Eek!

Our Moses Lake trip was a lot of fun. We didn't take as many pictures with cousins as we would have liked alas we got some interesting ones. 

These were from the museum. The deer head is not a real one but is created out of what looks like burlap. There were various other animals too like an elephant head and a sea turtle. The kids thought it was pretty cool. They really wanted to touch it, alas it was not allowed. 

This last picture was probably Oliver's favorite. The mammoth skeleton was created out of scraps of metal. It's sheer size and the use of metal fascinated him. This museum also has free art days once a month.

Now you may wonder why were we at Moses Lake, WA? Well I'll tell you.  Weston had a job interview there and they flew out the whole family so we can see what it's like. They paid for a rental car and would have done so for a hotel but we have family there so didn't need too. It was a lot of fun. If we end up there Weston gets to work in the same health clinic has his brother Cameron.  Weston also has an offer here in Winston-Salem, so there's a chance we could stay. I guess we'll find out in a few days. Eek!

Happy Late St. Patty's Day

      Since Eleanor has been home we've had a lot of help from Lolo and Lola. Lola came first for about a week and it was wonderful. I was still pumping at the time so Lola took care of her for the entire night so all I had to do was pump and go to sleep. Honestly, I don't think I fully realized how helpful it was until Weston and I had to tackle it completely on our own. It's a process to pump, feed, change diapers, rock then finally go to sleep only to repeat it in an hour or two later. My parents are awesome! When Lolo came he took Oliver to school in the morning so I didn't have to worry about it. He took the whole responsibility for two weeks which even benefited our neighbors too because we alternate carpool. Then we he came back, he took Eleanor so I can sleep. I LOVE my parents! 

    And with some tough love from wonderful breastfeeding mentors(?) I had my pump confiscated and dove into exclusive breastfeeding. It was tough, especially since the beginning of that nose dive was during travels on a plane. Nevertheless, if these wonderful women didn't encourage me and have faith in Eleanor and me, I would still be strapped to that awesomely awful pump. My new and improved pump is adorable and squishy and is doing fabulous. She's gaining weight and has had plenty of poopy diapers which gets me excited because then I know she's getting something. Knowing how much she was getting in a bottle has its comforts but I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with it anymore. Now I get to cuddle her while she feeds! 

Now I know I'm a little late with St. Patrick's Day pictures but here she is:

     Oliver and Madeline are the best big brother and big sister this girl could ask for. They constantly watch over her and want to hold her. When Eleanor cries Madeline is always the first to tell me that she's making noise and may need me. Oliver walks into our bedroom in the middle of the night after his potty break and comes in to check on her. He asks sleepily where she is, then rubs her head and cuddles her for a minute then goes back to bed. 

     It was quite an adventure this pregnancy and post delivery; NICU and all. We had a very small glimpse of what some parents go through with premature babies. I admire the strength and sacrifice it takes to go through that journey with your child, whatever the outcome. It is hard to see such a small child fighting for life. I don't always know why things have to happen the way they do but I do know that if we allow our Savior to join us in our life's journey, not only will we be stronger during difficult times, we can also have peace when it feels unbearable. 

Baby Nor Nor

No the baby's name is not Nor Nor, it's her nickname given by the kiddos. Her name is Eleanor. So I guess I should write her birth story. Here we go.

First I should start in November since that's when this pregnancy got interesting. After all the fun with family adventuring in Florida and Thanksgiving, the night before Weston had to drop off his parents to the airport I started to bleed. I was in the bathroom, looked down and first thought was "hmmmm, that can't be good." It actually wasn't a lot at first but it got worse so we went to the hospital and I was contracting every 2-3 minutes BUT it wasn't preterm labor. I had a placental abruption. So after few days of observations and a cancelled flight I got to go home. Gramma and Grampa stayed until they knew when I would be discharged and that everything was okay. Then Lolo (means Grandpa in Tagalog) came to help around the house when I came home and Gramma and Grampa left. It was perfect because it all happened that same day so it was a smooth transition. Lolo stayed about a week and after my follow up appointment he left because I got the green light for normal activity with the obvious precautionary things like don't carry heavy loads like my kids and no, you know.  So this was during November and December uneventful pregnancy wise, but January was proven to be much more interesting. Stephen and Deneka offered to come and stay with me and the kids while Weston was in Washington doing a rotation where Cameron works. Everything was going great. A little over two weeks I decided to be cautious and called the triage nurse, because I had a couple of concerns that I thought warranted a doctor's visit. Poor Madeline came with me and heard that I needed to go to the hospital because I was in preterm labor and 2 cm dilated. When I went to talk to Mads she was teary-eyed with worry and wanted to come with me. She's so sweet but it was best to bring her home. I dropped her off at home and grabbed the essentials; laptop, phone, ipad, a couple of books and the chargers for the electronics. I drove myself and went through the hospital valet. Told him I was in labor and he asked if I would like to be in a wheelchair. I declined, said I was okay and that I would just walk. After saying that I think he was a little bit skeptical about my labor comment. I went up to the L&D floor told them I was in  preterm labor but of course I didn't look like I was in pain so I was sent to the waiting room until a nurse came and got me. Waited a while but when I finally got into a room and hooked up to the monitors I was having contractions every 3-4 minutes. I was back on the magnesium sulfate and other lovely drugs, got my steroid shots for Baby Nori's lungs and was able to prolong deliver for 5 days. They thought I was in the clear and got transferred to the high risk floor, but I didn't last even 24 hours before I had to go back to the L&D floor and had baby Nori. Thank goodness Deneka could at least be there for the delivery. She was there as a support and Ipad holder so Weston could "be there" for the delivery, via facetime, as well.

Within those 5 days at the hospital I got a blessing from Stephen and a friend, Austin. It had brought me strength, peace, and acceptance to God's will and plan for me. When I had relented control over something I had no control over anyway, I was able to be calm and feel that God was aware of me and my fears. I felt His love and a reassurance that everything would be okay. As things continue to unfold after her birth it was clear that He had the bigger picture that I couldn't have known or the doctors. He also knows how to reach out to me through family and friends and I couldn't have done it without support and love shown to me. I also had the best nurses and doctors that were compassionate, funny, and very patient.

Family of 5

    I originally started this post to share our pregnancy news, but sometimes life gets in the way and we don't get to update as quickly as we should. Sometimes it's also due to some laziness on my part. In this case it has been a little bit of both. Yesterday our family has officially grown from four to five! Our little baby girl arrived yesterday at 1:57 pm at 31 weeks and 2 days. A few weeks short of her due date but we will take her with all her eagerness to join the family. I wish I could describe my feelings of all the happened in that moment of inevitability that she would come in spite of our best efforts to keep her baking a little longer. What I do know is that without my knowledge of my Savior and His love for me, and trusting in His plan I would have been a more complete and utter mess. He brought me peace and with all the added prayers from family and friends, I couldn't have been in a better place, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
    Since her debut, I have watched her in the NICU awestruck with her calm even with all the prodding and poking. I was watching her get a feeding tube in through her nose and it bothered her a little bit, but didn't cry once. She was so calm! A calm warrior, if that makes any sense. It's only been day two of her arrival and we have many days ahead in the NICU and I know I will learn a lot from her and about myself.