Lynch

Meanderings of a Muddle-Minded Man

2011-12-26T13:34:00.007-07:00

Seriously, I'm not tired...

The past few months since my last blog posting have been almost... I don't know the word. It is not uneventful, because much has happened. Autumn continues to grow into a beautiful little girl with an ever-developing personality. She has her father's persistence and adventurousness tempered ever so slightly with some of her mother's endearing qualities; she is very nurturing and has a sweet spirit. Events continue to occur, like the mini vacation to Santa Cruz which I will talk about, but still these past few months seems to be more about the things to come. Anticipation is abounding in the Lynch family future. Here is what is going on, what is to come, and some photos for fun!

Autumn was not a fan of the waves, but loved the huge sandbox

Sorry, had to sneak in one last summer photo

In mid-October Becky and Autumn, accompanied by her sister (April) and son (Brock), traveled down to Santa Cruz for a little mini vacation. While they were there they visited the aquarium and boardwalk. Autumn really enjoyed the hands on experience of the aquarium and her favorite ride at the boardwalk was the Pepsi Truck Ride. She also enjoyed the hotel's oversize hot-tub/spa and pool, which she kept running back and forth between. I was not able to make it because of school and work, but I hear it was a lot of fun....

Cruzin in Santa Cruz with her Cuz Brock

Autumn wants to grow up to be a Pepsi Car driver

Many of you die hard Lynch blog fans may recall that my last major blog entry ended with a cliff-hanger. I will now reward your patience with the big news... We are moving... probably! :o) The move date is set for late-June or early-July. There are two major determining factors on when and where this move will occur. The first factor that will determine where we move is school. At the end of this coming semester I will be transferring to a university. I am currently beginning the transfer application process in which I will most likely be applying to three universities; University of California-Berkeley, Brigham Young University, and University of Washington. I am applying to UC Berkeley because it is close to Becky's family, and because Becky challenged me to make it in! Those who know me well know react to a challenge :o) Brigham Young University is attractive because of the large Latter-Day Saint population. But in all actuality, the school we are really shooting for is University of Washington. I have been in constant contact with a transfer councilor from UW and it is looking very promising. If accepted, we would be moving to Washington shortly after our second child is born....

Random boys are already trying to kiss her :o(

Family pumpkin carving

Yes, those of you who are stilling reading this, we are expecting another child, a girl to be exact. We are ridiculously excited for the opportunity to welcome another girl into our expanding family. If this is the first you have heard of this, please to not feel bad. It was a well guarded secret up until Christmas Eve when we announced it to Becky's family. It was hard, but we managed to keep the ever-increasing-bump a secret up to her twentieth week--half way there! Becky is due May 23, 2012. Obviously our move will depend upon when both the new addition and the mother are up to the big move.

Who doesn't like jumping into a big pile of leaves?

How can you say no to those big blues?

So those are the big happenings in the Lynch family. We have a lot to look forward to as we continue to progress and expand as a family. We hope that you have had and continue to have a very happy holidays. We miss many of you and look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon! P.S. I will have pictures from Christmas and Autumn's second birthday within the calendar year ;o)

Save me from my crazy daddy! :o)

Who Wore Who Out?

2011-08-10T21:30:00.003-06:00

Occasionally a picture comes along that is just so precious

that it deserves its own blog posting.

:o)

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

2011-07-25T23:24:00.021-06:00

For some of our "older" followers, yes, the title of this blog posting is a Nat King Cole reference. For the younger followers, type his name into google and I am pretty sure you can read all about him on Wikipedia. Isn't Wikipedia awesome?!?! Whelp, it has been a while and I have much to catch you up on...

Easter Egg Exploration
Autumns first Easter egg hunt while being mobile was a big hit. When we first arrived outside, Autumn paid very little attention to the very conspicuously placed, atypical looking eggs. Instead, she determined that being pushed around on a big wheel took precedence over retrieving the eggs. I seized this opportunity and used it as a teaching tool to educate Autumn to one of life's greatest lessons; It is what is on the inside that counts. She was soon discarding the shiny, superfluous facades of the eggs at a rapid pace in favor of the internally gratifying substance contained inside (m&ms). She was very thorough in her education, insisting that I refill and rehide the eggs a second and a third time. I really think she learned a valuable life's lesson...

Summer Slump
Have you ever seen somebody try to start running really fast only to peel out, turf it, and eat dirt? That was kind of a common theme early on this summer for our family. Nothing worked out nearly as well as we had meticulously planned. Our lofty ambitions included weekly camping trips and daily trips to the pool (with the exception of when I was working to bring home the bread on the weekends). The first few weeks of summer the weather was far too cold and wet for either swimming or camping. Soon after summer really began we found out that Autumn did not do water under room temperature, effectively limiting pool time activities. Our first and only camping trip to date this summer ended abruptly and prematurely. About the time I had finished setting up camp and sat down to rest, Autumn began to vomit. Long story short, Autumn had another bout of Strep Throat, our three day camping trip over. The biggest blow of the summer came shortly after I got out of school. My work hours were cut to about a third of what I was working before. Lack of hours invariable leads to a decrease in monetary income which directly influences the quantity and quality of our summer activities. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Although work still remains scant, we have still found ways to turn things around and salvage the remnants of our summer.

Idaho
Our highly anticipated vacation has come and past. To our delight, the trip lived up to our lofty expectation. Overall, Autumn handled the flights, change of scenery, and unfamiliar faces remarkably well. The first leg of our trip took us to Rexburg, Idaho; the city Becky and I met and attended school. We visited the new sights and old friends (usually at the same time). I would say the highlight of the trip was hitting the new water park with our close friends Sarah and Darren. The company was great and the water was warm, even Autumn couldn't resist.

Washington
The next leg of the trip found us in Washington, visiting my family. We spent the bulk of our time at my father's house. My sisters and their families made it over when they could, but mostly it was just us and my Poppers (and chewy, my dog that lives at my father's house). Although we did not do much, it was comfortable and relaxing . Becky was very adept at extracting stories about who I was and where I come from from my father. I had to throw up a picture of my father's Kawasaki KLR650 Duel-Sport Motorcycle. My father and I had a breakthrough in our relationship and he allowed me to take it for a spin! Becky, in a momentary lapse of judgement, agreed to go with me on one of my forays. It is safe to say that I enjoyed it much more than she did. However, I was impressed with her bravery... The highlight of our Washington trip came in the form of a family barbecue accompanied with several competitive games of croquet. At the end of the day, Team James and Becky emerged victorious by conquering all challengers.

Conclusion
Although we did have a rough start to the summer, it has really turned out to be a good rest bit from school. I was so burnt out that I just kinda crashed as soon as school got over. As school is starting to draw near again I am starting to regain some momentum and motivation. Autumn continues to be the light of our lives. She is so beautiful both inside and out. I am glad that some of the most important people in my life got to be around her and enjoy her with us. There are some potentially really big events on the horizon for our family that could drastically change our lives, but I will save that for another post ;o) (And no, we are not expecting) Until next time!

And the beat goes on....

2011-04-18T13:31:00.025-06:00

Spring Break has finally come! I get to spend my week long reprieve with two of the cutest girls around; every male college students dream come true :o) There have not really been any significant events or occurrences since the last blog posting, but that is not to say that nothing has changed. Autumn continues to grow and develop at a rapid pace. If given the time, I am confident I could post daily on the blog, solely based on the topic of Autumn and her accomplishments/growth. Cute and silly stories would be abundant. As it is, you will just have to settle for me prattling on once every 1-3 months.

Sun Sucker
As stated in previous postings, Autumn loves to be outside. She soaks up as many rays during the day as humanly, and parentally, possible. Her new favorite activity outside it being pulled behind either her father's, or mother's, bike in her child trailer. She especially loves going down hill with the wind blowing in her face. She has been known to squeal and laugh heartily on such occasions. Although she loves to be pulled around and pushed around on a big wheel, she is also an explorer. You may have heard of The Lone Ranger, well, she is the Alone Ranger. If you don't keep a sharp eye out for her she will take off, usually in search of something to climb on. Fortunately, she typically finds her way back and/or responds well to vocal-location. :o)

Baller Babe
Autumn has taken an early interest in sports. She has already learned how to place a whiffle ball on the tee, then knocking it off with a little plastic bat. Recently, she has developed and Ichiro-style batting style by hitting on the run. It is still to early to tell if the power numbers will be there... ;o) She has also shown a fondness for basketballs and Frisbees, all of which she refers to simply as "ball".

Copy Cat
Yes, our little girl has begun, in varying degrees, to vocalize her needs and wants in the form of words, or at least loose versions of the words. :o) While most of the words she has gleaned from those around her have practical use and an attached meaning, others don't. I am learning really quick to watch what I say in her presence because she is becoming a bit of a copy cat. We try our best to emphasize certain words like "please" and "thank you" while avoiding words like "no" and "mine". However, we are both human (I am much more human than Becky).

Canine Controller
A funny example of Autumn's new found ability to regurgitate things that she hears can be found in her relationship with Abby. Abby is an Australian Shepard that resides on the premises of the Skinner compound. Abby has lived the entirety of her fairly long life as an outside dog. As far as dogs go, she is somewhat of a loner. She believes herself to be an Alpha-female over those around her, with the exception of Grandpa (papa) Skinner. Abby and I constantly butt-heads in our individual attempts to assert our authority over each other. It is no surprise then that Autumn has picked up the phase "Abby NO... go!". She even says it with the same emphasis and inflection as her father :o)

Slide Savvy
Autumn severely enjoys slides. Big slides, small slides, plastic slides, metal slides, slow slides, fast slides; it doesn't matter, she likes them all. The progression from going down the slide with "mama" and "daddy" to going down by herself was astonishingly swift. Whether she is going down the fast slides on her belly, or the slow slides on her bum, she is never contented being led away from the slide.

Envy Monster
Autumn's personality and character have really begun to take shape. She wants to do many things on her own now; from feeding herself with a spoon to getting the wipes out when changing her diaper. It is so fun watching her grow up, learn new things, and do them on her own. However, sometimes it seems like she is doing it ("it" being the whole childhood thing) way to fast. About a month ago, Becky's brother and sister-in-law gave birth to a second child. Last week we went to their apartment to visit the newborn for the first time. Autumn loves when her cousins are around and enjoys playing with other children, but when Becky held the newborn, our blue-eyed angel's eyes turned green with envy. She was not having it. She was only slightly more receptive to daddy holding a newborn. Needless to stay our visit was on the short side. Although the list of things she wants to do on her own continues to grow, the trip serves as a fond reminder that she is ok with being our little girl.

As to Becky and myself, not much is going on. We are both looking forward to summer, especially the cessation of this semester of classes. I will be taking the eight-week summer course off, or at least with minimal online credits. We are planning on doing a lot of camping and bike riding with Autumn. The big event, which was alluded to last posting, is our trip to Idaho and Washington. Here is the schedule for that trip (for the sake of those affected):

Idaho: July 10-14
Washington July 14-21

Any who, I will cease my inane blathering with a wish of good luck and our expression of love to family and friends. Until next time....

Autumn Walking and Playing

2011-02-25T14:28:00.003-07:00

Rising like a Phoenix from the Ashes!

2011-02-17T15:25:00.058-07:00

After months of hibernation, the Lynch family blog is baaaaaack! I am sure world-wide parades are being thrown, children are cheering, and manly men are weeping with joy over this monumental news... Much has happened since last July so lets have at it! Washington Visit

Shortly after the last posting on this blog, our little family embarked on our first family vacation. Although it was not Autumn's first airplane ride, it was her first commercial flight. :o) Much to her mother's, and father's, relief, she did just dandy on the plane. Our time was split fairly evenly between my adopted family and my real family. A couple highlights of the trip: We took a trip to Seattle with Charles, Heather (w/Ellie), Abigail, Andrew, Lindsay, and Scottie. We got to check out the Blue Angels flight demonstration (loud but thrilling) along with and trip to Pike's Place Fish Market. We also enjoyed hanging out with Charles and his family at their house and enjoying stories from the past (mostly embarrassing) and the present (mostly involving young-ins).

Spending time with my father and two sisters (Nicci, Katie) was awesome! The last time we had seen my father and Katie we were packing and leaving for Autumns emergency life-flight. Thankfully, this trip was much more low key. Our time was spent grilling outdoors, croquet battles, and Autumn's first visit to the zoo. We went to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It is funny how things that I have not enjoyed since before I was a teenager, suddenly take on new joy and excitement when you have a little one. My father, Nicci, Zach, Zach's buddy, Jelly (my sister's behemoth child ;o), Becky, Autumn, and I all made the trip. Mucho Fun! As much fun as the activities were, it best part was just chillin at home with the fam.

Disaster

Some of you may have noticed that the posted pictures accompanying our time in Washington, are not actual pictures in Washington. About a month or so after our return from Washington, disaster struck. My computer gave up the ghost and checked into its final resting place. OK, maybe that is being a little dramatic, but we did lose the hard drive along with every picture and video of us and Autumn. Thanks to this blog, and other sources, we have been able to salvage some pictures, but not many. It was pretty devastating. If there is a silver-lining to this story, I have learned the valuable lesson of backing up your computer...

Getting Schooled

I am not talking about basketball, nor am I making an obscure reference to fish swimming patterns... I am back in school. I am currently taking classes at a local community college (Folsom Lake College). It will not come as much of a surprise to those who know me best, but school has never been a forte nor a high priority of mine. Sticking with the "getting schooled" theme, I would summerize my college experience this way: I spent way too much time during college trying to school people in sports, and getting schooled in dating, that I had little time left for educational schooling. :o) Well, one wife and one kid later, priorities change. Although I had enough credits from the previous three college programs I attended to graduate, the grades in the classes were not impressive and the credits earned were not functional nor conducive in structure to do so. Simply put: very average grades in random course from different schools = basically nothing. So I have started over. It is hard work holding a full-time job, going to school full-time, and being a good husband and father, but I have a ton of support from amazing people.

Pumpkin Patch

We had a chance to go to Apple Hill in October with Becky's sister April. Her son Brock had a field trip there and we made some extra time to join them. Apple Hill is a local apple orchard that also makes awesome doughnuts, apple cider, and more. That time of year they also construct a hay maze for children along with growing pumpkins. The only reason this is really worth mentioning is because we got some cute pictures there. :o)

Holidays

We spent Autumns first Christmas at Becky's Grandparents house; which is about 150feet from where we reside. The highlights of the Christmas Party include Autumn playing the role of baby Jesus in the family reenactment of the Nativity.

On January 1st Autumn's turned one. Apparently it was a big deal because people kept shooting off fireworks throughout the day, and many people took the day off of work. We ended up having the party on the 2nd because Daddy had to work on her birthday and Autumn didn't really care if we waited an extra day. As you can see from the pictures provided, Autumn enjoyed her cake. She didn't really like to eat it; just poke it, throw it, and wipe it on her face. She also got lots of new toys which she loved for about two weeks...

Growing Fast
So those are a couple of the big events that have happened since the last posting. Throughout this she has been growing and developing at an astonishing pace. Those who have children or are around children a lot know what I am talking about. Each stage is just so amazing. As a parent, at least to me, it feels like your kid is the first and only kid to ever do these things. For example, crawling: everybody I know can do it to varying degrees. But there is something magical about when your child learns to do something that they had previously been unable to do. It is priceless. The biggest and most recent thrill has been Autumn learning to walk. She still staggers around and falls all the time, but each time she takes off it is both awe inspiring and anxiety inducing :o)

We are really looking forward to the coming summer. I will be taking less credits in school, which hopefully will allow us to get out more. Autumn loves the outdoors, no matter the weather. Once the sun comes out and she takes to wearing shoes (does not like them yet) we can oblige her constant yearning to be outdoors. She has cabin fever bad. We are very excited for camping and swimming. We are also in the works on making an Idaho and Washington visit this summer. We will let you know more as it progresses...

Chillin in the Heat

2010-07-22T11:40:00.029-06:00

Whelp... I am just going to dispense with the typical apology for slacking on my blog duties and get to the good stuff. Life is good! Autumn is continuing to grow fast and make us laugh. I work a lot of hours Friday-Sunday which allows me to be home with Becky and Autumn a lot. We get out often and although nothing terribly exciting had happened with her since the last posting on this blog, it has been an exciting time. Lots of little things and fun times. Here are a few of them...

Adrenaline Junkie

I built a rope swing a few months back for all the nieces and nephews that regularly descend upon the Skinner Compound. Little did I know that my little Autumn would enjoy the swing as much as them. Since she could not sit on the typical flat, wood seat by herself, we added a plastic baby swing to the arsenal. The baby swing has a three way belt that keeps her nice and snug along with blankets for bumpers. What originally started out as gentle nudges quickly escalated to good hearty pushes. Becky, on more than one occasion, has commented that she is too much like her father. If she is not going far and flying high, she is not happy. As soon as the swing starts slowing down she lets us know. As soon as I grab the swing and wind up she gets a big smile on her face, which becomes a giggle when she takes off. Process repeated several times. I don't really know if that consists as being an adrenaline junkie if you have yet to grasp the concept and understand the consequences of gravity. We will see. She does have her father's blood and those things never slowed me down much.

The Great Outdoors

Growing in Washington I developed a love for hiking and camping. My father and step-mother would take us camping regularly in the summer. When searching for a wife, one of the criteria was somebody that liked to camp. Becky came along and affirmed her love for the outdoors. It wasn't until much later on that I found out that our definition of camping was far different. Mine consisted of backpacks and hiking in 4-6 miles. Her camping was parking the Suburban in the midst of some trees and unloading the cooler. So this summer when we decided to start camping we made some compromises. Instead of hiking in 4-6 miles we brought 4-6 children with us. Instead of bringing one cooler, we brought two. And each kid brought their own backpack. I never would have thought it, but her version of camping may be more draining... We do have a lot of fun though, and here are a few pictures to prove it. Recently, we have been making almost weekly visits to Sly Lake Park for a couple nights or just for a day trip.

Water Bug

Since Autumn was born she has always loved water. She loves her baths. She loves to drink water out of bottles and sippy-cups. Most of all, she loves swimming. This summer we have been visiting the lake, the neighborhood pool, Becky's brother's pool, and even invested in a couple inflatable pools. She loves them all. Just looking alone is not acceptable. She needs to be sitting, swimming, and splashing. She starts churning her think little legs and smacking the water with her hands. We think she is going to be a good swimmer like her mother. Before that happens though, we are going to have to try to break her habit of trying to drink the pool dry.

Big Girl

It is really amazing how fast children grow up. We don't really watch a lot of tv, but occasionally we get some time. I like my Sportscenter while Becky prefers her cooking and baby shows. One show she particularly likes is A Baby Story. It is the same thing every time. The show starts with a pregnant mother and ends with a baby. I will never understand how she can watch it over and over again. It must be a maternal thing. :o) Occasionally I will walk by and see a newborn, and it astounds me. Autumn used to be that small! They get so big, so fast it makes your head spin. On Tuesday she went in for an appointment. It had been a while since she had been weighed and measured, so the result took us by surprise. At about 6.5 months she weighted in at 17lb 13oz with a length of 27in. That put her in the 83% in length and 75% in weight for her age! I knew she was becoming a big girl, I just didn't know she was such a BIG GIRL!

Those are some of the highlights and events that have been going on with Autumn. Not much else is going on other than Alex Skinner, Becky's youngest brother, just became Elder Skinner. He entered the MTC yesterday in preparation for his service in the Tuxtla Gutierrez Mexico Mission. A lot of family came together for the farewell and last supper. I was able to get a picture of Great-Grandma Ballard, Grandma Skinner, Becky and Autumn. Four generations! In about two weeks we will be heading out to Washington. It will be Autumns first commercial airplane flight :o) We will let you know how it goes...

Normality

2010-04-29T13:15:00.042-06:00

The month of April has come and pass, and Autumn growth, development, and experiences continue to bring Becky and I tons of joy. She continues to reach milestones and accomplish things for the first time. Those are some fun, exhilarating times. None were more exciting than her first time not being hospitalized for a whole calender month. :o) It was almost dull around here, knock on wood. We did have some fun times we thought would be worth sharing...

Rained Out

Those who know me, know I kinda like the Mariners... in an obsessive sort of way. Having lived in Idaho for the past few years of my life I had not had the opportunity to attend a Mariners game for a good while. Idaho does not have a major league team in-state or even that close. The closest is the Colorado Rockies, and they are National League. Even before we moved to California we purchased ticket for the opening day game vs the Oakland Athletics @Oakland. Although the game ended up being played in its entirety, it was a cold rainy day and we determined not to push our luck with Autumn's inconsistent health. So, we watched it at home dressed in our Mariners gear, including Autumn who wore her Mariners onsie and a baseball headband. We also had Cheese Fonduta, just like they make at the Olive Garden. Yum. And we took pictures...

Blessings of Blessings

It took a while, but Autumn finally received her Mormon baby blessing. We put it off while we where in Idaho because we wanted it to be done in Cali, where most of Becky's family live and could attend. After settling in, we set a date that worked for the fam. Then Autumn was hospitalized for a week. After recouping, we set another date, turns out it ended up being Ward Conference. On March 21, 2010 she received the blessing. For me, it was a very tender moment. As her father here on earth, I was allowed to orate the blessing, as dictated through the Spirit. I take no credit when I say it was a very sweet and spiritual moment. It was an amazing memory for our young family.

200 Club

Growing up I had aspirations of becoming a great baseball player. I knew I would never be a big home run hitter, but I had a line drive swing and good speed. My fantasies took me through Cy Youngs, Silver Slugger Awards, Stolen Base Records, MVP's, World Series winning hits, and many 200 hit seasons. Each year you will get a small hand full of hitters in the Majors that get over 200 hits in a season. They call it the 200 Club. I dreamed of making it into that elite 200 Club. I never did. Dreams die hard. However, I did recently make it into a different, less prestigious, 200 Club. Thanks to an unwavering diligence to a high carb/protein/fats/sugar and low exercise diet, I have reached 200lbs. I am a little sensitive about my weight now, so please refrain from making fat jokes in the comment box. If you do, I will use my considerable weight and knock you down and sit on your head...

If you build it... you will be disfigured

While waiting for the plethora of paperwork to be processed for my new employment, I had a lot of downtime. I am not much for sitting around, so I decided to do something productive. I built a bridge. Our small family resides on the same property as Becky's parent's house. It is a good bit of land, a few acres. The lower portion of the property has a creek which makes it difficult to access the bottom portion without getting wet. During the summer, there is a shortcut through that area which leads to the community pool. So, as I stated before, I built a bridge. I used an old trailer that had been used 12-15 years back for an old custom door company Becky's family had owned. That and wood just laying around the property and we had a cheap bridge. My reward for building Becky a bridge? Gratitude and a bad case of Poison Oak. Pictures to not do justice to my disfigurement. I had a swollen side of my face, splotchy arms, and blisters on my hand. No good deed goes unpunished... (PS a shout out to Wesley and Monty Sr. for their assistance in building the bridge)

Athlete of the Family

So the other day Autumn went to the doctor... stop me if you have heard that one before... This time was only a checkup and to catch her up on her shots, which is very little fun. As soon as we laid her down on the table and she saw the nurse she freaked out. Apparently the last few times were traumatizing and infants have better memories than we give them credit for. Anywho, as the nurse was looking her over, pre-shots, the nurse made a very interesting observation. She raved that Autumn was a "very strong and athletic looking baby" with "great muscle tone, especially in her shoulders and calves." I guess I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. Becky is a multi sport athlete and I used to be a good athlete. It's not that I disagree with her, she is a professional, that is what she does everyday for her livelihood, but to my untrained eye she is my little chubby girl! :o) I have to make a bit of a confession, the chunky picture I am posting with this section is a bit before her appointment, and since then she has grown in to her weight, but still...

Not much else is going on. Becky and I are both working, though not at the same time. Are schedules work out so that one of us is always at home with Autumn, but we don't spend a lot of time home together. It is both rewarding but difficult, but I guess you can say that is what parenting is. We have been blessed to find good jobs in a difficult economy. We have a beautiful baby daughter who is healthy, happy and apparently buff. :o) We have a place to live, family close, and each other. What more can you ask for...

Take Three

2010-03-06T16:24:00.016-07:00

Consistency
On January 01, 2010 Becky and I gave birth to a beautiful, intelligent, drama-queen! When we found out that we were going to have a little girl I expected drama. I just didn't expect it so soon. Don't get me wrong, typically she is a very mild-mannered and happy-go-lucky little peanut, but something about the beginning of the month. Maybe it is just that time of month... :o) Here is a list of where we have spent the night on the second day of the past three months (since she has been born):

January 2, 2010 - Madison County Hospital (Rexburg, ID): Autumn's Birth

February 2, 2010 - Primary Children's Hospital (Salt Lake City, UT): Life Flight/ALTE

March 2, 2010 - Mercy San Juan Hospital (Carmichael, CA): Fever

If she is anything, she is consistent. Typically that is a very good attribute to have, however, I wouldn't mind if she would break this habit and pick up sleeping from 10pm-8am... I can dream... Before I can get into her most recent hospital stay there are a few things to update..

A Few Things

We now reside in Placerville, CA. To some, this may come as a surprise. Oops. The move itself had its own share of drama. This time, however, none of it can be attributed to Autumn. In fact, she did amazingly well on the 13hour trip. The packing and cleaning, although very grueling and tedious, went smoothly and we left at the appointed time on the appointed day. ---SHOUT OUT: Another thank you for all those who helped us, with a special gold star to Becky's father (Monty) and brother (Nick) who volunteered and flew down to Rexburg to help drive the Uhaul to California while myself, Becky, and Autumn drove in the car. Thank you guys!--- Everything went fine the first ten or so hours. About the time we, those in the car, reached Tahoe a major snowstorm hit. With the purchase of chains and lots of patience we were able to navigate and make it through the pass and arrive to our current residence safely. Unfortunately the Uhaul, who was about a hour and a half behind us did not make it through that night... or the next. In fact, the Uhaul did not make it in until the afternoon of the next day. Thankfully everybody made in safely. Unfortunately we got a lot more video of it all than we did photos, sorry...

Autumn the Hothead
We first noticed that Autumn was spiking a fever on Monday around 6 (about the time all the walk-in medical clinics and pharmacys closed). When she hit 101 we hurried down to the Wal-Mart and purchased some Infant Motrin to try to bring the fever down. She had a restless night and the morning found her still warm and only getting warmer. We headed to a Doc-In-A-Box (Rapid Care) only to have them tell us they did not have means by which to do the tests needed for a diagnoses. Next stop was Mercy Hospital in Folsom. They started the standard tests for Sepsis (Blood Infection) including blood, urine, and a spinal tap... again... and took a couple x-rays of her chest... again... The x-rays came back saying she had Pneumonia in her right lung, center lobe. They also began her on antibiotics. She was then transferred, by ambulance for the third time in her short life, to the Mercy San Juan Hospital because they have a good Pediatric ICU (Intensive Care Unit)

At Mercy San Juan we found out that her x-ray had been misread... again... *We have become big fans of second opinions, especially with newborns. Outside of Children's Hospitals, most doctors do not see a lot of newborns and it is incredibly easy to misread what you don't know* When we got there they took some swabs from her nose to check for viruses while the blood and urine cultures were being grown. For those who may not know, blood and urine cultures are used to detect the presence of bacteria and yeast. They check them every 24, 48, and 72 hours to see if anything has grown on them. They were especially looking for Sepsis and anything that may induce Respiratory Failure. They would eventually come back free and clear, but we had to stay for the three days just in case. During this time her fever reached a high of 104.8, which is dangerously high, especially for an infant. On day two the swabs from her nose (rapid viral test) came back positive for Parainfluenza. As impressive as that sounds, it isn't. Basically she had a very bad cold. Because of how young she is and the immaturity of her immune system, her body was not able to fight it off by itself. An IV, lots of fever reducers, and five miserable days later she is finally home and back to her healthy, smiling self. Yay!

Life Flight

2010-02-06T12:23:00.035-07:00

The title of this blog posting, unlike my typically witty predecessors, is frank and to the point. As some of our more avid followers may have noticed, the post date is not actually an accurate indication of when this blog was written. I changed the post date to more accurately reflect the chronological order and time of the past few crazy months. I will attempt to do so in as much detail as my memory will allow. And here we go...

Emergency (January 30, 2010 around 6pm)

My father (Peter) and one of my two sisters (Katie) had flown in earlier in the week to visit and meet Autumn for the first time. We were spending Saturday night just sitting around and chatting. We had just finished watching a recently surfaced video of me as a child growing up. Autumn, maybe sensing her fathers embarrassment, decided she would rather have her stomach contents on the outside, as opposed to her insides. At the time, this was an ordinary occurrence. After departing with the milk she had recently consumed, she moved on to bile. This was the catalyst to a choking episode, which was later termed an ALTE (Apparent Life Threatening Event). She began to throw up through both her nose and mouth. Because infants are obligate nose breathers we tried to help her clear her nose with a bulb syringe. Unable to breath through her nose, Autumn began to attempt to breath through her mouth. She blew lots of bubbles out of her mouth, but received precious little oxygen. At this time Becky was on the phone with our pediatrician, who assured us it wound pass. Two minutes or so later Autumn, still getting a little oxygen but struggling bad to do so, began to turn blue. With my father driving, we hopped into his rental and headed to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital Autumn had begun to stop struggling. She was deemed "unresponsive and turning blue". She was very quickly brought to the back, where they suctioned out her nose and mouth, then placed her on oxygen. After she was stabilized and began to get her skin color back they began running test to ascertain what had caused the ALTE. During this time they brought in a x-ray machine to check her lungs for aspiration. Ten-Fifteen minutes later they brought the machine back in for more x-rays. Both Becky and I found this peculiar, but we chalked it up to Autumn moving the first time. Sometime later, while I was in the waiting room filling my family in on the happenings, the nurse rushed me back in the room in time to hear the doctor telling Becky that our daughter's heart was in backwards. Half and hour later I was home packing luggage. Soon after, Becky's brother (Aaron) was able to make it in and we were able to give Autumn a Priesthood Blessing. Within the next hour we found ourselves in an ambulance and then on a twin-engine plane taking off from Rexburg, ID en route to Salt Lake City, UT with a final destination of Primary Children's Hospital.

J/K (January 31, 2010)
We arrived in Salt Lake about 1AM, where we took another ambulance ride to the Hospital. Things happened at a fairly good pace when we got in. Test took place, including blood, urine, and spinal fluid being drawn (Spinal Tap was awful. We had to leave. When we came back she was so frantic she had scratched up her own face). Looking back now, in between the nightmare of the unknown and xrays, EKG, spinal tap, three IVs, etc., there were some moments of levity in all this. While doing her tests they needed a urine sample. While trying to thread a catheter she peed on them. They also needed a get her temperature, which they did so with a rectal thermometer, but not before she exacted her revenge by pooing on the thermometer. That's my girl! :o) Within two hours of being there, shortly after Becky's mother (Peggy) and her mother's sister (Gaylene) arrived, we got the big news. Her heart was not in backwards. In fact, with the exception of a minor heart murmur, her heart was perfectly fine. It was explained to us that Autumn does have an odd shaped heart, but that was quite typical for a newborns. Because the doctor in Rexburg was not used to looking at x-rays of newborn hearts, he mistook the odd shape as a major heart defect where the heart, and much of the internal organs, are facing the wrong way. For the life of me, I cannot recall the exact name of the disease.

Enlightened (February 1-2, 2010)

Anyways, they kept us for two days to monitor her for an explanation for the ALTE. Tachycardia, an abnormally high heart rate over an extended amount of time, (Normal for her age about 180bpm, hers 200-225bpm), diminished and where dismissed. Modeling of the skin (skin that looks a lot like marble, caused by lack of oxygen to the extremities and dehydration) were also dismissed because of her 'fair-complexion'. In the end she was diagnosed with Thrush and GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflex Disease). GERD is a chronic digestive disease that causes stomach fluids to flow back into the food pipe. It also causes Acid Reflux and Heartburn. It was the cause of the ALTE and the catalyst of the whole shin-dig. One of the doctors, as we were being released, joked about the visit being a very inconvenient and expensive visit to get a prescription for Thrush. Indeed it was. The bills have begun rolling in and at times it is incredibly overwhelming. At these times, we look back to that moment when we were told that her heart was in backwards and we can't help but be grateful. As far as bad situations go, it is hard to imagine many things that could be worse than wondering if your child is going to live to experience their first birthday, steps, words, etc. As dark as those few hours were, in its finality, the who incident couldn't have ended much better and for that we are eternally grateful.

"Dawn" of a New Year!

2010-01-05T16:06:00.032-07:00

Autumn Dawn Lynch has arrived! She was born January 1, 2010 at 1:32pm. She was the second baby born in Madison County... no free frisbee for us. The measurements: 7lbs 13oz, 20 inches from head-to-toe. She has a thirteen inch head and chest. Instead of boring you with my inane rhetoric I will let the facts and photos do most of the talking. Here is how it went down...

Becky woke up at 2:45am with contractions. Not wanting to be one of those girls who rush to the hospital too early just to be sent home, she waited. She woke me up at 3:30 and informed me she was having contractions. I promptly went back to sleep. To my defense, the night before she had experienced some painless contractions... I just assumed... Anywho, since we'd had the foresight to have everything ready, we arrived at Madison Memorial Hospital in plenty of time.

Once we had arrived and checked in, we were brought to a back room by a grumpy old lady. I don't think she liked 4am, doing her job, or pregnant women. I think she personally blamed me for all three. We soon found out that Becky was dilated 2cm. We were then informed that epidurals are not given until at least 4cm. Soon after we were transferred to the room where Becky would give birth. Becky spent the next hour and a half writhing...

Becky was given her epidural around 6:10. By about 6:30 she liked me again :o) After the epidural was given I was even allowed to touch her. Texts, calls, and pictures began. She was a 5-6cm by 7:45, 7cm by 8:25, 8cm by 9:44, 9cm around 11:00, and started pushing at 12:30. At about 1:25 it was determined that Autumn would need a little help. Her pulse would consistently race over 180bpm during contractions and than plummet to under 100bpm after pushing. Because this was happening, and to avoid more serious complications, it was determined that she needed help in the form of a vacuum. At 1:32 she made her grand entrance with a big ol' hickey on her head.

There was another lady there who had come in earlier than us, who was also in labor. The doctor had informed us that the race was on for the first baby born in the county. She had a lead of several hours, but we caught up with her at about 7cm. Unfortunately for us, this was her third child, so she pulled away late. We were beaten by over an hour, but it was a valiant effort. For the second place prize we got to keep the baby...

Now she is home with us. She is a healthy and beautiful girl. It has been a life changing experience in ways I never imagined. I knew there was going to be a lot more noise and a lot less sleep. What I didn't know is how happy I would be for those things. I have never been so happy to be sleep deprived. It is a hard thing to put into words, bringing a baby into the world. The range of emotions that come with the charge of being a parent exceed my vocabulary. It feels like the world pre-baby was black and white, not in the sense of right and wrong, but emotional separation. In this old world, the tides of emotions ebbed and flowed in an almost monotonous, predictable way. The new world is a tsunami of feeling that overwhelms and encompasses. There are few experiences in my life that have come remotely close to the feelings of joy and fear and determination that I have felt since her birth. I am sure that as this journey continues those feelings will be realized. I just pray that when those moments come I can accept them for what they are, and become a better person because of them. Enjoy the pictures... we have enjoyed taking them!

Ketchup

2009-12-10T16:25:00.032-07:00

Oh the simple joys in life, like homophones and mondegreens. Don't fret, there is much more where that came from. I am a simple man with simple pleasures. Back on point... Yes, as the title indicated, this is a blog posting dedicated to getting all of our faithful followers, all three of you, 'caught up' on our life. Many exciting and noteworthy things have happened in the past 3 months, 2 weeks, 3 days, and approximately 21 hours... Which, of course, was the last time we updated our blog. We hope you have not held your breath. Several of those noteworthy occurrences should probably have elicited their very own post, but I have been too busy and/or too lazy. Although they will never achieve their optimal glory, I will honor them individually with their very own mini-title with a brief summary. Let us ketchup...

Boneyard

Back in the day, there was a beloved Seattle Mariner named Jay Buhner. He was the man. That man could hit the ball a country mile. He was also a perennial contender for most strikeout in a season by a hitter, but we loved him. He had it made in Seattle. He had his own section in the stadium called the "Boneyard" because he was bad to the bone. He even had his own promotional night titled "Buhner Buzznight" On that night, everybody who came to the stadium without a lick of hair on their head, got in free. Yes, Buhner was bald. If you look up Jay Buhner in the fictional Seattle Mariners Dictionary you would read: Buhner - The bald bad boy of baseball who bashed and whiffed his way into belovedness in baseball. -end definition- Just don't look up belovedness in a real dictionary... As a lad, every season when Buhner Buzznight came along I longed to make it to the game. I never did. I would have shaved my head in a heartbeat to make it into a Mariners game free, that was never the problem. Getting a ride there on the other hand... Although Jay Buhner has long since retired along with his buzznight, I have always wondered what it would be like to have no hair on my head. I no longer wonder...

Reverse Sampson

It was a miracle. I shaved my head and instantly got better at sports. Or maybe it was because I played easier sports. Being aerodynamic can only take you so far... This past semester I played on a competitive ultimate frisbee team and two intramural slow pitched softball teams. I learned two things playing competitive ultimate frisbee: 1) I did not know such a seemingly simple game could become rocket science and 2) I am out of shape. I learned two more things playing softball: 1) A bigger ball thrown at a much slower speed is much, much easier to hit and 2) That extra weight that was slowing me down at frisbee helped me hit the ball farther. All in all, it was an enlightening experience. I was able to walk away with two championships (both softball), one league defensive player of the year (frisbee), and a career high for a season of HR (5).

THANKS for the GIVING

For Thanksgiving we were able to travel down to Utah to spend some time with Becky's extended family. Although Utah is just as cold and has virtually identical terrain as Idaho, it is great getting out of the 'burg bubble' for a bit. -NOTE: I PINE FOR A PINE. I MISS THE EVERGREEN STATE- We stayed in a condo for a few days. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Becky had a baby shower. The day after we got back we got to see the season opening of The Forgotten Carols. Those five days epitomizes what this season is all about. We got fed. We got baby shower gifts. We got to hang out with family. After all that, we came home and The Forgotten Carols reminded us who gave us the ultimate gift. We are grateful for all the people who care for and help our little family. Thank you.

BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS, etc

This past Saturday we spent the whole day in class. As awful as that may sound, it wasn't all that bad. It was a Lamas class (or Child Birth Education Class). It was... informative. You walk away knowing much more about what is going to happen, the mechanics and biology behind it, and the realization that you still don't know what the heck you are doing. I am a little nervous. Without being crude or too informative, that is a lot of fluids! Blood, sweat, and tears is just the beginning of the tidal wave. But that is not what scares me. My wife is heaven sent. Blink 182 said it best with their song titled, "She likes me for me." I know I march to the beat of a different drum, but she is okay with that. I am scared of pregnancy honesty. That is when she is in so much pain she no longer cares about hurting my feelings. Also, as long as I have known her, she has never raise her voice at me out of anger, but I fear those days are numbered. I am going to to hear everything she

normally holds back, at a much higher decibel level, with witnesses around...

Braxton Hicks

No, he is not the little neighbor boy down the street who put a baseball through your window and a ding in your car. Braxon Hicks is more intrusive and causes physical pain on top of the mental anguish. Braxton Hicks Contractions, if any didn't already know, are essentially pre-labor contractions. It is, in layman's terms, the body's way of preparing and practicing for the real thing. Whelp, it appears we (Becky and I) are heading down that final homestretch in the pregnancy. The prize being a brand spanking new little baby girl of our own. When we get there, we will let you know...

A girl, Oh boy!

2009-08-25T20:52:00.001-06:00

A curious thing happened about the time I became a teenager. Girls. My father was never the type to sit me down and explain things to me. I don’t blame him. How do you explain this complex phenomenon to a hyperactive prepubescent with an undeveloped attention span. A heads up would have been nice. It was a subtle change for me. It seemed like one day I was angry in gym class because the girl in front of me popped up weakly to end the kickball game leaving the tying run on base and me on deck. The next day I was angry in gym class because the CUTE girl in front of me popped up weakly to end the kickball game leaving the tying run on base and me on deck. You see? Subtle.

I was a bold and adventurous youth. There was not a dare that I would pass up. Now that I look back on it, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I did not always surround myself with the best influences. We had our fun and for the most part we did so without causing much trouble. However, if there was something to climb or something that needed jumping, I was the man. I wasn’t always the most athletic in the group or even the most coordinated but I was the designated crash dummy. I did it willingly because I liked the challenge. Now that I look back on it I feel kind of used. If something dangerous is laying on the ground looking dead, as a kid, what do you do? You grab a long stick and poke it. How do you check the consistency of an unidentified viscous substance? The depth of a dark hole? A deep puddle? Find a stick and check it. I was the proverbial ‘stick’ throughout my childhood. As brave as I was when it came to answering the many dares of my so-called friends, girls where a whole new ballgame. I was the poster boy for an awkward young man. I was a blushing, stuttering, toe in the dirt, fool of a boy. Talking to girls, at times, was more painful than high centering myself on my Huffy. Gradually it got a little better. I learned a little in High School. College was much better. Now I am happily married. Looking back on those days I don’t miss it at all. I do miss that Huffy though…

Four words recently changed my world. Four beautiful and scary words. “It is a girl!” I am going to be the father to a beautiful little girl. A little girl who is going to do the same thing to a slew of unprepared and unwitting little boys. A little girl who will turn me back into that shy fool of a boy, but for different reasons. I do not know everything that lies in wait for her and that is scary to me. I do know she will be loved and that is comforting. I barely survived my first bout with females! I am excited for round two…

It's A Hit!

2009-07-05T22:17:00.008-06:00

Things happen to me. They always have. Maybe I put myself into situations where such 'things' can happen. Regardless if I deserve it or not, I am a target for mayhem. Becky has learned not only to cope with this simple truth, but to find humor in it. I remember a specific time in our young marriage when I had just suffered a broken finger in a baseball playoff game. Just one of those 'things'. There was not a snicker or a laugh from my wife. In fact, she actually asked if I was OK and genuinely cared. She helped me clean the blood off my split ring finger and every night she would wrap my broken pinkie. Those were the days. Fast forward to the future, actually about two weeks ago. A baseball game being played on a warm night. Yours truly steps to the plate. The sun is low in the sky, just over the horizon in the left-center gap. The pitcher for the other team is bringing gas around the mid 80's. The first pitch from the righty comes in and I take a mighty cut at it. Big whiffer. Now if that curveball had been the fastball that I had been sitting on... Anyways, I step out of the batters box to reevaluate my gameplan. Based on where the sun is currently at, it is almost impossible to differentiate between a fastball and a curveball. I step back in after deciding to sit on a curve. The pitcher winds-up, I squint my eyes and coil my body. The ball is released high and inside. I keep my weight back and wait for it to break. And wait.... and wai... Two things go wrong. One, it is not a curveball. Two, By the time that I recognize that it is not a curve I have waited too long...

And yes, it hurt! The ball hits me solidly on the arm, as evident by the pic taken a couple days later. By my calculations, the ball hit me at 4'3''. The ball then travels about 10'10" off my arm reaching its appex at about 15'1" (calculation based off time of ascension and descension average vs time on screen then off) It is a scary moment. My wrist instantly curls and locks up from a nerve being hit. My fingertips go numb and the rest of my arm feels like it is on fire. Eventually everything goes back to normal, I take my base, and the game continues. We win. But... listen to that video again. You hear the thud of the ball, the umpire yells deadball. The catcher and umpire walk over to see if I am ok. The crowd reacts... but listen to that last voice. That is my lovely bride... (Oh great)... Ah, the love! ;o)

New Beginnings

2009-07-01T19:55:00.005-06:00

I like words. I particularly like the meaning to words. I like big words that few know, even less can spell, and nobody really cares about. Subsequently, I also like language. I enjoy the fact that a common word can have a definite interpretation as well as an indefinite definition. I marvel at the thought that all interpersonal communication is based off a lifetime accumulation of knowledge and history, by both the sender and the receiver. I do not enjoy small talk. I think proper grammer and sentence structure is overrated. I detest spelling. Welcome to the Paradox of James. Some of my posts may be wordy, others be slang. I have been known to wax poetic and in the next breath talk about waxing my bikini line. I don't take myself too serious, so please don't take my posts too serious... (end disclaimer)

The Unpredictable acting Predictable
I have a penchant for being unpredictable. It is as much an acquired lifestyle as it is a conscious decision. Life has dealt me a fair share of punches. I learned a long time ago how to roll with them. Somewhere along the line I developed a bad habit of intentionally blocking them with my face. Perhaps it was my peculiar way of proving my masculinity. Through these turbulent times, I have had a few stabilizing forces. The biggest being (in order of appearance); The Himmers, the church, my father, and now my wife. I will always be Sister Himmer's 'other son'. The one she won't give up on and treats and loves as one of her own. My father is the rock of my family. When things go wrong, no matter how many times he says he won't bail you out, he always does... Nicci... My wife keeps me humble. ;o) Church has always been a stabilizing force in that it has provided direction through its teachings and members. Although stability is not necessarily synonymous with predictability, there is definitely a correlation. Being at Byu-Idaho makes that connection more readily apparent. For example; when you get up to college, if you don't already have a facebook account, you create one. If you don't, you are at a significant dating disadvantage. Another thing that 'just is' in the LDS community, when you get married and are expecting your first child you start a blog... :o)

E.P.T (e.f.o.w.)
As you may have surmised from the title, picture, and previous statements, Becky is pregnant! If this is the first you have heard about this, oops and sorry... Our bad. I came home one day during work to the grand news that I was a father to be. I was floored... happily floored! We had been trying, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise. We should thank EPT for that. For those who may not know what an
EPT is, it is a pregnancy test. It stands for Error Proof Test.
Error proof my foot! What they did not take into account is my beautiful bride Becky. I have written them and asked them to rename it "Error Proof Test Except For Over-anxious Wives" She took it a week early...

IT
Although the baby has yet to reveal its gender, I refer to it as a him. Not only is in more dignifying (who wants to be an it?) but it is also a futile attempt to persuade the powers that be to allow me a boy. I am hoping for a boy for several reasons; I am the oldest in my family growing up, and had two younger sisters. I was the protector. Also, I have a better chance statistically of coaching a little league baseball team with a boy... before I get too old. Also, my father says that boys are more resilient and in the long run cost less that girls... my father said that... We will update you with the gender when we know.

Later...
I guess that wraps up my first blog. Anybody who knows me knows that I am not good at keeping people up to date with my life. I am hoping with Becky's help we will be able to keep it going. It is my hope that this can be a journal of sorts for our young family. I look forward to what the future holds in store for our family and sharing it with our loved ones...