Nourishment and Sleep Update

This isn't a subject I write a lot about. I want to touch on the subject of breastfeeding. It has been a very important part of Abigail's life so far and I just wanted to share my experience a bit.

It was pretty easy from the start. She had trouble latching on just a bit the first or second time we tried but she soon caught on. I occasionally used a shield to help her for the first week or two of her life.

Our biggest trial came on Wendesday, the 6th of February. Oh my! My milk had finally come in and the poor girl could not figure out what was going on. We all suspected she was hungry but when I tried to nurse her, she'd just scream. It was truly the night of terror! After about 4 hours of crying, she finally fell asleep in bed with me but that only lasted about an hour. In desperation, I called the LLL hotline. At first the lady was groggy and I was panicked but she soon came around with some suggestions. She recommended that I pump a little to relieve the pressure.

Bingo! That worked. We all (husband, mother-in-law, and me) watched and held our breath as she lactched on and finally at after 5 or 6 hours of crying! I fought with a little fear at this point that we'd relieve that night of terror but we never did.

After that things really went smoothly. When I first started pumping I was so concerned that I couldn't only get 1 to 2 ounces at a time. I was a nervous wreck thinking that I wouldn't be able to successfully go back to work and breastfeed. However, time and practice paid off and I was able to still pump and work.

However, my transition to work was also a bit of a challenge. At first, I could pump so much more than she was eating. It was wonderful to have the assurance that she wouldn't go hungry but when the weekend rolled around and I wasn't pumping but only feeding her, I had terrible engorgement like I'd never had before! I soon learned to regulate and only pump the amount she was eating each day and things got better.

She has grown since then (obviously) and at one point I realized all my freezer supply was being used up. Oops! This means that I wasn't keeping up with her anymore. I've been working hard over the last few weeks to keep up. This means that on days when I don't have her with me at work, I'll pump 4 maybe 5 times to keep up and increase my supply a bit. Sometimes if she eats and I don't think she at a lot, I will take her into my little pumping room with her and pump what she missed. It's not often that I can get a lot that way, but it helps, I think.

I have also been pumping on the weekends when I'm exclusively nursing her. For me, the hardest part of breastfeeding is the pumping. I am thankful that I am successful at it but it can be painful, lonely, boring, and time consuming!

Needless to say, I have found breastfeeding to be one of the most challenging yet rewarding things I have ever done. It gives me great satisfaction to know what is going into her body (because it's what went into mine) and to keep her as healthy as I can. I also look at my strong healthy girl and am proud that it was my body that did that. I not only grew her inside of me but for the past 5 1/2 months, she has only received nourishment from me! It has definitely changed the way I think about myself. I understand there are medical reasons why some women cannot breastfeed but if you get the chance, I highly recommend it. It is hard work but is an extremely satisfying and empowering experience.

Sleep Update:
She has been such a bear to get to sleep lately. She fussed, cried, etc from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm last night. Someone suggested that perhaps she wasn't tired but that was not the case. She was asleep at certain points during this time period but just woke up screaming. When I went to bed at 10 pm, I was very restless listening for her cry and thinking that we were in for a bad night. Fortunately, she only woke once and went down easily after she ate. I am so thankful she is sleeping better at night. . . once she gets to sleep. Also, for her afternoon nap, she fell asleep WITHOUT TEARS, in her bouncy seat, which she hasn't done in quite a while for me.

My parents, sister, and her fiance are coming this weekend to see us. We're so excited to have them visit and for them to see Abigail in all her cuteness! I hope they don't mind that things will probably be a bit boring, since we'll be cleaning and doing laundry in preparation for our trip to Hawaii! I am hoping we'll find the time to sneak away to the Dayton airshow or the bodies exhibit downtown. We'll see what they want to do.

Packing List

Ok. Here is the packing list for Hawaii of what I'm bringing for Abigail. I think I have everything on there. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave me a comment! I don't want to forget anything vital!

3 swimming suits (yes, she has these already)
Wipes
Diapers
Swim Diapers
Swimming Cover Up
PJ's (3 pair, 1 for carryon and two for suitcase)
Clothes (5 or 6 outfits)
Laundry Soap (we have a washer/dryer in our condo)
Shampoo
Brush
Plastic Bags for Carry-on
Teething Toy
Hylands Teething Tablets
Cortisone Cream, just in case
Lotion
Diaper Rash Cream
Pacifiers (6 to 8 of them)
Blanket (for carryon)
Pillow (for carryon)
2 Hats
Birth Certificate copy for travel
Thermometer
Pak N Play Sheet
Disposable Changing Pads (for travel)
Baby Monitor
Toys
Nail Clippers
Nightlight
3 bibs
3 pair of socks
1 jacket (for cool evenings)
1 pair of jeans (also for cool evenings)

I will also bring baby Tylenol, just in case of a very high fever or extreme pain.

Any other suggestions?

Not-So-Great Clips * Updated

As I'm sure all of my readers know by know, I am cheap (frugal, conservative, whatever). It's not that I wouldn't be able to spend money if I had it, but I just always feel like I don't have enough to be wildly spending it everywhere. One place where I have tried to be conservative lately is the beauty line item. I stopped coloring my hair several years ago for several reasons, one of which was that I didn't have gray hair so why was I spending tons of money on that when my natural color was just fine. So, I don't spend on that anymore. Since Abigail has been born, I have only gotten my hair cut once. Unfortunately, trying to be cheap, I picked not-so-great-clips. Hopefully none of you work there! :0 I'm sure there are some terrific stylists at those places but let's just say, I did not get one!

So, in order to remedy the situation, I'm going back to my old salon today and will drop around $40 on a hair cut, after tip. I have learned my lesson, however. A good haircut will last much longer than a bad one!

Now, I just have to decide how to get it cut . . . hmm.

Since my appointment is at 11:30 am today, I doubt I have time to ask for suggestions, but if you have one before then, feel free to post it. My old hair cut is getting well . . . old. I'm thinking a little longer style will make me look at little more youthful. I think I will have to break down and ask the stylist her opinion. I wonder if they get tired of that.

**Update: Abigail slept through the night last night. I am just totally bewildered. We did nothing different than we have the past 5 months! :) In fact, I even gave in a rocked her to sleep since she was SO fussy and had been crying for over an hour. I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to totally figure out babies.**

New Blogs

I have come across a lot of new fun blogs lately, but the best one is from my cousin, Laura. Here is a link: http://mountainmillards.blogspot.com/.

Enjoy!

Goodnight Sweetheart . . .

We're still having some sleeping issues at night. Abigail has always been a good sleeper. At about week 2, she started to even out and would only wake once, maybe twice, a night. This trend continued until about the middle of May. Then she became fussy for naps and fussy for bedtime. She was also more restless at bedtime. I do believe this has a direct connection with the time she learned to roll-over and other developmental milestones. However, the middle of May was also when she first slept clear through the night. She did it for 5 days in one week. Little did I know that she was tricking me! Then came the RASH . . .

Now that we have that cleared up, I was expecting her to go back to her old ways of sleeping but I did get up three times last night to nurse her. This definitely shakes my confidence as a mother. I keep asking myself all the time: WHY?! Well, I have been doing a lot of research today and I think I may have discovered at least part of the reason why.

First of all, she could possibly be teething. I don't see any teeth or swelling, however, and she doesn't seem to be gumming or drooling more than normal. My second thought has to do with her daytime nursing. She is very restless during the day when she nurses from me. I do believe this primarily comes from her new ability to SEE and INTERACT with things around her. She is really distracted . . . . . . except at night, when she nurses for 20 to 30 minutes at a stretch. Hmm, this got me thinking that perhaps she isn't getting enough calories during the day and is making up for it at night. Her nursing times during the day, seriously only last 5 to 10 minutes (10 minutes is a good day). I have some ideas in mind that I might try to see if things go better.

My last thought on this . . . and then I promise I will try to post about something A LITTLE more interesting in the future, is that she now knows that mom will come to her and give her comfort in the middle of the night when she wakes up. I was doing that during her rashy time and maybe it's just a habit now. Who knows! I think it's a little early in her life to totally let her cry-it-out at night. There is still the good possibility that she is actually hungry.

When she was a newborn, I kept a sleep journal. I wrote down when she woke up, when she ate, and when she fell back asleep at night. It was helpful to see that nighttime sleep was improving after a few weeks. I think I need to do that again to see if I can find a pattern to the madness!

I am looking forward to trying solid foods (29 days) with her. It will give me a little more freedom . . . I think it will be fun . . . and hopefully she can stay full longer at night!

New Pacifier

Abigail has discovered a new pacifier. Her big toe! I had her at work today. When I looked down to see what she was up to, I caught her sucking on her big toe! I quickly grabbed my phone (the camera was in the car) and snapped the photo below. It had slipped out of her mouth but you can see how high she was lifting her legs! Yes, the things she is holding in her hands are her feet!




This photo is from when she had the rash. You can see it on her face and the expression on her face definitely shows how she was feeling. Poor babe!

New Things

If you'll notice, there have been some changes to my right side bar. I'm now the proud hostess to BlogHer Ads. Some of you will be thrilled to know that this means I must keep blogging (frequently) in order to keep these on my site. If you see something over there that interests you, don't hesitate to click on it and check it out!

Not much new in our world . . . since my post yesterday, that is. Andrew has another orientation session tonight for his professorship (ok, the place where he will be an instructor), so I'm on my own for supper and bedtime. I don't mind. This means I will get to make myself something with Tuna and I can head to bed/computer time early after cleaning up the house.

I'm still working on our packing lists for Hawaii. I actually think I might post them on here (at least the baby's list) to see if anyone has any other suggestions of things to bring. I only have a few more calls to make to set things up and we'll be good to go. Here is my to-do list.

1) Call Hawaii hotel where we'll be staying 3 nights to get a portable crib!
2) Call Super Ferry to check on whether a copy of Abigail's birth certificate will suffice or if I need to bring the actual thing.
3) Reserve Dewey's spot in the kennel. Poor boy, he will think we've left for good!
4) Call airline to check on gate checking seat/stroller combo and also birth certificate.

Hmm, I think that's it.

--------Abigail update----------
Of course I can't post without writing about the darling, right?! She seems to be doing better all around with sleep. She only woke once, again, last night and she actually just fell asleep for an afternoon nap (hopefully a long one) without ANY crying. I'm doing my best not to consider this action or lack of action "normal" incase she starts waking 2+ times at night or being fussy for naps again. I'm so much better off if I have low expectations! :)

All for now . . .

My Hope

You are righteous

You love justice

and those who honor You

will see Your face.

I will arise

And lift my eyes to see

Your majesty, Your holiness

And all I am will bless You.

My hope is in the name of the Lord,

Where my help comes from.

Your my strength, my song.

My trust is in the name of the Lord.

I will sing your praise,

you are faithful.

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Above are the lyrics to one of my new favorite songs. It has just really spoken to my heart recently. I especially love the line that says, "Your my strength, my song." I feel like as a new mom that I need a lot of strength and singing lately! I am so blessed today that I know where my strength comes from!

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Abigail's sleep continues to improve. Sometimes we have nights where she still wakes twice but she seems much more comfortable than before. She was awake only once last night. She is back to her old self (from 8 weeks to 4 months) when it comes to bedtime. She has been SO fussy the last few weeks when it came to bedtime but last night, I actually laid her in her crib and she fell asleep . . . . no crying, no screaming and NO PACIFIER! I couldn't believe it! She struggled with naps yesterday but we kept running her around and not letting her sleep the way she likes so I don't blame her for being a little cranky!

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I have been thinking about this whole clothes/fashion thing lately. It's not as if I can't dress myself, it just seems like such an effort right now, taking up my energy, time, and money when I don't have extra of any of those things! I have been reading on Proverbs 31 a lot lately and these verses have meant a lot to me. I want to be beautiful without having my whole life focused on the things this world considers beautiful. I don't want to be frumpy or a martyr (at all). So finding that balance is my challenge!

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Prov 31: 25, 26, 27 - She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Prov 31:30 - Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Travel Advice Needed

Thanks for all the book advice! I think a trip to the Library is in order . . . even though that means paying my $13 fine! :) I only got that fine because I had a DVD checked out when I went into labor. Needless to say I didn't get it back to the Library (and then my mother-in-law took it back for me) until the week after Abigail was born.

Ok, I am starting to think ahead to our trip to Hawaii. Does anyone have baby travel advice? We have flown with her before and she did great. This, of course, is not going to be a one hour flight like last time. It will be more like 7 hours, and she is bigger. Anyway, I am really looking for any tips on flying with an infant (yes we know about the sucking during take off and landing) and how to successfully change time zones with your baby. I would like to enjoy Hawaii during the day and not have Abigail's clock mixed up the whole time we're there, if possible.

Originally, we weren't going to bring her car seat and stroller into the airport (but check it as baggage) but I think we've changed our minds and will check it at the gate. It will be a little more hassle to get through security but once we have our long layover at LAX it will give her a comfortable and familiar place to nap, also giving our arms and backs a break from carrying her around. I was also planning on just putting in our luggage a little baby travel bed but that will no longer work. She moves around a lot at night and could easily knock the side of this bed down and just roll out onto the floor. So we'll have to rent a travel bed but that's ok.

Any advice is welcome! I want to have as enjoyable a trip as possible!

**I want to say thanks to my wonderful in-laws who came over and mowed our WHOLE yard last night (2 acres and it took 2 mowers). It is so nice that we have all weekend to just do whatever and we don't have to worry about mowing!!**

I need book advice!

I'm sure you are all relieved that this post won't be a long drawn out explaination of Abigail's sleep. I will include an update at the end however. I am writing this post because I need some suggestions of good books to read. I need a good long book to take with me to Hawaii. I only want to bring one book because we're already going to be cramped for space in our luggage. Any ideas? I also just want titles of good books in general. Thanks!

** Sleep Update: Abigail's rash seems to be so much better. She did wake up twice last night however, but didn't seem to be irritated and fell back asleep, after nursing, in her crib very easily. She didn't eat much at 7 pm when I fed her, so I wasn't surprised when she woke at 11:45 to eat again. She woke again at 4:45 am. Really, it doesn't seem bad to live with that, especially after Sunday night!**

-----Updated-----
I just got done reading The Chamber by John Grisham. Very thought provoking! I am currently reading Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom. I am also going through "For this Child I Prayed" (thanks Mom and Dad!) but it's not really a book you just read straight through.

Eureka!

Yes, we like the TV show Eureka but we also figured out what was causing the sleep problems! Itching! Miss Abigail slept clear through the night, bless her heart. I did wake up a few times because it was so weird that she wasn't crying. I just looked at the monitor to see she was alright and went back to sleep. She fell asleep (was fussy going down!) at 9 pm and woke up a little after 6 am.

The doctor said she has a bad case of eczema and gave us a few different things to try. He is a holistic doctor, so he is into treating the whole person. He has a medical degree too. I feel so good going to him because he will take a look at the whole picture. We LOVE him. I'm so glad that I found him when Abigail was born. Andrew and I probably ought to go as a new patient . . . so we actually have a doctor, just in case we would ever need to go.

Anyway, he did give me a prescription for cortizone cream. I'm sure that is what stopped the itching last night but he also gave me some other things to try: a homeopathic remedy, and diet limitations for me (no dairy, eggs, soy, citrus, chocolate, or peanuts).

My mom and the lady I talked to at the health food store gave me ideas for other things to try to clear this up, so I am taking extra fish oil, vitamin B, and probiotics to help her. I also tried putting a little epsom salt in her bath to help soothe the skin and we got some calendula cream. Whew! I think that's it. Oh, I left her out of her diaper for almost 2 hours yesterday afternoon! I had puppy pads (yes, funny, I know) for her to lay on the floor on, but I had her outside for about an hour of that and she peed on me three times! I was soaked with baby pee but I didn't care. It was fun! She laughed and giggled every time she went on me like it was fun! :)

I'm not getting my hopes up that she will sleep through every night but hopefully this will settle her down and help her sleep! I really want to try and have this cleared up by the time we take our trip to Hawaii. It would be miserable for everyone to have any itchy baby on a 7 hour plane ride!

I am surprised at how good my attitude has been about the diet thing. I've been praying for a good attitude A LOT lately. I am just excited that someone is making me eat this way. Hopefully I will lose some weight in the process! :) I had a banana and blueberries for breakfast and I'm hungry! I have got to figure out what to eat for breakfast! I'm thinking of rice milk with a few things. I've just got to get some. For lunch I have carrots, an apple, veggie chips, and a homemade chicken salad sandwich, without the mayo (eggs and dairy in that). I hope that is all free of the stuff I'm not supposed to eat. It's hard to remember everything!

That's it for the update today. I was starting to feel like she was a newborn again (and sort of "baby blues ish") last night. If you haven't experienced that . . . it's rough. A good nights sleep did the trick. I feel like a new person today. Here are a few pictures from the last week.

Taken during our sleep deprived weekend! Abigail looks like she's watching TV but we don't have a TV in our bedroom. Abigail loves hanging out with dad on Saturday morning.

Isn't she precious?! This is taken in the bathroom. Ha ha! She loves sitting in here while I take a shower and get ready for the day. What will we do when she out grows this?

And finally, her weird sleeping positions. Last night she mostly slept on her side with her back to one of the crib bumpers. Weird girl! She loves the tummy and side sleeping the most. We've tried using a sleep positioner this past week, to keep her on her back but she's figured out how to get out of it these past two nights so it seems more dangerous to have that thing loose in her crib than to have her on her back.



She was still very tired this morning and fell asleep before we left the house! She's probably just as worn out as we are by not being able to sleep. She only got about 9 hours last night and should have between 10 to 12 for her age. We'll work on an earlier bedtime tonight.

1,000 Titles

Between 11:15 pm and 5:30 am, I thought of 1,000 different titles for this post but none of them stuck. Please don't mind any misspellings or other grammatical errors in this post. I'm running on about 3 hours of sleep! Abigail's sleep has gone from bad to worse! Last night she went to sleep fairly easily. I had to hold her legs and arms down but once I helped her quit kicking, she fell asleep. She woke again at 11:15 pm (I hadn't been asleep yet) and was restless, etc. So, I picked her up and rocked her with a paci. She was asleep almost before I sat down in the chair to rock! This cycle of rocking, putting down, me going in to bed, fussing, picking up, rocking, etc, continued until about 12:30 am. I decided to try to co-sleep with her. I went down to the guest room and took her sleep positioner, so she wouldn't roll off the other side of the bed or into me. Well, it sort of worked. I, again, had to help her quit squirming, but she eventually fell asleep beside me. She woke up again (and woke me up) at 3:00 am. I nursed her in bed. I couldn't get her back to sleep! Finally, frustrated, I carried her swing upstairs and rocked her for a bit and then put her in the swing. She fell asleep in there (by this time it's almost 4 am) but only slept until 5 am!!!!!

Andrew got up with her at 5:00 am and rocked her and put her back in her crib. She miraculously slept in there until about 6:15 am. Unfortunately, I did not fall back asleep after 5 am!

I am almost 100% sure that the problem with her interrupted sleep is due to itching. Her rash is worse and she is constantly scratching her head, chest, and rubbing her back on the bed when we lay her down. She seems to be comforted by holding and rocking. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to sleep next to a squirming infant, but I did at the time!

I think that there is a small possibility that she just can't settle herself down without our help. If that is the case, I'm not looking forward to the night of crying that we'll have to endure to solve that problem! However, it seems weird to me that last Monday she would just suddenly start to wake up frequently and not be able to settle herself, without another cause.

So, when I say that I got 3 hours of sleep last night, that is being generous! It makes me feel very nervous when I hear that eczema, sometimes, cannot be cured or it takes up to 3 weeks!

I hear about others not getting sleep with infants and it sounds so trivial but it is NOT when it is happening to you! We have been praying about this so much and no answers have come yet. I guess this is a patience building exercise! It is a great comfort to me to know that my God is much bigger than sleep, eczema, babies, or weariness! He has overcome the greatest battle so He can overcome what trials/annoyances are upon my family right now!

What a difference!

I suppose you read the title and thought Abigail's sleeping had improved last night but that is not the case. . . Still a rough night. The difference is however, that I had a little attitute change at about 2:00 am. I have definitely had a "poor me" attitude lately regarding sleep and our whole situation. At 2:00 am I just thought that I can't keep doing this to myself . . . thinking about what could be. I simply thought, "I am so lucky to be able to have this extra 1/2 hour to spend with my daughter, even though it is at 2:00 am!" Oh, I'm sure she'll love to read this in a few years, but she pooped twice during the night, so that may explain some of the waking and restlessness!

I'm pretty sure that her teeth are bothering her. Abigail's babysitter is also a breastfeeding mom and has worked with a lot of kids over the years. She told me that most babies find breastfeeding very comforting while teething, so that would explain the constant waking in order to eat at night. She also recommended today (as did my mother-in-law) some homeopathic teething tablets, which I will look for today. Isn't Abigail so lucky to have such wonderful people taking care of her? We are lucky and blessed too!

In other news: my husband is going to be a professor! He tells me that his actual title is going to be instructor, but still. I have learned some lessons over the years about blogging too much personal information (and avoiding negativity, if possible) so I won't put where he is teaching. It will be his third job. I keep encouraging him to take it easy with all the working but he assured me last night that he is not a work-a-holic and he will make his family a priority. He keeps repeating, "Live like no one else . . . " All you Ramsey plan people know what I'm talking about! I definitely love the damage that we're doing to his student loans! :)

Same Topic . . . again . . . sleep!

Where oh where did my good sleeper go? Here is last night's breakdown:

6:30 pm - Bedtime Routine
7:00 pm - Nursed, read a book (amazing that she sat still and didn't cry), rocked a little
7:15 pm - Down in bed awake
8:00 pm - Asleep (I'm not exactly sure of the time, but I just let her cry/fuss, since it didn't sound serious).
12:20 am - Awake and fussing - Nursed, changed and back to sleep
2:20 am - Awake and fussing - put her paci back in, patted, and back to bed
3:30 am - Awake and fussing - Nursed, changed and back to sleep
5:30 am - I heard her fussing but I was just going to let her cry it out for 1/2 hour, since I didn't think she could possibly be hungry. Andrew got up for the day.
5:50 am - Still fussing so I got her and put her in bed with me - nursed and she fell asleep
7:10 am - I woke her to get her dressed for the day and fed her AGAIN.

I was so spoiled by her only waking up once or not at all. I hope that whatever is disturbing her will pass quickly, so we can all get some sleep! Andrew seems to think he can feel a little tooth but I'm not sure. I don't doubt that they can bother her for a long time before coming through.

I'm looking forward to the weekend so I will feel like I can ask for help from the other parent in the house, since she doesn't always need to be fed. I know I can wake him up if I NEED to, but where is that line? He is working SO hard for us right now that I just don't want to bother him with anything else. He will be gone until 10 pm tonight at an orientation for his teaching job which will start in August.

Fashion Advice

I finally decided it would make sense to actually show you all what the clothes I bought look like . . . before I take them back. So, here are the clothes that Andrew said make me look like an old lady.

The second one fits better, I think. Anyway, his advice to me was to wear dark solid colors. Then when I wore all black on Sunday and then said I was hot, he said, "Well, why did you wear all black?" I don't understand men!




Speaking of: Here is a picture of my hard working man. He is working on some websites for his old company in the evenings.

And, of course, I can't put pictures on a blog without posting one of our darling. I have some funny pictures taken of ways that she sleeps but I'll do those another time.

She was on the changing table getting ready for the day! Smiles at 6 am! Amazing!

And the last post leads me to a new blog . . .

I found a bunch of great blogs yesterday. This one is a lady who helps other people look good. I NEED her! Anyway, I'm just going to read the blog for a while and hope that it all soaks in!

http://sharibraendel.blogspot.com/

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Sleep update:
Last night - 6/23/2008
7 pm - started bedtime routine
7:20 pm - Nursing (cranky, fussy, squirmy and didn't eat much)
7:30 pm - Down in crib (cranky, fussy, squirmy, and CRYING)
I patted her occasionally while putting away clothes in her room.
8:00 pm - Still crying so I rocked her - very drowsy
8:10 pm - down in crib - suddenly awake again and crying
8:15 pm - rocking again and back down - calm but rolling around in crib so I left to work in my bedroom
8:20 pm - I heard her SCREAM from my room while I was folding clothes.
8:21 pm - Crying, screaming and sobbing, so I rocked her with a paci
8:30 pm - She actually fell asleep on me (very rare) and I managed to transfer her calmly to her crib.
11:30 pm - Awake and making noise (no crying really) so I fed her.
2:30 am - Awake and restless - I did not want to get her used to me feeding her all night long, so I tried the paci in her crib but she wouldn't settle down, so I rocked her. She fell asleep and I put her down. 2 minutes later, awake again! Ah! I am wishing that I could wake Andrew to do this, since it doesn't involve feeding, but he has such a difficult time sleeping anyway. Rocked and comforted for 30 minutes. Laid her back down. Finally at 3:00 am I head back to bed, lay on top of the covers with my glasses on because I fully expect to get up in 5 minutes. She (and I) slept until 6 am.

Teeth? I don't know.
Itchy rash? I don't know.
Crazy/sweet baby trying to make her mom go insane? yes!

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I know she could be SOOOO much worse. The problem is is that I am so spoiled by only getting up once a night! It also makes a HUGE difference when Andrew is home in the evening, even when he doesn't do anything to help put her to sleep. It's amazing how much better I feel just knowing I have backup! He was at Bible study last night.

Being frugal without looking 80 years old!

We had a crazy whirl wind weekend! :) I went shopping on Saturday afternoon, with Abigail, to buy Andrew some new clothes. His old company gave him many company logoed shirts to wear (23 to be exact) so needless to say, he needed some new shirts to wear! I found two great shirts and a pair of pants for him.

Here is a little background to help you understand the rest of this story: Andrew and I are following the Dave Ramsey plan. We are currently paying off debt (all we have is school loans) and so I'm trying to live as cheaply as possible. One thing that I made a committment to do was to not purchase any NEW clothes for one whole year. There are a few exceptions to this rule. 1) I can buy new underwear and a swimming suit, 2) I can buy new clothes if the money is a gift from someone. So, Andrew decided to "gift" me about $50 (from his bonus) so I could buy some new clothes for myself. My wardrobe is pretty scarce!

So, I went to JcPenneys. I only need a few new shirts. I found some shirts that fit great. The best part was that they were buy one for $6.95 and get a second one for $1! Yeah! I didn't particularly like the pattern but there wasn't much to choose from. So, I took them home and when I showed Andrew he immediately said, "Well, those look a little old lady-ish." See, that is a problem for me. I go for convenience and cheapness and don't think about style. So, I can't wear the shirts. They have to be returned. So much for new clothes! We decided that I am going to buy Andrew's clothes and he is going to buy mine. I'm a bit frightened by this. He will buy me stylish clothes, but can I fit into them? That is the question!

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On a separate note:
Abigail is still a bear to get to sleep! It makes me hurt to see her struggling so much with sleep because there is not much I can do to help her. In the past week, she seriously only went down for one nap (with me) peacefully. The rest of the time she is crying, fussy, screaming even, and it takes a LONG time to get her to go to sleep. Part of me dreads nap and bedtime, but I KNOW that my baby needs her rest and she is cranky if she doesn't sleep enough, so I have to press on. For example, on Saturday morning, I tried everything to get her to sleep: bouncy chair, swing, crib, rocking with pacifier, and even nursing her to sleep. Nothing worked! Aunt Carol finally got her to sleep (in the afternoon) in her car seat. I'm looking for advice again. Everything I have read says that you should be consistent with nap times and well . . . we just can't do that, since she has a new schedule each day! Any other tips on getting her to sleep peacefully? Perhaps it is just her thing. She is a very happy baby otherwise. Perhaps she will just be hard baby to put to sleep (she usually sleeps great once she is down).

Bathroom Conversations

Scene: Bathroom at Work with preschool kids from summer camp coming in to use the facilities. Abigail is getting a diaper change on the Koala Bear changing station.

Little Girl: Cute Baby!
Me: Thanks!
LG: I have a little baby sister who is younger than your baby.
Me: Oh really? How old is your sister?
LG: 8 months.
Me: Well, this baby is actually 4 months old.
LG: Wow, really? She's huge!
Me: Yes, she's a big baby.
LG: What's her name?
Me: Abigail.
LG: Wow, that's pretty!

I'm taking the "she's huge" comment as a compliment! :) Yes, I'm not sure how we did it but we grew a huge baby and purposefully named her a beautiful name! :)

P.S. We're fighting a diaper rash right now. Any moms out there have any tried and true cures? I've tried several "normal" remedies (desitin) and several "natural" approaches too (cloth diapers and silver) and it seems to be hanging on. This weekend, I'm going to spend a lot of time airing her bottom out. I set up a station last night (trash bag flat with a blanket and towel, just in case) and let her go without a diaper for 30 minutes but it needs to be longer than that. Poor baby. Any advice is welcome!

Thoughts on Fathers

I realize that I'm a few days late for Father's Day but better late than never. I've been thinking about fathers lately. I have been unbelievably blessed by the "fathers" in my life and I'd like to share a little bit about them.

First of all, my dad. . . growing up, I was known to be a daddy's girl and proud of it. I loved having Dad read me a bed time story, give me a bath, play outside, and do farm stuff with. My dad always worked so hard on the farm to support us and as a teenager, I got to join him in this. I took a tractor safety class and became an employee of Fairchild Farms. :) I have such fond memories of that summer and of growing up on the farm in general. I loved riding in the combine and tractor with Dad. I have learned a lot from my dad over the years but one of the most important lessons is that of hard work and dedication. Being a farmer is never easy, lots of sweat, pain, and unpleasant things (like pulling calves) but my dad is always out there working hard. I spent many hours of my life watching my dad's sport teams play and taking stats. As much as I may joke about hating it, it was fun to be the coach's daughter and as I enjoy being organized and record keeping, keeping stats was right up my alley. I love my dad very much and I am SO excited for the future when Abigail gets to hang out on the farm and learn from her grandpa. I admire my dad's hard work and dedication!

My Grandpa Walter. . . he is now gone from this world, but what a wonderful person he was! I have such fond memories of going out on coffee breaks, fishing, visiting his welding shop, crushing cans (ha ha), and many more in Downs, Kansas. My grandpa never knew a stranger and was always inviting people to church . . . and making sure they had a ride! His positive attitude in life is something that will always stick with me. Even when his kidney's were failing and he didn't feel well, he would say "Oh, I have a cold drink and my nice warm fire, so I'm ok." If only I could have that positive attitude!

My Grandpa Fairchild. . . he also passed along the legacy of hard work and dedication to me! He is a behind-the-scenes kind of man but if he sees something to be done, then he is there, especially when it comes to things needing done at church. He was always in our lives supporting us and making sure that we knew how much we were loved! This is now passed along to my daughter. It brought an immense amount of joy to my heart to see my grandparents play with and enjoy my daughter. I admire my grandpa's quiet strength and strong love!

My father-in-law . . . what a loyal family man and hard worker he is! He is another wonderful example of what a godly father and husband looks like. I can see in his life that he really is walking the walk and not just talking the talk. He is understanding, fun to be around, a hard worker, helpful around the house (an amazing trait), and he can fix anything! I'm serious! He is also a laundry expert (so I've heard) and builds the most beautiful furniture I have ever seen. He is very dedicated to God, his family, his job and now his granddaughter. It has also been a joy for me to watch be a loving grandfather to Abigail!

And last but not least, my loving wonderful husband! I never had a doubt in my mind that he would be the worlds most terrific father (he had a good example). He is patient, loving, funny (this comes in very handy when Abigail is screaming), calm and relaxed, ready to discipline if necessary (this hasn't come yet), willing to get up at night, a fabulous diaper changer, the best bath giver, and a wonderful provider for us! He is excited for Abigail to grow up so he can do bonding things with her. She is absolutely the luckiest girl in the world to have such a loving and attentive daddy. His best quality trait, however, is that he loves the Lord. He wants to raise our daughter to love Him too and that is the best gift ever!

I could seriously go on and on (and include my husband's grandfathers in this too) but I'm out of time and my husband says people stop reading after the first paragraph. :) I hope you have gotten just a little glimpse of how lucky I am to know or have known all of these terrific fathers. Like I have said, the best quality in all of them is that they love the Lord and desire to live lives that glorify Him!

A Link to our Amazing Friends!!!

I want to give a shout out to our friends, the Munafos. They are serving as missionaries in Nigeria and they are awesome! I love you guys! Anyway, I know Emilee reads this and I want to link to her site and the new interns website (for the summer). Emilee (and Jason), please keep us up-to-date and let us know how we can help.

We're back from Hocking Hills

We had a nice weekend at Hocking Hills for the Schechter Family reunion. We enjoyed a nice hike and a dip in the pool on Saturday (intersperced with naps and eating). We had a good time with family and it was fun to have Abigail meet her new 2nd cousin, Graham. We shared a cottage and it actually worked out well. The babies didn't seem to disturb each other and the parents took turns on baby watch for various reasons (showers, campfire sing-a-longs, etc).

We headed back yesterday morning to gather ourselves again before another full work week. Abigail did a pretty good job of napping while we were there. She really didn't fight being put to sleep and actually took 1 - 3 hour nap! Amazing! This was all fine and dandy until we got home! I'm not sure what set her off but she was acting tired around 2:30 pm so we tried getting her to sleep. I headed out to mow and left Andrew to tempt her into sleep. I came back over an hour later to find her still fighting it. So, after my shower, I tried. Nothing! Finally when Andrew left to go to the grocery store at 6:00 pm (he is awesome!) I wrestled (just a term, no wrestling was involved) her into sleep for about 45 minutes. She woke up at 6:45 pm and was still tired and cranky for bed at 7:15 pm so off we went. She fought her bedtime like a bear too. Lots of crying and screaming (she screamed and I cried) and she finally fell asleep at 8:30 pm. The good news from this whole story is that she slept peacefully in her crib until 6:30 am! Through the night. Yeah! It's a good thing because I was too busy watching the Tony's to go to bed before 11:00 pm! She is silly!

Today I have her at work all day. She had a nice 1 hour nap already this morning and I just put her back down for another try and she slipped easily off into la-la land with NO FUSSING! I wish I knew what I did differently between the times she is fussy, whinning, and screaming for hours, vs 1 minute pacifier fix into blissful sleep! Ah babies!

I will post some wonderful pictures we got at Hocking Hills at some point. Probably not today as Andrew is working at PCC a few hours tonight, so I'm going solo on the bedtime routine.

Truly a post from the road!

We are headed to Hocking Hills state park this weekend for a family reunion. I am literally blogging from the road!! I am using Andrew's new phone which has internet capabilities. This is so cool!!! We are actually driving up 71 right now. Anyway I don't have much to say except this is really cool! I am thankful my husband is willing to drive and share is cool phone!

Andrew in the news!

http://www.gbbn.com/About/News/In_The_Press/In4_Names_Schechter_Business_Analyst/

I'm so proud of my wonderful husband. I took the picture in this press release. I'm quite proud of how it looks! :)

Choices!

This morning was the first time I caught Abigail actually sleeping on her stomach. I thought she was just rolling over right when she woke up and then cries when she can't get back to sleep that way. She was a little fussy around 11:00 pm (when we were going to bed) so I peeked in on her to find her, once again, on her tummy. I thought I'd try putting her back to sleep without nursing, and it worked! I just put her on her back with a paci and she slept until 1:30 am. Then from 2 am to 6:15! Yeah! She was sleeping on her tummy when I got up at 6 am. I can't believe our girl is old enough to actually make a choice now! She can choose whether to sleep on her back or her stomach. We have now started putting the crib side all the way up. I have also cleared all the junk (ok stuffed toys) out of her crib, since she can end up anywhere in the morning, instead of just right where I left her! She has been a good baby to have at work this week. I have several pictures of her "helping" mom in the office. Thanks Maggie for letting me use your camera!!

Also, my friend Lisa is starting a photography business. I linked to her blog over on the right, so check her site out. She is a wonderful photographer! She took the pictures of Abigail and of us when Abigail was 8 days old.

Seriously, what's up with all the posts?

I've been a blogging fool lately. Perhaps I've been spurred on by the fact that many of my friends have just started blogs. Perhaps I just have a lot to say. I have no idea!

The main focus of my life right now is Abigail's naps. Isn't that weird how I never thought about babies naps before having a baby? I never knew how important they would be to a happy health baby! We had one rough weekend with Abigail. She woke up several extra times on Friday night and the fought her naps Saturday with everything that she had! She lived up to her silly nickname "Crabbygail" on Saturday. Crazy girl! I held her off at bedtime (my art of baby distraction is becoming very refined) until 7:30 pm. Sunday was a little better. She relaxed and slept during church but really fought her nap while we were lunching at Andrew's grandparents. She finally fell asleep but only stayed down for an hour. She still needs two or three naps a day (with about 5 hours sleeping time between them). When we got home she napped after nursing for about 20 minutes. She was still so cranky, so off to bed we went. She slept from 8:00 pm until (ugh!) 5:15 am! I love it that she can sleep that long but 5:15 am is a killer since my alarm goes off at 6 am.

However, I do have good news to report. She is back to her cheerful self today! Since my MIL is away on vacation, I took her to work with me this morning. She has been an absolute angel. She slept for almost two hours (8 am to 10 am) and she just went back down for a nap at 11:30 am. She's still asleep. Perhaps she is making up for the weekend. I don't know! Hopefully she is good for Aunt Jennie this afternoon.

This weekend we are heading off to Hocking Hills State Park for a family reunion (Schechters). I am in the midst of a mental debate over what baby equipment I should bring. I always try to be a minimalist when packing but perhaps I should consider what might make the weekend a little easier on Abigail! We're staying in a cabin with the other new baby in the family so hopefully that will be the quiet cabin so the babies can nap when they need to!

Seriously, naps make my world go round! :)

Blogging

Several of my friends have joined the blogging world recently. Yeah! I love blogging and even more so - I love reading other people's blogs (which motivates me to write on my own). See the links to the right for some of my favorite reads. There are several new ones.

Abigail has had a rough day. She woke up 5 to 7 times last night. So I bet she slept less than I did! :) Anyway, she woke up tired, wasn't satisfied by any of her 20 minute naps. I finally got her to sleep in her swing, where she stayed for almost 2 hours. She still was pretty cranky by 6:30 - 7:00 pm. She's growing up and exploring things (rolling like crazy) and she doesn't want to miss anything! Andrew is on baby watch right now (she's falling asleep) so I can have a break and do stuff down stairs . . . like balance the checkbook and check the budget!

We have mobility! and Reverse Anorexia

Abigail has really taken off with her rolling. She has been able to roll from stomach to back for a few weeks now and went from back to stomach on Memorial Day for the first time. Lately, she has become a rolling fool! :) I had her on her play mat at work this week and within 1/2 hour, she had rolled over 2 times. Last night, I put her on her back on a blanket and she rolled over probably 5 or 6 times to her stomach. Then, when I got up to feel her at 1:30 am (she was crying), I walked in to find her on her stomach! Ah! We'll have to start raising the side of the crib that is adjustable. I no longer feel safe leaving her up on our bed alone for fear she might roll or scoot off (while I'm getting ready), so I put a blanket on the floor and she was a happy camper playing down there. I have a feeling it won't be too long before she is able to really move around on her own!

One of my new favorite things to do with Abigail is to sit in our closet (it's a huge walk in) and play in front of our big mirror. Abigail LOVES to see herself. She can be in the worst mood, tired and crabby, but she will instantly start laughing and giggling at herself if I put her in front of that mirror. My husband and several of his family members have what they call "reverse anorexia". It is where they think they look really good, while in reality, they may have a few trouble spots (as small as they might be) to work on. I do believe that my daughter has inherited this trait from her father, as she loves to look at herself in the mirror (I know all babies do!).

Plans Explained

Our plan for solid food for Abigail is to wait. This article explains my reasons way better than I can, so I am linking to it. It will be nice and simple when we travel to Hawaii to only have her on breastmilk (she'll turn 6 months while we're there). We'll do a lot of hanging out together! :)

http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/solidfood.html

I especially like the part where they say you are substituting a inferior food (rice cereal or veggies) for a superior food (breastmilk). Abigail is obviously not hurting for food. In her checkup yesterday, she weighed 17 pounds, was 25 1/2 inches long, and her head size was 17 inches. She was over 90% for all categories and was in the 97+% for weight. I wonder if she will be tall like her dad.

We had a bit of weather excitement last night. Around 10:00 pm the tornado sirens by us started to go off. When you're from Kansas, tornado sirens mean serious business (like someone has seen one), and so you're supposed to go to the basement. Andrew looked at an online radar and showed the path of a funnel cloud and storm headed straight for us. Also, Dewey was barking up a storm (pun intended) because of the sirens, so we all headed downstairs. Abigail actually stayed asleep in my arms for 10 or 15 minutes before finally waking up and discovering that she was NOT in her bed. She wasn't a happy camper about that! Anyway, I felt sort of silly sitting in my basement during a thunderstorm but I guess a lot of people in our area did as well (my co-worker at least) and it's better to be safe than blown away! We learned this lesson during our last trip to Kansas when we "slept" through a really bad storm only to wake up the next morning to see tornado damage about a mile from where we were staying. Oops, we should have turned on the TV at least. So, at 10:30 the sirens quit and we headed upstairs to bed. I fed Abigail once more, so she lasted until 5:30 am (why can't she sleep for 1/2 hour more when my alarm goes off; why oh why!!). That was our excitement for the night.

Happy Birthday Mom!

This day is a very special one because it is my mom's birthday. As I continue on the wonderful and challenging path that is motherhood, I am increasingly thankful for my own mother. I want to honor her today by sharing how I want to be like my mom!

My mom the warrior! Growing up I took for granted that my mom prayed for us. As I grew into adulthood and went through some troubling times in college, this knowledge became the greatest comfort to me. The problems I faced always became managable when I remembered that my mom was praying for me, specifically and daily. I am so thankful that I can continually go to her with my problems and concerns and I know that she will take these concerns before our heavenly Father. When I went into labor, Andrew and I made the decision to only call one person (because we needed patience and calmness in the labor process) and we decided to call my mom, so that she could be praying for us as Abigail made her way into the world. I can only hope that I am as faithful of a prayer warrior to my daughter as she grows as my own mother is to me! It is a blessing to me every day!

My mom the comforter! It is widely known that I am a wimp. Yes, I did have a drug-free birth but I still don't like to feel sick at all. My mom has always been a wonderful caretaker. I was shocked when I got married that my husband didn't act like my mom when I was sick. He didn't know to automatically make me feel better by bringing me a cool wet washcloth or toast cut into four squares with tea! :) I remember feeling relieved to see my mom in the recovery room when I woke up from gallbladder surgery. I can only hope that I am as good of comforter to my daughter as my mom was and is to me!

My mom the supporter! My mom and my dad (and grandparents) rarely missed any of our events growing up. When I played tennis in High School, I remember telling them that they really didn't need to come to the far away meets. They always showed up anyway to support me. My mom was also the one who started me on my music "career". She was always there to practice with me when I was singing, and to make me practice the piano! :) While I was in college, she even drove over to play for me a time or two. I was so spoiled!

My mom the "understander"! This is one that I took for granted until I got married. I think my parents knew in the back of their minds that we would end up in Ohio. When we told them we were moving here, I'm sure the news was sad to them but they never (for one moment) made me feel guilty for moving away from them. I consider this a very unique gift from my mom and dad, as I know several friends whose parents have given them a guilt trip if they decide to move an hour away, let alone 15 hours, like we did! They continue to be this way today. They are very thankful for the time that we do get to spend with them but if we have to cut things short because of vacation time, etc, they are understanding! Amazing!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Mom! Thank you so much for all you have done for me. I cannot express how much your love and support has meant to me and continues to mean to me today. I hope that someday I can be as loving and supportive to my kids as you are to me!

Happy Birthday!

My 4-month-old

I cannot believe that our beautiful daughter is 4 months old today. It seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with her and that our life was still "normal". Now, I never want to go back to the way it was!! It is amazing to us, as her parents, to watch her grow and change every single day. She was started to really laugh out-loud. This sound has become a delight to our ears. She also struggled for two weeks with bedtime sleep and now suddenly the switch flipped again, and goes down easily and at times, even without a pacifier! She slept through the night on Saturday and woke up only once last night. I cannot begin to understand the ways of infants. The only thing that I read about and heard was a major developmental growth at 4 months can sometimes interrupt sleep. I hope this calm trend continues. We've also tried to be really consistent with her bedtime and bedtime routine. Perhaps that is helping. She is consistently rolling over from stomach to back and once has rolled from back to stomach. She is getting better about sitting up but isn't quite there yet.

My continued daily prayer for my daughter is this: that she be healthy and safe from harm, that she learn as she grows up to lean on her everlasting Father, and also to learn that the world won't always be fair to her but that she will always have parents to love her and support her. I am so thankful today that I have such a wonderful loving husband and that we together, have such a beautiful little girl!

*Side Note: Andrew started his new job today. He took the bus downtown and he called me at 7:40 am to say he had made it down there. I must admit that it was rather weird that he got up before I did. That has not happened since our first year of marriage, when he worked while I was in school. It will take some getting used to. I'm also jealous of him getting to ride the bus. I would LOVE for my 30 minute commute to be on a bus so I could read the whole time!*

I think pregnancy is still weird . . . and parenting.

I am still feeling some effects from pregnancy. A few weeks ago, I noticed that my hair started to fall out by the fist full. If any of you know my husband, you know he is grossed out by thinks like excess hair (not connected to the head). I have tried to keep it swept up from the bathroom floor, rinsed out of the shower and the sink, and even pulled out of my hair brush, but it is nearly impossible. I was beginning to wonder what was happening to me, but then I read about postpartum hair loss. Apparently I'm not alone in this problem. Also, since giving birth, the side of my left leg (thigh really) has been numb. I wasn't terribly concerned about this. I figured I would mention it to my chiropractor if it didn't go away soon. It has taken 4 months but it is beginning to wake up! It gets tingly and painful at times. I suppose a nerve was pinched. And last but certainly not least, my wrists! A few weeks before Abigail's birth, my wrists began to be terribly painful. My chiro called it carpal tunnel, but it isn't in that joint of the hand, so I don't know what the issue is. Right now, if I extend my thumbs too far from my hand (like you do when picking up a baby by the arm pits. Yikes!) the joint pops out of place. Very very painful indeed! I'm trying not to see a doctor about any of these things because well . . . I just had a baby and weird things like this happen but also I am terribly cheap. I have a hard time even parting with the $20 co-pay. Anyone else had these physical problems?

I have been thinking a lot lately about expectations. I jokingly say, at times, that I set my expectations so low that I will always be pleasantly surprised by people. They will always meet my expectations. I don't think this is necessarily a good way to live! :) When I was a young girl, I loved to play make-believe. I mostly played princess, bride, and well . . . mother. One day it was a bit of a shock to me, I think, that I most certainly was not going to grow up to be queen someday and it was a bitter disappointment. My thoughts on reality swung the opposite direction and now I feel I am a very realistic person, perhaps too much so at times.

Sorry if this post is rambly. There are just weird random things I have been thinking about lately. Abigail has been asleep for almost two hours now, and I probably should have been as well. Oh well, I got the dishes washed, some pumping done (she eats SO much these days that it's hard to keep up), and some TV watched. Time for bed!

Abigail's Birth Story

I have wanted to post Abigail's birth story for so long but I keep forgetting. Here it is. I wrote this a week or two after she was born, so all the details would be correct. Beware, it's long! Enjoy!

Abigail’s Birth Story

On February 2, 2008, the day after my last day of work, I woke up at 1:00 am with cramps. I had been having cramps on and off for a few weeks, and even though these were painful, I thought they would just go away like they had before. I stayed in bed and tried to relax but had to get up about 15 minutes later. I decided to get into the bathtub. After about 10 minutes in the bathtub, and being unable to read my book (unthinkable!), I decided to get out and try sleeping again, since that had helped in my previous cramping experiences. So, I went downstairs and turned on Anne of Green Gables and tried to sleep while watching it. I was able to doze occasionally, but I was having regular cramps (now beginning to wonder if they were contractions) every 15 minutes. I laid there as long as I could and eventually went back upstairs to wake up Andrew at 2:30 am. I wanted him to sleep as long as possible, if this was the real thing. We had only gone to bed at 12:00 am because we had been at Wayne and Susan’s playing Monopoly with Jennie until then! :)

Andrew woke up very quickly. I simply had to say his name and “are you awake?” a few times and he woke right up. I told him I was having bad cramps but didn’t know if it was the real thing or not. He suggested that we both get up for a while and time them. After we finally found a clock with a second hand (in the office) and timed about six contractions, they were about 2 to 3 minutes apart! We had been planning to have a natural drug-free birth and had taken a wonderful 12 week Bradley class in preparation for the birth. We chose to use a midwife practice (they have one doctor) and to go to a birth center in a hospital for Abigail’s birth.

Andrew called the midwife, even though I thought we should wait awhile (after all, we learned in our class to stay home as much as possible). After talking with the midwife, we made the decision to go ahead and call Family Beginnings (the birth center) and head to the birth center in Dayton. It took us a while to gather our stuff (we weren’t expecting her quite so soon) and for me to make it to the car between contractions. The car ride was a bit painful for me, especially when we hit bumps during a contraction but I laid back and tried to relax as much as possible. Andrew called my mom on our way to the hospital so she could be my prayer warrior! We arrived at the hospital at 4:00 am. It was a long walk in from car to the hospital doors.

The nurse was waiting for us when we got there and we got to choose our room. I had pictured us in room 1 all along, so it was nice to get that, even though it was a little smaller than the others. I was concerned the whole way into the hospital that this was all a false alarm and that I would have to stand a painful ride home in the car. I was very relieved to discover that I was seven centimeters dilated when we arrived. I had tested positive for Group B Strep, so the nurse had to start an antibiotic right away, so I spent the first 15 or 20 minutes lying on the bed, getting the IV in and having the antibiotic administered. The nurse said that she was afraid they wouldn’t get the antibiotic in before the baby came. I was very surprised and encouraged to hear this! Since I was so far along I immediately asked if I could get in the bathtub (it was huge) so the nurse started running the water. I stayed in the tub for an hour or so. After I got out of the tub, we continued to practice relaxation techniques. I walked around the room a bit and sat on the birthing ball. Squatting was very painful for me, so I didn’t do that often. Looking back, that probably would have helped to speed up my labor and I should have kept it up. I laid down midmorning when they gave me my second dose of antibiotics and was able to doze for a while. I found the contractions to be more painful when resting like this because they woke me up and I was unprepared for the pain. This also slowed down my labor.

The midwife came by about 10:30 am to check my progress and I had only dilated to a 8 ½ or 9. My progress was stalling quite a bit, since I had been seven centimeters since arriving at the hospital six and a half hours earlier. She talked about breaking my water, but I wanted to give it a little more time before any intervention was performed. I asked her to come back again in an hour, so I spent an hour walking, swaying, and sitting on the birthing ball in my room. In retrospect, I should have walked further, perhaps some stairs, but I didn’t want to make noise or have my water break outside of my room, so I was uncomfortable to leave.

The midwife came back in at 11:30 am and broke my water. The water was clear, so that was a good sign that the baby was doing fine. I hadn’t progressed at all from an hour earlier. The contractions started to get pretty intense after she broke my water. The midwife explained that the worse the pain was, the better it was, because it meant the baby was moving down. She encouraged me to sway a lot during contractions, even though that was against everything in my being, because it would help move the baby down the birth canal. It was hard to do that, since it felt like I was inflicting more pain upon myself! She also had me lay down on my side with my leg up on the birthing ball. This position was supposed to help the last lip of my cervix pull back but in my case, it didn’t help. I also lost my “lunch” (cranberry juice) at this point. That was probably the most painful experience ever, throwing up while having a contraction. At about 1:30 pm (according to Andrew), my cervix was still not fully dilated so she suggested that since she could see the baby’s head pushing on the cervix, that she try and hold the lip back while I pushed the baby’s head into the birth canal. That was an extremely painful experience. Once I started pushing (no urge, but just pushing the baby past my cervix) it started to feel good to push against the contractions.

I got back into the bathtub, this time with Andrew supporting behind me, and pushed for some time. After about an hour and ½ of pushing, the nurse asked me to get out of the tub and see if a different position would help to speed things up. She asked me to sit on the toilet for a few contractions, even though sitting on the toilet felt excruciatingly painful. The pressure was intense. After just two or three contractions on the toilet, the baby had made significant progress. The nurse said that we’d better get set up for this baby to come. So I slowly made my way to the bed. I could now feel the baby’s head. I got set up on the bed and continued to push. I kept thinking how I wanted Andrew to sit behind me and help hold my legs (I was holding my own legs) but I couldn’t really vocalize this. He told me later that he asked me if I wanted him to sit behind me and I said no! :) I could feel the baby’s head crowning or getting ready to, and another nurse popped into our room and asked the midwife to come to room 2 to deliver a baby. Everyone left the room, except for Andrew. This made me extremely uncomfortable and I kept thinking that Andrew was going to have to catch the baby!

After about 10 minutes my nurse came back in and picked up the phone to call the midwife back into our room for the birth, but she came before the call was made. Abigail was born at 4:00 pm on February 2nd. I wish I could say that I was silently pushing her out but that wasn’t the case. I was making lots of noise and didn’t let up on the pushing at any point. I just wanted her out! My only regret at this point was that someone didn’t tell me to open my eyes to see her entrance into the world, so my eyes were closed when Abigail was born. She was born with her hand up by her face. I had a 2 degree tear. Abigail was placed directly on my chest for the first few minutes of her life. She let out about one lusty cry and then was quiet. I immediately asked if she was a girl for sure and Andrew told me “yes”. I also thought that she looked just like me but I could really only see the top of her head. Her apgar score was an 8 and a 9.

I wanted her to try and breastfeed right away but I was lying on my back and felt very unsure of how to pick her up. Her head and neck seemed so fragile. Eventually the nurse asked Andrew to hold Abigail, while I was being fixed up. Since we needed to regulate her body temperature for her for the first few hours of life, he took off his shirt, so they could be skin to skin. It took the midwife a good hour to fix me up. I immediately asked for motrin. The stitches hurt but I kept telling myself that at least it didn’t hurt as badly as labor and the birth did! We were absolutely enthralled by our daughter. I was also very hungry, so we called for some “room service”. At about 6:00 pm, I realized that we should probably call our parents. We just had simply forgotten before this point. We had our first visitors at about 8:00 pm. They were Great Grandma Myers, Great Aunt Carol, Aunt Jennie, Grandma Susan, and Grandpa Wayne.

The next day, Abigail was seen by the pediatrician and had her hearing test. Both visits went very well. We dozed and watched TV during the morning hours. We were finally able to go home about 4:00 pm after Abigail had her PKU test done. She slept all the way home. We learned a lot of things from this birth experience and there are several things on our list to do differently next time (if there is such a time). I think the most important thing we learned was patience. The birth process takes lots and lots of patience and even though we had a midwife (which helps with the patience aspect of birth) there was still mention of time and progression. In retrospect, there were many things I should have been doing to progress my labor but instead we chose an intervention, having my water broken. I'm not at all disappointed by this experience but it is good to look back and learn things that could be done differently.

This was definitely the most challenging, painful, empowering and beautiful experience of my life. I wanted to let my body do what God had designed it to do and that was an amazing feeling when everything was over. I also wanted to give my daughter the best possible start in life. We are so thankful to have our happy and healthy daughter with us. We both desire to raise her to share our faith in Jesus Christ and to be a blessing to those around her. We love you Abigail!

Anniversaries

This past weekend was full of anniversaries. First of all, Andrew and I celebrated our 5th anniversary together. We went out to eat on Sunday for lunch to celebrate. It was nice. Sometimes I can't believe that 5 years have gone by and other times, I feel like I have known Andrew for a long time. This was a good reminder of just how blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband. He is loving, patient, kind, very slow to anger, giving, a wonderful provider, and an amazing dad!!

The second anniversary that we celebrated this weekend was yesterday, May 26th, the day that I found out we were expecting Abigail. One year ago, I never knew how my life would be blessed by the addition of this sweet little girl. Since it was just on year ago, I remember so clearly how I felt when I took the test. We were camping in Eastern Ohio and I just had to know as soon as possible so I had brought a test (or two) with me. I took this one in a pit toilet (*lovely*). I also remember the expression on Andrew's face when I called him over to our tent to tell him. I don't think I heard a single word of the sermon that Sunday, as I was busy looking up Biblical names to name our baby! Of course, I thought at first that we were going to have a boy! :) I remember meeting Andrew's eyes several times that day and hardly being able to keep from squeeling with joy! We kept the news a secret for a few weeks and I'm glad we did. I remember with fondness just having that special knowledge between the two of us for a while. It was a day that definitely changed our lives forever!!

Here is a picture Andrew took of sweet Abigail this weekend.

Miss Abigail has tea!

We have been very negligent in taking pictures of our little girl. We'll have to have a photo shoot this weekend! This is a picture Grandma Susan took of Abigail having "tea" at her grandma's tea parlor (http://www.theteaparlor.net/). Isn't it so cute?! She looks like such a proper little lady.

Sleep Update

I am coming to the same conclusion over and over again . . . that Abigail is simply tired and worn out when she does her screaming in the evenings. After she went to bed last night (about 8:15 pm) she slept clear through until 6:00 am! That is almost 10 hours of straight sleep. She was her happy, smiley self this morning, so I guess she felt refreshed. Weird!

Other than concentrating on the baby this weekend, we also enjoyed going to a Red's game on Friday night, and seeing the May Festival on Saturday night. I certainly do miss singing with them but I keep telling myself that I will be able to do it again someday. Right now, I can't imagine adding one more thing to my life! As much fun as we had in Kansas and Chicago, it was nice to just have a quiet, relaxing weekend and get caught up (sort of) on laundry and cleaning.

We are looking forward to this coming weekend. We will be celebrating out 5th wedding anniversary. We keep debating what we should do to celebrate. Since we're new parents, we'll probably just do dinner and a movie and go on a trip another year, when it is easier to get away.

I'm enjoying the bright sunny day!

Change!

Our little girl is changing. The past few days she has been very cranky (very unusual) and has had evening melt downs (It's not just for Aunt Jennie. She did it again tonight)! We suspect that she may be starting to get some teeth but we're just not sure. I HATE not knowing how to comfort my little girl when she is screaming her head off. She did it tonight but actually calmed down enough to eat before bed. She went to sleep easily but then woke 1/2 hour later (which is unusual). Can I say it again? I really hate not knowing what is going on with her. I felt like we really had the hang of knowing what each cry meant. She usually only cried when she was tired, and occasionally fussed when she was bored or hungry. I don't know what these new screams mean. Andrew and I both think that she is just overly tired, or teething. Can you tell I don't like not knowing?!

She has also started crying/fussing when being given to other people. This started when we flew out to Kansas for the wedding. We just thought she was tired, in a new environment, and overwhelmed by so many people . . . but she is still doing it. This also makes me nervous because I hope she is ok when I leave her for work.

This baby thing is definitely harder than I thought. I'm sure in a few years (maybe months) I can look back on it and laugh, like I can now about the newborn stage. I've been doing a lot of adjusting myself lately. I guess it's just taking some time to figure out how to juggle being mom, wife, employee, housekeeper, friend, keeping up with church activities, and anything else I have forgotten.

Hopefully a good nights rest will do everyone in this house some good!

Sleeeeeeeeep!!!!!

For the first time in her life, Abigail slept clear through the night! By comparison to other babies, she has technically slept through the night quite often, meaning from midnight to 5 am. However, if I have to get up at night to feed or care for her, I don't count this as sleeping through the night. It took her a while to fall asleep last night, so she probably drifted off around 10:00 pm. I went to bed at 10:30 pm and did not wake up until my alarm went off!! I wondered why I felt so rested this morning. She was awake in bed when I went into check on her at 6:00 am (when my alarm goes off) and so I fed her then. It was amazing people!! So, for the first time in a long time, I got a huge block of sleep. I didn't even sleep that much before Abigail arrived because I was pregnant and uncomfortable (not to mention the bathroom breaks), so yeah! I'm not getting my hopes up that she will do this every night but at least I know it is possible.

I will be honest: I'm sort of also sad in a weird sort of way. Since going back to work, I have felt like every moment I get to spend with her is precious and important. It didn't matter if it was in the middle of the night or not! Ah well. I will take the sleep while I can get it!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

This is a video my mother-in-law, Abigail's Grandma Susie, took of her when she first rolled over (this is actually her second rolling over experience). She will be moving around sooner than we know! :) She looks so happy with herself in this video. Isn't it cute?!

Chicago Trip

We had a great trip to Chicago. I certainly am tired today but I'm so glad that we went to see my sister graduate. We will have to start calling her Dr. Jenny now! :) The trip was, again, way too short for my taste but at least we got to spend some time with my family. Part of the reason I may be extra tired is that Abigail has been waking up more than once at night for the past few nights. She got up twice last night and three times the night before that. I'm not sure why she is doing this. Last night, I went in for the second time at about 4:30 am and she was laying there making noise and kicking at her toy (playing). I moved the toy but she still didn't go back to sleep until she had some food!

Last week was a big week for my little family. Abigail had a new first . . . rolling over. I missed her first rolling over (and yes, I almost cried about that) but since then she has become a rolling maniac and has done it for me many times! She is only going from her stomach to her back. I don't think it will be too terribly long before she is going the other way. Also, my husband got a new job (and a second one may be on the way). I won't go into the details on here yet, mainly because I don't understand what he will be doing! :)

I don't have pictures of the weekend yet. We didn't have time to do anything yesterday, after we arrived home, but unpack, give Abigail a bath, and go to bed. I will hopefully post some soon. However, my main job this week is going to be trying to get our yard mowed! It has been two weeks since we have mowed (because we've been gone) and we've had lot of rain. It's a jungle!

Happy Monday!

Trip to Kansas

We had a wonderful trip to Kansas this past weekend. The only problem was that it was WAY too short! We left Thursday night about 4:00 pm and drove to Indianapolis for our flight. Abigail was an absolute doll on the flights. She fussed slightly a few times but mostly she just laid on her pillow (on our laps) and enjoyed a pacifier. She was a little fussy once we reached Manhattan. I think she was just overwhelmed with all the travel, different schedule, lack of sleep, and lots of new faces wanting to hold her. She always does better when she can sit/lay by herself without being held. She did a great job sleeping in some new beds (Pak n play) and was a joy to travel with on the way home too. We got back about 4:00 pm last night. It was a great weekend!

My cousin's wedding was very beautiful and everything went very smoothly (from what I could tell). We enjoyed wonderful hospitality and it was great to see my family again. It was the first time all of the Walter cousins had been together in such a long time. We got some great pictures.

The Walter Cousins. We haven't been together in a long time. When we used to line up like this, our heights would stair-step down. Not anymore!!

The bridesmaids waiting for the bride and groom to leave the church.

Abigail and Daddy all dressed up for the wedding. Abigail definitely preferred to be held by Andrew (even over me) all weekend long!

Me holding Abigail. She still has a runny nose! You can see it in this picture.

Abigail and Aunt Ronda (who sets a high standard for aunt "greatness"). Abigail really enjoyed hanging out with her Great Aunt Ronda!

This is an adorable picture of a happy Abigail and her Grammy (Gramie)! Abigail is so big as you can see in this picture next to my tiny mom!

Lightner/Haspels Visit

I haven't posted pictures yet from the visit we had from some good friends of ours (from Kansas). Enjoy!

Melanie, Jaime, Abigail, Jodi

Things To Do!

Our lives seem so busy all the time. Many of the things that I used to enjoy (cooking, scrapbooking, reading, organizing our lives, etc) have taken a back seat to my new most-favorite thing. . . spending time with my precious daughter. I have to continue to brag about Andrew. He cooks most nights and is now doing the laundry, except for putting it away (which is my job, since I don't like his folding!!), so that I have time to just hang out with Abigail. The only thing I have been doing lately is mowing, which I enjoy. It gives Abigail a chance to hang out with her dad, which I think is a wonderful thing. She definitely doesn't get enough daddy time (or Pa, as I like to call him).

We are about to embark on a new adventure . . . flying with a baby. We are flying to Kansas for my cousin's wedding. I am very excited about the weekend. It will be so much fun to see all of my family again, to see my cousin get married, and to actually get to spend some quality time together as a family! I love events where families come together. Yeah! Well, my lunch break is almost over, so I'd better get back to work.

We're getting there!

I am all about this: http://thesoftlanding.wordpress.com/. Ever since I learned I was pregnant, I switched to drinking water from glass cups or my new favorite Klean Kanteen (thanks Mom!), which I use every day. I purchased either glass or Born Free bottles for Abigail and use only Medela products when pumping for Abigail (they use only Bisphenal-free plastic). The only exception we have made to this is when it comes to Pacifiers. Abigail has one Pacifier (her favorite) that is made with Latex. We only use it on special occasions (rough nights) and I have been slowly getting her used to sucking on other Pacifiers. They just don't fit her mouth like the latex one does, unfortunately.

I have done a lot of reading lately about the dangers of infants swimming in chlorinated pools. I had heard about this before having a baby but now I'm looking into it more, now that it is almost pool season. I wish we lived closer to a lake or ocean (something natural) for Abigail to play/swim in! I will post some links to this another time. I think occasional swimming would probably be ok but when you think about it, you are really dipping your whole body into chemicals!

She still has a slightly stuffy nose. When she wakes up it is a bit stuffy and then clears up during the day. It seems like she is improving pretty quickly. Poor thing doesn't know what to do when her nose is stuffy when she wakes up. She coughs and sputters around. I am also SO glad that it is the weekend. She has been getting up 2 or 3 times a night all week long and I feel very very tired! I fell asleep feeding her (in the rocking chair) the other night and it was only 8:30 pm!! I think Andrew may use a bottle that I have pumped and take one of the shifts tonight so that I can get a stretch of sleep. We haven't done this yet, in Abigail's short life, so we'll see if it works. I can't wait to play and take care of our babe all weekend!

I felt like I got so much done last weekend and was looking forward to relaxing this weekend. However, I feel like my time has come and I MUST get an Ohio Driver's license soon. Thankfully it has been a while since I have been pulled over but since we are coming up on being Ohio residents for 3 years now, it's time! I might put it off one more weekend!

Photo Shoot with Mama

Poor sweet baby had a stuffy nose this morning and cried all the way through her diaper change. It seemed to clear a little bit after I fed her. I think she's just wiped out and possibly has a touch of the very minor slight cold or allergies that Andrew and I have had this last week. I hope she sleeps well (deeply) when she is here with me today! Here are some pictures of me and my sweet darling.

She was wearing her Sterling College onesie but it doesn't really show in these pictures.

My little flyer!

Please ignore me and focus on how precious my girl is!!!

Ok, I must remember not to stare at pictures of her when I'm not with her!
I sure do miss her!

:(

Less than a week

So, I can't stay away from blogging! It has been less than a week and I don't feel particularly creative yet but we had a fun filled weekend that I want to post about. We have lots of fun pictures to post. First of all we had a lovely visit from a Haspels and a Lightner (good friends from Kansas) on Friday night. It was great fun to see them and have a chance to catch up. Of course, they received the Schechter family welcome of having photos taken with Abigail in our studio, so I will post those. It was so good to see you Melanie and Jodi!! :)

Friday night, Abigail decided to go through a growth spurt (we think) and wake up four times to eat! Whew! Then on Saturday night, 3 times to eat! However exhausting that was, I am thankful to have such a thoughful daughter who only has gone through growth spurts on weekends, because she knows her mama works (gets up at 6am) and needs to sleep! :) She only woke up one time last night.

On Saturday Andrew took some wonderful pictures of Abigail and me in his studio. I didn't get to spend as much time with Abigail this weekend as I wanted, because I had to run around and do tons of errands on Saturday (David's Bridal, Trader Joes, Grace Chapel (our church), Carters, and Target). Andrew took good care of Abigail and gave her a bottle so I would have time to do all of that. Hopefully next weekend we can just hang out and relax together more as a family without all the running around!

Then on Sunday, the usual, church and lunch at Grandma's house. In the evening hours we got together with our Bradley method class friends for a reunion. It was so much fun to see everyone's babies and to compare notes about breastfeeding, sleeping, rolling over, sitting up, etc!! It is so cute how the babies look like their parents! I guess that's what happens. Andrew forgot his camera, so we'll have to get some pictures from others. Abigail was so tired she slept in Andrew's arms for a while. She was revived by a short 15 minute nap and was pleasant the rest of the evening. It was a busy but fun weekend!

Blank!

I have never taken a blogging sabbatical in my three years of blogging but I'm considering it at this point. It is not like I don't have something to blog about (my darling Abigail)! :) I just don't feel creative at the moment (blah) and there are only so many posts about Abigail's sleep (which is still wonderful) that I can write. Maybe some sun and warm weather will help. I'm also finding myself extremely short on time these days. So, at this point, I'm considering taking a break. We'll see. I may not be able to stay away, especially if we take some cute pictures of our little darling. Comments always help to encourage my blogging juices to flow! :)

P.S. I just have to brag about my wonderful amazing husband. I have not cooked a single meal (on a week night) since I went back to work. He is doing such a wonderful job taking care of me and helping me to have as much time to just spend with Abigail in the evenings and weekends as possible. I am sad that I had to give up doing his laundry. I truly do enjoy doing laundry but it is enough to just keep up with my own and Abigail's at the present time! :(

Our Little Piggy!

We have noticed lately that Abigail is getting quite chunky but we hadn't weighed her in a while. Well, she had her 8 week doctor's appointment yesterday and we found out that she is HUGE! She weighed in at 13 pounds, was 25 inches long, and has a big head. She is in the 95th percentile for all three things (weight, height, and head size). Her daddy said last night that perhaps we have a basketball player on our hands! :) We'll let her decide that, but just in case she is, I've had lots of practice keeping stats at basketball games (right Mom and Dad?). Sorry, we haven't taken any new pictures this week since I've been back at work. Perhaps we'll try to do that tonight.

Abigail had another good night last night. She fell asleep about 9:30 pm (I went to bed shortly after) and she only woke up once at 2:30 am. Since that was early in the night, I wasn't sure if she would make it until morning but she didn't wake up until 6:00 am! Ok, that's all for now!