Summertime Blues

The end of summer snuck up on us once again. Ricky is frantically trying to cut wood and get the house ready for the cold. How does this happen to us every year?

Here are some of my favorite shots from our wonderful first summer with the Noni-bird.

Noni sporting her VW onsie while hanging out in her dad's bug.

Man dams up mighty Kings River - my father discovered that he could almost dam up this mighty river with his body when it ran through a narrow (depends on your perspective) shoot at Kings River Falls.

Yet, water does have a way of seeping through the cracks.

Head control - the first step to a driver's license

Noni must have very advanced neck muscles. She is going to be doing african dance in no time!

Noni reaches highest point in Arkansas

Only 3 months old and already she has been to Mount Magazine - the highest point in Arkansas. Not quite as intimidating as the highest point in Alaska, but a feat all the same.

Noni intrigued by the setting sun

Both cute...but one of them poops outside

Mom and Pop like to hang out with their respective "babies".

Narrow escape from menacing turtle

Luckily I escaped almost certain death from this rare species turtle currently residing in St. Louis. Turns out that Giganticus concretus doesn't like hairy legs.

Sairah and her cousin Annie (my brother's daughter) won this turtle over with their irresistable girlish charm.

Finally past the due date

8-08-08
Noni's prescribed due date

Our little baby couldn't wait

Life's too exciting to be late!

We finally have a "full term" baby on our hands. She is tipping the scales at 8 pounds and is doing fantastic. Her slightly red hair has not fallen out, despite everyone's predictions. Today for the first time she smiled right at me. It is a good thing she did because I was about to throw her in the weeds for keeping me up all night.

Not ready to go to bed

Almost convinced that sleep is not such a bad idea

Unable to resist any longer

Viva Las Vegas

Ricky and I were never good at following orders, so we decided to go ahead and take Noni out on the town a few months ahead of time. We took her to see her first movie at the Eureka Outdoor Cinema - Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas (she didn't really get to see it because she was tucked in a pouch, but maybe the songs will be fixed in her subconscious). Some people may claim that this is the corniest movie ever made, and I wouldn't argue. However, we had a blast. When Elvis started singing - the women in the audience started dancing like crazy. They were pulling out moves that had been securely locked in the closet for decades. I was astonished that I still remembered the words to all of the songs. After all, it has been almost 20 years since my mother forced me to spend quality time with her watching Elvis movies.
Long live the King (and the outdoor cinema).



Sairah dressed as a Who for "Horton hears a Who", another great cinema night. She won first place and a $50 savings bond.

Home Sweet Home

We Are Home!!!!!!!!!


On July 5th, Noni passed all of the tests and was released to go home from the hospital. She is not yet 5 lbs, about 4 lbs 12 oz. Reality hit hard on the first night...I hadn't realized how many times a day the nurses had been changing my little bumpkin's diapers. All in all though, we are adapting to life without monitors quite well.

It is wonderful to be back in the woods again. Jumping in our icy creek was one of the highlights of my first day home. The woods contain so many daring adventures for a little girl growing up.



Winona with her sister Sairah

Breaking out of the Box

Today Winona said good-bye to living inside the box and a big hello to the outside world. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was ready to get out of the incubator. Her last act as its occupant was to unleash her intestines, both large and small, to such a degree that it was rendered unsuitable for further habitation. Winona is now in an open crib so I get to hold her as often and for as long as I want. These are glorious days. Another benefit of the crib is that she now gets to be dressed in all of the cute clothes that folks have been giving her. I never thought I would be one to get excited about playing dress-up, but I was wrong.

Our little girl is up to 4 lbs 8 oz and gaining fast. We have finally gotten the first word about going home - possibly next Monday. Thanks to my mom and Deborah Trimble, our house is clean and waiting for the new baby!

Noni's first outfit

The business of gaining weight

This week the doctor gave us the wonderful news that he was going to put me to work breastfeeding Winona. What huge news!!!! The last big hurdle to her coming home is that she needs to be taking all her feedings by mouth while still gaining weight. She did so great with one breastfeeding a day that the doctor moved her to two feedings starting today. As I suspected, her weight gain has not slowed down one bit. Today she weighed 4 lbs 1 oz.
Still no word on when she gets to come home. I am really hoping that it will be within the next 2 or 3 weeks. Fayetteville is great but I am missing valley life.


First family photo

Is that a bit of red in her hair? I think so!

What do you mean she looks like Ricky?

I have completed this photo collage to dispute my family's claim that Winona looks more like Ricky. I believe these photos offer definitive proof that this child does indeed carry at least one or two of my genes.

Day 12 for Baby Winona

This has been a huge week for baby Winona. The doctors have removed her nasal cannula so she is breathing on her own. They have also removed all the IV lines attached through her umbilical cord and through her arm. She has transitioned off of the IV fluid completely and onto breastmilk - 33 cc today (over an ounce). She is up to 3 lbs 9 oz, almost chubby for a preemie. We are still feeding her through a feeding tube because babies cannot coordinate the suck/swallow reflex until around 33 weeks. We are hoping to start breastfeeding her within the next few weeks.

Winona was also moved into an isolette this week, tradionally known as an incubator. I had a bit of a hard time with the move because it is harder to cuddle her now. However, it is a better environment for her to do her important work of sleeping and growing.

Daddy finds new motivation

There is nothing like the unexpected early arrival of a baby to boost activity around the homestead. Ricky has been working like a madman to make our house suitable for the new arrival. This week's project is a gorgeous hickory wood floor to cover up the nasty green painted plywood in the main room of the house. We plan on having many sock sliding parties with the kids. Thanks to help from David Roll, the floor is complete and our house is starting to actually look classy.

One week down - ? to go

Winona is blowing away the doctor's expectations for a 31 week old baby. Her mamma's breastmilk must be very fatty - she is already almost back up to her birthweight. The nurses are now giving her 12 cc of breastmilk, and it will probably go up again tomorrow. Her jaundice cleared up so she doesn't get to wear those cool sunglasses under the UV lamp anymore. Her head ultrasound showed no bleeding around her brain - and as a matter of fact - it showed that she could be a genius.

Here's Noni sporting a hat lovingly made by her mother.

Day 3 - Settling in at the Hospital

Winona has dropped to 3 lbs, but I expect her to start growing because the doctor started her on breastmilk today. She started with a very small amount - only 4 cc delivered through a feeding tube. She digested it just fine and so will be given a larger amount tomorrow. She has a bit of jaundice and will be tanning herself under a UV light to reduce the bilirubin build-up. Today Ricky and I were able to hold her for the first time! I am pretty sure that she likes us.

The best medicine for a little baby is mama's milk, so I am very happy to report that I have started full time milk production. I got more with every pumping last night.

Technology takes the place of placenta

The placenta is a glorious, amazing organ that must be replaced with about 50 cords, pumps, monitors, lamps, etc. if a baby is separated from it too early. It was a bit intimidating at first to see Noni with so many attachments, but I am absolutely grateful that modern technology has kept her alive and well. Amazingly, Winona's lungs were developed enough that she did not have to be hooked to a respirator. She does have a nose cannula that delivers pressurized oxygen just to give her a little boost. She is getting all of her nutrients from an IV hooked into her umbilical cord.

This baby is coming today?

The arrival of the Noni Bird (Winona's real name) was very, very unexpected - even up until 20 minutes before the birth. Silly Shawna ... I thought I was simply constipated and that my bowels were highly advanced because they were contracting on a schedule. Because Winona was only 30 weeks old, the doctors at Washington Regional did everything in their power to stop or slow down the contractions. Alas, the little girl's will was stronger than the magnesium sulfate. I would like to believe that she was doing her mama a favor by saving me from a very hot summer in an un-airconditioned house.

Birth of a Milwagon

Great things come in small packages!

Winona Wren Milwagon

born May 31, 2008 at 3:25 pm

3 pounds 6 ounces, 16 inches long