One Month Old

I can't believe it's been one month already since Addison was born. Talk about time flying by!!

She already has a bit of a schedule. She usually wakes up anywhere from 5:30a - 7:30a, takes one big nap around 11:30 or noon then naps again around 3:30p and goes to bed around 9p. She wakes up every 2.5 - 3 hours during the night to nurse. A week ago she went through a growth spurt and wanted to nurse every hour and I was ready to give up on breastfeeding. I felt like she was attached to me all day! But now she's past that and eats every 2-3 hours. She has started to really enjoy playing with her toys. She'll lay on her play mat and kick the toys with her feet while batting at the other toys with her hands. She has just started to enjoy her swing this week also.

She's becoming more attached to her binky :-( She used to use it periodically but now she uses it more. She would use it to fall asleep then spit it out once she was asleep but yesterday when she napped she kept it in her mouth the entire time she slept. But on a good note she doesn't sleep with it at nighttime...yet.

She hasn't "smiled" yet but the doctor said the "social smile" doesn't occur until 4-6 weeks. I can't wait to see it...I'm sure I'll cry because when I see her "gas smile" I can't help but smile because she's just too cute!!

Addison Dr. Appt

We took Addison to the dr this morning cuz her eye was goopy with green discharge yesterday. The dr said she has a clogged tear duct. You should see it this morning...ewww...yellow and green gunk, poor thing. At first the nurse thought it was bacterial pink eye that is contagious so Brian and I were freaking out, but once the dr arrived she assured us that it was the tear duct and not pink eye. She said this is very common in babies and she sees 2-3 babies a week with this. She said it will more than likely reoccur until the tear duct is fully matured. So she gave us a prescription for an eye ointment. She said when it reoccurs to wait until the eye gets really goopy then apply.

Also, Addison weighs 9lbs 14oz!! The dr said that is amazing and won't need to see her next week for her one month checkup. She just asked us a few questions and now we don't go back until she's 2 months. Her 2 month appt will be when she gets her first shots :-(

Our 9lbs 14oz Princess :-)

Addison is Spoiled!!

Last week we received two large boxes in the mail from my family in Boston. Let's just say my Aunt Denise and cousin Kelly L-O-V-E to shop :-) Addison now has enough clothes to last her until she's one. She is definitely a spoiled little princess. They sent TONS of clothes, lots of BEAUTIFUL dresses, red sox apparel, shoes, a Ralph Lauren robe and towel set, binkys, tub toys, diapers, toys, etc. Of course I took photos because it basically covered our entire dining room table!! I felt like a kid at Christmas unwrapping all the outfits and toys. I know my Aunt reads this blog so I'm sending out another big Thank You!!

Her shoe collection begins...lol

Her Ralph Lauren Robe :-)

One of the outfits

Prayers Needed for a Friend

My friend who is 22 weeks pregnant just found out that her baby is very sick. Please send some extra prayers her way. I can't even imagine what it would be like to hear such bad news. It really makes me count my blessings. You can read more about her story on her blog. Click Here to read their story.

Addison's First Bath

Although she hated the process, after her bath she was so content and happy. She absolutely loves having her hair combed.


Link for the "first bath" photos
http://tinyurl.com/cm94s4

Addison in a daze after her bath :-)

Addison's First Dr. Appt

Yesterday was Addison's first Dr. Appt. She weighs 8lbs!! At birth she was 7lbs 6oz, the day we left the hospital she was 7lbs 1oz so the dr said the weight gain is great and unheard of for breastfeed babies...she was really impressed so she said they usually see babies again at 2 weeks but because of her weight that she doesn't need to see her until she's one month!! She said everything else looked good and she seems like a very healthy baby! Yipee!!

Addison Has Arrived!!

Addison arrived Wednesday April 29th at 3:38am. She weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 20inches long.

Addison and I are doing great. We were released Friday evening. The first night home went better than expected. She was really fussy when we got home but eventually settled down. She went to sleep at 11:30p then I woke up in a panic at 3:30a because she hadn't woken up yet so I had to wake her up to feed then she fell back asleep until 7a. Last night though she woke up every 2 hours. Thank goodness Grandma is here because I'm hoping to get a nap in this afternoon.

I'm an open book so here's my labor story:

On Monday evening I started feeling contractions around 9:45p. They lasted through the night but I decided to go into work Tuesday and wrap up loose ends before starting my maternity leave. At 11a I left work and came home. The contractions were about 6 minutes apart lasting 35-45 seconds. Once I got home I just started walking. I would walk for awhile, then lay down and walk again. The contractions seemed to be less intense walking as opposed to laying down. I called Brian at 2:30p and told him he should probably come home from work. He got home and didn't think I was in labor. Thanks to all the movies out there that portray labor as only the "final stages", Brian thought I'd be in unbearable pain and screaming. He didn't realize that in between contractions everything was perfectly normal. So around 4p we left for the hospital. At this point my contractions were 4 minutes apart lasting about 55 seconds. Once we got to the hospital I was 3.5-4cm dilated and contractions were 4-5 minutes apart. They decided to admit me (thank goodness because we live about 45 minutes from the hospital-there are other hospital's closer to us but the one 45 minutes away is the only one my doctor delivers at) So we walked the halls and I sat in a rocking chair. I honestly thought I had a low pain tolerance but the nurses kept stating "pain relief is available whenever you request it" I honestly didn't think the pain was that bad. I knew that it would only last a minute so I focused on that. The doctor finally came in around 10:30p and broke my water. She warned me the contractions would start to get stronger. About the 5th contraction after that they definitely got stronger but I was determined to keep breathing through them. Then about an hour later the doctor ordered that I be started on a pitocin drip. I've always heard how pitocin contractions are hard and intense so I then told the nurse I wanted an epidural first. She said "You are a smart woman" I have a HUGE needle phobia but the epidural was virtually painless. I got worked up over nothing. Then nurse then turned out the lights and Brian and I slept. About two-three hours later the nurse said I was 8cm, then an hour and a half later I was 10cm. The nurse said that epidurals usually make women dilate quickly so I went from a 4.5cm - 10cm in about 3.5 hours. I pushed for 40 minutes and out came Addison. Brian didn't get to cut the cord because the doctor was concerned about my blood loss. Luckily I was fine. I did get a 2nd degree posterior tear when the shoulders came out though.

Once Addison arrived they did all her tests in the room right beside me. Then once they were finished they gave her to me and I was able to nurse her and spend about 40 minutes with her. They then took her to the nursery and gave her a bath. Once she was in the nursery they took her temperature and it was 101.6. They ran blood tests and she had an elevated white blood cell count so they thought she had an infection. They kept asking me if I tested positive for the Group B strep and I said no, I tested negative. I had about 3 nurses and two doctors ask me this. So once I was moved to a postpartum room I wasn't able to see her again for several hours until they had her fever down. Brian then went to the nursery to check on her and they released her to come to our room. The doctor ordered two antibiotics. They put an IV in her foot that lasted a day then it came out of the vein so they put another in her hand...poor little girl :-( So the doctors said we couldn't be discharged until her 48 hr culture came back negative, which thankfully it did. So basically now they are saying she didn't have an infection and the antibiotics were precautionary. They did more tests the day we left and we'll get the results Tuesday when we see the pediatrician. They say though that she's very healthy and active and they don't for see any problems.