A few firsts...

As sad as it was, we had Kaydence start sleeping in her crib two nights ago. We have had her in our room in the pack-n-play since we brought her home. But I haven't been able to get much sleep with her in there because she is such a noisy sleeper. I started putting her down for a couple naps during the day in her crib to see how it went and it seemed to work out well, so we went for it and moved her to the nursery. I still don't sleep great because I hear her through the monitor, but it is a little better. She still sleeps a lot during the day, but we've managed to get her to sleep 5 hours through the night. Although, last night she woke up after 3 hours. I'm hoping tonight we'll get a 5 hour stretch again.



Our pediatrician suggested introducing a bottle sooner than later, so we did last night. She obviously had no problem adjusting because she sucked the whole thing down in 5 minutes. The plan is to give her one bottle a day and Teirney will give it to her in the evening. She had another bottle tonight and did just great. It's nice to know she will take one if needed.



Kaydence loves to suck her paci, but the other day she got a hold of her two fingers and it was just too cute. She hasn't been able to find them since, but I would be happy if she did because she keeps on losing her paci and insists on having it be put back in (even in the middle of the night).

I took Kaydence to the chiropractor today. She said she was very tense and wants her to come back on Monday. She didn't like it very much and has been fussy all day today (the most she has ever been). I told the chiropractor that she doesn't cry very often and she said "well, don't be surprised if she cries more now after being adjusted." I was thinking "great, I wouldn't have taken her to be adjusted then." No, not really, but she has been much more uncomfortable today than she is usually and I don't like to see her that way. I'm hoping it is short lived.

My darling little one is needing me, so I must go.

Kaydence's First Bath

Kaydence's umbilical cord finally fell off the other day. Well, it had fallen off a week or so ago, but there was still a piece hanging on when we went to our last doctor appointment so the pediatrician pulled it off and it was bleeding a little. We had to wait until that dried up before we could give her a bath. We were finally able to give her a bath two nights ago. I was a little nervous wondering how she would do, but she LOVED it! She was even cooing -- it was so sweet! My sister, Jackie, was here and helped me hold her up in the bath. It's definitely a two person job -- daddy was too busy videotaping. We're going to give her another bath tonight.

Here is a the video of the momentous occasion. Enjoy! :-)

Daddy's Little Monkey

These are some pictures we took today of our little cutie.

Kaydence is getting stronger and stronger. She is already starting to lift her head on her own. I can't believe she is 2 weeks old today. I want her to grow healthy and strong, but just not too fast. I want to cherish every moment right now and I'm not sure I'm doing a very good job of that.

We took another walk today -- the fresh air was so nice. We're still struggling a little with breastfeeding, but hopefully it will get better for both of us soon. She seems to be having more gas, which makes her cry. It's so sad. I might need to get some gas drops for her. We got a couple random smiles from her the past couple days, but most likely because of the gas. Nonetheless, it's so cute to see her smile.

This is a short but sweet post -- I just wanted to post some pictures.

Due Date/St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday was my due date. It was strange to think that if I had an uncomplicated pregnancy, Kaydence may not even be here yet. I'm so thankful she came into the world when she did.

Kaydence had an adorable little outfit that she wore yesterday in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Below is one of the only pictures we have of her in it with her daddy. Unfortunately, shortly after the photo was taken, we put her in her carseat to take her to her doctor appointment and she spit up all over her adorable little outfit. Teirney actually made the comment as we were getting her dressed that she'll probably spit up all over it. So she got to sport the little dress for a total of 10 minutes -- never to be worn by her again. So sad. At least I had another green outfit I was able to put on her.

As I mentioned, Kaydence had to go to the doctor yesterday for another weight check. We were pleasantly surprised when the nurse said she weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. That meant she gained 10 ounces in 6 days. I was so worried that she wasn't getting enough to eat, but I guess her weight gain proved me wrong. The Pediatrician said that was excellent and would expect a weight gain like that in 2 weeks, not 6 days. She said Kaydence is doing great and we could try to go 5 hours between feedings during the night. She did great last night, we'll see how she does tonight. I have this feeling that since we have the "go ahead" to go 5 hours between feedings, our sweet little girl may not be so willing. I hope she proves me wrong.

Kaydence seems to be nursing better yesterday and today. Probably because her mama is more relaxed since her weight check went so well yesterday. She still drinks way too fast and chokes herself and then gets the hiccups, but hopefully she will learn soon. She is also more alert and a little less sleepy these days. We noticed she is getting stronger too -- she is starting to hold her head up on her own. I was giving her a sponge bath today and put her on her tummy to wash her back (which she didn't like so much) and she lifted her head, put her legs in a bent crawling position and started making crawling movements. She didn't go anywhere of course, but she looked like she could have if she just had a little more strength. It was amazing -- my mom was my witness. I think we may have an overachiever on our hands.

We actually got to go for our first walk with Kaydence yesterday. It was a beautiful day here -- 65 degrees. We walked to Alterra and then around our neighborhood. It was so good to get out and get some fresh air and Kaydence slept through it all.

I'm a little overwhelmed with how fast our little one is growing already. I just don't want her to grow up too fast -- I'm trying to enjoy every moment.

We love you, Kaydence, and hope you sleep well for mommy and daddy tonight.

Here are some pictures from this last week.

Kaydence's Birth Story

Our beautiful little angel baby, Kaydence Selah, made her debut on March 7, 2009 at 11:18 a.m. She was 6 lbs. and 19 in. long. Our hearts are overwhelmed with love for her -- she is perfect in every way. For those of you who want all the details, here is Kaydence's birth story.

On Friday, March 6, I had a NST, growth ultrasound, and appointment with my midwife due to my high blood pressure and protein in my urine. Since my mom was staying with me, she came with Teirney and I to the appointment and was able to go to the growth ultrasound, which was fun. The NST and ultrasound went fine and everything looked good. Kaydence was estimated to be 6 lbs. 4 oz. However, there were a couple of issues. The midwife said the ultrasound was showing that Kaydence's growth was starting to slow down and my blood pressure was up (180/95), which of course we all knew what that meant. It did go down a little as they monitored it during the NST, but not enough to give me a ticket out of there. The midwife said I had mild Preeclampsia and there was no sense in waiting for things to get worse before they induced me. So she sent me to Labor and Delivery right away.

Fortunately, the night before I had started to mentally prepare myself for the fact that I could be induced when I went in for my appointment on Friday. I made sure my bag was fully packed and did a little cleaning "just in case."

After I settled into my room in Labor and Delivery, they hooked me up to an IV. Because of the Preeclampsia, I had to get an IV with Magnesium Sulfate to lower my blood pressure. The initial affects makes you extremely hot and sick feeling, so the nurses kept cooling me down with ice cold washcloths. After about 20 minutes the feeling subsides, but I sort of felt out of it from there on out.

At 4:30 in the afternoon, they inserted the first dose of Cytotech and I would receive another dose every 4 hours until 5:30 the next morning when they would start the Pitocin. But fortunately for me, the Cytotech did its job and I did not need Pitocin because my water broke on its own and I started getting stronger contractions.

My wonderful husband documented my progress from there, which is listed below.

3:30 a.m. - water broke -- contractions started pretty steady
6:00 a.m. - more than 1 cm dilated
8:00 a.m. – 5.5 cm dilated, contractions strong and frequent -- epidural requested
8:20 a.m. – epidural
8:45 a.m. – 8 cm nurse called the midwife in
9:00 a.m. – Leah’s parents arrive -- midwife arrives
10:00 a.m. – started pushing
11:18 a.m. – birth

I am so grateful I did not need the Pitocin. It was exactly the kind of birth I wanted -- very quiet and peaceful. Teirney had music playing in the background and there was no screaming involved. I have to say, it was definitely not as bad as what I had anticipated. It was a wonderful birth experience. Although, I could do without the Magnesium Sulfate next time -- that stuff really messed with me and there is a lot I don't remember, which is disappointing.

Kaydence came bounding into the world at 11:18 a.m. on March 7, 2009. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, but the midwife was able to easily remove it before she came out and said that just means she likes jewelry because she came out wearing a "necklace." She scored 8, 9 on her apgars.

We came home from the hospital on Monday. I was so glad to leave the hospital because with the Preeclampsia, the nurses don't stop bugging you. They came into my room every hour to collect my urine and take blood. So needless to say, Teirney and I didn't get much sleep in the hospital, but that hasn't really changed a whole lot since being home. Although, I do need to give our sweet baby girl credit for being such a good sleeper (for now at least) because we are able to sleep when she sleeps, which is whenever she's not eating.

I feel like a human cow. I feed Kaydence every 3 or so hours. Breastfeeding has been a challenge because it takes her about an hour to get in 20-25 minutes of actual sucking time. So by the time I'm done, I feel like I have to start all over again. She sleeps like a rock and I have the hardest time waking her up and then keeping her awake during feedings, which has caused many tears to flow from her mommy. It seems we've tried everything and nothing works. We get her naked, change her diaper before and in the middle of feedings to try and wake her up, tickle her, and I've even used a cold washcloth on her during feedings to try and wake her up (poor thing...such a mean mommy I am). I'm not giving up, but it is definitely a struggle right now. She is a fantastic sleeper, which is nice when we want to sleep, but I want to make sure she is getting enough to eat too. I'm hoping it will get better -- its been emotionally draining.

On a positive note, Kaydence had her first appointment with the pediatrician on Wednesday and she gained 3 ounces since leaving the hospital. When she left the hospital on Monday, she weighed 5 lbs. 12 oz. and at her appointment on Wednesday she was 5 lbs. 14 oz. Since I was concerned about Kaydence's eating pattern, the pediatrician asked us to come back on Thursday for another weight check. When they weighed her on Thursday, she weighed 5 lbs. 15 oz. -- she gained an ounce since the day before. So that was very encouraging. I'm hoping it will continue throughout the week. Her next appointment is on Tuesday, March 17 (her original due date and St. Patrick's Day).

We love our little family of three and already can't imagine our lives without her. Teirney and I are loving being a mommy and daddy. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving husband who has been my sanity. He has done nothing but bend over backward trying to help in any and every way he can. I love him so much! He is such a good little daddy and Kaydence loves him very much too.

Well, signing off for now. I will try to post more soon so you can all watch Kaydence grow.

Week 38: "Leek"

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.) (http://www.babycenter.com/)

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It's hard to believe we've made it this far and Bebita will be here before we know it. Here is my 38 week belly pic.

I went in for a NST today and everything still looked good as far as the baby is concerned. However, my 24-hour urine test came back with a higher level of protein in it than the test last week. The level of protein in the urine for Preeclampsia concern is 350. Last week, my test result was 150 and today it was 390. BUT, my blood pressure was down to 124/80, so that was much better. It seems like it's either one or the other -- either my blood pressure is high, or I have more protein in my urine. If my blood pressure had been high today and the NST showed any signs that the baby was in distress, they would have definitely induced me today. It seems like I keep escaping inducement by some miracle. The midwife said the bedrest is probably the only thing keeping my blood pressure down, so I remain stationed on the couch.

I go back on Friday for another NST and growth ultrasound. There is a chance that if my blood pressure is elevated on Friday, they would induce me then. But my midwife called tonight to tell me she scheduled my induction for Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m., so that's the day if it doesn't happen before then. Woohoo!!! Bebita will be here by next week!!! It's so surreal and really hard for me to even grasp, but we're very excited and can't wait to meet our sweet little girl.

I also had an internal today, but I'm still not dialated at all yet. :-( My midwife told me to drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea four times a day and take 2 capsules of Evening Primrose Oil to help move things along. I'm really hoping it works. I've been having contractions all night tonight, but probably because of the internal. I just hope they're actually doing something. I'll post again after my appointment on Friday.