Breathing Easy

A repair man came to the house on Tuesday morning and determined that the transformer had blown and their were numerous wires melted together in the upstairs unit. The damage was minuscule compared to what we were expecting and much less expensive. He also installed a safety shut-off piece (not sure the specific name) where the wires connect to the transformer, so if something does malfunction again, it won't emit any smoke into the vents. Good deal!
We have been running the system with the windows open for the last couple of days to flush out the smell. Brooklyn has been sleeping in the bassinet in our bedroom and will hopefully return to her own crib tonight. She makes some crazy dreaming noises throughout the night and I will certainly be glad to have her back in her own room!!
All is clear in the Hein household now and we are extremely grateful that the situation was minor in comparison to what it could have been.

Smoky the Bear

Last night was a scary one.....
At 2:00 am, Aaron and I woke up to the smoke alarm going off upstairs. Rushing, we discover that Brooklyn's room is filled with smoke; not blinding, but similar to a foggy morning. I took the sleeping beauty downstairs while Aaron quickly searched for the source of the problem. Brooklyn was never even fazed by all the chaos. We kept thinking it was her vaporizer, but there was just no concrete evidence to support anything. So Aaron removed it and placed it into the garage to run and see what happened, meanwhile checking all the outlets, turning off the A/C, opening windows, the whole 9 yards. Nothing was suspicious. We called the fire department to come and assess everything and check the air quality of her room. Apparently, the motor for the upstairs A/C had burned out and was pushing smoke through the vents. Since Brooklyn's room in the closest one, it was concentrated in there.
We had Brooklyn checked by the pediatrician and she is doing just fine! Her breathing was great, lungs looked good, temperature was normal. They even strapped on the oxygen monitor (to her big toe....unexpected area) and her oxygen level was normal. The pediatrician said that it scared us more than it did anything to Brooklyn. Still, I definitely needed that peace of mind regarding the entire situation. We are certainly blessed that nothing worse happened from all of this.....Thank God!

Additional Info: Brooklyn is a little porker now, weighing 8 pounds, 15 ounces!! WOW!!

How are things?

It has been awhile since I have posted. I have been updating pictures, but not writing and I apologize.
Anyhow, things are going very well here. Brooklyn is still growing like a weed and seems to be getting ultra long! She is definitely developing a personality with all her smirks, smiles, squirming and squealing.
We have been visiting a lot of people here lately: We went up to my school and was seen by Mommy's staff and hung out at the Hein house with Gamma, Gampa and all the family.
Her naps are becoming shorter and less frequent at the house. However, put her in the car seat and she is out like a light.
Lately she has been very hungry (growth spurt, I guess) and waking Mommy up every 3 hours day and night.....yawn, yawn. Last night, however, Daddy gave her her first formula bottle and she slept for 5.5 hours straight! We are just beginning the "weaning" process, so that Mommy can transition back to work soon.
This past Sunday, Mommy and Brooklyn went to Daddy's soccer game and got to see him play for a half. It was a bit cold, but we were bundled to the MAX!
Brooklyn does have some "baby acne" and it's no bueno in Mommy's eyes; it doesn't make for the cutest of pictures, but we have officially ordered announcements and we will get them soon to begin the LONG mailing list!!

Side Note: I am trying to have a feature picture of Brooklyn each week on the blog, so even if I am not posting, check it out because I often try to keep the pictures updated.

A Video (Finally)

This was the video I wanted to upload earlier, but could not because of our crappy old computer. This is Aaron reading Brooklyn her first bedtime story. This is our routine every night now, but this one was soooo cute. She is pooping while he is reading.....hehe!!

Go Big or Go Home

Well, the time came yesterday and the three of us went out and bought a new computer. When it came time for buying we decided it would be most beneficial to get a desktop rather than another laptop. And we went BIG! The monitor is 32" (it's bigger than our bedroom television). When we unpacked everything and began setting it up, Aaron and I both agreed that the monitor didn't look nearly this massive in the store! We are very pleased and with the purchase came a free upgrade to Windows 7 once it is released.

It was slightly depressing at the checkout counter, but the time had come and we bit the bullet. Bring on the skyping.....we've got a great view now!

Commerce Homecoming

Aaron and I drove out to 'good ole' Commerce yesterday to catch the football and soccer homecoming games. The weather was much colder than the meteorologist had predicted and drizzling off and on. YUCK! Luckily, we came some what prepared. The football game was at 2:00 and it actually was a really good game, seeing is how we have maybe seen 5 of them in 8 years. Not quite the Big 12 or anything. We ended up leaving the game halfway through the 4th quarter because (oh boy) I had to go and pump! I thought I was going to make it, but the "fullness" (polite term) became a little unbearable. And what is even more embarrassing, is I had to ask my old soccer coach, Neil, if there was a place for me. Yeah....awkward!! My pump needs to be plugged into an outlet, so he opened up the woman's lounge. It's all good. I actually asked Anne, his wife, originally if she knew of a place and then it resulted in Neil being asked.
On to a better topic:
The soccer game was at 7:00pm. Yes, a nighttime game. They have lights at the field now. JERKS! I spent 4 years in Commerce enduring 3-a-days, preseason, regular season, postseason and spring practices in the BLAZING HEAT; 1:00 and 3:00 in the Texas heat. What the heck! The girls got rocked by West Texas A&M and it was a sloppy mess out there with all the rain we have had. It was nice to reminisce with some old teammates and do some heckling on the sidelines!
I must admit, I was a little hesitant to go because it was 12 whole hours away from my baby, but we had a pretty good time. We got home just before 11:00pm and it was soooo good to be home and holding that sweet Brooklyn of ours! My mom watched her and said everything went well; not too much fussiness.
I don't think we will be doing an outing like that again anytime soon because Aaron and I both discussed how much we missed Brooklyn all day. Well, next season, she can just go with us!

Remington Connor Hein

Our newest member of the family joined us this morning! Dan and Amanda Hein are proud parents of a very handsome baby boy!
8 lb, 1 oz......he's a cutie!

Another Shot

Brooklyn went for her second HepB shot today. She took it like a chap and only cried for a few seconds. And she received a metallic band aid on her "pheasant leg" (Aaron's name for her tiny muscular legs)!!
Anyhow........Brooklyn now weighs.........7lb, 11oz :)

Rainy Day Reflections

As I sit on the couch listening to the nasally-breaths of my daughter and glaze outside at the melancholy weather, I can not help but be left to my own whirlwind of thoughts. I can not help but NOT recall all the pain, discomfort, frustration, etc involved with having a child. Looking back on my pregnancy, I can barely remember the trillion trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night or the extreme pressure I would feel in my upper abdomen and ribs. I mean, I did not enjoy becoming a blimp: carrying a basketball on my stomach, and having my legs, ankles, and feet swell up so badly that my sandals would still appear to be on my feet long after they were not! But the kicks, the hilariousness of the hiccups late at night, and the anticipation of something so wonderful and exciting just completely overshadows every "not so pleasant" moment. I can vaguely remember the intensity of my contractions or the sharp pinches of every needle that entered by body in a matter of 8 hours. The exhaustion, the bleeding, the entire hospital experience is now just a figment of the past as you hold a sheer miracle in your arms......it is like no other love.

Yes, you are tired. Yes, you get discouraged when the crying doesn't seem to stop and you don't know why. But, the smell of your child's skin after a bath, the look in their eyes as they watch you sing, the nasally-breathing (hehe) that becomes music to your ears, it is all indescribably GOOD! Every minute, every second that is nothing but BEAUTIFUL slowly overtakes all the times you thought were miserable.

One Month Old

Brooklyn turned one month old today! WOW!! I can not believe how quickly the time has passed. It seems like just yesterday we were finding out we were pregnant, sifting through the shredded paper to discovery we were having a girl, and then checking into the hospital for induction. I guess time flies when you are happy and having fun!!
In celebration of this date, we gave Brooklyn her first "real" bath (in the bathtub, submerged in little water) and we snapped some great photos......must see down at the bottom of the blog :)

GO DADDY!!

It's Official!
Aaron is registered for the MetroPCS Dallas White Rock Marathon on Sunday, December 13, 2009. The race begins at 8:00am in Victory Park at the American Airlines Center. His training is going well and he is up to 17 miles this Sunday. Daddy Hein is feeling good and looking good!!
So, mark the date on your calendars and we would love to see you there.
Brooklyn has been practicing her "words" of encouragement for Daddy as well!

The Sweetest Thing

Aaron Jacob Hein is the most compassionate, loving and supportive husband and daddy I have ever seen. Last night, he decided to read a bedtime story to Brooklyn before we put her down. This will be part of her permanent nighttime routine!
FYI: He did not know I was filming and will probably kill me once he sees this, but I thought it was the sweetest thing ever!!! Enjoy!

Ok, so apparently the video is not coming up and I didnt realize until after I had posted....sorry. That is a total bummer; it was so adorable! Anyhow, here is a picture instead. I will keep working on the video.