A hard week and a pretty dress

Addie has had a rough week. Last Friday night she was admitted to hospital for having 'coffee grind' spit up. After staying over night in hospital and having a lot of blood tests and examinations, Addie was allowed to return home on Saturday. The blood tests came back fine and the overall conclusion was inconclusive. We were told to return if she had any more dark spit up. Thankfully we have not had any similar spit up.

Unfortunately, that was not all the drama of the week. The midwife came on Tuesday and weighed Addie. We were upset to find out that she had lost a pound since she was born which was enough for the midwife to send us back to the hospital to be examined. The doctors again were brilliant. They sent us home with an intense feeding schedule and told us to return to the hospital on Friday to be be weighed again. Mommy and Addie took the schedule very seriously and were very tired at the end of the three days.

We are happy to report that our hard work was rewarded - God answered lots of prayers - when we were told that Addie had gained TWICE as much as they had wanted in the three days. We were very relieved. We were also told that we could resume a normal feeding schedule since Adelaide is now on the right trajectory. God-willing she will continue gaining and that we will be able to laugh about this in the future. When we heard that she gained a half pound in three days we were reassured that she was indeed our daughter! :)

In anticipation of her hospital visit today, we decided to 'dress' Addie up in her first dress (a gift from Aunt Love and Uncle Matt). Here is our half-pound heavier daughter.

Another Comment Worth Remembering

Today when Jack was admiring Addie, he commented that she looked like Esau. Charles and I were a little taken back and then asked what he meant (thinking we knew, but wanted to hear from him), and he said 'She has a hairy back and Esau was really hairy.'

Yes, like many newborns Addie has some little hair on her shoulders and back and she has reddish skin, but I hope she is a far ways away from looking like Esau. Nonetheless, I thought I should record the comment. It could come in really useful at a wedding rehearsal dinner in the future.

More Pictures of Adelaide's Arrival

We have taken quite a few pictures and wanted to share them.

Addie had Mommy buy books for both of the boys as gifts. She said she knew they liked to read because she had heard Mommy reading to them for 9 months.

Here is Theo opening his book from Addie


And Jack showing off his new airplane book from Adelaide


Picture of Erin and Addie ready to escape from the hospital - watiting for Daddy to come pick them up


A few pictures of Jack and Theo holding Addie for the first time






Aunt Karen (who kindly came from Oxford to help with the boys while Erin was in hospital) holding Adelaide for the first time


After Theo's flat head and the need for a helmet, we thought this position might prevent Addie from the same! :)


Here is just a fun picture of Theo at breakfast


And finally, here is a video with Jack holding Addie

Beautiful

We sang this song tonight and Jack asked if he could sing it for the camera. It is one of our family favourites and feels like a fitting one after the birth of Addie a few days back. We are very grateful to God for her safe arrival and recognize that God is the creator of all things beautiful.

I have included the lyrics since some of them are kind of hard to understand:

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depths (in Jack's version you burp here) of your love
You are beautiful beyond description Majesty enthroned above
And I stand, I stand in awe of you
I stand, I stand in awe of you
Holy God to whom all praise is due I stand in awe of you

Adelaide's First Day Home

With two older brothers, Addie's first day home had quite a few things worth reporting:

* Jack comparing Addie to an airplane in the sky because of how little she is. Although we had to point out that she was little even when she wasn't far away. He is very obsessed with airplanes right now.

* Both boys attacking her with balloons from McDonalds. Literally she had like five balloons being waved in her face at one point with Jack exclaiming 'she likes it!'.

* Theo constantly laughing and pointing every time he saw her. He seems quite taken with her, for at least the time being.

* Theo bringing a balloon on a stick to her periodically throughout the day and then very confused and frustrated on why she wouldn't grasp onto the stick. This is an act of love in Theo's book because balloons are one his most favourite things. Apparently after I went up to rest these acts of kindness on Theo's part continued with him trying to hand her the microphone when she was in the playroom with them listening to Colin Buchanan.

* Theo and Jack both trying to bounce her bouncy chair (we have a cheap one with no vibrator so we often just bounce it softly with our hand or foot). Let me just say that she will always have her strap on when in that seat because the boys bouncing was not always the most gentle.

* Theo pushing her in her bouncy chair around the kitchen. Theo quickly realized that her bouncy chair was the perfect height for him to push (similar to a push cart or trolley) so she has been pushed all around the kitchen - again reason for the strap becomes most apparent.

All three are now in bed and quiet - I consider it a small parenting triumph, but I am not naive enough to think it will last so I am off to rest myself!