tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38505436032846669462024-03-05T17:37:24.240-05:00A RAINBOW ON THE HORIZONOur lives came to a screeching halt on July 31, 2009 when our daughter, Gracie, died unexpectedly at 36 weeks gestation. This is the story of Gracie's sister...our beautiful rainbow baby, JennaSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-87646131761123021362012-07-11T09:14:00.003-04:002012-07-11T09:14:26.017-04:00Almost there... 36-38 weeks<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
June 25 – 36w 2d </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another appointment marathon day. First stop of the day <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">à</span> biophysical
profile. I’m confounded every time I
deal with the ultrasonographer at this point.
When I was pregnant with Gracie, he remembered <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every </i>time he saw me that I am a physical therapist and went to
P.T. school with one of his wife’s colleagues.
He is the one that confirmed that Gracie had no heartbeat. Yet, 6 months later, when we showed up
pregnant with Jenna acted like he had never met me before. Same deal with baby number 3; every time he
sees me, it’s like he’s meeting me for the first time. Anyway, as he got started with the ultrasound
he asked “Has baby been breech?” Of
course, this almost brought me right up off the table. I asked if he was telling me that she was
breech and he asked again if she <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had</i>
been breech. Long story short, our
little bug had flipped herself over <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">again</i>
and was back in a breech position.
Fantastic. Just what we need at
36 weeks. Aside from this wonderful
news, all was well with the NST and the OB
check.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
June 28 – 36w 5d</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NST and MFM appointment.
NST was appropriately reactive.
The very good news of the day was that our little bug had, yet again,
flipped herself over and is again head down.
She was estimated to be 6 lbs 12 oz for overall growth, which put her in
the 59<sup>th</sup> percentile. No more
MFM appointments unless a problem develops between now and Bug’s birthday.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 2 – 37w 2d</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BPP, NST and OB check. Ultrasound had to be done at the hospital
instead of in the office this morning, as the sonographer is on vacation this
week. The hospital sonographer didn’t
know that she had just been measured a few days before, so she measured her
again. Estimated to be 6 lbs 15 oz…. so we are thinking that she will likely be
between 7 and 7.5 lbs when she finally makes her appearance. Very reactive NST. Met the new midwife in the practice
today. They haven’t turned her loose on
the L&D floor yet, as she has only been there for a couple weeks, but it
was nice to meet her. I liked her
immediately, which usually doesn’t happen with the midwives. Since she is so new, it’s unlikely that she
will be the one to deliver our little bug…but maybe next time.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 5 – 37w 5d</div>
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NST only today. Very
reactive in a short period of time. In
and out quickly today!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 6 – 37w 6d</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Very distinct change in Bug’s movements today. Everything seems very sluggish. The amount of movement doesn’t compare to
what it’s been in the last several weeks, and the intensity/velocity of the
movement also doesn’t compare. Thought
that perhaps it was heat related, so I made a huge effort to drink even more
than I normally do and make sure that it was all very cold, but it didn’t help
much. Finally decided to put a call in
to the midwife on call and she had me come into L&D for a little
monitoring. As soon as I was hooked up,
I could hear her moving all over the place, but I was just not feeling any of
it. I was hooked up for just over an hour, and all
looked well. They sent me home with
instructions to come back the next day if nothing changed. Movement the next day wasn’t a whole lot
better, but I waited it out until the following day (Sunday) Things were better on Sunday, so I assume
that all is well. But… it was just one
of those moments / experiences that made we want to crawl out of my skin. If one more person tells me that she’s
running out of room to move as we get closer to delivery, I might have to start
clubbing people. Yep. I understand that. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">However…</i>
it’s not something that changes overnight; it changes gradually. I have also experienced sudden change…and it
was because my baby was dead…not because she was out of room. Sigh.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 9 38w 2d</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Appointment marathon Monday.
BPP was good; baby is still vertex.
NST was appropriately reactive without any issues. Midwife checked me – 1 cm., 50% effaced,
cervix pulled about half-way forward and very soft. So…pretty much whenever she wants to make her
appearance, it’s go time. At this point,
we are giving her the week to bake and then this weekend we will start the
stuff that we did with Jenna to ‘self’ induce labor. Next appointment is Friday, July 13 for NST.</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-47394602806487515372012-06-11T23:09:00.000-04:002012-06-11T23:09:07.057-04:00Update... weeks 32-34Thusday, May 31... 32w 5d<br />
We had our 32 week visit with maternal fetal medicine on Thursday, May 31 (as well as a midwife check and NST that day). All continues to look well with our little bug. She was estimated to be 4 lbs, 14 oz, which put her in the 63rd percentile for overall growth. Placenta health looking good, and blood flow through the umbilical cord still looking good. Our little bug, however, continues to persist with her frank breech positioning, with her but down and her head and feet up. I was very disappointed to hear this, as I was <i>certain</i> that she had turned based on the intensity and amount of movement earlier in the week. At this point there is still plenty of time for her to turn, and the plan was to employ any method necessary to achieve such. Tactics on the list included ice on my belly, playing music by my pubic bone, increasing the amount of child's pose and downward dog during yoga, bridging exercises, etc. The possibility of visiting the chiropractor (gasp!) for the Webster technique has not been ruled out. Moxibustion has also not been ruled out, but I cannot find anyone around here to does it... so it's either wing it and do it myself without the acupuncture component or skip it all together. In the event that all of this is unsuccessful, we will try an external version with the OB doc.<br />
<br />
Monday, June 4... 33w 2d<br />
Biophysical profile (including non-stress test) day with a midwife check. Too lazy over the weekend to implement much in the way of extra tactics to get bug to turn, so I was quite surprised to find that she was in a vertex position with her head down where it belonged. YAY!!! Everything else looking good. Scored a 10/10 on the combined biophysical profile. Hopefully she stays this way.<br />
<br />
Thursday, June 7... 33w 5d<br />
Non-stress test. In and out quickly with a very reactive test. Lots of movement in the lower part of my belly...hoping that Bug has not changed her mind and turned again.<br />
<br />
Monday, June 11... 34w 2d<br />
Biophysical profile day again, with another midwife check. Still vertex (head down)! Scored 10/10 on the biophysical profile again, and all looks well. I'd be lying if I said that any of this gave me any substantial amount of comfort at this point, though...<br />
<br />
On a slightly different, non-medical note, we <i>may</i> have finally decided on a name. Well, at least a first name. Hubby is still up in the air about the middle name at this point, but a first name is a HUGE step. With Gracie and Jenna, I had my hospital bag packed by 30 weeks. I am 4 weeks behind that pace...and counting. I had planned to do it two weekends ago, and then again this weekend, and then again tonight after work. And...still not packed. I am woefully behind on listening to my Hypnobabies tracks. I have finally brought all of the newborn through 3 month supplies from the attic...clothing, swing, bassinet, baby tub, etc. Perhaps we will be ready by the time she makes her appearance...<br />
<br />
The best part... we have come to the realization that we live in a 3200 sq. ft. house and have <i>nowhere </i>to put a second crib. This is primarily due to the fact that our house was hit by a car 16 months ago. At the time, we were in the process of renovating the entire second floor, with the expectation of having all bedrooms and upstairs bathrooms finished by the time Jenna's younger sibling arrived (she was only 5 months old at the time and I was not even close to being pregnant). Our house is safe to live in, but our renovations can not continue until the damage caused by the impact is fixed. Sadly, not a single repair has been made and our insurance claim remains unsettled and has now entered into litigation. Consequently, our second floor remains torn apart and completely unlivable; we are situated on the first floor with no major problems...except the fact that there is not an appropriate place for a second crib. The bassinet will get us through until about Thanksgiving, and then who knows what we will do.....<br />
<br />
Being sure to not overshadow Jenna and her pure delight... She is almost 21 months old. She refuses to talk, but uses her signs pretty independently. She has verbal approximations of mom, dad, Izzy, up, off, cat, Aflac (ha!), and a few other words, but for the most part there is nothing doing on the verbalization front. She is climbing everything. Yesterday she found a dime on the floor and climbed up <i>onto</i> the dining room table to get her piggy bank that was temporarily parked there. She has figured out that she can use the dog as a step stool to climb up on our bed, although I'm not sure the dog appreciates this. Luckily, she is not yet climbing out of her crib. She loves to brush her teeth and retrieve her own food and drinks from the fridge. She is loving her swimming time and demands to go outside every time she hears a train or fire truck. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that she is just pure joy...Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-70910223459836296192012-05-05T17:11:00.001-04:002012-05-05T17:11:28.206-04:0028 Week Update on Our Little "Lady" BugThursday was our 28 week appointment. To be precise, I was 28w 5d on the day of the appointment. Everything is looking great as this point. Here are some details:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I did my 1 hour glucose test two weeks ago. Both the fasting blood glucose and 1-hour glucose levels were well within the range of normal.</li>
<li>Hemoglobin level from 2 weeks ago were good, so no issues with iron.</li>
<li>No protein detected in my urine dip in the office today, and the urinalysis from 2 weeks ago was good (and protein in the 24 hour collection that I did at the end of the first trimester was in the normal range). </li>
<li>Remainder of the blood work looked good - this included kidney
panels, liver panels and some other random stuff that they look at a
little later in pregnancy.</li>
<li>Got my Rhogam shot two weeks ago. </li>
<li>My blood pressure is still really good! </li>
<li>Belly measurements were exactly where they should be for 28 weeks</li>
<li>Bug's heart rate was measured in the 140s in the morning and 130s in the afternoon.</li>
<li>Bug's estimated weight was 2 lbs, 15 oz...which puts her in the 62nd percentile for overall growth. (Jenna was estimated to be 2 lbs, 11 oz. and in the 61st percentile at exactly 28 weeks, so I would say that we are right on target!) </li>
<li>Blood flow through the umbilical cord was "excellent", size and
health of the placenta appeared to be "excellent" and the volume of
amniotic fluid was "excellent". Cord flow and placental size/health are
again big things for us at this point. </li>
<li>The most disappointing news of the day is that Bug is still situated in a frank breech position with her butt snuggled down in my pelvis. She was like this at 20 weeks and has not shown any desire to move or turn. </li>
</ul>
Bug still does not have a name. At the rate we're going on names, she might be 10 years old before we come up with something that we can agree on. Other than that, things are going well overall, but this pregnancy has been a completely different experience that our pregnancy with Jenna. The midwife that we more or less 'found a home with' during our pregnancy with Jenna left at the end of last summer to return to school for her PhD. The midwife that delivered Jenna also left to take a job much closer to home. A new physician also joined the practice after Jenna was born, and there are quite a few new nurses in the office. We have been in the office for appointment 5 or 6 times now, and I've left feeling pretty frustrated after at least 4 of those appointments. I'm back to feeling like we are just a number since most of the people we've encountered don't know us like the 2 midwives who left the practice knew us. I have had to reiterate the 36 week stillbirth story to at least 3 different nurses who couldn't be bothered to read my chart. <br />
<br />
We met the second of the new midwives during our last appointment 4 weeks ago, and we weren't impressed. She was more or less in and out before we could blink our eyes. Our first appointment with the other new midwife was a while ago, and since then our encounters with her have not left me feeling overly warm or fuzzy. And... there is apparently no communication or common opinion between the providers in our OB office and the MFM providers about when I am supposed to start NST and biophysical ultrasounds and how often they are supposed to be performed. As a result, I had to schedule an extra appointment with my primary OB doc so he can make a decision about this. With Gracie, we started NST twice each week with weekly biophysical ultrasounds (even though we tried to keep the ultrasounds limited to every two weeks, they turned out to be weekly) around 32 weeks due to my preexisting hypertension diagnosis. With Jenna, we started the same routine around the same time, due to our history with Gracie and my history of hypertension. So, when the midwife told me this week that we would be starting <i>weekly</i> NST, I was surprised. As long as things continue to go well, I honestly don't care whether we do them once or twice a week; I just want to know for sure what the plan is...<br />
<br />
After much discussion, we have decided that we will try to ride out the remainder of the pregnancy with the only midwife who has been in the practice for both of our previous pregnancies. She is the midwife that we saw one week before Gracie died, and simply because of that there has been some negative association since then. But she knows us and knows our history and we're not just a number to her. Our next regular appointment is scheduled with her, so we'll see how it goes, I guess. <br />
<br />
In the meantime, I am investigating various options for turning this little bug around and getting her head down where it belongs. In addition to the 'basic' things like positioning, ice on my belly, music and warmth near my pelvis, I am looking at seeing an acupuncturist for moxibustion and/or seeing a chiropractor (gasp!) for the Webster technique. If anyone reading here has had 'success' with any of these techniques, I would LOVE to hear about it!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-53663908116201072932012-02-07T22:11:00.000-05:002012-02-07T22:11:01.392-05:00RefiguringI received a call from our Maternal Fetal Medicine group on Monday. The woman I talked to was very nice, chipper, perky...the whole nine yards. She called in reference to my first trimester screen. Specifically, she called to verify whether or not we had a child with Down Syndrome. I'm probably the only person who will answer that question with "we don't know for sure." I mean, how many people don't know whether or not their kids have Down Syndrome. I explained to her that Gracie was stillborn and that Down Syndrome was heavily suspected for multiple reasons by our OB doc, as well as by the MFM doc that I consulted with between pregnancies. She asked if chomosomal analysis had been done, and I told her that it had not. She, of course, asked why it had not been done. I told her that, as much as we were able to determine with lots of backtracking, there was dropped communication between parties in the hospital regarding the fact that our insurance would pay for the analysis, and that my placental tissue was ultimately never sent out from the lab. She sounded stunned by this information.<br />
<br />
She then went on to say that she was calling my OB office to have them refigure the results of the first trimester screen since they apparently ran the screen with us listed as definitively having a child with Down Syndrome. She stressed that they needed to have accurate screen results, and followed that up with "keep in mind that your blood work is still really abnormal." I told her that she didn't really need to bother with refiguring the results, as we weren't going to do an amnio or CVS, regardless of the new results. I told her that we were going to see them for a level 2 ultrasound at 20 weeks, regardless of the results of the first trimester screen, because of our history and that that had been decided before the first trimester screen was even done. I emphasized that the results of the first trimester screen were not supposed to have even been forwarded to them, since it was a moot point. The conversation went in circles from here for about 5 more minutes before she finally told me that we shouldn't bother doing the first trimester screen in subsequent pregnancies if we weren't planning to do an amnio or other definitive testing to diagnose abnormalities prenatally. <br />
<br />
The whole conversation left me scratching my head and feeling a little disconcerted. I was kind of bothered by her final 'instruction' to not do the first trimester screen in the future if we weren't going to do any further diagnostics. It is our right to do the screen, for whatever reasons we choose to do it. It is our right to decline invasive diagnostic testing based on the results of the screen (which were, apparently, skewed in this particular case) for whatever reason we choose to decline them. It is our right to have a level 2 ultrasound during subsequent pregnancies, based simply on the fact that we have a history of fatal placental insufficiency and IUGR. It is our right to not really care about the refigured results of the screen. Why can't they just leave well enough alone?<br />
<br />
Hoping that the remainder of the pregnancy does not go this way.....Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-16011852788932165892012-02-05T16:30:00.001-05:002012-02-05T16:31:38.543-05:00And Then There Was a Bug....We are happy to announce, providing that all goes as expected between now and July, that we will welcome another baby into our family. My official estimated due date is July 21, but if this baby is anything like Jenna, I expect to welcome it about a week early.<br />
<br />
We have another month to wait to find out if this little bug is a boy or a girl, but my prediction is boy, as much of my early pregnancy 'symptoms' were much different than with both girls. Other than my own illnesses over the last month, the pregnancy itself is going well so far. Although we expected a 'concerning' result, we elected to do the first trimester screen again this time. With Gracie, our predicted probability for Down Syndrome was 1:47, and with Jenna the probability increased to 1:39. Since I am another 2 years older than I was during pregnancy with Jenna, I anticipated that the probability this time would come back around 1:20. I was wrong. Our probability for Down Syndrome with this baby is 1:11 - based on the screen. We will not do an amnio, but we due to our history with Gracie and due to the results of the first trimester screen, we will have level 2 ultrasounds at least at 20 weeks and 30 weeks, with the possibility of additional ultrasounds in between. The biggest concern going into the first ultrasound at 20 weeks is the baby's heart structure, as kiddos with Down Syndrome have a high incidence of structural heart defects. If there are issues with the structure of the heart, we will assume that Bug has Down Syndrome; if there are no issues with the structure of the heart, we won't know for sure until birth.<br />
<br />
In terms of our providers, this pregnancy has been a bit rough. There has been a large change in staff at our OB office. The midwife that we have worked closely with over the last two pregnancies left to go back to school, and the midwife that delivered Jenna left to take a job much closer to home. They were our first and second choice for providers, hands down. A third midwife that we are very familiar with, but didn't work much with, has also left the practice. So, out of the 4 midwives that were there when Jenna was born, only 1 remains. There are two new midwives, and also a new OB/GYN, who we have heard good things about. (There are also a bunch of new, young nurses) We have had 3 appointments so far... the first was with 'our' doctor, the second was with one of the new midwives, and the third was with the new doc. The appointment with our doc, as expected, was fine. The appointment with the new midwife was very, very positive. She took quite a bit of time to review our history and talk with us about our expectations and anticipations for this pregnancy. We got a basic plan laid, and we left feeling really good about things. The appointment with the new doc kind of sucked. She was running 45 minutes behind (at 8:30 in the morning), and was in and out in literally 2 minutes. She <i>very </i>quickly told us the results of the first trimester screen, and when we mentioned that we had dealt with high probabilities before, she quit talking about it aside from saying that we would definitively stick with the plan for the level 2 ultrasound. She listened to Bug's heartbeat (barely long enough to count it) and that was it. We have heard lots of good things about her, so I was really disappointed with that. Hopefully, it was only a matter of trying to get caught up, but still..... I think that we will likely stick with the new midwife that we have already met for most of our care, going with the 'if it's not broken don't fix it' theory. Overall, though, the experience with the providers' office has been much different. When we got pregnant with Jenna, they fell over themselves trying to treat us as well as they possibly could because of our history. Not this time. Not even close. I don't expect them to treat me like I write their paychecks, but it would be nice to not have to repeat for every nurse that checks me in (except for a few of the 'old faithfuls') that we have one live baby and one dead baby. It's in my chart.... in plenty of locations... including the paper that I just filled out at the beginning of this pregnancy, which is in the front of my chart.... <br />
<br />
Aside from that, it's been pretty uneventful so far. First couple rounds of blood are out of the way and the first 24 hour urine collection is underway... Just counting down the days now until we find out if this little bug is a Mister Bug or a Lady Bug.<br />
<br />
Keep reading below for an update on Jenna...Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-46729754257437559102012-02-05T16:05:00.000-05:002012-02-05T16:05:21.956-05:00Catching Up...Almost 17 monthsMan, it's been a looonnggg time since I posted here. I came to the blog today to look up something from my pregnancy with Jenna and almost fell over when I saw that I hadn't posted anything since July. I have been so busy that I haven't really had much time for reading other blogs, and my own have sadly been a bit neglected, but I figured that I better do a little updating here for those that still read and and are not FB friends. <br />
<br />
Jenna is almost 17 months old now! She is a very, very busy girl. It's been so long that it's hard to know what to write, but here is a fun list of facts...<br />
<ul><li>She started walking just a few days after the 11 month mark. It's been all downhill from there! </li>
<li>She has 12 teeth now.</li>
<li>There are a few words that she has used only one or two times (uh-oh, poop, mama, no), and one word that she uses all the time (up), but for the most part, she's not saying a whole lot yet. She is using 11 signs spontaneously, though, which helps quite a bit with knowing what she wants.</li>
<li><span class="st">She loves music and loves to dance.</span></li>
<li><span class="st">Thankfully, she loves to eat.</span></li>
<li><span class="st">She loves bath time and will ask for a bath at random times during the day.</span></li>
</ul><span class="st"> \</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st">Here are a few photos from the last 7 months.... </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">SUMMER TRIP TO LAKE ONTARIO<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqis1RrXqvtDi8otBm2ZZ2EY217KgyXPc64ZaP3PEz9n4Rn6jlpabwAa6XFEEsWT0r2ePc589o_53fhTXNNx1U2JjSRMffraL3BuuS7CGsdb6vOZgM1RFR4Z9c06-rEqdKLzrTVGSeYI/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqis1RrXqvtDi8otBm2ZZ2EY217KgyXPc64ZaP3PEz9n4Rn6jlpabwAa6XFEEsWT0r2ePc589o_53fhTXNNx1U2JjSRMffraL3BuuS7CGsdb6vOZgM1RFR4Z9c06-rEqdKLzrTVGSeYI/s200/IMG_2764.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyukURg6tdTGIiuo_bJyFX95tNH6M2CCoKaGkHgSRsPTzdbC9PUDfpQ2CQLk1-f1xp5DwMeWI2anObgx393_ACNnDaA8dydj4k1VDI3JWDdM4zlPFxtPpLq8tg_fO-owhDCuXpz6gb74/s1600/IMG_9011-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyukURg6tdTGIiuo_bJyFX95tNH6M2CCoKaGkHgSRsPTzdbC9PUDfpQ2CQLk1-f1xp5DwMeWI2anObgx393_ACNnDaA8dydj4k1VDI3JWDdM4zlPFxtPpLq8tg_fO-owhDCuXpz6gb74/s200/IMG_9011-2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5NoZnliMu5IkqbV7ZdNbDVoeooQ7yI8vqtwSXC0sI_bjCEh7ltiVTO7hQvJ8XFp0c40M0uqi6rTeDZzyqeSnbAKwup01KjKByM0xPvWcBr7fdklC9m2PVOQcDec75PRNZrY_Wisj_6U/s1600/IMG_2717.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM5NoZnliMu5IkqbV7ZdNbDVoeooQ7yI8vqtwSXC0sI_bjCEh7ltiVTO7hQvJ8XFp0c40M0uqi6rTeDZzyqeSnbAKwup01KjKByM0xPvWcBr7fdklC9m2PVOQcDec75PRNZrY_Wisj_6U/s200/IMG_2717.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSotep90-MsyR9m6CGtV1iaiJHcV7qT8PYDiPjuYnBi7xGVT7uqOPvp6OCymEZvoCeL3EDibdyp7mAah_vMdc-61PIlx-B0CgENzz4mf5x3s8vmXKpKwMnqzZCytw-8O4IyBlLF5QdVqc/s1600/IMG_8970.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSotep90-MsyR9m6CGtV1iaiJHcV7qT8PYDiPjuYnBi7xGVT7uqOPvp6OCymEZvoCeL3EDibdyp7mAah_vMdc-61PIlx-B0CgENzz4mf5x3s8vmXKpKwMnqzZCytw-8O4IyBlLF5QdVqc/s200/IMG_8970.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> Bath time at the camper :-) <br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b><i><span class="st">FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><br />
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</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ONE-YEAR PHOTO SESSION</span></span></span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtD2fQjXD1sWTzYi6-SlmAqfDXSLkub6WMK137NPXp3vz_vAjQI5c6rNzP5DqalZCrN2gMEwTCM-Xq65lFR0vesn7XcxbJpca_BbQCkkJDkLxoJo4JE-OuNnRyqoPnAqV3gK0deCZA9I/s1600/1110_Jenna1yr_052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtD2fQjXD1sWTzYi6-SlmAqfDXSLkub6WMK137NPXp3vz_vAjQI5c6rNzP5DqalZCrN2gMEwTCM-Xq65lFR0vesn7XcxbJpca_BbQCkkJDkLxoJo4JE-OuNnRyqoPnAqV3gK0deCZA9I/s200/1110_Jenna1yr_052.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgC5Jc-Uof8VxogU6ifGu093AxA2WGmmPx0hkrD-0d02iu2kAHQH30V2si_RWGIHILWbF-Qx6NC5Cgu7bp2ZPr-eKP8ObjehHAe4cqe7kj1snUcMjQAob_s94w_odPnp0206H_4jSk4qA/s1600/1110_Jenna1yr_059-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgC5Jc-Uof8VxogU6ifGu093AxA2WGmmPx0hkrD-0d02iu2kAHQH30V2si_RWGIHILWbF-Qx6NC5Cgu7bp2ZPr-eKP8ObjehHAe4cqe7kj1snUcMjQAob_s94w_odPnp0206H_4jSk4qA/s200/1110_Jenna1yr_059-2.jpg" width="132" /></a></div> <br />
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</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b>PICKING OUR PUMPKINS</b></i></span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQH_Rl1Nu9W8IH6Wu48_QIOkWUdyknEBo8e-Owa8Q9pwYZnz80g9ko1mFIjNIgR-5jISJpr14KCL6oVR70woIwS3hyO7utvipwt8OL4hhP78Gw77Hmmtm4cH-PQecGa-oP4vhfq9i4iQ/s1600/IMG_3328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQH_Rl1Nu9W8IH6Wu48_QIOkWUdyknEBo8e-Owa8Q9pwYZnz80g9ko1mFIjNIgR-5jISJpr14KCL6oVR70woIwS3hyO7utvipwt8OL4hhP78Gw77Hmmtm4cH-PQecGa-oP4vhfq9i4iQ/s200/IMG_3328.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBt8Fs1vK-LaGlak1HR8i80SOqNJkFMfSjPgxw9Z4HhJ88I9-hoJVA2d_bO92M_-I9RI5WGykka0ZMaJJmFTlEwzo4WYTW-t5ifz7mUd6LF6yMl50pY1Fw_ZauoXtqxQAxIV8LPdjno9o/s1600/IMG_3343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBt8Fs1vK-LaGlak1HR8i80SOqNJkFMfSjPgxw9Z4HhJ88I9-hoJVA2d_bO92M_-I9RI5WGykka0ZMaJJmFTlEwzo4WYTW-t5ifz7mUd6LF6yMl50pY1Fw_ZauoXtqxQAxIV8LPdjno9o/s200/IMG_3343.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">OCTOBER FAMILY REUNION</span></span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKFbRzDz_texUsyM6rqqsfmUcOEULNOOTeo-PVz49zdkMibaHiEADUzgyhqYuc-P0GEujdEv5b4hmHBjqU7y496Lst4LYCBsx7idXJJU8Pw8QtrjCfmArErh_Zl7NlagZU3Ln5U081uo/s1600/IMG_3125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKFbRzDz_texUsyM6rqqsfmUcOEULNOOTeo-PVz49zdkMibaHiEADUzgyhqYuc-P0GEujdEv5b4hmHBjqU7y496Lst4LYCBsx7idXJJU8Pw8QtrjCfmArErh_Zl7NlagZU3Ln5U081uo/s200/IMG_3125.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SyORHY1tKaSVkd75eSTN19CAf4NM8jW6cw4_H4s49NR4F8x4mtSgSlLCD-YCUrEzqITDyxz-bz92i8hsmSBEeq1J23exLaADzTRq1FKY0lO_ebqtGpWwprzTVD1pPjQKNKIMsvDpJ7E/s1600/jenna+and+lila.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SyORHY1tKaSVkd75eSTN19CAf4NM8jW6cw4_H4s49NR4F8x4mtSgSlLCD-YCUrEzqITDyxz-bz92i8hsmSBEeq1J23exLaADzTRq1FKY0lO_ebqtGpWwprzTVD1pPjQKNKIMsvDpJ7E/s200/jenna+and+lila.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jenna and her cousin Lila, who is 18 hours younger</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kZYRdZOdkr_o29M92XpzFZsMhiS2AjEbFaig-Cjtwy7WNR0f2WQ6uIMTGnTowAkOtUREp4-v9Vro5G2T_ps04IjmqKzOSljkMlJdZm2WD_bGQbOXqeatI4X-v5kib2haXPL9c6Cog70/s1600/susan+and+jenna+in+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2kZYRdZOdkr_o29M92XpzFZsMhiS2AjEbFaig-Cjtwy7WNR0f2WQ6uIMTGnTowAkOtUREp4-v9Vro5G2T_ps04IjmqKzOSljkMlJdZm2WD_bGQbOXqeatI4X-v5kib2haXPL9c6Cog70/s200/susan+and+jenna+in+water.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Testing the water in the lake</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b>OCTOBER SNOW!!!</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy46jdcasnVq2nymGEsbZqpBD3_qtMruFhhIYo_xDsw89wdPn8vKFHeSFIvD0PGDcwtk759_sbGuAGuKUk-PNwIDtWmQwHIRbSzBQMzqZvQVa4DzXWgUTqnswBpES0VPjJPLXXa3wnXQ/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmy46jdcasnVq2nymGEsbZqpBD3_qtMruFhhIYo_xDsw89wdPn8vKFHeSFIvD0PGDcwtk759_sbGuAGuKUk-PNwIDtWmQwHIRbSzBQMzqZvQVa4DzXWgUTqnswBpES0VPjJPLXXa3wnXQ/s200/IMG_3291.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">HELPING AROUND THE HOUSE</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYBATVdoHHxOOkfQV4PS01kkmAcYtRpLbAd6j1EmNfte9Nfj6CFgSuvKLi1U0P5khCG8ujjpfFLj6qUPkFhyKOsvR33lC0GNAYzTTE1OrOCFaepMK8GfT-i37NZnXkFNskzQXEgh4m5M/s1600/IMG_3565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYBATVdoHHxOOkfQV4PS01kkmAcYtRpLbAd6j1EmNfte9Nfj6CFgSuvKLi1U0P5khCG8ujjpfFLj6qUPkFhyKOsvR33lC0GNAYzTTE1OrOCFaepMK8GfT-i37NZnXkFNskzQXEgh4m5M/s200/IMG_3565.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><em></em></span><i><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b>CHRISTMAS!!!</b></i></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbv0XH5HxD_XVRtUDlH_KHp4mT8_yjDDdBgud-wjqPhnwr2XDTxObPZdPt3ZcmuJHlcXxiUpUAvXU0WZJa27KG-ME-fSTZW9_pFrk5_CRCgS3eA5kUVISZXoCLvJBwHBNaSDyQNCDRHY/s1600/IMG_3725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbv0XH5HxD_XVRtUDlH_KHp4mT8_yjDDdBgud-wjqPhnwr2XDTxObPZdPt3ZcmuJHlcXxiUpUAvXU0WZJa27KG-ME-fSTZW9_pFrk5_CRCgS3eA5kUVISZXoCLvJBwHBNaSDyQNCDRHY/s200/IMG_3725.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Twz6bMGhLa7MOc7dGrhMiZ_P6lAHsueYAr4r_2NmcAb8F3FENzfiViwfMZNmrl4fbs1wYXMaqPfoAGeenzzHpoNX-JRKxsDz5RrbHmnBN9FUNV6YAl0jGmR9E1L0ny3AixAOds4FV9Q/s1600/DSCF8524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Twz6bMGhLa7MOc7dGrhMiZ_P6lAHsueYAr4r_2NmcAb8F3FENzfiViwfMZNmrl4fbs1wYXMaqPfoAGeenzzHpoNX-JRKxsDz5RrbHmnBN9FUNV6YAl0jGmR9E1L0ny3AixAOds4FV9Q/s200/DSCF8524.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">DOING CPR...</span></span></span></div><span class="st"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jenna accompanied us to CPR certification a couple weeks ago. She watched with much interest for about an hour as we worked with the adult mannequins; when we got out the infants, she quickly stole one and carried it around like a doll. Then she stole a mask, and before we knew it, she had done this all by herself! </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJICFr5skZbo_HKEZvHg2_12cYXIthuA9pDgXO5BEbMoGqqYyvOs_t4pTYbRsKN3ZSZ6yMuIAub6KQvxalxNw6PGcJi0sP_Qvlt6tyTsy1RWT9Pk8GlkqLlNnxZfQhWLNKS6j5Cz3rzk/s1600/CPR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJICFr5skZbo_HKEZvHg2_12cYXIthuA9pDgXO5BEbMoGqqYyvOs_t4pTYbRsKN3ZSZ6yMuIAub6KQvxalxNw6PGcJi0sP_Qvlt6tyTsy1RWT9Pk8GlkqLlNnxZfQhWLNKS6j5Cz3rzk/s200/CPR.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-25294149133358530972011-07-17T22:35:00.000-04:002011-07-17T22:35:13.462-04:0010 Months<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">It has, again, been so long since I have updated here…primarily because of time constraints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a little update on things in our corner of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Congratulations to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13220692586558542268">Christy</a> for the arrival of her beautiful daughter, Olivia! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">June was a busy month and we did quite a bit of weekend traveling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to Washington D.C. to visit my cousin and his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their daughter was due about 3 weeks before Jenna, and was born just 17 short hours after Jenna was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was our first visit since the girls were born, and it was pretty awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so fun to see the girls interact with each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jenna, being every bit her father’s daughter, immediately tried to tackle her cousin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our big outing was a trip to the zoo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girls looked at a few things, but for the most part, it was pretty much still beyond them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty hot, so we didn’t stay more than a couple hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re hoping to try again next fall for their second birthdays, at which point they should be completely wrapped up in everything going on there, and it should be much cooler than it was in June.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2OXglKbuy25PQeaMa-QHdKR87ABRRIbxHIKneLhbuqPweSelxZUwklfUDLGyxmhmiww-Y-nbeXM254p61V34MmX_1lBjGVYz9uW7GIcqn0eFKBMFJdKnOGNDGXVW0HCcAvcjNOCxtSs/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2OXglKbuy25PQeaMa-QHdKR87ABRRIbxHIKneLhbuqPweSelxZUwklfUDLGyxmhmiww-Y-nbeXM254p61V34MmX_1lBjGVYz9uW7GIcqn0eFKBMFJdKnOGNDGXVW0HCcAvcjNOCxtSs/s320/IMG_2178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQGiHIimaMDpdYkXEdt9KT64MxeZq8AVRM6YMhUAmIKYus-P3m2BYj6-b9zLo53Ijrb6yoreh-6sWqNSvpZtFASUVtF8kRsYthN4ntuzm1Vz4cSPM3WKxqFJlOq7kbm4WX2kRFn81hNU/s1600/IMG_2187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlQGiHIimaMDpdYkXEdt9KT64MxeZq8AVRM6YMhUAmIKYus-P3m2BYj6-b9zLo53Ijrb6yoreh-6sWqNSvpZtFASUVtF8kRsYthN4ntuzm1Vz4cSPM3WKxqFJlOq7kbm4WX2kRFn81hNU/s320/IMG_2187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn6ujYIaXV7hSoQ5J5YzzeSBDYTYYg5bZwFoCyg1iya0ZLIEJsJ_S4YqEpE2Lccuu-5wv302EK_kCguvMZCtxx4B0dcck8F1Mem-NeRSP_1QJnSKuFZdPDx9PIohKnsIl1I9W_EVRwU8/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn6ujYIaXV7hSoQ5J5YzzeSBDYTYYg5bZwFoCyg1iya0ZLIEJsJ_S4YqEpE2Lccuu-5wv302EK_kCguvMZCtxx4B0dcck8F1Mem-NeRSP_1QJnSKuFZdPDx9PIohKnsIl1I9W_EVRwU8/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>The following weekend we went to Queens (and spend more time on waiting to cross the G.W. Bridge than I have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i> spent waiting to cross the bridge) for a first birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jenna got to meet a few new friends and was re-introduced to a couple friends that she had already met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UH9uMNww_S8OkLJnuLpedEYGSklR2B5U2LA9QEYzPacB2KKjwXMIugfHdD9K01wPGJJSoyc-hwd0ShHB6YihfLPAyIiyMbSsZthERMmo6A_8L7Is1wnToAA6wKjL4ByAwqavSSZ6j-U/s1600/IMG_2238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UH9uMNww_S8OkLJnuLpedEYGSklR2B5U2LA9QEYzPacB2KKjwXMIugfHdD9K01wPGJJSoyc-hwd0ShHB6YihfLPAyIiyMbSsZthERMmo6A_8L7Is1wnToAA6wKjL4ByAwqavSSZ6j-U/s320/IMG_2238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Outside of these two trips, life is life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things are busy, and Jenna makes herself even busier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has been pulling to stand at the couch for about a month and at all of her floor toys for a couple weeks longer than that, and she finally started crawling about 3 weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now she crawls everywhere and chases the dogs and cats, and she is starting to stand in front of her tall floor toys without support for 5-10 seconds while she manipulates a toy in her hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With her new mobility, we had to set up super fun baby jail in the living room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We leave it open when we can directly supervise her and she moves in and out of it at will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She cruises along the edge and stands at the gate when she’s had enough time in lock-down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure it will only be another week or two before she manages to open the gate (that it took me about 20 minutes to figure out and manage to open).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We still only have 2 teeth, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of more coming any time soon. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally put her baby tub away and are doing baths in the regular tub, which she loves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We go swimming a couple times a week, and she loves it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s even put her face in the water (by herself) a few times and didn’t seem to mind it (nor did she seem to inhale any water!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve added a few more foods, and have started to add a few ounces of regular whole milk (mixed with breast milk) each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a pump issue, as well as a clogged duct, that led to a decrease in my supply a few weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am keeping up a little better now, but I’m still not producing enough on a daily basis to keep up with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our freezer stash is dwindling fast, and she won’t take formula at all, so going with a little bit of whole milk mixed into the breast milk was pretty much our last option without finding a milk donor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, we haven’t had any issues doing this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She's making the cutest noises these days; she has a specific noise that indicates that she sees an animal, and she has started cooing when she sees the birth announcements hanging on the fridge. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All in all, things are great, and it’s so hard to believe that she will be a year old in just two months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some days it feels like she has been here forever, and some days it feels like she was just born yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hoping that all is well with all of you. As always, here are a few more pictures of my happy girl. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-15869414783768220382011-06-01T22:00:00.000-04:002011-06-01T22:00:34.865-04:00A Long Overdue UpdateI've been relatively neglectful of Miss Jenna's space, so it's time for an update.<br />
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Before I update on anything else, I would like to give loving and congratulatory shout outs to a few BLMs who have welcomed their rainbows in recent months. Congratulations to <a href="http://butterfliesforalexandra.blogspot.com/">Maggie</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/manage-followers.g?blogID=8647730545372700763">Ann</a>, <a href="http://lifehasnodressrehearsal.blogspot.com/">Mama G</a>, <a href="http://loridoesmd.blogspot.com/">Lori</a>, <a href="http://www.babydotsdiner.blogspot.com/">Big Love</a>, Jamie, Maria, Katie, <a href="http://lisette-samisblog.blogspot.com/">Lisette</a>, <a href="http://elisendsmebutterflies.blogspot.com/">Amber</a>, <a href="http://missingjuanito.blogspot.com/">Michelle</a>, and <a href="http://www.onlyangelsmakethelist.blogspot.com/">Laura</a> on the arrival of Joshua, Adrian, Kaede, Luke, Allie, Landon, Astraea, Zaylie, Emma, Cailyn, Brisa and Carter. As I type this, <a href="http://michellesrainbowbaby.blogspot.com/">Michelle's</a> rainbow, Carter, is hopefully getting very close to making his appearance. <br />
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I would also like to give a shout out to Lori and her husband, John, for <a href="http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/after-10-years,-couple-gets-pregnant-through-ivf,-ends-tragically,-they-try-again">sharing their story with the world</a> via television. They also did a follow up interview, but I can't find the link for that now. :-(<br />
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Moving on to Miss Jenna, she is growing so fast. She will be 9 months in a couple weeks. I am amazed on a daily basis, and consequently a little more in love with her (if that's even possible!) each day. She's now weighing in right around 20 pounds and she has her two lower front teeth. She is also <i>veeerry </i>slowly getting a little more hair. Each day she explores new toys with absolute fascination. She's been babbling away at/with her toys, the dogs, the cats...basically anything she can talk at. She's sitting up and maintaining her balance for very extended periods. She's pulling to stand at some of her toys and in her crib, and she has finally mastered pushing up into a sitting position from laying down on the floor. No crawling yet, but she's rocking on her hands and knees like someone's paying her to do it!! We occasionally get little bunny hops, so I am sure the crawling isn't far off. For now, she rolls, scoots and pivots from toy to toy. As a result of all the new mobility, we also had to drop the mattress in her crib over the weekend. With standing up in the crib also comes chewing on the crib rails. I'll be honest, I never even gave this a thought before she had teeth; now I'm considering splitting open a pool noodle and putting it over the crib rail to preserve the finish - and to keep scraped off flakes of the finish out of her mouth. <br />
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She is loving her solid foods...especially avocado, blueberries and mango! Much to our surprise, she is not at all digging bananas, though. We have tried everything...freshly mashed, from a jar, masking them with other foods, and everything in between, but she just does <i>not </i>like them. Otherwise, she gets so excited to be in her booster seat and eat!! <br />
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She continues to have the most pleasant and even disposition, but she does occasionally have her moments. Not too long ago we had about a solid week of horrid bedtimes. We tried everything (bed time bath, no bedtime bath, tylenol, gripe water, etc.) to solve the problem, but for the most part we were unsuccessful in our quest and had to just ride the phase out.<br />
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We will be heading to the D.C. area in a couple weeks to visit with my cousin, his wife, and their daughter Lila. Lila's estimated due date was 2.5 weeks ahead of Jenna's, but as it turns out, Jenna was born a mere 18 hours before Lila was born. If Jenna had held out for induction (I am <i>sooo</i> glad that she didn't!), they very likely would have been born on the same day. We haven't seen my cousin and his wife in a couple years, so that means that Jenna and Lila have not yet been properly introduced. I am excited to see how they react to and with each other, and I am so excited to take them to the zoo! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here are a few pictures to close out the update...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbpfpBRWC3DWTwaI-27nkfZpkE8Xe-P5p4J4MbaFsm0kJAx1JFHIi3YCyDAbqFNu2Ce4JEOnv5Lni3SrbgLhusPM4bgzdwYtyWCdW3oBGXJwrzcRIl2rQGK_TLEThnipRF0UX4ynqytA/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBbpfpBRWC3DWTwaI-27nkfZpkE8Xe-P5p4J4MbaFsm0kJAx1JFHIi3YCyDAbqFNu2Ce4JEOnv5Lni3SrbgLhusPM4bgzdwYtyWCdW3oBGXJwrzcRIl2rQGK_TLEThnipRF0UX4ynqytA/s320/IMG_1891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fighting bedtime...like it's her job</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g2n0qhgN_ACuDYdxNvEh882QwpBzt__tXW5WkxIHqJqzimsKScsXTv6b1fLbtBSta-_euC5G1JYpy489DrBmlUbJ7rcPOf45Hv8_d8KTOlkoauwfPjdUuIsLHBM3N-YEXqy83ld8I1I/s1600/IMG_1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g2n0qhgN_ACuDYdxNvEh882QwpBzt__tXW5WkxIHqJqzimsKScsXTv6b1fLbtBSta-_euC5G1JYpy489DrBmlUbJ7rcPOf45Hv8_d8KTOlkoauwfPjdUuIsLHBM3N-YEXqy83ld8I1I/s320/IMG_1978.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just hangin' out</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwrh5mnxCQZsH33yTsEkI76-bCqwf01lS_y2pQi-g8VblHybS0BCv3TyMTX6Ll1TlMM7kVXs04AtbI8UesDzH0wANlXVxHQ2ytz8pnr6lBJwlfpbz2VADtFtr3yesceAKbshaAS5BS6c/s1600/IMG_2009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwrh5mnxCQZsH33yTsEkI76-bCqwf01lS_y2pQi-g8VblHybS0BCv3TyMTX6Ll1TlMM7kVXs04AtbI8UesDzH0wANlXVxHQ2ytz8pnr6lBJwlfpbz2VADtFtr3yesceAKbshaAS5BS6c/s320/IMG_2009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Loving bath time!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFKiDgITfcow2CFeWjys4rf6A3vSO_0DD5zx12HB3Xn_5knlC4WKvAWt8CmZfqt7lN1ItEd6S3401B9ik_4ahol_DGSLfiv7LPdrTpQb7xn2tS-wXyVDNz7zJMb-hG-PRSFY87xBA_xY/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFKiDgITfcow2CFeWjys4rf6A3vSO_0DD5zx12HB3Xn_5knlC4WKvAWt8CmZfqt7lN1ItEd6S3401B9ik_4ahol_DGSLfiv7LPdrTpQb7xn2tS-wXyVDNz7zJMb-hG-PRSFY87xBA_xY/s320/IMG_2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">8 months today! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmSVgeGIt__oqh0qzZot0QthgSdrrtgdSgQaH5L-Oo3CWZOeEl2xXKcBgCkTqBjAYT5ppVCOvEoH_Ig11tDcjsxVJTpu_JunnYXU79-c3NWv32xnetN5IVduzGjLjXURzipleX8FIYuE/s1600/img_+1944-2+png.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmSVgeGIt__oqh0qzZot0QthgSdrrtgdSgQaH5L-Oo3CWZOeEl2xXKcBgCkTqBjAYT5ppVCOvEoH_Ig11tDcjsxVJTpu_JunnYXU79-c3NWv32xnetN5IVduzGjLjXURzipleX8FIYuE/s320/img_+1944-2+png.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">March for Babies!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12bSqbcp8MZ_EG9TMOKNkNoDvgVN00teRIdVNWf3zI9vIejNlrsx4QOWN24WJfNdp4VDVJaMaJ4e1COf-qwvWV5wqEnfOIjqfT_qDsnC7PPL6fbFWSIb8k5fPdcOcd0wvBVZw82BPdh8/s1600/IMG_1907-2+png.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj12bSqbcp8MZ_EG9TMOKNkNoDvgVN00teRIdVNWf3zI9vIejNlrsx4QOWN24WJfNdp4VDVJaMaJ4e1COf-qwvWV5wqEnfOIjqfT_qDsnC7PPL6fbFWSIb8k5fPdcOcd0wvBVZw82BPdh8/s320/IMG_1907-2+png.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All tuckered out from her first Easter dinner at Grammy's</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtCM60ovYz4-s1h-PYtc2OsA7Y-RSYbVIyPXkDKNh8nG80BNMY-aBfWZqC-ZTV209-YXclpwJMlyKPssVIUXBUWuqt-hHEmqgWRLcIfckZvFu5HdxAkVVstXZDX-renL-5L2ms5y2hwo/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtCM60ovYz4-s1h-PYtc2OsA7Y-RSYbVIyPXkDKNh8nG80BNMY-aBfWZqC-ZTV209-YXclpwJMlyKPssVIUXBUWuqt-hHEmqgWRLcIfckZvFu5HdxAkVVstXZDX-renL-5L2ms5y2hwo/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Loves </i>swimming - even more than bath time!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-42534900949643810602011-05-31T14:41:00.001-04:002011-05-31T14:42:56.464-04:00Drowning Doesn't Look Like DrowningFor those who are not FB friends and also do not follow my 'mothering' blog...... please, please, please take a moment to check out <a href="http://discoveringlifesbasics.blogspot.com/2011/05/drowning-doesnt-look-like-drowning.html">this post</a> and the article linked from it if you are a parent to a living child or a care provider for children. It could be the best two minutes you ever spend...Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-42512115283389931432011-04-13T21:00:00.000-04:002011-04-13T21:00:32.112-04:00Love,Time, Silence and Stillness<div style="text-align: center;">I am so in love with this little girl. I mean, how can you not be in love with this face???</div><br />
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Sometimes I just stare at her. For a long time. Over and over again it strikes me that she is becoming a little person....I mean, she is a person....but she is <i>really </i>becoming a little person. Sometimes I cannot believe that I successfully grew her from scratch. Sometimes it's so hard to believe that anything so intricate could have grown and developed in my belly.<br />
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She has had the sweetest disposition since the day she was born, but now she is <i>really </i>beginning to develop personality. Her smile is nothing but contagious and her giggle is hilarious (only because it's so subdued). She is beginning to develop preferences, but more importantly, she is making them known. :-) She's been eating solids for a little over a month now, and she looks forward to (and gets excited about) eating. She knows where she wants to be and she makes every effort she can to get her little body there. <br />
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I look at her and wonder where she is going. I look at her and wonder who and what she will be. Part of me wants to fast forward to find the answers. Part of me wants to freeze time and keep her little forever. And part of me (the smallest part) is happy to know that time will just continue to march on - one day at a time - whether I want it to or not, with each day presenting pieces of the who/what/where/when puzzle. I just hope that I'm around to see the completed picture many years down the road. <br />
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I am slowly learning to find some solace and peace in stillness and silence. For many reading here, silence and stillness are not always what they seem to be; our experiences with silence and stillness have brought unimaginable pain and broken hearts. I am specifically finding peace and solace in the silence and stillness that come with nap time and bed time. There is no experience that compares to loving your baby to sleep. Nothing in the world rivals the feeling I get when I cuddle her to sleep, and then just soak in all the baby love that just oozes from her. I treasure each of these moments in the silence and stillness, especially now, since she has reached the point that there is no rest in her little body when she is awake (which means absolutely no waking cuddle time right now). While there will certainly be lots of cuddles in our future, I know that these particular moments will never come again. <br />
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But there are times that I can't help but expect that the amazing silence and stillness of bedtime will roll right back into the silence and stillness that I first knew. Sometimes I am afraid to love her so much - I think primarily because I am still waiting for the other shoe to fall. So many nights I sit in the midst of that silence and stillness and just rock her until my legs can't rock anymore, just wanting those moments to never end. There are more nights than I would like to admit that, as I rock her, the top of her little head is watered by the tears that fall freely from my face. To be honest, some nights I don't know whether the tears are for the baby who came before her or because of the fears that are always just beneath the surface. I suppose it's also possible that they are just a general release mechanism. <br />
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So frequently when I check on her as she sleeps, I actually <i>expect </i>to find her breathless and cool to the touch... I know that as long as I have the Ang.el C.are monitor turned on while she sleeps, it will not let me down if something were to happen, but still, I am occasionally surprised to find her breathing. I know that it's normal for parents to worry, and that the worry will never end, even when my 'babies' are all grown...but I just sometimes I just feel like there is an unreasonable amount of worry that comes with being a BLM (plus that ridiculous waiting for the other shoe to fall stuff...). <br />
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Like it or not, I am learning to live with the ups and downs of having both a living child and an angel. I am learning to say angel instead of dead baby (primarily so Jenna doesn't go to preschool in a few years talking about the dead baby...) I am learning to live with the memories, the 'what ifs' and the unending shoulda/woulda/coulda beens. I am enjoying every moment of mothering my little live-wire child, and looking forward to a lifetime with her...and the sibling(s) yet to come...Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-26913512242894456222011-03-23T21:50:00.000-04:002011-03-23T21:50:51.401-04:00SIX MONTHSI can't tell you all how happy I am to be writing this particular six month post, as opposed to the six month post that I wrote just over a year ago on Gracie's blog. <br />
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Jenna turned six months last week. She had her six month well child visit today. She now weighs 17 lbs, 12 oz (78%) and is 25.5" long (37%). The doctor summed it up by saying "She's wonderful!" She is now rolling all over the living room if we let her, and she will sit unsupported for 4-6 minutes when she's playing on the floor. She's pushing backwards on her belly, but not yet crawling. <br />
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We had her six month photos session a little early, simply because of scheduling with the photographer. Here are a few samples from her photo shoot. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6uBvvKZQnfYSIR7AZATJnMLnVFH1G0bVo5yIvT0hLUCnwfBzQC9v6cI7m58xm1e1sASqJHTBZVUju1LeBxiuePoEdE8veKh1jxFYbltdN0-0PP6GvyQ13kcJeL-fi7kkfSG5_KfyL_Q/s1600/1103_Jenna_261R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6uBvvKZQnfYSIR7AZATJnMLnVFH1G0bVo5yIvT0hLUCnwfBzQC9v6cI7m58xm1e1sASqJHTBZVUju1LeBxiuePoEdE8veKh1jxFYbltdN0-0PP6GvyQ13kcJeL-fi7kkfSG5_KfyL_Q/s320/1103_Jenna_261R.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-82648742434927302492011-03-14T19:34:00.000-04:002011-03-14T19:34:25.728-04:00An Inspiring StoryIt's not really a rainbow story, but I thought that it was a little better suited on this blog....it's an amazing story about a <a href="http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2011/03/donating-milk-love-and-life-for-clara.html">BLM's experience</a> as part of the Human Milk for Human Babies Global Network.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-30707785291136712192011-02-26T18:34:00.002-05:002011-02-26T18:34:48.914-05:00Cereal!!We gave Jenna her first serving of cereal last night. Here's a little video that we took - pretty boring to everyone but us!!! :-P<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5ca_VcAbagA/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ca_VcAbagA?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ca_VcAbagA?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-46748305468617303602011-02-21T10:34:00.000-05:002011-02-21T10:34:38.007-05:00Out with the old and in with the newIt seems that I skipped over a few thoughts when I did yesterday's post....just blame the mommy brain!!! <br />
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3-6 month clothing out....6-9 and 6-12 month clothing in, about one month 'ahead of schedule'. <br />
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Baltic Amber necklace in. Jenna has been wearing an infant-sized amber necklace for a few weeks now, and I am sold. Prior to wearing the necklace, Jenna constantly had her hands in her mouth so she could chew on her fingers, which I assumed was for soothing of her gums. Since putting the necklace on her, her hands are in her mouth <i>much </i>less. She's still drooling like crazy and chewing on other things as she sees fit, but the hands are spending much less time in her mouth. This means less chapped cheeks and hands!! <br />
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Boobs out. Sadly, I think my boobs are old news for Jenna. Over the last week and a half, she's been sleeping later in the morning, and consequently sleeping through the window that I have to do our morning cuddle/nursing session. Bed time has been going so well that I decided that it wasn't worth disrupting the routine to replace the lost morning nursing session with an evening session. I am now rethinking that decision. Jenna has refused to nurse every time it has been offered to her each of the last 3 days, and has instead screamed until given a bottle of mamma's milk. She's still getting my milk, which I guess is the bottom line, but there's something just a little disconcerting about the fact that she doesn't want it from me anymore...Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-10915623657438558722011-02-20T19:30:00.001-05:002011-02-20T19:34:54.179-05:00The Game Face GrowlThe last couple weeks have been pretty uneventful around here, but the end of this week brought a little bit of excitement and a few noteworthy events.<br />
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Jenna can now put each foot in her mouth! This is big time stuff!! She's been grabbing both feet during diaper changes for a little while now (it sure is nice to have some help with that!), but the mouthing is new in the last few days!!<br />
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Jenna has figured out how to growl. For a couple of months Jeff has been doing "game face" with her, which ends with a growl...so he is thrilled with this development. The only thing left is for him to figure out how to get her to do it on command. (The video is more or less just for the sound effects)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxt9jvy6FQp1MEgDyHqE1PlaV7bsAZ7WH7GKlRsT5URUBkWz7yCnIy0oayOFbG3e-OAzeP2zcuIcsXmqON2ig' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
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We attended the local March for Babies kick-off event last Thursday. It was a neat little event. We were introduced as this year's Ambassador family, and we presented our story to those in attendance. At the end of the night we found out that we were one of the top 5 fund raising teams for last year's local walk. I thought that was kind of neat, but also thought that it was just a little bit sad, since our team raised just over $1500. Hopefully this year's fund raising will go a bit better. <br />
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The last, but certainly not least, item really has nothing to do with Jenna...but it was the most exciting event of the week around here. As I was about 4' from walking out the door to go to work on Thursday morning, a car hit our house. Another 20-30 seconds and I would have watched it happen as I was opening the door. The driver blacked out, drifted across the street, and BAM! He sustained a broken wrist and a likely totaled car. DH, Jenna and I were not hurt, but our house needs a big band-aid. It doesn't look terribly bad from the outside, but the impact pushed the front part of our house about 2" across the foundation, and we have 3 damaged foundation walls...it's going to be a major repair project. :-(<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5YfrvptyFiU_JfKW46YbmLh2Oe4BmKef2KkOJEzoDuFBapynRpNqh_EQqZSFYvPaPErx2BvAs3kN0JTHJlgBMq88oQW64ci1SDMSNJmeg3Zvc7P6hA2GO9XGP33eeuukGOh76Oo7GPk/s1600/IMG_1541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5YfrvptyFiU_JfKW46YbmLh2Oe4BmKef2KkOJEzoDuFBapynRpNqh_EQqZSFYvPaPErx2BvAs3kN0JTHJlgBMq88oQW64ci1SDMSNJmeg3Zvc7P6hA2GO9XGP33eeuukGOh76Oo7GPk/s320/IMG_1541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-75458129839697993012011-02-06T16:11:00.000-05:002011-02-06T16:11:40.245-05:00It's All Over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I believe the match point goes to my daughter...for the next 18-22 years, at least. She has really discovered her voice, and she's not afraid to use it. She has realized that she can squeal, shriek and yell to get our attention in a hurry. And....she is also becoming mobile. She's been rolling over in the crib, and occasionally on her floor gym, but now she's really moving. When I went into the kitchen to get a drink yesterday, she was in the middle of the floor gym on her back; when I came back about 2 minutes later, I found her here... Getting here from where she was when I left the room required at least two rolls and a spin. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmdteQi5EsHITzu8tLbZbPO7pmes4jsbmZqzaZ54MznS3KPbuh3MD0V5scyrUV2RIy0tGqCIwZXwmY_mzbDgzMQi4RGY_Io70nCXkWjzriUuBg-QWoXjMP-7RNukCCbgXeH9IKXpQjjY/s1600/IMG_1493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmdteQi5EsHITzu8tLbZbPO7pmes4jsbmZqzaZ54MznS3KPbuh3MD0V5scyrUV2RIy0tGqCIwZXwmY_mzbDgzMQi4RGY_Io70nCXkWjzriUuBg-QWoXjMP-7RNukCCbgXeH9IKXpQjjY/s320/IMG_1493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Aside from this, there isn't much new in our world. Here are a few new pics taken over the last month or so...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYiNPXwT4J4u_a3jPGGA3MDB0crEye_zJJFKFHtCedi_JpTqTLr68c1U4Lurql4aTxZer0fTJKUy2PmWbdPWyzLk7h49NIdGDdpoK10gDZ6jcSz-SHy2Y4NVuSYUP5DU1f84rmNJgRCo/s1600/IMG_9633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYiNPXwT4J4u_a3jPGGA3MDB0crEye_zJJFKFHtCedi_JpTqTLr68c1U4Lurql4aTxZer0fTJKUy2PmWbdPWyzLk7h49NIdGDdpoK10gDZ6jcSz-SHy2Y4NVuSYUP5DU1f84rmNJgRCo/s320/IMG_9633.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFU65LBjya6IVtdXFU5EapWpNHJ9qI32h3Fcp0sCw2hgB5VZuJZM-PXFcwZm8FYaMHEP-mfcefZ0WQSxO9Y12CcJE2IY5ZY43_wixE0YGkGn6kKt1w5zGQF3o983TNYVyoOeHGE1wFE8/s1600/IMG_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFU65LBjya6IVtdXFU5EapWpNHJ9qI32h3Fcp0sCw2hgB5VZuJZM-PXFcwZm8FYaMHEP-mfcefZ0WQSxO9Y12CcJE2IY5ZY43_wixE0YGkGn6kKt1w5zGQF3o983TNYVyoOeHGE1wFE8/s320/IMG_1495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Morgan loves the floor gym!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And, for size comparison....</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho91AUg5SiGH5esMA7XQXgkhtrhO_kwl8AMa0_YkM9O2JryAa513fDKU1dX-l3Ng_JRrKbASe3fhVm3jvVKQHWenHnJRCt8sV-4sLq8MM9gRzE3sHAu5dFDXoVjF07GhhmuFx8lqX7i9Y/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho91AUg5SiGH5esMA7XQXgkhtrhO_kwl8AMa0_YkM9O2JryAa513fDKU1dX-l3Ng_JRrKbASe3fhVm3jvVKQHWenHnJRCt8sV-4sLq8MM9gRzE3sHAu5dFDXoVjF07GhhmuFx8lqX7i9Y/s200/IMG_0904.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGalFBrY5t1F2th-ct6XtajEwcZr2ETDlht43maVv0V5-rF77rPxDfPqM7j5fj4WZdpfK0F9qh9mT9M7DMb3m3XsojSaSHwLK9F8GQm7n_5VRrhZxcxwTI9XDRFyx7qIt1AGJWdegK2I/s1600/IMG_9680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGalFBrY5t1F2th-ct6XtajEwcZr2ETDlht43maVv0V5-rF77rPxDfPqM7j5fj4WZdpfK0F9qh9mT9M7DMb3m3XsojSaSHwLK9F8GQm7n_5VRrhZxcxwTI9XDRFyx7qIt1AGJWdegK2I/s200/IMG_9680.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> take on 9/21 (6 days old) taken 1/31/11 (4.5 months)<br />
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</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-64056889457698538292011-01-26T20:37:00.004-05:002011-01-26T20:52:56.126-05:00Surreality and a Little UpdateEvery once in a while, it smacks me in the face. Jenna is real. She is here and she is real. Most of the time it feels like she has been with us forever, but some days it feels like she just got here. Sometimes it's just so surreal...I went through 39 weeks of pregnancy and brought a baby home this time. A real, living, breathing, smiling baby. And she is mine. <br />
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Thanks to those of you who commented here or on FB in response to my post about sleep deprivation. I am happy to report that we started pushing a new sleep schedule the night that I last posted here. I am mean...I enforced two days of limited daytime sleeping, especially deep (coma-like) sleeping, so she would be tired at bedtime. We have started a bedtime routine at a set time every night for the last 10 nights; every night but one she has been asleep within 1 hour of start time, sometimes as quick as 15 minutes. We have had 3 or 4 nights of sleeping straight through for a minimum of 6 hours, and the rest of the nights (except one) she has been up only once to eat during a period of 8-10 hours...and then right back to sleep! As a result, mama and daddy are much happier campers!! Jenna seems to be a much happier camper, too. Instead of waking up screaming in the morning, she babbles to herself for about 20 minutes and saves the screaming for when she feels like we are ignoring her. But seriously, there is nothing better than being greeted, even in the wee hours of the morning, but a smiling baby. The only challenge that remains is getting daddy to stick to the routine...he's not a big fan of routine and consistency, even when it's proven to work.<br />
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Jenna had her 4 month check-up on Monday the 17th. She weighed 15 lbs, 3 oz, which puts her in the 80th percentile for weight. She was 24" long, which puts her in the 39th percentile for length/height. I think they shorted her a little bit on height, though, because she was pretty wiggly on the scale. She got a few vaccinations, and we were on our way. No visible sign of teeth yet, but she is definitely chewing on stuff. Her favorites are toy links and Take-A-Long Taggies toy. And I love listening as she develops her voice. It's amazing. :-)<br />
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She is still a really easy baby, all things considered, and I am loving every minute with her!!! <br />
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In other rainbow baby business, I want to address moving toward the light. No, not <i>that </i>light. A different light. The rainbow light at the end of the loss tunnel.<br />
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I wasn't really sure where to post this, but since it really revolves around rainbow babies, I figured that it was most appropriate to post here. So many of my BLM friends - some bloggers, some not - are either expecting or at home with brand new rainbows, and so many seem to be struggling with the normal emotions that go with a rainbow pregnancy. It seems to be especially hard on those who, like me, lost their first baby. I have tried to offer love and support to each of these friends, and in a couple of instances, I have suggested that the light at the end of the tunnel was getting closer and brighter with each passing day. In the process of using that phrasing, I think I offended at least one expectant BLM. <br />
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I would like to take one moment to clarify my thinking and rationale in trying to stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. We certainly all grieve differently, and have different experiences in our grieving processes. Likewise, we all have different rainbow experiences; perhaps (emotionally) I had a much easier rainbow experience than others. I don't know. Most of the time I feel like my grief with Graice has been like a train on an endless set of railroad tracks. It keeps moving and moving and moving, uninterrupted by stop signs, traffic jams, etc. Sometimes it speeds up and sometimes it slows down, but it keeps moving, nonetheless. It goes over rivers, around mountains and sometimes even through mountain in <i>very long, dark </i>tunnels. I spent a lot of time in the tunnel in the months after Gracie's death. The closer we got to Jenna's due date, the more petrified I got that things were going to go wrong; but I tried with every fiber of my being to stay focused on the light at the end of my tunnel. That light was Jenna. As afraid as I was that something would happen, I knew the only way for me to get through the pregnancy without losing my mind was to stay focused on that light. Each day, it got a little closer and a little brighter...until suddenly, she was here and I was no longer in the tunnel. My grief for Gracie will never disappear, and Jenna will never replace what I have lost In fact, for the rest of my life I will have very regular thoughts about all of the things that we missed with Gracie. That will be evidence of the fact that the train is still move along those unending tracks, which it will do every day for the rest of my life. I am sure that there are more tunnels ahead of me, but I hope that most of my travel is through light instead of darkness as I treasure and enjoy Gracie's younger sibling(s) until the day I am reunited with my beautiful first born. <br />
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Not sure if any of that makes sense, but there it is. <br />
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In other news, I am having fun with my new blog. I haven't posted terribly much yet, but I am hoping to get 1-2 posts a week, even if they are just recipes to share!! Much love to you all, and wishing you all a good rest of the week.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-9445916308909005402011-01-16T15:57:00.000-05:002011-01-16T15:57:03.362-05:00Sleep ExhaustionI am losing the battle...in a bad, bad way. My body is starting to revolt, and I am seriously afraid that my immune system will soon be starting a picket line. Jenna is a great sleeper. She will sleep 6-10 hours at a pop with one or two brief waking periods to eat, but she is on Daddy's schedule and doesn't want to go to bed until between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. every night. She's not fussy when she's awake...she's just awake and wants to hang out. This would not be problematic except that 2-4 nights out of the week my husband works until between midnight and 3 a.m., which leaves me on my own to hang out with Jenna. Not a problem except that I need to get up for work at 6 a.m. and I generally work 10 hour days Monday through Thursday and 7 hours on Fridays. <br />
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I discovered a few years ago (accidentally) that I am generally a 9-10 hour sleeper. I certainly don't expect to get nearly that much sleep now!!! But I do need more than 3 hours a night. We have tried everything to realign her sleep patterns, and we are slowly working backwards. We are now getting her down between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. <i>some </i>nights. <br />
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So...I must ask those of you with experience...any suggestions for getting her down and keeping her down earlier than she has become accustomed? Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-1605565263946928562011-01-09T00:58:00.005-05:002011-01-29T11:37:23.659-05:00An Eventful MonthIt's been about a month since I have had a <i>real </i>post here, and the last month has been so eventful!!<br />
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Fellow BLMs welcomed rainbow babies!! Congratulations go out to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12242121580531942102">Dawn</a>, <a href="http://hopingforahappyfamilyafterloss.blogspot.com/">Jessica</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/14147665316890835738">Katy</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/15474835486480023516">Malory</a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17642448774381902245">Lareina</a>, <a href="http://heathermohr.wordpress.com/">Heather</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/04019133323008048190">Andrea</a> for the arrival of Maddox, Joshua, Ellie, J.D., Declan, Liam and Lauren!!!!<br />
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My last <i>real </i>post referenced the Shu.tte.rfly free Christmas card opportunity. The experience was just that...an experience. I did eventually get my 50 free cards, but in the long run the cards I got were different than I anticipated when I posted. I was a little disgruntled at first, but once I had them in my hands, I did like them! Here is what we finally ended up with...<br />
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And then there is Jenna, the cutest baby on the block. :-) I am sure that all mothers go through the standard sense of awe as they watch their 'first' child grow and develop, and I am certainly no exception. (Of course, she is not my first, but you all know what I mean.) It amazes me that I can see changes in her development on a daily basis, especially over the last 2-3 weeks. The last three weeks have been marked by heavy chewing on her fingers, with some increase in drooling, so I am sure that teeth are not too far off. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the week between Christmas and New Year she started reaching and grasping with purpose and intent, especially at things placed in front of her on the swing tray. New Year's Eve day was a busy, busy day for her. She rolled over from her belly to her back without any help...and the worst part is that no one saw her do it. Later that day she moved a soft toy from the tray of her swing to her mouth. We had to put the crib bumper on this week, because we kept finding her with her feet and legs sticking through the slats on the side of the crib. I didn't take a picture of her last night (well, at 3:30 this morning) when I put her to bed, because there was no reason to take a picture. But....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">....she was in this position when I put her to bed...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWj-aSx1dcxed2OWVrb-rVn1jzcgUzsO910bVVYrbR_quRQezzqgbInd4tVQGSnrkE9fuAeTj-sGh9-NbFPbJJI3zloJebJa-Y1fxghaQ8gfkZPPgm-g47CPHA8GY-Cx6PMqSyWPcn0/s1600/IMG_9333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWj-aSx1dcxed2OWVrb-rVn1jzcgUzsO910bVVYrbR_quRQezzqgbInd4tVQGSnrkE9fuAeTj-sGh9-NbFPbJJI3zloJebJa-Y1fxghaQ8gfkZPPgm-g47CPHA8GY-Cx6PMqSyWPcn0/s320/IMG_9333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWj-aSx1dcxed2OWVrb-rVn1jzcgUzsO910bVVYrbR_quRQezzqgbInd4tVQGSnrkE9fuAeTj-sGh9-NbFPbJJI3zloJebJa-Y1fxghaQ8gfkZPPgm-g47CPHA8GY-Cx6PMqSyWPcn0/s1600/IMG_9333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>...and this is what I found when I went in to get her up this morning...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArxm7H40fK8a930dBcPc7ChFmZx6TWjdMzDj3MGH0C8x8UTtdL7FR9S-vHuWalGFZ1SQgQxDwvI4NODwwbRHXXVNK4xRORjmpAGl-FhgO2_LSMmooJYLiw57G936ceytzyHw_lNw0WTs/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArxm7H40fK8a930dBcPc7ChFmZx6TWjdMzDj3MGH0C8x8UTtdL7FR9S-vHuWalGFZ1SQgQxDwvI4NODwwbRHXXVNK4xRORjmpAGl-FhgO2_LSMmooJYLiw57G936ceytzyHw_lNw0WTs/s320/IMG_1388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The constant development is amazing to me, despite the fact that I'm a pediatric physical therapist, and I'm used to seeing kids make motor progress. The things that she does today leave me wondering what new things she will do tomorrow. They leave me wanting to make time stop so I can stay in this time and place forever. Oh, how quickly the days seems to slip past already!! I can only hope that I will be as attentive to the accomplishments of the rest of our kids as I am to Jenna's. <br />
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Jenna got to meet quite a few new people in the week before/of Christmas. When we were pregnant with Gracie, we attended Bra.dley birthing classes with 4 other couples. Since Gracie's birth, the group has gotten together for two mini reunions. For the first reunion, there were 5 couples and only 4 babies; it kind of sucked. We got together again the weekend before Christmas (one couple had a sick kiddo and didn't attend) and everyone had a baby this time. :-) Here is a picture. <br />
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During the same weekend Jenna met some of Jeff's cousins and their little tykes. This family gathering is always a good time, and you never go away hungry. Sadly, there will always be a black cloud for me (at least a little one) during these gatherings. The little guy on the right in the picture below was born on my birthday last year, just 2 months and 3 days before Gracie died. So instead of Jenna meeting her cute little blonde cousins, it should be three little blondies tearing around the room...including Gracie. But it is what it is...a little bittersweet sometimes. Sigh. But next year Jenna will be tearing the place up! :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzX1EObzczf63EklkqbfeIEuHv6zLAp715nOtgBIKdh9qq7r3bOg-nejf7-aANbtuIOFEZThCtj21iBWxaDRIOtFXutnKl_IvTJwwig6C6iwmEL13joZcaEPXti5VBobj8efUDf8GYO0/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzX1EObzczf63EklkqbfeIEuHv6zLAp715nOtgBIKdh9qq7r3bOg-nejf7-aANbtuIOFEZThCtj21iBWxaDRIOtFXutnKl_IvTJwwig6C6iwmEL13joZcaEPXti5VBobj8efUDf8GYO0/s320/IMG_1191.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Jenna finally got to meet her cousin, Trevor, who was home from Naval training in Texas for 5 days. He graduated from basic training two days after she was born, and he went to Texas for A-school immediately after basic graduation, so he had not seen her except for pictures. It was a good meeting, and it was love at first sight...at least it was for Trevor. :-)<br />
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My sister was home for a 3.5 week holiday break from her Peace Corps duties in Namibia. Although the visit was a bit bumpy, I am so glad that she got to meet Jenna. <br />
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A few days before Christmas, Jenna, Aunt Nikki and I ventured to the mall to do a little last minute shopping and to meet Santa. Jenna did so well with Santa! She didn't smile for the camera, but she didn't cry, either. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTtpKO_mW5zwq7TMWwAgfbv3jx2XRC8SQ0quc0Wo5C5R7Rns795ETmHBEEovg52U0Maq4L3p37JRUw3SZeiymYKbL1eEIhUtL_eLLvNxxBSysiuOTKxd69oMI5f8ybZju8b3B2OgZwNw/s1600/Jenna+and+Santa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTtpKO_mW5zwq7TMWwAgfbv3jx2XRC8SQ0quc0Wo5C5R7Rns795ETmHBEEovg52U0Maq4L3p37JRUw3SZeiymYKbL1eEIhUtL_eLLvNxxBSysiuOTKxd69oMI5f8ybZju8b3B2OgZwNw/s320/Jenna+and+Santa.JPG" width="289" /></a></div><br />
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Christmas itself was relatively uneventful. Jenna is still just a bit too little to take much interest in the paper or bows or the tree, but she certainly was the center of a lot of attention. Last year, we decided that we would get at least 1 or 2 new 'Gracie' ornaments for the tree, and it looks like we have unofficially started on the same path for Jenna.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfYEgaUViVAaafa395gLSI0pjKko1XHoszGx_zkRu6tqU4qQ-VT_WMzb2uTcyjNvSW6qn3BV1wgpEjibNPtaTyPErmh2rblNScUhXZMapOYi60cc8T1nrm-cd_mnloP2BCiWW6joIFL0/s1600/IMG_9366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfYEgaUViVAaafa395gLSI0pjKko1XHoszGx_zkRu6tqU4qQ-VT_WMzb2uTcyjNvSW6qn3BV1wgpEjibNPtaTyPErmh2rblNScUhXZMapOYi60cc8T1nrm-cd_mnloP2BCiWW6joIFL0/s320/IMG_9366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The first ornament that I bought for her.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo3lcUmDOzgz2k0XXiC-rNlF0QHg_xb-gNVK_xDEhpriU28rDR9uhglUVnOLKWzpo-GjCkRjqnd6rjjKZfhenj5qD0sjzG-5lhaWpd7sj_96b0mLCfICiKojsorllvT1WzYYLuAeXpVE/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo3lcUmDOzgz2k0XXiC-rNlF0QHg_xb-gNVK_xDEhpriU28rDR9uhglUVnOLKWzpo-GjCkRjqnd6rjjKZfhenj5qD0sjzG-5lhaWpd7sj_96b0mLCfICiKojsorllvT1WzYYLuAeXpVE/s320/IMG_1328.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My dad painted this ornament. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoQNV8o841Te8xMGEAC5fz-q6_ZkjiSvTEiG9_GyCORsQn4vsAJxZnpeLgDDFXEHm2I3aBU7EKdOEUt0f4qOjs0G9vzkn827mjKn-Ju8JVKCbGQxBn6um3mcRjWmr_RAN6loQjPohnaU/s1600/IMG_9367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoQNV8o841Te8xMGEAC5fz-q6_ZkjiSvTEiG9_GyCORsQn4vsAJxZnpeLgDDFXEHm2I3aBU7EKdOEUt0f4qOjs0G9vzkn827mjKn-Ju8JVKCbGQxBn6um3mcRjWmr_RAN6loQjPohnaU/s320/IMG_9367.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We got one for Gracie last year, and this will be the 'matching' ornament that each of our kids will get. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1xa4w1WBBQ4qUvkoscFURHl-Uwqmofku7fErz0y4vVKlC0p-U-XYO_HtyvLg2OmojPpOxhFcIpoQLpVF2nBlMW3u7b8Wf-ZbCgPNWCG69r1FEPil_m4x5fkeUcMCVYnyBbeF-SaN3EY/s1600/IMG_9369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1xa4w1WBBQ4qUvkoscFURHl-Uwqmofku7fErz0y4vVKlC0p-U-XYO_HtyvLg2OmojPpOxhFcIpoQLpVF2nBlMW3u7b8Wf-ZbCgPNWCG69r1FEPil_m4x5fkeUcMCVYnyBbeF-SaN3EY/s320/IMG_9369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">From Jeff's parents </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6UJtLsMn1k_BQFGrCbx1HWtyxStt-Ie8sHojnKeC9OJIVptwoNrOxdrXP4MoCaTPZ55P_PPkH3ZoQCL48ZyehQ0ItlMADJn1HidjV3E-xybxheU3TlvgHEqCOssY6_OAapx-Yi8ilAM/s1600/IMG_9371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6UJtLsMn1k_BQFGrCbx1HWtyxStt-Ie8sHojnKeC9OJIVptwoNrOxdrXP4MoCaTPZ55P_PPkH3ZoQCL48ZyehQ0ItlMADJn1HidjV3E-xybxheU3TlvgHEqCOssY6_OAapx-Yi8ilAM/s320/IMG_9371.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I picked this out because of the star in the middle of the wreath that says 'Hope'. She certainly was our hope for 2010.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaqtIpFsVgBhQPMIPfPDJ_b1cTr75OjOoFWp2mYvj9gQCpEcjnJFbkRHq3p-uKNnnjcFLoZtf6rW0MEVpHOWP8LVw8oOXN6pJdEBi8o_JEj8lf59g1r5U045pYdeuU0k2dSovPSoWPV4/s1600/IMG_1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEaqtIpFsVgBhQPMIPfPDJ_b1cTr75OjOoFWp2mYvj9gQCpEcjnJFbkRHq3p-uKNnnjcFLoZtf6rW0MEVpHOWP8LVw8oOXN6pJdEBi8o_JEj8lf59g1r5U045pYdeuU0k2dSovPSoWPV4/s320/IMG_1237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">From Jenna's Tuesday babysitter </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHO-MG_Lz5ukFzpSSsL4bXOftuRgx_2yEFyICusc-LRcdf7c8r6V60i44tcFOe3q89b3DUIPczZl2_OrGIDmNSl4F4Ly1OR3uDKYqcLDFgOyD3OqCh6dHBbzM5-QkDqhVXzvgmIM1xHmQ/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHO-MG_Lz5ukFzpSSsL4bXOftuRgx_2yEFyICusc-LRcdf7c8r6V60i44tcFOe3q89b3DUIPczZl2_OrGIDmNSl4F4Ly1OR3uDKYqcLDFgOyD3OqCh6dHBbzM5-QkDqhVXzvgmIM1xHmQ/s320/IMG_1242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">From my aunt and uncle </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDyCECZ0QW8KOXDoCr9ZFMUhWDHwT-0BeIYz5szHci-jxTZZeNmE-UPRxgj45z0QFJg39EWfYfNHyFNn5WOkvGkim-w-vxhlttR7V9uKAdhEaTw0SN_SYgfMf80kM6Rcfqw3xUGq-Ejs/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDyCECZ0QW8KOXDoCr9ZFMUhWDHwT-0BeIYz5szHci-jxTZZeNmE-UPRxgj45z0QFJg39EWfYfNHyFNn5WOkvGkim-w-vxhlttR7V9uKAdhEaTw0SN_SYgfMf80kM6Rcfqw3xUGq-Ejs/s320/IMG_1258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">From one of our good friends </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUJHhclza4O5sFZ6ImiPG5xgn6_LukGcEpiOhylpkzZfJf4pPCnxKXo-F12Pk2jf1XHgWmAeha12k5445uSaFj3xMR9pM4Vc1rfXaFOHPBBvaRlSisvQKRB3_q1aUpeyWw2oswP-1gqY/s1600/IMG_1262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUJHhclza4O5sFZ6ImiPG5xgn6_LukGcEpiOhylpkzZfJf4pPCnxKXo-F12Pk2jf1XHgWmAeha12k5445uSaFj3xMR9pM4Vc1rfXaFOHPBBvaRlSisvQKRB3_q1aUpeyWw2oswP-1gqY/s320/IMG_1262.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I got one of these for each of the girls when we went to see Santa</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, she received lots of wonderful gifts from family and friends. One of the best gifts this year was her I Spy quilt that my sister made before she went to Namibia, expecting that there would be another baby before she came home from her assignment. I can't wait until Jenna gets a little bigger so we can spread the quilt out on the bed and play baby I Spy (minus the cats, of course - they're like vultures!)!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZGLi-PE4csEsB9VfYu2sh1aDnX08Gvmy3gTkmamHOENil4RNB3RPU_Ir9VpcB1Xl-qIqEqwnBQxBS2akcoYfN5-7Xmc1ihV4kEkW-PirlaaUh0yuz_3EQWyJGbsfbMYflO-87aE714k/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ZGLi-PE4csEsB9VfYu2sh1aDnX08Gvmy3gTkmamHOENil4RNB3RPU_Ir9VpcB1Xl-qIqEqwnBQxBS2akcoYfN5-7Xmc1ihV4kEkW-PirlaaUh0yuz_3EQWyJGbsfbMYflO-87aE714k/s320/IMG_1376.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Last, but not least, I took a few posed Christmas pics of our little star...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwaX7njf3EVr3TX6mEV5xc6mKggu96jVIeqyl6h6rX58PAWTJPj_LWthFEJMe5Su7E461NC85srVf-cCvGI_kfBoZJ9rloJBzBwqOYDUPH0OTB5EfmvBcgoMYjTaXODlbnI55EqeyiHw/s1600/IMG_9270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwaX7njf3EVr3TX6mEV5xc6mKggu96jVIeqyl6h6rX58PAWTJPj_LWthFEJMe5Su7E461NC85srVf-cCvGI_kfBoZJ9rloJBzBwqOYDUPH0OTB5EfmvBcgoMYjTaXODlbnI55EqeyiHw/s320/IMG_9270.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">She just would not look at me... </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxanzDlQxwCmUpzI7Gj6FmaZZN9C8gNsCl1jjsFV-CdNpR0Zx1JzjqIxRUnXeH8xr2GLK3yyjND-fiQO0gg1VC9Yu9JLlBrTZx21_TKN4WQ2v5EupIiatXj0qByHQp0sTpSk_h5_DCo1Q/s1600/IMG_9302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxanzDlQxwCmUpzI7Gj6FmaZZN9C8gNsCl1jjsFV-CdNpR0Zx1JzjqIxRUnXeH8xr2GLK3yyjND-fiQO0gg1VC9Yu9JLlBrTZx21_TKN4WQ2v5EupIiatXj0qByHQp0sTpSk_h5_DCo1Q/s320/IMG_9302.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">She's not as chunky as she looks here...really. :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I guess that's enough for now. :-) To read more about going green and semi-crunchy parenting stuff, check out my <a href="http://discoveringlifesbasics.blogspot.com/">new blog</a>. </div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-29125651265389128312010-12-27T17:54:00.002-05:002010-12-27T17:54:40.559-05:00New BlogIn an attempt to keep Gracie's blog space dedicated to Gracie and Jenna's blog space dedicated to Jenna, I have set up a new blog. I will use the new blog to post about things like cloth diapering, nursing, homemade baby food, cooking and recipes, natural childbirth, general fitness and nutrition, and other topics related to raising baby (and toddler and preschooler as I get to those stages). While it certainly will not appeal to all, I know that I have some followers who are interested in similar subjects.... For those who are interested, my new blog can be found <a href="http://discoveringlifesbasics.blogspot.com/">here</a>. Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-36115506828004651812010-12-09T22:06:00.001-05:002010-12-09T22:07:20.807-05:00We Believe in Miracles and Magic...I posted over on Gracie's blog about Shutterfly.com's offer to bloggers for 50 free Christmas cards. This post is a follow up to that post.<br />
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I mentioned in that post that I had played with some pictures and really liked the Noir Stars card that they have available. After playing for about 30 minutes, I came up with the theme 'believe' and found a fantastic card inscription. The card will represent our hope and our belief that we will have the worldly family that we have always wanted. In the form of Gracie's footprint butterfly, it also represents what we have lost, but will hold in our hearts forever.<br />
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The inscription will read "We believe in miracles and magic....We believe in angels and natural wonders....We believe in a bright and shining holiday season and new year ahead for our friends and family." I have decided to use the following pictures:<br />
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If you haven't checked out this offer from Shutterfly.com, I urge you to do so <a href="http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/">via this link</a>. While you wait for your reply about how to get your free cards, check out some of their cards. They really do have some fantastic cards. Here are a couple links... <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards">Christmas photo cards</a>, <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards">Holiday Cards</a>, <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art">Canvas Wall Art </a><br />
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</span><a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards" target="_blank"></a> </div>I am excited to send these cards out!! If I have your address, you should be receiving yours in the next couple of weeks!! Merry Christmas!!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-82985835671169300482010-11-21T00:45:00.001-05:002010-11-21T19:38:19.182-05:002 Month Appointment and a Few PicsJenna went to the doctor for her two month check-up on Wednesday. She is now 23" long and weighs 12 pounds (we started at 19" and 6 lbs, 11 oz). She got her first round of vaccinations, which wasn't actually that bad. The doctor asked about how much milk Jenna is taking in on a daily basis. We told her that she is getting anywhere from 40-45 ounces every 24 hours, and she looked at us kind of funny. She followed up the funny look by telling us that about 26 ounces every 24 hours is considered to be normal/average at this point. I guess that explains the chubby cheeks! :-)<br />
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We finally got the disk with her 1 month photos. There are a few below, as well as some of our maternity photos taken by the same photographer four days before she was born.<br />
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</div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-19285542136423693382010-11-07T14:41:00.001-05:002010-11-10T12:43:13.727-05:00Month TwoIt's hard to believe that I haven't posted here in almost a month. Things have been busy, and most of my posting efforts went into Gracie's blog during October.<br />
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All is going well so far, but unfortunately, she has completely mixed up her days and nights. For the last week she has been wide awake from midnight until 4 a.m. Not fussy (as long as we occupy her)...just awake. But all things considered, she is still pretty low maintenance for an infant. She goes for her hearing screening tomorrow (the hospital's machine was broken when we were there, so now they are catching up all the infants that missed it before they went home) and she goes back to the doctor for her 2 month checkup next week.<br />
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I had my postpartum follow-up last week, and of course Jenna had to go with me to make an appearance. I thought I was going to have to fight the midwife to get her back. :-) Last weekend we participated in our town's annual Halloween parade. The fire company decided to put a float together for all of our kids to ride on with the adults walking beside it. I didn't get her a costume, primarily because she had 11 Halloween outfits to wear, so we put her in her little fuzzy bear jacket (it has little bear ears on the hood), wrapped her up in the Moby and walked with her. It was fun for us, but she slept through the entire ordeal. (Pics to come later when I steal them from someone else - we left the camera at home.) This weekend's excitement was sitting down and figuring out what cloth diapering supplies to order now that we are settling into a regular routine and not feeling overwhelmed by the newness of having her here with us. If any of you are cloth diaperers and have tips or suggestions, I am open to any input you might want to send this way! For now, I think I am going to order 3-5 different pocket diapers to try out and some prefolds to use with our g-pants. <br />
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We had some professional pictures taken by an acquaintance 2 weeks ago. I have one of them (pre-removal of my hand) posted below. It is the only one the photographer emailed to me - I am getting anxious to see the rest!<br />
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Here are a few pictures of the relatively comical faces that she makes. They come and go so quickly that it's hard to catch them with the camera!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">These were taken on the day she turned a month old - October 15th....a bittersweet day, to say the least.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-7DE5zp1cDWGATyDZnc0XwBOHaeLDuKVPEH4n3bGoI_ZCJptSKrssNOfhkms3p43XDX5YEabfLXzWxSHLnUUFCIowIkvh5OguIIFTmyT-DYGHqKdEFLdgCE-7HV6ymZFG5OeQBQwGKA/s1600/IMG_1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-7DE5zp1cDWGATyDZnc0XwBOHaeLDuKVPEH4n3bGoI_ZCJptSKrssNOfhkms3p43XDX5YEabfLXzWxSHLnUUFCIowIkvh5OguIIFTmyT-DYGHqKdEFLdgCE-7HV6ymZFG5OeQBQwGKA/s320/IMG_1062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">And last, but absolutely not least...</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCGESAUC0519blJLLLPCASj1_JWYGau0M9Xmu1HEmT1ErFeZRIY4DfPtEFnlcVeuXVuY4Xzq24zvCvUBM7QyTzqluQ9aNQfsBK9hGPlJun4iN6oTzegVXl8Egv-F7G9g9dXDyNZSNmuM/s1600/1010_Jenna_082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCGESAUC0519blJLLLPCASj1_JWYGau0M9Xmu1HEmT1ErFeZRIY4DfPtEFnlcVeuXVuY4Xzq24zvCvUBM7QyTzqluQ9aNQfsBK9hGPlJun4iN6oTzegVXl8Egv-F7G9g9dXDyNZSNmuM/s320/1010_Jenna_082.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-20336182364328026972010-10-11T00:44:00.000-04:002010-10-11T00:44:58.892-04:00Question For Those Expecting RainbowsI am ashamed to say it, but I have lost track of how far along some of you are at this point. I am trying to get myself re-oriented to the world, so I am going to make a request of those currently expecting rainbows. Could you leave a comment below with your due date or how far along you are at this point? Thanks!!! :-)<br />
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3850543603284666946.post-42283120405880829142010-10-11T00:27:00.002-04:002011-01-29T11:41:02.699-05:00The First Three Weeks at HomeI just realized last night that today marks three weeks that Jenna has been home from the hospital...Wednesday will be 4 weeks since she was born and Friday will be one month since her birth. How quickly time passes and escapes us!! I am feeling a like Friday might be a little bitter-sweet....we will certainly have a somewhat larger than usual case of Gracie-on-the-brain since it is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day, but it will be so nice to mark Jenna's first month of life on the outside.<br />
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Here are a few pictures of our beautiful girl for those who have not seen them in any other forum.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LpCsRtDzPwiiL5tDWnBrzTvCPCxjeWYLAKVPd4Az_GaDoWnKa4HUxhteOiWB7Yp6ENGipJ94_CsnXuXZalCx0ZSBl7CFTskd95J0sIrcLcKXZObCwEp789GQ2Evcv4A_X4kbBlE1uFQ/s1600/IMG_0851-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LpCsRtDzPwiiL5tDWnBrzTvCPCxjeWYLAKVPd4Az_GaDoWnKa4HUxhteOiWB7Yp6ENGipJ94_CsnXuXZalCx0ZSBl7CFTskd95J0sIrcLcKXZObCwEp789GQ2Evcv4A_X4kbBlE1uFQ/s320/IMG_0851-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> About 2 hours old - getting ready for her first bath after lots of skin to skin time with mommy and daddy<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOU6PCn-oi1PfQNj9jQUW3FwpAJLjnBVsd1AWuXg0LVWqED_zJTt6Zae7FWwuWpJOBJGBYP7Yyahx4T927qRMf__gWZ6jlVUp2aZlMQaLqJY9QKEqZAXnMvO_jChyXRBNrwG7irZWHck/s1600/IMG_0860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOU6PCn-oi1PfQNj9jQUW3FwpAJLjnBVsd1AWuXg0LVWqED_zJTt6Zae7FWwuWpJOBJGBYP7Yyahx4T927qRMf__gWZ6jlVUp2aZlMQaLqJY9QKEqZAXnMvO_jChyXRBNrwG7irZWHck/s320/IMG_0860.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_gJJMipgJHeUZ6_XX-gr7yj01Aj7wYjH3BiUVIBcPxFocN9cVX8XqMZ0TCVGW_Iq4tLWEEtKcMkWM5FuRuiIzq2w19dwQhbJGInH7YL3zE52s2gV1Ln4uyHOb46PKTi7tj3TCdWHF8g/s1600/IMG_0877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_gJJMipgJHeUZ6_XX-gr7yj01Aj7wYjH3BiUVIBcPxFocN9cVX8XqMZ0TCVGW_Iq4tLWEEtKcMkWM5FuRuiIzq2w19dwQhbJGInH7YL3zE52s2gV1Ln4uyHOb46PKTi7tj3TCdWHF8g/s320/IMG_0877.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Note the orange raccoon mask from wearing the eye shields during her time under the bili-lights. The expression on her face absolutely matches her personality!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CgSnMHrq2FBdhHm4pBvC0j_Crw6O9DSqNUeFgRLQvsF2hOarizeswfLiMuiyHregV08aGCsCou9WQ7c7xZEkkKmqp6ameeH5qYwFjghWCo7ie2ohWvLWpiY1FyI0jPYRxQEfFzUklq8/s1600/IMG_0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CgSnMHrq2FBdhHm4pBvC0j_Crw6O9DSqNUeFgRLQvsF2hOarizeswfLiMuiyHregV08aGCsCou9WQ7c7xZEkkKmqp6ameeH5qYwFjghWCo7ie2ohWvLWpiY1FyI0jPYRxQEfFzUklq8/s320/IMG_0891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Taking another break from the bili-lights...a.k.a. the tanning bed</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCraTYOzAJ8LsXPLG3oG8t3NQF2IDdhR8ir5kSAYrlfOwXUjSEvCYnT15qv8pbdIBbwFYVWG8R0faBfz1RyNqv6N5yqmZ3xv0tx-CxPqwM1pygF-zB3LnKnn4L-8z3o7fVIDfeEQjc9Yk/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCraTYOzAJ8LsXPLG3oG8t3NQF2IDdhR8ir5kSAYrlfOwXUjSEvCYnT15qv8pbdIBbwFYVWG8R0faBfz1RyNqv6N5yqmZ3xv0tx-CxPqwM1pygF-zB3LnKnn4L-8z3o7fVIDfeEQjc9Yk/s320/IMG_0902.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bE6GAmD0Mb_17sq5ZGQauzXQN8_S0GVazn8StPg_uUw0xiP1GL1bxUj8_iyOcsErR94ObJuPVT4OHYbVtbvT12Xewy48IDPYRCFWXRG_2xsh6K16GRd_fPb0nkQCxaYhzXaTryILC4A/s1600/IMG_0906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bE6GAmD0Mb_17sq5ZGQauzXQN8_S0GVazn8StPg_uUw0xiP1GL1bxUj8_iyOcsErR94ObJuPVT4OHYbVtbvT12Xewy48IDPYRCFWXRG_2xsh6K16GRd_fPb0nkQCxaYhzXaTryILC4A/s320/IMG_0906.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">By far her favorite sleeping position when she is not swaddled.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mx2FoS_Nss3O1PQ0mM9QuqLwXDwQvWZpcSVUy_BxzjH6kAwMVGjwxjOCAUegtjsQcSuDapWuq4m-x-Jhw_-Kq4yoQ07tkFov_x6tuwSKwgkUbrQiZqcqJ3VXQNunxRoyAdlbIuGVYaI/s1600/IMG_0914-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mx2FoS_Nss3O1PQ0mM9QuqLwXDwQvWZpcSVUy_BxzjH6kAwMVGjwxjOCAUegtjsQcSuDapWuq4m-x-Jhw_-Kq4yoQ07tkFov_x6tuwSKwgkUbrQiZqcqJ3VXQNunxRoyAdlbIuGVYaI/s320/IMG_0914-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">10 days old...getting ready to do the Share Walk for Hope and Remembrance in honor of her big sister. Wearing the special rainbow outfit that <a href="http://lovingmy2girls.blogspot.com/">Debbie</a> gave her (the rainbows might be hard to see in the picture, but they are there!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXgZXzRpe4k0-6hOCYFZc8sCsLvjr9KVGgJ_TyYbsFwCSyuhl9gALZhe32iXk9qwTW_opj-x72t-FGKPgw4iiTgVpErWjvBkLfHIXv1wuqxH7DjqYZBgxXPr7RVRidPID-2jUT2e-E9s/s1600/IMG_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXgZXzRpe4k0-6hOCYFZc8sCsLvjr9KVGgJ_TyYbsFwCSyuhl9gALZhe32iXk9qwTW_opj-x72t-FGKPgw4iiTgVpErWjvBkLfHIXv1wuqxH7DjqYZBgxXPr7RVRidPID-2jUT2e-E9s/s320/IMG_0962.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Her first visit to her big sister's resting place. Sadly, the first of many trips to this sacred place. </div><br />
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The first three weeks have flown by! Jenna has had two appointments with the doctor to follow up on the jaundice. At her two week check up she was 7 lbs, 2 oz...so she is growing like a weed! We did heel sticks to check her bilirubin levels for the first three days after she came home, and once the levels were down in the high normal range, we were able to stop the heel sticks and just stick with the bili-blanket for a total of two weeks. She is now a nice shade of pink instead of pumpkin orange. Unfortunately, because of the relative incompatibility of my blood type and the hubby's blood type, we will likely go through this with each subsequent child, and would likely have gone through it with Gracie. <br />
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I have had lots of questions about Miss Jenna over the last 3 weeks, many of which I haven't really had a chance to answer adequately. I am going to attempt to take out lots of birds with one stone and answer most of those here for those who are still curious.<br />
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<b>"How did they induce you?"</b><br />
For those who missed it in the post announcing her birth, we were actually able to skip induction. Induction was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. the day after she was born. The plan was to start by using a balloon catheter before thinking about chemical assistance. As it turned out, we didn't have to think about any of it. I worked until 7:00 p.m. the night before the scheduled induction and had my first contraction less than an hour later at 7:50.<br />
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<b>"More birth story details, please!" </b><br />
The first 3 or 4 contractions were very hard and painful and reminded me very much of the contractions that I had during the transition phase of labor with Gracie; they were nothing like the early labor contractions that I had with Gracie and they were nothing like the Braxton Hicks contractions that I had been having for most of this pregnancy. (I started having BH contractions around 16 or 17 weeks, and had them daily for the duration of the pregnancy. The midwives told me during both pregnancies that my uterus was an overachiever. They also told me that I would develop a consistent pattern with them when I was actually starting labor, and that I would know for sure when it was the real deal. Wrong. So very, very wrong. I had two periods of very regular and patterned contractions in the week before Jenna was born - one for 18 hours and one for about 11 or 12 hours overnight - and neither led to anything...not even further dilation or effacement. There was nothing different about the BH contractions during the day that I went into labor...) <br />
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After 5 or 6 of these contractions within 15 minutes, Jeff and I decided that perhaps we should think about heading to the hospital...but first he needed a haircut, shower and a shave. That's right, ladies, he gave himself a haircut (and asked me to help!), got a shower and then shaved his face (because he couldn't go to the hospital with a freshly shaved head and whiskers on his face...that would make him look 'scurfy') before we left!! We left the house an hour and a half after my first contraction, and pulled into the hospital about 20 minutes later. It took about 10 minutes to walk from the car up to L&D. I walked instead of riding in a wheelchair because standing/walking was much more comfortable than sitting. The answering service for our OB's office never made contact with the midwife covering L&D to let her know that we were on our way, so they were completely surprised when we walked in! Although I truly didn't want it, in the moment I wanted and asked for a shot of Demerol to take the edge off. (The original plan was to go med-less and use self-hypnosis for pain control. What I didn't plan for was everything happening so quickly that I didn't have time to get into a self-hypnosis zone. There was NO self-hypnosis the night Jenna was born....just shameless begging for a shot of Demerol.) The midwife told me that she couldn't give me anything until she checked me. She checked me standing up next to the bed, since I refused to get on the bed at that point because of positional comfort. Much to everyone's surprise, I was 10 cm and +1 station. To quote my midwife, "Oh, Honey, there's no time for any medication at this point. It's not safe and it won't work anyway. You're 10 cm. You need to get undressed and get on that bed. It's time to push. It's time to have a baby." It was happening so quickly that she wasn't sure that they would have her instrument tray set up before it was over. I pushed for about 15 minutes (begging for Demerol the whole time!) and that was it. They flopped her up on my chest and my first words were 'Is she alive?' because she wasn't doing much. About half an hour later I passed her off for some skin to skin time with Dad while I got in the shower and cleaned up a little bit. This is not at all what anyone was expecting based on the fact that one week earlier my midwife was expressing concern about the shape of my pelvis inhibiting safe passage of the baby.<br />
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<b>"Any complications?"</b><br />
Not really. No episiotomy and no tearing, which can be a common problem in precipitous labors. The cord was loosely looped around Jenna's neck one time, but it was easily moved and did not appear to be constricting. <b></b>Jenna's speed in moving through my pelvis pretty much (temporarily) killed my pelvic floor, but we are working on that. Kegel, Kegel, Kegel. Overall, Jenna's jaundice was the biggest problem/complication.<br />
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<b>"Why did she have to be under lights? My son had some jaundice and didn't have to be under lights." </b><br />
The jaundice color started to become apparent about 18 hours after she was born, and her bilirubin level was first checked about 15 hours later. Her bilirubin was pretty high...on the doorstep of the level that they become concerned about cognitive delays...but it was not as severe as it could have been. If it had not responded to the light therapy and change in feeding, or had her bilirubin levels risen, we could have been looking at blood transfusion. So it certainly could have been worse. At this point I am pretty certain that it was the result of ABO incompatibility. A slight inconvenience for a couple of weeks, but all is well now. I would absolutely much rather deal with a few days of the bili-light than have a baby all tied up in tubes and wires in the NICU. <br />
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<b>"What is the story behind her name, and why was it a secret?"</b><br />
The only reason it was secret was just so we could maintain some element of surprise. We already knew that she was a girl, and we shared that with everyone. We will never reveal the names that we pick for our kids until they are born, just so there is something unknown for people to look forward to. The name is more or less the surprise. With Jenna, the other surprise was whether or not she had Down Syndrome, since the screen was so high, and we are 99% certain that Gracie also had D.S. (For the record, she does not have D.S.)<br />
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As for the story behind her name, there really isn't a story. I more or less held the cards in picking Gracie's name. Jeff gave me no arguments and allowed me to have my way. I wanted to give him as much opportunity as I could to bond with this baby before she was born, simply because he was so afraid and so pensive...so insisted that he be the one to pick her name (as long as it wasn't hideous). I threw 300-400 different suggestions at him, and we finally ended up with a short list of about 8 single names. From there, he moved to Jenna Nicole and didn't move away from it.<br />
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<b>"Because of what I have read and been told, I am excited, but really apprehensive about bringing this (rainbow) baby home. How was your experience? Are you having any problems making the transition or bonding with Jenna?"</b><br />
I was actually really concerned about this prior to her birth, especially after hearing other BLM's stories of how hard it was to bring their rainbows home, especially since I am dealing with another girl. That said, I think I am doing pretty well. I do think about the things that we missed with Gracie...simple things like changing her diapers, putting her in the swing, cuddling with her, seeing her facial expressions...but these thoughts haven't become overwhelming at this point. I am absolutely in love with Jenna. Absolutely in love. I personally don't think she looks like Gracie, so I don't see Gracie every time I look at her; perhaps it would be different if she more closely resembled Gracie. I don't know. <b> </b>At this point, there is definite separation between the two, and I am glad that there is. <br />
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I am having a harder time seeing all of the babies we know (via photographs or in person) that were born within the 3 months before or after Gracie was born....there are about 10 of them all together. I look at them and see how big they are getting...how much they really look like little people now...and at all the things they are doing and getting into, and I am having a really tough time with that. I think about what Gracie would look like now, and what she would be doing. I wonder if / how much the Down Syndrome would be affecting her skill development.<br />
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Despite the fact that we have finally been blessed with a perfect, beautiful, living, breathing baby to bring home, I think that I will probably still have weird reactions to pregnant women or people who take their kids for granted. I am fortunate enough to not have infertility issues like some women in our community, but I understand exactly how fragile the balance is and how quickly everything can change and turn life upside down. <br />
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<b>"How is your family coping with Jenna's arrival?"</b><br />
Our family is elated. She is the first biological grandchild (there are some steps) on my side of the family and she is the second biological grandchild on Jeff's side (there are 3 adopted on his side), so the grandparents are just over the moon. My cousin and his wife also had their first baby about 17 1/2 hours after Jenna was born, so it was a very joy-filled 24 hour period. Neither of us knew about the other until everything was said and done. My sister, who is stationed in Namibia, Africa with the Peace Corps is so anxious to meet Jenna that she has decided that she won't be able to wait until her assignment is over in December 2011...she will be coming home for a few weeks this December to meet her.<br />
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Sadly, Jenna arrived just one week before (almost to the hour) my BIL's wife suffered an ultimately fatal head injury. In the storm of her passing, Jenna has been a huge ray of light. She had no idea how uplifting she has been or how much emotional weight has been on her shoulders over the last few weeks.<br />
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<b>"What are you enjoying most about her?"</b><br />
Honestly, just the fact that she is alive and here with us. But I am also enjoying how animated her expressions are. She has a much wider range of facial expressions than I could have ever imagined, and she uses her hands almost like accessories to her facial expressions. Unfortunately, she goes through them so quickly that I haven't been able to catch many of them on camera. <br />
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She received a gift that included a hat that says "I was worth the wait." Nothing at all in my life was worth Gracie's death, so please don't interpret this statement as such...but every minute that I have spent since Gracie's death...every minute that I have spent waiting for Jenna was <i>sooooo</i> worth the wait. Bringing home a living, breathing baby was worth every minute that I waited for it to happen. So ladies out there who also lost baby number one and are expecting their rainbow, parenthood as the rest of the world knows it is simply amazing. And to anyone expecting a rainbow, regardless of how many living children you might have, while it is certainly not without its inherent and unique challenges, I can tell you that life over the rainbow<i> is</i> good!! (Thanks, Deb, for the wonderful phrasing!) <br />
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<b>"Has the nickname Jellybean stuck?"</b> <br />
<b> </b>As a matter of fact, it has. She gets lots of variations...Jenna Bean, Jenna McBean, Beanie, Beanie Wienie, Beanie McWienie...and my dad still calls her plain old Jellybean. :-)<br />
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<b>"Do you plan to tell her about Gracie?"</b><br />
Absolutely. Gracie has a wall in the living room where some of her mementos and pictures are displayed. There are no plans to take those things down, so they will be readily visible as Jenna grows up. Although we will have to do it in a way that doesn't create a complex for her, she will know that the baby in the pictures is her older sister who lives in heaven. Details will probably come out as she gets older and starts to ask questions. The same will hold true for any other little ones that come along. <b> </b><br />
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I think that's most of the questions that I have received. If I missed any big ones, I apologize. Just an FYI...due to recent happenings with some family members, and the very real potential for some people to start digging, snooping and e-stalking me, I am considering making Gracie's blog and Jenna's blog private. I suppose that because my blogs are technically 'public' I don't have the right to complain too much, but I haven't shared these blogs with people that I know in real life for specific reasons. Sadly enough, some people just cannot respect the privacy of others and leave well enough alone. I am hoping to avoid privatization, but I have not made a concrete decision yet. Stay tuned...<br />
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<div id="refHTML"></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14814373587860281157noreply@blogger.com11