Why Oh Why, Did Emily Get A UTI?

During Emily's hospitalization back in August, we found out that her main source of infection was from a urinary tract infection. I remember being so happy that it wasn't meningitis or something more serious and was thrilled to know that antibiotics would clear up the infection and we would soon have a little healthy baby again. Our doctor had us bring in a urine sample from Emily two weeks after her hospitalization which was easier said than done! Getting urine from an infant? We tried a few urine bags and hoped that somehow we could get enough urine to test but they leaked into the diaper. Great. Luckily, I used some of my McGyver skills and fashioned my own sort of urine bag out of a Ziploc bag and two bandaids. Laugh if you must- but I got the sample and was pretty darn proud of myself! Both the sample brought in two weeks and a month after her infection started- were clean. No sign of infection which was a wonderful thing.

Because a UTI (urinary tract infection) is not common in infants, my doctor wanted to do some more testing to make sure Emily didn't have a physical abnormality. Some young babies get reoccurring UTIs because they weren't formed properly in utero. We needed to see if there was a lasting problem or if this darned UTI was just a one-time fluke which caused a lot of trouble! We scheduled the procedure at the hospital and I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of having to hand her over to doctors for an entire hour. I like to be with my babies, sometimes even to a fault so to know she would be without me and possibly be in pain made me lose some much needed sleep in the days before the procedure.

The procedure Emily was going to have done is called a VCU or a Voiding Cystourethrogram. They start by taking several x-rays of the baby's bladder. Then they restrain the baby and place a catheter through the urethra, a tube that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body, into the bladder. They fill the bladder with a water-soluble contrast material and then take the catheter out. Then they watch the solution via a monitor to see if the liquid stays in the bladder or is able to sneak up through the ureters (tubes which lead urine from the kidneys to the bladder) towards the kidneys. We knew that Emily would be able to get through the procedure but it is not something you want your little three month old baby to go through.

We showed up at the hospital and things went pretty seamlessly. We admitted her into the outpatient radiology department and just waited until we were called back. I was tired and therefore an emotional mess, so I just held onto her and kissed her constantly. Finally, it was our turn and Damien and I walked her back and prepared to say goodbye for a little bit. Then, surprisingly- they said one of us could stay and we opted to have Damien stay and comfort her. Emily was already screaming by this point because they were prepping her for the procedure. She wasn't hurting- she just didn't like it. By the way my heart was hurting just listening to her cry and not being able to help her, we knew that Damien would be the better party to stay and they would come and get me when it was over.

Long story short, they came and got me about 25 minutes later and gave me the fantastic news that Emily was done and that the test had come back negative. Thank you GOD!!!! No surgery or medication needed for this sweet baby! I was so thankful and picked up Emily, who was hysterical by this point, and just held her so tightly. It looks as though that UTI was just a fluke infection. Uhhhh. part of me is so angry that she had to go through everything she did (hospitalization, spinal tap, VCU) but the other part of me is just happy to know that she is healthy and that it is all behind us now. We are so pleased that she is healthy and that we can go about our lives without waiting for the other shoe to drop- at least with the UTI. What a relief and a blessing all given to our beautiful little Emily. I couldn't be prouder of her!

Claire Turns Seven!!!

I cannot believe my little Claire Bear is seven years old. I am not sure if she is just so much bigger than her little sister (who reminds me so much of her when she was a baby) or if I just feel time slipping by. Either way, knowing she is now seven and saying it out loud is crazy! Claire is doing so well these days. She is loving first grade, so happy to have made some new friendships while cultivating those she made last year, and just growing by leaps and bounds in so many different ways. She is so confident, more outspoken, more of a jokester, finding her way to enjoying being the center of attention, smart, loving, and basically just everything I could ask for in a daughter. She has adjusted so well to being an older sister again and her ability to mother her siblings is just out of this world! Not only is she wonderful to Emily, she is so sensitive to the needs of Matthew, too. She can sense when I am really involved with Emily and when Matthew needs attention and she'll give it to him. She knows how to be patient with Michael and make him happy, too. She is just the best. I am so proud of her.

Knowing her birthday was fast approaching and that I am so busy these days, I started about a month early asking her what she wanted to do for her BIG DAY! She told me she wanted to have her party at home (so did I when I was her age) and that she wanted to invite both 1st grade classes of girls at St. Chris. I was completely supportive of this choice because I know how great it would be to get all the girls together and also know that since I was having the party at home- it wouldn't impact me financially to have them all here. Now managing them would be a different deal but we got a plan in place and set forth to have the very best Littlest Pet Shop Birthday Party Ever!

I knew that if I was going to invite all 42 girls, I had better have a lot to keep them busy during the party! Would you believe that only a hand full of girls couldn't make it? We planned to have 37 girls at our house for two hours and really hoped it would go well! We had ordered a bouncy house (as a surprise to Claire), I had necklace kits for all the girls to make necklaces, I had Littlest Pet Shop coloring pages, we had a huge game of Simon Says planned (led by Damien), I had name tags, cupcakes to frost, and a backyard full of toys to keep them occupied and would you know that it worked . . . for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The last fifteen minutes turned into pure chaos as the sugar made it's way into the girls bloodstream and Michael and his friend decided to chase the girls through the already crowded house. I knew I had to keep it together because I didn't want the parents showing up and thinking that I couldn't handle it because I could . . . at least for 1 hour and 45 minutes. All in all, the girls had an absolute blast! Most importantly, Claire felt so special and loved by all these sweet six and seven year old girls who will accompany her through school for at least the next seven years of her life.

Happy Birthday Clairey! I love you so much and am truly so proud of everything that you are, everything that you do, and love what a wonderful little lady you are turning into. While I am sad to see you growing so big so fast- I also celebrate the thought of watching you grow throughout your life. I love you sweet girl. Love- Mom.

St. Matthew's Day

Between our trip to Disneyland and the start of school, Saint Matthew's day snuck up on us! However, we pulled it together and gave Matthew a day full of fun! This was the first year he understood that the day was all about him. Of course we tried to connect it to religion too, but at his age- it was all about the cake, blowing out the candle, and the gift from Grandpa!!

Matthew is becoming quite the fan of the idea of his birthday. Saint Matthew's Day took that same honor and Matthew told everyone he could that it was his special day! Grandpa spoiled Matthew this year and got him a new soccer goal and a bowling set. How lucky is this kiddo? He has a Grandpa who loves him so incredibly much. I just love that my Dad does this for my children. It doesn't hurt either that I love my Dad so much, too. We've always had a special relationship and it just makes me so happy that he is connecting in the same way with my own kids. Matthew is still talking about Saint Matthew's Day. The other day he did a somersault and I asked him where he learned to do that and he answered, "At my Saint Matthew's Day party!" What a kid! Happy Saint Matthew's Day, Matthew!

We're Going To DISNEYLAND!!!!

Throughout my pregnancy with Emily, Damien and I were constantly amazed at how well our kids were coping. They adjusted to things so beautifully and we were so proud of them and knew that after I had Emily- we would do something big for them. For months now, Matthew has been talking about going to Disneyland. At first- his daily mantra was I go to Mickey's House today. Um, ya Matthew. We'll go today. Wink wink. Then Matthew started really thinking about what Disneyland was and how great it could be! Claire told him how all the characters lived there and Michael told him many many times about how he had fought Darth Vader during Jedi Training last time we visited the great House of Mouse. Soon, Matthew was telling everyone and everything about how he was going to go to Disneyland. Both Damien and knew that taking the kids to Disneyland was the least we could do since they were so amazing last year during the pregnancy. So the plan was in place. We would go to Disneyland for three full days and have the time of our lives. Hmm. Four kids in Disneyland . . . well- at least we would do our very best to have a great time in the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

We offered the trip to both of our families but didn't have a lot of takers. Some of Damien's family had gone a few months before us so they were on Disney overload. We did manage, however, to talk two of my sisters (Gina and Laura) into meeting us down there for some good old fashioned fun! The kids got out of school early on Wednesday and I had all the bags packed and ready to load into the car the minute they got home. Soon, they came bounding out of their carpool and got changed and ready to go. We were off!!!

I was dreading the car ride down. Somehow, a six hour car ride and a three month old didn't quite mix. But low and behold- it wasn't as bad as I had thought! I had gone to the store and loaded up on snacks and lunch items. From the middle seat- I handed out snacks as if I was my own concession stand. They could have whatever they wanted to eat- just had to take it easy on the drinks because we wanted to limit the bathroom stops. Emily was tired when we started on the journey so she passed out minutes after we left. Would you know we made it all the way down to Anaheim without stopping? Yes- four kids and no stops! This vacation was shaping up to be a great idea! We ended up staying at the Marriot Fairfield which is about a seven minute walk from the gates to both Disneyland and California Adventure. It was a great set up for us. About ten minutes after arriving a the hotel, in walk my two sisters and the kids were THRILLED to see them!! We both checked in and set out for Downtown Disney for some dinner! We were happy to meet up with Damien's sister Heavenly who lives in Los Angeles. It's always good to see her smiling face!

We got a good night sleep and woke up early for Disney Day #1. Weeks before our vacation, we had booked breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. It was great but truthfully, is really a lot of money for a breakfast buffet that the kids barely touch! I guess you end up paying for the one-on-one experience with the characters. Our breakfast was very eventful. I won't get into it now but let's just say that Michael and Goofy made a life lasting memory this morning. After breakfast, we ventured to the gates to Disneyland and planned to spend the whole day there enjoying the magic. Matthew could hardly believe it when we went inside. He just kept staring and blinking and looking all over the place. Because today was a Thursday, it was relatively uncrowded and we were able to get a picture with Mickey right off the bat! Woo hoo! Check that off the list!

This was Emily's first trip to Disneyland, Matthew's third trip, and Michael and Claire's sixth. Because Emily had never been here before, I really wanted to remember that her first ride was on Pirates of the Caribbean. She did great. Matthew was completely freaked out because the ride is so realistic. He wasn't crying but was frozen stiff in fear of those blasted pirates! Needless to say, he was happy when we were done with that one! (Note that by the end of the three day trip- he said it was his favorite!) We then took the kids on Splash Mountain (at Laura's request) and it was a blast. Michael and Claire were tall enough for every ride and we planned to go on them all!

The weather was very warm and it was tough to keep Emily in the shade. Visiting Disneyland with four kids is definitely challenging. It took me a while to get a rhythm and figure out how to best manage Emily in the park. From the get-go, I messed up and left her with Gina while I went on Splash Mountain with Damien, Laura, and Michael. I completely blanked on the fact that it was time for her to eat so by the time I got off the ride, Gina was waving at me to get my buns over there to take the screaming baby from her arms! I needed to stay on top of her feeds and warm her bottles in advance so she didn't get all bent out of shape. Once I mastered this- she was a piece of cake! Because I am pumping milk for Emily- I had to bring my pump into the park and find a place to pump. Fun, huh? I had no idea that they had Baby Centers at Disneyland where you can go breastfeed/change diapers/pump in peace. It was a life saver to have this available to me!

Our first day was so much fun. We stayed in Disneyland the whole day and planned to spend the next day in California Adventure. Some notable things that happened on day one were me getting my tongue stuck to a Popsicle (don't ask), Michael being chosen to participate in Jedi Training, seeing Matthew go on Dumbo after so much anticipation, getting Laura a 'Happy Birthday' button on Main Street and seeing every cast member wish her Happy Birthday, meeting all the characters and seeing Matthew in awe of them, talking Claire into going on the Matterhorn, going on the new Nemo ride for the first time, being the only people in Toon Town for over an hour at closing time, and having Laura's Birthday Dinner at McDonald's (hosted by Gina). It was time for some MUCH needed sleep because we had a busy day two ahead of us!

Disney Day #2 started out so much better than Day #1. We were more rested, didn't rush to the parks, and knew how to attack the day rather than having to figure everything out. We started in California Adventure with a ride on Monsters Inc. That ride is so cool! Afterwards, my dream came true when I got to take Michael on Tower of Terror for the first time. Gina and I had talked this ride up for months before we got to Disneyland. He was nervous but I also knew he had no idea what to expect. The ride simulates being on an elevator that suddenly drops you down an elevator shaft. Up and down you go, free falling over and over and over. Michael was totally freaked out but afterwards was pumping his fists with excitement! It was awesome. Definitely one of my favorite moments of the trip. We met Damien and the rest of the gang afterwards to take some pictures with Cinderella, Woody, and Mickey. It was great.

The highlight of the trip with Laura was in the morning of Day #2 when we were watching a High School the Musical 3 show. She was dancing and grooving to the music and got chosen not once, but twice to be the star of the show. Think Laura, boa around her shoulders, being whisked around by hunky high school guys, only to end up in the grand finale of the show with all the members of the HSM 3 surrounding her. I have NEVER seen her smile so big! This was a dream come true for Laura and for a few minutes, she got to be a full fledged movie star. It was amazing.

We weaved our way through the park, stopping to rest and get the kids wet to stay cool. In the afternoon, we went to the Boardwalk section of the park and went on the Mickey Ferris Wheel called Paradise Pier. You have a choice of picking a car that moves or one that is stationary. This Ferris Wheel is really really big and I asked the person working it if it would be too scary to get a car that moved with Matthew. He said no. So being the trusting person I am, I took Gina, Michael, Claire and Matthew on this ride . . . that moved. Seriously- this ride was the WORST ride I have ever been on. I was totally freaked out and regretted taking my little two year old on this death trap! Gina and I were laughing in pure fright but couldn't let the kids know we were scared. In order to distract them from fearing death- Gina started playing "I Spy". After one revolution, I asked to get off and took Matthew out of there as fast as possible. Bad Mommy for doing this to my poor baby! (If you look really closely at this pic you can see Gina, Michael, and Claire hanging on for dear life!) As if things couldn't get worse, we lost Matthew in a sea of people for about a minute. It was a terrifying minute. As if taking him on the scariest ride of my life wasn't bad enough, I had to further terrify him by losing him. We found him and he was happy to see me. He said, "I found lady with your hair." He did. When he was lost, he found a cast member with dark brown hair and she held onto him until I could pick up my 'Mother of the Year Award' and come and find him. After this we went on the brand new Toy Story Ride. It was amazing! Seriously, so much fun. Later in the evening, the thrill seeking crew (myself, Gina, and Michael) went on Screamin' California three times. It is so fun to take Michael on this kind of stuff!

We ended the night in Disneyland (it stays open later than California Adventure) with a few rides and then the finale on Small World. Laura hates fireworks so we wanted to duck in this ride while the firework show was going on to avoid her getting scared. However we were stalled in line and she had to hear about two minutes of fireworks before we went into the tunnels of the ride. We couldn't hear any of the fireworks while we were in there so that was great but unfortunately, we came out of the ride just as the grand finale of the fireworks erupted right above our heads. Um, ya. Time to go home now. We had a great time with Gina and Laura and the trip wouldn't have been so spectacular without them. They flew home the next morning just in time to attend Laura's 25th Birthday party extravaganza!

Our last day, Disney Day #3, was wonderful. It was just our little family of six. We took the parks at our own pace and enjoyed just wandering around soaking up whatever Disney could throw our way. Highlights of the last day were watching Michael freak out on the Jungle Cruise because he thought he animals were real, watching the stage show of Aladdin, thrill seeking with Michael and also convincing Claire to go on Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Tiki Room, watching the Pixar Parade and seeing Matthew so in disbelief of all of his Disney friends strolling by, and ending the night at 11:30 p.m. with all the kids awake and totally melting down on Main Street.

We had the BEST time this trip. Yes, it was more complicated with a new addition to our family but it was so much fun! The ride home was as good as the ride there and we never stopped just cruised right up to San Jose. I think it will be a few years until we go back to Disney but we look forward to doing it again.

Great Grandpa & Grandma Swendsen

We had the fortunate opportunity this morning of celebrating Damien's grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary. What an amazing accomplishment!! Sixty years of marriage and still going strong! I can only hope and pray that I will be able to share that with Damien many years down the road. And I thought ten years was a big deal!

Bright and early we ventured north to San Francisco to the Palace Hotel where we met Damien's parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews to celebrate his grandparents momentous milestone. I am not sure if any of you have been to the Palace Hotel but the main reception room is to die for. Think Daddy Warbucks house in the movie Annie. (At least that it what it reminds me of!) So much breath taking opulence! Everywhere you turn, there is something so beautiful and grand. I just love it there. Damien's family hosted one of my bridal showers in this room so it holds a little special place in my heart.

I was so happy to have the opportunity to show it to my kids. Michael and Claire couldn't believe it!! Before long, we were having a brainstorming session about what we would do if this were our house. We realized it was so big we could make it our own personal world of convenience! Michael said he would put a McDonald's in the corner, Claire wanted a 7-11 for unlimited slurpee access, and I suggested my own personal Starbucks. Can you tell we like food? The brunch was buffet style and was hands down the best buffet I have ever been to in my life! For years, Damien and I have said the best buffet was at the Four Seasons in Maui (where we honeymooned) but this trumped it! Anything you could possibly think of for breakfast/lunch was there and it was all delicious! A big thank you to Mark and Marlene who hosted us all for this event. It was so much fun and something I know my kids will never forget. We might actually make a yearly family ritual out of it!

Great Grandma and Grandpa were so tickled by the love and support they felt on their special day. Most of the grandkids were there to share in their big day and they loved being surrounded by them! The meeting was even more memorable and special because they met Emily for the first time! Grandma couldn't get enough of her. She just held and kissed her over and over while Grandpa looked on and delicately stroked her little head. It was very sweet. Emily has now met all of her great grandparents and is a very lucky girl! What a morning it was in the Palace Hotel. I think we all felt pretty blessed to have witnessed the sixty year anniversary of Grandma and Grandpa.

Emily at 3 Months

Oh my gosh this little girl is growing so fast and getting cuter by the day! I cannot believe it has been three months since she was born. In many ways, our life has become more chaotic with the arrival of Emily but on the other hand- the show must go on so I take her everywhere and fit her into our schedule. She is a great baby. She is so happy and really doesn't cry much. She has been a little crankier for Daddy at nighttime when Mommy is working out at the gym- but for the most part she is just perfect!

Hesitantly, I graduated Emily to size 2 diapers this month. They just look so big and part of me wants her to always stay in size one and be an itty bitty baby! But her chubby tummy and thighs mandated that I bump her up. She has had a really healthy month since her hospitalization so that is fantastic news! She is still an eating machine which is tough to keep up with. On average during the day, she eats every two hours or so. Definitely not three hours. At night- she usually stretches her feeds to three or four hours which I totally appreciate!

The biggest change with her this month is that huge gummy smile she makes all day long. You really don't have to work at it these days. Just say hi to her and you'll get the sweet smiler ever! She is talking a lot and loves having a back and forth goo-goo gaa-gaa conversation. Right now she loves playing on her play mat and batting at the toys. She is tracking everything that is in front of her and loves watching her crazy siblings zip by her all day long.

She is a great napper. I bet we get three naps a day from her that are at least an hour. Maybe a few catnaps, too. Emily is an amazing forth baby and I am enjoying her so much. In terms of her hair color- the verdict is still out. Her eyes are the most beautiful blue and her skin is like her Mommy's. Damien and my favorite thing that Emily does right now is curl her top lip when she talks to us. It is the cutest thing ever! She curls it in preparation to say something and we love it! Three months old- wow. We made it. While it has passed all too quickly- we have enjoyed every waking second of our new life with baby Emily.

Swendsen September Birthdays

As of today, there are a total of twenty-eight people in Damien's immediate family. Two parents, ten siblings, five spouses, and eleven nieces and nephews. That is a lot of people. Now start thinking of birthdays, Christmas, and other special events and you realize there is NO WAY you can make it to everything! After deciding that everyone has been spreading themselves too thin lately- we decided to start having monthly birthdays with the hope that people can focus on making it to one event so we can all be together!

This month we celebrated the September birthdays which included Claire, my brother-in-law Haripal, and my nephew Seamus. It was so much fun to have everyone together to celebrate. Each 'birthday person' got to pick their favorite dessert to have on display. Claire decided that she wanted to have carrot cake cupcakes. I had never made carrot cake before but it turned out great! And most importantly- Clairey was happy!

The kids had a blast at E and Papa's house and swam all day long. Between a great BBQ lunch (Ryan is the master BBQ'er), hand spun cotton candy, and deliecious desserts- it was a great day! It was so much fun and a great excuse to get together with the family. Happy Birthday to the September Swendsens!!!!

Claire's Little Brother

Guess who has a big sister who like to dress him up in Princess dresses???? If you guessed Matthew- you are correct! This kid is constantly coming out of Claire's room with a new outfit on. I think it is hilarious and Matthew loves it because he gets so much attention from his big sissy. Matthew gets that this is pretty silly and knows he isn't a princess. However, he also knows that he will get laughs if he comes prancing out of her room wearing it so he does it willingly! I love this little guy. So big and stocky and also so sweet and willing to have fun. It is what being a little kid is all about! He better enjoy it now because I am sure Claire will switch models when Emily gets big enough to dress up! For now, he loves these pictures and cracks up when he sees them. Will he think they are as funny when he grows up? I'm not sure. But I sure hope he keeps his insanely funny personality intact!

Siblings

I am enjoying my kids so much these days. It is not just the way they behave/interact with me but with each other. What an amazing thing it is to bring another child into the world and to watch how it changes the course of so many different people's lives. With the arrival of little Emily, relationships have changed, the house is a little more crowded, but life is oh so much more wonderful.

Damien and I have watched four of our beautiful babies grow. We know what to expect, we see how they have developed and grown but the younger three cannot believe how Emily is developing. "She is miracle, Mom!" "Emily is so huge, Mom!" "She smiled at me, Mom!" I hear these observations on a daily basis. Michael, Claire, and Matthew cannot get over their ever-changing baby sister. When a baby is born, the rate of growth is just unbelievable. Just when you get used to a baby being a certain size, they change into something different. Well, Emily is off to the races in her development and like a beautiful flower, she blooms and grows with each passing hour. Lately, the big hit with the kids is her smile. She is very good at smiling these days and just completely floors the kids when they get a smile from her. She makes them all so happy and they spend hours with her making her delightfully happy. Matthew's biggest obsession with Emily is proclaiming how cute she is. Seriously- he must say this twenty times a day. "Em-i-yee is koot." "Em-i-yee is super koot." The other day I got him from his crib in the early morning and after I said good morning to him- he told me how 'koot' Emily was. They were the first words out of his mouth!!! He really loves her. Not because he has too, but he seems to appreciate the delicate little creature that she is. It touches my heart so much to see him genuinely love her like that.

Michael and Claire have been so wonderful with Emily and Matthew these days. They ask me if they can 'babysit' her and I happily give them that honor! They will take care of her while I do random tasks around the house and are able to pick her up if she is fussing. The only rule is that they can't walk with her. But picking her up and bouncing her to keep her happy are within their 'babysitting' privileges! Claire is my Little Mommy and helps me so incredibly much. She likes to assist me with Emily's baths and helps Matthew out a ton. The cutest thing is seeing Matthew find Claire after he has gotten in trouble. If I scold him or have put him on a time out- he will find Claire and want her to hold him. He really seeks Claire out for comfort and I bet they will have a really special relationship as they grow older. Michael is really good with Emily. For some reason, she is a smiling machine when he is with her! She loves his voice and he knows how to make her calm and happy. For a while- Michael and Matthew were agitating one another but they seem to be more on the same page these days. They love to play Star Wars together which is really cute. Since school started, Michael and Claire are getting along better, too so things are pretty harmonious here in the Swendsen household. After introducing a new sibling into the mix- we seem to have found solid ground.