Violets First Food & Doctor visit

We made it! Violet had her 4 month checkup Monday evening. I left work a little early and headed home to pick up everyone. I was really excited to see how much she would weigh and have someone else tell me what I already knew - that she was doing great!

16 lbs, 7.5 oz! She has doubled her birth weight! This amazing feat was accomplished solely by our gorgeous daughter!

The doctor informs us that we no longer need to sterilize her bottles, (whoopie!) and that she is in the 90th percentile for weight. (She is a strong girl!) She has also grown 3 inches! 3 inches in 2 months! Amazing. (75th percentile for height) I was wondering why she seemed so much bigger than Cleo's daughter. (because she has grown like a weed!)

She also had her vaccinations. Of course, this is the part I was dreading. It really wasn't too bad. Violet cried very hard for a few seconds, but forgot about it pretty quickly. (Im glad her memory isn't in full swing yet! :) ) I'm really dreading when she is old enough to be able to blame me!

She didn't feel too well yesterday. (the day after her shots.) No fever but sore in her legs. She was pretty fussy in the afternoon - with a little baby Tylenol she was asleep for a good 2 1/2 hours and was right as rain after.

The good news is that she can start some rice cereal. This is very exciting to me! Violet isn't quite as enthused but she did eat a few baby spoonfuls. She was a little bit skeptical, but did actually swallow most of it. What a big step! I'm so proud of her. (we have video of this for those who are interested)

What a crazy week for V!

-nat

Violet and I had an adventure!

This is how I hope Violet looks after her doctor visit tonight. (such a cute picture, I just had to post it) More on that later...

I'm sure you all know that Mike is the "primary care giver" in our household. I work at the office during the day and Mike works from home and takes care of Violet. I decided before Violet was here to put together a "mom's meet-up" group so I could do something with her, just the two of us and meet some other moms and potential playdates for Vi.

I don't really have any friends here that have kids, and as I'm sure those of you who do have kids know, when you have a kid, friends with kids are a must. Not that you can't keep your old friends, you can, but it is definitely harder - scheduling and finding fun things to do that are kid friendly, or getting grandma and grandpa to babysit (this is easy for us, they are crazy about her!) And let's face it, most of the friends you had pre-baby aren't very interested in hanging out with a crying and drooling tot. (I was the same way - it would have been okay for a while, but not my favorite thing to do.) You just don't get that until you have one of your own.

So I started this group online and it has gotten off to a very slow start. Luckily, my friend Ellen became pregnant just as I was complaining none of my friends have kids. She is due in 5 weeks and I can't wait to have a permanent little buddy for V. So, she joined the group and with one other member (there are 12 including me), we headed to China Buffet on Sunday.

The tables were so tight it was a miracle that we managed to fit both strollers, Cleo, myself & a very pregnant Ellen at the table! But Violet had such a great time! Cleo (the other member - who was in my Lamaze class) brought her daughter and after a little juggling, we actually all managed to eat (including Cleo's daughter!) and had a good time talking tips and ideas. Ellen got a little preview of what it would be like to take her unborn to a bustling and extremely stimulating Chinese Buffet.

We sat the girls on the table (with only one minor spill :) ) and let them eyeball each other. They were fascinated! Toe to toe, both smiling and frowning and raising eyebrows, they seemed very interested in that mysterious other "my sized" person. I came away from it very excited and looking forward to our next meeting - hopefully some more members will show up.

Vi goes to the doctor tonight - I will surely enter another chapter in this saga tomorrow! Wish us all a good appointment!

nat

Violet is doing better! (but we are in "the bath torture zone" tonight)

Violet seems to be doing much better with her medicine. I think we all fall into that trap where it starts working and so you stop using it. (I wont do that this time!) She is eating much better now and not freaking out! (thank god!) She has been the crankiness and adorable poutiness (see "Violet has Reflux" blog for pic) mistress in the evening for the past couple of nights. She goes in for her appointment next Monday. I have my two page list of things to ask him. (Our Dr.'s name is Dr. Anger - I hope he doesn't get mad at me for my "lack of experience, I'm insecure and overprotective, I have a million things to ask" question list! :) ) (What a strange name for a Pediatrician - It's sort of the opposite of my cousin Bobe's highschool librarian - Mrs. Reed)

I really have learned to dread bath night though. For some reason, Violet really, really, really hates the bath. She is all smiles until the water touches her in any place. (her toe, face, arm or booty - even the washcloth with water on it is the enemy). It's pretty much all screams and crocodile tears after that. We have learned to give her a bath in 30 seconds flat. I hope she doesn't turn out to be the "smelly kid" in elementary school. The one that tells you they brushed their teeth and only ran the brush under the faucet. (I can always use the "Grandpa is a cop and can run a test on that to see if you actually brushed your teeth" ploy. ) I am a little worried though- I really wanted to sign us up for a 6 month swim class - I have a feeling that won't be goin' down. (Maybe she will change her mind by then.)

Anyhoo - I will keep you posted on what the doctor says - she has to get her second round of torture as well - her vaccinations. (I sit back and cover my ears while Mike holds her for the Dr.) Wish us luck!

work and health are such a bother!

Tonight I start the exercise plan that I hope will return me to my wedding size (it should take me at least 6 months). Curves seems great for me as it requires little time and no thought. (It's a circuit plan that simultaneously does cardio and weights) It only takes 30 minutes and is directly on my way home from work. So I won't have to spend a lot more time away from Violet. (and I will feel guilty driving by and not stopping)

I already have a lot of guilt about going back to work. It's very hard to leave in the morning. I am a total whiner though - I get to go home for lunch and Mike is with her all day, so I am not leaving her with a stranger all day long. That would be much harder. (So many people have to do this and I'm sure it's hard, not to mention expensive!) But it still isn't me! I want to be the one home with her!

Okay - I admit that getting out of the house is a bit of a break for me. I have no emotional attachment to my job, so I never take anything to heart there, and that makes it much easier than the stresses of home (taking care of a refluxed little angel) . But those sad little eyes and all of the psychological damage I am sure I am inflicting on her poor little developing mind by not being there! Im her mother! And now I want 30 MORE minutes 3 times a week?

I know I am being ridiculous, but I am glad I can vent all this here instead of murmuring under my breath at the gym and in my office. That would be entertaining for others for sure, but a little embarrasing.

Mike sent me this photo today to keep my spirits up. He is the guy in that commercial that they show dancing to Brittany wearing a tiara in front of the TV and you think, "what a goof!", and then they pan down and show the little girl dancing with him wearing full dress-up gear. The narrator comes on and says "It takes a real man to be a dad". That is Mike. He isn't afraid to be silly. I'm so lucky! What a great family I have! (sorry, a little bragging there.... :)

Wish me luck on my new weight loss adventure! Im sure you are all rooting for me!

violet has reflux

Our poor little girl! She has reflux! It is very difficult listening to her cry and not be able to make it better.

Medicine to the rescue!

Sometimes I think its hard to accept giving a baby medicine - you should be able to fix it with your love alone! (Ha!) I wish it worked that way.

So we are squirting medicine that tastes like mint (who thought a baby that has never tasted anything but formula would like the strong taste of mint?) in her mouth while she is crying (that, sadly, makes it a little easier, as her mouth is wide open) and hoping with everything that she will get some relief from it!

We are lucky in a way though. A lot of babies who have this (about 45% of all babies get some form of reflux in their first year of life - a lot of times undiagnosed correctly - people think they are just collicky , or so I read on the APA website) much worse than V. They projectile vomit and cry all day! No exorcist baby for us, thank god, and she really only gets it at night, but hearing her cry still hurts.

Hopefully, she won't have to be on it for long. I do have to say that the medicine sometimes distracts her so much she forgets that her tummy hurts and can be brought around by distraction after she takes it. That is a fabulous effect! The medicine may not work at all, (im sure it does) but breaking the cycle of crying is a godsend! (mike and I can unclench our shoulders and eyebrows at least!)

Joy, joy though her mornings are wonderful! Such a morning baby! Giggly and smiley and full of glee. That's the Violet we like to see! ( no more rhymes now, I mean it....any body want a peanut?) hee!

We see her doctor in a couple of weeks. Hope we can get some more suggestions on keeping her a happy girl all day long and free of heartburn!

She has arrived!

I think Mike and I were still in a state of shock at this point. Such a beautiful little girl! So much hair! What the hell do we do with this thing? It's crying and sleeping and pooping and eating...does it do anything else?

Actually, I wish I would have started this in the very beginning as the whole first 2 months were a bit of a blur. I remember getting up and feeding her (or trying to, as my stitches and lack of connected stomach muscles, kept me from getting directly UP) at all hours of the night.

But since it was a blur, I obviously didn't have time to do this until now. (It seems there still is never enough time, and everything for V always takes a lot longer that I think it will)

Mike is so great at doing all the maintenance stuff...gets up at 2 am without complaining and still says "I still say this is easier than I was expecting." - crazy person!

I found those first weeks to be pretty darned hard. I had a very easy C-section, no complications. The only problems I had through the whole pregnancy was swelling, and during the induced labor - Violet got a little sick of it so they took her out in an emergency fashion. But trying to care for a baby after recovering from surgery is very difficult and disappointing. You want to hold her and feed her, and you have to keep a pillow on your lap to protect your stitches, and not hold her in her carrier at all.

I have to say that with all the research I read online, I was really expecting it to be wrong.
i.e.:I won't find this hard, I will love my baby completely from the first time I see her, I will not mind changing a poo diaper at 4 am when I just went to bed at 2. I won't suffer from depression....

But it was hard! Very hard! I did love her from the first moment, but not nearly as much as I love her now - now that she smiles and coos and has a personality and we have had time to bond. (now I sneak in and peek at her after she goes to sleep and cry like a hallmark movie because I can't believe we made her.) We all know how it feels to get up at 4 am when you go to bed at 2! And I did have some mild post-partum depression for a week or two. It felt kinda like shock. ("Holy crap - I have a kid!) and I cried for no reason. (I thought that was totally a myth - it's not!)

Well, she is 4 month old tomorrow. (16 weeks) She has already grown and changed so much!
I will try to keep you all posted as things happen. (Things do tend to happen without us having much time...but I will do my best.

-nat