Killing Time

So I am looking through our pictures and I stumble across these beauties. I have no idea when or where they took these, but obviously they are in the car, and I am not. I think I was in the grocery store. Not to worry, they are under the oh so responsible supervision of their big sister.

 

You can see that Jolee is captivated by the movie they are watching. Car DVD players: the best invention ever!

 

Look at the bright side, at least they aren't killing eachother.

A Blessed Day

This past weekend, we had the whole family down for Maycee's blessing. This day served as another reminder for us just how blessed we are to have Maycee with us and apart of our eternal family. How grateful we are that the Lord blessed her with health after such a rough start to her life.

Anyway, it was a great time had by all. We had the family, plus Hansens and Ponds over for a pre-blessing brunch because Miles, Shane and Uncle Rizz helped Aaron in the blessing circle. Aaron did a wonderful job; he even missed out on the yummy brunch because he chose to fast before the blessing. How grateful I am for such an amazing husband and father to our kids!

 

If you asked me if I ever thought I would have six kids, I would have laughed, but here we are. I don't think life could get much better.

 

All the Souter cousins. Aren't they cute?

 

We love our Maycee Moo.

I just thought this was the cutest. Papa loves to nap with the babies, but who wouldn't?

5 Weeks Today

Maycee is officially growing up too fast. It seems like the more kids you have, the faster the time flies. It's probably because we are so busy with the craziness of life with 6 kids that we don't make the time to just sit and enjoy her. Maycee is 5 weeks old today and growing like a weed. She really likes to eat and her rolls are filling out nicely. She is such a good baby, and probably our best sleeper (thank you NICU for getting her on a sleep schedule). Aaron says that the extra sleep she gives us at night is money well spent. 

Some of Maycee's favorite things are sleeping, eating, and pooping. She is on the verge of smiling and still tends to go cross-eyed when you get too close. We got the camera out for some impromptu shots, but she really didn't cooperate with the facial expressions. We hope to get some better shots in a week. For now, enjoy...

Man was she mad here. She so did not like being posed with her legs under her; love the flower though.

Gotta have the baby feet pics...

You Go Girl

 

No, Haylee doesn't have to go pee here, she is getting ready for some action at the net! With all of the exciting Maycee events of the last month, we haven't had the time to post on Haylee's volleyball endeavors. Now that her season has ended, I wanted to share how fun it was to watch Haylee grow over the season. She is now jumping for her spikes (see pic below) and she even got her serve. She is going to be great as her skill develops and we can't wait to cheer her on over the coming years. Go Stars!!

I Feel Old!

My first born is 15 years old today!! Most people say I don't look old enough to have a 15 year old, and yes, we started young, but it's kind of nice when people think Haylee is my sister. Haylee has been an amazing kid from day one, and we are so grateful to have her in our family. Being a first born myself, I know how tough it can be to be the guinea pig for your parents. While the teenage years are most surely challenging at times, Haylee has been so fun for us. She has an amazingly strong sense of who she is and knows what she wants. She is a strong leader among her peers and is a confindant young woman. She will go far in this life and we can't wait to see where she takes us next! Next year, driving and dating...not if we can help it!!! 

She so loves me!!

My first and last born girls. Crazy how time flies.

3 Weeks Old...already!

It's hard to believe, but Maycee is 3 weeks old today. I feel like we were robbed of her first 2 weeks, so I am trying to make up for lost time. She had her well baby check up with Doc Anderson today and he says all looks great for her. She is up to 8 pounds today and has definitely found her appetite! She will be pudgy in no time. 

She is proving to be a very good baby, which is reassuring because we thought after her stubborn entrance into the world, she would be quite the handful. She is already used to the craziness of being the 6th born in a very busy household. Now on top of everything else the kids fight over, we now have to contend with who's turn it is to hold the baby.

Here are some pics we took of her first day at home. 

She has 3 doting sisters that, for now, can't get enough of her. Give it a few years and they will be singing a different tune. Haylee is the house baby hog, but a great help with Maycee. 

The grandma's were so relieved to see Maycee as they both worried to no end while we were away. Our parents were so helpful while we were gone and it was so nice not to worry about our kids. They slaved away doing laundry (at the laundry mat no less), cooking (in a less than complete kitchen), cleaning construction debris from the house, and driving carpools. Thanks again you guys! 

Maycee has 2 amazing older brothers that are sure to protect her as she grows. We still need to get a shot with Brady holding her.

This shot is classic. Jolee had just woke up from a nap and she was seeing this mysterious baby she had heard everyone talking about for the first time. She is absolutely in love with her baby sister! Check out Aaron's playoff beard! Needless to say, the beard came off a few minutes after I got home. 

Going, going, gone!

I am happy to say that I am posting this from home!! Maycee and I were able to bust out of the NICU a little early and we got home Thursday. It has been such a whirlwind here with our family enjoying Maycee that I haven't gotten time to post, but I couldn't keep you all in suspense any longer! You are all so amazing in the love and support you have shown our family through this trial, and we are eternally grateful to each and every one of you for your efforts on our behalf! There are too many of you to count, but you all know who you are and Aaron and I certainly feel blessed to have each of you in our lives. 

Anyway, on to our superstar. I wanted to post some pics of our last days in the NICU. Maycee really did recover quite quickly once the PPHN was resolved. She only needed one extra dose of morphine in her weaning process and when it came to feeding, she took to it quite naturally. We had a night nurse named Claudia and she reminded me of one of those stern, Norwegian type women that are all business. I was a little hesitant to leave the night Claudia was assigned to our baby, but we came back the next morning and Maycee had taken two full feedings by bottle for this woman. This is a big deal because the more they feed on their own, the quicker the feeding tube can come out. As for breathing support, Maycee had a nasal cannula that gave her a little oxygen and as of Tuesday night at midnight, she was off that completely. It was a little scary watching her breathe on her own, but amazing!

Here is a shot of her with her last 2 tubes, the nasal cannula and a feeding tube.

Once the cannula was pulled, she was down to just the feeding tube (which she ended up taking out herself on 2 occasions).  After she was eating all they wanted her to through the bottle and nursing she...

was on her own. They still kept her on a heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation monitor for another day, but having her thriving on her own was the day we were waiting for.

 

After all she had been through, her nurse, Julie, and I figured Maycee deserved a spa day. This quickly became a bath photo shoot as Julie loved our camera. She was having so much fun posing Maycee and even strategically placing bubbles to make the shot just right. Maycee is still hooked up to her monitors here, but no, she was not in any danger of being electrocuted.

 

Finally, Maycee's last test before we could leave was the car seat test. She had to sit in this thing for an hour and a half while hooked up to her monitors to make sure she could handle it. Doesn't she look so enthused? 

All in all, our time in the NICU was incredible. The nursing and doctor staff is amazing, the little babies are incredible, and it really is a special place where little miracles happen every day. I wouldn't want to go back anytime soon, but I am grateful for our lessons we learned there and pray for the parents and babies still fighting their own battles. 

As a side note, Maycee is doing really well and by all accounts, is a totally normal newborn. Our last test did show that she has a slight to moderate case of reflux in her urinary tract where her urine back flows through the ureters up to the kidneys. This could lead to potential kidney infections which would not be good. At this point, she is on a low dose of daily antibiotics to stave off any UTI's (otherwise known as urinary tract infections). She has to go back for more scans in 6 weeks, but we hope and pray this condition will resolve on its own. The docs are optimistic, but we really hope she will outgrow this. If she doesn't she would require surgery to re implant her ureters properly in her kidneys. So, Maycee is still in need of your prayers, but for now, we are enjoying her more than words can say.