Wishing It Was Time for Courtney to Come Home!!

The last couple of weeks have been exhausting to say the least. Between work, school and hospital we are all so tired. Courtney's dad went up on Saturday and took her out to dinner. They will let us release her for a couple hours at a time here and there so she was able to go out and about. She was sooooo excited to see him and be able to get out of that place!!

She also had a visit from her teacher Miss. Karen who brought up a big sign that all of her classmates had signed saying they miss her. :)

She was sick last week with the stomach bug that was going around and finally started feeling better Friday night. I felt so bad for her that not only was she sick but she was sick in the hospital and I couldn't comfort her. Last night Jordan went to a movie with a friend so I went up and spent some one on one time with Court. She was so excited to see me and she was laughing and smiling the whole time I was there. She had a new nurse last night, Jodi. Courtney must like her because when I left she didn't cry AT ALL. Which is a change of pace for her.

Jordan and I are planning on going up again tonight to eat dinner with her and watch a movie. I can't wait until she comes home. The house seems so empty without her smile and laugh. We are looking forward to when she comes home so that we can get over the hospital and surgery and move forward.

On the home-front we have been busy busy busy. Jordan has a science fair project coming up. We have been so busy that we are just starting it today and it is due Thursday. Ugh.. talk about procrastination. I will post some pics of her project when we are finished!!

And The Journey Continues

I'm sure you are all eager to hear what has been going on. Our Easter was great but at our family dinner it was really tough not having Courtney there with us all. She was definitely missed! Jordan and I went to another fun family get together after visiting Courtney with some of our closest friends. The ladies that you see in the pic below are my closest friends (we're missing one) and definitely keep me sane throughout all the BS and all of the challenges. They definitely have a way of making you look at life and feel super lucky to have what you have. I am beyond blessed to have them and am so grateful!

I had been in the hospital for a couple of days with a sever kidney infection and they had me on so many medications that Thursday and Friday were a daze. It felt like an awful 2 day hang over that would not go away. I'm feeling so much better now though and can finally get back into our routine.

When Jordan and I went to see Courtney Easter morning she was in a hospital gown instead of an outfit and she was throwing up :( I guess most of the kids on the 3rd floor had come down with a bug and they were all confined to their rooms. We sat and visited with her for a little bit and gave her the Easter gifts that the bunny had brought her. Unfortunately one of the gifts was a package of cupcakes that she couldn't eat. That totally sucked.

 Me, Jordan and her dad went to see her last night and she was doing a lot better. She was still kind of flushed and hot to the touch but no fever and she hadn't thrown up for a few hours. Today she has an MRI to see where the pump is sitting and make sure they know where they need to maneuver for her surgery.

Summer is upon us so we are going to have a lot of posts coming your way from some adventurous weekend getaways that I have planned for after Court recovers from surgery. It's time for the bikini's and ice cold beverages!! :)

Day 5 - A Grumpy Gus

An Update on Courtney!
Well folks yesterday made day 5 into our journey. I called to check on Courtney around noon and they had taken her to activities and did some reading with her. The doctors decreased her pump medication dosage quite a bit and she was not handling the decrease that well. When Jordan and I had gotten there she was very grumpy and her arms and legs were very tight. The nurse gave her some Tylenol to try to help make her more comfortable. As time goes on and she decreases more then her discomfort and irritability will get worse. It causes some withdrawals for her which is no fun at all. Courtney had a new nurse last night and I think she likes her because when we left Courtney didn't cry at all. That's a big deal for Court. Even at home if someone has to go and says goodbye she cries. Goodbye is not something she likes very much!

On the Home-front 
I'm not sure if I had mentioned that we have baby chicks. It was a random spontaneous adoption that happened when we were bored on weekend. And anyone who knows us, we do random spontaneous things when we are bored. Lol

Here is a little pic and video of the Chicks..
Mazy, Penny and Jack

Most People Only Dream of Angels... I Get To Hold One In My Arms

Oh Ya Know ... Just Swingin!

Hello readers!! Yesterday was such a beautiful day so I decided some fresh air and sunshine would do this little angel some good.

Courtney loved being out in the warm sunshine.

The nurses said that at night she has been crying here and there when she gets leg spasms but other than that she is in good spirits. Today the nurses got her up and ready and took her to Church. She has been eating A LOT more by mouth here than at home. She has been doing so well with it. That means that a weight gain is in our near future.

Today she has her Papa and Uncle visiting :)

Courtney has had quite a few visitors since she has been here. I cannot say thank you enough to the ones who have showed their love and support to her. She has so many people that love her soooo much. But of course Courtney is definitely easy to love!

Hopefully tomorrow as the work week for me and the school week for Jordan starts we will settle into a full day routine. Work will be a good way to keep busy and keep my mind off of all the changes that we are going through right now.

For those of you who are reading our blog we appreciate your thoughts, prayers and interest in what is going on with the 3 More Chicks!!

We Made It To Day 2!!

We just got back to visit Courtney on day 2! Last night her dad and Baby Charlie came to see her and decorated her room even more! It looks so awesome.

The nurse said that she cried here and there throughout the night which for her is normal because of her leg cramps and just sometimes being uncomfortable. Overall she did well. She is now wearing a Tiara at all times because of course we all know she is a princess. :)

When I walked in she was in the day room watching TV with the other kids. They said she was a little playful during breakfast and every time they tried to put the food in her mouth she looked at them and smiled and then spit it out. Hahahaha yep that sounds like Courtney.

She has the same nurse today as yesterday. Her name is Tori and she is very nice. Courtney seems to like her too.

Surgery seems so far away but I'm sure once May 14th gets here we will wish we had more time.
I pray every night that she gets healthy enough so that after her surgery she heals fast and well.
The great thing about the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy that she is having is that she will not have to go to follow up appointments for the pump anymore. Less doctor visits are always nice!

Smooth Sailing...

We are winding down for the evening after our first day in Courtney's new apartment (hospital but we call it her apartment).

She had a full afternoon of activities with the other kids on the floor and reading time. Her dad is going to be coming to see her soon. She will be so happy to see him. 

Pretty soon she'll be getting a nice bath and hopefully fall right to sleep. 

Jordan had a great time pretending Courtney was her patient. Who knows maybe we'll have a doctor in the family and she can take care of me when I'm old ;)

Checkin In..

Well we are all checked into the Care Center. It's a bit overwhelming but so far everyone is amazing and so welcoming! I am just finishing up going over all of her care with her doctor and meeting her sweet nurses. 

Her room so far is a bit drab but we will change that soon!! Nothing like a crafty project to keep our mind off things. 

We have Court's favorite blankets and pillows on her bed to make her feel more at home! Her view is pretty amazing too. 

Oh and since Courtney called shotgun this morning Jordan got stuck in the back with all of Court's bags!! 

A Night Of Packing ...

Tonight we are getting Courtney packed and ready for her month stay at the care center. To make humor out of it I keep saying it's time she get her own apartment. :) She laughs. 

Looking at the closet half empty is something I'm not used to. I have told her where she is going and why and she just looks at me and smiles. Hopefully she keeps the smiles tomorrow while we are making the transition. 

I decided to make her some cool new bibs for her stay. 

Now we are going to spend some time cuddling and trying to prepare for our day. Stay tuned for updates. Wish us luck! 

About Us

My name is Natasha and I am a mommy of 2 beautiful not so little girls. Courtney age 13 and Jordan 10. I am a single mom right now and have a full time job.

To give you a little history, Courtney was born with Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. She cannot, walk, talk, sit or stand. She was born 7 weeks early and was as big as her daddy's football when we brought her home. She communicates much like a baby would with certain cries and sounds for certain reasons. Courtney has a sweet and kind disposition and is usually happy and smiling. Although her disability is challenging at times one thing is certain, she will be my baby forever. I can cuddle her anytime I want without her pushing me away to go hang out with friends or talk on the phone. I am so fortunate to have her.
Jordan, whom people call "mini-me" is the average active, sassy, funny 10 year old girl. She helps so much with her big sister and is such an amazing kid. She and I have very similar personalities... silly, goofy, overcritical and talk way too much. She right now is going through a tom boy phase and instead of doing hair and dancing around she wants to play soccer with boys and ride scooters. Throughout all of these different phases that my daughter experiences, her heart shines through it all.

We live in Salt Lake City Utah and have lived here our whole lives. My dad is from Utah as well and my mom is from Canada. Courtney's dad lives here and also helped me raise Jordan while we were together. Her dad lives in Ohio so they are only able to talk on the phone. It somewhat confusing at times but we make it work. :)

We are facing a journey this week as Courtney gets admitted to a care center for a month prior to an invasive surgery. She is being admitted so that we can get her pre-surgery weight up and get her as healthy as possible in hopes that a speedy recovery is in our future.
Having my sweet baby away from me for a month is going to be uncharted territory for me completely. She hasn't ever been away for that long. Having her go into a new and scary environment is also very scary. I'm hoping that she will adjust and feel as comfortable as possible there. As a mom you want to protect your children as much as possible. And this is one thing we have not had control of which of course is scary.