Allergies, House, and Bambi!

Wow, can you believe it is already almost the end of July? About this time last year, I was HORRIBLY sick...throwing up atleast twice a day. Makes this July seem wonderful! It was wonderful, though. So much has happened this summer, it really feels like I live in a whirlwind.

My little bundle of joy is slowing becoming her own independent little self. She can roll both ways, scream for joy and excitement, and laugh and giggle! My most favorite time of day, thus far, is right after her bath time when I am putting on her lotion and rubbing her little feet. We laugh and laugh, she loves it! She has her bottle and falls asleep on my chest. It's silent until about 7 am. Then our day begins...we go nonstop until 9pm. Yes, I said bottle. We had to stop breastfeeding because of severe food allergies that we haven't gotten figured out quite yet. We see an allergist tomorrow. So far, she is allergic to dairy, soy, and possibly vegetables with beta carotene like sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. I was reading up on the beta carotene allergy and kids with this can't have goldfish because the cracker is flavored with the beta carotene. POOR CHILD! I loved goldfish as a kid. Hopefully, soon, we get these allergies all figured out. She had a very scary episode and stopping growing. This is the reason her doctors and I decided to switch her to formula...a hypoallergenic kind that is WAY expensive. I Can say it was worth the switch because she gained 2 pounds in less than 2 weeks. A big stretch from her loosing almost an ounce a day for a week. I was an emotional wreck when I had to quite breastfeeding, I ended up doing it cold turkey. She was fine. She knew where the food was, and didn't really care. Mommy was still around and close by, so she was happy as could be. Now that I look back on those few days where she was loosing weight, I am much happier knowing she is growing and happy and when she cries (which is hardly ever now) I know for sure if she is hungry or just tired.

And....we bought a house! In less than 30 days believe it or not. We made the offer on June 8th...and moved in June 30th. Talk about a quick sale!! We began the journey by riding out to Garner on the 7th and saw a house we had found on the internet. We talked in the car how we hated that there was no backyard and vowed we would find a house with a yard for Macy to grow up with. I grabbed a real estate book on the way back home and saw an ad for a house I really liked and decided to call the realtor, even though it was almost 7pm. I was just going to leave a messege, when she actually answered! AH-MAZING. She said the house I called about wasn't for sale, but she had one I could look at that night. So, 15 minutes later we were in love. We pulled up, saw the back yard and the house was sold for us. It sits on almost a .5 acre lot. The kitchen is sort of small, but I didn't care because I knew we would be using the grill more than the oven. I loved Macy's room because it had cute bay windows. We closed the 30th and moved in that day! We are thoroughly enjoying being away from rude apartment dwellers in the middle of the city. We love this area and the little country that reminds us of home. We even have rabbits, frogs, and a family of deer that has made camp in the woods next to our house. I see them every morning crossing over into the neighbors yard...a mom, dad, 2 babies so far. Yes, the dogs love their new rabbit friends.

Summer has gone by way to quickly. However, I must say that I am looking forward to the fall and cooler weather. My little one will be crawling and walking (maybe) and it'll be her first Halloween in our neighborhood and christmas!!! Haha, I am really looking ahead!

Update

Whew, it's been a long day in the wonderful world of stay at home mommy. I believe my happy, cheerful baby is going through her delayed 3 month growth spurt and is now a cranky, overly tired baby. But, hey, it'll pass too! This is the first time I have turned on my personal computer in over 2 months. It feels great to be able to sit in bed and get a blog done! I definetly needed this time.

So, what's going on with me, you ask?

Macy and I are set in to a daily routine, which most definetly involves a quick Target trip everyday. Sometimes, it's just nice to get out of the house for awhile. Some days we go to Whole Foods instead, it's my 2nd favorite store...I recently discovered Macy has a dairy allergy, so the only treat I get nowadays is the vegan cookie Whole Foods makes called "double double chocolate trouble." Yum-o. It definetly is trouble when I get my hands on that...it's worth the $1.39 splurge.

We just recently had a late night emergency room visit when I discovered a nasty infection growing under Macy's neck rolls. Being a first time mom, and an impatient one at that, i decided it needed to be looked at immiedietly. All is ok, we got a cream and it is looking better by the day!

In other news, we are looking for houses and are in the process of getting a mortgage. We have ultimetly decided to move out of the city limits and into a home with room to grow. I absolutely hate this process...i am so darn impatient and can't stand the thought of having to wait to move in to a dream. It's like someone else is in full control of your dreams and the next chapter in your life, and you have none. All you can do is wait to turn the page...on someone else's terms. We're getting there!

While i love being a stay at home mom (for the time being), I need some time away as well. These "time aways" mostly include 45 minute trips to the gym. However, they usually end up with me rushing home to a crying baby and a frusterated daddy. I am a little scared that seperation anxiety has kicked in...already....and it's only getting worse. She is perfectly fine until I leave the house, and then she goes down hill. I can't worry about this now, she is still a newborn in my mind and is still adjusting to her new world. Mommy is all she wants and needs at this time, and i just have to accept it and live with it. When she is old enough to understand mommy comes back, i hope this tantrums will cease to exist...and if they dont, then I will address the issue.

So, what's next?

We start solid foods in just a few weeks...well, we are going to experiment anyway. See how she likes them! I decided to make my own...so, if you don't see or hear from me in a few days...the blender may have gotten the best of me. I will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen, that's for sure...and using tools I haven't used before (i dont cook, ok?).

House hunting will continue, let's pray we get our mortgage, find a house, move in, and unpack all in the same day! That'd be nice, huh?

I just want to end this blog by saying THANK YOU to my dear husband for falling asleep early, as well as my baby girl, so that I could have some "me-time" and update my neglected blog.

Parenting 101

Thanks, mom, for the title to this blog. I texted her today out of pure frusteration. Macy wasn't sleeping, she was so cranky, I hadn't had lunch and the only bread we had was molded, David walks in as I was just getting her to close her eyes and he wakes her up. On top of that I had a bad headache and just wanted to click my heels and drift away into dreamland. "Welcome to parenthood 101," my mom said. Is there like a textbook for this course? A spring break? Is there a quiz everday? I need a syllabus! I feel like my days are nonstop. I don't have a single second to think about my own needs. I look forward to 5:30 when I can take a 5 minute breather in the bathtub. Here I am now, writing this blog while hiding out in the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom. It's the only place I can't hear my baby cry. When she cries, it just upsets me and I want to rush to her every need. Sometimes, in parenthood 101, we need to find a few minutes to not think about anything but ourselves. It keeps us sane. On the brighter side, Miss Macy is growing so much! She has cracked a few smiles, but those are rare. I hope she isn't an unhappy child. She coos on occasion, but those are rare too. She still has fussy days, and I think, "Lord, get me through to tomorrow." She hates sleeping...especially by herself. So not my child. I hope one day she loves to sleep like her mommy. She will only sleep soundly in my or her daddys arms. That's it. But her down anywhere else and she'll let you know who's boss...quickly. It's like she has a mommy radar. Is this normal? I have learned SO much in the past month and a half. Being a parent is a lot more than I ever thought it could or would be. You can't really appreciate a parent until you are one...the endless nights they stay up rocking their child to sleep...the countless days they spend hoping around the living room trying to soothe their child for a nap. It's real. I'm living it. Is there ever a final exam in parenting 101? Or will I be preparing for it all my life?

Sleep, what's that?

Macy is 6 weeks old this week, isn't that just amazing? She has reached so many milestones the past few weeks such as rolling over from her back to her stomach, cracking a few smiles here and there, a few little giggles, batting at toys, and copying mommy's faces. She loves to stick out her tongue and open her mouth wide after she sees me do it. We have such a good time playing and "talking" when she is awake and alert...at 5:00 am...yes. I am so thrilled to have this amazing little baby in my life, and I can't wait to watch her grow and develop even more. I really can not believe that 6 weeks has gone by. It was just yesterday that I was sitting in the hospital waiting to dialate. I have mostly enjoyed spending time in the bed with her while she naps, but we have made a few trips out to shop too. Shopping for a baby girl is SO Much more fun when she is shopping with you. We got her newborn photos from KAK the other day, and I love love them!! She has such an awesome way to capture the light and the color in all her work. Macy wasn't too happy during the shoot, but possibly at her 3 month shoot she'll give us plenty of smiles. Being a mommy is so fullfilling, and I almost can't believe that having a child was out of the question just a few months ago. God truely worked miracles here, and gave me a miracle to hold and kiss on. Looking forward to seeing her walk and talk :)

My New World

Wow, looking back on my very last post made me very emotional. It was just days later that Macy was born, little did I know.

Let's start from the beginning (since it's been awhile). That next Monday I had a follow up appointment with the doctor since I was in the hospital that past Thursday. Over the weekend, I had some major contractions and wasn't feeling too great. While at the hospital Thursday, they mentioned I had a slight fever...but I didn't think anything of it then. That Sunday, I was so close to calling the doctor because I was feeling hot and very weak.

Monday came around and I figured I was just feeling bad because labor was near. I went in for my doctor's appointment around 1:00...of course, I had a high blood pressure reading so they sent me straight to a stress test. After they hooked me to the machine, I kept seeing large heartbeat numbers...like in the 200's. I thought it was just a fluke, and continuted to sit there. After 15 minutes, I looked back over and the heartbeat was 215. I YELLED for the doctor fearing something was DEFINITELY wrong. She ran me over straight to L and D...I was stripped down, blood drawn, and IV set up. I was so scared. I was in for an emergency c-section, and the worst part, I couldn't get David on the phone. Finally, after reaching him through e-mail, he rushed over!

Her heartbeat came down a little after they gave me an IV and oxygen, but not enough to send me home. They started me on Pitocin later that night.

Long story short...Macy Annalise Watson was born at 6:48 that next morning (2-22) at 7 pounds 2 ounces and 21 inches long. She was beautiful, awake, and had HAIR!

I was so in love, and the next 2 days in the hospital were wonderful...until I came down with an AWFUL cold that didn't go away until after her 3 week doctor's appointment. She lost A LOT of weight the first 2 weeks, but is slowly gaining it all back! She has now passed her birthweight and we are breastfeeding great!

Macy is a gift from heaven and has literally rocked our world. She was so peaceful for the first couple weeks, but has now shown us she has a personality like her momma. Here are some things I have learned in this past month (WOW, SHE IS A MONTH OLD?!?!?!):

1. Breastfeeding is definitely not for everyone--but we managed to stick it out. It takes the two of you to be successful at it, and it requires a LOT of patience.

2. Babies sleep a lot the first week or so, and you think you have it made, but then they WAKE UP!

3. Buy a ton of socks for a newborn because you loose them...

4. Babies sleep the best riding in their carseat. Use this as a last resort.

5. I am sure there is a ton more of things I have learned...but Macy is awake and blog time is up.

Macy rules our world, our schedule, and our lives. I love it :)

I promised myself I wouldn't get worked up again over todays events, but I hope by writing it out I will begin to get over it all.

Let's play a game...close your eyes and imagine you are 38 weeks pregnant. Your baby girl is just 2 weeks shy of making her arrival. You have had an extremely difficult 10 weeks after going through high blood pressure struggles. She was supposed to arrive 5 weeks ago, but things started to get better . You end up back in the hospital today with severly high blood pressure and the doctor telling you that its possible to deliver today. You sit in agony as other mothers roll by in their beds on the way to their delivery rooms or to surgery. You hear babies cry in the background as the new mommies next door are enjoying their precious arrivals. You are so nervous and anxious because it is a possibility this is your day too!! Not to mention your phone is dead so you can't update ANYONE! 6 hours later, your sitting at home eating lunch...alone. No baby.

This up and down emotional and physical roller coaster is about to drive me to the looney house. I don't think I can do another day like today. I almost lost it. I got so worked up by thinking I was going to see my little girl today, and then having all my hopes shattered, more tests being done, and no answers to receive. You would think they would just go ahead and cut me open after all this, but they think...just two more weeks. I can understand why they are trying to pull as much time out of me as possible, but this is becoming frusterating and ridiculous. I was THRILLED to make it to full term, let alone 38 weeks, but now they think they can wait longer. Clearly, something is wrong, or my blood pressure wouldn't keep spiking this high. We just don't know why. It's about time to solve the problem and get it over with.

I know what the doctors are thinking and why they are thinking the way they do, but its very frusterating as a soon to be mother to experience these kind of roller coasters. My emotional well being should be considered too, right? Maybe not.

I ended up crying on the way home because I was just so done. I had given up. I was over it all. But then, I feel my little girl jiggle a little kick, and I smile again.

$20???

Do you have one of those household items that you have to buy everyone now and then that really makes you cringe because it costs WAY too much! I have a few: laundry detergent, dog food, and cat food. Add one more to my list: Diapers.

Now that I have discovered coupons and a cheaper brand of laundry detergent, I am not cringing at the thought of doing laundry anymore. Having two dogs means going out of dog food at a much quicker pace, so I am still cringing over that one. Cat food isn't too bad, especially now that I have coupons for her brand. Today, I finally realized another item I will be cringing to buy...DIAPERS. Dun dun dun.

I never realized that a box of diapers is around $20-30. Not only that, but I heard that babies go through one box a week. Um...I am not that good at math, but I do know this isn't good. I was ok with buying a $20 bag of dog food once every 2 months, but now I am going to be buying diapers every week.

Geez. Hello financial wake up call.