Baby Bear is into EVERYTHING

In the past few weeks Baby Bear has been getting into everything. You can't turn your back on him without finding him on top of the coffee table, halfway up the stairs, balancing precariously on the Little People house, or enjoying the contents of several kitchen cabinets. Below are a few pictures of his exploits.

Baby Bear is up to ten teeth now. On top he has four front teeth and a molar on each side. On the bottom he has three front teeth and a molar on the right side. Oddly enough, the bottom is a bit off balance since he has the third front tooth and the molar both on the right. He looks like a shark since he has so many teeth and they are huge!

Baby Bear loves to climb up onto the coffee table and even tries to stand up. As you can see, he tends to squat down again quickly after standing.

While I was making dinner the other night, this is how Baby Bear "helped".

Baby Bear loves to play Whack-A-Mole! What could be more fun than a toy that makes goofy sounds, a hammer for each hand, and lights flashing? Nothing. (=

Zoo Trip

Today the kiddos and I went to the zoo with three other families. It was a beautiful day to be out and about. Our local zoo doesn't have a lot of the larger "zoo" animals, but it does have an aquarium which is neat.

The kids' favorite animals were the monkeys (which are pretty much always entertaining) and the sharks. From past visits I didn't remember the sharks being so large. The shark tank is a giant glass wall so even Baby Bear could stand at it to see the fish and sharks swimming around. It's pretty cool. After watching Shark Week on Discovery a couple weeks ago, I have a much greater appreciation for these ancient creatures.

Baby Bear rode the carousel for the first time today. It had been a long morning and he was really tired. Plus, there was a bunch of kids on it, so I just sat in one of the benches with him. He didn't seem to mind that he wasn't riding an animal. Brother and Sister really enjoyed riding the animals. I don't think Brother remembered riding a carousel before since he was really young the last time.

Going to the zoo with friends is always fun. It's great to have ladies to chat with, we can help watch each other's kids, and the kids have a good time discovering things with their friends. The downside to it is trying to keep so many kids happy and together. It seems like every other moment there is a disagreement, hurt feelings, or fighting going on. Still, it's better than the alternative of taking the kids to the zoo by myself and going insane. (=

Thanks ladies for a fun day of animals and adventures!!!

The Pet Parade

We decided to be Peter Pan characters since we had all the costume elements and the wagon/float would be easy to decorate. This past week was really busy and we just didn't have time to do anything too elaborate.

Sister and Brother did a wonderful job adding fish, mermaids, sharks, jelly fish, crabs, lobsters, and seaweed to the "water" for our float. Baby Bear was supposed to ride in the wagon (to save our arms from falling off carrying him during the parade). Besides not liking the crocodile hat, Baby Bear also didn't want to ride in the wagon. He was really tired since it was nap time for him and actually ended up falling asleep on Daddy's shoulder. I guess Captain Hook and the crocodile have gotten over the whole hand incident.

Brother loved tossing candy to all the kids. Sister started the parade blowing bubbles, but decided throwing candy was more exciting. Daddy decided the parade is a three bag affair rather than the two I purchased.

Some tips for those of you considering to participate next year:

1. Don't bother showing up at 8AM like the flier states. There isn't any registration. You just get into a category and wait for the parade to start. You do need to be there about 8:45 AM if you want to be judged.

2. Anything goes for costumes. Don't feel you need to go out and purchase anything. The judges (and people) seem to prefer things that have been created by you and your children (particularly your children).

3. Themes are not necessary. There were some families where all the kids wore completely different things and it was not a problem.

4. Parents don't have to dress up. My dh and I thought they did. Now that my dh knows he doesn't, he probably never will again.

5. Bring candy to throw. The kids on the sidelines love to get it and will cheer loudly for you for tossing it. Your children will love tossing it and also appreciate the attention they receive.

6. The route isn't long, but have something on wheels to carry your things like water bottles, snacks, extra candy, and such. It is pretty easy to "decorate" a wagon or stroller even if you don't plan to put children in them.

7. Parking is free on Saturdays. After two trips to Thriftway to get change for the meter, we noticed the sign said you only had to pay Monday-Friday. Oh well.

8. Pets are not necessary and pets of all kinds are welcome. We saw chickens, goats, horses, dogs, cats, lizards, and birds of all types. Make sure your animals are safe though. Most cats, birds, and chickens were in cages as the dogs tend to scare them.

9. Be a responsible pet owner and have plastic grocery bags or such to clean up after your pets. I couldn't believe how many people's animals pooped (horses and dogs mainly) on the street and the owners didn't clean it up. The rest of us were dodging the piles along the way.
10. Have fun and see you next year!

Baby Bear Update and NW Trek

Baby Bear saw the pediatric cardiologist this past week. Dr. Kim was so happy to see him looking healthy. For those of you who don’t know, Dr. Kim is the one who originally diagnosed Baby Bear’s condition, Transposition of the Great Arteries, on the day he was born. He continued to be the lead cardiologist on the team of doctors who met daily the first couple weeks (even on weekends) to figure out why Baby Bear wasn’t improving even after they created the hole in the inner wall of his heart). I remember the first time Dr. Kim saw Baby Bear on the sixth floor (out of the severe ICU) after he’d been off for a couple days. He looked so excited and you could tell that he didn’t know if he’d be able to save our little guy. Baby Bear even showed off a bit of his new walking skill for Dr. Kim.

It was really tough to get Baby Bear to lay down for the thirty minute Echo of his heart and the surrounding veins. Fortunately, the technician and nurses were wonderful and very patient. One nurse stood above him blowing bubbles, while the technician and I sang songs. He still spent most of the time screaming and fighting us, but the technician was able to get all the footage she needed after two sessions (with a little snack break between).

Dr. Kim pronounced that Baby Bear continues to do well. The pressure in one of his veins is still too high, but it hasn’t increased since his Echo at six months and there hasn’t been any narrowing. Thus, Dr. Kim said everything seems to be doing fine. We’ll go back and see him in another nine months to get checked again.

As I mentioned above, Baby Bear is walking. At least he is stepping a bit. He still prefers to crawl since it is faster and he’s a bit nervous about walking without holding on to anything. I think he just takes steps accidentally when he is too busy to notice he’s doing it. He’ll be so intent on getting to me or holding something while moving that all of sudden he’s taking steps. Typically, when he notices he’s walking, he either stops and lowers himself down to the floor or he gets to his goal and holds onto it.

The introduction of milk is slow going. He’s not a big fan of whole milk. He’ll drink it best first thing in the morning, but prefers water. I don’t want him to dehydrate himself, so I’m not to the point of giving it as his only option all day. He has cheese with his lunch and dinner to make sure he’s getting enough fats. French fries are his favorite food and he will insist on eating them instead of anything else if he spots any so we have to be careful when eating in restaurants.

He’s acquired some annoying communication methods. When he is done eating, he starts dropping food onto the floor. While our dog loves this, Mommy does not. When he is hungry or wants more food, he bangs on his tray. If you don’t give him food soon after he starts banging, he begins his screech owl impression. Screeching is one of his favorite and most annoying methods of communication. Sometimes his shrieks are happy, other times angry, but always LOUD.

Baby Bear’s loves to put and take things into and out of containers. He also enjoys dancing, climbing, and playing ball. He could spend hours throwing, catching, and rolling a ball with Momma. Another activity he enjoys is driving vehicles around. Anything that rolls is fun.

Sister and Brother love to “help” Baby Bear walk. Unfortunately, Brother tends to drag him more than aide him in his walking. Sister tries to force him to walk (while holding his hand) which causes Baby Bear to screech and go limp. When we explain to Sister that Baby Bear doesn’t want to walk and is upset, she rolls her eyes (yes, rolls them like a teenager when she’s only seven) and says, “He loves me and wants to walk. You don’t know him like I do.” Yeah, the screaming is out of joy...right?


Today Baby Bear joined us for his first trip to NW Trek. We just love going there. Except for the tram ride, it is all outside so the kids can jump, skip, dance, run, and yell all they want. Plus, days like today (overcast) are great ones for seeing lots of the animals. My dh had originally taken the day off so we could go to Wild Waves. It would have been our first time as a family. (The last time I went was the summer after eighth grade). Unfortunately, the weather forecasts predicted thunder and lightening storms, which means most of the water slides and roller coasters would probably be closed. So, we changed our plans. Fortunately, the animals were out in abundance. We even saw all three moose including the new male that they have. What a great day with the family!

Here are the three kiddos at the entrance with the big moose statue.Baby Bear loved getting to touch the horns and antlers.Ready for the tram ride.We had to pass Baby Bear back and forth often to keep him happy.Look how big they are! (I guess they look small next to all those animals).Baby Bear didn't enjoy traveling in the stroller, so Daddy let him ride on his shoulders.Mommy and the kiddos compare their hands to bear paws.Brother and Sister show off their smashed pennies. Brother picked the bear and Sister picked the bald eagle.

Preparing for the Pet Parade

After several years of watching the Pet Parade, this year we've decided to be in it. That is, the kids and I decided, my dh will probably join us begrudgingly. Sister picked the float theme, Charlotte's Web.

You'd think, since we decided all this last May, we'd be all ready for the parade this weekend. What?!? It's this weekend?!?

That's right. It is seven days away and we've done nothing but talk about what we're going to do to prepare. Brother Bear can't even decide if he wants to be Wilbur (the pig) or Henry Fussy (a friend of Fern). If Brother is Wilbur, Baby Bear will be Charlotte. Yes, I know Charlotte is a girl, and Baby Bear is a boy. It's just dress up. If Brother is Henry Fussy, than Baby Bear will be Wilbur and we'll just use a "fake" spider to be Charlotte. Brother Bear needs to decide QUICKLY though, because I need to figure out costumes. Sister will, obviously, be Fern. Daddy will be a skinny Homer Zuckerman since "dress up" isn't his cup of tea. I'm not sure who I'll be yet...Fern's mom? (=

I wish we'd picked Wizard of Oz. Costuming would be really simple since I think we still have a Dorothy dress from a couple Halloween's ago, a lion costume from Brother Bear's first Halloween that could fit Baby Bear now, and Brother Bear could easily be the Scarecrow or the Tinman with Daddy being the other. I'd be Glenda, the good witch, since I had to be the Scarecrow the last time we did that as our Halloween theme. Let's just say, the Scarecrow isn't an attractive costume.

Hum...all this thinking makes me really want to switch to the Wizard of Oz. What would we use to decorate the wagon besides a yellow brick road? Ideas anyone?

Or, we could have a fairytale theme. Sister could be a princess, Brother a knight, Baby a dragon, Daddy a king and I could be a queen. I'm sure we have most of the stuff for that already. Brother was a dragon a couple Halloweens ago and we have lots of knight and princess accessories. The wagon/float could be a castle.

We'll see...I'll have to convince Sister of a different theme.

When I was young, I was in the Pet Parade (forced into the service of my oldest cousin who was a farmer and needed some chicks in his wagon/coop). The only plus was that we got to see the movie Annie in a real movie theater for free after the parade. Unfortunately, said older cousin and his sister (who were responsible for me) thought it was boring and made us leave early. That was my one and only Pet Parade experience. Hopefully, my kids' experience will be more fun. I don't think they do the free movie anymore, though.

By the way, we also need to find a giant piece of cardboard to paint like a barn (or something Wizard of Ozish). Anyone know where people go to get those refrigerator boxes that everyone always uses?

Wish us luck!!!

Baby Bear is a One-Year-Old!!!

Baby Bear turned one on August 1, 2009. We celebrated by hosting a luncheon at our home with extended family. It was wonderful to share our beautiful, healthy boy off to them all. After the luncheon (and an afternoon of playing with the cousins), we had dinner at Red Robin. Baby Bear loved having the ladies sing to him and enjoyed his balloons a lot.

Here are his stats from his 1 year pediatric appointment:
Weight- 23.2 lbs

Height- 31.5 inches

Head Circumference- 46.75 cm

This puts him in the 92nd percentile for height and the 56th percentile for weight.

He's a great eater as long as he can feed himself. He loves fruit (especially strawberries and watermelon), chicken, veggie burger patties, bread, and cheddar cheese. He likes ice cream, but prefers it soft so it isn't as cold. So far he hasn't taken to drinking milk yet, but we've only offered it a couple times. He is still nursing three times a day (morning, noon, and night). Occasionally, he still wakes up to nurse in the middle of the night.
He is able to creep on furniture, walls, toys, etc. He can stand without holding onto anything, but doesn't like to so he typically will lower himself down quickly. He's very close to walking on his own, but is still too tentative to try.

He has seven teeth and loves to gnaw on everything, especially metal and wood. We have to watch him closely to make sure stray toys of Brother and Sister's don't end up in his mouth.

A year ago...

I am completely awed by the miracles that God performs. Just a year ago I experienced the most terrifying and miraculous time in my life. This experience would have been difficult for anyone, but for a planner like I am, it was unthinkable. After giving birth to two previous children, I really thought I knew what I was doing. I'd even decided to get the epidural this time (since after having several bouts of gall stones during my pregnancy, I decided I'd suffered enough pain). God always has a plan of his own. He knows what is best and what we can handle.


The first thing I asked when I was admitted to the labor and delivery ward at the hospital was for an epidural. The nurse said I had a long way to go and suggested I soak in the bath for a bit. She mentioned that she had to send a blood test down to the lab before they could give me an epidural. An hour later I was out of the bath and asking again for the epidural. The second nurse said, "Oh, the sample didn't get sent yet. I'll get it going right now and it will be thirty minutes for the result." Baby Bear was born twenty-three minutes later. My funny spouse declared, "In seven more minutes, you can get your epidural." At the time, I didn't see the humor in that statement.


I was so tired from a restless night on top of labor and delivery, that I don't really remember seeing my baby much less holding him. The entire time I was pushing they kept saying, "After this you can take a nap." "One more push and you'll have your little baby in your arms." Unfortunately, neither of those things happened. Within the first few minutes of his life outside the womb, the nurses noticed that he was exceptionally blue. No worries. Just a quick jaunt down to the ICU for some oxygen. Daddy even got to carry him down there.


My mom was immediately on the phone letting my dad know that it was a boy! The kids quickly put on their special tee-shirts declaring their statuses as Big Brother and Big Sister. Memere told them to wait a short bit before they come over because Baby Bear needed a little oxygen and would be back in the room soon.

Then, my doctor (who was a family practice doctor, so she was also Baby Bear's doctor at that time), came in with some news. He wasn't getting better with oxygen. They weren't sure what was wrong. Hopefully not a big deal. The Pediatric Special Care Doctor had requested a Pediatric Ambulance from a hospital up north to come down and get him. They just didn't have the equipment necessary to help him.


It wasn't until my sweet husband returned to the room with tears in his eyes and stated, "I barely got to hold him." Then I began to cry. What? What did he mean? What was going on? He was a whopping 8lbs 8.5 oz. He was beautiful and all my prenatal checks had been perfect. What was going on?


Fortunately, God knows all and His will is best. If I had received an epidural like I wanted, I wouldn't have been able to go down to the ICU to see my precious baby boy. I wouldn't have been able to be there with him while they tried desperately to stabilize him and couldn't. I wouldn't have been able to spend those short few hours with him before he was rushed away from me to another hospital's NICU.

(Day 1- Five hours after his birth he is ready for transport to a different hospital that had a NICU.)


I think one of the loneliest nights of my life was lying in that hospital room. I could hear babies crying out in the hallway, but none of them were mine. All the times I had pictured what I'd be doing after my sweet baby was born, it was never like that. It was never being alone.(Day 2- First time I saw him in the NICU.)

The next few weeks were a blur. From seeing my baby lifeless lying there with needles coming out everywhere and not being allowed to even touch him, to finally being able to touch him while he was hooked up to a huge ECMO (lung heart) machine. Then, worrying while he was having open heart surgery and wondering if eleven days was all the time he would be given to live his life.

(Day 6- Sister and Brother visit Baby Bear.)

(Day 6- The first time I was able to hold him).

I have to stop and say, my family and friends are AWESOME!!! Their support, love, and prayers were priceless. The staff of doctors, nurses, and support personnel were irreplaceable. I love that they all made us feel special, cared about, and at home. Thank you all!!!

(Daddy, Brother, and Sister with Baby Bear his last weekend in the hospital.)

Taking him home was wonderful and exhausting. Newborns are always tiring, but dealing with feeding tubes, oxygen tanks, a strict medicine schedule, pumping breast milk, and juggling two other children was overwhelming. I couldn't think two weeks in advance. Every day it was a trial to think about the next few hours much less to plan.

Since he was weaned off the oxygen and taken off the feeding tube, time has flown by. I can't believe how long ago that was now. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and other times it feels like decades ago. Now he is a one-year-old. Twelve months he's been out of the womb and in our lives. He is hitting every milestone and growing up so quickly. His scars are the only reminder left of those long first few months.

We are so blessed. We are so loved. We are so lucky.

Thank you, God, for this beautiful child. We love and enjoy every moment of his life. Amen.