Livvy AnnMarie. Her first name is just because we loved it. It's fun, unique, and just perfect for her. AnnMarie, however, goes a little deeper. Ann is her wonderful grandma's (Matt's mom) middle name. Sharon is the most perfect Grandma (and mother-in-law, I might add). We're blessed to have her in our lives (and Robert too)! Marie is my middle name. Who knows what the LORD has planned for our family and more children...I wanted a little love in the naming! :)
After we came home from the NICU on May 19th, we had lots of visitors to greet us when we came home. Everyone was super excited for Livvy to come home and to finally hold her!
Grandma and sweet Livvy.
Grandpa too!
Grammie came to visit and meet baby Livvy too!
Great-Grandpa...and great he is!
Great Grandma and her 2 girls - doing what she loves most! :)
Daddy...finally home with both his girls. (And Siena already starting to "torment" her little sister...ha!)
A very proud big sister, welcoming her little "mini me" home! :)
The first few nights, Livvy wanted to party all night. We had to have a little heart-to-heart and get her on the right time schedule. But, after a couple nights, we got that fixed. Livvy was a great eater from the first time she could. I think that really helped her be a great sleeper too. She ate a lot and slept a lot...just what she was supposed to do! It is SO, so special to watch the sisters interact and to watch their forever friendship form. I have a deeper love for Siena, now that she's a big sister. She loves Livvy so much. She always wants to help, always wants to be in her business (sometimes I have to protect Livvy and tell Siena to get out of her bubble - Siena has no concept of personal space), always trying to be the little Momma. Precious beyond words.
Livvy is a really happy, content little baby. Oh, believe me, when she's mad, we all know about it. She certainly makes herself known. But those moments are pretty few and far between. She's happy, relaxed, and a really good little baby. Spoiling us, that's for sure! Here are some sweet faces from her first few weeks of life...
Livvy is a really happy, content little baby. Oh, believe me, when she's mad, we all know about it. She certainly makes herself known. But those moments are pretty few and far between. She's happy, relaxed, and a really good little baby. Spoiling us, that's for sure! Here are some sweet faces from her first few weeks of life...
Livvy's first recorded smile! Just the sweetest...
Both the girls LOVE being swaddled. I swear that helps them sleep better and more soundly. Some may call it a "straight jacket"...I call it sleep. For all of us. :)
Special moments with Daddy...another Daddy's girl!?
Livvy had her first doctor's appointment a few days after coming home from the NICU. She looked great, was healthy, and doing what she was supposed to! She weighed 7lbs. 12oz. and was 21 inches long. What a blessing to have that first appointment go so well!
Resting peacefully in her swing.
Our little Livvy Lamb. That's her nickname. Kind of cool that LAM is her initials...so we went with calling her Livvy Lamb. It stuck and now we call her that all the time. (And for the record - those lips! So sweet!)
Basking in a little sunshine during a snooze.
Siena and Livvy - two special girls. Bonded for life.
On May 30, she had her 2-week appointment. No lack of weight gain - 8lbs. 5oz. (51%) and 21.25 inches (83%) long! Healthy, growing girl! A little thrush and yeast infection, but no biggie - and nothing a little medication can't fix! It did make her a little gassy, and therefore fussy, in the evenings, but nothing too serious. With the "baby arm curls", she was a happy girl (and our arms were getting stronger every day)!
The next day, we went back to St. Luke's for an MRI scan of Livvy's brain. Because of the trauma and lack of oxygen she experienced in the beginning, they wanted to see if there were any affects to her brain and development at this point. It's always a little scary to do something like this, but at that point, there was no reason to be too anxious about it and as always, you just take what you're given and handle it. We gave her to the nurses and waited in the waiting room for about 30 minutes while they took care of her and scanned her. I guess she did really well and stayed really still for them so they could run all tests. They said they would get back to us in a few days to let us know the results. The NEXT day (thank you, God!) they called to confirm that she looked GREAT! There was a tiny bit of bleeding on the left side but that was going to heal on its own, take care of itself, and have no affect on Livvy. What a blessing. Again, blessed. So much. How fortunate we are.
Again, out like a light. If only we all had the ability to do this...whenever we wanted. :)
Livvy's first bath! It felt like it took forever for us to get her in the bath. Her little umbilical cord stayed on forever! There was a little stitch still in there from the IV, so it held on a little longer than usual. But, finally some splish-splashing! She loves bath time! :)
We had the privilege of attending the NICU Reunion shortly after Livvy was released from the hospital. We wanted to go and show our appreciation for all the doctors and nurses who work at St. Luke's. They played an instrumental part in Livvy early moments of life. The least we could do was go! There were one of only 3 families in the 2012 group - we felt oh so proud to be one of them. We ran into one of the NICU nurses who was with Livvy during her most critical night in the NICU. She right away saw us, knew who we were, and said, "Sweet Livvy! Man, did you scare me that first night...and now look at you! I can't believe it..." Continually puts into perspective her stay in the NICU, and again, how grateful we were for all of them. Siena had some fun there too - we came home with a puppy. A Siena puppy!
Those cheeks. And lips. Talk about kissable.
Babies and stripes are about my most favorite thing. (Shoot, anything in stripes I'm a little obsessed with these days.)
I have a sneaky suspicion that Livvy is looking at Siena - Siena gets Livvy to smile more than anyone. She LOVES her sister.
Livvy had her 2 month appointment and again, was doing great! She weighed 12lbs. 8oz. (88%) and was 23 inches (74%) long. She had to get some shots and took them like a champ! Unfortunately, she was somewhat used to being poked and prodded, so it was nothing new. Siena and I held her and comforted her to make her feel better.
Siena giving Livvy early lessons on all the "critters" in the house. Livvy's got a lot to learn, but she looks to be a good student so far! Now, sharing when the time comes...that will be interesting. :)
This picture is so telling. Siena is always around Livvy, being the little Momma. Livvy loves to hear Siena's voice and smiles every time she's around. Here the two are playing together - like really interacting together!
Tummy time - and those cheeks...they're a growing!
On August 16, Livvy had an appointment at the Children's SPOT downtown. This visit was a 3 month check to see how she was doing developmentally. Again, another follow-up to make sure she was developing properly and doing things age appropriately. What a wonderful place that was! We had 2 wonderful ladies who took such good care of Livvy and made us feel so important and worthwhile. They did lots of things with Livvy - tummy time, grasping, tracking, talking, etc. They both said that she looked to be doing exactly what she needed to! We thought so too! Livvy did great - she actually stayed on her tummy more (and better) than when she's at home with us! Rising to the tests, Liv, good work! :) We'll go to see them again at 6 months.
She's starting to grasp toys and wants to play with things to keep herself busy. That's fun to watch the wheels turn...
Sister baths!
Livvy does not like to sit much. She's either laying down or standing up. She's doesn't sit in my lap. So, it may be early for this thing, but she really seemed to enjoy it! We stuffed a blanket behind her so she could stay steady...and then watched her swing around. Siena thought it was pretty fun to see how high she could push Livvy - that was ended quickly when the door frame got in the way. Oh, sisters.
In mid-September, we had our PAT friend, Laurel, come to visit Livvy! It's always a treat to have her come to our house. Just as I loved it with Siena, I love having another set of eyes on Livvy - just to make sure she is doing what she needs to be. And also, I'm an educator, but not an early childhood educator. I don't know all the proper things to do with little ones. And one would think after having one, you know. You forget - at least I do! It's just a great reminder to do things with Livvy. Laurel also thought Livvy was looking great and doing what she needed to be! Still no rolling over or much talking, but it'll come!
There is no better picture (both mentally and physically) than this. Matt with his daughters is the most precious thing I can lay my eyes on. He's the best daddy in the entire world and those girls love him like crazy - as do I!!!
There is no doubt that Livvy's neck and back are pretty strong...she's got to keep those cheeks off the ground - that's serious work!! (Most kissable things ever.)
On Sept. 16, Livvy was part of the Baby Blessing at church. It was a special day for our family because we were again able to let our church family know that we are going to do our best to raise Livvy in a Christian home, growing up to love Jesus. It was very special to have Joey, our pastor, lead the blessing. He is fighting stage 4 cancer and has stepped down from duties as pastor for the time being. However, he prayed and led the blessing of Livvy. We couldn't have been more proud of our sweetheart. She did great, didn't cry, and smiled for the congregation. Siena was excited to hold the gift they gave Livvy (including another hand-stitched bib from Joey)! May you always feel God's arms around you, guiding you in His plan for your life and Livvy, may you listen and follow what God has for your life.
I think that about does it...I actually think I caught up on Livvy's life so far. Now, there are lots of things we did together over the summer as a family, and that will be captured in another post. But for everything Livvy, I think that does it. Here's to trying to stay on top of things and keep these posts more regular. Livvy Lamb is going to be doing lots of great things in the coming days, months, and years...and I want to document it all! I want her to look back on this in later years and know that we love her dearly and recorded all her special moments, just like we did with Siena. Precious Livvy, you have brought an incredible joy to our family. You're the best addition imaginable! We can't wait to see all you do in the coming days...weeks...and years! We love you like crazy!
