Pretty in Pink

This morning we went to church and I was determined to find something in Caroline's closet that would fit. I am ready to see her in something other than a onesie and pants. She is so precious! I can't stand it!!

Caroline, you have SO MANY adorable outfits to wear but you're just too tiny for them right now. Poor thing, I put you in two outfits before I found one that somewhat fit. You looked like such a big girl.

Look at that smile! I think you liked being dressed up for a change too.

Grandma and I agree that pink is your color.

• On another note, it's quite sad how far behind I am on blogging. I have a TON of pictures to post and I'm determined to get them uploaded soon. Caroline is sleeping for longer stretches of time so I'm hoping I'll be less tired and much better at keeping up with things. It makes me feel good when someone mentions that I haven't posted anything in a while. It's nice to know that I'm not just talking to a wall and that friends and family are genuinely interested in knowing what our little squirt is up to. Thank you all for keeping up with us!

Happy Two Month Birthday Sweet Caroline!

Our precious baby turned two months last week. I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. Every one told me it would and they are so right. I wish I could push pause so I can keep my itty bitty baby for a while longer. We love her so very much!

Caroline, you are growing like a weed and you finally look and feel like a real baby. You have outgrown most of your preemie clothes and we have a hard time finding things to put you in because newborn clothes are still too big. We mostly keep you in sleepers and onesies right now. You have a closet packed full of the cutest summer dresses and outfits that I am dying to put you in. Hopefully you will be big enough to wear some of them before it's too cold. Being that we live in Texas I'll probably get the chance!

Here are a few of your two month mile stones...

• You weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and were 20 3/4 inches long at your two month check up. You've grown 4 inches in length since you were born. Your long and lean...our little string bean!
• You have learned to smack your lips when you are hungry. It's the cutest thing!
• You aren't too keen on tummy time but we make you do it for short bits of time anyways.
• You can wear newborn diapers now even though they are a bit saggy.
• You love to be rocked and sang to. My favorite songs to sing are, "You Are My Sunshine," and "Jesus Loves Me." You must love them both because you stop crying when you hear them.
• Most nights you sleep 4-6 hours but last Friday you slept through the night. Woohoo!
• You have grown eyelashes finally. Poor thing, you got your momma's blonde lashes so they can only been seen when the light hits them just right.
• You are starting to focus on things with your eyes. You love lamps and during the day you love to stare at the blinds when the sun is shining through.
• You love when mommy makes clicking sounds with her mouth. You smile big when you see/hear them.

You are almost as big as your giraffe now.

I can't imagine life with out you and I am so proud to be your mommy! Happy two months my sweet girl.

Watch out Heidi Klum...

...there's a new model in town. Ha! I just saw the sneak peek of Caroline's newborn photos and I am SO in love!!! You can see the photos here. Kelli is so talented and did an amazing job!

Happy One Month Birthday Caroline!

My Dear Sweet Caroline,

Today you are one month old! I can't believe that much time has already passed. Daddy and I love you so much and each day with you is a true blessing. You are such a good baby. You love to nurse so much that you fall right to sleep and mommy has a hard time waking you up. My favorite times with you are those middle of the night feedings when it is quiet and calm. I love to sit in the big green rocker in your nursery and sing you songs while you nurse. You love it too, even if mommy can't hold a tune to save her life! You love bath time. It relaxes you so much that you'd probably fall asleep if I'd let you. You don't like getting out of the water though. You've thrown a few big fits when it's time to dry you off.

(You are so tiny in your big green chair. Before I know it you'll be climbing in that seat asking me to read you a bed time story.)

You love skin to skin time, especially with your daddy. You two can sleep for hours together. You make the sweetest sounds when we snuggle with you. You sleep 3-4 hours at a time but would probably sleep longer if I didn't have to wake you to eat. You hardly ever cry. You love to be held and have become quite spoiled because mommy and daddy can't get enough hugs and kisses from you. (You were not too happy about having your picture taken today. I love this photo!)

You are wearing Preemie clothes but even they are a tad too big for your tiny little frame. You can even fit in to doll clothes. We have had a hard time finding socks to fit your itty bitty feet. You love tummy time but only if it's on daddy's chest. Although it breaks my heart when you are upset, you do have the sweetest little cry I've ever heard. You've developed a new cry over the last few days that is hysterical. Daddy and I can't help but giggle when you let it out. You love to be swaddled but usually have escaped and are stretched out all over your bassinet when I wake you. You like to swing, but only for about 10-15 minutes.

Daddy and I cherish every minute that we get to spend with you. You have made our family complete and our home is so happy with you in it.

Happy one month birthday my sweet baby! We love you so very much!

Blogging....What's Happenin'?!

Wow! When I saw the date of my last post I realized that I've been a slacker at blogging lately. Hmmmm.....wonder why! Being a new mommy is A LOT of work but I absolutely LOVE it! Getting to spend my days with my sweet baby has been such a blessing. How will I ever survive going back to work? ...sigh...

On a happier note, things are going great with Baby C. She is such a good baby! I am still waking her every 3-4 hours to eat due to her premature size. Her pediatrician recommended we do this until her two month check up in October so that she will continue gaining weight at a steady rate. I will be one very sleepy mommy for quite a while but hopefully I'll have a big healthy baby by then. This child loves to sleep and it is quite a chore to wake her for feedings so I'm looking forward to starting her on an easier schedule soon.I read this book over the summer (actually I read it twice...ha!) and am hoping it will be the plan we use. Several of my mommy friends have had great success with it so we'll see.

She's a little small for this play mat but I just had to pull it out one day and give it a try. I think she enjoyed it!

These two love each other so much. Daddy can't wait to snuggle when he gets home from work.

This child loves to stretch out during nap time. We've nicknamed her Houdini because while she loves to be swaddled, this is usually how we find her.

Ann is the Assistant Principal at my school. She came by for some baby love and brought us the most delicious dinner. Thank you Ann!!!

Amy and I met and became good friends last year when she student taught at the school where I work. She came to visit and brought us some yummy BBQ one night. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful and generous people in our lives.

Tomorrow our itty bitty baby will be one month old. I can't believe it's already been that long. I'll be posting more on that tomorrow so stay tuned.

What Have We Been Up To?

Well, besides trying to sqeeze in a nap here and there we've been doing A LOT of snuggling with this sweet baby. We just can't get enough kisses....

.....or take enough pictures because she is just so stinkin' adorable! Thank you Aunt Carol for sending us this precious kitty bath robe. It fits just perfect!

We've had lots of visitors since coming home. Everyone loves Baby Caroline, especially her Marmie.

I think Caroline loves her too. Grandma gave Caroline her first bath and she loved it. She was not a fan of the sponge baths she had in the NICU and during her first few days at home.

Aaaaahhhh...wide awake after a relaxing dip in the tub.

Grandma and Pa love their newest grandbaby. Grandma just got over a cold so she wore a medical mask just in case.

Aunt Lara and her crew came to visit too.

These two sun kissed babies love their new cousin. Hayden is especially fascinated by her. Isabella was such a big girl and got to hold Caroline all by herself. She was very proud.

Auntie Lara has a special touch. I love the look on Caroline's face. If she could speak she'd probably tell me, "Enough with the pictures, Mom!"

Aunt Maria could not get over how tiny Caroline is.

Frankie thinks Caroline is pretty special too. She is very curious about this new, squeaky little thing that has come in to her home. She is very protective of Caroline so I have a feeling these two will be great friends.

Grandma brought Caroline her very first piece of jewelry. I LOVE it!

Sweet baby feet. I am obsessed with those soft little toes.

What else have we been up to?

• We took Caroline to the doctor for her two week check up on Tuesday and she gained 8 ounces in a week! We were so thrilled! At her first check up she had lost 2 ounces and was back to her birth weight. She is now a whopping 4 pounds, 6 ounces!! Her teeny tiny preemie clothes that are still a tad big will be snug before we know it.

• We had a photographer come to our home to do a newborn photo shoot this week and I am so excited to see the pictures. We have to wait 4-6 weeks to see them but it will so be worth it. You can see some of Keli's work here. She is so good with newborns and such a talented photographer.

Caroline is napping and this tired mommy is off to do the same. I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

Baby Bliss

We are so thrilled to be home with this precious miracle from God. She is so tiny and sweet and we just can't get enough of her! Things are going well and we have settled in to a routine of feedings every three hours. We call her "Baby Bird" because this is how she looks when she eats. Is that not the most precious sight ever?!
I'm SO exhausted but wouldn't change a thing. We are absolutely in love with our itty bitty baby.


Our Stay in the NICU
Having your brand new baby in the NICU is something no one ever wants to experience. It's heart wrenching to see your child, so tiny and fragile, with tubes and wires covering almost every inch of their body. You feel helpless. You long to hold that tiny little person in your arms and experience that first moment of bonding. You look around at all of the other sick babies and feel a sadness in your heart that is unexplainable. No matter how short or long your baby's stay, it's just plain hard to accept.
I feel extremely blessed that we live a half hour from one of the best hospitals in the country. The NICU nurses are some of the most compassionate people I have ever met. I began referring to them as NICU Angels. They were never burdened by our presence or the multitude of questions we asked and the constant visitors to Caroline's bed side. I felt very comfortable that Caroline was in good hands with these wonderful ladies caring for her. They all adored her.

I arrived at her bedside one morning to see this hanging from her NICU bed. One of her sweet nurses made it for her.
The cute giraffe behind her bed was a gift from a sweet friend from high school who works with Dr. Ayers (Caroline's Cardiologist). It was at her bed when I arrived to see her for the first time. Thank you Krystal!

Another day I arrived to find Caroline all dolled up with the cutest bow in her hair. My heart melted!

With each day our baby girl began to show improvement. She had a third Echo a few days after birth andwe were extremely anxious about the results. This test would tell us whether Caroline would have surgery or not. It took a few hours to get the results but to me it felt like an eternity. When we got the call from the cardiologist the results were good! The PDA had fully closed and the aorta was showing no signs of coarctation (narrowing). Our little girl's heart was completely functioning on its own! No surgery needed! We were shocked to say the least. It was truly a medical miracle!! I can't find words to explain the emotions I felt with this news. I think I cried harder than I ever have in my entire life. God had healed my baby.

Her doctors were dumb founded and could find no medical reason for her healing. They spent two mornings at her bed side trying to find an answer. As I sat listening to their conversations I just wanted to shout out, "This is God's work! He is the answer!"

That day just kept getting better and better. After we called our family to share the good news we were emotionally exhausted and went to our room at the Ronald McDonald house to try and rest. When we returned a few hours later Caroline's nurse said she had more good news. Our baby should be ready to go home in the next day or two. What?!! We couldn't believe it and neither could she. She told us that babies are never discharged straight from NICU level III and that Caroline was truly a miracle!

Great Grandma Blanche was the first family member other than us to hold Caroline.

Papa Tom was smitten.

Her first day in real clothes!

Papa Tom's hand is almost the same size as Caroline.

Amy is one of the NICU Angels. We went to high school together. She was such a blessing to us.

This sweet lady was one of my favorite nurses. She was so kind and took good care of Caroline and her mommy. One night she spent a few hours teaching me the ins and outs of infant care. I was so thankful! If you could see how tiny Caroline is then you would understand how scary the thought of taking her home was. She looks much bigger in pictures.

Learning how to swaddle.

My little baby burrito. She loves to be swaddled.

"Whew! After a bath and new outfit I'm exhausted and ready to nap."

Once I was discharged from St. Lukes we stayed a few nights at the Ronald McDonald House at TCH. This place was a huge blessing! They offer rooms to families of NICU patients. We had to check out every morning, sign up again for the next night and hope to get approved but it was so worth it. I was NOT leaving that hospital with out my baby! We were approved every night except one. Thankfully, my wonderful in-laws got us a room at the Marriott right across the street from the hospital so we weren't too far away from our baby.

The Ronald McDonald House was very cozy and clean. This is the family room.

The kitchen was stocked with snacks and they always had freshly baked cookies available.

Daddy adores her!

We finally got the approval to be discharged so I dressed up my living baby doll and we got ready to go home. Thank you Marmie and Aunt Lara for the preemie clothes. My new born clothes are just too big right now.

Mommy and Caroline are ready to go home!

I could not believe I was really taking her home! After months of being told she would need surgery this moment was so surreal. My heart was beaming.

Daddy buckling her up.

I'm ready to go!

Look how tiny I am in my giant car seat.

Being home with our baby is so much fun. Sometimes I hold her in my arms and just stare at her in amazement. I can't believe she is here, healthy, and growing stronger by the minute. My heart is so full of love and a peace that I can't explain. Caroline, you are a testament of God's unconditional love for us. How can I ever show Him how thankful I am? I have no idea but I have a feeling He knows.