurgery response, and she would need good supervision for the next 72 hours and be prepared to quickly intervene if necessary.

Both Grandpa Rose and Grandpa Ostler made it over to the hospital in time and were able to help Dan give her a blessing before she was put on the helicopter.

The plan was for me to jump on the helicopter with Hailey. I filled out all the appropriate paperwork to go and then when the flight crew came in to start loading her up they mentioned that they can only take someone 180lbs. or less due to the weight of the fuel and other members of the flight crew. So I'm sure you can all guess; I weigh more than 180lbs. So it was a no go on Mom going with Hailey. Luckily Dan weighs less than 180lbs. and was able to switch spots with me at the last minute. Totally depressing :( If that's not motivation to loose weight, I don't know what is!

On the helicopter ride she threw up several times while laying flat on her back all strapped in. That makes for a huge mess! This is the point that Hailey starts being a little more coherent. (about 5 hours after the accident) This little helicopter ride for Hailey will run about $16,500 before insurance. OUCH!

Wednesday, October 1st

Once in the PICU in Spokane she had another CT scan. The news wasn't good. The bleeding had doubled in size. They felt that it had reached the maximum amount of bleeding they wanted to see in order to justify surgery intervention. However, Hailey was actively responding in all the right ways to their neurological tests and was interactive in all the right ways in conversation and mobility. So, they decided to sit tight and watch for a little longer. They wouldn't let her eat anything and started prepping us for the surgery just in case. They explained the surgery and the risks and complications that could arise. Totally a stressful and scary morning for us.

Hailey was taken for her 3rd scan and the results came back that the bleeding was the same size as the scan from earlier that morning. That was good news because the neurosurgeon said he thought the bleeding had stopped. He said that if the blood would remain the same size and not get any larger and Hailey stayed responsive Hailey could possibly squeak by without any surgery.

Hailey spent the next 2 days on lots of pain medicine sleeping. She had alot of pressure, pain, hurting and headaches. Every time she would sit up in bed, go for a CT scan or use the bathroom the pressure would become unbearable and always ended up with her throwing up. It was a rough few days watching her in so much pain.

Thursday, October 2nd

They have since done 3 more CT Scans, (Making in total 6 since the accident) and the last 3 scans re-affirmed that there is no further bleeding.

Kase came up to visit one of the days and was able to help take Hailey down for one of her CT scans. While in the hospital hallways we ran into a robot that delivers medicine to different locations throughout the hospital. He thought it was pretty cool that Hailey was at a hospital with robots!

Hailey is doing well. She will be taken out of PICU and into the pediatric unit this afternoon. A couple more days of monitoring and we should be able to go home. We are feeling very blessed at the news thus far.

Friday, October 3rd

Hailey is feeling alot better today and has been able to sit up and color and play a board game with out to much pain or feeling nauseous. She has also been able to eat real food for the first time since Tuesday. YUM! She is excited to get home to see her brothers and sister and is hoping for good news today.

Saturday, October 4th

We are home now! YEAH!!! No PE, no recess, no soccer for the rest of the season, no rough housing, no anything that will pose a possibility of re-injury for the next 4-6 weeks. They want the clot to reabsorb into the body and for the brain to re-attach itself to the skull. If she jars herself, or re-injures it before that healing process, that would not be good. So we will be making certain to slow her down for a few weeks. That is our biggest challenge right now. Having Hailey slow down :) She is so excited to be home and she feels so much better than she did. She just wants to go, go, go.

We are thinking we may need to send her to school like this : )

If she is successfully monitored and taken care of the right way, everyone is very optimistic that she will be perfectly okay in the future. She will have another scan and a followup appointment with the neurosurgeon on October 20th to make sure everything is getting back to normal.

Under the circumstances, we are feeling good. Certainly feeling very grateful to our Heavenly Father. And very appreciative to all of the friends and family who helped us out and kept us in their prayers.

Lessons learned - Life is fragile, don't take your time with loved ones for granted for even a second. Prayers are heard and answered. Don't drive down streets with open doors and unseatbelted children.

Dan the Man!

I just wanted to stop for a minute on this crazy busy birthday of yours to say I love you.  I am so grateful everyday for all you do for me and our family. I'm especially grateful for the love, support, advice, help and relief you give to me on a daily basis. Thanks for being who you are. I am in love with you, like you can't even imagine. 

Even with our very busy schedules today I hope we were able to make you feel important, special and loved. 

Happy 32nd Birthday Dan!

Dan is not that fond of dessert. CRAZY, I know!!! His least favorite dessert is cake, so on his birthdays we have to get a little creative. This years cake was made out of Dan's all time favorite dessert... Smoothies. 

Behold the smoothie cake!!! 

The kids have fun thinking up a new birthday cake idea each year and surprising him with it! They will tease him all day by saying" I can't wait to have some of your birthday cake" or "We got you a huge cake with extra frosting" all the while knowing how much he dislikes cakes.

Dan's big present this year was a new Grill. It was much needed and he is very excited to start grilling. I am also very excited for him to start grilling. Anything that keeps me out of the kitchen and keeps the mess outside : )

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Seahawks vs. 49'ers

Dan and Ky went to a Seahawks "Pro Football" Game Today. A first for both of them! 

They sat in the nose bleed section, but had a great time none the less.

They carpooled with the Roses which gave Ky some "same age" companionship at the game and in the car. (Ky and Kyson Rose)

And guess what Ky's favorite part of the game was....... That's right!

Game Day

Today was Ky and Hailey's first soccer game of the season. Ky and Hailey are both pretty athletic and did awesome! Both kids even scored goals for their teams. 

Go Dolphins! Go Leopards!  

Our Saturday Soccer schedule will be a snap. I totally lucked out this year.  All of Ky's games are at 9:00 am  and then all of Hailey's games follow at 10:00 am on the field right next to Ky's. Can anyone say SWEET!  With a big family and a very busy schedule I love anything that will make my life easier, minimize stress and be the most time efficient. I love it when thing turn out like that!

 

Here are a few pics of our little soccer studs.

Ky #19

Hailey #51

Hailey picking the little clover flowers in the grass. 

(A favorite pass time for little girls sitting on the sidelines.)

Once the grapes, string cheese, strawberries, granola bars, fruit snacks, and popcorn are gone this is how Hudson likes to entertain himself on the sidelines of the kids soccer games.

Chores, Chores, and more Chores...

With the kids back in school and such a busy schedule it's time for a little more organization in our house. Making chore charts is a little hobby of mine. I've made many over the years and love doing it. I don't know why I love it, but I am sure it has something to do with the controlling, planning, organizing part of my personality. "Who me?" Bet you would have never guessed that about me, huh?

Really though, I enjoy making them and getting the kids excited to use them. Some friends have told me to market some of my more creative ones, and try to sell them. Maybe someday, but for now, I just want to perfect the whole "kids doing chores with out the nagging mom in the background" thing. If I can't make that happen, the rest really doesn't matter, now does it!?!

  This one is pretty straight forward. I just bought a dry erase board. I had a friend print out the vinyl lettering names and grid how I needed. 

The kids and I made chore magnets with the clear stones you can get at the craft store. It was fun to make and the kids are excited to use it. I like how chore charts make them accountable for the list of things they need to get done. In most cases and on most days it also means I don't have to nag and repeat myself.

Long live chore lists for our children!!!

A question you probably all ask yourselves on a daily basis...

Can Stacey's cheek's get any chubbier? 

Well, the answer is...  NO! It's just not humanly possible.

I just had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday and I was all prepared for how awful I would look today with all of the swelling and bruising from the surgery. I've seen other people after they have their wisdom teeth removed and they usually look like chipmunks storing nuts for the winter.

But, apparently my cheek's have already reached the maximum limit of chubbiness because getting my wisdom teeth out didn't even phase them. I look exactly the same today as I do any other day. No swelling, No Bruising, No nothing. 

All in all I'm feeling fine today and I'm sure that my mouth will be as good as new in a couple of days. But I think I am forever stuck with these chubby cheeks. 

1st Day of School

School started today...

Alaina is a big 4th Grader now. She has 2 teachers this year. Mrs. Bampton teaches her class in the am and Mrs. Maxson teaches her class in the pm. She has lots of friends in her class this year including 5 girls from church which she is super excited about. Alaina is playing the piano and trying out some acting classes for her activities this year.  (Alaina 9 years old)

Ky is in 3rd grade. We have heard nothing but good things about Ky's teacher this year. He  has Mrs. Stewart. Ky has a few kids from last year in his class this year and is excited to be in 3rd grade. Ky is starting piano lessons next week and just had his first soccer practice of the season yesterday. He is also having alot of fun being a cub scout. ( Ky 8 years old)

Hailey is in first grade. That means all day at school, her own desk, and she gets to eat lunch at school just like the big kids. Hailey has Mrs. Sherman for her teacher this year. When we told Hailey that her best friend Emily got another teacher this year and she wouldn't know to many of the kids in her class her response was... Sweet, I get to make all new friends this year!!! That is totally Hailey. Making friends is her business and she is way excited for the challenge. Hailey is trying soccer for the first time this year and she seems to love it. She is defiantly one of the more aggressive girls on the team. (Hailey 6 years old)

Kase is our little man. He is 4 and in preschool this year. He goes 3 mornings a week to Young Years Preschool. He has a lot of friends at preschool from last year and loves going. However, he can't help but think about next year when he gets to be a kindergartner and go to the same school as his older siblings. Kase has 3 preschool teachers Mrs.Rains, Mrs. Long, and Mrs. Yaden. (Kase 4 years old)