Family Pictures

Yesterday our friend Dave came over and took a picture of us in front of the "baby" in the yard. We'd had a similar picture taken when we had the stork for Wyatt. Here are the two pictures to compare.

The four of us!

The five of us!

Reese's Homecoming!

Right now both of my kids and my husband are all taking naps...so why am I awake? Reese only woke up once in the middle of the night last night for a feeding and change, so I got loads of sleep in comparison to the last week and half when we were coming home from the hospital late and leaving first thing and then staying awake worrying about our girl. Even if I did wake up 10 times to make sure she was breathing.

Brian and I got to the hospital to pick Reese up at 3:15. We would have gotten there earlier but we spent the afternoon dusting everything in sight, vacuuming and getting the house clean for Reese. The doctor's only discharge instructions were that we need to keep Reese away from Noelle and other pets (because of the dander) for a few months. But since she needs to stay away from dander we decided to keep her away from dust too and that meant a cleaning frenzy. Fortunately my Mom came over to help so we got it done quickly, but then we had to change because we had dust all over us (especially Brian since he was in charge of the fans).

Once we got there her nurse had us fill out her discharge paperwork while I got Reese dressed in her coming home outfit. Then she showed us how to get Reese in her car seat safely (like we don't know how). Instead of the typical wheeling Mommy and Baby out situation, Reese was put in her car seat and the car seat was put in her bassinet and the nurse walked her downstairs. Brian went and got the car and pulled around and we got Reese in! She was quiet the entire ride home until we pulled onto the street that leads up to our neighborhood. She wailed for a bit, but once we got her inside I fed her and she was fine.

My Mom had taken Wyatt with her to get my sister from her cross country practice, so he wasn't home yet. I was able to feed her peacefully before he got home and we made the big introduction. And when I say "big introduction," I'm being sarcastic. Wyatt had virtually no interest in his sister. This could be because his grandparents and Uncle and Aunts were in the room, and he didn't like being pushed to look at her. Because after everyone left he became very interested.

He kept walking up to her in her swing and looking at her and saying "baby." But soon after my Mom left I had to call and ask her to bring over her little baby gate/play yard. We're going to put all Reese's things inside to keep Wyatt away. This was brought on when Wyatt brought over a pillow and put it on his sister. Yeah. On her. Not good. Brian and I are very excited about watching the two of them get accustomed to one another and grow up together. Having both our kids under the same roof (finally) is the best!

Reese all dressed for coming home!

Leaving the NICU!

In the car getting ready to leave!

Reese & Daddy

Reese & Mommy

Home at last!

Wyatt seeing his sister for the first time. I think Noelle is trying to warn him!

My baby boy and my baby girl!

Wyatt giving Reese her pacifier. I'm not sure where he learned this. He gave his up at nine months.

Noelle Update!

Just wanted to give an update on our girl's status. She went to the Vet on Tuesday and her levels for everything (kidney and potassium) were perfectly normal! That was awesome news! We've noticed her limping getting a little worse since we stopped the Derramax, but her Tramadol dosage has been raised and is being given more frequently and that helps a little. The Vet suggested acupuncture as an option to help with the arthritis several years ago, but we've never actually taken her. Now we're going to give it a try and see if it helps. She still has some laser treatment follow ups left (you can read about the laser treatments here), but those aren't really showing the kind of progress that we'd hoped for. Anyway, I think she'll be going swimming tomorrow, so hopefully that will help too!

Quick Noelle Update

For those of you out there who might be concerned about Noelle, I thought I'd give the latest update. Now, this is what I understand from Brian telling me what the Vet said, so at some point I'll probably be corrected and have to re-update my update.

Noelle went to the Vet on Monday.

And Tuesday.

Wednesday she stayed home.

Thursday she was back at the Vet.

And Friday.

And today.

Now, the majority of these appointments have just been to have her blood levels checked. When she went on Monday her kidney values were high. They called with the results of the tests and gave us 4 possible diagnoses (some were scary, others not as much), but said it would take more time to have definitive answers on the diagnose. They took her off one of her "painkillers" because it's been known to cause high kidney values. She's been on the medicine (Derramax) for awhile, but at first she only got it on a bad day, then she got it everyday, and a few months ago they doubled her dose. So, now she's off. She also has to eat a different prescription food that has no protein in it because a lot of protein isn't good for kidney function. She seems to like it though, so at least she's eating!

Brian was also sent home with IV bags and needles. We are administering delivering her IV fluids twice a day. It is not fun to watch Brian's face as he sticks the needle in her. But, he always does a great job. We've been taking turns having one of us hold the bag up high while the other one pets and reassures her (we do not take turns inserting the needle). All in all, she seems to be responding well.

But, yesterday we got the call that her potassium values were too high, but that her kidney levels were dropping well. We were put on "alert" that she may need to spend 24 hours in the Emergency Vet (not good!), but that our Vet had sent everything off to another Vet (who we trust) to look over and determine if hospitalization would be necessary. Fortunately, because her kidney values are dropping, the second opinion was that she didn't need to spend last night at the Emergency Vet, but that she needed to come in today for MORE blood work and Brian needed to collect her pee to take in. Fortunately her potassium levels dropped to near normal range today! So right now she's going back in on Monday or Tuesday depending on the appointment times because we already have a Baby Girl check up on Monday. And I guess we'll have another update then (for both of our girls)!

Noelle last night. She's a little tired, but she's still happy!

Baby Girl Update!

This morning we had our 35 week appointment for Baby Girl (and I seriously just typed her name and had to go back and fix it). Weight gain and blood pressure are still great, and the Doctor said that her heartbeat is perfect! I had the Group B Strep test today as well, so that was fun :(. We start going for weekly visits next week and I have all but the final appointment booked because we have to see the Doctor that will perform the C Section that last week, and her calender was booked so they'll need to squeeze us in somewhere!

Wyatt was very fussy while we were waiting for the Doctor to come in, probably because the room was a sauna! Brian picked up a "Pause" magazine to fan himself off with. The irony of him using a menopause magazine to fan himself off was not lost on us....but it still didn't make Wyatt happy. Brian and Wyatt were on their way out the door when the Doctor came in and Wyatt calmed down. I was so happy that they didn't have to leave...Brian's never missed an appointment for either of them and I knew he didn't want to miss hearing her heartbeat and everything. And once the Doctor was in Wyatt was concentrating on everything he did, so he stopped fussing. Wyatt was especially interested in the baby's heartbeat when they put the Doppler on my stomach. He was just staring trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.

Brian's at the Vet with Noelle now. She's been having some accidents and hasn't been eating...although she clearly has an appetite considering the fact that she still hangs out wherever Wyatt is eating! We're pretty sure that the accidents are a result of lower estrogen levels in older dogs and how it effects the muscle that helps bladder control (Brian does tons of research on this stuff), so we just need to find out what to give her to help with that. And we'll probably switch her food back to her old stuff. She's been on a special medicated food for arthritis for about two years, but she already takes the same supplements that are in the food and she's on pain medication so she really doesn't need the food. Anyway, we'll see once Brian gets back from the Vet.

Once they're back we're going to buy Wyatt this seat for Brian's bike. It's gotten great reviews online and Brian still wants to be able to interact with Wyatt when they're on bike rides. It will be great for when Baby Girl comes and the boys want to get out of the house and for rides down on the boardwalk! After we pick up the seat we'll hang out for a little bit before Brian and I head to the Poison concert tonight....

Wyatt Drinking

The other night Brian gave Noelle some fresh water. He held it for her to walk up and drink and Wyatt decided to help him hold it. Then he decided to drink it.....

Going in for a drink

Taking a sip

Slurping!

Little Yankees Fan

Last night was game four of the Yankees/Red Sox series in the Bronx. After Brian got home he put on the pregame and we were all playing in the den. Wyatt was watching the "Plays of the Week" on TV with Daddy and kept pointing and saying "Whoa, whoa." We sometimes refer to him as our little Keanu because this kid is all about some "whoa." Anyway, Joba Chamberlain was making his first start against the Red Sox last night, so I went upstairs and got my "Joba Rules" t-shirt and put it on Wyatt. The look was complete with Brian's Yankees hat and Wyatt's Yankees bat. Then Bam Bam ran around the house with bat in hand trying to hit things. He actually ran into the Yankee Room (yes, we are obsessed) and started trying to hit one of Brian's autographed baseball's off the shelf (Ron Guidry). We had to remove him from the room before he did too much damage, but he ran back in the den to watch the game and scream "whoa" some more!

Hi, I'm cute, I know it

Welcome to my Yankee room (with some baby gear mixed in)

Trying to beat the Ron Guidry ball (at least he knew to hit a baseball with a bat)

See, this is how you get to Yankee Stadium

Beating the dog bed with the bat

Running somewhere else

Cuddling with Noelle

Brian doesn't realize it when he looks at this picture, but this is EXACTLY what he looks like when he watches the game (arm up, look on his face, everything but the legs 'cause Brian's can touch the floor :))

Watching the pregame

A Beautiful Puppy!

Noelle got brushed last night. And boy was she happy! She was prancing around the kitchen. Check out our beautiful girl!

I Think I Just Vacuumed Up a Dog...

Because Noelle is shedding like crazy! With the help of the (pretty, pink, Dyson) vacuum cleaner that I had to BEG Brian to let me buy I'm able to get all the hair up (okay, so you never actually get all the hair up), but I swear she leaves behind enough hair every day to build a new dog. Fortunately it's very nice, clean dead hair that falls off of the nicest, prettiest, sweetest dog on the planet.

Wyatt giving Noelle a cookie

Noelle with her toy

Busy Week!

The last few days have been a little crazy around here. I've been working my regular days, but I have been exhausted when I get home at night. And I'm not going to lie, I've probably been a little grumpy too! I love to spend time with my little guy, but I'm used to having Daddy at home by 6 - and with the waterpark opening tomorrow and all the last minute little things, we've been lucky if Daddy's gotten home before Wyatt goes to bed. I don't know why, but by the end of the day my legs and backside feel like I've done about a million squats during the day. And let's just say that I have been doing no squats. I would be fine if the pain was actually getting me some sort of result like an actual workout, but it's not, and I'm finding it difficult to stand up or even comfortably sit at night.

On top of my already sour mood, I was trying to help Brian do some yard work the other night when we had a bit of a malfunction. Our patio furniture was knocked down during the Mother's Day Monsoon and I was trying to pick up a chair when some sort of chain reaction happened that resulted in the table top glass shattering into like a gazillion pieces. It's bad enough that it broke, but now we have to take Noelle out on a leash at all times because there's still a chance glass could be somewhere, and we're not 100% sure that some glass didn't get in the pool. So that's going to require some extra vacuuming over the next few weeks to make sure that it's out.

On a rather exciting note, Wyatt has started to say more new words than ever before. Anything green and leafy is a "tee," which is tree. He knows that Ducks say "cack, cack, cack," and that a doggie says "Woof." Yesterday he said "Noelle" really well when he pointed at a picture of her, although it did come out sounding a little country, but very cute. Now if only he would say "Momma" at some time other than than when he's crying....

He's also started giving Noelle cookies which makes them both really happy. She's warming up to her little brother now. Hopefully Wyatt follows her example when his little sister comes!

Not Sick Anymore!

Saturday was the first day since Tuesday that Wyatt woke up without a fever! He started his day the very best way (in his opinion), by sitting in his high chair and staring out the window at the "Duck-a" in the pool. When he wakes up in the morning the very first thing he says when he comes downstairs is "Duck-a". Every once in a while he gets it right and just says "Duck." The only problem is that if these ducks keep doing their business in my backyard they're going to be gone. We already have enough "business" back there courtesy of Noelle.

Speaking of our sweet girl, she got a new dog bed this week. Noelle isn't really the kind of girl who adjusts to change or new things well, so she hasn't warmed up to the bed yet. Wyatt, on the other hand, has warmed up to the bed nicely. It's his new favorite placed to fall back on, to walk on, to jump off of, and to chuck his Wonder pets onto.

Very appropriately wearing his "blame the dog" shirt and showing off Tuck and LinnyWhat's wrong with this picture?

Just chillin'!

After his afternoon hangout session on the dog bed, he had spaghetti for the first time. He didn't seem to like it at first, but then he became a big fan!

After lunch, he thought that playing Madden '08 on the Nintendo Wii looked like fun. So, just to pass the hint onto Daddy, he went ahead and grabbed the game and the controller and played with them.

"What Mom? Dad said I could play with it!"

"How do you turn this thing on?"Getting into the action...even though the game wasn't on...

Today Wyatt is looking forward to figuring out how he can finally get the Guitar Hero guitar in his possession, and going to Grammy and Grandpa's for the baby shower for his Aunt and baby cousin!

Easter Weekend

This weekend was a fun family weekend! On Saturday we went to an Easter Egg "Hunt" at a local nursery. Wyatt wasn't exactly "interested" in finding Easter Eggs, but it was still fun. Here's a few shots of him "hunting."

On Easter Sunday, Wyatt got his Easter basket and then we went to brunch with my family. We went to the Founder's Inn, which was pretty yummy. During the brunch there was a small band playing, and the drummer was my middle school orchestra teacher! Wyatt LOVES music, so he enjoyed the tater tots and chicken nuggets (and cheesecake) while he rocked out to the music. Afterwards we went to Brian's parents house and had lunch and another Easter Egg Hunt. Even though his big cousin Colin kept pointing the eggs out to Wyatt, our boy only wanted to play with the soccer ball (or the dogs). At one point during the day we looked at Wyatt and he was standing between two of the dogs petting them with a huge smile on his face! At other times he would be on the look out for Noelle, and would walk up to her. Needless to say, Brian especially was very proud that Wyatt could recognize our girl and wanted to be around her. By the time we got home though, our little guy was pooped. He didn't get much sleep during the day on Saturday or Sunday, so he went to bed a little early last night.

Today we went to the Doctor for the monthly prenatal appointment and everything is going well. And as a perfect ending to the weekend (for Brian anyway, I've still got today!), we got a definite date for finding out what Baby Number 2 is - April 18th!

Our Family

It all started with Brian and his black lab puppy Noelle. The two soulmates met in December of 1993 when Brian was given Noelle as a Christmas gift. You can learn more about them here. For many years, the two of them enjoyed driving around in the Jeep, weekend trips to the Outer Banks, long walks on the beach and sharing the occasional graham cracker.

Brian and I met in 1998 when I interviewed for a job and he was the boss! We didn't really talk or even become friends until 2000, but at that point we definitely made each other laugh. So we liked each other as friends and it really just kind of became more. One day when my foot was broken, and I didn't really get to eat during my break, Brian brought me my lunch at my spot and ate with me. From that point on I was in LOVE, it just took my buddy a little bit longer to come around to it.

Fast forward 5 years to Christmas Eve 2005. Brian really surprised me with a wonderful and thoughtful and romantic proposal and of course I said yes! So we set about planning our perfect wedding day, of course including our perfect puppy dog Noelle! From that point on, it's all kind of been a whirlwind! We got married, had our precious baby boy Wyatt and we have another on the way!

Our son has brought more joy to us in the last year than I think either of us could have imagined. He is all boy for sure, but I think he's nice and cuddly when he wants to be too. I always knew from the way Brian has taken care of our girl Noelle that he would be a GREAT father, but he is a Super Fantastic Wonderful father. Wyatt LOVES to play with his Daddy, and it's awesome to see how happy Wyatt makes Brian. So this blog will mainly give updates into the four (soon to be five!) of us!