We are the Millers

Ashlyn will be 3 weeks old at 6:09pm! I already feel like the time is flying by! 3 week old?! I just had her yesterday didn't I? I'll start off with her second doctor's appointment, which she had on 12/27. It was her 2 week check up. We decided to take her to Reading Pediatrics to see Doctor Brenlinger (or Dr. Jeff) because he was the pediatric doctor who was on call when Ashlyn was first born and we really liked him. She threw up all over the place when he checked her in the hospital! Some fun facts about Ashlyn: Birth weight: 8lbs Birth length: 20 inches Weight when we left the hospital: 7lbs 9oz Weight at first appointment with Dr. Jeff (12/12): 7lbs 11oz Weight at second appointment with Dr. Jeff (12/27): 9lbs 7oz Length at second appointment with Dr. Jeff (12/27): 20.5 inches This little girl weighs 9lbs 7oz already!! I can't believe she gained that much weight in 2 weeks! She is getting so big already! We thought we were starting to get the sleeping under control ...

Ashlyn turned 2 weeks old yesterday! It has been the craziest 2 weeks of my life! I love this little girl with all of my heart but no one could have ever prepared me for this little child! We have completely moved away from any kind of schedule we had been creating. She stays up late every night. Last night we were awake until 3AM! I wish she would sleep at night the way she sleeps during the day! I know that we will get her on a better schedule, I just have to be patient. I think we finally got her spitting up under control. She is now on a sensitive stomach formula that seems to be taking care of that. The new problem is that she seems to be constipated all of the time. The poor thing just sits and pushes and squeezes and grunts all of the time! I feel terrible for her. She goes back to the pediatrician on Tuesday so I'm hoping he can help us find some relief with this issue. Otherwise, she is still a pretty happy little baby. She doesn't cry much, only when she is hungry or ...

Today our daughter is 1 week old. What a week it's been. It's been tough adjusting to this new life with a baby but it's also been amazing! My husband and I are just so happy to have this beautiful little girl in our lives. When we went into the hospital last Thursday, our house was a MESS! Our kitchen was still torn apart and we had boxes everywhere in our living room. Bryan's brother and his wife were generous enough to come to our house and do some work for us. Thomas laid the kitchen floor while his wife put everything back into our kitchen cabinets. When we got home on Sunday, we had a kitchen and a living room, both rooms we did not have when we went into the hospital on Thursday. They also came down Sunday when we got home and made us dinner. My Mom and nephew also came over on Sunday to clean the nursery. All of the remodeling left the nursery in a layer of dust so they cleaned it up for us. I don't know what we would have done without these people! They sav...

In my last update on 12/06/11, I wrote that my doctor ordered me to take a 24 hour urine test to determine whether or not I had Preeclampsia. Well, she called me last Thursday to let me know that the blood work came back just fine but that there was way too much protein in my urine. It was supposed to be less than 300 and mine was over 500. She told me that she wanted me to come into the office on Monday instead of Wednesday for my regularly scheduled appointment. She transferred me to the receptionist, who told me the other OBGYN, Dr. Muallem, wanted me to come into the office that day for a check up and for a fetal stress test. So, at 3pm last Thursday I went to the doctor. At 4:30 pm, I was checking into the hospital! He diagnosed me with early stages of Preeclampsia and said that he did not want to take any chances and wait any longer. And so the story begins... We checked in at 4:30 pm. They began inducing at 7:30 pm. I was having contractions when I got there but I wasn't fee...

How far along: 39 weeks, 7 days to go! Size of baby: I have reached the size of a watermelon! Maternity Clothes: Nothing new. Hopefully I can pack these up soon! Gender: Baby Girl! Movement: Less and less. What I miss: My energy, being able to sleep through the night. Cravings: I'm not really craving much of anything. Symptoms: Severe swelling and heartburn and just sick all over :( Doctor's appointment was ok today. Her heart rate today was 134. No exam today because I haven't had any contractions or anything. I am stuck at home today, though. Once again, my blood pressure was higher than normal and there was protein in my urine. The doctor is worried about preeclampsia again. So, today I am stuck at home peeing in a jug every time I have to go, which is a lot! In 24 hours I go back to the lab to get some blood work done so they can test for the preeclampsia. If it comes back positive, Little Miss has to come out! I don't know how long it will take for them to get the ...

Do you ever get into one of the those moods where you just have to finish a project no matter what? Well that's what happened to me last night. I started working on the nursery again and couldn't stop. I stayed up very late but the nursery is done! We have a few minor things to do yet but all in all, it looks great and we are now ready for Little Miss to get here! The crib is missing the crib bumper, which is on its way, and the crib skirt, which I'm not too worried about. I want a Lambs & Ivy bedding set but it's back ordered right now I have to wait! The pink and brown rug I got to match the rest of the room: The changing table, full of all of her blankets and bibs and diaper supplies: The dresser and my favorite part of the room, the lamp: Her closet (we still have to put the door back on): And I think this is going to be her going home outfit. Thanks Arlena! The furniture was a giant pain in the butt to put together and it's not quite what we expected. While...

I'm now in the process of actually packing my hospital bag since I got yelled at on Sunday by my friend Marty. :) This was the original list that I had created: Birth Plan Health Insurance Information Driver's License Money for parking and vending machines Robe Slippers PJ's Underwear Pillow or blanket Lip Balm Shampoo/Conditioner Soap Razor Hair ties and clips Brush Make up Deodorant Toothbrush and toothpaste Cell phone and charger Book or magazine Notepad and pen Empty duffel bag (for all of the free goodies and gifts) Maternity outfit to go home in Baby going home outfit Mittens, booties, hat Receiving blanket Diaper bag with diapers wipe cloths blanket Camera Car seat iPod Snacks Comment on the List: Anonymous said... I think it is a good list. You'll need several pair of undies, and if you don't want to wear the hospital pads, bring your own(overnight large type) the hospital ones are like a foot and a half long, no kidding! You can certainly bring books and ma...

How far along: 37 weeks 6 days, 15 days to go! Size of baby: I have reached the size of a watermelon! Maternity Clothes: Nothing new. Hopefully I can pack these up soon! Gender: Baby Girl! Movement: She's been moving quite a bit lately! What I miss: My energy, being able to sleep through the night. Cravings: I'm not really craving much of anything. Symptoms: Severe swelling and heartburn and just sick all over :( Doctor's appointment went well. Her heart rate today was 141. No exam today because I haven't had any contractions or anything. So far my husband's wish has come true. Little Miss is still in there so he is out hunting! I would really like this little monster to come out now though! I have been feeling terrible since Thanksgiving! The doctor says it's normal but I just feel awful. I'm always nauseous and tired and the lower back pain is just ridiculous! I know she is moving down because she is pretty much always on my bladder. I just wish she woul...

My outfit is much better today so here is a baby bump photo: I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

How far along: 37 weeks, 21 days to go! Size of baby: I have reached the size of a watermelon! Maternity Clothes: I got a new winter coat that I won't be able to wear much longer! Gender: Baby Girl! Movement: Starting to dwindle, no more room! What I miss: My energy, being able to sleep through the night. Cravings: I'm not really craving much of anything. Symptoms: Severe swelling and heartburn :( Doctor's appointment went well. Her heart rate today was 150 and I haven't gained any weight so the low salt diet is still working it's magic. They still have me a week behind but she said that I'm considered full term at 37 weeks so we are getting ready to go! Today was my first exam and I was not dilated at all. I was actually hoping that I would be but no such luck. Maybe next week. Boy does that exam suck! My husband just wants Little Miss to stay in there until next Tuesday. He wants to go hunting on Monday because he has never missed the opening day of deer seaso...

What a difference 3 weeks makes!

As Baby Day approaches, I am thinking about packing my hospital bag. I got the most adorable black and pink polka dotted bag to take with that is big enough to hold vacation clothes for a week! In researching what to pack, this is the list I have come up with: Birth Plan Health Insurance Information Driver's License Money for parking and vending machines Robe Slippers PJ's Underwear Pillow or blanket Lip Balm Shampoo/Conditioner Soap Razor Hair ties and clips Brush Make up Deodorant Toothbrush and toothpaste Cell phone and charger Book or magazine Notepad and pen Empty duffel bag (for all of the free goodies and gifts) Maternity outfit to go home in Baby going home outfit Mittens, booties, hat Receiving blanket Diaper bag with diapers wipe cloths blanket Camera Car seat iPod Snacks So, all you moms out there, I ask you, what do you think of this list? Too little? Too much? What else will I need to make my hospital stay more comfortable? Is there anything on here that I'...

How far along: 36 weeks, 28 days to go! Size of baby: The size of a honeydew! Maternity Clothes: Nothing new recently! Gender: Baby Girl! Movement: Lots and lots! What I miss: My energy, being able to sleep through the night. Cravings: I'm not really craving much of anything. Symptoms: Severe swelling and heartburn :( We had a good appointment today. Heart rate was 154 and everything looks good. I dropped 2 pounds since last week which means the low salt diet is working the way it should be! Trying to find foods to eat that are low sodium that actually have taste is tough! I still swell up but not nearly as bad as I had been. I go back every week from here on out. It's the homestretch! I still have not been able to sleep a full night. I wake up a few times throughout the night because I have to pee or because I have heartburn or just because! It's very frustrating and it's probably the reason I'm so tired all of the time. The nursery did not get done last week as pl...

How far along: 34 weeks 6 days, 36 days to go! Size of baby: The size of a honeydew! Maternity Clothes: Nothing new recently! Gender: Baby Girl! Movement: Lots and lots! What I miss: My energy, being able to sleep through the night. Cravings: I'm not really craving much of anything. Symptoms: Severe swelling and heartburn :( I decided to post an update today because I actually wound up going to the doctor today. Over the weekend, I had some pretty bad swelling in my feet, ankles and hands. I also had some sudden weight gain over the past week and I was seeing spots occasionally. My doctor told me to report anything odd because my blood pressure was a little high at my last appointment and there was protein in my urine. She wanted to be on the lookout for Preeclampsia. I wasn't too worried about it, I just thought it was a long weekend but my husband and best friend kept insisting that I call the doctor. So I finally broke down and called. She said it didn't seem like an eme...

How far along: 33 weeks 6 days, 43 days to go! Size of baby: The size of a honeydew! Maternity Clothes: Nothing new recently! Gender: Baby Girl! Movement: Lots and lots! What I miss: My energy! Cravings: I'm not really craving much of anything. Symptoms: A lot of aches and pains going on but nothing serious! So first off, it looks like the doctor is still sticking with my original due date of December 21st. They say I'm at 32 weeks, 5 days instead of 33 weeks, 6 days. I'm going to keep writing my posts at the newer due date of December 13th since I'm hoping she comes early anyway! Second, they did an ultrasound today. It was nice to see my Little Miss again except they did tell me that Little Miss is not so little. She is already weighing in at 6 pounds!!! I have 6 weeks left and she is supposed to gain 1/2 pound a week. That puts her at 9 pounds at birth! I wanted to smack my husband! I was only a 6 pound baby. He immediately called his Mom who told him that he was 9 p...