I know, I know… more cookies. But his time there is no cooking, no mess (other then what was on Blythe’s face). SO good!! Try these out.
You might already know that we are gearing up for a super fun 2nd birthday family celebration. I can not tell you how excited we are, how excited I am. This time last year I began to relive the days and hours before Blythe was born. It was a scary time in my life, in Britt’s life and in Blythe’s life. It was like flashbacks.
The room we started in at the first hospital. The face of the nurses taking care of me. The neonatologist who stopped in to give me the “preemie” talk and discuss survival statistics. My good friend Teia was there for that “chat” and I was so grateful for her presence. My water breaking and having to tell my mom to explain to my dear, and closest friend Tammi that I could not handle seeing her at that point as I wanted to focus on remaining calm. What felt like forever for the ambulance to be ready to take me to UT. The nurse who was so sweet and rode with me to UT because she was a familiar face. Wendy, a paramedic, who went to school with me who pulled out the bed I was on to get me to triage at UT. Dr. Erinn Morgan, another schoolmate of mine, who was one of the ob/gyn residents, and first face I saw at UT. It was a relief to see another familiar face. Britt arriving at the triage, holding my hand. The days we spent at UT. The fruit bouquet that Chris and Holli had sent to our room. Fr. David giving me anointing of the sick, a sacrament I had not received. The Marino girls coming by and later Joh Mac and Lori. I remember closing my eyes in pain, not realizing it was a contraction, and Lori offering her hand. The misunderstood peace that the Lord gave to me the hour before Blythe’s birth. The MD who checked and said, she is coming whether we are ready or not. The OR full of people ready to take care of both Blythe and I. The anesthesiologist putting the heart monitor stickers on my body getting ready to put me under, Dr Schoutko requesting them to hold off so that I could try and have her naturally. The 3 pushes it took to get her here, the group of RNs and MD’s working on Blythe. Britt getting to see her and then rolling incubator her to the NICU.
I could not have written about those days that this time last year. And although I had and have so much to be grateful for I was still in much pain this time last year. Now, almost 2 years since that dark time I am so joyful. We are so joyful. Blythe is a blessing and a gift. She continues to teach and amaze us. This birthday celebration is different for me this year. I am not having those flashbacks. I am really able to celebrate that “dark time” that really has turned into light.
Blythe is chatting up a storm and knows her letters… working on numbers. She runs, climbs, and slides. She surprises us with a new word orskill everyday. She a little like Britt with Rowland eyes. She is learning to share. I will might never understand the reasons our good Lord had for her early arrival, but I am beginning to understand some of the lessons He had for me.
Yes, we love cookies in our home. Two main reasons: they taste good and the way Blythe says cookie is just too cute. This is another box brand that we tried. I loved them. Britt prefers the other bag brand. So I suppose you can not go wrong with either that we have tried. The directions were very easy to follow… if I could make them with out difficulty… then so can you! The proof they were good is in the images below. Grad a glass of milk and enjoy! Note the chocolate covered smile:)
WOW!! I can not say THANK YOU enough for helping to make this an amazing year for Team Blythe!! We raised over $2000. WOW! Thank you so much, you really helped to make this bigger and better then last year. You have touched us with your generosity and kindness. It is so awesome to think that Team Blythe is helping to pave the way for better therapies, medications, and treatments for premature babies!!
Here are a few photos from the walk. It was really a great time. Blythe had so much fun she slept for 3 hours after getting home:)
A few weekends ago we were able to visit with some of our friends in the mountains. It was a much needed visit with good friends! Blythe hung in there with the big boys, and loved seeing baby Emerson. We totally did the toristy thing and played go carts, trains, and rode a carousel. These were all first for Blythe. I am pretty sure she loved the excitement and energy of all of the above. Here are a few images of this too short trip we made. 
One of the food groups I was the most worried about giving up was… Mexican. If you know me then you know that chips and salsa are a staple in my diet as well as my families diet. I even called the Rotel company to make sure that the original and cilantro lime were gluten free. Thankfully they are!
There are not very many gluten free taco seasoning packets. And, again if you know me you know that I am not the chef I would like to be. So in our search for more gluten free options we cam across this brand of seasonings. And I have to say that it is better then it’s gluten containing counter part. Blythe LOVED it! Britt and I LOVED it! Our Neighboors Mike and David LOVED it (Mike has Celiac disease).
It was terribly easy to make. I browned some ground turkey, added the packet of seasoning mix and there you have it!! Gluten free tacos. We have also tried the green cause and the green enchilada cause. Both were amazing! So thank you Frontera and Chef Rick Bayless for this delicious gluten free option!
A few weeks ago I receive this very suspicious call from Britt…
“Um, what time will you be home tonight, and is the marinara sauce you made gluten free?”
You can imagine my fear. And how the house was going to look like after this “cooking surprise.” So I was worried.
But much to my surprise I came home to a delicious pizza that Britt had put together himself and grilled on the grill. He did all the shopping and preparing minus the marinara sauce. I was not prepared to get many photos of this, but Blythe, Britt, and I all enjoyed it very much. And the kitchen was still standing.
I have an image of some of the ingredients. He really did not follow any specific recipe. Another good Gluten Free idea for the family.
Today is the first ever Proud Parent of Preemies day. You can read more about it here http://www.parentsofpreemiesday.org/main.html and more about the founder and his family’s story here http://www.grahamsfoundation.org/home.html
We have so much to celebrate! Our sweet 24 week micro preemie has grown so much from her meager one a half pound beginning. I think that Dr. Seuss had it right “a person’s a person no matter how small.” And now that Blythe has grown to be a toddler I remember something else Dr. Seuss wrote “why fit in when you were born to stand out.” If you can not tell already I think that he is a brilliant writer! Why fit in when you were born to stand out… I love that. SO much about Blythe used to stand out. Her O2 tank, her apnea monitor, the fabric and cords that went around her abdomen, the nasal canal that went in her nostrils, her (I didn’t see it at the time but can see it now in photos as I look back) slightly “bugged” eyes, and her inability to look Left. We all, and when I say all I mean all. Britt, my parents and family, Britt’s parents and family, OT, PT, speech, Tennessee Early Intervention, Blythe and myself worked very hard to wean her from her O2 needs, monitors, and decrease her developmental delays. You know she is breathing with out a canal, sleeping without monitors and has the ability to look and use her left side!! Blythe does still have her developmental delays. They are not quit as obvious, but they are there. We have so much to celebrate! We have so much to be grateful for!
There are other parents that have bigger challenges then we do, or then we did in the beginning. They need to be celebrated and recognized. They still have the monitors and tubes attached to their babies. They still have to carry all the “preemie accessories” to the multiple appointments. Or, they are still visiting their babies in the NICU’s. They know the pain and disappointment of leaving the hospital after giving birth with pump gear rather then their sweet baby. They still long to have their babies home, well, and happy. They still have to wake up to an empty nursery. They drive day after day to the hospital to see their babies. They hear and continue to hear “bad news.” These parents need to know that their strength is admirable. That their baby and family’s are in our prayers. They need to be reminded that that they have a special baby, and are special parents.
I think back on our NICU experience and realize that it could have been a lot different. Blythe was and still is such a fighter. She fought her PDA and avoided heart surgery, she fought her chronic lung disease to progress from the vent, to the c-papp, to the nasal canal, to now room air. She fought her grade 3 brain bleed to walk, cross midline, throw, color, point, and climb. Even now she fights holding our hands while walking on uneven surfaces. She amazes me with her want to challenge herself and her resilience when the challenge is just a little too hard. She tries again.
So again, we celebrate her today and all the other babies born too soon. She is my hero! Britt and I know that it is a privilege that she is our daughter and that we are her parents. She brighten our life and is so much fun to be around and care for. She is our little micro preemie and always will be. “Why try to fit in when you were born to stand out.” That is our sweet Blythe. She does not know the word defeat, or can’t. She is full of life and determination. 
Another one of our new favorites in our gluten free home are these delicious waffles. You can see these are really easy. We have yet to purchase a new toaster as our is contaminated with gluten… so the oven on broil worked wonderfully! You can see from this happy grin that breakfast was good!! This brand offers a variety of options. 
We are so very close to reaching a new goal for Team Blythe… how awesome would it be to have raised $1020?!?! Why that number you ask? That would be $10 a day for each of the 102 days Blythe was in the NICU. We are so very close. And our t-shirt order has been awesome as well!! So let me know if you need a Team Blythe shirt. They are $5. I need to have the order by the 29.
To update you on her eating… she is really doing better. Gluten free is working in our house. Others who are around to feed her have noticed a marked difference in her eating’s well. We are so very excited about this and very pleased it is helping.
This is a sweet photo of Blythe trying on mommy’s shoes. 
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Blythe Young Dalton 
