Haylee's 2 Year Portraits

On Tuesday morning before my doctor appointment, I took Haylee to have her 2 year portraits done. Here are some of my favorites.

Madi's Birth Story

Last Tuesday I went to my regular weekly appointment thinking that I would be in and out and on my way back home to continue preparing for Madison's arrival. Well, things went a little differently than I had planned.

The past few weeks that I had been to the doctor my blood pressure was a little high but would go back to normal when I would lie down on my side. My doctor had told me the previous week to keep an eye on it. Watch out for headaches which I had just begun having. The headaches would go away after taking Tylenol so I didn't think much of it. Dr. Patronella told me to call her if the headaches didn't go away within 30 minutes of taking Tylenol.

Anyway I went into the office Tuesday and my blood pressure was great, but when I got in the room my doctor told me I had a high amount of protein in my urine and she wanted to send me next door to the hospital for some more blood work and to retest the protein level.

The protein level came back high again and Dr. Patronella decided that it would be best for myself and the baby to induce me the next morning since high protein is the begining stage of preeclampsia. She felt by the next week things could be bad.

I was shocked! I really thought I would be going home still pregnant with some time left to prepare.

I spent the night at the hospital, was given an Ambien to help me sleep (which didn't work!), and looked forward to meeting my new baby girl the next day.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

At 5:00am the nurse came in and started an IV of petocin. I anticipated a fast delivery since many people told me that your second delivery is usually faster than your first. I began feeling contractions around 7:30 and held off on an epidural until 10:30. When I got the epidural I was dialated to 4 cm. Once I received the epidural the contractions began to slow down and I didn't have any change from 10:30-Noon when Dr. Patronella came to check on me. She was actually leaving early that day to take her son to the dentist. She told me she would be leaving at 1:30. That bummed me out because I really wanted her to deliver me and at that point I was kinda frustrated because nothing had changed. I decided it was time for a nap. Travis was busy doing a crossword and I was was trying to sleep. Around 1:15 the nurse came back in to check me and to our surprise I was now complete- 10cm! The next 15 mintues were fast. While the nurse was reminding me how to push and getting ready Madi decided she was ready! The nurse started yelling for the rest of the people that are in the room to hurry and calling for the dr. to hurry because Madi was coming. Once Dr. Patronella (who was literally running down the hall) got there they told me I would start pushing on a contraction, I sat up to adjust and Madi came into the world, without a push! Our little 6 pound 2 ounce, 18 inch long, Haylee mini-me was born!

I was blessed with a very easy delivery and very beautiful healthy baby girl! (and Dr. Patronella delivered Madi at 1:30 and made it to her sons dentist appt in time)

Here are a few pictures after delivery and a couple from her first days at home. I have a lot more but nap times are almost over! So I will have more to post later!

Our last family picture of 3!

(Tuesday Night)

Mommy holding Madi for the first time!

Haylee meeting her little sister.

(Sorry the gown was a little big, I am not nursing)

Daddy and his little girls!

Our new family of 4!

Haylee holding Madi's Birthday Cake from the hospital.

Sisters!

Madi's first night home

First Bath

Madison Avery

Here are the nursery pics of Madison Avery Brewer!

1-21-09

1:30 pm

6 pounds 2 ounces

18 inches

http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?BirthId=45b4ed4b-fa1a-4a08-a6ea-0e0442b0e233

I will download pictures from my camera later this evening!

Maternity Pics

My sister in law, Melissa, came over tonight to take some maternity photos for me to put up in Madi's room. A lot of them came out really good. Here are some of my favorites!

36 Weeks! Madi is sitting really strange lately...kinda pointy! :o)

I love, love, love this one!!

Haylee showing me where her baby is...

Our due date is one month from yesterday. I go for a check up tomorrow! We can't wait to meet our new baby girl and Haylee is excited to be a big sister!

Thanks Melissa for taking such great pictures for us! We really appreciate it!

Eventful 2009...already!

I am going to recap the last week, in order, beginning with Tuesday December, 30.

Tuesday afternoon I took Haylee to the doctor for her 2 year checkup. She is 24 pounds and 32 inches tall. Getting so BIG! She had one shot and again didn't flinch. She has really high pain tolerance! What a good baby!

During the doctor appointment I asked him about getting something for a cough that began the night before. He recommended an over the counter medicine and said if it didn't help to call back the next day and he would call something in for her. Of course it didn't help and Haylee woke up with a fever. So I called the doctor back on Wednesday (New Year's Eve) and he called in a perscription for an antibiotic. So our New Year's Eve looked like this...

lot's of coughing, high fever, and throwing up due to coughing. Not to mention the medicine tasted nasty so it was a MAJOR fight to get her to take it. Poor Baby!

New Year's day Haylee still had fever and was still coughing. Of course I thought, it would take a couple of days to get the medicine in her working but, by Friday when the cough and fever were still there I called the doctor to see if he wanted to take a look at her. I was surprised when he sent us to the hospital for chest x-rays and blood work. Friday afternoon we went back to the doctor for the results. Haylee had a viral bronchiolitis infection. While we were in the office they checked her blood oxygen level which was 87 and did a nebulizer treatment to see if it would bring up the number. Your oxygen level needs to be 95 or higher. Anything lower needs to be treated with supplements. The treatment brought her level up only to 88. Once again I was shocked when the doctor said that Haylee needed to be admitted in the hospital overnight for oxygen supplements. I thought I was just bringing her into the office for some medicine and we would be on our way. So, Friday night we checked into the hospital for a 5 day vacation (HA!). That's right...overnight turned into 4 night stay.

Poor baby! Haylee doing her nebulizer treatment using her purple dragon mask.

Resting...

Resting with daddy! Such a good daddy!

On Saturday my sister, Kristen, had to go ahead and deliver the twins due to concern of one of the babies heart rate. Kristen did a great job through her pregnancy. She made it to 32 weeks and the babies look beautiful.

Kristen is holding Addisyn and Dave is holding Audrey.

Congratulations to the new mommy and daddy!

I can't wait to meet my new little nieces. BTW, they are both doing great for being so premature.

At our hospital we were hoping we woul be going home but Haylee had other plans. Saturday and Sunday Haylee's oxygen levels were showing little improvement. She was recieving IV fluids because she wasn't eating, steroids, antibiotics, oxygen through a nasal cannula, and nebulizer treatments every 4 hours with percussion therapy. (Percussion therapy basically looks like someone is beating the heck out of you. No, it actually looks like a really hard massage.) Monday we began another approach to try to get her to take deeper breaths and expand her lung capacity. We were blowing bubbles all day and walking down to the playroom for 15 minute increments. This must have helped because in the middle of the night, Monday they took her off all the oxygen and her numbers manage to stay in the appropriate range the rest of the night and Tuesday during the day. So we were discharged!! YAY! At home we are still required to give her nebulizer treatments every 4 hours, even through the night and we will return for a follow up appointment in 2 days. We were so excited to come home. Haylee was excited to come home and see the dogs. Almost as excited as she was when we arrived at the hospital on Friday and they put on an Elmo diaper. Apparently pampers have Elmo and we use Huggies which have Mickey and Minnie on them. She was SO excited about the diaper! LOL!

Trying to keep Haylee entertained.

We colored, read books, watched movies (Tinker Bell a lot), and played games.

On Monday we began going down to the playroom and daddy taught her how to ride on the IV machine. Tuesday when I took her back to play she wanted to do it again so I decided to snap a picture.

YAY! Getting discharged. The nurse taking off her foot sensor and baby alarm.

No more IV! Hello Kitty band aid!

I do have to say that I am SO PROUD of my baby girl! She was put through hell the last 5 days yet she still had a smile on her face (most of the time) and was very cooperative. Everyone of her nurses and respitory therapists were so amazed at her cooperation and behavior. They said they have never seen a 2 year old act the way she did. She didn't freak out during the IV, chest x-rays, or anything where she was poked. The nebulizer was a different story. Haylee doesn't like things with loud noises. She did best with the treatments in the arms of her daddy or at night when she was half asleep.

Good Job Haylee!

Tuesday I also had my weekly doctor's appointment. She didn't do an exam for fear of me going into labor. I have not been consistent with my medication due to the chaos of this week. So, next week I will no longer have to take the medicine and our precious baby girl can arrive anytime! It's crazy to think that within the next 5 weeks we will be a family of 4! So exciting!