I'm back...again!

I'm sure there was more I wanted share however, as it often does, life got in the way. I don't remember exactly what it might have been. Thats ok, there is something else that has been on my mind A LOT.

So Olivia is trying to walk. She isn't much for adventure so it seems like it has taken a bit longer for her to master new skills. Specifically, crawling and walking. Although, the reward is her extreme satisfaction with herself when she gets all "risky" and takes 3 or 4 steps. My infatuation w/my baby is probably nauseating but I would like to explain why.

It all started with my grandma. Who all growing up was my biggest champion, loved me unconditionally and supported me always, there really just aren't words. She survived a massive stroke while I was pregnant with Aubrey (2001). This was devastating for me, but she is a survivor and though she was not the same, she lived until November of 2006. During this time I had some amazing moments with her, precious times I will never forget. Shortly after grandma passed I was surprised by my pregnancy with Olivia. It was January, flu season and I thought I had the flu. Then a week went by and it occurred to me that this was not the flu. So went the rest of my pregnancy...I hugged a bowl 24/7 until at 20 weeks I found out I had gestational diabetes. When my blood sugar was under control the nausea was better but not gone completely. Needless to say, I thought this pregnancy would never end. Then our precious Olivia was born. Of course there was not even a question that I would give Olivia the middle name of Margaret after my grandma.

Three days after Olivia was born Sean's grandpa passed away. Just days after Sean and the older kids returned Sean and I were talking about our newest member. I was concerned that her color was just not right at times. I was worried that I was seeing things due to hormone overdrive and sleep deprivation. As we were discussing this our baby just stopped breathing. It took me a moment to really see what was going on. Even though she was breathing again, we both realized that this was serious. Knowing if I called 911 we would have to go through the local hospital first and I just wanted to go to Primary Children's. I got us in the car as fast as possible and drove with one had reaching back to her head, so I could feel her pulse through her soft spot. She seemed to be ok from what I could tell when she was checked out at the hospital her oxygen level was 91. Which is ok but definitely not ideal. They decided to check me in and monitor her. After hours of observation and waiting for the Dr. they decided that her oxygen levels weren't very stable. They had to check for infection which meant blood draws as well as a spinal tap for meningitis. Everything came up normal but thankfully they trusted me and saw that something was going on. The first day at the hospital was a round of preventative antibiotics and closer monitoring of her heart, lungs and oxygen as well as a GERD test. That night was a defining moment for me. I had enough time on my hands to convince myself that I was in fact crazy enough to land my baby in a hospital attached to wires and being pricked and prodded like a science project. I finally surrendered to exhaustion only to wake 2 hours later with 5 nurses surrounding the tiny hospital crib my baby was sleeping in. Monitors politely chiming, in reality indicating a serious problem. As they departed one by one I asked one who looked familiar, "what happened?". She calmly explained that Olivia, once again, stopped breathing only this time her oxygen level dropped to an astonishing 49 (low is below 92). They all rushed in to assess the problem and went to work. As I looked over my baby I realized that she had acquired a new hospital accessory, oxygen tubes. Then all that she said was a blur, except that she explained if this had happened at home it was likely that Olivia would not have recovered. That is the moment I realized that I was there for a reason. I had gone to the hospital the night before, determined to "save my baby" for a reason. If I was not so sure before that point, I knew in that moment I saved my baby. Olivia was just one choice away from being another tragic statistic of SIDS. Often a syndrome that hits randomly without any signs or symptoms. We spent the next 6 days in a blurry cycle of napping, feeding, nurses, feeding, poking, feeding, doctors, and feeding. Finally every test was exhausted. There were several small diagnosis, GERD (acid reflux) shallow breathing as well as underdeveloped lungs (which is common in babies born to diabetic moms). Both the dr. and myself felt confident in sending us home with precripts for GERD and oxygen tanks as well as an oxygen monitor. While it was nice to be home again I became mom again to the older kids as well as 24 hour nurse to Olivia. As you can imagine she was attached to my side all day and night. We were literally inseparable for the following weeks until her pediatrician was confident in her ability to thrive off of oxygen. That was a really hard step for me to take. I was so used to watching her monitor and having the oxygen to rely on. I kept a spare tank around for the next month, just in case.

It's now been a year since that ordeal and I have thought so much about the entire experience. While I had moments of clarity and definitely a fear of the worst. I don't think I fully comprehended how close Olivia was to dying. Forgive me if I sound overly dramatic. I was living in survival mode, taking care of the basic needs of a newborn, feeding, changing. As well as checking monitors, adjusting oxygen giving meds by the clock. Then on top of that taking care of the house and older kids. I am so blessed to have such a supportive, understanding, helpful husband, I could not have made it. So now, a year later, I can breath. Not only that but I see this brilliant little person growing and thriving. Not only that but everyone loves her! Now I'm bragging (like I said, is nauseating).

Aubrey turns 7!

Aubrey Faith Parker- September 2001

This year we decided to do a joint birthday party with Aubrey and Olivia. It will probably be the first and last combined party but don't quote me on that. Aubrey was great and didn't mind at all. This year Aubrey is all about Hannah Montana, Littlest Pet Shop and spending more time with her friends. For the most part she is a great sister, however she has her moments...DRAMA! Aubrey loves school and makes friends with everyone. She will probably be getting glasses as she is slightly farsighted. She also decided to cut her hair last week and she had it CHOPPED off. She is our girly girl and spent a lot of time looking at her new do. I'll have to take a picture of her and post it. She loved all of her presents but a couple of her favorites were a shiny pink purse and a Hannah Montana doll. Aubrey's strengths this year are reading and spelling and she actually likes doing homework.

September 13th, 2008

My baby is getting older!!!

Olivia Margaret Parker 1 week (September '07)

Olivia is 1! I can't believe it. So much has happened in the last year it's hard to believe it's only been a year. On the other hand I can't believe my baby is 1 already! We had a combined birthday party for Olivia and Aubrey (her birthday is September 13th). Since we waited to have Olivia and Aubrey's party together I got cupcakes to celebrate on her actual birthday (September 2nd).

Here is a list of things my 1 year old can do:

• giggle like it's nobody's business (she has the best giggle)
• say words like: Mama, Dada, Baba, dog (which is the first part of the word "do-") bye-bye
• wave hello and goodbye, when she feels like it
• give kisses (open mouth)
• cruise along the furniture
• stand w/out holding on to anyone/thing for support
• crawl like there's a fire
• peek-a-boo
• play w/cars and trucks and go "vvrrooomm....vvrrooomm"
• she LOVES looking at board books
• she gives great hugs, too!

She is just about ready to walk and it could be any day. Even after 4 kids I am still amazed at all that happens in the first year.

September 2nd 2008
After her first cupcake- she loved it!

Olivia's First Birthday Cake

I'm a slacker!

I am falling behind on my blog!! Sorry to anyone who cares ;) I will be updating at least ONCE this week, hopefully more. There is a lot I want to share! We've been really busy. See ya' back soon!
Love, Megan

Continued: I'll chase after your kids, too...

Yeah...we weren't even CLOSE to being home to 8...it ended up being closer to 9. Connor's soccer game started at 6:00 so we were 30min. late! oops. Although it was over earlier we were home later.
As the game ended the kids were running around letting off some extra steam and we were slowly making it back to load up the van. Just as I put Olivia in her seat I saw a little girl SCREAMING and running after or away from/to something. She was screaming "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY....". The only thing I could think to do was start running after her. We were parked behind the Jr. High and I finally caught up to her in the front. I think at one point she was actually running away from me. Once I caught up though I just kept reassuring her that I was going to help her. I also realized (while chasing her) that she had been left. So many things were running through my mind..."she couldn't have been left"..."OK I am the only one chasing her"..."no one is turning around". When I caught up to her, 1st I was surprised by the lack of concern that everyone around had, people were just ignoring the entire event, getting in their cars and leaving. Even while I was struggling with her, because she wanted to continue running down the street, which was dangerous for obvious reasons. Finally she quit struggling and realized I was going to help her and keep her safe. Sean finished loading the kids and hopped in his car and drove up to where we were and called the police, and then ran back and got the van. At this point it had been a while and I realized it was going to take some time for her parent(s) to come back. One other mom from our team parked near us and asked if she could help, I asked her to stay for a while in case she needed to make a statement for the officer. Everyone else had left. In the mean time I was just talking to her to earn some trust and find out whatever we could about her family. One other family from the other soccer team, stopped by to tell us her last name and offered to take her home (which I was not ok with...lost child, not leaving in a strangers car...not on my watch) when the officer explained that's not a good idea, they left. After about 45 minutes I let my girls out of the car to talk to her (at this point she told me she was 4 and I explained that I have a 4 year old, too and introduced her to Alli). We also gave her a Happy Meal toy the girls had in the car (Littlest Pet Shop are always a hit with girls). The 3 girls sat on Sean's trunk and talked for a bit until finally, her dad pulled up. He explained that he and his wife were here separately and each thought they had her and after he returned home they obviously realized the mistake. Reasonable explanation. We finally left at 8:15 pm. Moral of the story; you can never over-communicate when it comes to your kids. Now, I understand being totally embarrassed being the parent in that incident and all I wanted was to know what happened and after waiting over an hour with a strangers child I would have been plenty happy with a simple "Thank-You". Don't get me wrong I didn't do this for myself, I'm not looking for a pat on my back, high fives or an award. I did it because in a split second I was told to, in my mind and my heart I knew that I had to. I was just utterly astonished at others lack of concern. For all anyone knew I was trying to kidnap that girl but people were waving and smiling at me (it also would have been nice to have a little help, I am NOT a runner). Wake up people! Pay attention to the people around you and the "gut" feelings you have. I hope that if I make such a mistake or my kids are in trouble, or harms way that there is someone to chase them, or protect them or whatever it is. We can't always be there for our kids and we have all done thoughtless things. Our kids will all be more safe if there are other people who aren't afraid to just make sure they are ok. We can't be afraid to show concern for others. I would rather look like a complete idiot/jerk 100 times before there was 1 time help was really needed.

Naptime is Over!

For me that is. Since school started I have been taking it easy and enjoying the fact that I don't have to worry about what 2 of my kids are doing for a few hours during the day. I knew it wouldn't last long because I always find a way to be busy and when I can't? Well, there is plenty of housework to occupy my time...that's never ending. I did not know however, that my "lazy days" would end with such a BANG!
I started the day off getting the kids ready for school as usual. Last night I got a call from a Board member of the new charter school in Tooele. She asked if we could meet at noon...no problem. After I hung up I realized I had an appointment for Connor and Olivia for check-ups and shots for Olivia. The Dr. appt. was at 10am but I didn't think about the time AT the Dr as well as the drive to and from Salt Lake. I knew it would be pushing it but the matter was urgent and I knew they didn't want to wait another day to get started so I just decided to play it by ear. Anyway, I got the girls ready for the day, myself ready and pulled Connor out of school. We all rushed to the Appt. and back. To my delight I was less than 10 minutes late and they had double booked meetings so my being late turned out to work for all of us. Our meeting was supposed to be less than an hour but ended up being 2! In the mean time Aubrey and Connor were home (they walk to and from school). So I spent time juggling the tasks at hand as well as fielding phone calls from the kids (only 2 one from each, asking what their jobs were!!! I love having responsible kids!!!) but I also had Alli and Olivia (who had not had a nap all day and wasn't all amused by our need to continue the meeting...it HAD to be done, though.) Poor Alli didn't have lunch yet (it was 2 before we left) but survived on a bag of Cheez-Its and a box of crayons. She also spent time educating 2 second grade boys on the art of wearing 2 shirts (an "under-shirt" and an "over-shirt"). Finally the meeting ended and I left with my list of assignments for the next day or 2. I felt so bad for Connor and Aubrey, they of course could have cared less and were happy to get their pity drinks from Sonic. So that brings us to 2:30! So went the afternoon- Olivia down for a nap- Convincing Alli, in vain, to lay down and watch a show (code for take a nap already)- helping the kids with homework- trying to get some things done for the charter online- pick up the mess that has been stewing for the last 2 weeks-playing referee to Connor/Aubrey, Aubrey/Alli, Alli/Connor etc.- more email correspondence (I'm not going to lie there were a couple of fun ones to/from friends)-hosting an impromptu Wii party with some boys from the neighborhood- charter school phone calls- getting Connor ready for the soccer game at 6:30 (this was at a 1/4 to 6 and I realized dinner would have to wait if we have any chance of making it on time. We'd be home by 7:45, right?

To Be Continued...

A Letter to my Fellow Voters!

Dear Friends and family;
At this time I do not wish to make a political statement, however I have received many forwarded emails that raise my level of concern for this nation to new heights.
The emails I have received are regarding both McCain and Obama many of them claiming that each is a blatant liar and we should fear for our country if we vote for _____. [fill in the blank w/your most fearful choice]. The thing that worries me isn't what any particular email claims but that most, if not all of them are a spin on partial truths or that they are just plain lies meant to persuade the reader to vote for one candidate or the other. Here's the bottom line: If you are going to vote PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!!! Because of the emails I have received I started checking the facts and trying to go to the place from which they originated. What bothers me the most is that one of the early candidates was Mitt Romney and during his campaign so many lies were told about Mormons. I hated thinking that there really were people out there who thought that my religion secretly practiced polygamy. That we were a secret cult trying to take power over the world and make everyone mormon. I hated that there were actually people claiming to be experts on my beliefs that knew nothing of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are many examples, but my point is, I am not going to make my political decisions on any email I receive but I will make them based on the facts, the debates and the research I do to find the truth. Honestly, I do not know who I want to vote for, I personally don't feel good about either candidate, equally. I will continue to research, watch the debates and interviews and look into both of their voting records to make my final decision but I will not decide based on exaggerated claims about any particular candidate. I also realize that my opinion is not a popular one. I am a Utah Mormon aren't I supposed to be a die hard Republican? (I am in fact not registered with either party which opens a whole new bucket of worms, which you can ask me about if you want to hear my opinion). In the end if I continue to feel apposed to both candidates I will choose to vote for neither candidate. (a first since the time I have been old enough to vote).
Thank you for your time!
Love, Megan

I would love to hear what you have to say on this topic!