Our Little Munchkin is 8 Months Old!

Happy 8 months, Josie! Here she is taking a bath. She loves the tub,

and the camera...whenever she sees it she opens her mouth and gets

all excited and full of smiles. Naptime...all that scooting around on her tummy tired her right out!

Plus, she's catching a nasty cold...poor baby! Jordan tried a hat on Josie and took a few pictures, it looks like she's

waving at us in this one. By the way, I've been sewing again and I made the jammies she has on.Here she is with her big sister, and both of them are in their new jammy

pants...I made them, too:) Everyone in the family got a pair, I've been busy!!

Art Teachers

Today Kaden and Brendyn were working on a little art project and they got on the subject of art teachers. Here's what Kaden had to say,

"Yeah, art teachers aren't very smart, they're just obsessed with art."

Merry Christmas!

I never did send out Christmas cards this year...but if I had, this would have been the picture on them:) We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Our family had a wonderful Christmas with family. We did lots of visiting, cooking, eating, and the kids got way too many gifts, including a Nintendo Wii from Santa! They were all very surprised and happy.

Josie took her first trip to the mall to visit Santa, and she wasn't even scared. She did, however, try to pull on his suspender.

Here's Kaden dressed up in his Nerf Dart Tag gear that him and Brendyn got from Santa. He added his winter hat and gloves to the outfit for added effect. HA!

We were lucky enough to have Sarah and Sterling and the kids stay with us for FOUR nights! The kids had sooo much fun playing with all the new toys, and Sarah and I got to do a lot of catching up...and shopping:) Brett and Sterling played with Brett's new remote control helicopter until it broke when it crashed into the ceiling (don't worry, Sterling, I won't mention who did it!) Oh, and by the way, they fixed it and it works fine.

Joseph and Josie had a blast smiling at each other and rolling around on the floor. Josie was a little confused as to why she couldn't grab Joseph and bite him like she does everything else, but some day she'll understand. They were so cute together, and it was so amazing to realize how fast they are growing! We are just trying to enjoy every minute with our little babies.

Here's all the big kids having popcorn on the couch over the weekend...talk about growing fast!!

Maybe She Does Like It...

...when she feeds herself!!

Who'da Thunk It??

This is what Josie thinks of rice cereal...for that matter, it's what she thinks of oatmeal, bananas, and applesauce also! She doesn't care to eat solids at all yet, who'da thunk it??

Here's Josie with her two fangs (just like her big brothers looked as babies:) Oh, and tonight I noticed a brand new tooth, one of the front ones! Her and Kaden are both getting them in at the same time...again, who'da thunk it??

"Wow, I have toes!" Who'da thunk it?

And look, my two boys who so badly wanted a little brother actually love their little sister...who'da thunk it??

Check Out Those Eyelashes!!

She doesn't get those from her mama!

Miscellaneous month!

It's been a whole month since I've posted, but here's what's going on...

• We spent a day at High Cliff picnicing, playing football, playing with sticks, and climbing trees. It reminded me of what we did all the time when I was little:) Everyone had a lot of fun.
• Jordan finished up his flag football season and went undefeated, 6-0!
• Josie got her first THREE teeth! She also rolled over once:)
• We carved pumpkins!
• Sarah and Sonia came to visit with their babies and the time went way too fast. I'll post pictures from that when I download them (I'm a little behind if you haven't noticed).

Anyway, more to come as soon as I get a chance!!

Josie's Slideshow

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Three Months Old!

Here is my sweet little Josie...3 months old already! I took these pictures in the back yard the other day, it was so much fun! She is now eating 5 ounces at a time, sleeping all night most of the time, and cooing like crazy. We are all enjoying her so much. We thank God for her every day, and we can't imagine what we ever did without her!

Packer Thursday!

Well, like it or not, I have another Packer fan in the house:) The boys were so excited to get Josie in her little Packer outfit for the preseason Packer game tonight! (The outfit is actually on loan from Josie's cousin, Charlotte.) Apparantly, she loves the idea and is ready to cheer on the Packers!

We are all doing fine...as you can see, Josie is growing like crazy. Now at 3 months old, she is sleeping 8-10 hours at night...WHEW!! The kids are getting ready for school, (I've been ready for them to start for weeks!!) and Jordan is starting flag football! As summer comes to an end, we are looking forward to a brand new season...I'm looking forward to the fall season, and the boys are looking forward to football season!

The Things Kids Say!!

I was tucking Kaden in bed the other night and we started having a little conversation...you know, those random thoughts that go through a 7 year old's head when they are suppose to be going to sleep? Well, we got on the subject of how God made the world along with the very first people on earth.

Kaden said, "yeah, you know, Odd and Even."

Well, close...Adam and Eve, Odd and Even...same thing, right?!!

Two Months Old!!

Josie had her 2 month check up last Friday. She's up to 10lbs 12oz and 22.25 inches long already! She's gaining perfectly and is a very good baby! It's a lot of fun having a little baby in the house and we are all enjoying her very much. The time if flying by as I knew it would, but I am soaking up every precious moment with my baby girl. She has begun to smile at us, you know, real smiles and not just sleepy ones. She goes between 5 and 6 hours at night so we are able to get a little more sleep. And I have lots of help, especially from her big brother, Kaden, who is there every time I turn around talking to and playing with his little sister. It is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. She truly is a miracle and we are very blessed to have our healthy little Josie:)

Miscellaneous Thursday

Ok, so I know it's been over a month since I last posted! But life has been a whirlwind around here. We are all doing fine, but we are recovering from an unexpected loss. Brett's Dad passed away on Saturday, June 30th from a massive heart attack. Last week was filled with all the activities involved with laying him to rest. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, little by little, God will heal the pain left behind.

Needless to say, over the last month we have been very busy with our new little one. I've been trying to focus on the important things and on letting some things go (which I got very good at on bed rest:) Jordan looked outside at the lawn at one point and said, "the grass is longer than my hair!" If you've seen Jordan lately, that will be funny to you...he's going through that long hair phase. My thought is that we will have the rest of our lives for perfect landscaping, and a clean house, right now...the kids are what's important! I'm trying to enjoy every moment of being a mother of 5 children, and so far so good.

Summer is flying by so fast, I can't believe it's already half over! The kids have spent lots of time in the sandbox and sprinkler, and next week, Jordan will be starting a football camp! We haven't been able to get out and do a whole lot with Josie, but we've found enough to do around here to keep everyone out of trouble for the most part.

Josie is doing great, eating every 2 to 3 hours...sometimes going 4 or even 5 at night! She will be 8 weeks old on Saturday already, amazing! She is a very good baby, and loves being held. We don't know what we ever did without her:) Her Baptism was the last Sunday in June...it was a wonderful day.

Here are a couple pics, I plan on adding more soon...and hopefully before another month has gone by!

Brendyn's Birthday
Sleeping like a baby!

Josie's Baptism

Things NOT in the instruction manual...

Wait, what manual??!! That's right, babies don't come with an instruction manual, but if they did, here are some things you probably would NOT find in it...

• When changing a diaper, be sure to put the new diaper under the old one BEFORE opening the dirty one. Babies are known to pee when air hits them, and they will poop more every time you try to wipe their pooper..so have 3 or 4 diapers ready at every diaper change as well as a new outfit or two just in case. Especially in the middle of the night when this is more likely to occur.
• Speaking of diaper changes, do not be alarmed if it sounds like an explosion when your baby poops. This is perfectly normal and does not cause your baby any harm.
• Speaking of explosions, make sure to put diapers on rather snuggly. Things have a very creative way of sneaking out!
• When feeding a bottle, have a burp rag handy to catch all the spills so you don't have to change the baby's outfit. Babies can be very drippy.
• Babies make lots and lots of laundry, so be prepared to do it!
• When picking up a hungry baby, beware of what comes near their mouth, they will try to suck on anything. Your only warning is a wide open mouth swinging violently back and forth searching for anything that remotely resembles a nipple of any kind.
• Don't be alarmed by sounds that the baby makes in her sleep, they may range anywhere from little grunting noises, to what may sound like a sheep, a puppy, or even a machine gun. These are completely normal and no cause for concern.
• Even though your newborn may be so soundly alseep that she will not move a muscle no matter what you do to her, it is perfectly normal for her to wake up the moment you lay her down in her own bed.
• Babies love to be swaddled in a blanket tightly when put to bed, but no matter how tightly you wrap them, the baby will always find a way to get her arms out of the blanket when upset to she can flail them around while grunting and trying to suck on them.
• A poopy diaper is almost always directly followed by a look of contentment in the baby's eyes and what I call "a cheerio face" where the lips make an O shape. No one knows why this happens, but it is extremely common.
• Babies most frequently poop in a clean diaper right after a diaper change.
• Do not be alarmed by strange facial expressions during sleep that can change from one second to the next. The baby may be smiling one second, rolling her eyes the next, and whimpering the next. This is just practice for the teen age years and research has shown that it is perfectly normal.
• Parents should adjust their lives so that they can find a way to function on very little sleep, 4 to 5 hours a night is normal for the first few months if not more after your baby comes home. Just suck it up.
• So to sum up, between the laundry, feedings, diaper changes and lack of sleep, enjoy your infant...they are only little for a short time:)

Happy Birthday to Kaden!

Kaden turned 7 last Thursday! We had a little get together with a couple friends on Monday to celebrate. His little sister came home the day before his birthday...from the look on his face in the picture, I think he got what he wanted:)

He's been so sweet with Josie, asking to hold her all the time and doing whatever he can to help, including giving her her nuk when she cries in the car (his seat is next to hers). He is so proud to be a big brother and can't wait to teach his little sister all kinds of things, like how to brush her teeth (when she gets some), how to talk, how to ride a scooter, and many many more things.

I can't believe my baby boy is already 7 years old! He's growing into such a sweet, caring, helpful, loving and smart young man...I couldn't be prouder of him! Happy birthday, Kaden!

Finally Where She Belongs:)

After doing an excellent job of eating for the past day and a half and gaining over another ounce (up to 5lbs 8.7oz), Josie was allowed to come home yesterday! We are so happy to finally have her home with us, where she belongs!

When we got her home, she looked around as if thinking, "there is more in the world than the hospital!" Before bedtime, Daddy took her out on the deck and she was just in awe watching the trees moving against the sky! She also loved looking around at her new room. It's amazing thinking of all the things she has never seen before:) It's even more amazing that we get to be there as she discovers all of the wonderful things on this earth, and as she learns all there is to learn.

The only thing better than having a baby, is bringing them home:)

Close to Coming Home!

Josie has been doing better and better every day! Her breathing issues have been resolved for a while now, and her bilirubin stayed low enough that she didn't have to go under the bili lights! She was moved from her isolet to an open crib a couple days ago and has been holding her temperature just fine.

The last issue was her feeding. She had still been using a feeding tube that was placed in her nose up until today. She was eating about half of her minimum feedings, then they put the rest in through the tube. I was allowed to try nursing 2 times per day, but that takes more energy in many cases than the bottle, so right now the bottle is the priority. We will work more on nursing later...I'm not too worried about it since she is really good at it! The way they explain it is that preemies don't have the stamina to do all the things they are expected to do, like breath, regulate their temp, and eat...all things they shouldn't have to do yet. So she just didn't have the energy to eat.

That all changed last night, it was as if something clicked all of a sudden! She started downing her bottles, all 50ml (just under 2 oz), in under 15 minutes. She continued to do this all day, most of the time even waking up hungry before the scheduled feeding time. So the doc put her on an "on demand" schedule and if she does well she may be home as early as tomorrow! We were so happy to hear this, it seems like she's been in the NICU forever! Her weight had gone down to 5lb 3oz, but is now up to 5lb 7oz...just 2oz away from her birth weight, so she's doing great! Please pray that she keeps right on eating and growing and that she can come home soon!

Josie has Arrived!!

Josie made her appearance on Saturday morning at 9:32 am! Labor started just before midnight on Friday night, the doc broke my water at 7:40 am on Saturday and she was born after about one and a half pushes (and a couple of screams) at 9:32! She weighed in at 5 lbs. 9 oz and was 18 inches long. She came out like a firecracker, kicking and screaming.

She did well initially but about 3 to 4 hours after birth she started struggling with her breathing. She was sent to the NICU. She is still there but her breathing issues have resolved. She had been receiving fluids and antibiotics in case of infection through an umbilical line. She also had an arterial line in the umbilical cord to take blood and check blood pressure. Her blood cultures came back fine though so the antibiotics have been discontinued. And now that her feedings have increased enough she doesn't need the IV fluid. So both lines are now out. She is using a feeding tube for part of her feedings because she isn't ready to eat everything on her own like they want her to yet.

So now it is basically a matter of getting her to eat enough to let her go home:) They are also keeping an eye on her bilirubin levels, which indicate the extent of jaundice she has. It has been creeping up the last couple of days so she may need to go under the bili lights.

I was discharged yesterday and it was hard to go home without her. But I'm very greatful that she is doing as well as she is. She is where she needs to be, and it won't be long and she will be right here with us.

The Waiting Game

Can I just say that having a baby at zero station is NOT comfortable! Just when I'm not so nervous to get up and do a couple of things, I don't want to because it just plain hurts. I would also like to add that people who refer to the feeling as "pressure" just have it all wrong...it's pain!

I called my doctor's office yesterday because of the increase in this "pressure" and because I had been having 6-8 contractions per hour for most of the day. HE TOLD ME TO STAY HOME, drink plenty of fluids, and rest! I laughed when the nurse told me this and said that was the first time I had been told to not come in when I called about contractions and pressure since I had been pregnant! I was glad I got to stay home, yet nervous that something was going on and I wouldn't find out in time! But something hit me after that phone call...they are not worried about the baby coming anymore! If she's coming, she's coming! What a realization.

So I get to wait now like any normal pregnant woman for regular, more frequent contractions to come. Although I will be taking the Procardia for a few more days to prevent labor, you never know:) It seems to be effective at times, and then other times not so much. I feel like I have been in labor for the past 3 months...the meds have just slowed it down. I'm excited but a little nervous to stop taking them, because I know what's going to happen!

1...35 Week Appointment

So the countdown to 35 weeks is over! We made it! No more IV meds to stop labor, no more hospital stays!

Today I had an ultrasound and a check up. Josie is measuring 5 pounds 8 ounces, right around the 40th percentile so that's right about where she should be! She is very low (zero station) and I have dilated to what my doc calls 2 cm and what my nurses would call 3 or 4cm. With all my time in the hospital, I learned that my doctor usually measures centimeters at about 2 less than most of the nurses in labor and delivery...for reasons that no one clearly understands:) He thinks I'm going to go quick once I do go because the baby is so low.

I am suppose to remain on the Procardia and try Terbutaline if that isn't working for the next week. After that, no more meds. I'm also suppose to stay off of my feet for one more week...that's going to be hard to do! My instructions are to head to the hospital if I feel anything different or more painful. Trouble is I didn't have painful labors with the boys until my water broke, then after that it went really quick. I hope I know when it's time to go in...preferably before my water breaks!!

Two months ago I would never have thought we would have made it to 35 weeks! I went from assuming that our baby would have to spend considerable time in the NICU, to actually having hope that she would be able to come home with us right away. During that time my fear, anxiety, depression, and despair slowly turned to hope, peace, relief, and now to complete happiness. I am so entirely grateful not only that my long ordeal is coming to an end, but that I was able to play such an important role in a miracle.