Goodbye Marie

It was so hard to say goodbye to Marie. But after living with us for 3 months while working as a nanny, she had to go back to BYU-I. Living with her was so wonderful! I told her she needs to come back every year. And I'm serious.

As soon as she came home everyday, she went straight to Isaac. He already misses all the cuddles and attention. 

Isaac as the centerpiece at her goodbye breakfast: 

 One last picture: 

Thanks, Marie, for loving Isaac, for running errands, for babysitting, for doing dishes, and for hanging out with me. Love you!

Another Cute Video

Can you tell I just figured out how to load videos to my blog? I've had problems uploading them through blogger, so I finally just started uploading them to YouTube-- duh! I love this one of Isaac. It's amazing how important eating is to a new baby. That's practically all they think about--even in their sleep! I think he was about 2 months old here. Brent and I were laughing really hard and trying not to make noise. I think we did a pretty good job. :-)

Bath Time with Jiji

In February (when Isaac was just 7 weeks old), Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) and Baba and Jiji (Brent's parents) were in town for Isaac's baby blessing. Jiji got to help with bath time. Check out what a cutie Isaac is!

Homemade Mobile

                                     

The week Isaac was due, Brent started on a project: to make a mobile for Isaac. The mobile that came with our pack 'n' play had 3 hanging stuffed elephants on it-- that were cute, but not very mobiley. What baby wants to look at the boring, gray, underside of 3 elephants? 

Brent decided to make something much more stimulating and baby-appropriate. He based his design on the concept that new babies, before their eyes fully develop, prefer high-contrast black and white images-- similar to the book Black on White. He printed out images, cut up a metal hanger, and used electrical tape and wire to create this amazing masterpiece. It spins and moves just like a mobile should-- but without the need for a motor. A ceiling fan or even just Isaac's kicking provides enough force. 

And Isaac LOVES it. Just watch him kicking and cooing in the video below! 

(He is about 2 months old here.)

And this video is more recent: 

                               

Isaac: 3 Months

It seems that at every month mark Isaac has a burst of development. On his 3-month birthday, he suddenly gained neck control. This has been fun because now he can sit in his Bumbo chair, play Trot Little Horsey, be held up in the air, and ride in the Baby Bjorn facing outwards. He loves looking at the world and gets bored very easily, so we switch activities about every 10-15 minutes. He also suddenly became a drool machine. It's so bad that sometimes I put a bib on him when he is playing because otherwise he will soak his shirt. He is still growing like crazy (15 lbs and counting), but has yet to sleep for long stretches at night (waking up every 1-2 hours is all too common). However, he is napping more predictably--with 3-4 naps during the day, and he goes down very easily now (pacifier, loose swaddle, and just 30 seconds of bouncing) which makes life SO MUCH EASIER. Here are some pictures of the cutie at 3 months: 

 (with one of his girl friends)

(with his other girlfriend, Marie)

Isaac's Eye and Our Very Expensive Vacation to Texas Children's Hospital

On Thursday afternoon I noticed that Issac's eye was a little red and irritated. I didn't think much of it, until the next morning when his eye was swollen, red, and glued shut. He has had goopy eyes since he was born, and I knew that meant his tear ducts were blocked (and would eventually open on their own). But his eye had never looked like this before. After his morning nap it was even worse, so I called the pediatrician and made an appointment to come in at 2:15 that afternoon. By the time we got to the doctor's office, Isaac's eye looked like this: 

As soon as the doctor looked at Isaac, she expressed how concerned she was. She said that because it was Friday afternoon and we would not be able to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist, we would need to take him to the ER. I pushed back a bit and asked if she could just give us a prescription for antibiotics, but she was very firm in her opinion that he needed IV antibiotics. She then said that infections near the eye are very dangerous and can even spread to the brain. "Of course, this will not happen with your child," she said. Hah! (I have to mention that we did not see our regular pediatrician, who I love!) I couldn't hold back the tears. I called Brent and he said he would meet me there. As we drove to the ER, I said a long prayer, and I felt that everything would be okay. From this point on, it wasn't such a scary experience. 

We took him to Texas Children's at the West Campus out in Katy, TX. We wanted go there versus the main campus in the Med Center because it has free parking and I thought traffic would be lighter in that direction. It was a good decision. There were only two people in front of us in the ER. We were in and out of triage, and in less than 20 minutes were seen by an ER doctor. She took a culture from his eye and then sent us to the ophthalmology clinic on the other side of the building because, luckily, the ophthalmologist named Dr. Hussein was still there. He dilated Isaac's eye so he could look at the nerve to make sure it was okay. It was quite the experience having to pry open a baby's eye (while screaming, of course) and get him to look the exact direction the doctor needed him to look!! 

Everything was fine with Isaac's nerve, but Dr. Hussein wanted to do a CT scan to see if there was an abscess in his tear duct and to make sure the infection hadn't spread farther back into his head. So, we went back to the ER: 

The next part was the worst: getting the IV for the antibiotics. Isaac's fat rolls, which we love, are not the best when it comes to finding veins. It took 5 nurses and over 30 minutes of poking to get the IV in. After 20  minutes of poking and screaming (and me crying) they finally gave him a break. Then they got the charge nurse, who wasn't successful either. Then finally they got some other guy (not sure who he was) who looked very determined, and he was able to put the IV near Isaac's ankle. 

Because Isaac had cried so long and hard, he fell asleep very quickly. So, when it came time for the CT scan, they actually didn't have to sedate him. It was a miracle! I held him until they had everything prepped. And when I put him down, he only moved a little. He stayed asleep as they put a lead blanket over him and strapped his head in place. He was still sucking on his pacifier, but when they took it out at the last minute, he held still. The CT scan came out perfectly. (I wish I has asked to see it.) 

We waited for the CT scan to be read by the radiologist before they would admit us to the hospital. It took forever. Luckily there was a gurney in the ER room, so Brent and I took turns laying down. Finally, around  midnight, they told us that we would have to be transferred to the main campus so that Isaac could be monitored by the ophthalmologists there. (There was not an ophthalmologist on the West Campus over the weekend.)  And we would have to go by ambulance. We asked, "Can't we drive him there ourselves?" But they said no. We asked if we would have to pay for it, and they said no. They better be right. 

The ambulance was very bumpy, so Isaac stayed fast asleep. He loves getting bounced. I do not. However, as far as ambulance rides go, this is the only kind I ever want to have. 

Getting unloaded. They tied his car seat to the gurney. Ha ha! 

It was a long night! We arrived at the Main Campus a little before 2 am-- when the shift change happens. The ER staff was a little on the crazy side. They were singing, dancing, and wearing St. Patrick's Day outfits. I think they were ready to go home. 

When we got to our room, we were happy to find a private bathroom, a desk area, and a pull-out bed that just barely fit me and Brent. (Much better accommodations than the NICU!)  Brent had driven one of our cars from the West Campus, ran home to pack our bags, and then met us back at the Main Campus. It was a good thing because we ended up staying not only one, but two nights. 

On Saturday, the ophthalmologist opened Isaac's tear duct, which means they put a probe down his eye through his nose to open up the blockage. It is a short procedure and they did not sedate him for it. (I tried to not to think about that.) The nurses who held Isaac down (we got to wait in the hall and try not to listen to him scream) said he was the strongest baby they have ever had to hold down. I believe it. When they said they weren't going to sedate him, I thought, "Good luck!" I knew he would put up a big fight. 

Other than that procedure though, we pretty much just hung out. Isaac got antibiotics every 8 hours, had his vital signs taken every 4 hours, and was visited through out the day by a resident doctor, the attending doctor and her team, and all sorts of different eye people. 

By Sunday, Isaac's eye looked like new. After getting the okay from yet another ophthalmologist, we were able to go home. Thank goodness! 

We are grateful to the residents, doctors, nurses, and nurse assistants who took such good care of us. Everyone loved Isaac of course. How could they not?

Baby Blessing

Baby blessings are an important tradition in our faith. Usually the father, if he has been ordained in the priesthood (i.e. has been given the authority to act in God's name) gives the blessing, but he is accompanied by other priesthood bearers who have a special connection to the baby. They stand in a circle around the baby, and the father, holding the baby, says a prayer, blessing the baby as he is inspired. The prayer must include a few specific phrases-- including the name of the baby-- but the rest is up to the father, as he sees fit. The blessing is a way of presenting a new infant before the congregation, naming him, and bestowing spiritual and physical blessings upon him or her.

In some ways it may seem similar to a christening or infant baptism, but a baby blessing differs in the sense that no sins are being cleansed. In fact, original sin-- or the belief that all babies are born with the sin of Adam-- is not part of our faith. We believe that babies are born sinless and innocent and that there is no need for baptism until the age of accountability (age 8).

I love baby blessings for so many reasons. The birth of a baby is such an important occasion, I think there needs to be an ordinance or ritual to mark its significance. Babies are such miracles they need to be celebrated. And second, I think its important for a community to take part in raising a child. And what a wonderful way to encourage this commitment--by asking a group of men to take part in the blessing of a baby.

On February 5th, Isaac had his baby blessing. In the circle were his two grandfathers, who flew into town for the occasion, as well as some of our dear friends here in Houston. Brent gave a beautiful blessing. Among other things, he blessed Isaac with health, with wisdom in his decision-making, and with the desire to serve others. I feel so much hope when I think of Isaac's future. We are so glad he is with us-- so that we can learn from him.

The Good in Struggling

Isaac has yet to master the skill of rolling over-- or to even do it once for that matter. And this is perfectly normal for his age. But to help him out, we have been giving him lots of tummy time so he can develop muscles in his neck, back, and shoulders.

However, Isaac doesn't really love it. He's learning to tolerate it for longer stretches, but usually he grunts and struggles and eventually complains loudly enough that I come rescue him. But every day-- multiple times a day-- we repeat this. I let him struggle because I know it's good for him. He needs to get stronger, and he needs to learn how to control his body. If we never gave him tummy time, his head would be extremely flat and he would take much longer to develop the muscles he needs in the future.

So, I've been thinking about struggling. Doesn't God do the same thing? He lets us struggle to make decisions, struggle to find answers, struggle to figure out problems. Because it's good for us.

As a missionary in South Africa, I remember talking with a man who lived in a lovely, average-sized home with a beautiful view. His single daughter and granddaughter lived with him. He seemed to live a good life. But when we asked him why he wasn't interested in religion, he told us it was because God had abandoned him in his life. He told us he had faced difficult trials (including bankruptcy, if I remember correctly)-- even though he had prayed to be delivered from them. "If God loved me, why would He allow me to suffer?" he asked. The man told us he had decided to ignore God because he felt ignored by Him.

I was surprised that he could really think this. Aren't there a ton of examples in the scriptures of people who suffered even though they were righteous? Like Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel all waiting years and years to have children. Or Joseph who was sold into slavery by his very own brothers? What this man didn't understand is that God is a parent-- a perfect one at that. He's not a "helicopter" dad who will save us from our poor choices or choose our careers for us. Instead, He steps back and allows us to struggle if it means it will help us grow-- which (unfortunately) it almost always does. But in the end, we are better off-- and actually have more freedom. Just like Isaac will-- once he figures this rolling over thing out.

The Isaac Fan Club

Isaac sure has a lot of admirers! They can't stop looking at him!

(Isaac and JiJi) 

(Isaac and Baba) 

 (Isaac and Grandpa) 

(Isaac and Grandma)

Consistency

Ever since Isaac was born, I have been trying all sorts of things to help him sleep better during the day. At first, he would rarely stay asleep after I put him down. So if I wanted him to nap, I pretty much had to hold him. Then as he grew older, I realized that if he woke up a few minutes after I put him down and I tried to put him down again, he would usually stay down longer the second time. For a few weeks I felt like it was up, down, up, down, up down. For every nap, I had to put him down about 3 times.

I kept wondering what was wrong. Why wouldn't he stay down?! Why wouldn't he sleep longer?! So I tried swaddling him. I tried not swaddling him. I tried putting him in his crib, and putting him in his rocker, and putting him in his pack n play. I tried giving him his pacifier. I tried letting him cry.

And then I had an epiphany: it probably didn't matter what I did, I just needed to be consistent!

In the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, the author Marc Weissbluth (a pediatrician), argues that, "Babies and children learn to sleep when parents focus on timing [meaning you watch your baby for signs of tiredness-- not the clock], motionless sleep [meaning not in the car, a moving swing, or stroller, etc.], and consistency in soothing style" (229). Consistency!

So for the past two weeks, I have been putting him to sleep in the same place and soothing him the same exact way for all his naps. For us, this means swaddling him, holding him upright against my chest, and while patting his back firmly, and saying "shhhhhhhhhhhh shhhhhhhhh." We've been doing this to soothe him to sleep for a while now (and it works), but when he started to get crankier (around week 7), I felt like it wasn't working because he was so resistant. However, I recommitted, and kept trying.

And . . .  finally, this week it has paid off!! He's been going down for naps much more easily than last week. And although some of his naps are still on the short side, he has also taken some 90 min naps-- and even a 2-hour nap! Yay!

And so I've been thinking about consistency. It truly is a principle of power. I remember a friend once shared something he had learned in the scriptures-- that consistency was one of the great attributes of God (see Heb. 13:8; 1Nephi 10:18; Mormon 9:9). This friend suggested that if we focus on being consistent-- specifically in keeping the commandments-- we can become more like Him.

Life feels better when there is consistency, and I've realized that I need a lot more of it in my life. Like, more consistent exercise. More consistent cleaning. More consistent religious study. Maybe doing these things perfectly-- or even exceptionally-- doesn't matter as much as just doing them, and doing them consistently!*


*Julie B. Beck discusses this concept in an interview on motherhood that can be found here. It is one of the most insightful discussions I have ever heard. In one portion of the interview, she talks about the importance of precision over perfection-- which I think is basically the same point I'm trying to make.