Entitlement...

So I've been struggling with these feelings for a bit.  I started to REALLY evaluate our lives.  I evaluated my kids' behavior. I evaluated how we spend Christmas.  CHRISTmas is truly about CHRIST, and are we reflecting that behavior to our children?

My kids had a wonderful Christmas!  We went with a new CHRISTmas theme this year.  Each kid got 4 gifts....something they want, something they need, something they wear, and something they read. I finished CHRISTmas shopping around the 1st of Dec. So we adopted a family of 5 through our church.  The kids were a major part in chosing and wrapping gifts for this family. We talked A LOT about the importance of giving back, and we emphasized the importance of giving back during CHRISTmas.

I have decided that kids today are being given a complex of sorts. They are being made to feel entitled.  They think that NEED & deserve a brand new 32 inch or bigger TV each year or the latest and greatest game system of the year.  Truthfully are we really stopping to teach our kids the REAL reason for CHRISTmas?  Are we even teaching them why we celebrate CHRISTmas? How many parents compete to make sure their kids get bigger and better than their neighbor/friend/family?  These families that are doing this stuff....are they even trying to teach their kids about giving back? Are they teaching their kids that giving is truly so much better than receiving? Are they teaching their kids to appreciate the feelings they get deep in their hearts/belly that says "HEY I JUST DID AN AMAZING THING FOR SOMEONE!!!"??? 

In order to raise truly functioning adults who are productive members of society we need to check ourselves sometimes.  The holiday season seems to be a HUGE one that needs checked!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!!!

So we are officially in a NEW YEAR!  We are letting the pain and struggle of last year go, and we are moving on to the NEW YEAR!

So again I am going to try to do the Blog Dare through Bloggy Moms.  I have higher hopes this year.

We started out the year with a (mostly) CLEAN HOUSE!!!! YAY!  It has been a real struggle to get caught up on everything that I had not been able to do for months.  So with finally having a few of the most lived in rooms cleaned and reorganized we are ready to start a more organized year!

We had friends up to visit for the holiday.  It was great spending time with my bestie and her family!  We love them!!!

Ok enough about that...on to our plans for 2013!!

This year we plan to buy a house!! That is our #1 priority! 

We will be going to FL in March.  Diya competes at Disney!

Work to pay off bills.

Work to stay on budget.

Make a meal plan and cook from it!

Be the very best me that I can be!

XOXO I hope you all had great holidays and are ready to move on with the New Year also!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Hunter!!!

Hunter, Have a ONE-derful FIRST birthday little guy! We love you very very much! Lots of hugs and kisses to you for your big day! =) XOXOXOXO Give Momma a hug and kiss for us!

Day 2: November a month to be thankful!

Day 2: Today I am thankful for the Children's Hospital of Michigan. This hospital and their amazing staff saved my tiny baby's life! The time we spent there was life changing and stressful, but the staff was amazing! They took great care of our sweet girl, and counseled us through the process. Today Kaity has a procedure at CHM. We are nervous for it, but we know she is in great hands! =)

November a month of being thankful!!

Day 1 of being thaknful- Today is November 1st!! Time for the 30 days of Thankfuls! Today I am thankful for my husband! He is my best friend, my inspiration, and a person who loves me at my best and my worst! He stood by me holding my hand through my last year, and I don't think I could have made it through without him! I ♥ you, Mr. Thakur!! :) Also thanks for being an amazing daddy!

Ebates

For any of you doing any online Christmas shopping...sign up for an Ebates account, and click through Ebates to save some $!! So far this year I have earned almost $100, and they credit it to your Paypal account or send you a paper check. =) http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=YIN7HZSZdo9E42J8kSZKXw%3D%3D

Happy Birthday Khiley!

Khiley, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! We all miss you. Take care of yourself and your beautiful little guy! XOXO

Great deal for awesome addition to family game night!

Great gift for toddler boy!

Super cute little scarf!

Cute little stocking stuffer!

Pull Ups!

So Kohen is moving into Pull Ups and big boy unders! YAY! 2 days ago he wore unders all day with only one accident, and it was while he was outside playing. He forgot to come in. I can handle that! =) So now I'm in the market for Pull Ups. =)

Huggies Pull-Ups Cool Alert Training Pants, Boys

Amazon Link

BIG HUGE UPDATE part 2

Before I go any further Kaityn's name is pronounced KATE-IN. A different spelling would be Katen. We just like to be different and challenging....haha. =)  Kaityn Jenieva-Faith (Jenieva: pronounced Geneva- she's named after her great grandmother) and the kids chose Faith.  Diya told me that they chose Faith because they had FAITH in me that I could make it through the rough pregnancy and they had FAITH in God that He would guide us through.  Bless their heart!  I truly have amazing kids!  ♥ them!

Anyway....on with my story....

The kids came to the hospital and met Kaityn.  They all (especially Diya!) just adored her!  Diya got to come and meet Kaity before any of the other kids.  It was special for her! =) My parents, Janice, Ketryna, and the kiddos all came to meet her. It was very nice!

Kaity and I were released to go home on June 29. It was 3 weeks to the day since I had been home! I was sure excited to get home!  Of course the big deal of the day was that Baby Kaity had NO clothes small enough for her to wear home!  Deep went on a hunt for preemie clothing.  He hardly found anything at all!  He went to at least 5 stores and finally at a Carters store they had a small section with preemie clothing.  He bought everything they had for a girl!  So he got her clothes just before we left the hospital!

Kaity was very fussy at home. I have never had a newborn be that fussy...so I wasn't sure what was going on. While we were in the hospital she had a couple of gaggy/choking episodes.  The nurses assured me it was due to "fuzz balls" from the amniotic fluid. When this happened her body stiffened up and she turned red. She wasn't able to get a good breath in.  It scared me terribly.  The nurses checked her each time, and said it was "normal."  So back to her first week home.  She was fussy.  We had a few weight checks. Before we left the hospital she was 4lbs 11 oz.  She dropped down to 4 lbs 5 oz. We had a weight check 2 days late later she had gained 1 oz (this was Thursday) up to 4 lbs 6 oz. 

Kaityn's first week home was a HOT ONE!!! We ended up taking a "stay-cation" to a hotel near here. Our house was 90 degrees inside...way too hot!  So we planned to go stay in this hotel for the weekend...Fri-Sun.

7/7/12: Saturday morning Kaity woke up early. Very early in the morning she started having a seizure/choking/not breathing episode. She had about 5 episodes right in a row.  She would go about 30-45 seconds without catching a breath. Her whole body would stiffen up, eyes would get huge, she turned BRIGHT red all over her body, her lips turned blue, and once she could get a breath she would let out the most terrified/terrifying scream.  It was so incredibly heart breaking to see our baby like this. I woke Deep up because I was so scared. He talked me down....I was completely ready to call 911. Had we of been home I probably would have.  So fast forward a few hours...I noticed Kaity had a "barky" cough.  So I called her pediatrician's after hours phone number. Her pediatrician told us to take the baby to the hospital ER.  At the hotel Deep had taken the kids downstairs to swim.  So I went down and explained to him that we needed to go to the ER. They all got out of the pool, got ready, and we headed home then toward the hospital.  Thankfully we had Janice and Ketryna here still. They stayed with the kids so we could both take Kaity to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital in the evening. It was before dinner time. The triage nurse checked Kaityn's vitals. Immediately we were walked to a trauma room. Her heart rate was dropping very low...like 50s when it should have been well over 100-120. Her O2 was low, and her respiration count was decreased. We got followed into a trauma room with a peds crash cart! The room filled up with people...quickly!  They got my itty bitty baby hooked up to lots of monitors and an IV.  A neonatologist came to check her out.  They did lots of tests.  The decision was made to transport her to Children's Hospital of Michigan AKA Detroit Children's Hospital. She HAD to be transported via PANDA One. (Pediatric and Neonatal Dedicated Ambulance). So we waited on PANDA One to get to Huron Valley to transport her. They arrived between 8 & 8:30. After taking all of her info, getting her loaded and such...we were on the road to transport her at 9 PM. We arrived at CHM at 10 PM.  We were taken into the ER. The first thing I remember is being bombarded by the ER staff. I remember a specific gal asking us..."Do you bed share? Where does she sleep? Was your breast covering her mouth/nose when this happened? Was her face in a pillow or blanket?"etc. The questions seemed to never end, and while I realize they are standard questions to ask of this type of situation...it was VERY overwhelming at that moment.  I was trying to get in my child's ER room to be with her when they unloaded her from the incubator (that's what they transported in for the ambulance ride) as she was screaming, and this woman was blocking me from entering the room.  I started getting quite angry with the woman, and it was visible on my face and in the way I spoke to the lady.  FINALLY I think she sensed my anger and let me get to my child.  Kaity had several tests done...from bloodwork, urine analysis, etc. The Dr. came in and spoke with us and informed us that she needed a spinal tap.  I nearly broke down.  A spinal tap on a 10 day old baby...this was the same procedure that left me nearly lifeless a few months earlier.  I had to leave the room when this procedure was done. I couldn't handle my sweet little baby going through that. =( Deep stayed with her.  He text me when they were done, and I immediately went in to be with my girl. The decision was made to move her to NICU.  We got no real answers as to what was going on in the ER.

I will write our NICU story in the next post....stay tuned for part 3!

***Again written over several days and not yet proof read!***

BIG HUGE UPDATE.....Part 1 (pre-proof read)

***********Please note I've typed this up over a few days...ok it's taken me at least 12 days of working on this.  I have not proof read yet to make sure it all makes sense.  I will get back later to do that!***********

So I really slacked off with my blog in the last week of my pregnancy.  Mentally I was preparing to give birth, and while I thought several times about writing my 36 week pregnancy update...I just couldn't motivate myself to do it.  I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I was facing the very last week of my very last pregnancy.  It held (still holds) a weight over me.

June 22 I saw my perinatologist.  She decided that we should induce on Monday. I would be 36 weeks pregnant that day. 

June 24- Sunday evening my OB came in to check me, and I was 1 cm dilated. We turned off my heparin at 8:30 PM.  I had to wait 6 hours before any induction meds could be administered. 

June 25- Early Monday morning at 2:30 I had prostiglandin gel placed in my cervix. Its "job" is to ripen the cervix to help prepare for childbirth.  At around 8 AM pitocin was started.  I was on the pitocin all day.  I contracted but had very little change to my cervix. The baby was not tolerating the contractions well. She was having a lot of late contraction heart decels. So the decision was made to shut down the induction process at around 6 PM.  I was able to eat a bit, and get some rest.  The hospital staff monitored the fetal heart tones for a while to be sure that she was doing well. At 11:30 I had cervadil placed for the night. I got a little bit of rest. Sheli was with us during the long labor. She and Deep slept on the pull out chairs. They each got a little rest.

June 26- Pitocin was started at around 5 AM.  Again I contracted, but I had very little change cervically. At around 1:45 PM my OB came in to chat with me. I was so frustrated at the time that I suggested a cesarean section. He said that we could go that route, but that my chance of mortality increased 3 to 4 times due to being on the blood thinners for so long. I decided that a c-section was not in mine or the baby's best interest. We chatted about other options. I suggested a foley cath. My OB said that was a great recommendation. So the cath was placed at 2:30 PM. It puts pressure above and below your cervix to cause it to dilate. I was a bear to deal with during this labor. My nurses were quite accustomed to me as I had been in the hospital for nearly 3 weeks at this point. I am sure that my behavior surprised them. OY!  My day nurse told me "I have not heard so much swearing in a long time....and I like it!!" HAHA It was an interesting labor to say the least. Anyway...the nurses switched shifts, and shortly after my (one of my favorites!!!) night nurse came in the cath fell out (between 7:30-8PM). My cervix had finally made some progress!!! YAY! I was 3-4 cm.  Again I spoke with my OB, and we decided to proceed with an epidural and then breaking my water. At around 9:30-10 PM I got the epidural. My water was broken just a bit later. The amniotic fluid had meconium in it...it was a concern. We called home, and Kamdyn was brought to the hospital at around 11-11:30. We all relaxed and got some rest. Kamdyn slept on the pull out chair. Sheli & Deep slept sitting up. Sheli was sitting in a chair leaning over the little table laying her head on a pillow. Bless her!

June 27- It was a LONG night!  Again I made little progress through most of the night. I think everyone was getting very frustrated with me...well my body! Finally around 5AM I started slowly progressing. I was 4cm dilated most of the night. At around 5AM I was moving toward 5. Through the night the dr. put in the internal fetal heart monitor and the internal uterine pressure monitor. Everyone woke up and things picked up between 5:30AM-6AM. Shortly before nurse shift change (7AM) I was 6 CM. I was lucky enough to get my one of my other favorite nurses. She came in and things happened very fast from here on out! The pressure monitor came out shortly after she came in...so she replaced it and checked me. I was progressing quickly. I want to say I was 8 CM at the time. I had started to feel a lot of pain a bit earlier. So my nurse had me move around a bit...roll from side to side. She had just turned me on my left side, and I was really yelling out in pain. She told me that in 2 contractions I would need to push. The next contraction came, and I was quite uncomfortable. The next one came, and I started screaming loudly. My nurse asked if I needed to push. I responded no I needed to have a bowel movement. She had me roll to my back and checked me. I was complete!  My OB & additional staff was called in to help with delivery. Just as my OB walked in and was gowning up I asked if I could push. He said go ahead.  I had been very adamant that I didn't want to hold my legs...I hate that!  Thankfully there wasn't time to worry about that. I pushed hard 1 1/2 pushes, and my OB yelled out to stop she was coming out.  He came over and "guided" her out. At 8:02 AM Kaityn Jenieva Faith Thakur came into this world screaming! She was placed on my belly, and let me tell you...she was a teeny tiny perfect little angel! I said..."oh Baby I would go through all of this 10 times over for you!!" Kamdyn was in awe. She stood beside me holding my hand during the last bit of my labor. She was brought to tears! She sobbed for the longest time!  Kamdyn got to cut the umbilical cord. It was so special to her. Kaityn was taken to the warmer to get cleaned up and such. She weighed 5 lbs 2 oz. She was 19 inches long. Her APGARS were 9/9.  The pediatrician checked her over and said she was perfect! She was brought back to me to have skin to skin time. She did a breast crawl and latched on to nurse very shortly after her birth.  It was perfect!  The amazing love that I felt for this perfect little baby was so overcoming!  All that I had endured through her pregnancy...it was all so very worth it!  She was worth it 100 times over!   Aside from the nurses & hospital staff stopping in to see our new little one...Deep & I spent the rest of the day resting and getting to know our precious little blessing!  God sure blessed us!

KAITY SMILES!!! and vacation

We have a smiley baby!!!  Kaity started smiling today.  It lights up her entire face.  I love this little girl so very much! 

We have been on vacation this week.  It is great to get a few days away.  We got to do a few things that we have been wanting to do.  We went way up north!  We rode the Soo Locks boat. We played at one of our favorite beaches in Mackinaw City. We let the kids experience Mackinaw City, the Mackinaw Bridge, and not being "trolls" (living under the bridge) for a bit! We all had a fabulous time. 

Kamdyn- 4th grade, Diya- 2nd grade, & Max- kindergarten

Yesterday we got word that the kids report cards were available on Skyward. We checked them with the kids on the phone, and we were so very pleasantly surprised!!!

Kamdyn struggled for a short bit this year, but she completed the year with all As!!! She did very well in the last 9 weeks! =)

Max did well. He is right where he is supposed to be as far as academics, and he is progressing very well on his Speech IEP.

Diya.....I can't even begin to explain how extremely proud we are of Diya....more that she should be very proud of herself!!! The last half of the year has been very hard for Diya. Since my health has taken a turn for the worst our whole family has been in "survival mode" in a sense. We have not had a lot of extra time or energy to do anything extra. Me being sick has truly taken a HUGE toll on our whole family. A few months ago Diya's teacher emailed us to inform us that Diya had not done/or turned in her homework in over a month nor had she been reading any books. Diya has always been a hesitant reader...so for her to go without reading for a month was detrimental to her education! (Please no judgements as Deep & I already hold ourselves responsible, and we worked through this issue!) It was highly recommended that Diya go to summer school so she could catch up and avoid the summer slide. We made an appt to talk to Diya's teacher & guidance counselor. We explained our family situation to both. We explained that our family is going through a lot right now, and basically we are living in survival mode. We are fighting to keep Mom (me) alive and going. Both Diya's teacher and guidance counselor understood our situation, and both offered lots of advice & offered to step in and help with Diya. The guidance counselor started meeting with Diya so she could talk to her about her feelings with me being so sick and constantly in and out of the hospital. It is important to remember that for the greater part of our kids lives Deep and I have been on our own. We have never had family close by to help out. Deep & I are our childrens' parents and that is how it is. Since I've been sick we've had people in and out of their lives. It is a big change. When we spoke with Diya's teacher she was very worried that with the advancement changes in the reading curriculum that Diya would test below or approaching grade level for reading, and the other grades would not be good either. So with Diya's teacher, guidance counselors, and the little extra effort that Deep, myself, Kamdyn, Janice, Ketryna, and my parents have put in....I am so INCREDIBLY PROUD to share that Diya tested AT grade level for reading, and her math benchmark was 95%!! She finished the year with a BANG! We are soooooooooooo incredibly proud of her, and she should be soooooooooo incredibly proud of herself!!! Diya will be doing a couple of summer reading/writing programs, and hopefully that will keep her on track for 3rd grade!!

So as of last week....we currently have Kamdyn as a 5th grader, Diya as a 3rd grader, Max as a 1st grader, and Kohen as a 2nd year preschooler! Our kids are amazing, and they should all be as proud of themselves as we are proud of them!

Kiddos, Momma & Daddy love you with all of our heart, and we are so very proud to be your parents!! =)

35 weeks!!

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: -1

Sleep: OK...been taking Ambien so I've been sleeping OK.

Best moment this week: Having my growth scan this morning. Baby is measuring 5 lbs 11 oz! Having my Mom, Dad, Deep, my kids, Janice, and Ketryna come to the hospital and having Father's Day lunch with me. I got to leave L&D and go to the cafeteria for a little bit! Having Deep stay at the hospital with me, and seeing him be so very caring for me. He is the best! =) For our anniversary on Saturday he brought me up dinner from Outback. We had steak, crab cakes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, bloomin' onion, ahi tuna, and yummy ice cream for dessert. He also brought me calla lillies and a cute little pink teddy bear. I gotta say that I married 1 amazing man! I feel so blessed!

 Movement: Baby gets monitored a couple times a day. She likes to play hide 'n seek with the monitors.

Food cravings: seafood, steak & Caesar salad =(

Gender: GIRL!!! She is for sure a SHE!!! =)

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: feeling good, being at home with my kids, not puking all the time.

What I am looking forward to: holding this baby in my arms! I can't wait to see her perfect little face! =)

Milestones: 35 weeks!!! WOW...WOW! I had an ultrasound growth scan this morning and she weighed 5 lbs 11 oz. She is measuring right on to a little on the bigger side! My heart is filled with so much love for this little girl. I can't wait until she is here!

Updates in general: I am at a therapeutic level of heparin. I get 2 bags of heparin a day via IV. I spoke with Dr. Puter (peri) last Friday, and she said we can induce at 36 weeks...that means in ONE week my baby daughter will be in my arms! YAY! =) I will probably be in the hospital until baby is born. Last night I started having bad back pain and having contrax every 10-12 mins. I got a vag check and I had not dilated at all, but my cervix was soft. So hopefully my body is doing something right!!! =) Kamdyn & Devas had their teeth cleaning last week. Kamdyn is CAVITY FREE!!!! Now she goes this week to get 3 baby teeth pulled so she can get her braces put on! Devas has to have 2 weak spots fixed on his 2 top front teeth. The other 3 kids go for cleanings next month. Diya had to take a few days off of cheer because she has Osgood Sclaggers...not sure on this spelling. She is feeling much better now, and she is back to her regular practice schedule. Max had his last football game this week. He got a cute little trophy. This week Max & Diya are doing a sports camp through our church, and Kamdyn is doing a dramatic arts camp through WLCSD.

34 weeks- a week late

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 0

Sleep: not the best. I got admitted to the hospital on Friday 6/8/12. I never sleep great when I am in the hospital.

Best moment this week: Feeling baby move, kids getting ready for their last few days of school.

Movement: VERY busy!!

Food cravings: nothing. =(

Gender: GIRL!!! She is for sure a SHE!!! =)

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: being at home with my kids.

What I am looking forward to: delivering this baby & the kids being done with school for the summer! We are planning to bombard them at the bus stop with water balloons again! =)

Milestones: 34 weeks...WOW!! YAY! Baby is growing! Nesting is starting!

Updates in general: I had an appt. with my perinatologist last Friday. She recommended that I come to L&D (stay for 23 hour observation) for hydration and to have a consult with a few specialists. She wanted me to consult on getting an NJ tube. I saw my hematologist who checked my leg that had be super swollen that I had went to the ER for a few weeks back. He said that my left leg looked a little swollen and felt warm so he ordered a doppler of my left leg. At the ER a few weeks back they basically laughed me out of the ER. The Dr. was super nasty to me telling me that my left leg looks fine, and I heard a nurse in the hallway say "well what does she think we can do for her...she's already taking Lovenox!" I felt like a big stupid idiot. So fast forward to the evening I got admitted to L&D for hydration, and I got the HUGE surprise that I have a DVT in my left leg....exactly where I had shown the ER Dr. (who yelled at me for coming to the ER at 2 AM!) So I have been in L&D since 6/8 getting heparin by IV. I have an IV line going into each arm. OY! No determination how long I will be here yet or how the rest of this pregnancy is going to play out. More to come...

Baby BGC has the hiccups during an NST