due date

Guess who's due date it was today? Go ahead . . . it's not a trick question.

Ding! Ding! Ding! You guessed right!

I can't believe that Carter is 6 weeks old today! I also can't believe that he is just now supposed to be coming into this world! I feel like he's already done so much living.

He still has some "preemie" hurdles to jump over, but we know he'll do it. He's still on a heart rate monitor, and he still has some apnea and low heart rate alarms, but they are getting fewer and farther between. He is also getting bigger. He's gained over a pound since delivery and is starting to grow out of his newborn sleepers already. I am happy to report that his second chin and cheeks are filling in nicely. He also had his first blow-out diaper today . . . which was fun.

In other news - Ella is becoming quite the little "mother". I always knew she would be a great helper with Carter, but honestly, if it weren't for the nursing aspect, I don't think I would be needed around here!

We're having a good time watching you grow, Carter! Keep up the good work.

Sip-n-See

Have you ever heard of a Sip-n-See? It's a fabulous little gathering of friends that happens after the birth of a friend's baby. It's kinda like a shower . . . without the awkward games and expensive gifts. It features favorite drinks to sip, yummy foods to nibble on and a beautiful baby to gawk at (insert Carter).

My wonderful friend, Nicole, threw me just such a party.  She totally out did herself by inviting my favorite local ladies, offering my favorite drinks (mimosa anyone?!), serving my favorite breakfast goodies and decorating like a Pinterest queen!

(breast) milk and cookie shots! (just kidding!)

 

 

 

 party favors!

 

 

the hostess with the guest of honor

Thanks, Nicole! I had such an awesome time!! And thanks to all the ladies who came.  It was so nice to finally be able to catch up after all of this delivery/surgery/NICU drama!

yes, I have other children

As I look back on my latest blog posts, I noticed I have hardly mentioned my other children in the past month! Shame on me. I assure you I am not neglecting them at home ( . . . much). Here is the haps with the Adolphson girls:

Jocie - is about to be an 8th grader . . . AN 8TH GRADER! Oh my lord, I have an 8th grader!! (okay - freak out, over) A few weeks ago, she took off with my Mom, Denny, Ali and Daysha and headed to Big Sky, Montana for my cousin's wedding.  I tried to guilt her into staying at home (i.e. "I am really going to miss you honey.  I mean, I have been away for 6 weeks, and am finally home, but I totally understand why you want to go . . . I guess".  Again, shame on me), but she stayed strong and went anyway. Yes, I did miss her, but she had a blast (other than getting sick) and made the right decision to go. She had worked so hard at home helping her grandparents with her little sisters while we were away, so she totally deserved a vacation! We recently went school clothes shopping, and even though she won't admit it to many, she is looking forward to school starting up again.

 

 

Side note - school shopping with an almost 8th grader is SUPER expensive . . . trumped Ella's session by three-fold. Yikes.

Ella - is about to be a 2nd grader. She and I also went school clothes shopping, and is looking forward to school starting as well, but all of that doesn't hold a candle to her brother. She is in L.O.V.E. with Carter and she wants to do everything for him.  She is by my side at all times of the day . . . every diaper change, every feeding, every bath time, every time I rock him, every time he cries, Ella is there all. the. time.  I have said it before and I will say it again, she is an awesome big sister!

Claire - is the newest big sister.  Carl and I love the way she talks to Carter. She always says the same thing, "Hey, Bubba! Hi! Hi Bubba! Heeeyyy! (in a very creepy voice . . . we think she is trying to sound like Ella . . .) She finally has come around, and likes her little brother :) She also likes changing clothes . . . at least 8 times a day. She's turning into quite the fashionesta. Oh joy.

 

 

 

Carter - already has a nick name - Bubba. I am not sure why I call him this, but I have since the first time I met him.  Maybe it's foreshadowing and he's going to be a very big country boy? Who knows, but for right now, he's "Bubba" to us.

Carl - is SUPER busy with football and the start of teacher workshops.  He thankfully has been home by 7:00 p.m. for the past two weeks, but that is all about to change next week when he starts games . . . then two nights a week we won't see him until after 10:30 p.m. It's good that the good district of STMA pays him the big bucks for all he does . . . oh wait, he's only paid a fraction of what he's worth! Oh well. I guess we did take a vow of poverty when we decided to work in education!


Me - I feel like I am super busy all the time, but honestly, I am just spinning my tires.  I nursing most of the day and night (really . . . there is an eternal butt print in the chair that I nurse him in), and then other than that, I feel like if I am eating, I should be cleaning. If I am cleaning, I should be napping. If I am napping, I should be finishing my thank you's. If I am writing thank you's, I should be blogging. If I am blogging, then I should be eating . . . and on and on it goes.  Thankfully my dad and step mom Barb have been here to help with all the cooking, cleaning and child rearing.  THANKS GUYS!!

I can't believe school is just around the corner! Thankfully I won't be back for a while, but when the older kids head back, there will be a new schedule to adjust to . . . we shall see how that goes :)

no way . . .

I can't believe I am saying this . . . but Carter is one month old today.  I know! I can't believe it either.  I could feel this way because I was in the hospital the first whole week of his life (and completely out of it the first 4 days). It could be because he was in the hospital the first two weeks of his life. It could be because I am super sleep deprived and the days are just blurring together. It could be because kids just grow up too fast.  Whatever the reason, I can't believe it!

Carter's Favorites ~ One Month Old

nursing

pooping and peeing (preferably NOT in his diaper)

sleeping

cuddling

 . . . what were you expecting? He's only a month old :)

I promise to update you more on what's going on in our world in the days to come . . . but I have found that time is very limited at home. At the hospital, I would blog when Carter was sleeping. Turns out at home, I have three other kids to look after when he's sleeping. Didn't see that one coming :)

perfect man

Remember when . . .

(this photo was taken this past Mother's Day)

Fast Forward a few months - to my stay on the 5th floor of Abbott Northwestern. Because of my bed rest, I was having a lot of aches and pains. So, the good nurses ordered me a few acupuncture sessions (which I was nervous about, but turned out to be a pretty awesome experience). During the last session before I delivered, the acupuncturist asked, "Are you nervous about your delivery and surgery?".  I told him that I was ready for all of it to be over, but yes, I was pretty nervous about it all.
He replied, "My mother always told me that 'the only perfect man on this earth is the man you give birth to', so don't be nervous, you are about to meet the man of your dreams" . . .

Boy, was his mother right!

truth

Okay people . . . I know what your thinking.  Why is Anne acting like everything is all peachy-keen? All of her posts sounds like she's walking through a field of daisies, hand in hand with her loving husband and all 4 of her kids, singing the Barney song while smiling at each other.

The truth is, YES, I am very thankful for all the blessings we have received (and there are SO MANY).  However, this transition has been a b-word, and we are still trying to figure everything out.  My emotions are everywhere, Carl's trying to do the best he possibly can with me (whether he is waiting on me or running from me when my wrath surfaces) and with our kids (who are also emotional wrecks . . . 6 weeks without a mother in the house can cause some damage), and quite frankly, we are just trying to make it through each day without a major melt down.

I ran across this blog http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2010/9/23/happily-after-giving-birth-10-things-they-dont-tell-you.html and let me tell you . . . this woman tells the absolute truth about what it's really like after having a baby.  Now, if you are a guy . . . you may want to think twice about clicking on the link. She is a little graphic at times about "lady stuff". But ladies, whether you have had a baby or not, CLICK THAT LINK! It is hilariously true, and you will have a good belly laugh from it.

Enjoy!! I know I did :)

Photos!

Well . . . it wasn't easy . . . he pooped and peed on EVERYTHING, but we were patient and he finally cooperated.  I didn't get every shot or every set up I wanted, but what I did get, I am pretty happy with.  I have edited a few of my favorite shots, and still have quite a bit of editing to do . . . but I thought I would give you a sneak peek!

An owl theme to match his bedroom decore

A cowboy theme just for daddy (and grandpa Dwaine)

. . . he looks kinda like Moses in this shot

We can't forget about mommy's wishes too . . . :)



A big THANK YOU goes out to my dearest friend, Nicole for allowing us to use her house for our shoot! And for running around like a mad woman helping me with every set up!

Sweet dreams little Carter, you earned your rest!

Peanuts

As you know, having a baby boy in the house is new for us.  We are used to girls . . .

Example:

Claire was "helping" me change Carter's diaper. In the middle of the job, she asks, "Mommy, what's that?"
     "That's his penis." I responded. "All boys have one of those. That's what they pee out of."
     "Oh, he's got a peanuts" she stated in a no nonsense type of voice. Then she pointed at his belly button, "mom, is that his peanuts, too?" . . . okay, we have a lot to learn around here :)

This past weekend, we were really excited to have my mom, my brother John and his wife Beth come and visit us.  It's all kind of a blur to me since I was super tired the entire time, but I do remember how nice it felt to have family close by.

We keep taking it day by day around here. We have our ups and our downs, but all in all we are so happy and are trying to focus on everything that is important (spending time with the girls and cuddling with Carter, and napping when possible) and not worrying about the things that don't (cleaning, picking up, or doing laundry . . . . which is tough when Carter pees on everything).

Soon I will be attempting to take Carter's newborn photos.  Wish me luck!

Home!!

We are home! And it feels fantastic! We got home later in the evening on Thursday night, and it has been a blur ever since. Of course when you bring a newborn home, mamas don't get much sleep...it's no different at our house.  But I know he needs me, and in a few months or so, he (and I) will be sleeping better . . . . . . sorry, dozed off there for a minute. Before I do a nose dive right onto my keyboard, I will get onto the pictures.

These photos are from the first time the girls got to hold their brother.  They were taken last Wednesday when he was almost 2 weeks old.




]

My dad ("bapa") and Grandma Barb

I think they like eachother :)

I have waaaaaay less free time at home compared to the hospital, so my posts may be fewer and further between.  But at some point, we will get back to some form of "normal".

up grade/down grade

Monday night we had a pretty big break though!  The doctors came to round on Carter, and informed us that they were transferring him over to the Special Care nursery at Abbott. He had shown some pretty nice gains: he wasn't on any form of extra oxygen and they had turned off his heat lamps and was maintaining his body temp while being bundled up. They told us that he was no longer considered "critical" and could graduate from a level 3 NICU to a level 2! Woo-Hoo! One step closer to going home!

So, we started our journey from Children's to Abbott. On the way there I could feel something brewing inside of me.  The emotion I was feeling was anxiety. I was excited for the upgrade, but scared of the change. I was comfortable at Children's with his nurses and his care. I am finding out, I don't really do well with change lately...

When we rolled into Special Care, I was taken aback. The Special Care unit looked nothing like the NICU.  It basically looks like a regular nursery at any 'ol hospital. A big room with scattered babies everywhere (okay, not "everywhere", but that's what it felt like when coming from our own private room at Children's). They wheeled us into a corner and transferred Carter into a bassinet. We had brought a whole cart of our stuff from his old room, and there was no where to put anything.  We were informed that we had a "cubby and a drawer" for our personal belongings. I then asked where I was supposed to nurse and pump if every thing's just out in the open. So our nurse brought over some screens and set those up, and drug in a few chairs from the front. I took one look at Carl and immediately started bawling. I just couldn't stop myself. I wanted to go back to our beautiful private room at Children's where we had privacy galore and more room than we needed. I wanted my big reclining chair back so I could cuddle with Carter more comfortably. Quite honestly, I was being a spoiled brat, but I just couldn't help it. The nurse from Children's came over, gave me a hug, told me everything was going to be okay, and then asked "Do you want any med's?". I thought about it for a few seconds, shook my head, and told her that I would be okay. Carl tried to talk me out of my hysterics, but he finally conceded to the fact that there was nothing he could say to make me feel better. He knows better than anyone else that I tend to cry after I have babies. It's just what I do. Everything was all hitting me all at once . . . the fact that we hadn't seen the girls in 5 days wasn't helping matters either (Claire had gotten the stomach flu last Thursday and couldn't be anywhere near a NICU....really?!?)

(Carter was in much better spirits than his mother)

Tuesday morning I woke up and felt much better. I am happy to announce that Carter has been eating really well! I always give him a little pep talk before each feeding and he seems listen. As soon as he can take all of his feedings orally and continue to gain weight, we will be on our way home!! :)