Emma & Isabella

The past few months . . .

2009-08-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it's been a really long time since I've posted. So, I will try to give you the quick summary of the past few months . . .

Isabella continues to be seizure-free. She is still on 2 anti-seizure meds, and has not had a seizure since early March when she was in the hospital. She continues to keep us on our toes, being quite the active two-year-old. She loves being outside and can't get enough of the pool (another little fish, just like her sister!). She also likes to color and play dress-up with Emma. Isabella started going to preschool two half days a week, and she is always talking about her teachers Miss Shelly (Shel-Shel she calls her) and Miss Susan. Her favorite preschool activity is the playground time.

Emma - once our 4lb 9 oz baby - is now in kindergarten!! She is going to a school where she attends 2 days a week, and then we homeschool her the other three days. Emma is adjusting to kindergarten and is missing Pre-K . . . she misses "all the toys from pre-k and thinks there are too many books" in kindergarten. Her favorite subject so far seems to be social studies where she is learning about different people in the community. And, she loves the poems and songs she is learning. Emma did great in swim lessons this summer, and participated on the neighborhood swim team. She really enjoyed all the people watching her swim across the pool!! She also attended Safety Town camp, Mermaids and Tropical Princess camp, and gymnastics. She will be starting back to ballet and tap in the fall.

Tom and I celebrated our 11-year anniversary in May by running our first 5k together. It was a fun experience and a totally different way to celebrate our anniversary. Can't believe it's been 11 years!! Anyways, I've done a few 5k's since December now. The most important one to us that I did was the one where I ran for the Epilepsy Foundation of GA and ran in honor of Isabella. We traveled north to visit Tom's brother's family in July, and then spent some time with my mom. The girls and I actually stayed at my mom's for almost two weeks. It was so fun and relaxing. We went to several festivals, visited the local amusement park, and played at Nana's. The time went by way too fast.

That's a quick summary of the past few months. I hope to stay on top of our blog updates a little better!

Summer Bow Giveaway

2009-05-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Visit www.sarabethbows.blogspot.com and enter to win the Great Summer Fun Bow Giveaway. The pictures shows one of three possible sets that you could win. They are so cute! We are always looking for great bows for the girls, and we were referred to this site by a friend of ours. I highly recommend checking it out. Her bows are beautiful and so is her story. And, she does giveaways quite often. Anyways, stop by her blog, check out her bows, and be sure to enter the bow giveaway. (Be sure to read all the entry rules. There are several ways to enter.)

6 Weeks Seizure-Free!

2009-04-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

We've continued to stay busy at our house since coming home from the hospital with Isabella. A few days after we got home, Emma got the flu . . . and shared it with Mommy!! Thankfully Isabella and Tom avoided it with some preventative meds. Emma also got the stomach bug, which lingered for several days. Thankfully the rest of us avoided that one. Now, Emma is dealing with either allergies or a spring cold. Isabella went to the dr last week to get checked for a possible urinary tract infection. The initial test was positive, so she was put on an antibiotic, but a few days later we were called with the results from the more extensive test and it turns out there is no infection. So, we have to talk to the neurologist again to see if her symptoms are in any way related to the anti-seizure meds.

and, speaking of her anti-seizure meds, Isabella has been seizure free for 6 weeks now!! We are so thankful, and we continue to pray that the new meds she is on will continue to keep the seizures away. she has been doing really well on the new meds, so we are so pleased about that. We have slowly increased the dose on one of the meds per her neurologist's instructions. As long as she continues to stay seizure-free, she will go back to the neurologist in early June.

After so many crazy weeks, we were able to enjoy a fun weekend together as a family celebrating Easter. here are a few pictures from our weekend for you to enjoy!

Isabella's Hospital Stay

2009-03-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

it's been a crazy couple of weeks. tom was out of the country, my mom had just arrived on a weds afternoon to help while he was away. we had put the girls to bed and were sitting on the couch looking at pictures and starting to watch "American Idol". I thought I should go up and check on isabella. i went in to the room to find her having a seizure - a big one. i gave her the "emergency" med we have for her, but she wasn't coming out of the seizure, so i called the neurologist. he sent us to the children's er. i was so thankful my mom was here since it was 10:30p. i grabbed a few things quickly and took isabella to the er. by the time we arrived at the er, she was acting more like herself again. the drs checked her out, put an iv in, and we waited for a room to be admitted to. around 3:30a, we were taken to her room. the nurse asked us more questions, got us settled in the room, and informed me that the lab would be coming around 4 (which by this time was in about 10 minutes) to draw blood. the nurse also let me know that isabella would go for an mri at 6a!. the lab tech came at 4:15a, drew blood, and left. isabella fell asleep not long after that. i fell asleep sitting in the chair next to her bed sometime after 5. at 6, they came to take isabella to radiology for her mri.

i watched my baby get put under anesthesia for the second time in less than 4 months. i cried, and was sent back to the room to wait for her. she was back in about 45 minutes. it took her a long time to wake up, but we couldn't be sent back to her regular room until she did. poor thing, was so sleepy. the neurologist came by to see us. he had the results before we went back to our room, and everything was clear again. thank you, God! we were taken back to isabella's room where she slept for several hours. they were planning to set her up for an eeg that afternoon, but she was completely hysterical the two times they tried. i broke down in tears too. i had never seen her like this. we figured out later that she may have been reacting badly to the anesthesia.

so, i could continue to go into detail about the whole crazy time that we were there, but i will try to summarize here as i don't want to leave you with a novel! not this time, at least!!

isabella ended up staying at the hospital for 6 days. she did end up getting set up for the 48-hour eeg again on saturday (we were admitted on weds). the neurologist had almost sent us home friday afternoon, but izzy had a bad night friday night with what we thought were several seizures. the eeg showed that the seizures are still coming from the right side of her brain. she is still diagnosed with complex partial seizures (a form of epilepsy). the neurologist did not feel that this was a setback and that instead, it's just part of the process in figuring out the right medicine, the right dose. isabella was sent home on two new antiseizure meds and a new backup med for any long or cluster of seizures.

we were so thankful to come home and sleep in our own beds with no interruptions of nurses in the room, the doors slamming next to our room. we were so thankful to the nurses who were so helpful and amazing at making us feel comforted during that time. and, we are praying that these new meds keep isabella seizure-free.

The Great White North

2009-03-13T14:03:00.001-07:00

we spent about 3 weeks up north visiting nana and aunt jen and our cousins jack, lukas, and sophie. we got to celebrate nana's 70th birthday, play in lots of snow, play with our texas and ohio cousins, and meet our cousin sophie for the first time. it was so fun. here are a few pictures of all the fun we had.

5 years

2008-12-28T06:30:00.001-08:00

yesterday was emma's 5th birthday. i can't believe that she is five years old already. i still remember the day she arrived - after 11 weeks of bed rest (8 in the hospital) waking up at 5 am not feeling right. After a few hours when the dr was able to come back to my room, she examined me and i was 5 cm dliated!! She said, "You're having a baby today." i started crying knowing i was only 33 weeks, and tom had left the hospital, and just plain being scared. all turned out fine. emma was born at 3 am, 7 weeks early. she had to stay in nicu for a day and in the special care nursery for 2 weeks. you would never know that she was a preemie when you see her today!

anyways, back to today . . . we had a great celebration for her 5th birthday. emma and mommy went to starbucks for a juice and then headed to sweet & sassy where emma got a mini-makeover. he was made over into a snow princess. later we met pappa and isabella for lunch at red robin. sthey sang "happy birthday" to her and brought her a fruit cup and fruit smoothie (to accommodate our food allergies.) :)after lunch, emma went with pappa to build-a-bear where she made a hello kitty stuffed doll and rode on the carousel. they also visited the disney store, and then they went to the park to "hunt for bears." they headed home for dinner, cake, and presents. emma kept asking, "are there more presents?" hmmm, i think i used to ask the same question at that age!!

we are so thankful to having emma in our lives. she is a light in our lives, and such a joy. she is so sweet, independent, creative, funny, and so loving. yes, i have to admit, the 11 weeks of bed rest were totally worth it!

wired up - day #3 - cps

2008-11-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

cps . . .complex partial seizures. we came home this afternoon after two long days at the hospital. when the dr first came to see us this morning, isabella still had not shown any activity. but during lunch, she ended up having one. i almost missed it, but caught her near the end and pressed the buzzer several times to let them know she was having an episode. the dr came in and reviewed the tape and the eeg printout . . . it was a seizure. they are coming from her right temporal lobe, and are complex partial seizures (epilepsy). isabella will stay on her meds for now, and we will go back to the dr in about a month to talk more. we will also continue to pursue some of the holistic/naturopathic options we have also been pursuing. the dr said that about 60% of kids with these types of seizures outgrow them. we are praying she is in the 60%. thank you to everyone for your prayers, support, and encouragement.

here are some pictures of isabella's last day . . . including her rocker look she had after the took off the wires.

wired up - day #2

2008-11-13T19:38:00.001-08:00

we made it through another day at the hospital. isabella is such a trooper. she does not seem to be bothered one bit by all the wires and stuff attached to her. she spent the day running around the room just as if she wasn't hooked up to anything. she has not slowed down one bit! last night was pretty rough . . . she barely slept and was crying a lot last night. but she did take a great nap today. we also had several visitors, which was fun for all of us. isabella has been full of smiles and winning the hearts of all the nurses and doctors here.

the neurologists talked with us and said that no abnormal brain activity has shown up on the eeg yet, and we have not seen isabella have any episode either. of course, we don't want her to be having seizures, but it would be helpful if she would have one of these episodes that she;s been having so that they could track that time and definitively tell us what is happening when these episodes occur.

the current plan is that we are to be released tomorrow, but if she still shows no activity by the end of the 48 hours, we aren't sure if they would keep us longer. we certainly don't want to be here any longer than necessary, but we do hope to leave with more information at the end of this.

it took a long time again for isabella to fall asleep, but we're hopeful that she'll have a better night of rest tonight. hope you enjoy more pictures of our stay at the hospital!

wired up

2008-11-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

isabella was admitted to the hospital today for her 48-hour video eeg. for those who don't know . . . back in sept, she started having these strange episodes where she looked almost like she was going to faint. the pediatrician could not find anything wrong with her. she started having some other symptoms and more episodes, so we found ourselves at the neurologist's office. he said that it was seizures. we were rushed in the next day for an mri and a one-hour eeg. both showed up clear. so, we are now doing this extended eeg in the hopes that we'll learn more about what is going on with our little peanut.
isabella did great getting hooked up with all these wires. they had to use some very sticky glue, which smelled awful. she was a real trooper for the whole thing. she is able to move around the room, as long as someone is running right alongside her, as the wires are hooked up to this box in a bag (looks like a camera bag). her head is bandaged up so that she won't start pulling at the wires. she looks adorable!

she had some visitors today, which helped to pass the rest of the afternoon and evening quickly. she was so tired tonight since we didn't get a nap today, but she was also very wired once bed time rolled around from all the activity and the new surroundings. it took a little longer to get her to sleep. but, she is now peacefully sleeping, and hopefully will rest soundly all night.

will try to post more with an update from what the doctor and video techs saw on the eeg since she's been hooked up. thanks for all the support!

Hot Pink Cast

2008-11-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

well, we headed back to the dr today because emma was still unable to walk as of this morning. we were sent to an orthopaedic doctor who felt that she needed a cast. so, here she is with the hot pink cast that she chose and the funny shorts they had to give her since the pants she had were too tight to come off with a cast on! she was not too happy when he first put the cast on,but after getting home, she seemed okay with it.

i also had to add this other Halloween picture from the other day with the matching halloween pajamas.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:38:00.001-07:00

we had quite a halloween this year. in the morning, emma requested a halloween breakfast so i made witches' brew (oatmeal), ghost juice (orange juice), spider bites (flax seed), and pumpkin bread. then, emma "did a feeder" (translation: did a theater . . . aka: acted our her version of "the little mermaid") for us. that was followed by lots of halloween crafts and carving pumpkins.

just before lunch, we were playing outside. emma likes to race us from the porch to the fence at the back of our yard. she was running next to me and pretending to hold me back. she tripped and fell right in front of me . . . and I ended up stepping on her ankle. i heard a pop sound and she started screaming! i fell to the ground and started checking her ankle, foot, and lower leg right away. she had good range of motion, but she was still screaming in pain. i asked her to try and walk on it, but she couldn't. so we headed to the urgent care. they took x-rays of her and examined her foot and ankle. thankfully, nothing was broken and we were able to head home before the traffic got too bad and get ready for trick-or-treating. i took the girls out in the wagon and they both seemed to have fun, even with emma not being able to walk. i almost didn't post this as i'm feeling so bad about what happened, especially on halloween!

here are some pictures of the girls in their costumes and of emma at the urgent care center in the wheelchair the nurse put her in (she asked if we could take the wheelchair home when we were leaving!!).

18 months!

2008-10-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

isabella turned 18 months on sunday. i just can't believe she's already a year and a half. we had her 18-month checkup the other day and she is now 33 inches (80th %ile) and 23 lbs 7 oz (25th %ile).

she loves point at all the parts of her face and body and saying the names of some of those like "no" for nose and "do" for toes. then she points at our faces and all the parts on us so we can tell her what they are. she also loves balls and trucks/cars. and she loves to push the buttons on all of her toys that play music and then she dances and tells you to dance with her. we started a music class with her over the past few weeks and she seems to be warming up to the other kids and the teacher in the class.

here are a few recent pics of her, including some from one of our pumpkin farm visits.

A few more princess pictures

2008-10-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

emma was amazed that she got to meet all the princesses. she had to ask all of them if she could see their glass slippers . . . yes, she knows about cinderella's slippers, but she seems to think that glass slippers are just something that all princesses have! it was so sweet to see her with the princesses.

Breakfast with the Princesses

2008-10-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

one of the days we were at disney, we went to epcot (emma kept saying "ep-acot" . . . too cute). we went to the princess breakfast in norway at epcot that morning. the girls both wore princess dresses . . . emma was cinderella and isabella was a little snow white. it was so fun, and the food was incredible. the chef came to our table and talked to us about our food allergies.
he made delicious food for mommy and the girls, and then made something different for tom. on top of that, there was a buffet that had fresh fruit, pastries, and smoked salmon. we were stuffed. and, we got to meet belle, snow white, sleeping beauty, jasmine
. . . and, mary poppins! (i guess that was just a bonus!!) emma thought it was so fun that so many princesses were there while we ate breakfast.

a disney surprise

2008-10-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

me and my sister got the coolest surprise from mommy and pappa . . . we went to disney for the first time!!!! they woke isabella and i up early and put us in the car. i thought we were just going for a drive, but it seemed like a really long time to be in the car. after a long, long time, we pulled up to some building that i noticed had the disney logo on it. i asked mommy and pappa if we were at disney. i figured they would say no, but they didn't. my mouth opened, but nothing came out for at least 5 minutes and my eyes got so big. i was so excited. we had so much fun. here are just a few pictures . . . and more to come

cousin sophie

2008-10-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

our cousin sophie was born on sunday, september 21 at 2:51 a.m. she weighed 7 lbs, 6 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. we are looking forward to meeting her the next time we head north to ohio!

More beach photos

2008-09-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

More Beach Fun

2008-09-29T08:23:00.001-07:00

here are more pictures from our family beach trip with nana over labor day. we had so much fun even with a few days of Gustav around. wish the beach trips didn't go so fast!

Gustav

2008-09-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

An uninvited guest has joined us here at the beach . . . Gustav has taken away our beach and the no swimming flags are posted. So, we're playing at the pool and resting today. Here are some pictures of the effects of the hurricane here . . .

Family pics

2008-09-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

a few more pictures from our trip to the beach with mommy's family . . . here's some with our uncles and cousins!

Pics from Beach Trip

2008-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

here are some pictures of our (just the girls and mommy's) trip to rosemary beach with mommy's family. enjoy!

resting

2008-08-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

the girls and i have been at the beach this past week with my family. one of my brothers and my other brother's wife both turned 40 over the past few months, so we decided this was a great way to get together and celebrate. the weather was not great most of the beginning part of the week, but the past two days have been perfect. so we've spent the day at the beach and some time at the pool too.

emma can't get enough of swimming and splashing in the waves and the pool. isabella is becoming a little fish too. she pulls away from me in the pool and the ocean to show me her float and swim that she's been learning this summer. and at the beach, she has been covered in sand. isabella doesn't sit still for long on the beach. she's in the water, out of the water, walking down the beach, talking to the seagulls, playing in the holes the big kids dug, digging in the sand, rolling in the sand, and even sticking her face in the sand a few times!

why is it that vacations . . . especially beach vacations . . . are never long enough! now i know why my dad used to plan our beach vacations for 10-14 days. one week just goes too fast! but, it sure has been nice to get away from the regular routine for a few days.

i'll have plenty of pictures to share early next week, so stay tuned for those!

swim-float-swim

2008-07-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

the girls have been spending the past few weeks going to swim lessons everyday. they are taking survival swim classes. emma was returning for another year of refresher courses as she took the survival swimming a few years ago. isabella has been taking the class for the first time. she is doing great with swimming and is now focusing more on the float. it's a lot of work and time, but it's SO worth it. check out the website for more info (www.infantswim.com). i highly recommend it for your child. as someone i used to work with whose children also took the class told me . . . it's not for the "faint-of-heart parent", but the end result is totally worth all the hard stuff. after watching emma take the class and seeing how well she swims now (WAY better than me!!), i can only say great things about the course. here are some pics of the girls swimming and floating.

10 years

2008-06-18T05:23:00.001-07:00

a few weeks ago, tom and i celebrated our 10 year anniversary. i cannot believe that 10 years has past since our wedding day. (and, we've now known each other for almost 19 years!! more than half my life!) we enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing weekend in asheville at our favorite bed and breakfast, cumberland falls inn . the breakfasts are wonderful . . . and they know all my food allergies and restrictions and they make everything so that i can eat it. we walked everywhere, just relaxed, and had an in-room massage one day! it was great, such a perfect way to celebrate our friendship and marriage . . . and where we've come from and where we are now 10 years later. enjoy our photos of us . . . then and now.

Father's Day Fun

2008-06-16T20:06:00.001-07:00

we took pappa out for a picnic, to the playground, for a swim at the pool, and out for a yummy dinner. it was a great day celebrating our pappa!

Into Everything

2008-06-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

isabella has discovered what a great climber she is. after attempting emma's little chair the other day, i found her a few days later sitting in her little activity table. i also caught her standing on emma's little stool in the bathroom . . . i haven't caught that on film yet.she's still not fully walking, but she is taking more and more steps. i was able to get a picture of her taking a few the other day.

moving on up . . .

2008-06-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

earlier today i had walked out of our family room to get something in the kitchen. when i walked back into the room, i found isabella on one of emma's little chairs. she had climbed up on the chair by herself. i missed getting a picture the first time for fear that she would fall and get hurt. but i kept the camera close by and sure enough, she decided to do it again a little while later. here are some pics of her on the chair.

tea party . . . in the bathroom!

2008-05-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

today i went into one of the bathrooms upstairs and happened to walk in on a tea party that emma had set up. it was so funny and cute . . . she had set up several of her animals and had given them all a "treat" as emma explained to me. (the treat was a stacking cup from the bath filled with some of her hair bows!) and, i'm not sure if you can tell or not, but several of the animals have some of her headbands on . . . she got them all dressed up for the tea party. it was adorable!

two steps . . .

2008-05-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

isabella walked yesterday! she took her first steps on her own. i almost missed it as i was fixing emma's hair for school. i happened to look up and realized that isabella had let go of the coffee table and was taking a few steps on her own! i tried to get her to do it again last night so i could get a picture, but she hasn't tried again yet. i know we'll have lots of pictures soon though, so stay tuned!

dance recital

2008-05-11T13:10:00.001-07:00

emma has been taking ballet and tap this year. and yesterday was her dance recital. the girls were so cute. here are a few pictures of her in her "princess dress" and at the recital.

Baby Dedication

2008-05-07T21:02:00.001-07:00

we recently had isabella dedicated at our church's baby dedication, which is where we as parents share that we will raise her to know God. we had participated in baby dedication with emma as well. the church had changed the service from what it had been when we went through it with emma, including some homework and messages we had to listen to before attending the dedication. tom and i discussed five values we want to instill in isabella and two habits we would institute in order to instill those values in her. we got to share the values with our friends and family who joined us for the dedication. there was also a message, which basically reminded us to cherish these years with our little ones as it goes so fast . . . yes, fast is true. i still can't believe that isabella is one already! anyways, it was a fun and very meaningful celebration.

Feeling sad . . .

2008-05-05T20:58:00.001-07:00

feeling a little sad today. happened upon these in my quiet time today . . . they fit my feelings and i just thought i'd share . . .

I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. Psalm 35:14

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Psalm 10:14

One year!

2008-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

yes, isabella celebrated her one-year birthday this past weekend. how did one year pass by so quickly?! i had heard that the more kids you have the faster it goes, but i just didnt' think that could be true until now! here are 12 fun things about isabella . . . and some fun pictures from her birthday celebration. (big sister emma picked out all the decorations, party hats, etc. i think she has a future in party planning!)

oh, when i asked emma what was her favorite thing about isabella now that she's one . . . emma responded . . . "cake."

12 fun things about isabella . . .
1. her laugh - she loves laughing, and if you've ever heard her laugh, you know what i'm talking about . . . a deep, very funny, from the belly laugh
2. her kisses . . . when she kisses you, she gives a full mouth, sloppy kiss, but when she hears you make a kiss sound, she'll pucker up and smack her lips making a kiss sound back
3. she crawls really fast, and when she really gets going, she'll look where she wants to go, put her head down (very aerodynamic) and start crawling
4. the way she is always saying, "tickle, tickle" . . . it kind of sounds like "ditka, ditka"
5. she can say woof, woof . . . she kind of grunts!
6. her rhythm . . . she hears music and she starts rocking and dancing
7. when she gets excited, her legs and feet and arms and hands start shaking like crazy
8. she is pulling up on everything and walking around all the furniture . . . i'm sure walking on her own is coming soon, especially now that she has all the walking toys from her birthday
9. she loves to look out the windows . . . she especially loves watching out the front windows and seeing the cars and trucks go by
10.she is full of giggles when we take the girls up for bed and she sees emma following behind
11. she loves looking at books and will help turn the pages when we read . . . her favorite books are the ones that have real pictures in them, not the animated graphics
12. the way she scrunches up her face and breathes in and out through her nose

Staying Home

2008-04-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

yes, i've made the decision to stay at home and be a full-time mom. at the end of may, i will be staying home full time . . . not working anymore! wow, it's a huge change. i'm looking forward to having some more time with both of the girls, and to having some alone time with isabella that i haven't been able to have. i'm also hoping to feel a little less overwhelmed. i, admittedly, am a little nervous about finances, but we've been taking steps that will hopefully help as we make this transition. mostly, i'm excited to step into this new chapter in our lives!

any other moms out there who left work to stay home full time with any tips or thoughts? would love to hear from you!

Painted faces

2008-03-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

today we went to a local festival. they had several kids' activities - emma loved jumping in "her castle" and sliding down the big slide, and she had a great time with the different crafts. she also really enjoyed face painting. she got her face painted twice. at the second table, the man painting faces was being funny when emma sat down and started telling her what he wanted on his face. emma laughed, and he kept going a little more. he was, of course, being funny, but . . . when he asked her what she wanted on her face, she looked at him totally serious and said, "no, i want to paint your face." the gentleman was so sweet and continued to play along with her and let her paint his face. of course, he had started out joking about it, and i laughed and said, 'you've asked the wrong person that question (about painting his face).' this is emma . . . i knew she was taking him literally. in the end, they both ended up with painted faces. it was very funny!

oh, and i was given a new list for tomorrow:
1. emma wants juice for breakfast
2. emma wants rice milk in the morning
3. put the swedish cinderella book in her backpack for swedish class

Write It Down

2008-03-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

emma has started something new. she'll tell me something, and then she asks me if i can write that down. she wants me to take notes for her . . . it seems to be to remind us both.

tonight she gave me three things:
1. don't drink all the juice (meaning 'i want orange juice in the morning, so be sure we still have some.')
2. i want to sit on the edge (that's the head of the table where isabella's high chair is . . . lately she likes to sit where i normally have isabella sitting :) )
3. don't eat all the waffles (meaning, 'i want waffles for breakfast, so make sure there are some left for me.')

it totally cracks me up. she's very serious about it, and she'll ask me several times to be sure that i'm going to write this down. she reviews everything for me too, so it's very helpful. i'm not sure how it started . . . maybe she just noticed mommy's forgetfulness, and thought i needed a little help remembering things!

Get Checked

2008-03-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

if you aren't regularly seeing a dermatologist for a mole check, i highly recommend it. i went today for my annual mole check, and i actually went in a few months earlier to have the dr look at a spot i was concerned about. she checked me out . . . moles looked good. the spot i showed her was "not concerning to her," but she did want to treat it. she said it was from sun exposure and was definitely a spot that would be considered precancerous, but the good thing is that we caught it early. she sprayed liquid nitrogen on it. it stung when she did it and felt tender for awhile after. now, it's a little swollen. she said that the skin will dry and flake off over the next few days.

all that to say, please get checked. makes me even more aware of using sunscreen on the girls too. and, why was i thinking it was so great to lay out all day when i was growing up, using little to no suntan lotion, and holding aluminum foil under my face to get a better tan?!

Chicken or the Egg???

2008-03-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

so, emma was saying to me today that she was created by God and i was created by God, and so was isabella and pappa. then, she looked at me and said, "well, then who created God?" (i don't think i was asking those questions when i was four years old!) it lead into an interesting discussion after that. just hope i helped her four-year-old mind grasp all there is to grasp in that question and answer.

anyone have any thoughts?

Black Eye

2008-03-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

so, looks like we'll have a black eye for school pics at preschool tomorrow. i'm guessing it's not going away before then. what do you think? do i cake on the coverup tomorrow?!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

here are a few pictures from our easter sunday. we woke up very early . . . the moon was still out and emma kept saying, "wake up sun!" we headed to church, where we heard a wonderful message called "this changes everything." they handed out a great piece from the book "no wonder they call him the Savior" at the end, and the music and opening was really cool. our messages are usually online the next day at www.northpoint.org/messages.

after church, we stopped by the park and took a few pictures. it was pretty funny since isabella does not want to stay still for more than a second, and emma generally does not want to have her picture taken or look at the camera. emma loves to say 'cheese' and look down at the ground or the other way when we take pictures now. it was very funny, though, and i did get a few cute pictures.

in the afternoon, we had a little egg hunt at home . . . a few inside and a few outside. the girls loved it. then we ate a yummy salmon and asparagus dinner and before you know it, it was bed time.

did everyone else have a fun easter?

Eggs, Eggs Everywhere

2008-03-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

we got to go to another easter egg hunt today at a local church. this egg hunt was great . . . emma's quote, "this was much better." i figured she was pleased when i saw her little easter backet quickly filling up. they also had free popcorn and lemonade, and a jumpy thing. emma had a blast.

isabella also got to find a few eggs. i'm not sure she knew what to think about the eggs, and shes did not like the grass. it was so dry and hard, and she kept pulling her legs up from the grass. and she kept looking around like she was trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. it was so cute.

it was definitely a fun day. and, the little diva hunting for eggs cracks me up!

Eggs for Emma

2008-03-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

today we went to the egg hunt at our neighborhood clubhouse. lots of tears . . . emma fell as the egg hunt started and she didn't get any eggs. thankfully, we have some generous neighbors who shared their eggs with her, so the tears stopped, and she reminded me how she had heard the Veggie Tales talk about sharing on one of her videos. so when i asked her about sharing her things, she told me she didn't have to do that. we proceeded to have a long chat about sharing after that! anyways, it was amazing how quickly the eggs were scooped up by all those little 3-5-year-olds. in the end, emma told me that she had a lot of fun, and she was eager to go home to open the eggs and check out the goodies she had gotten.

here is a picture of emma with the easter bunny . . .
and another picture of her black eye.

Dancing with the Animals

2008-03-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

so, emma decided instead of napping yesterday that she would try some dancing in bed. it didn't turn out so well . . . she now has her first true black eye. she told me she was showing her animals how to dance. that made me smile.

almost 11 months!

2008-03-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

i cannot believe isabella is just over a week from being 11 months old! how crazy that a year ago she was still squirming around in my tummy as i lay on the couch or in bed (24 hours a day!), and now here she is moving all over like crazy!

here is a quick summary of what isabella has been up to:
* she has 7 teeth now and the eighth is ready to pop through any day now
* isabella went from crawling to pulling up and moving around . . . walking will be coming soon!
* she puts her arms or arm up when we say touchdown or high five
* isabella has started eating finger foods - she seems to like her veggies better than her fruits (total opposite of emma) and is a bit of a picky eater (i'm hoping that means she won't be picky later since emma ate everything when she was this age, but is so picky now!)
* she waves at us
* isabella can say mamma or mommy, pappa, bye bye, and we think she's tried saying baby, emma, and a few other things

3's at 4

2008-02-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

emma had her four-year checkup the other day. this appointment was so different and kind of made me a weepy mom as i realized my baby is getting to be such a big girl. she had to answer so many questions about things she can do, different things she knows, and more. she also got to do a hearing and an eye test.

she weighs 33 lbs now and is 39 inches (or 3 feet 3 inches). makes it easy to remember with all the 3's! so cute that she's still in the 25th percentile for height and weight . . . always our sweet little peanut.

still just amazed how quickly these four years have flown by. they've been so wonderful. and sometimes i think that i can't even remember what life was like before we had emma!

Who Do The Girls Look Like?

2008-01-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

What do you think?

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Pedigree - Free family tree

Fun with Family

2008-01-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

we enjoyed a fun weekend celebrating farmor and farfar's 40th wedding anniversary. (for those not familiar with swedish ... farmor and farfar are grandma and grandpa in swedish ... it actually means father's mother and father's father, which i think is pretty cool compared to english where we have to say grandma gerborg and grandma nemeth. much easier!)

anyways, it was a busy and fun weekend with lots of activity. it was so fun to watch emma and isabella with their cousins lukas and jack who are both just a few months older than isabella and emma.

we also enjoyed celebrating with tom's parents and thinking about their 40 years together. tom and i are going to celebrate 10 years this year and it's amazing to think that 10 years has passed so quickly, and to think about how many things have changed in 10 years. it made me think about how many more things would happen in 30 more years.

hope you enjoy the pictures!

Let it Snow ...

2008-01-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

emma got to enjoy the snow at her nana's today. she kept taking her gloves off so she could feel the snow! and, twice she ended up with only one boot on. the cold didn't seem to bother her at all. here are a few pictures of her having fun in the snow ... including the gerborg snowfamily we made! i'm hoping to have more pictures up in the next day or so of our trip to the north!

celebrating 4

2007-12-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

here are some pictures of emma celebrating her 4th birthday ...

happy 4th birthday!

2007-12-26T21:40:00.001-08:00

i cannot believe that is was four years ago today that we were given the most wonderful christmas gift ever . . . sweet little emma. after three months of bed rest (one month at home, and two in the hospital), we were surprised to find out i was 5 cm dilated after my water had broken on the morning of december 26. the dr looked at me and said, "we're having a baby today." i started to cry ... first, tom had left the hospital, so i was afraid the baby would arrive before he got back. (i had no idea how long labor could last!! in the movies, they say 5 cm dilated and the baby arrives in the next scene!!) and, i also was crying because i knew how early this was for me to be in labor.

at least 10 hours after my water had broken, emma kristine arrived. she was seven weeks early. she weighed only 4 lbs, 9 oz! she was so little. we were so afraid we would break her when we held her. she spent 15 days in the hospital ... one day in NICU and the rest of the time she was in the special care nursery learning to breathe, suck, and swallow at the same time (preemies don't have all the reflexes to do those three things at once). we were so nervous when they told us we could take her home. and, in fact, within five minutes of us getting home with her, i turned to tom, started to cry, and said, "i don't think i can do this. i think we need to go back to the hospital."!!! ok, am i the only first-time mom who's said that?? i was terrified, but somehow, here she is turning four years old today.

she was definitely a miracle . . . a beautiful, most precious gift. she is full of life, so sweet and funny. looking at her today, you would have no idea that she arrived in this world so early. i think she was just eager to get busy in this world!

happy birthday emma!

merry christmas!

2007-12-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

we enjoyed our christmas together. with two kids now, it was even more fun ... and more full of presents under the tree. this was the first year where emma was very aware of what was going to happen. she was asking about presents under the tree as soon as we put the tree up!

we celebrated a little both christmas eve and christmas day. tom's family celebrated on christmas eve when he was little, so we continue some of the traditions from his family on christmas eve now. tom prepared swedish meatballs (he makes turkey ones for emma and i!), potatoes, gravlax, herring, and eggs. it was delicious. on christmas day, we continue some of my family's traditions. it's fun to continue some of those traditions, while making our own new ones as well.

emma was very eager to start opening her presents christmas morning. before we were all ready, she ran over to the tree and started looking for gifts with an "e" on it ... we told her to look for her name on the gifts to know which ones were hers. anyways, we were still giving isabella breakfast and she was peeking at all the gifts. i looked over and she had one on her lap. i told her she needed to wait just a few more minutes. she said, "oh mommy, this one just fell on my lap."!!!! cracked me up!

we'll have some pictures of all the fun to add on the site soon. hope you all enjoyed your christmas as well!

all i want for christmas is my two front teeth ...

2007-12-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

isabella's third tooth, the first one on top, is coming through. she's being such a trooper. on top of having a cough and cold, her poor gums are swollen and bleeding where the tooth is coming in. i just can't believe her third tooth is already popping through and in just a few days, she'll be 8 months. where has 8 months gone?!

she is rolling everywhere, which has been quite a challenge with the Christmas tree up now. and, it seems like any day now she will be crawling. isabella gets up on her hands and knees and starts rocking. if you look at her, it looks like she is really concentrating on how she will get from here to there. and, even though she is not crawling yet . . . she can get to where she wants to go pretty quickly . . . which often seems to be right towards emma's toy with little bits and pieces! always keeping mommy on her toes!

isabella also started playing peek-a-boo on her own in the past week. i was making dinner one night and isabella was in her bouncy seat. i looked over and panicked at first as her blanket toy was over her face. as i went toward her, she slowly pulled the blanket down and had a big smile on her face. i suddenly realized she was playing peek-a-boo. so cute!!

we are looking forward to celebrating Christmas together as a family of four in just a few days. i'm sure we'll have more to post soon!

merry christmas!

Layering ...

2007-12-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

i think emma has mastered the art of layering. she loves dressing herself right now in several layers. and she likes to change her outfits several times a day. it makes me laugh. the other day she had on two t-shirts, two turtlenecks, a sweatshirt and one more shirt on top of that. often, she puts on pants with shorts on top of them. tom says it's the european influence in her! whatever it is, it's very funny, and we get a kick out of seeing what she'll put on next!
you can't fully see this in this picture, but emma had so many layers on here that she could not put her arms down at her sides. it was so funny.

sweet potatoes, bananas, and more ...

2007-12-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

ok, we're back again ... life has been a little hectic lately. anyways, isabella is growing and changing so quickly. it's crazy. she is 7 months now!

* rolling all over now
* sitting unsupported
* gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth ... crawling is soon to come!
* eating solid foods
* celebrated her first thanksgiving
* met her aunt anna

isabella has tried rice cereal, sweet potatoes, avocadoes, bananas, pears, and squash. we're trying to figure out if she's allergic to bananas like emma. she was not the least bit interested in food when we first started trying to feed her solids ... very different from emma. but, she is now enjoying it, and she makes the funniest faces.

happy halloween!

2007-11-04T03:39:00.001-08:00

are these not the cutest little bumble bee and raggedy ann (or raggy ann as emma kept saying) you've ever seen? emma kept singing the song, "i'm bringing home my baby bumble bee." we had a fun night ... just can't believe halloween has come and gone and soon it will be thanksgiving!

6 months!

2007-11-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

i can't believe it ... isabella is 6 months old already! how did 6 months go by so quickly?! and, it was over a year ago now that we moved into our new house, that i had my cerclage surgery, and i was into my 2nd trimester of pregnancy. it's crazy how time flies.

isabella went for her 6 month checkup and she's doing great. she is 16 lbs 14 oz now and is 26.5 inches long. she is in the 70th percentile for both. much different than our little preemie peanut emma was in the 5th percentile. it's really different having a full-term baby.

in honor of 6 months, here are 6 fun things about isabella ...
1. isabella is rolling both ways and all over now
2. her tongue is often sticking out
3. isabella said mama this month
4. she is usually full of smiles and "talking" very loudly to us!
5. isabella can't get enough of her big sister; she watches everything emma does

6. she likes to attack your face with big (very big!) open mouth kisses

some fun food tips

2007-10-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

for those out there who deal with food allergies or share the concerns about keeping our kids healthy ...

jessica seinfeld was on oprah talking about her new book, "deceptively delicious." i'm interested in checking it out. she gives recipes for everything from spaghetti and meatballs to chocolate cake ... but all the recipes include pureed veggies, so you sneak them in to get your kids to eat more veggies. emma is actually a good eater, but i wouldn't mind trying to sneak some more veggies in!

i also caught the last few minutes of a show on the food network today called "edible enemies." it focused on food allergies. they talked about a cookbook on there from a woman familiar with food allergies. so i looked her up online and found her cookbook ("the whole foods allergy cookbook" by cybele pascal) and her blog, allergycookbook.blogspot.com/. some great info there, including lots of websites wtih allergy-free foods. i'm excited to check out more of the links and maybe get this book too.

Hairs on my head

2007-09-23T18:20:00.001-07:00

it's amazing how many questions a three-year-old can ask in one day. i think that tomorrow i need to actually count how many em asks me. i can say that emma does ask more than just the "why-why-why" questions. in fact, she most often asks me "what does that mean?" i really need to carry a dictionary with me. it's funny because i've found times when i have a really hard time explaining the definition of a word. and, some words i just feel like responding like this ...
emma: what does function mean?
mommy: function

ok, i don't do that. first, that doesn't satisfy the curious, inquistive mind of a three-year-old. and, i think it's great that she wants to understand the meaning of so many words.

the other day, she asked me about God knowing about the number of hairs on her head. i wasn't sure if she had talked about the verse at school that says that the hairs on our head are numbered. anyways, she told me she was going to ask God. so, right here in our living room, she asked, "God, how many hairs are on my head?" she sat there for a minute and then said, "why isn't he answering?" now, this was one of those questions that i really didn't want to answer wrong or brush aside. but, i had a really hard time answering in a way that a three-year-old would grasp. we talked a little about it, but i don't think i've satisfied her, and i really don't want to miss this opportunity with her. so, if anyone has any thoughts out there, i am open to ideas, advice, and more.

Swedish class, jokes, and more ...

2007-09-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

emma has recently started attending a swedish class twice a month. yes, they actually have a swedish class for kids in atlanta! she's told us about some of the songs she's been singing there and some new friends she's made. i think it's a great opportunity for her to be exposed to the language and culture. how many american cities have swedish classes for adults, let alone one for kids!

emma's newest thing is telling jokes. most of the time, she tells jokes like "isabella on mommy's head" or "pappa fell in the grass". one day she told me that she was going to eat the sun. i said, " on my, that would be so hot." and, she looked at me and smiled and said, "that was just a joke." i told her the chicken crossing the road joke, so now she tells it ...'why did the chicken cross the road to get to the other side?" yes, she tells it as one run-on question/joke! cracks me up. and, now at the suggestion of babysitter marnie (or marn, as emma calls her) we've introduced knock-knock jokes to her. most of the time it's tree at the door when she does knock-knock. or, she gets confused about who's saying what part of the joke. it's too funny.

and, emma is enjoying her new teacher and class at weekday preschool. she comes home everyday and has circle time for isabella and i. she teaches us all sorts of new things, reads books to us, and sings songs with us. it's adorable.

Four months already!!

2007-09-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

isabella is four months now. funny that i spent four months on bed rest ... but, this four months and the four months of bed rest somehow did not feel like the same amount of time!

anyways, we took isabella to the dr for her four-month checkup this week and she's doing great. she is now 15 lbs 11 oz and 25.5 inches long. she's in the 90th percentile for both height and weight ... much different than our little preemie emma who was in the 5th percentile. anyways, she's doing well ... rolling from her tummy to back, enjoying tummy time now, talking and laughing like crazy, and loving her toes. if she's laying in bed or on the floor, most of the time you will find her holding on to her toes. when she does it in her bed, she'll grab her toes and talk. then she lets her legs fall and does it again. after awhile, she ends up turned around in her crib! it's so cute. and, i think she is trying so hard to talk and laugh with emma now. there are times when she sees emma that she gets so excited. she starts talking and laughing so loudly, and her arms and legs start kicking all over. it's so funny. i wish i could get inside her mind to know what she's thinking and trying to tell emma.

Back from the Beach

2007-09-12T19:19:00.001-07:00

we just recently got back from the beach. it was wonderful and the girls did great. isabella napped on the beach in a cute little tent we bought her. the front of it had a mesh cover that zipped open and closed, and it had another mesh opening in the back so air could go through it. and, emma couldn't get enough of the ocean and pool. before we left for the beach, she kept saying that she was not going to swim in the ocean. the day we arrived, we barely started setting down our towels and she was racing into the water! it was great ... and, of course, not long enough as usual. so true that we in the u.s. do not get enough vacation time. do you think we have enough vacation time?

anyways, next year, i would love to go for two weeks.

Change

2007-08-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

i haven't shared anything for awhile, and i always have so much to say ... so here's the latest ....

we started a new school year at my preschool. my new teacher ms. kelly is really nice. i have some of my old friends and some new friends in my class. i got a prize on my first day with ms. kelly for being a "star rester" ... i laid on my towel when we were supposed to. that's a whole new thing for me. i've never gotten to rest on a towel on the floor at school. it's kind of funny, but we all get to do it.

isabella started going to my school now too. she's been going now for about 2.5 weeks. i think she likes it too, and all my teachers were excited for her to start coming to school with us. she goes to the baby room. mommy said i used to be in that room too. it looks like they have lots of fun things to play with and her teachers are nice. so, i think isabella will like it a lot.

i told mommy the other day that we were going to the hospital this week. i explained to mommy that we were going to change (meaning exchange) isabella for the four new babies that mommy is having. mommy's eyes got really big when i said four new babies ... i wonder why?? anyways, i told her that the new babies would all be three years old so that they could play with me.

what do you think about that? i think it sounds like a good plan. not sure mommy is going to go for that though. well, i have to get ready for bed. i'll share more again soon.

Two months!

2007-07-07T19:46:00.001-07:00

i thought i would send a little update now that i'm two ... almost two and a half ... months old. i had my two-month checkup the other day. i am now 12 lbs 2 oz and 24 inches, and i've been growing out of some of my outfits already. over the past few months, i met my nana and my uncle dennis. i also met my aunt jen and uncle nik and my cousins lukas and jack. and my farmor and farfar visited us as well. i've had lots of fun meeting my relatives. they all like to hold me a lot and i enjoy that, and i have lots to tell them too with my coos and smiles.

i've been smiling and "talking" lots lately. i have so much to say to everyone. i've really been enjoying the bouncy seat that miss vicki and mr. micah are letting us borrow. i love to watch the lights and the animals on the bar, and the music is fun too. i get so excited when mommy turns it on. i am sleeping longer at night ... about 6 hours now.

i've been going to the pool with everyone. i get a good nap when we go there. i just sleep in the stroller. it's great. and, i've been getting to meet more of mommy and pappa's friends.

i'll update you all more again soon as i'm sure i'll have plenty more to say!!

New Pictures

2007-06-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

our friend, ms. rachel, took some pictures of me and my big sister. mommy wanted to give some pictures of us to pappa for father's day. i thought it was pretty fun. i don't think my big sis wanted to have her picture taken with me, and then she was really worried about the bugs. i'm not sure what the fuss was ... ms. rachel and mommy kept telling her that the bugs only like adults. hmmm ... anyways, i wanted to share a few of the pictures that ms. rachel took.

Reflections on Bed Rest

2007-06-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

now that isabella is 7 weeks old, we've celebrated her one month birthday (and soon she'll be two months!!), i thought i would share some thoughts and reflections i've had on bed rest.

ok, having to lay down for four months certainly isn't my idea of how i want to spend my pregnancy. i was so frustrated after having the surgery that i was put on bed rest sooner in this preganancy than with Emma. but, being on this side of things now, i see that the stitch did help, and i have to say that i much preferred this version of bed rest compared to what i did with emma. anyways, here are some of the positives for home bed rest vs. those for hospital bed rest. yes, i could actually think of a few positives from the hospital!

+'s for home bed rest
* the food
* my own bed
* being with my family
* mcdreamy, jack bauer, vh1's top 20 countdown, & ellen
* theme song ... "chasing cars" by snow patrol ... if i lay here, if i just lay here ... :)
* a beautiful little girl born at 38 weeks ... one day after my birthday (what a wonderful birthday present)

+'s for hospital bed rest
* daily massages from the physical therapists ... as long as your pain level was high enough (mine was always quite high! ;-) )
* seated showers ... i never thought i would say that, but when you are restricted in movement and you're pregnant, a seated shower helps ... especially to shave your legs!! :)
* the ice chips ... love those ice chips at the hospital!!
* ellen, oprah, & the dr. phil family
* a beautiful little girl born at 33 weeks ... which you would never know today! ... two days after Christmas (what an awesome Christmas present)

so, would i do it again? that's the question that everyone has been asking ... funny thing is that when i had emma, i absolutely insisted that there was no way i would ever get pregnant again! and, here we are with our second beautiful child. this time around, i find myself not saying no quite as quickly ... but, i'm not quick to say yes either!! tom says he couldn't bear to watch me lay down like that again (or maybe i just drove him so crazy with my requests and anxieties that he doesn't want to go through it again!! ;-) ) for now, though, i just want to enjoy my sweet girls and leave whatever is meant for the future in the future.

On Being a Big Sister

2007-05-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

so, i've been trying to figure out all this big sister stuff ... it's pretty cool that i'm a big sister now, but i sure wish my little sister could do more things with me. mommy says that she will be able to play with me someday, but i don't like waiting! i asked mommy the other day if isabella could go back in her tummy and mommy said she couldn't. i don't know why. nobody told me that there was a no return policy on little sisters.

i've been getting some really fun presents for becoming a big sister. i've been loving it! i got a cool present from mommy and pappa the other day for being a big sister ... a backpack and lunch bag for school that i can carry. they are pink and have my name on it. here are some pictures of me with my new bags.

i had my dance recital over the weekend. ms. sandi taught us a cool dance routine. we were the tinkerbells ... although, i liked calling myself fiona at rehearsal and cinderella the day of the dance. anyways, it was lots of fun and i liked having all the mommies and pappas clap for us. i even got a medal when i was done.

i will be trying a tumbling class this summer. i start at the end of this month. i am excited about that. i am also returning to see ms. tanya for my refresher infant swim resource classes at the end of this month. she taught me how to float and swim last summer, so i am going back in a few weeks for some refresher classes. our pool is opening in our neighborhood, so i want to be ready to swim.

well, i have to go take care of my babies. i'll share more with you soon.

I'm two weeks old!

2007-05-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

it's been a fun adventure since i entered this big bright world two weeks ago. just before i left mommy's really cozy tummy, i could hear mommy yelling at pappa and the nurses, "i have to push!" and they all kept telling her "no, wait. you can't." i don't know what exactly was going on, other than i was trying really hard to get here to meet everyone. it's funny because for months everyone was making sure i stayed in mommy's tummy. then all day on my birthday they were wanting me to come out. then just minutes after mommy got some medicine and they layed her down, they were all telling her that i couldn't come now. i could hear all the nurses and the dr running around and then it was finally time. mommy didn't sound very happy. i felt bad and wanted to come and hug her. i was glad that i was able to see her not too long after all that commotion

since then, i've been doing all kinds of things. i went for my first car rides ... i'm not so sure that i like that little seat i have to sit in. but once the car gets moving, i usually fall asleep. i had my first dr visit last week. i really like my dr. she was so nice and called me a princess. the dr told me that i no longer had to be on my light bed anymore. i was happy to be off that hard bed and in a cozier place to sleep. and, mommy and pappa get to hold me more now that i'm off the light bed, which i really like. the nurse told me that i am now over my birthweight. that seemed to be a good thing as everyone cheered that. i've gone to the church and seen where emma goes to school. i've met some of emma's and mommy and pappa's friends. i also got to go shopping for the first time. we went to costco, target, and wal-mart. all the lights and noises made me look around and wonder what was going on. i got to go to my big sister's dance recital, and went out to dinner one night. and, i had my first picnic for mommy's day.

since then, i have been enjoying hanging out with my mommy and pappa. my big sister seems like lots of fun. she taps my bed a lot, and mommy and pappa tell her "no" ... i just keep my eyes closed so no one knows that i'm really trying to see what's going on! i am looking forward to playing with my big sister. well, i have some sleeping to do. but, i will update you all again soon!

Under the lights ....

2007-04-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

sorry we are just now updating again, but for some reason we were unable to get online while in the room at the hospital. what a wonderful few days of celebrating we have had. after all those months of laying down, the reward in the end has once again made it all worthwhile! isabella is so beautiful, and we couldn't be happier.

and, we are happy to say we finally decided on the middle name .... isabella sara.

emma came to meet her new little sister on friday. she was very excited to meet her. the first things she said, "i want her to talk to me ... make her talk." and, then she wanted her to color with her! it was so cute. emma has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her sister at home, and has been talking all about her. she's also taken a few things that the nurse gave her at the hospital and has been taking very good care of her babies.

i was discharged late last night, and we spent the night at the marriott across the street. isabella had to stay at the hospital as she was jaundiced with very high levels of bilirubin. it was so hard to leave her as we had so hoped to leave the hospital with our baby this time.

isabella has been on a phototherapy bed since late Friday night, and an overhead lamp was added last evening. we have been increasing feedings and keeping her under the lights to help bring the levels down.

we were so excited when we got the news this afternoon that she would be able to come home with us. the levels had come down some. so they sent us home with a phototherapy bed, which isabella will have to stay on unless she is feeding. a nurse will come to the house each day to draw blood to continue to monitor the levels. we will keep you all up to date.

It's a...

2007-04-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

girl! We have another beautiful daughter!

Our little miracle was born 7:55 pm, weighs 7 lbs and 4 ounces, and is 20 inches long. Amy, who was incredible, is doing well, as is our tiny wonder. They finally gave Amy an epidural and laid her down around 7 pm or a little after tonight and then everything moved fast. Our super cute baby had trouble breating at first, but is now fine and resting with mommy. She's already starting to eat.

Cool. Unbelievable. Exciting.

One more thing: Her name is Isabella. Still working on middle name.
Thank you for your support and care.

Astounded

2007-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

We’re having a baby…no really, we’re having a baby! (me talking to myself)

well…while I have anticipated with some anxiousness the arrival of li’l G, I am still astounded and captivated by the fact that it’s happening today…right now. we’re at the hospital…look there is Amy (contracting now every 2 minutes)

…her phenomenal Doctor Sue Glander just came in to brake the water (…should help the flow). I am astounded by Amy’s courage and strength, a supernatural gift for sure. Now, she’s cranking the pitocin and making huge sinus curves on the monitor.

Pretty soon, we will be welcoming our little son or daughter for the first time ever. They say first impressions are huge, well, this one is.

Author guaranteed to be a mess for days.

BIRTH DAY ...

2007-04-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

a day, a week, a year of celebrating ... it's been one week since the stitch came out, and little g has not made an appearance yet. i am 38 weeks now ... 5 weeks longer than my pregnancy with emma! we are still anxiously waiting. but, i've also been trying to enjoy some time out now that i'm allowed to get out of bed. of course, my body is weak and sore, so i find myself still spending half the day resting on the couch! and, it's so hard to sit up. but, i am glad to have this time to get my muscles moving a little before little g comes, and i've been trying to do some things with emma as well, which i've really enjoyed.

i got to go to emma's music recital at school yesterday. i was so happy to be able to go see the recital and be there for emma before her little brother or sister arrives. i even "talked to" little g the night before and asked for this one favor for his/her big sister. the recital was wonderful. i loved watching emma and all of her friends at school perform for us. emma didnt' sing a lot ... i think she was in awe of all the parents being there. she looked like she was having lots of fun though. there were so many smiles ... and, i choked back a a few tears too (ok, i'm hormonal :) )

today, tom took me for a manicure and pedicure ... and we both had one done. wish i would've had a camera. being the quality time person that i am, this was a great present. tom and i got to relax and hang out. and, it felt wonderful to be pampered like that after laying down for four months!! we got sushi from my favorite sushi place and enjoyed some soy ice cream with emma and nana. what a fun day!

well, the plan as it looks now is that i will call the hospital tomorrow to see when they can bring us in so that i can be induced. when we saw my ob on monday i was close to 3 cm. little g has been measuring ahead, so she wanted to schedule me to be induced. so, keep your eyes on the blog ... we'll be posting updates tomorrow as we all await the arrival of little g ... a very special belated birthday gift for mommy!

Bed Rest Ends!!!

2007-04-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

wow, i can hardly believe that we have made it this far ... without any hospital time (other than those 3 hours one day for contractions), no medicine!! 112 days of bed rest! and, we've made it to 37 weeks, which anything from 37-42 weeks is considered full-term!! so amazing and wonderful. we are celebrating.

today was a big day ... my stitches were removed. my drs had been back and forth for some time on when the stitches should come out, should they come out and induce the same day, not induce, epidural/no epidural. we weren't sure if they would ever get on the same page. so, finally on monday they scheduled the stitches to be removed today. so, today we went to the hospital to see my perinatal dr who was taking out the stitches. he had planned on using an epidural, but the nurse had scheduled me without one. i was already there and the dr said we'd at least give it a try with no pain meds.

i'm not sure if tom's hand will be usable for a few days ... lots of clenching of tom's hands, a few nails digging in, and some awesome relaxing music in my ears. i just kept telling myself that there was an end in sight. two of the nurses were also in the room and were very sweet and helpful during the whole thing. a couple times i did grab the one nurse's hand ... i think i only squeezed and clawed tom's hand ... i hope!

the dr showed us the stitches. we had no idea how large and thick these stitches were, but we now understand why they were saying that the baby was not going to suddenly pop out! the drs that we have been with throughout this process have been so wonderfully encouraging and amazing. we could not be more pleased with all they have done for us.

after i rested for awhile and finally got my legs to stop shaking, we headed out for lunch. how wonderful ... my first lunch outing in at least four months!!!! it was great. of course, being that i haven't been this active in several months, i'm in my ninth month of pregnancy, and i just endured some incredible pain, i was pretty sore and worn out. but, it was still wonderful to be out in the real world today!

it is such a huge responsibility to carry another human being inside of you. to know that every thing i do affects this person directly. i just think back to that 6-week appointment and that heartbeat we saw. how cool that i have two hearts beating inside of me. how totally beautiful to think about that little one forming and growing each day. what a gift this is!

at this point ... we wait. labor could happen any day now. we are celebrating this gift we are about to be given and are so excited to meet Little G soon. what a miracle the creation of life is, and how much we have enjoyed watching my belly grow knowing that another little person is forming inside. so, we are excited to celebrate Little G's birthday sometime in the very near future. keep your eyes tuned to our blog as we'll update here.

The Heart of a Child

2007-04-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

i just love the little gifts we get as parents ... and i don't mean the ones wrapped in shiny paper with big bows (of course, those are nice too). the gifts i'm referring to are those that special gifts we receive from our children's hearts, mouths, eyes. at the age of three, emma says the sweetest things that bring (happy) tears to my eyes and melt my heart.

last week, they were talking alot about Easter at her preschool. she came home one day and said to me, "the stone was a tomb." now, i don't know what kind of church experience you had growing up, but i know mine was a lot different from what emma experiences at our church (www.northpoint.org) now. i do remember reading about noah and his ark, and we sang a song about a man in a tree, but i don't remember talking about the things that Emma talks about ... at least not when i was three.

on Easter sunday, emma went to church with tom and nana. they walked through the auditorium and emma noticed the crosses on the stage. she looked up at tom and said "Jesus was on the cross, but he isn't now."

and yesterday, she drew this picture and told my mom, "this is the cross and this is Jesus on the cross."

ok, maybe i'm just naive or biased ... maybe all or lots of three-year-olds talk like this. either way, i still believe that we are given these little moments as gifts ... the simplicity of child-like faith.

our very cold Easter weekend also included a little visit from the Easter bunny (or Easter Bun Bun as emma calls him) and an egg hunt at our community club house.

36 weeks!!! from Little G

2007-04-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

it's my turn to share today. i have been enjoying swimming and jumping in mommy's tummy for so many months now! i even started dancing at 5:30 this morning to remind mommy that we are celebrating today because i've been hanging out here for 36 weeks! (ok, according to my math 36 weeks doesn't seem right, but that's what the drs and mommy have for their count, so i'll go with that)

speaking of dancing and jumping ... my space is getting a little cramped in here. early on, i had been getting some decorating ideas when mommy and pappa watched that home makeover show ... although, it was often hard to hear things over mommy crying. i don't know why she would cry ... always sounded like lots of fun to me with people yelling and cheering. :) but, it is still pretty cozy in here. i'm not sure what mommy thinks about it though. i've heard her say she can't breathe or there's no room to eat. and i've noticed when i stretch way out and bump up against her ribs that she pushes on me. i guess she's just giving me love taps.

i've heard mommy talk a lot about heartburn. i'm not sure what that is.

i enjoy my morning kickboxing routines, and my evening gymnastic workouts. i figure i have to get into shape so i can keep up with the other person i hear out there a lot...who pappa and mommy say is my big sister. she sounds like lots of fun ... and very busy.

i'm excited to meet my mommy and pappa and big sister soon... Am I a boy or girl??? ... i won't tell!! what do you think?? can't wait to meet you all!

Feeling better? ... from Emma

2007-04-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

So, i thought i'd give you a little update from me ... i'm three now and such a big girl now. i've been going potty like a big girl now for the past month and a half. not sure what all the fuss was about ... i just had my own schedule and everyone was trying to mess with that!

i'm so tired of mommy laying down. i wish she could get up and play. i try to keep her company by reading my books to her. she seems to like that. and, i like to put lotion on her sometimes too. i make faces on mommy's belly and that makes her laugh ... makes me laugh too.

i keep asking mommy everytime she goes to the dr ... and she goes a lot ... if they made her better yet so she can walk around and play with me. but, she keeps saying that she still has to lay down. good thing i went to the dr recently so i 've learned a few things and can check mommy myself. i use the skeloscope (aka ... stethoscope) to hear her breathe. i check her belly so i can hear the heartbeat. and, i give her medicine. she seems to like when i check her, so i must be doing better than the other drs.

oh, i also like to make crafts for mommy. sometimes i paint with pappa or nana, or i draw neat things for her. i like to draw sunshines and people. i like to draw mommy sometimes. i also like to trace my hands or put paint on my hands and stamp them on the paper.

i'm excited about being a big sister. sometimes i tell mommy it will be a little sister and the next time i tell her a baby brother. i like to keep them guessing ... since i know what mommy is having. i looked when we saw the baby on the tv (aka the ultrasound) and nurse cindy said close your eyes. i don't know what the big deal was, but i'll keep it a secret. it was fun when we saw the baby on the tv ... i got to hear the heartbeat and it was red and blue on the screen. the nurse said that was the blood going through the "umblikal" cord. when the dr came in, i asked him to do it again and he did. i figured if i smiled big enough and was real sweet he would do it ... and, he did.

well, i have some playing to do. i'll catch you up more soon.

Trial run ...

2007-04-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Is Little G coming? ....

Most of Saturday afternoon, I was having contractions. After about three hours of going over what my threshold for contractions is, i talked to the dr on call. i was so pleased when it was my OB on call that day. she told me to come straight to the hospital and plan to possibly spend the night. so, i grabbed my bag that we had just packed a few days before for the big day, threw a few extra things in, and off to the hospital we went. when we arrived and started checking in, my OB happened to come out to the waiting area and told the admissions people to get me into the new wing since i had "spent plenty of time in the dungeon last pregnancy!" so, they put us in a nice, big room in the new wing.

the nurse came in and had me get into a gown. she hooked me up to the monitor and started to get an iv to get fluid in me. ok, i don't like needles in general, so it was not fun when the first IV didn't go in. ouch!! the second was pretty painful too, but not quite so bad. my dr came in and checked me. i was not dilated, which is great. so, they monitored me for a few hours.

i guess the dr or the hospital must have scared the contractions away, because after about three hours i only had two small contractions. so, we were sent home. i was so glad to be able to go home, that the contractions stopped, and that Little G is still inside "cooking". Guess we got a little practice run to the hospital.

A "Big" Week

2007-03-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to week 34 ... one week past when Emma was born. How exciting! And, I've been able to stay home this whole time, for which we are so praiseful. Of course, I would love to have a normal pregnancy and be up and about enjoying this time ... but, I must say I have preferred the comforts of my own home over the hospital like last time!

We went to see the perinatal dr this week. We got to see Little G bouncing around ... ok, not bouncing quite as much as space gets tighter! Interestingly, Little G has had a sudden growth spurt and is now measuring 1.5 weeks ahead!! Little G is around 6 lbs now!! That was exciting news, but struck some concern. The dr discussed my late diagnosis of gestational diabetes with Emma and suggested that I cut back on carbs and increase my protien intake. How great that Little G is measuring big if I do still deliver early. I did have a quick thought, though, that there was one advantage to delivering early last time ... smaller baby to push during delivery. The next day during one of Little G's "exercise routines", Tom was feeling my belly and said that he didn't remember Emma kicking like that. I told him that maybe it was because Emma never got this big on the inside! So, we are enjoying some new adventure and fun that we did not get to explore last time.

Catching you up ...

2007-03-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a rundown of the past 7 months to catch you up on what's been happening with us ... sorry for the length of the first post. I had hoped to do this sooner, but I've been busy ... laying down. ;-) (from Amy)

Sept 06
A great start to our vacation ...
On the first day of our vacation, we learned I was pregnant with #2 ... we are excited and nervous.
At 7 weeks, we visited my OB and saw our baby. How can something so tiny have a heartbeat?!?! It is so incredible! We also saw the perinatal dr who measured my cervix (I'm short already), and we discussed the possibility of putting a stitch (cerclage) in my cervix.
We closed on our new house and planned to move in Oct.

Oct 06
A baby brother or sister ... And surgery
We shared the news with Emma and she cried ... which, of course, made me cry! But, she slowly warmed up to the idea talking about how she's a big sister!
With the help of several friends, we moved into our new house. Tom recruited several guys from work and from our community group to take most of our big things and main necessities from the old house to the new one. I have a good excuse this time for not unpacking and organizing right away ... I'm not allowed to lift anything or exert myself .... although it's hard not to want to get things in order.
On Oct 24, I had my cerclage surgery. Everything went well and the dr was pleased. We are hopeful that this will help me to carry the baby longer this time and maybe help avoid bed rest.

Nov 06
I saw the perinatal dr three times this month, includinf my follow-up visit from the surgery. The stitches look great, and my cervix is longer than we've ever seen it! I also saw the OB twice, including one visit for exposure to Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease (one of those things to avoid when pregant.) When my OB found out about the HFM exposure, she said, "Your pregnancies just aren't meant to be easy, but you make good product." (as she looked at Emma who was with me!!)

Dec 06
Bed Rest again!!
On the night of Emma's 3rd birthday (how did my peanut suddenly get to be three!!), I talked to the OB on call after feeling some abdominal pressure (with Emma I never felt any contractions, so I knew I couldn't be too careful about it again). They sent me into the OB office the next day. My OB sent me to my perinatal dr's office where I had an ultrasound and cervical measurement. I had shortened significantly, so I was sent directly home (don't pass go, don't collect $200) ... go directly home and lay down. I was pretty disappointed after Tom and I had our date day planned that day. One of the first thoughts ... "Why did I have the surgery?" Tom brought home lunch and movies ... we didn't talk for a long time, didn't feel like there was much to say. Several days of lots of tears and worries and "why's".
But, we did have something fun to celebrate ... our little nephew Lukas Robert Gerborg was born on Dec 31.

Jan 07
Bed rest, new job, & Grey's Anatomy
After one week of bed rest, I returned to the perinatal dr and got great news ... my cervix had lengthened!! I visited the perinatal dr twice this month and the OB two times as well. I took the glucose test a 2nd time as I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes late in the last pregnancy. Passed both times. My iron has been fine and Little G continues to grow on track.
Nana arrived in early Jan. She will be a huge help around the house and with Emma, and it's great to have her company.
We are all hooked on Grey's Anatomy and have now finished seasons 1 & 2!
Tom started his new job with globalX, our missions team. We have now successfully been involved in three of the top five most stressful life events ... new house, baby, new job!!

Feb 07
"You grew a cervix!" .... and "24"
We make it to 30 weeks, and we are quickly approaching when Emma arrived, which causes a little anxiety. The drs talk about really monitoring my body, any contractions or changes, as the body can "remember" when delivery occurred last time.
After a month or so of bed rest with some cervical shortening, I get good news that my cervix lengthened again and Marisa, the tech, exclaims, "You grew a cervix!"
Tom travels to Spain, and while he is there we receive three contracts on our old house. We sign a deal and close in less than two weeks. Quite a hectic time, but thank you to friends, especially our community group, everything worked out just fine. What a burden lifted ... only one mortgage now.
Tom and Emma attended a Baby & Me class at Northside Hospital for soon-to-be siblings. Emma did great changing diapers and holding the baby.
Nana went home to PA for a week to take care of some things. We sure missed her. She is great with the laundry and cleaning (especially the dishes) ... a few of Tom's not-so-favorite tasks!! And, she is a huge help with Emma.
Emma started wearing panties ... she made the switch more or less on her own ... and she's done great at home and at school. What a big girl!!
Ok, after everyone saying how we have to watch "24" and since we had no more "Grey's Anatomy" left, we are all now watching the first few seasons of "24."

March 07
We make it to 34 weeks ... still at home, no medications, and a week past when Emma would've arrived! We are celebrating! Signs of spring are in the air ... and even a little taste of summer.Flowers are blooming, everything is covered in pollen, and mommy is SO hot ... yes, we have our A/C on already!!
I visited the perinatal dr twice in March ... once at the hospital to monitor for contractions. All three appointments show that the stitches are holding strong, cervix is stable and Little G is growing on track. Two OB visits also indicate that mommy and baby are doing fine. Tom travels to South Africa for work for a week, and Emma gets a bad cough and chest cold while he travels.
Emma went to one ultrasound appointment. She really liked when they let her hear the heartbeat. She kept saying "Do it again!!" After the tech told us to close our eyes, I asked Emma if she had ... and she said, "no." Hmmmm ... does she know now??? :)