fabs: day 6

an update from daddy...
Well, it's Tues morning and we're tired. But God is good. We are having small victories, which for us are huge. For the first time yesterday Fab's nursed and this is something which can be complicated with the down syndrome. Today she fed for two whole feedings [and hopefully a 3rd in 15 min]!! She's incredible. She's beautiful!! Each day brings new challenges but with a new one another goes. We've now taken her off oxygen, as well as backing off her feeding and the IV will be removed tonight. Her bilirubin shot up but is now at a manageable number and is dropping, so she's out from under the blue lights. I burped her for the first time last night. She's a trooper and I could bite her cheeks off. Thank you for all the prayers and support. We are overwhelmed by the love we feel from all our wonderful friends and family and especially our little one. We have some long days ahead but are glad we have people like you to walk with us. Love you guys!

fah bee ehn.

fabienne is a french name.
i know french pronunciation can be tricky for us americans, so i'm here to give you all a helping hand. for those who have been unsure how to pronounce it. for those who have been pronouncing it fabian [you're wrong.]
fah bee ehn
or
fah B N
that would be fah as in fa la la la, or fa so la ti do.
got it?
let's say it all together
fabienne.
well done!

fabs: day 3

thanks so much for all the prayers & encouragement. we love you friends. we can now hold fabienne, which has been absolutely wonderful!
an update my mom sent out: Day 3: Yesterday the heart doctor came in and explained Fabienne's heart defect. She will need surgery about 4 months of age. Of course we know God can touch her and heal her heart and we are praying for that, and trusting Him for whatever lies ahead. The genetics doctor also talked to us about Down Syndrome, which she has. Both doctors were excellent. Pray that the feedings today will go well. Fabienne has been on just IVs up to this point. Extra prayer today will be appreciated... day 3 is often tough.
The steadfast love of the Lord never changes.

our bundle of joy

it is with great joy we welcome
fabienne joy michau
6 lbs 2oz, 18.5 inches
10.21.10 1:29pm
we already love this little girl to pieces. she is beautiful and was born with a full head of hair just like her mother. she came with surprises from the start, coming almost 4 weeks early [not at ALL what mom was expecting!] the labor & birth went extremely well and i am quite pleased i went drug free just as i was hoping. fabienne had some complications after birth. although we are awaiting test results, we are fairly certain these complications are due to down syndrome. little fabs is a trooper. no mother or father can ever be prepared to see their little baby all hooked up to wires and monitors. it has been extremely difficult not to be able to hold her or sleep in the same room as her. around 11pm fabienne was transferred to the NICU at Strong. although we know the path ahead will not be easy, we also know that God is faithful. we will keep you updated as we are able. we so greatly appreciate your prayers. pray that the doctors will know what she needs to grow strong. pray for strength for us & the rest of the family. pray that fabienne will be able to come home soon. thank you for all your love and support.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

puppp relief

it is with great joy that i share my puppp's has been under control these past couple weeks. not sure if it was the lemon juice, the lotion, the weather, the pleading prayers, or perhaps a combination. but i would like to give props to my oatmeal lotion nonetheless. this st. ives lotion is the only thing i could find that brought rather immediate relief for the itch. it is also paraben & phthalate free. so if some poor itchy pregnant soul stumbles across this on the internets, desperately searching for remedies as i was, go get yourself some st. ives oatmeal lotion!

in the bag.

found this bdg canvas tote bag at uo for a steal of a deal.
it will serve as the diaper bag.
i love all the pockets & the bright color!
currently packing it as my 'hospital bag' [smokes! where does time go??] on the list [if i could just get it in the bag...]:

• comfy dress
  
• robe
  
• slippers, socks
• ipod
• pillows
  
• navy nursing tank
• jammies
• nursing bra
  
• nursing pads
  
• nipple cream
  
• undies
  
• pads
  
• car seat
• blanket for car seat
• going home elfit for me
• going home elfit for beebs
• bear fleece onsie [i must show you this.]
  
• snacks
• raspberry leaf tea bags
• cot for j
  

any suggestions from those more experienced at birthing babies??

..week 32..

sweet baby girl...
your daddy & i spent our 10 year anniversary in yosemite! it was a dream come true. amazing mountains. cascading waterfalls. tremendous rocks and cliffs. ancient giant sequoias. crisp starlight nights. it was absolutely amazing. my hips were pretty sore at night from all the walking and hiking and i finally figured out that putting a pillow under or between my legs while i was sleeping helped quite a bit. your daddy & i so enjoy traveling and exploring together and look forward to bringing you on some of these adventures. there are so many amazing places around the world we would just love to show you! we'll have to come back to hike half dome...i wasn't quite feeling up for it on this trip!

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ...John Muir

[slowly but surely we will get caught up. i'm only about 4 weeks behind...]

foodie friday!

[that's 2 weeks in a row steph!]

super yummy egg&cheese wrap

what you need:
flour tortilla
1 large farm fresh egg [we buy ours from a friend]
[have you ever noticed how much yellower the yolks are in farm fresh eggs?]
yancey's jalapeno peppadew cheese
1 sweet hubs who makes the best fluffy eggs ever
[the best is taken, so i suppose you should find the next best.]

off to enjoy this fine fall day...

colorful dipes!

we have decided to go with cloth diapers.
who'da ever thought it would be exciting to get diapers in the mail??
i was quite excited when this colorful bunch showed up at my front door. these are charlie banana. i got them 40% off. [woot woot!]
can't wait to put these colorful dipes on a tiny baby bum!

foodie friday!

hello fall.
hello brisk air.
hello crunchy honeycrisp apples.
hello brightly colored leaves.
hello smell of freshly fallen leaves.
hello pumpkin spice muffin.
hello pumpkin spice donut that lyx will be bringing me from oram's. [yes??]

*pumpkin spice muffin from dunkin donuts.
so worth 600 calories.
maybe.
ok, i usually share it with j.

..week 31..

sweet baby girl...
a trip to tahoe! i'm so grateful i was feeling well for this trip and even able to get a peak bagged. [maggies peak 8,699 feet.] i was a bit nervous because we bought the tickets so far in advance and i wasn't sure how i'd be feeling at this stage. we got lots of comments on the trail. every person we passed said something about me out there hiking. one lady told me her husband was complaining about the hike and she pointed me out, 'there's a pregnant lady down there!' i will say my hips were very sore after this hike! every time i rolled over in the night my achy hips woke me up. i also didn't bring my oatmeal lotion along & my puppp's flared up a bit, which wasn't very comfortable. it was an amazing trip for me & your daddy to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. i love him so much and we always have so much fun being together. God has blessed us so much over these 10 years and i can't wait to see what the next 10 will hold.


photos by: baby daddy.

feeling risky...

because of this belly, i may not be able to get these boots off til my sweet hubs gets home to help me...but they're oh-so-perfect for a rainy day on the farm!