Coming To A Manger Near You...

First of all, yesterday was Matt's birthday! Being so close to Christmas, Matt doesn't usually get or want a big party or celebration, but Paige and I managed to help him celebrate his first "Daddy" birthday by surprising him at Cannonsburg Saturday night with a big ski cake for him at the Ski Patrol shack. Of course, I forgot my camera, but Chris had his...we'll just have to wait to get a picture up. The story of the cake is that Matt has been getting the same Family Fare chocolate-with-bavarian-cream-filling-and-whipped-icing with a ski scene on top since childhood...I think we missed a couple years in there somewhere, but now that his sister Haylie decorates cakes there, he had the coolest (and biggest) one yet, and the tradition lives on!!

We were at church most of the day yesterday (and quite possibly the only church that still had service in G.R. thanks to all this snow!). The children had their Christmas program during the service, and Paige played the role of Baby Jesus! I sat in the back with her until her "cue", trying desperately to get her to fall asleep--she was wiggling so much I didn't know if Eve, the girl who was playing Mary, would be able to carry her! Sure enough, she dozed off just in time, and slept through her big debut. Then it was the all-church ham dinner and the youth group's art show, which showed off their works from the Sunday School series that Matt just wrapped up with them. Finally, it was time to get home for Matt's favorite part of his birthday...a NAP!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Josh!

We would like to send a special "Happy Birthday shout-out" to my brother Josh, who is currently teaching English in South Korea. Unfortunately, Josh had to leave the states a few weeks before Paige was born, but hopefully he'll be back next fall to meet her in person. Enjoy your day, Josh!

As for my first week back at work, I felt like I was thrown to the wolves--very busy, sick patients--but I had help from co-workers, and I actually remembered to chart everything I'm supposed to (which often seems to be more important than caring for the patient, sadly)! The potluck on Monday was delicious, and I got out in time for my wisdom teeth appointment, which also went well and I'm recovering quickly...with the help of some good pain medication.

Day of Reckoning...

Yes, the dreaded day is here...I (Nicki) am going back to work tonight.

While December seemed eons away when I first carried Paige into our home, it has come too soon--so many things I had hoped to accomplish while on leave are still waiting for me to do--yet I'm not really upset. I know that the reason they didn't get done is because I was busy holding, playing with, feeding, snuggling, and just staring at our Baby Girl!

My co-workers are making my return a little easier to handle by throwing a potluck--actually, we look for any excuse to potluck, but it's very appreciated just the same! Meanwhile, I'm making the return more difficult by getting my wisdom teeth pulled Tuesday morning...at least I'll be sedated, and I don't have to work again until Friday. Wish me luck (and Matt, as he'll be with Paige...at least she sleeps through the night!)!

What We're Thankful For...

Where to begin? A daughter who is more than we could ever imagine...skilled and caring nurses, midwives, physicians, and support staff...loving family, friends, church members and coworkers who have gone out of their way to give support and show their love...the all-encompassing Grace of God...and all those little things He has blessed us with in between. We truly have much to be thankful for.

Sorry the updates have been a bit late...we've had technical difficulties with the photos. We hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!

2-Month Checkup

Paige had her 2-month checkup on Monday...still so hard to believe that she's that "old". She tipped the scales at 12 lbs, 5.5 oz, and measured 21 inches long...this put her at the 90th percentile for weight, but only 25th percentile for height! But in Dr. Henderson's words, "she doesn't look like the Michelin man that these numbers suggest"! She does have the chubby thighs that nurses love for giving shots...and she got several (oh to be a baby...when thunder thighs are a good thing)! That was not fun to watch (nor fun for her to receive), but she got over it pretty quick. Everything else is still looking great, so we continue to have a happy, healthy baby! Here's a small sample of her jibberish...unfortunately it didn't last long, as you will see when I realize it's time to stop recording...we'll keep working on getting a better clip. The "ah-goo" that Matt says to her is what she usually does, along with a smile, of course :)

Hanging Out With the Big Kids: First Weekend Trip

It became clear to us about a week ago that Paige and I would need to go with Matt on the Fall Retreat for our church's senior high youth group, so I could help chaperone. Our retreats are held at a beautiful (and large) log cabin in the woods, on a private lake near Big Rapids, owned by a family in our church. Being there is almost heaven (insert John Denver music here).

Paige was great the entire weekend, and everyone seemed to not mind her being there--she's so good-natured that we weren't too worried, especially since she doesn't make much noise at night. Some of the kids had fun holding her (after hand-washing, of course), and were entertained by her funny faces and noises.

Paige was even dressed in celebration of Opening Day, courtesy of Grandpa Buning! Yes, Matt missed the start of deer season, but we're planning to go up to McBain most of Thanksgiving week...keep your fingers crossed for venison jerky and summer sausage!

Baby's First Boo

Paige's first "witching season" started with a super-cute jack-o-lantern made by Grandpa Parrott, the professional pumpkin carver of the family, complete with her name and birthday!


We also went to Robinette's, a local orchard/winery/etc to get pumpkins for us to carve and check out the rest of the tourist-y fun. I think Paige is still a bit young for that part--she slept through the whole thing, as seen in the picture in front of the giant Robinette apple. As we were waiting in line to pay for our cider & pumpkin donuts, we ran into a couple from our childbirth class. It was nice to see another little one (theirs is 2 weeks younger, and was almost named Paige), and compare "war stories"!




No, Paige didn't go trick-or-treating (she's not much of a candy fan), or have a costume, but she did dress in the adorable outfits and accessories that she'd received. After all, she wanted to dress as a baby for Halloween...

Playing catch up

Yes, we're guilty as charged--we've had a number of complaints for not updating the blog, so I'll do my best to get Paige Pics out to the masses; these are from the past few weeks. That's what everyone really looks for anyway. Don't lie.

Time is flying by SO fast. Paige is now 7 weeks old, and nearly weighs 11 pounds! She's been healthy as a horse, and eating like one too. I already get teary-eyed by how fast she's growing (thinking about how she'll soon be sassing back at me and thinking I'm uncool, and wanting to shop at trendy-kid stores), and then Matt laughs at me. In addition to her frequent grunting, she coos and hums, and makes great big grins that are usually difficult to catch on camera. She's getting much better at holding her head up on her own, and loves putting things in her mouth--her fist, Daddy's finger if she's holding it, and she's very close to being able to replace her own pacifier when she spits it out.

Paige is a big fan of her stroller, swing, car rides, riding in Mommy's sling...so much that they all put her right to sleep. But she also loves watching the mobile on her swing and in her crib as she fights that ol' sandman.

Well, time to go take a walk in the beautiful autumn sunshine...hope everyone is enjoying the fall as much as we are!

Holy Toledo!

Perhaps this was the bewildered look on the faces of U-M fans yesterday:




Meanwhile, our mini-Spartan is 3-0 as an MSU good luck charm of sorts...she wears a bit of State gear every Saturday, including yesterday, when she received an awesome little "wooby" blanket (is that how you spell wooby?)!


Sparty On!

First Mommy Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday...and first one as "Mommy". Paige and I spent the day together, and Grandma & Grandpa Parrott offered to babysit so Matt and I could go out to dinner. But guess what we talked about during our "adult time"? Lil' Miss Paige, of course! I admitted to Matt that I felt guilty for leaving her, and he said he felt the same. I don't think she held it against us.

Paige was going to help me open my gifts, but as you can see, she fell asleep when I turned my head for 2 seconds, and didn't wake up until she had the opportunity to bite Daddy's nose. But I appreciated the gifts she "picked out" to help me stay awake with her: a new mug from Beaners--I mean Biggby--and a gift card to fill it, plus chocolate. What a smart daughter. And Dad.

Thanks to my friends and family for a Happy Birthday :) I leave you with not only pics from yesterday, but some sleepy smiles I caught earlier this week.

3 Weeks!!

Sorry we have been so slow on the updates, but it has been a little crazy around the Parrott household. 

So here is the latest.

On Friday October 3rd we had another appointment at the DeVos Children's Hospital, more blood drawn and more tests. However at the end of this one, instead of then saying we will see you in a few days, they said we no longer have to come. That Paige's blood work was looking great and her platelets were doing excellent, and that we could go home free and clear. So that was a big relief...It is so amazing for us to think that 3 weeks ago it was the most frightening and scary situation we have ever been in, and now we have the most beautiful little HEALTHY baby daughter. We really could not have done it without all the help from our family and friends. We truly thank you and reward you with some pictures.   

Welcome Home!!!

Actually, Paige has been home since Monday night--we've been slow to update the blog due to some extreme crankiness on Paige's part, and sleep deprivation on ours! But it's definitely been worth it to have her here with us! God has certainly blessed us with a miracle baby.

When we called to check in Monday morning, we were told to stay home until Meg, Paige's nurse, called us back. She knew that the neonatologists were planning to write discharge orders, so she advised us to do anything we needed to get done around the house (or just take a nap), because we would definitely be bringing a baby home later, as long as her labs were okay...and they were great! By some miracle, her platelets that had been on a slow drop over the 3 previous days were now back up to a very good level. The neonate team consulted a pediatric hematologist (blood specialist), Dr. Dickens, who we will see on Friday. Then all three of us will have our blood drawn on Monday, as a follow-up for Paige and also to finish checking for NAIT.

Another blessing this week has been the delivery of some very delicious meals from our church family at Trinity UMC, as well as from friends and family. Paige thanks you for keeping her parents well-fed!

Here are some of Paige's last pics in the hospital, and first pics at home!

Sweet P's Graduation Day

Yesterday was a good day. Matt had to teach Sunday School in the morning and Youth Group in the evening, so he dropped me off at the hospital and came back each time he was done. That left me with Paige for most of the day, which was fantastic. I arrived to find her swaddled in a regular bassinet, looking like a "regular" newborn--although she still had her telemetry monitor hidden underneath. We were able to breastfeed for FOUR of her feedings--and she did great! The NICU has a very precise scale that weighs the baby before and after feedings to find out how much she ate, and whether it's adequate. She did so well that they only need to bottle feed her if I'm not there!

At the end of the day shift, Paige "graduated" to NIM--the intermediate (step-down) unit. Although her platelet level had dropped, they're hoping that it will level off, based on the good results of her other labs. They'll be Fed-Exing her blood that was drawn Friday to Wisconsin on Monday to find out if she has NIATP (Neonatal Idiopathic Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia), and Matt and I may have to have our blood drawn as well, to see if it was an incompatibility between our blood that caused the problem.



Once again, we can't sign off without thanking everyone for your prayers, messages, cards, gifts, and visits. We are so thankful for every little bit, it really helps keep us going!

Go State! Go Paige!

We made sure that Paige was ready for the big MSU-Notre Dame football game by bringing her a great hat and socks...she also has a "Future Tailgater" onesie, but she wasn't able to wear it because she still had a central line (IV) in her belly button. Her nurse, Jane, was not such a fan of MSU, and was looking around desperately for a U-M hat; Dr. Gelfand, an Ohio State alum, was wearing his Buckeye jibbitz in his Crocs (which we'll let slide), but in the end it was Paige and her Spartans winning the day (great game, by the way)!

Paige had more victories on Saturday, as she tried breastfeeding for the first time! Friday night she had been throwing fits and crying all night, so much that Michelle, her nurse, had to get the secretary and other staff to keep her occupied so she could take care of her other baby! They soon found out that it wasn't a problem with Paige's health that made her upset, it was that she was HUNGRY...she was on a feeding plan that very slowly increased every few hours, but she did not agree! So now she gets a much larger amount by bottle, and breastfeeds as much as she wants every three hours when I'm there. Looks like she'll be growing fast--she's already 7 lbs 3 oz!

Another big win for her was that that central line in her belly button was removed by Saturday night! Dr. Gelfand feels that her platelets have stabilized enough, but had Jane draw a large amount of blood to send to Wisconsin for the lab work that will hopefully figure out why the platelet level had been dropping. We also got a hint from the nurses that she might be going home in a few days!!! Time to catch up on our sleep before she's home!

A Good Friday

When we visited Paige Friday, we had even more good news to celebrate--first, she took her first bottle feeding, and Mommy got to feed it to her. It was gone in no time, followed by a very full diaper!

The second bit of good news was the MRI report...Dr. Gelfand, one of Paige's neonatologists and our personal favorite, listened in on the dictation so he could get the results to us as soon as possible. The scan was good, except for one "tiny" area that could possibly cause delayed motor function in her legs. At the most, she might need braces or physical therapy, and might take longer to walk. But as of right now, the tone and movement in her legs is great, and the brain just might grow right over tiny little problem spot.

Paige did have another drop in her platelets, so she got another transfusion on Friday. Dr. Gelfand is considering sending her blood along with both of ours out to a lab in Wisconsin to check for a more rare clotting disorder.

Hopefully Paige will continue to tolerate feedings, and her labs will stay stable, so we can get her home in about a week or so!