The First Noel

As my friends and I get married, have babies, live far from home, we struggle with where to spend the holidays.  Which family?  Do we travel to both?  Jason and I have traveled for every Christmas except one since we've been married.  It's exhausting and I've been saying, "once we have kids, we are staying home and making grandparents travel to us"

Well, we have 1 kiddo and we still traveled...

But next year we will stay at home and make our own traditions.  Everyone hold me accountable :)

We started our Christmas vacation on Thursday, making the trek north with baby and dog. It was amazing to spend 5 days straight as a family.  Jason and Evie had some quality bonding time without that silly thing called work to interrupt their time.  Evie transitioned beautifully sleeping through the night (between 10-12 hours) every night.  Parker was in dog heaven with extra loving hands to pet him and leather furniture.

Most of our stay involved food- it is the holidays after all.  We snarfed up 3 courses of homemade fondue on Friday night.  Great idea by Poppop after discovering the fondue pot in the basement. Even Evie was a chow hound during the holidays.  She stopped sucking her thumb as much while eating, allowing the spoon in my easily.  

We ate Christmas Eve dinner with the Stefany clan- my Aunt and Uncle from NH, Nana, and us.  It was nice to bring Evie to Nana's retirement home to meet all the lovely people that have been praying for her health for months.

Christmas Day was spent at G and Poppop's with the Stefany clan again. As you will see in the pictures, Evie was curious of the ribbon and wrapped gifts.  She put most gifts into her mouth. Even though it was her first Christmas, I didn't see the need to go overboard with gifts.  She doesn't understand the meaning of Christmas nor gifts.  She received a nice assortment of clothes, books, and toys. 

There is something special about going home.  I have lost myself during this difficult time and being back at my parents' house surrounded by the things that made me me, really rejuvenated me.  It was nice to walk Evie and Parker in a big neighborhood with sidewalks and walk past my elementary school.  Sitting down and playing the piano brought back so many funny memories of being silly with my sister and my mom yelling at me to "play it right!".  Playing music was such a big part of my life and I haven't played either instrument since I left college.  Darn you American Pie for making fun of banders and making me slightly ashamed of my past.  And even seeing my puzzles in the basement closet made me smile.  Spending 2 nights with my longest standing friend confirmed that it is possible to stay connected with friends for 20 plus years WITHOUT Facebook.

All 4 of us left Lancaster with renewed spirits for 2012.

And sadly no Lady Gaga sightings in Lancaster.  She is dating someone that graduated from a Lancaster high school.  She bought a house about 5 miles north of my parents.  She has been seen in local pubs and grocery stories.  Bummer.  I need to do my research on what she looks like without her costumes.  First one of the Bachelors was from my old high school, now Gaga.  Lancaster is the happening place to live!

Happy 2012 everyone!

Christmas 2011 - Lancaster

Twas the Days Before Christmas

Evie's first holiday season has been filled with just enough events to give her a taste of holiday spirit, but not too much to overwhelm.  We dressed her up and had some fun photo shoots with her cousins.  Since Aunt Jen is due Dec 26th, Grandmom will be in NC for Christmas this year. 

We celebrated Christmas with Grandmom early.  As expected, Evie found the boxes and wrapping paper to be very fun and interesting.  Parker loved the gifts as well.  Evie got lots of good loot from her Grandmom.  We didn't get a ton of toys for her baby showers, so it was nice to get some new stuff to explore.  Now we need to train Parker to leave her giraffe mat alone.  He seems to think every toy is for him to chew.

We will be in Lancaster for Christmas this year.  It will be nice to be home for the holidays!

Pre-Christmas

New Viewing Audience

I'm guessing by the jump in viewing activity, we have some new blog readers!  Welcome!!  I'm glad you found the back of our Christmas card :)

Let us know you are reading and possibly enjoying my commentary on Evie's life by leaving us comments.  We like to know who is reading.  No pressure- everyone reads them.

I try to post as much as I can.  Stop back periodically.  Happy reading!

There's a New Boss in Town

Just look at her, there is no messing with her.

Our daughter clearly tells us that she is T.H.E. BOSS.

If she doesn't feel like eating who hash or purees, she will firmly seal her lips.
If she doesn't want to drink her bottle, she will bat it away 20 times if needed.
If she is mad, she will scream at the top of her lungs.
If you are changing her diaper and she decides it's time to practice rolling, she WILL roll.
If she has gas, watch out!  (She gets this gene from her daddy)

She has been calling the shots for a long time.  It makes us laugh that our little 14 pounder is the biggest boss out there.  We felt it was time to change the blog to show her true colors. 

Step aside Parker, there is a new boss in town!

First Word!

Evie clearly said "Ma ma" today! She looked into my eyes and said it lovingly. She obviously knew she was saying my name.

Yeah right. I wish.

She DID say "ma ma" today while I was holding her. My heart melted.

She's been sucking in her lower lip recently, sounding like an old man with no teeth. Today she got going with this action and then made some new sounds. Ma ma being one of them! She looked confused when I reacted with excitement. She babbled throughout the day, always started with sucking in her lower lip to get her mouth moving to form words.

My baby is growing up so fast!

What are you Smokin?

Over the weekend I commented to Jason that it smelled like pot in our kitchen. As many of you know, we loathe our direct neighbors and it wouldn't surprise me if they were puffing away on the back deck. I opened the door to find no Dave Matthews Band concert aroma. Hmm

A few minutes later Jason smelled it again, this time in the front of the house. Double hmm

Never figured it out.

Until yesterday.

I was over at Sam and Laura's and smelled it again! I was starting to wonder if I was smoking in my hotness or what.

While holding Cole, Sam said how funky Cole's breath was.

Like POT?!?!

YESS! Ding, ding. I found the answer-

Puree bananas make your baby's breath smell like they are smokin' some weed.

Nice.

6 Month Check-up

Evie turned 6 months old on Thanksgiving! As usual, we had her check-up a few days late.

6 month stats:

Weight: 13 lbs, 15 oz (10-25%)
Height: 25 1/2 in. (25-50%)
Head Circumference: 43 cm (25-50%)

What is Evie doing at this age?

Sitting. Evie took to sitting very quickly. At first, she needed the boppy then strengthened those core muscles to sit unsupported. She will sit on the floor for 15 minutes by herself.

Making a circle on her belly. She likes her belly more than her back. She is moving her legs and torso in a way that allows her to turn while on her belly. She's made two complete circles this month.

Raking. Evie wiggles her little fingers over everything. She touches different objects interested in the texture. She touches the soft fur in her touch and feel books, furniture, faces, Parker, tableclothes, you name it, she touches it.

Exploring. As I said in my Thanksgiving pictures, she grabs at everything. See the same list as Raking above. Most things go in her mouth. She loves to look at the pictures (of her) on my cell phone. She grabs our plates on the table. I have toys in a box for her and she will pick them all out and throw them. Not loving her throwing toys, but I'm sure it's part of being a baby

Observing. Evie is curious about most things. She is mesmerized by the sound of the hair dryer and vacuum. She stares at the water as I fill my glass from the refrigerator or the faucet. Her head is constantly moving from side to side like she is watching a tennis match. She doesn't want to miss one thing. She enjoys watching and listening to her cousin Hannah.

6 months is so much fun. I like that Evie is starting to interact with us. Can't wait to see what she does in her 7 month of life!

6 Months

Give Thanks

We have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season: our families for their immense support this Fall during a very difficult time and for Evie's health.

We took a road trip to Raleigh, NC for Thanksgiving to celebrate with Aunt Jen, Uncle Matt, Grandmom, and Great Uncle Mike. Aunt Jen is 1 month away from her due date, so going to NC made sense this year.

Evie was a gem both ways in the car. She slept for 4 of the 5 hours and traffic wasn't too bad around DC. We arrived at our destinations happy :)

Visiting Aunt Jen and Uncle Matt was a sweet deal this year. Due to expecting a little one in the next month, they have a full stocked house of baby stuff and no baby yet. We basically brought Evie and her clothes. Evie adjusted to her new setting immediately (their dog helped). She slept through the night all 3 nights in an unfamiliar bed. I like to think all her hospital stays have created a flexible baby when it comes to caregivers and beds.

We enjoyed the beautiful 70 degree weather in the south by doing some Black Friday shopping, dart throwing in the garage, and putzing around downtown Raleigh. It was a great first long road trip for Evie. No complaints here!

Thanksgiving in NC

Sweetness

To this foodie, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Stuffing yourself with food is one of my favorite activities. In the spirit of this carb overload holiday, we gave Evie her first taste of something other than milk mixed with some flakes.

After some research and thinking of my own favorite veggies...

... hello sweet potatoes!

I think she like it!!

In the 'Hood

In my biased opinion, Evie is the cutest baby ever. Put her in a hooded sweatshirt and she'll melt your heart even more.

Evie is showing off her core strength with unassisted sitting! We put the boppy around her to avoid tumbles, but she's doing so well supporting herself. She would win the v-sit reach competition in gym class with her flexibility. She likes to lean forward and dive onto her belly from the seated position. Uncle Sam thinks she will be a gymnast.

She's so much fun to be around these days. I cherish every day with her watching her personality develop.

In Da 'Hood

Pumpkins and Penguins and Parkers, Oh My!

Halloween consists of four traditions in my world-

1. Pumpkin picking.

We spent a lovely day with Erin and Kevin hunting for pumpkins at Larriland Farms mid-October. When you are in the field, the pumpkins don't seem that big. I think ours were a little large this year- I was winded carrying them out of the car.

2. Pumpkin carving.

This is Jason's deal; I give him all the credit. He will be helping Evie with any kind of artsy projects. My favorite part of carving is roasting the pumpkin seeds. Yum!

3. Costumes.

Despite having a mother who is very creative and into costumes, I'm not a big fan of dressing up. I also wait until the last minute to think of something to wear. I wore nothing this year. The Hettinger crew contemplated being the Wizard of Oz as the following characters:

Dorothy- Hannah
Toto- Puppy
Lion- Cole
Scarecrow- Sam
Glinda, the GOOD witch- Laura

When Laura jokingly told Hannah that I would go as Auntie M, she emphatically told me that I had to dress as someone else, not myself. Hannah doesn't quite understand how I got the name "Auntie M".

As you'll see in the pictures, Sam, Hannah, and Puppy are the only ones to follow through with the Wizard of Oz. And Auntie M :)

We are all about hand-me-downs right now, so we went with the Pumpkin for Evster this year. It fit her perfectly and she looked so darn cute. I was envious of Cole and his adorable penguin tail feather.

4. Trick or treat.

Obviously Evie is too young, but we got into this holy-here-comes-pre-diabetes-holiday with our 3 year old niece. She came back a Popsicle from the chilly autumn evening with lots of candy to share!

Halloween

Who-hash

Disclaimer: My title is Auntie Laura language for rice cereal. As I was typing it, it sounds a little like a code name for drugs. My drug-free sister and I would know nothing about code names, so if it is, I am not feeding my child weed or smoking it myself.

Despite conflicting reports from Evie's doctors, we decided to give rice cereal a try. I was very skeptical at first since getting Evie to eat from a bottle was a 16 week, $100,000 investment. But since any extra calories in Evie is a plus, we gave it a whirl.

And she eats who-hash from a spoon at 5 months.

Solid.

I've seen enough slop pictures of infants eating solids that I know it can be a messy endeavor. Evie allowed the spoon near her mouth, moved her lips correctly, and let that slimy stuff into her belly. The mess comes when Evie decides to suck her thumb in between spoon-fulls. She likes to do a suck-her-thumb-rub-her-eyes action. Whatever gets the stuff down, girlfriend.

Jason does a great job spoon feeding and I find the bottle my sport. Great team parenting effort!

Rice Cereal

Good-bye NG TUBE

It's official friends and family, Evie's NG tube days are O-V-E-R! The GI team at Sinai gave me their blessing today to throw out the tube. The nutritionist was pleased with her daily intake amount and even recommended starting some rice cereal. Evie's weight is 12 lbs, 5 oz. Not quite as high as they wanted, but not concerned at this point. Yippee!

Evie LOVED being at her appointment today. She talked and tried to blow raspberries for most of the hour visit. She thought the paper on the exam table was fascinating. I took a video of her on my phone of her crinkling it, but didn't hit "record". Duh. Here's the picture we sent to Daddy though-

She cracks me up these days. She is a little wiggy worm and eager to explore the world. She wants to show off her rolling skills all the time, even on the scale today.

We have a follow up appointment with the GI team in another month. I hope it's our last visit to Sinai (plus I only have 1 more parking pass left :) )

20 weeks: Life without the NG tube

Evie appears to be listening to my latest plea- she's been without her tube for almost 1 week!! I knew 20 weeks would be the cut-off. Let's hope the GI team agrees that it is time to put the tube in the trash.

We had some fun visits at the Hettinger's house this week.

Playtime at Hettinger's

Belated 4 Month Appointment

Due to Evie's extended vacation at KKI and scheduling difficulties, here we are at 4 1/2 months having her 4 month appointment.

Stats:

Weight- 12 lbs (10%- boo, a little down)
Height- 24 inches (25%)
Head - 41 cm (25%)

Evie has made all her 4 month milestones- Smiles, laughs, rolls both ways, grabs at toys. She made raspberries in the office today and is reaching for faces. It's so much fun to see her do new things!

NG tube is in and out. She made it 48 hours twice without it. We're too nervous to go too long because the doctors get anxious when her weight drops. With getting her shots today, she might not want to eat this weekend, so maybe it's better it's in. I keep telling her that she'll be 20 weeks old on Tuesday and 20 week old babies don't need feeding tubes. I hope she listens :)

No solids until 6 months. But since it has taken 20 weeks to get her to eat from a bottle, we probably should introduce her to a spoon today.

4 Months- Give or Take a Few Days

The End??

Your prayers are being answered- Evie pulled her tube out on Saturday evening and hasn't needed it back in yet! Yep, Ev is eating from her bottle!! We found a bottle/nipple combo that is working well for her. She is taking almost 4 ounces every feed.

We will go to the GI doctor/nutritionist tomorrow. I'm anxious to hear what they have to say.

Maybe Evie's "tube" days are coming to an end. I think all of us would be thrilled to have this feeding ordeal behind us. And to see some pictures of her face without tape and a yellow tube from her nostril.

In the Dark

I'm sorry for leaving everyone in the dark. Frankly, I'm tired and don't feel like talking to many people. I appreciate your emails, voicemails, texts, etc. Don't take it personally that I haven't replied. I just don't want to talk about Evie's feeding issues anymore. Here's a brief update:

Evie was discharged from KKI last week. We STILL do not have any answers to why she won't take her entire bottle. I'm very disappointed with our experience at JHH and KKI for that reason. Evie still has her feeding tube and she is fed through it at almost every feed. Her norm is taking about half of her bottle. But considering she wasn't taking anything by mouth a month ago, this is an improvement.

Will Evie ever eat enough by herself? I have no idea. It scares me to think about it.

Evie is rolling over consistently now. She goes from belly to back and also back to belly.

Her colic days are over, or at least it seems that way. She is a happy baby except when she wants to sleep. She loves her thumb, which means the pacifier is out again.

Our days of running around to doctor visits are back. She will go back to the GI team at Sinai (mixed feelings on them...) and have therapists come to the house.

Our family has gone through a lot this summer. We need more time to sort through some things. While we appreciate your offers to visit, we don't want any visitors right now. I will update the blog as I can. Please do not send me emails looking for updates if I haven't posted. I have more on my mind right now than being a slave to the blog and email. I will reach out to you when I'm ready for visitors and to talk. Thank you for understanding :)

Final Hours at KKI

Never Forget

As we mark the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, it's hard not to reflect on what you were doing that morning or life in general.

I was a junior in college living in Stone Ridge Commons with 3 other girls. My best friend and roommate, Amy, and I were at the gym in our building that morning. We came back to the apartment to find Jackie eating her cereal in front of the TV. The first tower was smoking. We watched as the 2nd plane hit the tower on live TV. The rest of the day is somewhat a blur. I remember going to band practice that afternoon and playing the national anthem with tears in my eyes.

I still tear up on this day watching the TV coverage. Today is also a reminder to not take life for granted. Even though I am going through the hardest summer of my life, I still have my family. It's all that perspective stuff again...

Evie is making big strides at KKI. Since my last post, she only had one day of zero bottles. She takes at least 2 a day, today 4.

The big news- she took her ENTIRE bottle today!! She should take 100 mls. She's been averaging about 50 ml (little under 2 oz). I am relieved to know she can take the entire amount. I will toot my own horn and boast that I can get her to take a bottle the most. Her OT hasn't been able to get her to take anything. Why we are paying all this money for me to be doing all the work is beyond me.

The colic days are coming to an end and we enjoy watching Evie's personality blossom. She is melting hearts at KKI.

15 Weeks

Homecoming

There was a special homecoming yesterday-

Parker came home!

Our house has been so quiet without Evie and Parker. Parker had a great time in Lancaster: he was outside a lot, made a trip to Petsmart, sniffed his way through F & M's campus, slept with G, ate one of the new bathroom rugs, and that's about all I know. What happens at G's, stays at G's :)

Yesterday was also a great day for Evie. She took 4 bottles! She took almost 2 oz each time.

Today she took 2 already, so that means 7 straight successful bottle feeds. (Yes, I can do math. She took a bottle the night before the 4 bottle day) She still gets the NG tube feeds after her bottle feeds and overnight. We're so proud of our little girl for getting the hang of bottle feeding.

Evie will be at KKI for a little longer. My goal is to leave without the tube. While that might be unrealistic, I'm hoping more time will help her get a solid foundation on eating skills and hopefully less outpatient therapy and no more trips to the hospital in 2011.

14 Weeks

Tootsie Roll

".. to the left, to the left, to the right, to the right, now dip baby, dip..."

That was for you, Mom :)

At 14 weeks exactly, Evie rolled over! Naturally she did it AFTER PT left. Evie rolled from her tummy to her back a few times. She's also working on going from her back to her belly. Evie needed to change from her dress to her play clothes!



Evie took 2 bottles again today. All I hope is she will continue to take at least one every day. She still doesn't take the amount she needs to grow, but she's getting more coordinated. Here's Evie and her "brush". We use the brush to introduce new textures to her mouth since she has a major oral adversion.

The Small Things

When your world is upside down, things like coming home to electricity is a big thing. After 30 hours of no power due to Irene, we are back up and running. I warned our neighbors ahead of the storm that we were most likely going to lose power; why wouldn't we?! That's our life these days...

A huge thanks to Kevin for bringing us his manly generator at 8:30 PM last night to save all Evie's milk in our freezer. All we could offer him was my mom's chocolate chip cookies. Through this horrible situation we've learned about faithful friends. While I hope no one ever goes through this, I hope to return the millions of favors everyone has done for us.

Evie had a GREAT day (and therefore so did her mommy). Evie took milk from a bottle TWO times today! First time about 1 oz and the next time 1.5 oz. That means she has sucked from a bottle two days in a row. Progress!

Evie also continues to gain weight. She has her sights set on 11 pounds.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouraging messages. We will need both for a long time

30 Day Mark

Jason and I are at home riding out hurricane Irene. Grandmom and Evie are having a slumber party at KKI.

Evie is up to 10 lbs, 11 oz!! You go girl. No more sucking on the bottle though. But let's restate the positives: Evie is gaining weight AND allowing objects in her mouth.

The hospital bills from four of the resorts are coming in. Anyone want to guess how much the bill is from JHH without doctor's expenses in there? We counted today is day 30 that Evster has been in the hospital. Our insurance approved Evie through 9/1 at KKI. We'll see if they allow her longer. That means she was home for FOUR days in August.

Evie keeps me strong with her smile through all the tests she's endured. As much as I didn't want to believe to the doctors, social workers, and nurses, this is a LONG process and our life won't be returning to normal for quite some time. This whole process has taught me I can't control ANYTHING. My heart wants to be with Evie every second. I won't lie, it also yearns to return to teaching next week. This summer was nothing like I expected it to be. All I ask is for a few days in our house with Evie and Parker again. While I constantly think none of my friends understand what this feels like because they have healthy, happy, eating, growing babies, I also know I am light years from understanding what a parent with a child that is paralyzed feels like.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

30 Days & Counting

Silver Lining

We might have found our silver lining- with hurricane Irene coming up the coast, we can't ask for Evie to be in a more safer place than a hospital! We can leave our cars protected from trees in the garage, keep my milk cold in the refrigerator there, and know that Evie will continue to eat come hell or high water, literally.

Two words- backup generators.

If our power goes out at home for days, we can live at KKI with Evie! Except only one parent can spend the night...

Evie sucked on a bottle for the first time today in weeks! She took 25 mls from it (her feed through the tube is 85ml). She took it from me and there were no therapists around. Don't tell me I don't know my daughter, people! Baby steps. She proved to us today that she has the ability to suck on a bottle. I cried tears of joy.

Stay dry everyone!

Shake It

Yes, we felt the earthquake at KKI today. Pops, Auntie Laura, Cole, Evie, and I were hanging out when the wall behind us started to rattle. Then we felt a larger jolt. We knew instantly it was an earthquake. Evie slept through the whole thing. We were quite shaken. We did not evacuate, but the nurses told us to stay put. Pretty crazy!

I, like millions of other east coasters, instantly got on my cell to check on Jason. He texted me from a stairwell. Naturally I needed to make some phone calls and couldn't. Aunt Jen was en route back to NC and hit major traffic going through VA. I guess everyone just walked out of work, literally :)

Positives for today:

- Evie was pleasant with Chrissy from OT. Evie allowed the bottle in her mouth without fussing.
- After 3 attempts, we finally caught some urine for more testing. No catheter needed
- The nutritionist that rubbed me the wrong way on Monday is NOT our normal one. I met her new one today- MUCH better vibe from her
- I didn't cry today
- Evie gave her Pops some love today. She slept on him for a long nap
- Evie had a great report from PT today. Heather said Evie looked on track to her. She was pleased with her leg movement, the way Evie holds her hands, and her neck strength. We will only see her once or twice a week.

Kennedy Krieger pt2

Worse to Worser

Sorry wordy people. I know you are cringing with "worser"

Yes I'm smiling in those pictures, but inside I'm hurting so bad. I made it a few days without a breakdown. I had three yesterday. Evie will be at KKI for another three weeks. Yep, September 13th is our tentative discharge date.

I'll let that sink in.

Evie should be between 5 and 5.30 kg right now. She is only 4.7 kg. I've been told that breastfeeding is not working and only should do it for bonding. OT and speech will work with her twice a day on bottle feeding. The feeding tube stays in.

Why, why, why...

10 pounds

Evie made it to 10 pounds today! She feels bigger to us and she is getting stronger each day. She smiles, laughs, and is generally happy for most of the day. We are hanging out gaining weight (all of us) this weekend.

She didn't get evaluated on Friday by OT, Speech, and PT, so she can't start therapy this weekend. Monday will be a big day for her. We're hoping that Evie has gained enough weight that she will be able to switch to outpatient care soon.

I spoke with the genetic doctors on Friday to see if there was any reason Evie wasn't eating based on her make up. I felt like I was in bio class watching him make his flow chart with circles and squares. Evie will have some tests based on our family history, but nothing stood out to them. They said she looked great to them!

While at JHH Evie had a MRI to see if there was a neurological reason for her eating issues. They didn't find one, but had some minor concerns with the tone in her legs. The neurologists want Evie to have some PT and follow up with them every few months to make sure her legs are developing ok.

Little Evie has had more tests in her 12 weeks of life than most of us will have in a lifetime. We will know everything about our little girl. I secretly wish I could have this many tests just to know more about me. Then again, the more you test, the more things you find wrong!

We took a bunch of pictures today. Getting them uploaded in our few hours at home is a bit challenging right now. But keep checking for some new shots of our 10 pounder!

KKI (Kennedy Krieger Institute... I don't think I ever said that) is a great facility and I've connected with another mom from NC (been living at KKI for 4 weeks already) whose son had feeding issues at 3 months too. Her little guy went through almost the exact same stuff as Evie. I finally have someone that understands how difficult this situation is. While I'd rather not be at KKI, it has really showed me that there are parents dealing with MUCH worse than me. People travel from all over the world to come to KKI. We are so lucky to have it 20 minutes from our house. I'm hoping we will nip Evie's feeding issues in the bud and will live a somewhat normal life.

I keep telling Evie that I deserve amazing Mother's Day gifts for the rest of my life for what I've done for her. Her first word better be "mama" :)

Kennedy Krieger

KKI

Evie is checked into rehab. She has her backpack with "Evie H." written on it ready to go to all her sessions tomorrow. She has a notebook in it with her schedule, goals, and notes. It's like my 12 week old is going to kindergarten. The staff at KKI welcomed Evie with love. There is also a lot of support and happiness for parents- like free massages on Wednesday, free bagels, a lounge with internet, and FREE parking.

Evie will be evaluated by everyone over the next few days. We will have a big pow-wow on Monday to discuss the plan. Sigh. So it will be at least 1 week there. Hoping for miracles and all of your prayers are answered.

Aunt Jen is here until Tuesday. Grandmom is coming for the weekend. Parker is living in Lancaster. Our neighbor that walks Parker is rallying the neighbors to get meals going. She brought us a bottle of wine tonight :)

I will be with Evie all day then come home to sleep and regroup. I will try to post some pictures and updates of our little student!

The funny thing- the resident at KKI is a doctor we met at St. Agnes a month ago. She remembered us! At least we didn't have to give her what happened during that hospital stay.

Rehab

"They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no, no"

That song is cycling through my head. The doctors are JHH are pushing us to put Evie in rehab for her feeding issues at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Things have spun so far out of control for us that we keep waiting to wake up from this nightmare we are in. In my heart I think coming home and allowing Evie to be a "normal" baby would be best. But the doctors at JHH are jerks to us and don't seem to want to listen to the bigger story of Evie. It sounds like we don't have much choice and our little one will be transferred across the street to KKI on Thursday.

How long will she be there? Well, since our hospital visits get longer and longer with each admission, I'd say at least 2 weeks. Maybe months.

Jason and I are holding on my a thread. Evie has been home for 4 days this month. We are watching our baby girl grow up in a hospital bed. It breaks my heart that she has a closet of cute dresses we'll never see her wear. I can't hold her normally without worrying about pulling out her feeding tube or bothering her IV line.

No one can begin to understand the stress we've been under. I spend my day advocating for Evie and getting no where. While Jason is losing weight, I am an emotional eater and have packed on a nice gut with all of the unhealthy hospital food I've eaten and stress. I'm sure my doctors would find my glucose is high and I have a massive ulcer.

I don't know what else to say or do at this point. I keep hoping for a miracle now that Evie is 12 weeks old. Maybe she will "outgrow" this. But it looks like we'll be heading to rehab...

Fourth Time a Charm?

I know it's hard to believe, but we have been at Johns Hopkins Hospital with Evie since Wednesday night. Something came up on a test at Sinai that the doctors wanted us to check out again. We decided to go to the "best" and go to JHH.

We are beyond emotionally drained. Evie is back on a feeding tube and we feel like we've gone back weeks. The nurses actually forced me to come home tonight because I am such a basket case.

I don't really want to talk about it. Just wanted everyone to know why I haven't been posting or answering emails.

Who knows when we will ever be a family at our home again.

And by the way... we are not happy with the doctors at JHH. We wish we were at one of the smaller hospitals... We will be happy to give a full "best of" addition after our Baltimore hospital tour.

Johns Hopkins

A good evil?

At Evie's 2 month appointment, Dr. Burke went easy on Evie (and us) and only gave her 2 of the 3 shots needed. She thought we already had enough on our plates that we didn't need more irritability, etc.

Great, however, let's remember that Evie likes to vacation at hospitals. Germ central! We need to keep this little nugget up on her vaccinations.

At our weigh in appointment yesterday, Evie weighed 9 lbs, 1 oz. Down a bit from her all time high of 9 lbs, 7 oz, but at least over 9! I mentioned Evie didn't get the rotavirus drops at her 2 month appointment. Naturally that vaccine should be given by 12 weeks, which newsflash, is next week. So we got it.

Evie is not eating quite as well and is a little fussier than the last few days. The same thing happened when she got her shots. And here we go again. Medicine is intended to help. With Evie, it only creates more anxiety and stress for mom. Will this be the pattern every time we get shots? Ugh...

Parents, please weigh in!

She's a sleeper!

Miss Evie slept through the night! 9 hours without a peep! I woke up multiple times to see if she was still alive.

Evie is a different baby now. She is happy, eating more like 10 minutes per feed instead of 5 minutes, making lots of new sounds (getting close to mama :) Uncle Matt would back me up on that one), and MUCH easier to console. We are hoping her colic days are coming to an end.

I'm a little backlogged with pictures and stuff, so check back through older posts or scroll down. I date things when they occur, so it might be older than the most recent post.

Another appointment with Kathleen this morning. Evie is making great progress using her tongue. Kathleen also commented how advanced Evie is with her speech. Boo yah!

GOING HOME!!!

It might be hard to believe, but we're cutting the cord and leaving this joint. There isn't anything else they can do for us here and the GI doctor is convinced that Evie doesn't have any GI issues. We are going to scratch the endoscopy tomorrow.

Kathleen, the speech therapist/ cranial sacral therapy lady, was here today. She felt a lot of tension in Evie's neck and helped Evie suck better. I think she will be very helpful! She will make a home visit tomorrow and we'll see her again hopefully a few more times before she goes out on vacation.

Aunt Jen and Uncle Matt are helping me out tomorrow then I'll reach out to school friends or anyone else willing to lend a hand.

Next time I post will be from HOME! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed :)

Evie 11 Weeks

Same old, same old

Nothing new to report. Evie was down to 8 lbs. 13 oz yesterday. Her nurse Linda was determined to hear that she went up this morning after a day of forced feeding. Miss Evie gained a little, she's up to 8 lbs. 14 oz. Linda is back with us today. That's good news here.

I'm probably illegally have another professional practice in the hospital today. I have Kathleen, that speech pathologist/cranial sacral therapist coming in soon. We are desperate right now. I think we may be in the hospital until she is 6 months old. I don't see any end to this. I keep hoping Kathleen will be my miracle worker.

Jason posted some pictures through various older posts, so scroll down. There are a bunch of Evie with her tube in. Even though I saw her for 1 week with it, it still breaks my heart to look at her. Your heart has been warned!

I got out twice yesterday- outside to play some "oh hell" with Jen, Matt, and Jason. Then also got out to Mt. Washington Tavern for a good dinner.

* Huge sigh *

Day 11

We started our post delivery hospital tour on July 6th and here we are on August 6th. Evie and I are on day 11 of hospital beds, interruptions, and doting nurses.

I'm not sure exactly what happened with Evie last night since I fell asleep at 9 pm and woke up to no baby in my room at 2 am. Before bed, I told Evie's nurses to attempt a bottle for me. I assumed Evie was hanging with the nurses. Susan (her nurse) got Evie to take 2 oz from a bottle! She said it wasn't easy, but she was determined to make it work.

I went back to sleep and didn't see Evie again until 4 am for a feeding. She fed ok (her typical 5) and went back to bed until 7 ish.

I'm still exhausted, but the 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep was appreciated last night.

Evie has more moments of being alert and happy now that the darn ng tube is out. I wish she would eat a little more. She will have her morning weigh in shortly. She was down to 8 lbs. 15 oz yesterday. Hoping she will be over 9 lbs again.

No testing or anything going on this weekend. The drs want to see if Evie will gain weight on her own. She still has good wet and poopy diapers.

Jason is bringing me back the camera today. I will try to post some pictures of Evie in her hospital glory. Evie's Aunt Jen and Uncle Matt will be here today! I was able to escape for a lunch out yesterday with a school friend. I hope to get another dose of the outside world today and tomorrow while family is here.

Sinai

Adios NG Tube!

The ng tube is out! Dr. Tuckman wants Evie to learn how to eat without it again. They will keep a close eye on her weight of course, but keeping the tube in is not the solution. THIS IS PROGRESS PEOPLE!!!

Evie has slept the afternoon away. My poor little nugget is so tired from another rough night and morning. I also like to think now that she is off formula, her belly is happy to have mommy's yummy milk in it. I wish I could be sleeping along with Evie. The sleeping conditions are rather crappy here. Just when I think I can shut my eyes, another person comes in. I do love shooting the crap with Evie's nurse though.

Before we were admitted, I set up 4 appointments with a speech pathologist who also does something called cranial sacral therapy. She sold me that she could help Evie. It sounds something along the lines of acupuncture- no medicine, looking at the big picture, no needles though. And we all know how much I love acupuncture. Kathleen called me twice since our arrival here begging me to call her. She is making a special trip into the hospital tonight to work with Evie.

OT will also be in first thing in the morning to work with us on bottle feeding and massage techniques for Evie's gas issues. She is her father's daughter with gas :) Just fart Evie, that's his solution!

I met with the GI doctors just now. They don't see anything wrong with her. She has colic, some reflux, and some difficulty getting her breathing down while feeding, which is causing bad gas. It sounds like they want to send us home soon and work it out at home. Great, but still no concrete answers. I asked why our pediatrician sent us to the hospital twice then and why she won't eat.... they told me to stop looking at the past. They are more worried about me I think at this point.

I'm thankful Evie doesn't have a disease or major issues, but why won't see eat and grow?! Another hospital visit and no answers... Hoping this cranial sacral therapy will help her since the doctors don't see any major issues.

hmmm... I'm a little unsettled about my recent chat with the doctors. But maybe Evie and I need to get away from all the stress of tube feedings, hospital stays, and get back on track. We never got a chance to try out her new frenulum.

Day 2 mid day update

First, I have to give a huge shout out to my school buddy, Erin, for lending me her school laptop. I had to turn in mine on Friday for good and we don't have one. And I'm also in 2009 where I don't have internet on my phone. Shhh RPCS people. Don't tell that Erin shared her laptop, sorry, tablet :) with me!!

So here we are 24 hours later. Evie was a big fuss yesterday. At least she showed the doctors and nurses what our life has been like. Jason and I were convinced the formula was the issue, but no one seemed to listen to us. We gave everyone a little 'tude because we are not here to have her gain weight. We are here to figure out why she won't eat on her own!!

We hung out with Evie for the afternoon then escaped/invited ourselves over to Kevin's house (that great work friend Erin's boyfriend...) for dinner. Kevin and Erin pumped us up with alcohol, yummy chicken stirfy from the grill, and conversation. We are so grateful for their support! It also helps we are now 5 minutes from Erin's place.

We came back to the hospital, got annoyed with the doctors, and left around 9:30 PM. I felt so guilty leaving Evie for the night, but we didn't have a private room and we just needed to get a good nights sleep.

Good night sleep. Ha. From 11:30-5:30. I guess that's not bad, but considering we are already emotionally drained, it wasn't enough. Back to the hospital this morning to see Evie off for her Upper GI screening

Jason stayed for a few minutes of it, but needed to make us some money. I stayed with Evie. We knew she wouldn't swallow the barium. The kid doesn't suck on a bottle! Also tried a syringe. No luck. Evie didn't tolerate the barium down her tube either. At this point I started to cry. They didn't find anything of major concern (a relief, but also frustrating). Maybe some reflux.

Back to the room where about 10 doctors of varying levels talked to me. I finally felt like I was heard. The attendant said to stop the tube feedings and go back to breastfeeding. Small victories!! Except I was sort of enjoying my new found freedom to drink more than a glass of wine and leave for a few hours. BUT she's off the million dollar formula and snuggling with me.

We moved to a private room. Yeah! Evie fed for 12 minutes from me. Double yeah! She seemed SO MUCH HAPPIER! However, we're not solving the main issue- why does she get so upset during some feedings?!

Evie's nurse is fabulous. She gave her a bath for me. Evie is now soundly sleeping after her long morning. I am enjoying a napa wrap from Eddie's again thanks to Erin for bringing me lunch.

The attendant isn't as much concerned about weight gain right now. He is now supporting me with getting her off the tube feedings asap. OT came to see me while I fed her. Randy will be back during my new feed to weigh Evie before and after. She will also come back tomorrow to work on bottle feeding with me. Another 2 people have seen my boobs... :)

Jason is back at work today. He was off yesterday. His boss has been so supportive of him caring for us. I will stay overnight now and Jason will be staying at home or possibly up in this area.

How can you help? Baltimore area peps- if anyone wants to bring me lunch or sit with me here, I'd love some company starting tomorrow. Today has been a whirlwind. And since most of you are out of town- your encouraging emails have helped (and made us cry). We are beyond emotionally drained at this point. I want someone to be me in multiple places. I need to be here now to feed Evie, but I also need/want to be home taking care of Parker and Jason. They don't eat without me there! My sister was a huge help doing our laundry yesterday. That's the kind of stuff we really need. Just trying to keep our life going while I'm in hospital land for who knows how long. Jen and Matt are coming this weekend.

We are now in room 372. I have my cell with me. We are trying to be good about our minutes and texts this month since this is our 2nd hospital stay this billing cycle. I am reading everything that comes in and appreciate it. It's just hard to keep calling and responding to everyone. More updates as they come in

...and the Tour continues

We are vacationing at Sinai Hospital for most likely 7-10 days. Last night did not go well. This stay WILL be our last stop on the tour as we have stated we are not leaving until an answer is found and she is feeding without the tube. As for today they are just running some tests and she is on a continous feed. They will do a full upper GI study tomorrow.

In addition this will be the means of communicating to everyone. We will update the blog as things progress. Please do not call or text asking for updates as this just adds to our stress. Leave a comment and we can address them individually or in the next update post.

Thank you all for your continued support, thoughts and prayers.

I'm a big girl now!

Miss Evie had her 2 month check-up today.

Weight: 9lbs, 6 oz
Height: 22 1/4 inches

All of us are thrilled to hear that she is back on her growth chart and over 9 pounds! Now we need her to eat on her own instead of using the NG tube as a crutch. We will hit the bottle hard this weekend (ha ha) and keep praying clipping her frenulum on Monday will make a difference.

Evie got two shots today. I love that one side effect is fussiness. She was definitely more fussy than normal, if that's even possible.

We have moved to size 1 diapers and she's finally out of newborn clothes. She has great head control, smiles, maybe laughs a little too. She is alert and is starting to hit the animals hanging over her bouncer. It appears she is on track with behavioral milestones.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can report a colic free baby at the 3 month mark!

Between Tour Stops

Evie's Summer Hospital Tour 2011

Some people like to visit multiple amusement parks in a summer. Or maybe state parks. Evie wants to visit as many hospitals as she can.

By 9 weeks, we have been to 3 different hospitals for overnight visits. Our most recent vacation destination was St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore. We have 3 blankets (all the same colors) from Howard County, Shore Memorial, and now St. Agnes. We were hoping for a transfer to Hopkins, but no such luck.

Evie doesn't want to eat as much as she should, resulting in hardly any weight gain in 1 month. She was admitted on Friday night. She was put on a NG feeding tube upon her arrival.

I'll skip all the details. Here's what we know:

- When my milk is put into her tummy, she can gain weight.
- She probably has reflux or something that is making her fussy while eating
- She has a good latch and will breastfeed. Just not taking in enough

After montioring and lots of doctors working together, scratching their heads, she was discharged on Monday night. It's a little bit of trial and error now.

We are back home, NG tube still in. I at least have an out if she will not breastfeed, bottle feed, etc. We can put it directly into her tummy. Obviously this is not a long term solution, but has allowed her to gain weight and learn how much fun it is to have a full belly! Hopefully she will start associate eating with feeling good again.

I went against doctor's orders and let her eat on demand overnight (they want every 3). Evie happily slept for 5.5 hours. I woke her up at this point to eat. She fed well, took some extra milk by NG tube, and was back down for another 3. Mom and G did not complain with 8 hours of sleep!

Evie's fussiness is getting better and she is eating more from me. G even got her to take 1 oz from a bottle (something that hasn't happened in weeks). I'm hopeful we are on the road to a happier baby. If not, everyone keeps telling me colic babies turn around at 12 weeks. 3 weeks to go.

Through everything Evie continues to be an absolutely adorable baby. The nurses and doctors LOVED her at St. Agnes. And she snuggled with all of them. She is smiling a lot more now. She keeps giving us something positive during a very difficult time.

I'll try to keep updating on the blog. Thank you for the emails, texts, prayers, and phone calls. I obviously need to tend to Evie first and am doing my best to keep everyone updated. I'll post some pictures soon. We have her 2 month appointment tomorrow.

Once an email went out to the faculty at school, I had more offers for help than I can manage. I am so thankful to have help for the next few weeks until we get back on track. It's nice being a teacher because all my co-workers are still off and eager to help.

Keep Evie in your thoughts that she will continue to eat well and gain weight.

St. Agnes

End of an Era

We decided that since I was not working this school year, we would downsize to one car. It also goes along with my eco-friendly ways.

So Jason sold his beloved 2005 Subaru Legacy today.



I didn't have an emotional attachment to the Legacy since I never drove it myself. Jason said he would teach me how to drive stick shift once the clutch was ready to go. I said I never wanted to drive his car with that attitude. We both won, I guess.

While Evie will not remember her few days in the Sub, Parker left his mark



That would be the remains of many head out the window, tongue flapping, cruisin' days.

Am I kidding about selling the Sub? No

Are we really not getting a 2nd car? Not until Friday

What are we getting? Maybe a minivan? I'll leave you in suspense :)

One Passionate Morning

Put on your teenager glasses and look again. Yes, that's a hickey on my upper arm.

Odd place for Jason to be sucking, right? :)

Evie decided to get my attention when I was chatting with Ana on the phone that she was hungry by leaving a nice mark. I didn't realize how hard she was sucking until I took her off. Cracks me up!

Guess I won't be wearing tank tops for a few days!

Bath Time

We had our second successful bath! I don't mean this was only the 2nd time we bathed Evie, I mean this was the 2nd time she seemed to enjoy it.








I think we made a pretty cute baby. My parents claim she looks like me when I was a baby. My sister thought she looked like Jason one morning at the beach. Either way, I think she's a combo of both of us.

The Jersey Shore

I've never seen the reality show The Jersey Shore, but I think I get the gist. I'm really disappointed that Americans now associate Jersey beaches with Snookie and The Situation and their antics.

Ocean City, NJ is the complete opposite of hot tubs, sex, and booze. OCNJ is a true family town. My grandparents met in OC in 1939 and have brought their family just about every year since. I first came to OC when I was 6 months old and I think have only missed 3 or 4 years in my 30 years of existance. My dad has been coming to OC for most of his 65 years! OC is a dry town, which is the complete opposite of Ocean City, MD where everyone is plastered and riding the bus. When you sit on the beach, you notice 2-3 generations of families together under umbrellas. Families play games at night, eat dinner together, and are just TOGETHER. Something that is seeming more and more rare in 2011. It is a special place for our family. My grandparents always rented a house for our family and now that they are unable to come, my parents have picked up the tradition.

When we drive over the 34th street bridge and smell the salty air, I instantly feel the gitters and excitment of another summer at the beach. My family sang "Ocean City here we come!" as we drove over the bridge growing up. I still hum it in my head.

There was no doubt that we would bring Evie to OC this summer even though she is 6 weeks old. Packing for the beach is a car full as is, but with a newborn, we were stuffing the CRV. We arrived on Tuesday afternoon for our 5 day stay.

After about 20 hours of being here, I sensed something was wrong with Evie. She wasn't eating and was fussier than normal. I called her pediatrican's office and they instructed me to take her to the ER.

Jason quickly showered off the sun tan lotion and other smelly remains for the beach and we were off to Shore Memorial Hospital. I sobbed the entire way there (all 5 minutes). THANK GOODNESS there was a hospital near Ocean City.

Upon arriving at the ER, Evie registered a temperature near 101. They quickly rushed us to the pediatric ER, which literally opened 2 hours before we arrived. It was beautiful, but all the nurses were running around trying to find supplies. Evie was crying hard, I was sobbing harder, and Jason tried his best to keep both of us in line. I won't relive the horrifying details of all the tests. I left the room for all of the bad stuff. They tested Evie's urine, blood, and spinal fluid. Yes, my delicate 6 week old daughter had a spinal tap. The word "menagitis" had me bending over my knees uncontrollable crying. WHY US??!

I finally got away to call my parents to join us. By this point Evie had her IV with fluids since she was dyhydrated. She still refused to eat from me, formula, anything. She screamed for 6 hours straight. I'm so glad my parents were there for us. I was losing my mind and nothing was comforting me at that point.

To make a long 3 days short- Evie was admitted to Shore Memorial Hospital for 48 hours. None of the cultures ever grew bacteria. I vacationed in the brand new pediatic floor for 2 nights on a hospital bed. My parents brought food, clothes, and loving arms every day. Jason escaped for an afternoon on the roof top deck back at the beach house. Evie started to feed, pee, and poop again. She even gained some weight.

The funny part- Jason forgot his toothbrush at home. As soon as we arrived in our hospital room, there was a toothbrush :) Also, the nurses "babysat" Evie for us on Thursday night, so we did go out for dinner after all. And you bet I had a glass of wine!

We got back to the beach house on Friday evening and enjoyed 36 hours of a somewhat normal beach vacation. My sister's family arrived late that night. I didn't get to the boardwalk, walk Evie in the salty Ocean City air, get a tan, or have Mack n Manko's pizza, but I have my Evie in safe in my arms again and that's all that matters.

Yet another memorable vacation at the Jersey Shore.

Ocean City 2011

May the Fourth Be with You

Happy Fourth of July from Evie!

Evie wanted to be wrapped up in her swaddle all day instead of showing off her 4th of July outfit from Grandmom. There were about 25 attempts- here are the best.

Attempt #1: in between cries



Attempt #2: showing off the elephant holding the firecracker



Attempt #3: right before bathtime. The calm before the storm!




Thanks, Aubrey, for the title. I told you I would steal it one of the fourths!

July 3rd: Sound familiar?

Six years ago today...



I can't believe it's been that long.

As I walked Parker this morning in the soupie, Maryland air, I thought how lucky we were to get married outside in MD on such a beautiful day.

Did I buy a card? No

Are we doing something special? No (unless Jason has something up his sleeve, but since he just asked me the date, I'll go with NO)

Does Evie consume my every thought and energy? Yes

While we might not do anything special to celebrate today, we do have a babysitter lined up for a day this week to go out to dinner.

As much as I want a family, I'm thankful we enjoyed 5 plus years of couplehood. Life is definitely not the same this anniversary. I'm excited to see where the next year takes us! Happy Anniversary Boo!

Blowout!

Today at 5 1/2 weeks, Evie had her first blowout. The damage seems minimal- a little poop on the bottom of her onesie and the swaddle. We'll see how well the Dreft spray works. I would be ok losing a onesie, but a swaddle would be a significant loss. That swaddle might turn into a "for our house use only" swaddle. I decided not to post pictures of this event.

We almost thought we had a second blowout before bed. Jason got up from holding Evie on the couch and noticed brown blobs all over the floor. Turns out it was a chocolate chip from the trail mix Jason was eating earlier that got on Jason's foot, which melted all over the carpet when he walked. Just what we wanted to clean up right before bed with a crying baby. Sigh. Jason took on the chocolate, I took on the crying baby.

Girls Road Trip

Evie and I took our first road trip this week to see G and Poppop in Lancaster. Even though Parker loves going to Lancaster, I left him at home with Jason. Having the two of them in the backseat was a bit much for my first long car ride with Evie.

I raced around all morning packing up Evie's essentials (swing, bouncer, diapers, new meds, and favorite onesies). I missed having my packing superstar husband at home to pack the car for me, but I think I did pretty well.

It was a pleasant ride on the beltway and through Maryland. I actually got to talk on my cell phone (hands-free) for more than 30 seconds. Then the traffic stopped about 10 miles south of the exit off of I-83. And Evie started screaming. Darn construction! After 30 minutes, we were able to stop, get a quick feeding, and we were back on the road.

While in Lancaster Evie met her great-grandmother, Ruth Virginia, and I got to check out her new digs. (Gi-gi (to Evie) recently moved into a new section of her retirement center). We were inundated by nurses and caregivers as soon as we exited the elevator. Gi-gi got one hold of Evie before she told us all the attention was too much for her to handle. It was a short visit, but I'm glad Evie was able to meet my very special Nana!



Evie also met my longest running bud, Michelle. I keep in touch with ONE friend from Lancaster and she's it. Michelle brought over her own news- a recent engagement!! I've been dying to go to a wedding, so thanks Michelle for hopefully allowing me to get my groove on the dance floor next year :) I already have my babysitter lined up.

Most of the time was spent enjoying the parts of G and Poppop's house that weren't a mess due to the addition construction project. We got to sit outside and listen to the birds and check out the rabbits. (I can't sit outside here because my annoying neighbors smoke 3 packs a day. Who still smokes these days?? THEM!)

G gave Evie her daily bottle, which she took happily.



Evie already seems to love being at G and Poppop's house and under their care. She probably spent more time in G's arms than mine. Poppop also worked some magic with Evie two times for me. Grandparents are the BEST!



Moms do know best and my mom taught me a thing or two about newborns- PATIENCE! My mom is one of the calmest person I know and I realized driving home that I need more of that trait. Mom even got up with me multiple times at night to rock Evie to sleep for me. It was a much needed trip for me to get a little perspective and have my mom to take care of me. Thanks Mom and Dad!!

High Five!

Evie slept for FIVE hours straight last night! I feel like I slept for 10 hours. We don't know if the new swaddle contraption Grandmom bought did the trick or what, but we'll take it :)

One Month Report

Evie had her official one month appointment today. Dr. Landrum was on vacation, so we had Dr. Kopper instead. I was glad to have a different doctor just for a fresh perspective on Evie's fussiness.

Stats:

Weight: 8 lbs, 5 oz.
Head Circumference: 37 1/4 cm
Length: 21 1/4 inches

No one emphasized the percentiles, but it sounded like she's around 25%. The important thing is she is gaining weight and growing so I could really care less her percentile. Please, her mother is 5 foot 2 inches on a good day. Do I expect to have a tall child? No.

Dr. Kopper suggested we start Evie on a probiotic and a vitamin. That's what I like, concrete suggestions instead of "it will get better, just hang in there". He didn't have any major concerns about Evie. He seemed more concerned that her parents looked frazzled and drained.

Evie is smiling a little more between cries and has much better control of her head. Jason started giving her 1 bottle a day promptly at the 4 week mark. She is taking it like a champ! She has some baby acne. Jason and I figured Evie would inherit our bad skin. Just wait for the sweating to start :)

We were SO grateful to have Grandmom here for the weekend. Grandmom ran errands for us, provided dinner both nights, and more importantly calmed Evie for us in seconds. We look forward to her next visit.

Evie - 1 Month

4 Weeks/1 Month?

Evie turns one month today! Or maybe just 4 weeks.

I haven't identified which cry means what and I still feel pretty clueless as to what I am doing. Maybe that's why the Duggar's have so many kids- by baby #11 you finally know what you are doing. I used to think teaching was the hardest job out there, but at least in teaching I feel confident in explaining a math concept pretty darn well. I can prove why the answer is 5. With Evie, it's all trial and error. That's hard for this math major to stomach. I'm learning and trying to be more patient with myself that I will figure this out.

For now, here's what I do know about Evie.

* She weighs 8 lbs, 2 oz. The newborn diapers are getting a tad snug.

* Her most pleasant time is after her morning feeding (approx 8-9 am)

* She likes to dance to Gin and Juice. (I listen to 90's on 9 in the morning. This song seems to come on more often than not)

* She would rather be snug in her swaddle than naked.

* She can produce a mega "poop sausage" every week.

First Father's Day

Back when I was an ambitious new mom, I decided it would be a good idea to have a crab feast to celebrate Father's Day. I invited both of our dads and the Hettinger crew.

When Erica asked me if I was crazy last week, I realized I probably was. Who plans an event when they have a 3 week old?

My parents were a huge help all weekend cleaning my house and helping Jason set up the deck furntiture. Good job Marisa, make your dad and husband do all the work for father's day. Oh well.

We snarfed down a good 4 dozen of crabs and I nursed (ha ha) one beer. The weather somewhat cooperated and our annoying neighbors weren't, well, annoying. I was more concerned about eating my share of crabs that I didn't take any pictures of the picking event.

Father's Day 2011

All three of Jason's groomsmen are new dads this year. I'm glad he has a network of best buds going through the same joys and frustrations as us. Happy Father's Day to our favorite new dads- Jerry, Dave, and Todd! Evie has her pick of which boy she wants to date; she has three handsome choices. We know Brendan, Teagan, and Luke will all be prime dating material someday :)

Gonna Dress You Up in My Love

My lack of posts is due to having a 2 week old, but also managing the onslaught of packages for Evie. At least 1 shows up everyday with more girl clothes. Maybe I should have posted earlier that my sister gave us TOTES of Hannah's clothes. We had a stocked room one day after arriving home.

While I appreciate all the love and excitement around sending girl clothes, it's almost too much. Where she will wear all of these sweet dresses, I'm not sure. So far Evie has been in onesies all day. Now diapers, that would be a lovely gift as we are flying through those puppies by the dozens. Newborns :)

All my help has left, so it's the Evie and Marisa show now. It feels good to know I can get through the day on my own. Looking forward to the weekend with Jason home though!

Some shots of Evie's 2nd week of life. What a simple life :)

Two Weeks