January 26, 2011

We're in Minnesota! We've been without Internet, hence the lack of blog activity, but we couldn't live without it and as of this morning we are online!

The move went great, thanks to our friends in Houghton and the Twin Cities. I was a bit worried about Patrick being stuck unloading the entire U-Haul by himself, but that wasn't the case and everything was in our new apartment in under an hour.

Michigan Tech was nice to us up until the end and let Charlotte and I stay in an on-campus guest room (as opposed to our empty apartment), so I got to sleep on a bed! A minor glitch: we had so much help moving that Charlotte's travel bed was loaded into the U-Haul and on its way to MN before I realized it. Luckily one of my former co-workers was able to bring me a toddler bed for her to sleep in. Yes, Charlotte slept in a big girl toddler bed and she did amazingly. The first night she crawled out once, but otherwise she stayed in bed and slept. She and I arrived in MN on Monday the 17th as planned.

My new job is great. I think I'm going to love it! Every once in a while I'll get a little nostalgic and miss Houghton, but then something cool will happen like my parents came up on Saturday just for the afternoon to help us unpack, or Patrick's mom is coming to help with Charlotte this Friday...things we may have taken for granted if we hadn't lived away for a while.

We've been busy unpacking and haven't taken any pictures of Charlotte! I can't believe it. We're close to being box-free, so photos will come soon. Just this week she has started taking a few steps while holding on to one hand! Her first step is just around the corner.

January 13, 2011

Charlotte sported her new shades on our tour of Wisconsin last week. Her GI doctor in Milwaukee thought her virus may have "tipped the apple cart" and she was just taking longer to recover/regain her ability to not throw up. I wish he could wave a magic wand (it would make the trip feel much more worthwhile), but this week she's been throwing up less, so we think she is getting better.

It's been over one year since Charlotte's G-tube was placed. I remember thinking she'd have it for a couple of months at most, but here we are! The morning before her surgery I took a bunch of pictures of her without any tubes, and now I almost don't even see the tube when I look at her. In any case, here's one of her tube-free photos:


We had a nice Christmas with Pat's family, and then made our last trip "home" to the UP! Our last week at Tech has gone quickly. Today was my last day of work, and it was pretty sad! I'm definitely excited about my new job, but Tech is pretty special. Where else can I go outside in January and find 50+ students cheering on broomball games while groups of students are all over campus making forms for the month-long statue building? Patrick will wrap up his position at the library tomorrow, and then it's time to go!

Charlotte wore her Michigan Tech dress to my going away party. She was very timid around all the unfamiliar people, which meant I got to snuggle with her. :)

Here's Charlotte's post-bath hair. I love how it sticks up all over!

Saturday we load the U-Haul and Patrick will head out that afternoon. He's meeting some of our friends in St. Paul to help unload the truck. Unfortunately, I'll miss unloading the U-Haul because Charlotte needs her Synagis shot on Monday. We tried scheduling an appointment in the Twin Cities, but no one was willing to order her the shot without first establishing as her primary. This process would have taken about 3 weeks, and she needs the shot on Monday. Maybe Patrick will have everything unpacked by the time we arrive! I can only dream...

January 3, 2011

Welcome to 2011! I hope the new year brings happiness and good health to you and your family!

On Sunday we enjoyed having the Jenson's and Vendlinski's over. These families also had micro preemies and provided what I will term supportive outreach while we were in the NICU. I still remember how stunned and grateful I was to receive a package from a complete stranger at Charlotte's bedside in the Marquette NICU. Lindsey Jenson had sent a care package with reading materials and Charlotte's first preemie clothes - a red and white dress and a pretty pink hat. Then, while we were in Milwaukee the Vendlinski's were in town for a marathon and they took us out for dinner where we met their preemie twins turned perfectly health toddlers. Since then we've met for the occasional dinner in Houghton (including another mom who wasn't able to make it on Sunday). Anyway, they're good people and their blogs are linked to the right.

The students are gone for winter break, so we were able to take advantage of the ballroom in our building and let the kids run around. Here's a rare moment when they were all standing still after Patrick turned off the Vikings game for a bit of Yo Gabba Gabba.

Willow and Charlotte looking pretty serious.

Catherine, Willow, Charlotte, and Lewis. I took about 5 or 6 pictures and this might be the only one where they're all looking in the general direction of the camera. :)

Charlotte may not be looking at the camera in this one, but at least her glasses are on!

Charlotte has discovered the empty cupboards resulting from our packing. Who needs pots and pans when cupboards are such great play spaces?!

I mentioned in my previous post that Charlotte has been throwing up again. She has lost about one and a half pounds as a result, so Patrick and I have started thinking it might be best to return to the GJ Tube. Today we called CHW to find out what Dr. Stephens thought, and he is very opposed to this backward step and considers it a last resort. Since she has lost weight he, of course, wants to see her in clinic. So, we'll be making one more trip to Milwaukee on Friday. Unless Charlotte stops throwing up, and that's what I'm hoping for!