Branch's Thoughts

Air Time

2011-01-19T01:04:00.001-06:00

I have come to enjoy morning radio shows over the past few years. Since moving to Salt Lake I found I enjoy listening to "radio from hell" on X96. They frequently have a segment called "Hello, Yeah? What?" where people can call in and talk about pretty much anything. A couple of weeks ago there were 2 or 3 people that called to get an opinion on possible baby names. So this morning when the segment was announced I decided to try calling in. I was on the air for a minute or two. I decided to also seek opinions on names we are considering. Though we obviously reserve the right to change our minds at any time, we are considering either Liam or Griffin (spelling not yet determined). I have never been on the radio before. And i think it was a lot of fun. BTW... The radio hosts all prefered the name I like over the one Em wants.
Thanks for reading.

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Saturday Fun

2011-01-15T20:09:00.001-06:00

Today was a nice Saturday for many reason. We relaxed at home this morning until Em's mom and Tony came over. Her mom took her and Maya, and Em's sister and daughter for some girl time (craft/thrift stores, etc.). Tony and I went to the car show in Sandy. Saw quite a few cool cars, including a Dodge Challenger, which is my realistic dream car (though it was not the right color). It doesn't what my real dream car is, cause its never going to happen for multiple reasons. I had this moment today where I realized that you people reach a point where they are literally wasting tons of money on their car.
Honestly, why would someone spend almost $70 K on a Cadillac Escalade when they could buy a VERY similar SUV from Ford or Chevy for less than half the price? Do the luxuries in the Caddy really warrant spending twice as much? Really? I highly doubt it. And I dont care that people buy it based on the fact that they can afford it. Thats a stupid reason to spend way too much money on a vehicle. There was a Bently convertable there at the car show... I $#!* you not, the MSRP was $370,000. Dont get me wrong, it looked like a nice car from where I could see it (they wouldnt let anyone get closer than about 10 feet from any of the Bentey's) but not $370K worth of "nice". Still... It was a lot of fun. We then all got back together for frozen yogurt. All in all, a good Saturday.

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Sick Again.

2011-01-07T19:22:00.001-06:00

Last night was a rather long one. I guess its what I need to gear up for when the baby comes. A little after midnight, Maya woke up and wanted to use the restroom. She had been coughing earlier yesterday, but when she woke up in the middle of the night she couldnt stop coughing. I stayed up with her, trying to get her to go back to sleep. Everytime I would lay her back down she would put her hand on my shoulder and say "you're a good daddy". Cute!

Em took her to see the Dr. This afternoon. He says she has bacterial pneumonia, but he says we caught it suprisingly early. Whenever she is sick and you ask her how she feels. She has the cutest response.... "not So very good". Poor girlie!

Also, she has come to love helping Em clip coupons. So we got her some saftey scissors, and she has a ball. She essentially cuts the advertisements into confetti. Very cute to watch.

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No Longer Feeling Comcastic

2011-01-04T20:24:00.002-06:00

We have been talking about it for a couple of months, and putting it off for just as long. Today Em called Comcast and cancelled our service.
In October, we were looking at our bill and noticed that the bill for our cable had nearly DOUBLED! We had set up automatic bill-pay so we wouldnt have to worry about it, which only made it less painful when the rate went through the roof. Keep in mind that we had only the most basic channels they offer + a DVR. When I opened the account they specified that the $44 per month was the continual price, not some introductory offer. Now we were paying $78... Ummmmm, hello? We dont watch $78 worth of TV per month. So, in our continual effort to save money, we dropped Comcast today and signed up for a free month subscription of Netflix... $9.99 Per month. In addition to the DVDs they will mail to us, we can stream unlimited movies/tv shows through our Wii. We will give it a go, and I will let you know how it goes.

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Testing the water...

2011-01-03T16:33:00.001-06:00

I know its been a long time... But this year will have me blogging again. I will start posting some real material soon, but for today I wanted toh try out the blogger application I downloadeed to my phone.
Anyone who read/reads blog probably already knows this, but a lot has changed since the last time I wrote. Maya is pushing 3, and we have a baby boy on the way, due around her birthday. Im finished with my orthotics residency, and am just starting prosthetics while I continue to see my orthotic patients.
So, anyhow... Like I said, short and sweet. Here is a picture from earlier today. I was trying to teach tic-tac-toe to Maya... Admitedly a bit beyond her attentions span/interest level. Still, we had fun.
Alright then... Lets see if this App works! Thanks for reading.

-Branch

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Yeah... Im Really Writing.

2009-06-01T00:04:00.002-05:00

Don't have a heart attack or anything, though it should be a big surprise that I am finally blogging. I guess I really didn't feel like it for the last few weeks before leaving Dallas, plus there's the fact that we only just got internet in our home today (I tried to "borrow" a neighbors wireless signal, but they all have passwords). It was hard leaving Texas, but it didn't take much to make me happy we moved. The friends and city were great, but being so close to family and the lack of humidity wins. tomorrow I start my Orthotic residency for the next year, and I couldn't be more excited. A few days ago, I took Emily and Maya down to the office to introduce them to my co-workers. Em is really excited for me, and she can't believe how nice of a place this is. I have been in a few P&O offices in Dallas, and there is only one that holds a comparison. *Funny Story* Ok, background info first. Someone had told me that If I was serious about applying for a residency at Shriners, I should learn to speak Spanish, so my mom offered to buy the Rosetta Stone (spanish obviously) so I could learn. I found a used set (ended up being a copy) and never got serious about trying to learn. My mom has given me some crap (rightfully so) about not putting in the effort. I didn't get a residency at Shriners, but by the time I went for interviews, I had realized that I didn't want to work there anyhow. OK... now the story. After taking Em & Maya down to my new workplace, a few hours later Phil (the residency director) called to ask if I can speak Spanish. He paused for a few seconds "..... you still have a job either way...... but it would be really great if you spoke Spanish". I told him I would dust off the Rosetta Stone CDs and see what I could do. So anyway, soon I will hopefully be able to speak spanish. Typing that story out made it not sound nearly as interesting or funny as I thought it was before... sorry. Anyhow, Im going to study some spanish and then head to bed. Talk to you all later!

Branch

Wow...Im a Sucky Blogger

2009-04-08T14:53:00.012-05:00

WARNING: This is a random blog, and I started it about a week ago, so the date is wrong. I actually I know you are not interested in my apologies, but I'm sorry for going so long without writing anything. Time keeps getting away from me, and school is almost over. The fact that we are moving in about 3 weeks was a vague concept to me until just the other day. We decided we could start packing some things that we don't have to have handy. We started with all the pictures and decorations in the whole house. Looking around, it looks like someone sucked the soul out of our apartment. Anyhoo.... time for an undate of everything going on here. 2 weekends ago, we went a couple hours south to Clifton, Tx for a class retreat. We stayed in a little bunkhouse, got tons of fresh air, cooked over a fire, relaxed and just enjoyed each others company. My friend Alan brought his bow for some target practice. Here is Emily's first shot...

Last week Himaya turned 1! I can't believe how fast the last year has flown by, and I can't believe how much she has grown and changed. Of course we had to let her go crazy with a cake, so here is another video of that.

Yesterday we finally took some traditional pictures of Maya down in Ennis, Tx. Probably every kid who grows up in Texas has pictures taken out in the bluebonnets. Thanks to the Doyle family, we had an ideal spot to take the pice, so here they are.

What a Week!

2009-03-16T22:46:00.007-05:00

What a great week! Spring break finally came and I was able to fly back to Utah/Wyoming to see Em and Maya. Em is way too thin, and Maya was grown so much, but I couldn't be more happy now that we are back together. Maya is now amazing at walking around, dancing and she is getting a decent sized vocabulary for an 11 month old girl. Though I didn't think it was possible, she has gotten even cuter. I have some amazing pictures of her, but I can't post them yet. Em took her to a friend from Rock Springs who took super-cute pics of Maya in her tutu. We have gotten the proofs, but I won't put them up until we order the prints... you will all say "awwwww" when you see them.
While in Utah, I had the opportunity to have an interview at Hanger Orthotics and Prosthetics (which I felt went really well), and I was able to visit Shriner's Hospital. Shriner's wouldn't let me have an interview, because not all applicants can go for an interview in person. So they only do interviews over the phone to elliminate bias. It was good sitting down with the residency director though (interview or none). Em said that while sitting there, I should have pulled out my phone, asked for the number to his office, called and requested an interview right then(technically over the phone).
Wednesday night we headed to Wyoming for a short trip to see more family, and so I could go fishing with my dad and my brother Keelen. We went to the Flaming Gorge Resevior, and had a great time. There were times we had to reel in to allow large floating sheets of ice to drift by, and it was a bit chilly every now and then, but it was a great day. In case you were concerned, yes... I did catch the biggest fish. The true trick is a secret I have taken an oath not to divulge, but it is effective. I had so much fun, especially since I never get to hang out with just my dad and brother. We totally bonded.
Friday we headed back to Utah, though it took us 4 hours to really get on the way. My brother got a flat tire about 12 miles out of Green River (my home town). Having preformance tires and no spare, it took a long time, and 3 trips to the car/town to get everything together. Once we had the tire and the right jack, it only took 5-10 minutes to actually change the tire. Under normal circumstances this would have been really annoying, and everyone would have been at each others throats, but we laughed at it and made it fun.
Saturday night Emily and I got to go on our first date since Maya was born. My mom and aunt watched her and her cousins while Em and I went with my sister, her husband, my brother, and our cousins with their husbands to a comedy show (crappy sentance structure... I know). We went to a place called Comedy Sportz, which is an improvizational show that has locations all over (can't wait to go to the one in Dallas). It was hillarious and wasn't crude/vulgar. We all had a great time.
Yesterday, we came home and just relaxed. Today I had to go to school and then to clinic rotation. While there I recieved a call from the resident liason for Hanger P&O, and she offered me a position at the Hanger in Salt Lake City, UT! I am so excited!!! My first day will be June 1st. It was a HUGE weight off my shoulders, because there were only 2 places in Utah I could possibly go. We celebrated with seafood, capping the day off on a high note.

Upswing

2009-02-21T16:17:00.009-06:00

All in all, things are definitely on the upswing around here. Even though Em and Maya are still in Wyoming, things are getting better. Emily had an appointment with her neurologist last Tuesday... they deemed her healthy and decided to start weaning her off the meds. I will be flying there a week from Friday for spring break, and they are coming home with me the next week. I sent my resume to quite a few places in Utah, a place in Idaho and another in Denver. I heard back from one practice in Salt Lake (Hanger prosthetics and orthotics) and I have an interview set up for the 10th... Im really excited, and I am hoping to hear back from other facilitiles this week. I really miss Em and Maya, s I can't wait to see them. Here are a few videos Em sent me of our little girl.

This is Maya's first Balloon ever

She loves suckers!

Just a video of her eating.

Gonna keep on keepin' on

2009-01-31T20:47:00.008-06:00

So... I haven't blogged for a few weeks (mostly due to my lack of blog-worthy material), but here we go again. I am still holding down the fort (or apartment) while Em and Maya are in Wyoming. Em has been getting steadily better, and has now gone a month without a seizure. Though the recovery seems near complete, she is still easily fatigued and doesn't know if she is yet able to be alone with the little-girly all day while I'm at school/clinic. People keep asking when they are coming home; the answer is...well...I don't have an answer. We origionally planned that they would come home after the neurology appointment on Feb. 17th; but if she does that, less than 2 weeks later, I will be gone for 10 days interviewing for a residency position. We are thinking that she may just stay there until after I interview, and we can just all come home together. We will see.
So after a lot of complaining, I finally got a video of Maya taking a few steps. This is from a few days ago...I think Em said 4 steps in a row is her personal best.

This one is Maya doing a little dance while playing with her toy dog.

Lately, we have been able to communicate despite the distance thanks to the magic of technology.

1200 miles have never sucked so bad...

2009-01-13T21:14:00.005-06:00

School has started for me again, and with clinic hours this semester I am gonna be really busy. Emily and Maya are still in Wyoming until Em is recovered enough to come home. Yesterday the headaches had gotten bad, and she was vomiting again, so her mom took her back to the ER. They did yet another lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to check the pressure in her head/spine. Normal pressure is apparently 15 or so mm/hg. Last week the pressure was up to 47, and yesterday it was 52! After the LP her headaches get a lot better. This time her white cell count is finally normal, so her body is actually winning the battle. She was released with more medication (this one to bring down the pressure). She went home and slept most of the day and night (ativan is a good drug). She is feeling a little better today, but exhausted as usual. Maya has been getting better and better at standing in one place, and today actually strung 2 steps together. Unfortunately, nobody had a camera turned on, so I will have to wait to see it. Her favorite words are: mama, dada, kitty, wow, and almost says uh-oh. She is learning patt-a-cake too. Even though this sucks for me, our parents are really enjoying the bonus time with Maya. 1200 miles is way too far away!
-Branch

Stagefright...

2009-01-06T13:12:00.005-06:00

I get the feeling that Emily has stagefright, and is shy about having a seizure here. She has been off her Kepra for 2 days now, and has not had an "event". The Doctors think she looks a lot better now, and I agree. She is about to go for one last MRI, and if nothing comes back abnormal (besides the usual abnormal mind she has always had) they will release her. They are going to put her back on Keppra again to prevent future seizures... I can't help but think she is going to have one just after they cut her loose. They took off the EEG leads, and she has a lot of work to do getting all the glue out of her hair. She actually allowed me to take this picture full-well knowing it was going to end up here on my blog. Em is in good spirits, and though it will be a few weeks or more until recovery, she will be fine. Thank you all for caring, calling, texting, praying for, or just thinking of us.... It will (without a doubt) be a Christmas vacation to remember forever.
-Branch

Change of Plans...

2009-01-04T20:56:00.003-06:00

So this morning the doctors came by for rounds as usual, and the plan for Emily was changed a bit. As I had said in the last blog, Emily is on twice the Kepra (anti-seizure medication) as she was before this round started, but they were looking for seizure activity on her EEG. This morning the docs said that they were going to cut her Kepra by half so she could have a seizure or two. They ran this by the epileptologist (a neurologist who specializes in seizures) who told them that it was a stupid idea, and they should just take her off Kepra completely so she will just have one. Unfortunately, she had already taken 1000 mg of Kepra just before rounds, so she may not have one until tomorrow. If they catch a seizure on the EEG, they will be able to see where they are starting. Then they can do a focused MRI on that area of the brain to see if there is a problem. They were looking at her getting out of here tomorrow, but now it is looking more like Tues. or Wed. I would put up another pic, but nothing much has changed since the last one. Thanks for following our story, I will keep you all updated!
-Branch

EEG Head... or is it EGG Head (maybe both)

2009-01-04T00:03:00.004-06:00

Emily is doing a lot better again. She is more with-it, and hasn't had any seizures since yesterday. Actually... the neurologists won't accept that she has had any seizures at all until they see one show up on the EEG (electroencephalogram). So the plan is to keep her head covered in little sensors that monitor her brain activity until Monday or so. We see holes in this plan though. They are keeping Emily on anti-seizure medication (double what she was prescribed last time we left the hospital), but they want to see her have a seizure so they know what is going on... How is she supposed to have one, when meds are working hard to prevent it??? We have asked, but their answer doesn't make sense. Both Emily's mom and I are a little annoyed that they won't accept that she has been having seizures. She is an ER nurse, I have a lot of experience working with epileptics. We have both seen our share of seizure activity. So if they weren't seizures, then what were they?
Emily has this white hat made of bandage to cover the EEG leads, so we decided to make it more fun. Her sister used my sharpie to lighten-up the situation. Emily and I want to thank you all for reading and caring about her.

Round Four

2009-01-02T20:10:00.005-06:00

Heres to the longest day I can ever remember. Emily had been feeling a lot better, so we headed down to Wyoming to visit more of our family. On New Years Day, Emily and I took it easy in the morning, and we went to my parents house to watch football and to visit. Emily took about a 3 hour nap, and didn't seem to feel well, so we just took things easy. Later on that night (back at her mom's house) Emily started to experience some different symptoms. She started to have right arm/leg weakness, tingling and numbness. She started having difficulty finding the right word for things, and was confusing names and things. She had ataxic gait (meaning she walked like she was drunk), and she was really upset about everything that is happening to her. Within 15 minutes or so, the numbness resolved, and she was pretty-much back to normal again. We went to bed, but I decided to just keep an eye on her for a while. Just before mpdnight she woke up with intense back pain and headache, and shortly thereafter she had another seizure. We took her to the hospital in Rock Springs (where her mom works) by ambulance. Some time in the ambulance after she left Green River, she started speaking nonsensically. For about 30-45 minutes she would look right at and talk to us, but she was stringing together random words making no sense whatsoever. The look on her face made me think that what she was saying made perfect sense to her, though it was gobbledygook to everyone else. She then had a long seizure, and was thought to have gone back into status epilepticus (constant state of seizure) which is dangerous. She had a CT scan, and was given lots of meds to try to stop the seizures, but she really needed to see a neurologist. There is no neurologist in Rock Springs, so protocol was to get her back to Salt Lake City. She went in an ambulance to the little Rock Springs airport, where she flew by airplane to SLC. She then took another ambulance from the SLC airport to the University of Utah Hospital. Emily's mother and I left Rock Springs as they were about to load her into the ambulance, and we got to the Neuro Critical Care ward as she came in (great timing) She has had more tests (i.e. another spinal tap, a chest X-ray, blood tests, and she is back on another EEG). The doctor just came in to tell me that the preliminary results for the spinal tap show high white blood cell count, and they are still seeing viral meningitis. She either has relapsed, or (more likely) it never was fully delt with. We should have some more results in the morning, and hopefully some answers. For those who don't know, Emily and Himaya will not be coming back with me to Texas next week. They are going to stay here between Utah and Wyoming... we have a lot of family to keep an eye on her and Maya while she continues to recover until she gets her strength back.

One Day at a Time

2008-12-28T22:53:00.003-06:00

Emily is doing better now and is back out of the hospital again... we are just going to take things one day at a time. We have little plans for the remainder of our vacation, because we just need to see how things work out. Emily is on better anti-seizure medication now and I am making sure she gets it. The recovery from meningitis can take a while, especially if it gets as bad as hers did. She is weak and tired, but sick of laying around. It turns out her kidney is just fine, leaving us with one less thing to worry about. She does still have a significant amount of pain in her back, and it may take some time to resolve. She has set a goal to steer clear of all hospitals until Himaya gets a baby brother or sister... sounds like a good goal to me. We are again thankful for all the calls, messages and prayers, as well as the blessings from heaven. Emily will be okay, but it will take some time. Thanks again! -Branch

Round 3... and the scariest day of my life

2008-12-26T22:49:00.004-06:00

First off, let me wish everyone a merry Christmas; cause if I don't throw it out now, I am likely to forget.
Round 3 you ask? Yes... round 3. Emily was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon with only a prescription for anti-seizure medication, even though she was complaining of headaches and a lot of back pain. That night and the next morning the pain got worse and worse. We decided Em needed to go back to the hospital because she was in constant pain, and couldn't find a comfortable position. while getting ready to go she kinda blacked out, and wouldn't talk to us for about 10 seconds or so. So she went back to the hospital by ambulance. They tried morphine for the pain. When that wouldn't take the pain away they gave her dilated (about 10 times more powerful than morphine) which also didn't work. A little while later, they gave her caffeine which worked like a charm. She was let go with a prescription for red-bull, coffee, monster or whatever kind of caffeine she wanted.
Christmas day was a lovely hospital-free day, though Em had to keep up the red-bull and no-doze. She woke up this morning in extreme pain, and instead of waking me up, she layed moaning on the living room floor. The moaning eventually woke me up, and when I got out there I was sure she was just finishing up having a small seizure. *note: I have a few years experience working with people who have chronic seizures. I called the on-call neurologist, who said we should come to the ER later when she felt a little better... meaning after she got her caffeine fix. *another note: Emily had forgotten to take her anti-seizure meds last night. Emily had a pretty bad 10-20 sec. seizure on the couch, and after she recovered, we got ready to go. She said she felt ok, and she didn't want me to call for an ambulance. On the way to the ER (her dad drove while I sat in the back seat with Em) I experienced the scariest few minutes of my life. Emily had another smaller seizure, but she stopped breathing. After 5-10 seconds of completly losing my cool, I pinched her nose, tilted her head back and gave her a couple of breaths. She started breathing on her own again, but it was short shallow breathing. I kept my ear on her nose/mouth while I called 911. They wanted us to stop and wait for them to get to us, but the roads were HORRIBLE, and I kept telling them that they couldn't get to us and get Em to the hospital as fast as we could get her there if we kept driving. Emily stopped breathing again, and restarted after 2 more rescue breaths. We made it to the hospital, and she has had a bunch more tests an MRI and a couple of CT (cat) scans. They found that the back pain may be due to the compression fracture to one of her vertebrae. It was hypothesized that she may have arched her back so far during a seizure last Friday, that she damaged the T11 vertebrae. The MRI showed a few small infarctions in her left kidney (this means a few small parts of the kidney lost blood supply, and essentially died). They don't know exactly when it happened, or what caused it yet, but she just came back from another CT scan of that kidney, so we hope for more info in the morning.
They are going to keep her overnight, and we will see what they have to say when the CT and other test results come back. Thank you all for your prayers, calls, texts or thoughts. I know that Emily will be ok, and that the Lord is watching over her and our family. I will keep you in the know. -Branch

Much Better

2008-12-23T16:28:00.001-06:00

The doctor cleared Emily, and we left the hospital just after noon. They were still not able to determine what virus caused the meningitis, but they ruled out the ones that require long-term antibiotics. Emily Himaya and I are staying with her dad in Murray Utah for a few days until Em recovers. Thank you all again for your comments, thoughts and prayers... It meant a lot, and it made a difference. -Branch

Improvements

2008-12-22T15:11:00.003-06:00

Emily is doing better all the time. Today they moved her out of the ICU and into a room. She is still on a restricted diet for now (since she pulled out her ventilator tube and may have hurt her throat), and her back hurts from laying down for days. She is walking around some, and we may be looking at being released sometime tomorrow. I want to thank everyone again for all the help and the prayers. I am especially grateful to those who stepped in and took care of Himaya while I have been here with Emily... I can't thank you enough!

Doing a lot Better

2008-12-21T13:10:00.002-06:00

Emily is doing better now, but not completely out of the woods. She had been on sedation (basically a medically induced coma) for 2 days, but this morning we got good news. The EEG showed no signs of seizure, and Em was doing almost all the breathing on her own (the ventilator was only kicking in when she took a breath). The doctors decided that they would cut her sedation medication by half and we would see how she does. Right after the nurses left the room, Emily pulled a gumby-like move and pulled out her breathing/feeding tubes. They are a little concerned that she may have damaged her throat by pulling the balloon through, but they haven't done a swallowing test yet. They have turned her sedation meds off completely now, and Emily is talking (through a raspy voice). She was a little confused and upset that she lost a couple of days, but things are looking up. Thank you all for your prayers and for keeping our family in your thoughts... It means more to me than you vould ever know. She is likely to be angry at me later for the pictures, but I wanted to show the improvement. -Branch

Here's The Scoop

2008-12-20T12:44:00.002-06:00

Emily has been sick for a week and a half now. Here's the quick rundown of what has happened. She saw a doctor in Dallas and another in Green River who both thought that her vomiting, headaches and neck pain was due to fluid in her ears or a possible ear infection. Yesterday morning it got really bad though, and I took her to the University of Utah ER. She became unresponsive, and they had to put her on a ventilator and they then moved her to the ICU. She is being sedated so she doesn't try to pull the tubes out, and this also helps with the discomfort. Although the cultures take a few days, all signs point to viral meningitis. They are treating her with broad spectrum antibiotics and antivirals. There is still no timeline for removing the breathing tube, but we are trying to be optimistic. I am asking for prayers, or just keep her in your thoughts. I will blog when I can if we get new information. If you have my number, feel free to text or call and I will try to keep you in the loop. Thank you all, and have a merry Christmas!

Christmas Song

2008-12-11T23:18:00.003-06:00

Em has posted the weekly question (though it was a little late). This week she wants us to all blog about our favorite Christmas song, and tell why it means so much to us. I love singing, and I especially love singing Christmas carols, but there is one that easily comes to mind as my favorite. Oh Holy Night. There are few arrangements of this song that don't make me feel warm inside, and make the hair on my arms stand on end. My favorite arrangement (for the past 9-10 years) is an a'capella version by a group called Voicemale on their first Chritmas CD called Jingles. If you click HERE when you are done reading, you can hear the first 30 seconds or so of this song. Favorite! If forced to pick my second favorite song, it would have to be Mary Did You Know? Though I am not sold on any one arrangement. The reason these songs are my favorite, is that they really help me feel the true meaning of Christmas. It isn't about snow or gifts... and it dang sure isn't about Santa. It's about the Lord.
Thanks for reading. -Branch

Big Little Stinker

2008-12-09T22:53:00.006-06:00

Man... It seems like Maya is growing up too fast. I had always heard that from people, but I thought it was one of those things people just say when they look back. Here are the most recent developments. Last week Em wanted to make some brownies, but Maya doesn't always do well on the kitchen floor, plus her walker is just too big to fit in the kitchen. So (as we sometimes must) Em put her in her walker, and gave her toys while she ran in the kitchen to get the brownies going. This is about a 4 minute process, as they came out of a box. As usual, Maya started crying the second Em left the room. She was hurrying to get them in the oven, but as she was working she suddenly heard Maya getting closer to the kitchen door. This walker does move quite nicely across hard floors, but it hardly moves on the carpet, so when she heard the cries getting closer, Em was excited that Maya might just be pushing that thing across the room. Then Maya came crawling around the corner into the kitchen. That little stinker got out somehow, and we couldn't figure out how. Em's mom suggested that she might have pulled one foot up, and then gone down through the leg hole, but it is way too small. We watched her everyday, and gave her chances to repeat her Houdini act, but she didn't do it until earlier today. It would appear she pulls a foot all the way up ad out, then leans over the side. When she was trying, Em grabbed her phone to get a video. For any concerned, Em had ahold of her foot under the walker...we are not in the habit of letting her fall on her head.

Not all of her recent escapades are bad... Maya is also trying really hard to learn how to walk. She already spends more awake time standing than she does sitting, now she wants to go mobile. We got her an early Christmas present, which will turn into a car scooter thinggy after she is a little bigger. She loves to play with all the little things on the front, and if we hold it still she can stand up and walk away with it. Here is yet another cell-phone video. She is gonna be into EVERYTHING soon!

Christmas letter

2008-12-04T22:14:00.004-06:00

Well... hmm. Em has posted the weekly question, but it is more like a request "write a letter to Santa". I wrote one so we could take them to Macy's today (they are donating money to the make a wish foundation for every letter to santa dropped off at a Macy's). Here is a scanned copy from before we went to the mall.

School and Stuff

2008-11-20T20:32:00.007-06:00

Here's whats going on around here. We are really excited for the impending vacation, and can't wait to see all our family/friends. School is winding down now... actually, we only have one more full week of school this semester. Yesterday I had a great day at school when my patient came for the final fitting of the transfemoral (below-knee) prosthesis I have been making for him. Everything in this project just clicked, and I had no problems at all. By the time I was done making all the alignment adjustments, he walked better with the prosthesis I made him than with the one his prosthetist made for him (and he said mine was more comfortable too). He wanted to keep the prosthesis, but since I am not yet a certified prosthetist, this would not be kosher. He let me shoot a little video of him walking. Unfortunately, it was the first video I had taken with my new phone that I intended to put online. I didn't know I needed to hold the phone sideways. So to enjoy this video, just tilt your head to the right as if you were eating a hard shell taco!

Now for Emily's question O' the week "What was your best Thanksgiving like? Where were you? What did you do?". I have been thinking about it for an hour or so now, and I can't come up with one Thanksgiving to talk about. Instead, I am going to tell you about what Thanksgiving was like growing up in my family. My mom's sister and her family (the Muhlestein's) would always celebrate Thanksgiving with our family. We would meet in Utah one year, and they would come to Wyoming the next. We would always get together a few days before Thanksgiving for the pre-holiday tailgate party (for lack of a better descriptor). We would always have a couple of huge puzzels and play games like Rummy, and Trivial Prisuit. Pie making was always on Wednesday, but a few of us older kids would make a huge no-bake cheesecake. The 4 of us would hide from our little brothers and just sit around with forks, eating the cheescake right out of the pan. Thanksgiving was always around 2 pm (ish) and after the naps, the men (and boys) would go shoot clay pidgeons at the shooting range. Leftovers, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup etc. would usually carry us through the weekend, and we would just continue to hang out, play games and what not. Thanksgiving rocks.
Branch

Catching up...

2008-11-17T18:20:00.008-06:00

I know... it has been a few weeks since I have posted a blog. It seems like I was anti-blog after the competition ended the way it did. Maybe I was burned out. Anyhoo, im feeling better now and I have some stuff to share to catch up.
First off, I need to answer Emily's question of the week (last week) "describe your perfect day". The perfect day would start with Maya sleeping through the night until at least 8 or 8:30 am. Then pancakes for breakfast and then get ready for the day. We would then spend some time with my parents, brother, sister (and her family). And then go over to Emily's moms house for a while. I would then play 9 holes with Emily's dad (and her brother Seth, if he is in town) in the afternoon (I miss this), and have all-you-can-eat crab at the Jumbo Buffet in Salt Lake City. We would then go to a movie before going to bed. Ahhhhhh....
I decided we needed to get some pictures of Maya for Christmas ornaments. So we went to Wal-Mart for some cotton batting, and Emily made her a Santa hat. Here are a few of the pictures we took.
We have some good news for those who were hoping to see us at Christmas time... We had decided that with the fallen gas prices, we could afford to go home if we drove there. Emily got an email today from her sister, telling her about a great deal with Southwest airlines. They are offering 50% plane tickets going into /out of Salt Lake City Utah (which is where we fly through to go home). This deal ends tomorrow, so we cemented our plans and bought tickets today. YEAH!!!!!!
The last thing I wanted to post is a little video of Maya from earlier today. Emily was feeding her a little bit of applesauce and she kept making a cute pucker face. Here you go. Thanks for reading!

Sad... but thankful

2008-11-07T14:17:00.002-06:00

We found out this morning that Himaya did not win the contest. She remains (in our opinion) the most kissable baby, but Eli Martin beat her out. He is a really cute kid, and I knew he would go far in the contest from the beginning. Congrats Eli... too bad for us though. We are now attempting to balance things out to decide if it may still be possible for us to go home to Wyoming for Christmas (at least gas is getting cheaper!) Thanks again to all who voted for her... we never could have made it as far as we did without your help.

FREEDOM!!!

2008-11-06T17:20:00.005-06:00

Wow... the contest is officially over (as far as the voting is concerned anyway). It seems like the contest took my blog hostage, but I can now move on. We will find out tomorrow whether or not Himaya won -keep your fingers crossed.

On to the question of the week, "What is on your 'bucket list'?"
There are a lot of things I want to do before I kick the bucket, only some of which is likely to actually happen. Here goes:

Skydiving (at least once)
World travel (specifically China, Italy, Scotland, Egypt, Africa, and return to the Philippines)
Invent something of consequence. I want a large population to want/buy whatever it is
Open my own prosthetics & orthotics practice (after I get some experience)
Learn to speak Spanish
Get in shape... and I don't mean round
Restore a classic car (Emily stole this one from me)
Convince English teachers that most books do not have symbolism, and are in fact just a story
Become a muti-millionaire, and use the money to help others
Go body surfing for hours in Maui again (this time WITH sunscreen)

Im sure I could come up with more, but 10 seemed like a nice round number. There are a lot of thing that would have been included in this list 10 years ago, but I have been fortunate enough to have checked them off. What do you want to do before you go?

HOLY CRAP... SHE MADE THE FINAL ROUND!

2008-11-03T00:59:00.004-06:00

Not that I doubted her ability to make it, I had just been trying to not get my hopes up. But she made it. PLEASE go vote for her each day. If you have more than one email address, erase the cookies between votes so you get more than one vote. Tell everyone you know to vote for Himaya, and tell them to tell everyone they know to vote for her too. This may seem over the top, but we would really like to be able to visit family for Christmas. Thank you all for your help so far, I appreciate it more than you will ever know. Have a great day, vote, and keep your finger crossed!
GO MAYA!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-11-01T11:29:00.008-05:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to tell you about our Halloween. Some of you know about some of our traditions, and you know that every year we dress up in costumes and go to dinner and a movie. This year, after Himaya made what we called her "monkey face" and after she started crawling, climbing and getting into everything, we decided she should be a monkey. Emily and I made some shirts reading "Hunsaker Zoo, Monkey Keeper" and "Our business is monkey business". We went to the theater in the mall, and watched Eagle Eye (which I recommend. It was pretty good). Then we ate at Chick-fil-a in the food court (which I also recommend, cause Chick-fil-a is delicious). About 50-60 people stopped us to tell us how she is just the cutest, and a few people told us that at-first-glance they thought we had a real monkey. Then we came home to put out our pumpkins, and prepare for trick-or-treaters that never showed up. Here are a few pictures. Hope your Halloween was as great as ours!

Branch

What A Week!

2008-10-30T21:26:00.005-05:00

What a week... A lot has happened since I last took the time to blog about something other than the contest. Last Thursday and Friday, my classmates and I were forced to sit through a prosthetics and orthotics short course. The course is actually for medical and surgical residents, and it is their only exposure to information regarding P&O. Our teachers have told us repeatedly that doctors usually have no clue what a patient needs when it comes to prosthetics or orthotics. They invariably write a vague or nonsensical prescription, and when the patietn brings to us, we have to call the Dr. to talk about the patient's issues, and usually end up teling the Dr. what to write on a new perscriotion. I have realized why this happens.... when those doctors were residents, they were sent to one of these short courses. When there, they started the first day listening to all the lectures, but took off after the first cofee break. I want you to know that I am not exaggerating this story. The first morning started with roughly 130+ people (residents, and our P&O class). by the end of that day, there were only 55 people (that includes all 13 of us). The second day started with 50-60 people, but by that evening there were only 19 people (and guess how many of them were P&O students). Honestly... I hope I don't even need one of their opinions on one of my patients.
Monday, we had the chance to go to Frisco to see my cousin Shandi and her family. It was a blast. They have such cute kids, and they are all so nice. We had home-made pizza (fantastic) and carved pumpkins. It was a great evening.
The next day we had to take Himaya to the hospital, and we found out that she has an ear infection... though she is much better now. My foot has felt tight, and hurt to dorsiflex since Saturday, but it all came to a head last night. It really started to hurt. When I woke up this morning, it was excruciating. it hurt to lift my leg off of the bed, because I could feel gravity pushing my foot down. I had to go to see a doctor (at student health). I found out that I have gout! My dad has gout, and I can remember seeing him in a lot of pain. I used to think that sometimes, he might be playing it up...milking it for all it is worth. I now completely sympathize with him. I would say it hurt FAR more than ameobic dissnetary in the Philippines (and thats saying something). I have taken some Indocin now, and I feel like it is getting better.
On to the journal-jar question. "Tell about your favorite Halloween? What did you wear? Where did you go?". Emily already told about the halloween we met, so I will talk about another. I think 3 years ago, when we were still living in Rock Springs, we got matching LONG black wigs; Emily got a bright mumu with hybiscus flowers, and I had a blue hawiian shirt. We both wore grass skirts, and I carried a ukelele. Emily stuffed a pillow in her front, and another in her butt area so we looked like a pair of fat hawiians. As according to tradition, we went to see a movie dressed up. It was a blast. We really know how to have a good time.
Thanks to you all for stoping by to read this...and thanks to all who voted for Himaya. The round ends tonight, but we won't find out if she advances until Sunday at about 11pm. Keep your fingers crossed, and be ready to vote for her next week! Thanks, and have a great day.

Branch

Round 3!!!

2008-10-26T23:28:00.002-05:00

Holy Crud, I am so excited! Himaya made it to the top 25 kids. We are trying no to get too drawn in (in case it doesn't work out for her), but we have faith she could go all the way. It seems as though this contest has taken my blog hostage... cause it is all I have blogged about in 3 weeks or so. I will be so happy when it is all over. Please stop by to vote for her each day. If you have more than one email address, you can delete your browsing history and cookies between votes. *Note: I am not advocating anyone create multiple email addresses for this purpose... just if you already have more than one, lets use it to our advantage. Thanks a ton for stopping by, and for the support. I will have cute pictures tomorrow for you all (we are carving pumpkins). Thanks and have a great week!

Branch

Click here to vote for Himaya

ROUND 2!!!

2008-10-19T23:07:00.005-05:00

I want to start by thanking everyone for voting for Himaya. She has made it through to the second round. I decided to set up a secondary blog to promote her picture. It can be found at www.himayahunsaker.blogspot.com You can continue to access the voting page from here by clicking HERE. She still has a few rounds to go, but if we all take a few minutes each day to cast a vote for every email address we have, we should be able to keep her numbers up. I wish we knew how many votes she currently has... after rereading the rules, I believe the winner will be the baby with the most TOTAL votes (not the most votes in the last round).
On another note, Himaya has had a rough night last night, and tonight is worse. She is teething, and is not very happy. She is super tired, but she keeps waking up. It has been 2-3 months since her colic went away, and this seems worse. I will be glad when these 2 teeth pop through. Anyhow... thanks again, and have a fantastic day!

Branch

I will be sad if you don't vote for me...

2008-10-13T23:17:00.008-05:00

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR ME

All righty! I first want to thank everyone for giving their opinion regarding the picture we should post for the radio contest. If you are reading this, and have no idea what I am talking about, scroll down to my post from 10/5/08. The picture that got the most votes was "monkey face", and it is now up for voting. We need your help! We want to send Himaya through to the next round. The voting starts at 12:01 am Tuesday and ends at 11:59 pm Friday. You are allowed "one vote per valid email address per computer per day". I will post the link at the end of this email, after you click on the link here is how you vote for Himaya. At the top of the pictures, there is a link labled "Next Poll>>" click on it, and scroll down about a quarter of the way (in the "H's" duh). Click on the dot next to her name and scroll all the way to the bottom. Then enter your email address and click on "Vote". Then you have to go to your email to confirm your vote...unfortunately, you have to go back to your email every time you vote. I know there are a lot of cute babies on there, but don't be distracted....focus on the task at hand. After voting for Himaya, then feel free to peruse the other photos...haha!
Himaya has changed SO much these last couple of weeks. About the day after she could flip from her back to her front, she started pushing herself forward. Within a few days she was lifting her belly off the ground and falling forward to move around. By now she has pretty much mastered crawling. When it is time for her to go to sleep and she doesn't want to, she started crawling around in her crib, and crying as she looked through the bars at us. We had throw a blanket over our bar stools and block her view so she would go to sleep. After 2 days of that, she decided to just stand up in her crib so she could see us over the top of the barrier. This bewildered us, and prompted us to lower the mattress level in her crib so she wouldn't try climbing out the top. I am constantly awestruck as I get to see her learn and figure things out. She is growing up and changing every day. She hit the 6 month mark on the 9th, so we recorded her height on the newly-sanded "Hunsaker Height Board". We will take it with us, and when we buy a house, it will be permanantly placed.
School is going well... I am fitting my patient with my first above-knee prosthesis in the morning. I hope everything is right, though I am sure something went wrong. I had the un-luckiest day of my life on the day I made the socket for his prosthesis. I managed to mess up twice trying to pull the plastic test socket, which I cracked trying to remove the plaster; I lost my school ID and annual public transportation pass, and I split the zipper on my backback just before getting on my bike to head home from school. I should have stayed in bed that day. It all turned out ok in the end though (except for the ID and bus pass). The biking is still going well. I have managed to lose almost 15 lbs now (though I don't think it really shows yet). I feel better than I have in a long time, and so do my knees. Too bad I started this just before it gets too cold for bike riding. I know I live in Texas... but it will get down to 20-25 degrees (not optimal bike-riding weather). I will keep it up somehow. Anyhow. I think I have rambled on long enough. Thanks for reading and thanks for voting. Tell everyone you know to vote for Himaya! Here is the link:
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR HIMAYA!!!

Emily's Question

2008-10-09T23:31:00.002-05:00

I was about to go to bed, then I remember that Emily threatened trouble if I didn't answer her journal-jar question. The Q of the week is to name a book I love, and tell why. It is really hard to narrow it down to just one, but I will give it a shot. My favorite fiction novel is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I remember reading it for the first time in middle school for an English class. I really liked it. A few years ago, Emily gave me a hardbound copy on my birthday and I reread it. Actually... this makes me want to read it again. I recommend it to anyone.

Most KISSable baby contest...We need imput!

2008-10-05T00:44:00.005-05:00

There is a contest in the Dallas/Fort Worth area each year put on by KISS FM (yep... a radio station). The point is to have the most kissable baby. We just realized that the deadline is today, and we need to get the picture in. The problem is that we can't decide which picture to use. They are basing the decision on the following criteria:
• Camera friendly nature of the subject
• Originality
• Personality
• Photo quality
We want everyone who wanders across this blog to give their vote (even if the deadline is past). If you want to see more info on the contest; or if you live in DFW and want to enter your baby, go to http://www.1061kissfm.com/cc-common/globalcontestfinder.html?contest=33202
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your opinion."Monkey Face""Washed Out""Pacified""Watchin' the Clouds""Tongue Out""Attitude"

*****I apologize for the lame names I gave the pictures*****

Traditions

2008-10-02T21:41:00.004-05:00

All right... My wife has asked that I participate in answering her journal jar questions, and I feel it would to my benefit to oblige. Her question this week is regarding childhood and current family traditions.
Growing up we had a few cool traditions. Every Christmas eve, we would dress up in our new pajamas (we got them every year), we would put on Santa hats and we would take treats to and sing carols to the 24 hour places in our hometown... we felt bad for the people who had to work Christmas eve. In addition to gifts, Santa would hide a pickle somewhere in the Christmas tree and an special treat was left for whomever found it. Since I turned 16 or so, every 4th of July my 2 brothers and I have had a tradition. We would buy steaks and fireworks. We would get extension cords and bring the TV and VCR outside by the porch swing. We would then proceed to grill steaks, watch the movie Independence Day and light fireworks.

Current traditions include decorating stockings every year for each other. We also go to a movie (in a theater) wearing a costume on Halloween. Emily put a few pictures of this on her blog if you want to go check that out.

Blood Pressure, Conspiracy and Rollovers

2008-09-29T21:38:00.005-05:00

It's been a great couple of weeks since I sat down to post, and a lot has happened here at our house. Starting with school; I just took my first test in lower-extremity prosthetics, and I think I did ok. I found it nearly impossible to study, because I couldn't concentrate. No worries, cause I was eventually able to beat the information into my brain. I have been riding my bike everywhere lately... actually, I don't think I shared my health "news", and I think you all need background information before I get into biking. About a month ago, I had to go to student health to obtain a prescription for a new pair of AFOs (Ankle-foot orthoses... they are the braces I wear on my legs). While at student health, the doctor decided to check on my blood pressure. It was determined that my BP was "elevated"... 140/96 sounds like "high" to me, but she said it was only "elevated". Cue health/diet/exercise counsel from the doctor. I listened and decided to do something about it. For a week or two I scoured Craigslist until I found a bike for $40 (that was the predetermined limit). It is nearly brand new because it was bought for a 15 year old who didn't think bikes were "cool". I used to ride my bike everywhere when I was younger, then I got a drivers licence. Though the first few days were rough, I kept at it. I re-discovered my love for biking, and in a few weeks I was able to bring my BP down to 124/82. I ride to school a few days a week (about 7 miles each way), and I have started to lose weight.
I had an awesome break from school last weekend. Due to my not having clinic hours this semester, and our prosthetics instructor taking a few days off, I was off from Wednesday at noon until tomorrow morning. It was fantastic. Saturday was the Smithsonian Magazine free museum day, so we went to the 6th floor museum. For those who don't know what that is, across from the grassy knoll, The 6th Floor Museum is on the floor from which Lee Harvey Oswald (allegedly) shot President Kennedy. I have to say allegedly because I have my doubts... its all a conspiracy man, there's a 3rd shooter and a magic bullet (supposed to be read in the voice of a drugged-out hippy). I am just kidding. Anyhoo, it was really interesting to learn so much about Kennedy, and I recommend it. Though free to us, it would have been worth paying the $13.
Today Himaya made another growth landmark. A few months ago, she rolled over from her front to her back, and we even caught it on video. She now is a front-to-back ninja, but has never been able to roll from her back to her front. Lately we have noticed that she was coming closer and closer to rolling back-to-front and today she finally pulled it off. What's more, Emily caught it on video. so without further ado, I give you the rollover. Thanks for reading! -Branch

Adios y Buenos Suerte

2008-09-16T21:20:00.008-05:00

It's been a decent week here with the Hunsakers. We survived Ike... just in case you were concerned. We actually only ended up getting a few hours worth of rain and some breezes that don't compare the wind we are used to in Wyoming. We did make sure to fill both our cars with gas, cause it has gotten more expensive here again. Though we were ready for some serious weather, we weren't hardly affected.
The good pictures this week come from our hour and a half at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport last Thursday. My little (but bigger than me) brother finally got his visa, and was on his way to Mexico. He happened to have a 3 hour layover in Dallas, so we decided to see him off. He is really excited for the opportunity to serve as a missionary, and he didn't seem too nervous at all. I have fond memories of my time as a missionary in the Philippines, and I am jealous of him in some ways. I also can't get over how lucky he is to have the chance to learn to speak Spanish... it is a much more useful language than Ilonggo after the mission work is completed. It will come in handy in his future. I am glad we were able to see him, but I am also really happy he was able to meet Himaya for the first time. Good luck Regan, we are praying for you.
Speaking of Himaya, we have finally been attempting to sleep-train her. It was difficult because she had such bad colic. Until a little ove a month ago, she would cry for hours at night (while we held, rocked, carrried and cradled her); so by the time she finally fell asleep, she was so exhausted that she wouldn't wake up when we put her in her crib. Now, she wakes up when we put her in bed, and we knew it was time for her to learn that night time is for sleeping and that her crib is a place for her to be asleep. We researched different methods, and have been consistant. Now she is getting better, and she has been falling asleep faster and not just laying there and crying. Last night, she started laying there and cooing... just talking to herself. It is super cute, so we decided to try to get a vidoe of it. We had to sneak up to the crib, and cover the red light on the camera to get the video. You can't see anything, but if you mute the music player on my blog, and turn up your speakers, you can hear her.....super cute! Thanks for stopping by.
Branch

There's No Crying in Baseball

2008-09-06T19:49:00.009-05:00

It's been a great week. I have been back in school, and it is looking like it is going to be a great semester. Last night, we had a lot of fun with some friends from church. We enjoyed a perk to living in a bigger city, and went to a baseball game. We got to see the Red Sox play the Rangers. It was a really fun night, especially since I come from a family of huge Sox fans. Our plan was to show up when the gates open, and watch batting practice. This was in the hopes that I could get some of the players to sign the baseballs I brought to the game. So I stood right at the 3rd base dugout along the rail for about an hour and a half. It ended with me and the HUNDREDS of other fans wanting an autograph walking to our seats in disapointment. Honestly... without fans, the teams couldn't pay the players' salary. In 90 some-odd minutes of waiting, one player (J.D. Drew) signed 2 baseballs and tossed them into the crowd. I am pretty much over it now though... I still had a great time. Emily feels that it should be in the contract of every player that they should spend 5 minutes before the game signing autographs. If all those players signed for a few minutes, they would have gotten to about every fan that wanted something.

Ok... enough about that, lets move on to today. Emily and I had decided that 5 months was a good time to stat Himaya on some real food. She has been fascinated every time she sees us eat or drink something. Emily has been warming her up to it, by giving her a little milk on a spoon, and letting her play with the spoon a bit. We went to the store and got her a high chair, and a walker (I swear... she almost has more furniture than we do). She has spent some time playing in her high chair to get used to being there. So tonight for dinner, she had some rice cereal. Of course, I woudln't keep the video to myself (and it shouldn't be too shaky, as I balanced the camera on a stool). Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by.

Branch

Waterlogged

2008-08-27T14:14:00.004-05:00

We have always wanted to have our own swimming pool when we own a house, and yesterday we got our wish. Emily had started some laundry and went to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner. She returned home to find water pouring out the front door of our apartment... turns out the drainage hose came off the washer, and it just kept on filling. Emily was only gone for about 30 minutes or so, but you would be surprised how much water a washer can put out in a half hour. Em called me, and I was just finishing up at school for the day, so I hurried home. As a reformed cusser, it took a lot of deep breathing and teeth clenching to hold back the profanities that jumped to my mind. Within about 30 minutes a guy was here to help us move furniture and stack everything on the few dry areas so he could get to work. He cut and rolled back the carpet and took out the wet under-padding. He then used a huge vacuum to suck the water out of the carpet and left us with some floor fans and a big dehumidifier. We had a voucher for a free night's stay at the Sheraton hotel, so we left for the night. I would have posted this last night, but they actually charge $10 a day if you want internet access... seriously, what hotel charges for online access? We also had a gift card to Red Lobster that a friend (thanks Mallory) had given us a week ago, so we at least ended the night on a positive note...we love crab! We came home today to find that the dehumidifier quit working sometime after we left, so it was about 10 times more humid in the house as it is outside. The carpet guy is bringing a new one by in a little while, and we are getting the carpet taken care of on Friday... on the bright side, we needed our carpet cleaned anyway. We found that we weren't nearly as mad about the whole thing as we should have been. We are at least lucky that it isn't our washer, thus it isn't our fault/problem/bill to pay. We do feel bad though, because the water went into the neighbors apartment too. We are hoping not to run into him any time soon. Here is a video I took while the carpet guy was out getting his shop vacuum... sorry it's so shaky. I just keep telling myself "It could have been a lot worse".

Catching up

2008-07-23T18:19:00.006-05:00

****Disregard the date...I started this blog weeks ago and never posted until now 7-15-08****

This is the part where I usually start stammering out apologies for not blogging for a few weeks...but this time no apology. Since I last took the time to write and post some pics Emily and Himaya took a vacation. They went to Wyoming and Utah to visit both our families, and they had a fantastic time. Though I wish I could have gone, it actually worked out really well for me. When they left, I was about a week away from taking my finals for the summer term. Them not being here allowed me to study guilt-free. I didn't have to balance family time with studying, and I didn't have to feel bad for wanting to study (well... not wanting so much as needing). I feel like I did ok on my tests, and Em was able to see a lot of family and have a lot of fun.
Coming up to the end of the semester, we had the opportunity to take the socket from our prosthesis we had made for one of our patient's (see picture from last post), and use it to build a myoelectric prosthesis. To explain how it works (in case you are interested), there are electrodes in the socket that pick up action potential as it moves through the patient's muscles. Remember, they are below elbow amputees, so the muscle they are using no longer connects to their wrist or hand. The signal is picked up, and opens/closes the prosthetic hand. I was really happy with my end result, since it worked really well with my patient. So this is a short video of my patient opening and closing the hand as I ask her to. Sorry, but it was shot on my cell phone and it's not a great camera.
Finishing up upper extremity prosthetics, we had the opportunity to go to a facility in Fort Worth for 2 days to learn from upper extremity specialists. They were really knowledgeable, and gave me a lot to think about when it comes to deciding just what I want to do in the long run.
In the 2 1/2 weeks that Himaya was away, she changed a lot.... more than I would have thought possible. First off, she is bigger. We had an appointment Monday where we found out she is 13 lbs 3 oz. Second off, she now seems to want to play a lot. She used to hate laying on her stomach, but now she likes it. She will hold her self up with one hand and reach for/play with toys while on her tummy. She is REALLY vocal, and doesn't seem to cry as much as she did before. And another good thing is she stopped sticking her tongue out all the time. Yesterday she started to make this cute face (we call is her monkey-face) where she sucks in her bottom lip and opens her eyes really wide. I can't help but laugh every time she does it. It is really great having her and Emily home...I missed them a lot. Tomorrow we are going to the zoo, so hopefully we will have some good pics to post in a few days. Thanks for stopping by to see how things are with us.

Branch

Growing

2008-07-20T20:17:00.006-05:00

Well today I have a mix of things to write about. It has been another fun week watching our little girl grow and learn. This week, she discovered her feet and she likes to grab and play with them. The first time we saw her doing it, her face said "woah... what the heck are these things?" She has also recently learned she has a tongue. She likes to stick it out and try to lick her chin -super cute. The other thing she is trying to get down, is laughing. She kinda shrieks and smiles, but she will get it. Our other family news is Emily and Himaya's trip to Wyoming/Utah this week. I will be studying for and taking my finals while they are gone, so I will be able to study very effectively. Speaking of school, last Monday we fitted our patient's with prostheses, and mine fit so well, I thought I would take a picture and post it. Note: the pink cord would normally be steel cable, but since we are still practicing, we get cheap cord instead. I will leave you with a video from an hour ago, of us playing with Himaya.

Branch Emily and Himaya

Rockin' & Rollin'

2008-07-15T23:06:00.004-05:00

I have been wanting to write this blog for the last few days, but have been waiting for an appropriate video to post with it. Here's the story: for the last week or so, every time we put Himaya on her tummy she has been pushing with her arms and legs, and it looks like she's about to turn over. So for over a week now, we have been turning on the video camera every time we put her on her tummy. Saturday night, I was cooking dinner and Emily put Himaya on her tummy and was heading into the other room. As Em was turning the corner to leave the room she looked back just as Himaya rolled over onto her back. Emily was very excited, but of course this happened THE ONLY FREAKIN' TIME WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CAMERA ON!!! So we spent the rest of the evening, a lot of Sunday and some of Monday with the camera on her while she was on her tummy...just waiting for her to repeat her roll. She finally did it again today, and we got it on camera. So without further ado, I give you Himaya - the roller.

Red White & Cute

2008-07-04T15:27:00.007-05:00

Once again I feel compelled to begin a blog with an apology. I constantly promise to write once a week, but I consistently put it off. School continues to be fun and interesting, though I have no stories to share about class this time.

Emily is doing great, and just had another birthday (making her 26 now). Little side note... Emily and I have now known each other for about half our lives, crazy. We had some fun last weekend, and went with some friends to see WALL·E at a drive-in theater south of Dallas. We also stayed for the second movie, the new Narnia. It was a lot of fun.

Today, we all went to a 4^th of July get together with friends from church. After eating breakfast, we walked a few blocks and watched a parade. We all had a good time, and Himaya was pretty calm. I was worried that the fire trucks would scare her; but since she was in the process of getting her diaper changed, she was already crying. We are excited to take Maya to see fireworks for the first time… hope that goes well.

All in all, it’s been a great 10 days since I last posted, and I don’t have too much more to share. Thanks again for stopping by to read about our little family.

Branch, Emily and Himaya

School Fun

2008-06-24T19:13:00.005-05:00

Today was a pretty great day at school. To start of the morning, I got my grade for upper extremity orthotics, and its an A. This week we started upper extremity prosthetics, and this morning we had a below-elbow amputee come to our class. We each casted his residual limb (stump) and will each make him a complete prosthesis by next Monday morning. After we had each casted his arm, we took the mock prostheses that we had made for each other yesterday, and we went to see a upper extremity occupational therapist. There, we learned about the challenges faces by bilateral arm amputees. We then practiced a few basic tasks (i.e. changing a diaper on a stuffed bear, making a sandwich, buttoning a shirt, signing our name, etc.). It was really fun, and it helped us have a better understanding, and gain empathy for our future patients. Overall, I would say it was a great day.

Fathers, Grandfathers and Fun

2008-06-20T22:03:00.010-05:00

I know, I know... I was supposed to blog on Sunday, and I know I promised to be better. I would like to blame my not doing this sooner on my final this last week, but I know I could have found the time. It has been a great 12 days since my last post, and a lot has happened. Last Saturday night, Emily's father came to visit us. Now, I say he came to visit us, but we all know who he came to visit... Himaya (thought I would spell it out for any slow readers). It is always great to have family visit, and it was particularly great to introduce Bob to his newest granddaughter. She had him wrapped around her tiny finger almost as fast as she had me. While here, we experienced the farmers market, one of the best BBQ places in the country (according to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grilling) and many other places. Bob taught us a fun card game, and though I won 2 of the 3 games, he won the last one "for all the glory".

Bob's timing couldn't have been better for Himaya. In the week preceding his arrival, Maya started sleeping 6-7 hours at a stretch (about freekin time), she also started to goo and ga a lot. There were still a few times when she was really unhappy, and required a lot of bouncing; so Bob made us take him to Toys R Us where he bought a swing to placate Himaya. So, I want to take the time to thank Bob for coming to visit, for the food, the advice and the swing.

Father's Day: I had experienced 25 Father's days before this year, but this one was really special (being my first as a father). Emily and Himaya got me a matching shirt and hat, identifying me as family property 24/7/365; they gave me a new wallet; and an apron. For those who don't know, I love to cook, so Em thought that would be a great thing to get me. I have always wanted to get to the "family man" part of life, and I have to say that it is better than I had ever thought it would be.

Other things going on around here: As mentioned earlier, I had some finals this week for upper-extremity orthotics (bracing). Rather than taking arm orthotics and prosthetic concurrently, we had 6 weeks of one class (24 class hours per week) and next week we start 6 weeks of arm prosthetics (same 24 hours per week). I have to say, I really liked upper-extremity orthotics... the different orthoses (braces) we made were fun and interesting; and Mike is a great teacher, which helps a lot. The first year here flew by so fast my head almost spun, and the first 6 weeks into my 2nd year only seem to be picking up speed. We will be closer to home again in no time. Speaking of "closer to home", Emily will be making an impromptu visit to Wyoming and Utah late Jul through early Aug, so hopefully you will get to see Himaya while she is there. Alright...Maya is finally asleep, so I am going to post this so we can both get some sleep. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope things are well with you and your families.

Branch

Toying Around

2008-06-08T22:19:00.005-05:00

This last week has really made me feel old (not actually old, I know Im not old.....just go along with me here). My littlest brother, Regan, just began a 2 year mission on Wednesday when he went into the Missionary Training Center (MTC). Once he leaves there, he will be heading to Torreon, Mexico for about 22 months. I remember the day I went into the MTC (about 7 years ago... YIKES!), Regan came with me and he was only 12 years old. It's hard to believe time can fly by so fast sometimes. I wish I could have gone with him Wednesday. I will miss him, but I am proud of him, and I know he will be a better man for the experience. If you ever want to see how he is doing, read letters or see pictures; there is a link down and to the right to his mission web site.

Yesterday we were playing with Maya and noticed that her ability to grasp (and hold on to) objects has drastically improved. So we dug in her cupboard and pulled out a rattle for her. I had always thought that rattles must be the most boring stupid toy ever invented. However, I think I am more excited about it than Himaya is. She will shake it a little, but she isn't really into it yet. I know it's only a matter of time 'til she clocks herself in the head with it. We have been trying really hard to get a video of her sneezing, cause it's the cutest thing ever when she goes to sneeze, but doesn't at the last second.

I wish I had more to report this week, but since I just blogged the other day Im pretty much tapped out. Emily's Dad is coming next Saturday though, so I may have more for you next time. Until then, here's a video of the first rattle experience.

Cutie Pie

2008-06-05T23:33:00.006-05:00

In the event you have not yet noticed, our little girl is a real cutie; undoubtedly the cutest kid I've ever seen... thought I guess I may be biased in my opinion. A few months back I had a conversation with some of my family and I told them my concerns regarding cute babies. Ever since a hilarious episode of Seinfeld, I have been afraid that we would have an ugly baby, but we wouldn't know it because we would be blinded by love. Even worse, I was afraid that nobody would tell us. My cousin Lynette, however, promised that she would tell us the truth... thanks Lynette. Not that it changes anything, but I am happy to say that Himaya is fully cute. We take a lot of pictures of her, but mostly with cell phone cameras since they are quickly handy. So with this week’s blog, I wanted to share some pictures we have taken on the fly. I would like to point out that I followed through with my promise to post... Yeah! I decided to change templates and reset the old hit counter today too. I hope you like it.

Chilling at Quiznos

In Deep Thought

Smiles

Maya Likes Tummy Time

'Ello Govner!

Turns Out Thumb Sucking Is Fun

Promises Promises...

2008-06-03T23:36:00.002-05:00

I know it has been 16 days since my last blog... I have been reminded many times that I need to update. I will, I promise. I find that the #1 thing that holds me back is a lack of handy new pictures/video of Himaya. #2 on the list is my forgetful nature, followed closely by my being busy with school. I do have a mid-term on Thursday that I will be studying most of tomorrow for, but if I reach a comfort-feeling (as far as the test material goes) I will blog tomorrow. Otherwise I will do a better-than-average job of it on Thursday after I get home. Either way, I promise to get one out there. Hope to have you back to read up on new developments!

Branch

Great Transpirations

2008-05-20T19:11:00.007-05:00

What a week. Since last I blogged a lot has transpired. I was in my last week of break and we planned for Emily to go back to work for 4 more days. Due to her absence, I got to be a stay-at-home daddy and it was really fun. We also had pictures of Himaya taken in her blessing dress & bonnet (which my mom made). Yesterday I went back to school and began my last year of school. That's right... I am now a senior for the last time (until I am old). During the summer semester I am taking upper extremity orthotics (bracing), upper extremity prosthetics and I have 2 days a week of clinic rotation. For years I have wanted to eventually work at Shriner's Hospital (a children's hospital); so before this semester I made a request to the P&O director to go to The Scottish Rite ( another children's hospital). This is going to be a great opportunity for me to get more experience working with kids, which will be great on my resume when I apply at Shriner's. So I had thought that the week was going really well, but I had no Idea how much better it was going to get. I have always taken issue with the concept of in-state vs. out-of-state tuition, because why should I be penalized for not being born in a state with a prosthetics & orthotics program? I pay about 3 times as much as my Texas-native classmates, which I think is ridiculous. Well, yesterday I found out that since I had lived in Texas for 12 months, I was eligible to petition for in-state tuition, AND I GOT IT!!!! This will save us about 12-14 thousand dollars over this second year! I am elated to say the least. I know that this is a blessing from the Lord for our decision to have Emily stay home to take care of Himaya rather than putting her in day-care while Em went to work. Life is at a high point again from where I am sitting. Thanks for your stopping by to read about the family. Have a great day, and be looking for another blog around Sunday.

Mothers Day

2008-05-11T21:06:00.006-05:00

Today, being Mothers Day, has made me think a lot about my mother, my mother-in-law and especially about Emily. Anyone reading this knows that we are new parents, but in the last month, I have come to respect, understand, appreciate and love our parents more than ever. I knew that bringing children into the world would take our relationship to new heights; but as I see Emily holding our daughter, my heart swells. It has been a great month!

We also had a little fun after church today... Himaya wanted to sing a little song, however due to all the screaming, her voice was a bit hoarse. So I decided to help her out so she could still perform. Too bad I couldn't keep from laughing (watch the video). Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there.

Branch

Holy Crap!

2008-05-04T14:29:00.009-05:00

Himaya is fast approaching her 1st month birthday (wow... that was fast). In the last 3 1/2 weeks, as expected, I have learned a lot about being a parent. One of the most surprising things that recently come to my attention is the astounding quantity of money Em and I will spend on diapers throughout her life. I know she needs changing no more than the average baby, but she has a knack for peeing and/or pooing only seconds after changing her. We try waiting a minute to make sure she is really done, but even that has fallen through. We are starting to feel like we are just wrapping her butt in dollar bills.

In other news... we have decided that she might have colic. We looked online and through a lot of books, and it describes pretty much what we are seeing about every night. It seems at times as though there is nothing we can do to console her, and she just screams her head off. We keep checking her diaper and trying to feed her, but nothing doing. I am sure beyond a doubt that our neighbors hate us. Each night she will scream and scream... we are learning tricks to temporarily placate her. However, as soon as you stop the repeated shhh shhh shhh sounds or slow the bouncing/rocking, she starts right back up. After a few hours, she gets tired enough that she will fall asleep. According to all sources, it shouldn't last more than a few weeks to a few months... that makes for a pretty dim light at the end of the tunnel. For the mean time, we stopped by Babies R Us yesterday and bought her a bouncer. It plays music and vibrates... at times it's enough to keep her calm, but if she is already mad it does nothing to help the situation.

Family Ties

2008-04-30T22:17:00.006-05:00

I have been chided by a few lately for my lack of new posts on this blog. I was really good about writing a few weeks ago, but lately I have let other things get in the way. After the second week, Himaya was up to 6lbs 5oz and she is growing right before our eyes. Emily and Maya had an appointment today and we found out that she is now up to 7lbs 10oz. Hew newborn clothes now actually fit her, which is nice. The next bit of news will temporarily fill most mothers with a slight sense of disgust and dislike for Emily. At todays appointment, the nurse weighed Em too and we found out that she is already back to her pre-pregnancy weight. Funny thing is... she wasn't even trying to lose the weight. Im jealous.

The past few weeks have been fantastic. First, we were lucky enough to have Emily's sister Sarah stay with us while Em recovered. After only a few days she left us with tons of advice, recipes and pictures. Thanks for your help and your sacrifice (leaving your family behind) while you were here Sarah.

Then Emily's mother Ann came to stay with us for about a week. Due to recent eye surgery, Ann was unable to fly, but thanks to her husband Tony she was able to come just the same. They drove here from Green River, Wyoming arriving on a Sunday night. The next morning, Tony flew home to work out the week, and he returned Saturday to drive Ann home. The whole plan (to be quite honest) sounded ludicrous upon initial hatching, but the help it offered was soooo appreciated. so my next thanks go to Ann for all her help, advice and groceries; and to Tony for being such a nice guy.

The third wave of visitors only said a teary-eyed goodbye this morning. My parents flew in last Wednesday and spent a great week with our new little family. I felt bad for a while there, because they came as I started my finals. They were not only understanding, but they pushed me to study. I had also left off writing a paper until only a few days before it was due... so like me, but not so smart to have procrastinated knowing what the end of this month would be like. My mom spent (who know how many) hours working on the dress for Himaya's blessing, and it was fantastic. Blessing dresses are supposed to be way too long (according to an unwritten rule) and this dress pulled it off nicely. She was beautiful. So my last thanks for now go out to my mom and dad; for making the dress, making the trip, putting up with my studying/procrastination, for all the restaurants and for the good company.

I understand that in the near future, Em's dad (Bob) will be coming for his turn to see us and to see his new grand-daughter. When he comes, I will be sure to get that up here too. I wanted to apologize again for falling down on the job (blog-wise) . I would make some promise to be better, but that would just end up being used as ammunition against me someday if I slack off again. Thanks for stopping by, and for caring about our family and I hope you have a great day!

Branch

Catching up

2008-04-15T23:09:00.002-05:00

Wow... I can't believe Himaya is already a week old. We came home last Friday around 4:30 pm, and the first thing we did is take a nap (Emily's sister Sarah made us). As all babies do, Maya has lost a bit of weight since the initial weighing, but because she was so small to begin with, the pediatrician has had us back to the hospital twice now for weight checks. They sad yesterday that if she doesn't put some weight back on by next Monday, they will likely put her on a supplement. Other then the weight issue, she is doing really well. I wouldn't say that it has been a breeze but things are going ok. It was really great having Sarah here to help us over the weekend, and now it's great to have Em's mom here until Saturday. There is so much to learn about taking care of a baby, and they have been amazing resources. Last night, Maya slept fairly well... she was up at almost exact 3 hour intervals, and after eating/changing, she went right back to sleep. The night before, however, was another story entirely. Sunday night, she was up about every hour and was always hungry. Then, all 4 times we had to change her she screamed her head off from the time she made the diaper-deposit until she was re-wrapped in a blanket and picked up. Our neighbors must hate us already. It really sounded as though we were slowly torturing, and eventually brutally murdering a cat in our apartment every few hours.
I am amazed at how quickly a person can absolutely capture my love. From the first time I held her while the doctor was still finishing with Emily, I looked down at Himaya, and I knew I would do anything for her. I knew that she had almost complete control of my life, and that she already had me wrapped around her tiny little finger. Every time I hold her, I can hardly take my eyes off of her. I just look down and smile, wondering what she is thinking and dreaming about. I can't believe we get to keep her... it's like a dream that has finally come true.

The First Day

2008-04-11T00:10:00.004-05:00

Let me first apologize for the lag in posting... I hope it doesn't seem as though I lost interest. If I thought that yesterday was great, it was nothing compared to today. Yesterday she spent the majority of the day sleeping, but was almost never in her bassinet, cause we couldn't put her down. Then the night came, and she was awake the whole time. She spent most of the night down the hall in the nursery, returning every 3 hours for feeding. The nurse kept telling us that she wasn't sleeping, but she wasn't crying either. She just laid there and looked around. This morning I begrudgingly went to class, thought it is only across the street and takes only about 5 minutes to get there from here. I came back and ate lunch in the middle of the day, and we had quite a few visitors. We hung out and she was awake for most of the evening, and we even went for a walk. Emily is looking forward to getting home tomorrow, though she is a little nervous about losing her safety net (doctors, nurses, lactation consultants, etc.). Here are a few pictures we snapped today, and a video as well. Thanks for stopping by to read about our little family!

Branch Emily and Himaya

More about Himaya

2008-04-09T14:50:00.005-05:00

Just now thinking about it, I realized that I should mention the significance behind the name Himaya. I had a great opportunity to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Philippines, and I was there for about 2 years. While there, I learned to speak a dialect of Filipino called Ilonggo (ee-long-oh). One of the many many words I learned was Himaya, which means glory in Ilonggo, and I thought that was the perfect name for a baby girl. Other important information on our new baby girl, is that we just got her back from the nursery, and we just found out that she is 20 inches long (tall)... a piece of info that we had been waiting for since they took her for examination at 10:30 this morning. Here are a few more pictures, and another video. Enjoy!

Introducing Himaya Grace Hunsaker

2008-04-09T09:59:00.006-05:00

The doctor got here at just after 8:00 this morning, and when she checked Em, she said that she was ready to start pushing. For the first about 40 minutes Emily was talking and smiling between sets of pushing, but after they turned down the epidural, it got a little harder. The last 20 minutes were a lot harder on Emily, but at 9:15 am Himaya Grace Hunsaker was born. She weighs 6 lbs. 1 oz. and we will find out the length in a little while after she goes to the nursery. She is the cutest baby I have seen, but I may be biased in my opinion. Her are some pictures and a couple of videos. Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Branch Emily and Himaya

Comfortably numb...

2008-04-09T06:11:00.004-05:00

Well at about 5:20 am, Emily's pain crossed the threshold of what the stadol could do for her, and she bolted upright in the bed. The staff here are amazing, and within about a minute they had 3 nurses, and an anesthesiologist in here. Em said that while she was worried that it was going to hurt to get the epidural, all she felt was the first poke and burn of the local anesthetic. By 5:30 she couldn't even feel the contractions any more, and after the nurse was finished tying up all the loose ends, still loopy from the 3am stadol, she went to sleep. Before I could finish this blog, she woke up at 6:15 and said that she thought her water had just broken. I got the nurse who conferred, and withdrew her earlier prediction of noon for a delivery time saying that 10am sounded a lot more realistic. It's easy to feel like we are almost there, but I know the roughest part is looming on the horizon.

Progress

2008-04-09T03:18:00.003-05:00

The labor is progressing, and Em is having a hard time finding a comfortable position. We tried the bed and couch in all positions as well as the rocking chair. Up until now, the pain has really only been in her back, and she has been having semi-low level contractions for 6-7 hours, but she is only dilated to between 3 and 4 cm. Now that the pain has moved to her abdomen, the nurse just gave her Stadol for the pain, and Phenergan to keep her from feeling nauseous. Right after the nurse administered the dose, Em fell asleep again, and I hope she will sleep for a few more hours (since she has only got 3 hours in bits n' pieces). Looking at the monitor, I can see that after the meds, her contractions have dulled considerably, and are fewer and further between.

Easy labor

2008-04-08T19:57:00.004-05:00

Now that things have settled down, and the nurse has given Em some medicine to slowly start the process of labor, Emily is in a much better mood. Especially when she has her favorite things in life (i.e. a strawberry slush from Sonic, Reese's peanut butter cups and American Idol). She is about to have some ambien, and get some sleep so she will be well rested for the work in the morning. If anything new crops up, I'll be sure to post it. Otherwise, have a good night and wish us luck!

P.S. I just now figured out how to add videos to this blog, so I won't use that other site any more.

Branch

Turn Baby Turn!!!

2008-04-08T16:51:00.001-05:00

Woo Hoo!!! They were able to get her to turn after all. Though it took forever to get the required personnel and get Emily ready, they get her to turn with a maneuver that can only be described as an attempt to unscrew Em's belly like a jar lid. To tell the truth, it was freaky to watch, but the after effects were worse. Dr. Littles said that manipulating the uterus can cause some vagal nerve distress, and thats exactly what Em experienced. She said that it didn't hurt nearly as bad as she was led to believe, but after it was over Emily went pale and kinda started choking on her tongue, then her blood pressure dropped to about 55/34 (for readers who may not be aware... 55/34 is not good - it's bad). The Dr. put her head down and started squeezing her I.V. bag like she was wringing out a wet washcloth. They gave her some ephedrine and within a minute or so she perked right up. The Dr. wants to keep an eye on her for about an hour before they start induction, and they are going to take it slow and easy. They said that she will most likely deliver tomorrow morning. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Branch

Pre-spin update

2008-04-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

Dr Littles was finally able to get here, and the first thing she wanted to do was to check the position of the baby and make a spinning plan. She also checked the fluid level because she was a little doubtful of the fluid level reported from last weeks ultrasound. She decided that the level is not as high as was reported. So, not wanting to just give up and go straight for the C-section, we are going to try the version (baby spin maneuver thinggy). The nurse just showed up to administer the muscle relaxer, and in five minutes or so, they will give it a try. Keep in mind though, that a time-line never flows like it should around here.

The update as of 10:20 am

2008-04-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

Well... today may be a game of hurry-up and wait. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am as directed for the 9:30 "baby-turning", but we just found out that we will have to wait until 12:30 for the doctor to get here. There will soon be videos from throughout the day at http://branchemily.myphotoalbum.com it will be in the D-Day album (D for Delivery). Anyhow, Ill keep you posted!

Branch

Almost there...

2008-04-04T13:03:00.000-05:00

Emily and I went to see her doctor yesterday for what was hopefully her last visit. Dr. Littles made us an appointment for Tues. the 8th at 9:30 am in the labor & delivery ward of the hospital. Of course, it still may not go according to Hoyle due to the baby still being breach. The plan (as it currently stands) is that Dr. Littles will hook Em up to a lot of monitors, and then she will try to turn the baby for delivery by pushing on the outside of Emily's belly. The procedure is supposed to range from being uncomfortable to painful, and Em is not exactly excited for that part, but if thats what it takes....
Of course the monitors are there for a reason. If in the process, Himaya should have a dramatic change in heart rate, or if they think the cord has been pinched, they will perform an emergency cesarean... but we are hoping it doesn't come to that. The C-section might also be warranted if Dr. Littles can't get her to turn. Either way, the time is finally come, and I couldn't be more excited!

Feeling Shellfish

2008-03-29T17:55:00.001-05:00

The baby is coming sometime soon... like in the next few weeks. With this in mind, and the realization that our livelihood was in for a drastic change, we decided to have a day to do what we really wanted (for ourselves). We called it a "shellfish day" because it included a trip to Joe's Crabshack for crab. It was really good. Other than that, we went to a movie, and to Walmart. We haven't decided what else we are going to do later, but it'll be fun.

Making Changes

2008-03-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

So its on... I was watching TV last night and saw an hour long show called "I Can Make You Thinner" and I found it to be really interesting. The guy has 4 golden rules, and claims that by sticking to them, a person could really lose a good amount of weight. I decided that of all possible weight-loss plans I could try, this one isn't even close to being the worst. I will have to keep you all posted on how things go, but I have a good feeling about this plan.

-Branch

What a great day...

2008-03-22T23:27:00.000-05:00

Today Emily and I had a really fun day. We started out with a church breakfast/Easter celebration which turned out to be a lot of fun, and made me so excited to have Himaya joining the egg hunt next year. Then we got to meet Krystle and Barry (friends from Wyoming) and others for lunch in Lewisville. It was nice to see them and to finally see their 7 month old son Grayson. After we left Bennigans we headed to Plano to the dollar theater and watched Mad Money, which turned out to be a pretty good movie. After stopping off at Walmart, we came home and just relaxed. Then we had some good fun dying Easter eggs. I couldn't have wished for a better Saturday!

-Branch

My BIG plan...

2008-03-20T07:49:00.000-05:00

I think a weight loss plan is more than warranted at this time in my life. I haven't thought of myself as thin or as being "in shape" for over 5 years, and I want to get back to that point again. This has been gnawing away at me for quite some time now, but was exacerbated by yesterdays class activities. I have known for months that when we got into studying the spine and all the different orthoses that are used in treating spinal deformities, I would have to be shirtless in front of others. Let me just say that there is nothing that will better snap you to the reality of your size like seeing a plaster model of your abdomen. It really blew my mind. Like I said, I know I am on the chunky side, but seeing exactly how big I am brought me to see the gravity of the situation. I don't have an exact plan worked out yet, cause the shock hasn't completely worn away yet, but I am going to put measures in place to get myself in better shape. I know I have said this time and time again, but I think yesterday scarred me for life. I don't want to be self conscious of my size anymore. If you read this, do me a favor and encourage me.

Life in its current state

2008-03-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

My Life.

I am in a really happy place right now. There are a few goals or ambitions that I have sought after, or I guess always wanted in my life. Even since I was somewhere around middle-high school age I wanted the family life. I always knew that the ultimate goal for me, would be to find and marry someone whom I thought I could spend the rest of eternity with. Emily is that person. We are about as perfect for each other as any 2 people in the world could possibly be. After finding a wife, I wanted to have a family, and its finally happening for me. After 4 great years since we were married, Emily and I are having our first baby in April. Himaya (undecided-middle-name) Hunsaker. Although I try not to freak out (and do a pretty good job at it) there are times where I wonder "what are we thinking?" Even though we really have no clue about parenting, we know it will work out for the best... I am sure we will not do any permanent psychological damage before we get a hang of things and get comfortable with the idea of being parents.

Aside from accomplishing my family-life goal, I have also always wanted to get into an interesting, and driven field. Almost nobody ever finishes college and works in the profession they thought they wanted when they were in High school. In fact 50% of college freshmen who declare their major, will change their mind and study something else...thats just the freshmen though. I am one of the few who has gone into the field they wanted to when they were 16. Thought there are changes that could be made to the curriculum (and staff), I am happy as a whole about the education I am receiving. With only 1 year left, I can't imagine life without school, teachers, studying and tests; but I am enthralled by the prospects of finding a permanent job. Thats something I have never done before in my life. I have always known that there would be a maximum amount of time I would give to any one employer, because it was always a means to an end. In a few years, after I am certified and after I have worked in the field long enough to be taken seriously, I want to open my own practice. I want to see patients and help them get around the obstacles that have been put before them. Finally... there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

So my life is reaching a high-point in my opinion... could things be better?