Emma: 8 Months

Squishy,

We had a very rough month!  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  Your first year of life has been filled with sickness and this month was no exception.  :-(  You spent the entire month sick and nearly all of it on antibiotics.  YUCK!  As a self-proclaimed 'natural momma', I absolutely hate that you spent so many days this month on antibiotics (you are still taking them!).  Your latest runny nose started the day you turned 7 months old and turned into a very persistent double ear infection that has still not gone away.  All the congestion and pain has made for some very long days and nights.  You had one of your very worst nights this month - awake and fussy from 1:30pm-2:30am and then up for the day at 5am, followed by only 3 hours of sleep the day after.  I honestly don't know how you stayed awake that long.  I was EXHAUSTED!  Even a steady dose of Tylenol and Motrin didn't knock you out!  We suspect that it was the tiny dose of albuterol we gave you that afternoon to help with your wheezing, so you can guarantee that we will not be giving you that again anytime soon. 

You tried several new foods this month - mango (hated at first, but now you love it), carrots (not a fan of pureed, but loved when I gave you some diced ones), apple, and cheerios (loved).  You love feeding yourself!

Despite being so sick this month, you managed to accomplish lots of new feats - your first tooth popped through (bottom right), you started pulling yourself up in your crib (we had to move the crib mattress all the way down) and on your leapfrog table and on the couch, you officially dropped your third nap (now you nap 2 times per day for about 1.5-2 hours each), you continue to army crawl everywhere, you started doing what we call the machine gun laugh, and best of all you said your first word - MAMA!!!!!!  You have no idea how excited I am that this was your first word. :-)  Since Hannah's first word was "dada" I thought it was only fair that you say "mama" first.  :-)  You also started saying "ehmuh" over and over, which we translate to mean Emma...so smart!

8 Month Stats
- Diapers: Size 3
- Clothes: 9 months
- Shoes: 2 or 3, but not sure since you never wear them
- Weight: 19 lbs
- Height: not sure

Your 8th month was really hard sweet girl, and I'm sorry for that!  It breaks my heart to see you in pain and so sick. :-(  I pray that the remaining months of your first year of life are full of healthy days!  And for everyone's sake, I pray that sleep finds its way back to our house very soon. We love you squishy, snot and all!

Amoxicillin Allergy

 

Our sweet baby is covered in red spots, from head to toe! Emma has an apparent allergy to amoxicillin that was discovered after being on a round of antibiotics for an ear infection. A few days before Christmas we had to take her to urgent care when she was screaming hysterically at bedtime. Emma very rarely cries at all, so when she was inconsolable, we knew something was wrong! They immediately discovered an ear infection in her right ear and prescribed a dose of amoxicillin which we began that night. After being on the antibiotics for 5 days, she was hysterical again and had a fever, so we took her back to the walk in clinic. This time her left ear was infected, so they upped her dose of amoxicillin and off we went. After being on the higher dose for 2 days I noticed a red bumpy rash on her stomach and chin. The pediatrician advised us to stop giving it to her immediately and bring her in as soon as possible. So this morning we headed in for a Saturday sick appointment at the pediatrician's office. Low and behold, they have to assume that she has an allergy to amoxicillin. It isn't definite as it could also be a rash that has developed as a result of a viral infection, but to be safe, we have to assume it is an allergy. Unfortunately her left ear is still infected so they had to give her a new antibiotic (azythromicin) for the next 5 days. Yippee! Thankfully the rash doesn't appear to be bothering her at all and she is still our sweet, happy girl! Unfortunately the rash has gotten worse today and covers her entire body, from her scalp to the palms of her hands and soles of her feet. We are just praying now that the new medicine clears up the ear infection and doesn't have any negative side effects! We are beyond ready for everyone to be healthy around here again!

Eating after Hyperemesis

For those that have been reading my blog for any length of time, you already know about my battle with severe hyperemesis during the first trimester of this pregnancy.  If not, check out this post for more info - 17 Weeks Pregnant

After losing so much weight in such a short amount of time and being severely dehydrated, requiring constant IV drips and several trips to the hospital, I have finally gained back all the weight I lost (23 pounds).  Well, technically I have 2 pounds to go, but you get the point.  After constantly throwing up and not being able to eat anything or even drink water, I have been slowly starting to eat a more normal diet, which is great.  However, food is still very unappetizing to me, even at 22 weeks pregnant.  :-(  I don't know if I will ever regain my normal appetite while pregnant.

Someone asked me the other day what cravings I have had during this pregnancy and it made me think.  There really hasn't been much that I've wanted to eat on a regular basis.  The main foods that are staples for me right now are orange juice (first thing in the morning only), dill pickles (from time to time), and ice cream (at night).  But even those things aren't very appetizing.....it's hard to explain.  Not having a normal appetite can be very draining.  Trying to decide what to eat for each meal is exhausting.  While, yes, things have gotten a lot better, I am by no means back to my normal self, and that is hard.  While I don't want to wish the time away, I wouldn't mind if the remaining 18 weeks went by a little faster!  I'm just ready to feel like myself again (of course there are the post-partum hormones to deal with, but I am not going to let myself worry about that right now!)

So while you enjoy your dinner tonight, think of me, and be thankful for the desire to eat!  Seems silly, but unless you have gone through hyperemesis, you just can't relate.  Oh, and if you are going through it, please let me know!  I would LOVE to offer encouragement and support, as I know just how lonely this time in your life can feel!

Sick Mommy

January has been a rough month in our house.  Everyone has been sick, at least once.  This past weekend I came down with another cold - sore throat and congestion.  If only I could take my head off and replace it with a healthy one!  Hannah has been sick since January 6th and just yesterday finally finished all her antibiotics.  Now I am trying to keep my germs off her so I don't reinfect her. 

In happier news, this past weekend we had amazing weather in Atlanta and enjoyed it to the fullest.  Being able to wear short sleeves in the middle of winter just puts a smile on my face.  We had all the windows open and even had a picnic in the backyard.  Perfection!  Unfortunately it was just a tease and today it is raining, bringing back the chilly temps.  But it was a nice reminder of how wonderful it will be in the Spring!

I leave you with some pictures of Hannah (who else) enjoying the beautiful weather -

Sick Baby

Our little peanut is sick.  It all started with a cold, over two weeks ago.  She had her first fever (101.7 at one point), was stuffy and just overall not feeling well.  I knew she was sick when she fell asleep on my chest for over an hour (on two different occasions!).  I will say that I enjoyed every second of those naps though! ;-)  After two weeks with a runny nose and horrible sleep patterns, I knew something wasn't right.  I finally decided to take her to the doctor this past Thursday afternoon and I'm so glad I did!  She has double ear infections, wheezing in her lungs, and a yeast diaper rash.  She is now taking Amoxicilian for the ear infections (2 times per day for 10 days), an inhaler for the wheezing, and nystatin cream for the diaper rash.  We are a regular pharmacy around here!  After 2 days of medicine, she definitely seems to be feeling better, but her sleeping has not returned to normal.  Her naps are a mess - she is crying again when we put her down and then when (or if) she does fall asleep, she only sleeps for 20-30 minutes before she is up and screaming again.  UGH!  I know she needs more sleep than that!  I am still hopeful that the medicine will continue to make her feel better and her sleeping will get back on track, eventually.

All Better!

Hannah is finally back to her old self, although she does have some snot still, but I think that is just a part of life with a baby.  After going to the doctor last week and being diagnosed with croup, I started her on prednisone (an oral steroid).  Things went down hill fast!  Hannah was completely out of sorts, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat, didn't want to be held, didn't want to play....she just wanted to fuss.  I felt so bad for her because I had no idea what was wrong or how to help her.  It was very frustrating for both of us and I felt like a horrible mom!  How could I not know how to help my own baby?  After two days of constant fussing, I finally started searching online for answers.  I stumbled upon some parent comments on prednisone and its side effects.  Oh my goodness - it makes kids CRAZY!  I had no idea.  I briefly read over the side effects on the medicine label before giving Hannah her first dose, but nothing stood out.  I gave her the medication for the two days, as prescribed, and thought nothing of it.  It sure would have been nice if the doctor would have warned me that it was going to turn my happy baby into a nightmare child!  UGH!  I was beyond frustrated with the doctor and wanted to call them up and yell at them for making my child miserable and for making me think I was an awful mom.  After spending almost an hour researching this oral steroid, I was frustrated but also relieved to know what was causing my child to be so off.  We just had to wait for the medicine to get out of her system.  Thankfully it only took a couple more days before she was back to her smiling self.  I was sure to make a note of her reaction to this drug so we can avoid these side effects in the future.  The other frustrating part is that I am not even sure if she actually had croup.  She did have some wheezing when she breathed in deeply, but she never developed the croup cough (or any cough).  I could kick myself for giving her a medication when she really didn't need it.  Live and learn!

Croup

Hannah is sick.  Yuck!  She started with a runny nose on Sunday and it has progressed into an all out snot-fest!  I have never seen so much snot.  Her poor little nose is so red and dry from all the wiping (which really isn't a lot since she won't let me near her face).  Yesterday she woke up crying and when she would breath in it sounded like a seal barking.  I knew that wasn't good, so we headed to the doctor to have her checked out.  Of course she didn't make the barking/wheezing sound while we were there, but the doctor listened to my description and diagnosed her with croup.  She is now taking a steroid medicaton - prednisone - and is also getting a round of medicated eye drops for her goopy eye.  Poor thing.  Thankfully she is looking and sounding a lot better today and I haven't heard that telltale croup cough since yesterday morning, so maybe she never really had it....who knows?!  Just praying that she is on the mend and will back to normal soon!  But I will say that she has really handled this sickness like a champ!  Despite all the congestion, she is still her happy self and crawling all over the place!  I will post a new video of her crawling soon.  She is really a pro now.

My Poor, Stopped Up Peanut

Get ready from a TMI post about baby bowel movements....

Sweet Hannah is severely constipated!  She hasn't had a "normal" bowel movement in almost a week.  Yesterday it got really bad!  Each time she would try to poo, she screamed in pain!  It was heart-breaking to see me little peanut in so much pain.  I cried each time she did.  I did things I never thought I would do....stuck a suppository in her booty, scraped poo out with my fingers in hopes of assisting her, used a thermometer with petroleum jelly on the tip to try to stimulate the poo reflex....UGH!  It was a very emotional day for Hannah and for me. 

I am not exactly sure what caused the constipation, but I have a feeling it was the bananas I introduced into her diet a few days ago.  In an effort to get her back on track in the poo department, we have stopped all solids for the time being and are back to nursing only.  I suspect that she is hungry, as she has cried for each nap today (which isn't normal lately), but I have seen some improvement overall.  She has had 3 bowel movements today, with the latest one being almost back to normal and only slightly uncomfortable for Hannah.  YEAH!!  Hopefully she will be back to normal real soon and then we can go back to re-introducing solids....very slowly!  I am going to essentially start from scratch with the solids and stick to one food for several days before introducing another.  That way I can very closely monitor how her digestive system handles each food.  I think we will start with avocado (again).  She seemed to like that when she ate it a few weeks ago and I have read that it is easily digestible....exactly what we need right now!

Random Thoughts and Questions

My mind is all over the place today, so I thought I would write a random post and include all of my mind's wanderings.

• First of all, we are all back to normal and feeling healthy!  Thank you Lord for the blessing of health.  The house has finally been put back together and life has resumed as it was before.  

• Hannah will be 3 months old on Friday (just 2 days away!).  Hard to believe, but my little peanut will no longer be a newborn.  She will move on to the infant stage.  3 months brings changes to her schedule.  Up until now her schedule has been the 6, 10, 2, 6, 10 feeding schedule.  She has always napped between the 6am and 10am feeding and the 2pm and 6pm feeding.  This schedule has worked GREAT for us!  What changes at 3 months is her bedtime.  Instead of keeping her up until 10pm, we will start putting her down earlier.  I'm just not sure how this is going to work.  Essentially the schedule stays the same, just more sleep....hmmm?!  I'm just not sure how to go about doing this.  Dr. Denmark (the pediatrician whose book we have followed since day 1) recommends feeding at 6pm and putting them to bed soon after.  Then doing a dream feed at 10pm (where you go in and feed them and put them right back down, barely waking them up).  Then after a month you drop that dream feed and they are supposed to sleep straight through til morning.  Yeah right?! I just don't see that happening?!  Any suggestions??

• Brian's parents and sister are coming into town on Friday!  YEAH!!  We LOVE having family come visit.  It will be especially fun because Hannah will be starting rice cereal when they are here.  Let the fun begin! :-)

• We had a scary night last night.  Since I am trying to figure out this whole new schedule thing, I am toying around with different options.  I decided to feed her a little earlier than usual last night (8:45pm) and put her down.  She did great until she woke up at 10:30 crying.  I should have just let her keep sleeping, but my confusion about the new schedule made me get her up to do a "dream feed" (even though she was definitely not asleep).  She ate a full feeding but spit up a bunch of it after we finished.  After burping her I put her back down and she fussed for a minute, but quickly found her fingers to suck on.  Then I heard a loud barf sound and ran into her room to clean it up.  She was choking!  She has sucked in a lot of spit up through her nose and was trying to cough it out.  I was frantic!  I screamed for Brian and he came running up the stairs.  We grabbed the suction bulb and cleaned out her nose, but she was still struggling to catch her breath and had a bright red face.  It took her a few minutes to clear it all out and then she was fine.  But it sure scared me!  We finally put her back down (after lots of snuggles) and she fell asleep with just a little fussing and slept til morning.  Ugh....what a scary night!  I don't think I'm a fan of the "dream feed".

• Hannah is having a very fitful nap today.  She fell asleep pretty well, but then after about 45 minutes she started screaming.  She did this on and off for about an hour.  I kept going in to check on her and she wasn't actually awake, just fussing and crying in her sleep.  I didn't know what was wrong, so I tried putting a blanket over her...maybe she's cold??  (Even though it's really hot in our house upstairs).  I tried taking the blanket off..maybe she's hot??  I tried moving the fan to a better position so she wouldn't be hot.  I tried feeling her diaper to see if it was really wet (she is napping in cloth...so might be?!)  But I just couldn't figure it out.  She finally was quite for about 30 minutes straight until she started crying again.  This time she was awake (head was popping up) so I took the blanket off (again) and popped a paci in her mouth (something I really don't like to do).  But now she is back down and sleeping soundly.  So I guess a paci every once in a while is okay...but I definitely don't want to start a habit.  Any ideas on why she might be crying in her sleep like this??

• Hannah has developed a new habit.  She loves to suck on her right index finger knuckle and rub the back of her head with her left hand.  It's so cute.  She does this when she is awake and when she's asleep.  I guess it's soothing to her to rub her head?  Too funny!

• We are still doing Cry It Out and it's getting better (shorter crying periods) but she is still crying for almost every nap and bedtime.  It's so frustrating!  I thought she would have gotten it by now and no longer cry.  Nope! We started officially letting her CIO on April 15th, so almost 2 months ago.  Anyone else have a baby that took this long to learn to fall asleep without crying?  Is she always going to cry herself to sleep?  I have seen progress, but I yearn for the day that she goes down without any fussing!!

Well, Hannah is up again!  The paci feel out, so time to go put it back in and pray that she will fall back asleep for another half hour or so.  Naps like this are tough! :-(

The Mess Can Wait

My neck is still very sore and I have been confined to the couch for most of the day.  Thankfully Brian is here to help with Hannah.  Brian is great with Hannah and can do most everything for her (change diapers, give her a bath, change her cloths, keep her entertained,etc.) but when it comes to the house, that's another story.  When I am sick or out of commission, the house goes to pot!  It is awful.  There are dishes everywhere, laundry piling up, dirty carpets, dusty furniture....it's just awful!  Not to mention that we haven't had a home-cooked meal in quite some time.  I'm not sure if Brian doesn't see the mess or if he just doesn't care.  Either way, I am stressed out seeing the house fall apart around me.  When my house is in chaos I get very flustered.

But what about those women that seem to have it all together?  You stop at their house unannounced and it is sparkling clean.  They have several toddlers running around, but somehow manage to keep their house spotless?  How on earth do they manage that?  I want their secret!

I am the first to admit...I LOVE a clean house!  I love how it feels to climb into a bed with fresh sheets.  I love the smell of clean laundry.  I love a home-cooked meal.  I love that feeling of accomplishment.  I pride myself in a clean home.  But I also am okay with a little dirt sometimes.  I have my priorities.

I am a stay-at-home mom for a reason.  I stay home to take care of Hannah, not the house.  Yes, keeping a clean and orderly house is part of my job, but my first priority is Hannah and her care.  She will only be little for a limited amount of time.  Before long she will be grown and won't need me nearly as much.  I will have plenty of time to keep a well maintained home after she is grown.  For now, I must cherish every moment with my baby girl and if that means leaving some dishes in the sink or sitting on a floor with a little dirt, then so be it.  The mess will wait!

Neck Pain

Those that know me well, know that I have a recurring neck problem.  It has happened every year for the past 3-4 years (I know it happened in 2007 and 2008, but I'm not sure if it happened in 2009).  Every year around this time I get a horrible neck/back pain that is debilitating.  It's so hard to describe, but it almost feels like my head is too heavy for my neck and there are very few positions I can hold my head in that don't hurt.  In the past I have been forced to lay in bed for several days until the pain goes away.  But this time I don't have that option.  With a 3 month old baby in the house, I don't have the luxury of laying around all day....she needs me!  So I went to the doctor this morning, in hopes that they would be able to tell me something, but nope.  I am so frustrated.  I feel like every time I go, they never have an answer other than..."It will go away on it's own, but here's some medicine to ease the pain."  Blah, Blah, Blah.  So I walked out of the office with no answers and few samples of muscle relaxers.  Yippy!

Thankfully the pain seems to be subsiding today (praying that it's gone soon!!) so hopefully I will be back to normal in no time.  But I may have to try out a chiropractor.  Just a little scared to go to one since I have heard mixed reviews.  Anyone have any experience with one?  Otherwise I could try physical therapy to learn some stretches to do, but not sure if that would help either.  I just want answers!  Why does this same pain come back every year (right around the same time each year) without any known cause?  My mind, of course starts to wander and think of the worst case scenario...."What if it's a horrible disease?"  Ugh!  I just have to release the worry to the Lord and know that He is in control!  And pray that it goes away and never comes back!!  For now, I will sit on the couch for as long as I can...or at least until Hannah wakes up. :-)

My Sick Little Girl

Hannah caught my cold! :-(  I feel so guilty!  Thankfully it doesn't seem to be bothering her (not nearly as much as it is me).  She has a stuffy nose, a cough and lots of sneezes.  Poor baby!  She slept most of the morning (during her normal playtime) and is now down for her normal afternoon nap.  She barely even fussed before falling fast asleep.  I'm glad she is getting lots of sleep, as I know there isn't much else that I can do to help her feel better.  I have been using the bulb syringe that we got from the hospital when she was born and that seems to help get some of the boogies out, so that's good.  Other than that, just lots of cuddling!  Thankfully she hasn't had a fever (at least not a noticeable one), so that makes me feel better.  I just hope she is 100% healthy soon!  Seeing my little girl sick breaks my heart!

On another note, I haven't been able to take any pictures for the last week because we left our camera charger at my in-laws house.  Boo!  It is in the mail today and should arrive tomorrow, so that's good.  It kills me to not be able to take pictures of my little peanut.  We missed her 10 week picture with her lambie.  UGH!  If you read my previous post about capturing memories, then you understand my frustration.  But hopefully the camera will be fully charged again for her 11 week picture tomorrow. :-)  And once it is fully charged, I will be sure to share some pics of the little peanut...she is changing so fast!

Sick! :-(

I'm sick.  Ugh!  It started on Friday night with a sore throat and is now a full-blown cold.  I have a fever, body aches, headache, REALLY stuffy nose, and still a scratchy throat.  I feel awful.  It seems that I get a cold twice a year (once in the Fall and once in the Spring).  I hate being sick!  Who doesn't, right?!  But this is my first time being sick since Hannah was born.  It's a whole different ball game now.  I am consumed with fear that she might catch my cold.  I can't imagine how awful it would be for her to get this sickness.  But I keep trying to remind myself that since I am breastfeeding, it is very unlikely that she will get sick.  Apparently when she nurses, she is taking in the antibodies my immune system is creating to fight off my illness.  So she is getting the antibodies before she even needs them...building up her immunity to my cold!  YEAH!  But I still find myself questioning every sneeze and feeling her forehead constantly for the slightest indication of a fever. 

The hardest part of being sick is having to take care of Hannah even though I feel like poo.  It is really tough!  There is no time to sit down and relax and try to recover.  I have to entertain her and tend to her needs before my own.  I guess this is what parenting is all about.

My parents came for an overnight stay last night.  They made a pit-stop on their journey to my brother's house in St. Louis.  They were here for less than 12 hours, but it was great to see them.  I hate that I felt so awful and wasn't much fun to be around, but thankfully we will get to see them again next weekend.  We are taking a trip to Boone, NC to stay in a cabin my parents rented.  My sister and her family will be there and this will be the first time they meet Hannah!  We can't wait.  Now I just have to work on feeling better before we head up there.