Check it out!

Okay, I know I desperately need to update the blog with pictures, true stories, and such, but alas I am typing one handed due to....that would fall under true stories...anyway, before I forget, I made an amazing discovery. I was checking my email and I had received an email from Redbox, not uncommon since that has become our only way of renting movies, and I noticed that they had a deal through Groupon where you could get 3 one night rentals for $1! Hard to beat that. I then discovered the amazingness of Groupon, and the sweet deals you can get. They have new deals every day. I thought I would spread the wealth and tell you all about it. Well, okay, I don't know much, but what I do know is that so far, I like it! Enjoy!!

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

So this is Christmas!

As Christmas approaches there is a unique excitement in the air that can only be found at this time of the year. Beautiful lights are put up all around town, malls are bustling with people, and smiles are more frequently shared. This year as we've prepared for Christmas, we have been trying to put more emphasis on the true meaning of the season, the celebration of Christ's birth. Due to what we've experienced this year, we feel it even more important to show our gratitude for our many blessings by focusing on Christ. So although our house is bursting with lights and decorations that make our home feel cozy, we are not focusing on Santa this year, but in the birth of Christ. We have a fun little nativity set my mom gave Gabi last year that she can play with, and we take advantage of her love for this to teach her who each of the people are. I know she's only two, but you would be amazed at how much a two year old can understand. She knows who "baby Jesus" is, Mary, Joseph, the kings, and the angel. I hope we can continue to instill in our children the importance of Christmas.

Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy Anniversary Isaac!

I am so glad to be married to such a wonderful man. One who makes me laugh and cry (only because I'm laughing so hard), teaches me I am capable of far greater things, and loves me no matter what. I love you Isaac, I am so grateful to be married to you, and I look forward to many more happy years to come!

Love, Keitra

And that's how our garden grew...

Alright, here are a few pics from our garden/harvest of our garden. For whatever reason, I'm having a hard time uploading pictures, so this will have to do.
This year we grew:

1. Sweet Corn
2. Zucchini
3. Pumpkins
4. Watermelon
5. Roma Tomatoes
6. Big Boy Tomatoes
7. Cherry Tomatoes
8. Tomatillos
9. Jalapenos
10. Serranos

We tried to grow:

1. Bell Peppers of all colors
2. Crooked neck squash
3. Acorn squash

But alas, they never came...but that's okay- check these out:

Gabi chowing down on a Roma, she LOVES those!

What a cutie!

Showing off her hard work helping pick the tomatoes,

and eating another Roma...

Yes, that is HER watering can,

did you know those were made for making mud,

not watering plants?

Our beautiful tomatillos- makes great Salsa Verde!


Some beautiful Romas, pre-Salsa

Cherry tomatoes

We learned:

1. We really had no idea when it came to gardening, we just got lucky
2. Pick them, and more will grow
3. Home grown veggies really are the BEST
4. Zucchini needs LOTS of room to grow, so does watermelon, pumpkins...
5. Home-grown corn, BBQ'd is delicious!
6. Gardens attract bugs and a variety of animals...eh...
7. There's always next year...

We seriously LOVED having a garden, and we are so grateful for all the help we received with weeding and harvesting of our veggies while we were in Boise.

We can't wait until next year!!

Gabi turns 2!

I cannot believe Gabi is two! The last few years have been filled with a lot of fun, and a lot of firsts for us as parents. We love you, Gabi, SO MUCH and we are so glad to have you in our family!
In our family we think birthdays are so fun, instead of celebrating them for one day, we celebrate them all week! I have a ton of pictures, but here are a few...more to come...

Madi in her party dress!

just kidding! I made that little skirt for Gabi

Gabi eating her favorite food...Top Ramen... :)

Reverting back to her younger years???

Loving her candy necklace

I don't know how she knew it was edible, but as soon as

I put it on her, she started eating it!

Enjoying her cupcake in a cone

Hopefully more pics to come, I need to find them!!

We love you Gabi!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Elder Quentin L. Cook - Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

Love this...it's so applicable to everyone, no matter what you are going through. We watched it today in Relief Society...

Full of Faith

I am married to the greatest man, I am truly convinced of that. He is perfect for me, and is so full of faith. I am a numbers person, and since I'm mainly the one who pays the bills, I know the ins and outs of our money. Tonight I asked Isaac what we were going to do financially, since the medical bills are STILL coming... He said, "It's going to work out." I said, "Yeah, but how?" I admit, I was kind of exasperated at this answer thinking to myself, "I don't think you fully understand our financial situation, honey." To my question he replied, "Because we're promised. In the scriptures we are promised that if we do what we are supposed to be doing, like keep paying tithing, Heavenly Father will bless us. He has promised us that. We need to have FAITH." Man, didn't I feel a little faithless? Isaac is always teaching me life lessons, I am so grateful for him! So I was looking up scriptures, and I happened to remember this one in 3 Nephi, and I wanted to share it because it's one of my favorites, and it reminds me of what Isaac was talking about.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and probe me herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." 3 Nephi 24:10

And there it is. I mostly love this scripture because of what I think of when I read it. When I was a kid I would imagine a window that was bursting with sunlight, and upon opening the window presents fell into the room so numerous they couldn't be counted. (Keep in mind I was young and presents were the best kind of blessing I could imagine!) One thing I LOVE about reading the scriptures is that inevitably whenever there is a commandment (i.e. paying tithing) there ALWAYS follows a blessing. One time when I was reading the Book of Mormon on my mission, I was having a really rough time, and decided to focus on how blessed I was. I marked everything that we are commanded to do, and then in a different color, what we are blessed with. I encourage you to pay attention to that as you read the scriptures, it really opened my eyes to how blessed we are/ can be if we follow the commandments. Sometimes it may seem hard to follow certain commandments, everyone struggles, but when we are able to realize that what we can be blessed with far outweighs what we have to 'give up' or do, it becomes a little easier.
Thank you for all of your love and support, we are so grateful to you all!

Some think our life is easy

This post is not meant to offend anyone, it is just meant to vent. I think I need it. A friend of ours said recently, "All the luck falls with the Knights." We have been blessed in many ways, but I assure you, our life is not smooth sailing, as it isn't for most. Isaac just got a new job, it pays less, but he doesn't have to work on Sundays. We receive medical bills in the mail daily, and are currently thousands of dollars in debt, but Madi is doing incredibly well. We spend more on bills each month than we make, but we are somehow making it. I don't know how. Isaac's car is on it's last leg with over 340,000 miles on it, but we have one other reliable car that we now share. So, if you think our life is easy, think again. Every day I thank Heavenly Father that Madi is alive and healthy, every day I try and think of new ways to save money, or what I can sell that we own to bring in extra income. Is life easy? No. It's not meant to be. Through trials we learn and we grow, which is ultimately why we are here. Do I wish we had enough money to pay our bills, yeah! Do I wish we didn't have car problems, yeah! Do I wish I wasn't so incredibly stressed every single day about money, definitely! Am I grateful for good health, supportive friends and family, and the gospel, with out question, YES!

"When doubts arise, when tragedies strike, the quiet voice of faith is heard in the stillness of the night as certain and reassuring as the polar star in the heavens above." Gordon B. Hinckley

I hope you are all doing well. I want to thank you again for your love and support. We couldn't do it without you!

It was a great movie, but....

Oh, the magic word "but." Isaac and I went to see a movie last night which we NEVER do. Typically due to lack of time, money, movie selection and trustworthy babysitters, it just doesn't happen. Well, my parents happened to be in town, so we took advantage of the opportunity to skate out for a few hours and catch a movie. We had watched several movie trailers online to see which movie was the most appealing, and we finally chose one a few weeks ago. We arrived at the movie a few minutes late, which didn't seem to be a problem. There was probably a total of ten people in the entire theatre. Isaac, me, a handful of ten year olds, and a mom chaperoning the 10 year olds. All in all it was nice to get out, but not the greatest movie. It reminded me how bad the world is getting. Seriously, the movie degraded marriage in several different ways, tried to make illegal drugs look appealing, had constant alcohol consumption, and had way too much bare skin. Call me sheltered, or call me wise, I prefer not to see those kinds of things. We spent half the movie looking away or plugging our ears. The movie had a good storyline, and was moving in the plot, however the bad definitely outweighed the good, in my opinion. It makes me grateful for the gospel and the values that the gospel encourages; like modesty, the Word of Wisdom, and respecting and appreciating men and women's divine roles. It made me grateful for a wonderful and faithful husband. So the movie was good....but...I think Isaac said it best, it had potential.

The other thing that made me sad was the fact that there were all of these 10 year olds there watching the movie, and their mom was WITH THEM allowing them to see these things. True, they could be out doing worse things, but they could be out doing better things as well. Children, teens, people at a young age in general are so impressionable! Even my sweet almost two year old can see or hear something one time- good or bad-, and she remembers it. Imagine how much more kids remember things when they get older. The movie made gay relationships seem perfectly normal, cheating on your spouse expected, drinking a natural habit, and doing illegal drugs fun at any age. Sad. I hope that as my children grow older that I can instill values in them that they will be able to carry with them always and keep them away from the bad things that are so prevalent in the world.

On a lighter note, when Isaac and I were first married, we found out about the coolest DVD player EVER! It's called Clearplay. You can filter out things like profanity, nudity, vulgarity, obscenity, dishonoring the flag, and even mushiness, along with several other things. We purchased one when we were first married and LOVED it! Even some kids movies takes the Lords' name in vain or even swears, in a PG movie! Clearplay takes that out. Love it! I would highly recommend this player to anyone and everyone! We watch all of our movies with a clearplay filter. You can purchase them online at clearplay.com, or at Deseret Book in some stores or online. It makes a great gift for you, or for someone else.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good.
We had Madi's doctor's appointment today, and it went pretty well. She's 12lbs 6oz and 24 1/2 inches long. She's following her growth curve, which is exactly what we want to see. We also had an x-ray taken today. The results showed that there is less fluid in her left lung, and the heart and trachea are back within "normal range." All in all, our prayers continue to be answered. We didn't have to make a trip to Boise today, thank goodness! Per our discretion we are able to reintroduce breast milk again, and wean her off the yucky formula.

The Bad.
Not really too much to report here, I just thought the title was catchy. :) We are sad that there is still some fluid in her lungs, but as long as it continues to improve, we are good to go. There is some worry with reintroducing breast milk; and that is if her body doesn't tolerate it, her lungs will start to fill up again, which is the reason we are so hesitant to take this next step. The doctor said that Boise recommended to wait 2-3 months. When he called Boise to ask for a more definite time period, 2 or 3 months, they said "yes. " Basically there isn't a whole lot of research done on this to really know an exact time period of how long these things take to heal, so it's really up to our discretion. No pressure, right?

The Ugly.
On a lighter note, I seem to be suffering from post-partum balding. Haha! Seriously, though, I'm losing hair like crazy! I think I might start wearing a hat when I go out, thank goodness the weather is cooler, or how else would I explain that! I was complaining tonight to Isaac about it and he said, "I don't know why you're acting so surprised, this is exactly what happened last time." True, but can't a girl complain! Seriously, a woman's body goes through a lot when she is prego and has a babe. I still don't think I'm fully recovered from my first babe. It's sure worth it though!
For all you ladies who have had two plus kids, you have to read this post! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (I say two plus kids because let's face it, the first kid was way easier to bounce back from!)

Thanks again for all of your love and support!

By Small and Simple Things

Yesterday I was going through old mission pictures and letters. It was a lot of fun looking back on my mission, and being able to recall some pretty amazing and wonderful experiences. As I was looking through some letters I happened to find a page that had been ripped out of a coloring book. I unfolded the page to see a carefully colored picture of an ant that was putting up a piece of wood, a support beam. The caption on the page read, "Little pieces of wood helped hold up the walls." I didn't give this picture any thought beyond how sweet it was that a young child in one of my areas had taken the time to color and give me this picture. They may not know or understand the magnitude of what was written on those pages, but I think I now do. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6.) Like the ant in the picture, the beam he was putting up was quite a bit smaller than the other ones in the picture, but by putting up that piece of wood, it helped hold up the walls. "Little pieces of wood helped hold up the walls." Those little pieces of wood are the small and simple things of life.

I want to thank all of you for your love and support in regards to Madi these last few months. We have felt your love and your prayers. Simple things like a smile, calling to see how we are doing, prayers, and several other things have all contributed to where we are now. All of these small things truly have made, "great things come to pass."

We have another doctor's appointment this Thursday for Madi. At this appointment they will take a chest x-ray to see if there is fluid in her lungs. If there is, there is a possibility that we will need to return to Boise for her to once again have a chest tube put in (they say the pain that she will feel is similar to dislocating a rib). If this is the case, we don't know how long we will be there for. I am very nervous about this, considering all we went through before. We are hoping and praying for the best. I would be so grateful if you could keep Madi in your thoughts and prayers this week, and especially on Thursday. Thank you again for all you have done.

Four Months and an Update

Madi is four months old today! It's hard to believe how fast time has gone. I feel like it was just last week that I was waddling around with a big 'ol belly- so grateful to be done with that! Madi is doing really well. She is gaining weight like a normal babe, and is full of smiles for anyone. We love both our girls so much! Gabi is 23 months, and will turn two in just three weeks! Time sure does fly!

The Girls watching a movie together (Probably Nemo)

This only lasted a few minutes :) Note Gabi holding Madi's hand so she won't touch the "butt"ons

Gabi trying out her winter coat for the first time

Our smiley girls!

Gabi playing with a big puzzle

Getting ready for church

Gabi sure loves her little "Mami"

Little Madi

Self-taken family pic, this was the best one...haha

Madi with her new toy (thanks Heidi!)

Gabi sharing, or stealing- sometimes it's a fine line for her :)

Some videos for your enjoyment.

As for an update, we go into the doctor's next week for another chest x-ray of the Madster to see how she's doing. If her lungs look clear, she can start having breastmilk once a day. Depending on how she tolerates it, she may be able to make the transition completly off of the special formula within a month. Here's for hoping!

Thanks again for all of your contintued love and support, we appreciate it so much!

Preslee

I want to share a blog that I found shortly after returning from the hospital. You can find the blog here. This blog is about a sweet family who lost their 18 month old daughter this last summer. It hit home for me considering what we had just been through. Even though I cry every time I read this blog, I also feel very comforted. This couple is amazing to me. They are so strong, and so full of faith, it has been very inspiring to me.
I feel so blessed that Madi's life was spared. I cannot imagine, and I sincerely hope I never have to, what it would be like to lose a child. I am so grateful for the gospel, especially for the knowledge that families can be together forever.

Refiner's Fire

This morning, for no apparent reason, I was lying in bed thinking about some dishes Isaac and I had when we were first married. They were beautiful stoneware that were a deep blue in color on the edges, and faded to a cream color in the middle. We purchased these dishes shortly after we were married using a gift card. They were expensive. We loved these dishes, and we loved having company over to use them because everyone always commented on them. We didn't own very many nice things when we were first married, so we took pride in taking care of these dishes.

Unfortunately, much to our disappointment we soon discovered that these dishes broke very easily. At first we were mad at ourselves. We needed to be more careful. After all, these dishes were one of the nicest things that we owned. We made every effort possible to take better care of the dishes. It worked well, until more broke. We went back to the store, sad, upset, and frustrated, prepared to buy a new set. The people at the store were extremely nice and offered to exchange them for us at no extra charge. We gladly took them up on the offer, resorting to the fact that we must of had "bad luck" with the other ones.

Home we went with smiles on our faces, and new dishes in our hands. Everything was going well, until the dishes started to break again. Once again frustrated, we returned to the store, which had no problem with exchanging our dishes again, stating that it actually happened quite frequently with these dishes. When we asked why, she said that these specific dishes are actually fired at a lower temperature for a shorter amount of time, making them more brittle. Astounded, and relieved that we weren't complete klutzes, we opted to exchange them for different dishes. The dishes we have now are plain in style and color. There is nothing fancy about them. They were fired at much higher temperatures and for much longer, fortifying and strengthening the material. In the two years that we've had them, we have dropped them several times, and yet all that has been broken is one plate.

As I thought about these dishes this morning, I thought about life, and how life is our refiners fire. The trials that we go through test what we're "made of" and strengthen and fortify our very being.

"In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiners fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong." James E. Faust (The Refiners Fire)

General Confernece 2010

I love conference time. I look forward to it with anticipation for about 6 months. :) Considering it happens every six months... :) I always feel that they are talking directly to me. I'm sure most people feel the same, that's the beauty of the spirit. For all those who missed the Saturday sessions, you can view them by clicking here. Enjoy tomorrow's sessions!

Sometimes you have to just laugh

So, recently we have let Gabi watch movies on a little personal DVD player. Isaac has had it for forever, and it's super old, so it makes it perfect for Gabi. Gabi is very possesive of it, and doesn't like it when other people touch it, even if we're just trying to get the movie started. She's so funny! Well, the other day Gabi was sitting on the couch watching a "moobie" and Madi was lying next her. Madi is a grabber. She sees something she wants, and she goes for it, as much as her 3 1/2 month old body will let her. Gabi was getting a little frustrated and kept telling her, "no, no Mami." I couldn't help but laugh, but it gets better...Madi kept on touching the DVD player, and Gabi was getting really annoyed, so she finally gently took Madi's hand put it on Madi's tummy looked at her and said, "Thank you." Fully expecting her to get the hint. Haha! Madi, being the persistent cutie that she is was right back at it in seconds. Gabi started to ignore her, that is until I said, "Watch out Gabi, she's going to start pushing the buttons." Immediately Gabi looked at Madi and said, "Don't touch the butt, no, no, Mami, don't touch the butt." Haha! She said it every time Madi touched the player until I finally stopped laughing and picked Madi up. We have since tried to reinforce that they are actually called "buttons" but she always replies with, "mm hmm, butt." So much for her not learning that word. I sometimes wonder, is Nemo to blame???

Relief Society General Conference 2010

I just finished watching the Relief Society General Conference broadcast, and it was nothing short of AMAZING! I love conference time of year, and I especially love the Relief Society broadcast. I always am able to glean something from it that is oh so pertinent to my life. Spiritually, it's a necessity for me.
I was really touched with the opening song, in fact it brought me to tears. I was so choked up, but I wanted to keep singing so I did. Gabi laughed at me as she was trying to lead the music. I was watching it from home since Isaac was working, and we still need to be very careful with where we take Madi.

Here are the words of the song, they really hit home;

Count your Many Blessings

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings;
Name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings;
Every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings;
Money cannot buy
Your reward in Heaven nor your home on high.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

So amid the conflict,
whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged;
God is over all.
Count your many blessings;
angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

The words of this song are so applicable, no matter what you are going through in life. As we were singing this song I felt a wave of relief. The past few months have been hard, I cannot deny or hide that. We have struggled with several different things. We are so grateful for the medical care that Madi received, and which literally saved her life. We are so grateful for the love and prayers said in Madi's behalf. We have felt those. Thank you to all of us who have helped us out in a variety of different ways. You have been an answer to our prayers, whether you know it or not. As the medical bills have been pouring in daily the last week, the financial weight has been added to our load, I have struggled to know what to do. As I listed to that song, it was comforting to know that Heavenly Father is there for us always, and he desires for us to be happy. We truly are blessed, I cannot deny that.

A few of my blessings;








If you missed the broadcast, you can find it here. ENJOY!

All things shall work together for your good

I just woke up from my little "night-shift," which I fell asleep on. :) While Isaac was getting his lunch ready for work and Gabi ready for bed, I went and laid down next to Madi. Well, Madi was in a bassinet right next to our bed. We have to keep a close eye on her, so if she falls asleep before we are ready for bed, I prefer that one of us is in there with her. The problem with what we are dealing with, with Chylothorax is that there are really only two ways for us to know if her lungs start filling up again, 1) having an x-ray taken, and 2) a decrease capability of breathing. Since we are trying to limit the amount of x-rays that she has due to radiation exposure, the next best thing is to monitor her. She was a little more fussy today than usual, being fussy at all is unusual for Madi, to be honest. She's such a well natured baby. Since there's usually a reason why babies are fussy, we have to watch her extra close tonight and tomorrow. She's doing well right now.

As I was lying there, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and gratitude. Despite all that has transpired over the last three and a half weeks, we have been blessed beyond compare. I see the Lord's hand so clearly, and sometimes almost literally, in our lives, I feel no need to complain. I see it in a kind word from a friend, a family member reaching out, and in our ward members as they strive to help us in any way possible. We have been so blessed.

All things considered, Madi is doing very well. At this point it's a waiting and hoping game. Waiting to make sure she is healing so that she can go back to normal food. Hoping, because there is still a chance that the formula won't work, her lungs will start to fill up again, and we will once again be in the hospital trying to figure out another solution. Even though little Madi has been through a lot, she still has plenty of smiles to offer. We love her.

Through all of this, I feel like I have gained, and continue to gain a stronger testimony. Prayer has become such a more meaningful part of our lives. I think I have learned what the meaning of "fervent" prayer is. I have seen my prayers answered in ways that I never thought possible. I am grateful.

An experience that I have wanted to share happened when we were in the hospital in the first few early days of everything. There was a lot of uncertainty that hung in the air. Day to day there was something new, something unexpected that we had to deal with. It was hard. The Sunday before all of this happened I was at church with the girls, Isaac had to work that Sunday. It's always a struggle when he's not there, especially with a wandering almost two year old. I had to nurse Madi. So here I was holding Madi, and trying to keep up with Gabi and usher her into the mother's lounge at church. As I was sitting in there trying to keep Gabi entertained while I fed Madi, I heard bits and pieces of what the speakers where saying. I have no idea who it was that was speaking, I think someone from the high council, and I only heard a small portion of what was being said. He talked about prophets in the later day, and trials that they endured. He talked about the importance of not saying, "Why me?" but taking the experience and utilizing it for your benefit. "Search diligently, walk uprightly, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good..." (Doctrine and Covenants 90:24) The entire stay at the hospital the words, 'and all things shall work together for your good' kept echoing in my head. At first I was mad, how could my poor, helpless, beautiful child's suffering work for my good, for our good as a family. Why did I keep hearing that in my head? No good seem to come of what was happening as we encountered test after test after test, each taking it's toll on our sweet Madi. It wasn't until I understood the rest of this promise, did my faith begin to increase.

When we first entered the hospital, my heart was full of fear. Fear of the unknown. As time went on, I was able to learn to trust in the Lord, with all my heart- not an easy thing. There are still several uncertain things that we are dealing with, but we now have a calm reassurance that everything will be fine, everything will "work for [our] good."

Chylothorax

Chylothorax is a type of pleural effusion. It results from lymphatic fluid (chyle) accumulating in the pleural cavity. It's cause is usually from the thoracic duct or one of the main lymphatic vessels that drain into it. (wikipedia) In short, chylothorax is a result of a leak in the thoracic duct into the pleural cavity (sack the lungs are in) filling the lungs up with chyle, and depleting lung capacity.
On August 18th, 2010, our sweet little two month old baby girl, Madilyn, was life-flighted to Boise due to this condition.
I have been reluctant to write about this until now, due to all of the emotion that has been involved, but I feel that it's important to write it down.
On Sunday, August 15th Madi started choking, coughing, and then threw up, which was very unusual for her. We were concerned, but it didn't happen again that night. We decided that since we had her two month appointment the next day, we would talk to the doctor about our concerns.
Monday August 16th we went to Madi's 2 month appointment, which included her 2 month shots. She did relatively well, considering. We told the doctor what had happened the night before and, and he didn't seem too concerned, stating that it was normal for children to start spitting up more around that age.
Throughout the rest of the day we noticed that Madi was fussy, wouldn't eat, and seemed to labor in her breathing. We were concerned, and weren't sure if it was due to the immunizations, or what had happened the previous night. Monday night we were over at the Tree's and Madi was acting really hungry. I tried to feed her three different times and she refused to eat, even though she hadn't eaten in awhile, and was hungry. I went to burp her thinking that she had swallowed a lot of air when she was crying, and she started choking again, and wasn't breathing. She gagged, but didn't spit up, and continued not to breathe. She went stark white, and then started to turn blue. I was scared. I patted her on her back and she started to breathe, and then started to cry. We were both concerned. We took her home and I tired to feed her again. She ate really well, but when I went to burp her it was followed by more coughing and spitting and gagging, all while her trying to catch her breathe.
We decided to call the hospital, since we live 30min. away from the Twin Falls hospital. They were of no help whatsoever. She didn't have a fever, so they said not to worry, but to get into our doctor the next day. Neither of us slept at all that night, so concerned about our sweet little girl. The next morning we called to make an appointment with our doctor, but he didn't have any available appointments. We made an appointment with another doctor, but we later cancelled it because we had seen that doctor before, and didn't have a very good experience. We called the doctors office and talked to a nurse who told us not to worry, it didn't sound like a big deal. At this point Madi was very pale, had labored breathing, and was very lethargic. She was eating, however, so we decided to take the nurses advice. We went about our day as normal, and went to Twin as a family to run some errands.
Madi continued to be very lethargic, and we tried to wake her to eat. She finally ate a good amount. I thought maybe she was more used to me feeding her at home, so we headed home. When we got home I tried to feed her again, but she wouldn't eat, when I went to burp her, she started coughing and throwing up. We asked Scott to come over to help Isaac give her a blessing, which he promptly did. We then decided that we needed to take Madi into the ER. We went to the hopital in Gooding, which was the closest.
We were erring on the side of caution, figuring that we would be back home within an hour. Renae came over to watch Gabi. We packed a quick diaper bag, and were on our way.
When we arrived we were suprised and grateful that they weren't very busy. We went in, they took her vitals, and we waited for the doctor. All the while Madi was smiling and talking, like usual. They had a hard time assesing her O2 (oxygen) levels, they kept reading about 85. The doctor came in and lectured the nurses saying that no way could a baby look as good as she does and have a 85 O2 reading. Somehow a nurse finally got 95, and they called it good. We waited for several hours. They had pediatric trauma patient come in, and because Madi looked so good, they put that child in front of her, even though he came in after. In the meantime they put Madi on oxygen alternating with albuteral to open up her lungs. It had no affect on her respiratory rate. It was at this time the ER doctor started to become concerned and took initiative to get things rolling.
He told us there might be some serious things going on. Little did we know the implications this statement would have in the weeks to follow. They took her in for chest x-rays and then sent us to a trauma room. I knew that once we were sent into that room, something was going on. Madi was not doing so well at this point. She was hungry, had been poked many times, now had an IV in her foot, and she was really tired.
The doctor called us into his office, just a few doors down. This was just the beginning. I was not prepared in any way, shape or form for what he was about to say. He showed us the x-ray where, with our inexperienced eyes viewing x-rays, we were clearly able to see that her entire left lung was filled with fluid, pushing her heart completely over to the right side as well as pushing over her trachea. Her right lung also had fluid in it. She was working off of half of one lung. Our sweet little girl was in a lot of pain. He then told us he didn't know where she was going but she needed to leave as soon as possible via life-flight either to Boise's children's hospital or to Salt Lake. I completely lost it. I heard our baby girl crying, and so I left and went to her, feeling so numb, in such shock at what I had just heard. Isaac stayed to work out the details. I went into Madi's room and held her, not really knowing at that point if she was going to make it. I held her in my arms looking at her perfect little body, thinking that if I could take this all away from her, I would. I wish I could have.
Isaac came in and told me they were getting a special team together in Boise that would come pick her up, and a special team that would be ready when we got there. I told them I was going on the helicopter. Isaac would have to go home and get Gabi, and drive there. About a two hour drive from Gooding.
As we waited for them to arrive, and I held Madi in my arms, all I could think of was how I couldn't lose her, I just couldn't. As Isaac was about to walk into the room, he was talking to the doctor who said, "If it had been one more day, she probably wouldn't have made it."
For the next few hour, there was a lot of uncertainty about what the final outcome would be. We still didn't know what was going on with Madi; why her lungs had filled up or what the fluid was. They suspected pneumonia, but weren't sure.
The team arrived and immediately went to work getting Madi into an incubator, which she would be life-flighted in, and getting her hooked up to all the monitors. It was hard not to be able to hold her and console her and hard to see her in so much pain. I felt very confident in the team, of two very knowledgeable women as they talked me through what they were going to do, and what would happen when we arrived there.
Due to space limitations, I sat in the front with the pilot. I have never been in a helicopter before, and the unsteadiness of it due to wind only added to my anxiety, however I was very grateful that they let me go.
That 40minute flight was excruciatingly long. The whole time I was praying that she would make it, not knowing what was going on in the back, since we are separated from the back. My heart ached, and my mind raced.
We had to land at the airport, since the helicopter had to land early due to a warning light going off, which is standard protocol, apparently.
We then waited for an ambulance to come and pick us up. Suprisingly Madi had done very well, until we landed. She's a motion baby, I guess she slept the whole ride. I talked to her through the plastic of the incubator, and she calmed down a bit. The ambulance arrived and we loaded up and headed off to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital and went straight up to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the St. Luke's Children's Hospital in Boise. They rushed her in to a room and immediately began transfering her into the bed and hooking her up to all sorts of monitors. My parents, who moved to Boise about 4 months ago were already at the hopital waiting. Unfortunately I didn't have time to talk to them, decisions had to be made. Dr. Christenson took me over to look at the x-ray while they put a new IV in Madi. He showed me the x-ray I had seen in Gooding, supposing it was pneumonia. He said that the only real option that we had was to put a chest tube in and drain out the fluid. We would then be able to know what the fluid was, and go from there. I felt very confident in him, and we went ahead with the plan. When we went back in, they already had the IV in place, and began to prep for the chest tube. The chest tube would be placed through her ribs in the the pleural space, where the fluid was. I had my mom go call Isaac to keep him updated on what was happening, since he was still on his way. They sedated Madi and went to work.
Dr. Christenson first inserted a needle that threaded the tube in, much like what is done with an IV. As soon as he took the needle out liquid came squirting out everywhere. He took a sample, and then hooked the tube up to an apparatus that gently sucked the fluid out. The amount that initially drained out was approximately 8oz in just the left lung! They didn't know how she was able to breathe. Soon after Madi came too. She was given some pain medicine, since chest tube are very painful. The doctor was suprised to see the substanc that came out was a yellowish color, the color of Chyle. They then had to determine an entirely different approach, since they thought that she would have pneumonia, and not chylothorax. In some ways it was good, on others it would lead us on a long journey, that we are still on.
The next few weeks were filled with uncertainty and a lot of trial and error. Madi was in the intensive care unit for 5 days, and then remained in the hospital for another 7 days.
She is now home and is on a special formula that is low in fats, since the fats that she was eating before is what was being dumped into her lungs. She came home this last Monday, and so far has been doing really well. We are still concerned, and will be for a long time to come. She will continue to have regular x-rays for the next several months to make sure that her lungs don't start to fill up again.
Gabi is doing well, and is really cute with her sister. She comes up and talks to her, telling her all about whatever it is she's talking about. She gives her kisses, and hold her pacifier for her. They love eachtother. Madi loves watching Gabi, and I can just see her trying to be like her as she gets older. We love our girls!
There is hope for full recovery, and no lasting effects from the chylothorax.
Even though this has been really hard, we have learned a lot, and drawn closer together as a family. We have witnessed miracles, and felt the loving arms of our Heavenly Father wrap around us as we struggle to be strong for our children. I know I personally have gained a greater understanding and appreciation for the Atonement. I am so grateful that we have the knowledge of the gospel, I feel like I would be truly at a loss without it.
There are many other things that I could go into detail about, but I feel a little emotionally taxed right now. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to leave a comment, and I will respond as best I can.
Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. It has made a bigger difference than you will ever know.

Madi's Blessing

Madi was blessed on Sunday, July 25, 2010. She looked absolutely beautiful, the blessing was wonderful, and the day couldn't have been a more perfect day. We are so grateful for the love and support from family and friends. The spirit was so strong as Madi was blessed, I don't think I will forget the feeling that I had anytime soon. It is such a huge blessing to be able to have the knowledge of the gospel in our lives, and what that knowledge means to each of us individually. My hope is that as we continue to raise our two beautiful girls, and our other children as they come, that we will be able to instill in them the knowledge and understanding that they truly are children of our Heavenly Father, with unlimited potential. Being a parent is not easy, but we have a perfect example to look to.
Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment-

WE LOVE YOU MADI!

By the way...

So, I must explain the bow in Madi's hair. I think it's adorable, and huge. The nurse that we had the day Madi was born was known for her bows, and the largeness of them. Being that Madi was born on Flag Day, she was given a patriotic bow, which was also the colors of the highschool that our nurse went to. The nurse was super peppy and a lot of fun. So, that is how Madi ended up with her ginormous bow. Also, to keep the bow on, in that hospital they used GLUESTICK! Yucko. They told us it would come off with "a little soapy water." Ha! Not true. To even get the bow to budge we had to run warm water over her hair for about ten minutes. Unbelievable! Moral of the story, don't trust nurses who have a bow fettish with a gluestick, a bow, and your daughter.

Just a few pics...

Here are a few pictures of our cute little family. So sorry it has taken so long to add some more phot's, thanks for your patience.

Gabi giving Madi or "Mami" a kiss- her FAVORITE thing to do!

Mommy and Madi
Gabi after she DEVOURED a jumbo marshmallow :)
Daddy and Madi
Little Madi girl- we LOVE her!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

Today, meaning July 7th, is Isaac's birthday. I just wanted to take a moment and wish the most wonderful man in the entire world a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful person, and our girls are so lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy. Thank you Isaac so much for all you do for our family, and for your wonderful example. I hope this day is the best, and that you have many wonderful days to follow. We love you tons!

Welcome to the Family Madi!

She's here! Madilyn Marie Knight was born Monday, June 14th 2010 at 9:50am. She weighed in at 8lbs 12oz and 21 inches long. She has a lot of light brown/ blonde hair, and we love her soooo much! Here are some pictures of our little Flag Day baby-

Outside

It is not uncommon to hear Gabi say, "Shoes on," shortly followed by, "Outside." She is definitely our outdoor girl, thriving on smelling flowers that are so, "pretty," and picking, "strawberries," and getting dirt on her, "toes." She has become quite the talker, and amazes us everyday with her new words. She has been her grandma's buddy this last week, helping her out anyway she can. As soon as the door opens, she is right there ready to go. She must have gotten this from Isaac, I'll have to ask his mom- because, like I said in my previous post, I am not like that. :) I love my little outdoor girl!

Playing with the hose while I water the dry parts of our grass- she loves water!

Gabi all wet after playing with the hose

Isaac rototilling our garden

Gabi playing in the garden area with dirt on her "toes" (she put it there)