Sink Bath

So this happened today.  We were all sitting downstairs reading and Cheetah was sitting at the table eating some crackers.  At least we thought she was sitting at the table, but she was so quiet I started to get a little nervous.  I stood up and walked into the dinning room.  She was missing.  "Has anyone seen Cheetah?"  I got a resounding, "NOPE!"  My stomach started to knot up as I went looking.  As I cleared the top step I heard the gentle rush of running water.  I ran as I pushed into my bathroom and this is what I saw.  My daughter had climbed up into the sink and turned the water on.  This was not new, but this time she had pushed the plug in and because my sink is a single piece with no extra drain hole she was bathing in water and it was spilling all over the counter, onto the floor, and actually into the drawers and cabinets.  I quickly turned the water off and threw towels on the floor but then called Dr. J upstairs to snap this picture.  Oh man then I had to get to wiping up the water which considering the mess the counter was at that moment was not an easy task.  Please don't ask me how things get so cluttered...they just do.  Hey Stayfree I hope you enjoy this commercial!  You too Clorax, enjoy!  This girl was of course ecstatic and for one more time in my life I was grateful we had turned our heat down on our water heater.  Sometimes it is annoying to be stuck with luke warm water but on days like this I am so thankful we are!  I'm living with a tornado, one three previous children did not prepare me for.  She is so hyper aware of EVERYTHING!  She looks at things and thinks, how do I get up there, how did I get in there, how do I pull that down, get it out, eat it, break it, movie it.  When she was born they told us that 1 out of 2 preemies end up having ADHD.  Sometimes Dr. J and I just look at each other and give a little wink.  Whatever her future holds she definitely has a lot of energy and she sees adventure and trouble places no one else in this house ever has before.

Preemie Life - Cheetah Turned 1 - 9 1/2 months Adjusted

So once again we have reached the month of November, the month of NaBloPoMo, or blog everyday in November.  This will probably be the fifth year I've followed Bridget off this ridiculous cliff.  Considering I'm now only averaging about four post a month I predict I'll only make it the first week but here goes nothing.  Darn you Bridget, why do you have to be so cool!  DARN YOU!!!!

Anyway this is a good opportunity to get caught up on a few family post.  Three days ago we celebrated the birth of my third daughter, Cheetah, aka, Sweetie Petite, Sweet Pea, Rose, Rosie, Tiny Tornado, or TT for short.  Last year her birth 2 1/2 months early spiraled me into the worst year of my life.  It started when my water broke at 27 weeks on my birthday when I was home alone with three kids and couldn't remember the last time I felt her move.  I ended up on mandatory hospital bed rest praying my body would hold out 7 weeks so she could be born at 34 weeks, but being told I had only a 20% chance of not having her within two weeks.  Dr. J couldn't take any time off unless he took family leave which would put his residency back two months and would have resulted in two months of no pay.  Luckily my mother-in-law flew in to save the day.  She was amazing and the only thing keeping my life from becoming a complete disaster.  I sat in my bed for two weeks feeling like a ticking time bomb.  Finally something happened, only it wasn't what I'd mentally prepared for.  After a day of a terrible back ache (hello I always have back labor, why didn't I realize what was happening), my body went into labor and my sweet baby girl entered the world only three quarters cooked.  She was three pounds and rushed almost immediately to the NICU.  We didn't get to hold her until day three.  It would be months before she could come home.  It would take another six weeks after that before I could finally nurse her and wean her off the NG tube.  She scarred my heart with her separation, with her Bradys and Apnea, and her aspirations while eating.  I put more miles on my car then I ever had before.  I was more sleep deprived and in the end I yelled at doctors, something that for months I'd been able to avoid.  Since then she has grown and hit every mile stone necessary.  At her nine month appointment (61/2 month adjusted) the developmental pediatrician said she didn't have to see her anymore because she was amazing.  She is AMAZING!  We love this little baby so much.  She is our little miracle!  We are so thankful for all the blessings we saw with her birth and all the people that made it possible for us to take care of her.  Happy birthday Cheetah!  You are our heart!

(Prepare now mentally for picture overload.  I cut about half of these out but the kids are so cute I had to include so many!)

Preemie Life - Eight Months Old, Almost 6 Months Adjusted

The first year of life, wow it just flies.  Ok those first two months while she was in the hospital, not so much, but every second since has just gone by double time.  I got this little crib for her last month.  Is it weird that with four kids in my house this is the first time we've ever bought a crib?  The other three had to sleep in this tiny crib (like the size of a pack n play) that friends of ours gave us eight years ago when we first had Captain E.  The thing wasn't pretty, it wasn't big, and the mattress was just this thin thing of foam that was falling apart.  It did not adjust.  It did not become a toddler bed.  The one thing it was though, was free, and when you are poor grad students with kids, free is good.  So that bed held our three other children, when they weren't sleeping with us, and from there we transitioned them into full sized twin beds.  We moved that bed through 4 moves.  The wheels broke and we just popped them off and kept using the crib.  This last move we looked at the mattress and thought, that's it, this thing is done.  I looked into getting a new mattress for it, but the thing would cost $40-$70.  Yuck.  It was then I decided I just wanted a new crib.  So I found this one online at walmart.  I used credit card reward points to buy gift cards and when it was all said and done spent only $30 out of pocket.  It is cute.  It matches the furniture in the girls room.  It will fit the adorable bedding I bought at Target two years ago for $12 (75% clearenced off).  It will adjust to a toddler bed.  Then  day bed.  She will sleep in this bed until we move three years from now :)  I might want slightly nicer things but it isn't easy to shake the cheap bug, and truly who wants to.  The crib has already had to have some adjustment.  The day after I took this picture we had to put the mattress to the lowest setting.  She is a standing queen.  She gets up on everything.  We were worried she'd fall out of the crib.

Her eyes still haven't settled.  I think they'll end up being brown but right now they are hazel, a brown/green mix.  

She is a much loved addition to the family.  Of course much loved doesn't necessarily mean safe.  G bear and Captain E will often fight over who gets to hold her, while they are holding her!  Peach likes to lay on her or try to drag her around the house.  How do 4th children survive?  All three for her siblings love to feed her.  She likes oatmeal, rice cereal, carrots, applesauce, and sweet potatoes.  One day when I needed to cook and the girls were driving me crazy, Cheetah because she was hungry and GG and Peach because they are buggy I set them to work in a feeding team.  I put Cheetah on the floor in her bumbo right behind me and then gave the girls the cereal to feed her.  They did a great job.  Dinner got done and the bumbo chair was the only spot worse for wear.

Cheetah is a beautiful little girl.  When she first came home her skin was so rough and she seemed so fragile, I don't know if it was the steroids she was given, the caffeine, if it had something to do with being born early or what but she was missing that softness of a newborn.  Now her skin is like silky cream.  She has a beautiful little tan complements of her love of swimming to go along with her dark hair and lashes, and delicious rolls to make up for her skinny legs at birth.  She also enjoys taking showers and often when I take my morning shower I'll put her in the tub with me where she play with a bowl while I shave.  She doesn't seem to mind the water coming over her face and has a good time splashing.  


She has a very serious look to her, almost as if she's checking you out, trying to decide if you are worthy.  Then like a ray of sunshine through the canopy of the the forest burst out with these big smiles.  She doesn't mind being held by strangers and will crawl up to any adult.  She tolerates being manhandle  by many different children.  My friend in town has a daughter just a few months older who is about the same size.  They will often sit on a blanket rolling around on each other and slapping each other faces.  I guess when you are just a few months old, scratching each others faces is how you play together :)

Her crawling and standing up at objects or crawling onto objects had made her very accident prone.  She's gone off the bed three times already this week.  Of course each time we were sitting right there.  I've decided from now on she is a" on the floor only while awake unless she's actually being held in your arms" kid.  So now when I'm working on the blog or watching So You Think You Can Dance or maybe doing both of those things I have to do them on the floor so she'll be safe.  She crawls around me, picking up toys, handing them to me, chewing on my toys, climbing on my lap, having a good old time.  She'll then come over and start slapping on the laptop.  She loves the laptop.  It is her favorite "toy."  She chews on the side and the chord.  She pushes buttons.  She actually looks at the screen to see if her button pushing has any reaction.  I plan to have her start doing the blogging in a few months :)

This is Cheetahs laugh.  It is a seriously the weirdest baby laugh ever. 

Here is how she likes to wake up daddy in the morning.  She has super scratchy nails so it is really not fun!  Don't you love the wife who video tapes your pain rather then save you from it?  Yup I'm definitely a gem!

Finally here is Cheetah and some of her skills.  She rolls, sits, crawls, and stands up at objects. She can actually pull herself up at things although for the video I just put her up.  She eats baby food.  She sleeps through the night.  She rolls front to back, back to front.  She explores everything she can get her hands on.  First she looks at it.  Then she shakes it.  Then she puts it in her mouth.  She can pick up a puff off the floor in her thumb and finger and then get it into her mouth.  She still has no teeth, but considering she's one of my kid, that really isn't a huge surprise.

Preemie Life - 7 1/2 Months, 5 Months Adjusted

This whole adjusted thing got me all messed up, I thought we had a little more time before our house became a baby death trap.  I was wrong.  Mom's of four, is it even possible to babyproof or should I just give up before I even start?  This little lady is everywhere. She loves to pull things down and everything goes in her mouth.  Yesterday I found her on the floor, face covered in blue.  She'd gotten a hold of a blue piece of sidewalk chalk.  I also found a paper ball in her diaper,something she ate, partially digested and then pooped out.  I guess that's one way to improve your fiber intake!

Preemie Life - Seven Months, 4 1/2 adjusted

Nothing cuter then cellulite on a baby's bum.   We are at seven months now or 4 1/2 months adjusted.  I've stopped thinking about Cheetah that way.  She is a little on the tiny side for seven months, just over 14lbs and she has the smallest little feet and hands I've ever seen.  I think those under five food great-grandmas on both sides might be contributing genes here.  Everything else about her though is caught up.  She never stays on her back anymore.  The second you lay her down she flips over to her stomach.  It is her preferred place to sleep as well as play.



She is a champion sleeper.  Well at least at night.  We get a full nights sleep out of her.  Her daytime naps are much harder to squeeze in.  Each kid gets a progressively worse nap schedule.  That first one has two regimented naps a day.  The second, got one.  The third slept in the car while I was picking kids up from school.  The forth is lucky to catche some zzz's while nursing.  Yesterday she didn't fall asleep until 5:30.  When Dr. J came home from work to change she woke up. "Do you know that is the first time she got to sleep today," I whined in a sort of frantic high pitched voice.  It must of sounded desperate because he was quick with a million, "I'm sorrys."  "Tell the baby," I said as she screamed her little heart out.

 We are moving all over the place.  If you put her on a blanket on the floor you will find her someplace else.  I wouldn't say she is crawling but she gets up on her toes and arms and then pushes herself forward until her body slams forward onto the ground.  Then she starts the process all over again.  With that and rolling she can slowly get pretty much anywhere she needs to go.  The bed, top of the stairs, and the changing table have become much less friendly places, as have table and chair legs.  Her jerky little movements mean she has a good chance of slamming her face into anything at head level.

Inch worming isn't her only mode of transportation.  Thing 1 and thing 2 are often found carting her around.  They have both been expressly forbidden from carrying her on a daily basis and yet I continue to find them, guilty faced carrying Cheetah around.  Yesterday Captain E brought her down the stairs to me.  I said, "Why are you carrying that baby down the stairs."  He said, "Dad told me to bring her to you.  She needs to nurse."  GiGi is just as bad.  I've caught her running through the house, baby bouncing in her arms.  I also saw her put Cheetah in her play and pack.  She hung her over the edge, rocked on her stomach muscles and the edge of the play and pack, legs going up into the air.  When the baby reached the mattress she let her go, her legs instantly dropping with the release of the counter weight.  It was horrifying and fascinating wrapped into one.  We've yet to have any major accidents but I'm keeping my fingers crossed just in case.

Milk is no longer Cheetah's only food item.  This week we introduced rice cereal.  Every first bite goes like this first blurry one, captured by dad, but then she settles in for the long haul.  I have not had a single child who likes rice cereal but this one eats with gusto.  Hands wave everywhere and cereal is soon covering her face, hands, chair, bib.  We give her a little spoon to try and distract her from the one entering her mouth but it somehow manages to get covered as well.

Preemie Life- day 186, 6 Months Old, 4 Months Adjusted

When Cheetah, my Little Rose was born she nearly broke my heart.  The anxiety and unknown of being stuck at the hospital not knowing when she would be born, the fear for her health when she came so early and small, the heart ache of leaving the hospital empty handed, the frustration of having her in the hospital for months, other people telling me what I could and could not do with my child, everyday was full of heartache and tears.  What a difference a half a year makes.  Now my sweet baby is not only home and surviving, but she is thriving.  She is on par with her adjusted birth stats and milestones and so quickly gaining on her actual birth date expectations that her doctors like to joke she has completely forgotten she was a preemie.  At 13lbs 8 1/2 ounces and 24 3/4 inches she is in the 50th percentile for weight and 60th for height for a four month old.  For a six month old she's creeped onto the charts falling in right around the 10th percentile for both.  She babbles all the time.  Sunday in Young Woman's she started during the song and continued through the whole lesson.  She makes a sound that sounds exactly like Captain E's name.  He gets the biggest kick out of that.  Her cry sounds just like she's saying "mum....", pulls at my heart strings every time.  She sleeps through the night like a champ.  Her last nurse of the evening usually being around nine o'clock.  Then we put her in her own bed where she sleeps until somewhere between five and six when she wakes up again to eat and sleep in bed with mom and dad.  When she wakes up for the day at seven she gives us big smiles and will kick her legs and slap her hands onto the bed to let us know how happy she is.  Her smile is HUGE and she'll give it to any person who walks by and smiles her way.  She rolls and inch worms herself all over the floor and if you put her down and walk away for a sec when you come back she'll be somewhere else.  She is up on her hands and knees now, rocking back and forth.  She'll be crawling within the month.  She loves to chew on everything, her whole fist, any cloth she can get her hands on, fingers of those passing by.  Her hair is starting to thicken back up again after almost completely falling out, with the exception of this little patch in the front that will sometimes curl up into a little wave.  Very 1883.  Her favorite hair style for me, a side braid.  She loves to wrap her hand in the tail end of it while she's nursing, her eyes trained on my face.  Her eyes are hazel, a brown green mix.  I don't know if they will stay that color but if they do every one of our children will have a different color of eye.  E, blue, G Bear, gray, Peach, light brown, Rosie hazel.  It's odd how different our children look from each other but it does make finding the similarities more fun.  The only things left to worry about, getting her to start eating solid foods.  She is a champion nurser but doesn't take a bottle at all and so we'll be working with speech to make sure she transitions to solid foods adequately.  Keeping an eye on her hip.  Because she was breech the doctors have some concern about her hips.  They did an x-ray a month ago and they seemed a little off but the ortho guy said there is a good chance that is due to her prematurity and her bones calcifying a little later then normal.  Her eyes.  Sometimes one of her little eyes seems a little lazy but that might be trying to compensate for being a little farsided in the other eye.  They are keeping a close eye on her eyesight and there is a 50% chance she'll ended up needing glasses, but then so did grandma and dad so who knows, that couldn't have happened anyway.  All in all we've been so blessed.  I believe in the power of prayer.  I believe in a God waiting to pour blessings upon us.  I believe in the strength of loving family and friends.  She is our little miracle baby, bringing joy to all her siblings and her parents everyday.  We are so grateful to have her as a member of our family and so thankful to everyone who helped in any way with talking care of our family while I and she were in the hospital or who kept us in their prayers.

A Name and a Blessing

Remember that trip we took back in March, well there was a point to that crazy rushed week and the main point was blessing out baby with our friends and family.  In a lot of ways I don't feel like we were able to enjoy Cheetah's birth in the way were able to enjoy the birth of our other children so we wanted to make sure that this first major event in her life was done right.  We got permission to have her blessed in the ward Dr. J grew up in, his grandparents ward and then we invited all of our Utah family and friends.  Grandma Tolman bought her dress just like all the other girls and I got her an adorable headband and the cutest little pink cheetah prints shoes I've ever seen.  

Daddy gave her the blessing, and here it is:

Dear Heavenly Father, we gather as a group of Melchizedek Priesthood holders to give this child a name and a blessing.  The Name by which she shall be known on the records of the church is ...(If you still don't know it and want to e-mail me).  With this name we give her a blessing.  We bless her with health, energy and with vitality.  We bless her with a love of music.  We bless her with intelligence.  We bless her with faith and with a love of the scriptures.  We bless her that she will have a desire to serve in thy kingdom to bless the lives of others.  That she will have a desire to come unto thee, to bring others unto thee as well.  We ask for these blessings in addition to any other blessing thou wishes to bestow on her, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.  

I'm so grateful for the outpouring of family and friends who came to join us in the event.  My only regret, most of them didn't join the circle.  I asked Dr. J if he was going to invite people and he said, "They are invited to blessing, they'll know."  Turns out most of them didn't.  I lay this at the feet of my husband who just isn't a planner, but we are still glad for everyone who came!

Be prepared for picture overload.  Can't help it...isn't everyday your baby meets her whole family.  

Cheetah and grandpa Bob.  I expect she will adore him...all my other girls do!

Momma and baby!  Love my little girl!

 My cousin Peggy.  

 Baby Girl and Her Daddy

 We had a lunceon planned for after, but for whatever reason I didn't think to take this picture until half the group had already left.  Sorry Cheetah here is only half your family who loves you....

 My THREE BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS!!!!

Preemie Life Day 136

 She just keeps growing.  We are up over 11 lbs now.  Can I just say I love having a scale at my house.  I can tell she's growing but it's fun to see the numbers going up.  Plus I love ovals, especially ones that have chubby little babies on them.

 Shesh Dr. J I know you are working a month of nights but it might be time to talk about your clothing choice :)  Oh nights, you are wearing me out.  Turns out I can't sleep well without my hubby.  Three to four hour night is what I'm averaging.  Hubby says, "Stop watching movies, facebooking, blogging, and just lay in bed until you go to sleep."  Guess what, I still can't sleep.  But Saturday night, the one night a week my hubby had off, we got into bed at nine thirty and he started up Grimm.  Ten seconds later I was out.  I miss you baby!

 Hanging out in my bed.....

 I ordered some flowers to make giant flower headbands.  I'm sorry, I know it might be tacky but I love giant flowers on baby heads.  This headband made me laugh.  It looks very 1980's workout video...haha what a cutie!

 Hanging out in the bumbo.  I had to kick all three of my other children out of this seat today.  I figured the kid who we actually bought it for should get a chance.  Do you like how Gigi and Captain E are in this pic?  The second they see the camera they come running.  Here it was pretty awesome.  When I was trying to get the snaps on the scale and Peach kept jumping out of the tub and trying to get a shot of her girls parts...um no so awesome!

Preemie Life - Day 127, 2 Months Corrected

I wish this picture was in focus, blah my camera drives me nuts.  Look at how tiny this little girl was just a few weeks ago.  Every day she grows a little more, just a little bit bigger.  Looking at Cheetah next to this doll just takes my breathe away.  Just a few months ago she was that size, living in "glass" box, being feed by a tube, living in the hospital.  Those were hard times for the family.  Momma was crying a lot.  Now we've got little Cheetah home and she is shinning light.  On the 28th, Cheetah had an appointment with the developmental pediatrician.  I was worried we were going to get into trouble for weaning her of the NG feeds.  I knew at the time it was the right thing to do and Dr. J and I did everything to make sure she was safe and growing, but I was still worried that the doctor was going to be mad at me.  I'm just not a ruler breaker.  Even ridiculous rules, I have trouble wanting to break.  Turns out my fears were totally unwarranted.  The doctor was happy for us.  Here are the notes she wrote me on my little rose.

1) Cheetah is gorgeous.

2) I think she forgot she was born early :)  Her developmental level for corrected age is right on or a little advanced.

Turns out all those little smiles and babbles really mean something :)  Her little "hi" and "mum" are my favorite.  

I haven't shed a single tear in two months and when you look at these sweet little faces I think you can see why.

Preemie Life - Three Months Old, One Month Adjusted

I bought these adorable little stickers to mark the months...I then promptly lost them.  Go momma!!!!  Three months old now and Cheetah weighs 9lbs 14.5 ounces.  Over three times her birth weight!!!!  We weaned her off the NG tube without the doctor and she is eating and gaining like a champ.  Her little cheeks are all chumps.  She spends most of her days watching her siblings.  The three places she likes to sleep, the swing, mom's arms, and occasionally her bed :)  Don't worry though, mom is getting plenty of sleep.  We watch Battle Star Galatica with our final nurse of the night at eleven.  I put her in her bed and she sleeps until sometime between three and four.  She comes in bed with mama and we nurse again and then she sleeps like the undead at noon snug between her mama and papa until seven.  Seems to be working out pretty good.  She's started smiling at everything and she loves having her back fat tickled :)  Her latch is a little sloppy and she gets a lot of air, she doesn't seem to mind but she is the most gassy baby I've ever had.  Even with lots of burping her she still is a supper toot resulting in the coining of some new words.

Boot = a simultaneous burp and toot

Snoot = simultaneous sneeze and toot

Coot = simultaneous cough and toot

In a family where body humor is very much appreciated she is the little gift that keeps on giving :)  We are so happy to have her home and flourishing.  I mentioned to Dr. J this week I can't remember the last time I felt like I needed to cry.  The whole time we were going through the Preemie drama I was a constant mess of tears.  Everyone kept telling me I should talk with someone about it because they were worried it was postpartum.  I keep telling them it was situational depression brought on by a totally lame situation and as soon as I had my baby back I would be fine.  Turns out I was right :)