Mischevious Munchkin

It's not difficult to imagine this mischevious little face keeping mom on her toes today by deciding to poop & pee whenever the diaper was taken off, is it? Twice today we went through 3 diapers in one changing, because I'd just slip the clean one under her & she'd decide to fill it (apparently in 3 separate stages!) :)
You can't get mad at that little face, though!

My Favorite Moments of the Day

One of my favorite moments in the midst of these crazy sleep-deprived mornings with an infant- is trying to sit down & enjoy breakfast while Leta takes her morning nap. Thanks to the generosity of others- we've had wonderful pumpkin muffins & breads, which, along with my coffee, truly helps me to savor this fall season.
Over breakfast, I've been reading this great book called Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry & loving it! After reading it & stealing these few minutes- I feel so much more centered & able to appreciate the small wonders of a day with this incredible baby.

My absolute favorite moment of the day, however, is this one above. The Premie Parents Companion (which I've also been reading) suggests "kangerooing" with your premie every day. This skin to skin contact is especially important since her first week was spent in an isolette away from much touch or contact. I cherish this time more than anything & look forward to it every morning!

I'll leave you with an incredible quote from "Mitten Strings....":

"I have learned to quit speeding through life, always trying to do too many things too quickly, without taking the time to enjoy each day's doings. I think I always thought of real living as being high. I don't mean on drugs - I mean real living was falling in love, or when I got my first job, or when I was able to help somebody, or watch my baby get born...In between the highs I was impatient - you know how it is - life seemed so Daily. Now I love the dailiness. I enjoy washing dishes. I enjoy cooking, I see my father's roses out the kitchen window, I like picking beans. I notice everything- birdsongs, the clouds, the sound of wind, the glory of sunshine after two weeks of rain. These things I took for granted before."

An Inagural Walk in the Stroller

I think I've been posting so much lately because this blog is one link to the outside world. Because Little Leta is so tiny (hopefully close to 5 lbs now)- as you can see in her carseat carrier above- the doctors instructed us not to take her out in public, or to take her for a walk unless she's completely bundled and it's at least 60 degrees.

Yesterday, I realized that I hadn't even stepped outside since Monday. So, since it was so sunny & mild, we took Leta for a short first walk in her stroller. She kinda' gets lost in it, doesn't she? :)

Fall!

I spend most of the day on the couch- either feeding, pumping, rocking, or whatnot- staring out our picture window at our neighbors' houses across the street & their fall decorations- pumpkins on the porch, fall wreaths. Not having unpacked any decorations yet, I have been really wanting to get a pumpkin for our porch or some indoor sign of celebrating this season that I love.

So, I was so excited when one of the gals from our Sunday School class brought us dinner last night (which was AMAZING!) and also brought these little pumpkin candles & fall branch- all in an adorable pail with apple cider! Finally, an inside reminder of fall that I see whenever I pass our dining room table, since my outdoor time is limited (It's still too cold for Baby Leta & her lack of body fat to go for walks, apparently- so until yesterday, I hadn't even stepped out of my door since being home Monday)

Last night I was in such an autumn mood that I asked Matt to build a fire & we snuggled down with our amazing apple pork chops & cranberry salad, pumpkin bread & hot apple cider, as Baby Leta slept in her basinett beside us. Talk about the perfect October evening!

A Nursery Sneak Peak

This really attractive corner was the nursery when we moved in- horrible brown carpet from the 70's, sallow off-white walls & trim, filthy walls & beige mini-blinds.
Because we thought we'd have 6 more weeks to finish the nursery before little Leta arrived home, we are still in the midst of finishing it. We had the hard wood floors refinished, painted (& by "we"- I mean Matt & our parents - who are amazing helpers!) Just yesterday we got the crib & put on the bedding. Thanks to Matt's mom- our changing table & book rack were painted to match the crib. We still need to decorate the walls & buy a few more necessities- but it's coming together!

The beautiful crib bumper that Matt's mom made to match the Pottery Barn bedding.

This book rack was a generous, thoughtful gift from Rebekah, Jenny & Kristen ( thank you so much! I love it!). And look how many books I've been collecting from used bookstores & thriftstores since finding out I was pregnant. So many of my favorites!

We're Home!

We got to come home on Sunday evening & I must say, we are loving it! We're loving getting accustomed to this new life with this new little one in our new house- basically there's a lot of excitement going on over here :)

Leta is doing wonderfully & we are so blessed by her! I haven't had much time to reflect on the many ways this little peanut has enriched our lives- but will definitely post more soon.
Until then, for your viewing pleasure:

Leta awake & hungry

Asleep

Conked Out.

I know that it's just gas- but seriously, does anything make a mom's heart melt like those first little flickering smiles?!

A Brief Sneak Peak

Baby Leta

I only have a few minutes of internet access - little Leta is still in the hospital & I'm staying there with her- but I had to post the first picture.

I'll post the birth story sometime soon- it's a CRAZY one! But, until then- here she is (healthy & doing so well! We hope she might get to come home this weekend!) We are SO BLESSED and could not be more in love with this little trooper!

Leta Suzanne

Born: October 13th (6 1/2 weeks early)

4 lbs, 12 oz

Productivity

My days are usually characterized as "good ones" if they are productive. I'm a compulsive list maker & being able to see things crossed off that list is so rewarding for me! However, since being confined to my bed for large parts of the day and feeling sick- I have not experienced this coveted feeling of being productive in quite awhile. You know how it is when you're sick- you'd like to think you'll take that time reading things you should be reading, or working on things you can do while lying down. But really, you just want distraction- and I've been finding that in too many hours of watching TV shows on DVD, reading fiction, etc...

But today, I sat back after dinner and realized- this was a productive day! Here are some of the things I was able to get accomplished:

• Researched a bunch of things like wireless internet and new cell plans, etc... on the internet
• Got a TON of stuff done for work (even went into the office for a little bit)- I mean I was crossing things off right & left! (which is good, because I could not be more behind!)
• Finished up on some thank you notes
• Figured out exactly what still needed to be done on the house & then which family members were going to be able to do what (they've been AMAZING- between our 2 sets of parents, someone is over there helping Matt every night & weekend!)
• Even packed a few boxes that my brother's going to take over tomorrow after work

It feels great to not just wallow all day, but actually feel like, even though I can't do much physically- I am still able to be productive with my time :)

The First Apple Cider of the Fall

You'd think being home most of the day would give me plenty of time to update the blog more often than I have. But maybe I just haven't done anything to note. As I've mentioned before, due to the auto-immune disease and its side effects, I've been on a very boring (taste-less) diet. But they have finally told me to start introducing more calories (in very specific ways) and so tonight- I had hot apple cider! As soon as I found out I could drink it, I ran out and bought some, because I have been craving it ever since I realized that it is truly fall! Everything good about fall can be summed up in the taste of hot apple cider!

As I sipped my cider, I thought about all the things I have to be happy about:

• The house coming together- I love the paint colors & the hardwood floors!
• Looking forward to getting in the house and figuring out where things will go & how to decorate (which will be a VERY slow process considering that I can only do so much out of bed each day. But, it will be so fun!) We're moving everything in this weekend- (and by "we", I mean not me, because unfortunately I'm unable to do much- but Matt's been amazing!)
• A brief trip I was able to make to Ikea this morning to get a few thing we need for the house.
• A changing table & highchair for Baby that we purchased off of Craigs List this weekend. The highchair was an incredible deal, barely used & just the colors I wanted. And the changing table needs a little TLC- but was an even better deal & is the style I was looking for. Hopefully the nursery will start coming together soon!
  

What's in a Name?

So, I'm sorry if the blog has been all about pregnancy lately- but when you're stuck in bed unable to do much of anything except remind yourself that your main job is to grow this baby- it becomes the focus of your otherwise boring days. (Thank you for your continued well-wishes, by the way. I had another set-back this weekend, so I'm still not feeling any better, yet- but hopefully will soon).
This picture was taken at a shower this weekend- the adorable wall letters given to me by my friend, C. And this is the name of our little girl!

Leta Suzanne Neill.

As soon as we started talking about names, Matt & I both knew we would love to use names that held great meaning for us, naming our children after those who have influenced our lives most profoundly. When we found out it was a girl, I knew exactly whose name I wanted her to carry on- my grandmother's. I know a lot of people are close to their grandmothers- but mine was by far the most influential person in my life after my parents.
All of my life she lived within a few mile radius of us and I went to her house every day before and after school, as my mom worked. Not only that, but we would then spend a big chunk of the weekends at her house as well. I probably saw her most every day growing up (she's still living, but currently suffers from alzheimers and lives in a dementia family home).
My grandma was the stereotypical southern bell- always well-dressed and made up, her hair a regal crown of white ever since she grayed early in her 30's. She speaks with a southern accent, is amazing hospitable, flawlessly well-mannered and calls perfect strangers "sweetheart" and "honey". She modeled selflessness for me- always willing to play whatever I wanted with me- paper dolls, art projects, Uno. And she always stressed the importance of education & furthering oneself- being the first child in her family of 10 to graduate from college and go on to start teaching at the early age of 19 until she retired at 62.
My grandma (whom we always called "mimi", instead of grandma) is actually named Mildred Oleta, but goes by Oleta. However, Matt wasn't a big fan of the "O" and we figured we'd shorten it anyways, so our little one will be "Leta" ("Suzanne" is a family name from Matt's side of the family- passed down for 3 generations).
So, there's the backstory. And my prayer is that our little girl grows up to reflect the incredible character of her namesake- my amazing grandmother Oleta.