Working on Golf Skills with the Nutrition Nazi

Little Pope LOVES to play with his golf clubs.  Unfortunately I am never pleased when he plays with them in the house.  My furniture and floors usually don't fair too well either, even though the clubs are only plastic.

So on one of the recent unseasonably warm January days we decided to start teaching him the right way to use the clubs.

The Nutrition Nazi started by helping Little Pope with his swing.  The Team Leader loves to chase golf balls and bring them back.  Since kid golf balls are really ping pong balls disguised as the real thing we had to make sure the Team Leader didn't crush them.

A successful shot!

 Another successful shot and a smile.

Little Pope actually was able to hit the ball without any assistance.  YAY!

Then in true Pope form he lost his ball somewhere in the rough (bushes) after hitting an awesome shot and had to go find it while the crazy Team Leader assisted him.  They were both going in the wrong direction, for the record.  God bless me when the Littlest Pope arrives!

Lovesac is not a dirty word

Clearly we have lost our minds.  Recently we decided to buy a new couch that we had been eyeing for over a year, even though we are getting ready to have 2 small children under the age of two.  Besides being modular so that we can make whatever shape we choose, the sofa cushion covers are washable and you can also order new ones to change up the look.  You can check out the manufacturer's website by clicking Lovesac Sectional, and like the title says Lovesac is not a dirty word!

Here are some pics of the children enjoying and breaking it all in.

Little Pope hanging out on Christmas morning.

Here Little Pope is taking full advantage of the new couch to harass the Team Leader, while wearing monster feet no less.  Can you feel her lack of enthusiasm.

A rare moment of pause!  The couch is very nice to relax and watch a movie on, or so I am told.

More than anything else these two sleep on it.  I come home from work and usually find the Team Leader spread out over several sections.

Such a stressful life these two lead! 

My Oh My How Time Does Fly

Today we are celebrating Little Pope's 1st Birthday!  I wrote him a letter instead of buying him a card, and in a rare moment of open emotion I am sharing some of it today.

My Dearest Little Pope,

Today we are celebrating your very first birthday!  I am so happy that I have been given the chance to call you my son.  I can’t help remember, though, how just one year ago today your father and I were trying to prepare for your unexpected early arrival.  The situation was urgent and we were very concerned for your health, as well as mine.  You were so small, but such a fighter when you were born.  

At the time 3 weeks in the NICU seemed like eternity, but now it is just a quick glimpse in time.  Some day you will see the pictures of a very fragile-looking you, and I will probably cry when I explain everything, but know that I, along with your father, was there every day and spent as much time as I could holding you and telling you how much I loved you.  We were so blessed, though, to be given such a beautiful son with just a touch of our hard-headness!  It is what has allowed you to ‘catch-up’ during your first year.

Every day that I see your handsome smiling face I am so amazed at how far you have come from that tiny little preemie.  When you were born you were not even on the growth charts and now you are in the 75th percentile for height, the 50th for you head, and well your weight is below the 5th, but that is not a bad thing!  You are the perfect combination of Daddy’s tall, thin body and Mama’s devastating good looks!  You are going to break hearts with those beautiful blue eyes you carry around like your own secret weapons. And your smile and little voice melt my heart on a daily basis. 

Over the past year I learned so much about myself through being your mom.  I never knew I could fall in love with someone instantaneously or how selfless I could be when it came to you.  I love you more than life itself, and you truly are my heart.  I also learned that the small stuff did not matter as long as you were healthy and happy! 

Your amazing journey has only just begun and I am so excited to see what the future holds for you as well as our family.  There will be a few bumps along the road of life, but know that your father and I are here to help you whatever you may need.  There are so many life experiences we can’t wait to share with you.  And though it makes me sad that you are growing up way too fast, I love watching you discover new things and the evolution of your charming personality.

Happy 1^st birthday, my sweet boy, the best is yet to come!

With all my love,

Your Mama

Her Expectations May Be a bit Too High

We have all heard the dating horror stories.  You know the one where your single friend meets someone online and then when they meet in person they are not what they seem.  I think the Team Leader feels this way about Little Pope. 

I may have mentioned that my oldest child loves to fetch her toys.  If you throw in water it is like she is on the never-ending retrieving ride.  At least we finally learned to work in shifts because she will swim for 3-4 hours at a time.

She is so OCD about fetching that she goes until she drops!

So one day I look over to find this scene.  

Little Pope looks as perplexed as I did at first.  You see my mom bought the Team Leader a new toy and she was all excited about it, and in her excitement she expects everyone to play with her until she is done monopolizing your free time.

Apparently she did not get the memo that it would be a few years before the baby could throw it for her.  You can just see the disappointment oozing from her as she sits in the distance. 

Have a great week and enjoy the last little bit of summer!

Your 10:00 AM Appointment is Here Mr. Pope

Why all of sudden do I feel like my child's personal assistant?  I have heard stories about this happening to parents, but was hoping to put this off until he hit say kindergarten.  It seems now instead of shuttling to the hospital for feedings  that I run his appointment book of visitors.  He has been home for a little over a week now and has had more visitors in one week than we have in a year!

We made it through our first full week with Brady at home and there were many firsts along the way!

First accusation that I may or may not have done something with his hands.  It took a while, as you can see from the doubtful look, to convince him that the mitten cuffs were for his own benefit of keeping his hands warm, and that no I had not in fact done anything with his hands.

This week also brought Brady's first bath.  The Team Leader played the watchful big sister role very well!

To my surprise things started out well.

Then the screaming began.  I did not know that I could bathe him so fast!

Ahhh that's better!

First nap on daddy!

First pic with chubby cheeks! 

Did I mention the Team Leader and the Nutrition Nazi managed to get in some relaxation time?  Clearly the love affair between these two is still alive and well!

 First time to wear newborn-sized clothes because my 4 lb 15 oz baby outgrew the little preemie clothes  that were the only thing that previously fit.

First Eskimo kiss with mom!

So funny story about this car seat...the baby in the bassinet next to Brady projectile crapped on it while it was at the NICU.  Bailey's expression has probably only 1/10th of the shock that my face had when I heard this turn of events.  So let me back up, in order to come home Brady had to pass a car seat test where the nurse puts him in the car seat and watches his vitals for 90 minutes.  He actually did not pass the first time so they just set the empty car seat aside to try again the next day.  Apparently Brady's next door neighbor had other plans for it!

Luckily the hospital shared our shock and decided to buy us a new car seat, and gave us a loaner until the new one arrived.  They thought that the old one would probably be ok, but I likened it to someone else pooping on your clothes, then you wash them and put them back on - ewwww!  We decided to let them have the old one to use, once the fabric had been sanitized thoroughly.  Crazy story with a happy ending!  

Have a great rest of the week and don't take any crap from anyone!

Change of Plans

Before I begin the Nutrition Nazi and I would like to express our immense gratitude to all of the family, friends, and hospital staff at Texas Woman's that have made the last week and a half go so smoothly.  We knew that our family was great at helping us, but we can't express how thankful we are for everything they did from picking up the Team Leader to bringing food to getting to the hospital with about 30 minutes notice for the C section.  Our friends have been absolutely amazing, as well, offering up homes, meals, and most importantly thoughts and prayers.  And lastly the hospital staff, especially the NICU staff, have been phenomenal at helping us to comprehend and make sense of it all, but most importantly taking care of Brady and helping him work towards coming home.

So I should know better by now, but my hard-headed self refuses to learn that I am not in ultimate control of my path.  So here is the story of how our lives changed 360 in a matter of hours.  In the middle of May my doctor discovered that my blood pressure had risen to a very high level and put me and my BFF Type A on a modified bed rest schedule to see if it would go down.  Two weeks later and an two ultra-sounds later I had developed preeclampsia and the baby was in the 11th percentile on size. My doctor and a specialist from Texas Children's tried to buy themselves some time with steroids to help the baby's lungs develop, but warned me on Wednesday that delivery could be as early as Friday morning because I was a 'ticking time bomb' with my liver and kidneys not functioning properly and the baby's health in danger.

So the preparations began.  We were paid a visit on Wednesday night from the one of the Neonatologists, a saucy little minx as Jeff would coin her because of her personality.  At least we still had our sense of humor!  She explained about how they brought five staff members to the delivery and how things were going to work.  It all seemed very surreal, but when you are given no other choice you have to just go with it.

Friday morning comes and my doctor makes her rounds.  I think she really wanted to wait to give Brady's lungs more time, but after discussing it with the expert from Texas Children's they decide today is the day, and in about an hour.  It is amazing how quickly we called everyone and I was sitting in the operation room being hooked up to everything.  I never knew how quickly my heart could love someone and the level of love I could give to someone that I only got to see from a distance.

Brady Jackson was born at 10:09 am on Friday, June 8, 2012, weighing 3 lbs 13 oz and 15 inches long with feet the size of a full term baby!  He along, with his over-the-moon father went off with the NICU staff to be assessed.

The grandparents could not be prouder!  My mother-in-law says that Grandma is the best title she has ever been called.  This little one has no idea that he already has these people wrapped around his finger!

He initially started off in NICU 2, which is the less critical care, but late Friday was moved to NICU 3 because he was struggling with his breathing.  The Nutrition Nazi was amazing because he ran from place to place trying to get everything situated for me as well as Brady.

When I finally got to see him on Saturday this is what I find.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't freaked out.  It is not as actually as bad as it looks.  The breathing apparatus is what is called a CPAP, or continuous positive air pressure.  It helps him keep his lungs open and not have to struggle when exhaling.  The little snuggle thing that he is in is actually really cool.  The nurses put them in different positions every three hours so that they learn to work their muscles against the bumpers.

The Nutrition Nazi looks like a giant standing next to Brady.  It won't be like this for long, though!

On Saturday night we finally got to hold him for the first time.  It took about 10 minutes to get all of the wires and tubes situated, but well worth the wait for this priceless picture.

You are looking at the happiest man in the world.  He proudly rolls up to the phone outside the NICU every day and announces he is there to see Little Pope and paces to be buzzed in!

He's getting a tan...I'm jealous.  (Name that movie.)  He had to undergo photo therapy for a few days for jaundice, but finally finished it on Wednesday morning and is back to just growing and getting stronger!

I love this video!  He is such a serious person sometimes, like his mom, but hopefully he will slowly get more of the Nutrition Nazi's light-hearted-ness

We are also very happy to say that Brady got moved from NICU 3 from NICU 2, less critical care, last night.  He still has a bumpy road ahead in trying to get his respirations more stable and learning to bottle feed, but we are hopeful he stays on the fast track to come home soon!

I am going to try to get updates on here as much as possible, but be patient some days are longer than others.