Has it been three months already?

Wow! Three months has passed and I have not kept up with my blog as I had hoped this summer. Let's just say a busy toddler and a newborn have been more challenging than I anticipated. Trey's been working so hard this summer getting his new career started with New York Life. It's so nice to have him home every night! Aside from a few training days this summer, I've been a full-time mommy. I love it, but I can't wait to get back to my kids at school.

Grace is growing taller every day it seems. She is still skinny as ever. It sure is tough to find pants to fit her! She is talking so well. Sometimes it's hard to understand what she's saying because she talks so fast. She says, "You have the sneezes, like Benny" when you sneeze. She'll say bless you. She says you're welcome and thank-you without prompting (most of the time). She knows exactly what she wants and doesn't want to eat. She loves to sing and dance. She's been walking like a sumo-wrestler lately (not sure where she picked that up). She loves playing with older kids. This past Friday we played kickball in the alley with the neighbors grandkids. We all had a blast. She will draw for HOURS! I put her markers and paper away, hoping she'll play with her dolls or something, but the second I turn around, she's got the markers back out. She makes sure she colors with each and every color. She's a swimmer! She loves going to the pool with anyone who will take her. She's very into her little sister at times. She likes to hold Morgan's hand and say, "Awwww. . ." She totally knows when she's doing something cute. She keeps me on my toes each and every day. Wow, is she smart!

After a bit of searching, we found a plastic surgeon that we liked and will be doing Grace's surgery on Wednesday, July 21st. It's a one-hour procedure where they will put her completely under, slice her lip open, remove the mass, and stitch her back up again. I'm a bit nervous about what her recovery will bring, but I completely trust Dr. Buckingham. He was so great with her at our visit. I'm headed to Blockbuster tomorrow to stock up on some videos to keep us occupied after her surgery. She's into the princess stage now, so looks like I'll be watching classic Disney films. I quite enjoyed watching Snow White with her for the first time this past Saturday.

Morgan is growing so fast! She's quite the talker. I don't remember Grace being this vocal when she was Morgan's age. She loves batting her eyelashes at you and cooing at you. She isn't rolling over yet; she's come close, but hasn't done it yet. She loves pushing herself up when lying on the floor. She's strong! She loves sitting straight up. LOVES the Bumbo. She's been sleeping 12-13 hours a night. I LOVE IT! I'm actually awake enough during the day to enjoy her. I remember my zombie days with Grace so well! (and those didn't end until she slept through the night after she turned a year old!)

I hope to get some pictures and video up this week, but who knows if that will happen! It's taken me three months to post this! ;)

Cute Video as Requested

Homecoming April 14, 2010

APRIL 14, 2010
SHE'S FINALLY HOME!

I was driving Grace to Kyle, where she attends daycare, so I could spend my usual 4-5 hours at the NICU. My phone rang. It was Kim, a NICU nurse that also happens to be a member of our church. We like to think of her as our NICU angel. She said, "Get your car seat and get your butt up here, she's goin' home!" I couldn't believe it! I started sobbing. I called Trey and the sound of my voice scared him. I did the same to my mom. I didn't even have the car seat CLEAN yet! Trey canceled his appointments for the rest of the day and we went to spring Morgan together.

Grace meeting her sister for the very first time.

Grace helping Mommy hold Morgan.

The first kiss . . . ah, priceless!

Just days before they released her.

Just days before they released her.

Progressing QUICKLY!

You know, I hate to admit that my husband was right, but he sure was this time! The doctor called me yesterday afternoon to let me know that Morgan would now be getting three bottles a day. She was doing well. I was so excited when I told Trey! Last night we were talking about it and he said, "Just watch, she'll get increased to four tomorrow." I told him I didn't think they'd increase her so quickly without having 24 hours to assess how she did with the three bottles. BOY WAS I WRONG! The doctor called me on my way out of the parking garage today to let me know they were increasing Morgan to a bottle feed every other feed, that's four a day. We are now at the halfway mark! We need to be at eight to be released from the hospital.

Eh hem, eh hem . . . Trey Hertel, I stand corrected. There, I said it!

Five pounds, four ounces!

I thought I'd use the quiet time I have tonight to update the blog. Trey took Grace down to the neighbor's house for a few minutes. I'd better type fast! Morgan has officially surpassed her birth weight today. She's now 5 lbs. 4 oz! They increased her feed amount yesterday to 50 ml. Her night nurse noted that she downed her first 50 ml bottle in 18 minutes! She was a hungry girl!

I had another appointment with lactation at 11:30 today and Morgan nursed for 25 minutes. She still took 15 ml of milk from a bottle when she was done! I have a feeling that she's going to gain weight rapidly! I spoke to the doctor this afternoon on my way home from Kyle, and she said it looks like another couple of weeks in the NICU. They want Morgan to be taking a full eight bottles a day before they send her home. It's disappointing news, but at least I will know she'll really be ready to be home at that point.

* A special thank-you to the Kaminskys, the meal you delivered tonight was incredible! We are so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family!

Yea for bottles!

My mom stopped by to pay Morgan a visit. This was the first time she got to hold her.

April 6th the speech therapist worked with Morgan to see if she could handle the bottle better than she did last week. She improved a lot! She downed her entire bottle in less than twenty minutes! The doctor gave the order for a bottle a day.

April 7 - The doctor gave the order this afternoon for two bottles a day. Trey, my mom and I went in to visit again tonight and Trey was able to feed Morgan her second bottle. She did great! She did get pretty pooped at the end. Trey said she looked like a drunken sailor!

Here's a better view of Morgan while Trey fed her tonight. She was such a hungry girl! She's got this bottle thing down! Tomorrow, on to breast feeding! Yea!

Making progress!

Today was an exciting day! I walked into the NICU to see Morgan and she wasn't in her bed. Panic hit! A nurse saw my deer in headlights look and told me she had been moved to a different bay. Ok, I thought, that's either good or bad. I went to the new bay, bay six, and there she was!

Dave had been there for about a half an hour before I got there and was getting the update from her nurse when I arrived. Turns out the nurse attends our church. We'd never met, but both thought the other looked familiar. We had a great visit! Nurse Kim taught me how to swaddle Morgan, how to change her diaper, made sure I took her temperature, and even taught me how to feed Morgan her very first bottle! She was very patient with me. Morgan had a difficult time getting the sucking thing down, but once she did, boy did she go to town on that bottle! The first bottle feed was a success.

The doctor discussed possibly removing the cannula tomorrow. He increased her feeds to 27 cc's and wants to use the bottle for feeds. He said if the cannula is removed and her feeds go well, she could go home in four to five days. What a blessing!

Dave and I took turns holding Morgan. She was such a good little girl! She was perfectly content to be swaddled and held.

Morgan Helen Hertel

Well, I guess I just wasn't meant to have normal deliveries. Morgan Helen Hertel was born March 26, 2010 at 12:12 AM. She weighed 5 pounds 3.4 ounces and was 18 inches long. We chose the name Morgan because it was a name we both liked. Her middle name, Helen, is after Trey's Oma, Helen Bishop. We love, love, love her! I also found out today that my mom's favorite grandmother's first name was Helen as well. Wow! A two-fer!

Let me tell you a bit about how Morgan came into this world. . .

It was a great Thursday - I was enjoying my time with my students and we were starting a new unit. By the end of third period, the back pain I had been experiencing the past couple of days was joined by sharp, shooting pains. At the beginning of fourth period, one of my students (who is also a new dad) asked me what was wrong. I told him I was having some pain and he suggested I start keeping track of the times. I thought it was crazy, but I complied. He watched me like a hawk the entire class period. The pains were happening about every twenty to twenty-five minutes. At the end of class, I sent Trey a text telling him what was going on and that I was going to call the doctor at lunch. I called, but Thursday is his day off, so I had to wait for the nurse on call to call me back. I went to lunch, had a lunch meeting with my team and at their urging, called the front office to see if someone could cover my 5th period so I could lie down a bit, hoping this would ease the cramping. 5th period started and I reminded my students of the severe weather drill we would be having and went over procedures. In the middle of all of that, an AP came running into my room to see if I was ok and if I needed anything. My cell phone rang, it was the nurse on call. I took the call while the AP took my students to the weather safe room. The nurse originally thought I was simply having some braxton hicks contractions and should take some tylenol and put my feet up for the rest of the day. However, near the end of our conversation, I had a shooting pain and apparently made a noise that told her the pain had to be worse than I was letting on. She told me to come on in. Cue the water works. . .

I called Trey to let him know I needed to go to the doctor and was going to drive myself there. On my way to the doctor (a 30 minute drive) I called him back to ask him to pack a bag for me just in case. I hadn't even finished packing my bag, folks! That's how unprepared I was for all of this! So, Trey packed my bag as I drove to Austin. I got to the doctor and saw one of the partners. I explained to her the drama of Grace's birth and my fears of this delivery being similar. She checked me out and believe it or not, I was 3 cm! She said, "You're 3 cm. What I need you to do is drive directly to the hospital. Do not stop at the store, do not stop anywhere. Go directly to labor and delivery." Wow, this was really happening. Thanks to Oscar, who told me to start timing my pains! I called Trey and let him know. This sent him into panic mode. I could almost picture him running around the house trying to pack everything he might need. I drove the two blocks to the hospital, checked in and waited for Trey to arrive. The nurse checked me and I was 4 cm. Wow! I thought. This is going to move quickly. I hope Trey gets here in time. There was a traffic fatality on the major highway and it was shut down. He was actually stuck in traffic!

Trey arrived at the hospital and began plugging in the cameras, etc. We watched TV until they checked me again. No change. It seemed like it took forever for me to make it to 5 cm.
Once I did, I asked nicely for the epidural. I wanted to make sure I got one this time! The nurse asked the doctor, who I will now be referring to as Dr. Scrooge, and he said he wanted me to wait.

Here is Dr. Scrooge. As you can see, Morgan isn't too fond of him either!

He still wasn't sure I was in real labor. Ok, the pain wasn't too bad. I thought I could wait a little longer. An hour or so later, the contractions were getting stronger. When my nurse asked me to rate my pain, I told her it was a 7 and I wanted the epidural. She asked Dr. Scrooge and he said he still wanted to see that I was progressing a little more. I was still 5 cm. Dang! No drugs. A little later, Trey went looking for him. He could see I was in pain and said I was being too nice about all of this. Dr. Scrooge shot Trey an angry look and took his sweet time coming to my room. He checked me himself, but I was still 5 cm. Again, he wanted more progress. The nurse came in after he left and said I could have a sedative, but nothing more. "FINE! I'll take it!" I said. Let me just say, this did NOTHING for the pain, but it knocked me out so I could sleep between contractions.

I was so out of it I didn't even realize Trey was watching the basketball game.

A couple of pain- filled, bed- rail grabbing, contraction- riddled hours later, my wonderful nurse checked me and said I was at 7 cm. GREAT! Now get me my epidural, I thought. She said she had to ask Dr. Scrooge. He FINALLY gave the ok. Gee thanks, Dr. Scrooge!

Here's the kicker - the anesthesiologist was "tied up" with something and couldn't get away. They had to call another one in to take care of me and I had to wait for her to arrive to the hospital. OK. At this point, had I had sharp objects nearby, I would have been throwing them at anyone in eyesight. I was in A LOT of pain. By the time she arrived I was 9 cm and she had to rush to give me the epidural before it was too late. There, finally, I got my epidural. I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. The next thing I know, the nurse is telling me to push and Dr. Scrooge is sitting on the end of my bed. I pushed two times and boom, there she was, Morgan Helen Hertel. I guess it happened faster than they anticipated because the NICU nurses hadn't arrived yet and my nurse had to call for extra help. I got a quick glance at my little girl and they rushed her off to the NICU. Dr. Scrooge congratulated us and left the room. My nurse apologized profusely for not getting me the epidural sooner. She said she kept asking for it, but he kept telling her no. I think she must have apologized at least six or seven times before I changed rooms.

Enjoy the pictures!

I think I was able to hold her for about ten seconds here.

Look at all of that dark hair!

I haven't seen her face since this picture was taken.

Trey, reassuring his new little one of her temporary NICU home.

Meeting Grandpa Dave

Meeting Grandma Slabaugh a.k.a. Grandma Wee

Look at those toes!

Somebody needs a manicure!

Such tiny hands!

Enjoy the following video! Happy Birthday, Morgan!

WARNING: Long update!

Ok, I really need to take the time to update this more often. Let's just say life's been a little busy lately. I'm up at 2:37 AM, wide awake and HUNGRY! This little girl is very opinionated already. When she's hungry, I have to eat RIGHT NOW! Oy! Can I handle another head-strong little girl? I'm now at 29 weeks. This pregnancy has gone much better than my first. I haven't had any problems with high blood pressure, my feet aren't giving me as many problems, and I don't feel like I'm as puffy as I was with Grace. I am, however, completely exhausted. I thought I was tired with Grace! Try being seven months pregnant and chasing after the fastest, most on-the-go toddler in the world. That's exhausting!

Trey has been home for almost a month straight now. It took a while for Grace to get used to having Daddy here. She's been such a Mommy's girl for the longest time. She's really enjoying having someone to get down on the floor and play with her. Daddy can get up off of the floor MUCH easier than Mommy can!

Trey was laid-off last month. It came as quite a shock to both of us. God has really helped us through this! I can't even begin to tell you! From the minute Trey got home, I felt nothing but a sense of peace about the whole thing. I was actually almost happy about it. Strange to say, I know, but feelings are feelings, right? Trey had spent the better part of a year trying to make things work for this new company. He was traveling more than ever, working longer hours than ever and it seemed like he was getting nowhere. We were growing apart, Grace was having issues, I was exhausted and resentful, we had lost our focus. Then, it happened. Suddenly, we were leaning on each other, leaning more on God and our church family, and were having time to re-evaluate what it is that we want. With the little one's arrival around the corner, having a strong family unit seems to be the most important to both of us. Money is nice, yes, but being together as a family is more important. We are praying for the right job to come along that allows Trey to stay local, one that utilizes and appreciates his gifts, and most importantly, one that he enjoys!

In the meantime, we've made some serious cut-backs. We cut our cable. We cut back on phone packages, and got rid of all of the non-essentials. There's this line from one of our favorite movies, The Peaceful Warrior, where Soc tells the kid to, "Take out the trash." He's telling him to get rid of everything he doesn't need so he can focus on what is really important to him. This line keeps resonating with me. God is truly working!

Anyway, let me give you a little update on Grace, the sunshine of our lives right now. She's almost two, but you'd never know it. She thinks she's much older. She never stops! She knows exactly what she wants and how she wants it done. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She is very talkative. She's been interested in the potty ever since Angie, Scott, and Noah were down to visit last month. My mom bought her an Elmo potty that she insists on sitting on every day, but someone has to sit on the potty next to her as well. Heaven forbid I try to go to the bathroom by myself! I'll head in that direction and she'll say, "Wait for me!" She loves playing catch! However, she has to put you where you are supposed to stand. She loves to draw. That girl can color and doodle on paper for what seems like hours.

She has started singing songs she makes up while she's in the bath or playing with her toys. It's so cute! I'd get it on video, but every time she sees a camera, she stops whatever it is that she's doing and becomes obsessed with seeing herself in the camera. Thankfully, she seems to be out of her Handy Manny phase. I was beginning to go crazy! She's now in a Dora phase, or as she calls her, "Doot Doot." Thank God for technology, because we have at least a couple of all of her favorite shows downloaded on iTunes and are able to hook the laptop up to the TV so she can watch. Without that, we wouldn't get to eat! It keeps her entertained while I cook.

It's after 3 and someone has finally stopped kicking me, so I think I'll go back to bed. I'm sure I'm forgetting cute stories about Grace or some other important details, but at this point I can't even think straight anymore. I'll have to fill in the gaps later! Night all!