Everything you didn't want to know about my life . . .

First of all, welcome to Brianna Jane -- 7 lbs. 4 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, born at 6:26 a.m. on Sept. 29 after way too many hours of labor, particularly in this hospital (oh to be divinely blessed to have a baby at Gritman again!!!! *sigh*).  And she is an angel, a jewel, the most chillax baby ever, and keeper of the newly-grown segment of mommy's heart.  We love love LOVE her and cannot imagine life without her, even though I am still self-confessing to have a hard time imagining life WITH her.  It's going to be a CRAZY, crazy ride!!!  I really hope the chillax-ed-ness stays, cuz with her older brother and sister, I'm going to need it!  Heck, we're ALL going to need the balance!!!

Second of all, I feel like life the past week has been a living hell.  Yes, I just wrote that "out loud" and even used "that word."  And both after describing our new little angel as an angel and totally chillax and the BEST BABY EVER!!!  Let me expound.

About 10 days before Brianna was born, Abby started screaming in the supermarket -- the kind of scream that isn't a two-year-old tantrum and that no mother could ever ignore.  And it didn't stop.  For hours.  After a way-too-long wait at "Quick Care" (like three hours), all with a screaming-in-pain toddler and me nine and a half plus months pregnant, carrying her up and down the hall with a diaper bag full of toys and books to keep her happy during our wait (none of which ever left my bag or distracted her from her obvious pain), we learned she had a double ear infection.  Awesome.  Got the prescription, got the drugs, headed home for another sleepless night of crying and trying home remedies to calm her down and almost setting the house on fire (pretty sure I already wrote about all of this somewhere).  Thought that was the end of another ear infection story.

Fast forward a few days -- Sunday.  We were in the mother's lounge, just trying to get through with the twins, when I got distracted by another new mommy in the ward. I'm still trying to make all the friends I can and find my niche.  And it was great fun until . . . Abby started screaming in pain!!!  Isaac had got her fingers caught on the inside of the shower stall door.  Look away for two seconds . . . . The nursery leader brought her to me an hour or so later and told me she was pretty sure Abby had dislocated her finger because she wasn't using it, it was swolen to her knuckles, and she cried whenver anyone touched it.  Awesome.  Back to Quick Care.  Good news: Same doctor as diagnosed her ear infection; Isaac didn't have one, Abby's was almost all cleared up; the finger was fine!!!  Home again, home again, jiggidy-jig.  To Daddy who was home sick from church.

About five days before Brianna was born, Dave started with cold chills and a fever.  I can't remember if he missed work this time around or not.  It all blends together already.  But needless to say, I was wondering if I was going to have a baby by myself while my husband nursed a fever and my mom watched two crazy toddlers.  And it wasn't looking too promising.  Then two days before, he said the fevers had stopped; he was fine.  We could have her anytime.  Perfect.  Thought that was the end of another Dave-fevers-aches-exhaustion-missing-work-or-church story.

Brianna was born!  It wasn't as relaxing as Gritman had made having a baby.  It wasn't ideal in any sense of the word.  There was no mommy-daddy-new-family-bonding or rest and relaxation while the nurses watched the baby for the first 48 hours and treated the new couple to one last meal all their own by candlelight.  Nope - cuz this hospital leaves the baby with you all the time and doesn't do anything special like that.  But that's another story.  SO -- as Dave and I are trying desperately to get some sleep, keep up with a nameless baby Jane, document every feeding, how long, which side, what kind of diaper came from it, at what time, blah, blah, blah.  And while the nurses kept coming in (or sending someone in) every hour to check on me and keep up with their regulations to incessantly come in and wake me up just to be able to write down how I was sleeping and doing and feeling.  And while the birth certificate lady kept calling us to find out what we were naming our little girl and if we needed a book of names and "I'll bring one right up" and then keep calling you until you make a decision.  And while the breastfeeding expert finished her entire schpeal even as I was struggling more to keep my eyes open than you would in the most boring lecture EVER after only a few hours of sleep in the preceding 72 hours.  And while the wall let out a high-pitched squeal every time someone next door turned on the water in either sink or flushed the toilet or anything.  And while you thought someone else was coming in every time anyone opened a door on either side of your room because it shook and banged your door EVERY SINGLE TIME . . . .

While all of this and more was going on, Dave started getting a sore throat (again) and a horribly throbbing headache.  And kept trying to get some sleep on the makeshift bed in my room.  About noon-ish, after no sleep for two days, he decided to run home and shower and change and steal a quick nap before coming back to get through one more night in the hospital. (Baby Jane was jaundicey and not eating and producing like they thought she should, so they wouldn't really let us go home -- or so we thought at the time).  And he left me with the strict instructions that I was to have a name chosen by the time he got back (I had Samantha, Natalie, and Naomi for approved first names and his stamp of approval on Jane and Grace for middle names -- so I got to draw the lucky combination from a hat and make a decision before he got back -- lucky me!  you can see how well THAT went!).

Meanwhile, back at the Motel-6-disguised-as-the-Palace, I decided I had HAD it with this hospital, staff, hourly visits to make sure I was sleeping and that Baby Jane was peeing and pooping on schedule while I was getting my rest, etc.  So I told them I wanted to go home NOW.  Dave didn't get the memo until later, but I really didn't care anymore.  I vented to one nurse who told the Charge nurse who called the pediatrician and OB.  Dave came back a few hours later, having spent some one-on-one time playing with the twins instead of napping, and we got back to the business of choosing a name so they would let us leave with our "Baby Jane."

Oh, but I forgot to mention that just after Dave got back, he told me he'd had a horrible cough hit and should get a mask from the nurse's station.  Which he did.  And while he was doing that, my mom called and asked me if Dave had mentioned that Abby was broken out all over her body with 1/4" hives and that she was struggling to breathe so much that mom was really worried about her.  No.  He didn't mention either of those things.  Huh.  I pointd mom towards the inhaler on Abby's dresser, was informed by Dave that her hives weren't "that bad" and to not worry too much.  And the birth certificate lady called.  And we were back to choosing a name.

We finally did choose.  And got home.  And Abby's "no big deal" hives were getting worse.  As was Dave's cough.  So we sent Dave and Abby to "Quick Care" and got Isaac in bed and started to settle new baby Brianna Jane into her new home.  And we waited.  And I started to worry about how late it was and how tired Dave was and how early his morning and long his day at work were going to be.  And we waited.  And I called Quick Care and was told they couldn't give me any information -- which I insisted was garbage and pressed further until she told me they must be back with the doctor because she didn't see them in the waiting room.  And we waited.  And four hours later, they came home and announced:

"Abby doesn't have chicken pox but is deathly allergic to amoxicillin -- like the last dose you skipped when she was having a hard time breathing could have cut her off entirely. I, on the other hand, have an upper-respiratory infection, a double ear infection, and strep throat."

Gasp. sigh. cry. stare in disbelief and amazement. escort new baby to bedroom to never leave again.

I couldn't believe it!  It was horrible!  And he's been there from birth to Quick Care visit.  He even cut her umbilical chord.  Totally exposed.  Wow.

But at least Abby got some benedryl and a prescrpition for the next few days and was going to be okay.  Or so we thought.

Dave locked himself in the office (where he still sits today, sometimes lays, on his ever-so-comfie cot), my mom and I started spraying and disinfecting everything in sight, and we restlessly went to bed.

We got Abby's medicine a little late the next day.  So imagine our amazement when a few hours later, she was totally and completely . . . . no, not healed, BROKEN OUT AGAIN!!!  This time the hives were so close on her arms that they were just large lumps.  And on her hands and ears and feet and legs.  And she was pale and swollen all over . . . and an absolute bear!!!  What. the. heck.  With General Conference playing on the internet in the background, I called the Pediatric Allergist and got a prescription of . . . some really powerful medicine.  And we were instructed to bring her in on Monday.

Monday I got Dave in to see a doctor because when I took Brianna in for a jaundice check and me in for a whooping cough vaccine and strep throat check, the doctor told us that it was almost medically impossible for Dave to have strep while on antibiotics for his tooth extraction a week or so before.  So I talked to my friend Emily and my mom and decided he had mono.  But when he went to Quick Care Sunday night, they told him they wouldn't test him for mono because his joints didn't ache.  So I got him in to see the doctor Monday after work.  And they tested him for strep.  And were blown away that the test was positive.  And wouldn't test him for mono but told him to finish out his second, double-strength prescirption of amoxicillin and come back if things didn't improve.  Pins and needles all week long, much hand-washing, hand sanitizer everywhere, etc.

Tuesday we took Abby to the doctor - and her allergy was cleared up.  But her double ear infection was not.  And she had either Fifth Disease or . . . well, he tested her for strep.  Good news! She had strep!  No need to go back for a nasty blood draw that afternoon.  Nope. Isaac and I just got to go back for a strep test that afternoon.  And Isaac tested positive.  One shot in Abby's leg and two prescriptions later, we thought we were finally over the hump!

Until Dave went to the doctor today because he has only gotten worse.  And was told that the long test had come back negative for strep.  So he has a virus.  And they drew blood to test for mono.

But what the heck?  How do Abby and Isaac have strep when Dave has mono . . . .

Or do they all have something else entirely?

Here we sit like birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness.  Here we sit like birds in the wilderness . . . waiting for our food.

Oh, and Abby got some cold virus in all her office visits.  Which, in spite of all of my best efforts and keeping Brianna behind locked doors almost 24/7, not even touching her in the same clothes I had been wearing outside of my bedroom -- Brianna now has.

And my mom flies home on Wednesday.  And I'm praying we have this all figured out/straightened out by then.  Praying . . . praying . . . praying . . . praying.  Please join me!!!!

Who would have ever thought that bringing home a new baby would be the LEAST stressful part of my week?

Like I said, she's an angel . . . an absolute gem!!!