Today is my oldest sister Cara's birthday!!! Happy happy birthday to her!
Not much has been happening around our household. Flara is grinning more and more, and now she makes sweet little sounds along with the smiles. It's so cute! She is pretty much smiling at anyone who comes and looks at her. It seems like it's been forever to get to some of these stages. Having a baby nearly 3 1/2 months early makes for one extremely long newborn phase.
Noël is really upping her vocabulary. It seems each day she pulls out a bunch of new words. Today she added 'sketti' for spaghetti! She said, 'poop' today, which wasn't exactly exciting... but she says it now! She also said, 'shoo' when I changed her diaper. She knows that the white stuff on the ground is 'snow' and she loves to tell me 'no' now for lots of things! TROUBLE! haha! I'll say, 'Noël, please don't step on Sissy.' She tells me, 'no, nooooo.' It's really hard not to laugh! She's also really into Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton right now. She wants us to play it daily on Pandora, and she flat out boogies down!
As our family grows, so do our needs for a larger vehicle. We're currently in the hunt for one. With the car seats in the back of our little Focus, I have to ride with my knees crammed in the dash. When SnoopDogg travels along, he has to travel under my feet on the floor. With his epilepsy and nervous nature, he gets really scared by any bump along the road, which results in his trying to crawl under the seat to the back. Usually, he gets stuck halfway, so there will be two little stubs sticking out and irritated grunts erupting from beneath my seat. He'll give up, then give the most concerted effort to cram his big block head between my knees to sit in my seat. It's a serious battle of the wills! Typically, he's a very obedient dog, but when he's scared, there's no telling that dog to stop doing anything. Thankfully, I always win, but I'm covered in dog hair by time the battle is over. Ugh!
We're still trying to sell our home, only by owner now. We had to let a sale slip between our fingers last year because it happened during the week that Flara was born. The couple ended up buying a house around the corner, but had really wanted ours. It's hard to not sometimes be frustrated by that, but we know that God's timing for all things is always perfect. In our first week now, we had probably ten phone calls of interest. We're going to show the house tomorrow, so please pray for us!
We had a good week of superb weather... up in the 60s! But, we're back to the icky cold and snow flurries. I have not seen a winter hold on or come so early in years. I think since back in 1993, when the Hoosier state got hit with a blizzard. This winter just doesn't want to let up, and it's killing me. I have not felt so much cabin fever ever in my life. I'm sure having a toddler adds to it, because she is constantly telling me she wants to play outside. It's just impossible with little Sis. Thankfully, during our warm weather break, we were able to get up into the Park a couple of days and get in some minor hiking, as well as take a few strolls around the neighborhood.
We also saw that Noël's strawberries have sprouted a few flowers! Oh, spring, please come quickly!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Because they are just THAT cute...
Reminder... click on the picture to view it bigger!
Little FlareBear... I'm not sure what she's thinking, but I'm thinking she's just too cute!
A very pretty big girl!
Big Sis is very helpful... she helped change Sissy's 'panties' and is getting her dressed.
I love these girls! =)
I'm getting more and more infrequent about these posts!
So. Noël had her two-year checkup yesterday at our ped's office! I'll admit, I was a bit nervous this time. In all our visits past, the girl has NEVER cried about shots or blood draws. She's just stone cold straight-faced. Yes, she's our stoic little girl. She could shoot a mean glare at the nurses, but no screams, no tears, no tantrums, nothing. I was certain yesterday would be our day.
Prayerfully, I set forth on our adventure and for the 'outsies' coming her way. I prepared her with prayer and telling her that she would be getting two 'outsies.' One for labs, the other for shots. I told her it was okay if she needed to cry and that Mommy would not be disappointed.
Usually, all painful things are saved for the end. Perhaps to break it up, the visit started with the blood draw. EEK. I warned Noël she was getting a quick one-two-three OUCH on her finger. She shook her head 'yes.' I asked her to hold my hand, so she did. She dutifully held out her little finger to the nurse. We counted down, then 'ouch.' The result. Nothing. She smiled, shook her head, 'yes,' and smiled again. The nurse and I just looked at each other and laughed. She got to wear a pretty pink bandaid. She was quite proud!
During the 'regular' part of her visit, we found out that this ugly rash she has had on her bottom is staph. Yuck. It started out as a yeast diaper rash. We treated with Nystatin. Still, after bits of improvement, the rash would reappear and look different and be more vengeful. Well, no wonder! She has been quite miserable with it, and tells me that it's 'outsie' and 'itsy.' That's ouchy and itchy. =) Poor little Noël. She's always such a good girl, even when she's just plain miserable. We were given Bacitran ointment, and in one day, has made a world of difference. Finally, she can sleep again!
When we measured her, she is now at 27 pounds 8 ounces. That's 50% on the charts for weight. Her height is 33 inches, which is on the 25% scale. Shorty! Her head. Now, that's big. At 19.5 inches, her head is on the 97%. That's my girl! We're all big heads in this family. And, shorties. She will fit in quite well!
We also had her armpits checked out. She had a month-long period where she kept holding her right underarm and telling us 'outsie.' Admittedly, I was a bit concerned. I would try to let her let me feel her lymph nodes, but she would get too tickled to hold still. The peds checked it yesterday, and everything appears fine.
Also of note, her heart murmur is gone! Thank you, God!
Now, the last bit of the visit. Her shots. =( I warned her again this would be a bigger ouchie. She again shook her head yes and affirmed she is a big tough girl. The first poke took her by surprise, but she held it in, albeit wild-eyed. The second poke, she gasped. Then, so sad.... she cried. For the first time ever! But, to her credit, it was short-lived. As soon as she had on her fancy bandaids and the big sucker in hand that Mommy had hidden in her purse, she was a-ok.
Little Sis got a shot, too. It wasn't even her turn for a visit! Poor girl. Our office was out of HiB at the last visit, so they gave FlareBear the shot this time. Although she wailed and wailed last time, she gave a quick 'ouuuwwwooooo' cry and was done. The nurses declared I had some tough kids on my hand! haha! Monday will be different. Flara has her Synagis shot for RSV prophylaxis. That one is thick and it burns. I know she'll really be upset for that one. =(
And, onto FlareBear. She is doing quite well. Since getting her frenulum clipped, she is eating much better and much more efficiently. She seemed to struggle at first because she didn't know what to do with all of that tongue. She also seemed a big amused at being able to stick her tongue out and lick her lips. It was really cute to watch her explore wide-eyed her new world those first few days.
She was the poster child for Mercy Health Partners in our March of Dimes campaign. I made her a poster, and was quite excited to share her story to garner support for March of Dimes. I hear the poster was a big success! I also donated a cake I made. It was quite purdy, I must say! It sold for a whopping $30!!!
Her hair gets frizzier by the minute! haha! There is no set pattern to the way it curls here and there. It's just plain out of control. Of all the grandkids and great-grandkids, she has the closest 'do to my Grandpa Compton. We will see what happens when all the baby fuzz falls out. It could come back straight, or it might just keep on rollin' up tight. It makes me smile!
And, smiling! She is a grinnin' girl now!!!! Mainly, she smiles for the same boyfriend that Noël smiled at... the ceiling fan. Occasionally, she will smile for Mike or for me, but it's mainly that ole fan. Her smiles start with a lip quiver, then she gets a left-sided Elvis lip curl, then her eyes light up, then she's all gums! I just love it. It seems these milestones have been a long time coming and boy, am I ever happy to finally see their arrival!
It warmed up today... almost back to our normal February temperatures. It made me happy! Noël, SnoopDogg, and I were able to get outside and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air. Aahhhhhh... we really needed to get out of the house.
Blessings!
Prayerfully, I set forth on our adventure and for the 'outsies' coming her way. I prepared her with prayer and telling her that she would be getting two 'outsies.' One for labs, the other for shots. I told her it was okay if she needed to cry and that Mommy would not be disappointed.
Usually, all painful things are saved for the end. Perhaps to break it up, the visit started with the blood draw. EEK. I warned Noël she was getting a quick one-two-three OUCH on her finger. She shook her head 'yes.' I asked her to hold my hand, so she did. She dutifully held out her little finger to the nurse. We counted down, then 'ouch.' The result. Nothing. She smiled, shook her head, 'yes,' and smiled again. The nurse and I just looked at each other and laughed. She got to wear a pretty pink bandaid. She was quite proud!
During the 'regular' part of her visit, we found out that this ugly rash she has had on her bottom is staph. Yuck. It started out as a yeast diaper rash. We treated with Nystatin. Still, after bits of improvement, the rash would reappear and look different and be more vengeful. Well, no wonder! She has been quite miserable with it, and tells me that it's 'outsie' and 'itsy.' That's ouchy and itchy. =) Poor little Noël. She's always such a good girl, even when she's just plain miserable. We were given Bacitran ointment, and in one day, has made a world of difference. Finally, she can sleep again!
When we measured her, she is now at 27 pounds 8 ounces. That's 50% on the charts for weight. Her height is 33 inches, which is on the 25% scale. Shorty! Her head. Now, that's big. At 19.5 inches, her head is on the 97%. That's my girl! We're all big heads in this family. And, shorties. She will fit in quite well!
We also had her armpits checked out. She had a month-long period where she kept holding her right underarm and telling us 'outsie.' Admittedly, I was a bit concerned. I would try to let her let me feel her lymph nodes, but she would get too tickled to hold still. The peds checked it yesterday, and everything appears fine.
Also of note, her heart murmur is gone! Thank you, God!
Now, the last bit of the visit. Her shots. =( I warned her again this would be a bigger ouchie. She again shook her head yes and affirmed she is a big tough girl. The first poke took her by surprise, but she held it in, albeit wild-eyed. The second poke, she gasped. Then, so sad.... she cried. For the first time ever! But, to her credit, it was short-lived. As soon as she had on her fancy bandaids and the big sucker in hand that Mommy had hidden in her purse, she was a-ok.
Little Sis got a shot, too. It wasn't even her turn for a visit! Poor girl. Our office was out of HiB at the last visit, so they gave FlareBear the shot this time. Although she wailed and wailed last time, she gave a quick 'ouuuwwwooooo' cry and was done. The nurses declared I had some tough kids on my hand! haha! Monday will be different. Flara has her Synagis shot for RSV prophylaxis. That one is thick and it burns. I know she'll really be upset for that one. =(
And, onto FlareBear. She is doing quite well. Since getting her frenulum clipped, she is eating much better and much more efficiently. She seemed to struggle at first because she didn't know what to do with all of that tongue. She also seemed a big amused at being able to stick her tongue out and lick her lips. It was really cute to watch her explore wide-eyed her new world those first few days.
She was the poster child for Mercy Health Partners in our March of Dimes campaign. I made her a poster, and was quite excited to share her story to garner support for March of Dimes. I hear the poster was a big success! I also donated a cake I made. It was quite purdy, I must say! It sold for a whopping $30!!!
Her hair gets frizzier by the minute! haha! There is no set pattern to the way it curls here and there. It's just plain out of control. Of all the grandkids and great-grandkids, she has the closest 'do to my Grandpa Compton. We will see what happens when all the baby fuzz falls out. It could come back straight, or it might just keep on rollin' up tight. It makes me smile!
And, smiling! She is a grinnin' girl now!!!! Mainly, she smiles for the same boyfriend that Noël smiled at... the ceiling fan. Occasionally, she will smile for Mike or for me, but it's mainly that ole fan. Her smiles start with a lip quiver, then she gets a left-sided Elvis lip curl, then her eyes light up, then she's all gums! I just love it. It seems these milestones have been a long time coming and boy, am I ever happy to finally see their arrival!
It warmed up today... almost back to our normal February temperatures. It made me happy! Noël, SnoopDogg, and I were able to get outside and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air. Aahhhhhh... we really needed to get out of the house.
Blessings!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Ouchy.
Poor little FlareBear. We just returned from our visit to the ENT. The doctor's assessment matched what we were thinking.... the frenulum needed to be cut. He gave me the option of waiting until she was 10 months old and undergoing general anesthesia, or doing it now... I opted for the now.
It was a quick cut, minimal bleeding, and she didn't cry much at all. =( He asked if I would mind holding her head snugly so he could do the snipping, or if it would make me sick. Thankfully, my NICU nursing experiences came in handy. I held her so it could be done, and I promise it went very quickly!
As soon as I picked her up, she stopped crying, and didn't seem to even act like anything was even done to her. It must be she's a tough little cookie from all she's been through already... that's my little Flara Fighter!
We are hopeful this will help ease some of our eating woes. It comes too late for nursing, but thankfully, we still have tons of milk stored in the deep freeze. Also, I think it'll be nicer on her heart to have one less thing causing her to be tired and work more than she needs to...
And, I keep reminding myself that God is in control. Fully. =)
Keep the prayers coming!
It was a quick cut, minimal bleeding, and she didn't cry much at all. =( He asked if I would mind holding her head snugly so he could do the snipping, or if it would make me sick. Thankfully, my NICU nursing experiences came in handy. I held her so it could be done, and I promise it went very quickly!
As soon as I picked her up, she stopped crying, and didn't seem to even act like anything was even done to her. It must be she's a tough little cookie from all she's been through already... that's my little Flara Fighter!
We are hopeful this will help ease some of our eating woes. It comes too late for nursing, but thankfully, we still have tons of milk stored in the deep freeze. Also, I think it'll be nicer on her heart to have one less thing causing her to be tired and work more than she needs to...
And, I keep reminding myself that God is in control. Fully. =)
Keep the prayers coming!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Birthday pictures
Here are some of Noël's birthday pictures, as well as some Flara pics!
***I've forgotten to mention it before, but if you want to view pictures larger, just click on them!
Noël got a delivery from her 'grangraw' in Indiana!
Auntie Cara sent her a flippin' pony! She's loving on it!
Noël got a sweet new ride and horn for her birthday... she's pumping with the horn!
Blowing out the candle
She loves dresses
A kiss from little Sissy
Sporting a very cute outfit from her Veitz grandparents!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
New Cousin!!!
Last night, at 10:30pm, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law welcomed their second baby into the world! Sawyer Jon weighs a whopping 9 pounds 2 ounces! Good thing he came a week and a half before his due date!
We can't wait to see pictures! How exciting for the growing family!
Today, also, is the second birthday of our beautiful Noël Suzanne! I can't believe she's this much of a big girl already! I love you, Honey! =)
We can't wait to see pictures! How exciting for the growing family!
Today, also, is the second birthday of our beautiful Noël Suzanne! I can't believe she's this much of a big girl already! I love you, Honey! =)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
I should write a million words, but I'll keep this short...
I have so much to report on from the last however long it has been, but I don't have the time right now to explain it all. I'll keep it short, then hopefully make it back later to share some stories and explain things better.
Basically, I want to get this out here so everyone can start praying.... keep praying, I should say.
Little Flara met with her cardiologist Monday... she has a murmur arising from two locations. One, her PDA (helps with in-the-womb circulation) has reopened, and it was discovered that she has a medium-sized hole between her atria. This has caused extra blood to flow out of her heart into her lungs, and has resulted in the the artery being enlarged. She will follow with a cardiologist, then will need surgery to repair it if it doesn't correct itself in the next couple of years.
Without being called congestive heart failure, which conjures up images of really scary and bad things, any time the heart is not working to its full potential, then it is considered to be just that... I hate the words. But, the good news is that it's not bad enough to require a speedy intervention, unless we notice Flara becoming more tired (than she already is), feeding worse, having sweaty spells... a number of symptoms. She won't meet back with her cardiologist for six months, then we'll go from there. The doc did say that the chance of requiring surgery is only 30%. Not bad! If we can get her to the age of two when she's bigger and stronger, she would only have to go to the heart cath lab for repair rather than a full inpatient cardiac surgery. Eek.
On the other side, she also met with her retinal specialist on Monday. Finally!!! Her eyes are fully vascularized and complete! We have been released from his care, and are able to mark one specialist off our list. Yippee!
It was a long day Monday. We spent nearly 7 hours between the specialists before getting home... Flara, Noël, and me. I have some heart warming stories to share about the Miss Noël, but I'll do that later. That kid really amazes me with her sweet spirit and compassionate heart. =)
Please keep praying for us!
Basically, I want to get this out here so everyone can start praying.... keep praying, I should say.
Little Flara met with her cardiologist Monday... she has a murmur arising from two locations. One, her PDA (helps with in-the-womb circulation) has reopened, and it was discovered that she has a medium-sized hole between her atria. This has caused extra blood to flow out of her heart into her lungs, and has resulted in the the artery being enlarged. She will follow with a cardiologist, then will need surgery to repair it if it doesn't correct itself in the next couple of years.
Without being called congestive heart failure, which conjures up images of really scary and bad things, any time the heart is not working to its full potential, then it is considered to be just that... I hate the words. But, the good news is that it's not bad enough to require a speedy intervention, unless we notice Flara becoming more tired (than she already is), feeding worse, having sweaty spells... a number of symptoms. She won't meet back with her cardiologist for six months, then we'll go from there. The doc did say that the chance of requiring surgery is only 30%. Not bad! If we can get her to the age of two when she's bigger and stronger, she would only have to go to the heart cath lab for repair rather than a full inpatient cardiac surgery. Eek.
On the other side, she also met with her retinal specialist on Monday. Finally!!! Her eyes are fully vascularized and complete! We have been released from his care, and are able to mark one specialist off our list. Yippee!
It was a long day Monday. We spent nearly 7 hours between the specialists before getting home... Flara, Noël, and me. I have some heart warming stories to share about the Miss Noël, but I'll do that later. That kid really amazes me with her sweet spirit and compassionate heart. =)
Please keep praying for us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)