A Week Later

A week of practice makes ALL the difference! Look at the big girl! 

She is doing great eating her cereal! Look at the happy girl. With a full belly, how could she not be happy? It seems like she will like food as much as her mommy. She was leaning her head into the bowl and opening her mouth! Mommy's little piggy! 

It felt better than amazing to finally get to feed her this weekend. We are going to stick to the rice cereal for another week and feed her breakfast and lunch before she gets her first taste of veggies! Stay tuned for yummy carrots! 

Breakfast of Champions

Saturday was the day I waited for all week! We were planning on giving Kay her first taste of rice cereal, and I was ready. It was a LONG week with very little sleep due to an unswaddled, over tired, binkie obsessed baby. I had all of the things I needed...cute little spoons, cute little bowls, and our bumbo chair.

Before I could feed this little sweetpea, I needed some food and coffee myself. Daddy ran to get us some breakfast.

Breakfast of Champions?

or Breakfast of Champions?

Oh, it is not what you think. I had the new delicious fruit and nut oatmeal. Even though, I really wanted a greasy breakfast sandwich. I was good. The oatmeal was good too. It tasted like caramel apples. LOVE minus the raisins, but you can't win 'em all.

Ok, now that I was fueled up, I was ready to fuel up my little bambino. I had this nice little picture in my mind of how lovely this would all go. She would spit a little out and smile and like it. Little did I know. Kay was not feeling the rice cereal love today. She HATED it. All she wanted was her bottle. She could not figure out why I was torturing her. It seemed like the only time she actually opened her mouth was when she was crying! Otherwise, her lips were sealed!

I did manage to get some in her mouth. She was so confused, and she made the biggest mess with just a little bit of cereal. She looked awfully cute as a messy baby. Don't you think? 

So, our first taste of rice cereal was not exactly a huge success, but we had a few good laughs! She did take some good naps after eating. Good job little Kay!

4 Month Wellness

We got our jackets on and we were ready to head out the door. Tonight was a big night in our household. We had our 4 month wellness visit. After an almost sleepless night and a long day at work, I was extremely exhausted, but my excitement for this appointment kept me going through the day. We were seeing our favorite pediatrician, the world's greatest. I LOVE her to death, and I would travel to the end of the earth and back to have our appointments with her.

Drum Roll please.......

My little peanut is 12 pounds 11 ounces and she is 23 3/4 inches long! What a big girl! She is in the 20th percentile in both categories. I was thinking 13 pounds, but hey we will take it. I am so excited because I can start her on rice cereal. Daddy and I are going to wait until the weekend to give it to her.  I already bought the cute little baby spoons and bowls... so get here fast weekend! How exciting! 

We got so much info at this appointment, some we didn't know, some we did, and some we knew but needed a little confirmation/kick in the rear to do.... ahem... let her cry.... ahem. 

Oh my sweet baby girl! I am so madly in love with this baby. Once again, she took her shots like a champ. Yes she wailed, but once it was over, it was over. No sleeping, no crankiness. I had my precious happy little baby with four of the tiniest band aids you can imagine. 

We do have to keep working with her little neck because she is still favoring one side. Her head is F-L-A-T in the back, and we have to watch it closely. If it doesn't get better, Kay may have a blinged out helmet in her future. It is not likely, but it is still a possibility.

Tonight, we are trying a few new things. No more swaddle...she is growing out of it anyway. I put her in a sleep sack. Can someone say coffee overload tomorrow morning? We are putting her to bed earlier tonight too. It is so hard keeping her up at night. We packed up the Pack-n-Play and it is ready for my mom's house. Operation nap is starting at Grams' house. All of these changes, but it will be worth it in a week or two (it better not take longer than that). I think we have a well rested baby, mommy, and daddy.  So keep your fingers crossed for us. We were sleeping through the night and we want that plus a good day time nap schedule.

Perseverance

Strike One

Get back here!

I'm SO close

Steady, Steady, Steady

Success!

Go Me!

Our 2 Month Well Visit

Yesterday, we had our 2 month well visit. After rushing yet again to get out the door and to the appointment on time (don't ask me how I am going to get to work on time when I go back), we made it to the office.

Our pediatrician is amazing. We are going to the same office that I went to as a kid. I loved them so much that I wanted Kay to go there too. So the day she was born, Dobbie called them to sign Kay up. The next morning, one of the doctors came to visit me in my hospital room. We hit it off right away. She was so nice and warm. With Kailyn in the NICU, she didn't have to stop by my room and stay for so long. The practice is huge, and I know how many babies she probably had to see that day. She sat down, and we chatted. I love her! Since that first meeting, I have scheduled all of my appointments with her.

So as we waited for our favorite doctor, Kailyn weighed in at 9 pounds 7 ounces. She was 22 inches long! She is getting to be such a big girl. I had a list of a ton of questions that I wanted to be sure to ask. When the Dr. came in, I felt so relieved. We talked about Kay's development and her adjusted age, her gas, feeding & sleeping, and her tendency to only turn her head to one side. She is getting a bit of a little flat head on one side so I have to do some neck stretches with her! The doctor made sure to tell me how beautifully Kay is doing, and that makes me feel reassured and happy!

Then, Kay had to get 4 shots and an oral vaccine. The poor little thing cried her heart out. She even cried her first real tears! Her face turned bright red and she wailed! The shots made her a little cranky during the day, but she slept for most of the evening.

I put her to bed at 10 (a little earlier than usual) and she was wide awake, and in five minutes she was out. She slept 7 and a half hours! Then, I gave her a little of a bottle to put her back to sleep and she slept until almost 8 am! She is such a good sleeper like her momma!

A few more days until her first Christmas! I can't wait!!! I am still not done my shopping, but with the cutest baby in the world...who could blame me for not wanting to go running around.

8 weeks old? 5 weeks old? 3 weeks old?

As I turned 30, Kailyn turned 8 weeks! I had a wonderful birthday... it was exactly as I had hoped. It was a day filled with snuggling Kailyn and visiting my mom. Dobbie made my birthday special by taking me to Ocean City for a drive and a nice dinner. It was perfect! I didn't need much to make me happy except my family (and an iphone of course).

With Kailyn turning 8 weeks old, I am surprised by how much she has changed since she was born. She is getting to be a big girl. Wearing 0 to 3 months, I can finally put her in some really cute clothes. Do you like her first pair of jeans? She rocked them at the mall with her BFF Addie.

As she continues to change, I decided to start reading about her development and expected milestones. It must be the teacher control freak perfectionist in me, but I want to have information to guide my expectations. Being a first time mom, I have no idea what she "should" be able to do and when she "should" be able to do it. So I got out the Week by Week book and read up until week 8. That was my first mistake.

I felt discouraged and worried. How come at 8 weeks Kailyn hasn't smiled at me? How come she hasn't looked into my eyes? When will she hold her head up when she is sitting up?

I talked to some friends and family about my feelings. I was feeling a little frustrated. Everyone kindly reminded me that all babies develop at their own pace. Everyone kindly reminded me that she was born 5 weeks early, and she missed out on 5 weeks of developing. I wasn't frustrated at her development, but I was anxious. I cannot wait for her to melt my heart with a smile. I can't wait for her to look into my eyes and recognize me. I am excited for our bond to grow stronger every day.

I hear so many people talk about adjusted age. Adjusted age is simply using the baby's age according her due date. This would make Kailyn 3 weeks old. I started going back in the Week by Week book, and I am looking for milestones and changes that seem to fit Kailyn. As much as I don't want to believe it, her development seems to be on par with that of a 3 or 4 week old.  So as she develops at her own rate, I will love and support her. I will encourage her and celebrate all of her achievements that she makes regardless of when they happen.

I have never taken Kailyn's adjusted age into account because she was so healthy and she has done so well since her birth; however, as the weeks pass, I am starting to think I should take her adjusted age into account. I think it will help Dobbie and I manage our expectations for our baby girl. As we wait for her to look into our eyes, smile, hold her head up more, I will enjoy what she can do today. I will enjoy every little piece of her.