Pumpkins

This little pumpkin hit 7lbs this week. At two monthes old, we are so glad that he continues to do well. Chloe is glad that I let her pick outfits sometimes and actually keep him in them long enough to get a picture - look at those cute little legs!

On to other pumpkin activities

Joke: How do you fix a broken jack-o-lantern?

Answer: Pumpkin Patch

I love me some cool looking lit up jack-o-lanterns, but don't so much love the mess, so we opted not to break the jack-o-lanterns in the first place and go the less messy route by painting pumpkins this year. The finished products Pumpkins with attitude

Field Trippin

One of Chloe's favorite things about preschool is getting to go on field trips. Noah's favorite thing about preschool is that he gets to come on the field trips too! Yesterday we got to go on just such a favorite activity when we went to the Black Island Farms. I LOVE this place. We were able to come last year as well and again there were so many fun things for the kids to do They had a great time playing with each other and with friends.

The carrots they pull from the ground here are amazingly sweet and we loved receiving some during the pumpkin picking hayride.While I am a fan of this place, I am not so much a fan of corn mazes. Can you say claustrophopic (and for that matter, can I spell it?) Luckily they had a kid size corn maze where there was no wrong turn. These slides are fast and some of them are quite tall. Very fun.

Chloe and her "boyfriend" Cadence riding the animal train. Can you tell Noah is loving this?I would totally have one of these at my house if I ever gathered myself enough kernals. The cornbox as opposed to a sandbox is a much cleaner idea.We had a great time getting out for a while and having time be all about them. Here's hoping we get to go again next year when Noah is in preschool.

Home

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. My baby is home. I can't express to you how I feel about trading long days going back and forth from the hospital for long nights of not a lot of sleep. I may be tired but it is so worth it. A little recap of that wonderful October 8th morning:

Adam had to eat by mouth for 48 hours. We were "warned" Thursday night that if he did well through the night we would get to come get him the next morning. I spent the rest of the evening rushing to get things finished, and Adam spent it eating like a champ. Friday dawned, I called to confirm his release, and we headed up to this beautiful hospital that I am so sick of seeing. His final stats were taken:

Beginning Numbers/Ending Numbers:

3.7 lbs (although he went down to 3.2)/ 5.9lbs 16 inches 18 inches

Ventilated Breathing /Consistent 90% oxygen levels unassisted

We took one more comparison shot of Joe's hand with Adam's body Tucked him into his carseat (he stayed sound asleep through the whole process)

Said goodbye to his final hospital space and the wonderful people there

Signed out for the last time
Loaded in the car and headed for home
Noah and Chloe LOVED that they finally got to touch and hold their little brother

Cost of labor and delivery: $9228.00

Cost of gas back and forth from the hospital: $140.00

Donated babysitting hours for my kids: 146

Cost of Neonatologists, Nurse Practicioners, Registered Nurses, Developmental Specialists, Lacatation Specialists, Dietitians, Respiratory Therapists, and the care they prescribed during Adam's 47 day stay: $150,150.00
Having my child home safe and healthy: Priceless

Dinosaurs, Divas, and a Little Devil

Joe and Noah enjoyed some "Man time" a few days ago at the Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park. Noah is into dinosaurs in a big way and loved both getting to spend time alone with dad and getting to play near these creatures...

Noah was actually afraid to turn his back on this one - Joe said it was hilarious.This is my favorite of the shots with the T-Rex looking as if he's about to eat Noah. The only thing I didn't enjoy about these pictures was that they never took one of the two of them togetherOn to my little Diva. I bought this skirt at Costco not long ago and Chloe LOVES it. Yesterday she got ready herself, picking this outfit as her "future tumbling outfit" and insisted that I take some pictures of her... Pretty sure we're going to have our hands full with this little beauty.

In Adam news - he's doing SO well! He has slowly mastered eating and has regularly been pulling his feeding tube out of his nose - I think as a sign that he doesn't want to receive food that way anymore - which really is completely up to him and his willingness to eat by mouth.

His wish was granted last night when he pulled it out and they decided to leave it out unless he refuses to eat and they have to reinsert it. Look at his handsome little face clear of all tubes, oxygen, and IV's. Such a sweet sight!

A Month Ago...

A month and two days ago I looked like this in the last picture taken before my water broke...A month and two days ago if you had asked me then how I felt about being pregnant, I would have told you that I felt fat, ugly, and couldn't wait to be done. Little did I know as I sat on the beach with my family that my pregnant experience would shortly be over and that I would today see women well into their pregnancies and find myself jealous that I don't get to be uncomfortable, swollen, and cute like them.

A month and two days ago, I didn't know that in pregnancy's place I would be grateful to have a child that by all accounts is healthy and perfect. Adam's well being is something that I worried about from the moment he arrived. One of the things I didn't mention in telling the story of Adam's birth was the reason behind Adam's sudden drop in heart rate and quick entry into the world. Tiny, purple, and quiet, Adam was followed unexpectedly by another object. "Was that her placenta?" I heard a surprised voice ask. The doctor looked and confirmed that it had followed on it's own. It was at that time that the doctor realized that my placenta had abrupted, or torn away from the "wall" it was attached to. The moment that happened the baby lost all nutrients and oxygen, causing the heart rate drop and everything that followed. Most of us who know how to tie our shoes also know that without oxygen we cannot survive. The neonatologist came in shortly after Adam was stable and explained that he had been without oxygen and that, while the less important organs, like the intestines, usually shut down first when the oxygen goes, because they didn't know how long Adam had been without oxygen they couldn't say whether there would be permanent damage to the brain. Scary.

A month and two days later, I am grateful that my little Adam is here and has so far passed every developmental task given him, indicating more and more that there was and is no damage to our little guy's brain. I am so grateful for answers to prayers, for the prayers of others, and for the stressful blessing this experience has been in our lives. While I am grateful I am also excited for the day, in about a week, that Adam comes home and that working brain of his can start on the path of learning to crawl, talk, and occasionally drive me crazy. I can't wait!

Changes

What a difference a week makes. Through this process Adam has continued to do much better than expected, but he made some significant progress in this last week...

Adam moved out of his first bed, the Isolette and into an open bed!!

The bed transition occurred because he is gaining weight, finally topping the 4lb mark and swiftly moving to today's weight of 4lbs 7 oz. This marks a 1lb gain from his birth weight and about 1.5 lbs from his lowest weight of 3 lbs 2 oz. He looks almost chubby in this picture I snapped of him today. Hard to believe he is still just shy of being HALF the weight Noah was when he was born.Our next bit of progress is up to you to spot. Look closely at the following two pictures... Now check out the next couple...Did you spot the difference yet? If not, let me help you out - he had his oxygen removed and is breathing completely on his own!! You'll notice he still has his feeding tube, but his last bit of weekly progress is that he started eating this week! He is doing amazing and I am hoping we will be able to see his entire face clear of tubes soon!

The three criteria for being able to get him home are:

Weight gain

Maintaining body temperature

Eating on his own

The key is getting all three working together at the same time, so if we can keep this feeding thing going, and he can keep up with the other two, we hope to have him home in about two weeks. 28 days in and with the bill topping $100,000 we are hoping for sooner rather than later! Glass half full moment - we have REALLY could insurance and will only pay a fraction of that amount.

In other news - as life does go on outside of the hospital - our other two kids have had some fun changes this week too. Chloe started soccer! She has been asking and asking to play and as a former soccer star myself (haha).... I have been excited to see her learn. Unfortunately she panicked a little when we first arrived.Fortunately she got over it, played, scored three goals, and LOVES it! Adam isn't the only one who switched beds this week. After getting Chloe a "big girl" twin bed and moving the toddler bed into Noah's room, we finally convinced him to try it out. What a big boy!

This picture above illustrates what I would most like to be doing most of the time - sleeping! I just have to remind myself that once Adam comes home I will get less, not more sleep. At least I can stay in my pajamas all day if I want to!

Glass Half Full

Just over two weeks in, and I am already so so so sick of hospitals! My kids on the other hand have thought that having baby brother there is pretty cool - aside from the mom and dad being gone alot part. When I was in the hospital post partum, some of the highlights they found great enjoyment in were:

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Eating at the hospital cafeteria (which is actually pretty yummy) and pretty much getting any treat they asked for

Cuddle time with mom without having a big belly get in the way anymore Working on the ever important kung-fu skills
Playing with the super cool hospital bed buttons

Getting to take a picture of mom by themselves to celebrate getting released

While the kids have celebrated me being home from the hospital I am having a hard time splitting my time between my children at home and my child in the hospital. The adrenaline has worn off and now there are days where I am just overwhelmed. This morning I had to remind myself that there will come a day where I will get to walk out of the hospital with my sweet Adam in tow. Basically I'm surviving on finding "Glass half full moments." Some of them include:

For as early as Adam arrived he has had miraculously smooth sailing so far with no major problems coming up - my fingers are crossed that that remains the same

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Carrying a baby for only 30 weeks means less baby weight to lose!

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I've had the baby but I get to sleep through the night

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I have wonderful friends and family that have been SO supportive and helpful

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I didn't have to make dinner for two weeks (although the fact that every meal included dessert may negate the bonus of having less baby weight to lose as I have surely put some back on)

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We live within 10 minutes of the hospital

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Those are just a few of the moments that help me see the postive in life right now. The biggest is the comfort I feel from a Heavenly Father who loves me and knows I can survive this even when there are moments where I am in doubt.

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Adam IS doing so well and that is really a blessing. I have been amazed to watch him already start to develop and progress and look at each growth as a step closer to him coming home.

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So far Adam loves using his hands. Most of that use comes in trying to pull the oxygen out of his nose, but occasionally he does find his mouth

With the loss of his umbilical cord, Adam has moved past spongebath stage to actual baths. He actually enjoys them and the nurses tell me that he is generally very easy going with all the poking and prodding he is subjected to. Lets hope that nature remains the same when he gets home and is subjected to the poking and prodding of an older brother and sister.

He has been upgraded to getting to wear clothing which he looks so cute in! I wish I could capture a picture on camera to convey how adorable he is, but so far he loves to blink or wink almost every time I think I have the perfect shot. From his not wanting to pose for pictures to his smirks at me when his oxygen levels dip, I think Adam is going to be a little tease, which he's going to need if he wants to survive in our family!