I'm a happy baby.
Look at the pretty butterflies!
That's pretty funny, Mr. Bear!
Me and my new friend.
Hey, we're having a private conversation here.
Aren't I cute?Well, things are going great. Olivia seems to be just thriving at home and taking every bottle. She’s taking all of her medicine like a champ. We’ve been busy distinguishing all of her cries. . you know, her “I’m hungry” cry, “I’m gassy” cry, her “I know I like to wriggle out of everything, but I got my hands out and now I want them back in” cry. Plus, her most famous cry. . .“Why should I sleep in the crib by myself when I could sleep in the recliner with mom and dad?” It’s amazing. . .105 days of sleeping by herself all day and now she can’t seem to fall asleep without being held. Ryan and I are kind of struggling with that as we don’t want to spoil her to it, but at the same time, doesn’t she deserve to be spoiled a bit. Hasn’t she had enough pain and sadness for one lifetime? I also thought babies were supposed to sleep more. When she doesn’t want to be held, she wants to swing in her swing or sit in her bouncy seat or have tummy time or just stare at mom and dad. She’s an extremely happy and content baby. I’m completely exhausted, but it’s the greatest kind of exhaustion.
Ryan and I have figured out a nighttime feeding schedule. We originally were going to have her sleep in the pack-n-play in the bedroom with us (we need to be near her sat monitor.) What you don’t realize is that we can’t just pick Olivia up and take her to the next room. We have to take her and her oxygen and her sat monitor. That wouldn’t be pleasant every 3 hours. So, after her 10 pm feeding, daddy goes into the bedroom to sleep and mommy sleeps in the recliner in the nursery. I feed her at 1 am and at 4 am. Then, I kick Ryan out of the bedroom and he sleeps in the recliner until he gets up. I sleep better in the mornings anyway. He’s going to feed her at 7 am since he’ll have to be up for work anyway. This will let me sleep until 10 am. . .well, that’s if Olivia stays asleep between feedings. Now, I just have to work pumping in there somehow and we’ll be set. That has been a struggle these last few days.
Overall, things are going wonderfully. She has a pediatrician appt tomorrow, so we’re hoping that she’s been gaining weight. She’s no longer on the high calorie human milk fortifier from the hospital. She is on 6 bottles daily of breastmilk with 2 bottles of Similac NeoSure. I just want to thank you all for your support and prayers. You have no idea how much they have meant to Ryan and me.
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15 comments:
That picture of her smiling at her teddy bear is priceless! Love it, love it, love it!
Kerry
Hey...Jodi's Dad here....even though I receive an update before it hits the blog, I still can't wait to get home and read all the latest... especially the many, many comments from so many caring people. We all are so busy especially this time of year, and for you all to take the time and interest in Olivia is just wonderful! This challenging journey for our entire family has been made easier because of this blog and the genuine concern of so many. Thank you all! Oh, one more thing....isn't Olivia BEAUTIFUL??
It sounds like everything is going great. Olivia seems to have settled right in to her new surroundings. Don't worry about spoiling her we all do it. I still do it and mine are two and a half.
Keep up the amazing work!!
hi jodi-just thought i'd let you know that it is okay to hold that baby and let her fall asleep with you. ;) We used to hold brooke until she fell asleep and then we'd put her down, we did that until she was about 5 months old. Then we did the put her back in her bed after she burped thing and it was fine. That might have been the time we introduced our "ocean waves" machine to her-- so instead of physical consolation to get her to sleep; she could relax to the sounds of the ocean and fall asleep. Anyways- just wanted you to know that even if you spoil her now, you won't have to hold her till she falls asleep when she's 3 or 4 ;) Best wishes to you-! Angie
Spending time with a child, what a WONDERFUL gift!!!! And she is so beautiful. I have a ton of Neosure in unopened ready to feed bottles, you are more than welcome to it.
Lisa Watson
(mom of triplets)
210-8544
Spending time with a child, what a WONDERFUL gift!!!! And she is so beautiful. I have a ton of Neosure in unopened ready to feed bottles, you are more than welcome to it.
Lisa Watson
(mom of triplets)
210-8544
Spending time with a child, what a WONDERFUL gift!!!! And she is so beautiful. I have a ton of Neosure in unopened ready to feed bottles, you are more than welcome to it.
Lisa Watson
(mom of triplets)
210-8544
I'm so glad to hear it's going well! Pumping does get so much harder after they're home! And don't feel one bit bad about holding her all the time. People gave us grief about that when Charlie came home, but now I'm so glad we did... he's 9 months old and already turning into a big boy who wants to be independent! It goes so fast, enjoy it while you can. (And I'm glad to hear he wasn't the only one who decided to cry whenever we would put him down in his bed :-) We will pray for a safe and good drs. appt!
Love,
Neva
Jodi and Ryan, you hold Olivia as much as you want to and don't worry about spoiling her. I don't believe there's such a thing as spoiling at this age. I could be wrong though. I never felt like we were doing a disservice to any of our kids. Besides, you will regret it later if you don't. And there's no need for regrets. They do grow up so fast! Olivia is absolutely adorable and I am so glad you are all home together! You are a beautiful family! We enjoy getting on here everyday to see how you all are doing and to see how we can be praying for you. Stay strong, keep shining, and try to get some rest. Love you guys.
Denise
One of my favorite times of the day is when Aidan asks me to "rock you". He can go to bed on his own, but I still love to snuggle with him. Hold her, love her, and enjoy every minute. When they don't want to be held anymore, you will be thankful for the time that you did have.
I love the pictures!
Kim
Oh my goodness! I'm so thrilled that Olivia is excelling, as usual! When I saw the pictures and read the update I started to get goosebumps! I just felt so wonderful knowing that you both wouldn't spend countless hours at the hospital just to be with your child, and now you can spend all the time in the world with her! It makes me feel so at peace.
Livi-
I'm so proud of you! I watched the Dateline segment of 'Seven at Ten' and the whole time I thought of you, and how I could be somewhat helpful in your life.
Love you bunches!
Stay Strong,
Shea
Jodi and Ryan,
Snuggle and rock just as much as all of you enjoy it -- mine is more of a Grammy's perspective now; but I don't care how old those babies are, if they want to cuddle just enjoy every minute you've got. Loving isn't spoiling -- it's raising a child to love. Just look at Olivia's parents -- knowing the two of you, I think it would be a pretty sure thing to say that both of you had been raised that way by your parents!
Prayers and hugs...Shelly K.
i just want to let you know how precious your baby girl is. I have been following up on your story as well as kinnick and carvers, who's father i work with. I look up to you for the courage and strength you and your husband have had through your battle. i want to congratulate you and wish you the best in your future. Holly
Ryan and Jodi, I have been following your blog since the beginning and I can't tell you how glad I am for your family that Olivia is finally home. She looks like such a big girl already! I'm also thinking she looks a lot like her cousin Rebekah did when she was a baby. I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers.
Dawn Ingram
That has got to be the pinkest-girliest bouncy seat i have ever seen- where di you get it?!
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