Taylor is really getting into the whole technology thing and, because of her time on our iPhones and on her cousin’s iPod Touch, she’s really pushing hard for one of her own. But she’s SEVEN, so no. Not yet anyway.

She already knows how to text from our phones and has texted both of us. She had my phone one Saturday morning when she got up before me and Brian. Brian got a text message from my phone telling us to get up – she was hungry. I replied back telling her where the bread was and to help herself to cheese toast (her favorite thing that she can make and is thrilled that she can make). Mean, mean mama, I know.

This week, Brian & I both have been getting texts from her and one thing is apparent. She needs to learn patience. She texted me while I was at a doctor appointment and when I was able to check my phone, I had this:

hi mommy

mama mama
mamamamamamama
maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Then about 20 minutes later, this:

mama i miss you talk please

mamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i am cring (translation: crying)

Then she called me. By this time, though, I was trying to respond but didn’t have a signal. Which means I also missed the call. I did get the voicemail she left, though. Being a dutiful mommy, I called her back. And she didn’t answer. I called their house phone and talked to my mom.
Me: “Hey – my daughter has your phone.”
Mom: “She does?” LOL

Come to find out, mom’s had to charge her phone every morning before the girls get up. This is the most use its gotten… ever, I think. Alyssa and Taylor will even text each other while they’re side by side in the den – crazy kids…

The story I got today, to me, was the best yet.

Mom was doing laundry and asked Taylor to please gather all her clothes that needed to be washed. Her response: “They’re all on the floor.” Mom: “Well, I’m not going to pick them up.” Her: “Oh, yeah.” Alyssa: “Nice try, Taylor.” Taylor smiled and said, “Never hurts to test.”

Meet the next Mr. McAlister. We’ve gotten some great name suggestions (*ahem* thanks for those, Lauren) but we’re sticking with Baby 2.0 for now. Here’s his ultrasound pic — looks just like me, don’t you think?

Mark your calendars now: Baby 2.0 release date is scheduled for September 26. All looks fine and dandy at this point. Thankfully, we only have one heartbeat. Baby 2.0 is the cutest 2 centimeter blurry grey blob we’ve ever seen on a computer screen.

We found out the weekend of Taylor’s birthday party (Jan 23) which also just happened to be close to Brian’s birthday – so they both got a late birthday present!

Unbeknownst to Brian, I bought a 3-pack of tests on Friday night so I could test Saturday morning (morning’s best for these things, they say). It was weird. I had two dreams back to back in which I had gotten up, taken the test, and the results were positive. Then I’d realize it was a dream and be disappointed, so after the second dream, I said to myself, “Ah, forget it – go do it!” So I did. The results showed fairly quickly and even though I had the picture on the box to compare it to, I still had to look at it back and forth several times before I believed it.

Of course, I had to tell Brian. Immediately. He asked me what time it was and I told him “About 5.” Turns out I actually woke him up a little after 4. On a Saturday. Neither of us could go back to sleep for awhile. We’re excited and we’re scared to death.

We told our parents over breakfast. Brian’s parents choked on their coffee (Remember how, when you were a kid, you could get milk to come out through your nose? Yeah, apparently it works with coffee too.) and they cried. My dad just stared at me. Fork poised midway from mouth to plate. I thought for awhile there that I was going to have to remind him that I was not a teenager and that I was, in fact, married and already had one other kid. My mom was thrilled of course! She actually found out after Brian. She was with me when I bought the tests. We suspect she plans to move in about a month or so before the due date.

I went to the doctor’s office the following week to confirm the results and the nurse put a little drop of, um, sample on the test that they have and the fact that the results showed up *immediately* must’ve been significant because she seemed surprised and said, “Oh yeah! You’re pregnant alright – results showed immediately!”

We told Taylor last week (video to come) and she is BEYOND thrilled. She’s referring to me as “the two of you” and will give me and the baby a hug and kiss. She was also quick to tell us she will NOT be changing diapers. She’ll help, though. Maybe. I guess I shouldn’t have told her about some of hers we changed…

So! Due date is Sept 26 (yes, another Sept baby for the Gohman clan). We go for an ultrasound on the 17th, we’re 6 weeks along and the baby is currently the size of a lentil bean:

Anybody need two unused / unopened pregnancy tests?

I was off work yesterday and decided to take her to the new place to let her see it and to drop off the paperwork and registration fee. The secretary showed us around b/c the directors were in a staff meeting. Taylor was still nervous at this point. Then we got to the room. There were about a dozen kids playing in one of four different centers (play-doh, ribbons/beading, dolls, blocks) and she knew at least 3 of the kids. As the teacher and I were talking, we noticed that Taylor had started inching her way inside the room, glancing back at us with each shuffle (and we laughed about it – quietly, of course). They suggested letting her stay and play while I finished up paperwork. She LOVED it. In fact, she wanted me to leave her there – pay the $25 drop-in fee and GO. She wanted to start today! Tons more kids (and she knows some of them), structured program that encourages imagination and creativity, homework time that’s not optional, devotional time. Basically, her current daycare’s preschool program is structured and we like it a lot – they need to apply that structure to their afterschool program and until they do, I believe it’s going to continue to suffer.

The director was nice enough to agree to one week notice instead of the “required” two week notice (I was hoping she would – we’ve been there 5 years, were late paying once, and since we had already paid this week, I’m glad she was agreeable!). Taylor starts the new place on Monday!

ORIGINAL: Taylor made it through the night with no supplemental oxygen. We are currently awaiting the doctor’s final word, but a nurse says the wheels on the discharge machine have been set in motion.

It was a night not without drama, however. After Taylor had fallen asleep, I called the nurse to come hook her back up to the oxygen monitor. It immediately started alarming us. Turns out the sensor on her finger had failed. Replaced it, and all was well.

Then, shortly before midnight, I awoke to the alarm. Jumped out of bed, and it stopped. Her O2 levels looked fine. OK, I must have dreamed it. Nope, there it is again! Not her oxygen, this time, but her heart rate had dropped! This can’t be good.

A nurse came in to check on us, and I explained what was going on. She says, “But it’s alarming at 80 BPM, and that’s normal for her! I’m not sure what’s going on!” Nurse calls a tech in, who says that when these monitors are powered on, they default to “infant mode” settings, and while 80 BPM is perfectly normal for a sleeping grade-schooler, it is dangerously low for an infant. He reset the settings on our monitor, and I went back to bed to reset my own heart rate.

Hope to have another update soon, one that involves us walking out of the hospital.

Because her oxygen levels are fine during waking hours, she is off all sensors and everything while she is awake. She is able to get out of bed and move around the room, but due to flu protocols she still cannot leave the room. Half of our already-small room is now taken up with an infusion of Polly Pockets and Barbie dolls. Having the room in the corner at the end of the hall has its pluses and minuses. It’s nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of your typical hospital floor, especially at night. It’s been real quiet at night. But it would be nice at times to have back a little of the space the other, non-corner rooms enjoy. We do have large windows and a great view. I’ll trade a few square feet for peace and quiet, and a nice view.

At least now, we have an exit strategy. The only milestone we need to reach is lasting a whole night breathing entirely on her own. It will be up to me to push the button, call the nurse, and get her on oxygen tonight. It will be a very difficult button to push.

Elizabeth has been to the doctor, afraid she was coming down with something. She has a sinus infection, which has resulted in bronchitis. No evidence of flu, thank goodness. She is home, resting, and hoping she can come spell me this evening. Aside from Friday night, when we both stayed here, she hasn’t been up to staying here.

I’m trying to monitor Ida’s gulf coast approach from here. After covering every hurricane strike to hit Alabama since 2004, it feels strange not being surrounded with TVs and laptops and news feeds.

In a review of new children’s programming, Nickelodeon’s new show Fan Boy and Chum Chum may be the worst thing to hit children’s programming ever. Taylor will not stop repeating one character’s line, “I fart bubbles.”

So there you have it. Incremental improvements, and waiting for tonight. Thanks to everyone for the encouragements, the prayers, the love, the offers of help, and for everything else. It really means a lot to all of us. Check back here or on Twitter all night tonight for more “OxygenWatch09 – No News Is Good News.”

But tonight comes the real test. Every night so far we’ve had to increase her oxygen. If tonight goes well, one nurse says we might even be able to go home tomorrow. I’m still expecting Tuesday, but I won’t complain if they want to send us home tomorrow.

She’s been very hyper today, very sassy, and very opinionated. While being a real challenge for one particular doting father, these are good signs that suggest we’ll be out of here soon and onto our next challenge: keeping Elizabeth and I healthy and pig-flu free.

The good news is we are past the worst part of it. The nurses are steadily reducing the levels of supplemental oxygen she needs throughout the day. Each morning so far has been a step back, which the nurses say is pretty normal.

While we sit here watching Spongebob and iCarly and other kids shows until our eyes explode, enjoy a couple new pictures: balloons from Grandma and Grandpa, and our EXCLUSIVE shot of the swine flu virus attacking Taylor.