New Years Eve

Edythe and Megan ready for the New Year

Packed in for the ride.

Edythe in her HUGE car seat.

Edythe and Papa in the morning.

Edythe had a big day out to the lab to get a little blood drawn. She woke up for about thirty seconds of the trip. Matt and Megan spent their first time away from Edythe for about two hours while Grandma Mary and Grandma Connie watched her. Now Team Dean is settling in to welcome the new year and all it brings.

Christmas

Falling asleep in Grandpa Larry's arms.

Merry Christmas from Team Dean!

Where's Edythe?

Grandma Connie

Grandpa Larry

Grandma Mary

Christmas Eve off to her first doctor's appointment.

Team Dean's first official Christmas. Edythe is eating and sleeping well and Mama and Papa are getting the whole routine down. The doc said she is doing well and has gained a whole 3 ounces! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Pictures

Ready to make a break for it.

Burrito

Just who the hell are you people?

Kisses for Edythe

These are pictures from when we had the nesting room at the hospital.

The Journey Home

Today was the day Precious Cakes broke out of the hospital. She missed most of it as she slept all the way back home. Content in her HUGE car seat. Some nice firemen let us stop by their station and check the oxygen level in her blood and then it was over the hills and through the woods back home. She blew in on a snow storm two weeks ago and arrived in a snow storm today. She is eating well and adjusting to the new environment. Mama and Papa are glad to be at their home with their daughter to get this whole thing started.

Home for the Holidays.....

yup - I just heard from the Deans that they were headed back home today!

Team Dean Nesting

Team Dean is in a room at the hospital all together.  Papa, Mama and baby.  All is going well and if that continues we will be traveling as a family unit back home tomorrow.  Edythe has done a stellar job of eating and maintaining her body temperature.  She passed her car seat test and had a hearing screen she passed as well.  So as long she does well over the next 20 hours we should be outta here!

Chowing Down

Edythe is on her way to graduating from the hospital.  She is no longer jaundicy and the lights have been removed.  She is starting to eat heartily and is being weened off of the isolet (the incubator type machine).  The hospital might give us another room that we can stay in with Edythe starting tomorrow night.  The next step to getting Precious Cakes back home...

I forgot the video

When Zora saw this video, she ahhed and ohhed and said, "oh, litte tiny edy!"

Pictures of Precious Cakes Edythe

As promised, here are my pictures of Edythe and Mama Megs. I wanted to get some with Matthew as well, but there were only 2 people allowed in to see her at a time, so I was only in there with Megs.

just look at that face!


and the tiniest hands


she wasn't nearly as tiny as I was picturing - and she is very healthy.

Yup, the Deans are a family of 3 now. Very sweet.

p.s. Doesn't Megan look great for having just been released from the hospital! I wish she could have stayed though - that waiting room would be better if there were a bed in it...

At the hospital

Here I am at the hospital visiting the Deans. So far I have only seen Edythe for a second, but she seems very strong and healthy. Megan is doing great, and was released yesterday. She still needs to take it easy. They get to see Edythe every 3 hours to feed and change her, but they wish it were more. Hopefully going home early next week...waiting to see how she is doing then.

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Hurray, she arrives!

and Megan and Edythe are doing just fine.

The Official Stats:
Edythe Estelle Maxine Dean. Born at 9:03pm on the 15th.
girl
4 lbs 11oz
17.5" long
Dark hair
Megan's chin and lips
Really strong
They were able to hold her a bit right after..Now she is in the preemie nursery but doing great. Matt says she is a keeper. He is very enamoured. Megan is feeling much better...Still on magnesium till tonight. Probably ok for visitors tomorrow at the earliest.
Matt said that Mary and Connie sat in the room during the birth clutching the wish beads, and that the nurses were curious.

While I was on the phone with Matt, her name became official. He was saying - we think it is Edythe, but we haven't made it official - so for now her name is Precious Cakes - that is what the nurses are calling her...then I heard Megan in the background - "Make it official, for the record her name is Edythe Estelle Maxine Dean."

I can't wait to meet her - even if it is through a glass window.
Here is the picture Matthew sent from his cell phone:

Contractions

Megs is officially in labor, with contractions at 3-5 minutes apart. She and Matt are doing well - talking about what they will do when they get to go back home (looking forward to it).
I will post more when I hear more.
Light your candles, and expect a baby within the next 24 hours or so!

Tuesday

Just heard from Matt that they tried pitocin to induce last night, with little effect....started a gel today, and he will call me in a few hours with an update.


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No news yet

About the labor progress- whether they induced yet or not. I don't want to bug them for an update in case anything is in progress. I will let you know via email or text as soon as I hear any big news.


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Monday morning

Matt just called to say that Megan's protein levels are really high- 3900, and they are getting ready to do an ultrasound before giving her drugs to induce.
He still thinks tomorrow will be the day, but I will let you know if I hear differently.

Sunday

Hi everyone,
Matt called me yesterday (sunday) afternoon to give me the latest update, but I was working the street fair, and didn't have a chance to update this when I got home.

Basically, Megs and the baby are still fine, and they are still waiting to see if they can make it to the 34 week mark - But, her blood pressure started to get worse again yesterday, and they ordered another urine protein test. Matt said they were keeping her on her side, to help with the blood pressure.

As of yesterday, he felt that they would probably deliver by Tuesday (2 days shy of the 34 week mark)- depending on what the new tests indicate, etc. I will send a text out - if I hear that is happening...otherwise, just keep checking this about once a day.

Saturday Update

Luckily there is not anything to report today - I think it was a bit crazy getting her there and settled, and now they are just hanging out, trying to stay chill. I think we can continue to expect that for most of the week.

I was talking with Ming a few minutes ago, and she suggested some sort of blog to keep people up to date (something more personal than facebook!), and easier than an email list. I won't be able to respond to everyone's email queries anymore - but just know this - she is doing fine, and doesn't want anyone to make a big deal or worry in any way.

This is a semi-private blog - I have it set up so that you can't google it, you need to know the address...and it is really just an easier way for me to keep people in the loop. I will definitely post here when and if I hear anything new - but lets not expect that to happen anytime soon. Don't worry if I don't post for a few days - just remember that no news is good news.

Right now Megs is just trying to stay quiet - and she is in a great place for that - she doesn't want any big drama, and things are looking great for a safe delivery sometime later in the week.

Message from Sadie

Also previously sent in an email:

Hello Kate!

I just watched Larry set up for tonight...he said that he was personally doing great and only just "worried" until he saw how scared Megan was and then he was really upset. He said he thought she was really scared about the helicopter ride , but that it was only 30 minutes and he swears she beat him to the hospital down there before he even got home from the hospital here. He seems to be in good spirits about the whole thing and told me he just talked to Mary recently. Mary said the place Megan and Matthew have gone is "the best" in the state for babies and mamas...so we can be at ease about their safety and care. Mary also expressed how comforting the place felt. Larry said he talked to Megan and told her to just try to sleep all day and not worry. He is going to go down there tomorrow. He said also under the circumstances, Megan will probably be looking at a C-section instead of a natural birth. > > I am going to google stores that may carry premie clothes and try to put something together for her like we talked about...maybe they will be OK until the wonderful Organic things you guys have coming arrive. Just in case. > > And that's about all I can think of right now...if more come to me, I'll let you know! > > Have a fantastic day... > > xoxoxoxo > SADIRA

Megan Update 1

This was previously sent in an email -

Hi everyone, wanted to give you the friday morning update... easier for me to write more on an email than on a text message. Megan is comfortable at the new hospital. She slept well last night. She isn't accepting any phone calls right now - so I have been talking with Matthew. He said that she enjoys it when he shares our texts and messages with her, so it is ok to call him and leave a message. They are definitely going to need to deliver the baby within the week. They are hoping for the end of next week, but think it may be sooner than that. As it stands today, Matt doesn't think it will be any earlier than Sunday or Monday. He says she is doing really well, and we don't need to worry about her - her blood pressure is stable and such. She doesn't want anyone to send anything to the hospital (flowers etc.), some of you have asked. She said it would be hard to get everything home, so if you want to send anything, wait and send it when they are headed home. My suggestion is preemie clothing/etc. She isn't going to have anything to wear. I am currently knitting some hats and booties, and I have a package on order for some premie footed pj's and such - but at this point the baby is 4 lbs 6 oz, so she will probably be around 5lbs when born, we think. I will let you know if I hear anything else, and I told Matt to tell me when she is up to a phone call - I will let you all know when I hear that it is ok to call.