Her Flood Story

Our Beauties!

Yesterday was our first day out all alone, just momma, Brinley and Adele. I'm still trying to find a good way to get both girls in the car without making numerous trips. Brinley, Adele, diaper bag, oxygen, purse....I may have to give a child away or hire a car nanny. :)
We went over to Auntie and Uncle's house. The kids were at school but Brinley always has the best time with her Auntie. They had a dance off in the kitchen and I'm pretty sure that Brinley took first place. There was some good dancing! :)

We took the kiddies to Danika and Ryder's school at the end of the day. I wanted Adele to have some snuggles with Ryder's teacher, Mrs. DeWitt.

The kid's school was destroyed in the flood. It was such a beautiful, new school. Some of these kids have lost their homes and now have lost their school. They have been displaced once again. They were supposed to be placed at the local high school in portables, but they weren't ready, so the local community centre welcomed them into their building. I'd say that the only perk is the air conditioning. They are crammed into these rooms, with classes only separated by partitions. That's tough. The office is the coatroom, so the administrative assistants have gone from a beautiful office to a small, tight space.

When we got to the 'school', Ryder ran up to Adele and was so excited to see her, he even showed her off to his friends. I love that Brinley and Adele's cousins love them so much. It's a beautiful sight. Mrs. DeWitt came over and told me that she couldn't wait to have some snuggles with Adele. We went to her room and to be honest, I held back tears.
Mrs. DeWitt had the most beautifully set up room at the old school, filled with colour, toys, manipulatives, games and years worth of resources. She is now sharing a room with the kindergarten class. My heart broke.
When you look around the room, you see some items that you know have been donated by others but nothing from the old school. It was all lost.
I sat down with Mrs. Dewitt and we had a little chat about the flood. I can tell that it is still so fresh for her, like it was yesterday.

Our Little Town :(

That day, she was stranded in her house. There was no water, then shortly after, it was up to her knees. She got in her car, but couldn't go anywhere. She was stuck. My sister was worried about Mrs. DeWitt and her safety and the school was not able to get a hold of her....everybody was so scared. My sister kept trying and trying then eventually told Bob that they needed to go to her house and rescue her and her birds. They attempted but to no avail, they were stopped by barricades. The water was too high.
Thankfully, Mrs. DeWitt was rescued. Her house was gone. It was destroyed. They had four feet of water on the main floor.
Mrs. DeWitt kept calling pet rescue to get her little birdies out and to a safe place. She was told that they were only rescuing dogs and cats.  Animals are members of our family. I couldn't imagine how she felt at that point, I've lost my home, I've lost my school and now I will lose my pets. Such devastation.

When her family was allowed to return home, they could gather whatever belongings they could and it was time to move on. When she walked into her home, she cried. She cried for all of her loses. Her little love birds were laying peacefully cuddling each other, they had died. Her family gathered their belongings and went to stay with family.

Once the shock of the flood settled in, the insurance company was informed. They said "NO." They would not be covered. They would not be given any funds to help re-build their lives. They would be starting over. She lost her home, her school, her cherished items, her car and the insurance company tells her that they will be giving them no support. 

Mrs. DeWitt told me that sometimes she just cries. It's more difficult for her because she hasn't left High River, so she is living it every day. She sees the destruction every day. Her home is down the street from the community centre. She is reminded daily of her loses.

I don't know how it's possible to go to school every morning and put a smile on your face and make a positive difference in the lives of her students. How is that possible?

My heart aches.

Holy Spirit Academy

Mrs. DeWitt is a remarkable and strong woman. She is an amazing teacher and loves each one of her students dearly and with all her heart. She displays such professionalism and has such a caring and beautiful demeanor. We all love Mrs. DeWitt.

They should be moving into the portables next month, so once again, starting over. It's going to be a difficult year. My heart aches.

Mrs. DeWitt has never asked for anything. She has bought some new supplies for the classroom and walks in the door full of energy and love but I know that deep in her heart, she is feeling such loss. Her family needs to re-build a home, all starting over from the beginning. That is taking savings that could have been used for retirement, but instead it will be used to start life over again.

If any of my friends would like to help out, I know that gift cards to any teacher stores like Scholar's Choice, would help out a lot. I just feel so bad. I want life to be so much better for Mrs. DeWitt and her family. Please let me know if you can lend a helping hand. <3

Thank you friends. Love you all. Don't take life for granted. Don't take your family for granted. Be thankful.

xo

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

SUCTION, TUCK, LIFT! :)

Such a pretty baby :)

Well, Adele has been home for almost two weeks! It's been great and so far smooth sailing. James went back to work today and I am not crying or drinking yet. Brinley is loving her sister to pieces today and needs to be watched a bit because there is a 20 pound difference.
Adele is a wonderful baby who loves to sleep and eat but could definitely poop a little more.

I know that there are a few topics out there that should be avoided, like Religion, Politics and probably poop talk. I have already covered the bowel movements, now I think I need to do a little Religion talk.

I have been told many times that we were given Adele by God and that he chose us to be her parents. I was always a little iffy on that statement, but as I read more and more about Ds and as I meet new friends, I see that he has chosen certain families to have these amazing little beings. I read a while ago that this one lady was told that children with Down syndrome are products of the devil. I am so unclear how somebody could say something  so hurtful and disrespectful. I'm thinking that if you feel this way, maybe you are a product of the devil. Too bad.

My dear friend, Jaclyn, sent this to me....

"May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.” ― Teresa of Ávila

Just a nice message.

Love my sister <3

Here's another special message from my friend Christina....

I'm not too sure how to jump into another topic now.....can't go from Religion to dirty talk. Maybe I'll take a moment.....

I'll ease my way....

James and I have decided that it's time to move back home. We have been out of our house for three months and feel that our little family needs to get ourselves back in High River. The basement and garage are not finished but the drywall is up, so that's a start. I am just waiting on hearing back from the cleaning company, then I will go in and bleach the toys, wash the sheets and James will shampoo the carpets. I am excited to go back to High River but also a little sad to be leaving mom and dad's place. It's been a great three months and we are so thankful that ma and pa put up with us for this long.  :)

For real...stop taking my picture!

Adele will be getting her newborn pictures done this weekend. I am so excited. My good friend Amy, from Modern Nest Photography is coming to take the pictures. She also took Brinley's, back when she was 6 weeks old. Amy likes for the babies to be asleep....Brinley stayed awake the entire time until Amy rocked her to sleep. It was pretty sweet. Amy is also giving us the photo session as a gift. I love my friends. <3

One of my friends sent me a message about my previous post on the tearing while giving birth. She told me that she had a forth degree tear which was like from her belly button to the back of her head. I laughed but also felt horribly bad when I was complaining about my paper cuts. Please feel free to share your birthing stories, I like to know that I am not alone in the pain! :)

Something like this could work!

So now that I am officially done having children.....I was wondering if any of my friends have connections to a plastic surgeon. I would like to get some kind of mommy package. I would like a snip, a suction, a tuck, a pluck, a vacuum, a suction a lift, an augmentation and whatever else would help. The surgeon can be a beginner looking for a guinea pig. I'm not picky at all. I would even be willing to travel to another country, meet somebody in a dark alley in a shady area of town. I'm flexible and too lazy and so not motivated right now to do it on my own. I like the easy way out! Please send a private message. :)) If I hear nothing in the next week, I will get my arse in gear and do it on my own and break out the elliptical!Tear tear tear. ;)

 

One last random thought for the day....I know that we will have a lot of appointments coming up in the next while. I think most of them will be at The Children's Hospital, which is quite far from High River. How do I do this with a toddler? I can't rely on family to watch her each time but I don't know if she can sit for two hours waiting for Adele. Brinley is also going through a stage where she needs her mommy and daddy. I just can't leave her with friends right now. She would be so upset. I think I've answered my own question.....she'll need to come along. Man, this blog is like having my very own counsellor. I ask questions then I answer them myself. Blogging is so much fun! :)

 

Just watching Barbie!

 

 

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

 

 

 

 

There WILL Be A Vasectomy!!!

The sprinkler...she's so cool!

Today, I took Adele to the pediatrician to get her all checked out! It's so funny how with Brinley, I had a diaper bag all packed and stuffed to the brim and all ready to go months before she was born. Adele, she has a Ziploc baggie and I put it together just the other day. What happens when you have a third child? So sad. :)
Anyways, I really liked the pediatrician, she was young and hip :) and she took her time with us. I didn't feed Adele before we left because I didn't want her puking in the car, so I let her starve. Feel free to call Social Services, I could use a good night's sleep. ;)
She's gained weight, she looks healthy and she's growing. Her head is perfectly round. I've been asked before if I had a C-section because her head is so perfect...nope, I clearly remember the little peanut shooting out of my lowers rather quickly which in turn meant stitches, again. Not to go off on another topic, but I would like to point out that a second degree tear (Adele) compared to a third degree tear (Brinley) is like a walk in the park. It was like a minor paper cut. I could actually get out of bed without throwing myself up and out before any pressure could be put on my vag. It was a terrible sight, I would get up so fast that I would almost fly across the room and I almost passed out a couple of times. The other thing, I could pee this time without it feeling like somebody slicing me with razor blades. I didn't need the spray bottle this time, I could pee, happily!

Daddy giving Adele a manicure!

One more thing :) nobody likes to talk about bowel movements because girls don't really poop. Well, I've actually pooped and I am going to talk a little bit about the poop.
After I had Brinley, I thought that I needed to go to the bathroom, I was happy that I was going to poop. It was just a little private room. James, Brinley and I were hanging out, so it was all good. I went to the bathroom but left the door open because I'm not a lady.
The young, good looking doctor came in and needed to ask me a question. Naturally, I knew that James was going to tell the doctor that I was not available at that exact moment and that he could come back. NO, that is not what he said. He told the doctor that I was pooping and he could come in and chat with me. ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME? I was constipated and not happy and sweating and I gave James the look of death. He then told the doctor that maybe he should come back a little later. YA THINK!?!?!?

Grandpa taught Brinley how to pick her nose! :)

The other thing that got me was that I was limited on how many mesh panties I was allowed and how many maxi pads they would give me....I think I may have discussed this in another blog but it still bothers the crap out of me. The nurse told me to wash them in the sink by hand. WASH THE MESH PANTIES? I just shot a baby out my vag, got a third degree tear, feel like I've been kicked in the crotch by a horse, haven't showered in a couple of days, am eating dog food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, got my boobs milked by a nurse, was made to watch a video from the seventies about breast-feeding and had to look at a set of boobies which didn't compare to mine, had a bulging belly, get woken up to give blood....you're telling me that you will only hook me up with 2 pairs of mesh undies and 4 maxi pads. What the hell??
Man, where was I?
Yes, the pediatrician is lovely. Adele is lovely and wonderful and we can sleep longer at night and not wake her up every 3 hours. I have to be honest, the past few nights, James' alarm goes off and we fall back asleep. Again, call Social Services. Poor peanut has gone 5 hours without a bottle. This is why we can't have another baby. That child would not get any type of diaper bag, would starve and never get changed and for sure not get a baby book. I'm thinking that a third wouldn't even get pictures taken. This is why we need to stop at two beautiful babies.

First dinner out....Adele took a massive poop! :)

When I was walking out of the doctor's office, there was a very pretty mom with a darling little girl in the next room. I had to stop walking in front of their room because I got Adele's oxygen line caught in the wheel. I am such a moron!
Anyways, the mom came out of the room and looked at Adele and said how beautiful she was and that her daughter also has a tube. Her little one is almost a year old and has a feeding tube. The mom couldn't get enough of Adele and was so enthralled with her and her cuteness. You know when you meet someone and just feel good?? That's how I felt. I felt something when I was talking to her and her daughter. She made me feel at ease. She made me smile. There was just something about her. Part of me wishes I had asked her out on a date. :) It was a good moment. A moment that I think I needed. I like those moments.
Another moment was yesterday when my friend Christina was at Fabricland, looking for, well, fabric. She really wants to make Adele a special blanket. Somehow, she ran into one of our favourite nurses Michelle, from the NICU. Christina told her that she was making a blanket for Adele. It's just such a small world. I love these moments. I get a sense of comfort when these moments happen. I'm hoping that I have many more moments like these all through out my life and I can only hope that Brinley and Adele do too.

Doctor's picture of James' vasectomy! Looks about right. :)

After Adele's appointment, we headed to High River for more doctor's appointments. I was pretty sure that Brinley had a little breast bud but we wanted to be sure. The doctor agreed with us and we were told to monitor it and make sure that there are no changes.
We had the talk with James' doctor about getting a vasectomy. It actually turned into a comedy routine between all of us. I don't want to get into too many details, just in case I lose my well behaved readers. :) I seriously need to work on the filter.
I'd have to say, that today was a good day.

 

**You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. One click counts as one vote. You can vote once every 24 hours. Just a click! :)

 

If you want to rank my blog or leave a comment.....I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

Will Adele Have Friends?

 

BFFs

 

 

Lately, when I go out and something comes up about Down syndrome, all I hear is that it's a lot of work. It's life long. It's going to keep you busy. Make sure you get all of your funding. Always be your child's strongest advocate. Your child will probably live with you forever.

"You have a child with Down syndrome? I'm sorry." 
Don't we as parents all have worries when it comes to our children, Down syndrome or not?

I've read a lot of posts lately where moms and dads are so frustrated with their child's progress and that the child is hitting milestones way later then expected. I keep hearing a lot of upset and very discouraged parents.

It hurts when I read this. In my mind, I know that Adele will hit some of her milestones later and I have promised myself that I won't get upset if she isn't potty trained by 4. I won't be sad if she doesn't say mom until she's 3. I won't be sad if she isn't walking by 2. I won't be sad if she doesn't count to 3 until she's 3. Will I be discouraged even though I know what to expect? There are so many things that run through my mind and daily I try to convince myself that it will all be ok. It will all work out. It will be fine when milestones are hit much later.

I think one of my biggest worries is that will I be sad if she only has special needs friends? I would be sad. I know it.

 

Just pondering....

 

 

My sister sent me this link. :)

 

Study Suggests a Special Needs Child is the Most Important Friend Your Kid May Ever Make

Like many children, my son is friendly with the kids in his classroom. Unlike many children, those are his only friends.

Max has cerebral palsy and cognitive impairment, due to a stroke at birth; he attends a school for kids with special needs. The lack of typically-developing friends doesn't bother Max, who is not yet conscientious of it. It bothers me. Max is a super-friendly, fun kid who deserves lots of different friends-and lots of friends deserve him.

Of course, my friends' children hang with him when they visit. One of my best friends has arranged playdates with her daughter who's around Max's age, though she lives an hour away. The neighborhood kids are friendly when everyone's playing outside, but that's as far as it goes. Their moms have never reached out to me and vice versa, although I know I should take that first step. Friendship would benefit all our children, as a new study reveals.

A study of 1520 children ages 7 to 16 found that those who regularly interacted with people with disabilities generally had better attitudes toward people with special needs. They were less fearful of them, too, and more empathetic. Even just observing other people interact with those who had special needs, or observing their friendships, improved children's attitudes, shows the study by the University of Exeter Medical School in England.

These friendships could majorly benefit children with special needs like my son. They'd feel included instead of ostracized. It could boost their self-esteem, and even help them develop. It would open their worlds. Less obvious, I think, are the potential payoffs for children who don't have special needs. As study author Megan MacMillan said at the recent British Psychological Society conference, "The effort to improve attitudes is worthwhile, as negative attitudes are often internalized." Related: 7 things you should NEVER say to a kid
If your child doesn't ever interact with kids who have special needs, consider the benefits that go far beyond the usual gifts of friendship. Getting to know a child with special needs could open her mind so that she grows up to be more accepting and appreciative of individual differences. Having a "diverse" group of friends-important to many parents today-isn't just about kids of all races, it's about kids of all abilities, too. A friendship like this could also sharpen your child's communication skills, teaching her how to better interact with others. It could give her a deeper understanding of what it means to overcome challenges, and that everyone has their own unique value in this world.

I reached out to David Quilleon, a Vice President at Best Buddies International, to ask about benefits the nonprofit has seen for non-disabled friends (the group creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities). As an answer, he shared a letter he'd received from a chapter that operates out of a middle school in Tennessee. It noted, "Our student volunteers learn about leadership, community service, and most importantly, they become advocates for their new friend to be afforded equal opportunities within the school culture."
A-men.

I think I speak for most moms of kids with special needs when I say we're not looking for pity playdates here. We're looking for genuine connections. Yes, it's going to take a little more effort on your part. You will most likely have to explain to your child why mine walks and talks differently than other kids. That said, you could also talk about the ways my child is the same to help bridge the gap-after all, kids with special needs are kids first. They like to play with toys, watch TV, eat ice-cream, listen to music, and tell knock-knock jokes - same as any other kid.

Perhaps you won't know exactly what to tell your child about my child. No worries there-feel free to ask. I most likely wouldn't have known what to say, either, before I had my son and became a first-hand expert on the topic. Parents of kids with special needs are not expecting you or your child to act perfectly. Perfection, as we we well know, is not reality.

Just think, think of all the good friendships like this could do. Then go ahead and encourage your child to approach a child with special needs at the playground-a simple "Hi!" is always a great ice-breaker. If you have a child in middle or high school, find out about local Best Buddies programs (they're nationwide), or look into the e-Buddies pen pal program for kids ages 10 and up.

You could also ask around at your kid's school, or in your neighborhood or social media circles, whether anyone knows of a mom of a child with special needs who'd like to arrange a playdate with your child. I know how grateful the mom would be, because I am that mom.
Image source: iPhoto/kali9

-By Ellen Seidman

 

http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/comments.php?id=Krista

 

You may have noticed the Top Mommy Blog badge on my page. Feel free to click on it. Right now I am in the Newest Blogs section but will be eventually be in the Special Needs section. You can vote and rank my blog. :) Click on badge, go to Newest Blogs, find mine and click on the cupcakes, then you'll know what to do. :) Or, click on the above link and it will take you right to my page. :) I am not doing this for my ego, I am doing this because this journey is important to me, it is important to share and to hopefully educate, entertain and show others that it can be done. I've said for a while now that these two girls, with the help of family and friends, will change the world! :)

 

BLESSINGS

 

A new friend sent me a message last night on Facebook. We connected while I was still pregnant with Adele. They found out late in the pregnancy that their precious little girl had a major brain bleed. Katelyn survived 8 days after having to go through surgeries and a lot of poking and prodding. I decided to put her message on the blog today, not to give myself props, but to remind others that life is so precious and that we all need to value and appreciate the time that we have with our children. It's about enjoying every moment even when you want to put them up for adoption or place an ad on Kijiji. It's also about appreciating and loving friends and family and telling those who you love that you love them. It's about not taking others for granted or for holding onto grudges and being bitter. It's about being thankful.

Hi Krista,

I just wanted to send you a little note to pass on my congratulations on the safe arrival of your beautiful Adele. She is precious beyond words...I want to scoop her right up through the computer screen. You are so blessed.
I have visited your blog a few times since you sent me the link when we were in the hospital with Katelyn. So much has changed for me since our precious time with her. I truly realize what a gift each day is. It is a beautiful new perspective.
Your strength and love for your children is awesome and inspiring. Both of your girls are so incredibly lucky to have you, and you them....they made a good choice picking you as their mama :) I know that you now know what it means to really appreciate life; even more than ever. Relish in it; there is no bigger gift.
I wish you nothing but the best as you venture forward on your journey with your beautiful family....may it be wonderful and full of life's sweetest moments.

Many blessings and baby cuddles

POOPS AND PUKES!

Bedtime Stories :)

Our first night at home, as you know was long. Nights two and three have been much better. We usually are waking Adele up for her feedings but she also lets us know that she's hungry. It was James' feed early this morning. I heard the alarm go off, then I kind of dozed back to sleep. I woke up probably an hour after that and wondered if she had been fed. James flew out of bed and I heard "I guess I fell back asleep." :)
I'm pretty sure she will survive being fed an hour late. We are still working on the poops. I honestly can't believe that my life revolves around bowel movements and spit ups. Adele has had four or five little poops, but no blow outs yet. I had a little chat with her last night and told her that I don't even mind if she destroys a sleeper, just take a huge dump.
I don't know if it's because she has lower muscle tone and pushing just isn't working or if it's because we switched formulas. In the hospital, they were giving her Sim 24, then they decided to switch her to the normal Similac because her weight gain was stellar.
We do have an appointment at the end of next week with the pediatrician, so we will check, but hopefully by then, she will have taken great big poops!!
My other, sort of concern is that she has had regurged three times since being at home. This is all so foreign to me because Brinley never had an issue with regurgitation, just a couple spit ups and that was it....am I just paranoid? :) Adele is not a big burper, just a huge tooter, so this may contribute to a full belly with some air and it needs to come out.

POOP!!! LET'S POOP!!!

I know that I need to relax and enjoy all of this baby time, but I have to be honest, I stare at her face and over analyze her colour. Oh, I think she looks pale. Oh, I think we should just check to make sure that her oxygen is working. Oh, let's do some bicycling and get those bowels going. Oh, let's give her a warm bath and get her to poop. Oh, it's been almost four hours, let's get feeding! Maybe this is why my bowels are all screwy right now, cause I need to relax a little more.
I deeply miss the NICU but am so glad that we are home. I would like a nurse to come by every so often and do a full assessment on Adele.....yes, that would be perfect!! I miss those damn machines that I spent way too much time staring at and every time I heard an alarm, I would check to see if it was her machine. They were great but I relied on them way too much.
I also can't stand the oxygen and the very heavy machine, but I love the oxygen. It's a pain but it also makes us feel better to know that she is getting a little bit of help right now. It does make me feel more at ease, a little bit of oxygen sure goes a long way. I sound like I'm so confused....when I re-read the blog, I jump from one thing to another, I like something, I don't like something, I worry about something. I think I need rum and a beach!

Back to the love....Since James read the last post about how we got into bed and rolled over and went to sleep, he has been more affectionate. He is already affectionate but he seems to be trying even harder, Now, I don't know if your partner shows affection by hugging and kissing.....James does that but also other things that I won't post. He is such a man. I get all frustrated and tell him to back off but I am also laughing and giggling because he's so funny. He truly is a loving and supportive husband. He just drives me nuts!! ;)

Topless feeding! :)

Brinley has done pretty good so far with welcoming her sister into her life. Brinley gets a whole lot of love and now she needs to share it with Adele. She tries to feed her and loves to touch her face and tummy. She has given her some kisses too but will only do this when it is convenient for her and her very busy schedule. I truly see best friends in the making. We are looking forward to when Adele is a bit older and they interact with each other. I'm still processing that we have two children. We have two kids. It's crazy!!

Thank you for all of the feedback and advice. I love it! It has answered some of our questions and concerns. I love my friends! :)

You may have noticed that I now have some advertising on my blog. I have managed to block the liquor and criminal ads, hopefully this doesn't disappoint my readers who are currently on death row. I am still working on blocking some ads but have managed to block 50 categories so far. I am hoping that the ads will be more tailored to fit the theme of the blog. Please feel free to click on the ads as it would be great to pay off some bills. :)

Have a great Saturday! I think it's Saturday! :)

HOME TIME AND YAWN!

Home Time!

Yesterday, September 4th, 2013, after 42 days in the NICU, Adele came home. Well, sort of home. Back to grandma and grandpa's cause we still don't have a home ready for the four of us. Soon. :)

We were so excited yesterday. It was kind of like the feeling when you're told you are going to Disneyland. The tummy turning, the giddy, the vomit like feeling, dizzy, the feeling of being unorganized although you just spent 9 months getting ready and planning. It was a lot of emotions all rolled up into one.
We thought we were kind of ready, sort of, I guess. I don't know, I can barely keep my eyes open right now. :)

Adele's NG tube was taken out the night of September 3rd, we were totally shocked. Again, the feeling of the unknown was upon us. Will we have to put it back in again? Will she surprise us and feed like a champ? It sucks when you have to worry about how your baby is feeding and how much and what's too little. We sound like morons trying to wake her up sometimes, encouraging her to eat. It's actually pretty funny! Grandma sounds hilarious when she's feeding Adele....over and over again you hear "come on baby, come on Adele. ADELE! Come on baby, come on Adele, come on honey. ADELE!" It's awesome!

We got home around 2:00pm yesterday and Auntie, Uncle, Danika and Ryder were here shortly after, ready and so excited to hold Adele. Uncle Bob was first as he has been waiting 42 days to hold his niece. Ryder kept asking for snuggles and Danika brought over some pretty cute decorations to welcome her cousin home.

The day went smoothly. Adele ate and I wasn't tired....yet.

We fed Adele at around 10:00pm, by this time, I was tired but not from working too hard, just because it was long passed my bedtime. Put Adele down and set the alarm for 2:00am. We figured if she was hungry before that time, she would let us know. Get into bed.  Usually mommy and daddy kiss each other and say "I love you!" Last night, we turned our backs and THOUGHT it was bed time. Is the romance already gone on night one? What will happen in a week? Will I forget his name? Will we no longer share a bed? Will I wear pyjamas to bed because I feel like I'm sleeping with a stranger? This isn't looking good!
Ok Adele, you can fall asleep now.
Ok Adele, it's midnight, momma and daddy are tired.
Ok Adele, it's 2:00am, well, I guess we will sleep after this feed.
Ok Adele, it's 3:00am.....momma says to daddy "do you think they would take her back in the NICU? Maybe we could hire a night nurse."
Ok Adele, it's 4:00am and if you weren't so cute, I would put you on Kijiji right now.
Ok Adele, it's 5:00am, well I guess we will sleep after this feed.
Sleep.
Wait, we have another child who will be up in two hours. I want to go to the corner of the room and curl up into the fetal position and rock back and forth, back and forth.

7:50am....hmmm....I wonder how long Brinley has been awake waiting for us?!?!? Yawn, stretch, I feel so refreshed. NO I DON'T!! I'm old, I'm too old to have newborn. I need a Jolt, I need coffee with an extra four shots of happy in it, I need an energy drink. How am I going to do this for the next, oh, let's be positive and optimistic.....let's say a year?!?!?

Let's just nap when the girls nap. Hang on, the feeding schedule at this point doesn't really correlate with Brinley's napping schedule. These two better have a little chat with each other and set up a plan that is conducive to mommy's sleeping schedule.

SIGH

Adele needs to poop. She has been straining since last night, not consistently but wants to poop. She is gassy too. How long is normal without a poop? When do we get concerned? I forget all of this stuff, probably because I was so flippin tired!

Damn, I just realized that as I was writing the blog, I had the chair on her oxygen line. Poor thing was having to work all on her own because her momma wasn't watching. I am so freakin tired. We're good, she's a nice pink colour. :)

I can hear all of you saying "it's only day one, how will she cope?" She has a lifetime of no sleep coming her way. I don't want to hear it. I'm tired. I forgot to drink and eat today. I have already let myself go. I didn't brush my teeth or shower until 2:00pm. I felt dirty.

Please don't think that we don't love our babies. We love them more than anything. I just feel that I would love a tiny bit more if there was a schedule that worked with my lifestyle.....like around when I need some sleep and when I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. I think I now understand why Heidi Klum has one nanny per child. I made fun of her. I accused her of having too much money and for flaunting it. I now fully support her and would like to be friends. I think having a nanny is a splendid idea. :)

Anyways, last thought. It was Brinley's 18 month birthday yesterday. :) Although she enjoys getting a little aggressive with her sister and probably is ready for her to go back where she came from, we love her to pieces. :) We aren't going to tell her that Adele is going to be hanging around for a while. :)