Did Yesterday Really Just Happen??

For those who know and who dont know what happened yesterday, here is a run down of our day!
This is long and some parts may be a little bloody, so be prepared!

We woke up as normal and Jon was getting ready to go into work. He was supposed to leave in like 5 minutes and I thought it was a good time to move our mattress. My bed has been bugging me for awhile and I realized that I needed to flip my box spring. So I thought to myself, "this will be easy, Ill just do it real quick. Well it turned out to be a lot heavier than I thought and so Jon came in to help me. We got it flipped and then he said he would finish putting the mattress back. So I went out into the kitchen to check on Ella who was eating breakfast. This is where our day got really interesting....

All of a sudden a hear a crash and Jon yells "OH! OH!" Then runs out to the kitchen covering his arm which is covered in blood and he is yelling at me to call 911. I rush and get the phone without even knowing what is going on and call them. While moving the mattress he hit the light fixture on the ceiling, which broke, and it fell and hit his arm. He said that blood started squirting out of his arm and he quickly filled up a towel with blood. Meanwhile I am trying to contain Ella who is yelling from her chair and pointing at all the blood. She really doesn't do well with this kind of thing, so I told her to go into her room, but there was blood in the hallway, so she ended up in the living room with a cartoon. He made his way to the bathroom and that is about when the police came walking in. (They made it in like 2 minutes, I was impressed) Then a minute later 5 (Yeah 5) paramedics and firemen come strolling in. They get him checked out and wrap his arm and then tell him that he really needs to go to the hospital because they dont know what kind of damage was done. By this time the bleeding had mostly stopped, but Jon said he would go. They all stayed in our house while we got all the kids ready and made arrangements and then helped us into our car. Jon was starting to calm down a bit and that was about when his arm started to hurt.

We made our way to the ER and his arm was hurting pretty bad. We explain everything about fifteen times to all the nurses and doctors and then they finally start trying to figure out what was wrong. Let me tell you about this "Cut" that he got on his arm....Its not so much a cut as it is a hole. Its like he got poked in the arm and its about the width of a pencil...thats it.. We arent sure how deep it went, but it definetally was not that big. So we get there and everyone notices that his arm is about twice the size that it is supposed to be. Strange, they all think....Thats when the words "Compartment Syndrome" start getting thrown around. Its when all the blood starts pooling in his arm and puts pressure on the musscles and other things and could cause serious damage if it is not treated. Well, in order for you to need surgery the pressure monitor thing has to be at about 30. Jon's was only at about a 5 and they said this kind of thing usually only happen to people who have crushed their arm or leg or whatever. So its not very likely.

She decides that he just needs to keep it elevated and iced and eventually the blood will dispurse on its own. So they give him a band aid and a sling because he cant really move his arm or his hand without immense pain (because of the swelling they said) and they send us on our way. We make it out to our car and Jon sits down when his wound all of a sudden explodes and there is blood EVERYWHERE. We both run back inside and he is just bleeding all over the place, so they all think that is kind of strange, but just wrap his arm with a bit more than a band aid, and send us on our way again!
By this time it is about 2 and we are exhausted. Jon is at home trying desperately to get comfortable. They gave his a percocet for the pain, but that only made him nausaous. So he is miserable and the pain is only getting worse, he cant handle having it wrapped because it was just too tight. His brother Ryan came over to see how he was and he came out, sat on the couch, and all of a sudden starts yelling in pain....Something happened and his arm just started swelling horribly like right away. We were scared it was going to burst again, so we wrapped it back up and loaded up the car. Thankfully, Karianne had just happened to show up right after that and she offered to take the kids. (She was obviously inspired to come check on us!) We got back to hospital around 5 and his arm was huge and he was in horrible pain. His whole hand was numb and he couldnt even straighten his fingers.

They brought in a vascular specialist to check it out and he starts talking about the compartment syndrome again. His arm was SO hard, it was like a rock. So he gets the pressure thing again and measures his arm in a slightly different spot/compartment (She checked the wrong one earlier that morning) and his pressure was at a 50. So he basically said, you need surgery and I need to do it now. We'll take you back in 20 minutes! So we start making phone call after phone call to let everyone know and then realize that we could really use a blessing right about now. So Im making more calls and I get ahold of Janel who says she is coming with her husband and Steve leavitt who is in our ward.
They were not able to make it in time before they took him back, but they sat with me anyways and saved me from freaking out too much. I was really glad to not be by myself right then. Jon's mom also came and waited for a little while. They said it would take about an hour but it ended up taking about an hour and a half or more. When he finally was done it was just me and Karianne. the surgeon came out and told us what happened. That little tiny hole in his arm managed to cute through an artery, a tendon, and a nerve which explained his bleeding and inability to move and his numb hand (mostly his thumb). He stitched up the artery, the tendon and the nerve and also said that the mucsles were ok, but that they had to leave the wound open for a few days to let the swelling go down. So he will be in the hospital until at least Friday. If he cant close it on Friday then he will have to go in and put in a skin graft.
I just couldnt believe that much damage was caused by one little cut.
Im sorry this is so long I just wanted to let everyone know what is going on. I also am SO incredibly grateful for ALL the support and love and prayers that we have gotten from friends, family, and everyone! It is seriously So amazing and we love you all!
Thank you Thank you!

Picture of the week

Gosh, he's precious! I found him sleeping in his swing like this and his hands just looked so cute, then I was lucky enough to catch him smile in his sleep. He really is a sweet sweet boy! He is trying to get better control of his hands and loves to grab toys. Its so fun to watch him grow.
Thats about the only exciting thing I have to share. We just hang around home most days, which can result in some pretty uneventful days. On a happy note, I found a preschool for Makella to go to! Its in Provo and is 2 days a week. She is so excited! They take 2-4 year olds, so its perfect. If nothing else, she will have friends to play with and get a break from playing with just me all day. We both get a little crazy :) I probably shouldnt have told her about it yet because now she asks everyday if she can go to preschool. She already knows all her letters, most of the sounds, and is just starting to learn how to write her name. (We have only mastered the M so far), but I think she is ready and will be able to learn so much more! Im excited!
AS for me, I have just begun my journey to lose those 20 lbs that have been plaguing me for so long! Im tired of my clothes not fitting right, so here I go! Ive done a pretty good job so far, but Im horrible at snacking! I will try and buy healthier snacks that you should eat in small portions and I end up eating A TON. Like Trail mix...It seems healthy enought to just eat a little bit for a snack, and then I end up eating like twice as much as a should. So I still have stuff to work on, but hopefully I can reach my goal! I'm giving myself a fair amount of time, so hopefully I can reach my goal by the time summer rolls around! Wish me luck! Well, thats enough of my rambling for one day, I hope you all have a great week!

Christmas activities

Im finally getting around to posting about our fabulous christmas! We had a really great time. We got to stay home this year because my parents and my sister and brother in law came down to see us and Ben and Lacy. They all stayed for about a week and we had so much fun doing puzzles, watching movies, playing games and shopping. We went up to temple square one night which turned out to be pretty hectic and crazy, but the lights were really pretty. On Christmas Eve we went down to Alpine to see the Navitity at Jon's parents ward and then we went to see some christmas lights. One of the houses we saw was so amazing and even had santa outside handing out candy canes. We had 2 cars and me and Jon were in the first car without Makella, so we told Santa her name and what she wanted for christmas. So when they drove up with Makella, she was SO excited that she got to see Santa and that he knew who she was. It was so perfect for Christmas Eve. Then we went to my house and made some struesalschnekin (?) It is this German pastry that Ben learned to make on his mission and has kinda become a family tradition. You can pretty much put whatever you want on them, so it is fun for everyone to make their own. Plus, they are soo good! My favorite one this year was the Cherry with Chocolate chips and coconut...mmm so good and is fun to say!
We also had Christmas morning at my house and Makella was really excited to see all the presents. We all got really spoiled this year and I got some great stuff! Im so grateful for my family and friends and how generous everyone was. It was really a wonderful christmas and I was sad to see everyone go.
Also while everyone was here, we decided to have Noah's blessing. We just did it in our apartment a couple days before christmas. It was so neat to have everyone there. Jon's parents, brother and grandma all came, plus one of his good friends from college, cameron. It was a great night and Jon gave him a wonderful and beautiful blessing. Im excited to see Noah grow up to be a wonderful man and to see all the things he will accomplish. He is a wonderful little boy! There was just too many pictures to try and post on here, so I made a slideshow with some of the pictures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Very Merry Christmas!

We are having such a fabulous time this month! Christmas time is the best time of year and Makella is at such a fun age to enjoy it. I decided that for my advent calendar (I dont have one), I would make this:



















Its not fully put together in this picture, but you get the idea. There was a candy cane for each day and a different Christmas activity for the day until Christmas. It took some preparation, but it has been so much fun for both of us and really helped get me in the Christmas spirit.
As a child, my family always got a real tree for Christmas. It was always a huge deal to go pick out our tree and decorate it. We also would switch off who would get to put the star on the tree. Last year we werent able to get a real tree and so I was Really looking forward to it this year. Well, we made it to the tree lot and realized that they were just too expensive and decided we should probably use the money for gifts for Ella and what not. So we borrowed a tree from Jon's mom. It turned out beautiful and Im grateful to have it, but it loses some of the fun of it when you have to pull the tree out of the box and shape it yourself! But, oh well! Maybe next year! Here is our pretty tree!:























Another thing I always loved growing up was the christmas village we had. My brothers got ceramic houses and painted them. I always thought they were so cool! So we I got married that was one of the first things I got at christmas. Its not a very big set right now, but I hope to expand it as our home/living space expands. So here is my wonderful village!:


















I love to have Christmas decorations up. It just makes everything feel so much more cozy for some reason. The only thing I dont have yet is a nativity. Someday Ill get a nice one!
Here are some pictures of just a few of the things me and Makella have done this month!























We made popcorn snowmen, bead ornaments for the tree, decorated cookies, saw santa, painted our hair clips, picked out a christmas story,played in the snow and delivered treats to some of her friends. Those are just a few of the fun things we have been doing! Its a fun tradition that I hope to keep up in the years to come!

In other news, Noah has reached 2 1/2 months! We had his 2 month appointment and he is a big boy! He weighed in at 13 lbs 8 oz and 24.5 inches long. Quite the big boy! He smiles all the time and will coo back to you when you talk to him. He eats pretty much all the time and hasnt really fully grasped how great it is to sleep yet. But we are working on it! He loves to sit up and look at things and loves to stand up and bounce even more. He has chubby cheeks, chubby thighs a big belly and we love him!










I hope everyone is having as good of a Christmas season as we are! Merry Christmas!

Here is just a little video of Noah. Its nothing special, but he is cute so I thought I would post it :)

One month old!

Little Noah has made it to one month old! Yay! He is such a wonderful boy and I just love everything about him! His is quite the little chunk and at a little over weeks was weighing in at over 10 pounds! He continues to grow and is so cute! We are definitely still working on the sleeping thing at night, but I blame a lot of that on our crazy month that we had. He is not a very sound sleeper and fills our nights with his "manly grunts". He is super cuddly and really does not cry that much! He is much more awake and aware these days. He is pretty strong and is quite good at holding his head up, so when we try and put him down for tummy time, he just settles in and goes to sleep. I guess he feels like thats something he doesnt need to work on. His favorite place to sleep is on my stomach and he loves to listen to his dad sing to him. He is my little man and I wouldnt change a single thing. Even when Im exhausted and in pain, he can still make me smile! Here are some pictures of my little boy!

October

Here is an update on how are month has gone! Complete and loaded with lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure! I could probably separate these into like 3 different posts, but Im not going to. So here we go. Of course the month started out wonderfully, with this little guy entering our lives! He's wonderful!















I had my mom and sister in town for awhile and it was so awesome to have them here. My sister was a huge help and is always really fun to have around! My mom was also a lifesaver throughout the first couple of weeks. I couldn't have done it without them and I kinda wish they were still here! :)
After they left we were able to go to Angie's wedding up in Boise which was beautiful and perfect! Angie did such a good job and looked amazing! We are so happy for them. Right before I went up there I got an abcess in my tooth and so for her wedding I was in tons of pain and my face swelled up pretty bad and I was not very fun to look at! I had some antibiotics to try and kill it all which helped a lot for about a week and then this happened again!:




















It wasnt quite as bad as the first time but was just as painful and ugly. (I've never had such horrible pain before!) So I finally was able to figure it all out. The abcess was in a tooth that I had already gotten a root canal on about a year ago. I found out that when they did the root canal, they left some roots at the bottom and didnt clean it all the out. So that is where the infection came from. So when we talked to the dentist, they said they would fix it for me for free! It was such a blessing because it would have cost 1000 dollars to get it fixed! Oh, and in between all that we got hit with the flu, yes, we are pretty sure it was the swine flu and Jon and Makella both struggled through it. But they survived and my and Noah were somehow able to make it through that without much more than a cough. Woo hoo!
So finally with all the our tooth pain and sickness gone, we tried to enjoy the last 2 days of October. Here is what we did!:













































We had a pretty good Halloween this year. We just had a Halloween party at my brother Ben's house, which was super fun! We weren't planning on dressing up because we hadn't really had time to even give it a thought. So the last 10 minutes before we left, we scrambled to make up a couple of costumes. Jon was the traditional ghost but pulled it off so well :) And all I had was a trash bag, so I transformed myself into a raisin...Yeah, we are creative :) Makella definetaly outdressed us all though. She was an Indian Princess this year and was so cute! I found a cute indian costume and made some moccasins that turned out so cute! She had the braids and all. It was great! Noah pretty much slept through it all but we still managed to get him dressed like a monkey. They were both cute and Makella had a great time trick or treating and also had a great time at the halloween party! Here are some pictures of our night.















The ghost and the indian making their way through the neighborhood!














A quick family picture! (no fat face! Woo hoo!)















At Ben and lacy's party, showing off her beatiful hair and headband!















We played a game and had to wrap them up as mummies as fast as possible. Jon was our mummy. Unfortunetaly the other team one. Great mummies!















And of course our little monkey sleeping through it all :)

Thats our month in a nutshell, Ive left out a lot of the really painful details because it has all just become many many tiring and painful memories all rolled together. Let's just say we are both incredibly happy to be done with October and are hoping for a Wonderful thanksgiving and Christmas season!

Noah Kenyon Graff!

Our day started bright and early at 5 in the morning when the hospital called me and told me to be there by 6:10. So I had some time to get ready and then we were off to have a baby :) I still wasnt having any pains or contractions or anything, so it was nice. We had such a nice room with an amazing view of all the mountains and Utah lake and everything. It was great!
They started me on the pitocin at about 8:30-9. But not before my "wonderful" nurse tried twice (unsuccessfully) to get an IV in me. She literally Dug around in my wrist first and it somehow "popped" out and there was blood everywhere and then she tried again on the back of my hand and again Dug around for the longest time. I just about lost it. I was as white as a ghost and thought I was gonna pass out. I guess we know where Makella gets it from! After that fiasco she got another nurse to come in who was able to get it on the first try with little pain. Finally! So anyways, Off we go!
After I was all hooked up, it said I was already having contractions, but I couldnt feel anything. I didnt start to feel much until they broke my water about an hour later. I got my epidural at around 12:30 and then at around 3 I was ready to push!




















Noah Kenyon graff was born at 3:24 and we love him so much! He is a perfect little bundle!















Makella loves her little brother so much and the first time she saw him was such a wonderful moment. She loved him and gave him kisses. She was ready to be the mom and has been kinda bossy about it! We feel so blessed that everything went so well and that we now have this wonderful little addition to our family! Thank you for all the support and love we get from our friends and family. Finally, here are some pictures of our little Noah!














































Just for a little amusement. This is what Jon was doing when they broke my water. The doctor came and Wendy tried hard to wake him up, when she told him the doctor was here, he just said, "Tell him Hi". Which he doesnt remember saying at all. Ive never known anyone who can sleep like that on a recliner! We all had a pretty good laugh. :)