Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Ellyanna's first illness
Our sweet baby is sick :( She has an ear infection. I think it's been coming on for awhile. About a week ago after her bath I noticed lots of earwax in her ear. Then again a few days ago it happened again. Along with the earwax I noticed a bad smell around her ears. It was giving me a complex because I thought maybe I wasn't cleaning her as well as she needed. There are so many creases on her little body that sometimes I get her out of the bath and realize she's still dirty behind her knees, toes, fingers, neck, ears, etc...
I think it was Friday evening when Sam came home he took Ellyanna from me and she just started screaming. It took both of us back because we'd never heard her scream like that. For some reason every time Sam took her she would scream and cry until she was choking herself. That night it took a long time to get her to sleep and she woke up through the night crying a lot. Then Saturday morning we noticed that every time we touched her right ear she would start crying. We started wondering if it could be an infection, but she was still so pleasant as long as that ear wasn't touched.
Saturday evening we went to a friend's birthday party. She was so great all evening, but still didn't seem to feel as good as usual. We got home really late that night and it was almost 1:00am before we got to sleep. Again she was up through the night crying. We didn't make it to church Sunday morning because by the time I got us back to sleep we ended up sleeping late. Still when she got up she was very pleasant and happy as long as we didn't touch her ear.
That afternoon, she seemed fine so we drove to Barenhohle (Bear's Cave), which is just an hour from here. We had a nice afternoon there and Ellyanna seemed fine, but that evening she cried alot again and was up through the night. Needless to say I didn't drag her to the gym with us this morning, but we took her to the doctor's mid-morning. Thankfully, they have walk-in hours on Monday because we didn't have an appointment. Once again, we were very glad to have private insurance over here because there were probably 20 people ahead of us, but we were called in ahead of them all. After being over here I am even more opposed to socialized medicine. The German's we've talked too don't seem to like it and from our experience they take a backseat to someone who has private insurance.
It didn't take Dr. Becker but a minute to see she had an ear infection. She really cried when he had to look in her ear. I hate hearing her cry. It just breaks my heart. He said she definitely has an ear infection and needs to be on antibiotics. I'm sure this is just the first of many illnesses Ellyanna will have, but it's so sad to see our baby sick. She such a little trooper though. She's still been so pleasant through it all. Maybe wanting to be held a little more than usual, but just so sweet. So now she's had her medicine and she's taking her nap. I hope she starts feeling better soon.
While we were at the Apotheke getting her medicine Sam asked if they had anything for her dry skin. She has had dry skin from birth and I've tried everything I could think of. I've tried baby oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, Aveno baby lotion, Vaseline, oil in her bath water, lotion from the doctor, even the belly butter I used while pregnant...nothing seems to really help. The pharmacist recommended a different type of oil that's used alot over here, so I'll try that now and hope it helps.
Last blog I think I mentioned that Ellyanna had found her thumb. Well, that has now switched to her two fingers. I'm happy about this for a couple of reasons. One is she's determined to suck either her thumb or fingers and I think the fingers would do less damage to her teeth in the long run. The other reason is sentimental - I used to suck my two fingers, so I guess I think it's cute that she does now. Every so often she still gets her thumb in there, but more and more she's sucking on her two fingers. She's so cute!
I think it was Friday evening when Sam came home he took Ellyanna from me and she just started screaming. It took both of us back because we'd never heard her scream like that. For some reason every time Sam took her she would scream and cry until she was choking herself. That night it took a long time to get her to sleep and she woke up through the night crying a lot. Then Saturday morning we noticed that every time we touched her right ear she would start crying. We started wondering if it could be an infection, but she was still so pleasant as long as that ear wasn't touched.
Saturday evening we went to a friend's birthday party. She was so great all evening, but still didn't seem to feel as good as usual. We got home really late that night and it was almost 1:00am before we got to sleep. Again she was up through the night crying. We didn't make it to church Sunday morning because by the time I got us back to sleep we ended up sleeping late. Still when she got up she was very pleasant and happy as long as we didn't touch her ear.
That afternoon, she seemed fine so we drove to Barenhohle (Bear's Cave), which is just an hour from here. We had a nice afternoon there and Ellyanna seemed fine, but that evening she cried alot again and was up through the night. Needless to say I didn't drag her to the gym with us this morning, but we took her to the doctor's mid-morning. Thankfully, they have walk-in hours on Monday because we didn't have an appointment. Once again, we were very glad to have private insurance over here because there were probably 20 people ahead of us, but we were called in ahead of them all. After being over here I am even more opposed to socialized medicine. The German's we've talked too don't seem to like it and from our experience they take a backseat to someone who has private insurance.
It didn't take Dr. Becker but a minute to see she had an ear infection. She really cried when he had to look in her ear. I hate hearing her cry. It just breaks my heart. He said she definitely has an ear infection and needs to be on antibiotics. I'm sure this is just the first of many illnesses Ellyanna will have, but it's so sad to see our baby sick. She such a little trooper though. She's still been so pleasant through it all. Maybe wanting to be held a little more than usual, but just so sweet. So now she's had her medicine and she's taking her nap. I hope she starts feeling better soon.
While we were at the Apotheke getting her medicine Sam asked if they had anything for her dry skin. She has had dry skin from birth and I've tried everything I could think of. I've tried baby oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, Aveno baby lotion, Vaseline, oil in her bath water, lotion from the doctor, even the belly butter I used while pregnant...nothing seems to really help. The pharmacist recommended a different type of oil that's used alot over here, so I'll try that now and hope it helps.
Last blog I think I mentioned that Ellyanna had found her thumb. Well, that has now switched to her two fingers. I'm happy about this for a couple of reasons. One is she's determined to suck either her thumb or fingers and I think the fingers would do less damage to her teeth in the long run. The other reason is sentimental - I used to suck my two fingers, so I guess I think it's cute that she does now. Every so often she still gets her thumb in there, but more and more she's sucking on her two fingers. She's so cute!
She found those two fingers! It just dawned on me that we didn't get her weighed when we were at the doctor's office again. I'm so curious to know how much she weighs now. When she's sleeping especially it feels like I'm picking up a little brick - all that dead weight. All of her little rolls are so cute though.
On our way out to the cave yesterday it was again made abundantly clear to us that we are, in fact, living in Europe. It was a beautiful day. Sun was shining so bright and it was just the perfect temperature. We were driving along and had just passed the Neckar River and off to the side of the road in a field were hundreds of people. We glanced at them casually, then quickly did a double take. We were both a little shocked when we realized that most of them were completely naked. Yes, alongside the road there were hundreds of people sunbathing naked. Unbelievable! In case you're wondering...I did NOT get a picture to put on the blog, even though Sam did suggest it :)
Last week (Thursday) I left our house in the morning to run out to the commissary. When I left I noticed the road crews were starting to work on the road that runs directly in front of our house. They are going to be repaving it. When I was coming home around 11:00, the road was completely closed off. I didn't know what to do. I had a trunk full of groceries and Ellyanna. I didn't know how to get it all to the house, so I called Sam. I love having a husband that I can depend on :) I picked him up at Kelley Barracks and he came home over his lunch to help me get everything in from the car. We had to park down the street and couldn't get near the house.
So, at this point we're still having to park down the street. It's a bit of a pain with having Ellyanna and all her paraphernalia to carry to and from the car every time. We're hoping they do it section by section and pave as they go. Otherwise we will have no access to our drive until the end of September perhaps.
Well, that's about all that's happening here. Here are some recent pictures -
Ellyanna is very interested in the TV. She really stares at it.
Watching the news with Daddy.
Sam and Ellyanna at the entrance to the cave
Human remains that were found in the cave.
Inside one of the caverns
Water droplets on the ceiling of the cave
A bear skeleton found in the cave
Sam and Ellyanna in front of the kids section called Dream Land
Ellyanna enjoying the ride in her stroller
Spending time with Daddy
I propped her on the couch with me while folding laundry
I guess it bored her to sleep
Sam and Ellyanna at the end of our driveway
Looking down our street
Walking back to our house
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Ellyanna's first shots and other random updates
I just realized that yesterday was an anniversary of sorts. It has been 3 years since I started this blog. It's hard to believe it's been that long since I started what amounts to my online journal. It's been fun though and I've really enjoyed keeping my family and friends up to date with our lives. I think it's even more important now that we have a child. This is an easy way to keep everyone informed.
Friday we took Ellyanna for her first round of immunizations. I didn't want to do that to her, but know it's in her best interest. Something that I found interesting is that we had to buy her immunization shots at the Apotheke and take them with us to her doctor's appointment. We thought that was a little odd. Anyhow, she did really well with the two shots. I was prepared for alot of crying, but she was so brave. She cried just a little which broke my heart, but quit as soon as I picked her up again. She's such a great baby. Before we left for the doctor appointment I gave her some Tylenol. Later that evening we noticed she was fevered, so I gave her more Tylenol throughout the evening. She wasn't really fussy, just very hot. We have to go back for another round of shots in 4 weeks then another round 4 weeks after that. That will be it for shots until she's one year old.
Saturday we were invited to go to a pig roast out at the Army airfield. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it though because of how Ellyanna was feeling Friday evening. But Saturday morning she seemed much better and back to normal, so we decided to go. The weather was a little chilly and rainy, but we were going to be inside a hanger, so that didn't concern me too much. We really enjoyed ourselves and ate too much. Ellyanna had taken a 3 hour nap before we left and then she slept the entire time we were there. By the time we got home at about 7:00pm, we realized she was getting a fever again. She just wanted to sleep all that evening and she ended up fussing most of the night so we decided not to go to church this morning. We don't like to miss church, but sometimes it happens.
Last Monday we finally made it back to the gym. It felt so good to work out again. We'll see how long it works, but we just took Ellyanna in with us. They have a family cardio room, so she slept in her car seat in that section while I did cardio for an hour. Other days Sam and I will switch so I can go in the weight room too. Hopefully this works for some time. I'm sure at some point we'll have to figure something else out, but I was really happy that it worked so well.
Ellyanna has been desperately trying to find her thumb to suck on. I've been working just as hard at keeping it from her. I pop in the pacifier if I see her wanting to suck. My theory is that it's much easier to lose a binky than to break a child from sucking their thumb. I think I'm fighting a losing battle though. The other day I found her in the car seat with the thumb in her mouth. Even though I'm trying to keep it from her it is awful cute. She hasn't learned yet to fold her other fingers into a fist, so her hand is spread across her face with just the thumb in her mouth. This evening we went out for a walk and she was in her stroller. Along the way she managed to get her thumb in her mouth again and it put her right to sleep. Before she dropped off to sleep she had us laughing because every time we would go over cobblestones she would let out this giggle. I guess it tickled her stomach, but it was really cute.
I've so been enjoying Ellyanna these last couple of weeks. She's interacting so much and is full of smiles. Just last week she figured out how to squeal, so we've been having fun with that. I love it when she first sees me after taking a nap because she tries to focus and then you see it dawn on her who I am and she just gets so excited. She also loves standing. Even when she was just a couple of weeks old she would push her feet against our arm or lap to stand. So she thinks it's pretty great when we hold her up to stand.
Our sweet baby is losing some of her hair these days. Sam says it's looking like an Adolf Hitler cut;) She's lost some on the sides of her head, so she's a little bald above her ears. I was looking back at her newborn pictures and realized how much darker and thicker it was at that time. I know it's normal for babies to lose some hair so I'm not too concerned. It'll be fun when it gets a little longer though and I can actually do something with it.
I'm still planning to get tickets back to Alaska this fall. They are so expensive right now though, so I've been putting it off. We're still waiting on Ellyanna's passport anyhow. We want to get back into travelling, but again we have to wait to have her passport in hand before we leave Germany. There are still so many places for us to see in Europe.
Well, I think that's about it on this end. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.
Sleeping on the couch. I just love this jumper (Thanks Kristy!)
Gabby loves sleeping in Ellyanna's bassinet. Poor baby doesn't like it when I tell her to get out.
Wesley came over one day and Ellyanna was really talking to her. So Cute!
Spending time with Daddy at the computer
My baby's getting so big!!
Waiting for us to come to bed one night proved to be too much. I guess we took too long.
She couldn't stay awake any longer
This was the first time I bathed her in the big tub. She wasn't sure what to think of all that water around her.
Still trying to figure it out
Out of the tub and all wrapped up
Our silly girl! (Look at those rolls on her arms :)
Friday we took Ellyanna for her first round of immunizations. I didn't want to do that to her, but know it's in her best interest. Something that I found interesting is that we had to buy her immunization shots at the Apotheke and take them with us to her doctor's appointment. We thought that was a little odd. Anyhow, she did really well with the two shots. I was prepared for alot of crying, but she was so brave. She cried just a little which broke my heart, but quit as soon as I picked her up again. She's such a great baby. Before we left for the doctor appointment I gave her some Tylenol. Later that evening we noticed she was fevered, so I gave her more Tylenol throughout the evening. She wasn't really fussy, just very hot. We have to go back for another round of shots in 4 weeks then another round 4 weeks after that. That will be it for shots until she's one year old.
Saturday we were invited to go to a pig roast out at the Army airfield. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it though because of how Ellyanna was feeling Friday evening. But Saturday morning she seemed much better and back to normal, so we decided to go. The weather was a little chilly and rainy, but we were going to be inside a hanger, so that didn't concern me too much. We really enjoyed ourselves and ate too much. Ellyanna had taken a 3 hour nap before we left and then she slept the entire time we were there. By the time we got home at about 7:00pm, we realized she was getting a fever again. She just wanted to sleep all that evening and she ended up fussing most of the night so we decided not to go to church this morning. We don't like to miss church, but sometimes it happens.
Last Monday we finally made it back to the gym. It felt so good to work out again. We'll see how long it works, but we just took Ellyanna in with us. They have a family cardio room, so she slept in her car seat in that section while I did cardio for an hour. Other days Sam and I will switch so I can go in the weight room too. Hopefully this works for some time. I'm sure at some point we'll have to figure something else out, but I was really happy that it worked so well.
Ellyanna has been desperately trying to find her thumb to suck on. I've been working just as hard at keeping it from her. I pop in the pacifier if I see her wanting to suck. My theory is that it's much easier to lose a binky than to break a child from sucking their thumb. I think I'm fighting a losing battle though. The other day I found her in the car seat with the thumb in her mouth. Even though I'm trying to keep it from her it is awful cute. She hasn't learned yet to fold her other fingers into a fist, so her hand is spread across her face with just the thumb in her mouth. This evening we went out for a walk and she was in her stroller. Along the way she managed to get her thumb in her mouth again and it put her right to sleep. Before she dropped off to sleep she had us laughing because every time we would go over cobblestones she would let out this giggle. I guess it tickled her stomach, but it was really cute.
I've so been enjoying Ellyanna these last couple of weeks. She's interacting so much and is full of smiles. Just last week she figured out how to squeal, so we've been having fun with that. I love it when she first sees me after taking a nap because she tries to focus and then you see it dawn on her who I am and she just gets so excited. She also loves standing. Even when she was just a couple of weeks old she would push her feet against our arm or lap to stand. So she thinks it's pretty great when we hold her up to stand.
Our sweet baby is losing some of her hair these days. Sam says it's looking like an Adolf Hitler cut;) She's lost some on the sides of her head, so she's a little bald above her ears. I was looking back at her newborn pictures and realized how much darker and thicker it was at that time. I know it's normal for babies to lose some hair so I'm not too concerned. It'll be fun when it gets a little longer though and I can actually do something with it.
I'm still planning to get tickets back to Alaska this fall. They are so expensive right now though, so I've been putting it off. We're still waiting on Ellyanna's passport anyhow. We want to get back into travelling, but again we have to wait to have her passport in hand before we leave Germany. There are still so many places for us to see in Europe.
Well, I think that's about it on this end. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks.
Sleeping on the couch. I just love this jumper (Thanks Kristy!)
Gabby loves sleeping in Ellyanna's bassinet. Poor baby doesn't like it when I tell her to get out.
Wesley came over one day and Ellyanna was really talking to her. So Cute!
Spending time with Daddy at the computer
My baby's getting so big!!
Waiting for us to come to bed one night proved to be too much. I guess we took too long.
She couldn't stay awake any longer
This was the first time I bathed her in the big tub. She wasn't sure what to think of all that water around her.
Still trying to figure it out
Out of the tub and all wrapped up
Our silly girl! (Look at those rolls on her arms :)
How else do you get the baby and the clothes basket up the stairs??
This was on the way to the doctor's office to get her first immunization shots. She finally managed to get that thumb in her mouth. She's really been working at it and Mama's been working at keeping it out.
Enjoying her new play mat....so much to look at!
Both of our babies :)
Sucking on her finger when she couldn't get the thumb in.
Sitting with Mama after eating last night
I've never posted a video before so this may not work, but thought I would see. This was just this evening when we got back from our walk. Ellyanna was really working at sucking on her finger.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Our 4th of July
Living overseas like we do, it's really nice to have the military bases where we can be with other Americans. Patch Barracks was having a July 4th celebration and for once, Sam didn't have to work, so we waited until evening and packed up to go celebrate Independence Day with our fellow Americans.
The weather's been so hot that we didn't want to be out in it all day and we wanted to watch the fireworks which weren't scheduled to go off until 11:00, so going just for the evening worked really well.
At this point with Ellyanna it's a balancing act of when to nurse her so I have a few hours free to do what we want. To hold her through until after the fireworks we walked over to Sam's office so I could get her fed and changed and ready for the rest of the evening.
She is getting so cute as of late. She's discovering that her voice can make different sounds so she's experimenting with that. Also, she's quick to give a smile, especially when she's just waking up or thinks she's going to get fed. We actually heard her first laugh Saturday night. We got home late from watching the fireworks and were finally in bed. I had just fed her and was burping her. She was on the verge of sleeping and out of nowhere this adorable laugh bubbled up out of her. It was the cutest thing. It really tickled me to hear her laugh. Every day it seems she gets more animated and it's so fun to watch.
Anyhow, here are just a couple of pictures from our evening -
The weather's been so hot that we didn't want to be out in it all day and we wanted to watch the fireworks which weren't scheduled to go off until 11:00, so going just for the evening worked really well.
At this point with Ellyanna it's a balancing act of when to nurse her so I have a few hours free to do what we want. To hold her through until after the fireworks we walked over to Sam's office so I could get her fed and changed and ready for the rest of the evening.
She is getting so cute as of late. She's discovering that her voice can make different sounds so she's experimenting with that. Also, she's quick to give a smile, especially when she's just waking up or thinks she's going to get fed. We actually heard her first laugh Saturday night. We got home late from watching the fireworks and were finally in bed. I had just fed her and was burping her. She was on the verge of sleeping and out of nowhere this adorable laugh bubbled up out of her. It was the cutest thing. It really tickled me to hear her laugh. Every day it seems she gets more animated and it's so fun to watch.
Anyhow, here are just a couple of pictures from our evening -
Our little firecracker
Me and Ellyanna out at Patch Barracks
Friday, July 03, 2009
Baby accomplishments and company
I am so proud of our little girl. Various things that I've worried about since she was born have just worked themselves out. I was worried about how I was going to get her to sleep in her own bed, but when it felt right I swaddled her and put her in the co-sleeper and she just went to sleep. She has been regularly sleeping 5 hours straight at night. She wakes up for a feeding then goes back to sleep for another 3 hours. She fusses some, but eventually goes to sleep. It's just been working so great .
Another thing I've been fretting about is getting her to take naps. It seemed like every time I lay her down she wakes up and is not getting any real sleep through the day unless I'm holding her. The only place she sleeps at all is on the couch. As I've said before I want to get her taking naps in her crib so I can get some things done while she's asleep and I don't have to worry about her rolling off the couch.
Well, yesterday I knew I was going to be very busy. We had friends coming over in the evening and I needed to get the house cleaned up. So, when she started getting sleepy mid-morning I took her to the nursery, fed her, swaddled her and laid her in the crib. She slept for 3 1/2 hours in her crib! It's been really hot lately, so I put a fan in there, turned her lullabies on quietly and she really slept. I have the baby monitor so I can hear her if she starts crying. I just couldn't believe how easily she went down.
I attribute her sleeping on her own to being swaddled. I've become a real believer in swaddling. It almost seems cruel to me because she squirms and grunts trying to get her arms out, but once she goes to sleep it helps her stay asleep. If she's not swaddled she constantly wakes herself us with throwing her arms around. Mom kept telling me I should try swaddling her. Once again - Mom knows best. I should have tried it a long time ago, but felt bad about binding her.
Sam, Heide, Ellyanna and me
Sam, Heide, Jerry and Ellyanna
Heide had a Grandma's touch. She would hold Ellyanna and put her right to sleep.
Another thing I've been fretting about is getting her to take naps. It seemed like every time I lay her down she wakes up and is not getting any real sleep through the day unless I'm holding her. The only place she sleeps at all is on the couch. As I've said before I want to get her taking naps in her crib so I can get some things done while she's asleep and I don't have to worry about her rolling off the couch.
Well, yesterday I knew I was going to be very busy. We had friends coming over in the evening and I needed to get the house cleaned up. So, when she started getting sleepy mid-morning I took her to the nursery, fed her, swaddled her and laid her in the crib. She slept for 3 1/2 hours in her crib! It's been really hot lately, so I put a fan in there, turned her lullabies on quietly and she really slept. I have the baby monitor so I can hear her if she starts crying. I just couldn't believe how easily she went down.
I attribute her sleeping on her own to being swaddled. I've become a real believer in swaddling. It almost seems cruel to me because she squirms and grunts trying to get her arms out, but once she goes to sleep it helps her stay asleep. If she's not swaddled she constantly wakes herself us with throwing her arms around. Mom kept telling me I should try swaddling her. Once again - Mom knows best. I should have tried it a long time ago, but felt bad about binding her.
My little burrito - all wrapped up
This morning again I put her to sleep in her crib and she's been sleeping now for 2 1/2 hours. I know she'll be waking up soon though because she was so tired that she wouldn't nurse before I laid her down. I love being able to put her in her crib and have just a little while to get other things done - like blogging :)
We finally have curtains up in our house. I won't say they are my favorite, but I'm really happy just to have the windows finished. It's been a pain getting them finished here in Germany. It's been hot so we've had the rolladens down to help keep the heat out, but once it cools off it's nice to be able to open the windows and have privacy from the neighbors.
I mentioned that we were having company over last night. Jerry and Heide are in Germany visiting their family and were able to spend an evening with us as well. It was really nice seeing them again. It's been at least 2 1/2 years since we last saw them. Sam's family has know them many years. I just met then when we were dating. They lived in Hawaii when we were there, but now live in Arizona. Anyhow, we really enjoyed having them over. They are the first of any of our friends from the states to meet Ellyanna. I'm sure they will rub it in to Sam's parents that they met their granddaughter first.
Here are a few pictures from last night-
Sam, Heide, Ellyanna and me
Sam, Heide, Jerry and Ellyanna
Heide had a Grandma's touch. She would hold Ellyanna and put her right to sleep.Well, I hear a little girl squirming around in her crib, so I better go check on her. Until next time...
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Ellyanna's 1st pediatrician appointment
Friday, 26 June
Well, I didn't get to Dr. Van de Castel's yesterday. She had an emergency so my appointment has been changed to Monday. I did, however, go to my appointment with Dr. Schafer. Thankfully, both kidneys look great. Since we have to wait until I'm finished breast feeding Ellyanna before he can do the more in depth test he wants me to come back every 6 months for ultrasounds. I really don't think there is anything to be concerned about, but just to be safe I probably will.
At the New Parent Support group on Wednesday some of us Moms (that still sounds funny to refer to myself as a "Mom") were talking about how much our babies weighed. I've been really curious about how much Ellyanna is weighing these days so we went over to the WIC office and used their scale. Our little girl, with clothes and diaper on, weighed a whopping 12lbs, 6ozs! We have a little chunky monkey on our hands!
Tuesday, 30 June
Several days have passed and I'm just getting back to this post. I was just reading back to what I wrote about how big Ellyanna's getting. This was made abundantly clear last night when I realized she's actually growing out of some of her 0-3 month clothes. For the first time I put a 3-6 month tee shirt on her. I think I'm going to have to move up a size for her sleepers too. It's a shame that her 0-3 month clothes were barely used. I'll hold on to them in case we have another little one in the future. She's only 7 weeks old, so I really didn't expect her to grow out of her clothes so fast. She's a healthy little girl though.
I fall more and more in love with her every day. She's so precious! She's really interacting with us when we talk to her now. When she wants to eat she starts sticking her tongue out. So, Sam was holding her the other evening and she was doing that and he stuck his tongue out at her. She studied him for a moment then broke into this adorable smile. I see why parents make fools of themselves to get a smile out of their child. It's so rewarding to see that sweet little smile.
Well, I didn't get to Dr. Van de Castel's yesterday. She had an emergency so my appointment has been changed to Monday. I did, however, go to my appointment with Dr. Schafer. Thankfully, both kidneys look great. Since we have to wait until I'm finished breast feeding Ellyanna before he can do the more in depth test he wants me to come back every 6 months for ultrasounds. I really don't think there is anything to be concerned about, but just to be safe I probably will.
At the New Parent Support group on Wednesday some of us Moms (that still sounds funny to refer to myself as a "Mom") were talking about how much our babies weighed. I've been really curious about how much Ellyanna is weighing these days so we went over to the WIC office and used their scale. Our little girl, with clothes and diaper on, weighed a whopping 12lbs, 6ozs! We have a little chunky monkey on our hands!
Tuesday, 30 June
Several days have passed and I'm just getting back to this post. I was just reading back to what I wrote about how big Ellyanna's getting. This was made abundantly clear last night when I realized she's actually growing out of some of her 0-3 month clothes. For the first time I put a 3-6 month tee shirt on her. I think I'm going to have to move up a size for her sleepers too. It's a shame that her 0-3 month clothes were barely used. I'll hold on to them in case we have another little one in the future. She's only 7 weeks old, so I really didn't expect her to grow out of her clothes so fast. She's a healthy little girl though.
I fall more and more in love with her every day. She's so precious! She's really interacting with us when we talk to her now. When she wants to eat she starts sticking her tongue out. So, Sam was holding her the other evening and she was doing that and he stuck his tongue out at her. She studied him for a moment then broke into this adorable smile. I see why parents make fools of themselves to get a smile out of their child. It's so rewarding to see that sweet little smile.
Here are a few pictures from this past week -
So sweet...
Hanging out on our bed
Nothing better than sleeping in Mom and Dad's bed
The whole bed to herself :)
Reading the paper with Daddy Wednesday, 1 July
Ok....did it again. I don't seem to make much headway on the blog during the day. Started on it again yesterday and got busy with something else. Oh well, maybe I'll get it posted tonight.
We took Ellyanna to her first pediatrician appointment today. Thankfully, she didn't have to get any shots. We do have to go back in just a couple of weeks for her first set of immunizations though. I don't really like the idea of having her immunized due to all the controversy surrounding the possibility of high rates of autism being linked to certain immunizations. However, since we live so close to the eastern block countries where immunizations are not common we feel it is more necessary to have Ellyanna immunized so she's protected wherever we may travel. We leave the outcome in God's hands and pray that there are no serious problems.
We really liked the doctor and it was so fun to see her being checked over. He did an ultrasound on her hips to ensure they're developing correctly. He checked her all over and declared her to be a very healthy baby. She now weighs 12 lbs, 15 ozs and is 22.4 inches long. Our little girl is growing and growing. It seems like every time I change her diaper I see another little fat roll. It's adorable though. On the growth chart she is just above the high range, but the doctor had no concerns. She's only having breast milk, so she's just a very healthy little girl.
We asked Dr. Becker how long we should watch for signs of Strep B in Ellyanna. When she was born we were told we should be careful until she was 3 months old, but Dr. Becker said the real concern is in the first 6 weeks. Since she is now 7 1/2 weeks old he said there was no reason to be concerned that she might contract it. I'm very thankful for that.
Here are a few pictures -
Ellyanna with Dr. Becker
Having her hips scanned
This has become a nightly ritual. Waiting for us while we get ready for bed.
Waiting patiently...
Still waiting...
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