Keeping Up With The Morgans

Sunday, May 5

Flash Backs

My baby sister just attended her first prom... I am officially old.

Athena is a Junior at NCA and will be 17 next week! My heart is filled with joy when I think back on the 17 year old version of myself. Josh had entered my life and was taking me on our first date (my 17th birthday) where we went downtown to see The Lord of The Rings (I think the second one) where he even let me wear his coat! The fun thing is, he still gives me those butterflies today!

I spent the evening with my sister and her friends snapping photos to help preserve those precious memories for her. Here are some of my favorites!

Typical Athena...

Had to make them do a "jumping pose"

Athena and her date

Friends

Oops, how'd this get in here (hehehe)

The boys

Athena's date.... and they are just friends! (but he's adorable)

In front of the limo

Callie Kisses

Little Bit has really been showing her love for Mommy and Daddy this month. We finally got her to give us "kisses," which are more like open mouthed licks - but I'll take em!

One afternoon after work I had Callie in her pack and play (which is now loaded with pit balls for hours of entertainment) and was attempting to get some party prep done while using my super human mommy skills to simultaneously play with my little girl. At one point I got really close to the mesh of the crib and asked her for a "kiss kiss." She promptly leaned in and gave me a big wet one through the material. Dying with excitement on the inside, I grabbed my open laptop and snapped a video! Just had to share! Enjoy...

Thursday, April 18

11 Months... Wow!

11 months... That is mind blowingly weird to say. My tiny, 5 lb 8 oz baby girl is just 3 weeks shy of being a toddler. Let me tell you, I am SO not ready for this.

Birthday plans are in full swing and invitations finally went out this week. I'm just having an incredibly difficult time processing the reality that it has already been a year since Callie blessed our lives. But more on that later... I'm not really looking to bawl my eyes out quite yet. :)

Callie's 10th month of life has been the most fun we've had thus far! She is finally starting to "get" things. Now when she ~~throws~~ drops something she looks at us and says, "Uh-Oh!" Unfortunately for me it has now become a game, but Little Bird wont get the last laugh - Buy Buy Baby sells toy and drink straps so every time she "uh-oh's" something I can pull it right back up with no problem. Muah ha ha ha.

She has also figured out how to fake laugh which is the cutest thing. We will be driving down the road just fake laughing our tushies off back and forth... Makes the afternoon drive home from work much more enjoyable. As does her beautiful singing voice! I can sing in a high pitched voice and she will mimic me... Nothing fills my heart more.

Callie is weighing in at 16 lbs 5 oz and is 28 inches tall (20% and 25%). I swear we are feeding her... She nurses in the morning, has 5-6 baby bullet jars of food + organic puffs + water + 3 bottles and sometimes crackers/cookies/yogurt!

She celebrated her first Easter this month and had her first post-NICU ER visit as well. Poor thing can't get a "normal" cold because of her asthma. One afternoon I picked her up from daycare and she was having a really difficult time breathing. By the time I had made it home her breathing was so strained she couldn't even cry. We ~~calmly~~ drove to Cook Children's where we ended up spending the remainder of the night giving her breathing treatments and steroids. But let me tell you... Cooks knows what's up. Every staff members carries around BUBBLES!!! Why don't all hospitals have bubbles?! It makes the wait time much more bearable and actually makes you smile. Genius. While we were waiting, bored out of our minds, Callie finally figured out how to clap. She was so very proud of herself.

On top of all of the other fun changes like her desire to start walking with just one hand being held, giving hugs and cuddles, and her ever expanding vocabulary, her personality has grown leaps and bounds and our hearts even bigger with the love we have for her. Check back soon for her birthday updates and a health update for me!

Bath time has never been so much fun!

This picture is just very Callie...

This is her "cheese" face

She hates the grass... but if you leave her alone she'll tolerate it just to come find you!

Yes, my daughter is a vampire... But she sure is a cute one, don't you think?

Thursday, April 4

Tired Of Bad Luck

For those of you who know me well you know that my health record is less than stellar. I tend to fall in that small percentage of cases the doctors tell you about before and after procedures.

Last Thursday I could feel myself coming down with something. An incessant cough and stuffy head were nagging at me all day. Since the following day was Good Friday, I was able to get myself into the doctor where they diagnosed me with a sinus infection and sent me home with some antibiotics. I spent most of Saturday in bed hoping to recover before church on Sunday. That night I woke up at midnight in a pool of sweat and after checking my temperature it was at 101.5. The next morning, after waking up every hour on the hour, I was still burning up and felt horrible. I had to call and tell our worship leader that I wouldn't be able to make the Easter service and cried realizing that Callie was going to miss her very first Easter Sunday because her mommy was sick. Somehow, we still managed to make lunch at my mom's house, but had to make an early departure as my symptoms were growing worse.

I spent the entire afternoon in bed where my fever grew to 102.9. I called the doctor to see what I should do and after hearing my symptoms he suggested I go straight to the ER to have a spinal tap to check for meningitis. I was petrified and as soon as Josh returned home from grocery shopping we headed to the hospital. The evening was spent with me hooked up to an IV, chest x-rays, blood tests and eventually, a spinal tap. The blood tests showed my white blood cell count was low and my liver enzymes were off but the spinal tap looked great. They sent me home saying to keep on my meds and that I would get better soon.

Monday was spent lying down because a new headache had appeared, and if I was anything but prone it would feel as if a 600 lb man was hulk smashing my brain into the ground. Josh had a work trip scheduled and after coming home to surprise me before his departure he was reluctantly on his way. My mom was able to come and stay with me to help out with Callie, thank the Lord.

Tuesday the symptoms intensified and by early morning I was doing something I very rarely do, asking for help... Even lying down my headaches were so severe that I couldn't breathe or move. My mom drove me to the doctor where I waited for what seemed like an eternity to be seen. After a quick assessment they sent me over to the ER once again. The rest of the morning/afternoon is a complete and total blur as I was in so much pain that nothing mattered but getting relief. I was put on an IV where they gave me morphine and a few other medications. An hour later the pain was less intense but as soon as they sat me up the headaches reared their ugly head and the doctors made their decision. I was diagnosed with a post lumbar puncture headache. Basically, your brain sits in a sac of fluid with a tail that travels down your spine. When I got the spinal tap on Sunday it punctured the sac leaving a hole where spinal fluid was leaking out into my back. This slow leaking of fluid causes an imbalance in the fluid your brain sits in, causing excruciating headaches. As a solution, they preform what is called an epidural blood patch... This is where it gets fun, ladies and gentlemen. As if it wasn't enough to have my spine poked with a large gauge needle once, they needed to do it again. This time, two anesthesiologists came in, one to put in the epidural while the other drew blood from my arm (yes, at the same dadgum time), once the blood was drawn (20-30 ccs to be exact) it was then injected into my spine via the epidural. The blood clots and works its magic and somehow closes the hole... Well it worked and they sent me on my merry little way with strict orders of bed rest to recover.

I truly thought that one day would be enough to recover from all of this and boy was I wrong. I woke up this morning to get ready for work and was rudely reminded of the pain I had experienced as the headaches started to return. In some cases the blood patch has to be repeated... So here I am, lying in bed STILL, and as frustrated as ever. The pain has been so intense that I haven't been able to eat much and have lost weight as well. As long as I'm able to tolerate the pain I'm going to handle it because eventually the hole will close and the leaking will stop.

With all that being said, it has been a less than phenomenal week for me. I haven't been able to go to work and see my coworkers or kids, I haven't been able to pick my daughter up, change her diapers or even give her baths and on top of it all I'm left with anxiety of a looming headache that keeps threatening to return full force and send me back to the emergency room. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated- mostly for God's will to be, and for a quick, pain-free recovery. I am officially out of sick days for work and each day I miss is now being deducted from my salary. It is an all too familiar reality that we dealt with last year as Callie arrived earlier than expected. I know that God is the ultimate healer, and that He knows my path and has a plan for my family. My faith is ever stretching as I walk side-by-side with Him, but it is not an easy path to follow. Thank you for your prayers... I'll be sure to post an update soon.

Wednesday, March 27

Videos Galore

We take so many videos of the Cal-Girl but never upload them anywhere. So instead of letting them accumulate cobwebs on my phone, I thought this would be a great place to let them live. I hope you enjoy them just as much as we do... Believe me, Callie's favorite thing to do is watch herself on video. She's a ham and totally into herself. Hahahah.

1. "Walking" with Mommy

2. Saying "Hey Kitty!"

3. Saying "Mama"

4. Saying "Gigi"

Saying "Gigi"

Callie 10 Months

Where has this last month gone?! Seriously! Callie is less than two months shy of a year old and I am SO not ready to be a momma to a toddler. She is standing, walking with assistance, babbling like a girl after my own heart and oh-so inquisitive. Homegirl is weighing in at a whopping 16lbs 3.5 oz (20th%) and 28 inches long (25th%).

She adores books, balls, her pink car, puzzles, blankie, baths, paci, baby, and getting into absolutely everything.

She now has a vocabulary of 7 words; Daddy (Dada), Mama, Kitty, hi, Gigi (Marsha), Nana (Jan), and Lala (Athena)! If you include that she is using sign language to sign "milk" that would be 8 words!! I can't believe how much she's grown up. Even her pictures make her look like a little girl!

She still has only two teeth but with her demeanor lately I am convinced there are more on the way. She's still nursing (air-fiving myself because, let's face it, making it to 10 months is quite a feat!) and is eating two solid (and when I say solid I mean pureed) meals a day.

My very favorite thing in the whole wide world that she does is sing. If I'm singing or talking in a sweet high voice she will mimic it and my heart melts to mush every single time. Here are a few of her 10 month pictures. She gets increasingly more difficult to photograph every month, little toot!

I'm thinkin' she could get away with just about anything with those eyes... just don't tell her I said so.

I adore this picture because it displays Callie to a T... She's our little inspector!

Birthday party plans are in full swing (even though I'm in denial) and I am really looking forward to making it a special day for her, even if she won't have any recollection later! To say we adore her is an absolute understatement... She is our life and we wouldn't have it any other way. Love you little Callie Bird!!!

Saturday, March 16

Spring Break Loveliness

This past week has been blissfully wonderful. Yes, extremely busy, but NO WORK!!!!!! I was blessed to spend the entire week with my little princess and boy did we pack a lot in.

We started things off with friends and games on Sunday. Kristi, Angie and her husband Josh all came in from Dallas/Lewisville and spent the day with us. We had some incredible Mexican food, played Farkle and enjoyed each others company to the fullest. Callie is so lucky to have such wonderful "aunts" and "uncles" who love, adore and spoil her.

There were so many things that I wanted to accomplish over the break, but also wanted to match it with a healthy balance of complete and total laziness. Unfortunately Callie decided that she was over nap time and would take one 20-30 minute nap a day. Not so much time for Mommy to get things done. :P

Monday we ventured out and had lunch with Josh and got some grocery/craft shopping done. Tuesday was spent at the sewing machine trying out some new craft ideas. I made Cal-Pal's St. Patty's day outfit, and started on some ADORABLE little baby boy suspenders for a friend. I've had some wonderful feedback about opening an Etsy shop this summer and have officially decided to go for it! I'll be selling infant/toddler/little girl headbands, paci clips, suspenders, leg warmers and a few other odds and ends for little ones, but more on that later! We also had a picnic in the backyard to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Wednesday we took a trip to the Fort Worth Museum to see the Titanic exhibit with some friends from church. Callie REFUSED to nap once again and just chilled in our ergo baby carrier. I really enjoyed the exhibit. Walking through the recreated hallways and seeing actual pieces of the ship, clothing, and personal artifacts was eerie and majestic all at the same time. There were a few moments where I felt like I was on the set of the movie Titanic and that was pretty awesome. I also got to see my sister and niece for a little bit which we really enjoyed.

Thursday I finally got around to some cleaning and we had my family over for dinner that night. My mom and sister were in New York for Athena's high school trip and this dinner was our way to welcome them back and enjoy every second with family. Any time I get to see my brother, sisters and sweet little nephews is a great time.

Friday was by far my most favorite day! Josh took the day off of work and we took Callie to the zoo for the first time. We went with some friends from church and spent the entire morning and early afternoon exploring the zoo. We've always said that Callie-Bug's favorite animal is a giraffe but when we got to the glass where the white tiger was pacing back and forth, we discovered differently. Recently she discovered how to say "kitty" and we kept telling her that we were going to see a big kitty. As Josh walked her to the glass her hand extended out to try and pet the "kitty" and she would not take her little brown eyes off of him. It was incredible to see her connect and really notice something. As she gets older and more interactive she becomes so much more fun! We topped the afternoon off with lunch at the Love Shack (hellllooo dirty love burger!!!) and relaxing at home. That night we met up with friends for dinner to celebrate Kellie's birthday and catch up. It's amazing how much less you see your friends when babies enter the mix. :)

Here are some pictures from our lives this week... Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them! :)