Happy & Blessed - Asher

Deuteronomy 33:24-25 says, “Most blessed son is Asher.” I wasn’t familiar with Asher’s story in the Bible until my sister and her husband were thinking of naming their first son Asher. Asher is the eight son of Jacob, and he had four sons and one daughter. His father said that Asher would have a life blessed with abundance of food and delicacies fit for a king. In Revelation, Asher is among the Tribes receiving the Seal of God. Asher is also known for selling his brother, Joseph, into slavery.

The name Asher means happy and blessed. He’s full of life, spunk, attitude, and happiness. He has blessed our family in so many ways.

Here are some things that Asher loves:

• · Eating – you better have a lot of food!
• · Playing chase
• · Riding in his red wagon
• · Jumping off his recliner at Nonny and Pappy’s
• · Blowing/Giving kisses
• · Laughing
• · Cooper – their dog
• · Singing and Dancing
• · Playing on his slide

Asher is afraid of nothing! He is extremely brave, and he loves to try to stand and balance on things. He’s definitely ALL boy! Here are a few pictures of our precious Asher.

Saying, "Cheese!" for Aunt Shelley.

Getting ready to slide.

"1, 2, 3, GO!" Asher says when he jumps off the recliner.


Laying in his wagon while Pappy pulls him around the room.

Checking on Baby Ansley.

Blowing kisses.

Project Linus

While Ansley was in the NICU, she received several hand crocheted blankets and hats. Every couple of days, she would have a new blanket at her station, and she would be sporting a new hat. Mitch especially loved her little hats. He also loved to switch out the hats to make sure she looked just right. (Ansley is sporting a Project Linus hat in the picture of her leaving the NICU.) The nurses told us that they were donated by the group Project Linus. As Linus was always comforted by his blanket in Charlie Brown, these handmade blankets are created to do the same thing to seriously ill, traumatized, or other children in need. Volunteers across the United States form regional chapters, and there are nearly 400 chapters across the U.S. All 50 states have chapters. The blankets and caps Ansley received were from the Bibb Chapter. So far, the organization has donated more than 4 million blankets to children in the United States! Project Linus donates blankets to hospitals, home shelters, social service agencies, and anywhere children need some additional comfort. Ansley received three precious blankets and hats during her stay at the NICU. These are such special keepsake gifts, and I can’t wait to share with her the story behind them. It was neat to see each baby’s station covered with their special blanket. It helped us identify where she was as well because they moved her to different locations within the NICU. If you have a free minute, visit their website. You can read stories about children who received blankets under the “Blanket Buzz” link. If you know how to crochet or make any type of blanket, think about finding the chapter nearest you and becoming a “blanketeer”. I would love to make some blankets and give back to a sweet organization that blessed us.

http://www.projectlinus.org/

My Essential Items....

After two months, I feel like we actually know what we’re doing…sometimes! People have asked me what the best/most used baby item is. My first response is always diapers. You can never have too many of those. If you only open the box when you need them, you can exchange diapers that are too small for bigger ones. There are so many baby products out there, and some of them are definitely not needed. However, there are many items that we wouldn’t have survived without. I have to thank my sister, Shana, for the help with many of them. She went with me to register and the day we found out Ansley was coming home to buy the essentials. Here are my top needed items:

1. Swaddle Me blankets – These are an absolute lifesaver. Babies love to be bundled up and restricted at least the first few weeks of life. It makes them feel like they are still in the womb. The NICU used blankets, and they called it the burrito wrap. We tried that, but we couldn’t get her to stay tucked inside. Houdini always found a way out. We received some of the Swaddle Me blankets as a shower gift, and we were so thankful for them. We still use them for nighttime sleep, and Ansley loves being bundled up. Our friends refer to it as a straight jacket, which it does resemble, but it does comfort them and help them sleep.

2. Bouncer/Swing – We registered for the Graco Bouncer/Swing combo. I like having both of these items in one package. I wanted less clutter around the house, so I thought that would be nice. The bouncer detaches from the swing, and you can place it on the floor. Ansley isn’t too fond of the swing, but she loves the bouncer. She will lay and sleep in it for at least an hour or so after each feeding…sometimes longer. It is nice to have something that will keep her upright after feedings too. I highly recommend a bouncer.

3. Whale Bathtub – This is a great bathtub because the baby can grow with it. It has several detachable parts that you can use as the baby gets bigger. At first, you put an infant block in the bottom of the tub that keeps the infant sitting up as you bathe them. The infant only uses the top half of the tub. As the baby grows, you can take that part out and use the entire tub. It also came with some cute toys.

4. Diaper Champ – I like the diaper champ because I think it blocks odors really nicely. You can also use regular trash bags, which saves a lot of money. The Diaper Genie requires you to purchase additional items…that adds up over time. I think the Champ holds a good amount of diapers too.

5. Soothie Pacifier – The NICU sent us home with a few of these, and they are great. Ansley will not take a regular paci. At first, they were a little big for her, but she’s grown into them now. I’m not sure what it is about this type of paci, but Ansley really loves them. They also make these cute animals you can attach to the paci that the baby can love on. The animals are called WubbaNubs.

6. Aspirator (the Hospital one) – Again, this was advice from my sister. She told me to take the aspirator the nurses used on Ansley in the hospital. They have to throw them away if you don’t take them because they can’t use items over (thankfully!). They are much better than the ones sold in stores. The NICU nurse gave us a brand new one, and a lesson on how to use it! Although Ansley HATES when we use it, it is useful in getting mucus out of her nostrils. (PS…Take anything they give you from the hospital. We came away with a lot of goodies – diapers, wipes, formula, alcohol wipes for the belly button, baby soap, small pink bath tub, etc.) I couldn't find a picture of the one we have from the hospital.

7. Video Monitor – We bought the Summer Infant Video Monitor. I really like being able to watch Ansley on the screen. It’s nice to see what position she’s in when she’s sleeping, and I can easily see that her face isn’t covered with anything. It also has a talkback feature where you can talk to the baby/child. That may be neat to use when she’s older. It has a color screen during the day and infrared nighttime vision. The screen is also a touch screen which Mitch insisted that we get. It is easy to zoom and scan though, and I really like it so far.

8. Disposable Changing Sheets – These are so handy. They are disposable paper sheets you place over the changing table. They aren’t the cutest, but they save us from having to wash the changing cover so often.
9. Pack-n-Play – This is great for on-the-go days. We take it to SueSue and Grandad’s house when we visit. It has the basinet and other features on top. We haven’t used that portion because we have a basinet, but those features are really handy. It’s easy to pack up and tote around too.

10. Little Tummies Gas Relief Drops – We used these quite frequently at first. I think Ansley really loves the berry taste. It is cute to see her suck her lips to get every last drop. Babies all have tummy issues, and these seemed to relieve some of the pain. We still use them every now and then, but we don’t have to use them quite as much. We probably went through three bottles the first 6 weeks.

11. Dishwasher Basket and Bottle Rack – These are such simple items, but they are definitely needed. I feel like all I do is clean bottles! The dishwasher basket is great for all of the small parts of the bottle. The bottle rack stores the bottles once they are cleaned and need to dry. Again, I don’t like clutter, so it’s nice to have something to put all of the bottle parts on. We feed so often that the bottles never make it to the cabinet.

12. Humidifier – We didn’t get this until after the first month. We noticed that Ansley was a little congested, so we asked the pediatrician about what to do. He suggested a humidifier. During the Winter months, the heater constantly running causes the air to become really dry. This can cause mild congestion. I had registered for one, but didn’t get it, so we purchased it. I haven’t noticed a huge difference in congestion, but it seems to make the air in the room a lot better to breathe. It also has a peaceful sound, which is nice at night.

13. Dr Brown’s Bottles – I really like these bottles. They are made to reduce colic. Ansley doesn’t have colic, but she seems to like the bottles a lot. She took to them really well early on, and we haven’t had to make any switches. She has minimal spit up, and she doesn’t seem to have a lot of excess air/gas. The only downside is the number of parts involved. There are several pieces to the bottle that have to be taken apart and assembled for cleaning and making bottles. This can be a pain, especially at 4:00am, but it’s worth it to not have serious tummy issues.

14. Dreft – Wow – I had no idea how much laundry a baby could produce. I do at least 1 load a day for Ansley. Between burp cloths, bibs, rags, towels, and outfits, I am always washing clothes. I love this mild detergent, and it smells so fresh. It doesn’t bother Ansley’s skin either. I would definitely recommend using Dreft.

Life at Home

The first two months flew by. Ansley pretty much slept for 6 weeks straight. She slept day and night. It was nice to be able to take care of things around the house, rest, and heal myself. Since she was a preemie, the NICU doctor wanted us to feed every 3 hours. That meant waking up a sleeping baby, which was the hardest part of the first month. To wake a perfectly sleeping baby is unheard of, but she needed to have the nutrients. I believe she would have completely slept through everything if we didn’t wake her up. She had lost a little weight, which is normal, but the doctors wanted to make sure she was gaining properly. She was right at 5 pounds when she was born, but when she left the NICU she was 4 pounds 5 ounces. She’s 8 ½ pounds now, so I’m pretty sure she’s getting some nutrients. :) The first month, she barely opened her eyes. I think she thought she was still in the womb! Days and nights were pretty long with the feedings being that frequent…12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00…around the clock! After one month, we finally got the news we wanted….on demand feedings! At first, her body woke her up at 3 hours on the dot. She slowly began making it longer and longer in between. We’re now between 3-4 hours during the day and 4-6 hours at night. It will be a glorious day when she makes it all night. Ansley is becoming more alert each day. Here are some pictures of her playing on her musical mobile gym.

Christmas Eve

Two months old

Coming Home

Thanksgiving was a day I had been looking forward to. I knew I would be pregnant and ready to eat. I was looking forward to eating all of the yummy holiday food and not having to worry about gaining weight. Little did I know I would have something much better to look forward to. Mitch and I didn’t get to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. Instead, we were at the NICU picking up Ansley! We had to go the night before to watch a CPR video. Although the video was informative, the thought of having to perform that was frightening. During the discharge, we sat with one of the NICU nurses while she went over paper after paper. She explained about 100 things to us, and we both sat there silenlty. At the end of everything, she said, “Do you have any questions?” Mitch and I both wanted to say, “Yeah, can one of you come home with us?” It was a bittersweet moment. We were so excited to bring her home, but we were scared to leave the comfort of the nurses, doctors, and monitor machines. All of the what ifs ran through my mind. I had to find comfort knowing that they wouldn’t have released her if she wasn’t ready. It was also hard because other parents were in there visiting their babies, and they had to watch us get to take our baby home. I wondered what I had done to deserve that special blessing. I still think of those babies, and I hope most of them are home now.

Her tiny body barely fit in the carrier. She looked like a baby doll, and her preemie outfit swallowed her! I rode in the back seat to make sure she didn’t stop breathing. She passed the car seat test the night before, but first time mom was nervous. That was the second longest trip from Macon to Perry! We made it home safely, and we enjoyed a simple Thanksgiving at our house as a family of three. Both our moms brought Thanksgiving food over, so we had no shortage of good eating!

Here she is ready to leave the NICU.

Great News

Although Ansley progressed great each day, we knew that she wasn’t ready to come home. She was off the ventilator, and she had pulled her own feeding tube out, but she needed to be feeding more on her own before she would be discharged. She was still hooked up to the IV, which gave her additional nutrients, and she had the monitors that checked heart, breathing, O2 levels, etc. They don’t tell you a suggested date of discharge because they don’t want to get your hopes up, so we had no idea when she would be able to come home. As the days got closer to Sunday (my discharge date), my emotions were in full force. Knowing we would have to leave without our sweet baby was not what we wanted. We knew she was right where she needed to be, but it was so hard to comprehend. The day of my discharge was a blur, and a day I never want to relive. We went to visit Ansley and help out with the feeding. We kissed and loved on her, and then we had to say our goodbye. The pain of leaving was so hard. Mitch and I both wept. We sat in the parking lot for a long time before he had the composure to drive us home. It was the longest ride from Macon to Perry. My mom was so gracious to come and fix us a wonderful meal. She made all of our favorite dishes, and we were so thankful for some good food. Mitch and I decided that we would go back to the NICU each night for the 9:00 feeding. Returning later that day was so good for us. We saw that precious face again, and my broken heart was beginning to heal. We made it home with no tears! For the next few days, Mitch’s mom and my sister took turns taking me to the NICU in the morning. Mitch would visit during his lunch break, and then the two of us would return each evening. The nurses are so wonderful there, and they were so patient with every question we had. You can also call 24 hours a day to check on your baby. We definitely wore that number out! Knowing she was in such good hands gave us great comfort. I was also able to heal at home and rest up. I know we couldn’t have gotten through this without the Lord. He answered all of our prayers and comforted us during these days. I was also surprised at the number of people in the same situation. We received so many emails, facebook messages, text and phone calls with people offering encouraging words. To talk to someone who has been through the same situation made things a lot easier. We also knew that so many people were praying for Ansley. Words can’t express how thankful we are of all of the prayers for Ansley. The Lord definitely heard and responded.

On one of the morning visits, we found out the greatest news. Ansley was ready to come home! Yay! Then everything in my mind came to a screeching hault….wait, what?? I don’t even have everything ready. I called Mitch with the wonderful news first. After the visit with Ansley, Shana and I decided to run to Target to get what we would need to survive our first month or so with Ansley. I felt like we bought out the entire baby section, but we were prepared! I couldn’t wait to finish getting everything set-up. At 33 ½ weeks, her room was nowhere near ready! We did what we could to prepare for her homecoming. Our baby girl was finally coming home!

Special Surprise

We survived the first two months with our new bundle of joy. Everything was a bit of a whirlwind for a while, but things are starting to settle down. I wanted to do a recap of how everything happened.

Mitch and I had to make an unexpected trip to the hospital at 2:30 am on Wednesday morning, November 16^th. We were definitely anxious to get there, but I prayed the entire way to Macon, and I knew the Lord was with us. After a slight fiasco of getting into the hospital, we finally were settled into a room. FYI – doors are locked after a certain time, which makes it a little difficult to enter the labor and delivery portion! They immediately hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor, and hearing that sweet heartbeat was music to our ears. We were so relieved to know that she was okay. It was a long few hours of waiting in a closet examining room. We decided to wait until morning to call our parents since nothing huge was happening. Finally morning came and the doctor came. He discussed a lot of possibilities, and we felt better knowing that we were in safe hands. They wouldn’t let me eat until they finished taking tests, which was miserable. We were eventually moved into a nicer, more spacious room.

The second night was pretty miserable. I was hooked up to about a million different machines, which all had to be unhooked each time I needed to get up. Being 7 ½ months pregnant, caused me to have to get up frequently. I had to wake Mitch up each time because my cords would get all tangled. Several times during the night the nurses would rush in to check on things. They didn’t really tell us what they wanted, but we could tell things weren’t quite right. They would mention that the baby’s heart rate would dip down pretty low, but the nurse wouldn’t tell me how low. Around 7:45 am, the doors opened again. This time is was my OBGYN, Dr. Roddenberry, his twin brother, and several nurses. Mitch and I looked at each other in anxiousness. Dr. Eric showed me his phone which had my contractions and the baby’s heart rate on the screen. Pretty neat! He pointed out that each time I had a contraction, which were pretty frequent, the baby’s heart rate would drop. At this point, we had 2 options. We could try to wait until 34 weeks to deliver to help the baby’s lungs develop, or we could go ahead and do the c-section that morning. He and his brother suggested the c-section because they feared the baby’s heart rate would continue to drop with more contractions, which could cause serious problems. As scary as the situation was, I was surprisingly calm. We didn’t have time to really think about everything. They threw a set of scrubs at Mitch and wheeled me away.

I was the most scared about the epidural. Having something poked in your back didn’t seem to be the most pleasing thing. I have to admit, it was a breeze…piece of cake! The medicine from the epidural and spinal block (used to completely paralyze me during the c-section) made me extremely shaky. I couldn’t tell if I was cold or not. I definitely didn’t like not being able to move anything, but I know for the safety of me, the baby, and the doctors, they had to do that. I was so relieved when it all wore off!

The c-section took about 15 minutes. At 8:44 am we saw the most precious sight. Sweet Ansley was born. Dr. Eric held her over the tarp for me to see. I will never forget that first glimpse. Mitch was able to step to the side and take pictures of the nurses working on her. They had a team of NICU nurses and doctors in there since she was so early. They tried several times to get her to breathe on her own, but she made no effort, so they had to use the ventilator. She was wheeled away to the NICU, and Mitch was able to follow and be right there with her. It wasn’t until later that afternoon that I was able to see her again. They wouldn’t let me up until the epidural wore off and I could move my legs to get out of bed. The nurse was so kind to take pictures of Ansley and bring them to me so that I could see her. I was amazed at how big she looked. She was beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to see her in person. Later that afternoon, I was finally able to be wheeled down to the NICU. I will never forget that sweet moment when I saw my baby girl. It was love at first sight!