Ok, so two kids is a lot. Seiously. This is rediculous. What the crap. Why doesn't anyone warn you...or atleast tell you you're sudicial. Because really, how the heck do you juggle all this.
Let's back up a bit. On June 20th, Haysley finally came home after being in the hospital for 8 weeks, almost to the day. Taking into the account to two previous months of exhaustion, let's add a newborn to the mix, just to spice things up. Now, no more evening trips to Greenville, but instead, we have a screaming 'newborn' all day and night.
Now, one day I will look back on all this and pat myself on the back for surviving it all, but for now, I'm just surviving. Hence the last time I actually had time and felt motivated enough to sit in front of a keyboard to jot down a few of my thoughts...
Poor Avery. I love that kid more than life itself and I feel she's being neglected. People tell me at least she's so small still that she really won't remember this time...nor will she remember being an only child. Nope, from here on out she's a sister, and it's weird.
Ok, I guess that's it for now. See you in a month or two when I actually have time again.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Annnnd BREAK! Down that is...
So, I was doing really well. Haysley had her minor set back of not being able to maintain her temp, and was put back in the isolette. They told me if would just be the weekend before she's be home, no big deal. Well, the weekend has come and gone my friends, and still no baby! Saturday was the hardest day. I came to visit and learned her temp hadn't moved in 18 hours and they didn't plan on it moving that night either.
In order for the bed to be dropped she needs to have a temp of 36.6 or higher for them to be happy. And, obviously, she's not doing that. I think the most frustrating thing...well, one of many...is that Haysley looks like a normal baby now. Weighing in at over 5lbs, she's become known as 'the little chunker' in the NICU, and she just looks like a perfect little newborn. She's passed every test they've hit her with and been fine. She's eating like a champ (all bottles)...but she's still there. And it's like everytime I visit, it becomes even harder to leave...
So, that's the update. I have two perfect little girls, 15 months apart. They just live 32 miles away from each other.
Come home soon, Haysley. Mommy misses you...
In order for the bed to be dropped she needs to have a temp of 36.6 or higher for them to be happy. And, obviously, she's not doing that. I think the most frustrating thing...well, one of many...is that Haysley looks like a normal baby now. Weighing in at over 5lbs, she's become known as 'the little chunker' in the NICU, and she just looks like a perfect little newborn. She's passed every test they've hit her with and been fine. She's eating like a champ (all bottles)...but she's still there. And it's like everytime I visit, it becomes even harder to leave...
So, that's the update. I have two perfect little girls, 15 months apart. They just live 32 miles away from each other.
Come home soon, Haysley. Mommy misses you...
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Just Kidding
So, today, Tuesday, June 7th 2011 is to be the mark of Haysley's 6 week birthday...6 weeks in the NICU up in Greenville. Approximately 62 trips have been taken at an estimated $12 each time, and still no baby.
Those nurses began teasing us on Saturday with the hope of coming home early this week. Everything was going great. She was maintaining her body temp at 36.5C, she was eating 8 bottles a day (approx. 38mls), and she was just completely adorable.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, when you're scared to ask the question of when she could come home, and you finally do, and they tell you 4 days, a lot of emotions run through your head. First there is joy and happiness. You can't believe this day has finally come. Then there is reservation, as you try your very best not to have too much joy, as that may make it harder later in case it doesn't work out. And then, the third thing is panic. Holy Crap! We're not ready yet! I mean, you want your child home, but then once it's getting close things like the nursery, Mike's work, Avery, and sleep all start popping up.
You also do you best not to get too excited, and definitely try not to tell too many people, but it's really hard. I mean, we're going on 6 weeks of waiting, so for them to tell you yesterday that she would be discharged today in the late afternoon, you kinda get excited.
But Haysley had other plans. Around 2:00pm yesterday I got the call that Haysley was not doing well at maintaining her temperature out in the open crib. The poor nurse had tired everything, but despite her best efforts, Haysley's temp was still dropping. The doctor had just giving the orders to place her back in the isolette for the minimum of 2 days. Crap...
So, as of now we have been told it's a developmental thing and that Haysley may not be old enough yet to hang with the big girls. Awesome...so when does she 'develope'?! That's the ever pending question and we are now back to our waiting game.
Those nurses began teasing us on Saturday with the hope of coming home early this week. Everything was going great. She was maintaining her body temp at 36.5C, she was eating 8 bottles a day (approx. 38mls), and she was just completely adorable.
Now, I'm not gonna lie, when you're scared to ask the question of when she could come home, and you finally do, and they tell you 4 days, a lot of emotions run through your head. First there is joy and happiness. You can't believe this day has finally come. Then there is reservation, as you try your very best not to have too much joy, as that may make it harder later in case it doesn't work out. And then, the third thing is panic. Holy Crap! We're not ready yet! I mean, you want your child home, but then once it's getting close things like the nursery, Mike's work, Avery, and sleep all start popping up.
You also do you best not to get too excited, and definitely try not to tell too many people, but it's really hard. I mean, we're going on 6 weeks of waiting, so for them to tell you yesterday that she would be discharged today in the late afternoon, you kinda get excited.
But Haysley had other plans. Around 2:00pm yesterday I got the call that Haysley was not doing well at maintaining her temperature out in the open crib. The poor nurse had tired everything, but despite her best efforts, Haysley's temp was still dropping. The doctor had just giving the orders to place her back in the isolette for the minimum of 2 days. Crap...
So, as of now we have been told it's a developmental thing and that Haysley may not be old enough yet to hang with the big girls. Awesome...so when does she 'develope'?! That's the ever pending question and we are now back to our waiting game.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Got Milk?
Ok, so I understand the importance of breastfeeding. Really I do. I did it with my first child for 11 1/2 months (and apparently that's pretty impressive in the laleche world). But, seriously...is this milk production really necessary? Sheesh!
Today was my second trip to a friends home with my milk to store for little Haysley and I'll admit, I was really tired of it. We're averaging 10-12 minutes per Gerber Good Start bottles, and right now I'm convinced I've filled atleast 1,000. Ok, not 1,000, but it sure as heck is alot. Even the nurses are impressed when I pump at the hospital, and I figure it takes more than a milestone to impress them anymore.
But I learned something very valuable today that changed my entire perspective of pumping. The friend I dropped off the milk to explained that when she was pumping for her twins (hence the extra freezer space), within 3 months she had pumped enough to feed them for 11 months, and, get this, she got to stop pumping at 3 months. One, that's awesome. Two, I never thought about the fact that since Haysley is so small that she might actually like the bottle alot better than me...SO, if I've got all this storage, she will still get the benefit of breastmilk, just without the breast. And, I think I'm ok with that.
Interesting...now, all that being said, I've got to go pump.
Today was my second trip to a friends home with my milk to store for little Haysley and I'll admit, I was really tired of it. We're averaging 10-12 minutes per Gerber Good Start bottles, and right now I'm convinced I've filled atleast 1,000. Ok, not 1,000, but it sure as heck is alot. Even the nurses are impressed when I pump at the hospital, and I figure it takes more than a milestone to impress them anymore.
But I learned something very valuable today that changed my entire perspective of pumping. The friend I dropped off the milk to explained that when she was pumping for her twins (hence the extra freezer space), within 3 months she had pumped enough to feed them for 11 months, and, get this, she got to stop pumping at 3 months. One, that's awesome. Two, I never thought about the fact that since Haysley is so small that she might actually like the bottle alot better than me...SO, if I've got all this storage, she will still get the benefit of breastmilk, just without the breast. And, I think I'm ok with that.
Interesting...now, all that being said, I've got to go pump.
Monday, May 23, 2011
July 7th, 2011
Ok, so in summary, we now have another child in the world. It's been the craziest month of my life and tonight is the first night I haven't looked at the keyboard and thought I might fall asleep on it. Mind you, I probably still could, but that's not the point.
The point is Haysley Lynn Yohe is here. Born on April 24th, 2011 at 12:45pm weighing in at 2lbs 14oz...and in case you're wondering, no, that is not a type-o. I will try to summarize as best I can. Here we go...
On Easter Sunday I began contracting, and by noon-ish my denial had finally stopped and we ended up in the Labor and Delivery at AnMed in Anderson, South Carolina. After they discovered that I was at 3-4cm dilated at 29 weeks and 2 days, they shipped me up to the Greenville Hospital. After two days of being a human pin cushion (in attempts to stop labor), Haysley was born...10 weeks early.
I won't go into all the crazy details that consumed those 48 hours of our life, let me just summarize it by saying it was hell. BUT, God knew best, and now the nurses are doing a bang up job at taking care of our newest little one until she can return home with us.
We are hitting the four week mark tomorrow, and though it seems like it flew by, when I look back, it definitely didn't. Though I would never do this again, I am encouraged by how much stronger I feel like our family truly is. I can honestly say I could not have gotten through this without the support and stability of Mike. He has been my shoulder, my strength, and my alarm clock (reminding me and organizing me).
And then we have our great parents, moms mostly, who have dropped everything and come up to care for Avery. Without them we would not have been able to go see Haysley, as no children are allowed in the NICU.
So, that just about summarizes our month. Crazy as it was, it's our life now. I hope and pray constantly that our family will be united soon, but for now I wait...as patiently as possible.
The point is Haysley Lynn Yohe is here. Born on April 24th, 2011 at 12:45pm weighing in at 2lbs 14oz...and in case you're wondering, no, that is not a type-o. I will try to summarize as best I can. Here we go...
On Easter Sunday I began contracting, and by noon-ish my denial had finally stopped and we ended up in the Labor and Delivery at AnMed in Anderson, South Carolina. After they discovered that I was at 3-4cm dilated at 29 weeks and 2 days, they shipped me up to the Greenville Hospital. After two days of being a human pin cushion (in attempts to stop labor), Haysley was born...10 weeks early.
I won't go into all the crazy details that consumed those 48 hours of our life, let me just summarize it by saying it was hell. BUT, God knew best, and now the nurses are doing a bang up job at taking care of our newest little one until she can return home with us.
We are hitting the four week mark tomorrow, and though it seems like it flew by, when I look back, it definitely didn't. Though I would never do this again, I am encouraged by how much stronger I feel like our family truly is. I can honestly say I could not have gotten through this without the support and stability of Mike. He has been my shoulder, my strength, and my alarm clock (reminding me and organizing me).
And then we have our great parents, moms mostly, who have dropped everything and come up to care for Avery. Without them we would not have been able to go see Haysley, as no children are allowed in the NICU.
So, that just about summarizes our month. Crazy as it was, it's our life now. I hope and pray constantly that our family will be united soon, but for now I wait...as patiently as possible.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Pooper Scooper
Well, Sunday was an interesting day...
We had our normal routine at church and headed to Panera for our 'brunch'. Avery did great in her highchair (considering by this point she is sleep deprived, such is every Sunday) She sat contently and even ate some ham we had gotten for her (big steps for the picky eater).
Then, it happened...the red face, the grunting, and bulging of the eyes. We weren't quite finished with our food selections yet, so I decided to wait to go clean her up...dumb idea.
Once I was finished with my cafe latte, I swooped her up and headed for the ladies room. It was upon the arrival at the changing table that I realized what had happened, and let me just say, it was everywhere. All down the leg, in her lacely shoes, and, oh yeah, all over my arm.
Now, this was a new occurance for the two of us. It was a strange out-of-body experience. In my mind I'm screaming, "Oh my gosh! Get this stuff off me! Where's the shower! I'm gonna puke! Ugh!!!!". But, saying these word aloud to my 15 month old would not help things, especially since she was already so fond of being changed in the a public bathroom as is.
Mommy mode kicks in and I become very thankful for my stock of wipes and the little diaper bags. While the process begins, I am quickly remembering that Daddy is in the restuarant 'cleaning' up our table so we can depart. My mind has already begun thinking of the couple that will stop him and ask to use the highchair... I begin working faster.
Avery, shoeless, and I arrive just before Daddy was going to put the chair away and we are able to avert the disaster. Fifteen wipes later everyone/thing is clean and disinfected :)
Parenting is awesome.
We had our normal routine at church and headed to Panera for our 'brunch'. Avery did great in her highchair (considering by this point she is sleep deprived, such is every Sunday) She sat contently and even ate some ham we had gotten for her (big steps for the picky eater).
Then, it happened...the red face, the grunting, and bulging of the eyes. We weren't quite finished with our food selections yet, so I decided to wait to go clean her up...dumb idea.
Once I was finished with my cafe latte, I swooped her up and headed for the ladies room. It was upon the arrival at the changing table that I realized what had happened, and let me just say, it was everywhere. All down the leg, in her lacely shoes, and, oh yeah, all over my arm.
Now, this was a new occurance for the two of us. It was a strange out-of-body experience. In my mind I'm screaming, "Oh my gosh! Get this stuff off me! Where's the shower! I'm gonna puke! Ugh!!!!". But, saying these word aloud to my 15 month old would not help things, especially since she was already so fond of being changed in the a public bathroom as is.
Mommy mode kicks in and I become very thankful for my stock of wipes and the little diaper bags. While the process begins, I am quickly remembering that Daddy is in the restuarant 'cleaning' up our table so we can depart. My mind has already begun thinking of the couple that will stop him and ask to use the highchair... I begin working faster.
Avery, shoeless, and I arrive just before Daddy was going to put the chair away and we are able to avert the disaster. Fifteen wipes later everyone/thing is clean and disinfected :)
Parenting is awesome.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Mommy Olympics
Ok, so I know there is no such thing, and I've actually made references to this 'event' on facebook before, because I think they really should create it. Mommy Olympics. It would be legendary. Here are some of the events:
1. Vacuuming the entire house left handed and barefoot. Why? Well, because you've got a 1 year old on your hip that sudden became scared of the loud noise and barefoot so you can keep the cord from getting sucked up. You would win silver if you accomplished all this in under 30 minutes, and gold if you were pregnant during it all. I know I'm biased, but it's my Olympics.
2. Getting the groceries inside and put away before the ice cream melts. This would obviously be a weekly event. You would receive a bonus if you creatively used your resources, aka the red wagon, to make it all in one trip. Again, with a 20 pound child strapped to your hip and pregnant. Oh! But this time with a hyperactive dog running around as well.
3. Scenario: your husband is out-of-town for a few days so you must figure out how to do his chores at the same time you're doing yours. Solution: bag trash while child is asleep and assemble stroller. Next, when child is awake, strap into stroller and use stroller hook for trash. Attach dog. Grab mail key. Proceed to doorway. Bonus: getting through doorway :) Achieving gold is if only one lap around development is required because you remembered everything.
I'm sure as the months/years go by, I will be adding to this list, but for now we have three events. I'll have to work on the opening ceremonies later and including some sort of false pretenses.
1. Vacuuming the entire house left handed and barefoot. Why? Well, because you've got a 1 year old on your hip that sudden became scared of the loud noise and barefoot so you can keep the cord from getting sucked up. You would win silver if you accomplished all this in under 30 minutes, and gold if you were pregnant during it all. I know I'm biased, but it's my Olympics.
2. Getting the groceries inside and put away before the ice cream melts. This would obviously be a weekly event. You would receive a bonus if you creatively used your resources, aka the red wagon, to make it all in one trip. Again, with a 20 pound child strapped to your hip and pregnant. Oh! But this time with a hyperactive dog running around as well.
3. Scenario: your husband is out-of-town for a few days so you must figure out how to do his chores at the same time you're doing yours. Solution: bag trash while child is asleep and assemble stroller. Next, when child is awake, strap into stroller and use stroller hook for trash. Attach dog. Grab mail key. Proceed to doorway. Bonus: getting through doorway :) Achieving gold is if only one lap around development is required because you remembered everything.
I'm sure as the months/years go by, I will be adding to this list, but for now we have three events. I'll have to work on the opening ceremonies later and including some sort of false pretenses.
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