'Tis the Season

We are doing our best to keep up with everything during this hectic time of year.  Since it is both basketball season and the holiday season we definitely feel challenged!  We know we need to enjoy (or at least try to) every moment because these years will pass too quickly.

Both of the girls are doing great!  Stella is on the brink of the 'terrible two's' and sometimes we can certainly tell, but she is a sweet little girl.  Claire is growing and has started to smile - at Stella most!  We can tell they really do love each other!

Daddy Time!

This past week Daddy began his paternity leave - he'll be home with his girls for the entire month of December!  There will be lots to do since its holiday time so I'm sure it will go by quickly.

This weekend we took the girls to a holiday party where Santa made an appearance.  Stell-Belle was really interested in him so we put her right on his lap and she criiieeed.  It wasn't a pretty picture!  He gave her a fun Minnie Mouse car to play with but even after opening it she didn't want to sit with him.  She'd rather look from afar so we didn't get any photos.  Maybe we'll try again in a week or two...


We know some of our blog followers had trouble opening the video we posted last week.  We've adjusted the settings so the clip should be viewable now.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Stella has started to sing along with us lately, particularly her ABC's, as well as the theme song to her favorite TV show, which  is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Here's a cute clip of her gearing up for an episode before bed tonight!

Claire-Bear is doing really well.  She is starting to have longer periods of wakefulness and is showing us how strong she is becoming every day! 

Thankful

Stella Painting

Claire hanging out in the tub

 
After all that we have been through we are thankful for both of our girls health, happiness, and progress with every passing day.  This time of year has a special way of really making you think about everything to give thanks for though.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

World Prematurity Day

In recognition of World Prematurity Day yesterday we dressed our girls in purple.  Approximately 1 million babies born prematurely each year do not survive.  You can learn more by visiting the March of Dimes at www.marchofdimes.com.

Sweet November

The Girls

This November has been unseasonable warm which we don't mind one bit!  Fortunately for us there's been lots of warmth at our house too.  Stella continues to really love her little sister and likes to show her affection - sometimes a little too much affection!  This week we enjoyed a visit from the Carroll's for lunch, hosted friends for brunch, and had a visit from Grammie and Pa.  We also had new garage doors installed and Stella is fascinated by the electronic opener since this is new at our house!

Daddy hanging out with his girls.

Stella loves to give Claire hugs and kisses!

Fall Photos

There's not a lot of news in the Todd house this week other than that everyone is doing well and we are all enjoying our new addition to the family!  Since we have nothing specific to share we are posting a few miscellaneous pictures:

Dressed to Celebrate Halloween

Stella reading to her baby sister.

Still loving the outdoors despite cooler weather...

 

CHEEESE!

                      Peek - A - Boo!

Happy Halloween

Stella celebrated Halloween a few days early this year so she could trick or treat with her cousins Dana and Cailin who were visiting from Ohio.  Thank you to our friends Katy and Joey next door who agreed to have the girls stop by.  Stella really liked her Minnie costume and so far has tried M&M's, which she also really liked!

Our First Week Together

Our first week with baby Claire was a good one despite Stella feeling a bit under the weather and both of us being pretty tired.  Things have settled down over the weekend now that Stella is feeling herself again, and we are starting to establish some new routines. 

Stella didn't think much of Claire at first but has really started to warm up to her.  She likes to hold her and hug her, and is learning how to say Claire Bear and Sissy.  When she goes upstairs for her nap or bedtime she always makes sure to say bye-bye to her little sister.  It is very cute!

In addition to having some visitors this past week Claire made her first public appearance this weekend when she went to church with her mommy. So far she is a very content baby who rarely cries, and spends most of her time sleeping.

Going Home Day!

It turns out the older an infant the more acceptable higher bilirubin levels are.  Today, if Claire could maintain a level below 14 on her own (without phototherapy) then she would be cleared to go home.  She was around 11 both at 6am and 1 pm which was great news for us because it meant she could be discharged.  We arrived home around 3 pm today and are settling in.

Stella is already being such a big sister!  So far she hasn't minded having Claire around at all and even gives her sweet snuggles from time to time. 

Coincidence or Fate?

Since some of you may be wondering what's going on and why we are still at the hospital here's a brief summary of what we believe is happening.  Fletcher Allen blog visitors feel free to correct us if we misunderstood anything!

Since Claire and I have different blood types I have passed on antibodies to her that kill her red blood cells and cause a build-up of something called bilirubin which can cause jaundice (although Claire doesn't appear to have jaundice).  Phototherapy uses light waves to break down the bilirubin so it can pass through her liver - she is not strong enough to do this on her own.  They are using an overhead lamp, as well as something called a biliblanket which she lays on.  Her bili level is around 9 and it needs to be 7 or below so we are in a waiting game until her bilirubin is at a level safe enough to take her home.  While this can be a very serious condition for infants, Claire's is mild but needs to be treated.  While it is inconvenient to have to stay at the hospital we are all doing well and know we won't be here long!

Today was an interesting day at the hospital.  The morning started out with Claire's phototherapy overhead light being taken away because another baby in the hospital needed it more.  While this was disappointing to us because she needs the treatment in order to be well enough to go home she is healthy and strong enough that being without it for half of the day did not put her in any danger, especially because she still had a biliblanket.  The hospital borrowed more lights from Plattsburgh so in the afternoon she was put back under the overhead light.

Stella and Daddy were at the hospital with us for most of the day today.  Stella finally warmed up to her little sister and gave her sweet snuggles.  It was just adorable and warmed our hearts!

Then, this evening, something almost magical happened.  Unfortunately the baby next door was transferred to Burlington but that meant that a Fletcher Allen NICU team arrived to pick up the baby.  Of all of the NICU staff two special people arrived right next door: The Nurse Practitioner Joe who I like to say we adopted since we weren't assigned one when we were there with the twins, and Lizzie B. - Stella's primary who became like our NICU mother when we were so far from home.  Seeing these two brought back so many memories but was such a special treat.  It seems hardly a coincidence to us!

So far there's been no change in Claire's bilirubin so here's hoping we'll start to see a downward trend tomorrow!

It's a Girl!

We welcomed baby Claire Annabelle into the world on Wednesday morning at 2:19 am.  She weighed 7lbs. 1 oz. and was 19 inches long.  Both mommy and baby are doing well!  Since they have different blood types baby Claire is requiring some photo therapy and is not yet allowed to go home.  We are hoping she'll be discharged soon though!

Sleepy Time

Grandma and Claire Bear

 

Our little glow bug!



"Hello world, I'm tired!

 

Weekend Visitors

These adorable little cupcakes were given to us by a friend at Mommy's work in celebration of our upcoming addition to the family.  We are getting close!

Stella surprised mommy when she accepted one of the cupcakes because she usually says no to cake or cookies.  This time she was such a big girl though and ate it whole. 

Caroline, Caleb, and Esme visited over the weekend and Stella had a fun time despite having a few lessons in sharing.  Esme loved the sand box and it turned out to be the perfect size for the two of them.  We also took the girls apple picking which was lots of fun!

Beth, Caroline, and Esme at the Brookdale Orchard

Stella loves to carry the bag!

Stella couldn't quite pull hard enough but she had fun trying!

Stella likes apples and before we knew it she bit right into one! 
We decided to take a break so she could enjoy the snack!

Making Music

We had such a relaxing weekend that we forgot to blog!  Stella is doing well and continues to amaze us with her expanding vocabulary!  She is always saying 'what's that' and repeating the words we tell her.  She really likes music right now and will bang on her keyboard and press her music box over and over again and dance.  It's too cute!

Getting Ready

As we enter the final weeks of our pregnancy we've been blessed by the presence of family and friends.  Family dropping by to clean, our friends next door dropping by with dinner, and family and friends showering us with diapers to name a few!  We sure are lucky and are so grateful to know that our children are surrounded by so much love.

Stella is continuing to thrive and has stepped things up in the area of 'relational' play.  She will now snuggle a baby doll, pretend to eat (with our kitchen utensils like measuring cups and spoons), and knew exactly what to do with the tea set and purse gifts that were given to her this weekend.  Amazingly, she still goes back to basics and reads her books at the end of the day which we are so happy about.  

Visiting the Library

This weekend Grammie invited Stella to the Morley Library for a children's story time activity.  Stella was a little too young for the activities, but she loves book so she really had a nice time at her first library visit!

All of the children sat on 'magic carpet squares' to hear the story.  Stella didn't want to sit with everyone, and she wanted to read to herself so we headed to another corner of the library on our own.  Once the children moved on to their craft project Stella was ready to sit on a 'magic carpet' like a big kid!

This week Stella had her second hair cut.  She watched Daddy get his cut first so when it was her turn she was more agreeable to it than last time.  Additionally, Stella went to her first wedding this weekend!  Congratualtions to family friends Jennifer and Chris Gollinger.  Stella had a fun time playing with the bubbles and running around with the other kids during the reception.  We continue to be amazed at her progress and are enjoying soaking up all of her love and attention.  She's such a sweet little girl and we just can't get enough of her snuggles.  She certainly makes us look forward to the weekends more than we ever have before!

Help from Family

This week Stella spent lots of time with family.  On Wednesday she had dinner at Aunt Mary Jane's, who then took her home and put her to bed and on Thursday night Grammie came over to help out.  This is the first time we've had to have help from others two nights in a row but Stella didn't seem to mind at all!  Thank you so much for helping out - we are very fortunate to have family close by!


Grammie also came to visit for an afternoon over the weekend to clean the floors and spend some time with Stella.  We are so grateful for the help around the house.


While Grammie was here we met Aunt Mary Jane at the Brookdale Orchard and picked apples for the first time this season.  Despite being over-tired Stella did have fun, she just became frustrated once the bag was too full for her to carry around by herself!