4 months old!

I can't believe 4 months have already gone by! Gracie is such a big girl, measuring 15 lbs and 8 oz, and 25 incehs high at ther doctor appointment today! She is not overweight by any means, though, Dr. Len said her extra height is balancing out her weight and she will just be a tall girl! We are feeding her rice cereal every morning and evening, just a tablespoon or so at a time, and she is really getting it down. We will start vegetables in two weeks, and try each veggie for five days before introducing another. Then we will start on fruits, and do the same thing. When she is 6 months old, we will be able to start her on Gerber 2nd foods, which are combinations of two or more foods. It will be exciting!Teething sucks, though. Ugh. She cries so hard every few hours, sometimes with such intensity that we aren't able to calm her down. The only thing we can do is hold her and let her know we're there until she finally starts hiccupping and passes out. It's so sad not being able to help her, but it will be over one day, so that's what we look forward to. She is pretty much sleeping through the night, but still not in her crib. Once she started really teething she started having a really hard time going to sleep, and wouldn't stay asleep unless she was with us. We will really tackle that this week, though, because the regular rice cereal feedings seem to make her sleepier and sleep longer. Hopefully that will help to get her to settle down and sleep in her crib. Otherwise we might have to resort to using the Ferber method of letting her cry it out to go to sleep in her crib at night, only letting her see us every ten minutes before we leave her alone again. I really really want to avoid that though, so hopefully we can get it all worked out!She's getting into all of her toys with such an interest. She has a little frog that sings the ABC song, and she "hums" along with it in her own little language, hehe. Still hasn't rolled over on her own yet, but she is getting closer and closer every day. We'll see how everything is in a couple of weeks. It all is going by so fast!

Toys & rolling over!

Gracie flipped over from her tummy to her back unassisted for the first time today! She was having trouble getting her arms in the right position to allow it, but she did it and was quite pleased with herself. She can go from her back to each side, but not all the way over yet, all though that seems easier, so it will probably happen any day now. She's mastered switching toys from one hand to the other, and using both hands to bring objects to her mouth. She's not quite interested in teething rings yet, but she's definitely mouthing a lot of things. She keeps gnawing at her hands, and she's found her thumbs. We're trying to break her of that and give her her pacifier instead. Up until this poing we've only been using pacifiers to put her to sleep, because we didn't want her to get too dependent on them, but now we'd rather her suck on them than her thumbs. In a few years, we can take a paci away, but not her thumb.Her favorite toys are still brightly colored or contrasting colors that crinkle, and her very favorite is a pink poodle with black and white crinkle skirt. She takes naps with it and it can always get her attention. She's starting to be able to entertain herself on her playmat and with toys in her swing, which is not only important for her development but allows me to get a few things done! She will take a face over a toy any day, though. She's fascinated with smiles and laughs and noises, and loves to explore faces with her hands. She imitates noises really well, and concentrates really hard when you make the same noise she does, hehe. She's just getting so big!

3 months old!

Wow time is going by much faster now! Gracie sleeps in her crib most of every night, and only wakes up to eat once or twice. She's napping well during the day (although not on any sort of schedule), and loves to play with her toys! She's grabbing, lifting and starting to mouth (safe) objects. She smiles so big, and is really starting to giggle out loud more often. Her latest joy is going outside! The other day I took her for a walk in her stroller without the carseat for the first time so she could look around and see everything, and she did great! She watched birds go by, and was cooing the whole time! She loves to be carried out to the backyard, and is fascinated with leaves crunching under our feet. It's very cute. She's definitely getting bigger! Don't have a weight measurement since 2 1/2 months, but we're sure she's pushing 14 pounds! Not too big, just perfect. She's fitting perfectly into her 3 month clothes, and we find she has a bit more room in 3-6 months sizes. Overall, she's doing great, and we're so proud of our big girl!

2-month check-up (finally!)

We had to postpone this appointment back when she got sick because the fever she had can make it hard to monitor her reactions to her shots. Oh man, were they ugly. They had to stick her three times in one leg and two in the other, and she had to drink this other stuff. Ugh, I couldn't even watch, and she didn't just bawl, she sobbed and screamed. It was so sad, and made me cry too! But otherwise, she's fine and healthy. A wopping 12 lbs, 11 oz and 22 1/2 inches! But that's right on target for her age, so she's just perfect. She's still sleeping in her crib at night for awhile, but not all through the night yet. Oh well, it's still better than having to sleep with us all the time!

Slept in crib!

So early this morning (2am or so) I laid her down in her crib after her bottle to go put the bottle away. I came back and she was OUT. So I quietly made sure the monitor was plugged in, tiptoed out to our bedroom, and turned the monitor on. She woke up at 5am to eat, but then went right back down in her crib again! This time she woke up after an hour, and came to bed with me, but still, how awesome! We'll start putting her down in her crib at night from now on and see how she does.

Ugh

And now she has a horrible diaper rash. Does it ever end with this child? =)

No more fever, yay!

This medicine must be working, the fever is gone. She's much more awake today, playing and smiling like usual. Thank goodness.

Two months old... and an ER trip!

Well, this was a fun few days. Long long story short, Gracie's fever came back with a vengeance late Sunday, early Monday. It was 101.1 at 11pm, and after two hours and not being able to bring it below 100.8, even after a dose of Tylenol we called the nurse-on-call for her doctor, and they told us to take her to the ER. By the time we got there of course it had dropped to 99.0, so they just sat us in a room for two hours. When a doctor (stupid lady) finally came in they just said to keep an eye on her temp and bring her back if it went up again and we weren't able to bring it back down.

Well, she kept running a fever all day, spiking to 102.1 at 5pm, but we brought it down quickly with a cool bath and Tylenol. But at 1am Tuesday it was 102.0, and after Tylenol and another bath it was 102.4, so we took her back to the ER. This time she still had a fever when we got there, 100.6, so they put us in a room. Unlike the night before, a doctor (really nice guy) came in within 15 min and said there had been a lot of kids in with the bad flu that night, and he ordered chest xrays and a throat swab. Those came back negative, so he ordered blood work and urine taken. After THAT traumatic experience (it was so sad, they had to hold her down to put in the catheter and IV) the blood work came back negative, but the urine showed an elevated white cell count, so they diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection. They gave her a dose of antibiotics through her IV, monitored how she would react to it for half an hour, and then sent us home with a prescription and instructions to give her Tylenol every 4 hours until the fever lifted and give her medicine every 6 hours. She's very sleepy today after all that excitement early this morning, and the medicine is making her pretty lethargic, but otherwise she's doing fine. Hopefully this medicine works and gets rid of the infection.

Fever = doctor visit

Gracie started having a fever this weekend. On Saturday night it was 100.5 (under arm), but we got it down to 99.5 within 30 minutes. At 4am Sunday morning it was 100.8, but we got it down to 99.5 a couple hours later. Back up to 100.1 around 2pm, and back down an hour later. She was pretty fussy all day Sunday, so I called her doctor's office first thing this morning. They wanted us to come in, and checked her over. They said she looks fine and is acting okay, eating, sleeping, and having normal diapers, so they just want us to watch the temperature. If it gets above 100.8 rectally and stays that way for over an hour and we're not able to bring it down, or if it gets above 101 at all, we're to take her to the ER. I'm a little worried, but the doctor said she can sometimes just get hot in her clothes, and we are able to bring it down, so that's good. They weighed and measured her and she's 10lbs, 6oz, and 21 1/2 inches long! What a big girl!

Done breastfeeding... =(

Well, that's it. Gracie's absolutely refusing the bottles of breastmilk now, so we're going to stop pumping, and go to just formula. I was really depressed about how this was going the last few weeks, but then I realized how happy she is with the formula, and how much she is thriving off of it. So I feel a little bit better about the decision to quit. My mom said that I was the same way, I breastfed for 6 weeks and then only wanted formula, and David was strictly formula-fed, and we turned out just fine!

I will still try to solely breastfeed our next baby, so it's not like I'm quitting forever. Next time I'll start pumping right at the beginning and working with a lactation consultant until we get it right so hopefully we won't have supply or latching issues. Thanks for everyone's support and advice on this the last few weeks, I appreciate it. Now I can put this stress behind me and focus on other things, like cutting Gracie's razor-sharp fingernails!

One month old today!

I can't believe it's only been a month, it feels like 6 months! I guess that's what happens when you don't sleep much, haha.

Well, the breastfeeding is still not going very well, and the pumping hasn't really helped to increase my supply. Gracie seems to like the formula a lot better, which breaks my heart. I really wanted to be able to provide everything she needs, but she just will not latch on! There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her mouth or her reflexes, she just doesn't like it. It actually makes me mad, but I'm trying not to let it bother me so much. It's just frustrating.

Gracie is finally above her birthweight!

We've been having issues with her not getting enough milk. Her birth weight was 7 lbs even, at 5 days she was 6 lbs, 11 oz, which is normal, but at 2 weeks she was only 6 lbs, 12 ozs. We started pumping to keep track of how much she got, and unfortunately we had to start supplementing just a teensy bit, which I hated. But good news, at the doctor today she is now 7 lbs, 1.5 oz! (She wouldn't stretch out enough for them to measure her length, but we're sure she's grown a bit). So I guess we're doing something right now. We still need to supplement a little until I get my supply up to her demands, but hopefully we won't have to for very long.

Breastfeeding is very very hard, emotionally and physically, but the benefits to my body and the baby's are amazing. I hope to continue until she's at least 6 months old, and avoid going solely to formula at all. Thanks to those of you who have kept us in your prayers through these difficult last few weeks. It's getting better now, and she's worth every bit of effort!

Love y'all, and happy New Year!

First tub bath!

Gracie had her first tub bath today. She started crying when we took her clothes off, and didn't really stop until it was all over and she was clothed and I could feed her. But hopefully she will grow out of that and start enjoying her baths.


We're going to Medical City tomorrow to rent a breastpump. A lactation consultant said that pumping in between feedings will help increase my supply, and now David will be able to feed her! Hopefully this works...

2-week check-up

Well, Gracie has only gained one ounce since her last appointment (6 lbs, 11 ozs), which puts her 4 ozs under her birthweight of 7 lbs. The doctor is not too concerned though, because it was a gain and not a loss. We will take her back in a week to check her weight again, but some babies just don't gain it weight as fast as others. She's also grown one half inch in length, so that is also encouraging. Gracie has also had some stomach issues over the last few days, some frequent diarrhea and spit-up, which could also be attributing to the slow gain. They said I dont' really need to do anything different with my diet, just increase my water intake to make sure she doesn't get dehydrated. I also have to feed her every 2-3 hours instead of every 3-4, but I dont' have to feed her for as long. I've been letting her nurse until she's done, but now they're saying that could be causing her to spit up more because she overfills herself, and her sucking reflex takes over before her stomach lets her brain know she's done. So now I just will limit her to 15 minutes on each side, but more frequently, and she should gain that weight back quickly.

Her umbilical cord fell off last Saturday (12/22), and the doctor said to give it 24 more hours and then we could give her her first real bath (just been doing sponge baths until now). So we will probably do that tomorrow. As for her skin being really dry, the doctor said that's very common in babies this young at this time of year, and that once we start bathing her it will help keep her skin moisturized and to use baby lotion liberally. So she's fine!

Got her 2 week state-mandated newborn screening done today, also. They do it at birth and at 2 weeks old to check for a variety of deficiencies (see this link for details: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/lab/mrs_nbs_tests_ns.htm). They had to stick her heel to get the blood so I didn't watch. For some reason it bothered me to no end and she cried through the whole thing and it made me really upset that they were sticking her. At her 2 month appointment she's supposed to get 5 vaccinations... I already told David that I'll have to wait outside the door; I dont' think I can handle that! Anyways, so she's all fine and dandy, and I'll keep you up to date on how her appointment goes next week. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas!

Gracie's one-week-old birthday! (12/19)

Out for her first walk on an unusually warm day in December!
Gracie's First Christmas!

Doctor check-up on jaundice

Went to the Gracie's pediatrician today, who was recommended by my pediatrician, Dr. Clifford. We loved Dr. Len! He was fabulous with Gracie and she didn't make a peep through the entire exam. He says her jaundice has pretty much gone away, and didn't even the need to test her billiirubin level. He said if we could give her a few minutes in the sunshine periodically over the next week it will go away entirely. She weighs 6 lbs, 11 oz today, which is perfectly normal. She should gain it all back by her two week appointment, which is on Wednesday, December 26th.

So she is perfect! (of course!)

*~Gracie's Birth Story~*

I was told not to eat or drink anything (not even water) starting at midnight Tuesday morning (the 11th). After some delays with getting my room ready, we finally arrived at the hospital at 9:45am for the scheduled induction. We were shown to my labor and delivery room and I changed into my gown. I signed all my consent forms, and had blood drawn (had to draw from a vein in my thumb, because my other veins were too small since I was dehydrated). Dr. Greggs got there and checked my cervix. There was no change in dilation or effacement since the week before (1.5cm, 85%), so she placed Citotec pills onto my cervix at about 12:20pm. At around 1pm I was in a lot of pain and called my nurse. She checked and determined that I was reacting to the Citotec by having contractions 1:30 minutes apart, and because I had no time to relax in between them I was not dilating. After consulting with David and the nurse, I decided to go ahead and get the epidural (because I had still not made any progress). I was very scared of the epidural, but the anesthesiologist did a wonderful job. The IV he gave me beforehand was the worst part, since he used the same vein in my thumb where the blook had been drawn earlier. I had to bend over in a really uncomfortable position to get the epidural, but it was just a pinch and a 4-second cramp and it was over. He was very quick and efficient and talked me through the entire process. I felt great after that. I couldn't feel any pain from a pinch to my foot or leg, just pressure, and if I concentrated hard, I could move my legs a little and bend my toes. I was given a little button that let me "control" my epi to a certain extent; if I started feeling any pain, I could push the button and get a little more. It was great.

Unfortunately, the epidural slowed my progress even more. The doctor came in to check me again at around 7pm and I was only 3cm dilated, and 90% effaced, so she went ahead and broke my water. Well, within a few minutes I started to feel the contractions. I could feel the pressure when they started and stopped. Soon it turned into very real pain, and I started pushing my little epidural button every minute. An hour later I couldn't take it anymore and called my nurse. She checked me and I had progressed to 7cm and was 100% effaced in one hour! The epidural wasn't keeping up with the contractions, though, and I was again getting to where I couldn't relax in between the contractions, so they decided to "up" my epidural... twice! I ended up not being able to feel anything at all. That was the only time I was really really scared. It was like, "This is what it must feel like to wake up and be paralyzed". I couldn't feel pressure or move at all, no matter how hard I concentrated. But David and everyone were really supportive and even made me laugh to get my mind off the scary lack of feeling. Although I was progressing rapidly, the baby wasn't descending through the birth canal as quickly as she needed to, so the nurse and David helped me move into "rolling" side positions to "open up" the birth canal and help the baby's descent. By 10pm, I was at 9 cm, and fully effaced. At around 11, the doctor came to check me again. She put her hand down to check my cervix, then made a funny face, then looked under the sheet. David was standing across the room, having just walked our visitors out the door, and he looked too, and he made a funny face. I asked what was going on. David just said, "I see hair!" The doctor confirmed that the baby was indeed crowning, and things moved very quickly after that. The nurses came in and started setting the room up for the birth. The lights came out of the ceiling and the baby area came out of a cabinet in the wall. At around 11:30 the nurse had me try a few practice pushes. I couldn't feel my contractions, though, so she had to tell me when to push. I couldn't feel anything, but I held my breath and did what I thought was pushing. She quickly told me to stop, because I was pushing too well! It took the doctor almost another hour to get all set up and ready, and I started pushing for real at 12:20am. I pushed through the first contraction (three pushes of ten seconds each), and the doctor said I was indeed a great pusher. With the second contraction, push #1 got the baby's head out, push #2 the doctor loosened the cord that was around the baby's neck and rotated her shoulders, and push #3 she was born at 12:25am! I cannot describe the feeling when they placed her on my tummy, it was amazing. David and I were both crying with joy to see our daughter's face for the first time. She was just beautiful!

The nurses took her to the side and cleaned her up, while the doctor was stitching me up. Gracie had swallowed some amniotic fluid, so the nurses had to spend some extra time with her, but they got it all out and she had no lasting effects from it. They gave her back to us about 45 minutes later, and we were able to spend a very special half hour alone with her, and made our first attempt at breastfeeding. Afterwards, we let the family in that had been waiting in the waiting room during the birth. We all visited for a little while, then David and the rest of the family followed the nurse to the nursery so she could do Gracie's bath and evaluation while I got all cleaned up. Everyone went home around 3am and they wheeled me into a post-partum room for the rest of the morning.

I hadn't eaten or drank anything for well over 24 hours by this point, so they brought me a bunch of graham crackers and juice. The room we were in was in the overflow post-partum wing, so we had two beds, which was really nice for David. It took awhile for Gracie to be released from the nursery so I could feed her because her temperature dropped dramatically after her bath. They kept her in a warmer for awhile, and finally brought her to me after about 3 hours so I could feed her. They had to take her back to the nursery afterwards, though, because her temperature was still not as warm as they wanted (although they told me this was pretty normal). David went to sleep pretty quickly, but my nurse kept coming in every 20 minutes to check on me, go over paperwork with me, and give me medicine so I didn't get much sleep at all.

At 7am the cafeteria opened so I ordered myself a huge breakfast. We got up (after that monster epidural I was finally able to walk on my own by 8am) and took showers (that was the best shower of my life). We had some visitors that morning, and around lunch-time, a room opened up on the main post-partum floor, so we were moved up there. We got to keep Gracie with us throughout the day, which was nice. She passed her hearing screening with an above-average score, and we worked on mastering our diapering skills. We continued to have visitors throughout the day, and finally settled down to sleep around 11pm. I decided to have the nursery keep Gracie again that night, so I could try to get some more sleep. Of course I was woken up to feed her every 4 hours (although I insisted on this, I didn't want her having any formula at all) and to take medicine.

The next morning they said I was ready to be discharged, although I could have stayed another night if I wanted since Gracie was only technically born the day before. We went ahead and decided to go home, and waited for Gracie to be discharged by her pediatrician (my pediatrician, Dr. Clifford!). That happened around lunch-time, and after paperwork (birth certificate, discharge instructions, etc.) and another great shower, we were all packed and ready to go by 3pm. The nurse wheeled me downstairs where David had the car ready and we were off! Gracie was home for the first time by 4pm, 40 hours after she was born.

Hopefully next time I go into labor on my own and don't need to be induced. That's the one thing I wanted to experience, the contractions of early labor and knowing that the baby was coming on its own. I really enjoyed having a bunch of people visit while I was in labor. It made the 12 hours go by fairly quickly. It was very important to David and I that we were the only people present when our child was born (aside from the doctor and two nurses), and we will definitely have it that way again. However, next time we will definitely limit the post-partum visitors to a certain time period during the day. We enjoyed seeing everyone, but we were never able to rest and really suffered because of it when we got home. We really should have stayed that extra night, but we had no way of knowing just how crazy it would be at home. I will still insist on having the baby brought to me to breastfeed, and will still have the nursery keep the baby at night. So, overall, it was a great experience, and we can't wait for #2! (;D)

GRACIE JANE NICHOLS IS HERE!

She was born at 12:25am, weighing 7 pounds even and 19 3/4 inches long! She has ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes, and big feet just like her mommy! It was a very emotional moment for both of us, and now we can't stop smiling! Thanks for all the prayers, and Thank You, God, for our beautiful angel!

We will post a detailed birth story later!

TODAY

Wow, I'm so nervous I just could not get back to sleep. Have to call the hospital in about a half hour to make sure they have my room available, and if they do, we will be out the door at 6:30am. I was told not to eat or drink after midnight last night, and it probably wouldn't be bothering me so much except I keep thinking about it... so I desperately want a cookie and a glass of milk right now! *sigh* Oh well, I will be able to eat immediately after delivery so that's good.

I'm so excited, but so scared. Never been to the hospital for myself before (aside from some minor ER trips). No surgeries, no broken bones, no major illnesses. I've been blessed with health for most of my life, and now in my increasingly anxious mind I wonder if that's because I was born so late (a little over two weeks, I believe). So maybe Gracie needs a little more time... I don't know. Too late now, I think. So we will go into this trusting God to guide the medical professionals and help us deliver a perfect little baby. David is amazing. He loves me in the most genuine way, and doesn't take anything about this for granted. I know he will be there for me throughout the entire experience, and sometime in the next 24 hours (well, hopefully) we will be holding our little girl!

Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes. We will have the computer at the hospital (free internet, yay!) so we will post something as soon as she's born!

The Plan

Well, yesterday was the due date... and no Gracie. Guess she just takes after her mommy and needs a little encouragement to get on out of there!

We worked it all out with my doctor and will definitely be delivering at Medical City. Induction has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 11th, at 7:30am, if she doesn't come on her own before then. She hasn't made any moves yet to make me think she will. I'm pretty nervous now that I know THE DAY, but I know it will be fine. David and I are very excited to hold our little girl, and introduce her to the world!

This crazy whack of a doctor...AGH!

Why do people think they can take advantage of you just cause you're pregnant? You know how we've been struggling with the doctor trying to get me to change hospitals at 36 weeks, after we had already paid for and attended childbirth classes and everything and registered at and become familiar with Medical City. She got all in my face and said that its no longer "convenient" for her and I "would just have to understand that", etc. I haven't budged; this other hospital she wants me to switch to (RHD) is pretty low-grade, all shared rooms, the lactation consultant is only there two days a week, so if you miss her then tough ***, any nurse can come get your baby, the security isn't all that, etc. And if your baby needs a NICU Level 2, it is transported to Medical City anyway! So we've been struggling with that, the decision has been to just blow her off every time she mentions RHD, when it's time we're just to show up at Medical City and if she delivers the baby then fine, if not, I don't even care who does.

Well, here's the latest development in this fiasco. My doctor told me at my 38 week appointment (last Tuesday) that if I hadn't made much progress by my next appointment (39 week appt tomorrow) then we would discuss a possible induction for the week following my due date (which is this coming Saturday). I'm okay with that, there's no reason to schedule an induction before my due date. I told her at the very beginning that I wanted medication for pain, but DID NOT want any intervention to start labor, unless necessary (in other words, no induction before my due date, no breaking my water for me, and absolutely no c-section unless there is mortal danger to mine and/or the baby's life). Now the baby is not too big, her heart rate is perfect, my blood pressure is perfect, etc. Well, I get a message from the doctor's office yesterday morning that says, "Hi Sara, this is Donna from Dr. Gregg's office. I'm calling because you're scheduled for an induction tomorrow morning and you're not registered at the hospital. Please call me back so we can get this taken care of. Thanks, bye."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

This nurse tells me that at some point last Friday Dr. Greggs decided (out of the blue, for no reason and without discussing anything with me) that she no longer wants me to go all the way to my due date this Saturday, and wants to induce me this week. Apparently, she decided to call RHD (the hospital I'm not registered at because I'm not considering delivering there) and tell them that she'd like to induce me on Wednesday (yes, the 5th) and do they have times available. They called her back to tell her that they were booked Wed, Thurs, and Fri and that if I were to be induced this week it would have to be Tuesday (yes, the 4th) morning at 6:30am. So she tells her nurse to call me and let me know that she has now decided that she doesn't want me to go to my due date and that that is my only option for induction. I told them to go ahead and cancel that induction, unless the doctor has a good reason to induce me before my due date, then she can call and tell me why herself. But that I would see them for my 39 week appt tomorrow at 4:30. Oh, and let me guess, was that hospital she called RHD? The nurse said yes. I said, Well, the reason I'm not registered there is because we decided months ago that I would be delivering at Medical City, and I'm not changing that. The nurse says Well sometimes insurance isn't covered at Medical City, I'd hate for you to get stuck with a bill you can't afford. I told her that I appreciated her concern but that I've already verified the coverage with the insurance and Med. City. Then I hung up.

I called my contact Kathleen in the admissions office at Med. City to verify all this, and she said that my insurance covers everything there, and that she is appalled that the doctor's office tried to counsel me on what the billing practices are at Med. City! So she double-checked and verified everything again, but it covers everything, no matter what the doctor says.

WTF?! My doctor has totally lost all my respect and confidence. She is no longer acting in my best interests. I'm just praying this little girl comes on her own in the next couple of days, so I dont' have to worry about this whole induction business.