A Helping Hand

On Wednesday night, Summer's big sister Amanda offered to take care of her all night.  I was a little hesitant at first because she had never even changed one of Summer's diapers, but I figured if she wanted to, I would let her.  Plus her dad thought this might be a good form of birth control for Amanda.  So, I pumped some extra milk before I went to bed to make sure she would have enough for the night.  Amanda did not wake us up all night for help.  I was surprised, but I was also glad.  I only got up one time the entire night.  That was a first for me...even before I got pregnant I was up more times than this.  I slept pretty good and did not go and check on the baby once...even though I did wake up about 3:00 a.m. wondering if she had eaten.  I sent Clint to check on that since I knew she should have eaten again already.  She had, so that put my mind at ease.  I woke up around 7:00 and had to go pump.  I was having withdrawal from my baby, but I decided to leave her with Amanda until I had gotten ready for the day.  Amanda came down stairs while I was pumping (she had just finished feeding Summer).  She sat down and talked to me for a few minutes about how her night went.  She said Summer was up for 5 hours straight and did not go to bed until around 3:00.  She also said Summer kept spitting out her pacifier every 5 minutes.  All in all, I think she had a good time keeping her even though she did not get very much sleep.  I went up to Amanda's room and got Summer around 9:30 after I had gotten myself ready for the day.  Amanda slept until 1:30 p.m....

The Results Are In....

Yesterday we went to see Dr. Kelly about Summer's belly button.  He treated it with Silver Nitrate to help it scar so it will hopefully start healing.  She did not like it and was screaming as loud as she could.  My mom went with me because Clint had to work.  I was glad she was there because the doctor gave us a lot of information, and I can only remember about half of it now.  So, I am hoping my mom can remember the other half.  We have to go back next week so the doctor can check her again.  He may have to do another treatment with the Silver Nitrate if it is still not healing correctly.  I hope not, but we will see.  He also put her on an antibiotic because he thinks her belly button might have a little infection.  This could be serious if it does not go away, so I am praying the antibiotic does the trick.  (Summer weighed 8 lb. 4 oz.)

My First Scare

Yesterday I decided to take Summer to the doctor because her belly button is not healing right.  Her umbilical cord fell off on May 16, but it was not all the way healed.  So, I kept putting alcohol on it, but it was worrying me so I called the doctor.  They told me to go ahead and bring her in so they could look at it.  The doctor was not sure what was wrong with it, so he took her to another pediatrician to have him look at it.  They are not sure, but they think she might have a patent urachus.  This means that her umbilical cord did not close off correctly, so her bladder is leaking out of her belly button.  So, they told me to take her to a pediatric surgeon who specializes in this.  Of course, my eyes started tearing up immediately hearing there might be something wrong with my baby.  The doctor said it is not a big deal though.  They would just have to go in and close the opening.  He also told me to stop using the alcohol as he thinks it is hurting her (I thought this too before I took her in).  So, her belly button is kind of icky right now.  I am anxious to hear what the doctor says tomorrow.  Hopefully, it will not be what they think it is, but if it is maybe her belly button will heal up quicker once they get it fixed.  I guess we'll see tomorrow.

On a better note, Summer had gained 1 pound since our last doctor visit.  She now weighs 8 lb. 6 oz.  The doctor said she must be eating good since she has gained this much weight in less than 2 weeks.  Everything else looks good, so unless something else comes up we don't have to go back until she is 2 months old so she can get shots.  That should be fun........NOT!!!

Our First Trip to the Park

Our beautiful baby Daddy's pushing
Let's get in the water!
Here we go...
she's a sleeper
Mommy's turn

This afternoon Clint, Summer and I went to Coolidge Park. This was our first trip to the park with Summer, and it was Clint's idea (which made me very happy). It was a beautiful, sunny day...not too hot or too cool. We took turns pushing her through the park and over the Walnut Street Bridge. Clint tried to get Summer to wake up by walking close to the fountains where water would land on her. But, she was in a deep sleep. We were going to go down to where the boats are docked by the water, but it was not a stroller friendly trip (all stairs). We had a great time despite this. Summer slept the whole time, but it was still a day I hope I remember forever. I'm sure we will visit the park many times in the future...today was just the beginning.

My First Mother's Day

Summer & Mommy
My little doll
Still sleeping...
Melody, Granny, Summer & Pepaw
Summer & Sandra

Yesterday, Summer and I went to my Aunt Sandra's house to spend Mother's Day with family. Clint came too after he got off of work. We had a really good time visiting with everyone. Summer was passed around and around and around all day long. Everyone was admiring my precious little baby all day. She was really good...of course she was asleep most of the time.

One funny thing did happen. I was changing her diaper and my Aunt Melody said something about her peeing. I was like, "She's not going to pee." Then she had to go and prove me wrong. She peed all over the mat I had her on (which did not soak up the pee...I think it must be waterproof...LOL). I guess I should've put a lap pad on top of it first, but I'll know next time. The pee went all the way up her back, so I had to change her clothes. When I got home, I changed her diaper and she did it again. Thankfully the lap pad on my changing table soaked it all up!

Last night I got a little emotional on Clint. He gave me a card from Summer that was really sweet. It was really a birthday card for a mom, but he had crossed out the word birthday and wrote 1st Mother's Day. He said he couldn't find a Mother's Day card he liked, but I think he just found the birthday card aisle first...LOL. Then we started talking about Summer, and how sometimes you never really know what you want until you get it. It made me happy because I can see how much he loves Summer and how much she means to him. I know exactly how he feels. He told me he is happy that he will have her to love him when he gets old. We are so lucky to have her in our lives. She is truly a gift from God.

Hiccups!

I must say I never expected a baby to get the hiccups so much.  Summer has them at least 4 or 5 times a day...maybe even more.  I haven't been counting to see how many times it really is.  Sometimes she wakes up with them; sometimes she goes to sleep with them.  I can remember the last time she had them while I was still pregnant.  I woke up Thursday morning (May 4) around 5:00 with her hiccupping.  I told Clint to feel my belly because it might be the last time she had the hiccups while she was still in me....and it was.  Now she has the hiccups every time I turn around.  The other day she had them, and I started feeding her.  Clint told me not to feed her until they went away because he was scared it might hurt her.  But, I fed her anyway and they went away while she was eating.  He made it a point to ask the pediatrician about it when we went on Thursday.  The pediatrician said it was okay and would not hurt her.  He didn't seem surprised when we told him she was hiccuping all the time, so it must be normal for babies. 

Summer's 1st Doctor Visit

7lb. 6 oz.
Two cuties
She's crying!
Now she's not.
Look at her hair!
Summer had her first doctor visit on Thursday morning (5 days old). She weighed 7 lb. 6 oz. It seemed like Dr. Wood expected she would weigh less, but he was happy she weighed what she did. He said everything looked good. I weight myself while I was there to see how much weight I lost after giving birth to Summer. I weighed 136 which is only 5 pounds more than I weighed when I found out I was pregnant--YEAH! Back to Summer...the doctor said she was a little yellow, but it wasn't anything he was worried about. We have to go back in two weeks to for another check-up then again when she is 2 months old. Clint got Summer dressed and undressed for the doctor while I worked the video camera. I got some good pictures of him holding Summer while we were waiting for the doctor to see us. After the doctor had checked her out, Clint was putting on her onesie and she let something rip...LOL. It was really loud and even the doctor and nurse in the hall said they heard it. Clint threw her onesie down and acted like he didn't hear anything...I don't think he wanted to change the diaper. :) I had to send Clint out to the car for the diaper bag so we could change her diaper before we left. After we got her dressed, we headed to Home Depot and the bank so Clint could get some errands out of the way. I fed Summer in the back seat of the car while we were waiting and then we headed home. Enjoy the pics of Daddy and Summer!

It's Getting Better Everyday

I just finished giving Summer her 2nd bath. I put her footprints in her baby book, but I have not done her handprints yet. I don't know if I am going to use the same ink pad as I did for her feet (I got it from the hospital) because it is hard to get the ink off after you are done. She even has some on her legs from where she was kicking her feet a little...oh well. I guess eventually it will wear off. This bath was easier than the first because I did it while she was asleep. So, no crying at all--YEAH!!!

She is so adorable it is hard to take my eyes off of her for fear that I will miss something. I know I have to savor every moment because she is going to grow so fast. It is crazy how much you can love someone in so little time. I never imagined it would feel like this. Being a mom is so wonderful. It is kind of weird because instead of calling my husband Clint, I call him Daddy. He hasn't said anything about it...I wonder if he even notices. I'll have to ask him.

Last night was our best night yet. She slept at least 2 hours between each feeding and almost three and a half hours once. I put her in the bed at 5:15 a.m., and she did not get up until about 8:30 or so. :) I am also getting used to getting up with her so that makes it a lot easier too. The first few nights were pretty rough, and I started doubting myself. But, I am getting the hang of it now. Well, I best be getting back to her before I miss out on something.....

The Journey Begins

I'm not sure where to begin.  We brought Summer home on Monday.  Everything has been great...except some of the nightly feedings...LOL  We gave her a lotion bath on Tuesday which was not too bad.  She did cry, but she did not scream the whole time.  I will probably give her another bath this evening.  She is sleeping a lot, but not as much as she did in the hospital.  Two nights ago, I had two 1 hour long feedings which was not fun at all. The next morning I called my mom and she said it is time to give her a pacifier because she is just using my boob as the pacifier.  So, yesterday we tried the pacifier.   She is still getting used to it, but it is working.  When I was looking at buying a pacifier, I was thinking they were kind of expensive.  But now, I think I would pay $100 for one.  It is my new best friend.  I was really hesitant to give her one at first because I just wasn't ready to go there.  My mom assured me that it was better than letting her find her thumb.  She reminded me that I can take the pacifier away, but not the thumb.  Other than that, nursing is going pretty good.  

Summer is so precious!!!  I love it when she opens her eyes so I can look at them while I talk to her.  Those are the best times right now.  Well, she just fell asleep so I'm going to hop in the shower while I can.

Another Carseat Ordeal

We left the hospital yesterday around 1:00 p.m.  Before we could leave, the nurse had to check the carseat and walk us to the car.  This was not a good experience.  First she made me take out the head support because it was ????.  Then she commented that it didn't look fire resistant anyways.  So, she told me to put a receiving blanket around the baby's head.  This did nothing in the way of support...and it wasn't anymore fire resistant than the head support I had bought.  So, I was getting pretty upset.  Then we had to adjust the straps to fit Summer's body.  This was understandable and not a big deal.  But, she had started getting an attitude with us and I was not getting any happier either.  We get to the car, and she doesn't like the way the base is in the car.  So, we have to take it out so she can adjust the part that helps level out the carseat so the baby won't be leaning forward.  Well, she just changes it to completely the wrong way and tells us that it won't work with our car.  She then proceeds to tell us we need to go straight home because the baby's head is going to be leaning forward and I will need to sit by her (like I wasn't going to anyway???).  Then she says we need to go to Wal-Mart and buy one of those pool noodle floats and cut it into three pieces and put it under the carseat so Summer won't be leaning forward.  Oh my!!! I was pretty mad at this point because I knew the base was right in the first place and she is the one that readjusted it to where Summer's head was leaning forward.  By the time we got out of the parking lot, I was very upset.  I had to call my friend Selena to vent.  I asked her if she had left the same hospital with the head support in the carseat and she said she had.  I already knew that though I just wanted confirmation as to how crazy this nurse was.  It was she that was endangering my baby....not me.  So, we stopped at a restaurant, J Alexanders, to eat with our friends Jeff and Laurie.  I took the head support in with me and placed it back in the carseat where it belonged.  At our next stop, I took out the base and readjusted it to where Summer's head was in a safe postition and not leaning forward.  I told Clint that they need to drug test that woman because she had no idea what she was talking about.  I just couldn't get over how rude she was and then how she had messed the whole carseat up endangering my baby.  Not only that, but because I had to fix the carseat I had installed correctly in the first place, my back was killing me (and still is today).  Thanks a lot nurse!!!!  I had to call my mom and tell her the story.  She thought I should call the hospital and report the lady.  I eventually calmed down, but I'm not sure I will ever get completely over it.  Maybe when my back stops hurting me........

MY LABOR & DELIVERY

We went the hospital early on Saturday morning. We stopped at Hardees on the way for my first and last meal of the day. I'm glad we did because they would not let me eat anything (except Popsicles or jello) for the rest of the day. We got to the hospital and the nurse (Lisa) checked us in. She got the IV started about 8:30 and then the pitocin at 8:50. She checked me and I was still only 2 centimeters dilated and about 60% effaced. I labored all day, but was not in much pain until after they broke my water. Then the real pain started. I didn't want to get an epidural because I heard it can slow down dilation. So, I got some pain medication, "the loopy drug." I had two doses of it over 2 hours. I could still feel the contractions, but I didn't care because the top part of my body was feeling good (aka loopy). They checked me around 5:00, and I was only 3.5 centimeters dilated. So, I decided to go ahead and get the epidural around 6:00. I was in major pain before they finally got it started and was cursing that IV bag they had to get completely in me before they could start the epidural. My contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and off the chart. I could hardly sit still long enough for them to get the needle in my back because I was in so much pain. After they got it in, I felt immediate relief. I told the anesthesiologist that I know why women really like them after they get their epidurals...LOL Anyway, by 7:00 I was 7.5 centimeters dilated. By 9:00 I was fully dilated and ready to push. The nurse informed me that it was time to start pushing and my friends Selena and Amy left the room. I was only going to have Clint and my mom in the room for the delivery, but the next thing I knew I was pushing. So, my sister and Teresa got to stay for the whole thing too. I pushed for about 45-50 minutes and at 9:55 p.m. Summer was out and on my belly. I don't want to skip over the part about how hard pushing is...WOW! I thought it would be easy with the epidural, but it wasn't. By the time we could see her head, I was feeling a lot of pressure and a little pain. At this point, Clint started tearing up and becoming emotional. It was so sweet to see his reaction to her. They got the mirror out so I could see the top of her hairy head. I couldn't watch the whole time though because it didn't look to me like I was making much progress with every push. Everyone was telling me how great I was doing, but I just couldn't see it. So, I closed my eyes while I pushed. My epidural wore off immediately after delivery, and I had to get a local anesthetic before the doctor could finish sewing me up (OUCH!!!). Anyway, Summer's head was out for a good 2-3 minutes before the rest of her body. She wasn't crying or anything and I asked the doctor why (all the while freaking out inside). He said she was still breathing like she had been for the last 9 months (through the umbilical cord). I was relieved and a few pushes later she was all the way out. I had them put her on my belly immediately so we could have that bonding moment. I rubbed her hand and looked at her. My eyes teared up and I was filled with a joy that is indescribable. I highly recommend this. It is much better than them taking your baby to the other side of the room for a while before you actually get to look her over which is what they did next. I was left there to be sewn up and birth the placenta. Clint was so awesome throughout the whole day. He rubbed my leg while he counted during the pushing stage. This was nice because it helped take my mind off the pain I was in. He also stayed by my side a few minutes after she was born and then asked if he could go over to where she was. I thought that was really thoughtful of him to ask and not just desert me. Of course, I wanted him to go see her so I told him to go on. He came back to watch the placenta come out. All in all, she was worth every ounce of pain. She left me with a few painful reminders which have still not gone away...LOL.

Getting Ready for the Big Day

Tomorrow is the big day! I can't believe it is finally here. I have been getting my house ready all week. Today I am finishing up all the laundry and making sure I have everything I need for the hospital. I've got clean sheets on my bed (watch my water break tonight...LOL) and the baby's bed. I think I have just about everything done. I believe I will finish up the baby blanket tonight. I don't have very much left on it--YEAH! So far today is flying by...where have all the hours gone? It is almost 6:00 already. In less than 12 hours I will be getting up to go to the hospital (if I can sleep tonight :) ). Actually this whole week has gone by pretty fast. Last week everyday was soooo long, but since Tuesday everyday has gone by quickly.

I am pretty nervous about tomorrow. I have a lot of emotions right now...I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I would say I am more on the verge of tears, but I don't really know why. I guess everything is coming to an end...or a new beginning. I'm going to be a mom tomorrow!!! That thought scares me. I hope I am ready for this new life. I guess I better be because ready or not here it comes. I feel rushed all of the sudden like there are not enough hours left in the day. I guess I need to just try to relax. Everything is going to be fine, right?

I wonder how my labor is going to progress. Long, short, or somewhere in between? Clint is hoping I will have the baby by noon, but that is highly unlikely. We will see. We found out that Clint gets to pick Amanda up Sunday (unless the baby comes around noon tomorrow) and bring her to the hospital for a quick visit with her new sister. I am happy about that, and I know she is too. Clint talked to an administrator at the school this afternoon and he said that Amanda cried because she was attached to the baby and wants to see her. So, I am glad she will be able to. She is excited about finally being a big sister.

This afternoon Clint and I went to look at a few houses that are for sale. I really liked the last one we saw. It was perfect...at least to me. Clint worries that taking on 14 acres might be a big task. He is a city boy and I am a country girl, so we have different views on it. Needless to say, with 14 acres we would have complete privacy. It is a horse farm, so it is not like we would have to mow 14 acres. A lot of it is pasture land. Anyway, it is like my dream house...and it is only 10 minutes from downtown or Hixson. I'm not sure what will come of it. Probably nothing, but it is fun to think about.

The dryer just went off, so I guess I better get back to work. Everyone keeps telling me I should be resting today, but that is easier said than done. Maybe in a few hours........

Here are some pics I had Clint take today. Tomorrow is the big day! I will finally get to see my precious baby's face!

The Carseat Ordeal

I tried to get the carseat installed and ready for when we leave the hospital.  I'm still not sure it is in there right.  I used the latch system that they have now, but the carseat seems to move a little too much for my comfort.  I know when Clint and I went to the Baby Care and Safety class the instructor told us where we could go have it checked.  But, of course, I wasn't listening.  At the time, I was like "Yeah Right!  Who does that anyway?"  Now I am like, "Man, why wasn't I paying attention?"  I haven't gotten Clint to go out there to look at it yet so I guess I need to see what he thinks.  I am also not sure whether or not I am going to put it in the middle of the back seat.  I know they say it is the safest, but it doesn't really fit right.  The way our back seat is, the middle seat back sticks out a few more inches than the side seats.  Plus it seems like it is going to be difficult to get the carseat in and out with her in it.  So, I guess I still have some figuring out to do where the carseat is concerned. 

I am trying to finish up my 2nd baby blanket before Saturday.  My fingers keep hurting though so I am not sure if I will make it or not.  It is not really for this baby anyway.  It is for our next child....if we have another one.  I figured I won't have time to make one once Summer gets here so I might as well do it now.  One thing I have learned about crocheting is that it is much easier (and MUCH less time consuming) to make booties and bonnets than blankets.  I bet I put over 50 hours into the first blanket, and this one is probably not much less.  It will probably be the last blanket I ever make.  But, it will be worth it when it is all done.  Okay, I guess that is enough rambling for now.  Less than 84 hours until we got to hospital..........

Our Last Doctor's Appt.

Clint and I went to the doctor today for our last check-up. I had not gained any weight since last week, so that was a surprise. I am still 1.5 centimeters dilated, and I am 50% effaced. The baby had dropped a little bit since last week, but not much. The baby's heartbeat was around 165. Now for the exciting part.......the doctor said I could schedule my induction for this weekend. So, I am supposed to be at the hospital on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. He said they would start me on pitocin and break my water. Wow!!! I was so anxious to have her before the appointment, but now I am getting nervous. I guess it is more real now that I have a date and time. Hopefully, we will be holding our little girl by Saturday night. That means her birthday will more than likely be May 6, 2006. Oh my........ready, set, here we go! Only 4 days of waiting left!

~Here are some pics of me doing my belly trick~