Birthday Surprise

 Happy Birthday Papa!!!

 

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday. Unfortunately he spent his special day in the USC ICU. Fortunately I live relatively close and was able spread a little cheer and sunshine. 

I sent a request for letters and pictures to put in my dad's room and My amazing family pulled though! (I could not have asked for a better family : )) I received over 70 pictures, beautiful art work, and wonderful words of endearment. 

Last night my wonderful friend, Kelly and I arranged the pictures on a tri-fold poster board. This way Dad can take the pictures of his family anywhere he goes. Anna helped us place the stickers and she did a great job! (Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures, it is really hard to take pictures on a phone, with gloves on! I will have GG (Grandma Graff) take some better pictures tomorrow when she visits.)

This morning, that same amazing friend watch Anna and Piper while I drove to USC to visit Dad and share the little pieces of joy that were so lovingly sent. 

When I walked into the ICU I was met by a very friendly face. I am awful with names, so I don't remember his name even though he repeated it twice : (. However I do know that he is a resident Dr. at USC. He welcomed me and ask who I was visiting. I told him that it was my dad's birthday and his face light up with excitement! "We love birthdays here!" he said and then he proceeded to run around the unit gathering nurses. Once we had about 10 of us, he opened the BIG doors to Dad's room and everyone sang Happy Birthday to my dad, while two of the nurses held up the board that I had made. Dad Clapped for us and was thrilled with the attention.

I gowned up and got to visit with my Dad. I showed him each of the pictures on the board, read his notes to him, and showed him the pictures that his grandchildren had made him. He felt so blessed that we remembered him. He really misses his family and is working on getting better. He told me of his miraculous recovery and that his knows that he has a great and important work to do.

His message to the family is that he loves all of us and can't wait to be in our homes with our children! He really misses Mom and when I told him that she will be visiting with him tomorrow, his eyes swelled up with tears and he said that he feels better knowing that she is coming! So sweet!

Thank you to my family for all the work that you did to help me pull off this Surprise! It definitely spread joy and sunshine to those who witnessed the out pour of love from our family!

Our Anna has WHAT?????

On Friday, Anna was complaining that her hand hurt. When I looked at it all I saw was a small red mark on her pinky. I thought that she had scratched it. So I gave her a boo-boo bag and sent her on her way. By Saturday the small red mark had turned into a bubbly rash. I called my mom and we talked about the different things it could be and concluded that if it got worse I would take her into urgent care in the morning. When Anna woke up on Sunday morning the rash was all over her hand and was making its way up her arm and on to her back. We ate some breakfast and then Anna and Seth set off for the urgent care clinic. The doctor there was not sure what it was and even called another doctor for a second opinion. He sent Anna home with an ointment that contained 2.5% Hydro-cortisone with the instructions to apply twice a day. We followed these instructions but the rash was still getting worse and spreading.

Pictures from Saturday: (I will get updated pictures if Anna will let me take off the mitten she wears!)





Finally I could not take it any more and I took Anna to her primary doctor today. The doctor wasn't sure what it was and brought two more doctors in to look at it. After much discussion, big medical terms, looking trough books, taking pictures and drawing samples; they believe that Anna has SHINGLES!!! WHAT??? Yep Shingles.

They are sending the sample in to make sure but shingles was the conclusion that all the doctors came to. The oldest and most experienced doctor of the group said that he has only seen this occur on a child her age, once before in his entire career. He said that since Anna had her varicella vaccination (Chicken pox) last year Shingles was a real possibility. Only about 1% of children get the shingles from this vaccination but it happens. He said that modern day medicine is so good at mimicking nature that even though Anna never really had Chicken pox, the virus was still able to come back as shingles.

The up side to Anna having Shingles as a child is that it is not as painful and itchy as it is in adults. The Shingles virus is not contagious its self but if someone has not had the vaccine for chicken pox or has not had that virus before she could give them chicken pox.

We are being really careful so not to give piper Chicken Pox. That would be AWFUL!!!
Thank you for all the concerns and prayers that came our way! Anna is on medication and it should go away in about 10 days!

Still Happy even though it hurts!!!

What a BLESSING

Seth Blessed Piper on Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 5, 2012. Early that morning, 12am to be exact, My mom, my sister Lauren and my brother Daniel arrived at my house.

Lauren meeting Piper for the first time

Later that morning we all got ready to go to the luncheon. I didn't want the girls in their church wear because i didn't want them to get dirty.

We invited friends over to our house for a luncheon before church.


After the luncheon we went back to our house to get the girls ready.


During Sacrament Meeting Seth gave Piper her name and a Beautiful Blessing. These are some of the highlights of the blessing:

• Blessed with discernment
  
• we live in a difficult time where the advisery is around.
• bless you that you will know right from wrong
• You were born into a a family who loves you.
• To a mother who has prepared all of her life for you (cue Mommy tears)
• blessed with health and strength.
• bless you to be baptized
• as you get older and make decisions for yourself, take time to find a young man who has the same morals, standards, and spirit and who will take you to the temple
• You are loved by friends and family who will help you

After sacrament meeting we took group pictures and then went back to our house for a small super-bowl party.

The party!!!!

Anna's funnies

Anna has been SO funny lately. I have to document them, if I don't I will forget.

#1- We are teaching Anna about prayer. Seth and I take turns helping her say her prayers. It usually goes like this...
We have her address Heavenly Father and then I ask Anna who she is thankful for. she ALWAYS mentions Kai-Kai first. (Kainoa is her best friend. They spend a lot of time together and when they are apart they are asking for each other.) Then she goes thought the list of family members, places and things she loves. Then I ask her, "Anna is there anything you need or want?" One night she responded "YES!!!!!"
Me: What do you need sweetie?
Anna: hummm.... Toys!

It was so cute and I love that she is praying to her Heavenly Father. She has great faith and reminds me to be better.


#2- Anna just had her second birthday. On her actually birthday, I brought cupcakes to our playgroup and then we had a couple of her friends come over for pizza that night. The next day I was asking Anna about her birthday and recalling all the fun things that we did. This is how the conversation went:
Me: Anna, who came to your party last night.
Anna: Humm... (when you ask Anna a questions she will usually start her answer with Humm...) JESUS!!!!
Me: Jesus came to your party?
Anna: Yes!



#3- When Anna was younger she had a hard time saying apple sauce so it would come out as "Butt-sauce".

#4- Anna is a Ham.... At dinner time she loves to preform. She will sing songs and do little dances for us while we eat.


#5- One day I put Anna in time out and she started to call my name. I ignored her and went about my business. Her calling got progressively louder until she suddenly stopped, whipped her eyes and said, in a sweet voice, "Pretty mommy?" It put a smile on my face but she still sat there the remainder of her time out.

#6- Anna thinks it is funny to call me Daddy and to call Daddy Mommy.

#7- Anna might be a great Washington girl. At about 4:00pm everyday the sun pours into our living room. I think it is wonderful so I open the binds. Anna on the other hand FREAKS out and says "AHHHH, sun, sun, ouch eyes!! Silly girl you are supposed to be a Cali girl!


#8- Anna HATES Hair!! Whenever she gets hair on her hands she holds her hand out to me and says "uh-oh Hair, Mommy, Uh-oh hair!" Until I clean the strand of hair off of her hand.

#9- Anna loves to see the pictures we take of her right after we take them. However, she doesn't always wait until you take the picture so we have a lot of pictures of her like this:


#10- Anna was standing between the mirror in the bathroom and the mirrored medicine cabinet and the in an excited voice said "There is two ANNA'S!!!!!!!"

#11- Anna loves to sing. All day long she sings songs. Among her favorites are Paradise by Coldplay, Baby, baby, baby by Justin Bieber, and Trot Ol' Joe (this is a song we sing at music time and she runs around 'trotting' while it plays)