Long time no see!

Special thanks to Nichole for loaning me her laptop (and saving my sanity!!)

And now to bring you up to date!! (I know - you've been on the edge of your seat wondering about our weekend!!)

Saturday

Scott joined some of our friends in a softball tournament fundraiser for leukemia. For a big guy, Scott is a great sportsman and Emma and I enjoyed watching him play. He drilled the ball into the outfield, and in defense, played great as an outfielder. We felt bad for the team mate that decided to catch the same ball as Scott and got ploughed to the ground!!

The game was north east of the city in 90 degree weather, so we weren't sure how Emma would do. We were there for about 7 hours - that means you have to include both feeds and pumping in the mix! Emma coped well, and there was plenty of shade which made the heat quite pleasant. I do struggle with pumping on the road and had to dump the milk as there is nowhere to store it.



Sunday

We went to the hospital for the annual reunion of all the families that had fetal diagnoses. It was a morning event and they had a carousel, moon bounce, climbing wall and fire engine for the kids. Special guests included Scooby Doo, Elmo and others! Emma was olivious but next year she should have alot of fun! We got to see some of the doctors and staff that treated me during the pregnancy.

Dr B. delivered Emma, and Jane was our ultrasound tech

We then had lunch with friends that are moving away next week. Todd and Tammi - we'll miss you guys!

Then to dinner at Scott's parents house, an early birthday gathering - he turns 26 on Wednesday!

Cruel, but so cute!!

Continuing storylines are:

Laptop requiring repair

Blocked bathroom sink (again!)

W**?

"Why?" is a curse word in our house! When something bad happens I cry "why?" For example, yesterday I must have not hooked Emma's feed correctly before we napped on my bed. When we woke up, the milk had soaked Emma, the bedding and mattress. It took alot of strength to not cry over spilt milk!!

Thankfully we know there is no reason to dwell on why! After all, we rarely get answers. The key is to realize that God will use the situation to grow us and to bring glory to his name. For that we are grateful!

Here are some pictures from the hospital...

Big girl gown

And this really cute video form yesterday. (Yes, she is on the counter!! Don't judge me - I didn't leave her!!)

All is well

If you're not cursing me for leaving it so long to post I'll fill you in!

We went to the hospital and she had her Esophogram (sp?) which should no reflux, and the nissen is still in place. We then metwith her doctor who said it could actually be the perfect nissen if she can throw up but is not getting reflux!! It must be some cause of the vomitting that is standard, like if she gagged herself or had a tummy upset.

Scott came with us to the hospital so it actually felt more like a family outing! We haven't seen much of each other the past few weeks so it gave us time to talk and play with the baby. We were even taking pictures in the fluroscopy room, like tourists!! We may be crazy but I think it's better for Emma if we make it fun.

Then we visited the NICU and saw lots of her nurses and therapists!! They couldn't believe how big she got - 14lbs 0.5oz yesterday! And we showed them that she could sit up by herself and she talked to them too.

Afterward we came home and Emma was showing serious signs of missing her afternoon nap. We called int he grandparents so we could do for the test drive we had previously scheduled. They offered us under $1000 for the Explorer!! We decided to just run it into the ground and try to save for a downpayment.

And the piece de resistance of the day: the recommended windows updates have crashed my laptop and I can't use it at all. That may be a pain in terms of the blog, but it is also my main source of communication with my family and long distance friends! I'm gutted. I am hopeful that I can still retrieve my pictures (incl all the baby pics), so please join me in praying for that and my sanity without it!!

I'll keep you updated as best I can!

Hiccup

or projectile vomit, as Emma did this morning!

She woke me up at 3.30am and kept me up until 5am. Back up at 6.30am she was trying my patience! I brought her into our bed hoping to cuddle her to sleep - to no avail.

After about 20 minutes she made a noise like she needed to burp. I sat up to get the syringe and she threw up. It even got me in the face - 2 feet away!

I called the hospital, as instructed and we are going in for an esophogram (barium swallow) at 1.30pm. Until then I have to deal with a clingy baby and fatigue!!

Please keep us in your prayers today.

A beautiful day today, sunny, warm but not humid. So Emma and I went outside with some toys and a blanket to sit under the tree!

Not long after we went out Emma's OT Maryanne arrived and we had the therapy session on the lawn!

She is sitting up unsupported for quite a long time now and Maryanne was very excited. What's next? Crawling! We have some work to do though, Emma hasn't quite worked out how her legs work. It could be a while, it could be a week, who knows. What's important is she is determined to catch up with her peers!!

The fridge is fixed!! Woohoo! Now I have to re-stock it as most everything had to be thrown out - I left it in there too long. Apparently the fan that circulates cold air up from the freezer bust and that's what happened.

Today Kimberly came over to watch Emma while I made a start on cleaning the basement/Scott's workshop. Apparently it's very humid outside, so staying in was a pretty good option anyway.

Last night Emma showed her daddy just how good she is at sitting up...

Weekend Update

Friday night...

Scott went to the church as he does every Friday, to help with the youth group and this week I went too, to take some pictures of the different groups that meet. The youth were playing football (aka soccer - I'm English, sorry!) with a giant ball and lacrosse nets!! I couldn't resist joining in.

Afterward we took them all to Dairy Queen for ice-cream and water (we're responsible adults don't cha know!!) Here are some of the great kids we have had the pleasure of hanging with

Top row: Jeremy (adult) Kayla, and Kimberly (yes, Aunt Kimberly)
Bottom row from left: Kali, Erika, Christina (adult plus baby on board!), Kevin, Nana and Scott (semi-adult!)

Saturday...

Scott was working again (what a trooper!) so Kimberly and I left Emma to entertain her grandparents while we test drove a bunch of cars!! We're really just looking for when we decide to upgrade, but I did see one I like!!

Later on Emma and I joined Scott at our friends house, where he was helping put in a new door. We were invited to stay for dinner and Emma got to sit at the table with us like a big girl!!



Sunday... (Father's Day)

Now, if on Mother's Day mom doesn't have to take care of the kids, it should stand to reason that on Father's Day dad takes care of the kids - after all, that is the opposite of normality!!! ;-)

Of course I wasn't trying to pull that one, so after letting Scott get a good nights sleep Emma gave him a "World's Best Dad" keychain and an IOU for a new power drill (they'd sold out!!)


And the first photographic evidence of Emma sitting unaided, for Grandma and Grandad!!

Milestone

Today is Emma's 7 month birthday! Don't worry I haven't gone soft - this is significant for another reason. From today Emma will have been out of the hospital longer than she was in it, which was 3.5 months! It feels like a lot longer, but that may just be me!!

We had our first playdate today! We met up with Jessica and her son Francis, who I met on Monday. We went to a coffee shop in a nearby town and sat outside (in the shade) with the babies. Of course I put Emma in one of her cutest dresses, a woman must make a good first impression!!


Francis and Emma eyed each other with curiosity, but not nearly as much as their own feet! It was fun and we will hopefully do it again next week.

On a different note, it seems our refrigerator is not working well and is failing to keep things cold - not good when the baby's milk needs refrigeration! I called the company - yes, we have a warranty!! They said they could send someone out on the 25th. WHAT????

You guessed it, wrong as it may be, I played the baby card! They are coming on Monday. I didn't tell them we have our old refrigerator in the basement - I can't keep running down there leaving the baby by herself for two weeks!

The concern is that we may need to move the refrigerator out and that could be tough - we barely got it in there!!

Cave in

It did not take much persuasion for me to allow Emma in the Thompson's pool last night! It was hot, Scott and I were the only people in there and Mrs T doesn't use chlorine. We were all pretty surprised at how she took to it! She didn't even flinch when she first went in - I did, naturally!

Emma and I are enjoying a pretty quiet week. Today we had an appointment (for me) in the morning, and on the way Emma threw up! That is the 6th time in two weeks, the second time today! Of course, I called the hospital and her doctor told me to take her feeds back down to 140ml - he thinks that may be her limit right now. To add extra calories her overnight feed will be extended to 8 hours at the same amount.

Babies throw up all the time and I am used to it with our friends children, however when Emma does it it is quite traumatic for me! She does give a warning sound which is the same as when she has wind!! It is quite a game of Russian roulette to know if she'll throw up or not!

If she does throw up again we will be going in for an x-ray to see if the nissen (fundoplication) has come undone!! Keep her in your prayers - I'm sure it's scary for her too.

On a different note, while I was waiting for my appointment (a check-up, nothing more) a woman with a 6 week old (Awww, so tiny!!) asked me how old Emma was. I told her - 7 months, but was hesitant at first to engage in conversation. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to her, I was actually trying to spare her! When people ask about Emma it always seems to end up with her story, which although it is very encouraging and inspiring for some, it is certainly a little more than small talk - especially for someone with a baby!!

Although, it's pretty hard to hide that something is different when your baby has a tube coming out the bottom of her dress which you have to attach to a syringe as she pushes air and milk out through the tube!! (If you haven't seen us wind Emma that will not make sense!!). I often wonder what people are thinking when they see us.

I do know that they sometimes think she may have something like Down Syndrome, which is probably why I want to tell them, she may be small and a bit floppy, but she doesn't miss a beat!!

What?

"I just want a butterfly that works." Say that out loud and you'll realize what an odd sentence it is! Of course you can figure out I was referring to one of Emma's toys (when I returned it for a replacement), but still, it's one of those things that you find yourself saying and wondering what happened to you!! It's not dissimilar to having names for inanimate objects (other than the appropriate word (like binky instead of pacifier!) - all unique to the world of parenthood!!

In case your interested, it was worth the effort to get the butterfly replaced - she laughed at it when the wings lit up and it played a tune!!

Today I got Emma some swim diapers - 40% off!! She will not be going swimming, pool or sea though. We had initially thought her eyes might not like it, and that may be the case, but I have also realized she must not swallow any water. We'll stick with the method used on Saturday!!

As for me I have yet to get a bathing suit for the summer. A task as displeasing to me as shoe shopping (yes, that's right!) and cleaning the bathroom!

I would like to take a poll of the parents out there! Do you put sunscreen on your baby EVERY SINGLE time you go outside? I mean, if you are going from house to car to store, for example? I keep Emma covered in her car seat with a light cloth over the exposed half, but I realize it's not spf! I also want to know if it needs to be washed off at the end of the day - sometimes she's so asleep when we get home it's cruel to wake her for a bath!

Please comment or email me on this! Feel free to add any questions - we could start a little forum!!

Gift

What a day!

Emma was awake her usual time but when I went in to get her she fell back asleep when I put her pacifier in! That worked a second time and meant I got to sleep in (so to speak) until 8.30am!! i needed it - she wouldn't take a nap on Sunday!

Despite the late start I still got out of the house at 9.15am to the local MOMS group. I decided to leave Emma at home this time, as I don't like taking her somewhere by myself until I know the set-up. Grandma came over to babysit, and I was promptly ignored!! Emma knows that Grandma will keep her very happy!

At MOMS most of the children were 2-4yrs, but I did meet another mother with a baby and we will hopefully be able to hang out some time - our kids aren't ready for baking or picking strawberries, examples of some of the activities they do.

Then I ran to the grocery store before heading home.

The flashing light on the machine greeted me with a message that Fred's Footsteps have agreed to pay the entire car repair bill! How awesome is that!

And to top it all off, I got everything done by 1pm (pumping, lunch etc) and put my head down with Emma for an afternoon nap!

It's been a great day!!

Water baby

With 101f showing on the thermometer Saturday afternoon, we headed to our friends house to help them get their pool ready for the summer! The heat was incredible, but while Scott worked on the pool Kimberly, Emma and I sat outside and watched.


In an effort to keep Emma cool we stripped her down to her diaper and bathed her will cool water! Clearly she had the best time of us all!







I'm not sure if Mrs T. had planned for her bowls to be used as a paddling pool!

This week - part 2

Thursday

No plans today so I tried to sleep in with Emma! I got a little extra sleep, but that was consolation for getting up at 5am!! An eventful first few hours - when I went in to check on the reason for her crying I discovered she'd thrown up again! I started thinking - vomiting, increased de-sats, extra secretions, less gas. Mmm, I think there's a problem with the nissen! So I emailed the doctors.

Emma's surgeon wants to wait and see if they continue before we do anything. Did I mention that we are on first name terms with Emma's [top] surgeon? I'm telling you, it's the best hospital in the world!!

On a different note, Emma and I hit Babies R Us so I could pick up a sun screen for her car seat. Of course we browsed and I picked up a couple of developmental toys for her. It's amazing how much the price of these things add up, and so recently we started using the money that people have given Emma over the past few months. It's funny, but I feel guilty spending her money, even though it's on her!! That's probably a good thing, or she'd have even more clothes!!

Friday

Emma's occupational therapist was really pleased with her progress and showed me some ways to continue the development with a view to crawling and then walking! Emma is very tolerant of all the exercises we do with her, probably because they involve toys!! She's so interested in everything I expect her will will push her to progress!

The two of us went to see friends Friday evening, while Scott was helping with our youth group. We got home around 10.15pm, and she was still awake! i was supposed to have fed her at 10, so I gave her a really quick bath and put her to bed with her food!

Saturday

Emma took a while to get settled in bed, I think 4am was the last time I got up before I woke at 7am. I had expected her to get up at 6am like normal, but she slept until 9am! I fed her right away (I skipped the 6am feed because I knew it would wake her up!) and she fell asleep again for another hour!!

It's going to be 97 degrees today, so we are not going out! (It's 75 in our house!!) Aunt kimberly is coming over to play with Emma so I can start cleaning out the basement to try and sell some of the junk we have down there!! Someone should warn Scott to put his tools away!!!

While Kimberly was here, we Skyped my parents and grandparents who are together. Emma was displaying her new tolerance for sitting and actually sat unaided for at least 30 seconds, (it seemed like 5 minutes!), but then went down and caught her cheek on the corner of the laptop - don't judge me!! It was only a little bump, and no immediate bruise!

Day 7 - Sunshine!

Last day - first sun!! Always the way, but we didn't have plans so we hung out at my sisters while my parents were at work. We got to see the friend who loaned us the luxury stroller and car seat this week. It's been so great and Emma has been most comfortable. She's selling it, but wouldn't you know it's too big for us to bring home!

Scott and I took Emma and Caitlin to the supermarket to get some gifts of the chocolate variety. We loaded the conveyor belt before I realized I had only brought [not enough] cash! A quick call and my sister came to the rescue! How embarrassing. She gave me a ride home while Scott opted to walk back with Emma.

After lunch, as I changed another diaper, Caitlin said to me "You're going back tomorrow aren't you?" Well, my heart was wrenched! She's spent the entire week playing with Scott and is so sad that he is leaving. We hadn't known how she'd take the news that we weren't staying. Thankfully she seemed appeased by our planned return at the end of the year!

And Scott, well I think he'll need a vacation after this week!

We popped in to see Mum's hairdresser today, who'd heard all about Emma! She also agreed to give Emma her first haircut - not all over, just one area that was much longer than the rest ala Ace Ventura!

Tonight we pack, always a bittersweet sign of a trips end. I've become practised at thinking of all the things I miss in the US to take the edge off the sadness. What things? My bed (trust me, it's twice the size!) our friends, church and hopefully good weather!! You wold be surprised at how important I can think those things are when need be!

Day 6 - Breaking the rules

It was or understanding that Emma should not be able to burp or throw-up, following the nissen procedure. Yet this morning (after being on baby duty all night) Scott informed me that or daughter had managed to throw-up on the play mat this morning!

I didn't panic - honestly! I simply called the hospital and spoke to the surgical fellow who assured me that it was okay as long as it wasn't green! It was white, so phew!! I wasn't entirely convinced so I emailed Emma's surgeon for his opinion. Apparently a little, occasionally is normal.

Today my sister, mum and I left the girls with the husbands and went shopping. In Mothercare I saw a t-shirt that said "My mummy makes me smile." I love any tops that say mummy, instead of mommy, but it took a few seconds for me to realize why that one was not for us. It's funny how I notice less and less that Emma doesn't smile because I'm reading the other signs she gives.

While we were away the guys took the kids on a long walk to the seafront. As it's a school holiday this week the fair is in town and they were there for some time. Nicola and I joined them a bit later.

A few friends came to visit in the evening and I am noticing more and more that Emma is shy with new people at first and then becomes more animated and vocal with them as time goes on. It's a shame for those who only see her for a few minutes as she can seem quite reserved, but after a while, well, you've seen the video!!

My poor parents have been eaten out of house and home this week! Luckily they know the score and we visit so rarely they have time to recover!

I started packing with Emma's clothes and realized she has quite a few extra, either gifts or hand-downs!! I won't complain, more clothes = less frequent laundry!

Day 5 - Day out

Another rainy day in England! What to do in these conditions? Our first stop today was to visit my old office and the people that have been so supportive. So Scott Emma, mum and I (no Dad - he was working) drove into the city.

Our first visit was with the boss, Jerry. Emma was so well behaved and in no rush to leave. She was clearly happy sitting on Jery's lap. I did suggest that he might want to baby sit while we went shopping, but in the end we took her along!!

We walked through the building and stopped to say hi to some of my former colleagues and friends. It's been 5 years since I worked in that office so there were only a few people that I knew! Time moves on I guess.

The whole time I'm carrying Emma I can tell her diaper was pretty wet, but she didn't fuss at all and eventually fell asleep in my arms!

Next stop - the shops! Scott and I had received some money from family here for our birthdays so we went to see what bargains were around (somethings actually are cheaper here, but not many!)

We parked in the multi-storey lot and it was full so we were on the roof level. Scott suggested I pump in the car before we got out to save time. Mum parked away from the majority of spaces for discretion.

As I set up the paraphenalia the people in the cars next to us came back! Then more cars came and parked the other side! People were walking past! Now I should mention that Mum has a tiny car, like TINY! I had my bag on my lap and my coat over my front! Scott was squashed into the back with the baby!

Lunch was next and we headed into the food court. Emma had to eat to so I prepared her feeding system, which on the go is a big syringe and tubing. I drew the milk up into the 60ml syringe but the plunger got stuck at the top. As I tried to work it back in it went in a little too fast and milk shot across the court! Luckily no-one was in the line of fire.

We realized that if Emma ever get's bullied for things she can take one of the syringes and shoot the bully!! (Not that I would ever condone that kind of behavior!)

For dinner Scott and I went for an Indian meal with my sister and brother-in-law. We left our 3 kids with Mum and Dad - the first time they'd watched either of the babies for any length of time! We had given Mum directions for venting Emma and promised to be back by feeding time.

I don't think any of us were worried about them and we left them without much delay!! When we returned Emma was sleeping on the play mat, Caitlin was in bed and Eloise was bright-eyed waiting to be fed! A great success!

Apparently Caitlin was playing with Emma the whole time, and we have photographic evidence!!




I hope that Emma will always get such a warm welcome from her cousins, even after long absences.

Day 4 - Happy birthday Jon

Today was my brother-in-law's birthday so the 3 of us headed over to spend the day at my sister's house. Scott went over early with Emma, while I stayed in bed. I have come down with a cold or something and feel pretty lousy (hasn't affected my appetite yet though!!).

Despite temperatures in the 50s they opted to have a barbecue. Jon's family came over as well and we chowed down.

Jon's sister has a baby girl, Kaliana, who was born in the middle of Emma and Eloise! With the 3 babies there was plenty of noise and people making strange faces and voices!

Emma showing the love to Jon's mum!

Something we did learn is that if you put wood and newspaper in a chimenea then you will get lots of stinky smoke! In the end Jon and Scott had to carry it to the bottom of the garden and douse it with water before we smoked out the neighborhood!

Never a dull moment!

This week - part 1

Stay up to date!!

Sunday

After a 29 hour day on Saturday (time change is a nightmare) and just 4 hours of sleep (Emma not caring about the new time zone) I stayed home from church and slept. It felt good! In the afternoon we caught up with family and friends.

Our godson, Jeremy, holding Emma for the first time!

I didn't leave the house until 5pm, when it was still 80 degrees! After the cold and wet in England I remembered another reason why I like living here!!

Monday

Emma has forgotten our little schedule and had me up at 4am again! After taking Scott to work (car still in the shop) I tried to get her down for a nap again, no luck! In fact she barely slept all day!

We headed out for her 6 month well visit. She weighed in at 13lbs 5 oz! That's 2lbs in 5 weeks! We can assume the lipids are doing their job, but there may be another explanation...

Tuesday

At 7.30am Emma and I took a walk. I took her in the carrier so that I could move faster and she will get exercise at holding herself up. It was great - sunny, but still only 65 degrees. Could be a great way to start each day - well only after Emma sleeps for 12 hours!! (She woke at 3am but we brought her in with us and she slept through until 6am!

Later on we learned the mechanic had fixed the car. Great? No. We had said not to do anything that was expensive. Apparently he didn't think $1200 was expensive! Can you say "annoyed"? Yes, we have to pay it. And then we will be getting rid of this car before it it totally worthless.

Wednesday

Today was our follow-up at the hospital assessing the progress on Emma's weight gain. They were very pleased with her progress and have increased the volume of her feeds according to her weight. I also changed her g-tube (the part that stays in her stomach!). The one-way valve was leaking and they let me change it so I can do it at home if necessary!

Emma slept the way there and whole way home - not good. She then wouldn't go down for an afternoon nap, which is my time to catch up on everything else. For some reason (probably fatigue) it really frustrated me. I can't even leave her to play on the floor while I get on - she just lays there and stares at me with those big eyes! Some days things just don't go the way you want!

When her physical therapist arrived I was lacking enthusiasm and energy. By the time she left I was feeling 10 times better! Why? She said Emma is doing much better than she had expected and whatever we're doing is working! Seeing her all day every day, I don't notice progress as much and I guess it takes an objective outsider to help you see it!

She has gone from barely lifting her head while on her belly to holding it way up, arms outstretched and grabbing! She also rolled over all the way, without any prompting! I was concerned that she had not "found" her feet yet, but she is starting to pull her legs up - quite a feat when you grew with a hole in your abs!

Day 3 - The visit

Up at the crack of dawn today to hit the road! We went to visit my grandparents. all 4 of them! We knew they were excited to finally meet Emma, and with my sisters family and uncle's family joining us it would be a crazy day. We were right!!

I have not been in the UK since November 2006, so it was wonderful to see almost all my family in one place. And of course everyone loved Emma! It wasn't just family though - my Grandma's friends also stopped by to meet Emma. They've been reading the blog too!

Emma took it all in her stride and was very well behaved.

We hope that Emma brought everyone lots of joy, it certainly sounded like it! She certainly is as beautiful and smart as they all said!!!

As always my Grandma put on a delicious feast and we had our fill of favorites like beef stew and jam tarts. I believe I've gained about 5lbs so far, with 4 days to go!

With my Dad's parents (I've never seen Grandad smile so much!)

Reminding Eloise who is the oldest, if not the biggest!

Caitlin doing a great job of holding two wriggly babies

After months on the webcam, Mum's parents finally meet Emma in person

Gran's friends stop by for a visit. They've been reading the blog too!

On the way home Emma was due for a feed and I was in the back of the car trying to get it all ready. Well, wouldn't yo know I knocked the bag off the hook and spilled the milk all over the back seat. Thankfully my Dad said 140 ml was not a lot of milk (he wouldn't have said that if I'd spilled it when I was a kid!). I replied that it is if you have to sit in it for 45 minutes!!