Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Halloween
Just a few pictures of Bayden's first Halloween. She was a ballerina. Most of these are from daycare. They got some good ones, she wasn't in as much of the mood that evening after her party at daycare. Her party included painting pumpkins and a dance party! She was awake for the entire party; loves a party like her momma and daddy! I guess she really enjoyed painting too; that must be from the donor!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Single Mom and a Tooth
Well, it started yesterday. I am now a single mom....
For the next 4 months or so. Gav started coaching hockey last night. He was asked to be the assistant coach for a local high school a few months back. He wasn't sure if he would have another chance to coach this level so he decided to go for it. Practice started last night and he has a busy schedule of practice and games through February. Last night he got home at 9:00 and was feeling bad that Bayden was in bed and he didn't get to see her yesterday. Wouldn't you know, something must have scared her last night around 10:30 and she started screaming. He got to snuggle and rock her back to sleep, that made him feel better! After this first week, he will be home earlier besides nights of games. Bayden and I will sure miss him in the evenings.
We will keep busy though. Last night I brought her along to the last night of my bible study. The gals love to pass her around and make her smile. Crazy to think that about a year ago, I put in a secret prayer request at bible study, "please pray for 2 early pregnancies" for my sister and I. Here we are a year later getting notes together for our babysitters this weekend for our first family day out without kids. My family is coming to town for a college football game. We have 3 gals coming to babysit 1 toddler and 4 babies! This year, I should have put in a prayer request for the babysitters!
In other news, Bayden is getting her first tooth. The nurse felt it last Monday when she was giving her oral immunization and we saw it the next day. She seems to be handling it pretty well, but it makes me sad that she's getting so big.
For the next 4 months or so. Gav started coaching hockey last night. He was asked to be the assistant coach for a local high school a few months back. He wasn't sure if he would have another chance to coach this level so he decided to go for it. Practice started last night and he has a busy schedule of practice and games through February. Last night he got home at 9:00 and was feeling bad that Bayden was in bed and he didn't get to see her yesterday. Wouldn't you know, something must have scared her last night around 10:30 and she started screaming. He got to snuggle and rock her back to sleep, that made him feel better! After this first week, he will be home earlier besides nights of games. Bayden and I will sure miss him in the evenings.
We will keep busy though. Last night I brought her along to the last night of my bible study. The gals love to pass her around and make her smile. Crazy to think that about a year ago, I put in a secret prayer request at bible study, "please pray for 2 early pregnancies" for my sister and I. Here we are a year later getting notes together for our babysitters this weekend for our first family day out without kids. My family is coming to town for a college football game. We have 3 gals coming to babysit 1 toddler and 4 babies! This year, I should have put in a prayer request for the babysitters!
In other news, Bayden is getting her first tooth. The nurse felt it last Monday when she was giving her oral immunization and we saw it the next day. She seems to be handling it pretty well, but it makes me sad that she's getting so big.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
6 Months
Only a little over a week behind this time! On October 18th Bayden turned half a year old. I can't believe how fast it's going. She had a 6 month birthday party with family at a hotel. Not really just for her, the family weekend just happened to be that day. I thought it was funny though and kept asking when she should open presents.
Here are her stats from her 3 doctor appointments last week:
* She weighs 13 lb. 12 oz., 24 3/4 in long, and 40.5 cm head circumference. Still a peanut.
* She past her 6 month vision screening. A little more far sighted than the typical 6 month old baby, but nothing to worry about.
* She still needs her apnea monitor while she sleeps. The alarm doesn't go off, but it is still recording apneas of 15-17 seconds long.
* She is pretty much caught up developmentally motor wise and wouldn't need to see her nicu doc anymore if it weren't for the apnea issue!
* She is still a little behind on her language skills, not very chatty yet.
She is still a good baby and sleeping well at night. She is up during the night about twice a week, but usually I wake her up after I'm ready for work. We had a couple rough nights after staying at the hotel and so much snuggling with family, but we are back on track now. She naps better at daycare than she does for us on the weekends. We need to work on a nap schedule.
She is drinking 4 - 6 oz bottles and nursing when I'm around. We started some food last week. We did a couple days of squash from grandma's garden and tried some baby oatmeal tonight. Not sure how much she gets down yet.
She had her first illnesses in October. A few weeks ago she had pink eye and on Friday she had a fever.
We are getting bigger and bigger giggles everyday and that is our favorite part of this age. Gavin wishes she could stay this age for a long time.
I think we have a Daddy's girl on our hands. Gav said the other day that she looks at him and they have this connection. They do, she smiles at whatever he says or does. Makes me so happy.
Now for some fun pictures!
Here are her stats from her 3 doctor appointments last week:
* She weighs 13 lb. 12 oz., 24 3/4 in long, and 40.5 cm head circumference. Still a peanut.
* She past her 6 month vision screening. A little more far sighted than the typical 6 month old baby, but nothing to worry about.
* She still needs her apnea monitor while she sleeps. The alarm doesn't go off, but it is still recording apneas of 15-17 seconds long.
* She is pretty much caught up developmentally motor wise and wouldn't need to see her nicu doc anymore if it weren't for the apnea issue!
* She is still a little behind on her language skills, not very chatty yet.
She is still a good baby and sleeping well at night. She is up during the night about twice a week, but usually I wake her up after I'm ready for work. We had a couple rough nights after staying at the hotel and so much snuggling with family, but we are back on track now. She naps better at daycare than she does for us on the weekends. We need to work on a nap schedule.
She is drinking 4 - 6 oz bottles and nursing when I'm around. We started some food last week. We did a couple days of squash from grandma's garden and tried some baby oatmeal tonight. Not sure how much she gets down yet.
She had her first illnesses in October. A few weeks ago she had pink eye and on Friday she had a fever.
We are getting bigger and bigger giggles everyday and that is our favorite part of this age. Gavin wishes she could stay this age for a long time.
I think we have a Daddy's girl on our hands. Gav said the other day that she looks at him and they have this connection. They do, she smiles at whatever he says or does. Makes me so happy.
Now for some fun pictures!
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| Bayden's 6 month birthday party |
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| Cousin Caroline's baptism |
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| Cousins! |
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| With cousin, Maysen. So trendy! |
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Five Months & Baptism, Finally
Sorry this is so late, but better late than never. B is now 5 months old and baptized. She is such a happy baby. She does the raspberry, bubbles now and we get some good giggles. Still waiting for the big belly laugh. She also rolls from front to back if her arms are in just the right spot. Sleeping through the night until we wake her up for daycare and then she is so smiley when she first sees us. This is our favorite part of the day. She weighed 12 lbs. 6 oz. when she saw her nicu doc at 5 months. She is still on her apnea monitor at night and during naps at daycare. It doesn't go off anymore, but it is still recording apnea spells up to 17 seconds when she sleeps. We visited the nicu nurses that day too and they were excited to see her. We had her baptism last weekend and celebrated with friends and family. We feel so blessed everyday that she is in our lives, but on her baptism it felt so great to look up and see friends and family all around her. I pray that she always has as much love and support as she did that day from her family, godparents, and friends. Here are some pics of our growing girl.
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| Went for a day trip to see cousins in Sept. Here is my aunt (one of my most faithful blog followers) and B's cousin, Jack. |
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| Just so you can see how she arches her back now. She needs to be buckled into everything now. |
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| Looking so cute at a wedding in Sept. |
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| First time in a bar! She loved it and was a big hit as you can imagine |
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| How she sleeps now. |
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| Us with her godparents |
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| Baptism gown. Worn for 3 generations now. |
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| looking like a nun after the baptism! |
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| Family at Baptism party. |
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| 4 generations |
Saturday, September 14, 2013
One Year Anniversary and 100 Posts
This is my 100th blog post. Seems like just yesterday that I was writing my first post and writing an email to my closest family and friends inviting them to read about our journey. It's been quite the journey and I'm so glad I decided to document it here. I hope you've enjoyed the story! For my 100th post, I'm writing an anniversary letter to my little Bayden, 1 year together.
Dear Bayden,
One year ago today on Sept. 14th, I became a mom. That's the day I started taking care of you. One year ago, your dad and I were in a doctor's office holding hands and waiting for the doctor to bring you to us in a tiny catheter. There I laid praying so hard that this time would work.
You have been such a fighter since before that day. At this time a year ago, you had been growing in a dish for a five days. You were the best embryo, the most cells, the fighter. You were making it. The doctor transferred you and a sibling to me that day. You were strong, you found a comfy spot to attach and grow. I had a scare a few weeks later with cramps and bleeding. I cried on my way to the doctor's office for an ultrasound, but there you were on the screen with a strong heartbeat, a fighter. We were so happy and relieved, but we knew then that our other baby didn't have a heartbeat. For the next 30 or so weeks, I loved having you inside me. I loved being pregnant and feeling you grow inside me.
Then, you'd had enough on the inside and were ready and you arrived quickly to the outside world. Your first 43 days weren't easy and I hated being apart from you while you were in the nicu. You were a fighter during that time too, a bit dramatic though. Now you are home and doing great. You have made me so happy this past year. I love seeing you grow and do new things everyday.
One year ago, you were just a few cells inside me and today I heard the cutest giggle from you. Can't wait for more giggles.
Love, Mommy
Dear Bayden,
One year ago today on Sept. 14th, I became a mom. That's the day I started taking care of you. One year ago, your dad and I were in a doctor's office holding hands and waiting for the doctor to bring you to us in a tiny catheter. There I laid praying so hard that this time would work.
You have been such a fighter since before that day. At this time a year ago, you had been growing in a dish for a five days. You were the best embryo, the most cells, the fighter. You were making it. The doctor transferred you and a sibling to me that day. You were strong, you found a comfy spot to attach and grow. I had a scare a few weeks later with cramps and bleeding. I cried on my way to the doctor's office for an ultrasound, but there you were on the screen with a strong heartbeat, a fighter. We were so happy and relieved, but we knew then that our other baby didn't have a heartbeat. For the next 30 or so weeks, I loved having you inside me. I loved being pregnant and feeling you grow inside me.
Then, you'd had enough on the inside and were ready and you arrived quickly to the outside world. Your first 43 days weren't easy and I hated being apart from you while you were in the nicu. You were a fighter during that time too, a bit dramatic though. Now you are home and doing great. You have made me so happy this past year. I love seeing you grow and do new things everyday.
One year ago, you were just a few cells inside me and today I heard the cutest giggle from you. Can't wait for more giggles.
Love, Mommy
Friday, August 30, 2013
Back to School
Monday I started back at work and B started daycare. I was not looking forward to this at all and kept hoping Gav would get a big raise or we would win the lottery or something. I always thought I wouldn't want to be a stay at home mom, but I think I could have done it until she was 1. Bayden came early to get me 6 extra weeks off from work, I didn't want her doing anything else drastic to give me more time though.
I had 4 days of teacher workshops and she went to daycare 4 days. Today I am off and I kept her home with me. My week was spent at meetings, training, back to school night with parents, and working in my classroom. But really it was a lot of visiting with co-workers and showing cute pictures of her. This is the least prepared I have ever been to go back to school, but it will fall into place and I think it will be a good year.
Daycare seems to be going well. The first drop off wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Gav came along the first day for drop off and pick up. They say she is a good baby and they've known what to do when her alarm has gone off - only for low battery and loose wires so far. She has been really tired out there and at home too. According to the calendar, the theme this week was Dr. Seuss. Ha!
Here is a pic of our first day!
I had 4 days of teacher workshops and she went to daycare 4 days. Today I am off and I kept her home with me. My week was spent at meetings, training, back to school night with parents, and working in my classroom. But really it was a lot of visiting with co-workers and showing cute pictures of her. This is the least prepared I have ever been to go back to school, but it will fall into place and I think it will be a good year.
Daycare seems to be going well. The first drop off wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Gav came along the first day for drop off and pick up. They say she is a good baby and they've known what to do when her alarm has gone off - only for low battery and loose wires so far. She has been really tired out there and at home too. According to the calendar, the theme this week was Dr. Seuss. Ha!
Here is a pic of our first day!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
4 Months
Four months old, on Sunday. It's going so fast just like everyone tells me. Bayden is doing great. She weighed 11 pounds 7.5 ounces yesterday and is 21 1/2 inches long.
Eating: She eats a little over 4 ounces if she has a bottle, but she finally got really good at nursing a few weeks ago. I love that I don't have to wash as many bottles and pumping equipment and the bonding time of course too. She was eating 7 times a day but lately is back up to 8 because of her sleeping schedule.
Sleeping: Bayden has slept through the night (8-9 hours) for 4 nights in a row now! I'm hoping this schedule keeps up as I start back at work next week. She takes short naps during the day. She eats, plays, and then sleeps for about 30 - 45 minutes and then does it all over again.
Playing: Her favorite toy is this little light up kitty., always makes her smile. She has also figured out how to move her toys on her bouncy seat by kicking her legs. She doesn't really hold on to toys yet, but loves to hold on to her clothes, blankets, or burp rags. She also really likes the tv....
Clothes: I had to buy a tote to start putting clothes that are too small for her in. This is so sad for me. All her newborn clothes are in there and a few of the 0-3 months too. She wears mostly 3 months clothes, but a few 3-6 months fit. There a few of my favorites that I will squeeze her into a few more times.
Medical: We went to see her nicu doctor on Monday. He took her off the caffeine medicine. Hopefully this goes well and she can be off the monitor in another month. He wants her growing faster so he still wants her to have 2-3 bottles of a high calorie formula a day. I decided to have daycare give her these bottles beings they will provide formula. Hopefully only another month of this too. He was impressed with how active she is and she is meeting milestones for her corrected age (due date). She has a flat spot on her head because she has a stiff neck so she will be starting occupational therapy this week to try and fix this. Poor lil gal can't catch a break.
Lake time: Last weekend we were at the lake with some friends. This was her first trip to the lake. She enjoyed the fresh air and the action of the bigger kids who just love her. She got out the start of a giggle while we were there. She also attended her first style show put on by our friends' daughters. This gave Daddy a sneak peak at things little girls like to do!
Here are some pics!
Eating: She eats a little over 4 ounces if she has a bottle, but she finally got really good at nursing a few weeks ago. I love that I don't have to wash as many bottles and pumping equipment and the bonding time of course too. She was eating 7 times a day but lately is back up to 8 because of her sleeping schedule.
Sleeping: Bayden has slept through the night (8-9 hours) for 4 nights in a row now! I'm hoping this schedule keeps up as I start back at work next week. She takes short naps during the day. She eats, plays, and then sleeps for about 30 - 45 minutes and then does it all over again.
Playing: Her favorite toy is this little light up kitty., always makes her smile. She has also figured out how to move her toys on her bouncy seat by kicking her legs. She doesn't really hold on to toys yet, but loves to hold on to her clothes, blankets, or burp rags. She also really likes the tv....
Clothes: I had to buy a tote to start putting clothes that are too small for her in. This is so sad for me. All her newborn clothes are in there and a few of the 0-3 months too. She wears mostly 3 months clothes, but a few 3-6 months fit. There a few of my favorites that I will squeeze her into a few more times.
Medical: We went to see her nicu doctor on Monday. He took her off the caffeine medicine. Hopefully this goes well and she can be off the monitor in another month. He wants her growing faster so he still wants her to have 2-3 bottles of a high calorie formula a day. I decided to have daycare give her these bottles beings they will provide formula. Hopefully only another month of this too. He was impressed with how active she is and she is meeting milestones for her corrected age (due date). She has a flat spot on her head because she has a stiff neck so she will be starting occupational therapy this week to try and fix this. Poor lil gal can't catch a break.
Lake time: Last weekend we were at the lake with some friends. This was her first trip to the lake. She enjoyed the fresh air and the action of the bigger kids who just love her. She got out the start of a giggle while we were there. She also attended her first style show put on by our friends' daughters. This gave Daddy a sneak peak at things little girls like to do!
Here are some pics!
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| Sharing lots of toys with B. She was sticky from all his kisses last weekend! |
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| enjoying the lake in the shade |
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| training in a baby sitter |
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| caught a smile! |
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