Welcome 2022!!
January started with fun at home while the boys were out of school. I didn't do all that much because of my back but Brandon was able to take the boys to a CSU game with my parents.
So Papa and Gigi went with Brandon and the boys and they had a fun time enjoying the game together.
Brandon also took the boys ice skating. The boys had been wanting to go ice skating for quite a while. So the boys got a bunch done at home and in return Brandon took them ice skating.
I was sad to miss it this time with them but, I was glad Brandon could take them and I stayed home with Kayden.
With my back hurting so bad, I was not able to use the microwave. Both sides of my back were hurting me so I was not able to use the microwave because its so hard to open. So while the boys were out of school for their break I had them helping out a lot with opening up the microwave for me. Right before they went back to school we decided to just buy a microwave for the counter so I could use it. It felt so good to be able to warm up hot dogs or chicken nuggets or make my hot chocolate protein drink all on my own. I felt like I was slightly human again. All because I could open the microwave. haha Kayden liked the microwave too and started putting everything that was on the counter into it. It was a good thing I didn't leave in plugged in or we would have a house fire on our hands.
In January I also had a doctors appointment with a Sports Medicine doctor. She ended up telling me that my scans were all clean. She ran a few tests on me to see what movement I had and if it hurt to do certain movements. After checking me over she said that she didn't think that I had a tear or strain anywhere. She came to the conclusion that she thought it was a chronic issue. That my brain was misfiring telling my nerves that I was still in pain. So she prescribed Cymbalta for me to see if that helped. I was a little nervous to try out the medicine because its an antidepressant and also helps with chronic pain. She said that there were like no side effects. So i was all good with it until I started to research the possible side effects. Either way I had to try it. It had been 4 months of me not being able to do much of anything. Brandon had to go to work and then come home and cook dinner, do dishes, do laundry and help get the kids to bed. I felt like a bump on a log and I was definitely getting depressed. I cried A LOT!! I couldn't help but think that this was going to be my new normal and that was hard to handle. I am usually super active and I love being involved with my kids and I couldn't do much of anything. The medicine felt like my only hope for relief. So I gave it a try. The night I took my first pill I had been feeling a little off in my stomach. I didn't think anything of it. So when I woke up the next morning I had a headache, felt dizzy and my stomach felt super upset. Everything tasted terrible to me. Seemed like my senses were heightened when it came to taste. So things that normally tasted good were repulsive. I couldn't get anything down that day. It was terrible. I cried some more that day because I was worried that it was the pills causing that and I just wanted to feel better not worse. Either way, I had to keep trying it. I ended up feeling awful for about 2 weeks. I got the runs and felt a little feverish at one point. I was super shaky and couldn't get much down for quite a few days. It finally started to subside and I was able to eat a little bit more. It was a rough go. Yet I was not sure if it was the pills or if I had gotten some stomach virus and it was just perfect timing. So I kept taking the medicine. I was really thinking that it was my only hope of feeling better. So I couldn't give up. After a week of feeling cruddy and starting to feel a little bit better it was time to up my dose from just 1 20mg pill each day to taking the 20 mg twice a day. Which I was super nervous about too. I didn't want to start feeling worse again when I was starting to feel a little better. Thankfully, I didn't feel any worse. I was still super shaky. I would wake up to turn in bed at night and I could feel my arms shaking just turning over in the bed. It was crazy. I was shaking so bad that I could see my hands shaking when I got up to play on the piano one afternoon. Anyways, things started to get better after that and I was starting to actually feel happier. So that was a plus. Then I started to do some pilates. The doc told me that pilates was meant for chronic pain. So I figured it was time to start that slowly too.
Brandon teaching Emmett something that he had learned on the piano.
My sweet boys watching a movie together! I love this handsome bunch of mine.
Trying to get something in my stomach. All I could muster was a few crackers and some liquids during the first couple of days of my tummy issues.
I was laying down on the couch and Kayden would just come bring cars for me to hold. haha
When I was feeling super awful Vandy texted me and asked how I was doing. She said she felt so bad that I was going through such a terrible time with my back hurting so bad and now this reaction that we think was from the meds. She told me she sent me something and it was going to arrive soon. When it showed up at my door I couldn't help but cry! She was so sweet to send me some nice fluffy socks and a heated blanket. It was so thoughtful and made me cry as I felt so loved while going through all of this crappy stuff.
Gigi planned to come pick up Kayden and let him play at her house for a few hours so I could get some rest. Kayden was so excited to play at Gigi's house. Im sure a lot of it had to do with how boring it was at our house lately. He looked so cute waiting for Gigi to come pick him up. Especially, since I had actually gotten him dressed for the first time in a while. haha
My mom helped out lot throughout my injury and especially that week of me feeling super awful. She brought over dinner twice and cleaned dishes for Brandon and me and took Kayden to play at her house. There was just so much that she did for me too that I can't even write everything down.
My sweet boys enjoying playing a game together.
We also had my friend and ministering sister Paige Palmer bring over dinner that week. She had texted me to see how things were going and when she asked if there was anything she could do I mentioned that bringing over a dinner would be really nice to give Brandon a break from playing Mom and Dad. So that was nice when she brought over dinner that week too. Brandon felt relieved that he didn't have to get home from work and cook something for dinner that night.
Kayden and I laid by the fire quite often when I was not feeling good. It felt so nice to lay by the fire and get all nice and warm. So we laid by each other and watched cartoons or played with magnetic tiles.
Ethan also got ordained to a Deacon and received the priesthood on January 16th. Thankfully, I was feeling good by then and was able to go to church. I can't believe my oldest is this old. In Young Mens and has the priesthood and has a temple recommend to do Baptisms for the dead. He is growing up so fast!
Getting out for some fresh air. Kayden loves his little red bike!
One of the castles Kayden and I built together.
Kayden did not want to take a nap said he wanted to lay down on the carpet with a pillow. So we laid down on the floor for a little bit. I mentioned that the couch was comfier but he did not believe me. haha
We also had another big thing happen.
Kayden was being moved to a big boy bed. This was happening because Kayden climbed out of his bed January 14th for the first time. All of a sudden I heard doors closing upstairs. When I walked over to see he was closing his brothers door I asked him what he was doing. He said, "closing doors. He said it so matter of factly and had this big grin on his face. Then that Saturday he took a long nap and then didn't want to go to sleep at bed time. He played in his bed for a while and then all of a sudden we heard a door close and then heard Kayden giggle. The rest of the boys then ran down stairs saying that Kayden was out of bed and was in their room. So Brandon put him back in his bed. Then a little bit later I head a door close again and before wek new it Kayden was standing in the family room holding his cool car and said, "My.. back!!" haha So hard to be mad at him when he is so cute. Papa and Gigi were over playing cards with us while all of this happened. Kayden is the first one of our kids to climb out of his crib. We tried keeping him in his crib for a little longer. He kept coming in our room at night. Brandon even dropped the crib all the way to the floor but then Kayden learned to squeeze in between the bottom of the crib and the little tiny gap that was between the crib and his mattress. Sometimes his head would get stuck and he would start screaming so Brandon would have to go in and help him get out. So we had to put pillows under the mattress to raise it up just enough so he couldn't squeeze through the bottom. I then told Brandon it was time to change him to a big boy bed because I was not going to be able to get him out of his crib with it being so low. It had been hard enough with where it had been. Plus he was climbing out of his crib so we might as well change him to a big boy bed.
So Brandon took his crib apart.
A little bitter sweet. It's our last time using that crib. So it was kind of sad seeing it being taken down and realizing that that stage of life was over for us. Sad but fun at the same time.
Not only was it a big day for Kayden getting changed from his crib to a big boy bed but also for Ethan. He moved out of the boys room and into the downstairs room to have his own room. He was super excited to have his own space and place to put his things so his Brothers couldn't touch the stuff! It was so weird thinking that I now had a baby who was not so much a baby anymore. As well as my oldest moving out of the little boys room and into his own room. I don't know how I feel about these boys getting so big already!!
My mom gave me a bath pillow to try out and while I was getting ready one afternoon Kayden wanted to lay down and sleep on the pillow in the bath. haha He is such a silly kid!!
Then Ashley dropped off Harvey for my parents to watch him while she went on a work trip with Matt. So Kayden got to enjoy playing with his cousin for a week.
They had a ton of fun riding around in our power wheel. We spent a lot of time with them. We would go over to Papa and Gigi's house and play and then they would come over to our house and play a lot as well. Kayden loved it! They had a lot of fun together.
Look at these cute boys playing together. It was fun to watch them play. They are just old enough now that they actually play together.
Kayden was really sad when Harvey was leaving. He had so much fun playing with a little buddy every day that he didn't want him to leave. What was really cute is that I told him that Harvey and Ashley were going on an Airplane back home. So any time he would see an airplane in the sky he would say, "Harvey, Ashley Airplane!" It was pretty cute! He also would look for Harvey when we went over to my parents then next few times and would be sad when we told him he was gone. It was fun to see them become such good little buddies!
Enjoying some time lying by the fire!! Kayden likes to lay by the fire with me.
Then Kayden got sick! Look at that poor little face!! He was so Sick!! 2 days after Harvey left Kayden came down with something and was super sick! Poor little buddy!!
