The LONG road to Utah

Soon we will be heading off to Utah...for Christmas.  Can you say PARTAY?!?!  (Yes, there is supposed to be an A in there...it makes it a more serious version of party...just in case you were wondering.)

I can't WAIT to see these mountains...and some snow!

The 1,300 mile journey - EACH way - is a bit daunting and will be a long one indeed.  One that people tend to be struck dumb when we tell them we are driving rather than flying.  Considering the $3,000 difference in gas vs. flying a family of 5 at this time of year, it just makes more financial sense.  Ask me when we return if it was emotionally and mentally worth it however and you'll most likely get a "HECK NO!"  But I am trying to remain optimistic at this point.

Anyway, to make matters worse, we are considering doing the unthinkable and knocking the whole thing out at once and driving through the night rather than splitting it up.  I've heard from many people that stopping for the night on such a long road trip makes it even more painful for small children...especially when said small children could be hopped up on Benadryl and sleep through a good portion of it.  I'm just saying.

As if this whole journey wasn't stressful enough (I'm just assuming it will be) this week has been a major test of my strength, desire and will to be in Utah.

First off - both my older girls are quite sick.  I think it's most likely croup, because they usually get it once or twice a year.  Croup FREAKS me out now that we have Addison and I'm taking all the precautions I can to keep the older ones away from her...which is proving to be very difficult.  Normally when they get croup I treat them with the regular humidifier, steamy bathroom, cold air, maybe some Motrin type things at home, because I'm not a huge fan of over-medicating.  However with the baby here and with the trip fast approaching I will be taking them to the pediatrician tomorrow and I will beg and plead for them to give me something to help the kids get better.  Being sick for Christmas is NOT an option!

Next - at Addison's 2 week checkup yesterday we were informed that her numbers were high for jaundice.  This would have not been such a surprise if they had checked her at the hospital or mentioned it at ALL before then.  My frustrations with he hospital will remain in my mind for now however.  Addison - of course - has to be checked again tomorrow...love that. To add to this particular stress as well was the pediatrician's possible reasons for the elevated numbers.  You know, small things like "her blood could be incompatible with your blood" and "she could have an immature liver".  Really I just want the test done and tell me if it's getting better or not.  But now suddenly I'm worried about blood transfusions and liver transplants!  A little on the dramatic side, yes, but I'm 2 1/2 weeks postpartum...what do you expect?!

And finally yesterday while showering (this might be a little too much information for some) I was checking my incision - as I try to normally do.  I saw a spot on it that looked rather dark and wondered if it was just a bruise or something, and was hoping it wasn't some sort of infection or something more serious.  Upon closer inspection I realized it was a staple!  You see...if you'll refer to my previous post (the non-crying parts) that my nurse removed my staples before I left the hospital.  So imagine my surprise to have a staple there looking back at me, taunting me.

After conversing with my personal go to doctor (a.k.a. sister-in-law Sara who I'm sure is SO sick of all my stupid medical questions) I felt that it would be okay to tug on the staple to see if it would just pop off.  I tried...I tried some more.  It wasn't coming loose however and was starting to cause some pain.  So today I called the doctor (a.k.a. my OB that delivered the baby and therefore is responsible for said staple...not that I'm upset, that was just a matter of fact statement) to ask their advice. 

I went in...because that's what they advised...and the nurse had to use TWO different tools to get the staple out.  It was somehow twisted funny and wouldn't just come out without a fight.  It hurt.  She was very surprised that it was an entire staple and wondered how an entire staple got overlooked.  I was pretty sure it was because part of the skin on my incision had swollen a little after the surgery and when my nurse took out the staples at the hospital that one was probably hidden under some swollen skin.  Anyway, I am now free of foreign objects...that I know of...and feel a little more okay about leaving for Utah.  On the down side, however, my incision that has been relatively pain free since leaving the hospital is now tender again.  Oh, that and my doctor told me to be really careful on my road trip and to get out and move a lot because I'm "still susceptible to blood clots" for a while.  Nice.

This road to Utah is becoming longer by the second...

But - by golly - I WILL be in Utah for Christmas!!