We made it!

For the last 3 weeks, Noah and I have been in limbo.  We have lived in 3 different houses, slept on a multitude of beds and sofas, stored clothes in laundry baskets, and spent entirely too much time away from Josh.

No more!

Yesterday we arrived in Alabama!

The flight was surprisingly uneventful... Noah seemed to enjoy his first plane ride and I imagine that the majority of the passengers didn't even know there was a baby on board.  The flight from St. Louis to Birmingham was blissfully short... which makes me anticipate many easy trips back to the Lou to visit.  

There is a lot to accomplish at the new house, of course (the pile of stuff in the garage seriously makes me queasy) ... but I am excited to finally begin this chapter in the Lauer family novel.  

Oh me of little faith

Today was a day dominated by doctor appointments.

Noah first visited with the pediatrician for his "well child" check up...I tried not to think about the irony of that label. The big events for this appointment was the ever daunting weight check and the dreaded immunizations. The weight check started the appointment out on a sour note... Noah has lost another 5 ounces and is now at 14 pounds. This is exactly double his birth weight and we are anxious to avoid going any lower. It was definitely an emotional blow to me but I forced myself to remember that our little guy has had a pretty rough last couple of weeks. Noah demonstrated his amazing lung capacity as the doctor examined him and pushed the decibel level even higher when the nurse surprised him with his shots. He calmed down fairly quickly and doesn't seem too much the worse for wear.

We went from the pediatrician's to visit a nurse practioner at office of our pediatric GI doctor. I must admit that I had a lousy attitude about this appointment... I was fairly sure it was going to be a waste of time because we weren't going to see the doctor herself. I couldn't have been more wrong and clearly need to have a little more faith! The nurse practioner, Sara, was amazing. She listened carefully to everything I said and gave us some great information/suggestions on feeding Noah. She suggested we change his formula to one he will be able digest faster... this won't stop the vomiting but will make it so more formula makes it into his small intestine before he vomits, ultimately giving him more calories. Sara also shared with us that she has 8-month old twins at home who were born premature at 26 weeks... one of the twins has had lots of medical issues since birth and is facing some of the same challenges as Noah. It was such a blessing to receive advice from someone who not only has the knowledge base but also the personal experience... she even said I could call her from Alabama if I have more questions!

Overall, it was a good day. We haven't had any throw ups since yesterday morning and tonight was filled with lots of smiles. Small victories but victories none the less.

Only two days until our arrival in Alabama...

Feeding woes...

Noah has had a rough few days. Beginning on Saturday he has been in a cycle of throwing up that we haven't been able to break. It doesn't seem to matter if he eats through his bottle or by g-tube, he just isn't keeping food down. Please join with us in praying that this cycle would end... it is hard on his little body and emotionally exhausting for us (not to mention the laundry we are doing).

Please also pray for wisdom on what course of action we should take with his feeding. There are many options but no clear choice. No one seems to be able to tell me what to do and I feel like everyone expects me to know what is best... which I don't. All I know is that my little boy is not eating enough and it breaks my heart.

I will post later about Noah's baptism... it was wonderful and moving. I managed to hold it together emotionally through the service and the brunch only to fall apart later while watching Noah sleep in my arms that afternoon. Thanks to all who were there in person and in spirit to celebrate this event with us... your love means everything to us.

Bunking at the Holley's

For the past week, while Josh and his parents have been in Alabama and our St. Louis house is being readied for the market, I have been staying at Tom and Debbie Holley's house. This has been a huge blessing in more ways than I can mention and they have loved on Noah as if he was a member of their family. Debbie is even flying down to Alabama with me on Thursday to help me navigate my first plane ride with Noah in tow. Here are a few pics from the week...

Here is Tom hanging out with Noah...

Noah's favorite place at the Holley's is snoozin' in front of the fire.

Reality check.

I bought my plane ticket to Alabama yesterday.

It is a one-way ticket.  

The prayer card

Here is the awesome prayer card that my friend Jodie designed for Noah: