Look at those eyes!

Graham is doing really well. Right now he is being fed 3 bottles each day and the rest of his feedings go through this lovely feeding tube.

He is almost able to drink the entire 3 bottles so the Dr. might change his feeding to more bottles each day which would be great. He can't leave the hospital until he is able to drink 8 entire bottles. There is no way to tell how long it will take him to be able to get to the point where he can drink 8 bottles but we are hoping it is soon!! The Dr. said Graham is just weak from his "rough start" into the world and will slowly gain strength each day to be able to drink more. Lots of times he falls asleep while I am feeding him and it is hard to wake him back up.


I have been able to go up every day and feed him one of his bottles which is so fun. He likes us visiting him a lot and even smiled for us the other day!
We cannot get enough of holding Graham, but unfortunately we are only allowed to hold him for about an hour during each visit. It is so hard to put him down!

The last few visits we have been with him he has been really alert. Yesterday he was awake for the full 2 hours we were there!! It was so great. It makes it reeeaaallly hard to leave him when he is sitting there with his eyes wide open though.
I have been bringing clothes for him to wear each day and I get to dress him while I'm there which is so fun. I am happy he gets to wear all these clothes because thanks to Megan and Debbie, I have an entire closet full that are just waiting to be put to use.
I am still trying to post the millions of video's I have, but for some reason, blogger won't let me and photo bucket wouldn't either so I am going to have to have Elliot help me and maybe I'll be able to put them up tonight.

Dumb blogger still won't let me post video's

So I still can't post any of the video's I've made. Hopefully later today I can put them up. If blogger still isn't working, I will try to put them up through you tube. I got some really cute ones so I'm excited for everyone to see them.

Graham has been officially moved to the intermediate status in the NICU!! So only a little mor progress and he will be home! Last night we went up and Elliot finally go to hold Graham for awhile. He was only supposed to be able to hold him for 1/2 hr. but the nurse was so nice and let Elliot hold him while he was being fed! They just put the food in through the tube that goes up his nose and down into his stomach. So Elliot got to hold him for a whole hour! I was definitely jealous.

I called the hospital this morning and they said Graham had a really good night and is not having any more problems breathing which is great. They are giving him a bottle three times a day and he is doing better with it but is only drinking about 1/3 of the entire bottle so he will have to work on that. I get to go up today at 5:00 and hold him for awhile and they said I can feed him his bottle!! and change his diaper!!! Am I the first mother on earth who is ecstatic to be changing a diaper? I can't wait.

As for me, I am feeling really great. I feel like I am healing a little bit more each day which is wonderful. I still have about a 4-5 month pregnant belly but that should go down in time (right? RIGHT??) Hopefully by the time Graham comes home I will feel pretty good and be able to tend to him without too much pain.
He is so perfect to me! I love that he still has all that hair. I thought for sure it would fall out.

Let's try this again

Ok, yesterday I posted a blog with a video and I was in such a hurry, I posted the wrong video and had to run off to the hospital before I had a chance to check it! So I hope everyone enjoyed the 2 second video of Elliot's dad's shoe before I deleted it. I just tried to download some more video's but it isn't working right now so I will try again later. I have 3 really good ones so hopefully it works.He is doing really well!! I'm so grateful for everyone who has us and him in their prayers. They are obviously working. On Tuesday they took Graham off the respirator and put him on some oxygen just going into his nose. Then yesterday when I got to the hospital to see him, the nurse had a surprise for me and was taking him off of the arterial (sp?) line in his arm which meant I could hold him for the first time!!! I have never been so happy in my life (ok, my wedding day was pretty close, don't worry Elliot). I got to hold him for almost 1/2 hour. At first he was crying but after a few minutes he quieted down and fell right asleep. I like to think he was just as excited to have me hold him as I was. We make a pretty great pair. They have taken him off the morphine now because he doesn't need it anymore and it is so fun to see him cry and move around and be alert. I was able to see him open his eyes all the way! Every new thing is so cool to be there for. This whole experience has definitely made me so grateful for every new thing we get to experience with him, probably just like every new mom I would imagine.

Elliot was still at school when I was there holding him, so he unfortunately missed out on that, but we went back to the hospital later that night and he got a chance to hold him too. It was only for a few minutes because there was a new baby brought into the NICU and anytime a new baby comes in, everyone else in the NICU has to leave so they can tend to that baby. Even though it was only for a few minutes, Elliot was still sooo happy. I didn't get any video's of that but we are going back tonight and I will of course get a bunch more pictures.

So for right now, we can hold Graham a little bit each day (can't hold him too much right now because it would be over stimulating right now while he is trying to get better still) and he will stay on the oxygen under his nose for today and if he is doing well, they will take him off of it sometime today or maybe tomorrow. After that comes off, they will start feeding him with a bottle if that goes well, I will get to nurse him!! He also has to stay on antibiotics until Saturday and if everything is going great and he is progressing as fast as he has been, the nurse said Sunday would be the earliest we could take him home, but it will probably be more likely on Monday or Tuesday. So that is wonderful!!! So soon! I am so excited. I will keep updating as soon as I find out anything else and be prepared to be bombarded with more video's and pictures.

Baby update

We are able to see Graham almost anytime we want during the day. The NICU is closed for a few hours each day for shift changes, but besides those few hours, we can go down and visit any other time. It's hard for me to stand for very long so we usually go down a few times each day and stay for about 20 minutes each time. Before we go in we have to wash our hands for 3 minutes with a scrub brush. We're either going to have some pretty clean or extremely raw hands by the time we leave this hospital :)
The Dr. said today that Graham is doing better. He was on blood pressure medication yesterday and they were able to take him off of it today. They also did a spinal tap on him this morning to check for any infections and that will take a few days to fully check but as far as they can tell right now, it looks like he doesn't have any infections that they can see which is great.

They also said that they have begun the process of weaning him off the respirator. They don't know how long this process will take, but it is a good start. We just got back from seeing him tonight and it was so great! He was really alert and we got to see him open his eyes for the first time. He looked right at us!! It was awesome. Then he put his little hand around Elliot's finger and held it. I thought we were going to have to ask for a bed to be put in there because Elliot wasn't about to go anywhere while Graham was holding on to him. It was really precious. I am so mad I didn't think to bring the camera!! Even though we haven't been able to hold him yet, we are feeling more and more bonded with him everyday. He is the most beautiful thing either of us have ever seen.

Elliot's family has come up everyday to see us and Graham. They are a great support for us and it's so wonderful that they can be close by. My family unfortunately lives further away but they call everyday and are just as wonderful about everything and just as concerned for Graham's health. We feel really lucky to have so many people that care about us so much.

Graham's video debut!!

One more for your viewing pleasure

Graham hanging out in the NICU

I dont think that Graham was too happy. If you look closely he is giving the camera the stink eye.

Graham with all his battle armor on, I personally dig the forearm shield.

Hello from the hospital!

I just wanted to give everyone an update on how sweet baby Graham is doing (this is Tracy by the way). If anything I am about to write sounds crazy or incoherent, it is because I am extremely drugged up (which I've got to say feels pretty darn good :)

We got to see Graham yesterday around 5:00 pm. Besides the few seconds I got to see him in the operating room after the c-section, this was the first time I really got to look at him. Unfortunately, he is inside a plastic tent thing so we can only look for now. I am DYING to hold him!! As soon as he is breathing well, he can come out of the oxygen tent and I can hold and nurse him. I was concerned about not bonding with him right away, but the nurse in the NICU reassured me that there is no reason he will not bond with me right away as soon as I can hold him. As of about an hour ago, Graham was doing pretty well, but still breathing fast so he will be in there for a little longer. They said he is doing well, but anytime he is poked and prodded by them, he freaks out and starts screaming (can't blame him) which makes his oxygen levels go down so they have to get him to a point where he can cry like that and keep his oxygen levels up still. The dr. said Graham seems like he has quite a temper. Not sure where he gets that from......? :) (I'll let you decide)

I think he just needs his mom and he will be fine. The nurse said the dr. will make his rounds this morning and let us know what is going on so we can have an idea when Graham can come be with us. For now, we are trying to get some sleep. Thank you everyone for all of your sweet comments! I really appreciate them. Please keep our beautiful baby boy in your prayers.

Take a look at ALL that HAIR!!

Little boy Graham

After Graham was brought into the nursery, he was having some problems getting enough oxygen. He has some fluid in his lungs which may happen after having a c-section. Graham was brought into NICU where he is now on oxygen, antibiotics (in case he has an infection), and an IV since he is unable to eat at this time. He had an x-ray and the doctor said his lungs are fine but, do have fluid in them. The doctors seem confident that everything will be just fine. For now, the poor little guy has to stay in NICU for the next 48 hours. Tracy and Elliot are able to visit him whenever they want but, are still super antsy to hold and cuddle their new little guy. Graham should be out of his oxygen tent anywhere from a couple hours to tomorrow. Both new parents are doing well but, are very tired. Keep Graham in your prayers. He sure is SOOOOOOO beautiful! Stay tuned for more pictures!

ANNOUNCING..........

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Graham Scott Wallace

7 lbs 15.9 oz

20 3/4 inches.

12:47 pm

Megan here...

Today was Tracy and Elliots big day!! Tracy went in to get prepped for her c-section at about 12:20. She was super nervous before she went in (mostly about the epidural...which she said ended up not hurting at all) but, was still very cheerful. Elliot was pretty anxious and even more anxious when he had to wait 20 minutes in the room without Tracy while she was getting prepped.




Elliot all dressed up to go in right before the c-section.

Tracy about to go in to get prepped for her c-section. Pretty dang cute, huh?

In 24 hours I will be a mom!!

So I had a Dr's appt. yesterday and they said I was not dilated or effaced at all and the baby has not dropped at all. I also had an ultrasound and they said the baby is measuring at 8 lbs 6 oz's. So not too big but my Dr. was concerned that I was not showing any signs of natural labor at all. She said she didn't want the baby to get too big so she wanted to either induce me or do a scheduled c-section. She suggested the c-section because she didn't think that inducing me would bring the baby down because it is so far up there. She was also concerned about the size of the head and the possible complications it could cause. So instead of going through being induced and then possibly having to be rushed in for a c-section, I decided to go ahead and do a planned c-section. Kind of scary, but my Dr. seems to think it is a good idea so I feel pretty good about it. I am going in tomorrow at 12:00 for it!!! I can't believe that in about 24 hours I will have a baby. So crazy. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Wallace family photo

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Ode to Megan

So thanks to Megan, I am finally ready to have this baby (at least physically, I am still working on mentally). Megan has been pretty amazing helping me get ready for this baby. If she had not been around, I would have had no clue what I was doing and would not be the slightest bit prepared. She spent an entire day setting up my nursery with me. And I say "with me" very loosely. I sat on a chair holding Carson while she did everything. She organized it all and put together the the things that needed to be assembled. She even made me a list of everything I would need and then took me shopping to get it all. I could not have done this all without her help. Isn't the nursery so cute?


And as if that wasn't enough, one day while I was at work, she packed my hospital bag and the baby's diaper bag!! (the diaper bag is on the right, it's really a big purse that I fell in love with and made the excuse that I could use it as a diaper bag so I could get it).
So this baby can come at anytime now. Some days I hope it comes right away and then some other days I feel like maybe it would be better if it stayed inside of me for a few more months. I had an appt. on Friday and the dr. said I am barely dilated to 1 cm so I guess that means I am about where I should be for 37 weeks. This Friday is my last day of work and I can't wait to have some time off before the baby is born to lay around and be lazy for awhile.
Oh yeah, I also wanted to thank everyone for all of your wonderful answers and advice to my post on labor. It really helped to hear everyone's experiences and to know that no matter what happens, I can make it through because someone else before me has probably already had a very similiar experience. I loved all the advice too! I have already put a hold at the library on some books that some of you told me to read. By the way, does anyone know a good book to read that will tell me about feeding the baby?

Labor day festivities

For labor day we had a Mexican feast. Elliot made steak and chicken and ground turkey tacos, enchilada's, spanish rice, beans, and homemade avacado salsa verde. Everything was delicious and it was a pretty great labor day. The rest of the day we just laid around being lazy, which also made for a wonderful labor day.

Game day

Last weekend ESPN came to Atlanta for college game day. I had no idea what this was but it was a big deal for Elliot and Adam so Megan and I went along for the ride. (Not to mention Megan wanted a piece of Lee Corso, even though he is about 110 years old).

It was a lot of walking to get there, but I made it without going into labor. Although if I had gone into labor, I would have definitely gotten on ESPN because how often does that happen on game day? That could have been exciting.


Carson dressed up in Florida gear to support the Gators. Pretty adorable.I am pretty sure Elliot was the only one there showing his support for BYU.
Here are the three guys that are on this show. They are famous I guess? I have never heard of them so it wasn't that exciting for me, but still kind of fun to be there with all of the fans. (Everyone was wearing orange but I don't know what team they were supporting).

I have no idea what he was doing.

I suppose we will be buyer larger hats

Last Friday I had a dr's appt. We had another ultrasound to check my fluid levels and this time they were at 29.8 cm's! Average amount of fluid at 36 weeks is around 14-15 cm's so I am double what most pregnant women are. No wonder everwhere I go people ask me if I am having twins! My baby has an olympic size swimming pool in there. He/she better be enjoying it while it lasts because it is getting pretty exhausting for me having to heft it all around.

The ultrasound tech also estimated the baby's weight at 7 lb. 6 oz's!! and at that point I still had 4 weeks left for it to get bigger so this could be a pretty big baby. My dr. said she still thinks I can do a regular delivery, we will just have to monitor the baby's size in the next few weeks. I have one more ultrasound at 39 weeks to see how much bigger it has gotten. The ultrasound tech said she didn't think I would make it to 40 weeks though so we shall see.

The other thing the ultrasound detected was that the baby's head is out of range which means it is measuring bigger then a newborns already! I can hardly wait to try to push that out of me. Hopefully it doesn't get much bigger in the next few weeks. The ultrasound tech said that the head is covered in hair too which is pretty exciting. I didn't even know you couldtell those kinds of things on an ultrasound.

I am getting so excited to see what this baby looks like. Chubby, huge head with lots of hair, sounds like perfection to me. I have anotherappt. today. I am hoping I am dilated or that something is going on down there. I can't believeI only have 3 weeks left!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA

www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com


And for those of you that don't catch the sarcasm that quickly, the whole thing is a spoof. I love it.