Oregon or bust!

Back in June, we took our first family "vacation" to Oregon. My parents and sister hadn't had a chance to see Hannah since she was born and my brother-in-law hadn't met her at all.

To be honest, I was really worried about flying with an 8-month old. I did a lot of "research" and took to heart many of the tips that had been shared with me. Fortunately, my worst fears were never realized. Hannah was an amazing baby on each and every flight. Within 5-10 minutes of being in the air she fell asleep and stayed asleep until we were about 10 minutes from landing. She never cried, just got a little fussy, which truly, I was a little fussy as well. We had a great flight attendant on our flight from Grand Rapids to Minneapolis and he made sure that Hannah received her first pair of "wings."

I had a few specific requests for our time in Oregon. You know, a few local restaurants that I just "had" to visit. For example, I had to enjoy my favorite dish (arroz con pollo) at Ixtapa. I really "needed" to enjoy the deliciousness that is Bing's Chinese Kitchen. A stop at Taco Time for their crisp meat burrito was also on the agenda. And of course, no trip to Oregon would be complete without a trip to the coast and a teeny, tiny bowl of clam chowder at Mo's.

Speaking of going to the coast, what a trip that was! My parents rented a van and my sister and brother-in-law came along. Let me just say that while a van can "claim" to carry 7 people, they should really specify that 6 of those 7 people can't all be adults. Tom, Jeremy, and I had to share the bench seat in the back. We were very, very close by the end of the trip. Our trip to the coast started with a tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I grew up eating Tillamook's mild cheddar cheese and to this day, find that it is the BEST CHEESE EVER!! Thankfully, our local Costco carries it. The tour concludes by letting you sample any of their cheeses, which is probably the best part. Of course we couldn't leave without also enjoying some of their yummy ice cream. Poor Hannah wasn't able to partake, but I'm sure she'll have her chance again. We drove down the coast and stopped in Depoe Bay, with the hopes of getting the best salt water taffy available. Sadly, they were already closed. :( We continued on our way and went to Agate Beach. Hannah absolutely LOVED the beach. She loved having the wind blow in her face, she loved putting her little toes in the sand, and even enjoyed putting her feet in the freezing waters of the Pacific.

Other than our day at the beach, we really just spent time relaxing with family. Shannon, Tom, Jeremy, and I had the chance to spend a day together, which was lots of fun. This of course gave Grandma and Grandpa some "quality time" with Hannah, which they loved, of course.

All in all, it was a great trip. Hannah did such a good job - she adjusted to all the changes really well, which was wonderful. Plus taking the trip was just a great way to start off the summer.

2008 in Review

With a new year upon us, it's always nice to stop and reflect on the past year and the highs and lows that it brought.  For my family, there was quite a mixture.  

January saw quite a few unfortunate events for the family.  My sister slipped on ice and fell, breaking three bones in her ankle.  This required surgery and many months of recovery as well as faith that everything would be okay.  At the time of the accident, she was unemployed and therefore uninsured.  It was certainly a frightening time, but one that brought us all a little closer.  That same month, my dad was in a terrible car accident.  He found himself in an icy road situation and rolled his truck.  The jaws of life had to be used to remove him from his truck.  When we finally were able to see pictures of the accident, they were very humbling.  Let's just say, we're very fortunate to still have my dad with us and for him to have no serious injuries.  My dad is 6' tall.  When he was standing next to his truck, he was taller than it.  That's how squished it had become.

February was a great month for Jeremy and I.  It was the beginning of February when we found out we were expecting.  What an exciting bit of news that was, but also a scary time as we also found out that I had some low hormone levels and would have to take some extra measures in order to keep the baby growing and developing.  Because of this, we made the decision not to tell our families until we were into the safety zone.  That meant keeping our secret until the end of March, when we would share our news during the Easter holiday.

March brought with it some fun times.  I was able to spend a weekend with my sister, Heike, and her two children.  While with them, I attended the annual Michigan Reading Association conference, which was a great time of learning and buying children's books, my favorite thing in the world!  Like I mentioned earlier, in March, we finally reached 12 weeks of pregnancy and could share with our families that we were becoming a family of three.  Needless to say, all parties involved were very excited.

April brought with it our first trip to see the Detroit Tigers play.  We were able to take my niece and nephew with us and had such a good time.  Sadly, the Tigers lost, but the experience and time with Amber and Baeley was fantastic.

May was a fun month.  I had the annual "Michigan, Our Michigan" play at school.  As always it was a great success.  The kids did a great job and all the teachers involved were very thankful when it was all over with.  May was also the month we found out that our little bundle of joy would be a little girl.  There had been much discussion about this, with most of our friends and family thinking we would have a boy.  The outcome really didn't matter to us, we were just thankful to find out that our baby was healthy and growing and doing very well.  My students also threw me a baby shower this month, which was a lot of fun.

June, July, and August were crazy busy months for us.  Jeremy worked and took classes at GRCC.  I worked in the school office and tutored a few students.  My parents also came to visit, as well as my sister Shannon and her husband Tom.  Shannon threw a wonderful baby shower for me and totally outdid herself with food and favors.

Truthfully, I don't remember much of September.  I know school started and I know that I was great with child.  Which is probably why I don't remember a lot.  I wasn't sleeping real well and when I was sleeping, the only place that was comfortable was the big, overstuffed chair in our living room.  

Then October came.  Along with it, came my due date, which also went away.  Thankfully, sweet Hannah didn't keep us waiting too long.  She made her dramatic appearance on October 14th, at 10:45am.

The remainder of October, and the months of November and December have been a general whirlwind for us.  We have become parents and a lot of changes have come along with that.  Much take-out has been eaten and much sleep has been lost, but we've made it.  We've kept each other sane, most of the time, and have fallen head-over-heels in love with our daughter.  I had 7 weeks off from work, which was a hard thing for me, as I'm not used to being home day after day.  It was also hard for me to not have any control over the happenings going on at school in my absence.  But, I wouldn't have given up those weeks at home with Hannah for anything.  It was a precious time for us to spend together and to get to know each other.

All in all, it's been a good year for us and we feel so blessed.  I have left a lot out...other family health problems and other family situations, but those things have passed and we've moved on.  We've grown closer together and have learned so much this year.  

I'm looking forward to what 2009 holds for us, especially how we will see Hannah grow and develop.  May all of you have a wonderful New Year!

Christmas 2008

A lot of people told me that Christmas would take on a whole new meaning, now that I have a child.  I listened, I smiled, I nodded, but I didn't really take it to heart.  However, I should have listened.  Christmas was amazing this year.  Not because Hannah really participated in the holiday, but because of the meaning behind Christmas.  Having a newborn made me realize, more fully, exactly what God did all those years ago.  I can't imagine sending my only child away.  Hannah is such a precious part of who I am and the thought of sending her away is something I can't even fathom.  But that is precisely what God did.

We had a fantastic time on Christmas and hopefully did a few things that will become family traditions.  Of course we know Hannah won't remember her first Christmas, but that doesn't mean we can't try to get things off on the right foot.

Our holiday week started off with a trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens.  I really wanted Jeremy to see their "Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World" display.  I have seen it before, with my students on a field trip, but I knew that Jeremy would really appreciate all of the fun, historic facts that come with each tree.  Hannah enjoyed looking at all of the lights.  Of course our visit wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Ireland tree.  Apparently their big holiday tradition is to decorate their trees around "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Here is a family picture in front of the Irish tree.

Sadly, we couldn't make it to church on "Christmas Sunday" because of the weather.  It was too crazy outside, so we stayed in and had a family day.  By Christmas Eve, the weather had cleared up and we were able to make it to a very meaningful service at church.  Our pastors focused on the different elements of the traditional Christmas tree and how they relate to the true Christmas story and to the Christian life.  It was fantastic.  Christmas Eve was also Hannah's first trip to the church nursery.  I'd like to say that I handled it okay, but truthfully, I was a nervous wreck the entire service.  Of course, she slept the entire time she was in their, so I had nothing to worry about.

Christmas morning we lounged around after a delicious breakfast of waffles and bacon! YUM! We opened gifts, mostly for Hannah, and just spent the day as a family, watching Christmas movies and hanging out.  Since all of our families were out of town over Christmas, I fixed Jeremy and myself a Christmas dinner with most of the trimmings.  Hannah feasted on her usual bottle of formula.

All in all it truly was a wonderful day, all that we could have hoped for.  We have been so blessed this year and are so thankful for everything God has given us.  We're looking forward to the new year and all it has to bring. 

Two Months...and a couple of days

I apologize for the lack of updates, but we've had a busy past month.   Plus, our computer died on Thanksgiving day, so that didn't help things at all.  

It's hard to believe that Miss Hannah is two months old already.  She is changing so much, growing and growing and growing.  I think the biggest change is her beautiful smile, which she is sharing with us constantly.  I'm sure I can speak for both us when I say that her smile totally melts our hearts.  She is just beautiful.  Sadly, we haven't quite caught the smile on the camera yet.  We're still working on that, but trust me when I say, it's beautiful.

She is also "talking" to us a lot more, constantly cooing and making very cute little noises.  Hannah is such a good baby.  I'm hesitant to admit it, but she is consistently sleeping through the night, which is such a huge blessing.  Lately she's taken to falling asleep around 7:00pm, waking around 9:30pm for her bottle, falling back asleep by 10:30pm, and sleeping until about 5:30am.  We couldn't be happier and can only hope that this continues.

This month also saw me going back to work.  I headed back on December 1st and it was with mixed feelings.  I was hesitant to leave Hannah behind, but I was anxious to get back to my regular routine.  It has gone really well.  Hannah is home, two days a week with Jeremy, and at a really nice daycare center the other three days.  My students and I have adjusted to being back with each other and that is going really well.

We are looking forward to this first Christmas as a family.  We know that Hannah won't remember it, but still know that this will be a very special Christmas for all of us.  Hopefully, with Christmas vacation starting next week (HOORAY!!), I'll be able to post more, but I won't make any promises.  

Until then, we truly hope that you all are doing well!!

A Few Days Later...

Sorry for the "internet silence," but things have been pretty busy around the Blanchard house. Not that I'm complaining, it's a wonderful thing, having a baby, but it's a busy time for sure.

I was discharged from the hospital on Thursday night. I'm not really sure why they kept me for so long, but I do know that it was nice to be at the hospital and be so close to Hannah. Thursday night, Jeremy and I spent some time at home, making sure everything was ready for Hannah and just spending some time processing all that we had been through in the past few days.

We returned to the hospital on Friday morning, where we were able to give Hannah her first bath. There were a few rough moments, but overall the nurse said we did well, Hannah didn't cry too much, and Jeremy and I survived.

Hannah doesn't seem to really like being all exposed, which I can't say that I blame her. She was much happier when we wrapped her up in a blanket and held her close while we finished drying her and then dressing her.

We were able to give Hannah a few feedings while we waited to meet with her doctor to go over her discharge papers. We also (mainly Cassie) had to take an infant CPR class and go over what to do if an infant starts choking. Jeremy went to the class, more for moral support, since he really should know how to handle both of those situations.

After the class and meeting with her doctor, it was finally time to take Hannah off of all of the monitors. It was so good to finally hold our little girl without having to stand right next to the hospital monitor. We could move around all we wanted to. The nurse had us sign the final set of discharge papers and we were set to go.

Jeremy loaded Hannah up into her car seat. I was so surprised to see how small she looked. It was like looking at a doll or something like that. She just looked so tiny and so precious. We said good-bye to Hannah's nurse and finally headed home as a family.

Our first night at home went really well. Jeremy and I both were obsessed with just watching Hannah. Every little sound she made had us up and out of bed, making sure that she was still okay. Of course she was okay, but boy did it make us feel better just to check on her.

The biggest surprise has been how Molly (our beagle) has adjusted to this new little person living in our house. She has done such a great job and has become Hannah's little guard. She doesn't freak out when Hannah cries, which is what I had expected. She follows us when we take Hannah in to change her diaper or feed her a bottle. She sits right at the feet of whoever is holding Hannah at the time. We were concerned about her being aggressive, but we haven't seen any sign of that at all. Molly just shows constant love for this new person in her life. We've been doing our best to make sure to praise her when she is good and give her treats often too.

Yesterday, Sunday, was a big day of family.

My parents arrived in town, my sister Heike and my nephew Baeley, came to visit for the
day, and Jeremy's parents came for a little bit as well. Poor Hannah was passed around from person to person, but she handled it pretty well and only got fussy later in the day.

A Little Update

Well, our little girl is a little over a day old and is just as cute as can be. We were able to spend a lot of time with her today, which made us both incredibly happy. When we went down to see her this morning, she was incredibly alert, looking all over, kicking her legs back and forth, stretching her toes (they move really far apart!), and just all around being as precious as possible.

After lunch, we went back to spend some more time with her and found out that they had been able to give her a little bit of food from the bottle. She actually ate about 15cc's, not quite an ounce, but still a good thing. She's basically on a sliding scale, so depending on how much she eats, they'll reduce the amount of fluids she receives from the IV. Jeremy changed his first diaper and Hannah was nice enough to just give him just a wet diaper. He did a pretty good job. Between the nurse, Jeremy, and myself, we fed her her second bottle and she took in about 32cc's, which really made her nurse happy. They were able to reduce, again, the amount she's receiving from the IV.

This evening, I had the privilege of changing her diaper and Hannah wasn't as nice to me. She gave me a pretty dirty diaper to change. What a little stinker! :) We had a hard time getting her to take her evening bottle, but eventually she took in about the same amount she took in this afternoon. Because the amount wasn't any higher, they didn't make any adjustments to her IV.

At this point, I'll be discharged tomorrow, but we're not sure when Hannah will get to come home. She has a couple of goals to meet before we can bring her home, like keeping her temperature up, eating the right amount of food, and things like that. We're hoping that we'll get to bring her home on Friday or Saturday. It's going to be pretty rough to go home without her, but we know that this is all in God's plan and that He is taking good care of her and watching over her, even when we aren't in the room with her.

Jeremy and I are doing pretty good. We're both pretty tired and hope to get some good rest tonight. We're both just so thankful for all the doctors and nurses who are taking such good care of all of us. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Keep them coming!

Hannah Marie Blanchard

What a whirlwind the past 36 hours have been. There have been many highs and a few lows, but the end result is wonderful. Our baby girl, Hannah Marie, has finally joined our family.

Our journey started yesterday, when I went to the doctor and found out I was only dilated to 2 cm. This wasn't exactly what I had been hoping to hear, but couldn't really do anything about it. He did a few "maneuvers" to try and help get things started, said he would probably be delivering my baby in the next few days, and scheduled me for an induction next Monday, just in case I was still pregnant.

Once I got home, the back pain I had been having since late Sunday night, suddenly intensified. I was experiencing pain that I couldn't describe and had never felt before in my life. After a few conversations with Jeremy, I relented and called my doctor who told me it was time to go to the hospital. Yikes! We were about to become parents. The reality hit us like a ton of bricks.

When we got to the hospital, we spent about 2 hours in triage, where they concluded that yes, I was in labor and began the process of admitting me. They quickly gave me my epidural (sweet relief) and we began our hospital stay. Things moved along very quickly, and before I knew it, I was dilated to 9 cm.

Around 10:15am this morning (Tuesday), my doctor declared me ready to start pushing and so push I did. Surprisingly, I only pushed for about a half an hour before Hannah decided to join us. That's where our story takes a scary twist.

The entire time, they had of course been monitoring me and monitoring Hannah's heartbeat, which was perfectly fine. She delivered smoothly and with zero complications, until they took her to weigh and measure her and realized that she wasn't breathing. She was looking around and moving, but she wasn't breathing.

I can't begin to tell you how scary that was for us. They quickly began working on her, trying to clear her airway, and hoping to get her to breathe. They called down the neo-natal team, who joined our room and joined in on working on Hannah. All Jeremy and I could do was watch, hope, pray, and cry from my bed. They quickly determined that she had an unusual amount of "gunk" in her lungs and air passages and worked as hard as they could to get her to breathe on her own. They weren't as successful as they would have liked and ended up having to stick a tube down her throat and hook her up to the vent. I truly don't think I have ever been so scared in my life.

About 15 minutes in, they were able to get her stable enough, that Jeremy and I could hold her for just a minute or two before they whisked her away to the NICU. We were told we probably wouldn't be able to see her for about two hours -- the longest two hours ever.

When we were finally able to join her in the NICU, she was doing better, but still didn't seem to have the right oxygen levels. They had her underneath an "oxygen hood" that was supplying her with the right amounts of oxygen. This meant we couldn't hold our baby girl, which was really hard. We could take pictures though.
They told us that Hannah would probably stay in the NICU for 24 hours, then be moved to the NIM (neo-natal intermediate unit), then, if she was doing better, we could probably take her home sometime around the end of the week. The end of the week? That was tough to swallow, but we know these doctors are the best, so we accepted the news and began praying that she would heal quickly.

Around 4pm, we were told that she had been out of her oxygen hood for two hours and was holding her own, so they transferred her to the NIM tonight. Not tomorrow, like they thought, tonight! We are ecstatic about this. It means our prayers were answered. They also told us that if she continued to improve, she could probably be moved to my room/the regular nursery tomorrow, and go home with me on Thursday. We were blown away when they told us that.

We went down to the NIM, where we were finally, 7.5 hours later, allowed to hold our sweet, little girl. We were able to kiss her, hug her, and hold her close. We are so thrilled to finally meet her and of course, we think she's absolutely perfect.

Please enjoy these photos! We'll keep you posted on Hannah's progress and covet your prayers.

Free Cakes for Kids

For those of you reading in the Oregon area (or really any area for that matter), please check out my sister's new venture. She is beginning an Albany chapter of "Free Cakes for Kids." This is an organization that donates birthday cakes to kids who might not otherwise receive one.

She has her website, Free Cakes for Kids - Albany, up and running, along with her blog. Shannon truly does tremendous work when it comes to creating cakes of all types. I can't wait until she posts some pictures on her site so you can see just what she is capable of. I'm so proud of her for stepping out and working to make a difference in the lives of children.

39 Years

I forgot to mention in my last post that today is an important day for my parents. Today they celebrate 39 years of marriage! What an amazing thing to be able to say in today's world. In a society where a marriage that lasts 5 years is highly celebrated, I think that 39 years is definitely something to be proud of.

Do they have the perfect marriage? No. I don't think any marriage is truly perfect. Has it always been sunshine and daisies? No. There have been plenty of rocky places. But my mom and dad are truly committed to each other. In their 39 years of marriage, they have raised 3 daughters, paid for 3 weddings, welcomed 2 grandchildren to the family (with their 3rd coming in October), traveled back and forth across the country too many times to count (they're actually doing this right now), supported each other through the deaths of their own parents and grandparents, supported my sisters and I through many hard and challenging times, and many other things.

I can only hope that 34 years from now, Jeremy and I will be celebrating our own 39 years of marriage. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!