Transfer Orders

Olivia has received some transfer orders and we are about to head out to DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. The doctors are fairly certain that she has persistent pulmonary hypertension, which is a short term problem that can be treated, just not here in Petoskey. So... she is going to start the treatment as soon as the specialists from Grand Rapids arrive to pick her up and Steve and I will follow in the car. We've been very fortunate to have a wonderful hospital staff at Northern Michigan helping us with all the questions and details of making the best decisions for Olivia and our family. And we are very thankful that they agreed to release me way ahead of schedule so that I can be with our little princess in Grand Rapids and our big princess (or "Belle Girl" as she would prefer to be called) in Hastings while we wait for Olivia to get past this little hurdle and head home.

Welcome Olivia Joy!

Well... our youngest child is apparently a very determined young lady (among other things). For some reason, we will probably never know exactly why, she decided on Tuesday afternoon that she wanted to get out of my belly. We worked pretty hard to keep her there - I was a great pincushion for quite a few hours trying to get contractions to stop - but it seemed like for every shot they gave me to slow labor down she got feistier and more determined to get out. Her punching and kicking and bucking was so extreme at times that they couldn't tell if or when I was having contractions.

Olivia was supposed to be born in Sault Ste. Marie so she could be a Yooper, but she apparently wanted to be a "Troll" like the rest of her family, so she decided to make her entrance early enough that our local hospital needed to send us somewhere that had a NICU available, just in case she needed it. I'm glad they did send us or she would have been sent after birth to Marquette and I would have been stuck in Sault Ste. Marie recovering without the ability to see her and most likely without having Steve around. As it is, she started out on the CPAP machine - all the hoses over her nose in the pictures - and with iv antibiotics and lots of monitors. This morning they switched her from the CPAP to an oxygen hood, which is a good step. Once her breathing stabilizes we will be starting feedings and if those go well and her tests keep coming back good we could be going home in the next few days. We are kind of anticipating being here 5 to 7 days, but with preemies, even big ones, you never know. They were able to take out her feeding tube this afternoon and Olivia and I had some quality one on one time, even though we cannot hold her yet. She was very alert and, like her big sister, was loving having her little feet and legs rubbed.
So here are the official stats, for the interested:
Olivia Joy Obreiter, 7 pounds 11 ounces, 19 inches long, born 3-10-2010 at 7:40 a.m. at Northern Michigan Hospital, Petosky, MI.

Big Sister Abby is spending a few days with Grammy Mary and is LOVING it and playing with the puppies. She hasn't seen Olivia yet, although she did stop by the hospital last night and visited Mommy before she left for Grammy's house. We didn't want Abby's first impression of her little sister to be one with tubes and hoses and scary noises involved. Hopefully they will be meeting very soon.

More Melting

It was 55 degrees outside today - not really what you'd expect for a Sault Ste. Marie early-March afternoon. We love it! Not that we got to spend any time outside today. We were too busy with playgroup and Time Out For Moms. One went great, the other not as planned, but Abby had fun at both.

We had lots and lots of kids at playgroup this morning and Abby had a great time creating a gorilla and playing with play-doh. Then we went to Time Out For Moms, a thing our church does for moms. Somehow everyone else, except for one mom who is pretty new to the church, decided not to show up. I'm glad we went and had lunch with Jane, but I felt pretty bad that it was just the two of us. I hope she doesn't give up on other church related functions because of today's turnout. On the bright side, I invited all the moms from our playgroup to join us for Time Out For Moms and about 8 of them did. So Abby still had lots of little friends to play with at the lunch date.

Abby took her daddy for a "run" around the block yesterday. Abby's new thing is half-running and then telling Steve or I to run too. He thought it was so funny, since she hadn't done that trick for him yet. They had a great time playing while I was out for a meeting. And Abby even went to bed on her own, in her own bed, without Steve or I sitting with her until she was asleep. She still woke me up at 3 a.m. to turn her music back on, but I figure it was a decent trade off for not having to fight to get her to sleep.

Muddy Buddies

Abby and Maize took advantage of some 49 degree weather after having lunch and took their first outside adventure of the year. Abby was more interested in being outdoors than Maize. She helped me sweep off the porch and we checked all around the backyard to see what was growing now that we've had almost a week straight of 40 degree days. I know it's way to early to expect Spring in the Upper Peninsula - I'm sure we will get some more snow and cold weather - but it was nice to enjoy some springy weather today. It's just a shame she wouldn't turn around and give me a smile for a picture. And her pants are pretty muddy, especially the bottom since the yard was kind of tricky to walk in.

Abby, Steve, and I spent the evening yesterday with our friends the Dodge family, including Abby's great friend Maddie. They had so much fun dancing and hugging. They are pretty adorable together. Steve also got his first - and probably last - dose of the Academy Awards. Neither of us are really movie people, so we really didn't care who won what or who wore which dress, but we did have fun with friends and Abby got to spend time with one of her two best buddies, so we always jump at the chance for that to happen.

Today Abby is using her imagination and is pretending to be Grandma Mary's puppy "Bark-ski". The real puppy - who's name is Barski - moved to a new home, but I'm sure Grandma Mary would rather have this new version of her puppy visit. We even had to get a dog leash out so that Bark-ski could go on a walk around our house. And she's crawling everywhere around the house instead of walking, since dogs can't walk. What a girl...

Making Progress

Abby and Steve helped me finish moving furniture and putting away baby clothes and things today, so we should be all ready to bring Baby Sister home when she arrives. We even set out the baby diapers and wipes. Abby enjoys helping, kind of... she really enjoys trying to test out Baby Sister's things. She tried to put on some size 3 to 6 month pants the other day. I'm sure you can imagine how well that worked. And based on the sinus pressure and congestion I'm getting (again) I'm hoping Abby will be helping with Baby Sister sooner rather than later so that I can take some real medication and get over this bug faster.

Abby has really gotten into playing with her little people and doll house in the last week. She sets them all up, makes them dance, eat, and do other things that little people like doing. It's fun to watch her imagination working. The only downside is that she often wants Steve or I to "play too" but she doesn't want us to do any more than sit on the floor next to her. For Steve that is one thing, but for me sitting on the floor right now causes my legs to fall asleep within about 2 minutes. And then there is always the challenge of getting back up off the floor. But Abby is too cute to not play with her, so we do it anyway.

Playland Progress

Abby can finally navigate the playland at Burger King all by herself. I only had to climb into the play structure one time to show her where to put her feet. She spent about 90 minutes running around in there this morning with her friend A.J.

Now I hope she takes a long, long nap so I can squeeze a good nap in too.

Only 34 more days until the big c-section :-)

Our Girl - 34 Weeks

Only 35 days until C-Section day! Hooray!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-34-weeks_1123.bc)

Abby and I are having one of those crazy, forgetful kind of days. Luckily I've remembered to take Abby and bring her back on all the errands we had to run. Now is just our regularly scheduled Wednesday clean up before our bible study meets here tonight. I need to get some serious mopping done on this floor, but I have a feeling that is going to have to wait until a day when Steve is around to help out with that.

Abby's feeling pretty good today. I'm pretty sure she woke up about 1 hour before she decided to grace me with her presence this morning. I finally went upstairs to see why she wasn't up yet and she was in her room playing with her doll house. Apparently she isn't a big breakfast eater... must be she gets that from her dad.

Kitten Hat Pattern

Just for the record, and for those of you brave enough to try knitting (this pattern is really pretty easy), here is the kitten hat pattern:

Size 3 months - size 4 knitting needles
Size 6 months - size 5 knitting needles
Size 9 months - size 6 knitting needles
Toddler size - I used a size 8 needle

4 ply Miss Canada Superior Fingering yarn recommended (I didn't use it for either hat)

Cast on 65 stitches. Knit 9 rows in garter stitch (knit each row).
Row 10: Knit 2, increase 1 stitch in the next stitch, repeat until until last five stitches. Knit last five stitches. (85 stitches total on needle)
Row 11: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 12: Knit
Row 13: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 14: Knit
Row 15: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 16: Knit
Row 17: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 18: Knit
Row 19: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 20: Knit
Row 21: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 22: Knit 29, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 22, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 30
Row 23 and alternate (odd) rows: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 24: Knit 30, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 24, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 31
Row 26: Knit 31, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 26, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 32 (the increase should be directly above the previous increase for this and all even rows)
Row 28: Knit 32, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 28, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 33
Row 30: Knit 33, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 30, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 34
Row 32: Knit 34, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 32, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 35
Row 34: Knit 35, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 34, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 36
Row 36: Knit 36, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 36, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 37
Row 38: Knit 37, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 38, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 38
Row 40: Knit 38, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 40, increase 1 stitch in each of the next 2 stitches, knit 39
Row 42: Cast off 52 stitches. Knit to end of row.
Row 43: Cast off 52 stitches purlways. Purl to last stitch, knit 1.
Row 44: Knit
Row 45 (and all odd rows): Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1
Row 46: Knit
Row 48: Knit
Row 50: Knit 1, decrease 1 stitch, knit to two stitches, decrease 1 stitch, knit 1 (decrease two total stitches on on each end)
Row 52: Knit
Row 54: Knit
Row 56: Knit 1, decrease 1 stitch, knit to two stitches, decrease 1 stitch, knit 1 (decrease two total stitches on on each end)
Row 58: Knit
Row 60: Knit
Row 62: Knit 1, decrease 1 stitch, knit to two stitches, decrease 1 stitch, knit 1 (decrease two total stitches on on each end)
Row 64: Knit
Row 66: Knit
Row 68: Knit 1, decrease 1 stitch, knit to two stitches, decrease 1 stitch, knit 1 (decrease two total stitches on on each end)
Row 70: Knit
Row 72: Knit
Row 74: Knit 1, decrease 1 stitch, knit to two stitches, decrease 1 stitch, knit 1 (decrease two total stitches on on each end)
Row 76: Knit
Row 78: Knit
Row 79: Knit 1, purl to last stitch, knit 1. Break wool, leaving stitches on needle.
Row 80: With right side facing, join wool at edge of bonnet. Pick up and knit 21 stitches along this edge, knit in 11 stitches left on needle, pick up and knit 22 additional stitches along other edge (54 stitches total).
Row 81: Knit
Row 82: Knit 2 together, knit. Repeat until end of row.
Row 83: Knit. Cast off.

Sew up two seams in the back with yard needle. Either make a cord (double yarn crocheted) at each eyelet at front of bonnet or crochet chin strap.

The Great Melt

I've been racking my brains trying to figure out what to get Abby for her birthday. We didn't want to spend a whole lot on birthday presents, since a new swing set and play place is in the plans for this summer. Boy this girl is hard to shop for - she has everything a kid could want or need. Last night I took some well deserved personal time to go out and do some birthday browsing. I was met at the door by Abby, who could have cared less about what was in the bags and was only worried about the fact that I had princess wrapping paper with me.

Abby is acting like she feels better today, but her nose is still pretty runny and stuffed up. She's a tough little lady. In fact, I don't think she would have taken a nap today if I hadn't physically placed her into her bed and then laid down in "mommy's princess" bed (also known as the second twin bed in Abby's room).

Baby Sister is still trying to escape and Abby is still plotting and planning with her at every chance. I hope that Abby still thinks her little sister is cool when she is outside of my belly. Last night Abby randomly put her hand on my belly and got a nice, swift kick from her little sister. Unlike the last few times, when she was majorly freaked out, Abby thought that was pretty darn funny. So today she's been pushing on my belly hoping to get kicked again.

On a weather note, we are supposed to be above freezing for the next 7 days (at least) and we are having some major melting going on. I can almost see the whole deck again (and all the "presents" Maize left on it this winter) and the yard is getting some pretty thin spots where the grass will be showing soon. Now it's time to start planning where we are going to place gardens and swing sets and all of those fun things we couldn't do since we moved a little too late in the season last year. I'm even thinking a fire ring would be a nice addition... but then again maybe too dangerous for Abby.

Productivity

My helper is sick, but she's still being pretty well behaved today. That is... if you don't count whining toward misbehavior. She's got a pretty stuffed up nose and I'm sure her sinuses and head feel pretty full too. She was even willing to stand under the shower for a good 10 minutes all by herself and totally ignored the toys in the tub with her.

Abby was really excited to have her daddy home yesterday afternoon. She wasn't sure what to think at first, mostly because Maize was really excited and all the barking scared Abby a little. But I'm pretty sure she was very glad to have her favorite playmate home. In fact, for most of the rest of the afternoon I got the cold shoulder in favor of playing with Daddy. Not that I minded a little downtime from being the entertainment for Abby.
Abby and I finished a flannel blanket for Baby Sister this morning. It is now a great source of confusion for Abby, since we made an almost identical (albeit smaller) version of this blanket for Abby's dolls with the extra material. I think she figured out that it wasn't a doll blanket when she tried to wrap the doll in the whole yard of fabric, which was a little too much for her hands and arms to manipulate around her dolls. We still have fabric for one more girly blanket and made this blanket initially for Uncle Nate and Aunt Courtnie's baby boy, but we decided to make him a more manly version, so Baby Sister is keeping this one too (which is a great match for her car seat). We have lots of other crafty projects to keep Abby and I busy while we wait for Baby Sister.