Weekend Recap in Pics

Snuggling with Daddy:

Me at the soccer game:

This is what was on my lap:

H:

This came for B:

Today was a great day!  We got out this afternoon for a few, made up silly songs, and are going to tackle some laundry tonight.  Thank you all for your continued prayers.

C

Weekend recap

What a great weekend!  We took Battley to both soccer games yesterday.  Adam set up the tailgate tent for us so we would be in the shade.  She laid in my lap and slept the whole time.  Watching Hayden play soccer (or any sport he likes for that matter) is one of my favorite things to do.  I can't tell you how awesome it was to be able to do it with Battley!

We are up early this morning because B slept all night for 2 nights in a row with not a peep from that apnea monitor!  Praise the Lord!

I've gotten a few questions lately about her feeding tube.  I suppose I haven't posted anything about it really.

Before we went to the hospital to have her I knew that she may need a feeding tube and oxygen.  Let me just insert here that even though I knew that, I had no idea what day to day life would be like.  I really hoped that if we had to have only one it would be the oxygen because a feeding tube seemed really scary to me.  Fast forward back to the hospital and I realized that a feeding tube is nothing compared to oxygen.  If she was on full time oxygen we would be moving an oxygen tank around every time we moved.

So back to the tube...people have asked how long she will have it and why she has it.  There are no plans to have her eat any other way than the tube.  There are 2 good reasons why.  She has an open palette (roof of her mouth) so her mouth and nose connect making it hard to keep milk out of her nose.  Is there a surgery for this?  is the next question I get...the answer is probably yes, but we are not seeking any surgery for her at this time.  Why?  because she is too fragile to handle surgery and would probably not make it through a surgery.  Reason 2 is that the most work babies do is sucking and swallowing.  The more work B does, the harder her heart has to work.  So saving her from having to do this puts less strain on her heart.  That little tube is nothing for us...we are just thankful she doesn't need full time oxygen.

This week we are headed back to the cardiologist for a checkup and the pediatrician for the same.

C

Saturday, April 28

We had a rough night last night. The apnea monitor went off every 5-15 minutes from the time we got in bed until 2. She just needed a little jostle each time, but then she had a real spell around 2:30. After that we were both too awake and shaken to go back to sleep. We watched Seinfeld episodes until about an hour before we had to get up. By then exhaustion kicked in and we both slept.

Adam took H to the first game today and I stayed home with B. My mom came to help. B did better this afternoon, so we went to the 2nd game.

H and B after the game:



She laid like this for an hour this afternoon in Adam's lap listening to the State game in the garage.


C

Randomness

I have no blog title so I'll go with random thoughts for today.

B had another great day/night. We got out again yesterday...just in the car...to take Hayden to soccer.

We had wings for dinner...thanks Carrie...and watched some of the NFL draft. Well, the guys had wings...I had something less spicy. Fletcher Cox went to the Eagles (which is Hayden's team) so H is super excited.

Hayden has a soccer tournament this weekend and I am hoping we will make it to at least one game. This one is in town...yea!

For some reason the bird theme keeps coming up...
First we bought a painting with 4 birds and hung it over the mantel in the living room
Then Travis made the blog banner with 4 birds (one for each of us)
Amy made the door hanger with birds
Then Abbey gave me a pottery bird for B's Easter happy
Then I went to get B dressed yesterday and had a hair clip I put in her hair that was just really a left over from a bunch I ordered from Giddy Giddy...it's the teal bird (sorry I can't flip the pic...using the old iPad). I realized after that it was the bird thing again...hmmmm! Anyways, aren't these so cute?



Here's a pic of my 2 babies snuggling:



C

5 Weeks

Battley turned 5 weeks old this morning.  Instead of cake tonight we'll probably order some chicken wings from Wingstop and watch some of the NFL draft.  Hayden and I are curious to see where Fletcher Cox lands...

The past five weeks would have been impossible without everyone who has lifted us up with prayer and food and affection.  We cannot tell you how much we appreciate everything everyone has done.  A few people have mentioned how impressed they are with how Catherine and I are handling everything or what an inspiration following the blog has been.

Everyday brings new challenges and unexpected joys and sometimes scary moments.  Through all this we are simply leaning on our faith and taking joy in every moment we have with her knowing we should not fear God's plan.  We praise him through the storms and after them. 

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  James 1:2-3

Adam

It's Catherine for a second...please please lift up Amy (the Amy I've asked for prayer for before) today in prayer.  She is getting closer to her due date and lost her brother yesterday in a tragic way.  Please pray for her strength and that she be able to cling to God more so now than ever.  Thanks, C 

Today was a much better day than yesterday.  B hasn't had any apnea spells since yesterday afternoon.  We even got out for just a few minutes today...we never got out of the car, but we sat with the windows down for a bit.  The breeze and sunshine were wonderful!

This is going to sound crazy to some of you, but we also sat in the Living Room for a while!  If you have been to our house lately, chances are you have sat on our bed to visit.  We pretty much stay in there during the day since all her stuff is in there.  B is on a 3 hour feeding schedule so we have to be in there every 3 hours for at least 30 mins.  We just moved her feeding pump to the other room for a feeding.  It was nice to have a change of scenery...we are trying to do this more often.

Not sure if I have posted about our schedule or not, but she has a feeding every 3 hours around the clock...each feeding lasts 30 mins.  For those of you who like sleep like I do, that's:

8am

11am

2pm

5pm

8pm

11pm

2am (available shifts for anyone who wants to help)

5am (available shifts for anyone who wants to help) haha!

Oh, and B was sneaky sneaky last night and pulled her tube out when Adam was changing her at 2am.  I had to really wake myself up to put it back in!

My gal and I were propped up chatting this afternoon...she was about to doze off.

C

Tuesday evening update

It's Tuesday night around 7:30.  Battley has had a number of apnea spells today and when she's not having one she has been sleeping.  It takes her body a long time to recover from one since her heart has to work so hard to pump blood while she isn't breathing.  It's best that we not have any visitors until she can recover from this for a bit.  She really likes for it to be cool, dark, and quiet; so we are doing our best to make it that way for her.

I don't want to go into details about the apnea spells but please pray specifically for her not to suffer and for Adam, Hayden, and I to have strength emotionally and physically.

Thank you all for your prayers!  They are so much appreciated.

As promised, I wanted to share about her dress from Sunday.  A friend of mine from High School saw our story quite a few months ago and shared it with her mother.  Her mother contacted us right away because she is the National Chair for We Care...this is a group of people from the Smocking Arts Guild of America that sews for babies in the NICU.  Normally they don't know the children they are sewing for, but she asked if she could make a dress specifically for Battley.  Of course!  We were honored!  Here is a close up of the dress...it is so beautiful.  I love the bow at the bottom!  Thank you, Robin!

My Aunt Anita, who lives in Oregon and made B's blanket, made these for her and they came in the mail yesterday!  She should sell these on Etsy!  So stinking cute!  Then Ab stopped by and got to hold B for the first time...pic below.

2 of my besties:

C

Sleeping

Just another quick update...B fell asleep around 4am and is still sleeping soundly. Thank you for your prayers...keep them coming please.

Update

Monday was a rough day. Monday night was the same. Battley had quite a number of apnea spells. Please pray that she not suffer and can go to Jesus peacefully when it is her time.

1 Month

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Psalms 139:13-14

We had Battley dedicated today at our church.  A few days ago we were asked to find a "life verse" for her.  It's not easy to find one verse in the Bible to be a "life" verse.  We looked up many and decided on the above...it just happens to be a verse that Jennifer used on her blog post about Battley last week!

http://rutledgephotographyblog.com/?p=842

Our sister-in-law was in town so she got to spend the night last night and come to the dedication this morning:

Here are some pics of our family and friends who came today...THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SUPPORT US...it meant a lot:

We tried to all wear pink, but I guess H and I veered off into coral...oh well!

Aw...that one above just melts my heart!  And that gown she was wearing is so precious...more to come on that one later.

And while I was taking pics off the camera I noticed that my friend Sam didn't get in the pics because she always comes to take pics!  I also found this from last week when she pulled her tube out:

C

Sun-day Fun-day

Tomorrow will be Battley's 1 Month Birthday!  Can you believe it?

Here are the details again for the baby dedication tomorrow:

Sunday, April 22nd
10:30am service...I'd get there a few mins early if I were you...they have 7 families participating!
First Baptist Church of Jackson (Madison Campus)

MADISON CAMPUS

598 Yandell Road

Madison, Mississippi 39110 

 

Adam and I would love to be able to invite you all over for lunch tomorrow afterwards, but we thought about it and just aren't up for that kind of a challenge right now...especially since my mom is out of town and can't help out.  We will be doing well to make it to church on time with our hair brushed!

We are SO excited to see everyone tomorrow though!  I've heard from some of you that are coming...we are honored!  

Let's see...what have we done in the past few days???

We got out yesterday afternoon when the weather was nice and strolled around Renaissance for a bit.  B does so well outside (breathes very easily) so we try to take her out when it's not too hot or sunny.  Then the guys talked us in to getting some greasy hamburgers for dinner.

Other than that we have been at home reading (I think her favorite is Is Your Momma a Llama?), chatting, and making up silly songs.

Here's a pic of Miss B in her car seat all ready to go yesterday (she loves that binky...his name is Binka-mon...like he's Jamaican...don't ask...you say strange things when you've been up all night):

See you tomorrow!!
C

4 weeks old!!

Battley gave us a little surprise today for her 4 week b-day...she pulled her tube out in her sleep and we didn't know it until a few minutes before her feeding. That little tube was hard to get back in this time. She did not like it...poor girl.

We didn't do much today...just hung around the house. B started her new medicine today and we basically waited on a "really really wet" diaper most of the day.

At the request of Mike, here is a video (I'm blogging from soccer practice and using what pics and video I have on my phone)...it's a few days old but will do...oh, and I think I turned the phone halfway through. Sorry!

C

Wednesday

We left the house this morning at 7:15 with everyone dressed and ready...that is a Major feat considering some days lately we haven't brushed our teeth until noon or later! I can just hear my mother now..."really, Catherine...you don't have to share That"!

The cardiologist appt went well. She will start 1 kind of medicine now to keep excess fluid off her lungs...this is not a problem now but could become one as she grows if we don't do anything about it. It is to keep her comfortable and may help ease some of her breathing. Sometimes she breathes with ease like we do and sometimes she has to work harder to get a good breath.

When we left the hospital we headed over to watch H play tennis. The weather was great and H played well.

We are back home now and worn out...no physical activity for a few weeks makes you tire quickly...ha!

We have gotten so many emails from people who read the blog and pray for B. We are truly touched! I wish it wasn't so hard to leave a comment on this blog because we would love to hear where you live...we know some of you are quite a few states away!

I will work on some pics for tomorrow.

C

Cardio

Today was pretty uneventful compared to yesterday...thankfully!  It rained here almost all day so it was an extra good day for snuggling.  Instead of reading books today we made up stories...we had to make sure dad understood the difference between "dude" stories and girl stories.  He started with a fish who got eaten by a larger fish and ended with something about unicorns and a field of butterflies...much better!

We are headed to the cardiologist bright and early in the morning.  Hayden is playing in an all day tennis tournament, so we may try to catch a match or two after that.  Before lately I've only missed one of Hayden's soccer games...ever.  It's really hard for me to miss his stuff (not sure it's that hard on him) so hopefully we can make it work.

C

Oh, and don't forget...baby dedication this Sunday!!  We are so excited!

I took Hayden to school this morning. Normally Adam does this and it's their "guy time" but today was my turn. Hayden snapped this with my phone on the way:



We actually saw both ends of the rainbow!!

I started to write this blog post a while ago. I started to write about what a relaxing day we had.

Battley had an apnea episode tonight that was very scary. We had to give her oxygen. I won't go into the details but I thought it was her time to go and I wasn't ready. I was reminded of God's words "do not fear". I am reminding myself that He is in control...do not fear.

C

Smiling Again

Battley finally feels better. She had an upset stomach all weekend but woke up smiling this morning!

We had a very uneventful weekend...just hung around the house. Hayden went turkey hunting on Sat morning. Adam made a trip to CVS. Then he and Hayden mowed yesterday. That's it!

Check this out:
http://rutledgephotographyblog.com

C

Pics

A few more pics from Jennifer:









My heart melts when i see these!

The flower was a gift from my friend Molly Gee...check out her website...she's super talented and can make anything you want!

www.mollygeedesigns.com

C

Feeling Better

We made a little trip to the pediatrician's office this afternoon just because we didn't want the weekend to start and not be able to see a doc. She said she should be okay now that her fever has gone down. Yea!!

B was fussy all afternoon, and I think she wore herself out. We got home and rocked for a bit. Now she's napping next to her daddy.


Check out this cute book bag that was waiting on her when we got home...full of good books we didn't have too!





This other surprise was in my inbox today:












Jennifer sent a few pics from our session on Wednesday. I think they are all my favorites. It was fun to hang out with her while she worked...the last time she took pics of B was the day she was born and I was out of it.

My mom is coming over tonight to help with the nighttime feedings so we can sleep more than an hour at a time!! Yea for Meme! By the way...I keep typing "Meme" but it was shortened to Meem a few years ago by H. I just didn't know how to spell Meem.

And just for me in case I can't remember later...B weighs 4lbs-2oz.

C

Fever

Just a quick update...

B had a fever last night. After some Motrin and lots of crying it came down. Please pray it doesn't come back.

Neither of us slept last night; so if she is fever free today, I plan to sleep when she is sleeping.

C

3 weeks old!!

I wanted you more

than you ever will know

so I sent love to follow

wherever you go.

It's high as you wish it. It's quick as an elf.

You'll never outgrow it...it stretches itself!

So climb any mountain...

climb up to the sky!

My love will find you.

My love can fly!

Make a big splash!  Go out on a limb!

My love will find you.  My love can swim!

It never gets lost, never fades, never ends...

if you're working...

or playing...

or sitting with friends.

You can dance 'til you're dizzy...

paint 'til you're blue...

There's no place, not one, 

that my love can't find you.

And if someday you're lonely, 

or someday you're sad, 

or you strike out at baseball, 

or think you've been bad...

just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.

That's me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.

In the green of the grass...in the smell of the sea...

in the clouds floating by...at the top of a tree...

in the sound crickets make at the end of the day...

"You are loved.  You are loved.  You are loved," they all say.

My love is so high, and so wide and 

so deep, it's always right there, even 

when you're asleep.

So hold your head high

and don't be afraid

to march to the front

of your own parade.

If you're still my small babe

or you're all the way grown,

my promise to you

is you're never alone.  

You are my angel, my darling, 

my star...and my love will find you, 

wherever you are.

You are loved. 

.

- Nancy Tillman

Wherever You Are

My Love Will Find You

C

20 days old!

Battley Cate will be 3....THREE (that's me shouting)...weeks old tomorrow! Wow! It seems like such a short time ago that we were wondering if she would be born alive, yet it seems like I've known her forever.  If you can't tell, I'm pretty crazy about that gal!

So, here is a pic of Hayden and B from the tennis match yesterday...taken after we got home. I almost forgot to take a pic with all the excitement of taking her out and doing a feeding while we were out.

and H doing what he thinks photographers tell you to do:

And here's a better shot of her outfit. I had it made to surprise H...for his own little cheerleader.

He is so sweet with her...don't tell him I said that. He reads to her every night...and sometimes changes the words to the story so he thinks it's funny too.

We have stacks like this all over the house right now:

I want to read her every book ever written, but for now we will stick to the ones we have.  Adam wants to read her every one we have at least once.

We got this book in the mail yesterday:

Wow!  If you've never read this one, you may need a box of kleenex to get through it.  I will have to share some of the words later...they are perfectly fitting for any parent to read to their baby.  The illustrations are beautiful on top of that.

Today we had our photographer come bright and early...well 9am seems bright and early when you don't sleep much at night. Ha! I took Battley's feeding tube out for this and prayed that it would go back in as easily as it did when we were in the hospital.

Oh and I should thank my mom for getting Adam's white shirt last night, Amy for bringing me her hair straightener last night (mine broke yesterday), and Abbey for loaning me a maternity shirt that fits...a whole other topic I could go into but will save you from: what to wear after baby? Who wants to keep wearing maternity...no one, but that's what fits! Well...unless you're one of the ladies who looks like you just stuffed a basketball up your shirt, but that's not me!

So...here is a sneak peak at some of the pre photo shoot...us sitting around:

and photo shoot:

B's tube went right back in! I know that seems like a small thing, but it was feeding time and we had no backup plan. Now, if you need a straight line cut or drawn don't call me. The tube has this tape that holds it down so she doesn't pull it out. It's called tegaderm, and it comes in sheets. You have to cut it down to the right size and (today) put it on a moving target. I am not good at this! In the past I've done it when she was sleeping. If you are a cutting or taping expert, please stop by...I have a project for you. I will have to wait until she's sleeping later and get out the ole glasses to do a better job.

Anyhow, the photo session was great. Our awesome photographer is Jennifer Rutledge. She was so patient. She would put B in a position and hold her there for a minute until she got comfy before she took pics.

This afternoon we put the apnea monitor on so I could take a nap. I haven't done this during the day yet, but lack of sleep was catching up with me. She's still sleeping and I feel refreshed!

Please, if you have a minute, thank God for the wonderful 20 days he has given us and pray for Anna's mom (who just lost Anna after a few hours with her) and Amy (who is pregnant with a baby girl with T18).  Thank you!
C