I know, I know...

It's been a long time since I posted anything here.  I've got all the excuses in the world, but I won't waste your time.  I just have some random pictures to post, because one of my excuses is nothing much has been going on.  We have been continuing to fight some minor infections on Macey's lip and nose, so that has been a real bummer.  We think we have it under control now, but your prayers are appreciated so we can put this behind us.

Anyway, this first picture is just a cute one of her in an outfit from her cousin Kymberli.  I think aqua blue looks really good on her!  

Hey, everyone!  How's it going?

A few weeks ago Macey tried cereal for the first time.  She doesn't really love it or hate it.  She eats it, but doesn't seem to be begging for it.  Soon we'll try some food with flavor and maybe she'll like that better.

The Crawfords came for one night and it is always a party when Carolina and Julia come to town.  Here's one of all the girls enjoying a lazy Sunday morning.

One more cute outfit from the Swansons.  Here we are decked out in a black velour sweatsuit with sassy leopard print!!!
And that's it folks.  I'll try to post some more random things in the next week, because we really have nothing going on.

Happy Valentine's Day

5 months old

It's true, Macey is 5 months old.  Today was quite a day, so I thought I would show you what it was like to be Macey today!

First of all she had a rough night.  I don't know if she sensed my stress about her surgery, but she had her worst night ever.  I put her down at 8:15pm only for her to wake up crying at 8:45pm.  She went back down around 9:30pm, then was up at 12:15am.  I put her back down at 1am, and she was up at 2am, I put her back down right away only for her to wake up at 2:45am.  The last time she was allowed to eat was 3:30am, so I stayed up while she slept in my arms so I could feed her one last time.  I tried to lay her down again at 4am, and she woke up.  I actually had to get myself ready (we had to be ready to leave at 5:15am) so I needed her to lay down somewhere.  I decided to put her in our bed.

Here is where she spent the last hour of her night.  She was out!  Let me add that when she sleeps in her crib she still has to be swaddled, and if she gets out of it most of the time it wakes her up.  Apparently that rule does not apply in our bed.

We had to be at the hospital at 6am.  We went through the same routine as we did with her first surgery.  We arrive to a room for day surgery check in.  There are beds for little ones and a nurse that checks you in.  We stay there for about an hour.  This time, since she was a little older, they pointed out the TV available above each bed.  We gave it a try.
Here's our little trooper enjoying some cartoons as we waited for them to take us to the "Surgery Holding Room."

Next we are taken to the "Surgery Holding Room."  This is where we meet the nurses who will be in the operating room with her.  We also get to talk to the anesthesiologist.  We are typically there for about 30 min, and with so many people coming and going Macey enjoyed watching all the commotion.  This is also where we got her dressed for surgery.  Last time, because she was so small they just gave us a t-shirt.  This time she actually got a gown.
The gown has little tigers on it and she looked so cute in it!  She soggied up the arms because they were a bit long, and everything must be put in her mouth these days.

Next was the surgery.  We were very thankful that, once again, when they took her away she did not cry.  The nurses loved her and she was in such a great mood all morning.  They were so amazed that she was so happy even though she hadn't eaten in quite a few hours.  She just smiled at everyone.  When she woke up after surgery she was super cranky.  It took a little extra medication to get her calmed down, but eventually she did and fell asleep.  Then we had to wait for all her antibiotics to get administered through the IV, and as long as she showed signs of being alert they would let us go home.  We were home by 10am.

Macey slept most of the day.  At about 4pm she woke up and was acting like her normal self.  She started talking and wanting to play.  It was nice to have her back so quickly.

Later in the afternoon she received a package from her Uncle Eric, Auntie Stephanie and cousins Geoffrey, Jakob and Kymberli.  It was a Valentine gift and it couldn't have come on a better day.  Maybe we should have waited until Valentine's Day, but we decided she deserved whatever it was today.
It turned out to be a handmade (by Auntie Stephanie) blanket!  It is wonderful, and you can see that Macey loves it.  It is a lady bug blanket!  Those of you who know my family know we are a bit obsessed with themes, and each of us has an "animal" that we are associated with.  Well, Macey's is a lady bug. 

You can see that her lip, just under the nose, is swollen and bruised, but her smile lets you know that she is doing just fine.  The surgeon explained that the procedure went well and was relatively easy.  He removed the stitch that was causing the problem and cleaned out the infection.  With some minor wound cleaning she will be healed in no time.

After her long day she was so tired.  And there is no better way to end the day than a little snooze with Daddy!  They were playing on the couch and all of a sudden she laid her head down and her little eyes just closed.
Thank you all for your prayers.  Everything went as planned, and Macey seems to be in little to no pain.  Please continue to pray for her healing, this was just a little hurdle, and before we know it all these surgeries will be far behind us.

Playing catch up

It has been a while since we posted, so I have a few things to tell you about. 

A few weekends ago we went camping.  We like to take the trailer out every 6 weeks or so just to make sure everything is in working order.  We got lucky and chose a weekend with great weather.  It was in the 70s all weekend!  Macey is quite the little camper, this was her 3rd time to stay in the trailer.  She does great!

Macey hanging out in the Bumbo

Macey and Dad enjoying the beautiful weather

This past weekend Macey went to her first birthday party.  Her friend Kate Swanson turned 1, so we got to enjoy some yummy food and celebrate with some friends.  She could not enjoy the cake just yet, and she had no idea that presents were exciting, but I am pretty sure she still enjoyed herself.

Macey and Kate with Kate's Nini and Pawpaw

Nini, Macey and Kate

Other news:

Macey will be having another surgical procedure on Thursday.  She ended up with an abscess around some of the deep sutures, and the Dr cannot safely remove the sutures and infection without putting her under anesthesia.  So, on Thursday morning keep our sweet little girl in your prayers.  We'll let you know how it goes.