March for Babies

Dads turn...Its been a while since Ive done one of these,so bare with me. Ive been gettin a few requests today for pictures of the March for Babies that we had today in Holland for the March of Dimes.







It was a very sunny day for it, but very windy and cold. We started near the lake shore at Lake Macatawa, which didnt help any because of the west wind, but once we got to walking, we warmed up a little because we got out of the wind.
What a wonderful experience this was. The Melanie Marchers, and probably 2-300 other people walking today which was really cool. There were people walking in remembrance of the children they lost, and those walking for the victory of a premature child born that survived like we have been blessed with. It was really neat seeing so many people and their compassion for the cause of the March of Dimes. It was humbling seeing everyone registering and handing in the money they collected.
Being the Ambassador family meant we had to speak in front of all these people though. That was not nearly the highlight, although it went pretty smooth. Nicki did great :)
We also got to hang out with some friends from the hospital. The Lamar Twinners, as they are called looked adorable. They grew like crazy as well. Its hard to believe these kids born a few months ago weighing 2 + pounds look as well as they do. We are all very greatful.
Afterwards, there were some activities, although it was very cold, so not a lot of people hung around for that. There was a dunk tank, and some poor sap kept getting wet. He was shivering like crazy...unbelievable. There was a girl in a chicken suit whom Jayden despised, pizza, a few games, and of course, the jungle gym for the girls to play on.


All in all, it went pretty well. We now know what we're doing a little better, so we hope to be able to do a better job next year. Sounds like they might want us to do a little more volunteering as well next year, which is cool. Means we weren't total failures this year :)
We again want to thank the March of Dimes for what they do. What a wonderful experience we had at the hospital. It was good to do some reflecting today, especially with the Lamars while on our 5 mile walk. God has blessed this family with a very healthy Melanie, and we are thankful for this.
Hope you are all doing well!

Til next time

March for Babies on Saturday

Somehow it is the middle of April already. The March of Dimes Walk is Saturday. Yes, Saturday, I was just as surprised when I realized how quickly the past month has gone by. As ambassadors for the MOD, we will be giving a quick (hopefully very quick) talk on Saturday morning before we begin the 5 mile walk downtown Holland. The purpose of the MOD is to help all babies, the unborn, the premature, and the healthy ones. They do this through many different avenues; educating parents, hosting programs at the hospital, research, and so much more. We are so thankful for an organization like the MOD that helped research the surfactant Melanie received at birth to help her lungs. Without that surfactant her lungs may not have been able to breath at 26 weeks outside of the womb. The MOD has helped our family in numerous ways so we will be walking on Saturday to give back.

Yes, we are trying to raise money before the walk. We are also looking for others to walk along with us. If the weather is nice we will be taking the whole family and would love to see you and your family too. For those of you that are already walking with us we would love it if you could e-mail us with your phone number and we'll send out a text Saturday morning(after we scout it out) with a place we can all meet and then walk together if possible. Our e-mail is jeffwestra11@yahoo.com

The walk begins and ends at Kollen's Park in Holland

April 17, 2010
East 10th St. & VanRaalte Ave
Holland, MI 49423

Walk Distance: 5 miles
Registration Time: 8:00 AM
Start Time: 8:30 AM
Chapter: Grand Rapids Division
Phone: (616) 247-6861
(I've heard there's a $15 or $20 registration fee which includes a t-shirt, I'm checking on that)

For those of you that are unable to walk and would like to help through donations, check out the website below.
http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1377031
Melanie-first week of life.
Melanie compared to Dad's hand.Melanie-growing, growing, growing!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jayden at OneTrueMedia.com

Oh Jayden, can it be you're 2 already?? I still remember the details of the day you were born. You showed us that day already that you were going to have a stubborn side :) We love you so much and can not imagine what this house would be like without you. You add so much humor and silliness to our everyday lives! You LOVE to have fun and will giggle at almost anything. You are a daredevil, always climbing on things, touching, and never afraid to try anything new. Your favorite color is purple (even though every color is purple to you), your favorite thing to play right now is house with Miya. You are so tender and caring (with your babies), feeding them while I feed Melanie and always asking us if we want to hold them. Your favorite food is mac and cheese and fruit snacks. You have just begun to string words together to make sentences and are now talking a blue streak. I remember the days when all you'd say was "aah, aah", it seems like sooo long ago but it was really only a few months ago. You LOVE your daddy and run to him every night when he gets home. You always ask to hold Melanie even though it usually lasts for less then a minute. Reading books is another of your favorite pass times; something we thought you'd never enjoy as you wouldn't sit for more then 30 seconds. You are always the one to remind us to read the bible after meals and will cry if you can't put it away when we finish. You like to pick on your big sister and are often found hitting, biting, pinching, or pulling her hair. However, you love her so much and try to do everything she does and go everywhere she goes. You two have so much fun together!

Jayden, we have enjoyed watching you grow into a toddler over the last year and are so thankful for every minute God has given us with you. We are so excited to see the plans the Lord has for your future. Our prayer is that you will serve Him in all that you do. For now, we'll continue to enjoy the moments God blesses us with you. We love you Jades!!!!!!!!!

Before hitting play on the slide show you'll want to scroll to the bottom of this blog and pause the music...even though the first song is the one I wanted to use...those of you that know how to download and upload music let me know!! Just hit the green triangle to start the slide show, ENJOY!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Smile

It's official. Melanie is smiling. She will smile for anybody, except the camera. When that thing is in front of her there is no smiling. Makes pictures a little difficult, but I was able to get one this morning of her smiling at Miya. I'll keep trying to get more. We are so thankful little Melanie has reached this milestone in her life. Today we had another weight check for her....9 pounds 8 ounces. She's back to gaining a little more then an ounce a day :) Melanie also had her first stroller ride 2 nights ago. A little strange when I think about it as Miya had her fist stroller ride at 4 DAYS old and Jayden at about week old. Melanie had to wait till she was 5 months old (hard to imagine she's 5 months old today!!!!).

The girls in this house HAD to get out for a bit and use some energy. Since Melanie isn't supposed to be exposed to germs that ruled out groceries. It was a mild night so we bundled her up and went for a short walk (no germs there, right??). She slept for most of it and thought she needed a bottle as soon as we got back (she worked soooo hard sleeping in that stroller)! I have to confess it was a little CRAZY at times. Charlie (the dog) tagged along since we can't lock her in the garage due to a broken doggie door. Jayden was very concerned with Charlie which slowed her down even more and Miya was so excited to be free of the house I had all I could do to keep her near. Of course Charlie thought she had to walk on the opposite side of the rode which threw Jades into fits.....lesson learned; no more walks till I fix the doggy door.

Quick Video

Here is another unsuccessful video of us trying to get Melanie to smile, yes she is sitting in one of the girls' baby strollers. The end of the video is Jayden explaining what she wants for her birthday. This is a mild version compared to how excited she usually gets when we ask her about her birthday!

4 Month Check-up

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? Wow how time flys. Things have been busy, busy around here. One of the biggest things that's kept me from blogging is that little Miss Melanie thinks she needs to be held, ALOT!! She has had some pretty bad reflux the past few weeks that I think we are finally on-top of. From the 5pm till about 11:30pm she thinks she needs to be held, chest to chest. Well that would be WONDERFUL if she was the first child. Being the third makes that a little bit of a problem. She had her 4month check-up (even though she's almost 5months) last Friday and I asked Dr. G how to un-spoil her so we can function again around here. He gave me some very good words of wisdom. He reminded me that yes she is 4 1/2 months old, but really, developmentally, she is only about 6weeks old. 6 week old babies cannot sooth themselves and need to be calmed by being held. This was a good reminder for me. I have been getting frustrated at some of the things she's doing (or not doing) but they are all normal for a preemie. This is going to be something that I will have to continually be reminded of. I guess that means a few more early morning feedings, even though it feels like AGES since we've had a good night's sleep.

Melanie is weighing 8lbs 8ozs. Normally she gains an ounce a day. This past week she gained 2oz the entire week. So we made some changes and have a weight re-check next week. I think this will go well as she has been eating every 2hours (the past 18hrs) lately. I feel a growth spurt coming on. She has outgrown her preemie outfits and almost all of her newborn, however the 3month clothes are still too big.

As for her eyes, they are mature!!!! YAAAAH!!!! We have one more check of her ROP to make sure in 4 weeks if all stays the same we will not have to go back to that particular eye dr. This means she no longer has ROP and the blood vessels have crossed the ridge in both eyes meaning she no longer is in danger of her retina detaching. These visits really have had nothing to do with her vision. She will need to start with a pediatric eye dr. closer to 9 months of age. We are so thankful that we can say bye-bye to this part of her development (almost).

Melanie is starting to smile. She is very stingy with them as of yet so I haven't been able to get one on camera. She gives them to Jeff the most. It was a huge blessing and relief the first time I saw her smile. If she can smile, I feel we will be able to deal with any developmental delays (or anything else) that may come our way. With a smile we know she is happy and content. One of our prayers for her, to be a happy baby. We praise God for this milestone in her life!

Here is a video of Melanie having some tummy time. She'll stay there for about 3-5min. We have a lot of work to do here....she does get a little excited and roll off the side of the pillow onto her back, which she did as soon as I shut of the camera. You'll notice she's lifting her head (kinda) and sucking her fingers(with her hands in the middle of her body), all good signs of development.

Pictures

Here is a little of what we've been up to....

I think Jayden may have been scared...for all of 30 seconds.

Fixing puzzles with dad!

Melanie is growing, growing, growing. Do you see the rolls on her neck. She is getting rolls in her diaper too. Baby chub is sooo cute! So thankful she is getting it. She was 7#'s 6 oz last Tuesday...probably 7# 14ish today. Her eyes are improving, back to eye dr. today (argh...i have to remember my book today)

Miya has decided to start doing her own hair. Doesn't it look great? (good thing we can/t leave the house :)

Grandpa and Grandma (Great)came for a visit from Iowa. It was so good to have them here! This was there first time seeing Melanie. Whenever they were around, Melanie was in their arms! Miya and Jayden had a ton of fun with them as always. And Jeff and I enjoyed their company. Ohhh if we only lived closer.

Melanie is having a lot of reflux and needs to sit up after eating. She LOVES being held, but I cant do that after every feeding...so we broke out the swing. She loves it! Jayden thinks it's pretty cool too (she puts her babies in it). Melanie does tend to cry though when the music turns off....I think we may be getting a little spoiled. And yes, the girls wear their sunglasses ALL the time.

Since we are confined to the house I have been trying to find different things for the girls to do, hence painting coffee filters. This is the "happy" before shot. Before what you ask? Before Jayden dumped the red paint off the table onto the carpet. :)

Hanging out with Melanie.