Baby's got her own blog!

I added links to my 2 new blogs, but thought I'd better make the formal announcement. I decided Summer has so many pictures and updates that she needs her own blog. So, I searched for a name and came up with a real corny one! http://www.somuchsunshine.blogspot.com/ I will be posting regular updates for her there, but still updating this one with our family stuff as well. I am also compiling some memories and lots of pictures of Brooke and have created a blog to tell her story http://www.justtendays.blogspot.com/

Happy reading :) And, by the way, don't be shy...I love comments :)

Hearts and Flowers and a frog

Last weekend was Valentines...

It has always been my job in the past to go all out with gifts, flowers, cards, candy...etc. and my hubby's job to simply forget that holidays exist. Well, a couple of years ago, just when I had decided I was taking on his way, he caught on to how it's done (at least in my family). So now I am the one who is showered with nice, thoughtful gifts and candy. Tom got a card..oh, and a box of cherry chocolates. He usually brought me home a dozen roses from some street vendor in Seattle, but this time he bought some over prices bouquet at the store on his walk home from the bus. :) Isn't he sweet?

I had taken the boys shopping for Valentines for their classes and little Tom talked me into buying the stuffed frog (squeeze it and it makes a kissing sound) "for grandma". He was so sneaky...that night he asked me if I would be mad if he lied for a good reason? He was so cute...he gave me the frog on Valentine's day :)

Tom and I went to our Stake Valentine's dinner/dance and dragged Summer along with us. It was funny to see all the parents there who had left their babies at home googooing over her :) She was very popular! Isn't it sad? You long to have a break, and when you get it, all you do is talk about your kids and get sappy over others when yours isn't there. I guess that is what parenthood is really all about!

The theme for the evening was "Some Enchanted Evening". Somehow my hubby, along with my 3 best girlfriends, got roped into singing the theme song. They did a great job :) They wouldn't let me set foot anywhere near a stage though, so good thing I had to hold a baby !

So, next up is Easter....I am looking forward to all the chocolate I can steal from my kids, he he he!

Bye, bye, breastmilk

Well, I did it....Saturday I packed up two coolers full of most of the breast milk I had left, and sent it on a plane. A little wierd, yes. I'll rewind a bit so you will follow the bizarre set of events that led me to do such a unique thing :)

A few weeks ago, just shortly after we discovered Summer's allergy to the cow's milk protein in my breast milk, I was talking to a girl at church. The subject of babies, my past experiences, and girl talk in general, led us to discuss my current status. She had just recently had a baby herself and her sister in law is now in the process of adopting preemie twin boys. Her sis in law requested she pump extra milk to share with them, but this was not possible. She told me the sis in law was very anxious to find milk to give the boys, as breast milk has so much needed healing power. I had not done anything with the still 1/2 full freezer of breast milk, so I mentioned this to her. A few days later, I received an email from the sis in law. We have been trying to figure out the best way to get the milk to her in Utah... In the process, her sister, who has also just adopted a baby girl, contacted me. She wanted to share the milk...great. This has truly been an answer to my prayers....strange as it may sound.

I couldn't stand the thought of throwing it all out, and wanted to find someone who could use it. Sell it on Ebay? Open up my own "Breastsicle stand"? Maybe I could paint my van like a cow and drive through the neighborhood playing some type of twisted ice cream truck song? Since none of these options were realistic, and it is still way too cold for breastsicles, I have been just ignoring it all.

After some time and brain work, the sister of the sis in law and I came up with a plan. My friend, who happened to be flying to SLC this last Saturday, graciously offered to "Mule" it for us. We found out all the critera for a checked bag and away we went. I went to REI and called to have the sis pay for two soft sided coolers over the phone. Then I went home, got out a bathroom scale and crammed as much milk I could into them. We could only have 50 pounds in each....when they were weighed one was exactly 50 pounds and the other 48.5....wow, did I REALLY feel like a jersy cow! It's not every day you get to pack, label, and ship off something like this! I still have a good size shipment leftover, I am going to Fedex the rest to them soon.

The sisters are so excited....it made me feel great....a little sad too. It had an unexpected effect on me the last few days. I haven't cried for about a month (ok, not so true), so made up for lost time. A day doesn't go by that I don't think of Brooke....as Summer has starting doing so well, it has made things a little easier. I am so grateful that all my hard work and love (believe me, if you have never pumped before, it is a real tedious job!) was not in vain. I have been sent pics of the cute little ones that get to enjoy many milk mustaches...so sweet :) Heavenly Father truly has a hand in many things...gives us opportunities we would have never expected...isn't it great? Okay, rambling stops here :)

I have now decided to create a seperate blog for Summer's progress, www.somuchsunshine.blogspot.com and a memorial blog for random thoughts and special memories for Brooke www.justtendays.blogspot.com Just another chapter in my home spun therapy :) Feel free to check them out...not quite up and running yet, but it should be nice to have a seperate place for this. As you can see, my normal life has started in full swing and doesn't mix so well with all the other stuff :)

As always, thanks for all the great support!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

Summer came home yesterday and is doing great. After two days in the hospital, the blood and stool cultures were all negative. We still don't know what caused her diarhea, but it has resolved and she is back up to 40 ML's per hour (which is where she was before she got sick).

Summer now weighs 13 pounds and growing. She has remained her happy, smiley self even troughout her illnesses. As of this Sat, Feb. 14, she will be 7 months already! How time has flown by! Her lab work is looking good and we are back to moving forward. Next week we are going back to the clinic...hopefully she will continue to do well enough to advance her feeds some more...we can't wait to get her off the IV!

Girls just wann have fun!

Girl's weekend...Camano Island, WA 1/24-1/26-09

Every Janua ry my girlfriends and I escape for a weekend. No hubbie, no kids (babies are an exception :)), lots of food, laughter, and fun. We usually go somewhere within 1 1/2 hours from home, there are so many beautiful place to visit in Wa!

Me, Summer, Cathy, Debbie, Angie, Bridget, and Melanie (aka Mel K...she even has a daughter named Morgan too! )

This pic was taken on the balcony...Summer wasn't too happy with the whole idea...

Our Vacation rental was gorgeous. It was set in a wildlife preserve, full of huge windows, cool antiques, and 2 jetted tubs (a must for our weekends).

The house was beautiful...
The kitchen was huge and we messed it up good!! (Like mine English?)

This railing is in the process of being hand carved.

They had a few unique instruments place around the house

The cool stained glass inserts above the two upper bedrooms

The master suite bed...ahhh, very comfy....zzzz

The view of the stained glass from the master suite's bed

Overlooking the living room and back wall of windows

The dining room

...the view was very peaceful...

The small lake in the back yard...it snowed Sunday morning

The front yard pond

...we provided the wildlife....

My sis, Debbie, and I on the back deck

Summer

Aunt Debbie loves Summer...she held her most of the weekend

Bridget and Summer

Summer adorns the Chikita Banana hat...she's a party girl in the making!

mmmmmmm we tried something new....a NACHO CHEESE FOUNTAIN, WOW! This gave birth to a whole slew of "fountain" ideas....marinara, sweet n sour, BBQ sauce? The skies the limit...check out the steam! I discovered that it worked best just to dip my whole plate in it....no gluttony here, ha haha!

Bridget sliced up the ice cream....hey, is that all for you? No FAIR! (did I sound like my 6 year old there?)

Ahhhhh, the weekend souvenir...

It's sanitary, disposable, practical, comfortable, fashionable, and versatile....

MAXI-PAD SLIPPERS

WOW!

I custom made a pair for each person....how sweet :)

"Yes, I'm serious...you will have to wear them".

Cathy wears hers with black socks...sheik!

Melanie is tickled pink with hers!

Angie is just plain cute!

We make this railing look good! :) Bridget looks the happiest hiding behind the camera!

....and the close up just for dramatic effect...

Some of us took a walk...I forgot my baby wrap so I crammed her into my coat

Mel models her cow socks complete with udderly cute toes

Mel gave us haircuts too...it's so nice to have talented friends :)

As always....the chocolate fountain! No we didn't plan our matching outfits, but we do shop at the same store! So which one of us is the evil twin?

Angie and I had a little too much chocolate and not enough sleep....makes for a lot of fun!

I delivered the kiss of death to Bridget....death by chocolate is really not such a bad way to go!

Mel posed for me...she's so cute :)

Debbie, me and Angie...we are so cute too, ha ha

Bridget on the back deck

My sis and I are really cute too, NOT...

But, hey....it's no fun being normal!

It's tune up time again!

Well, we have had Summer home from her last trip to the hospital for a month (almost to the day) and are back again. A few weeks ago the doc gave the okay for us to come to clinic only every other week because she is doing so FANTASTIC! I knew that with a change like this, another hiccup was in our near future. Call me pesimistic...I have been told this is just how things work around here :)

As usual, we have been increasing Summer's formula through her NG tube slowly. With this last week's increase (from 35 ML's per hour to 38, then up to 40) she did great...until Sunday night. Summer usually will sleep through the night, sometimes as long as 10 hours at a time, but that night she woke up crying. I went to check on her and she was soaked from brim to brim. Her diaper was so full, it couldn't hold anymore. I did a full head to toe/bedding change and tucked her back in. After about another 4 hours, she woke again crying. Back in to her room I went for the full change again. After another 4 hours, the same routine. By this point, she was shakey, her lips were dry, and she was licking them f, uriously. She was also very fussy. I had to change her and throw her in the car to take little Tom to the doctor. I put a bottle in some hot water and away we went. When we got to the doc's office, she sucked the bottle down, but was still fussy. She was soaked again.

I called her clinic nurse....time to bring her back to the hospital. Summer had had so much diarhea, she was getting dehydrated. Fortunately I was able to recognize the signs easier this time and we caught it before she got too sick, or lost much weight.

We spent the night last night with her food turned off. This morning we started at 5 ML's per hour and have been increasing it up 5 ML's more every 2 hours. Her labs looked decent, dispite the hiccup. so we may only be here for a day or two more...let's cross our fingers.e

Today was also a scheduled Occupational Therapy appt. so they came to us. Summer is doing pretty well, considering her 3+ months stuck in bed. She is definitely VERY social...she smiles, coos, responds, etc. The testing did show that she is a little behi nd in her fine motor skills/desire to grasp at things. The OT said she should come alo ng nicely with a little encouragement and this is no surprise for a baby like her. She is so cute and sweet...her smile brightens up any room she is in :) Ahhhh, like my cliche?

Enjoy some recent photos of her below...

Here she is ...with her tongue...her favorite new toy
(pics taken 1-19-09 @ 11 1/2 pounds)

These are some impressive cheeks(s)!

Our happy little girl!


Snuggles with her binky 1-26-09

Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby 1-28-09

1-25-09

1-24-09

"Yes, we get it, I'm sweet...now shut off that flash!!"

More smiles 1-24-09

And yet, more smiles! She truly is a ray of sunshine :)