The Beauty of the Cake Smash

I have a problem.

I'm addicted to cake smash photos.

You can be too.  Just follow these easy steps:






Buy an adorable outfit.  Bonus points if said outfit is bigger than your child (see Kaitlyn's tutu above).






Make a cake.







Document your child destroying it.













Enjoy all the little details.

Keep track of all possible cake smash ideas via pinterest.

Be disappointed that you ran out of babies before you ran out of ideas...

More Than Just a Fashion Show

As my loyal readers can imagine, Christmas included some time in the NICU.



First order of business was getting Levi in some Christmas duds.  VFN's Editor-in-Chief selected the above Christmas monkey shirt, but it was kind of unexciting because Levi had already worn it before.





Levi's favorite nurse found some donated Christmas clothes and snagged a couple of other outfits for Levi.  This was the under layer.

Note to readers: We're not sure if the hat in the above picture was meant to be a beret or a chef's hat, but it matched the outfit, so we felt like we had to use it.  :)





A fleece Christmas sleeper went on top.  It was big enough that Levi will probably be able to wear it next Christmas...





But, the clothes were hardly the most exciting part about Christmas in the NICU.

It was also the first day Levi got to eat out of a bottle.





Preterm babies start bottle feeding on their sides so that the milk can pool in their cheeks instead of choking them if they forget to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time.

Levi drank two whole milliters.  Which was about one twenty-fifth of his feeding.  So, not really a whole lot, but we'll take it.  He took the rest of his feeding through the tube in his nose.

We'll start feeding Levi with a bottle about every six hours.  In between he will still have his gavage feeds through his tube.

But, eating from a bottle wasn't even the most exciting thing that happened on Christmas...





Kaitlyn got to see her baby brother.

It was through a window, but she definitely recognized Mommy and that Mommy was holding a baby. We're pretty sure she has no idea that Levi is coming home with us someday, but at least she knows he exists.

Life will never be the same, Kaitlyn.  Life will never be the same.

Fashion Show

This is a picture of Levi’s first outfit.  As in, the first time he wore anything other than a diaper.  The outfit is among the many that belong to the NICU and was chosen for Levi by his nurse.

(Note to readers: Do not be alarmed by the disturbing bag under Levi's left eye.  The Tegaderm was pulling on the skin a little bit, but it did no permanent damage.  Thank you.)

 

This is a close-up of Levi’s tiny fist while wearing his first outfit.

(Note to readers: Please forgive the quality of the picture.  I did not have my macro lens.  Thank you.)

This is Levi’s first outfit purchased by VFN’s editor-in-chief aka Mommy.  It also happens to be Levi’s first special occasion outfit (what’s more special than a visit from Santa?).

It even had little shoes.

 

This is Levi’s first outfit purchased by Mommy that wasn’t a special occasion outfit.

It says, “Daddy loves me.”  And guess what?  He does.

This is the first pair of jammies purchased by Mommy.

It says, “Bananas over Mommy.”  Guess what?  He is.

Mommy took great pleasure in dressing Levi up.  Even though most of the clothes are not visible under the swaddle...

 

This fashion show is brought to you by the fact that Levi is no longer in an isolette.

He is in an open crib.   One step closer to home.

Final note to readers: Anyone who thinks the amount of picture-taking is ridiculous might want to think back to Kaitlyn’s early days.  It’s only going to get more ridiculous.

Chromosomes

When Levi was born, he had some markers that suggested a genetic disorder.  A blood sample was sent to Seattle for testing to indicate if Levi had any missing or extra chromosomes.

We waited a week for the results.  A week is a long time when it’s between you and knowing what life holds in store for your baby.

The results came back normal.

Another blood sample was sent even farther away for a Micro-array-based comparative genomic hybridization.  This test zoomed in on Levi’s chromosomes and look for the duplications or deletion of pieces.

The wait for the CGH array was supposed to be six to eight weeks, but we didn’t have to wait that long.

The results came back normal.

And although we would have welcomed Levi into our family regardless of the results, we breathed a sigh of relief.

A Day in the Life of This NICU Mom

Wake up.

Open my laptop to check the Interwebs.

Get mad that the Internet is not working.

Get mad at myself for getting mad about the Internet not working.

Vow to go on an Internet fast.  Someday.

Eat the breakfast that I bought the night before in the hospital cafeteria.

Get crumbs in bed.

Laugh at how annoyed Steve would get if I was getting crumbs in bed at home.

Miss Steve.

Get dressed.  Remember to put on my all-access NICU parent pass.

Walk to the hospital.

Wash my hands.

Talk to Levi's nurse.

Hold Levi for a couple of hours.

Change Levi's diaper.

Wash my hands

Buy lunch in the hospital cafeteria.

Walk back from the hospital.

Eat lunch in bed.

Get crumbs in bed.

Miss Steve.

Play on the Interwebs/read for my graduate classes/take a nap/sometimes do more than one of those things at the same time.

Walk to the hospital.

Wash my hands.

Change Levi's diaper.

Wash my hands.

Hold Levi for a few hours.

Wash my hands.

Buy dinner in the hospital cafeteria.

Walk back from the hospital.

Eat dinner in bed.

Get crumbs in bed.

Miss Steve.

Call Grandma and Grandpa Busch and Grandma and Grandpa Alston and give them the Levi Report.

Walk to the hospital.

Wash my hands.

Change Levi's diaper.

Wash my hands.

Hold Levi for a couple of hours.

Wash my hands.

Walk back from the hospital.

Call Steve and get the Kaitlyn Report.

Say prayer with Steve before saying goodnight.

Miss Steve.

Try to practice good sleep hygiene by not getting on the Internet so close to bedtime.

Fail.

Play on the Internet.

Go to sleep and do it all again.

Introducing Levi Benjamin

Another life-changing opportunity has come our way.  This one is in the form of a tiny little boy born November 18th.

Steve and I are adopting another baby.  His name is Levi Benjamin Alston.

Levi wasn't supposed to arrive until February 4th, but the doctors said he might come early.  His birthmother flew down to Anchorage to be close to the hospital just in case.

On November 12th it looked like Levi was on his way, so I impulsively bought the next ticket out of Brevig Mission.  Longtime readers may remember that I missed Kaitlyn's birth by five hours.  That was not going to happen again.

After six days of waiting Levi was born.

Because he was eleven weeks early, he was whisked directly into the NICU.  I got to see him long enough to verify that he was, in fact, male before he disappeared through a window.

It was three hours before I got to see him again.  Three hours of frantic prayer.  Three hours of being told that he wasn't yet stable enough for us to see him.  Three hours of wondering what that meant and if it was normal.

Finally, the charge nurse brought us into the NICU.  He was tiny.  He was fragile.  He was beautiful.

By the next day, he was off of the respirator and on a bubble C-PAP.  Basically, that means he was breathing better.

It also means I got to hold him.

He only cried a little bit.  :)

Most of the time he was calm.

We even got to see him with his eyes open!

I am in love again.

More about Levi coming soon.

Introducing Kaitlyn Emily

Just a little over a month ago, Steve and I were given the opportunity of a lifetime: adoption.

We got the call that our baby was being born on Monday, March 21, but bad weather in Brevig Mission kept me in town until the next morning (it was an agonizing night of waiting).




While I was traveling, this little lady was born.




I got to the hospital in Anchorage about six hours later, and she looked more like this.

As the adoptive mother, I got to stay in the hospital with Kaitlyn. We had matching identification bracelets. I slept in a bed next to her bassinet. I got to wake up to feed and change her. I loved it.





I had to buy a carseat so that I could take her home from the hospital.

Note to readers: please don't judge me because I let my daughter go home from the hospital wearing hospital-issue clothes. Thank you.





The scariest part of the trip was the flight from Nome to Brevig Mission. I was wearing Kaitlyn in a baby carrier under my jacket. I was terrified that I was going going to smother her. I was also afraid to check on her because I didn't want her to get sick from the cold. I spent most of the flight praying like crazy and straining to hear her breathe.

Needless to stay, we made it home safely.






Daddy came home for lunch to meet his little baby.





It was love at first sight.





We aren't the only ones who love Kaitlyn. Her birthmother is from Brevig Mission, so there is a host of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that adore her. People have been bringing over clothes and gifts (including the hat in the above picture) since we got home. It's amazing.





To prove we are first-time parents, Steve and I do things like take take pictures of the first time we changed her clothes...

And taking nearly identical photos of Kaitlyn sleeping and sending them to the grandparents.





We also think that every little thing she does is cute enough to warrant preserving for posterity.





Even her crying is cute...





But we certainly prefer moments like these.





We are tired. We are thrilled. We are grateful. We are happy.

Look for more Kaitlyn posts in the near future.

Things We Never Thought We'd Do: Adopt a Village Mutt

I had some very good reasons for not liking dogs:

-my mom's dog nipped at my heels every time I walked into my parents' bedroom

-my sister Mandy always forced herself to gag at the sight of dog food, resulting in me feeding the dog WAY MORE than my fair share (Hey Mandy! I haven't forgotten about this!)

-doggie doo patrol was a regular part of of "being a family" (or so my mom said)





But, on Easter 2010 I was walking from house to house visiting my favorite babies, when I came across this pretty thing. It embarrasses me to to say this, but have you ever seen a more gorgeous puppy?

I thought about her the rest of the day. And when it was nighttime, I went searching for her and brought her home.





She made herself comfortable, and after searching for her real owner and the exchange of some cash, she was ours. We named her Sadie.

(Note to readers: The name Sadie was on our short-list of names for any potential daughters we may have in the future. I insist that using the name for a dog REMOVES the name from the potential baby list. Steve insists otherwise. It's still a point of debate around our house.)





Sadie was willing to take time from her busy schedule to answer a few questions.

View from the North: What did you do all day as a puppy?

Sadie Alston: Steve and Angie tried barricading me in the kitchen. But, in addition to looking absolutely pitiful, I was a little escape artist. They eventually got a generously-sized kennel for me to stay in.






VFN: Wow, being cooped up in a cage doesn't sound very fun.

SA: It wasn't. That's why I whined a lot the first few days.

VFN: Did they leave you in there all the time?

SA: No, they took me on walks.






VFN: In the snow?

SA: I think they liked it.





VFN: How did Steve and Angie adjust to being puppy parents?

SA: They did all right. They were obsessed with keeping me clean. Steve said something about me smelling funny. Unfortunately, Steve didn't know that I'm absolutely terrified of water. That was a fun surprise.






VFN: Did they have all of the equipment necessary to take care of a dog.

SA: Ha! They had nothing! My first toys were pieces of rope tied in knots and soaked in beef bullion.





VFN: That sounds rough.

SA: Angie overcompensated by buying me designer stuff. Steve was absolutely appalled, and Angie has since decided that kind of shopping is unnecessary. It was good while it lasted.



VFN: Who do you like better, Angie or Steve?

SA: Angie is nicer to me, but I like Steve better.





VFN: Did you have any friends in Shishmaref?

SA: There were a few neighbor dogs I ran around with, but I was a little young for permanent attachments. There's nobody I keep in touch with.





VFN: What did you do for the summer?

SA: I was going to stay in Alaska, but Grandma Alston insisted on meeting me. She said I wasn't quite as good as Steve and Angie having a baby but almost. I split my time between both sets of grandparents.

VFN: Don't Angie's parents have two ridiculously spoiled wiener dogs? How did you get along?

SA: Grandma and Grandpa Busch were afraid that I would use the tiny one as a chew toy, but I just ignored her because she yipped at me a lot (man, that was annoying!). The medium-sized one and I were great friends. She even shared her bed with me.




VFN: What about the rest of the family?

SA: They were nice. Uncle Joe was a little weird, but I hear there's one in every family.





VFN: Did you pick up any strange habits while visiting the Busch House?

SA: Grandma Busch helped me discover that I like to eat watermelon rinds. She would save them for me.




VFN: What was your least favorite part of the summer?

SA: Well, there was one extremely invasive surgery. Also, Steve tried to teach me to be unafraid of water.

VFN: I didn't know Steve was a swimming instructor.

SA: He's not. His lessons basically consisted of repeatedly tossing me in the St. Joe River and making me swim to shore.





VFN: How did you like the move to Brevig Mission?

SA: There are a lot more places to walk in Brevig Mission. Angie used to take me on walks every day.




VFN: Used to? What happened?

SA: It got icy. I thought the ice beautifully reflected the sunsets, but Angie has this fear of falling.

VFN: Isn't that fear sort of well-founded?

SA: Definitely, given her history. Although, I personally think she's a little whiny.

VFN: Isn't it also really dark now?

SA: Yeah, Angie promises the walks will start up again once it gets lighter out. I'll believe it when I see it.





VFN would like to apologize for degenerating into the kind of blog that spends an entire post on a dog. It was never VFN's intention to blog about a dog, let alone adopt one. Please consider continuing to read this blog. Thank you.