Searching for a New Fi Mobile

 

Before we started trying to get pregnant, John and I decided to do some upgrading. We remodeled our kitchen, got new floors, transformed the little “office” room into a guest bedroom and turned the closet into a desk space.

After I became pregnant, we turned the old guest room into Fiona’s room because it’s bigger. We also renovated Fiona’s room, adding two closets and a built in desk. The desk is being used a changing table right now. We expanded the window seat and added drawers and had some shelves built in to one of the walls. We replaced all the doors in the house with newer, nicer looking ones, changed out all the door handles, and replaced our outdated blinds with either curtains or shutters, depending on the room.

 

The only thing left to do is get a new car. John’s car is over 10 years old and have over 200,000 miles on it. It’s an adequate vehicle, but we’d like something newer and cleaner that doesn’t rattle as much.

We originally planned to find a new vehicle in July, during my month of not working but not yet having a baby. Obviously those plans changed. Then we thought we had time to do it while Fiona was still in the hospital, but for various reasons, we were not able to. Now she’s home and we have no time to find a new vehicle. We were lucky enough to test drive a few cars and have narrowed it down to two. We want to drive them again so we can make a final decision. Both are rated equally high depending on what agency you go to (Consumer Reports, Edmunds, etc.)

The first is the Subaru Forester.

Plusses: It’s a great value, we love the interior, the fuel economy is not the same as my Honda Civic, but it’s not bad either. It’s available in manual transmission and the models they have right now have a sun roof and heated front seats. It’s a great value for the money.

Minuses: Has a truck suspension and the clutch is not as tight as I’d like. Feels like I’m driving John’s car.

The second car is the Toyota RAV4.

Plusses: It handles well, is a 4x4, interior is nice, same fuel economy as the Forester, and the trunk door swings out instead of being a hatchback. For me this is a plus because I am short and it’s nice not to have to reach up to close the trunk.

Minuses: The car seat would have to go behind either the driver or the passenger, not in the middle. I don’t like the rear seatbelt configuration. It’s more expensive and you get less for your money, it’s only available in automatic and we really like our stick shifts!

Neither of the vehicles feels like a big car and both handle very similarly. The manufacturers have excellent reputations. I know we can’t go wrong with either one. I’m not sure I’m ready to betray Honda for Toyota or join the cult that is being a Subaru owner.

I told John that I’m at the point of holding up a picture of each in front of Fiona and choosing the one that she bats at first.

Tummy Time and a Bath!

 

Friday Fiona had her very first pediatric appointment. She was weighed and measured, and she made sure to mark her territory like a good girl. She’s strong and looks healthy and our next appointment is on her due date. I’m guessing we will discuss vaccinations at that time. 

She also went to her first coffee shop, where she consumed a mint mocha latte. I’m just kidding, only dad had coffee. Although the smell should have triggered some nostalgia because she spent the first four weeks of life taking caffeine daily to help her breathe.

Today, we went for a walk around the neighborhood to show Fiona where we live. We also had some tummy time, and gave her a bath at home. Fiona really likes her baths and she is very calm when in warm water (wonder why?).

Now, she’s lying in her bassinet listening to the rain setting of her Sleep Sheep.

Here are some tummy time photos:

I’ll spare everyone from watching the videos of her gurgling and looking around.

 

Fiona on Dad after her bath:

Then And Now

 

Check in June 3, 2010:

 

Check out July 21, 2010:

My baby looks like a little hood.

Our First Night

 

The NICU nurses told me that Fiona is a good little sleeper, averaging 3 to 4 hours between feedings (she’s not supposed to go more than 4 hours anyway). It was quite surprising then that she didn’t sleep at all her first night. She grunted and groaned, whined and cried all night. She would only calm down if we held her and wanted eat almost every hour. We thought that she didn’t like her bassinet and that the room was too dark. We left the light on and created a sleep positioner from blankets, just like in the NICU. At one point I noticed that the sound of running water made her fall asleep, so I ran the sink and recorded it.

We thought that first night would be sleepless because of fear, not because Fiona wouldn’t sleep. We were not stressed out, but by morning, we were definitely tired and worried that we now had a snacker (babies who don’t eat a lot but eat often) on our hands. We debated calling the NICU nurses to ask what to do. During the following day, she was fine. She slept in her actual crib and in her car seat at the park. She ate more regularly and slept for the same intervals that she did in the hospital.

At work, John consulted with other preemie parents and we realized that her problem was that she was in a new place. The sounds, the smells, the temperature, everything was different. She is used to sleeping in a place that is never dark and never quiet. My mom commented that she was probably eating more often in case she’s moved again to someplace that has no food.

On the way home from work, John purchased a night light and a Sleep Sheep and we made sure that she finished her bottles completely before we put her down. I also played with her and talked to her while she was awake during the day. Last night, she slept in her bassinet in our room, and we slept also (John more than me because I still have to get up and pump, and I fed her during the night). We also learned just how many times babies clothes need to be changed and why all the nurses told us to get plenty of blankets (we thought we were good with 20, not so) and other clothes. We’ve already had to do a load of laundry and it’s only the second day. I am sure we will figure it out eventually.

Here is a picture of a Sleep Sheep. We set it to ocean or rain and it relaxes her.

And what post is complete without photos of Fiona?

Eating at home with a cute little bib:

 

Sleeping in her bassinet that we wheeled into the living room. That is her going home outfit.

  

Sleeping in her crib during the day:

I Have the BEST Students EVER

 

And smart!

Two days ago a student of mine who just graduated called me (yes, many of my students have my cell phone number) and asked if I wanted to hang out. She suggested going for a walk at the park near my house. I told her I thought she must be very bored this summer to want to hang out with me. I figured that if Matan could go to Lakers games with one of his teachers, then I can go for a walk with this student. Besides, she’s 18 and going off to university soon, who knows when I will see her next.

We decided to go on Thursday because Fiona came home on Wednesday. I have been dying to go for a walk with my baby and to take her to the park, so this was the perfect excuse for a first outing.

We at the park and we walked, chatting about stuff and life, and at one point she asked if could detour to the bathroom. As we approached the bathroom area, I noticed some familiar looking people sitting under a tree. It turns out that it was all a rouse to get me to the park for a surprise party. They had food and cake and Twister. It was so nice to see these students. As a teacher, it is hard not to have favorites, but this group definitely is. If Fiona turns out like any one of them, I will be a very happy and proud mama. They are all very intelligent, thoughtful, funny, independent, and community minded. Not only have I taught them math, but I’ve spent countless weekend hours performing community service with them as part of Key Club. Apparently, they are also very sneaky and good schemers.

They gave me some gifts and some very nice cards that I am going to cherish forever. They remind me why I love teaching. When John said to me that one day we are going to have a teenage girl, I told him I was looking forward to it. There is a reason that I like teaching high school. These students are it. Because some of them are still under the age of 18, I cannot post a photo of them, but I can post photos of their gifts.

So to Cherie, Zuly, Eddie, Belen, Rosalva, Sam, Lisette, Andrea, and Dale, Thanks! You really are the BEST students EVER!!!! I’m sorry I’m going to miss your senior year those of you still in high school and good luck in college to those that just graduated (I missed the graduation because of Fiona’s birth).

The little card has all sorts of math stuff such as the Quadratic Formula, Standard Deviation, Natural Log, and i squared. One of the cards congratulated me on the new addition to my finite mathematical equation.

Fiona is currently wearing the outfit on the left. It’s really soft and fleecy and says “Squeeze Me.”

Welcome to Holland

 

The following essay is by Emily Perl Kingsley and even though it is about having a child with a disability, I think it applies very well to having a preemie.

“I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.”

Have a fantastic day wherever your journey may lead you!

She’s Home! She’s Home!

 

She gained sufficient weight to prove that she can bottle and breastfeed on her own. Her fortifier was reduced to 22 calories the day she lost weight. Hopefully she’ll exclusively breastfeed soon and we won’t even need the bottles. Right now, I have almost a month’s worth of pumping in the freezer. Fiona now eats about two ounces (60mLs) per feeding every three to four hours.

She has no monitors and her only prescription is for vitamins and iron. Her neonatologist told us not to worry if we don’t give those to her.

A photographer took some photos of her. They are cheesy hospital photos, but we wanted them none-the-less, as a memento of her discharge day.

The first thing we did when she got home was to hold her. I held her in her chair while John unpacked the hospital bags. Then John held her in our big comfy chair in the living room. Then he went out to get groceries and lunch and I gave her a tour of the house. After that, Fiona slept a little, then woke up and ate, then slept more. She was awake when my parents came over for dinner.

Right now she is sleeping in her bassinette next to me. It’s a Graco Travel Lite Crib (thanks Richard and Guila!) and we wheeled into the living room. We will wheel it back to our room to sleep tonight. She makes a lot of cute noises in her sleep.

This feels like pure heaven. It’s weird not going to the hospital tonight. It’s been such a part of our lives for almost 7 weeks. I keep looking for the monitors to see how her breathing is and asking permission to pick her up. I sometimes just stare at her, listening for the signs of life, checking her color, and making sure she’s not spitting up. A while ago, I sat on the couch while she slept on me. It was so much more comfortable than the hospital chairs.

I am so happy to finally be able to start the adventure that is going to be parenting this little bundle.

Here are some photos of her in her car seat. Yes, she looks teeny tiny. She is not yet six pounds, but very close to it.

   

Yo yo yo, Fiona in the hiz-ouse!

 

And Fiona really in the house. John was not really sleeping, he was posing.