Trouble in the Freezer

Today I woke up to this disaster in my freezer! Brian had put a soda can in the ice machine and forgot about it. And this was not his first offense. I would say every ten times he does this, he forgets one time. I'm no statistician, but those seem like pretty bad odds to me!  

What I mess! I made him clean it up after work today. Do you think I should make it one of the Nelson Family Rules? I didn't make one last year or this year yet. 

Christina at three months old

Today baby Christina is three months old. Time seems to be flying!

Christina at three months:

• She loves to be held.
• She loves to be touched---I know all babies do,  but she seems to especially like and respond to touch. She seems to like her hands, head and face touched. She loves when I use a cradle cap brush on her head (And her cradle cap is ferocious! Any tips on getting that controlled are welcome!)
• She enjoys bath time and usually will wake up during her baths.
• She responds and calms down to my (loud) voice.
• She prefers me over other people.
• Shes loves to be in her Babybjorn.
• She still hates sunshine, it is painful for her eyes.
• She still loves to be tightly swaddled. I have learned how to swaddle quite well. (I never learned with James because he hated being swaddled literally from day one.)
• She does wonderfully on outings and enjoys being in the car.
• She doesn’t seem to mind all of James’ kisses and hugs and touching (I think she would cry if she did). It's likely good stimulation for her.
• Her crying frequency is increasing (which in her case is a good thing). Before she hardly ever cried but now she shows some desires or discomforts and expresses it through crying. She generally cries because she wants to be held. She rarely cries over hunger. As long as she is held she would just happily hang out like that forever and is fine to never eat.
• She doesn’t coo or socially smile or look at you. Sometimes when she is sleeping she will smile and actually laugh and her body will shake like she is laughing, but she’s never smiled or laughed awake.
• She prefers breast milk and nursing over bottles and formula (big surprise, not) but due to her lack of weight gain, I cannot breastfeed her for nutrition and pumping is ineffective at this point. Sorry la leche league.
• Her right eye is still a mess. Her cornea is scratched and is having difficulty healing because she’s unable to close her eyes which causes dryness and leads to abrasions.
• She hasn’t gained any weight in two weeks. She only weighs 7 lbs, 10 oz. and is 21.5 in. long. Her lack of weight gain is due to a number of possible factors. She will not eat an increase in volume (she’ll clench her jaw or just sit there with the nipple in her mouth and not suck) so we increase the caloric value for the same volume, which she’s not fond of either. Also, due to her trisomy, her metabolic rate is such that she is just small, but no growth is still worrisome even with that perspective. Lastly, it is likely that her brain just doesn’t work right, meaning she doesn’t know how to grow, she doesn’t recognize hunger, nor care about eating to facilitate growth. She has a poor suck-swallow reflex. A feeding tube may still be in her future, but for her and our family, we want that to be a last resort measure.
• Her nicknames are: baby, sister, baby sister, sissy, baby Christina, Tia (Brian hates Tia though), sissy Christina, and other similar variations!
• Her skin is so soft and the top of her head smells so yummy. I love her milk breath and love to give her kisses.
• She seems happy and content and she is very loved.

My Big Baker

James loves to be my helper whenever I cook dinner or bake a dessert. It usually makes me extra stressed to have him "helping", especially during the witching hour, when blood sugar is low and fatigue is high! But after dinner everyone was feeling happy and content! So we got to baking pumpkin cookies. I love baking in the fall and winter, especially when the air starts to cool off. It makes the house all cozy and homey. 

What a goof!

Bright eyed and bushy tailed

Most of the day Christina is sleepy and placid, more so than other newborns. But for about an hour every night, she's awake --- I mean really awake!

I love how wide she opens her eyes! And she is even holding her head up on her own --- which is a new thing for her! What a cutie-pie!

Mom! I'm doing man work!

Since Brian had today off from work, he and James went to Home Depot and did some projects around the house. I went out with baby Christina and when I got home I saw James hard at work. James was so excited to show me what he was doing. He kept saying, "Mom! I'm doing man work!"  James is such a Brian-mini-me. I can't believe how much he loves to do what daddy does! I do love my manly men!

Christina's Blessing Day

This past Sunday was Christina's blessing day. We had lots of family and friends come and celebrate our sweet Christina and her blessing day. 

Her bonnet was a bonnet that I wore as a baby. Her blessing dress was given to me by my dear Auntie Arla who bought it for me for when I had a baby girl! (She got it super on sale at the Talbot's Kids store closing when I was still in high school!)

Her little feet are so tiny in newborn socks!

Her blessing was beautiful and wonderful. In the Mormon Church, a baby blessing is performed to give a baby an official name and to give a blessing for the child's spiritual and physical welfare. My husband, Brian, blessed Christina. Her blessing was different than most baby blessings because of her own unique challenges. Sometimes when I ponder her life and what it will be, I feel sorrow because I know she will not marry and she will not have children. She will always be dependent on others for her care. Her life will be simple. Even though I sometimes feel a deep sadness about this, I know this life is just a moment in her existence. I know Heavenly Father loves her and wants her to be happy. Because Christ died on the cross and was resurrected, I know Christina's physical challenges are only part of this life and that she will eventually receive a perfected body. 

This was her blessing (As much as I could remember):

Our Heavenly Father, by the power of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood which we hold, and in the name of Jesus Christ, we take this infant in our arms to give her a name and a blessing. The name which she will be known on the records of the church and throughout her life is Christina Lois Nelson.

Christina, firstly, remember that the name you bear is a heritage of wonderful, righteous women.

Your coming to this earth was a miracle.

I bless you to have patience. Have patience to endure trials. Have patience to those close to you. Have patience with your broken body.

Christina, I bless you to find joy in living. Strive to become a righteous woman.

In this lifetime it is likely you will not be baptized or receive your endowment or marry in the temple. But because of Christ’s Atonement you will be able to receive all these blessings. Prepare yourself for the day that you will enter into these covenants.

And lastly, I bless you to have charity, which is the pure love of Christ. Look to your Savior as the ultimate example.

And this we do in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Big Brother with Baby Bjorn

I use the BabyBjorn quite a bit with baby Christina. I got this Bjorn when James was born and I used it only twice because James absolutely hated being in it (He hated to be cuddled.) However, Christina loves it! She is happy to hangout in there for hours. She likes to be cuddled and held and then I have my hands free.

This morning James wanted to try it out, so under supervision he got to hold sister in the Bjorn. He was a little nervous once she was in but he did a great job!

Baby Christina at one month old

Here are some photos from when Christina was finally discharged from the hospital at about one month old. Thanks so much to my dear friend Jennifer for taking them! They are so beautiful of baby Christina!

Big, Crazy Day

Today was one big, crazy day! Baby Christina had her eye surgery to treat the glaucoma in her right eye. All went well and we will have to wait and see that the surgery was effective. Before Christina was even discharged, I had to run down to the courthouse because Brian was sworn in as an attorney. You can see the security band still on my wrist! And then back to the hospital to bring baby home!

  

Baby girl is sporting an eye patch! She was such a trooper! She is getting lots of cuddles and loves - from both grandmas - to help her quick recovery. I'm pretty sure she is already happier with her eye now that the pressure was alleviated.