Coming Up for Air... Week Three

Charlie and Benjamin, Avery and Charlie at Grammy and Papa's house, Sadie three weeks old

Highlights from the last week:

1. Today I discovered that among my many talents, I can also nurse while cooking macaroni and cheese.

2. Last night Avery fell on her chin and bit right through her lower lip.

3. I am considering buying a fancy camera off of my brother, and have been experimenting with it for the last couple of days.

4. Paul went back to work on Monday.

Otherwise, all is well in at the Merritt household. A little crazy... but we'll get there! Here are some fun pics from the last week.

Two Weeks Old

I'm not biased or anything... but I think she is the most beautiful baby EVER! (Don't tell Charlie or Avery) Did you notice that tiny double chin? We've been working hard on that, and this girl is starting to fatten up a little! I would be 38 weeks pregnant today, which is exactly how far along I was when Avery was born. Except she was 8.8... I think Sadie may be around 6.5 pounds by now. Her wrinkly skin is slowly starting to fill out, and her jaundice is completely gone. She is waking herself up to eat, so we don't have to set the alarm clock anymore to feed her. The kids are really enjoying her and are so sweet and gentle... let's hope it stays that way once Paul goes back to work next week!

Sunny Sandbox Weekend

Well... Grammy and Papa decided it was time for Charlie to have a sandbox. As you can see, Charlie still has a little bit of a sand aversion... he'll play using the tools only, and insists on washing his hands as soon as a tiny grain even gets underneath his nails. Avery, on the other hand, taking after her mother, is not as reluctant to make a fantastic mess. One side of the pool (see above) is supposed to be for sand, and the other for water and playing with boats, etc... It stayed nice and neat until Avery woke up from her nap, at which time she proceeded to mix the two sides together making a muddy hot mess. At that point Charlie didn't want to play anymore, and Avery was content to have the sandbox to herself for approximately the next two hours.

We had so much fun just lounging around in the yard, bbq-ing, and enjoying the sunshine. A warning: if you have a newborn in the summer, you can't put them outside, even in the shade!!! Learned that the hard way... Sadie managed a little sunburn on her face from the hour she was outside sitting in her chair in the shade. I felt terrible. She has since recovered and looks great.

Also we celebrated Papa's birthday on Sunday. Happy Birthday Papa!

One Week Old!

Today Sadie got her first bath. We've been holding off because of her size, it's hard for her to stay warm. But a girls got to smell good! she looks so tiny in our kitchen sink! Paul loves drying her hair and styling it after it;s been washed. It gets so fluffy, she has a little fro!

Looking a little tired. Sadie dropped some weight and she is now 5.9... so we are feeding every 2-3 hours around the clock. Which wouldn't be so bad if she would wake up for her feedings and stay awake until she finishes! Soon enough all she'll want to do is eat if she's anything like her siblings.

Avery is apparently potty training. And feels it necessary to consume an entire roll of toilet paper in one sitting. She seems like such a big girl to me now, it's hard to remember that she is still a baby herself. She and Sadie are only 21 months apart!

Yum.

We're in Love...

Finally Home!

See what a fickle blogger I am? I have a baby and totally abandon my newest hobby... Just kidding, we've obviously been a little busy! The last few days have been a total blur, and just now I'm taking some time to pan through pictures and get organized. For those of you who haven't figured it out... we had our baby! Here's how it went down:

Monday morning, as I was stressing about my upcoming amnio, my water broke all on its own! Three weeks of sitting in that hospital, wondering if I should even be there, and then exactly what we had feared would happen, did. I am so fortunate that I was there under the watchful eye of wise physicians! And, the good news, is that the baby was ready. Small, but ready. Things went very fast... from the time they figured out that my water had broken to the time the baby was born was only about 45 minutes... Paul barely made it! And, as you know, it was a girl!

Sadie Rose Merritt was born at 9:50am, weighing in at 5lbs, 14 oz, and 19 inches. Because of her gestational age, she did go to the nursery for most of the day, working on getting her body temp up and getting her blood sugar levels up. But she was back in my room with me by early evening, and she's been mine ever since! What a relief. Most of the day I spent waiting for the bottom to drop... but it never did. She might be small, but she's strong!

Anyway, we were released yesterday afternoon, and are now settling back into being home. How surreal after being gone for so long! I am recovering well, although a c section recovery is very different! I have so much respect for all my girlfriends who have gone through this... it's tough! Sadie is doing well too... she nurses really well when she is awake, but getting her to wake up is another story! Preemie babies LOVE to sleep, and it's really important that she be eating. We had our follow-up appointment this morning, and she is down to 5.5lbs... so she needs to eat! Other than that, she's dreamy. She has so much hair, reminding me alot of her brother when he was born... and she has BLUE EYES! (Charlie and Avery's were both charcoal)

Charlie is SO PROUD of his new little sister. He wants to help in any way, and he keeps saying how cute and little she is. I'm very pleased with the kids transition into this... it's going to be fun! Avery runs around saying "Sadie! Sadie!", but is having a little trouble sharing her blankets with her sister.

We continue to be humbled and blessed by the tremendous support and thoughtfulness of our friends and family. Thankyou from the bottom of my heart to all who have taken such good care of us throughout this journey. I will never be able to sufficiently express my thankfulness. We are just so very very happy to be home with our little girl! I promise to update more often now that we're home...

Sadie Rose is here!

Sleepless

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1

"we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not are eternal" 2 Corinthians 4:18

"For we walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Corinthians 5:7

Seafair Sunday

Boy did we have an exciting day today... we had a wheelchair outing! I can't believe how great it feels to breathe fresh air. What a luxury we take for granted! Anyway we are quite a sight to behold... Avery sitting in my lap with bunny while Daddy and Charlie push me. Comedy.

Of course we had to stop in the downstairs lobby to look at the fish... isn't it funny how ALL kids are fascinated with fish? I love how Avery talks to them as though they could hear... "bye-bye Nemo!"

Who knew wheelchairs could be so entertaining?

Avery again napped in the bathroom. She is looking a little rough... she fell on her face twice this week, and now she's got a cold. We're hoping nobody else comes down with it... that's the last thing we need this week!

It was odd watching the seafair festivities on TV this year... usually we are out on the boat watching the Blue Angels. It was also funny to think this is likely the last weekend we would spend as a family of four. I have mixed emotions... part exhileration at the thought that I could be home soon with our new little one, part anxiety thinking about the amnio tomorrow. The thought of spending any more time here makes my chest hurt! Today makes three full weeks that I've been here... and it's time to go home!