pictures from beach

remaining days

the remaining days were MUCH better & she gave us confidence that she will be fine on the trip to New England.  the first day we are there might be a little challenging while she adjusts but to be honest, i think i am the one that will have a hard time, not Addison.  this trial was most definitely a success, however, it is a much smaller car ride.  nonetheless, we will all be ok.

trial "long" car ride

Well, we did it...sort of.  We had a trial "long" car ride to Myrtle Beach, SC yesterday & are staying until Saturday. Typically it's approximately a 3 hour trip but it took us about 3 hours & 45 minutes.  We stopped 2 times for Addison to nurse which is NOT typical for her 2-3 hour feeding pattern.  She is going through a little growth spurt right now & I am crossing my fingers she is back to her usual feeding pattern by the time we head to New England next week.  Despite eating twice she wasn't fussy & slept the rest of the time.

We are going to leave for New England around 2 am because she goes 3-4 hours at night & the excessive sleeping in the car shouldn't effect her sleep/wake pattern.  We are stopping 1/2 way so each car ride stretch will only be 6 hours-ish. When we got here she stayed awake & was extremely good & not fussy for about 2 1/2 hours.  That is a long wakeful period for a 3 week old so naturally as her little peepers got heavy she fought sleep.  When this girl gets mad...SHE GETS MAD (like mother like daughter?)! She then cluster fed & nursed every hour which upset her stomach because she was getting too much foremilk.  Finally after some help from gripe water (thanks Tiff) she was back to normal & did much better than I expected through the night.  She is totally back to normal this morning...fingers crossed. We'll see how day 2 goes...wish me luck.

A New Leash On Life

When we brought Hamp (Hampton) home the hole left by Winston's tragic death was partially filled. Of course he couldn't replace Winston but the companionship & love that we shared with Winston was back. I vowed to always protect him & love him. I cherished my nights off & the time he'd spent cuddled up on the couch with me, nestling his warm little body in my shoulder...like a sweet little baby.  He was IS my sweet little baby. He, as Winston did, went every where with us.  If he wasn't able to come with us, we'd anxiously text "Uncle" Chaz, his "babysitter" & "Oh & Ah" over text messaged pictures reassuring us that he was okay.

As my belly grew so did my perspective & I began struggling with the "baby of the family" going from 4 legs to 2.  I had this guilt I'd lose my special bond with Hampton & he'd grow to resent me & Addison. People constantly said "you just wait...he'll go from cute & cuddly to annoying.", "we had to get rid of our dog when the baby was born", "you say he's not an outdoor dog now...".  That would echo inside my head during my last trimester as Hampton barked at the television or required a chase around the house before he'd get into his bed at night.  Incessantly sweeping his hair went from being just part of life to raising concern on how that would be when Addison came.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to sit & relax around him with Addison & that our lives would become separate.


With a HUGE sigh of relief 19 days have gone by & I've realized that Hampton wasn't my practice baby.  Although he has 4 legs & isn't a real baby...he is such a HUGE part of our family.  Addison probably won't know Hampton as "doggie" but as "brother" because that is what we call him.  He taught us the importance of consistency, abiding love & patience...things that have been so important with his "sister's" arrival.


My fears have been completely put to rest...He LOVES his sister & she is completely enamored with him.  They just stare at each other in the sweetest way...it melts my heart.  I have become even more anal about sweeping & do get slightly more annoyed chasing him to put him in his bed but my love for him hasn't changed.  He usually sits at my feet wherever I am & looks around the house for Addison when he can't find her.  He tries to jump up if you are standing holding her & if you are sitting down he snuggles up beside you after giving her a few little kisses on her toes. 

bare with the poor quality of the photos.  they were from my iphone & Hamp was a moving target:

adjusting

addison & i are getting used to philip being back to work. we are starting to settle into a little routine & i totally have developed a "you can do it" attitude. i am actually going to venture out with her 1 day next week for a little while to meet a friend for lunch. accomplishing things is becoming much easier. maybe because i am becoming a pro using 1 hand?!?! :)

we have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us.  addison & i are going to SC with philip next week for a few days while chaz stays with hampton.  the following week we are going to new england for my cousin alyson's wedding...i can't wait.  i am hopeful addison will tolerate the car ride well, SC is a mini test run.

i am really liking stay at home mommyhood.  it's hard to believe i only have 10 more weeks left of maternity leave. i am trying to enjoy every moment...even the fussy ones.

uterine atony

it's been a crazy/scary 24 hours.  yesterday i started having heavy bright red bleeding with large clots & a significant amount of pain.  i blew it off throughout the day thinking i was being "too much of a nurse" & reading too far into it.  several doses of tylenol & ibuprofen (which i hadn't taken since day 2 of being home) later & persistent pain/bleeding, i started to get a little worried. i talked to a nurse friend of mine who is 6 months postpartum to see if what i was experiencing was normal (i knew it wasn't) & prompting from her & philip led me to call the obgyn on call because it was after hours.  because i wasn't really symptomatic we decided to try 4 doses of methergine to help my uterus contract because he said it was probably uterine atony. if the bleeding seemed to decrease then i was to wait until the morning to be seen in the office. if the bleeding stayed the same or increased i was to go to the ER.
thankfully 3 doses of methergine helped & the bleeding dramatically decreased. i had an appointment this morning with an ultrasound to make sure it wasn't something more serious like retained placenta or other parts of conception. the ultrasound showed some blood but nothing serious & definitely no retained placenta.  my ob said that the atony & OVER ACTIVITY was probably the cause.  conclusion: rest, relax (ironic that i posted about this the other day), take it easy & take the last dose of methergine.

i guess it won't be so hard to just enjoy this beauty:

every girl needs a little animal print

These are WAY too cute not to share.  Thanks to our fantastically fashionable friend Jen & awesome husband Jarred, Addison owns her first item of animal print.  LOVE LOVE LOVE these little shoes & coordinating headband! Totally agree with Jen, every girl needs a little animal print in her wardrobe.

On a side note, Addison had her 2nd pediatrician appointment today.  She is growing like a weed...she gained 8 oz in a week! Today's weight 7 lb 10 oz.  She is still super petite...it looks like we will be in newborn clothing for a while.