Bug's day

On Monday my sweet little Bug had his tonsils and adenoids taken out. He also had a tube removed from his right ear that was lodge in his ear canal. He was such a brave little man.

We arrived at the hospital at 7:45 am. After registration and check-in they gave him some medicine to help make him drowsy so that he would not have anxiety going back to the operating room. The medicine didn't work. He was fully conscious and aware when he was wheeled back on the bed. He was very nervous and apprehensive.

All went well with the surgery. The doctor indicated that his tonsils were big but the adenoids were huge. This was a good thing for him.

Unfortunately, after the surgery wasn't so great.

Bug woke up from the surgery just fine and not complaining of any pain. We moved him to an open area that was simply divided by curtains. After about an hour he was able to eat some slushy and a Popsicle. We had the IV taken out and were putting his clothes on when...up came the slushy, Popsicle and a bunch of blood.

He laid back down and took a little nap. Shortly he was vomiting blood again. By 2:00 pm and a few more vomiting episodes it was determined that we needed to put the IV back in so he could receive floods and anti-nausea medicine through it. Since he was asleep for the first IV he had no idea what to expect. Thank goodness for those wonderful individuals who have been working with children for so long and are able to make the process as quick as possible. It was over in a few seconds and he only felt a pinch like he does when he receives his immunizations.

To make a long story short, after three nurses and one very long day we were able to leave the hospital at 6:15 pm. Bug just kept saying that he wanted to go home and be with his dad. I felt so bad and did my best not to let him see my cry.

I think one of the most troublesome things about this experience besides the obvious concern I had for my son was the other patience in the room and their experiences.

One that was most upsetting to Bug was the little girl across from us. I am not sure what procedure she had done but she was only happy when her grandmother was holding her. When her grandmother felt it more important to go out for a "smoke" than to hold her granddaughter during this trying experience the sweet little one screamed the whole time she was gone. Her mother, who was holding her, was frustrated and kept telling this little girl to "shut up" and "calm down". Like she had any control over it.

Once again, the great staff at the hospital stepped it and tried to help in anyway possible. Bless them all!

Thank you to all of you marvelous people who work at Primary Children's Medical Center. Thank you for making the horrifying experiences for these children as unhorrifying as possible.

Unselfish Service

I have been asked to teach the lesson in Relief Society at church this Sunday. The lesson is entitlted Unselfish Service. When I first began studying this lesson over a month ago I read it as just another conference talk. Now, the words are words of wisdom.

Over the past month service has been very prevalent in my family's life. We have been recipients of countless acts of service. Acts which have come at times when we least expected them but it is now evident that we needed.

I would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank You" and "Bless You" to all of those who have served my family. I truly know you are all blessings and I thank my Father in Heaven for each of you.

To quote Paul Cardall "...life is temporary but how we choose to act in this life is eternal."

May I strive to follow your great examples and serve others more each day of my life.

Thank you!

I will SURVIVE!

This explains it all...

Worst Week

This has not by any means been a typically week for me. On Monday I flew from Salt Lake City to Boise for a one day trip with my boss. I am your typically nervous flier. I take at least one, sometimes even two dramamine tablets before I board the plane. The flight to Boise wasn't too bad but coming back to Salt Lake that evening was not so great.

Up until that day I had never experienced flying in a thunder storm. Not recommended by this passenger. I was fine until the descent to Salt Lake. By the time we were actually on the ground I had the shade pulled over the window and the barf bag in hand. I didn't lose anything but I'll tell ya, I sure thought I was going to a couple of times.

With that over I came home to a house full of very happy boys, except for one. My little bug (the oldest) was shivering and said his throat and head hurt. Yep, fever and swollen tonsils. So, Tuesday I stayed home and took him to the pediatrician. Sure enough, strep. This is the third time in six months this guy has had strep. Needless-to-say we will be seeing the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist in a couple of weeks.

Wednesday wasn't so bad. Work was hectic but that is always good as far as I am concerned. The busier you are the less trouble you seem to get into.

Now it is Thursday...

Just in case you aren't able to make out the huge hole in my window, it is about dead center of the blinds on the right hand side. So now I am home waiting for the insurance guy and the window guys.

Friday has to be better, right?

Day at the Zoo

This week I had the privilege of attending my first field trip as an adult. My oldest child is eight years old and I have not been able to go on one field trip until now. I went to the zoo with my first grader. I've been to this zoo a couple of times before (many, many years ago) but I must say, I was quite disappointed with this trip.

I remember seeing in my previous visits a flock of flamingos (my favorite) but there were none this time. The only birds we saw were the ducks, swans, geese, and varieties of parrots. The wild turkeys and peacocks were roaming around the zoo their own.

There were no lions, no koala bears, no polar bears. The tiger was no where to be seen. The "Great Apes" were in hiding. The Cheetah is in such a grassy area we had a very difficult time finding him. My son was excited to see the penguins but that exhibit along with the seals was closed for construction. The elephants and rhinos were there but I felt that the enclosures they are in are much smaller and it seemed more difficult to seem them.

The giraffes were there in the exact same spot as I remember them. As always, they were majestic. I love the giraffes.

Of course, the monkeys were there. The cute Capuchin Monkey just like the one that steals the keys from Ben Stiller in Night At The Museum.

There was also a Howler Monkey that had some serious howling issues that you could hear throughout the whole zoo.

One of the best looking monkeys was the Colobus Monkey. The tail on this monkey is really long and bushy.

We arrived at the zoo at 9:30 am with the plan to meet back at the bus at 12:45 pm. At 11:30 am the kids were done and had seen everything that was available to see.

There just didn't seem to be as much as I remember. Maybe because I am older and things are not as large as they were when I was a kid but the zoo seems to have gotten smaller over the years. There seems to be more food stands, and gift shops and less animals.

The greatest attraction for the kids was the snakes, spiders and crocodiles. We visited that exhibit twice. The second time around the porcupine that was at this exhibit was scratching on the glass wall as if he was trying to escape.

The kids did enjoy the playground that has been installed. They have placed tarps over the toys to keep them cool but it seemed that they forgot to do the same for the benches where parents typically sit to watch the kids play.

I really don't mean to seem negative about my experience, it was fun watching the kids. However, I'm sad to say that I just don't think it would be worth my money to pay for entrance. For a field trip it is sufficient.

What I think however doesn't mean much. The most important thing on this day was that the kids all had fun.