Going to a Football Game!

The other night we went to the Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. A day or two leading up to the game Hayden was getting excited, "We going to a football game!"

Thanks to Jake Nero who hooked us up with the free tickets.

The game pitted Iowa and Missouri and it was a great one that went down to the wire...of course we left at halftime to get the girls home and in bed. All in all it was a great night and we had a good time.

Click to See Slideshow

Last Day at Work

Ellie has been coming to work with me for the last two months and it has been wonderful. She is such a relaxed baby and I have really enjoyed her 'company' in my office.

On Monday she will go to daycare full time (same place as Hayden) and our mommy/daughter work days will be over. It's a bittersweet change. I'm excited to get back into my work and not have to worry about her fussing while I'm on the phone with a client or think about nursing timelines. But I'm going to miss her sweet little face and big smiles.

Thanks for a great couple of months Anabelle!

Aces Bowl XIV

Another great time was had by all in Nashville, TN at Aces Bowl XIV. Highlights included:

• Attending the Garth Brooks flood relief benefit concert where he played more songs than usual, then came back out for a 2nd encore and took requests from the crowd (just himself on acoustic guitar without the band). He also finished with American Pie which was legit.
• Eating brunch at Monell's which provides a ludicrous amount of food in a communal setting.
• Having Cyrus hook us up getting a suite and club level access so that we could partake in the free breakfast and hors d'oeuvres.
• Playing Euchre in the room.
• Hanging out at 43 honky tonk bars, with each of them having live music (and sometimes 2 or 3 different stages and bands per establishment. They don't call it Music City for nothing.
• Hearing Greg talk about this "amazing" game called Icing which is simultaneously lame and fantastic. It is lame when it happens to anyone else other than Greg Pronti, that is when it is fantastic.
• Eating delicious barbecue which included ribs, kielbasa, chicken, onion rings, and pulled pork.
• Going to the 14th annual football game and being able to buy 8 seats together for $25 per (plus fees) 2 hours prior to kickoff.

Click to See Slideshow

Ellie's First Two Months

Oh Yes Wyoming!

A few months ago I got the crazy idea to travel to Wyoming with the girls, by myself. It seemed like a great idea when we booked the flight but on Saturday morning I was dreading the trip. There is so much stuff to pack and take with two little ones and the thought of navigating the airport by myself with all of that stuff with dreadful. We had to take 2 carseats, 1 stroller, my bag, their bag, the diaper bag, and my computer bag. Oh yeah...and TWO KIDS. Here's a picture of the craziness: Hayden in the stroller, Ellie in the Baby Bjorn, carseat perched on top, computer bag in the bottom of the stroller, and diaper bag on my back. Total Craziness.



Matt drove us to the airport and we planned to ask the airline if he could get a pass through security so he could help me get to the gate. They offered the pass before we could request one! Getting through security went smoothly, although it took some time, and we were even able to stop at Starbucks so I could get a decaf peppermint mocha latte. Mmmmm...the holidays are here! Anyway, when we got in line to board the plane Matt told the attendant that he wasn't traveling with us and that it was just me with the two babes. The attendant told Matt that he could get me on the plane as long as he came right back. How about that?! He was able to carry Hayden's carseat down to the plane, get it strapped in, and get us settled. I could have done it but it would have been a complete nightmare. And, I might have needed a strong drink before takeoff.

We ended up with an extra seat in our row so we were able to stretch out a little bit. The girls were wonderful on the flight. The plane was packed with kiddos so any crying or yelling that they would have done wouldn't have been a big deal, but they were both so good. When we arrived in Denver a wonderful man across the isle asked if I needed help. I gladly accepted his help and handed him the heaviest bag I had. He carried it out to the terminal for me and from there I was able to throw it in the stroller and not think twice about it.

My dear friend Melanie and her husband Ryan agreed to meet me at the airport to help me get all of my baggage and get out to the rental car building. They were both so amazing...seriously amazing. Ryan lugged around our bags, Melanie brought gifts for the three of us, they both held Anabelle, Melanie took Hayden to the bathroom, they watched Hayden while I took Anabelle to the bathroom (after a major blowout, by the way), they packed all of our stuff into their car, and stayed with us until we were ready to drive off of the rental car lot. Did I mention how amazing they were?! Plus, it was so wonderful to catch up with them a little bit too.

The drive from Denver to Laramie went pretty well. I even managed to remember the shortcut around Ft. Collins and we made pretty good time. We stopped at McDonald's on the outskirts of Ft. Collins for a bathroom break, to feed Ellie, and to get a little apple pie and vanilla ice cream treat. We got back on the road and made our way to Laramie.

We were about 15 minutes from town when I got pulled over...of course. He said that he clocked me going 82 in a 65. Darn speed limit! In Phoenix it's 75 almost everywhere and I guess I just wasn't paying attention. I told him that I was traveling alone with the girls and that Hayden had to use the potty. But, both girls were totally silent and I couldn't squeak out a tear so I got the ticket. However, he said he reduced my speed to 79 so that it won't end up on my record, but we'll see if that actually holds up. Boo.

In the end though we made it to Pop and Susan's house safely so that's all that really matters. I don't think that I'll travel alone with the kids again (at least not any time soon) but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. What an adventure!

Doctor Visit

Yesterday we went in for our monthly visit with Dr. Papez, Anabelle's electrophysiologist. At every visit they do an EKG and take her blood pressure. These can both be hard to do because Anabelle has to remain pretty still to get a good reading. But, she was great and it only took two tries to get both readings they needed. They also weigh her and measure her at each visit.

Dr. Papez said that she looks and sounds good and she's growing! She's now 23 inches tall and weighs over 11 pounds. Because she's gaining weight he increased her dosage of Flecainide to .9 mL. This isn't anything to be concerned with. He just wants to make sure that she's getting enough medicine for her body weight. He plans to increase the dosage again next month after she's over 12 pounds. In two weeks we'll stop by his office again so Anabelle can wear the Holter monitor. Like last time, it will only be on for 24 hours to see if she's having SVT and just coming out of it on her own.

We travel to Wyoming for Thanksgiving this weekend so he gave us the names of a few electrophysiologist in Denver, just in case. We'll be taking the stethoscope with us and we'll be keeping an eye on her, but hopefully there's no reason to call those doctors.

The best news is that he's still giving her a 50% chance of "growing out" of WPW during the next year. Even though her pathway is pretty robust he said that it's still a possibility that it will go away. Yay! Every time we see Dr. Papez I like him more and more. He's never in a rush to get in and out (like I feel most doctors are), he answers all of our questions, and he's got a positive attitude. We feel very lucky to work with him and know that he's taking great care of our baby.

Onion Rings = Success!

If you're confused by the title of this posting, read the last post first...

The onion rings that Matt made tonight were wonderful! They looked good on the plate and they were even better to eat! Matt and I both really enjoyed them (although he's already thinking of ways to improve them for next time). Hayden really liked the first one she had. But when she started on the second one she found onion in it and didn't want anything to do with it. By the third ring she had forgotten all about the onion again and loved it.

So, I guess we'll be adding onion rings to the menu!

The Chef

We have some hamburger meat left over from this weekend so Matt is making burgers for dinner tonight. When he realized that we were out of frozen fries he decided to make onion rings...from scratch...for the first time ever.

I just heard him say, "now I know why onion rings cost more. They're a little labor intensive." Uh-oh. There's a chance we won't be eating until 7:30 tonight. But I have to give him credit for trying something new! I like this cooking kick he's on lately!

Checkup

We are at Dr. Papez's office for a monthly checkup. We just did the EKG. Darn stickers have to stay on until the doctor looks at the reading. She's such a champ!

We will post again soon with details from our appointment.

Thankful

I saw this hanging up at daycare this week. I remember thinking, 'I'm thankful for daddy too.'

Holding Hands

Awww...this just melts my heart. I love seeing our girls holding hands. Hayden was sitting next to me just leaned over and grabbed Ellie's hand. So sweet.

Hey! Stop Doing That!

Uncle Ash and Aunt Afton came over for a visit this past weekend. Hayden climbed into her toybox and got out all of her toys. Uncle Ash claimed he was trying to help her clean up but I think he may have also been trying to torment her. Either way, we all thought that it was hilarious. ENJOY!

Bum Up!

On Sunday we were relaxing and watching football when we heard Hayden say, "bum up!" We looked over to see her on the floor with her baby, a box of wipes, and one of Anabelle's diapers. She was changing her baby's diaper and kept asking the baby to put her "bum up!"
















Later that day she wanted to nurse her baby. She was wearing a dress so she pulled it all the way off. Then she covered herself up (so modest)!















Don't forget to burp her!
















She's just fascinated with everything that Anabelle does and we think that it's so sweet that she wants to be "a good mommy". However, I'm certain that she'll be mortified by some of these pictures when she's 13.

Holter Monitor

About a week and a half ago we went to see Dr. Papez for a follow up visit. While we were there he asked that Anabelle be put on a holter monitor for 24 hours so we could see what her heart was doing. He specifically wanted to see if she was going into SVT at any point. Also, because the Flecainide that she takes three times a day helps keep her heart rate low he wanted to see just how low it was getting.

They put a bunch of little electrodes all over her body. Those were connected to a little recording monitor that recorded all of her heart's electrical activity. After 24 hours we simply returned the holter monitor to the doctor's office and they analyzed the data.

Dr. Papez called today with great news! He said that during that 24 hour period she didn't go into SVT at all and her lowest heart rate was 70 which is not too low. Hooray! The medicine is doing it's job!

Who Wore it Best?

Uncle Ash was at our house the day before Halloween. He asked us if we had any Halloween costumes that he could borrow for work the next day. Matt had the perfect outfit for him.

Back in February we went to Vegas to celebrate my 30th birthday. While we were there I insisted that we go bowling in full 80s attire. Matt went to Goodwill and picked up an outfit that he called his "Used Car Salesman" getup. The outfit included a three piece suit, a thick gold chain, cream colored shoes...and a mustache.

The costume worked great for Ash with a few small tweaks. First, the pants were WAY too long so he had to roll them at the waist. Second, he didn't need to glue on a fake mustache. He was able to cut his beard into a Fu Manchu. It. Was. Awesome.

So folks...who wore it best? Cast your votes in the comment section. The winner gets...a NEW CAR! Or would it be a used car??

Ash trying on the costume




















Ash and his Fu Manchu















Matt at the bowling alley















Matt's Mustache

Halloween

We had such a fun Halloween! Hayden had a parade and party at daycare on Friday, we carved pumpkins with Uncle Ash on Saturday night, and then we took the girls out Trick or Treating in our neighborhood on Sunday evening. Hayden dressed up as Tinkerbell and Anabelle was a kitty.

Matt doesn't like carving pumpkins (mostly because it's messy) but we bought pumpkins at the pumpkin patch last weekend so we couldn't let them go uncarved. I bought a carving kit and Ash and I decided to go all out and make our pumpkins fancy. Ash's turned out AMAZING but mine was just so-so. I got a little aggressive and cut the head off of my owl and had to do some surgery with a toothpick. Hayden drew on her pumpkin with markers but then also wanted to carve one so Matt helped her and they went with the more traditional looking pumpkin. They did a great job. Ash and I also reminisced about pumpkin carving when we were kids. We can remember having a pumpkin fight in our dining room (think jr. high school food fight) and getting pumpkin "guts" all over the walls, the floor, in our hair, and all over our clothes. I think we actually did it two years in a row. Anyway, we always really enjoyed pumpkin carving as kids. Hopefully our kiddos will also enjoy it - although I don't know if we'll be having any pumpkin fights with Matt's aversion to the mess. haha

On Sunday we got both girls dressed in their costumes and we headed out after dinner. The weather was beautiful so a lot of people in the neighborhood set up card tables and camping chairs in their driveway. Hayden got the hang of it and made out like a bandit. She was also very polite - frequently saying "please" instead of "trick or treat". When we got home a few more people stopped by and she helped hand out candy. We dumped her bucket out on the floor and surveyed her loot. She got some fun stuff (including a pencil, playdoh, and a glowing bracelet) and tons of candy. Anabelle slept through most of the activities. She's such a laid back baby.

Now you must excuse me...there's a Twix in the kitchen calling my name! Check out all of our pictures by clicking below.

Halloween

Coworkers

Anabelle is my newest coworker. She mostly helps with filing and data entry. She let's me take care of the phone calls.

Reflecting on October

It's the end of October and I can't help but think back on the last few weeks that we've had. So much happened this month, both good and bad. I keep seeing things around the house that are little reminders of our activities, so I thought I'd do a post reflecting back on the month.

NiteFlite VIP passes - Months of hard work for Matt paid off. He was the chairman of NiteFlite for Scottsdale 20/30 this year and the event raised $235,000. All of the money that the club raises goes directly to local children charities. He, and all of the guys in the club, did a great job and the event was a success! I just wish that both he and I could have been there to see it all.

Red wrist bands - I kept the last wrist band from the hospital and it sits in the jewelry box on my bathroom sink. I know I won't keep it there forever but when I see it I'm reminded that we are so lucky to be at home.

Radio Flyer wagon - The weather has finally gotten nicer here and we've been really enjoying our nightly family walks through the neighborhood.

Facebook and Email - The other day I was telling someone that I would NEVER wish on anyone, even my worst enemy, the feelings of fear, sadness, anger, and helplessness that Matt and I felt with Anabelle in the hospital. But, it would be amazing if everyone could feel the amount of love, support, and compassion that we felt from our family and friends. We got so many wonderful emails, messages, phone calls, and visits from so many people. I think that one of the reasons that we were able to stay strong was because we continued to get such positive messages from so many people.

Pumpkins - We carved our Halloween pumpkins last night. Uncle Ash came over and carved his pumpkin too. We got our pumpkins during a fun trip to MacDonald's Ranch with Grandma Sarah last weekend. She was here for a few days and it was really nice to see her and spend time with her.

Party Dress - The day before we took Anabelle to the hospital my mom and I went to the mall to find a party dress. I needed a dress to wear to NiteFlite and to Eric and Theresa's wedding and I found two that I really liked. Those two dresses are still hanging up in my closet in their protective plastic. I plan to take them back to the mall this week for a full refund because I hope that by the next time I need a party dress I will have lost a little of this baby weight and won't fit into those. (Yes, I'm trying to look at the bright side of having to return those beautiful dresses)

Anabelle's Blanket - Oma made a hand-sewn blanket for Anabelle. It's such a beautiful blanket and it's so cozy. She put so much time into it (working on it at night while we watched Glee, at the hospital while she was keeping me company, and late into the night). I plan to make sure that Anabelle knows how much time and LOVE went into that blanket.

PopTarts - I started back to work this week and I like to take a PopTart to work with me. It's been good to get back into a routine but hard to believe that it's already time to be working again. I feel like my time off with Ellie went by way too quickly and it makes me sad that so much of that time was spent at the hospital. But, we still got in some great bonding time which was the whole reason I took off those first 5 weeks. I get to work from home most of the time and I can take Ellie into the office with me so it's been a good transition back into it.

Medicine Syringes - We must have 50 syringes in our house. The hospital gave us a big bag of them and it's been helpful to have extras. But, because we have so many of them, I find them all over the house. Some in Anabelle's room, some in our room, in the kitchen sink, on top of the refrigerator, and as I type this there is one balancing on my phone that's sitting on the couch. It's been a little bit of an adjustment getting used to giving Anabelle medicine every eight hours but we have a pretty good system set up to make sure that we don't forget.

In a lot of ways October really was a great month in our family. We have a lot to be thankful for. We are so grateful that Anabelle's heart condition is treatable with medication (and that medication is the preferred method for WPW). We are surrounded by wonderful people that love us and love our kiddos. And, Matt and I are grateful for each other and we're so happy that we have each others support.

So November, we're ready for you! Bring it on...

Matchy-Matchy

A few months ago I bought Hayden and Anabelle matching pajamas. I really (really, really) never thought I would be the type of mom that bought "matchy-matchy" stuff but I. SO. AM. And this is just the beginning folks.

Anabelle's pajamas are a little bit big but I just couldn't resist. And we, of course, had to take about 50 pictures of them. It could be that they're wearing matching pajamas, but I think that they are starting to look more alike.

What do you think? Click on the picture below to see some of our favorite shots.

Matching Jammies!

Nothing says fall like...

Caramel apples! Mmmm!

Cardiologist Follow Up

Today we had a follow up appointment with Dr. Papez, Anabelle's cardiologist.

The check up went really well. They took her blood pressure, did an EKG, and did an ultrasound. She was really calm and content through everything and even fell asleep while they did the ultrasound. Dr. Papez said that everything looks good and that he won't need to see us again until next month (so long as she doesn't go into SVT between now and then).

So, I guess I can cut this thing off then? I'm not superstitious...why do you ask??

A Great Weekend

We had a great weekend. A much different weekend than we expected but wonderful, nonetheless.

Months ago we booked a trip to Tampa for the wedding of Eric and Theresa. Matt went to college with Eric which meant we'd be getting together with some of our very best friends for the weekend. Plans were made to go to Burns (an amazing steakhouse in Tampa), we'd meet Stella (Vin and Sheila's daughter), and we'd celebrate Eric and Theresa's wedding. Matt and I would fly to Tampa with Anabelle while Hayden would have a weekend at home with Grandma Sarah. Needless to say, we were all very excited.

But, with Anabelle's recent health problems we decided to cancel the trip and stay close to home. We asked Grandma Sarah to come for the weekend anyway and stay with us. We've had a great time together and have gotten to do so many fun things.

- Anabelle, G. Sarah, and I met Matt at work and had lunch at Coach and Willy's (the BEST spinach artichoke dip in town, hands down)
- G. Sarah, Anabelle, and I drove to Chandler to check on her house. While we were there we ate at Floridino's (the BEST cookie dessert in town, hands down)
- We went to the Pumpkin Patch in North Scottsdale. Uncle Ash came with us and we had a blast! Hayden got to pet a bunch of animals, we took a hayride to pick out our pumpkins, and Hayden considered riding a horse.
- Matt and I had our first "date night" since Ellie was born. G. Sarah watched the girls and we got to celebrate a friend's birthday at Dave and Buster's. We bowled, had an adult beverage, and got to spend time with our friends. It was wonderful and much needed.
- G. Sarah fixed the following items in our house: our dryer exhaust, the lamp in our big screen tv, the towel rod in our guest bathroom, the garage door opener, the sensor on our outside lighting, the lamp in our bedroom, our blanket rack, our whiteboard, and the garbage disposal. She also put security locks on our front door and garage door (making them impossible for Hayden to open), filled up my gas tank, and had Matt's car washed and the oil changed. She's seriously amazing.
- On Sunday Matt made an amazing breakfast, complete with homemade waffles, bacon, and hash browns. We watched football, fixed stuff around the house, took a walk to the park, and ate chili for dinner.

So, while we didn't get to dress up and attend a wedding in Florida we still had a great weekend and we're so grateful that we got to spend it with Grandma Sarah. Click on the picture below to see all of the fun events from the weekend.

Weekend with Grandma Sarah

A Hail of a Day!

This is a post that I wrote a few weeks ago. I meant to post it and then got distracted and then we ended up in the hospital. So, here it is...

The weather here in Phoenix has been pretty unbearable lately. We've been having unseasonably high temperatures and we Phoenicians have been wondering just when our fall weather is going to appear. Well, we got our answer yesterday.

My mom, Anabelle and I were relaxing in the living room yesterday afternoon when we started hearing thunder. Then, it began to rain. Then, we had a hailstorm unlike any hailstorm I've ever seen in my entire life. Some of the hail was the size of golf balls and when it hit our pool it actually made it look like the pool was boiling. Wow, Mother Nature. Are you mad at Arizona or something??

Nonetheless, it was a pretty cool sight and we got plenty of video to document it. Matt thinks we should have sent it in to CNN. We also grabbed a few pieces of hail and stuck them in the freezer so Hayden could see it when she got home.

Watch the video below to see the storm.

One Month

It's hard to believe that Anabelle is already one month old! The last month has flown by for us and her little face has already started changing so much. Here are some of Anabelle's changes and developments.

1. Her ears are no longer paper thin. When she was born her ears were so thin and flimsy. Matt and I laughed about it on several occasions and studied them because they didn't look real.
2. Her cheeks are starting to fill out which makes her look more like Hayden.
3. She is a very easy going baby and she rarely cries. Her biggest outbursts happen when she's hungry, we're in the car, and we're still 10 miles from our destination.
4. She likes napping and really enjoys napping curled up on the couch with Mommy or snuggled up on Daddy's chest.
5. Hayden adores her and is very (very) protective of her. Hayden refers to her as "My Ellie".
6. Anabelle smiles all the time. Melts our hearts.
7. She holds her head up pretty well. We haven't been giving her tummy time much (and didn't at all when we were in the hospital) so we'll be working on that more in the coming months.
8. She hasn't been gaining much weight lately. She lost some weight when she was at the hospital and is now at the same weight she was at 3 weeks ago. But, she's grown an inch and her head has grown so at least her brain is getting bigger. Ha!
9. She is the perfect addition to our family!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the last month.

Month 1

Boo!

Fall in Arizona

Cooler Weather

Before the heat set in we got into a routine of going for nightly walks with Hayden. Well, with the cooler weather setting in we've been able to re-start that routine! We had our first fall walk on Oma's last night in town. Going for a walk after dinner makes Hayden so happy and it's a great excuse for us to get out for a little exercise after dinner. Click on the picture above to see pictures from our walk.

Breaking Out!

Good morning! Yesterday was a hectic day so I didn't get the chance to let you know that we are back out of the hospital. Yay!

Anabelle was discharged yesterday morning at 11:30. We got the all-too-familiar discharge paperwork and were told not to come back. Believe me - we don't want to go back!

Upon our discharge we drove to Continental Golf Course and met Matt, Oma, and Hayden at Chip Drop. Chip Drop was the third and final event of Nite Flite 2010 and was put together as more of a family oriented event. (As a reminder, Matt was the chairman of Nite Flite, the fundraising event for the Scottsdale 20/30 club that Matt belongs to). The club had bouncy castles, a magician, a face painter, wonderful BBQ from Scottsdale BBQ company, and a 70-foot crane dropping thousands of poker chips for a chance to win 1 of 5 prizes.

Aside from it being a little warm outside (about 92 degrees) the event was a success. The kiddos had a fun time and our big kiddo especially had a great time. She had a lion painted on her face and she bounced her little heart out in the bouncy castle. And I was the happiest mama there because I got to see her having fun and I got to push my little one around in the stroller.

When we got home everyone took a nap while Matt watched college football. Then, last night we went to Oggy's for dinner so Oma could see Uncle Ashley. Dinner was delicious and it was nice to eat out at some place other than the hospital cafeteria. And Hayden was cracking us up with funny faces and trying to show Uncle Ashley her lion. He'd rush by our table and she'd say fast and loudly, "Uncle Ashley! Look at my lion!" It was hilarious.

Ellie had a good night sleep last night. When she got up this morning I listened to her heart again. I thought it sounded fast. I gave it a couple of minutes and checked it again and it sounded normal. So, either I'm going crazy (which is absolutely a possibility) or her medicine is doing its job. I guess either way I'm happy that her heart sounds normal this morning, that she's happily playing in the living room and Matt is making breakfast burritos in the kitchen. Life is good.

Click on the picture below to see pictures from the last few days.

Chip Drop 2010

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Back to Hospital

We are back in the hospital today. Ellie is stable and we hope to only be here over night but we could still use your love, thoughts, and prayers.

After we got home yesterday she did really well. She was sleeping and eating normally and we had a great night as a family. She got in some good snuggles with Oma, Uncle Ashley, and Daddy and Mommy got to have a big glass of red wine and a hot shower. It was also wonderful to see Hayden and play with her. Although, at the beginning of the evening she didn't want to have anything to do with me. I think she might have been a little mad at me.

Anyway, Anabelle slept well last night and woke up this morning around 8:00. I was nursing her and put my hand on her chest, just to check. I could feel her heartbeat which has previously been a sign that it was beating too fast. So we grabbed the stethoscope and Oma and I decided that her heartbeat was definitely too fast to count again.

We got Hayden ready for daycare, packed up my bag, and we jumped in the car. We dropped Hayden off and then Oma, Ellie, and I drove back to the E.R. We were lead back into Room 8 (same ER room we had last Thursday) and they put in her I.V. Her heart rate was over 250 bpm and it took two doses of the Adenosine to get her heart rate back down.

One of Dr. Papez's partners met with us and said that they'd be comfortable with us going home but that we would also be welcome to stay. Matt was still finishing up at work so he and I texted back and forth trying to decide what to do. The doctors said that they would fully support either decision we made but it was so hard knowing what the right decision was. I worried that if we stayed at the hospital she wouldn't have another episode and that if we went home she would and we'd have to turn around and drive back.

The nurse brought in an extra little dosage of Flecainide and we chatted more with Dr. Ellsworth. Ellie was fussy so I told him that I would feed her and then we'd be ready to be discharged. Within one minute (literally) she went into SVT again. I guess the decision was made for us.

So we were checked back into the PICU and hope to be checked out tomorrow. We're here hopefully just overnight and she will continue to take the increased dosage of Flecainide. Dr. Papez assured us that we have a lot of additional options if this increased dosage doesn't get the SVTs under control. However, he also said that her condition was the second most robust that he's had this year. Haha - Matt and I thought that was funny because she is quite obviously our kiddo. We also agreed that this will be the one time that we don't want her to be in first place.

She is sleeping soundly now and she and I are settling in for the night. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

There's No Place Like...

HOME! We got the okay to come home today! Hooray! We met with Dr. Papez this morning and he said that we were SVT free for 72+ hours so it was okay to bring our sweet girl home. Again I say, hooray!!

We had another really great night last night with Ellie going as much as 3 hours between eating. It was so nice to be able to get some good sleep and be ready to pack up and come home today. She had to get one more EKG before we left but it came back normal. Our next appointment with Dr. Papez is scheduled for October 25th so we're hopeful we won't see him before that.

When I got her out of the car at the house today I realized that this is the THIRD time that we've welcomed her home from the hospital. I'm really hoping that the third time is the charm.

We have some settling in to do but wanted to let everyone know that we're home. We'll write more soon. xoxo

Today is almost over and the possibility of heading home is on the horizon. Anabelle is taking a little snooze before her 9:00 sponge bath and I'm thinking about our day today. Here are some of the "highlights".

1. When I posted earlier today I was pretty upset about not getting to go home yet. It felt like another set back, even though it wasn't. I think that I'm just so ready to sleep in my own bed, tuck in my kiddos, and snuggle with my husband. Being in the hospital for a few days has definitely made me really (really) appreciate all of those little things that we all sometimes take for granted.

2. A dear friend of mine, Summer, came to the hospital today for a visit. It was so great to see her and to get to introduce her to Anabelle. They had some good quality time together snuggling and we caught up on each others lives. It was a wonderful visit and it was nice to feel a little bit normal. Plus, Anabelle adored Summer. She was awake the entire time she was here, gave her a bunch of little smiles, and got fussy when Summer said she had to leave. Thank you for visiting Sum!

3. Last night and tonight we have one of the sweetest nurses. Her name is Megan and she's the kind of gal that you want to have watching over your child. Last night she went through the monitor with me and explained everything (where was she on night #1?). At one point she also heard Ellie crying and came in to soothe her back to sleep so that I didn't have to get up with her. Turns out that Ellie was hungry and I did get up but I was so grateful for those extra five minutes on my couch. Then during the day today we also had a wonderful nurse, Shelley. She also thought that we were going home today and I could tell that she was disappointed for us. She gave us a huge bag full of medicine droppers to use when we're at home and took the time to explain the dosage amounts and how to ensure we'd be giving the proper amounts. It's been great to have compassionate, knowledgeable and loving nurses.

4. We had another scare today. Matt was here for his daily visit. Oma was holding Ellie and patting her back after she ate, trying to get her to burp. For some reason the patting set off the heart rate alarm. I immediately looked at the screen, jumped up and started yelling "no! no! no!" Her heart rate was over 250 which indicated that she was back in SVT. Matt was right behind me and within seconds the nurse was in our room. She said that she thought that it was just the patting on the back that caused the monitor to go off. She said she would go and check on the main monitor to confirm. Then she very sincerely said, "it'll be okay. I'll go and check it. It'll be okay mom." I could tell that she wanted to give me a big hug. Needless to say, I lost it and started crying. I just feel like we're so close and that this medicine seems to be working so to see that on our "last day" broke my heart. But when she came back she confirmed that it probably wasn't SVT and that everything was okay. Matt and Oma both gave me big hugs but it still shook me up.

5. On a much lighter note - Damn you hospital food! I have had THREE pieces of German chocolate cake in the past TWO days. So much for trying to take off some of the pregnancy weight. But, the nurses keep reminding me to eat so that Ellie will nurse well. So I guess that all of that cake is good for me then, right?! Hmmm, come to think of it, I guess that would be on a much heavier note...

6. I can't wait to get home to my DVR. I watched Two and a Half Men tonight on television. How is that show still on? I actually watched two episodes and didn't laugh one time. It's seriously bad television. Do other people like it? Is it just me??

7. We continue to receive emails, Facebook messages, texts, and phone calls. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. You are all helping to keep me sane.

8. I had some free time today so I changed up our website a little bit. Hope you enjoy it! :) Click below to see some pictures from today.

Anabelle at Hospital - Day 4

Day 4

Good morning everyone! We have some good news and some not as good news today.

The good news is that Anabelle had a great night last night. No SVT and she slept and ate really well. She even had a sleeping stretch of 3.5 hours. Hooray!

The not as good news is that we aren't going home today after all. The cardiologist wants to monitor her for 72 hours (following her last SVT) which won't be until the wee hours of tomorrow morning. So, as long as she has a good day today and an uneventful night tonight we can go home tomorrow.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed to hear this. The nurses have been telling us that it would be some time today. The doctor did say that we could go home today if we want to but that he likes to monitor little babies for 72 hours. At this point it would be silly for us to leave today when staying an extra day for monitoring could hopefully mean that we don't have to come back again any time soon.

So, we're going to try and make the most of the day today and look forward to hopefully being able to go home tomorrow morning!

Thanks to everyone for the comments and thoughts!

Day 3

We had a really good night in the hospital last night. Both Anabelle and I got some sleep and she ate really well. We are hoping for a repeat performance tonight! We also had a good day today and are happy to report that Anabelle hasn't had any SVT episodes since Sunday night! Yay! For the time being it seems like the medicine is working well for our little lady.

At about 5:30 this morning we had a small scare. The nurse came in to weigh her and she came up as 7.14 pounds. I told her that the scale must be wrong because just two days ago she weighed 9.7 pounds (not to mention she weighed 8.11 when she was born). We tried a few more times with the same results so she said that she would mention it to the doctor. Later this morning when we met with Dr. Papez I asked him about her weight and told him that it seemed too low. I also mentioned that Anabelle has been spitting up more than usual as well. He looked concerned and said that she shouldn't be losing that much weight. He asked the nurse to weigh her again using a different scale. Glad that we did because the first scale was wrong. The second scale was much more accurate. It did show that she has lost some weight over the last few days but not 2 pounds. Whew! Afton reminded me that every time Anabelle had an SVT episode it was like Ellie was running a marathon so it makes sense that she's lost a little weight. As long as she's still eating (and having dirty diapers) a little weight loss is okay.

Dr. Papez also told us that as long as she doesn't have any more SVT episodes tonight or tomorrow we can go home. So, please keep your fingers crossed for us to have a good (quiet) night tonight so we can get the okay to leave the hospital tomorrow.

Oma (my mom) came in for another visit today and brought "Omar the Giraffe" for Ellie. She also hung out with Ellie so I could take a shower in the family center. PCH really does a great job making parents comfortable. The family center has two showers and a washer and dryer. The shower felt great and I was happy knowing that I was just right down the hall from Ellie. And, for those of you wondering, I DID keep my flip flops on in the shower. :)

Matt came by this afternoon to pick up Oma and to spend a little time with Ellie. Ellie was very alert and smiley while he was holding her. I know that he has such a hard time being away from her all day so it's great that he can spend some time with her before they have to leave to pick up Hayden at daycare.

Hayden seems to be doing okay but seems to be having a tougher time each day. This morning Matt went in her room to wake her up. Oma said something to Matt from the hallway and Hayden said, "Mommy?!" Oma answered her from the hallway, "No sweetie. It's not Mommy, it's Oma." Hayden said again, "Mommy?!" So, Oma walked into her room and upon seeing Oma, Hayden flopped herself down in her crib two-year old tantrum style. Oma said that her heart just broke. Mine did too when she told me the story. It's so hard being away from my big girl. But I am so glad that my mom is still in town and can spoil her with grandma love while I'm gone.

Ms. Anabelle is sound asleep for the time being but will get a nice warm sponge bath her soon. I'm going to rest for a bit until then so click on the picture below to see more pictures from today.

Anabelle at Hospital - Day 3

Good night everyone! Thanks for all of the emails, texts, phone calls, Facebook messages, love, thoughts and prayers. I just had dinner, "played with mommy", and now it's time for bed! Love, Anabelle

Wish us luck tonight that we don't have any SVT episodes and that we wake up tomorrow refreshed. I had a nice night with Ellie tonight. After she ate we "played" and I sang her "You are my Sunshine". She gave me a couple of really big smiles. I refuse to think that it was just gas. :)

Day 2

We had a long night in the PICU last night. Anabelle didn't want to nurse for long so she woke up more than usual throughout the night. Therefore, she had one tired mama today. My mom came to the hospital today and hung out with Anabelle and let me sleep. I know I missed a few phone calls and texts today so if I did miss you and you want to try again tomorrow, please do.

Ellie had two SVT episodes in the middle of the night last night. They let the episodes go for 20 minutes with the hope that she'll come out of it. When she doesn't they administer the Adenosine and she usually comes out pretty quickly. Our hope with the medicine that she's on is that it will maintain control over the SVT and they will be less frequent and easier for her to come out of.

Her cardiologist, Dr. Papez, came by again today and answered a bunch of my questions. He's been wonderful and is really reassuring. Here are some of my questions and his answers:

1. Why does she continue to have the SVT episodes?
We are still looking for the right drug or drug combination to get them and the WPW under control. Plus, the WPW is more robust than we originally thought so we're having to try stronger and stronger medicines to keep it under control. Once we do find the right medicine we hope that the SVT will occur far less often. He also mentioned that he had a kiddo in PICU a few weeks ago that also had SVT and it took them two weeks to find the right combination.

2. How long will we be in the hospital?
Once new medication (or increased doses) begin they require that we stay in the hospital for three days for monitoring. Best case scenario is that her current dose of Flecainide is exactly what she needs, she doesn't have any more SVT and we can be discharged this Wednesday. If she continues to have episodes he will change the dosage of Flecainide and the three day time table starts over.

3. Why do we have to stay 3 days with new medicine?
The medicine that we are trying is more powerful and therefore has a risk of side effects. The side effects of Flecainide are arrhythmias that would be worse than what she currently has. However, they typically appear within the first three days of receiving the medicine so they want to monitor her closely to watch for those possible new arrhythmias.

4. Why can't we just do the surgical procedure that would remove the WPW?
Her heart is really small and the WPW is on the left side. This means that they would have to go through the right side and the chamber wall to get to it. The catheter that they use isn't much smaller than her valve and therefore makes it really risky. Dr. Papez said that we still have a LOT of options between where we are now and needing to do surgery and that surgery is typically the last option before needing a heart transplant.

Keep your fingers crossed for a restful and quiet night!

One Tough Cookie

Click on the picture below to see some of the pictures we've taken since Thursday.

Anabelle at Hospital

One thing that we've noticed with Anabelle over the last couple of days is that even when she's in the middle of an SVT episode she still looks like a totally normal baby. She's typically very relaxed and usually sleeps through most of it, even though her heart is racing as though she's running in a marathon. She's still such a good baby. She cries when she's hungry but is otherwise very happy and mellow.

Matt brought Hayden in today for a visit. She did really well and was very well behaved (especially for a two year old). We've been really honest with her and trying to tell as much as we can about what's going on with Ellie. At one point Ellie started crying (while the nurse was examining her) and Hayden's voice and face were very panicked. She wanted to know what was going on! I picked her up and stood right next to Ellie. I told her that Ellie was sick and that the nurse was helping to make her feel better. She seemed to accept that explanation. She was also very sweet and wanted to give her kisses and hugs before she left.

The new medicine that Anabelle is on seems to be working pretty well so far (knock on wood). She hasn't had an episode since this afternoon so we'll see how she does through the night.

We will post more soon. Thanks to everyone for your love and support!

Back at the Hospital

First - thank you all so much for the wonderful emails and phone calls that we've gotten over the last 24 hours. It means so much to us to know that we're in your thoughts and prayers.

Second, we are back in the hospital with Anabelle. She is still doing well but the cardiologist is working on finding the right combination of drugs for her to take to keep the SVT episodes under control.

For the past eight months Matt has been organizing an event that his charity event hosts every year called Nite Flite. This year he is chairman of the committee that organizes this event. The gala was last night and he was setting up for it all day. We decided that it would be good for me to get out of the house and attend the event so I packed a bag for me, Hayden, and Anabelle and my mom and I were ready to drive to the hotel near the event last night.

At about 5:30 we gave Hayden dinner before our "trip". I picked up Anabelle and I noticed that her feet were pretty cold again. I pulled out the stethoscope we got at the hospital and her heart beat seemed fast. I had my mom listen to it too and she also thought it sounded fast so we called Aunt Afton. She and my brother came over (dressed to attend the gala as well). Afton listened to Anabelle's heartbeat and also thought it was fast and we decided that she was probably in SVT.

With SVT we were told to try and bring her out of it before driving to the hospital. One way to bring her out is place a bag of ice over her face for 10-15 seconds. This causes her brain to think that she is drowning and will help slow down her heart rate. I held her little face and Afton administered the ice treatment. I know that Anabelle won't remember us doing that to her but both Afton and I will. It's an awful feeling. My mom and Ashley kept Hayden entertained in the other room as we did this and I felt so bad for her. She knew something was wrong. One minute we were going on a "trip" and the next minute she's being kept in the other room. She was worried about her little sister! We did the ice treatment about 5-6 times and then I called the cardiologist's on call nurse. She recommended we give her the next dose of medicine early, wait 30 minutes, and then do the ice treatment again if the medicine didn't work. We did that, tried the ice treatment three times, and then the nurse told us to drive back to Phoenix Children's Hospital.

My mom stayed with Hayden at the house and Ellie and I packed up and drove downtown. I called Matt and he left the event to meet us at the hospital. The E.R. doctors were waiting for us and got an IV put in really quickly. They gave her one ice treatment and then gave her a dose of Adenosine (the same medicine they gave her on Thursday). It again took two doses of Adenosine and her heart rate came back down. Matt walked into the room in his black suit and looked out of place, but so handsome! :) They moved us into a recovery room and told us we could go home. About 20 minutes later she went back into SVT. They moved us back into the other room, gave her Adenosine and her heart rate came down. 15 minutes later she had another SVT episode which was fixed with Adenosine. 30 minutes later another SVT episode that was fixed with Adenosine. Each time her heart rate would lower to 95-100 and then jump up to 220.

They were finally able to move us back into the PICU and we got our "old room" back. It was harder to walk into the room this time than it was last time. Part of me wishes that we never went home because coming back here feels like a set back. Matt and I hung out until about 1:00 and then he drove home and I went to sleep for the night. She had two more SVT episodes overnight and has had 3 today so far. The cardiologist had started us out on the first tier of medicine a few days ago, moved her to the second tier last night and we're trying a third tier now. He said that it's a matter of finding the right medicine now to maintain her accessory pathway and to keep the SVT under control. She will continue to have SVT episodes but we'll hopefully find medicine that will help pull her back out of SVT (instead of requiring the Adenosine at the E.R.)

The medicine that she's on now is called Flecainide and it may actually cause additional arrhythmias. So we will be in the hospital for at least another three days while they monitor how she does on the Flecainide.

Anabelle's Heart

Earlier this week we found out that Anabelle has a heart condition. We sent out an email to friends and family to let them know what had happened:

On Thursday morning I got up at 5:00 because she was more fussy than normal. When I changed her diaper I noticed that her feet were ice cold. I put a pair of socks on under her jammies, bundled her back up, added a little hat, and put her back to bed. When she woke up later around 9:00 she was still fussy and didn't want to eat much. Her diaper was also dry. I checked her feet again and they were still ice cold. My mom suggested that we take her temperature and when we did it was only 93 degrees. We tried a different thermometer and got another low reading.

I called the pediatrician to get their opinion and left a message for someone to call us back. Then we called my wonderful sister-in-law Afton. She's in her fourth year of medical school. She decided to come over and take a look at her. When she arrived she listened to Anabelle's heart with her stethoscope and said that her heart was beating too fast to count. She said that we should take her to our pediatrician to have her looked at so she and I drove there together. My mom is in town so she was able to stay at the house with Hayden. The pediatrician also heard her fast heart rate and suggested I try and feed her to see if that would help calm her down. When that didn't work she immediately recommended that we take her downtown to Phoenix Children's Hospital. She called ahead and told the ER to expect us and we called Matt and asked him to meet us there.

When we arrived Afton dropped us off and I went inside with Anabelle. I expected to have to wait in the waiting room, but they put a heart rate monitor on Anabelle in the waiting room. Her heart rate was 250 bpm and the nurses said that they thought the reading was wrong. But then they immediately ushered us into a room. Within a few minutes the small room was crowded with 8 doctors and nurses (plus me and Afton) and they all had their hands on Anabelle. There were an additional 5-6 people crowded around the door outside of our room as well. The doctor told us that her heart was beating too fast and that they were trying to slow it down. They tried to get her heart rate down with an ice treatment and Matt walked into the room at that point. When that didn't work they used an IV to push medicine into her heart. The medicine made her heart stop for a couple of seconds and when it restarted it was slower. They had to do this twice before her heart returned to a more normal rate.

Once she was stabilized they took an x-ray, did an EKG, and then an ultrasound of her heart. We met with the cardiologist and he said that she had supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). After additional testing they determined that she has an accessory pathway in her heart and she has "Wolff-Parinson-White syndrome" (WPW). (About 30 minutes before we met with the cardiologist Afton said that she thought that Anabelle might have had SVT and that she may also have WPW. She did a great job of explaining what that meant and she also drew us pictures to help us better understand exactly what was going on in Anabelle's heart).

They decided to admit Anabelle into the ICU to continue to monitor her and to start her on medication. Walking into the ICU was so hard because it was full of other kiddos that also had heart problems. I stayed the night with her there and she did very well overnight. Her breathing became more normal and her heart rate stayed low. I was also able to nurse her again which was so nice. Granted, she was hooked up to a bunch of machines and wires but it was great to be able to snuggle with her.

My mom and Afton came back to the hospital on Friday morning and then Matt joined us at 1:00. We met with another cardiologist that afternoon and he further explained WPW to us. He said that Anabelle will have to be on medication for at least a year and we will meet with him for check ups. He said that the accessory pathway could go away by the time that she's two and if it does then she shouldn't have any additional issues. In the meantime though she could go back into SVT. If she does go back into SVT we have a few methods that we can try to get her out of it before we would have to take her back to the hospital.

What does this all mean? Well, he said that if she goes back into SVT it's more of annoyance than an emergency. He gave us a list of things to watch for and also gave us a stethoscope so we can check her heart rate if we're worried that she's having another episode. She is now taking Propranolol three times a day and will continue that until she's one.

So, we came home last night (Friday) and have been trying to settle back into our regular routine (well, our NEW regular routine). We feel so fortunate that this heart condition is treatable and that it's something that she could even possibly grow out of. We are also so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends that were sending us love, thoughts and prayers. It all happened so quickly that we didn't have a lot of time to let everyone know what was going on so we appreciate your love, thoughts and prayers even now. :)

We wanted you all to know what's going on and because it's such a long story thought that it might be easier to email everyone. But, please don't hesitate to call or email us if you have questions or want to know more. We would love to hear from you.

A Fortnight

Anabelle is two weeks old today. It's hard to believe that it's only been two weeks since we welcomed her into our family. In a way it feels like she's always been a part of our family.

She is such a good baby. She hardly ever cries but prefers to grunt. It's ridiculously cute and hard to resist. She has given us a few really great stretches of sleep at night (sometimes as many as 4 or 5 hours) and has also really started waking up more during the day. She isn't awake for long during the day but she seems very interested in stuff when she is.

Her right eye had a plugged tear duct that was causing her to have some serious eye boogies. When she woke up on Saturday morning it looked like she had been hit in the eye because it was so swollen and red. I took her to the pediatrician and he massaged her eye, which really seemed to help. We're keeping an eye on it (haha) but it's starting to look a lot better already.

Hayden has been really great with her. She always wants to know where Anabelle is and what she's doing. She loves to kiss her and hug her and has even shared her toys with her. She goes through moments where she acts out and wants "my mommy, my daddy" but overall she has really welcomed Anabelle into our world.

Thank you to everyone that has called, emailed, stopped by with food, and sent gifts. We are so appreciative of the love and support! Click on the picture below to view recent pictures.

Anabelle - Two Weeks Old

Five Alive

Today was Anabelle's fifth day of life and she is still doing great. Yes, you all cracked us for not posting sooner so we are sorry, we have been a bit busy.

Savannah was Miraculous Mom at the hospital and we checked out on Wednesday night - 2 days after Ellie was born. Not typical for a C-section but Savannah had taken such good care of herself prior to and had been so strong afterwards that she was ready to go home and the doctors and nursing staff agreed.

Click to See Slideshow

We just wanted to make sure we didn't have to deal with Hayden when we got home (not that we don't love her to pieces, but if you have a 2 year old, you know) so we checked out at her bedtime so that Oma and Pop (grandma and grandpa) could put her down and we could come home to a quiet house and relax. It worked out perfectly.

As far as sleeping, for her first 3 nights of life, Anabelle has been wanting to eat a lot - like every hour and a half. Good for her. Bad for Mommy and Daddy. However last night she decided to sleep a bit longer, and gave us a 5 hour stretch at one point which we will definitely take. In fact she mostly sleeps and eats right now, which is a welcome respite from the havoc of a toddler.

Speaking of Ellie's big sister, Hayden loves "Baby Anabelle" as she calls her. She loves to hold her, pet her, give her kisses, and put blankets on her when she's sleeping, even if she puts the blankets over her face. We were wondering how she would accept a new member of our family as we knew it could have gone either way. We are thrilled with her reaction to this point so major kudos to her.

Oma and Pop have been great as well. Mommy has needed rest and Daddy has been handling odd jobs, working, making food, and other items so having family here to help has been wonderful. Pop had to leave this morning but Oma is here for a month! We appreciate the help.

Thanks to all who have sent items, well wishes, and love our way. We really appreciate it knowing we have loved ones scattered about who care.

Below is a video montage of some clips of Ellie mushed together. Fans of cheesy 80's movies will love it.

Anabelle - Day 2

Click to See Pics

Anabelle is now over 24 hours old and she has been great. She is a wonderful eater (she must be her father's daughter) and only fusses when she is hungry. Unfortunately for her parents, she wanted to eat about 54 times last night. So Mommy and Daddy did not get much sleep.

Last night Hayden got out of school and came over to see her new little sister. She took the new addition to the family very well and 'pet' her for a few minutes. Then she wanted to hold her, which she was able to do with a little help. Then she gave her a little kiss on her forehead which was adorable.

Savannah is doing great and has moved from a clear liquid diet, to a full liquid diet, to soft foods, all the way to the cheeseburger diet! She is walking around and in plain clothes. She is experiencing minor pain but not as much as last time and nothing that some minor meds can't take care of. There is a chance we could go home tomorrow.

Enjoy the pics and the videos and thanks for the comments.

Anabelle is Here!!!

Anabelle Mae (Ellie) arrived this morning at 8:01am weighing 8 pounds 11 ounces and the tale of the tape was 20.5 inches. She did great, and Savannah was amazing.

One of the coolest moments happened shortly after she was born. Ellie hadn't yet opened her eyes and after the nurses cleaned her up and gave her to Daddy, she still hadn't opened up to see her new world. Daddy brought her over to Savannah who was still lying on the operating table and said, "Anabelle, meet your Mommy." She then opened her eyes and looked right at Savannah. It was fantastic.

Much of Ellie's family was here as both her Grandma's and Grandpa's as well as her Uncle and Aunt made it to the hospital for the event. It was great to have them here.

Overall she is a great baby. She has eaten a bunch including for 45 minutes right after she was born and she has rarely cried. Much of her time has been spent peering around the room wondering what new world she has come into.

Enjoy the pictures and thanks for the nice notes.

Click to See Pictures

Waiting for Anabelle

We are at the hospital and waiting for our scheduled time to go into the OR so that we can meet Anabelle!

Savannah is doing great, just trying to pass the time by resting a little. She is a trooper and we're super proud of her.

August Through Labor Day Weekend

We had a good last month of the summer with plenty of pool time and relaxing.

Daddy and Hayden went to a baseball game to see the Rockies versus the D-Backs. Hayden loved it and talks about it all the time. We had hot dogs, a pretzel, and some ice cream too. She even a month later she still remembers all the things we ate and she tells the story to people saying, "He threw it," referring to the pitcher.

Savannah attended her Heritage Makers conference which was held here in town. At the final dinner event, she was invited on stage as she won an award! We were so proud of her.

For labor day, we took a mini family trip up to Flagstaff. It was great to get out of the heat as the temperature up there was 80 degrees. We had a picnic in the park, toured an art fair, and Hayden got to play in some bouncy castles which she really enjoyed. Near our hotel was a line of train tracks and Hayden loved seeing the trains go by, "Chug-a Choo Choo!!!" We stayed at a cute little inn and though we thought we had reserved a suite, we only had one room. So when we put Hayden down to sleep, we had to go into the bathroom to watch a movie on the laptop. It was quite comical as we cramped into our little movie theater. The next morning we had a big breakfast and drove back down the mountain.

We also were able to finalize Anabelle's room. Thanks to Uncle Dan and Aunt Susie for the awesome tree that we were able to put on the wall (with Uncle Ashley's help). It looks awesome and makes the room look great.

Click to See Photos

July Recap

Hello friends and family. Sorry for our delayed posting! We had good intentions to post more often but life seemed to get in the way, which I suppose is a good thing.

July kept us busy with a trip up north for the Fourth of July, Hayden's swimming lessons, a work trip for Matt, setting up Anabelle's bedroom, and a visit from Oma (Savannah's mom). It's been great that the summer has gone by so quickly because we are ready for cooler weather and ready to meet baby Anabelle.

Hayden has been doing great at daycare and really enjoys going there every day. She learns so much there and we love to see what new stuff she's picked up on. Most noticeably, it seems like her vocabulary is increasing almost daily. Some of the new phrases we heard in July include:

"What happened?"
Every day we drive by a Quizno's restaurant that was having its Grand Opening. They advertised this Grand Opening with a large red balloon. Every day Hayden would point to it and say, "red balloon". Well, at the end of the month the red balloon was taken down and now Hayden wants to know "what happened?" She's quickly picked up on using this phrase in every day conversation and frequently asks us "what happened".

Calling Matt Daddy
Hayden used to call Matt "Dada" but she now calls him Daddy. Every once in a while she calls him Matt or Babe.

Saying "Oh"
As in: "Mommy, what happened?"
"The show is over so I turned off the TV."
"Oh."

Saying her Name
At school Hayden learned to say her first and last name. But, we think that the teacher may be pronouncing it a little differently than we do. Here's how the conversation goes between us and Hayden:

Us: What's your name?
Hayden: Hayden Wal-dak
Us: No, it's Hayden Wal-lick
Hayden: No! Hayden Wal-dak
Us: No, Hayden Wal-lick

We hope every one had a great July! Thanks for all of the postings! We love to read your comments. Click on the picture below to see some of our favorite pictures from July.

July 2010

Knock, Knock

Knock, Knock...Who's There?!

HAYDEN!

Oma Comes for a Visit

At the end of July my mom came for a visit. Hayden calls her "Oma" and Hayden was SO excited to see her.

We spent the weekend relaxing and being very domestic. She taught me how to use my sewing machine (better late than never), we made homemade blueberry cobbler, we watched movies, swam in the pool, and lounged around. It was wonderful.

Oma brought a few gifts along with her including a "pony purse" that Opa bought Hayden. Hayden absolutely loves the pony purse and immediately put a little book and a Kleenex in it (so glad she's prepared). She also brought her a feather boa and a tiara, because lord knows we want her to act MORE like a princess. :)

When Oma had to leave we explained to Hayden that Oma had to go back to Wyoming. "Oma in Wyoming?" was all we heard for the next week. Thankfully, she's coming back mid-September and spending a month with us after Anabelle is born. We haven't told Hayden yet, but we know she'll be so excited to see her again!

Click on the picture below to see all of the photos from Oma's visit!

Oma Visits

Dressing Herself

Lately Hayden has shown a lot of interest in different clothes and dressing herself. We have a chest full of dress up clothes and she loves to go through it and put together outfits. Here are some of our favorite pictures of her latest get-ups.

Playing Dress Up