2 month check up

We had Ellie's 2 month check up today. She did great.... until the shots! We were dreading this appointment. I had prepared myself, and was proud of myself for not crying. Ellie made up for me not crying by SCREAMING... bless her sweet heart. She was starving so that did not help when the nurse came in with the shots. The nurse was great and was really fast.

We also are trying Zantac for her reflux. So many of you have said it makes a world of difference. I will keep you all updated. Her medicine bottle is so tiny... cracks me up.

Her 2 month update:
Weight - 11 lbs = 50th percentile
Height - 22 3/4 inches = 50th percentile

DR said everything looks great! We will go back in January for a reflux check up, and another round of shots in February.

I will post her 2 month picture soon...

Christmas 2009 Recap

We had a wonderful Christmas. We traveled to Andalusia for a few days, and then to Birmingham. Ellie was excited about Santa visiting her in so many places! She has given us the best gift of all - SLEEP! She's slept through the night since Christmas Eve. Last night she slept for 8 1/2 hours! We head to the doctor for her 2 month check up on Wednesday. Ellie is still struggling with the reflux so we are going to check out some medication options. Thanks for all your comments on reflux and different medications. This will also be the appointment for multiple shots... not excited.

We took a ton of pictures, so I figured this would be the best way to recap our very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Jay gave me a video camera for Christmas, so I will be uploading videos soon. The only ones we have now are of Ellie sleeping. She is trying to figure out how to suck her thumb, and it is hilarious. I will post that when a get a good shot.

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad

I SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! I was saving this for a very special night. Now remember I may not do this every night.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

More from Christmas coming later...

7 weeks

Well, we think the first night of consecutive hours of sleep was a fluke... We are back on our every 3 - 4 hours of sleep at night. I am praying Ellie is giving us her first full night of sleep for Christmas!

We headed over to Birmingham for the night to see my parents. It was great to see my Dad feeling so much better. He will start his chemo treatments in a few weeks. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.



We decided to take Ellie to church for the first time while we were in Birmingham, and she did great.


We were happy to celebrate Eli's 5th birthday while we were in town. All these sweet babies love Ellie. It's so sweet to watch how gentle they are with her. I love that Millie and Ellie are only 6 months apart.
Eli
Gavin

Ann Huett

Taylor

We are so excited about Ellie's first Christmas. Even though she doesn't know what is going on...

Reflux + Rice Cereal = RESTFUL NIGHT!!!

Hallelujah! Ellie slept last night from midnight until 6:30 a.m. The uninterrupted sleep was amazing. We gave her the rice cereal with her 11 p.m. bottle, and then put her down at midnight. She didn't spit up at all this time.

We've been rocking her to sleep, but wanted to be able to put her down awake and have her put herself to sleep... so we tried crying it out last night, and it worked too! We put her down at midnight, and told ourselves we'd give her 15 minutes before checking on her. She cried for about 10 minutes (the pitiful cry and I teared up listening to her), stopped for a few minutes, and then cried another couple of minutes before being out! We now have a mobile, and she seems to like it (thank you MeMe) so that may be helping.

Thanks for your sweet comments... It seems like more babies have reflux than not and most are on the medication. We are supposed to check-in with our DR next week, and we'll probably go with the medicine if the spit up is still happening. Our DR mentioned Zantac, but I know there are other options. Is one better than the other? How do you know which one will work? Are these medications all liquid?

Thanks again!

Reflux is no fun...

Well, we went to the doctor today to find out if Ellie has reflux, and she does... She is borderline "bad" reflux which means she would need to be treated by medication. I would like to avoid that if possible so we are trying a few at home tactics. She wants us to put her to sleep on her side, sit her up for 30 minutes after feedings, burp her frequently, and put 1 tsp of rice cereal in her bottle twice a day. If this doesn't seem to help, we go with the medicine.

She told us that the sleep thing was a journey. She may sleep through the night for a little while before hitting another growth spurt. I need to start sleeping when she sleeps. I try to do too many things while she is asleep like laundry, wrapping Christmas presents, write thank-you notes, check email, blog stalk ;-), etc... January will be the month of napping for me... maybe!

Thank you all for your comments, emails, and calls with advice! We greatly appreciate it. I am just glad MANY others have been down this road and are able to offer their two cents! I know every baby is different, but it doesn't hurt to try what works for some.

Happy Holidays!

6 weeks

Thank goodness for help from family members! We had a ROUGH night last Friday. Ellie decided that she wants to sleep during the day, and stay up at night! We've been working on keeping her awake during the day more, but she still insists on staying awake from midnight - 3 a.m. Friday night was filled with A LOT of fussiness... Her room looked like a battle zone the next morning with a hair dryer (she likes the noise), 2 sound machines, a heating pad, many swaddle blankets, some burp cloths, a bobby, etc... Nothing seemed to sooth her. Jay's mom made the mistake of asking how the night went and needless to say she stayed with us from Saturday until today! Ellie loved having her MeMe here for a few days, but I think Mom and Dad loved it more!

We also decided to throw our routine out the window for now... Ellie is eating when she wants, and staying awake when she wants for now... We'll worry with a schedule/routine after Christmas. She has been less fussy off "my" routine, so we are going with it for now! She has been going down around midnight and sleeping (for the most part) until 3 or 4 a.m. She goes back down until around 7 or 8 a.m.

She's been a great shopper this week too! We ventured out each day, and she was an angel every time! I quickly found nice restrooms / dressing rooms for nursing, and elevators. We found the stroller came in handy for bags, and she only got confused for a boy once (despite the pink blanket, girly car seat, and girly outfit)...

She is smiling so much, and giggles in her sleep. She's definitely grown in the last week, and is now out of newborn diapers. The 1's are still a little big, but a few blow-outs led us to move on up in diapers.

Bib for my Daddy - No more silent nights!

Watching Mom wrap Christmas presents - Love this little girl!

With one of my Christmas presents - a BlaBla doll

My first ornament - First Christmas

With MeMe and Pap

Future Tigerette

Shopping in Auburn with Aunt Kelly at Ellie Boutique

YUMMO - First trip to Big Blue Bagel

Work Christmas Party in Auburn


Hope you all are having a great Holiday season!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above"

Eloise Catherine Henderson
October 31, 2009
5:55 p.m.
7 pounds 2 ounces
21 3/4 inches

Ellie's Birth Story - LONG POST

I have gone back and forth on posting Ellie's birth story. I had my 6 week appointment last week, and as I was recounting it to the doctor and realized it is something I would like to share, and put in writing to remember. I have loved reading other blogs and hearing about their birth stories, but didn't know if others would enjoy reading our birth story. We have been asked about it several times, so here it is!

It was a completely different experience than we imagined. We had not put a lot of thought into the actual birth process. Why? I don't know... Maybe because we thought it would go like our other friends, or maybe because I was scared out of my mind about the whole birthing process.

Background on the pregnancy - At our 20 week ultrasound, it was determined that I had velamentous cord insertion. (you can read more if you are interested) Our doctor explained that the cord was attached to the side of the placenta instead of the middle. This meant Ellie's growth could be compromised and we would be monitored closely to make sure everything was processing as it should... Good news was we'd have multiple ultrasounds, so we'd get to see her more often! At our 24 and 28 week ultrasound everything was processing as it should, and she actually was a little ahead. At our 30 week ultrasound, our doctor explained I would begin twice a week appointments until Ellie's birth due to being "high risk". WHAT? High risk? Those words had NEVER been used? I broke down at this point... (I was in the busiest part of my work travel season, not sleeping, and worried about this insertion thing so the poor doctor got to see and hear my breakdown). Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a big planner and love to have everything scheduled. Well twice a week appointments were not in "my" plan, and definitely threw a wrinkle in my visit/college fair schedule. I was quickly reminded that "my" plan is not perfect, and Ellie and myself were more important than visiting high schools! This is when it is great to have an amazing boss, coworkers, husband, and family.

We began our twice a week appointments with Mondays as our Nonstress Test days, and Thursdays as our BPP days. After our Monday appointments, we'd meet with the doctor to discuss the NST, and BPP results. Each week, we received a good report!

Wednesday, October 28 - went to GP for flu test due to temperature and flu-like symptoms. Was given Tamiflu since the flu test would take 10 days.

Thursday, October 29 - Fever gone, and feeling much better. We went in for our regularly scheduled BPP. We had pretty much memorized the ultrasound techs spiel b/c we'd been so many times. When she got to my fluid check, she didn't say her normal "Fluid looks good", instead she said, "we are going to check your fluid again". Her next words were "You are going to see a doctor today". I responded with "Oh, we don't see a doctor on Thursdays, only Mondays". And she responded, "you get a free pass today... Your fluid is low". I don't think Jay and I said many words between that point and the doctor entering the room. Our doctor told us my fluid was low, and it was time to head to the hospital. I was going to be induced! She explained it would be a long process b/c my body was not ready to have this baby. I was not dilated, nor effaced. We told her about my potential flu, and she was convinced it was not the flu and to discontinue with the Tamiflu and Amoxicillian.

Heading to the hospital


(Meanwhile my dad is in the hospital recovering from surgery... again "my" plan and timing was not important)

Thursday night they started the induction process...


Friday morning - I was checked for any overnight progress (NONE), but continued with the induction process. I was contracting on my own, and they actually had to slow my contractions down. These were not painful enough for an epidural just yet... Ellie was closely monitored and she looked great.

Thank goodness for family


Friday afternoon - I was checked and had dilated a fingertip. They ended the pitocin for the day and would start the process again Saturday morning.

Note - Saturday would be Halloween. I had said from the beginning of this pregnancy that I would NOT have a Halloween baby... Again - I am reminded that "my" plan is not perfect.

Before the contractions began...


Saturday morning - I was checked and had dilated 1 cm! They broke my water at 9 a.m. to hopefully help with the process. At noon, I received my epidural and was checked again - 1 1/2 cm. Slowly making progress... The epidural and my body didn't agree much. I had the shakes. My contractions continued and Ellie continued to look great on the monitor.

Saturday afternoon - I told the nurse and my family that I wasn't feeling good. They checked my temperature and it was around 99 - 100. Ellie's heart rate had also started to go up a little. They reassured me that everything was fine, and they'd let me know if they were worried. I was checked again and had dilated to 2 cm! The next couple of hours are a little blurry... My temperature continued to rise (even though I was given several antibiotics), and Ellie's heart rate continued to rise too. By 5 p.m. - my doctor informed me that I needed a C-Section due to my temperature (103), and Ellie's heart rate (200's).

Suiting up


Waiting to meet Ellie


I never thought I would have to have a C-Section. I had not done any research on a C-Section, and definitely felt out of control. I was worried on so many levels. Am I in trouble? Is Ellie in trouble? This is surgery and I have never had surgery... Would I still be able to breastfeed? What about the recovery? I had so many questions/fears, but not a lot of choice. Once the C-Section was determined, my room turned into doctor/nurse central. There were many people in there all doing different things to prepare me. I think that was part of the scare b/c you don't know exactly what is going on... We prayed non-stop until Ellie arrived. I like to be in control (if you can't tell), and this was something completely out of my control. I knew I was in good hands, and prayed God would take care of Ellie and me.

Ellie was born at 5:55 p.m. and came into this world screaming! I had prepared myself not to hear her cry b/c of everything else that had gone on. The NICU team was waiting for her while the doctors examined my cord insertion, and placentas (yes, plural b/c it was determined I had an accessory placenta (extra one). NICU cleaned Ellie up, and she was given to Jay within a few minutes. Everything looked great.

One of her first pictures


First family picture


There it is... Ellie's first few hours into the world! She amazes us each day. We are loving every minute with her (even those hard sleepless nights)!

5 weeks!

When do babies get into a routine? PLEASE tell me it's soon, or this Henderson household will be an only child family! The last few weeks have been rough, and now I know what people mean by not getting any sleep. Ellie was on some sort of a routine until we left for a week for Thanksgiving. She's been off since we got back. I will probably get her back to some sort of a routine, and then we'll leave for Christmas!

Last night was good but Saturday night was a different story... Her routine seems to be good night, bad night, good night, bad night. We put her down at 10:45 p.m. and she slept until 4:00 a.m.! Thank you Lord! However, Saturday night she fussed from 10 p.m. - 1 a.m. and wanted to feed every 30 - 45 minutes. She didn't want anything to do with her swing, bed, play mat, or bouncer. I could get her to sleep in my arms, put her down, and she'd be okay for 5 minutes before screaming. I am hoping to figure this out soon, but it's so hard not to know exactly what to do.

What we've been up to...

Visiting Santa for the first time - We waited in the freezing cold to see Santa on the Square. Ellie was nice and warm in her stroller, Jay and I froze! She didn't want much to do with Santa b/c it was close to feeding time, but it's the novelty of having a picture with Santa for the first Christmas!


Who is more irritated????



Slept in her room for the first time - Jay needed 8 hours of consecutive sleep for a band gig so we put her in her crib for the first time Friday night and she seemed to not know the difference. I think we'll continue to try this. It's not much different walking down the hall to feed her versus in our room - plus, I get to use the comfortable chair in her room!

Spent the night with cousin Turner - My dad has been in and out of the hospital, so we went over for HOPEFULLY his last surgery. Ellie spent the afternoon/evening with her cousin Turner. Thanks to Kelly for watching, feeding, holding, and loving on Ellie.

Smiles - Ellie has started to respond to me with a few smiles when I talk to her! This makes the fussy nights all disappear (for a few minutes)! She had given us the gas smiles for a week or so, but now when I talk to her - she smiles and it does melt your heart!

Sophie responds to her cries - I had Ellie on my bed with Sophie, and she started getting upset. I walked back in the room to find Sophie laying right next to her. Last night I was on my own for the night, and Ellie was crying in her room (while I was holding her). Sophie came in and laid under my feet by the recliner. So sweet. I knew she'd be a great big sister!


Christmas Shopping and Out to Eat - Ellie is a great traveler and has been on several Christmas shopping outings with us. I don't understand some people... We went to dinner Friday night and Ellie stayed in her car seat asleep while we were waiting... You get the usual new baby comments "Oh, how sweet" "How old is he/she?" "What's her name" - But one of the hostesses leaned down, took Ellie's pacifier, and tried to PUT IT IN HER MOUTH! Are you kidding me? What makes someone think that is okay - a complete stranger? I didn't know how to respond, so I just responded "She's fine... She is sleeping". I couldn't believe it.

We are doing a little traveling this week, but they will be day trips! We head to Birmingham tomorrow for Ellie to see MiMi and Pop. We are Pop will be feeling better today, and hopefully heading home early from the hospital. We are heading to Auburn on Friday where Ellie will be introduced to her Mom's favorite place, Big Blue Bagel! YUMMO!

Thanks for all the prayers for my Dad over the last couple of months. He is doing much better and should be home from the hosptial tomorrow!!!

Love this picture

Ellie seeing the tree for the first time

Holding her head up

Peace - See yall next week!

One Month Old

Ellie had her 1 month check up today and she is growing like a weed. She weighed 9lbs 6oz (50th percentile) and was still 21 3/4 inches long (75th percentile). The doctor also got to experience one of her temper tantrums! She is typically good during the days, and not so great at night ;-) We had finally gotten her calmed down, and almost asleep when they gave her a shot which fired her up again! Wow - this child can scream! The tantrum actually showed the doctor something we had a question about...

We were talking with the doctor about her night routine which involves us putting her down after her feeding only to get her back up every 5 minutes b/c she screams. The doctor seems to think it is colic. The doctor gave us a few different things to do before her late night feeding to see if anything helps. Any ideas of what to do? She seems only content when we are holding her. We've tried Gripe Water, Mylicon, a bath, white noise, swaddling, bottle feeding instead of breastfeeding, the list goes on... She is able to put herself to sleep all day except the last feeding. It usually results in us getting up multiple times for sometimes up to an hour or more. She has had a few nights where she sleeps 5 hours between night feedings, but those have been rare.

Feeling good


Meltdown


Next month will be torture with multiple shots...