Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend, Boots and Banty took Tate and Emmy to San Antonio for a visit with Aunt Laci, Uncle Todd and Cousin Ellie. Brad and I got a chance to catch our breath and get acquainted with Lyla at home. The kids had a great time. Here are some pictures of them at the pumpkin patch. All loaded in the wagon and ready for a fun day.

Feeding the goats

Duck Race

Tate the farmer.

Emmy enjoying the swings

Being silly

Driving the tractor

Posing with the pumpkins they picked out

What a fun day!

First Day...

Lyla had a great first day and night at home. She is a good sleeper and eater.

Thanks to the NICU she is on a great established schedule already. She eats every three hours and pretty much sleep in between.

Hopefully, this will continue. :) Wide awake in her bouncy seat.
Sound asleep in her bassinet.

(Thank you Cousin Ellie for letting us borrow it.)

We were laughing because she was holding her bottle last night on her own. :)

She is so much better of an eater than Tate and Emmy ever were.

She's Home!!

Tate and Emmy got to meet Lyla yesterday for the first time. They had seen her through the glass of the nursery on Friday, but that was as close as they had gotten. When we got home from the hospital they were taking a nap, so we got Lyla all unpacked, fed and down for a nap before the kids got up. Emmy was the first one up and she just looked over the bassinet and smiled at Lyla. She wanted to hold her right away and "make a picture", so we got some sweet shots of her holding Lyla for the first time. When Tate woke up he was not too sure what to think about it all. He just stood and stared at her for a long time. He had been waiting for that moment for months and it left him speechless! :) So proud to be a big sis and brother!

He was very clear that HE was going to feed her the bottle.

Emmy just reached her hand out and touched Lyla

First picture together.

Sweet Sisters!

Emmy just had to get a bow on her head before a picture

Is that ours?

Home Sweet Home...

We are home tonight and everyone is doing great. Tate and Emmy enjoyed seeing their little sister today. I got lots of cute pictures and I promise to post them tomorrow. I am about to feed Lyla and get a little rest.

Thank you for all the prayers, phone calls, and notes.

We really appreciate all of our friends and family.

Stay tuned...

Tuesday Update...

Today we had lots of changes. I was discharged from the hospital today and Lyla was moved over to the "special care" nursery. This place is wonderful! She has a private room with a nurse and tech assigned to her and there is a place for me to sleep and stay in the room with her. I have gotten to feed her the past 4 feedings and I got to give her a sponge bath tonight. So far, she is an easy going baby. She really gets worked up before feedings, but as soon as she gets the bottle she is content and loves to snuggle. If all goes as planned, we will be headed home tomorrow sometime. They still need to do all her screenings and tests before she leaves, but hopefully things will go well and we can head home. I will keep everyone updated. :)

A Good Day...

Miss Lyla had a good day today.

She drank out of the bottle 4 times today. Her heart rate was steady enough to try it and she did great. She drank between 50 and 60cc's each time, or about 2oz. Brad and I got to feed her the 8:30pm bottle. She sucked it down in no time. She will not be a slow eater like Tate and Emmy were. :)

We talked to the doctor earlier and they do not think she will be coming home with us tomorrow, but they think she will be moved to a special care nursery. This will be a nursery where Brad or I can sleep in the room with her. That way, we will not have to leave her by herself at the hospital. That was good news. :)

She got a bath this morning and her hair was washed and combed. They had one of the NICU t-shirts on her, but they are all too small. The nurse was having to stretch them out before they put them on! So, I will take her one of the newborn ones I brought with us. :)

Thank you for all the sweet notes and phone calls. Brad and I can feel all the prayers and it helps knowing there are so many people who are checking up on us.

We are about to get a good night sleep before tomorrow. Yummy!!

The proud Daddy

She is so attentive after her feedings.

She was looking at Brad's hat tonight.

Sunday Night...

We went back to see Lyla this evening and she was wide awake and alert. It was the most we have seen her awake yet. She was looking around and listening to our voices. She is being fed through the tube, but you can tell it has given her a little more energy. Her sweet nurse made her this sign so all the nurses will know her name.

Wide awake and looking around, just look at that dark hair!


Mimi and Papaw with Lyla

Listening to Mommy

She would just follow our voices

Banty and Brad with Lyla

Sunday...

Here is the update as of lunch on Sunday.

Lyla's breathing is improving, but still not where they would like for it to be.

She did get a feeding tube placed this morning to get her started on some milk.

They have stopped the antibiotics because they now know it is not an infection, just fluid on her lungs, so the IV should come out shortly too.

Her chest x-ray looked better this morning, so she should start regulating the breathing more and more each day.

They gave us a time frame of 3-5 more days in the NICU before she will be able to come home. But, that is not to say, it could be sooner if she starts breathing and eating normally.

When we go in to see an hold her she is just so sweet and talks to us or is sleeping.

We will be going back down this afternoon to visit with her and to get a new update.

Here are some pictures we got of her this morning... All cuddly with the feeding tube in place

In the mornings while I am getting out of bed and showered, Brad goes down to see Lyla and have some Daddy time with her. He can just sit and hold her all by himself. :) Sweet Daddy.

Her home for the next few days...Looks comfy!!

Please continue the prayers for Miss Lyla!

Saturday Night Report...

Well, Lyla will spend another night in the NICU. Her breathing is still rapid at times, but it is not getting worse. They want it to be between 30-60 breaths per minute and it is staying between 60-80 per minute. She still has the IV fluids with an added dose of calcium since she is not feeding. They need the rate to be steady and beloow 60 to try a bottle. She did take some of a bottle this morning, but she has not had a good enough rate since this morning to try it again. The doctors will re-assess the situation in the morning and see if she is ready to be moved to the regular nursery.

We got to go back and see her again this afternoon and Brad is down there right now telling her goodnight. She still has some of the chubbiest cheeks I have ever seen on a baby and lots of black hair. :) She loves the paci already...she was holding it with her hand this afternoon. She had a great NICU nurse today...she is a Baylor grad and made Miss Lyla a hat with a bow and BU on it.

Please pray she will have a good night and will be ready to come see us tomorrow in the room. I am planning on getting up again in the morning and going to see her. I will post again after we talk to the doctor tomorrow. Also, please pray for a good night sleep for Brad and me, last night was not a very restful one for us between worrying about Lyla, pain management and all the interruptions that come with staying in a hospital. My incision is healing nicely and getting out of bed today went very smoothly. I even got to shower and change clothes this morning. :) The soreness is bearable, but it makes it that much harder to get down to see Lyla.

Tate and Emmy are having a hard time understanding why they cannot see her. We have been preparing them for 9 months and it is hard for them to understand why they cannot hold and kiss her, plus seeing Mommy in a hospital bed is a little scary for them. Banty and Mimi are doing a great job of keeping them busy and in as normal of a schedule as possible. Thank you!!

Thank you for all your prayers and sweet notes and phone calls. :)

I will get some more pictures in the morning.

Lyla Update...

Well, Miss Lyla is still in the NICU, but she is doing much better this afternoon. They have taken some chest x-rays and blood. The doctors have come to the conclusion her heavy breathing is caused from swallowing some amniotic fluid at birth. She is breathing better today and has even eaten a little out of a bottle. She has an IV for fluids and is taking a round of antibiotics, just in case. Hopefully, she will be moved tonight or tomorrow to the regular nursery. We will keep everyone updated. Here are the most recent pics from this morning. I got to hold her for about 45 minutes.

Just look at those cheeks!

Thank you for all your prayers!
I will try to post some more pictures tonight, if she gets to come to our room.

Miss Lyla Mary

September 19, 2008

12:53 pm

8 lbs 11 oz

19 1/2 inches

Both Lyla and Mom are doing good. Miss Lyla is still in the nursery tonight and we recently found out that she is going to be moved to the NICU. She has a little fluid in her lungs, which is causing her to have to work a little harder to breath and the doctors wanted to keep a close eye on her. Brad and Brandy are anxious to get to hold her and we are all hoping and praying that the fluid will be cleared up by in the morning. Brandy will be posting more pictures and updates very soon ! Please keep Lyla and Brandy in your prayers for a quick recovery !

Trip to San Diego...

On Thursday, Brad, Papaw, Honey, Papa and Tate all took off to San Diego to see Cousin Josh pitch for the San Diego Padres. Tate was so excited all week about going to the ballgame and getting to see Josh. Brad said he did great on the nearly 4 hour plane rides and even stayed up for the entire game. He did not get to bed until 2am our time!! He is still trying to recover from the trip, but I know it was a trip he will always remember. Here he is with the game ball.

He told me Josh gave him the "game" ball and it had dirt on it, so Josh had to get a new one for the next game.

He was so excited to see Josh.
Here is an action shot at the game of Josh pitching.

The Padres won 11-3 and Josh got his second major league win.

Congratulations, Josh! We are so proud of you!

The Countdown to Lyla...

Dear Miss Lyla,

It is hard to believe I am less than a week away from meeting you and seeing your sweet little face, holding your soft hands and kissing you. I dream about what you will be and how you will impact our little family and the world. I know God has perfectly knit you together and has a plan for your life. As I sit here and wait for you to make your grand entrance into the world, know that you are loved by so many already.

I know your two siblings are ready to meet you and give you kisses. We talk about you all the time. You have no idea how blessed you are to have such an amazing big brother and sister. As you perform your acrobatic stunts in my belly, Daddy and I just sit amazed at the journey we are about to continue. And we talk about how blessed we are to have the opportunity to raise 3 children.

I pray for a safe delivery next week and I pray you will always know how much you are loved. You are truly a miracle and we thank God for blessing us again.

I love you,
Mommy

What's New...

Oh, our Miss Emmy...

She is into ALL things "girly", including dresses, dolls, bows, shoes, princesses, etc.

But, she can also hang with the boys in wrestling and horsing around.

Her speech and vocabulary continue to amaze us everyday.

We are not sure where she hears some things and are shocked at the things she remembers. :)

She is definitely a true "Daddy's Girl". Those two are a pair!

She even calls him Prince Charming.

She is so proud of herself when she uses her manners, in fact she is quick to point out when she is polite.

She is loving school and Wednesday nights at church for choir and Mission Friends.

She loves to listen to her Bible songs CD while she sleeps. She knows most every song on the CD.

I just love her combination of being a loving, sweet agreeable child , but not quick to follow the crowd on things or to give in to what she does not agree with.

Tate continues to be her "best friend" and I pray this never changes.

They have a bond that I will never fully understand.

I just love this little girl and I cannot wait to see her as a "big sis".

Mr. Tater...

I have never seen a child that is more passionate about life.

He takes every task as an adventure and a challenge.

He looks at things in a different light (and we don't always see where he is coming from), in fact, sometimes he gets to the end result in a way I would never think of.

I love to see his face light up at the smallest things in life, like going outside for a walk, finding a toy he has "misplaced" in the house, or seeing a new episode of "Handy Manny"

He still has a passion for all things cowboy, horses, ranches, etc. In fact, he loves all animals.

He is 100% boy, but has such a sweet way about him. He can go from playing baseball all over the house and roping toy animals with his rope to playing with his "Baby Lyla" and pushing her in the stroller, singing to her or putting his favorite toys in her bed.

He hates to wear clothes at all...in fact, he told me on the first day of school, "Mama, I don't want to wear pants." So far, we have been completely dressed in public, but if you ever come over to our house...you can bet the kid will be in underwear only. :)

He loves "His Emmy" and will do just about anything to protect her, but can still push her buttons better than anyone. :)

He is a true "Mama's Boy" and that is just fine with me. I love the sweet bond we share.

He is so excited about being a big brother to Lyla, I cannot wait to see his face the first time he sees her.

I thank God for these two children everyday and I am so excited, yet a little nervous to add a third to the mix. :)

We are so blessed to be given the role of parents to these children.

Riding...

Tate spent some time at Mimi's house and on the way home he saw a little boy riding his bike on the sidewalk. He told Mimi, "Maybe I could do that too..." Well, when they got here, we took the kids out on their tricycles and let them ride on the sidewalk. They had a blast and did not want to come in for baths. Thank you Mimi for chasing them up and down the street! :) Headed downhill

And back up...

I know he is in underwear...I just cannot keep clothes on this kid!!!!

(From what I understand this is how Brad was when he was little too... BOYS!!!)

Miss Emmy prefers the slower route

Discovery Days...

Thursday was the kids first day back at Mother's Day Out. We had no tears and a great day. This year they are going two days a week. Here are some pictures from the first day. Tate, not in the mood for a picture

Emmy cheesing it up!

Ready to go...

They walked right in and sat down to play.