Growing Big and Strong

Ok well... I know I havent posted as of yet about Kaitlyn but when you have a newborn you dont have much time to sit around and type!!

Kaitlyn is now 1 month old and we went for her visit to the Doctor. She weighed in at 8lbs 2.5oz and was 19.5inches long. She is growing big and strong and she seems to be a very healthy baby. Kaitlyn did start some Prevacid a couple days ago because she has reflux and she was getting tummy acids in her esophogus and was in horrible pain. The Prevacid helps to reduce the amount of acid her tummy makes and then less gets past the valve at the top of her stomach. This is not something she will be on forever, but for awhile until her stomach and valves mature a bit more. She is also on special formula called Alimentum which has predigested proteins because she is getting gas so bad she cant handle it and screams. We also got her some new bottes that are supposed to help with the gas and throwing up. Both the medicine and the formula are recent changes so we are hoping that will make things better for her and she wont be hurting as much.

So far she has been a wonderful baby, with the exception of her screaming and crying in pain from her terrible gas and reflux. She sleeps very well at night, sometimes she even sleeps 6.5 hours at a time! It's great for Mommy and Daddy when she does!! Other than that, she smiles and enjoys laying around looking at things and of course being held by mommy!! She has a few toys she is just starting to notice and she has also started grasping at everything. She will grab onto anything in reach and squeeze it with her little death grip! She is such a strong little girl. She holds her head up on her own most of the time now but of course gets tired easily and she also tries to sit up on her own too... but ends up falling more forward because she cant hold herself there! :)

As for Mommy and Daddy, we love her to death and couldnt be happier with our new life. I'm still recovering so it's hard to have "Mommy & Daddy private time" but it's slowly coming back together. Emotionally it has been very hard for Jon and I both. In the beginning we both cried a lot because we felt so inadequate and with Kaitlyn screaming and being in so much pain all the time it made the feeling that much worse. It's hard to have your daughter, who is only a few weeks old, staring up into your eyes, crying so hard and screaming because it hurts and there is nothing you can do about the pain. Mainly because you have no idea what the pain is and because most of the time there is no way to make it better... for instance if she has gas... it just has to pass.

Being a first time parent is extremely difficult... absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Bringing a newborn home from the hospital and all the trial and error of getting things right is scary, tiring and drives you bonkers.

Everyday that passes we're getting better and better at learning how it all works and what works for us as a family. Jon and I are becoming more familiar with the different cries and needs Kaitlyn has and slowly we're becoming more confident in out ability as parents. I think it is taking a harder toll on Jon because Kaitlyn is soothed more easily by me since she is used to my heartbeat and she spends more time with me and is used to the way I hold her. He gets frustrated and still feels inadequate because he cant get her to calm down as quickly as I can. It will take him a little more time and things will smooth out for him as well.

Well I will do my best to come update as often as possible.