Much To Be Thankful For In 2007

It's hard to believe that 2007 is coming to a close. When Lisa became pregnant and we found out the beginning of March, she commented that this would be the "year of the baby" because she would be pregnant pretty much the whole year. Now it is hard to believe that the year is over and we have a beautiful little girl.

Brad finds it amazing that a year ago Mia did not exist, but God knew that she would be born on October 12th.

2008 will not be an easy year for Mia, but we are hopeful that by the end of the year, all of her major issues will be taken care of and she can move on from the "hospital" stuff.

We have so much to be thankful for and we know that we say it alot, but it is true...thank you for all who encourage us and pray for us, we are truly blessed!

Pacifier - Baby's Best Friend

We made it to LA and back today for Mia's first doctor visit with the cardiologists. And they were very happy with how she looked. They were also happy that she was gaining weight. They want to hold off on doing the actual heart surgery until all of her other surgeries are finished...they expect it will be close to 6 or 7 months of age when they'll do the actual heart surgery.

Thanks for praying! Mia did very well on the car ride down...she slept the whole way, it was very nice. On the way back there was a little fussiness, but we were prepared with pacifiers and hot water to pull over and heat up her milk...much less stressful than when we came home from the hospital.

Our next doctor visit is next Friday with the ear, nose, and throat specialists...they are going to look at her right nasal passage that is partially blocked and talk about what needs to be done there.

The Day After Christmas - Tonight We Are Serving Baby For Dinner

We just got back from the pediatrician today and Mia now weighs 7 pounds 8 1/2 ounces, so she is doing well at home. She's gained 4 1/2 ounces since last week, praise God! Maybe there is a learning curve to getting ready to take a baby out, but Brad and I both thought it might be easier if we stay inside until Mia is about 13...not 13 pounds, 13 years old! It's a lot of work going places...pray for us on Friday, we have to take Mia back to LA for her first visit with the cardiologists...we thought going 5 miles was difficult! Actually, pray for Mia...she's the one who'll have a hard time with the trip...being in the car seat is not her favorite. :)

Christmas Eve

It is hard to believe that today is Christmas Eve! We've been doing well at home with Mia. Both Brad and I have commented to each other...we don't know how single parents do it! Especially being up all night. The good thing about bottle feeding is that we can both share in the feeding process and we can each get some much needed sleep.

Mia has been eating very well, except for last night, so hopefully she'll get back on her regular schedule today. Regular meaning feeding every 2 to 2 1/2 hours rather than every hour...we were hoping she could be on a 3 hour schedule, but she just isn't there yet...we'll let her get a little bigger.

We have our first pediatrician visit on Wednesday, so we are looking forward to seeing if she has put on any weight and exactly how much that is...so we'll keep you posted on that!

Sleepless in Seattle...I mean Bakersfield

Life is great, we are truly enjoying being at home. And it is very different being around Mia 24 hours a day. She has adjusted very well to being at home. She's eating like a trooper...I wanted to make sure she gets everything she needs during the day, so I've started a food/medicine journal and so far she's been eating far more at home than in the hospital...I guess food at home just tastes better. ;) At the hospital she was taking in about 420 cc's a day and yesterday she was close to 480 cc's. That is encouraging because we definitely want her to gain weight while she is at home. We also have a nurse set up to come visit us a couple times a week to look at her and make sure she is doing ok. She is someone we can call 24 hours a day for advice. That gives us a bit of peace not knowing how the first couple of weeks will go.

The cats have also had to adjust to Mia. Logan is totally disinterested, but Cindy is a bit scared of Mia. When she cries, she runs away and the other night Brad brought Mia into the living room and put her on the floor and Cindy saw her, crouched very close to the floor and slinked away. She's not really sure what to make of this little being.

The doctors advised us not to take her out into large groups of people areas, especially during flu season, so we'll be at home for awhile. But, we don't mind if people want to come and visit, as long as you aren't sick. We'll make you wash your hands real good, just like being at the hospital. :) Of course, don't be offended if we ask you to come a different night because we are too tired, we're just getting adjusted to this home thing.

Thank you all for praying, this is the best Christmas present for us, we're so happy to be home. We know the journey isn't over yet, but we look back and see how much God has accomplished so far, we are blessed. We look forward to what God will do for Mia in the future.