No more ice cream for me...

Yep, you heard me correctly...no more ice cream for Anne...[GASP!] Our little Ayla has been spitting up multiple times with each feeding lately...enough that I've started to worry about it (of course.) After much Internet research, which only makes me even MORE crazy, I finally gave in and decided to call her pediatrician (Dr.Davey). Because of a few symptoms...smelly, mucus-y poo(I guess her poo shouldn't smell bad from breastmilk...he said it's even supposed to smell a bit sweet...definitely not the case with Ayla), gassy, grunting, and the spitting up, he thinks she may be lactose-intolerant. Meaning, whatever dairy products I consume affects my breastmilk and when she drinks it, it upsets her tummy. Poor baby!! SO, he said to take ALL dairy products out of my diet...milk, cheese, yogurt, and...ice cream. My diet IS basically cheese and ice cream...no kidding. This will be interesting and will definitely test my nearly non-existent will-power when it comes to food... however, if it makes my baby girl feel better, I'm all for it. If she truly is lactose-intolerant and I'm good about no dairy, we should see a difference in a week or so, give or take a couple days.

I'm really glad that I ended up calling Dr.Davey...I just didn't want to be one of those moms who freak out and call the doctor about every little thing. After talking to a nurse and Dr.Davey himself, I'm even happier with our choice in Village Pointe Pediatrics. :) We liked him a lot while we were at the hospital and it was just a nice surprise that along with the nurse, HE actually called to talk to me as well. Very nice.

Still truckin' along...

We're all three (well, four, counting Kody) still doing well! I include Kody because he feels the need to get up with us in the middle of the night so he doesn't miss anything. I think he's finally learning that he can continue to sleep (lucky dog) because he doesn't get up AS often now. :)

Remember while I was pregnant and I mentioned how I understood the true meaning of being tired? HAHHHAHAHHHA. [SIGH] So naive. :) I'm actually quite amazed that I'm able to run on such broken, light sleep. I suppose when it's for the right reason, I can handle it...and I know it's not going to be like this forever. Hopefully.

I think...well, I KNOW that I worry too much. I'm constantly wondering if we're doing things the "right" way. I need to just go with the flow and figure things out as they come instead of stressing myself out 24/7...easier said than done though. :P I also have to remember that she's only 3 weeks old and that she probably won't be on a set schedule of anything yet...right???

Ayla's been out and about with us and so far does really well while we're out. Yesterday, we left the house for our very first outing as just the two of us...I know, took me long enough! Dr.Bishop didn't want me to drive for a couple weeks. We went down to the restaurant to say hi and then to my parents' house for a little bit. Anyways, enough blabbing...on to what you all really want...more pictures! :) Enjoy!

In her cute Old Navy outfit from Mandy!

Watching Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa bowl
Daddy enjoying a beer in between frames

Playtime!
Not-so-favorite tummy time

At Cheeseburger in Paradise with Grandma & Grandpa

All bundled up!

Ayla's first piece of mail!

Piggy-back ride

Talking to Grandma

Ayla update...

Ayla and I made it through our first week at home as just the two of us and we're now a couple days into our second week. I think we're starting to figure eachother out! :) She really is a good baby...she only cries when we change her clothes or if we're too slow while changing her diaper...oh and bath time is a little iffy still, although since the cord stump fell off and we're able to put her in the water, she doesn't mind it as much. I don't think she likes to be cold!

I was still really glad when we made it to the weekend and Dean was home. I was kind of bummed that most of his week off from work was spent in the hospital...and as much as I wanted to come home while we were there, I almost miss it in a weird way. Not so much being stuck there, but just the fact that the three of us were together as a family in that little room...it was nice. Comforting.

Over the weekend, we went on our first walk with the stroller...Kody was more than thrilled to be out of the house! Poor dog!

On Sunday, we made a quick trip to Pooley's Pumpkin Patch to grab a few pumpkins...Dean tested out the Baby Bjorn...

She seems to be waking up about three times a night. Overnight, she doesn't cry when she's hungry...she starts to stir about a half an hour before waking up. She grunts and squeaks until we wake up to feed her. She might possibly be the loudest sleeper ever! After eating, it seems to take a while for her to fall asleep again, which can make for a long night sometimes! By the time I feed her, change her and get her to fall asleep and climb back into bed myself, I'm back up in a little while. I'm constantly battling with myself when it comes to when I should change her diaper overnight...before or after feeding her?? If I do it before, she can just fall asleep after eating...but a lot of the times, she'll poop afterwards and I end up changing her again, which means making her mad twice. I'll figure it out eventually...

During the day, she still sleeps a lot...I keep trying to follow the "sleep when she's sleeping" advice, but it's hard to do! I've taken just a couple naps because I always find things I want to do...the endless cycle of washing her bottles, laundry, pumping, etc. I've also found a lot of time to just think. Dean and I have discovered that I couldn't remember bits and pieces of labor and delivery until I was reminded or until out of nowhere, something pops up in my mind. Weird, huh? I didn't really remember that Dean brought Ayla over to me while they were sewing up my incision. And several days after she was born, I had a memory of the doctors and nurses doing an instrument count to make sure nothing was left in me...I also remembered getting an oxygen tube put in my nose. So just little details here and there...it's just interesting how they come back.

It just occurred to me this past weekend that I didn't get to hold Ayla for the first time until I was out of the recovery room and in our regular room about two hours after she was born. I remember Dean handing her to me while our families were in the room. As soon as I had her in my arms and was able to see her little face, the tears came. It was the biggest rush of emotions to finally hold her and touch her after waiting for her for all those months. It was like I was in my own little world with her...I didn't notice anything else going on in the room.

Ayla's Birth

Ohhhkay...I figured it was about time to sit down and start writing about Ayla's birth...it took me a few days to feel like I wasn't going crazy!! :) Dean (reluctantly) went back to work yesterday...I think he was pretty bummed to leave his little girl.

SO, on Thursday October 2nd, I was feeling really uncomfortable...Marla came over and we went on a walk through the neighborhood...it was nice to get out of the house and move around since I didn't work that day. Dean came home from work and we did the usual thing...dinner and Grey's Anatomy. The whole time, I thought "geez, TWO more weeks of feeling like THIS?!" I was crampy, tired, feeling a lot of pressure and just plain done with being pregnant.

We went to bed and around 3:oo in the morning, I woke up for my regular bathroom run. I laid there for a second and when I moved, I felt something a little weird...this is probably too much information, but whatever...I had that feeling like I just started my period. I hurried to the bathroom and peed and a few seconds later, I felt something else...honestly, I wasn't quite sure where it came from. I was wide awake at this point and just sat there and wondered if my water had broken! I opened the door and called out to Dean. He got up and we both just sat there wondering what to do! I got up and laid back down in bed and looked through some books and the Internet (I know I said I wouldn't do this, but I needed answers). It said to lay there for a little bit and go back to the bathroom and see if any more fluid comes out. I did that and yes, there was more. I called Dr.Bishop and described what had happened and at first she seemed a little iffy as well but ended up telling me to go ahead and go to the hospital. We gathered some last minute things, changed and headed out. It was all so surreal! We still didn't know for sure if it was IT or not. I think I knew that it was, but Dean was still questioning it.

We got to the hospital a little after 4:00am and once I was checked in, they tested the fluid and indeed, it was amniotic fluid...my water did break! :) Game on! They hooked me up to an IV and had me walk laps around the hospital floor. We circled around for a little under an hour and went back to the room to do some tests and hook me up to the heart and contraction monitor. I was only at 1 cm! We figured we were there for the long haul. It's all a little fuzzy from here on...so the details may be a little off, but you'll get the picture. They started pitocin to speed things up a little bit. The contractions were getting stronger and stronger...another doctor checked me and said I was in between 3 and 4 cm and could get an epidural if I wanted to. At that point, my contractions were a minute and a half apart, so I decided that I did want one...and let me tell you, epidurals are my best friend. It was amazing how we could see the contractions on the monitor but I couldn't feel a thing. I was worried about getting the actual epidural and how much it might hurt, but it was nothing! I totally didn't need to get so worked up about it!

So I'm feeling great, they eventually stopped the pitocin...not sure what time and why. Dean and I watched tv, texted/called friends and family, and listened to one of our favorite cds...Kenny Chesney "Be As You Are"...all the songs are about the Virgin Islands, which happens to be where we went on our honeymoon. It was really calming to close my eyes and listen to the songs (before and after the epidural.) They checked me again and I was at 6 cm and 90% effaced...

Not too long afterwards, I started to feel some pressure and when the nurse checked me, I was already at 10 cm and ready to push!! Holy crap! This was around 2:00 or 2:30pm (about 10 hours after we arrived at the hospital). I pushed for almost four hours...the baby was head down, but she wasn't facing the ground. She was trying to come out forehead first. Dr.Bishop tried to rotate her, but it didn't work. So around 6:00pm, she said I would have to go in for a c-section. She didn't want to have me keep pushing and end up getting her too wedged in there and at that point, it had been over 13 hours since my water had broken and there could be a risk for infection. I had mentally prepared myself for the idea that I may end up having a c-section...I wasn't thrilled, but we had to do what was best for the baby and me.

We had to wait a little bit for an operating room to open up...they got me all ready and gave Dean scrubs to wear and wheeled me in. I was surprised at how bright the room was...I think I've watched too many episodes of Grey's Anatomy. :) They pumped up the epidural so I felt like I didn't have legs anymore...put up the sheet in front of my face and began. I was a little freaked out, so Dean was holding my hand. I heard Dr. Bishop say, "Incision."...that totally weirded me out!! After the incision was made, Dean asked if he could video the rest of it and I said that was fine. I felt a lot of pressure and could feel my body being jostled around and pushed on. They said she was totally wedged in there and there was no way I could have pushed her out. Within minutes, she was out and I think she came out crying! It was one of the most amazing moments of my life...to know that she was finally here. Dean went over to the weighing table to see her...7lbs.11oz. and 20inches long! He brought her back over to me and we decided that her name was going to be Ayla Ming.

While they were sewing me back up, Dean went out to tell our families that she had been born...after he came back in, they wheeled me to a recovery room where I stayed for about an hour. I developed a fever, which long story short, kept me in the hospital for 5 1/2 days, hooked up to an antibiotic IV nearly 24/7. We went in early Friday morning and didn't get to go home until Wednesday evening. The fever really only lasted a little while, but I had to go a full 48 hours without going over 98.9 degrees...I had a 99 one day and that kept us there. The day we thought we'd go home, they took my temp while I was underneath a couple blankets and nursing Ayla right after I had used a heating pad...99.6 degrees. We made them come back to retake it! 20 minutes later, all was well. :)

Dean has been absolutely amazing with Ayla...while we were in the hospital, he changed nearly every diaper and he was the one who had to get out of bed over and over again to tend to her because I was stuck in bed hooked up to a variety of things...IV, catheter (sp?), leg cramp massager thingys...etc. And I couldn't just hop out of bed quickly because the incision hurt so much. Not only did he have to take care of Ayla, he had to take care of me. I started to get really bummed out because I wasn't as hands-on with Ayla and felt like I was missing out on things. Dean really got to know her quickly. Now that we're home, he is still doing as much as he can. I know not every dad is as involved as Dean...I'm so thankful for him...I know I couldn't do this by myself.

When we finally did go home, we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. I felt like we had to start all over again. We had somewhat of a routine down at the hospital and we've had to figure out a new one for being at home. There have been several rough, sleepless nights and I'm sure there are plenty more to come...and yes, our lives have been completely jostled around...we're tired and we don't always know what the heck we're doing but when I look at that sweet little face, even when it's 4 in the morning, it's all worth it.

She's only been in our lives for 11 days now, but I already can't imagine what it would be like if we didn't have her. She is the one thing that is truly mine...she is my heart, my soul, my life.

I lied.

I'm still working. I thought I was going to be done last week, but I figured I could just finish out the month, which would've been just this past Monday and Tuesday...BUT then I thought "what's a couple more days?" So I scheduled myself for Wednesday and Thursday as well (not Friday since my appointment is in the middle of the day.) After today though, I will happily and officially be done working after Monday the 6th...and I'm only working that day because we are short a person. PIP has migrated lower and my waddling is in full effect...waddling and trying to hustle through a restaurant don't mix too well, I found out today!

I've been feeling a lot more crampiness and pressure since my last appointment...still no contractions though. Every now and then in the middle of the night, I feel aches and pains but I think it's just stronger Braxton-Hicks. ??? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when I go to my appointment on Friday, she'll tell me that I've progressed!

Dean has installed car seat bases in both of our cars and I have our hospital bag in my car just in case! Last night, Dean packed most of his stuff for the hospital...it was pretty entertaining to watch. I never knew picking out three shirts would prove to be so difficult! I think it took him a good half an hour to pick them out and repack everything in a larger bag. At one point, he came out to the living room and said how he didn't know what to pack and felt like he didn't have clothes he wanted to bring. He even considered going shopping for new clothes (yes, to wear while at the hospital) because he felt like it was important to look nice since he'll be in a lot of pictures that we and others will look at for the rest of our lives. (Meanwhile, I'll be the puffy, no make-up, tired, achy one in the giant hospital gown). How funny. I think I've worn off on him...who doesn't want new outfits for exciting new events?! He eventually settled on a few shirts...no shopping required. We're good to go now!

My dad just got home last night from a two-week long trip in Taiwan...he asked PIP to wait for him...and she did...but now I think I'd be okay if she decided to come out and meet us! He bought her a couple pairs of really cute shoes and some swaddling blankets...I thought it was so cute that he would go out and pick out girly pink stuff especially since he's not much of a shopper.

I'll post again after my appointment on Friday...