Summer Re-Cap Anyone?

I looked at a calendar this morning and saw that school starts in 4 weeks.  That's when it dawned on me: Summer is almost over.  Let me just say that again for emphasis.  SUMMER IS ALMOST OVER! Can you believe that?  It's quite depressing for me.  Not because I LOVE summer time and will miss barbecues and holidays and the incessant heat...no.  But because Summer is when I get to spend the most time with my husband, my family, and on vacations.  I will definitely miss the vacations and constant companionship of Topher. 

Along with the realization that Summer is almost over, came the realization that I haven't posted about a single trip we've had this Summer!  And there have definitely been a few.  In fact, I feel like one or the other of us hasn't been home for longer than two weeks at a time! 

So...I will post about our first major trip of the Summer (excluding of course the California/Sea World/Disney Land Trip... that came first) Anywho...The First Trip of the Summer was for my extended family's Reunion.  We have one every other year and they are always huge, loud, hectic, far away ....and lots of fun.  This one didn't feel quite as crazy, but it was definitely still all of the other things!  The reunion was held in Grant's Pass, Oregon, and for us was going to be about a 13 hour drive.  Not really the most appealing factor when you have a 15 month old who'd rather have her blood drawn than sit in her car seat for even five minutes.  So, we decided to break the drive up into sections.  A LOT of sections.  We left a full 4 days before the reunion even started so we'd have plenty of time to get there.  We also purchased Harry Potter Book 6 on CD so we'd have something fun to listen to/do on the way there and back.

The first day our plan was to make it to Caldwell Idaho, right on the border of Idaho and Oregon.  However, thanks to Harry Potter and Jim Dale's captivating reading performance, we got so distracted we ended up an hour and a half into Oregon before we noticed we'd completely missed our exit.  Good thing we had decided NOT to make reservations at that campsite! So, we hunted for a campground, ANY campground, and finally found a state recreation area around 11 o'clock and set up camp there. 

We woke up to an obnoxious 5:45 a.m. sunrise and cows mooing in what seemed way too close of proximity to our tent. Silver lining, we got an early start.  So we continued on to our next destination of Hood River way ahead of schedule. :) Topher has always wanted to learn Kite Boarding, and Hood River is known for ALWAYS being windy and has about 6 different companies offering kite boarding lessons. 

Our campsite was across the Columbia River from Hood River and was a really fun stay for us.  It was literally right on the shore of the River, but between us and the river was a railroad track.  A very, very, very regularly used railroad track, where Trains were going every hour on the hour, in both directions, and having to blow their whistles each time they approached the bridge....also right next to our campground. As you can imagine...we didn't get much sleep.  Not just because it was noisy, but because Grace would absolutely lose it each time the train would come past.  It really was not even a rock's throw away from us, and it scared her so so badly.  Poor thing.  She would just crumple into tears and huddle between our legs sobbing each time it went.

Other than the trains, the campsite was really clean and well kept, and we were 1 of only 2 people camping there.  So it was very private and nice.  It also had the really nice, clean bathrooms and showers.  They only cost 25 cents for every two and a half minutes!!

We wandered around down town Hood River almost the whole afternoon, just going into all the kite and bike shops, and boutiquey toy stores.  It's an awesome location and a lot of fun, sort of like a downtown Jackson.  

We decided just because we were camping didn't mean we had to eat canned Tomato Soup, so we went out and bought steaks, mashed potatoes, veggies, kabobs, and all the supplies/utilities needed to make a good dinner.  I grilled steaks on the little campsite grill and made mashed potatoes and vegetables with our newly purchased camping stove and we had an awesome dinner together.

The next morning was Topher's kiteboarding lesson.  It was plenty windy and Topher had a blast learning the tricks of the trade.  He was a natural at everything and picked up 3 lessons worth of material in less than 2 hours.  He just didn't have the energy to try getting up on the board after 4 hours of kiting and body dragging in the choppy Columbia River.  

After Topher's lesson we headed for the Columbia River Gorge to meet up with my siblings who had finally caught up to us on our way to Grant's Pass.  We did a couple of hikes along the way and had a lot of fun watching Grace interact with all her cousins who she absolutely adores.   I couldn't resist these pictures of Gavin and Anya that I took.  Even if their mothers don't love em', I just love these pictures.  They are both so perfect and innocent looking in these pictures!

We even all went out to dinner at Red Robin to celebrate my brother's Birthday!  It was 9:30 at night, but hey, that's standard for Johnson family dinners anyway. :)

We stayed at my wonderful Aunt Sheila's house for the night, went to a Ward in her neighborhood the following Sunday morning and then continued on towards Grant's Pass.  Topher's family has done numerous vacations along the Oregon Coast, and as a result of these he loves the Pacific Coast Highway.  It goes right along the Ocean front and so we couldn't miss taking this route to our next destination of Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.  It was definitely the "scenic" route, and not just for the views, but also because it took much longer.  But it was worth it just to see the smile of contentment on Topher's face the second the Ocean came into view. 

 

Even though the reunion didn't start until Monday Evening, nearly the entire family had gotten tent sites that Sunday night at Umpqua and so we pretty much started the reunion a day early. We got to the campsite relatively late in the evening but still had a lot of fun camped right in the middle of my siblings and among all my cousins and Aunts/Uncles.

The next morning we went to the Beach where Topher flew his kite, we played in the sand, ate sand, ate food with sand in it, and tried to keep from eating our hair as well.  It was a really beautiful beach, and we did have fun...but I've decided if a beach is "perfect" for flying Topher's kite, than it's not perfect for Grace and I to play.

The days of the reunion have kind of blurred together for me because we didn't do any of the big family events. (Topher was a lame-o head and didn't want to...don't get me started on why not...I don't know!)  Everyone else went Rafting, Zip-lining...and we always stayed back at the Lodge...with practically no company.  :( 

 We did have fun, don't get me wrong, but most of our fun was at night when people were actually there, or related to my brother-in-law Joe's having brought his awesome dirt bikes.  I loved riding his little 50 around.  So what if my 6 yr. old nephew can ride it too?  It's still fun! Even Emily got in on the action, and that's saying something. ;) In other happenings,  my sisters and I made a big dinner for everyone and that was a lot of fun.  The girls all did a card exchange.  We played a huge game of Family Jeopardy where everyone got in on the debates that ensued after every. single. question.  We did our routine Johnson Family Photo session...and I was amazed by how little arguing there was in comparison to years past, as well as how much FASTER we were than in years past! Only two hours vs. the usual 4 where everyone is yelling in exasperation that they're going to leave if one more person says, "oh wait, my camera too!"  *sigh*  Thank goodness for Alan and his declaration that his would be the only camera, and he the only photographer. 

Topher and I did branch off one afternoon to go do a little hike that was down across town.  It was supposed to be a "Botanical" walk that showed all the different terrains and climates across Washington.  I was a bit skeptical at the start...everything was dead..and we were going over bridges where there was nothing but a dry rock bed.  But I was soon in love with the little Botanical Nature Walk.  There were sections that looked like rain forests, high meadows, pine forests...

I of course loved all the sections where there were waterfalls, esp. because they were all relatively small and we could climb on them and get Grace really up close and personal to them.

The Lodge that my Dad and his siblings found for the Reunion was great, and so fun for us all to spend time at and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with everyone.

For our drive home we decided to try and stick with my siblings.  They were going to head to Crater Lake and the Redwoods and we thought both these options sounded like a lot fun.    

We did a hike down to the lake and that was quite the adventure.  Nearly straight down, the hike was said to take approximately an hour to an hour and a half.  We discovered by the end of the hike, that this was 15 minutes for the way down, and an hour for the way back up! 

The next day we did another waterfall highway type of drive and that was just awesome.  We stopped by 3 or 4 different waterfalls, (we would have gone to a lot more...but we had a very avid nature photographer who needed at least 50 shots from every angle ;) ) we took the little walks or hikes to each one and just really enjoyed the scenery and being together.   

I am always floored when I hang out with my siblings.  I know they are my best friends, and I know I love to be with them.  But then, when the time comes, and we are all together, I am overcome with how much I absolutely LOVE to spend time with them.  I feel very blessed to have my family be my closest friends and even more blessed to have gotten to spend so much time with them this Summer.

Anyway...I am getting side tracked.  After our waterfall scenic highway evening...we stayed in a hotel all together that was actually an hour NORTH of Grant's Pass. (This is opposite the direction we were wanting to go to get home...) Yes...we planned this.  I just didn't realize how big of a detour we were really taking.  A whole 2 days of traveling just to end up an hour North of where we started.  I'd say its worth a chuckle.  Even if it was "planned". 

The plan for the next day was to head toward the Redwoods.  And again, Harry Potter messed up our plans and we ended up way past our destination.  So much so, that we would have to drive an extra 2 hours back the way we came to meet up with my siblings again...or we could continue on towards home.  As much as neither of us wanted to miss the Redwoods, Grace was starting to act sick, and neither of us was feeling all that great either.  So, we decided to head home.  A little depressing, but we were getting a little home sick anyway.  We drove all the rest of the day without stopping until we got to Reno, where we stayed at a Ramada my Mum and Sam had recommended.

The next day, we all felt pretty congested and sick so we drove all the way home.  No stops at lake Tahoe or anywhere else scenic for that matter...just all the way home.  Where we of course drove right past the exit for our house and went straight to the Andersen's for Gracey to see her Grandma and Grandpa whom she hadn't seen in nearly three weeks. :)  We went home late that night, and it was so very wonderful to be home in our own beds.  Granted, Grace only gave us a total of 4 days before we were in the Hospital with her nasty virus and dehydration.  Maybe that counts as a vacation too...?

Are you still with me?!! If you are...I'm impressed.  You just made it through the entire long, and drawn out recapitulation of our Washington/Oregon Summer Vacation.  Stay Tuned for our next post California Dreamin'.  All about the next trip of our summer...to guess where? Yup. California.  

As a quick update.  We made it home.  We have a few more doctors visits in the next few days, to continue to check on grace, and most importantly to make sure that her medicine levels are all under control.  But, we are no longer residents of the hospital, for now.  

I guess that the terrible spiral that we got into that led us to the hospital is that grace will start to feel sick and won't eat as much and get dehydrated, and this means that her medicine will be more potent which makes her kidney function drop way down, and her imune system to turn off even more, and makes her sicker, and less willing to eat, and so pretty soon she can be in a pretty bad shape.  She is all re-hydrated, and nourished now, and on a reduced dose of imune-suppresents.  Hopefully now she will get much better, and we will soon have our happy little grace back

As a quick story:  Just before going home today, grace was in a better mood and finally wanted to get down and explore her room.  She was still hooked to an i.v. however, so we would wheel the i.v. stand out into the middle of the room and let her walk around a little.  She soon descovered that the i.v. stand was on wheels, and a great thing to push around as she went, so we had our little tiny grace, in her hospital shirt, with i.v.s and tape and bandages all over,  holding on to this giant I.V. stand, walking around, it was quite a pitiful/cute/funny little thing to see.  At one point she even grabbed her little bag of treats and thew it on to the i.v. stand to wheel around with her, she was pretty cute.

It is good to be home.  Thank you for your love and support everyone!

Hospital Nostalgia

We got back from our 11 day Road Trip to Oregon about a week and a half ago.  Aside from beautiful pictures, some souvenirs and lots of mosquito bites we also came home sick.  I with my cold and cough, Topher with a cold, (now has turned into a sore throat as well) and Grace with a variety of stuff.  Starting with our first day home, Grace just had a cold.  The next day it was a fever of 102.  The next, a fever of 103.  The 4th and 5th  days fever of 104.  Let me just input here that when I say fever I don't mean one fever that lasts until the Tylenol kicks in and it breaks leaving us a happier baby.  Im talking a fever of 104 for nearly a straight 48 hours.  We gave little Grace tylenol around the clock for about 4 days.  Her fever would never "break".  But just come down a degree, maybe two, after THREE hours.  In another hour, the Tylenol would wear off and she'd be back to 104.

On the 3rd and 4th days of her being sick we went to the little IHC Instacare down the street from us to have her looked at.  The first time by the Family Doctor, the second time by the Pediatrician.  Each time we did tests for Strep, for Ear Infections, for Bladder Infections, and the second day we did a Viral Respiratory panel.  SO fun.  Lemme tell you.  It involves Topher holding Grace's head down, me holding her arms and legs down, and the nurse spraying a load of saline up Grace's nose and then using those brain suckers to suck out as much snot as possible.  Let me just say Grace was so angry her face was purple and she was barely breathing by the time they were done.  ugh.

So, each time we went in to the Instacares, the immediate results of all the tests was negative.  There was nothing they could give her, we were to just tough it out with the Tylenol.  It can probably be understood that Topher and I did not really sleep for those 4 or 5 nights.  But were more like zombies, trying to keep Grace comfortable, trying to break her fever with Essential Oils and wash cloths, refilling the Humidifier, rocking her, singing to her, trying to keep her hydrated.

Anyway by Sunday her fever had started to go away, she was at a low grade 99 or so and we were starting to think she was going to turn around and get better now.  But alas, we were wrong.  The fever traded places with a cough.  A really nasty cough.  And a stuffy nose.  And a bloody noses.  And eyes so puffy and pus encrusted she sometimes couldn't open them.

Tuesday morning Grace's cardiologist called to see how she was doing, we said she had pretty much turned the corner with the Fever but now had a bad cough.

They worried it might be Pneumonia or Influenza, or possibly even that she had the Swine Flu, even though the test came back negative.  

So Tuesday I woke Grace up and took her to the E.R. We waited in a room in the E.R. from 11:30 to 5:00.  Being seen every half hour or so by someone different wanting to check this or that.  Grace screaming every time one of them came in the room. 

Anyway, long story a little less long, it was determined she was massively dehydrated, had a virus they couldn't identify, and because of the dehydration, her immunosuppressant was having free reign, affecting her kidneys at three times the desired level, and so her kidneys were down to half function.

It's now Thursday, and we're in the Hospital for our third morning now.  Grace just doesn't seem to want to get better.  The cough is still there, the crusty eyes, and the cold is still there.  She is fully hydrated now after 2 1/2 days of I.V. fluids.  But she has no desire to eat whatsoever.  Grace! Who LOVES eating at home, and who is constantly saying she is hungry, and who if we let her would eat all day long, junk and more junk!

Maybe I should rephrase...she won't take any fluids...and won't eat anything that would actually have nutritious value for her.  She won't drink anything...we've tried Gatorade, Pedialyte, Milk, apple juice, chocolate milk, grape juice, water...

And all she'll eat is nibbles of cheese, and yogurt melts. 

At this rate we're never going to get to go home. :(

So, coming back to the title of my blog however.  I will say that when we first came to the hospital and got admitted, I actually had a few moments of nostalgia.  I actually missed being here.  I realized I had missed the hospital smell, and being up with her all night snuggling, and I definitely missed the food.  Cheap and oh so very tasty. 

Anyway, hospital nostalgia aside, we are ready to go home.  We have proven time and time again that Grace always does better at home.  She sleeps better, eats better and recovers more quickly.  So, please, pray for Grace to eat something beneficial so we'll get the green flag to head out.  That would be so wonderful.  Especially since on Tuesday, when we originally drove here, it was with the intention of coming home that very evening.  Haha.  How I had forgotten Hospital procedure.  

Anyway.  Sorry the post has been so long.  Just wanted to update.

Thanks for you thoughts, concerns, and prayers, please keep them coming!

Love Alysia, Topher and Gracelyn

Road Trip!

School was out for both Topher and myself the first week of  May! Yay for us!  We had decided a while back that once Semester was over, we wanted to take a little trip together.  But more importantly, we wanted to Grace on her first trip. Our planning was a little sketchy and we didn't actually decide exactly where we were going to go until 4 days before our desired departure date. :)

We decided a trip to the West Coast would be a lot of fun, and we'd throw in some stops along the way.  We headed out the morning after Topher's last Final and drove to Vegas.  My awesome sister lives there with her adorable 3 boys and elusive husband (haha, he just works a lot), and so we stayed with her that evening and played with her family the next morning.  We mostly just relaxed; watched t.v., ate good food.  Grace loved chasing the boys around and once caught she loved hugging and tackling them.  

Emily took us to this great park that her neighborhood had- the Splash Pad- just a really fun park, but all the toys are water toys.  Everything sprays, squirts, sprinkles, spews, or dumps water and it is a lot of fun.  I was so excited for this! I thought Grace would love it, and I figured I'd like it to, because let's face it, Vegas doesn't have the most comfortable climate.

But, I was very surprised to see that Grace hated it!  

The second she saw it she was whimpering and struggling to go the opposite direction from the park.  And the moment she got a drop of the cold water on even her toes, she went berserk.  She screamed and cried, collapsed in a heap on the ground...it was hilarious and sad, and also just down right disappointing.  We determined Grace is a big scaredy cat when it comes to anything not medically related.  I mean, how come she can handle open heart surgeries, cath labs, blood draws and oral medicines but not a Splash Pad???

After the Splash Pad and some lunch we headed out and continued on our way to Sandiego.  The drive wasn't too bad.  We had actually made a DVD for Grace, just of pictures.  Pictures of her, her parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and of course, more her...and she loved it.  Toph added music to it, and she watched the 30 minute DVD about 4 times in a row before she'd get bored.  We got to Sandiego that evening around 9:30/10 and got nice and rested.

The next morning, OFF TO SEAWORLD!!!!  

Because of Topher's being in the navy, we were able to both get in for FREE!!!! It was wonderful! We all had a lot of fun, and Grace even enjoyed seeing quite a few of the animals.  She loved to point at all the sea lions, and Toph says she really ejoyed watching all the Dolphins swim by.  I wouldn't know, I was the 21 yr. old hanging over the waist high wall, trying desperately to touch one.  I was successful by the way.  In fact I was the only person in the entire crowd surrounding the dolphin exhibit that ever got the dolphins to swim past me and let me rub them from mouth all the way to tail fin!!! wahoo!! I even had one that looked like it was going to eat my hand...hmmm

The shows were fun, and luckily it was an overcast day and school was still in session, so it wasn't nearly as crowded as we had thought it might be.  

Topher surprised me by saying I could do the Dolphin Encounter if I so desired...of course I very much desired!!! So we paid the outrageous amount of money and I was able to get up close and personal with not one, but three beautiful dolphins.  (It was supposed to just be one, but ours kept misbehaving, so we got to meet three :) )

It wasn't quite what I had expected, no swimming with them or riding on their backs or jumping up in the air or anything like what you see in the shows.  Instead, a fairly grumpy trainer telling you to "Stay against the wall!"  "keep your hands at your side"  "smile for the camera! ok, now hands down!! back to the wall!"

But it was definitely a lot of fun and I'm grateful my husband loves me so much to try and appease my giddy 10 yr. old love of dolphins. 

Half way through the day we went to Coronado Island to go the rather large Naval Base there.  It was such a nice base and we especially loved the Navy Pride store.  To be frank, we went a little crazy there.  But, we had to show our appreciation for SeaWorld! No?

We then headed to the private military beach, so Topher could use his new boogie board.  It was overcast, and 6 at night, so we actually had the entire beach to ourselves.  It was pretty cool!  

Topher was probably the only person in the water on the whole island!  (It was pretty cold).  But, maybe because of the lack of people, or maybe just because Topher is so cute and fish-like...a grouping of 4 or 5 dolphins thought it would be really fun to swim with him while he body surfed the waves.  I'm serious!  At one point he came back to shore yelled at me to look out at the waves, and right there where topher had been catching waves, dolphins, jumping in and out of the water, swimming right there with Topher!! So, I got to touch the dolphins for an enormous fee, and Topher got to surf with them....for free. :)

Instead of going to a fancy restaurant as originally planned, (it was too late, and we practically used the whole travel budget for me to do my Dolphin encounter ;) ) we drove around trying to find what I was in the mood to eat.  After stopping in the parking lot of a few places, and then determining that no, this would not hit the spot, we settled for KFC.  Which is strange because I really don't like KFC.  But, surprisingly, it hit the spot.  We got a ton of food, went back to our Hotel, (which btw was ON the harbor, you looked out your window, and you were on the water, and there were boats, a rock's throw from the window.  My rock's throw, not topher's.  He can throw a lot further) and ate KFC on the bed and watched T.V.  It was a really fun, relaxing and wonderful night.  

The next day was Sunday and we left relatively early to drive to Los Angeles.  Topher's sweet, hospitable, wonderful and adorable Aunt & Uncle and kids live there and we had to stop and see them to make our trip complete.  (Thank you SO much Kristen & Tyler!! You guys are wonderful!)  It was Mother's Day so we went to Church with them and I thoroughly enjoyed one of the talks on Motherhood, it made me realize just how important every mother is, no matter how different from one another, and no matter their mothering style/techniques.  They are all special.  Even me! yay!  We also got extremely delectable red velvet cupcakes.  Uncle Tyler says they're famous in California, and I thoroughly enjoyed mine, but I'm not sure I enjoyed eating it as much as I enjoyed watching Grace shove her face in it. :)

Grandma and Grandpa had also been in the area for the past week so they were at Church with us and accompanied all of us to the Beach right by Santa Monica Pier.  It was a lot of fun for Topher to get another chance to boogie board, and my Dad, his wife Karen, and their little girl were even down there, and were able to meet us at the beach as well.

I haven't mentioned it yet, but Grace also hated the Beach.  When we went to the private military beach, she screamed as soon as she saw the ocean and was hysterical if you ever tried to touch her toes to even the sand.  It was the same situation here at the beach in Los Angeles and she just could not handle the waves, the water, the sand, nothing.  However, my Dad made it his goal to get her comfortable and spent probably a good 30 minutes going up and down in the sand and water, trying to make it a game for her.  She didn't think it was fun.  Not at all.  But we did go from a screaming hysterical Grace, to a Grace that could tolerate it.  Not love it, or even like it.  But tolerate it....while holding her breath. :)

Aunt Kristen made us delicious meatball lasagne, home made key-lime pie!  And they got us to-die-for cream puff pastries and an awesome Mexican Breakfast, played games with us and even made us sleep in their bed!  It was a lot of fun to spend time with them and their ADORABLE kids, play games, laugh and eat awesome food. 

Monday after breakfast and some directions, we began our trek home again.  (We stopped at Trader Joe's btw...can I just say i LOVE Trader Joe's!?) We thought that Grace had done so well for 4-6 hour drives, why push her limit with an 11 hour drive home?  So we determined to drive to DisneyLand where my sister Emily was, pick up her house key, and stay in Vegas again that night on the way home.  She said to call when we got there and she'd come out of the park to give us the keys...

But then it happened....

we drove under the sign, just the sign to the parking Lot! It said "Welcome to DisneyLand!"

And then I lost all control.

"Topher!! We should go to Disneyland!"

"Buggy....no.  We can't go to Disneyland"

whining and moaning and gnashing of teeth ensued

"but please Topher! We're already here, and it's DISNEYLAND!!!"

Long story short, Topher couldn't resist my feminine charm.  And we went to Disneyland!  My sister and her family were there.  My dad and his family were there! It was so fun!  

I love Disneyland.  I love Disney World.  It truly does make you feel like a kid again. Ahhhhh.

But for all of you that are thinking we are crazy and insane for taking our precious Grace to the most child infested place on Earth, fear not.  We did go prepared.  

We both had Lysol in EACH pocket.  We sanitized before and after each ride.  We lysoled children that came close.  We lysoled nephews that looked in Grace's direction.  And 75% of the time, we had Grace in a cocoon of safety...her jogging stroller

:)

It was a lot of fun, and Grace really only went on three rides, which we deep sanitized, and none of which she actually enjoyed.  Something about darkness and water, scared her a lot. :)

But we had a blast and Grace was an angel and I'm so glad we went.

After a fun filled day at Disneyland, we left at 8:00 and headed for Vegas! Got there around 1:30 in the morning, slept, woke up at 7:30 and left at 8:30!

Got home after a long and grueling drive where Grace wasn't so great, and then I went straight to a concert with my beautimous sister Dacia! (This also was a lot of fun...but perhaps more details at later date...this post has already become extremely lengthy...)  (and pictures to come)

Ellie Burr!!

I just have to take a minute and welcome my new niece to the world!!! 

My beautiful sister Dacia had her baby girl this past Tuesday, (at 1 in the moring!!) and it is so so wonderfully exciting!

They named her Ellie Naomi Brewer, but I like to call her Ellie Burr.  hehe

She is itty-bitty, at least to me, weighing only 6 lbs. 15 oz. and she has a head full of beautiful little tufts of soft dark blonde hair.

I have gotten the privilege of seeing her every day since she was born and also of holding her quite a few times.  I love baby snuggles!!  I have to say, she makes the cutest little noises.... contented little sighs, little whimpers & squeaks.  It is the most adorable thing.  Even her crying is cute.   

Anyway, this is her and her adorableness. :)

Just had to shout "hurray!" for my new niece!  So so cute & sweet.

Oh, and btw, just because it's funny, Grace adores her, even though she's not allowed to touch her right now...who knows if she still has a runny/stuffy nose etc...

But Grace sees her and points, then furiously signs "please", while grunting in Ellie's direction...

I see a pair of 'best friends' in the making.  Or at least, I can only hope so. :)

What better than to have your baby be best friend's with your best friend's baby, right???

Grace hits the 1 year mark!

just so you are prepared...this post has a lot of pictures, and they're all very messily spread around. i'm having issues with blogger at the moment. but, hopefully you can still enjoy the post.
also, i realize she is now 13 months old. i know. i suck at posting. but, better late than never right???



Gracelyn's Birthday was on March 18th! Can you believe it?! Our little girl is already 1 yr. old!! It is so unbelievable. To think that we have had her in our lives for a whole year...wow. Sometimes it feels like its dragged on, day by day, by day...by day...but then, miraculously, it all the sudden has been 1 yr. and you realize that it truly has flown by.

We started our journey with this.

life flight & a lovely i.v. in her beautiful noggen!

and this in the middle...

definitely all cause for stress...

however, we've also had these...

moments like these, have made the difficult patches all worth it...

and most recently...we've had this...a little walker. who walks EVERYWHERE. and gets into almost everything...there's still time for that i suppose

Our feisty little Gracey-lou has been a challenge and a blessing, all rolled into a chubby little ball with big blue eyes & a giggle to melt your heart.

I liked this survey...so I'll think we'll use it for Grace too!

1. Height & Weight: 18.76lbs. & 26in....i think

2. Fav. Color: She is constantly pointing at the pink fish on our shower curtain...but I would say she really loves bright colors.

3. Fav. Movie: She is always very attentive for Veggie Tales...and also Muppets...although i'm trying to lay some baby einstein on her. make her educated. :)

4. Fav. TV Show: probably Veggie Tales. although her favorite thing to see on the t.v. screen is pictures of herself....

5. Fav. Food: Her favorite baby food is the Apples & Cherries. But, let's be honest...she doesn't actually believe in eating baby food for me. she loves baby cheetos and also is constantly getting adult foods. So, she loves ranch, bread, cheetos, orange juice.

6. Fav. Treat: The girl loves oreos. And I recently discovered she also has a thing for nilla cakesters...must run in our womanly genes

7. Fav. Toy: Mommy & Daddy's cell phones...remotes..however, since she ruined a remote, and a charger...we have tried to keep these away from her. Her newest favorite toy is her dolly. Her Grandma Venice bought it for her for her Birthday, and it giggles when you press it's belly. Grace adores this little dolly. She laughs, smiles & giggles right along with it, and we are constantly catching her hugging it, kissing it, picking it up and snuggling it. She just loves it.

8. Fav. Outfit: She hates getting dressed, AND undressed. Her fav. outfit is her Birthday Suit.

9. Fav. Activity: Following around mommy & Daddy and crying until they pick me up. Also, taking all the movies off the shelves and THROWING them behind me. Making a mess. Whining. Ok, a more realistic one...Grace really loves to be outside; going on walks, getting the mail, taking out the trash...any excuse to be outside.

10. Fav. Subject in School: Well, she's not in school, but I imagine she'll love music & dance. She is always dancing to music and shaking her booty. The girl has rhythm.

11. What do you want to be when you grow up? Topher said "just like her mommy"....I

roll my eyes at this...and say that she probably always wants to be Daddy's little girl. We want her to be whatever her little heart desires.

12. What makes you happy?: Cheetos, the outdoors, cuddling with Daddy, playing with Daddy, making a mess, pictures of herself or cousins, looking in the mirror

13. What makes you sad?: Being alone, when mommy & Daddy leave or won't hold me, when I have to eat, when I have to take a nap

14. Best Friend: Daddy, daddy, daddy. And if I had to choose other people....her cousins, Uncle Austin, Grandpa Curtis

15. Personality Traits: FEISTY, STUBBORN, silly, sweet, independent (she can do it all herself...), dependent (her happiness depends on you being RIGHT THERE ALL THE TIME), cuddly (as of late...she loves to give hugs, esp. to her cousins), funny, cautious, energetic

16. Special Stories about you from the past year: Since people really already know the gist of Grace's journey...rather than get super sentimental...because that's what every post is...I'm going to share with you a little it of Grace's fun personality...

She loves to make faces. They make everyone around her laugh out loud.

She has one where she clenches her whole face, with her mouth open & stretched out, and then she shakes her whole body...almost seizure like...but it is hilarious!

Another face, she does pouty/kissy lips, tilts up her chin, and breathes REALLY loud through her nose, while spontaneously blowing snot out. It may sound gross, but it also is really funny.

She loves music & loves to dance. ANYTIME that music comes on, she will start to wiggle. Doesn't matter if its a phone ringer, a commercial, or a full out song, she'll shake her bottom back and forth, raise an arm in the air and shake her booty, bounce up & down. It is so so cute to watch.

She loves little kids & babies. She can't keep her hands off them, always wants to hug them, and if just passing one by on a walk or in the store, she'll wave at them furiously until they see her and wave back. If she ever sees one crying, she'll make a sad face and blow kisses to them.

She frequently falls asleep with her butt in the air.

Everytime we change her diaper, she thinks its time to run away. Once the diaper is off, she'll immediately flip over and crawl away at lightning baby speed, sometimes attempting a dive right off the bed, and of course, she is giggling the entire time.

This little girl is resilient. She can overcome so many things & be so tough. When she had her heart transplant, she sat up by herself for the first time a week later, in the hospital.

She has developed so quickly physically, and not let anything hold her back. We are constantly amazed by her & her ability to overcome challenges & obstacles.

We are anxious, nervous & I guess excited, ;) to see what this next year holds for us!

Happy Birthday Gracey-lyn-lou!

Here are some pictures of her Birthday for your viewing enjoyment!
This was the start of our beautiful baby and her lady bug

cake...

She started out fairly timid...not so sure about this sticky red stuff on her hands...

And she became more daring as the night wore on

Soon you have this sweet face...

And of course Topher and I did NOT encourage her to put her gooey hands on her head...that would be completely mean of us...

And you end with this. Isn't it a work of art? It turned the entire bath tub pink too. She had such a fun time mawling that cake. It was hilarious to watch....I think I may have snorted a few times from extreme laughter..luckily that didn't end up on film.

Anyway, it has been an adventure of a year. But it's becoming more and more normal feeling rather than high maintenance health concerns every way you look. Its an amazing feeling to finally think Grace is going to be ok, and that she is here for the long haul. But I think that after a year of ups and downs, that feeling is finally here to stay.
Thank you to everyone who keeps updated on Grace & how she is doing. We appreciate so much the support we get from so many people, even the people whom we have never met or even spoken to in person. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers & support! Grace has needed & been blessed by every bit!

Our Family Birthday

Yes, I realize this post should have been done nearly 3 weeks ago, however, its still important! And I really wanted to let people know how much I LOVE my sweet husband, and cherish being married to him. :)
I'm copying my sister-in-law who did this same type of post, and maybe she copied it from my sister, and who knows who she may have copied it from. ;)

1) Height and Weight: combined, that would be 11.2 ft and 285 lbs.

2) Fave Color: Purple, Blue, Green

3) Fave Movie: Meet the Robinsons, Lord of the Rings, Over the Hedge, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

4) Fave TV show: Chuck!

5) Fave Food: Korean Food ,Cafe Rio, Sushi, Pasta...ok fine, so Topher and I like everything.
6) Fave Treat: Vanilla Ice Cream, frozen yogurt from Yogurt Stop, fruit pizza

7) Fave Toy: our cameras and bikes

8) Fave Outfit: pajamas on ourselves. topher loves me in skirts/dresses. i love him in CLEAN, dark blue jeans and a nice collared shirt with his hair done. ahhhh my hubby is a babe.
9) Fave Activity: Playing games! WE LOVE to play games. our current favorites are Shadows over Camelot, Munchkin Quest, & Ticket to Ride

10) Fave Subject in School: We both seem to like biology a lot. He obviously is big into engineering and computer programming, I like art and writing more.

11) What do you Want to be when you Grow up: What do I NOT want to be is a better question. I find myself wanting to try everything and be everything. Topher wants to be a biomedical engineer, and possibly a Dr. But we both want to be fabulous parents!!
12) What Makes you Happy: Being together. Playing games, relaxing, eating good food, watching Chuck or a good movie. We also like to go on short and sweet hikes...preferably to a waterfall please.

13) What makes you Sad: When we are not together. When Grace is sick or in the hospital. When we don't get alone time. When Topher is always at school!!

14) Best Friend: First and foremost, Each other. Our favorite people to hang out with as a family though, would be Dacia & Joe, and Austin, or in other words, our families. They are the best!
15) One Wish or Dream you Have for yourself: That we can continue to build a healthy, happy family. That we will always have each other and our babies,and to someday have a beautiful happy home with Topher in job that makes him happy.
16) Personality Traits: klutzy, scatter-brained, Loving, Affectionate, silly, fun-loving, kind-hearted, and Topher is uber smart. :)
17) Special Stories about You from the Past Year: We have had quite a year. Starting with my giving birth to our little Gracelyn, and culminating in her 1 yr. Birthday! It has held many ups and downs. Times of worry, pain, sadness, but to balance them all out, immense happiness, and hope. We have been emotionally, spiritually and even physically, stretched throughout the last year. I know there is most assuredly more to come, but at least now we have a sure knowledge that Heavenly Father will be right there with us through it all, to help us, to lead us, and often times to carry us.
The central things that have happened are obviously, that Grace was born, had an open heart surgery at 5 days old, and then had a heart transplant at 5 months. No biggie right? :) But some other things, that are still very special/important to us are that Topher joined the Navy. This has been such an exciting thing. We never thought it was a path we would go down, but it has been such a blessing for us, and the real work hasn't even begun!! 2 more years exactly, and we'll be in South Carolina! Then the real adventure will begin, right?
Also, I have begun going back to school. Its been so nice for me to have something that is just for me, and that helps me build confidence in myself. I also ran a triathlon, which took a lot of training, and personal butt-kicking, but it was so worth it. I actually participated in the triathlon the day after Grace's heart transplant!! So, she was motivation to finish.
It's been a crazy, hectic, and beautiful year where we have grown as a family and come to love each other as husband and wife more than we ever thought we could a year ago.

Topher is such an amazing husband and best friend. He treats me like a princess, even when i don't get to shower for 3 days! lol. He gives me sweet priesthood blessings when I just don't think I can endure another day of motherhood.
He cereal and orange juice in bed, and always takes out the garbage, (even if it is with a LOT of aggressive encouragement). He reminds us to read scriptures and never leaves for school in the morning without offering a word of prayer with my hand in his. He has an enormous work load for school, and yet always comes home ready to play with his baby girl. He is all I could have ever dreamt of, and I am so grateful he is the rock of our family. He has made this past year so much easier for us with his constant smiles and optimistic perspective. I love him so! And am so grateful to be married to him!
Happy 2 year Birthday to our little Andersen Family!!

new post coming soon....

But...not quite yet.
I spent all morning re-doing my blog while listening dejectedly to my daughter scream her guts out the whole time...
think she's coming down with something again.
so lovely.
anyway...
i will post again soon.
in all honesty, I have been so leery of posting again, because I just feel like our good news is so....well, its just always great news, and I actually feel guilty posting about how 'great' life is, when so many others are having such difficulties.
I dunno.
Anyway...my husband, and step-sister, and a few other people have convinced me that people need to hear good news too, especially among all the sad news, so that there is something to smile about, and not just to cry over.
So, I will post about our good news, and a few other things, as soon as I get a free minute.
As for right now...I have to go get dressed.
It is, after all, 4:00 in the afternoon, so, I should probably get out of my pajamas.
Thanks to those of you who still check in on us to see how we're doing.
Don't give up on us just yet!
I promise to post tonight or tomorrow!!
The picture is purely to make this post worth reading. :)

"Goodnight Gracie"

11 month old Gracie Gledhill said 'goodnight' to her family last night. She is an amazing little girl, and has touched so many lives with her own. Her family continues to be strong and faithful, and will be an example of courage to so many, especially in this difficult time. Tom Gledhill, Gracie's Dad, has written a very sweet post to say goodbye to his sweet angel Gracie, and it is very worth reading, to gain his insight, and also to say a few words to this sweet family, who although they are showing strength, and sharing testimony, must undoubtedly be going through much pain as well.
Please say a prayer for Gracie and her sweet family today.

Sweet Gracie Gledhill

The amazing Gledhill family is most likely letting their sweet little baby girl go today. They have tried everything, and to no avail. The Berlin heart is no longer an option for her, she cannot receive a new heart, and her little heart is just not strong enough to come off ecmo.
This sweet family has tried everything, and has watched their little girl fight with all her might through it all.
They posted last night, saying today would be the day they let their children say goodbye, and then they would do the same. They will be donating any healthy organs. What a sweet sacrifice, although it does break my heart that this will shorten their time to just hold her. My heart aches for them. This family is just so amazing to me. They are so strong and faithful. Such an uplifting example to all of us. I will be eternally grateful to this family and especially little Gracie's fighting spirit, and the impact they have had on my testimony, and on so many hundreds of others.
Please pray for this family continually today. They need all the love, comfort, peace and strength possible today.
All our love,
the andersens