Leila: one month old!

I seriously cannot believe how fast time has flown by! Do I really have a one month old already?!? I guess that speaks to how awesome of a baby she has been, I can only hope that will continue!

June 29, 2015

Weight: 9 lbs. 1 oz. (at three weeks old)

Length: Approximately 22 inches

This month has flown by and she has already grown so much. She switched from size newborn diapers to size one diapers when she was two weeks old. She was having major blow out issues, so we knew with her height it was time to move up a size! She is also in size 0-3 month clothing and filling them out quite nicely! 

Some nicknames we have for her are: Beadies, Leil-y, and Bah-leila

Heath issues: this poor girl has some serious acid reflux problems. She grunts like a baby pony all of the time. At three weeks old we were able to put her on a prescription for it, and it has helped slightly, but not as much as I would like. Although I am still nursing her, at night we give her Enfamil A.R. to help her sleep more soundly at night because it is a heavier formula and helps with her exorcist - style vomiting from her reflux. 

Sleep: She sleeps very well. She has a 5-6 hour stretch. Then a four hour stretch. Then a three hour stretch. We loosely use the baby wise technique to help her sleep for longer stretches at night. 

Diet: 95% nursing, 5% formula. She eats about every 2 hours during the day, which I think it what helps her sleep better at night! 

Baby gear love: She loves pretty much everything. The swing and her bouncy chair is what she chills in most of the day. And she sleeps in her Rock N Play at night, which we will continue to do until she stops throwing up so much. 

Likes: being held, sleeping on her tummy during tummy time, her Wubba Nub, being swaddled, her daddy, watching her big brothers when they talk to her, her carseat, car rides, being bounced in her bouncy chair.

Dislikes: Gerber formula, being flat on her back, not being able to burp, pooping, having a dirty diaper, being gassy, and puking. 

This past week she also started smiling back at us and she has an adorable little smile. She also "laughed" which just consisted of breathing really loudly and close together followed by a big smile! 

She also went to her first wedding when she was three weeks old. We had so much fun spending time with just her and forgot how easy it was to only have one child! She was with me while I was getting ready (and the rest of the bridal party) and she was having a rough time and couldn't poop. I had to have Berto come back to the house we were getting ready at to help so I could finish getting ready, and once he got there and reached into her carseat, she just held his hand and was perfectly content - it was adorable! 

first bath at home

puking on dad

loves hanging on the couch

I can't wait to see how much she has changed by next month. Six weeks is usually when they start smiling all of the time and are a little more lively! I forgot how much fun it is to have a newborn! Now, if I could just get the older boys to behave - things would be MUCH easier! 

Things I am loving: third baby.

Every time you have a baby, you figure out new things that work and new things to buy that are helpful. I thought I would share what I am loving right now for Leila. These are things I never used with Aiden or Luke, but probably could not live without with this little bean!

1. Boon drying rack. This is awesome. I am able to put all of my pump parts and bottles on this!

2. Medela bags and connectors. These little connectors allow you to pump right into the bag and avoid washing extra bottles when you just poor them into a bag anyway!

3. Butt Paste. We had always been a fan of Triple Paste, but at 40% zinc oxide, this stuff is MUCH better than Triple Paste (14% zinc oxide). 

4. Honest nipple balm. This stuff is pure magic. Although it is $14 for a tiny little container, it is SO worth the money.

5. Summer Infant Video Monitor. My mom and dad bought this for us this time around and has truly been awesome. After Leila got her clean bill of health, she was sleeping in her own room. I feel so much better being able to see her. Also, babies often cry in their sleep, and seeing her means I don't have to get up and disrupt her in her room when she is actually still asleep. 

6. Honest soothing bottom wash. If you haven't already gotten the idea, poor Leila has a raw booty from pooping so much. This stuff is supposed to help with the rinse and wipe!

7. Pampers Sensitive Diapers. Pretty self-explanatory. 

8. Cool Gear water bottle. When you are nursing, you are THIRSTY! These water bottles from Target keep your water cold for the majority of the day with their little ice cube thing!

I think that is all for now! 

Our first week "home."

Our first week home has been a whirlwind to say the least. It went by SO fast. We got home from the hospital on Saturday evening to introduce the boys to Leila. They were so excited to meet her (despite Luke's face) and excited for their presents from their grandparents and Leila!

"Wait, I am the middle child now?"

We were sent home on the premise that we would have blood work done on Leila on Sunday morning to make sure her bilirubin levels have gone down. Well, after being sent to the closest hospital, finding out their lab was not open on Sunday's, then going back to the hospital she was born at, we got her blood drawn. They pricked her three times to get the vile from her heel that they needed. We got a call Sunday evening saying her levels had risen and we needed to go back into the hospital to do phototherapy. It was DEVASTATING. I had to go all by myself because Berto had to watch the boys. I quickly showered, repacked a hospital bag for her and I, and headed to yet a different hospital with a very special pediatric ICU. We got there around 7:30 p.m. and started phototherapy at 9:00 p.m. 

This night was so, so, so hard. I could barely sleep. I had to pump and nurse her and she was so uncomfortable in the little nursery basket they have them in. The bili blanket under her was not comfortable either. I was barely able to hold her, only to feed her and then she had to go right back into the basket. I went to bed around 3 a.m. and woke up at 6 a.m…. I was exhausted. Berto finally got to the hospital at 9:00 a.m and brought a much needed coffee. They checked her level around 10:00 a.m. and it had gone down to around 12 so they took her off of the light therapy. We had to wait 6 more hours to recheck to make sure there wasn't a rebound. At 4:00 p.m her levels were at 13.3, which wasn't bad. So we were finally going home!! We literally packed so fast and got out of there so quickly before they changed their mind. 

She continued to have to have blood work daily through Friday (with the exception of Thursday). I was so terrified her bloodwork would come back high again, and it did. It was not high enough to send her back to the hospital, but high-risk none the less. We had to wait through the weekend and finally had our appointment yesterday and got the clear to stop testing! I am so so relieved! 

Here are some photos from her first week home…

We go back to the doctor Friday for her two week check up! Hopefully she is back to her birth weight by then. Her tongue was clipped on Thursday so she is able to nurse much better! 

We had three neighbors bring over dinner this week, my parents make a dinner and bring a dinner, and some wine from my brother and his wife… we are so thankful for everyone who has helped us and brought meals! 

Oh, also… something I am SO excited about! My neighbor is a professional photographer (Taylor Meyer Photography) and she took some pictures of Leila and the boys and they are SO SO SO beautiful! I highly recommend you all checking out her page! Here are the previews:

Have a good week!