pics from first day of school/last entry

Today was a big day!  Meghan turned 4 months old and Brendan started preschool!  Time is flying by.  Brendan did GREAT!  Last year he only lasted 3 days and cried pretty much the whole time.  Today the only time he cried was when I told him it was time to go home!  Yayyyyy!  ::::::::::fingers crossed:::::::::::::  that he continues to do so well!  The teacher is a friend of my mom's too, I had no idea until I got there and saw her.  We only got first names in his preschool packet. 

Meghan has her checkup tomorrow.  I hope the doc isn't annoyed that I started cereal without checking with him, but I doubt he will be anyway.  He's really good about letting parents trust their gut, and he's really laid back.  He's been a doc longer than I've been alive I think. 

This is also going to be my last post on this blog :-(  Don't worry, you can still get your fix of Meghan updates, I started a Myspace page LOL.  Its at www.myspace.com/iffer0624 and you can see updated photos and read my blog there if you want.  I just didn't see the point to keeping up 2 blogs.  This one was originally started to keep everyone posted on Meghan's progress in NICU and she's been home for as long as her NICU stay :-) 

Anyway, here's the captions for the photos:

1. First time using her boppy pillow, she didn't quite know what to think.

2. "Cheese!" first day of school

3.  Mommy and Brendan

4. my little 4 month old!

5. She's starting to warm up to him.  He still loves her to pieces LOL.

 

Thanks for reading my blog, hope to see you on my other one!  If you're on myspace, feel free to add me to your friends list!  If you aren't on myspace, feel free to email me if you ever want to check on Meghan (or Brendan for that matter LOL) I will never pass up an opportunity to talk about my kiddos :-D  Hugs to all, and thank you for reading and for your prayers!

started cereal

I decided not to wait any longer on the cereal, she was eating every hour and a half to two hours.  We started her on it on Saturday and she is doing GREAT!  She does better than Brendan did, tonight she didn't even get any on her bib!  Sat and Sun I gave her a little bit in the evening and today she got it both in the morning and the evening.  She seems happier, not eating as often.  Here's a couple pics of her eating.  Such a cutie!  She goes in a week for her 4 month checkup, can't wait to see how much she weighs!  Also her ubilical hernia seems a lot better, the doc said it might take until she's a toddler to go away but it looks almost completely healed now.  :-)  She's doing so wonderfully!

its been a while, more pics

OK, time to catch you all up :-)  Meghan started smiling a week and a half ago, the first 2 pics are of that.  The shirt says "my mom's tattoos are better than your moms" it was a hand me down from a friend and I love it!  Scott hates it but oh well LOL.  I thought she was having reflux problems and even scheduled an apt for her on Monday with her ped (even though she has to go back in 2 weeks for her 4 month check up) but it turns out DUH she's TEETHING!!!  I am sooooo not ready for this!  We were in Houston the last couple days and she cried almost all the way home tonight, which is so unlike her b/c she normally only cries when she's hungry.  The past week she's been crying while she eats sometimes so that's part of the reason I thought it was reflux.  Well when she couldn't be soothed on the way home and was chewing on her binky, which she only started taking the last few days, I felt her gums and sure enough there's a tooth trying to come thru.  We stopped for some orajel and she stopped crying right away and fell asleep.  Poor thing!  I think she's also ready for cereal, I'll check with her doc at her checkup but in the evenings she just eats and eats and eats!  Its like the formula can't fill her up. 

OK, the rest of the pics:

3. Sleeping in her swing, she's still so small!

4. ready for pool time at the hotel in Houston.  She was such a happy baby!  The swimsuit is still a little big, but oh well.

5.  her sun bonnett.  Too cute!

6. me and the kids ready for the pool, notice Brendan and I have matching Crocs on :-)  He's so proud of them, he says "croc-a-dile shoes like mama!"

7. love this face, I think he was roaring like a bear at the time LOL

8. he was so proud of himself b/c he was "fwimmin' " :-)

9. I love this photo.  Meghan loved the pool.  :-)

so lucky

As I read more and more about preemies, I realize even more just how lucky we are.  I joined a couple preemie boards, and a lot of the babies there, even ones born later than Meghan, are having all kinds of problems like seizures and needing surgeries, and have spent 6 mos in NICU, had respirators for months, are on all kinds of meds, etc.  Meghan is as healthy as a normal baby.  Other than needing a vitamin supplement once a day, she's not on any meds or needing any kind of special care.  It is truly miraculous.  She is certainly a wonderful blessing from God.  I am thankful everyday that she is as healthy as she is.  She's a bit developmentally delayed according to her chronological age, but if they go by her adjusted age (due date) she's doing OK.  She's getting closer and closer to smiling and is holding her head up really well when we hold her.  She still won't do it when we lay her on her tummy, but that will come in time.  Several times this week I have gotten choked up holding her because I realize just how incredibly blessed we are. 

A man at church (I don't know him but my parents do) and his wife were expecting a baby.  She was early in the 3rd trimester, like I was with Meghan, and went into labor like I did.  They lost the baby, and then his wife died suddenly of an embelisim (sp?) a few hours later.  He went from being married with a baby on the way to having nothing in just a few hours.  My heart just breaks for him.  A friend of my parents who was with us thru all the stuff with Meg in the hospital also went up to help this man thru the day, and he came back and my parents asked how he was doing, knowing that even being in an envrionment like that can be difficult emotionally, even if it isn't your family.  He told my parents that the reason he was doing OK was because he had witnessed the miracle of Meghan and knew that even though this man had this tragedy happen, there were still miracles in the world and we are living proof of that.  WOW.  When mom told me that I was speechless!  Please say some prayers for the man who lost his wife and child, I can't even begin to imagine his grief.

august 2 pictures

Here's some updated pics of my baby girl!!

1. looking at mommy

2. she's still so tiny!

3. sleepy baby

4. her first pedicure!  This is why I'm so happy to have a little girl LOL

Photos

OK, you asked for them so here they are! 

1. Daddy and Meghan napping together

2. This was taken a week and a half ago, you can see how big she is compared to my hand.

3. Her eyes are going to be blue like her brother's, I'm sure of it.

4. She's getting chubby!

5. sleeping on momma's shoulder

6.  while we were taking pics of her, Brendan decided he wanted to be in the photo.  What a ham!

7. tummy time, she's not too fond of it but it's good for her neck muscles.  :-)

8. Brendan loves to cuddle with her and hold her

9. I don't think she likes it as much :-)

still reading?

are you still reading?  If you are, here's an update :-)

She's doing so amazingly well, it is wonderful.  She's still gaining good weight, about an ounce a day, she's up to around 7.5 lbs or a little over right now.  She's finished with her epogen shots and the doc checked her blood levels last week, she's no longer anemic!  She's awake a lot more too, we no longer have to wake her up to eat.  Tonight I took her to a Stampin' Up! meeting and she was awake the whole time, just looking around.  Of course Grandma held her almost the whole time LOL.  My mom kept asking "do you want me to take her?  are you sure you don't want me to take her?"  LOL I finally said "you want to hold her, don't you?"  Mom did take her to church the other week, and of course everyone loved her.  mom's already trying to get me to let her take her again LOL

She's getting up only once during the middle of the night to eat, but she makes up for it before then.  Usually between 10 and 12 at night she pigs out and will eat like 6 oz (she normally only eats 2.5-3 oz at a feeding) and then she'll sleep for 5 hours. 

Her brother still adores her.  He likes to hold her hand, or he will lay next to her on her mat and say "hey baby, wassup?" and every night before he goes to bed he gives her a kiss too, not just us.  He says "want my baby kiss!"

Speaking of Brendan, I just have to tell you the funniest story about him.  He watches "Go Diego, Go" on Nick Jr. a lot, he loves that show.  Well the other day this is the conversation he and I had:

Brendan: "I gotta go climb the mountain" (this came out of nowhere LOL)

Me: "Oh, really?"

"YES!  Let's go!"

"But Brendan, I don't have any rope"

"Where's my suction cups?"  (I was ROTFL at this point, he doesn't even have suction cups ha ha ha)

"I don't know, where are they?"

"in my backpack.  Where's my backpack?"

"it's in the kitchen"

"OK, C-ya!  Love you!"

It was the cutest thing in the world.  My mom said I should get him suction cups, but then I think he would actually try to use them and that would be interesting to explain to the doctor LOL  We're taking him to build-a-bear sometime this week, I think he will love it.