Two Weeks Old

Weeks two and three were a little rough with Miss Evelyn.  After losing so much weight and fighting jaundice, it was clear that our "tongue tied" baby needed to have her tongue/frenulum clipped.  Evelyn's latch wasn't great which had made feeding her very difficult.  Even using a bottle wasn't the answer.

Since the procedure isn't very invasive, we decided to do it.  All seemed to go well, she cried very little, until three or five days after the clipping.  Our somewhat content baby was very difficult.  During this time her mouth was often open because she was screaming.  We were given ample opportunity to see her frenulum and it was looking less and less normal by the day.  In fact, we took her to the pediatrician and he called in another doctor because he had never seen anything like it.  This forced us to trek the hour long journey back to Lankenau to see the Dr. Clip It.  He was surprised at how bad Evelyn's tongue looked.  She was badly burned from the cauterizing agent.  The doctor mentioned that she was most likely in a lot of pain.  He even called me on a Friday night to see how she was doing and clearly felt bad.

Long story short, the tongue healed and Evelyn became less fussy.  She still isn't the best latch but feeding has become easier.

Here is a picture of her waiting for Dr. Clip It

Here are some very cute two week old baby pictures. . .

 Her two favorite things.  A swaddle blanket and swing. 

Jaundice

On Easter, we started to notice Evelyn's orange hue.  Lila mentioned she was starting to look like Ernie.  That should have been the first clue that something wasn't right.  All babies are jaundice, it seems. Everyone has a story about their orange kids and how they had to sit them in the sun etc.  This was different.  We just didn't know it. 

We were having a hard time choosing a pediatrician which happened to make the first visit land on day eight of Evelyn's life.  While some might think that is irresponsible, I think it was blind luck.  Evelyn looked great on days four and five, the typical day for the first doctor appointment.  It wasn't until days seven and eight, that it was clear something was wrong.  Her skin was orange and eyes yellow.  We didn't fret since we were headed to the doctor.

The doctor sent us away for labs with the prediction of a high bilirubin but not so high that Evelyn would be hospitalized.  The prediction was wrong.  Our doctor was going to admit her only if her levels were close to 18 or 19.  Miss Evelyn Rose came in at 22.7.  Dangerously high. Toxins can be deposited on the brain at 25 which causes a multitude of developmental delays and cognitive deficits.  We couldn't believe we were flirting with going down this road AGAIN!

We drove straight to hospital, still unaware of the above.  After Evelyn was put under the lights and on the blanket, the doctors explained the situation.  Evelyn took longer than most kids to come down on her numbers.  She was under lights the entire night.  I struggled to get her to sleep in that tiny bed since all she knew up until that point was sleeping in our bed and on our chest.  It was a long night.  It was a tough night for the big girls too.  I had just come home from the hospital and now was headed back with Evelyn.  Just a lot of juggling for them.

The next morning, Evelyn's numbers dropped and we were discharged later that afternoon.  She stayed a nice orange color for a couple of weeks and her eyes yellow.  Hopefully, that is the first and last of her hospital stays for many years. 

Happy Mother's Day

Easter

Did I mention the Easter Bunny paid us a visit? Luckily, we had a basket all ready for Miss Evelyn. The girls were very concerned about that. I was more concerned about pulling off Easter after having a baby six days before. We did though. Even Evelyn got some treats in her basket.

The girls threw on their coats and went egg hunting during this very chilly Easter.  It was a nice, laid back Easter.  Our neighbors cooked us dinner, we went to Barnes and Noble to spend the gift cards Grammy and Papa sent and Evelyn grew more orange by the minute.  More on that later. 

Growing Up

My big girl attended a Red Carpet/American Girl Doll party today.  She had lots of fun getting dressed up with her doll.  I enjoyed watching her and admiring the beautiful girl that she is!  While holding my littlest in my arms and remembering when Savannah was her size, I had one of those moments where I am overcome with panic.  Where did the time go?  Was I the best mom I could be to her over the past nine years?  Are we still meeting her needs, nurturing her and preparing her for what is to come?  All of those emotions swirled through my head, both happy and sad.

When looking for some earrings for her to borrow out of my jewelry box, we came upon many old beaded necklaces she had strung for me.  I (jokingly) told her that I miss all my surprise necklaces and pointed out that she doesn't leave notes under my pillow anymore.  Savannah responded with, "I still love you.  Life has just gotten busy."

Why does life have to be so busy?  (I am feeling like things are very hectic with a newborn in the house!)

Why do kids have to grow up so fast?

One Month Old

Our sweet baby girl turned one month old today. We absolutely adore her!

Discharge

Technically, I wasn't supposed to go home until day four, or after my third night in the hospital.  After talking through the logistics of getting me home, Alex and I concluded that going home in the middle of the night on day three was best.  Natalie had an early flight which would require Alex to bring all the girls to the hospital for my discharge.  I was pretty uncomfortable from my c-section and couldn't imagine dealing with all four girls.  I wanted to go home and be settled without their "helping hands." 

Luckily, our nurse agreed to the plan and found the appropriate people to discharge me.  My doctor was quite surprised when I wasn't there the next morning but leaving in the middle of the night was the best thing we did.  The girls woke up to us all settled in.  They were thrilled.

 As the nurse wheeled me down to the lobby, I was overcome with gratitude.  Last time I took that ride, I was leaving my fragile twins behind and riding in a wheel chair empty handed.  One cannot imagine how hard that is on a mother unless they have experienced it.  My heart was broken.  This was so different.  I was taking my baby HOME!