We went for Morgan Kate's re-check today and things seem to be improving. She still has an awful cough and runny nose, but no fever and Dr. G said that her lungs sound tons better. What a relief! Those lungs have definitely had me worried. We are to continue with all medications until next Wednesday. At that time we will return for another re-check. Hopefully everything will be completely better by then and we can discontinue this awful breathing treatments. They are definitely a chore!

Morgan Kate has been a little crabby. Let me take that back. She has been very crabby. I know most of it is because she doesn't feel well and because she is taking a steroid, but some of it is due to these teeth. As of today the second tooth (left bottom) has officially come through the skin. And she now has a top tooth trying to come down. Oh my goodness! All these teeth.

After a full day of medication, I think Miss Morgan Kate is feeling better and so am I. Her little runny nose and cough absolutely break my heart, but both seem lots better today. We have an appointment tomorrow morning just to make sure everything is getting better and not worse. She has still been extremely cranky, but I am not sure if it's the steroid, the breathing treatments or the tooth that is just about to break the skin. Poor baby!

Now that things seem to be on the mend I can continue with Part 2 of our beach trip. 

7 Confessions

1. I confess that I did take Morgan Kate's apnea monitor with us to the beach. And I did make her wear it the very first night. However, after that I let her go wireless. 

2. I confess that on that Sunday night I awoke three different times to check on her and each time she was fine. I still wake up at least twice a night and either check on her or listen for her breathing on the baby monitor. 

3. I confess that while I may have let Morgan Kate play in the sand and even eat a little, I was secretly freaking out. Especially after I watched the Today Show segment regarding beach sand and the fact that it contains human and animal feces. Nice!

4. I confess that each night I kept Morgan Kate up a little later for two reasons. One, I wanted to love on her a little more and share her with my family. And two because I was hoping she would sleep a little later. No such luck!

5. I confess that when her runny nose started I became overwhelmed with emotion, I cried and I blamed myself for letting her get sick. But after much reassurance from my hubby, my mom and many, many others I now realize that it was inevitable and bound to happen eventually, despite my neurotic ways. 

6. I confess that while at the beach I cried several times. Some, not because I was sad, but because I was so happy. So happy to be there with my hubby and my family and especially my baby girl.

7. I confess that while at the beach I only wore sunscreen on my face. I know it's awful, but I was hoping to finally get a small tan on this pasty white skin. 

7 Things Learned

1. Yo Baby yogurt is the best yogurt ever, especially the vanilla flavor. MK really liked it too!

2. Babies need rest and can't go 24/7 like some adults think they can. Thursday night of our vacation we decided to go out to eat. Travis and I were not watching the time and before we knew it it was after 9:00 and the beach house was about 25 minutes away. Morgan Kate usually goes to bed at 8:00. Big mistake! 

3. I learned that despite my best efforts, Morgan Kate loves to play in the sand, eat sand, throw sand and dig in the sand. It's just a part of the beach experience! And maybe Kaky likes it a little too.

4. I learned that Morgan Kate loves her uncles just as much as I love them. And that's a lot. 

5. I learned that my Daddy has to be carefully watched when it comes to Morgan Kate and food. He thinks Morgan Kate is ready for M&M's. I told him he better not even think about it. 

6. I learned that all time with family is special regardless of what you are doing. (I actually think I already knew this.)

7. And last but not least, I learned that my 79 year old grandmother is one heck of a WII player. She has definitely got it!

Two different breathing treatments. An antibiotic. Lasix. And a steroid. That's our course of treatment for Morgan Kate's first cold.

Yes, she has a cold. And yes, I have cried three times today. But, that's progress for me. 

Morgan Kate started with a runny nose last Wednesday night. Of course I immediately began to get worried. By Thursday the runny nose was accompanied by a cough and watery eyes. And my worry turned into tears. As of today we have a runny nose, congested cough, watery eyes, ear infection and some fluid in the lungs. Oh brother. We also spent two hours in the doctor's office this morning and we didn't really even have to wait. Most of that time was spent monitoring Morgan Kate's breathing, administering a steroid and taking a breathing treatment.

I know I had promised Part 2 of our beach trip, but I just don't have the energy. It's been an extremely long day. And to top it off I now have a cough, we have a sick dog, my grandmother is at the emergency room with a possible broken arm and it's Travis' 30th birthday. What a birthday for him. Even with a sick baby and a trip to the vet I couldn't let his birthday just pass by. Especially this one. So we grilled steaks for dinner and even blew out some candles on a birthday cake. Just the three of us. Happy Birthday, honey bunny! I love you.  

I have been trying for the past twenty-four hours to think of a way to adequately tell you all about our trip. We did so much and I find myself wanting to include every single second and every little memory. But I know that I can't possibly do that. It would be way too long and I would probably lose some of you half way through. So I tried to be creative. I have decided that since we were there for seven days and it is the seventh month, I will create my post around the number seven. Tonight I will include 7 memories and 7 must haves. Tomorrow night I will include 7 things learned and 7 confessions. And both nights I will include 7 photos sporadically through the post. I have way more than seven memories or seven things learned, but I know that I need to limit myself or things could get out of hand. So, here goes. Oh and don't worry. I am also trying to think of a creative way to include many, many more photos from our trip. I have lots and I definitely want to share more than 7, but that's what I am sticking to tonight. 

Morgan Kate on the beach for the first time

7 Memories

1. Lynn and Amy's Wedding

Lynn and Amy got married on the first day of our vacation. It was a beautiful ceremony and a fantastic reception. Fun was had by all. Morgan Kate did an amazing job! We left for the beach Saturday morning at 9:45 and she didn't get in the bed until after 9 that night. She had several cat naps throughout the day, but that was all. Her schedule and her naps were completely off, but she was such a trooper. I was so proud of her and even more proud to show her off and share her with family.

2. Sand

Sand in my shoes. Sand in my bathing suit. Sand in my hair. Sand in my mouth. Sand, sand everywhere. It's been quite some time since I had so much sand on my body and in my bathing suit. Morgan Kate and I were both covered. There were several days where I even had to make a run to the ocean to dump the bottoms of my bathing suit. It was ridiculous, but oh, so much fun. I think we even brought some sand home with us.

MK playing in the sand

3. Rainy days

A rainy day at the beach still beats a good day at home. We had beautiful weather every single day except for Monday. Monday we awoke to a cloud covered sky and it stayed that way the entire day. But the clouds did not hold us down. The boys used the clouds as an opportunity to do some boating and the girls headed downtown to do some shopping. Neither parties will discuss any further details about their day, especially those details pertaining to food or possible stops at restaurants.  

4. Morris Island Lighthouse

I grew up going to Folly and spending time at the lighthouse. We have numerous pictures of the lighthouse and one summer thanks to the changing tides my entire family was able to walk over to the lighthouse and peek inside. It was amazing. We have so many special memories there and I couldn't wait for the day that I would be able to share that with my child. The minute we pulled up I began to get teary eyed. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I am pretty sure Morgan Kate did as well. 

Morgan Kate at the lighthouse

5. Photo Shoot

Before we left for our trip I made sure to pack a few extra dresses for Morgan Kate. I mean you never know when a photo opportunity might present itself. Wednesday Aunt Deborah, Kelly and Tommy came over to the beach for the day. The boys fished and the girls worked on their tans. But when the day began to wind down we decided that it was the perfect time for pictures. Besides, we had numerous extra hands. So, MK and I showered and dressed and headed over to the beach with our assistants, Kaky, Aunt Deborah and Kelly. Kaky and Aunt Deborah were in charge of getting MK to smile and change her outfits. Kelly was our photographer extraordinaire. It was so, so much fun and I am completely in love with the pictures. Once the boys returned, Travis showered and we completed the photo shoot on the back porch. 

 

MK and Daddy on the back porch at sunset

Mommy and MK

6. Family and Seafood Night

My dad and his three brothers have been going to Folly Beach each year since they were very, very small. Once they got older, married and had their own children the tradition continued. We have been going to Folly for as long as I can remember. My dad has twin brothers who rent a house together (with their families). My dad's oldest brother and his family rent a house with my dad's mom. And my family rents a house with my mom's mom. Hope that wasn't too confusing. We always go to Folly. We always go the third week in July. We sun together. Boat together. Swim together. And we all gather together at the end of the week for a big seafood night. It's a bittersweet night. Of course, we all look forward to time together and the delicious food, especially me. But it's also sad because we know that another week at Folly has come to an end. 

7. Another tooth, a runny nose and a cough.

While on vacation a second tooth decided to rear it's ugly head. When Morgan Kate cut her first tooth I wasn't even aware. No fussing. No fever. No change in appetite. Nothing. I was simply feeling around in her mouth and found it. This time? Completely different. This time she has drooled. She has fussed. She has coughed. She has cried. She has not wanted to eat. She has been super moody. She has run a slight fever. You name it and she has done it. My poor, poor baby. This tooth business is awful. 

And after eleven months Morgan Kate has her first runny nose and a cough. I noticed the runny nose Wednesday night and the cough began Thursday. Of course I freaked out, had a slight nervous breakdown and immediately called our pediatrician. She gave me simple instructions, told me to watch her carefully and that if her fever got to a 101 or higher then we needed to head to the ER. She did not want me taking her to any urgent care or doctor's office, just the ER. Thankfully she never had a fever and we never had to go, but we are making a trip to our pediatrician's office first thing tomorrow. While there I may see if she can give me something. Ha. I feel so bad watching her little nose run and hearing her poor little cough. It's killing me. 

7 Must Haves

1. Your very own, Kaky. Ha. Seriously. My mom and all of my family for that matter were such a big help. They all carried things to the beach, carried things back to the house, played with MK, rocked MK, attempted to feed MK, washed bottles, made formula. They were all so very helpful and MK loved each and every one of them. And so did I. However, after about an hour on the beach each day MK would start to get sleepy and her favorite place to nap was in her Kaky's arms. 

One of MK's daily naps in Kaky's arms

2. Bumbo seat. MK can sit up, but still tends to fall backward at times. The bumbo was perfect. Sit her in it, dig up some sand and hand the girl a shovel. She was set.

3. Umbrella. We debated - child's tent, regular size tent or umbrella. Our final decision was umbrella. And it wasn't just any umbrella. It was this really great one that we found at Dick's. It's super light, super easy to assemble and has small stakes that help hold it down. It was a dream come true. 

4. Sun hats and maybe even a pair of sunglasses are both great ideas for a beach trip. MK left the hat alone, which was helpful for us, but the sunglasses were another story. We actually bought her sunglasses because she kept tugging at everyone else's. However, she wouldn't wear hers, she just wanted to chew and play with them. They were so very cute.

In her shades

5. Lots of bathing suits. With all the sand and sweat we changed her suits probably two or three times a day. And besides, a girl can never have to many bathing suits.

6. Toys. I didn't even think about toys, but thankfully Trenholm did. She bought MK a big sand bucket full of shovels and rakes and all kinds of things. MK had a blast!

7. Camera. Of course. You have to have your camera and you have to be willing to snap everything you see. Or at least that is what I did. 

My dad has always said that the best part of any vacation is the two or three days leading up to it. I never agreed. In my opinion, the best part of any vacation was the actual vacation itself. This year I think I finally began to understand what my dad meant. And he was kind of right. 

I'll try to explain.

The two or three days leading up to any vacation are filled with excitement and wonder. You are anxious and long for the days ahead. During those two or three days you dream of your vacation will or will not be. What you will do or won't do. And at that point your vacation seems like it will last forever. 

However, the minute your vacation begins all of those feelings change. Your feelings of excitement and wonder are replaced with thoughts of "Please slow down" or "Let's stop and savor every single moment". You start reminding yourself of how many hours and minutes you have left. And it just doesn't seem long enough.

Or at least that's how it was for me this year. 

This year our family vacation flew by. It was over in the blink of an eye. One minute we were packing for the beach and the next minute we were unpacking. Each night before bed I would remind myself of how many full days we had left. Each night I grew more and more sad. And while it may have seemed to end all too quickly it was still an amazing trip. One of the best I have had. 

We woke early each morning. Our days were full. We did all we wanted to do. We spent lots of time with family and lots of time laughing. And each night we tried to keep a decent "bedtime" so that we could do it all over the next day. 

It was a fabulous trip and I have already started counting down the days until next year. 

I plan to spend a lot more time talking about our trip. I want to share stories and memories and lots and lots of photos. But tonight I am exhausted. I had people warn me that packing for myself, Travis and an infant would be tiring. People also warned that a beach vacation with an infant would be tiring. I found those things to be a piece of cake. Unpacking has been a different story. It has completely wiped me out. I am on my fourth load of laundry and I am staring at three bags that still need to be unpacked. Ugh.

However, I will leave you all with a few of my favorite photos. This is only a few. I only have like 300 favorites. Ha.

Just one week shy of eleven months and we have the green light. Both Dr. G and Dr. B agree that it's time to say goodbye to the apnea monitor. They have both read the results and conferred together and made the BIG decision. For the first time since birth Morgan Kate is monitor free, completely wireless. 

Almost. 

You didn't really think this "germ-a-phob, overly worried, paranoid, scared to death" mommy was just going to immediately stop using it, did you? Ha. I didn't think so. I am going to have her wear it tonight. However, while we are at the beach she will be sleeping in the same room as us (in the pack-n-play) and I will "wean" her then. Actually, I guess I am "weaning" myself. But I don't care. I have to wean myself. I can't just do something every single day for almost eleven months and then just stop. It takes me a little time. Especially something like this. Of course I am absolutely thrilled, but I always take baby steps. 

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Friends, we are off for our family vacation tomorrow. I can hardly wait. Several friends and even family members have said, "Vacation? Heather, you stay at home so you are always on vacation." Well friends and family, I must agree, but also disagree. And before I actually started staying home I may have made the same exact comment. Yes, I love staying home with Morgan Kate. Yes, I love being here everyday with her. And yes, spending time with my precious baby is comparable to vacationing everyday. However, this staying at home thing is no piece of cake. I don't care what any of you say or think. It's hard work and at the end of the day I am just as tired as my husband who works. So next week will be vacation for me. And I can't wait.

Well ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. It looks like the pink dress won. Morgan Kate will be sporting this precious dress at the wedding this weekend. My grandmother will be thrilled. She wanted Morgan Kate to wear the pink one anyway. And speaking of wedding, it's a wedding for my cousin Lynn and his fiance' Amy. Congrats to both of them! I know it will be beautiful! 

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Not only are we preparing for the wedding, but we are packing for the beach as well. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I am like a kid at Christmas! In the picture below you will notice towels and sheets. But everything else? The rest belongs to Miss Morgan Kate. And the sad part? That's really only half of it. It's a lot of work, but so much fun.

Morgan Kate helping me pack

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Sleep Study Update:

I talked with our pediatrician earlier tonight. She has gotten the official results from the sleep study. We discussed them and she said she was very pleased with them. There were no heartrate drops, only three desats, and numerous apnea episodes. However, the longest apnea episode only last eight seconds. So, is that really apnea? The monitor doesn't even alarm until it's been twenty seconds. She has sent the results to Dr. Brown, our pulmonologist, just for a second opinion. She is not worried about anything or concerned, she just wants someone else to take a look at them. At this time her recommendation is to DISCONTINUE the monitor. Oh my goodness! What will I do? But we will check with Dr. Brown before making any changes. I asked for more information about the "desats". Dr. G said that there were only three. Two of them were drops to 90 or 91 and only one of them was to 78. I wasn't concerned with the 90 or 91 at all. I mean I am not medically trained or certified or specialized in any way, shape or form, but I do know enough to not be worried about those. Her average was 95. So, we are now just waiting on Dr. Brown. Again, I'm not worried about the monitor at all. She could keep it until she is 15, I don't care. I just want to know everything is okay. 

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Do you remember this precious girl? And probably for the first time ever I'm actually not referring to Morgan Kate at the moment. My dear friend, Jessa, and her hubby, Heath, had their baby today. A precious baby girl named Annie Parker. She weighed seven pounds and thirteen ounces and was twenty and a half inches long. Annie Parker is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way! Which comes as no surprise because both her mommy and daddy are beautiful people. Mommy, Daddy and baby girl are all doing great! I am so excited that Morgan Kate has a new little friend and a friend with a double name. Love it! I can't wait to get these girls together. 

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And last, but certainly not least. Morgan Kate actually had a play date just yesterday. She and Caroline got together and began to really check each other out. Morgan Kate kept watching Caroline and reaching over to where she was. It was the sweetest thing! We had such a nice time!

I am going to attempt to make a long story short. Hopefully.

First, a little background. We have a local artist named Ernest Lee. He is very well known for his chicken paintings, although he paints other things as well. You can find out more about him by visiting this link. 

Now to the story. I hope all of my details are accurate. If not, then someone else should have told the story. 

As my brothers, Owens and Kyle, and Owens' girlfriend, Trenholm, were leaving a USC football game one night they came across Ernest Lee. Ernest's truck had broken down and he was stranded with his art trailer on the side of the road. Owens pulled over and began to assist Ernest Lee. All in all, he helped Ernest Lee get the art trailer to a secure location and took Ernest where he needed to go. If I am not mistaken, I believe Owens even went and picked up Ernest the next day and took him to get the truck. This one act was the start of Owens' and Ernest's friendship. After this encounter Owens would stop by to visit Ernest Lee and on one occasion even took him lunch. They would chat and hang out and just have a good time. 

Fast forward a little. It's getting close to Christmas and Owens notices that Ernest Lee really needs a new table to paint on. So, he tells me parents that instead of getting him a Christmas present, he would like for them to get Ernest a new table. By the way, Owens has a heart the size of Texas. Maybe larger. My parents gladly oblige and we all get together to make it sort of a surprise for Owens. My mom gets a table and one afternoon I meet her at Ernest's spot. We present him with the table, complete with a big red bow, and I take a picture of Mom and Ernest together. We frame the picture, have Ernest sign the mat and then my parents give the framed picture to Owens for Christmas. Ernest also wanted a copy of the picture, so several weeks later I swing by his spot again and drop a copy off. 

End of story. Or so we all thought. 

Several months ago we begin to get word that Ernest has a new painting. And the painting is of my mom. What? Really? Oh my goodness, we have got to see this! So, this past weekend Owens calls his friend Ernest and Ernest tells him that he has a painting of mom and he really wants her to have it. So, Owens stopped by there yesterday on his way home and we now have the infamous painting. Just not sure where my mom is going to put this. 

The minute I saw how large it was I died laughing. It takes up the entire bed of Owens' truck. I have no earthly idea where my mom is going to put this, but I know she will find some special place for it. 

I wanted to share this story for two reasons. One, I think it's really neat that Ernest painted my mom. And second, because it's just another example of how compassionate and caring Owens is. I am so lucky to have him as a brother and friend. And Morgan Kate is so blessed to have him as her uncle. We love you, O!

Morgan Kate and I had our own little photo shoot this afternoon. Saturday we will be attending a wedding for my cousin in Charleston and I wanted to finalize MK's dress. While deciding and photographing dresses for the wedding I also had her try on a few extra. Okay, maybe more than a few. But she was such a great sport. 

This first dress (the yellow one) is actually the dress I wore home from the hospital when I was born. I was seven pounds and some change, MK is fourteen pounds and some change. Either my "homecoming" dress was really big or MK is a small fourteen pounds. I am hoping my dress was really big. My mom hated pink and did NOT want me wearing pink, so yellow it was. Width wise it fit MK really well. Length wise it was more of a "mini-dress". Either way it was absolutely adorable.

The next two dresses are potential dresses to wear to the wedding. The first one is a dress that my grandmother, Mammie, made for me. Yes, my mom is awesome and saved all of my dresses and they are in such good condition. The second is a pink dress that my grandmother actually made for Morgan Kate. She has only worn it once and that was back in March. I simply can't decide. They were both made by my grandmother, MK's great-grandmother, and they are both beautiful. Decision, decisions. So, which do you think? I am going to post a poll in the sidebar to the right. Please cast your vote and help me decide. The "winning" dress will be announced Thursday.

Yesterday my parents celebrated thirty-three years of marriage. Thirty-three years. And not just any marriage. An extraordinary one.

As a child I prayed for a marriage like my parents have and to this day I still admire them. They have unconditional love, unwavering support and trust, and just plain happiness. Of course they have had ups and downs. Of course I have seen them spat and raise their voices. Of course my dad has forgotten to take out the trash and I have seen my mom become irritated. Just as I have seen my dad become aggravated with my mom. But at the end of the day I never doubted or questioned their love for one another. 

And I hoped that one day God would send me someone and that we would be able to create a marriage like theirs. Because I know that a good marriage is not something you just fall into or get lucky at. All marriages take work. They take time. They take trust. They take talking and walking and spending time together. For almost twenty-nine years I have watched my parents and I have prayed for something very similar. 

And I found it. 

On July 9, 2005 I married my heart and my best friend. Truly. And I have been the happiest woman ever since. 

It sounds funny to say we have only been married for 4 years. We have actually been together for a lot longer. We began dating in the fall of 1996. I was a mere sixteen and he was seventeen. We knew each other before, but he thought I was a snob and I thought he was a little dorky. Little did I know that he was really not dorky at all. He was just what I needed.

After nine years of dating, and yes there was a break-up in there, we tied the knot. July 9, 2005 was one of the happiest days of my life (the other being Morgan Kate's birth). We both said "I do" and celebrated until the wee hours of the morning. Literally.

Each day I fall more and more in love with him. He is simply amazing. An amazing husband and an amazing father. I am so thankful for him and for our marriage. And yes, just like my parents and every other couple, we have our ups and downs. We argue. We get mad. I can't stand it when he leaves the back door open. He gets upset when I leave my clothes all over the place. But at the end of the day I never question his love for me. And I hope he never questions mine.

Happy Anniversary!

To celebrate four years we treated ourselves to a nice sushi dinner and even did a little shopping. And we left our lil' bundle of joy with Uncle O and hopefully-soon-to-be-one-day Aunt Ninum. We missed MK tremendously. We did. I even texted Owens several times during dinner just to check on everyone. But it was really nice to have a "date", take our time and enjoy conversation between the two of us. 

Now as some of you may know, this was a HUGE step for us. We have only left Morgan Kate maybe three times and until this point we have only left her with my parents. But I have complete, wholehearted trust and confidence in Owens and Trenholm. Besides, I knew deep down that Trenholm was going to do everything anyways. Ha ha. They said that Morgan Kate was a perfect little angel and Morgan Kate is already asking for them to come back. Thanks to Owens and Trenholm for giving of their time and allowing us to enjoy some time together while feeling at ease. 

And, crazy momma here, did leave "bedtime instructions", as well as a brochure on infant CPR. Just in case. Yes, I may have some issues.

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Not only was the 9th our anniversary, but Morgan Kate also had an appointment with our pediatrician. Just a well check-up, nothing serious. 

MK waiting patiently and reading a new book

MK getting restless and ripping up the paper on the table

Dr. G and I talked about a lot of things. A lot. Baby food, table food, sunscreen, the beach, reflux. Many, many things. But our two big topics were weight and the sleep study. 

I'll start with weight. As of the 9th MK weighs 14 pounds and 13 ounces. Since her last appointment on May 21st she has gained a pound and a half. Dr. G was pleased with this. Any gain is great. I was a little disappointed. I just knew that MK was going to be well over 15 pounds, possibly even 16. She has been eating so well and I have been feeding her every chance I get. It's not that I want her to be some huge baby, I just want to make sure that she is growing at an appropriate rate. Dr. G said that we should start feeding her table food versus baby food because it has more calories. She said that if we wanted to feed her mashed potatoes then we should and we should even add butter. I am super excited about table food and I know MK will be. Dr. G said that we also needed to continue with all of MK's bottles and that if she still wanted one during the night then we needed to seize the opportunity.

Second topic. Sleep study. Let me start by saying that I am not in any way dying to get MK off of her monitor. She only wears it at night and while napping and it definitely eases my mind. I would like to eventually start weaning both of us from the monitor, but only in due time. Mainly, I just wanted great results from the sleep study. As of the 9th they are still waiting on the "official" results. Dr. G did talk to someone from the Sleep Lab and got a rundown. The results showed that at night MK is still having "desats". A "desat" is when her oxygen saturation number drops meaning there is not enough oxygen moving through her bloodstream. These simple words made my heart sink and I began to cry. Dr. G is going to have MK's pulmonologist look at the results and together they will make a team decision. Dr. B, the pulm, may look at it and say that it's fine. There are perfectly healthy adults that have a few "desats" at night. Or he may look at it and recommend something else. Either way I was upset. I had hoped and prayed we were past all of this. I had hoped and prayed for great results. I had hoped and prayed that everything was fine with MK. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried. My mind has been consumed by all of this. I am praying that Dr. B looks at the results and says that everything is "A-OK". I am trying not overanalyze things and get too worked up. But it's hard. There are days, many days, when I look at her and she how well she is doing and I can forget just for a few minutes that she wasn't 15 weeks premature and that she didn't have complications. And it feels good. It feels good to forget. But then there are days like the one at the doctor's office where forgetting is not even an option. It's sometimes a hard reminder, a reality check, that yes, she has come so far, but there are still things we are dealing with. And that is hard.

Morgan Kate has her first "boo boo". Well, I guess technically it's not her very first. The night we brought her home from the hospital I decided to clip her fingernails. What was I thinking? I clipped her pointer finger so short that it bled for what seemed like hours. But, this is her first "real" boo boo that was not inflicted by someone else. Tuesday during our therapy session she was banging on a toy. One time she happened to "bang" too hard and it flew up and hit her in the nose. She immediately began to cry. Big cry. Big tears. Broke my heart in half. I tried not to scoop her up immediately, but after about two seconds I gave in. At first I wasn't sure if it was her nose or her finger or head or what. However, after only a few minutes it was clear that it was her nose. I know you guys are going to look at these pictures and die laughing. Not at her. Not at the "boo boo". But, you are going to laugh at me for making such a big deal about a tiny, tiny scratch. Sorry. It was a big deal to me. I'm just glad that it doesn't seem to be bothering her today.

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Something as simple as taking a shower and getting ready actually takes a lot of work when you have a baby. Each day I have to plan out when all of that will take place. Will I attempt to do it while she is napping? Will I try before she wakes up? Yeah right. Or will I pull her bouncy seat in the bathroom and entertain her while I shower and get ready myself? When, oh when, will all of this take place. I have tried all of the above, well, except for the get ready before she wakes up part. Anyway, each way was pretty effective until recently. Just recently she has grown tired of the bouncy seat. When I try to put her in it she throws her self backward and begins to scream. Usually I can put her in the bouncy seat just long enough to shower, but that is it. If I need to dry my hair or put on deodorant or apply makeup, it's over. So yesterday I tried the Bumbo chair. While I was showering she lounged in the bouncy seat and only whined periodically. However, while I was "getting ready" I put the Bumbo on the counter and sat her there. She LOVED it! She loved the chair. She loved watching herself in the mirror. And she loved digging in my make-up bag even more. Such a girl.

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During therapy this is just one way we work on sitting.

And apparently all that work pays off. 

Fourth of July weekend.

 

Full of strolling, swimming, sun, fun, birthday celebration, good food and time with family.

We left for my Mom and Dad's last Thursday night. I was so excited to leave on Thursday night. It was extra nice spending another night there. It truly made it feel like a weekend. Even like a mini-vacation.  

Friday was Kyle's 20th birthday. That's right. My little brother is no longer a teenager. We spent the day splashing in the pool and just spending time together. That night we had a "spaghetti birthday dinner" for Kyle. After dinner we celebrated with my grandmother's homemade cake and store bought ice cream. MK was fascinated with the tub of ice cream. I didn't give her any, but she tried several times to stick her little fingers in it.

Saturday, the 4th, was a nice and relaxing day filled with fun. We started the day with a nice walk around the neighborhood and then headed to the pool. MK is loving the pool more and more, which puts a smile on my face. Saturday we had a few special visitors at the pool. My grandmother (MK's great-grandmother), Mammie, came to swim with Morgan Kate. This woman is over eighty years old and loves to swim. She even teaches a "swimercise" class three times a week. Watch out! My uncle Corky and cousin, Will, also came by to swim. And my other grandmother, Mama Jean, and my aunt Deborah stopped by to watch MK too. I liked to pretend that all of these people come to see me, but I know I am just fooling myself. Saturday night we grilled out and "listened" for fireworks. It was such a nice day!

Sunday we took our time getting ready and then headed back home. We had a blast this past weekend. It's clear that MK loves to be on the go. Mommy here was worn out and in bed by 8:45 Sunday night. 

A glimpse at our weekend...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Houston.

We have a....TOOTH.

That's right. My baby girl has her first tooth. Tonight as I was giving her her medicine I was feeling around on her gums. As soon as I put my finger in her mouth I felt it. It's her bottom right tooth. So far it's just the tip of the tooth, but it's there. I can hardly believe it. My baby is no longer "toothless". I'm not sure if I am happy or sad. 

Houston.

We also have a...."SITTER".

Yep. Today during physical therapy Morgan Kate sat unassisted and unsupported for over five minutes. This weekend we worked a lot on sitting and Morgan Kate created her own game. She would sit for a little while and then fall backwards and laugh hysterically. We were working on the bed and with cushions, so no fear of falling on hard surfaces. It was the funniest thing watching her do this. However, today our PT said not to encourage that. Oops! After all, our goal is to get her to sit without falling to the side or backwards.  

Today has been quite a big day around our household. I had planned on posting about our weekend, but this took precedence. Tomorrow I'll be sure to fill you all in on the weekend. 

Don't get me wrong. I would have been thrilled to have a baby boy. And one day I hope the good Lord will bless me with one. But for now, I absolutely love having me a baby girl, especially this one. 

Last night, or rather early this morning, Travis and I got home a little after three. It's been quite some time since we tiredly rolled into the driveway at that time. And this time we had an additional passenger, Morgan Kate, who happened to be wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Her parents weren't, but she sure was.

I seriously doubt that anyone from the Sleep Lab at Palmetto Richland reads our blog. But, just in case I want to send a BIG thank you to everyone there, especially someone whom we will call "D". We may have had to come home at three in the morning, moving very slowly, but overall the sleep study went very well. D knew exactly what he was doing and how to "best prepare" an infant. It might not have been very pretty, but it worked and we got the information we needed.

We arrived just minutes before 8pm, per instructions. We were taken to a nice size room with a twin size bed, recliner, and crib. We also had our own private bathroom and TV. It was kind of like a nice hotel. Or at least that's how I was trying to see things. By 9pm we had filled out all required paperwork, Morgan Kate was hooked up to all monitors and stickies, had taken her night bottle and was fast asleep. Pretty good for an hour, huh?

Morgan Kate did really well with all her "extra equipment". I don't know if it's because she was that sleepy and the girl is adamant about her bedtime or because she is accustomed to having things attached to her when she sleeps. Either way, she acted like a pro. Travis and I did pretty good too if I must say. I only got semi-emotional once and it wasn't because of anything happening at that moment. As I was getting her ready to leave the house earlier in the night a flood of memories came back. While most of those memories are very dear to my heart, there are some I would like to forget. Like seeing my newborn baby hooked up to so many wires and gadgets or not being able to comfort her the way my heart and body so desired. But I pulled it together and put on a happy face.

MK had a pulse oximeter on each foot to monitor her heart rate and oxygen saturations. She had two stickies on her chest, as well as a sticky on her forehead and the very top of her head. There were two bands wrapped around her mid-section. She also had some sort of contraption right under her nose which drove her crazy. I actually think it was this little thing that woke her up so early and prevented her from going back to sleep. Each hand was wrapped in gauze to prevent her from pulling on any of the wires. And her head was also wrapped in guaze to prevent the movement of any of those stickies/wires.

D only had to come in twice during the night (or the six hours we were actually there) to adjust things. He came in the first time around midnight to check the pulse oximeter on MK's foot. And he came in again around 1:45ish to reinsert the white contraption in MK's nose. I am almost 100% sure that this small move caused her to wake up only fifteen minutes later. At that time I tried giving her a bottle and getting her back to sleep, but it just didn't work. She knew we were somewhere different and it was not her room or her house. At this point D returned and told us that technically they only needed three consecutive hours of sleep. He had been able to get five and a half hours so far. Therefore, if we wanted to leave we could or we could stay until 5am when the study was officially over. Hmmmm? Leave now and get MK back to sleep at home where she might actually get some good rest OR stay, get her back to sleep, and then wake her up again in two hours. The decision was quite easy. 

So, at three in the morning we left Palmetto Richland and headed home. MK stayed awake the entire drive home and I couldn't stop watching all the people that are actually out at that time. We got home, put her in her crib and ten minutes later she was out. 

Waking up this morning was "slightly" rough on Mommy and Daddy, but nothing we couldn't handle.

Oh, and the results. We don't have any results until our pediatrician gets the official report. She will then discuss the results with us. We have an appointment next week, so we may have to wait until then or she may call us prior to our appointment. Either way we don't know anything right now and we are still using the apnea monitor at night.