Time is Out of Joint

I can't wrap my mind around the concept of time. I can recall so vividly the day my boys were born; they were helpless and small. They barely had energy to move their little limbs; each blink of an eye was calculated and full of effort. Yet here I am watching them, nearly 8 months old, laughing and giggling, jabbering away, trying to crawl and exploring this new world that lays before them. I was sure that I was updating my blog consistently and sharing pictures of their life. But I haven't updated since they were 4 months old! Not only are they growing up, but great things are happening in our lives. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to lately.

Five and Six Months Old Photographs

Benjamin

Wilson

Wilson-6 Months

Benjamin

They are getting so big and beginning to do so many things!

No crawling, but they move around. This is how we found Ben one day. He was originally laying next to Wilson.

We are giving solid foods a great effort. So far they like pretty much everything.

Ben is trying to believe me when I say he will like it.

They have needed several haircuts. Here is a before shot.

Ben especially needs to keep his hair trim.

And the after shot...I don't like their hair short. It makes them look so grown-up!

They love to play outside and enjoy the warm weather.

They LOVE swimming and being in the water.

This includes bath time as well. They are almost too big to be in there together.

Tyler loves baseball, so he has been especially excited to take the boys to games.

One of our favorite summer pastimes is visiting Sun Valley, Idaho. It was fun to take the boys this year as well.

Our family hike to Baker Lake. Ben was so happy. He jabbered away in my ear the whole time to the lake.

Wilson is always up for a new adventure as well.

Our boys are both so sweet. I couldn't write enough good things about each of them.

Ben is fascinated by new things. He loves to explore and is curious about his surroundings. When he has toys in his hands, he likes to examine (which includes tasting) all sides and functions of said toy. He is always looking around and studying his environment. He is a little more bashful. It is cute when he meets new people or sees people he doesn't recognize, he always looks to me for reassurance that they are ok to smile at. His smile is so precious and melts my heart every time. He is such a sweet baby.

Wilson is our little charmer. He LOVES people, especially girls. He flirts with all the women in Relief Society. He is easily distracted and easily entertained. He is a bit more emotional and lately has found that screaming his demands can be more effective then whining. He is quick to smile and laugh always. He warms up to new people almost immediately. He loves to talk and he LOVES Benjamin. He gets so excited whenever he sees his brother. He is the BEST eater and will eat anything and usually eat it fast.

We are so proud of the little steps our boys are making and we love them so much. We count our blessings everyday and pray for our family and friends as well. We love you guys! Thank you for all you do in helping our little family.

If you are a regular reader and/or subscriber to the life and times of Tyler and Megan Rice,

please leave your email address below

and send an easy one time payment of $9.99 to continue reading.

As of July 1, 2010 this blog will no longer be open to the un-paying public.

If you don't pay, but leave an email address, you will still be given access

because I am that kind.

It's been a rough day...

It all started with a morning stop at Golden Arches for breakfast. I stole $1 from McDonald's. I didn't go in and demand one dollar with a gun to anyone's head. I couldn't have done that anyway, I have two babies. Perhaps I could pull off a stick-up in the Drive-through but that is beside the point.

My breakfast total came to $4.31 and I gave the cashier $4.01, thinking it was $5.01 so I could get exactly seventy cents back. Well the cashier didn't catch it and neither did I until I had pulled up to the food window and realized that I still had the extra dollar and an additional $0.70. I should have just handed it to the nice lady handing me my food and explain the mistake, but I didn't. I hesitated. Too many thoughts ran through my head. I don't know why I panicked about being an honest person. But I did ok! After all, it was only a dollar! I drove away.

Guilt started to sink in. I have sold my virtue for a dollar. Then I started to reason. They gave me the wrong food! I only realized that when I was already on the freeway to Emily's. My Dr Pepper was flat! (Hey I know it was only 9 a.m. but it was five o'clock somewhere). I should have turned around right then and there. The rest of the day just rolled out into a long, rainy, cold, mess. I was tired and feeling sick, my back was killing me, I needed more caffeine, I was trying to be good and not drink more caffeine. I ate way too many cupcakes. Babies were screaming, Daniel was creating bald spots on my head (Last week I was the "best girl" today I was target practice). Emily and I were ready to just throw in the towel. I came home, got in the tub and nearly tried to drown myself.

But I popped open a can of Dr Pepper (my sanity is in a can, and I don't care for your judgement), took a deep breath, and let the day finish. My boys are sleeping and making the cutest noises as they settle down for the night. My husband is so sweetly distraught about his dying tomato plant that I had to laugh. And I have a whole list of shows to watch on the DVR in the next couple of days.

And tomorrow...I will remember to say my prayers before I leave. AND I will return the dollar to McDonald's.

4 Month Milestones

Benjamin and Wilson have officially passed their four month mark. They are healthy, happy, little guys. They are both growing well and weigh in at a healthy 14 pounds for Wilson and 13 pounds 12 oz for Ben. They are not so big for their current age, but since they are eating their weight in milk these days, perhaps they will have a growth spurt soon.

Here is what we have been up to lately...

At the end of February we went on our first road trip to Idaho to visit my Grandma Wilson.

They did great on the car ride up, but struggled a bit on the way home. Mom had to sit in the middle of the carseats and hold the binkies in place. Nonetheless, I was excited we took them up to meet Grandma. She was pretty excited to meet them too!

March came in like a lion for poor little Ben.

Wilson had a great time being "Mister Charming" and making everyone who took care of him fall in love with his fun personality.

We were happy when we finally had our Benji on the road to recovery.

And we could all be home together again.

Ben was stroking Wilson's hair here. They are so cute together.

The boys finally moved out of our bedroom and into their own beds.

Ben loves the space.

Wilson still thinks it's a game when we put him to bed.

(fingers crossed) They are sleeping through the night!!!

With the weather warming up, we have begun to venture outside. Wilson loves new things. Here is his first time on the swing.

Ben loved the safety of the stroller.

Reaching four months, they were in desperate need of a haircut.

So the Easter Bunny sharpened her shears and here is the result!

Happy Easter!!!

12 Days of Hospital

On the first day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

being on a ventilator!

On the second day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the third day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the fourth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the fifth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the sixth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the seventh day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

seven shots of morphine, six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the eighth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

eight different nurses, seven shots of morphine, six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the ninth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

nine year old neighbors, eight different nurses, seven shots of morphine, six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the tenth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

ten Residents per team, nine year old neighbors, eight different nurses, seven shots of morphine, six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the eleventh day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

eleven ounces lost, ten Residents per team, nine year old neighbors, eight different nurses, seven shots of morphine, six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

On the twelfth day of Hospital, Benji had to endure...

twelve days without Wilson, eleven ounces lost, ten Residents per team, nine year old neighbors, eight different nurses, seven shots of morphine, six breaths per minute,

FIVE FINGER POKES!!

four IV lines, three vital tubes, two super infections, and being on a ventilator!

After 12 days in the hospital, Benjamin has put up with quite a bit. He is a fighter! He was taken of the ventilator twice (!) and had a rough time because he was intubated for so long. The doctors hoped his ventilation would only be needed for one to two days but he ended up being on a ventilator a full week. He was one of the sickest babies in the ICU but also one of the most loved. You should have seen everyone who came to bid him good-bye when we were sent out of the ICU! He is a rock-star! Benji is such a sweet boy and we are happy to have him feeling better. We are also happy to be home!!!

When Wilson and Benjamin were reunited it was so sweet to see them recognize each other and both of them break out into huge smiles and giggles. I love my little boys so much! Thank you everyone who helped us through this tough time. We count our blessings every day.

Benji Update

Over the weekend, Benjamin was able to stabilize, which made the medical team (and worried parents!) very happy that further aggressive measures were not necessary. There is still more they could do to help him if he didn't stabilize, but not much, so we are grateful he didn't digress to that point. He is responding to intubation exactly as the doctors have hoped he would. He has been in critical but stable condition and overall making progress towards being taken off the ventilator.

It has been very difficult to watch our little baby go through this experience. The mucus in his lungs is relentless! The medical team is constantly having to suction out his lungs and nasal passageways. The mucus is about the consistency of rubber cement so you can imagine what his poor little lungs are going through. His lungs are looking and sounding less congested, but he has had a few ups and downs over the past few days. Because of the strong build up of mucus and the constant need for suctioning and respiratory therapy, his lungs have been partially collapsing in different spots and so he needs to stay on the ventilator for awhile longer.

He has been breathing more and more on his own. Previously he would take 2-4 breaths a minute on his own and the ventilator did the rest. At times he would not take any breaths on his own and the ventilator was his sole support. Now about half of his breaths are his own. He has had a few "trials" where the medical team turns off the ventilation support and tests his breathing. He has done very well on those trials and so we are hopeful that he will be taken off ventilation support soon.

He is also on a round of antibiotics because he is a "colonizer" for the bacteria which causes staph infection. This means he himself does not have a staph infection but could infect others with the bacteria and could possibly develop one himself if the proper measures aren't taken. Basically, he is a menace to the ICU society and has to be isolated. We are fine with this because it means a private room in a more quiet area and so far he is showing no signs of the bacteria doing any harm to him.

We thank everyone for their prayers and support. There is no doubt in our minds that God lives and he is watching out for our family. In my patriarchal blessing, I was counseled to marry a man who was a worthy priesthood holder and could "call down the blessings of heaven" upon our home. Tyler was able to offer Benji a blessing on Saturday in the midst of his rapidly deteriorating state. It is NO COINCIDENCE that after the blessing, Benji stabilized and began responding to treatment that had been unsuccessful for hours previous. We are grateful for the medical team and all they are doing, but more importantly, through the priesthood, Benji is blessed with the most powerful protection possible. Angels are with our little boy and the Spirit whispers comfort to us all. Such tender mercies are the sweetest thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tyler gave a small FHE lesson yesterday while we were in the hospital and I was touched by some of the things he said and by some of my own realizations. We talked about how difficult it is to turn our trust over to Heavenly Father to care for our son. It is hard to put that kind of faith in someone. I realized at that moment Benji is also God's son and when he was born, Heavenly Father put the same faith in me to be his mother and care for His son while in this mortal existence. It was a powerful moment and I will try to always remember it. Being a mother, I don't have to remind those of you who are, is the greatest calling in life.

Wilson is still doing well. He is charming the pants off of all who are take care of him. We miss spending time with him and miss having our little family together. The other night I wanted to turn their swings on while I slept because I am so used to the noise. It is hard to imagine these boys have only been here for three months and already have carved out such a special place in our hearts. We are the luckiest parents.

Benji

Friday night I took Benjamin to the ER because he was having complications from RSV. Throughout the night, his breathing became more and more labored. His need for oxygen became greater and greater. By early morning, they transferred us to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Primary Children's Hospital, and a few hours later Benjamin had total respiratory failure. They have since had to intubate him and he relies solely on a ventilator for breathing. Everything happened so quickly that I was not sure what was going on, but later on Tyler and I had a horrifying realization of just how sick our little guy is. We are grateful that I was prompted to take Benji to the ER because the medical team was able to quickly take care of his deteriorating state.

Now he is still on the ventilator, stable, and diagnosed with RSV Pneumonia. He has a lot of mucus in his lungs and he is just to little to cough it all out. On top of that he has developed a super infection (super meaning on top of the virus he already has) and is fighting a bacterial infection now too.

Please keep Benjamin in your prayers. We love this little boy so much and anyone who knows him knows he already has such a sweet and gentle spirit. Thank you to everyone who is fasting and praying for him now. We love our family and friends so much!

Wilson, by the way is doing fine. He too had a viral infection and heavy cough, but he has recovered to his fully mischievous self. I think he misses his Benji.

It is funny how I call him Benji. Lindsie said she would call him that and I was horrified! Benji is a dog's name! But now all I call him is Benji.