My 1 Lb Miracle Enjoying the Snow

Sorry this isn't working. I'll get it reposted tomorrow.

So Fun Snow Day

Great, great snow day today. Olivia and Ryan went out after lunch and she had the time of her life. She just kept saying,"This is the life!" I have a cute sledding video that I'll try to get posted later. And it's rumored that we might get another foot of snow on Sun/Mon. Wow, I really wish I owned a pair of snow boots.

Not So Fun Snow Day

I'm so frustrated today. We got over 14 inches of snow (second most snow fall on record here ) and I was inside with a sweet baby screaming in pain. Olivia should have been outside having fun and making memories. At least there is always tomorrow. Ryan had to work (from home at least) and I couldn't put Abigail down. I literally stood for hours with her singing Rockin' Robin. For some reason that's the only song I found that soothed her. LOL! I don't know what's wrong. I had continued breastfeeding (and got my supply up) and barely supplemented with regular Similac because I had really thought my antibiotic was causing the problem. That was a mistake. We have her back on Alimentum only. She refuses the powdered kind, so we have to get the ready to feed kind. Maybe it is a dairy allergy or maybe it is reflux. You can hear something coming up right before she cries. And the more she cries, the worse it is. She's on Zantac, but it hasn't been weight adjusted and honestly, it did nothing for Olivia. She needed Prilosec or Prevacid. Abigail has a 99.5 temp and has barely slept all day, so maybe she has a touch of something (although they tell me a rectal temp isn't a fever until 100.4.) She is miserable! I feel so bad for her and so bad for Olivia as I know she hasn't had a fun day. Please pray that we figure out what is going on! I just need answers. :(

Looks like tomorrow is snow day #3, so maybe it will be better.

Snow Day

Olivia’s preschool was canceled this afternoon as were a lot of other schools around.  We are expecting around 10 inches total by tomorrow.  Olivia was thrilled as we haven’t had a decent snow since she was 3 years old and she doesn’t really remember that.  I was thrilled because I really needed a day at home to do nothing!  And we did nothing!  We stayed in our pajamas all day, watched Netflix, cuddled and played. 

Olivia played with Abigail too!  I put her in the swing so that I could eat lunch and she started fussing a bit.  So, Olivia sat down on her step stool and talked with her.  Then, she ended up putting toys in front of her and singing and dancing.  Abigail loved every minute of it and when Olivia would get up to go get something, Abigail would cry.  It just warmed my heart. 

Daddy got to come home from work early and Olivia got to go outside to play.  We are hoping to get a snowman built tomorrow. 

While Olivia and daddy were outside, Abigail and I were staying warm inside.  And this little girl had one full, happy tummy.

Later tonight, on her 3 month birthday, she showed off her mad skills.  Look at that head and arm strength!  So proud of her!

What a great snow day!  Looks like tomorrow is a lot of the same.

3 Months

Not only is it a snow day with preschool canceled, but we decided to stay in our pajamas all day. I could sure use a day of rest today with this awful cold. And more importantly, Abigail is 3 months old today! She weighs almost 12 lbs ( about 11.8 lbs) and smiles and babbles up a storm. Her favorite word is ahh-goo. So in love with this girl!

ADHD

I'm really needing some advice from moms of kids with ADHD. Olivia is not officially diagnosed, but we strongly suspect that is what she has. Most everyone who meets her, suspects it as well as she has such a hard time sitting still. Most of the time, she is in constant motion and has been like this since she was a baby. She learned to walk before she could stand. To me, this isn't a problem as I know I can't expect her to sit still for a lengthy period of time. (Come kindergarten, it may be.) Some people stare at us as if to say,"Why can't you make your child sit still?" And that just infuriates me. She has a constant need to keep moving and isn't hurting anyone. The majority of the time, she listens very well and I couldn't ask for a better behaved child. But, at times it is a problem. Her impulsivity and hyperactivity sometimes get her into trouble. It's like a switch gets flipped and I "lose" her. She starts laughing, running around and I can't "bring her back" without threatening her. Then, she says," I was just laughing and being happy." Any advice on how to calm your child in those instances or how to teach them to calm themselves? I don't know what the trigger is and when to expect these outbursts and I pray I'm not in public. Sometimes it is brought on by fatigue, but other than that, I don't know when to expect it. I could really use some more strategies to help her. And to better understand why she acts this way. Any advice would be appreciated.

Rediscovering

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A few weeks ago, I got a coupon code for a free udder cover nursing cover. I had forgotten all about it until it came in the mail today, personalized with Abigail's name. Awwww, so I'm still nursing. LOL! I think she has only pooped 2 times today and it wasn't diarrhea, so I think the problem was my antibiotic. Now, to build my supply back up.

I also woke up feeling like I was hit by a truck! I mean, my head was seriously going to explode. I had Abigail's appt at the chiropractor and called to cancel because I didn't know if I'd make it out of my pajama pants. They told me to come in because he could help me. So, while we are there, he adjusts my neck and does acupuncture on my sinuses! Instant relief!! I am not kidding. The pressure went away and now all I have is tons of drainage down my throat. I'm so grateful that I hopefully won't need another antibiotic, especially after how it affected Abigail. I still don't feel great, but I'm functional again. Crazy!

9 pm: Ok, so the relief only lasts about 5-6 hours. Now I'm back to feeling like I got hit by a truck again. Ugh.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Ok, so she won't take the powdered Alimentum, but will drink the RTF (ready to feed) kind. Hmmm. Still breastfeeding and supplementing with Alimentum. I still kinda blame my antibiotic, so I'm curious if she gets better in a few days. She is, however, a happier baby thanks to Dr. Scharenberg. Her tummy is super soft, no bloating and a lot less gas. I'd definitely recommend him if your baby has colic and tummy troubles. We have a few more days of treatment. In talking with him over the past 2 weeks, he thinks he may be able to help me with my restless legs. Often if you can increase circulation in your legs, you can find relief. That makes sense since massages and hot baths help ( which increase blood flow.) I have started using a body brush on my legs at night and they definitely feel more invigorated. I also bought a foam roller to massage my legs with. They definitely both help in the short term, but when I stop, the restlessness returns. I'm doubtful that anyone can help, but I'm willing to try. I don't want to live with this for the rest of my life!!

Anyway, that's what is going on here. Some days I still can't believe these two girls are mine. Seriously. I sit in complete awe of them. And feel so blessed and so lucky and so grateful. Just amazing sometimes.

Feeding Dilemma

At first Abigail was taking the Alimentum, but now she is refusing anything but breast milk. Even when I know she is hungry, she will not eat until I nurse her. So, not sure what to do. My supply is way down. I've found an alternative to dairy milk ( Almond milk, which I often drink) and to butter ( Earth Balance buttery spread) but have no idea what to do about cheese. I couldn't find any vegan cheese at the store. It's in so many of my recipes, as is all of the cream soups, etc. And the protein bars that I live on have dairy as well and it took me months to find a protein bar without a lot of sugar that was edible. To me, this is one of the most difficult things about newborns: figuring out what to feed them. I pumped and bottle fed Olivia for 6 months because she never took to nursing. I also had to bottle feed to add in her medication. Plus, we had her on Neosure for weight gain. She projectile vomited almost every bottle ( that was fun ) and we finally ended up having her on Enfamil AR which she kept down a lot better. But trying to figure out what my babies would do best on is such a struggle for me. And this no dairy thing is harder than it sounds, especially when you have a family to feed. I find it such a coincidence that her diarrhea problems started right after I got on my antibiotic. She went from going every 3-4 days to 10-15 times per day. So I'm not completely convinced that it is a milk protein allergy. But I'm now off my antibiotic and it hasn't improved, so maybe it is. Just wish I knew what to do.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

We took Olivia and Abigail to the zoo today ( it was Abigail's first time.) It was 66 degrees out! We didn't stay too long because 1) I STILL have a cold. I haven't been well all month. 2) Ryan STILL has trouble breathing. And 3) Abigail wasn't too impressed with being in her stroller. She also missed her nap and went to bed at 6 pm. But Olivia had a lot of fun with her cousins and it was great to see them! I just want to get drunk on cold medicine and sleep for a few days. Ugh. But I'm still technically nursing, so. . . I have just come to the conclusion that I'll never feel 100% again.

Belated Birthday Celebration

My birthday was over 2 weeks ago, but we were unable to get everyone well enough to celebrate.  So, we stuck my cake in the freezer and waited until today (and my dad was sick and could not attend.) Have I told you how much I hate flu season? Anyway, yep, it was the big 3-5.  I thought it would be a hard one for me, but it really wasn’t.  I have a beautiful family and if I accomplish nothing else in my life, I still feel I have accomplished a lot.

I thought this would be fun to see.  Here I am with Olivia when I turned 30 in 2008.

And here I am with Olivia at 35.  LOL!  Abigail would have been in the picture, but she was very content in her swing. 

My mom watched the girls so that Ryan and I could go on a lunch date.  I don’t believe we’ve been out together since Abigail was born.  And, I figured we  hadn’t had a picture together in a long time either. 

Friday, February 15, 2013

I've long suspected that something was "wrong" with my breast milk. Abigail just seems so bothered by it after eating and her tummy seems to hurt a lot. About a week ago, she started having very frequent, very loose stools. I stopped counting after she had 10 per day. Last night, there was a bit of blood in it. I have been blaming my antibiotic because that's about when it started. So, I took her into the doctor today and they are suspecting a milk protein allergy induced colitis. I am to switch to Alimentum formula and cut out all dairy from my diet. But, I think I'm officially calling it quits with breastfeeding. I already struggle a lot with what to eat because of my blood sugars and my tendency towards kidney stones. I can't cut yet another thing out of my diet and remain sane. For some, breastfeeding goes smoothly and that just hasn't been the case with me. Part of me is a bit relieved because I've been stressing about any and everything that I eat and how it will affect her. But, I'm so very sad about it too. Not only is it cheaper (especially compared to Alimentum) but it is more convenient and I love the closeness. It calms her down immediately when she's fussy. For awhile at least. So tonight I held her close with a pacifier in her mouth and I cried. Some of you may think that's silly, but for some reason it's really hard for me. I'm not 100% convinced that it's a milk protein allergy, but I realize I need to investigate that possibility. I just want to do what's best for Abigail and I no longer believe, in our case, that breastfeeding is it.

Other than that, she is doing wonderfully and now sleeps for 6 consecutive hours a night. She wakes at about 3 am and then again at 7 am. It's been lovely.

Happy Valentines Day

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Today was Olivia's Valentines party at school and I feel blessed to have been able to attend. Olivia had such a good time with her friends. It's so funny because there is this particular little boy who Olivia says she does not like, he's mean to her, chases her, etc. But every time I'm in her class, guess who she chooses to sit by? Cracks me up! After her party, Olivia and I ran the van through the car wash ( she's been begging) went to Sonic, and to aunt Shelley's before picking little sister up. Fun day!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

What a long day! Up at 6:45 am and Abigail had her colic appointment. Then, we dropped Abigail off at aunt Shelley's and picked up grandma Glunt. The three of us had lunch at Arby's ( where Olivia ate her entire jr roast beef sandwich) then went to get our haircut. Although a little apprehensive about laying back to get her hair washed, Olivia does an amazing job. Today she didn't even want to leave and thought helping out at the salon sounded like more fun. But, finally got her to leave, picked up Abigail, dropped off grandma and made it home. Whew! That's a lot to do on a newborn sleep schedule. Someday she'll sleep all night. She actually does well and let's me sleep for at least one four hour chunk of time.

All About Olivia

There are a few things you may not know about Olivia ( or if you've been reading this blog for 5 years, you probably do.) One is that she is very funny. Her sense of humor just cracks me up everyday. She gets confused because daddy was a wildcat and I was a shocker in college. So, she referred to me as a wildcocker the other day. And when Abigail cries, Olivia becomes concerned that her face is "burning up" as it turns quite red. Maybe that's why she likes Mr. Bean so much ( yes, the British comedian.)

Olivia is also very active. . .to the point that many have suspected ADD. Time will tell, I suppose. The thought of her having to sit down at a desk all day kind of makes me cringe though. She's always moving and she has been this way since the NICU. I'm sure her nurses will vouch for that.

She is very small at 31.5 lbs and 42 inches tall. Eating has always been a struggle. Since we haven't gained anything in 6 months, I told her that when she makes it to 32 lbs, we'd have a party with a cake. That actually has motivated her a little bit to eat more than 2 bites of her dinner. I'm sure that her high activity level doesn't help with the weight gain.

She's eccentric. Especially with how she plays. The other day, she was playing with a family of computer mice and a family of blow dryers. My hair clips were once bugs living in my old jewelry box. She loves when her balloons deflate so that she can walk them around the house on their "leash." Last night she slept with a plastic lobster shovel (it has never been outside.) And when she grows up, she wants to be a butterfly. A pink and purple one. There is no limit to her imagination and she is definitely not one who just goes with the crowd.

Her memory is like a steel trap. Seriously, she remembers things that most people would not. She remembered that we used to have a white microwave and she was maybe 3 when we gave it away. She remembered that my dad installed a CD player in the kitchen and I don't even think she was three at that time. She remembers where presents were placed under the tree from 2 years ago! I've learned not to argue with her about certain things because chances are, she's right if memory is concerned.

She is very smart. She loves to play the what if game and is always coming up with questions like, "What if there were no houses? What if my feet were my hands and my hands were my feet? What if it was always nighttime? What if there were no trees?" The only reason she is a bit delayed in a few areas is because she won't sit down to work on it ( like writing letters, numbers, doing puzzles.) and she loves to tell stories and have stories told to her. She also loves for you to take videos of her. She would be content all day if you would tell her stories, take videos with her and answer her questions.

She is very musical. She feels music with such a passion at 5 years old. She makes up songs on the piano and on the guitar. Her rhythm is incredible and she just has a musicality that astonishes me. I predict that music will be a big part of her life. She rarely sits still unless she is at the piano. It's almost a release for her to get her energy out. Currently, we are debating piano lessons now vs later.

And that's a little bit of who my Olivia Paige is. I love her so much. She has become such a loving, affectionate child. She has told me that she never wants to get married or move away. She just wants to stay with me forever. Even when she's a butterfly, she promises to just fly around the house. Near or far, butterfly or not. . .she's definitely going places.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Abigail is doing a bit worse today, as we all are. I just can't keep the snot sucked out fast enough. Ryan feels worse. I actually feel better, but my antibiotic gave me hives. It seems to be a little too closely related to penicillin, which also gives me hives. So I'm hoping to get on a different one tomorrow. But Abigail is just miserable. And Olivia so badly wants someone to play with her. Last night, Abigail sat on my lap and was mesmerized by her sister. Olivia was singing and dancing and playing and Abigail just stared at her. It was so cute. She already knows who her sister is.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

After a quick trip to the doctor yesterday, I'm now on an antibiotic for a sinus infection, Ryan's been on an antibiotic since Thursday and Abigail isn't getting worse. So, I hope that means we are on the mend. My little former 23 weeker is just a rock star and is getting frustrated by all of us sickies. She really didn't like the fact that mommy didn't have a voice this morning. Our goal is to all be well by next weekend and get our house back in order.

We are also about 4 days into an approximate 10 day treatment of colic for Abigail and the results are remarkable. I've had multiple people comment on what a calm, content baby I have and that was not the case even last week. She slept through her entire exam at the doctor on Thursday. And that is with a cold. She even nurses without fussing like she has been doing for weeks. She just doesn't seem to be in pain anymore. I just may be able to continue breastfeeding as well. Remarkable. I'll have a full review when treatment is complete. This doctor basically believes colic is caused by a weak valve in the intestines and a simple massage strengthens that muscle. He has had 100% success with babies all over the country ( and even in Scotland.) I'm beginning to see my happy baby again.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

I'll start by saying I love the NoseFrida Snotsucker. Not sure how I survived Olivia's infancy without one (oh yeah, she was never sick because we hibernated for 2 years.) Works sooo much better than a bulb syringe. Yes, Abigail has a bad cold. I took her into the doctor today and her lungs were clear, ears looked fine, etc. I have a bad head cold too and Ryan has a sinus infection. One big, happy, snot filled family. Poor Abigail has the worst sounding cough and she has so much mucus, she'll throw up. Hoping she feels better soon.

Olivia, the well one of the family somehow, decided a few days ago that she was going to wear her glasses all the time. And she meant it! She even put them on after her bath while she got ready for bed. Four years of constant nagging and reminding has come to an end. I have no idea how she came about this decision but she's growing up before my eyes!!