LDS Idol?

So Summer and I were watching American Idol a few weeks ago (which we usually don't watch much of), and something that the final contestant said sparked our interest. When asked to tell something unique about herself, she reported that she had never seen an "R" rated movie, and soon revealed the same interesting fact about her husband. She also went on to say that this was something that she was taught as a child, and that she was also taught not to smoke or drink alcohol. Summer and I both looked at each other with a curious "hmmm... I wonder?" type of look. It was also interesting to note that she dressed modestly, and that two of the judges noted (and I quote) "a purity" about her. Anyway, she had a great voice and made it through to the next round.... and the next after that. Well, finally my curiosity was peaked, so I googled her, and found a blog (http://bloggingprofessional.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-american-idol-contestand-brooke.html) asking the very same question, but at the end was a comment from one of Brooke White's friends that verified that she was indeed LDS. In the search, I also discovered that one of the other contestants still in the running, David Archuletta, is LDS. That being the case, I tuned in again tonight to see both of them squeeze on through to the next round. It's interesting to note that based on probability alone, odds of having a Mormon for the winner of American Idol is 10%.

Well, I guess if we can't have an LDS president, we'll just have to try to get one of us into the spotlight as the American Idol, eh? Needless to say, we'll probably be tuning in or TiVo'ing the next few episodes, cheering on our two favorite contestants. Go Brooke!

Hannah's Homecoming

After eight l-o-n-g days in the NICU, we were finally able to bring little Hannah home on Friday afternoon! It's always wonderful to bring a new baby home, but this time it felt just a little bit sweeter, knowing that she was healthy and that I wouldn't have to leave that hospital without her ever again!

I was a little nervous about how the boys would react to her, especially Logan. Fortunately, I think Logan fell in love with her at first sight. When we came home, he sat down beside her carseat and watched her and softly patted her hair. He kept saying, "He's so tiny!" It was too cute! (We have a great video of this, but I can't get it to download to the blog!) Logan has been so sweet with her! If he ever sees her without a headband in her hair, he says, "Where's his bow? He needs his bow!" (We're still working on the "she")

When Andrew got home from school, he didn't seem very interested in Hannah at first, but later in the evening, he held her and even said, "I like her. It's okay she's a girl." (He was really hoping for another brother.)

I think it's safe to say that we are all smitten with our little angel! Isn't she adorable?!

Look Ma, No Oxygen!

What a week it has been! I am in a hurry to get back to the hospital, but I thought I would just jot down a little update.

Hannah really started to improve Saturday and Sunday. Because of her improvement, the doctors started to slowly wean her oxygen down a little bit at a time. I guess it was too slowly for Hannah, because on Tuesday, she decided to DC her oxygen herself. Even though the nasal cannula was taped to her face, she reached up and ripped it right off! Since it was off, they decided to just leave it off and see how she did. Well, she did great! She was able to maintain her O2 saturation on room air, which was a HUGE milestone! We were thrilled!

Today she received her last dose of antibiotics, so if all goes well, the doctors say we will be able to bring her home today! I can't tell you how excited I am to bring my baby home!

Stuck in the Nursery

Unfortunately, Hannah's breathing wasn't getting better after a few days in the ICU, and in fact, it was even getting worse. Her breathing was becoming more labored and her oxygen requirement was going up. That being the case, they did a chest X-ray and discovered that Hannah has congenital pneumonia. Unfortunately, that means another week in the ICU with IV antibiotics (the video is from her first day in the ICU). Fortunately, she has made some improvement in the past 24 hours. Her breathing has become slightly better to the point that she was able to breastfeed today for the first time since birth. She's still needs a lot of oxygen to maintain her saturation, but at least she actually is maintaining a good saturation now (which she had not been doing during the past three days). The neonatologist is now talking about working on weaning her oxygen down starting tomorrow and her IV fluids are already coming down as she's starting to drink. While we're not getting our hopes set too high, there's definitely a possibility that she'll be able to come home next weekend. Interestingly enough, she started doing better soon after Eric Palfreyman came to the hospital to help me give her a blessing. Anyway, things are looking up. Hopefully, more good news will follow. Thanks to everyone for their support!

And Then There Were Five

Well, the delivery went well, and a new little girl was added to our family this morning. Hannah Lee Anderson was born at 7:53 AM on Valentine's Day.

Summer will be thrilled that I posted a picture of her pregnant and in a hospital gown!

Hannah was born after only about 2 or so hours of labor, and she weighed in at 7 lbs, 1 oz, and was 20 & 1/2 inches long. Unfortunately, her rapid descent through the birth canal caused inadequate expulsion of some of the amniotic fluid from her lungs, so she had some difficulty breathing at first (diagnosed with Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN) for all you medical types out there). She had to be transferred to the Special Care Nursery today, and will likely need to stay there for another day or two as her breathing gradually improves. Summer was only able to hold her for about 30 seconds today immediately after the birth, so we look forward to being able to hold her when her breathing gets a little better. She had lots of hair, unlike our two little boys when they were born. Anyway, she is doing well, and hopefully will be able to come home sometime Saturday.

Cameras, Summer's Labor, and Epidurals

Seems like there are a lot of moments when we think "sheesh... I really wish I had a camera right now!" Today was one of those days. We took the kiddos to Baskin Robins to get one of the Tuesday dollar cones and both kids picked out the most chocolaty ice cream cone they could find. It only took about three or four minutes for both kids to have some major chocolate goatees. Even as a 6 year-old, Andrew somehow managed to get chocolate ice cream unintentionally smeared from his chin all the way up to his eyelids. It was quite a site, but unfortunately, once again the camera was sitting securely at home on the shelf. Maybe next time, we'll be more lucky.

Well, tomorrow is going to be a busy day; I work until 3 p.m., then it's going to be a rush to the airport to pick up Summer's mom who is flying in from Utah, and then Summer goes in to Hillcrest to be induced at midnight. Summer's mom was really hoping to come to the hospital for the birth, but odds are that the hospital staff will not want our two sleep deprived kiddos dashing through the hospital corridors at 2 in the morning. That being the case, Nana will probably end up staying home and watching them. Sorry Nana!

Finally, I am pleased to say that the baby's crib, shelves, and dresser are all painted and decked out in baby girl decor. The crib went from being an eyesore which Summer is quoted as saying she "always thought was ugly" to being something she actually likes. After we get the delivery all taken care of, we'll snap some pictures and post them (not that anyone would actually care about pictures of someone else's second hand refurbished crib, but what the hey).

Lastly, a blurb about epidurals. Why would anyone not want one for labor pain? Granted, I've only done about 50 or 60 of them, but I have quite literally watched women going from tears to a smile in a matter of minutes. While I realize there are potential complications, they are extremely rare, and the vast majority of potential complications are very treatable. In fact, I would argue that the majority of people who opt for a natural delivery would still have lidocaine when they go to the dentist. Noone says they want have their root canal done natuarally. Anyway, that's my soap box for the day. If anyone is offended, I'm sorry - that's just my take on the matter. Feel free to buzz me with mean nasty comments if you disagree - I promise I can take it.

**Note: Summer has not yet read, and definitely would not endorse my posting of any of the above comments, and as a disclamer for my own protection, she may or may not agree with any of the above text.

T-minus Four

Well, it's official - Summer is scheduled to have her labor induced on Thursday (four days from now), which happens to fall right on Valentine's day! For some crazy reason, they want her to come in at midnight on Wednesday. I guess her OB is hoping to have her deliver soon after his 3AM refrigerator raid.

We are excited for our new little girl to arrive, but it's amazing the amount of preparation that Summer can come up with to be ready for the new baby. We've been continually buying diapers during the past 9 months to the point that we have enough to supply a small army of babies, and we've also stocked up on the formula (Summer has had some seriously horrendous complications from breastfeeding in the past... even requiring surgical drainage of about a cup full of purulent material from an abcess). Anyway, I had figured we were all set. Next thing I know, Summer wanted to turn the guest bedroom into a nursery, so we ended up pulling the bed out, switching it with Andrew's bed, stripping the wallpaper, painting the walls, and filling the room with baby funiture. As soon as we got everything together, she says "the colors don't match very well," and the next thing I know, we've got shelves, dressers, and the crib all packed into the garage for painting. Still, I have to give her credit; she was right along side me with paintbrush in hand helping me every step of the way, even in spite of being 9 months pregnant and ready to burst at any moment. She's one heck of a trooper. The nursery is looking pretty good so far, and hopefully, we'll have everything done by Wednesday, and we'll be posting pictures of the new baby next week.

Also, we wanted to say thanks to all of you who have helped out and given us so many clothes, baby items, gifts, etc. It will make the transition from two children to three much smoother.

A Little Logan Time

With the birth of our third baby coming so soon, I've been thinking a lot about the changes coming up for all of us. One thing I have thought a lot about is how much I have enjoyed some special one-on-one time with Logan these past few months. Since Andrew started full-day Kindergarten in the Fall, and I've been baby-sitting only two days a week, I've been lucky enough to have about three days a week to spend with just Logan. I realize this is a rare opportunity with a "middle" child.

Playing Logan's favorite game, Cariboo. Notice the kitties are playing too.

The days with just Logan and I are so laid back. It's been so fun to spend the days playing Cariboo ("Cariboo my favorite game, Mommy!" he tells me every time we play!), coloring, eating lunch together, watching Backyardagins, taking walks to the library (when it was warmer weather, of course) or just having some cuddle time. He's a pretty cuddly guy; he just melts my heart when he says, "Mommy, I need a hold you!" He also loves to help me with the laundry, throwing the dirty clothes in the washer and the wet clothes in the dryer.

I think we have really grown closer, Logan and I, and in a way, understand each other better. It is really a testimony to me of the wisdom of the Lord's timing. I am so excited for our new baby and the changes she will bring to our family, but I feel so grateful for this special time I've had with just Logan!