Taking a Closer Look

Evvie sported her "cool sunglasses" (as her biggest sister, Sylvia, says) for two days.  We were happy to arrive at the hospital Sunday afternoon and find that she was no longer the "blue light special" of the NICU.  Her bili count did climb a little today, but not enough to warrant any concern.  We were told that we are in the holding phase right now.  She just needs to grow a bit more and be able to bottle enough food and then she will be ready to come home.  She will not be home for Thanksgiving, like I had originally hoped, but she should be ready to come home at some point this coming weekend.  But aren't those some cool shades?  Let's take a closer look . . .

As I said, Evvie needs to be able to take enough food from a bottle before she is ready to come home.  She did really well today, nippling most of her feedings and needing only small "leftovers" put through her tube.  Dave is demonstrating this feeding technique, called gavage feeding.  But let's take a closer look and see what Evvie thinks . . .

Hmmm . . .  I'm not sure what she thinks, but I do think she looks tired and isn't too sure about the tube in her nose.  Let's see what bottle feeding with Daddy looks like:

You may notice that Evvie is lying on her side while Dave is feeding her.  Preemies are best fed when held in this position.  It allows the milk to pool in the side of their cheek, giving them a little more time to swallow and decreasing the amount of sputtering and choking that may occur.  Taking a closer look again we can see that Evvie is very happy and content with her bottle feeding:

Truth be told, she was a little too happy and content.  Very shortly after this she had fallen into a deep sleep and could not be roused to finish her bottle and we had to commence with the G-tube feeding.  This is what happens with preemies, they work so hard to suck, swallow, breathe that they often pass out before they can finish their feeding.  But with a little more time, she will put on more weight and gain more energy and then she will probably be sucking down bottles like they were chocolate milk.

And I spent some quality time with Evvie today, teaching her a very important skill:

Yes, we were knitting together.  I am nearly finished with her entire layette set (cardigan, pants, hat, headband, booties, and stuffed animal) and I figured, as she came so early, she could at least help me complete her goodies.

And what is that?  Do I have a born lover of fiber lying on my lap?  Let's take a closer look:

Why, yes . . . Yes, I do!

Fidget is Here!

I am still in some shock as I write this, announcing to you that this past Sunday afternoon (2:15 p.m., to be precise) our little Guinevere "Evvie" Rae was born!  She entered this world with some sass, crying and fussy-- no greater sound to parents of a baby born nearly six weeks early.  She was 5 lbs. and 5 oz and 18" long.  Dave was able to hold her and show her to me and then got to walk her down to the NICU himself.

Once in the Special Care Nursery (NICU), she was given an x-ray to check her lungs, placed on oxygen, and had some blood drawn.  The x-ray came back with a reading that she possibly had pneumonia, but the hospital pediatrician said she thought the scan was blurry only because Evvie took a deep breath in, expanding her lungs and moving her body a bit, to scream at the precise moment the x-ray was taken.  Blood work confirmed this theory, as everything came back normal.

She was quickly weaned from the oxygen and within a day or so was removed from air altogether.  She has never been placed back on.  Her first two days proved that she is an amazing little girl.  She began to nipple from a bottle, often taking her entire feeding through a bottle (and not her tube).  She was also completely weaned from her i.v. by Tuesday evening.  Wednesday we began to see her tire out a bit and her bilirubin count was rising.  She began to take less of her feedings from a bottle as she just got too tired to continue sucking.  I was discharged from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

By Friday her bilirubin was so high that she was placed in a bili blanket (this replaces the old "blue lights" of the past, and has proven to be about 3x more efficient).  Yesterday was a hard day for her.  She ate very little from the bottle and most of her milk was given to her through her tube.  She had also lost an additional 2 ounces, putting her weight under 5 lbs.  While I got to feed her without the bili blanket, the rest of the time she was snuggly wrapped in one, glowing a nauseating blue.  Evvie gets to wear "cool dude shades" to protect her from getting a headache or even sick to her stomach from the glow, but the rest of us cannot look at her for too long without feeling a migraine coming.  Dave had been at work for part of the day and by the time he could have gone to the hospital to see her it was already dark in the nursery, making the blue light even more intense.  He decided to just let her sleep in peace and visit her today with me.

Today she was doing so much better!  Her bilirubin count had dropped by nearly 4 points and she had gained 2 ounces back.  She did not look nearly as orange and was eating better.  She was also alert for most of the two feedings we got to do with her today, which was not the case yesterday.  She knew when we arrived at the nursery, because when she heard our voices she promptly stirred, opened her eyes and began to search for the voices.  This was really neat to see.

So, what happened?  Why did she come so early?  This is the question(s) I have been asked a lot this past week.  The short answer is that I went into labor.  The long answer:  I woke up Sunday morning with contractions around 4:00 a.m. but did not think much of it yet because I had been waking up around the same time every morning with contractions.  But by about 9:00 a.m. I began to wonder a bit.  I took a shower and got dressed and at around 10:00 I decided to let Dave know that we were maybe going to be having a baby that day.  At 11:00 we piled the kids in the car and headed for my parents' house.

On the drive down I finally heard back from the on call doctor.  It was, of course, the one doctor I had never even see, much less met before, from my OB/GYN's office.  He sounded rather skeptical on the phone and when I told him we were already on the way he just said, "Well, I guess we'll see what you've got when you get here."  [As a side note:  I had decided that we were not going to drive 70 miles, burden my parents with the kids, only to be told to go back home.  I was going to make sure I was actually in labor and that a child was going to be born before deciding to go to the hospital.]

The doctor came into my room shortly after our arrival.  He casually sat down in a chair across the room from me, looked me over and said, "Well, you do have a look about you.  That look that I often see on women in labor . . ."  Meanwhile, I'm thinking, Will you just check me already and get this show on the road?!  ". . . Because, you know, we don't take delivering a 34-weeker lightly . . ."  Yes, I know!  Will you just check me already?!  "So, I'll check you now and we'll see what's going on."  It's about time!

He checks me, gives what almost seemed like a little sigh and then looks right at the nurse and says, "Oh, yeah, she's in labor.  This is a no brainer.  I'll make the phone calls."  Finally!

Surgery went very well.  No complications.  And the doctor actually proved to be a pretty great guy.  He's a little odd, but he knows his stuff and was even willing to do sutures instead of staples at my request.  My recovery time went without a hitch as well.  And a little after 9:00 p.m. I was able to be wheeled down to the Special Nursery to see Evvie and do some Kangaroo Care with her (also known as skin to skin).  Below is me holding my baby for the first time:

And please remember that I am only six hours post-op at this time, so my appearance should be somewhat excusable.  She was already sucking, the pacifier (or "pipe" as we call them in my family) is evidence of that.  And currently, even when she takes little from her bottle during feedings, she has already begun to establish a very good "suck, swallow, breathe pattern."  In many ways this is more important than her taking her entire bottle.

Her sisters are allowed to visit her.  They have been twice now.  Tuesday morning Dave brought them and he again came with them after nap time today.  Sylvia is rather fascinated and smitten with her sister, but Veda remains a little stand-offish.  This does not come as any great surprise.  We fully expect the jealousy issues to be more severe with our second daughter than with our first.  Our primary concern with our eldest is that she will be too much of a mother to "Baby Evvie" and we may need to intervene during some of her "caring" for her baby sister.

Her name:  Guinevere we just really liked, much like her sisters' first names.  Also like her sisters' names, her middle name is after a late family member.  Rae is after Dave's grandpa, Raymond.  Dave always had a huge respect for his grandpa and I was lucky enough that I got to meet him and spend some time with him before his passing from lung cancer.  He was a pretty neat guy, and I know he really liked me and I suspect he knew that Dave and I were going to marry one day.  And so, Guinevere is his little girl in name.  And, also like her sisters, she has a second middle name- my last name.

We have been calling her "Evvie" for a long time already.  I just thought it was a cute nickname but it is also easy enough for both of her sisters to say.  And Sylvia has, in fact, been talking about and to "Baby Evvie" for quite a while.  [Please note:  The name is Evvie with two v's and not Ewie, with a w.  I chose the two v's so that people would know the E was short and not long, as in Eve-y.  But perhaps I only added to the confusion!]

While Evvie is in the hospital all of us are staying with my parents.  This is both wonderful and stressful all at the same time.  We hate being an added stress and burden to my parents, but we also know that they are more than happy to help us.  We need to be close to Evvie and the girls need someone to watch them so we can spend time with our youngest.  We are immensely grateful to my folks for all their help and support.  Likewise, not enough can be said for the ways in which Dave's folks have also been amazing in their willingness to help.  My mother-in-law has been available to come stay with the girls so that my mom can bring me to the hospital or to run some errands or to just be able to get a cup of coffee in peace.  She has also been our "gopher," willing to pick up all those last minute essentials.  And while I am still recovering from surgery (which will be for several more weeks), we need all the help we can get!

This is, believe it or not, the short synopsis of our last week!  I will try to keep everyone updated on Guinevere and as soon as I know she gets to come home, I will be sure to let you know too!

Halloween Faeries

This year the girls were faeries for Halloween.  And just like last year, I could not get a nice picture of either of them.  But trust me, they were adorable!  Lovebug, especially, was just too cute with her chubby butt cheeks.  (Something I am sure she will appreciate me having said about her in the future!)

Trick or Treating was at a minimal this year.  We were at my folks' last Saturday afternoon and the girls got their treats from Oma and Opa and then we headed to Dave's folks' for the evening where the girls went Trick or Treating at three different doors at their house.  This was very fun and it gave the Pumpkin the impression that she really had gone Trick or Treating.  And she had, even if it was in miniature form!  We do not live anywhere near an area where trick or treating is a real possibility for the kids, so in the years to come we will have to be on the lookout for weekend activities that we can take the kids to.

Last year we took the girls (and Stepher and Joe took Dax) to Aunt Selma's nursing home.  We had such a wonderful time and this is my last good memory of Aunt Selma before she passed away in December.  It made for a kind of bittersweet time this year as I just kept remembering Aunt Selma wheeling herself in front of all of us down the crowded hallway and telling everyone who passed that "These are all my nieces and nephews behind me.  All my nieces and nephews."  She adored the babies and even that last night that she saw Veda she was trying to reach for her to hold her.  Aunt Selma was stubborn, crotchety, and an obsessive worrier, but I really do miss her.

I am aware that my daughter has her finger up her nose.  Despite all my demands (and my mother's as well) to pull her finger out, she refused.  So yes, Veda, you had adorable chubby cheeks and you picked your nose!

Nursery Revamped and Playing In the Leaves

I have been working on Veda's room trying to get it ready for her little sister to move in when that time arrives.  Veda's theme has always been owls and we are kind of just sticking with that for LG.  (Or my husband has begun to call her "Fidget," as she is constantly on the move.  I think it's pretty cute).  We are, I guess, officially making "her" animal a squirrel (like Veda is owl and Sylvia is frog), but really the room has a very feather-friendly feel.

I am certainly not a decorator, but I like how the room looks.  I have a very eclectic sense of style with a little of this and a little of that and a knick knack here and another one there.  (My mom calls this clutter, but what does she know?!)  But what I really love about this room is the handmade aspect.  My sister, Stephanie, painted the owl on the wall you see above the little dresser/changing table.  A friend made the window valance after Lovebug was born and Grandma's handiwork is in the crib bedding and pillow.  Nana Jeanne has a cross stitch contribution.  Even my mom has a tiny piece, by way of an adorable little pillow for Veda's Babydoll that is sitting in her crib.  And my knitted work can be spotted in various places.

It is hard to see, but that dark painting is of three owls.  My sister painted it and I received it at my baby shower two Saturdays ago.  Stepher was not there, as she was still only six days past giving birth, but my mom and youngest sister brought it with them.  I love it.

Yesterday we were at a birthday party for a friend of Sylvia's (who turned three recently).  My girls had a great time (and the parents did too!), but the most fun had by my hubby and kids were when they were playing in the leaves.

Jen, mom of the birthday girl, looked at me and sarcastically said, "They seem to be having a really good time in the leaves over there.  You know, if you want to bag some up and take them home with you that would be fine."  I laughed and replied, "As if we don't have enough!"  To which she said, "Yeah, that whole living in the middle of the woods thing."  But it is funny.  My kids get to play in leaves all the time, and yet, when presented with more that's where they will be.

Power in My Fingers OR Introducing Lincoln Josiah

Lincoln Josiah, my newest nephew, was born this past Sunday morning, the 25th of September 2011.  He was an easy and smooth delivery and my sister was thrilled!  He was a perfect 7lbs 3oz and 19.5" long.

I finished knitting his gift at about midnight, and at about midnight my sister's water broke.  I am really beginning to think I have been given a supernatural knitting gift.  Does God grant such things?  Probably not, but the timing was still impeccable.  Below you can see Lincoln and his two friends:  I made him the dog (though I don't think it is a very good picture of him) and my sister made the darling felt giraffe (remember our Monster Family from last Christmas?).  Despite his appearance in this picture he is overjoyed by the companionship.  Trust me.

And now my sister is part of a family of four.  And I think this suits them very well.  "The Foreman Four" has a nice ring, don't you think?

A Good Heart

That's what our Little Guy has, is a good heart.  Several weeks ago she had her fetal echocardiogram and despite the hassle and headache she caused the technician, her heart looked fantastic.  She was, once again, extremely active but also very unwilling to allow a good view of her heart.  The sonographer was bumping my belly, rotating me so my feet where well above my head, had me use the bathroom twice . . .  And still, LG remained obstinate.  And please keep in mind that a fetal echocardiogram requires many measurements, well beyond a standard growth and anatomy scan.  In the end, all measurements were attained and the much relieved tech was, I think, happy to see us leave.

The brief meeting with the doctor afterward told us what we had already gathered, LG's heart looked completely normal for her fetal stage of development.  Additionally, the growth and anatomy scan that preceded the echo confirmed the same thing.  She was in the 45th percentile for weight/size, planting her firmly in the "average" category.  Hallelujah!

I return in two more weeks for what may be my final ultrasound.  There is no concern that precipitates having this scan, it is merely a precaution given my history and the still somewhat unknown feature of carrying a child with VHL.

Meanwhile, my sister is expected to deliver her second son pretty much any day now.  The family is in eager anticipation, and I am knitting his "welcome to the world" gift.  I joke that he will not come until I am finishing his present.  Neither Daxton nor Veda decided to come until I was literally making the final stitches to their gifts.  (And perhaps this is why Daxton waited until 41 weeks to make his appearance!  Hmmm . . .  Better get stitchin'!)

The Vedabug

At some time, quite a while ago now, we condensed the name for our second daughter to "Vedabug" (coming from Lovebug and Veda).  And this seems to suit her to perfection.  To me, Vedabug conjures images of utter cuteness combined with an often shockingly subtle approach followed by a quick sharp sting.  For example, she sits in wait for her sister to leave her crackers unattended.  And then she ever so quietly, and without drawing any notice to herself, maneuvers to the bowl of crackers left on the table.  Sometimes she gets lucky and quickly scarfs whatever is left.  But if she reaches her prize and discovers the bowl empty she looks up with this look of shock and disbelief and gives me a look that screams, "I have been cheated!"

Veda is doing well, very well.  She had her 18 month wellness check recently and she looked great.  She is still somewhat small, weighing about 21 1/2 lbs. and reaching nearly 32" in length, but statistically she has leveled off and remains very consistent from one appointment to the next.  She has a very sharp sort of personality.  She is so laid back about a lot of stuff and then there will be something that will just totally turn her inside out and topsy turvy.  She is happy and I think all is well and then before I can even begin to guess what has gone wrong she is angry-- and I mean ANGRY.  She cools off quickly (unlike her sister) but when her temper flares, it is sometimes best to stand clear.  Veda will fight with me and insist on her way in a manner that Sylvia has never done.  Sometimes it really can just come down to strength:  I am larger, the purse is mine, and I will remove that purse from your little body no matter how much you clench and scream "MINE, MINE, MINE!"

Are these "bad traits?"  Not necessarily.  I have told her many times that she had better get control of her anger now because it is just not worth the expenditure of energy.  She does not yet seem to understand this.  And I suspect it will take a very long time before she will.  But I really admire her fight.  She will not let someone take her down, no matter how big or strong or powerful they may be.  She will stand up for herself.  At least, this is the aspect of her personality that I hope to encourage.  She has a strong will, both of my girls do, but I love seeing how they exert themselves in ways that are totally unique to them.

I am so in love with my children.  They are each so different and vibrant.  They make me smile and laugh while at the same time giving me endless amounts of frustration.  There are points during every single day that I am ready to pull my hair out.  But then I turn around and Sylvia tries to tell me, actually vocalizes the words (such a tremendous feat for her), she's sorry and that she loves me.  And Vedabug comes to me and pulls my leg and stares up at me with these big, blue, pleading eyes and says "Up."  And after lifting her she gives me a hug and then buries her little head in my shoulder.  I am not sure it is possible to love anything or anyone as much as I do my little girls.