Welcome to Miami

When Josh told me he had Monday and Tuesday off before 4th of July, I immediately suggested we go down to Miami! We’ve been wanting to visit the beach sometime this year and visit my brother and his wife. Josh didn’t hesitate and we quickly planned our trip down. We left late afternoon Friday and drove through the night. Josh was quite the trooper. It was a LONG drive. 12 hours to be exact. But it was definitely worth it. Saturday morning, we waited for Courtney to get back from work and we headed straight to the beach. Oh it was so wonderful!! And not near as crowded as I had imagined. I didn’t take any pictures, but just enjoyed time in the hot sun, warm ocean water and soaking in this new city we had never been to. After a few hours at South Beach, we headed to Wynwood for late lunch/early dinner. We ate at this really great Mexican place called, Taco Stand. Wow! It was delicious. We walked around Wynwood Walls and looked at all the art. We headed home later and swam in their pool for a bit and were absolutely exhausted that night.

The next day, we went to church with them. Their ward is in Spanish and English. It was such a different experience for our family. Michael and Courtney both speak Spanish and are great assets to their ward. It was Fast Sunday and their Bishop bore a very powerful testimony. He talked about having uncomfortable situations during this earthly life. How those experiences that we always don’t feel super confident in or unfamiliar or uncomfortable are the ones that makes us grow and reach out to others. Later I learned that him and his family are from Utah and he came home one day and told his wife that their life is too easy and they need a challenge. They moved to Miami and I can only guess how that was one of those uncomfortable situations he had been talking about. It reminded me of when Josh came home and through out the idea of moving to North Carolina. We have become a better and stronger couple and family because of that single decision. It wasn’t easy, but I have learned so much from our new life in the South.

My Grandma made this Americana dress for my Molly doll over 20 years ago.  Now Charlotte is putting her Bitty Baby in it!

After church, we ate a great dinner Courtney made for us. Then we went and walked around Michael’s campus. He just graduated with his Masters of Taxation from University of Miami. It is a beautiful campus. So tropical!! We saw lots of different animals while walking around, but luckily, no gators!! Michael also drove us around some nice communities close to campus. It was cool to explore a little bit.  When we came back, Courtney and Charlotte made us homemade ice cream.  It was so yummy.  Something we will have to try at home!!

Monday came and we were on our own. We went into downtown Miami. We started our day at the Bayside Market, which overlooks the bay (and where the cruise ships dock). We ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (which was pretty disappointing), walked around and then took the free metro, a monorail, around downtown. It was a good way to get around and just sight see. We made it back to Michael and Courtney’s right as Courtney got home. We had planned to go to BJ’s for dinner (a family favorite). So while we waited for dinner to happen, we went over to Petland and played with puppies. Haha. Dinner was so good, of course, and we couldn’t leave without getting a trio of Pizookies for us all to sample. The restaurant was attached to a really cool outdoor mall, so we tried to walk off a little of dinner.

Tuesday was another beach day. We basically repeated Saturday, beach and Taco Stand, and also visited a very popular and amazing reviewed donut shop, “The Salty Donut.” We took those home and they were heaven. We went home and took a rest before going out to the Miami Marlins baseball game that night! Whenever Michael visits us, we always go to a baseball game, so we kept the tradition going, this time, us visiting him! It was a cool stadium, having a retractable roof. The roof was open, for some crazy reason, and we were sweating our brains out. Haha. Naomi was wide awake the entire time and didn’t make a peep. She was perfect!!

The entire time we were in Miami I kept saying that I felt like I was in a different country or Hawaii. It was unlike any continental U.S. city I have been to. I went to Hawaii when I was 19 and it reminded me a lot of there. But then we would hear so many different languages as we were walking around. It was an extremely diverse city, which I love. It was very tropical and green EVERYWHERE! I told Josh I don’t have to travel anywhere now, that I got my tropical, beach fix. So if anyone needs a vacation but doesn’t want to fly, just drive down South! It will seriously satisfy you!! A huge thank you to Michael and Courtney for hosting us and being so gracious to letting us stay with them.  It was a lot of fun!!

Naomi Turns 3 Months Old

I think each month that goes by I will be in awe that my baby is another month older.  It still feels like yesterday was her delivery date.  She is getting so huge, but I know to everyone else she is still so tiny!  She weighs a whopping 9 lbs 1.8 oz!  (I was bigger than that at birth!)  

 Having a preemie is such a different expereince.  She is just now starting to legit smile at us, mostly me.  It doesn't happen often, but Charlotte was a pretty somber baby too.  She is sleeping mostly through the night.  She wakes up around 3-4 am, eats, and then goes back to sleep until 7 or 8.  I am ok with this, for now.  I want to start getting her into the habit of last feeding, bedtime routine and crying it out (yep, I'm a horrible mom) in the next month or two. 

She is really easy to go out and about with.  She loves being outside and is always so calm.  She still sleeps a lot during the day but has been awake a lot more.  Which is fun, but she also wants to be held while she's awake.  I try and take time to just sit and hold her.  I know she's my last so I do remind myself of that. 

She is really easy to go out and about with.  She loves being outside and is always so calm.  She still sleeps a lot during the day but has been awake a lot more.  Which is fun, but she also wants to be held while she's awake.  I try and take time to just sit and hold her.  I know she's my last so I do remind myself of that. 

She is such a joy to have in our family.  I love her little face so much.  Sometimes we just can't get enough of her.  There are several times where I just kiss her chubby cheeks constantly.
Charlotte loves having a sister, loves holding her and thinking she can do more than I would like her to (like picking her up...AHHH!).  She loves telling other people she has a sister and I hope, will always be protective of Naomi. 

Dino Day in the City

We love living in the suburbs of a big city.  I know, not as big as Atlanta, but big enough.  On Tuesday, a group of friends decided to take the train to the children's library, ImaginOn.  After some complications in the morning, we finally all arrived in Uptown at the library.  The kids were mostly into the Dino exhibit.  They got to ride a dinosaur and watch an egg hatch.  Afterward, we took the train home and met at the Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  Toward the end, it had been a long day and everyone was wiped out.  It was a lot of fun though!

Naomi's First Train Ride

I told Charlotte not to touch anything because of all the germs.  

Talk about germs...I know, don't even get me started!

  

Naomi's First Cardiology Appointment

What she wore to the doctor.  I am obsessed with her little body and take pictures of her every day!

When Naomi was in the NICU, they detected a heart murmur.  I completely understand how these are very common in newborns and neither, Josh or I, got too excited.  The NICU nurses and doctor did schedule a follow-up appointment for when we would be released.  I was able to coordinate Naomi's appointment and mine and we had them back-to-back.  Never thought I'd be doing that!!
Basically she still has the murmur and her opening in the upper chambers, that is supposed to close, still hasn't.  They didn't seem too concerned and told me to come back in a year and see if it has closed.  If not, they will operate and close it.  This is a description of what she has:

They had to do an EKG and short echocardiogram on her.  She was a little squirmy, but she did really well overall.  

All the leeds are so close together compared to when I have this test done!!

They were flicking this piece of plastic in front of her face to calm her down.  Really?

The tech kept clicking her lips together making the most obnoxious sound to try and calm her down.  It took everything in me not to say, "knock it off, you're making it worse!" 

Just like her mom, super sensitive skin. 

Cardiology Update

Last Thursday, we drove to Atlanta for my doctor appointment. We made great time getting there and both girls did really well. It is so nice doing these long car rides in a van. Charlotte was in the very back, all camped out, I sat next to Naomi in the middle and Josh was in the front listening to his uninterrupted NPR.

Once we arrived, I got Josh and the girls situated in the cafeteria and I ran downstairs to radiology. I was scheduled for two CT scans. Of course, I had to get an IV.  Luckily, the phlebotomist was excellent and I hardly felt it (or my veins are just numb by now)! Once I laid on the table, I immediately closed my eyes. I can’t look at how close I am to the machine as you go in and out of the tube. Once I was done with that, we all went and met with my cardiologist. I basically told her I want the surgery ASAP! Why let things keep getting worse? She also explained that this valve replacement surgery is very rare with Transposition patients. It sounded like it’s never really been done. Which made me nervous.  She assured me the surgeon is one of the best and he does intervention operations all the time.  I really thought these were routine, but with the way my heart is and how it has been re-routed, it makes things extremely complicated.  GREAT!!  
On Monday I met with my Cardiologist here in Charlotte.  He made me feel better I was having it done in Atlanta by telling me they have never done this surgery in Charlotte.  Yikes.  But of course, I'm the rare case.  He explained that this could go one of two ways.  It could make things go really well or it can actually make my overall heart function worse, therefore needing a heart transplant even sooner.  This pregnancy has really been taking a long term toll I never realized.  
I am still not exercising.  I brought it up with both my cardiologists again and they want me to not do any.  Because of my recent sedentary (at least somewhat) lifestyle, my back is in constant pain.  I had a massage on Saturday, hoping to help.  It did for a little bit, but of course, I feel like those are only temporary if they aren't consistent.  I think I am going to start seeing a chiropractor again.  I have gone in stages of doing so.  I did see one for a few weeks during my pregnancy and it really did help.  I am also having weird stomach pains that I don't know what they would be related to.  Overall, I feel like my body is literally falling apart.  I am hoping to find some relief in the near future and start feeling like a new woman!!

Charlotte's Preschool Graduation

Today was Charlotte's final day of preschool!  Hallelujah!  We have been paying for preschool for three years and she is FINALLY done.  She is SO ready for Kindergarten it's not even funny.  Charlotte missed the deadline by a week and honestly, I think she would have been fine to go, but we couldn't.  Today's graduation ceremony took place in the Dairy Barn at the Anne Springs Greenway.  It was beautiful outside, perfect weather (actually, really hot, but no rain), and we must watch too much "Fixer Upper" because Charlotte said she wished the barn was our house! Josh joined us as well.  Perks to working in town, ran over really quick for the ceremony and then back to work.  We are excited to see what the future has in store for Charlotte.  She loves school, her friends and everything else that growing up entails, so far.