3 Months Old (adjusted!) 3:36pm

Hi, everyone!! I'm just updating from the weekend.. so I have a lot to say!! :)

Today, is Gracie's 3 month old birthday..her adjusted age..which is to say it's the age she would be had she be born on 10/30 (which was her 'official' due date!)

She gets weighed tomorrow..soo I can't tell you what she weighs, but I can tell you..

she's very alert these days, she's smiling a little, she stares at things.. and on Saturday afternoon she watched her 1st Sesame Street show..



My 1st time watching Sesame Street...



She's definitely getting bigger! She is out of wearing newborn clothing..and wearing 0-3 months, or 3 months.. already starting to going thru her clothes.  We got a lot of 0-3 month clothing from Auntie Heather & Abby yesterday.. we don't really wear onesies, and most of the clothes they gave our sweaters & shirts..which we'll get alot of wear from. 

Thank you, Abby!!

Something Amazing happened to us yesterday.. a Godincidence!

(because there really is no coincidences!!)

We walked into church, a few minutes late.. service had already started..

Pastor Brian was singing the opening song, tears flowed from my eyes, as I turned to look at Gary & said.. "I think this is our cue"..

Pastor Brian was singing, Amazing Grace!!!

It was really a special moment!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our friend, Lisa came to visit yesterday..her first meet & greet with Gracie..

here's a few pictures.

With Auntie Lisa..  :)  all smiles, and eyes wide opened!!

 And this is her 3 month (adj) picture from today!!

She's sleeping good!

Soo on February 3rd she'll be actually SIX months!! Wow!!

Big girl.. mommy & daddy love you!!

Thanks for keeping up with us!!

love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell 



I carried a watermelon. 8:59pm

It's been a couple of days...so figured I'd check in.. need to take some pictures of Gracie over the weekend to update you all.

She has been sleeping great.. Wednesday night she slept all night, up for only 1 diaper change!! She's a big girl.  Last night, was a little more 'irritable' at night..

she seemed to be congested & had a little wheezing.  So today, we took her in

to the pediatrician..and she was started on a nebulizer!  I think all the babies & children I know all have nebulizers.  If it's going to help her..I don't mind.

The heading is from one of my favorite movies, "Dirty Dancing".. watched that tonight & now "Pretty Woman"..but heading to bed very soon.

I've been feeling 'yucky' this past week.. need to get on to losing weight.

I hear a few friends have done ideal protein & had very much success.. I think about it, but it's very limited..and I did well with Weight Watchers prior to getting pregnant, so think that's what I want to do.  But then I think maybe do ideal protein as a start up, then go to WW..but IP is expensive... soo I don't know.  Probably go to WW online.  We are having a very mild winter..but me & Gracie have been staying indoors during the week.

I have to catch up on housework, and cleaning.. ughh..the joys of motherhood!

Promise I'll post pictures tomorrow.  Our friend, Heather went with us on Wed. to our GI Specialist office.. he was a very good friend of her mom's years ago..and we made his day.  He is such a great doctor with Gracie..he truly cares about his patients.

He's off on vacation for the next 2 weeks.. hope we don't need him, but we'll miss him!!

All is well with Gracie & him.. we're putting her on Prilosec, but like everything else, the insurance company requires a prior authorization.  For prilosec? Really??

Geez, you'd be surprised how much we pay for health insurance monthly..

and we have all these co-payments!! ugh!!

Going to finish my ice coffee & go to bed..

I'll post this weekend..

Thanks for keeping up with us!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Tuesday's with Gracie. 9:01pm

I wasn't going to post anything today..to give it a few days to update you a few times a week.. but today was a GREAT day, with some beautiful pictures and family!!

Gracie's cousins came to visit.  Auntie Tess calls it "Tuesday's with Gracie".. as long as everyone feels good, they come down for a visit.  Ben is 4, and has a warm soul..he loves playing and seeing Gracie.  Today, he gave her a hug & a kiss on the cheek when he was leaving.  It was soo cute!!  And Emily, is 2.. she still squeals when she sees "baby Gracie", and she was able to hold her for a few minutes today.

We played.  Gracie's nurse came today, (she's part of "tuesdays" too!) and then with the beautiful weather (51 degrees) we went for a walk down to the beach.  Grace was wide awake and really enjoyed being outside.

Gracie is 10lbs. 7.5oz today!!

She was 22" long as of last week!

Here are some pictures from the day.  And tonight, she had a bath..we were able to get a few pictures of her face without her nasal canular on... ohh my, soo beautiful!!

This is "our" beach down the street.. walking distance.. Benjamin

took this picture!! He did great!!

He also took this one..

Wonderful picture!!!



This is Gracie's new thing..she looks at
the hanging mirror on her giraffee seat..

she loves looking at the pretty baby!!

Big girl, sleeping!

And then with no canular, yawning (of course!) in her bathtub.. she loves bathtime!!

Tomorrow is a GI Specialist visit with Auntie Heather..

can't wait to spend some quality time with Auntie Heather!!

Til tomorrow..g'night!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Tired. 8:22pm

Hey, everyone! We are tired over here..soo here's a short post, with some very

tiring pictures!! :)

All is well.. Grace is doing great.. we get her weight with her nurse

tomorrow.  Today, we had our first speech therapist come in.

We are going to try different nipples next week and see how she does with

a bottle.  The speech therapist was happy to see her suck her binkie, and

look like she was interested in the bink!

Grace is already in bed.. so I'm there within the hour..

PATRIOTS won the AFC Championship yesterday & is going to the

Superbowl with the NY Giants!

Lots of snow yesterday here as well.. 12.5"!!

Snowy Sunday.. 1/22/12

Daddy sleeping with Gracie.. Sunday afternoon.

Mommy & Gracie sleeping Monday morning

With a pillow behind her head.. sitting up a little..

Sleep!

I'll post in the next few days with updates.. & weights!

Thanks all,

love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell



Redefined. & Snow.

This is a Friday (Redifined.) post, and a snowy Saturday post.

Friday was an emotional day for me.. I don't know every few weeks, I get emotional! What can I say, I'm a mother now.. guess I'll be more emotional than usual.. especially as Miss Gracie gets older.

I was thinking yesterday that I do enjoy being able to stay home with Grace.. and I'm very lucky to have a husband who works as hard as he does for me to stay home.

It hasn't been easy for us..and we're doing our best ..

but sometimes roles/lives have to be redefined every few months..

soo we had some 'pillow talk'..and redifined our roles in careing for Grace & each other.  We definitely need a 'date night'.. and need to really put our foot forward

in caring for our own needs, each other's as well as (as we always do) Grace's.

I think it's really just finding that Balance! 

All these months, I've been saying I was going to stay home & hibernate in the Winter.. well we are hibernating, Gracie & I ..but sometimes it's boring.  I can't wait til Spring, when we can go to the zoo.. go to story time at the library & maybe even infant swim!!

Until then, I'm enjoying all the picture taken I've been doing!! And I hope you are enjoying the pictures to!



Added a mirror to her favorite chair..
so she can start looking at herself!!



Sleeping in her chair on a Snowy Saturday!!

Our first real winter storm is happening outside.  But we are cozy inside..

 Grace is sleeping; Daddy's doing some work & I'm on my favorite new website,

"pinterest".. I am getting alot of different cute ideas ..creative artsy crafty stuff, and some good recipes to keep on trying! I love cooking..so I'm going to try some new meals, and appetizers!!  Desserts too..

Last night, we had our friend Paula & Peter over for dinner with their boys.

They are such a nice family!! Cousin Frank came too.. we had a nice night!

And.. Grace is doing well with sleeping still all night!! :)

Yippee!!!

Hope everyone stays safe in this weather..

and if you're in SUN.. I'm jealous!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Busy day... 6:46pm

It feels like such a long day!  Gracie was up a little in the middle of the night, I took over from Daddy around 2:30..and moved her to her Rock n Play out in the living room.  She finally fell asleep around 3:30, and I fell asleep on the couch right near her.

We decided last night to go to bolis feeds thru the night vs. continous..so she ate at 11pm, 2am & 5am.. So, I finally fell asleep around 4, but then was 1/2 sleeping..so I wouldn't miss her 5 o'clock feeding.  Then we both slept in til 8:30ish..

I couldn't sleep when she slept today, because she was wide awake most of the morning.  Auntie "Madrinha" Dalila stopped in for a visit..we got some GREAT pictures..that I will post.  (Madrinha just came back from vacation, that's why she is sooo tanned.. I'm jealous!)



My madrinha & I..




What a CUTE! picture!!

After getting her synergis shot (which she gets monthly to avoid getting the RSV virus), she fell asleep around 1pm.. but was up at 3.  OT came in today, and Grace did so well with her.  Her OT's name, Jess.. she brought Gracie her first toy.. a thinner rattle, which Grace does so well holding.  We practice alot with another one she got for Christmas.. soo she is doing really well.  She was looking at herself, following herself in the mirror.. starting to pick up her head pretty good.



Holding her new pink rattle!!

A better hold tonight! (as you can see she is still awake!)

Daddy just got home, and thanks to Dalila..we got dinner..homemade French Meat Pie.. & it was delicious.  Sooooo nice not to have to worry about making a meal..

especially since Gracie was a little cranky.  Daddy is holding Grace, and I'm going to get her bath ready.. she loves the bath..so that & the fact that she hasn't slept much today..maybe she'll be pooped out for bedtime!

Tomorrow we are meeting the new pediatrician.  Looking forward to that appointment.

Next week, we have daily appointments from M-Thurs..

I was thinking today.. one of the things I'm missing out on with Gracie, is the ability to "walk" her around..when she's cranky, or irritable, because she has so much paraphanila that I have to move or carry with me.  Kinda sucks!  I have to rock her in my lap.. on my shoulder or knees.  I hope she can come off the oxygen sooner than later.  We see them again on 2/17.. but tomorrow we should be getting the new regulator's for the 02 tanks that will help us wean her down to .25 from .50.

The joys of motherhood do outweigh me being upset over not carrying her around..

it's wonderful to just have her HOME & holding her period!!

Thanks for reading!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

Guess my weight??? 4:04pm

Okay, so last night was a 'tough night'..but as I am reminded, we really have nothing to complain about.  Some babies are up every hour in the middle of the night, some don't sleep at all in their crib.  Gracie went to sleep in her crib at 8pm.. I went to bed at 9:30.. Daddy was after 10, I keep telling him he should go to bed when I do.. at least he'll get a good stretch of sleep in. Someday he'll listen to me...

So last night, Gracie was having a tough time with Daddy.. I woke up around 2:30, after hearing daddy getting frustrated with her..I took her & rocked her on the couch..she was bright eyed & bushy tailed.. but then by 3:30..she was asleep.  I decided she maybe was 'full', and with continous feeds at night..I stopped her feed & put it back on at 5:00.. sooo I think we'll go back to bolis feeds during the night.  She's a little constipated too, so I'm sure that's not helping either.  It's either diarrhea while on antibiotics, or constipated when not. Geesh!  Don't worry, we are back on the prune juice!!

Thanks to Grandpa in NY, who told us to use triple antibiotic on her bum.. it worked! No more diaper rash!!

TEN Pounds.. per her nurse, Jess today!!

WOW!!!!! You go Gracie girl!!

We had a visit from Gracie's very loving cousins, Ben & Emily today!!

They are sooo great with her.  Emily "squeals" (really!) in delight when she sees Gracie.  Ben is the most helpful one!!

Thanks for visiting guys!! We actually got a quick walk in down to the beach too..it was around 43 degrees here near the coast.

Taco Salad & Tomatoe soup for dinner tonight!

And some bacon wrapped dates..if you haven't tried them yet.. you don't know what you're missing!!

Thanks for celebrating 10 pounds with us!!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

She's a big girl.. 7:41pm

Gracie's a big girl now! She sleeps in her crib for night time.. we have her

cd's playing in the background, a camera on her, her rainforest mobile on & hanging above her is her red, white & black mobile.

Here she is on her first night sleeping in the crib Saturday night:

There she is!

She's been doing pretty well... we do go in & change her diaper thru the night..sometimes she wakes up, sometimes she doesn't..

It's been really cold here, so we've been inside.  We really can't complain about the weather.. our friends in Maine have gotten 9-10" of snow or more!!

Keep it there, please!

Here she is tonight.. in her new pajamas.. I was only putting her in a tshirt, but the last few days, I put her in feet pj's, and it's been working out pretty well.

She's sitting up here in the corner of the couch..

Daddy is holding her now, she'll eat..then nighty night!!

Tomorrow the nurse comes.. what will she weigh?? Any guesses?

I'm going to go with 9lbs. 8oz, Daddy says 9lbs, 10oz!

Love you guys, thanks for reading

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Visitors & a big night to come.. 7:20pm

No, our big night with Gracie is not going to be the Patriots vs. Denver,

but.... Gracie is going to sleep in her CRIB for the night..

We hope it goes well!!

 Here she is taking her morning/afternoon nap in her crib today.. She did

great.. slept for 3 hours!!

Gracie also had visitors today.. her friend, Abby..

& Madyson.. & Auntie Heather.  Also, Lorraine & Chuck.. Thanks for visiting!

Here's Abby holding Gracie...................

                                                       & Madyson holding her..(below):

This is how Abby leaves Gracie.. with all her toys around her.. doesn't look like she minds! lol

Then after her visitors leave.... she's pooped!!

A shout out to Madrinha Dalila..Welcome HOME!!

Thanks to Auntie Heather & my friends who came to visit me today!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Teen Mom 2. 3:16pm

Yup, I'm guilty of watching "realty" tv shows.  I've been watching a little of teen mom 2; and honestly, I feel bad for some of these single mom's. 

 I don't know how they do it.

Being able to stay home with Gracie is wonderful.  Gary is a good provider, but we've had a tough past six months with being in Maine, and all the expenses that came with it.

We are now just playing "catch up"..and feel frustrated.. I can't imagine how

these girls do it..

Today, Gracie got a cute bear in the mail from my Aunt Patti & Jane..

here's a cute pic:

Thanks Aunt Pattie & Jane.. soo cute!!

An occupational therapist (OT) started today.. she's going to come weekly for 45 minutes to work with Gracie.  Today was just the first appointment, so it was

alot of background talk.. and going over what we think her needs are.

Gary & I need to do more holding with her on our belly/chest.. tummy time when she's awake, to help strengthen her neck muscles.

Gracie was up from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00pm today..WOW.. bright eyed & bushy tailed.

So she's taking a long afternoon nap!

We got a month full of appointments coming up, now adding OT 1x/week

& speech is due in a few weeks.. hoping to get back to the bottle feeding.

Ohh..Yes, I can not forget.. our favorite Neonatalogists from Maine

called today to check in.. It was soo nice to hear from him.  He was

very impressed that Gracie is weighing 9lbs.. awwww.!!

Thanks for checking in Dr. Peter!! We miss you!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

Changes. 8:38pm

Auntie Heather & the kids visited today..

Auntie Heather was very impressed on how BIG Gracie girl is!!

 This is how Abby left Gracie today.. she thought she could give

her a few friends to keep her company!!

We saw Gracie's GI doc today.. she is doing well.. he was happy to see us.  And even apologized for his staff who didn't page him last Friday.  He's a good man!

I was "engaging" with a woman in the waiting room.. told her our baby story..

she was very nice..

We made a decision to switch pediatricians.. and made an appointment with the new person for next week.  Our GI doctor really likes him, and suggested him.. so I'm sure it'll be great..

Tonight was tubby time.. Gracie likes the bath to just sit in, but not to actually

get washed!!  Here she is with no canular on as we were switching it out..

She's in bed now..we'll be there very soon!! 

Tomorrow is OT.. :) YEA!! (about time!!)

Love you guys,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max



She is heavier!! 9:23pm

Hi, everyone!! Gracie is heavier.. 9lbs. 5.5oz today!! Woohoo!!

She had company today from her two cousins, Ben & Emily with their mommy, Auntie Tess. And we had a really nice visit.  I got to play with Ben & Emily..

They were both soo cute with Grace, and helpful.. helping change diapers & getting my supplies.  Thanks guys!! I got to play outside awhile with them, and then we all went for a walk down to the beach!!
Where my nephew Ben asked if I would carry him into the water.. ughh NO.. can't wait to take everyone to the beach this summer!!

It was a little windy, but Gracie had on her little snowsuit..so she was nice & toasty.

Well, for some reason, I can't upload today's picture..
I wanted you all to see what 9 1/2 lbs. looks like..
Soo.. I'll have to upload tomorrow..


Tomorrow is our G.I. appointment, and more calls to get a new pedi..
wish us luck!! Who would've thought it would be this difficult!!






Every day I hear of someone who has read the blog..
 I wish that I could tell everyone who has kept up with our story, personally..
 "thank you"
I write because I enjoy it, and it gets my feelings out.  It's very theraputic, and I don't really realize how many people are keeping up with our little
Amazing Grace!  Just wanted to say 'thanks'..




Love you all,
pattie & gary, Gracie & max



We're home again... 12:51pm

 Here's a picture from sweet pea sleeping yesterday...

she looks big, ah??

Children's confirmed that she was 9lbs on friday..soo tomorrow her nurse comes, I'm going to have her weigh her on the kitchen floor (vs.. the carpet) & I think she's gained some more!! She is certainly gaining pretty well.

Grace is home..we got home last night.. with a bad bum rash.. soo lots of desitin today!  We're waiting on new regulators from the oxygen company to reduce the amount of oxygen she is getting. 

She slept okay last night..she went to her bed around 9, and was up with Daddy from about 11:30pm to 1ish.. she didn't seem to want the binkie..

but then she slept for 3 hours, a quick diaper change, and 3 hours again.  She was up at 7:30 this am, and then 8:30 for the day.. soo not bad!!  Daddy I think, gets a little frustrated..but I've told him again & again..he needs to go to bed within 1/2 hour to an hour, of her going to bed..that's what I do.. So, I can get at least 3 hours of straight sleep.. a couple times a night..that's good solid sleep!  She is a baby!!

I think we're shopping for a new pedi.. we are not in a good 'fit' with our current.  He tends to refer anything to a specialist.  I want a little 'hand holding'..

My ob was a GREAT hand holder, and he still checks on Grace.. I want that kind of hand holding, or a little of it for Gracie.

Keep my dad in your prayers.. he was a little jealous of Gracie (just kidding of course)

& is now on O2 at home..and was admitted to our local hospital Friday evening as well.. with a touch of pneumonia.  He's glad to hear that Gracie is home.. I'll have to check in on him later. .. we call.. :)

Thanks for all your emails & prayers, support..over the weekend.

We see the nurse tomorrow, our great G.I. doc on wednesday & then OT..finally

is coming on Thursday.. hope Speech calls today.. I'm giving them til tomorrow to call.. we need to get back on bottle feedings.

Love you guys,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

Quick update from Boston. 9:46pm

I need a different color..

We had a good day with Gracie today.   As good as you can get it when your in a hospital so soon after being home only 30 days.. (I know, it can be worse)..

Her feeding schedule got messed up.. I don't know how..but leave it to people who don't pay attention when I tell them what it is!  Hopefully by 5 tonight, when I led her feed, the rest of the night will go smoother.

Gracie was great today with us.. I think glad to see us, but wondering what the heck was going on.  Her g-tube area looks sooo GREAT.. it's less red than it has ever been.

For those who saw her in the last month, it was NOT suppossed to be as red as it was.. and part of me feels guilty (or dumb!) that I didn't even know it was NOT suppossed to look like that.  Geesh, Maine sent us home with it red..saying it was a contact dermatitis.. but it was infected way back then.

The good thing is we are at the best hospital in the area..

& the redness is clearly going away!!  The plan is another round of IV antibiotics tonight into tomorrow, and then she can go home tomorrow on antibiotics by mouth.

Gary & I will be glad to get her home!!!

I could get on my "soapbox" about healthcare & a whole lot of different issues.. but I'm trying to make this quick..need to hit the hay.. we are up very early tomorrow to get to the hospital early.

Thanks for all the support!

Thanks to Paula & Peter.. for EVERYTHING!! Love you guys!!

A big HUG to Nichole for the Neocate.. what a relief!

I'm just sorry we still haven't met!

Love you guys,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Made it 30 days!! 10:37pm

There's so much I want to say..unfortunately I've been going since 6 a.m. this morning & I really NEED to get some sleep!!

So, here's the short version..then tomorrow I'll add all the "aggravations" of today!!

Our pulmonary specialist appointment in Boston went really well.

We left at 7:00, got a little slow down traffic, but got in for 8:30.  Was able to find where we were going pretty quickly.  That appointment was very successful.  They did an 02 weaning test on Grace, and decided to wean her from .5 to .25 (down 1/4).. YEA!!  We will be back to see them in a month.

Her weight is 9 lbs!! And her length is 19.5" long.

Then the drama started.. Pulmonary wanted us to see a GI Specialist regarding the

 G-tube area looking really red.  (We had just seen our own GI Spec. on Wed, and were going to start a round of antibiotics today).. Well, Children's GI Specialist was extremely worried of the redness around the G-tube & wanted Grace admitted.

We were sent to the ER, and the doctor there..after talking to GI & pulmonary..decided they would admit her. :( :( :( :(

It was a month yesterday that we've been home.. 30 days!!

Now today, my baby girl is at Children's Hospital getting some antibiotics by IV,

and resting!!  They say it's already clearing up a little.

So, they think it's a combination of stomach acids attacking the skin above the g-tube line; as well as a little infection.

This is the short story! We are back tomorrow in Boston at by 8:00am.

I will keep you all posted!!

Please keep us in your prayers.. hopefully she will come home tomorrow or Sunday.

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

A day of rest.. 8:43pm

With no appointments today, Grace & I rested.  After last night with Gracie up from 2am to 5am.. it's not like she's bright eyed & bushy tailed, but she gets fussy when her binkie falls out & she wants it back.  Of course she cries when her diaper is wet, so you need to get to her before she has a full blown cry..or you're holding her for the next half hour.

Daddy tells me today, that she was at one time last night bright eyed & he was "playing" with her.. (eyes rolling)..

Dear Daddy:  Sleep time is just that..time to sleep.  There is no play time when it is sleep time!!  We love you!!!

We gave Gracie a bath tonight... she does very well in the bathtub.. she just sits there.. :) soo cute!!  Here she is after bath, sitting up in the corner of the couch..

pretty good ah?? 

Here we are posing for Daddy's picture!!

Madrinha Dalila stopped by today too.. she gave Gracie a new hat!! I think someone needs to make MOM & Gracie hats ...

Thanks Auntie!!
 

Going to bed really soon.. 6:00 a.m. will come early!!

Tomorrow we are heading into Boston for a pulmonary specialist appointment.

I don't think they'll take her off the oxygen, you can't just take her off..but we can start weaning her for sure.  I have already started to lower her o2 pressure from .5 to .125.. it's very minimal that she takes.  We just need to start it.

Well..that's all folks.. sorry if I'm getting boring..lol.. after 125 + 14 days in Maine..

I like boring!!

but the pictures are great, aren't they??

Love you guys,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Piggies. 3:07pm

Look at my little baby's big/long feet!!

Went to the GI Doc today & he's great with Gracie.

He weighed her on his scale & said 8lbs. 4oz..

Nurse came today & she said, "9 lbs."... well, we're going to go with the nurses scale!!  She was 8lbs. 6oz with the nurse last week..  We are going to go up to 28 calorie on the formula.. and 5 more ml during the night..

Grace was up a little last night from 2-4.. just fussing..

she likes to be rocked back to sleep, but sometimes you can't put her down.

Just a regular, normal newborn...   I should be sleeping now, because she is sleeping..but I'm not!

Baby, it's cold outside today! brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Stay warm!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

Happy 5 Month Birthday!!!! 7:10pm

To think where we have been these last 5 months, boy time has flown by!

To remember the people that have helped us, and blessed us at the same time:

Thank you!

Here's Gracie on her 5 month old birthday:

She loves her Mamaroo!!  And for the 1st time, I put her in snap up pajamas with feet.. I usually don't put her in these because of her g-tube cord for feeding thru the night & her monitor that hangs from her foot.. but these pj's do have snaps.. so it'll be easier for us & her.. and she loves them..

Thanks to Auntie Tess, Uncle Eric & Ben & Emily for her tummy time mat.

On the right here, she is on her tummy.. we'll keep practicing!!

She looks sooo big, ah??  Can't wait to get her weight tomorrow!! She sees her favorite GI Doc.. :)

She was very tired when I put her in her Mamaroo tonight!!

Now she's sleeping.. she'll go to bed at 8, for her last feeding..

Happy Birthday my love!!

Mommy & Daddy are sooo PROUD of you!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell

Preemie Mothers. 7:09pm

Someone sent this to me.. a good poem to read:

There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better.

I will be better not because of genetics, or money, or that I have read more books, but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.
I have sat in the NICU and waited.
I have cried and prayed.
I have endured.

Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.
I will notice everything about my child.
I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover.
I will marvel at my surviving miracle every day for the rest of my life.

I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to an alarm going off, another round of meds or because I am crying tears for fear of the unknown.
I will be happy because my baby is alive and crying out for me.

I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.

Whether I parent a preemie with physical challleges or medical issues, I will not be careless with my love.

I will be a better mother for all that I have endured. I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain.

I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body.
I have been tried by fire and hell that many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.

I have prevailed.
I have succeeded.
I have won.

So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort. I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs.

I listen.

And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely. I have learned the immense power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard. I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.

I have learned to appreciate life.

Yes, I will be a wonderful mother.

Author Unknown

Thank you God!! 4:28pm

Thanks everyone for thinking about us today.

Sending your thoughts & prayers to us.. worked!!

We thank God everyday for Gracie..especially these days.. where sometimes our

nerves get the best of us..

but I'm happy to report that Grace did well at her hearing test today..

She passed with flying colors!!!  The audiologist said she did 'Perfect.'

The test was about 2 hours long.. small little earbuds go in her ear (1 at a time),

and are tested with brain waves.. I held her the whole time..and she did great. 

Sleeping is best for this test.  It took us an hour & half to get there with traffic this morning..but we were able to find the building & parking with no problem.

When she left Maine, she had received a "refer" on both ears on the newborn screening test.  So, while I believed she was okay with her hearing, obviously I was a bit concerned.  No more worries.. She can hear. 

YEA!!!

Here's my cutie..who likes to have her hands crossed in front of her!

Tomorrow we see her G.I. Specialist..who is AWESOME with her & us..

we are very excited to see him!!

Thanks for thinking of us!!

Shout out to Abby... Hope you feel better, love!!

Love you guys,

pattie & gary, Gracie & maxwell..

p.s. Button up it's freezing out!! But 49 degrees by Saturday again!!



Monday... 7:03pm

I'm tired.  Planning on going to bed when Grace does.  We have to be up very early tomorrow morning.. for a 9 a.m. appointment in Waltham.  Wish us luck, please keep us in your prayers.

There's something to be said about going to bed when they do.

Last night, I went in at 10.. and got a good sleep in til about 12:30..

Gracie does wake up in the middle of the night for diaper changes, and sometimes has a hard time going back down.. usually we need to rock her a little, then she goes down.

I'm glad I go to bed soon after her..

Today, we brought her in the living room not til 10ish, and I let Daddy to back to sleep til noon.. (he did let me sleep from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.)

Gracie's cute outfit today!!

We tempted a walk today, but it was very windy.. & we forgot her binkie..

so we made it about 15 minutes & then came back home.

We put her in her big stroller, wearing a snow suit that Auntie Heather bought for her..

she looked soo cute..



She is getting so big.. can't wait to get her weight this week!!

At the end of the week, we see a pulmonary specialist (hoping to wean off her oxygen)..

Tonight will go back to feeding her continously, so we can all get some sleep.. we have to be out of the house by 6:45a.m. tomorrow, and rumor has it

it's suppossed to be cold.. brrr!!

Logged onto WebMD to start counting calories, til I can join WW online...

did okay today.. with eating! Need to get rid of the rest of the candy in the house.

Excercising more too.. hope this weather sticks around.

Hope everyone had a nice 3-day mini vaca from work..

Have fun getting back into it tomorrow..

Have a good week!!

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max

p.s.  We did stop in too see Maxwell today.. we hadn't been there in awhile.. I'm hoping to get a bench put there by his 1st birthday.

A New Beginning.. 4:25pm

Happy & Healthy New Year to you all.

Today, has been a great day.. January 1, 2012..

First of all, the weather.. it was 50 degrees out with the sun out & warm.

We made it to church, a little late..but we were there..

here our friends, 

from L to R:  Andy, Dennis, Heather & Jackson, Pastor Brian, and Ross

We feel so blessed to be able to take our little Miracle, who our church family,

has been praying so much for in the last four months.  Thank you!!

(Being New Year's Day, there weren't many people at our church today, as you can see..

but there are so many others that have been praying for us!!  We thank them as well).

Then we went for a walk at Ft. Taber, in New Bedford..

just perfect weather for a very nice family walk..

I hope you all got to enjoy the day as we did.

I look forward to more walks pushing a carriage.. Grace had a great too!!

Can't wait for spring when we can take her to the zoo..with her friends, Abby & Jackson & Olivia.. and also her cousins Emily & Ben.  On Friday night, Emily & Ben saw Gracie at my parents..& were soo excited.. they call her "baby Gracie"..

they love her soo much!! It was so nice to see them with her. 

 It's what I've been dreaming of!

After today's wonderful day.. I am eager & excited to be in a NEW YEAR!!

Gracie has 3 appointments this week.. we'll have to be up very early Tuesday & Friday..please continue to pray for her & us!!

Thank you for all your thoughts & support..

Love,

pattie & gary, Gracie & max