Awake for 2 hours and it happens

Well Kaitlyn and I got up this morning at about 7 after a long night of her waking up constantly in discomfort. She hasnt been sleeping well in a few days now... which is making her and I both crabby, since I get up with her everytime through the night.

Anyway, I fed her this morning at about 7:15 and at about 9:15 or so she projectile vomitted all over her, me, her boppy pillow and the futon. It was pretty much most of her morning bottle.

I spoke to the Ped. GI's office yesterday and we have an appointment now for this coming Monday (Halloween) to see them. They told us to continue giving Kaitlyn the Zantac 1mL twice a day which I started back up last night. She spent the entire night scrunching up her tummy and grunting and screaming because she was not feeling well and obviously her tummy hurt! This is what she did every time she woke up last night too and once I did hear her get some gas out. Anyway, I gave her the Zantac this morning too and then this happens.

I wish I knew why all of a sudden Kaitlyn is 10 times worse than she was and she is seemingly continuing to get worse. I guess we'll see how things go til Monday and then we'll see what the Ped GI has to say about possibly different medications and maybe adding a motility medication to help her tummy with emptying.

Until the next thing...

Tootsie Roll

So today I decided to give Kaitlyn some tummy time since she doesnt get it really. She seems to be feeling ok so far today too.

Well she JUST rolled over from her tummy to her back on the right side!!! YAY!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!! This is probably the 3rd time she has spent any time on her belly and the first time on a flat surface!! I'm so happy for her!! After she rolled I wanted to see if she could do it again and I put her back on her belly. One of her rings was on the blanket about a foot ahead of her and she really wanted it. Well while I was writing this she decided to go get it... she scrunched up her knees under her belly and pushed her belly up and did a little "inch worm" thing a few times til she got to her ring!!!

YAY! What a big girl she is!! She only spit up a little bit so far on her blanket so no biggie.

Well I'll be sure to write if anything more happens!!

What a week...

Well the last week has been hell to say the least! Kaitlyn developed a rash on her cheeks, started puking a lot and her reflux was at an all time high. She has been miserable and screaming for about 85% of her waking hours and screaming while eating and like I said miserable.

At first I thought Kaitlyn was allergic to the peaches we gave her last week because thats when the rash and reflux upset started. We went to the Dr on Thursday and she upped her Zantac dose and gave me some Cetophil lotion to put on her cheeks. When I put the lotion on Friday Kaitlyn screamed because it hurt... I looked at the bottle and it has alcohol in it!! I can only imagine that was like lemon juice on a paper cut!! Anyway, since we gave her the higher dose of Zantac her rash got worse and ugly (*see pic - both cheeks look like that) and she was throwing up even more! Jon and I decided it might be better to NOT give her the Zantac and go see the Dr. So yesterday she got NO Zantac and has yet to have any today either and so far this morning she has spit up a few times (it was clear gooey liquid with curdled formula in it) and so far she hasnt this afternoon. Yesterday she had a few reflux episodes and screamed during them but she didnt spend the entire day screaming which was a relief for me! We just treated them with some Maalox and helped her get through them.

We went this morning to see the Dr again and she wants us to put her back on the 1mL of Zantac instead of the higher dose of 1.4mL to see if that works she also says the rash getting like that might just be coincidental and that if it was a reaction she would have a rash all over her face and body and not limited to the cheeks. I'm skeptical myself and I will talk to Jon later when he gets home to see what he thinks. If he wants to start her back on it then we will do it this evening. The Dr also wants us to go back to the Pediatric Gastroenterologist again because this is all still such a battle for Kaitlyn and she is still in pain after 4 months. She said the only thing more she can do is suggest Neocate (Prescription) Formula so she wants us to see the GI, which I'm happy about because I think I'd like to see about getting Kaitlyn on a different medicine. Maybe we could try Prevacid now that she is bigger and can eat off a spoon.

I'm waiting on the GI Dr to call me back now and to set up an appointment and I guess we'll see where things go from here.

Sometimes I wish we could just go back to the beginning and start all over again...

Baby Sitting

This morning has been quite the pukey morning so far. Kaitlyn doesnt seem to be in much pain from it so I'm ok with it. That just means we use more bibs and burp cloths today and change clothes a few times. She's already in the second outfit and she's only been up a couple hours.

She's napping right now and I'm so pleased that she has started to take naps... kind of. She still doesnt take good long naps like she needs too although she is getting better. Yesterday she took a few little cat naps here and there but she must have been really tired by late afternoon or evening because she fell asleep and I put her in her crib and she slept about 2 hours in there. Well... she wakes up about 5 times while she is sleeping because her pacifier falls out and she cries because she wants it. If I'm able to get to her fast enough she will go right back to sleep - if not she's either up or I have to get her to fall back asleep. She is getting much better than when she was a newborn... she didnt nap at all then!

Kaitlyn is becoming a regular little sitter! No matter where she is now she tries to sit and loves to sit. I think she is sick of laying around. She can sit supported almost perfectly now... no problems at all. She can even sit unsupported for a few seconds before she tips to the side. She is getting there though and I think thats one reason her reflux is acting up. She is trying so hard to sit and using her tummy muscles that it's causing her to throw up. Once she gets it mastered and she doesnt even know she is using her tummy muscles to sit she might not puke as much. Well, a mom can hope right?

Anyway, I know she loves new things and loves doing them when she realizes she can! Just like with her Exersaucer, the first day we put her in it she wasnt quite sure of it and then the next day she played with the toys a bit and now, she's a mad woman in there banging on things, spinning things, standing up, turning herself (the seat) around and loving every minute of it. Right now she can play for about 15 or 20 mins alone in there and be happy. Although it might be longer if she werent puking all over herself while doing it. She still has fun though! Mommy has it all set up to cover her clothes and the seat cover so she doesnt get puke on them and so far it works pretty well.

Kaitlyn tried Peaches for the first time yesterday and so did I... they're actually very strong tasting and she made a funny face too when she ate them. She didnt like them at first, she was gagging on them and stuff but after a few bites or so she started to get used to the taste. She will be getting some Peaches this morning too soon so we'll see how that goes!

For now we just try to enjoy the rest of this chilly windy day and try not to puke so much anymore!!

I Have Holes in my Lobes

Well we took Kaitlyn to get her ears pierced today and they look wonderful!! She did such a good job too getting them done. She cried for about a minute and then started people watching like she does. She was great!!

Now she is teething something fierce tonight!! She had a red bump on her gum and I think there is a tooth in her nearer future! Poor thing is very uncomfortable!! Well back to soothing her!

4 Months... My Big Girl.

Well today is October 13th and Kaitlyn is now 4 months old. She's getting so big and so much more independant!!! She had her Dr appointment today and she weighed 13lbs 9oz and was 24" long (2 whole feet tall!) She only gained 1 pound in a month which is low but she is staying at her own little growth curve and thats a good thing. So we're not so worried about all that anymore. I'm really tired of worrying and fighting with her about eating. She wins! I will feed her only what she will eat... it's all I can do. On a good note she is eating more! Actually an amazing amount! First of all for her size, age and weight and all that she should be eating about 33 ounces a day to gain weight like she needs to. She was eating 12-15 ounces for a very long time and about month ago she started eating 16 ounces steadily. Then more recently she has wanted to eat more and more so she was getting 18 ounces a day and sometimes 20. Although sometimes she was still acting hungry and since yesterday she has started eating just about 24 ounces a day! We're doing four 6 ounce bottles a day and so far she is doing great. We did realize that keeping the cereal to formula ratio the same in the larger bottle made her puke. So I lessened the cereal in her formula and she seems to be doing a lot better with the 6 oz bottles at each feeding. She also started eating some solids about a week or so ago off and on... on the days her reflux is bad we tend to stick to bottles to make it easier on her tummy. Soon she will be eating more of them too but she sure does love Apples!! :)

Her reflux is still hard but we have learned and realized that it is simply part of life now and that no matter what she is going to puke and we are going to clean it up, she is going to be in pain sometimes and we just deal with it. She is still on her Zantac and seems to be doing well right now. I have a GERDling and she will be, we cant sit around waiting for it to go away and hoping that it does and then keep gettin stressed out and upset when it doesnt. Life is too short to be stressed out about puke all the time! :)

She has been teething for awhile but lately it has gotten worse... or at least it seems to be bothering her more. She chews on everything and she screams and growls at things. Although I encourage it so it's no big deal!! I love to hear her talk so much and make all the noise she is making. Her vocabulary is really coming along great! Hehehehe

Her favorite things right now are Mommy singing the ABC's song to her, Mommy doing Itsy Bitsy Spider with her, Daddy doing his own Cheeky, Nose, Chin game with her and her Baby Einstein DVD's. She just cracks up and laughs and smiles at all of them. SHe also has recently started actually playing with her toys. She bangs them around and grabs them now and pulls on them and chews on them. It seems like these things just happen one day... there is no gradual thing about it... one day she isnt touching them at all, the next day she punches them and chews on them and loves them!!! It's amazing! She also just started going in her Exersaucer and so far she likes it but she still needs some encouraging to play with the toys.

Well I think that about covers all of the news with the baby... She's getting so big so fast now it seems... soon she will be crawling and sitting and then walking and talking!!

Puke, Puke and More Puke

Well the last three days have been pretty rough for all of us. Kaitlyn has been puking and spitting up all day for three days and she has had a low fever for the past three days too. I think the fever is due to her teething which seems to have become worse. She sounds like she might have a cold or something because her nose is stuffy and she sounds congested. It's just so hard to tell since sometimes she just sounds like that from the reflux. Anyway, I just hope she is feeling better soon, I hate when my baby is sick or not feeling well. The good thing is that most of the time when she pukes she isnt in pain lately. The Zantac mustbe doing it's job for the most part which makes me happy!

Just a side note: Jon and I went and traded in our car for something bigger. We figured since we have the baby and lug all of her stuff around and with us when we go to Michigan that we should get something larger. We bought a 2004 Santa Fe, it is pre-owned but it's in perfect condition. It's beautiful and has sattellite radio in it and lots of options. It's nice, we really like it and the ride is great too. It has lots of room and we will have no problems getting stuff to Michigan when we go next. It will also give us plenty of room as a family when/if we have another baby. This way we wont have to go looking for another car when that time comes.

Well Kaitlyn's 4 month appointment is on Thursday so we'll see how much she has grown in the past month... it sure feels like a lot!! :)

Hand - Eye

Well for the last two days I wake up to Kaitlyn rubbing her eyes with her little fists! It's soooooooooooooo adorable! She has tried to do it before and once in a while would get one hand somewhere near her eye but she has got it down good. She even does it when she is tired and it is amazingly cute! I just cant believe how beautiful she is and how much she can do now. I remember holding her limp little body just a few months ago. She's growing so fast now!

She's still doing very well with her Apples and we are going to go a few more days with the Apples before trying anything else. I think we might try carrots next and see if she likes that. I havent decided. She did great again today too, she was opening her mouth and chasing the spoon because she likes them so much!

She loves playing with Daddy too... they play "Cheekie, Chin, Nose" and she laughs and smiles and tries to bite his hands when he gets them. She's so much fun!! :)

Toys, Eggs and Apples

Well... I'm in awe at my own child! So much has happened in the last few days! Kaitlyn's hand-eye coordination has gotten sooooooooo much better! She's grabbing things and putting them in her mouth like a pro! Up until Friday 9/30/05 Kaitlyn really hadn't played with the toys on her little rocker seat. I hardly ever put them on there because she never attempted to get them. On Friday for some reason I got the urge to put the toy bar on and I wasn't really paying all that much attention to her and all of a sudden I heard the toys banging against each other and banging on the bar. I was shocked to see her playing with them. She was grabbing them, trying to eat them, banging them with her hands and just having a good time. She even pulled the little cows "handle" and made the music play a few times. She was there playing with them for about 10 to 15 mins! It was great to see such progress!

Then this weekend she was sitting in her carseat where she has a few toys hanging from the handle and until this weekend she had never touched or even tried to grab at them either. She plays with them almost constantly now!! I LOVE IT!

So speaking of this weekend, we went upstate to attend the Baby Harvest put on by Albany IVF Fertility Clinic. Each year they hold a "Baby Harvest" in October for all of the families that had given birth after successful fertility treatments. It was wonderful to see all of the little miracles there. Every one of them there was so special in their own way and each family there was so grateful for all of the staff at the fertility clinic. Radio Disney was there and they had door prizes and Costume contests too. Jon had decided to get me to make Kaitlyn a costume and so I did. On Saturday at the hotel I sat and made Kaitlyn's costume. We figured since we were going to a Fertility clinic get-together we would dress her up appropriately... she was dressed up as an Embryo! She kinda looked like a Potato but one of the Dr's there was able to figure her right out! hehehe It was so much fun and we ended up winning one of the door prizes from Gymboree and then Kaitlyn won Most Creative Costume and got a Build-A-Bear gift. We had a great weekend and Kaitlyn's reflux was on a low, thank God! hehehehe Oh and Kaitlyn's shoes were a HUGE hit, everyone we passed was commenting on them! The photographer there was in love with Kaitlyn too she kept taking pictures of all every chance she got. I guess we have a cute kid! hehehe

Today the reflux has been on a rampage but she has been amazing and handling it so well. She has been puking all day, not even spitting up but I mean puking and has had minimal crying as compared to other days! I'm so proud of her!!

We have also hit a HUGE milestone... since Kaitlyn is almost 4 months old we wanted to see how she would react to solids. We tried some cereal last week one day and she screamed when we put it in her mouth and made this horrible face and just cried and cried and hated it. I decided not to give up as a mommy and I just picked up one jar of Apples to see if maybe she is just sick of cereal, since she gets it in her bottles everyday. Well this evening before her bottle I got out the jar and gave her some. At first she was confused because she wasnt sure on the texture but she closed her mouth once and swallowed and there was no crying, no nothing.... she liked it! As a matter of fact, I gave her about 10 little spoonfuls and by the end of it she was opening her mouth wanting more!!! YAY!!! I'm so happy! She's eating solids!!!! She is such a big girl! Looks like it's time to get out the highchair soon!!! Wooohooooo!!! Awww my little girl is growing up already!! :)

I Scream, You Scream, We All Need to Stop Screaming!

Kaitlyn hasnt been doing well since this last "cycle", as I call it, has come around. She is screaming almost constantly while awake and during feedings and even wakes up periodically during the night screaming. It seems like she is either having a nightmare or some reflux and it's waking her up. I have to help her back to sleep, which usually doesnt take too long but still... Her screaming when tired has gotten worse too, I kinda get the feeling like she is afraid to go to sleep or something. I dont mean she gets fussy when she is tired I mean she SCREAMS and screams until her little face turns beet red.

It doesnt help that Mommy has insomnia and can't sleep at all. Here I am at almost 3am wide awake. I guess I'm going to be taking a nap with her tomorrow morning.

If she is still screaming tomorrow like she has been, I'm going to call the Dr and see if there is something else we can do for her because it's horrible for her to spend majority of her waking hours screaming. She has a few happy moments during the day but they are usually ruined with puke, spit up or just pain in general. Sometimes she will smile and cry at the same time because she isnt sure what emotion she wants to or needs to show. It's sad sometimes 'cause I know she is happy but she is hurting!!

This morning, well Monday morning, Kaitlyn just had a plain old bad morning. She ate and I burped her and sat her up like we always do and then she shot puke all over the pillow she was laying on and my shorts and my leg. She managed to shoot it far enough that only a couple drops got on her PJ's! She puked a few more times today and we had to change her anyway, but still.

I don't like when my baby is hurting... Reflux Sux!

... The Mushroom Cloud Forms

Well all good things must come to an end. Did I really think that things were getting better? I have to admit for a little bit I thought maybe, just maybe she was getting a little better.

Kaitlyn has had a terrible day! She has been refluxing all day, some puke, some spit up and lots of screaming and crying. She's not really eating again and it's taking over an hour again to get her to eat. She falls asleep during feeds too so she never finishes a bottle. I feel so bad for her, I have given her Maalox already so now she is stuck dealing with her pain and there is nothing I can do about it.

Thats all for today, I'm feeling very stressed and very depressed.

Waiting for the Bomb to Hit...

For the past three days Kaitlyn has been eating great. She's been taking 6 ounces at once in the mornings and then having 4 more 4 ounce bottles through the day and still sleeping all night. She actually took a nice long nap yesterday and today.... with me. It seems she sleeps much better when I lay down with her and we sleep together. Today Kaitlyn had 6 ounces this morning and we took a nice long nap today and she had another 6 ounce bottle then a 4 ounce bottle and then another 6 ounces before bed. She has been keeping all of this formula down too no throwing up lately, however, she has been spitting up still but not a terrible amount. She still has problems with her reflux and is in pain sometimes but we give her some Maalox and it seems to help a bit. I do want to find out if we are able to give her more since it seems like soon after she gets it she has more reflux and then there is nothing we can do but cuddle her and try to help her through the pain.

I do love how she is eating and I hope she keeps it up, but I am sitting here waiting for the BOMB to hit where it all goes down... I'm waiting for the big throw ups, the non-stop incomsolable crying and the not eating. I'm hoping and praying for her that it doesnt happen and that she has turned a corner in her life here at the 3 month mark but time will tell.

Other than the eating and sleeping changes, Kaitlyn is getting sooooo great at her Hand-Eye coordination... she can take her toys now and get them in her mouth instead of just her hands. She seems to be Pre-Teething and drooling all over herself and everything and chewing on her hands, toys and us! :) She also "talks" so much more and more everyday. She is getting even more cuddly and I just love it. She curls up on my chest when I hold her and it just makes me melt. She is so wonderful and loving now. When Jon gets home from work she gets so happy and smiles huge when she sees him. She's getting to be more fun all the time. I think it's about time we get out her Exersaucer too - it says it's for 4 months and up but she already sits well assisted (and tries to sit on her own) and her swing just isnt cutting it anymore. The swing lasted a whole month or so and I think she is kinda bored of it. We also get to start some solid foods soon so the Swing has to go, the Exersaucer can come in and we gotta make some room for her highchair!! :)

Well besides her being her cute adorable self and the new changes everything else is the same, we'll be sure to update again soon!!

3 Months... Quarter of a Year...

Kaitlyn is three months old!! Ok I'm a little in shock that I've actually been a mom now for 3 months!!

Should have updated a couple days ago, I know, but a lot has been going on and I've been exhausted!

Anyway, she had her 3 month appointment at the Dr Tuesday and she was 12lbs!!! Such a big girl! She's also 23 inches now! Grown 4" in 3 months and gained 5.25 lbs. She is just now getting into the next size clothes and its so weird to put things on her that look so big in comparison and have them actually fit her!! The Dr was not overly concerned about her weight gain but said she would like her to be gaining more. She gained 7 ounces in 2 weeks and she said it should be about a pound. Kaitlyn's reflux is bad some days, worse others and not so bad others. Sometimes she eats all day without any big issues and others she hardly eats at all. The Dr says we are doing a good job managing it and to keep up what we are doing and try, if we can, to get her to eat a little more. Kaitlyn still takes her Zantac twice a day and gets cereal mixed with her formula.

She did get two shots at the visit too, one in each thigh and has been miserable the last couple days. I was giving her Tylenol yesterday to bring down her 101 fever too. She seems to get very irritable at even the slightest fever. I hope she does better today. She's also been waking up fussing during the night too. She will scream and have a fussy cry and I shhhh her, tell her its ok and give her her "nummy" (pacifier) and she will fall back asleep. It happens about every half hour from 4 to 6:30 or 7am depending on if I can get her to fall back asleep. This has been going on a few nights in a row now and besides me feeling very worn out, it makes me wonder why shes doing it. Is she dreaming? Is she having reflux? Is it from the shots? I just dont know... if it keeps up I may call the Dr and ask their opinion.

She has started to discover Cause and Effect now... she is starting to realize that she makes things happen. We got her a Kick N Play piano and she just loves to kick it and make music while laying on the couch. She also gets a HUGE kick out of watching the Baby Einstein DVD's she sits and laughs and squeals at the tv when watching them. She even has favorite parts too! She has also started eating her hands like crazy... she rarely takes her pacifier because she would rather eat a hand! Its very funny to watch her eating her hands and listening to the sounds she makes... I just love it! I just love her!!

I love that she is getting a little more cuddly every week. I like that I can hold her up against my chest and hug her and she will lay her head in my shoulder now. I love that when she is laying next to me she will turn towards me and curl up against me. She looked at me this morning as she was getting ready for her nap and I smiled at her and she smiled back with this beautiful smile you could even see in her eyes, as if to say, I love you too Mommy. I must admit I was a little choked up at it!!

ok, Thats about all the new stuff...

Trip to the Ped GI

Well I had to wake up this morning and drag my child out of bed to get my hubby to work so we could have the car today. Kaitlyn had her Dr appointment today at 10. I figured being by myself with her and not being sure of where I was going and all that, i'd better aim to leave at 9. So we get back home from dropping off my hubby at 7:30 and I feed her. She plays around awhile, falls asleep for a few minutes and I start getting a bottle and whatever else I need for her together to take downstairs and put in the diaper bag. 9 oclock comes and I call to make sure we have the right room number and directions and stuff. Then I grab the baby and stuff and head downstairs to get her in her car seat... its 9:15 already. I set the stuff down, get the baby strapped in and go to pack the extra diapers and burp cloths in the bag and Kaitlyn pukes all over herself and the car seat (which needs to be taken apart and washed sometime today). So I have to get her changed and soak up the puke that pooled in the car seat so I can throw a burp pad in there to keep her from getting all nasty. Its after 9:30 now... Shes in the car seat in a new outfit and we're ready to go. We're headed down the road at about 9:40 and I realize I forgot the bottle is sitting in her bassinet soooooooooo I turn around, come back and get it and FINALLY i'm off to the Dr at 9:45! It's at least a half hour drive, needless to say we were late!

Anyway, as I'm driving down the road I get this weird feeling in my mouth... feels like something is poking my gum. I eventually realize my tooth is broken in half and the one side of it is wiggling in my gum. We have no dental coverage until next month... I dont know what i'm going to do right now.

So after all this... we go to the GI and that was fine and I fed Kaitlyn while we were there talking to the Dr. Everything was fine with the Dr too, we really liked her, she was knowledgable and concerned but told me Kaitlyn was a "perfect baby with reflux." She was gaining weight and generally happy and thats what they like to see. Whatever we are doing and the meds we are using are working for her and she doesnt want to change anything. So we're doing a good job at handling this stuff. As for the choking episodes, there is nothing we can do but try to prevent them and when they happen just be there and make sure she doesnt stop breathing altogether.

So after seeing the Dr we leave and I decide to stop for lunch and go see my old work (from when we lived here over 2 yrs ago). We're there and visiting and Kaitlyn refluxes and then after a bit ends up puking while in my arms. She puked all over her and the blanket I had around her (its like a fridge in my old work cause its a warehouse). Anyway, that trip was cut short and we came home a bit ago with a tired, cranky, pukey baby and Mom who just need some sleep.

I'm Keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow is a better day for her.

Everyday is Labor Day for Some

Well Kaitlyn has been eating a bit better the past couple days... she's getting in about 15-20 ounces now. Well for now anyway. We had a good day today, for the most part. She has been having trouble staying awake while trying to eat but eventually she will get the formula down.

We went over and had a BBQ at Donna and Charlies and really enjoyed the day and Kaitlyn was doing great. We got home this evening and she started to get fussy. She was screaming and fussing for over an hour and we couldnt figure out what was wrong with her.

After she was screaming for an hour and crying and we couldnt get her calmed down, I decided to rub her temples - she started to settle down. Well Jon is much better at it so I told him I think she has a headache and for him to rub her head to help relieve it. She instantly was in a better mood. We gave her a little Tylenol and now she is back to smiling and laughing. Sometimes it's so hard to figure out whats wrong with the baby. When she can talk things will be much easier but for now it's work just figuring it out.

Parenting is a lot of work when you have a healthy baby but when your baby needs much more from you - it adds to the work we have to do everyday. Parenting doesnt come with weekends, breaks, or vacations it's a 25 hour a day 8 day a week job. Actually it's not even something I can call a job anymore - it's a complete lifestyle change! It's better when the days are filled with eating and sleeping and happy laughing smiling babies for the most part.

Anyway, it's late...

Life is a Vicious Cycle for Some of Us

Well the title of my journal entry says it all!! Sometimes life is hard even on the little ones!

Kaitlyn is doing well in the growing department... well with weight anyway. We have her 3 month check up on September 13th. We did end up going to her Pediatrician a couple days ago because her meds didnt seem to be working anymore. She got started on the Zantac at her last appointment over two weeks ago... a week and a half later she started puking and spitting up and screaming during and after feedings again and just being in pain again. I felt so bad for her and I knew something had to be done. I serisouly cant just sit by and watch my little girl hurt like that. Anyway, on the 1st when we went to the Dr, she was 11.5 pounds and she needed her dosage upped for her meds... that was why they weren't working as well for her. So far she is doing well again with the new dosage. When she has a bad day like she did they tend to run over into the next couple days. So she had a rough go at eating for the last couple days and she only ate 7 ounces Thursday and 12 yesterday... today she seems to be doing a bit better though.

Since Kaitlyn started the Zantac we noticed she is aspirtating a lot more and choking... we even have to be VERY careful changing her diaper. We lay her down and she has the chance of choking on her reflux. It happened to Jon the other night... it's so scary when it happens and since she is choking on fluid there is nothing we can do about it but sit and watch and hope we dont have to perform CPR. So far (knock on wood) we havent had to and she gets herself out of the episodes, but it's still the worst thing for a parent to watch!! It just makes the rest of your day a complete mess and you're nervous and worried that she may have more!

She is still sleeping very well, she goes to bed at about 11pm and wakes up at about 6:30 or 7am. Good for Mommy and Daddy!! She doesnt nap much at all during the day... 15 minutes here and there so I really don't get too much done during the day but at least I sleep!! hahahaha Oh yeah! She is oficially bigger because she does not fit in her size Small Onesies anymore!!! It's so weird to think she is REALLY growing. I broke out the next size and got them washed and ready for her to wear today.

She has been hanging out in her swing a lot more but she is so good at holding up her head and REALLY wants to sit up, that I think I am going to get her Exersaucer put together soon for her so she can play in that instead. I think it will take up less room than the swing 'cause well... it's not like we're living in a mansion here! hahaha

Jon and I are so amazed by her more and more every day... we just love her so much and we cant get enough! She's getting big enough now that she is starting to cuddle with me now. I REALLY cant wait until we can hug and she knows what she is doing. I'm telling you... seeing her beautiful smile just makes you melt! She LOVES to flirt with daddy too... she makes this cute face, smiles and sticks her tongue out when he's looking her way. She loves him so much!!

We're finally going to put her crib together this week too. It's still sitting in the box in her room. She is still in the bassinet in our room right now but, to be honest, she is getting really long and almost reaches from top to bottom in the bassinet!!!

Oh I just have to mention how GREAT she is with eating her hands... no, a thumb or finger are not good enough for her she needs to eat half of her hand instead! I offer her pacifier and she pushes me away and WANTS to eat her hand, so I let her. She enjoys it so I'm not complaining! She has a great personality already too, this being a mom thing is very exciting - even with a "High needs" baby.

Oh, dont let me forget that our health insurance kicked in on Thursday (Sept 1st) as well so that will be a big help. We also have an appointment with a Pediatric Gastroenterologist, too, on the 6th next week... I will definitly post how that goes. It's actually at Schneider Children's Hospital where Jon went as a kid for his liver check ups!

Well it's medicine time so we will update again soon!

You Make Me so Proud!!

I keep saying what a big strong girl my 2 month old daughter is... she is amazing and I'm so proud of her! I just can't imagine what the reflux pain must feel like for her. We just do our best to get through it.

All in all, even with the episodes, we had a good trip with the baby and only did one load of laundry during the trip... although I need to do some now that we're home. hahahaha

Today has been terrible... the baby is feeling like crap and she had a fever today which I cant figure out why. She has refluxed bad today too and just been miserable and screaming all day. The trip we took to Target was sure fun as I was hiding in the bra section trying to stop her from screaming. We did just get her Tucker Sling (www.tuckersling.com) and hopefully she will be able to have some fun with that.

More Fun to Come...

Well this morning has been fun again... we had 2 EPISODES this morning!!! AHHHHH Talk about stress! I have to say, I'm handling them better though. Anyway, it seems like Kaitlyn may even be handling them better as well... I figured out though that she needs to be sleeping on more of an incline because even on her inclined sleeper I woke up to hearing her aspirating... I cant believe how quick I got across the hotel bed!!! hahahaha

Anyway... this trip has been pretty exciting to say the least... we did have a good trip to the Zoo yesterday though! Kaitlyn slept most of the way through... she basically woke up to poop and then eat!! We did get her some cute little souviners. She got a t-shirt with a little lion on it that says Detroit Zoo and a Giraffe rattle and a little tiny Stuffed Giraffe. She is going to love Giraffes and jungle animals since they are EVERYwhere now!! I'm thinking about decorating the bathroom in them now too! We'll see!

Baby's First Vacation

Baby's first vacation is a trip in the car to Michigan to see my parents and the rest of my family. It took us 15 hours to get here and Kaitlyn did super great in the car, seeing is she slept most of the way!! So here we are in Michigan visiting my family. My great niece came to stay at the hotel last night and this morning as we are getting ready to leave to take her back home, my daughter was sitting in her Car seat as we were just about to walk out and she has an "Episode". It was one of the 10 min bad ones again and I think my 6 yr old great niece thought the baby was going to die. Her eyes were the size of coconuts! Kaitlyn was, I guess it's called aspirating, because she was holding her breath again for about 3-10 secs then would scream for half a second and then hold her breath some more... I realize now how it feels for her... I mean if you've ever breathed in liquid or had something "go down the wrong pipe" and you cant breath and you are coughing and stuff... thats gotta be how it is for her but she obviously doesnt know how to handle it and freaks out... her body does a good job though helping her keep from dying.

Anyway... just wanted to update on how the vacation has been going... needless to say that led to a not so good day today... but on the up side that did follow two not so bad days!! We're off to see the Detroit Zoo tomorrow with Kaitlyn and her 3 second cousins (of which 2 are all around Kaitlyn's age). It's weird that both my niece and nephew had kids before me!!! hahahaha Oh well... wish us luck tomorrow!!

And the Days Roll on...

So Kaitlyn got her shots on Monday when she was at the Dr. and she has had a fever in the 99's all week (5 days now) and been a little crabby butt! She is very whiney and just generally not feeling well. We have been giving her tylenol to keep her fever down but she still keeps getting one. Poor baby!!

Anyway, other than that she hasnt been so bad with the Reflux this week probably because she feels like crap and has been sleeping on and off most of the day. Just wish it was at longer intervals!! She only sleeps for like 5 or 10 mins so not a lot I can get done! I have gotten more done this week though than last so that makes me happy. I was also able to get our stuff packed to go away to Michigan for the week. We're leaving at 4am and heading there... it's amazing how much stuff Kaitlyn has!! hahaha

Well I cant wait for my father to meet her and I plan on getting LOTs of pictures of her and Grandpa! She even has a special Detroit Tigers outfit so we can get a picture of her with Grandpa in his Tigers Jersey and then we got him a Detroit Tigers Frame to put the picture in!! I'm so excited to see my family and let them meet Kaitlyn... it's goinh to be great!! I'd like to try to go to the Zoo while we are there too and maybe make it a summer tradition when we go home to see the family we go to the Detroit Zoo. I havent been there in years and I think she would love it even at this age. She would just sit back and take it all in! She loves looking at things now!!

Well I have a lot of stuff to get together before Jon gets home, if I get a chance to write how things are going while we are gone, I will. If not I'll have to update when we get back!