Two Month Well Check

Dorothy's well-check went great. The pediatrician gave me a better impression this time, even asking questions about our every day life. We asked about Dorothy's rash on her cheeks and dry skin. We figured it was excema and the Dr. confirmed that it was. She said to keep doing the lotion we've been doing and if it gets worse to use an OTC hydrocortizone cream. She gave us a handout on prevention of sleeping problems which *gasp* sort of advocated crying it out. There was a list of things to do at each age that would help the baby sleep through the night. So last night Dorothy ate (actually breast fed) three times in the afternoon/evening. She ate for the last time at 9pm and Daddy and I tucked her in and said goodnight. She cried for a while then fussed periodically for a half an hour. But victory! She slept until 5 am. From the time we put her down until the time she woke up it was 8 hours. My boobs felt like they were going to explode. Good thing I pumped before bed, too. Was it the Tylenol? Was it the shots (btw with the Tylenol she has been pretty good)? Or is she just plain ready to start sleeping longer than 5-6 hours? At any rate I was really pleased.

Oh, one last thing. Dorothy's stats:
weight 11lbs 8oz
height 21.75in
head circ 15in
She's growing so fast!

NABLOPOMO

I just found out this morning (from Amy) that November has been named National Blog Posting Month. To find out more, you can click the link above the seal to the right. I am not computer savvy enough to figure out how to upload the image and link so that you can just click on the image to go to the right site *blush*. Maybe someone else can help me out, here? Even though I found out about it late, I am joinging the ranks. I had already posted the frist two days in November so I was right on track.

On to other things.

Today is Dorothy's two month well-check. If I'm not mistaken, today is the day she gets a bazillion shots. I know immunizations are important, but I hate the thought of my baby getting stuck. Not to mention the fact that I am a little worried about the fact that she could get side effects from them. I am taking a trip up to Seattle with my sister-in-law tomorrow. My hope is that Dorothy is not fussy the whole time. I'll give her the recommended dose of Tylenol this morning at 11 so by the time she gets the shots it will already be in effect. Then I will continue to give it to her for the next 24 hours to insure that she doesn't feel miserable from the pain. Poor baby.

Bath time has continued to get better and better. Dorothy likes to be in the warm water. She sits there contentedly as I wash her. Never do I hear a fuss until after I take her out of the water. She hates the process of being toweled dry. She cried for 10 mintues this morning after I got her dressed. But the best part of the whole process is how sweet she smells after a bath. My favorite thing is to nuzzle my nose into the top of her head and smell her sweet baby smell. I still can't believe she's here... and she's mine. I love it.



And I love her.
I mean, really,
how could anyone
resist this face?
(thanks to Terri
for the jacket
and for taking
our kitty Goatee)

Picture Fun

Because I am so not creative lately (and don't have the time to write long and thought-provoking posts), here are some more pictures of the ladybug that I tried to get up yesterday.

And we have a smile!



Dorothy with her cousin Simon AKA Tigger:




And just for fun I was playing with the color settings on the camera last week:





Is there such a thing as having too much fun with your baby?

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday I dressed Dorothy up in her ladybug costume and went to the mall with my SIL and her two kids. She was cute as a bug in a rug.



Ok there will be more pics, but blogger is acting up again. Hm. There's always tomorrow.... And why do I feel a bit sad about giving the kitty away???).

To Daddy:

Hi, Daddy! I sure miss you! I just cry all the time when you're not here:



My hair is falling out even more on the sides, so it looks even more like a mowhawk now. I'm such a punk, don't you think?:



I moved in to size 2 diapers this week because my thighs are just getting chubs. And guess what?? I figured out how to bat at toys yesterday! My favorite one is the fishy on Aunt Jenni's swing:



I love you, Daddy, but I have to go now. All this typing is making me sleepy...

Blech

So, this week has not been the greatest. First of all, David is out of town for work this week. When we had no baby I could go with him, or go out and do stuff to keep myself occupied. OR if I was SICK, could just rest and get better. Monday I felt like I was coming down with something. I was chilling, but no fever (yet) and I had a headache I could not get rid of. David left in the afternoon and I headed over to the in-laws house for the night, just in case I needed help. In the middle of the night I realized my left boob hurt. I didn't really think anything of it. Then the next morning I woke up and when I tried to hold Dorothy I felt weak, a bit lightheaded and just blah. My temp at that point was 100.5, so I called my mom and asked if I could come there since she works from home and could help with the baby. Right before I got there I thought, 'hmm, how interesting. My boob hurts, my head hurts, I'm tired and achy, and I have a fever. Aren't those all signs of mastitis?' I'm so brilliant. Well, I put off calling the dr. for a few hours thinking I was imagining that it was mastitis. Maybe it was the flu. Plus, how does one get mastitis when exclusively pumping? Well, I called the dr. when my temp was 101 after meds. When I got there it was 102. Shortly after checking me, the dr. declared that it was mastitis and gave me antibiotics to take FOUR times a day and some pain meds. Plus I have a follow-up appointment next week to make sure it is gone. Evidently it can mean surgery if it's not treated effectively. So today I'm pumping a lot, pushing the fluids and trying to have an appetite. And hoping tomorrow is better. I miss David.

The verdict *edited*

Everything looked good at my appointment today. After talking to Dr. F, he recommended waiting 2 years. I don't know if that's a standard recommendation or if it pertains only to high risk patients, but that was what he recommended. So since I am pumping full time, I'll take the nursing pill to start with and then when/if I start supplementing with formula, I would switch to the regular BC pill. I had originally not wanted to be on the pill in between. We had started using Natural Family Planning before the first pregnancy for a couple cycles and then used it for trying to get pregnant with Dorothy. But I don't know how accurate charting is while coming off nursing. I think it's probably not as accurate, which is the reason for the pill. Perhaps after I'm done nursing and my cycle evens out we would switch back to NFP. For me, it's the preferred method. When used correctly it is just as effective as the pill. We'll see when the time comes, I guess.

*

Sorry I guess being a new mom has fried my brain cells. I Forgot to put that next time, since I made it full term, my bedrest would most likely be modified instead of strict. Also, he only does the TAC for people that the regular cerclage doesn't work for.