8th Anniversary

Brecken Ty McLachlan

Introducing Brecken Ty McLachlan!!!

 

August 31 - Bradlee officially completed her first week of first grade, and I was able to drop her off and pick her up everyday.  After school I got the kids ready and took them to my mother and father in law who were taking them camping.  My mom went with me to drop the kids off, and then we went straight to City Creek because she said she was going to walk me until I went into labor.  Keep in mind, my due date wasn't until Monday, September 3rd, but Bradlee was 11 days early and Brock was 9 days early, so this was by far the most pregnant I had ever been.  That night I started having some mild contractions.  Nothing special, and I didn't really think much of it.  Tyler and I made plans to go see Bourne Legacy the next day, and Tyler joked about how we would for sure have the baby tomorrow just because we had made a plan to go do something together.

 

September 1st - My contractions started waking me up at about 3:00 am.  They weren't super consistent, so I wasn 't really worked up about them.  At about 5:00 am they were painful enough that there was no way I could sleep.  I laid in bed timing them and they were still not really consistent.  At about 5:45 am I decided to get up and take a shower thinking that they would probably just go away if I got up and started doing something.  To my surprise, once I started moving around they just came harder and faster.  While I was showering they were only about three minutes apart.  I decided I better wake Tyler up and give him a chance to get ready as well.  I am terrified of going to the hospital and having them send me home or having to be there for like a day and a half, so I decided to not really rush and finish getting completely ready.  In hindsight, that was probably a poor choice.  We left for the hospital at about 6:55 am with my contractions only about two minutes apart. 

 

We checked in to the hospital at about 7:20 am.  Shortly after we were told that there had been some kind of mix up and my doctor did not deliver at the Jordan Valley Hospital.  However, they were able to get one of her colleagues to come out, who just happened to be the same doctor who delivered Bradlee!  I am not the type to get attached to my doctor or anything, but it was nice to have a farmiliar face and someone who knew and remembered us.  When I was first checked I was dilated to a 7.  The nurses asked me if I wanted an epidural, and I said no.  I had Brock without an epidural, so I was pretty determined to do it again.  Tyler was against my decision, and kept asking me over and over again if I would change my mind.  I think that was the only time I ever got snippy.  I just said, "I need you to stop asking me that!"  The nurses checked me again, and said I would be ready to push as soon as my doctor got there.  I always test positive for Group B Strep, and at this point I had only been in the hospital for a little over an hour.  Clearly, I didn't get a full course of antibiotics before he was born.  Guess I should've come sooner! 

 

Brecken was born at 8:51 am.  He was 7 lbs. 9.9 oz.  He was 18.75 in, and his head was 35.5 cm.

 My mom and dad got to the hospital just in time to hear him cry.  Which, by the way, is not your ordinary quiet and cute newborn cry.  We all got to hold him and feed him for about 20 minutes before they took him to the nursery.  Meanwhile, Tyler had been trying to get ahold of his parents who were still camping with our kids and did not have cell service at their campsite.  Lisa was headed up there that day anyways, so that was helpful. 

 While in the nursery he started having some apnea, and the doctors moved him to the NICU.  I was pretty shook up, but glad to have Tyler and my dad there to give him a blessing.  All I can really remember about this stretch of time was that they were gone for forever, and I was getting worried.  Finally, my dad came back to my hospital room, and when I asked him what was going on, he just stood over my bed and cried for almost a solid minute before he pulled himself together.  In that minute, I really thought I might've lost my baby.  Finally he said it had just been a really special experience to be there and to hear his blessing.  I could've killed him!

 

The next time I saw Brecken, he looked like this...

A lot of family and friends came to the hospital to meet Brecken, but no one got to hold him.  Megan was there right when they were moving him to the NICU, and she didn't even get to see him.  Molly and Craig even happened to be in town.  At least they got to see him, but they couldn't hold him.  No kids are allowed in the NICU, so Bradlee and Brock didn't even get to see him the day he was born. 

 Tyler and I were allowed to hold him, feed him, and change him.  We came to the NICU every three hours on the dot to make sure we never missed the chance to be with him.  Here we are with him in the middle of the night...

 

 Obviously, he was put on oxygen, but he was also put on two different kinds of antibiotics in case he did have an infection. 

 

 Just had to get a picture of his fuzzy head...

 

On Sunday, Brecken was taken off his oxygen, and the NICU nurse wheeled him down to the window for Bradlee and Brock to meet him for the first time.  This picture makes me smile and makes me a little sad all at the same time.

 Monday was a super crappy day.  First thing in the morning we were told his blood culture had come back positive for some kind of bacterial infection.  The doctor said it was possible that it was just a skin contaminate, so they were going to take another culture to be sure.  I was discharged from the hospital that day, and I can't even describe what that felt like.  I thought I would be fine, but I sooo wasn't prepared to leave the hospital without him.  Tyler had to go to work that day, so my dad came to the hospital to sit with me.  I thought I would be fine without him, but it was a good thing he was there because I totally melted down.  I didn't feel like I knew what was going on exactly.  It didn't seem like anyone was really giving me any real answers about why we were there.  Brecken's IV in his hand broke, and then the IV in his head broke and the nurses started talking about having to do a picc line.  T.C. finally laid the smack down and was able to get some real answers from the nurses.  Turns out we were looking at about 72 more hours in the NICU at least until we got final results from the second blood culture.  Oh yeah, and they put him under the bili lights.  I never did really get a straight answer as to how high his bili levels were.  I kinda got the feeling it was more of a well, he's here already, might as well put him under the lights type of deal.  Anyways, all of his other blood work and vital signs were looking perfect.  No more signs of apnea.

 So Monday, night after we left the hospital it was late, I was super tired and in a lot of pain.  I literally had a panic attack and hyperventilated.  I felt so guilty for leaving Brecken at the hospital alone, and so guilty for leaving Bradlee and Brock with my parents and not being there for them. Tyler took me to my parents house late at night and he and my dad gave me a blessing. The only thing I really remember him saying was to pray to my Heavenly Father and actually listen for guidance and comfort.  That night after I prayed I just sat there by my bed, and I had a perfect picture come to mind of my Grandma Bricco standing over Brecken's crib in the NICU.  It might sound silly, but it helped me a lot to think that she might be there when I wasn't.  I was much more calm after that.

 

 We never had to do the picc line, but they did have to put a new IV in four different times.  Two in the hand, two in the head. You're looking at the second one in the head in this picture...

 Thursday morning we got word that his second blood culture had come back negative and there was nothing else keeping him in the hospital.  The last thing to do was the car seat challenge.  They strapped him in his car seat still hooked up to his leads for two hours.  If everything stayed good for those two hours he would be cleared to go home.  Thank goodness he passed!

 

I had my mom pull Bradlee out of school early that day so she could come meet her brother!  Here are all three kids together for the very first time.

 

 And, finally, here he is at home safe in his own bed!

 

 Bradlee feeding her brother!

We had a lot of cool experiences while Brecken was in the hospital.  Just another example...Tuesday night, while we were sitting with Brecken, there was an announcement over the intercom for any LDS Elder to call the operator.  Long story, short..Tyler gave a blessing to a man on the operating table in the ER. 

Special thanks to my parents for keeping Bradlee and Brock for so long.  I never would have made it if they hadn't been perfectly taken care of.  Thanks to Tyler's parents and Jordan and Josh for relieving my parents whenever they could.  I know they would have done more/everything if we had let them or if they lived closer.  Thanks to everyone who brought dinners and came and visited us!

Bradlee's First Day of First Grade

Bradlee's first day of first grade was on August 27, 2012.  She was very excited to go back to school!  She has two teachers.  Mrs. Bryant teaches in Chinese for the first half of the day, and Mrs. Crestinger teaches in English the second half of the day.

Happy Birthday, Bradlee!

Bradlee turned six years old today!  I can hardly even believe it.  We only celebrated a little today because Tyler had to work, and we are having her actual party of Friday. 

She is quite a character!  She still loves Barbies, dance, running, jumping and tumbling.  Most recently she has told me that she wants to be an Olympic gymnast.  Unfortunately, I fear she will be much too tall for that. 

She also loves swimming, brushing her hair and getting her nails done.

She absolutely adores her grandmas!!!!  Most days I think she would prefer to live with either of them than Tyler and I.  However, when I dropped her off for a sleepover the other day she did say, "Be careful, Mom, and don't die.  I don't want to have to live with Grandma forever!"  It was funny, cute and it made me feel pretty good, too.

She understands and grasps more things than I give her credit for.  The other day one of the gates dropped on our car as we were coming out of a parking garage, and the first thing she says is, "Dad, do we have car insurance?".  She also has some interesting insights into the scriptures and things of a spiritual nature.  She often references Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.  For instance, I was talking to Brock the other day about wind and how it can't be seen, only felt, and  Bradlee says, "Right!  Just like the Holy Ghost."

She is creative and can play alone for hours.  Some days she will actually tell me to take Brock and go somewhere else because she just wants to be by herself for a while.

Bradlee takes after me in a lot of ways.  She plays with her hair CONSTANTLY.  She isn't super lovey, clingy or emotional. 

She doesn't offer up a lot of information about her day or what she is feeling, but I am slowly learning how to get her to open up to me.  It takes a lot of patience, if you push it too hard or come at her too directly she will shut down completely.  It definitely has to be on her terms.  I guess "on her terms" pretty much sums her up.  She is happy, funny, charming and helpful.....ON HER TERMS.  If I try and force anything, well, then we all lose.

Tyler, Brock and I love her to death!  She is very talented, smart, and scary pretty! 

Happy Birthday, Boogie!!!

Startalk Camp

Bradlee's Chinese Immersion program kicked off this week with Startalk camp.  All first grade kids enrolled in the Chinese program were able to get their feet wet before school actually starts on August 27th.  The camp lasted Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Bradlee found the camp to be pretty exhausting!  Some days when I picked her up she would be crying before we even made it to the car.  Supposedly, says the principal, it is not uncommon for kids to find the whole thing extremely overwhelming for the first month or so.  Today all parents had the opportunity to come see what our kids have already learned in such a short amount of time.  I was very impressed!

"I love my brother."

Singing in Chinese

Some kind of Chinese dance, it has a name, but I didn't catch it.

Besides what you see here, the kids also learned to count to 10 and write the characters, some body parts (head, shoulders, knees, toes) and the days of the week.

P.S. It isn't Bradlee's fault that she physically cannot stop playing with her hair.  It is hereditary.  I can guarantee she has no idea she is even doing it.  Next time she has something like this I will have to remember to pull it all back.

January - July 2012

Needless to say, I am pretty far behind on my blogging with no real chance of catching up.  I made it a goal to at least get the major events covered before the new baby comes, so this is me doing the bare minimum at best. 

Well, 2012 came in like a lion, and I am hoping like crazy it goes out like a lamb! 

First things first...

December 30, 2011 - We were extremely surprised to find out baby #3 would be joining our family.  I know I said we were never having anymore babies because I know my limits as a mother, and all of that is still true.  However, the Lord has other plans for our family.  I think everyone is a little nervous about how I will handle three children (I, for one, am terrified!).  Even though we didn't have this in the plans, I think we knew it was inevitable at some point, and this baby will be just as loved as the others, and that is saying something!  It'll be a wild ride for sure. 

January

January 2nd - We found out Tyler would no longer have a job as of the end of the month.  That day was devastating especially considering the previous news. 

January 8th - I was called as primary pianist, which is laughable at best! For those of you thinking, "I didn't know Tory played the piano"...Well, I don't!  Everyone is really nice about my skill level, or lack thereof, and I guess we get by just fine.  I have already had to play in sacrament meeting a couple of times, and no one has died.  I consider that a success and nothing short of a small miracle.

January 14th - JoJo got married!!!! All of my siblings were able to make it for the big day.  They were sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos temple, and Jo looked beyond beautiful!

January 16th - We moved into our own place. Interesting timing considering Tyler would be out of a job in just a couple weeks, but we still felt like it was the right thing to do. Same ward, same school district.

February and March

Tyler continued to look for a job.  I continued to get fatter. 

April

The Easter Bunny came, of course!!!

 Also, the day before Easter we were able to go through the temple with my eldest nephew.  Elder Bricco entered the MTC on May 16th and is currently serving in the Daejeon, South Korea mission.  The whole family is so proud of him and grateful for his service.

April 16th - It's a BOY!!!

April 20th - Tyler began working at Little America. Tyler received two job offers on the same day.  The first paid more money, but would have required us to move and wouldn't have allowed Tyler to finish his degree.  As we attended the temple, we felt his education was the most important thing at this time, so he chose the second offer at Little America in hopes of a speedy promotion.  This position will also fulfil his internship requirement.

May

May 22nd - Brock's 4th birthday!  We kept it low key with just family.  We took him to Chuck E. Cheese.  Brock refers to it as "Chunker Cheeses", which I think is more than suitable.  He had an Iron Man Cake, and I think he had a great time playing games and opening presents.

May 24th - Bradlee's Kindergarten graduation program.  The kids sang songs, received awards and said what they learned in Kindergarten.  Bradlee received the "Sweet Tart" award for being so sweet and lovable!  Mrs. Mills also talked about how smart she is and what a good listener she has turned out to be. As a side note, I played the piano for the program...it was terrifying, but Bradlee really wanted me to do it, so I pulled through for her.

June

June 1st - Bradlee's official last day of kindergarten.

June 15th - I turned 28! Aunt Jeanne passed away.

June 19th - Bradlee's dance recital!  She had routines for tumbling, ballet, jazz, and of course the daddy-daughter dance!  She has improved so much even from just six months ago!  Most importantly, she LOVES it!  I can't wait to see how next year goes.

Also, at the end of June Thaiya came to visit Grandma Bricco.  I think she stayed for a little over a week.  Bradlee and Brock had a blast playing with her!

July

Jamie and Amy came to pick up Thaiya and spent the 4th of July with us!  So good to see them! 

July 12th - I think this is the day Tyler was promoted to Guest Services Manager.  Such a huge blessing! 

*  *  *

I like to keep my feelings pretty private for the most part, but for my kids reading this sometime in the future, they should know that the Lord has a plan for us!  I spent so much of the beginning of the year feeling angry and scared, but it is amazing to see the miracles that have been worked in our lives.  I am amazed at how perfectly Heavenly Father knows us and our needs. So grateful for his timing and that he is in charge and not me!  My kids should also know how amazing their dad is!  He works so hard for them and loves them so much!  He is an amazing priesthood holder, and even though him being unemployed those few months was super hard and ridiculously stressful, I sure do miss having him with me all day!

Halloween 2011

This past Halloween was probably our best yet. Bradlee was a strawberry, and Brock was a "bad chicken". This year we stayed home and did all our trick-or-treating in our own ward and neighborhood. The kids LOVED having everyone know their names at every house we went to. It was perfect weather, and no one ever complained about walking or being tired. Very successful!

Brock's First Day of Preschool

Brock started preschool this year at the same school where Bradlee attends kindergarten. He goes in the afternoon on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Um...He doesn't really love school, and apparently gives his poor teachers a run for their money. I help in class about once a month, and it is kinda stressful because he so obviously doesn't want to be there.

Bradlee hated preschool too, and she is tearin' it up at school now, so I still have high hopes. Besides, he is by far the most handsome kid in class. It would just be unfair if he was the best at everything else, too! ;o)

Bradlee's First Day of Kindergarten

Bradlee had her first day of kindergarten on August 29, 2011. She did so awesome!!! She has half day kindergarten in the afternoon, which is super nice because she is not a morning person. She loves her teacher, Mrs. Mills, which makes things super nice.

Nothing but smiles all day long!

"The Echo"

by C.C. Miller

'Twas a sheep not a lamb
That strayed away in the parable Jesus told,
A grown-up sheep that strayed away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And why for the sheep should we seek
And earnestly hope and pray?
Because there is danger when sheep go wrong:
They lead the lambs astray.
Lambs will follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever the sheep may stray.
When sheep go wrong,
It won't take long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
And so with the sheep we earnestly plead
For the sake of the lambs today,
For when the sheep are lost
What a terrible cost
The lambs will have to pay.

I had this poem given to me as a handout in Sunday school months ago, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. I have carried it around in my purse everyday since then and read it often. I could speak volumes about why I think this is so profound, but the poem is pretty direct. I think it speaks for itself.

Bradlee's 5th Birthday (only 5 months late)

This was probably Bradlee's best and worst birthday party so far. She had lots of cute friends and family over, but unfortunately I only got this one picture. Bradlee wanted a Barbie themed swimming party. As you can see from the pictures, the party started out all nice and sunny, but as soon as we put these poor kids in the swimming pool it started raining and hailing like you have never seen before!!!! We all yelled at the kids to all get out of the water and get in the pool room as quick as possible. Unfortunately, Maddy (above right) couldn't get out fast enough. I had to lay on the edge of the pool and try to pull her out. By the time I got her in the pool room, she was crying like crazy, and for good reason, we both had huge welts all over our bodies. The welts didn't go away for several hours either. The storm lasted for about twenty minutes. I thought the kids would be too traumatized to get back in the water, but they hopped right back in and swam for a long time. I think everyone ended up having a good time, but I don't think any parents will bring their kids to another one of our birthday parties ever again!