Thanksgiving, Etc.

We took Little Miss "C" to the Pink Pig at Macy's this afternoon. I hadn't been since I was a kid and it was downtown on top of Rich's. It was cute - think she enjoyed it.

The Ellison side of the family gathered the day after Thanksgiving for our "feast". Aunt Amy made a delicious turkey and after pumpkin pie & ice cream, the girls were "little crazy girls" all evening!

Poor Ben has the cold we've been passing around, but he's still smiles today when I snapped a photo of his 1st Christmas outfit.

How Sweet the Sound

I was just finishing up my Blog entry below a few minutes ago. Ben was upstairs in his crib crying (hopefully crying himself to sleep - he needs a nap). Little Miss "C" was behind me playing with her dollhouse - or so I thought. Through the monitor amidst Ben's screaming I hear her singing Jesus Loves Me....did she really? I turned around - she was gone. So I went upstairs to Ben's room. She had pulled her stool in beside his crib and was standing up there singing to him and telling him, "Calm down, Ben." What a little sister.

Pigtails & Mountains

It's a Saturday. Time to sleep in - relax - play with the family, right? Not. By 8:30 we'd be up, eaten breakfast and been to the store and back. The things I do sometime to avoid crowds make me question my own sanity!

So here's Little Miss "C" with her hair in pigtails for the first time. She had to wear it like that three days in a row until the novelty wore off. She's walking around our driveway on the roads that we drew - she walks and rides her toys on the "roads" and goes to visit her grandparents homes, Publix, church and "chicken cows" (a.k.a. Chick-Fil-A) which we also draw on the driveway at various points along the roads. It's great fun until it rains and Mommy had to draw the whole thing over again!

Our little firecracker also has an affinity for having things on her head. Goggles were first. A few weeks back panties came in to the picture, followed by a Christmas nightcap that she found in Ben's dresser. We'll have to send her to the Kentucky Derby one day.


Last weekend while Daddy chased down deer in the woods, the three of us visited Nana & Papa in the mountains. It was a gorgeous weekend, so we played at the lake and also managed to get in a picnic before heading home.

Ben is becoming an expert jumper in his "jumperoo" - he's jumping in it much earlier than Little Miss "C" did, and it keeps him upright for a while without me holding him all the time. Love. It.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Raggedy Ann...

Lil' Punkin...

And a very hairy Raggedy Andy!

Happy Fall Ya'll

Just in case anyone is "out there" wondering what we've been up to, here's your update!


Potty Training
Well, folks, my baby girl isn't such a baby anymore! I purchased the book Toilet Training in Less than A Day figuring I'd certainly rather try one day of training 1st...and if not successful, then do my best over the coming weeks. But really, Little Miss "C" was ready and we got down to business one Wednesday about two weeks ago. She did great (although that was a hard day, folks) and is now fully in her "big girl panties." I took pictures of the day shamelessly (even the 1st poo poo for Daddy to see) but I'll spare her the embarrassment and just show you her happy face in front of her Potty Chart full of stickers - a special thanks to Ms. Barbara for the Chart!


Taking Advantage of Great Weather (and not so great...)
I'm already sad about the time change, shorter days and cold weather because I love to let Little Miss "C" outside to play on nice days. Here we are on a recent outing to the local park - it was cold, windy and overcast so we were the only ones on the playground!


And Living Life
Little Miss "C" loves playing in my closet, and one Sunday morning came out sporting my aqua sandals. Lovely.... We're hoping to move her to a twin bed this week - yet another small step in this growing-up process. She loves to sing, sometimes real songs and sometimes things she makes up. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to get a good video of it all, because as soon as she sees me with the video camera she STOPS what she's doing and walks toward the camera saying, "I want to see.." Today she made the local news at 4 and 6pm! The reporter was there when she went for her Swine Flu vaccine.


As for my little man, he'll be 4 months old on the 30th! He's somewhere in the 15 pound range. I've discovered that he's very ticklish and loves to have his face stroked and kissed on. "Mama kisses" I call them! He's rolling from his belly to his back and attempts to get back over. Probably could if Mom gave him more "tummy time." His attempts to talk have increased dramatically lately, which is fun for us! And he give more and more smiles every day.


Stay tuned for Halloween photos - Raggedy Ann and Andy....

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Good Sunday Morning! Ben and I have been up since 5 - he just dozed off in the bouncy seat, so I'll post a few new pictures while it's quiet (Little Miss C is still asleep....for now!).

Over Labor Day I took the kids to my parent's house for two nights. We had a picnic at the lake and Little Miss C played in the water a little bit. She was so fascinated watching the other kids who were there playing at the beach.

We also had a visit from Gran & Pop, who came up from Brooklet. To Little Miss C's delight, they brought a bubble-making machine that constantly produces a shower of bubbles...with the help of 6 AA BATTERIES!

Everyday life in our house is challenging trying to keep a curious 2-year-old busy with new things! Here are a few "projects" - a crown for the Princess (that she painted with finger paint) and adventures with new playdough toys (as well as the Frog goggles that Gran & Pop brought - she loves to wear these around the house!)

Little Miss C makes her Mom & her Papa proud - she walks around singing all kinds of songs. New to her list this week is the rhyme "It's raining, it's pouring..." and two songs: "Blue bird, blue bird through my window..." and the Barney song, "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops..." I love it!!

A Day in the Life

Not much happening here except for "daily" life....Mom's of little ones know what I mean!!

Ben is almost 8 weeks old now and we love it when he smiles! He is stretching his nighttime sleep to 5-6 hours most nights - I am sooooo hopeful for 7-8 hours sometime soon!! Am not usually a coffee drinker, but lately caffeine has become my friend for sure! Ben still has reflux issues and is now on Prevacid to make him more comfortable. I'm told it will likely be 6-7 months before it's resolved totally, since he'll be able to sit up by that time. We moved Ben to his own room about a week ago - YEY! He follows Little Miss "C" around with his eyes and she hugs on him a lot. His favorite time of the evening seems to be his bath - smiles, coos and lots of fun moving his arms and legs freely.


Little Miss "C" never ceases to amaze....and challenge....me. We're working on her colors and identifying shapes and numbers. Lots of times I think she's teasing me when we play "games" with her flashcards and she purposely points out the wrong things. Here are some funny stories from the past week:

• Getting out of the bathtub one night when Ben was screaming/crying in his crib: "Calm Down, Ben" (she said very slowly...). What???? She repeated several times, "Calm Down!" It was hysterical how she said it....and where did she pick that one up? Her Daddy later owned up to it!
• She'll do something, move something, put a toy in a certain place, etc. and ask, "That better?"
• She walks around "talking" to her cousins or her grandparents on the play telephone. Her conversations get more detailed the older she gets, and usually include a report about what Ben is doing at the time. "Hi....yep....Ben sleeping....ok....bye"
• The terrible two's habit of saying "no" to Mommy has started - not fun!
• She loves taking her vitamin ("medicine") each day and wants to take 2-3...not one.
• I figured out that she has the Barney Goes to the Farm video practically memorized

Many Moms probably have a photo like the one below - so typical of the "staying at home" life. Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich, sippy cup of milk, "Baby" (which she sleeps with) and a child who has fallen asleep while eating lunch!!

Time Flies

What a busy few weeks!! Baby Ben will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and we're finally seeing a few smiles out of the boy! He's weighing in around 10.5 pounds now and is more alert to what is going on around him. He's lost some of his hair - which is so different from our experience with Little Miss "C"'s full head of hair from Day 1....and his eyes are still very blue.


Little Miss "C" turned 2 today (Aug. 9th) and we had a family birthday party for her yesterday. She has turned into quite a chatterbox and a singer. She walks around the house and lies in in her bed singing "Happy Birthday to You", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "ABC's" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children"....among others. Our parents say that she knows where everything is in the house, and she'll point out if something is missing or moved. Many times now she doesn't want her hand held as she tries walking down the stairs (but Mommy insists on standing beside her even if she won't hold my hand!) and she has to "do" everything on her own. She loves seeing her grandparents and especially going to the pool when they visit. Mommy is very happy that she loves her little brother and doesn't seem to be too jealous over him - although sharing "her" things has been a challenge. For example, I can't put any of her old bibs on him without a fight! Anyway, enjoy the birthday pics...



Her cousins came to celebrate with us!

Finally, Mommy gets in a picture!

Oh, if they'd only be this sweet to each other for the rest of their little lives.....


A little Dawg cheerleader in the making....she see's the Georgia "G" on the baby's pacifier and says, "sick 'em....woof, woof!" Her daddy and grandpa are training her well!


Our big boy gained almost a pound from Week 1 to Week 2, breaking the 8lb mark during that time. It's amazing how much babies change during the first weeks of life.

It's been a whirlwind week for us. Daryl went back to work full-time and is feeling good - praises! Because of his work schedule he's been doing "baby duty" at night, allowing me to get a good night's sleep...ahhh. And his wonderful mother blessed us by coming to help with the children for a few days, giving me some time to get groceries and catch up with "things" around the house. Our parents have so unselfishly given their time and energy to us many times this year -- we are deeply humbled and grateful for their unending love.

Unfortunately we've had friends and extended family facing the loss of loved ones this week, so we'll be attending two memorial services this weekend. While we celebrate new life, others are mourning and our hearts go out to them in their grief. Just a reminder for us to enjoy every moment we're given and to take nothing for granted...a lesson that I seem to too quickly forget amidst day-to-day duties that seem so all-consuming. We're supposed to be in for a cooler, dryer weekend - take advantage of it and savor a few special moments with friends and family.

Some Pictures for You

Enjoy!

Home At Last!

WARNING: Don't put a vase of flowers (which are supported with water) near a laptop at the hospital. People pushing baby carriers around might knock down said vase and spill water onto nearby laptop - flooding the keyboard and causing technical difficulties!

Sorry for the delayed news!
We came home on Saturday July 4th. The baby was allowed to leave the Transitional Nursery on July 3rd and our pediatrician thought he looked really good on Saturday so we all were released home.

The baby is in his "eat, sleep, poop" stage and he's mostly quiet and sleeping. Little Miss "C" has been fantastic with him and enjoys "holding" him in her lap, checking out all his parts and this morning trying to help with his bottle. Of course, she's inundated with attention from all of her Grandparents, so she's in heaven right now and not feeling at all de-throned (yet). Some dear friends even sent her a new baby doll that coos and sucks on a bottle and makes baby noises, so she's had her own baby to look after since yesterday.

Wendy's parents are here for the week to help us transition, and Daryl's dad Jerry & his wife Carolyn came up Saturday and were with us overnight too. We were blessed with two meals from friends yesterday, which we've thoroughly enjoyed - and which have eliminated the hassles of trying to cook AND settle everyone back in at the same time.

Can't wait to post new photos. Upon returning home and looking at our own newborn photos, the Baby is a spitting image of Wendy's newborn photo (without the 1960's requisite mohawk hairstyle). It's amazing how much we look alike - so world, watch out!!!

With Mom & Dad

Our boy has been released to stay with us! He is doing much better and has had a busy Friday morning so far, including a little "snip snip" if you know what I mean.

Little Miss "C" visited with little brother yesterday afternoon in the NICU briefly and she was so sweet. She wanted to kiss and hold him right away and enjoyed pointing out his nose, ears, eyes, etc. She'll be back this afternoon for another visit in our room and we'll probably be going home tomorrow.

Here are a few photos of our two kiddos together for the first time:

On a side note, as I sit here and type a lovely young lady (whom I used to babysit for starting when she was 6 months old) is on HER way to the hospital to give birth to her 1st child - a baby girl. Praying for her and must begin negotiations about an arranged marriage for our two little ones...ha, ha, ha!! Love you, Linds!

NICU Day #2

(It's Wendy typing this time...) "Here we go again"...it's the way that I feel right now! More blog posts about the ups and downs of days in a hospital. Is this my new calling in life?

Ben seemed to be doing very well today, so he came back to "live" in our room -but within 2 hours he was back in the NICU. I was nervous because the poor guy was breathing so quickly and "shallow" and his oxygen saturations were borderline again. Not being in the medical field, I wasn't sure how to handle it. Our wonderful nurse watched him closely and through great teamwork it was decided he would be better off with more one-on-one care tonight back in NICU. Hopefully he'll continue to strengthen and be back with us tomorrow.

So since I finally got to spend some time with Ben in NICU earlier in the day, Daryl was able to capture a few more photos for you.

We covet your prayers, as usual, and will post an update tomorrow!!!

Big Foot Has Arrived!

Baby Ben7 lbs 6 oz

18 inches

Born at 8:19 a.m.

Baby Ben joined our family "in person" this morning - and yes, he has big feet with long toes (WOW). So much so that his toes even grasp hold of my finger. We thought initially that he had red hair, but after a bath it appears more of a brown color.

All seemed well until about 2 hours after being born, as he continued to "grunt". This is usually what babies do when they are struggling to breath. The short story is that he had to be taken to the NICU and placed on a hi-flow oxygen setup with a diagnosis of TTN (Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn). What is this? My Respiratory NICU friends could probably do a better job with this, but from what I remember, this is a transient phase that can occur with babies (especially with C-Section babies) having fliud left over from the womb that hasnt absorbed into the system yet. I think that the normal vaginal delivery takes care of this. Again, it is supposed to be "transient" --- meaning temporary and should resolve rather quickly. At present, they have weaned some of the oxygen and he appears more comfortable. The nurse said that he eats very well. (That's my little man.....)

Wendy is ok. Very tired, but ok. She has our room feeling like a meat locker.----- You know those hormones. I had to bring an insulated sleeping bag! She even had the engineering guy inspecting the AC thermostat to make sure it was truly working right. : )

Pray for speedy recovery of our baby and for Wendy. Pray for peace in this as we learn to continue trusting God, even in the little "hiccups" of life.

Daryl

Wendy's Turn

Enough with the Daryl stuff. (this is Daryl attempting to do the blogging thing : ) )

Well, Wendy is geared up for the big day tomorrow. The C-Section is planned for 8 am. We have to be there by 6:30am. They tell us the our surgeon is very particular with detail and thus is slow with the surgery (this is a good thing !). Therefore, we are told not to expect Wendy in her room until 11 am. Of course, I will be in the OR with her with the video cam as before, hoping that I dont drop the cam from all of the excitement. She is doing Ok, yet with abit lethargy and occasional pains. Needless to say, she is ready to get baby "B" out.

You can check back here for pictures. Of course, I will have to wait until Wendy is awake enough as I am rather "computer/cam challenged" to do such things.

In the meantime-- please pray that all goes well and smoothly. We are abit anxious given all that we recently went through. But, we are confident that the Lord is not only with us in all of this but that He will see it through smoothly.

I want to thank all of you who have kept us in your prayers and for all of the prior encouraging blog notes. You have no idea what that meant to us during some rather dark hours. Maybe later I can expand on things we learned through it all once the dust settles with our next big event. This next one should be a more "happy" time in comparison.

Daryl

PS: Little Miss "C" is very excited about being a big sister. : )

Celebrating 93 Years

Daryl's Great Aunt Gladys turned 93 yesterday! We took her out to lunch and were fortunate to have gotten this picture of everyone.

Daryl worked his first shifts over the past weekend and did well - now he's just recouperating from night shifts, which is a little harder in his condition. But he's back to work!!!