Why I Started Our Blog: One Day at a Time

Every single person in this world has a story; we all have a purpose.  Sometimes it is very clear what direction we should travel and other times we have no idea where to take our first step.  Decisions are made on a daily basis; some seem minor and others change your life.  Time continues to tick whether you want it to or not.  Do you live one day at a time? Or are you always looking to the future and passing by what is happening right in front of you?

This blog has been on my mind for over a year and I am finally going to conquer it.  I love to read other people’s blog but I am hesitant to put my own story out there.  To all of you who have made yourself “transparent” in time of struggle – I say thank you!  You have been my inspiration and you have been the final push I needed to start sharing our experiences as well.  I hope that I can be that “miracle story” that someone in desperate need of hope finds during their own struggle.  Or maybe it will be the blog that eases someone’s worry in an unknown situation because they can read what happened to us in a similar situation.  I want to cherish the memories with my family and have them documented for further reading, laughs, and tears.  I am no expert in the writing field and you may have to overlook grammatical or spelling errors but I hope you can still see the real meaning behind the posts.

Throughout our pregnancy with Makinley I did keep a journal as things occurred.  It was more to keep track of the details so I would not forget them in the midst of everything that was happening.  I hope to share some of that with you along with shortened versions of emails we were sending out to our family and close friends.  I made a promise to myself and to God that I would share our story after it all occurred no matter what the outcome.  Looking back I wish I would have been comfortable sharing our story as it unfolded but unfortunately I was not ready to put myself in that place at that time.  I hope you enjoy reading it now and find inspiration in the living miracle we got to endure. 

Remembering the NICU Staff

The NICU was Makinley's home for 74 days.  This WAS our home away from home.  I spent almost every day with Makinley and my social life revolved around those who cared for my daughter.  The nurses become your source of sanity, the doctors become your dictionary, and these people become your friends.  This post is in honor of all the many hands who helped care for our daughter.  She is our special miracle and we know you all had a hand in her success. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for loving our little girl. 

Cindy - We had many doctors and nurses in the delivery room when Makinley was born.  Cindy was Makinley's first nurse and was in charge of only her for the day.  I don't remember much from the first time I saw Makinley in her room but I do remember seeing her name tag on the incubator as MaKinley.  I panicked - it had a capital "K" in it.  First thing that went through my mind was OH NO - it is all official and it is permanent.  I am not a fan of names which have a second capital letter in them.  She would forever be saying...no its a capital K when people ask how to spell it.  She quickly reassured me that it was not a big deal and she would change all the name tags.  As minor as it seemed - you made my day with those simple words.  We didn't have Cindy very much for the rest of Makinley's stay but we always enjoyed seeing her sweet demeanor in the halls of the NICU. 

Mindy - I swear you probably thought we were crazy people the day after Makinley was born.  We took LOTS and LOTS of pictures of Makinley.  We appreciated your quiet character but yet you were very sincere with everything you said.  We were happy to have you as a nurse on many different occasions and you always made us feel very comfortable. 

Meghan - You were a part time nurse at the time and we were thankful we got to spend a few shifts with you.  Your love for your child was evident and we were thankful we could make your last scheduled shift at Sanford a memorable one with Makinley's Halloween photo shoot.                                               

Tabitha - We were always excited when we had you sporadically as Makinley's nurse.  There is no doubt that you always brought laughter to our room.   You would make fun of yourself, tell us a story about your family, or join in on one of our crazy conversations.  You were one of few nurses who probably saw us really upset.  We knew you loved Makinley and you were willing to stand up for what the parents wanted in any situation.  You proved this when we had some issues while Andrew and I were out of town.  Thank you - it reassured me knowing that although I was miles away you were being an advocate for us and for our daughter.  You were also present for the Halloween photo shoot - thank you for not always following everything by the books :)  You will always be a blessing to the families you meet!

Jenn - you will never be forgotten - and always be a part of Makinley's story.  You were there from day three and we were always thrilled to have you as our nurse.  You saw us at our worst and best.  I will never forget going to see Makinley a few days after birth and you were asking us to sign for the PICC line.  I was so overwhelmed with trying to check out, trying to make a decision, etc, etc - that I finally broke down crying from everything.  You made me feel like I was not an idiot and it was okay to "lose it".  You were also our nurse on September 22 - the day we got all of the routine one month scans back.  You became a friend - someone I could be honest with, ask questions to, and trust.  Not only did we like you but Makinley did too.  I don't think it was a coincidence that any blood pressure reading you took was always lower than any other nurse.  This is also why we requested you towards the end of our stay because we knew that you would help us get Makinley home :)  Thank you Jenn - for getting to know us and allowing us to get to know you.

Jolleen - Our discharge nurse!  What a great day it was when you were able to walk us out the door.  I enjoyed sharing wedding ideas with you for your child's upcoming wedding and trying to help you iron out the details :)  You always enjoyed talking about the lakes and the time you spent with your grandkids.

Elizabeth - We have many words to describe you....knowledgeable, physical therapist, friend, honest, blunt, trustworthy, loving, patient, and the list goes on.  You started seeing Makinley less than one week after birth.  Your goal was to help stretch Makinleys club feet and gain her more flexibility in her legs.  You also helped in many other areas but her feet were our main goal.  I appreciated the notes you left me on her progress in the early stages and how you always kept us informed on her status as well as your upcoming goals.  As our stay lengthened you became a friend.  I would get to the hospital early enough so I could chat with you during Makinley's therapy.  You were there for EVERYTHING.  You have a gift of explaining.  I would always ask you questions about comments the doctors would make and you were always able to put it into terms we would understand or explain the underlining point.  Thank you for standing beside us on our NICU journey and for loving Makinley.  I hope I have as much patience with  my daughter as you have for yours.  That patience spills over and shows the true person you are inside.  You were a blessing to us and placed in our journey for a reason. You always told us the truth and weren't afraid to include things we may not want to hear.  We greatly appreciated that.  We knew we could trust you.  I hope you can bless many more families just as you did for us.

Becky - I think we only had you one or two shifts but you were the nurse who helped me give Makinley her first bath.  I had NO idea what I was doing.  First, I thought we would actually put her in an infant tub not just wipe her down with wet cloths.  Second, I am sorry that it took so long but I thought I had to do a really good job.  As time passed - my bath time for Makinley got a lot quicker :)

Diane - You were the first nurse to give Makinley a bottle. 

Marsha - I didn't know what to think of you at first - truthfully you kind of scared me.  One week after Makinley was born my family was visiting.  I was hoping to hold Makinley so they could get a better look at her but our nurse was no where to be found at that moment.  So I asked you if I could hold her - you said yes.  I waited for you to do as other nurses had and put her in my arms.  You looked at me.....paused....and said...you are mom....you can take her out.  I was taken back but I appreciated you giving me the confidence to do things on my time and feel like it was okay.  From then on I feel like I probably started taking a more active approach with Makinley and worried less if it was "the right thing" or okay with the nurses.

Sheila/Nora/Deidre - Hello night nurses!....or at least it seemed like you were always on nights for us :)  I give you ladies a lot of credit for working the opposite schedule as the rest of the world.  You made it hard for me to leave some nights.  All I wanted to do was sit and hang out with you because you all brought such a fun atmosphere even though it was 9 pm at night.  Thank you for watching our little girl while I slept at night.  And Nora - I am still sorry that my daughter pooped all over you!

Jill - You always had a spunky personality and you loved pictures as much as I do.  You captured the first time Andrew and I held Makinley and I will always treasure those photos. 

Gail - Unfortunately for you - I probably used you as one of my venting buddies.  I truly appreciated the times you would just walk into our room, get comfy on the couch, and truly listen to the hurdles we were overcoming.  You helped me keep my cool when things seemed overwhelming.  You helped me understand and complete multiple surveys and required paperwork.  You were even willing to help sort through all of our financial paperwork which at the time seemed like a mountain.  Thank you - for just being you.  You were open about your faith, your family, and you encouraged us to stay on God's path and keep sharing our story with others.  God bless you for the work you do!

Cheryl - was Makinley's Speech Therapist.  She would come by randomly to watch Makinley work on her bottle.  The goal is for every baby to eat through a bottle or nurse on their own.  She provided new ideas to help Makinley succeed at bottling. 

Our NICU Doctors (Dr. Stevens, Dr. Munson, Dr. Messier, & Dr. Baack)  - Thank you for caring for the "little people."  We had a few other doctors at times but for the most part these were the four doctors that cared for Makinley.  Dr. Stevens followed Makinley's story from the time we started bed rest so he was the NICU doctor in the delivery room that cared for Makinley.  Makinley shocked Dr. Stevens with how well she did because he never thought she would survive without lung/breathing issues.  Dr. Munson was second doctor we saw the most besides Stevens.  He always seemed to have a relaxed attitude about everything.  He was our discharge doctor in November.  Dr. Messier and Dr. Baack were on Makinley's case more around the one month mark. 

It is easy to group all of these people together and say, "they were just doing their job." 

And I agree - they were doing their job.  But it is so easy to tell who loves what they are doing and who is going through the motions.  I hope everyone who has to endure a NICU gets to experience some of the same loving staff that we did on this long, amazing, hard journey.



Going Home from the NICU - 74 Days Later!

 It is hard to believe that we are finally taking our little peanut HOME!  We have been "living" at Sanford hospital for 19 weeks if you include the time I spent on High Risk OB.  We are comfortable trying to find our way around the hospital and we know where every baby thing is at in her NICU room.  But as good as all of that may sound - we are thrilled to cross into unknown territory and bring our baby home. 

Makinley is 9 lbs today!  We finished all of the paperwork and were discharged mid-afternoon from the NICU.  We had to make a stop on the High Risk OB side so they could see Makinley and wish us well as we finally left the facility.  They were just as much a part of our story as what the NICU was.

 Makinley is Home! We had to take a few pictures the minute we got home since it seemed so surreal to us that she was finally in our surroundings.  She was not hooked to any monitors and she was our full responsibility now.  What a great day this was for our family of three!



Great Grandma Fynaardt made this blanket a long time ago and my sister gave it to us before Makinley was even born.  We used it a lot in the NICU and we thought it was a good first picture at home prop.  I can not believe how little she looks though.  The blanket is only a stroller blanket so it is not even full size.  Everything in our house makes her look so tiny!  I guess that happens when you are used to only seeing her in a little crib and a small hospital room. 

To Makinley: This is the day that daddy and I prayed for many times.  We prayed that we would be given the gift to take you home.  We wanted to walk out of Sanford Hospital with a car seat holding a baby - not  empty handed.  We are so thankful that God's plan for you was to come home with us.  We look forward to the many hours, days, weeks, and years ahead that we can all spend together making memories.  You are so special to us and we pray you will someday know what a miracle you are. 

Getting Ready to Go Home

We have a day in mind to go home!!!  I can not believe I am even saying those words.  I feel like today has been total chaos trying to dot all of our I's and cross our T's.  I arrived at the hospital earlier than normal today because I wanted to make sure I was present for rounds.  Dr. Munson is the NICU doctor for Makinley this week and I wanted to talk to him in person.  Makinley has been doing very well with her feeds and we feel it is time to go home.  She doesn't have a large appetite but she is meeting the minimum requirements to go home.  When they arrived for rounds - I let them go about their normal routine and waited until they asked if I had any questions.  This was my chance and I was excited about it.  I looked at Dr. Munson and half jokingly and half seriously said, "Are you looking forward to discharging us this weekend?"  He has a great sense of humor so he took it all in stride but at the same time he knew I meant what I said.  "We are looking forward to going home this weekend and we think Makinley is ready."  He did not agree with me 100% but he said we better make sure things are in order then.  I knew that was his subtle hint that he thought he could make that happen.  I was ecstatic - thrilled - anxious - happy - and yet I didn't realize how much stuff had to be done before we could be released.  I am glad we had a few days to complete everything!

Makinley now weighs 8 lbs 13 oz.  She passed her hearing test with flying colors on Monday.  She also passed her eye exam with Dr. Tufty.  He felt her eyes looked great and therefore we do not need to follow up with him at all.  Below is a picture of Makinley taking her car seat test.  This can be a challenge sometimes for preemie babies.  They have to keep their oxygen level above a certain level for an entire hour.  If it falls below that number they fail and have to try again the next day.  They even have a cool "program" for the car seat test on each child's monitor.  They start the engine and you can watch on the screen as the "car" progresses towards the end of the hour.  Thankfully Makinley passed her test on the first try.  She only scared me once by dropping her oxygen for a split second.

Two Months Old - Happy Halloween

Makinley is two months old!  We are so ready to take our little peanut home and we feel we are getting so close.  She shocked her doctors and nurses when she took 99 calories per kilo of milk today which is awesome!  They like to see above 100 before they talk about us going home.  She now weighs 8 lbs 10 oz.  We are thankful to report that her blood pressure numbers have decreased.  YAY!  They are now around 95-100 instead of 120.  This is a huge answer to prayers.  We have even decreased the number of times we have to take her blood pressure because they feel it is becoming more stable again.  This is the weekend Makinley was supposed to be due - so hard to picture this as the newborn baby size instead of the 4 lb body size that we think of as a newborn.

Due to our fabulous nurses this weekend - we were able to snap a few Halloween pictures of Makinley unhooked from any monitors.  It was wonderful!!!  The little things can really make our day. The onesie she is wearing came from her therapist and it says "Whoooo Has Treats?"  I wonder if I give her a bucket - will nurses drop treats in it.  I am sure she would share them with her mom :)  Her official Halloween outfit was something I picked up a while ago.  A cute pumpkin sleeper(ignore the fact that it is still a little big on her.)  I was really hoping she would hurry up and eat so that we could visit Pumpkinland in Orange City this fall.  Since we aren't going to make it in time - I purchased some mini pumpkins from them instead.  We snuck them into the NICU to create some cute photo props.  Don't worry - I cleaned and sanitized them first.

Aunt Dee and Grandma Cyndi came up to visit this weekend.  Deann finally had the opportunity to hold Makinley and give her multiple hugs and kisses.  We are so blessed by our family and thankful for the support they have shown to us!  We look forward to their visits but we hope this is the last visit in the NICU and the next ones will be at our home in Sioux Center.

Feedings - Getting Closer

Anyone who has had a child in the NICU realizes that feedings are usually the toughest thing to wait on.  Your child seems ready to take home but they are not eating the amounts they should.  We have been getting frustrated with feedings and we are trying to stay positive.  Earlier in the week we voiced our opinion that we feel Makinley is being over fed and that she does not realize what it means to be hungry. 

Our routine up until this point has been to feed her every three hours.  The amount of milk she is supposed to eat is calculated based on her weight for the day.  So we wake Makinley up, allow her to eat as much of the bottle as she is willing to eat, and then they NG the rest of her amount. 

Andrew and I feel that Makinley is getting too much food and therefore she is not learning what "hungry" means.  We have come to this conclusion based off of several things.....
* She never wakes up around the three hour mark and is starving for food.  She eats a little bit and then tells us she is done but they still NG the rest. 
* She is gaining 45 grams a day.  After doing some research we learned that the ideal weight gain is 15 to 30 grams a day.  Therefore, we feel she is getting more milk than what her body needs
* I am barely able to provide enough breast milk for Makinley.  A mom's body is supposed to know how much food their baby needs.  I hear stories of how mom's are storing up their extra milk and how they have a freezer full of milk.  I am no where near that!  I have just enough to get her through each day.

Due to our gut instinct and trying to read Makinley - we have pushed for a new routine which includes removing her NG tube.  By taking out the NG, we know that she is not getting any additional milk other than what she consumes herself.  I also agreed to spend the night last night and tonight with her to wake up and feed her whenever she cries for food.  Some nurses refer to this as the starvation method.  We are starving her of food in order for her to realize she has to eat to become full.

Yesterday, I did not see a lot of progress.  Makinley really did not care to eat too much and was happy just to sleep.  I woke up multiple times in the middle of the night expecting to feed her and she was still sound asleep.  I think our baby would be an excellent sleeper if she wasn't woke up every 3 hours for rounds.  Today has gone much better though.  I think it is finally starting to click for her.  She has way better suck pattern and actually wakes up crying to be fed. 

Although she will have to consume way more than what she is now - we can only hope that this means the end is in sight and we can go home soon!



No More NG Tube - First time we have seen her without it!



"How Preemie Moms are Chosen" Article

How Preemie Moms Are Chosen 
by Erma Bombeck

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
 
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
 
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. 
 Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.
Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
 
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie." 

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
 
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
 
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
 
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair.  Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
 
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
 
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect She has just the right amount of selfishness."
 
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
 
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see-- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice-- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." 

"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
 
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

Fighting High Blood Pressure

I wanted to include the word "fighting" in the title because that is exactly the way we have been feeling lately.  We are fighting for Makinley!  Fighting against Dr. Sanders push for blood pressure medication and fighting for our opinions.  Yesterday and today have been very interesting to say the least.

We were informed yesterday that Makinley has been dealing with some high blood pressure.  Her numbers are higher than what they like to see and therefore they wanted us to meet with a specialist who deals with pediatric patients who have kidney/high blood pressure issues.  Andrew was coming up yesterday so we agreed to both meet with the doctor.  Lets just say he came in with an agenda and was going to try and push that agenda to us.  He wanted to run some more blood work, an ultrasound of her kidneys, an echo, and put her on medications right away.  This was way more than Andrew and I were anticipating.  We had just learned of her high blood pressure on Thursday morning and now on Thursday afternoon he was wanting to make some big steps.  We told him that we always try to make educated decisions for Makinley and we wanted to do some more research on our own first.  We told them they could do the kidney ultrasound and could do lab work with her normal blood work on Monday.  We told him we did not want an echo done at this time and we were going to hold off on medications until the other results came back first.

He was not pleased with this decision.  He tried to tell us that we needed to put Makinley on something right away.  We went on to inform him that if there really was a NEED then we should have been informed sooner that she was even having high blood pressure.  The doctors can continue to monitor her and if we see something change we can make a decision then.

So Andrew and I started to do research.  We talked to nurses in the NICU asking them what is all involved in high blood pressure.  We talked to friends who were nurses and we called Dr. Grossmann in Orange City for a second opinion.  They all agreed that Makinley was on the high end of normal for high blood pressure.  Her numbers were usually between 105 & 120.  They also informed me that it is fairly common for premature babies to get high blood pressure after being in the NICU for so long.  In addition - they told us to watch HOW her blood pressure was being taken.  Makinley should be completely calm and at rest state when they try for a reading.  They should be taking a reading from her arm and not her leg since her leg will usually give a higher reading.  I took this advice and sure enough some nurses were doing it way different than other nurses.  Sometimes it was her leg, other times it was right after she was mad from a diaper change, and sometimes it was done perfectly.  Even more comical is when Makinley had nurses that we know she is comfortable with - it was always in the okay range.  If she had new nurses that she was not familiar with - it was on the high side.  So this made us want to monitor instead of act with medication even more so.

I went home with Andrew last night and re-packed my bags for the week.  We plan to go back up first thing tomorrow to spend more time with Makinley.  I called into the NICU floor to see how Makinley was doing today and was surprised with the information that was provided.  First the nurse informed me that the ultrasound of Makinley's kidneys went fine.  The left kidney is still slightly inflamed or dilated? but nothing to cause concern.  Her kidney showed this dilation already at 20 weeks gestation inside my womb and it is good news that it has not changed.  We will continue to monitor it every 3-6 months because eventually we want to see it go away.  The nurse proceeded to tell me that the Echo went fine too.  The Echo?  We specifically told the specialist that he was NOT to proceed with the Echo until we gave further notice.  Andrew and I were NOT happy.  Needless to say, this specialist lost our respect and we were not going to be working with him anymore.   Andrew voiced his opinion that we were sick of procedures being done whenever I was not present.  I maybe leave Makinley for a day once every two weeks.  This gives me time to re-pack a suitcase and do a few things at our own home before returning to Sioux Falls.  There is no explanation why they waited until I was gone to move forward with the ECHO.  Andrew received a phone call back from Dr. Stevens (Makinley's NICU doctor) apologizing for the miscommunication.  Dr. Stevens said it was his fault and it shouldn't have happened.  We like Dr. Stevens but Andrew said he could not take the blame.  The specialist needs to take the blame and he needs to respect the parents and our wishes.  And there is no need for him to apologize now since he has the results and he has the information he wants. 

So, even though we were not supposed to have an Echo, the results were fine.  Makinley has an extra vessel to her pulmonary artery but it is nothing concerning.  This is pretty typical in babies but most babies don't have an echo to confirm it.  She also has a valve that is still open.  We will do a follow up Echo in approximately six months to make sure it has closed. 

We are thankful that nothing serious was found in the ultrasound or the Echo but unfortunately this does not give us any answers.  Our plan for now is to keep monitoring Makinley's blood pressure numbers and pray they take care of themselves.  I really do not want to start her on blood pressure meds and then have to try and wean her off them later on. 

Makinley's Enjoying the NICU Luxuries

The title of this post may catch you by surprise.  Most people do not put the two words NICU and luxury in the same sentence.  Three months ago I would not have placed them side by side either but my eyes have been opened up to NICU care.  People here really do care for our child.  They know her because she is in the NICU, they like her because she is a baby, but they love her because they have taken the time to understand her personality.  They have become family to us.  Within the care they provide - they also try to include typical things full term babies would be enjoying. 

Here are the "luxuries" Makinley is getting to enjoy.....

1. Baby Rockers!  Bless these volunteers who dedicate their time to holding babies.  They walk around in a circle passing by each and every room until they come across a baby who is crying or a baby who is awake and would like some attention. They range in age from 20 years old to 70 years old but they all have one common goal - love the babies.  One elderly gentleman has been volunteering for years.  He used to do it with his wife but then she passed away.  He figures if he can help hold a baby and calm their fears or anxiety of being in the NICU- his time is well spent and it frees the nurses up to care for other babies.  Another elderly lady volunteered her time to hold our babies because all of her grandchildren live far away and she can't physically hold them. College students volunteer their time to get away from campus life for an hour or two.  And then there is Jayme.  Jayme is studying to become a nurse so she volunteers her time because she enjoys being with the babies but it also gives her experience in the NICU environment where she is hoping to study.  We became close to Jayme throughout our stay here and we made sure to catch a quick picture with her and Makinley one night.  Andrew and I left for one weekend to travel to Oskaloosa for a baby shower.  I was feeling really bad about leaving until Jayme told me that she would make sure to hold Makinley for a while on Saturday night.  And as you can see - she kept her promise and even wrote us a little note for when we returned!  Thank you to all of the baby rockers who love the babies in the NICU! 

2.   Makinley is now old enough to have a mobile on her bed.  This is supposed to be good stimulation and enjoyment for any baby.  Makinley doesn't mind watching it but truthfully I think she enjoys listening to the music it plays more so than watching the animals spin in a circle.  It is probably a nice change of noise compared to the typical beeping she always hears from her monitors!

3.  Makinley can now enjoy a bouncy seat.  She loves this vibrating seat!  We were so shocked when we turned the corner to enter her room and there on the floor was our little peanut sleeping away.  Look at that sweet little face - with her nose up in the air.  I can only imagine she thinks she is big stuff being all cool in her chair :)

4. Lastly - Makinley gets to enjoy daily messages/therapy sessions from her NICU therapist Elizabeth.  Elizabeth visits us every morning and stretches Makinley's neck, back, knees, and feet.  We hope that stretching daily will give her feet more range of motion and possibly eliminate some casting for her club feet.  As you can see - Makinley is not being harmed at all in this process - she is out cold and enjoying the message to its full potential!

More Special Moments....

Makinley continues to grow bigger and become more alert. 

She now weighs 7 lbs 14 oz.  This week Uncle Adam and Grandma Joan were able to hold Makinley for the first time. 

It is hard to believe how much she has changed in two short months.  She looks so big in our arms now compared to when we first held her. Andrew stopped by for a few hours since his work trip landed in Sioux Falls and back to Sioux Center.  We were both excited to see him :)