In case you're wondering - she's a baby doll. It was a very cheap costume, all I had to do was buy some yarn!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
First Halloween
I'm not a huge fan of halloween, but I thought it would be cute to dress Isabella up and take her to a couple of the neighbors' houses. She got a box of animal crackers at one house, and a book at the other. They also gave her some awesome toys for her birthday, they spoil her!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Our Little Miracle
Isabella's upcoming birthday has got me doing a lot of reminiscing lately. There are a lot of people who have amazing stories about how they became parents, and the struggles they went through to have a family.
This is the story of my sweet baby girl.
We were so thrilled to be pregnant after Monte's health problems. For three years we didn't know if it would be possible due to the drugs he was taking. But when he finally got better we very quickly found out we would be parents. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen. Then one night when I was driving home from work everything changed! After a very stressful day at work, I started feeling contractions on my drive home - I was only 24 weeks pregnant. How could this be happening? We called the hospital, then both Monte's and my parents, who both stayed up late into the night saying rosaries for us. The next day at the hospital they were able to stop my labor with some injections of a couple of different drugs. They sent me home and put me on bedrest along with some medication to stop contractions. I seriously thought I would be fine in a week or so and go back to a normal life. Silly me. From that time on until Isabella was born at 34 weeks I had constant contractions anywhere from 2 - 10 minutes apart! I was hospitalized 6 different times. I actually liked hospital bedrest better than bedrest at home - I felt more safe in the hospital and I had lots of people around to keep me company. During one hospital stay I came down with Shingles due to the stress, which besides childbirth was definitely THE most painful thing I have ever experienced. During another hospital stay, my doctor felt the baby would be coming very shortly. They transferred me by ambulance to the only hospital in the state equipped to care for babies born before 34 weeks ( I was at 31 weeks). I was an absolute wreck when the ambulance came to get me, I was so scared. But when the EMT came in the room, I knew everything would be okay, he was wearing the Miraculous Medal! It was so shiny, it was the first thing that caught my eye and it gave me such a good feeling. I felt so bad for Monte, driving by himself the whole way behind the ambulance and not knowing what was going on. Things slowed down once I got to the new hospital, but they kept me there until they felt it was safe for the baby to be delivered at my hospital. My goal was to get to 34 weeks. From what I had read and what the neonatologist told us, there was a good chance the baby would not have to be on a feeding tube any time after 34 weeks. We had been home for a few days, when at 34 weeks and one day, my water broke in the middle of the night. We arrived at the hospital around 7:00 in the morning. My labor went pretty fast due to the months of contractions I had. (I went from being 4 cm dilated to 10 cm and having her completely pushed out in 15 minutes!!) However, the scariest was to come. They were unable to pick up her heartbeat on the monitor before she was born. When she came out they announced we had a little girl - but there was nothing, no crying, no moving, just nothing! She had no heartbeat, and she was not breathing. Monte and I watched as a team of 7 doctors and nurses were franticly working on her, breathing for her, hooking her up to all sorts of machines. How could this be happening? How could I lose my precious girl after all I went through? I remember saying the Hail Mary over and over again as I layed there and watched them work on her, it's the only thing that came to my mind. Then after the longest seven minutes of my life, we heard a faint little whimper. They immediately took her out of the room at that point. Monte got to go with but I didn't get to see her for about an hour. It was so sad, they had her hooked up to all sorts of machines and had tubes coming out of her. But she was here, and she was alive, and I was a mom! She did so well, though, she was breathing room air on her own only an hour later. We had to give her bottles right away since she was a preemie, and the doctor didn't want her losing weight. Unfortunatley she was never able to nurse, so I pumped for the first 3 months. But I feel like I really missed out on something special with her. Her lungs were underdeveloped so she literally never cried for the first few months, and very rarely after that ( I think she just never knew how after going so long without). She also slept A LOT more than normal and still does. Other than that she has been a completely normal, healthy, happy little girl. We are so blessed to have her in our lives, she has changed us forever. The whole experience has made my faith SO much stronger. My doctor tells me with each pregnancy these problems are more likely to happen and the baby is more likely to be born even earlier each time, but I guess we'll worry about that when the time comes.
Really, in the end, it doesn't matter what the story is - every single baby is an absolute miracle from God, made perfectly in His image and loved more than anything else in this world.
This is the story of my sweet baby girl.
We were so thrilled to be pregnant after Monte's health problems. For three years we didn't know if it would be possible due to the drugs he was taking. But when he finally got better we very quickly found out we would be parents. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen. Then one night when I was driving home from work everything changed! After a very stressful day at work, I started feeling contractions on my drive home - I was only 24 weeks pregnant. How could this be happening? We called the hospital, then both Monte's and my parents, who both stayed up late into the night saying rosaries for us. The next day at the hospital they were able to stop my labor with some injections of a couple of different drugs. They sent me home and put me on bedrest along with some medication to stop contractions. I seriously thought I would be fine in a week or so and go back to a normal life. Silly me. From that time on until Isabella was born at 34 weeks I had constant contractions anywhere from 2 - 10 minutes apart! I was hospitalized 6 different times. I actually liked hospital bedrest better than bedrest at home - I felt more safe in the hospital and I had lots of people around to keep me company. During one hospital stay I came down with Shingles due to the stress, which besides childbirth was definitely THE most painful thing I have ever experienced. During another hospital stay, my doctor felt the baby would be coming very shortly. They transferred me by ambulance to the only hospital in the state equipped to care for babies born before 34 weeks ( I was at 31 weeks). I was an absolute wreck when the ambulance came to get me, I was so scared. But when the EMT came in the room, I knew everything would be okay, he was wearing the Miraculous Medal! It was so shiny, it was the first thing that caught my eye and it gave me such a good feeling. I felt so bad for Monte, driving by himself the whole way behind the ambulance and not knowing what was going on. Things slowed down once I got to the new hospital, but they kept me there until they felt it was safe for the baby to be delivered at my hospital. My goal was to get to 34 weeks. From what I had read and what the neonatologist told us, there was a good chance the baby would not have to be on a feeding tube any time after 34 weeks. We had been home for a few days, when at 34 weeks and one day, my water broke in the middle of the night. We arrived at the hospital around 7:00 in the morning. My labor went pretty fast due to the months of contractions I had. (I went from being 4 cm dilated to 10 cm and having her completely pushed out in 15 minutes!!) However, the scariest was to come. They were unable to pick up her heartbeat on the monitor before she was born. When she came out they announced we had a little girl - but there was nothing, no crying, no moving, just nothing! She had no heartbeat, and she was not breathing. Monte and I watched as a team of 7 doctors and nurses were franticly working on her, breathing for her, hooking her up to all sorts of machines. How could this be happening? How could I lose my precious girl after all I went through? I remember saying the Hail Mary over and over again as I layed there and watched them work on her, it's the only thing that came to my mind. Then after the longest seven minutes of my life, we heard a faint little whimper. They immediately took her out of the room at that point. Monte got to go with but I didn't get to see her for about an hour. It was so sad, they had her hooked up to all sorts of machines and had tubes coming out of her. But she was here, and she was alive, and I was a mom! She did so well, though, she was breathing room air on her own only an hour later. We had to give her bottles right away since she was a preemie, and the doctor didn't want her losing weight. Unfortunatley she was never able to nurse, so I pumped for the first 3 months. But I feel like I really missed out on something special with her. Her lungs were underdeveloped so she literally never cried for the first few months, and very rarely after that ( I think she just never knew how after going so long without). She also slept A LOT more than normal and still does. Other than that she has been a completely normal, healthy, happy little girl. We are so blessed to have her in our lives, she has changed us forever. The whole experience has made my faith SO much stronger. My doctor tells me with each pregnancy these problems are more likely to happen and the baby is more likely to be born even earlier each time, but I guess we'll worry about that when the time comes.
Really, in the end, it doesn't matter what the story is - every single baby is an absolute miracle from God, made perfectly in His image and loved more than anything else in this world.
Finally - A tooth!
It looks like we won't have to get baby dentures after all! :) She has her first tooth, and one more popped through today. Also, about 3 more look like they are going to pop through any time now! I thought they usually get their bottom teeth first, but these are all on top. She hasn't been acting any different and is sleeping great still, so they must not be bothering her too much. Although she does have a bit of a diaper rash for the first time, I've heard that can be caused by teething. Now, if we can just start working on growing some hair . . .
Monday, October 29, 2007
Home Sweet Home
I realized this weekend that going on vacation is not really a vacation when you take a baby with! Well, it's not very relaxing is what I should say. We went to the Twin Cities for a few days. Monte, his dad, and brother-in-law went to aVikings game yesterday. The women (my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I), Isabella, and our niece and nephew went to the Mall of America. Isabella did great the whole time we were gone, and she loved shopping. It's just that she has such a routine (which is wonderful at home) it makes it hard to go places. She didn't get her usual naps in, and definitely didn't make it to bed at 7:00 each night. She seemed to handle it quite well, it was probably worse for me. I'm sure she'll sleep a lot for the next couple of days! Overall, it was a good weekend, we got to spend a lot of time with Monte's family. Shopping was fun, and exhausting. But I like to be home, no more washing baby dishes in a hotel bathroom sink, carrying mashed up food everywhere I go, and no more having Isabella strapped into either a car seat or stroller ALL day long. She can finally get on the floor and move around. I think she's glad to be home too!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Praise God from who all Good Things Come
That is the song I have had in my head lately, and it's a very fitting one I might add. We are SO thankful for Monte's new job. Some of you don't know about our "rough" couple of years we had. Monte was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease shortly after we got married. For two years he was unable to work, and was in and out of the hospital. The Mayo Clinic wanted him to be part of a research study, but at the last minute told him he was even too sick for that. I watched my husband lose 50 pounds which he didn't have to lose in the first place. On top of all of that, his insurance would not let him renew his policy due to him being diagnosed with a disease he'll have for the rest of his life. Also, my insurance would not allow me to add him because of this. It was all a very low point in our lives together, I didn't realize when I said "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health" that we would be living the "worse" and "sickness" parts in our early twenties! The Mayo Clinic agreed to see him without insurance (something they don't always do, I guess) however they required a large cash deposit before they would even see him, then before every test he had (MRI, CT scan, etc.) they required the entire test to be paid for beforehand! And they charged WAY more than they did for people with insurance! Thank goodness Monte's parents helped us out, and also the doctors helped out by "sneeking" him in to have tests done without letting the business office know. To make a very long story short, Monte's very small hometown got together and had two benefits for us. They raised enough money to pay for all of our Mayo Clinic bills, all his other health bills, and all of the bills he has had since. Also, mine and Isabella's hospital bills were over $100,000, which of course my insurance paid for, but we still had some bills for that, and the last of his benefit money helped us out with those. I honestly don't know what would have happened to us if they wouldn't have done that.
Fast forward a couple of years to Monte being in MUCH better health, he still struggles with Crohn's and always will but it is nothing like it was. We can have a normal life now. And what has finally helped him is different natural things that he has tried, supplements, probiotics, etc. Some drugs helped, but most did not. He was on a chemo drug for a while, and that did nothing.
Ever since we got married, I was saying novenas that Monte would get a good job so that I could stay home with our children. I thought they didn't work. Monte's current job is a good job, however he does not get insurance with it, and mine and Isabella's insurance is so expensive we couldn't afford to add him IF they would even accept him. So out of the blue about 6 weeks ago, a guy that knows Monte professionaly came up to him and asked if Monte would be interested in taking over his insurance agency!! How ironic is that, after years of no insurance we will eventually own our own insurance agency!! God's hand was all over this, that's for sure! He starts in a few weeks, and 90 days after that we will all have great benefits. Yay! When I called my mom right away to tell her the news, I couldn't believe what she told me. She was in the middle of a 9 day novena, praying that Monte would get a good job with great benefits so I could stay home! And when Monte was offered the job, the guy even told him he would pay him enough so that I could stay home if that's what we wanted. If that's not Divine Intervention I don't know what is! And as for all the novenas I've said in the last almost 5 years since we got married, my mother-in-law just told me about a book she was reading that talked about how novenas are always answered, sometimes not the answer we necessarily want, but in many cases they can take years to be answered!
Fast forward a couple of years to Monte being in MUCH better health, he still struggles with Crohn's and always will but it is nothing like it was. We can have a normal life now. And what has finally helped him is different natural things that he has tried, supplements, probiotics, etc. Some drugs helped, but most did not. He was on a chemo drug for a while, and that did nothing.
Ever since we got married, I was saying novenas that Monte would get a good job so that I could stay home with our children. I thought they didn't work. Monte's current job is a good job, however he does not get insurance with it, and mine and Isabella's insurance is so expensive we couldn't afford to add him IF they would even accept him. So out of the blue about 6 weeks ago, a guy that knows Monte professionaly came up to him and asked if Monte would be interested in taking over his insurance agency!! How ironic is that, after years of no insurance we will eventually own our own insurance agency!! God's hand was all over this, that's for sure! He starts in a few weeks, and 90 days after that we will all have great benefits. Yay! When I called my mom right away to tell her the news, I couldn't believe what she told me. She was in the middle of a 9 day novena, praying that Monte would get a good job with great benefits so I could stay home! And when Monte was offered the job, the guy even told him he would pay him enough so that I could stay home if that's what we wanted. If that's not Divine Intervention I don't know what is! And as for all the novenas I've said in the last almost 5 years since we got married, my mother-in-law just told me about a book she was reading that talked about how novenas are always answered, sometimes not the answer we necessarily want, but in many cases they can take years to be answered!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Two Week Notice
That's what I gave my employer today!!! Yay! I'm trading in suits for sweats, I get to do what I have ALWAYS wanted to do - be a stay at home mom. When I handed my boss my resignation today she tried to entice me into staying, no thank you. The bank has been SO good to me, giving me over 6 months off (almost 3 months of bedrest and over 3 months of maternity leave) with no questions asked. They were so surprised when I actually came back that they gave me a raise and a bonus, so I have to admit that a tiny bit of me feels guilty since they have done such nice things for me. Our prayers have definitely been answered, Monte has a new job opportunity which is why I can stay home now (more on that another time, I'm too tired tonight). I can't wait to start my new "job"! I have a feeling it will be the best job I've ever had!!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Kids and TV
Before Isabella was born, we decided we would not let her watch TV when she was little and would limit her viewing as she got older. I'm glad we have stuck to that after reading all sorts of articles like this. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV before the age of two. This includes "educational" videos such as Baby Einstein. To summarize many articles that I have read - the fast scene changes on TV are damaging to a child's developing brain. After watching TV, children become bored with real life. Many experts feel this is causing a huge increase in ADD, ADHD, and other neurological disorders. It is much, much better for them to interact with people. I will admit, Isabella gets to watch the 5 minute show "Go Baby" every few days while I clip her nails. It makes her sit still so I can clip them.
So just when I thought I was being a good parent for not letting her watch TV, I learned something new. My new issue of Parenting magazine came in the mail today, the first page I opened it to (I was obviously supposed to read the article) was about babies and TV. It said that having a TV on in the background, even if kids aren't paying attention to it, is worse than the baby actually watching TV. Monte and I are guilty of this, not that we have it on all the time. I do love to have the Today show on in the morning (all three hours of it). And it's not that I necesarily watch it either, sometimes I just like some background noise. The article stated that having a TV on in the background makes the child lose his/her ability to focus as well as giving them poor language skills. Our TV is in a cabinet that allows us to close the doors and "hide" it. So that is exactly what I did today, I shut the doors. They will not be opened until 7:00 tonight when Isabella goes to bed.
So just when I thought I was being a good parent for not letting her watch TV, I learned something new. My new issue of Parenting magazine came in the mail today, the first page I opened it to (I was obviously supposed to read the article) was about babies and TV. It said that having a TV on in the background, even if kids aren't paying attention to it, is worse than the baby actually watching TV. Monte and I are guilty of this, not that we have it on all the time. I do love to have the Today show on in the morning (all three hours of it). And it's not that I necesarily watch it either, sometimes I just like some background noise. The article stated that having a TV on in the background makes the child lose his/her ability to focus as well as giving them poor language skills. Our TV is in a cabinet that allows us to close the doors and "hide" it. So that is exactly what I did today, I shut the doors. They will not be opened until 7:00 tonight when Isabella goes to bed.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Here it is . . .
the recipe you've all been waiting for. :) I'm sure not many of you have the need for a sheep cake, but I thought it was cute for a first birthday party. I'm going to make it again for her actual birthday, the theme will be "Happy birthday to ewe!" I know, so clever!! Isabella actually baa-ed when she saw the cake the other day. So here it is, I changed it a little bit by adding pink to make it more "girly". I also used this recipe for the cake, which I highly recommend. They also have a cow and pig cake on that website which are very cute.
A couple of funny things about the cake . . .
When I was making it, my sister looked at the picture and thought the sheep was laying on it's back with all four feet up in the air, she thought the ears were feet. She thought it was much cuter once I explained it to her.
When I told my 8 year old cousin we were having a sheep cake, he got a terrified look on his face. He thought it was a cake made with lamb meat not a cake that looks like a sheep. Gross!
A couple of funny things about the cake . . .
When I was making it, my sister looked at the picture and thought the sheep was laying on it's back with all four feet up in the air, she thought the ears were feet. She thought it was much cuter once I explained it to her.
When I told my 8 year old cousin we were having a sheep cake, he got a terrified look on his face. He thought it was a cake made with lamb meat not a cake that looks like a sheep. Gross!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Party Girl
We went to my parents' house this weekend to celebrate Isabella's upcoming birthday with my family. We are having Monte's family come to our house for her actual birthday and this was the only weekend that worked for my family. It was a great day, both my brother and sister and their families were there. My grandma and most of my aunts, uncles, and cousins also came. Isabella was in desperate need of some toys. She has been so sick of her "baby" toys that she hasn't been interested in them for a while now. Monte and I agreed we wouldn't buy her toys except on her birthday and Christmas, we have stuck to that pretty well (of course there has been a couple of exceptions :) ) and I'm glad we did. After this weekend she has so many fun toys to play with, and it's not even her birthday yet! I'm going to put some of them away for a while so she doesn't get overloaded with new toys and then get sick of them, then I will rotate them every once in a while. 
This is definitely the first sheep cake I've ever made.
This is definitely the first sheep cake I've ever made.
My mom's friend made this rosary for Isabella, I love it and so does Isabella! It's the perfect thing to take to church for her to play with.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Pictures
I don't have anything too exciting to post about, so here's some pictures -
See, I really do have some hair!
Doesn't this look comfortable!
Mommy is trying to decide what I should wear for my one year pictures.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Baby Girl
This precious little girl was born yesterday. She was 6 weeks premature (same as Isabella) but she only weighs a little over 3 pounds and is 15 inches long. Her cleft lip and pallette are quite severe, she also is missing most of her nose. They don't have the results back yet from the CT scan, so they don't know about any brain damage yet. They are hoping for a miracle, that she won't have any brain damage. Please keep this precious baby and her family in your prayers.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Silly Girl
I was getting something out of the drawer under her crib when she started laughing at me - that's how it all started! Oh my, the things we'll do to entertain our kid!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
11 Months Old
How is it possible my baby is going to be one in another month! Wow, that went fast! She has learned to do so many things. She "talks" all the time, mostly jabbers of course, but she does say ma ma, da da, and ga wa wa wa for grandma. She loves to imitate what other people are doing, she also loves to be read to, dance, and go outside. Most of her day consists of pulling herself up to stand. She still loves to sleep, although that may change when she starts teething. That's right, no teeth yet, not even close! (She's doing something weird with her tongue in this picture, kind of makes it look like teeth). I keep saying she's going to need baby dentures. :)
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