Lazy days at home

We've been enjoying our last few days at the house soaking up our Eydie time. I'm trying to make up for the lack of sleep at night by napping during the day. But Eydie's really a pretty laid-back baby and she hasn't been too fussy even during the night.

Her favorite way to nap with daddy.

Showing off how strong her neck is while Sasi's holding her.

Tonight the weather finally cooled off enough to go on a walk. It was good for me to get out of the house. And Eydie loved it too. She was wide awake and perfectly content the whole time.

Relaxing with her Papa Dale

We're taking newborn pictures tomorrow night, so hopefully Eydie (and her mom) will get lots of beauty sleep tonight.

Eydie's home!

We brought our baby girl home today! Last night I was so excited I had trouble going to sleep just like last Wednesday night when I was planning on being induced the next morning. Then at 11:30 I was thinking about how my water had broken at that time a week ago.

Last Thursday at 12:00 noon we were worried that Eydie wasn't breathing well and had aspirated meconium and we didn't know how serious it would be or the extent of her sickness. We would later find out that she had bacterial pneumonia. This Thursday at noon, however, we were being released from the hospital taking home a healthy baby girl. We will continue antibiotics orally for a week, but it is so nice not to have her attached to an IV!

I haven't gotten a chance to personally thank everyone yet, but again I want to offer a general thank you to all of you who have been praying for Eydie! God has been faithful and answered your prayers, and they have meant so much to us.

Now, what you're all waiting for...HOMECOMING PICTURES!

The ride home

A sweet homecoming welcome

Our family of 3 home together

I think she likes her new bed.

Eydie and her cousins

Proud big cousin Ava

Pierson decides he needs a little attention.

K-Papa and his grandkids

This will be our first night with her. We'll let you know how it goes. Tonight I'm so excited to have her next to our bed I won't even mind those midnight feedings. Wonder how long that will last!

The next best thing to home

Hendrick Hospital has a family room that's right down the hall from the NICU nursery for couples who have babies in the NICU to breastfeed or pump. Right now we are the only ones who fit into that category since all the other babies are preemies who are being bottle-fed. And since Eydie is no longer connected to monitors but only has an IV, we are able to take her in there with us and hang out all day. It has been such a blessing! The room has a single bed, a couple rockers, a small couch, a table, and a TV. This morning we got to the hospital around 9:00. We took Eydie into the family room where I nursed her and then she took a long nap on her daddy's chest while he watched the U.S. Open. It was so sweet! When she woke up I nursed her again and then I took a nap on the bed with her napping in her little bed beside me while Brandon went and got us lunch. All day the three of us just chilled in the family room nursing and napping and hanging out together. The nurses just come in there every couple of hours to check on us and update her chart and take her vitals. We've been able to be there all day and get lots of rest. It has been wonderful to have it to ourselves all day! Today Eydie ate a lot. She largely increased her input and output (yes, they're keeping track of everything that goes in and out) from the day before. She's doing so well and looking very healthy. The nurses have been great to us. Today was a good day, and it really was the next best thing to having her home with us. 

A sweet Father's Day

Last night was emotional as we left the hospital without Eydie, but we both also had peace because she has improved so much in just a few days and we will be able to bring home a healthy girl soon. Before we left the hospital, I left this onesie with the nurses without Brandon knowing so this is how Eydie greeted us when we got there this morning. She looked so sweet!

I also had to include pictures of Eydie with her grandparents. They have given her lots of love!


We are so proud of our little girl and thankful to God for sharing her with us and allowing us to be her parents. I still can't believe she's ours and we actually get to keep her. We are in love.

The best surprise today has been how well Eydie has nursed. I was not expecting her to get the hang of it for quite some time, but she has done so well, especially considering we have to keep her hooked to an IV and several monitors so we're balancing wires and different machines are beeping when something falls off. They had to redo her IV again so she's been thoroughly poked and prodded and has little bruises, but she's been a champ through it all.

We're staying through her last feeding tonight and then tomorrow I'm going to try to come up and nurse during the day as much as I can. I'm not sure how all that will work, but we'll figure something out and we're thankful it'll just be for 4 or 5 days. We give God all the glory and credit for Eydie's improvement. The doctors and nurses haven't stopped commenting on how amazed they are that she is doing so well. We feel that is a direct answer to all your prayers. Praise God!

Brandon has been so great about taking care of both of his girls. He's given me strength and support and showered Eydie with lots of love. He makes sure I get plenty of rest and reminds me that Eydie's in good hands...those of the doctors and nurses in the hospital here, but most importantly her heavenly Father's.

Saturday's report

Summer here. Just thought I would give a quick update about Miss Eydie today. She continues to show signs of improvement. Today she learned to nurse (which I think is pretty amazing considering her condition only 2 days ago!) Again we praise God for her progress!  Kate and Brandon and both sets of grandparents have gotten to spend quite a bit of time with Eydie today. This evening Kate and Brandon will be released from the hospital and will have to go home without their baby girl. They are obviously so thankful for how well she is doing, but driving home without her was not what they had in mind when they went to the hospital on Thursday so that will be tough. Eydie is still expected to be in the NICU for 7 days so they will be going up to be with her as much as possible in the next few days.  Thanks so much for all of your prayers. We have all felt God's presence and peace through all of you. It is such a blessing and comfort to be surrounded in prayer in times of struggle.  Kate has more pictures from today, but I wasn't able to go back and see her so I don't have any on my camera. Maybe Kate will post some this evening. Keep your prayers coming. God is answering!!!

Holding our sweet girl

We are so thankful that Eydie was doing well enough today that we got to hold her. It was so sweet! We just soaked in that time with her. I tried to nurse her a couple times this evening and she did all right considering what she's been through. It's still going to take some practice for us to get it all figured out, but it was precious time with our baby girl. We're praying she continues to do well tomorrow, and we look forward to taking her home next week. We're both sad that we'll have to leave tomorrow, but at least we're in Abilene so the hospital's not far. Thanks again for all the prayers. We know that God is holding her in his arms, and we're thankful for everyone who has gone to the Father on her (and our) behalf.

Eydie and her daddy

This is Summer again. I got to peak in on Eydie this morning with Brandon after the oxygen halo was off. We caught her awake and squirmy. Look at that intense stare. Brandon leaned over to talk to her and she didn't look away. She just stared intently for at least a minute. It was a precious moment.

So glad to see a big yawn and a deep breath.

Brandon posing for the camera just as Eydie streches. So sweet.

Precious baby 

As Kate said in her earlier post, Eydie has been doing much better today.  The overall mood at the hospital has been more peaceful and hopeful, a direct answer to all the prayers. Kate is recovering well, and they are getting to go to the NICU to spend time with Eydie whenever she can, which is great. They did finally get to hold her for the first time, but I don't have pictures on my camera. I'm sure Kate will post those soon. Kate is hoping to nurse for the first time tonight.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Keep them coming. God is The Great Physician and we give Him all the glory for the healing that has taken place already, and pray for continued improvements in the next days and weeks!

Thank you so much for praying! God is so good.

This is Kate. Thanks to my sweet sister for updating and keeping everyone informed on what's going on while I was not up to it. And thank you so much for your comments, texts, encouraging words, and especially for your prayers! Brandon and I were exhausted last night after such an emotional day. It was a roller coaster of emotions and a lot of waiting to see our daughter, waiting to find out what was wrong, waiting to see how she would respond to the medication. Throughout it all we were tired, disappointed, and scared, but we felt the love and support of so many people and felt bathed in prayer. The first few pictures were from this morning. Summer got some good pictures on her camera of Eydie and Brandon that she'll post later. The next picture is from yesterday. This was the first time I got to see her after she was born.
Your prayers are being heard and answered in amazing ways. Eydie is doing so much better today. She looks healthier, she's more active, her cry is stronger, she's completely off oxygen and doing better breathing, and they're going to take out the IV they were using to draw blood soon which means...we'll probably get to hold her today and I'll be able to start nursing her soon! We are so thankful that she's staying at the hospital here and that she is doing so well! I told Eydie last night that she's so fortunate to have so many people praying for her. We have felt your prayers and seen God at work! Thank you!

This morning's report

Summer here with the latest report. I have already been receiving lots of calls and texts this morning. I know many of you woke up and prayed throughout the night as I did, so I wanted to post a quick update. I heard from Brandon that the doctors had just come in and Eydie is doing a little better this morning. As of right now, it does not look like she will need to go to Cooks.  Praising God for every improvement and every strong breath. They will continue to try to wean her off the oxygen today. I am heading up to the hospital soon, and I will try to keep updates here throughout the day along with some new pictures. Keep praying. . .

Please pray for Eydie Paige

This is Summer updating the blog for Kate. What a day it has been. . .

Thank you for all of your prayers, e-mails, texts, calls, messages, and for showing up at the hospital to share your support and love for Brandon, Kate and baby Eydie. It has meant a lot to all of us and we are asking for continued prayers as the next 48 hours are our biggest concern.

Last night Kate's water broke at 11:30 pm and they headed to the hospital. She rested and labored through the night, got an epidural at about 7:30 this morning and was feeling pretty good after that. Everything was looking great with mom and baby through the labor and delivery. Kate started pushing around 10:30 am and delivered Eydie at 11:48. Eydie weighs 7 lbs. 11 oz. , is 22 inches long, and has a full head of dark hair. She is so precious!

As soon as she was born Eydie was rushed to the NICU, put on oxygen, given an IV and the doctors began running a variety of tests to determine why her breathing was so labored. Those first few hours were tough. Kate had not seen Eydie yet, Brandon saw her briefly, and the pediatrician let us know that transport to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth was a possibility. We all began praying for healing and getting the message out to ask others to be in prayer as well.

Around 4 pm, Kate finally got to go to the nursery and spend some time with Eydie Paige. I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief after mama and baby were reunited. Shortly after that Kate was moved to a mother care room. Most of the day was spent waiting. We had been told that she aspirated meconium. Finally around 6:30, we learned from the doctor that Eydie has pneumonia and has been put on antibiotics. She continues to struggle some with her breathing taking short shallow breaths but her condition has been improving throughout the day. She started on 95% oxygen and has gone down to about 47%, which is better. Eydie will remain on IV antibiotics for 7 days and is gradually being weaned from oxygen. The doctor is optimistic but said the next 48 hours are critical. If her condition gets worse there is still the possibility that she'll be transferred to Cook's.

Please continue to pray for Eydie, Kate, Brandon, and for the nurses and doctors caring for her right now. If you would like to leave a message of encouragement or prayer, Kate will be checking this blog and will post more pictures and updates as we get them.

The grandparents got to go back and see Eydie briefly, and these are the photos my dad could get of her. I think Kate has some better ones. I'm sure she'll post them soon. Thank you for your continued prayers for Eydie Paige. We love her so much already.

40 Weeks and Counting

For those of you checking in to see if there's a baby, the answer's still no, not yet. Today is my official due date, and I'm still hoping she'll be right on time, but I haven't felt any serious contractions or signs of labor, so we may have a laid-back, "I'll get there when I get there" kind of girl. If so, she definitely gets that from me, not her father. Since my doctor's going out of town this weekend, we decided if she doesn't come on her own by Thursday, we'll induce. So within 4 days we'll have a baby one way or another! For now, we're just doing like the John Mayer song and waiting on the world to change...our world at least.

Stovers vs. Bird

This morning I got up and went out to the garage to price some stuff for a garage sale. I had been in there for about 5 minutes totally oblivious when I almost stepped on a bird lying on the floor. I froze and checked it out quickly from a safe distance. I don't know how I didn't see it sooner. There were feathers all over the floor around it and the bird was still alive but definitely not moving.

I went and woke Brandon up, notified him of the bird debacle, and solicited his help in removing it so I could continue my work. This was not the way he wanted to be woken up this morning, but he came to my aid. Now, my husband is a sweet guy and in most cases, a tough guy, but he does not like dealing with dead or dying animals. Well, who does really?

So the two of us discuss our strategy in the garage, armed with our garden tools. While we're assessing the situation from different angles, this poor bird is looking at us and its little body is moving up and down. I reassured Brandon that the bird could not fly or it would've by now. Our plan, after we talked ourselves into it, was for him to use the hoe to drag the bird into my shovel and then I would walk it out of the garage and toss it. The handle on the shovel is shorter than the one on the hoe so I had to get closer to the bird to put the shovel up against it. Brandon was leaning over behind me and began his first maneuver. He puts the hoe carefully on the opposite side of the bird and attempts a quick jerk to get it into the shovel, but the bird starts flying right at me! Brandon is quickly out the door and I am right behind him screaming while my knees and arms are flailing. Before I became pregnant, I was a regular jogger, not fast, but efficient. I am sorry to say that if I am ever in extreme peril, I have no confidence in my ability to escape quickly. All my finesse goes out the window and I run in the most awkward and ineffective way possible. This compounded by my normal 9-month waddle had Brandon laughing hysterically at me, and I must admit, his squeamish reaction cracked me up as well.

So now we reassess the situation, and I swear the bird is laughing at us. All my confidence and hope is shot now that I know the bird is not just alive, but capable of flight. We consider coaxing cats to go in and get the bird...make a sign that says "Free Food," we discuss just closing the door, letting the bird die peacefully, and then returning later to extract its lifeless body, but the bird has ended its flight directly between us and my cell phone. So one of us has to go back in. Brandon explains to me our options: "I could go in there and get your cell phone and we could leave the bird, or I could try to scoop and throw it towards the door with the shovel." Since I am not going to step back into the garage, I leave the decision up to him. He collects himself, calmly walks past the bird, brings me my cell phone, and then goes back in with the shovel. I'm standing in front of the garage but to the side asking him what he's going to do next when, in one swift motion, he launches the bird into the air. Again I'm in direct line of this thing, and my mind is telling me to run, but my body is slow to react. Before I can even start to move, the bird hits the side of the garage door with a final thud to officially put it out of its misery. Brandon's apologizing for the aim, blaming it on the angle he had to take being crammed in by the mower, and I'm having to recollect myself after twice yelling and running frantically away from the flying body of this poor devil-bird.

Thanks to my brave husband, the bird is now dead and no longer tormenting and teasing me so I can continue my task in the garage. This is one time I wish we were on a reality show so a camera crew could've captured and preserved the event for our future entertainment. Stovers 1, Bird 0.

39 Weeks...Welcome Summer Vacation!

Our huddle gave us a surprise diaper shower a few weeks ago. When we agreed to be huddle leaders, we had no idea if we could commit to being here for 4 years, but now our group has graduated, and those 4 years went quickly...especially their senior year! We'll miss them!

Such good sports to play baby shower games...for the sheer entertainment for the rest of us. Here they are racing to see who can drink Kool-Aid out of a bottle the fastest. Not as easy as it looks. It took them a long time to down the bottles.


The last week of school, one of my classes planned a baby shower for me. These have been sweet kids to teach. They make me really enjoy my job. They brought cupcakes, cookies, drinks, and they each gave me a baby book to read to Eydie.



I made it through the end of school and packed up my classroom! In my mind, I've been thinking if I can just get through school I'll be ready for her to come, so now it's just a waiting game. My due date is a week from tomorrow, and at this point she could be early, on time, or late...we don't really know. I love the anticipation and excitement. I told Brandon this morning this could be our last Sunday in a few weeks to go to church...or I could be saying the same thing next Sunday morning.