SharonAndAdam.com

…An octopus?

I was chatting with my friend Elizabeth over instant messanger a few weeks ago and I apologized for not being around and not posting to our blog.  And I apologized for always giving her a hard time for not posting to their blog after their third child was born.  She told me she admitted thinking, “What does Sharon think I am, an octopus?” 

I have been laughing at that so much recently because that how I usually feel especially when all three kids want to be held, cuddled and loved AT THE SAME TIME!  They become especially needy/clingy during mass.  I’m convinced that I could make a small fortune by coming up with some invention that gives the mom of three small children 6 extra arms!   SO, if you’re ever around us and have a couple of extra arms to spare, please do!

So what have we been up to? Adam and I just finished some back to back NFP presentations.  Therese has been asking for more “school.”  So we’ve been “playing” school.  I’ve been trying to set up a montessori-type time for the kids.  This has taken a great deal of time and energy and it’s still a work in progress.  Gianna is starting to stretch out a little–she’s still quite lean.  My parents finally met her for the first time this last Sunday.  We went to the Pumpkin Festival in Elgin, but forgot to take our camera so we only have memories of Therese riding the horse and Fulton NOT riding the pony.  Therese has been finding all the good pecans in the yard (from the neighbor’s tree) and making me crack them for her afternoon snack–I’m sure she’s part squirrel.   Fulton’s still not talking a whole lot (ironic given the two people he’s named after) but that’s another thing I’ve been working on. His signing is becoming better and we’ve been practicing a lot of sounds.   It’s coming along –just slowly.

“Are these all yours?”

I went to SAMS Club last week to print some pictures.  Thankfully as a store that sells things in bulk, they have shopping carts to fit families in bulk–kind of.  They have carts with two seats in front which Thesese and Gianna (in carrier) occupied while Fulton was in the back. After about 5 minutes the kids decided to play musical shopping cart and I had to switch Fulton and Gianna.  So Fulton and Therese were loving on each other as kids their age do…with a little tugging and screaming one minute and a little hugging and giggling the next.

A woman who was picking up some eye glasses right next to the photo area turned to me and asked, “Are these all yours?”  ”Blessed be God! Yes, they are,” I responded. 

Now she was not talking about the almost 200 pictures I was trying to print from our digital camera that was taking almost eternity.  But it boggles my mind that she would make a remark about our 3 –only 3–kids.  I’ll have to read more Danielle Bean or the Hebert’s website to get some good “comebacks.”

Back, and back to normal

Oh my beloved husband is back!  Yes, he’s been away since Sunday at the Adobe Max Conference in Chicago.  I’m sure he’ll post about that once he gets a good nap.  (And no, I didn’t feel like telling the whole cyberspace world I was alone with the three kids the last few days–for our safety of course–which is why you’re just now hearing about this.) 

Now, I must admit that I wasn’t entirely alone.  Good friend Alexis was very very kind to spend the night the last two evenings while her own hubby was away.  This proved to be quite a blessing especially for little Gianna who absolutely without fail needed to be held or fed while I was getting the other children fed or getting them ready for bed.  It’s so handy to have a couple of extra arms around to love your children.  And it’s such a blessing to have friends who love our kids–or at least are willing to put up with ALL of our temperments and quirkiness.  I definitely have a new appreciation for single moms, moms who’s hubbys are not around for work and travel reason, and all the friends who help us moms! 

And I’m SO happy to have Adam back. Blessed be God, I’m happy because I love him SO SO much–not because of any challenges presented by being a “single mom” for the last 5 days.  In fact the kids did great!  

With the school year starting Therese is in a couple of morning programs on Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Tuesdays, I’m crazy enough to take all the kids to pre-school storytime at the library. (Oh, how much easier it would be if my little guy didn’t like doors so much!)  With Therese in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd on Wednesday, I take Fulton to an extra storytime for his age group at a library just down the street from our parish. This will hopefully help his speech come alive–although he’s more interested in the songs than the stories.  It’s really nice to have some time “alone” with my little guy.  I’ve felt he’s been jipped from my attention after Gianna was born. 

Life is pretty much back to normal.  I guess all those moms were right…it IS easier with 3. 

Happy Feast of St. Therese

“…as for myself, I know no other means of reaching perfection but love…Love, how well our hearts are made for that. ” –St. Therese

And happy name day to our little flower, Therese!  (Thanks Fr. Tim for sending the quote.)

 We had an easy going name day celebration.  We went to Mass which was being said for our little Therese.  A friend of ours intercepted us on the way in and asked if we wanted to sit up front.  Boldly, I said, “Do you want to help me with the kids?”  So there we were on the front row.  The kids did great–since of course they can actually see what’s going on!  Gianna was probably the loudest with her sweet little hiccups.  It’s so sweet when the priest knows your family.  He always mentions by name who the Mass is being said for, and today he prayed for our family, the three children and especially Therese on her day.

After Mass, we went to partake in Therese’s favorite breakfast treat–donuts!  It’s no wonder Fulton is starting to get a wee chunky! Then it was a somewhat normal day…played, lunch, naps (even Therese got a nap), and I got a break from cooking again. Thanks to the Tavarez family for bringing us dinner!

Glow Worm days are over!

Here’s Gianna sporting her Glow Worm outfit a.k.a. her bili-light.  Some of you have asked about the bili-light so I thought I’d take a picture so you could see.   It wraps around the baby’s torso and is hooked up to a machine that “feeds” light through a tube to the bili-blanket.  Gianna had to be on it for 23 hours a day.  She was allowed off only to go to the doctor visits.  This bili-blanket only covered half of her torso.  (Some wrap all the way around the torso–like the one Therese had when she was born.) So  we had to move it to the other half after 10-11 hours and keep rotating it.  As you might imagine, nursing and sleeping was not the easiest thing to do.  On top of that the machine wasn’t very portable, so we were pretty much confined to her crib and our bed. 

The good news, though, is that we were officially released from the bili-light this afternoon.  Gianna’s bilirubin level went down to 12.9!!  Praise the Lord!  And she managed to gain half a pound over the weekend!  Woohoo!!!

Thank you again for all your prayers!  And thank you to Our Lady of San Juan and of course St. Gianna!

Baby-moon

Today is the last day of our Baby-moon.  Adam heads back to work tomorrow.  The kids have been remarkabley filled with grace and patience during this time that has provided us a few unexpected challenges. 

Gianna has been waking on her own since yesterday to nurse and let us know she needs a change… Adam and I have never prayed so much for poopy diapers!  And she has been a trooper adjusting to life with her biliblanket.  She’s so very sweet, a great nurser (despite the fact that she didn’t gain weight when her bilirubin levels were increasing), and a good sleeper.  When given the choice between the hard flat mattress in the cradle or sleeping cuddled next to me, I win hands down!   Having carried her around for 9 months in my womb, I find it hard to sleep without her right next to me.  She also knows when meal times are and cries quite loudly for her share!  Her voice is heard in the mix with Fulton’s and Therese’s when it’s breakfast, lunch and dinner time. 

Before I can get formal “thank yous” out, I just want to extend our gratitude to all of you who have called, emailed, visited, brought flowers, gifts, meals, watched the kids, and especially interceeded to our Blessed Lord with all your prayers.  Your generosity has been a blessing. 

Juandice update

The good news is Gianna’s bilirubin level is going down.  It was 15.9 today.

The bad news is that it only went down one point and she didn’t gain weight in the last three days.  So, she will have to stay wrapped in the bililight blanket all weekend.  And we have to go back to the doctor’s on Monday to check her weight.  Please pray that her liver starts doing its job and that she starts eating like her big brother!

Gianna’s Jaundice

First we’ll ask you to please pray for Gianna and that she will quickly recover from her jaundice.  Adam mentioned Gianna’s jaundice in his previous post.  Here is what has transpired since.

Gianna tested positive for Coombs.  It’s the same thing Therese had when she was born.  Both girls have different blood types than me: A-.  I’m O+.  But my blood passes to them in utero and our blood types mix.  Even though all babies get some jaundice after they are born, babies who are positive Coombs often have higher levels and hence more severe jaundice because the antigens in our blood types are incompatible.

So Gianna’s bilirubin levels went from 9.3 on Sunday when we left the hospital to 15 on Monday, 17 on Tuesday and 19 yesterday.  When it gets to the high teens and 20s phototherapy is needed.  So, like Therese, Gianna is now attached to the bililight until her bilirubin levels go down to 12 or 13.   Today’s level was 16.9. Praise God it’s going down.

For the most part, this is all pretty normal.  The only complications that Gianna has over Therese is that Gianna received a hemotoma (a bruise on the head–blood between skull and skin) and a few other bruises on the face (one in her eye) during birth.  Bruising produces additional bilirubin.  (That’s why our skin turns yellowish when we bruise.)  Her bruising may keep the level elevated longer than normal.

So at this point what we need is for Gianna to nurse well, gain weight and poop.    She hasn’t gained weight since Tuesday or she may have lost a couple of ounces.  That’s not good to me, but the doc hasn’t suggested supplementing with formula yet.  The bililight does cause some dehydration.  She was born 8 lbs 9 oz.  She’s back up to 8 lbs.  She’s also not pooping a lot.  Pooping gets rid of the bilirubin apparently.

For us this means we have to go into the doc’s every morning to get her blood drawn and get her levels checked.  I also have to wake her ( and me) every two hours to nurse her. This is tiring, and she a good night sleeper too; but it must be done.  This evening it has been especially difficult to wake her.  And it has been emotionally difficult for me to hold my limp little baby in my arms and struggle to nurse her.  I know this too shall pass…

Thanks you in advance for all your prayers.