We're Singing Praises...

Analise shared some animals with Sadie

Unto J-E-S-U-S...
Sadie had a developmental check up on Monday. The state offers these free of charge for preemie babies. Since her adjusted age is 3 months, it was our first one. Though we drove two hours for a 20 minute appointment, I was glad we went. The doctor was pleased with Sadie's development, and she seems to be hitting the milestone she should be. She is babbling, cooing, "engaging in conversation", she follows objects with her eyes, can isolate muscle movement and is smiling and laughing. Her only shortcoming is really my shortcoming; I don't give her enough tummy time. So, I am trying to do better with that. It's just hard for me to leave her in a position she doesn't like.
While we were at the hospital, we went up to the NICU to see some nurses, and that was a lot of fun. Such dear people!

Brandon and I celebrated our 8th anniversary by not really celebrating. :) He and I got time in the car on Monday, did a little shopping...and all with one only daughter, so that kind of felt like our celebration. He brought home lunch for me on Tuesday, so that was a fun treat. We are thankful for eight great years of marriage, and honestly, not only am I thankful to be married to such a wonderful man, but I am thankful I was alive to celebrate with him. Looking forward to many more...

Maisie is 2

Such a sweet baby!
She's one!
Not so sure about the party hat

We had a birthday in our house this weekend. Maisie is officially 2. Wow! I think she enjoyed her day. She went on her first donut date with Grandma and Grandpa. Later in the morning we went to the Children's Museum. She loved to run place to place and just play. She didn't have a favorite area. That evening we had family over to celebrate. We enjoyed supper and also her Boz birthday cake. I counted the cake a success when she knew it was Boz. :)
It's hard to believe another year has passed, and I like to reflect over the last year. Maisie learned to walk, climb, she didn't have to have the tear duct surgery (thanks to answered prayer!), she feeds herself at all meals, and has grown in so many different ways. The biggest part of the year was when she spent two months growing up without me. Those once a week visits to the hospital with Maisie are something I'll never forget. It was a treat for me to simply put on her pj's before she headed home.
Maisie is such a fun girl...she loves to laugh and have fun. Though she has very few words, she can communicate well. Her little "eh-eh" work for her; I understand most of the time! She doesn't slow down for much, but she is beginning to sit longer for books. A year ago the only thing she did with books was chew on them. She keeps us laughing with the things she does, and she keeps are head shaking with the messes she makes. Most days she wants to be older than two; she wants to keep up with the big kids.
She has adjusted well to the role of big sister. She is kind and gentle with Sadie and loves to give her kisses. She is sleeping great in her new bed...better then we ever imagined! She is still my snuggler and loves to help around the house. Maisie is predictable, likes routine, and she is my "brave" daughter...not much fear! Our prayer for Maisie is that she will continue to grow in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men. Maisie...we love you!

Having Fun

 

 

 

 

I've been playing around again with Picasa 2 with adding effects to different pictures. I'm sure there is something more important to be doing, but it feels good to use some of my little creativity.
We had a good weekend. I was able to go to some garage sales on Saturday...yeah! It was the first time I had gone all summer. I found a few good deals. Sunday we took Analise along with some friends to the lake to go boating. We had a lot of fun. Analise tubed on Big Mable and swam in the water with her life jacket on, and she even let go of her daddy to swim on her own. We were so proud of her.
Maisie got to spend a lot of time with her grandparents this weekend, and I think she kind of enjoyed the role of the oldest.
Sadie went to the doctor yesterday and got a great report. She now weighs 10 lb. 5 oz. Her oxygen stat was 93, and her respitory rate was great. Praise the Lord! She is such a happy baby; she loves to coo and talk, or as Analise says, "Make sounds." She has given me a couple of "almost" laughs, but she looks like she wants to laugh and just can't figure out how quite yet.
I'm off now to be more productive in my precious hour of no kids. :)

Beds, Balls and Bye Bye

The new bed is almost finished, and finished enough the girls slept in their new beds last night. Their talented dad designed the bed, built the bed, and he did awesome! We already had the bottom bed and headboard he had built for Analise a couple of years ago. Since the room isn't really big, we need to go up. He designed it to work with what we already had. Analise was so excited to sleep up high, and she did great. Maisie wasn't quite so sure of her new location, but she adjusted and stayed in bed...shocked us all! She even slept later this morning.
Sadie enjoyed sleeping in her crib - so much more space!
Remember those walks I mentioned the other day? A couple of days ago I got more than I bargained for. We got back from a nice walk, found daddy at home and in the midst of it all, Maisie didn't make it inside. I went out after a couple of minutes, and she was pointing down the street saying, "Ball...ball." Now, we live at the top of a hill...she and I went for a nice long walk down the hill to get the ball and then had to walk back UP the hill. I was so thankful she told me what she had done. Ball is one of her few words.
We can officially say "bye" to the apnea monitor! After three months it's a relief, but it will be strange not having it on her at bed time. Another milestone is coming to an end. Yeah!

Corn Girls

Tis the season for fresh corn on the cob, and we are loving it. We don't eat it every day, but we have it at least a couple of times a week. Analise can eat a couple of ears, and Maisie wants to be like her sister, so I no longer cut it off her her.
It's been a quiet few days around here. This past weekend we celebrated a cousin's birthday, but that was our only fun thing. We spent rest of the weekend at home. The daddy of the home is building a bunkbed for the girls. They are already in the same room, but Maisie is still in the crib. The bunkbed is coming together nicely, and we will be transitioning to that soon. So for the next few days, I will enjoy Maisie being confined at sleep times.
I have finally ventured out for walks with all three girls. It's been cooler in the afternoons, so last week I gave it a try. It worked well enough to try again, and the second time was better. Analise rides her bike and is doing great. She is getting a little more brave in where she goes. Not all driveway sidewalks are flat. It is good for all of us to get some fresh air while having our own personal space at the same time.
Sadie is growing...according to what others tell me. They say she looks bigger. I just don't know if she is getting enough to eat. She's drinking about 3 ounces a feeding. It's not much more than what she's been drinking for quite some time. This whole bottle thing is new to me. I miss the good ol' days of just nursing. Sadie is content, happy, has wet diapers and is sleeping well. I hope those are signs she is getting enough.
School doesn't start for us this week, but early September our lives will take on a different schedule. Until then, we will try and enjoy the lazy days of summer.

Dress Up

 

The girls have kept us laughing with their dress up clothes! I am so excited to see that finally some of my garage sale items are being used. I had to share the fun with others!

Luke Trio

It's been awhile, and I feel like I don't have much new news to share. I guess that is a good thing. Sadie is doing great! We are finished having the home health nurse come. Even though Sadie doesn't need this anymore, I will miss the times with our nurse. She was always very encouraging, and now we won't have the weekly weight check. Last Thursday, she was up to 9-5. She is doing really well for being off her
O2 during the day. She seems the same as always! It is SO nice not having our 25 foot range of tubing to be tied to in the house, and it's much easier going somewhere. Sadie is full of smiles and loves to look at faces and coos quite a bit, too, esp. when you sing to her. Maybe she is telling me to be quiet. :)
Sadie is sleeping well at night, and I like the schedule we are on. She goes to bed between 6:30-7, and then I feed her before I go to bed. I am only feeding her once through the night, and then she gets up between 7 and 8:00.
I have decreased the amount of formula I am putting in her bottle (shhh...don't tell my doc!), and I am giving her some Reliv (a nutrition formula the whole family is on). She is doing great - not gassy and backed up like she used to be. All our noses are thankful. :)
Since things are "calming down" in the life of Sadie, I thought I would expand this blog to include my other two daughters. My grandmother refered to my three girls once as a trio, and I like that. I always love reading my friends' blogs about their life and families, so I am going to head that direction. I will update about the girls and their activities, but I want to be "safe" and not share too much info, and I will try not to use other peoples names or pictures without their permission first.
As you can tell in the pictures, we decorated the driveway the other night with sidewalk chalk. The girls love it and have lots of fun, and I only allow them to do it on a bath night. After playing with chalk, their clothes need a bath, too!
This afternoon we went to the county fair to ride some rides, thank to grandparents. The girls had a blast riding rides with their cousins. Analise rode the rollercoaster, so she was thrilled. Maisie enjoyed her little rides; it's the first year she's been big enough to ride. She isn't afraid of anything, so we knew she'd have fun. The weather was 100 degrees, so we enjoyed snowcones, lemonades and the AC when we got back in the van. I hope you're staying cool where you are!