When it rains...

Let me fix it

I can do it Daddy!

it pours.  Saturday we realized that our dishwasher was not working.  We have not liked the dishwasher since we moved in but were not going to replace it just because.  Well, after running the same load three times to no avail we realized we would have to bite the bullet and buy a new one.  I am not going to be at home for the next four months without a dishwasher.  So, off Paul and Luke went Sunday afternoon in search of a new dishwasher. Paul got a great deal at HH Gregg and he and Luke came home and installed it.  Luke still loves to help Paul with any type of project around the house.  He get his tools out and hammers, screws and measures.  It is pretty cute.  I am very happy to say that the new dishwasher works great, and after only one time, too!

Big Brother

I'm the big brother

Loving on Baby sister

Luke is doing better every day with Katherine.  Sometimes he acts like she is not even there and other times all he wants to do is hold her, play with her head and rub her face!  He most often talks to her and says "It's okay baby Katherine, it's okay".  Even if she is not crying that is what he tells her.  Speaking of crying, he does not like to hear her cry, not even a whimper.  If she does he tells me or Paul to pick her up and gets this panicked look on his face. I have tried to explain to him that babies cry a lot because they are not able to talk and tell us what they need or want.  We will just keep reiterating this point and maybe he will not continue to insist on someone picking her up at the slightest whimper.

Visit with Nonna

Nonna and Katherine

Play time with Daddy

All the grandparents have made a point to come and visit frequently since little Katherine has been with us.  Both Nonna and Nene have run errands for us, brought us food and entertained Luke.  It is nice having both families so close by.  Since Katherine has been born Paul has been on Luke duty...getting his bath, bedtime and otherwise occupying his time while I tend to Katherine.  One night recently it worked out with Katherine's feeding schedule that I could put Luke to bed.  I have missed that a lot.  This also gave Paul an opportunity to spend time with Katherine one-on-one.  They enjoyed some tummy time and playing in the floor.  Katherine is so alert and really seems aware of what is going on around her. 

First Bath

She was so cute and cuddly afterwards

Katherine was not the biggest fan of the bath

Totally cheesy smile on my part...

With everything that had been going on I realized Katherine had not had a bath at home yet.  She, of course, got the scrub down at both hospitals, but she needed her first bath!  Paul entertained Luke while I did it.  Just another example of how different things are the second time around.  With Luke we were both so concerned that we do everything just right and by the book. I would have never given him his first bath without Paul there.  Katherine did great although it was obvious being wet was not her favorite thing!

One Week!

Too sweet

It is hard to believe Katherine is one week old!  While in Vanderbilt she got the nickname "peanut" by the nursing staff.  It has kind of stuck and that is what I refer to her as "our little peanut".  When Luke was first born we called him "little bit" for awhile.  Before we know it "peanut" will not be an appropriate description of her!

The Gap

There has been a gap in my blog postings for a reason.  We came home from Baptist with Baby Katherine on Sunday, August 1st.  We took Katherine to the pediatrician Monday afternoon for a bili check.  On Monday night we got a call from Dr. Patterson saying Baby K's bilirubin was too high and we needed to be admitted to the hospital.  Paul and I were both very upset.  She gave us the option of Baptist of Vanderbilt Childrens.  We could not stay with her at Baptist, but could at VCH so we chose to go there.  The whole experience was scary.  I called my mom to come and stay with Luke. Since Paul and I were visibly upset Luke got very upset.

We went to the ER at VCH and were quickly taken back to a room.  It was determined Katherine needed to have phototherapy.  The nurses and doctors in the ER were great at explaining everything to us.  We ended up being admitted to the NICU which was scary as well.  Again, the nurses and NICU doctors were wonderful.  They said Katherine was having problems with her bilirubin for several reasons including being premature, lower weight, slight dehydration and abnormal lab values. 

Luckily, the hospital had a "sleep room" that Paul and I could use at night.  The nurses encouraged us to be very hands on which was nice but overwhelming all at once.  She had to get an IV in her head, which is very common in infants, but looked so painful.  Through everything she was such the trooper!  She was poked and prodded repeatedly but took it like a champ.  I continued to nurse her every 3 hours which helped excrete the bilirubin.  Through the whole ordeal she never really lost her appetite which was a blessing. 

Paul and I discussed taking pictures of everything but decided against it. As positive as an experience as we had we really did not want to remember her hooked up to all the wires, etc.  She responded very quickly to the phototherapy and we were able to go home on Wednesday the 4th.  It just so happened that the nurse discharging us was also a certified car seat specialist.  She would not let us take Katherine home in our car seat.  She said it just was not safe.  Paul and I agreed but hated to buy another carrier and base system.  Luckily, VCH has a parent resource center that sells everything at cost.  Paul bought a new carrier and base that is rated for 4# - 30#.  Katherine weighed exactly 5# when we left, but did not fit in our seat well. We both agreed she seemed much more comfortable in her new ride!

Both Paul and I have a new found respect for parents who deal with health problems in their newborns.  We are also so thankful that Katherine responded so well to the treatment and was able to come home in the shortest time frame possible.  We feel very fortunate to live in a city that has such world class health care for children!

Happy To Be Home (Again)

So glad to have our little peanut home!

Words can not express how excited we were to find out we could come home after just over 36 hours at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  We got home by 12:30 and had time to get some things done at home before Luke needed to be picked up at school.  We were so glad that Paul was able to go pick him up.  Needless to say the little fella had been through a lot since Katherine had been born. 

Busted Lip

Poor fella had quite the battle scars

It did not seem to slow him down though!

Luke has acquired quite a few boo-boos lately.  He got a busted lip at school one day and skinned both knees at Nene and Pop's house.  He loves to point out his  boo-boos and insists on having band aids put on everything!

First Doctor Visit

Waiting on Dr. Patterson

We were scheduled for a follow up check with Dr. Patterson on Monday, August 2nd.  Little did we know this visit would set in motion the events of the following days.

First Day Home!

Sweet Baby Girl

Just hanging out with little sister

Our first day home was pretty low-key.  We just hung out and tried to get adjusted to having Katherine at home with us.  Luke did good with her, but we definitely saw a change in his behavior, which we were expecting.  He did more to command our attention and acted out.  He is normally a very mellow, low-key little boy so this was completely out of character.  But as they say, this, too shall pass.

Visitors

Pop and Luke

Meme and Uncle Jon

Virginia (aka GiGi)

The Brewer Girls!

We had several visitors in the hospital.  Paul and I both agreed it was nice to not have an overwhelming amount of company.  It allowed us time to spend with our new baby and get to know her. The days and nights passed quickly.

Katherine is Here!

Baby Katherine was born on Thursday night at 10:52 p.m.  She weighs 5 lbs. 10 ozs. and is 18 inches long.  I have a few pictures from my phone (not great quality).  Kelly and Katherine are staying at the hospital tonight with Kelly's mom. Both Kelly and Katherine are doing great.  Luke and I are going back to pick them up tomorrow morning.  We can't wait for them to get home!  I am sure Kelly will give a more detailed blog when she gets a chance with all the details of the night.  It was a very interesting night to say the least.

The Hospital Stay

Checking out baby sister 

Katherine's coming home dress was way too big despite being a preemie

Glad I picked up a headrest last week

Nonna getting Luke all strapped in to come home!

I hate to admit this is our "coming home" photo...

Our stay at the hospital was good.  After my unusual delivery experience we were informed their were no rooms available for us so we spent the night in the delivery room.  Paul and I were both so wired from the evening's events that neither of us slept.

Once Katherine was born the NICU team came to assess her since she was an early arrival.  They deemed her perfect!  Her lungs were great and all her scores were normal!  We were so relieved.  I must admit hearing her screaming at the top of her lungs was music to my ears!  Katherine went to the regular nursery which was a blessing.

Friday morning it seemed like it was taking them forever to bring her to us.  Paul and I were getting antsy so he went to the nursery to find out what was going on.  Dr. Patterson was there assessing her. We both felt so fortunate that both my OB and our pediatrician were on call during our stay.  Dr. P said she was perfect!  Some concerns we had were quickly dismissed so we were ecstatic.  After Katherine was all cleaned up with a bow in her hair we decided she looked like a completely different baby!  Absolutely beautiful.

Friday was spent getting to know our little girl and having some visitors come to see us.  We finally got moved to a regular room after lunch.  Luke was so sweet the first time he saw his baby sister.  He had been with Nene and Pop but they had not told him that Baby K had arrived.  When he came in the room he was excited to see us.  When we asked him who we were holding he said Baby Katherine!  It melted my heart.  He was so sweet with her and wanted to hold her and kiss her.

We also found out Friday we would be staying 3 nights since Katherine was born so late in the evening and was so little.  They wanted to keep an extra eye on her.  Baby K spent the whole day sleeping Friday.  She was a good eater but did not want to stay awake long enough to get a full feeding in.  She did better starting Saturday afternoon.  She was becoming more alert.

Paul stayed with us Thursday and Friday night.  My mom stayed with me Saturday night so Paul and Luke could come home and enjoy a good night's rest.  The boys also wanted to get some things ready for Baby Katherine to come home.

Sunday morning they checked her bilirubin level since she was getting a little jaundice.  We had the same issues with Luke when he was born as well.  I was nervous that they would not let her come home.  I was so relieved when Dr. Patterson came in early that morning to say we could go home.  Her bili was high but Dr. P said we just had to be very aggressive with feeding her every 2-3 hours to get her pooping like she needed.  She is such a good eater that I knew everything would be ok. We just needed a little time.

Paul and Luke arrived early that morning to bring us home.  Nonna stayed to help us get everything loaded up to get us on our way!  We were so excited to be coming home together as a family!

Here is Our Story

All smiles after Katherine Suzanne's arrival

Luke really is happier than he appears in this picture!

Luke loved his trains Katherine gave him!

"So, you are the one who delivered on the stretcher?"  Gotta love the fact that this is what I was known as while I enjoyed my three night stay at Baptist Hospital after delivering Baby Katherine.  I am proud to say "yes, I am!"

Our experience having Katherine was interesting to say the least.  We would have been 36 weeks pregnant on Friday.  Thursday during supper I did not feel good.  Nothing specifically was wrong.  Paul got home early since his job was called off due to lightening.  Little did we know that God was already working.  After supper he insisted Luke and I go upstairs so I could rest.  Luke and I enjoyed a movie together.  Meanwhile Paul was busy cleaning the kitchen and for some reason decided to install the car seat!

About 8:45 I thought my water had broken but was not sure.  It did not take long for me to realize that I was in labor as the contractions started coming quick.  By the time I called my doctor, got the go ahead to go to the hospital and finished packing my bag ( I know, should have already been packed) we needed to be leaving!  Paul called Bill to come and stay with Luke since he was sleeping already.  Nonna and Nene were going to come to the hospital later.

Paul was driving fast down the interstate with his flashers on and I told him I did not think we were in that big of a hurry. We got checked in by who had to be the slowest registration clerk at the hospital.  It took longer to get me checked in that it did to have the baby!  They quickly got me settled in a triage room and confirmed my water had broken and the baby would be here soon.  The nurse called for a stat epidural.  As I was being wheeled in to the delivery room I knew Katherine had no intention of waiting!  She was born on a stretcher in the middle of the room. My doctor was not there, I did not have an IV and the nurses were running around like an episode of ER.  I was extremely scared and somewhat frantic.  Paul was such a trooper and tried to get me to calm down.  Once she was born I felt much better. And the rest they say is history... Mom and Paula got their fairly quickly after she was born.  My doctor walked in and was astounded at how fast Katherine came.

At least Katherine will always have an interesting story to tell.  She could not wait to be out in the world!

**This is one of those posts I due mainly for us to remember how a certain even transpired.  Not really one for entertainment purposes.**

Coming Soon....

It is hard to believe in a few short weeks we will have a little baby to wear these sweet clothes.... I have never been one for frills, smocking or ruffles, but something about having a baby girl has made me have second thoughts.  I went this week to find Baby K a coming home outfit.  I do not really remember worrying too much about this with Luke.  As it turned out it was freezing when we brought him home so he wore a snow suit!  I found the sweet gown at a consignment shop and then I could not resist the other dress at a boutique shop that was having an unbelievable clearance sale.  It is a size 6 months but I think it will be perfect for her panel picture!  I know the times she will wear frilly things will be few and far between but every little girl needs a fancy dress. 

Jon-Jon's Shirt

Paul is on a job with ServPro as a safety inspector for the next few weeks.  He worked 14-hour days every day this week.  Luke and I miss him around here.  Paula has been helping me out by picking Luke up from school once a week so I can do errands, work around the house, or take a nap!  The heat has been brutal lately so I have not been very productive.  Bill and Paula brought Luke home Wednesday night in one of Uncle Jon's shirts from Sumner Academy.  Luke loved wearing his Jon-Jon shirt and slept in it that night! 

Playing Around

 Luke with his "guitar"

Since we transitioned Luke to a double bed a week ago he has done great!  It has drastically reduced the number of times he gets up at night.  In fact, he has only gotten up once the last 4 nights.  I am sure tonight we will be a different story since I just bragged on him.  Yesterday I wanted to take some pictures of the kids' rooms to show Memaw.  She is not able to walk upstairs so she has never been to our house.  She is anxious to see what we have been doing in the baby's room so Luke helped me take some pictures that we can show her on her TV this weekend.  Luke insisted on having his picture made with each of his stuffed animals.  

I bought some oversized letters for a project in Katherine's room.  Luke decided the "T" was the perfect guitar and danced around singing with it.  So funny!  We are trying to do better about taking videos.  Luke now asks to watch Luke Movies.  When we watched several home movies lately we realized we were not making them nearly enough! 

Oh the Shenanigans!

Baby powder, anyone?

The evidence...

I kept Luke home from school today since I was off and did not have any appointments.  I know my Tuesdays without anything to do are quickly coming to an end as I try to cram doctors, dentist and optometry appointments in on my days off before Baby Katherine gets here.  We had a pretty low-key morning.  Luke was enthralled by the "Bug Man" (Terminix) who came to spray for spiders.  They have been horrible lately.  When you walk through cob webs in your family room  you know there is an issue!  That should not reflect on my housekeeping skills lately either!

At one point I went upstairs to do something for a few minutes and left Luke playing quietly in our bedroom.  He peeped around the corner and said "Mommy Luke made mess".  He was very timid and I could tell he must have really done something.  When I asked what he did he said "white stuff".  I went to the bathroom and this is what I found.  I often put baby powder in my shoes, for obvious reasons I do not need to explain.  Luke climbed up on his stool and retrieved the powder from the bathroom counter and proceeded to "powder" my shoes.  I tried so hard not to laugh and tell him that was not nice and that he should not do it again.  He helped me clean up and told me he was sorry repeatedly.  

We did a couple of errands before we met Paul for lunch.  With the exception of Luke not having an afternoon nap, we had the perfect day together.  Paul and I say this all the time but each phase of Luke's life is more fun than the last!

Winter in July?

While we were home this weekend Paul decided to clean out and organize some things.  We are still trying to make room for Baby K's stuff.  The winter garb never quite got packed up this past Spring.  Luke insisted on putting on his gloves and hat.  He then preceded to dance around our bedroom and play basketball with the laundry hamper!  Even though he was "sick", he did not feel bad. 

I had to work Monday, the 5th but Paul was off.  It was considered a holiday at the hospital so I only worked a 1/2 day.  Nonna brought Luke home about the time I got home.  He had a great time at Nonna's despite the fact he was up at 4 am!  Nonna would not let him get up but he never did go back to sleep.  He had a quick nap mid-morning and that was it. 

That night Nene and Pop came over for supper.  They were missing their Luke!  Paul and I decided that maybe the reason Luke has not been sleeping well is that he needed a bigger bed.  Even though we just transitioned him to his toddler bed a few months ago we thought that he might enjoy a double bed.  His crib converted to a double bed and we were able to borrow some mattresses from Nene and Pop.  Luke was so excited to be getting a "big" bed!  He did really well the first night in it and only got up once or twice.  He had been getting up numerous times every night and coming to our room.  This is not something we wanted to start right before we added a newborn to the mix. 

So far, so good with the transition.  We know it will take a little while for him to get used to the bigger bed but he seems to really like it so far. 

Holiday Weekend

This weekend ended up being not as eventful as we had planned.  Luke woke up during the night Friday with a fever.  Normally we probably would not have worried about it but with the long holiday weekend looming ahead and the fact that strep has been going around his school I decided to get him checked out.  Luke and I were at the doctor by 8:30 Saturday morning.  We have not been to the pediatrician since his 2-year well visit in January.  This was by far a record for us!  Luke kept asking where Corduroy was when we were waiting for the doctor.  One of his favorite books is still Corduroy Goes to the Doctor.  He did not understand why he was not there seeing the doctor, too.

The doctor ended up being more concerned about Luke's respiratory status than his fever.  He decided that he had two separate issues going on.  We are back on breathing treatments twice daily for a couple of weeks then once daily for another month.  He has still never been officially diagnosed with asthma, but he definitely has some respiratory problems.  His strep test was negative but the doctor did find some sores in the back of his mouth consistent with a virus.  Since you can not really treat the virus with antibiotics we just treated the symptoms.  He was contagious for the first 24 hours after developing the fever so we had to miss a fun breakfast with old friends and the Independence Day get together with the Troutts that evening. 

Paul went and hung out with everyone and Luke and I stayed at home.  He really never acted like he felt bad, just did not have much of an appetite.  We played with puzzles, watched movies and built lots of "houses" with the blocks.  By the time Paul got home Saturday night we needed to get out of the house.  We had promised Luke he would see some fireworks and he kept asking about them.  We drove up to Hendersonville to see their fireworks show.  We found a decent place to watch them.  Luke loved it!!!  He repeatedly said "Ohhh...Daddy, look at that one!"  It was so cute!

We stayed home from church Sunday morning since it would have not been a good idea to have Luke around a room full of little people.  That evening we decided to go to Nonna's for supper.  She offered for Luke to spend the night and we quickly took her up on it.  He had not been sleeping very well for several nights and Paul and I were worn out!