Thursday, November 25, 2010

Sip n' See for my Sweet Pea!

To say that I was devestated when my baby shower was cancelled, due to the onset of my preeclampsia, is an understatement. Not only was I sad to that I couldn't go, but I was mainly upset for my hostesses who had put so much effort into the preparations.

To make up for my shower being cancelled, we had a sip n' see to welcome Miss Margo into the world! We had mimosas to SIP and go to SEE a beautiful Margo in her pink and white sweater dress--matching cake below.





My sister from Midland and her three girls all came into town, which made the day extra special. My hostesses threw Margo an amazing party with all the bells and whistles. There was a really neat "fingerprint" tree where our guests got to leave their mark with a thumbprint and I will treasue this unique little piece of art forever. The flowers were gorgeous and included my favorite--peonies--they were so amazing when they opened up and were the circumfrence of a salad plate!





The sip 'n see was held at one of my most favorite restuarants in Houston, Backstreet Cafe, and the amazing brunch menu included my most favorite, shrimp and grits. It was delicious and I enjoyed every bite, including the mouth watering dessert trio with an apple crisp, creme brulee and Margo's adorable cake!




I loved the little robin egg soaps for the favor that went along with the bird theme in Margo's room. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a soap, but I hear they smell so wonderful you want to eat them. I can't wait to receive my little shipment in the mail.




Margo was an angel the entire time and fell sound asleep about half way through. I had a most wonderful time and am so grateful to my generous hostesses for the best party a girl could ever ask for. I am so glad that despite my cancelled shower, I was still able to celebrate Margo in an extra special way and create amazing memories!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Month Two Flew

Our sweet Margo is now two months old and I cannot believe how much she has grown and changed! Besides the issues she has had with reflux, she is truly an angel baby and we are in love!

Margo now weighs about 9 1/2 lbs and is 21 inches long. Because she was premature, her percentiles are still pretty low, but she is growing like a weed:

17% for weight
10% for height
7% for her head (my head is small too)

Margo is really strong and holds up her head well. We put her in her Bumbo for the first time and she LOVES it--it is hilarious seeing how she responds to it. She can roll over from her tummy to her back. She smiles at mommy and daddy all the time and is talking up a storm. When she is hungry and we are about to feed her, she lets us know by making the cutest sound. The closest way I can describe it is to compare it to howling... it is a mix of excitement and fussing and it melts my heart every time!

She is sleeping anywhere from 3-5 hour stretches. It is very inconsistent and I am eagerly anticipating when she sleeps through the night. By the time I feed her, hold her upright for 20 minutes and then get myself back to sleep, I am often only getting three or so hours a night often times. The sleep deprivation has definitely been the most difficult challenge for me.

Otherwise, everything about my Margo amazes me and I love her more than I ever thought possible. Once we finally manage to get her reflux under control (or she outgrows it), I think she will be a near perfect baby. We are blessed beyond belief and are having fun as we adjust to this new life!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Reflux Sucks!!!

Since we brought Margo home from the hospital, she has been having GI issues... grunting, groaning and struggling all day and night long. First, I thought it was gas and started gas drops with little success. Then, it started to progress to more fussing and spitting up. Margo was diagnosed with reflux and we have been fighting the battle ever since.

We have been on two forms of Prevacid and also a medicine to coat her burning esophagus. She is now on a higher dose of Prevacid and we have another Rx to fill. She is spitting up sometimes 20 times a day and then has BIG throw-ups anywhere between 5-15 times a day. Fortunately, she is still thriving and has actually gained a bit too much weight too fast.

When I brought her home from the hospital as a preemie, the hospital and her pediatrician really stressed fattening her up. I may be have been doing it too agressively because she gained 1.5 lbs in three weeks and she has been eating about 26 ounces a day, which the MD says is more like that of a four month old... oops! I also took her off of my breast milk and have her on lactose free formula which has helped a great deal with the grunting and struggling in her sleep. I am sad that she won't be getting my precious antibodies during RSV and flu season, but am also relieved that she feels better in that sense and it is a relief to not be pumping anymore.

So... instead of filling her new Rx which is supposed to help her empty her belly faster, thus less spitting/throwing up, I am now going to let her tell me when she needs to eat and reduce her feedings to see if that helps. The MD also suggested adding a little rice cereal to her feedings which is supposed to weight down her formula a bit and make it harder to spit up. I think I am going to try that route first instead of putting more chemicals in her body.

Through this process I have started a bad habit with Margo that I SWORE I would not do. She is much more comfortable on her belly and doesn't spit up in that position when she is sleeping. When she is fussy or uncomfortable, I have been letting her sleep on her belly on my chest since she cannot sleep on her belly in bed. I do this about half of the night and sleep little myself. Just this week, I went at least three days with 3 hours or less sleep a night. To say that I am wiped out is an understatement.

I am hoping that some of the new things we try will be a success and we'll start transitioning a healthy/happy baby to her crib in the next few weeks. The MD wants her well and sleeping in her room by three months. Please pray for us as we continue to struggle with the best answer/combination to make our sweet little girl more comfortable.

Poor, Margo, spitting up yet again... she looks a bit like she has fangs--ha ha!