My Daughter has Poochie Lip Disease

It's amazing what a shower, a baby in bed, and a glass of wine in hand can do! Feeling refreshed and excited to be tapping away at this keyboard. I've struggled to make blogging a priority these past several months. I do enjoy and miss it, I really do. One would THINK being a stay at home mom means oodles and oodles of free time. Well, at least that's what the naive, pre-motherhood me thought. ANYWAY, I figured it's about time for an update. Veteran blogger, mommy, and sister in law will occasionally harass remind me that it's good to "write" this stuff down so I can remember the little details. I couldn't agree more.

And just like that nine months are behind me.

What better way to dive back into blogging than to talk about this little girl who has stolen my time, energy and heart? Below are pictures of Sydney months one through nine. It's fun to look back, is it not? She's changed so much! She looks more and more like her father with each passing month.

 

So, here's the latest on the Sydney Hope Chronicles....

Growth since birth: Gained 12 pounds and grew 9 inches. She currently weighs 17 lbs 4 oz and has climbed from 10th percentile to 45th in weight! Proud mama moment!

 I'm so glad I saved a premie size diaper. Sniff.

Teeth: Four! Two lower and two upper.

Eating: She nurses about 4-5 times a day. She's been eating solids since 6 months old, and I have  slowly been phasing out the baby purees. She especially loves chicken, cheese, waffles, avocados, and yogurt. In fact, I can't think of too much that she's turned her nose up to, other than the occasional green veggie. Which, who can blame her?

On the move: Rolls from tummy to back, and back to tummy like a champ. Not crawling yet, but she recently lunged forward towards a toy while in the sitting position and she WAS on all fours, for like a second, before she rolled to her back. I believe she is "creeping" now, as in she no longer stays on the blanket, which means I need to get to shampooing the carpets pronto. Because, dog. The pediatrician said some babies just do not crawl and skip right to walking! Regardless, I see progress each week. So, I'm not one bit concerned. I often fail to consider she's a premie, because just looking at her one would think she is not. So really, she would only be coming up on her 8 month birthday if she was born full term. In addition to creeping and rolling, Sydney can easily support herself standing, if she's holding onto something. I am savoring these fleeting days of a practically non-mobile child. Because, yikes!

Sleeping: Takes about an hour morning nap and a 1-2 hour afternoon nap. Goes to bed at 8:00 and sleeps until about 7:30 or so. She has been a wonderful sleeper, and has slept through the night (8+ hours) since she was eight weeks old. Don't hate me! I followed the Baby Wise "eat, wake, sleep" schedule, recommended by several mommy friends. I will never know for sure if it's because I followed the principles of this book, or if it's because she is naturally a good sleeper. BUT, I do know that if there is a next child, I plan to follow the same routine.

Saying- Lots of goo-goo-ga-ga's these days. I hear an occasional "ma" and "da", not that she knows what that means yet. But, it's still mostly squawking and other such banter like "heeeey!" and "ahhh!" when she's really excited.

Personality: Dare I say, introverted? She is happy, chatty and playful when she's at home with mommy and daddy. Nana and poppop are included in this innermost circle. Otherwise, there is crying and gnashing of teeth. They tell me this is a phase. She's had "stranger danger" since like, three months old?! Have I sheltered her too much? Is this the result of being cooped up all winter with her ever doting, neurotic mother (who, me?). OR, is she just shy and reserved around people and places she's not used to? Is it possible she is an introvert like her daddy, preferring smaller groups of those she loves most? The girl cries at the drop of a hat when not in mommy, daddy, nana, or poppop's arms. Heck, even if said intruder is infringing upon her personal space and I'm HOLDING her, the poochie lip may or may not make it's dramatic appearance. Among close family and friends, she has become known for her infamous Queen Elizabeth glare. If looks could kill.

  

And, my poor grandmother...I promise, she loves you! As the old saying goes, it is what it is. Come on Sydney, grow some thick skin already.

On second thought, she can be a mama's girl for as long as her little heart desires.

Completion of nine month hiatus. Check.

Holly xoxo

Sydney at two weeks

Today's doctor appointment went very well! Sydney gained 10 ounces since last Mondays appointment! She is now well past her birth weight at 5 lbs 12 oz. This makes mommy very happy! She is nursing very well and since she's gained so much weight we no longer have to pump and supplement with a bottle. We also can extend night feedings to every four hours instead of three. :) Score! Hopefully more sleep for this mama. Her jaundice continues to improve. It's such a relief that she is doing so well. All that hard work and feeding her constantly has paid off! She is even growing out of her preemie outfits. Sydney has also discovered her thumb, although I think at this point it's accidental and she doesn't quite have the thumb sucking thing down. Time will tell.

I can't believe how much progress she's made in two short weeks. These tiny humans are amazing! She definitely still loves to sleep the majority of the time, unless she is feeding - although sometimes I struggle to keep her awake even then! I've also noticed she's more active at night so I'm going to try to keep her awake during the day more, which should be easier now that I don't have to nap as much either. 

She makes the funniest facial expressions! It's so fun to watch her little lips pucker or her forehead wrinkle up. She just melts our hearts. 

Holly xoxo

Lately: at 34 weeks

The windows are open. Cool breeze is flowing through the house along with the sound of birds singing. It's hard to believe it's the end of July! Not just because it feels like the dry mountain air of Montana, but because there's still no baby! I thought for sure I would have a July baby {I know, knock on wood there's still three days left}. In fact, looking back at my time spent in the hospital it was looking like we would be having a June baby!

I am just feeling so thankful today. It's probably the weather. I mean really, I was sitting outside on the deck this morning and I was cold. It felt so lovely though. It has left me longing for the smell of camp fires and the taste of all things apple and cinnamon.

Another reason to be thankful...

 

We've reached a huge milestone: we are into our 34th week of pregnancy! Not much else is new around here. Steve is almost finished making a bookcase for the nursery. And then, the nursery will be complete! Sans baby of course. :) Pictures to come, soon.

Surprisingly, the weeks have gone by fairly quickly. But, by the time Friday rolls around, I am itching to have some human interaction and appreciate having Steve around the house. Most days I start off watching the Today Show while eating my cereal and drinking coffee. Then follows in no particular order...reading, watching TV or a movie, floating in the pool and day dreaming about Sydney's arrival until Steve gets home. I will admit it's very relaxing and I'm trying hard to appreciate this down time without being jealous of the scores of people heading to the beach or mountains for long weekends and doing other normal summer activities. I keep telling myself there will be a time for that again soon enough. But, oh, am I itching bad with the travel bug! It is what it is.

In other news, I've been craving watermelon, cantelope, lemon yogurt, soft serve ice cream, and cereal. Can't get enough of the previously mentioned. I thought that was worth noting.

Sleeping has become a joke. If I can sleep three hours straight at a time I deem the night a success. My poor bladder. She can only handle so much. I consider this a good thing, though. My body is getting ready for baby's arrival! Soon I'll be needing to get up every couple of hours to feed her anyway.

Tomorrow I have my weekly doctor appointment. We shall see where things stand, but I have noticed these darn braxton hicks contractions seem to be getting a tad more uncomfortable and intense lately. Does this mean labor and delivery are right around the corner? That seems to be the question of my summer.

Oh! And I forgot to mention that last Wednesday we had a growth scan ultrasound, and Sydney is continuing to grow steady in the 14th percentile and weighed in at approximately 4 lbs 4 oz! We will have one more growth scan at 36 weeks.

We are just so excited to meet her and hold her! We are still in awe at this miracle growing inside of me.

Holly xoxo

An update: 29 weeks

We made it to 29 weeks! Every morning, one of the first things I do is thank God for another day that Sydney could stay growing inside of me. Each day is a gift!

There's not much new happening around here, and for that I'm thankful! Yesterday I had my weekly ultrasound and NST{non stress test}. Cervical length is remaining stable, which is great news! The NST is still showing mild contractions, but since they are sporadic and not increasing in intensity there is nothing to worry about at this point. I was reminded to keep resting and stay hydrated! :) They also took measurements of Sydney and she is currently in the 11th percentile for size. This makes me a tad anxious, but the doctor said they normally don't start to worry until she falls below the 10th percentile...very reassuring Doc. ;) At this point he said she's "petite" but looks perfect! The ultrasound tech also spent several minutes focusing on her heart...she must have sensed that I was starting to freak out. The reason she was spending so much time looking at her heart was because she was admiring at how beautiful and perfect it was! I smiled proudly as I let out a big sigh of relief. Every time I hear the pitter-patter of my little one's heart, I can't help but hold back tears. My heart feels so full.

I would ask if you could please be praying that I would not obsessively worry about her size, and that she would continue to grow strong. Like I said, the doctor did not seemed too concerned, and just mentioned something about more monitoring and tests if she does fall below the 10th percentile. Another way you can pray for me specifically is getting more restful sleep at night. This is when I tend to worry and my mind goes a mile a minute, so sleep has not come as easily or soundly as I would like. I know rest is important for both me and baby!

via pinterest

Here is a sneak peak from my baby shower this past weekend. I plan to write more about this later, but I will say it was lovely and that I could not have asked for a more beautiful shower or more beautiful and thoughtful women in my life. Blessed blessed blessed!

So far I am not going too crazy at home. I appreciate the meals, cards, and visit so much! Netflix, social media and reading has kept me occupied during the day. And believe it or not, as annoying as he can be, it's nice to have Jake around to keep me company.

I want to give a special shout out to Steve...who knew you could clean so well?! It has been so nice not worrying about the cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry and the list goes on. I know you are going to be such a good daddy! You take such great care of Sydney already. Besides, it's about time you learn how to clean the toilet. ;) 

Holly xoxo

Outies and Hiccups

I figured it was about time to give my future self a little update on what's going on currently. 

First things first. 

Honey, we need a new computer! I know we can't afford one right now, but it's slow and the text cursor continues to freeze which is especially annoying when you're trying to quickly write out a blog post, because, ain't nobody got time for that! {gets me. every. time.} 

While we're on the honey-please-do-list, I'm thinking the tree branches next to the kitchen window need to be trimmed because when the wind blows it scrapes the shiz out of the screen and makes an awful sound. Not to mention the noise always freaks me out, plus it can't be good for said screen. Am I right? Wow, really rambling here, sorry.

Moving on. Let's start with the title. I'm pretty sure I have/am going to have an outie belly button for the duration of this pregnancy. And no, I don't have any pictures to show you. Gross. Now that we've got that useless piece of information out of the way, onto the latter and more exciting part of the title. Hiccups! Baby girl had a bad case of the hiccups today. One of the weirdest feelings ever! I can best describe it as a gentle  rhythmic pulse...not fast enough for a heart beat, almost like a muscle spasm. It was pretty flipping cool. Made my day. Like is this really happening?! Sometimes, scratch that, often times, I think my heart will burst with love and bewilderment at what's going on inside of my body. I will admit I felt pretty sorry for the little one...hiccups aren't exactly fun times. Thankfully they only lasted about five minutes.

He has no idea what's about to happen to his perfect little world in just a few short months. Maniacal Laugh.

So I staged his paw on my belly to take a cute picture...so what? #mammothpaw

About a month ago my mom and I fought hard to win these AMAZING homemade bread and butter pickles at the Relay for Life Auction at my work. Apparently it's common knowledge among most people that you don't come between a pregnant girl and pickles.

And wow...my belly has grown A LOT since then. I'll blame it on those pickles. ;)

Jake's summer cut. Take note, he thinks hes' a lap dog.

Lilacs lilacs lilacs. If only they could bloom all summer long. I imagine this is what heaven smells like.

I'll end this post with a look at 26 week old Sydney in utero. The horizontal stripes just really compliment the bump, wouldn't you say?

And don't be alarmed. There is much more going on in my life than what was mentioned today. Like reading baby books, setting up the nursery, landscaping, impromptu road trips to Michigan, picking ticks off your dog etc. You know, just your normal run of the mill every day stuff.

Well, I'm about to throw this computer out the window. Ah ha! solution to the problem. Broken laptop means new laptop...hmm.

Until next time.

Holly xoxo