Hiccups!

A few recent pictures...

Trying on her new hat!

Chillin' in the swing...she LOVES the swing!

The activity gym should really come in handy when she's a little older!

Lily's First Hospital Visit

Lily recently had her first stay in the hospital Dell Children's Hospital. We went for her follow up after the hospital at the pediatrician and just before we got there he had gotten the results of her newborn screening from the state. It showed that she has congenital hypothyroidism. Her temp was low that day, too, which is a symptom of hypothyroidism. There were no other symptoms at that point, except that she had not been sucking as vigorously when nursing after about day 3. He had us directly admitted to Dell Children's Hospital and we were there four days. They got her regulated on her thyroid medicine, which she will take every day for the rest of her life. Because she had a low temp, we also had to rule out infection. They were reasonably sure the low temp was just from the hypothyroidism, but they still needed to rule everything else out. They did blood and urine cultures, two unsuccesful spinal taps, IV antibiotics and a ton of ultrasounds and finally found that everything was fine. There was no infection, just the need to regulate the thyroid. She was such a trooper!

We are so thankful for newborn screenings. Before they did screenings for congenital hypothyroidism, they were no able to diagnose it until kids showed many symptoms, usually at about 6 months of age. By that point, irreversible damage had been done as far as cognitive and physical development. If it is found before 3 months of age, it can be treated before the damage is done. Because the test was done in an Austin hospital, taken to an Austin lab and read right away, we found out on day 6 so she was never really affected except for the low temp and the lethargy during feedings. She'll take a Synthroid pill for the rest of her life and she does a great job taking it now. We just crush it in some water on a spoon, make a little paste and give it to her in the spoon. We chase it with a little milk and she is good to go.

We are also blessed to have great doctors! Lily's pediatrician, Dr. Howard, has been great so far. If any of you are in the Austin area and looking for a great doctor for your kids, check him out! We also really like Lily's pediatric endocrinologist, who we will be seeing for the next 18 years. Here are a few photos from her stay at Dell. :-)
With her right arm all taped up for her IV.

Hanging on the couch with Daddy.

Taking an IV while snoozing on the couch with Daddy.

Lily Anna Rader

Lily Anna Rader was born on Wednesday, November 18 at 8:53 AM. She weighed in at 8 lbs., 1 oz. and 19.5 inches long!! We are currently on night two at North Austin Medical Center and enjoying her so much. I'll post more details later, but here are the pictures that I have on Walgreens.com of Lily's birth. We went in for the induction on Tuesday evening, but on Wednesday morning our doctor decided we should have a c-section. We had about 10 minutes to get used to the idea and g...et prepped. The recovery is going to be a pain, but that was one quick and easy way to have a baby! We are in the hospital until Saturday and are having so much fun getting to know our little girl. Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes!!! Enjoy the photos....

September Showers

September was such a busy month for us, but also one full of blessings. We had three wonderful showers, and each was unique and special in its own way. We are overwhelmed at the love and thoughtfulness show us by so many friends and family. Lily has so many pretty things and we are so grateful!

Our first shower was Sunday, September 13 in Buna at the home of Judy McEachern. It was a really special day because I was with people I had known my entire life, Mrs. McEachern has always been such a great friend, beginning with her close friendship with my Mi-mommy. Everything was beautifully decorated and the cake and punch were delicious. I opened so many wonderful gifts and had a great time visiting with everyone. Here are a couple pictures from that day:

The next weekend was packed with fun, too, including two showers. My parents were able to come in for the weekend and while my Mom attended showers with me, Doug and my Dad worked hard on the nusery installing the chair rail and the new ceiling fan.

On Saturday, September 19, we had a shower at Hwy 95 church of Christ, which is where we worship and have felt so welcomed in the past two years. It's such a loving congregation and the shower was so much fun. Our niece, Molly, was able to help me with all my gifts. The table decorations were soooo pretty with all the pink and brown. Check out the super cool ladybug cake! It was as delicious as it was cute.

On Sunday, September 20, my friends from work gave us a terrific shower at one of my favorite restaurants, Mimi's Cafe. I lieu of cake and punch, we had Mimi's appetizers and delicious petite desserts (including my favorite chocolate mousse). Both of Lily's grandmothers were there, as well as her aunts, many of her daddy's friends and my work buddies. We played some awesome games, including a pretty wild game of sock sorting. The favors, pictured below, were lily buds for each guest to take home and plant in honor of Lily Anna! Here are a couple of photos....

The Nursery

I know this may come as a shock, but this post is actually on time. ;-) We have mostly completed the nursery and we are really pleased with how it turned out. Doug spent so much time painting and getting the furniture assembled and he worked with my Dad one weekend on putting up the chair rail. Now we just need our rocking chair and a month or so for Lily to arrive so it can truly be complete. Here are a few photos:

Thanks to Lily's grandparents for providing her with the furniture. :-)

Worst Blogger Ever....September 10, 2009: 3D Ultrasound!

Doug and I went to Clearview Ultrasound in Austin for a 3D ultrasound. We were in our 30th week and got some great pictures of Lily! Oma and Opa and the name yet to be determined Peveto grandmother came along for some sneak peaks of Lily. Here are a few of the pictures:

Cracking a little smile...

Getting a good taste of her foot....

Parting shot...
I now have three showers to post on, as well as a nursery that's coming along quite well. Hope to do better on getting those up. :-)

Our work in progress: The Nursery

Doug was super busy two weekends ago painting the nursery!

Here's a before pic, when it as but a spare bedroom:

We taped the walls so Doug could prime and paint up 3 feet. We're going to install a white chair rail that will match the trim in the room, so we painted the bottom part pink and left the top the original color.

Later that night, Doug (with help from Tom...thanks Tom!) brought up the crib parts and the (incredibly heavy) dresser/changer combo unit. He looks pretty happy after lugging furniture upstairs!

Last Friday evening (8/21), he put the crib together. I was so excited to see it completed. :-)

All done!

On Thursday the 27th I had my 28 week appointment at the doctor's office. All went well, and I scheduled our 3D/4D ultrasound for September 10. I can't wait to post pictures!!

We're having a baby!

It was a bit of a surprise, but on March 20, 2009, Doug and I found out we were expecting our first child. We are so excited about the new addition and we wanted to start this blog to keep friends and family updated as we draw closer to the due date. We are expecting Lily Anna to make her entrance into the world sometime around November 14!!! Here are a few ultrasound pictures!

Here's a shot from the ultrasound we had at 8 weeks! She looks like a little gummy bear. :-)

Here are two shots from our 20 week ultrasound on June 24! We got quite a few cute profile shots and, of course, the picture that gave us a reason to shop. It's a girl!