New found glory!

Being a mommy is getting easier & easier. Sarah sleeps like a charm at night. She usually goes down around 6pm and wakes around 6:30-7am. 12 hours!! Not bad right? Nap times have been a little bit harder. Going down for naps has been more of a struggle.
I haven't been feeling like Sarah is getting adequate sleep during the days. Her naps were usually around 20,30, 45 minutes, sometimes 3 hours...very sporadic. I kept wondering if she was well rested enough from the nights, wondered if the quality of my milk wasn't good or sufficient....I'm ALWAYS second guessing myself! So I started going through all my books again and reading about napping...all of those same books that made me anxious. :) Ed thought I was crazy and read me my previous post about these baby books. Anyway they gave me some new ideas of things I had forgotten about. Knowledge is power and like magic, I put Sarah down a little earlier than usual. The result? NO crying, NO struggle, and a 2+ hour nap taken and a happy, well rested baby!! What was the new found glory? Not waiting until Sarah started to fuss, but putting her down to nap about an hour after her last wake time. This has made a world of difference. Nothing feels better than trying something new, succeeding and having a beautiful happy baby!! I feel like a good mother and I know I'll always be searching and problem solving in an effort to give Sarah the best quality of life! She is truly the best baby a mother could ask for. I LOVE YOU SARAH...my good little napper!!

Party time!!

It's funny to think that our "party time" means finding a babysitter and going to Ed's holiday work party. Either way we had a great time visiting with Ed's colleagues, eating a great meal, yummy chocolate fountain dessert and a little slow dancing. :) We haven't slow danced since our wedding!! It was great!



Sarah also had her first sleepover (at least for a few hours) with a boy!! Hands off Davis! :) j/k They've been doing a lot of sleeping together recently. :) Thanks Jenna & Dennis!!









Tuckered babies after a day of shopping with their mommy's earlier this week.

What a Woman!!!

I want to publicly express my undying love for Lindsey and her willingness to lay it all on the line. Linz is a great wife and the best possible mother to raise our child.

I am positive this is my favorite picture ever!!!

Are you sure you want in??

It's about time I post something new!! It's been on my mind. Why am I blogging so early? I'm past the point of no return...as in sleep. I've been tossing and turning since 4am-ish. Blah! Wretched skin!! Then I fed Sarah and now, since I still can't sleep, you get to hear about what I think about in the wee hours of the morning. That is, if you so choose...which I'm assuming you do. Why else would you be on my blog? Maybe just in hopes that I'll post another adorable picture of our baby Sarah? Not today, but there'll be plenty of that to come. These thoughts will definitely be random. My mornings are filled with so many thoughts!! Hmmmm Where do I begin? So I'm always worried that when I write that my thoughts wont come across the way I'm really thinking them. I have no pride about the way I write. Have they invented a machine that can type up your thoughts as you think them yet?? I sure wish they did. It always sounds much better in my head. I am what I am, so pardon the sentence structure, spelling and punctuation. I'm also always worried about offending people by the way I talk/write. But why? Is anyone else worried about offending me by the way they talk/write or live their lives?? Understand that is not my intent. I am also naive in ways but sometimes prefer it that way so read on if you like. I like to think of blogging as a way to journal. You get to hear my thoughts and feelings no matter how politically correct they are. I'm sure I'll come off as being self righteous. Judge me if you like. Here are my most recent thoughts. Some I may not elaborate on as much as I'd like so you'll just have to talk to me if you'd like a better explanation or a conversation about these things. And as always your comments are always welcome. I love to read your opinions and ideas, if you agree or disagree, etc. Here we go.

- Are you (me included) here on business or pleasure? Hotels ask this all the time. I'm thinking of life this way. Are we here for our salvation and what comes after this life on earth -or- to enjoy the world, vanity, and pleasure ourselves no matter what the consequence? I'm trying to get through this part so I can enjoy the next part, which I believe will be so glorious and wonderful!!

-Boobs were created to sustain life. They were not created for entertainment, sex, just to look at, etc. Sure we can enjoy them in other aspects but their main purpose is to sustain life. They were created for our babies not all the other things they are used for. Our bodies/functions are truly amazing! God is so great!

- The world is clearly black and white even though we ALL want grey.

- I despise people living double lives. This fits well with my last comment. Pick a side or at least don't lie to everyone. But I also understand that we all have weaknesses and/or need experience to learn.

- Calorie counters and people obsessed with scales are annoying and truly have a disorder.

-I'm over name brands and keeping up with the Jones'. I like good quality and nice things, but people that constantly talk about Gucci this, Prada that, etc. and define their lives by what they own drive me nuts!!

-I'm bugged that the world is taking Christ out of most everything, but throwing garbage (sex, language, violence, drugs, money,etc) into everything else. Mostly TV and movies of which I love and watch a lot of. It's getting hard though. I need a little more Christlike influence in my life. Those other things are ripping families apart. The worldly things are perceived to be SO great! I disagree. I don't feel like I'm missing out.

Take it or leave it. I know I'm a culprite for some/all of the things in a way. That doesn't change the fact that they all make me frustrated! These thoughts are not pointed at anyone directly, but obviously living life gives me my opinions, views, standards...everything I am. I have a lot to learn. Most all of my opinions are based on the way I was brought up but I will not discount that I am now an adult with clear views and a firm knowledge and I don't believe the way I do just because I was raised to or told to. I've done some work, experienced good/bad and I go by how I feel. I'll be working the rest of my life to fight off the evil influences that bring me down and make me feel defeated. Does anyone else ever feel insecure or inadequate? Anyway, thanks for listening! More positive things next post... I promise!!

Visit from Grandpa Steve

Grandpa Steve was in San Fran for work for a day so we met up for dinner and he got to see Sarah for about an hour. :)

On a side note- Ed's and my favorite candy these days. Thanks Cheneys.

Confessions

I have to confess that I am SO grateful for Ed. Every once in a while I freak out, get a little OCD, turn grouchy and have to clean, clean, clean, or I just want to be grouchy! Ed is truly patient, supportive and understanding. Last night he just started helping me clean and left me alone and didn't complain. He's always quick to forget my faults and almost never mentions anything negative about me. Sometimes I feel like I'm too quick to criticize, nag or complain and for this I am truly grateful for such a helpful, loving, hard working husband that allows me the time to stay home and raise our baby Sarah even if it gets routine sometimes. Ed always seems happy to see me and give me a kiss and hug. I could work on that. Thanks honey, I love you!!

I have to confess that I love going into Sarah's room in the night, morning and afternoons to get her out of her crib after a nap. It's one of my favorite things to see her smile at me. She is always so happy to see me. Her smiles are so adorable! It feels so great to be needed. Being a mother is demanding, so good thing these precious babies are so cute and easy to love and care for. I'm so blessed to be a mother!!

I have to confess that the anxiety of being a first time parent has finally left and I'm so much more relaxed. I think I finally figured out Sarah and I GET IT!! I know how to read her almost always AFTER 3 months!!! There are still hard days, but now I can better distinguish her cries, I know when she's hungry, when she's ready for a nap, or when she's bored. She is now taking regular naps and transitions are much smoother and predictable. Maybe it took me a little longer than most, but I am so grateful for the experience. The Lord is so great to let us learn by experience and trial. No one could give me the answer. I had to experience it to learn. I think about all the times that Sarah would cry (before I had a clue) and now it's much more obvious to me about what she needed. I could have saved her (and me) a lot of crying. Thank goodness for a patient, loving baby that wont remember or point out my faults either.

I have to confess...don't worry Ed :)...that last night I actually thought about having another baby and liked it. I welcomed the thought as I was cuddling Sarah into me. I was replaying her birth, thinking about how small she was, and how much I love her. I will always remember and love my first baby. I think the shock of it all (1st baby) kind of takes away from the experience and enjoyment because you are still trying to learn what to do. I feel like Sarah is growing so fast. She is fitting in newborn clothes that once drowned her! The advancements are fun yet sad all at the same time. That doesn't mean I am ready to have another anytime soon, but I am excited for the time (pregnancy and all) when we decide we're ready again.

Sarah's 3 month old photo shoot

WE LOVE YOU SARAH!!

Ed in scrubs & Me and Marie

Thanksgiving was a beautiful day. We had a relaxed morning, went for a nice walk, and then right as we were going to prepare our turkey for cookin'...Ed's pager went off. :( So Ed went to work for the night and before his case started, had leftover turkey dinner that the nurses brought in. I had good old Marie Callender's take out turkey dinner. The circumstances made us extra grateful for each other and extra grateful for our families. This was our first Thanksgiving away from family and we spent it away from each other too. Since we weren't able to have turkey dinner on Thanksgiving...we had it yesterday. It was just as good a day late. As long as we're together. :) Ed did a great job on the turkey.

Something went right, and an old story.

I must have done something right today. Timing must have been on or something. Sarah slept almost 13 hours last night and then took 3 naps totaling 4 1/2 hours. She just went down at 6:15pm. Lots of smiles, hardly any crying...It was a GOOD day!

Also, this happened about one month ago at Sarah's 2 month check up. After Sarah's appointment when I went to get in the car, I totally closed the door on my face before I had a chance to get in!!! :) Has anyone else ever done that? I do it WAY too often. :) I grabbed/covered my eye in pain as I finished getting in the car. Ed asked to look at my eye since he saw me hit it. When I took my hand down I noticed blood. Ed thought I might need stitches. I've never had stitches!! So we went back in the Medical Center (luckily they see adults there as well) and had a doctor look at it. They put some Dermabond (like super glue) on it and sent me off. People looked at me as if Ed had beat me up or something. :) Anyway, funny story. I'd love to hear some of your similar stories to make me feel a little less clumsy.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged... by Kim
Here are the rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1: I'm a little OCD. Or a lot OCD. :)I get really crabby if my house gets too cluttered. I find a lot of enjoyment reorganizing things, dejunking, vacuuming, etc. I'm very particular about the way things are cleaned too (the way I load the dishwasher). I prefer to clean most things in our place because I like the way I do it. I used to re-vacuum the room if someone stepped on the carpet because I liked to see the lines. I also used to re-write my notes at school so they looked better. :) If I'm going on a vacation, I usually make sure my house is clean before I leave so that I can come home to a clean house. Clean house= Happy Lindsey.

2: I LOVE sugar. I eat way too much of it! While I have self control, I eat a little bit a lot of times during the day. :) I feel like I can afford to eat the food I want if I'm willing to work out. What's life without good food, snacks and candy?

3: I really like running- if it's in the right place with the right people. :) When Ed and I lived in CA the first time I met a group of girls that taught me to love running. CA has beautiful trails and when you're in good company, telling stories, etc., it doesn't even feel like working out sometimes. Nothing better than the feeling after an early morning Saturday run with great friends.

4: I love my family! I love being a wife and mother! Both take practice, but are the most rewarding things in life.

5: I love animals. I have always loved just watching animals. I hate to watch discovery channel shows when animals get killed. I have 2 cats. Someday want a dog.

6: I love TV. I look forward to all of our shows almost every night of the week. Cheap entertainment I suppose. I would really like to get better at getting out and being more active though. Hiking, tennis, snowboarding...trying new things. Maybe when Sarah's a little older. :)

I have to tag SIX people. How about..... Mindi, Kaylynn, Julia, Jenny, Jenn & Krista.

Sarah Speaks!!!

"Firsts"

Sarah had a couple "firsts" last night that I wanted to share.
-She slept for 12 hours straight for the first time(5pm to 5am. Sarah averages between 8-11 hours sleep time every night. Great for her... and me!! :) She loves her sleep at night...still working on the day naps. :)
-She somehow turned herself completely around in her crib without coming out of her blanket or waking up. :) Little wiggler...we'll have to be more careful since she's starting to move around...rolling over, doing 180's...she's a punkin!!
-Another "first" she had a couple days ago was falling asleep while cuddled into my shoulder. It was the sweetest thing.

Some other new things she likes are:
-Her hands- She's starting to see them and realize they are attached to her.
-Baby Einsteins- She watches intently every morning. :)
-Cooing- She's got all sorts of stories. I love watching her mouth and nose move while she concentrates so hard to get noise to come out. She loves having conversations with mommy and daddy.
-Her thighs- She's getting some nice rolls.(just like her mom j/k) :) Well fed, I say. :)
-Tummy Time- She always seems to be looking up. She has such a strong neck.
-Stretching- She loves it when I stretch her arms and legs to help her become less stiff.
-Baby Bjorn- She loves going on walks in her Bjorn, looking at the sun and trees and feeling the wind on her face. She also likes chillin' with me while I cook and sometimes takes a snooze while in the Bjorn.
-Daddy- It's so sweet to see her face light up when she see's daddy and smiles when she recognizes his glasses.
-Baths- She loves bath/shower time, but absolutely screams every time we take her out of the warm water no matter what time of day. (Much like her Daddy)Must remind her of birth. :)
-Mobiles- The birdies on her swing are definitely her friends.
-Smiling- Much more frequent these days.

Sarah is such a joy!! We love her so much!!

Grandma Grace visits!

Sarah was so excited to see her Grandma this weekend! During her visit we walked the Bay Bridge, went to Pier 39, and Ghirardelli Square. We also went to Body Worlds, new restaurants, Half Moon Bay, Woodside and Palo Alto City. Grandma loved the Bay Area and we're sure she'll come again soon. Thanks for a great weekend Grandma/Mom!! :)

Twins Separated Successfully!!!

Yurelia and Fiorella Rocha-Arias

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Surgeons at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital separated Yurelia and Fiorella Rocha-Arias in a nine hour procedure on November 12:

• 6:30 am – Surgery started
• Around 11:00 am – Twins’ liver was separated
• Around 12:00 pm – Twins were completely separated and moved to separate rooms for reconstruction
• 3:30 pm – Surgery completed

Each child had her own medical team during the procedure. Two comprehensive care teams—one for each girl—with representatives from nursing, anesthesia, cardiothoracic surgery, pediatric general surgery, plastic surgery, cardiac bypass and others, were in the operating rooms throughout the entire procedure.
 
Both of the girls had heart conditions that needed repair. Fiorella’s was fixed after the separation. Cardiothoracic surgeon Frank Hanley, MD, will operate to attempt to correct Yurelia’s heart defect some time this week.

“The separation went much better than anticipated,” said Hartman. “Dozens of people worked together seamlessly, and the girls’ cardiac function actually improved when they were separated.” Each child had her own medical team during the procedure. The twins’ liver was separated at about 11 am and the girls themselves were completely separated by around noon. They were moved to separate rooms for reconstruction after they were separated. Two comprehensive care teams—one for each girl—with representatives from nursing, anesthesia, cardiothoracic surgery, pediatric general surgery, plastic surgery, cardiac bypass and others, were in the operating rooms throughout the entire procedure. “It was an extraordinary team effort,” said Hartman, noting that one onlooker compared the activity in the operating room to a symphony. 

The girls are currently recovering in the Packard Children’s Hospitalcardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU).

Conjoined Twins Separation at Stanford Hospital

Hey everyone,

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University will be separating conjoined twins next Monday. They share a right atrium - which is really rare. We will have to place both kids on bypass, cut there hearts apart, move them to separate rooms, and then begin repairing their hearts. CRAZY!!! We have been preparing for this procedure for a long time and are very excited.

I added some info from Lucile Packard's website (this is not a violation of patient confidentiality) so you can read more about them. I will post more Monday night.

Ed

The following is from www.lpch.org

Yurelia Anyolett and Fiorella Gianina Rocha-Arias are conjoined twins. They were born in August 2005 in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Yurelia and Fiorella are joined at the chest and abdomen and face each other. This is called a thoraco-omphalopagus connection.

Additionally:
-Their livers are fused together into a single organ.
-The right atriums of their hearts are connected. The right atrium of the heart receives oxygen-poor (venous) blood from the body. Blood then goes through the right ventricle and into the lungs to get more oxygen.

Yurelia has a congenital heart problem (occurred as the heart formed during pregnancy). It is called double outlet right ventricle (DORV). The aorta and pulmonary artery are both connected to the right ventricle. Normally, the aorta is connected to the left ventricle. Despite the DORV, both of Yurelia’s ventricles are of normal size and function well. The DORV will require correction after the separation surgery.

Fiorella has pulmonary artery stenosis – a narrowing of her left main pulmonary artery. This will require correction after the separation surgery. Fiorella also has a thick right ventricle and high blood pressure.

Some blood is shared between the girls. The blood goes back and forth through connections in the heart and liver.
Fiorella’s body and organs are larger than Yurelia’s.

Yurelia and Fiorella will be 2 years old at the time of the surgery, they may be stronger and better able to recover after surgery. However, their age also means they’ve spent a longer time connected. Some muscle and skeleton changes have probably occurred that may make the actual separation or recovery more difficult.
The twins’ stay in the United StatesMending Kids International, a volunteer organization dedicated to providing complex surgical care to children outside the United States, arranged for the girls to come to Packard Children’s Hospital. Yurelia and Fiorella arrived in the United States on July 25. Their evaluation at Packard Children’s Hospital started the next day.

These are some good answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

1. How common are conjoined twins?The worldwide occurrence of conjoined twins is not well recorded. The frequency of conjoined twins is estimated to be between 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 200,000 worldwide. Because they occur so rarely, it is difficult to determine an exact frequency. Most do not survive pregnancy, and most who are born alive do not survive for more than 24 hours.

2. What causes conjoined twins?There are two theories about the forming of conjoined twins. The first is that a single fertilized egg does not totally split during the process of forming identical twins. The second theory is that a fusion of two fertilized eggs occurs earlier in development. Although conjoined twinning has not been linked to any environmental or genetic cause, they occur so rarely it has been impossible to draw firm conclusions.

3. How often is separation surgery performed?Separation surgery is performed in the United States about five times a year. Most recently, on August 29, 2007, physicians at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia separated 1-year-old conjoined twins who were joined at the abdomen.

4. Has a separation surgery ever been performed at Packard Children’s? What is the history of conjoined twin surgeries in the Bay Area?Yurelia and Fiorella Rocha-Arias will be the first set of conjoined twins separated at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Prior to the opening of Packard Children's in 1991, two sets of twins were separated at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. Dr. Gary Hartman, the lead surgeon for Yurelia and Fiorella’s separation, was also involved in the prior two surgeries.The University of California at San Francisco and Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland have both performed surgical separations of conjoined twins.

5. What experience does the medical team at Packard Children’s have with conjoined twins?This will be the fifth separation of conjoined twins for lead surgeon Gary Hartman, MD. Cardiothoracic surgeon Frank Hanley, MD, has also been involved in separations of conjoined twins.

6. What is the survival rate for separation surgeries?Survival rates for twins joined primarily at the chest, known as thoraco-omphalopagus twins, are dependent on the complexity of the heart connection and any complications related to the separation of the liver. It is estimated that the survival rate for this type of separation surgery, for both twins, is approximately 50 percent.

7. Why is Packard Children’s performing this surgery?As one of the leading children’s hospitals in the nation, Packard Children’s has a strong record of successful outcomes in cases of high acuity. Physicians and surgeons at Packard Children’s have carefully evaluated Yurelia and Fiorella, and determined that in this case a successful separation is possible. With the experience of lead surgeon Gary Hartman together with experts from our Children’s Heart Center, Packard Children’s has the expertise to pursue the best possible outcome.

8. Who is paying for Yurelia and Fiorella’s medical care?Surgeons and physicians at Packard Children’s are donating their time and expertise to treat Yurelia and Fiorella. Additionally, Packard Children’s is providing medical and clinical care at no cost to Yurelia and Fiorella’s family. The Hospital does not discuss specific costs of procedures publicly. Mending Kids International has arranged for the children’s transportation and housing. Gifts in support of Packard Children’s Hospital and the expert care it gives to children like Yurelia and Fiorella who are undergoing complex surgery can be made by visiting http://twins.lpch.org and clicking the How to Help link.

9. Who will be involved in this surgery?Two comprehensive care teams—one for each girl—with representatives from nursing, anesthesia, cardiothoracic surgery, pediatric general surgery, plastic surgery, cardiac bypass specialists (THAT'S ME) and others, will be in the operating room throughout the entire procedure. After separation, the girls will be moved to separate operating tables and the teams will complete surgery with their respective patient. In addition to the surgical teams, the case will involve radiologists, critical care specialists, infectious disease experts, social workers, chaplains and many more. Basically every discipline in the hospital will be involved with the girls’ care.

10. How does treating a case like this change the usual logistics in the operating room?In separating conjoined twins, one surgical field becomes two; the surgical team must then divide and treat their respective patients, possibly in separate operating rooms. This requires two complete teams and two complete sets of equipment from the beginning.

11. Does the case present special anesthesia challenges?Yes. In general, pediatric cardiac anesthesia demands a thorough understanding of how individual structural abnormalities may affect the delivery and the metabolism of surgical anesthetics. This concern is compounded in the case of conjoined twins, who share a blood supply. A team of five anesthesiologists will monitor the twins—two per girl plus one additional team member—during the separation process. Although anesthesia administered to one of the girls affects both, each child will be individually anesthetized from the beginning of the surgery to prepare for the separation and to enable the anesthesiologists to quickly and accurately meet the needs of each child as their connection is gradually separated.

12. What are the risks for the surgery?As in every surgical procedure, there are factors that can cause complications or even death. In this specific situation, there are additional risks of cardiac dysfunction due to the necessary separation and reconstruction of the hearts, of excess bleeding during the separation of the liver, of injury to the gall bladder and bile ducts, and of respiratory problems due to the reconstruction of the girls’ chest after separation.

No ZZZ's

No ZZZ's meaning I can't sleep at night! No it's not because of Sarah. She's doing great! She usually goes to bed at 7pm, wakes at 3amish and then again around 7am. She only feeds for about 15 minutes. After her middle night feeding I spend the next 1-2 hours scratching my whole body from head to toe. Poor Ed suffers through the tossing and turning. My insomnia is not because I have an infant, but because I have a cursed skin problem we call eczema. Heaven help me!!

Sarah Roll's Over Video

Hey Toots!!

For Sarah's first Halloween she was a tootsie roll. Cutest tootsie I've ever seen!! I'm sure she had no idea what she was, but it was sure fun for Ed and I. Ed and I followed suit and decided to be candy as well. I figured since we had a bunch of furniture boxes laying around I would paint them and we could be candy bars. :) Turned out pretty cute.

The Wade's Special Trick

I must stop

If you've talked to me recently and asked how things are going, I probably mentioned Sarah and how hard it is to be a mother. I'm realizing more and more that sometimes I probably sound like a pessimist and I should stop complaining so much. It probably sounds like Sarah is a bad, hard baby but in all reality she is so great! I'm sure she's actually easier than some, but she is my first and I have nothing to compare her to. I have no problem admitting that parenting and figuring out what Sarah needs is hard, but I don't feel like I've given Sarah enough credit. I need to start mentioning all the good things about her....like the fact (as Ed mentioned)...that she is sleeping about 7 hours at a time during the nights, she has a smile that will make you melt, and although she has her bouts of fussiness, she's a pretty happy kid. The majority of our days are spent admiring what a sweet spirit she has and how adorable she is.
This week Sarah.....graduated to size 1 diapers, she loves her swing & bouncer, her hair is growing back in and she is more and more responsive.


What about Ed and I? Although we choose to talk a lot about Sarah...we're still here. :) We're good. Ed's work has been a little slower than usual so both Sarah and I have enjoyed having him around. We are so lucky to be in the situation we are and to spend so much time together. We need to take advantage of Ed's slow weeks. Previous to now his fellow perfusionists have joked that Ed is the black cloud when it comes to working. :)
I have started to do some hair here and there, and I am finally starting to cook dinner and treats on a regular basis. :) Besides our home time, both Ed and I have committed to run a leg for the relay at the Cal marathon in Sacramento this December. Ed will run almost 6 miles and I will run between 7 and 13. We're excited to spend a weekend with our friends. They are so fun to be around and such great motivators. We've spent a lot of our time rekindling friendships to fill the void of being away from family. Thank goodness for our friends, but we look forward to seeing family again at Christmas.


Sarah's first flight

1...2...3 times a Lady!!!

written by Ed

When Sarah slept for 7 hours on Monday night, we figured we probably didn't hear her crying. Tuesday night we figured she was just extra tired. But, then when she slept for 8 hours last night...we knew she had finally become our sleeping beauty.

As Linz said the other day, books don't mean a thing - babies will tell you exactly what they need - the trick is to learn how to read them.

Anyway - she is a great baby and we're really thankful for all the people who love to help.

P.S. Wades - Good Luck in NC!!!

The nicknames have begun

Punkin, Sarah Bear, Peanut, Little Bean, Little Stink, Little Bug, Little Dragon (when she's eating :) ).. and then some.

To read or not to read? That is the question.

I have to say that reading books about how to raise children, how to get them on eating/sleeping schedules, and how to keep them awake has made me quite the anxious first time parent. These books have all been very informative, and while I'd like to have a perfect scheduled day where everything goes perfect, I don't believe that a perfect day is realistic. Thus these books sometimes make me feel like I'm not doing something right, or that there is something wrong with my child. I'm sure that is not the intent of the author and the authors mention that each child is different, so why am I so worried that I'm not doing things the best way I can? People had told me before reading the books to take what I like from them and leave the rest, but after reading, reading, and reading some more, I'm just confused and can't decide what tactic I like, and no matter how hard I try to go by my motherly instincts....I still doubt myself. I believe knowledge is power, hence the reason why I am reading books. Now I just have to figure out what to take and what to leave. I try to continue reminding myself that as long as my child is growing normally and healthily, everything will just work out. :)

Let's get this party started

So I've been putting posting new messages off because I have this idea of how I want my blog to look and all the pictures, slideshows, and videos I want to put on, but if I keep putting it off I'll never get started so....here I go. I'm also hesitant because although I feel like I express myself well in person, sometimes I'm not the best at writing, grammar and my sentences have weird punctuation, etc. I'm accepting my weaknesses and hoping somehow I'll improve on my writing skills if I do it more. :)

Our Little Punkin!!!

Meet Sarah

More pics to come. :)