Whew!

This last Friday, we left for our last trip to the Valley for Sawyer's treatments. It was sad to leave such gorgeous weather!

Usually, Sawyer's appointments are on Fridays so I'd pack up while Mike was at school in Show Low and then meet him there and we'd go on to the Valley together. This time, Sawyer's appointment was on Monday so we had a full weekend in Mesa.

I got a new calling in The Young Women's program in our ward and we were able to go to the Phoenix Temple open house with the youth on Saturday. It was so beautiful and awesome that we got go tour it as a little family. To say it felt very "eternal" is the best way I can describe it! I love these four people so much! I'm also so excited about my new calling! I love being around the girls in our Young Women's! They strengthen my testimony so much!

This time Sawyer's appointment was on a Monday because he had to get a tenotomy, or "heel cord lengthening" on his Achille's tendons (Caution: don't watch the video in the link if you have a weak stomach!). Here's Dr. Bethur removing Sawyer's casts before they took him to the OR.

Mel was once again generous enough to watch Grant and Rems so Mike and I could go together. We're confident they had a much better time with their cousins than they'd have had with us!

She even watched Grant for an extra few hours so Mike and I could take a nap with Remi and Sawyer. We're sure glad Brian talked her into joining our family somehow!

Although the tenotomy is a pretty low risk procedure, I was really nervous to have my baby go under anesthesia! I did feel much better after the anesthesiologist came and explained to us how it was going to go. He said he'd put him under by having him breathe through a mask, and then give him what was similar to an epidural to numb the bottom half of his body. That way, he could have pain relief without having to administer narcotics through his IV. The  whole "going under" thing was still scary, but hooray for no narcotics in his bloodstream!

Mike and Brian gave him a blessing the night before, and I know we had a lot of people praying for us because I felt very at peace that next morning when we got to the hospital. It seemed like Mike and I had barely gotten a chance to eat breakfast and start up a conversation when they called and said he was out!

I thought he was going to be pretty lethargic afterward but he was pretty active and seemed to just be angry! The nurse reassured us that he wasn't in any pain but suggested we give him demerol to help calm him down.  This made no sense to me! Up until now, I've always kind of let healthcare professionals do what they think/say is best but I feel like I learned a lesson in making informed decisions and being an advocate on this trip. Why, after taking precautions to NOT have to give him drugs IV and after preparing us so much that he might be irritated coming out of the anesthesia, would we add MORE drugs to the mix? And a narcotic to boot!

So we said "no thank-you" to the demerol. And wouldn't ya know, all he needed was a big burp and he fell asleep in my arms a few minutes later. 

Sawyer 's castings and tenotomy are done! Woohoo! Now he's in one final pair of casts that will stay on until mid-November when he'll get his brace.

Standing at the beginning of his "adventure" was super overwhelming, but as the weeks went by and we were able to check each appointment off, it seemed to get easier. Now I'm just looking at the piles of things that have been stacking up in the last 6 weeks, hoping taking babysteps toward them will show results just as quickly!

Progress

This little guy has had quite the drama with his feet!

After the 8th cast with our podiatrist in Show Low (he was only supposed to have 6), we were told that Sawyer still wasn't making much progress and that they wanted us to do a consult with the orthopedist on the mountain.

I'd had some doubts and uneasy feelings early on in the casting wih the podiatrist because the casts didn't look anything like the ones I saw when I would research club feet. After the 8 casts with little progress, I was REALLY feeling uneasy and unsure about what we should do. Sawyer was supposed to have surgery the next week, but it seemed obvious that he wasn't ready!

After a lot more research, I decided after my walk with Sawyer one morning that he needed to be doing the Ponseti method of treatment. It's only come about in the past 10 years and there are apparently very few doctors who've been correctly trained in it. I came across a story of a family with a similar story as ours. They had done several casts with a doctor without much progress, and off of a whim they decided to email Dr. Ponsetti himself. Surprisingly, they got personal response from Dr. Ponseti telling them to fly to from California to Iowa to do treatment with him.

That day when I got home from my walk I told Mike about it and we said a prayer to try to find out what we should do. Up to this point we had talked about praying for direction but put it off and never actually said the prayer and asked. After we prayed about it I told him maybe I should just call Phoenix Children's Hospital and see what they recommended. I explained the situation to the front desk of the pediatric orthopedic department and he recommended that we schedule an appointment with their club foot specialist. The problem was, the soonest they could squeeze us in was in two months. I told him how grateful I was that they were squeezing us in but asked what we should do in the meantime. Sawyer was still wearing casts from the previous doctor. Should we let him take the casts off and go without casts for two months or should we let them go ahead with the surgery and keep doing castings? The receptionist put me on hold and went to the back to talk to the doctor. He came back and asked "can you come tomorrow?" I quickly said yes, we would cancel whatever we had going on and we made the trip.

The good news we found out was that no harm had been done with the casts he was already wearing. The bad news was we'd have to start from scratch. Sawyer's legs were a little irritated from being in the casts for so long, plus they didn't really have appointments since they'd just squeezed us in in the first place, so he went without casts until we could be seen again after three weeks.

This is what his feet looked like right before the first appointment at Phoenix Children's:

And this is what they looked like after this last cast was taken off:

Here he is in the full leg casts he's been sporting now.


We're going back to the Valley for one final casting this weekend, then he'll have surgery to release his Achilles' tendon the next week. After that, he'll wear a final cast for three weeks, then a brace for up to four months full time, and then just at night for up to four years.

Driving to the Valley every week after he'd already been in casts for two months and waiting over two hours at every single appointment has been rough. We never had to wait more than 15 minutes at the doctor in Show Low and he treated Sawyer like he was his own son. However, I think now that there's just something to be said for specialists! Our new doctor is so methodical in the casting and seems to know club feet inside and out! He even trained with Dr. Ponsetti personally! I'm so glad we feel on the right track and I can so easily imagine Sawyer running and keeping up with his brother and sister!

One leg down, one to go!

There's also something to be said for having such great friends and family! The amount of support we've gotten from so many of them is overwhelming! We'd talked at one point about doing the castings in Flagstaff since it's a little closer. I'm so glad we didn't! Our friends Adam and Melissa let us stay with them every weekend for almost a month, Heidi and Jake let us stay in their new house without supervision all last weekend and have provided much needed emotional support and entertainment. Brian and Mel usually feed us at least one meal on every trip we make and Mel's been watching the kids so Mike and I can both go be with Sawyer (keep in mind, I said we've never waited less than 2 hours to see the doctor. Then there's casting time and driving time...last time, we dropped the kids off with Mel at 3:00 and didn't get back until after 7:00!). And my parents have been giving us a discount on rent to help pay for gas. I have no idea how to even begin to thank everyone for their help! So far, Blue Bell's been about all we can come up with!

Other than that, we've been trying to make the most of our trips down there and the kids have enjoyed swimming, riding the carousels at the malls, playing with their cousins and friends and Mike and I've been trying to make up for years of no places to shop or get things done! We still come up with a full to-do list for every trip!

Remi wouldn't ride the carousel. Grant never wanted to stop!

Our kids are acquiring a talent for making themselves at home when we're not at home. Here they are at IKEA.

Getting ready for a swim at Adam's. Remi doesn't swim though...one of her only fears!

It's been an adventure, that's for sure! Luckily, our kids travel well and are excited to go. I'm also so happy that the trips have kind become a time for Mike and I to get to catch up after busy weeks and that after talking the whole way, it really doesn't seem like four hours.

Exhausted

Remi fell asleep like this on the couch the other day. Lately, I feel like I can totally relate! This post is pretty much a random mish mash of events that all run together, or in the midst of each other, but here's what we've been up to:

My parents are officially residents of Quemado now. We've made a few trips out there and no offense to all you New Mexico natives, but I'm surprised by how beautiful it is!

These three are bonkers! Some days, I feel like there's not a minute that goes by when at least one of them isn't crying or needing something that I can't get to. Other times, we're all smiling and I get lost watching them and wondering how I got so dang lucky! I guess that's typical with little kids though, and My heart starts to break every time I realize how quickly they're growing up!

Mike's building a swing set/sandbox/fort in the backyard for the kids. This is a halfway picture, but Remi couldn't handle being without a swing for even a day, so Mike rigged this one up for her in the meantime. She's got all of us pretty wrapped around her little finger (if you can't tell!)! 

My brother Tanner has been living with us for the past month and a half. He got a job in town right before my parents moved and Mike suggested he stay with us while he saves some money and tries to see if he can get a place of his own. Mike's much more supportive than me, to say the least! I love his perspective and insights! I'm a better member of MY family because of him, and I've learned a lot from having Tan here. I do have (too many) days though where I'm overwhelmed  and need an attitude adjustment. Tan's doing SO well in so many areas, and we're so proud of the progress he's made, but there are just enough setbacks to discourage me and make me question how much longer we could/should continue...I guess time will tell and we'll have to just wait and see. 

Mike's been working so hard, he's the man! He's been juggling some really demanding tasks at work, helping me with the kids,

helping me with Tan,

 being Tanner's personal counselor, not getting behind despite having to take lots of time off for Sawyer's treatments, his church calling, helping his family and my family, and trying to find time in there for a little recreation and keep me happy. I don't know how he handles it all, but I'm grateful and lucky he does! I would crumble under the weight of one of Mike's average days!

This little man is getting SO big and greets us with a big smile almost every morning! He's been holding his head up during tummy time and rolling over and is adored by his siblings. He is the sweetest little man and is still my little buddy! I love how much he makes me feel like he needs me! (Although it would be nice to be able to do some things alone from time to time!)

We go for a walk together most mornings and it's one of my favorite parts of the day! SO therapeutic on so many levels!

I'm doing another goal weight challenge and am super motivated to not only reach my goal weight, but get into the best shape I can right now. I'm hoping I'll be able to start running soon!

She's a nut! It's always interesting to see what Remi's up to!

Like when she peed her pants one one of our recent trips to Show Low and had to wear a pair of Grant's shorts we happened to have with us. I told her she looked like a thug, so then she kept walking around saying, "I fug!"

This guy is OBSESSED with Jake and the Neverland Pirates! I don't even want to say how long he'll sit and watch it (I will look like a terrible mother!)! He's converted his sister and they march around the house together singing, "yo-ho mateys away! There'll be treasure and adventure today!" (Remi usually just chimes in for the emphasized words). I know Grant misses Chase, but it's been so good to see he and Remi spending so much time together, and to see what Grant wants to do when he gets to be in charge.

Sawyer's treatment for his clubfeet have kept us especially stressed and busy (but that merits a post of its own), along with fighting with our insurance about all the bills that've been rolling in since he was born. We went to the Valley over the weekend for a doctor appointment for him, and it was nice to get away, but it's great to be home!

No Theme

I'm driving myself crazy because I feel like every post I've made lately is just a "catch up" post with no real theme. Maybe after this one...

A lot has been happening in this first month of Sawyer's life!

First off, he finally got going on treatment for his feet! He's on his third set of casts now, but here's a picture of him in his first set.

We LOVE Dr. Hall and are SO happy with how his treatment has been going!

Sawyer got to go on his first outing to his cousin Hallie's baptism this month.

Hallie is a super awesome girl and our whole family loves her and having her around!

I'm still a little weary of taking Sawyer out, but it's getting better a lot faster than it did with the other two kids! Maybe because it's summer? I don't know...but I still didn't feel comfortable enough to take him to all the 4th of July festivities so my mom and Sal were nice enough to fight over snuggle time with him so I didn't have to miss out!

Anyone will tell you that the Fourth of July in Eagar is always awesome! But for some reason this year, as I looked up and down the road at all the red, white and blue, I had a greater appreciation than I've ever had in the past, to be born and live in such a wonderful place! It truly felt like a patriotic celebration to me this year, even though compared to years past, we didn't really do much!

I must just be getting old! Which was proven by this being my ten year high school reunion! I don't feel that much older than when I graduated, but I remember when I was a sophomore, the seniors doing a skit of what their ten year reunion would be like and thinking "man, when they're graduated ten years, they're going to be SO old!"

I dropped my camera on the lens and it broke right after the parade, so I didn't get any pictures, but I'm surprised how good it was to see old friends and catch up! I grew up with some really good people!

I did manage to get these pictures of Grant and Cozi with Mike's phone because it was just too funny to let pass by without trying to get some sort of photo documentation!

Remi fell down (in these giant goulashes she insists on wearing everywhere!) and was yelling "Hep-me! Hep-me!" at her brother, who was holding hands with Cozi.

Grant didn't think too hard before he made his choice.

He even said "Tum on Tozi" like he was rubbing it in.  I've really been trying to work with him on making Remi's well-being a priority...looks like we've got some more work to do!

I was determined to ensure that Sawyer has just as many pictures as his older siblings, but it looks like I've got some work to do in that area as well! (I'm going to put that on him though, because even when he's in a deep sleep, he rarely lets me put him down!)

Even though it's not documented as well, we LOVE our little Sawyer Man more than a million pictures could show! He's SO wonderful!!

Exciting Things

Maybe it's because I've been pretty confined to the couch, or because I'm not worrying and stressing about all the things I "NEED" to get done, but I've noticed some things this week that may seem small, but I'm deeming them blog-worthy! (And I actually made this post yesterday, but never got it up.)

Remi said "ah lub ooo" for the first time! (In case you don't speak Rem, that means "I love you")

She also says "cue me" (excuse me) and "charry" (sorry)

Grant showered for the first time after Remi pooped in the tub. He's saying he's going to take showers from now on. He's getting so big!

We discovered that not only are there 5 seasons of Shaun the Sheep, but they're ALL on Amazon Instant Video now! Grant and I will be busy this next week!

Remi calls herself either "Ray-me" or "me-me". It's so cute! We're always trying to ask her questions about herself to get her to say it.

Grant goes looking for Sawyer as soon as he wakes up in he morning. He's super protective of him and reminds people to use hand sanitizer before they hold him (IF he lets them hold him). He's already been showing him important things in life like how to watch Scooby Doo and Shaun the Sheep. The other day when he was holding him, he said "I love Sawyer! He's so tool (cool)!

Grant with his bed head snuggling with Sawyer first thing in the morning.

Mike took a few more days off work than he had planned and it's been so nice having him home! I hate it when he's gone! I want him to find a job where he can work from home. :)

We took the kids to watch How to Train Your Dragon 2. It was a little crazy, and Sawyer did the best of all three kids, but it was so fun and I'm glad Mike talked me into going (I was pretty apprehensive with a new baby and knowing I wouldn't be able to do much to help if the kids got crazy). Spending time with Mike, Grant, Remi and Sawyer is by far my favorite way to spend my time!

Last night was the first time since we've been home that Mike and I got the chance to sit down together and watch a show and eat some Blue Bell. It was so nice!

I'm feeling SO much better every day! Don't get me wrong, I still require a nap at least once a day and I still can't even think about taking a leisurely walk, but I am able to help get the kids dressed and get them yogurt or chicken nuggets without feeling like I'm going to pass out. I took for granted before how nice it is to be able to just be a mom and take care of my kids. I actually miss and am looking forward to being able to take them to the grocery store and make them dinner and wash and fold their little clothes-all things that I kind of loathed before.

Sawyer is TWO WEEKS OLD today!! I can't get enough of his sweet little face! He looks like he's going to have more red in his hair and he has dimples!

This picture is actually from last week-he's already changed so much since then!

We're pretty attached to each other (sometimes I feel like I'm still pregnant with him because he's always with me!) and I already can't imagine our family without him! It's been nice to get to have so much quiet time with him. He's SO wonderful!

We've been talking to doctors and getting appointments set up today to hopefully get treatments started on his feet soon. 

I told Mike on our way to Show Low yesterday that if I had died, I couldn't have felt cheated. I would've died happy, my life has been so blessed! But I'm beyond grateful that I'm not missing these times! These times are the best!