October 2025

November 05, 2025

October 2025

Swim team, surgery, and sales!!! The three major "S's" of our October!

We'll start off with Gwen! She has been swimming a lot and has really enjoyed it. She's working on her technique and has her first meet coming up next month. G also needed an emergency appendectomy and that was quite an experience. She had had pain in her belly before and we took her to an emergency room. Despite her appendix being enlarged several years ago, it was still 'within normal limits' so they sent her home. This time around I advocated for its removal much more. Let's start at the beginning.

On Sunday morning, I walked out of our bedroom and Gwen immediately came and told me that her stomach hurt and she didn't want to go to church. I asked her if anything else was in pain, and she said no. She wasn't walking weird and she said her bathroom breaks had all been normal. We had her stay home while we went to church, and she slept a bit while we were gone.

After church, she had an appetite and ate a normal lunch and with the use of ibuprofen she was pretty content. Throughout the day her pain would come and go, and so would her activities. Sometimes she'd want to play with Wade and Emily, and other times she couldn't.

By the evening, G was feeling pretty decent. She never had a fever, and she fell asleep pretty normal.

In our own conversations, Jake and I discussed what the tummy problems could be. Appendix, maybe? But who knew, and she felt better. We went to bed.

Gwen woke up at midnight with pain. I didn't wake up because she was quiet and Jake got her more medicine.

Here's where the excitement starts.

At 3:00 am, Gwen wakes up howling in pain. Jake and I immediately wake enough. His first words were, "It's definitely her appendix. She needs to go to the hospital." I spring into action. I load my phone, charger, and get dressed. I brush my teeth and get a hair tie and within 2 minutes, I'm walking out of our room ready to go. Emily is coming into our room at the exact moment I'm leaving to report on Gwen's conditions hahaha! Love her. I Tell Gwen we're going to the hospital. I get her all dressed and as soon as we start towards the car, she is crying and yelling in pain. We go straight to Banner Desert because they have the children's unit and surgeons ready.

The car ride was intense. She was so scared. She kept telling me "I'm so sorry, Mom! Am I going to die?" Our poor girl. While unloading her, I noticed she was a little warm. As we walked to the ER, she stopped and said, "I'm going to faint." I stopped and held her the rest of the way until she felt less weak.

The got us into a room quickly. Once we got in, they got her medicine right away and it was a Godsend. We had great providers, from checkin all the way to checkout. It was wonderful amidst a hard situation.

The doctor was concerned about her appendix, but based on Gwen's pain wanted to do a check on her ovaries to make sure they weren't twisted. Our incredible ultrasound tech came in just minutes before getting off for the day, making herself get out late but we are so thankful. She put her own time behind to help Gwen and I'll forever treat patients the way she treated our favorite patient.

Once the morning physicians came in and were debriefed, we were admitted into the children's floor. It was incredible.

It was hard to tell if Gwen's appendix was leaking or not, but because she was stable on meds, they saw emergent cases in front of us. We finally went down for surgery around 2:15pm. Gwen got scared during this time. I had validated her fear, but I was also nervous! This was my first experience with a child needing surgery and my heart was nervous. As soon as we were in pre op, another great time came for Gwen. One nurse saw her crying and brought her a brand new lego set to play with! Then a student doctor and our surgeon came in and talked to us. They really spoke to us so well. Straightforward and simple. Then her anesthesiologist came in and he was so funny. He was challenging her and telling her to try to count to "6/7" before falling asleep. They wheeled her out, and while she was gone, I went to eat in the cafeteria.

Gwen struggled coming out of the meds. She couldn't understand why she felt so uncomfortable because her brain wasn't remembering surgery. When she got back to our room, she fell asleep and Jake came to switch me out.

The next day I went back to the hospital after dropping Emily off at school. Gwen's goals were to eat, drink, and pee if she wanted to go home. She still felt crappy. Her surgeon came in and updated us. The appendix had perforated and was leaking, so she'd need to be on antibiotics for a bit longer.

We were able to go home Tuesday night and celebrated by watching "Dancing with the Stars". She slept on the couch for the week, but still made it to school on Thursday for school picture day. She wanted to go back for the day and we wouldn't let her. After pictures, she leaned on me for help walking back to the car and said, "Yeah, I'm too weak to come back right now...but definitely Monday!"

Her classmates and friends were sweet to her and made her cards. Some even gave her their allowance money! Ha! Gwen told me, "I really feel so loved and special. I didn't realize so many people cared about me!" Sweet girl!!!!

Emily had a simple month! Piano and dance, and some play dates with friends. She loves playing with Annie, and River. She has been wanting to host a Halloween party so we let her! She put all the work in to have a great party. They played games, had snacks and pizza (she volunteered to pay for it even), and then watched Hocus Pocus. She was worried with Gwen's surgery that we'd cancel the party and I'll NEVER forget the look of joy on her face when I told her "the party must go on!!" Emily is such a great play mate. She will play anything with anyone and I love that about her. It's a quality my niece, Kaitlyn, has and I know she learned it from her because they play together all the time.

I started my new Pharma sales job! It's been great! Not only have I loved it, but I see the way they value me too. I'd only been there two weeks when Gwen needed surgery and not only was it NOT a problem at all, but they also sent her a care package. Hygiene isn't like that.

Gwen and Emily had a music marathon at the Superstition Mall. They played so well and it was fun to see them in a public mall. Several people would stop to listen and it was a great time.

We also got family pictures taken, and I'll post a few here!

Jake's been working hard out in Goodyear. He took the girls to the school Daddy Daughter Dance. He is the best. Jake is the most patient and calm guy. He is so steady. We love him so much!!!

Wade is just the best. Everything he says is so cute. Here's a list of things I can remember.

Everyday after I pick him up from school, I drive over a wonky speed bump and it makes us wiggle a lot. He says, everytime without fail, "Carefun, Mom."

"It's almost my birthday"

"It's my favorite (he uses a hand gesture and slices his hand through the air when he says it!!!)"

"Get out, Fred!"

"Where's Emmy? Where's Gen?"

"Read you me" (Mom, you read to me)

"Tickun fight"

"Emmy is bad. Gen is bad" hahahah! My favorite one.

When he tries to say Milo (his little bestie) he says, Mi-yun.

"Gym playground"

"Shauni's house?"