~*~My Guys~*~

Below are my two favorite guys.....~~Josiah........................Steve~~

Visiting Santa

As you can see, Josiah is pouting because I sat him on Santa's lap to begin with and he got mad. To keep Josiah from crying, Mariah had to hold him behind the Jolly old guy. Josiah did enjoy the candy cane Santa gave him after the photo was snapped. Now that Mariah is 17, this might be my last year of all four kids getting their picture made with Santa...it seems just a short time ago Mariah was meeting Santa for the first time. Time passes too quickly!

Josiah

Josiah, enjoying his Cra.ftsman workbench from Grandma & Grandpa Roberts! He's learning to solve problems on his own...by climbing up on his bench to reach the areas he couldn't when he was standing!

My girls...

...visiting Great Grandma on Christmas Eve. We were blessed to be able to spend time with Steve's parents, my parents and Steve's grandma on Christmas Eve. Steve's mom prepared a delicious meal for all of us at Grandma Walker's house. After spending several precious hours with Steve's side of the family, we ventured back out in the snow and spent several hours with my mom, siblings and their families.
Being blessed to spend time with both sides of our families is something we treasure. The snow continued to fall quite heavily on Christmas Eve and while driving was tricky, it was so beautiful outside!

Merry Christmas from The Roberts Family

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! May you have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

With Love,

The Roberts Family

Steve, Tracey, Mariah, McKenna, Miranda & Josiah

The beginning of the snow storm....

Some of our Christmas lights are below this slight snowfall...before the BIG snow hit (@ 3 feet of snow!)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

And this is what I woke to before dawn (close to 3:30am)! This beautiful, fluffy, white stuff is STILL falling from the sky as I type this! I LOVE the snow!

Whatcha mean, mom?

.....I'm supposed to stay clean during our Christmas tree expedition?

....nice theory, if only it lasted!!!

You get what you pay for!

I was at the “Dollar Tree” store yesterday afternoon with my mom, Josiah, a niece and a nephew. I decided to get the girls some cute Christmas socks to wear before the holiday is over. I found a cute pair of red socks with rhinestone lettering. As I browsed through all the pairs of socks to find a pair for each of the girls, I found a rather unique pair of socks.....rather than thetraditional wording of

“HO, HO, HO”
they said “OH, OH, OH”

-- all the other pairs of this particular style said "HO, HO, HO"!!!! The pair I had in my hands happened to be the only ones exclaiming "OH, OH, OH"! My warped sense of humor found it so funny I HAD to buy them! ~ I gave the mis-printed pair to Mariah since she loves goofy socks so much so that she will unmatch a pair of socks to intentionally wear two different socks.

Lesson learned: I guess you get what you pay for, right?

Arm-wrestling...over a book!

McKenna didn't put away a book she borrowed from Mariah so Steve suggested they "arm-wrestle" for it....the results were exactly what you are looking at! Mariah could "hold" McKenna but not "take her down" so we declared McKenna of that match since Mariah is 4yrs older and unable to complete the arm-wrestling task of taking her younger sister....

~2008 School Photos~

Below are our daughters' 2008/2009 school photos ~ Autumn 2008

Mariah - 17yrs old (less than 2wks after her surgery)

McKenna - age 13yrs old
Miranda - age 9yrs old

Safety first, right?!?!?

My parents gifted Josiah this battery-operated riding toy for his birthday days before my dad passed away. In May 2008, my oldest brother gave Mr. Josiah the handy-dandy safety helmet you see him wearing. The goofy boy wears his helmet every day...whether it's on straight or not!! Gotta love that little guy....

Our Family on Thanksgiving

The photo below was taken shortly before we left our home to enjoy a very yummy Thanksgiving dinner at Steve's parent's home....

We are so very blessed by our family. From left to right: Steve, Josiah (2), Tracey, McKenna (13), Mariah (17) and Miranda (9) ~~ Yes, the kids are all destined to be taller than Mom!!!

Thanksgiving

We were so blessed to have a very nice Thanksgiving holiday with our families. We enjoyed an incredibly delicious dinner at Steve's parents' house in the early afternoon with his parents, grandmother, brother and his brother's friend. Steve's sister and her family weren't able to join us this year, but we will see them in December for Christmas. In the early evening, we then to my Aunt Stella's home for more great food and visiting with my family.

While we have so very much to be thankful for this year, there is definitely a huge, wonderful presence missing from our celebrations. My Dad. Simply put: I miss him. I miss his smile, I miss his hugs, I miss his laugh, I miss his love, I miss his support, I miss his kindness, I miss his strength, I miss hearing his voice, I miss watching him be a grandpa to my children....I miss him. Countless things remind me of Dad all throughout the day and while the sadness of missing him is very strong, I am thankful he was such an important part of my life that he is so easily remembered.

Pumpkin Festival @ Rock Creek

Each year, we all go to a very fun, local pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, with my dad's passing, we didn't have a chance to go to that one this year. Instead, my mom, sister and I took the kiddos to a pumpkin festival at Rock Creek in Stevenson. It was different than the tradition we've become accustomed to since @ 1992, but we all had a fun time!
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In the photo below, in front of the tractor are all four of Lisa's kiddos, Tyler's son, my four kiddos and Mariah's boyfriend, Bobby. From left to right: Miranda (my youngest daughter), Dade (son of my youngest brother, Tyler), Josiah (my son), McKenna (my second born), Sydney (one of Lisa's twins), Sophia (Lisa's youngest daughter), Mariah (my oldest daughter), Savannah (one of Lisa's twins), Antonio (son of my sister, Lisa) and Bobby (Mariah's friend).

Below, from left to right: McKenna (13yrs old), Josiah (2yrs old), Mariah (17yrs old) & Miranda (9yrs old) ~ my sweet blessings!
~Mariah & Bobby~McKenna, peeking out from the hay bales!

My sweet McKenna is growing up into such a young lady!

And below is Miss Miranda (disguised as a kitty) peeking out from the hay bale tunnel.

I just love the look of wonder and amazement on Josiah's face!

(These were taken on October 29th, the day before his first haircut).

"Hey!! C'mon, Momma, why are you making me sit in this wheelbarrow?!?!?!"
A future cowboy, perhaps?

I know I've said it many times before, BUT, I am such an incredibly blessed momma. I am SO very thankful for each one of my children.

~ Josiah's First Haircut ~

My sister, Lisa, gave our girls their first haircuts when they each were around 2yrs old. Josiah turned 2yrs old on October 16th and had finally had enough hair to need a haircut. His big sisters decided his "baby mullet" needed to go! I kept teasing the girls that we were keeping the "mullet" style so I could surprise them when I finally had it cut.

Josiah was a bit apprehensive about the whole process so we distracted him with Red Vine candy while he received his first hair cut by Aunt Lisa at Grandma B's house.

Patiently (?!?!?) waiting....
And the final results...
(The flash on my camera was too bright, though)


It's amazing how the first hair cut can make the little ones go from having that "baby look" to looking like a little boy, instantly!

~Today's Twitter~

Tracey's Tweets for Today

• 02:16 Had a great afternoon Wednesday @ the Pumpkin Fest @ Rock Creek with everyone! Again, another sleepless night tonight. ~*~Tracey~*~ #
• 02:28 Looking forward to carving pumpkins with my kiddos Thursday evening! I'm so blessed by ALL of my family. ~*~Tracey~*~ #
• 02:35 Hmm....this Twitter blog update feature via text is quite handy! I may need to add unlimited texts to my cell phone plan. ~*~Tracey~*~ #

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~Today's Twitter~

Tracey's Tweets for Today

• 23:11 Trying to figure this twitter thing out.... #
• 09:36 Just checking out Twitter postings to my blog...I'm a newbie! ~*~Tracey~*~ #
• 09:39 Will be visiting Mom today, then on to a pumpkin festival! ~*~Tracey~*~ #

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In Memory of my Dad

Dad, doing what he loved: fishing!

>Josiah< >Papa<

>Dad< >Tracey<

In Honor of My Father

My Dad and I

My heart breaks as I post this tribute, written together by my siblings, mother and I for his funeral, in honor of my Amazing, Wonderful Father:

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~~In Loving Memory of Joseph Richard Balsiger~~

Husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, HERO - all titles we’ve used to describe one amazing man. Joseph Richard Balsiger left this Earth to be with Jesus on Sunday, October 19th. 2008.

Joe was born to Henry Lee and Pauline (Hearn) Balsiger in Hood River, Oregon on November 8th, 1943. The youngest of Henry and Pauline’s children, Joe was welcomed into his family by siblings Ray, Phillis and Henry. Being raised in White Salmon, Joe graduated from Columbia High School in 1963. He joined the United States Navy, serving from 1965 to 1967, on the USS Kitty Hawk with his brother, Henry, during the Vietnam War. After leaving the military, he worked at SDS Lumber Company and then on to the City of White Salmon, where he retired from the Public Works Department after 30 years of service.

Joe was a dedicated, loving husband to Mariland and an incredible father to Randy and his wife, Gladys; Tracey and her husband, Steve; Lisa and her husband, Jorge; and Tyler and his wife, Kristy.

Joe lived his life an honest, hardworking, patient man who made certain his family was always provided for, no matter what. There was never a limit to the amount of love and compassion he bestowed on his family and friends.

Joe and Mariland were blessed with the “Perfect Dozen”. Twelve grandchildren! Six boys and six girls: Michyle, Mariah, Giles, Ian, McKenna, Miranda, Savannah, Sydney, Dade, Sophia, Antonio and Josiah. Papa was so very loved by his grandchildren. Joe’s trademark sense of humor included him always trying to be the first to say the phrase, “Glad you got to see me” before his children and grandchildren could when they were saying goodbye. It became a game to be the first to say it!

Joe was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing, camping, picking mushrooms and berries and doing anything in the outdoors with his family. Deer and elk hunting was a favorite pastime of his. Over the years, Joe and his sons had adopted the tradition of the boys taking care of the animals he had taken...due to the fact that after he shot the animal he would get so excited he couldn’t stop talking, he would relive the whole hunt in every detail and he would be shaking so badly that he couldn’t even light a cigarette. They would just ask him for his knife and dress the animal out for him, they were honestly afraid he might cut a finger or two off.

Joe was very proud to have got a three point buck the Tuesday before his surgery!

Joe and Mariland enjoyed spending as much time as possible at their place on the coast in Grayland, where everyone was always invited. At the coast, Joe enjoyed fishing, crabbing off the docks, and searching for moonstones in the sand. But most of all spending time with his family and friends. Joe & Mariland shocked many of their family when they showed their rebellious side by coming home with new tattoos they got at the coast one year.

Although he may have rolled his eyes when Mom suggested shopping, you would never see Mom at a yard sale or Walmart without Dad there with her.

We know if Dad were here right now he would be passing out his cure-all hugs to each one of us. If you were ever fortunate enough to receive one of his famous hugs, you know why it is one of the many things we are missing so much right now about him.

Joe was a positive influence on so many people’s lives, he was always there for us and he will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Game Time!

Soccer season is in full-swing! McKenna is in the red uniform and LOVES playing, although she can't wait for basketball season to begin!

Mariah's incision today ~

Mariah is healing so incredibly well! Her incision continues to look better each day. She has asked me to take daily photos and post them here so she can see the healing progress AND because she can't see it very well due to where it is located (the photo below is posted at her request and with her permission). She is so pleased with her choice of having the I*C*D placed under the muscle because of how well the cosmetic results are. Under the muscle makes for a more uncomfortable recovery but has less visibility and more protection (particularly while playing sports).

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Mariah won't be able to play sports such as basketball or soccer that could result in impact in the area of her device. Her E*P* said she can continue playing softball (something she's played since first grade). However, after we witnessed a first baseman being hit in the upper chest area with a softball last season, we are most likely going to find a chest protector for her prior to this upcoming season.

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The photo below, taken this evening, shows her incision ~ so if you are bothered by those types of images you might want to simply skip on to the next post =)

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Sorry for the crazy spacing with the paragraphs, etc...blogger seems to be messing with me tonight!!

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My family

Miranda and JosiahDaddy (Steve) and Josiah
Josiah, Mariah and Mariah's "Love" Bear
McKenna enjoying reading...she loves to read but it comes in second to her enjoyment of playing sports...soccer, basketball and softball!

Update on possible blog changes

For the time being, I've decided to make no major changes to the accessibility of our blog. Mariah has requested I leave it as is and not allow one person's concerns change the way we've managed this site since we created it nearly three years ago (although we do completely appreciate this person's well-intentioned concern). If ever Mariah (or any of our other children) wants information or photos relating to her/them removed, I won't hesitate to delete that information immediately.

I am working to make this site less visible/searchable on Google searches and possibly Google Alerts.

I have, at least temporarily, selected "NO" to this option provided by blogger:

A Listed blog may be linked to from Blogger.com, such as the Blogger home page, Blogger Play, and Next Blog. If you select "No" your blog will not appear in these places, but it will still be available on the Internet. This blog will still be displayed on your profile unless you hide it.

And "NO" to this option:

If you select "Yes" we will include your blog in Google Blog Search and ping Weblogs.com. If you select "No", everyone can still view your blog but search engines will be instructed not to crawl it.

SO, if you happen to see words that look broken up like this: lo.ng Q*T syn*drome or ele.ct.roph.ysiol.ogi.st or something similar it is to prevent these terms from triggering Google Alerts for those terms. I still haven't decided if that is completely necessary as we would like to provide factual information regarding ICDs, long QT syndrome, etc, as well as our experiences... Although, in reality, if someone has their Google Alerts set to inform him or her of blogs posting these terms it would seem he or she would be seeking this information. That said, visiting this blog or any other website is completely optional and if there is information that offends someone he or she simply doesn't have to visit those sites or can exit out of the site immediately.

Lately the majority of my posts have been about Mariah and her condition and surgery as that has been a major focus in our lives recently; however, the original intent of our blog is to provide information about our family to family and friends. We also want to chronicle our lives with this journal.

We do thank each one of you for visiting our little corner of the world!

Isn't he goofy?

Josiah, being goofy by putting a clip on his nose! He cracks us up so often!! Silly, silly boy!

Building up her strength!

Mariah is working on building up her strength! This morning she and I ventured to Wal.Mart for just a couple items and a treat for her. She then decided a mocha sounded yummy so we headed to St.ar.bu.cks for her favorite coffee drink.

She's also been taking walks outside during the day while it isn't too cold. Yesterday we had a heavy frost and some ice on our back deck! I guess it is that time of year, isn't it?

~Our Sleeping Prince~

I love his LONG eyelashes!!!

Mariah and her "friend" =)

Possible temporary blog changes

If, in the near future, my blog states you must be an "invited reader" or something similar to that, it is because I've changed it due to certain issues...at least temporarily. If this happens, simply email me at stroberts@gorge.net and I will give you (our family and friends) the information to access the blog. I'm not convinced this measure is necessary but am considering it for various reasons. For anyone who is concerned about information I've posted on here regarding Mariah, her procedure, her condition, etc, please know that nothing concerning her has been posted (including photos) without her specific permission.

10/11/08 photos

The lap quilt and teddy bear given to Mariah by the Ronald McDonald House.

A copy of the xray showing the leads. The ICD is not shown in this image:

A photo taken today of Mariah's beautifully healing incision!!!

ICD info

The Medtronic representative, Helios, gave us a lot of information regarding the restrictions that go along with having an ICD. This will be a lengthy post!

Some interesting and important information:
~Mariah's device is an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) as well as a pacemaker. If her heart rate decreases to 40bpm or lower it will pace her heart back up. If it reaches 220bpm it will attempt to lower her heart rate once. If that attempt is unsuccessful, it will deliver a shock. If her heart rate reaches 250bpm it will automatically deliver a shock without attempting to pace her heart rate lower.

~Mariah cannot EVER have an MRI. The magnetic component of the MRI will destroy her ICD and will cause the leads that go into her heart to act similar to a microwave and start "cooking her heart muscle". Obviously NOT a good thing!! We will be getting a medical alert bracelet ASAP.

~I think I covered this in a previous post but I'll list them again: she shouldn't use a chainsaw; if she uses a shotgun, she needs to brace it against her right shoulder; she shouldn't be tased or have a stun gun used on her; if she becomes a mechanic, she shouldn't work on a vehicle's alternator; she's fine to go through the magnetic inventory control areas of retail stores but shouldn't lean on the alarm systems (not like she ever considered doing that in the first place, but it's nice to know about); she shouldn't place magnets over her device...and I'm sure there is more I can't remember right now.

~She can use a cell phone, but can only be placed at her right ear. If she uses a hands-free cell phone ear piece it must not be a "blue-tooth" device. She can use blue tooth devices as long as they are used away from her device, such as in her lap.

~Mariah is NOT to wear the magnetic healing bracelets, magnetic healing pads and cannot use a magnetic bed mattress.

~If Mariah receives an instance of one shock only, we are to call her EP's office during normal business hours. If her ICD delivers multiple shocks she is to go straight to the ER. At the ER they will determine if the shocks are/were appropriate. If she has a "normal sinus rhythm" there is therapy the ER can deliver to bring Mariah out of the "shocking storm".

~When Mariah goes through airport security, she will set off the alarms. She has been given a temporary ID card explaining what device, model number, manufacturer, etc, until she receives her permanent card in the mail.

~The Medtronic representative has offered to provide loaner educational materials and demo models of ICDs, a heart model, etc, if Mariah ever decides to do a research project for school. Since she has completed her biology courses we've discussed talking with her teachers about extra credits (or something similar) for her to provide a presentation of arrythmias, Long QT Syndrome and ICDs.

~Mariah's device has been equipped & programmed with the "HBO option" according to Helios, the Medtronic representative. Mariah was sleeping during the time he was checking her device so he told me to give her the following information:

She has the "HBO Option" in her device. This means if she goes outside at exactly 5:00pm on any given day (not 4:55pm, not 6:30pm, but precisely 5pm) and stands in the middle of our yard (rain, snow, sleet or shine), holds both arms straight above her head (after her healing is completed) and turns counter-clockwise FIVE times, she might be able to pick up the HBO channel!!! She found this quite funny! Now, let's see if she tries it out....hee, hee!

I'm sure I've left out some of the information about her ICD, but this is a general over-view of what we were told.

Monitoring an ICD

In addition to more frequent visits at her EP's office, Mariah will have regularly scheduled ICD checks via this CareLink box. Also, any time she isn't sure if something has occurred with her device, she can use this machine to transmit over a telephone land line the data from her device to the Medtronic company. She should receive this equipment within the next four weeks.

10/06/08 photos

Mariah was discharged from the hospital Thursday AM. Besides being in pain and weak (to be expected) she is doing well. She continues to amaze us with her strength! Below are some photos of her incision. All photos of Mariah and her incision are posted only with her approval and permission.


The outer layer of her incision is closed with DermaBond http://www.dermabond.com/
(an adhesive which seems similar to superglue). Because of the adhesive/sealing properties of this substance, she doesn't need dressing over her incision. She did have a nice, snug pressure dressing for about 24hrs due to the swelling that started in the recovery room. The DermaBond will gradually peel away from her skin and we will simply need to trim the portions of the adhesive peeling away with scissors. She does have sutures below the surface of her skin which are absorbable.

This photo shows Mariah giving us the "thumbs up" sign in the recovery room shortly before the swelling started.

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The picture below shows her incision before the swelling started and the pressure dressing was applied:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

This will be a lengthy post!!

The representative, Helios, from Medtronix (the company who manufacturers the ICD) came in to check and verify the settings of her device around 9am this morning. It's too late for me to think clearly so I will try to post more information sometime in the next few days when I can access the notes I took while he was talking and can formulate my thoughts better!

11:30pm ~ with all the meds the RN's administered, Mariah is now sleeping well and hasn't woke up having difficulty catching her breath like had been the case all throughout the day today. I hope and pray she sleeps either until the nurse needs to take her vital signs or she needs her bloodwork at 5am Wednesday morning. Bless her heart.

9:30pm ~ Mariah has had difficulty catching her breath and feeling like she can't get enough oxygen despite her O2 saturation being in the upper 90%. This has been happening all evening. Now, she is feeling pressure around her chest and says she feels like there is something very heavy sitting on her chest. Her lungs sound clear but she cannot get relief from the pressure, chest pain and shortness of breath. Her terrific RN started oxygen through a nasal cannula so Mariah might not feel so poorly with her breathing. The O2 did not help and the cardiologist on-call for the office was called. He (Dr. Kaiser) ordered increased litres of oxygen, Ativan to help calm her breathing and a much larger dose of morphine than she had been getting. Shortly after the increase in O2, Mariah's oxygen decreased to the lower 70%s which is entirely too low and her heart rate slowed to 43bpm. The RN's (she had two at her bedside by this time) quickly had her start using her incentive spirometer again to help expand her lungs more effectively. Thankfully, her oxygen saturation started to increase.

6:00pm ~ She's on the move, again. Ugh! Mariah was being "evicted" from the hospital room she was moved to last night. The room was needed for two 6yr old boys and the nurses were moving her back to the room she was in originally....the room with the enthusiastic Yahtzee players. Mariah expressed her concern to her nurses (through tear filled eyes) of being back in the room with all the insensitivity and loudness of her former roommate. Her nurse said she would remind Mariah's roommate of the necessity of being sensitive and quiet and if things got out of hand we could either ask the neighbors to stop or simply talk to her nurse. Once we arrived in the room, she was blessed, temporarily, with her teen roommate and the mom being very respectful. God is good.

5:30pm ~ Mariah is being her typical nurturing self and INSISTED I go downstairs to get a bit of food to bring back to her room for me to eat. Goofy girl keeps asking me, "Mom, when was the last time you ate? You HAVE to make sure you are eating!!!" This was the first time she had been left alone since her surgery and wouldn't you know, it is the time her cardiologist EP comes in to examine her. Yesterday, right after her surgery, he said he thought she would head home either Tuesday afternoon/evening or first thing Wednesday morning. Due to several issues, he said he does NOT want her discharged tomorrow and will re-evaluate her on Thursday.

4:30pm ~ Another walk! This time, she was adventurous and made a big loop outside the pediatric area. She placed her right arm around my shoulder for support and to steady her and Bobby was on her left side in the event of her needing additional support or becoming too dizzy and requiring quick assistance to sit on the floor to avoid falling. She did very well and only needed her arm around my shoulder to brace herself and for support.

1:00pm ~ Mariah was blessed with some nice, sound sleep for a couple of hours this afternoon. (I took advantage of that opportunity and slept a bit, also).

9:30am ~ per Mariah's EP's orders, we went for a walk partially through the pediatric unit. She did very well and was thankful for the pain medication she received when she returned to her room. Of course, she was weak and dizzy (not eating since 11:30pm Sunday night will do that to a person in addition to the meds she's taking). I am SO proud of how strong and brave she is!!

8:00am ~ Mariah's cardiologist evaluated the incision and entire area and was quite pleased with how it appeared! Her chest xrays were, in his words, "perfect".

8:00am ~ The pressure dressing was removed and showed to be very effective at reducing some of the swelling in the area. Her incision is much more flat and the entire area doesn't seem nearly as swollen as before.


7:45am ~ the EKG Mariah just had went well other than the pain involved in removing her arm from the immobilizer to place the stickers for the leads. She's doing well.


7:15am ~ She's back in her hospital room (and is still the only patient occupying this room, thankfully). Her nurse gave her pain meds right after she arrived back into her bed since she was in so much pain from the transport and slight movement of her left arm after the immobilizer was removed for the xray.


6:30am ~ Mariah had several chest xrays to check the placement of her ICD and leads. Her shoulder immobilizer needed to be removed for this. Getting into the different positions required for the xray was very painful for Mariah, despite having IV morphine administered prior to the transport to radiology. BUT, she handled it like a champ!!

10:30am ~ October 7, 2008

This image is almost identical to the immobilizer Mariah has to wear for at least the next two weeks. It is very snug and helps to keep her left arm from moving to decrease any pain as well as helping avoid the leads going into her atrium and ventricle from becoming dislodged.