yesterday we packed up our car and headed back to grand rapids to meet with our cardiologist for otto. our last appointment was two weeks ago and we had an ekg and an echo stat. yesterday we just had the ekg and a check up. this time otto was not as friendly with the nurse […]

it’s an odd feeling having the weekend knowing that monday is going to be pretty much the same schedule as friday, saturday and sunday was. feed, pump, change diaper, break, repeat. i keep thinking that the weekends i’ll have “off” nope. little otter here is the boss and demands our full attention and schedules at […]

i feel like each week we make baby steps to achieving a new normal. otto wakes up for his feedings then loves to stay up after dad leaves so i’m usually up by 7am. which doesn’t do me a ton of good because i take the 3am feeding shift but it does give me part […]

i’m starting to realize why it’s called “motherhood”. i’m pretty sure it’s because my 8lb meatloaf is giving me the gang/cult mentality to turn me into a mom. he’s so sweet and charming and does amazing things like randomly finishes a bottle and then snuggles right into my chest and neck only to spew breast […]

we’ve officially been home sweet home now for over a week. and approaching otto’s third week of life on this planet. i feel like he’s been here so much longer than that but at the same time the last few weeks have been an absolute blur. i regularly have to check my calendar to see […]

sorry i’ve been on a brief hiatus from writing everyday. you should know that i’m a bit OCD and I HATE missing my daily posts. it’s what gets my creative juices going and helps me kick off the day. i’ve had to learn to rearrange a few things… due to a certain someone…. ahem otto. […]

well… my kid is sleeping (again) and i am taking a break from sitting and staring at him to share with you my side of his birth story. i shared his here last week but before he came into this world i had a HUGE fear of giving birth. i know it sounds so silly […]

we finally busted out of the NICU on friday afternoon. it was an exhilarating, triumphant and terrifying experience all in one. on one hand we finally got to take our sweet otto man home and snuggle him and care for him with all of his own things. just to be home there is nothing like […]

the days in the nicu are so long and yet so short at the same time. we are feeding and pumping every three hours, learning about new meds, monitoring heart rates and respiratory rates and talking to doctors that honestly i have very few moments to sit in the quiet with our son. i am […]

good morning. this weekend has been another roller coaster of emotions. otto was doing great, then not so great then great again. and each time my heart sinks and rises and sinks and rises. my tongue is about bit in half. it’s a bad habit when trying not to cry to literally bite your tongue. today […]

can we just talk about yesterday?!?! the most surreal crazy wonderful day of our entire lives. honestly let me start off by saying thank you so so so so so much for the continuous prayers and encouragement throughout the day. there is no way yesterday would have went as good as it did without the […]

this weekend i just prayed. i prayed God if the goldfish decides to come this weekend let it be and let it be awesome but if it’s ok with you just give joe and i one last weekend as the two of us. i feel a bit like we’ve been given this gift to be […]