Vacation in Destin

Our vacation to Destin was a lot of fun! I was so worried about how Bailey would do on the car ride. It was a very long drive and she did great. Ok part of the reason is that I got her out of her car seat a few times to feed her. I know it's not safe to do that but we never would have made it otherwise. I sat in the back seat with her so that I could keep her company. We sang lots of Disney songs and watched Baby Einstein! The only issue that we had was that she got pretty hot sitting in her car seat. She ended up getting all these little red dots all over her. When I researched it, it seemed like she was breaking out in heat rash. We decided to take a nice long lunch break at a rest stop and took her clothes off so she could lay out on her play mat and cool down. Then we bought a box of oatmeal bath. When we got to the hotel that night we bathed her in it in the sink. We ended up giving her 2 baths in the oatmeal and by the next day she was pretty well cleared up. The oatmeal bath worked like a charm. I was really worried about how she would do on the beach. I got her a rash guard shirt (swim shirt) and sun hat and a sun tent to keep her out of the sun. I was more worried about the heat. We brought a battery operated fan to set up under the tent. She did so well! There was only 1 day that was way too hot for her to be outside. There was absolutely no breeze in the air which made her really sticky. It was so nice to travel with my parents because they were more than willing to watch her for us so that we could go out to the beach. Even when we were on the beach they would take turns sitting by her so that we could go play in the water. We put her little feet in the sand and even put her waist deep in the ocean. She did like the water for the most part. She slept so good outside with the breeze and sound of the waves I'm going to do my best to make her room feel like that. We realized that she likes a fan blowing her hair and sleeps so much better. The entire week she slept for 4 hours at a time at night. The best time at the beach to me is walking along in the evenings. Its so nice and relaxing at that time of day. We would walk all the way down to the jetty and by the time we were walking back Bailey was asleep in her Daddy's arms. It was so great getting to spend a week with my family. Bailey really got spoiled by her aunts, uncles and Nana and Papa. She even got lots of attention from her little cousin Barrett. He was so cute with her. Anytime she would cry he would say "oh no!" and run over to her and pat her arm. He played peek a boo with her and made sure she had her pacifier in her mouth. I'm so glad that she is going to have cousins to grow up with. Her first time we put her feet in the sand and then in the ocean, she wasnt so sure what to think. She cried pretty good for awhile but then got used to it. I know she will be a little water bug eventually. All in all it was a really fun relaxing vacation. Ok so at times it didn’t feel relaxing when you think about all the crap we hulled back and forth to the beach but it was worth it!

6 Weeks

By 6 weeks old Bailey has been getting more and more vocal. She likes to coo and gurgle and smile at us all the time. She really loves her Daddy too! Whenever she sees him she just lights up. It's so cute. There has been one thing though that has been really worrying us. She has been making this high pitched gasping sound. It’s almost like she can't breathe. I have really noticed it since she was born I had been asking the pediatrician about it and they keep saying that it’s very normal and it’s just her breathing patterns. Well finally I decided to record it. I made another appointment with my pedi and they said it's a condition called laryngamalacia. It means that her vocal cords are soft and floppy. It’s just like cartilage that hasn’t hardened yet. The gasping sound is made because the vocal cord falls into her airway making it hard for her to breathe. They said that she should grow out of it but it helps to elevate her bed and to feed her in a more upright position to help keep her from chocking. It has been very scary for me because in the middle of the night she wakes up coughing and chocking a lot. It’s also a combination of reflux. I ended up taking her to a specialist who had to put a tiny camera up through her nose and down her throat. I felt like such a bad mom because I couldn’t stand to be in the room when they did it. She screamed so badly but they said it doesn’t hurt them it’s just uncomfortable. Well I guess they would tell me that. Anyways, they said it is in fact Laryngamalacia and that it’s mild. The only thing I need to do is watch for her having reflux issues too often because that could enflame her cords even more and then we may need to get her on medicine. So I’m praying that she outgrows this very soon. I don’t think that I will be able to sleep soundly while she makes these noises in her sleep like that. On a positive note, we are getting ready for our family vacation to Florida! I have been making my lists and so far I'm not sure how in the world we are going to fit everything we need to take with us. It's no wonder people get mini vans.

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1 Month Old

One month flew by so fast it was unbelievable. Part of the reason that it’s gone by so fast is that my days and nights have really seemed to blend together. She is such a good little baby and hasn’t been fussy or anything. As long as she is fed then she is pretty happy. The only issue is that she really likes to eat very often. I was getting really worried that I wasn’t producing enough milk or something. I even pumped a few times and added a half ounce of formula to try and tie her over for longer periods of time. I talked to the pediatrician about it and they said that its very normal for a baby to want to eat every 2 hours. The thing that no one told me was that when you say every 2 hours it’s not a 2 hour time in between each feeding its actually 2 hours from the time they start eating to the next time they want to eat again. So in reality that gives me about 1 hour to a 1 hour 15 by the time I fed and changed her. I literally felt like there was no need to put a shirt on some days. Well when we went to her 1 month check up I was both shocked and happy by her weight gain. I was so shocked that I had them weigh her twice just to be sure that I heard them correctly. Two weeks earlier she had weighed in at 7 lbs exactly. Then at her 1 month apt. she was 9 lbs and 9 ounces! All of those feeding times had paid off and she was getting plenty to eat. Now I just need to figure out how to get her to go longer periods at night without needing to eat. It would be really nice to get more than an hour sleep at a time. Within in her first month Bailey celebrated her 1st 4th of July and her 1st time in a pool. We actually took her down to the fireworks in Granite City. She was such a trooper and slept through the entire show. I was a little worried about her ears so I put my fingers over them during the grand finale :) Her first time in the pool was great too. She loved the water. I knew she would because she loves her bath time. Every time we turn on the water to give her a bath she calms down immediately if she is fussy. She just lies in her little tub and coos at us. Little Bailey has also been smiling at us! Her first time to smile was on July 7th early in the morning. Andy and I had her on our bed playing with her and she looked at us and smiled and laughed. I wasn’t really sure if it was a real smile and laugh at first but she did it 3 times that morning. It has been so much fun getting to know our little girl. It’s going to be really hard to go back to work in September.

2 weeks

So in the first 2 weeks of being a mommy I have learned so much already. I was worried that I wouldn’t know when to feed her or change her and what her different cries meant. It’s amazing how fast you learn these things. I can already tell the difference between a cry that means she's hungry versus a cry where she is just annoyed and wants to change positions. I'll tell you what though; she has got me wrapped around her finger! All she has to do is this little whimper cry and I give in so quickly. It’s pretty funny too because sometimes she even yells at us. It’s a short loud yell. As soon as you give her your attention after she does that, she does a sweet little whimper. It’s so pathetic but she already knows how to work us. Anyways, she isn’t sleeping very well through the night yet. It’s killing me. I just try to tell myself that I just get to spend more time with her when were awake together. If she wasn’t so cute I wouldn’t be able to do it. I love just holding her and staring at her when she is eating. It’s such a sweet time together. I know she won’t need me like this forever. So I wish that someone would have told me that little girls can sometimes pee just like a boy. Well I had no idea! I was changing Bailey at 3 am when all of a sudden she peed straight up in the air and across the room! I was so shocked that I screamed! I was not expecting it at all. She has done this 2 other times since and its actually pretty funny. Another thing that almost never fails is that as soon as I get her swaddled back up for bed she decided that make another big pooh! I really think they know what they are doing. It’s so frustrating but sort of funny. I'm trying really hard to get her on a schedule so that I can get her to sleep longer through the nights. We start the morning (11 am) with mat time where we do leg exercises and sing songs along with some tummy time. Then we move to the swing for a little bit. It’s funny because we bought this really nice big swing but she prefers her smaller less expensive swing. We can hardly get her to sit in the big swing for 5 min. Anyways, I just try to rotate her with activities and then we go back to eating and sleeping until Daddy gets home. We try to give her a bath by 8:30 every night and then a book, eat and bed time. It has really been helping but she still isn’t sleeping more than 1 1/2 hours at a time.

Bringing Bailey Home

We were finally released from the hospital on Monday around 3:00 pm. We were so excited yet terrified to leave. It was such a crazy feeling being wheeled out of the hospital with the baby in my lap just like in the movies. Then even crazier to place her in our car for our trip home! I sat in the back seat with her just in case she needed me. When we got home, Andy carried her car seat upstairs to our living room and set it down in the middle of the room. She was sound asleep so we just sat there on the floor and stared at her. Neither one of us had a clue what to do next. It was really amazing thinking that all of these months wondering and dreaming about what our baby would look like and how it would feel to have her at home with us and now here she was, as beautiful as ever sleeping peacefully in her car seat.

The next few days were both wonderful and exhausting! Andy was off work until Thursday so he was able to help out as much as possible. We were up all night and slept a lot during the days. It was really fun when we gave her a bath for the first time. She was so cute and tiny so we bathed her in the kitchen sink. Unfortunately Andy had to go back to work that Thursday and I was so scared to have her by myself at home. Thankfully my sister Niki came over and stayed the night with me just to help out and offer advice. My mom stayed the next night and my other sister stayed another night! I'm so lucky to have family like that is willing to come over to help me out (even if it is to see Bailey and not me :))

I had to take Bailey to the pediatricians 3 times in the first 2 weeks. I know that its normal for babies to lose weight at first but she lost weight over the course of 2 visits so I had to keep going back. I was having trouble getting her to latch on one side and was worried that she wasn’t getting enough to eat. She was eating almost every hour which is so exhausting because by the time she is done eating and I change her; I have maybe a half hour before she is ready to eat again. By the 3rd visit she had gained a little bit of weight so we were no longer worried. Breast feeding is so tiring and I was almost ready to quit a few times because I felt like I couldn’t do anything and that I wouldn’t ever have a life! Well that is somewhat true at first but I have to say it is the best feeling in the world! It does make it difficult to go many places because by the time you get anywhere she is ready to eat again and then trying to find a place to feed her is even harder. But in the long run it is so rewarding. I love the time I get to spend with her cuddling her and the sweet faces she makes at me while she is eating makes all the trouble worth it. They are only little for such a short period of time. I'm going to do my best to pump while I'm at work but if it doesn’t work out then on the bright side, Daddy can help out more too :)

Welcome to the World Little Bailey Girl!-June 8, 2013

It has been forever since I last posted. The week before Bailey was born was crazy and since then it has been a whirlwind. So I'm going to catch up bit.

The week of the 7th was very interesting. I wasn’t feeling so great since Saturday the 1st. I was just very tired and out of it. I went to church on Sunday only to turn around and go back to bed. I ended up taking the day off on Monday and by Tuesday, I was feeling terrible. I was just plain sick. I was supposed to have my weekly OB apt in the afternoon but felt so bad that I called to have it earlier, right about 10 am. When I went in they checked me and I was still at a 1 but 75% effaced. They hooked me up to a monitor to see if I was having any contractions. I was perfectly fine. By Tuesday night at 11:00 pm I ended up with something so bad that I was in the bathroom all night every 25-30 min until Wednesday at 8am. So I called the OB and they had me come into the hospital to get checked out. I was worried that throwing up as much as I did was going to hurt the baby somehow. When I got to the hospital they hooked me up to an IV in order to get fluids in my system. I really had thought that maybe this was it and I was going to be able to have Bailey early or something :) But instead they sent me home at 3pm with a prescription and ordered me to drink lots of fluids and to rest. They had determined that I just had a bad viral infection. I took it easy on Thursday and was off work again on Friday.

Friday was our 5 year anniversary! I still can't believe that we have been married for 5 years. Since I still wasn’t feeling 100% and really hadn’t eaten much we decided to head to Bread Co. for soup and sandwiches and then off to see a movie (Star Trek). We knew we had to see a least 1 more movie before baby came since it would be difficult to do so once she was here. All night I kept feeling strange. I could feel lots of movement down low and my belly felt unusually tight. I could hardly breathe sitting in that darn movie theater chair. I knew that something was going on and thought that I would probably have her by the end of the weekend.

12:30 AM Saturday June 8-I'm still awake watching TV and think I have to use the restroom....it was just a trickle so I wasn’t sure I was going to the bathroom or if my water broke. I kept trying to make it stop when I realized it wasn’t my imagination! It was finally time to meet our baby girl. I yelled for Andy to wake up and in disbelief we both got ready to go to the hospital. It was the strangest feeling getting ready knowing this was it. I was so nervous and excited. We called our parents on the way and we were both very calm.

They checked us in and had to verify that my water did in fact break. Once they determined that it had broken they moved us to a delivery room. The nurse said that it looked like only a portion of the bag of water broke so they would have to finish breaking it with this long tool. My contractions hadn’t started yet. My mom and sister had met us at the hospital at 2 am to show their support and excitement as well. The nurse checked me and said that I was 100% effaced and only 1.5 cent dilated. Basically they didn’t expect me to deliver until later that afternoon at the earliest. We sent my mom and sister home to get rest while Andy and I got as comfortable as we could and tried to rest as well. The nurse brought me a popsicle and a drink and we turned down the lights to try and sleep. Of course I didn’t get an ounce of sleep! Then the nurse came back in to break the rest of my water. It was very painful when they used the tool but they realized that Bailey was so low that her head was just blocking the water from coming out. They moved her around a bit and sure enough lots of water gushed out. My contractions started up a little bit but nothing too crazy. It just felt like uncomfortable menstrual cramps. Again we tried to get more sleep. By about 5:30 they checked me again and I was only at a 3. They decided to give me pitocin to speed up the dilation. I guess it took instantly because by 6:15 I was dying! The pain was so intense. My cramping came in waves and was like the worst menstrual cramps you could ever imagine. I was leaning up on the side of the bed in more pain that I had ever thought. I called for the epidural and I was being prepped before I could blink. It was really difficult to sit up and hunch over a pillow while they put the needle in. I didn’t look of course but honestly it wasn’t that bad at all. Once it was in, I could feel the medicine coursing throughout instantly. I did feel it more on my right side then the left at first. Since I had epidural I could no longer get out of bed so they were going to send someone in shortly to put the catheter in. I was able to settle back in the bed and relax again. Well so I thought....my contractions didn’t get better but they did get shorter. They were just as painful but they didn’t last as long. At 7:00 my day time nurse came in to introduce herself. She said she was planning on checking me again at 7:30 and that they would be in at that time to put in the catheter. As soon as she left I began to have the worst pain in my rear and it felt like I was going to have to go to the bathroom. I felt about 3 waves of contractions before I told Andy to call the nurse back in to check me. At 7:05 she came in and much to all of our surprise I was at a 10! She looked at both of us and said, "Were about to have a baby!" There was no time for the catheter and everything went into action. When she left the room to get the on call doctor Andy and I were in total shock! We couldn’t believe it was all about to happen and that it was happening so fast. He called all of our family to let them know to head back up to the hospital.

When the nurse came back in she started prepping the room. First she lowered the sides of my bed and then raised me up so that the bed would be eye level with the doctor. Then she removed the lower portion of the bed. I felt like I was going to fall off! Next came the fun part....my legs were put in the lovely stirrups. Poor Andy was about to get a real show. Next she put down plastic on the floor and then had me start a few practice pushes. Apparently I did really well, so well that she had me stop pushing so that we could wait for the doctor to finish delivering. Bailey's little head was crowned in just a few pushes. It was so painful to feel her just sitting there. I couldn’t believe I had to wait for the doctor with my baby in the most painful position. At one point I even asked the nurse if she could just deliver her! Since we were waiting on the doctor the nurse was trying to stall and keep my mind off of the current situation as much as possible. She convinced Andy to check out Miss Bailey's little head and he actually looked!

Finally the doctor came in and put on these boots that looked like wader boots, gloves that came up past her shoulder and a giant face mask with a big plastic shield. It was pretty comical actually. The doctor was really wonderful. Once she was ready to go I started pushing during a few more contractions. I was ready for Bailey to make her way into the world (and out of my....haha). It was very painful but honestly it felt much better to push. It was sort of a relief. I think that the contractions were worse that the pushing part of labor. In total I pushed through 6 contractions and it only took about 20 mins. I was very lucky. I just remember on the last few pushes when she was almost here. I could feel her making her way out, I took one last breath and pushed with everything I could. The instant she was out I saw her sweet little face and thought to myself, she looked just like me! It was so strange. She had so much hair that everyone was in complete shock. Then I heard that wonderful cry and they wiped her off and handed her to me. It was the best and most amazing feeling in the world. Andy and I both teared up in awe looking at our beautiful baby girl. We did it! Andy kept telling me how great of a job I did. It was such a wonderful bonding moment for the 3 of us. Bailey has the best features of both of us. She has her Daddy's eyes for sure. We are just so incredibly in love with this little girl. It truly is an instant love that I never knew I could have for someone.

They took her from me to clean her off a little bit more and then brought her back to me to start breastfeeding. I really thought it was going to be weird but I really loved it. She knew what to do right away. It is so crazy that they know how to do that when it is their first time too. Our families came in to celebrate with us shortly after we were done feeding. Then they gave her the first bath. Andy helped clean her up a bit then the nurse had to actually wash her hair for the first time. She had so much hair that she had lots of bubbles on top of her head. It’s probably one of my favorite first pictures of her.

The time in the hospital was such an overall wonderful experience. I did have some trouble getting her to latch to my right side for breastfeeding and the nurses and lactation consultant did everything to help me out. I wasn’t fully prepared for the after birth experience. It was somewhat painful and you get to use a fun little squirt bottle. I never thought I would love granny panties as much as I did afterwards either :) I can't even imagine those that have to go through a c-section. I feel really bad for them and feel lucky that my labor was so easy.

The hospital staff was amazing and they took such great care of us. We had lots of friends and family members visit us and we felt truly blessed. The first 2 nights were so great with our sweet beautiful baby. It is such a miracle. I don’t know how anyone can't believe in God when you go through the experience of having a child.

k

Week 38-May 31, 2013

Last weekend was so great. Andy and I were able to get a ton done around our house and at the same time were able to relax and just hang out. We got her bathroom all set up with her towels and wash cloths and then a cabinet and drawer set up for her in the kitchen. Andy rented a rug doctor and got all the rugs cleaned (coby puked on them right after!) and then we got to just enjoy sitting out on our back patio.  

 

I had my appointment on Tuesday and we were supposed to have an ultra sound. They scheduled me for the wrong week and its not until next Tuesday now! My doc said she isnt worried and that her head is very low meanging that she is very stretched out making my stomach not push out so far. I'm still only at a 1 though. Next week we will find out how big she is.

 

Baby Size:  Week 38: Pumpkin

Average size: 18.9-20.9 inches, 6.2-9.2 lb.Baby might have an inch or so of hair already (my last ultrasound showed that she may have a nice full head of hair!)

Total Weight gain/loss: 33 lbs

 

Maternity clothes: Becuase it's starting to get warmer out, i'm trying to wear skirts and dresses whenever I can. I dont know how women are pregnant in the summer. I'm lucky I won't have to deal with that!

 

Stretch Marks: None as of yet! :) I think I may have seen a few but I can't tell just yet.

Sleep: Not very good. I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!

Best moment this week: Sitting on the back patio hanging out with Andy. I absolutely love our time like that.

 

Miss anything: Still just mostly being able to move around easliy.You dont realize how much you use your core until its basically gone.

Food cravings: Anything Sweet still.

 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just spicy stuff.

Have you started to show yet: This question can probably be removed at this point :)

 

Movement: For the most part she isnt moving as much as she did before but she is still pretty active in the evenings.

Gender: Girl!! Bailey Isabel Riva

Labor Signs: I have been so crazy tired I can't stand it. I could sleep the day away if I let myself.

Belly Button in or out: Still half in and half out.

 

Wedding rings on or off: Still off.

Mood: My mood is ok, i'm just so tired. I really can't wait to meet Bailey.   

Looking forward to: Our 5 year anniversary is on the 7th of June. It will be really nice to go to Forrest Park for our picnic (no wine this time) and then back to our house to watch our wedding video. We wouldnt mind if Bailey wanted to come before then. We can't wait to meet her. Andy is even more ready than me I think. He keeps telling her to hurry up and get here.

Due Date: June 12th, 2013