Sunday, December 2, 2007

Getting Ready for the Holidays!













Well, Jack, Katie, Nana and I made the long drive from Virginia to Florida to spend the month at Nana & Grandpa's house. We couldn't fly b/c Katie's immune system can't take the germs that she would have been exposed to yet. The drive wasn't bad, and other than the kids tag-teaming Mommy by crying all night in the hotel room, the trip was uneventful. And now we're back in summertime again! The kids are enjoying the warm weather through walks and other outdoor play. On Saturday night we went to the tree-lighting ceremony at Altamonte Springs, where there were fireworks, live music and lots of people. Jack was afraid of the fireworks at first, but then he started to enjoy them. Katie slept through the entire evening. Today was cousin Ian's birthday, and he came over to play. Jack followed his cousin around like he was a celebrity. It was fantastic!

New things the kids are doing:

1. Jack can do most of the dance moves to "Rock-a-bye Your Bear" by The Wiggles.
2. New words Jack is saying: Down, Bye-bye, Quack
3. Jack is giving kisses! Mommy loves this!
4. Katie is smiling all the time, and getting better and better about holding up her head.
5. Jack is now starting to climb on things, much to Mommy's dismay.
6. Jack likes to sit on the bottom stair at Nana's, and hang out like he's a big boy.
7. Katie loves the Christmas tree, and could stare and smile at it for hours.
8. Jack is now running. And tiring Mommy and Nana out!

We are hoping that by spending this time in more tropical weather, the kids will get a break from cold season a bit, and Katie will have a chance to recover more fully from the RSV. We want to avoid another hospital trip if possible!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

A Thankful Holiday at HOME!































After 11 days at the hospital, Katie and Mommy are finally home! We had the most wonderful nurses at Inova Fairfax hospital, and we truly can't thank them enough for all they did for us. I spent all of my time there with Katie, as she needed to be watched 24/7 in case she stopped breathing. She ended up on oxygen and a feeding tube for most of her stay, which was hard to watch. She left the hospital with strict orders not to be around other children at all, and to limit her contact with other people as much as possible. Poor Uncle Matt and his girlfriend, Amy, had to shower and change clothes before they could hold her, when they came off the plane from Boston for the holiday! But she is doing better every day, and starting to finally gain back all the weight she lost in the hospital. She was down almost to her birthweight at one point, but was up to 8 lbs even when we left the hospital.

Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes and visits! Hope everyone had as good of a thanksgiving as we did!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Seriously, can we go home now???


So Katie is back in the hospital again. On Wednesday we went to the pedi to test Kate for RSV, and when the test came back positive we headed over to check her in. She has been in the hospital since Wednesday, and we're hoping to come home sometime this week. She is currently on oxygen and a feeding tube, but she's hanging in there. She is quite the fighter, and gets angry whenever she has to be suctioned out. She's quite congested, has troubles breathing, and is wheezing a lot. But we've been told that she's through the worst of the virus, and will be feeling better soon. We can't wait to bring our little girl home again!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

And MORE adventures in the ER...

This time it was Jack. He has continued to feel yucky all week long, and we finally took him to the pedi on Friday where they said he had a cold and put him back on Albuterol for his wheezing. By Friday night his breathing had become really labored, so Mommy and Daddy packed him off to the ER. I think we normally would have rode it out with the nebulizer, but I just feel so paranoid after Katie ended up in the hospital last time. So after a few hours of waiting in the ER he ended up testing positive for RSV. Sigh. He had RSV last winter, as well, and we were really hoping to avoid it this year by keeping him on the Pulmicort when he developed a cold, but that didn't seem to work. I swear, if there's a bug within 25 miles of Jack, he will catch it.

We are keeping Katie quarantined in the master bedroom until Jack starts feeling better. Which means Mommy is in exile a lot of the time, but at least she's getting some sleep! We will keep Jack out of daycare for a brief "vacation" while we try to catch a break for a short time. I really hope this winter won't be as bad as LAST winter was! Thank goodness Nana is still here visiting -- I don't know what we would do without her!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Adventures in the ER


Katie in her TINY little hospital gown










On Wednesday, October 24, Katie woke up with a fever. She was fussy throughout the day so Mommy took her to the pediatrician. Imagine Mommy's surpise (and horror) when the pediatrician said Katie needed to be admitted to the hospital! Our poor baby girl went immediately to the ER with Mommy & Nana (Daddy was in Boston at the World Series game) where she had blood drawn, and a spinal tap! We spent three days and two nights in the hospital, where it was determined that she caught a stomach virus from Jack. I suppose this won't be the last time Jack and Katie pass a bug back and forth, but it sure did give Mommy a scare!




Katie came home on Friday afternoon, where she is continuing to thrive. On Sunday Jack and Katie went to our neighborhood Halloween parade. Katie dressed up as a flower, and Jack was (of course!) a police officer, even sporting his Daddy's old badge. He had pizza and some chocolate, and enjoyed himself immensely. He's really starting to get used to his sister, and now he gets very concerned when he hears her crying in her pack and play. I think he knows that Katie is HIS baby, and she's here to stay!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

And Baby Makes Four...






Kate McMurry Finkelman arrived in the world at 3:40 pm on October 18, 2007. Weighing in at 7 lbs, 5 oz and 19 3/4 inches long, Katie is doing great and making Mommy and Daddy very happy. Jack is still getting used to his baby sister, varying between stroking her head and trying to poke her eyes out. He's really not sure what to think about her.


Today Kate is six days old, and I'll let you in on the amazing things she's doing every day, amazing her Mommy, Daddy and both Grandmas!


1. At 5 days old, Katie is trying to roll over! She likes to sleep on her side and throws her little leg all the way over to end up fully on her side. Seeing that her big brother was on the late side rolling over, Mommy and Daddy really don't know what to think about this...


2. Katie is eating like a champ, taking up to 3 oz or more per feeding! She slept 4 hours on her fourth night, much to our delight, but mostly she wants to eat about every 3 hours.
3. She's very alert, and likes to hang out and stare at the butterflies on her bouncy chair. She spends up to a good 2 hours awake at a time, which is very interesting to Jack. She moves her little arms around and Jack tries to steal her binkie.
Jack is adjusting well, although he is starting to act out a little bit. He's had his Nana and Granny here to give him extra attention, but he's starting to realize that there's a new little member of the family who needs attention. He also got sick with Roseola the day we came home from the hospital, and then followed that up with a stomach virus the next day. Just to add insult to injury, he's getting two new front teeth and some molars. So poor Jack is a pretty miserable little dude right now. Hopefully he'll come around soon, once he's feeling better.
Daddy is on his way to game one of the World Series today, and Jack and Mommy are jealous that they can't go. But we're having a lazy, rainy day at home with Nana today!
Go Red Sox!

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Some Jack Brags


Yep, still waiting for Katie to arrive. But in the meantime, Jack is doing some pretty remarkable things (ok, remarkable to US) that certainly keep us entertained! OK, so in lieu of talking about my cervix again, I'll take this time to brag about the remarkable things our boy is doing.


First of all, most of you know he's walking now. Well, Daddy has been on daywork, so for the past week Jack and I have waited outside for Daddy to get home from work. When Daddy arrives, he gets crouches down and Jack walks down the walkway into his arms. It's the best part of Daddy's day, and usually makes me tear up to see. It's one of those moments I feel like I've waited a lifetime for, and it's just so awesome that it's here.


Also, Jack has started to use utensils when he's eating. Mommy has to put the food on the utensils, but he can get the food in his mouth when I do. He gets such a proud look on his face when he navigates a piece of meatball into his mouth. Sometimes he puts the fork in too far, though, and gags himself. He's learning...


Daddy loves it when Jack brings him books to read. His current favorite is "Elmo's Birthday Party," which was a party favor from Lindsay's second birthday party. He brings the book to Daddy, and then Daddy drops whatever he was doing, picks up The Boy, and reads him the story. The look of concentration on Jack's face is hilarious.


Finally (I could go on for days, believe me), Jack has discovered The Wiggles. Knowing that he likes music, I decided to Tivo an episode to see if he would be interested. From the first show, he was completely mesmerized. He will sit on the floor, eyes glued to the TV, and smile, clap, bounce and dance to the music. Daddy and I are a little creeped out by the Little Wiggles, but Jack thinks the whole thing is fantastic, so who can argue with that?


Oh, I said I was done, but had to add one last thing -- today Jack started saying "Mama" for the first time! I'm so happy! Daddy asked him "where's Mama?" in the photo album, and he pointed out Mama, Daddy and the Kitty. He's a genius!!!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A Watched Pot Never Boils

Seriously, CAN I get any bigger? I really think the answer is no. I definitely remember being READY to have Jack, but I don't remember being so uncomfortable that I wanted to throw myself out a window. I feel like I've been pregnant for two years. And if my mother was here, she would point that technically I HAVE been pregnant for two years, minus those blissful 6 mos (actually, only 3 of them were blissful) after I had Jack. I really can't wait for Katie to get here, and for me to have my body back to MYSELF. No more feet in my ribs, no more bouncing on my bladder at VERY inoportune times, no more hiccups.

So when is Katie arriving? Well, all sources point to ANY MINUTE NOW. At my last OB appointment, which was Monday (warning -- about to discuss my cervix, so any squeamish people can turn away now), I was dilated to "a good" 3 cms, and "at least" 80% effaced. With Jack I was the same way, and then at the next appt I was at 5 cms and 100%. So we're not figuring we have much more time. Although Daddy is still in denial, I think. We are 100% unprepared for Katie to get here -- we don't even have the pack and play set up. I don't have a hospital bag packed -- I don't know what's wrong with us. Andrew and I spend most of our time watching Jack walk around the family room like a crazy child, and seem to forget another child is entering our home VERY soon.

At any rate, we will endeavor to keep family and friends apprised of Katie's imminent arrival, and post pictures and all when the happy event occurs. Just please keep me in your thoughts for the next few days, and send some Easy Labor Vibes my way!!!!!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Daddy is a Sergeant!


On Friday we went to Andrew's promotion ceremony, where Jack and I got to pin his badge on him! I can't say whether the ceremony was nice or not, b/c I spent the majority of the time outside in the lobby, while Jack napped in his stroller. Such is life when you bring a 13 month old to a 3 hour long event like that! But I woke him up in time to strut across the stage with Daddy, and surprisingly I didn't cry when I put the pin on! Andrew's Dad and sister Amy came to the ceremony, as did our neighbor Christine Katsapis, who happens to work at Gallaudet University (where the ceremony was held).


The BEST news we got is that Andrew is now assigned to the Second District in DC now. WOOOOO! That means Georgetown, Dupont Circle (where I work, Yay!), etc. In other words, he can spend his time arresting drunk frat boys -- who don't have guns -- rather than crack-dealers! To be honest, I think Andrew is disappointed, but I will be able to breathe better at night now! And with two kids at home, I think this is a better situation for us all. He hasn't found out what his shift is yet, and we're betting on midnights with Tuesdays/Wednesdays off, so I STILL won't ever see him. But at least he'll be safer!