Little Frankenstein

Alright, I've debated about whether I should post this on the 'ol blog for everyone to see but when it comes to events I want to remember, this definitely takes the cake for now. Actually, it's not that I'm putting it on the blog for fear I'll forget- that is not a possibility. I suppose I want to post the pictures for proof. Or maybe I'm still so baffled that I feel I need others to share in my bafflement. Whatever it is, I have chosen to proceed, but not first without a stern caution. If you have a weak stomach, I strongly advise you to look no further. The following pictures are not for the faint of heart.

I'll begin with an explanation which was foreshadowed by my previous post. Last night, Colby tripped on some steps and hit his head on a very sharp concrete step or short brick wall. We're not sure because no one witnessed it. This was the most terrifying of moments I have yet experienced as a mom and do not wish to experience it again. I did not handle it well- definitely not a shining moment for me. As soon as I laid eyes on the injury, panic set in and all I could say was, "Hospital. Get the keys. Hospital." We rushed Colby to the ER where he was stitched up and very well taken care of. The cut was so deep it was quite easy to see his skull, therefore causing my worst-case-scenario worry. Could there be a brain injury? Skull fracture? It was just a cut, but I think it's fair to say, a pretty dang bad one. He showed no symptoms of brain trauma and from the what the doctor could see, no skull fracture. As soon as I was told that (a few hours into the ordeal) I was able to stop pacing like a crazy woman and begin to relax. Colby was absolutely amazing and brave and I couldn't be more proud of him. He wasn't a fan of the stitching which was weird because most kids usually like people in white coats sticking needles in their head. We almost had to put him under for the stitches, but he pulled through. I'm not sure how much the "new Curious George movie" had to do with it, but he was quite pleased today to receive his reward. The best part was when we went to pick up Kara and how excited he was to show her his big bandaid and that he got ten stitches.

As a parent, you anticipate these moments with a feeling of dread, knowing that it won't be pleasant, not knowing how you'll react, but hoping you'll pull through. But until you experience it, you can't truly imagine. The feeling of terror and worry has never been so real in my life- and this was just a bad cut. Oh my gosh- I can't imagine how it might feel when you're child's life is truly in danger (although I did believe his was for a short time last night- I tend to be a little hypochondriatic). It makes me think about my parents and how they must have felt when my brother had a brain tumor and were unsure about his future. And those parents that have actually lost a child... I just can't fathom how that must feel.

Thank goodness for Cameron who was unbelievably calm and collected. This, coming from a man who passes out at the sight of needles and once passed out and threw-up on himself after seeing his friend in the hospital. (Sorry Cam, but it further demonstrates just how impressive you were last night). Cameron put me to shame as I was barely able to mutter my own name. I'll tell you what. He's the man you want in the cockpit when there's something wrong with your airplane. He does a heck of a job under pressure.

So our little Colby is all stitched up and doing fine. He's had no complaints of pain and is running around (not with my blessing since I've turned into an ultra paranoid mother) and acting like a normal four-year-old. I feel so blessed that this wasn't more serious.

He's been called little Frankenstein and Franky by a few people already. I'm still deciding how I feel about that nickname...

Here's a shot of Colby all bandaged up and sleeping.. It's hard to believe he had a gaping hole in his head just last night.

Quote of the Week

I thought this quote deserved it's own post...


(This takes place the morning after Colby tripped on some steps and gashed his head open, landing himself in the ER).

Mom: "Colby, you be careful up those steps when you bring in the milk."

Colby: "I'm always careful on steps, mom."

Happy Birthday Colby!

Yesterday, April 22, 2008, Colby turned four! We started partying on Sunday and didn't stop till last night. Sunday, Colby had most of his cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents over for cake and icecream. On Tuesday we went to Colby's preschool class to help him share his birthday treat ,which was Donuts and Juicy Juice, and quickly went home to have a few friends over for a curious George mini party. The kids ate banana splits and made curious George masks. It was so fun to see Colby so excited for his day- definitely the funnest birthday yet for me...

Cousin Wesley helping Colby blow out his candles



Colby did a great job acting excited about each present he received. It was hilarious. He'd take a quick look at it and hold it over his head so everyone could see.

Colby trying out his new bike

The birthday boy at preschool. Each of his classmates said one thing they liked about Colby

Eating his birthday treats at preschool

Everyone sporting their Curious George masks

A few of Colby's favorites:

Dinner: Mac & Cheese

Vegetable: Green Beans

Fruit: Grapes

Book: Miss Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies

Cereal: Rice Krispies

TV Show: Curious George

Movie: Shark Tales (for now- it changes often)

Treat: He's happy with anything sweet

Place to Eat: McDonalds

Place to Go: probably Grandpa Richins' to ride the horses

Thing to do: watch TV (dang it-I'm working on that) or read books (yay!)

Color: red and green

Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

A few things we love about Colby

1. He is so loving. He tells me everyday something sweet like, "Mom, your hair looks cute." or "Mom, you look cute in that outfit." or "Mom, you're my best." I always catch him giving Kara spontaneous hugs and occasionally sharing without being asked!

2. He is a very passionate little boy. When he's mad, he is mad. When he's excited, he's bouncing off the walls. He never just tells you something, he yells it.

3. He is a great big brother. Kara copies every last thing that Colby does, especially when it involves him being silly.

4. He is generally just a happy kid. He began smiling at 3 days old and has always been quick to laugh.

5. He is incredibly persistent and stubborn. This isn't something I always enjoy now, but will hopefully be a quality that helps him facilitate his goals and ambitions in the future.

Since Colby was born, our lives were completely changed for the better. Since he was tiny we have felt like there is something different about him and know he is destined for something amazing. We love him so much and are so happy he is in our family!

Snowbird or Bust

What up? Last week, Rachel and I left the kids for a day of sick skiing at Snowbird since Dave scored free tickets. Don't hate. Neither of us had been skiing for 5 years or so. We took the tram to the tip top of the mountain. After about 3 sweet turns, we were on a black diamond called, something like, Johnson''s Death Cliff. It was 'ight though 'cause Rachel and I rock the slopes, yo. Actually, we were trippin' for reals 'cause the fog was killer thick and we couldn't see more than 10 feet ahead of us. Then there was this dude and he was like, "What's going down?" and we were like, "Yo, we're looking for the easy way down." And he was like, you're gonna die." And we were like, "You're messin' with us, dude." and he was like, "no, you're on Johnson's death cliff, but I'll take ya down." and we were like, "Thanks man, keep it real." And just like that, we survived and found ourselved some tight slopes that were more our level. I know, right? It was awesome.

It snowed all day fo' sho' but the powder was sick.

Gotta punk out

I used to think I had a small nose till I looked at it from a side view. Holy Elpheba!

Acknowledgments: My brain. It seriously hurt my brain to write this. And, Steep and Cheap, Shark Tales and evite.com

Flaky or Helplessly Forgetful?

I have a problem that has been plaguing me for quite some time. I have a horrible memory. Though my memory has never been stellar, I think I started seeing a significant decrease in memory during my first pregnancy, what many people refer to as "pregnancy brain." I expected to make a full recovery and did not. I have since heard many people refer to it as simply, motherhood. While this may be true to an extent, I feel my symptoms are greatly exaggerated. Here are a few examples of very normal occurrences, all of which have happened in the last week:

-picking up the phone, dialing a number and when I hear a "hello," completely forgetting who I called in the first place

-picking up the phone, dialing the number and after identifying the person I've called, forgetting what I called about

-totally spacing my cub scout den meeting after it's consistently been every Wednesday for the last 4 months

-getting off the phone with an assignment to call another person right away and forgetting to do it

-while in the shower, not remembering whether I've shampooed my hair or not (I'm ashamed to admit this happens all the time and it's really starting to scare me)

-forgetting that I have to work the next day. I only work one day a week, but it shouldn't be something I forget. Last week as I was going to bed, Cameron made some reference to me going to work the next day right as I was planning in my head what I was going to do at home. If he hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have set my alarm and who knows when I would have figured it out.

-And one of my favorites is when I started sweeping one day and before I finished, I got distracted by something and went upstairs. A few minutes later (five minutes max) I made my way back down, saw the broom out, and became irritated that someone had left it out. It wasn't until I walked into my swept pile of crumbs that I realized my stupidity.

There are countless other examples that I can't think of right now that happen daily and are kicking my butt. I seriously feel like Dory from Finding Nemo. I know these examples seem somewhat common, but things like this are happening so often that it is affecting everything in my life and making me seem completely unreliable.

As annoying as it is to me and the others around me, one of my biggest concerns is the image I am portraying. I've gotten over the fact that I'll never be the kind of person who remembers a name or even a face. The part that gets me is that it's making me look really flaky. Flakiness is a characteristic that I detest. I have detested it for a long long time. I have made it a point in my life to do whatever it takes to not flake out on others. And if others flake out on me, I'll be honest, it really bothers me. If Cameron is tempted to flake out on someone, I always say, "The Richins' aren't flakes!" Well, as it turns out, one of them is. But not by choice. I used to think that flaky people chose to be flaky. My definition of flaky was: you say you'll do something when you really have no intention in the first place or you make little effort to follow through. Now I realize that that isn't always the case. Someone could have just simply forgotten. I'm sure both cases still exist and the first one will continue to bug me, but I'm not so quick to make the judgement anymore. It also makes me look like a crappy friend. It appears like I haven't listened to a thing you've said, when really I just can't retain the information.

Because I am always full of excuses, I am often searching for something to blame it on. I consider myself a relatively intelligent person, so there has to be some kind of rational explanation. I can't use pregnancy or any other hormonal excuse anymore since it's been 2 years since I've been pregnant. The only other one I can think of is that I've perhaps sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past. Before you laugh, this isn't too far off base. Back in my gymnastics days, I did hit my head on several occasions. One of which was on the balance beam and I did indeed have a concussion (at least that's what I remember, and we all know how reliable that is...). I've studied the symptoms of TBI ( in school- not because I have truly considered this an accurate theory until recently), and some other TBI symptoms include emotional outbursts (check), lack of inhibition (check-sometimes) and word finding difficulties (check).

Trying to compensate for this shortcoming has not come without effort and I know that I still must take responsibility. But I am constantly apologizing for it. "I'm sorry, I forgot" comes from my mouth way too often. I use several strategies to compensate including: using a big giant white board calendar in my kitchen in which every little commitment and appointment is written, setting my little alarm clock in my cell phone and writing daily lists of things to do. These things definitely help, but are not fool-proof. Having a calendar requires one to remember to check it on a regular basis which I don't always do and to always be near it when scheduling things. When scheduling things away from home, I'll even call my home number and leave myself a message so that I can write it on the calendar. This is why I feel "helplessly" forgetful. What more can I do? Am I short on some kind of mineral or just short on brain cells? I so badly want to fix this.

I'm past being annoyed. I'm frustrated. I've seen a few ads for programs that claim to improve memory but I don't want to spend a lot of money unless it works. Does anyone know of something that can help? Any magic vitamin? Any other strategies to help compensate? Maybe I should invest in a little digital tape recorder that I carry around all day. Any suggestions would be so appreciated. Is this more normal than I think it is? In the meantime and until I find a solution, just remember that I'm really trying to remember to remember to do things.

I do have to say that it's not all bad. Having a poor memory has it's advantages. Unless it's a movie I absolutely love (and I'm a tough crowd), I will forget it in a few months. I can literally re-watch an entire movie a few months later and not remember a thing about it. The same goes for books. I'll remember if I liked or disliked a book, but not much else.

Halleluiah!

My nights are back (at least I REALLY hope so). The last 3 nights in a row, Kara's been back to her old self and going down to sleep at 7:30 without a peep and then staying asleep 'till morning. I'm not sure what triggered her little "phase" but thank goodness it was just that. She began going to sleep a little better when Cameron came off his trip last week, but was still struggling. Each night got a little better and then a few days ago, she neither protested or chanted our names at all for the first time in about 2 weeks. I went to check on her and she had found her binky (which we took away after she began this phase since it wasn't helping her go to sleep which was the whole reason I let her have it in the first place). So she still has her binky but I don't care- if it means I can have my nights back then so be it. Anything for some peace and quite for a few hours before I hit the sack.

Thanksgiving in April

Cameron, Cami, Josh, Dave, Rachel, Me

Today was our 2nd annual Thanksgiving in April. Every year for Christmas, SkyWest so generously gives us a bonus. The bonus is a coupon for a free turkey. I know, not quite as glamorous as a membership to a cheese-of-the-month club for a year, but we're not about to complain about anything free. Because the coupon expires in April and we leave everything to the last minute, Thanksgiving in April was born. It was good to have the Cooks (our move-away-to-Vernal-friends) back, in our last ditch attempt to make them sorry they left us. I'm not sure it worked. I think it was the dry turkey. Blast that turkey- if only my delicious juicy turkey attempt was successful.

Because real Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday and doesn't come around nearly enough, I thought I'd share a few things I'm grateful for.

Today, April 13, 2008 I am thankful for

1. Good company-friends that are easy to be with and who are always good for a few laughs
2. A mother who allows me to call her 6 (maybe 7?) times about how to cook the same dang turkey
3. My mismatched furniture
4. The sound of a lawn mower
5. Garlic (so far so good at repelling the mosquitoes....ask for more details)
6. Hugs from my kiddos
7. Having a non-complainer husband
8. And yes, good food. No thankful list of mine would be complete without some reference to food. Today, I'd have to say I'm particularly thankful for strawberry rhubarb pie, yummy potato rolls and sausage stuffing.

Who are you and what have you done with my son

Yesterday was spontaneous cleaning and today, sharing of his big moneys. Really. What has happened to my Colby?

What is the deal

As mentioned in my previous post, I've been struggling to get Kara to sleep for the last week or so. As a traveling husband's wife, I often deal with such obstacles in isolation (and then call Cameron 5 states away to whine and complain). I research the net, call upon trusty friends and beg for advice from family, all in a desperate attempt to solve these issues, again, alone (right before I call Cameron and leave him a message that he better call in sick the next day and catch the next flight home because I've had it). When I think I've exhausted every avenue and our daughter will forever chant, "mommy...daddy" for 2 hours every night, her father returns from his trip from China...I mean California and simply tells his daughter, "Go to sleep Kara." And she obeys. What?!? You've got to be kidding me. Am I the laid-back one of the pair? Um, I don't think so. Do I have Kara wrapped around my little finger? For some unexplainable reason, that's a no too. Someone please explain this phenomenon to me because I am starting to take it personally.

The Golden Age

As an update to my post a few weeks ago about Colby's naughty phase, I thought I'd share his recent behavior. This past week, he as been teasing us with what I imagined age 4 to be. Very polite, extremely helpful and so sweet. I say teasing because I don't want to get my hopes up...but I sure am enjoying it now. I'm not saying this is a complete 180 degree turn, because he still has his moments (like the other day when he screamed "no! " hit me and spit in my face all at the same time), and one of his favorite new sayings when he doesn't get his way is, "I'm not going to play with you ever again!" But overall, what an improvement I've seen!

Today during General Conference, C0lby decided he was going to clean the basement. And like most 3-year-olds, getting him to clean is usually a joke. He worked for a while and then came upstairs and excitedly told us to come downstairs to admire his work. And the basement was seriously clean. Seriously. And then he decided he wasn't done. He announced he was going to start the upstairs. He kept cracking me up with comments like, "Mom, you really need to vacuum down there," or, "Dad, are you done with that? (pointing to his glass of milk). 'Cause you need to put it away." And then grabbing Kara's book she had just put down and putting it in the drawer. I wonder who he learned that from. I'll be surprised if this cleaning spell persists, but I'm sure enjoying it now.

With Colby's improvement in behavior, there has a been a void in our home. A void that Kara felt should be filled immediately. Colby's naughtiness has been replaced by Kara completely refusing to sleep. She has slept through the night and gone down for naps with zero resistance since 4 or 5 weeks old. Oh... were we ever spoiled. In a matter of days, she no longer naps (even though she is dead tired), and will no longer go to bed. She cries and yells our names at night for up to 3 hours at a time. And then she wakes up another 1-2 times per night with the same routine. What to do? Colby has even worn earplugs so that he could at least get some rest. It's a phase, right? Yes, I'm sure it is, but I am surely not enjoying this now.