Landon

Landon has been saying some VERY crazy,funny things lately. I'm going to try to remember all of them, but I'm sure they aren't in any order.

My sister was giving him a bath last week when she was visiting. She told him she was going to wash his hair, and he screamed, " NEVERRRRRRRRRRR". This was totally unexpected. But he loves the new Disney show "Jake and the Neverland Pirates". They say never a lot!

Speaking of shows............Landon is SUCH an actor! He thinks that EVERY single word he knows or has memorized from EVERY COMMERCIAL, EVERY SHOW, and EVERY MOVIE he has to say along with it. This even goes for the little ad for the company that produces it after a show ( ex:Little airplanes). Not only does he have the words memorized, he says it EXACTLY as they do. AND if it's like the old Disney "Robin Hood", and the character is being shoved into a gate by the rhino, he will run and throw himself on the couch and grab his chest. Yesterday we were out and about for a while so we put his DVD player in the car. He was watching Lady and the Tramp. We haven't watched it in quite a while. But he was getting SO into the movie yelling," NO YADY!" " COME HERE YADY!", and then even went as far as CRYING when lady got in trouble. He can fake cry so easily! Such an actor. He likes to pretend I'm fake crying so he can hug me and say, " It's OTay Mommy, it's OTay!". Wow, if you haven't spend a day with this kid lately, you're missing out. Amanda even said how much energy he had when she was here.......all day, every day.

The kid still hops ALL THE TIME. I made the mistake of telling him to hop into bed the other day.

When he is getting into trouble, and we ask him, " Do you hear me, Landon?" , he responds with "Hear me, Daddy(or mommy)." haha He doesn't know to say I hear YOU.

He can now count to 15 on his own.

He can point out to Mickey Mouse on tv which shape is a triangle and which is a circle. He's pretty good at drawing circles too. we practice a lot with bath tub crayons ;)

I also made the mistake of telling him one time when he went #2 A LOT, that it looked like a big snake. So every time he goes #2, he leans forward to see in the potty and he says " I pooped a big nake ,Mommy!!!"

He was eating some ham at lunch one day. ( He is obsessed with all and everything Toy Story) I picked up a piece and told him to eat some more ham. He then picked up each piece and called it Woody and Buzz. Then when I tried to explain he started to call his ham Elmo World.

I can't think of the rest.But he is great, and keeps us going and laughing!

Where is the time going?

I feel like I JUST said, " It's already Friday?".....and here we are again. It wouldn't be so bad had I been able to actually DO anything the past week. We did drop the car off to get fixed yesterday, it might possibly be done today! YAY! And we got our double stroller yesterday--so excited to be able to take the kids outside to the zoo or park. Luke and I are going to start walking to the lake on his days off when it's warmer too. There is an entrance across from one of our neighborhood entrances, now if we ONLY had a boat ;) This is the one we got:

Both of the seats are reversible, so the kids can face each other, face apart, both face the front, or both face the back. It does have a car seat  adapter too that came with it. The seats can both sit up, recline back, or fully lay back. And the basket underneath is a good size & can hold 10 pounds. Now if I only had money to put that many clothes under it while shopping =) Landon tried it out yesterday and kept saying how much he loved his 'car seat'. We couldn't get him to say stroller.

Now today would just be great if Lucy's wubbanub came in the mail. I was so excited to get one awhile ago, and just was able to buy one the other day. They had them at the hospital i think, but we never were there when the lactation place was open ( I think they were there and not the gift shop?). I ordered it on Ebay from a store that sells all different ones. We got her Ella Bella Elephant, and it's so cute!

We did finally get back in touch with the TEIS ( Tennessee Early Intervention) about Lucy. She automatically qualifies for services because of how early she was born. She is coming next week for paperwork and evaluation--even though Lucy qualifies already, they still have to do this. Then a teacher that is here in LaVergne will be able to come 2 times a month to check on her development, work with her to keep her up to speed with her development, and show us things to do also.

That is all that is going on in our world this week, BESIDES thinking about Easter outfits for the kids. I think I found her dress and Landon's outfit.

 I also have been trying to keep up with my running. I'm not as far as I'd like to be right now. But it has been too cold by the time Luke gets home (yep, I'm not running if it's in the 40's, I'm a wimp), too late when he gets home, or pouring rain and he tells me not to go. I WILL get there though. We will see how different it is this year training MOSTLY at the park instead of a treadmill. I needed to run yesterday and tomorrow, but a massive headache ( which still make me nervous for whatever reason), itchy sore throat, and runny nose, and 40's kept me in yesterday. Maybe by the time Luke gets home from work today I will have rested a little, and be able to breathe enough to go for a run. Did I say run? I'm seriously jogging or fast walking. I bet I would be running the pace of the old lady in the mini last year with the sequence running skirt. Did anyone else see her? She was at least 80.THAT'S how slow I am! I still have pain, and yep it's Friday and the Dr closes early Friday. And I meant to call again today. . . . .

I wish we could have made it to Ash Wednesday service this week, but it didn't happen with the kids and still trying to keep Lucy around large crowds. I can't believe it's the first week of Lent, I think I skipped Christmas and Valentine's day somehow.Time to go put Landon down for a nap and hopefully get a small one in before it's time to feed Lucy again!

Did I mention how HaPpY I am that it is MARCH! What a WONDERFUL MONTH!
GO CARDS!

Selection Sunday is this weekend, YAY!

Almost 12 weeks old

The other week we were trying on a babydoll nightgown Elyssa got Lucy. We kept meaning to do it, and just never had gotten around to it. Elyssa had bought her own nightgown, and picked it because it had a babydoll one to match for Lucy. We told Landon to jump into the picture, and this is what we got:

And so that is a glimpse into my life EVERYDAY with this crazy kid! I haven't blogged as much lately. Not because I'm ssssssssoo overwhelmed and tired and can't find the time. Lucy is a great baby! She is still acting like a newborn ( she should really just be almost 2 weeks old). We have to wake her up to eat every 3 hours during the day, and we can let her go 4 hours at night. We are HOPING she has hit 6 pounds at her next weight check. I think that was when we let Landon sleep a little longer. MAN, 12 weeks of every 3 hours is DRAINING, whether I'm pumping/bottle feeding or nursing, still DRAINING. Hopefully I will be able to quit the supplemental bottles after feedings here soon too. I'm running out of milk, and don't feel like spending money on formula. She has acted full more often after her feedings the past few days, so I think she is really getting the hang of nursing. Some of her nurses told me it might be about 2 weeks after her due date, because it takes some babies that long normally.I'm sure it all has to do with her gaining more weight and getting stronger and not burning as many calories........ But anyways, she is great! We  got rid of Internet at the house, and we use our phones mostly to get online. We can tether our phones to the computer, but Luke is gone 12 hours a day, and mine hasn't been working. Hence, not as much blogging!

I have been trying to get back into running. It is way more difficult that I could have ever imagined to work out without a gym membership. I figured we needed the money for gas ( while she was in the NICU). I think Luke said we used over $800 on gas going back and forth. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED US OUT DURING THAT TIME! And I figured we could use the money on Dr. bills, and I could go run at the park. Well, it's been freezing or raining and I don't have any motivation when it is. Or Luke has been gone to work at the best time for me to go ( daylight!), or we have to go to the Dr. when he is home, and there just isn't time. I did start running this past week though. I started out small-1 mile runs. But when you have trained for 13 miles, 1 mile is SO EASY! Thank goodness.I actually do have quite a bit of pain when running, but it's going away slowly. And i have massive headaches after I run. I'm not sure if the seizure has anything to do with that, or if I'm just that out of shape ;) I'm going to add a mile by each weekend for my long run until april 30th! I've got my running schedule on the fridge, and I'm ready to get ready for the 10k portion of the marathon I'm running. Read back a blog or two to see why I am running !

I feel like I've gained about 10 pounds back since Lucy has been home, so running can't hurt that way either ;) I'm hoping to take Lucy and Landon down to visit family in Orlando after the marathon, so at least I'll be swimsuit ready too.
I've had a few friends come visit Lucy, and it has felt so good to have some adult conversation. I'm excited to show her off, and hopefully in a few weeks we will venture out places :) I won't know what to do ! I think we are also buying our double stroller this week so I can go to the zoo and the park. The only other negative right now is that we are down to one car for a few more weeks, so I really AM stuck inside while Luke is at work. And I can't really take him and pick him up because he either leaves too early  (4:30 am) or gets home too late ( after midnight).Not too much longer though.
Lucy's Dr. office should have her next RSV shot in tomorrow, so we will also get a weight check while we are there.We did go to the cardiologist this week, and the hole that was still there has gotten smaller! We will go back in June to see if it is gone yet or not. That's a nice worry that is fading away. Even though the surgery wasn't a 'big deal', it's still one more thing that I didn't want to deal with at all.( Landon's tumor removal surgery wasn't a 'big deal' either--a 15 minute surgery-- but then we spent 3 nights at Vandy afterwards with complications on steroids and breathing treatments.We just want to avoid all that.)We are waiting to hear back from TEIS to see if Lucy will start with them. I'll update if we have any more  news!
===I  wrote this Thursday( no internet, and forgot to post when we did). We did go visit the Dr for her shot & to get a weight check. Lucy now weights 6 pounds and 8 ounces! She gaine almost a whole pound in 11 days! YAY

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! =)

Week #7

At this time 7 weeks ago, I was finally numb, laying on the operating table, and getting ready to receive this wonderful blessing:

We knew it would be scary and hard, but had no clue what an emotionally, mentally, physically, and even socially hard time this would be. Many minutes were spent waiting for 'that' call (and hoping we'd never get it), many tears were shed, many miles were driven, & many prayers were offered up over and over and over. Everything that we have been through in the past 7 weeks is momentarily forgotten, and we remember how very blessed we are to have sweet Lucy when you get to do this-->

Recent weights:
Friday-4 pounds 6 1/2 ounces
Saturday-4 pounds 7 1/4 ounces
Sunday-4 pouncs 8 3/4 ounces
Monday- 4 pounds 9 1/2 ounces