I love Our....

I Love Our...

1)Angel Care Monitor. 

I looked at the angel care monitor before Allie was born, but we didnt receive it as a gift so I thought a normal sound monitor would work just as well (plus Allie was sleeping in our room). Well sleeping in our room didnt work for long and the other monitor had problems picking up in our room. Mom heard of the "pros" of this monitor and the stories from people who have had it and she got us the Angel Care Monitor. We actually use it for all its purposes. The pads are under Allies Mattress and monitor her breathing. The sound is really clear and I can hear everthing she is doing in her room. The thing I like most about it besides the clear sound is the peace of mind. I know if she gets too still (or quits breathing (which hasnt happened)) that an alarm will go off. Now mind you the alarm will give you a small heart attack in the middle of the night, but she sleeps right through it. It has gone off maybe 3 times and it was because she was in such a deep sleep. Love it!

Work....Hard Work

Sleeping on the job!

Two Months Old

Allie is Two Months Old!

Wow how time flies! Although this post is late in getting posted (She was 2 months at the end of November) the pictures were taken on time. Some of this information has changed but here is a recap of where Allie was at 2 months.

Allie is still wearing a newborn diaper but is close to moving up to a size 1. Allie is mostly in Newborn clothes, however some preemie sleepers still fit and some 0-3 months are starting to fit.

Allie eats 5 ounces every 3 hours but has gone 4-4:30 hours between feedings especially at night.

Allie is getting better at holding her head up and is really starting to smile and interact with people. She is tracking with her eyes really well and will watch us as we walk around.

 Allie still enjoys her bath. She would stay in there until the water was cold if we would let her. She doesnt mind water in her eyes and likes for you to pour water over her head. The downfall of bath time is she cries as soon as we take her out.

 Allie is at work with us and she has been great. She sleeps most of the day still and is mostly awake early in the morning and late at night. I havent noticed her changing too much but she is looking more like Stewart and now has a nice blend of the two of us. The biggest change I have noticed is that she is getting some rolls.

 Allie weighs 10 lbs 4 oz at her 2 month check up and has moved up to being in the 25th percentile. Her Daddy took her to her two month checkup. She did great after her shots. She was a little more sleepy than normal. We gave her some ibuprofen and it knocked her out. I am looking forward to this coming month. Allie will be 3 months old on Stewarts birthday and we have our first Christmas as a family of 3. I am excited to see how she grows and becomes more social over the coming month!

 Here are some pictures from when she was 1 month to compare her to. I dont think she has changed much at all except maybe being a little chubbier.

A Few Things I love....

I have learned that you can get by without having all the "must have" baby items, but there have been a few items that we purchased or were given that I really like. Here is a list of some great baby items. They arent must haves mind you but they have held up to the reviews and we really like them.

Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat. I LOVE our car seat. It "clicks" when it is in the base secure, cleans up easily, is as light as a carseat can be, and fits Allie great even when she was coming home from the hospital.

Bob Stroller. This was a gift, but the BOB really does live up to hype and more. We will never need another stroller. We can click her car seat in to it and she will be able to be in it for years. You can go anywhere with the stroller because it has "real" rubber wheels and I can easily push it with one hand if needed. LOVE IT!

Bouncy Seat. We carry this to work and on trips. Allie will sit in her seat for hours. We havent added the toy bar yet but she is getting closer to enjoying it.

Boppy Newborn Louger

Nuk Pacifiers. Allie really isnt picky about pacifiers or bottles but she has taken these since she was a preemie in the hospital. This is actually what they recommended for us to get.

Swaddleme. We actually just got this within the past week as a gift. Allie went from waking every 3 hours at night to sleeping through the night the first time we put her in it. I ordered another last night.

We tried a different bathtub before this with a mesh newborn holder. It was awful. It wasnt secure and wouldnt hold her. This bath tub is great. It has a "stopper" seat for little babies. 

aden and anais swaddle blankets. We were using these to swaddle Allie at night until the Swadddleme came into our lives. There are still great to drape over the carseat when we are going outside, in a restaurant, or taking her to the Doctor.

Pampers Swaddlers. Love Them!

Huggies Wipes. I cant tell a big difference between sensitive, supreme etc but I can tell a HUGE difference between Huggies and Pampers wipes. 

*We havent tried other diapers or wipes besides Pampers and Huggies because we are still working off shower gifts.

Similac Concentrate Liquid Formula.

We love the liquid concentrate more than the powder. Of course the down fall is it must stay in the fridge and a fixed bottles has to be consumed within 1 hour so powder is our backup on the road.

Ah Goo Baby memory foam changing pad. We got this at All About Baby in Huntsville and I love it. I bought it to go in the diaper bag but I normally change Allie in my lap or on a blanket so it is at the house until she out grows my lap. She loves to lay on this. She will be content on this more than a blanket or the floor. 

Thankful

This past week was Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for in our home this year. Stewart and I are approaching our 1 year anniversary and have a healthy 2 month old baby girl.  We are beyond thankful and blessed this Thanksgiving. Our home has change dramatically and our first year of marriage has been blessed beyond measure. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The pictures are a few of  her newborn pictures. 

She was about 3 weeks old when we took them.

World Prematurity Day

So I missed it by a day but yesterday was World Prematurity Day. When we got pregnant I never thought we would be dealing with a premature baby. Our doctors did not initially think Allie would make it in the womb past 32 weeks. We were thrilled when she hit 2 lbs then 3lbs and finally 4 lbs. We were blessed and had many prayers answered and she ended up being born via C-Section at 35 weeks 6 days weighing a HUGE 6lbs 1 oz. Due to her being premature she had respiratory problems and problems regulating her temperature. We spend 1 week in the Huntsville Hospital NICU. The NICU is nothing like I expected. It is oddly very calming. The nurses and doctors in the NICU were great. I can no emphasis enough how great Allie's care in the NICU was. The nurses knew her by name, the lactation consultant would check on her during her shift, and they all worked extremely hard to get her the best care and get her home as soon as possible. They didn't even act put out by me sitting at her crib reading or staring at her for hours on end. When you are in the NICU you get to know the other babies and the other parents. I am blessed to have met wonderful parents while there. I feel for each baby and family there. The NICU is a tough place to be. Even though you don't have the morning feedings and the 24/7 care of bringing a baby home the back and forth to the hospital and the emotional and mental aspect will wear you out. The Huntsville Hospital NICU is now my charity of choice. I can no emphasis enough what the equipment and facilities there do. Thankfully Allie had everything she needed in our back door. Since HH is the regional NICU there were parents driving hours each way so their baby could receive the best care. On World Prematurity Day...Get Informed and Give.

The Best View

The view from my desk...

Things I've Learned

(Some) Things I've Learned In My First 6 Weeks As A Mommy

1) "Sleep Like A Baby" is just a saying. No one should want to sleep like a baby. At least not normally OUR baby. Dont get me wrong, she sleeps great sometimes, but her longest stretch of sleep ever was 4 hours 45 minutes. It is normally more along the lines of less than 3. If everyone slept like a baby we would all look like...well me. Tired.

2) Gowns are easier than footed pj's at 3 in the morning when the mom who has been sleeping like a baby is trying to change a diaper with her eyes closed.

3) There is a difference in diapers. Everyone always said this but I thought...come on a diaper is a diaper. Nope not true. For us, pampers newborns have worked better for Allie than Huggies. I like the design more, they absorb a TON, they are taller in the back (and bigger all over), and her skin doesnt look as red after wearing them.

4) You cant be totally brand loyal. I am a very brand loyal person but with baby items all things are created different. I love pampers newborn diapers but their wipes arent my favorite. Yep. There is a difference in wipes too. I have to admit when it comes to wipes Im a Huggies mom.

5) Putting a baby in their bed (awake but sleepy) works great most of the time. When it doesnt work is when mom changes the 3 am diaper with her eyes closed and proceeds to swaddle the baby and rock her until she is sleepy again. 3 hours later mom wakes up in rocking position with baby ready to eat again.

6) 3 hours (time between feedings) flies by. See mock schedule:

6:00 Baby cries

6:05 Baby is eating

6:30 Baby is finished

6:30-6:40 Burp baby, change diaper, swaddle

6:40 baby spits up everywhere

6:50 outfit changed...uh oh wet diaper. change diaper again, reswaddle

7:05 begin to rock baby so she isnt wide awake

7:30 baby is asleep

7:35 baby is in bed, mom in bed

9:00 baby is hungry...mom/dad gets up to start the process over with 1.5 hours of sleep (assuming you sleep as soon as you lay down) add pumping after feeding in there and you might as well stay up

7) Everyone you meet (stranger or not/ men and women) wants to know how old the baby is and are you breastfeeding..odd to me

8) People take pictures of your baby even if you dont know them....again odd

9) Yep I am one of those "new moms" I swore I wouldnt be...

Does she poop too much?

Has she not pooped enough?

Is she sleeping normal?

Does she have colic?

Should she be crying this much?

etc etc etc

I've also figured out things about Allie along the way:

She loves baths

She has different cries : hungry, hurting, tired, bored, etc

Her best smiles come after she eats (and normally when shes tired)

She loves to look around and has started to check out lights and noises

And a picture because blogs are more fun with pictures

Sweet Daddy Kisses

Sweet Baby Feet

Catching up in Pictures...

I am back at work now (which I like and it helps that Allie can come with me!..Yeah for a good work environment and boss (Go Dad/ Grandaddy!)) My computer at home was always too slow to blog from. It took FOREVER. I tried many times and would give up. Things should be easier to keep up with now that I am on my work computer...oh how I missed using a fast computer and yeah for a husband that keeos it cleaned up and fast.

Here is a photo dump of everything we have been up to. Allie has grown soo much. Hope you enjoy!

Allies first (real/submerged) bath.

 She loves the water. She wants the water deep and up to her head.

Arms Up= Deep Sleep

Out and About

Hanging out with Gracie

A visit from my college bff- Ann. She came all the way from Georgia to meet Allie

My first Halloween.

Allie was a ladybug for Halloween. In her black onesie and tights I felt like she was a little bank robber. She liked her costume for MOST of the night, but toward the end she just wanted to be held without the tutu and wings.

Visiting Grandmama and Grandaddy

Stewart and his parents (Grandmama and Poppa)

4 Generations Strong

End of the day she just wanted to snooze on her Gran