Friday 9 October 2015
It won't be like this for Long
My girls are both little. For four and a half months we had two under two and it is a lot. We were at a wedding this past weekend and so many of the women who had raised kids already were admiring my girls, watching with small smiles as I calmed temper tantrums, rocked and bounced a fussy baby, guided and disciplined, tried desperately to keep the girls quiet during speeches and vows and other important moments of a wedding. These experienced women all came to me later and told me "enjoy it" "It goes so quickly" "I know it feels slow now but its fast." Over and over and over I kept hearing this and started to ask myself why they were telling me this. I thought I knew this already, I am enjoying my babies, I know it goes fast, I'm savouring.
But I think that while I know these things in my head, in my heart, in my spirit, I forget. I love snuggling Hannah, but I want her to roll over, to sleep through the night, to crawl, to speak. I love playing with Isla, but I want her to play by herself, to read the story to herself, to dress herself. And I get impatient.
There's that country song, It won't be like this for long by Darius Rucker, that plays regularly on the radio and I've been singing the chorus to myself this week and reminding myself to enjoy my babies, enjoy the late night snuggles when I would rather been sleeping, enjoy the calls of 'mommy", enjoy the freely given kisses and smiles. And love on my girls as hard as I can because I don't have that much time with them before it won't be like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5fRlnfnoCM
But I think that while I know these things in my head, in my heart, in my spirit, I forget. I love snuggling Hannah, but I want her to roll over, to sleep through the night, to crawl, to speak. I love playing with Isla, but I want her to play by herself, to read the story to herself, to dress herself. And I get impatient.
There's that country song, It won't be like this for long by Darius Rucker, that plays regularly on the radio and I've been singing the chorus to myself this week and reminding myself to enjoy my babies, enjoy the late night snuggles when I would rather been sleeping, enjoy the calls of 'mommy", enjoy the freely given kisses and smiles. And love on my girls as hard as I can because I don't have that much time with them before it won't be like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5fRlnfnoCM
Tuesday 29 September 2015
Our Chaotic weekend
This weekend was a chaotic, unplanned, exciting and frustrating gong show. But when I was looking back on it before bed last night, I am so glad that we were used by God in so many ways and that God showed me my selfishness and gave me opportunities to change. I hope I took them and I hope I took them with a thankful heart and thankful attitude...but I don't think that was always the case.
On Friday afternoon, Matt told me he wanted to do some errands after work and he would be home a bit late. He asked if I wanted him to come by and pick up Isla but I said, no, I wasn't ssure how long she would nap and it would probably be best to leave her here. Good thing, because after Matt's first stop he got called back to work. He called me just as I was starting to make supper to say he was going back to work and didn't know how long he would be. I was disappointed but supper was still a couple hours away (we were making pizza) so I wasn't too worried that he was going to miss his favourite meal. But he did and Isla went to bed without seeing Matt all day and he came home just before 8 saying that he would have to go back in Saturday morning. I was disappointed, we had plans to go to the farmers market. But my sister and I decided that we would go together without him and we went to bed.
Saturday morning, Matt got up and left for work, I got up with the girls, we had breakfast and visited with my sister and her boyfriend (who had spent the night on our couch because he was at a youth conference here and didn't have a place to stay) and started to get the girls ready to go out. We looked out the window and saw a little boy, who we had found earlier in the week, lost, wandering down the street. I went out to see what was happening and speak to the woman who had him. She was calling the police. We brought the boy to her house and waited for the police to arrive, all the while watching his house to see if his mother came out looking for him. An hour later, no one had come looking for him, there had been some miscommunication at the police station and they hadn't sent out an officer and we were all cold and the boy had peed through his diaper and was soaked. We called the police again and told them we were going to take the boy back to my house so I could change him, he could play with Isla and I could put Hannah down for a nap.
We came home, I changed the boy and set him and Isla up with some toys and fed Hannah, put her down for a nap and the police arrived. I gave them my statement of what had happened and they asked if I could keep the boy for a while as they looked for the mother. I said yes, and they left. By this time Matt was home and laughing at me for taking in strays.
Child protective services came by and went looking for the mother as well. the boy had a set of car keys with him and the police were able to match the keys with a vehicle parked on the street. They ran the plates of that vehicle and found the name of the owner. They ran her name and it matched the description I gave of the mother who had come for the boy earlier in the week. It was after noon by the time the boy was returned to his home by child protective services.
By this time, it was too late to go to the farmers market. we had lunch and put Isla down for a nap so we could go out to a food truck festival we had been planning to go to. Isla decided not to nap very well and was very grumpy and difficult. After some gentle and not so gentle parenting, we were ready to go to the festival for supper. By the time we got there, most of the trucks were out of food, the vendors we had gone to see were packed up and gone and we were hungry. So we got some mini doughnuts and decided to go to a poutine place we really like for supper...only to arrive and find out they were closed. so we decided on pizza...only to arrive and find out there was an hour wait. So we ordered east indian food and went home. My mom arrived just as we were having supper and was staying the night.
After a late supper, we were about to put Isla to be when Matt's sister arrived from out of town to pick up something with her 7 kids. We invited them in and had a nice, noisy visit. By the time they left, it was after 9 and Isla was exhausted, as were we.
Sunday morning went fairly smoothly, rushing out the door to church as normal. Church was a good sermon and a good time for Isla with her friends. We decided to have a picnic in the park with my mom before going home, which was very nice but made isla have a very late nap. She didn't nap well, so we didn't get a chance to rest either. By the time we all fell into bed last night, we felt as if nothing had been accomplished all weekend and we had zero energy to do anything.
Through it all though, we tried to keep reminding ourselves that God gave us our house and we want to use it for His glory. Having people able to use our house as a refuge, as a place to rest, as a place for a cup of coffee and a visit, that is what we want. We had a quiet weekend, just the four of us planned and while there were moments when I resented that wasn't happening, we felt blessed that God was using us and shaping us. He was taking away our selfishness and teaching us. My heart hurts for the little boy we found but is grateful that God put us in his life and we were able to keep him safe. I was frustrated with my two year old when she wouldn't nap and was having temper tantrums over ridiculous things, but I am grateful that she teaches me to be a (hopefully) better parent and shows me how God loves his children when we stray.
On Friday afternoon, Matt told me he wanted to do some errands after work and he would be home a bit late. He asked if I wanted him to come by and pick up Isla but I said, no, I wasn't ssure how long she would nap and it would probably be best to leave her here. Good thing, because after Matt's first stop he got called back to work. He called me just as I was starting to make supper to say he was going back to work and didn't know how long he would be. I was disappointed but supper was still a couple hours away (we were making pizza) so I wasn't too worried that he was going to miss his favourite meal. But he did and Isla went to bed without seeing Matt all day and he came home just before 8 saying that he would have to go back in Saturday morning. I was disappointed, we had plans to go to the farmers market. But my sister and I decided that we would go together without him and we went to bed.
Saturday morning, Matt got up and left for work, I got up with the girls, we had breakfast and visited with my sister and her boyfriend (who had spent the night on our couch because he was at a youth conference here and didn't have a place to stay) and started to get the girls ready to go out. We looked out the window and saw a little boy, who we had found earlier in the week, lost, wandering down the street. I went out to see what was happening and speak to the woman who had him. She was calling the police. We brought the boy to her house and waited for the police to arrive, all the while watching his house to see if his mother came out looking for him. An hour later, no one had come looking for him, there had been some miscommunication at the police station and they hadn't sent out an officer and we were all cold and the boy had peed through his diaper and was soaked. We called the police again and told them we were going to take the boy back to my house so I could change him, he could play with Isla and I could put Hannah down for a nap.
We came home, I changed the boy and set him and Isla up with some toys and fed Hannah, put her down for a nap and the police arrived. I gave them my statement of what had happened and they asked if I could keep the boy for a while as they looked for the mother. I said yes, and they left. By this time Matt was home and laughing at me for taking in strays.
Child protective services came by and went looking for the mother as well. the boy had a set of car keys with him and the police were able to match the keys with a vehicle parked on the street. They ran the plates of that vehicle and found the name of the owner. They ran her name and it matched the description I gave of the mother who had come for the boy earlier in the week. It was after noon by the time the boy was returned to his home by child protective services.
By this time, it was too late to go to the farmers market. we had lunch and put Isla down for a nap so we could go out to a food truck festival we had been planning to go to. Isla decided not to nap very well and was very grumpy and difficult. After some gentle and not so gentle parenting, we were ready to go to the festival for supper. By the time we got there, most of the trucks were out of food, the vendors we had gone to see were packed up and gone and we were hungry. So we got some mini doughnuts and decided to go to a poutine place we really like for supper...only to arrive and find out they were closed. so we decided on pizza...only to arrive and find out there was an hour wait. So we ordered east indian food and went home. My mom arrived just as we were having supper and was staying the night.
After a late supper, we were about to put Isla to be when Matt's sister arrived from out of town to pick up something with her 7 kids. We invited them in and had a nice, noisy visit. By the time they left, it was after 9 and Isla was exhausted, as were we.
Sunday morning went fairly smoothly, rushing out the door to church as normal. Church was a good sermon and a good time for Isla with her friends. We decided to have a picnic in the park with my mom before going home, which was very nice but made isla have a very late nap. She didn't nap well, so we didn't get a chance to rest either. By the time we all fell into bed last night, we felt as if nothing had been accomplished all weekend and we had zero energy to do anything.
Through it all though, we tried to keep reminding ourselves that God gave us our house and we want to use it for His glory. Having people able to use our house as a refuge, as a place to rest, as a place for a cup of coffee and a visit, that is what we want. We had a quiet weekend, just the four of us planned and while there were moments when I resented that wasn't happening, we felt blessed that God was using us and shaping us. He was taking away our selfishness and teaching us. My heart hurts for the little boy we found but is grateful that God put us in his life and we were able to keep him safe. I was frustrated with my two year old when she wouldn't nap and was having temper tantrums over ridiculous things, but I am grateful that she teaches me to be a (hopefully) better parent and shows me how God loves his children when we stray.
Monday 14 September 2015
Happy 2nd Birthday Isla
Tomorrow when my Isla wakes up she will no longer be a baby. She will be a two year old, who expresses herself, who has likes and dislikes, who loves her sister and daddy fiercely, who wants to help me with everything I am doing.
Isla is turning two tomorrow and in my head, two is a little girl, no longer a baby. One of my favourite things is when she walks into a room that I am in and says "Hi Mommy!" in her cute little sing song voice and I respond "Hi Baby!" Isla is my first baby and will always be my baby. But tonight before she went up the stairs to bed with her daddy, I looked at her a little more closely, I hugged her a little tighter, I told her I loved her more emphatically then usual. I have loved being Isla's mom the past two years and am so glad that I get to keep doing it for the rest of my life.
Isla is turning two tomorrow and in my head, two is a little girl, no longer a baby. One of my favourite things is when she walks into a room that I am in and says "Hi Mommy!" in her cute little sing song voice and I respond "Hi Baby!" Isla is my first baby and will always be my baby. But tonight before she went up the stairs to bed with her daddy, I looked at her a little more closely, I hugged her a little tighter, I told her I loved her more emphatically then usual. I have loved being Isla's mom the past two years and am so glad that I get to keep doing it for the rest of my life.
Isla had a big year. And grew up so much!
Isla, I love you. I love what you teach me, I love loving you, I love playing with you, I love watching you learn and grow, I love your silly sense of humour, I love your laugh, I love how excited you get when you see Hannah first thing in the morning, I love how excited you get over new things. I have loved being your mom and I am so blessed that God gave you to me. Happy Birthday Baby Girl. Love Mommy.
Saturday 5 September 2015
Our Week
Despite the rain and cold this week, our week was full of smiles and cuddles. Isla often wanted to sit on the couch and read stories with me. Hannah seemed to crave some mommy attention too and if Isla was napping, she wanted to be cuddled and smiled at.
Sometimes, I get focused on housework and laundry and how my life presents itself and I forget to stop and focus on my girls. This week I tried to make intentional time with them my priority and to manage my time when they were sleeping better. It went...ok :)
Hannah's NICU Journey
Hello Friends and Family,
We have had a very busy week, starting with our little Hannah Elizabeth arriving Monday morning at 6:58am. She weighed 5lb, 1oz at birth and was 17 3/4 inches long. She came hard and fast and we were very lucky to have made it to the hospital via ambulance in time for her to be born in the emergency room.
Because Hannah came so early (33 weeks) she will be in the hospital NICU for quite a while. She is doing as well as can be expected. She is breath...ing on her own now and her vitals are pretty good. She is having some heart issues, but nothing unusual for a preemie baby. They are giving her meds to get the heart issues under control and the meds are working. the heart issues are called "bradycardia" and it means her heart rate drops very low. It is totally normal in premature babies and according to what we have been told/understand, its only because she is premature that she is having this issue.
Today they are hoping to start her on feeding (she's been getting her nutrition via iv and tubes into her tummy).
Isla is doing well and enjoying all the extra attention from friends and family who have watched her this week for us. But she is starting to have a tough time with us being away so much. We try to be home with her in the evenings and be the ones to put her to bed before going back to the hospital and also we are here in the mornings when she gets up.
Im sure you all have more questions and im sure some of this is repeat info from Matt's other posts. Please feel free to ask questions on here or send us a message with questions. We love you all and need your support and prayers right now as we try to take care of each other and both our beautiful girls. thank you so much for the encouragement and support we have already been given and for the excitement as we welcome Hannah into the world!
We have had a very busy week, starting with our little Hannah Elizabeth arriving Monday morning at 6:58am. She weighed 5lb, 1oz at birth and was 17 3/4 inches long. She came hard and fast and we were very lucky to have made it to the hospital via ambulance in time for her to be born in the emergency room.
Because Hannah came so early (33 weeks) she will be in the hospital NICU for quite a while. She is doing as well as can be expected. She is breath...ing on her own now and her vitals are pretty good. She is having some heart issues, but nothing unusual for a preemie baby. They are giving her meds to get the heart issues under control and the meds are working. the heart issues are called "bradycardia" and it means her heart rate drops very low. It is totally normal in premature babies and according to what we have been told/understand, its only because she is premature that she is having this issue.
Today they are hoping to start her on feeding (she's been getting her nutrition via iv and tubes into her tummy).
Isla is doing well and enjoying all the extra attention from friends and family who have watched her this week for us. But she is starting to have a tough time with us being away so much. We try to be home with her in the evenings and be the ones to put her to bed before going back to the hospital and also we are here in the mornings when she gets up.
Im sure you all have more questions and im sure some of this is repeat info from Matt's other posts. Please feel free to ask questions on here or send us a message with questions. We love you all and need your support and prayers right now as we try to take care of each other and both our beautiful girls. thank you so much for the encouragement and support we have already been given and for the excitement as we welcome Hannah into the world!
Hannah doing quite well, considering how early she came. She is off the ventilator, and is under a bulb for jaundice. She has been having frequent drops in heart rate, but skin to skin and some caffeine are helping that.
Hannah Update: She had a great day! when we spoke to the doctor this afternoon she said that there were no concerns, Hannah is doing great and the doctor said it was very nice to have a family she gets to consistently give good news to. We feel very blessed and know that God is continuing to watch over and grow our Hannah.
Today I got to change her diaper for the first time and Matt got to give her her feeding. we got extra time with her out of the isolette due to an equipment malfunction but we took it happily.
Thank you for the prayers, the encouragement, the love, the messages, we need them and you all.
Today I got to change her diaper for the first time and Matt got to give her her feeding. we got extra time with her out of the isolette due to an equipment malfunction but we took it happily.
Thank you for the prayers, the encouragement, the love, the messages, we need them and you all.
Hannah Update: Hannah had another good day today. They are increasing her feedings, she's loving getting to eat a bit more and taking it eagerly. Matt got to feed her this morning, burp her and change her and this afternoon Hannah and I had a good long cuddle and I got a turn to feed her. My mom was even there to help with that one.
She continues to do very well and everyone who comes by is amazed at her progress. God is so good! They did put the tube back down her nose into... her tummy. Because she is premature, she doesn't have the "suck-swallow-breathe" reflex down yet and eating can become very tiring for her. If she gets too tired to finish a feed orally, they can easily top her up with the tube. So it is not a step back, just a step up.
Isla loves looking at pictures of her baby sister and calls her "Nana" We are so looking forward to having our two little girls together. Isla is starting to have a harder time with me leaving so often, so please keep her in your prayers as well. We want to love on and be with both our girls.
Matt goes back to work tomorrow. Work has been so great and understanding and we are very grateful for that. But he does need to go back. So his visits with Hannah will be fewer and Isla and I will miss having him around so much. But we are soooo grateful that he is done school and able to be here with us.
We have appreciated and felt very loved by the messages of encouragement and love. thank you for your prayers, we know they are getting us through this and God is answering them.
May 8
Hannah Update: Hannah had a growing day yesterday, she slept and (hopefully) grew all day. She is gaining weight and is almost back to birth weight.
They discovered yesterday that Hannah has a tongue tie. There are only a few doctors in Lethbridge who do the clipping and one of them was in yesterday. He came and talked to me, explained what he wanted to do and how minor the procedure is and did it right there at her bedside while I watched. I cried more then Hannah did. We a...re very glad it was caught so early because it could be part of the reason Hannah doesn't want to take a bottle. we don't want anything causing feeding issues and this was caught early and dealt with so quickly.
No one has said anything yet about when we can take Hannah home but we are hoping that maybe Isla can go meet Hannah sometime this weekend.
We are tired and praying for strength and energy to keep going and taking care of our little family. We are so grateful for my parents being here this week helping with Isla and food and being here. We are so grateful for all those who keep encouraging us with kind words, and of course the prayers are what we need most.
She continues to do very well and everyone who comes by is amazed at her progress. God is so good! They did put the tube back down her nose into... her tummy. Because she is premature, she doesn't have the "suck-swallow-breathe" reflex down yet and eating can become very tiring for her. If she gets too tired to finish a feed orally, they can easily top her up with the tube. So it is not a step back, just a step up.
Isla loves looking at pictures of her baby sister and calls her "Nana" We are so looking forward to having our two little girls together. Isla is starting to have a harder time with me leaving so often, so please keep her in your prayers as well. We want to love on and be with both our girls.
Matt goes back to work tomorrow. Work has been so great and understanding and we are very grateful for that. But he does need to go back. So his visits with Hannah will be fewer and Isla and I will miss having him around so much. But we are soooo grateful that he is done school and able to be here with us.
We have appreciated and felt very loved by the messages of encouragement and love. thank you for your prayers, we know they are getting us through this and God is answering them.
Hannah Update: Hannah is doing well. She is getting more and more food orally and is gaining weight. She is hungry for food and eager to eat but it tires her quickly. Yesterday, I asked the doctor when I could start nursing since she's been rooting when ive been holding her lately. He said not until the belly button tube comes out. so a few more days at least. Well, Hannah didn't like that answer (and neither did I or the nurses) so the next time I held Hannah, she worked her... way down and latched on! she only nursed for a minute or so, but the nurses were very impressed and I was too. smile emoticon she is a determined little girl!
That tired her out though so she got the rest of her lunch via bottle or tube down her throat. They have told us that it is totally normal for her to be acting hungry and eager to eat, take three sucks of a bottle and fall asleep. That's why they have the tube down her nose into her tummy so she can still get what she needs but not exhaust her.
the other highlight of yesterday was that Matt got to hold Hannah for the first time. So far, ive been the only one to hold her and seeing Matt holding her was wonderful for all three of us. they had a nice cuddle last night.
Her heart rate issues are being managed with meds and she hasn't had anymore braddy's (where her heart rate drops). She is opening her eyes more and has moments when she is so alert and aware. She likes to move her legs and kick of her id bands and monitors of she can, which makes alarms and bells go off and makes people come running. smile emoticon
Its a long slow road with premies and I need to remember that. Some moments I am thrilled at her progress and start planning on taking her home, other moments I am not able to see a time when I will get to take her home. I know that God has been so so good to our little family and answered every prayer we (and you all) have requested. Today, I am praying that that will be my focus.
Thank you for the kind emails, texts, messages. I know some of you have walked this path before us and I am even more amazed now at your strength through it. I have been encouraged by your stories and kind words
That tired her out though so she got the rest of her lunch via bottle or tube down her throat. They have told us that it is totally normal for her to be acting hungry and eager to eat, take three sucks of a bottle and fall asleep. That's why they have the tube down her nose into her tummy so she can still get what she needs but not exhaust her.
the other highlight of yesterday was that Matt got to hold Hannah for the first time. So far, ive been the only one to hold her and seeing Matt holding her was wonderful for all three of us. they had a nice cuddle last night.
Her heart rate issues are being managed with meds and she hasn't had anymore braddy's (where her heart rate drops). She is opening her eyes more and has moments when she is so alert and aware. She likes to move her legs and kick of her id bands and monitors of she can, which makes alarms and bells go off and makes people come running. smile emoticon
Its a long slow road with premies and I need to remember that. Some moments I am thrilled at her progress and start planning on taking her home, other moments I am not able to see a time when I will get to take her home. I know that God has been so so good to our little family and answered every prayer we (and you all) have requested. Today, I am praying that that will be my focus.
Thank you for the kind emails, texts, messages. I know some of you have walked this path before us and I am even more amazed now at your strength through it. I have been encouraged by your stories and kind words
Hannah Update: Hannah had a nice, quiet lazy day yesterday. She slept for most of it but was still taking her feeds well through the tube and the nurses said that they were thrilled that she was getting so much rest and digesting her feeds so well.
After I left in the afternoon, they took the tube out of Hannah's belly button, and she got moved to a different spot in the unit, the nurses called it the primo spot and when it opened up they all said "give it to the Bootsman Ba...by". They have taken such good care of us and the new spot on the unit is more private for us, beside a big window where Hannah and I can snuggle in the sunshine and enjoy each other even more.
When we got back in the evening, Hannah was awake and ready to eat. The nurse put her against me to nuzzle before her bottle, Hannah latched on and took half her feed at the breast! We were all so surprised and excited for her. smile emoticon she was pretty tired out after that and had a nice cuddle with Daddy before we went home for the night.
Hannah is amazing and we are so proud of her. Some things that we are keeping an eye on: her jaundice is starting up again and they are keeping an eye on her bilirubin, she has a new iv site since she is no longer getting fluids through her belly button and those don't seem to hold very long.
Isla is enjoying having my mom here and spending so much time with her. She is getting better about me leaving her and im so proud of her.
We appreciate your prayers more then we can express, we know God is answering them and want to encourage you that God does answer your prayers. He is good.
We appreciate the texts, messages and encouragement that has come from all over and are blessed beyond measure.
After I left in the afternoon, they took the tube out of Hannah's belly button, and she got moved to a different spot in the unit, the nurses called it the primo spot and when it opened up they all said "give it to the Bootsman Ba...by". They have taken such good care of us and the new spot on the unit is more private for us, beside a big window where Hannah and I can snuggle in the sunshine and enjoy each other even more.
When we got back in the evening, Hannah was awake and ready to eat. The nurse put her against me to nuzzle before her bottle, Hannah latched on and took half her feed at the breast! We were all so surprised and excited for her. smile emoticon she was pretty tired out after that and had a nice cuddle with Daddy before we went home for the night.
Hannah is amazing and we are so proud of her. Some things that we are keeping an eye on: her jaundice is starting up again and they are keeping an eye on her bilirubin, she has a new iv site since she is no longer getting fluids through her belly button and those don't seem to hold very long.
Isla is enjoying having my mom here and spending so much time with her. She is getting better about me leaving her and im so proud of her.
We appreciate your prayers more then we can express, we know God is answering them and want to encourage you that God does answer your prayers. He is good.
We appreciate the texts, messages and encouragement that has come from all over and are blessed beyond measure.
Hannah Update: Hannah is continuing to do well. they are increasing her feeds and that is the focus right now. Her colour was much better yesterday so they decided not to do a bilirubin count, it wasn't a concern for them.
Hannah nursed 3 times yesterday and got a bit from me each time, not a full feed but that is normal. the fact that she is wanting to nurse at all and trying is huge!
Hannah got a bath last night and Matt and I were able to be there and help with that. Last... nights visit was really nice because we were able to take Hannah into a room on our own after her bath, I nursed her a bit and then Matt gave her a bottle. It was easy to pretend we were at home on our couch (despite the beeps and rings of the NICU).
thank you as always for your encouragement, your excitement with us at our little girl's progress, your kind words and offers of help. we are so blessed by our community. God is good and is answering yours and our prayers.
Hannah nursed 3 times yesterday and got a bit from me each time, not a full feed but that is normal. the fact that she is wanting to nurse at all and trying is huge!
Hannah got a bath last night and Matt and I were able to be there and help with that. Last... nights visit was really nice because we were able to take Hannah into a room on our own after her bath, I nursed her a bit and then Matt gave her a bottle. It was easy to pretend we were at home on our couch (despite the beeps and rings of the NICU).
thank you as always for your encouragement, your excitement with us at our little girl's progress, your kind words and offers of help. we are so blessed by our community. God is good and is answering yours and our prayers.
May 8
Hannah Update: Hannah had a growing day yesterday, she slept and (hopefully) grew all day. She is gaining weight and is almost back to birth weight.
They discovered yesterday that Hannah has a tongue tie. There are only a few doctors in Lethbridge who do the clipping and one of them was in yesterday. He came and talked to me, explained what he wanted to do and how minor the procedure is and did it right there at her bedside while I watched. I cried more then Hannah did. We a...re very glad it was caught so early because it could be part of the reason Hannah doesn't want to take a bottle. we don't want anything causing feeding issues and this was caught early and dealt with so quickly.
No one has said anything yet about when we can take Hannah home but we are hoping that maybe Isla can go meet Hannah sometime this weekend.
We are tired and praying for strength and energy to keep going and taking care of our little family. We are so grateful for my parents being here this week helping with Isla and food and being here. We are so grateful for all those who keep encouraging us with kind words, and of course the prayers are what we need most.
Hannah Update: Hannah continues to do well, to amaze us all. Yesterday she nursed well in the morning and evening, she was very awake and alert throughout our evening visit.
Hannah's IV came out yesterday and that means she is down to one tube, her feeding tube. We are very proud of her and her progress. Because she isn't getting fluids through IV anymore, they have increased her feeds a little bit and will monitor her closely then next few days to make sure she is hydrated. ...
The big plan for today, as long as everything goes the way it has been, Isla will get to meet Hannah this afternoon. We are very excited about that, having our whole family in one room, having our girls together.
We are doing well, tired but so proud of both our girls and how they are handling what it happening. Isla is a trooper and growing up more and more before our eyes. Hannah is working so hard to grow and stay strong. We are blessed by our two girls.
Thank you for the messages, texts, offers of clothes and food. God is taking care of us in so many ways and using you all to do so. thank you
Hannah's IV came out yesterday and that means she is down to one tube, her feeding tube. We are very proud of her and her progress. Because she isn't getting fluids through IV anymore, they have increased her feeds a little bit and will monitor her closely then next few days to make sure she is hydrated. ...
The big plan for today, as long as everything goes the way it has been, Isla will get to meet Hannah this afternoon. We are very excited about that, having our whole family in one room, having our girls together.
We are doing well, tired but so proud of both our girls and how they are handling what it happening. Isla is a trooper and growing up more and more before our eyes. Hannah is working so hard to grow and stay strong. We are blessed by our two girls.
Thank you for the messages, texts, offers of clothes and food. God is taking care of us in so many ways and using you all to do so. thank you
Hannah Update: Hannah has had a very busy weekend and is getting a night off from visitors tonight to sleep and rest and grow some more. Saturday morning when we went in to see Hannah, she was wearing clothes for the first time. That was exciting for us because it means they are not concerned as much about how her body is taking the feeds. Saturday afternoon Isla got to meet her baby sister for the first time and while it was a bit overwhelming for Isla, it felt so good to ha...ve our family all together for the first time. Isla has been saying "Nana, Nana, Nana" all day today.
Hannah's colour was getting more and more yellow throughout the day yesterday and when they did a bilirubin count, it was elevated and she had to go back under the photo therapy. This isn't a big deal, its normal, but means we cant hold her and cuddle her as much because she needs to be under the light. Thankfully, it was caught early and she should only need 24 hours of the therapy. The jaundice also makes her sleepy and not have the energy to nurse or bottle feed, which she needs to do much much more of before she can come home.
Today Matt's parents had a nice visit with Hannah and she nursed much better.
We are so grateful for the encouragement and love shown to us from so many people. Being at church this morning without my new baby to show off was hard, but so many people came and let us know they were praying for us and offering whatever we need in the next few weeks as we continue down this road. We are not meant to do this on our own and have never felt we have to.
Thank you for sharing our joy as our little girl grows and for sharing our longing to have her home with us. We are so blessed and God is good
Hannah's colour was getting more and more yellow throughout the day yesterday and when they did a bilirubin count, it was elevated and she had to go back under the photo therapy. This isn't a big deal, its normal, but means we cant hold her and cuddle her as much because she needs to be under the light. Thankfully, it was caught early and she should only need 24 hours of the therapy. The jaundice also makes her sleepy and not have the energy to nurse or bottle feed, which she needs to do much much more of before she can come home.
Today Matt's parents had a nice visit with Hannah and she nursed much better.
We are so grateful for the encouragement and love shown to us from so many people. Being at church this morning without my new baby to show off was hard, but so many people came and let us know they were praying for us and offering whatever we need in the next few weeks as we continue down this road. We are not meant to do this on our own and have never felt we have to.
Thank you for sharing our joy as our little girl grows and for sharing our longing to have her home with us. We are so blessed and God is good
Hannah Update: Hannah had a super day yesterday. Her bilirubin count came down so she was able to stop the photo light therapy. She had 3 great nursing sessions taking a bit more from me every time and she slept and rested well. She gained 20g yesterday, which I know sounds so small, but she is still working on getting back up to birth weight so we are excited over every gram she gains.
last night we brought Hannah her own clothes to wear (the NICU has clothes for her if we ...need them but we can bring in our own if we choose.) She is too long to wear the premie size sleepers, she has such long arms and legs! We put her in a newborn size sleeper and its too big...but she will grow and its nice and "normal" to be picking out clothes for my baby and dressing her. We also wrapped her up in her own swaddle blanket, not a scratchy hospital one. These things seem so small when I say them out loud, but they are huge to me. They are ways I can take care of my baby and im so grateful for that.
Thank you to all of you for your continued prayers and support, for babysitting Isla, for the gifts and kindness towards not just us and Hannah but Isla too, for the meals that are coming in, for the excitement over our little milestones, for walking this with us. We are so blessed to have you. God is so good and answering all of our prayers.
last night we brought Hannah her own clothes to wear (the NICU has clothes for her if we ...need them but we can bring in our own if we choose.) She is too long to wear the premie size sleepers, she has such long arms and legs! We put her in a newborn size sleeper and its too big...but she will grow and its nice and "normal" to be picking out clothes for my baby and dressing her. We also wrapped her up in her own swaddle blanket, not a scratchy hospital one. These things seem so small when I say them out loud, but they are huge to me. They are ways I can take care of my baby and im so grateful for that.
Thank you to all of you for your continued prayers and support, for babysitting Isla, for the gifts and kindness towards not just us and Hannah but Isla too, for the meals that are coming in, for the excitement over our little milestones, for walking this with us. We are so blessed to have you. God is so good and answering all of our prayers.
Hannah Update: Our little one continues to do well. Yesterday she nursed decently during the day, got a bath (which she seems to love because she sleeps through them) and had good rest. Last night she nursed amazingly, taking 3/4 of her feed from me which we were shocked by. We weighed her twice because we didn't believe it smile emoticon
Hannah got to spend the night last night with her isolette open so she can practice regulating her own body temperature.
Hannah isn't gai...ning weight and while she's not losing weight either, its been a few days since she had a significant weight gain and the nurses are starting to wonder why. They aren't concerned yet, but are keeping an eye on her. She is taking her feeds well and digesting well and keeping feeds down so they aren't really sure what it going on.
Thank you for the encouragement, support, meals, offers of babysitting, excitement over her milestones, and most of all prayers. We are doing well, Matt is feeling rested and therefore not sick, Isla has figured out that she gets to do fun things with fun people after I leave for the hospital everyday and doenst mind me leaving so much anymore. My mom is here again this week helping us and we are blessed.
Hannah got to spend the night last night with her isolette open so she can practice regulating her own body temperature.
Hannah isn't gai...ning weight and while she's not losing weight either, its been a few days since she had a significant weight gain and the nurses are starting to wonder why. They aren't concerned yet, but are keeping an eye on her. She is taking her feeds well and digesting well and keeping feeds down so they aren't really sure what it going on.
Thank you for the encouragement, support, meals, offers of babysitting, excitement over her milestones, and most of all prayers. We are doing well, Matt is feeling rested and therefore not sick, Isla has figured out that she gets to do fun things with fun people after I leave for the hospital everyday and doenst mind me leaving so much anymore. My mom is here again this week helping us and we are blessed.
Hannah Update: Hannah continues to do well. She gained a bit of weight the past two days, still not meeting their requirements for how much she should be gaining each day but she's doing better then she was.
She continues to nurse well and prefers that over a bottle. The nurses all tell us that this is very unusual for preemies, for most babies really, because the breast is more work. But Hannah likes to do things the hard way it seems. She needs to be taking all of her feed...s orally before we can take her home and since I cant be there for every feed, she needs to start taking a bottle. She still isn't taking full feeds via nursing, maybe half a feed on a good session, but her and I are both working hard on it.
Hannah got moved to a crib yesterday. She no longer needs help controlling her body temperature so she's able to be out in a crib. It was fun to bring her a teddy bear to have in her crib. The only catch is that maybe she is putting too much energy into staying warm that she isn't gaining weight...but they are watching it closely.
We are doing alright, the meals that have been coming in are so so appreciated and helping us keep up our strength and eat well. Isla misses us and tells us that in various ways but is excited when I come home from the hospital and she gets to see new pictures of Hannah.
We are so grateful for all the excitement you all have shown over Hannah's milestones and your prayers for our little family mean so much to us. Its hard to think that we have been doing this for almost three weeks already but God is with us and giving us the strength we need to keep doing this as long as we need. We want Him to be given the glory through this.
Thank you for the meals, the babysitting, the encouragement, the excitement, the prayers, the treats, the support.
She continues to nurse well and prefers that over a bottle. The nurses all tell us that this is very unusual for preemies, for most babies really, because the breast is more work. But Hannah likes to do things the hard way it seems. She needs to be taking all of her feed...s orally before we can take her home and since I cant be there for every feed, she needs to start taking a bottle. She still isn't taking full feeds via nursing, maybe half a feed on a good session, but her and I are both working hard on it.
Hannah got moved to a crib yesterday. She no longer needs help controlling her body temperature so she's able to be out in a crib. It was fun to bring her a teddy bear to have in her crib. The only catch is that maybe she is putting too much energy into staying warm that she isn't gaining weight...but they are watching it closely.
We are doing alright, the meals that have been coming in are so so appreciated and helping us keep up our strength and eat well. Isla misses us and tells us that in various ways but is excited when I come home from the hospital and she gets to see new pictures of Hannah.
We are so grateful for all the excitement you all have shown over Hannah's milestones and your prayers for our little family mean so much to us. Its hard to think that we have been doing this for almost three weeks already but God is with us and giving us the strength we need to keep doing this as long as we need. We want Him to be given the glory through this.
Thank you for the meals, the babysitting, the encouragement, the excitement, the prayers, the treats, the support.
Hannah gained an astonishing 41 grams and finally is above birth weight! The sooner she is big and strong enough to come home, the sooner our tired little family can be back together in one place. Our whole lives seem to hinge on this one number. 2311 and climbing.
Hannah Update: Hannah is doing well, as always. Our little one is a rockstar! She is putting so much work into keeping her heart rate regular, breathing at a good rate, keeping her body temperature up and being cute and sweet that she doesn't have enough energy to put anything into storage. They were concerned about her weight gain and are giving her a bit of supplement to add calories to my breast milk. I have also been instructed to eat more fat so that there is a higher fa...t content in my breast milk for her (more cheeses, cream, avocados...hamburgers and cookies smile emoticon )
Hannah did great nursing yesterday taking her morning feed completely orally for the first time ever (3/4 from me, the remainder by bottle) and was awake and alert with me for a large part of the morning.
Matt and I had a nice visit with her last night, giving her a bath and reading and cuddling.
She also passed her birth weight yesterday, which we are very excited about.
We love her and Isla so much and feel so blessed and honoured to have been given two beautiful girls to raise and love. We are wanting our whole family together and are feeling the strain of always being separated. But God is good and continues to answer prayers and grow our little Hannah and we are just looking forward to when we can have her home.
Thank you for the encouragement, the meals, the babysitting, the prayers, the support and the excitement and empathy as we take two steps forward, one step back. We are blessed to have you.
Hannah did great nursing yesterday taking her morning feed completely orally for the first time ever (3/4 from me, the remainder by bottle) and was awake and alert with me for a large part of the morning.
Matt and I had a nice visit with her last night, giving her a bath and reading and cuddling.
She also passed her birth weight yesterday, which we are very excited about.
We love her and Isla so much and feel so blessed and honoured to have been given two beautiful girls to raise and love. We are wanting our whole family together and are feeling the strain of always being separated. But God is good and continues to answer prayers and grow our little Hannah and we are just looking forward to when we can have her home.
Thank you for the encouragement, the meals, the babysitting, the prayers, the support and the excitement and empathy as we take two steps forward, one step back. We are blessed to have you.
Hannah Update: Happy Three Weeks Hannah!
Hannah is continuing to do very well. Every doctor and Nurse who comes by tells me how happy they are with her progress and how well she is doing.
She is gaining weight, the extra calories they have added to her feeds are doing their job. She is also more alert when she is awake and more interested in nursing and bottling. The extra calories are also giving her more energy which is fun to see. They are going to leave her on the supple...ment for a few more days and then see if she continues to gain weight on her own. I have an appointment with a lactation consultant tomorrow morning to figure out how to get more fat content into my breast milk. No one has officially mentioned a home time yet but we are getting more optimistic that it will be "soon".
Hannah is managing everything else on her own, its only her feeding and weight gain that needs to be totally on her own before she gets to come home. Right now she is still getting tired out before finishing a full feed and has needed the tube feeding for finishing every feed. She is working so hard though and trying so hard and we are so proud of her.
Matt and Isla had a great time together this weekend while I was at the hospital during the day and then we are very grateful for Shantelle Binetruy who has been coming over in the evenings so Matt and I can go to the hospital together.
Our church has been wonderful in providing meals for us all of last week and offering to do it again this week. It is such a blessing and my time at home is short in the evenings so having that extra time with Isla to play and be with her instead of making supper is so wonderful. Thank you.
Thank you for the prayers, the continued support, the encouragement, the excitement, the babysitting, the meals, the sympathy and empathy. Thank you for coming along side of us as we walk this. We are blessed to have you.
Hannah is continuing to do very well. Every doctor and Nurse who comes by tells me how happy they are with her progress and how well she is doing.
She is gaining weight, the extra calories they have added to her feeds are doing their job. She is also more alert when she is awake and more interested in nursing and bottling. The extra calories are also giving her more energy which is fun to see. They are going to leave her on the supple...ment for a few more days and then see if she continues to gain weight on her own. I have an appointment with a lactation consultant tomorrow morning to figure out how to get more fat content into my breast milk. No one has officially mentioned a home time yet but we are getting more optimistic that it will be "soon".
Hannah is managing everything else on her own, its only her feeding and weight gain that needs to be totally on her own before she gets to come home. Right now she is still getting tired out before finishing a full feed and has needed the tube feeding for finishing every feed. She is working so hard though and trying so hard and we are so proud of her.
Matt and Isla had a great time together this weekend while I was at the hospital during the day and then we are very grateful for Shantelle Binetruy who has been coming over in the evenings so Matt and I can go to the hospital together.
Our church has been wonderful in providing meals for us all of last week and offering to do it again this week. It is such a blessing and my time at home is short in the evenings so having that extra time with Isla to play and be with her instead of making supper is so wonderful. Thank you.
Thank you for the prayers, the continued support, the encouragement, the excitement, the babysitting, the meals, the sympathy and empathy. Thank you for coming along side of us as we walk this. We are blessed to have you.
Hannah Update: I think Hannah is as eager to come home as we are eager to bring her home. Yesterday she blew us all out of the water (nurses included) and nursed three full feeds totally on her own! Two of those feeds she took more then they require of her! We are so proud of her and amazed at her progress. She also had a great weight gain yesterday. those are the two things we have been praying for and seem to be the two things keeping her in the hospital. So we are so thank...ful for answered prayers and are praying that it continues and we can bring her home "soon".
Matt, Isla and I are doing well. We are tired, especially Matt and I and want to keep our energy up because we will have two little girls at home soon and want to take care of them and love on them.
thank you for the prayers, encouragement, excitement with us, meals, babysitting, messages and support. We need all of them and are so grateful for our community.
Hopefully this adventure is almost over and we will be able to show off our new daughter to you all soon.
Matt, Isla and I are doing well. We are tired, especially Matt and I and want to keep our energy up because we will have two little girls at home soon and want to take care of them and love on them.
thank you for the prayers, encouragement, excitement with us, meals, babysitting, messages and support. We need all of them and are so grateful for our community.
Hopefully this adventure is almost over and we will be able to show off our new daughter to you all soon.
Hannah Update: Hannah continues to do well and to grow and learn so she can come home "soon". Two steps forward, one step back.
She is nursing well and bottling much better then she was. She needs to be taking 100% of her feeds orally and on Tuesday she took almost 75% orally (either bottle or nursing). On Wednesday it was down to 50%. That is normal, two steps forward, one step back. But the nurses are telling us she should be hitting her stride soon and to start expecting h...er home in the next few weeks.
this seems like so so long to us. But it is a time line and we are feeling like the end is drawing nearer.
Hannah is still gaining weight like a champ and being more alert and awake during visits.
Ive been meeting with a lactation consultant and (hopefully) increasing the fat content in my milk.
We are so blessed by all of our community that has rallied around us this past month and are looking forward to being able to thank you all individually. the meals are so appreciated, the babysitting is so appreciated, the messages are so appreciated, the prayers are so so appreciated and needed most of all.
She is nursing well and bottling much better then she was. She needs to be taking 100% of her feeds orally and on Tuesday she took almost 75% orally (either bottle or nursing). On Wednesday it was down to 50%. That is normal, two steps forward, one step back. But the nurses are telling us she should be hitting her stride soon and to start expecting h...er home in the next few weeks.
this seems like so so long to us. But it is a time line and we are feeling like the end is drawing nearer.
Hannah is still gaining weight like a champ and being more alert and awake during visits.
Ive been meeting with a lactation consultant and (hopefully) increasing the fat content in my milk.
We are so blessed by all of our community that has rallied around us this past month and are looking forward to being able to thank you all individually. the meals are so appreciated, the babysitting is so appreciated, the messages are so appreciated, the prayers are so so appreciated and needed most of all.
Hannah Update: Hannah likes to do things fast it seems. We are in the process of getting her ready to come home in the next few days, very possibly as soon as tomorrow!
This weekend Hannah started taking all her feeds orally and was gaining weight wonderfully. They took her off the milk fortifier she was on and she still is gaining. Yesterday the tube was taken out of her nose because she doesn't need it anymore.
the plan for the next day is for Hannah to have a car seat te...st done (and pass it) and then I will spend the night with her at the hospital tonight so she can nurse on demand through out the night as she needs to and they can see how she does with that. If all goes well and according to plan, we should be able to bring our baby girl home tomorrow!
We are overwhelmed with thankfulness for answered prayers every step of this journey. It has been overwhelming and hard and scary and joyful and so many other things and we are so thankful to God for carrying our whole family along it. We are so thankful to all of you who were used by God this past month to support and care for our family, by sending messages of love and encouragement, babysitting, bringing meals, bringing treats, visiting, praying and coming along side of us.
We know that the next few weeks will be busy and tiring and exciting too, and we know that we still have a wonderful community to support us. We are so looking forward to getting to know Hannah outside of the hospital, to getting to know what our little family will be like, to find a new "normal" with two little girls at home.
Our baby is coming home!
This weekend Hannah started taking all her feeds orally and was gaining weight wonderfully. They took her off the milk fortifier she was on and she still is gaining. Yesterday the tube was taken out of her nose because she doesn't need it anymore.
the plan for the next day is for Hannah to have a car seat te...st done (and pass it) and then I will spend the night with her at the hospital tonight so she can nurse on demand through out the night as she needs to and they can see how she does with that. If all goes well and according to plan, we should be able to bring our baby girl home tomorrow!
We are overwhelmed with thankfulness for answered prayers every step of this journey. It has been overwhelming and hard and scary and joyful and so many other things and we are so thankful to God for carrying our whole family along it. We are so thankful to all of you who were used by God this past month to support and care for our family, by sending messages of love and encouragement, babysitting, bringing meals, bringing treats, visiting, praying and coming along side of us.
We know that the next few weeks will be busy and tiring and exciting too, and we know that we still have a wonderful community to support us. We are so looking forward to getting to know Hannah outside of the hospital, to getting to know what our little family will be like, to find a new "normal" with two little girls at home.
Our baby is coming home!
Hannah Update : Hannah passed her car seat test with flying colors last night! I spent the night at the hospital with her so she could nurse on demand as she wanted to. It's strange to think this was my first night with her. It went well for both of us I think. She woke on her own to eat and slept well between feedings.
Hannah didn't gain any weight yesterday. She didn't lose any either but they are reluctant to send her home of she's not gaining weight. They are going to re weigh her this morning so please pray that she gained something through the night.
Thank you for being as excited as we are about Hannah coming home. Almost there!
Hannah didn't gain any weight yesterday. She didn't lose any either but they are reluctant to send her home of she's not gaining weight. They are going to re weigh her this morning so please pray that she gained something through the night.
Thank you for being as excited as we are about Hannah coming home. Almost there!
Hannah Update: Happy One Month Hannah Beth!
Hannah is home and is being loved and adored and cuddled by her family and friends. Having our family all together, having our baby home, not having to go to the hospital at all today, being woken up in the night by my baby who needed me, getting to sleep in a bit this morning because I had been up in the night, friends dropping by with cake, friends being here to help with whatever we needed, a good report from the health nurse, a... nice pizza dinner, these and many more are all beautiful gifts that we were given today.
The health nurse came today and checked Hannah out. She gained a lot of weight just nursing the past 24 hours and is doing great.
Isla loves Hannah so much and wants to touch her and be near her. Isla says "Nana" all day long and brings us blankets and teddy bears for Hannah to enjoy. She is pretty gentle with her and learning more and more how to be a big sister.
Hannah is eating every 3 hours or so and sleeps well in between. She seems to be more relaxed and enjoying being home.
Matt and I are overwhelmed with how much love we have for these two little girls and how much joy we have just seeing them together. Matt took the rest of the week off work so our little family has a few days to spend getting to know what we look like as a foursome. This is what we have been waiting all month for and are so excited that it is here. I had told Matt a few weeks ago that I really wanted Hannah home by the time she was a month old and she made it!
We were so well taken care of at the NICU here and are so thankful and amazed by all the nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, lactation consultants, x-ray technicians, all the staff at the hospital that took care of us and Hannah.
Thank you for all your prayers this month, for all the meals, the encouragement, the support, the babysitting, the text messages, cards, phone calls, the treats and gifts, the willingness to drop things and help us out. I know ive said it over and over but we are so blessed by all of you. Thank you. God answered your prayers and used you all as answers to prayer. He is faithful and good and loves his little children. We have seen that over and over in the past month and are thankful to Him.
Hannah is home and is being loved and adored and cuddled by her family and friends. Having our family all together, having our baby home, not having to go to the hospital at all today, being woken up in the night by my baby who needed me, getting to sleep in a bit this morning because I had been up in the night, friends dropping by with cake, friends being here to help with whatever we needed, a good report from the health nurse, a... nice pizza dinner, these and many more are all beautiful gifts that we were given today.
The health nurse came today and checked Hannah out. She gained a lot of weight just nursing the past 24 hours and is doing great.
Isla loves Hannah so much and wants to touch her and be near her. Isla says "Nana" all day long and brings us blankets and teddy bears for Hannah to enjoy. She is pretty gentle with her and learning more and more how to be a big sister.
Hannah is eating every 3 hours or so and sleeps well in between. She seems to be more relaxed and enjoying being home.
Matt and I are overwhelmed with how much love we have for these two little girls and how much joy we have just seeing them together. Matt took the rest of the week off work so our little family has a few days to spend getting to know what we look like as a foursome. This is what we have been waiting all month for and are so excited that it is here. I had told Matt a few weeks ago that I really wanted Hannah home by the time she was a month old and she made it!
We were so well taken care of at the NICU here and are so thankful and amazed by all the nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, lactation consultants, x-ray technicians, all the staff at the hospital that took care of us and Hannah.
Thank you for all your prayers this month, for all the meals, the encouragement, the support, the babysitting, the text messages, cards, phone calls, the treats and gifts, the willingness to drop things and help us out. I know ive said it over and over but we are so blessed by all of you. Thank you. God answered your prayers and used you all as answers to prayer. He is faithful and good and loves his little children. We have seen that over and over in the past month and are thankful to Him.
Last night was the first week night we had at home as a family in over 12 weeks. Now we get to snuggle our Hannah without going to the hospital. Isla is thrilled as well to have a little sister to admire and someday play with. smile emoticon
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