I have come to accept that Heidi will be fed by the bottle, but there are still some disadvantages to it. For example, when she wakes up in the middle of the night and is hungry, she wants food and wants it now! However, it takes time to mix up the formula and to heat it up. So, this is usually what she looks like when she's waiting for her bottle:
Even though it is sad, there is still something so cute about her cry. Especially when she gives those pathetic little whimpers. She does that especially when she's getting tired.
Thankfully, her crying stops immediately as soon as we give her her bottle.
Of course there are many advantages to bottle feeding. One of them is that Clint can feed Heidi and have that bonding experience with her. :)
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
New Photos and Videos
This is just an update to say that I have posted new pictures and videos. All you have to do is go to the side bar and scroll down until you see them. If you click on the picture it will bring up the photos and the video you choose.
In other news... we went to the pediatrician and weighed Heidi again today. She now weighs 9 lb. 13 oz.! She is definitely filling out since she has been on the bottle. That just reassures me that our decision was the right one. She's getting some cute chubby cheeks! :) Also, she had her first immunization shot today. I figured she would scream her head off, but she only cried for a minute and then was smiling again and happy. I was amazed! What a good little girl we have! :)
I guess since I am already at it and posting some news I will post a pic of Heidi on Easter Sunday. We had to bundle up that day because it snowed all day long here. So much for the beginning of Spring! But, it was actually nice since we haven't really had a normal winter here. That is about the most snow we have had all winter.
Doesn't she have the sweetest smile?
The pretty blanket behind her was made lovingly by her *Aunt* April (one of my best friends). Thanks April! :)
Heidi wearing an outfit that her cousin Lydia couldn't wear anymore. Thanks for sending it Jonathan and Lana! She looks cute in it!
Mommy and Heidi
Heidi is trying really hard to use her hands more these days. She is doing pretty well. She picked up a toy all by herself for the first time the other day! Of course I put it on her tummy for her, but she was able to grab it herself.
In other news... we went to the pediatrician and weighed Heidi again today. She now weighs 9 lb. 13 oz.! She is definitely filling out since she has been on the bottle. That just reassures me that our decision was the right one. She's getting some cute chubby cheeks! :) Also, she had her first immunization shot today. I figured she would scream her head off, but she only cried for a minute and then was smiling again and happy. I was amazed! What a good little girl we have! :)
I guess since I am already at it and posting some news I will post a pic of Heidi on Easter Sunday. We had to bundle up that day because it snowed all day long here. So much for the beginning of Spring! But, it was actually nice since we haven't really had a normal winter here. That is about the most snow we have had all winter.
Doesn't she have the sweetest smile?
The pretty blanket behind her was made lovingly by her *Aunt* April (one of my best friends). Thanks April! :)
Heidi wearing an outfit that her cousin Lydia couldn't wear anymore. Thanks for sending it Jonathan and Lana! She looks cute in it!
Mommy and Heidi
Heidi is trying really hard to use her hands more these days. She is doing pretty well. She picked up a toy all by herself for the first time the other day! Of course I put it on her tummy for her, but she was able to grab it herself.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
A much happier update
I'm blessed. I just felt the need to say that. Things have been rough for a few weeks, but they are getting better and I have a great family and wonderful friends that have been there for me. I have a God who has protected me and given me strength. What more could I ask for?
I wanted to also add to the last post that we have some great friends who are like a second family to us here. We are so thankful and blessed that they have been so willing to help us, support us and do anything for us in this time of difficulty. Thank you Karen, Larry and Pam!
I went to the hospital yesterday for my daily cleaning and re-bandaging. The doctor said that it looks really good and is not nearly as deep as it had been. I don't even have to go back to have it cleaned again! I need to go into my other doctor on Tuesday to get it checked out, but other than that I can clean it myself at home and it should heal up nicely. I was so relieved to hear that!
Clint is taking a course called ETM (Evangelism, Teaching and Media). Next Sunday he is going to an intensive week at a church retreat area in Gemünden, near Frankfurt. Because he will be there the entire week and he didn't want to miss the whole week with his girls, Heidi and I will be going from Sunday to Wednesday and riding back with Pam. He will come back the following Sunday.
I know I haven't been very good about updating photos and videos. Just so everyone knows, not all our videos will be great and exciting, but I know our family really wants to see Heidi as much as possible so this is for them! I will post a few of my latest favorite pictures and a video.
Heidi making her dancing debut at the dinner for our older members.
Family photo!
What a big smile!
I wanted to also add to the last post that we have some great friends who are like a second family to us here. We are so thankful and blessed that they have been so willing to help us, support us and do anything for us in this time of difficulty. Thank you Karen, Larry and Pam!
I went to the hospital yesterday for my daily cleaning and re-bandaging. The doctor said that it looks really good and is not nearly as deep as it had been. I don't even have to go back to have it cleaned again! I need to go into my other doctor on Tuesday to get it checked out, but other than that I can clean it myself at home and it should heal up nicely. I was so relieved to hear that!
Clint is taking a course called ETM (Evangelism, Teaching and Media). Next Sunday he is going to an intensive week at a church retreat area in Gemünden, near Frankfurt. Because he will be there the entire week and he didn't want to miss the whole week with his girls, Heidi and I will be going from Sunday to Wednesday and riding back with Pam. He will come back the following Sunday.
I know I haven't been very good about updating photos and videos. Just so everyone knows, not all our videos will be great and exciting, but I know our family really wants to see Heidi as much as possible so this is for them! I will post a few of my latest favorite pictures and a video.
Heidi making her dancing debut at the dinner for our older members.
Family photo!
What a big smile!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
P.S.
I left out a MAJOR detail...
I have the most amazing husband who is also a wonderful Daddy! He has been so great to take care of me, come visit me, be there for me when I came out of surgery, bringing Heidi to see me, and taking care of Heidi all at the same time.
He has been so great and I am so thankful to God to have him in my life!
Thank you sweetheart! I love you!
I have the most amazing husband who is also a wonderful Daddy! He has been so great to take care of me, come visit me, be there for me when I came out of surgery, bringing Heidi to see me, and taking care of Heidi all at the same time.
He has been so great and I am so thankful to God to have him in my life!
Thank you sweetheart! I love you!
Home
Some of you may not know what has been going on the past week so I will fill you in...
In the last post I mentioned that I was fighting an infection that just was not clearing up. Well, it got worse. It started out as Mastitis, which is very common in women who just had babies. It usually happens when a milk duct gets blocked. It ended up turning into an infection. I went to the doctor and got antibiotics to get it taken care of. Actually, back up... the very first sign that I had an infection (I had a fever), I actually went to the emergency room (Feb. 23) because I knew how dangerous it could be. It had recently happened to my sister-in-law so I really didn't want the same thing to happen to me. After going to the ER, my midwife even came to the house and helped me with it that week and it actually got a lot better. It was almost completely gone. Then a couple of days later I got another blockage! So I tried really hard to get rid of it before it got worse, but it didn't get better. That is when I went to the doctor and got the antibiotics.
After a long Friday afternoon (March 7) of trying to find a doctor that was open I finally discovered my gynecologist was open and went to him. (Sorry if any of this is TMI (too much information)) :) Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic, I went to the pharmacy to pick it up and went home. As soon as I got home I saw that on the box it said Penicillin. "Oh no!!!!" I was so mad because I am allergic to Penicillin. I called my doctor back to tell him about it. He said it wasn't straight Penicillin and it was the only antibiotic that was safe for Heidi so he suggested that I try it anyway and let him know right away if I had any problems. I took it for 6 days and had no reactions to it that I noticed until the 6th day (March 13th). I started noticing a rash all over my body. During this time the infection did not get better, but worse. I also noticed my body getting very very sore to the point where I could hardly move my arms let alone pick up Heidi. It was so awful.
On Thursday, the 13th I went back to my doctor and told him it was not better. He then gave me his apologies that it had not worked and sent me to the hospital. He said I would probably have to have an intravenous antibiotic and the two choices would be either: one that Heidi couldn't have and I would have to stop nursing, or one that would reduce the milk and could leave me with not being able to nurse her anyway. Great choices, huh? He also said I would probably have to be there a couple of days. With this great news, Clint and I went home to eat lunch and to pack a bag for me and for Heidi, in the hopes that she could stay with me.
When we got to the hospital, after getting sent from one floor to the next, one nurse to the next doctor, it was finally decided that the infection had become an abscess and the only thing they could do for it to heal was to operate. They told me to come back on Friday and they would make an incision to drain the abscess.
The operation went well and I got to come home from the hospital today. The only thing is that they had to leave the wound open and clean it out everyday until it begins to grow back together and heal on its own. (Sorry for all the gory details) Anyway, so all I need to do now is to rest and go back to the hospital everyday for them to clean it and change the bandages for awhile.
It's really not as bad or painful as it sounds though. Thankfully the incision they made was really small and when they clean it, it doesn't hurt that bad. The only thing that has still bothered me has been my arms. They still hurt sometimes, but I can tell that it is also getting better. Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon.
I just wanted to thank everyone who knew what was going on and was praying for me. I also appreciate the continual prayers that are being said for me.
Oh, I almost forgot to write about the worst part of all of this. The doctors all strongly suggested that I stop nursing her immediately. They all felt it was the only option. Although, I know that there are other options out there, Clint and I decided that with all the problems I have had up to now with nursing, that it just is the best decision for us. Even the day before I went to the hospital we went to the pediatrician and she said that she wasn't gaining enough weight and that I needed to supplement with formula anyway. As of the last time we weighed her she was just 8 lb. 6 oz. which isn't much at almost 2 months considering she weighed 7 lb. 11 oz. at birth.
Anyway, to sum it all up, we felt that maybe this is just the best thing to do... plus all the doctors really wanted me to stop nursing anyway. I am still really sad about it though and have pretty much cried everyday since I found out. Well, today I haven't, which brings me to my next thought.
The more I was upset about everything that has been going on the more I prayed about it and thought about it. I came to the conclusion that it all was something I could not control... I did everything I could do by going to the doctor to get it taken care of as soon as possible and all the doctors did what they could do too. The only one who can control it is God and so I have been praying that I can let go of it to Him and He can heal me and take care of Heidi and keep her healthy even though she has to take the bottle now. I know that a lot of babies have to bottle feed and they are healthy so I just have to leave it up to God now and not worry about it.
Well, I'm sorry that this is so long, but I guess I just wanted to updated everyone and ask for prayers for me and for Heidi now. I love you all!
In the last post I mentioned that I was fighting an infection that just was not clearing up. Well, it got worse. It started out as Mastitis, which is very common in women who just had babies. It usually happens when a milk duct gets blocked. It ended up turning into an infection. I went to the doctor and got antibiotics to get it taken care of. Actually, back up... the very first sign that I had an infection (I had a fever), I actually went to the emergency room (Feb. 23) because I knew how dangerous it could be. It had recently happened to my sister-in-law so I really didn't want the same thing to happen to me. After going to the ER, my midwife even came to the house and helped me with it that week and it actually got a lot better. It was almost completely gone. Then a couple of days later I got another blockage! So I tried really hard to get rid of it before it got worse, but it didn't get better. That is when I went to the doctor and got the antibiotics.
After a long Friday afternoon (March 7) of trying to find a doctor that was open I finally discovered my gynecologist was open and went to him. (Sorry if any of this is TMI (too much information)) :) Anyway, he gave me an antibiotic, I went to the pharmacy to pick it up and went home. As soon as I got home I saw that on the box it said Penicillin. "Oh no!!!!" I was so mad because I am allergic to Penicillin. I called my doctor back to tell him about it. He said it wasn't straight Penicillin and it was the only antibiotic that was safe for Heidi so he suggested that I try it anyway and let him know right away if I had any problems. I took it for 6 days and had no reactions to it that I noticed until the 6th day (March 13th). I started noticing a rash all over my body. During this time the infection did not get better, but worse. I also noticed my body getting very very sore to the point where I could hardly move my arms let alone pick up Heidi. It was so awful.
On Thursday, the 13th I went back to my doctor and told him it was not better. He then gave me his apologies that it had not worked and sent me to the hospital. He said I would probably have to have an intravenous antibiotic and the two choices would be either: one that Heidi couldn't have and I would have to stop nursing, or one that would reduce the milk and could leave me with not being able to nurse her anyway. Great choices, huh? He also said I would probably have to be there a couple of days. With this great news, Clint and I went home to eat lunch and to pack a bag for me and for Heidi, in the hopes that she could stay with me.
When we got to the hospital, after getting sent from one floor to the next, one nurse to the next doctor, it was finally decided that the infection had become an abscess and the only thing they could do for it to heal was to operate. They told me to come back on Friday and they would make an incision to drain the abscess.
The operation went well and I got to come home from the hospital today. The only thing is that they had to leave the wound open and clean it out everyday until it begins to grow back together and heal on its own. (Sorry for all the gory details) Anyway, so all I need to do now is to rest and go back to the hospital everyday for them to clean it and change the bandages for awhile.
It's really not as bad or painful as it sounds though. Thankfully the incision they made was really small and when they clean it, it doesn't hurt that bad. The only thing that has still bothered me has been my arms. They still hurt sometimes, but I can tell that it is also getting better. Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon.
I just wanted to thank everyone who knew what was going on and was praying for me. I also appreciate the continual prayers that are being said for me.
Oh, I almost forgot to write about the worst part of all of this. The doctors all strongly suggested that I stop nursing her immediately. They all felt it was the only option. Although, I know that there are other options out there, Clint and I decided that with all the problems I have had up to now with nursing, that it just is the best decision for us. Even the day before I went to the hospital we went to the pediatrician and she said that she wasn't gaining enough weight and that I needed to supplement with formula anyway. As of the last time we weighed her she was just 8 lb. 6 oz. which isn't much at almost 2 months considering she weighed 7 lb. 11 oz. at birth.
Anyway, to sum it all up, we felt that maybe this is just the best thing to do... plus all the doctors really wanted me to stop nursing anyway. I am still really sad about it though and have pretty much cried everyday since I found out. Well, today I haven't, which brings me to my next thought.
The more I was upset about everything that has been going on the more I prayed about it and thought about it. I came to the conclusion that it all was something I could not control... I did everything I could do by going to the doctor to get it taken care of as soon as possible and all the doctors did what they could do too. The only one who can control it is God and so I have been praying that I can let go of it to Him and He can heal me and take care of Heidi and keep her healthy even though she has to take the bottle now. I know that a lot of babies have to bottle feed and they are healthy so I just have to leave it up to God now and not worry about it.
Well, I'm sorry that this is so long, but I guess I just wanted to updated everyone and ask for prayers for me and for Heidi now. I love you all!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Short Update
For those of you who haven't noticed it yet, there is now a link on the right hand side underneath the link to our Flickr pictures. There you can see videos that we have uploaded to You Tube. Check them out! We will try to keep them updated.
Just for a short update of what is going on right now...
Heidi is doing great. Her face is getting much better. She had a problem with acne and dry skin but the cream we are using seems to help a lot. She still has gas pains a lot and it seems to really bother her, but we are hoping this will be over soon?? She does fairly well with sleeping at night. There have been some bad nights off and on, but I think she is slowly getting more adjusted. She is such a joy and is smiling more and more (pics and videos to come soon, hopefully!) and sometimes we think she is on the verge of trying to laugh. She has started cooing and it is so sweet to hear. She's really a doll!
I've been better... Right now I am on antibiotics for an infection, but it doesn't seem to be clearing up quite yet. It is really frustrating and so I could really use your prayers on this. I go back to the doctor tomorrow, so we will see what he says.
Just for a short update of what is going on right now...
Heidi is doing great. Her face is getting much better. She had a problem with acne and dry skin but the cream we are using seems to help a lot. She still has gas pains a lot and it seems to really bother her, but we are hoping this will be over soon?? She does fairly well with sleeping at night. There have been some bad nights off and on, but I think she is slowly getting more adjusted. She is such a joy and is smiling more and more (pics and videos to come soon, hopefully!) and sometimes we think she is on the verge of trying to laugh. She has started cooing and it is so sweet to hear. She's really a doll!
I've been better... Right now I am on antibiotics for an infection, but it doesn't seem to be clearing up quite yet. It is really frustrating and so I could really use your prayers on this. I go back to the doctor tomorrow, so we will see what he says.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
The Decline of the Dollar
I just read an excellent blog written by a woman who not only was a missionary in Europe herself, but now works for Missions Resource Network in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area. If you are interested at all in knowing how the decline of the dollar affects us here in our work, please read this. She states perfectly how difficult it is and exactly what people can do to help us and others like us in this situation. Thank you for your prayers in this situation.
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