Not A Newborn

Olivia is decidedly no longer a newborn - she knows this during the day, but at night she seems to forget this. She had her 6 month check-up yesterday and continues to grow well (17 pounds 12 ounces (75 to 90th percentile), 25 3/4 inches (25 to 50th percentile), 17 inch head(50 to 75th percentile)). She also got her shots. And in the last week she's mastered feeding herself little snacks, which Abby would very much like to get her hands on. But she persists in waking everyone up at least once in the middle of the night - like 2 am middle, not 5 am. Last night we tried to make her cry herself back to sleep. After an hour I went in and tried rocking her. After an hour and a half of crying I nursed her and laid her back into her crib. After two hours she finally fell asleep. At that point Abby woke up - why she didn't wake up during the two hours of crying baffles me. I really need a vacation...
Which is perfect, since we leave this week for Walt Disney World. Now I'm just hoping and praying that Olivia doesn't scream the entire plane ride, which is a very real possibility. Abby is beyond excited to go. I'm hoping that the excitement will translate into being brave enough to enjoy Disney and not be glued to my leg. At least Abby and Olivia are both going to be able to get into the park free, so if it's a total bust we won't have three or four tickets to buy.

I finished another kitten bonnet for cousin Emma and started one for Aunt Emily, but we had a slight knitting mishap with Emily's hat. I missed the count on one row and all of a sudden the kitten ear was sticking out the side instead of on the top. Oops! So I pulled that one apart and started again. Maybe we can get that done this weekend, if I can find the energy after all my sleepless nights and days... man do I miss Abby napping.

A Lesson in Baby Measurement

Olivia went to the doctor's office again yesterday since the eye drops they gave her for her irritated eyelid made her whole eye red and swollen. Turns out it is an abnormal reaction to the medication, but she is fine now and the next dose only made her a little red and swollen, so for now we are supposed to keep giving it to her. But that's not why I'm typing this...

On Tuesday Olivia measured 24 inches and 16 pounds. Yesterday she measured 26 1/2 inches and 15 pounds 12 ounces. Now the weight loss is easily explained - she had a wet diaper and a very full belly on Tuesday and a dry diaper and empty tummy on Wednesday since she had next to no appetite from having shots the day before. But I can't really explain how she grew by 2 1/2 inches overnight. So I guess the moral of the story is, the nurse taking the measurements on your baby could be worth an inch or two in the total height. So... maybe I'll write down the average size in her baby book.

Olivia's Stats

Olivia had her 4 month checkup and shots today (ouch!). She was 24 inches and 16 pounds. That's quite a stretch from her original 19 inches and 7 pounds 11 ounces. She sure is growing up fast! She was flirting and smiling with the nurses right up until the point when they laid her down to check her out. From then on it was irate screaming and "talking." I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but this girl is quite the talker.

Beach Babes

This picture has nothing to do with what we've been up to the last couple days, but it is pretty much the most adorable picture ever. At least that's what I think. I seem to be getting pretty bad at keeping this up to date on a daily basis and there is good reason for that. I've been spending all day, or most of it anyway, outside with Abby. Olivia has been pretty good about hanging outside too.

Today we decided that 82 degrees meant our first trip to the beach for this year. We headed over to Sherman Park and saw one speed boat and two freighters while we were swimming. Abby enjoyed the water, which is only ankle deep for a good hundred yards. She splashed and played for quite a while, then she went on the playground. We also ran into Abby's baby sitters Kitty and Susie, along with their little sister Sadie. At that point Abby wanted to go home, but she got over it pretty quickly. She did totally wipe out after riding down the slide, but other than that she had a great time. Olivia snoozed in her car seat, which I put on the wagon to keep her in the shade and out of the sand. I survived it, so I guess we will be going back for more another day.

Olivia had her two month old check-up yesterday. She was already 12 pounds 1 ounce. The nurse said she was 21 1/2 inches, but that didn't sound right to me, so I measured her myself at home. I got 22 1/2, so we'll just average it and call her 22 inches. She also got her first set of shots and was not too happy about that. She was rather cranky all night because of it.

Revolving Doors

I feel like we are stuck in some revolving doors lately... mostly at the doctor's office. I think they are getting tired of seeing us. And the worst part is that all these visits and none of them have been emergencies or sickness related. Today is my turn for the 6 week after having a baby check-up. Yippee. With Abby's birthday and annual well child exam falling into the mix, we've been to the doctor's office 5 times in the 5 weeks we've been home with Olivia.

The other revolving door is unplanned and sometimes sad trips down toward Hastings. Our last unplanned trip was the middle of the night ambulance ride/chase to take Olivia to DeVos Children's Hospital, which in the end was a very good thing. Tomorrow will be the unplanned trip to attend my Great Aunt Barbara's funeral. I was thinking last night about what a great example of Godliness she was to those of us fortunate enough to know her. In all of my memories of her I could not think of one time where I felt she was unkind or uncaring. I hope someday when people are thinking back on my legacy they can say the same about me. There aren't many people I know that I don't have any "bad" memories about. And I'm sure someday I will see her in Heaven - there is no doubt in my mind that her faith was in Jesus Christ for salvation and that she served Him faithfully in her lifetime.

So tomorrow I will cross my fingers and take my first extended road trip with two small girls. Hopefully one will sleep most of the ride and the other will watch her dvds. And we are very excited for Olivia to get the opportunity to meet more of her wonderful family. So to those of you in Hastings, we will see you soon. Poor Steve will have to entertain Maize until Friday.

6 Kid Craziness

I survived 6 children under 3 for 10 entire minutes on my own today. It was not nearly as bad as you might think. We had Abby's friens Autumn, "baby" Abby, Rian, and Huron over to play and have lunch. For the most part there was another adult around, but for a little bit I was flying solo and flinging food toward lots of little people.

Abby had her 2 year old check-up today. I got to fly solo for that too. Abby wasn't too happy about being the one getting the check-up, but she did do almost everything she was supposed to do. She cried about being weighed and measured and wouldn't let the doctor look down her throat, but she did okay for her shot and even thanked the nurse for the band-aid and sucker afterward. She was 29 pounds today and 34 1/4 inches. Olivia also sneaked onto the scale. She was 10 pounds 9 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long. During the check-up Olivia visited and snuggled with the front desk staff - I think they were in heaven.

And, we finally got both girls to take a 3 hour nap at the same time, so I got a nap and a spin on my elliptical now that I'm done with any restrictions.

Doctor Day

Our whole family made the trip to the doctor's office for Olivia's one month check up (she'll be one month on Saturday - time flies). Steve planned on keeping Abby at home for the appointment, but Abby insisted that she needed to go visit Nurse Ellie. Olivia is doing great! She weighed in at 9 pounds even and was 21 inches long. That puts her in the 50th percentile for height and weight of a full-term, one month old baby. I tried to pull up a preemie growth chart, but she is off the charts for height and weight based on her gestational age. It's hard to believe it, but tomorrow was supposed to be her birthday.

So... the other big news from the doctor's visit was his opinion that there is no longer any reason why Olivia can't participate in normal life with us. That means Abby and I are breaking out of this popsicle stand as soon as possible. I'm thinking a trip to the park is in order, since Abby loves being outside and the backyard is under construction. The doctor even looked at me like I was crazy when I told him we had kept Olivia in the house basically since she came home, with the exception of one walk and the three visits to his office. Abby will be very excited when she realizes we aren't just sitting around this place day and night anymore. Not that we have lots of exciting places to go or anything... it's just a relief knowing that we can go if we decide to.

And... just for Great Grandma Lorraine, we've decided to give an old lamp a new lease on life as a brushed nickle lamp. We decided a face lift was in order and the fixtures in the room the lamp lives in are all brushed nickle, so the lamp has a shiny new coat of paint and will soon have new wiring. After 50 plus years we thought it was time.

2 Weeks Old

Or negative 3 weeks... depending how you look at it.

Olivia went in for a check up today to make sure she was gaining weight. She's gained 11 ounces since Friday - I'd say that's pretty good progress for a little lady. So she was up to 7 pounds 11 ounces again and was 19 1/2 inches long (although the length measurements always seem a bit shady to me).

Abby's been having a great time with Grandma Mary - they spent a lot of time outside blowing bubbles and exploring the backyard. She is sure enjoying her grandma time! I am trying to enjoy it too, but today a nap was definitely not in the cards for me. First the mailman rang the doorbell. Then once I got back into bed the phone rang. After that Olivia wanted fed. Then she was gassy and squeaking, so I needed to hold her upright against my shoulder. By the time I got her comfortable and ready to nap Abby was up from her 2 hour nap. So... I think early to bed is in my plans. Especially after Abby woke us up at 4 a.m. and Olivia joined her awake party at 5:30 a.m. It has been a very long day...

Our Own Beds :-)

We just got back from Olivia's first appointment with our family physician. She is a little skinnier than when she left the hospital, but otherwise is doing great. I'm not even sure how much skinnier she is, since she apparently also shrunk an entire inch (and for a c-section baby that seems odd to me). So, we go back next Wednesday for another weight check and from there we will have a more consistent idea of how she is growing. She is eating every couple hours round the clock, so I'm sure she is getting some nutrition.

We arrived home yesterday around dinner time after our whirlwind adventure around the state. It was so nice to sleep in our own beds last night. Amazingly enough, we only had two kids crying in the car at the same time for the last 3 blocks of our trip. Better yet, they both slept the first 45 minutes and most of the last 45 minutes too (besides that little sob fest at the end). And Maize was really excited to see us - so excited, in fact, that Abby has a little cut under her eye from getting a dog "hug". As happy as Abby was to have her dog back, she was more happy to have her own toys again. She especially enjoyed introducing her new Cinderella doll to the princess castle. And we had a Sleeping Beauty doll waiting to give her when we got home too, so she has been playing non-stop with her princesses and the castle.
















Olivia is on night two of wanting to be held from 3:30 am to about 6:00 am. It makes sleeping a whole lot more difficult when you only get to sleep until 3:30. Poor Steve didn't know what he was in for when we got into bed last night. He'd been staying in a separate room at mom and dad's house with Abby, so last night was his first experience of sleeping and waking on Olivia's schedule. Luckily Abby didn't seemed phased by the crying and other baby related noises.
















I am finally staple free and feeling much better now that I don't have little metal spikes in my belly. Now just a couple more weeks of taking it easy and I should be back to normal. Luckily I have a super helpful husband, a wonderful family, and great friends. We were pleasantly surprised to come home yesterday to a re-stocked refrigerator and a counter top with food and snacks. We have some pretty wonderful friends up here in Sault Ste. Marie and we are so thankful for that. They make being farther away from family a whole lot easier.
















Olivia and I are going to be on a little house arrest until she reaches her original due date to try and give her a chance to build up her immune system (April 14th), so we are going to have to find some ways to keep the cabin fever at bay. I'm open to all suggestions...

Our Girl - 33 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-33-weeks_1122.bc)

We had another check-up today. Everything was good and growing on schedule. There have apparently been a ton of really sick people around town lately and the doctor had admitted three kids around Abby's age to the hospital, so we are hoping to avoid whatever it is that is making the rounds.

Abby and I have almost survived our first day of our little stretch with Steve. He made it safely to Chicago around 3 this afternoon and Abby and I have been missing him already. Abby is all off schedule, didn't take a nap at all today, and is still going strong at 8:40 p.m. I'm hoping that means she will sleep in for me, since there won't be any alarms going off in my room tomorrow morning. Although she seems to have a knack for waking me up early. This morning Abby woke me up at 5:30 a.m. to tell me "Abby is tired." It's one of those things where you don't know whether to laugh or be upset that you have to crawl out of bed at 5:30 to go put her back into her own bed and turn her Veggie Tales c.d. back on. She didn't even want cuddled or anything, she just wanted to tell me she was tired. What a girl...

And... to keep today even more interesting, Abby wore a skirt under a dress today. And I had to take her out in public with her skirt on under her dress. Luckily they were both denim and the skirt didn't peek out too much. Unluckily, she got food on the dress (which was on the outside) and had a diaper leak on the skirt and tights, so I get to do double the laundry for today. Oh well... at least she has a little bit of spunk and independence.

Our Girl - 31 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-31-weeks_1120.bc)

We had our checkup this week. Baby's heartbeat was 144 beats per minute. Abby was excited to listen to her baby "sing." We also got a tentative c-section date (the surgeon just has to okay it) for April 7th. If we can make it that long.

Checkup Part Two

Abby and I had to go back to the doctor's office this morning to get my rhogam shot (no fun!). While we were there they let me know that my blood sugar came back in the normal range, so I am going to survive this pregnancy without diabetes and without having to test my poor little fingers. Hooray!!!

We are packing for what will probably be our final trip before Baby O. arrives. We are going to visit Grandmas and Grandpas in Hastings from tomorrow until Tuesday afternoon, then heading to Ann Arbor for a class that Steve is taking on Wednesday. It should be fun and I know that Abby is very excited to see everyone (she already packed her bags). Speaking of that... I should get back to laundry so I can pack my bags. I only have about 7 shirts I can wear since I'm not a big fan of the bottom half of my belly sticking out and most of my shirts are now too short :-( I guess some shopping may be on the agenda for our trip.

Our Girl - 22 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-22-weeks_1111.bc)

I went in for my regularly scheduled check-up this afternoon. Everything is going well and baby is growing right on schedule. She was super active while we were there, so it made getting her heartbeat a little tricky, but Dr. Mackie managed and it was a healthy 144 bpm. We are going to be repeating the glucose challenge test next visit and also doing the rhogam shot (boo!). And then we will be scheduling a visit to the surgeon's office to set a c-section date. We are all looking forward to Abby's "baby sister"!

Our Baby - Week 18

How your baby's growing:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

from (http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-18-weeks_1107.bc)

We had our monthly checkup for Baby O. this morning. Everything was progressing on schedule and we are hoping that the glucose tolerance test comes back good so that I don't have to start testing my blood sugar daily. We have our next ultrasound on November 30th, so we are hoping that Baby O. cooperates and we can find out the gender (along with making sure that all the organs and systems have developed properly). Unfortunately, my back and hip pain is only going to get worse and Dr. Mackie didn't seem to think there was much that could be done to prevent it, short of doing less activity. And since Abby isn't on board with the less activity idea, I guess I will be having a sore back and hip until Baby O. arrives.

Our Baby - Week 14

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy cover of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

(from: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-14-weeks_1103.bc)

In other news... we had our 14 week checkup and things were looking good. Abby and Steve came too, so Abby could learn that not all trips to the doctors office result in shots and other pain. She even warmed up enough by the end to give Dr. Mackie a high-five. And she was pretty impressed by the baby's heartbeat - which was 144 beats per minute. We will be checking in again at 18 weeks and will have to do the glucose tolerance test that visit, so I am not looking forward to that fun, but I figure we might as well get it out of the way.

Passed Out

Abby and I were both passed out for a part of this afternoon. Her's was the good passed out - the 2.5 hour nap in her toddler bed kind of passed out. Mine was the blacking out while having blood drawn kind. Not good. That's about 5 minutes of my life that I will probably never recall.

We had our first OB visit for baby number two. This child is much more cooperative than Abby. We were able to hear the little squirt's heart beating away - something that we couldn't do until well into the pregnancy with Abby. If it weren't for the fact that they were drawing seven vials of blood and causing me to pass out it would have been a great appointment. The worst part is that they didn't get all the blood they needed for all the tests they wanted to run, so at some point, probably the next visit, I will be stuck again. This pregnancy thing is for the birds.

So after our exciting afternoon - I had to call Steve at work and tell him to come drive me home because I didn't want to risk passing out behind the wheel - I've been relaxing and trying to get rid of the killer headache that passing out created. Abby has transitioned to the toddler bed like a champ, although our baby sitter did peek in on her this afternoon and found her sleeping on the floor. She moved her back into bed and Abby slept another hour and a half after that. Yesterday she walked up the stairs all by herself and crawled into her bed. I tucked her and Pooh Bear in and then was promptly told to go away. We are very happy that Abby is enjoying this new big girl bed.

Big Girl Potty

We are going to have a celebration tonight because Abby is such a big girl. After her nap today Abby went pee on the big girl potty! She did a really good job at sitting still on the potty until her business was done. We had a big cheering party after that great event and tonight we are going to have more celebrating. I hope this will be a good start to potty training.

Abby had her 15 month checkup and shots today - ouch! She was 24.5 pounds and 31 inches tall. She was in the 75th percentile for height and weight, but the doctor thought she was in the 100th percentile for smartness (no joke). He was really impressed with her 30+ word vocabulary and her ability to listen and follow directions. Plus she is a very, very good waver and had all the staff smiling after a nice wave.

We had a very quick trip down to Hastings over the weekend and attended the wedding of Steve's dental school friend Adam Mileski. His bride Anne was beautiful and Abby was on her best behavior at the reception (the wedding, not so much). She even made some new friends of her daddy's old classmates.

Traumatized

Abby just witnessed the taking of Maize's blood for a heart worm test. Thankfully there are 22 cats who live at the vet's office that helped distract her from Maize's crying and panic. I'm not sure why the vet's assistants felt the need to do the procedure in the waiting room, but at least it is done.

Now on to the fun parts - getting ready to head to Hastings :-)

Not So Much A Swinger

Abby wasn't too impressed with the swings at the park the other night. In fact, she wasn't too impressed with the park in general. We'll have to try later in the summer to see if her opinion changes any.

Abby had her one year check-up and shots today. She is right on track to perfection. She was 22 1/4 pounds (75th percentile) and 30 1/2 inches (75th percentile). She also really impressed Dr. Mackie with her waving and smiling skills. If it weren't for the shots she would have had a great time at the office. She especially enjoyed ripping the paper off the examination table. By the time we left they didn't have any paper that needed to be changed over for the next patient. They were also 2 diapers heavier, since someone decided to relieve herself on my lap a couple of times. She must have had a few too many drinks of water before we left. Luckily the diaper didn't leak, but it was sure warm.

All Shot Up

Abby had to get 4 shots today and she did not appreciate that one bit! But her dad and I think it is pretty important that she stay healthy, so we let those nurses poke her poor little legs anyway. Now she just has a few more immunizations to get before she gets a break for a few years. She had a flu shot along with her boosters, so we are hoping that she doesn't have to battle the flu this year. That would be no fun.

Since we got home Abby has been taking a nice long nap, leaving me plenty of time to surf the internet for the perfect bread bowl recipe to use for tomorrow night. Now I just have to find the time to make the bread bowls. I've also been enjoying old family videos while I transfer them onto dvds for my mom. So far we've watched Hannah, Nate and Emily's music videos from 1999 and our family vacation to South Dakota. Right now we are watching Medieval Times in Chicago from 1997 - boy do we look young!

Abby is still in the 95th percentile for all her growth (height, weight, head circumference). She was pitching a fit, so I didn't catch exactly what any of those measurements were, but the doctor said she is growing well and making excellent progress on her verbal and motor skills. Like we needed a doctor to tell us that...