South Bend and NICU Party #1

To conclude Artie's last bit of time off work for awhile, we decided to head up to South Bend for the day on Friday. It was Spencer's first long car ride. We did alright on the way up, Avery watched Enchanted and Spencer slept. We got there around lunch time, so we decided to head to Houlihans (for their yummy soup-I know, it was 90 degree weather, but we don't have one in Ft. Wayne). Avery did pretty well at lunch, only screaming at the top of her lungs a handful of times (they must have for seen this because they sat us in a corner, in the back of the restaurant!). So with everyone, including Spencer, having had lunch, we headed to Saint Mary's first (mostly because their bookstore closes earlier). After setting foot in the bookstore, Avery fell apart. Luckily, we were the only shoppers in there because she was LOUD. I was so frustrated because I really wanted to look around at the new stuff and enjoy being back on campus...it didn't work out that way. We ended up rushing out of there-at least I left with a new water bottle. We loaded the kids up (without getting to walk around campus) and headed over to Notre Dame. First stop, the bookstore. I'm sorry to say, we didn't have any better success here. Spencer fell asleep in his sleepy wrap on my chest, but Avery completely screamed. She wanted to climb the stairs, but we told her she had to walk with us first and then we would climb the stairs-she would have none of this. It was so embarrassing-to say the least. I ended up looking around really quick while Artie chased her around. Then I gave him what I picked out (t-shirts for Avery, Spencer and I), then I took the kids to the car while Artie looked around-not quite the family day we had planned. By the time Artie got to the car, I was ready to just head home. We had planned on walking around campus because we hadn't in so long-there is so much new construction and so much happening. We were going to take Avery to LaFortune to get a milkshake, like I always loved to do while we were students, but didn't make it there. The ride home didn't start much better as Avery screamed because I didn't want to turn her movie on for her since she wasn't good and Spencer screamed because he was hungry. We made a pit-stop in Plymouth, fed Spencer and turned the movie on (I seriously needed some quiet!). The day surely did not go how we would have liked it at all. I swear, if Avery does not get over these screaming fits because she can't do what she wants-I'm going to lose it. I don't know what to do. We don't let her have her way at all, I don't know why she continues to act like this, but it is really making any time we want to take her in public a complete nightmare.

So, we put Friday behind us and got up Saturday morning to head to Dupont Hospital-where I delivered both kids. This time we were heading to the hospital for fun! It was Spencer's first Dupont NICU Reunion Party since being discharged. The hospital has this every year for all of the NICU "graduates". It was so great to go back and see all of these children that were healthy, energetic 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. year olds! It had been awhile since we were at Dupont since Spencer only spent his first 8 days in the NICU there (the other 35 were at Lutheran Children's Hospital). I won't lie, it was really hard for me and a surreal situation-probably because the experience is still so fresh. The party had a safari theme and they had snacks, crafts, and a bounce house and bounce slide-yup we were in trouble. We had a family picture taken, then Avery insisted on headed to the bouncers. Spencer and I hung back under a tent at the craft table and decorated a picture frame for our new family shot. The party started at 10am and we were there right at the beginning so by 11, the heat was starting to be too much for us-except Avery who could have played on the bouncers all freakin' day. After telling her we were leaving, she proceed to scream at the top of her lungs and throw herself on the grass. sigh. On the way out we saw one of Spencer's nurses that had him most of the nights he was there-including the night he wouldn't eat when he got the pneumatosis. We also saw his neonatologist that had him for most of the time he was at Dupont and for his first week at Lutheran (and the one who had to call Artie-sleeping in Spencer's NICU room-in the early morning hours to tell him Spencer was being rushed for surgery-sad-but good to see her again, especially in a happier environment! It was nice for his nurses/doctors to see him, healthy! His nurses from Dupont didn't get to see him once he left for surgery, so they only remember him glowing from the sever jaundice and being really, really sick from the pneumatosis (they would often call and check on him later while he was recovering from surgery). So that was our first NICU party...the second will be next month when we get to go to Lutheran's at the zoo:) Yup, the silver lining about Spencer having to be at two hospitals during his NICU stay is that we get to attend 2 parties every year to celebrate his graduation:)

Formula update: Last post I said that we would be transitioning Spencer from his pregestimil to regular formula. Things started out a little rough. We were transitioning him to regular Enfamil with lipil. It wasn't working very well. Spencer wouldn't eat much and had terrible gas and was in a lot of pain. We switched to a gentle formula that is a little more broken down, and it's worked! What a difference regular formula makes! Spencer is having normal baby stools now, with grunting and everything-something we are definitely not used to. I'm so relieved that he is fully transitioned and doing well. We have to take him to the pediatrician in about a week just for a weight check to make sure he's still gaining weight on the new formula...but from what I can tell, he's definitely still gaining weight-he's a little piggy:)

Okay, on to the pics...

NICU Party

Avery in the bounce house. Even the people 'manning' this thought she was fearless-she was like the tiniest one in there and held her own. This girl has one fierce personality!

Sliding down backwards on the bounce slide...we are looking into some kind of bounce house to rent for her birthday party because this girl was in love!!

While Avery was enjoying Spencer's NICU party, here's how the big man celebrated!!

A butterfly tattoo-Avery's first!-that she got at the party...when it started to wash off in the bath that night, Avery would tell us that butterfly was 'breaky'!

ND/SMC
My freshman year dorm, McCandless...oh the memories that flood back when you visit your alma matter.

My sophomore, junior and senior year dorm, LeMans...my senior year dorm was to the right, 3rd floor up, right behind the tree...when I was there 6+ years ago in that room, I could actually see out of that window:)

No trip to SMC would be complete without a picture of the Avenue-love it!!

This is the only pic of ND that we got-given the circumstances...SMC has the Avenue, ND has their version with that administration building at the end, you may recognize it, it's known as the golden dome...(noted with sarcasm!). It was a beautifully sunny day and the dome was so pretty in all it's glory, shining in the sun!

Avery at SMC with her new puppy with a Saint Mary's shirt on (the puppy). Avery had to have this dog, Tink apparently needed a pet.

How did she know what do? This kid amazes me everyday-even when I'm so darn frustrated with her. This is when I took the kids to the car at the ND bookstore.

Now she's driving, I may have to help her with the pedals, though! NOTE: of course the keys were in the ignition because we had to have the air on due to the heat, but I assure you, I was in control the whole time and no one was in danger!

Spencer has started sitting in his little seat to help him with strength so he can eventually sit on his own. He gets very frustrated though because he doesn't want to have to work at it! He is by no means a laid back baby...they say the 2nd is usually more easy going-I think we're going to defy that logic.

This is how we get Spencer to lay on his back...he has to be on a changing pad-I'm assuming it's just more comfortable that the hard floor...oh man, are we in trouble!!

Have a great week:)