4 Months Old

Today is a big day (9-10-09). Taylor started strictly eating from a bottle yesterday allowing me some much needed independence. She is also eating solid foods now. She has a little rice ceral, and as treat for eating that, I'll give her some home made baby food. Her first food was pear. It was too sweet for her so I tried some pumpkin and she loved it.

She also got her first tooth today! I had noticed a gray spot on her bottom gum at the peditrician's office on Wednesday but I just thought it was another nodule. She has a few of them as they are very common in babies. But today Brodie and I went out for the first time without Taylor and our neighbor was keeping her. She texted me that I didn't tell her that Taylor had a tooth. I couldn't believe it! We got home and I stuck my finger in her mouth. Sure enough, my little baby had a tooth at 4 months and 8 days old. She is really growing up fast now.

She loves to stand. We bought her a jumper and she has a great time bouncing in it. She is getting too big for her swing and that is sad. It is a very easy way to get her to take a nap. She is leaning forward in it now and it doesn't have a harness so I am getting less inclined to put her in it.

She was sick last Sunday. We had to take her the ER with a 102 fever. The peditrician said it was Roseola. About 2 days after her fever broke she broke out in a rash from head to toe. My baby was so sick and I was really scared. She felt so horrible and slept most of the day. Thankfully she is feeling fine now.

At her 4 month check-up, she received her immunizations and tolerated them very well. She weighed 16.5 lbs (94%'ile) and was 27" tall (101%'ile).

She still isn't sleeping well at night and never really has. Therefore, I have decided not only to introduce solid foods but to switch her to formula as well. I guess my milk is enough to fatten her up but it just doesn't stay with her long enough. She still wants to eat every 2-3 hours day and night. Due to this, I have discovered why isolation and sleep deprevation are forms of torture. It's amazing, we can't torture terrorist but Mom's have to live and be productive under both sets of circumstances.

My husband actually called me a Saint today! It made me proud...sometimes a new mom feels so lost trying to figure her baby out. I guess I am not doing that bad of a job. {smile}

Sleep Training, Night #2

THE FIRST NIGHT - The first night when MUCH better than expected. She cried for about 45 minutes before she finally feel asleep. This was horrible to listen to but it was expected. I put her down at 9pm. She woke up at 10pm b/c she had to burp and was stuck in the slats of the crib. Bumper pads are not recommended to be in cribs due to a risk of suffocation. They have been attributed to several cases of SIDS over the last 20 years. However, she moves around so much that I think we are going to have to get a breathable bumper pad just so she won't get stuck and wake up.

Anyway, after I put her back down at 10:20pm she only woke up at 1am & 4am. She woke for the day around 9:15am Saturday morning. Dad and I were so happy that she let us sleep in.

THE SECOND NIGHT - The second night was great also. Starting at 8pm I nursed her in her room. When I put her in her crib her eyes were closed but she wasn't really asleep. I laid her in her crib at 8:30 and she wiggled around for about 5 minutes and then she fell asleep. She woke up again at 10 because she had to burp. She woke up again at 11 and this time she had to throw up, she was stuck in the slats, and she was dirty. After a quick diaper change and a little sip of milk she was back to a light sleep. I put her down, she wiggled/cried for about 10 minutes and put herself to sleep. She woke up at 1am & 4am.

I am so happy with her. While she isn't to where I want her just yet, it will take a few days. Our goal isn't that she sleep through the night, I just want her to be able to put herself to sleep. Hopefully, that will result in less night wakings for both of us.

So far I would say that we are both doing great!

Also, last night dad went in to comfort her. While he was rocking her she feel asleep in his arms. That was the first time this had happened and he got to see just how precious that moment is. He said that she was so cute that it was all he could do to not laugh. I am so happy he got to experience that. If she'd take a bottle he could experience it a lot more often! LOL!

Sleep Training

Well, tonight was night #1.

Brodie has two weeks of leave so I decided that now was the time to teach Taylor how to fall asleep on her own, without swaddling, nursing, or rocking, everything she requires now. I decided to try the Cry-It-Out (CIO) method, otherwise known as the Ferber Method.

When I notice Taylor getting sleepy (usually around 8pm) I will feed her in the living room. Then I will go into her room and have nothing on except for her blue nightlight and her music box that shines shapes on the ceiling. I rock her for 10 minutes to get her very drowsy but not asleep. Then I put her in her crib, pat her a little and kiss her good night. I exit the room and hope for the best.

Tonight she cried for 45 minutes...very hard. I even thought she threw up at one point. I go in to check on her every 10 minutes to make sure she is not stuck in the slats of her crib and that she is basically okay. Eventually, she became very quiet. Brodie checked on her and she was passed out! Whew...Thank God!!!

Now, the hard part comes when she wakes up in the middle of the night to eat. I will feed her then put her back in her crib. If she cries, which she surely will, I will have to just let her CIO again. Now, Taylor usually goes to bed swaddled while I nurse her to sleep in the rocking chair. I put her in her crib sleeping around 9pm-9:30pm. She wakes up at 11:30, 2:30 & 5:30. She is usually up for the day around 7:30.

I will do this same routine every night until she learns how to fall asleep on her own. It shouldn't take more than a week or two.

Please keep us in your prayers as this will not be easy for any of us!

Taylor has been wanting to stand up now. This means we have to hold her up which gets old very fast, especially when there are chores to do.

Yesterday we were looking in the baby section of Kmart and I saw this jumper. I asked B to get her out of her stroller to see how she fit in the jumper. He really didn't want to but I nagged until he did.

When he put Taylor in the jumper her face lit up. She played and smiled the entire time. I don't think she wanted to get out but we had to go. Well, when her Daddy saw that smile, his heart melted and he had to buy it for her.

And so it has begun! :)

3 Months Old

Miss Taylor is well into her 3rd month of life now. She has really made significant leaps in her motor skills as well as her communication and learning curves. The most visible to me is when I changer her diaper. She will pick her legs up as soon as I place her on her changing table and hold them up until we are done. She is finding the toys on her activity play mat and reaching for the teething toys I place in front of her on her Bumbo seat. Her favorite thing is her burp cloth. She can reach down, pick it up and put it in her mouth. She loves to chew on it. I think her teeth are beginning to grow up through her gums, but it probably will be a while before they break the skin.

She is also talking and laughing a lot more. Instead of the little bursts of laughs she once had, she is now cracking her self up and laughing very hard at times. It is the cutest thing EVER. She "talks" back to me when I am speaking to her and sometimes it seems like she is encouraging me to talk to her. For Christmas I want to get her the "Your Baby Can Read" program that teaches children to read very early in life. I also encourage her dad to speak to her in Spanish which also helps her developmental progress.

She weighs 15.5 pounds and is about 26" long now. She is in size 2-3 disposable diapers and in medium cloth diapers. The cloth diapering is going great. She didn't stay in her small's as long as I had anticipated so we just had to purchase a bunch of mediums. But the good thing is that we can store them away until we have our next child...if I live through this one! LOL! The extra work that comes with it isn't enough to even worry about and I actually enjoy it because I know I am doing what is best for my baby and the environment.

She is starting to sleep a little better as well. For the last two nights she as only gotten up at 1am and 4am. I feel SO much better. I guess the trick is only letting her get small naps that are pretty far apart. Keeping her up after 5 or 6 is also helping her sleep. However...you do not want to be in this house around that time because her lungs are FULLY developed. (Actually, did you know that human lungs aren't fully developed until about 18yrs old. That is why smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke at a young age is so very detrimental.)

Thank you for checking in on us. And if you wanna fly out and babysit, we'd love to have you!
:)~

Sleeping Beauty

Holy Macaroni! Taylor slept 7 straight hours last night and 6.5 the night before that! We had family visiting from MS and we ventured all over the county while they were here. That didn't afford Taylor much time for a nap. She'll be 3 months old next week and I think she is finally getting the hang of this sleeping thing.

However, I try not to get my hopes up. I realize that just because last night was good, that doesn't necessarily mean tonight will be. For some reason and I am very nervous about tonight. Hopefully I am anxious for no reason.

If she does return to her sleepless nights, my family will just have to return to NC for a very extended stay. We are expecting Brodie's family to visit at the end of Sept. and I can't wait. It was so great having family here to help. It really made me realize how fortunate we are to have such a great family. We are so blessed.

It's getting a little better!

A few days ago I didn't think I could do this anymore. Everything was just so hard. I had tried almost every sleep schedule I could think of. Finally my neighbor suggested that instead of putting her to sleep at 7, keep her up a little later.

I would give her a bath at 6:30, nurse and start putting her down at 7. Most nights she wouldn't get to sleep until 8 or 8:30. That means I am spending absolutely no time with my husband and the time we do spend together isn't quality time because I am so exhausted. I have to admit, I have been pretty difficult to get along with lately...BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT, I'M SEVERELY SLEEP DEPRIVED!

Well, now I give Taylor her bath at 7 or 7:30, play and tire her out until 8 or 8:30. She goes to sleep so much easier and faster now. This allows me to finally be able to ask Brodie how his day went...and actually to listen.

Taylor is getting up 3 times a night now. She usually sleeps for about 2-2.5 hrs at a time. By now she should be getting into 4 or 5 hr stretches but not all babies are ready for that. For now I am so very thankful for only having to get up 3 times a night. I feel so much better and I am sure Taylor does too. We'll get to those 5 hour stretches, I'm sure. It just won't happen right now and that is fine. I have learned that motherhood becomes much easier when I let go of all of my expectations for my daughter. Just because last night was good doesn't mean tonight will be. I have learned to take one day at a time. This has really saved my sanity...and my relationship with Taylor.

She isn't an easy baby but my goodness, she is so awesome when she isn't tired.

Also, I put her on the scales this morning and she weighed 15 pounds. She was 13 pounds 2 weeks ago!

2 Months

Taylor's 2 month check-up was on Aug. 6th. She weighed 13.3 lbs and was 25" long. She is in the 94th and 101st percentile for her weight and height, respectively. That's the good news.

The bad news is that she still isn't sleeping. We decided to put her in her crib in her room. The idea was that she was smelling me and waking to eat. I thought perhaps she wasn't getting satisfied when she ate, maybe my milk supply was low. I started drinking more water...much more water. I also stopped drinking caffeine products. I wasn't drinking that much to begin with but I just wasn't sure what was going on. We wrap her up nice and tight to sleep, turn the air down, turn her ceiling fan on low, she's burped, has a clean diaper, and is very well fed. Nevertheless, she still wakes up every 2 hrs, 3 if I am lucky.

I am utterly exhausted. I can hardly complete a sentence much less make it make sense. The only thing I can think that could be causing this is a growth spurt. But it isn't time for a growth spurt. Her next one should be at 3 months. Do growth spurts really come 2 weeks early? I don't know. I feel so useless and just plain ignorant. I feel horrible because I can't satisfy my child. Why won't she sleep? I beg her to sleep, I know she's so tired...but she just refuses to close her eyes.

She really is a good baby. I love her so much. But her inability to sleep and lack of parenting skills makes it so difficult to enjoy her because I know that in a matter of hours I will have to get her to sleep and I have no idea what I am doing wrong.

Everyone has suggested putting formula or cereal in a bottle with some breast milk. My pediatrician advised against this. He said among other things, it would inevitably be the beginning of the end of my breastfeeding. I guess sucking from a bottle is instant gratification compared to nursing which takes a little more work on her part. Also, cereal is believed to create allergies and lead to childhood obesity. Obviously not all children experience these side effects but I don't wanna chance it. Plus, we tried to give her bottle the other night and she DID NOT want it. She wanted her momma to go to sleep. She would not take a bottle of formula or breast milk.

If anyone has the answer and wants to come on out and help, I will pay for your plane ticket! LOL! This is very hard being so far away from family. I could really use some help. Everyone says it'll get easier. Well, it is only getting harder.

It's a good thing she is so cute.... I keep telling her if she doesn't straighten up I am going to put her on eBay! LOL!

Well, pray for us. We sure need it.

Nap Time

Notice there is no picture of Mom napping!

Taylor has always been a good napper. Usually I could just put her in the swing and she would fade right off to sleep. Now, she HATES her swing. I have no idea why but if she even gets near that swing she's starts screaming.

Now for naps it usually takes me an hour or two to get her to sleep. She fights her sleep so badly and it is really hard on me. I have to swaddle her and rock her for 20-30 minutes. She'll usually wake her self up and then we have to start all over. Then she'll dirty her diaper and we'll have to get up, change her diaper, and start all over again. Then I'll put her down after she's been asleep for a while. She will sleep for an hour and wake up screaming.

So, in short, Taylor sleeps maybe 3 hours a day, if we are lucky. All of the sleep research I have been doing says she should be sleeping about 6 hours a day.

She also had a hard time going to sleep at night during her 6 week growth spurt. I had to start swaddling her again b/c she would jump and wake her self up often. She is finally going to sleep somewhat easily at night but I am still swaddling her. I really believe that helps.

And no, momma isn't getting any sleep during the day! But I am hanging in there.

6 weeks old

Well, our little baby is 6 weeks old this week weighing in at a whopping 13 pounds! She is eating about every hour and a half now and she is very hard to put down at night. We were able to get her sleeping in her pack and play. She screamed bloody murder the first night...for a solid hour. But the next night and the following week was great. No problems. She'd eat, get tired and I'd put her down. She would fall right to sleep. Now every time I lay her down in her bed she jumps and wakes herself up. Long story short, she eats about every two hours and it takes me two hours to get her down. That adds up to no sleep for mommy! Two nights ago I got about 3 hours of sleep. This is the hardest it has been when it comes to night time.

However, I know this is only a phase and it will get better. I was getting pretty frustrated about 3 a.m. but I just had to remember that this is hard for her too. I know it's only a phase and things will get better.

Brodie is still giving her an occasional bottle and she is taking it wonderfully. She is growing like a weed. She is growing out of most of her newborn clothes but not really into her 3 month clothes. I have found that if it says 0-3 months it'll probably work. I hope to get her pictures taken pretty soon.

Well, she's napping now so I should help my husband clean the house...I'm so blessed.

1 Month Dr. Appointment

July 3rd was her 1 month appointment. She weighs 10.9 lbs and is 23.5" long. She is in the 85th & 101st percentile on her weight and height growth chart, respectively. So she is growing like a weed. She has real tears now, it's so pitiful. The hair on the top of her head is also starting to fall out a little but the long hair in the back is getting much longer. Thankfully, mine isn't coming out yet.

Since Taylor came home she has slept in the bed with us. I did not want this but she just needed to be close to us. We decided that now is a good time to get her used to sleeping in her own bed. We brought her pack-n-play (PNP) in our room last night. I tried rocking her to sleep at 7:30pm last night. I was still rocking at 10pm. Brodie told me to bring her to bed and just put her down. She cried for an hour...a SOLID hour! I would console her every 5-10 minutes but we did let her cry. At 11pm she finally gave up and fell asleep...only to wake up an hour later to eat. LOL! But, when she was finished eating I laid her down in her PNP and she fell right to sleep. Her 2:30am feeding was a little harder but not bad at all.

I am trying to get her into a routine now so that she will learn to sleep and eat and regular times. She is a smart girl. I am sure it won't take long for us to get on schedule.

Happy 4th of July!

3 Weeks Old

Taylor is getting so big. We weighed her the other night and she is up to 10 pounds already! I have no idea how long she is because she is quite the little wiggle worm. Her umbillical stump fell off on her 3 week birthday. Right now she's still sleeping with Mom & Dad because she screams when we lay her down. She really needs to be close to one of us. She hates sleeping on her back. She loves sleeping on her side.

We just survived our first growth spurt. She cried a lot and ate all the time. Some nights she'd sleep in 3-4 hour blocks, other nights she'd only sleep an hour and wake up ready to eat. We are finally figuring out her cries. It took some time to figure out the difference between a sleepy cry and a gassy cry. This may seem self explainatory by her body language, but trust me...it wasn't! She doesn't really have heavy eyes when she's tired, she just cries. It's only when she's actually on the verge of sleep that her eyes get heavy. When she's gassy she doesn't pull her legs up to her tummy or curl up, she wails her arms and legs all over the place like she's falling.

Her growth spurt period lasted for a little over a week. Her next growth spurt will be at 6 weeks, then 3 months and 6 months. I will really enjoy the next 3 weeks. But I am finally figuring out her schedules. At night we go to bed around 10 pm. She wakes up at 2:30-3 a.m. and again at 5:30-6 a.m. She is awake about 1/3 of the day and sleeps the rest of the time. She also loves to be outside. She looks up at the sky, sneezes a few times, and then coo's & ooh's. She really loves the outdoors, just like Mom.

She is very strong and can hold herself up on her Daddy's chest with her arms. I love the pic below. Again, this is why we call her Turtle. She is just so funny. She also makes the cutest little noises when she sleeps. She coo's and ohhh's while she's waking up.

Continue to check Dropshots link to the right for more pics.
Bite his FACE!

1 Week Old

I have found a few minutes to post an update. Yesterday was our first outing. We went to Target and had lunch at Pizza Hut. I managed to feed her and eat with one hand at the same time. Brodie and Nanny doubted my skills...HA! This mommy thing is really coming to me. It is so funny that I say this because I was recently reminded (by more than one person) that there was a time when I said I was NEVER having children, or better yet, I would eat my young. Well, guess it just took finding the right man to share this journey with. I thank God every day for all of his blessings. I have never been so complete or completely happy in my life. I can honestly say my life is PERFECT!

Welcome Taylor Renee` Brodie

Taylor Renee` Brodie was born on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 8:01 p.m. She weighed 8.8oz and is 21" long. I was 1 week and 1 day overdue. Everything went perfectly. We were in labor for 6 hours and I pushed for 15 minutes. I did all of this completely, 100% unmedicated. I didn't even have so much as a Tylenol.

We are all very tired but I wanted to get some pics up ASAP. Check back later for more details.

For all of the pics click on the Dropshots link "All of Taylor's Pics" to the right.

6 Days Overdue and Waiting

Today is May 31st, 2009 and we are still waiting for our baby. I have been experiencing very mild contractions, nothing painful at all. They are also not increasing in pain or consistancy. They started last night around 7 pm and have been going all night and today. I know it's false labor but I am hoping that any minute now it will lead to the real thing.

If I don't have her by Wednesday morning, June 3rd, I'll be induced. I really don't want that but right now I am only a gnats behind away from hooking her up to a winch and jerking her outta there!

She is SO grounded...already!

39w6d Update

Hi Everyone.

I went for my last scheduled OB visit on Tuesday (39w1d - May 19th, 2009). I was dilated 2 cm and 80% effaced. She did a painful proceedure that could possibly naturally induce labor. She said if it worked then we should have the baby in 24-72 hours. She told me t0 make an appointment for next Tuesday but she didn't think I'd make it.

Well, today is Sunday, May 24th. Tomorrow is my due date. Nanny has been here since last Monday. Since then we have just been sitting around looking at each other, waiting. I haven't had so much as a sharp pain. Obviously, my doc's proceedure didn't work. All that pain for nothing.

I am still burping every other second, all day long. I can't sleep. I just want to cry. I am so uncomfortable. I just want to hold my little girl.

Trying to pass the time, I made two more videos. One of them is rather large so I am figuring out how to shrink it so I can get it on my blog. Until I can get those loaded, I took some pics today that I'll post here. They're not pretty. I have learned that when a woman is only days away from her due date, she could care less what she looks like. At this point it's all about finding a shirt long enough to cover up her belly. LOL!

Iris 4-25-09

I had to show off my Nanny's Iris. She gave these to me last summer (2008) and we just plopped them down in the bed that the contractors that built the house made. It isn't the most desirable soil choice but I thought they would do fine. Well, whatever is in that soil they LOVE. They look beautiful!!! Notice how tall the one purple one is. It is literally waist high! Thanks Nanny!

Nice Bears collar Sandi!

35weeks 5days

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Brodie practicing CPR on a rescue victim!

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35 weeks & Dilated

We had our weekly checkup today. I am 35w1d and Taylor is measuring 36w. I am dilated 1cm and my cervix is softening. YEA! She's is still floating around in there which means she hasn't started descending into my pelvis, but I feel and look like she has already started to drop. All of our vitals are good and she's face down.

My OB wants my bag 100% packed tonight! She said that before the exam so I think she must tell that to all 35 weekers. I did my Group B strep test so hopefully that'll come back negative. Not sure how long it takes to come back.

Man, I can't believe we are about to have this little baby in our arms. I am so very excited!!!!! WOOO-HOOO! We have been down such a hard road to get here and our dreams are finally coming true. We are so very blessed. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we will certainly be needing them in weeks ahead.

35w5d at CG Station Emerald Isle

34 Weeks

So, we only have about 4-6 weeks and our little bundle of screams, tears, and dirty diapers will be with us. Just Kidding...we are very anxiously awaiting her arrival. Although, now that it is getting closer we are questioning if she is really a he. We don't have any real basis for this though. I bought a bunch of girl stuff but kept the receipt and refuse to remove the tags until SHE is home. Her heartbeat is 154, I haven't been emotional (just annoyed), I have a tiny baby bump, not really carrying low but not real high either. (People have noticed that I have started dropping.) Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough. She is also getting very strong. She is right around 5 lbs and she's very active. Yesterday she was hurting me pretty badly. Her feet and arms move across my stomach with such force that it seems like she is just going to bust out of there. It really hurts!

A lot of people have been asking me if I am getting scared or nervous. Well, not so much. I am not afraid of labor (although I probably should be). I am more nervous about the first few weeks. I know it will require a thousand times more patience than I possess and I am praying that God will be with us and give us strength. Brodie is a rock and I know he'll do great. We also have Nanny Rogers coming to stay for 3 weeks and that will be invaluable. I am sure between the 3 of us our baby will get all of the love and attention she requires, regardless of the time of day or night.

It's silly, but I also think a lot about her growing up and becoming a teenager and what that will require from us. Parenting is the hardest job in the WORLD and I'm not even a mom yet. I just hope that I will be a good mom and wife. There is nothing that can prepare me for what lies ahead, I just pray so very hard that God will guide me to the right decisions. I know I will make mistakes, it's inevitable. I just hope that when she grows up she can forgive me for them and know that everything I did, I did for her.

Whew, okay. Now I'm all emotional! Deep breath...shake it off...

So, at 34 weeks my tummy is measuring 40" around and I am 168 lbs. I have gained 31 pounds. My next appointment is next week and I will start going once a week after that. My last day at work is May 1st and I am counting down the days. I get very tired after lunch and it is hard to stay focused. Physically, I feel alright most days. My back has started to ache a little. I have been having Braxton-Hicks contractions which is normal, they are very small ones now, but as I get further along their intensity will increase. I have been nesting like a crazy person. I can't stand for anything to be dirty. One glass in the sink freaks me out, which is completely opposite of my untidy character. I need to rest but my urge to clean forces me to get up. I have a thousand things spinning around in my head that need to get done so I'll make a list and email it to myself. LOL!

Enjoy the pics!

(Remember, click on pic to enlarge and use "back arrow" to go back to main blog page.)

Poking out just a little! ;P

8 months and 2 miles off shore

Hi! So, we finally had our first beautiful weekend. We took the boat out 2 miles off shore for some fun and sun! At 33 weeks this was my last chance to get out on the boat for a while.

Brodie caught a bunch of black sea bass and I got a tan. Yep, I laid on the front of that boat in my bikini with my pregnant belly out and proud!!! It was SO funny! It's a good thing we were the only boat in sight! Guess what? Pregnancy increases the skins sensitivity to the suns rays. Can anyone say, "Crispy, Pregnant Critter!"