Mending Mending

Rayne is mending. Quinn is still okay. It's been a month this coming Monday since we got the results of Rayne's pertussis test, so Quinn should be in the all clear. For this, we are so so thankful. I cannot even express in words how thankful. He is drooling like crazy, so we are wondering if he is trying to cut teeth already! He also was fussy for a couple of days (can we say crazy Mommy?). He's choking/gasping in his sleep once in a while..not sure if it's saliva or some reflux. He spit up more today than he usually does. Maybe I'm eating something he doesn't like, not sure what it could be though. He's done it twice so far tonight..it's scary. This is going to be a short one tonight, my nerves are frazzled again. More later, goodnight.

The picture is my friend's daughter from a little photo shoot I did.

He's still okay...and Rayne is mending

So far Quinn is still okay, no bad cough. I am so so thankful for that. SOOO thankful. Rayne is healing. She isn't coughing as often or as bad. Sometimes she still has some whooping coughs, but most of them are just a hard cough. I can't tell you how awful this cough is. I will be so glad when Christ returns and all sickness is wiped out forever. I want that to be soon. Like now. Anyway, it's been a bit of a stressful month or so and I could so use a break. But alas, I am a Mommy and there are no true breaks. But that's okay. I am a Mommy and I love it. I am thankful for my children's health right now. And for ours. And for my families. I can't wait until it's okay for us to return to Church. That can't be until the cough is better managed. I don't want her to have a bad attack during services as it would be really disruptive. So we will wait a bit longer. Hopefully another week. So we should be able to order some school supplies later on this month. I'm getting excited to start Rayne on schooling for real. Since the baby has been born, we didn't do much this spring. I think she would really enjoy reading, so we will start working on that. She also loves to add things..she tries. So we will also really focus on that. She loves drawing too, so I can't wait to get some good art supplies for her. She's been drawing tons of pictures for us and her "family" which is of course us, have really long legs, lol. And big heads. not sure what she is trying to say there. AND, everytime she draws us, I am the biggest person in the picture...hmmm...not sure if I should be offended or honored. I'll have to think on that one.

And finally...some more bio stuff

So I was still in Alaska in my last posting. Working for the people who were shams in every way possible. If it wasn't for that little girl, I would have quit a long time before things fell apart. Oh, I forgot, before I started working for them I got a black lab puppy I named Boots. I loved him. He was such a neat dog. He loved to pull kids on sleds, he was always happy to see me. He was fun. Well, with this job and supposedly moving back and forth between Salt Lake and Alaska, it wasn't really going to work to keep him. So I had to give him away. I could never have sold him like a piece of property. There was an employee of theirs that had a son and they were looking for a dog, so I chose them. I cried so hard when I put him in their truck. He tried so hard to get out of the window, he didn't want to go. I know he went to a good home, but it was so hard. I hated it. I wish I would have kept him, because of what eventually happened with the job. So I worked for them all summer, overtime many times, having to cancel my plans I had made for the evening many times. The girls Dad would fly over to Anchorage in his little plane and then if the weather changed too much, he would get stuck over there (how convenient) and if the Mom was out of town, I was stuck until he could get back. Nice right? No relief either. And quite a distance from medical help if I needed it for her. I remember one time in particular, I had a date to go to a movie and dinner and had to cancel at the last minute thanks to him getting stuck over there. I was so very mad. VERY mad. He didn't even care that I had plans, just called and said, sorry I'm stuck, you'll have to stay. What if I refused? What if I just quit? Argh, it bugs me to think about it. I also remember I was with them at a bbq when we heard on the news about Princess Diana being killed. That was weird. Funny the things you remember and what you were doing when they happened. I think that's about all I remember of that job. I learned a lot about caring for someone completely disabled in every way. I loved the little girl, she was so sweet. Plus she loved to hear me sing and a Leanne Rimes song in particular, lol. She got so excited when I started singing that song to her. It was my back pocket tool I brought out when she was having a melt down about something. Those could get pretty hairy. You did NOT want to make her mad. Anyway, it's too bad her parents were losers, because I would have loved to do that job longer. BUT, because they didn't do what they were supposed to and hire another part time nanny to help me, I ended up getting tendinitis in my shoulder and eventually got to where I couldn't lift her by myself. She weighed 70 lbs. I had to go to the doctor because of the pain and I claimed L&I. Guess what they did. They fought it. Claimed it was because of my violin playing. I had already been playing violin for like 20 years and they claimed it was from that, and not lifting her repeatedly day in and day out. They of course lost and had to pay my medical bills, but in return...they left me. Right at the last minute of leaving for Salt Lake, they said they weren't bringing me any longer and they just left. I had no job and no place to live. And THEN, before I could find a new place to live, they shut off the electricity and it had already started getting cold outside and snowed. They didn't even give me a week. I just woke up one day and there was no water and no power. I was SOOOO mad. I had to go stay at a friend's house until I found a roommate to move in with. Nice eh? They just didn't care about anyone but themselves. I think they were abusing their daughter's lawsuit funds. They took the hospital to court because she was disabled from the DTaP vaccine and won, on behalf of their daughter. It was enough to take care of her for the rest of her life. So that's what happened with that job. From there, I tried to stay on in Alaska at a daycare, but when the Feast rolled around, I decided to move out of Alaska. It was just too much for a single woman..I wanted out. And that's where will leave off. The next part of my life was not to get any easier, thanks mostly in part to my stupidity and naivity. Stay tuned....

Never been so scared...

We found out that Rayne has pertussis or whooping cough. It's very horrible to hear your child cough to the point of no more breath and then gasp trying to breathe. Horrible. It's even more horrible to worry that your 3 month old may get a cough like that and have to be hospitalized. When I found out Rayne's pertussis test was positive, I freaked. Big time. And I was in Portland on what was supposed to be a fun trip for Rayne. It ended abruptly with us heading home to get the kids on antibiotics and hoping it was in time before Quinn got that cough. We prayed and have done everything we can holistically and medically and I think he's going to be okay. So far, he doesn't have the cough. I am so praying that he doesn't get it. This illness is so awful. It hides sometimes. That's what I am still worried about. But I know so many are praying and I am just trusting in God to protect him. He's so little. Rayne is recovering..although she still has pretty bad coughing fits. Some still take her breath away and it's still awful. My nieces and nephew have it also and that's what sent little Miette to the hospital one night. This is no disease to mess around with at all. Especially with very young kids. Needless to say, I just don't have it in me to do biography stuff again. It may be a little while. When things can settle down a bit and kids are healthy again.

Still recovering...and exhausted

Everyone is still recovering from what is supposedly bronchitis. It has kicked the kids' butts. But it seems they are on the mend. Night time is the worst. Rayne wakes up coughing horribly and says she can't breathe. We took her into the ER yesterday and they took chest Xrays...and said they looked clear. They gave her a breathing treatment and took a Pertussis (whooping cough) test just in case. I wanted to know for Quinn's sake. I'm supposed to call tomorrow for the results, but I'm thinking it's not that. We were also sent home with a nebulizer for her. I will be so glad when she isn't coughing at night anymore like she has been. It is so scary sounding and she really does lose her breath for a while. I am hoping Quinn is NOT going to get this. PRAYING he doesn't. So far, he hasn't, but I still worry. I think it should be called having worries, not having kids. It's constant worry. I guess that's where I need to work on my faith in God. One of the areas anyway. I'm not feeling much like doing biography tonight again..just too burned out from a rough 2 weeks. We are hoping to do our little trip this weekend, assuming Rayne keeps improving.

I've never been so scared in my life...

This weekend was supposed to be chock full of fun and adventure. But instead, it was a scary and worrisome weekend. After we picked up the rental car for the weekend, we went to pick up my niece who was going with us on the trip. We got there and my SIL was transferring car seats to the rental car and my brother had just got home. Miette, my youngest niece has had a really bad cough for a few weeks now and having a hard time getting through them without choking on the mucus. Well she had a really bad one and turned purple and passed out. We of course called 911 right away and my brother ran and got their neighbor lady who is a nurse. I was freaking out and screaming for them to hurry. It was that scream you do when you know something is terribly terribly wrong. She was out for at least a minute, it seemed like an eternity. The paramedics got there lightning fast, as they are just up the road from them. One of the firefighters was a friend of the family and when he heard that address with a breathing stoppage come over the speakers, he was very worried. Thankfully she came to right before they got there, but my brother and SIL still took her to the ER and found out she has bronchiolitis and likely so do all the kids. Even Rayne. Thankfully Quinn has been spared thus far and we had them all annointed, even Quinn. I am worried though that he could still get it, so prayers are appreciated. I am watching him closely. Miette is on medication to help, but she doesn't want to take it and they are having a really hard time getting it in her. If they try and force it, it causes a coughing fit and they DO NOT want to do that. So, hopefully she gets enough and just gets better. Rayne is still coughing, but I think she will start improving in the next few days. Cough medicine is helping her right now. Yuck, coughs are awful.

I don't have it in me right now to do a bio blog, so you'll just have to wait until life returns to "normal".

The picture is of my little niece, Miette.

Updates first.....Quinny-poo is getting big. And heavy. But he is just so cute about it. He has chub! Chubby cheeks, double chin, monster thighs...just what everyone wants to hear right? Well..on a baby of course it's squishy cute. And he is. Rayne is also doing well. Her behavior seems to be getting better. I hope it lasts. We have our trip in a week and I am hoping she does well. We are going to Oregon zoo and Enchanted Village. And now Esme is coming with us so Rayne will have a pal along. Hopefully they get along well and Esme doesn't get sad being away from home. Poor Rayne..I have to tell this...we have 2 strawberry plants that have strawberries on them and Rayne has been watering them and watching the strawberries start to ripen and gets all excited for them to finally become edible and then her youngest cousin (who is not even 2 yet) comes over and picks them all and eats them. I feel so bad for Rayne. She has been SO patient waiting for those berries to become their juiciest and sweetest. I think I am going to have to move them somewhere when the cousin comes over so she can't pick them. Anyway...one of life's many disappointments I guess.

Okay, on to the biography....

So I left off still in Alaska. But I was in Salt Lake City being trained to take care of the 14 year old girl with cerebral palsy I was going to start caring for. A very difficult job too I might add. She wasn't light and needed to be lifted...A LOT. She couldn't even go potty by herself..pretty much anything. She couldn't talk, couldn't walk, and had VERY limited mobility. She was born normal and fine. She got vaccinated and reacted very very poorly. Her Mother even alerted the doc and nurses about her daughter not responding well at the first one, but they just wrote it off and gave her the second dose. That was all it took. Brain damage. They sued and won, but not really. They won enough money to care for their now mentally and physically handicapped child for the rest of her life. Not exactly a victory. I would be so mad...I can't even imagine. I'm glad we don't vaccinate. They are BAD. But that's a whole other story. So where was I...oh yes...crash course training before going back to Alaska. So they bought a summer home in Alaska (yes they had money) and I was in their winter home being trained. The husband owned a plane and had flown ahead in this small plane to set up their house before we all flew back. Remember that piece of information. So we are not even there a whole day before I somehow get wrangled into singing at some forum type thing! As soon as she found out I liked to sing, I was signed up to be a number in this show or whatever it was, I can't remember. So I sang, because I love it. And the little girl I cared for, loved it! So I continued to sing for her whenever I could. She would get laughing (sort of) and banging her tray on her wheelchair in joy. It was worth that. This little girl was so sweet. Too bad her Mother wasn't so sweet and a total fake. I think their marriage was a sham. She always complained about him when he was gone. And he was always on overdrive and very selfish. He pretended to be so concerned with his daughter and her care, but he was just more concerned that he didn't have to worry about her. It irritated me to no end. So anyway..day 2 of being there and her husband doesn't show up at his check in point on his way to Alaska in his dinky little 2 seater plane. Big shock. But she melts down. So now I am consoling her too. She is crying hysterically on the stairs with the phone in her hand, trying to find out where her husband is. We don't hear anything all night and FINALLY in the morning he gets to a place he can call. He apparently got stuck in a storm and couldn't make it to his check in point so he put the plane down somewhere and there was no phone. Sure. Ok. And that is all I have to say about that. So after 4 days, it's time to make our way to Alaska. The home they bought is not just a cabin. It's a HUGE gorgeous home with cabins, Silos, a POND and tons of land. TONS. It was so beautiful. The pond had beavers too. And there were eagles flying around. What I wouldn't GIVE to go back with my DSLR camera now. Oh man..that would be so great. So I am seeing all they have and then in the back of my mind I'm thinking...they are paying me $9/hour to take care of their completely needy child? Hmmm....something wasn't right. They also kept promising me to hire the other part time nanny so I wasn't always doing all the lifting. They were actually supposed to do this, not just because they were nice. Well..their promises were empty. I was doing EVERYTHING. Lifting, physical therapy, feeding, bathing, toileting, medicine, playing...all of it. My days were long. Very long. I loved the little girl, but the job was taking it's toll. It was a catch 22 and I kept being told there would be help soon. Well, along down the line I finally tell them that I either will require more pay or room and board on top of my salary. So of course they jump on the room and board. I get one of the cabins. It's a studio, but roomy and nice. I really liked it. And the empty Silo was a great place to go stretch my vocal chords when everyone was gone. I of course did the National Anthem. Over and over and over and over. Gotta love those acoustics. Doesn't get any better than that. Wow, I'm tired now. I think that's all for now. Oh wait...you probably thought I forgot to tell you what type of business they owned in Salt Lake City. Also known as Mormon capital of the world. Well...I found out what they did in a very sneaky way on their part. She told me that she needed to run by the office really quick once day, I thought..no big deal. So we go into the actual office part..she does whatever she needs to do and then we go to the other part of her business. We walk into this building and through these doors and it's pretty dark inside. I look around and realized there were women with basically nothing on but those earring things on their BOOBIES!!! It was a strip club! I was floored. I think my mouth hit the floor..I'm sure of it. I didn't know what to say. She was so casual about it like it was a coffee shop or something. I couldn't believe that's what they did and how they made their money. Ew. and Yuck. I seriously considered not staying. But I figured, my job was to take care of their daughter...it wasn't my business what they did. That would NOT have been my thoughts now. I was very young then and just didn't have my standards fully in place. So there ya go..that's what they did. And they owned 2. Later on while we were in Salt Lake she tried to get my opinion on which boobie jewelry they should keep out of a huge bag of 'em. I told her I certainly was not the person to ask. ew and yuck. That's all for now. For the next biography I will answer the following...what did these people that owned strip clubs do to me after all the hard work and long hours I gave to them...it wasn't nice at all!

Blog update: Quinn is now 9-1/2 weeks old and doing great. He's a little chunk which I love. I never thought I would have a baby with chunk. I think it's the length difference between him and what Rayne was at at his age. He is smiling a lot and cooing which is so cute. Rayne is loving her little brother and can't wait to see him in the morning. She loves doing his buttons and snaps on his outfits..which thankfully he has patience for because sometimes it takes her a little while to do. Rayne had a pretty good week. We are hoping her behavior is mellowing out. It's so much fun when she is good and happy. She did great in Church today and yesterday. It was Pentecost today so we had Church both days. That's usually difficult for her, but she did great. She even fell asleep at Church today! She stopped doing ballet for now and is only in Contemporary Dance for now. I think ballet was too structured for her liking right now. I attended the class with her in the beginning and thought it was too much for her. The teacher was going really fast and it was very confusing to the girls. Too many technical terms being thrown at them and they didn't know what they were before they were having to use them in a dance. Oh well, she may want to try again when she is older. So in the fall she will be in 1st grade. She learns so fast and asks a million questions all the time. Sometimes my head is buzzing with all her questions, lol.

Just a little biography stuff tonight..it's late:

I left off in Alaska...well, after working at McD's, I got a better job at a pizza place that my friend's friend owned..it was a family business. They needed a daytime food prep and evening driver, so I applied and got the job. I actually really liked it. I would get there at 12:30 and start prepping toppings..shredding cheese, chopping veggies, etc. Then, after that I would either help make the pizzas or deliver. And this was in winter. I only ditched my car once and that was because I turned too sharp and didn't realize that what looked like the road was actually just a ditch filled with snow. So the guys at the pizza place had to come pull me out. I learned Kenai very quickly doing that job. It was pretty fun. For some reason I thought I needed to make more money after a while and decided to quit there and work at the cannery. Oh man was that a mistake. That place was horrid. It stank. It was long hours and they always wanted you to work overtime on top of that. I came home smelling like fish and had to take my clothes out to the porch. I had to shower right away and even then, my roommates claimed I still smelled like fish. I would get up when it was dark and come home when it was dark. Barely had enough time to eat and sleep and get up and work again. I lasted 2 weeks and quit. From there I got a job in a daycare as a preschool teacher/lunch person. I liked it, but while I was on vacation I was offered a nanny position for a 14 year old girl who had Cerebral Palsy. I didn't have much experience, but I guess they like my phone interviews and while I was visiting friends out in upstate New York, I was hired and they paid to have my plane tickets changed to fly from there to Salt Lake where they lived. They had just bought a home in Alaska for the summers and had me come to Salt Lake first for training. The little girl was very sweet. Her parents were another story. They were VERY interesting...and when I found out what they actually did for a living...I have to say I was appalled and considered not working for them...but that's all for now, lol. I'm going to keep anyone that doesn't know what they did hanging for a bit. Stay tuned...:)