Baby Food Part 2

Evelyn is 8 1/2 months old. I've been feeding her chunkier food and I'm going to add protein into her diet with the new year! So, I thought I'd update all my friends that have babies coming into this stage (and post my ideas here so I will have them when we repeat this stage in a few years!). Here are some of the new things I have done with and without meat to prep for going back to work.

*Italian Style Veggies  (from the frozen and then I put in the vitamix on Variable 3-5, depending on how chunky I want them. I was going to put ground turkey with this but I decided to have the daycare do 2 veggie cubes and 1 cube with meat, so these are my veggie cubes.)

*Veggies and pasta: 1 bag frozen peas, 1 bag frozen butternut squash, 1/3 bag of  Ditalini pasta. This pasta is the perfect size for a "finger food." However, for this recipe I pureed the peas and squash (on variable 3 in the vitamix) and I'm adding the pasta for the chunkiness!

*I am using a lot of Stahlbush Island Farms frozen products. This week at Market Street I found Red Beans and Rice. I mixed 1 bag of red beans and rice with 6 stage 2 gerber pea containers. (I normally would have pureed my own but I had some containers of food that were about to expire)

*Chicken Soup: These egg noodles have a great recipe for chicken soup on the back and I just use a bag of peas and carrots as my vegetable and chop up the noodles a little before giving them to her.

*Sweet Potatoes and Chicken: 1 bag of frozen Sweet Potatoes and 1 small chicken breast or 1/2 of a large chicken breast (I baked mine in the oven with salt, pepper, and a little bit of garlic along with several other chicken breasts so I could use them to make the chicken soup). I pureed it on Variable 4 in the vitamin with 1/2 of a cup of the chicken broth from the pan. Personally I think the ratio of chicken to veggies is high so I plan on serving 1 cube of this with 2 cubes of veggies.

*Butternut squash and broccoli: 1 bag of frozen butternut squash with 1/2 to 3/4 a bag of chopped frozen broccoli. I think I'll have to mash the broccoli a little more when I feed it to her, but we will see.

I also found diced carrots, green beans, and peas in little to go containers in the canned vegetable section at wal-mart. My only complaint is that they contain salt, but they are great for on the go once rinsed in water. I also purchased the Alexia mashed potato cubes in the frozen section which are perfect!

She also loves chobani greek yogurt in every flavor we have tried so far (including lemon and pomegranate)

2 hours later I have 158 cubes of food in the freezer and we have lunch and dinner in the freezer for the next 2 months (plus some breakfast too!)

For breakfast I made:
*fresh diced bananas (3 bananas) with applesauce and pureed cranberries cooked in orange juice (I cook the cranberries on the stove).
*canned pears diced, canned diced mandrain oranges with applesauce and some pureed blueberries

I just mix stuff and sometimes add water until I get the right consistency or until I feel like it has enough chunk but not to much!

Hope this helps!

Baby Food

Several people have asked me how I make my own baby food and the order we have gone in on introduction...so here it is:

Food Introduction (based on the Learn N Fun Home Daycare plan ~ which I can't seem to link to their blog, but she was my resource!):
@ 4 months rice cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (if ready, some babies are...some aren't)
@ 5 months Vegetable testing: introduce a new vegetable each week starting on Saturday's (rice cereal for breakfast and then veggies for lunch and dinner). At our daycare she recommended using Gerber stage 1 during this phase and the next phase. I didn't mind because it meant we were being consistant at school and at home. I didn't start home cooked veggies until the end of month 6. However, I wasn't a big fan of how runny the premade food was and during this stage Evelyn also decided she liked baby food much better than milk so we mixed 2 oz of food, 1 scoop of formula, 2 formula scoops of rice cereal, and 1 oz of water. This gave her the nutrition from the formula (worked for us!)

• Week 1: green beans
• Week 2: peas
• Week 3:squash
• Week 4: carrots
• Week 5: sweet potatoes

@ 6 months Fruit testing: introduce a new fruit every half week (Saturday and Wednesday) using the same mixture 2 oz of food, 1 scoop of formula, 2 formula scoops of rice cereal, and 1 oz of water. We only feed Evelyn fruit for breakfast and she gets veggies only for lunch and dinner. At this point we started alternating green veggies for lunch and orange veggies for dinner

• Week 1: Bananas and Apples
• Week 2: Pears and Mango
• Week 3: Peaches

We also learned that if she starts to get a diaper rash or is on antibiotics to switch her back to an "all green" diet and bananas for fruit! It worked great

Once we made it through the fruit and veggie testing phase with no problems, I started making my own food in our vitamix. I purchased frozen organic vegetables, let them thaw on the counter and then blended them. At first I added more water to make them smooth, now I let them be a little chunky and she does good with that. I have a silicone tray that makes 1 oz cubes, but I hear ice cube trays work great too! 

• green beans and Brussel sprouts
• green beans and peas
• peas and brussel sprouts
• fresh spinach and frozen (thawed) carrots (only give 1-2 times a week ~ spinach is more gassy)
• broccoli (only give 1 time a week ~ more gassy)
• butternut squash and brussel sprouts
• sweet potatoes (which I steam 5-6 fresh ones in microwave, peel, add water, and freeze)

At first I blended the bananas, and don't be surprised that they turn brown when frozen. Now, I just mash them by hand in the mornings so they aren't as pureed. Again, anytime it's really thin I add a formula scoop of baby oatmeal.

• bananas and mangos
• bananas and blueberries
• bananas, oj, and cranberries (cranberries have been on sale so I cook 1/2 cup on the stove in oj and mix them with 4-6 bananas in the blender)
• bananas and applesauce
• mixed veggies (corn, carrots, peas)

Other things we have tried: 

• Avacados (she loves them!) I also just learned that you can freeze them...so I just took several out of the shell and froze 1/2 in snack size zip lock.
• Plain Greek Yogurt (she loves this too!)
• Pieces of cheese (bad idea ~ bad after effect that I had to clean up!)
• Flavored Applesauces in the jar without high fructose corn syrup. 

When I'm at the store now I just look for things that I can blend and she can try. I love going to the frozen food section at Sprouts/Whole Foods to see if they have anything "different" in the frozen section. In the next month I'm going to start adding chicken or black beans into the mixtures. 

We have also started some "pick up foods." Here's what we have done:

• Around 6 months an mum-mum cookie at 1 meal
• Around 6 1/2 months an mum-mum cookie at lunch and dinner
• Around 7 months (or when they can handle little chunks...at first she choked on these, so I would wait another week) I started the little "puffs" but those seemed to be a little small so we did the little cheeto looking things we found in the baby isle. Only 2-4 at dinner. 
• Around 7 1/2 months tried "puffs" again and she did fine but we quickly found that we like cheerios much better! They don't stick to her as much and they are a LOT cheaper especially since I can put her in the high chair and she can eat 10-15 while I get her food made/warmed up at each meal!
• Sippy Cup ~ we are also working on drinking 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 water out of our sippy cup...it's pretty funny! 
• I tried little pieces of avacado and peaches for her to pick up and eat...complete disaster...I'm hoping to get brave again and try in another week or so. 

Any other tips or tricks are always appreciated. This plan worked for us, I'm sure many people try many different things...but I thought I would share what worked for us since people have been asking! 

The bug or not...

So, yesterday while hosting an Item Writing Workshop I got a text to come get Evelyn from school as 3 other children had been sent home with the stomach virus. Thank goodness for Scott who rushed to go get her and stayed home until I could get there. She seemed fine last night so I was praying that the bug would pass over our house.

This morning, I was planning on sending her to school...but when I went in to get her out of her bed I felt some "crusty" things in her bed. Upon turning on the light I saw that their was dried vomit on her clothes and in her bed...first thought...WORST MOM EVER! How in the world did I not know this had happened? Could she have really puked and never had made a peep and then slept in it...lovely...just lovely!

So, after finding out I could miss my meeting today I opted to stay home and work from home.

My 2nd WORST MOM EVER moment....according to my sister :) I decided since she was happy and acting as if she felt fine to give her some formula. I thought it was risky, but figured if she was really sick she would throw it up...which my sister says was totally mean and not nice. That's ok...live and learn!

Well, it's officially been 2 1/2 hours since I gave her 4 oz of formula, she has had 2 mum-mum cookies and some pedialyte and she is still doing well and is asleep in her bed...

so who knows what the rest of the day will hold or what my next WORST MOM EVER moment will be...

Tough Decisions...

When I was pregnant and working in public schools I asked a lot of the teachers I worked with for recommendations on daycares. Throughout a 2 month period, one name kept coming up Learn-N-Fun Home Daycare. So, well before Evelyn was born Scott and I went and met Claudia and Noe. I remember walking into their home and thinking that the playroom was SOOO clean, organized, and designed for babies and toddlers. Many features included:

•  A low rise bar on the wall with a mirror that toddlers could stand at 
• A velcro wall space they used during circle time
• See through rubbermaid totes organized (possibly in more ways than I would have thought of)
• A theme every week with words in English and in Spanish
• Individual bins for each child's clothing, diapers, etc. 
• Multiple areas for babies and toddlers to do activities 

After talking with them, learning about their structured learning environment and their broad experience since 2003 with perfect state inspections I was SOLD! Plus, it was right around the corner from several of my schools in CFB ISD.  When we left she gave me her "parent handbook" and I must have read it from front to back that night.

I'm pretty sure the next day I called her and reserved our spot and pretty quickly went by and paid our deposit. I never went to another daycare. I just felt and knew it was the place for us! Claudia added me to her facebook page and I began to see pictures of the kids and watch videos. I was even more impressed. Beginning at 4 months of age babies begin sitting in circle time with the older babies/toddlers. They integrate them into the environment as much as possible at an early age so they learn the routine, but they still individualize for the infants feeding/sleep schedule.

Then when Evelyn was born they posted multiple times to the other families to pray for our baby girl. So, before Evelyn ever went to Learn N Fun at 2 months of age I felt a connection from all of the pictures, videos, and posts.

I still remember the first day she went and being so thankful for all of the pictures on facebook so I could see what she all of the kiddos were doing. Then, during the afternoon nap time I got an email daily with her individual schedule with activity time, feedings, and any more important information. I was super impressed...yet again!

As time has gone on I've learned that that Claudia and Noe spend a lot of time outside of the workday changing the decor of the playroom monthly, planning birthday parties for each child, and making newsletters. In addition, they pay close attention to details and needs of every single baby in their care and communicate daily about things they notice. I've always enjoyed Claudia's suggestions and recommendations she gives me for how I care for Evelyn. After all, I'm a first time parent and she has taken care of many, many babies!!!

All of the above is to say that now we have come to a crossroads and have made a very tough decision. This summer while I was on maternity leave I accepted my position at SMU, which was 7 minutes from our duplex in Lakewood. Scott made the commitment to drive Evelyn over to Carrollton and pick her up every day. It was a 45 minute drive to daycare, an additional 20-30 minutes to get to work and then he would do the same thing in the afternoon, except with traffic it was sometimes 1 hour to get home. On occasion, Scott would have to work late and I would pick Evelyn up and I would spend 45 minutes to drive and go get her and about 45 minutes - 1 hour to drive home. Not to mention that for the first 3 weeks Evelyn would cry on the way home 3/4 of the way home which made the drive more exhausting.

The idea of "switching" daycares came up a few times but we never acted on it because we are so happy and attached to where she was.  However, as time has gone on I have been picking her up more and neither Scott nor I have put our efforts towards going to the gym. We both feel less healthy and my baby weight loosing has been at a stand still for at least 3 months.

For the past month we have been trying to come up with an adapted schedule that would allow us both to get back to the gym, but it all boils down to time and their just aren't enough hours in the day. So, we were looking forward to moving to Richardson thinking that we would be on the road less to go get Evelyn...unfortunately our drive time has remained the same.

Scott called a couple of home daycares in Richardson that actually checked out on the state website with no violations and their were no openings. We went and looked at a Montessori School...yeah ummm....80 kids in one daycare and 20 in one room with 6 different teachers throughout the day...that doesn't work for me! So, we convinced ourselves that we were going to push through this and that I would leave work at 3:30 every day, go to the gym, and then pickup Evelyn so that Scott could go to the gym too. This also meant that I was going to have to work an hour at home each night to be able to get my hours in at work. Afterall, we are a team and we can do anything for our family together and it is just 17 more months.

This weekend we got a call from Mrs Donna who has a home daycare 5 minutes from our home. She keeps 6 kids and one of them only part time. We interviewed her, checked her references, and feel comfortable with her. She doesn't have as much structure as Learn N Fun, but we know she will love and care for Evelyn and her 13 years of experience seems to fit right along with Claudia and Noe's. Her home is also very clean and she sends pictures of babies too :)

All of this to say, I have cried, I have prayed, I have cried some more in the last three days (and I'm crying now) because I feel like I'm not only letting Claudia and Noe down and impacting their life, but I'm letting Evelyn down. She loves them so much. You can see it in her face in the morning when she gets excited when we tell her "it's time to go to school!" You can see it in the afternoon when Claudia hugs her and tells her "I love you! I'll see you tomorrow!"
This afternoon when I had to tell Claudia and Noe the news I cried so hard. I know they understand and I know that the decision I'm making has to be right. I truly believe that God opened the door for them to be a part of our lives and that the attention and support Evelyn has received over the last 4 months is a major component as to why she isn't behind developmentally after being a premature. Plus, I have learned so much about feeding plans, clothes to wear (cover your baby...lol!) and activities that I can do with Evelyn from all of the pictures they post. I also know that God never gives us more than we can bare and opens doors at the right time. Just when Scott and I were really  feeling the impact of being on the road so much in our family he opened a spot at Mrs Donna's home daycare just 5 minutes from our home.

Thank you lord for providing for our family. Please continue to bless Claudia and Noe through the work they do with babies and toddlers and provide for them financially as we leave in a few weeks. I praise you for giving Evelyn a strong foundation developmentally and pray that you would help this transition to the new daycare be seamless. Let her know she is safe and loved. Thank you for providing a way for Scott and I to free up some time so that we can spend more time as a family and be healthier physically. Amen

Half Year Birthday!

Miss Evelyn is 6 months old! She is growing so fast! She is 15.9 lbs (50%) and 26.75 inches long (75%). So, looks like we have a tall little girl right now! I see basketball in her future!

In our SMU gear!
I need to stay there until she goes to college
so she can go for free!
So, she only wears SMU college gear!

Here is our 6 month update:

• For lunch and dinner my mom or Lala feed me green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, or squash mixed with oatmeal. A few times lately my dad has fed me and we make a BIG mess together! 
• For breakfast my mom gave me bananas and oatmeal this weekend and I LOVED IT! This month I get to have fruit for breakfast! 
• I enjoyed my first couple of "mum-mum" cookies and I like them, but I don't understand why my  mom tries to make me hold the cookie. I open my mouth and she won't hold it for me!
• My mom isn't making my milk anymore, but she has so much stored up in the freezer my bottles are 1/2 formula and 1/2 milk. I haven't had any trouble transitioning to formula, in fact I'd just rather have food from a spoon. I like to eat a whole bowl full and then 4 oz of milk.
• I don't blow raspberries while I'm eating anymore, however, when I get full, that's how I tell you I'm done!
• I officially have more eyebrows than hair on my head and everyone says I look like my mommy and my papa (my mom's dad).
• I'm almost sitting up on my own. I sit up for a minute and then I fall over and it makes me mad. I can't figure out how to sit back up yet. 
• I'm easily distracted by my dogs and I like to pet them. They give me lots of kisses too!
• I love watching TV. Mom and Dad used to be able to stop me but now I scoot so I can see the TV or turn around in my bouncer! They can't stop me, but they do keep turning off the TV. 

I'm doing ok with not nursing anymore, last week I felt really guilty about it, but with us moving and me trying to get everything packed it has taken my mind off of the guilt. Many doubted I would make it past the 3 weeks Evelyn was in the hospital. I doubted I would make it until August. At the end of August I pushed through and said I would make it until she turned 6 months. Well I did it and I'm pretty proud to say I'm a working mom and was able to push this far! 

1 year ago...

Tuesday night, I decided to hop on my bike and go for a ride. This was the first time I can remember riding my bike since the day I found out I was pregnant with Miss Evelyn. I can still remember that evening vividly....
I was driving home from work after several days of telling Scott I was "late." This was not normal for me and I just had a "feeling." I decided I should stop by CVS and pick up a pregnancy test. I remember staring at them thinking there were so many choices and trying to decide if I was going to use my normal "sales are best" brain and go for the off brand or the name brand. I settled for a double pack of the "on brand" tests.  After all, just in case I figured I better do it again and it was a better deal for the double pack.
I pulled into the driveway and Scott was out back with the dogs. He opened my car door and said something like, "so, any news?" I remember saying "Yes, I still haven't!" and then telling him I got a test. Kind of excited, we went in the house and I decided to take the test. A few minutes later from the bathroom I proclaimed "I'm NOT!!!!" as I only saw one pink line. Then, a few seconds later I remember saying something like well, ummmm....maybe I am...and taking the test into the hallway to show Scott. The second line was VERY, VERY faint. Scott said, "YOU ARE!" and I'm sure I said something like ~ NO WAY!
I remember standing there crying with him and deciding that we would wait until the next morning to take the 2nd test, "just to be sure!" We were excited, we were scared, we were nervous!
I had a burst of energy and decided to hop on my bike, after all, I was "barely" preggo and figured I should focus on not gaining to much weight. I remember calling my friend Kattie while I was riding my bike down Swiss Avenue and telling her. I remember being excited, she remembers me freaking out!

A year later, we have less money in savings, my student loans still aren't paid off, and we still don't own a home. However, we are happy, healthy, and living God's plan for us.

Just this week, Scott and I sat down and mapped out November 2012-December 2013's budget. It was a nice conversation and we now have a mission and a goal! I am so thankful to have a husband who knows just when I'm under water. I'm in charge of the "budget and bills." The past few months we have just been floating by and not putting any money in savings. Well, after our "team meeting" we are going back to the Dave Ramsey envelope system and in 3 years my student loans will be paid off! It will truly be amazing to officially be "debt free." Now, we will see if God's plan matches our plan. I'm hoping to be debt free with baby #2 on the way by then. Thus far in our relationship and our marriage our plan has not always been God's plan, so I can't wait to see what the future holds!

5 months old!

Evelyn has changed so much this month! She is making so many noises. We call her a "teradactyl," because she sounds like one sometimes! I was just looking back at my posts from when she was born and I'm still so amazed in how much God has used our daughter to help grow our relationship more and more. Scott is the best father and husband I could ever ask for. He senses when I'm weak and fills in for me! We are the best team!

1 month to 5 month comparison picture!
Clearly I'm going to have to stop putting the sticker
on her outfit!

This is one Saturday morning
after she decided I wasn't
shoveling it in quick enough
and took the spoon from me!

Our sweet girl is 14 lb 10 oz and enjoying testing vegetables right now. So far, green beans are much better than peas! We will see what she thinks next week after we add squash. I have a feeling squash might be her favorite. I ate a lot of squash while I was pregnant!
   This month we took our 1st plane ride to go see Grandtama and Petapaw in St. Louis. Evelyn did great, nuch better than I would have ever thought she would! We had fun in St. Louis too. We watched movies while Evelyn napped, but anytime she was awake, the world stopped spinning and she got all sorts of attention! So much fun to watch my parents enjoy her!
    Here's this months facts:

• I have cereal and milk for breakfast, veggies and milk for lunch, an afternoon bottle, veggies and milk for dinner  and a bedtime bottle.
• My mom still makes all my milk...although she isn't as good as it as she was at making a whole bunch...so it's a good thing I have a stash in the freezer from when I was born...we planning on making it at least another month or two between fresh and frozen milk.
• I can roll both ways now!
• I love to stick things in my mouth
• I like to reach for things (including cups of coffee) and if something can't make it into my mouth I get frustrated. 
• Blowing raspberries is so much fun, whether I blow them with my spit or with my food. It's really cool to do it with peas...and then my mom has green stuff in her eyebrows!
• I'm still bald headed, but my mom says I got her eyebrows - they are thick and dark!
• Slobber, Slobber, Slobber...that's what I'm the best at! I soak several outfits/bibs a day
• I really love my school, Learn-N-Fun Home Daycare, we have lots of fun and they helped me make a gift for my Grandparents last week!
• My mom is starting working on the sign language they use at school. Right now she keeps making motions for more, all done, and milk. She looks funny!

Some days...

So today I just need to vent...so guess what...you get to hear!

• My day started at 5 am with a little girl waking up and talking in her bed, then crying...so I got up and of course you get to the bed and she smiles! Who can be upset when you get a smile? After nursing for a few minutes she went back to sleep so I went back to bed too. 
• I drug myself out of bed about 30 minutes later, got ready for the day...at least I thought I was ready...
• Went to Starbucks...left Starbucks only to notice that I never took my eye makeup off last night, I had black under my eyes and had failed to put my makeup on this morning...how embarrassing!
• Got to work, realized I didn't have my parking pass because I was driving Scott's car today because he has to go to court for a ticket we got for no registration on our car ~ long story...needless to say it's not our fault. Our registration is tied to another vehicle and we can't seem to get it fixed.
• Luckily I flagged down the parking lot guy, who drives a golf cart around our lot all day...he was nice and told me he wouldn't tow my car and would tell the guy that comes in at 2:00 not to tow my car because I don't have my sticker
• Get to my office...I don't have my key to get into my office because it's on the key ring Scott has. Use my phone to email someone in the office and they come let me in :) 
• Work on revisions to a 34 pg. document that MUST go out today...only to close it and not be able to find it until I'm almost in tears 15 minutes later (it was in the wrong folder and for some reason when I searched for it...that didn't work)
• Decide it's time to pump...only to discover I left my power cord at home...I live 7 minutes away (thankfully)
• However, taking 4.5 hours of my day on Tuesday to take a PhD course means I have to make up 4.5 hours somewhere in my week...so going home is not in my daily allotment of time...
• Oh well, came home, ate a brownie (needless to say I have issues with stress eating and today I just want fried food and junk food...that's a whole different blog post)
• Expecting the plug to be in the wall...it isn't there...yep, it was in my bag the whole time, just in a different pocket.

So, all of this before 2pm. Why am I ranting in my blog? I don't really know. However, as I close this post and head back to my office, I must say. I have a lot to be thankful for:

• 2 working cars (even if the Focus aka Bofus isn't the best to drive); if we didn't have 2 working cars I wouldn't be able to come home even when I need to
• A flexible job, that gives me the freedom to come home when I need to
• Amazing coworkers, who help me when I'm in a pinch. We are a great team! 
• A husband that lets me call him and vent :)
• A beautiful healthy daughter

So, my day definitely wasn't perfect, but I have a lot to be thankful for! 

First day of school...

The 1st day of the 2012-2013 school year in Texas started today. This year was a little different for me. After 8 years in public education and starting either in the classroom with kids or on a campus supporting teachers I'm not at a school. I'm in the corporate world and today hit the top of my chart for my favorite day at my new job!  Sure, I miss the kids, the teachers, the hustle of the school, but my current job leaves me with more energy to enjoy my family at night! I've really enjoyed seeing all of my teacher friends posts about the "end of summer" over the last few weeks and their excitement about the first day of school. It's a great reminder of why I do what I do know, write diagnostic assessments to help teachers know what concepts students' are struggling with.

Tonight, I realized that the first day of school has a different meaning for me. In just 5 short years it will be Miss Evelyn's "first day of school!" The past 4 1/2 months have flown by so fast. I can only imagine that I'll wake up tomorrow and she will be going to school.

So, tonight I put my munchkin to bed and went in the kitchen to do the dishes. My team mate (husband) is playing flag football tonight. I heard a loud one blurt cry from Evelyn, so I went to check on her. She was trying to get her thumb in her mouth and her coordination doesn't always work with her. I started to turn around and walk out, but I stopped and thought ~ just love on her! So, I did. I held her and rocked her for about 15 minutes. Their is nothing better than the smile she gives me when I pick her up out of her crib...except... sweet little hands running across your skin. I sang amazing grace (with the voice I don't have) and we just rested together. I have to admit I shed a few tears...I was reminded...

I may not get everything done everyday, 

the stove may not be clean.

the load of clothes in the washer may have to be rerun, 

my bed may not get made, 

I may not get to watch my favorite TV show

but, every night, 

I hold my my daughter,

she hears me pray for her and our family, 

I tell her I love her, 

and I give her LOTS of kisses. 

So, tonight I'm reminded, she is growing up fast...

set an example for her,

love on her, 

let her see Christ in you

and she will grow in His ways!

My New Favorite mom blog!

This blog is SO cute and she has things that make you cry and practical things! I'm in love!

Diapers and Daises

She has a new series "Raising A Daughter"
along with an old post "Rules for Mothers of Daughters"
Plus practical tips for teething, which I'm sure to need soon!

I haven't dug any further into her blog, but so far, I'm in love and I wanted to share!

4 months!

Evelyn is 4 months old (well actually 4 1/2 but we just went to the doctor)!

Here is our 1 to 4 month comparison!

Evelyn is 13 lbs 1 oz and now in the 50th percentile (@ 2 months she was in the 25th percentile). She hit a growth spirt and grew 3 inches and is now 24 inches long! This is in the 55th percentile (@ 2 months she was in the 10th percentile). Our "squeaky" is happy, healthy and beautiful!

Our month has been full of excitement, including visits from grandparents afar:

Grandtama and Petapa flew in from St. Louis and we
made the best of the 24 hours we had with them!

My mom and Dennis came in 2 weeks ago. I love watching how much they enjoy enjoy Evelyn! I've always been so thankful for my mom's "get r' done" attitude (in which she passed on to me!) She had so much fun with Evelyn but also took the time to help me fill my freezer with meals! To make our freezer meals we blended some of the good ole' Homemade Gourmet Spices using Tami's new cookbook! It was worth the time it took to make the seasoning blends ~ the flavor of my meals are back to AMAZING and without preservatives!

Papa drove in from Arkansas for the
weekend and it was so much fun to
have him hear for 2 1/2 days!

For these two weekends, I'm not sure Evelyn was put on her playmat or anywhere else unless she was in her bed! That's just fine with us! We are glad they enjoyed her and spoiled her! I wish they lived here so they could see her all the time!

Everyday at some point, I'm reminded of how Evelyn's earthly life started and I'm thankful for how God has blessed us with our healthy growing girl. She brings so much joy and spirit into our family.

In fact, an example of her spirit is how much she is moving these days! She was able to remove her sticker herself in her 4 month pics...although I don't think she intended to put it over her mouth. When I took it off she was licking it! It was super funny!

Here are some other things about her development:

• I am eating 5-8 oz every 3-4 hours and I had to switch to the level 3 nipples (for 6 months and above) because I was sucking to much air
• My mom is still making enough milk to keep up with me and she has a goal of making it until 6 months or maybe even Thanksgiving before I switch to formula. 
• I hold my head up, enjoy sitting in my bumbo and my bouncer even though my feet don't touch the ground.
• In tummy time, I hold my head way up off the ground and look around for minutes at a time
• I can roll from my stomach to my back
• I no longer take a pacifier but I LOVE to suck on my hand and if I can get my thumb in my mouth that's even better! It helps me fall asleep :)
• I smile all the time and I think it's funny when my daddy blows on my belly!
• I sleep about 12 hours a night and take a 1 hour nap in the mornings and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon

• I love eating my cereal and I think it's funny when I blow it out of my mouth...we will see how long my mom and dad think it is funny!
• I love to blow bubbles 
• I like my two dogs and they love giving me kisses! 
• When I get tired, it's best just to put me in my bed, I don't really like to be rocked to sleep. I'd rather suck on my fingers or put my hands behind my head.
• I've to realize I can cough and I think that is funny too! 
• I also figured out that I can use my headbands my mom puts on me as sun shields. I just pull them over my eyes.

On another note, I started one PhD level class last week. I'm taking one class during my workday on Tuesday's and I make up the hours by not taking a lunch and working 30 minutes extra a few days a week. I'm glad I don't have to take a night class and I'm super excited about the opportunity to possibly earn a PhD certificate after taking 4 classes over the next two years. Then, I will probably not go for the full PhD, rather, we will start planning on baby #2 when I finish the 4 classes. :) 

I've been back to work for 5-6 weeks now, at SMU. I love my job and find each day full of challenges including writing great assessment questions, working with project budgets, making training videos power points and so much more! 

Scott still continues to be the most amazing husband and father! He helps out with Evelyn all the time. We truly make an amazing team! We have found that 2 date nights a month keep us "sane," so if anyone wanting to watch our angel for an evening, we would love to let you!

My take on working mom guilt...

So, going back to work has been good for me. I really enjoy the challenges of my new job and the opportunity to be a part (a leader) in something that seems so "big!" Right now I'm primarily doing the bulk of the content work and Erica, the project specialist, is helping me with alot of the fine details like booking workshop locations and catering details. In a few more weeks my "content team" will come on board fully and we will embark on a project journey that will take us into April of next year! So, I'm pretty excited!
So far, being a mom and working isn't as challenging as I thought it would be. I just have to shift some of my priorities and the house cleaner comes once every 3 weeks for my sanity! I'm such a mom though, my desktop at work, my screen saver, and my phone screen background are all pictures of Evelyn. It's funny, when I tell someone I have a baby, I always follow it with "and here's a picture of her!" I'm so proud of my little champ. She's 3 1/2 months now and I just got the developmental survey for her 4 month checkup in the mail...so here is where the title of this blog post comes in....

I was told when Evelyn was born that I should expect her to lag behind developmentally 5 weeks (since she was 5 weeks early) or basically a month. I'm sure you remember my beginning posts on this blog where I told about the guilt I felt because she was early and wondered what I did wrong for this to happen for our family. Well, I've moved on from that, thanks to my heavenly father for pulling me through that one!

Anyways, I got the survey in the mail and I sat down excited to fill it out as I thought Evelyn's development was coming along really well! As I started to fill out the form I found that I could not answer all of the questions. If this had been a 3 month developmental survey I would have rocked it...I was home with her then and I saw everything. However, since I started back to work she gets home with Scott about 6:00, we eat dinner, she gets a bath, and I snuggle with her for a little bit, we say our prayers and read a book and then she is down for the night. So, I knew she was doing better at holding her head up because of how she holds her head when she is on my shoulder, and how she sits up when we go out to restaurants etc. However, I genually had not been doing tummy time anymore and I realized that for the 1 hour I get her on week nights she was either in my arms or in the high chair.
So, I composed myself and did not have a meltdown. This time Satan wasn't about to get the best of me! It was in that moment I realized that the weekends were to be cherished!!!! Yes, the weeknights are cherished too - in a different way - just being together! However, on the weekends I get to see her in action!
So, this weekend was great!

• Floor mat: wow! She used to hate the stuff over her head and when I would put her on the floor she would SCREAM! Now she loves it and laughs at herself in the mirror. She is also batting at the toys with her arms!
• Tummy Time: She can hold her head up for a little bit and is starting to look around
• Bouncy Thingy (Exersaucer): While she is only accidently pressing the buttons and her feet don't touch the ground yet, she does enjoy sitting in it and looking around.
• Her eyes follow us when we pass by
• When she hears our voice she looks for us
• When she wakes up and you go in her room, she smiles when you get to the crib and greet her

Anyways, so many exciting things are happening with her and I'm so thankful I'm adjusting so well to the "working mom" life! I think it's great that I have friends that get to stay home with their kiddos, but you know, everyone can't do that, so if you are a mom going back to work soon or working already, don't get down on yourself! You gotta do, what you gotta do! Cherish the moments you do have with your kids, they change so quickly!

3 Months!

Today Miss Evelyn Faye Hatfield is 3 months old!

 She spent her first day at Learn-N-Fun Home Daycare with Ms Claudia and Mr Noe who I am very confident in and thankful for! I did really good dropping her off and then I went to the gym to workout with my friend Shashawn. I was feeling great, just checking my phone pretty often and looking at the daycare facebook page. Mrs Claudia (or Lala) had already posted 2 pictures of her before 10 am, so it really helped me to know what she had been doing!
On the way home from the gym I had a minor meltdown. I realized that I was going home and my little girl would not be there for me to pick up. For the past 2 1/2 months every time I went somewhere, when I came home she was there...this time she wasn't going to be. I texted Scott and he called me and reassured me that she was having a great time and meeting lots of new friends. Once again, my wonderful husband always knows what to say to help me recover from my moments!

When I went to pick her up this afternoon I was so excited! I could feel my heart beating. When I walked in she was almost asleep but when she heard my voice her eyes popped open wide! Lala went to pick her up and it was so sweet, Evelyn smiled a huge grin! I couldn't wait to kiss those chubby cheeks! As we walked to the car I held her so tight and gave her so many kisses!

On the way home we stopped at Walmart to get sun shades for Scott's car and all through Walmart she smiled and talked to me. It was like she was telling me about her day! I can't wait to hear about her day again tomorrow!

When we got home I made Scott dinner and sat down at the table. I picked her up and kissed her forhead and I started crying. It's the craziest thing. How could I possibly be crying again? She is safe, happy, healthy, and in great care! I just missed her so much though. Scott asked me if I was ready to be a stay at home mom...I said YES! practically before he finished saying the words! I actually would like to work from home a few days a week...but I would still have to work at something! I couldn't stay home everyday and play wife/mom forever!

She started getting fussy so I decided to officially start our bedtime routine tonight. Bath, lotion, story and bottle. Then, I rocked her a little and sang Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, and Amazing Grace. She was almost asleep so I laid her in her bed and she is out. 8:10 pm. Once again I found myself with tears in my eyes. On a typical weekday I'll see her from 6:00am -6:30am and from 6:00pm-8:00pm. So, I guess I'll have to push through this feeling like I've made it through every other obstacle in my life. I just have to remember God is in control and he has a plan for our family. I may have to miss my daughter a little for what he has in store for our future!

Here is some information on her development:

• I am eating 3 1/2 - 4 oz every 3-4 hours (except for last night when I drank 7 oz between 5:45 pm and 7:45 pm...that was crazy!) and guzzling the bottle of pumped milk like a champ!
• I'm holding my head pretty steady and I would much rather sit up and see what is going on than lay back in someone's arms.
• I'm practicing sitting un my Bumbo and in my bouncer (but my feet don't touch the ground yet)
• I cry when I'm hungry or need a little "snack" (1/2 oz a couple of times a day).
• I also cry when I'm sleepy, but swaddle me up and I'm a happy girl!
• I love bath time
• I'm starting to smile when I see a bottle, when I wake up in the morning, and when my mommy and daddy talk to me
• I think something clicked since I'm 3 months old. Last night I went to bed at 8:30 and got up at 5. I've never slept that long!
• I would rather sleep on my stomach, but it makes my mom nervous so she tries not to put me that way.

Here is our 1 month to 3 month comparison picture!

So my new mom tip from today's experience is...send your child to daycare before the first day you go back to work so you can have some time to adjust. However, don't plan to sit at home and do nothing go out and get your hair done, have lunch with friends and plan projects to work on. The time will pass and you will be thankful for the free time and for the adjustment time before your job starts!

I'm really excited about my new, very unexpected adventure at SMU as an Elementary Assessment Coordinator for the Research in Mathematics Unit! I start work on Monday! I am really excited about the opportunity!


Scott and I are also going to enjoy a date night on Friday night while my sister watches Evelyn and I am super excited! I realized this week that this will only be our 2nd time out alone since she has been born. I'm going to start scheduling date nights more often as I know we still need time alone together! In fact, my sweet sister in law, Rhonda and I have decided that we are going to trade date nights once a month! I'll watch her boys so her and Tommy can go out, and she will watch Evelyn so we can go out! That's what family is for! Looking out for each other!!!

Thanks for listening to me babble about my day today!

Everything is changing...

Everything is changing:

• We got a new car due to the hail damage
• I start a new job in 1 week
• Evelyn starts daycare Thursday
• Evelyn is growing to fast and making leaps and bounds developmentally. Here's some more detail...

Well, this Thursday will be Evelyn's 3 month birthday and she will start going to daycare too! I keep telling myself it will all be ok. I know she is in great care, but this week she has been so full of changes I don't want to miss a moment!

She has been holding her head up fairly well, but on Friday it was like she took a super baby pill! She started sitting up for 2-3 minutes at a time. She also held the "frog position" for about 30 seconds and then she would fall over. It was so cute!

In addition she is really starting to "coo," make lots of sweet noises, and smile a lot more! It's so much fun. I'm very thankful that Claudia and Noe at Learn N Fun Home Daycare take tons of pictures and shoot videos so I can see her milestones I'll probably miss while I'm working.

As many of you know "I'm a workaholic!" Well I'm not anymore. While I've been doing some work from home, I have been enjoying having 3 months with Evelyn. She will most likely be our only child that gets me home for 3 months straight! I'm excited about my new adventure working at SMU as an Elementary Assessment Coordinator for the Reseach in Mathematics Education Unit. It's about 5 miles from my house and the benefits are amazing! I can get my doctorate for FREE, Scott can get an amazing discount for his Master's, and Evelyn will have the opportunity to become an SMU Mustang if I continue to work at the university for many years to come! There are also so many other benefits, it would take alot to describe!

I'll admit being a mom has had it's rough moments:

• Crying for 2 hours at night for about 3 weeks ~ not anymore ~ Dr. Karp's 5 S's have saved our life! I have a happy baby and many have told me a great baby. I can only imagine what our next one will be like since she has been so wonderful.
• I officially haven't had a full nights sleep in 3 months and I'm hoping that will be coming to an end soon! She hasn't been taking a bottle in the middle of the night anymore, but she still wakes up a couple of times between 2 and 5.
• Everything piles up. There are some days I just want to enjoy her and I do nothing but that. Laundry piles up, groceries don't get bought, and naps get taken together.
• It's been quite the transition for Scott and I. He has been amazing through my tears, fears, and gripes. We are learning together what it takes to still be us with our additional little one. It's work, but it's allworth it! I'll admit, I wouldn't mind to have some alone time together. A full day date and a full night's sleep would be so refreshing!
• Sometimes I don't know what to do when she cries, but I figure it out....eventually
• I dispise clipping nails. I clipped her skin 2 times the other night. Evelyn cried like she had been given a shot...so I cried with her!
• The swing is one of the only things she likes to be alone in...learned today from friends on facebook...IT'S OK!

I'm so thankful Evelyn has been in great health since we came home! I dread the first time she gets sick, I know it will make my heart hurt!

I'll post her 3 month pics and stats after Thursday when we take them!

Coming home!

On Wednesday, May 2nd I woke up bright an early, hopefull of what the day would bring...once again :)

I went to the hospital, fed Evelyn, and told the nurse, Renee, that we would be happy to bring Evelyn home without rooming in over night. Evelyn had officially been off the oxygen 72 hours and I felt confident bringing her home without staying overnight in the hospital.

Around 10:30, I looked at my phone and saw I had missed a call from the NICU. It was Renee, she said she had good news, we could bring Evelyn home today! I was super excited! I called Scott to see what time he could leave work. He said he couldn't be home until 6:00 pm. My heart sank, I couldn't hardly stand to wait that long, but I did want Scott to be there.

I frantically cleaned...again...just as I had done the day before! I guess one can "nest" after a baby arrives!

At about 1:30 Scott called. His work had thrown him a surprise shower and he was leaving at 2:00! I was over joyed and couldn't wait for him to get home. I called Renee and told her we would be there at 3:00.

Here she is all dolled up in her dress
from Coco and Hatty!
Ready to go home!



I think we have a lot of PINK!
All buckled up and ready to go!



Proud and excited parents!
She made it home in 2 weeks and 6 days!



I rode in the back on the way home. I felt so bad that her head kept turning so far sideways but I sure was proud. I think I took about 10 pictures in our 3 mile ride home! I was super happy, but a little overwhelmed by the thought that I was now a "real mom." As we pulled into the driveway I teared up. I tried to hold it back and be strong, but once again, Scott saw right through me! He gave me a hug and I told him I was a little nervous. What if I didn't know what to do with her?

Upon entering, meeting the dogs was high on the priority list!
We thought Nola wouldn't be good with her and that Chap would be awesome.
Well, it turned out very differently. Nola is like her second mother!
She guards Evelyn, wants to give her lots of kisses, and double checks to make sure I know when she isn't happy. It's hillarious. Chap on the other hand wanted nothing to do with her, until about 4 days into her being home. Now he shows a little bit of interest in her and likes to give her kisses.





All snuggled up in her bassinet!
I was successful in knowing she wanted to be
swaddled up and take a nap!
YEAH!

Hopefully, I'll get to right about my great first week at home with my daughter later today!





And the roller coaster continues...

Today I was at lunch with my friend Faith when I noticed a missed call from the NICU. I called back and to my surprise the nurse told me to keep my phone close because the doctor was about to call me. She said that her regular doctor was out today and that the doctor who saw her wasn't comfortable sending her home. I was shocked. I hung up trying to contain myself as I told Faith. It was really tough. As you know from my earlier blog post I was so excited about this special day.

A few minutes later my phone rang. It was the doctor. He said that her pulse ox was still going below the "ok" mark and although she is able to bring it back up herself, he was not comfortable sending her home. In addition he said that her lungs sounded great, but he wanted to order another chest xray to verify. He then said when he listened to her heart he heard a heart murmur. He said that many are born with it and grow out of it, but that he wanted to order an echo just to verify that there were no defects in her heart. He assured me that the test results would be in late tonight or first thing in the morning and that they would call me. He also said we would not room in tonight and that her regular doctor would make decisions about her future care tomorrow.

I hung up the phone heart broken. Why had no one else noticed the heart murmur in her 2 1/2 weeks of care? I talked with Faith and she offered to go to the hospital with me and pray for Evelyn. I was so thankful that she was with me during this rollercoaster moment! I called my dad and of course that's when the tears started flowing. He reminded me that there is a reason for everything and that it was better that we get all tests needed now rather than having to come back.

Faith and I went to the hospital together. Evelyn was peacefully sleeping so we prayed for her and as we were leaving the echo machine pulled in with old school VHS tapes to record it on. I didn't really want to stay and listen so we left. Then, I went to see my doctor. He reassured me that the percentage of babies that have defects on the echo is a very small. I left his office feeling better (like always, thanks doc!) and headed back to the hospital.

While I was feeding Evelyn they came to do her chest xray. In addition, the doctor (whom I had never met) came by to meet me and assure me that he was just being extra cautious and wanted to make sure we explored every avenue with her care.

About 10 minutes later the phone rang in the NICU, it was the cartiologist that had read the echo looking for the doctor. My heart didn't skip a beat or jump at all. For some reason, I was suddenly at peace. I knew everything was going to be ok :)

A few minutes later the doctor came in and gave me 2 thumbs up! He said that the chest xray looked great and that the echo showed no defects. So, we have a little heart murmur, but nothing to be alarmed about.

We had some sweet time together celebrating the good news!
I'm so proud of my strong little girl!
I can't wait to have you at home with us!

So, tomorrow we find out the new plan since we got the all clear from this doctor, but not the "go home" all clear. Who knows what tomorrow will bring on our roller coaster ride.

Happy 2 year anniversary!
Great dinner at The Libertine!

The past few days!

After the news of coming home on oxygen and going through a range of emotions about that, Sunday came as a day of hope! Hope that the trial off of oxygen would show how strong she was and that she was ready to be off of the oxygen! I knew they had taken her off about 9 am, so in Sunday School we prayed for her lungs, for her strength, and for God's will.

Sunday afternoon!
7 hours off of oxygen
Keeping the tabs that hold the tube on the
side of her face, just so she knows
it could come back.
Tough little girl!

A little less than 24 hours later (yesterday morning, Monday the 30th), at 7am I called the hospital to see how she had done off oxygen overnight and what her feeding schedule for the morning was looking like. I was so excited to see her and to wanted to celebrate that she had made it 24 hours without oxygen. The nurse said she would be ready to eat at 7:30 so I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, and put a little makeup on. I headed to the hospital hopeful for what the day would bring. We had been told that we would be trained on oxygen at 3:30 pm, room in for the night, and she would come home on Tuesday...but I had a feeling that plan was going to change.

I fed her, we cuddled, had our morning pep talk and I put her back in her bed. The alarm kept going off because her pulse ox was dropping below 92. I would pray and she would bring it back up. This happened 4 times over the course of about 20 minutes. I was a little nervous, wondering what the doctor would say. I decided to head home and get a few things done while she was resting and come back later in the day. I knew the doctor would be calling so I kept my phone by me.

At about 11 am, the doctor called. It was a new doctor as Evelyn had been transfered to the "red team" aka the "go home team!" He said that she was doing great and although her pulse ox was dropping below 92, he wasn't concerned because she was able to bring it back up on her own. However, he felt better keeping her another 24 hours just to be safe. So, we would room in Tuesday night and bring her home Wednesday.

I was pleased that the doctor was cautious, but also a little disappointed. Scott was a little agrivated as he keeps having to change his schedule at work to accomodate the changes. I can understand that, I hate having to change things with my boss.

I headed back to the hospital in the afternoon. The nurse was ready for the "car seat test." So I fed Evelyn and we put her in the car seat. They put them in the car seat for 1 1/2 hours and watch the monitors to see how they do. Some babies struggle more when sitting in that position. The nurse said this was the real test, if she did ok on this then we would not be going home on oxygen, but if she didn't, we would. I was a little nervous, but she looked so darn cute in the car seat. The cuteness made all the nervousness go away!

1 1/2 hours later...
SHE PASSED!
Look at thos long fingers, double chin,
 and that pretty bow!

 Today (Tuesday), I woke up so excited! I hadn't really realized that we would be spending our first night with Evelyn on our 2 year anniversary. I think that is just another blessing! What a special way to celebrate. Now I know, some of you are reading this thinking, celebrate? You will be up half the night...I know, I know! I just can't help but be excited though. We get to become "real parents" tonight! After almost 3 weeks of knowing you are a "mom," but not feeling 100% mom like, I'm super excited!

I can't wait to post tomorrow about our 1st night adventures (although, many have told me I won't be blogging once she comes home...I will find a way!).

The rubber meets the road...

Today at 12:39 pm I called to check on what time Evelyn's next feeding might be, as I was planning on going up to give her a bath before hand (her cord fell off on Tuesday!). The nurse asked if I had heard from the Neonatologist yet. Nope, why what's up. "She has a new plan she wants to run by you, so expect a call any time."

I hung up and my heart sank a little, I knew the plan, the doctor had been commenting about it all week, but kept saying that she didn't feel like it was necessary, "It's just going to be a few more days," is what she had been saying all week. Today, she didn't need to call me and tell me, I knew what she was going to say. I even talked to Scott at 12:53 pm and told him what she was going to say.

Evelyn is coming home...on oxygen with a pulse ox monitor :)

Finally, after waiting impatiently at home in my rocking chair at 1:50 pm she called. I was right, we have a new care plan.

Evelyn is coming home...on oxygen with a pulse ox monitor

She told me that Evelyn is doing very well and that she just needs a tiny amount of oxygen 0.02L of flow. Mathematically (not taking into account the % of oxygen), this is 100 times less than what she started out with. They can't even set the machine to give her a smaller amount of flow of oxygen. However, this small amount is still necessary and the doctor feels like Evelyn should come home, be in her natural enviornment and get into a routine. We will follow up with a pediatrician at the hospital and then transfer to our pediatrician after Evelyn is weined off of the oxygen completely. If the equipment comes in today (which it probably will), we will be trained tomorrow at the hospital, stay overnight at the hospital, and come home Sunday. If the equipment doesn't come in today, she will come home on Tuesday.

I hung up immediately called Scott, crying, of course. Once again, he was my rock :) Reassuring me that it will be ok and that we can do this together.

My mind is racing:

• am I going to be tied to her room?
• is it portable?
• how big are the machines and oxygen?
• do I need a family member to come and stay with us or is it better to be on our own?
• where are these darn ants in my house coming from? gotta get rid of them...

My mind is thankful:

• We are both CPR certified (as of last night)
• At least she is coming home on a pulse ox monitor so we will know when her pulse ox goes down and we will be able to help her
• Our Sunday School and other friends have graciously been providing meals and time to help us out
• We have prayer warriors all over the country!
• I think I have everything we need...think!

So, this is where the rubber meets the road. It's official we are going to be "real parents!" Our baby girl is going to be home for us to love on, cherrish, and support. I never dreamed or imagined this would  be my story and it definately wasn't in my "plan."

"Give thanks in everything,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

When I am afraid,
I will trust in You.

In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4



Leader of the Family

It's been a while since I've posted. After our move to "intermediate care" on Monday the 16th and being told she would go home in a few days (the 18th-19th)  and then it not happening I've struggled with what to write about. Evelyn is such a fighter and we are so proud of the progress she has made. To go from 2.0L of oxygen at 55% to 0.1L of oxygen at 21%-30% in her first 5 days of life is a total God thing! She is maintaining this amount of oxygen still, a little over a week later. I'm learning:

"knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

James 1:3-4

I've gone through a roller coaster of emotions and Satan has really tried hard to get the best of me. Saturday the 21st was a rough day. My mom left on Friday the 20th and I was overwhelmed with emotions that Evelyn wasn't coming home and I would be alone starting Monday. How would I get to the hospital? I'm very independent and depending on people is not one of my better traits. So having my mom here made me feel very comfortable and confident!


Friday morning April 20th
Before my mom left to go to the airport.

I contacted my Sunday School group. We are so blessed to have so many couples that love Scott and I so much and help us when we are in need. Donna (our teacher's wife) took me Friday afternoon, Kattie took me to run a few arrends on Sunday and to see Evelyn, Faith took me Monday morning, and Sarah took me to run arrends and to the hospital Monday afternoon. A true blessing, especially Monday. I didn't want to be alone so I was very thankful to have friends around me!

On Friday night, Scott suggested I take the dart. It would pick me up 3 houses down from us and drop me off right in front of the hospital. What a perfect idea!!! I could be independent and go when I wanted to go! So, I looked up the bus schedule and was prepared to go at 11 am on Saturday morning while Scott was at Men's breakfast with our SS group. I was so nervous about catching the bus but I didn't tell anyone. Dart has been in the news repeatedly for negative events the past few months. I just kept looking at the picture above (my screen saver on my phone) and telling myself it was worth it. I patiently waited and still had an uneasy feeling about going...well the bus was on the other side of the rode and I couldn't get to it. I was so upset because I really wanted to see Evelyn, but I was also a little relieved because I will admit I was pretty scared.

Scott came home and I immediately started crying...He always does an amazing job of comforting me, letting me cry, and asking me to tell him what is wrong. So I did! I told him how scared I was, how much I missed Evelyn, and how badly I wanted her to come home. He offered to take the bus with me for the 2 o'clock feeding and that made me feel so much better! What a great idea! So, we went together and all my fears were alliviated. Then, that afternoon we went driving around town looking at old homes and enjoying the fresh air. It was so nice to get out of the house and spend time together having an adult conversation! I took the bus on my own at 7:30 and he picked me up after I fed her since it was dark. I felt much better about riding the bus! I'm so thankful for my sensitive husband who listens to me and can sense my needs! He's an amazing leader!

What I didn't tell him was that Satan was really attacking me about why she was still in the NICU. He was working on me by telling me that I didn't take my prenatal vitamins everyday and that is why things had turned out this way. I must have cried at least 5 times during the day on Friday, but I never told Scott (and still haven't ~ so he's probably learning this by reading) about what I was battling. My dad called Saturday afternoon and I cried on the phone. He told me it was ok and also told me I needed to let the guilt go. How did he know? He also told me to use this time to grow in my relationship with Christ and allow him to work in me. Thank you Lord, for giving my dad the words to say when I need them! I still didn't tell my dad what guilt I was feeling, but after I hung up I remembered that while he doesn't reply to texts, he does receive them. So, I text him and told him the guilt that I was feeling. After that, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I also told my doctor and he reassured me that was not the reason why this happened.

I decided it was important to go to Sunday School and church the next morning and wait to see Evelyn after church, even though Satan was also attacking me about not keeping on my hospital visit schedule that I had been doing all week. The verse at church was truly what I needed!

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

1 Peter 5:6-7

I'm so thankful that I listened to my intuition again, as I'm learning a lot about how I just have a "feeling" sometimes and I need to follow it. I'm also learning that it's ok to lean on others and not be so independent.

To my amazing husband: thank you for being my rock and being the strong one through this experience. Your leadership, encouragement, and constant love are more than I could ever ask for. I'm so thankful God paired us together and gave us our beautiful little girl, even though it wasn't in our "2 year plan!" God has a way of blessing us in ways we don't plan for!

Every little girl needs a dad to snuggle upto!
I'm so thankful Evelyn has you!


To my blog readers, I need a good devotion book that will keep me engaged and help me to grow stronger in my relationship with Christ. Any recommendations?

 



Eating by mouth!!!!

On Tuesday morning, we went to the hospital for another Lactation Appointment at 10:30. The best part about arriving was learning that Evelyn had eaten:
75% of her first three bottles at 11 pm Monday, 2 am and 5 am Tuesday
100% of her next bottle at 8 am
and then...she took to feeding from me like a champ and ate her entire meal!!! She was exhausted!

YEAH! After 48-72 hours of this we get to get rid of the feeding tube!!!!!!!

The rest of the day went really well. We decided to feed her through the feeding tube at 5, to give her a break. The night nurse said that Evelyn made it very clear that she did not want to be fed like that. She preferred to suck on something! Yeah, that means she will keep up the hard work!!!

Scott came at 8:00 and held her. I completely forgot to take a picture...but I have pics from the next few nights!

Thank you again for all of your love, support, and prayers! It's getting better everyday!

Incorrect Math in the NICU!

In the NICU, 35.6 means 35 weeks and 6 days

35 and 6 tenths (35.6) has a value of 35.87!

As you can see this is quite disturbing for me!
Evelyn received her first math lesson and poor Mrs. Bev got a speech
She said she would start writting 35 and 6! LOL!

She will always remember me everytime she has to write one of those stickers!

Saying Goodbye to Mrs. Bev

Monday was a crazy day!!!! Scott went back to work, sadly! Luckly, my mom was here to help me all week as I would be discharged from the hospital and would now need to be driven back and forth to see Evelyn.
They asked me if I could be out of my room by 2:00 pm and I thought that wouldn't be a problem because I typically so see Evelyn at 2. My mom could load up the car, we could see her and then we could head home.
At 10:30, I had a appointment with the lactation consultant. That was extremely unsuccessful, as I thought my child was choking the whole time and I decided this could get frustrating. However, I complied with trying again the next day, thinking in my mind about that saying "Third times a charm!" Maybe we just needed to try again and again.
When we came back my mom began taking small loads of stuff to the car and I took a shower. Everything was barely loaded just in time, so I headed to the NICU to see Evelyn and my mom took the last load down to the car.
When I walked in, Mrs. Bev was leaving to go to lunch. I looked at her with a funny look and she did the same to me. I was thinking to myself how am I suppose to do all this by myself? She said, "you know you are an hour early?!" Wow, she was right I had loaded the car and checked out of my room at 1:00 pm instead of 2:00 pm. CRAZY! Now what was I going to do? I try not to bother Evelyn in between the touch times so she takes a good nap and continues her development. My mom reminded me I hadn't had lunch, so we went downstairs to have lunch and shopped in the little gift shop.
When we went back up, Mrs. Bev said that Evelyn gets to put clothes on! I was so excited!

A few minutes later someone (I think the charge nurse) came by and told Mrs. Bev they needed to talk to her about moving Evelyn to "Intermediate Care!" Mrs. Bev was shocked. Not that she wasn't ready to go, but that this was Mrs. Bev's 4th day in a row to work a 12 hour shift and in the last 4 hours they were going to move Evelyn and give her a new baby to assess and begin care on. I was not happy, so I kindly said something! After the nurse left, Mrs. Bev told me thank you, because they were going to wait until shift change to move Evelyn! Yeah, Mrs. Bev gets to finish her shift with her and Evelyn is going to a step down NICU!
It was time for Kangaroo time, my favorite! I sat in the chair and Mrs. Bev quickly said, "I don't know what you are doing, your moving to Intermediate care which means she won't be here long. You need to figure this out and do it yourself. Get up and put her in the kangaroo pouch!" LOL! I just love her! She was very right, I can't be afraid to pickup my own baby!!!!

After Kangaroo time we had our last group pep talk and Mrs. Bev told her she would not be there on Friday when she came back for her next shift. She told her she needed to start breathing on her own and eating by mouth to get ready to go home!!!

I'll never forget the love, care, education and counseling Mrs. Bev provided for Evelyn and me! I requested the Evelyn get her back this weekend but my request was unsuccessful, as they needed her in with the "sick babies."

That's Love...

Sunday was a super exciting day!!!

Here's our first family picture! Isn't my husband handsome?!
We were so excited about her getting the CPAP mask off!



When I went in at 11 am, the CPAP had been removed!!!
However, when a tech tried to take it away, Mrs. Bev quickly said
"NO, come back at 2 and get it. She needs to know that we can give it
back to heri if she doesn't keep fighting!"
So, at 2 pm we gave Evelyn another pep talk and wheeled the CPAP
machine away! She hasn't had to have it back either!!!





Kangaroo time today was even better without the CPAP mask!
I had her head sitting in the center of my chest and she
picked it up and moved it over so she could look at me when I was
talking to her! SO COOL!

While I was holding Evelyn, her monitor went off because her
Pulse Ox was 100. I haven't understood much about that number,
but I knew that it had been getting better because it was staying above 92
and the alarm was only going off when it was above 98.
I asked Mrs. Bev (who is standing in the picture) what the blue 100
meant...she said "oh, that happens with love, it's just love!"
What it really meant was that her oxygen could be turned down
which is awesome, but it was pretty special that everytime I hold her
that number shoots to 100 :)



My mom flew in from St. Louis on Sunday night!
She got to be the first person other than Scott and I to hold her!
Pretty Special!
Scott had to go back to work on Monday and I was getting
discharged from the hospital, so she came to help me finish
getting the house ready and transport me back and forth to the
hospital for feedings

I'd say today was a pretty exciting day, lots of changes and fun times.
She also had lots of visitors today, too! All of them got to see her, but since it wasn't a "touch time" Scott and I pretty much just let them look and maybe get one little touch in!

 Kattie (who also ran arrends and saved me from not having any clothes to wear when the chemicals on an ice pack covered my clothes. She went home and got me some more clothes to wear).
Some of our Sunday School class came and delivered a ton of muffins for us to give to the nurses (what a great idea, as I knew I wanted to do something, but didn't know what to do or how
to get it done) They also went and got me a pizza from Campisi's to share with my mom when she came!

Alex and Greg from Scott's work.

Roy Sparkman from our Sunday School teacher.

We are so thankful for all of our friends and family for supporting us during this time in our life! We couldn't do it without your support, prayers and love!