Mini Morck is HERE!

2 Years Old - Not a baby anymore...

2010-09-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, yesterday was such a day that I had to break my posting silence. Read: Get off your butt and put this stuff down or you will forget it! :)

So yesterday was a big day. Porter had her first dentist appointment and her first gymnastics 'class'. Where to start? Maybe I should back up a little and talk a little more about the person she is becoming. I am still constantly blown away but the fact that I can have full conversations with a 2 year old. She uses full sentences and sometimes will say things that just blow me away. Not just that can say it, but that she truly understands it. She knows how to wait her turn (thanks Kirkland Children's School) and most of time is a sweet, caring, loving kid. She can also freak out and throw her plate across the room and look defiantly right at you when she does it. Funny thing is she is usually the first to say "I want a time out".

Ok, let's get back to yesterday. Aubrey had the great idea to bring P along to the dentist a few weeks back for her regular checkup. Porter sat on Aub's lap and watched the whole thing. She knew what to expect. This turned out to be a great intro as for the next few weeks P kept saying "I go to dentist by myself". There has been a lot of "by myself" lately. I have no idea where this sense of independence comes from.... Have you met my wife????

I digress. So we go in and she hops right up on the chair. She has no problem when the hygienist starts working away. Even scraping her teeth she is sitting calmly. The hygienist after about 10 minutes tells us "You guys really need to know how good she is doing. You should be very, very proud". They say usually they are doing these with the kid spread out between mom's lap and the hygienist. Even the doctor was surprised when she came in later that Porter just sat in the chair. I really like her new dentist, I think we will be there for while.

So on the way home, Porter decides she no longer wants us to put her in the car seat. "I do it." And yes, she does it just fine. Wow, she is really growing up.

On to gymnastics. She is fascinated watching the older girls practice. Considering how much she loves to hang on things right now, I am not surprised. This class consists of a room set up for munchkins and then some time in the main facility. Understatement, she is all over this. I think her favorite thing was the pit of foam blocks. I wanted to take a dive in there myself. This actually happened by accident while not looking away from the video camera. I will tell you from experience they are really soft. Almost did it again right afterwards. I don't pay attention much. :)

I am really looking forward to more of these sessions. She is developing physically so fast right now. I swear that either I just didn't notice at the start or maybe I see it watching her interact in new environments but I swear she is a little different after each one. I see more confidence, more agilty, everything. I will say that I love her trampoline run. It's different in that she throws her legs out to the side. Not sure why she does it but it started on the neighbors trampoline (which she can't get enough of). Glad we have a few on our street and that our neighbors are cool people.

Done for now but I will probably think of more as this day progresses. Videos to follow.

Banana

2009-09-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

So this is the word this kid learns before 'Papa'. Were not sure if this means all food to her, but she definately loves bananas. If you put the thing in front of her, she will devour a bite the size of her head. It will then mush about for 5 minutes until she can choke it down. It's funny in a way but alarming in another. She is papa's chowhound. Still, she can say 'mama', so where the heck is 'papa'?

So I had a true parenting moment yesterday. While feeding her melon, a fruit fly landed on her hand. I swiped it away with a light slap and immediately realized my mistake. The look on her face soured like I shoved a lemon in her mouth. The tears fell faster than I could count, and she began to shake. I tried to talk to her and cuddle her, but she wanted nothing to do with me. She wouldn't even look at me for 10 minutes.

Crap.

I wanted to just tell her 'I was trying to do you a favor' but how do you communicate that to a baby????

Crap. Crap. Crap.

It took a while but things did return to normal and I might have held her longer than normal. She does this thing where if I act surprised, she runs into me and falls on my chest. I put my arms around her and shake her. I made sure to do this a few extra times tonight.

How the heck am I going to actually discipline her with this kind of reaction? Maybe this was my first trial by fire and I will get stronger. I just hope I send the right message next time.

Tonight was the first walk with P in the dark for some time. I think it was the first time she noticed (really noticed) the moon. Considering she goes to bed at 7 every night, she doesn't see it much right now. That will change quickly.

Summer is leaving us and as always, I will miss the long days.

Bring on Hawaii.

One Year Old

2009-07-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

One year. I remember like it was last month splitting my time between work, home and the hospital. I am sure every parent can understand this, but it just doesn't feel like it has been a year. But it was a year, and an amazing, wonderful, educational, emotional, scary, happy, best year of my life.

There were just so many firsts. The first time she looked where I pointed. The first time she ate food. The first time she held her own bottle. The first sign she did (which I believe was 'Thank You'). The day she learned to wave was really something. I came to pick her up at day care and she saw me and waved. I thought to myself, she didn't do that this morning. There were a lot of those moments. I waited for Aub to come home as I couldn't wait to show her. Porter waved proudly as Mama walked in. From then on she was known as 'Princess' at Kindercare as she waved to everyone. She still likes to wave although today I noticed she has changed her pagent wave to an up/down motion. Again, another change. All that is constant is change with this little nugget.

Every day we tell ourselves how lucky we are that we have such a good kid. She sleeps through the night, doesn't fuss (much, about as much as I do) and is just generally happy. I gave some advice to a friend of mine who is about to give birth today and I told her "Just laugh with your baby. Laugh and laugh and let him know how important this is". I think that is just so true. I think it is a big part of who this kid is turning out to be. She does love to laugh and I will still make a complete ass out of myself to make her do it. It is that important. (Side note, I pretty much make an ass out of myself daily anyway so this is really not a stretch, but I would like to convince you all of my continuing efforts)

How has life changed over this year? Well, we don't go out as much. Shocker. But we love being parents so I don't think the change has ever come to mind. When we are not around her, we miss her. It is harder now to just have a night to ourselves because we end up discussing the kid. I never understood this until I had a kid. I used to think parents were nuts, now I am convinced. You have to be a little nuts to do this. And that is just fine with me.

The party. It was great. It was all of baby chaos that I expected. Thank you to everyone who attended as it was the biggest party we have hosted at our house. We are still putting away all of the gifts. Or maybe we are just a little lazy.

Happy 4th to everyone! Have a great weekend! Papa Morck out! I had to include this last photo. How cute is this little chub?

First Birthday This Weekend!

2009-06-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has really been one year. Our kid is walking (sort of), talking (sort of), signing (sort of) and just generally being the best kid ever. I can't write too much as I am working at the moment but I did want to get this thread started. I promise to do a full report after this weekend. I am really looking forward to this and I can't believe everyone who is coming over for P's first party. This will be the biggest party we have hosted in the house. No surprise, everyone like her better than us. :-)

More to come but hopefully you are all coming!

Almost Nine Months In...

2009-03-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

I honestly can't believe it.

Nine months. The one thing I have heard over and over again is how fast it goes. I feel if I blink too long she will be in college. That's how fast this is going. We are already planning her first birthday party. Wow.

However, if time flys when you are having fun, how much fun must I be having? I think part of what makes it easy is we really do have a good kid. I mean this in not the usual 'It's my kid so everything she does is so freakin' perfect' sort of way. I mean it as she is sleeping through the night, happy and playful sort of way. Sleeping through the night is important as that makes papa happy and when papa is happy, we are all happy.... Just kidding.

I know that what routine we have this week may change by next. I know it and expect it. I know she may start to get an attitude. I know that I don't really know much. That much I do know. But really, who cares? I mean, I come home every day to see these bright blue eyes and my day is complete. Our caregiver at the daycare always tells us that Porter is a 'happy' baby. That to me is the best compliment anyone can give me as that is my number one goal in life. It may not be when she explains why every other kid has a cell phone and mommy works at the cell phone company and I am unfair and she hates me and .... I digress. Stay in the moment, Dave.

Ok, so what is new with Porter? Well, for starters, she is a stones throw away from walking. She has always liked standing, but she now is strong enough to hold herself up. Right up to the point where she falls over. She was never one for tummy time, which means crawling is just so last month. She has started to kick her legs out and can almost walk as long as you help the balance. Oh, did I mention that NOTHING in the house is child proofed yet. Yep.

She talks a lot but is still struggling with rudimentary calculus. I know, I should do better as a teacher but I am doing my best. I think she said her first word the other day. I believe it was 'Aaaarrrrggguuuhhhhppphhhttttt'. She says it a lot actually. We don't know if it means 'Kitty' in her language or 'I am working on a really big poop.' Putting it in context, it could mean both actually.

On the serious side we have been trying to teach her sign language. She does see it, responds to it but doesn't do it on her own. I think this is about natural but as I said before, who knows? She is technically coming up on eight months but just looking at the weight and size of a normal baby, um... I think our kid is on the large size.

P is just about to finish her first round of swim classes. This has been an absolute blast. No surprise as both parents love the water that we gave birth to a fish. The craziest part was when we dunked her she started kicking with her legs. It was like a natural response. She opens her eyes under water and just loves being in the pool. We did find she was not a fan of the life jacket. This could be a problem as what is a summer weekend without a boat. Especially someone else's boat who paid for it all winter while not using it... I digress.

The fact is she is doing great. We are doing great. I am having the time of my life right now. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family and that we are healthy (and still employed). I will hopefully soon (right, the kid was 7 pounds lighter on the last post) put up some video soon. I have to tell you we have been so busy. I mean I know every parent is but I come home, we play with the kid, I work out (yes almost every day) and then it's off to bed. Today was a day off from working out so you are all blessed with my wit and lack of wisdom.

Since I forgot to mention earlier, Porter is 21+ pounds now. Papa is getting a sweet bicep pickup up this little kettle ball.

14 & 1/2 pounds and counting!

2008-10-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. Tomorrow will be Aub's first day back at work. This has to be hard for a mom. I could easily spend every day just hanging out with this kid but I also understand that the bond from the mother is especially strong. The part Aub is having the hardest time with is that we will spend a short time with her in the morning and a little time at night. Porter goes to bed so early this may not be enough for mom to get her fix!

Aub is taking it all in stride however. She is a strong woman, and I am very proud of her. I do hope that Porter takes some of the many wonderful qualities my wife has. From me I just hope she gets my twisted sense of humor and the ability to laugh at yourself. The rest she can get from mom.

What I really should do is post the many lists that have appeared around this house. I do happen to live with a true planner; a good compliment to the seat of the pants living that I prefer. While the items may not all be spelled correctly, she is really good at this. I know event planners that are not this organized. The vehicle is fueled, the lunch is packed, Porter's stuff is loaded (or labeled and in place to be packed), laundry is done. I, um... well, I cleaned. A little. That was my contribution.

Ok, back to my usual gushing about my beautiful kid...

There is nothing like your own child's smile. I look into her eyes and I am just in awe that this little girl is only four months old and she seems to understand so much. I love that I can make her smile with just words. Words that I know she can't understand, but from my intonations, she interprets that I love her. At least I hope she does. Maybe she just really enjoys having more hair than I do. Speaking of which, her hair was falling out but seems to be growing back slowly. She still has this thick patch in the back which does look quite silly sometimes (unless she is going for the male patter baldness look).

The good news is we found a great day care and we really like the gal who watches Porter. We were undecided for so long what we would do for care for her but I think we have found a great solution. When Aub finally wins the lottery, there may be a change. Until then, we will stick to plan 'B' but I expect the lottery to come through soon.

Haloween is just two days away. Expect some sweet pictures soon of a 'P' in the pod. Thanks to Auntie Erica for the great costume. And if you didn't catch it from the title, she is putting on the pounds. She is now on the growth chart for a term baby (actually in the upper percentile). We may have a volleyball player on our hands. Check out those sweet, chubby legs. And these pictures are a few weeks old.

14 & 1/2 Weeks and counting

2008-10-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, my second stab at blogging, please bare with be. First, I can't believe Porter is 3 months old and I can't believe I've lived my entire life without having Porter in it. She's amazing! The love I have for this little girl is overwhelming.

Sleeping - everyone asks about sleeping.
Porter has put us on a schedule. She likes to go down for the night around 8PM. As we approach 8PM we begin our nightly routine: bath, diaper change, jammies, SWADDLE and nursing while rocking. Since we moved her from her bassinet in our room into her crib in her very own room. She's been sleeping from 8PM to around 2AM. Moving her from our room to her own room has really helped both Porter AND Dave and I get a better night's sleep. Porter sleeping for six hours in a row is great. However, after 2AM she'll wake between 4:30-5:30 and then again around 6-7AM. The 4:30 feeding is a tough one, but we're making progress so that's all that counts.

Dave has been amazing! Often he'll get up with her at 6AM and rock her and/or change her diaper... whatever she needs to get her settled so I can get a few more zzzz. Once she is up for the morning, Dave will make me breakfast before he's off to work. It's been SO helpful to have breakfast in bed everyday while I'm feeding Porter. Dave makes a fantastic over-easy egg!

Huckleberry - Porter's tumor/birthmark

To date, Porter has had 3 laser treatments for the birthmark on her left cheek. Prior to the last treatment, Porter had a bad reaction to the numbing cream used to numb the site before the laser zap. Her poor little face around the birthmark ended up blistering and peeled off, leaving some open skin. Good news, Porter did not seem to be in any pain or discomfort. All the same, this scared Dave and I. After another topical Rx from the baby dermatologist, her skin has healed and she will have her 4th laser treatment this Thursday 10/9. The dermatologist estimates that Porter will have another 6 to 8 treatments (roughly every 3-4 weeks) and the birthmark will be significantly reduced, if not gone! We are anxious to have the small red circle gone from her face, regardless, we think she's the most beautiful little girl!

How life has changed

Everyone says life will change when you have kids, and this is an understatement! I never knew how much I could love someone until Porter came along. I nearly cry daily at all the little things she does, the smiles, her talking, her progress, the toots from her butt! Dave is extremely smitten too. Porter has him wrapped around her little finger.

Dave and I are doing our best to take care of one another too. We are making time each week for a date night for us. It's funny how much I look forward to these few hours a week! Our parents have been wonderful about watching Porter during these times. This past weekend was Dave's 39th birthday. Friday evening we dropped Porter off at Grandma McKim's house for the evening while we celebrated Dave's birthday with 20 or so friends. Saturday evening Grandma and Grandpa Pruatt came over to watch Porter while I took Dave out to dinner and Phantom Of The Opera. So we've been getting out a fair amount.
The down side, Porter has forgotten how to take a bottle... Something we learned all too well this weekend. The Grandparents had a rough time feeding her. My goal for the next two weeks is to reteach her to take breast milk from a bottle. I need to get her back on the waggon before Dave and I head to Leavenworth for our ONE YEAR anniversary (October 17th).
We can't thank our parents enough for helping out whenever we need a hand.

Porter's Development

Being a preemie (born 5 weeks and 4 days early), we've been curious how Porter would grow physically and progress mentally. Can she truly be called 14 weeks? Or is she more like a baby who is 8 weeks old?

Physically, Porter is growing like a weed. She weighs ~13lb (born @ 5lb 5oz). She's more than doubled her weight! As Dave likes to say, she's Papa's little "chow hound" and has "sausage legs". She does love to eat and poop & toot! She's also beginning to hold her head up on her own. It's a little wobbly, but she's getting better.

Mentally, we think Porter is right on track with a normal 3 month old. She's able to follow objects from side to side with her eyes. She's able to bat at objects in front of her. She's smiling when talked to and is beginning to laugh. The smiling and laughing brings tears to my eyes every time!!! Especially when she smiles for Dave!

How we spend our days

Porter and I generally spend our days going for walks in the morning. She likes to "work out" in her little floor gym between naps. Afternoons are spent getting a few things done, chores or making dinner for Papa!

Going Back to Work

Ho Hum, going back to work... I have a little over 3 weeks until I go back to work on October 30th. The past few weeks have been really tough coming to grips with the idea of leaving my baby girl everyday. To add to the fact I'll only get to see her a few hours a day, we are behind the 8 ball in regards to child care. Our whole timeline was shifted to the left with Porter's early arrival. We are on the waiting list for daycare at a FANTASTIC center, Bright Horizons. However, we had always planned on an early 2009 enrolment, with their waiting list being full, we'll be lucky to get in in January. So how to care for Miss Porter until then?

We have frantically been interviewing possible nannies, but I'm so apprehensive about leaving Porter alone, in our house, in a stranger's care!

We've also been researching other daycare centers, but waiting lists are LONG (Sept of 2009 in most cases). If only I didn't have to go back to work... with the economy turning the way it has the past few weeks, quiting my job is not an option (just plain silly to turn away my great job at T-Mobile. I do love it there). Once we find a solution for this dilemma, we'll post.

Thanks to everyone for their continuous support!

xoxo

Aubrey

I know, I know...

2008-08-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I have been pretty bad about writing. Apparently time flies when you are taking care of a kid. Also, it seems that I come home, play with the kid, then it's bedtime. Well, not bedtime for Porter, but for daddy. When did this happen? I used to go to bed around midnight or 1 a.m. Now I seem to be in bed by 9 or 10. Hmmmm....

OH! Since I have nothing but grief from a few of you, check out the link to photos as I have put up a whole bunch of new ones. (I know, I deserve it!)

So I will backtrack a little later, but I have to say this kid is puttin' on the pounds. As of today, she is 9 lbs. 12 oz. If you factor in the preemie part, she is on the big side. If she was born on time, she is light but not by much. In other words, she is doing really, really well. As far as her health, there is nothing really to report (can you hear my sigh of relief?). I still think back to the time at the NICU and still feel really lucky that everything turned out so well.

As far as her little birthmark, we are now calling her "Huckleberry" as that is what it looks like. Actually, she has about 3,271 nicknames. Not really sure how that happens but it must just be constant moments of inspiration. I am also not sure if she has any clue what her real name is.

Sorry, I tend to go on tangents easily, back to the point. Her little huckleberry had it's first treatment last week. They treat it with a small, handheld laser. They ice the spot on her face, put on these little eye pillows, and ZAP, it's over. The doctor offered to put the laser on us to see what it feels like. I'm not sure if I didn't see it that I would have even noticed it. That did make us feel a lot better. The goal right now is to stop the growth so she is going in again next week. This treatment will continue for some months to come but I keep thinking when we show her pictures years from now she will ask "What is that little huckleberry on my cheek?" :-)

When we thought she would be delievered in August, we had planned on my family reunion to be her first outing. Well, she was quite experienced by the time we introduced her to the Douglas/Warren clan. It was really great to see everyone and try to remember who I probably grew up with and what their names are. Wow. I really have a bad memory for names/faces. Now, granted there was about 8 years that I was always travelling during the reunion. But really, these people are my family. I told Aub not to ask me names or relations as it would probably just be best if she guessed.

For those members of my family reading this, I will apologize if Aub had to introduce herself. :-) But I do want to thank Aunt Biz for a wonderful time. I have always felt so welcome at your place. It was fun to roam around the house and remember so many good times I had there. I am looking forward to Porter sharing in some of those memories. That place is just so incredible and you are always the most gracious host!

So one thing I have been looking forward to is for Porter to hit nine pounds. Here is why: One of my favorite beers is 9 Pound Porter by Georgetown brewing. So, since I am hosting Bill's bachelor party, we brought in a keg of slice of malted heaven. I must say that the last time I tapped a keg it was in Bill's blazer on the way up to boys weekend at Deception Pass. Yes, IN the car. I think the way it went was Bill saying "Hey don't tap that in the (SHHHHHHHHTTTT the sound of a keg being tapped). Oops".

That was just a few short (COUGH!) years ago and ended up the way you would think with six guys and one keg in just a few days. Again, on a memorable but not noteworthy tangent. We also picked up some 9 Pound Porter posters. Yes they are going in the nursery. Yes I am that kind of parent. No CPS hasn't stopped by yet. Yet.

Ok, more about being a dad. Well, really Aub is doing all the work. She gets up at night, feeds her, changes the diapers and does it all with such a great attitude. I am really proud of her. I may have said this before but if so it bears repeating, she really is a great mother. I am so happy to have her in my life as the mother of my child and as my wife. She is wonderful in both roles and I am very fortuneate.

But for my part, there isn't a day that goes by that this kid can't make me cry. She feel asleep on my lap tonight. Before she did, she stared at me and I swear I saw her watch me make a funny face, mimiced it, and then smiled. I could see that she wanted my attention and it worked. Then just watching this angel make her little snoring noises (more like a squirrel grunting) are enough to make me sit still even if I was planted on a chair of nails. You lose track of time. Again, this is one of the many moments where parents are reading this going, "Yep".

As far as development, she is really starting to hold up her head. She spends a lot more of each day awake. Her ear hair is almost completely gone (Aub will love that I told everyone that). And she started reading "A Brief History of Time" . Well, maybe not that last one but she did really have some great ear hair. I am just jealous. Her dad is bald her hear covers her ENTIRE head, including the ears.

Ok, off to bed. I'm sure I will have an update after Bill's bachelor party. Or maybe there will not be enough participation and I will be forced to finish this fine beverage all by myself. Who knows, I might treat you to some Hunter S. Thompson gonzo blogging.

Take care everyone! On a last note, I do have to share these photos. We had the Sayers over the other night and I am not sure these kids can take a bad photo. I am biased as to the cutest kid in the world, but these two sisters are a darn close second place tie. Somebody had to test Porter's new rocking horse. :-)

The first few weeks

2008-07-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

After a tough week trying just to get home from work, I finally start my time at home with the baby. She came home Wednesday, but I really didn't make it home until Saturday night. This was really tough for me. I wanted to be there when we brought her home but there was really no way out of it. I was really surprised how well Aub had adjusted to everything. By the time I was around, she had everything under control. Little Porter was feeding every four hours, and everything seemed normal. (begin foreshadowing... :-)

Fast forward two weeks ahead. We have a true newborn. This little girl can cry when she wants to. We realize how spoiled we were with her before as it was so easy when she woke up only when she was hungry. Now, we don't always know what she is trying to tell us. I'm sure every parent has seen this and probably is laughing out loud now. I guess I knew this was coming but hey, I can hope right?

First quick side note, I am selling the motorcycle. First, I hardly ever ride it anymore as I now commute on a bicycle. Second, it is more important to me to try to around for this little one. Now, you can't live your life in fear but I can cut back on the dangerous endeavors. I will miss it and maybe in the future, I will get another one. Aub was sad to see me sell the bike. This has been my decision and she understands but she always loved time on the bike.

Ok, since you know where we are I will skip back a little bit to the baby shower. Normally, not something I would want to attend. However, it was great to see everyone and I really have to hand it to Jan, Grace and my Mom, they REALLY did a great job. I probably ate at least 1/2 of the food (again, thank you ladies! I highly recommend the Cowboy Caviar). Some of my family that I have not seen for a while came to visit and I was so proud to show off my beautiful little girl. Oh, and everyone had been WAY too generous! Not that I mind, but I want you all to you know how much I appreciate it.

I am skipping all over the place as far as time so please bear with my. This is the result of someone who should be writing more often but neglecting his post. So I do have to say how much I love to take this little one out and about. Today we went to Greenlake. After a quick feeding under a tree (Aub had egg salad, Porter hit the bottle), we walked around the lake. She loves being in the stroller. So far, she has seen wonderous downtown Bothell, dined in Kirkland and now has tasted the metropolitan flair of North Seattle.

Needless to say, this last few weeks have flown by. I enjoyed my vacation (or manternity leave as I like to call it) but I need to get back to work. I am also not sure this was a 'vacation' by any means. How does a whole day dissapear and all you did was go for a one hour walk. I did have some big plans for my time at home but I also did figure they might not all turn out. Two weeks passed, I mowed the lawn. That is my big achievement.

A quick sidenote: Strawberry Kiss
When we left the hosptial, we noticed a little rash on her left cheek. We didn't think much of it until it became a little bigger, more red and a little raised. Well, this is a birthmark. Come find out, these are rare but found more in girls and preemies. Two for two. Apparently these marks grow for the first year or so, then spend the next four to ten years dissapearing. Hmmm... Word of advice, don't google this condition, as you will see extreme cases, which will tear your heart out.

I have to say at first this was really hard for me at first. I mean, you want the best for your baby and I guess i thought we were out of the woods. Again, parents are laughing out loud at this point. You are never out of the woods. I love this little girl and I just want her to have a good life and the first thing I think of is someone teasing her for her birthmark. I can't keep kids from being mean and I guess I can't kill myself trying. I just remember what it was like growing up. I could write a book here but I will hold back (however I am in talks for a movie deal - probably will go straight to the $3.99 bin at Target.)

The doctor says P's hemangioma is small, and may stay small but we are going to see a dermatologist next week as it seems there are some options to treat this early. Most important to know, these are benign and only cosmetic. Her health is great and that matters more than anything else to me right now. I will write more when we know more about this after we see the dermatologist. But for now, she is my beautiful girl with a strawberry kiss on her cheek.

Home Sweet Home - Mama Morck's first blog

2008-07-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

We made it! Home sweet home at last. Twenty days since my water broke and 13 days since little Porter's arrival. What a roller coaster ride this has been... all the other parents are telling us this is only the beginning. What have we gotten ourselves into? :)

Before I dive into today's going home events, I wanted to take a moment to give thanks to all the friends and family who have supported us during this tough time. Thank you!
AND to say thank you to my AMAZING husband. Dave has been so strong throughout this entire ordeal. He is my rock and truly the best man, best person I know. I do not know how I would of made it without his love, support and positive attitude. I am extremely blessed to have this wonderful man as the father of my baby girl and my partner. I LOVE this man!

On to the coming home story.
Earlier this week, Monday, the Doctors and nurses were very positive with the improvements little P has been making with her feeding. She was almost able to doubled her intake of 40ml per feeding to 70ml. 70ml is exactly where she needed to be to go home. They had said Tuesday would be the day we would be discharged.

However, we had a slight set back, the car seat test. With premie babies, before they go home, they must sit in their car seat for a minimum of 1 hour with the appropriate heart and oxygen levels. This is very important for the little ones, as their neck muscles are very young and if their head rolls forward or to one side, it can restrict their oxygen levels and .... well, I don't want to even write about what can happen. Scary stuff. Monday she failed the car seat test after 12 minutes.

The plan was to test her again on Tuesday and see how that goes. The nurses thought it was a fluke thing she failed on Monday, possibly due to a reflux issue. All the same, I would rather have her fail and get a few days stronger before we leave. Luckily Tuesday rolled around and Porter passed. Wednesday the 9th is our new assigned discharge date.

One more small problem, Dave's work commitment. Dave has been planning a new car launch event for Kia at the Suncadia resort in Cle Elum. Unfortunately, he is in charge of this event and must work some very long days this entire week. He will not be able to take Porter and I home. So we roll with Plan B.

This morning at 11 my folks came to the hospital. After watching the infant CPR DVD, the Pruatt Grandparents helped Porter and I pack up our stuff and load up the Benz. I drove, little P and my mom rode in the back seat with The Boss (aka Grandpa Pruatt) following shortly behind. My folks have been super. My dad went and got us lunch this afternoon and my mom helped us get settled. Thanks goodness for retired grandparents!

Porter and I have been home since noon and doing very well. We've found a great perch for her on a large ottoman in the family room and she's been sleeping there most all day. I'm sure the ottoman won't last long as she'll be wiggly and rolling over before we know it.
Dave is home from a long day, he and I have just finished up with our dinner and now Papa is giving Porter her bottle as I type (and cry = hormones!).

It is good to have the entire Morck family home.

Guess who showed up today?

2008-07-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well, probably yesterday actually.

The STORK has arrived at the Morck household. To be quite honest, I had almost forgot about it. I know, it's hard to forget about a nine foot lawn ornament, but in all this mayhem, I did! I love the fact that it did show up as it is a great omen of things to come. We immediately put our info on the back next to all the other little ones that the stork has welcomed. The funnier part is that that last baby it welcomed in was born exactly one year prior to our little Porter. Bizzare!

And on to more good news! With how well Porter is doing, it looks like it may be very soon that we are taking her home. One nurse even told us Tuesday! We are trying not to get our hopes up too much but that is pretty much impossible. She is doing everything right: feeding well, keeping temperature, keeping pink (vs. yellow - see my previous tanning bed story) and breathing right.

This would all make sense as I have been able to get out of this big event I was supposed to do for work. Since this is such a busy time for us, I will not have to work after this Saturday, but starting Tuesday I will pretty much be working straight through with really long days. It would have lasted another week with me being out of town for that portion but thank God I was able to get out of that one. After this next weekend, I will be taking my time off from work. Again, can't wait! I don't expect much of a vacation but I just can't wait to show Porter her new digs.

If we are not ready with all of the help we have had over the last two weeks, then I don't know what else we could do. I mean really, who is truly ready. She is not even here and I am so sleepy right now (in the middle of the day). But every time I get to look into those little eyes, it is all so worth it.

Hearing test today - She passed with flying colors!

A New, Private Room

2008-07-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Even though we told them we didn't need it, we now have a private room. We figured it would be more important to people who live farther away. Even after we moved in, we told them they could move us out if someone needed it more. However, now that we are using it, I may not be so selfless. We love being able to stay there all day and not have to shift around when other parents come in. It is also great to stay overnight. Even though we are only a few minutes away, being there the whole time has allowed us to spend so much more time with her.

And this is really good for Aub. Although she doesn't say it, I just think it is hardest on the mom to be away from baby when it is not by choice. Don't get me wrong, she will love it when Grandma comes over to watch the little one so we can get some time alone. However, she really needs to be with her or close to her as much as possible. On July 4th we hung out with some friends but after just a few hours, Aub was ready to go. I can't blame her and I think she is doing really well considering the circumstances. Personally, I don't think I have ever seen Aub as happy as she is when little P is resting comfortably on her. And it is a beautiful thing to witness the amazing calming effect for both mom and bawhen this happens.

I know this is not supposed to happen for a while, but I am almost positive I can see her smiling. Yesterday Aub walked up to say hello and Porter looked up and gave a huge grin. Might have been the same time as messing up the

diaper but I doubt it. It's another one of those things that change every

day. I had never seen that expression before and now I have seen it a few times. Usually in that milk drunk state after feeding. Anyone else know that feeling? :-)

These rooms really are nice. Not really set up for two people to sleep next to each other but at least it is comfortable for both of us.

Proud Papa

I got the one with the Kung Fu Grip!

Grandma's Day

2008-07-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like this should officially be called Grandma's Day. We were lucky to have both Grandmas stop by and each had plenty of time with Little P. After Aub did the feedings there was still a need for a little bottle feed. This gave each Grandma time to bond and the little was so good with both of them.

As I said before, she is chow hound. But what is really the most fun to see is when she stares at you during the feeding. She just keeps that gaze right at your eyes and I am so glad the GMs had a chance to experience this.

We are now on a schedule to feed her from the breast or bottle every six hours. Between those f

eedings they give her food through the nose tube. Not sure I would want a pizza this way. :-) However, this does seem to work best for her as it allows time to rest up for

the next big feeding. So that is it for right now, this is our schedule until we here further.

Sleeeeeeeepy baby.

Zzzzz.....zzzzz......zzzzz

Such a chow hound

2008-07-01T22:21:00.001-07:00

Not much to report really except that she is still feeding well. What a surprise. Wait until she tries ice cream. We haven't checked her official weight yet but I would imagine we are coming back close to birth weight. Aub talked with the doctor today and he said that if little P keeps feeding like this, she might be able to home soon.

Aub is going to a weekly meeting where all of the doctors and nurses discuss the patients at the NICU. It will be good to hear what everyone is thinking about our little one. It is also nice that they let you in to these things. They have always been great about communicating everything to us and I hope to hear some good news. However, I have said through all of this that we need to take it one day at a time. Sometimes we are up. Sometimes we are down. And both are okay.

Again and again I am very happy we chose this place. Not just that it is one exit (and 9 minutes, 7 in the Mini if I am driving :-) But really because if this had just gone to plan, it still would have been a great place. But when things don't go as planned, it is so comforting to have this amazing group of people around you. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful the nursing staff has been.

One thing I think about is that we now share a room with two other babies. Actually, it is really one at the moment but when we come back there may be a new roommate. But I know in some hospitals the nursery could be all in one big room with lots of Isolettes. It is great to have the privacy and the quiet to spend time with Porter.

Oh, and I fed her today for the first time. Can't believe I almost forgot that. I love the way she looks at me when I hold her. Is anyone sick of hearing me say that? Too bad. If you keep reading this you will hear it again and again so deal with it. I am a proud parent and can't wait to bring little 'Squishy' home.

She is FEEDING!

2008-06-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Happy to report that the little one is out of the tanning bed :-) She is holding temperature and looking a bit more pink now. She did look cute with her little sunglass shades but I do prefer her more in natural light.

So yesterday was a tough day. Aub watched little P's heart rate drop to about 90. For this little kid, that is low. That was the first sign.

The hormones are coming, the hormones are coming!

She really struggled through the day. I think seeing her do so well and then needing the Isolette, the light and some extra heat just set things off. I know Aub also felt like she didn't want to disturb her as the more time in the light, the better. However, our nurse also wanted to get her breast feeding. We did have a few tries before but nothing really happened.

So this time was tough at first but after a few tricks from our fabulous nurse, Porter latched on and started feeding... and feeding... and feeding. They were going to give her 5ccs of mama's milk. The nurse joked with us that she thought she was getting much more than that. We weighed her and ... 18ccs! It's the silly little things but I LOVE that she is getting food going through that little system. And it really helped Aub. I mean REALLY helped her. This bonding was wonderful to witness and just what she needed. I think the nurse saw that right from the start.

Today Aub fed her three times. 30 ccs in one feeding. She really is a Morck, she loves to eat! I want her to get those chubby little legs and cheeks before we get her out of there. One of the things they are really looking to see her do before she leaves is that she is eating well. Hopefully, we are on that road.

I will again say it is the little things I love. I see daily changes in her like watching her get stronger with the binky, learning how the whole breast feeding thing works, etc. This is something I don't think anyone who is not a parent could understand. I just keep thinking forward to how much I can teach her, and how much she will teach me.

It is still hard to leave her every day but I always know she is in good hands. I hope Aub can get some sleep. She has been so good in getting up and pumping every three hours. She lets me sleep through the night even though I always ask if I can help. I'm sure there will be plenty to do here soon enough!

Minimork Update

2008-06-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

After a few days of recovery for mom we have been discharged from the hospital. We ended up staying one extra day since it was just nice to keep close to little Porter. We still don't know how long she will have to stay here but most people estimate it will be a few weeks. As there is part of me that would love to bring her home, I know full well that this is for the best. We are also very thankful of the great staff at the hospital. We have learned some things that should really help us going forward. It has been helpful to always have someone there to answer our questions.

We were relieved to see her the morning after that she had been moved out of an Isolette into a regular bassinet. It is also really good to know that all systems are looking good. No need for extra oxygen, those little lungs are working great! At first, her digestive system wasn't exactly kicking in gear but it looks like that has changed. Once she got a hold of mom's milk, she started eating well. Good thing too as that hopefully will be all she is getting for a while :-)

However, she did seem a bit cold this morning and combined with a little hint of Jaundice so they have moved her back into the Isolette. They have told us again and again that this is quite common. The little one's system is still immature and needs to work this stuff through and a little help will be all it takes. Hopefully she will only be in this bed for a few days.

Since we had really just begun to spend time with her, this is a little hard on Aub. We have to limit the time we have her out of the unit as the more continuous treatment she gets, the less time she has to spend in there. They have these cute little eye protection pieces that look like little sunglasses. Really, it looks like she is just getting a good base tan for Heidi's wedding. :-)

Right now our schedule is kind of up in the air but really we will probably be there together twice a day for some one on one time with her. Consider us the milk truck and we make two

deliveries a day. Keep those good thoughts and prayers coming our way. I have all faith that our little one will be coming home soon.

Ok, the whole story

2008-06-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lateness of this post but I was too tired following the event of yesterday. Aub did all the real work but yet it still wore me out.

The day began as expected, with our nurse Kelly coming in to get us around 7:30. We were still sleeping (:-) as we heard this birth thing can be quite exhausting. The IV for the Pitocin went in around 9 a.m. and seemed to take effect pretty quickly. Aub had a few contractions the night before. Apparently her and Porter had a talk and Aub convinced her this would be the day. Luckily, she played along.

The contractions came in quite regularly. Aub knew she would get the epidural, it was just a question of when. It only took about a half hour from when we asked for it to show up. Aub was definately feeling pain and you could see the epidural take effect. Her face relaxed, her voice calmed and she was in a much better mood. The pushing began. We were making progress!

This peace would last for a while when all of sudden, Aub felt pain. BAD PAIN. It hit like a truck and started to really be concerned. She suffered through this but the pushing had to stop. We went from 0-100 in about 10 minutes. Kelly got on the phone right away calling the anesthesiologist and Aub's doctor. Things were not pretty and I began to worry for my wife. The anesthesiologist showed up about 5 minutes later and quickly found the line had been disconnected. Huh.

After a quick spurt of the fluid on Aub's face when he reconnected the line, life became good again. It took about 20 minutes to catch up to the pain, but then we were charging forward again. Around 5 or so, Kelly told me to look and you could just see this little bit of black hair. SHE WAS COMING!

There was another point where I looked down and saw the whole top of the head with this beautiful black, curly hair. I started to cry. I knew it would it would just be a few minutes more. Then we gathered everyone in the room. Grandmothers, doctor, another doctor, nurse, another nurse, lots of equipment. The room is filled. Not much room to breath, much less be modest at this point. And then, it happened. I saw the top of head poke out, then go right back in. One more big push and ... BABY!

Crazy! That is all I can say! The next thing I know I am cutting the cord. Again, CRAZY!

Then she is wiped down and mom gets to hold her. They need to take her upstairs quickly to make sure she is alright so I get to carry her. Look at this scared guy. Never has something so valuable and so fragile been in my hands. I love this little one and I have just met her.

I missed the rest of the action downstairs (not that I minded) and stayed upstairs with little Porter. The whole way up she watched me. These beautiful brown eyes stared up at me as if she already knew me. When we put her in the isolette she grabbed my finger. She let go only a few times to grab it again. She has quite a grip for those tiny little hands. She kept watching me. I kept thinking I could just look into these eyes forever.

A quick thanks to Kelly, our RN, she was great! She really helped us get through the day.

SHE IS HERE!!!!!

2008-06-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, papa is VERY tired but little Porter Jolie Morck has arrived. I will post the whole story tomorrow but everyone is doing great and we are going to sleep. She came at 6:23 (we should have waited for one more push for 626 on 6/26).

Thank you again to everyone! More to come.... zzzzz.....zzzz.....zzzzz

Midnight train not to Portland....

2008-06-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

So it is what it is. Your friend decides to break her water to keep me in the State of Washington a tad bit longer... no longer will I have the day and nights wondering if I will be here, china, sf...NO I will be here. Porter is making sure of that. So days progress, with food and movies (did Aubrey even watch one?).. and hours to wait and incubate....
So I get the news that she will be induced Thursday morning... "not good" I said, "have to take the train to Portland that day...Porter will have to wait til Friday"... well I guess my super powers did not come into effect on Porter's decision. So Thursday it is. I sit on my couch 11:30 pm about to purchase my train to portland and instead... I decide to create a grand story to get out of my trip to Portland and cancel my meetings... so as the story goes... Dave is stuck in Chicago and I need to be with mom til he returns. Ok.. not a great story spin.. but it did the trick.

So one drive through lunch for dad and a little drugs for mom.. all is good in the morckland hood. Aubrey is a trooper.. she is surrounded by these beaming parents (always dressed in bright welcoming colors I might add)... her tubes and monitors are everywhere....the contraction mounds on the monitor closer together and huge summits compared to the past few days....but Aubrey is steadfast, determined and ready for this.

I am of course am trying to get the dish on all the single doctors and gathering gossip from the nurses that we are blessed with this day. We have already planned the 9 pound porter party...and every other celebration we can pack in. I have realized as the doctor checks the amount of dilation...(we are at 7 cm folks!) when the doctor asked if I was her sister Aubrey said, "we are close... but not that close" So I moved to the side of the bed, happy to be here...and no need for the front row seat:) Porter is ready to come today.. I have my catchers glove, and nanu nanu hand signs ready to welcome mini morck. What a blessed little girl to have the wonderful parents that she has. I am personally applying to be adopted by the morcks.. but will be happy with my role as Aunt-E instead. Amazing this process..... truly amazing
(guest blog by Erica)

Downstairs again and the process begins

2008-06-26T09:44:00.001-07:00

We are back downstairs again and right across the hall from where we were before. Just found out this is the same room the Pettits had little Avery! Another fun fact is Eric and Mya were in our original room. They were moved to another room before they gave birth as they wanted a room with a tub. That was our original idea as well but things really didn't go as planned. :-)

We are now in room 2128 but we will move back to our room upstairs after the delivery.

Another good sign is Aub started contractions last night. It looks like this baby wants out. They just started her on the Pitocin around 9 and it seems like things are already accelerating. Aub is defiantly feeling a bit nervous today. I am doing what I can to keep her relaxed so we can move this along.

Quick edit, contractions are about 8 minutes apart right now.

She is dilated!

2008-06-25T18:21:00.001-07:00

Well, another good sign! This was the first time Aub has been checked as they wanted to minimize the risk of infection. Apparently her body is getting ready. She is dilated to 2-3 cm. so looks like we are getting ready to go! That was a nice sign since otherwise they would have to use either a chemical or a balloon to stimulate the process. Nice to not introduce anything more that we do not need.

We will be doing what we can to get a good nights sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. Thank you again to everyone. We now need a new table to hold all of the flowers that people have set! Good lord :-)

I think we are really ready. Well, as ready as any new parents can be. Again I am very thankful we have had time to prepare for this. I know Aub is ready to get up and walk around, even though it may be a few days. But really, having at least a plan helps. As comfortable as they have made us, I am sure it is still hard for her to have to sit still all the time. She is one who loves her down time, but no one likes to be forced to not move. Especially someone who enjoys walking as much as my wife.

This may be the last post until the delivery. I may post something if I get a chance once the process is underway. Obviously I would like to stay married to this gal so I doubt I will be typing during the delivery. Talk to you all soon and hopefully with one more addition to our family.

Looks like Thursday is the day

2008-06-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our doctor just came by for a consult and it looks like she is shooting for Thursday. We have to balance out the risk of infection (since the water broke) and how long we can keep her in there. They are going to check her out tomorrow internally to see if all parts are ready and determine what we need to do for sure.

So now, if all goes as planned, Thursday morning Aub will be put on Pitocin. This will start the process but worst case is if she doesn't respond then there is the option of the C-Section. The doctor doesn't want to do this electively nor is she worried right now that it will come to that. She is also not concerned if that does happen. Really, they all feel the baby is strong and with the right help, she can come home to us soon.

Aub is doing really well. Since this is more than a month before all of this was supposed to happen, it has to be hard for her. She also wasn't prepared for the premie stuff so really I think she is handling this really well. I am very proud of my wife watching her go through this process and I think she is going to be a wonderful mother. I love her very, very much.

I will keep posting although there may not be much to report. However, check this out: they have massage available here! How great is that! You can get all kinds of services. Manicures, pedicures, etc. This place is wonderful. They really understand what these moms go through and they do a great job of making them feel at home.

We've Moved

2008-06-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Since we are going to be here all week, we have moved out of the birthing suite to the plush hotel-like room of the NICU. This is the area for bed rest moms and premature babies. This facility is first rate. We have learned so much here. The doctors and nurses have been so great, guiding us through the mental and physical aspects of what we are dealing with. I would not want to be any other place.

We had an ultrasound tonight. MiniMork is right where she is supposed to be. They estimate she will be 5lbs 2oz. However, ultrasounds are not usually right so who knows. But everything looks good and that is what matters most. The coolest thing was watching the heart. Now that she is so big we can really make out the details. You could see all of the chambers, pumping away. You can even see each of the valves. We know she has a strong heart and to see it is just breathtaking.

There is one nurse here, Sherry, that we want to adopt. She is amazing. She knows what Aub is thinking before she says anything. She also knows exactly what to say to put you at ease. I wish we could have her here the whole time. She came to see us today even though she was working in another area of the hospital. I thought that was really sweet and hopefully we will see her more during our stay.

So check out these pictures. This is such a great room! Hopefully this will help ease this week on by and we can keep this going until this weekend. I will keep posting as we go when there is something to report.

Please send good thoughts and prayers our way. Just give me a healthy baby and healthy mom. I keep saying I can't wait to meet this beautiful little girl, but right now I can wait!

Water Broke! Holy Crap!

2008-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for a plan. :-) Aub's water broke Friday night. She came right to the hospital. Luckily, her mom wasn't too far away. I was pedaling home so I didn't hear the phone nor did I think it could be that important this early. I never have been accused of being smart. So I come home, don't see anyone but the cars are both there. I knew her mom was over helping us get ready for the show on Sunday so I figure they are out to eat. I see a pizza sitting on the counter so I start to heat that up and then I see the note. "My water broke. At the hospital"....

You can imagine that my heart jumped up to about 180.

When I called her she said she was fine and was surprisingly calm. That calmed me down. So I pack and come to the hospital. And now we are in the big holding pattern. They didn't know what to expect when we came in. However, little MiniMork has been showing a strong heartbeat and is moving around. The doctor thought Aub might go into labor at any minute but she hoped we could hold out a while. It looks like now we are holding out until at least next weekend. If we can hold off infection and she doesn't go into labor on her own, we can keep her in natures own incubator. Once she reaches 35 weeks, they are not really worried about the little one.

We have had fantastic support from our family and friends. People have been bringing food, movies and anything and everything we could need. Thank you to everyone who has come and/or offered support. We really feel blessed that we have such a phenomenal support group. We love you guys and you are really helping us through this process.

Classes

2008-06-10T22:23:00.001-07:00

Just starting the classes. Wow there is a lot to learn. Two days into the birthing class and I'm very glad we are doing this. If I went into this with no education I would freak out. I like the fact that we are making decisions now before the real stress comes. Just did 'Happiest Baby on the Block'. The thing I like most about the classes is that you realize others are going through the same things you are. And they are just as unprepared. :-) I think I learn as much when the teacher rambles as they have a lot of experience to share.

However, I know there is much to learn but I can see how everything is so valuable. We shall see how we are when the kid is crying her eyes out. Hopefully we will have some tools we can use. I know we won't be perfect and I can live with that. I just want to be a good dad (and husband).

Pictures

2008-06-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

June 23rd

June 12th

May 17th

May 9th

April 11th

March 26th

March 18th

February 5th

June is here

2008-06-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

We are now into June. MiniMorck is really growing. It is just amazing to feel her kick. I think she likes massage as she is definately reacting to touch. Aub is dealing with everything really well. Not sure I would do so well with the extra load she is carrying around.

Working on the nursury tonight. Had to put another coat of paint up as I was a moron and didn't keep the last can I used before I put up the crown moulding. Thought we had a perfect match. Ha! So close but so far. Oh well, it will be done soon. Anytime I need motivation I just look in the closet. How cute are little girl clothes!

I will post some pictures as I learn this thing.

Cheers all! She is coming soon!