Update on Nola's Due Date

THIS IS A LONG POST. I'LL TRY TO DO BETTER ABOUT WRITING MORE OFTEN SO THEY AREN'T SO LONG, BUT I'VE BEEN A LITTLE BUSY THESE DAYS...

I looked at the clock all day on Wednesday, thinking "at this time last week..." At 1:24, I smiled and wished my baby girl a happy one week birthday. I can't believe she's 9 days old today - and it's just now her due date. (I have been mentally thanking Dr. Ford for my early induction all day long!) My last post about her was the story of coming home on Friday. So, what has Ms. Nola been up to since then?

On Saturday (1/30), while the boys were out sledding and having a great time in the snow, the girls (Nola, LaLa and I) were in the house - toasty, warm and dry. We enjoyed the snow by looking out the windows from the comfort of the living room. Mid-afternoon, we enjoyed a visit from Rudy's mom and Bill, as well as Nana and Aunt Kathy.

Nola & Grandma Jan

They braved the roads and the elements to come over and meet Nola. Nana got to feed her and everyone passed her around for a good look and a snuggle. They stayed for a while and then decided they had better head back home since the roads were still snow-covered and a little slick.

Nola & Nana

On Sunday (1/31), Mr. L. (Pops) left to go back to Hot Springs after having a conversation with Nola:The rest of us spent the day much the same way we had spent the previous day. Rudy and Caleb went sledding again and Mom, Nola and I stayed in the house.

On Monday, Rudy's school was closed, so he was able to get one extra day with us. He took Caleb to a couple of outdoor stores to kill some time and burn off some energy. Mom was ready to get out of the house for a little bit, so she went to Oops (one of our favorite bargain spots) for a while. Nola and I stayed home all day - just getting to know each other and continuing the eat/sleep/diaper cycle. We did give her a bath Monday night for the first time. Caleb LOVED helping with that. His "very important job" was talking to Nola to keep her calm. He really wanted to help with the actual washing, but there was no way for him to do that. He did help keep her covered up with a towel, so she wouldn't get too cold.

Tuesday was a BIG DAY for the little girl! We got out of the house!!! We dropped Caleb off at daycare, where he was so excited to see his friends. Then Mom and I took Nola to her first doctor appointment. The nurse weighed her (7 lbs, 14 oz) and said that she had gained since she left the hospital at 7 lbs, 7 oz. (I didn't realize that she had lost 5 oz when we were in the hospital, but I know that's normal.) She measured 19 inches, but the nurse said it's normal for babies to shrink a little after they are born. (The birth process stretches them out a little and then they go back to their actual length.) Her head was 35 cms. Dr. Schaefer came in to see Nola and checked her over really well. He found a salmon spot (birthmark) on the back of her head that I hadn't seen. It's under her hair, which she still has a lot of! He talked to me about the laryngomalacia - yes, she's still making noise; no, she doesn't spit up more than 60% of her food; no, I don't really have any questions. He wants to monitor her closely for reflux, which is common with kids with laryngomalacia, so we have to go back next Monday for a follow-up to make sure her weight is okay, etc. He said she looked great and was about to dismiss us and I spoke up with my questions:

• Me: Please forgive my hormonal craziness, but I have to ask this.
• Dr: What is it?
• Me: I'm concerned about a couple of physical characteristics.
• Dr: Such as...
• Me: Well, her ears have this funny little shape to the top of them, almost like someone took a bite out of them. (I'm not making this up. The tops of her ears have a little scallop to them.)
• Dr: Does anyone else in the family have this trait? I think it's probably just a genetic thing.
• Me: Not that I know of. I'll ask around.
• Dr: Anything else?
• Me: Well...please forgive me, but I work in special ed and I know just enough to worry about stuff like this. I'm a little concerned about the shape of her eyes. I wouldn't be if it weren't for the ears, but she has these almond-shaped eyes and sometimes if I look at her just right, she looks a little syndromey (a word I made up). You don't think she has a syndrome, do you? Her big toe is also spaced a little far from her next one, but her palms have a great crease - it's not a simian crease at all...
• Dr: (looking at me with compassion and a little amusement, but not too much because I am hormonal after all) She's really okay. I don't suspect anything at all. That crease in her hand is perfect. Her eyes are still a little swollen from birth. Her feet are just fine. She does not have a syndrome. She's fine.
• Me: You have no idea how much I needed for you to say all of that.

Don't you know he can't wait to see me again?

When we left the doctor's office, we were headed over to my school district office to turn in some insurance paperwork. Nola started fussing and sure enough - it was time for her to eat. Mom reached in the diaper bag to get a bottle mixed up and found a bottle, but no formula. Well...there goes my mother-of-the-year trophy! I didn't bring any formula. I drove straight to the nearest grocery store, Nola screaming in the backseat and Mom stifling laughter at my forgetfulness in the passenger seat. I ran in the store, found the baby supplies and bought some pre-mixed formula. I made it out to the car, fixed the bottle and we sat in the parking lot at Price Cutter feeding my very hungry child. (Side note to this story: the next night, I put some of that same formula in Nola's bottle because I realized it was in the refrigerator and I didn't want to waste it. When I went to put it away after I fed her, I happened to see the expiration date printed on it: 10/21/09!!! I nearly flipped out. I had just fed my child formula that expired over 3 months ago. I called the store today and they told me to bring it back and they would replace it. Gee, ya' think???)

Once Nola was finished with her bottle, we took the paperwork to the office and then went to feed ourselves at Olive Garden. It was so good to be out of the house and I just wanted to enjoy a meal out, even though we had a ridiculous amount of food in the refrigerator at home. After lunch, we went over to Target to get a couple of things that we needed. Of course, we ended up staying in there forever and we were all exhausted by the time we got home. But...we had gotten out and I felt better just having walked around and seen something besides the inside of the house or a hospital room for the first time in a week.

Wednesday was a low-key day for us. We needed to recuperate from our big outing the day before, so we stayed in the house. Caleb and Rudy went to school, but the girls stayed home. My friend, Jamie, came by after school to see us and meet Nola. I was excited to see someone so awesome from "the outside world" and enjoyed talking with her about happenings at school and in life in general.

Thursday, we decided to get out again. After taking Caleb to school, we went to look at a rug that Mom had found on her previous trip to Oops. I loved it and we ended up getting it. It's now in my living room and I really like the way it ties the room together - plus it covers up a worn spot on the carpet in front the recliner that has been driving me crazy for over a year now! After our journey through Oops, we went to Jose's for a yummy lunch, then headed home. Mom put together a swag for my front door and prepared a couple of meals to freeze for us for the coming weeks. Nola and I rested and then I went to get Caleb from school. Rudy had a concert, so he didn't get home until about 8:30. The rest of us had a great night - playing with Caleb (who was in a great mood), having dinner and just spending time together. My wonderful neighbor, Caroline, brought dinner over for us. She was excited to meet Nola and we were so grateful for the meal.

This morning, Mom took Caleb to school while I got dressed for the day. Mr. L. came up to get her and spend a couple of hours with us. We went to get Caleb from school at 11:00 and all went to Einstein's to have lunch together. Caleb was (once again) in a great mood and had us laughing all the way through lunch! He loves his Pops! After lunch, Pops wanted to take Caleb to WalMart to get a firetruck that he had very politely asked for as his Valentine's gift. (Apparently, another kid in his class got one and told him about it.) We went to WM, but they did not have any firetrucks except for a matchbox car. I suggested that Caleb and I could get a firetruck another day, but Pops said we needed to go to another store. Off we went to Target and found a wonderful firetruck that Caleb loves. He thanked Pops and has played with the truck all night. When we got home from Target, Mom and MrL packed up and left for Hot Springs. Just as they left, Caleb threw a little fit about rest time, Nola needed a bottle and had a diaper blowout and I had to go to the bathroom - all at the same time. I called Mom after I got a handle on the situation and told her that I thought she needed to just come back and stay for a while. Maybe we could even put their camper in our yard...I'm sure our neighborhood covenant could be broken in an emergency situation such as this. Of course, I was kidding, but YIKES - I suddenly realized that I was at home alone with TWO children and ONE me. I was outnumbered. Fortunately, Caleb was tired this afternoon and wanted to spend the afternoon playing and watching a movie. He didn't last long on the movie, but he did play well by himself while I took care of Nola and answered some e-mails.

When Rudy got home from work tonight, he offered me a sleep deal. He told me to get some rest early this evening, then take the night shift with Nola, then he'd get up with her in the morning and I could sleep in. I took the deal, but I really needed to write this post that I've been meaning to write - so I'm about an hour into my evening rest and I haven't closed my eyes yet. Almost finished...

We're planning to have a pretty quiet weekend learning how to be a family of four. Rudy's going to take Caleb to a basketball game tomorrow afternoon. We don't have any major plans and we're so glad.

Other stuff people have been asking about...

Nola is a pretty good eater. She definitely lets us know when she's hungry and when she's finished eating, she closes that mouth up like Ft. Knox. She has been eating 2 oz every 1 & a half-2 hours, but has started increasing to 2 & a half - 3 oz every 2 & a half -3 hours. The longer stretches between feedings has been really nice. Sometimes she fools us though and she'll act incredibly hungry, then only take 1/2 an ounce. That's a little frustrating, but manageable. We all like to snack now and then, right?

Sleep? Hmmm... She sleeps all the time!!! But, there's that hunger thing. She does wake up to eat. The first night that she was home, she slept for a 4 hour stretch (2AM-6AM). I thought I had died and gone to heaven. She has only done that one other time that I can think of since then. Some nights are better than others. Now that she's eating a little more, she's sleeping a little longer. The bad part is that she is such a noisy breather - even when she's asleep. She sleeps in the pack & play next to our bed and sometimes her breathing wakes me up. When we move her into her crib, this won't be such a problem, but I know I'll still lay awake listening to the monitor. Right now, I need her to sleep in our room, though. It's much better to have her right there when she wakes up and I can get to her quickly without her waking up the whole house. So, yes, I'm tired - getting a little sleep-deprived, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Everyone has been so kind to ask how I'm doing too. Everyday gets a little easier, as it should. Recuperation from having a baby is no cakewalk, but it's manageable. I'm getting much better at moving around and can sit without needing a pillow now. I laughed to myself tonight as I was putting clean sheets on the bed because I realized that when I was pregnant, I couldn't do that without getting winded and now it's no big deal. That's a good feeling! My clothes are getting more comfortable. I'm not wearing pre-pregnancy jeans or anything silly like that, but I can wear regular shirts and some stretchy pants. I've about worn out the few track suits that I have because they are comfortable and warm.

And EVERYONE seems to want to know how Caleb is doing. As I said before, he's doing great. He has his moments, but that's nothing new and it's to be expected. He loves his sister and tells us that all the time. He is just trying to find his place. He wants to help so badly and sometimes doesn't understand when that's not possible. With LaLa here and sleeping in his bed, he has wanted to sleep on the floor in our room. We've tried to get him to sleep with her and he finally did last night, but he really doesn't want to miss anything. He wants to be in our room because he wants to be where Nola is. That has made the nighttime feedings a little tough for me, because I feel like I have to quiet her so quickly to keep from waking up Caleb. He's sleeping in his own bed tonight and I hope he'll stay there...

That's the latest on us. We're doing great and learning the ropes as we go. We are so very blessed.