One Year Ago, Today

One year ago, today, I was finally admitted into the hospital after four days of "pre-labor." I was growing in patience as I learned time and time again that I was only 3 cm dilated. I grew in trusting God's wisdom and love as the nurses and doctors rushed around me trying to find Mackenna's heart beat. They found it. Praise the Lord!

One year ago, today, I thanked the anesthesiologist for giving me the epidural that, during my pregnancy, I vowed I would never want. I stared at the fetal monitor and watched Mackenna's heart beat with every contraction even though the nurse told me to get some rest. {After our scare, are you kidding me?}

One year ago, today, I had a feeling in my gut that Mackenna would we welcomed into this world via a cesarian section. Today, I wear that scar proudly! One year ago, today, I once again learned to trust God more as Mackenna was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit to receive antibiotics for an infection that could have gotten a lot worse then it did. Again, God is so good! Praise the Lord!

One year ago, today, my little girl was brand new! And we were brand new parents! Still learning how to dress, feed, soothe, and protect our precious girl. Diaper changes took three times as long as they do now and bath time was almost more stressful than it was worth. Three hours of uninteruppted sleep was glorious and the newborn sleepy stage was not taken advantage of (if only I knew then what I know now)!

And today, we are a family of three. Today, I am a little weepy-eyed as memories of the past year flood my mind and fill my heart. Today, I am humbled by the grace of our Savior, giving us so many gifts that we don't deserve. First and foremost, our salvation in Christ. Today, I'm thanking God for the gift of Mackenna Grace Folden. Our hearts grow in love for her every day. And while today we may be a tad bit more experienced and a tiny bit wiser, we still have much to learn, much to experience, and much more wisdom to gain as we grow in parenthood.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I am not sure if I could document with words everything that my precious girl has learned over the past two months. So, I thought now would be a great time to do a picture blog... Here we go!

FEBRUARY

 New Room Decor... Courtesy of my Cricut!

First Valentine's Day!

 Learned to climb into the laundry basket... so proud!

 A visit from Uncle TJ!

 Sweet sleeping girl... this was after quite a battle, ending with a negotiation of napping with her pillow pet... but see, NO pacifier!

 Playing with her Valentine's Day card from Gigi Rose (Great Grandma Rose)

 Cruising the Couch!

 Pulling to Standing!

 "Soooo big!"

 "Helping" mommy with laundry!

My little sporty girl!

MARCH

 "Broccoli? No, thank you!"

 A visit from Grandma Lee Lee & Auntie Allee!

 Loves her baby, Ruby (named by Grandma Lee Lee)

 I understand why this toy was given to us without battaries, but she just loves the "Ch-ch-ch-ch-pow!"

 "The perimeter has been breached!"

 Reading with Auntie Allee!

 Learning to walk!

 "For splashing and scrubbing and rub-a-dub dubbing, hands are dandy for toweling and tubbing." (Excerpt from Hooray for Hands!)

 "Soooo big!"

 We are ready for Spring!

 Some new wheels! She cruises all over the place!

 Munching on some toast!

 Organizing the garage with daddy!

 My girl loves to read! She'll sit and babble, I mean, read, for 30 minutes sometimes!

 Mackenna's very first pedicure!

 Mackenna LOVES Dustin's old "lovey," Ricky the Raccoon!

 Taking a snooze on the way home from church!

 Spring Tease day! It was 70+ degrees here and we made sure to get out and enjoy the warmth!

 Colton & Mackenna loving the swings!

She won't take a sippy cup, so we're trying a straw... she loves it!

Just because it was so cute!

Busy Bees

This week has been crazy! A lot going on in the Folden household. I wish that I would have gotten some pictures of Dustin cleaning our icy, snow-packed driveway because then I could have done an "our week in pictures" post. But, I do have some pictures of the events of the week so I will sprinkle them in here are there.

Our week began with a winter storm. We only got a small blast of arctic weather compared to many other cities in the U.S. but it was still quite a big storm for Lafayette. Most businesses were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Usually I watch a little boy in the mornings, but his mom's work was closed, so it was just me and Mackenna hunkered down in our warm little house watching the pretty snowflakes fall to the ground. On Thursday I hosted a brunch at my house with my friends, Dawn & Aubrey. The kids played while we enjoyed brunch. It was a much needed "Mommy Time" after the two snow days that kept us all inside.

On Thursday Mackenna had to get some blood drawn to test for a couple allergies (milk, wheat, and gluten). Dustin blessed me so much by taking Mackenna to get her blood drawn so that I wouldn't have to endure seeing her in such pain. He said that she was a trooper, but that there were lots of tears. The nurse couldn't find her vein, so it took longer and I am sure was more painful. She's got her mommy's veins. Here are a few pictures of our little trooper with her Tweety bird band aid.

... And one of her reading one of her favorite books, upside down! Made me giggle!

Since we moved into our house in October, we've been saving little by little for a water softener and a dishwasher. It worked out for us to rent a water softening system, which left us money to purchase a dishwasher (yippee!) and so, on Thursday we purchased a dishwasher and Friday the water softener was installed. Friday night, Dustin and I (ok, mostly Dustin) installed the dishwasher. I am so proud of him! He did such a great job! He read the instructions, made a game plan, and an hour or so later we had a fully functioning dishwasher. I've done three loads of dishes already. Here are some snapshots of my handy man!

And then, Friday night I moved a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer and an hour later checked on it in the dryer and there was no warm air in the dryer. The air was cold and the clothes were still wet! I was freaking out! So on Saturday morning, Dustin googled our dryer's model number and followed some troubleshooting tips. Was the breaker tripped? No. Was the air vent clogged? No. We vacuumed it out and there was still no heat. After the first two "easy" steps, Dustin turned off the electricity to the dryer, moved it, took it apart, and checked a bunch of electrical things. Way over my head! But, he did find out that the heating element wasn't working. So, I searched for a Maytag store in town and called them up and they had our part in stock! Praise the Lord!

We quickly packed up our tired baby girl, picked up the part, stopped by a CVS Minute Clinic (I've been sick for three weeks, but got a prescription so hopefully will be doing better soon), stopped at a salon for a quick haircut for Dustin, and returned home. Dustin successfully installed the new heating element and voila, we have warm air in our dryer again! Here's some pictures of my handsome boy fixing our dryer. I know I am bias, but I sure think he's cute when he's fixing things. :-)

And now, we're home. And we're resting. Because we are both exhausted. Yes, I have laundry to do (since I couldn't do it yesterday), and yes, there are probably ten other things I could be doing. But, we've done a lot this week and we have a lot to do tomorrow and next week. So for right now, resting is the perfect thing for us to be doing.

08.13.10

So, this week was slightly hectic. Mackenna has a problem with acid reflux. She was on Zantac, and while that improved her spit-up and overall fussiness, she was still showing indications of uncomfort related to acid reflux. So, her doctor thought we should give Prevacid a try. It's a stronger medication. Well, we couldn't get Mackenna to take it. More ended up on her outfit than in her stomach. So, while the Zantac didn't work completely, it worked better than the Prevacid because she would take it. Mid-week I called Mackenna's nurse with a very fussy baby as background noise. I explained the situation and the nurse said we could switch back to Zantac, but that Mackenna's doctor wanted to increase the Zantac dose. So, we're back to Zantac! Most babies outgrow acid reflux between 6-9 months, so we're praying that Mackenna's battle with acid reflux will be over soon!

Today, August 13, 2010 is Mackenna's Four Month Old Birthday! Happy Four Months, Mackenna Grace! Other than not napping well, she had a great day! She had lots of smiles and giggles all day long! Something new that Mackenna's learned how to do over the past week or so... SQUEAL! When she gets excited, she squeals. When she starts to giggle, she squeals. When she's thinking about giggling, she squeals. When she sees her Duckie Rattle, she squeals. She loves practicing her squeal. Mommy loves seeing the look on her face after she squeals. Her thought progression goes something like this..."Wow, that was a cool noise. Did I do that? I think I did! I think I want to do it again! Yep, I did it again. I am sure it is me! Now I am so excited I am going to stick out my tongue and kick my feet!" I love her! I love being a stay-at-home mom (yes, even on the rough days... like... um...yesterday)!

Mackenna loves rolling over onto her belly... but she can't quite get how to roll back over... although she has done it on her own twice... on accident both times! Hopefully soon she'll be rolling back to front and front to back. She likes to try to sit up when I put her in her bouncer, swing, and car seat. Obviously she can't sit on her own yet, but she sure tries! She loves when we help her sit up on her playmat! She'll usually end up playing with her feet and looking up at us like, "Wow, do you guys have these feet things too? They're awesome! You should play with them sometime!"

Mommy had a good day too! I got some GREAT deals at Kohl's. Overall, I got $100 worth of baby clothes for only $30! Hooray for two 15% off coupons, $20 in Kohl's Cash, AND a great sale! A lot of the clothes I got for Mackenna are 6-9 months... I can't wait for her to wear them! I also got a chance to work out again today! That makes 3 days this week. My legs are SO sore and all I am doing is the Elliptical! I can't wait to get back in shape! I feel so much better when I work out and eat healthy. Now, I've started the working out part.... still need to work on the eating healthy part! Ugh! Why does chocolate ice cream have to taste SO good?!?

Well, it's Friday night, Mackenna's asleep, and I don't HAVE to clean bottles until tomorrow morning... so I think I'll bid you adieu and go spend some time with my hubby!

04.21.10

Life in the NICU is flying by. It's hard to believe that in only two short days, Lord willing, we will be bringing our precious Mackenna home! She is doing so great! God is answering our prayers for healing and continued progress and we are so thankful!

I have been spending the days here in the NICU with Mackenna and learning her schedule (or should I say lack-of a schedule). I help the nurses take her temperature and change her diaper before feedings and have learned how to effectively swaddle her to keep her calm between feedings. One other thing that I have learned about our little girl... she LOVES being sung to. It doesn't matter what you sing to her, she just loves it! I made up my own little song for her... I'd like to think it's her favorite, but she also is happy when mommy sings her hymns or just hums a little tune. She's even smiled a couple of times while I was singing to her (ok, maybe it was gas, but still). I have also had a great time reading to her and rocking with her. While the time here in NICU has been special I am looking forward to her homecoming.

We have been so blessed by all of the NICU nurses. We have learned so many practical tips and wise pieces of advice... it's priceless! We've enjoyed spending time getting to know each of our nurses and visiting with them while we feed and care for Mackenna. They are truly special women in our hearts. We will always remember them and be thankful for the thorough and tender way that they have cared for Mackenna Grace. It will be hard to say goodbye to our new friends. They've told me already to make sure to bring Mackenna by from time-to-time for a visit. I think that she has a special place in their hearts as well.

Well, I think I have about an hour that I can sneak in a quick nap before Mackenna is hungry again. One thing everyone has told me is, "Sleep when the baby sleeps!" So, I guess I should listen to their advice!

02.20.10

Believe it or not, it was another busy week for the Folden family. Dustin had a couple meetings, his community center work shift, and taught on Friday night at Purdue Bible Fellowship and then supervised an all-night lock-in. Today, Saturday, is Dustin's all-day community center shift. He is going to be a tired boy when he gets home this evening.

How did I spend my evenings this week? Well, honestly, I slept. I have been finding much joy in sleeping lately. Working all day seems to zap the energy right out of me during the last trimester of my pregnancy. I wasn't ever really exhausted until now. I can't believe how tired I have been getting lately. But, my schedule has allowed me to usually get to bed by 8pm. I feel old!

I am now almost 33 weeks along in the pregnancy. That means we only have about 7 weeks left! While I feel exhausted most of the time, I also feel bursts of energy and an almost frantic urge to have everything ready for Mackenna's arrival (including having everything at work prepared for my maternity leave). If you mix the long list of "To Do before Baby Arrives" with the unpredictable emotions that seem to have crept up on me over the last few weeks and there are times when I feel extremely overwhelmed. I now understand the phrase, "I could cry at the drop of a hat." It wouldn't even have to be my hat, or a hat of my favorite sports team; if it dropped, I could cry! At times, I feel like an over-tired two year old. Of course, being the mature 25 year old woman that I am, I limit my whining and pouting. Usually, it's only Dustin who has the pleasure of seeing me whine and pout. And he usually just smiles, tries not to laugh, and gives me a big hug. Hugs from Dustin have been able to calm me, even on my more emotional days.

As we count down the days until our precious girl's arrival, we are continued to be overflowing with thankfulness to God for this pregnancy. We are reminded more each day about the importance of our relationships with Christ as we prepare for parenthood. I am faced with the reality that I will fail miserably without a humble dependence on God. Humility is definitely something I need to grow in. I am thankful that God is patient with me and doesn't give up on me, despite my utter depravity. I am thaknful that through Christ, I am no longer under God's wrath; I can have a genuine relationship with the Creator of the universe and can, by His grace, grow to be more like Christ. It's so easy to get distracted. Even this week, I started out meditating on God's Word and exciting about growing and changing, and by week's end I felt discouraged and discontent. What happened? My focus shifted from being on God to being completely on myself. My prayer for today is that God would help me refocus on Him and find my joy in the relationship that I have with Him through Christ.