3 months and counting...

Hi Everyone!

Wow, I can't believe that Lily is going to be three months old tomorrow! Time flies I know, and it makes me a little sad, but I also like getting to see all of the new things she is learning and watching her grow. She is so funny and such a happy baby that we really feel blessed. Lately she has been smiling all the time and even becoming a playful. She will make the sound of a cry and then when you look at her, she smiles. Her laughter is something I have yet to capture on video but I am definitely trying. All you have to do is smile at her and she beams back which I enjoy so much. Her eyes have started to change color so Mark and I think we were right about them being hazel, and her red hair is starting to get a little lighter and longer. So many changes in such a short amount of time...part of me wants to freeze time, but the other part of me can't wait to see what she will grow into. Here are some of her most recent pictures...

Riding in the car and playing with my toys

Big Grin!

How can you resist these eyes?

This past week we visited a bunch of friends and even both sets of Great-Grandmothers. We got to visit her BFF Sophie for a brunch, most of which the kiddos slept through and the mommies talked. We had dinner on Friday night with mom's side of the family to celebrate Mark's, Aunt Emily's, and Grandpa Ken's birthdays and it was a great adventure! We all took turns walking around with Lily so she could entertain the other dining patrons and Tyler was playful and funny as he normally is.

Great-Grandma Gail

Great-Grandma Laverne

My friend Kristi with a sleeping Sophie

Tyler has Aunt Emmy and Uncle Jordan by the ears! He was funny at dinner!

Last week was a lot of fun and tomorrow is Mark's 30th Birthday. Lily is going to stay with Grandma Peggy ("Gwamma") for the whole night on Saturday so we can have a nice night out on the town. It will be interesting to see if I can make it through the whole night without crying...ha ha. I know she will be fine, but a mother can't help but to worry. From what I can tell, that doesn't ever go away, but it does get a little easier to tolerate. I am taking Mark to a place in Dallas we found called Chocolate Secrets...it is a wine and gourmet chocolate tasting bar. There is a really good jazz band playing and so I think it will be a great time. Stay tuned for fun pictures of that!

Can't have milk? Okay, I'll buy clothes.

Lily is now 11 weeks old and has more clothes than most adults. While I would like to say that we were given them all, the truth is that I have given in to my inner shopaholic and can't seem to resist cute clothes, bows, shoes, etc. for HER! The trouble with this is that she out grows the clothes within a month! She is on the upper side of the weight/height percentage for children her age, which has made it easier to venture into the cuter items that begin at 3 months old. Don't get me wrong, newborn clothes are adorable too, but at 3 months the stores start carrying more of a variety. Now, I am still a smart/thrifty shopper so I spend most of my time at places like Target and Kid to Kid, but they still add up. Unfortunately, websites like Baby Steals and Etsy have also stolen part of my paychecks, but not as often.

The funny part is that my addiction seems to be contagious as Mark doesn't have an issue with my infant item hoarding. In fact, on more than one occasion, he has enabled and even encouraged it. For instance, being that he is more of a "cool" dad, he likes to find items that have girly/blinged out skulls or rocker stuff. She had her first pair of converse allstars before she was even born and can't wear them for a long time...but they have skulls with pink bows. He also has a thing for onesies that have the accessories already printed on. But, for those of you who know Mark, you have most likely seen his tux shirt, Santa suit shirt, and skull "shirt and tie" shirt. Today we went to one of our weekend ritual places, Babies R Us, and walked out with two hot pink/black little dresses with matching leggings. However, I didn't know we had TWO until we got to the register and noticed the big grin on my husband's face. Really?! Lily already has him wrapped. LOL.

Anyway, as the title of the blog reads, "Can't have milk?" that brings me to my next subject. I have pretty much had to give up most dairy items (however I still sneak cheese sometimes) due to it causing Lily discomfort after breast feeding. It must make her little stomach really bubbly or something. I used to give her Mylicon on a nightly basis, however it started to become a hit or miss with it. I would rather for-go the milk than keep giving her medicine. But...let me tell you, I CRAVE it sometimes. I didn't crave alcohol like a lot of women do during their pregnancies and I will have an occasional beer now, but milk is like my forbidden fruit. What in the world? I didn't even like milk that much before I got pregnant and had Lily. I know that it is probably my body telling me to get more calcium (which is why I started back on my prenatal vitamins), but gees! You hear of women not continuing to breast feed for a myriad of reasons, but have you ever heard of someone stopping because they missed some type of food/drink too much? As soon as I stop breast feeding (whenever that is), I think I'll say, forget the liquor, give me a brownie with a large ice cold milk chaser!

Sleep...Nap...why am I still tired?

I would say 5 out of 7 nights Lily is a great sleeper. She will mainly only wake up around 2-3 o'clock in the middle of the night, we will do a night feeding and she will normally fall back asleep while we are laying there. Then she will start to get restless about 6 o'clock or so, and then we are up for the day. When she takes her naps, normally I will try to get one in there with her but I know going back to work will end my daytime naps. Ha ha, but I guess I better get them in while I can.

So, I know every family is different and you have to do what is best for your situation, but I am a big fan/advocate of co-sleeping. Not in a co-sleeper, but in the bed with us. Being that we have a king size bed, this really isn't uncomfortable, even with Lily's sleeping positions. She sleeps with her arms straight out to the side of her and likes to take up as much room as she can. I know that when it comes time to put her in her crib, we might have issues... but that will be a while, at least while I am breast feeding. After talking with a lot of moms, reading a few articles, and getting the encouragement from my pediatrician, we decided it was best for our family. I love being able to open my eyes, see her there and know she is sleeping soundly while being within an arm's reach. But...maybe this is adding to my sleepiness too?

The one piece of advice that I wish I hadn't taken, was to get as much sleep prior to having Lily as I could. I would sleep for 10 hours a night, and over 12 hours on the weekends...so of course I was accustomed to this when she came! My advice for new moms is to start weening yourself to no more than 6-7 hours per night, a few weeks before you have the baby. (Not sure if that will work though!)

I look forward to the nights that will come when she sleeps through the night (when she is good and ready), however I know I will miss the times that she wakes me up by wanting to be fed, played with, or just cuddled. So for now, I will just enjoy being tired!

Hello!

I have decided to start a blog to help keep our relatives and friends up-to-date with the happenings that go on in our family. I hope to blog at least once a week, at least while I am still on maternity leave...but we will see how often I am able to since being a parent is pretty time consuming. 


So, where to begin? Since this website is primarily dedicated to our daughter, I guess it is fitting to start with her birth. The story is actually pretty interesting considering what a whirlwind it was. I had a very normal pregnancy for the most part, except my first trimester, which I was considered "high-risk" due to having a miscarriage less than a month before we found out we were pregnant again. The first trimester included the morning sickness and increased tiredness. Both the second and third trimesters were pretty typical as well... Lily was growing perfectly and even measuring a little ahead than schedule. Mark and I had planned for me to work up until her due date, which was April 30 and up until the 29th, I had been able to do just that. On the afternoon of the 29th, I had my last doctor appointment prior to her due date. Mark was going to meet me at the hospital with lunch and we were going to have our last sonogram to see how big she was measuring. But, as luck would have it, he was running late from work and couldn't pick up lunch. Ironically this turned out to be a blessing considering what was going to happen later that afternoon...


The sonogram showed Lily to be around 9 lbs. 5 oz. and I wasn't dilated at ALL! My doctor was a little concerned with inducing me with a baby that could potentially be this big when most of the time it would end in a C-section anyway. So, he planned for me to come in that following Monday (May 3rd) for a confirmation sonogram. If Lily was still measuring that big, we would schedule the C-section that afternoon. So...at this point I am planning on having another weekend to prepare (even though we were ready). Mark had to go back to work, so he left while I was checking out. After I paid and was walking out the door, my doctor comes up to me and asks if I will stay a little longer to take a non-stress test (test that monitors the baby's heartbeat and movements). He said he re-reviewed the sonogram and I didn't have much amnionic fluid left in the womb. So I obliged, and the test revealed that whenever Lily would move, her heart rate would drop drastically. After reading me the results of the test, my doctor just simply states..."Well, plans have changed. The nurses are waiting for you upstairs, we are going to take your baby now." 


WOW. I really didn't have any time to digest what was going on. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, I called Mark and asked if he was ready to be a daddy. He replied, "NOW?" I didn't tell him about Lily being in distress as I wanted him to be completely excited. So, after a few more phone calls, I went upstairs to the Labor and Delivery floor where three nurses were literally waiting for me. I was rolled in a wheelchair (even though I walked the entire way earlier), where they took me to my first room and proceeded to hook me up to IV's, monitors, take my blood, and register me all at the same time. I just laid there and answered the questions while still trying to comprehend what was going on. It wasn't until my nurse, who was watching my contraction monitor, asked me if I was in any pain did I realize it was happening. I told her no and asked why. She replied, "Because your contractions are two minutes apart." However, I didn't feel anything and wasn't dilated. Weird. 


Mark finally got there as they were rolling me to the operating room and gave me a quick kiss. After we got to the OR, it was all very quick. Epidural in... doctors came in... and Lily was out! At 5:31 PM, Lillian Rose Jemison was welcomed into this world at 8 lbs 11 oz. and 19.25 inches. As soon as the nurses had her clean, she was placed on my chest, she held her head up and wanted to eat! It was so funny and so precious! I could not have asked for a more perfect gift from God, and I thank Him everyday for our daughter.