Peanut Tracker: 8, 9, & 10 Weeks Update- We Wish You A Merry Christmas...And A Happy New Year!

In her Christmas dress

The holidays are a serious time sucker! Between caring for my daughter, cleaning the house, buying and wrapping presents, baking, cooking, hosting guests, and driving back and forth to visit Eric's family, we had an extremely busy three weeks. We had a wonderful time, but I think we will be recovering from the holidays until March!

So let's recap all of the incredible things the peanut experienced over the past few weeks:

8 Weeks:
At this point the peanut is not only smiling when Eric and I are directly in front of her speaking in baby voices, but she smiles on her own and when she spots us across the room! She is still loving tummy time and the big deal I make every time she rolls over. She is comfortable letting me know that if it's daytime it doesn't matter where we are (the car), or what we're doing (driving down the interstate), she WILL NOT go more than 4 hours and 10 minutes without eating. And she is finally enjoying bath time enough that she doesn't want her pacifier at all when she's in the tub.

On Tuesday we had a night out with Malory, Brian, and baby Mackenzie. We went for Mexican food and then to the holiday Festival of Lights event on James Island. Malory and I were itching for a margarita, so we prepared in advance and indulged. It's amazing how these little bundles of cuddles can make us feel guilty for even the smallest of indulgences! I was so paranoid I didn't nurse her again until the next morning (don't worry, we had plenty of bottles ready for her). My peanut slept through the whole evening!

Charlee's first Christmas tree

On Wednesday night we had our first Emergency Room visit. I was making Christmas cookies that required me to crush peanuts. At one point she started crying and I went into the other room to give her a pacifier. A minute or two later she had a strange cry. I went back and picked her up to hear that she was wheezing a little. Then she was sticking out her tongue more than usual. Then, finally, she looked like she was trying to cry but no sound was coming out. I quickly put her down, ran into the bedroom to wake up Eric (which only took "Eric, we need to take her to the ER" and he was flying around the room putting on clothes within seconds), put on shoes, and the three of us were out the door. By the time we got to the ER she was fine, but we stayed to be checked by the doctor anyway. Turns out she is fine and might have a peanut allergy, but it could've been a reaction to something else. The doctor also told us she has eczema which can be a reaction to something I am eating. Great. We did find out that she weighs 13 lbs 6 oz too. At least she doesn't have any trouble nursing!

Our first night out without the baby!

Saturday was a big day for the three of us. My mom and stepdad came to visit and offered to babsit for the evening. I begrudgingly agree to leave my precious baby girl for the evening. After going over every scenario with my mother as if she has never been with a baby before, Eric and I headed out for a romantic dinner downtown. We leisurely ate and drank some champagne while I kept checking my phone to make sure the ringer was on. After dinner and a quick cocktail across the street, we came home to check on the baby and get a ride to a nearby bar (don't drink and drive kiddos!). We ran into a friend of Eric's and decided to spend the evening with his group of friends. We had a great time but I was more than ready to go home and cuddle with the peanut by the end of the night!

Christmas Eve Eve

The next day we packed in our cars and drove to Eric's grandmother's for Christmas Eve Eve. It was wonderful to spend time with his family and mine together! We had great food, lots of laughs, and exchanged gifts. I am so happy we were able to participate in that tradition and I look forward to attending in the years to come!

9 Weeks:

Waiting for Santa

Christmas Eve was a nice, relaxing day at our house. My mom and I found a frame for my family portrait and played with the peanut. We cooked our traditional Christmas Eve hors d'houvres (meatballs, cockatil wieners  cheese and crackers, sausage, chips and dip) and played Canasta until after midnight. Charlee and I put out some milk and cookies for Santa, and then we all went to bed.

The necklace Charlee gave me

Christmas morning we were all up and going by 9am. We made coffee (in our new coffee maker), opened gifts (Charlee made out like a bandit with clothes and toys), and then made breakfast. I absolutely loved the necklace Charlee gave me with her birthstone and my birthstone surrounding it. Eric also loved his Zippo lighter with the engraving "I'm as lucky as can be because the world's best daddy belongs to me" on it. The rest of the day was filled with talking on the phone, playing with the baby, and cooking Christmas dinner.

Christmas Eve 2012

The Christmas festivities continued until Friday when we went back to Eric's parents house for their Christmas celebration. We had more delicious food, played with Charlee and her cousin Kimber, and exchanged gifts. Charlee got the cutest carosel from her Granny and Papa that was engraved. She also got toys, clothes, coins, and a really cute hair bow holder that matches her nursery.

Playing with Auntie Kaite

The next day Katie came to visit for two days. Charlee was a little fussy during the visit, but she seemed to enjoy playing with her Auntie Katie and hearing all of her crazy Peace Corps stories. Katie gave Charlee one of those sliding block toys that you always see in doctors offices. I always wanted my own when I was a kid, so I am so excited that Charlee has her own now

10 Weeks:
Monday was New Years Eve and Eric and I made another trip to his parents house for the night. Granny and Papa were babysitting so that we could ring in the New Year together. Although I was still on edge about leaving my peanut, I wasn't nearly as bad as I was with my mother! Eric and I went to dinner, enjoyed a couple drinks, and had our kiss at midnight. Charlee and Granny had a great time and I only had to FaceTime once the whole evening!

Napping with Granny

On New Years Day we went to Eric's grandmother's for a traditional New Years Day lunch. We had pork jowls, meatloaf, mac-n-cheese, collards, sweet potato casserole, corn, black eyed peas, cornbread, and banana pudding. It was delicious! We watched football and played with the babies (Kip, Kimber, and Charlee) until it was time to head back home.

10 weeks

Charlee had her 2 month appointment on Thursday. She was given one immunization orally and took 3 shots like a champ. She only cried for a couple minutes, but it was enough to make a couple tears fall from my eyes! There is just no way to prepare yourself for hearing your baby's pain cry! Charlee is 14 lbs 6oz and 24 inches long. She is in the 95th (+) percentile for both. The doctor said she isn't worried about her weight because she is so long and most breastfed babies pork up quickly, then taper off and level out after 6 months. The peanuts head is measuring at the 50th percentile. I thought that was funny (you know, big body, little head) until the doctor explained that 50th percentile is a good thing. If she was too small it could mean her brain isn't developing properly and too big could mean she has a more serious condition. So, just like I have always know, she is perfect! I was also told that the blotches on her face aren't eczema but part of her cradle cap. So now we have to use Selson Blue on her head and apply a hydrocortizone cream to the really red marks on her face. She's already looking better (even though the shampoo makes her hair stink).

At this point the peanut is getting to be really interactive. We can put her in her play seat and she reaches for things, she can sit up with very minimal assistance, and loves to smile to get attention. She is playing with toys and likes story time at night. She is even starting to "dance" when her toys play music. The doctor is very impressed with her development and sleep schedule (she called it a "mature sleep schedule"). Now if we can just get her to sleep through the entire night...

Peanut Tracker: 7 Week Update- Smiling, Santa, and Sad Events

Sleepy girl

The 7 week mark was full of exciting moments for our (not so little) peanut. Eric weighed her and she was already over 13 lbs!

She loves her daddy!

On Sunday night she rolled over for the first time! The three of us were in the bedroom and Eric put her on the bed with me. After lying on her belly for a couple minutes, she decided to roll over. We were both shocked! Babies aren't expected to do that until 4 or 5 months! She has had good head control since she was born and has been able to push up her head to a 90 degree angle for a couple weeks. She can also sit up with support. She's been rolling over at almost every tummy time since. Sometimes she just rolls right over, and other times she slows down midway and uses her leg to kick the rest of the way over. When she does that it reminds me of how I got out of bed when I was pregnant. She has also been smiling a lot more and will even smile just from the sound of my voice or seeing my face! I love that smile and could stare at her smiling all day! She mimics my facial expressions and is cooing and trying to laugh too. It's the absolute cutest!

Meeting Santa

On Tuesday we took her to meet Santa for the first time! As most parents are, I was a little nervous that she would be scared of a strange man in a red suit and a long beard. However, she slept through the whole thing. We dressed her up, took her to the mall, took her out of the car seat, fussed with her hair, waited in line, and put her in Santa's arms without a peep. If only next year could be that easy! Tuesday night we also took our family photo for our Christmas cards. Charlee was less cooperative for those pictures and we had to take what we could get. But I'm still glad we took them. You only get one first Christmas as a family.

First family Christmas

Charlee's clingy phase continued into week 7 and it was making things really difficult to get done. I finally went up to the nursery and found the Moby wrap. After struggling with how to tie it on (I lost the instruction manual), I put Charlee in the wrap and walked around the house a little. She went from screaming and crying to sleeping in seconds. She absolutely LOVES the wrap! And I love that I have both hands free and can walk around. I've used it almost every day since. Now I'm looking forward to trying other holds and slings as time goes on.

Outfit my step mom made

I would like to mention the unfortunate and terrifying school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut on December 14. I was at the Post Office mailing our Christmas cards when my mother called and asked if I had heard the news. After turning on CNN I learned of the details of the tragedy. 20 children lost. Their short lives ended way too soon. It's every parents worst nightmare and it happened in a place that both children and parents should feel safe. We may never understand the gunman's motives, but we will always remember the impact these events had on the country. My heart breaks for the victims families and friends. That night I held Charlee a little tighter and said a prayer that we find a solution to violence in our schools.

My smiley baby girl

 On a lighter note, Charlee peed on me this week. She's pooped and peed on me during changings before. That's explainable. But on Sunday night I had changed her and nursed her. When I stood up again, my leg felt wet. I looked down and, sure enough, there was a big warm wet spot there! After laughing it off, I ran to take a shower as quickly as possible. I have officially been initiated into the circle of mom's!

Peanut Tracker: 6 Week Update- Sleepless Nights and Smiley Mornings

I know, I know. The blog is late again. And, honestly, it will probably be a long time before I get it out in a timely manner in the future. It turns out that taking care of a tiny human is time consuming!

My clingy baby 

The 6 week mark was a great time for us. Although we still have a few hurdles to jump, I think Charlee and I are finally getting more comfortable with each other. I can recognize her cries and anticipate her needs, and I'm less terrified that I will break her or to leave her alone in her pack-n-play when I go shower (as long as I have a monitor on). We have been able to get out of the house and do our grocery and Christmas shopping without any real problems. The biggest problem I have during outings is strangers asking me to take the cover off of the car seat so they can stare at her. Sure, it's innocent enough if you aren't a parent, but I have that cover over her to keep germs out and to help her sleep. However, I will usually oblige and let them stare at her...from a distance. Luckily everyone seems to agree that we have an adorable little girl, which helps me get over the initial annoyance when someone asks me to disturb her.

Good morning mommy!

Like I said, we still have some hurdles to jump. Charlee has a pretty serious case of baby acne and a small case of cradle cap. Both are caused by hormones at the end of the pregnancy and there wasn't anything we could do to prevent them. So, I have to find the perfect balance of bathing her to keep her scalp clean and brushed to help with the cradle cap, but not bathing her too much and causing her skin to dry out. She is also going through a very clingy phase. If she's awake, I better be holding her. If I put her down once she falls asleep, she will usually wake up within 10 minutes screaming for me to pick her up. The other night I had to sleep on the couch with her in the rocker and my hand in the rocker on her belly. It was the only compromise I could make. The pediatrician says a lot of babies go through a clingy phase at this age and she should grow out of it by 3 months. So, yeah, no big deal, just another 6 weeks of this...Let's hope she grows out of it sooner!

Another issue that Charlee has right now is a hind milk imbalance. Basically my body is producing way too much breast milk. I have always had an oversupply and a fast let down, which has caused other issues throughout our breastfeeding experience (including her rapid weight gain), but the imbalance just became an issue. And for those of you wondering how I know that she has an imbalance, the evidence was in her poops. That's something us new parents have to do: log, track, and analyze poops and pees. I wish someone would have sat me down and explained just how frustrating breastfeeding would be. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but it's a job. From the pain and frustrations of her learning to latch, and having to syringe feed her because she refused to nurse, to working with a lactation consultant, to pumping because of my over supply, to a fussy baby because of over supply, and now trying to decrease my supply and block feed so she gets hind milk. One side is always engorged and I am constantly in pain. But, the consultant said it should regulate by 3 months, so I'm going to stick with it. I know that I can make it through this!

Daddy daughter nap time!

I also had my 6 week post partum checkup. I have lost 28 lbs and have only 5 more to go to my prepregnancy weight. The incision area is healing "perfectly" (in the words of my doctor), my blood pressure is back to it's usual 110/70, my blood work came back normal, and I was cleared to start moderate excise again (walking and swimming). I had my annual pap smear to make sure I don't have any more cervical cancer issues (I've had 2 scares in the past). To all the new mom's who are reading this: that was the worst experience ever! It was so painful. Being checked for dilation while I was in labor was NOTHING in comparison!

Something that has come out in the media recently that I find interesting is that Princess Kate is pregnant and she has hyperemesis. I think it's great that the condition is finally getting some media coverage because it is so unknown. People thought I was making it up or just being a wuss while I was pregnant. But it really is a serious condition! Hopefully people will finally have some small idea of what I went through for 8 months!

Meeting Auntie Mal and cousin Mack

Charlee finally met her "cousin" Mackenzie this week. Eric and I loaded up the truck and drove to Mount Pleasant to visit my best friend for the first time since the day after she delivered. Mackenzie had grown so much and has a powerful set of lungs on her! We took a few pictures, caught up, swapped new parent and breastfeeding stories, and enjoyed spending time together again for the first time in way too long!

So, I'm basically swamped taking care of home and baby and keep thinking that if I were going back to work I would be going back next week. I can't imagine leaving my precious angel all day! I am so lucky to be able to stay home with her. And even though I spend most of my time in pj's (it's easier for nursing), I did go out and buy some real jeans this week. I was going to wait until my prepregnancy jeans fit because they ALMOST button, but my maternity jeans are starting to fall apart. So now I have a few new outfits for my new mommy body until I can lose some weight for the wedding (which Eric and I have finally started planning). And, to top off the great mood I've been in lately (when I get sleep), Charlee is starting to mimic my expressions and has started smiling more when she's awake. Every time I see that gummy smile my heart melts. I am just so incredibly, ridiculously in love with her!

Peanut Tracker: 4 & 5 Weeks Update- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

It's been a couple weeks since I've been able to update, but it turns out that parenting takes a lot of time out of my day!

Let's start with week 4 of Charlee's life: Thanksgiving week. 

First bottle

I finally caved and let Eric give Charlee her first bottle. And it was amazing! She drank without a problem and I got to sleep! Which was wonderful considering I was very, very sick. Eric had brought some awful virus home and it took a couple days to hit me. But when it did, it was tough. I was sneezing, coughing, and burning a fever. The worst part was that all I wanted to do was really cough but I couldn't because I could tear my stitches. So, I had to hug a pillow and do this half cough/half clear my throat thing. 

First Christmas tree

The week of Thanksgiving we put up the Christmas tree and I finally had my first glass of wine since finding out I was expecting. It was delicious, but I was buzzed from 4 oz for almost 45 minutes. My tolerance is gone and I will be a cheap date until after I'm finished breastfeeding, I suppose!

With cousin Kimber

On Wednesday Eric and I packed up the truck and headed to the pond to spend Thanksgiving with his family. The backseat was so full of baby stuff that my suitcase and the stroller had to go in the truck bed. You don't really realize how much stuff a baby needs until you go out of town with one for an extended weekend. Charlee did great during the trip. She slept the whole way both times! It was great to see everyone holding her (even though I was terrified of her getting sick the whole time) and welcoming her into the family. She "played" with Kip and Kimber and we pulled her around in a wagon. It was great to sit around the fire, eat delicious food, play canasta, and just enjoy time with such a fantastic family. Friday night Charlee even slept for 7 hours and let Eric and I sleep in the bedroom AT THE SAME TIME! It was a holiday miracle! 

The Widener boys and their girls on Thanksgiving

Week 5 was the week Charlee met her Pepere (my father) and uncle Ryan for the first time:

On Sunday Charlee and I went for our first outing that wasn't to a doctor's office. It was a quick trip to Publix, but we did great (especially since it was just me and her). 

Monday was a great day! I found out I was finally paid my short term disability just in time for cyber Monday. So, I did a little shopping. I bought Eric and Charlee a couple Christmas presents and bought a couple things for myself too. It was so great and such a relief to finally have that mess behind me!

Newborn photo

On Tuesday Charlee finally made it through a bath without crying at all! She even seemed to enjoy it. Which is good because I have to bathe her more often because she has cradle cap and I have to wash her hair every other day. After bath time I was notified that her newborn photos were ready! I drove to the photographer to pick them up and create her birth annoucements. I am so happy with how the pictures turned out (especially since she was so cranky while we were taking them).  

Family portrait

Meeting her Pepere and uncle

Thursday was a great day. I went to get my hair done and met Eric and Charlee for lunch. Then I went to get a manicure. It was a MUCH needed mommy day! That night my dad and brother, Ryan, made it to Charleston from Canada. Eric, Charlee, and I met them at the hotel and then went out to dinner. We spent the weekend exploring Charleston, shopping, drinking coffee (that's what Canadians do, lol), and fawning over Charlee. Eric made steaks one night which was the first time I had a medium steak since finding out I was pregnant. It was delicious!

The past few days have been tough for Eric and I. Charlee hasn't been sleeping like before. She is awake a lot during the day, has an extended witching hour (from about 8pm- midnight), and has been really fussy while nursing AND for bottles. These are new issues and I don't know what to do for her. I called the pediatrician and they won't see her because she is gaining weight, doesn't have a fever, and her pees and poops are normal. The most difficult thing to deal with is that she won't let me put her down for more than 15 minutes. The other night I had to sleep on the couch next to her rocker with my hand on her belly so we could both sleep at the same time! People keep telling me it's a phase and I'm really hoping they're right. I think it's time to give the Moby wrap a try...

Peanut Tracker: 3 Week Update- Hot & Cold & In Between

4 weeks old!

3 weeks have flown by and I can't believe my little peanut is already 4 weeks old! I cherish every moment I get to spend with her. Even those moments I want to pull my hair out. And there have been several of those moments this past week!

The week was a week of trial and error! Charlee started having fussy nights and Eric and I were left to try to figure out what was causing her discomfort. On Monday she would cry herself to sleep, sleep for an hour, then wake herself up again. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She kept trying to nurse, so I followed her lead and let her nurse when she wanted. After hours of cluster feeding, rocking her, walking around with her, and bicycling her legs and massaging her tummy for gas, I felt like I was losing it by 9pm. Eric suggested trying gripe water in case it was gas. It was a liquid miracle! After another 30 minutes or so she settled down and didn't give me too many problems the rest of the night.

Loving music and lights on swing

She fussed again all day and night Tuesday, but nothing seemed to help her except holding her and rocking her in the recliner. If I put her down or stopped rocking, she screamed. So, Eric went out and bought her a cradle swing. That was truly a miracle! I put her in the swing  and she slept for almost 4 hours straight!

Bonding with daddy

By Thursday night I was exhausted from keeping up with her all week, so Eric and I decided to try giving her a bottle for the first time. I went to bed and had to fight the urge to come out of the bedroom when she woke up crying and hungry. However, Eric gave her the bottle without a problem. Then he took her for a car ride and she slept for 5 hours! Luckily she didn't have any trouble with nursing after the bottle, so we did that again Friday and Saturday nights so I could get some rest.

She would only sleep in my arms

Eric and I came down with a pretty nasty cold over the weekend. On top of a fussy baby and not being able to sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time (despite the fact that my baby was sleeping 4-5), I was burning a fever and feeling miserable. Thankfully Eric was willing to help out so I got some rest and am now feeling much better.

First time in her crib!

We also had two other firsts this week. We gave Charlee her first bath in the bathroom (in her baby tub, of course). She handled this weeks bath much better than previous baths. But she still cried until it was time to rub lotion on her! I also brought her upstairs to her nursery for the first time. She wasn't feeling very well at the time and after 5 minutes in her crib, she was screaming. I tried rocking her in the rocking chair, but she wasn't having that either. So, I brought her downstairs and will have to try again after the holiday.

Evil look and middle finger?! Lol

Her 'I am not amused' face

She is getting better at tummy time every day and her head control is ridiculously good. She has been able to lift her head up since the day she was born, but now she lifts it during tummy time and rarely puts it down. She holds it up when she's nursing and looks around all the time. She's also making strong efforts to roll over during tummy time. She definitely has a while until she will be able to do it, but it's cute to watch her try!

Peanut Tracker: 2 Week Update- Returning to "Normal"

After two amazing weeks of having Eric all to ourselves, he finally had to return to work last Sunday night and Charlee and I were forced to find the new "normal" in our routine.

2 weeks old and smiley!

Cuddle time with daddy!

Our first night alone wasn't too bad. Charlee nursed on a regular schedule and she even let me "sleep" in between feedings. I say "sleep" because I was so nervous being alone with her for the first time that I kept waking up every 20 minutes to make sure she was okay! When Eric came home after 8am, he grabbed his baby girl and cuddled with her until we had to leave for her follow up appointment. The doctor was so pleased with her weight gain (9 lbs 6 oz--finally over her birth weight) and growth (21.75 inches), that she said we could cancel our 2 week appointment that was scheduled for Friday. Her next appointment will be her 2 month appointment and her next round of shots. We had to schedule it for early December due to the holidays and Eric's schedule (because I don't think I can handle taking her to that appointment by myself).

I finally weighed myself on Monday afternoon and was elated to find out that, because almost all of my swelling is gone, I only have 9 lbs to lose to be at my pre-pregnancy weight. I will probably have to lose an additional 10 lbs to be the same size as I was before Charlee, but seeing the number on the scale made me happy!

Ready for her first walk!

Tuesday was election day. So, after some epic cluster-feeding from 5-8:30am, Charlee and I made sure to be ready when Eric got home from work. The polls were jam packed, so we ended up waiting a while before leaving for our polling place. When we got there, the number of people was still out of control. Because we had a newborn and didn't want her out of the vehicle and around all of those people, we decided we would just have to leave. We were both sad to miss our chance to vote, but it was what was best for our baby girl! That afternoon I tried to take her for her first walk. I bundled her up because it was a little cool, loaded up the stroller, and out I went. I only made it halfway around the neighborhood and I had to turn back because I could feel pulling in my incision. It's so hard to remember that I only had major surgery a couple of weeks ago!

First real bath!

Drying off in the towel from Granny

Wednesday was a day I was looking forward to for weeks. Since Charlee's umbilical cord stump had fallen off and the doctor took care of the little bit that remained on Monday, we could finally give the peanut her first real bath in preparation for her photo session that evening. It was a two-man job! I filled the tiny tub and used her fireman ducky to test the water temperature. Eric helped get supplies and filmed the event. Charlee did NOT like her first bath. She screamed and cried so much that the cats were circling and crying, thinking that we were hurting her (the cats are very protective). Charlee did seem to enjoy the part where I massaged lotion onto her after the bath though! That evening the photographer came to take our pictures. Eric and I took a few with her outside in our neighborhood. It was too cold to stay outside very long, so we kept it short and sweet and then came back in for some pictures of just Charlee. There were several wardrobe changes and a lot of fussy moments (I even gave in and let her have a pacifier which is something I have been  100% against because I don't want to cause nipple confusion), but she did well considering! It will be another week or so before we get the proofs back and I cannot wait to see them!!!

But a really cute monster!

This week Eric and I also came up with another nickname for the baby. It may not be the nicest nickname, but it's funny to us. We call her Monster. The reason is because when she sleeps, and especially when she is waking up or about to start nursing, she makes the scariest noises. One of which is a very distinct "Rawr" sound. It's scary and cute at the same time!

Our Seminole baby is Tebowing

Thursday night marks the first Florida State football game that baby Charlee watched. Thank goodness the Seminoles beat the Hokies or I would have had to pretend she never watched it...We also found out that my dad and younger brother will be coming to meet Charlee at the end of the month. I am so excited to see them because it's been 3 years since our last visit!

Friday marked another big day in Charlee's world: her "cousin" Mackenzie was finally born! She is simply gorgeous and I am so proud of my best friend for everything she went through to bring her daughter into the world. We went to visit them at the hospital on Saturday, but Charlee wasn't allowed back into Labor & Delivery, so she sat in the waiting room with Eric and uncle Brian while I visited with Malory and Mackenzie. I cannot wait for those little girls to meet for the first time!

Daddy loves his baby girl!

Things are starting to get easier as Charlee continues nursing and getting on a more regular sleep schedule. Eric and I have been playing with her and giving her lots of tummy time and cuddles. She is very alert and curious. She follows the lights on her bouncer chair, responds to faces, and looks for Granny, Papa, Grammie, and Grampie when we Face Time with them. She is holding her head up even more than when she was first born and can even get into a push up position when she's doing tummy time! Today she was wiggling around like she wanted to crawl. Too bad the poor kid has a while before that will be possible!

Nap time on mommy

Lazy Sunday outfit!

Last night and today was by far one of the best times we've had so far. Charlee let me sleep for 8 hours, separated by 1 hour feedings every 2 1/2 hours. She even let me take 2 naps throughout the day! She has been nursing well and in a great mood. It has been a great day after learning that another friend finally had her son today and he is absolutely perfect!

Let's hope this week goes as well as the past couple days!

Peanut Tracker: 1 Week Update- Growing Up Too Fast

Mommy cuddle time POV

Charlee may only be turning 2 weeks old tomorrow, but time is already going by way too fast! She doesn't even look like a newborn anymore and she has been through several changes this week. And there has been quite a bit of excitement going on in this house all week long.

My little ducky

Kirk drove down from Florida over the weekend to pick up my mom. On Monday my mom worked on last minute errands around the house until Kirk came down stairs looking ill. He was really pale and had been sleeping most of the day (very unusual). I suggested he stop to get his blood pressure checked when he went out to pick up a few things. He came home saying it was a little high and then started getting sick. I finally talked him into going to the ER because he could be having a serious issue. Thankfully it was just a stomach bug and my mom and I sent him to bed once they came back home. They left Tuesday morning and it was just Eric, me, and Charlee for the first time.

Pirate onesie for Halloween

Wednesday was Halloween and my one week follow up. Our appointment was at 2:45, so I woke up a sleepy fiance and we loaded up the car. I asked Eric to keep Charlee in the truck because it was supposed to be a short appointment and I didn't want her in the waiting room during cold and flu season. I waited over an hour to be seen and made friends with another new mom in the waiting room. We waited so long that I had to request a room to nurse the peanut and had Eric bring her in. My appointment was extremely short because Dr. Molly checked my incision and removed the stitches. I waited over 2 hours for a 5 minute appointment! I was only down 11 lbs because I was still extremely swollen and retaining fluids. The doctor said I was healing perfectly but she was worried about my swelling and ordered me to keep off my feet until the swelling went down. We didn't give out candy to the trick or treaters this year, but we did dress Charlee up in her pirate onesie and watched Hocus Pocus.

Wednesday night and Thursday night were tough nights. Charlee decided she didn't want to latch for nursing anymore and therefore wasn't eating. She would cry and cry and was extremely fussy. I felt like a failure as a mother and was extremely frustrated and tired. Poor Eric kept trying to calm me down and get me to stop crying, but I was so upset that I wasn't hearing what he had to say. Worry led Eric to call a lactation consultant and we scheduled an appointment for Friday evening. We ended up calling the pediatrician because she wasn't eating and were told to use a medicine syringe to feed her pumped milk until the consultant can work with us. By Friday morning she hadn't given us any wet or dirty diapers and I called the pediatrician again in a panic worried that she might be getting dehydrated. So, I cancelled the newborn photo session and we brought her back to the doctor. She was up to 9 lbs 4 oz, but the doctor said he did wish it was a little more. She wasn't sick or dehydrated, so we were encouraged to continue with the syringe until the consultant could help us and we scheduled a follow up for Monday morning.

Because we were both beyond exhausted from working as a team to feed the baby (Eric fed her and I had to pump every 2 hours Thursday afternoon through Friday evening), Eric's mom offered to come help us for the weekend. Since we don't have any family in the area to help, it was a god send! The lactation consultant helped us get Charlee nursing again, Ann helped with food and watching Charlee, and Eric and I got to catch up on sleeping and showering. It was amazing! I don't know how we would've survived the weekend without her. And because she has been here helping, I have been able to stay off my feet and most of my swelling has resided!

First time on play mat

First tummy time

Charlee also had a couple of milestones this week. We placed her on her play mat for the first time and she loved the mirror. She kept staring at it and hitting it with her hand, making the light reflect. Last night she lost her umbilical cord stump. We still aren't sure if it's an innie or an outie, but we're mostly thankful that it didn't smell. This morning we put her down on the play mat for her first tummy time and, even though she slept through most of it, she didn't mind being on her tummy! Charlee completed her first FaceTime with Grammy (my mom), and she was fed by daddy for the first (and several consecutive times) by the medicine syringe. She also met Gene and Jill because they were in town for their 25th anniversary cruise and stopped by for coffee and a short meet and greet with the peanut.

Swaddled by daddy

Cuddle time with daddy

Eric returns to work tonight and Ann will be going home. So, tonight will be the real test. It will be the first time I have ever really been alone with the baby and, as much as I am looking forward to it, I am also nervous. I hope she takes it easy on my first night!