Just wanted to post a quick update on her current status:
- She LOVES climbing the stairs - all 18 of them. She crawls her little tush over to the bottom of the stairs, grabs hold of the hand rail, stands up, and then peers into the living room to make sure someone is watching. Then, she gets a HUGE grin on her face and she's off! Of course I immediately head over to make sure she's safe, and she loves when I pretend to chase her up the stairs. She makes it all the way to the top and then loves to just sit precariously right on the edge of the landing, waiting for me to grab her.
- She took 2 steps last week! I missed them, unfortunately =( but it's only a matter of time before she tries again!
- She ate some tiny pieces of real chicken today, and loved them. She's not particularly picky; she'll eat pretty much any of the baby food gourmet meals, and she loves Baby Mum-Mums.
- For the past several months, she has HATED to get her diaper changed. I really don't remember Sam or Abi being so stubborn, but she would literally twist herself completely over mid-diaper change. This made for some interesting experiences after a poop, when I would try to put on cream, and she's flipping and flopping all over the place. Nothing helped. At the risk of speaking prematurely, I will say that she seems to be outgrowing the rebellion against the clean diaper. The last few days have been infinitely easier.
- She's about 18.5 lbs and barely fitting into her infant carseat. We'll have to change her to the toddler seat soon. She still has a big head but her body seems to be growing into it.
- She loves to walk behind anything that moves and push it around the house. She's terrible at steering so every time she crashes into an obstacle (wall, couch, table, etc.) she just squawks until someone rescues and redirects her.
- She's starting to imitate!! She loves to yell, "AAGH!" when one of us makes a loud noise, and she can imitate "ma-ma-ma." With Sam and Abi, whenever I would say, "ma-ma-ma," they would repeat "da-da-da," driving me nuts! Not this precious one. She knows how to get on my good side. =)
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Where is Emerson at 7.5 months?
Well, she's ALMOST crawling. Despite me telling the world that this baby would walk before she crawled, she is scooting and scooching all over the place. Especially if there is a shoe nearby that she wants to place in her mouth. She loves to stand up holding on to anything and everything. She hates lying still to get her diaper changed. Instead, she likes to wriggle her right arm to above the left side of her head while simultaneously twisting her body in the opposite direction. Makes for a fun diaper changing situation, but she can usually be distracted by a toy, or, if one's not available, another diaper (clean, obviously). She's eating stage 2 solids, mixed with rice to thicken them up. She tasted banana pudding the other day and was a huge fan. She's pretty serious, but usually takes time to smile whenever someone new comes in the room.
She is waking at the ridiculous hour of 5am, occasionally making it to 5:30 but also just as frequently waking in the 4's. This is criminal and I will be sure to remind her of it when she is a teenager. Thankfully she is sleeping a good 10 hours straight so it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be. 5am is just so, so, so early. With waking at 5, she's ready for her first nap by 8am, and then another around noon or 1. Depending on the day, she also can usually take a 20 minute nap around 5pm too. She eats 1-2 full packets of food every day along with some cereal. She thinks it's hilarious to blow raspberries right after I put food in her mouth. Super funny, Em.
Did I already say this? She has 2 teeth. Starting to pop a third through! Loving peek-a-boo and tickles in the neck. Still drooling like a champ. My favorite thing: when she is tired, she rests her head on my chest and just stares into the space in front of her. She's all limp and cuddly. Mmmmm.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
First Tooth!
Emerson popped her first tooth through today! You can feel it, but not really see it, because she's all about sucking on your finger if you put it anywhere near her mouth, but not so much about opening wide and letting you look in. Goodbye, toothless grins! Hello, nursing pain! Haha - we'll see. So far I can't feel it.
She has mastered getting herself to a seated position from lying down, but she can't get back once she's up. This makes for many trips to the crib as she's trying to put herself to sleep to help her lie back down. She also, for the first time yesterday, pulled herself to a standing position on the side of the couch. This girl will walk before she crawls, I swear.
That's all I wanted to document for today. Just couldn't miss this very important milestone.
She has mastered getting herself to a seated position from lying down, but she can't get back once she's up. This makes for many trips to the crib as she's trying to put herself to sleep to help her lie back down. She also, for the first time yesterday, pulled herself to a standing position on the side of the couch. This girl will walk before she crawls, I swear.
That's all I wanted to document for today. Just couldn't miss this very important milestone.
(Note the bib to catch all the teething drool that seems to soak whatever she's wearing...)
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Special (early, so early) mornings
The last few weeks Sam and Abi have been with my parents (THANK YOU MOM AND DAD) and I have had some special alone time with just Emerson. I think this is really one of very few times in her life that it will be just us. She kind of gets a raw deal, being the third one and NEVER being the focus of my attention, so this month (almost 6 weeks, actually) is really special.
Today we had our last weekend morning together. I've really come to love these mornings. We've started sleep training (more on that later), so recently she's been sleeping really well and waking up for the day at 6:00am sharp. I'll take it, since it used to be in the 5's. She comes in my bed and cuddles with me and nurses for about 30-40 minutes, and by that time my back is sore and she's re-awake, so we get up. I make myself a cup of coffee while she plays on the floor in the living room, and then I enjoy my coffee and just watching her. She loves anything with a tag, and can entertain herself for a good 30 minutes just pulling, chewing, and slobbering on random tagged toys. When she starts to get fussy, I usually pull her up to nurse on the other side. Thankfully, this corresponds to about the time my coffee kicks in, so I'm usually pretty happy and awake by then. After that, she likes to stand on the side of the couch and play with the coasters, and then I can usually put her in her bouncy thing for 20-30 minutes or so while I FaceTime with mom, Meg, or Scott. The last 2 days this has taken us til about 8am, and then she'll play a bit longer. Around 8:15 she starts rubbing her eyes and getting cranky, and I can put her easily to bed (where she is right now). Yesterday she slept over 2 hours and we'll see what today holds. During the week her normal nap time is 9 or 9:30, but I'm wondering if this will change given her weekend schedule. If it stays like this, it will work out perfectly for when the kids go back to school.
Sleep training. Ugh. It's like saying a swear word to say that. But, for all the horrible connotations it has, I have to say it is a necessary evil. Up until about a week ago, Em was still waking up every night between 1 and 3am for a bottle. I would stumble to the kitchen, pull out a bottle from the fridge that I had already made, and put it in the microwave. For the 30 seconds it took to heat it up, I would rest my head on the counter and fall back asleep. When the timer beeped, I would take the bottle out and stumble back to my bedroom where the princess would be fussing/ crying and waiting for me. I would feed her the bottle which took anywhere from 20-30 minutes and then put her back in bed, then I would put the bottle back in the kitchen, stumble back to bed, and gratefully immediately fall back to sleep. Except for the occasional times when I couldn't fall back asleep; those were awful. Usually that one episode would take us through until about 5am, when she would wake up again. In my sleep-deprived state, I would pray (literally, pray) that she would go back to sleep, and my prayers would usually be answered by making her quiet for 5-6 minutes and then making her cry again. So we were up. Ugh.
About a week and a half ago, I decided that this was NOT. WORKING. I was miserable during the day, taking naps while I pumped, and just chronically absolutely exhausted. I have a whole new sympathy for patients who tell me they're tired. It's the worst feeling ever. Anyway, so I decided I needed a good night's sleep. That night, she woke up at 1am, and I went upstairs so I couldn't hear her. I came back down at 2, and she was back asleep. She woke up AGAIN at 3am, and I went back upstairs until 4, at which time she was again asleep. She woke up for the day at 5:30. Not the "good night's sleep" I was hoping for. And not the "sleep training" I planned on, it just kind of happened that way. That day, I did some reading on "CIO/ Ferberizing" and decided I was going to implement it that night. And wouldn't you know, she picked that night to sleep straight through the night with no wakings at all. The mere threat of Ferberizing had her scared asleep. It wasn't that easy though. The next night she woke up at 1am, and I did the 5 minute check, the 7 minute check, and the 10 minute check. By the time the next 10 minute check came, she had fallen back asleep. Not too horrible. From that point on, she would wake in the middle of the night (usually around 3am) and fuss for less than 5 minutes, and then put herself back to sleep. Turns out she didn't need that bottle after all. Last night she slept straight through (at least, I don't remember any wakings) and was up for the day at 6. Again, I'll take it. Let's hope it keeps up throughout our trip to RI and back. Having a good night's sleep is SO much better. For both of us. I know it makes me a better mother - I honestly think I love her more after I'm well rested. =)
And with that, since she's napping, I guess I'll go down for one myself. I know my time to do this is limited, since once the big kids get back the opportunities for napping will be essentially non-existent. I'm loving this time with Emerson, but I do miss them.
Today we had our last weekend morning together. I've really come to love these mornings. We've started sleep training (more on that later), so recently she's been sleeping really well and waking up for the day at 6:00am sharp. I'll take it, since it used to be in the 5's. She comes in my bed and cuddles with me and nurses for about 30-40 minutes, and by that time my back is sore and she's re-awake, so we get up. I make myself a cup of coffee while she plays on the floor in the living room, and then I enjoy my coffee and just watching her. She loves anything with a tag, and can entertain herself for a good 30 minutes just pulling, chewing, and slobbering on random tagged toys. When she starts to get fussy, I usually pull her up to nurse on the other side. Thankfully, this corresponds to about the time my coffee kicks in, so I'm usually pretty happy and awake by then. After that, she likes to stand on the side of the couch and play with the coasters, and then I can usually put her in her bouncy thing for 20-30 minutes or so while I FaceTime with mom, Meg, or Scott. The last 2 days this has taken us til about 8am, and then she'll play a bit longer. Around 8:15 she starts rubbing her eyes and getting cranky, and I can put her easily to bed (where she is right now). Yesterday she slept over 2 hours and we'll see what today holds. During the week her normal nap time is 9 or 9:30, but I'm wondering if this will change given her weekend schedule. If it stays like this, it will work out perfectly for when the kids go back to school.
Sleep training. Ugh. It's like saying a swear word to say that. But, for all the horrible connotations it has, I have to say it is a necessary evil. Up until about a week ago, Em was still waking up every night between 1 and 3am for a bottle. I would stumble to the kitchen, pull out a bottle from the fridge that I had already made, and put it in the microwave. For the 30 seconds it took to heat it up, I would rest my head on the counter and fall back asleep. When the timer beeped, I would take the bottle out and stumble back to my bedroom where the princess would be fussing/ crying and waiting for me. I would feed her the bottle which took anywhere from 20-30 minutes and then put her back in bed, then I would put the bottle back in the kitchen, stumble back to bed, and gratefully immediately fall back to sleep. Except for the occasional times when I couldn't fall back asleep; those were awful. Usually that one episode would take us through until about 5am, when she would wake up again. In my sleep-deprived state, I would pray (literally, pray) that she would go back to sleep, and my prayers would usually be answered by making her quiet for 5-6 minutes and then making her cry again. So we were up. Ugh.
About a week and a half ago, I decided that this was NOT. WORKING. I was miserable during the day, taking naps while I pumped, and just chronically absolutely exhausted. I have a whole new sympathy for patients who tell me they're tired. It's the worst feeling ever. Anyway, so I decided I needed a good night's sleep. That night, she woke up at 1am, and I went upstairs so I couldn't hear her. I came back down at 2, and she was back asleep. She woke up AGAIN at 3am, and I went back upstairs until 4, at which time she was again asleep. She woke up for the day at 5:30. Not the "good night's sleep" I was hoping for. And not the "sleep training" I planned on, it just kind of happened that way. That day, I did some reading on "CIO/ Ferberizing" and decided I was going to implement it that night. And wouldn't you know, she picked that night to sleep straight through the night with no wakings at all. The mere threat of Ferberizing had her scared asleep. It wasn't that easy though. The next night she woke up at 1am, and I did the 5 minute check, the 7 minute check, and the 10 minute check. By the time the next 10 minute check came, she had fallen back asleep. Not too horrible. From that point on, she would wake in the middle of the night (usually around 3am) and fuss for less than 5 minutes, and then put herself back to sleep. Turns out she didn't need that bottle after all. Last night she slept straight through (at least, I don't remember any wakings) and was up for the day at 6. Again, I'll take it. Let's hope it keeps up throughout our trip to RI and back. Having a good night's sleep is SO much better. For both of us. I know it makes me a better mother - I honestly think I love her more after I'm well rested. =)
And with that, since she's napping, I guess I'll go down for one myself. I know my time to do this is limited, since once the big kids get back the opportunities for napping will be essentially non-existent. I'm loving this time with Emerson, but I do miss them.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Little Em is 5.67 months...
Not QUITE 6 months, but close.
She is just starting to sit up on her own, but she still topples regularly, both forward and backward. She now wants to be entertained, and a rattle or her foot will usually suffice, but sometimes she demands adult interaction, which is pretty adorable. She ate her first food today! I had tried a couple of times before and she was NOT interested, but today I couldn't get it in fast enough. I gave her a mix of apples, carrots, and mangos. Definitely a hit! The problem is that she loves to suck on her hands, and before I could wipe her face or mouth, she'd put her hand in, and then wave her hand around and touch the chair, her clothes, the counter, etc. We made quite a mess. Totally worth it though.
She still loves her bath, especially when the water trickles on her leg or she can splash. Liz likes to say that both she and Emerson got a bath today! She is wearing 3 month clothes still, but getting ready to move to the next size. She does have a rather large head (for her body), and sometimes I have trouble getting the outfit over it! She did have an ultrasound, which showed that her brain is normal, so I guess she's just extra smart. Doesn't mean I don't worry, though. Obviously.
We spent the last few days in Dallas, visiting my sister, who just had a new baby 2 weeks ago. It was cool to see the brand new baby stage again. They are so tiny and it's already hard to remember Em that small. I have to say, I'm glad we are where we are though. The first few months are rough - baby going to bed at 10 or 11 at night, multiple nighttime (and daytime) feedings, lots of poops, etc. etc. etc. Very ungratifying, with no real interaction, no smiles, no precious baby laughs, no reward for all the hard hours and late nights. Em has the most beautiful smile and a gorgeous precious angelic laugh. She reliably goes to bed between 7:00 and 7:30, and usually wakes once to feed (although last night she slept all the way through...heaven!!!). We're still nursing, usually once in the morning, pumping twice at work, and then once before bedtime. I definitely prefer weekends or vacation when I can nurse as much as I can during the day. I hate pumping. Although recently I've been taking a nap while I pump, which is weird, I suppose, but those hands-free bras make anything possible!
Scott left a couple of weeks ago for Boston. He's doing a 1-year fellowship up there in pain management. So far I think it's pretty stressful for him, and I know he misses the kids too, which just adds to the stress. For my part, the single mom thing is going okay. Sam and Abi stayed in Dallas for an extra week, so right now it's just me and Emerson at home. I have to say, if I ever thought having one child was difficult, I take it all back. It is straight out boring! BUT - I'm trying to use this time to really bond with Em. With her being the third child, I think she gets a raw deal. My attention is definitely usually split, and focused on Sam and Abi - feeding them, entertaining them, putting them to bed, breaking up fights, whatever, and Em is just along for the ride. So this week, I'm really trying to give her my undivided attention whenever I get home from work and she's awake. She loves it, I think. As do I!
She is just starting to sit up on her own, but she still topples regularly, both forward and backward. She now wants to be entertained, and a rattle or her foot will usually suffice, but sometimes she demands adult interaction, which is pretty adorable. She ate her first food today! I had tried a couple of times before and she was NOT interested, but today I couldn't get it in fast enough. I gave her a mix of apples, carrots, and mangos. Definitely a hit! The problem is that she loves to suck on her hands, and before I could wipe her face or mouth, she'd put her hand in, and then wave her hand around and touch the chair, her clothes, the counter, etc. We made quite a mess. Totally worth it though.
She still loves her bath, especially when the water trickles on her leg or she can splash. Liz likes to say that both she and Emerson got a bath today! She is wearing 3 month clothes still, but getting ready to move to the next size. She does have a rather large head (for her body), and sometimes I have trouble getting the outfit over it! She did have an ultrasound, which showed that her brain is normal, so I guess she's just extra smart. Doesn't mean I don't worry, though. Obviously.
We spent the last few days in Dallas, visiting my sister, who just had a new baby 2 weeks ago. It was cool to see the brand new baby stage again. They are so tiny and it's already hard to remember Em that small. I have to say, I'm glad we are where we are though. The first few months are rough - baby going to bed at 10 or 11 at night, multiple nighttime (and daytime) feedings, lots of poops, etc. etc. etc. Very ungratifying, with no real interaction, no smiles, no precious baby laughs, no reward for all the hard hours and late nights. Em has the most beautiful smile and a gorgeous precious angelic laugh. She reliably goes to bed between 7:00 and 7:30, and usually wakes once to feed (although last night she slept all the way through...heaven!!!). We're still nursing, usually once in the morning, pumping twice at work, and then once before bedtime. I definitely prefer weekends or vacation when I can nurse as much as I can during the day. I hate pumping. Although recently I've been taking a nap while I pump, which is weird, I suppose, but those hands-free bras make anything possible!
Scott left a couple of weeks ago for Boston. He's doing a 1-year fellowship up there in pain management. So far I think it's pretty stressful for him, and I know he misses the kids too, which just adds to the stress. For my part, the single mom thing is going okay. Sam and Abi stayed in Dallas for an extra week, so right now it's just me and Emerson at home. I have to say, if I ever thought having one child was difficult, I take it all back. It is straight out boring! BUT - I'm trying to use this time to really bond with Em. With her being the third child, I think she gets a raw deal. My attention is definitely usually split, and focused on Sam and Abi - feeding them, entertaining them, putting them to bed, breaking up fights, whatever, and Em is just along for the ride. So this week, I'm really trying to give her my undivided attention whenever I get home from work and she's awake. She loves it, I think. As do I!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Random Memories from May 2013
- Whenever you give Abi a kiss, or even make a kiss sound, she will always - ALWAYS - reply with a kiss or a kiss sound. Including when she's 90% asleep. Every morning, she follows me outside for a "piggy ride" (hangs on to my window while standing on the running board as I back out of the driveway). Then she says, "I'm walking!" and stands in the driveway while I drive away. When I beep the horn at her, she yells back, "HONK!"
- Her latest song: "Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Ten!" Even cuter - all her church songs, complete with hand motions ("Wif jest ONE SMALL VOICE" [with accompanying movements] - gets me every time).
- Emerson loves her toes. LOVES them. Can't say I blame her. They ARE pretty cute. She rolls! From back to front. Except that she does it with her hands at her side, while she's on her back, and consequently ends up on her stomach, flailing her legs with her neck strrrrrretched up while her arms are stuck awkwardly by her sides and she DOES. NOT. LIKE. IT. Is it bad that I just look at her and smile when she's stuck like that?
- She is a bubble girl. Random people call her Bubbles. Hopefully that nickname doesn't stick around very long. She has learned raspberries and loves to sit in her Bumbo on the kitchen counter, just checking out the action and drooling.
- Sam has discovered the awesomeness of massage. He got multiple applications of sunscreen this weekend, with extra focus on his shoulder blades. He's smart, that one. And what a temper. Not going to chronicle any of THAT right now. He is a whiz at math. He asked me one day how much something cost, and the answer was $5. He said, "So, if I have $20, I can buy 4?" Without even thinking or counting in his head. He gets it. So proud.
- He had his first slumber party last weekend - no phone calls home and no wetting the bed. We'll call it a success. Every morning when he wakes up, he stands at the top of the stairs and launches both Diggy's down the stairs. So I wake up to "clunk, clunk" or "smoosh, smoosh" or whatever it sounds like when a beat-up, understuffed dog hits the ground from 17 steps up. One morning he got him caught on the light fixture on the side of the stairs. Giggle giggle.
This picture makes me cry. He knows me well.
- Her latest song: "Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Ten!" Even cuter - all her church songs, complete with hand motions ("Wif jest ONE SMALL VOICE" [with accompanying movements] - gets me every time).
- Emerson loves her toes. LOVES them. Can't say I blame her. They ARE pretty cute. She rolls! From back to front. Except that she does it with her hands at her side, while she's on her back, and consequently ends up on her stomach, flailing her legs with her neck strrrrrretched up while her arms are stuck awkwardly by her sides and she DOES. NOT. LIKE. IT. Is it bad that I just look at her and smile when she's stuck like that?
- She is a bubble girl. Random people call her Bubbles. Hopefully that nickname doesn't stick around very long. She has learned raspberries and loves to sit in her Bumbo on the kitchen counter, just checking out the action and drooling.
- Sam has discovered the awesomeness of massage. He got multiple applications of sunscreen this weekend, with extra focus on his shoulder blades. He's smart, that one. And what a temper. Not going to chronicle any of THAT right now. He is a whiz at math. He asked me one day how much something cost, and the answer was $5. He said, "So, if I have $20, I can buy 4?" Without even thinking or counting in his head. He gets it. So proud.
- He had his first slumber party last weekend - no phone calls home and no wetting the bed. We'll call it a success. Every morning when he wakes up, he stands at the top of the stairs and launches both Diggy's down the stairs. So I wake up to "clunk, clunk" or "smoosh, smoosh" or whatever it sounds like when a beat-up, understuffed dog hits the ground from 17 steps up. One morning he got him caught on the light fixture on the side of the stairs. Giggle giggle.
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| One of my favorite things to do |
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Things I Swear Never to Forget...
Things I want to remember at 3 months:
- She still doesn't cry tears (since she hardly ever cries, I guess that's not too surprising)
- When she sleeps her hands are in little fists
- She has no eyelashes on the bottom!
- That little inhale/sigh she does when air blows on her face
- She loves to be held facing the world, with one hand under her bottom and the other across her stomach. Also really likes the baby Bjorn
- She hates a dirty diaper
- Those tiny white dots "milia" on her face, and otherwise perfect complexion - babies are so lucky
- When she raises her arm up in the air, Sam says, "Emerson has a question"
- The little bald ring around her head from sleeping on her back
- She does NOT LIKE tummy time
- Those little sighs and "sleep smiles"
- Her long fingers (with short fingernails - I have successfully cut them twice!)
- She drinks anywhere from 4-8 oz at one sitting, usually every 3-4 hours during the day (stocking up for many more long hours of sleep - in case she's reading this, the power of suggestive speech)
- She LOVES baths - especially when the water trickles on her foot from the faucet. She has had one (and this had better be the only one) bath poop. It was awful. I had to hose her down with the sprayer.
- Mmmmmmm...that newborn baby, just-had-a-bath smell.
- Her fuzzy hair right after the bath.
(Kind of want to go give her a bath now, after thinking about all those. Who cares if it's 4:30 in the morning?)
3 months...wow...
Little Em is 3 months old already! I'll say it again - on the one hand, it feels like time is going by so fast with her - almost 13 weeks! - but on the other hand, it seems like she's been a part of our lives forever. Crazy, that.
For the past several nights she has slept "through" the night (meaning, of course, that she sleeps for 7-8 hours in a row, not necessarily waking at normal waking hours though). I don't care; I'll take it. I really don't know if I could have made it through another week like last week - I was literally falling asleep at my desk and going to bed every night at 8:30pm. I remember feeling sleep-deprived with Sam and Abi, but I don't remember quite how painful it was.
Thankfully, aside from what I feel is normal nighttime waking (which may be tapering to an end anyway - wahoo!), Em is an easy, EASY baby. She rarely cries, and when she does, it's either because she's hungry or dirty. I never saw a baby who hated to be dirty as much as she does! When she's tired, she just rubs her eyes and kind of whines a little bit, and you put her in her swing (where she still sleeps) and she quietly dozes off into dreamland. She loves to lie on her changing table, just looking around, and that is usually where I get the most smiles from her. Mom got her laughing yesterday by playing patty cake. Baby laughs are priceless.
Em has been on 2 plane rides so far - one to visit Grandy and Grandpa in Texas, and one to visit Uncle Mike and Aunt Megan in Colorado. She had her first gondola ride in Colorado and loved it. I forgot how much work it is to travel with an infant - she pretty much needs her own suitcase - but thankfully (again), she travels great. Good thing, since she'll be accompanying me and Scott to Hawaii in a few days! She loves adventure. =)
First gondola ride Loving every minute
Emerson at 12 weeks
For the past several nights she has slept "through" the night (meaning, of course, that she sleeps for 7-8 hours in a row, not necessarily waking at normal waking hours though). I don't care; I'll take it. I really don't know if I could have made it through another week like last week - I was literally falling asleep at my desk and going to bed every night at 8:30pm. I remember feeling sleep-deprived with Sam and Abi, but I don't remember quite how painful it was.
Thankfully, aside from what I feel is normal nighttime waking (which may be tapering to an end anyway - wahoo!), Em is an easy, EASY baby. She rarely cries, and when she does, it's either because she's hungry or dirty. I never saw a baby who hated to be dirty as much as she does! When she's tired, she just rubs her eyes and kind of whines a little bit, and you put her in her swing (where she still sleeps) and she quietly dozes off into dreamland. She loves to lie on her changing table, just looking around, and that is usually where I get the most smiles from her. Mom got her laughing yesterday by playing patty cake. Baby laughs are priceless.
Em has been on 2 plane rides so far - one to visit Grandy and Grandpa in Texas, and one to visit Uncle Mike and Aunt Megan in Colorado. She had her first gondola ride in Colorado and loved it. I forgot how much work it is to travel with an infant - she pretty much needs her own suitcase - but thankfully (again), she travels great. Good thing, since she'll be accompanying me and Scott to Hawaii in a few days! She loves adventure. =)
Supermom with 3 kids on the airplane
(Scott was right across the aisle, taking the picture)
First gondola ride Loving every minute
Monday, March 4, 2013
The First 6 Weeks
As I type this, I am semi-holding my breath, waiting for the little princess to fully wake up. Of course, I've been semi-holding for the last 45 minutes, while she wriggles and wiggles and grunts and groans and overall prevents me from going to sleep - because the second I do, I know she'll be awake and ready for her next meal. Her precious little face when she's hungry - it reminds me of a baby bird, with her big eyes looking up at me and her mouth open and ready for milk. And when she gets frantically starving: the shaking of her head side to side with her mouth open, and the way her near-panicked, rhythmic cry settles into a deep sigh as she latches on...nothing more adorable.
And it is a good and very lucky thing that she is adorable, because how can you throw something that cute across the room, or in the trash can, or leave it in the closet for a few minutes/ hours/ days? I don't know what it is about a baby's cry that can so profoundly impact its mother (and no one else), but whatever it is, is is fully functional in my baby girl.
Emerson Elizabeth is the name we finally agreed upon. Yes, that means her initials are EEK! but we've decided that we're going to teach her from a young age that whenever someone asks her what her middle name is, she's going to answer, "Elizabeth - my initials spell EEK!" and then giggle so that no other kids can make fun of her for it. Kids will make fun of you for anything. But I absolutely LOVE the name Emerson and I think she will just have to deal with adversity from a young age.
The last 6 weeks have been a blur, shockingly. On the one hand, they've gone by SO FAST. Then, when I think about all that my little one has experienced in her short life, it seems like so much. It really seems like eons ago that I had to bring her in when she was 3 days old for a weight check, when Mom and Dad went to Target to buy me a breast shield because I absolutely could not STAND to have her nurse due to the bleeding and cracking she had induced, when I went back to the lactation consultant and pediatrics clinic (twice more!) for problems with weight gain, when she had her "Welcome to the World" party at age 3 weeks, when Sarah and Jeff came to visit, when GiGi, Meg, Jeff, Gwen, and Mike came to visit, when Hailey came over to take pictures (3 times!), when she had her first spa experience... So much has happened over the last 42+ days.
Like I said, on the one hand I feel like she's been a part of my life for a long time, and then I'll look at her and remember that she is teeny-tiny and only 6 weeks old! I'll get frustrated that she doesn't sleep through the night and she wants to be held and nursed all the time, and then I'll remember that for 9 months she was cuddled up inside me and just wants to be near me so she can feel warm and secure again. I am ridiculously sleep deprived and already sick of changing diapers, and I really am loving (almost) every minute.
My breath-holding seems to have worked, because the grunting and squeaking and sighing have tapered off. Time for me to get some rest. Ha. Ha. Ha. =)
And it is a good and very lucky thing that she is adorable, because how can you throw something that cute across the room, or in the trash can, or leave it in the closet for a few minutes/ hours/ days? I don't know what it is about a baby's cry that can so profoundly impact its mother (and no one else), but whatever it is, is is fully functional in my baby girl.
Emerson Elizabeth is the name we finally agreed upon. Yes, that means her initials are EEK! but we've decided that we're going to teach her from a young age that whenever someone asks her what her middle name is, she's going to answer, "Elizabeth - my initials spell EEK!" and then giggle so that no other kids can make fun of her for it. Kids will make fun of you for anything. But I absolutely LOVE the name Emerson and I think she will just have to deal with adversity from a young age.
The last 6 weeks have been a blur, shockingly. On the one hand, they've gone by SO FAST. Then, when I think about all that my little one has experienced in her short life, it seems like so much. It really seems like eons ago that I had to bring her in when she was 3 days old for a weight check, when Mom and Dad went to Target to buy me a breast shield because I absolutely could not STAND to have her nurse due to the bleeding and cracking she had induced, when I went back to the lactation consultant and pediatrics clinic (twice more!) for problems with weight gain, when she had her "Welcome to the World" party at age 3 weeks, when Sarah and Jeff came to visit, when GiGi, Meg, Jeff, Gwen, and Mike came to visit, when Hailey came over to take pictures (3 times!), when she had her first spa experience... So much has happened over the last 42+ days.
Like I said, on the one hand I feel like she's been a part of my life for a long time, and then I'll look at her and remember that she is teeny-tiny and only 6 weeks old! I'll get frustrated that she doesn't sleep through the night and she wants to be held and nursed all the time, and then I'll remember that for 9 months she was cuddled up inside me and just wants to be near me so she can feel warm and secure again. I am ridiculously sleep deprived and already sick of changing diapers, and I really am loving (almost) every minute.
My breath-holding seems to have worked, because the grunting and squeaking and sighing have tapered off. Time for me to get some rest. Ha. Ha. Ha. =)
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Birth Story!
Well, Little Number Three has made her arrival - about 12 days ago, in fact, but I haven't had a chance to write since then (shocking, I know).
I wanted to make sure I chronicled her birth story before the details got too blurry in my mind.
The week before her arrival, I started having stronger contractions and they were more frequent and more uncomfortable. I saw my OB (and good friend) Philip, who told me I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced, but that the baby was WAY low. He also told me I would probably be feeling a lot of pelvic pressure - well, that was certainly the case. I was peeing every hour and having a hard time even walking due to the pressure. After a week or so of contractions and worsening pressure, I went in to be checked again, only to be told that I was STILL 2cm and now maybe 80-90% effaced, and that the baby was still low. His words to me that day, "You're definitely going to have this baby soon!" I decided then that I could definitely be an OB. Obviously I was going to have the baby soon; I was 10 days from my due date.
Anyway, all that week I slept terribly and was grouchy. I was sick of contracting (with the contractions not even doing anything, labor-wise), sick of feeling huge, and just sick of being pregnant altogether. I tried not to feel that way. I tried to really enjoy every moment of those last days, because like I've said, this was probably my last pregnancy and why rush it? But the constant discomfort was getting to me.
On Friday morning, January 18th, I woke up at my pretty typical time of about 6:15am (such is the life with 2 early bird kids). I had slept amazingly well the night before and woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. Of course, I made my way to the bathroom and then climbed back into bed. Over the preceding few days, every time I got back into bed it caused a contraction. True to form, it happened again, but this time, the contraction was...a CONTRACTION!! I instantly knew it was different and grabbed Scott's hand, waking him up. I told him to start his stopwatch just so I could see how often they were happening. Lo and behold, the next one came about 4 minutes later. And after that, WOW, did they come on quick. And strong. I headed to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, and Scott started getting dressed. Dad was already up and I told him, "We're going to have a baby today!" I had only had a few contractions at that point but I knew! I spent the next hour and a half getting ready, eating breakfast (aren't I a good patient?), and pausing every 3-4 minutes to lean over and have someone rub my lower back. As they were getting substantially stronger and more frequent, we headed to the hospital around 8am. I have to say, this car ride was way better than the one when I was in labor with Sam. I had done a little bit of mental preparation this time with how I wanted to work through the contractions (until I got my epidural, of course). My big focus was to relax my face. That really helped. I also promised myself I wouldn't swear and I would try to be as un-dramatic as possible.
On the way to the hospital, Scott called Terri, our neighbor and CRNA extraordinaire, to see if she would be available to start my epidural when I got to the hospital. She was in a case but said she would be free around 9am. When we got to the hospital, there was no parking so we parked illegally. I was definitely uncomfortable at this point, but I wanted to take one last pregnant picture outside the hospital. While I was waiting for a contraction to pass so we could take the picture, Scott's squadron commander walked by and Scott told him we were there to have the baby. His response: "Really? But the hospital is on divert!" (ie, closed to new patients due to being full). Of course, we took our picture and went right in.
When we got to the triage desk of L&D, Scott announced that I was in labor. The nurses looked a little panicked, confirmed that the hospital was on divert, and then quickly found me a room. I love those nurses. Philip (my OB) came up a few minutes later, found that I was at 5cm, and confirmed that I wanted to VBAC. He told me, "We'll have this baby born before noon!" He was stuck in another case at the time so said he would be back to check me. In the meantime, they started my IV, took some labs, and prepped me for the epidural. The whole time, my contractions continued and Scott rubbed my back through each one. It was definitely not comfortable, but I can say with complete honesty that I loved the labor experience. I focused on keeping my face relaxed and staying calm. It really really worked and made each contraction tolerable. I still wanted my epidural though!
As soon as my labs came back normal, Terri put in my epidural. THAT isn't fun either, but once it kicked in, I had the same reaction that I had with Sam - basically, I thought, "Well, that was a waste - as soon as the epidural went in, the contractions stopped!" Unlike with Sam though, they came back this time. Not as strong but I definitely still felt them. They checked me and I was 7cm! Wahoo! Then my OB came back and offered to break my water - I was ready for the baby now so I said sure. No point in prolonging things now that I had experienced labor the way I had wanted to. Shortly after that (I can't remember how long - 5 minutes or 30), the pain got way worse, and was in my back. They said that was "transition" but I didn't care what it was - it HURT. I tried to move onto my side, which was no small feat given that my legs were numb. As soon as I did, I felt better, but then before I knew it, everyone was trying to get me to move to my other side (apparently the baby had some concerning heart rates when I was on my side, but no one told me what was going on so I was confused and aggravated). They put me on oxygen and I guess that helped. Somewhere around this time, the nurse checked me again and pronounced me "10cm and complete," and they called for Philip so I could start pushing!
He got there pretty quick and I remember asking if there was room for me in the OR if necessary. He assured me there was. I don't even know why I asked that. I started pushing and I immediately felt so frustrated. I couldn't feel myself pushing at all, I just felt like I was tensing my abdominal muscles and making no progress. Everyone said I was pushing, though, so I must have been. Apparently the baby started crowning and someone asked, "Do you want to touch the hair?" I did NOT. I wanted to be DONE. And, a few minutes later, just like that, I was. Done. I have a vague recollection of him telling me he needed to cut an episiotomy and cloudy memories of everybody saying, "PUSH!!" and counting to 10, but the thing I remember most clearly is looking down and seeing my beautiful baby girl and getting teary-eyed - there is just something so unbelievably miraculous about that moment.
She was born at 11:33am, before noon, just like my OB had predicted. The next few minutes were a blur - they cleaned her up while I got cleaned up and finally I got to hold my precious angel. She was so stinking cute! She nursed right away and curled up in my arms and fell asleep.
Scott and I just kept saying how smoothly everything had gone from start to finish - a great night's sleep the night before, a couple of hours of real-deal contractions, a stellar epidural by my favorite CRNA, 10 minutes of pushing, an uncomplicated delivery by my OB, and a perfect, healthy baby less than 5 hours after it all started. The recovery has been better than I expected too. Overall I couldn't have asked for a better d-day. =)
Monday, January 7, 2013
Full Term!!!
Actually 37+3 today, so 3 days into full-term! Honestly did not think I'd make it this far, and now I'm wondering if we'll have to actually evict this baby...
Last night I unpacked my first "new" baby thing - a changing table pad. It sounds silly, but we have so much stuff still from Sam and Abi that I haven't really had to buy anything new. Our old changing pad, however, is either lost or destroyed (or both), so I ordered a new one and opened it up last night. I put on a soft off-white cover and got so excited! Don't ask why. Pregnancy hormones make weird things exciting and extra-emotional. Now I want to go buy a bunch more stuff so I can keep getting more and more excited. It just all of a sudden seemed very real. Cannot wait to meet this "bebe" - as the kids keep calling it!
We had a great time at Disney last week - our last vacation as a family of four, and our last actual relaxing vacation for a while, I suspect. The kids had a blast and we all slept way more than I expected - with average wake-up times in the 8:30-9:30am range! I waddled around the parks while Scott took Sam and Abi on some fun rides. I did manage to get myself into the People Mover (in Tomorrowland), which is actually pretty fun (if your idea of fun involves slow speed, quiet attractions). The ride takes you through Space Mountain, which was Abi's only way to experience it (as she's still a few inches too short), so I got to watch her get excited. We did LegoLand and SeaWorld too, and by the end of the trip, I was definitely exhausted. Mainly my back hurt from being on my feet so much, but overall I handled it way better than I expected. Didn't really tell my OB I was going - not sure he would have been so excited about that idea.
Anyway, I'm home now and the clock is ticking. Been reading about ways to handle labor (besides the obvious epidural) and wondering just when this is going to happen. It occurred to me today that this little one is just getting bigger and bigger, which is starting to make my dreams of a VBAC much less attractive. Oh well, we'll see. I'm happy to just roll with it. =)
Last night I unpacked my first "new" baby thing - a changing table pad. It sounds silly, but we have so much stuff still from Sam and Abi that I haven't really had to buy anything new. Our old changing pad, however, is either lost or destroyed (or both), so I ordered a new one and opened it up last night. I put on a soft off-white cover and got so excited! Don't ask why. Pregnancy hormones make weird things exciting and extra-emotional. Now I want to go buy a bunch more stuff so I can keep getting more and more excited. It just all of a sudden seemed very real. Cannot wait to meet this "bebe" - as the kids keep calling it!
We had a great time at Disney last week - our last vacation as a family of four, and our last actual relaxing vacation for a while, I suspect. The kids had a blast and we all slept way more than I expected - with average wake-up times in the 8:30-9:30am range! I waddled around the parks while Scott took Sam and Abi on some fun rides. I did manage to get myself into the People Mover (in Tomorrowland), which is actually pretty fun (if your idea of fun involves slow speed, quiet attractions). The ride takes you through Space Mountain, which was Abi's only way to experience it (as she's still a few inches too short), so I got to watch her get excited. We did LegoLand and SeaWorld too, and by the end of the trip, I was definitely exhausted. Mainly my back hurt from being on my feet so much, but overall I handled it way better than I expected. Didn't really tell my OB I was going - not sure he would have been so excited about that idea.
Anyway, I'm home now and the clock is ticking. Been reading about ways to handle labor (besides the obvious epidural) and wondering just when this is going to happen. It occurred to me today that this little one is just getting bigger and bigger, which is starting to make my dreams of a VBAC much less attractive. Oh well, we'll see. I'm happy to just roll with it. =)
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