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Thursday, December 23, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Karleigh-Random 1st Month Pictures

 -Very first look at Momma 10/27/10
-Snuggling with Momma @ 1 day old 10/28/10
-1st Family photo (with a very tired & swollen momma) 10/28/10

 -With Granny & Pops 10/28/10

 -Sucking on her fingers 10/29/10
-Coming home from the hospital 10/29/10
-Milk Coma on your 1st Halloween.  You went as the world's most beautiful baby girl!
-Old Man Face 11/1/10

-1st Sweet Smile (while sleeping) 11/3/10
-1st Nap in your crib (lasted 4 minutes! Ha!) 11/4/10

-Getting a sponge bath 11/7/10

-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

-"Praise Jesus & Pass the Taters!"  11/17/10
 
-"Okay...so you don't like the flower!" 11/17/10

-Napping with Pappaw 11/23/10

Saturday, November 27, 2010

1 Month Old-November 27th, 2010

Karleigh, you are 1 month old!  
You are quickly changing right before my eyes!  You had a very busy 1st month and actually made your very first out of town trip!   2 trips to be exact!  You had lots of 1st this month...
1st restaurant excursion-Olive Garden with Granna
1st shopping trip-Target with Mom & Dad
1st Halloween
1st Real Bath
1st Thanksgiving
1st Diaper Rash-nothing bad but we discovered we need sensitive wipes!  
1st professional photo session

Your umbilical cord finally fell off on sometime during the night of November 12th.  You were 2 weeks & 3 days old and we were all so happy to be able to hold you and diaper you easier.  You have the most adorable little belly button.  It is a good thing that the cord fell off when it did because the next morning you did something that surprised everyone!  You rolled over from you stomach to your back!  Momma & Daddy were letting you try some tummy time now that we didn't have to worry about the cord but you didn't like it.  You starting pitching a fit by lifting your head up and looking side to side while screaming.  You managed to get your feet up off the ground and the next thing we new you had thrown your whole body over!  We were so surprised!  We had known you were strong but didn't realize you were that strong.  You had been lifting & holding your head up for short times since we were in the hospital but that was incredible.  
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.  
Your first out of town trip was a quick trip to Midland on November 19th, 2010.  You were 3 weeks old.  Momma needed to get a few things for nursing that they don't have in our town.  You did fantastic and let momma and daddy get their errands done and even eat lunch at On the Border.  You did manage to completely blow out a brand new outfit while you sat in your car seat during lunch.  We quickly changed you in the back seat & then went to Babies R Us where I believe we bought the whole store!  We just want you to have everything and have to hold ourselves back sometimes.  You did so great during the shopping trip that momma & dad made probably the last spontaneous decision of their life & decided at the last minute to go to the Drive-in theater!  You saw your very first movie that night, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows.  You mostly snuggled with momma and nursed during the movie but at least you attended!  Lol 
You’re second out of town trip was to Abilene for your 1st Thanksgiving!  You met tons of Daddy’s relatives at Grandma Wanda’s house during lunch and later at Bennie & Jackie’s house for dinner.  Everyone just doted over you and said how pretty you were. That evening got a little rough when you got a belly ache.  You were very unhappy and it took momma a good while to get you calmed down.  This was the beginning of several fussy evenings but it doesn't happen every day.  
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! 
At your 1 month check up we were so surprised by your stats! 
You weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and were 21 inches long!  Momma could tell you had grown because you were actually beginning to fit in the newborn diapers!  Your starting to fill out the newborn clothing now.  We've had a few rough evening where you've been very fussy.  Dr. Sawyer believes you have a bit of colic and recommended we try to give you an ounce of chamomile tea in a bottle.  (BTW: You don't like the tea. lol)  It was also time for us to try and introduce breastmilk in a bottle so hopefully you'll switch back & forth between breastmilk in a bottles & nursing while momma goes back to work.  Daddy gave you your first bottle & you did great!  You latched right on and sucked it down quickly.  
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!   
 
We have enjoyed having you in our lives so much!  This first month has been wonderful and we cannot wait to see how much better it will get!   We never dreamed that we would have such a beautiful, sweet little girl and are so blessed!  I love you baby girl...
Love,
Mom

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

2 Weeks Old-November 10th, 2010!

Karleigh, you are 2 weeks old!  I cannot believe how fast time is flying!  You are getting so big!  I'm going to try and update your growth monthly but we had a doctor appointment this week so I wanted to get a few things written down.  Not to mention that these weeks have been a little sleep deprived and I'm still recovering from the surgery so I want to make sure I remember this. 
At 2 weeks you weighed 6 lbs even and were 19 1/2 inches long!  A whole inch in 2 weeks!  I wish I could grow like that!  You're still pretty small in terms of most babies.  You were only in the 3rd percentile for weight but Dr Sawyer says that your weight gain was fantastic and he was very pleased! 

Most newborn clothing and diapers are still very large on you.  You only have a handful of outfits you can wear and those are actually PJs but you still look adorable!  You had your first upset tummy at 3 days old when mommy's milk finally came in.  It took you a little while to get used to digesting the milk so we had our first completely sleepless night that night.  

Your first trip out of the house was on Halloween.  We went back to the hospital for a bilirubin check for your jaundice which went well!  Then we went to Granna & Pappaw's house to visit.  Pappaw & Daddy passed out candy to all the trick or treaters while we all just stared in awe of how pretty you are.  Uncle Spud & Alicia came over too.  Uncle Spud just loves you!  He even willingly changed your diaper!  You get lots of attention!
At 10 days old we had your first professional pictures taken at Sears in the mall.  You sleep almost all the time right now (except at night! ha!) and during the pictures was no different.  We did manage to get a hand full of pictures with your eyes open by turning off the lights before snapping a shot.  You thought it was a very mean trick! 
You are breastfeeding like a champ.  You eat regularly but slowly...15 minutes on each side every 4 hours which is pretty nice for momma.  Most babies your age demand food much more often than that.  I do have to keep you awake during feedings by undressing you or tickling your feet because nursing makes you very sleepy.  It takes a while to feed, burp, and change you so at night we only sleep in about 2 1/2 hours increments. 
You're having a little trouble differentiating day time from night time.  You and momma have spent several nights in the living room watching infomercials.  You don't mind your bouncy seat though you haven't really spent much time in it.  You're a little spoiled and get held most of the time.  You really don't care for your swing but your Granna thinks that will change soon because your momma loved to swing so we'll see how that goes.  
On your 2 week birthday you're Uncle Spud introduced you to a pacifier so we've been calling it your "Spunkle."  You seem kinda indifferent to it really.  You'll suck for a little bit and then spit it out.  Sometimes you love it...sometimes you won't take it at all.  It is really hit or miss.  You definitely have your own opinion on how things should go around here!  Momma tries to swaddle you at night time but you bust your hands out every single night!  Your hands are always up next to your face and head and we're pretty sure you did that while in mommy's tummy too.  That is why we had such a hard time getting good sonogram pictures of you!  
You sleep in your pack n play in Momma & Daddy's room.  Momma likes to hear you breathe at night not to mention it makes night feedings much easier.  
You try a little tummy time everyday but you really don't like it and you really don't like your Poly vi sol vitamin that Dr. Sawyer wants you to take.  You spit the majority of it out and make terrible faces!  
You've had lots of visitors during your first 2 weeks...Granna, Pappaw, Uncle Spud, Alicia, Granny, Pops, Brittany, Anna, Daisy, Dave & Angie, Doyle & Wanda, Mammaw & Guy, and the Sims family.  And those are just the people since we've been home...it doesn't count the tons of people who were at the hospital.  Everyone has different opinions on who you look like.  You have lots of hair just like I did when I was a baby but it looks like you will have blue eyes like Daddy's.  You make the funniest faces and sometimes they look just like your daddy's faces.  I think you will favor him a lot but might have my nose.  Everyone says that you are just the most beautiful baby they have ever seen and I totally agree!  :)  
Momma has been recovering well from the C-section.  She just has a hard time getting out of bed and rolling over.  She lost 25 lbs by your 1 week birthday and then a total of 34 lbs by your 2 week birthday!  That was all of the weight she gained while pregnant with you! 
Sweet girl, you are your mom and daddy's pride and joy!  We are over the moon in love with everything you do!  
I love you baby girl,
Mom

Saturday, November 6, 2010

She's Here!

Kevin & I would like to announce the birth of our daughter...

Karleigh Michelle
October 27th, 2010
5 lbs 12 oz
18 1/2 inches long

We are thrilled, exhausted,  & completely smitten!



Saturday, October 23, 2010

Baby Update 10.23.10

Doctor went well on Friday.  Karleigh is a little on the small side according to her sonograms.  This could be due to genetics (I was 6 lbs 7 oz at birth) or it could be due to the hypertension.  Dr W believes it will be best for her to go ahead and arrive since my blood pressure keeps spiking.  He has scheduled me to be induced next week.  I'm panicking.  As excited as I am to finally meet Karleigh...I'm scared.  I do not want anything to happen to her.  I would cherish your prayers as Kevin and I get ready to meet our little girl. 

I've seen this little blurb posted on others blogs before but I didn't remember it until just now!  I wish I would've done this the whole pregnancy but at least I squeezed it in at the last minute. 

Pregnancy Highlights:
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. 
Best Moment this week: Getting to spend some down time with my family! 

One last thing...Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mother Patti!  The most beautiful grandmother to be around!  I love you Mom!

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!


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.