Thursday, December 23, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Karleigh-Random 1st Month Pictures
-With Granny & Pops 10/28/10
-Sucking on her fingers 10/29/10
-Napping in the bouncer 11/9/10
(Mom & Dad's 8th wedding anniversary!)
-Crazy Hair 11/9/10
-Kissing face aka FEED ME! 11/7/10
-Hobby Lobby with Mom & Granna 11/11/10
-Mad @ Momma 11/15/10
-Tummy Time 11/16/10
-Fun with Daddy 11/19/10
Posted by Katy at 12:10 AM 0 comments
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Karleigh
Saturday, November 27, 2010
1 Month Old-November 27th, 2010
1st Thanksgiving
Since your umbilical cord was off, we were finally able to give you your first real bath. We brought your pink bathtub to Granna's house. Mommy, Daddy, & Granna gave you the bath and you seemed to really enjoy it. You relaxed down in the warm water while we washed your front but when we went to wash your back you tried to stand up in the tub! Afterwards we wrapped you up and you snuggled with your Pappaw.
On Nov. 27th, we had a family get-together at Granna's house with some of momma's extended family. You were able to meet several of momma's cousins. Most came to see you at the hospital when you were born but this is the first time that they were able to hold you.
You were so cute all dressed up with a big flower on your head but when Granna went to take you out of your carseat she discovered that your diaper had blown out everywhere! While we were trying to clean you up you decided you needed to tee-tee and it ran all the way up to your neck! It was quite a traumatic experience for your Granna but your Momma just laughed! I had already been up to my elbows in several of your poopy diapers!
You still nurse the majority of the time but we usually give you one feeding a day with the bottle so you'll stay used to it. You also like to pick your head up and slam it back down on momma's shoulder when you decide it is time to eat. You're not very patient when you decide it is dinner time. lol You're still eating about 15 minutes each side every 4 hours. Sometimes you will decide you need to eat more often during the day but not much.
Some Bullet Points:
- You love the little travel swing at Granna's house but HATE the nice big one that we have at home! Swinging is the only way you will let momma take showers most days.
- You still wake up at night to eat about every 4 hours. One night you slept for 6 hours straight and we were so surprised! Momma felt like a new woman after that much sleep!
- You have smiled several times but mostly while sleeping. You have the most beautiful smile and I can't wait until you smile at me someday.
- You're just now growing into the newborn size clothing we had for you.
- You wear Pampers Sensitive diapers because they are small enough & soft enough to go around your little legs and keep everything inside.
- You and the puppies have been getting along well. Y'all all kind of ignore each other at this point. Reese gets a little jealous because your in Mommy's lap all of the time but she sits beside us & snuggles while you nurse. Tootsie likes to lay next to your pack n play sometimes while you sleep.
- You still only take the paci on very rare occasions. Usually it just makes your more mad.
- You have worn a bit of a bald spot on the back of your head. You like to throw your head back & forth when you fuss so it has slowly gotten bigger.
- The birthmark on your back has gotten a little redder & larger like Dr. Sawyer said it would. He said not to worry about it but I can't help it. Dr. Sawyer is very pleased with your growth and is so helpful answering all of mommy's questions.
- You're hands still are always up in the air or by your face! You sometimes lace your fingers and hold your hands under your chin. It is so cute!
- Your funny faces just crack us up!
Mom
Posted by Katy at 1:46 PM 0 comments
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Karleigh
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
2 Weeks Old-November 10th, 2010!
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Karleigh
Saturday, November 6, 2010
She's Here!
Posted by Katy at 9:49 PM 2 comments
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Baby 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Baby Update 10.23.10
How Far Along: 37 Weeks & 4 days
Size of baby: Over 19 inches (A stalk of swiss chard?)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 29 lbs
Maternity Clothes: A whole closet full of them and I will probably be wearing them long into 2011.
Gender: A Girl! After 10 sonograms...please be correct!
Movement: She thumps and rolls constantly. I've noticed her movement slows down when my BP gets really high and that upsets me.
Sleep: in 1 to 1 1/2 hour increments. It is starting to show on my face...apparently I "look tired!" ha!
What I miss: Having feeling in my hands & fingers and being able to grip things.
Cravings: Breakfast foods, grapes, peaches, ice cream
Symptons: Metallic taste and all day sickness in the beginning. Swelling, carpal tunnel from swelling, heartburn.
One last thing...Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mother Patti! The most beautiful grandmother to be around! I love you Mom!
Posted by Katy at 11:00 PM 1 comments
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Baby 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Week 36 & 37
Well I guess I better update with the latest news! I'm at home on modified bed rest now...have been since last Friday. Blood pressure is still running up and down but at my Thursday appt on the 14th my BP was the highest it has ever been. 171/107. They also found protein in my sample at this appointment so I once again had to make a trip over to labor & delivery for testing for toxemia (pre-eclampsia). I was there for a couple of hours before they ran more tests and decided that while I was at risk for the beginning stages of toxemia...it wasn't full blown toxemia yet. He allowed me to go home but not back to work. He said that my students were making my blood pressure go too high! ha I could have told him last weeks ago! lol
I'm on modified bed rest which means I'm allowed up and about but do need to put my feet up for a good portion of the day. This enabled me to get a few last things ready for my sub and on Monday I was able to spend 1st & 2nd period getting her settled with the kids. I've been working on thank you cards for shower gifts and did take a short trip to the nail salon for a manicure and pedicure. It was actually the most relaxed that I've been in weeks. I've been packing my bag and her diaper bag. I found the most adorable coming home outfit for her!
Dr. W had me come back in on Tuesday which was 37 weeks. He once again found protein in my sample but it was still a small enough amount not to have to do any emergency surgery. He decided that the protein levels combined with my BP going up and down indicated that Karleigh needs to be delivered at no later than 38 weeks. Her sonogram on Tuesday showed that she is still growing and doing well but he feels that after next week it would be risky for both her and I. I go into his office tomorrow for another appointment and then we are going to schedule an induction of some type for Tuesday the 26th. That is of course if my blood pressure doesn't cause an emergency and she doesn't come on her own before that. I don't believe she will but you never know. He will decide what type of delivery we will have (natural or c-section) after he checks me fore dilation on Friday. I would prefer a natural delivery w/meds over a c-section just because of recovery time but I will listen to whatever he thinks is best. He really has been doing a good job with us. Kevin and I are very grateful to him for that.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole idea that she should be here in less than a week. I've kinda spent the whole pregnancy like an ostrich with my head buried in the sand...ignoring the fact that delivery will get here and it will hurt. I'm scared of the pain, scared of my health failing, and most of all...scared that something will happen to Karleigh during delivery. I hear horror stories everyday of brand new mothers seizing or having aneurysms right after birth and it terrifies me. Not because I'm afraid of death but more because I'm afraid of all that I will miss. I've spent all my life dreaming of becoming a mother and now it is so close...I'm afraid it will all be taken away instantly.
I hope and pray that I will be a good patient next week and a good mother as soon as Karleigh arrives. I cannot wait to see her little face! She has become very very very strong in the last few weeks and I watch her punch and kick in my belly regularly. It took awhile for others to be able to see the movement due to my large size but now it can be seen clearly. I made a few videos so I can remember what it is like. As excited as I am when I think about Karleigh being here in the world...I'm already starting to miss feeling her in my tummy and she isn't out yet! I love being able to feel her and have her with me at all times and I know when I have to leave her sometime it will just break my heart.
Well I'm off to get ready for bed! I don't sleep much at all anymore...usually in hour to hour & half long bursts between my bladder size, hips hurting, back hurting, hands going numb, or congestion. Ah...the lasts wonderful weeks of pregnancy! As painful & scary as some of these last weeks have been I wouldn't change it for the world and I know I will miss being pregnant sometimes. I'll update again tomorrow after we hear final plans from Dr. W and to post a very rare photograph that was captured the other day. It will definitely be something you see only once on this blog!
Posted by Katy at 9:11 PM 0 comments
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Baby 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Week 35
I know...I know it's been a while. Things went just as I feared and once school got started I didn't do anything but work and sleep for several weeks...which is actually where the trouble began.
On September 7th, Karleigh had been cooking for 31 weeks. I've been really struggling at school with huge classes so I stayed late that night to grade papers. I didn't get finished until around 8 pm. I've been checking my blood pressure periodically since I began swelling and when I got home that night...it was high. 140s/90s. My normal is 120s/70s. I went to bed and tried laying on my left side but it still stayed pretty high. Early that morning I called my nurse practitioner and she wanted me to come in before the clinic opened. When I got there it was even higher and they made me stay around for a while checking it periodically. It never went down and at one point got as high as 160/110 which landed me in labor & delivery. I was given an emergency sonogram to check on the baby along with lab work and kept for observation. Finally my blood pressure went down... but not before I was assigned to a new doctor and given 2 steroid shots to help the baby's lungs mature. I was put on bed rest for 5 days and assigned daily bp readings.
The bed rest was good for my swelling, which went down significantly. I had an appointment with my new doctor the next Monday and I had lost 4 lbs of fluid from the swelling over the weekend. My new doctor allowed me to go back to work but I was put on weekly dr appointments and weekly sonograms to check the baby's growth. I actually ended up back at the doctor late that week because I picked up some kind of virus at school. The steroids lowered my immune system and I had some flu like symptoms along with a weird heat rash on my upper arms and chest area. Thankfully it went away but it was pretty perplexing at the time after all we had been through that week.
I did ok at work for about another week and half before my blood pressure went back up again. This time the doctor put me on a beta blocker called labetalol to lower my blood pressure. I didn't want to take it but they said it would be better for both me and the baby to get my blood pressure down. It has helped significantly. At times it has even lowered my bp down into the 120s/70s. It helps take the swelling back off of my feet at night time and my hands are doing much better. The carpal tunnel had gotten so bad that I had been unable to turn door handles and it was keeping me up at night. I still have a bit of numbness in my finger tips but it really is much better.
The weekly sonos and dr appts have required me to take 1/2 days off at work which was disappointing but I think it has been good for me. Kevin and I have been getting used to my new doctor. He is very nice but doesn't quite dote on us like my nurse practitioner did.
I had my weekly appointment yesterday afternoon and it didn't go quite as well. I was rushing to get to the dr and when I arrive my bp was 160/96. The doctor wasn't thrilled because combined with the bp...my swelling came back significantly over the weekend. He was happy that I'm still not showing any signs of protein in my urine which would indicate pre-eclampsia. At this point the diagnosis is just gestational hypertension and he believes the bp will go back down after delivery. He ordered some blood work and I went to my weekly sonogram afterward. He also has put me on twice weekly appointments now. I have to go back again on Thursday afternoon.
Karleigh was rated an 8 out of 8 at her growth scan this week which is fantastic. We have had the same sweet lady sonographer for the last 3 weeks and she remembers us each time. I think it is because Karleigh is head down and likes to sit with her hands holding her feet above her head...3 times now she has been sitting like that. At 33 weeks the sonogram said that she was already over 5 lbs. Next monday we'll get another weight check for her. I'm anxious to see how much more she has grown because in the last 2 weeks she has done something that I didn't think was possible....I now have MORE stretch marks. I didn't think it was possible for a belly as flabby & stretched out as mine to get more stretch marks but I now have a train track of stretch marks running around my midsection. She has gone from giving sweet, surprising kicks and rolls to strong, painful jabs and thumps so I know she is getting stronger. My bp had gone back down by the time I left the dr around 4 pm and has done well since.
My first real run in with Braxton Hicks contractions was on the night after I received the 2nd steroid shot. They lasted for several hours that night. I don't really know when a contraction begins or ends. I don't feel a real definite start or stop. I'll just all of the sudden notice that my belly is tight and has been a little uncomfortable. I've had them on and off periodically since then and last night I had quite a few. I wouldn't call them painful but definitely uncomfortable and they become more and more uncomfortable as the weeks go on.
That is the enormous pregnancy update for the last few weeks. I think I've covered most everything health & pregnancy related. I'm getting more and more excited and more and more terrified as the weeks go by. I pray that I will be able to deliver this adorable baby girl safely and be a fantastic parent. My parents were fantastic so I just keep hoping I'll be as good as they were. I know Kevin is going to be a amazing dad...I hope I don't disappoint anyone.
Posted by Katy at 12:01 AM 1 comments
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Baby 2010