Holy cow! 6 Months!

I can't believe it's been a half year already since we welcomed our sweet Lexi into the world! My 6 month girl!

Squee! I love that face! She's developing quite the personality, sassy and playful. Her big milestone this past month was learning to sit by herself. She really started getting good at it the Tuesday before Christmas on the 18th. She's a little wobbly still, but improving every day. She also loves to give "kisses" (which are really just open mouth slobbers on my cheek haha). She'll grab the back of my neck, pulls me to her, and give me a big wet one!

Christmas was really fun having Lexi here. The three of us opened presents Christmas morning and boy was it a good year! Lexi got the FP Learning Farm, some stacking toys, blocks, books, clothes, diapers (from momma haha!), a pink terrible towel (from daddy) and a baby doll. I also gave her the first figurine in the "Growing Up Girls" set. When I was growing up my BFF had this set and I always really liked it. I'm looking forward to giving her a new figurine every year on her birthday.

KJ got me a bedazzler (haha I think it's really called an "enhancer") for my engagement ring.

And Lexi got me a "Mom" necklace. I love being Mom!

I got KJ a phone adapter for his car so he can talk hands free while driving to and from work. Lexi got him a "Daddy and Me" story book and made him a little picture flip book out of floppy disks.

While fun, the holidays were also a little overwhelming for Lexi. Lots of new toys, places, and faces. There were times when it got to be too much for her and she had a couple melt downs. They were wearing on me also. I hosted our Christmas party, cooked Christmas Day dinner, made three batches of truffles, four batches of cookies, did 90% of the gift shopping, all of the wrapping, and deep cleaned the house... All while taking care of a 6 month old... I'm ready for the holidays to be over... Momma needs a break!! (And a glass of wine!)

Here's wishing the coming year will be as wonderful as this one was!

Happy New Year!
Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Struggling

I recently read a blog post I saw on Pintrest entitled "Being a Working Mom When You Really Want to Stay Home". At first I thought, "Great! This describes me to a tee. I'll get some inspiration from this post that will help me keep going as a wannabe SAHM. Wrong. This post only made me feel worse. A lot worse.

"Even though we knew it would be short-term when I went back to work, it still wasn’t easy. I will never get those first few months of my little girl’s life back."

Gee, thanks for rubbing it in! I've been trying not to think of my work situation that way, but thanks for making it black and white for me. Every second that I'm hating my life at work, I will never get those moments with my daughter back.

"When I was a working mom, God enriched my life with co-worker friendships."

Well, how nice for you that you had awesome and supportive co-workers! My co-irkers suck. Plan and simple. I have never met a more miserable group of women. They're all divorced, so I get to hear them, on a daily basis, bitch and moan about their ex's, their kids, going to court, and how they never have any money because the lawyers take it all. The atmosphere at my office is toxic. They are mean and bitter and about as far from "enriching" as you can get.

"When I was a working mom, God provided an amazing babysitter–who became a dear friend."

Now this is the only thing I can agree with. We have been very lucky that my MIL is able to watch Lexi while we're at work. It's nice to know that someone we trust is giving her one on one attention and genuine love everyday. However, sometimes it's a struggle to get MIL to do certain things. Sometimes Lexi doesn't get all of her bottles during the day because she's sleeping and MIL doesn't want to wake her up. Or she'll heat up a bottle and then not give her the whole thing. That's probably the most agitating thing, because once you start a bottle you have to finish it. You can't save it for later. You can't heat and chill, heat and chill. You'll get bacteria and it'll make baby sick. It kills me when this happens and I have to dump half a bottle because it's been sitting out. I'm working around the clock to get enough BM to give her during the day. It's not like I can just mix up more formula... MIL doesn't seem to get it!!

"When I was a working mom, God allowed my husband to have some daddy-daughter bonding time."

Again, how nice for you!! My husband gets less time with Lexi because, I'll admit it, I'm a baby hog. I miss her so much during the day, all I want to do when I get home is hold her and spend time with her. If KJ doesn't say, "Hey. I'll hold her" or something, I forget to offer her to him and end up holding her the whole evening.

"When I was a working mom and exclusively breastfeeding, God sharpened my will and determination."

Yeah... Determination is not what I feel when I have to stay up until 12am every night pumping because I wasn't able to pump enough at work for the next day. Determination is not what I feel when I only get 2 messily ounces and pray I can get at least 2 more in the morning. A sharp will is not what I feel like I have when I'm taking enough fenungreek to smell like maple syrup, chugging more water then I did while pg, and stuffing my face with lactation cookies in hopes of actually keeping up for once. Annoyance, frustration, exhaustion, failure. That's what I feel.

"If you have a plan in place to come home, remind yourself that this season of being a working mom won’t last forever.
I reminded myself of that fact daily–and before I even knew it, I was a stay-at-home mom."

The original plan was to quit my job in January... That's not happening any more. We need money to fix up our house in order to move to be closer to KJ's job. I don't know when I'll be able to quit now. It might not be until we move, and who knows when that will actually be. In all reality that might be a year from now. Thinking about another year at my job makes me want to cry.

So, thanks so much, Thehumbledhomemaker. I feel so inspired...

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe


http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2012/11/being-a-working-mom-when-you-really-want-to-stay-at-home.html

Christmas Traditions

Today KJ and I played hooky and took Lexi to go see Santa. It went pretty well. We were the first ones in line and got to see him right a way. I put Lexi on his lap and she half her arm out and gave this look like, "what the heck is going on??" She didn't cry, thankfully, but she didn't want to smile, either. We got a pretty cute pic of her, though.

It was my first experience with Santa, also! Growing up my parents didn't do the Santa thing with my sister and I, so we never believed in him. They felt it was important to teach us the true meaning of Christmas from the beginning. I always felt like I missed out on a big part of the Christmas tradition because of it. And like any good parent, I'm righting the wrongs of my own childhood while raising my daughter. Ha! So yeah, mom, we're doing Santa. Get over it!!

After Santa we went to a local Christmas store. Every year they put together a big indoor display with themed trees and decorations galore. We walked through "Christmas Land" and Lexi just took it all in. She didn't really smile at all, but boy was she looking at everything. She couldn't keep her eyes off the display! They have a huge selection of ornaments so we picked one out for her. It's a little marshmallow snowman and says Baby's First Christmas. I think it was really special for KJ to share Christmas Land with her. He went ever year as a boy and now he gets to take his little girl every year.

We went out to lunch after words to Eat n Park and had a nice little time. There were a lot of other moms and babies there and there was a woman nursing her baby. Seeing her really gave me the courage to NIP for the first time. Normally I just go home when Lexi is hungry, but I figured if she's doing it, why can't I? I was very proud of myself! And I don't think I even flashed anyone. Ha!

We're going to make this a Christmas tradition. Santa, Christmas Land, and then lunch. It was a really nice day, just the three of us.

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Baby Bullet Love

We've been doing sweet potatoes all week (one potato made quite a bit!) and tonight we tried peas. I love that the food I'm making and giving to Lexi has such a rich color! The only thing in her purées are veggies and water (you could use breast milk too). No preservative or any other unknown extras. It makes me feel really good to give her such healthy things. I really need to start eating the same way!

The Baby Bullet is awesome. It's extremely easy to use. I can make up a batch of food in less then 20 mins start to finish, including clean up. Anything to save time is a must for me right now. The little containers are perfectly sized for a meal and just so gosh darn cute! I'm really glad I decided to register for it instead of just using my food processor. There are quite a few parts to my food processor and really not that many to the BB, so there are less things to wash. It's also small and compact so I can leave it out on my counter and it doesn't get in the way. It came with a handy little recipe book and food guide for age appropriate foods. It's nice because I don't have to scour the Internet for these things, everything I need to know is in the book. More saving time!

I highly recommend the BB! I'm so glad I splurged on it!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

My Baby is 5 Months Today!

Happy 5 months to my Lexi girl! Oh my goodness, she is getting big! She looks more like a little person and not just a baby every day.

Yesterday was a great day. It took five months, but Lexi finally tolerates tummy time!! Up until now every time we'd put her on her belly she would be screaming with in 30 seconds. Yesterday morning when I dropped her off at MIL's, I put her on her belly for a minuet... and she was fine! For like five minuets she was fine! And then she rolled over, belly to back! So proud of that girl!!

We started solids earlier in the week with sweet potatoes and are planning on doing peas next. It's kind of bitter sweet her moving on from being exclusively on breast milk to adding in real foods. Gosh, this is going fast!!!

I took Lexi to the doctor this evening. Her rash just keeps getting worse and worse and I decided it was finally time to get it looked at. We saw one of the NPs and got a script for Naystatin. I really hope this takes care of the problem once and for all.

Here's my 5 month girl!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

First Solid Food...

Sweet potatoes!

Lately, Lexi has been pretty interested in watching KJ and I eat, so I figured she was about ready to start solid food. Last night I got out my Baby Bullet, steamed up a sweet potato, puréed it, and dinner was served. (Just a side note, I'm loving the Baby Bullet! More on that later!) I had to get out our high chair, too, as we hadn't set that up yet. We got one of those space saver ones that sit on a regular chair. Great choice! Definitely recommend.

So, after much preparation, the three of us finally sat down for some sweet potatoes. Lexi really wasn't sure about them. I guess I was hoping for some big reaction either way, love them or hate them, but we didn't get that. The jury is still out on wether or not she liked them. She certainly made quite the mess, though! I think she was more interested in the bowl and spoon than the potatoes. She was doing pretty well with the spoon, for it being the first time. She got the correct end in her mouth quite a few times, with food even still on it!

First bite

I have this mouth full of stuff and I don't know what to do with it!

What is this??

Messy girl!

My baby is growing up!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Happy Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving last year I was 8w pg with Lexi and in the midst of morning sickness. I remember that week being particularly bad and praying for just a few hours of not wanting to puke to get through dinner with the family. White cheddar popcorn and mashed potatoes were all that sounded even remotely good. I was also very nervous for our next u/s the following Monday. All I could think about was the previous Thanksgiving when I was also 8w pg with what would turn out to be our second loss. Even after one MC I was still so trusting that things would turn out ok and the next year (last year) we would have a LO to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. How wrong that turned out to be. I was so scared that that year would turn out like the last and that this year would be just the same. Another year past and no baby in sight. I am so thankful things turned out differently!

This year KJ and I got to take our 4 and a half month old daughter to Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's. I've been going to Thanksgiving dinner at my grandma's house for longer than I can remember. I love sharing all of our family traditions with Lexi. I'm really looking forward to Christmas! My two Aunts were at dinner this year and they were fawning all over her. It gave me the warm and fuzzies!

I'm so incredibly thankful for my sweet little girl and loving husband!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Yummy Toes!

This week Lexi has started grabbing and nibbling on her toes. So cute! When ever I change her diaper she'll get her little feet up by her face and just start sucking away on them. She's been very grabby in general. She'll reach out for a toy if I hold one on front of her. She'll even reach out for me when I go to pick her up. Love that girl!

We are currently dealing with a yeast rash. Ugh! This stuff is no joke. Any thing that you've read about the awfulness of yeast rashes, is true. I've been trying anything and everything trying to get rid of this stuff. Currently we're doing Lotrimin 5 times a day, CJ's Butter Plus in between applications, sanitizing each diaper wash load with both bleach and GFSE, and spossies at night. It's starting to look better, but last time I said that it flared back up. We've been dealing with a slight rash for two months now, but it wasn't until last week that it turned into full blown yeast.

The rash always looks worse in the mornings after being in a night time diaper all night. I think, while very absorbent, they just don't keep her dry enough. That's why I've been putting her in spossies at night. I'm not going to lie, I have some momma guilt over this. I feel like it's a slippery slope into getting away from the cloth. I've put so much effort and money into them, and talked them up to so many people that I would be failing if we were to go the disposable route too much. It's not that I don't like the cloth. I love the cloth diapers! I just want this rash gone. Even though I'm sanitizing, I feel like the cloth is making it hang around longer. Maybe it's all in my head, I don't know!

Last weekend we went on our first long trip away as a family. One of my friends from school was getting married in Philadelphia so we drove out there for the wedding. We live on the OH border in PA, so it was quite a drive with a 4 month old! Normally, the trip should take about 6 hours. It took us 10 because we had to stop so many times to feed her and change her diaper. We left the house at 10am and got into Philly at 7pm just in time for rush hour. We spent another hour in traffic. Of course after 9 hours in the car Lexi was very ready to get out and screamed for the last hour, just in case we didn't know how she felt. Fun! Well, we made it there ok, just a little frazzled, and miraculously Lexi STTN that night. I was expecting her to be supper fussy since she didn't get much activity during the day.

We stayed with KJ's brother and family. Saturday morning they took us to a flee market in Jersey... That was an experience. Now, I enjoy a good yard sale. I like searching for bargains and getting like new things for next to nothing. This place, though... I swear half the stuff there was either stollen or fakes, and the other half was being sold for drug money. Yikes! I'd much rather just go to the store and pay full price than buy things from shady people.

Saturday night KJ and I went to the wedding and my BIL and SIL watched Lexi. I don't know what it is about Philly weddings, but they sure like to take their good old time doing things! KJ and I had an evening reception when we got married and everyone was fed and on the dance floor by 9:00 with everything over by 11:00. That's the way receptions go around here. Well, Philly couples like to take a more leisurely approach. The ceremony was at 5, we got to the reception at 6. There was a cocktail "hour" that lasted until 8. At that point we finally got to sit down at our tables in the dinning room. They did speeches, toasts, and the first dance. We got our salads at 9, soup at 9:30, and finally our entrees at 10. KJ and I originally only planned to stay until 9:30-10 because the wedding was an hour away from BIL's house and I was worried about how Lexi would go down to sleep (she ended up doing great and STTN again). We didn't get out of there until almost 11! And then we didn't even get to say congrats to the bride and groom or do any dancing or have any cake! *sigh* It was a beautiful wedding, though. The bride's dress was gorgeous, the ceremony was very heartfelt, and the food was delicious. If we had been staying closer it would have been nice to stay longer.

Sunday morning we got on the road by 7am and we were home by 3pm. Boy, was it nice to be home! It was a beautiful afternoon and I even got to go for a run.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Happy 4 Months to my Lexi Girl!

Lexi's big milestones this month have been giggling, babbling, and rolling. She's so talkative and expressive! She's even a little ticklish under her chin and armpits.

She loves to stand and play with her toys. Her favorites are her Taggy bear and spring bouquet. She enjoys giving her bear "kisses" (more like just drooling on him!). Our baby girl is quickly growing into a little girl.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

We Have a Roller!

Lexi started rolling over on her side last Wednesday! (10/10) I'm so excited! It's so cool to watch her develop and learn new things. She'll roll from her back onto her right side and then to her belly. If she stays on her side she can roll to her back again, but not if she gets to her belly. She's also still working on rolling on the left side.

This week she's been working on multitasking - holding a toy while standing. It's cute, sometimes she'll get so focused on the toy that she'll forget to keep her legs straight and slowly sink down. She been so talkative lately. I'll say something to her and she'll give a little "goo" back. I'll sing a song to her and she'll go "Oo Oo Oo!" She tells KJ little stories all the time. I love watching them together!

KJ is so sweet with Lexi. They have their own special, little bond. He is such a good daddy to her. Seeing how much he loves her makes me love him all the more.

We got Lexi's pictures back from her 3 month photo shoot. I just love how they turned out!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

One Sweet Dream Came True Today

A year ago today I ovulated! Hehe I know it's a silly thing to celebrate, but I've referred back to this day so many times over the past year, it seems only right to. Today Lexi has been in existence for one whole year. My little eggy that fought so hard to stick, is now a beautiful little outside baby. Today I celebrate my little egg!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

We've Come a Long Way

A year ago today I started what would turn out to be my BFP cycle. It was also our first testing cycle. I finally felt like we were moving forward with finding out why I couldn't seem to stay pg. We were taking the next step and moving on with life. It felt good! And the answers came in just in time. If we hadn't done testing we wouldn't have found out about the lean PCOS and MTHFR mutation, and my sweet little Lexi might not have made it. I am grateful for her every day, but especially today. She's my miracle, my little fighter. Sometimes I look at her and it's hard to believe she's really mine! I never thought on that day that a year from then I would be getting my daughter's 3 month pictures taken. God has really blessed us! We've come such a long way from where we were a year ago.

I am forever grateful for this sweet little girl!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

Happy 3 months!

Lexi is 3 months today and officially out if the newborn phase. I can't believe how fast that went!

Lots of Love,
KJsbabe

I Think We Need a Lexi Pic Fix!

Here are some pics of my sweetie!

First smile I caught on camera


Our 2 month photo shoot (8/29)





After her two month shots :(


Found the thumb!


Momma and Lexi on our last day of mat leave


Daddy and Lexi all ready for her first Stealers game



This may be my favorite pic so far!


The morning after she slept through the night for the first time!! (9/14)


"I got this, Daddy"



Lots of Love, KJsbabe

Working Mom

Well, my first week back to work is finally over. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought I would be crying at my desk all day on Tuesday, but it was an ok day. I dropped Lexi off at MIL's in the morning and got her all settled in. I got choked up when I had to leave her and cried a little in the car, but pulled it together by the time I got to work. It was a pretty uneventful day, which I was glad about. I only got to pump twice, though, because it took forever to get an answer as to where I could go. Man, was I engorged by the time I got home! Ouch!! MIL lives right up the road from where I work, so I got to see Lexi on my lunch break. I love that girl so much!

Now that I don't see Lexi constantly throughout the day I can really tell how quickly she's growing. I love seeing her change and develop new skills, but it also makes me sad. I feel like I'm missing a lot being at work. It's only temporary... I have to keep reminding myself that.

Boy, this working mom stuff makes life very busy! I get up at 5:30 (sometimes at 5 depending on how Lexi is sleeping) get dressed, do my hair and make up, eat breakfast, grab and stuff any diapers I have in the dryer, clean my pump flanges from over night, pack up my pump, make sure Lexi's bag is together, grab my lunch and her bottles, fed the cats and clean the litter. Then at 6:20 if she isn't already up, wake Lexi up, get her dressed, changed, and fed, let the dogs out and get their kongs together, get everything in the car and be on the road to MIL by 7:10. We get to MIL's at 7:30 and I have a few minuets to spend with Lexi before I have to go. Back on the road to work at 7:50. Get to work at 8. Pump at 9. Pump at 11. Eat lunch at my desk at 12. Go back up to MIL's at 1 to fed and spend time with Lexi. MIL usually has either Fox news or the Kardashians on TV (yeah, figure that combo out!). Back at work by 2. Pump at 3. KJ picks Lexi up at 4:30 on his way home from work. If he has to work late I pick her up when I leave work at 5. Get home around 5:30. First thing, throw the diapers in the wash. Then make dinner and fed Lexi, the dogs, and cats. By 7 go out for a run with or with out her, depending on what KJ is doing. Put the diapers in the dryer. At 8 we start bedtime routine with a bath every other night, then nighttime diaper, pj's, eats, and rocking. She's usually out by 8:45 or 9. After that, I make up mine and KJ's lunches for the next day, wash bottles and pumping things, make up Lexi's bottles for the next day, get diapers from the dryer and fold, pack up her bag with fresh burp cloths, clothes, and diapers, clean up the kitchen a little, take a shower, dry my hair and get in bed between 10 and 10:30. Lexi usually wakes up around 2 to eat and is back to sleep by 3. Wake up at 5:30...

I'm exhausted just typing that out. I'm living for the weekend more than ever now!

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

The Last Weekend of the Summer

I feel like I've been on summer vacation and school starts tomorrow. :( This sucks! I have to go back to work tomorrow and I am not looking forward to it. I've enjoyed my time and home with Lexi so much and I don't want it to end. I love being home with her, just the two of us. We've made our little daily routines and I'm really going to miss it.

We went over to MIL house on Saturday and got her all set up to watch Lexi during the day. I feel pretty confident that she'll be well taken care of. MIL is a bit of a pack rat and I was a little concerned about clutter and there not being room for her and her things. They cleaned the house up, though, and there was plenty of room for the PnP. She's going to be fine there... I just need to keep telling myself that.

Anyways, since my knee has been feeling just about normal, I decided to go ahead and run the Buhl Day 5k. I had already signed up, so I figured why not. MIL watched Lexi and KJ and I ran. His time was 28:33 and mine was 28:35. Definitely not my best, but for just having baby, still being up 17lbs, and only running for two weeks prior, I was just glad to finish!

Next up is the Sharon 5k in two weeks!

Wish me luck tomorrow... I'm not looking forward to this going back to work thing.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

More on the Knee Saga

So, Murphy's law, as soon as I made a doctor's appointment to get my knee looked at it started feeling better. I wasn't going to get it looked at at first, but my MIL made a good point. I've already reached my insurance deductible for the year because of Lexi, so anything I would have done to it (tests, x-rays, etc) would be covered. It was still hurting a week and a half after I initially hurt it, so I figured I might as well call.

I got up bright and early this morning for my 7:00am app and got checked out. They took an x-ray and my bones looked fine. The doctor squeezed my knee a few times and that was that. He wants me to have an MRI to see if any of the cartilage is torn. Other than that I really didn't get an answer as to what could have happened.

I don't know how I feel about all of these tests. I saw a different sports medicine doctor back in HS when I was running XC for my other knee, and it was a very different experiance. I told him where and when it hurt and he was able to feel my knee and tell me exactly what was wrong. No fancy tests required. I guess I feel like this new doctor is pulling out the "big guns" prematurely. He has a very nice office. It reminded me of a resteront or hotel lounge. How much do you want to bet he runs a lot of unnessisarey tests in order to pay for his fancy office? The more I think about it the more I'm annoyed. Since my knee is feeling relitively normal now, I feel like if I do get this MRI done it won't show anything anyways. I've been reading online about getting one done while BFing and there's conflicting information. Some places say if you get an MRI or CT you should pump and dump for anywhere from 12-48 hours. That would really put a wrench in things! Other places say it's not nesisary and that you can BF normaly. I guess the concern is if you have to take a contrast dye injection it contains iodine and can get into your BM and then baby ingests it. I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. I guess if it was for something really inportaint it would be one thing, but since it's for something that's practically a non issue... I don't know

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

On the Injured List

So, only one week into running and I hurt myself. :( I hurt my knee pretty bad and it sucks! I ran 4 days last week,, 3.5 miles each time. It was a little sore over the weekend, but on Sunday it was feeling ok. I hurt my foot last fall and I was able to tape it up and it made it feel 10x better. I was able to run with it just fine, so that's what I thought I'd do this time. Well, my tape job didn't do crap. I went out running Sunday night and my knee throbbed the entire time. I, like and idiot, kept on running, though. After I got back home I could barely walk it hurt so bad. :(

So, now I'm wearing a knee brace and taking it easy this week. I've been taking Lexi for walks at the park to stay active. I'm really hoping by Saturday or Sunday I'll be up for a short run. As luck would have it, too, I just sent in my registration fee last Friday for a 5k on Labor Day. I hope I'm still able to run it. There's another race two weeks after that I was hoping to do, too. I guess we'll just see what happens. My half marathon training has started out really well...

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Back to Running... Finally!

I had my 6w pp app with my doctor yesterday and I am cleared to run!! So excited!! I took Lexi out last night to the park and we went for our first jog together. It was my first time running since the day before I found out I was pg with her. I remember I had already started what I thought was AF and ran really hard that night because I was upset to be at the beginning of yet another cycle. If I had known then what I know now.... (that the next time I would be running it would be with my baby in a stroller!)

Being out of shape sucks! Ugh! I went 3 miles and boy was I hard. I couldn't even make it running the whole time. But, you know what? I'll take it. I will take the suck and the hurt and the sore muscles. This is the hurt that last October I said I would gladly take in exchange for a healthy baby. I said I would gain the weight and get out of shape if it meant I could finally have my take home baby. Well, I have my healthy little girl,  I gained the wight, and now I will happily take all the suck of losing weight and getting back in shape. Bring it on! It hurts sooo good! Give me more! :)

I ran 3 miles again today and I hurt... a lot. I have this bruised feeling on my back right about where I had the spinal, my abs (or lack there of) hurt from my flab jiggling when I run, and then of coarse I have the normal muscle soreness. My body is different then it used to be and I don't seem to be bouncing back as quickly as I usually do. I know it's only  been two days, but it just feels different. I'll keep plugging along, though. The only way it gets easier is if you keep at it.

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe


My power song on the week "Ugly Truth"

Another Week Down

This has been a big week for Lexi! On Saturday (8/4) she went for her first long car ride down to the Jackson's. It was a little bumpy, but went ok. We had to stop once and she cried a few times, but we got there in pretty good time. Once we were there Lexi got to go on her first date (hehe) and with a man twice her age! BIL's FI's brother and SIL were there with with their 2mo son. We were joking that it was their first date and some day they would get married.

On Sunday (8/5) KJ and I took Lexi for her first breakfast out. We went to this little dinner down the road from us. They have good food at super cheap prices, so we like to go there for breakfast on the weekends. She slept the whole time. The waitresses kept ooing and awing over her cute headband and leggings.

Then on Tuesday we took Lexi for her first shipping trip to Walmart. Again, she did great. She was awake for part of it, but slept most of the time. The stroller really soothes her. Love my city mini!!

This morning, Lexi woke up with her first ear infection. :( She wasn't fussy (thank god!), but she had yellow crusties coming out of her left ear. I called her pedi and they had me bring her right in. She got some ear drops and a cream for some mild cradle cap on her outer ear. I'm just glad it doesn't seem to be bothering her.

While at the Pedi's she got weighed and she's up to 9lbs 13oz. My girl is getting so big! She definitely not my little new born peanut any more. It's so cool to watch her learn new things. She has a lot of head control, she follows things with her eyes, she's been trying to say "gaw" and "bur", and she's much more attentive to what's around her.

I have finally started to loose weight!! Right after I had Lexi I lost 27lbs, but haven't been able to loose any since. Everyone kept telling me, if I BF I'll drop weight without even trying... Wrong! Completely untrue for me, at least. I ate normally while BFing for the first moth or so and gained 5lbs. So, I got back on my strict diet, and in two weeks I've lost that 5lbs plus another 2. I'm finally on a steady downward track. My goal is still to be back at my pre pregnancy weight of 120 by New Years. I have a feeling these first 12-15lbs will come off fairly easily, but the last 8-5lbs will take some work. I did it once, though, and I'll do it again (I lost 35lbs in 2007). I have my 6w pp app on Monday where my doctor should clear me for running again. I can't wait to get back out there, get in shape, and get moving. I've set a goal for myself of running the half marathon in Pittsburgh next May. I can do it and I'm excited! Training starts Monday!

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

One Month Old

My little Lexi is one month old today. I love watching her grow and change.

 

I may be a little biased, but I think I have the prettiest little girl out there!

 

Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Today is Our Due Date!

I can't believe our EDD is here and I couldn't be more happy. I have a week old baby!

One last bump pic

 


Lots of Love,

KJsbabe

Our First Week

Our first week with Lexi has been a blur! She was born last Friday morning and it seems like we've been in and out of the hospital ever since. Originally we were in for the standard three days and discharged on Monday. We were both doing pretty well at that point. Lexi's builliruben levels were elevated at 12, but not high enough to be too concerned at that point.

They sent out a home health nurse on Tuesday to recheck the builliruben and they came back at 16. Not exactly going down like we had hoped. On Wednesday, since it was the 4th, we had to go the the ER to get them rechecked. And of coarse, also because of the holiday, they lost our paperwork and our pedi was off so we had to talk to the on call pedi to authorize Lexi's blood test. What a mess! We finally got her test done and had just gotten home, I sat down to feed her and the phone rang. It was the on call pedi saying her levels were 19 and we needed to bring her back to the hospital for treatment.

So, back to the hospital we went and Lexi was put under the Billy lights. I can't even explain how hard it was to see her in the incubator. I was a complete mess. I couldn't stop crying. It was so hard just starring at her in there when all I wanted to do was hold her. She was under the lights all day and night Wednesday. I stayed with her so I could feed her. The nurses really pushed me to pump and give her a bottle, but we were having a lot of latching issues as it was and I didn't want to screw up what progress we had made. They weren't thrilled with me staying, but I wasn't there to please them, I was there to take care of my daughter. The one nurse was a real treat. When we brought Lexi in I had her in CD and they had to take it off to weigh her. The nurse handed it to me with a discussed look on her face and said, "We don't use these here. They're too unsanitary." If I had been in any other state of mind I would have slapped a bitch, but I was too upset over Lexi to give her a second thought. It makes me want to go back and slap her now, though! Lol

Thursday morning our Pedi saw her and took her out of the Billy lights, but she had to stay the day for observation. She had 3 blood draws that day at 6am, 12, and 5pm. They all came back at 14. So, since they didn't go up at all and were holding steady, we got to go home for good. What a relief!

Recovery for the c-section hasn't been too bad. The first three day I had a lot of pain and it was pretty hard to get around. The one pain killer they gave me through the IV made me super itchy and the only thing they offered to give me for the itching was Benadryl. I didn't want to take it, though, because it knocks me right out and I didn't want to be any more tired than I already was. After I was off the IV the nurses got pretty stingy with the pain killers, and I was even only on Motrin. I felt like I had to justify my pain every time I asked for one. The fourth day, though, I started feeling 10 times better. After that, it's gotten better each day.

And now some pics for my sweet little Lexi!

In the car seat all ready to go home from the hospital





Under the Billy lights :(





FX for good buillruben numbers!





My favorite pic so far! How can you not love that face?




Lots of Love,

KJsbabe