A Draining Week!

I think this week has had its share of ups and downs. What a roller coaster we've been on! It all started Sunday. We had been anticipating Sunday for quite some time. Our friends Shelly and Blake asked us to come over after church for lunch and hang out for the day so we didn't have to go home and come back into town for the church's Thanksgiving Supper on Sun. night. During church Daraby started to scream in pain and rejected the bottle even though she was so hungry. Eventually I had to go sit in the suburban with Daraby because she was to loud. Throughout the day she had up and down moments. She would scream in pain, sleep a little, eat a little and then coo for a bit. It was a bit confusing. In the end, we had a pretty enjoyable day. It was so nice to connect with Blake and Shelly, catch up with people at church and eat great meals.
On Monday Daraby continued to eat less and I figured she wasn't feeling so well but didn't want to get overly worried. The books and people say kids will vary in the amounts they eat. She was still cranky and cried quite a bit so I kept a close eye on her. By Tuesday she had only ate 7 ounces in 16 hours. I was horrified and took her into see the local family Dr in our town. I was hoping it was an ear infection and we wouldn't have to drive 2 hours to see the pediatrician. No such luck- Daraby was sick and the Dr was concerned. She told me to keep her hydrated with Pedialite and as much formula as she would take. I was stressed and very worried but didn't want to flip out. That night my mom drove down to help me out.
On early Wednesday morning we drove to the pediatrician. After seeing her reject the bottle he ordered a GI test in the hospital. For the GI test Daraby had to drink barium and then they took a whole bunch of x-rays of the fluid in her stomach to monitor the acid reflux/GERD. They also wanted to see if her intestines were in the right place. During the testing the nurses took Daraby and shooed us out of the room. In 10 minutes or less they called us back because Daraby was being inconsolable. When we got out of the hospital we went back to talk to the Dr. He said he didn't see anything of major concern. She has GERD and we've known that all along so once again we don't really have answers. He prescribed a different drug and said he hoped that helped.
At this point I'm really frustrated. Daraby has been on 3 different drugs and so far there has been improvement and then she regresses so they up the dosage amount. I hate having her on drugs especially drugs that haven't been approved for infant use. I don't want her to be sick and I want her to eat. I hate hearing her scream for hours in pain. I feel terrible as a mom for not being able to take her pain away. I just want answers.
On Wednesday afternoon we took Daraby to a wonderful Chiropractor. She was great. She wanted to know all about Daraby and her condition. Unlike so many Drs she wasn't rushed, she didn't want to give easy answers, she didn't just adjust her and say see you later. She sat and talked to us for 45 min or more and then loved on Daraby. She hung Daraby upside down and adjusted her hips and back. Daraby relaxed, cooed and drank an entire bottle. Something she hadn't done in days. It was a relief!
In the last three days Daraby has ate some but has been constipated. She has had happy and mad moments. She hasn't slept well and has been up several times a night. It is rather frustrating and concerns me that things aren't improving as much as I would have expected.
Today mom and I set up a booth at the Wesleyan Women's Craft Fair. I had been planning for this craft fair for at least a month- so I was so excited. I had made cards and Mom had sewed some pillows and burp cloths to sell. We did sell many items and got to socialize with many people in the community. Daraby, on the other hand, was upset and cranky so when Andrew got done hunting he came and got her and took her home. After the craft fair mom helped me pack up and get home and then she went back to SD. She is a true blessing. She stepped in several times when I or Andrew was to tired to take Daraby. It doesn't seem to phase her when Daraby is screaming her head off. I was thankful for help getting to the Dr and coming home. Thanks Mom!
Funny thing is after mom left Daraby seemed to get worse again. She was screaming and mad as can be this afternoon. She really didn't want to eat and couldn't go potty. I'm so worried, frustrated and sad. I suppose Monday I'll be making the trek back to the Dr to try to get some answers. In the meantime please add little Daraby to your prayer list and we try to understand what is going on with her body to make her feel so bad. Pray that she would start to eat more and digest her food properly. We just don't know what to do.

Life is Busy! 16 weeks!

Hello! It has been a few weeks since I've been able to update. Sorry about the lapse in time. We've been so busy and tired. As most of you know I've gone back at work. Thank goodness Daraby sleeps through the night! We put her down at 7:30 PM and she awakes at 5 AM and we leave the house by 5:45 so we can start work at 7 AM. Everyday we commute an hour to work and then we commute an hour after work. Many days I eat breakfast and put on my make-up in the pick-up. No need to get up any sooner! By starting earlier in the morning we are able to work more bison. On a good day we can work 275-300 bison. All in all we will run 5,000 head. We are hoping to be done by spring. :) Many weeks we only work bison 4 days a week and then play catch up on that extra day. When I say we "work bison" I mean we gather them with four-wheelers, put them in pens, bring them into the chute, give them vaccines and sort them.

It has been wonderful to get out of the house but tough to leave Daraby. Tracey and Johanna really enjoy having Daraby. They love her like their own and probably take better care of her than I do. She is pampered and loved. During the day Daraby gets to be outside with them doing chores: collecting eggs, milking goats, feeding hay etc... Every morning Daraby greets Tracey, Jeff and Johanna with a huge smiles and at the end of everyday she greets us with those same smiles. Daraby has grown so much. Currently she is 27 inches long but only 12 pounds. She is a long slender reed so her clothes don't fit very well- they are wide and short. She is continually moving arms, legs, and her head. Jeff-the husband of our sitter- has started to call her "wiggles." It is very appropriate. I have to make sure I hold on to her tight and she will throw herself around. When she lays on the floor it looks like she is riding a bike and waving her arms. The other day while she was laying and chilling out she let out a belly laugh. It was great! She chuckles all the time. Her best times are in the morning. Isn't she her father's child? Many times she will lie awake in her crib in the morning just cooing away for at least 15 minutes or more. She believes she is talking to us. She is very vocal. Isn't she her mother's child?

This last weekend we had a couple of our neighbors over to hang out. Brandon our co-worker came over with his girlfriend- Corrinda and her baby. It is great to get to know her better and put a name with a face. Then on Sunday we had our retired neighbors Jack and Barb over for buffalo steaks and bbq pork ribs. Yum. Jack and Barb just moved here last year so they are getting settled in like us. It has been a life long dream of Jack to live in the sandhills. Jack, like my neighbor Alice, loves to work with leather so he made cute little leather buckles for the stirrups he gave her. We love all the homemade gifts!

Well I suppose, I better get ready for bed. Andrew has been pestering me about bottles, laundry and left overs. I tell you, if it isn't the child crying it is the husband asking questions. By the time I get to bed to ask him questions he is dead asleep. Our work is pretty demanding on the body. The transition for me was a bit tough but by now I'm doing well. My body cried in pain for a couple days-rough four-wheeler, cold bitter wet weather, running in mud and muck, wearing 20 pounds of warm clothes, climbing up and down the catwalk, opening solid gates in strong winds, and standing on iron beams all day. Mind you, the boys never knew I was in pain and let's keep it that way. :)

I hope you all are doing well! Keep warm!

More Estes Photos

Emerald Lake

Boersma Family in Estes Park, CO

This last weekend we traveled to Estes Park, CO to meet up with Andrew's family. His sister and brother-in-law drove up from CO Springs area while his parents and brother flew in from MI. We all stayed in a nice cabin that overlooked the mountains. It was a weekend full of hiking, shopping, eating, site seeing, elk watching, fishing , miniature golfing and playing games. We had a great time seeing everyone and everyone enjoyed seeing Daraby. She has changed so much since they last saw her. For the most part she did really well! We hiked a lot with her sleeping in the front pack carrier. It's a good thing she loves being outside. On Saturday we hiked up to Emerald Lake. It seemed like we hiked the endless staircase. I thought it would never end. Once we reached the top there was snow and it was so cold. Daraby didn't mind the chill she just wanted her bottle.
For Andrew's Dad's birthday the boys went fishing for trout all day Friday. It was a learning experience. They were like billy goats climbing on rocks to get their lures in the little pools. Joel made us laugh as he whipped at the water with the fly rod- He was determined to get a fish. To their dismay, Andrew's dad was the only to catch a fish. However, we never saw the fish as it broke his line before he could get it out of the water. Oh the fish tails!
Several times throughout the weekend we spotted elk or (flocks of elks)- inside joke. In town the elk walked right down the streets. We saw two bulls ram horns right in front of us. Out in the park we saw at least a 150 elk grazing in a big meadow. It was funny to see a park ranger stopping traffic for the elk to cross the road from one meadow to another. In addition we saw several mule deer. One morning we were getting ready in the cabin and saw three bucks(deer) walking next to the cabin. Two of the bucks were 8 pointers while the other was a 6 pointer.
All in all it was a good weekend! Today I'm recovering from all the hiking. In actuality, I'm getting all of our stuff unpacked, laundry done, and packing up Daraby's stuff for the sitter tomorrow. Organization is the key! I better finish getting it done because tomorrow starts bison works and 5 AM rise and shine. I can't believe it is starting already. To add to the matters a cold front is coming in so it's only supposed to be 30 degrees tomorrow. Burrrr! I'm off to the basement to find winter gear. Keep warm everybody!

It's Fall?

We still take walks at night even in the cold. We just bundle her up well.


We just got home from a walk. Rosy cheeks!

Can ya'll believe it is fall? One day it was warm and the next it was chilly! Personally fall is my very favorite season. I love the crispness and fall activities -especially football. It is such a peaceful time of year.

Last Saturday we had our new neighbors up for brunch- Shelli, Jerad and Karma. They are a couple that is the same age as us and they have a girl that is 6 months old. They both grew up in this area but moved to eastern NE for college and just moved back here to be close to their families. It just so happens that they are renting a home on our ranch. Yippee! It was great getting to know them better and I think we shall be fast friends. It is fabulous to have friends our age again. We have so many mentors here and we are so glad to have a couple that is in our stage of life with a babe.

On Sunday afternoon we hung out with another family that is north of our home- Jeff, Tracey and Johanna. They are a terrific mentoring Christian couple that have a 23 year old daughter that is married and lives in WY and then they have a 6th grade daughter that they home school. They work for a neighboring ranch. Besides ranching they milk goats everyday and throughout the year they grow a enormous garden which they can and freeze. They've been busy bees so we were glad we caught them at a good time. Talk about a couple that has a ton of life and horse wisdom. It is wonderful to learn from them and ask them questions. We just found out this week that they would like to take Daraby while we work. They felt a prompting from the Lord to ask me if they could take her. We never thought they would have time to watch her. It is an answer to prayer as Daraby was set to go to daycare. I like the daycare in town but I like that Daraby is going to get personal attention from this family instead of going to daycare. It makes me feel so much better about returning to work next week. I can't believe it. Bison works starts Tuesday! It will be crazy hectic busy!

Today we are leaving for Estes Park to be with Andrew's family. We are pumped and I'm frazzled trying to make sure I get all the things we need. Daraby has more stuff to take than Andrew and I combined. :) I better get going. Thanks for keeping up with us. We appreciate it!