Happy Should-Have-Been-Your Birthday, Meredith!

April 26 - Today is the day that Meredith was supposed to be born! This is the day we were supposed to meet her for the first time. Instead, she is 6 weeks old. As much as we would have loved to have avoided NICU and the stress and fear that comes with it - we wouldn't change a thing! I told Brandon that today is her "supposed to be birthday" and he said, "I'm so glad we're not at the hospital today." You do what you have to do, when you have to do it - obviously. It was emotional, it was frightening, it was aggravating, it was physically draining...but it was for Meredi - and we'd do it all again for her without batting an eye.

So here are some of the pictures from her birth that I didn't share when she was born. I think I edited the gory surgery ones out for those who have a weak constitution.

This would have been our entry today - if we hadn't already shared the joy and excitement of her arrival six weeks ago!


This is Lois - she is one of our "old favorites" NICU nurse. She worked nights and I was always so relieved when I'd find out she had our preemie...when we wheeled in to the OR for Meredi's delivery, this masked nurse came in and I said, "Hey, are you Lois?" A familiar face was so comforting - but it was the middle of the day, and by chance, she had come in to cover for someone otherwise she wouldn't have been there.



This is my doctor on the right - the resident on the left. Lois at the left of my feet and Kellie my L&D nurse on the right. Kellie is the one who made the call to rush to the OR - what she feared wasn't really what was happening, thankfully - but it was b/c of it all that my doctor did an ultra sound and said the uterine lining was simply too thin to continue laboring, even with medication...and we prepped to meet Meredith.



And here she is - we have 2 or 3 c/section delivery pictures like this - I don't know why my doctor insists on leaning backward out of the shot!



Love at first site - Meredith has been such a peaceful baby, since the moment she was born. She'll either add a new ingredient to our family - or she'll surprise us all when she breaks out of her shell with pipes and an attitude!!



Daddy gets to hold his 5th darling daughter -



Then mommy finally got her hands on her baby girlie hours later in NICU.



Feels like this all happened so very long ago. Meredith is just part of the family - like she's always been here. What a blessing this sweet angel girl is!

A day of winners!

Friday was Race Day at Jared's school. He finished 5th and came home sporting this fancy pants medal. It's been around his neck for the last 24 hours. I wonder if it will go with his attire come High School? Seriously though, we are so proud of him. Way to go, Jared!!



Later Friday evening, Jacob attended his annual Math Competition at a nearby high school.

Jacob won "The Best in School" - which was the top scoring individual from the 16 kids that went from his own school. He also won 4th Place Individual - which was, as it sounds, the 4th of all 176 kids from his division.



Of the 44 teams, his school scored 4th place, earning them the right to send a team to The Masters Tournament in May.



Sports and Academics - good to see that the gene pools from both parents were well represented today!!

Time on my hands...

Sometimes there are things that strike me funny that may not do the same to others...this may be an example of such a thing.



And while I was uploading that valuable expenditure of time, I found this one from Joseph's birthday. Megan & Jacob had gone upstairs and poured the balloons down on Joseph, Malorie, Melanie & Jared...they loved it. Did it over and over and over!

Dirt!

Low and behold - we do have dirt under all of this snow! We had almost forgotten that there is more to our existence out here than just coldness and whiteness! We were able to get out and go on a walk a few nights ago - and it was joyous! It was a short walk (which was mom's fault) but it was fun!


This was mom's view the entire walk - the back side of everyone else! I brought up the rear the entire time...well, Meredi and I did. She enjoyed every second of the walk tucked up in the sling!!



Jason and Jacob couldn't resit a quick King of the Mountain (Hill)!




Jasper and Jypsy followed us the entire time (yes, we know Gypsy is spelled with a G...but boys in our family all have J names so we opted to spell it funky just for fun)...



Then they tried to tangle up Melanie's feet when we got back to the driveway!



When we passed the creek, the kids saw a beaver. Of course by the time I got there with the camera, it was gone (both times) - so don't strain looking for the beaver, he's not in the picture - but this is where he lives!



I took this picture of a moose and her calf as I was heading to town the day Meredith came home from the hospital - the mom is HUGE! I took several pictures and then I realized she was staring me down and I figured if she took me on in the Jeep, she'd win...so I left!

2 YEARS!

So it was right about this time, 2 years ago, that I was sitting in my living room with my dear friend Amy. I had just had my 35wk OB appointment and after spending the entire day thinking I was in labor, my doctor told me I wasn't - at least as far as dilating, etc. I remember telling Amy something along the lines of, "I don't know what I'm going to do when I really am in labor b/c I thought I was all day and I'm not..." Just 7 hours later...we met little Joseph Barry!




(Little did we know then that 2 years later, he'd still have that same death grip on his binkie!)



We had a party for him today - what a card!



Here's his cake...






And here's the shot where mom blew out the candles just a split second before Joseph burned his eyebrows off!




2 years - man, a lot has happened!
Happy Birthday Joseph - Enjoy today and all of your tomorrows. We love you more than you will ever know!

Our trip to town...

Wednesday was my first follow up OB appointment. Brandon took the day off and stayed home with Malorie, Melanie and Joseph - Meredi and I made an afternoon of it.

It was nice to get in to the office and see everyone again. It was Wednesday, which is normally Angie the nurse's day off...but she was there! Whew! Then as we were leaving, Teri (u/s tech) came down the hallway and met up with us for a minute. AND...Katrina was back! She's a receptionist who has been there for years and just left to work at a dentist office...luckily, she hated it and came back. I kind of felt like Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz when she wakes up and says, "And you were there, and you were there, and you were there..." The only person who wasn't there officially was Chryssee the receptionist and she was gone b/c she just had her baby.



After we left the doctor's office we stopped by to see Auntie Lindsay at her work. She and Meredi hadn't seen eachother since Meredi was about 3 days old.



On the way home we stopped at the grocery - and when we were done there, we were DONE. Both of us were exhausted! It was nice to go out, but not as nice as it's been to stay home. Apparently we still need a couple weeks of recovery before we're 100%...ok, MOM - mom needs a couple of weeks! :)

Happy Birthday Joley

"She, we have a little Joel David here at the hospital..." I remember my Uncle Dave calling me and saying that to me when my cousin Joel had been born. I must have been 11'ish...right at the beginning of the "I LOVE BABIES" phase of my life...(which hasn't ended yet)...and I couldn't get changed and to the hospital fast enough!

I thought a lot about Joel today - it's his birthday. Sadly, he's not here to celebrate this day with us. He passed in an auto accident almost six years ago. Boy, that 4am phone call was sure a blow. I was expecting Malorie at the time - my mom called from the ER and told me that Joel had been in an accident and wasn't going to make it. I remember hanging up the phone and thinking, "This doesn't happen in OUR family!" Minutes later I was on the phone with my Aunt Joy and we were making plans to drive to Joel's parent's home.



I don't want to focus on his passing today - his life was wonderful. He was a bubbly, blue eyed toe-head! Always laughing, always smiling, always loving!



There is a marker on the side of the highway where his accident occurred. For the longest time I hated it - I could never drive home to my parent's place without passing it and being reminded that THIS is the place...right here. I don't know if I've softened or grown up or just changed my thinking - but now I enjoy the reminder of Joel when I drive home. And I enjoy that he's the last thought that I have when I leave town too...I miss you Joley Poley!

Kids Say The Darnedest Things

Brandon will play a game with the kids now and then where he sits at the piano and challenges them to "Name 10 songs" and then he will play "kid friendly" songs until they name ten of them.

Last night I heard him play Winnie the Pooh, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, etc...then he played "If you're happy and you know it".

Melanie piped up and said, "If you're happy in your nose, clap your hands." I guess it could sound like that to 3yr old ears.

We sure enjoy Jaynie!

We're still around!

Who are you voting for?

I love my cousin, Mardi! LOL She sent me this email today and it made me laugh, then sigh, then nod my head, then shake my head...then almost cry! LOL

Now, a quick update for anyone who didn't leave, offended by the picture and comments up there...

We're doing well. Miss Meredi is doing just wonderfully! She's becoming quickly aquainted with everyone - and everyone with her. She and Joseph still seem to have a love/hate relationship going on, but I'm sure they'll move past it.

She has already figured out that being "down" is bad and being "up" is good - and having someone hold you while they are sitting barely counts - standing is much better! But we don't mind - 7 pounds and being as cute as a bug makes it really hard to complain when you "have to hold the baby".

She went out on her first big date with mom and dad Saturday night - a wedding reception for a good family friend of ours. (There's a better way to word that...we're good friends with the family...the son of a family we're good friends with...etc etc...I'm sure you get it - and I doubt you even care that much!)

We had a beautiful weekend where we hit almost 70 degrees! The kids couldn't get in to shorts fast enough. All of the bikes were taken down off the hooks in the garage. They spent hours outside. Today it's 44 degrees, the shorts are all in a pile in the laundry waiting for me, the bikes look like war carnage in the yard, and the kids are in the house - nintendo/trampolining/air hockey'ing/etc. Boy, we sure hope that weather will be back soon!

This is week four of my recovery and I'll admit, this one has been my hardest c/section yet. I still have a lot of discomfort - but it's better than it was, so maybe I was just really lucky the four times before and healed really fast - now number five is going to linger! But I managed a trip to the grocery today - I have a pot of potato soup on the stove...a lemon cake just came out of the oven - we might get back to normal after all! (I'm sure I'll be paying for all of this tomorrow when I wake up and won't be able to roll my large self out of bed!)

We'll get some pictures taken this week. Funny how for the last three weeks, all I had was pictures...ever day! Now that we're home, I am not even sure that I can think of where the camera is off hand!

Accidental Masterpiece

I just happened to be holding the camera last night when Jason came into my room and picked up Gracie...I snapped this quickie picture and looking at it today I realized it's my oldest baby and my youngest baby...so much has happened in between them! What a lucky little girl to have such a wonderful big brother - and what a lucky big brother, to have such a tender little sister - - oh, and of course, what a lucky mother to have been blessed with an amazing Oldest and Youngest and all the in-betweens!!

Here's how it went...

Saturday we were told that we could take Meredith home on Sunday "with a heart/resp monitor" OR we could wait until Monday (the very next day) and she could go home "wireless"...Of course the thought of taking our baby home without wires was amazing - but we were a little puzzled at the magic of just one day. Would she REALLY be ok to take home if we waited just hours vs taking her home Sunday needing a monitor???? Finally Bran and I decided the best thing to do was to get her the heck out of the hospital and get her in to our wonderful pediatrician and let HIM call the shots from here on out!!

So Meredi came home with a monitor that she wears around her chest at night and in the car seat - and any time nobody is with her (like THAT ever happens). We saw Dr. O (ped) yesterday and it was so reassuring to talk with someone who has cared for our children for over a decade! He's calling the monitoring company and having them come out this week to swap monitors so they can get a download of any apneas or hi/lo heart rates that it recorded in the last 48 hrs. We think she's doing great - a typical newborn! We don't mind the monitor, and if our ped thought it would be wise to continue using it another week or two, it really wouldn't be a big deal!

So that's how we decided to get home - and here's what happened when we actually GOT home! I called Bran from my cell when I pulled into the drive way. He met me in the garage and carried Meredi into the house behind me - I went in with my camera locked and loaded!

Maddie caught us in the mudroom before we made it to the kitchen table (where everyone else was) - she got teary eyed - so I got teary eyed...lol. And then this



(Oh, and an apology to Steve Bates who had called as we were walking in - Maddie was holding the phone to give Brandon and I took it from her so I could get pictures of Bran with the baby and kids - I just held the phone in one hand and took pictures with the other - probably for almost a minute before Maddie said, "Mom, the phone is for dad..." and by then he had given up on me and hung up and called back! Sorry!)



After the initial shock was over, everyone got their turn holding the sister.

Jason


Madilyn


Jacob


Megan


Jared


Malorie


Melanie


Joseph

I think it's unanimous around here - Meredith is a keeper!

She has been just a joy. She is still on a 4 hour schedule which has been really nice. There's no doubt that being at home is the right place for her! The care we received in the NICU was amazing. And we will be forever grateful for everything that was done for Meredi - now we're being equally as impressed by the power of nurturing and love...the medicine that no doctor can administer!

Be it ever so humble -

There's NO PLACE LIKE HOME!



This isn't the official Meredi's Home entry - I just haven't had time to sit and hammer it all out just yet - but we wanted everyone to know that Meredi came home Sunday evening. She is currently on a heart/resp monitor - but after a check up with Dr. O this afternoon, it's looking like we'll be off it before the end of the week. (go figure)



I'll update with more pictures and details as soon as I can - thank you so much for keeping tabs on our rollercoaster ride! It's so good to be home!!

Fun with Grandma Janet!

My mom came down and spent a day with the kids while Brandon was at work and I was at the hospital. It was a busy day that wasn't complete until Joseph locked himself in the bathroom for the better part of an hour! Maddie "talked him out" - but not before she decided to slide a frosted sugar cookie under the door to him...sometimes ideas seem like good ones, right up until you actually DO IT!

Here are a few pictures that grandma took to record her adventurous day!

Megan doing - I'm not sure what!



Oh, maybe Megan was messing with Grandma's camera in that picture up there because I SEE grandma in the background of THIS picture, so I know she didn't take it!



White rabbit sugar cookies w/ pink bows - YUM!



Jared! How dare someone interrupt him while he's playing a computer game - especially to take a picture!!



I don't think he could get any more frosting on his little face if he tried...



Speaking of "try" it looks like he'd enjoy trying to take a picture with grandma's camera. I can just hear his little wheels turning!



Any grandma who doesn't make you brush your hair AND who will let you lick frosting off a knife is a good grandma in Jaynie's book...



...and in Malorie's book as well!



Grandma and Joe...



...and one last shot of Frosting-Face-Joseph!

Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times…

It appears that Miss Meredith is going to be a little trouble maker from the get-go. Had she made it through just one more night (last night) she could have been discharged today – apparently she just isn’t ready yet. She had a couple of breathing problems in the night and now we’re shooting for Sunday morning for discharge…of course only if she makes it between now and then without any more problems.

I had kept my “Oprah Ugly Cry” in my pocket from Tuesday, so I was able to whip that out and use it again! However, the doctor today is Dr. S – and we really like him. Not many parents get the chance to become as familiar with NICU doctors and nurses the way we have – which is a good thing I guess. Dr. S is very soft spoken and gentle with the babies – and with emotionally drained mothers! AND, thankfully, Gayle is our nurse again today – I don’t know if I could have made it through this morning’s disappointment with anyone else. I guess I just would have – it was just nice to have it be a friend.

And really, the disappointment is selfish. Of course we want Meredith to be where she needs to be – and we’d never jeopardize her health. We’re just so looking forward to being a “normal” family again. I miss my kids terribly. The drive to and from the hospital (abt an hour each way) is getting longer and longer each day. Actually RESTING from abdominal surgery would be nice at some point. And I can’t stand having the kids ask when Meredi is coming home and not being able to give them an answer. So see, the disappointment is mostly selfish. Of course we want our little sister at home with her family!!! But more than that, we want her safe and healthy – and we can wait a little longer for a clean bill of health.

So, today’s “Maybe” and tomorrow’s “Probably” have both been bumped to Sunday…I hate to even throw days out there – so much can happen to change things. So don’t get your hopes up – (that’s a hard lesson to learn) – and hopefully Monday morning we’ll be sharing pictures from HOME!

Closer...

We're another day closer - we're looking at MAYBE Friday, PROBABLY Saturday - IF nothing happens between now and then. She hasn't done anything chokey while sleeping in over 48hrs. She has choked while eating a few times, but I do that too - so I can't see how that would count against her! (I already asked, and it doesn't count against her!)

Because she has been eating so well, they went ahead and removed her tube - so here is our first official, tubeless picture of Meredith Grace (ok, I guess there were a couple of pictures right when she was born w/o the tube...so maybe this isn't the "first" official...)



We're so very close - please continue to think those positive thoughts and to remember our girlie in your prayers! I wish I knew bigger-better words to adequately express our gratitude for the love and support our family has received...thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jace's Braces!

Well, today is the day! Jason has had a spacer thing in his mouth since school started. Today the orthodontist placed Jason's braces! Jason seemed excited and a tad nervous. He chose blue bands that glow in the dark! Oh brother! LOL

Do we dare??

Meredith has now gone almost 32 of 72 hrs w/o choking in her sleep! The nurse practitioner told me that she'd need to go 3 days (she said "3 to 4" but I really think she'd let us do 3 if nothing else happens) - I hate to even dare say all of this out loud. But, if she keeps up at the pace she's going, she could be discharged Friday/Saturday! Man that would be joyous!

She's doing just great! She's nippling full bottle feeds now - just seemed to click overnight - seriously! I updated one day that she just wasn't getting it, and she wasn't. The next day (actually, that same day at 4pm) she took her first full feed and has never looked back. That's how quickly things change around here. Sometimes for the good sometimes, well, not for the good - but we're still good!

Her weight went up again (they watch that closely when they nipple their feeds vs gavage- and she's eating in a "range" - and that I'm not even going to TRY to explain to you!) But her weight was up to 6 lb 6 oz last night. She was 5 lb 11 oz when she was born, and the lowest her weight ever hit was 5 lb 7 oz - she she has gained almost a full pound in the last 2.5 weeks!

Please keep your fingers crossed for us - we're so close...and on a dime we could again be so far away.

Warm homemade cookies -

For anyone still willing to read for updates on Meredi! I swear, every day is a roller coaster ride...EVERY day!

So you'll recall how discouraged I was just YESTERDAY! Overnight, Meredith got the eating thing down...and, knock on wood, she still has not had any central apnea. So, technically, she is ready to go home...EXCEPT...she is having too many OBSTRUCTIVE apneas...she's choking too much. She's getting to sleepy to swallow properly - we're able to help her recover when we're holding her, but she's also doing it in her sleep. Most of the time she recovers by herself...in fact, I think all of her "episodes" are self-recoveries...BUT, if she were to do this at home, we wouldn't KNOW she was doing it say if she did it in the middle of the night...and it would only take one episode where she couldn't self recover to be tragic!

SO - now what we need is for her to go 3 days without choking...the last recorded "choke" was 3am today. I know there is going to be a LAST one some time, and of course I hope that one was it, but it's so hard to walk in to her little station and see that piece of paper (where they record what happens) and strain to see if the nurse recorded anything new!

An hour and a half until I go back to her 4pm feed - here's hoping she's still choke-free!

I forgot to report -

Back in February, Brandon and I were able to see Brian Regan at the INB Center! My sister gave Brandon the tickets for Christmas and we patiently waited and waited and waited for the date to arrive. We had a blast! I will admit that I like watching his DVD's at home better than sitting in an audience and having to semi-contain my laughter. Those of you who know me well, know that I have very little control over my laughter when something strikes me funny...be it appropriate or not (unfortunately). So it was hard having a total stranger sitting by me. I'm sure Brandon got tired of me hitting his knee when I really wanted to laugh out loud!

It was GREAT fun, thanks Lindsay!