Name Update

The Great Name Debate (which really wasn't...) is now over.

In honor of generations of Grandmothers on my Mother's side, we have decided to give Bailey the middle name of ANE. Because this is the Danish spelling, the "E" is silent, and has no effect on the "A" sound, contrary to any and all phonetic fanatics out there.

So. Here's the official announcement.

Bailey Ane Stahr

18 May 2011

6lbs 7oz

19.75 inches long

Love and Adored by her siblings and parents

Off...

LeGrand has informed me that he's going to be outside shooting Big Bad Wolves. I hope he gets some. The world needs less Big Bad Wolves. Unless they're in Fairy Tales. Then they could be essential to the plot.

Meeting Bailey

Friday last, all the children came to the NICU to meet Bailey. It was a joy to see them - I hadn't realized how much I had missed them until I saw them all again... I definitely do NOT like having my family separated.

Caroline saw Bailey first - with Dad. Then Savannah and Margaret scrubbed up so that they could hold her, and finally LeGrand. I think he was most pleased to meet her - he's certainly been a proud brother.

I learned during my stay at the NICU with Bailey that the church really is a wonderful support - even when you don't physically talk to a person or see someone. I needed a toothbrush. Badly. After asking at the desk if they had one, I was provided with a plastic bag filled with lotion (in the container), a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, a small container of shaving cream and a razor, a washcloth - decent sized, not like the little ones at the hospital, and shampoo and conditioner. Several months ago, our Relief Society put together some kits with the same stuff. Based on the size of the lotion, this humanitarian kit didn't come from my ward, but somewhere, someone put it together and I was grateful for the reminder of the Sisterhood that the Relief Society provides. I was exceedingly grateful for the toothpaste. You can see by the photo that I was more interested in staying with Bailey than in showering. I took a shower first thing after getting Bailey to the Stahr's so we could pick up the rest of the children. It was a necessity. I couldn't even stand to be around me!

I'm just glad that Bailey is no longer attached to an IV, wires or anything else that keeps her from being close to me. And very glad that the stay at the NICU was short.

Tender Mercies and Small Miracles

On Wednesday, 18 May 2011, Bailey A. Stahr (we're still discussing the spelling of her middle name, which is Ane or Ann or Anne depending on what we end up with...) made her appearance into the world. She was 3 weeks early, and came in a rush (15 minutes from floating to appearing...). Her birth at home was relatively uneventful - just fast.

Shortly after she was born, she developed respiratory issues - read: her face was still blue, and she was grunting for air and not wanting to nurse. After administering oxygen for 4 hours without complete resolution, Andrew gave her a blessing and we decided to transport her to the hospital in Silverton. We left our house sometime around 7:30 PM, and got to Silverton 20 minutes later. Bailey still grunting and not pink in her face. She looked like she had some major bruising. She was admitted immediately.

The nurses and doctor in the ER started an IV with ampicillan and gentomyacin (and I'm sure I didn't spell either of those correctly...) as antibiotics just in case there was an infection that she was fighting, administered oxygen, and took some blood samples to run cultures on. And then they took an x-ray of her lungs. A few minutes later, the doctor came back and told me that she had a partially collapsed left lung (he used the medical term, but I can't remember what it was and had to ask him what he meant anyway - sleep deprivation, no medical training... you understand, I'm sure, so I won't force it on anyone...) and that he had already called Panda and they were on their way from Portland with an ETA of approximately 2 hours to transport Bailey to Doernbecher's Children's Hospital. During this last sentence, I'm thinking: "He called for Chinese food and it's coming from PORTLAND???" And then the Doernbechers came and I realized that my baby was going to one of the best children's hospitals in the northwest to go to the NICU. It wasn't the best of feelings. As you can well imagine.

Panda came and loaded Bailey into the incubator and got her hooked to oxygen up her nose and a tube down her throat to make sure that the air they were forcing into her lungs wasn't going to stay in her stomach. The ambulance driver gave Andrew instructions on how to get to the hospital "just in case we have to hit the lights and siren..." and we were on our way.

When we got into the truck (I couldn't ride in the ambulance with her because she was less than 24-hours old and they're not equipped to care for moms in distress - Andrew could have ridden, and I could have driven the truck, but I have a history with Andrew's truck and it resulted in a hole in the side - I wasn't in any condition to try to drive...) and said a prayer as we followed the ambulance.

As soon as we arrived, Bailey was wheeled to the 12th floor at OHSU and admitted to Doernbechers Neonatal Care Center (also known as the NICU). There, she had another chest x-ray to check her lungs again. This time, the x-rays didn't show any collapse of her lung. Tender Mercies and Small Miracles.

We spent 2.5 nights and 2 days in the NICU while Bailey was weaned off of the forced oxygen and completed her antibiotics round. During this time she had an Echo-Cardiogram to see if the respiratory issues were due to heart issues. They found that she has an enlarged aorta near her heart, so she has a follow-up visit with a cardiologist in November. We're confident that she won't have any lasting effects.

While it was difficult to watch the ambulance with our newborn drive off, I will admit that for the first time that day, I felt peace and knew that all would be well. Again, a Tender Mercy from the Lord.

Perhaps the highlight of my stay in the NICU was having all the children come on Friday to meet Bailey and to have their picture taken with her. Caroline was first to see her, then Savannah and Margaret together, and finally LeGrand. He promptly informed me that she was "funny..." and then admitted that she was "priddy tute." He's such a proud big brother!!! After meeting Bailey, Andrew and I took the rest of the children on OHSU's Air Tram down the hill and across the freeway. I think THAT was the highlight for them!

I am grateful for the blessings of the Lord. For a healthy baby girl who is doing well and i am grateful for tender mercies and seemingly small miracles.

pictures of the rest of the children to follow.........

voting has now been closed...

Once again, if you didn't vote early, your vote doesn't count. Baby girl was born Wednesday, 18 May 2011 at 3:55 pm. read all about the adventure (no gross details - promise!) tomorrow when I have time to post her cute little picture!

Anything Dad can do, I can do TOO!!!

On Friday, as we were preparing the soil to plant a garden, LeGrand decided to help. He was right up there with Andrew. Doing EVERYTHING Andrew did. He was an excellent helper. The following pictures prove it.

LeGrand is still convinced that Andrew bought him a tractor... he just believes that it's over at the neighbor's house until he can drive it. He's looking forward to planting more of a garden - as soon as the soil is ready! He was my #1 helper yesterday planting my herbs and other flowers. He loves to help and even thanks Heavenly Father in his prayers that he can help Dad and asks for another chance to be a helper. "Because I'm a good helper. I'm going to help him when he wants me to!..." He is certainly the best of helpers.

(*note the expression on both his and Andrew's faces on the tractor... like father, like son!)

Update 5.17.11

So. Since it's been a couple of weeks, and we've done a lot, I thought it was about time to add some photos.

Savannah finished the third grade sometime last week or the week before! YAY! Now on to a mix of 4th and 5th grade depending on the subject! (She's NOT counting down days for school to start again...) She just finished reading The Extraordinary Princess and is now in the middle of The Princess Academy. Both books she's hoping to discuss with others who have read them. She is a lot like her mom in that she seems to always have her nose in a book. She may be reading more than one book now... I'm not sure. If only she'd have the same enthusiasm for schoolwork......... (I think my parents may have said the same thing about me!)

Margaret has decided that it's o.k. to stop substituting the "T" sound or "D" sound for certain letters, and is thrilled that she can now pronounce "K" and "R" and "G" properly. (She came running downstairs and announced to me "BONK! I can say, BONK!" And then went back to bed. She's adding new words daily.

LeGrand thinks that we bought him a tractor, but that it's at the neighbor's house because he's not old enough to drive. We didn't. We borrowed the tractor, but he's still claiming it as his own.

Caroline is enjoying life and wandering everywhere she can as long as she doesn't let me out of her sight. Her preferred location is still where I am. Her favorite thing is her stuffed penguin, it's small enough that she's a lot larger than it.

Andrew just finished an amazing entertainment center and some bunkbeds and is now working on a bookshelf! (Pass the word if you know of people needing beds or any other special wood project!) He's right in the middle of baseball season and getting ready to start summer ball and the busy umpire schedule that will bring. He's been hit by the ball quite a bit this year - which has brought some impressive bruising and some nights of extreme soreness, but he still loves it - and I love that it gives him something else to do!

Me... I spent all last week cleaning. I cleaned the sun room (and changed out the picture frames too...) including wiping down all the walls and getting rid of the cobwebs and washing the windows. I cleaned the study. I cleaned the music room. I cleaned the kitchen. I cleaned the bathroom. I cleaned the living room. I cleaned the dining room. I cleaned my bedroom - including vacuuming under the bed. And then I cleaned them all again! I had my first piano recital - it was a marvelous display of talent from my students. I planted oregano. I planted thyme. I planted peppermint (in a container). I planted rosemary. I planted becopa. I planted lobelia. I planted something that I really don't know what is, but the flowers are beautiful. I planted strawberries. I went with the children and purchased tomato plants and other starts to plant in our garden. And I still haven't had this baby. I'm about ready to do jumping jacks. The upside to all of that is that my windows - some of which haven't been washed since we moved in (I know - gross... but I'm really sort of unintentionally anti-window washing) have all been washed. Some of them on the outside as well as on the inside. Amazing what a good washing will do for lighting in the house!

Our home school co-op even took a trip last week down to Albany, OR to see the makings of a new carousel. The animals are being hand carved and painted all by volunteers. It was awesome. LeGrand loved the guy carving stick horses. And all the other animals. I was fascinated by the skill and the beauty of each animal, and the stories behind them. Each animal is sponsored by a different family who got to choose what the animal would look like. The animals are hollow, so that the sponsor can put a little time capsule inside with information about why they chose the particular animal and why the animal has the name and clothing or design that it has. The base for the carousel is circa 1909 with some updating, and was donated by a man who's mother had it in her driveway. (Some people have an excess of vehicles, she had the base for a carousel. Bet she's glad to have the driveway space back now!) After the carousel museum, we all went out for ice-cream cones that were $1.10 each. Soft serve. HUGE. Well worth the money. And then we went home.

Andrew has tilled up space for our garden (hence the purchase of so many plants) and he and the children planted onions and peas last Saturday. We're still waiting for warmer weather to plant the remainder of our crop (which will include 37 tomato plants, a lot of pepper plants, cauliflower, beans, broccoli - just for you, Dad - squash, cucumbers, zucchini, corn and potatoes.) We're hoping to do that this coming Friday (which will be day two of warm weather this week...)