Material Girl

... So I know it could be considered questionable parenting to start dressing my daughter like pop icons at such a young age, but I couldn't resist! She is such a cute Madonna fan!

Fun with Monkey!

So much has happened since Vivie got to come home!! We have been having so much fun! First Ashley and the kids came down to hang out. Bentley and Hamilton didn't get to meet Viv when she was born because she was in the nicu the whole time they were here. They were so excited to meet her!! The next weekend was also fun because Vivie got to meet her cousin Madison!! It was the first time Ryan had come down since we've had our house and it was way fun to spend time with the family! I also wanted to post this cute picture of Vivie in her monkey suit! When we started to feed her bottles in nicu she looked like a little monkey and she kind of sounded like a monkey too, so I started to call her monkey and it just kind of stuck. So, when we found a monkey suit at Target we had to buy it! Yes it is technically a Halloween costume and I think it was meant for a boy, but I added a bow and Viv will be wearing far more often than one night!

Home Sweet Home

Vivie is home!! She came home on August 10 at 11 days old. We are so proud of her! It has been busy since she has been home. She has gotten her first bath, she had her first photo shoot, she had her first play date with her best friend Evie, and we have had lots of sleepless nights! She has also been to her first doctor's appointment, she didn't like that very much at all! She is in the 17th percentile on the preemie charts for her height and her weight, and everything looks good.

Vivie 8 days old

Yesterday Vivie ate her whole bottle for the first time!!! She did so good I am so proud of her! Viv and I didn't do any skin to skin contact when she was born because I was so sick I couldn't get to her and she had to stay in the nicu, but yesterday Vivie's nurse suggested we do it now and it helped so much. Vivie loved it she fell right to sleep and didn't budge for two hours, I really liked it too. So, now we just hope we keep making progress!

Viv's first home videos

This is Vivie's first movie!

Vivie's Birth

Vivie Anne Croft is here! She is beautiful and we love her so much, but getting her here was not an easy thing!! On Wednesday July 28, Nick and I made our way to our weekly Doctor's appointment. At our last appointment my blood pressure was really high and I was put on bed rest, however my one and only baby shower was supposed to be Friday in Salt Lake so we were hoping my blood pressure had come down enough they would let me go. Unfortunately my blood pressure was even higher than before. My doctor was out of town so another doctor in the office suggested I have a non-stress test to make sure the baby was ok and try to be super careful for the next week until my doctor came back. Nick and I went straight to the test, but my blood pressure had sky rocketed and we found out my fluid was extremely low so I was admitted to the hospital immediately. Then the waiting started. I was only 33 weeks and 6 days at this point and so we needed to try and keep her as long as possible. I got steroid shots to help develop her lungs in case we had to deliver. The next two days were very long and very scary because we just didn't know what to expect. They monitored me and Vivie very closely. Nick was very sick of the stork on the baby monitor watching Vivie, he was ready to watch her himself. On Friday morning we were supposed to have another non-stress test to look at my fluid, but over night I had gotten too sick and the decision was made that Vivie had to come out, so I was going to be induced. Luckily our good friend Elizabeth was in charge of the non-stress test and she came by to see us and pointed out that Vivie was breeched, so we had another ultrasound and it was determined that she couldn't be turned. So, I had a c-section and she was born at 10:15 on July 30, 2010 weighing in at 4 pounds and 9 ounces 16.5 inches long. Nick went straight to see here in nicu and I was left in surgery. Because of my severe preeclampsia, I had to be put on magnesium sulfate. I had no idea, but it is horrible! I was completely incoherent for two days! I couldn't even open my eyes or move at all. Luckily I have great family around me and everybody helped. I finally made it to nicu to meet Vivie on Sunday at 4:00 in the morning, it was the best moment of my life! She was doing great! She didn't even need help breathing! Each day after that consisted of the same thing, hoping that Vivie eats good. I am home from the hospital now so we spend lots of time driving between the hospital and home. The biggest problem is that Vivie is only allowed to have two visitors at a time so we have to take turns. She is doing really good though. She absolutely hates diaper changes! She gets so mad and just cries every time you do it. She also goes to the bathroom every time you get her diaper off, so you really have to be on your game or you go through three diapers before you've got her changed. Her biggest problem is with her grip! She is so strong and she grabs everything! She has ripped out at least one feeding tube every day. Yesterday she ripped out four, so today she has to have these tiny pink bunny socks tied on her hands with velcro! She looks so cute with her little boxing gloves! We love her!

The River

Recently. we decided to get brave and take Mollie to the river. She loves water so much! She thinks that going to the river is the best thing ever! The only problem is poor Nick has to sacrifice himself for the good of her entertainment. She can't go off leash because she is rather friendly and curious. We are not sure she would come back if she ran off exploring and anybody visiting the river or walking on the path would be subject to Mollie's very wet hugs. So, here is Nick taking one for the team and going for a swim he didn't anticipate.