the brown chair.

My dad had one request while we were home... to get a photo with Millie in the brown chair. It was an easy request to fill. I love this chair. My parents have had it for over 27 years... since before I was born! Crazy! It was well loved by our family- many late night rocks from my mom and lots of naps curled up in the seat. And my dad still enjoys today... it is one great chair.

she loved rocking with gramps.
millie wishes we had a big comfy brown chair!

with my grandma loretta... whom millie is named after.

now the brown chair resides in my parents bedroom...
my dad doesnt want to let it go. it is just too comfy.

the rest of our time.

We had a wonderful time at home... and the last few days were extra nice, because we slowed down and stayed in more. Millie was able to hang out with her grams & gramps and mama was able to watch some cable tv!

the bedtime routine was a bit crazy for just me...
so my mom got to rock millie to sleep, while i made her formula.

a quick trip to h&m while visiting chris & jess in indianapolis!

time with great grandma mia!

it was good to be home with grams & gramps.
thanks for everything!

she's on the list!

bring on the livers!

what i wore wednesday.

millies sip & see.
cardigan- forever21 / dress- goodwill / belt- charlotte russe / shoes- old navy.

its fall in indiana.
dress- goodwill / socks & boots- old navy.

not my favorite...
sweater & sandals- old navy / dress & belt- goodwill.

its bob time.
blazer- forever21 / tee & jeans- gap / shoes- banana republic.

a day in indianapolis.
cardigan- tj maxx / shirt & undertank- old navy / pants & shoes- gap.

last day at home with g.

g flies out early tomorrow morning, so today was spent with his parents- eating at one of his favorite restaurants for lunch, taking millie by his dads office to meet his coworkers, and then hanging out at his parents house for the afternoon.

we will miss him terribly when he leaves...

happy birthday uncle chris!

Today is my brother's birthday! It was nice to hang out as a family today... we enjoyed a dinner out last night to celebrate and stayed in the most of today just hanging out & relaxing. I'm happy that Millie has finally met her uncle Chris and aunt Jess!

we took millie to the church i grew up in to meet lots of new people...
she matched the couches in the parlor so well!

my mom loves having all of her kids under one roof.

we spent the afternoon cozy at home with pizza brought in from our favorite place and treats for my brothers birthday. some family stopped by to meet millie, and it went much better than yesterday because she finally gave in to her naps. yay! it would have been a long week without naps!

a sip and see.

We hosted a "sip & see" at my parents house this afternoon so that some friends & family from our hometown could stop over and meet Millie. It was a very nice afternoon. Millie was a trooper meeting all of the new people... especially without taking a nap the whole afternoon!

i put together a small milk & cookies party... reds & blues & black with fun floral fabric that i found at walmart. it was super simple since i brought many items from home, but i couldnt let the afternoon to go undecorated!

we felt super blessed by everyone that came...
there are so many people praying & thinking about this little lady!

millies first flight.

so many firsts for the little lady...
a bus ride, a tram ride, and a plane ride!
she was such a doll during the whole process of security & getting to our gate.

not a peep made and lots of smiles for everyone.

she became a bit crankier while we waited at our gate...
but a bit of exploring with her dad & a bottle seemed to make things better.
she was getting pretty sleepy by the time we got on the plane.

but perked back up when she found the tray to bang on and some toys in her bag.
we were super happy to find out that the plane had lots of open seats...
which meant a whole row for us & less chance of annoying someone.
she did great during takeoffs & landings and slept or played during the flight.
people around us said they didnt hear a peep!
success!

she's growing.

cardigan- goodwill
dress- gap outlet

millie and g.

millies favorite activity...
beating on g's face and grabbing his nose.
she loves it!

what i wore wednesday.

transplant evaluation appointment #1.
shirt- arc thrifstore / jeans- gap / shoes- banana republic.

my new flats.
shirt- goodwill / jeans- gap / shoes- missoni for target.

appointment #2.
dress- gap outlet / blazer & boots- goodwill.

g calls these my clown pants. i love them.
cardigan & shoes- gap / shirt- arc thriftstore / belt & pants- forever21.

part two.

we were back at childrens today for part two of the transplant evaluation...

here is what we learned:
- we met with millies liver doctor & dietitian, transplant coordinator, surgeon, social worker, anesthesiologist, and had labs, an ekg, and a chest xray done.- her labs, physical exam, and other medical issues give her a PELD (pediatric end stage liver disease) score of 15. this is a score that will place her on the list.
- they think that she will only be waiting a month or two for a liver. she shouldnt be on the list very long.
- her blood type is A+... which is the second most common type.
- she should be listed on 9/29 as long as everything falls into place with insurance.
- we will receive a call 12-24hours out from surgery letting us know that a donor organ is available.
- the surgery will last about 8hours.
- there are 3 donor organ possibilities for her- a split adult liver (babies can receive a 1/3 or a 1/4 of an adult liver & an adult can receive the rest), a full adult or baby liver, or a portion of a living donors liver. they will only use a living donor if it becomes a desperate situation. the adult hospital on the campus does about 2 liver transplants a week, so the possibility of getting a split adult liver is high because of the amount of livers coming in for transplant.
- we learned all about risk factors and possible negative outcomes. hard to hear... but good to know what may be coming our way.
- she will be in the hospital 3weeks to a month post transplant... spending the first few days in the PICU.
- she will be on medication for the rest of her life and will always have to be in a transplant program. i know that as parents it will be our job to raise her as a normal healthy kid, and our hope is that she is a healthy kid!
- life after transplant will be a bit crazy... a lengthy hospital stay, lots of medications & steroids, possible issues arising from rejection or other complications, coming home with a central line or picc line for IV medications & lab draws, lots of appointments back at childrens for a few months, and adjusting to life with a newly healthy little lady.

i think thats about it!
lots of overwhelming information.
i am happy that we are through these appointments. it is good to know what is ahead of us, and what the next few months may look like. i am super happy that she will be listed so soon and that this process is rolling.
g and i are feeling ok about everything. we have a lot to process and prepare for... our main goal is to take care of ourselves and be strong for our little lady. we cant wait for her to be healthy!

seven months.

millies seventh month...

- she is still wearing size 1 diapers, but will move to a size 2 very soon.
- she is wearing mostly 3-6month clothes.
- shes weighs 12pounds 2ounces as of thursday.
- we recently increased her calorie count for bottles and also her overnight feed rate. her dietician wants to see continued positive weight gain. if these changes dont cause the right amount of weight gain, we will need to begin feedings through an IV. crossing fingers that this isnt the case...
- she is still taking less & less by bottle, which means we are syringing more & more. we are also using the pump more during the day.
- some of her medication amounts have increased... but nothing new.
- she loves to smile!
- she is beginning to show some signs of stranger danger.
- she is starting to sit up on her own... for a few seconds without any help.
- she is banging toys together all the time, which was one of her first OT goals.
- her occupational therapy is going well. i like seeing her make progress... it is rather slow but she is making it!
- she went to her first babytime at the library, she wore a bathing suit for the first time, and spent lots of time with her nana and gpa.

an invite.

its dinner party time again!

this time... a glam witch night.
i made all of the girls mini witch hats to wear for the party...
i found the hats on etsy & then embellished them with flowers, feathers, ribbon, spiders, and other bits from my collection of things.
it was a fun little project!

summer visitors.

Our life has been filled with many visitors this past month... our college friend, Ryan, was here the beginning of the month, G's parents came around the same time, Grant arrived the beginning of this past week, and our friend, Ben, arrived on Thursday. There have been lots of really fun moments, but I am super excited for our routine and time as our little family.

snoozing on uncle grant.

ben took millie on her first run...
and she wore her sneaker socks for the occasion.
her first 5k.

ben was super fun to watch with millie...

he taught her how to bang on pots & pans.
and tried to sway her to love IU, it wont work. shes a boiler.

indiana, here we come.

we are headed to the midwest next week!

millie isnt able to travel once she is placed on the transplant list... so we have one week to head home to see family and show off millie to lots of people in lafayette.

i am super excited for the trip... and for a haircut!

she's growing.

headband- ribbons & bows

bow & denim jacket- walmart

onesie- target

skirt- old navy

part one.

we made it through part one of millies transplant evaluation appointments. we are still processing... and will give a full report of everything after part two on monday.

what i wore wednesday.

loving my new desert boots!
denim buttonup- walmart / skirt- gap outlet / socks & boots- old navy.

nerd party!

nerd glasses- h&m / blazer & sequin dress- goodwill / faux collar- freebie at teenvogue / tie- my grandpas / knee highs- old navy / oxfords- macy's / bracelet & necklace- nerdy creations / denim nails- target.

the rasmussen wedding!
h&m dress- goodwill / necklace- charlotte russe / wedges- dsw.

ziplining!
sunglasses- goodwill / black v-neck & shorts- gap / sneakers- payless shoes.

a dinner out.
cardigan & shoes- old navy / dress- goodwill / belt- h&m.

wearing my party pants!
shirt & black tank- target / pants- gap / boots- old navy.

holy rain!
cardigan, green skinnies, & rainboots- target / tank- gap / belt- h&m.