Campbell Leigh Trietsch

Final Countdown (to One Year Old!)

2010-03-26T13:57:00.003-05:00

Since last we met, Campbell has turned not only 10 months...

But also 11 months...

She can creep along any piece of furniture, and even let go and stand for a few seconds as long as she doesn't realize what she's done. She's eating small, chopped up fruits and veggies, but still prefers pureed meals. Puffs and Cheerios, though, are her absolute faves. We're going to finish up the formula we have in the cabinet, then it's on to whole milk. She's pretty good with a sippy cup and is down to two or three bottles a day, so I'm hopeful for that transition as well.

She only needs a paci when she goes down at night, which is usually between 6:30 and 7 p.m. Last night was open house at her school, and we visited the toddler room to see what's in store for her next. Once she can walk, use a sippy, eat table food and is on whole milk, she'll move up - so probably only another couple of months. We really liked what we saw. They do daily art projects, teach the kids to use spoons, teach baby sign language (oh yeah - Campbell can also sign eat!), help teach the kids to clean up their toys, have daily outside play time (weather permitting), and have a 2 hour daily scheduled nap. I'm very excited about that last thing, since right now in the infant room, Campbell is only getting one 30-minute nap a day. The doc said she really needs at least an hour, and I'm hoping once she gets more structure around nap times, she'll be able to stay up and hang out with us a little later in the evening.

She's very aware of what no means, she just doesn't really care all that much. :) The other day, she started crawling over to Garett's X-Box games, shaking her head no, no, no as she went, but it didn't slow her down at all.

Swim lessons are still going great. She can go under water and propel herself forward for five seconds. We add a second each week (she's missed a few lesson because of conflicts), but I'm not sure to what point. It's amazing to me that she's already so comfortable in the water.

Her b-day theme is Hello Kitty, and I'm hoping to make/decorate the cake myself, so fingers crossed that it will turn out... The other big to-do on my list: a 'first-year' picture album. I'm cheap, so I don't want to download anything I have to pay for, but none of the free online software is letting me do all I want, so right now I'm building each page in Photoshop, then planning on uploading them to mpix.com to order a photobook from there. Each page has taken at least 1/2 an hour, and I only have five pages done, and the book right now is looking to be about 50 pages... so yeah, I really need to get to work on that.

It's been an amazing 11 months, and I'm so excited about the year ahead of us!

How Big is Campbell? So Big!!

2010-02-08T11:15:00.004-06:00

Well, baby girl turned 9 months old a couple of weeks ago, and she is certainly so big!! (stretching arms up into air) She clocked in at 20 lbs 5.5 oz and 28.5" tall. Only another 1/2 inch, and she will have outgrown her infant car seat!

She's still crawling all over the place and cruising like a champ. She can even let go for about one second before losing her balance and falling on her booty. She's a tough nut - when she bumps her head or knocks something on top of herself, she just shakes it off and keeps on truckin'. She's loving swim lessons and is going underwater for 2 seconds at a time. Or a little bit more, when mommy messes up and pulls her in at the same time she's jumping and she accidentally ends up doing a flip... Definitely think it scared me more than it scared her, though.

Bath time is also still a favorite. This video is a little old - she's in the big bath tub now, but it's so cute I just have to post it. The froggy works great as a bath thermometer, but it makes an even more excellent paci...

We haven't made much progress on solid foods, partly because she's decided she needs a 6 p.m. bedtime. We went ahead and started sending her dinner to daycare. That way when we don't get home until 5:30 or so, it's not quite as much of a frenzy to get her ready for bed. She's kind of picky about the Gerber 3rd foods, so for the most part we're still sticking to the 2nd foods, with a few Cheerios and Puffs mixed in.

The 9-month photo shoot turned out great. I think G had fun with his new camera, and baby girl should really be supporting both of us soon with all the money she'll be making from modeling... :)

In my completely unbiased attention, she's about the cutest little girl I've ever seen.

Where to begin...

2010-01-19T15:17:00.002-06:00

My once-a-month posts are going to devolve into once-a-quarter if I don't watch it! It's been a crazy month. Between Campbell crawling and all the holiday celebrations, there hasn't been much time for sitting down and reflecting. Thank goodness for Flickr and YouTube, so even if I don't get updates done here as often as I'd like, it's not like I have to dig out the camera when I do make it on - just have to drop in a couple of embedded images/video/links.
Like this:

Or this (sorry for the dark video. We were trying to keep the lights low to encourage her to settle down for bedtime. ha.):

In addition to crawling and clapping, Campbell is starting to "cruise". She can walk her way down a piece of furniture, but is seldom brave enough to let go of one as she makes her way to another without first getting all the way down.

We had a rough couple of weeks where she decided sleeping was for the weak and refused to go down at bedtime, then refused to go back down when she woke up during the night. G had the magic touch and often ended up being the one who finally got her settled down. This last week, though, she's pretty much returned to normal. The key at this point is making sure she's truly ready for bed - if she's not wound all the way down, there's no hope.

She'll be nine months on Saturday and G got a fancy new camera, so we're planning on taking our own 'milestone' shots this time around, then taking it back to the pro (Emily Melson) for one-year pics. One-year. How is that already even a consideration?!

Stat update: Campbell was an even 19 lbs. at her 8-month weight check. She's eating three meals a day - one jar (fruit) and cereal mid-morning, one jar (veggie) and cereal around lunchtime, and one or two jars with a protein included at dinner. She started Cheerios a couple of weeks ago and is now a pro. We've tried cooked carrots one time, and if I wasn't so lazy, we'd probably have started a few other finger foods, too. We bought her kiwi, mango, broccoli, more carrots and a couple other fruits that I can't think of just now this weekend, so hopefully soon I'll have a chance to try and broaden her horizons even further.

All in all, I continue to be amazed at how blessed we are to have such a laid back, happy, beautiful little girl.

Here Comes Trouble

2009-12-10T22:46:00.002-06:00

It's been a big week for baby girl. We picked her up in OKC after a birthday party for my nephew Hudson on Sunday then swung by our friends Vicki and Jason's on the way home for the BCS Bowl Announcement. (Go Frogs!)

While there, Campbell decided it was about time to learn to crawl already. Now, there's no stopping her. (Pay no attention to me making bowl trip plans in the background.)

All that crawling must have done something to her immune system, because she also had her first official illness (assuming you don't count the jaundice at birth) this week. A yucky virus that causes throat ulcers. She was running a 102 fever after day care on Monday. We already had a doc appt. scheduled because she has some dry skin we were concerned about (eczema) and they diagnosed the virus as well. We had to keep her out of day care for a few days - not a huge deal since G's mom watches her two days a week anyway. The doc had warned us we might have to syringe fluids if Campbell wouldn't eat, but the virus hardly slowed her down at all. We gave Tylenol to control the fever and today it was gone completely. Yay!

And also BIG news this week - she's done with her DOC Band. Woo Hoo!!! At her first appointment, they measure her asymmetry as 10 mm. At this last one, it was 2.6 - better than 97% of the population. We have one more session of physical therapy scheduled, and hopefully that will be the end of that as well. What a relief!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T21:17:00.005-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year, I really don't even know where to begin. But, this seems like the obvious choice:

That's from Campbell's 6-month photos. So sad that I'm just now posting these, and she's already seven months! That milestone was met with a little less fanfare...

That sheet says "I'm seven months old today!", but Campbell was much more interested in eating it than showing it to the camera. Eating is one of the things she does really, really well. G took her in for a weight check on Monday, and she tipped the scales at 18 lbs. 11.2 oz. She's taking a fruit and 1/4 cup cereal in the morning, a veggie and 1/4 cup cereal in the afternoon, and we just started doing dinner this week - some days she's in to it, some days she's not. All that, plus four or five 6-oz. bottles, depending on the day.

She babbles a lot, and we're pretty sure she's associated Dada with Garett, even though she's not been too consistent with it. We're starting baby sign language, and I'm really excited about her being able to communicate what she wants with us in more ways besides just crying. Not that she cries all that often - really, still only when she's tired, hungry or bored. She's pretty much past her short bout of separation anxiety, which is a relief. The worst part was bedtime, but she's back to going down with hardly a fuss. Tonight, for instance, we put her down around 7 p.m., she talked and sang to herself for about 15 minutes, then fell asleep all on her own.

She's still very much Daddy's girl. I usually give her the first bottle of the day, then take her in to our room. As soon as she see Garett, she lights up. Also, looks like she's going to take after his early passion for computers.

I don't know how we got so lucky, but I truly am thankful for such a beautiful, healthy, joyful, inquisitive, intelligent, special baby girl.

Aquaphor Contest

2009-11-18T13:00:00.001-06:00

I know I've been a complete blog failure recently, and now I'm only popping up for the self-serving reason of earning another entry into a contest for free Aquaphor, but I hope you'll forgive me as it will benefit Campbell in the end. Also, if I promise to post pictures soon!!

She Just Reviews It reviews Aquaphor.

Growing Like a Weed

2009-10-20T13:12:00.003-05:00

Campbell won't officially be six months until this Friday, but we jumped the gun and got her six month vaccinations and check-up last Friday. We have her six month pictures scheduled for this weekend, and in case she had any related fussiness after the shots, we figured it was better to get them out of the way. She took them like a champ, though - even better than her three month shots.

And, her updated height/weight info.... drum roll please...
26.5" and 17.05 lbs - 80th percentile for both.

We also noticed yesterday that her first tooth has come through - and we didn't even realize she was full on teething! She's always been a bit of a drooler, and she never got especially fussy, so it came without incident. So hoping the rest of teething goes so easily. I Facebooked that it was her lower left, but it was actually her lower right. You'd think by now I could tell the difference.

We also went and prettied up her DOC Band, thanks to the good folks at 36o Wraps. The owner will be setting up a foundation soon to help offset the cost of the wraps, which he does for free, so if you have some extra money to throw at charity, consider throwing some their way.

We wanted to do the Dallas Stars logo in pink and white, but the guy has to worry about copyright/use problems, so we went with this flower instead.

Look ma - sitting all on my own!

Big fan of the Glo-Worm.

Don't mess with me. Seriously. Don't. Unless it involves getting my belly, in that case, mess away.

G won tickets to the World Series, so we'll be leaving Campbell in the capable hands of my parents next week. I've become a Yankees fan, in hopes that we'll be visiting New York. And when we get back - Halloween and TCU Homecoming. Campbell was going to be a monkey, but the costume we bought is too big (6 - 18 months should not be a size) so I'm working on something else - that's a little teaser for the next update. :)

Even though it was completely floppy, it's still super cute, so I thought I'd share what she would have looked like as a monkey (and this may be a preview for next year if she doesn't outgrow it!)

Yes, yes I'm adorable...

and precious...

but deep inside I'm plotting to take you all over with my cuteness.

Oh, and for the record, she's now eating solids twice a day - fruit in morning, sometimes with cereal, sometimes without, and a veggie in the afternoon - and taking four 7 oz. bottles, plus another 5 or so oz. at bedtime. And, I must just say again, she is a dream baby. She's so good at amusing herself, but also loves getting hugs and kisses. I can already tell she's going to be a daddy's girl - she keys in on G whenever he's around, and saves her biggest smiles and laughs for him. :)

The Only Thing that Separates Us from the Animals is Our Ability to Accessorize

2009-10-04T20:03:00.003-05:00

We picked up Campbell's DOC Band last Monday and after a week long 'break-in' period, she's now in it 23 hours a day - one hour off during bath time before bed.

Right now she's just sporting some flower stickers, but we'll take her in to 360 wraps a week from Tuesday to get it done up right. Since she'll likely be in the helmet two to three months, we at least want to make it something special to look at and not just orthotic.

For those who think she was just perfect without the band, here's a shot to show why we went ahead and elected to get it:

The hope is after a few weeks in the band, the back of her head will even out to a round shape.

Moving on to even cuter accessories, I somehow stumbled across the pettiskirt a while back (that link is the one I was trying to recreate) and decided Campbell had to have one. But, I wasn't about to pay the $85 that well-made ones retail for. I found a few on etsy.com for less, but I still thought I could probably make it for cheaper. So, I bought the fabric, and I think it turned out pretty darn well, if I do so say myself. Campbell didn't give an opinion, but she did put it in her mouth, which I choose to take as a sign of approval.

That's a lot of ruffle fluff!

More pics of the pettiskirt construction and Campbell modeling on Flickr.

And, as always, every time I update my blog, I'm updating the Campbell at Home set on Flickr (link on the right).

Because I'm sure inquiring minds want to know, Campbell is fond of sweet potatoes, squash and bananas, and has so far tolerated carrots, green beans and green peas. On the list: applesauce, peaches, prunes and avocado. I love watching her reactions the first time she gets to try something new.

Of Rice Cereal and Sweet Potatoes

2009-09-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

Campbell wasn't such a big fan of the rice cereal, but she did much better on sweet potatoes. G videotaped both adventures, presented here for your viewing enjoyment:
Rice cereal attempt (pretty much an exercise in futility):

First taste of sweet potatoes (yum!):

Five Months?!?!

2009-09-23T21:35:00.002-05:00

Baby girl turned five months old today. We ran to the doc for a weight check and she clocked in at 15 lbs., 13 oz. She's taking five 8 oz. bottles a day, plus a veggie once a day. Our challenge now is keeping her in a dry diaper at night; she sleeps up to 12 hours, and the diaper just isn't holding out that long. Thank goodness for waterproof crib liners. We picked up some Pampers Baby Dry tonight, but the smallest size is for 16 lbs., so hopefully they'll be tight enough.

We pick up her DOC Band on Monday and will start easing her into it on Tuesday. By next Saturday, she'll be in it 23 hours a day. Don't know how that's going to work with her Halloween costume, but we'll figure something out.

In other news, Garett won free tickets to the World Series, so at the end of this month we'll be taking a little three-day vacation to where ever Game 1 ends up being played at - I'm suddenly a Yankees fan...

Full Weekend

2009-09-13T20:55:00.004-05:00

This was our first full weekend at home in a long time, and it was quite a chore keeping baby girl entertained inside our four walls. We had planned on taking her to the Dallas Heart Walk on Saturday, but the weather wasn't very baby-friendly. She's had a cough for a few days, and we didn't want to risk dragging her out in the rain, so G took care of her for a few hours while I walked the 5k.

When I got back, he'd exhausted every weapon in the arsenal - exersaucer, tummy time, baby swing, baby standing, bumpo, boppy, baby flying... We spent the rest of the day watching the OSU Cowboys lose and the TCU Horned Frogs win, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc., etc. I also made some marginal chili (won't be picking up that mix again) and some pretty good peach cobbler.

We tried starting rice cereal on a spoon, but it was pretty much a fail. She didn't really swallow anything, and wasn't the least bit interested.

Sunday Campbell let us sleep in 'til 8!! Then, we ran to the mall and the Target so we could show off her Dallas Cowboy's outfit to the world and stopped by G's folks house for a short visit. Then, home again for some more football. We tried again with the rice cereal, but she just kept pushing the spoon out with her tongue. We're going to give it another shot next weekend.

So, nothing too very exciting, but some nice, quality family time!

Trial and Error

2009-09-02T13:05:00.003-05:00

This will probably be interesting to no one but me, but as a matter of record, I thought I'd go ahead and put it down. That way, when Baby T2 makes his/her debut, I won't have to struggle so hard to remember Campbell's milestones.

At 4.5 months, she's sleeping through the night; going down between 7 and 8 p.m., waking a few times just to let us know she's still there and wants her paci, and up and ready to eat between 6 and 7 a.m. She's been taking 6 oz. consistently, so today I upped her to 7 per bottle and 2 tsp. of rice cereal in each. I did 1 tsp. of cereal for a couple of days, but I don't think it was quite enough.

The tsp. makes the formula a little too thick for the fast flow nipples, though, and Drop-Ins don't have a Y-cut nipple, so I trimmed them myself, and may have gone a little overboard... She shotgunned her bottle this morning - 7 oz. in about 5 minutes - the gave a good portion of it back, projectile style. That one only had 1.5 tsp of rice, so I added another .5 tsp to the others, and took some un-modified nipples to day care as well in case it was still flowing too fast. She can get it threw the regular nipples, it's just a lot of work.

If you've read this far, you're either family or extremely bored. :)

Choosing Thomas

2009-09-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

I can only imagine the strength of this family and can't even begin to imagine the pain and loss they suffered.

Have a tissue handy...

Watch the video on Dallas Morning News.

*credit to Chirky since I saw this on her blog and borrowed her image*

Four Months!

2009-08-27T14:08:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks for Miss Campbell Leigh! We went up and visited Grandma and Grandpa Campbell and went swimming, which she seemed to really like.

Last Friday we went and had her four-month well check and vaccinations, which she did not really like. She was fussy for a couple of days after the shots, but she's getting back to normal now. Progress report: 13 lbs, 15.5 oz and 25" long (50th percentile for weight and 75th - 90th percentile for height).

She showed good improvement at her physical therapy appointment yesterday, so we've scaled back to every-other-week visits, as long as she continues to improve - gotta keep those stretches up at home! The doc showed us a couple of new ones we could do and we're also supposed to work more on getting her to look left while she's on her belly.

We had her assessment for the DOC band yesterday as well. We didn't feel nearly as good coming out of that - they seemed to really being giving the hard sell. Like, if you don't get the band, her ears will be misaligned so she's going to get run over when she's riding her tricycle b/c she won't hear the car coming; her eyes won't be aligned so she won't be able to see straight; her teeth will come in wrong, so she'll have problems chewing, which will lead to digestive issues. Basically if we don't get the band, we're The Worst Parents in The World. They sent the measurements off to our insurance, so the next step is to see if she's approved or not. We kind of felt like they were setting us up in case we were denied we'd feel like we didn't have a choice and would have to pay out of pocket.

Anyway, we'll deal with that when we have to. In the mean time, she's precious, and we love her more every day. How could you not love that face?

Sneak Peek - Campbell's Nursery

2009-08-04T22:23:00.002-05:00

Well, Campbell got super jealous when she found out what cute nurseries some of her friends had. She would not stop crying until we did hers up right. Either that or she was like why are you messing with my walls?!?! I just want a bottle!!! Anyway, we eventually fed her, then took these pictures. The one thing she does love is the 'sugar and spice' wall art. (It's vinyl. I suck at painting.) It's right by her changing table and she just stares and stares and gets really excited looking at it.

I covered wooden letters with scrapbook paper, and we had the flower custom cut to match the other wall-art, and I painted it and turned it into a clock.

ZOMG lookatthegiantbaby. At least she's still cute when larger than life.

Helps with the torticollis - keeps her looking left during diaper changes.

We'll probably be out of this house by the time she can actually use this, but it's still cute...

A few more here.

And, some new pics.

She's so big...

But, still, so little...

I Hope I Never Forget...

2009-07-27T13:15:00.004-05:00

...how my heart jumped and how fiercely I cried in joy when Garett said 'it's a girl!'.

...how helpless she was when she was first born, before she could even lift her head to look in our eyes.

...how amazed we were that something so beautiful came from us.

...how she slumped down in her car seat on the way home from the hospital, because she was so little, even the infant seat was too big.

...how worried we were those first two weeks when she was still trying to beat the jaundice, and wasn't gaining weight.

...how powerfully it hurt me to hear her cries during the bilirubin screenings.

...how nervous we were the first time we gave her a big girl bath.

...how excited we were when we took her in for a weight check, and she was finally back to her birth weight.

...how hard we both laughed at her startle reflex after G let out a huge belch.

...how her little body gets heavier and she loses all muscle composure when she gets really tired.

...how her head smells after a shampoo.

...how thrilled we were the first time she rolled, and how we watched with anticipation and the camera rolling to make sure we caught it the next time.

...the weight of her head against my shoulder.

...the sound of her coo, her laugh and her little baby sneezes and coughs.

...the way she's strengthened my love for Garett and made the two of us into a family.

I know there are a million more memories to come, but I pray as time passes I never lose these precious ones from Campbell's first three months.

Cutest. Baby. Eh-vur.

2009-07-23T10:46:00.003-05:00

We took Campbell in for her three month portraits yesterday and took a few family shots as well. She got a little sleepy, but overall was very cooperative, and we ended up with some fantastic pictures.

She's doing really well - I want to brag on her sleeping through the night, but I'm so afraid I'm going to jinx it! She usually goes down between eight and nine, then we get her back up around 10:30 to squeeze a couple more ounces in to her, and she goes right back down without a fuss and sleeps until some time between six and seven.

Her physical therapy is going well, too. She still has about a 20 degree tilt, though, so we're going to need to keep it up a few more weeks.

We're sailing right along! It's so hard to believe she's already three months old. I was looking at these photos compared to the ones we took at Father's Day when she was about six weeks, and it's amazing how much she's changed already. She's so much more aware and alert, and is already developing her own little personality. She smiles, laughs, coos, and she definitely recognizes her mommy and daddy. We made up this poster to hang on the wall by her crib at daycare so she won't be lonely during the day - we need a picture of her with her Grandpa Alan!

I'll leave you with this. I call it, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

One week down, a lifetime to go

2009-07-17T10:57:00.004-05:00

I started back to work on Monday, and it was hard to leave Campbell at day care, though I think I shed more tears last Friday, looking at her and holding her and thinking about how I wouldn't be able to do that during the week anymore. I wasn't planning on going with Garett to actually drop her off because I thought it would be too hard, but we decided it would better for us both to be there in case there were any questions, and so we'd both know the drill. I did pretty well, only getting weepy after we actually left the room and looked back and she was on the other side of the glass windows.

Luckily, I've gone back to a job that I really like and a great team of co-workers. They even decorated my cube, complete with a pretend-Campbell, so I wouldn't be lonely. I've been easing back in this week; the woman who was covering for me while I was on leave is still here for one more week, so the transition is going really smoothly.

It's hard to believe, but Campbell was 12 weeks yesterday. She's not officially 3 months until the 23rd, so we're waiting until next week to have her 3 month pictures taken. She's doing really well with her eating and sleeping, taking between 25 and 29 ounces a day in six bottles (usually four oz. bottles, with an extra ounce thrown in here and there). She goes down between 9 pm and 10 pm, and generally sleeps through to the 5 a.m. hour. I wish I was more of a morning person so I could get up, feed her, and actually start my day with a workout or walk or something, but usually I get up, feed and change her, and go back to bed for an hour or so.

Her physical therapist said she's showing improvement in her range of motion - she can look all the way over her left shoulder now. We still need some more work on pulling her right ear down to her right shoulder, so we'll keep up the stretches. Because of the plagiocephaly, it's very likely that Campbell will need to wear a cranial band for a few months. We have an appointment at Star Cranial in Addison in a few weeks so they can assess her need.

She's a wonderful baby - only cries when she's hungry or super tired, rarely even gets fussy in the evening. She goes right down at bedtime, and puts herself back to sleep when she wakes up in the night (I can hear her talking to herself on the monitor, but she never even cries before falling back asleep). She's beautiful, and precious, and everything we could hope for in a baby girl. Hopefully I'll get the last couple of things up in her nursery this weekend so I can post pics of her pretty room!

To the left, to the left

2009-07-03T11:18:00.004-05:00

We took Campbell in for her first physical therapy appointment on Wednesday, and the doc seconded the diagnosis of torticollis. To try and help stretch out and lengthen the muscles on the left side of her neck, we have to do daily exercises, including pulling her head to the side so her right ear touches her right shoulder and pushing her chin to make her look left. 3-4 times a day, 5 reps, holding 5 secs each time. We also need to maximize her tummy time, lay her on her left side and place rolled up blankets on either side of her head in the car seat and swing to encourage her to look over her midline. The doc's assessment was that her head is pretty asymmetrical - she got a 13/15, with 15 being the most asymmetrical. The back right side is flattened out, and if you look at her down from the top, you can see the distinct difference in the distance from her eyebrow to hairline on the left and right sides.

Right now, we're doing the exercises about 30 mins after every meal (except the 4 am feeding - I'm not putting either one of us through that, and besides, she'll be dropping that feeding any day now, right?). She'll also go to physical therapy once a week, at least until the end of July. Then the doc will decide the next steps. It's going to get a little harder after I go back to work and she starts day care. We can ask them to try and help - place toys to her left, carry her on the right shoulder to encourage her to look left... but, they'll have other kids to watch and likely won't have time to do her stretches. In other news, she's up to taking 4 oz. of formula at each feeding, and we've transitioned her completely to milk-based formula. (We started her on soy b/c when we were supplementing the breast milk, she threw up the first couple of milk-based bottles we gave her, but I think we were just overfilling her at that time...) There's nothing particularly bad about the soy based formula, but it's like 47% corn syrup, and that just seemed wrong to me.

Only one week left of maternity leave. It will be nice to be back in the 'real world', but it's going to be very difficult to turn her care over to someone else, and I really will miss just being able to see her and hold her all day.

On the Money

2009-06-18T22:15:00.003-05:00

Not shots!!

At 10 lbs, 4 oz., 22.5" long, with a head circumference of 39 cm, Campbell is exactly at the 50th percentile for all three measurements. The doc was very pleased to see that she'd moved from the 25th percentile in weight (as were we!).

She took her shots like a champ - cried as she got them, was just fine on the way home, got a little fussy in the evening, but was calmed right down when I laid her on my chest and let her sleep there, and when she woke up again for her bath and bedtime, she was right as rain. Here's hoping that stays true when she wakes up for her middle of the night feeding - she didn't sleep through the night last night, and I'm kind of hoping she doesn't tonight, b/c I'll feel better after her shots if I know she's OK...

One thing that did come up at the visit - we've kind of noticed the back right side of her head looks a little flatter than the rest. The doc agreed, and even pointed out b/c of the misshapen back, her forehead is actually starting to misshape as well - the distance from her hairline to eyebrow is greater one side than the other. He tried to turn her head from side to side and said because she favors turning her head one direction so much that the muscle on the other side has actually tightened, a condition know as torticollis. He referred us to a physical therapist, who will give us exercises to help loosen the muscle. We're also supposed to turn her head whenever she's asleep so she's facing left, and to position her swing, bouncy seat, etc. so she always has to turn left to look at us. Hopefully that will help fix the problem and prevent any facial asymmetry.

Mom and Dad are coming down tomorrow to watch her for the weekend so G and I can celebrate on anniversary. I'll miss baby girl, but I'm also looking forward to a weekend alone with my hubby. :)

8 Weeks Tomorrow

2009-06-17T15:20:00.004-05:00

I know I've been slacking lately, but now that Campbell's not sleeping 20 hours a day, she's even more high maintenance. :) If you're just here for new photos, check out the Flickr photostream. (scroll down for most recent pics.)

Really, she's a very, very good baby. She got a little out of sorts on our road trip to and from Oklahoma, but bounced back quickly. Since I last posted, she's also met Garett's co-workers and my own. Ann, Campbell's "Grand-boss", got her the most adorable bow. It may still be a little big right now, but expect to see her in it often...

She had a little growth spurt last week, and as opposed to being a nightmare, it was a joy - she slept twice as much as usual for two days, and is solidly eating 3 or more ounces at every feeding. As a matter of fact, she took 5.5 oz. last night b/f bed time and then - wait for it - SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! She went down about 10:30 and didn't get up until 6 this morning. Then, she went back down around 8 and slept 'til 9, so I even got an extra little nap. Fingers crossed that she repeats the performance tonight.

In other news, she is now strictly formula fed. I weaned from the pump last week, and I think it's going to make for a much happier mommy. I made the decision with really mixed emotions. On the one hand, I felt really guilty, since the major reason I decided to wean was selfish - it was just too much work. On the other hand, I'm just happy I made it seven weeks, and I know she'll be getting all the nutrients she really needs from formula. And, it makes our days much more productive. Since I'm no longer feeding her, changing her, pumping, and cleaning all the parts every couple of hours, we're not tied down to the house. We've taken advantage of that fact and done quite a bit of running around the past couple of days. It's also nice, since she's so much more alert now, that I can just feed her, then we can play, and I don't have to worry about being strapped up for 20+ minutes before I can attend to her.

Baby girl gets her first shots tomorrow, and expect another update soon with her weight and height - I can't wait to find out how much she's grown!

Such a Big Girl!

2009-05-24T08:05:00.004-05:00

Campbell was officially one month old on Saturday. In celebration, she moved up to a size 1 diaper. She's such a little wiggle worm, though, that we've had to squeeze her back into the newborn size for at least a few more days. That's OK, though, b/c I'd like to use those diapers up! We also moved her into her crib on Friday night - she's so talky during her sleep it was keeping us up even more to have her in our room in the bassinet. We swaddled her up, put on the closet light and cracked the door, turned on the monitor, and headed to bed. The firs night went pretty well, and last night was great. Instead of her usual 1:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. sessions, she ate at 11 p.m., 3:30 a.m. and not again until 7:30 a.m. The consecutive stretches of sleep were much appreciated! Saturday night she was back to her old self, but it's still easier to get what little sleep we can with her in her own room.

We took her in for a weight check on Friday so we could have her one month weight for the baby book - she's right on track with her weight gain now: 8 lbs. 10.2 oz.

9 oz in 7 days

2009-05-17T12:53:00.003-05:00

Things continue to look up. Nursing just wasn't working for us, so I've started exclusively pumping during the day so we can still give Campbell breast milk, and then doing formula at night so I don't have to pump at 4 a.m. Added bonus - we can now monitor exactly how much her intake is, which makes me feel a lot better with her initial slow/no weight gain. And, when we went in for her weight check on Friday, she was up to 8 lbs. 4 oz. Yay!!

She's still a very sleepy baby - I told the doc we were waking her every three hours to eat during the day, and he said since her intake is measurable now we no longer have to do that. Yay!! again. She's doing pretty well at night - she tricked us last night after her 8 p.m. feeding. We assumed she'd be up again b/f 11, so we stayed up, too. Wrong. At midnight, we gave up and went to bed, and at 12:30 she promptly woke up. Sigh - should have gone to bed earlier ourselves! After that, she slept through to 4:30 and then again to 8:30, so that wasn't so bad. She's back down again now, so I'm off to run some errands while Dad looks after her.

My folks headed back home yesterday, and I will sorely miss them this week. Not only were they a huge help with Campbell, it was so nice just to have someone here in the house with me during the days. I'm so glad Garett works from home on Wednesdays to help break up the week...

I'm off to the store, then we're going to take Campbell for a walk. Good times!!!

Cutie - Patootie

2009-05-09T12:19:00.002-05:00

Hanging in There

2009-05-08T18:00:00.004-05:00

Took Campbell back in to the pedi today b/c I was concerned with her not being back up to her birth weight - she's about 3.5 oz shy... He looked at my nursing log and looked her over, and didn't seem too concerned - he said most babies make it back by two weeks, but some it just takes a little longer... he suggested calling one of the lactation consultants to see if I could get any pointers, so I'm going to try and get an appt. early next week. I'll take her back in next Friday for a follow up weight check.

On the plus side, her jaundice is completely gone. Yay! But, now she has a clogged tear duct. :( It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, but it's making her eye all goopy... we just have to massage the duct three to four times a day, and that should get it to open back up on its own - apparently it's a pretty common thing for newborns.

She's doing a little better at staying awake while nursing, and she actually woke herself up these last two times to nurse - once after two hours, once just under two hours, once just under three, so I think I'm going to try sticking it out with that at least until next Friday and see how her weight gain is...

She was up every two hours last night. Sigh. I'll be glad when she gets her days and night aligned...

Plum Worn Out

2009-05-05T20:29:00.003-05:00

Baby girl is wearing us out. She sleeps fine during the day - too fine - we still have to wake her up to feed her every three ours or so - and sometimes it's just hopeless. We strip her down, take a cold washcloth to the head, hands, body, thump the bottom of her feet so hard she cries out - followed immediately by a return to sleep. Nursing her is seriously like giving her a sedative.

Except at night. When she decides it's time to be up. And be fussy. Sometimes for hours. And, is it possible for a newborn to be afraid of the dark? Because she'll sleep the day away in front of a window (indirect sunlight to help bring the jaundice down), or in the living room with the TV blaring. But, come nighttime, if we turn off the lamp b/f she's completely asleep - waa, waa, waa!!!

We ran her by the doc again today for a quick weight check, and she's only up 1/2 oz. :( As hard as we're trying to keep her nursing and give extra ounces of formula, I was really hoping she'd be up more. I've started taking Fenugreek in hopes that she'll be getting enough just from nursing and we can stop with the formula supplements soon... But, even with my worries about her eating and her weight, the one indication that she's getting enough nourishment that's holding strong - she's a pee and poop machine. She easily hits 8 dirty diapers, plus four to five wet diapers, every day. And, every time we go to change her, she gives us just a *little bit* extra while she's nekkid. Sigh.

We did newborn pics today, and they didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped. She was a little fussy, and didn't like us moving her into different positions. And we really wanted some cute nekkid pictures, but given her proclivity to going potty while diaperless, I was pretty nervous about them. Rightly so, it turns out - she ended up peeing on Garett, peeing all over a blanket and pooing on the outside of her diaper while I was taking it off, and peeing all over another blanket and in the photographer's bowl. We kept warning the photographer it was going to happen, but she wanted to give it a shot... It was a two-hour ordeal, but hopefully we ended up with come cute shots. We'll have proofs in a couple of weeks, which means birth announcements are going to take longer than I'd hoped, unless I just go ahead and do them with a photo we take, which I'm thinking about doing.

Speaking of, more pics soon - just don't have the energy to upload them to Flickr right now...

Good Day

2009-05-01T21:28:00.002-05:00

Short and sweet update - Campbell's bilirubin number was down more than a point in a day, and she's up two ounces in weight. Yay! Garett's oral surgery went well - after we got through the initial clotting phase... he was supposed to have clotted in a couple of hours, but change his gauze for seven hours just to keep the wound clear. By 12 hours post-op, he was still bleeding, so he had to get up every hour last night to change the gauze. Thankfully, today the bleeding was under control, and Garett's been really great helping me with everything. We were all over the place today - Medical Center of Lewisville for the bili screen, Plano Presby for an unexpected doc visit for me (everythings fine, just needed to get checked out), back to the pediatrician for the weight test. Even though he's on pain meds and couldn't be driving, he was a real trooper and ran to all the places with me.

We're just going to keep doing what we're doing with Campbell, and hope her weight gain continues up and bili number continues down.

Poor Baby Girl

2009-04-30T16:52:00.003-05:00

Campbell's bilirubin number was back up today - higher than the first test, in fact, at 14.8. Since our pedi is out of town, his partner wanted to see her color for himself. G was down after having his teeth pulled, so I took her back to the doctor solo. We talked about her feedings, and since she's kept .5 oz of the soy formula down a few times, he wanted me to up it back to 1 oz. at every feeding, plus give her at least 4 hours of indirect sunlight every day. There's probably not even that much daylight left today, but we've got her in the window for as long as we can, and I've already given her 2.5 oz. of formula today, so we're just hoping with everything we have her number is down tomorrow. I have no problem with getting a bili light and using it, I just hate the bilirubin screen b/c it hurts her so much. This morning I wasn't in the room when they did it b/c I had to go register her separately for her second newborn screen, but G said she actually had real tears. :( It's just not fair that at one week old she's already having go to through such a painful procedure.

Also, still have to take her back in tomorrow for another weight check. With the addition of the formula, here's hoping she passes that, too.

Waiting Game

2009-04-29T19:55:00.003-05:00

A short video of Campbell being adorable. :)

Campbell's bilirubin was down .1 to 14.6 yesterday, so we're hoping the jaundice will clear up on its own. We went in today for her one week check up (one day early b/c the doc will be out of town starting tomorrow) and the pedi wants us to take her back in tomorrow for another screening so we can see if the number is continuing to come down. The next concern is her weight - it seems to me like she's on the normal scale - 7 lbs. 15 oz. at birth; 7 lbs 7.5 oz at discharge; 7 lbs 6.5 oz on Monday; 7 lbs 6 oz today. The doc wants to make sure she's not going to continue losing weight, though, so we're going back in on Friday just for a weigh-in. We're still not having much luck keeping formula in her, and keeping her awake to feed is a constant struggle - we've used a cold wet washcloth, thumped her heel, wiggled her head... she's just a sleepy little baby! We're waking her every 2-3 hours, or I swear she'd never wake up to eat.

G's oral surgery is tomorrow, so here's praying for a speedy recovery for him, so Campbell doesn't have to depend solely on her mommy for more than a day!

Too Good To Be True

2009-04-27T19:09:00.003-05:00

I should have known that things were going a little too easily. Campbell's been so precious so far, I couldn't imagine anything being wrong.

We had her first doctor visit today, and I should have been a little more prepared for them to tell us she was jaundiced. After all, the pediatrician at the hospital had mentioned her bilirubin level was 7.7, but hadn't peaked yet. And when my brother Jesse (a pediatrician) was here over the weekend, he said she was probably about an 11 at that point. Campbell's pedi was concerned, and I'm no longer an exclusive breastfeeder. :( In order to increase her eliminations, we have to supplement after every feeding with an ounce of formula (more on this later). I was feeling pretty bummed, and on top of that, the doc sent us over to Medical Center of Lewisville to have a blood draw done, and we'll have to go again tomorrow to have her levels checked again. He said we want to stay under 20 or 22, and today she was at 14.7. Depending on the reading tomorrow, we may have to do photo-therapy at home, or possibly even admit her if it's high enough - but the doctor didn't seem to think that was going to be likely.

I wasn't prepared for how affected I was going to be by the blood test. In order to draw enough blood, the lab tech did a heel prick, then just squeezed and squeezed on Campbell's foot until the tube was full. I held her other leg out of the way, and by the end of the test, Campbell was screaming and crying - I know part of it was also because it was past time for her to nurse, and I felt so helpless just standing there staring at my brand new little girl in such pain. After we were done, I was in tears and the lab tech let us use another room so I could nurse there so we wouldn't have to wait to go all the way home. Thank goodness!

When we got back, we pulled out the bottles that I was intending to have used for expressed breastmilk and a sample pack of formula that thankfully we'd received in the mail, and I prepared a couple of ounces so we'd have some ready for the next feeding. That was an adventure all of its own. At first, I thought it was going to go really well. She nursed just over 20 minutes, and was taking the bottle just fine. I'm using Playtex Drop-Ins, and one of the features is the ability to squeeze the excess air out of the little bag. I tried that on the first one and managed to bust it open. Garett fixed another one, and Campbell was doing well with it, too, for about a minute. Then, explosion. She spit up all the formula she'd taken, plus probably all the breast milk from the last two feedings. I don't know if the formula just upset her tummy, if she was traumatized from the hospital visit, or if it was just time for her to let me know while she's still an angel, I shouldn't expect perfection.

We were planning on giving her a bath tonight anyway, so she just got it a little earlier than expected.

On another note, I've got to figure out a way to keep my right foot elevated more during the day...

Campbell Leigh Trietsch

2009-04-26T19:15:00.009-05:00

This is long, so if all you're looking for is pics, look no further. :)
Also available, pics from the hospital photographer.

Even though Campbell's delivery didn't start the way I had envisioned, the outcome was even more than I could have dreamed of.

When I was admitted on Monday, April 20, I was put in a room considerably smaller than the ones we'd been shown on the tour during our childbirth classes. Turns out it was so small because it was actually an isolation room - and it was the only room available in ante-partum, normally they don't use it unless the situation demands it. There was no room for Garett to even stretch out, so him staying Monday night was out of the question. (No big deal, since labor wasn't imminent and I wasn't in any pain.) They told me when another room became available, probably the next day, they'd go ahead and move me. As Garett was leaving, he asked the nurse about it, and turns out she was able to snag a room just as another patient discharged, and they ended up moving me that night.

Room #2 was larger, but still not a comfortable place for overnight guests. At this point, I still didn't know how long I was going to be in residence at the hospital, hence all the pity parties.

I was overjoyed on Wednesday when Dr. Robins confirmed that they'd be doing the induction the next day - when Baby T was officially 38 weeks.

The process began with Cervidil to 'get things going'. They were supposed to move me to a room in Labor and Delivery around 5 p.m. on Wednesday night, but apparently this was a very popular day to give birth - there was only one room open in L&D, and they needed to save it in case of emergency. They went ahead and started the Cervidil, and told me they'd be moving me around 8 p.m. Then it was around 10 p.m. Then, around 10:30 p.m., they said it looked like it was going to be the next morning around 5 a.m. Would have been nice to know earlier so I could have started the sleeping pill, but I went ahead and took one at that time, and sent Garett home. It wasn't too long before the contractions started. All my romantic notions of having Garett there to rub my back, help me breath, etc. were pointless, as by this point I was hooked up to a fetal heart monitor and would be for the duration. Every time I moved to try to get the slightest bit comfortable, the monitor would lose the baby's heartbeat, a nurse would come in and reposition the belt (usually making it tighter, which was just AWESOME on top of the contractions).

Around 2:30 a.m., I couldn't take it any more. I called Garett and told him he had to come back. He got there a little before 3:30 a.m., and shortly thereafter I was moved to L&D.

This room was huge and really, really nice. I had about an hour b/f they were planning on starting the Pitocin, so we got settled in and I took a shower. When they first checked me around 5 a.m., I was about 2 cm and 60% effaced. Pretty quickly after the Pitocin started, my contractions were getting bad enough that I said OK to the IV narcotics - I was hoping to skip these, as I had heard they could make the baby woozy, but the nurse said they weren't any different to the baby than the epidural, which I was absolutely planning on, so I decided it would be worth the pain relief. And it soooooooo was. After the drugs kicked in, I was able to get about an hour and a half of sleep - much welcomed, since I hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before.

Around 7 a.m., the drugs either started to wear off or just weren't enough any more. The nurse checked me again and I was at 3 cm and 80% effaced. She called the anesthesiologist and he came in to do the epi. I was a little fearful of the procedure, but it was a breeze. It took about 15 minutes, and there was one very, very sharp pain, but nothing like I'd imagined. About 15 minutes later, and the epi was working full force - my legs felt completely numb and I couldn't feel the contractions at all. It was a very odd sensation - a lot like both of my legs were just completely asleep.

She checked me again a little before noon and I was 9 cm, 100% effaced and at 0 station. It was baby time! The nurse had me start pushing around 12:40 p.m. I did three sets of pushes for each contraction, counting to 10 during each push. The set up wasn't anything like I had pictured - which was feet up in stirrups, doc at end of table. Instead, she just had me pull my knees up to my chest for each contraction, and she kept an eye on baby's position. She helped me hold up one leg, and Garett helped with the other. Until about 1 p.m., it was pretty much just the three of us. Then at 1 p.m., Dr. Robins came in - he'd been moving between rooms all morning, as he had three women delivering at pretty much the same time.

I pushed for another 20 minutes, and the doc said with one more good push, he thought we'd have a baby - and he was right! That last push was absolutely crazy - even though the baby had crowned, her feet where still way up in my rib cage. I had thought it would kind of be a process - the head's out! breath... wait... the shoulders are out! breath... wait... Instead it was PUSH! THE WHOLE DANG BABY JUST SLID FROM MY RIBS INTO THE WORLD!

She came out crying and squirming - I asked what she was, and the doc let Garett tell me it was a girl - one the happiest, most I'll never forget moments of my life. I burst into happy tears, and made G take pictures of them cleaning, testing, weighing etc. our new little girl - Campbell Leigh. She weighted 7 lbs. 15 oz, was 19.25" long and got a nine on her APGAR. I think some newborns need a few days to come into their looks, but in my completely unbiased opinion, Campbell entered this world as the most beautiful baby girl ever.

Admission Ticket

2009-04-22T08:46:00.002-05:00

Well, this week is certainly turning out differently than expected. I came in Monday for my regular appt., expecting my blood pressure to still be borderline, no progress as far as movement toward labor, and a directive to go home, remain on bed rest, see ya next week.

Instead, my bp was still creeping - 140/100 - and there was a trace of protein in my urine. Another non-stress test went well, but the doc decided it was time to admit me so they could do further observation and make sure I wasn't developing preeclampsia. They also went ahead and did a new sonogram, and my fluid level was on the very bottom end of normal. On the plus side, they have a series of measurements they do for fetal health, and baby got an 8 out of 8. Combined with a couple of tests from me, together we were running 10/10, so no signs of immediate danger.

I got registered and admitted into a room on the third floor opposite labor and delivery - Women and Infants/High Risk OB. They took my bp and it had come down some, and wanted to do another non-stress. This one was pretty cool, b/c in addition to seeing the baby's heart beat, they were also tracking contractions. I knew I'd been feeling some, but it was a nice validation to see them being tracked, and also to see how the baby's movement correlated with the timing of the contractions. After an hour of monitoring, they decided we were all good. Garett came up to spend the afternoon with me, and I settled in for what I was afraid was going to be quite a while. I was only 1 cm dilated, and the doc threw some comment out re: how we might be here until 39 weeks. (An additional week and a half, for those keeping track. )

I was very unhappy about the prospect of (1) spending 10 days in the hospital on my back, (2) taking off of work so early, which would mean that much less time off after the baby came, and (3) and mostly - just really bummed out at the way the whole pregnancy was ending. Ever so often I'd throw a little pity party - this isn't the way it was supposed to go! I was supposed to be at home, start feeling contractions, get all excited!! tell Garett, labor until I was 511 (contractions five minutes apart, lasting one minute, for an hour), then have the rushed drive to the hospital with great anticipation, and then baby!!!

I still wish I would get that experience, but I know it's much more important for the baby's and my health that we do what is medically responsible. After two days here and a number of tests and labs, the doc is fairly certain I don't have pre-e, just gestational hypertension. However, there is still a chance that could progress, and with the amniotic fluid being low, and the fact that I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow, he's made the decision to induce. (Low amniotic fluid could lead to cord problems.)

So - they'll start me on some medication tonight to 'get things going', then begin the full induction process tomorrow. As long as my body and the baby cooperate, mark you calendars for a Baby T birthdate of April 23. !! :)

**Also wanted to say a special thanks to everyone for all your phone calls, texts, facebook messages, and especially to Lisa for stopping by w/ books, magazines and a cross stitch that I think is the only thing that kept me sane yesterday - you're too thoughtful!!**

Bad News/Good News

2009-04-14T09:24:00.002-05:00

Bad News: No progress. :(
Good News: Baby's heartbeat is strong and regular, he/she just needs a little more time to cook.

Bad News: Bed rest. My blood pressure keeps creeping up, and since Baby T's not ready just yet, doc wants me in bed/on the couch as much as possible.
Good News: It's modified bed rest, which means I can at least get up to eat and use the bathroom. And, he cleared me to work from home, but does not want me going in to the office. Thankfully I have an understanding boss and a flexible job that can actually be done from home, so I can put off taking my FMLA at least one more week.

Bad News: Garett has a chipped wisdom tooth, which is going to require oral surgery.
Good News: We have dental, so at least a portion of the cost is covered. The timing sucks, but hopefully he can get the procedure done b/f the baby comes.

Bad News: One day in, and I'm already frustrated with the bed rest.
Good News: The frustration stems from feeling perfectly fine while being forced to stay inactive, so at least I have that 'feeling fine' part going for me...

I love baby clothes

2009-04-09T10:06:00.004-05:00

One of the last items still on my list to pick up was a going home outfit. Well, technically, two going home outfits - one boy, one girl, since we (obviously) don't know if Baby T is a he or a she. I'd been kind of holding off, waiting to see at this last ultrasound if Baby T was going to be pushing 10 lbs upon arrival. After the doc confirmed we should be having an 'average' size baby, I felt a little more comfortable selecting newborn outfits, rather than jumping straight to three months...

So, last night, we made a Target run and picked up these two super-cute pieces.
For Baby Boy T (with navy blue pants):

For Baby Girl T (sooooooo cute!!!!!):

That pregnancy glow

2009-04-06T15:58:00.001-05:00

I've pretty much believed it was a myth, as for the better part of my pregnancy I've felt less glow-y and more fatigue-y, gigantic-y and ready-for-this-to-be-over-y. After our appt. today, though, I wondered if it's possible for the glow not to kick in until Week 36. I was practically dancing with joy, and if my feet weren't swollen and I wasn't carrying an extra 30 lbs, I probably would have clicked my heels.

Baby T is measuring almost exactly one week ahead, and is weighing in at a very normal 6 lbs 10 oz. Still 81st percentile, but still better than I was thinking. After the 32 week sono, I was worried we'd be looking at an 8 lb baby today... doc says he thinks the baby will be a normal weight, which means no 10 lbr for me. Thank goodness! He/She has dropped and is in position - just waiting for labor at this point!!!

Except for some congestion that's hanging on with all it's got, I'm feeling pretty good. Ready to welcome Baby T in the next couple of weeks!!

I'm Falling Apart

2009-04-01T17:17:00.001-05:00

Week 33 - stomach virus
Week 34 - excessive swelling and borderline blood pressure
Week 35 - spring cold

This. Sucks.

The End is Near

2009-03-30T15:57:00.002-05:00

Third non-stress test today, and apparently I 'passed' again. I still don't really know what that means, as they never told me the pass/fail scale, but I guess it's good that I haven't had to worry about it. Doc didn't seem too concerned about my blood pressure, but said we do need to keep an eye on it and some other factors, or I may yet be put on bed rest. He also said he'll be surprised if I go to full term, and Baby T will more than likely make his/her arrival in the last couple of weeks of April.

Other than that, I am just worn out and my allergies went in to hyperdrive yesterday, so I'm planning on taking it very, very easy this week. Oh, also - I was hoping to go up to OK one last time this weekend, but doc vetoed that. Pooh. :(

38 days left to term, so probably less!!

Cankles

2009-03-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

I've always been pretty comfortable with my legs and feet. Even when I was carrying some extra weight, my legs had a tendency to stay thin, and I've always had small ankles and thin feet. No longer. Maybe it is twins - or triplets - and I'm carrying them in my feet. Added bonus - what a difference ten weeks makes. Pics at 24 weeks and 34 weeks (today) below.

Cankles

24 Weeks

34 weeks

Pity, party of 1

2009-03-20T13:59:00.002-05:00

This has been a hellacious week. I started having bad gas cramping on Sunday night, then woke up Monday to extreme unpleasantness - couldn't keep anything in my stomach. I thought it was just repercussions from over indulging at the Melting Pot on Saturday night, but when I was still feeling awful on Tuesday, I decided it had to be more than that. I called the doc. and one of his nurses prescribed some anti-nausea meds. They helped a little, but on Wednesday the thought of eating was still completely off putting. Yesterday wasn't much better, but I was able to keep down some soup and toast (up that point all I'd attempted was applesauce and crackers, in moderation). I'm really lucky that I have the ability to work from home so I didn't have to take PTO for the whole week. I'm back in the office today, but probably going to duck out a little early b/c I still don't feel 100%. On the plus side, I don't think I've had a fever all day, and I've successfully eaten some applesauce, a granola bar, and some grapes and cottage cheese.

The other big bummer about being sick was we had to miss our childbirth class, and this was the session with the hospital tour, which means we'll have to try and schedule a tour at a separate time.

The non-stress test on Monday went fine - Baby T passed with no problems - even though he/she got the hiccups halfway through, which I was worried would interfer with the movement measurements. I go back on Monday again and doc wants to run another non-stress.

4 lbs., 9 oz.

2009-03-09T15:01:00.003-05:00

Just got done with my 32 week sono. Everything's looking good - and big. Baby T is already an overachiever, weighing in at approx. 4 lbs., 9 oz - in the 80th percentile. Doc advised that there is a margin of error, so he/she could be only 4 lbs, or could actually already be 5 lbs. Yikes. They did some bio-something-or-other screenings, Baby T got an 8/8, so everything is looking healthy. Also, I'm measuring about a week ahead of my due date. So, now I get to start going back every week so they can monitor baby's growth. We may have an April baby after all!

I'll also be getting a non-stress test at my next appt., just to make sure everything's going OK in there.

They handed us a couple of pictures from the sono, but they're really not even worth posting. Baby T is either very shy or very stubborn. It's really a good thing we don't want to know the gender, b/c there was no displaying of the business. And, we couldn't even get a picture of the face, as he/she kept his/her head buried the entire time. So, we ended up with a photo of the back of the head and the bottom of a foot. Glad we didn't spring for the 4-D ultrasound!

59 days to go (or less!)

Cravings

2009-02-17T13:05:00.003-06:00

I think I've done pretty well with the pregnancy cravings so far, but there have been two distinct instances that required special attention. G got off pretty easy on the first one, thanks to Dave being in town and staying with us. I was reading a novel around 10:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, and it mentioned Fruit Loops. All of the sudden I HAD to have Fruit Loops. But I was too embarrassed to make G quit his XBox game with Dave and go get them, so I just toughed it out. A couple of days later the craving was still there, though, so he ran to the grocery store for me.

The next was night before last. We were watching Weeds and they mentioned mini donuts. I am apparently very susceptible to the mere mention of sugary snacks. Garett says we can't watch Weeds any more, because all they do is mention munchies. Despite that, he ran to the corner store and got me powdered sugar donuts. Nom nom nom. If the old wives' tale is true, Baby T is a girl... :)

Hot Flashes

2009-02-12T12:41:00.002-06:00

So, my new fun thing is crazy hot flashes. I get them pretty much every morning around 9:30. Seriously feel like I am sweltering at my desk. I dug out a little hand held fan this morning, but that makes it hard to type... G's bringing me a desk top fan tonight. Hooray!

Tummy's certainly growing, but at least I haven't reached this state just yet (for clarification, nor do I have plans to). Scary.

84 days to go.

3 lbs.

2009-02-09T14:37:00.002-06:00

28 week visit was easiest yet - they didn't even draw blood! Blood pressure is good, weight is good. Baby T's heartbeat is strong and about 145 BPM. Doc estimated baby is about 3 lbs. Go back in four weeks for the next visit and to get another sono just to make sure everything is on track. After that, increases to visits every two weeks. Glad I get a bundle deal and don't have to pay a co-pay on every visit!

87 days to go.

Woot!

2009-02-04T15:25:00.004-06:00

When G and I went to register at Babies 'R Us, it was quite the ordeal. We were both very much out of our element, and spent an inordinate amount of time in the stroller/car seat section. We knew we wanted to be able to have bases in both vehicles, with the ability to move the car seat from one to the other. I'd heard 'don't waste your money on an infant car seat', but all the convertible seats didn't have the option to transfer between bases. And we wanted a stroller we could just drop the base in to, but didn't want a huge travel system.

Eventually, we threw up our hands in despair, picked an infant seat/stroller combo that was on clearance, and went ahead and registered for a convertible seat for the next stage. Of course, G picked the RECARO model, one of the most expensive offered. But - they make race car seats!! So they must be good!! I was totally out on it, didn't really care as long as Baby T was strapped in safely. But. Geeze. Nearly $300 for a car seat. Man.

Then, at midnight last night, the most awesomest thing happened. Woot.com had our car seat - at 1/3 the price!! G was prescient enough to wake me for the OK, and got us a super bargain. Woo hoo!

Ain't it fancy? (Ours will have cobalt accents rather than blush...)

92 days to go. Depending on which site you read, I'm either officially third tri or will be next week. And today, for the first time, I'm actually really uncomfortable. :(

New Duds

2009-01-29T15:09:00.006-06:00

Since my parents aren't close enough to take me shopping for maternity clothes, they sent a little fundage my way to help me pick up a few things. Very nice, and much appreciated, since I've still been making my career slacks work, and they're starting to turn into some serious high waters... There's a place not far from my office called Destination Maternity that carriers a wide variety of brands - they bill it as 'three shops in one', with one area being kind of like a Neiman Marcus, one more like a Dillards, and one like an Old Navy.

Even with donated dollars, there was no way I could convince myself to even try on the Seven jeans or a $100 top (marked down from $200), but I was able to pick up a couple pair of slacks, a pair of jeans and a number of tops that were all $20 or less each. So, yay! I couldn't find everything I picked online, but here's a sampling.

I'm happy to say that I think these tops actually look better on me than they do in these pics (or maybe I've just convinced myself I'm not hideously huge).

I got this one in black.

I got a Large in this one, so it's a little more fitted than the example, but I think it looks better.

I picked up this one in a springy green color.

This one is actually cuter than the pic looks.

I don't think this is the cutest, but it's soooo comfortable and will be good for work.

It was also super exciting to me that I actually had to send the sales lady back for some smaller sizes, a rare occurence for any shopping trip, but especially for one when I look down and have a bowling ball in the tummy area...

Kudos and thanks, too, to my friend Vicki for lending me her and her sister Barbara's maternity wardrobes. Between mixing those items in and what I've purchased, I'm hoping I'm set for the next 3 months!

98 days to go - and only two weeks away from the third trimester!

Infant Car Seat = PITA

2009-01-20T11:51:00.004-06:00

So, just over a year ago, G and I decided to do the responsible thing and purchase a four-door sedan. Here, we thought, was a car we could hold on to for a few years. Something that would work well when the baby came. Oops. Little did we know an infant car seat requires approximately four feet of room. I guess I'd never really thought about it, or perhaps even really seen an infant car seat in place - my mind just defaulted to the regular ol' forward-facing, upright baby seat, and I thought we'd have plenty of room.

**Visual approximation - not actually Baby T, or our car seat, or our car**

So, in our Lexus IS300, we can make the car seat fit, as long as no one (or at least no one with legs) wants to sit in the front passenger seat. And, the stroller does fit in the trunk - as long as I don't also want to place one other single thing back there. Sigh. We did some shopping yesterday to see about going ahead and biting the bullet and finding something that will work better, but the problem is since we've only had the Lexus a year, and since it's a 2002 with over 75,000 miles, its trade-in value is less than half of what we owe on it. And, with the debt snowball, if we can wait just one year, it will be completely paid off. So, the plan now is to go ahead and make due, and if it is just impossible after Baby T comes, see what happens then.

Sigh. 107 days to go.

I passed!

2009-01-14T15:25:00.006-06:00

Monday was my Gestational Diabetes test and they called today to let me know I passed. Hooray! I believe I will celebrate with chocolate... We also think we've settled on a day care - The Peanut Gallery in Richardson. One of my co-workers has her daughter there and had good things to say about the infant care. Also, it's practically walking distance from our new office (opening early 2010), so it just doesn't get much more geographically desirable. I'm not sure if Baby T looks more like Garett or me, but I'm smitten...

113 days to go.

Baby Bedding

2009-01-05T11:06:00.006-06:00

After an unnecessary amount of waffling back and forth between "baby! cute!" bedding and "ooh! fancy!" bedding, I finally settled on this:

I think it can go either gender. Also planning on hanging Baby T's name (TBA) like this (probably brown letters with turquoise ribbon...):

And putting together some frames like this (with turquoise accent rather than green):

We've got Christmas down now, so we should start moving furniture and painting in the next couple of weeks. Hooray!

122 days to go.

Bumpers and Quilts and Pillows, oh my!

2008-12-29T14:32:00.005-06:00

So, who knew there were so many potentially hazardous materials literally laying (lieing?) in wait to SUFFOCATE THE BABY!

Apparently, that adorable bumper is a just a vicious, breath-stealing monster in disguise. I don't know how much I buy into it all, but I guess better safe than sorry. The Patchwork Pooh set I was considering from Babies 'R Us is nearly $200, and that seems like an awful lot to spend on a crib sheet and dust ruffle, since we won't be using the bumper and quilt for more than decoration. I've found the set on ebay, so we may be going used - and I can always strip the bumper and use that fabric as a valance...

This, again apparently, is the 'safer, healthier' option for a bumper: http://www.breathablebaby.com/

It's available at BRU, too, so even though I don't think the crib will be nearly as cute, function over form may win out this time.

129 days to go.

So far, So good

2008-12-23T10:04:00.005-06:00

Remember when you're a teenager, and 30 seemed so old? Well, even when I was turning 26, 30 still seemed impossibly old, and it felt nearly impossible that it was so quickly approaching. In fact, I spent a portion of my 26th birthday in tears - so upset that I was closer to 30 than 20, and why why why did I have to get old?

For my 30th, I skipped town. I've always been a 'let's celebrate' kind of person, but I didn't see any cause for celebration. At least I was married, and had an amazing husband who allowed my eccentricities and took me on a wine tour in Texas hill country for the weekend. It was wonderful, and will be a hard birthday to top. I didn't suddenly sprout crow's feet and liver spots (though I was awarded a stretch mark - even though I was LOSING weight - literally the week after I turned 30), and my joints didn't start creaking. All my friends in their 40s promised me my 30s would be great, even better than my 20s. Yeah, right.

Well, 2008 is wrapping up, and I'm officially 31. Reflecting on the past year. Wow. It's been pretty amazing. I'm coming in to my own at my job. My management values my contributions, and has awarded me handsomely, with a promotion, a raise, and a sizable spot bonus for my role in an enterprise project. I love my husband more every day, and we celebrated our one year anniversary on the Riveria Maya at a beautiful resort - a vacation we paid for upfront, something I never could have done in my 20s. And, despite my pessimism that it would take us months and months to get pregnant, we were blessed quickly, and now we're just slightly more than four months away from cause for another celebration.

I'll admit, my 20s were a lot of fun. I loved being able to get up and go practically where ever I wanted, whenever I wanted. But all those people that made those experiences so great - well, they're still around. We're still celebrating together, we're just celebrating new and different, and in my opinion, a lot more profound things. The question 'Where can I take my baby to nurse?' may replace 'Where can I put these jello shots?' occasionally, but I'm starting to accept that that's OK. And besides, how great is it (at least temporarily) not to have to suck my stomach in for pictures?! :)

Best. Ornament. EVAR.

2008-12-12T13:02:00.006-06:00

Got these q's off Brandy's blog and figured I might as well play along...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. The kittens eat the tissue out of bagged gifts...

2. Real tree or Artificial? I much prefer real, but again, the cats rule our lives. It was a constant fight to keep Okie from drinking out of the stand when we had a real tree, and now we just have to yell at him for licking the artificial one. Seriously.

3. When do you put up the tree? Typically the week after Thanksgiving, but since it came so late this year, I actually had it up mid-November.

4. When do you take the tree down? Early January.

5. Do you like eggnog? Usually, yes - but right now, sounds really gross...

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Gosh... I dunno. Cabbage Patch Kids, maybe?

7. Hardest person to buy for? Garett's Dad. or maybe Garett himself.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Any of the nephews or niece.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep - had the same one for longer than I can remember.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards. Neither - never been in to it...

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Again, not real sure. I apparently have fuzzy memory of gifts received.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually. Soooooooo sweet!

13. When do you start shopping? First week of November.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can think of...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Carmel crunchies, which actually contain no carmel, but are quite crunchy - cornflakes in some sort of butterscotch chip melted goodness. Dad makes them. :)

16 color lights on tree? I prefer white, but the pre-lit multi-color tree was cheaper, so we went with it. All white lights in the front yard, though.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Little Drummer Boy - LOVE Faith Hill's new a cappella version.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel - got to see the fam! Though, one year, I swear, we're going to skip town and go see Rockefeller Plaza at Christmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? No way.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We have a star, but I do linke an angel...

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The cold. Hate. it. But I do love snow, so I guess I'll deal.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Purple and silver. Go, Frogs!:)

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey - basically a repeat of Thanksgiving.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Can I have my Christmas in May and wish for a healthy, happy baby?

Feeling Loved

2008-12-01T13:25:00.003-06:00

31 years and 2 days old. It was a great weekend. We started Thanksgiving on Thursday with G's family and spent the afternoon at his Aunt's house. Friday we drove up to Stillwater and had Thanksgiving 2.0 with my family. Then, Saturday, Thanksgiving III at the Clausings. Even though the Pokes lost, we had a fantastic time.

I got lots of goodies for my b-day, including a really neat wine carrier, a cute purse, a recipe book, a restaurant gift card, my favorite perfume, and some baby things.

Garett is taking me to the Nutcracker at Bass Hall on Saturday, and also bought me a nightgown (yes, I'm apparently a 60 yr old in a 31 yr old body, but they're soooooooooo comfortable!) and surprised me on monday with flowers and a teddy bear. :)

We also went out to eat hibachi, and despite my steak aversion, the filet sounded so good, I decided to try a bit. Didn't work out so well... I couldn't swallow it and had to excuse myself from the table. So. Yeah. I guess that aversion is still going.

Other than that, not much baby to report. I think I felt it moving last night, but it may have just been wishful thinking. Next ultrasound is in two weeks. 156 days to go!

Big Week

2008-11-24T13:27:00.005-06:00

It's Thanksgiving and my b-day week. Hooray! A little early b-day present, even though we really didn't look at it that way:

Isn't he a cutie?!?! His name is Charlie. The idea was to get a new friend for Okie to play with, but so far Okie isn't so interested in the playing, as much as the hissing and the avoiding. Oh, well - it took him a few days to get used to Sampson, too, so we're hopeful. We found out there is an FIV vaccine, so we were able to adopt Charlie even though he's FIV negative. But, a kitten has to be 9 weeks to get the shot, and Charlie is only about six. So, in the mean time, we're keeping them separated whenever we're not around to monitor...

My sleep is still really crummy. I took a nap yesterday, which turned out to be a mistake, b/c I couldn't sleep at all last night. Sigh. Last doc visit was uneventful - blood pressure was good, weight gain is on track, baby's heart beat was strong. Next visit is the big sono where they look at all the anatomy. Still holding out for the gender surprise at birth, so that visit will likely be fairly uneventful as well - but, new sono pics!! :)

164 days to go.

Yay! Christmas!!

2008-11-16T17:51:00.002-06:00

It was a very nice weekend. Mom and Dad came down to visit and we went and saw Ice! at the Gaylord Texan and then had dinner at Old Hickory Steakhouse. Ice was really neat - I've been wanting to go the last couple of years, so I'm glad we got to go see it. Dinner for me was just OK, but I think fancy dinners are kind of loss on me right now... I would like to go back after having the baby, when I can enjoy everything on the menu.

Mom and Dad went to Baby's R Us with me yesterday. It was pretty overwhelming just to walk in there, knowing I'd be shopping for myself and Baby T soon. I wasn't there to purchase, though, just to look around and try to find a nursery look I could live with. I found this Patchwork Pooh design and think we're going to go with it. We can paint the walls green to match, and I think that will look really nice.

We decorated for Christmas today - a little earlier than we normally would, but with Thanksgiving coming so late, I didn't want to wait until the weekend after, and I was afraid if we waited until next weekend, it just wouldn't get done. We bought new ornaments for the tree, since what we've used for the last couple of years were the ones I made myself when I was using a TCU theme. It's really pretty, and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. Now, just to finish Christmas shopping and wrapping the presents... Really ready for that second tri burst of energy! (At least I have been able to stay up past nine lately...)

Next doc visit is on Monday. No sonogram this time, so it should be pretty non-eventful. 172 days to go!

13 hours of (nearly) uninterrupted sleep

2008-11-08T12:47:00.002-06:00

I'm sooooo happy to report my ability to sleep in hasn't completely disappeared. My sleep pattern during the first tri mainly consisted of laying down at 9 p.m., uneasy sleep, broken up by a couple of bathroom breaks, never really getting fully into deep sleep. Last night, though, I laid down around 11 p.m., tried to read for a few minutes and couldn't keep my eyes open, and was out in a blink. Woke up once in the middle of the night, then not again until 9 a.m. Hooray! Even better, I was able to fall back asleep and didn't get up 'til noon. Bliss!

Of course, it may be because all we have to do today is clean and run errands, and we're just avoiding it... Catching up on the Colbert Report right now, then taking the boat to get winterized at West Lake Marine, then over to The Dump to check on a new mattress, at some point running through the bank, and ending with a trip to the grocery store.

Hmmm... maybe the cleaning will have to wait until tomorrow. Can't procrastinate more than that, though, because we're getting the carpets cleaned on Wednesday. (Long overdue) Now that we've decided to stay in this house for a while, we really need to put some work in to keep it up...

Back to Reality

2008-11-05T19:22:00.002-06:00

Vegas was a blast. It completely wore me out, but was so much fun. My only regret was not putting more money down on the Frogs to cover the spread - it was only 14.5, no way they wouldn't have topped that. My $20 bet paid though, so yay!

We stayed at the Monte Carlo, which was pretty nice. I also stopped in at New York, New York, Caesar's Palace, the Bellagio, MGM Grand, Paris, the Tropicana, the Wynn, the Luxor and the Venetian. My favorite venue was the Bellagio, and my favorite part of the trip (besides the game, of course) was the fountains at the Bellagio. We also went down to Freemont Street on Sunday night, but I was pretty exhausted by that point so didn't enjoy it too much. The casinos down there are a lot smokier, too, which I wasn't keen on.

We ate at Olive's for lunch on Sunday and it was just perfect. We got to see the fountains timed to Celine Dion, the National Anthem, and my favorite, Time to Say Goodbye. We also had a couple of good dinners - Sensi at the Bellagio and Il Fornaio at New York, New York.

I wish I'd been in shape to go to the clubs, but the late night just wasn't happening for me this trip. Vicki and I decided we should go back every two years for the Frogs came, and said that next time I wouldn't be pregnant, then joked that, yeah, probably I would be. I don't know, though... that's pretty quick! Gotta get through this one first before I can wrap my head around that...

A couple weeks 'til my next doc. appt. I did find out today on my EOB that sonograms are billed as x-rays, which are 0% no deductible on my insurance plan, so that's awesome. I was worried we were going to hit my HCA max before the end of the year, but it looks like we might just squeak by. We're going to do the HCA again next year, but we're putting considerably more back on our flexible spending account. Inpatient surgery is 10% after the deductible, so I'm pretty sure we'll be owing a good deal of moolah for the delivery.

183 days to go!

Three Days from Vegas

2008-10-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

We leave for Vegas Thursday after work and I cannot wait. My excitement, however, is somewhat tempered by my current condition, even though I know we'll still have a blast. My hormones did have a little surge last night...

We took a quick trip over to Fort Worth - Shannon had picked up a t-shirt for me at the TCU bookstore on Saturday, but it was too small, so we ran over there to exchange it for something else I could wear at this weekend's game. I also wanted to pick up a Horned Frog onesie to go with the OSU one I bought in Stillwater, but $20 was a little steep. It's really cute, though - 'Thank Goodness for Little Frogs'. Christmas is coming... :)

Anyway, on the way back, G and I were talking about the plan of attack for Vegas. He mentioned that he thought the first thing he'd probably want to do when we get there on Thursday is hit Fremont. Well, we don't get in until 9 p.m. Vegas time, which is 11 p.m. our time. I have a feeling I'll be pretty much done the second we hit the hotel. I absolutely don't want to keep him from going and doing, but it bums me out that I won't be physically able to participate in all the fun. Queue tears. He promised even if they do Fremont that night, he'll take me back on another night so I can experience it (hah!) also.

Overall, I know it's going to be a great time, but I'm also looking forward to going back sometime after the baby's born to get the full Vegas experience. In the meantime, Go Frogs! Beat the Rebels!

191 days to go. Second trimester officially begins tomorrow. Woo hoo!!

Shout out to my hubby

2008-10-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

Also just have to give a big virtual hug to G for his help this last week. I've been a big slug around the house and he did the grocery shopping all by himself (surprising me with baby goldfish crackers and snickers minis) and unloaded the dishwasher unprompted last night. *kiss* thanks, babe!

Rough Start, but Looking Up

2008-10-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

My new bedtime this week has been 9 p.m., but I'm still waking up every four hours to use the bathroom, so even with going to bed at 9, I'm still exhausted every morning. I had the hardest time getting up today. I knew I didn't have any meetings, so I just reset the alarm and laid there for another half hour. I never got back to sleep, but just being able to stay in bed that much longer helped a little. I woke up pretty congested, and after I got up was coughing so hard I triggered by gag reflex... I wasn't able to eat much last night, though, so all I chucked up was phlegm and bile. (sorry, probably tmi) Anyway, I ended up only about 45 mins late to work, and my boss is really understanding, so at least I've got that going for me. And, it's Friday. Hooray! Here's keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get that mythical 'energy surge' in the second trimester...

195 days to go.

It's a Baby!

2008-10-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's a baby! The sonogram yesterday confirmed at least that much... 12 weeks down, 198 days to go (assuming an accurate due date of May 7, 2009). They also did the Nuchal Translucency screening, which helps determine the likelihood of the baby having Down's Syndrome. They couldn't give a yay or nay - the measurements are sent off and run through a formula, combined with my personal info and blood work, to determine a percentage chance. The tech said it looked pretty good, though, b/c the baby had a nasal bone, and apparently down's babies don't.

G and I have decided (well, maybe I decided and G agreed not to disagree) that we don't want to find out the gender. There are so few true surprises in life, I think it's much more exciting to wait and find out when the baby is born. Hence, the Baby T(BA).

Still struggling a little bit with the nauseau and the fatigue, but I'm hoping that in the next couple of weeks that will ease up as I move into the second trimester. *fingers crossed*