Wonderful Wednesday

Last night my BFF, Alison, and I had wine after work girls night.  We sat outside of a restaurant in City Center and talked about work, our Thanksgivings and our crazy cute kids!  It was so nice outside and the Christmas lights and fires were beautiful....and we were both home by 7:30!  Gotta love a little girl time and the holidays. 

Today I did something I've never done before....I took baby boy to daycare on my day off!  Our closets needed some serious attention.  Closet cleaning was on my "nesting to do list" but didn't get done due to bedrest at 29 weeks!  Things just got worse when we were living at the hospital for a month.  SO, today was the day!  I figured William would be better off at school where he could play and read books with his teacher.  Gordon and I woke up and did our normal morning routine.  I helped him get William all loaded up and then I got busy.  I did some laundry, took a shower, took G's stuff to the dry cleaners (and picked up a peppermint mocha!), and organized 2 1/2 closets.  Things are looking so much better!  I picked William up at school around 11:00 and headed to Buffalo Grill for lunch with daddy.  I love me some chicken fried chicken from BG!!! 
After lunch we did a little shopping.  I had to get this little jewelry tray that has a quote from William James! 
And last but not least baby boy got the second part of his flu shot.  We visited my work friends first and William really turned on the charm.  He was loving all the pretty ladies!  He did great with the shot but it's made him a sleepy head this afternoon. 
I'm of course super excited about the weekend being right around the corner.  My parents will be in town so I'm going to take advantage and put up our Christmas decorations!  We're also planning on doing some Christmas shopping, going to see Santa and Gordon and I are going to his company Christmas dinner Saturday night!  Busy Busy but FUN!
 

William looked so cute this morning in his lil North Face that I almost had him stay home with me!!  I will say that over the last 7 months I've learned that to be the best mommy you have to be the best YOU!  I can see how it would be easy to "lose yourself" because being a mom takes everything you have (and you want to be with that sweet baby ALL the time).  But, you gotta have mommy time.  Even if it is drinking a peppermint mocha and cleaning closets!  :)

Love me some William!

Baby's First Thanksgiving

After a short day at work and school we loaded up and headed out of town for William's first Thanksgiving.  We've had a nice and relaxing day watching football and listening to baby boy laugh! 
We are SO thankful for our little blessing and for our fabulous families. 

• Thanksgiving Family Photo
• William gave his classmates some pumpkin bread!
• Looking at a pretty leaf in Mimi and Grandad's front yard
• Lunch at the Country Club

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy Thanksgiving (I'm sure I'll take a million more pictures over the weekend!).  :) 

7 months old

Another month gone.  It's still so hard to believe how fast it goes by.  We are loving him more than ever and are amazed by how much he changes everyday.  He's constantly making us laugh!!  Love our little buddy. 

"Mom, please stop with the pictures."

7 month stats:
Weight- 13.8 lbs (He's gained 10 pounds since birth!)
Eating- 4 oz bmilk every 3 hours or so (during the day).  He loves eating food!!  Most days he has a bottle at 6am, eats fruit/cereal, has 3 bottles during day while at school (10:00, 1:00, 4:00), has a bottle at 6pm when we get home, has vegetable/cereal and a bottle at bedtime.  So, he's eating about 24 oz of milk per day (plus what we mix in with his cereal).  He has loved all the food he's tried so far....bananas, squash, pears, carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes.
At the beginning of October he started getting dry spots on his legs.  This was before we started feeding him so I know it wasn't a food allergy.  I decided to try out California Baby lotion on his dry little legs....I've always heard it works great....but last week we noticed his legs got a lot worse.  I'm pretty sure he's allergic to the CB lotion and possibly carrots (like his dad).  I think some of it's the cold weather too.  We'll see?!?!  So, for now no more CB lotion or carrots! 
Sleeping- He's done better over the last few days!  He had a cold last week so things were pretty rough at night.  LOTS of coughing (which then caused vomiting) and more coughing + a yucky nose.  I've been trying to feed him around 10:00 before we go to bed so that he'll sleep until 6:00.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  He is sleeping for 9 hours at night and most days takes an hour long morning nap and a 1-2 hour afternoon nap.  His nap schedule is just now getting more predictable.  He still takes little cat naps for 15-30 minutes so I really never know how long they are going to last.  I've noticed the more errands we run and the more he's stimulated the less he sleeps.  You'd think it'd wear him out but instead he gets a little fussier.....I'm guessing that's because he doesn't sleep for a long stretch of time since he usually falls asleep in the car seat and then he's woken up when it's time to get out of the car. 
Development-  William's starting to try to hold his own bottle (tear!).  He can also put his own paci in his mouth now.  He'll pull it out and swing the wubba nub around and then put it back in his mouth.  He doesn't mind tummy time at all and can roll from his stomach to his back (Gordon doesn't think he does it intentionally....I say it still counts). 
Clothing size- Size 2 diapers and most things 6 months but still some 3 months. 
Things mommy loves- Everything!  Listening (and watching) him talk can keep me entertained for hours.  So stinkin' cute.     
Things WJG loves- His feet!  He finally found his feet and he's constantly grabbing them.  It's impossible to keep socks on him.  He thinks kicking his feet and making a "splash" sound in the tub is hilarious.    
Things WJG doesn't like-  Really there's not much.  He's been falling asleep on the car ride home from school and he doesn't cry after his bath anymore.  You can really tell when he's getting tired now because he starts acting fussy and rubbing his eyes.  Give him a bottle and a paci and life is good!  He is terrified of the learn and sing puppy he got as a gift.  As soon as the dog starts dancing William has an emotional breakdown.  I have a funny feeling he'll hate Santa. 
Funny daddy stuff- I've heard Gordon sing to William several times, "If you're happy and you know it....go on and show it!" haha  

Our monthly photo sessions are getting a little harder.  He just wants to chew on everything and of course I can rarely catch a good smile on camera! 

Today is Gordon's birthday too!  We went to one of his favorite pizza places for dinner and now he's doing what he does best....playing video games.  I don't think he'll ever grow up.  :)

Their faces crack me up!

Wonderful Fall Wednesday

I'm so happy that it's finally cooled off here at home and it feels like fall!  We even got to turn the fire on the other morning because it was so chilly when we woke up.  I really love the fall but don't really like how soon it gets dark.  Spring is probably my #1 favorite...except for all of Gordon's allergies!
William and I had a nice day at home together.  We were supposed to have a play date this morning but baby boy has been coughing with a low grade fever and runny nose so we had to reschedule.  Instead, we cuddled in bed this morning and while William napped I did several loads of laundry and dishes.  We did get out of the house for a little bit to get daddy a birthday gift and to run to the grocery store (OH, and for a pumpkin spiced latte).  After that we headed home and did lots of cooking......we made a pumpkin pie, chicken for dinner, and butternut squash for the baby.  William loved the butternut squash!  He seems to love everything so far (and he loved watching mama cook).  :) 
This time next week we'll be heading to Texarkana for Thanksgiving!  I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is already here.  Seems like just yesterday I was 12 weeks pregnant and "officially announcing" we were pregnant. 
AND FOR THE RECORD....I love Duck Dynasty!!

Red Raider Weekend

Last weekend we had a nice 3 day weekend in West Texas.  Gordon hadn't been to Midland since February....I know he missed it terribly.  :)  Friday morning G and I had a little breakfast date at the donut shop while Nana watched William and later in the day we met my brother and SIL for lunch at one of Gordon's favorites, Burgers, Fries, Cherry Pies. After that the boys (minus William) headed to the deer lease while I enjoyed an hour and a half massage (thanks mama!).  We had a girls night with little buddy at Luigi's since all the boys were still hunting.  I had planned on checking out a new wine bar in Midland that night but Gordon and I decided sleeping sounded better!  The next morning we packed up and headed to Lubbock for a Red Raider football game. 

My sweet grandparents met us in Lubbock to watch William while we were at the game.  First we headed to Rosa's for a yummy lunch, did a little tailgating, watch a great football game and had dinner at Orlando's.  That night my parents watched William while we went with my brother and Skye to meet up with some friends.  It's always great to go back to Lubbock.  It's hard to believe Gordon and I met our Freshman year at Tech and now we are bringing our baby back to the LBK!  How cute is William in his Tech gear!?! 

Gordon and my dad went and shot guns once we were back in Midland while the girls got pedicures.  William seems to really enjoy Midland....or at least he's pretty entertained by my parents little puppies.  He thinks they're pretty funny.  

 

I had to say goodbye to the house I've called home since I was 11 years old.  I'm so glad William got to spend some time in the house before Nana and Papa move.  I know he won't remember it but at least we got some photos! 



 

 

Next month we'll be calling this home!!!  The new house is beautiful and going to be great for lots of grandbabies.  The backyard is huge which will be perfect for playing and swiming, there's a movie theatre room and "my room" is connected to the nursery by a bathroom.

 

 

We can hardly wait for Christmas in Midland!!

On another note...this weekend baby boy has been a little under the weather.  Poor thing has been coughing up a storm and has a yucky nose.  That didn't stop him from trying some new food today....CARROTS were a success!

Random

When I was on bedrest Gordon would bring me breakfast in bed around 7:45.  I'd eat and usually fall back asleep for an hour before heading downstairs for the day.  Before going down I'd stop in William's room and sit in the rocking chair and read him a book.  I would rub my belly and talk to the little guy....I couldn't help but worry and wonder what was going to happen.  I just hoped and prayed we'd get to bring him home and I'd be sitting in that same chair holding him!  Tonight while rocking him in that chair I just couldn't stop staring at him and thinking of all those mornings in his room while he was in my belly.  He is such a sweet little boy that has stolen our hearts.  I'm so glad he's mine and I hope to have him for as long as I live.  ....Just like the book....I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be!

We had a patient today that was a little over 6 pounds....SO tiny.  I could hardly believe how little he was.  It's hard to believe Gordon and I brought home William when he was only 4.5 pounds!  He still seems like my tiny little baby BUT he really is growing up and getting so big.  It makes a mommy feel good to know she's been able to give her little baby everything he needs to grown from 3 lbs to 13 with milk she produced!  The woman's body is amazing! 

Mittens didn't fit so tiny socks on my hands
 to keep me from pulling my tube out again!

Hey lady, I don't wanna burp!

3 weeks old

Wonderful Wednesday

After a fun filled 3 day weekend in West Texas it was back to reality on Monday!  I was so glad to have today off so I could get some stuff done around the house.  William slept great last night so that started our day off right.  The past two nights I've given him a bottle when we got home from school at 6pm.  After that William hangs out with daddy while I cook/clean bottles.  At around 7:00 we all eat dinner (cereal and a vegetable for baby) and then W gets a bath.  I used to take William back to our room after his bath to get ready for bed but have started doing everything in his room with the lights dim.  After he's dressed we sit in the rocking chair, read a book and then he has a bottle (3oz).  He's nearly asleep by the time the bottle is gone so I rock him for a few minutes afterwards, swaddle him up and put him in his bassinet (he's in a new swaddle blanket too).  Around 10:00 I've been getting him up to eat another 3-4oz.  He falls right back to sleep and the past two nights hasn't woken up until 6 or 7.  I'm really hoping this is our new routine.  I only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep Sunday night.....I was so tired on Monday....I ran into a wall at work and yawned about 1 million times. 

As you all know Tuesday was baby's first election day!  Look at our little cutie in his elephant outfit!  William tried pears for the first time on Tuesday morning and has loved them.  So far no allergies to bananas, squash or pears.  Next up carrots and then sweet potatoes. 

William and I were lazy today until 10:00.  Then we got moving so we could meet Gordon for lunch at Barnaby's.  After lunch we ran by Babies R Us and then came home and did some cleaning and lots of laundry.  Luckily, the maid is coming tomorrow so we can do some relaxing this weekend and not worry about cleaning.   

Little buddy loves to play in his jumper but he's still a little small...his feet don't touch the ground.   So, we only put him in it for a few minutes at a time.  During those few minutes he really loves shaking those toys around! 

November is Prematurity Awareness Month!

In my dreams I own a small baby boutique, bake all day (you could order cake balls, cupcakes and cookies from my boutique), do a little photography on the side (after being professionally trained) AND I'd write!  I'd love to write about being a mom, a wife, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a nurse, a mom of a preemie, a mom with a weird uterus (haha) and everything in between!  But for now I'm a nurse....and I love it so I can't really complain!  I can still dream and until then I'll do this blogging thing and try to help other mom's out by blogging for Texas Children's Hospital!  I know reading other people's blogs helped me out so hopefully I'm helping someone out in return.

By guest blogger Lindsey Gooding

November is prematurity awareness month and I’m pretty positive I didn’t know this a year ago.  Boy oh boy do I now!  One in eight babies is born premature in the United States. In fact,it’s the leading killer of American newborns.  So, I ask myself how in the world did I not know more about this before becoming pregnant?  Women spend countless hours reading parenting books and researching how to become more fertile and how to track ovulation and yet most of us probably don’t know a lot about premature labor.

4/19/12 at 6:21 am, 3lbs 14 oz

In my last blog post I talked about life being ironic.  I guess I can continue on that same track.  I worked at M.D. Anderson for over six years and had no intention of ever leaving since I loved working with the pediatric oncology population.   When a friend mentioned that the Texas Children’s West Campus was opening,I took a leap of faith,applied for an opening in the cancer center,and got the job!   I’m a creature of habit so this big change was out of character for me.  If I hadn’t made this big move I wouldn’t have delivered our son, William, at the new Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.  Words can not express how extremely lucky we are that all these events fell into place as they did.  The Pavilion was such a blessing for our family.    

Finding out I had a bicornuate uterus and being put on bed rest earned us extra doctor’s appointments.  Luckily, all these appointments were in one location….the Pavilion.  In a stressful time, this helped us become more familiar with where we would be delivering.   During one of our visits at the Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic we found out where to go when I went into labor.  I was only 29 weeks pregnant when I got put on bed rest.  We hoped baby boy wouldn’t come any time soon but knew we needed to be prepared.  Gordon knew the exact route to take to get to the hospital and what to do when it was time.  We had a plan. 

31 weeks preggo heading to The Pavilion

My water broke at 1 am.  We were at the hospital and checked in by 2:30am.  I’ve never been so calm in my life.  I knew I was in good hands.  There wasn’t a single moment that I worried about the care William would receive.  We were after all at the nations #2 Neonatology center!  Of course I was nervous to see how big William would be at only 32 weeks. .  I felt anxious about whether or not we’d get to hear him cry or if he’d be able to breathe on his own.  I always envisioned our families being there for the birth of William.  Instead, the room was filled with people I’d never met before, people who I will now love forever for helping our baby.  Everyone that touched William during his 30 days in the NICU loved him and took excellent care of him. 

A week old and off CPAP

When I finally got down to the NICU to see William five hours after he was born the nurse asked me if I wanted to change his diaper.  I was terrified.  I’ve changed a million diapers but he was so tiny and there were so many tubes and wires.  This is where the Pavilion’s excellent nursing care came in.  They helped me feel more comfortable.  They showed me where things were and taught me how to use the equipment.  They were always there to help me but at the same time they let me be his mom.  I got to know William and we had a routine for ourselves even though we weren’t at home.  Being able to stay in the same room with him was PRICELESS.  We got to have alone time, family time and bonding time.  The staff encouraged both me and Gordon to do skin-to-skin time with William.  They helped brand new parents feel comfortable during a frightening time.  Having a premature baby is stressful.  Many families would describe the NICU atmosphere as busy and hectic.  The words I would use for our NICU experience are far from hectic.  The words that come to mind are quiet and peaceful. 



Meeting William

I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to explain the calmness that settled over me once I’d had William.  I just knew he was getting the best care.  Before I had him I could have guaranteed you that I’d be the kind of parent that wanted a copy of every report, but I wasn’t.  I never asked for a single copy of his lab results.  I just knew that he was being cared for by the best of the best.  During those four weeks I just needed to be a mom.  I needed to focus on loving him, feeding him, making food for him and spending time with our family.   Gordon and I were able to do all of these things and do them privately in our own room.  I could even shower right down the hall from his room in the parent “locker room” area.  At lunch time I could either walk down to the cafeteria or just step outside of his room to the Ronald McDonald House kitchen and eat leftovers from home.  The gift shop has everything a breastfeeding mom could ever need and the milk bank was just a hop, skip and a jump away to answer any questions I had.  I never had to be far from William.  I planned my days around morning rounds with the doctors, evening bath time and William’s every three hour feeding schedule.  I’m probably rambling now….all I can say is we are SO glad our baby boy was born at the Pavilion.  I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. 

Gordon and I were put into a situation that neither one of us ever dreamed of.  But you know what?  I wouldn’t change a thing about it!  We were treated so nicely and our baby boy is strong and healthy.  They taught me how to use a car seat the right way and all those other little things new moms and dads need to know.   I can only hope that hospitals across the nation adopt this new way of caring for NICU patients (and their parents!).



First Family Photo (6 days old)