G&G Visit!

Enjoying M&M's after a photo shoot!

 Once my parents spent a week here with us, Pete's parents came up to help us out the next week. Since I can't drive or lift anything over 10 pounds for a few weeks, it's nice to have the extra hands around. They've been working in the yard, entertaining Charlie, making meals, helping me adjust to having two kids, and just keeping me company while Pete is away. We are so lucky to be able to have both sets of grandparents spend so much time with us helping out. I don't know what Charlie is going to do when everyone finally leaves and it's just the three of us!

Grandpa enjoying Seda.

Everyone loving Seda!

An updated picture with Grandma and Grandpa.

Best Buddies.

Charlie helping Grandpa and Dad mow the lawn.

Hangin' out with Grandpa.

Brotherly Love . . .

Got both of them with their mouths open!

 I couldn't have asked for a better welcoming for Seda from Charlie. I knew he would be a big help and love her, but I had no idea it was going to be this much! From the minute he saw her, he's been hooked! He is constantly asking to hold her, tells her it's OK when she cries, and tries to help Pete and I figure out what she needs. Whenever he holds her (it's at least 5 times a day), he always kisses her head and says, "hi, baby girl" and "sweet baby". He's also very good at getting wipes and diapers, running dirty diapers to the garbage, and even handing me my Boppy pillow I used to feed her. He loves coming into our room in the morning and spending some quality family time while she nurses after waking up. I just hope that this lasts, and that when it's finally just the three of us at home he's OK with it. For now though . . .  I am loving every minute of it!!!

Helping Daddy hold Seda.

World's Greatest Big Brother!

Soft kisses for Seda.

A HUGE THANK YOU!!!

All I can say is that I have the most amazing parents! We called them the afternoon I went into the hospital, and they were up here the next afternoon. Not only were they taking care of Charlie, but they helped us get our house in order. When Pete and I were able to room in with Seda at the NICU, my parents took over Charlie duty. They were with him all day, and even had him spend the night at their hotel. I can imagine how exhausted they were at the end of the day with my VERY energetic 3-year-old. Without them, Pete wouldn't have been able to stay with Seda and I, which would have been OK, but it was nice for us to have the option. When Pete came home on Monday night, he sent me a picture text of what my parents did for us at the house. They cleaned out our attic, moved ALL of our boxes and tubs up there, made our four seasons room into an actual room, cleaned the entire house, stocked the refrigerator and pantry, kept Pete and I fed while at the hospital, and my mom even baked us cookies and choreg. I can't tell you how nice it was to come home on Wednesday to a clean AND organized house! These are things we have been wanting to do, but just haven't had the time to do.
Not being able to take care of both my kids at the same time was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Seda needed me at the hospital, but I also felt horrible because Charlie was missing me so much. Life for the last week could have been even more stressful for Pete and I had my parents not been here to keep things calm on the home-front. I hate that they were here all week, working in my house and not just sitting around and enjoying Seda. That's all I wanted them to be able to do, but what they did do was more than I could ask for! So, thank you, Mom and Dad... from the bottom of our hearts. You are the best parents a girl could ask for, and I don't know how we would have made it through this big event without you. We love you more than you know, and we are looking forward to our next visit where you can just sit and enjoy your time with Charlie and Seda! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Meeting Seda for the First Time!

Charlie waiting for Seda to come out of the NICU.

 On Wednesday morning, Seda got the all clear to head home! WOOHOO! Pete had Charlie in the morning, and they were just waiting for my phone call to come get us. Apparently Charlie was very antsy and kept asking when they could leave. When they got to the hospital, I waited in the waiting room with Charlie while Pete went back to get Seda. He was SO excited! All he wanted to do was see her and hold her. When Pete finally brought her out, Charlie got a huge smile on his face and asked right away if he could hold her. As he was holding her, he looked up at me and said, "I like her. Can we take her home now?" It was the sweetest thing. Once we got in the car and headed home, it finally felt like our little family was complete! We are looking forward to our first few days together and seeing how Charlie takes to Seda. We'll keep you posted!

Seeing Seda for the second time.

Finally getting to touch her . . . 

... and give her kisses.

So happy to finally be holding his baby sister!

So much love for Seda.

Day 7... and Our Last Night!

Well, it looks like this should be our last night in the NICU! Seda needed to have 7 days (14 doses) of antibiotics before she is cleared. Since I didn't have her until 3:30pm on Wednesday, and the doses are administered at 6:00am & 6:00pm every day, we will do her last dose at 6am tomorrow morning. We just cannot wait to get this baby girl home!
Today was a good day. We tried to keep busy so we could avoid my spill of emotions again. Seda and I had a great night together. She fed well, and even let me sleep for 8 hours! This morning Pete and Charlie came to pick me up at the hospital, and then he dropped us off at my parent's hotel. He then went back to the hospital to spend some time with Seda. I showered up, and then my parents and I took Charlie to his Little Lambs class. It felt good to get out and do a regular routine with him. After Little Lambs, we had lunch and then headed back to the hospital. While Pete was with her, he got to feed her and spend some quality daddy/daughter time together. He also got to get some work stuff done while she slept. When we came back, my parents got to spend some time with her while Pete, Charlie and I waited in the waiting area.
Pete has been with Seda and I the rest of the day. We will head to dinner again tonight with my parents and Charlie, and then he'll head home to be with Charlie for the night. Seda's last dose of antibiotics is at 6am, and then hopefully the doctor will make his rounds early and discharge her. Being home for lunch tomorrow with our little family sounds like a glorious thing right now!!

Day 6 . . .

We are at the end of day 6. We had a good day with Seda, but it was very long for Pete and I. Being tucked back in this little room in the NICU is pretty lonely. Pete listens to his I-pod, I watch the Lost series on my Kindle, and we take turns napping on the bed. At around 4:00, I started to get really sad about missing Charlie. I HATE being away from him, and I especially hate when both Pete and I aren't there. Not being able to take care of both of my babies at the same time is really hard to stomach. I ended up finally breaking down and bawling, so we decided it would be best for us to take a break from the NICU and get out. We met my parents and Charlie for dinner, then Pete and I took Charlie for some ice cream. He was SO happy to see us! We also decided that Pete would go home to be with Charlie tonight. They dropped me back off at the hospital, and then headed home. I made it back just in time to feed Seda, and we had the best nursing session we've had so far! It felt so good, and I felt so refreshed getting some hugs and kisses from my little man. Seda and I sat and stared at each other for a little while later, she got checked on by the nurse, and now she's sleeping again. I am hoping for a good night with just the two of us. It was kind of nice having Pete here last night to help with her, but I think he's better off keeping Charlie company tonight. Fingers crossed for a good night and for us to be able to take our baby girl home with us tomorrow!!!

She was so awake and alert tonight... I had to get some pictures!

"I know I am cute!"

Snuggling in with Papa.

Squishy cheeks.

Her legs looks so tiny next to my dad's hands.

Rooming in at the NICU . . .

When Pete and I got to the hospital Sunday morning, one of the nurses approached us with an option to room in with Seda while she's in the NICU. They have one room in the back that has a bed to allow parents to be able to be in the same room with their baby. Seda is still hooked up to everything like she was before, but there is a bed and a pull-out chair that Pete and I can sleep on. They wanted to give us the option so that I could work on nursing Seda more and not have to worry about all the driving back and forth. Of course we jumped on the opportunity! They said we could stay with her until she is discharged, and as long as another baby with worse conditions doesn't come in and need the room.
So, last night we headed to the hospital around 4:00 to start our stay with her. My WONDERFUL parents took Charlie for us for the night, and we are SO lucky for that. Otherwise, Pete wouldn't have been able to stay with me. We had a pretty decent first night. Seda is starting to catch onto the nursing thing, but she still gets very frustrated that the milk isn't just coming right out for her. She has one marathon session, then a couple very light ones, followed by another marathon one. I am really glad we are here because she and I need the practice. There is definitely something to be said about getting your newborn on your chest right away and nursing. I feel like my 24 hour absence from her has really set us back. Of course she has been sleeping four hour stretches since she's been here, but the night we are with her... she doesn't. :) She knew Mommy and Daddy were with her, so she took advantage of it! We didn't get much sleep from 10 to 1:30, but she finally passed out after a good feeding at 1:30 and slept until 5.
As it stands now, she needs to keep feeding well, and that will in turn have the doctor cut back on her IV fluid (cutting back on the IV fluid should in turn make her more hungry). She still has shown no sign of infection, which is awesome. Her antibiotics course is somewhere between 7-10 days, and they mentioned 7 to us, so we are working on sticking to that. If she keeps eating well, all her stats keep staying where they are, and the doctor thinks her risk of infection is gone, then we can hopefully take her home tomorrow (day 7).
So... keep your fingers crossed that all the signs keep pointing in the right direction! We are very anxious to get all these wires off our little one and home!

Nothing But Good News!!!

 Last night was my first night at home. It was so hard to leave the hospital with our baby girl. Looking at the empty car seat, then all the stuff at home for her, and then not having her next to the bed killed us. We got up early this morning and headed to the hospital. We were anxious to see how she did over the night. They told us she slept for 4 hours periods, then woke up and ate 2 ounces each feeding! WOOHOO!! This was her first actual round of feedings, so it was great news. When we went back at noon, she nursed for 20 minutes, which was a BIGGER accomplishment. Now that she is eating like a champ, they are turning down her IV, which in turn should make her even hungrier. They offered us a room in the NICU for tonight and tomorrow night, so we can room in with her and work on the nursing more. If she keeps eating well and her tests for the infection keep showing up negative, we are hoping to have her home with us Tuesday evening!
We are SO lucky that she is healthy and doing well. Yes, this is the hardest thing we've had to go through, but Pete and I are counting our blessings that she is doing so well. There are so many other babies in the NICU that are much worse off, so we are very lucky both she, and I, made it through this so well. The nurses and staff at Marquette General are the ABSOLUTE best! They make us feel right at home, and we know they are taking care of Seda like she is there own. Thank you all for your encouraging thoughts and prayers for our little family. Hopefully we'll all be together and settled at home by Tuesday night!!

One of the NICU nurses decided that Seda needed a cute outfit. My mom added the bow, and look at how cute she is!

Seda... With Her Eyes Open!!!

Hello, Baby Girl!

When Pete came back to the hospital this afternoon, we headed in to see Seda together. The last few times he was in to see her, she was sleeping, so we figured he could wake her up a bit for me to feed her. I'm so glad I brought the camera with because she was eyes open the whole time! Pete got to hold her for a bit, change her diaper, and then hand her over to for a feeding. We can't wait to get her out of all those wires and tubes... and home with us!

Look at all this cool stuff!

Hi, Daddy!

Starting to get sleepy again.

She looks completely different with her eyes open.

Day 3 for Seda . . .

Free of the oxygen! YAHOO!

 Day 3 is going GREAT for Seda! When I went in to see her this morning at 8:30, she had her oxygen taken off and was being transferred to a regular crib! It was the best feeling to see her without all the tape on her face, and she looked much happier. Now we are able to change her diaper, pick her up on our own, and just love on her as much as we want! She is still going to have to stay in the NICU until Tuesday or Wednesday though because of the antibiotics... they want to make sure she doesn't get an infection. So for now, she and I are working on the nursing thing, spending some good Mommy/daughter time, and just enjoying every minute!! I am hoping to get a picture of her with her eyes open soon, so hopefully that'll be in the next post! Oh... sad news is that Charlie isn't allowed in the NICU, so I can't get a picture of them together yet. :( He did get to meet her though. They rolled her over to a back door, and opened the door up for him to say hi. He got a huge smile on his face, but he was pretty bummed he couldn't hold her. I can't wait to see them together!

Just chillin' in Mommy's lap.

So nice to see her sweet face with tubes and tape on it.

Seda's name tag... half the info. is wrong, but it's there! :)

Her new sign with her real name now! We'll definitely keep the old one too!

Seda Jane Hrodey

Holding my baby girl for the first time.

Already a Daddy's girl!

Our baby girl, Seda (Say-duh), made her grand entrance into the world on April 18th... 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 19.5 inches! She gave us quite a scare when we checked into the hospital and not 10 minutes later, the doctor said we needed to do an emergency c-section because both mine and Seda's blood pressure and heart rates were very high. We heard her cry when she came out, but she was rushed right to the NICU because she looked so sick. I ended up having an infection in my uterus, and when the doctor opened me up, he said that it was on fire. Unfortunately, so was Seda with a temperature of 103. Her temperature came down very quickly, but they put her on antibiotics to make sure she didn't get my infection. The worst part for me was that I had to wait 24 hours to be on my antibiotics to go into the NICU to see her (I couldn't be around the other babies). Daddy got to go in right away and see her and hold her though, so he took good care of her while I was away. He took some pictures, then brought them in for me to see so we could decide on her name. We were choosing between Emily and Seda. Our thought was if she looked fair and blond, like Charlie, we would go with Emily, but if she looked Armenia and dark, we would go with Seda. She is fair, but Pete and I were both still leaning towards Seda, so that's what we picked. Seda is an Armenian name that means spirit of the forest. We decided to go with the Hrodey tradition and use a "J" middle name for her, so we thought Seda Jane sounded perfect. So, that's the story of our baby girl!! More pics and updates to come!

Seda and Mimi.

Day 2 Pictures.

My friend, Bobbi, was working in the NICU when Seda came in. We didn't have her name yet, so Bobbi made her a special sign to give her our pet names. I was SO happy that Bobby was there to take care of Seda for her first 10 hours.

Day 1 Pictures.