GO BREE!!!

This week is getting better and better! Yesterday and today she has been on full strength formula at feeds of 150 cc's 3 times a day and we've had no vomiting. Tonight is the first night we are doing half strength formula instead of pedialyte so wish us luck! I should start blogging about sleep deprivation more often because last night Bree slept from 7 to 530!!! Much improvement from previous nights!



 We had a check up  with Bree's eye doctor on Thursday and he said she is the fastest healing kid he's ever seen. :) In other news, she has started crawling!!!!! She surprised both us and the physical therapist. She is taking off and is pulling herself up on stuff and standing on her knees. She is such an amazing little girl! GO BREE!

Sleep deprivation

When we decided to have kids, I knew that when they were babies they would rob me of my sleep. However, I thought that it would only be 'the worst' when they were first born and woke up every two hours. Ahhh..those were the days! At least there was a schedule of sleeping. Wake up, feed baby for 30 minutes, lay down....try to go to sleep for 1/2 an hour...wake up in an hour to feed baby again. Now, since they are bigger...we have good days and bad days. (okay, so they are really nights...that's what I meant to say)

Lately, we have had more bad days/nights. Bree caught a bug after her surgery and has been throwing up 24/7. It doesn't seem to be contagious because no one else has it so I wonder if it is a reaction to anesthesia. She is a sensitive little girl ya know! Today was the best day we have had in a week. She took 3 feeds of full strength formula at 150 cc's each. We are going to do a night drip of pedialyte tonight again just to make sure she is back on track (night drips of formula make her vomit pronto right now). So, wish us luck that she sleeps better than the 3 hours of sleep we all got last night. Sigh. Good night everyone. Sweet dreams.

Smiles

Smiles can melt my heart. So can hugs, but today it was smiles. The sweetest smile I got today was from our friend's daughter Ella. (You can read her story here) She has a critical immune system and was unable to make our Christmas craft playdate so Riley, Bree and I brought the crafts to her, her sister and her mom.

When we first arrived Ella was relaxing and resting on the couch. Celine, Ella's mom, informed me that Ella had been like that for most of the week. She just didn't have the energy to get up and do much. However, after some coaxing, Ella built some towers with Bree, then took a rest again. She played a little...then would rest again. However, when Ella found the bag of construction paper, stick glue, and cotton balls she perked right up. She was very patient when asked to wait until I was done feeding Bree.

While we were doing the crafts, her little face light up and you could tell she was really enjoying herself. It was when I brought out the red paint to fingerpaint the nose on the reindeer that she smiled. She was so proud of herself for making the nose AND the eyes out of the red paint. My heart seriously melted into a puddle of happy goo tonight. Ella is such a sweet little girl and I love every little bit of her!

It's a Dora song!

Sunday night we had a family boogie down party complete with Christmas music! Riley played her guitar, danced, sang and spun in circles! Bree played drums, sang and danced by rocking back and forth and shaking her cutie booty! Adam and I supervised, danced along with, clapped and made fools of ourselves...and we loved every minute of it!

At one point in our festivities, Adam and I were playing with Bree while Riley was spinning circles in the living room to the music. All of sudden Riley stopped, put her finger in the air and declared "It's a DORA SONG!". I reassured her that no, the tv wasn't on, so it isn't a Dora song. Thirty seconds later, I started really listening to which song it was because Riley was again declaring it was a Dora song. Lo and behold....it was Feliz Navidad! My smart little cookie realized that it was Spanish!

Sometimes Riley amazes me. She's a unique, silly, smart, special little girl. And she's mine. She makes me proud.

Baby steps

No, Bree's not walking yet...but she is on the move! Adam reported to me that while I was at school observing this morning, Bree took her first "crawling steps" today! That's right she crawled!

Now, I don't think she understands the entire concept that she can go all over, but she understands that she can torment Riley. I saw her crawl a little bit today (like 5 inches) to get to Riley so she could pull on her shirt. And...she also broke one of Riley's toys today.

This is going to sound weird but seeing Bree pick on Riley and break her toys just makes me a happy little camper! Now, ask me that in a year and I am sure I will have a different answer, but for today, I am happy.

Picture post!

It's been quite a while since I posted some pictures on here...(too long if you ask me). So, here are the family pictures that our wonderful friend (and marvelous photographer!!) Carrie Fay took for us recently. Here is her website if you happen to live in the state of Arizona (or feel like flying her to your location): http://amarobabyphoto.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the news today

As a fan of the Duggar family and their show "18 kids and counting", I couldn't help but gasp and feel my heart sink as I read that their newest daughter (who makes 19!!) was born early due to pre ecclampsia. Little Josie Brooklyn Duggar weighed in at 1 lb 6 ounces and arrived last night via emergency c section. My heart goes out their family.

On the other hand, I do not ever want to wish prematurity upon ANYONE, but I am anticipating how the prospect of their tv show will show the struggles of prematurity that not only Josie faces, but how it affects the family as well. There are already news articles saying that the baby will be 'fine'. Really? Have they ever seen the inside of a NICU? Have they seen the babies around your child die? At two days of age, they cannot predict that she will be fine. Of course, that is everyone's wish and hope, but it is a bit premature to be saying that. (No pun intended)

(This was Bree at 4 days old when I saw her for the first time. Josie Duggar probably looks similar.)

Many many people do not understand that a premature baby is not just a small baby. It is a small baby that is not developed and not ready to be in this world. Since it has been forced into this world too early, surrounded by lights, needles, tape, and people among other things, the normal process of development that should be taking place in the womb is delayed, and some parts of development are halted or altered.

I pray and I hope that little Josie has an uneventful stay in the NICU and maybe in 3 or 4 months will get to join her family at home. However, her medical journey will not likely end there. It will, however, be publicized on TV for the whole world to see and to understand prematurity just a little bit more than they did before.

Seeing Red

Mommy Song!

Riley has taken a liking to guitars. They can be real, or just play ones, but she likes them. Yesterday she grabbed her friend Ethan's guitar and started strumming and singing "Numanumanuma!!!! EEETTtttthhhhEEEE!!! Ethee's song!"

Today she has graduated from that to whoever is listening to her she substitutes in their name and ends with "Yeahhh..." (input jazz hands here). So she had a giant lime green guitar around her neck (Wonder who picked out the color??? Hmmmm) strumming and singing "NUMA numa numa numa Mooooommmmmmyyyy! Numa numa numa Mommy's songgggg! YEAH!" I swear, I am going to die from the amount of cuteness in this house one day.

To top it all off, she insisted on taking her guitar with her to bed (which I allowed since it doesn't make any noise or have buttons or batteries) and she is now spooning with it while sleeping. Sigh. She cracks me up.

Surgery update

Bree's surgery went well. We have some eye drops we need to put in three times a day for the next week. Her eyes are bloodshot and look horrible, and she is quite cranky. This is the worst we have seen her act with any surgery. She is sleeping a ton, but when she is awake she is crying, flailing and fussing. So, today will be an interesting day since Adam has to go to work at 3. Riley is very spirited and doesn't understand to be quiet since Bree doesn't feel well. Right now, Riley is down for a nap (she woke up at 430) and Bree is napping on Adam.

Wish me luck on the rest of the day!

'Twas the night before surgery...

..and all through the house, no children were stirring, and Bree was sleeping with a stuffed mouse!

The diaper bag was packed, with careful care, knowing that in 10 hours, we would be there.

For now Bree is snuggled all warm in her bed, with visions of crinkle toys dancing in her head.

With I doing schoolwork, and Adam drinkin' a night cap, soon we'd be having a brief nighttime nap.

For in a few hours, the alarm will clatter...and we will spring from our beds...to realize what was the matter!

To pack up the car, and drive away in a flash...we'd be off for her surgery...in a mad dash!

We'll use the GPS because we don't know which way to go...this time her surgery is at St. Joe's!

When we arrive we'll sigh and say "We're here!"...for then we will know we are in the clear.

The prep will start, it will go so quick! It will be time for surgery, and she'll be taken back by a guy named Nick.

The waiting will begin, and we will hope to see...success on the face of the person who comes to inform me.

"Her surgery is over, it went as well as it could...now come on back and snuggle with her, as you should!"

This is a best case scenario and true it will be.......just you wait your pretty little self and you will see! :)

Skip a dee doo dah...skipped last Friday!!

Oops! I skipped Friday! My best friend Ashley, her son (my godson) William, and their "Mah Maw Ego" (grandma who lives in san diego) came through town and stayed with us on Friday and Saturday. They are driving from California (where Mah Maw lives) to Florida (Ashley and William's new duty station). Ashley's husband Fred has been in the desert for the past 6 months on deployment and will be coming back into the States tomorrow. I got so wrapped up in the fun of their visit I forgot to post! So, needless to say, I had a great time with their visit and one of these days I will get around to posting pictures of all the fun we had!

I have been in a weird rut as of lately. More down days than up days, and no particular reason why. If it continues I am going to need to go to the doctor to get this all sorted out. I seem to always be saying I need to go the doctor when I am having a streak of bad days, but then things brighten up and I forget all about it. Ah, the joys of life!

Speaking of life, little miss Bree will be having her eye surgery on Wednesday at 730 in the morning! Yup...we are the first surgery of the day! Which is great, but makes it difficult for us to find someone to watch Riley. Dropping a wide awake two year old off at someone's house at 5 in the morning is not something I have people beating down my door volunteering for. So, Adam's *lovely* (dripping with sarcasm) work has scheduled him for a class on Tuesday night (which he was suppose to have off) and he will be at work from 3 - 11. He will be getting home about midnight and there will be no point in having him go with me to a surgery that he is going to sleep through. So, instead of trying to find a babysitter for Riley, Adam will be staying home with her while I go with Bree to her surgery. Needless to say, I am a tad bit nervous about venturing out alone with this, but I am sure I can do it. It's more the drive home I am worried about. However, life will go on no matter if I am nervous or not so I will make the best of it.

Typing and tape

Tonight as I was (and am) typing, Adam is taking his turn at taping. Taping Christmas presents that is! Being a military family has made us to where we need to get presents out pronto! That post office gets busy fast around the holiday season and the earlier we can get our presents out to the family the better! We are about 3/4 of the way finished so hopefully we can have them sent off to family by the end of next week.

Another type of tape we are dealing with right now is red tape. All the documents and papers necessary for Adam to be prepared to go to Korea for a year need to be filled out. He got his orders yesterday for Korea. He will be leaving in early September 2010. So, he will just miss the girl's bdays, and we will miss his. However, we have a few friends that have been through the Korea deployment already who are offering some wonderful advice and help.

We as a family knew this would be coming soon so it does not catch us off guard at all. However, as I am sure you can all imagine...the idea of being without a member of your family for a year is not ideal. Necessary for the safety and service of our country...but not ideal for the family.

Yes, he is not going to a "declared" war zone, but he is going to to South Korea...which is really close to North Korea. The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, is not the most sane man on this planet and he likes to launch missiles and create nuclear weapons. So, tell me, would you feel safe if your loved one was sent there? (I have already had many comments of "at least he's not going to a war zone" and I am already tired of them)

On top of my game

Today, I felt on top of my game. It was a busy crazy filled day, but it was a day that I felt was productive. I went grocery shopping twice (because I forgot to buy baby food the first time), Bree had speech where she ate half a thing of yoplait yogurt for Stacy, I wrapped presents (which I need to go do again after this), deep cleaned Bree's crib, put away laundry, made dinner, fed Bree, played with kids, made Riley help me pick up the living room, got them both into bed (Bree was 15 minutes early), and now I am here.

I still have a few hours left that I can do things in, so off I go!


BUT...not without a fun story from today! You didn't think I would leave it at that...did you? Bree has been a sitting up machine lately, and Riley is not without her own little advances as well. Riley decided to put her crayons to bed today. She put them in her little people christmas stable, shut the gate (or gape as Riley would say), and got down on all fours, leaned her head on the ground to say "G'night!!". She then informed me that they are tired and are going to sleep. In order for them to be put back where they belonged we had to take each of them out, name them by color and put them to bed (in the red bucket we have). "Good night orange. Good night blue. Good night red. Good night black. Good night gray. Good night brown."

And...we're off!

School has started yet again for me so on Tuesday and Thursday nights the posts may be a little skimpy. That's okay though because I will make up for it!

Today Bree had the measurements taken on her eyes for her surgery next Wednesday. He said there was a slight deviation from last month but nothing horrible. So, the plan is for on Wednesday the 9th to have her surgery. We'll know more details next Monday when they set the time for surgery.

No news yet today on Grandma. I tried to call a few moments ago and got a busy signal on their phone. So, that means at least someone is home. I will try again before I go to bed.

Riley also came up with a cute new thing today. She was trying to get a ball that was stuck just out of her reach, and all of sudden she stops, puts her pointer finger in the air and says "Have an IDEA!!!!!". She went and got a stool to stand on, and then could reach it. I have NO clue where she learned that from, but now everything is an "IDEA!" from her. :)

Prayers for Grandma

I would really appreciate it if you all could keep my Grandma in your prayers. She lost the eyesight in her right eye on Wednesday and after visiting the eye doctor found out today that she will be having surgery to repair a detached retina tomorrow morning. She was told that only 1 in 5000 ever have this condition and there is no known cause. Somehow her retina detached and folded itself in half...the surgery is tomorrow at 10:00 am pacific time.

My Grandma, (or Nana as Riley calls her), is the best grandma that there is. No really...she is. She can make ya anything you want or need, whether it be a blanket, some homemade mac and cheese or a new Christmas bow to hang out on the lights in the front of the house. (Can you tell I just hung the bows she made me last year?) She has the biggest heart you can imagine and would give you the shirt off of her back if you needed it. I have learned so much from her and I proud to say that in many ways I am like her. It is not just the color of our eyes that we share, but we both delight in helping others, making crafty 'stuff', and we both cherish and love our family.

We love you Grandma/Nana and we wish we were closer so we could come take care of you after your surgery tomorrow! We will be praying and sending eye healing vibes your way! XOXOXO!

Weekend post?!

Since I missed yesterday's post...(I was exhausted last night!!!) I would like to ask a small question to all of you who have kids. When you go out, do you get stopped and commented on your kiddos? We always get comments on how sweet and smiley our girls are. It warms my heart to hear others compliment their behavior when out in public (which we sometimes get the opposite when Riley is in time out in the store....screaming on the ground). I am grateful for the kindness of strangers, and for the ability of my children to put a smile on the face of someone. I guess the Christmas spirit is starting to stir inside of me as we drag out our Christmas decorations this weekend.

So, at least once a day, compliment a complete stranger, or hold open a door, or help an elderly lady pick up a dropped package...pass on the love and encourage others to do the same. You'll be surprised how much of a difference it can make in someone's day.

Silly, snuggly, happy

Quick post this evening as I have to get to bed so I can get up SUPER EARLY to go shopping....

We spent Thanksgiving as just the four of us this year. It was kind of nice, and we spent the day running  a few errands, cooking, and beginning to pull out the Christmas stuff. When we sat down to eat dinner we all decided (okay, Adam and I decided) that we would each have a small glass of egg nog to go with our dinner. Riley had never had it so when she took a drink, her little eyes lit up and she said "ICE CREAM!!!!!!" She absolutely loved it! Adam and I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't ice cream. Come on, she thought we were the best parents in the world for letting her drink ice cream with her Thanksgiving dinner.

Now, with that being said..for SOME reason she didn't eat too much of her dinner. Adam had already finished his plate and when Riley looked over and saw his plate empty she decided she was done too. Adam told her to go ahead and make her plate empty. She picked up her plate and put it on top of Adam's empty plate and said "Ta - duh!". Ha ha...smart little girl!

I am thankful for my silly, snuggly, happy little family.

I know what I am thankful for....do you?

I am thankful for the people who have helped Bree become who she is today. I am thankful for the doctors, nurses, friends, family, and even the random strangers who have offered words of encouragement and stories I can relate to. This past year has been the roughest one I have had so far... but that only means next year can be better.




I am thankful for my husband who understands that it is also his job to help with the girls and with the house. Not many wives have that. I am thankful for my two girls who love each other dearly, and I cannot wait to see their bond strengthen as they grow up.



I am thankful for the friends who support us and help us out so much. I wish there was more I could do besides offer my thanks and extend an offer of a "trade off" of watching kids, but it is what it is. I am thankful to have understanding friends.



I am thankful to be me and to have the life that I have.

A day of firsts

1. While in bed suppose to be napping, I heard Bree fussing so I went in to check on her. I found her sitting up in her bed! I had laid her down so she managed to get herself up into a sitting position...this is the first time that has happened!

2. We went on a walk to the park earlier today. Bree likes to lean over the side of the stroller to see the sidewalk passing beneath her, which apparently freaked Riley out. She proceeded to try and push Bree's head back, and when that didn't succeed she told her "Be careful! Gonna hurt yourself!!" (melt my heart) This was the first time Riley expressed true concern over what Bree was doing.

3.  With both girls seated at the table ready to start eating (or in Bree's case, looking at) their dinner, I walked down the hall to get bibs for them. I heard Bree sneeze, followed by Riley's sweet voice: "Bless you Bree!" (double melt) Riley's first time "blessing" Bree.

4. Riley was playing in her toddle tunes car, and was waving and saying "Goodbye!!! I am going bye bye! See ya later!" She got in her car, shut the door, then stood up and stuck her head as far out of the front as she could. She looked and Bree and said "Bye Bree! I love you!" This was the first time Riley has said I love you to anyone without prompting. (Just so you know, I am a giant puddle of melting goo tonight...too much cuteness and heartmelting moments. Heeelllp mmeeeee...I'm melllltttinnnggg! Insert out streched arm here.)