Hey Kaylin...

Hey Kaylin, how did you feel when you found out that Papa Stuntz and Nana Sue Sue were going to be visiting?

And what do you think about the fact that they had to go home to Colorado?

What A Chore!

I've always known that I dislike grocery shopping... In fact, "loathe" comes to mind. I never really knew why, but I think I've finally figured it out.

It's a major chore! Or, rather, a series of chores.

Consider the following:

Chore 1

Drive to the grocery store, and try to find a parking spot (arguably the most difficult step in the grocery buying saga)

Chore 2

Wander through the grocery store, trying to find the items that were there last week, but have since been relocated. Annoying???

Chore 3

With great care so everything fits, place all the gatherings into your shopping cart. You must perform this task while dodging and weaving around people who have no clue why they went to the store in the first place.

Chore 4

Unload the shopping cart. You must get the cart empty before the cashier runs out of room to place bags, otherwise, they will be on the floor. A tricky task, as the belt is narrow, and does not advance quickly enough to complete the first part of this chore effectively.

*Note to cashiers: No, I do not wish to explain to you why I bought that item. It's none of your business why I have the medical ointment. Yes, those cookies are good, otherwise, I would not have purchased them. It's really not your place to tell me they will make my butt big. I'm glad you have a cat, but I'm not interested in the kind of food it prefers, or that it just got over a bad case of worms. Just saying...

Chore 5

Load the shopping cart again. Nothing fits right this time. :-(

Chore 6

Unload the shopping cart / load the vehicle.

Chore 7

Unload the vehicle.

Chore 8

Carry the bags into the house, taking care to catch items as they rip through the bag.

Chore 9

Another big one here. Unlock and open the door using a combination of your mouth, 1 pinky, and your left foot.

Chore 10

Find a semi-permanent home for all the items.

Chore 11

Where do I put all these stupid plastic bags???

Chore 12

Begin working on next week's grocery list. (No, it never ends - it's a vicious cycle)

Pics with Auntie Kay

This past Sunday, the three of us went to Auntie Kay and Uncle Mark's house for a photo shoot. Kaylin and Hannah are so photogenic, it makes me wonder how I got to be so fortunate in life to have such a beautiful family.

Be sure to check out Kaylin's Photo Gallery to see the most recent pictures.

Also, Kaylin had a 3 week checkup this past Friday, and the pediatrician seems very happy with her progress. She was up to 6 lbs. 10 oz.!

Belly Button

OMG!

Look how cute her belly button is!!!

2 Week Checkup

This past Friday, Kaylin Ann had her 2 week checkup with a Pediatrician from the University of Iowa Family Care Center. She is currently below the 5th percentile for weight, but she is gaining. Her weight this week was 6 lbs. 2 oz.! The doctor said that they like to see babies gaining 25 - 35 grams per day, but when she calculated how many grams per day Kaylin is gaining, she got a figure of 52 grams! So, even though Kaylin is still really little, she is trying really hard to make up some ground!

Of course, all that weight gain comes at a cost, and that cost is frequent diaper changes. Kaylin seems to be figuring out that she is able to get a good reaction out of her father if she turns her body just the right way, and waits for the most opportune moment to let God's work come forth. This is usually after the old diaper has been removed, and just before the new diaper is secured in place. I normally complain that I am somewhat out of shape when I get winded too easily, but I am now noticing that my reaction time is not as spry as it used to be either. Consequently, changing Kaylin sometimes means changing myself as well. Hannah doesn't seem to have this problem - she is still spry like a cat.

I am looking forward to sharing this endearing experience with Papa Stuntz in a couple of weeks when he and Grandma Susan come for their visit.

Kaylin's Homecoming Song

From Kaylin Ann Brock

Click the picture for a larger view.

Thank You Aunt Kay for creating this!

Blue: No Longer My Favorite Color

First, a preemptive statement...

Everyone is fine! :-)



Saturday Evening. Hannah and I sitting on the couch, Grannie Annie holding Kaylin on her lap, soaking in as much baby time as she can before she has to leave Sunday morning. Mouth watering aromas of a salmon dinner wafting in from the kitchen. All seems well, and peaceful.

Suddenly, Hannah asks "Does it look like Kaylin is getting blue around the mouth"?

We try to get Kaylin to wake up from her nap, with only partial success. We try changing her diaper - that usually gets her to wake up and fuss a bit. She's still asleep. I try to rock her from side to side - one of the nurses at the hospital showed us that trick. It triggers some kind of a reflex which causes babies to wake up and open their eyes. Again, only partial success.

Kaylin's color improves briefly, but then darkens again into a ghastly blue around her mouth.

While in the NICU, Kaylin had a few brief "episodes" where her oxygen saturation levels dropped. I wrote about that issue in an earlier post. The doctors told us that even if her O2 levels drop, she should be able to pull herself out of it, but without a monitor to see what her levels are at, we were told to watch around her mouth for a blue, dusky color. That's our indication that her oxygen is not where it should be.

We call the 24 hour line at the University of Iowa to ask what we should do. The nurse asks some questions, and then advises us to call the ambulance.

The nurse says "It may be an over-reaction, but I'd rather over-react then to have a dead child".

We agree.

The hospital is only 1.5 miles from our house, and her color has again improved, so we take her to the emergency room ourselves. Salmon can wait.

Apparently, so can we.

After walking into the Emergency Room, it takes 3 minutes for anybody to come to the window to see what our emergency is. Good thing Kaylin isn't missing a limb.

We are ushered to an examining room, where a nurse checks her oxygen levels. We are relieved to see the machine say 100%.

"The doctor will be in to see you soon".

30 minutes later, the doctor appears. We begin to describe the reason for our being there. The doctor begins touching Kaylin's face.

Hannah asks "Could you please wash your hands" ???

Really? Seriously? Do we actually have to request that the doctor wash her hands before sticking her fingers on our child's face??? Where did she come from just now? Who was she helping just before us? Sure, it could have simply been somebody with a broken finger, but maybe it was the guy next door coughing on the Ebola Virus! (Ok, no Ebola, but it illustrates the point)

Good Grief!

Hannah washes Kaylin's face as soon as the doctor steps out of the room. Good call.

Oxygen levels are once again checked - all looks good.

Her temperature is checked, rectal style. Kaylin has a mighty bowl movement during the process. Hannah and I look at each other as if to say, "The doctor deserved that for not washing her hands"! We exchange knowing grins.

We are sent on our way with assurances that we did the right thing by bringing her in, that it's better to be safe than sorry. We are told that it's not uncommon to see a slight bluish color around the mouth, especially if she get's chilled.

We come home, relieved that all is well. We bathe Kaylin to wash away the germs from the emergency room. She goes to sleep peacefully.

The salmon was great, even if re-heated.