And thank you, Sarah, for the incredibly cute hat (which is really an apple hat, but I decided it went with her pumpkin shirt as a fall ensemble)... and to Ronnie for the cute little shoes (which are helping to keep her socks on today!).
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Bad Dog?
We don't usually allow Merckx on the couch, but when he found his way up there this afternoon while I was in the back room I couldn't help but take advantage of the photo opportunity.
And thank you, Sarah, for the incredibly cute hat (which is really an apple hat, but I decided it went with her pumpkin shirt as a fall ensemble)... and to Ronnie for the cute little shoes (which are helping to keep her socks on today!).
And thank you, Sarah, for the incredibly cute hat (which is really an apple hat, but I decided it went with her pumpkin shirt as a fall ensemble)... and to Ronnie for the cute little shoes (which are helping to keep her socks on today!).
Visit from the Grandmas
Elsa was privileged enough to meet her great grandma this weekend. She flew out to Charlotte, NC, from Oregon last Thursday, and then she and my mom made the drive down to our house on Saturday and were here until yesterday afternoon. It was great to see them both. Jarrett flew out on business Sunday afternoon, so we had some quality four-generation girl time together and went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens on Sunday (they have an excellent scarecrow exhibit right now... as well as the Sculpture in Motion exhibit, which I had already seen), and to the mall on Monday.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The First Baby Helms
Poor Merckx has been somewhat neglected since Elsa entered the picture. Sure, we still take him on walks, pet him (even if I have to do it with my foot while holding Elsa), and, of course, feed him and make sure he has water to drink, but the poor guy was looking a lot like Pig Pen yesterday -- either that or a ghillie suit. The brushing just had to take the back burner. A new doggy daycare/boarding/grooming facility opened up in the area recently, and I decided to give them a shot at grooming. After the bad experience last go around, I decided it was time to try someone new, and I called beforehand to make sure the groomer had experience with Samoyeds. Thankfully she did -- and Merckx looks awesome! I'm sure he must feel better too.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Is it a Smile?
I took this photo sometime early last week, and just happened to catch somewhat of a smile (albeit a sort of maniacal one) with her eyes open. I am sure it was probably one of those unintentional grins, but it's still a look into the future of real Baby Elsa smiles!
ER
So last night was exciting. I was feeding Elsa around 7:30 p.m., and before I could get her upright to start burping her, she spewed a lot of the milk in a projectile manner, and the urp was tinged and streaked with a decent amount of blood. Of course this freaked both Jarrett and me out a bit, though we managed to stay pretty calm. I checked myself to make sure I wasn't bleeding -- and I wasn't. So we knew the blood was coming from her. We waited a little while, and she even fed a bit more and threw up again, though this time there was no blood. I went ahead and called our doctor on her cell phone and left a message letting her know what was going on. She called back maybe 30 minutes later and first asked me how I managed to always stay so calm and laid back (little does she know), and then said that she didn't feel comfortable with the blood issue, and said we should go ahead and go to the emergency room. So to Children's we headed.
We arrived and checked in at the front desk, probably around 8:30 p.m., and took a seat in the waiting room, figuring it would take a good while before we were seen by anyone. While waiting, a couple came in with a screaming little boy. He was having extreme stomach pain, and his belly was distended... poor little guy. He took priority before us, though it was our turn to be triaged, and they sent him back to a room as a code red. We were triaged next, and we were also sent back immediately as a code red, which, after seeing the state that little boy was in, kind of scared me. Our little Elsa looked so peaceful (though I knew she had been in pain for days and days because of the fussiness) -- what was causing the "code red" concern? But it was nice we were taken back so quickly, and we were immediately met by a nurse and a med student. We answered many questions as they looked Elsa over and took all of her vitals. The med student left to consult with her fellow, came back to check on us once and asked that I feed her to see if she threw up again (she just spit up a little bit -- again, no more blood), and then she came back in with her boss. After answering more questions, and another once over by the fellow, the level of concern seemed to go down, and they seemed to think she was dealing with a pretty bad case of acid reflux. They ordered a stool swab test to make sure there was no blood in the stool (there wasn't), and said that the doctor would be in to see us. We waited and watched some Sherlock Holmes and Family Guy, and after awhile finally saw the doctor, who ended up being really great. She again looked Elsa over, asked us some more questions, and said that she concurred with the others and thought that despite her concern regarding the blood, that it was most likely caused by aggravation in the esophagus from the acid reflux, which most likely caused a blood vessel to burst, sending blood into Elsa's tummy, and then likely caused her to wretch. Poor little girl. She gave us a prescription for a liquid acid reducer, and we were out of there by around 1:00 a.m.
I have called our family doctor to update her on the situation, but had to leave a message and am waiting to hear back. Elsa is sleeping at the moment, and has been since Jarrett came back from filling the prescription, but we will likely try giving the medicine to her when she wakes. I hope it helps. I hate that our little one is in pain.
She has slept pretty well the past two nights, though, regardless of all of this drama. The night before last she slept five hours straight at the beginning of the night, and then about three more hours after a feeding. Last night she slept four-and-a-half hours once we got home, and then around two-and-a-half more. So that has been nice -- more sleep for her means more sleep for us.
We arrived and checked in at the front desk, probably around 8:30 p.m., and took a seat in the waiting room, figuring it would take a good while before we were seen by anyone. While waiting, a couple came in with a screaming little boy. He was having extreme stomach pain, and his belly was distended... poor little guy. He took priority before us, though it was our turn to be triaged, and they sent him back to a room as a code red. We were triaged next, and we were also sent back immediately as a code red, which, after seeing the state that little boy was in, kind of scared me. Our little Elsa looked so peaceful (though I knew she had been in pain for days and days because of the fussiness) -- what was causing the "code red" concern? But it was nice we were taken back so quickly, and we were immediately met by a nurse and a med student. We answered many questions as they looked Elsa over and took all of her vitals. The med student left to consult with her fellow, came back to check on us once and asked that I feed her to see if she threw up again (she just spit up a little bit -- again, no more blood), and then she came back in with her boss. After answering more questions, and another once over by the fellow, the level of concern seemed to go down, and they seemed to think she was dealing with a pretty bad case of acid reflux. They ordered a stool swab test to make sure there was no blood in the stool (there wasn't), and said that the doctor would be in to see us. We waited and watched some Sherlock Holmes and Family Guy, and after awhile finally saw the doctor, who ended up being really great. She again looked Elsa over, asked us some more questions, and said that she concurred with the others and thought that despite her concern regarding the blood, that it was most likely caused by aggravation in the esophagus from the acid reflux, which most likely caused a blood vessel to burst, sending blood into Elsa's tummy, and then likely caused her to wretch. Poor little girl. She gave us a prescription for a liquid acid reducer, and we were out of there by around 1:00 a.m.
I have called our family doctor to update her on the situation, but had to leave a message and am waiting to hear back. Elsa is sleeping at the moment, and has been since Jarrett came back from filling the prescription, but we will likely try giving the medicine to her when she wakes. I hope it helps. I hate that our little one is in pain.
She has slept pretty well the past two nights, though, regardless of all of this drama. The night before last she slept five hours straight at the beginning of the night, and then about three more hours after a feeding. Last night she slept four-and-a-half hours once we got home, and then around two-and-a-half more. So that has been nice -- more sleep for her means more sleep for us.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Elsa at One Month
Elsa is one-month old today, and to celebrate we paid a visit to our favorite family doctor. Elsa now weighs 9 pounds, 13.5 ounces, and is 22.75 inches in length. Her head circumference is 15 inches. She is moving up the charts just as she should be, and is still in the higher percentiles as far as weight and height. The doctor thought she looked great and thought I was crazy when I told her that Elsa tends to cry unless she is eating, sleeping, or in her couple of periods of happy quiet/active awake time -- that is, until she started throwing a fit toward the end of the appointment. To her credit, though, it was time for her to eat. We did discuss the crying, though, and the doctor thought that at one-month, she really should not be crying as much as she is -- that we can no longer really blame it on general newborn fussiness at one month of age. So...??? We have a colicky baby. Something is bothering poor little Elsa's tummy, so I am going to cut dairy and soy out of my diet for a week and see if that makes a difference. If there is no change, I am going to add gluten to the no-nos. This is going to be tough for me, as I already attempted to do it for a few days on my own, thinking dairy might be to blame for some gas she was having trouble dealing with. But staying away from cheese was too tough for me. I am going to really try this time, though, now that the doctor has given her orders. I will have to tame my ice cream cravings as well. If none of this seems to work, we will be back at the doctor's office before our next scheduled two-month appointment to weigh out our other options.
We are crossing our fingers that she will start feeling better -- and start crying less -- soon. Of course the crying is quite frustrating, especially in the wee hours when it would lovely to get some shut eye, but really I just feel bad that something I am eating could be causing her pain.
We are crossing our fingers that she will start feeling better -- and start crying less -- soon. Of course the crying is quite frustrating, especially in the wee hours when it would lovely to get some shut eye, but really I just feel bad that something I am eating could be causing her pain.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Like Mother, Like Daughter
I type this as Elsa is fast asleep in her swing. I'm showered and prepared for our walk with Kate that we plan to take as a lunch outing. When she wakes, all I'll have to do is change her diaper, feed her, and load her up in the stroller -- then we'll be off! And who do I have to thank for all of this? The Indigo Girls. If you know me, you know that I have loved the Indigo Girls (in a strictly platonic, I love their music, kind of way... come on, now... I am married to a man) for years and years. I have seen them live several times, and there are very few of their albums that I do not own. Their newest, Despite Our Differences, contains my new favorite song, "Three County Highway," proven to be Elsa's fave as well. This CD (along with those by artists Band of Horses, Wilco, Ben Folds, and Drew Holcomb) were in the wagon throughout my entire pregnancy, and I played the Indigo Girls disc more times than I could possibly count. And "Three County Highway" was the most played -- and most sung -- track for sure. This must be the reason why I can now find this song on the iPod and play it on the stereo during Elsa's fussiest moments, and almost always have success in calming her down by moving around and singing with the Girls. It's truly amazing. This works when she is cranky in the car as well. God help me if I ever misplace this CD or accidentally delete the track off the iPod. Thankfully technology today makes it very easy to purchase tunes, so this is not a likely travesty. Anyway, so Elsa was quite upset this morning, and it seemed there was nothing I could do to calm her woes -- except pull out the "Three County Highway" card. The crying shut off like that. So thank you, Emily and Amy -- thank you for your fabulous song.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Emerging from the Fog
Warning: As I am wont to do, I am playing a bit of catch-up with this post, so it will likely be a long one. I am sure this will only become even more of a habit with the development of my new appendage -- little Elsa.
So parenthood has definitely proven to be quite the adventure, but one I am enjoying with the exception of a few nagging details -- namely, sleepless nights, inconsolable crying, and breastfeeding. My friends who entered the parenting world before I did assure me that all of these things will get better. And me, continuing to be the impressionable newbie, actually believe them. Really, I do have faith that this beautiful little daughter of ours will continue to melt our hearts in more ways than I can ever imagine. But I'm not going to lie. It's been pretty tough so far. And, really, she is not an extremely difficult baby (at least not compared to other stories I've heard or read about), but I think it has just been a combination of my dealing with a bit of the baby blues, coping with the recovery of labor and delivery, dealing with the lack of sleep, and trying to learn all the ins and outs of baby care and Elsa's specific needs and desires. My mom continues to tell me that Elsa is a taker right now, and that eventually when she is able to smile and interact more, things will feel a lot different. I know she is right. For now, though, even those uncontrollable, in-her-sleep Elsa smiles send a bit of sweetness my way.
Thank goodness the feeding is becoming a bit less painful. I'm still not really enjoying it, and I'm currently struggling to understand how any mother really does, but I'm at least able to deal a bit more than I was during those first couple of weeks. I still feel like a dairy cow. And a host for its parasite. But I'm going to stick with it because I know how good it is for Elsa and -- during those times when I am actually able to leech out a feeling of bonding -- for me too. It's just easy for me to see now why so many women bail the nursing bandwagon so early on. It can take a toll. And Elsa has even been a good feeder from the beginning, so I know it can be a lot worse! Yes, I know, this too will get better.
So what have we been doing these past few weeks? We've had visitors. My parents and Jarrett's mom and youngest brother came down from North Carolina to visit us in the hospital the night Elsa was born. My brother made it down the following Friday. Jarrett's brother, Stephen, came down that night and stayed through the weekend. My mom made another trip down (this time by plane) last Tuesday and was here to lend a hand through Saturday morning. And then Jarrett's sister, Bethany, came down late Saturday night and was here until yesterday afternoon. All of the company has been great, and everyone has been a huge help. Aside from family coming in, we have also had many fabulous meals brought to us by many a dear friend over the weeks, which has been amazing. I used to have visions of me, wearing the baby in a sling, cooking dinner and having it ready by the time Jarrett got home from work. This vision came to me often when Elsa was still in the womb. Now that she is actually here, I have yet to make it a reality. Maybe someday. So, needless to say, the meals have been a godsend.
We've also had appointments. Elsa was in the 75th percentile for weight (weighing in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces), 50th for head circumference, and 95th for height (I didn't catch the exact measurement to know if it changed from the previous visit) at her last pediatric appointment. The doctor also thought she looked less jaundiced, and the little cyst I had found behind her ear (which had already reduced in size significantly prior to the appointment) turned out to be nothing to be concerned about. Our next appointment is next Tuesday -- her one-month birthday. Her first shots might be involved, though now I can't remember if that's going to happen at the one-month mark or later since we're going to be on a delayed vaccination schedule. We also paid a visit to Dr. J. while my mom was in town, which was a much welcomed appointment for me, as I was in desperate need for a chiropractic adjustment. She also looked Elsa over briefly while I held her and said that her neck and spine were in fabulous condition for a newborn. She showed me how to hold Elsa upside down by her heels to allow her to self-adjust her spine. It's quite amazing -- it really works. Elsa was completely calm hanging upside down, and just kind of moved her head, looking around. Apparently this is what babies do, and the subtle neck movement actually puts themselves into alignment. Pretty cool. And, of course, as they get older, kids love hanging upside down even more. Dr. J. doesn't actually manually align children until they are around seven years of age. Yesterday was my post partum midwife appointment, and Bethany came along to that one, which ended up being a huge help considering we arrived at 10:15 a.m. for a 10:45 a.m. appointment, and I wasn't called back to be seen until after noon. Elsa did extremely well considering. Thankfully I came prepared with my nursing cover and supplies for a trunk-of-the-car diaper change. Margaret thought I was healing really well, and thought Elsa looked great. I am scheduled to go back again in five weeks.
Our other outings have included trips to Publix, Perimeter Mall, Babies R Us, Lenox Mall, Phipps Plaza (yes, we did some shopping with my mom while she was here!), Chick fil A, Taco Mac, Universal Joint, the DeKalb Farmers Market, the post office, the police station (no, she is not already in trouble with the law... I had to pick up a police report for our damaged fence), and many walks around the neighborhood, as well as across the street to meet friends at McKoy Park. Elsa also attended a birthday party for the first time -- her little friend, Finnan, turned one. The little monkey in the photo was her party favor.
Jarrett is now into his second week back at work, and I'm sure he has his own set of personal struggles in terms of feelings of being away from his new daughter so soon after her birth. My main concern for him since he's gone back is that he actually get some sleep, so he's been taking charge of most of the baths and now the evening feeding (now that we've just started trying to introduce a bottle so Jarrett can feed her once in awhile and so we can get a babysitter at times), but I've been taking care of her throughout the night. She tends to only wake twice before sunrise, which isn't too bad, and occasionally (as she did last night) she actually gives me about three or four hours of straight sleep initially. Sometimes she seems to have a hard time settling down in the evening to go to bed, which can become rather taxing, but overall she's doing pretty well. That said, I can't wait until she sleeps through the night. Boy how things have changed. I used to fall asleep and not wake at all until my alarm went off in the morning. My sound sleeping has come to an end.
So overall things are going well, and we are all adjusting to our new life slowly but surely. I can honestly say that every missed minute of sleep, every step toward that first gray hair, every tear that has been shed is totally worth it. It might not always seem like it when in the moment of those trying times, but when I see that perfect sleeping face, or look into those big, bright eyes during her quiet/active alert periods, or kiss her chubby cheek as I hold her close, I can't help but fall in love all over again.
So parenthood has definitely proven to be quite the adventure, but one I am enjoying with the exception of a few nagging details -- namely, sleepless nights, inconsolable crying, and breastfeeding. My friends who entered the parenting world before I did assure me that all of these things will get better. And me, continuing to be the impressionable newbie, actually believe them. Really, I do have faith that this beautiful little daughter of ours will continue to melt our hearts in more ways than I can ever imagine. But I'm not going to lie. It's been pretty tough so far. And, really, she is not an extremely difficult baby (at least not compared to other stories I've heard or read about), but I think it has just been a combination of my dealing with a bit of the baby blues, coping with the recovery of labor and delivery, dealing with the lack of sleep, and trying to learn all the ins and outs of baby care and Elsa's specific needs and desires. My mom continues to tell me that Elsa is a taker right now, and that eventually when she is able to smile and interact more, things will feel a lot different. I know she is right. For now, though, even those uncontrollable, in-her-sleep Elsa smiles send a bit of sweetness my way.
Thank goodness the feeding is becoming a bit less painful. I'm still not really enjoying it, and I'm currently struggling to understand how any mother really does, but I'm at least able to deal a bit more than I was during those first couple of weeks. I still feel like a dairy cow. And a host for its parasite. But I'm going to stick with it because I know how good it is for Elsa and -- during those times when I am actually able to leech out a feeling of bonding -- for me too. It's just easy for me to see now why so many women bail the nursing bandwagon so early on. It can take a toll. And Elsa has even been a good feeder from the beginning, so I know it can be a lot worse! Yes, I know, this too will get better.
So what have we been doing these past few weeks? We've had visitors. My parents and Jarrett's mom and youngest brother came down from North Carolina to visit us in the hospital the night Elsa was born. My brother made it down the following Friday. Jarrett's brother, Stephen, came down that night and stayed through the weekend. My mom made another trip down (this time by plane) last Tuesday and was here to lend a hand through Saturday morning. And then Jarrett's sister, Bethany, came down late Saturday night and was here until yesterday afternoon. All of the company has been great, and everyone has been a huge help. Aside from family coming in, we have also had many fabulous meals brought to us by many a dear friend over the weeks, which has been amazing. I used to have visions of me, wearing the baby in a sling, cooking dinner and having it ready by the time Jarrett got home from work. This vision came to me often when Elsa was still in the womb. Now that she is actually here, I have yet to make it a reality. Maybe someday. So, needless to say, the meals have been a godsend.
We've also had appointments. Elsa was in the 75th percentile for weight (weighing in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces), 50th for head circumference, and 95th for height (I didn't catch the exact measurement to know if it changed from the previous visit) at her last pediatric appointment. The doctor also thought she looked less jaundiced, and the little cyst I had found behind her ear (which had already reduced in size significantly prior to the appointment) turned out to be nothing to be concerned about. Our next appointment is next Tuesday -- her one-month birthday. Her first shots might be involved, though now I can't remember if that's going to happen at the one-month mark or later since we're going to be on a delayed vaccination schedule. We also paid a visit to Dr. J. while my mom was in town, which was a much welcomed appointment for me, as I was in desperate need for a chiropractic adjustment. She also looked Elsa over briefly while I held her and said that her neck and spine were in fabulous condition for a newborn. She showed me how to hold Elsa upside down by her heels to allow her to self-adjust her spine. It's quite amazing -- it really works. Elsa was completely calm hanging upside down, and just kind of moved her head, looking around. Apparently this is what babies do, and the subtle neck movement actually puts themselves into alignment. Pretty cool. And, of course, as they get older, kids love hanging upside down even more. Dr. J. doesn't actually manually align children until they are around seven years of age. Yesterday was my post partum midwife appointment, and Bethany came along to that one, which ended up being a huge help considering we arrived at 10:15 a.m. for a 10:45 a.m. appointment, and I wasn't called back to be seen until after noon. Elsa did extremely well considering. Thankfully I came prepared with my nursing cover and supplies for a trunk-of-the-car diaper change. Margaret thought I was healing really well, and thought Elsa looked great. I am scheduled to go back again in five weeks.
Our other outings have included trips to Publix, Perimeter Mall, Babies R Us, Lenox Mall, Phipps Plaza (yes, we did some shopping with my mom while she was here!), Chick fil A, Taco Mac, Universal Joint, the DeKalb Farmers Market, the post office, the police station (no, she is not already in trouble with the law... I had to pick up a police report for our damaged fence), and many walks around the neighborhood, as well as across the street to meet friends at McKoy Park. Elsa also attended a birthday party for the first time -- her little friend, Finnan, turned one. The little monkey in the photo was her party favor.
Jarrett is now into his second week back at work, and I'm sure he has his own set of personal struggles in terms of feelings of being away from his new daughter so soon after her birth. My main concern for him since he's gone back is that he actually get some sleep, so he's been taking charge of most of the baths and now the evening feeding (now that we've just started trying to introduce a bottle so Jarrett can feed her once in awhile and so we can get a babysitter at times), but I've been taking care of her throughout the night. She tends to only wake twice before sunrise, which isn't too bad, and occasionally (as she did last night) she actually gives me about three or four hours of straight sleep initially. Sometimes she seems to have a hard time settling down in the evening to go to bed, which can become rather taxing, but overall she's doing pretty well. That said, I can't wait until she sleeps through the night. Boy how things have changed. I used to fall asleep and not wake at all until my alarm went off in the morning. My sound sleeping has come to an end.
So overall things are going well, and we are all adjusting to our new life slowly but surely. I can honestly say that every missed minute of sleep, every step toward that first gray hair, every tear that has been shed is totally worth it. It might not always seem like it when in the moment of those trying times, but when I see that perfect sleeping face, or look into those big, bright eyes during her quiet/active alert periods, or kiss her chubby cheek as I hold her close, I can't help but fall in love all over again.
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