The Christmas tree is staying.

Now that we have a little one, Nate and I decided to buy a Christmas tree and decorate the place up a bit. This is the first time we have done so in our 10+ years together. If you divide the population into two groups: Those who say Ho Ho Ho and those who say Bah Humbug this time of year, well Nate and I have always been in the later. Of course a baby changes your life and this year we actually caught a bit of the Ho Ho Hos. So we started a family tradition of decorating a tree at Christmas time.

Our place is small so we got a 4 ft. pre-lit tree and put it on the computer table. The placement turns out to be perfect . The tree sits just to the right and a bit above Evelyn's swing. As it turns out our little sensation seeker loves Christmas lights. And when I say love, I mean love. No matter her mood the sight of Christmas lights cheer her up. I have caught her sitting in her swing moving her arms and legs about babbling up at them as if their twinkle was created just for her. Those lights have saved my sanity more then once and as I type this now Evy is reaching up to the lights as she drifts in and out of sleep.

So Nate and I have made the only decision two rational adults can make, The Christmas tree is staying...

Extreme Evy is Nursing Exclusively

Evy has had a busy week. Sbe had several doctor appointments and her one social event this season, the family Christmas party. At the party Evy met her cousin Shayla, who is two months younger and twice her size. It was fun to compare the two. For the most part Evy is about a month behind Shayla developmentally, but Evy is the first of the two to roll over. It is nice to have someone in Shayla's mom Sara to talk to about newborn baby stuff. It is also nice that for the most part Evy is a normal newborn. She is so normal that the pediatrician has given his permission to not supplement her breast milk anymore. This means that Evy is free to nurse exclusively. I cannot believe we finally made it to this point. Five months ago when I was waking up at 2 am to pump breast milk for a baby who was not able to digest it, I thought this day would never come. Two months ago when I was waking up at 2 am to drive to the hospital to try and nurse a baby who had no desire to latch on, I thought this day would never come. And two weeks ago when I was waking up at 2 am to go upstairs and warm a bottle for a screaming infant, I thought this day would never come. But come it did.

Needless to say because of the difficulty in keeping your milk and teaching a preemie to latch most preemies never make it to this point. Some even consider it yet another miracle. I don't know one way or another. I do know I was bound and determined to do what was best for Evelyn right from the start and pumping breast milk was what I could do. I have also been blessed with a great mentor and teacher in Evy's Grandma Clausen. She was the one who rented the hospital grade breast pump and she never once believed that a preemie could not learn to nurse. Also, my niece Becky, a great nurser herself, inspired me and planted the thought of the breast milk pie in my head, which made me laugh when times were tough. Also, I can't forget the great nurses and lactation specalist in the NICU. It was amazing but every time I came in and declaired I was going to stop trying to nurse the lactation specailist would show up for a pep talk. Lastly, I must thank Evelyn for being the most totally awesome preemie in the world. She continues to amaze me each day. She greedily slurps up as much milk and she can take in, gives a burp and goes back for more. Gotta love a kid who knows what she likes.

For anyone out there about to give up on nursing, please give it one more try. Search for teacher, mentors, specialists, and inspirations in your own life.

OK enough preaching. My baby just woke up and she is licking her lips. Gotta go nurse!

She is still up all night

Well so far the advise given by the doctor, to keep her awake more during the day so she will sleep at night is not working. You can set off a bomb under her during the day and she sleeps soundly. She can even sleep through a bath. She is, for whatever reason, a night owl. I think I will take the advise of my friend Bethany who recommended to stay awake when she is awake and sleep when she is sleeping. Maybe later I can bribe her with chocolate to stay awake during the day.

Cabin fever is starting to set in. Today is the Monday after Thanksgiving and I actually wish I was returning to work to hear about everybody's holiday. There are several things I miss about work:

1. I miss my coworkers. They laugh at my jokes and never wake me up to play at 2 am.
1a. I miss Danny. He is the best short order cook in town. He makes the best breakfast burritos.
2. I miss being a problem solver. I would talk to people all day long who were grateful for my help.
3. I miss the hustle and bustle of downtown.
4. Did I mention I missed Danny? He makes a killer chicken quesadilla too.

OK, enough with the pity party. Evelyn is pretty cool. And no one at work can claim to be a miracle. We discovered a cool website this week, http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/index.htm. I was in search of instructions on how to use a baby wrap I got at my baby shower. This site is great. It has great pics and directions. Best of all we have discovered a few ways to wrap her that keeps her quiet while I get things done, like write a blog. In short Evelyn is happy to be my main accessory. Check it out.

Welcome

Hi to all of you who have made your way here from Evelyn's carepage. As she is now home from the hospital I felt it was time to create a "normal" blog for her. I hope you enjoy my endeavor. For those of you new to Evelyn's story I would like you to know a few things about her. Evelyn was born on 7/10/2008 at 23 weeks gestation. A baby is not considered medically viable until 24 weeks gestation. She weighed 1 lb 3 oz at birth and was once considered the sickest patient in the hospital. None of the medical staff thought she would survive. But she did and she thrived as well. She is by all standards a medical miracle. To us she is simply our daughter and though we are very grateful to all the doctors and nurses who made her life possible, we just want for her a "normal" life. So if you are interested in reading on about this average baby welcome to Extreme Evy.

OK I guess the blog name is not average or normal, and indeed I wish for Evy an extraordinary life. The fact of the matter is that Evy was born with the condition of extreme prematurity. The effects of this condition will lessen as she develops. But the side effects of it, gestating outside the womb, will last a lifetime. Evelyn is extremely feisty, extremely stubborn, and in my opinion, extremely cute. She also has a very high tolerance for pain, and appears to be a sensation seeker. The fact of the matter is that my husband and I brought home a 7 lb bundle of joy, but we did not bring home a newborn.

Life with Evy is trying. She cries a lot, she scratches at herself and others. At times she refuses to nurse and grabs my nipple to push it away. She hates for her diaper or cloths to be changed and she wants to be held all the time. Normal right? She does like tummy time and her baths. She likes to take the dogs for a walk and she likes to visit the doctor (Our only outings outside the house.)

I would like to hear from those of you who have a little ones. Are you are going through the same things? I am also willing to discuss prematurity, life in the NICU, and health/developmental issues associated with premature babies. But mostly I would like to know about your little one and the daily challenges of being mom.