Long Time No Post

I know it's been awhile since I posted here, thought I would pop on since D is out of blogging commission for those who have been wondering why no updates. Well here's why.

The full arm cast is from an old broken elbow years back, I will guest blog on her page and go into further details.

Mom's Home!!!!

Dayna made it home safe and sound yesterday after 3 hours sleep the day before, and 15 hours of flights, including a delay in Paris causing her to almost miss her connection in Frankfurt.
The kids were excited all morning and we worked on cleaning our rooms, so everything was just right for moms return home.

According to Murphy and his law (which strikes around here a lot) it was going to prove to be an adventure. As we were climbing up the Sepulvda Pass which is the south 405 on the way to LAX, our van decided to breakdown. There I was in the fast lane cruising up hill, loosing momentum fast after the car suddently whent THUMP and QUIT! There is no shoulder on the left, so I had to make it across 5 lanes of traffic, uphill, with no power. Thank God traffic was moving and I had been going 75 - or we never would have made it across.

So there I sat on the side of the road with 3 kids, a dead van, and a exhausted wife going through customs thinking we were right outside waiting. For 20 long minutes we sat along the side of freeway, while traffic wizzed by. All I could think of was the local family a few months back that were in their mini van when they were hit from behind by a semi truck killing their3 kids. In my career of firefighting and as a flight paramedic, I've been in some pretty close calls, but none of them were as scary as sitting along the side of the road, at the mercy of the drivers, hoping they were paying absolute attention to the road. Honestly, I have never been as scared as I was for those 20 minutes.

Finally, we got a tow to truck to get us off the freeway and I arranged a car rental for Day and she picked us up at a park and ride on the top of the pass. The kids by now were bored to tears but were so happy to see mom and really handled it well. Poor Day could barely function at this point and we made it home safe and sound.

My arm is doing better however Day had a bad fall in Paris at the train station (I let her tell you that story) and her leg is pretty messed up I think she may have to go get an x-ray of her knee and ankle. Hey nobody said this was going to easy, but to us its just another chapter in our crazy life. Again we wouldn't trade it for anything.

Oh Great!!

4 Days of blogging and already in a cast. But seriously just some tendinitis that might slow down my updates for a bit.

Dayna's trip is going very well she sounds stoked every time we talk although I can tell she is tired but the work she does is so important and so self motivating that every time she gives a speech I hear the self confidence continue to build. I couldn't be more proud of her and the work she is doing.The kids and I ready for her to come home and share with us the pictures and experiences she had while she was there. Well this hurts trying to type and is damn difficult.

Day we miss you, we love you, and we are damn proud of you.

Ever Feel This Way

This is pretty much how I feel today. I don't know how Dayna did it when I traveled, but I now know why she was tired when I got back. I think whats making this tough is K needs to be infused 5 times a day plus the oral meds she takes on a regular bases. Her last infusion of the day is at 1100 pm and lasts until about 1135 then flush etc and its 1145. We then wake up at 0530 and start all over again. Now I'm not complaining I love the work Dayna is doing it is so important, I'm just saying I'm tired. So to Dayna and all the stay at home moms out there i don't know how you do it, but THANK YOU and I'm working on it.

But seriously when you have 3 chronically ill kids it makes for some interesting daily logistics. I think as dads we get some what removed from the daily aspects of treatment, school, Dr appointments, activities after school etc. When we are suddenly faced with all this I step back and say how the heck did she manage all this and why didn't I help more. I can honestly say I took for granted the job she did at home and expected that things were just handled and everything was fine. Well let me tell you that works some of the time, but with their illness things change so rapidly that you always have to be ready for the unexpected which happens pretty much daily. And forget trying to plan anything because I can assure you something will change. Spring break, riiiggghhttt, how about UCLA and PICC line now that's a vacation. So you regroup figure out something else and continue to keep moving forward.

Day I love you , I wouldn't trade our life for anything in this world.

Bri

Postcards from Belgium

K has clinic this morning so I will update later today.In the meantime here are a few pictures for you viewing enjoyment. Hallie I think one of these is for you.

Back To School

Today everyone returned to school including K. I met with school nurses and her teacher this morning to go over the precautions that need to be taken with her PICC line. I have to say its a little weird doing that for your own child especially when for the last few years any central lines I dealt with were on patients I was flying from one hospital to another. Its a very gut wrenching feeling flushing, prepping and administering meds to your daughter when for years it was something you just did and was part of the job involving people you most likely would never see or hear from again.



All 3 had a good day but I can tell they are pretty tired so we are just relaxing again as it is still pretty warm here.



Dayna made it to Belgium and was able to explore a little bit today before getting some sleep. This is a lot different this time as the time change is about 8 hours so we are emailing a lot.



On another note C's pen pal CJ is having a rough time right now with some testing. I remember going through that during paramedic school and wondering if I made the right choice in careers. Sometimes we just need to step back and look at the journey we have taken to get to the road we are on and remember if it is our dream or desire than it is worth fighting for. So CJ take a deep breath, step back look at where you have been and what you have done to get here and look down the road to see where you need go. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

She's off

Well Dayna is on her way to Belgium by way of Frankfort Germany. We got back from the airport before she made it through security. Our afternoon has been pretty kickback as it is 92 degrees outside and we are resting up to go back to school. I am very proud of the work she is doing and I know she is making a difference for our kids. I will be posting on a dads perspective of what life is like from the funny to the sad and everything in between. Oh the music I added today just some of the stuff I like and some songs that remind me of the job both as stay at home dad and former medic.