So Tired of Spit Up...

It's ok, all babies spit up some!



Watching Garfield



When Colin was only on breast milk, he only spit up every once in a while. 
When we had to start giving him formula too he became the King of spit up.  When I talk to the Dr. he tells me that all babies spit up a little and to burp him every few ounces, leave him sitting up after he eats, use slower nipples so he eats slower, etc...  We do all that and NOTHING helps.  And it's NOT normal spit up, it's so much worse.  He spits up so much between bottles sometimes he wants to eat again after an hour and a half, which is CRAZY!  When I can manage to get him to keep it down, he goes 3-4 hours before needing to eat again.  What's worse is he even spits up breast milk now.   In the morning he only nurses, but still spits it up...  So it's not that he's getting too much air like with a bottle.  We have tried all the different kinds of formulas out there and nothing has made a difference.  I talked to the Dr. again last week and he said there is nothing else that can be done and I just have to deal with it.  I feel bad when people hold him because they don't realize how bad it is until they are soaked in his vomit... :-(

Talk to me child!



Cut on his left cheek from his fingernail.



We've just had a rough week all together.  We changed his formula again about a month ago because the stuff he was on was constipating him, but the new stuff was making him super gassy.  He would start moaning and crying and then a big manly poot would come out and he would feel better.  So we changed it again a couple days ago and I already notice a difference in his gas.  So that is GOOD!  But he's still super fussy and crying a lot, which makes me believe he might be teething.  He drools a lot and can't keep his fingers out of his mouth.  I read that some babies start teething as early as 3 months.  He's 4 months now, but I don't see anything in his gums yet.  Man, I just wish he could tell me what's wrong so I could do something about it!!  A couple mornings ago Colin woke up with a huge scratch on his cheek... :-(   He hasn't done that in a while and no longer wears his mittens.  I cut his nails regularly, but he still was able to hurt himself...

On a lighter note...



Colin has decided that he wants to sit up in the bath now!  Only problem is, he doesn't have enough control, so I have to keep him on the slanted side of his tub until he can hold himself up better.  He keeps lifting his head and legs up!  We went for a walk last night.  I wish we could go on walks more often, but it's SO hot out right now.  I guess I could get a tan while walking though!  :-)



"Now, how do I get that in my mouth?"



Trying to sit up in his bath!



No Batteries!



Santa Cheeks!



It's official, Colin's been here for 4 months and the batteries in his swing and bouncer are dead!  Poor little guy was sleeping in his swing when his sounds went off and he slowly stopped swinging.  :-(  Kevin had to make an emergency trip to Walgreen's!  Then today his bouncer wasn't vibrating enough for him to even feel it!  But that didn't seem to bother him too much!

We had a good Fathers Day weekend.  Saturday was uneventful and Sunday we went to Kevin's parents and hung out, swam, and ate dinner.  Colin enjoyed the pool again, but after a while got upset.  I don't think it had anything to do with the pool though because he was screaming like he was in pain.  I would get him to calm down and almost be asleep then suddenly he would start screaming again.  :-(  I felt bad for him, but he ended up taking a really good nap.  He slept really good last night too.  He ate at 6:50 and fell asleep at 9pm and didn't wake up until 7:15!  Hope he gets back into that routine. 

Today we introduced bananas, and he made some silly faces at first, but he ended up liking them!  Here's a little video of him eating them!

Colin rolled over again.  Still didn't catch it on video though.. Here is a picture of him right after he rolled over!

We took a new print of his foot.  It really helps us realize how much he has grown!  



New Born and 4 Months



Colin had fun in his Jumper today!  He played in it for a long time and drooled ALL over the floor!!  It's hard to get a good pictures since he moves so much!  I need a better camera besides the one on my phone.

Until next time!

4 Month Check Up

One year ago today, on June 17, 2010, I took a pregnancy test and found out I was pregnant with the most amazing little boy I have ever met!!  Mommy loves you Colin James, so very much.  I can't imagine my life without you and I'm so happy to be your Mom!!

Colin had his 4 month check up yesterday!  I can't believe he's already 4 months old.  I look at his old pictures and sometimes I wonder where my little Newborn went.  But I wouldn't trade these days full of smiles and giggles for anything!  Especially not for the sleepless newborn stage!  :-) 

Everything went great at his check-up.  The Doctor said that he is developing right on track!  He weighed 17lbs 10oz and is 26 in long!!  The Doctor said that he is "tall" for his age.  Which is to be expected, considering he was so long when he was born.  Doctor said that Colin's weight gain is great and that he's very healthy!  :-)  It's always a great feeling to get good news.  He got some more shots and it was so sad.  He turned bright red and screamed at the top of his lungs...  Took me a little while to calm him down this time.  He was also fussy later in the day...  Really fussy... Nothing would settle him and he wouldn't really take any naps.  I finally got him to lay down with me and he slept for an hour and a half before we had to pick Kevin up from work.  Then he was fussy again later.  But today he has been wonderful! 

Today we tried some applesauce and my oh my was it a hit!  After each bite, Colin would grunt until I gave him more.  He opened wide for each spoon full and ended up eating almost the whole pack!  Since he liked them so much I gave him some more before bed.  Maybe he will sleep later that 6:30!  Not sure why, but no matter what time he goes to bed he wakes up around 6:30 or 7.  I would love for him to sleep in tomorrow so mommy can too!

Colin has decided that his fingers are fun to suck on!  He has learned how to take his pacifier out, but when he tries to put it back in he can't figure it out just yet.  So I guess his fingers are the next best thing!!

Colin and I went to my brother, Josh's work.  Colin met all of his uncles co-workers and even got to wear Josh's Warrior Dash helmet!! 

Well, that's it for this week.  Here are some pictures of Colin's nursery.  We converted our den into his room! 

Fun in the Sun!

Sweet Potatoes!

It's so much fun watching Colin learn!  He smiles all the time now and laughs when he gets really excited!  He is starting to like looking in the mirror now too.  I swear he flirts with himself!! 
He's also starting to really grab toys and bring them to his mouth.  He does this with his blankets and burp cloths too!  We tried some peaches last week, and he didn't like them.  On Monday I gave him some sweet potatoes and he acted like he didn't like them either.  Today I decided to try again and he LOVED them!  He spit the first couple bites out, but after that he really enjoyed them.  He's opening his mouth for the spoon and everything.  He ate the whole 2 teaspoons I gave him.  Boy did they make a mess though!  I was eating some strawberries earlier and I let him suck on one and he loved that too!  He sucked on it until it became mushy.  I had to make sure he didn't get any of the seeds though.  I'm so glad he's starting to have an interest in eating.  I can't believe he's going to be 4 months old tomorrow.  I'll probably post another blog since he has a check up or I might wait until Friday.  They are going to weigh him and measuring him, so we can see how much he has grown in 2 months.  I think he's going to get more shots.  His 2 month shots went really well, no fever, fussiness, or irritation after.  So I hope these don't bother him either.


Fun in the Sun!

Kevin, Colin, and I went to Kevin's Uncles house to swim on Sat.  We had a lot of fun!  Colin loved the water!  I'm glad he's old enough to enjoy the summer!  Every time the girls would go under water Colin would think it was funny when they popped back up.  He even tried splashing!  It was his first time in the pool where he actually enjoyed it.  We tried a few weeks ago, but the water was too cold, so he cried as soon as his little toes touched it.  :-(  Speaking of little toes!  I had to cut Colin's toe nails for the first time.  They are SO tiny, it took them forever to grow enough to where they needed to be cut.  It was kind of a chore because he was so excited, he wouldn't stop kicking!  Colin has now rolled over 3 times!  I can't ever get it on film though because he does it before I get the camera started...

 
That's it for today!
Here is a video and some pictures!



Colin being sweet the other day!

The Giraffe his Great Auntie Jamie sent him from Cali!

About to go swimming!

Loving the water!

Sitting with his Great Great Grandma after getting out of the pool!

My chunky monkey watching everyone else in the pool!

Sleeping on daddy's shoulder after having too much fun!

The Birth: Continued

No More Water!

I remember becoming so excited and nervous!  We went up to L&D and were admitted right away.  They made me comfortable and hooked me up to the monitors.  The nurse left for a while and then came back to start me on Pitocin  (drug to induce labor).  She first looked at the monitor and said that I was already have contractions 2-5 minutes apart.  So the more intense contractions that I thought were Braxton Hicks, really were labor contractions!  She then started me on a very slow dose of Pitocin.  My Dr. came in at noon to break my water.  That was a weird experience.  Very strange feeling for sure!  Everything looked great and soon after my contractions became SO painful!  I remember they were so close together that when one ended I only felt like I had a minute break before another began.  I was already 3 centimeters dilated when I was admitted, so I was able to get the epidural whenever I felt like I needed it.  I really wanted to feel what the labor contractions were like first, but like I said, after she broke my water, they came hard and fast.  


My Face Is Numb!


So I decided to get the epidural about an hour after having my water break.  They gave me some pain medicine in my IV while I waited for the anesthesiologist to come up.  I immediately started to feel better and was actually feeling kind of drunk!  I remember getting super goofy and everyone was laughing at me..  When the anesthesiologist came up, she had me sit up and arch my back, I swear I almost fell over because I was so out of it!  I have scoliosis, so after they gave me the epidural, only my left side went numb.  She felt my spine and figured out where it curves and kept adjusting the catheter.  Still nothing on the right side.  So she upped my dose and I felt my right side go a little numb.  Shortly after that, my left leg became so numb I couldn't even move it.  It fell off the bed a couple times and I had to have Kevin lift it back up for me.  Then my left cheek and eye went a little numb... that was strange.  I asked the Dr if that was normal and she said no... but they didn't seem too concerned.  It was actually kind of funny!  My left eye was only half way open, no matter how hard I tried to open it!  Even though my right side was not fully numb, it was still tolerable.  Until a couple hours later the epidural started to stop working.  My contractions came back in full force!  The anesthesiologist came back up and adjusted it again.  This time it worked a little better on my right side and again, my left leg was dead weight!

2 HOURS??

Many times when a woman is induced, she is in labor for many, many hours.  Mostly because her body really wasn't ready for labor.  Lucky for me, my body was more than ready!  I was only in labor for 6 hours when I was dilated at a 10!  This was great news!  I remember feeling a lot of pressure/pain by my tailbone and feeling like the only thing that would relieve it was to push.  My Dr came in and said I was ready to push... And so the REAL work began...  When the epidural works the way it is supposed to, you don't feel any pain and some women don't even know they are having a contraction.  Since mine only took on the left side and partly on the right, I felt every contraction still, but only around my tailbone on the right side.  They call this "butt labor"!  haha  Since this hurt so bad and pushing relieved the pain, I was intent on pushing during every contraction.  However, the nurse told me that I was going to be pushing for a while and I needed to rest during some of the contractions in order to build my strength back up.  I remember after an hour of pushing, the nurse told me that I still wasn't close.  He was making his way down, but slowly...  The nurses had a shift change and my new nurse was AMAZING!  She was such a good couch and I'm sure if I had her to begin with, I wouldn't have been pushing for 2 hours!  Of course, my other couch, Kevin, was the best ever.  :-)  I couldn't have done it without him.  He was by my side for every contraction holding my neck up and motivating me by talking in my ear. 

Finally, after 2 hours, the Dr came in and it was time for delivery!!  Somewhere between starting to push and when my Dr came in, my epidural started to wear off again... Not sure if I was just out of medicine or something moved, but I started to feel even more... It was only a few pushes after my Dr came in and it started to hurt REALLY bad!  I remember saying "it hurts really bad right now" over and over and the Dr and nurse kept saying "you're almost there"!  The next thing I know, the nurse said for me to look down and THERE HE WAS!  He was screaming and his eyes were wide open!  He immediately started to pee on the Dr!  They put him on my chest and wrapped him up and right away put him to my breast to feed.  He did great!  I can't even explain the feeling.  Seeing him for the first time was amazing.  After a while they took him over to get weighed, measured, and cleaned up while the Dr stitched me up... 3rd degree tear... pretty nasty.  Since my epidural had completely worn off on the right side and was slightly worn off on the left, I felt every stitch... and it took her 30 minutes!!  Then I hear them say he was 9 lbs 3 oz and 22 in long!  I couldn't believe it!  No wonder I had to work so hard getting him out!  haha  But he was perfect and completely healthy!!

That's it in a nutshell!  I'm not even going to get into the recovery... let's just say, I couldn't walk for 2 weeks... And was still having trouble sitting and walking after a month... I hope my next baby is a small (normal sized) little girl!!  :-)



My Little Miracle: Colin James Harrell

How I found out I was pregnant:

On June 17, 2010 I woke up early, went into the bathroom, and took a pregnancy test.  I had taken one 3 days prior that was negative. But by this time I was already 2 weeks late.  So on the 17th I decided to test again.  I saw the first line that said the test was working and then I noticed another faint line crossing the first.  I knew what this meant, but still didn't completely believe it.  Besides, my eyes were still blurry from just waking up.  I gathered my things and headed to Wal Mart to get a test that says 'Pregnant' or 'Not Pregnant' and went to my moms house.  I showed her the first test and she said that the second line looked too faint to her as well.  So I went and took the new digital test.  The stupid thing flashes an hour glass while it is testing your pee, so you have to sit there and watch it until it finally stops flashing and displays your results.  I remember standing in the kitchen with my mom and it felt like an eternity before it stopped flashing and said PREGNANT!

The Pregnancy:

Well, since I wrote in my journal every week during my pregnancy, I'm not going to spend much time on it here.  I did my fair share of complaining during the pregnancy but it was actually a pretty beautiful experience.  Colin was constantly active, which was exciting to begin with, but when he ran out of room it became incredibly painful.  He was very strong and would push so hard with his feet I thought he was going to break my ribs.  I was lucky not to get stretch marks until the very end and they are only on my sides.  I did get one small one where my belly piercing is but it's not even noticeable now.  So I have to say thank you to my mom for blessing me with great skin!!  I gained 43 pounds and had lost 30 of it by 3 or 4 weeks postpartum.  Now I've lost all but 4.5 pounds! 

The Birth:

On Valentines Day, February 14, Kevin and I went to eat and then to a movie.  After the movie I noticed my feet were swelling up a bit.  This was unusual for me so I knew something was brewing.  The next day I was even more swollen and was feeling kind of out of it.  I was one of the unlucky pregnant ladies who experienced Braxton Hicks contractions pretty much the entire second half of my pregnancy.  I noticed they had gotten a lot more intense, but I really didn't think anything of it.  I just knew I wasn't feeling right so I called the doctor.  They had me go to CVS and check my blood pressure.  It was high, so they moved my next appointment to the next morning.

Wednesday, February 16, Kevin and I arrived at my doctor appointment.  I was 39 weeks and 1 day.  Once my doctor saw me she couldn't believe how big I was.  She said that I didn't have any more room.  He was up in my ribs, but he was also very low in my pelvis.  I had been thinning for several weeks already and dilated.  She had checked me the week before and I was 2 centimeters and 100% effaced.  On the 16th, I was already 3 centimeters.  She asked me if I was having contractions and I said I didn't think so.  Nothing much different than the Braxton Hicks that I had been having all along.  Since my blood pressure had gotten high and I was starting to swell, she asked me if I was comfortable being induced.  Kevin and I were hoping she would say that and we said Yes!  We already had my bag packed and it was in the car.  She sent us up to Labor and Delivery right then!  She told me since I was already 3 centimeters, as soon as she comes up to break my water, I could have the epidural at any time! 

To be continued...

2011

Wow, what a year so far!  I decided to start writing a blog so I can have something to go back and look at.  During my whole pregnancy with Colin I wrote in a journal.  I wrote down every exciting detail and experience.  Once Colin was born, I was so tired and still adjusting to having a newborn, I didn't even think to write everything down.  I didn't even write about my birth story.  It's been three months now and all I have are a bunch of dates.  I have already re-read many of the journal entries from my pregnancy diary and I realize that if I don't start writing about Colin's firsts, I won't remember them in the detail that I would like to remember them in.  So here it is.  I have a lot of catching up to do, but I'm excited to sit down and begin writing about the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me... becoming a Mommy!