katiecaseyeleanorvioletlucille!!!!!

New Blog address...

2009-01-29T14:01:00.002-05:00

I've started a new blog in light of the arrival of Miss Lucille...

www.connerfamilyfive.blogspot.com

Thanks-

Transition time...

2009-01-27T16:43:00.003-05:00

Big news today. We are moving out of the main NICU and into a transition room. This is where Casey and I will stay from now on, with Lucille!!! We are so excited, and slightly terrified, about having her with us 24 hrs a day. She will still have her IV and will continued to have her heartrate, oxygen saturation and respiration monitored in the room, and any problems will show up on the computer in the nurse's station. But as far as day to day care Casey and I are now officially in charge.

She continues to struggle a bit with her eating, so there is no telling when we will take the final step from transition to home. Her digestive system is having a hard time catching up with the rest of her body, but she is making progress. She continues to pee and poop on her own, but the food seems to upset her stomach which continues to make her uninterested in food. I would say on average she takes half of her food by mouth and the rest by tube.

We are amazed at how far we have come from a week and a half ago, and excited about how well Lucille is recovering. She is such a strong little monkey and we can't wait to see how she amazes us in the months and years to come.

Eleanor came and had a sleep over with me last night in the hospital sleep room (or shall I say closet). We had a great time. She got to visit with her littlest sister a bit, now that she's over the flu, and we watched a movie together in bed while eating free hospital snacks and juice. Her favorite part was our breakfast in the cafeteria this morning before Casey came and picked her up for school.

Violet is doing well, too, but obviously misses her Mom and Dad a lot. Casey stayed home with her last night and they slept in the big bed, she was so happy to "nuggle with Daddy". She has yet to meet Lucille, which is heartbreaking. One of these days all three of our girls will finally get to be together, and I am going to cry like a baby myself. I cannot wait to finally get a photo of all of them, Eleanor, Violet & Lucille.

Hope everyone is well!

Photos

2009-01-26T00:05:00.002-05:00

Moving Right Along...

2009-01-25T13:02:00.002-05:00

Lucille continues to do better and get stronger. She spends a lot more time awake each day, and seems to be more aware of her surroundings. Her feedings have increased everyday, and hopefully soon she'll be eating enough on her own in order to bring her home. She has refused her last few feedings, and we've had to feed her from a feeding tube through her nose. The nurse seems to think it is because her digestive system is still coming around, giving her a lot of gas which makes her uninterested in food. This is really the final step in getting her out of the NICU and bringing her home.

As far as long term, the neurologist has told us that Lucille will be at risk for certain things such as cerebral palsy, behavioral problems and developmental delays. Although it sounds scary, we were actually relieved to hear that at this point she is functioning like a typical newborn, and these issues are only a possiblity for the future, and not inevitable.

Lucille will see a physical therapist tomorrow, and when we are finally discharged we will be set up with an Infant Stimulation Program which includes physical therapy and developmental specialists. She will be seen every couple of months in order to monitor her development and watch out for any issues she may have.

The neurologist couldn't stress enough how lucky Lucille is to have two amazing big sisters to help her develop. I'm pretty sure Eleanor and Violet are up for the job, and they're ready to get started as soon as possible, as are Casey and I.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the support and prayers for Lucille and our family. We feel like we are finally on the upswing and everyday gets a little better and a lot easier. We feel so blessed to be supported by our amazing families, and our friends have been incredible.

I'll post new pictures soon!

Eating and Wearing Clothes...

2009-01-22T16:29:00.002-05:00

Lucille had her first feeding today, all went well. she will eat every 3 hours as long as her body handles it well... We are so Excited! She also had her heater turned off and is wearing clothes! Her nurse, Andy, made her a special hat today with a hole in it for her IV. It is so freakin' cute. We've yet to see if she can keep her temp up, but we'll check her in a few hours... She is definitely becoming more and more alert. Still no hearing or vision test... maybe in the morning. Here's a picture of her in her clothes...

Lucille Photos

2009-01-22T00:21:00.002-05:00

I just realized that I've yet to formally introduce the newest member of the family...

Evelyn Lucille Conner

January 16, 2009

7lbs 6oz

12:33 am

There, that feels much better.

These are the most recent pics from today.

Lucille Update

2009-01-21T00:10:00.002-05:00

Let's see.. Lucille continues to get stronger and she seems to be moving in the right direction. The doctor didn't see anything abnormal on her EEG and she had an MRI today which we will talk to him about in the morning.

Her nasal cannula is out (yeah!) so she is breathing on her own without the help of any extra oxygen. Her little face is even more beautiful now that it is completely free of tubes and tape... I'll post photos tomorrow.

The platelet transfusion went well, they will continue to monitor her to see if her levels continue to go up...

She is peeing like a champ, still with the help of some meds, but peeing nonetheless...

Monday night we had our first "Kangaroo Care" time, laying together belly to belly, skin to skin... She snuggled in and slept soundly for almost 3 hours. I woke up and did it for another 2 hours this morning.

She is beginning to root around and show signs of hunger, which is the next big step. Once we get her eating we will feel a lot better.

Casey and I are doing well and getting used to the routine of life in the nicu. We left the hospital today and went home to have dinner with the girls and put them to bed. This was the first time I had left the hospital since Thursday morning when I came for my induction. It was terribly difficult to leave Lucille here, but I knew she was in great hands, and that our big girls were really needing us. It was a great night, and being with the girls really gave me a renewed strength that I desperately needed.

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts and prayers and sweet emails, texts, facebook messages, etc... We love and appreciate all of the support, and we're sorry that we don't always have the time to respond...

Keep you posted..

Evelyn "Lucille" Conner

2009-01-19T14:22:00.001-05:00

Our third precious girl, Lucille, came into the world on Friday morning (12:33 am) after a long and difficult delivery. At birth she was not breathing or responding and her pulse was very weak. She was immediately rushed to the nicu, where she finally regained conciousness and was put on a ventilator. She has since been taken off the ventilator and is breathing on her own.

At some point she was deprived of oxygen. We aren't sure when or for how long, therefore we have no idea how severe the damage may be to her brain and other organs. This may have occured during pregnancy or during labor and delivery. She will have to remain in the nicu for some time to monitor brain activity and organ function. Each day she is a little bit better, yesterday she peed which showed us that her kidneys are slowly starting to come around. Today her platelet count is low, so she will have a blood transfusion this afternoon. She had an EEG on her brain this morning, and we are waitng to speak with the nuerologists about those results. She will have an MRI on Friday. At this point this is all we really know.

She looks EXACTLY like Violet, and we can already tell that she is stubborn and headstrong like Eleanor. We usually get to hold her about once or twice a day, and she is absolutely amazing. From the outside she is completely perfect and we are so proud of her and thrilled that she is here with us.

Obviously this has all been very difficult, but we are hopeful that sweet little Lucille will recover and be able to come home soon. Please keep her in your prayers, as well as Eleanor and Violet.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

We're Back! Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T14:37:00.003-05:00

Hello there. So, I've been super slack about the blog for a few reasons. I can't stand sitting at the computer for too long after being at work, yada yada yada... Casey got me a laptop for Christmas this year, so right now I am comfortably curled up on the couch while updating the blog. Hopefully this will help me get back on the bandwagon, we'll see. So, here are some photos of Christmas...It's been a great day so far. Hope all are well, Merry Christmas. We'll keep you posted on the babe.. 2 more weeks to go and feeling great!

Super heroes at my house...

2008-10-25T22:40:00.002-04:00

GUESS WHO WE SAW TODAY?

2008-10-05T18:22:00.003-04:00

North Carolina Mountain State Fair

2008-09-07T17:40:00.004-04:00

We went to the North Carolina Mountain State Fair this weekend. Violet rode 3 rides! This is a big deal. She is normally timid when it comes to anything at all adventurous outside of home or the backyard.

It all started with the bumper boats. She saw them and said, "Ina ride dat." So we went with it, putting her in line with Eleanor. We assumed that by the time she had to hand her tickets to the woman (a carnie) and be lifted and placed on a boat in a huge pool of water, that the fear would overcome her and she'd be right back by our side. Nope.

She willingly handed over her three little tickets and even lifted up her arms to the stranger to be picked up, (this is huge for Violet) and off she went. I was okay with it, as long as her boat was on the outer edges of the pool, within my arms reach. When she would steer into the center of the pool, I would panic, but I'm pretty sure I did a decent job of hiding it and smiling and encouraging her and all of that good stuff... She had a blast.

After the bumper boats she saw the circus train, and cried until it was her turn to go. She didn't even care that she was on her own on this one, no Eleanor. She insisted on the front car... Again, she had a blast.

Just when I thought my little girl had gotten over her wimpiness and was becoming some sort of daredevil, we saw the carousel. We all got on, and just as I began to lift her onto the 'pity pupple hoowas' that she had chosen, she screamed- "Pity pupple hoowas eat me! No, he eat me!" (top photo) I guess she's still a wimp!

The Biltmore Estate

2008-08-31T22:52:00.003-04:00

We took the girls to the Biltmore Estate yesterday for the first time ever after living here for almost 6 years. We had free tickets from the Mom of a student who rides to school with me. Anyhow, it was fun. There is so much there. The house didn't really do it for me, but Casey and Eleanor really liked that part. There is also a farm and horses and so much pristine land there, it is truly gorgeous. You could spend days and days there and never see the same thing twice. We ended up buying season passes, so we'll probably end up going quite a bit. Here are some photos of the girls. I didn't take any of the house or anything, oops. Oh well, the girls are cuter anyway.

Eleanor's first day of 1st Grade

2008-08-22T17:35:00.002-04:00

Violet's 2nd Birthday!

2008-08-22T17:07:00.004-04:00

I feel awful that I didn't post these photos after her party. She had a great time, but was not thrilled when everyone sang to her. Violet, unlike her big sister, does NOT like to be the center of attention. We spent her actual birthday in Louisville visiting the Peytons.

Ocean City 2008

2008-08-22T16:53:00.005-04:00

Violet and Landon
Violet and Riley Eleanor and Lily

These photos are from our trip to Ocean City, Maryland in June. All of my siblings (and a lot of my cousins) were there as well as both of my parents. We had a blast, the kids really loved spending so much time with their cousins.

SWEET BABY GIRL

2008-08-21T23:00:00.002-04:00

HOPE YOU CAN MAKE THESE OUT... I HAD TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THE PRINT OUT SO IT DOESN'T LOOK AS CLEAR, BUT IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING... SHE IS REALLY CUTE, ALTHOUGH I MAY BE BIASED. HER LITTLE ARM IS COVERING PART OF HER FACE BUT IT'S A GREAT SHOT OF HER NOSE AND MOUTH.

AN ABSOLUTE MIRACLE

2008-07-30T22:10:00.003-04:00

If you don't know, Casey and I have a weakness when it comes to our children and sleep. What I mean by this is that when the girls were babies they NEVER slept in their crib, they slept with us. Even now at 2 and 6, they usually sleep with us in our California King. If not we have to lay in their bed for atleast 30 minutes before they fall asleep, and then they each end up migrating into our bed sometime in the middle of the night.

In Violet's 2 years of life, she has NEVER fallen asleep without snuggling one of us (or the occasional babysitter)

With littlest girl on the way, we've realized that they need to not only sleep in their own beds ALL NIGHT but also fall asleep without Casey or I.

Hallelujah! After 3 long evenings of crying, whining and a lot of guilt on my part... it worked!

So this photo may appear to some of you as a pile of little girls, baby dolls and stuffed animals, but to us it is nothing short of a miracle. Maybe now we will have our big bed to ourselves, that is until January, of course.

#3

2008-07-24T16:29:00.002-04:00

I realize it has been forever since I've written or posted photos. I guess maybe it's because I do actually have a life, believe it or not... I'll try to put some pictures up soon, but wanted to get this bit of big news out there first.

We went for our Ultrasound yesterday and all is well. Unfortunately for me, my original due date has been pushed up 2 weeks because the baby is measuring everywhere at 15 weeks instead of 17. It is frustrating, because I feel like I've just taken a GIANT step backwards, but in the grand scheme of things a healthy baby is all that matters and that is in fact what we have!

So, the new due date is January 8, 2009. So much for the tax credit for 2008! It is official that not only will we be welcoming our third child into the world, but also our third baby girl! Unbelievable! Eleanor and Violet are thrilled and excited about having another sister around, although Eleanor did say, "Oh man, another little sister to take my stuff." Little does she realize that a little brother would have done the same.

I can't stop imagining the amount of bitching that will go on about Casey and I over the next 60 years! Anyhow... we are excited and cannot wait to meet our little girl, even if we do have to wait an extra 2 weeks!

A Busy Week

2008-06-02T19:06:00.005-04:00

The past week has been a busy one with both Eleanor's school and mine closing up for the summer. Woohoo! I have quite a few photos to post, hope you enjoy! Oh yeah, and Eleanor lost a tooth today!

Violet in the back yard trying to play softball with Eleanor and Daddy, so cute.

Eleanor and her buddies at the Artspace Star Ceremony. All of the kindergarteners were given stars from the first graders, super sweet. They were so excited to be official 1st graders!
Last Day of School at Hanger Hall. We surprised the girls with Hot Air Balloon rides. They had a blast. Hello summer!
I did not go up. I am afraid of heights during pregnancy. It may sound weird but it's true. Casey pushed me on the swing the other day and I completely freaked out because I went so high. I'm not normally like that, it's very strange. So hopefully there will be another hot air balloon somewhere in my future. It looked like a lot of fun.
Violet in the baby pool.

Eleanor and Violet singing Happy Birthday to their new cousin, Holden. (George and Jamie's baby!) They are so excited to meet him this weekend, so are we!

I couldn't resist. She is such a cutie pie, I could eat her.

Good News!

2008-05-21T21:04:00.003-04:00

Here is a recent photo of the girls, sorry it's not great. I tried to get some good ones tonight but they were not being too cooperative. Anyhow, for those of you who haven't heard, we found out last week that we are having a baby! The due date is December 27, so by our calculations and considering our past experiences, we are placing our bets on mid January. Eleanor is thrilled and cannot wait to "teach" Violet how to be a big sister (her words). Violet doesn't really get it, and when anyone mentions the baby in Mommy's belly she points at it and says, "Open it!"

Hope everyone is well. We are looking forward to summertime and hanging out at home and the pool. Especially now that things are about to get crazy in December!
Take Care-

JUMPING!!!

2008-04-06T13:31:00.002-04:00

March Wrap-up

2008-03-31T21:48:00.008-04:00

Here are some photos from home and a few from Easter weekend. The girls had a blast as usual in West Virginia.

Violet is such a big girl these days. She has quite a personality and learns a lot from Eleanor. Our current favorite is "oh, man!"

She came home from school today fascinated by the idea of "up and down" and at dinner she marveled at the way the ice cubes in her cup went up and down as she took sips. This lasted for about an hour or so, until they melted.

There are so many things about Violet that remind me of Eleanor at that age, yet just as many new things that are unique to her and her personality. She is a complete goofball and is constantly trying to come up with ways to make all of us laugh.

Eleanor's reading has taken off incredibly. Her homework tonight was to read Casey and I a chapter from a Polar Bear science book and she did so beautifully. She is mighty proud of herself and loves to tell people that she is a bookworm.

The girls are sharing a room now, and so far so good. They love to snuggle. We'll see how long it lasts...

Our Visit from Flat Stanley

2008-02-22T20:57:00.003-05:00

Jack Murray (my brother Pat's son) is in the first grade and his class recently read the book "Flat Stanley". Each student made their own Flat Stanley and sent him to someone they knew who lives far away. Jack's Flat Stanley came to stay with us. We have taken him on a few adventures and have had a great time with him! Monday he will go back to Jack's school and tell the class about his adventures and show off his photos. We will miss you, Flat Stanley!

Eleanor's Birthday! #6!

2008-02-13T22:21:00.003-05:00

Eleanor had her 6th Birthday on Saturday. We celebrated by having a "RockStar Party". She and her friends dressed up like Rock Stars and danced on stage. They loved it. She had a blast. She is so grown up...

Wonder Woman

2008-01-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

Eleanor decided out of the blue to dress up as Wonder Woman and have Casey make her fly. I love this video so much, a classic, quiet look at a little girl and her Daddy. It makes me want to cry. I love them.

Great Trip North...

2007-12-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

We had a great trip up to Maryland to see my peeps, stopping off in Richmond to visit with Casey's sister and her family. Here are a few photos from the trip, the video is Eleanor with her cousin, Emma, rockin' out to "Singing with the Stars"....

It's 10:00 right now and Casey and I are placing bets to see if we'll make it to midnight, how sad. Happy New Year to All of you.... See you next year!

Eleanor and Uncle Mike

Violet and Uncle Nen

Lily

Meg and Harper Lee

Lizzy and Joann

Cedar and Rita (Quinn grandbabies)

Eleanor with Kelley, Henry and Owen

Eleanor and Riley

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-25T15:47:00.000-05:00

Violet discovered that Santa didn't eat all of his cookies!

Santa brought the girls a Doll House!

I apologize for the video being sideways, for some reason I can't rotate video that I've taken on my digital camera. Oh well...

Woohoo!!! Video on the Blog

2007-12-23T16:22:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at putting video on the blog.. Hope it works alright.

One Down, One to go...

2007-12-22T14:19:00.000-05:00

Eleanor lost her top tooth the other night. They have both been loose for a while now. We've been calling her Nanny McFee because the remaining tooth gets caught on her lip when she talks! We'll be shocked if it makes it till Christmas.. She's a little concerned about losing it on Christmas Eve because then both Santa and The Tooth Fairy will be at the house on the same night!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend and getting excited for the big day!

READY FOR SANTA!

2007-12-17T17:12:00.000-05:00

This was right before we left the house to go see Santa. It was quite a trip. Violet was very excited about going and she "ho, ho, ho-ed" all the way to the mall. Once we got there things changed. As we walked up to him she clung to me and frantically yelped, "no!no!no!" She was absolutely terrified. I made her do it anyway because I wanted the photo. How horrible of a mother am I? She really isn't a fan of strangers, especially big ones with facial hair and a crazy outfit. I'll try to scan the photo from the visit and post it sometime this week, it is freakin' hilarious.

Eleanor believes that mall Santas are actually helpers of the Real Santa and that sometimes he shows up so you never really know if it's him or not. The same "Santa's Helper" has been at our mall since Eleanor was a baby, which is really sweet because all of the photos look the same. After this last visit, she said on the way home, "I've decided I think that our Santa is the Real Santa because he's always there and he is sooo nice." I love that. I love Christmas because of my kids. I actually think it's better to watch your own kids with their excitement and magic then it is to experience it for yourself as a child. Although, I don't remember too well... after all I'm sure my siblings ruined it for me pretty early. Thanks-

November Catch Up...

2007-11-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

An unseasonably warm November afternoon, we spent the whole afternoon out back playing and doing leaves. For those of you naysayers (my sister), look closely and you'll see those pearly whites.

What?

Halloween

2007-10-31T22:37:00.001-04:00

Carving Pumpkins

2007-10-30T21:11:00.000-04:00

We finally carved our pumpkins tonight. This was the first year that Eleanor has gotten really into it. Violet walked around trying to take knives and saws and yelling, "MINE!". Only one more night until Halloween!

Skate Night

2007-10-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

Artspace Charter School had "Skate Night" tonight. The kids dressed up and came out to the local skating rink, Tarwheels. Eleanor finally decided on being "Iris the Vampiress". She was creepy. She had a great time skating with her friends Micala (princess) and Maggie(Wonder Woman). We had fun and helped raise money for the school!

Yikes, she's so scary.

Micala, Eleanor and Maggie.

Haunted House

2007-10-19T21:12:00.000-04:00

We're getting ready for Halloween. Eleanor made this Gingerbread House earlier this week. As far as we know, she is going to be a "goth ragdoll" (not my idea at all) and Violet a mermaid. Although with over a week left, i'm sure something will change.

Impromptu Punk Rocker

2007-10-19T21:03:00.000-04:00

We went to Louisville last weekend, and George & Jamie took us to the zoo. We didn't realize that there was a Halloween event going on until we arrived and saw all of the children dressed in their costumes, except Eleanor. I quickly put her hair up on top of her head (a mohawk)and gave her my sunglasses, while Jamie put lipstick on her. She was so excited and truly believed she was a punk rocker!

A Tooth!

2007-10-08T21:07:00.000-04:00

Violet finally got her first tooth, at 15 months old. PHEW... our nightmares of baby dentures are a thing of the past. Although the tooth isn't visible in this picture, we know it's in there and that's good enough for us. We had a little celebration when we found it on Sunday afternoon. Dancing, singing "happy toothday to you", all the festivities... Look how happy she is!

Sister Love

2007-10-07T22:27:00.000-04:00

The girls had a slumber party last night... This is what we found hours later. We were just commenting on how much they will love this picture when they're older.

Say Cheese!

2007-10-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Violet practicing her toothless smile for the camera. (15 mos)

So Sleepy!

2007-10-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when you're little and you have no teeth, eating spaghetti at lunchtime can be really hard work.

Violet's First Birthday

2007-10-01T21:50:00.001-04:00

June 30, 2007
Violet's First Birthday
Fun, Friends, Cake, Presents, and a nap in her new swing.

Eleanor's First Day of Kindergarten

2007-10-01T21:37:00.001-04:00

AUGUST 14, 2007

This was Eleanor's first day of Kindergarten. She is going to ArtSpace, a public charter school whose curriculum is integrated with music, dance, art, drama...
She absolutely loves it, and those of you who know her will understand why.