Update on Evangeline

Hey everyone, thanks for the well wishes.

Evangeline and Jennifer are both back at home. She was discharged yesterday. We have some special formula that she is now eating, and Jennifer is also on a special diet so that later on we can try to go back to breastfeeding.

Young miss is still not quite herself, and we have to go visit doctors and do bloodwork more often than we would have expected. But day by day she is getting back to the girl we knew three weeks ago. Hopefully her healing process finishes quickly and she goes back to being the happy inquisitive young lady she was before she became sick.

We have a few house guests in town helping us take care of the place and relax a bit. It is nice to see our friends from afar and to have them around to support us.

Why we have not been uploading for a while...

Almost two weeks ago, Evangeline developed some health problems. We brought her into the hospital and they admitted her. The problems were brought on by her developing an allergic reaction to dairy and soy protein. This aparently affects 1.5% of newborns and most of them do grow out of it within a year. The problems expanded with an infection that came on as well, while her immune system was dealing with the first issues.

Suffice it to say, we have been very VERY worried about our child. I have been working mornings and spending afternoons and evenings with the girls at the hospital. Jennifer has been living at the hospital in the room with Evangeline and has not been home in two weeks.

Well, it looks like we are turning the corner. baby is starting to act a bit more like she did before she got sick and the symptoms are going away. We hope to get discharged next week, though ther will be daily trips to the day clinic and lots more tests. We are very thankful to the Nurses and Doctors at the IWK.

Anyone who is a parent can understand the anguish we have been feeling. I must say that I have never experienced such feelings before in my life.

I just want my two ladies home and well... Hopefully it will happen soon.

Good morning from here.

One month ago, Evangeline was born. As you can imagine, this changed out lives forever. (And for the better)

My sister, brother in law and their niece are on the way over to meet young miss for the first time. They live about 14 hours drive from our house, so this is the first chance for a visit. While I wait for them to show up and while baby is with mom, I thought I would add a few notes to the blog about our time together.

Just like mom and dad are learning to be parents, baby is learning to be baby. We are all getting closer to understanding a night pattern that works for everyone, though the first few weeks were very sketchy. At the start, poor Evangeline would wake up in a panic, not knowing where she was, why it was cold and where all the noise had gone. We of course would be very alarmed. "something is wrong with baby" was what I was always feeling, feed, check nappie, take temperature.. sympathize. With cuddles, eventually the panic would fall from her eyes and she would be ok. Not sleepy, but Ok. And so it began, I would stay up with baby while she looked and pondered. Jennifer would sneak some sleep so that she could be ready for the next feeding, all while she worked to recover from her part in the birth.

Each day, we would get a little better at the plan. feedings a little closer together at the afternoon, a little further apart on the night. When baby woke up, mom and dad were always there. “I know you two, so it must be ok though I am hungry and need a change" she must be thinking. Ok, so you need to sit up for a while after food before you go to bed so that you can digest it a bit first.... No problem, we learned. Come on baby, lets work together and try to find that burp we both know you have. Ah, she has settled. We can now both go back to sleep. And so on... and so on...

We are 31 days from our joyous event, and baby is getting 3 1/2 to 4 hours good sleep followed by a feed, then another 3 - 4 hours sleep. It is not every night, but the bad ones are not nearly as bad and the good ones are like gold.

I know we will get there, all three of us. And even though I am very, very tired I am enjoying every poop filled, crying minute of it. ... And our days and awake time is glorious.

One thing I have really noticed, Evangeline is looking around at things, but mostly at mom and dad. Her eyes are very expressive.... And this morning I think she smiled at mom...

jennifer and david in the canoe 2

jennifer and david in the canoe 2
Originally uploaded by dgcroadie.

Because it is summer in Canada... this is an oblogatory picture. Jennifer and I are out paddling at our local lake while grandma and grand dad watch the little miss.

Next year we have to get a boat with a motor... LOL