The window with a view

ALL our girls (Pixie and ArlaMae included) love to look out the two accent windows that frame our front door. These windows are the perfect size for our 4 little girls. Rebecca & Mary-Gail knock on the windows, and Pixie & ArlaMae scratch at them. I'm glad we have two accent windows because our girls (both sets) try to cram into one window. Oh the joys of learning to share!

Happy to be home

Rebecca has gotten her smile back. Hooray!

Can you see her 1st year molars?

Her bottom eye teeth have broken through too.

A Saturday with JoJo & Reese

This past Saturday was an amazing day! I left Tony with the girls and hit the road with my best friend JoJo (who also happens to be my sister - lucky me!). She and I and little Reese went shopping, shopping, shopping! JoJo picked me up at 8:30 am and we headed directly to Tai Pan Trading. I was looking for some hanging baskets for our front porch, and JoJo was looking for a wreath and some other decorations for her kitchen. Reese was just looking cute!

JoJo, Reese, and "Peanut" on a iron swing at Taipan Trading

Reese was so good that she earned a R-E-E-S-E treat (a Reeses Pieces treat that she spelled out b/c it spells her name) and some "pink chocolate milk." She loves pink chocolate milk. We then headed to "the big blue store" (IKEA) and did some window shopping. This was my second time to IKEA, and JoJo and Reese's first. JoJo just kept saying it was a "funny little store." We decided that when Carly & Spencer move to Arizona in August, we are going to take Carly to IKEA to get some things to decorate their living quarters. We ate lunch there - Reese had the mac'n'cheese & some fries, JoJo and I split the meatballs, but I also got a salad, and JoJo got a ham sandwich (very dry). We didn't buy anything at IKEA, unless the 6-pack of cinnamon rolls count.

Reese going through the Enchanted Door to the Kid's Section @ IKEA

Do you know where Reese is?

Peek - a - boo!

Reese in her Bubble chair. She LOVED the Kid's Section @ IKEA

We finished window shopping and headed home - an hour before I was due home! JoJo helped me arrange one of my hanging baskets, and then she and Reese packed up to leave. Tony decided he needed to "go somewhere where there was Testosterone," and he left to go shooting. I didn't want to be home alone, so I packed up the girls and headed to JoJo's house. We ended up staying through supper and bath time. Who am I kidding...I always stay through supper and bath time!

Rebecca & Reese sharing the bath.

Mary-Gail, Cy, and Rebecca shared the bath together, but

Rebecca wanted to stay and bathe a little bit longer with Reese. So cute!

And, Rebecca is saying "CHEESE" right along with Reese!

Change is in the air

The First Day of Spring came and went without notice for me. Isn't Spring supposed to happen overnight? I can't believe how impatient I've become with the seasons. But, alas, change is in the air. I see the change happening with our flower beds - our Tulips are starting to bud, and our Daffodils (my favorite flower) have already peeked their little yellow heads out towards the sun. And more change is happening inside our home...

No more bottles. No more formula. Only cups and sippy cups filled with whole milk only.

We're cutting the ties to Rebecca & Mary-Gail's bottles. Tony & I took the recommendation from our pediatrician & JoJo to be DONE with bottles when the girls turned one-year old (adjusted age). After our trip to St. George w/JoJo and her kids the end of February, it was no problem to cut out the bottle feedings: we went from 4 bottles per day to 1 bottle at bedtime. I believe Rebecca & Mary-Gail saw how Cy was eating and drinking and followed suit. Plus, they really didn't have a hard time not having their bottle since they were used to drinking from their sippy cups already. However, I didn't expect the reaction from Rebecca & Mary-Gail when I tried to ixny their bedtime bottle the first part of March. Whoa!!

We're talking HUGE temper tantrums. What was the deal? I knew that I'd have a few rough days/nights, but I was not prepared for the extent of the tantrums. Tony was home one night when I was getting the girls ready for bed and saw what I was dealing with. He caved - he said he was OK with giving the girls a bottle before bedtime, and at this point, so was I. But somehow I back stepped and started giving them a bottle before nap time too.

We had hopes to be completely through with bottles by the end of March. And then Rebecca was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, March 18th. I think she only drank maximum of 18 ounces on her BEST day in the hospital, and most of that was during her 1 am, 4 am, and 7:30-8 am vital check, diaper change, suction, and breathing treatment. So guess what we're doing at home now? Yup, you guessed it. In addition to Rebecca & Mary-Gail's 7 pm bottle, Rebecca has been waking up for a bottle at 12 am, 3 am and 6 am. Just the past 2 nights she's gotten up at 1 am and 4 am. She still wakes at 6-6:30 am, but I have been holding her off until 7 am when she and Mary-Gail eat FOOD for breakfast.

Tony & I knew that too much change at once would not be good. So now instead of completely cutting off the bottle and completely being done with formula in exchange for whole milk, we've decided to incorporate whole milk in their 7 pm bottle. This is what I did when my frozen milk supply began getting low after I stopped pumping. We added formula to the breast milk, in small ratios at first, to ease in the change. Our doctors at the hospital call it "priming" because you're priming your baby's stomach and digestive system to get adjusted to the change. And just like before, eventually the girls will be solely on whole milk, just like they were eventually solely on formula. And in the meantime, we're feeding every two hours with food, snacks, sippy cups (Rebecca will drink the milk, Mary-Gail will NOT), and only one bottle at 7 pm before reading, singing, and bedtime.

We've been doing this since Easter Sunday. Our goal is to be through with bottles by the end of April. We have one month to make the change. The ultimatum is that we go cold turkey and have a miserable couple weeks, but either way, NO MORE BOTTLES.

Rebecca's hospital stay

Pictures from Tuesday, 3.18.08, when we were admitted.

I said to Rebecca as I was taking her picture,
"Say 'CHEESE',"
and she did! Oh, how cute!!!

Tony & I took the girls to the doctor today for our monthly Synergis shot (the last one of 5). Our NP, SueAnn, checked out Rebecca and was so pleased with her progress. Her lungs don't sound "junky" anymore and her oxygen saturation's are in the 90's. Rebecca took her last dose of her oral antibiotic (for her ear infections) and oral steroids (for her lungs) today. She hasn't had a fever since last Friday, so I believe the medicine has done its job. Although Rebecca appears to be OK, SueAnn said she'd be on oxygen for another week. She cautioned me & Tony to keep Rebecca & Mary-Gail quarantined through May because of their increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses. I'm OK with that.

New Baby Bling!!

**Not all the pictures are here. I will have to make an addendum posting when we develop the other camera.**

Rebecca LaRae & Mary-Gail Darleen have some new bling to add to their wardrobe. They got their ears pierced on Tuesday, March 11th. My mom and Grandma Gourley met me and the girls at the Ear Pagoda to get their ears pierced!!

I know I said I would wait until the girls were old enough to decide if they wanted their ears pierced or not. However, my cute little Rebecca always kept getting "mistaken" for a boy, and I had had it! What mother would dress her "boy" in pinks???

The "BEFORE" picture. Soothing sounds of two happy little girls,

and their almost-empty bottles (with a dose of Tylenol).

Mary-Gail and Rebecca have NO IDEA what is about to happen to them

Mary-Gail will have PURPLE stones; Rebecca will have RED stones

Grandma Gourley + Mom; Grandma Gourley + me

The gal marks Mary-Gail's ears with a purple dot.

(In the meantime, Grandma Gourley took Rebecca on a "stroll" through the mall.

Mom and I think she was trying to help Rebecca escape!)

Lunch @ Wingers with Grandma Gourley, Mary-Gail, Me, Mom & Rebecca

4 generations of ladies with pierced ears.

Taking a break

I'm taking a break from monitoring Rebecca & Mary-Gail to say THANK YOU to my family and friends who have helped us and thought of us during these last weeks.

My Mom - for spending her nights with me after working such long hours. Mom slept over while Tony was gone. Mom would come "home" around 6:30 pm - just in time to help with our 7 pm feeding. She dropped everything on Sunday when I called her at 1 pm and said 4 words, "Mom, I need you." Mom was at my house in less than 20 minutes to help me with Rebecca and a fever that wouldn't break. Mom came with me to the on-call doctor that night at 9 pm, brought me Wendy's & Gandolpho's & Diet Coke (many Diet Cokes) while we were in the hospital, brought Rebecca a stretchy Easter Bunny toy, and spent every available minute with Rebecca & me. I love you Mom.

My sisters - JoJo, CarCar, Kristie. I have truly been blessed with wonderful sisters who are my best friends and truly love me and my girls. JoJo, CarCar, & Kristie each came to the hospital, basically abandoning their families for several hours at a time, to provide me and Rebecca with much needed relief, support, and conversation. Thanks for breakfast JoJo. Thanks for lunch and dinner CarCar. Thanks for the "fruits and veggies" Kristie (banana cream pie and french fries).

My brothers and Dadda - My brother, Jason, who lives 3,ooo miles away in NYC, called twice to check-in on us. Thank you for thinking of us so far away. We love you! My brother, Josh, came to visit us after he finished teaching his class at UVSC and brought me a Diet Coke and some treats. Thank you! And my Dadda who was available each morning to rush over to our home and watch Mary-Gail so Tony could come to the hospital and give Rebecca a blessing, to give me comfort. Thank you Dadda.

My sister-in-law Carol for being a surrogate mom to Mary-Gail while I stayed at the hospital with Rebecca. Carol watched Mary-Gail from 1pm - 10/11pm, so Tony could do our home business, go to work at FedEx, and then come kiss me goodnight before picking Mary-Gail up on his way home. I did not worry about Mary-Gail once, even though I only saw her once while we were in the hospital.

And to all those who did the behind-the-scene things for us: my mother-in-law, Gail, and her nightly phone calls for a status report and long-distance hugs; my two brother-in-laws, Spencer (visits, blessings, Cheesecake); and Paul for checking in on us; my sis-in-law Pam and her coordination with my nieces and nephews to create Rebecca's "Get better soon" poster. Thank you everyone for all your nice words, cute drawings, and hand prints. I LOVED seeing Rebecca's poster hanging on the wall when she & I came home late Saturday night. Thank you!

The power of the "shhhhhh"

I still marvel at how a simple sound can have such a huge effect on my babies. "Shhhhhh-ing" them when they're upset, sad, crying, too tired to sleep, too tired to cope, etc., always yields a calming response. It's not just for babies and children; see, I've been "shhhhhh-ing" Rebecca since our hospital admittance on Tuesday, and I find myself "shhhhhh-ing" me now too. I'm overwhelmed at what's been happening, and frustrated that I don't have any control. Oh, the power of "shhhhhh-ing." It calms me.

Find more about the power of "shhhhh" and the "Five 'S's" by reading/watching "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp.

Good Friday

Good Friday - that's exactly what today was...a Good Friday. Rebecca's oxygen requirements decreased from 2 Liters (that's like sticking your head out the car window as you drive down the freeway at 65 miles per hour) to 1 Liter. She is finally starting to break up the compacted mucus in her lungs and now has "productive" coughs. Previously when I would hold Rebecca, she would wrestle miserably against my chest, trying to get to that right spot where she could breathe. Her poor little body, chest, ribs, were all contracting trying to get oxygen in those cloudy, tight lungs. And even though oxygen was being rudely forced through her cannula at an unbelievable pressure, she still struggled. But now Rebecca can take deep breaths, can sneeze and produce phlegm, and even cough up some phlegm. Today is Good Friday, and Good things have been happening.

I spoke with our physician tonight. No chance of us going home until Sunday at the earliest. He wants Rebecca's oxygen needs to be less than .5 Liters. We're on our way. The steroid she'd been receiving twice a day to help her lungs has finally started to work, and the antibiotic for her ear infections has been changed to a more comprehensive antibiotic given every 8 hrs. All her medicines (except for Tylenol & Motrin) are FINALLY being given through her IV (something I begged for - & was granted - on Thursday morning), and so far she hasn't spiked a fever over 100 since Thursday either. I believe Rebecca's little body has been working over-time trying to kill this awful virus, and now she's starting to win the battles. Thank heavens for medicine. Thank heavens for faith. Thank heavens for the many prayers and fastings that have been offered in her behalf. Hopefully we'll be home for Easter.

FORESHADOWING OF A VIRUS

I should have know that when I innocently downloaded a virus on my laptop last Tuesday from a trusted blog site, it was a bad omen for the rest of the week and a foreshadowing of what was yet to come...

Life without Tony was awful!!! Both girls had fevers, fevers, fevers, throw-up, fevers, Tylenol & Motrin, on-call doctor visit at 9pm on Sunday. Diagnosis of double ear-infections for both girls. Start of Amoxicillin antibiotic. Mary-Gail doing OK. Rebecca still running fever of 102.8, 103.5, 104. Tuesday I called doctor's office and they got her right in. Rebecca's oxygen saturation was hovering in the high-70's, low 80's. Not good. She was admitted to the hospital for a 23 hour observation.

That was Tuesday, March 18th at 12:34 pm. Rebecca's 1st x-ray (that had to be repeated 3 times) showed lots of cloudy masses in her lungs. We were told a fancy name that basically means Bronchitis. Breathing treatments, nose suction, antibiotics, steroids, and her Tylenol + Motrin were all ordered. The nurses started an IV and began giving Rebecca "baby Gatorade" to keep her hydrated.

We're back to weighing diapers, measuring her milk intake, writing down when her last dose of medicine was, and when her next dose will be. We've spent the last two nights (tonight will be 3) in an isolation room. ANY health care worker who enters Rebecca's room has to put on a sterile gown, gloves, and mask before approaching her. Rebecca is soooo terrified of anyone who approaches her - she knows they have another motive.

Today we took another chest x-ray. This time there were 2 views and the results were worse: Bronchitis and Pneumonia. Dr. Later told us we were going to be at the hospital "for a while."