Two Months!

What a month we've had with Ella Ann. We found out that she has colic so we've been dealing with that. We had tried about everything, swaddling, white noise, motion, pacifier, etc. when friends of our recommended taking her to a chiropractor. I really thought they were crazy at first until I started doing some research online and found out that 96 % of parents reported an improvement after just 2 to 4 visits. After several days and nights of non-stop screaming (not just crying but all out screaming) I was willing to try anything so I called an made an appointment. After just two visits we started to notice a difference in Ella's behavior. She didn't scream anymore and when she did cry we could more easily comfort her. Also, she started sleeping for longer periods at night and best of all, we finally got to see her smile!

Ella is now only waking up once per night to eat (although she's had a few nights here and there that she's made it a full 12 hours!) and is overall a happy baby. At her 2 month check up she weighed 10 pounds 8 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long so our tiny baby is growing quickly! She smiles alot now and is starting to coo and babble.

I have been brave lately and have taken the girls to some playdates by myself and I'm getting the hang of it. My goal right now for outings is to not be more than 15 minutes late. I can't believe I ever thought it was hard to go out with just one baby! Matt and I try to spend some one on one time with each of the girls throughout the week and hopefully we can continue that once I go back to work in just 2 more weeks. I thought it would be easier the second time around but I'm finding I'm dreading leaving the girls just as much as last time. We are trying to find a daycare we are comfortable with to watch the girls for the couple of hours that our schedules overlap so that is adding to my anxiety this time around. Hopefully Ella will continue to do well with the schedule changes coming up.

One Month!

Ella Ann is keeping us busy. She does have her days and nights pretty straight (with a few exceptions here and there) but she is still up 2 or 3 times each night to eat and it takes about an hour each time to get her back down. Not bad though for only 1 month old (it could be much worse!).

At her 2 week check up she weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was still just 19 inches. She continues to sleep in her boppy at night but is up a little more during the day so we are starting to get to see her personality come out. We are pretty sure she's going to be a lot more laid back like her daddy.

She finally had an ultrasound of her hips on the 30th and we got the report this Wednesday that both hips look good so she will not need a harness or surgery or anything. We were so excited! The ortho specialist just recommended that we keep double diapering her as a precautionary measure for 3 months and then he’ll see her again for a follow up just to be sure everything is fine.

Introducing Ella Ann Carlson!

Ella Ann gave us quite a surprise when she decided to join us on Monday, January 5, 2009. Here is her story:

I had gone to the doctor on Wednesday, December 17th and had an ultrasound during which they discovered that the baby was small at only 4.5 pounds and breach. Dr. Soleanicov ordered me to have non-stress tests each week to make sure that the baby’s heart rate was OK. On Friday, December 26th I went for another ultrasound to have my fluid level checked and another non-stress test. Dr. Soleanicov was out that day so I saw Dr. B. I had a few strong contractions during the test and he thought that we should move my scheduled c-section date up but he wanted me to talk to Dr. Soleanicov first. So, on Monday, December 29th I went back for another test and ultrasound to measure my fluid levels and Dr. Soleanicov thought that everything looked fine and there was no need to move it up. She scheduled me for another ultrasound to get the baby’s weight again and another non-stress test the following Monday.

So on Monday, January 5th, I kissed Sarah goodbye telling her I would see her in a little while and Matt took her to Mamaw’s house while I went to my doctor’s appointment. Little did I know that the next time I would see my little girl, she wouldn’t seem so little anymore! The ultrasound showed that the baby was 6 pounds 6 ounces but the tech said that she wasn’t sure how accurate that was because it was hard to get accurate measurements the way the baby was sitting. During my non-stress test I had multiple contractions that were quite strong. Dr. Soleanicov decided to send me to the hospital for more monitoring. I called Matt and asked him to meet me at the hospital. We got there around 4:30 and they asked how far apart my contractions had been. I told them I wasn’t sure but I thought about every 10 to 15 minutes. Once they got me hooked up they found out that I was having them every 3 minutes! I was also dilated to 3 and almost totally thinned out. The nurse told me she would call the doctor on call but that I was going to have a baby that night!

Even though I made a point of meeting all of the doctors in the practice, the doctor on call was not a member of the practice so I was quite nervous to learn that someone I had never met would be delivering the baby. Dr. Holden was very nice though and made me feel very comfortable. They took me to the OR around 6 pm but just as they were getting ready to begin the spinal block they realized that no one had called the pediatrician. And so began the wait…the pediatrician said she was only 20 minutes away but they didn’t want to start until she got there. In the meantime, another mother was having difficulty delivering so my doctor left to tend to her, the anesthesiologist had to go to another floor for something else, and it was shift change for the nurses. So I started with one group of people and by the time they actually got started I had a whole new nursing staff and was on my third anesthesiologist (I told them I’d be checking my bill to make sure I wasn’t charged for all of them!). Luckily the nurse that had been taking care of me since I arrived decided to stay so that I would have one familiar face. Meanwhile, poor Matt was waiting outside the OR wondering if he was going to miss the whole thing.

They finally got everyone in the room at the same time after about an hour. They got the spinal done and it worked much better than the epidural did with Sarah. Matt got to come in and at 7:31 pm Ella Ann was born! Since she was breach she came out bottom first and they informed us we had a little girl by telling us that they could see “a girl butt”. We were so excited! It was really great to be able to be awake this time and to have Matt there with me. Matt went over and got her and brought her up so I could see my beautiful little girl. She was 6 pounds 6 ounces (just like the ultrasound tech said earlier in the afternoon!) and 19 inches long.

I was in the hospital with her for just two nights and went home on Wednesday. Tuesday morning my mom dropped Sarah off at the hospital and Matt brought her up to the room to meet her new little sister. Sarah was very excited to see me and wanted to grab Ella and give her a hug right away. She learned Ella’s name and the new word sister. Matt & I were both in shock at how much Sarah “grew” between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning!

Ella is healthy and beautiful. Due to her being breach her left hip socket is not fully developed and so her leg pops out of place easily. We will be taking her to an orthopedic specialist to have this corrected. She has an appointment for an ultrasound of her hip on January 30th and then she will most likely be fitted for a brace that will correct this problem in 2 to 4 months. Until then we have to double diaper her to help hold her leg in place.

The first week has been very busy with doctor appointments and visitors and very little sleep. Ella refuses to be swaddled anymore and won’t sleep unless she is curled up like she was in the womb so we now prop her in her boppy pillow in her crib and she sleeps well that way. She seems to have her days and nights mixed up so we are working on that as well. I am trying to breast feed this time and while my milk actually came in I’m finding it very difficult to feed Ella and care for Sarah by myself after Matt goes to work. I think it will take me a little longer to work out a schedule this time around!

Well, it’s taken me over a week to write this one post so I’ll try to update as often as I can and post pictures but I’m not making any promises!

Little Two's Birthday (Maybe...)

Mommy had a doctor's appointment this week and they told her that Little Two's birthday will be January 13th (unless Little Two has other plans that we don't know about...). Mommy's surgery is scheduled for 7:30 in the morning so she is kind of bummed that she won't get to sleep in that last day but she's happy to be scheduled first so that she doesn't have to go all day without eating. Daddy and Mommy are already making plans so that my schedule doesn't get too messed up. I get to stay with Papaw and Mamaw the night before so that I don't have to get up early (I bet I can convince Papaw that I need some extra cookies that night since it's my last night as an only child...). Maybe by the time I get up that day I'll be a big sister! After that I'll get to hang out with Daddy for a few days until Mommy and Little Two come home. Daddy and Mommy are asking everyone to wait to come visit Little Two until they've had a chance for me to meet my new brother or sister first. But don't worry, Daddy will call everyone as soon as Mommy is up for visitors. We're all getting very excited. Daddy painted the nursery and I've been helping Mommy get the room all ready. Mommy and I did laundry the other day to wash up a lot of my old clothes (boy, was I small when I was a baby!). I like to say hi to the baby in Mommy's tummy and give him/her kisses. I've been having fun playing with all the baby toys again too (I have to make sure they work right and have batteries before the baby comes home). Mommy gets more pictures of Little Two at her next appointment on December 17th so check back for an update after that. Only 38 days to go!

Baby Pictures

Daddy, mommy, and I went to get 3D pictures of Little Two today. These pictures were much better than the last ones – Little Two looks like a baby now and I can point out his/her eyes, nose, and mouth. It was hard to get good pictures because the umbilical cord was hanging in front of the baby’s face and when that wasn’t in the way, Little Two was putting his/her hands and feet in front of his/her face. My little brother or sister must not be as social as I am. The good news was that the lady taking the pictures was so busy trying to get a good picture of Little Two’s face that she didn’t even have time to look and see if I’m having a brother or a sister so we’ll all get a great surprise in about 7 more weeks! Mommy doesn’t think the baby looks like I did when they had my 3D pictures taken. She says that maybe Little Two will look more like Daddy. Here are some of the pictures we got:

Mommy hasn’t been feeling as sick as she was the first half of her pregnancy. She kind of had to get better quick when Daddy’s appendix ruptured back in September. She says her tummy feels heavier than it felt when she was pregnant with me. I haven’t felt her belly moving yet but she says that Little Two moves around a lot especially at night after I go to bed. Mommy went to the doctor on Thursday and everything was fine. She has gained 23 pounds so far and has to take iron supplements since she is a little anemic like she was with me. The doctor says they will deliver Little Two on January 7th or 8th but they haven’t scheduled Mommy’s surgery yet. I’ll let you know when they do. I’m so excited to be a big sister. I have been practicing with my own baby doll that Daddy and Mommy got me so that I can learn to be gentle. I’ve only dropped her once but Mommy says she’s doesn’t think I’ll be ready to baby-sit on my own right away. I can’t wait to meet my little brother or sister!

First Pictures

Mommy had her 20 week check up and ultrasound today. I got to go with and see my little brother or sister for the first time (at least that’s what they told me we were looking at-it didn’t look like any baby I’ve ever seen). Mommy and Daddy asked the lady not to tell us if the baby is a boy or a girl so we just got to see the face and hands and feet. Here are some pictures we got:

Mommy has still been sick a lot. She says Little Two didn’t know that he or she was only supposed to make her sick for the first three months (maybe it won’t be so bad having a brother or sister-Little Two is already making me look like the good kid). So far the only thing that really helps her is that Daddy makes her toast every night when he gets home from work and that helps her from getting sick first thing when she gets up. She also has to eat with me every couple of hours or she gets feeling pretty sick again. She’s gained 6 pounds so far and her belly is starting to stick out. She doesn’t let me jump on her anymore and she makes me walk around on my own a lot more now instead of carrying me like she used to. Daddy and Mommy still can’t decide on names for Little Two. Maybe they’ll give up and let me pick! Mommy says she can feel Little Two moving around a lot now and that soon I’ll be able to feel too. I’m sure it will be very funny to see Mommy’s tummy moving around on its own. I’m getting more excited about being a big sister. We all can’t wait to meet Little Two!

I’m going to be a Big Sister!

Mommy found out two weeks before we moved that she’s going to have a little brother or sister for me to play with! She hadn’t been feeling too well so she took a test and sure enough “Little Two”, as Daddy calls him/her, was already in Mommy’s tummy. We already have two pictures of the baby, one at 6 weeks and one at 7 weeks (maybe I’ll leave Mommy alone long enough to get them scanned one of these days so you can see them). At first the doctor was worried that baby’s heartbeat was kind of slow but it turned out it was just a little early to tell. Little Two is due January 17th but Dr. Soleanicov said it would be best for Mommy if they took the baby out by C-section so we’ll know Little Two’s exact birthday later on. So my little brother or sister and I will be almost exactly two years apart (I hope I don’t I have to share my birthday parties though). Mommy’s been a lot sicker than she was with me. She gets sick two or three times every morning (she says she’s happy though because that means the baby is OK). Little Two will be 12 weeks old on Saturday so Mommy says she should start feeling better soon. Daddy and Mommy said that they aren’t going to find out if I’m going to get a brother or a sister. They were so excited to be surprised when they had me that they want Little Two to be a surprise also. Some cool stuff is going to happen even before Little Two gets here though. Most importantly is that I’m going to get to switch to a big girl bed. Mommy got me some pretty new bedding with butterflies on it and this weekend Daddy is painting my room to match. This way Little Two can have my baby crib to sleep in. I’m excited to be a big sister so I’ll keep you updated on how Mommy and Little Two are doing over the next 6 months!