Thomas Day Two

 I celebrated my birthday in the hospital with Tommy and Jeremy.  Thomas was nursing pretty well all things considered.  And he was maintaining his oxygen levels on his own.  My favorite birthday present was  getting to see Tommy unhooked from the oxygen and feeding tubes.  My second favorite birthday present was the Kindle Fire Jeremy surprised me with.

 We sure enjoyed getting to hold him without all the tubes.  I spent every minute I could holding Thomas to help him get stronger and bond with me.  The nurses were amazed that I was up and around so quickly after my surgery.  I was determined that nothing would keep me from our Tommy after our long separation the first day.

Thomas Jeremy Hall 03/27/2013

 We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday March 27.  I was prepped for surgery and at 7:30 a.m. we began the caesarean section.  My doctors were awesome and the surgery went perfectly.  The moment they lifted up our baby to show him to us and I saw all his dark hair I burst into tears.  After two redheads it was honestly a surprise to see a baby of ours with my hair color. 

 As I lay there waiting to be stitched up I noticed that our baby was not in the room with us.  I tried not to worry but I really wanted to know where he was.  I hadn't even had a chance to touch him yet.

 After surgery I was moved to recovery.  I have a hard time coming out of anesthesia and because of my spinal, I could not use my legs.  Jeremy told me that our baby had been put in the NICU because of fluid in his lungs and stomach.  I was afraid and sad that I still hadn't been able to touch him.  Jeremy told me that he had decided to name our boy Thomas.  I tried to relax and let my body come out of anesthesia but I was so worried about Thomas and felt like such a failure for not being healthy enough myself to get out of bed and hold my baby.

 My mom came and was able to see Thomas.  It was comforting to have her with him and know that Thomas was not alone while I was trying to get my strength back.  I cried a lot that first day in the hospital.

 Finally by evening I was strong enough to get out of bed and see our baby.  It was so hard to see him hooked up to so many machines.  I wanted to wrap him in my arms but I was also afraid to touch him.

 When he was finally placed in my arms I felt an immense wave of relief.  I didn't want to put him down but I also didn't have a lot of strength so I was afraid I might drop him.  After talking to the nurses in the NICU, I realized that Thomas was not in immediate danger and that he just needed to get a little stronger with his breathing.  The pediatrician and NICU nurses were confident Thomas would be able to go home once I was able to go home.

Although the day did not go as planned, we were still so happy to have our baby finally with us.  Being able to hold him was just the jolt I needed to start getting stronger.  I was able to walk myself to the NICU three times that night to nurse him.  It looked like things would be brighter in the morning.

March 24, 2013

 It's the final countdown!  Our version of March Madness involves watching Mommy go crazy nesting and waiting for this baby to arrive.  To help keep the girls distracted we invited a friend over for a playdate.  Their favorite activity was peanut butter playdough.  They all ate so much of it that they didn't want much for lunch.  As the day wore on and the girls wore out, we sat down for a quiet painting activity.  They were so proud of their pictures.

 I hate belly pictures but so many of you have asked for one on Facebook.  I never took these with the girls so I don't really know how big I was.  Here I am - at 38 1/2 weeks. 

 Friday night we had a quiet night in.  Daddy played a lot with the girls to give me a break.  They love sitting with him while he plays the piano.

 Saturday we touched up the paint in baby's room and painted the custom closet shelves Daddy built in last fall.  Lily was an enthusiastic helper.  She got a lot of paint in her hair.  And thankfully she actually got some on the walls too.  Lily also had fun Saturday morning going to sign up for spring soccer.  She will be on a Pee Wee team and learning the basics this season.  She can't wait for her first game.

 Annie proved she could not be trusted with paint so she was Mommy's bathroom helper.  Dressed in her finest off-the-shoulder Sleeping Beauty ensemble (complete with raspberry jam cheeks), she willingly scrubbed floor and toilets with me.  After working hard all day Saturday, Mommy and Daddy escaped for dinner at Outback and a movie. 

Here are the girls in their Easter dresses.  We snapped these right after church today.  They are so excited to both be big sisters.  Just look at those huge smiles.  We are all looking forward to Wednesday and welcoming our baby into this world!

March 17, 2013

 Not much happened this week.  Just playing and cleaning and getting to all our appointments.  One highlight of the week was "Pi" Day on 03.14.  Jeremy's office has a tradition of everyone bringing in pies to share.  I made a gorgeous apple pie for him to take and unfortunately there were no leftovers.  I guess I get to make another one if I want a piece.

 Here's Annie playing her favorite game "Hi-Ho Cherry-O".  She is really good at counting the fruit and loves that there is a family game she can play "like a big girl", on her own without assistance.

 We were visited by a leprechaun early Sunday morning.  He left a trail of rainbow Skittles leading to a small treasure in the family room.  The girls were so excited to see all the green treats and to eat sugary cereal for breakfast.  Annie was so excited, she ate her cereal right out of the box instead of in a bowl!

 One day the girls decided to have a picnic in their bathroom with all their stuffed animals.  They set up a nice and cozy picnic spot on the soft rugs and enjoyed their lunch by "moonlight"; they turned off the main lights, shut the door, and turned on the nightlight.  They thought it was so funny.  I love Annie's cheesy Cheeto grin.

Since the beginning of this pregnancy I have lost my last two living grandparents, my great aunt, and a friend of ours close to our age is slowly dying of pancreatic cancer.  Plus a childhood friend of mine lost her newborn baby to an undiagnosed lung disease.  I have had a lot of anxiety about death and leaving Jeremy alone to raise our children and/or losing Jeremy and/or losing the baby.  This has been a difficult pregnancy emotionally and it has been hard to feel like myself and find happiness and peace during quiet moments.  My sweet sister-in-law sent me this Box of Sunshine to help cheer me up this week.  It was fun to get something just for me.  And it certainly helped bring some sunshine into our home.  I only have about 10 days left before baby arrives and I am trying hard to be happy and relaxed for my family's sake.  There is so much to be thankful for and happy about. 

March 10, 2013

 Sorry for missing a post last week.  With Annie and Lily and Jeremy being so sick, it was a really rough week for Mommy.  I was on my last thread when Puna offered to travel from Washington to come and help out.  She was such a help to me.  I could finally get a little rest from the constant attention the girls required and I caught up on a little sleep too.  I knew the girls were starting to feel better when they wanted to dress like princesses again.  Lily snuggled down with her baby doll and read her stories - so precious.

 Last Saturday Lily had her first dance performance.  Her class performed a routine to the song "Rockin' Robin".  It was precious.  Lily tries so hard to follow her teacher and do the right steps.  So many of the other girls just want to spin around and don't pay much attention.  The whole effect is too cute. 

 While Puna, Papa, and Brady were here we ventured out to the Museum of Idaho once Mommy was certain the girls were healthy enough.  There is a great carousel display happening right now - plus there is a carousel to ride. 

 There is also an interactive exhibit for kids about the state of Idaho.  Lily loved the log cabin and immediately found babies to tuck in and tend to.  Annie loved a little sandbox with animal footprint templates.  They played in this exhibit for over an hour - which was good for Mommy because I was having a lot of discomfort and mild contractions that day.  Thank goodness Brady and Puna were there to wrangle the girls.

 Lily had another dance performance on Wednesday which was awesome because Puna and Papa got to see her dance for the first time.  Lily was much more relaxed doing her routine for the second time and she seemed to enjoy the experience so much more than she did the first time.

 Annie loved hearing all the music and was dancing in the seats.  She wanted to dress up and dance just like her big sister.  We took them out to dinner after the performance to celebrate.

 This weekend I cooked 11 freezer meals to help prep for after baby boy Hall arrives.  The kitchen was in a constant state of chaos Friday and Saturday, but I am done and my garage freezer is full to the max.  It feels good going into this delivery a little more prepared and aware of what to expect.  I suppose going through it two other times helps me know what I'll need to get more rest and be able to enjoy my family more.

 We are all almost healthy and back to normal now.  Papa was a hard worker and sheetrocked and plastered two whole bedrooms in our basement almost without help while they were here.  It is exciting to see out house grow and our basement take shape.  The kids are having grandparent (and uncle) withdrawal and have been a little more grumpy and needy, but they'll adjust.  Delivery date for our little guy is set for March 27, so please keep us in your prayers that day.  The countdown is on!  See you next week.

February 24, 2012

Our little monkeys have been very sick this week.  There have not been a lot of shenanigans to speak of the past few days.  For the most part, the house and the girls have looked like this.....

 Lily started the week with a fever and bad cold.  She was negative for flu but was having all the symptoms.  On Thursday Annie really started coughing and by Friday she had a fever of 102.  I took her in to the doctor and she tested positive for RSV.  She's been on nebulizer treatments of albuterol and has responded well.  Lily came down with a double ear infection due to her congestion and has started antibiotics.  It has been a rough week for Mommy - not a lot of breaks or chances to get out of the house, lots of late nights, and grumpy little girls, plus all the issues of late pregnancy.  Daddy's priesthood blessings have been a great comfort.  We're hoping everyone will get well again very soon.  But Daddy woke up early this (Sunday) morning with a scratchy throat and a slight cough....which is how it all started for Lily last week!

In between the low moments, the girls had bursts of energy and acted a little more like themselves.  It is always a relief to see them get up and want to play.

Lily loves to play card games with us, but has trouble holding all the cards at once.  I saw a great idea on Pinterest to use a chip clip to hold cards.  Lily thought it was awesome and was so happy she could see all her cards at once and hold them in one hand like Mommy and Daddy.  Thanks for another great idea Pinterest!

So long from the Hall house!  We're all resting and trying to find our health again before our little baby arrives in a few weeks.  Mommy has been blessed to avoid the illness so far while taking care of the girls.  We're thankful every day for that.  Please keep Annie in your prayers.  RSV can be very dangerous and we're lucky Mommy took Annie to the doctor right away before it required a hospital stay.  It is weeks like this that help us remember how thankful we are for healthy bodies.