Sunday, November 28, 2010

Sunday, November 28th, 2010






Daddy and I woke Mommy up at 2 am this morning because I had a nightmare about spiders. This is really unusual since I love spiders (remember I was a spider for Halloween). Daddy said I sat straight up in bed and I was terrified. I made Daddy take the blankets off my bed and wouldn't sleep in it the rest of the night. I told him the spiders were biting me. Daddy and I got in bed with Mommy for a little while until I calmed down and then I went back to my room and slept on the mattress on the floor with Daddy the rest of the night.


After all that drama I woke up in a good mood and was excited to see my cousin Jackson. He has been out of town visiting his grandparents in Tennessee so it's been a few weeks since I've seen him. A storm came in over night and the roads were very snowy so Mommy and I took Daddy's all wheel drive to get to Jackson's house. We had fun playing for several hours and when an evening dinner was cancelled due to the storm, we made plans to meet up after nap time at the mall for our annual visit to Santa.

I have been waiting anxiously to see Santa and tell him I want a firehouse play set for Christmas (see photo above). If anyone asks, I sign "firefighter" each and every time. (Good thing Mommy preordered the firehouse play set from Santa. In fact, it is already put together and waiting for Christmas morning down in the basement). Despite the lack of sleep, I was way too excited to settle down for a nap. The roads were awful but Mommy and I met Aunt Kristin and cousin Jackson at the mall at 4 pm. With it being a Sunday and all the snow, it was nice and quiet at the mall and there were only a few kids ahead of us in line. Jackson talked a lot about "ho ho" but was more interested in getting a snack and some milk then he was in sitting on his lap. On the other hand, I was jumping up and down in excitement (see photo above with the big smile waiting in line). And then it was our turn..... dun dun dun. As Mommy went to step across the threshhold and into Santa's den, I started backing away shaking my head vigorously and saying, "No, no, no!". Jackson did a repeat of last year and Aunt Kristin sat on Santa's lap while Jackson sat on hers. He let Santa know exactly what was on his mind - he wanted the snack and milk that his mommy had promised. Meanwhile, I continued to whine and protest at any attempt to sit with Santa, although I did relent and accepted a coloring book for him and gave him a wave. After Jackson and Aunt Kristin got their photos we got to go to See's and pick out a sucker. On our way out, the line was gone and Santa was sitting all alone. I gave him a wave and blew a kiss which he blew right back but still refused to sit on his lap.
It was a scary ride home on the snow packed icy roads. Even with an all wheel drive car, Mommy slid through one yellow/red light when she hit some ice. Luckily the driver turning left avoided hitting us. Mommy was relieved to finally make it safely home. Daddy went back out to shovel the deck for my furry brothers and snow blow the drive way. I was pretty worn out and after a bath and a trach change I fell asleep after just a few minutes reading my books and the snow is still falling.
Peyton Nicole Smith

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

I consider myself very blessed that I had many places to go this Thanksgiving. To be honest, the holiday is a little lost on me because I didn't eat a single thing at any of the places we went. Give me a cup of soda, though, and I am happy to visit anyone and everyone.

First we went to Karen's for a traditional turkey feast around 1 pm. Then at 4 pm we had our second turkey meal at Grandma and Papa Smith's house. We finished up the night with dessert at Grandma and Grandpa Mower's around 7 pm.

Because of the holiday, I came home from preschool with several of the classic art projects - images of turkeys made from prints of my hands. Now with only three fingers and a thumb on each hand, my turkeys looked just a little different from the rest of the kids in my class. I could have cared less and when I brought one project home I kept telling my parents about my foot. My parents figured I must be confused since it clearly had my hand prints all over it. It wasn't until several days later that my Mommy realized that although the feathers of the turkey were made with my hand prints the body was actually my foot print. Talk about not seeing the forest through the trees - my Mommy was so focused on my unusual hand prints that she never even noticed my foot print at all!

Peyton Nicole Smith

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

The blizzard of 2010! With a set of bald tires that Mommy procrastinated replacing, she was thrilled to hear that there was a blizzard warning today in Utah. My parents have lived in Utah most of their lives and can't remember ever hearing a blizzard warning. The newscasters were in a frenzy this morning discussing the dire predictions for the evening commute. Apparently, between the hours of 3-6 pm the storm would roll into the Salt Lake Valley at 50-60 mph with 4-5 inches of snow at a high temp below freezing. Super!

The University of Utah (school not hospital) closed the campus at 2 pm as a precaution as did other colleges around Utah. Most school districts cancelled after school activities and some cancelled school the next day. Many businesses started sending employees home as well. Mommy's department (University of Utah hospital not school) decided to follow suit and allow employees to leave early to beat the storm if they wanted. Mommy had already planned on leaving a little after 2 pm as I had a 3 pm therapy appointment. She was a little nervous during the hour I was in therapy (no windows so she wasn't sure if she would be snowed in by the time we were done) but she was pleasantly surprised to find nothing had much changed in an hour and home we went. When Daddy called a little after 5 pm he said the skies were very dark and forboding and Mommy was glad he was headed home. Around the time he pulled in, the snow began to fall. After a few hours it became clear that the blizzard of 2010 was not all it was forecasted to be. There were no winds to speak of and it only dumped an inch or two. It was dang cold though - so they did get something right!

Peyton Nicole Smith

Sunday, November 21st, 2010



Because my parent's date night to celebrate their anniversary was cancelled last week when both Mommy and I were sick - my Grandma and Papa Smith graciously offered to take me over night last night so my parents could get some time away. I had a great night and when I woke up was super excited to discover over a foot of snow had fallen while I was sleeping. My parents were not as excited but while Daddy used the snowblower on the driveway, Mommy dragged me around the front yard on my new sled. When it got to the point she was starting to lose feeling in her fingers she figured it was a good idea to bring me inside and let me thaw out.
Despite promises from my parents that snow was really just water, I wasn't in the mood to "taste" it so my Daddy put some snow in a clear bowl for me and we watched through out the day until it finally melted into water. I thought that was pretty cool but had no intention of tasting any snow at that point either.
Peyton Nicole Smith



Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Happy 4th Anniversary Mommy and Daddy! Standing before the fountain in Napa four years ago you never would have imagined all the hospital emergency rooms and doctor's offices in your future. You also couldn't have ever predicted the vast medical terminology you would acquire. But along the way you have had to learn to lean on each other when times were tough. And you also got to share in the joy of watching me grow and thrive. By the way, I will try my hardest to stay healthy next year so you don't have to cancel your date night (sorry about that)!

Peyton Nicole Smith

Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Mommy swears this is what she will be forced to do if she doesn't quit getting sick! Yes folks after the excitement of the Yo Gabba Gabba live concert wore off I was left with a little gift - another cold. Not surprisingly, Mommy started feeling sick about 24 hours after me. I have only been in school about three months and I have had five colds and one stomach virus. OK, now my parents knew that going to preschool I would be exposed to everything that I had previously been sheltered from. They knew it was going to be a tough year for me - Mommy just hadn't planned on her being sick EVERY time I was!

I started feeling bad on Thursday night but my nurse Cory was right on top of it. Friday morning I seemed to be over it initially but at Grandma's that day I had a fever I just couldn't shake and had a few bouts of vomiting. In the evening Mommy kept the fluids flowing almost non stop but still the fever would not go away. Daddy went to a movie with Jeff Friday night and Mommy got me to sleep around 9 pm. By 10 pm she was getting pretty worried because my fever was over 103 with Tylenol and my heart rate was up in the 170's. Luckily, Grandma brought over some Pedialyte so Mommy wouldn't run out during the night. A little after 10 pm I woke up and vomited a little. Mommy got me changed quickly and I was back to sleep in just a few minutes. After that, thing seemed to improve slowly but surely. By early morning my heart rate was almost back to normal levels and my temp was almost gone. Whew! Another close call but that's five colds since I started my asthma meds and not one resulted in a hospital stay. As far as Mommy is concered that's a pretty good track record.

Peyton Nicole Smith

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

With all the trouble I have had with my teeth my parents certainly don't look forward to my dental check ups. Not only is it stressful for me being held down while they pry my small mouth open to take a look but my parents still carry guilt over all my previous dental work which they get to be reminded of at each appointment.

As usual, I love wandering the halls of Primary Children's Medical Center until I am escorted into the exam room and see the dental chair. The whimpering began in earnest and shortly I was hiding behind Mommy's chair in hopes of avoiding what was to come. Despite promises of a new stuffed animal there was no improving my mood and Mommy and Grandma held me down for the exam. To Mommy's complete surprise the dentist said things looked good and considered having we wait six months before coming back. The last time I moved from exams every three months to every six months I ended up losing most of my teeth so Mommy is good with the three month plan for now. In addition to a new stuffed animal (a frog I now call Hopkins after Signing Times) I also got a new blanket and I got to add my name to (drumroll please) the No Cavity Club! OK so when you only have about six teeth and all but two are already crowned it's probably not that amazing that I have no cavities but it was a celebration none the less.

Peyton Nicole Smith

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010














The time had finally come - Yo Gabba Gabba Live!!!
Mommy bought these tickets the day I was admitted to Primary Children's last May with an upper respiratory infection. She remembers thinking at the time it was probably highly unlikely we would ever get to use the tickets since November is prime cold and flu season and pretty risky with my URI history. Who would have known that along would come asthma medications and this wouldn't be nearly so scary?!
Mommy and I went to pick up Daddy from work and then headed to the E Center (ok it's not actually called that any more but that is what it was called when my parents were growing up and that's how they will always refer to it). They had great seats two rows up from the floor. While Mommy was keeping me from losing it with the excitement, Daddy went and got me a Foofa t-shirt (yes, kind of like those concert t-shirts my parents got during their hard rock/heavy metal days), some food and an official yo-gabba-gabba mini light saber. Jackson wasn't feeling well so Noy and her girls used the other three tickets. After much anticipation the lights dimmed and the show began. My parents were worried it might all be a little much but they should have known - I was awestruck (kind of like Mommy at her first Nelson concert). I danced and clapped to the likes of "There's a Party in My Tummy" and "Hugs are Fun".
Some of the highlights of the night:
1. Brobee floating up into the air while holding on to some balloons.
2. Hundreds of balloons being dropped from the ceiling.
3. The bubble machines (nuff said)
4. The characters roaming through the audience (and being mobbed)
5. Cousin Traiton rapping with Biz Markee on stage.
What a night!

Peyton Nicole Smith

Saturday, November 6th, 2010




Oh the joy and the despair! It was surprisingly a great day in November in Utah so we went to the local elementary school to play. I had lots of fun hanging from the slide and getting on the see saw with Mommy and Daddy. The only other people on the play ground initially were an older couple and a 2 year old blond boy. At one point, the grandmother said to my parents, "Looks like you have some experience with Primary Children's." Mommy explained that they have only been going there in the last few months since we just moved from California. As they got to talking, the grandmother shared that her grandson has been in the NICU for several months now after he was born with his intestines outside of his body. They were trying to move them back in slowly but they eventually died. He was supposed to come home Monday but had an allergic reaction to some medication and was all swollen. The grandparents live in the area but the parents are living in Idaho. Mom moved to Utah with the 2 year old to be close to Primary Children's while the Dad comes on weekends to visit. They were at the hospital then and the grandparents were taking care of the older grandson. My parents chatted for a few minutes until they got ready to leave. Everyone shared their best wishes and off they went. Such a small world in some ways - tragedy strikes so many people. It made my parents appreciate again how well I am doing.
And then the despair.... That came when it was time to leave and I threw a pretty good tantrum - kicking off my shoes, throwing off my hearing aids and kicking like a banshee. Despite the embarrasment Mommy thought to herself - at least I am well enough to be at the play ground throwing a tantrum - right?

Peyton Nicole Smith



Saturday, October 30th, 2010





In true Peyton fashion, I can't just have an ordinary Halloween. No, I must make the rounds and visit every family member or friend within 50 miles (okay not quite). Here was the schedule for the night:
Stop 1 - Macy's at Fasion Place where Grandma Mower was working
Stop 2 - Karen's house in West Jordan
Stop 3 - Grandma and Papa Smith's house in Sandy
Stop 4 - My house to pick up Daddy
Stop 5 - Grandpa Mower's house in Sandy
Stop 6 - Aunt Kristin and Uncle Lonnie's house in Salt Lake
Stop 7 - Viv's house to visit Uncle Jeff
As you might imagine trying to cram all of this into a few hour time span was not as fun or exciting as it might sound. With it pouring rain out most of the night, that was the icing on the cake. But I was a trooper!
Despite my parents wanting to see me in the Cindy Lou Who outfit that wasn't going to happen and I dug in my heels and as you can see I wore my spider costume as originally planned (although without the hat that went with it). Mommy and I met Jackson, Aunt Kristin, Traition and Uncle Jason at the mall and went trick-or-treating together with Grandma Mower who was dressed as a clown. Initially, I wanted nothing to do with her but warmed up after getting some candy! Traiton's Mommy is uber talented and made a super cute Plex costume for him but it was a little difficult to walk in so he had to work hard for his candy!
After the mass chaos of the mall it was back in the car and out to West Jordan to visit Karen. She had not only candy for me but some other fun items like a flashlight and pumpkin socks! I helped her decorate a bit and then off we went back to Sandy to visit Grandma and Papa Smith. My cousins and Aunt Ruschelle were just getting ready to go out trick-or-treating and I got to play a while and finish my feeding before they headed out. Then it was time to go pick up Daddy. We made a quick stop by Grandpa Mower's house where I was his official first trick-or-treater of the night (it was pouring rain at this point so only the really committed kids were out and about). Then on to Aunt Kristin's where the neighbors got together and went trick-or-treating together. These guys have it together, though, they bring a back pack with some cold beer while they take their kids door to door. I don't think they really needed to cool the beer since it was seriously chilly out by that point. After navigating a few seriously dark hilly streets with sidewalks that were pushed up from all the tree roots I decided no candy was worth all the fuss and back in the car I went to head to Viv's to go visit Uncle Jeff.
Finally, my parents and I got a moment to relax and enjoy Viv's great cooking. By about 9 pm it was definately time to be heading home because my parents were exhausted! It took me some time to settle down from all the excitement. After all that trick-or-treating I only ended up licking a few Sour Patch Kids!

Peyton Nicole Smith