March of Dimes Walk

Okay, so today I'm am going to attempt to catch up on all the blog postings I've been meaning to do, so there may be a few.

A few of weeks ago, we participated in the March of Dimes walk here, which was held at Sea World.  Addy and Ethan were both born full term, but I had a few friends who had children born early, and I thought it would be a great way to support them, and all the other moms who have gone through that experience.  

Ethan is such an early bird, that he didn't mind being up and at Sea World by 7:30.  Chris and I weren't quite as awake, and poor Addy just wanted to drink her bottle and pretend she was still sleeping bed.                     

    It was kind of a cloudy, windy day, which I actually didn't mind.  It has already reached the 90's a few days here, so I was glad that the weather was mild and we weren't sweating the whole time.  

We got to see the Longhorns at Sea World for the first time.  Sea World was recently sold by Busch, so they no longer have the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales; they have the "Animal Encounter," with horses and Texas Longhorns.  

At the end of the race, they had some characters from a few of the sponsor companies.  Ethan couldn't wait to jump out of the stroller and take pictures with them.  

Playgroup and a Nap

Last week, I volunteered to host a bubble themed playgroup for one of the mommy groups we joined here in San Antonio.  Of course, it was pouring rain that day!  So at the last minute, I scrambled around and found a few simple crafts and hoped for the best...  It turned out to be a lot of fun and I think both Ethan and Addy had fun meeting new friends.  

   

It rained pretty much every day last week, so when Sunday came around and we saw sunshine, I jumped at the chance to enjoy it.  After church, I packed the kids up in the double jogger (have I mentioned how much I love that thing!) and we went on a walk.  This is what they looked like when we got home. 

                               

                               

It was so sweet how they were holding hands!  It's not often that I see moments like this.  Ethan does love his sister, and I know she loves him too...but quite often I hear him yell out to me "Mom, Addy's spitting at me!" And I'm thinking...she's only 5 months and the sibling rivalry is already starting?  

Story Time

So we've found 2 libraries here that put on great story time programs for toddlers. In fact, they are called "Toddler Time." At the last one we went to, they had the kiddos go outside and blow bubbles after the stories and songs. It was great, and fortunately, I had my camera.

One of Ethan's good friends who always goes to story time with us.

After another story time, we found this great park! Ethan had so much fun, and he hung from the monkey bars all by himself for the very first time! Yeah Ethan!

I missed the best shot. He was hanging without his feet on the tire, but by the time I got the camera ready, his feet were back on the tire!

Addy's also been growing up so fast! Here are some recent pics of our cute little girl.

This is the first time she actually grasped a toy all by herself. When you pull on the ring, the lion purrs or makes "meowing" sounds. She kept pulling it over and over, although at 2 1/2 months, it was most likely because she couldn't figure out how to let go.

This is the first time she was in the walker. Even though her feet can't reach the ground yet, she's got such great head control that she can sit in it and loves looking at the brightly colored toys. Ethan, who hasn't played with this toy since he learned to walk nearly 2 years ago, decided that he HAD to play with it again. (Later that day I found him actually sitting in it..wish I'd thought to take a picture then!)

The Alamo

Okay, so Chris is gone for about the next 4 months, so I've decided to take the kiddos out and explore around the area as much as possible to keep away the "I miss daddy" blues. I was born in Texas (Austin), and went to elementary school in a town about an hour away (San Marcos). I remember learning all about the Alamo and the heros that fought there as a kid, so I decided to try to instill that love in Ethan. We went down to the Alamo with a friend who has a little boy that Ethan is friends with. He watched a little video about the Alamo and got to see guns shot by Davy Crocket and knives used by James Bowie. I think he had fun.

The Alamo. Many Texans still believe in their hearts that Texas should still be its own independent country. I'm not kidding! I see bumper stickers everywhere showing the Texas flag with the caption "Secede!" I'm not that fanatical, but I do think Texas has a history that is interesting. I mean where else do you find a group of about 200 poorly supplied men who refuse to surrender and instead decided to take a stance against a well armed army of 6000 soldiers from Mexico? While they didn't win, they did at least hold out for 13 days! Pretty impressive, I think!

Addy wasn't too impressed, but she's still got time!

Ethan and his friend, Austin

In front of the Alamo.

While we were there, we looked across the street and saw the Menger Hotel. It doesn't look like much, but it's got quite a history. Teddy Roosevelt recruited his "Rough Riders" here and Babe Ruth and other famous people have stayed here. It's also supposedly home to the ghost of a rancher who owned The King Ranch, which was about 250 million acres. He died here and (for some reason I don't understand) they still have that bed in the room for guests to stay in! (I don't believe in ghosts, obviously, but it was fun to see a place that had been on TV!)

Juggling

A good friend once told me that when you add a new child in your family, it's like learning to juggle. Well, let's just say it's a very good thing that I never decided to join a carnival, because I still am learning one month after Addyson joined us! Fortunately, Chris was home for the first 10 days after she came home from the NICU, and then my mom and brothers were here for a week. This past Wednesday was my first day alone with both kiddos. My biggest accomplishment was being able to make it to the post office that day. (I started with that goal around 9am, and we made it just before it closed at 4:30!) We've gotten a little better since then, but we're still finding our rhythm.

Ethan sharing his favorite pirate hat with baby Addy.

It was so great having my family here to help!!

The little angel!

GRRRR....

Okay, so Chris and I have been told since Friday morning that Baby Addyson tested positive for GBS and Staph A. So the doctors put her in the NICU and it has been, obviously, very hard since then. Starting Monday morning, I became very frustrated because it seemed that I was always getting a different story from each nurse or doctor that I talked to. The doctors had always told us she'd be able to come home after 7 days, but yesterday they changed it to 10 days, and couldn't really give me a reason why. I got the feeling they were talking more about a science experiment than my little girl. Last night I'd about had it, and told Chris that we were going to get answers. So this morning, we went in and he sort of pushed the doctor for some answers.

The result: She never had GBS. She never, ever tested positive for that. I must have been told at least a dozen different times that she definitely had that. Also, he admitted that there has never been any outward sign of Staph A, and that the blood work now looks completely normal. He admitted to having a meeting with the other senior doctors who determined it would "not be beneficial" for them to determine whether or not the blood work became contaminated. He basically told Chris it probably was contaminated and that she likely never had it. But, since they aren't admitting it outright, they are going to finish treating her for the 7 days. He said it was never his plan to keep her 10 days, but his intern had wanted to and told me that without checking with him.

So this morning, we walked in the NICU to see our little baby girl with an IV sticking out of her head, because the vein in her arm gave out because the oxacillin was too strong. I'm sure any mom can appreciate how unbearably hard that was to see. My only consolation is that she is coming home is less than 48 hours! (And then we're switching dr's asap!)

Baby Addyson is here...just not home yet!

Well, here are the first pictures of the newest addition to the family. "Baby Sister" was finally given a name: Addyson Lawren Baldwin. She was born Thursday, November 5th at 12:54. She was 7 lbs, 1 ounce and 20.5 inches long. (And absolutely beautiful, as every mom thinks their child is!)

She came super fast...I started having regular contractions around 11:30, and by 12:54 we were holding her! So, needless to say, I did not have time to get any pain meds. The doctors also did not have time to give me a shot of antibiotics that I needed before she was born, and she contracted Group B Strep and Staph A. She has to stay in the NICU for 10 days, so she'll be coming home Sunday evening. It was hard to leave her there when I was discharged, and it's still really hard to leave her after I visit every day. Poor Ethan just keeps asking when "baby Addyson" is coming home and why he can't see her in the hospital. (Because of Swine Flu concerns, they aren't allowing any children in the NICU, even siblings right now.) But, her daily blood work shows that the GBS is going down, and they haven't seen any more signs of Staph A. So all is going as well as it can be. As hard as it is to leave her every day, I do feel blessed that she is not there for more serious health concerns, and that we will be able to bring her home soon.