2008 By The Numbers

Number of days on a ship: 7
Number of ice cream cones eaten on ship: Upwards of 20-25
Number of miles ran on ship: 1/4
Number of pounds gained while on ship: 7
Degrees in Cabo San Lucas on January 10: 82
Degrees in Salt Lake on January 10: 28




Number of miles in the half-marathon I ran in January, a week after gaining seven pounds on a seven day cruise: 13.1
Number of miles I enjoyed running in the half-marathon: 2



Cost of taking the math subject test of the GRE for the fourth time: $130
Number of bananas Mighty Mouse brought to the math subject test of the GRE: 2
Cost of taking one class at the U for having failed the math subject test of the GRE for the fourth time: $984.71
Number of bananas I would've liked to have smashed into Mighty Mouse's face: 100's



Number of softball games we played: 10
Number of softball games I resented: 10



Number of 5ks ran in 2006: 9
Number of 5ks ran in 2008: 1

Number of years we've been married: 7
Number of new furniture items bought since we got married: 2
Number of new furniture items bought in 2008: 2



Number of stores I had to visit before finding an elephant costume for Halloween for a determined three year old: 1
Number of prayers offered in thanks: 1000's


Number of Sundays I looked forward to going to church: 2
Number of Sundays I went to church: 40



Number of months pregnant in 2008: 10 1/2 (I had a miscarriage early on in March and then got pregnant again right away)
Number of weeks I was before I couldn't fit behind the desk in school: 34
Number of weeks I was when I went swimming last: 36
Pounds gained during pregnancy: 28
Weight of baby born 3 weeks early: 8 lbs 4 oz
Days until I was back at prepregnancy weight: 11
Number of days Aunika was in the NICU: 6
Cost of Aunika's NICU stay: Roughly $22,000
Percentage of households in the United States making less than $22,000 a year: 25.24%

Number of diapers we've blown through in a month: 350+
Number of poopie diapers I've changed today: 4





Years since graduated from high school: 9 1/2
Years spent in college: 9 1/2
Tuition cost for two years spent at CEU: $0
Tuition cost for 5 1/2 years at U: $17,422.57
Percentage of households in the United States making less than $17,500 a year: 18.63%
Amount given to us to help with tuition that did not need to be paid back: $0
Amount still owe the U: $0

Number of items on list not completed: 95
Number of items completed in 2008: 5


Here's to a happy 2009!

Chunky Monkey

I can't believe Aunika is already a month old. I remember thinking how long a month was when Josh turned a month old, but with Aunika it has flown by. I've been really busy though, with finishing up school and Christmas, so that's helped.

Here's a picture of Josh when he was a month old. It's eerie how the two look so much alike.

This is a picture of Aunika in her Christmas pajamas. Notice how bowlegged her legs are. That's because she'd outgrown them, but they were so cute, we couldn't resist putting her in them for Christmas. Her feet didn't fit in the bottoms either and her little toes were all scrunched. Good thing Christmas wasn't a week later

Pretty much all Aunika does right now is sleep, so it's hard to get a picture of her awake and dressed. We're not complaining about the sleep though. At least, when she wakes up in the middle of the night to eat, I can put her back down and turn off the light. If she's sleepy, she'll sleep. If not, she'll just lay there until she falls asleep. There have been a couple of times after her feeding at 10:00 or 11:00, we'll peek in at her a good 30 minutes later and she'll just be laying in her crib wide awake. I would imagine with all the noise that her brother makes, it's hard to get a restful sleep. We weighed her this morning at nine and a half pounds. See those chubby cheeks?

I think this might be a hint at a smile. She's trying really hard to smile and I think it will happen sometime this next week.

Santa brought her lots of new clothes including jeans. They're adorable and suppose to fit until she's three months old. She's already starting to grow out of a few things. Girls are really fun to dress even if it's just like a mini-me version. I was dismayed to find that there are ugly things out there for baby girls just like the more grown up version. Why, oh why, do some of these fashions insist on staying around? Though she's built like a little football player (no neck, no hair), there are some things that look really cute.

Christmas Cheer

What's better than opening up presents on Christmas Day? Sitting on the computer Christmas Eve Day and ordering your Christmas present.

Wade and I sorta made the basement count as our Christmas present this year. You know, like a very expensive fireplace was my present and an insanely expensive audio system with big screen televison is Wade's. However...

That's no fun.

So, I emailed Wade a comprehensive list of items I would enjoy getting if he felt in the mood to give me a little something something. Nothing too big. But on the top of the list was an indoor bicycle trainer. These cool dodads allow you to hook up your bike, inside, so you can continue riding it during the cold, wet seasons. Seeming as I'm set to do a triathlon in April and I've just had a baby, I need all the time on the bike I can possibly get and the weather doesn't cooperate this time of the year, usually. And I do have that newborn.

Also, as I was perusing possible 5k races and triathlons for this coming spring and summer, I came across this insane winter triathlon that's held up in Snowbasin. It's not really a triathlon because it technically has four events: Ski mountaineering, snow shoeing, snow running, and snow biking. I really want to do this in 2010. So I need something to keep me in shape on my bike since biking in the snow is not the easiest thing to do.

So today, Wade said to order the bike trainer as my Christmas gift. Awesome. I totally got exactly what I wanted. And since I still have two more weeks before I'm given the go ahead to start exercising again, there's no hard feelings that it's not here in time to open.

I'm reminded that the last three Christmases, my gift from Wade has had a similar theme. I got a treadmill and punching bag one year, a waterproof casing and headphones for my ipod so I could use it to swim laps last year, and a bicycle trainer this year. A lesser woman than me would sense this theme and hold it over her husband's head when tempers flared, but I asked for each of these items and so he's only making my wishes come true.

I still need a road bike. For the summer. Hint. Hint.

#2 Get a Bachelor's Degree

I told myself I wouldn't obsess over when the professor would post the final grade for the lone class standing between me and my degree. Yet, I found myself checking the internet obsessively.

Lucky for me the grade was posted this afternoon and I'm now the proud owner of a piece of paper signifying that I did indeed jump over enough hurdles and through enough hoops to finally be rewarded my totally useless degree in mathematics.

It's not totally useless. Just the other night, I was asked to rely on it to split the cost of a birthday meal between six of us. We each paid $1.50. (It was a cheap meal).

In any case, it's mine now and I can cross that off my list.

He Said That?

Welcome to a new series on my blog. Basically this is a run down of the funny/witty/strange things muttered by my 3 year old. The purpose of this series is to show how much more incredibly smart, witty, and poignant my darling three year old is than yours.

Okay. Not really. The real purpose to to chronicle the funny/witty/strange things that Josh says so that when he becomes famous, I can embarass him with antecdotes from his childhood.

First up is a discussion Josh and I were having about what to get Daddy for Christmas.

Me: Josh, we need to get daddy a present for Christmas. What should we get him.

Josh (after giving it a few seconds of deep thought): I know. A sword.

To the casual observer, this wouldn't come across as all that funny or witty, but for those who know Josh, he's not a big sword kid like other boys his age I've seen. He doesn't turn every long, straight object into a sword. So the very notion that he came up with a sword as a good present for daddy signifies that he actually thinks that is what daddy would want for Christmas. Of course, the rest of the story is that he then ran to tell daddy that he was going to get him a sword for Christmas. So scrap that idea. We need to work on our secret-keeping skills. I was really looking forward to seeing the look on Wade's face when he opened up a sword on Christmas morning.

In the last 8 days, we have seen Santa Claus no less than three times. As a clarifying note, Wade and I sorta like to tease Josh. We think it builds character. So last Saturday morning was the first visit with Santa. We coached Josh the night before, asking him what he was going to ask Santa for for Christmas. A scooter and playdough. Saturday morning, Wade takes Josh over to the church for the annual Ward Christmas Breakfast and subsequent visit with Santa. When they returned, I asked Josh what he had asked Santa for.

Josh: Candy.
Me: Candy?
Josh: Santa only had candy so that's what I asked for.

No gnashing of teeth because there weren't any toys. Just very matter of fact. Santa showed up to the church with candy canes and so that's what Josh asked for.

That night, there was another visit from Santa. We sat Josh down and explained that you had to tell Santa what you wanted so he would know what to bring you on Christmas. After his visit with Santa again, he explained that he wanted a scooter and play dough. We asked Josh if he clarified which kind of scooter he wanted. A look of panic crossed over his face.

Josh: I want a Cars Scooter.
Us: But what if Santa brings you a princess scooter?
Josh: Oh no. I want a Cars Scooter not a princess scooter.
Us: Maybe we'll have to write him and tell him.
Josh (relief washing over): Okay. I write him and tell him.

Friday night, we went to a party at Wade's work where Santa was there again. This time Josh climbed up on his lap, spelled his name for Santa so he would remember and told him exactly what he wanted. A Cars Scooter and playdough.
Disaster averted.

For the record, we wouldn't have planted the Cars Scooter idea in Josh's head if we weren't certain that Santa had a Cars Scooter, despite what my mom may or may not feel towards our teasing our son. Again, it builds character.

Lastly, we went to Wade's parents on Friday night. Wade's brother was asking Josh how old he was.

Josh: I'm three.
Brother: When will you turn four, Josh?
Josh: On my birthday.

Duh.

Stay tuned for the next installment where Josh has an emerging interest in death, church, and stuffed chickens.

And the Signs Point to...

Some people believe that the only way to assure that you pass a class with the required grade needed to earn your degree is to score well on the assignments and tests. To them I say, where's the fun in that?

In the class I took this last semester, our grade breakdown is as follows: weekly quizzes (8 out of 11) are 20%, two midterms each count for 25% and the final is worth 30% of the final grade. Speadsheet calculations throughout the semester can be used to determine what score you need to achieve to guarantee your success. (Example: If I score 100% on the final and then after the test, the teacher is involved in some multi-car pileup that I happen upon and I administer life-saving CPR, I'll pass).

I've taken math classes where I have flat out failed--and not in a oh-she's-really-close-to-60%-on-the-test-so-I'll-just-bump-her-up-a-few-notches kind of way but more like well-she-did-spell-her-name-correctly-and-if-I-give-her-25-points-for-that-then-she'll-be-just-over-50% kind of way--every test and still pulled a C or B or even an A in one case. This assures me that there really are people who got even less than me on the tests. In some classes, I didn't think it was possible.

I've also taken classes where the teacher has stayed pretty much on route with the traditional grade scale. And it's a lost cause for me.

And then the teachers who never give anyone below a C because they make the class too hard on purpose.

I'm not sure where this particular teacher sits on the grading policy spectrum. The only thing I have is a pretty good idea of how I did on weekly quizzes (not good), how I did on the first midterm (close to average, but then it seemed like everyone who pulled the average down dropped the class immediately after the test), how I did on the second midterm (average for the undergrads, but will the grade depend on the graduates too?). To pass with a C, using the standard grading scale, I would have to score a perfect 100 on the final and still need a miracle.

So, this time, I'm looking to outside signs that point to me either passing the class (I need a C) or not because clearly, the numbers are not adding up to me passing. I prefer to think that these signs are divine intervention.

Possible Signs that I Passed the Class:

• The biggest stress of the semester revolved around the baby. However, she was born on possibly the most perfect day regarding final scheduling. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.
• Despite being "out of school" for a year, I still knew two people in the class. Though their expertise (or lack thereof) didn't afford me much advantage (wait, the guy who is doing a lot worse than me may be to my advantage afterall), I did make sure to answer their questions loudly enough for the professor to hear. Example:

Friend>> How's the baby doing?

Me>> Oh, she's doing great. Even after the ONE WEEK STAY IN NICU, you know Newborn INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, she's been a real champ, though I'M NOT GETTING A LOT OF SLEEP. Studying has been pretty brutal. Basically I've been getting up at 5:30 IN THE MORNING so I can have some peace and quiet.

Friend (slight wide-eyed look from the loudness of my voice)>>Who has your kids today?

Me>> My mom took BOTH KIDS today. It's hard for her, you know, having to take care of both a THREE YEAR OLD and a NEWBORN, with being blind and deaf, but she'll be okay. The neighbors are around to help her.

(My mom isn't blind or deaf. Well, technically. I just threw that in to garner sympathy points from the professor).

• As I was parking the car, I looked down to find $15 wedged between the seat and the console. Imagine your elation when you find a forgotten $1 in your jeans' pocket and multiply that by an exponential factor of 15 (because the elation of finding $15 is more than 15 times the elation of finding $1. See how this math stuff works?)
• The cheat sheet we were allowed to bring into the final actually held some useful information pertaining to the test.

A note on cheat sheets: For every class I've taken that allows a cheat sheet (formulas, theorems, knock-knock jokes that are allowed to be used on the test), the information I so carefully chose to include on my lifeline has never helped me very much. An occassional nugget of information may lead me in the right direction, but I have never had the proverbial experience of glancing down to find the answer staring back at me from my carefully constructed cheat sheet. Usually, they're just an exercise in how small I can write and it actually be legible.

In a stroke of pure geniusness that surprised even myself, this last cheat sheet I included scaled down copies of the solutions to the previous two tests (there was no rule that said they couldn't be on there). On there, I found the outline for 2 of the 5 problems from the final (basically, the problem but with a few minor changes). I was so shocked at my ingenuity, I could only stare in bewilderment for a few minutes before madly scrawling out the (hopefully) correct answer on the test.

Please hold your applause for later.

• On my way to campus, I was conjuring up images of something horrificly embarassing happening during the test. Like springing a leak because I hadn't fed the baby in a long time and hitting the unsuspecting asian kid sitting in front of me with a stream of milk. Or falling asleep because of severe sleep deprivation. Or not being able to find a place to park. Or not being able to answer any questions on the final and having to walk out with my head hung in shame. None of these came to fruition, so clearly that's a sign.
• The obvious look of relief that passes over the professor's face every time he sees me should give me some bonus points. I didn't make him deliver a baby during lecture. That should be worth something.

Possible Signs I didn't pass the class

• $10 of my newly acquired fortune will have to go to pay for the parking ticket that I received. I had bet on the weather being a deterring factor for the parking militia, but I was wrong. Probability is not an exact science, folks.
• I did technically fail both tests and a host of the quizzes. However, so did at least half of the undergraduates and a fair number of graduate students. I think.
• While I could do two of the five problems, that's only 40% of the test. I still needed 60 more points and a car accident to assure my dipolma.
• Sixteen weeks later, I'm still wondering exactly what I would ever use any of this knowledge for. Not a good sign or a good motivation factor for studying.

The number of signs pointing to passing the class is greater than the number of signs pointing to failing the class, and thus, by this (highly methodical) reasoning, I say I pass.

Book Review Friday 12/12/08

Book: Change of Heart
Author: Jodi Picoult
Pages: 430

Every once in a while I come across a book that starts out fairly benign. I pick it up and read when I have a few minutes here and there and then somewhere in the middle of the book, it becomes unstoppable. I drag it with me in my purse in hopes that I will find a minute--any minute--to continue reading it. Housework goes undone. My life is put on hold until I can finish the book.

That's what Jodi Picoult is doing to me. This is the third book I've read of hers and, like the others, I became entranced somewhere in the middle. Each book is different, yet the same. The material is never the same, but you know that a curve ball will be thrown and out of left field comes the missing piece of the puzzle. Each book picks a controversial subject and builds a story behind it, countering your very own belief system and questioning how'd you react in that same situation.

This book was a little different in that I had guessed what had happened before it was revealed. But I was still as compelled to find out how it all happened.

Shay Bourne is accused of killing one of New Hampshire's finest--a police officer--and his seven year old step daughter. Consequently, he's sentenced to the death penalty, New Hampshire's first in nearly 70 years.

Maggie Bloom is an ACLU lawyer who is trying to overturn the ruling of the death penalty as inhumane. She takes on Bourne's case in hopes of getting the courts to side with her and commute his sentence to life in prison.

Father Michael, in a twist of fate, is reconnected with Bourne as his spiritual guide through the final months of Shay's life. Father Michael is tormented as to whether he should reveal his previous involvement in Bourne's life or let bygones be bygones.

June Neason is left to pick up the pieces after her husband and daughter are killed by the hands of a monster, especially with a newborn daughter to care for. Now, 11 years later, June is grappling with the slow death of this daughter and only a heart transplant will save her.

Told from various viewpoints, this is definitely a page turner that will keep you on your toes as you weave through the story. Intertwined within the story is an interesting religious discussion that was intriguing to read.

Another great read by an author that is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.

Finally...Some Pictures

Finally, Wade has relinquished control of the computer and I can post some pictures.

Unfortunately, it's been so crazy busy that I don't have a lot. But some is better than none, right?

So first up...Josh holding his baby sister for the first time.

Next: Are those ruffles? I found out too late that Aunika only has about 2 pair of pants that fit right now. One of them has ruffles on the bum. They're cute though. I know. I know. I never thought I'd be one to say that the pants with the ruffles on the bum would be cute. And yes, that's a pink shirt she's wearing. I'm sad to report that the color pink is growing on me.

I vow to take more pictures this week. Well, maybe next week since this week I should really be studying for that pesky final on Friday.

Highlights From This Week

• Hello? Got to bring Aunika home from the hospital. Definitely a list topper.
• I can fit in--and zip up--most of my prepregnancy pants. I'm still a ways off from my marathon jeans, but I'll get there.
• I stepped on the scale today to see where I was. I'm only a pound away from my starting weight when I got pregnant. Of course, I did gain those seven pounds on the cruise last January, so technically I'm 8 pounds away from where I was after the marathon, but 10 days postpartum? I'll consider it a very successful pregnancy in terms of weight gain if I'm a pound away from my prepregnancy weight. Woot, woot.
• My ankles have stopped swelling. In fact, I had no idea how much water I was retaining until I noticed my legs have regained some shape to them. Now I'll be able to fit into my shoes.
• Wade is sooooo close to finishing framing the basement. And the electrician came in on Friday and Saturday. He should be finished tomorrow. That means our four-way inspection could be as early as this coming week. How awesome is that?
• Baby has only been waking me up to eat since she got home. Some nights it's every three hours, but the other night she only woke me up once. Of course, I woke every hour wondering if I should go check on her. I know from previous experience this paranoia is normal and eventually you'll get to be so exhausted that you won't wake up every hour wondering if everything is okay. She goes back to sleep immediately. I just wish I could do the same.
• Wade's been home all week and he still has another week off. It's nice to have him home. Helps me so I don't go insane with a three year old that won't stop talking and a newborn that sleeps, eats, and poops. Then does it all again.
• All of Josh's Christmas is done and here at the house. Hopefully he doesn't sniff out the presents beforehand, but I think he'll be pleasantly surprised come Christmas morning. I wish I could say all of Christmas is done, but alas, that's not my style. Besides, I don't know what to get Wade (a basement?) and that's always my biggest hang-up every year.

Book Review Friday, December 5

It's been a while since I've reviewed a book. More so because I was too lazy/miserable to sit down and write something and then the baby and everything. However, I read a great book this week:

Book: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 384

Wade's cousin showed up to a fellow cousin's wedding reception with this book in hand. At the time, I thought it was kind of weird that she'd drag it along, but after reading it, I can see why she did.

My sister-in-law dropped this off at the hospital after I had the baby. Since Aunika was in the NICU, I had a lot of free time to read. Especially for the week after she was born and I was just holding her at the hospital.

At first, I was a little skeptical of the book from the synopsis inside the front cover. It definitely was not my usual fare of reading material, but since Beva did stop and buy it for me, I figured I should probably at least give it a chance.

The premise behind the story is morbid at best. Two teenage delegates from each of the twelve districts of Panem--what was once North America--are thrown into an arena and duke it out until one person emerges the sole survivor and victor. Some of the more prosperous districts handpick their delegates almost from birth, rearing them to be winners at all costs. The district that Katniss is from, District 12, dreads the annual reaping ceremony that picks the two "lucky" contenders. These two are almost guaranteed a ticket to the losing ceremony.

The ultimate in reality-based television, the entire country is forced to watch the proceedings on television every night. As each contestant falls to their death, their faces are illuminated over the sky for the remaining contenders to see.

The Capital--the controllers of the game--are in for a surprise when Katniss and her counterpart from District 12 arrive on scene, bent to making it home again. Though the have to overcome their own ethics and morals, they find ways to beat the Capital at their own game.

I liken this book to the Lord of the Flies, though much more interesting since I wasn't forced to read it. I thought it was excellently written and agree with my sister-in-law's declaration that it was better than Stephenie Meyer's sagas. Certainly not as altruistic. And shorter. Only 400ish pages instead of 750.

I wasn't impressed with the ending. I thought there were a lot of loose ends, but come to find out, it's part of a series. I have to wait until next year to get the next installment, but I can see the direction it's headed and I'm pleased with that outcome. I'd definitely recommend this one to most everyone.

The NICU Saga Continued

There are a few things you notice about the NICU right off the bat. For starters, your 8 lb 4 oz butterball turkey is the largest living thing in there. Everything else is miniature in comparison. Secondly, as parents in our late 20's, early 30's, we were the third to oldest parents we saw the entire time Aunika was incarcerated. Lastly, we may have been one of three married couples (the other couples being the two older than us).

Friday morning, I awoke at about 6:30, unable to sleep anymore. The NICU is closed every day from 6:30-7:30 both in the morning and at night. This allows the nurses time to chart everything and then update the new shift. I figured this gave me an hour to get ready and eat breakfast and then I could be down in the NICU when they reopened for the morning.

I thought through the logistics of getting down to the NICU, an elevator ride and slight walk away. Thursday, Wade and my parents wheeled me down in a wheelchair in my sexy hospital gown that conveniently opened in the back. However, today, no one was there to help me. I figured I'd be okay just walking down. And sice I was going to be in all my glory, I should probably dress in something less revealing than a hospital gown. So, I showered and got dressed, consumed a semi-edible breakfast, and preceded to make my way down to the NICU. I was feeling much better than I did with Josh at this stage in the game, grateful for at least that small reprieve.

In the NICU, the doctor proceeded to throw out a lot of acronyms that meant nothing to me. He thought maybe there was some sort of infection, so he had put her on antibiotics the day before. She wasn't struggling to breathe nearly as hard as she was Thursday, so that was a blessing. I spent some time down there and then went back to the room to pump and make phone calls.

Both my brothers and their families, as well as a good friend from high school, came to visit, but the visits were sporadic and it was pretty boring with no baby to occupy my time. I told Josh to bring his favorite book so I could read it to Aunika when he came to visit with daddy. When he showed up, he proudly showed me the book he'd chosen. "Small Talk: Understanding Your Baby" a book that shows the developmental stages of a baby's first year, as well as how to teach your baby sign language. Not exactly what I had in mind. Luckily, Wade packed some "baby" friendlier books.

I was finally able to hold her, and spent some time reading to her and talking to her. Her breathing rates came down a lot when either Wade or I were holding her. She seemed to be making progress and inside, I secretly hoped she'd be coming home with us on Saturday. However, my hopes were dashed when the nurse informed me that she was on a seven day antibiotic course and would have to stay there until she'd finished them.

That night wasn't nearly as peaceful as the night before. The lady next door to me had decided to keep her baby with her that night, and it cried the entire night. At some point, I wanted to go over there and tell her to just call the nursery. I'm all for rooming in with your baby if that's your perogative, but they have a nursery staffed with nurses for the very reason that you will be spending a lot of nights at home awake, so you might as well get a few nights rest while you're in the hospital. But whatever. In any case, I spent a lot of the night, despite being on pain killers, wishing she'd just let the nursery deal with the crying baby.

Saturday morning, I got ready to check out. When I went down to the NICU, the doctor said that he had taken her off the antibiotics. I thought that was a good sign, that maybe she'd be able to leave on Sunday. I'd already resigned myself to having to leave the hospital without her. But I wanted her home as soon as possible. He was also starting to feed her through a nasal tube. She'd been on an IV for food since she arrived. He was going to see how well she did and then move on from there.

When it came time to leave, the situation finally hit home. I was going to have to leave the hospital with my baby girl in it. For some insane reason, although I'd been already walking around most of Friday and Saturday, a nurse had to escort us to the front doors. Some poor CNA got the lovely task of making sure we got down there safely. I broke down in the elevator and the ride down was pretty awkward. But the situation was not at all what I had envistioned for nine months. I was tired and sore and hormonal.

We went to Wade's parents for leftovers and then they watched Josh while we went to fill my prescriptions and back to the NICU. We were becoming regulars, though we felt out of place. Everyone else was so young. And their babies were so tiny. I was able to nurse her once and everything went well. However, when it was time to eat again, I couldn't get her to wake up and it was nearing 6:30, so I had to pump instead. We were told we wouldn't be able to take her home until she was getting full feedings.

At 6:30, we bid goodbye and left. It was sad to be going home without her, but I knew that she needed to sort out all these problems or we'd be sorry.

Sunday, my parents graciously took Josh for the day and we spent all day at the NICU. It's very tiring to sit there, holding a baby and not doing anything. She was weaned off the oxygen and I had a little bit more success in feeding her, though there were some bumps in the road. She still had her nasal tube in.

Monday, I went up to the hospital at around 10:30. She was breathing too fast for the nurse to try bottle feeding her, so they had to use the nasal tube again. She was also under the bilirubin lights because of jaundice. She could only come out for about 30 minutes every three hours. Wade came up after Josh got out of preschool and I took Josh to see Madagascar 2. I fell asleep, but Josh really enjoyed the show. If you would've told me I would be sitting in a movie theater four days after giving birth, I would've laughed at you.

After the movie, I tried feeding her again and we were successful. I hung around for the evening feeding and that didn't go as well. I ended up having to pump. I was really frustrated by the time I left.

Tuesday, I vowed I was going to spend the entire day at the hospital getting this baby to eat. I got there at about 8:00. She was off the bilirubin lights. The last major hurdle we had were the feedings. It was a really long day. Wade came up and we took turns watching Josh out in the hall. After taking my mom out to lunch, she took Josh with her and we were able to sit with Aunika for the rest of the afternoon. We changed every diaper and I was able to nurse her for every feeding. I felt much better than I had the night before. I left to run errands while the NICU was closed for it's required hour and then came back for one more feeding.

Wednesday, we were finally given the okay to take her home. It was nice to finally have her at home. She's adjusted well, though the cats seem bent out of shape. We had to get after Josh for acting like a baby, but other than that, he's been really helpful, getting me diapers and helping me dress her. I think he enjoys having her around. Of course, that could all change next week when he realizes she's not going back to where she came from.

The official diagnosis came back as aspirated amniotic fluid which caused a pnuemothorax--air in the cavity surrounding the lung. She did an amazing job of correcting these problems on her own and it looks like she has the same stubborness that her mom has been shouldered with.

And this concludes our NICU saga. While the experience did have some silver-lining moments--like a week of sleep that only got interrupted to pump once during the nights--overall, it was a stressful time that I wouldn't wish on anyone.