Not Forgotten

A few weeks ago, while we were visiting our families in Utah, we spent an afternoon at Thanksgiving Point's Tulip Festival. It was a warm, sunny, breezy day. The perfect kind of day for taking a walk through a beautiful garden. If the bright colors and varieties of tulips were impressive, the sheer number was more so.

But out of all the pictures of flowers I took that day, this one is my favorite. Low to the ground and minute in size, these flowers could have been easily overlooked. In fact, I don't think I would have even noticed them except my mother-in-law, who is an avid gardener, pointed them out. No wonder they are called forget-me-nots.

I instantly thought of President Uchtorf's talk at the last General Relief Society meeting. To be honest, I don't think I fully appreciated his metaphor because I didn't have any experience with forget-me-nots. But now that I know for myself how incredibly small, yet beautiful they are, this quote means so much more to me. I hope I can remember the five symbols of this little flower:

"Sisters, there is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower. I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet. Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy. Please never forget that the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplift you. And never forget that your Heavenly Father knows, loves, and cherishes you."  --President Uctdorf


Truly, none of us are forgotten. The Savior himself beautifully expressed these words, which have pierced my soul ever since I became a mother: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee. Behold, I have engraven thee on the palms of my hands . . . " (Isaiah 49: 15,16).

Yea, they may forget. But how could I forget? Even if I were in my most thoughtless state and accidentally left home without Isaac (which for the life of me I can't imagine ever doing), my body wouldn't let me go for more than a few hours without pointedly reminding me that I am a nursing mother. And so I feel I could never forget. Yet, the Lord says, "yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee." And why? "Behold, I have engraven thee on the palms of my hand."

Even though my suffering through pregnancy and giving birth was great, it pales in comparison to the suffering and sacrifice of the Savior. He suffered so much emotional and physical pain that blood was pressed from his body through his pores. Not only was this pain infinite, but it was individual--meaning he suffered it for each one of us, one at a time. And so even more than a mother who suffers greatly to bring  each one of her children into the world, the Savior suffered the guilt, pains, and weakness and afflictions of each one of us. So, how could he forget you? He couldn't. It's physically impossible for him to.

I know that the Savior lives. He patiently waits for each of us to come to Him so that we can find the peace he already paid for. And what does he ask in return? That we remember Him.

Isaac: 4 Months

Isaac loves to spend time with his Mama, 

dress up for church,  

 go for walks, 

sleep in his big-boy crib, 

wear hats, 

 play with Daddy, 

 especially blow bubbles with Daddy, 

 suck on his fingers, fist, and hands, 

 eat Dad's shorts,

dress up in a soccer uniform (that Dad got on his mission to Ukraine), 

and be the cutest boy ever! 

Welcome Emily!

We said goodbye to one sister, but the same week, we said hello to another! Brent's sister Emily is staying with us while looking for a nursing job here in Houston. We're so happy that she's here as an official Houston resident! She's filling in the gap Marie left and has been just as helpful around the house and with Isaac. Can I always live with sisters?

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.