Family time

I couldn't be more proud of our little nugget than when we went out today to tool around.  I wanted to get some lunch at a local pizza/pub joint and T wanted to take a look at a couple of RVs that he is very interested in.  Of course nugget is stuck with our ventures.

The weather was very odd for Tucson today - endless rain and a bit on the cool side (I know my Kentucky friends and family will huff at that remark).  I actually broke out a sweater today - happily it was a sweater that I wore pre-pregnant and it fit nicely with some room to spare.  Whew.

I dressed nugget as warm as I could with what I had.  She did so fantastic!!  She didn't cry once.  She slept through lunch and, when we went to look through the RVs, I held her and she cuddled into my sweater and slept (and pooped) a bit more.  She was so patient and never made a peep.  She slept all the way home and, as soon as we walked in the door, I prepped her a bottle knowing that she would be starving when she woke up.  I was right!

This morning we Skyped with my Dad and this evening we Skyped with my Mom.  So she was able to get a good look at both of her grandparents today.  I must admit I am really looking forward to going home and showing her off.  I am a little apprehensive about the plane ride but I feel pretty confident we will make it through just fine.

Another reason I am so proud of our nugget.  She started showing signs of being sleepy around 7.  We played with her a bit but she was only having it for about 15 minutes and started getting fussy again.  I finally resorted to giving her a bottle (and it was the first time we used the Mr Brown bottles) and she went to town - hungry again.  When she was half way done with her bottle (actually drank 3 oz and had 1 oz left), we started working on her bath.  As I laid her down to get her undressed for her bath, she started smiling and cooing.  She completely relaxed as if she knew what was coming.  She enjoyed her bath, got swaddled, finished her bottle (plus 2 more oz!!) and then hit the crib!  I am just so amazed at how quickly she has adjusted to her routine.  Now if I can just figure out how to get her back to sleep for a longer stretch between 3 AM and 7 AM.   I am sure it will come with time.

Tuesday is her two month appointment including shots.  Not sure if I mentioned this before but T won't be able to come with me to the appointment.  He has a very important (and possibly very exciting) meeting with his boss in Scottsdale on Tue.  So it will be just Hayden and I facing the needle together.  I don't know who will be more of a mess!

That's it for tonight.  No new pics.  I will let you know how these new bottles do versus the Playtex Drop Ins.  I am interested to see how it helps with her gas.  I am also going to add in a dose of the Mylicon drops after her late feeding to see if that helps keep her down for the rest of the night.  Keep your fingers crossed that I can find a way to keep her relaxed/asleep for the rest of my night.  And, yes, I  know my expectations are a bit unrealistic for a two month old.  But it sure doesn't hurt to try.

Also on my list for this week?  CLEANING!  Grocery shopping (I am throwing a bridal shower for my Step-SIL on Saturday), and YAY!!  The gym!!  T and I have agreed to a system where, every Sunday evening, we will look at his calendar and decide which 3 days will work for the gym that week.  This week will be Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday!  I absolutely cannot wait!  I am ready to work this baby gunk off of me!!  WOOHOO!!

Oh, and you SHOULD be proud!  Two entries in two days!  WOW!

2 months...and one day...

As usual, it has taken me a whole day past the day that I really wanted to post. Hayden's two month birthday. In some ways, I can't believe it has already been two months. In other ways, it feels like it has been years. But, either way, I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world.

Everything has been going pretty smooth. We are still trying to keep her in her night time routine. It goes like this:

7 PM - wind down and play quietly
7:30 PM - Bath time with lavender bubble bath followed by lavender lotion massage, diaper and swaddle
7:45 PM - bottle
8 PM - crib

Last night was an exception - such as life goes - that she was out past her "bed time." I am not sure if that was the reason or if she may be going through a growth spurt but she had a tough night getting rested. Therefore, we all did!

She is growing like a weed. Not so much plump-wise but length-wise. She doesn't have much fat on her but she is growing tall for sure! So much like her Daddy!

Her hair is growing slowly but nothing like the head of hair Tay had when she was a baby - we just looked at pics today. It is kinda surprising how much Hayden looks like Tay when she was a baby. I wonder what she will look like as she gets older. She sure is beautiful now.

She still has some gas issues from time to time but nothing like it used to be. We bought some new bottles from Target - Dr Brown bottles - they are ranked high among consumers for being the best bottle for gassy babies. We shall see. We are using Playtex Drop-in bottles right now and the gas still exists. I guess it is all a game of trial and error.

Her reflux seems to be getting much better thanks to the Prevacid we give her twice a day. We gave it to her tonight and ended up getting it back. She had a couple of gulps of formula and then had her meds (my fault that I forgot to do it before she started eating). H has a very sensitive stomach when it comes to meds before food. It is now known to us that it WILL come back if we give her meds after a few sips of food.

Hayden is full of smiles lately. Especially in the mornings (she is definitely a morning person), when you are playing with her feet, when Daddy walks up to her and when you play Paddy Cake or "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with her. She LOVES attention and will let you know if she isn't getting enough. She is actually starting to fuss if she wants direct interaction. I actually find that to be cool. And, no matter how exhausted I may feel, I never have a problem playing with her or cooing with her. It makes my day.

So T is talking more and more about getting an RV. It is reminding me of how persistent he was about the Lexus. I really think this dream is going to become a reality. I have always been anti-road trips but think that this may be a good thing. Tay has already shown interest in RV'ing across the country, Hayden is young enough that she would grow into the lifestyle, T can work on the road and I would get to go home to Louisville more often and for longer periods of time. Sounds like a WIN all around! Hold on to your seatbelts, Charlie. We are looking at two that he really likes tomorrow. We were thinking that we would make the horn into the Call To The Post to make it more Kentucky Derby themed!!

I wish I could write more but T and I are watching a movie. This is after Hayden's bed time so it is our only time to do something for us. But I would never leave without showing off my girl. Her two months along with her bath time look. She has her two week appointment on Tuesday. I will try to post then to give you an update on weight and latest health.

And now, the pics!

How old am I?


That's right!  Two months!


Bath time

Finally...

Absolutely pathetic that I haven't posted an update since almost exactly a month ago! I should have waited to post an entry until tomorrow when it would have been exactly a month to the day.

Needless to say, Hayden is a full-time (and very rewarding) job that has certainly kept me from the keyboard for any good amount of time. At least any amount of time that would allow me to post an update of any substance. Right now is no different. She is wiggling around in her bouncy seat at the moment, wide awake and working on a fragranced gift in her britches. She will be thrilled to see that I wrote this later in life.

Since my last post, a lot has happened! I wouldn't even know where to begin so I will just generalize at this point and hope that I can keep up better with my entries from now on.

We have stopped breastfeeding. She was having major problems with the breastmilk which would leave her screaming and crying after every feeding. The pediatrician recommended I cut out all dairy products from my diet to see if that could be causing the problem. After much discussion and weighing the pros and cons, T and I decided to try a soy based formula to see if that would make any difference. And, wow, did it!?! Hayden was like a brand new, happy baby overnight. Literally. We decided to stick with it. I have since passed my pump on to my sister-in-law, "dried up" and moved on to being a formula mom. Hayden and I are both so much happier. The pediatrician reassured me that the best and most important breastmilk that she should have for the immunity benefits and whatnot is the first four weeks. And that is exactly what she got. So I don't feel guilty in the least. As a matter of fact, we both feel phenomenal about the decision!!

Hayden turned a month old on January 26. We had some crazy episodes before her one month birthday. Too much to detail on here at this time...I am on very borrowed time at the moment. But, let's just say that Hayden and I have bonded completely and totally over the last two months!!

Ok, now I am back...just had to take a two hour break from typing to feed, change and play with Hayden. This blog entry could take all day! But that's ok. She is my first priority and number one on my to-do list (followed closely by laundry!!).

Yes, Hayden and I have certainly bonded. We spend the majority of our time together and have really gotten to know each other pretty well. Granted, she still throws me curve balls from time to time...probably more than I'd like to admit. But I try to stay on my toes and learn from her lessons! I used to think T was my boss but I am learning that I now have two bosses! One that pays me and one that rules me! Since Hayden doesn't have an income, I am sure you can figure out who's who!

I think the hardest thing is trying to figure out her whines and cries. Every cry sounds like her hungry cry. The one cry I DO know the difference is the "sleepy but don't want to sleep" cry. That's more of a low whine. A paci and the bouncy seat knocks that out pretty quick!

Hayden is doing GREAT sleeping in her crib at night. She has been sleeping in there all night for about 2 weeks or so. We have both a motion monitor and an audio monitor so I feel pretty comfortable with being in the other room or downstairs when she is upstairs sleeping. There have been nights she has slept from 10 PM until 3 AM and then 4 AM until 7 AM and then there have been nights like last night where she will sleep from 8 PM (her new bedtime) until 12 AM and then up every hour allowing me only about 15 - 20 minutes between putting her in her crib and me getting settled in bed. The weekend was great. The last two nights have been more challenging. But she isn't even two months yet so I am definitely proud of what we have accomplished and what she is doing at this point. Sleeping through the night will come in time. In the meantime, I will pick the crusty sleepies out of my eyes, search the house for all caffeine I can find and keep a smile on my sleepy face. She is worth every bit of it.

Although we have switched to soy, she still experiences gas from time to time and she is still dealing with a mild case of reflux. I do think the formula has helped with both issues quite a bit and she only cries when she's hungry or her belly is bothering her. So it is much quieter around here (especially if I stay on top of feeding her before the crying happens).

I think her next doctor's appointment is March 2 (or sometime around there - the date is on the calendar in the kitchen but that's a lot of leg work for me right now). I am looking forward to seeing how much she weighs, how she looks and to finally get the first round of shots out of the way...that's going to be brutal. Probably more for me than her.

I am going to wrap here while I am ahead! She is sleeping on her belly next to me on the couch. I think her belly was kinda bothering her and she seems to like to lay on her belly at times like that. So, while her eyes are closed, I am going to take care of a few things around the house. As much as I would like to curl up next to her and sleep, I have just way too much to do. It really is never ending but so worth every second. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and I love her more than my heart or mind can explain. It is one of the deepest loves I have ever experienced.

I am going to try and keep up with this blog because I really want to keep everyone updated on her progress. I also want a diary of her life that she can look at later in her life. So I am on a mission to keep this up as often as possible. Let's see what happens...hopefully another month won't go by!

Look out! February 26 = 2 months!!