SURGERY has been scheduled!

Robert's next open heart surgery is Wednesday, October 17th!  UAB called yesterday and said that it is on the books!

We will be in Birmingham on the 17th and then stay as long as it takes before discharge.  Surprisingly, if all goes well, Robert will not be in the hospital for very long.  It is amazing how fast these babies recover!

At this time, I think the surgery plan includes a partial repair and a conduit around the valve.  If you remember, the repair includes closing the VSD (hole between the bottom two chambers), removing the excess heart muscle on the bottom of the heart, and slightly moving the aorta.  Because of his coronary anomaly, they have discussed a conduit around the pulmonary valve instead of opening the valve to increase the size.  Of course, he went through this at 4 weeks old in July 2011 when we all thought he would have a complete repair...Instead, he came out with a BT Shunt and no repair.  So plans are just that...Plans!  We will see on the 17th...

Back at home...G-Tube and all!

We are back! We were notified of discharge on Friday morning and then it was off to clean up and load the car so we could make it back to Mobile at a reasonable hour! I was able to actually sleep in a real bed on Friday night. It was more than I could ever hope for! I completely understand why a hospital can't be a 5 star hotel, but the running line seems to be that the extra "bed" for the parent/caregiver is notoriously awful...Why? Why can't they make it just a bit more comfortable? It's as hard on the caregiver to be in the hospital as it is on the patient. Oh well. There are more important things to think about anyway.

I did make it out of the hospital every day. I went "home" (i.e. the family friend's house...more to come on that in a minute) to shower each day and repack an overnight bag, plus to pick up break-lu-nner (that is the one meal that encompasses all three when you are staying in a hospital). I would pick up one decent meal from somewhere and bring it back for my mom and I to share in the hospital room. It doesn't sound all that great, but when you aren't doing much more than sitting in a small room, you don't really need that much sustenance.

We arrived home late last night (we = my mother, myself, and Bobby). Emerson was beyond excited to see us...which always makes you feel better. Love those longer than normal hugs. :) I think not long after, my dad went to pick up dinner and then my mom, Bobby, and myself fell asleep in the den. Somewhere after that, in a foggy daze, we hooked up the feeding pump and all went to bed. Sleep is important since you don't know what will ever happen next...might as well get it when you can.

Bobby always gives or brings Emerson a present when he is in the hospital. So just as any good brother would do, he brought home a present in the form of Disney's Repunzel from Tangled. Emerson loved it. And she gave Bobby a sweet kiss and thank you - unprompted I might add.

(At this stage, Emerson refuses to look at the camera/phone. Instead, she completely ignores any crazy thing you might be doing to get her to look at you. Oh well. This too shall pass.)

Today was a lazy day. By lazy I mean that we didn't go anywhere really, but it still wasn't quiet, relaxed, or even lazy. I did get to take Emerson out for a "cheese samich" at Camille's. And then we ran to Target for the essentials (i.e. Goldfish bread, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and cheese). I also found a Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle for 70% off in the clearance section. Talk about a score! It will be going in the attic for a future birthday or next Christmas...whenever Emerson starts playing more with Disney princess dolls or Barbies. Then it was home to nap. Well, Emerson to nap. Bobby is still very much in pain so it's just a lot of holding and trying to make comfortable. I hope he improves soon. :(

I thought about this quite a bit while I was in Birmingham (multiple reasons...but it kind of goes along with my personal life problems). I thought of how I would ever thank the friends that offered a place for me...us to stay while trying to take care of Bobby's medical needs. There really is nothing I could do that would ever tell them how grateful I am for all of this. We have several very good friends that live in the Birmingham area that have offered the extra rooms in their home. And I truly appreciate it...And may be using it sooner than they think. But, in the meantime, we haven't had to exhaust others with our trips. So, I know I tell you, but just if you read it too, THANK YOU!

G-Tube & Hospital Stay

I know I should have posted this before now, but we are currently at Children's Hospital of Alabama (Birmingham) recovering from Bobby's g-tube surgery. After a series of events that occurred during my non-posting blog period, it became apparently clear that he needed the g-tube, but to get that, he needed a new doctor. I had two people with heart kids (both around 4 years old now) suggest Dr. Steven King (Alabama Pediatric Gastroenterology). And his name was actually mentioned in August by one of the cardiologists at UAB. So, I asked for and received a referral in November from our cardiologist and received an appointment for December 7th. Dr. King was awesome and knew exactly where we needed to go from where we were at the time. The holidays put a damper on any type of procedure so we waited until after the New Year to schedule the tests and G-Tube surgery. Apparently, the scheduling worked out very quickly in our favor and I received the call only a few days before we needed to be in Birmingham.

Look at that smile! He is ready for his tests...

Getting ready for the Barium Swallow...But then put on hold and told to wait in the waiting room while he continues to digest his stomach contents.

Awwww...Look at me! I am so handsome in yellow (even if it is a hospital gown)! ;)

What?!?!?!!! I am not handsome? Nooooo, I didn't think you said that either. I will show you some leg so you know who is the cutie patootie.

Uh-oh. Do not hold him down. Bobby not likey.

This is my attempt at taking a picture of us together. There are actually very very few of me and Bobby together as it is extremely hard to take a picture of yourself. And who else am I supposed to ask...Emerson?

Awww. Just another one for good measure. And I love the smirk he gives me.

On Friday, Bobby was to report to CHOA at 9:45am for the Barium Swallow (a procedure that primarily evaluates the esophagus) and a Lower GI Tract X-ray (an x-ray examination of the large intestine/colon). Both required Bobby to drink barium...The x-rays for the Barium Swallow was performed while he actually drank it (and by drink...I mean the nurse used a bulb syringe to shoot it into his mouth while he screamed and spit as much as possible back out)...The Lower GI was done a while later after time had moved it past his stomach (a lot less traumatic).

On Monday, surgery was tentatively scheduled for 7am (although we all knew it would be later as nothing ever starts on time). So, my mother and I loaded Bobby up and headed to the hospital at 5:15am. We sat in the surgery waiting room until 7am when we finally got called back. Weight, temperature, O2 sats, respiration all taken before we were put in our temporary room. Anesthesia and various nurses came by and took medical information while providing insight into the procedure and expected recovery.

Monday morning...And here is my sweet non-g-buttoned tummy one more time. Take a good look.

Soon after, I carried him down the hall to the operating room where we gave our kisses and said our "see ya later's" (remember: no goodbyes here!) until later. We were escorted back to the same waiting room where Emerson had arrived and was already riding in a red wagon.

Thankfully, CHOA is designed for kids (obviously) and it isn't terrible to sit in a surgery waiting room with a 2 year old (much different than UAB's Cardiac waiting room). All the TVs are turned to Nick Jr. and there is even a tree house in the middle of the room to climb all over. Oh - and how would I ever forget - the red wagons that litter the hallways. Thank goodness for the wagons. :) Emerson kept us all busy as usual. (My father arrived shortly before we went back to drop off Bobby for the operation.) So, between myself, my mother, and my father, we have a team handling her. And believe me...it takes a team...and lots of various toys and activities (which we brought too).

A long while later, Dr. King appeared and gave us the news that all had gone well. His stomach is apparently more midline than normal (??? - my thoughts exactly...). And the tests done on Friday were supposed to point that out (which they apparently did), but that was not noted on the report sent to him. Either way, it wasn't a big deal and the g-tube is just fine about 1.5 inches directly above his belly button.

Bobby received a MIC-KEY tube. Specifically, he received the Low-Profile Gastrostomy Feeding Tube. There are several types of feeding tubes to choose from apparently, but this one seems to be the best, especially for him. Here is a basic picture of the MIC-KEY button/tube. The balloon is located in his stomach and is what secures the button from falling out...if the balloon deflates, the whole thing falls out. The tube plugs into the top which is the only portion I can see and when its not in use the stopper pictured is plugged in to the button.

Remember that sweet tummy from the BEFORE:

It now looks like this in the AFTER:

Bobby was in recovery longer than expected. Not sure really why, even now. But I do know that he was to be admitted for a 1 night stay. It's Thursday - And we are still here. What followed was a consistently high fever (102+), swollen feet and hands plus general puffiness all over, and obvious pain and discomfort. At first, we were told that he would stay on his IV and receive Pedialyte until 3pm at which time we would try to feed a bottle and whatever he didn't take would be given by bolus feeding.

Bolus feeding is basically when the formula is inserted into a very large syringe which is attached to the end of the g-tube allowing gravity to push the formula into the stomach. Bobby's feeding issue is not centered on the fact that he refuses a bottle (as some babies do), but is centered on that at some point during taking a bottle, he begins to actually burn more calories than he is consuming, therefore, eating becomes less beneficial - even contradictory than intended. (i.e. His poor little heart works so hard just to eat it is, as the doctors keep saying, like running a marathon when everyone else is standing still.) So, as important as it is that he does not actually forget how to eat (Yes, forget! Who knew you could actually forget how to eat? Obviously, not my personal problem.), it is also important that he actually be on the positive side of calories too. He will still be given bottles, but at some point, he will receive the remainder of his feeding by tube. And in the evening, he will be put on enteral feeding which is where he will be fed continuously by feeding pump all night while he sleeps. Since he will not have to "work" for these calories, this is where we hope he will begin to put on weight and start making his way out of the "failure to thrive" category.

After the bottle (offered 4 oz, took 3 oz. by mouth), the remaining 1 oz. was given by bolus. Not much later, I felt a little wet spot on my stomach. I pulled Bobby away to find that his gauze was soaked and his stomach was leaking onto my shirt. The g-button was fine, but his stomach contents were leaking out of his incision. The nurse checked him (nothing seemed overly wrong, but she did let the doctor know). We were told that "oozing" was normal as they had just pierced his stomach to put in a large tube. Seems reasonable. I switch off holding him with my mother. A little while later, she feels the wet sensation to pull him back and find she is wet, the blanket he was wrapped in is soaked, and he is really "oozing" now. I would have thought that his whole bottle had now leaked out, but he continues to "ooze" for a few more hours which ends up with large absorbent pads and an ace bandage being wrapped around his middle section. All further feeding is stopped until the incision can heal more (as it cannot heal if liquid is constantly coming out of it). Over the next 2 days, the bandages get changed out and the leaking basically stops. He has stayed on constant fluids by IV. All meds were transferred to IV as well (in order to prevent them from oozing out of his tummy and not really knowing how much he was absorbing).

You know it's a children's hospital when the first visitors are a bunch of clowns. Literally, clowns. :)

We are trying a bottle this morning. First feeding since the "oozing" incident. You would think Bobby would be inconsolable with hunger, but no...He seems pretty content not eating. Hopefully, this will jumpstart his feeling the need to eat (as he has always been a poor eater and never shown the type of "immediate need" for food like Emerson did).

His weight is just one stepping stone...a BIG stepping stone...that we need to cross to get to his next heart surgery.

I have some more pictures to come when I upload from my real camera (not just my phone). :) Check back soon. I promise...I am back!

Almost a week of updates...(4 Days Old)

I am sorry that I have not posted anything since arriving at UAB on Monday. As you can guess, our little boy, Robert James, is here! He was born at 5:02 pm on Monday, June 20th, weighing 8 pounds 9 ounces and 21.5 inches long. I was induced, but he was born via expedited c-section after a few complications. Although not a c-section was not ideal, it has allowed me to actually stay in the hospital for 2 additional days and us to be closer to him.

As for our little Robert's entry into the world...He went into distress during labor and it was decided that he needed to arrive as quickly as possible. After they broke my water, his little heart was just not doing so well and they were worried that he was going into shock. It was decided rather quickly that I needed to have a c-section. Of course, Phillip had stepped out of the room to inform our waiting family that everything was fine (and give them a brief synopsis of what had occurred up to that point...no need to worry about the craziness as it was all under control at that point). So as the doctors are talking in a language that I mostly cannot understand, one looks at me and says, "You will be having a c-section." I take a deep breath and think to myself that I have an hour or more to mentally prepare and it will all be okay... I ask her when this will happen, and she says, "You might have 15 minutes." Omg. Call Phillip. He rushes back in and they hand him his scrubs. As he puts them on, various nurses and doctors are entering and leaving the room. The doctors are mostly looking at my chart, printouts, current stats, etc. Nurses are gathering things from the room and packing up the IV, bed, cords, etc.

It's all kind of a blur at this point. I am being wheeled into the OR, Phillip is being escorted to the waiting area while I am prepped for surgery, and our family waits outside thinking everything is just fine because Phillip was just out there assuring them it was. I am almost immediately moved to the OR bed and strapped down. At that time, various doctors and nurses stop by my head (as I can't really see or move) to introduce themselves and tell me what they will be doing and what to expect. I am really fine beyond the shock of it all happening so quickly until the Neonatologist comes by and tells me that he will step in after the baby is born at which time, the baby will be rushed from the OR to a side room where he will be resuscitated, examined, and then moved to the RNICU. I just nodded. But all I could think was RESUSCITATED??? The c-section started and as tears rolled down my face, the nurse looks over and asks if I have family available. YES! My Husband! Who is apparently still sitting in the OR waiting area. There were so many people in the room that I just assumed he was somewhere in there. But apparently not. No one had remembered to go get him. Someone grabbed Phillip and he had to tiptoe around the doctors as the c-section had already started...He apparently got a nice view of my insides which he said "aren't pretty".

Not too much longer and we heard a crying baby. He came out crying! No resuscitation needed! He was rushed out so quickly that we were unable to see him. After several minutes, the nurse took Phillip to see him where he was able to escort him to RNICU. He took a few pictures and brought them back to me so I could see. I went on to post-op recovery where I spent the next 3 hours. I wasn't allowed to leave until I could bring my knees up. In the meantime, the doctors were busy taking all his vitals, stats, and running some tests.

After recovery, we were able to "roll by" the RNICU room to see him. Since I was in a hospital bed, the nurse held him up so I could see him. The medication he was on (until yesterday) was so high that he was unable to be touched or held. He was receiving prostoglandins that kept the ductus aeortis and other arteries as open as possible. But side effects made him very sensitive to the touch (it hurt!), very warm, and very irritable. So we would not be able to touch or hold him for a while. :(

As for my stay in the hospital...My recovery was a little more than I planned. C-section's are not fun! I didn't realize that the pain and inability to do almost anything by myself would be so intense. I felt so bad asking Phillip to do the smallest of tasks for me constantly. But I literally could not do anything for myself. Still basically can't. Everything is a struggle. I was in bed until mid-day on Tuesday and then increasingly got more active. I was on Percocet and Motrin for pain which I could have every 4 and 6 hours, respectively. I had to ask for it though (the nurse wouldn't tell you when your time was up). And I would either be asleep, down in the NUCU, or simply forget. (My advice to anyone in this situation is assign someone to keep up with the time for you and remind you.) The nurses kept telling me to "stay ahead of the pain" meaning take the medication before the pain is really bad. But again, I would forget. The Percocet just made me so sleepy. And then I had to start taking Benadryl through my IV because one of Percocet's possible side effects is being itchy all over. Great! And then the adhesive on the c-section bandage (taken off around 24 hours after surgery) gave me blisters on my skin. So not only did I have a very sensitive incision, I also had these tiny little blisters appearing on my belly. Disgusting. I know. Benadryl has always made me just fall asleep. So for the first 2 days, I was a complete zombie. I stopped taking the Benadryl completely and tried lessening the Percocet so I could actually be around Robert without falling asleep and intelligently talk to people (I was making nonsense most of the time) and especially his doctors.

As for Robert...We were able to hold him on Tuesday finally. And the grandparents were able to see him. Each day, we were able to hold him a little more. The only problem was that I was still recovering...and sleepy...and needing to be in bed (as I could not walk, stand, or go to the bathroom by myself). My parents came in and took some of the feedings as that was something we could do. And Phillip went down and spent some time with him as well. He has been on Prostaglandins (a type of medication) that is supposed to help keep his Ductus Arteriosis open until the doctors can determine if he is dependant on it providing oxygen to the lungs. But one of the side effects of Prostaglandins is that it makes him very sensitive to touch. It apparently hurts to be touched, therefore, making it scary to hold him (just this horrible wimper of a sound while picking him up until he is comfortable again). Plus, he has a Umbilical Vein Catheter (an IV running through his umbilical cord) that is very sensitive and would be absolutely terrible if accidentally pulled or tugged on (i.e. painful!). It makes it very scary to touch him, much less, hold him. They actually decided today to stop the Prostaglandins at 3pm as they determined it wasn't making a difference in his stats. They have been slowly decreasing them over the past 24 hours with no change (so I assume that is how they made that decision). And you can see that he is more comfortable being touched as well. It will take approximately 24 hours for the Prostaglandins to leave his system though.

What is the Ductus Arteriosis? The ductus arteriosus is a normal fetal structure, allowing blood to bypass circulation to the lungs. Since the fetus does not use his/her lungs (oxygen is provided through the mother’s placenta), flow from the right ventricle needs an outlet. The ductus provides this, shunting flow from the left pulmonary artery to the aorta just beyond the origin of the artery to the left subclavian artery. The high levels of oxygen which it is exposed to after birth causes it to close in most cases within 24 hours.

Physically, Robert looks pretty normal. His hands and feet are a little bluish and sometimes his lips. But when he is all wrapped up in a blanket and you don't see any of the cords and monitors, he looks like a normal baby. He sleeps 24 hours a day. I have only seen an eye crack once at this point. The medication he is on makes him very sleepy. And beyond that, his little heart pumping is just exhausting as it takes a lot more energy to keep his body working at this point. He looks like a sleeping angel all day long. :)

Seeing the doctors is just by luck. They made their rounds at odd hours so you never knew when they would be there. He has a whole team looking after him - Neonatologist, Pediatrician, Cardiologist, and Geneticist. Basically, several of each. We haven't met all of the doctors that are looking after them, but we have met several. We did see the Geneticist (who was actually sent to us by one of the Cardiologists). He is helping with the genetics testing and hopes to have some results by this coming Monday. Not all of the testing will come in at the same time most likely, but we are mostly concerned with the DiGeorge Syndrome results (we have known about this one for a while now...). The Geneticist said that he would like to follow up with additional testing at 6 months of age and maybe even longer even if everything returns as negative. Basically, it sounds like their are tiers of testing to ensure all syndromes and disorders are truly negative. [If you didn't know...A heart defect can mean other problems such as genetic abnormalities. They want to be able to rule those out. It doesn't always mean that treatment will vary, but it could.]

Robert has his own private NICU room with a couch, chair, TV, etc. It's very nice. I couldn't imagine a better place for him to be right now. He has at least 1 nurse assigned to him so he is basically looked after 24/7 with someone at his bedside. The nurses are a wealth of information. So even though we don't see the doctors for very long, it hasn't been a concern.

And Discharge...I was discharged today by the way. I was actually very proud of myself that I hadn't lost it on anybody while in the hospital (as I had previously melted down when we had Emerson...I blame hormones and drugs.) But then during discharge, I had a complete freak out moment on the front desk receptionist in the NICU. I was discharged from the maternity ward to the NICU (rather than being wheeled to the car like normal). So my maternity nurse and a trainee nurse delivered me to the NICU in a wheelchair. At that time, the woman refused me entry because I didn't have my proper qualifications. When I was a patient, my wristbands tied me to the baby. But as I was being discharged, I needed a NICU badge (that she could make right there). So she sent me to the lobby to check-in to the hospital as a visitor. The nurses wheeled me down there and then back up. And then she refused me again because my "sticker" wasn't in a plastic lanyard (again, that she had in front of her). The lobby doesn't have lanyards. We have to get them from her. But she was too busy to be bothered because YouTube videos and her adult son (who was not qualified to be in the NICU) were using up all of her attention span. So I lost it. Screaming and crying apparently get you somewhere. I was let in and got a lanyard. She was reprimanded. Not my proudest moment but what else was I supposed to do?

We will be staying in a real bed tonight. Beyond excited. We left the hospital with the intention of grabbing dinner and going back. But then I started to feel the pain and filling my prescription was top priority. It was 8pm on Friday so we went to Wal-Mart (ughhh...). They were able to fill it pretty quickly, but in the meantime, Phillip pushed me around in a wheelchair (pitiful). Sitting in a wheelchair, crying (pain induced but then also thinking that I was missing the 8:30pm feeding), and not to mention in a Wal-Mart, was a personal low for me. But I was able to get a reusable heating pad (a must for c-section...or probably any delivery or stay on a hospital bed) and my meds...So things are looking up right now as I lay on the couch before bed...and another long day at the hospital tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the day!

We will be leaving for the hospital around 6:30am tomorrow morning! "Bobby" will arrive sometime tomorrow!!! I am very excited to end this long pregnancy process (it's been rough this go round), but also very nervous for what else lies ahead. We will hopefully know more about his condition and the severity in the coming days.

I have been keeping myself as busy as possible...That meaning reorganizing the amount of stuff we have around here. I have almost lost it several times as everyone else seems to be going on with life and not at least seeming too concerned (I know they probably are, but it just doesn't seem that way to me...). I am sleep deprived. And Emerson went to stay with her Grandmother today for probably most if not all of the week. :( It just seems like everything is on this roller coaster and I know it is about to take off...and I am just not sure I want to go on it anymore. I am extremely nervous about tomorrow. It's weird thinking that I will get to meet my doctor for the first time...TOMORROW! That is insane. I hate it. And then I will be trying to recover, all the while knowing that I have a baby that needs more attention than a normal newborn. It gives me a headache to even think about it all! It's beyond overwhelming!!! I guess all I can really say is...It's too late now!!!

I have been listening to a song by Matt Hammitt called All of Me a lot lately! I hope you will go check it out on itunes and buy it if you like it. :)

Please keep praying for us! We will update the blog soon!!!

Baby Update 6.2.11 (36 Weeks & 3 Days)

My appointment with the Maternal Fetal Specialist at UAB was at 2:45 this afternoon. It was somewhat better than our last appointment (For one - It didn't take 4 hours.). My patient records finally made an appearance (lost last time). I saw another doctor (I haven't seen the same one yet). The doctors are very hands-off at UAB it seems. You see several nurses that each do their own little task only to leave and see a new nurse a few minutes later. When you finally see the doctor, its just a few questions before they are out the door again. According to one of the nurses, some of my tests and lab work had been done too early in Mobile. Therefore, they needed to be repeated. Last week, the doctor ordered blood work done but I was ushered to the discharge area before that happened. Oh well. I brought that up this week and it seemed to evoke complete confusion. So the doctor just ordered it again. I went on to ultrasound after that for a quickie look. The baby is moving and my fluid is around 20+ cm (still high for 36 weeks). I was sent to the discharge area again only to remind the nurse that I needed my blood work (the same blood work that needs to be done between 32 and 37 weeks)...So she sent me to the lab where they had no record of an order for blood work. *sigh* Luckily, the nurse just did it anyway and said she would figure it out later. Then I went to check out. Finally.

They went ahead and made the remainder of my future appointments. According to the doctor, they are hoping I get to 39 weeks when they will just go ahead and induce. (Although no official date on that yet...Boo!) But the appointment girl made me appointments into 40 weeks. I really am not sure if they know what is going on there!

In Mobile, I always had my ultrasounds, testing, lab work, etc. before I saw a doctor. It seems to me that makes more sense. My OB would always review any results/pictures and go over anything of concern with me at the time. At UAB, I always see the doctor and then they send me for further things...And then I don't see anyone again until my next appointment...And its never even the same doctor...And on top of that, they never have any of my records. Should I worry??? I miss Dr. Cunningham. :(

Before our afternoon appointment, we were planning to enjoy a nice lunch without Emerson. ;) But plans changed when Emerson needed an earlier than normal nap. (The pack-n-play no longer holds her and being in a new place, she has a bit of a meltdown if we leave her alone to nap.) We instead had a 10 minute lunch at the hospital food court. :(

Phillip's mother was able to take the day off to babysit so we we could go to the doctor appointment alone. Although I don't have much to do here that I could normally take care of at home (cleaning house, little chores here and there, etc.), I am seemingly busy and bored all at the same time. It's just hard to relax when you aren't at your own home. I have 2 books that I have started and read back and forth. But that is about all I have to do outside of taking care of Emerson. My parents are coming to Birmingham this weekend for Emerson's birthday party so that will be nice to have a change of scenery for a few days. Maybe we can go eat at the Urban Cookhouse again this weekend. :)

Still here. For now.

Day 10. Food is running low. Ran out of apple juice and milk yesterday. Diapers are next to go. Must go to store and stock up again. Although morals are still high, energy is running out for everyone but Emerson.

Seriously, we were able to go out and about yesterday. We had lunch at Urban Cookhouse in Homewood yesterday. I highly recommend the Berry Good Chicken Wrap. Yum yum yum. I am going back very soon. I know my Mom will love that place. :)

Then we hit the local toy store just down the street (not a chain type). I highly underestimated Emerson's interest in trains. [She has the Mickey Mouse train which "disappears" from time to time because we just can't take it anymore.] I almost bought her a wooden train set that was on zulily the other day. I am regretting that purchase since it was really discounted (birthday, future Christmas present, etc.?). Ugh. Oh well. I did some research last night and found some really cute and fun generic train sets that work with Thomas the Train and the other popular sets. I don't think she cares or will care about that kind of thing, but its nice to know that they can work together. We will see how much the interest keeps up. Thanks, Chuggington! I took other's advice about keeping her far far away from Thomas & Friends cartoons only to have you come along on the Disney Channel. Leaving that toy store was apparently a horrific experience for all of us.

On to Dreamcakes. Cupcakes for Emerson's birthday party ordered. We taste tested the Strawberry Milkshake and Bananas Foster cupcakes. Emerson too...They are very careful not to cross contaminate with just about anything if it isn't in the ingredients (which are all listed with the flavor). We decided on Strawberry Milkshake and Lemon Love for Sunday. :)

Then it was on to Gardendale for a visit to the splash pad. Since we had avoided a nap all day, Emerson was already a little worn out which made the visit short. But she had a great time nonetheless. Somehow, she avoided a nap the rest of the day too...So it was bedtime as usual at 7pm (thank goodness...we needed to get back on schedule). Hopefully, we can continue that from now on.

This morning, we had a visitor around 3am. She crawled out of the pack-n-play...again. :( Some Baby Einstein lullaby music seemed to get her back to sleep in our bed. And then Phillip decided to move her back around 5am. Mistake. I found him asleep on the other bed with 2 baby quilts (that were originally his by the way) draped over him...and Emerson jumping up and down in her pack-n-play (anything within arms reach thrown across the room and all the reachable drawers to the dresser open).

As for "Bobby", we are still waiting. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I will post an update then. I am still hoping we can get an inducement date out of them (they didn't seem too concerned about all that last appointment) so we know if all else fails when we will meet this baby.

And life goes on...

Memorial Day weekend is over! I know that is terrible to say, but it was beyond exhausting. And not to mention...Annoying since it seemed every single person that posted something on facebook was somewhere on the water this weekend. It was 97 degrees yesterday. But only 87 degrees in Mobile. Ugh. I am sure 87 felt pretty hot. But not as hot as 97.

Yesterday, I realized what has been bothering me so much lately. I have probably said "no", "stop that", "put that down", "leave that alone", "be careful", "don't drop that", etc. more so in the past week than all of Emerson's life. I randomly read parenting articles as I find something that interests me (i.e. I am not by any means researching these topics). A while ago (way before this was even an issue), I read an article about always saying "no" and trying to be a more positive parent. I really took it to heart. I try (I definitely haven't perfected this...at all) to use positive reinforcement and distraction rather than the constant "no". At our house, we have put up/removed anything that is either 1) dangerous, 2) breakable, or 3) something that we don't want played with, broken, or destroyed. It wasn't hard. We just removed it at various stages as Emerson discovered it. I would rather remove it rather than ALWAYS asking her to stop doing whatever I don't want her doing. Don't get me wrong...We are still teaching her what "no" means, but how do you teach that some things are okay and some things aren't (that look almost identical to a child)? "You can read and touch THIS book, but not that one." It doesn't make sense to me so how do I explain that to a 2 year old? It's so hard being away from home for a long period of time. Nothing is like home. We have definitely been struggling with touching things that we shouldn't this week. And on top of that naps are almost impossible (a small pack-n-play does not contain her plus it doesn't get very dark in her room), bedtime is torture, eating anything normal has been stressful, and her energy level is at all time high for some reason. I think we are all ready for us to go back to a more normal schedule/routine.

This week will be spent resting. And doing a few things "in town" (lol). I am actually excited for my doctor's appointment this week. Maybe I can actually get something out of it.

Plus, Emerson's birthday party is this Sunday! It won't be much, but we will have peanut-free cupcakes and lots of ice cream (it will apparently be very hot again)...plus just a few friends that we know in the Birmingham area. [If you are in the area and want to come, please let me know because we would love to have you.]

Tomorrow is finally June 1st! I have never been counting down the days more than right now!