3 days away from being 2 years old and STILL in the hospital!

I can't believe this guy isn't two yet! I just started bawling when I thought his birthday was this Sunday. I can't wait to be home, I can't wait for him to not have an IV, I can't wait for him and his brother to get to play again!

They actually aren't as sure about which bacteria caused the infection as they sounded yesterday. He made progress with his white blood cell count, but not a lot of progress with the other two factors, CRP and ERMGSPQ... I'm not too sure about the last one. So, hopefully we can get home today. If the bacteria is not the stepholocaucusish one, then they'll probably have to switch antibiotics again and keep him to make sure it works again... His poor swollen neck/chin thing has not changed a whole lot. It stopped growing, but it's still big and odd. -- We were just changing his bandaging around the IV and it came out, so for the next treatment, he gets to be poked all over again. It's so sad he's too young to understand, so he has to be restrained by at least two people any time a proceedure like that is done.

GOOD NEWS!!!
The apartment me and the kids have been in for the last 5 months will no longer be available, so I was on the hunt for the last couple weeks and not enjoying it. About every apartment does credit checks now, so that's not cool, getting your credit checked 5 times in one week just for an apartment?! I was picky with whom I submitted applications to. I finally saw one that I LOVED in Provo and we just got approved this morning in all aspects, so the apartment is ours! Our new address will be available shortly, we move in March 1st. I almost got into a different apartment in Orem, but the manager asked to see the condition of our car... I was like, no way, it's a mess - if you judge me by that we definitely won't get in. I said, you should come see our apartment, it looks great! ...still after he looked, and after him being weird about a couple other things, I felt terrible inside. I now hated the thought of living there. So, I said I changed my mind. I said, "you made me feel like a terrible person and I want to be happy where I live." And I got the deposit back. Hello people, you may forget about a couple cups in the cupholders, but you wouldn't let two disposable cups sit in the middle of your living room floor for a week. My car never represents the condition of my house... even if I get a chance to detail the inside of the car, the apartment would be a mess for me using that time to clean the car!

Stephen's in the hospital :(

So... me, Patrick and Stephen all had a touch of something involving a slight fever and colds... After I thought Stephen's was gone, he got another fever and a nice ballooning of his lymphnodes under his chin. I called the dr's after-hours office and they thought like me, that it was due to his cold and should go down soon. Sunday, I called again and they said if it doesn't go down by morning to take him in.

Yesterday, we went into the "InstaCare" urgent care facility, after waiting 2 hours, paying $60, they let me know they couldn't help us and he needed to go to the emergency room. Luckily, they refunded me...

ER for 6 hours, an ultrasound and blood tests proved he didn't have an abscess, so luckily, he wouldn't need surgery... BUT the 3 things they look for to know about infections proved to be in really high levels, so we needed to stay over night. It didn't improve, in fact 2 of those 3 things got worse. They also started a culture to see if there was bacteria present and I was just notified that there is, so we get to stay another night and maybe more, depending on his rate of improvement.

Stephen has been his happy self since Saturday and throughout the process (except for the tough testing times and having the IV)... so the doctors and nurses keep saying we should be able to go home soon. I keep thinking to myself, he was NEVER any different... so I don't like them judging him to be improving when he's just a stinkin' happy kid. He's named after Steve Irwin and I feel it's so appropriate more and more the older he gets. He's really kind, talkative and energetically happy.

Luckily, they began detaching his IV from the tubes in between administration of the antibiotics, so he can move around. Up until 2 hours ago, that wasn't the case. Being on the Pediatrics level is tugging at my heart constantly, hearing babies and children cry off and on through the day and night. Every mom would rather take the place of their child than see them suffer... I want to cry every time I have to hold him down for the doctors or nurses to do something (take a blood test).

I am so grateful for the health we've been blessed with as a family and this is just another reminder to me that many people aren't so lucky. I'm just glad we have the technology and resources to find and treat these problems quickly. Your prayers would be appreciated, but if you want any updates, just turn to Matthew or this blog. If there's anything substantial, I'll put it here. Love you all!

"It was brilliant... but now I'm not so sure." - Future Simon Cowell

So, I auditioned for American Idol in my sleep this morning. (I work graveyard, so it was about 6am.)

I went in and stood on the platform, I sang my little heart out... then fell asleep!!! (This is where real-life sleeping habits kick in.) I saw myself slumped in a chair in the audition room, hearing Ryan Seacrest outside the door saying, "Let's check and see if Amy is awake yet!" I had slept through all the other auditioners, and they were playing clips of me snoring and sleeping throughout the auditions.

I woke up and the camera men were gone, everyone was gone except Simon. He was there in the room playing with trains, waiting for me to wake up (this is where the kids toys on the floor tie in). I freaked out, "oh, Simon! I'm so sorry I fell asleep! Do you want me to sing again? How did I do?"

He looked up, annoyed, "It was brilliant... but now I'm not so sure."

So, I was getting ready to sing again and fell asleep AGAIN! This time I woke up, and Paula was there, reading a magazine. "Oh my goodness, Paula, I can't believe I fell asleep again! Do you want me to sing one more time?"

Paula looked startled, "NO! Here!" She hands me THE yellow paper, "We're sick of waiting for you to stay awake."

Then I was disappointed, I wanted to know I got in because I sang well, not because they were sick of waiting for me.

And that's my dream. At least "I'm going to Hollywood!!!"