Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Big 3-0 Hits
Brian turned the big 3-0 today on the 30th. Lexi took the opportunity to wish him a happy birthday with a sign, since she can't talk yet! She also bought him a jogging stroller, so the two of them can run together. Probably not the present you hope for on your 30th, but Lexi really wanted to go on adventures with her dad, so she thought it was the perfect gift. We figure that just proves how much our lives have changed in the last 4 months.Mom and Dad took the opportunity to have their first night away. Well, we had technically had nights away while Lexi was in the hospital, but this was the first since she got home, and we weren't leaving her with a nurse. Instead, Grandma Phyllis babysat, so Dad could have a happy hour with some co-workers. Following that, we went out to dinner and got some adult conversation in. All in all, it was a good first night away and a good 30th birthday.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Splish Splash
Lexi got to experience her first ever bath at nearly 4 months of age. No, she hasn't been the stinky kid all this time, although with how much she screams at bath time, we think she probably would prefer that. Because of all her incisions, surgeries, etc., she has not been able to get into standing water since the day she was born. Instead, we have always had to give her a sponge bath, which she absolutely hates. So, today she actually got her first real bath. Although she didn't seem to like it any better than her sponge bath, we're hoping that she develops a love for her baths...or at least a toleration.
The reason we were able to give her a bath today is we finally got clearance from her surgeon that all of her holes are healed and looking good. In fact, he was so happy with how she looks, that he doesn't want to see her back for another two months, which we think is great. We figure the further we can get between appointments the better! We also saw her "eating specialist" doctor today, and she doesn't want to see Lexi for another couple months either. She even said we could start introducing solid foods on the same type of schedule as other babies...further evidence that things must be going well. Plus, she said when we run out of the fancy, expensive formula with which we are using to fortify her breast milk, we can switch to fortifying her milk with regular formula like any other baby. When the words "like other babies" get mentioned, we can't help but get excited that we are finally nearing the point when Lexi can be considered normal.
We also took the opportunity, since we were at the hospital anyway, to stop by the NICU. Although we vowed never to go back there again, we figured Lexi was doing well enough that we could stop by to say hello to some people. It turned out her primary, Paula, as well as two of our other favorite people, Joan and Stephanie, were all working. They all rushed over to see her, commented on her weight gain (she currently weighs 11 lbs, 10 oz), and said she looks great. That was music to our ears, as when you see her every day, you can't see the changes quite as easily. When people who have known her intimately for her first 3 1/2 months of life say she appears to be doing great, that's just further evidence we have quite the little fighter on our hands!
The reason we were able to give her a bath today is we finally got clearance from her surgeon that all of her holes are healed and looking good. In fact, he was so happy with how she looks, that he doesn't want to see her back for another two months, which we think is great. We figure the further we can get between appointments the better! We also saw her "eating specialist" doctor today, and she doesn't want to see Lexi for another couple months either. She even said we could start introducing solid foods on the same type of schedule as other babies...further evidence that things must be going well. Plus, she said when we run out of the fancy, expensive formula with which we are using to fortify her breast milk, we can switch to fortifying her milk with regular formula like any other baby. When the words "like other babies" get mentioned, we can't help but get excited that we are finally nearing the point when Lexi can be considered normal.
We also took the opportunity, since we were at the hospital anyway, to stop by the NICU. Although we vowed never to go back there again, we figured Lexi was doing well enough that we could stop by to say hello to some people. It turned out her primary, Paula, as well as two of our other favorite people, Joan and Stephanie, were all working. They all rushed over to see her, commented on her weight gain (she currently weighs 11 lbs, 10 oz), and said she looks great. That was music to our ears, as when you see her every day, you can't see the changes quite as easily. When people who have known her intimately for her first 3 1/2 months of life say she appears to be doing great, that's just further evidence we have quite the little fighter on our hands!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday at the Pumpkin Patch
Given Lexi is restricted from going out in public this fall and winter, we can't load her into her car seat and hit any apple orchards or pumpkin patches this year. However, we decided today that if you can't bring Lexi to the pumpkin patch, you just bring the pumpkin patch to Lexi instead!We're still a little envious of all the new parents we know taking their precious little ones on these types of fall expeditions. We're also a little bummed we can't take our girl to the pumpkin patch at our church in particular, as it is known throughout the city for its great pumpkin patch which is visible right off the highway. However, we still found a way to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and give our baby the pumpkin patch experience, even if it all occurred on the deck just outside of our kitchen. Grandpa Kevin was kind enough to share some of his garden's fall harvest with us several weeks ago when he visited, so we just couldn't resist the temptation to put it to good use this afternoon.
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