Three For Me

Wowee Kazowee, I think I’ve nearly survived my first day solo with my three munchkins. To go back a bit, we brought Elijah home on Friday, March 26, with his NG tube, his apnea monitor and an overwhelming list of care-taking instructions. A home health nurse met us that evening to set us up with…

Wait Lifting

As I wait again in the family waiting area for a NICU surgery to wrap up, I’m reminded of the difficult lessons I’m learning. The first is patience. I’m learning that God has a timeline and I’m better off letting go of mine and embracing His. I have a matryoshka doll of “waits” bobbling in…

Pleasantly Bored

Okay, so how many different ways can I document my daily routine? Got up. Pumped. Got dressed. Ate. Stuffed frozen milk in a cooler. Got kisses from the boys. Said goodbye. Said goodbye some more. More kisses. Said goodbye one more time. Drove to hospital. Pumped. Woke up munchkin at 11:45. Changed diaper. Detangled wires….

Daddy’s A What?!

Here I sit in my favorite (*gag*) waiting room, shut out of NICU once again for a surgery, bored, but grateful it’s not for Elijah. Two TVs are blaring sports and trash TV. Really, I couldn’t be less interested that you don’t know who the father is. Might as well use this time to write an…

The Elijah Cannon: Part 4, Treatment Begins

I was amazed by the size of the CHOA Egleston NICU, the quietness of it, the professionalism, and the hosptality. We could tell immediately that they had “it” figured out here. They understood that the experience was more than a baby in a bed – that each baby comes with a family, and each family…

The Elijah Cannon: Part 3, I Always Knew Polka Dots Were Trouble

After delivery, it took a while for me to get transferred to a recovery room. What a different experience it was to be offered even crackers and juice. I wasn’t terribly hungry, but I ate them slowly out of principle.  I felt like my blood sugar was low, or more perhaps like my blood was…

The Elijah Cannon: Part 1, Early Labor

Today’s probably not the best day to be writing this.  I think I’m fighting the blues, but I’m not sure what else to do at the moment.  Throughout the weekend of the 9th, I was getting lots of Braxton Hicks (BH) activity, which was really exciting.  I’d gotten some during my first two pregnancies, but…

Ian’s Happy Birthweek

Ohh, but it’s been a while.  Last Friday, I ended up finishing Ian’s cake. It said “Happy Brrrthday.” I sent Brian a picture of it and we got ourselves all hyped-up and decided to celebrate that evening, instead of waiting until Sunday.  Even Sunday would have been early, because his birthday is on Tuesday (today),…

Redefining Normal

Ian is definitely his own boy. Yesterday in his Cradle Roll class at church, they were doing songs and activities related to the story of baby Jesus. The room was decorated with a simply-constructed manger scene in one corner, complete with plastic people and animal figures; a big star hanging from the ceiling overhead, and…

A Tour of Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!  I wish you all a day of good health, happiness and fellowship. I feel so blessed for the people in my life.  My husband is the most loving, dedicated man I could ever dream of.  He is my best friend, team mate and life partner.  My children bring me unsurpassable joy.  It’s hard…