Beans and Bath Paints
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Baby Notes
Follow along with us on this exciting journey
Welcome to our Baby's Blog! Here you can follow all of the news, updates and details of pregnancy and parenthood. Feel free to leave us comments, questions or suggestions as we go through this process and continue or work in Northern Thailand.
Abigail Hope Vernon joined our family on August 10th, 2007 at 10:30 am, at 21.5 inches and 7 pounds 13 ounces. We are amazed by her every day and are so grateful for this healthy, beautiful baby girl.
Thanks for taking the time to view our Baby's Blog - We hope you enjoy!
Abi's Time in the Hospital
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Well, Abi has been home from the hospital for about a week and a half and she is certainly back to full health! If it's possible, it feels like she is healthier and has even more energy than before!
The final diagnosis was "food poisoning," though we're not sure where she was infected. By the time we got her to the hospital, her potassium levels were depleted from all the vomiting and diarrhea and she was quite dehydrated as well. They treated her with IV electrolytes and antibiotics for three days.
Everything went pretty smoothly. Our normally very active little girl was generally pretty content sitting in her hospital bed watching Sesame Street on the laptop. Even being tethered to the IV was not nearly as difficult as we anticipated. We explained to her that her hand was drinking the water in the bag, so she would hold her IV hand up to her mouth and "sluuurp". (So darn cute!) In fact, she became so accustomed to having the IV pole follow us around everywhere that she actually cried when they were wheeling it away!
All that being said, the time certainly had it's difficult moments as well! The worst being the several times they had to draw blood and/or insert the IV. To begin with they had to swaddle her to keep her immobilized, which she absolutely hated. Then, her tiny veins were apparently impossible to find so the nurses had to poke her and "dig around" in multiple locations to find a suitable vein. Meanwhile, Abi screamed and cried at the top of her lungs! And to top it all off, the whole process always left looking nasty looking bruises on her arms and legs as reminders of the traumatic experience!
The other difficult thing was the matter of sleep. Abi is really not a very good sleeper to begin with, so the constant flow of nurses in and out made it pretty hard for her to sleep. The first night she woke at 2am. When 3pm arrived and she hadn't slept for more than about 45 minutes, we decided to ask the doctor for some sleeping medicine. Boy, did it do the trick! She slept like a rock from about 4pm until midnight. She woke up, went potty, had some dinner, took a walk around the ward and then slept again from 2am to 8 am. (Without a doubt, this was the BEST nights sleep I've had in 2 years!)
All in all, we're thankful for God's healing hand and for the availability of good health care in Chiang Rai. And, of course, we appreciate the prayers of so many during this tough time!
The final diagnosis was "food poisoning," though we're not sure where she was infected. By the time we got her to the hospital, her potassium levels were depleted from all the vomiting and diarrhea and she was quite dehydrated as well. They treated her with IV electrolytes and antibiotics for three days.
Everything went pretty smoothly. Our normally very active little girl was generally pretty content sitting in her hospital bed watching Sesame Street on the laptop. Even being tethered to the IV was not nearly as difficult as we anticipated. We explained to her that her hand was drinking the water in the bag, so she would hold her IV hand up to her mouth and "sluuurp". (So darn cute!) In fact, she became so accustomed to having the IV pole follow us around everywhere that she actually cried when they were wheeling it away!
All that being said, the time certainly had it's difficult moments as well! The worst being the several times they had to draw blood and/or insert the IV. To begin with they had to swaddle her to keep her immobilized, which she absolutely hated. Then, her tiny veins were apparently impossible to find so the nurses had to poke her and "dig around" in multiple locations to find a suitable vein. Meanwhile, Abi screamed and cried at the top of her lungs! And to top it all off, the whole process always left looking nasty looking bruises on her arms and legs as reminders of the traumatic experience!
The other difficult thing was the matter of sleep. Abi is really not a very good sleeper to begin with, so the constant flow of nurses in and out made it pretty hard for her to sleep. The first night she woke at 2am. When 3pm arrived and she hadn't slept for more than about 45 minutes, we decided to ask the doctor for some sleeping medicine. Boy, did it do the trick! She slept like a rock from about 4pm until midnight. She woke up, went potty, had some dinner, took a walk around the ward and then slept again from 2am to 8 am. (Without a doubt, this was the BEST nights sleep I've had in 2 years!)
All in all, we're thankful for God's healing hand and for the availability of good health care in Chiang Rai. And, of course, we appreciate the prayers of so many during this tough time!
Posted by faceunveiled :: 11:19 PM :: Permalink ::
Abigail is in the Hospital
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hi everyone, just a quick note.
Abi has been sick for the last three days with vomiting and diarrhea and a slight fever. This morning she got even worse and was admitted to the hospital here in Chiang Rai. Her blood work has shown no infections, but a severely low potassium level.
Please join us in prayer that she will return to full health completely and quickly.
Abi has been sick for the last three days with vomiting and diarrhea and a slight fever. This morning she got even worse and was admitted to the hospital here in Chiang Rai. Her blood work has shown no infections, but a severely low potassium level.
Please join us in prayer that she will return to full health completely and quickly.
Posted by Unknown :: 6:38 AM :: Permalink ::
Best Buds
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Oh, how I wish this picture wasn't so blurry! But it is so cute, I'm posting it anyway! This is Abi and her best friend Mary (or Ma-li in Akha) who is 3 years old. Ma-li lives across the road from us in the village. Her and Abi have become great friends in the past few months since Abi has started walking. If Abi is ever out playing in the village common area, she will always head strait to Ma-li's house to look for her! We're thrilled with this friendship; Ma-li is an absolute sweetheart and loves Abi like a sister! Also, she holds a special place in our hearts because she was the first baby born in the villageafter we arrived. Posted by faceunveiled :: 12:34 AM :: Permalink ::
EC Update: 1 Year
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Potty: As you can see from the picture(taken at around 9 months old), Abi is already using this little potty and is loving it! At about 8 months she started getting fussy when we held her in position over the big potty, and for a few days we couldn't figure out the problem. Well, it turned out she was just getting bored and didn't like the confinement... yes, she is a very independent little creature! Now, on her little potty, she can sit and play with toys on the floor for as long as she likes!
Going #1: Abi totally understands the connection between her potty and her elimination. Almost every time that we sit her on the toilet, she pees. Even when she doesn't really have to go, we usually find a tiny little dribble showing us that she at least tried!
Going #2: Abi is like clockwork with her poos! She goes poo in the toilet every morning upon waking! Most of the time, we only have to worry about catching the pees for the rest of the day! The only "misses" (that's EC lingo for going poo or pee in the diaper/pants) that we have had are when she's had teething related diarrhea (and really, who can blame her for that?!)
Diapers? In the city, we have started using disposables as a bit if insurance during the day; partly because we're generally a little busier in the city and less able to "tune in" to Abi's potty cues, and partly because she out grew her cloth diapers and we just never got around to buying the next size up! But we try to stick to a one-diaper-a-day goal (both for budgetary and environmental reasons) so potty times are still a big part of our routine. Of course, in the village, she only wears thin cloth pants (like the ones in the picture). We are still using disposables at night both in the city and the village. However, I'm happy/amazed to report that in the past month or so we've had four mornings where she woke up COMPLETELY DRY. So I'm hoping that's a good sign for the future.
Potty Trained? Not quite there, but we're moving towards it! (Although, I guess it really depends on how you define "potty trained". Eighty to ninety percent of Abi's elimination happens in the toilet. I bet that is better than some "potty trained" toddlers.) For me, "potty trained" implies that the child initiates going potty. Since most of our potty times are still parent initiated I don't think I would say Abi's potty trained yet. However, she is catching on and several times we have noticed her walking towards the bathroom when she needs to go. I'm betting she'll be pretty much on her own by 18 months, but we'll just have to wait and see!
Posted by faceunveiled :: 9:31 PM :: Permalink ::
Abi: 12 Months
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Well, it's time again for another Abigail baby book entry! Luckily, we're still in month 12, so it's a bit easier to remember/observe all of her little tricks! We're really loving this time; she's such a busy little girl and it's a joy to watch her learn.
Took her first steps: 3 days before her 1st birthday.
Abi Likes: Animals. You name it, dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens... she loves them all! She's even developed her own animal "call"... she makes this wierd coughing/gagging sound. We have no idea how she came up with it, but she fervently believes this is the way to get animals to come.
Abi Dislikes: Being restrained in any way, shape or form! Diaper changes come to mind; she absolutely hates to be stuck on her back against her will! Even hugs and snuggles from Mom and Dad are usually met with unhappy screams and an arched back. Needless to say, she is already quite opinionated!
Favorite toy: Clothes or a dish rag. Pre-walking, she could entertain herself for 20 minutes or more with just a pile of clothes, "sorting" and "folding" them. Now as a walker, she loves to carry around a pair of pants or a dish cloth, all the while "trying it on" by tucking it under her chin or wrapping it around her neck like a scarf!
Favorite Snack: As much as we hate to admit it, Abi's favorite snacks are cheap little (unhealthy, I'm sure) squid flavored snacks that we get for a baht a bag in the village. Of course, we always have plum tomatoes in stock and she loves to chomp on a whole one. She also likes Cheerios and goldfish, but since those are "American" imports she gets those a little less frequently.
Favorite Foods: Abi's a great little eater and rarely turns down anything (unless she does so for reasons of boredom.) She loves spicy foods and even if her eyes are tearing up, she'll still ask for more!
Introvert or Extrovert? Hmmm. Extrovert... hands down! She loves people and becomes friends immediately with everyone we meet, from co-workers to the lady who sells us khao soy. Whenever someone leaves, she simply *has* to say good-bye. Much crying ensues if a proper good bye is not observed! Also, she's totally into kids right now. Whenever she sees another child she gets excited and wildly signs "want want!"
Akha Language: Her first word was "mam-mam" which is Akha baby talk for "food" or "eat". She's totally figured out this eating thing. Where ever we go, she's constantly pointing to the food on the shelves or in peoples hands proclaiming "MAM-MAM!" She also says "tsa-tsa", short for "La tsa tsa ma", which is a greeting you say when shaking hands.
English Language: As I mentioned earlier, Abi loves animals, and her favorite, by far, are dogs so, appropriately, her second word was "dug-dug". She can also say "all done"... well it's really more like "ahh-duh"... but it's still pretty darn good for a 12 month old!
Favorite Game: Peek-a-boo. She loves to stand at the doorway and peek her head around and yell "BAA" at whoever is inside. (The Akha say "ba" instead of "boo".)
Abi Likes: Animals. You name it, dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens... she loves them all! She's even developed her own animal "call"... she makes this wierd coughing/gagging sound. We have no idea how she came up with it, but she fervently believes this is the way to get animals to come.
Abi Dislikes: Being restrained in any way, shape or form! Diaper changes come to mind; she absolutely hates to be stuck on her back against her will! Even hugs and snuggles from Mom and Dad are usually met with unhappy screams and an arched back. Needless to say, she is already quite opinionated!
Favorite toy: Clothes or a dish rag. Pre-walking, she could entertain herself for 20 minutes or more with just a pile of clothes, "sorting" and "folding" them. Now as a walker, she loves to carry around a pair of pants or a dish cloth, all the while "trying it on" by tucking it under her chin or wrapping it around her neck like a scarf!
Favorite Snack: As much as we hate to admit it, Abi's favorite snacks are cheap little (unhealthy, I'm sure) squid flavored snacks that we get for a baht a bag in the village. Of course, we always have plum tomatoes in stock and she loves to chomp on a whole one. She also likes Cheerios and goldfish, but since those are "American" imports she gets those a little less frequently.
Favorite Foods: Abi's a great little eater and rarely turns down anything (unless she does so for reasons of boredom.) She loves spicy foods and even if her eyes are tearing up, she'll still ask for more!
Introvert or Extrovert? Hmmm. Extrovert... hands down! She loves people and becomes friends immediately with everyone we meet, from co-workers to the lady who sells us khao soy. Whenever someone leaves, she simply *has* to say good-bye. Much crying ensues if a proper good bye is not observed! Also, she's totally into kids right now. Whenever she sees another child she gets excited and wildly signs "want want!"
Akha Language: Her first word was "mam-mam" which is Akha baby talk for "food" or "eat". She's totally figured out this eating thing. Where ever we go, she's constantly pointing to the food on the shelves or in peoples hands proclaiming "MAM-MAM!" She also says "tsa-tsa", short for "La tsa tsa ma", which is a greeting you say when shaking hands.
English Language: As I mentioned earlier, Abi loves animals, and her favorite, by far, are dogs so, appropriately, her second word was "dug-dug". She can also say "all done"... well it's really more like "ahh-duh"... but it's still pretty darn good for a 12 month old!
Favorite Game: Peek-a-boo. She loves to stand at the doorway and peek her head around and yell "BAA" at whoever is inside. (The Akha say "ba" instead of "boo".)
Posted by faceunveiled :: 11:16 PM :: Permalink ::
Abi's First Birthday
Sunday, August 10, 2008
So our little girl is now 1 year old, and a wonderful year it has been.
We celebrated a few days early at Aje and Nancy's home and to put an exclamation point on the party Abi took her first (completely unassisted, or spotted) steps!
The party had most of the usual American trimmings (food, birthday cake, and the song "happy birthday"), but we did miss our family from America on the occasion. To make up for it we had people from (at least) 4 different nations - Thailand, Burma, America and New Zealand. It seems like this international audience will be the norm for Abigail in this strange, wonderful life we lead.
Here is a video of the party, some antics at home leading up to the party and of course those famous first steps. Enjoy!
If you download the videos, I recommend using VLC player to view them.
Download VLC for Windows | Mac.
We celebrated a few days early at Aje and Nancy's home and to put an exclamation point on the party Abi took her first (completely unassisted, or spotted) steps!
The party had most of the usual American trimmings (food, birthday cake, and the song "happy birthday"), but we did miss our family from America on the occasion. To make up for it we had people from (at least) 4 different nations - Thailand, Burma, America and New Zealand. It seems like this international audience will be the norm for Abigail in this strange, wonderful life we lead.
Here is a video of the party, some antics at home leading up to the party and of course those famous first steps. Enjoy!
If you download the videos, I recommend using VLC player to view them.
Download VLC for Windows | Mac.
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