Hurricane Ike

Oh, Seriously!!! Here we go again...do we board? Do we run? If yes, which way to go... East? West? North? Or should we stay? This is going to be another long, busy, stressful week. At least Nana & Papa can get out of dodge before it gets too close. This shows a neat satellite image of Ike's projected path.

Aby Update

I took all 3 kids to the lab yesterday to get Aby's blood taken, yes ALL 3 and they (I) did GREAT!  Aby didn't like the stab in her foot but it gave us good news.  She passed the blood work and is happily napping in her own cozy bed with no lights blaring in her face.  She also had her one week check-up and she is already 9lbs!  I know when your born at 8lbs 12oz making it to 9lbs  isn't that far but when we left the hospital she had lost all the way to 8lbs 7oz so that was still 1/2 lb in one week.  

I on the other hand am on the best weight loss track ever!  20lbs in a 9 days!!!  Sounds great but I still have 22lbs to go and the last 15 is going to linger a lot longer then 9 days.  I am ok with that because I am already fitting into my baggy shorts, though they are not baggy right now.  But still at least they are 'normal' shorts and not maternity.  What a welcome sight my ankles are, but not as welcoming as the day I can fit my real wedding band on these chubby fingers.  

Wil's Back to School

Yesterday was Wil's first day back to school. We met with is teacher and explored his new classroom about 2 weeks ago.

But due to Hurricane Gustav our Open House was canceled so we just jumped right on in with his first day. He had so much fun. In his class are two girls, one of his best friends, from last year and a new boy!

This is exciting because last year he was THE boy with six girls. His new friends name is "Bart" but when your 3 it sounds more like "FART", very cute.  He told me all the songs he learned in music class and tried to teach them to Claira, but he finally told her he forgot the words and next day he'll tell her the rest. The best part of the day was going to the bathroom alone, twice! I asked two of his friends their favorite part of their new classes and both girls told me how they went potty all by themselves. Funny what excites you at 3 years old. He also was excited for Ms. Winnie, one of his teachers last year, because she even had a new teacher! He was sure to tell me she wasn't scared because she was in the same room even though she had ALL new friends.

Bilirubin

Abygail had me a bit worried as she changed from pink to yellow.  By yesterday mid-morning the whites of her eyes were almost green!  I took her to have her blood tested and her Bilirubin levels were 14.8 (high).  Within a couple hours the Medical Supply people were here delivering a special light for her.
When bilirubin levels are high, a condition called jaundice occurs. Jaundice is a condition marked by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. The increased bilirubin cause the infant's skin and whites of the eyes to look yellow. Too much bilirubin may mean that too much is being produced or that the liver is incapable of adequately removing bilirubin in a timely manner. After birth, newborns begin breaking down the excess red blood cells they are born with and, since the newborn’s liver is not fully mature, it is unable to process the extra bilirubin, causing the infant's bilirubin levels to rise in the blood and other body tissues. This situation usually resolves itself within a few days, and we did try to place her under indirect sunlight but due to the weather there has been very little.  So in some cases like Abygail's, special lights are used. This phototherapy is what they brought to the house to treat her. These lights work by helping to break down bilirubin in the skin. The infant is placed naked under artificial light in a protected isolate to maintain constant temperature. The eyes are protected from the light with a little blanket shield.
For babies, like Abygail, who require treatment, the treatment is usually quite effective. Usually newborn jaundice is not harmful and with phototherapy treatment clear up in a few days. She goes in tomorrow for a follow-up blood test and another hearing test (she failed the first two). Then a visit to her Pediatrician later in the afternoon. I am sure everything will come back great...she is already a nice shade of pink and her eyes are clearing up quickly. They say it is also common to fail a newborn hearing test due to excess fluid.  So by now any excess fluid should be gone and she should pass no problem.

William and Andy are on their way home now from USA Medical Center in Mobile with great news.  He finally has gotten the all clear on his Anemic issues.  His hemoglobin is where it should be and he can finally after 3 1/2 years stop taking his Iron medicine.  YEAH!!!

Special Nana Time

Nana might be handicapped but she is still good for some things like...

Playing Memory (Wil won!)

Baby cuddles

Tubby Time

and just good old hugs with her tiniest girls

Nene is here now too, so the kids should continue to get extra love as we settle into having our adorable little Aby in our lives.

Cleaning up from Gustav

Poor Andy is sick...he got Claira's fever from last week. It hasn't slowed him down much though. It took him 3 days to prepare for the storm and in just 3/4 of a day he had the yard toys back, boards down and stored and if that wasn't enough work he put the fence back up! Such a great Daddy.
The kids also helped.

This is 'Bob The Builder'

Riding out Gusav

ITS WINDY!!! I can hear a few things randomly hit the back windows...this just so happens to be the peak of the storm and a very strong part is passing over. I can hear a bit of noise in the roof but I feel VERY safe. I also feel very sore and am relaxing on a heating pad. Wil and Nana are watching Toy Story 2, Claira is 'cooking' in her kitchen, Andy and Aby are still sleeping.
All-in-all we are experiencing a tropical storm, winds are about 45 gusting a little more or less. Rain is off and on hard and comes from all directions. The only stressful part is the Tornado warnings that keep popping up, but if you just don't watch the news you never know your under one!

So far we have all power, cable and phones so call if you want!

UPDATE---
Andy just went out to look at a few things and so far we lost a bit of fence, but it was taking the wind strait on. Maybe now that part has gone down it will give a place for the wind to pass through.