Mellow Yellow

We were discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. At the hospital they tested Laura's bilirubin (jaundise) twice (the first time they didn't collect enough blood). It came back in the high intermediate risk zone, but because we had an appointment set with our doctor for Monday, they let us leave. After we got home, at 9:40 pm an on-call doctor from McKay Dee called and said we needed to come back the next day to have another test done. Lee had him send the lab order to the Logan Regional Hospital.
We had the test done daily, but then it turned into quite an ordeal to get the results. I couldn't get them from Logan because I am not a doctor and did not have the reference number from a doctor. I couldn't get the results from my doctor because 1) he was not the doctor that ordered the test and 2) he was out of town. I couldn't get the results from McKay because 1) they told me to call my doctor or 2) because the doctor on-call was now different than the one that ordered the test or 3) the doctor was busy and he would call me back or 4) the person that answered the phone "was just clerical and even though she can see the results in the computer and has worked there for 14 years and understands them, she is not a doctor and can not tell me the results".
In the meantime...Laura's results came back higher and a different on-call doctor at McKay sent the Logan Home Healthcare guy over to bring us a "bilibed" and a "biliblanket". (For $100 a day rental). (Tyler and Andrew thought the guy was saying "belly bed" so they thought it was to take off the rest of the umbilical cord and "fix her belly button".) We just had to check back each day to see the test results of that day, to find out if she could come off the lights (see above ordeal). Laura spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning on the bilibed. It is essentially a UV light box that she lays on with a gown that velcros to the box to keep the UVs on her and out of the rest of the room. She also had a biliblanket that straped to her stomach, so she got UVs from the bottom and top. We could only pick her up to feed her. Otherwise she just had to cry it out. She has learned to fall asleep on her own, and she can sleep through the noise of the machines. (So can Emma, who is in the same bedroom.) We do another test on Monday but for now she is off the machines!

Happy Birthday Laura!

On Tuesday, October 14th, Laura Jane Crookston was born. She was born at McKay Dee hospital in Ogden after four hours of labor at 6:21 am. She was 21 inches long and weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces. (That is small for my babies, the other three have all been over 8 pounds, but I am not complaining!) She has what I call "old bald man hair" that is dark...Tyler says it is black, but it is probably just dark brown. The kids have been very gentle with her and all want turns holding and kissing her. Laura has loved the attention. Tyler sang her her first lullaby when he came to visit her at the hospital, he sang it so quiet that only she could here it. My mom later asked him what he sang and he said "Happy Birthday". I asked Andrew if he loved Laura and he said, "yeah, because she is in my family now." Emma loves to sit on my lap and hold Laura in her lap. She gets mommy time and Laura time all at once. Lee has been off work all week and it has been fun to have him home. Special thanks to Sarah, Grandma Crookston, Grandma Gibby, and Bryan & Lisa for watching the kids while we were in the hospital.

Stephen and Catalyn

On Saturday, October 11th, Lee's brother, Stephen, married Catalyn Cummings in the Salt Lake Temple. They had a luncheon on Friday night. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins, and Tyler said that the chocolate cake was so-so-so-so-soooo good. Tyler and Andrew got to spend the night and the wedding day with Lee's cousin Aaron (who just turned six, so he is closer to Tyler's age than Lee's) and Becca's brother Brian tended Emma while Lee and Becca went to the temple in Salt Lake. It was iffy that we would be able to go, with the wedding on the 11th and Laura's due date on the 12th, but we made it.
After pictures we went to lunch with some of Lee's siblings and had a great time together. Then we gathered the kids and got ready for the reception. Again the kids loved being with cousins and had a fun night. Lee got to give an update about himself and our family over and over since lots of people from his old neighborhood where he grew up were there. Becca got to answer the question "Any baby yet?" all night long, to family, friends, and yes even strangers.

Congratulations Steve and Cat!

Happy Birthday Emma!

On Thursday, October 9th, Emma turned 2!
She had some help opening her presents. She got a movie, some new clothes, and some toy horses.
She also had some help blowing out her candles.

Tom-Boy or Girly-Girl?

That is quite the tool box!

Happy Birthday Lee!

On September 29th, Lee celebrated his birthday!

"The Greatest Show on Earth"

We went to the circus to celebrate Tyler's birthday. There was something for everyone! Emma's favorite was the horses and sitting on grandpa's lap eating popcorn. (That is just a guess, she didn't tell me that...but she looked pretty happy.) Andrew's favorite was the clown that had to staple the spotlight to the ground because it kept moving. Tyler's favorite was the seven motorcycles driving inside the sphere cage. Becca's favorite was the guys bouncing on the great big tires. Lee's favorite was also the motorcycles in the cage.

Emma was sitting on grandma's lap and kept grabbing grandma's chin and aiming it where she wanted her to look. Then she would point as if to say, "are you seeing this grandma? something cool is happening!"

During the part when the performers were doing tricks on the horses, I asked Tyler if he could do that. He said no, I said I couldn't either. Tyler said, "That's because you're pregnant!" ...So I guess in about two weeks I will be doing fancy tricks on horses.