Lil' Bug is 5 Today!

Hard to believe that 5 years ago on this day I had just given birth to this sweet brown eyed boy!  This post is...all about my baby, Lil' Bug!!

When I found out I was expecting our last baby, making him number 5...I was so not prepared to be pregnant.  I at the time was going through some medical tests...pregnancy was the last thing on my mind.  Yes, I know how it happened...hearing the thoughts. lol.

So here is the story:

I had to do a test on my heart and they were using nuclear medicine for a scan.  A day before the test I had to have a pregnancy test done...wasn't even worried.  It came back negative.  I proceeded with the test and having hindsight remember how everywhere I looked it had a sign that said "if you think you could be pregnant...".  I was asked by the nurse before the medicine was injected..."the test was negative".  Finished the test and went home.

Being military if the Dr. office is closed we had to go into the ER for medical attention after the office closed on base where we lived.  I was having a lot of pain on my right side and at the time was taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection.  The nurse thought it might be my gallbladder and wanted me to get it checked out.  Not thrilled about having to go back to the Dr. much less the ER, I hesitantly went to get it looked at. 

I had a very nice older Dr. that called me "hon" treating me that evening...(let me just tell you, nothing perturbs me more than women that are younger than me calling me hon or sweetie)...o.k. back to my story, so he ordered blood work to see what was going on.  

The news he came back with was so unexpected that I literally laughed and cried.  He told me,  "Your blood work looks good and there is nothing I am too worried about...and, well your pregnant."  I said, "What?!  Are you sure?!  I can't be...I just did a Cardiolite Stress Test and they tested me a couple of days ago, it was negative"!  The Dr. then could see I was very upset about hearing this and tried to reassure me that everything would be o.k.  I asked him if the test could be wrong and he said with blood test it is almost 99% right but there was that 1% chance...

I then sat there stunned and called my husband crying.  I was so worried about being pregnant and what the medicine they  used could do.   I also had concern of how I was going to carry this baby having some of the medical problems that was going on.  Mr. Wonderful of course was happy, shocked and told me to stay calm.  We would talk more about it at home and everything would be alright.

A very pregnant me and Mister Inquisitive.

Within weeks to deliver. The Artist and Drama Queen.

(Still trying to get that baby weight off from 5 years ago...I guess I don't have an excuse anymore!) lol

That 99% chance ended up being accurate. With lots of prayer and learning how to give my worry to my Heavenly Father...our beautiful, 7 lb 12 0z. miracle baby boy was born by c-section on October 26th 2004.  His apgar score was a 9 and everything seemed to be fine with him.  We were grateful and blessed.  

An hour after he was born.  So precious!

Little did we know that by the next morning everything would change.

The nurse came in early the next morning to check the vitals on the baby and I.  The nurse had just taken his oxygen level and said it was very low.  She thought maybe the machine wasn't working and was going to get a new one.  I had just started nursing him and noticed that his lips looked blue.  I asked her, "is it just me or does he look a little blue?"  Being that I had surgery they still had me on some pain medicine so I thought maybe I wasn't seeing clear... She came to look a little closer and scooped him up from me and started patting him on his back.  I could see she was worried and I wasn't sure what to think.  She said she needed to take him to the nursery and observe him. 

Next thing I knew they are telling me that the Pediatrician will be coming to talk to me.  When I finally saw the Dr. he told me his concerns and that he was going to admit Lil' Bug into the NICU.  I still had not seen my husband at this point and just broke down crying.  I had no idea what was going on and the scary thing was either did the Drs.  

When I finally did see my husband we prayed and asked for our Bishop to come to the hospital so we could do a blessing for him.  I am so grateful to have a testimony of knowing we have a Heavenly Father to put our trust into and give us comfort.  I felt much better after the blessing and knew somehow everything would work out. 

All hooked up...

Being that I had a c-section I was able to stay in the hospital for 4 days and to be in the NICU as much as I could.  The hardest part was seeing him all connected to wires and tubes.  He looked so fragile and it broke my heart.  The day we had to leave the hospital and not have him go with us was the hardest thing I had to do. Every day we would go and spend as much time there as we could and call to see how his progress was.

My sister and husband loving on Lil' Bug.

 All they could figure out was he had apnea, but not sure why.  They did a brain scan, heart and everything else they could think of to see what could be causing it.  Finally one Dr. said he noticed a sour smell after they fed him and thought maybe he had acid reflux.  If so it was cutting off his airway so that it wouldn't aspirate into his lungs.  He wanted to do a test and raise his bassinet, put him on rice formula instead of nursing...just maybe this would make a difference.  Sure enough within a day he stopped having episodes of not breathing.  He finally was cleared to go home and be on a monitor.  We were excited and nervous at the same time. Happy to say, he never had another episode.

Finally...coming home!

 

First day home...so grateful!

Blessing day.

First Christmas, love this smile!

Mommy and Lil' Bug...first Easter!

His 2nd birthday.

He gives us so much joy and laughs!

Is he not so cute?!

I love this boy!  The only one to get my dimples. 

Pumpkin patch in Ohio.

We know we have been blessed with a special spirit and so grateful we get to be his parents! My intuition early on could see that there were certain things with this child that were different from my others.

He walked, talked and reached milestones later than the normal. He was very particular with things and had amazing attention to detail. He didn't like baths and would scream just trying to get it done. Later we realized he did not want water to touch his face and we have to wash his hair without water getting on his face still. I started seeing him lining things...it was different.  He could cry and it could last for an hour. 

As my husband and I came up one night to get the kids in bed this is what Lil' Bug had been doing.  I was so amazed at the lining that I took a picture.  Deep down I knew something didn't quite seem right about it.

We have suspected and will have him evaluated for high functioning Autism.  We are looking for a Dr. here to work closely with him and make sure we can help him in the best way possible. He is highly intelligent and we realize he might do some things different...and that is o.k. The most important thing is to make sure he has early intervention and learn how to best help him. 

Always a smiley boy! At the Zoo in NM.

He calls his sister "kiki" and they are very close.

Such a loving boy!

First day of pre-school.

Luckily where we lived they had a special pre-school program with the public schools that start kids at 3 for early intervention with disabilities.  It has helped him tremendously with his speech, communication and learning how to deal with his peers.  He has sensory issues so that is why he can't handle water being on him, had an obsession with feet...mainly women if they had hose on.  Wanted to keep his hands under their feet when they came to our house...we always take our shoes off. He only likes certain textures in food and can't have some mixed.  It has been a struggle at times for us and the kids to understand how to help him, but we all have come a long way. I definitely pick my battles...some can be long and melted down!  If something doesn't go the way he needed it too he says "Try, try again" and will back track his steps to do it over.

Giving mommy some love and kisses!

Always happy!

Riding his bike in his pjs...he wanted to keep them on. 

Some of his favorite things...apples, trains, Spiderman, legos, he has an amazing kick and throw...all boy!  We are going bowling for his birthday, his request.  

Happy, Happy Birthday to you Lil' Bug!! I could go on and on about this sweet little one.  We are so grateful for him and the joy he brings to our family!  Enjoy seeing him grow and learn.  Of course this is my last baby so I am hanging on...at least he still likes to snuggle with me.  

Better get back to work on the Whimsy French Cottage, thanks for letting me share. 

Hugs and love friends!

One Door Closes...

Believe it or not...I am posting!  All I have to say is "Wow...that was the longest move of my life!"  Not really in distance, just in time.

We still had so much to finish and even did a partial DITY...(military term a.k.a~do-it-yourself) which only prolonged finishing that much more.  Two days before we left for Colorado, suddenly I was hit with body aches and fever.  Of course...you can't move without throwing being sick in there too, at least it always seems to go that way.  I took a good dose of Motrin and kept moving on not having time to lie down.  I couldn't help but think of many before us, (such as the pioneers) that no matter what came their way they had to keep pushing on...thank goodness we have the comforts of today, it would have been so much harder.

Goodbye NM house...it has been fun.

So back to the longest move of my life...when it rains it pours.  We finally left NM about mid-day last Tuesday.  Normally a 6 hour trip took us 9 hours to do.  The winds were blowing hard and strong that day and being that we were towing a u-haul full to the rim...it was a scary sight to see my van with family inside swaying side to side along with the tow.  We had no choice but to keep our speed about 50-55 mph in order to not have the u-haul and van go out of control.  With our hazards on the whole way, (yes that was me and my family...the annoying driver's going slow on Interstate 25 N ).  By the time we almost were to our destination, fog and mist came upon us which only added to the excitement we were already having.  Thank goodness with lots of  prayer, Dr. Pepper, cough drops, water, motrin and Drama Queen's iPod music we made it safe and...well...maybe sound!  
 

At least Lil' Bug was able to get some rest.

Strong winds in NM!

Enjoyed seeing the changing colors on the trees...

Goodbye NM...

Hello Colorado!!

My view all the way there...
hazards on our U-haul!

Still feeling sick once we were here, I finally could lay down and rest. Never being one to ever be in bed for very long...not even with 4 c-sections, I was in bed for 2 days straight! This illness had hit me hard.

 Finally I decided I needed to get looked at when my coughing was so hard and it hurt to breathe in. What I already knew deep down was confirmed at the Dr.s. I had the dreaded H1N1 and now had bronchitis. I could only keep doing what I had been to feel better and was given a Z-pac for the bronchitis.

Little by little I have started to feel better...still have a cough that is lingering. All the kids have now been sick too. I am keeping close eyes to see if we will have to take any of them in. The Artist has asthma and we have already pulled the nebulizer out several times.

The good news...my husband has only a cold but none of what we all have. He is the worker bee of our family right now! I really did marry Mr. Wonderful...not one complaint with all the work he has been doing. I have been frustrated that I haven't been able to do more...hopefully soon!!

So...there you have why I have been non-existent in the internet world!!

Still many more things I need to share...

I just want to thank all of you who reached out to me with kind words and love about losing our "Sammy Cat". I think we all were shocked and saddened that he was not with our family anymore. We are doing better and time really does help heal.

We do have some good news...a new addition has been added to our family!!

 I recieved a call from one of the secretary’s at my sons elementary school before we moved, asking if we might be interested in having a new kitten.  I of course said "no", I didn't think we needed to add a kitten to all that we had going on.  She gave me the number and said that we could think about it.  Drama Queen happend to be in the room at the time of the call...well let me just say my "no" didn't last long...

Felicity
 

As you can see...she is cute as a button!!  She has added some happiness back to our family.  Having a new kitty can't replace Sammy, but she definitely has given us some movement and noise we have missed.


The kids came up with her name, it means happiness!  I think it is perfect for her.

Miss Playfull!

Thinking she is hiding from us...

We can't keep her off of the cable box!  She likes that it is warm.  Until we have all our furniture here she will keep napping on her warm little box.

Look's comfy...right?!

We are enjoying her...although Lilah detests her...maybe eventually they will be friends.

I have recently been featured on two different blogs that show amazing before and afters! 

The DIY Show Off featured me here!  I always feel honored and loved when another blog shows me off! This last Saturday Lindsey at Better After posted on a couple of my projects as well!  I am grateful to both of these amazing blogs.  If any of you are not familiar with them make sure to stop by and check them out!

Last but definitely not least...The Whimsy French Cottage has begun her renovation!!  Here is a peek at what we are working on first...

The main level...

The carpet and oak wood floor is up. The popcorn ceiling is scraped and I will show you how I will disguise this as a wall that doesn't stop your eye!  Just found and bought an amazing chandelier to hang where that existing one is.  Can't wait to show you all!!

Excited to see the vintage cherry flooring in place of this...

We are calling this the parlor/dining room.  It leads into the living room/great room.  There is an eat-in kitchen and firplace in that room as well.  The vintage cherry will flow into the whole main space.

Our new chapter...The Whimsy French Cottage.

As the title of my post say's..."When one door closes, another one open's".  Welcome friends to our new home and start at the Whimsy French Cottage...so much lies ahead!! Thank you to all who are following along.

Till next post, hugs to you!

Moving Day...

I feel as if I have been gone from blogland for a while now and miss all of my friends here!  A lot can change in less than a week.

For many that are new here, welcome friends!!  Looking forward to knowing all of you.  I am hoping to have a little bit of time to get around this next week and visit many.  Things have just been a little chaotic with us getting ready to move next week. 

As my title says, "Moving Day" the movers came and took all our things away...we are now with an empty house that echos.  We had our things moved sooner than us, because we needed to do a lot of painting and knew that would be easier with all of our stuff gone.  So now I sit on a metal chair (not comfy) and card table to type this post.  Once we are moved to Colorado, we still will be without our things for a little bit because we will be installing our wood floor...we will survive.

A midst a sea of boxes...

As I said,  a lot can change in a week. 

My family and I had to deal with a very hard loss last Saturday.  Our family pet, "Sammy Cat" was in a very tragic accident and lost his life. 

With all that is going on with our move it was overlooked that he wasn't in on Friday evening and somehow ended up underneath our neighbors car the next morning. Without all the difficult details...he was ran over. 

There is a lot of guilt on my part...how could I not know he wasn't in?  I check every night to make sure our cats are in as we lock up.  That evening seems like a blur and I know we all were very tired.  All of us had been in and out that evening, so we are not sure when he escaped past us without knowing.  Many times he will go just out on the front porch and roll around then run back inside.  He has always been a little skittish and didn't like to be out there without any of us.

 Sometimes you wish you could turn back time and do it over.  I always check.  Sammy and Lilah have always been inside cats.  Sammy was with our family for almost 10 years.  He was everybody's buddy and a great listener ( the kids all said how they talked to him in their rooms when they were sad, mad or needed to vent), unique personality (we called him a cat-dog because he fetched), and such a beautiful cat with amazing green eyes.  We loved him...

 Every time I sat at my computer to write my posts, or visit your blogs...Sammy was right there...in the other chair sleeping. I would stop pet him and tell Sammy I loved him.  As I type this I am overcome with emotion of my love for my cat and how much I miss his company.  It has been a very hard week with the reality that he is gone and is greatly missed from our family. 

In loving memory...Sammy Cat

So...it has been hard to want to come sit here.  But, I miss you all.  

Getting ready for this move there are a few very special things I never let the packers move, because it is irreplaceable.  Things that were given to me from my Grandma Bunny ( I loved having a Grandma named Bunny, the nickname she wanted to be called by her grandkids) like beautiful teacups and saucers. My Grandma passed away from colon cancer in 1992 and I cherish everything she ever gave to me that was hers...those were the best gifts.  

A few of my favorite things...

Many years ago I fell in love with some turquoise pottery and since have started to collect these beautiful pieces.  I have had a hard time finding more pieces to add to my collection.  Santa Anita Ware is the name on the pottery made in California. Would love to know if anyone has any information on this company or would know where I could find more?

These are almost in perfect shape...love them!

My Aunt and Uncle have traveled many amazing places and on one of their trips spent time in Turkey.  They brought me back a gift...this beautiful hand painted little bowl.

Hand made and painted in Kütahya, Turkey.

Gifts from Mr. Wonderful...

Waterford butterfly bowl and

a handmade weaved glass bowl.

This Marquis Waterford  bowl was given to me on our 4th anniversary.  I had been wanting this bowl for awhile.  I love the way each butterfly is different in shape, size and color.  So pretty!

Each delicate butterfly is so unique...

This is a Homer Laughlin bowl that was given to me at my baby shower when I was pregnant with "Drama Queen" and I will give it to her one day.  I love the little picture of the baby in the center.  It is over a hundred years old...

Sweet baby...

I am happy I was able to share some of my favorite things with you all and remember the memories that are cherished with them. 

I am glad you all enjoyed the post on Upholstery 101 and I am hoping to have another post up on the series next week.  I also will show my last Whimsy Spotlight for awhile.  I meant to have it up this week, but with all that I had going on it just wasn't going to happen.

I will leave you with an amazing find that I picked up at Goodwill last Friday.  I can't wait to re-upholster them and I am thinking I just might do some of the work on video...I am a little camera shy, so we will see. ;) 

I paid $2.99 each...what a deal! 

I have tried to find out any information I can about what these chairs are called exactly?  The closest thing I can find is the mix between a berege chair and a slipper chair.  It would be great to know the time period and what they are.  I have big plans for them and look forward to one more project!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bless you all and hugs,