2008.

2008 was an amazing year for me. On March 2nd, I started Lupron for my very 1st IVF cycle. A month and a half later, on my birthday, we found out that we were finally pregnant! April through July were spent throwing up...literally! I was sick 24/7. There were even times when I thought pregnancy was a bad idea, but I never took my eye off the prize. I knew that I was holding my baby boy in my belly and that he needed me to be strong. Eventually the sickness subsided...and on came the contractions!

I began having contractions in August. I was in and out of L&D...thankfully no baby yet. On October 19th, my water broke while in NY for my baby showers. I was admitted to L&D for the duration on October 24th.

October 29, 2008 was by far the best day of my entire life. That was the day my precious son was born. At 8:46am, Carter John Butchino made his entrance into the world weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces. Although he wasn't due for another 7 weeks, he was perfect and healthy and I couldn't have been more proud! 2 weeks later, he was released from the hospital and we have been the happiest family ever since! I love my boys more each day.

2008 had its ups and downs, but when all is said and done, it was the best year of my life. I finally have the family I have always dreamed of and I have never been happier. I just can't wait to see what 2009 brings our way!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Another Dr visit...

Carter went to the pedi today. Last night, we noticed that his belly button looked funny...it was sticking out. It went away and then came back again this morning. I called the office and they told me to bring him in.

Due to the fact that he has been straining with all the gas he's had and that he doesn't poop very regularly, he has an umbilical hernia. It is common in preemies because their abdominal muscles do not develop the same way as a full term baby. Basically, as the doctor put it, its his "guts" pushing through into his belly button. Yum! Anyway, in most cases it clears itself up by age 2 and will not need surgery. Most importantly, it does not hurt him at all.

On a lighter note, my big boy weighs 8 pounds, 1 ounce! We must be doing something right!! Please pray that he keeps gaining and that his hernia clears up quickly. Prayer always helps!

Carter has a best friend already...his Soothe and Glow Seahorse. There are many times when he will not fall asleep without it. We also use it to stop him from crying when he gets upset. At one point, the seahorse was bigger than Carter, yet he insisted that it be where he could cuddle up to it before falling asleep. Before napping the other day, my poor baby was having trouble sleeping because he had very bad gas. The doctors told me all I could do was try my best to soothe him and get him relaxed. So I did the one thing I knew would help...and Carter and his seahorse slept soundly in the swing. They even decided to cuddle.

An amazing holiday.

My Santa Baby.

Our 1st family Christmas photo.

Best buddies.

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We certainly did! Christmas eve was Carter's 1st night in his crib...I was a basketcase and got no sleep. I even heard Santa putting gifts under the tree! Christmas morning was spent at home with our new baby boy. We bought Carter the Ocean Wonders mobile with remote. No more getting out of bed to rewind his mobile! We are also starting a savings account for him. My mom went completely overboard on Carter...and on us!! I got a ton of clothes and make-up (much needed) and Steven got a bluetooth (finally joining the millenium) and a new ladder, among other things. She is also redecorating our bedroom for us as a gift! We spent so much time and money on the nursery that we never even painted our room. It will be so nice to have somewhere cozy to go to bed! Steven also got me my mother's ring. It is an Opal which is Carter's birthstone, surrounded by Diamonds and Tanzanite (my 2 favorite gems!) What a sweet hubby!

We decided to go to NY on Christmas and surprise our families. After an amazing dinner (thanks mom!), we took off. We spent that night at Steven's mom's house and then went to my dad's on Friday. He got us all football jerseys, Carter included. Steven got a Steelers jersey and Carter and I got matching Brady Quinns! My dad is also a Browns fan! He was just so wonderful with his new grandson...what a proud papa! We woke up Saturday morning to Carter getting his bath! It was cute, but my dad was almost clueless!! Nonetheless, they got through it together!!

Saturday, we went to a party that was being thrown for Steven's uncle that lives in Australia. Him and his wife just had twins and this was their 1st time in the states. Once again, it was so cool to be the proud mommy introducing Carter to everyone! I enjoy it so much!! After the party, we had Christmas with my father in law, who was up from NC.

Sunday was Carter's 1st day in church. We brought him to our former church, the one we were married at. The people there are all so wonderful and I love them like my own family. It was so nice to introduce them to the miracle they spent hours praying for. What a true blessing that was!

We are now home and trying to unpack. Steven's youngest brother came with us for the week. I'm sure we'll have a fun time! He will be here for New Year's, which is awesome. Tomorrow we are all going to spend our gift cards that we got for Christmas...BRU here I come!!

Our Christmas weekend was just amazing. I am sure that I will never forget it. I truly have the best gift in the world...a family that I can love for many Christmases to come!

HO HO HO!

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

God Bless!

Christmas par-tay!!

We had our family Christmas party yesterday. Not much to blog about, but I wanted to share this...

Isn't he the cutest ever??

My due date...

Today is December 19th...my due date. I should be in the hospital meeting my baby for the first time today. Instead, I am home with a beautiful, healthy 7 week old baby boy...I couldn't imagine my life any other way. I am so thankful that things happened the way that they did. As hard as things were 7 weeks ago, life is perfect and I am so proud of my little man.

I had my 6 week OB appointment yesterday. Although Carter is 7 weeks, I had to reschedule because I needed my nurse to accompany me and her baby was sick last week. Everything went well and I am the proud owner of a brand new IUD! Is that weird to anyone else?? An infertile going on birth control?? I also got a prescription for Reglan to increase my milk supply. Since Carter still hasn't mastered the art of latching on, I pump every few hours. This can cause a low supply and I have even had to supplement with formula a few times. Hopefully I won't have to do that anymore. It seems like the formula makes him uncomfortable. Using breastmilk makes it so we don't have to figure out which formula would work best...because he would probably be uncomfortable the entire time.

Steven assembled all the extra parts of my new wheelchair today. I am pretty excited...its been a long time coming. I will post pics of my new whip later! Right now I am going to finish wrapping Carter's Christmas presents and watch the Cav's game with my hubby. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Our early Christmas.

Steven's mom, brother, grandmother, and godmother came from NY this weekend to celebrate Christmas. We planned this awhile back, before we got the OK to travel with Carter.

Friday night, we opened presents. Steven's mother went overboard on us, as usual. She is so thoughtful and always gets us such awesome things. My favorite gift from her is my digital photo keychain. It is full of photos of Carter already! She also got me some really cute clothes. They were much needed...I haven't shopped for clothes since I had Carter. Steven gave me my iPod Touch, as I mentioned in my last post. It is seriously my most awesome gadget! He totally surprised me. I put all of Carter's lullabies on my iPod Video and it has been docked in the nursery since he's been home. It plays great through the iBoom, but when headphones are plugged into it, it acts up. I've had it for a long time, so I kind of was due for a new one, but would have never bought it for myself. When I opened it, I couldn't believe it! Such a thoughtful gift! He really outdid himself this year.

Last night, Steven's mom took us all out for Christmas dinner. She said we could choose any resteraunt and of course Steven chose Smokey Bones. It was really nice to get out of the house, since I haven't in awhile. The food was good, too!!

Today, I went to lunch with my girlfriends from high school. We went to TGI Fridays. It was cool because we were all able to catch up on each other's lives. It was my first time being able to join in when all the proud mothers showed their kids' pictures!! It was so awesome!! I used my new digital keychain, LOL! Great gift!!

OK, I have a lot of cleaning to do. It was a crazy weekend and I have a huge mess to take care of. Here are a few pictures from this weekend.

Merry Christmas to me!!

I am just testing out my new iPod Touch that Steven suprised me with! It has wireless Internet and it's awesome!! We are celebrating Christmas with his family this weekend. I will post pics when I can.

Sent by iPod Touch

More valuable than gold!

Thursday I got a call from the hospital's lactation consultant. She told me that I had left 3 decent sized vials of breastmilk in the NICU freezer. She asked me if I wanted it. Since it is such a far drive and Steven and I are still sharing my gas-guzzler for a couple more months, I told her I would try to get there. I thought about how difficult of a time I am having pumping now that Carter eats close to 3 ounces every 3 hours and I just couldn't let it go to waste. After Carter's pedi appointment, I drove all the way to Cleveland and got my 6 ounces of milk. I was kinda expecting more...since she said "decent sized vials" but that is a little over 2 feedings, so I'm ok with it.

Carter's appointment went great. The doctor kept saying over and over how great he looks. She weighed him completely naked and he was 5lbs 15oz...so close to that 6lb mark! My baby is growing so fast! He doesn't have to go back for another month, but he gets 5 shots then. Mommy is not looking forward to that!

Steven decided to try a level 2 nipple on Carter this afternoon because he still tires out during feedings. Of course I was afraid...I thought it may be too fast of a flow and that he may choke. He did really well with it! He didn't choke and it made his feeding seem so much easier for him. He just sat there sucking away and only stopped when he had to burp. It was actually a relief to see. He always stops to take breaks because he poops out. Now, he can just relax and eat! Good move daddy! We're really getting the hang of this!

Growing like a weed.

We had an appointment with a nutritionist at the health department yesterday to make sure the fortifier that we use in Carter's milk is doing its job. I also had to have my iron checked. It looked good, so I must be eating right. Carter was weighed and as soon as the number popped up on the scale, my jaw dropped. 6lbs 3oz?!? I was like "how much does his sleeper weigh?" The lady told me that she would say Carter weighed no less than 6lbs!! That would make it 15oz in 1 week!! He has his 1 month well-visit with his pedi tomorrow, so I am going to ask her how much longer we should keep him on the Neo Sure. He is gaining so much...maybe the breastmilk is enough.

Fed Ex just dropped off Carter's Synagis. The nurse is coming to administer it on Monday, so I had to put it in the refrigerator. For those of you who aren't familiar, Synagis is a monthly injection for preemies to prevent RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). It is one of the major causes of respiratory illness in babies and preemies are more prone to it. So, Carter will need to have it every month for 1 year.

My blog won its first award, thanks to Making Babies! How excited am I to know that people enjoy reading about my everyday life?!

Now, I get to choose 5 of my favorites to pass it on to...

1. Sara @ Gas Passer AKA UUer...my partner in crime. She is such a strong and amazing mother and we all could learn a lot from her and her baby girl Brynn.
2. Lisa @ My Journey Through Infertility. I just admire how she adores her little man, Cameron. Go Buckeyes!! Hehe!
3. Beth @ Taking Chances. Her and I got our BFPs around the same time and I have loved reading all of her crazy posts! I can't wait for her little Connelly to be born!
4. Tina @ So Very Blessed. She is an amazing mother of 6 and I have gotten a lot of great tips and laughs from her blog!
5. S.E. at Riding the Roller Coaster. This woman is a true inspiration. She has had such a rough journey yet always finds the silver lining. I always say she has a huge miracle coming her way. She deserves every bit of it.

Thanks for blogging girls! Make sure you put the graphic up on your blogs and pass it on to 5 of your favorites!

UPDATE: Oh my!! I totally didn't realize that Lisa gave me an award way back in October! So, technically that would've been my 1st award.


I was admitted into Labor & Delivery right after it was given, so I guess I just missed it. So sorry Lisa!! And thank you so much!!

A different kind of thankful.

Yesterday was my 1st Thanksgiving as a mom. I cannot even begin to explain how different it was for me. Before now, it was all about turkey, stuffing, pie, and sleep. Those things were all part of my day (except for sleep...what's sleep?)...but there was much more to focus on and be thankful for. I was able to look at my beautiful family and see what this holiday is all about.

I am so proud of my son for being such a strong little man...beating the odds so he could spend Thanksgiving with us even though he shouldn't even be here yet.

I am proud of my husband because he is the best father I could've ever given to Carter...I am truly thankful for all he does.

I am the happiest girl alive and I will never forget what my boys have helped me see this Thanksgiving. I continue to praise God for all of my blessings. My heart overflows a little more each day.

Please pray for my good friend Sara. Her baby girl Brynn is back in the hospital after a wonderful but short stay at home. They are both so strong and have been through a lot since Brynn's birth. Let's come together in prayer to get them back home where they belong.

BIG boy!

Carter had his 2nd weight check yesterday. Last Tuesday, he weighed 4lbs 8oz. The pediatrician said she wanted to see him gain at least a half-ounce per day. Yesterday, he weighed a whopping 5 lbs 1oz!! That is over an ounce per day!! We are so proud of our big boy! The doctor was amazed and said that Carter doesn't need weekly weight checks anymore! His next appointment is next Thursday and its just a normal 1 month well visit. I can't believe my baby is going to be 1 month old already. She also said we are ok to travel with Carter...so we are hoping to go to NY at the end of December! We are very excited!!

Steven and I also did something very romantic for our anniversary...we got our flu shots! The NICU doctors told us it would be a good idea, since Carter is so small. His immune system might not be able to handle the flu. I was a baby through the entire thing, but it got done!

Tonight, the boys are going to chill while my mom and I bake pies for tomorrow. This year, Thanksgiving has a new meaning for me and I am so excited to spend it with my new family!

2 years ago today...

Today is my 2 year anniversary. With all that has happened in the last month, I am realizing more and more each day how lucky I am to have Steven in my life. He has given me so much and taken care of me in ways that most men would turn and run from. We have been through more together than most couples go through in their entire lives.

I met Steven on the first day of 11th grade....in September of 1998. He was in the 9th grade. We quickly became good friends and both developed little crushes on each other...but I had a boyfriend already. On May 26th of 1999, I was in the car crash that left me paralyzed. My boyfriend quickly ran for the hills. I spent the next 2 years convincing myself that nobody would ever love me.

In May of 2001, Steven accompanied one of my friends to my house. My crush came rushing back...I was seriously smitten! Of course I didn't think he could possibly like me at all. I quietly crushed on him and tried to hide it. A few days later, he came back over to hang out. As everyone was leaving, he stayed behind. He went to hug me good-bye and gave me the most amazing kiss of my life! I never expected anyone to like me the way I was...but he never saw anything different than the same girl I was before. We officially became a couple on his birthday, July 31st.

On July 30, 2002, Steven took me out to dinner for our 1 year anniversary. Right in the middle of dinner, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. We had a long engagement, but it was all worth it. On November 25, 2006, we were married in NY.

He says I made him the happiest man alive...but really I'm the lucky one. I never expected anyone to love me after my accident. Steven never let my disability play a part in our relationship. He did what he had to do to take care of me so we could be together. Today, 2 years later, we have come so far. We are married, own a home, and have the most beautiful baby in the world. I love my husband more every day and I look forward to the rest of my life!

Winding down.

What a week! Kelly was here from Tuesday to Friday. After she left, my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, aunt and cousin, and Carter's G-mom (Godmother) came in from NY. They just left this morning. It was a great week and I am so glad everyone got to come visit and spend time with Carter. They were all so helpful and let Steven and I get some much needed rest. Now we are trying to wind down and let Carter continue adjusting to home...since he only got 2 full days to do it before all our company came. Right now, my boys are "watching football" on the couch. ("watching football = taking a nap together".)

Aunt Kelly hanging out with Carter.

She even helped us catch up on some laundry!

As we are winding down, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have this beautiful family. I have the 2 most wonderful human beings sleeping on my couch right now and I thank God for thinking of me as worthy of the responsibility that He has given me. I am happier than I have ever been in my whole life and I can't wait to see what each day brings. Praise the Lord for these miracles!

Mommy's day out...

My BFF Kelly is here! She arrived on Tuesday night, bearing gifts! Her husband sent a swing, diapers, and an enormous box of wipes! Carter loves his swing! Its his new favorite hobby. Kelly has been a huge help. She has been taking care of Carter and helping us with laundry and housework. Tuesday, she even got up with him for all of his feedings! Ahh...sleep!! It was wonderful. I am so thankful.

Today, Kelly and I went to the house where A Christmas Story was filmed. It is our favorite movie ever, so we were totally excited to go there. It is actually only 25 miles from my house, but I have never been there because nobody else likes the movie as much as I do...besides Kelly! It was awesome! We were the only ones there because we went at 4pm on a Thursday. We got a private tour and were allowed to touch everything and take as many pictures as we wanted! It was seriously a dream come true for us! What a fun day! Now, we are home watching A Christmas Story. Things are so much different now that we've seen it in real life!

Kelly leaves tomorrow morning...I wish I could keep her but I'm sure her hubby and kids would miss her...darn! Anyway, we will spend tomorrow getting the house spruced up for Steven's mom, brother, and Carter's godmother. They will be in from NY tomorrow night. I love visitors!! I am so glad that everyone is able to come out to spend time with Carter! What a blessing.

Carter's First Outing.

Carter had his first pediatrician appointment today. He weighs 4lbs. 9oz. and the doctor said everything looks great. We are just trying to fatten him up a bit. He goes back in a week to check his weight again. The doctor was very nice and was good with Carter. We are very happy with our decision.

After the appointment, we had to run to Babies R Us for diapers. The preemie ones we have hurt his circumcision (which is almost healed now!!) and our other newborn ones run big and he swims in them! The only ones that work perfectly are Pampers Swaddlers. We get newborn ones then fold them down. While at BRU, you know I can't just buy one thing! We got him a newborn pram because the other 2 he has are way too big. We literally bundled him up in blankets earlier with a fleece sleeper and hat because we had no pram that fit. I felt so bad. Anyway, I also bought a bottle warmer for the car because we brought a bottle to the doctor's office for his 11 'o clock feeding and it froze solid in the cooler! Luckily, the nurse gave us a cup of hot water to thaw it. I got Carter more blue Soothies because he keeps losing them. I also hit the motherload and found a Soothie clip!! I have been looking since before Carter was born!!!! We got a car mirror for behind the carseat, more preemie Dr. Brown's, and an extra Boppy cover. I have a serious BRU problem!! But its all needed, so its ok!

Tonight, my BFF Kelly is driving in from NY! I am so excited! She is seeing my house and meeting Carter for the 1st time. She is leaving Friday but I might lock her in the basement so I can keep her here!! It should be a fun week for all of us!

Nurse Ratchet.

So...I almost killed someone today. The NICU always sends a nurse out to weigh the babies and check their temps a couple days after they leave, just to make sure that there is nothing else they should do to help mom and dad. Anyway, the nurse came today. She wasn't actually a NICU nurse. She was just a regular ole' agency nurse with no preemie experience what-so-ever. She weighed him and her scale said 4lbs. 5oz. Wrong!! He was 4lbs. 8.5oz. when he left the hospital and he's eating more now that he's at home. Not to mention we weighed him this morning and it said 5lbs. Then, she undressed him completely and was examining his entire body. I felt like a criminal. After the frisking, she tried taking his temp, which was 36.1c...because she had him undressed for 10 minutes! I'm like "hello! Preemies sometimes have a hard time regulating their temps...keep him warm! Idiot!!!" Steven quickly grabbed a warm sleeper and put it on him with a hat then swaddled him. He was on the changing table that attaches to the Pack n Play...the lady goes over and starts shaking it! What for?? We still have no clue but she's lucky I didn't knock her ass out! After that, she decided to pry his eyes open to check his pupils...unneccesary! Then she tried scaring him to see if he'd jump, shook a rattle in his ear, and teased him by putting his pacifier by his mouth, then took it away. Some of this stuff has its reasons, but all those tests were done at the hospital already.

So, I called the hospital after the nurse left and told them I was declining the 2nd appointment with this lady. The doctor was like "You are only supposed to do that once...just for weight and temp checks. Did she try to get you to make another appointment?" I told her yes and she said that the agency was not told to do any exams of any kind. I told her how rough and careless the nurse was with Carter and she asked for her name. I told her and she said that she would be sure to call and let them know that they are not to come again and that Veronica needs preemie experience because she is evidently lacking. She said not to worry about the weight and that their scale was probably a piece of crap. She assured me that all was well and that Carter is doing great. I feel better now, but I was seriously spitting nails after the nurse left!

Carter has been doing awesome! He's eating about 50mL every feeding as long as we don't wake him up to feed...he has to do it on his own!! Stubborn boy! We went to Babies R Us last night and got a bunch of preemie sleepers on clearance! He looks much more comfy in stuff that fits.

OK...somebody just woke up and wants to be held...how lucky am I?! I thank God every time I look at my precious gift. I can't even begin to tell you how truly blessed I feel.

Welcome home Carter!

Carter is finally home! Our first night was pretty rough, but we all made it through! The preemie diapers were rubbing on his circumcision and he was up every hour crying. As soon as we tried a regular newborn diaper, he fell right to sleep and we had to wake him to feed him. Now he is relaxing and feeling much better. The only issue we have now is that none of his clothes fit! Even the preemie clothes we bought are too big. Later on, we are going to Babies R Us to see if they have anything smaller than what we have now. I feel so bad for him...he's just swimming in the sleeper he has on right now! He is so cute!!

So...motherhood is more than I could've ever hoped for. My husband is such an amazing dad and I couldn't do any of this without him. Carter is truly our gift from God and I can't wait to watch him learn and grow. My heart is full!

Its official...

...tomorrow is the big day!! Carter is coming home!!