Long time no post

Sorry for the delay in posting.  I didn't even finish blog month, oh well.

Life took over and I also wasn't sure I wanted to blog at the time either.  I wanted to get through the period where last year Kennedy was still in the nicu.  Some of the stuff is still a little raw for me and I didn't want that to reflect in all of the posts.

So, since the last posts we had Thanksgiving, decorated our tree, had some visitors and visited some others, and now we are officially onto the christmas season.

I promise I'll post some updates about all of the above.

For now, a pic of Kennedy, last year on December 8, 2010 we got to leave the hospital for the first time ever WITH Kennedy.  A year later she has just grown so much!


Then:

Now:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am so so so incredibly thankful for my family and friends who have helped us get through the tough times last year, the hard times this year and the fun times all year round and more to come!!

Last year we spent Thanksgiving in the NICU.

This year we will spending Thanksgiving with our entire family and I cannot wait!  On to happy and good holidays this year. 

One year ago today...

Kennedy was 8 days old, weighed in at 3lb 7.5oz, and was moved from the level 2 nursery to the level 1 nursery in her NICU!  This meant she was taken off of her IV fluids, and was on her way to feeding by bottle/breast.  She became a full fledged feeder/grower at that point. 

It was also the day that Alanna came to visit us int he NICU and she took these wonderful pictures for us.

Now, a year later Kennedy is still growing like a weed.  Getting bigger each and every day.

One Year Stats!

She had her appointment yesterday, November 19, 2010 and here are Kennedy's current stats:

Weight: 17lb 13oz  (5%)
Length/Height: 28 1/4" (20%)
Head Circumference:  17 3/4" (50%)
*All of her percentiles are for her actual age - which is exciting, she is on the charts and staying there! 

She is just one long skinny child, gotta feed her some more good foods I guess!

One year ago on November 19, 1009 Kennedy weighed only 3lb 1.4oz, she now weighs over 5x that!

What a difference just one year makes....

November 18, 2009....

November 18, 2010....

One year ago today I was still in the hospital recovering from giving birth, pre-eclampsia, a likely infection, and Kennedy was fighting to grow, get strong, and learn to suck, swallow and breath (something they learn inside that she never got to learn). 

Today, she is almost 18lbs (will know for sure tomorrow, eating like crazy, crawling, cruising, talking (she says a few words - we think), and is a happy little camper. 

Thankful and lucky

We are incredibly thankful, appreciative, and grateful for the number of people who came out to celebrate Kennedy's first birthday with us.  We never got a chance to actually "share" her birth with everyone.  We were in what we like to call "lock down" until spring because of Flu and RSV season, and well the single fact alone that she was also 8 weeks early.

Our house was PACKED on Saturday with people who love and care for us and it warms my heart to know that everyone was there to help us celebrate.

I cannot thank everyone enough.

Here are a few pics of Kennedy enjoying some of the gifts everyone brought her.

I wrote this post when Kennedy was four months old - I think it still speaks volume today (November 14, 2010).

One year ago today, on November 14, 2009, was the day that we found out Kennedy was coming early. One year later we are lucky, happy, and thankful to have this beautiful happy girl.

Birthday Party Day!

Saturday was Kennedy's Birthday Party Day!  It went well, and I am incredibly thankful and grateful for everyone who came out to celebrate!

I will have this count as my Saturday post, and so I'll post a quick pick of her that morning getting ready for the day.  I'll do a bigger post on her party later. 

One year ago today on November 13, 2009 we were at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, California just waiting for test results and more news.  At this point I was told I was there for good until Kennedy came.  I was getting blood drawn every 6 hours so that they could run my labs, and I was fearful as I had no clue what was to come. 

Almost time for the party!

Tomorrow is Kennedy's Birthday Party Day.  In our family we celebrate Birthday's and also have a Happy Birthday Party Day also.  Why you ask? Because my birthday is on Christmas Day and my family always wanted to make sure that I had my special day too.  So, tomorrow we will wish Kennedy a Happy Birthday Party Day to help celebrate her first birthday!

I am pretty close to having the majority of everything done.  I need to run a  few last minute errands, and make a gazillion cupcakes, but I cannot wait.  I have put a lot of time and effort into this because I have needed it to get me through this month, and I really really want to have a special celebration for Kennedy's first birthday because she has come so so far from the 3lb 5oz 15.75 inch little girl that she was a year ago on November 16, 2009.

A year ago today I was hanging out at home (after being discharged from the hospital in the early am), and I still did not feel right.

A year ago today I went back to the hospital because my blood pressure had gone back up, way up.

A year ago today the other OB in my office admitted me to the hospital, told me my diagnosis of Pre-Eclampsia, and said I was not going anywhere anytime soon.

A year ago today was when I really KNEW that my pregnancy was never going to be normal.

A year ago today I was transferred from Valley Care Medical Center to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center by ambulance.

But TODAY I will be working towards celebrating Kennedy's first year of life, and I cannot wait! 

One year ago today...

I can pretty much guarantee that today will be the start of a lot of one year ago today posts, because a lot happened in the next month... one year ago.

One year ago today I was sitting in my office preparing for trial to start on November 13, 2009.  I didn't feel very good, and even told our paralegal that something just felt off, I had a lot of pressure in my chest and head area, and felt "ill", as it was the only way I could describe it.  I had been feeling this way for a few days, but just chalked it up to nerves/anxiety over trial starting, and my GERD.

One year ago today I left work saying goodbye to everyone, telling them I'd see them tomorrow. (only to not return until March 1, 2010)

One year ago today I sat down at home and just knew, I mean really KNEW something was not right.  I talked with my sister (well sister-in-law) who is a nurse and told her I didn't feel right.  She told me to take my blood pressure.  When Austin got home he took me to CVS, and it was high, higher than normal.

One year ago today Austin drove me to the ER at Valley Care Medical Center where they admitted me right away because at that point my BP was even higher (178/108).

One year ago today was the start of when everything started to go wrong with my pregnancy (or at least when I was made aware of it).

Today though, I have to look at the upside, I can't dwell on it too much or I'll cry.  Today I have this smiling beautiful little girl that I love more than life itself.  I also have an amazing husband who supports me in everything that I do.

So, to them I say thank you and I love you :)