Our Brush With Death

There is an old saying "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  Well we definitely got a taste of that recently.  We wrecked the car on Sat  and were having a peaceful evening on that next Wed night (May 11th). We had just finished cleaning up dinner and opened up all the windows to get a nice breeze in the house since it was raining outside.  The windows in Texas go pretty much from floor to ceiling and they open from the bottom up. This is different from Utah where the windows are higher up and difficult for a child to reach.  We also live on the second floor and all the windows lead right onto the balcony except for hers which is right over a drive way for a garage.  Lydia ventured into her room and we followed her in.  Her bedroom windows were open and she was playing with the screen and the cords for the blinds.  I turned and told Gregory that that was not going to be okay and he said "yeah, we better close that window so she doesn't fall out."  We started walking to the window to close it (we were pretty close) when Lydia took a step and pounded on the screen.  Out went the screen and out went our baby.  I started to scream her name and we jumped up and ran down the stairs.  It was so surreal that we almost couldn't believe that it had just happened.  When we got to her she was crying and had a big scrape on her head but seemed to be moving okay.  I immediately called 911 (they took forever to answer) but just before they picked up, Gregory told me that she was moving her head okay and lets just drive her into the hospital. Our neighbors came out and started asking what was wrong and when we told them they all jumped into action, "who can we call? what can we do?" etc.  We asked where the hospital was and one lady offered to drive us there.  We followed her in our van and made the horribly long drive to the nearest ER.

When we got there they got us back pretty quick and then tried to stabilize her neck and head with some rolled up towels.  I was actually quite impressed with how calm I was in the ER.  I was singing to her and stroking her tummy, arms and legs, I would put my face right in hers and kiss her and tell her it was all going to be okay.  She did remarkable, such a strong little girl.  Soon after we arrived and she was "stabilized" Gregory's parents arrived.  They allowed his dad in for a quick minute to give her a very fast blessing and then they wheeled her out with me by her side to get a CT done.  Gregory stayed with his parents and filled them in on what happened.  He was too upset to tell my family so his dad had to make the phone call.  I don't know many details beyond that because I was with Lydia the whole time. When we got back from the CT we were able to see more family.  Lisa (Gregory's sister) had come at that point and checked in with us in the room and then spent most the time waiting in the waiting room.  It was so great to have people taking care of getting the word out and around.  Carolyn (Gregory's aunt) is in our ward so she took care of letting them know and between her and Lisa, word spread like wildfire.  Darlene his aunt and Gary his uncle also came to the hospital and waited until there was any news.  The Dr came in after a while and said that the CT looked like it was okay but he wanted a pediatrician's expertise on the decision.  They decided to transfer her to the Children's hospital in Dallas.  It took a while for the ambulance to get there to transport her and when they got there they had to re-stabilize her with proper equipment.  That was pretty heartbreaking to watch.  The poor thing was tired, scared and all she wanted was her mommy and I couldn't do a single thing.  They had to cut her shirt off (there were too many IV's and monitors to get it off) which made everything look worse then it was.

Once we got in the Ambulance, they turned on a movie for her and she did really pretty well.  The paramedics were AMAZING and made sure to tell me everything that was going to happen and not to worry about how many people were going to be in the room, that was normal.  Gregory and his parents came back to the apartment to get a few things and then met us up there pretty quickly.  I rode in the ambulance with her and when we got to the hospital, the staff was incredible.  Lydia hardly even cried because they were so quick with things and very efficient.  Not even 2 minutes went by when they cleared her to be released from her supports.  They took the baby neck brace off and unstrapped her and let me hold my baby for the first time in hours.  Lydia was then quite amused with everything that was going on.  The Dr's told us that they are pretty sure she's fine but they wanted to look over the CT scan images to make sure.  So after a 2 hour wait and a very unhappy and tired baby, we were released from the hospital at about 11:30 pm.  She fell at 5:30pm and about 6 hours later she was released.  Pretty incredible!

The next morning when she woke up she couldn't walk.  We were nervous at first, but Gregory said that we should just wait a few hours and then see.  When she woke up later from a nap she was at least standing a little.  She was starting to walk after a few more hours, but was pretty wobbly and wanted to hold our hand.  Her foot was pretty swollen and we know she was very sore!  Poor thing!  For the first couple of nights after it happened she would wake up crying in the night.  I would run to her and she calmed down pretty fast.  She just had to know that we were there.  She has recovered like a champ and the scrape on her forehead is pretty much gone.  It might leave a scar but that is the lest of our worries.  She is now doing fantastic and you would never know that anything happened.  The next Monday my mom flew in to spend a few days with us because she was so shaken up and needed to hold her little grand baby. Tuesday I took her into a pediatrician and he said that she was fine.  Her improvement and progress is very encouraging.  We think she probably landed on her side because she was limping for about a week and her foot was so swollen for that long as well.  I gave her Epsom salt baths with some lavender oil a few times a day to help with the healing process.  The Dr said that she might  reverberate a little and she did.  She has been having trouble eating solid foods and only wants her bottle.  I let her have her bottle for a little while to help soothe her and now that things seem to be getting back to normal again, we get to wean her off the bottle.  She is definitely more cautious than she has ever been before.  It's interesting to watch her not dare to get off a chair when the day before the accident she wouldn't have thought twice about it.  For now, I praise Heavenly Father and the angels that caught her.  We definitely had a guardian angel looking out for us!

This was our little angel before everything happened.  She was dancing away without a worry in the world.

Her famous dancing moves!

 Here she is the next day!  Struggling to walk where she was running before.  She would get tired easily and then just sit down and scoot to where she wanted to be.  It was so sad to watch since she was a baby itching to walk and walked at 7 months old, then ran at 9 months old!

 The head wound!  It doesn't look very bad in the picture at all and it healed so quickly, but don't be deceived, it still looked bad the night it happened and the next day.

All day long she just wanted us to hold her and be close to her when she wasn't sleeping (which she did a lot of that entire day).  We were happy to oblige her since we needed to hold her close as well.

Our New Cobalt

We bought the couch on the first Saturday that we were in Texas, and then the next Friday we went looking for a second car.  We first went to a Nissan dealership in Grapevine.  From the moment we walked in we both got a bad feeling.  We had been researching cars and liked the Nissan Versa so we thought we would go check that out.  With this dealership being the only one really close, we went expecting to buy a car from them.  When we stepped in the doors, we asked to see McKensie because he was the one we talked to on the phone.  They called for him and he came hoop-hollering out of somewhere making so much noise that it was quite uncomfortable.  After test driving some cars, we decided to get a price on a couple.  He took it all back to get prices and was taking FOREVER!!!  Any little change or question took such along time that we were ready to walk out of there.  It was your classic "make 'em wait so long so they just buy a car to get out of there" scenario.  We were at the dealership for 2 1/2 hours and 2 of those hours were waiting on those people to get back to us with prices.  Then when we told them that we were just gonna leave, he brought in the Financial Manager who was a total sleaze ball!  You could tell the moment he walked in that he was going to try to take us for all the money we had.  He told us that he would sell the Versa to us at the cost they paid for it and then showed us the price.  Would you believe that it was the EXACT same price as the sticker on the car?  So on top of being rude and making us wait so long, they were lying to our faces!  We eventually got out of there almost feeling a little violated!

We went back to our apt and ate lunch and went to a Chevy dealership in Frisco.  Such a different feeling!  The guy who came out to greet us was friendly and polite and very professional.  We went on a few test drives and decided on a Chevy Cobalt.  It was between a Sentra and the Cobalt and I know what you are all thinking, "Emilee let a Nissan that was within her reach leave her grasp?"  Well, let me tell you, it was a little hard, but we both agreed that the Cobalt was probably the better choice.  We bought it right then and there.  Both of us felt good about it and it was a price range that we could afford.  I was particularly excited because now I would have a car and not have to be stuck at home all day while Kelvin was at work.  We drove home that night after doing a few family pictures with his family.  The next day we were driving to the dealership in our fancy new car when a car started turning left while we were going straight.  We started to turn and nicked the side of the car which sent us flying across a median and curb straight up a hill.  Needless to say we were pretty shaken up about the ordeal.  Lydia was in the car but we all emerged just fine.  The other car and their passengers were just fine as well.  We looked at the car and besides the tires all popping and a couple of the rims cracked along with some paint from the other vehicle, we got out okay.  We had left a trail of oil and some metal pieces all up the hill so we assumed that the oil pan was torn off as well.

Turns out that the car needed a whole lot more work!  A new engine, transmission, suspension, engine sub frame and all new suspension for starters.  If there had been any body damage they probably would have just totaled the car.  We thought it would take a couple weeks but the dealership has been HORRIBLE to work through and there was a delay with our insurance so it will end up being 3 1/2 weeks before we get our car back.  I know that with all that work that there is a chance that the vehicle will not drive the same, but there is a lifetime warranty on the engine and transmission and the company that they bought them through is a reputable company that my dad uses so I am familiar with them.  We are not worried about the repairs, we are just very anxious to have our car back.  I want to have some freedom again and not be stuck at home!  I do much better that way.

As far as the accident goes, apparently a few months back they changed the left lane on the feeder road of 121 to a left only and the middle lane to a straight and left turn lane.  It was not very well marked and it is the only lane that does that on that feeder road.  With it not being a busy intersection at all, we were very curious about why it is the way it is.  Then when Kelvin went to pay the ticket we found out.  The Police station is on that road and the cops didn't want to have to wait to turn left so they got the city to change it.  The cops in the Colony have a reputation of not being very honest.  Some are good and some are bad like in all cities, but this town is special.  You would have to live here to understand, so I won't try to explain. So it stinks for us, but that's the way it is.  The good news is that our insurance has accident forgiveness so this won't go on our record and Kelvin can go to Driving school so the ticket won't go on his record either.  Plus that intersection is the only one that opens up to a hill where all the ones before and after have a huge concrete wall so had we not been at that intersection things might have been worse.  Gotta count your blessings!  Plus the engine we are getting has 10,000 fewer miles and the transmission is new.  So that is a good thing indeed!

This is all the body damage to the car.

Here is one of the sliced up rims.  All four tires were flat.

I know you can't really see it, but the engine and transmission were smashed up into the car which caused their need to be replaced.

Our New Apartment

We have scored some good deals since we have been here. The rent on our place for one and then our new couch!  We gave our old couch to Marta and Ed because we thought it would be better if we didn't have to take so much stuff on our move.  We did that with a few things and were able to help some people out before we left.  It made less for us to move in, but more for us to buy when we got here and that included a couch.  We packed in a car with Lisa and Brandon and headed to the Dump. It's a store that sells brand name items at a quarter of the price and you can find some really good deals sometimes.  It just so happened that while we were looking we saw a clearance section and thought we would check it out.  Then we saw a brown leather sectional couch.  The leather is beautiful and the couch very comfortable.  It was in different parts of the clearance section and not all together because there was a big tear in one end section and the handle to pull out the recliner was missing as well.  When we rounded up all the pieces it was a good sized couch.  After talking with the guys to get a better deal we walked out with a full size leather sectional that normally goes for $3500 for $900.  We were so excited!  It will only cost about $200 for an upholstery shop to fix the tear and handle, so for $1100 we scored a pretty good deal.  We brought it home and placed it among the mess of all our other belongings.

Now that our apt is mostly put together, it looks really good!  We gave away one bookshelf and our other one broke so Kelvin and his dad are going to make a matching set for us.  I'm really excited about that because then we get to decide how we want the shelves.  Hopefully soon they will be able to get that project done.

The Dinning Room.  We thought that the piano fit very nicely right there.  Don't mind the slight messiness of the place.  There were still a few boxes that we hadn't unpacked.  In fact, I think they still might not be unpacked to this day!

The kitchen, there is not a whole lot of counter space, but it is do-able and I will still be able to make most of my cakes.

Squeaky's room! It's really spacious and I love having all the room.

A desk right next to Lydia's room.  It is not really feasible for our computer, but for our games and my Mary Kay stuff it works great!

One side of our bedroom.  The desk went in out room because there wasn't really another place to put it.  It ends up working well though.

Plenty of room!  Plus the door open on the right is to our walk in closet!  It is bigger than any closet we have ever had before.  I LOVE this place!

Our full size bath.

And a second full size bath.  Love having 2 bathrooms.

Living room

The couch!  It is so comfortable and good looking I can hardly believe that we own such a fancy piece of furniture.  The blanket is covering up the tear because we didn't want Lydia playing with it and making it worse until we can get it fixed.

And the highlight of our home....My Bosch Mixer!!!!  I have used it quite a few times and am in LOVE with this fine piece of equipment.  Kelvin has come to love the blender and how quickly it makes milk shakes.  One of the best purchases I ever made!

The Move

Well things didn't go as smoothly as planned with our move surprise surprise!  The Budget Truck place didn't have our trailer until later that night, and the truck didn't have an appropriate engine size for what it was built to do.  The packing and loading went fairly smoothly but when we realized the size of the engine, we knew it was going to take a lot longer to drive than we had planned. 

We had decided a few weeks before that we would buy a plane ticket and fly myself and Lydia down and fly Kelvin's dad up so he could drive the truck down with Kelvin.  This turned out to be VERY wise on our part.  We were originally told that we could put our car seat in the front but it turns out there was no middle seat in the truck.  Plus with the extended drive, I think we would have all gone crazy.  So the night before the guys were supposed to start driving, we decided to change things up a bit.  They left that night and drove through the night and all the next day.  They ended up making it in about 24 hours which is really good considering they went through LOTS of canyon and with a very slow truck, the towing capacity is very limited. 

The flight turned out to be an ordeal in of itself.  My mom drove us up and was able to come past security and wait with us at the gate.  It was a good thing too because my flight ended up being delayed.....for a very long time.  We were supposed to leave at 9am and the flight didn't end up leaving until after 4pm.  I was transferred to another flight with American that ended up being a direct flight instead of a layover with Frontier.  This actually turned out to be a blessing because Lydia slept the entire way.  Can I get a hallelujah!  I was so worried to take a one year old on a flight where she would be restricted with her movement but it all worked out.  In fact the only empty seat was in between myself and the guy on the end.  I was surrounded by people who were originally on the first flight with Frontier so we had some great talks all along the way to Texas. 

When I finally arrived, Maritza  and Krystal were there to get us.  It was fun to see Lydia reacting to Maritza whom she knew but was still a little shy.  We stopped at our new apartment complex and I was unimpressed with the size of the one we put on hold.  When they offered to show me the larger two bedroom I agreed and liked it a lot better.  Come to find out that they had one available and hadn't been able to sell it for a while so we got it for a lot less than normal.  It fit into our budget and I was SO excited.  We were so blessed on our move.  Things just seemed to work out so perfectly.

Easter Sunday

We had a fabulous Easter Sunday! We got up early and went to Taylorsville to go to church with Marta and Ed.  While Lydia did pretty well for most of Sacrament meeting, there still came a point when she was ready to get out!  Marta was the first volunteer to take her.  She walked the halls with her for a while until she got a dirty diaper and sent a fellow member in to let me know.  I took out a diaper and the wipes and cleaned her up then Marta played with her again.  After Sacrament we went to their house for some games and lunch.  We successfully put Lydia down for a nap and I helped get lunch ready.  I love dinners with Marta because her food is excellent.  She has taught me some great Chilean cooking and recipes that I have been able to duplicate.  It was such fun but so sad to think that this will be the last meal and time spent with them for a while.  They all had lots of fun with Lydia and she with them.  Mostly I think Lydia had a great time with Daisy!  That little dog gets her all sorts of excited.

Our new Easter clothes!  Gregory got a new suit for his graduation and was excited to wear it for Easter and Lydia had gotten an Easter dress from Marta so I was feeling a little left out.  Marta took me shopping on Sat night and we found the skirt and shirt on sale.  I love it and felt like a million bucks that Easter!

The boys!

Our little family!

 She loved putting the plastic eggs in her mouth until she got one apart and couldn't get the egg out of her mouth.  It was then that I banned all plastic eggs from her.

 "Ohh...pretty socks!"

"For me??  Really?"

This was her pleading look for someone to open some wrapped candy for her.

The star of our lunch!

This is a better view of her Easter dress.  We LOVE it!  Thank you so much Marta.

"I can do it mommy."

What can I say....she's a Wager!

Daddy teaching her to ride her motorcycle.

Fun with Family

*I know that I haven't updated my blog in FOREVER but there is a reason for that.....TIME!  Things have been crazy here as you will find out.  I will try to catch up soon*

The day before Easter my family got together and we decorated eggs for the kids and had a great time.  This was the last time we would all be together before Kelvin, Lydia and I left for Texas.  In the end my dad brought out a four wheeler, surprise surprise!  Well Braden got on for a ride first (that was before all the kids saw what grandpa was doing) and when Lydia saw what was happening, she started going toward the four wheeler.  When grandpa started to go she went running towards him and was crying (she was far enough back and I was right behind her so I wasn't worried about her getting too close).  She wanted on that four wheeler SO BAD!!  As soon as she got on and they got going she was laughing and squealing in delight!  I couldn't help but laugh at the Wager side in her.  Pretty soon all the kids saw what was happening and they all piled on the four wheeler.  It was great fun and such a perfect goodbye party with the family!

Design Day

Tuesday was a big day for Kelvin.  It was the day he and his rocket team showed off all their HARD WORK! Design day at the U is really cool!  All the seniors bring their final projects, the freshman have races with some mechanism they built, and the Juniors show off their robots!  After 2 long years, they finally got to show off their rocket!  It couldn't be fully assembled because it was much too big for the building, but the actual motor was there and the other parts were close by.  It was amazing to see what I have been hearing about for so long and to see their hard work in physical form.  Lydia and I went up to the U and I got to meet other people on the team that I hadn't know before.  It was nice to put some faces to names I would hear about.  We looked at the other projects and all of them were quite impressive, of course none could hold a candle with my baby's project (but whose biased?)!  Lydia had a great time running around and everyone thought it was so cute that she had a little onesie to match the team shirts.  A weight has been lifted off Kelvin's shoulders as they passed the torch onto another team to finish up the fund raising and last minute details to get the rocket in space next year.  We will definitely be coming back for that!

Kelvin and a couple of the other team members in front of the rocket motor.

Such a happy little family!

Climbing the ladder.  It is actually a lot higher than it looks.

The whole team.

Standing in front of the Engineering Building.  He spent LOTS of time in this building.