Morgan's First Midwest Trip

Morgan took her first vacation this past week. Daniel, Morgan and I traveled to the Midwest to visit Daniel's side of the family. The trip started with Morgan's first plane ride. The first thing Morgan did was pull out the safety instructions, so dad read them to her. :) Maybe she was a little nervous.

On the way there we had a short layover in Dallas/Ft. Worth. We had to take a tram ride over to a different terminal. Morgan didn't know what to think but she didn't seem to mind the tram either.

First stop was Columbus, Ohio to visit Daniel's brother Chris, his wife Laura, and cousins Katelyn and Matthew. While there, our two families took a trip to the zoo. Matthew was supposed to be sleeping, but Morgan had other plans. Sorry Laura!

Uncle Daniel took Katelyn on the carousel. So cute!

Dad and Morgan checked out some friendly birds.

Everyone kept asking if Matthew and Morgan were twins. The two finally fell asleep at the very end.

After our visit with Chris and family in Ohio everyone got together for the weekend at Daniel's father's house in Indiana. Daniel and I hitched a ride from Ohio to Indiana with Daniel's grandma Barb and her husband Ben. We rode in Ben and Barb's motorhome.

Morgan met her Great Grandma Barb for the first time.

Daniel's dad (Steve) and his wife (Dorothea) were gracious enough to host everyone getting together at their lake house. This is the view from the back deck.


Below is everyone who visited that weekend. Great picture! Great memories!

The activities were endless. One of the favorites was swimming in the lake. Below: Cousin Grayson and Cousin Katelyn brave the cold.

Even Daniel, Steve and Toby the dog joined in on the fun.


I love this picture of the three brothers! From left to right: Chris, Daniel, and Nate (birth order).

Chris's wife Laura and their son Matthew.

Cousin Scarlett is on the move while mom (Kelly) and dad (Nate) watch.

Morgan got some fun "Grandpa time."


Daniel's Mom (Linda) took a great picture with all the grandchildren.

I'm pretty sure Morgan is thanking Ben for the exciting trip in his motorhome in the below picture. Matthew is enjoying being in Great Grandma Barb's arms.

After spending the weekend with Steve; Daniel, Morgan and I visited Daniel's mom, Linda for a couple of days. While there Cousin Jessica spent time with Morgan.

And Great Aunt Janet......

And Daddy.....

I have a great video of all of us enjoying Jessica playing the guitar and singing but since my videos won't upload I don't get to post that. Even Morgan was dancing and singing. While at Linda's, we did a little shopping, a little movie watching, and even a little game of catch which Linda took part in and was better at than me.

On our flight home we had a 3 hour layover in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Morgan found a little play area that kept her happy for quite some time. Morgan did absolutely wonderful! She is a great traveler!

By her 4th and final flight Morgan didn't need Mom and Dad anymore.

Thanks everybody for making the effort to visit with us! We had a great time! Morgan enjoyed meeting everyone and LOVES her cousins!!!

Health Update

Morgan's stool has tested positive for blood since she was 2 months old. Her Gastroenterologist has been trying to eliminate every possible cause of the bleeding, which is why I had to stop breastfeeding and why she is on a strict no soy, no dairy diet. Morgan had to have an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy today because nothing seems to be working to stop the bleeding. In preparation for the surgery, Daniel and I fed Morgan her last meal Friday evening. All day Saturday, all day Sunday and part of Monday Morgan was only allowed to drink Pedialyte. To top it off she was given medicine to flush out her system resulting in a 2 am bath this morning because the poor thing completely soiled herself and everything in her crib. Morgan, who is an extremely easy going, happy go lucky child spent hours this weekend crying because she was so hungry and didn't understand why we weren't feeding her.

Daniel and I took Morgan to Children's Hospital this morning at 6 am. She began her hospital stay with an enema because the nurse was concerned that Morgan wasn't fully flushed out. On top of being exhausted from getting up so early and not sleeping well the night before Morgan was starving so the enema situation was more than she could handle. She screamed like nothing Daniel and I had ever heard before. The Anesthesiologist came in and spoke with Daniel and I before I had to hand my baby girl over to a nurse who walked her back to the operating room. Of course I cried and felt really guilty that Morgan stared into my eyes which were full of tears before she was taken away. The procedure/surgery was only supposed to take about half an hour so I had adrenaline pumping through my veins by the time a little more than an hour had passed before the Anaesthesiologist came out to let us know that Morgan was fine and would be waking up soon. Dr. Davis, Morgan's Gastroenterologist, came out next saying that she was able to do the full Endoscopy but wasn't able to do the full Colonoscopy because she just couldn't get the camera through a tight angle in the colon. Still, she said that everything looked good in that the only thing found was to be some irritation of the lining of the colon known as Colitis. Biopsies were taken to determine the cause of the irritation and we should have lab results by the beginning of next week.

I know there are so many other parents out there who are going through so much more than us but just sitting there worrying about how your little girl is doing and what the doctor was going to find was nerve racking. Every 20 minutes or so a doctor would walk out to the waiting room and yell out the name of a patient. You'd see two nervous parents jump up, fumbling to gather their things so they could go hear how their child was. My stomach jumped into my throat every time this occurred as I nervously awaited the news about my own child.

Of course Morgan is fine and the news about what was discovered is a relief. I find myself getting stronger with every obstacle we face. I'm learning to let go and worry less. Worrying only wastes the precious moments we have on this earth with our loved ones. I have a friend who is a big worrier. She was just recently diagnosed with cancer. She said she constantly worried about the "what if" and she said that she realizes now that it was all for nothing because the "what if" happened anyway.

Morgan really is tough and not only surprises me but surprises her doctors. There's been so many little instances like this last Monday when I took her to the hospital to get blood work. The toddler before her screamed as if he was getting his arm cut off and Morgan barely whimpered when the needle was stuck in her arm. She then proceeded to give the Phlebotomist a huge smile while her blood was being drawn. Today she let the doctors poke and prod, take out needles, etc. without a whimper. The only thing that seemed to bother her was the Enema and who could blame her! I just want to thank Morgan for being so strong and for teaching me how to be stronger too! Mommy is so proud of you!

Below are some recent pictures.

Full Circle

Saturday we decided to take a trip to the zoo. Morgan is a little young but because the zoo has been such an important place for Daniel and me, we couldn't wait to take Morgan for her first time. For those of you who don't know, Daniel and I have always enjoyed the zoo. Throughout our 7 year courtship, Daniel and I have made going to the zoo a special thing for us to do. We've traveled to nearby cities to go to different ones in the time we've been together. My favorite exhibit at each has always been the giraffes. Because of this, Daniel has always bought me a giraffe stuffed animal or figurine from each zoo we've visited. When he asked me to marry him he surprised me by taking me to the zoo and dropping to one knee in front of the giraffes. We decided to decorate Morgan's nursery with the giraffes that we've collected since being together. It kind of adds a whole new meaning to the theme of her room. Going back for the first time and holding Morgan exactly where Daniel asked me to marry him was special. Here are some pictures.

Try to ignore the fact that I'm flipping everyone off in the below picture.

It was around 100 degrees outside but Morgan, as always, was a trooper. She didn't cry the whole time and even fell asleep at the end which is unheard of for her. She usually will only fall asleep in her crib or car seat.

Sign, Teeth, & Birthmark

Morgan will be 9 months old August 3rd. A lot of exciting things have happened in the last couple of weeks. Last Sunday I noticed 2 teeth popping up from her bottom gums. Who knew teeth could be so cute! Morgan signed her first word. Fittingly it was the sign for dog. Thanks Maggie! I'm not sure but I think she has discovered the, "if I throw something down on the ground, Mommy will pick it up no matter how many times I throw it down" game. She's also discovered the birthmark on her arm and she repeatedley tries to grab it. It's really sad and cute to watch all at the same time. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Morgan upgraded to a new tub because she was just getting too big for her old one.

We went on a walk and ended up at the nearby high school. Morgan's cheeks are bright red because it was REALLY hot outside.

Enjoying being home with Mom this weekend.

Hanging out with Nana.

It's The Little Things....

It’s the little things………..

It’s getting excited at work around 4 pm because I know it won’t be long until I can pick Morgan up from daycare and she’ll smile, giggle and kick with excitement when she sees me walk through the doors.

It’s the 20 minutes Morgan and I spend together in the recliner in the living room everyday right when I get home where we snuggle, hug, kiss, laugh, and play as she sits in my lap and I can’t let go until those 20 minutes are up.

It’s the way her shoe looked next to mine when I threw it down on the floor yesterday and it landed near mine. Seeing her cute, little baby shoe next to my grown up shoe gripped my heart for a second.

It’s looking forward to what new food we’re going to have her try for the week.

It’s picking out a cute outfit every night for her to wear the next day. (I don’t let Daniel do the honors.)

It’s watching Daniel’s face as he plays with her.

It’s knowing that because of Daniel there is someone else out there that is capable of loving her as much as I do.

It’s the look Daniel and I give each other when we’re watching her and she does something cute or funny. That look speaks volumes even though we may not actually say something.

It’s all these little things that make my life more rich and full than it has ever been before.

********************************************

I feel blessed to have two amazing parents who gave me a happy childhood and the foundation to be a happy, healthy adult. From my experience growing up I think one of the best things you can give your child is to let your face light up every time they walk into the room. When I was pregnant I went to go visit my parents in Sacramento. We had gone to church together and after church I had to run to the bathroom. When I walked out of the bathroom they were both standing there waiting for me, my dad’s arm was around mom and both their faces lit up when they saw me. They didn’t realize it but they were standing there smiling at me with this look in their eyes that I only understand now after having my own daughter. I want my face to light up every time I see Morgan and without meaning to, it already does.

Update!

I changed my mind. I can't cut her hair yet. I decided to instead get creative and come up with other ways to handle her hair. The only problem is I know Daniel won't play along. Oh well, I'm not doing it, I'm not cutting her hair quite yet.

Summer Fun

Daniel and I had a yard sale this weekend. While Dad and Mom sold away, Morgan had some pool time in the front yard.


It was nice because we got rid of some stuff and neighbors stopped by to finally meet Morgan. I think I'm enjoying summer more now that I'm sharing it with Morgan and seeing her experience all of her first summer activities.