Month FOUR

Wow!!! I can't believe our little angel is already four months old! This month was full of new milestones for Calleigh... as well as her continuing to fine tune old ones. She saw Dr. Crow for her four month well visit yesterday, and got her second round of shots... this was not fun for her or Mommy :( She did pretty well considering all the poking and prodding though... poor baby! She's still a little munchkin weighing 12 pounds 14 ounces and is 23 3/4 inches long. This barely puts her in the 30th percentile for both height and weight. But since her height and weight are proportionate to each other, Dr. Crow isn't the least bit concerned about her being on the small end. She's happy, healthy, and growing and that's what really matters :) We get to start rice and/or oatmeal cereal now so stay tuned for updates on that new adventure in next month's post!

This month I was able to finish my first project for Calleigh. Before she was born I decided that for each monthly photo I would buy a different yard of fabric for the backdrop and then make her a quilt using all twelve fabrics to give to her on her first birthday. Since the quilt won't use the entire yard of each fabric, I plan on making her other things throughout her first year using the remaining materials. My first project was a cute little blanket for her to take to daycare with her... another new adventure in next month's post :)

Front

Front up close

Back

Back up close

Calleigh's Four Month Milestones:

• slept 9-10 hours straight most nights
• 0-3 months, 3 months, and some small 3-6 months clothes
• size 1 diapers
• likes to suck on her hand - tries her best to get the whole thing in her mouth :)
• thinks she HAS to stand up - therefore began playing in her exersaucer 
• giggled at 13 weeks
• rolled from tummy to back at 15 weeks - figured out how to avoid tummy time :)
• rolls from back to side
• started to sit up with boppy pillow
• transitioned from laying in sling to sitting up during bath - still likes to check herself out in the mirror
• reaches for and grabs toys... then puts them to her mouth 
• squirms off her blanket/playmat
• pulls hair and necklaces
• still loves to swim and dip her feet in the pool each night before bath and bedtime
• can multi-task :) - raise swing tray up and down with her feet while watching tv
• transitioned to swaddled sleep sack: arms in first two weeks and arms out last two weeks
• removed newborn head support in carseat and moved harness up a notch
• first lunch date with Daddy
• first playdate at the park

The lion is super interesting :)

Excited about rolling over  for the first time

Rolling from back to side

Chillin' in the boppy pillow

Grabbing her toys...

And putting them to her mouth

This girl loves her pool

Multi-tasking while Mommy sews

Lunching with Daddy

Month THREE

3 Months!

Our baby girl is growing SO fast! It's truly amazing watching her each day and seeing her little personality come to life. I love spending time with her and couldn't imagine life without her!


Calleigh's Three Month Milestones:

• slept around 7 hours straight most nights
• 0-3 months clothes - 3 months are still a little big
• size 1 diapers
• holds her head up really well
• discovered her feet 
• coos and squeals a lot
• loves going walking with Mommy
• still loves bath time - checks herself out in the mirror
• watches tv 
• first Father's Day
• first time to stay at a hotel
• first time to church
• first time to swim
• first 4th of July

Checkin' out those feet

LOVES walking with Mommy

Checkin' herself out in the mirror

Watchin' tv - Swamp People :)

First hotel stay

First time swimming

She's going to be a little fish :)

Happy 4th of July!

Month TWO

2 Months!

During Calleigh's second month she only had to see Dr. Crow once... and it wasn't a fun appointment. She got her first round of shots and took them like a champ. She only cried for a few seconds. She weighed in at 10 pounds 6 ounces and was 22 1/4 inches long... around the 40th percentile for both height and weight. Dr. Crow said that she was a very easy and great baby and that if more babies were like her then there would be more pediatricians :) What a compliment! We are so blessed to have such a happy healthy daughter!


Calleigh's Two Month Milestones:

• transitioned to her crib full time
• slept around 7 hours straight most nights
• newborn clothes
• newborn diapers
• tolerates tummy time 
• enjoys her kick and play mat
• sat in her bumbo
• smiles a lot
• discovered her hands 
• loves bath time
• first Mother's Day
• first time to go walking in her stroller
• first time to a restaurant
• first time to Mommy's school
• first trip to Canton

Tummy time

Chillin' in the bumbo

Lovin' bath time

First morning walk with Mommy

First trip to Canton

Month ONE

1 Month

Calleigh's first month was quite eventful... for her and Mommy! After leaving the hospital on Saturday, April 7, we had to go see Dr. Crow first thing Monday morning. At this appointment he looked her over again... just to say that she was still PERFECT :) He then checked her weight, which had dropped to 7 pounds 5 ounces, but was normal. We set up her two week check up appointment and then Dr. Crow sent us back to the hospital to do a heel prick to make sure her jaundice was improving... and it was (she was still well within the normal range for newborns)!

At Calleigh's two week check up she weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and was 20 inches long... not quite back to her birth weight like Dr. Crow would have preferred to see, but he wasn't concerned since she had gained at least half of it back. Daddy however did NOT like her not being back up to where she was at birth, and since she was hitting the charts around the 25th percentile, Daddy wanted to do a weight recheck five days later. At that appointment she weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce... Daddy was pleased!

Then on May 8, Calleigh went for her one month check up. At this appointment she weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long... hitting the charts between the 25th-50th percentile for both height and weight. Dr. Crow said that he was pleased with her growth and thought that we were going to have a "perfectly petite" baby girl :)

Between Calleigh's two week and one month appointments, I had to be readmitted to the hospital :( What started as a clogged milk duct turned into abscessed Mastitis. My body failed to respond to the first antibiotics that Dr. Godat prescribed, so the clogged duct continued to get worse and worse. I was in so much pain and can easily say that this pain was 100 times worse than any pain associated with Calleigh's birth! I spent three days in the hospital on IV meds and morphine. Being away from my newborn baby girl broke my heart. Thankfully, my wonderful mother was able to help Travis care for her. Once it looked like things were starting to improve a little Dr. Godat gave the okay for me to be released from the hospital, but with me understanding that if anything changed that I would be right back at the hospital for surgery to drain the abscess. Well, the improvement didn't last long :( A day later I was back at the hospital visiting with a surgeon. Dr. Lewis was fantastic! She opted to try an in-office procedure first before having me admitted for major surgery. She drained the abscess with a needle... it was painful, but felt SO much better each time the infection and pressure were removed. The in-office procedure took several visits and I had to pump and nurse like crazy to get my production on that breast back up, but I am proud to say that I am still able to nurse!!! Two months later we are still going strong! YAY!!!

Calleigh's One Month Milestones:

• first bath
• first Easter 
• first photo shoot
• first night away from Mommy
• started to smile
• LOVES to cuddle
• all newborn clothes
• newborn diapers

First bath

Happy Easter!

First of many smiles :)

 Newborn Photos:

Headed Home

We got to leave the hospital on April 7... everyone checked out healthy and was good to go! I don't think Travis has ever been so nervous. He refused to get on the highway and only took side roads... going no more than 35 miles per hour!!! What should have been a 20 minute ride home ended up taking much longer :) Once we were home the big introduction took place... our furry babies met Calleigh for the first time. Both dogs were curious; Bella of course more so than Bailey, but they both did great!

Dressed and ready to go...

Waiting on Daddy to bring the car around...

All loaded up...

Meeting big sister Bella

Calleigh's BIRTHday!

WOW is all I can say. It's been a long time since my last post and so much has happened since then that I'm going to try my best to finally get it all written down... before I forget it!

Thursday, April 5, 2012, at 8:47 p.m. we got to meet our precious baby girl, Calleigh Abrielle Cook. It had been a LONG three years up to that point, but man, was it all worth it! We had a scheduled induction for 7:30 that morning, and I don't think either of us got any sleep the night before... the anticipation of what was to come that day was just too great. We arrived at the hospital on time and about 8:45 things finally began to get underway. The epidural was in place and the Pitocin was started at 9:30. Dr. Godat had planned on breaking my water at noon, but was called into emergency surgery so it was 2:00 before it was done. From that point on it seemed like time was creeping by... I was dilating very slowly... until I got to 5 cm. Then it's like my body kicked into overdrive. It only took an hour to get from 5 cm to 10 cm! I started pushing at 7:30 and an hour and seventeen minutes later Calleigh entered the world! A total of 11 hours and 17 minutes of labor. Our little miracle weighed in at 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long. Absolutely PERFECT!

And it begins...

Dr. Travis monitoring the contractions...

It's finally GO time!

She's here!!!

Daddy cutting the cord...

Daddy and Calleigh holding hands for the first time...

This is Daddy's "Oh Crap! What do I do now?" face...

And finally Mommy meets her angel!!!

At the nursery for the official weigh in...

One of God's most precious gifts: Calleigh Abrielle Cook

And it's Bed Rest for this Momma...

Time has slipped away again! My last blog got you all caught up on the nursery... this blog will get you caught up on the events leading up to Calleigh's birth! After Spring Break and getting the nursery completed, it was back to work... or at least that was the plan for next couple of weeks. That Monday when I went back to work, the swelling also came back... full force! I had been battling swelling for a few weeks, but this week it was at its all time worst... to the point that my legs and hands were also super swollen. I called Dr. Godat's office that night and they recommended plenty of water and no salt until my appointment on Wednesday (week 37 appointment). Two days later at my appointment, the swelling was even worse and to add to it my blood pressure was elevated. When I stepped on the scale I had gained 9 pounds!!! Whoa!!! Once Dr. Godat came in the room and saw my legs, hands, and face he immediately ordered strict bed rest. He guessed that at least 7 pounds was due to swelling! He said that I was showing signs of Toxemia and that if it was not better at my next appointment on Tuesday, March 27, that they would be taking the baby then. My bed rest orders were to start on Friday, March 23, and I was to only get out of bed to use the restroom, grab something to eat, and shower. Here is a picture of my ankles from Monday... now picture them about two times worse than this on Wednesday!

I was able to negotiate with Dr. Godat to let me work at least one more day (Thursday) so that I could finish getting things in order for my long term sub. Thanks to fabulous co-workers, I was able to get a lot accomplished at school that day! I still took a few things home with me to work on (grades and plans) since I wasn't going to be able to do much else from the bed for the next couple of weeks. Here is a picture of Bella helping me out with some grading :) She was a great bed rest buddy!

Then came our appointment on Tuesday. Dr. Godat was pleased that the swelling had decreased some, but was still concerned about my blood pressure. While he said that everything was a little more under control for the time being, he still wanted to schedule an induction. So from there it was set... we would meet our baby girl the following Thursday (April 5), unless she decided to come on her own before then. But since I was only dilated to a 1, there was little chance in that.