I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by Cristi. What I am supposed to do is show you my fourth picture in my fourth folder and tell you about it. It looks like we caught Olivia NOT smiling. This is her "I'm tired of you taking pictures. . .I just want to ride my pony look." Not surprising, however, that it was a picture of Olivia on her pony.

I'm tagging:

AnnMarie - Coy's Mom
Stacie - Madison's Mom
Candice - Rhys's Mom
Ann - Jaxson's Mom

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - Update

What to do. . .what to do. . .
Okay, come and get me now, please.

Olivia is still very wary of standing on her own or walking around furniture. I actually think she could probably do it, but she needs the security of your fingers. That's okay. . . we continue to work on it. I'm so proud of her successes each day. It's amazing to watch her learn and you can just see that lightbulb go on when she gets something. The other day there was a telephone in a book and she automatically looked down at the phone on the floor. She is so engrossed in her books. Last night, Ryan and I got a little "book happy" and ordered her quite a few more books on Amazon. She loves the Sandra Boynton books and, of course, her Llama llama books. I was so excited to learn that a new one is coming out in March called "Llama llama misses mama." She definitely has her preferences. If she doesn't feel like a certain book, she will just close it in the middle of the story, toss it on the floor and look over the chair for another one. I'm so glad that books are important to her.

New Songs

Some new songs were added to the playlist. I had to add Olivia's favorite song. . .betcha can't guess which one it is. :)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - Update

Just walkin my puppy.

We had her GI appt this morning. It went well. She has an upper GI scheduled for next month. Hopefully, that will answer some of our questions and help her get any additional treatment needed.

Monday, January 12, 2009 - Update

This is where I sit and cry while mama eats breakfast.

Doesn't that just break your heart? Olivia doesn't like to play on the floor by herself. She doesn't like to crawl. She only crawls to get near me so that she can hold onto my hands and walk around the house. We must walk miles a day. . .you'd think she'd tire out but she doesn't. It makes it difficult to get anything done with a little girl attached to your leg. The only way I get the blog updated is because of Baby Signing Time. She likes to read stories. . .we read a lot of stories during the day. We have a lot of books, but it still feels like we read the same ones over and over. I wish I could find more things that she likes to do. Is it spring yet? We're both going crazy!

Sunday, January 11, 2009 - Update

I wanted to say congratulations to my parents. It was on this day 40 years ago (40!!) that they met on their blind date. Of course, my dad is currently fighting off a cold so they are just relaxing at home. But, I hope they have a great day today.

I'm afraid that we might later regret it, but for right now it's working out great. Olivia has been waking at 4 am for a bottle. She takes a bottle fabulously in the middle of the night and last night managed to suck down 6 oz! It's great to start the day off with that under your belt. Of course, it would be nice to sleep through the night again.

Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

Click on the banner below to donate to our team and/or sign up for the walk on April 18th!

Saturday, January 10, 2009 - Update

Mama wishes she had my energy. I like to go, go, go!

When I decided to be a stay-at-home mom, I didn't mean it in quite such a literal sense. I'm going out of my mind this winter. Last winter, I think I was so happy to be home and not up at the hospital every day that it didn't bother me quite as much. But, this year. . .talk about cabin fever. It doesn't help that I have yet to beat this fatigue. I'm getting so frustrated and I'm starting to rely on caffeine again, which is a big no-no for me. Truth is. . .Excedrin and iced tea make me a better mother. I hate going through the day feeling like I'm in a big fog and only "half-alive." It's awful. I have learned that when you go over 2 months without a Pepsi, it begins to lose it's appeal. Not my Sonic iced teas, though, for 73 cents during happy hour. Ryan took care of Olivia all day and sent me out of the house. I spent some gift certificates and did some shopping and it was nice.

As I mentioned last month, the March of Dimes "March for Babies" is coming up on April 18th. Last year, I was so gung-ho about it. I don't know where I got the energy. I must have still been in survival mode. I believe that clicked off sometime around last summer when I fell flat on my face. March for Babies is, however, very important to me. Please be thinking about whether you will be able to donate to the Olivia and Logan team and/or whether you would like to walk on our team. We'd love love love to have you. I know that economic times are tough, but even a $5 donation would be very appreciated. If anyone has any ideas where to have t-shirts made (online or in town?) I'd love to hear from you. I'm sure I'll pull this all together this year as well. . .I hope.

Friday, January 9, 2009 - Update

I got a new friend yesterday.
I love her!

Her name is Sophie la girafe (it's French.)

It is gorgeous outside today and Olivia and I enjoyed getting out for some fresh air. We're taking a quick break for some Baby Signing Time and a bottle and then we might head back out. These are the kinds of days when I wish we had a swing set.

How was there a giraffe that I didn't know about. . .especially one that's been around for 40 years? Olivia seems to like her. . .especially when she squeaks. I wish I would have gotten it for her sooner. Olivia still has lots of teeth waiting to wreak havoc on our lives, so hopefully this helps.

Prayers for Angie

Angie is Bennett and Ellie's mom. I have felt such a connection and friendship with her. She, too, suffered with infertility, gave birth to twins prematurely and lost her precious son. Our daughters give us both strength and peace. This week, Angie was told that she has cystic fibrosis. I have learned a lot about that disease through Nate Lawrenson's blog and am grateful for people like him who spread awareness to so many people. It's frightening that CF would go undiagnosed until adulthood (but, also a good sign that it has been managed throughout her life.) Please say a prayer for Angie and her precious family. She is an incredibly strong woman who has been through a lot, but will continue to persevere.

Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Update

It's very important to. . .oh, wrong way. . heehee
It's very important to brush your teeth.

Don't forget!

For a little girl who doesn't like a lot of things in and around her mouth, she doesn't have a problem with letting me brush her teeth. Of course, sometimes I have to sing a song (singing also works well with nail clipping.) Afterwards, I let her play with her toothbrush and she actually attempts to brush them herself.

Oh, and a bit of good news. Our baby scale has always been very accurate, but lately it has not been giving us a consistent reading. So, we don't really know how much she weighs, but we do believe it is over 17 lbs (not 16 lbs.) That made me breathe a little sigh of relief. Every day this week, she has taken more in her bottles. . .today we were up to 19.5 oz! Of course, we had to implement a rule that if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she gets a bottle. I can usually get 3-4 more ounces in her that way and it doesn't really take any more time than rocking with her. I do believe that she needs some feeding therapy, so hopefully that can be implemented soon. What sounds so simple (using a sippy cup, straw, eating certain foods) is incredibly difficult.

I also wanted to make sure that you visited The Glunt Quartet to see what cousin Rebekah made in school. I tell ya, Olivia has the most amazing cousins. . all of them are so thoughtful and caring and just all around incredible people. I love you all!!

Exciting News

I have some exciting news to report. Many of you may remember Nurse Holli who took care of Olivia while in the NICU.

Here's Nurse Holli when she came to visit Olivia after she'd come home.

Holli is one of the nurses who followed us up to Special Care. We grew very attached to Holli and hope that we keep in touch for years to come. She was the nurse who was with us when we were discharged and walked us out to our car. Many tears were shed. Holli and her husband have been trying for a baby for many years. After countless prayers and with the help of Dr. Tjaden (gotta love that man) I am happy to announce that she is expecting!! Please continue to keep her in your prayers. I'll never forget that before my difficult NICU journey, I understood all to well the pain of infertility. My hope is to someday announce the good news of all my blog readers who suffer with infertility. There are definitely miracles all around us. . .sometimes we just don't see them. Holli, we are thrilled for you. You will make a wonderful mother!

So much for being stress-free. . .

We weighed Olivia tonight. When she went to the doctor last week, she weighed 17 lbs 10 oz. On Sunday we weighed her and she was 17 lbs 5 oz. Today (only 3 days later) she is barely 16 lbs!! She has lost over a pound in 3 days!!! I'm thinking it's probably just a delayed to reaction to how little she ate for awhile there. I just keep telling myself. . .she's happy, she's healthy, she doesn't seem hungry. . .she must be eating enough. If she were, however, I don't think she would be losing that much weight. What in the world am I doing wrong? Do I just need to let her gnaw on a stick of butter? This is so frustrating. . . .

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - Update

I think this is better than smiling.
And I saw a model do it in a magazine once.

Some days Olivia just cracks me up. Instead of smiling like she usually does when I take her picture. . .these were the faces she made. Her favorite game to play is when she holds onto our fingers and walks around the house. She likes to look at things and have you tell her what it is. Then, you can ask where something is and she gets so excited to show it to you. Sometimes the results are unexpected. We are currently learning the rooms of the house and, while in the bedroom, I asked her where the kitchen was. She confidently strolled down the hallway and led me to HER kitchen. I guess I should be more specific. Then, because of the over-achiever that I am, I thought we would learn carbon monoxide detector. . .ya know, just to show off. But, whenever I ask where it is. . . .she happily leads me to her CAR. It seems she doesn't pay attention to the . . .bon monoxide detector part. Yes, it's a fun game until you've walked into the bathroom for the 50th time repeating scale, vent, toilet. . .

Her eating has been a bit better lately. She only takes 12-15 oz of formula per day, though, and we've decided if that's all she wants. . .that's fine. I do think the Prilosec is helping a lot better than the Prevacid did. We are grateful for that and are much happier around here. She's consistently taking 4 oz per bottle instead of 1-2 oz. Olivia definitely keeps us on our toes and laughing daily.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - Update

Suzy Bear and Olivia

When I was a child, I never sucked my thumb. . .I never had a pacifier or a blankie. . .I had my Suzy Bear. I used to think that a Suzy Bear was a female teddy bear, but then I learned that Suzy was the name I picked for her when I was 2. If I could have had just one toy growing up, it would have been her. I think I even worked her into my fire escape plans and always took her down to the basement during a tornado warning. Ryan and I were organizing our storage room over the weekend (and he discovered that I'm truly a pack rat) and I found her in one of the boxes. I thought that she needed to come out and live in the play room. She's definitely seen better days, but she was very loved.

Prayers for Baby Miranda

Another 23 weeker was born this week. . .sweet little Miranda Rae. As you all know, this family has a long road ahead of them. Please keep them in your prayers and surround them with love and support.

Monday, January 5, 2009 - Update

Olivia's physical therapist was thoroughly impressed by her this morning. Actually, I don't know if she had one negative thing to say. In a few months, we may be able to get rid of the physical therapist altogether. She couldn't believe how well Olivia gets around on the pony. Her word association skills blew her away as well. I truly believe that Olivia just doesn't want to be a baby anymore and she's frustrated by the things that she can't yet do. If you think about it, she's been a baby longer than most. She spent the first many, many months of her life unable to do much more than lay around. She is now ready to go, go, go. She wants to walk so badly, but just can't do it without holding on to our fingers or riding her pony. We'll keep trying.

Me and my puppy
Woof, woof

Now, let's see. . .was it 10 and 2?

A Day In The Life of Olivia

Sarah M. had a great idea. She suggested that I write down everything that was offered and everything that Olivia eats to take to the GI specialist on the 13th. I thought I would share with you everything that she ate today.

Mom and dad don't think I eat enough.
Tell me what you think.

8:00 am - 4 oz of formula

9:30 am Breakfast- 2 bites of a banana, 6 Lil' Crunchies, 4 bites of oatmeal, 8 Cheerios, 6 puffs, 2 bites of peach cobbler, 1/4 of a piece of buttered toast, 2 sips out of sippy cup.
I would eat Lil' Crunchies, Cheerios, puffs and crackers all day if I could.

But, they won't let me!

11:00 am - 2 oz of formula

1:00 pm Lunch - 1/2 jar of Gerber 2nd foods Sweet Potatoes, 4 Lil' Crunchies, 8 yogurt drops, 1/2 oz of vanilla ice cream.

3:15 pm - 3 oz of formula

4:00 pm - 8 Lil' Crunchies, 1/2 Wagon Wheel, 1 bite of string cheese
6:00 pm Dinner - 1/2 Wagon Wheel, small bite of cheese, 1.5 Club crackers, 1/3 jar of mac-n-cheese, 5 yogurt drops

7:30 pm - 3 oz of formula

8:15 pm - 5 bites of French toast, 1/2 jar Gerber 2nd foods sweet potatoes, handful of Puffs and Cheerios.

No more pictures or food, please.

One last pose. . .but, that's it.

So, she only took a total of 12 oz of formula for the day and not really any real drinks in between bottles. She is currently at 17 lbs 5 oz (down from 17 lbs 10 oz last week.) I'm done stressing over it. I'm going to let her take what she wants out of her bottle and offer her many different types of food throughout the day. She normally doesn't eat as many times during the day, but we've become a bit desperate. Our household stress level has just skyrocketed and I hate that. Olivia is a very happy child overall. If she was starving, you'd think she'd be a bit more cranky. I'm going to just stop worrying about it and see what the GI says next week. Thanks for allowing me to vent and ramble on at times. :)

Funny Stories

I'll take a break from chewing on my block to say cheese!
Oh no. . .now they'll be able to track me down if I'm speeding.

I thought I would take a break from our feeding woes to tell you a few funny stories. When she's not eating, she is a very happy girl.

The Vacuum:

I have told you that she is mesmerized with the vacuum. Yesterday, she rode up to it on her pony, but when daddy turned it on, she had a look of horror on her face. I don't think she had ever taken off so fast on her pony. But then, she rode back to the vacuum. When she got too close, she screamed and rode away. This continued 10, 20, 30 times or so. The vacuum would be in another room, but she had to ride to the vacuum and every time she would have a look of pure terror. We couldn't help but laugh because usually if you're afraid of something, you don't want to go near it. Silly girl.

The Shoes:

Olivia has gotten very good at leading you to certain objects if you ask where they are. She is super smart. She knows scale, vent, car, pony, penguin, Olivia (she finds a mirror and smiles at herself) mommy, daddy and we've been working on shoes. Tonight, we were in the bathroom oohing and ahhing over the scale (she loves to look at that thing) and I asked her where the shoes were. Our closet full of shoes is right off the bathroom. She led me out of the bathroom, however, without even glancing in the closet. I figured that she hadn't quite learned shoes yet. Then, she led me out to the kitchen and there sat a pair of my shoes (I have a bad habit of leaving shoes anywhere and everywhere.) Those were the shoes that we were using to teach her the word shoes. She doesn't say many words, but she is learning about them every day. I am so proud.

Saturday, January 3, 2009 - Update

Thank you for all of your advice and emails, etc. This has just been a difficult subject for us. Most micro-preemies (especially 23 weekers) have feeding tubes and we're very grateful that she doesn't. That fear is always in the back of our minds. Micro-preemies always seem to have their share of feeding issues. . .I don't know exactly why that is. . .maybe they've had more than their share of things forced in their mouth. I think our attempts to make sure she takes enough of her bottles has inadvertently made her hate them even more. She doesn't like things forced in or around her mouth. . . bottles, straws, sippy cups, spoons, food. That makes it even more difficult to get her to eat and drink. She likes to do it herself, so we're trying to find a wide assortment of food that she can pick up and eat herself. It would be great if she could hold her own bottle, but she hates her bottle and all she does is push it away. She is an extremely happy baby as long as it's not feeding time. That's one reason we decreased the amount of bottles during the day. We have tried everything. Sorry this is another depressing post. Ryan is feeding her in the other room as she's screaming at the top of her lungs. I attempted to get 2 ounces in her, but I just couldn't do it anymore. And. . . now I heard her just throw up everything! What a way to start off the new year. . . .

Evening Update

All was going well until her last bottle. . .she wouldn't even take an ounce before bed. That's 11 oz total for the day. (First bottle: 3 oz, second bottle: 7 oz, third bottle: 1 oz.) She did try some bologna, bread and a chocolate Santa, however. I think there are multiple issues going on. 1) Reflux that we don't quite have a handle on, but she has an appt with a GI on the 13th. 2) She just isn't interested in her bottle anymore, but has not yet mastered a cup or straw. 3) Those two evil teeth on the top coming in. Like I said in a previous comment. . .I'm demanding double from the tooth fairy when she loses those teeth. We didn't have this much trouble with the other four that she has. It has been a nightmare. Please pray that the switch to Prilosec helps her reflux and that those teeth come in NOW. We're all going crazy.

Friday, January 2, 2009 - Update

Last night, Ryan and I sat in bed and discussed Olivia's feeding issues. We're two intelligent, well-educated people. . .you'd think we could figure out what is going on. We're not happy, Olivia's not happy, so something has to change. One thing that Olivia has always excelled at is communication. She may not say many words, but it's easy to know what she's trying to tell us. When she screams and cries and pushes her bottle away, she's naturally trying to tell us that she doesn't want it. Right now, she takes her bottle 5 times a day. It's the only way that we can get close to the 15-20 oz per day. Well, we're cutting that back to 3 times a day in hopes that she'll begin taking more at each bottle and eat more baby/table food. We'll also offer her a sippy cup or straw continuously through the day. It's a long shot, but we've got to try something different. Worst case scenario. . .it doesn't work and Olivia loses weight. Maybe then her doctor will help us figure out something else to do. I feel like I spend every ounce of energy trying to make sure she gets enough to eat and it's exhausting. I don't want to continuously force a bottle on her and make her resent it that much more.

This is going to be difficult for me because I worry a lot about making sure she eats and drinks enough. I want her to stay hydrated and healthy. Wish us luck.

Thursday, January 1, 2009 - Update

I've gotta go check out the vacuum cleaner.
It amazes me.

I'll just pack it up and take it with me.

I could watch dad vacuum for hours.

I hope all of you had a great New Year's Eve. I think this was the first year that I actually didn't make it until midnight. Olivia only took 2 oz at her nighttime bottle, so I was expecting her to wake up hungry in the middle of the night. I figured I'd better get some sleep while I could and sure enough. . .she woke up hungry. I do believe this latest battle is because of her teeth. Combined with her reflux issues (that I don't believe are completely under control) it makes it impossible to feed her. This last week has wiped me out. I think she's already developed an aversion to her bottle and trying to make it a pleasant experience while also making sure she eats something is a difficult task. I did order her a honey bear cup in hopes to transition her off the bottle since we haven't had much luck with sippy cups or straws. It seems as if she won't have to suck as hard with the honey bear cup. Luckily, Ryan's home for the rest of the week which provides me with some much needed assistance.

Today, we've been busy putting the Christmas decorations up. Olivia has become totally obsessed and fascinated with the vacuum cleaner. It's very cute. Every time it's out, she has to be right next to it. Hopefully, this fascination will continue as she gets older.

Happy New Year!

Party like it's 2009!

Cousin Kaleb is One!

Hope you like your Baby Signing Times as much as Olivia does.
Sounds like you had a great party!

Enjoy being One!

Wednesday, December 30, 2008 - Update

Well, my laptop is on the fritz again so I'm using Ryan's computer. I gotta say, I'm loving his new monitor that he got for Christmas. Today hasn't been a particularly good day. I'm about at my wit's end. Olivia's feeding troubles just keep worsening, so I had to bring in the big guns and have Ryan call the doctor's office today. They thought that we should bring her in and Ryan agreed to go with me. I don't know why things seem to be taken more seriously when they come from him. We still didn't really get anywhere, though.

Anyway, we can barely get 1-2 oz in her at every bottle. She cries and screams and scratches and claws at me when I try to feed her. You should see my neck. . .it looks like I got in the middle of a cat fight. It's like this at EVERY bottle. It hurts her. She is so hungry and she takes a few swallows and then refuses to take any more and then cries and cries! I don't know if it's reflux. . .I'm not pretending to know the answers. I just don't think it's normal to cry like that every time she eats! They continue to say that her 15 mg of Prevacid daily is the appropriate dosage (even though I hear otherwise online.) She does have a GI appt next month, but I just can't imagine this going on for a few more weeks. It's gotten bad since Halloween and the last few days have been a nightmare. They are, however, switching her to Prilosec, so we'll see if that works. I'm just so frustrated and no one can give me any answers. I brought a bottle with me to the doctor's appt. and I was tempted to hand her over and say, "You feed her. . .good luck!" I, myself, am still not feeling better and I've been on hydrocortisone for 2 months, plus I take about 10 supplements (some 3 times a day) and now I'm on progesterone as well. I think my hair is a bit healthier. . .and that's cool and all, but not really what I was going for. I could go on and on about that, but I won't. My main concern is helping my daughter not be in such pain. It literally breaks my heart and I just don't know what to do.

I did want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my adorable nephew, Kaleb. I meant to write this earlier in the day, but without my laptop it's difficult. I will wait to post pictures when Ryan gets back from the birthday party (so sorry that Olivia and I couldn't make it.) Happy Birthday, sweetheart! We love you!! Ryan, Jodi and Olivia

Monday, December 29, 2008 - Update

My bathing beauty

Olivia's been acting a little "off" the last few days. Her interest in eating has hit an all-time low. I think it's probably her teeth as she has two that have been trying to come in for over a month. I think one finally poked through. Last night, she got herself so worked up that she vomited all over her crib (which she hasn't done in months.) She's also a bit cranky, which isn't like her at all.

Since the weather was pretty nice today, we were able to go for a ride in her car outside. It's such a smooth ride on carpet, but it was pretty bumpy on the street. Hmm. . maybe it will be an inside car. We also ran into our neighbor and it was good to chat with him for awhile. I enjoyed getting out of the house today. It's pretty sad when I look forward to going to the bank and to Sonic to get an iced tea. I think Olivia enjoys it too.

Congratulations, Erin!

We made it to 100,000 visits today! The 100,000th visitor was from Kalkaska, Michigan. Since nobody guessed December 28th, we went to the closest guess (without going over) which was December 26th guessed by Erin. Congratulations! Send me an email with your address and I will get your Starbucks gift card to you ASAP.

Having A Ball

Yep, I'm in my ball pit.
It's also my pack-n-play.

I'm having a ball!

Thank you to my parents' for helping us out with a million things today. I'm sure you didn't intend to do that much work today. Olivia enjoyed being pushed around in her car, however. We finally got the stickers on her car and the seat belt in, so we're ready to go for a ride outside. . .if only the weather was a bit warmer.

For Christmas, she got 100 balls. Instead of spending money on a ball pit, we decided to convert her pack-n-play into one. She loved it! Slowly, but surely we are getting all of her toys put together and organized. It's pretty bad when you look through a toy catalog and find yourself saying, "Got it, got it, got it, etc." That's when you know you have too much stuff.

Saturday, December 27, 2008 - Update

Olivia has been busy enjoying all of her presents. We thought that we were going to be able to try out her sled today, but the snow stopped. This Christmas was hard for me because we were unable to spend it with our extended family. Next year, we should be able to get all of the cousins together. My family, in particular, is going through a transitional phase which means our traditions are not staying the same. As long as I can remember, we spent Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house which doesn't happen anymore. I've also been going crazy with cabin fever this winter. It's increasingly difficult to keep Olivia at home when she's starting to explore everything. We really enjoyed spending the last two days out of the house with Olivia's two sets of grandparents. I think the festivities wore Olivia out because she slept until 9:40 am this morning!

Thanks, Izzy, for my learning chair!
I love my new wheels!

As I mentioned before, Olivia got a special gift from her Grandpa Glunt. When Ryan was a child, his dad would carve ornaments for the kids each year. He always made ornaments of their favorite toys or interests that year. When Ryan was about Olivia's age, he got an ornament of his favorite horse. I actually had a bucky horse just like it. Maybe some of you did too?

So, Olivia had to have one made of her pony (quite possibly the best toy ever made.)

Now, they'll hang side by side on the tree and I know it will be special for Olivia for years to come.