Friend Connection

We have been doing some fun things this Christmas break besides being sick. Tade got  a new Wii game on Saturday the 22nd at our Gappmayer Christmas party and when we haven't been too sick we have LOVED playing it. It is called Wii Party and it is SO MUCH FUN!!! Eric, Tade, Ash and I can all play together, while Easton watches and Carter helps Eric. It is even so much fun that when the kids go to bed, Eric and I play it together into all hours of the night. (Okay, maybe only 'til 10pm cause by then I have used all my energy for the day and am exhausted.) One of the games is called Friend Connection and Eric and I got a 100% on it! Ohhh, how cute! True Love!!! Alright, I know it is silly, but we really love the game and have had fun hanging out together.



Eric being a goober,
but this was like our
5th attempt at a picture.

Tade was not the best

photographer.



Daddy-O and Gela, our Mii's

Christmas 2012

This Christmas was one to remember. The memories started almost two weeks ago with Ashlynn getting "sick". On Sunday she said that she wasn't feeling well, but we told her that if she didn't go to church she couldn't go to grandma's house to do gingerbread houses. Of course, she changed her mind on how sick she was and ended up going to both. She woke up Monday not "feeling well" again so I let her stay home from school, but she just played with Carter all day and I told her she was going to have to go to school the next day. (Although it was nice to have Carter occupied all day.) Tuesday she woke up with a little fever and some coughing so I had her stay home again and she did sleep some of the day. She was better by night time though besides a runny nose. Carter kind of started coughing and boogers on Tuesday, but I mostly thought he was faking. (Nice mom, I know.)

Ash went to school on Wednesday and Tade started looking kind of funny, but he had a Christmas program and kept telling me that his teacher told him he had to come no matter what. :) He was fine though and the program was great. On Thursday, Ash was doing better. Carter was good, but Tade woke up looking like a dead man walking. He wanted to go to school so bad though because they were having an auction in the morning and then decorating gingerbread houses in the afternoon. I had to go to work so I just dosed him up with some Motrin and sent him out the door. My sister, who babysits, texts me at 3pm: Tade just got home and is crying cause he doesn't feel good. It was so sad! Poor kid. When Eric got home an hour later he Motrin'd him up again and had him take a shower. He stayed pretty yucky that night with fever, cough and congestion.

The next morning I had to work again. Eric's mom came over to watch the kids for a few hours before Eric got home from the half day of school. Tade stayed home even though his fever was gone and he was feeling somewhat better. I guess as soon as I left though, Easton started coughing so hard that he threw up all his breakfast. I didn't get home from work and last minute shopping until 8pm and by that time he had thrown up again for Eric and then wouldn't really eat anymore. He also started a slight fever and LOTS of congestion. Boogers, fever and coughing were starting to sound way to familiar. By the next day Ash, Carter and Tade were all seeming to be their old selves. Good thing too because we had Eric's dad and step mom, Grandpa and all siblings and nieces and nephews were coming over for a Christmas party. It was really fun, but you could tell Easton was not feeling well. He wouldn't eat and was feverish. Not a great day for him. We kept him home from church on Sunday, but took him to grandma's house for dinner. He did not feel well and was just lying around whining. He wasn't eating much and what he did eat usually came back up with his coughing.

The next day was Christmas Eve and we were able to just stay home and have a relaxing day. I started not feeling well, but I kind of chalked it up to no sleep. (Easton hadn't really slept at all the last three to four days.) I made a list of all the things I want to do that day. Things like: get neighborhood gifts out, play wii party (the new game Tade got the day before), wash whites, play operation, etc. There were 10-12 things on the list and we got most of them done. It was a great day. By 8:30pm the kids were in bed. By 9pm they were asleep. I really started not feeling well by around 7pm. I took some ibuprofen (my best friend when I;m sick) at 8pm and took a little nap from 9-10pm. We quickly set everything up and were in bed by 10:15pm. I was so tired, but could not fall asleep. I started feeling congested and tight in my chest. At 2:30am I hopped in the shower, hoping to get some relief. I got out around 3:30am and heard Ash and Tade out checking out the presents. I let them look for a bit then sent them back to bed. I went down stairs and tried to go to sleep in the recliner. I think I got a little rest from 4-6am, but not much. Ash had gotten back up by 6am and Tade not too long after her. Easton was up not long after that and then Carter was up by 7am.

We opened up presents and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Clement's house. Easton and I were barely hanging on and after breakfast and some presents, I was done and ready to get home and try to get some sleep. I took a shower when I got home. The only place where I felt like I could kind of breathe. I had so much mucus (I know gross, but that's how it was) and then tightness in the chest, fever, chills, body aches and just general yuckiness. My phlegm was so gross, I was gagging and choking on it. Now I knew what Easton was going through. By 3pm when we were supposed to be getting ready to go to Grandma Gappmayer's house, I was so out of it, I didn't know what was going on. I literally just wanted to die or at least get knocked out for 3 or 4 days til I know I could wake up feeling somewhat better. Eric got everything ready and took the three older kids to grandmas while I stayed home with Easton.

I didn't really feel like taking care of him, but he was still feeling yucky too so it wouldn't have been good to send him out. I got him fed (and by fed I mean like an ounce or two of pedialyte) and bathed and put him to bed and then was able to get some rest until Eric and the kids got home. Eric then took care of me (I had set up a little camp in the recliner downstairs and just planned on sleeping there) and got the rest of the kids in bed as well. I was supposed to be working the next two days, but I had called my boss and she said she would work everything out which was a huge relief.

Again I didn't sleep much, but the other kids had so Eric got good sleep which was good cause he was the only one who was thinking clearly at all. I did wake up feeling much better then I had (I at least didn't want to die anymore :)) but still not great. I spent most of the day napping and showering. I really have no idea what Eric and the other kids did. Apparently Easton was still not feeling well and not eating anything. By the end of the day I even called my boss and told her I would come in the next day (Thursday the 27th) if she needed me too, but she had gotten it covered and I still wasn't feeling great so I didn't push too hard.

I slept somewhat better that night, but apparently Easton didn't and was pretty lethargic so Eric decided that we should take him to the doctor. I was feeling okay so I made the appointment and we hung out until we had to head up to Orem to see his doctor. (Now why are we going all the may to Orem to see a doctor? Well, this doc has seen E since he was born and with Easton's history we feel like it is worth it to travel to keep seeing him.) Blessedly (is that a word?), my sister Bobbi lives close to the office so we dropped the other three off at her house so Eric and I and E could all got to the appointment together. I still wasn't feeling hot so I wanted Eric there to get all the info.

We had to wait a little while, but once the doc came in and took a look at him he decide to admit him to the hospital for dehydration and and upper respiratory infection. So off to the pediatric floor at UVRMC we were headed. I will do another post on Easton's blog with details in the next couple days, but luckily he only had to stay overnight and was home by Friday evening. Now it is Saturday and we are all kind of getting back to normal. Ash, Carter and Tade are for sure back to their old selves. Easton's much better after the hospital trip although he isn't quite 100% yet and I am almost there too. Like I said, lots of memories made, but overall I am able to count many blessings through the trials and be so grateful for the Savior and His Atonement and the real reason for Christmas.

Clement Gingerbread Houses 2012

A yearly tradition at the Clement house. The kids love "decorating" their gingerbread houses (aka graham cracker houses). Mostly, I think they love eating all the candy, but either way it is fun!

Kennedy and Ashlynn

Marylee and Lindsey

Zach working so hard that he wouldn't even look up.

Emily, Carter, McKayla and Jared
Carter and McKayla are best friends!

Jared and Tade
Jared also wouldn't look!
What's up with those Anderson boys?

Brigham, McKayla and Ady

Ezra and Courtney

Once There Was a Snowman

 Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman. Once there was a snowman tall, tall, tall. (Okay, I don't actually have a picture of it when it was tall, but you can imagine. I only have one of Eric starting it. It ended up being taller than hi, but not skinnier. :))

 In the sun it melted, metled, melted. In the sun it melted...

 small

 small

small!

This was from the very first storm and everyday it kept leaning over farther and farther. We had too much fun watching it and taking bets on if it was going to be "down" or not each time we came home from somewhere. It never actually fell. I think it eventually cracked in the middle, but mostly it just melted!

Tade's Fight

Tade got in a fight last month. It was two against one and he definitely got the bad end of the deal. I told him not to pick on his bunk bed and dresser, but he just wouldn't listen to me. The bunk bed tripped him up and then the dresser decided to take out his ribs. It hurt pretty bad at first, but then he couldn't wait to show his friends at school. It really looked like he got swiped by a tiger. Hopefully, we won't have anymore bunk bed injuries!

No More Helmet

After 3 months, we are helmet free and LOVING it!!! It has, actually, been off since the first week in December, but since I am a super slow blogger, the post is just happening now. The helmet did make quite a bit of difference in his head shape. What was a 15mm difference from one side of his head to the other is down to 5mm. 4mm difference or less is considered normal, so we are happy with the results. The helmet also seemed to act as a weight for his head and neck muscles, so we like to consider the added blessing of strength training that it brought. We are still, continually, working on head and neck muscles, but Easton seems to be getting stronger all the time. I hope to have him prop sitting by the time he is one. That is the goal, at least.

Christmas Update

I don't know that anyone even reads this, but just in case, I wanted to let you know we are still alive. :) We have been busy with life the last few months. Here is a little update about each of us.

Tade is plugging along in 2nd grade. He loves his friends, recess, football, and reading Diary of the Wimpy Kid books. He pretends he doesn't like the other parts of school, but I am pretty sure he is at least okay with the other stuff since he is doing so well in school. He is super excited for Christmas and is asking Santa for a football and Lego's.

Ashlynn has become my big helper. Sometimes she is a helper with a BIG attitude, but lately she has been a big helper with a sweet attitude, which is so nice and refreshing. She loves preschool and can't wait until next year when she can FINALLY go to Kindergarten. I think she just wants to get out of quite time in the afternoon however she can. I keep trying to tell her that one day she will wish she could have an hour of quite time every afternoon, but so far she doesn't believe me. She is asking for Squiknies and Barbies from Santa.

Carter is seeming like a really big kid lately. He is talking really well, which is really fun. Sometimes I still think of him as a baby, but he is my big boy now and it is kind of sad. Lucky for him, he still gets away with alot of things, since I see him as a baby, but I am starting to figure him out and try not to let him play me so easily. His smile is contagious and he is always making us laugh.

Easton is getting so big. He is almost 10 months old!!!! We just found out yesterday that he has for sure been diagnosed with congenital CMV, which means when I was pregnant I contracted the virus CMV and it caused some hearing loss and brain damage as Easton was developing. How has this effected him, you may ask. Well, his hearing is a moderate to severe loss, meaning he can hear sound, but can't necessarily recognize the sound. He has hearing aides that he is wearing as much as possible and with those in he is hearing pretty much normally. Yea! The virus has also caused some developmental delays. He is pretty much behind in almost every aspect of his physical development. We were lucky enough to have caught this all really early though so we have been blessed with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and hearing therapy all through wonderful state programs that have been so amazing. So what can Easton do, you might ask. Right now we are working on better head control (which is getting better all the time), grasping toys and bringing them to his mouth, sitting (hoping to get accomplish this by a year old), eating solids, and babbling. His little life has been filled with lots of ups and downs, but we are so grateful to have him in our family and feel blessed to have the opportunity to be his parents.

Eric has been working so hard not only at his job, but also in trying to finish our basement and helping his mom work on hers. He never has any free time. He is always doing something for me, the kids, his calling, his job, whatever. We love him and are so happy that he is our husband and dad!

I have been busy just trying to keep things organized. Easton has lots of appointments, luckily most in our home, but if not then I am always begging babysitting off of someone. We are blessed to have left a wonderful ward where we still have many good friends and to have moved into a equally wonderful ward where we have been able to make friends too. Everyone has been super helpful with helping with my kids. I owe many people LOTS of THANKS!!! I am still working once a week and I am also activity days leader, which both keep me busy as well.

We are truly blessed and are grateful for this Christmas time. I love reflecting on my Savior's birth and have really felt the Atonement in my life this year as I have leaned on my Savior more for the peace and comfort that come through His sacrifice. We hope that life is treating you well and that you too feel PEACE and LOVE at this Christmas time!