I found a bunch of pictures that I meant to post, but never could, because I was waiting for Eric to touch them up, or whatever he does. I don't know if these have been worked on, but they look fine to me.





Riley's cast when she broke her leg for the second time last April. It didn't slow her down at all.

Eric took Riley fishing up Provo Canyon this summer. Like the hair? She wouldn't ever let us brush it, so we had a rag-a-muffin child. Hence the cut.

These are from when we went to Marilyn and Gerry's cabin for the weekend this summer and Eric taught me to fish. Man, what a belly!

I Miss My Family

Eric has been sleeping on the couch for over a month... now he's kicked out of the house altogether. Not to fear- it's not marital discord, it's germs. Iris's inability to sleep anywhere but in bed next to me had him on the couch, and the germs that attacked him this week have him at his Mom's. Patti's going to start some gossip in her neighborhood. (It wouldn't work here, because he's already gone so much, our neighbors won't notice the difference.) The coughing and all-around-yuckiness has been coming on for a few days, so he's just kept his distance. It was getting worse yesterday, so we decided that he could sleep here last night, and if he woke up this morning feeling worse, then he's move to his mothers until he felt better. He did feel worse- and it's a good thing he got out of the house, because he felt even worse-er later. He went to the doc and they gave him something or other... he ditched classes today to sleep... he called in sick to work to rest up... I have high hopes that this will be a short separation. I really miss my husband. Having him gone is no new thing- actually, as I write this at 11 PM, this could be a normal day. If not sick today, he would have gone to school before I woke up, then gone to work straight from school, and wouldn't be home yet. I wouldn't have seen him before now anyway- so this really isn't different. But we've been so terrified that I would get sick that he hasn't so much as given me a high five for days. (Can you imagine if I got sick, too? What a disaster. If Iris had gotten the shots like she should have, this wouldn't be this unnecessary big deal.) I miss my hubby.

And to cap it all, Riley is also sick. Her cough has been coming on for days as well, and when she
woke up this morning, she was also worse. I've had a time trying to keep her hands and lips off Iris, I can tell you that. Her little friend had strep throat the other day- the day after they had been playing. So when I saw her red and raw throat, and heard her hacking cough this morning, I took her to our trusty pediatrician. (I swear I should have his office on speed dial.) Luckily, it's not strep, but she's spending the night at my parents, just in case. As hard as it is to have her craziness all day, every day, I now find that I've missed her today. She knows that she shouldn't touch the baby as long as she is sick and coughing, so when she coughed last night, she said, "No more coughing, Throat!". And when she coughed again a few minutes later, she said, "What did I tell you, Throat?" It was adorable. I miss my girl.

So Iris and I spent a lazy day watching the beloved A&E five hour version of "Pride and Prejudice". I haven't had time to watch that in one sitting in precisely three years and nine months (the length of Riley's life). So, cheers and thanks to my mom and dad for taking care of my Little Sicky, and cheers and thanks to Patti and Stephanie for taking care of my Big Sicky. I wish I could do it.

Look at the Bright Side

These things bother me:

• Couples canoodling at church. 'Nuff said.
• Christmas lights turned on before December 1. (See also: Christmas music played before previously mentioned date, as well as any kind of blow up decoration... for any holiday.)
• The Library Nazi. She is my nemesis.
  
• The geniuses hired to work the phones at insurance companies, billing offices, etc.
• Drivers of SIX door trucks (that's right... THREE cabs) who pull enormously long trailers and run red lights.
  
• Hannah Montana
  
• People who go to school sick and get my husband sick.

As this is kind of a downer post, I'll add a few pluses:

• My super kettle. I have about four cups of hot chocolate a day now that I've pulled it out. Tons of sugar, but as I've all but given up Dr. Pepper (the second love of my life), I don't feel guilty.
• I have a solo date planned for this Saturday night. It's Eric's night off, so I got an advance ticket to see "Twilight", because yes, I am one of those girls. I heart Edward. So I'm going to some restaurant (I haven't decided where yet) where they will serve me food, and I can eat it without once saying, "Please stop that" or "Stop throwing your food" or "Did you spill your milk on purpose?". And I won't have to clean up any food or milk, or stop Riley from suffocating Iris with a hug, and my food will be warm when I eat it, because I won't have popped in and out of my seat nine times to get more milk or apple sauce or whatever before getting to eat. Ahhh, bliss. Then I'll go to see the movie. I don't have hopes that it will be as good as the books- I'm not an idiot- but I think it will be alright. All in all, I can't wait for my date with myself.
• And as much as I complain, I really do have it great. I have a husband I never see, because he's always either at work at at school. He never gets time to do what he wants for himself, and he never complains or guilt trips me. He works so hard to provide for us and to get good grades- I am grateful, in a roundabout way, that he's gone so much. I have a daughter that bounces off the walls with unrestrained energy. She isn't shy or slow, and she's full of love. Sometimes it's hard to have all that energy trapped in our house, but I'm glad that she has it. I have a baby girl who is out of the hospital, when it could have been so much worse. She's home with us, when other babies born with similar problems aren't nearly so fortunate. Yeah, I can't go anywhere because of it, but we have a god shot at keeping here healthy this winter, and hopefully she'll then be healthy for life. I'm grateful that we were given a solution, no matter how hard it is to carry out.
  

Blessings are all around me, hidden in the middle of my obstacles. If I can only remember to wake up and pay attention, I'm in awe of all that I have been given.

Boo! Hiss!

I am angry. We found out the other day that Iris' appeal was denied. How can that be, you ask? I wouldn't know. The insurance company is sticking to it's age guidelines like stink on rot, and even the pediatricians letter urging them to change their minds didn't do it. We're trying a second appeal, but I don't have very high hopes. Oh, and when I asked the doc's office for more specifics, in case we tried to pay for these ourselves, I found that it would probably be just under $15,000 instead of $8,000. The price goes up according to her weight, so we estimated the rate she would gain (it's all in those cheeks!), and viola. $15,000. Not possible.

So thanks to all you who prayed for us. I guess it's not over yet, but I'm not very hopeful. We can't qualify for Medicaid because we already have insurance, and there aren't any supplementary programs in Utah. Write your congressman.

Iris 'Tubbs of Fun' Bartlett

Iris has been such a fun baby so far! We're loving having her (Riley sometimes a little too much so...) and are so grateful for her. For those of you who wonder about her current medical situation, I'll give a brief update. Her pediatrician recommended that she get a series of six shots to help prevent her from getting RSV this winter. Because of the condition of her lungs at birth, and the full week she spent on the ventilator, she would likely have to be hospitalized if she did get sick this winter, and could very possibly have lung problems the rest of her life. We obviously want to avoid that. The doc says that this first winter is critical: if we can get her through this without getting sick, she'll probably live normally for the rest of her life, with no residual problems. That's why I've become a hermit of late- I'm avoiding all germs. But, back to the shots: six of them, at about $1,200 a pop is a lot of money. And the insurance won't cover it unless it can be proved that it's medically necessary. Apparently working for an insurance company gives you more insight than a doctor to whether it is necessary, because even though the doc says it is, she was denied. Don't even get me started on insurance companies. So, we're appealing, and will know either way by December 3. I'm asking everyone to keep us in your prayers. I really feel that she should get these shots, and I don't know how we'll pay for them if the insurance company denies her again. Please, please pray that this will work out. Thanks!

But in the meantime, we love her and we're thrilled to have her!

Warning: Nudie Shot!

When Riley gets herself dressed!

Denim cape, anyone?

A Fun Day

In my efforts to keep Riley and myself from going crazy during our autumn/ winter imprisonment, I've tried to take her out to do fun things that don't involve germs. (It's amazing how little there is to do...) The other day, I, along with my brother Graham and his dog, Dusty, brought the girls up to Sundance to run around. There were hardly any people there, so that helped with the germs, and she and Dusty could run around to their hearts content.

Graham and Riley by the indian statue

Graham had a rope that he was throwing for Dusty- then it got caught in a tree! Here he's trying to knock it down with a large piece of wood he found. (The wood is the blur in the middle left of the picture.)

You can't see it well in this picture, but the wood got caught up next to the rope. It just wasn't Grammy's day. He eventually got the wood down using another piece, but never got the rope. Bummer.

I tried and tried to get Riley to let me take her picture, but she kept hiding behind things. I guess I really irritated her, because just after I took this picture...

...she charged!

Later that evening, I met up with best pal Melanie and her son Kyson- best pal of Riley. With my mom taking care of Iris, we were free to take the kiddos to Hee Haw's. It's got a corn maze that we didn't do, and lots of fun things for kids.

Melanie took the kids down the slide- I confess, I was chicken.

(I was shamed into it later.)

A train ride using barrels with animal heads as cars.

When we went to the pumpkin patch, Riley strayed from the path and came back covered in burs! Those suckers hurt to get out!

Melanie and I took turns pulling the kids around in a cart.

Kyson and Riley liked making "corn angels" in the big pit of corn.

Carvin' Punkin'

I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures of when we carved our Halloween pumpkins. It was a lot of fun, even though Riley had a freak-out tantrum and had to go to bed midway through. Just because it's Halloween doesn't mean we get special treatment! It was even more fun because we grew them ourselves- we'll definitely do that again. I guess all the petting and rubbing that Eric and Riley did throughout the summer worked!

Riley's "before" picture (I couldn't figure out how to rotate this- sorry!)

Eric's "before"- how handsome he looks!

my "before"- how... tired I look!

Riley actually liked getting the goop out herself!

Bleh

the "after"- Eric suggested tons of "silly faces", which was Riley's only qualification. She rejected them all, only to pick the most simple one!

again with the rotation... Riley the Pumkin Head

Eric decided to drill holes all over his- I think he felt quite manly with the drill!

my "after"- you can't tell by this picture, but she has eyelashes

Mr. Pumpkin-Head

Iris and Riley's pumpkins