It's Almost Football Time!

In honor of my favorite time of year, football season, starting on Saturday, I have decided to host a linky of everyone's favorite tailgate recipes!  Come back on Friday to share your favorite tailgate foods, beverages, or traditions.  I can't wait to get some new ideas!

Mommies Don't Have Time To Be Sick

I learned the hard way this week why I need to take care of myself in order to be able to care for Nicholas.  Many of you know that I have a long history of kidney stones (as in seven in eleven years) and have had three surgeries because of it.  When I was TTC and pregnant I told Michael and my mom numerous times that it would be a miracle if I didn't have a stone while I was pregnant.  Around 24-25 weeks I had a feeling that I might have one, but after some tylenol and heat on my back, the pain went away.  It came and went every once in a while since then, but on Tuesday I noticed it was getting more intense.  Well, I was so determined to get Nicholas on a schedule and adapted to is new formula that I let it go.  TMI, but even when my urine was dark red, obvious that I had a stone, on Thursday evening, I ignored it and went to Target to exchange diapers!  I had severe pain all day Thursday and Friday morning.  We even kept our swimdate with Courtney and Lauren! Ha!  However, by 4:30 Friday afternoon I called my mom to have my dad come take me to the ER (she was at work). 

Michael ended up coming home to take me while my dad stayed with Nicholas until my mom got there around 6.  I was in so much pain and so sick by the time we got to the ER, but again TMI, I felt better after peeing and throwing up, so I thought that there was no way it would be obstructing.  Well, after a CT we found out that I was wrong.  It was a very large stone that had become stuck between my urethra and bladder (as they all do on me).  I would need to be admitted with IV antibiotics and surgery in the morning!  WHAT?!  I have an eight week old baby at home, I cannot possibly be admitted!

I finally got in a room at 11:00 and Michael had run home to make sure my mom had all that she needed for N and to get a bag for us.  He was back right after I got in my room and we spent yet another night at Erlanger.  Saturday morning I felt panicked because I still had not spoken to the urologist, had no clue what time surgery was scheduled, and Michael HAD to go to work.  He was presenting in a car expo and HAD to be there.  Of course!  My supervisor at work, who also works in the OR at Erlanger on Friday night came by to check on us and she knew that I was posted for surgery at 8am!  This was about 7:30!  I sent Michael home and called my mom to go ahead and come down with Nicholas.  Sally stayed with me until I left for surgery, which I am so thankful for.  It was good to have someone stay with me during that 15 minutes or so.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

I went down to preop holding and my anesthesiologist was one of our old surgery residents, so it was good to have a familiar face when going to sleep in the OR!  He talked to me as he pushed my drugs about our mutual friends! Ha!  Anyway, when I woke up in recovery I laughed because I heard the nurses trying to decide who would bring me to my room and I heard one of them say "I want to since there is a cute baby up there!"  Ha!  I was so happy when I got back to my room and saw my baby waiting on me!  He made my day!!!!

We got to go home around noon and Michael met us at home.  We spent the afternoon sleeping and cuddling with Nicholas.  After dinner my mom came and got him to spend his first night at their house.  I wasn't up to taking care of him and I knew I couldn't get up with him during the night.  They said he was perfect for them.  He slept almost all night in his bed at their house!  He came home around lunchtime today and I feel like I haven't seen him in days!  

We are both doing better today.  He has been taking almost all of his bottles and has been much happier.  I am still hurting a little bit, but mostly I'm just really weak.  Michael is going to take off tomorrow to spend the day with us in case I am not able to make it twelve hours alone with Nicholas, which I know I couldn't do today.

So, that is how we spent our weekend!  Lesson learned, if I don't take care of myself, I can't take care of Nicholas.

Eight Weeks Old

"WHAT?! I'm already eight weeks old?!"  Yes you are!  Mommy and Daddy cannot believe that you are almost two months old.  It seems like yesterday we were in the hospital with you!  You have grown up so much in the past couple of weeks.  You are 12 pounds and 6 ounces and 23 1/4 inches!!!! Mommy looked like you do in your picture when we saw that on the scale Tuesday at Dr. Devoid's office! :-)

You sleep either *almost* all night or all night long, which we are so proud of!  For example Tuesday night you slept from 9:30-6:45, then last night you slept from 9:30-5:30.  You are working on getting used to your new feeding routine.  The past two days have been rough, but I THINK we are making progress.  The biggest issue right now is how to keep you from spitting it all back up???  (any suggestions anyone? we are already using 1 tsp of cereal per oz.)

You are a happy baby almost all the time now, but still have your fussy period anywhere from 4:00-9:00 in the evening.  You are starting to enjoy playing with your toys.  Today you played in your jumperoo for about 10 minutes and seemed to like it!

You have gotten so good about waking up in your bed.  The first three weeks you were in there you cried as soon as you woke up, now we are hearing you "talk" for awhile before you start to cry.  Tonight  Mommy went to Target and bought a video monitor so we can now for sure if you are ready to get up when we hear you.  Also, it will be fun to watch you! :-)

I just realized I forgot to put a picture of his birth announcement up.  This is a bad picture, but you get the idea.  Anita at apieceofpope.com did an awesome job, as always!!!!!!!  I REALLY need a scanner!!!!

Next Wednesday you will be two months old!  We can't wait to celebrate with a cake! :-)

Diagnosis

Yesterday Michael and I took Nicholas to see Dr. Devoid, he new GI specialist.  I had heard some mixed reviews about him, but we really like him.  He sat and talked with us for 30-45 minutes and after hearing everything from our trouble TTC to his problems breastfeeding (which apparently are related to his current problem!) and everything that has happened since he was 2 weeks (ER, trouble with breastmilk, 3 different formulas, etc), he decided Nicholas definitely has a severe milk protein intolerance (MPI).  I am so sad, but at the same time happy to have a diagnosis.  


With this diagnosis comes a whole new routine.  He wants him to eat 5 oz every 4 hours on a strict routine.  That has been TERRIBLY hard today.  First, he HATES his new formula, pregestimil.  Second, he has to drink the thick formula with 5 tsp of rice cereal through a newborn nipple.  He is NOT a fan!  The pregestimil is not good and smells terrible.  His dr warned us he might not like it, but after a bottle or two would eat it anyway.  Well, he isn't.  He has only had about 10 oz since this morning.  He has had a few wet diapers and one large stool, so I do not think he is dehydrated right NOW, but worried he will be soon.  I plan to call their office tomorrow until someone calls me back.  He cannot go another day on such a small amount of food!


Back to his diagnosis and plan.  He will continue this regement for another three weeks until we see him again.  During that time I will take a dirty diaper by once a week for a check for blood (he had quite a bit yesterday) and hope by then it is negative.  He will be on this formula until he turns one.  Some GIs will back down to alimentum or nutramagen by 9-10 months, but he doesn't do that, which is fine with me since the pregestimil is the best for MPI.  He will also be restricted to nothing with soy, dairy of any kind, peanut or peanut oil, or wheat.  It will be somewhat difficult when he starts eating, but of course we are still optimistic he will be in the 90% that out grow this by one.


Keep praying that he adjusts well and that he will be able to stay on this (even though it is mega-expensive and not available anywhere but one grocery store in Chattanooga!).

Bargain Hunting Saturday

Today was the first day of the Sweet Weepeets consignment sale at the old Boater's World building in Chattanooga and I scored some awesome finds!  My mom and I had our mani/pedi appointment this morning so I couldn't be there when it first started, but Courtney and Jill were there early.  I had told Courtney if she found a Rainforest jumperoo to call me, well she did!  It is only missing one leaf and it is in pretty good shape!  I got it for $35, it retails on BRU's website for $129.99!!!!! (BTW, does anyone know if the seat comes off to be washed in the washing machine?)  EDIT: just bought the replacement piece on ebay for $8.00!!!!!

I was also hoping to find something cute from Kelly's Kids or similar for Christmas and she found the longall on the top right corner of this picture for me and held on to it until I got there.  I got 8 clothing items (one Petite Ami longall, three Gap outfits, one Ralph Lauren fleece sleeper, and the rest Carter's), the jumperoo, and two cans of alimentum (for $1 each, calculated it out and at BRU it would be over $2 each if you bought the case!) for $79!  Not bad for a day of shopping!

When I got home I had a pretty tired baby!  He slept most of the time we were out, but as soon as we got home he ate and crashed again in his bouncy.

Too cute!  All of my boys in one picture.

I realized I forgot to show you the ADORABLE bean bag chair I found at Target Wednesday night.  We only have a three bedroom house and can already tell we are going to be run out of our living room with toys, so we've decided to make our guest room a playroom this Fall after I go back to work.  I am going to leave the walls chocolate brown, but decorate it in red, green, and blue and race cars.  So, anyway, I found this and HAD TO HAVE IT!  Is it not the cutest bean bag you've ever seen?!

Mommy and Daddy are excited because tomorrow Mimi and Granddad (Michael's parents) are coming over to babysit for us to have a day to ourselves for a few hours.  Not sure what we will do, but it will be nice to have a few adult only hours together.  I love my baby more than anything in the entire world, but I also enjoy a couple hours away once a week (I've been with him 24/7 since last Sunday).

Fun In The Sun With Friends

We had a busy day today!  First, guess who slept from 9:30 last night to 5:30 this morning?!  YAY, Nicholas!!!!  We had some things to do this morning, so we got out early and headed off to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and munchkins (for mommy!) then to my office to say hello.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being at home and want to cry thinking about going back to work, but I also miss the challenge of my job and the adult interaction.  I would give anything to be able to stay home, but that just isn't possible right now.  We came home around noon and Courtney and Lauren came over to swim with us! We love having friends over to swim!  How cute is our little monkey in his swimsuit?!  Thanks Jamie for his swimsuit!  He slept for about 45 minutes (out of only an hour total today! Ugh!) in his bouncy then woke up for a bottle poolside.

Here is the Little Mermaid herself, Lauren was fearless and wore herself, and her mommy, out jumping in over and over again!

After we finished at the pool we came back to our house and changed clothes and played for a few minutes.  How cute is this?  I wish the lighting was better, but they were laughing at each other! TOO CUTE!

I also found out while we were at the pool that I have a small crisis.  The day care called and they are not going to have a spot for Nicholas until October 11, problem is I go back to work September 22.  I will have already taken 12 weeks off, so I cannot take any additional time.  We are trying to figure out a schedule between my mom, Michael, Michael's stepmother and sister, and a couple of friends.  Hopefully we can work it out.  I keep thinking this is a sign that maybe I shouldn't go back, but right now that isn't an option for us (as much as that kills me).  I just keep praying it will work itself out and we will all be ok.

7 Weeks Old!

Nicholas, you are SEVEN weeks old today!  Mommy cannot believe you are already that old!  I just realized his two week picture was in the same shirt.  He has grown so much!


 You have had the best week yet this week and we've had so much fun.

• You haven't had a long stretch of screaming (at least that I know of, I did leave you for a couple of short trips this week) since LAST Thursday!  Good job!!!!  
• You have the funniest personality!  You love to stare at the ceiling fans and for some reason, your favorite thing in the house appears to be the pictures over the couch.  You could stare and laugh at them for hours.  (we have no clue, they are just brown canvases with ivory leaves on them??? Ha!)  
• You are getting on a good routine. You wake up around 7-8 am, but after a bottle and playing for a little while, you go back to sleep until 11-12 when you wake up for a bottle.  You usually play or swing for about an hour before another good nap in the afternoon.  I give you a bath around 8pm and then you have your bedtime bottle. We rock in the glider and sing Praise Baby Lullibies...Mommy's favorite time of the day.  I just feel so happy and blessed during that time.  You have been falling asleep for the night between 8-10pm and wake up again between 3-4am for a quick bottle and diaper change. We rock again and I get so excited thinking about what we will do the next day. 
• You still love your bouncy, your tummy time mat, and car rides, but this week we can add the swing.  You pretty much live in it during the day.  You love to sit in it and watch the mobile or the ceiling fan.
• This will be a busy week for us.  Tomorrow you have your second playdate of the week, this time with Lauren (hopefully he will be awake this time since he slept through his last date with a cute girl! Silly boys!).  Sunday we have Daddy at home all day and Mommy is planning some fun activities!  Tuesday we have your GI appointment (which Mommy dreads. something about hearing the term "rectal exam" when they called and knowing what that entails bothers me.  

EDIT: I totally forgot to mention earlier that you slept through the night Saturday night!  You slept from 9pm-7am!  Mommy just wishes you would do that more often! Ha!

Also, we had our first family pictures and Nicholas' six week pictures made on Sunday.  Check out a sneak preview on Melissa's photography blog!

Lazy Tuesday and Wednesday

We had a very lazy Tuesday.  We woke up to heavy rain and temperatures in the low 70s that lasted until about 2:00.  Nicholas stayed in his pjs all day and I stayed in mine until close to 4:00! Ha!  He slept most of the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon while I picked up and made dinner (we had roast in the crock pot).

Now that he is feeling better, we've had some playtime when he was awake.  Please watch the video in the previous post to see our little monkey roll over during tummy time!  So cute!  He also played with his gym and his new superseat.  Thanks Jenna and Brayden for recommending it to us!  He LOVED sitting in it and looking around!

Monday-Wednesday, Michael was in school to learn all about the finance end of car sales to be able to fill in for the finance manager when he is out.  Tuesday after dinner I took Nicholas to my parents so that he could have some peace and quiet to study.  He had his first bath on a vanity and loved looking in the mirror while we bathed him.  Just wished I had brought my camera.

Yesterday we went to the pool for the first time and had a playdate Sarah and Addi.  We had fun.  Nicholas slept the entire time in his bouncy under the shade.  I don't think he realized that you are supposed to be awake for a date with a cute girl!  He seemed to enjoy being outside.  Hopefully we can go back with Daddy soon and get in the water (we do have a swimsuit for that occasion! thanks Jamie!)

Since we have been on the alimentum he has had runny stools up to three or four times a day.  They are not really solid, but not watery either.  Needless to say we've had our fairshare of blowouts.  Usually when he wakes up from his morning nap.  We have been wearing Pampers, but tried Huggies, still blewout.  Any suggestions?  If he wasn't doing so much better I would think that the alimentum was too much for him.  I'm waiting on the pedi to call back, maybe we can back down to soy again.  Also, he is doing so good this week and is actually getting on a pretty good schedule!  However, he eats between 6-8 oz around 8pm then goes to bed until 3 or 4 before sleeping again until 7-8.  Any suggestions on how he could go a little longer or is that just too much to ask this early?  I have no idea!  

That's How I Roll

As I told you yesterday, for about a week our little monkey has been rolling from his tummy to his back.  I FINALLY managed to catch it today.  It is about 30 seconds into the clip.

Catch Up Time

We've been pretty busy again over the past week, but mostly we've had a few bad days.  Poor little Nicholas did so good the first 24 hours on the alimentum, but the next 48 were not as good.  However, by Friday morning he was doing much, much better and this weekend he has been perfect!  It has been so hard to just sit and watch my little baby hurt.  He just screams and arches his little back and it is pitiful.  I got to the point on Wednesday that I just had to get away for a little while after Michael got home.  I had my first major meltdown since the third day we were home.  It had been a long, hard day and when you sit at home for twelve hours alone with a screaming baby, it gets hard.  I kept thinking that two months ago we were praying that he would have healthy lungs if he had to be delivered early because of my blood pressure and now he definitely has healthy lungs! Ha!  The tummy issues are bad, but there are so many of you out there that have really sick babies and I am so thankful that reflux and milk allergies are all that we have.  We went back to the pediatrician on Thursday (also his 6 week birthday, but that is another post!).  She really thinks that yes, he has a milk protein allergy and severe reflux.  She thinks the alimentum is working and is still happy because he weighed 11 pounds and 12 ounces! BIG boy!!!!!  She has referred us to a GI specialist.  Hopefully we will see him within the next week or two.

Friday my mom took the day off to stay with him so that I could go to my 6 week postpartum OB appointment.  I was so excited, I was actually two pounds LESS than at my first prenatal appt at 6 weeks on November 20!  That was just what I needed after such a hard couple of days.  After my appointment we went to BRU to reward Nicholas for the good day he was having.  He is now the proud owner of a tummy time mat and a superseat.  He is a big fan of tummy time and in fact he can roll from his tummy to his back almost as soon as you lay him down!  I'm trying to get it on film and when I do, I'll figure out how to post a video.

Saturday he took his first bath as a big boy!  We took the sling out of his tub and my mom helped me give him a bath just sitting in the tub.  He liked being able to see around better, but was not wanting to have his picture taken! Ha!

Saturday night we went to a block party our neighbors throw every year across the street from our house.  We have a large subdivision with around 100 houses so it is a great chance to meet new people.  We had a good turnout this year!  Guess who stole the show as the only baby there?

At one point he had all the women fighting over a chance to hold him!

Me, Jamie, and Anne

Yesterday Melissa came over and kept Nicholas for about three hours while we went out with Rodney and Sarah.  It was good to get away for a couple of hours and let her have some time with him as well.  After he had his bath we had a mini photo session.  How cute is this picture!  I love these pjs on him, they are so cute and only cost $1.00 at the consignment sale last March! Ha!  He probably wears them more than any other pair.

I forgot to post a picture of my new PPB diaper bag I found at Target and had a couple of requests to show it.  It is the perfect size and it has a lot of pockets for just about anything you can think of!  I thought it was a good bargain for the price!

6 Weeks Already

Six weeks ago today we met our little miracle and what a wild six weeks it has been!  He was a little fussy when I took his picture, so we didn't make a sign this week.


This week has been a little rough.  You are now on your third formula, similac alimentum.  It is a special, predigested formula for babies with milk allergies.  You are doing better since we started it on Monday.  Hopefully it will continue to work well for you!


You are still taking Axid, but we increased your dose to 1.5 ml twice a day.  It has helped to increase.  We saw Dr. Spraggins today and she thinks you are doing great considering how bad you feel.  You weighed 11 pounds and 12 ounces!!!!!  You are such a BIG boy!


This weekend I am planning to pack away all of your newborn size clothes and diapers. :-(  I cannot believe you are already SIX weeks old and exclusively in 3 month clothes!  You are also sleeping almost all night and you have slept in your own bed for an entire week now.  No more pack n play for you!  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you for adjusting so well!


You also started drinking 6-7 oz of formula every four hours yesterday.  Again, you seem to be doing better because of it.  


Your favorite activities right now are still tummy time (you are getting a special mat for tummy time tomorrow!), sitting in your boppy or bouncer, and watching a ceiling fan.  You've started really noticing Spencer this week and you seem to love him.  You always want to touch him.  He is so good with you too.  He loves to lay down close to where you are even if you are in your room.  He doesn't want you too far from him.


On a sad note, we are halfway done with maternity leave.  Six weeks from yesterday Mommy will go back to work and you will go to E-Kids.  :-(  I dread the thought of leaving you everyday, but I know that you will have fun playing with the other babies and you will learn so much more than mommy can teach you at home.  We are going to try to do some fun things before we start our new routine, if it will ever cool down.  It has been over 1oo degrees almost every day since you were born.  Too hot for a baby!

Tummy Update

Nicholas has had another couple of rough days.  Starting Sunday we saw a decline in his progress.  By Monday afternoon we were back at the beginning as far as behavior after a bottle.  After doing research and talking to his pedi, we put him on Similac Alimentum.  Last night and today he has been so much better, but I'm still cautious.  The only drawbacks I see to this "liquid gold" is that it is a fortune ($26 a can!) and smells terrible, but if it will help him digest better, who cares!

I am having to figure out how to thicken this formula.  It is a different consistency than what we've been on.  This morning we ran out to Target to buy mommy a new diaper bag (BTW, have you seen that they have an economy size, limited edition Petunia Pickle Bottom?!) and when we finished I thought I would stop by my parents and feed him.  Well, apparently it was a little thin, we BOTH ended up wearing it! Ha! Actually, more ended up on me than Nicholas!

He is sleeping better since he got his Axid and Sunday night he slept from 9:30-4:15!!!  He would have continued to sleep, but I had to wake him up moving him so that I could go to bed.  He was asleep in his boppy on the couch, not exactly safe.  Last night he slept from 11:30-4!  We are making progress towards sleeping a good portion of the night!  He has been in his crib since Friday and seems to like it.  I've been rocking him to sleep after his last bottle and playing Praise Baby CDs for him on repeat.  Whatever works!

Since I got in trouble for not having enough pics of him on the blog, here are a few from the past week. :-)

First night in his crib

One of his new hobbies, looking out the window.

sitting with Daddy

Fall Pictures Anyone?

Are you in need of some new family photos or a Fall photo session? If so, call my sister in law, Melissa!  She is holding a mini-session on Sunday, September 12 at Heritage Park in East Brainerd and would love to see you there!  It is $50 for a 20 minute session including a CD with all images and copyrights.  She does awesome work (as seen on here).  You can reach her at here.  Email her today to reserve a spot!  I am reserving my spot in just a few minutes. 

Our Busy Weekend

Whew!  What a busy weekend!!!!  Friday we had Michael's Granny's burial and lunch with his Dad, sister, and her boyfriend.  That afternoon Nicholas got increasingly fussy, and I had enough.  I already had a call into the pedi office regarding changing his medicine and when they called back around six I was at the end of my rope and there may have been some crying involved.  Ha!  We switched his zantac to axid, 1/4 tsp twice a day and it seems to be doing better.  He hasn't spit up at all since we changed to formula and thickit until tonight.  I was getting him in his bath and he had projectile spit up all over the island and the floor!  It was impressive.  Poor baby!  They are supposedly calling me tomorrow to check on him and I am going to tell them about it and that he is doing better as in no arching or screaming after he eats, but still fussy.

Friday night after bathtime, Nicholas and I spent about an hour and a half rocking in his room listening to Praise Baby.  He seems to love those CDs.  It was such a wonderful moment for me to just sit in the dark and sing to my baby that I prayed for for so long.

Yesterday Nicholas and I went shopping with my mom because I found out Tuesday that Michael and I would be attending a charity gala for the American Cancer Society on Saturday night.  This mommy had nothing to wear, so I went to Ann Taylor Loft and found a fabulous deal on a cute black dress.  FYI, they have some great deals and cute stuff right now.  I'm going back soon for some fall clothes!

Saturday night Michael and I went to Cleveland for the gala and my parents came over and kept Nicholas.  The speakers for the event were Vince and Barbara Dooley and they were fabulous!  Of course, that may be because I am such a football fan and grew up a GA fan, not sure.  Ha!  I made my mom take a picture of us before we left.  

I had decided earlier in the week that IF we had a decent night and morning we would try to make it to church this morning.  Well, we did, and with 15 minutes to spare! Ha!  Someone that will go unnamed was a little fussy right before we left, so these two pictures are as good as I got of his outfit, but you get the idea.

To have had such a rough start to the trip, he did GREAT!  He was awake the first half then slept while I held him during the sermon.  He could not have been any better!  It was kind of a special thing because his first Sunday was at the same church that my entire family (on my mom's side) all went to as babies, including me!

We came home and while he was having tummy time on his boppy, Nicholas rolled from his stomach to his back.  I'm not sure if that really counts or not, but I am going to try to get it on video next time!  We spent the afternoon being lazy and we all took a three hour nap.  Now we are having a good time watching football and eating wings Michael grilled for us.  Hoping football will bring on some Fall weather!  These 100 degree days are no fun!  I can't really go anywhere in this heat with Nicholas and that is hard for me!

Five Weeks

You are FIVE weeks old today!  This has been a HARD week (notice the lack of posts).  Your reflux has hit an all time high and you've been miserable.  You had your one month check up on Monday and you weighed 11 pounds even and 22 inches long!  You are still in 0-3 months clothes and size 1 pampers.  Starting on Tuesday afternoon we started giving you Similac Isomil Sensitive with soy for fussy gassy babies mixed with one tablespoon of thickit instead of breastmilk and cereal.  It has made a huge difference.  Your doctor thinks you had a milk allergy and it was making you miserable on top of your reflux.  Bless your heart!

You have become SO alert this week.  Your new favorite activities are starting at ceiling fans (see above picture!), sitting in your boppy, and believe it or not, napping in your swing (you've hated it before).  I can tell a huge difference in your personality now that you are on formula (as much as that makes me sad).  You are much happier, although still hurting and fussy after a bottle.  

You are also loving being held close and up on our chest.  Your Gigi started that and it seems to help you when you get super fussy.  Here you are with Daddy when he got home from work last Saturday.  Too cute!  Notice you are wearing your first pair of jeans for the first time!

 

This week was also busy because Daddy's Great-Grandmother, Granny, passed away Monday morning and we had her visitation and funeral tonight with burial tomorrow morning.  You looked adorable in your little shortall outfit, but we didn't have time for a picture.  I'll be sure to get one sometime this weekend.  :-)

One Month Wellcheck

Today was Nicholas' one month wellcheck and it certainly was a busy day!  We had a long night last night with N waking up five times before I finally figured out that he didn't like the incline that we had in his pack n play and exchanging it for the one in his crib.  After that we had a better night (too bad it was 4:30 by then!).  We got up around 7:30 for our 9:00 appt and he was just so happy this morning.  He just hung out in his boppy on the bed until I pumped and got ready.


We saw Dr. Spraggins and she thought he looked great and was doing great! He weighed 11 pounds even and was right at 22 inches!  He is in the 50th percentile for both!  He even got his second hepatitis vaccine and only cried for about ten seconds!!!!  The only problem was still his reflux.  The only symptom that seems to be getting better is the screaming...it is now just a cry. :-(  Dr. Spraggins wanted us to go downtown to Children's and get an abdominal ultrasound to check for pyloric stenosis.  Well, I win the award for mom of the year/stupid nurse, because I know that you cannot eat or drink before this test, but what did I do as soon as she left the room?  Fed the screaming, hungry baby!  Ugh!!!!  I felt so dumb considering I knew better than that, but sleep deprived as I am, I just didn't think.


We finally got downtown at one for his US.  He did great and it was normal, so we are still thinking reflux, but now she is calling it, severe reflux.  You think?!!!  So, we are now doubling the amount of cereal in his bottle, giving an extra dose of zantac daily and praying it works.  I'm supposed to check in later this week to see how he is doing.


We were both completely exhausted when we got home.  He slept in his car seat for about two hours, got up to eat and be changed, then we both fell asleep while burping.  He is STILL asleep two hours later in his swing.  Poor baby had a rough day!

Happy One Month, Nicholas!

Nicholas, today you turned one month old! Daddy and I cannot believe you are already one month old!!! We love you so much and our world revolves around you. Being a mommy is the greatest thing I've ever done. I love it so much! You were definitely worth all the pain of the wait for you! Good things really do come to those who wait!!!!

Here are some facts about you:

• You are a pretty good sleeper. We put you in your pack n play in our room around 11:00 every night after your last bottle and you sleep until 2:30-3:00. You easily fall back asleep and sleep for exactly three hours, every time. It's funny, but once you wake up the first time you are like a little alarm clock! You also nap in your crib, but we haven't had a full night there yet, probably won't until 8 weeks or so.
• You LOVE to eat! You eat 4oz every two and a half to three hours of milk with 2 teaspoons of rice cereal added due to your reflux issues. Your reflux has good days and bad days, but over the past couple of days, you've been much, much better!
• You are already in 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. Mommy is sad you didn't wear some of your cute clothes, but that's ok, you have plenty more! :-)
• Your favorite activities are tummy time, sitting in your boppy, sitting in your bouncer, and going for a R-I-D-E (yes, we have to spell it out because poor Spencer thinks he has to go if he hears ride! Haha!)

Today we had a little party to celebrate the fact that you are ONE MONTH OLD! We are so blessed and happy that God has given us a beautiful, healthy, happy baby and we just wanted to celebrate!!!! We had hamburgers and cooked out for lunch. Mommy got the idea to have a cake each month from her blog friend, Jennifer, known to you as your blog friend, Brody's mom. I love the idea and look forward to having one again next month! This month we did one with your nursery theme in mind. Thanks Cake Boutique for another awesome cake!

When we sat you in your chair you put your arm up on your pillow and it was just the CUTEST thing ever! Haha! Also, we dressed you in your little "Dad's BBQ Buddy" shirt and shorts! C.U.T.E!

Happy Birthday to you!

Our little family!

Happy Birthday buddy! I am so excited to spend the next month with you! It is going to be fun!