Evie the Extraordinary and Her Mommy: The Journey As We Go

Thanks to all those who entered my first giveaway!  The winner is Monique E.! (The original post, for those of you who missed it.) Baby Evie says congrats! We are getting ready to be in and out (and in) of the hospital this week.  I've gotten so much good advice from other moms who have done this, and I'm looking forward to posting what I've learned.  Thanks for your prayers!

Pre-Op day for Evie went pretty smoothly overall.  However, we started the day with much of the county losing electricity right before we were going to take the elevator down to the garage.  Thankfully we weren't IN the elevator when the power went out, but this obviously cramped our style, as we had to carry everything and Evie down 7 flights of stairs. The morning rush hour traffic in Boston is never pretty either. We were 30 min late for our 7:30 am arrival time, but the staff in Cardiology Pre-Op were so awesome and welcoming when we arrived. 1st stop: Lab workup Evie, Pepe (feeding pump), and Ollie (oxygen tank) were wheeled down to the outpatient lab.  This brave girl did not make a peep when the very competent phlebotomist put in the needle.  She usually screeches, so I was really impressed. Her assistant kept stroking Evie's head and telling her how cute she was.  Then she asked me where Evie's earrings were. Um...haha.  I told her not until Evie is a teenager. 

Update:   Hi all, I am doing my first giveaway! If you read my blog post the other day on the miraculous Zipadee Zip, then you know how this thing has changed our lives as parents.  The makers of Zipadee Zip liked my review so much, that they offered to help me do a giveaway. All you have to do is 1) "Like" their Zipadee Zip Facebook page and 2) leave a comment about why you could use a free Zipadee Zip on this post! The contest begins Wednesday, May 27 at 12:00 AM and ends on Sunday, May 31 at 12:00 AM.  Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway  ------------------------------------------------------------ Original post: There was a point in time when I was just proud I could swaddle teeny tiny Evie with a hospital blanket. Then she came home and started busting out of the blankets, and woke herself up all the time. Her arms flailed and her legs kicked while she was sleeping, which of course woke her up. But then she got bigger and craftier, and I needed to fin

Evie and her daddy like to read books together every evening.  She is well versed in the adventures of Caillou, Moo La La, Goodnight Moon, and Sophie the Giraffe (yes, Sophie also has a book). Early on, I decided that I would make a scrapbook about how we prepared for her to arrive, so we could read it to her. Thanks to Shutterfly, I could tell Evie the story of how Mommy and Daddy got ready to meet her.  Erick has already been reading the book to her.  I hope that by reading it, she will know how much she is loved!  The first page of the book. Some of our current favorites books are "Daddy Hugs 1-2-3" and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom."  Our absolute favorite right now is called "God Gave Us You."  It makes me want to cry every time I read it with her.     "God Gave Us You" is about a baby polar bear asking his mommy where he came from, and she tells him throughout the book how excited they were to meet him and how they

Evie was less than cooperative during our photo shoot, but I am making the most out of the shots I got with her eyes open!  If I'm going to be open and real in this blog, I have to show you what happens behind the scenes.  Evie fell over on the fluffy pillows, lifted her dress at the wrong times, and tried to eat the 5 month sticker.  Evie is going to be the kid in the front row of the Children's Christmas Choir who lifts up her dress during the performance. Blue Steel Mommy, do I have to do this anymore? This is really getting old. Can we go now? I am SO bored. I call this "Living with Abandon" Happy 5 months, Evie!  Mommy and Daddy love you so much!  Next month you will have a stronger heart and we will say goodbye to Ollie the oxygen tank!!

Today we woke up an hour earlier than usual to make sure Evie was hungry and tired.  We drove to Childrens Hospital Lexington and I kept tickling her to try to keep her awake.  I failed--she started dozing off even with Mommy singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider in her face. Back when Evie was in the NICU, we were told she failed the hearing screening twice.  I was sad that there was yet another thing that she had to go through (and to go to a specialist for).  Today, the audiologist took us in to a tiny room that looked like a bank vault, and we settled in to do a full hearing evaluation.  Evie's previous 2 evaluations had been pretty inconclusive (and thus "screening fails") because her ear canals were too small and her snoring interfered with the tests.  (Thankfully she doesn't snore like a tugboat anymore!) Tiny tiny ear canals in the NICU In the last few months, I've become darn sure that she could hear everything because I had to walk around like a ninja t

My first Mother's Day was both great and terrible at the same time. For Mother's Day, I got horrible stomach cramps (not contagious) and Erick came down with a fever and sore throat.  My visions of wearing a pretty dress to church and having Evie wear a cute outfit as well were quickly dashed. No nice Mother's Day lunch either.  Erick couldn't even go near Evie for fear that she would get sick.  If she gets sick close to her surgery date, they won't do her heart surgery for obvious reasons. So I hobbled around the house while doubled over, and made sure Evie got fed and stayed alive this weekend.  I don't think she had any idea how incapacitated her parents were. Ah, the life of a baby!   Look! More hair! May I now take the opportunity to salute single moms or moms who have husbands who don't lift a finger. I salute you over and over again, because I barely survived 2 days having to do things myself.  By the end of yesterday, I had hired

Hi everyone! Mommy said I could write a post, because she thinks it's funny that I find certain things so amusing to look at.   I want to share what I look at and why they are so wonderful.  First, this amazing square on the ceiling. It's a geometric wonder. And everyone knows babies like black and white contrast, so I'm not sure why mommy thinks this is so funny.    Then there's the view from the sofa while Daddy watches TV.  Why wouldn't I stare at this beautiful dark wood?  Daddy loves this bar table. Mommy at first didn't like it and tried to put it off to the side, but now she admits that Daddy is right and the table is useful for eating breakfast and watching me while she eats.  Look at that carpet with its geometric shapes!  Ikea makes works of art! This is my view when I get my diaper changed, or Mommy changes my g-tube dressings every night.  I get very excited to see my dust bunny friends.  Fortunately for me, Mommy and Daddy do