4 weeks already?!

Exactly four weeks ago today, I cooked dinner for Chad, my Dad, and I.  We ate dinner, had a little dessert, watched tv, then went to bed.  Not too long after going to bed, our whole world changed.  Now here we are with a sweet, precious 4 week old that has changed our life so much. 

Everyone told me that time would pass by quickly, but wow it has flown by.  She will be a month old on Friday.  In just four weeks, Reagan has started to change so much.  There are so many little qualities we are noticing she gets from Chad and I.  Sometimes when we look at her, she looks like Chad and sometimes when we look at her she looks like me.  For example, here are two pictures, one taken on Monday and one today. 

Daddy's Eyes

Looking like Mommy



Last week, we made a very big step.  It was a hard one to make (for Mommy and Daddy), but we knew it would be best for our sweet girl.  She is no longer sleeping in her bassinet in our bedroom.  Reagan now sleeps in her crib in the nursery.  She takes her naps in there and she also sleeps in there at night.  My Aunt Joan bought a video monitor for us and that has been a life saver.  I think it made this transition so much easier for us.  When we hear her crying or making sounds we can look to see what she is doing.  If we got up everytime she made a grunt or sound, we would be up every 10 minutes.  We have a very loud sleeper.  While she sleeps she grunts (passing gas), stretches, and snores (yes, already).

Here she is in her big crib! She looks so tiny in there!

Another transition we made last week was putting Reagan on a schedule.  The first 3 weeks were more about us getting to know her, when she likes to eat, how long she eats, how she sleeps, etc.  Once we figured all of that out, we were able to make a schedule of feeding, playtime, and naptime.  Now, of course, the schedule doesn't ALWAYS work.  And I'm sure as the weeks go on we will need to adjust the feeding schedule as she will begin eating more, but less often.  We have her one month appointment on the 18th so we are looking forward to finding out about her progress with weight and how we might need to adjust her schedule.

Combining moving to the crib for naps and bedtime with making a schedule for her has been harder on me than it has her.  Before, we would have the bassinet in the living room so as I would walk around the house, I would go and look at her in the bassinet or I would hold her a lot more (instead of putting her down for naps in the bassinet).  I keep telling Chad that I miss her since she seems so far away now in the nursery.  I do have to admit, I sneak in a few cuddle times during the day because I know she's not always going to be this small and cuddly.  And once school starts back, I'm not going to have as many opportunities to do this.  Chad keeps reminding me that as she gets older, she will be awake longer and I will get to play with her more.

Chad and I both read "Baby Wise" (which I highly recommend) and we really like how the book suggested teaching your baby to self-sooth.  The schedule (feeding, waketime, naptime) is a big part of Baby Wise.  By not putting her down after feeding her, she teaches herself how to self-soothe.  Right now she is very drowsy when we put her down because we keep her so busy during waketimes.  We are hoping eventually when she is more awake when we put her down that she will be so comfortable with her crib that she will be able to fall asleep on her own.  We shall see...

Here are a few photos from the past 2 weeks:

Reagan's maternal great grandmother "GiGi", two of her "Grand Ants" Aunt Sheree and Daphne, and Uncle Steve came for a visit a few weekends ago.  It was such a special moment introducing her to some of her family. :)

with GiGi

KayKay, Aunt Sheree, Mommy, Gigi, and Reagan

Four Generations

Aunt Daphne and Reagan










Happy 4th!

  
 

Grandpa, MawMaw, and Reagan





Tummy Time

First Official Walk

Love to Swing!

I'm lifting my head all by myself!









  







Life As We Now Know It...

...is wonderful! Sure, the past 2 weeks have been an adjustment.  I'm not going to lie. But it's all worth it.  For some reason, our daily routine now includes a trip to Wal-Mart it seems.  There is always something we have forgotten to get on the previous day or there is something that comes up that we need to buy.  Good thing Wal-Mart is only 5 minutes away. 

In just 2 short weeks, Reagan has taught Chad and I so much.  She has taught me to be patient.  After some researching, I have learned that Reagan is a "rester" when it comes to feeding.  She will eat for 10 minutes, fall asleep for about 10 minutes, then wake up to eat again for 15 minutes or so.  Instead of rushing her through her feedings and trying everything I can to wake her up, I enjoy the 10 minutes while she is sleeping.  I know that time passes by quickly, so I want to soak in all that I can with her while she is this small. I like to watch her sleep.  She makes the funniest faces while she sleeps.  One minute she is frowning with a little bit of a whimper, the next she smiles.  I would love to know what she is dreaming.

Chad will admit to you that he thinks things out logically.  Reagan has taught her Daddy that everything doesn't have to make sense.  Yea, research says that newborns eat every 2-3 hours, but in the beginning babies make their own schedule with feedings.  Sometimes Reagan will go 3 hours between feedings, sometimes 2 hours, and sometimes it's only 1 hour.  We don't have to know why she eats like this, but it makes us feel great to know that she is eating. 

At 2 weeks old Reagan has:
-gained 13 ounces from her birth weight (she is know 6 lbs 7 oz)
-she is looking around the room while she is alert
-she focuses in on faces
-taken more poops than I knew it was possible for a baby to do
-while she is sleeping, she sometimes turns to one side

I'm going to try to do better about updating the blog, but we are also trying to take every moment with her that we can.  Motherhood is so amazing!

Our Stay at the Piedmont Resort

I have to say that Piedmont Women's Center was a phenomenal place to have a baby.  The care that we received during Labor and Delivery, as well as, after Reagan was born was amazing.  The doctors and nurses took such good care of Reagan and I.  Here are some pictures of the first 3 days of Reagan's life.  Sorry there are so many, I just couldn't help sharing them all.

Our Sweet Angel has arrived! June 15, 2011

Today, Chad and I brought home our sweet angel.  We never knew we could feel love like this.  We already love her to pieces.  Much to our surprise, Little Reagan decided to join us on June 15.  Here is how the special day began...

Tuesday night (June 14), I couldn't sleep.  My Dad was staying with Chad and I for the week because his job had him working in Charlotte.  I didn't want to keep Chad or my Dad up, so I went in the nursery, laid on the floor (stupid I know!), and looked at facebook on my phone.  While laying there, I felt a pop so I rolled over.  When I rolled over I felt a little bit of water run down.  I got on all fours which lead to more water running down my legs.  At this point, I knew something wasn't right.  I crawled into our bedroom and started trying to wake Chad up.  I was in such pain at that point, that it just sounded like I was whispering.  Finally Chad heard me and was startled awake.  I crawled into the bathroom to see what was happening.  I have never seen so much water! My last Dr. visit, I found out I was retaining a lot of water, I think I know where all that water went now. 

So Chad calls the Dr. while I rush to get some new clothes on to ride to the hospital.  I kept trying to wait until my water would stop, but it wouldn't so I just had to go in wet clothes and all.  We get to the hospital and they put me in a room and hook me up to a monitor for my contractions and Reagan's heartbeat.  Sure enough, I was in labor, but I hadn't really dilated yet.  The Dr. on call said we would wait and see how I progressed over the next few hours and if I hadn't progressed any by 5am, then they would start the Pitocin.  By 5am, still no dilation, so they gave me Pitocin to induce my contractions and dilation. 

By this point, everyone had joined us at the hospital (the two sets of grandparents and Aunt Kristin and Uncle Cory).  At first the contractions weren't very strong.  I thought it wasn't so bad.  HAHA! Not too long after that, it started hitting really hard.  I had planned to get the epidural, but being such a weinie with needles, I kept putting it off.  I realized after several very difficult contractions that I needed the epidural, needle or not.  Let this be known, that weinie Page that hates needles, did not even feel a bit of pain from the needle to numb my back or the epidural. After 5 minutes the epidural had kicked in.  Chad could see how hard my contractions were on the monitor so he would see a really big one coming on and I was acting as if nothing was happening.  It was fabulous! Highly recommend an epidural ASAP! 

When the Dr. checked me around 2pm, I was only 2-3 cm dilated.  During the check at 2 and the next time they checked me around 6pm, I started to feel a lot of pressure.  I felt the need to push.  I was hoping that meant I was close to 10 cm.  The next time they checked me, I was 10 cm.  The Dr. sent the family out of the room, it was time to start pushing! Well I pushed for about an hour and then the Dr. had to go do a quick C-section. He also could tell I needed a little break.  When he came back around 8pm, I started pushing again.  The Dr. started to wonder if Reagan was facing up ("sunny side up").  I kept pushing and kept pushing, but there was no progress.  The Dr. said I was pushing so hard that I looked like an Olympic Weight Lifter.  He said I had a vein popping out in my forehead, LOL. 

Around 9pm, he told me that we could keep pushing if I wanted to keep trying, but that he didn't think she was going to turn and it would be hard to deliver her vaginally.  He thought it might be best to do a C-section.  Was I disappointed? Yes.  I felt like I had worked so hard over the past 20 hours that it just wasn't fair.  But I knew that I was exhausted and I couldn't give it my all anymore.  We decided to go ahead with a C-section. 

The staff quickly got me geared up and ready for delivery.  At 9:29pm, our sweet angel was born.  Because of the long hours of labor, both Reagan and I were exhausted.  The hospital pediatrician explained that it's like the baby is running a marathan while the mother is laboring, so Reagan was very tired.  When she was born, she didn't cry and she wasn't breathing on her own.  My heart was breaking because I didn't know why our baby wasn't crying.  Again, I thought this wasn't fair. 

In our birth plan, we had decided that when Reagan was born, if there were any complications, Chad would go with her to do whatever was necessary.  They hooked Reagan up to oxygen to help her start breathing.  I could see Chad while I was lying there, so I kept looking at him for assurance, but he couldn't give it to me because he didn't know himself.  As I laid there crying, the Dr. was putting me back together.  Both he and the anesthesiologist could tell how heartbroken I was, so they tried to reassure me and tried their best to make light of the situation.  I also didn't understand why she was so much smaller than I had envisioned her to be.  Then, I found out that her umbilical cord was very thin so she wasn't getting as much nutrition from me as she could have. The next thing the nurses and Pediatrician did was they took Reagan to the Special Care Nursery to hook her up to fluids to watch her carefully.  Chad felt torn because he wanted to go to Recovery with me, but he knew we both would want him to be with Reagan. 

While I was in Recovery, Chad stayed with Reagan and worked it out with the nurses in the Nursery for me to be wheeled in there so I could have that first moment with our baby girl.  The Pediatrician wanted to keep Reagan overnight, so they could watch her closely.  They told me that I could call anytime to check on her during the night and that first thing the next morning, we could come back to see her.  We got to spend a few minutes together with her and then they wheeled me to the room I was going to be staying in.  After seeing her, I knew it my heart she was going to be okay, but I was so scared.  I don't think I slept at all that night from worrying.  Chad and I got up bright and early the next morning and went over to the nursery.   The nurses and Pediatrician said she was doing very well.  They couldn't explain why she was born not breathing, but that they thought it was because she was so exhausted.  We kept going back throughout the day to introduce her to the grandparents and everytime we went she was doing even better.  By the afternoon, the nurses and Pediatrician decided it was okay for Reagan to join me in the room.  Chad had taken my Dad into the nursery to meet her and that's when the nurses and Dr. told them the good news.  So, they both surprised me by wheeling her into the room.  I was so excited I couldn't contain myself! The Special Nursery staff continued to come in and check on her, but it was so wonderful to hold out baby girl anytime we wanted.  With each check up, they told us she was improving.  She was eating really well which helped her even more.  We were worried we wouldn't get to bring her home with us, but because she improved so much we were able to bring our sweet angel home today also. 

I know a lot of you have noticed the IV in some of the pictures we have posted and wondered what was wrong with her.  Yes, we could have explained it earlier, but Chad and I have spent the past 3 days working through this together.  Sure, there have been babies born worse off than Reagan, but that doesn't mean it wasn't hard for us deal with.  This experience brought Chad and I even closer together and we love our sweet baby girl so much.  She is 100% now and eating so much that I think she might be up to 7 or 8 lbs by next week! We are so thankful for this precious gift we have been given and will never take her for granted!  Here are some pictures from her birth.  Please excuse the way I look, it was a long day!

Our first moment as a family of 3

37 weeks

 

How far along?
37 weeks! So very close!

 

How big is the baby?  
She weighs about 7 pounds and she is about 20 inches long

Weight gain?
Around 30 pounds

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Stretch Marks?
Still a no-stretch-mark belly-

Sleep? 

Bedtime has become my least favorite part of the day.  I love sleep, but it's so hard to get comfortable.  And I also hate keeping Chad up as I try to find a comfortable position.

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Best moment of the week?
Seeing our Maternity pictures yesterday.  Stay tuned, I will post them once I get the CD with all of them.  I highly recommend Oasis Photography, she is very talented. :)

 

Food and cravings? 

Well, my cravings have been for salty things, but at my last appointment, the Dr. talked about how some of my weight gain was from swelling (retaining fluids).  He told me to watch my salt intake over the next week.  So, I've moved onto sweet cravings.  Being that I love cereal, the first thing I have been craving is Frosted Flakes, don't know why but I could eat some right now-out of the box.  I also found these new Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches that I really like.

 

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Movement? 

She is starting to not have a whole lot of room in there.  When I think about there being a 7 pound  baby in my belly, I have no idea how she has any room to move.  Poor thing! When we went to the Dr. this week, I asked him what the bulge was at the top of my belly and the bulge on my right side of my belly.  He said that her "rump" was at the top of my belly and when there is a bulge on my right side was her sticking her little foot out for more room.  Chad and I keep telling her there's more room out here so she isn't so cramped!

 

What I miss? 

I miss sleeping on my stomach at night.  This whole sleeping on my side thing is not for me.

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Belly Button? 

Never turned into an "outtie" but it is gone.

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Looking forward to? 

Reagan's arrival! We cannot wait for her to come!

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Most Nervous About?

I'm very nervous about labor and delivery.  If you know me very well, you know I am a "weiny" when it comes to pain.  I think I'm most nervous because I don't really know what to expect.  Sure, everyone tells you what to expect, but you don't really know until you are experiencing it.  Oh, and not to mention, I hate needles.  Yes, I will be getting an epidural, but will be keeping my head down away from view of any needles so I don't freak out.  Oh, and then I have to get all the other IVs.  My stomach is starting to hurt...Did I mention I hate needles??

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 Milestone? 

The Dr. told us this week, that Reagan's head is down at my pelvis and in place.  He also said I'm starting to soften, which is right where I need to be at this stage of the pregnancy.

36 weeks

It's been a while since I've posted.  The end of the school year is always extra busy so that has consumed my life the last 2 weeks.  As of yesterday, I am done with school until August! Now I can just sit back, put my feet up, and relax until Reagan decides to come.  Yea right, do you know me?! Relaxing is very hard for me to do.  But I'm going to try very hard to get rest and sleep a lot more.  Well, here is the 36 week update....

How far along?  36 weeks! So very close!

How big is the baby? Reagan is packing on the pounds at the rate of about an ounce a day. She weighs almost 6 pounds!

Weight gain?  I have gained 25 pounds so far.  I'm hoping I will lose most of it quickly!

Stretch Marks? I took my Aunt Joan's advice and I put cocoa butter lotion on my belly every morning.  So far, 36 weeks along and no stretch marks.

Sleep? very uncomfortable at night, especially when I roll over.  The past two nights I have woken up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for like an hour.  I think my body is preparing me for what's to come....

Best moment of the week?  Finding out that everything is checking out okay with Reagan and I.  Her heart beat was very strong this week.

Food and cravings? pretzels and other salty foods

Movement? Moving quite a bit, I have no idea how she has room in there if she is almost 6 pounds

What I miss? My summer clothes.  Looks like I will be wearing a lot of dresses until Reagan decides to make her arrival.

Belly Button? There's an outtie!
Looking forward to? A very relaxing weekend without any big plans.  I've been craving Cracker Barrell's honey grain nut pancakes so I think Chad and I might go on Sunday.  Yummm!

Milestone? Everything is ready for Reagan's arrival.  Her clothes, blankets, sheets, etc. are all washed.  The bags are packed.  All we need to do now is have the carseat checked.