A Little Bug

Today we are experiencing our first bout of Emma not feeling well. This morning she felt a little warm to me so I checked her temp & it was 99.4 + she was sleeping more than usual, only waking up to eat. Then earlier this evening after I feed her a bottle & was burping her she threw up (mostly on me - YEAH) & no it wasn't spit-up (the volume was too much). So I called my mom (who is a RN) to ask her what I should do & she advised me to call the Pediatrician, they have nurses on call 24-7. She advised me to bring her into the office on Friday just so they could check her out, since she is so little. We already have to take her to have another chest xray on Friday to have her pulminary vein checked again, so we will be busy with appointments Friday.

Emma seems to be doing okay right now. She ate a little about an hour after she threw up & kept it down (so far), she just wants to be held so her Daddy is rocking her right now. I guess this is a small look of what is to come as parents, but I am still loving every second of it.

First Christmas

We have a great Christmas this year with the babies in family. Emma got a Glow Seahorse, blocks, books, baby steering wheel/car, activity toys & some clothes. She of course slept through most of the activities but what else can you expect from a 7 week old baby. Right now her favorite thing is her Glow Seahorse. Chris & I went very light on gift for each other this year. We just couldn't think of much we needed or wanted this year. After all, we have Emma, what else could we possibly need.

Emma with her new teddy she got from Grammy & PawPaw.

The whole family on Christmas Eve, even our dog Spencer.

Emma & Morgan having a brief discussion on Christmas day.

Decorating Dilemas

So this year Christmas decorating in our house was a bit challenging. Not only do we have a small infant in the house that requires most of my time during the day but we are seriously lacking square footage since Emma came to town. If you are not familiar with the layout of our house, its a 2-story with the living room, kitchen & breakfast area downstairs & all the bedrooms are up. In years past we have put the Christmas tree downstairs by our front door but now our living room is full. We added a reclining rocker before Emma was born + we have our pack n play & swing downstairs which filled up the space. Chris really tried to talk me into not putting up a tree this year but to me that wasn't an option with this being Emma's first Christmas (I know it will not be very exciting for her but she loves the lights). So I opted to put the tree in our breakfast area. I must admit it looks a bit odd there but the tree is very pretty decorated in blue & silver (the same as last year). I may post a picture or two so you see just how odd but pretty it looks. Hopefully next year will have better options.

More Appointments

On Wednesday little Emma went to the Pediatrician's office to get her first round of RSV shots (yes our insurance approved the shots) & they also sent us home with some Zantac. Emma still is under weight (8 lbs, 15.5 oz, she should be well over 9 lbs) & her doctor says she should be eating 4 oz at every feeding but she only takes 2 - 3 & maybe 3.5 if you are lucky. So Dr. Koonce wants us to try Zantac for 7-10 days to see if it helps with her fussiness during eating & it she will start taking more. She said if it doesn't change her eating habits we can stop giving it to her. She isn't positive she has reflux & we don't think she does either but she wants to give it a try. Emma is due to go back on Dec. 29 for another weight check & hopefully that will be the last one. Maybe she just isn't a big eater & is going to be a small little girl. She doesn't seem to be unhappy, hungry or fussy during the day, only during feedings. Her Daddy thinks she doesn't like her formula & wants to switch but the Ped isn't in favor of that, we may do it anyway. She is such a sweet little baby. She is babbling & smiling more everyday.

I had my post partum appointment yesterday & Dr. Zerkle lifted all my restrictions. He said I can now do anything I want to do, but I should pace myself. He said my belly would still be tender & numb for 2-3 more months & it may not heal completely for up to a year. I am due to go back in March for an annual exam.

Introductions

We were pretty busy this past weekend showing off our precious little Emma. The first introduction was to Emma's great grandmother, Granny Ruth (Chris' grandmother) who is in town for the holidays. She has seen many pictures of Emma but this was her first time seeing her in person. Emma did sleep most of the time she was visiting but she did open her eyes before Granny left & actually grined a little at her. That just made Granny's day. (Yes Emma does smile now & has been for about a week or so.)

Emma & Granny Ruth.

Then Saturday night we went to a Christmas party with my former co-workers. We all had a great time & Emma was such a good baby. It was great to see everyone & introduce Emma.

Then on Sunday we took Emma to church for the first time, boy was I a nervous wreck. Everyone was so excited to see her. There was also a pot-luck lunch after morning services which we stayed for as well & Emma did just great. She slept through the worship services & woke up in time for lunch, so I fixed her a bottle.

This is Emma all dressed & ready for her first visit to worship services. I bought this dress at a local consignment shop, its it pretty on her.

1 month checkup

Today Emma had her 1 month check-up at the Pediatrician. She weighed 8 lbs, 11.5 oz & 20.75 inches long, so with these measurements she is in the 30% for her weight, 45% for her height. So the doctor was us to start offering her more formula 4 oz every 3 hours instead of the 3 we have been giving her. Dr. Koonce wants Emma to come back in for weight check in 2 weeks. She also is suggesting that since Emma has a heart defect that we should give her the RSV antibody shot this winter. Studies have shown that children who were preemie, have a heart defect or neuro problems are more likely to contract RSV & she wants to be proactive. She is currently checking with our insurance to see if they will cover it since its very expensive. She also wants us to have her kidneys checked for any abnormalities. Dr. Koonce says sometimes babies with heart defects will also have renal problems as well so she wants to have an ultra sound of her kidneys just to cover all the basis. So the many doctor appointments continue.

Everything else is going pretty well. She is starting to make eye contact with you while you hold her & she is smiling + cooing more & more everyday.