Ready to Run

Landon got a haircut

I sent Luke with a Justin Bieber pictures =) It's pretty close to what it looked like, and it's the first time I haven't gotten upset with the cut. It looks cute styled!

No, his haircut has nothing to do with running. But it's about that time again--Derby Festival Mini Marathon.

Last year was my first 1/2 marathon, and I didn't do the BEST. But I still completed it, even with a broken foot--I don't advise training in like 7 weeks, and never running more than like 9 before it =)

This year, I am running on the Run With Purpose relay team.

 { http://runwithpurpose-partin.blogspot.com/ }

I will be running to help raise awareness for what God is doing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

I will be running to help the mission work of my friends, Will & Audrey Partin, with G.O. Ministries.  { http://www.dominican-updates.blogspot.com/ } . I believe with the relay team we are running the full marathon, with each person running a little over 5 miles. All of the runners on Run with Purpose team collect pledges per mile or single donations to help out the ministry.You might just hear more from me about this!

But now, it's nap time for Landon & Lucy will be asleep for 1 more hour. I will TRY to take advatage and sleep too.............even though I NEED a shower! Luke will be home after 2, maybe I can get one them =)

8 weeks old

Lucy was 8 weeks old on Monday, and today is 38 weeks for her corrected age. We still have about 2 weeks to go until she was due! We went to her pediatrician today to do a weight check and answer any questions we were having. She has gained about 6 ounces since Wednesday night, which is great. Sometimes preemies come home from the protected environment of a strict eating schedule, 24 hour care, very warm room with LOTS of blankets NICU, and they don't thrive as well with their growth. BUT she is eating quite a bit-16 ounces a day. That is like more than enough for a 5 pound 2 ounce baby.

We were given an OK to nurse a time or 2 more a day(followed by an offered bottle) to cut back on some bottles (and hopefully soon pumping as well). We will see how her weight is doing Tuesday at her 2 month checkup(!!!), and hopefully get rid of some more bottles. He also said we can let her go up to 4 hours throughout the night, but still wake her up every 3 hours during the day to also help recognize the day/night.When we were talking to his nurse about any questions we had today for Dr. M, we of course said about bottles, nursing, and pumping. The nurse looked at me and said ," Oooohhh you're doing the trinity?  THAT'S hard, sorry". I guess it has it's own name because of how not fun and annoying it is.

Lucy almost rolled all the way over on the table today too from back to belly--I thought that was the 2nd way they usually roll? So, no laying her on the bed and walking out of the room without pillows around her he said. =)

He also said that we will most likely keep the apnea monitor for 2 more months. We will watch when she has/if she has spells, and be able to take it off for tummy time and eventually nap time. Before we get rid of it, it will just be at night time, and it's more for our security.

He didn't hear a heart murmur at all today, so her cardiologist appt should be a good one in March.

We also talked about visitors and taking her into crowded places. We talked about many different aspects and he suggested  that we still wait for visitors at the house until the end of next week,  we won't be taking her into any crowded public places ( stores, church, family gatherings, out to eat) until April, and ask that school age kids not visit until April as well. Not only will RSV season and Flu be over, but she will have some doses of some vaccines in her body to  help her out.

Landon is still enjoying 'baby c'. He started calling her 'my baby' the other day too., & anytime he hears her crying he feels like he needs to tell us 'baby wying'. Let's hope he is OK when she cries from her shots next Tuesday!

I'm laying in bed watching One Born Every Minute. It's a new show on Lifetime, obviously about babies being born. It's filmed in a hospital in Ohio, something like the busiest L&D ward in the US.They have put a bunch of cameras in the hospital, and are showing all views of things. If Luke was here, he'd tell me to change the channel--he would know I will most likely get sad watching women give birth the 'regular' way as I call it. I know a lot of people who just want a c-section, and never want to think about pushing anything out of there! But I think it is the fact that I didn't have a choice either time. Many girls dream of their wedding growing up. I don't really ever remember that. I think I more enjoyed thinking about being a mommy. I got scared and nervous towards the end of Landon's pregnancy and thought that a c-section would be so much easier, and not having to actually DO anything would be great! But then I felt like I missed out on a little something, there is a little bit of an experience of 'giving birth' that I didn't feel like I got, and I think I felt that way because I didn't have an instant in love feeling with him. And then I really really really wanted to try a vbac with Lucy, and it still hadn't been ruled out at the 28 week appointment. Luke says that as much as I wanted it, he is really happy he never had to sit and wait in a L&D room. We do feel like we still got the 'my water broke , let's rush to the hospital' feeling. I don't know if we drove under 80 the whole way there, I was breathing heavily in and out, my window was all the way down( blocking out sweet Landon's talking and because I was ON FIRE even though there was inches of snow outside), & the hazard lights were blinking. Anyways, I will see how I like the show!
I had a great feeding time with Lucy today. I'm so glad that I am able to hold her now instead of the touching that we started out with for the first 5 weeks. Preemies can't take too much stimulation--only 1 thing at a time. No talking and touching at the same time, no patting, stroking, or any of those things.When we could only hold her 20 minutes a day, this is how we spent the rest of our time with Lucy:

One of my biggest worries, ok maybe not the biggest. I think the medical issues of the present and even in the future that we don't even know about yet are the biggest, but those are so big I tried to block them out. But the worry that brought me to tears the most was that Lucy wouldn't know me, need me, want me, respond to me the same way that a term baby would. She didn't have the constant skin to skin, or even barely any. She was laying in just a diaper in an isolete. But I can't even explain how I felt when she was nursing today. Even though it's just 1 time a day, and not even the best right now, just hearing her little puffs of air when she swallows was the sweetest sound I have EVER heard. I don't think I ever even heard that with Landon. I was too worried, stressed, anxious, and everything else to just listen and relax. Maybe I am just more appreciative of life. I can' explain how thankful I was for that little girl today. I cried happy tears most of the drive home. I know that she knows me, and I know that she needs me. I can't wait until she is at home & resting on me whenever I want her to! Let's just hope this apnea monitor we are lugging home with us doesn't get in the way too much! =)