Fail

Late afternoon cappuccino + nursing  = Sleeping through the night FAIL!

4 Month Letter

Dear Mungee,

You are four months old today.  Yesterday you had your 4 month checkup and a round of booster shots. 

Weight: 15 lb, 3 oz - 95th %ile

Height - 26 3/4" - off the charts (I think they measured you a little long though).

I am washing your 6 month clothes soon.  You wore the cute 3-6 month clothes for a few weeks.  You can still wear some of them, but I think we're kidding ourselves.

We got the all clear to start introducing you to solid foods soon, although your doctor said she would recommend waiting until you're 5 months old since I'm still nursing you.  You also have a few rashes right now that need to clear up before you start eating rice cereal so we can make sure you're not allergic to it.

Your doctor thinks the rash on your chest is contact dermatitis and we're to wash you with Aquaphor Baby and lather you with Eucerin Calming Cream and hydrocortisone (2x day for 3 days).  On your head, the culprit is suspected to be seborrheic dermatitis, so we're to continue treating that with lots of moisture, ie Vaseline, and make sure we comb your hair often to remove the flakes.  It's sad to see you rake your chest with your little fingers because you're itchy.  I hope we can make you more comfortable as soon as possible.

You are laughing pretty much every day now.  You're working on rolling from your back to your front (you can roll onto your side). 

You don't like tummy time much so we don't have any rolling from front to back.  Your doctor says we do need to encourage tummy time more because you've got a bit of a flat spot on the side of your head you favor.

You raise your arms straight up at a 90 degree angle to your body.  We like to say "Gimmie a hug" when you do that and pretend that you're hugging us.

You can take toys from us and bring them straight to your mouth.  Your most favorite toys are your grab apple and bunny lovey.  Pretty much anything in your hands goes into your mouth these days.  You grab our arms when we're changing your diaper and pull them to your mouth.   You do the same thing when I attempt to clip your nails.  You even suck on my cheek if it's close enough to your mouth when I'm holding you.  You've started to notice your feet, so I am sure they will be making their way into your mouth soon too.

We are especially proud of your trick on the changing table: when we are ready to put a new diaper on you, we say "New diaper!" and you bend your legs, put your feet together and lift up your butt.

You celebrated your first Hanukkah this month. You got an adorable pink Exersaucer and we can't wait until you're sturdy enough to play in it.

You are sleeping about 8 hours a night.  Sometimes we have setbacks when you decide to wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning, but after I nurse you, you will usually fall back to sleep.  You go to sleep anywhere between 10-11:30 pm and wake up around 6 or 7 am.  You're not napping in your crib yet.  Most naps occur when we're out shopping or if we're at home, you fall asleep on me sometimes, but if I try to put you down, you'll wake up.

You celebrated your first Thanksgiving at Aunt B and Uncle D's house.  We're so lucky to have all our immediate family in town to enjoy the holidays with.

You took your first trip to the Zoo in November.  We went with your friends Z, I, H and J and their parents. We think you enjoyed it.  You fell asleep a few times.  The sun was bright overhead and was getting in your eyes.  You saw the jaguar, some giant fish (relatives of the piranha), bats, flamingos, elephants, kangaroos, the Komodo Dragon, gorillas, spider monkeys, bonobos, giraffes and a few other creatures.

Our friend Jenhappy came over at the beginning of the month to take your 3 month pictures.  (You were actually closer to 4 months when we took them though).  You're so photogenic.

You have become quite vocal.  You "yell" at us and have "conversations".  You also like to grunt a lot when you're playing with your grab apple.  We think you get frustrated because you can't fit the whole thing in your mouth.

You just keep getting more and more fun everyday.  We know you're going to be all over the place soon and we better enjoy the time we have left before you start getting into everything! 

Does anyone have a number for a babyproofer ... ?

Thanksgiving 2009

This is a bit belated but I wanted to stop to take a moment to recall all the blessings I am thankful for this year.  I often forget to reflect on these things, instead focusing on the Thanksgiving meal, but I know that is not what it is all about.

I am thankful for:

-our precious Mungee, who is growing and changing before our eyes everyday

-the ability to breastfeed Mungee and not giving up when it was too painful

-being able to stay home to raise Mungee

-my strong immune system

-having our immediate family close by so they can share in watching Mungee accomplish exciting milestones

-the love our family and friends show for Mungee

-my midwives and the nurses and staff at the hospital who helped Mungee come into this world and made sure she was healthy and strong

-DH for many reasons:

*giving us a beautiful daughter who he loves more than anything

*working hard to support and provide for us while I stay home with Mungee

*putting up with my "occasional" mental and emotional breakdowns

*the love that he has for our daughter

*never balking at a diaper change

*his humor, imagination and creativity

-being a homeowner, regardless of the fact that our house is bursting at the seams

-coupons that help us save money

-another year with Grammy and Nanny & Grampa

-my brother and new sister-in-law who were married this year

-never going hungry or without basic needs being met

-recognizing that I need to learn to let go of the small things so I don't get overwhelmed

-the Gators' winning season

-the DVR

-finally getting into the habit of flossing (because of it, my dentist says my gums look the best they have in years!)

-the crockpot

-being only a couple inches from buttoning pre-pregnancy jeans

-Chonkers cat (Luna) and the short time we got to spend with The Liger

Tummy Time and Wobbling

If we keep practicing, I think she might roll over soon!

3 Month Letter

Dear Mungee,

Yesterday you were 3 months old!  I cannot believe that three months have gone by already.  You are growing and changing every day.  You smile at me and your Daddy all the time.  We have even experienced the joy of a few deep belly laughs.  I cannot wait for the time that you will be constantly laughing.

You have discovered your tongue and are always sticking it out - we are wiping up a lot of drool these days.  You love to put your hands and fingers in your mouth.  You comfort yourself by sucking your thumb.  Your hand doesn't always stay in your mouth at this point so you do get frustrated, but I think you will be able to self-soothe better soon.

You are starting to grasp onto things.  You grab a handful of my clothes or your clothes when you're nursing.  You can grab your teething apple and teething keys.  This early practice will come in handy.  The other day I think you grabbed Daddy's glasses off his head, but I am sure that was an accident.

The stripes on your toy bar on the bouncy seat and swing seem to fascinate you.  I've seen you grab the bar a few times.

You are tolerating tummy time more and hold up your head for longer periods of time.  You have not tried to roll over yet, but I am sure that you will soon.

You've discovered your voice and are cooing and talking to us a lot more.  We engage you during diaper changing time and sometimes I think you're going to leap off the table in excitement!

The first time you really laughed a hearty laugh, Daddy was threatening to "eat you".  We got this on video and watched it 25 times in a row (give or take).  Different things make you laugh.  Sometimes, some action that made you laugh consequently makes you cry.  Sometimes I sing a song and clap your hands together and say "YAY!" and it makes you laugh.  Sometimes Daddy flies you through the air.  The other day I leaned over you and said "Who's your mama?" and you squealed.  We just keep experimenting because the sound of your laughter is such a joy! 

When you smile, your whole face lights up and your eyes sparkle.  You have dimples on the corners of your mouth, over your lips and on your cheeks.

You are not quite teething, but you do have a small white spot on your gums, which appears to be your first tooth.  I bet it will start peeking through soon.

Your eyebrows are growing in and your face just keeps getting more beautiful.  I am still having trouble trimming your nails because you don't hold still for long - this results in you scratching your face a lot because you flail your arms around if you're just waking up or we set you down when you're not in a deep enough sleep.

You are pushing off with your legs when we burp you.  I wonder if you're going to be an early walker.  Your Daddy thinks you may skip crawling and go straight to walking.  I hope I am not chasing you around the house before I am ready.

You sleep about 8 hours a night - THANK YOU!  We put you down between 10-11 and you sleep until about 6:30.  I look forward to when you go to sleep earlier so I have some time to relax before going to bed myself.  Taking care of you requires a lot of energy.

Your favorite songs are:

ABCs

Doodie Everywhere

Doodie in Your Pants

Mommies Have Boobies

Who's A Pretty Girl?

Baby in the Mirror

Big Girl in a Big World

It's Okay - To take a little nap

You can lift your legs straight up in the air when you're laying on your back.  I wonder how long it will be before you can get your feet in your mouth.

I try to take you for a walk around the neighborhood every day.  Sometimes you are awake the whole time to take everything in and other times you fall asleep.  I've started wearing you in the Moby Wrap recently and you nap very well in it.  In fact, you are napping now as I type this - I wouldn't be able to do this otherwise, because I was previously holding you most of the time you napped.

You can sit in your Bumbo seat, but you don't like it for long periods of time.  I am sure you will like it better once your head is a little less bobbly.  I need to get you the play tray so we can trap you in it.  Then you can sit on the table while we eat dinner and feel like you're a part of things (Disclaimer: I know you're not SUPPOSED to use the Bumbo on an elevated surface ...)

You love to do "kick kicks" and "cha chas". During "cha cha" time I grab your legs and pump them up and down.  Then I say "Again?" and you kick your left leg a few times to let me know "Yes, again!"

You lift up your butt during changing time for your new diaper.  This lets Daddy and I know that you are brilliant.

Mungee, these three months have flown by quickly.  I am happy to be home with you and still nursing you exclusively.  It is so important to me and amazing to know that I keep you nourished from my own body.  I really did not know what to expect life would be like once you were here.  It has been challenging, but I am working on trying not to dwell on the little projects around the house that go unfinished and enjoy the time I have with you while you are small.  I'm sure I'll blink and you'll be off to college.

Love,

Mommy

Recent Pictures

3 Month Checkup

Weight: 13 lb, 15 oz. - 90th %ile - She is up 1 lb and 1 oz from her two month stats.  Still exclusively breastfed.
Height - 25 1/4" - 97th %ile
Head - 15 1/4" - 25th %ile


Mungee will be three months old tomorrow!

Look What I Can Do!

Ooo look, my thumb!


Wait, what do you want me to do?


Like this?


I think I get it ...


Fine, I will indulge you.

2 Month Checkup

Weight: 12 pounds, 14 oz. - she gained exactly two pounds in one month and she is still exclusively breastfed :)
Height: 24"
Head: 15" - 50th %ile

She also laughed yesterday ... not just a squeal, but a hearty, har har laugh!

Reaching a milestone ... literally

I am pretty sure that I just witnessed Mungee in her crib reaching for her Happy Seahorse. Her arms usually just flail about and accidentally hit whatever is in her path, but this looked more purposeful. I'm so proud!

2 Months Old!

Dear Mungee,

You turned two months old on Saturday, October 17, 2009. We marked your birthday with a visit to the pumpkin patch with your friends H and J and their mommy M. Daddy went to the Gator football game with the boys' daddy, B.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about these pumpkin things ... but my fingers are DELICIOUS!

Rawwrrr, I'm a pumpkin!

Mommy and Daddy cannot believe that you are already two months old! It seems like just yesterday that you were born. You are growing and changing every day. Your hair is getting longer and you've definitely outgrown all your newborn clothes. I just washed your three month sized outfits the other day. We think you are about to outgrow your size one diapers.

You smile all the time (as long as you are happy) and also when you have gas. You are cooing quite a lot. We love to repeat your coos back to you as you make them. You make a lot of funny noises. Our favorites are "Khaaa" and the "air lock".

We have lots of nicknames for you:
Mungelica Houston
Mungee
Dungee
Dungelica
Baby Monkey
Monkey Baby
Chonkers Baby
Teradactyl - because of your squawking noises
Mungadactyl

Whenever you poo, we don't change your diaper immediately. This is because you hoard your poo and we know there will be more to follow. I usually take you to the changing table and remove your clothes (because your diapers tend to leak) and we make faces at each other until I am pretty sure you are done and then I change you.

We love to make faces at each other. I am trying to teach you how to flare your nostrils and Daddy is trying to teach you how to touch your nose with your tongue. Sometimes you look at us with a raised eyebrow or two like "How do you expect me to do THOSE tricks?"

Your latest look is to stick out your bottom lip and pout. It is the most adorable thing ever. I cannot wait to capture this look on film. You've also developed a new cry recently ... it is sort of a whimper. You sound so sad when you cry like that.

You have recently discovered how to bring your hand to your mouth to suck on it. You tend to do this most with your left hand but you will settle for your right if it's closer.

I try to do a few sessions of tummy time with you every day. We only do a few minutes at a time because you get frustrated. You are going to do a push up soon, I just know it! I try to get a video of you during almost every tummy time session in hopes that I will capture your first real push up.

I am sill nursing and you also get bottles of pumped milk when we are out and about or when Mommy is too tired to nurse or needs to leave the house for a bit. You eat and nap on your own schedule, but we are trying to be consistent with your bedtime. You go to sleep between 10:30 and 12 and have been sleeping for about 7 to 7.5 hours. PLEASE continue this trend! We had to stop swaddling you because you would wriggle around in your crib like an inchworm. We put you down horizontally and in the morning we would go to get you and you would be vertical. After the third morning in a row of finding you like that, we decided you would sleep in your sleepsack from now on.

We are certainly looking forward to all the milestones you're sure to accomplish in your third month! Try not to grow up too fast!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Mungee's Birth Story

I had been bleeding and crampy the week after my midwife B stripped my membranes on August 7, but had not had any real contractions that I was aware of. On August 12, I thought my water may have broken but I did not call the midwives since I had an appt scheduled for August 14. On August 13, I talked to my best friend D and upon her encouragement, I called the midwives and G was able to see me around 4:30 p.m. She did a few tests and it turns out that my water had not broken. She told me not to wait so long to call if I truly thought my water broke and we scheduled a NST/BPP for that Monday, August 17. At this point, I was only 2 days overdue, but G didn't want me to go too long past my due date.

Sunday, August 16, we went to Ruby Tuesday's for lunch with my father-in-law B and then walked around the mall. I was having mild “lightning crotch” pains from time to time, and had to do my best to mask those so B wouldn't suspect anything and get too excited. That evening, I watched “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. I think I was having contractions at that point, but they were so sporadic that I was not really timing them. The contractions started getting closer together and around 11:15-11:30 p.m., DH said we needed to page B. The contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart. I was hesitant to even call because I felt bad about possibly waking her up. I talked to B and said the contractions were not unbearable and that we would stay home a while (since I wanted to labor at home and have a natural birth experience).

Around 12:30 or 12:45 a.m., when the contractions were coming about every minute, we decided to head to the hospital. We got to the ER to check in and they asked if I wanted a wheelchair to go to L&D but I said I could walk. The girl who walked us up asked if I was going to get an epidural and I said no. She said I was brave and I said “mind over matter”.

We got to the antepartum room and I had to change into a hospital gown and give a urine sample. I was then hooked up to monitors to measure contractions and  Mungee's heart rate. The nurse checked me at 1:15 a.m., I was 2 cm and 50% effaced. The nurse asked my pain level on a scale of 1-10, 1 being no pain, 10 being like she broke my femur bone. I rated my pain level around 2-3. The nurse said she would agree with me based on the look on my face. The goal was to keep me for an hour to see if I had made any progress (progress was considered 1 cm an hour). By 2:15 a.m., I was only 2-3 centimeters and 70% effaced. That was not considered progress. We decided to go home so I could labor in a more comfortable environment.

DH took a nap on the couch and I tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable as the contractions got progressively more painful. I labored as long as I could bear it before waking  up DH around 5:45 a.m., begging him to take me back to the hospital. We got back to the ER and this time I opted for a wheelchair to make the trip to L&D. I was set up in Curtain 1. It was quite a while before anyone came in to check me. The nurse on duty did not want to check me because they were on a shift change and said that cervical checks were very subjective. I was checked at 7:15 a.m., and was still only 3 cm, but 90% effaced and Mungee was at 0 station. I was not allowed to eat or drink, only “snack” on ice chips. The nurses had called the midwive's office and G was on call, so I assumed she would be the one to deliver  Mungee, even though I really wanted B to be there. G came in to check me at some point between 8-10 a.m., though I am not sure what time. She said she thought I was in early labor and talked to me about breaking my water. I said I did not want to and she was very matter-of-fact and said that Mungee was overdue and at some point we needed to take whatever measures necessary to get her out. I was told that we should stay for two hours and it would be a good idea to walk the halls to try and help things progress. I was not set up in my own room yet.

DH and I walked the halls and I was doubled over with pain what felt like every 30 seconds to a minute. The contractions would begin in my back and wrap around to the front. It felt like someone was trying to saw me in half. I had been practicing Hypnobabies for weeks, but I seemed to forget everything I had practiced to manage the pain. I talked to my best friend and she was trying to remind me of the Hypnobabies techniques, but I just could not concentrate. Every time I tried to breathe through a contraction I made a noise like an owl: Whooooo!

At some point I stopped DH in the hall and said I could just not do it anymore and I needed to get an epidural. He just stared at me. I was waiting for him to say it was okay, that I tried to make it through with a natural birth but there was nothing wrong with getting the epidural. I think he was scared to say anything because he wasn't sure if that was what I really wanted or if I was just saying it in the moment. I wasn't sure that was what I really wanted either, but at that point, it was what I felt I needed.

We went back to the antepartum room and no one was in there. I asked DH to go look for someone to help me and then I was by myself in the bed, trying to rock back and forth on my hands and knees to get through the pain. I am quite sure I was moaning and “Whooing” like an owl. There were two surgical nurses going back and forth, I suppose they were cleaning the room and restocking supplies. It felt weird with them being in there, me writhing in pain, and them just going about their business. I don't know what prompted it, but finally, one of the nurses asked if she could help me (perhaps I said “Help me!”) Eventually  DH and a few other nurses came back in and I was offered Stadol. This was to take off the edge ... I was told it would be like I was drunk and that this drug did cross the placenta. They asked if I wanted a shot in my hip or to wait to get an IV. I asked how long the IV would take and they said at least 15 minutes. I guess I said “Just give me the shot”. They jabbed the needle in my hip and I suppose it worked pretty quickly because everything kind of became a blur. This was about 10:30 a.m. They said they were going to take me to a room and asked if I could get up (I guess to get in the wheelchair). I said no, so they wheeled the entire bed down a very long hall (it didn't seem that long when I was walking it) to my room. Then they asked if I could get out of that bed to get in the hospital bed – Nope. They had to slide a sheet under me and drag me from the antepartum bed to the hospital bed.

The Stadol took off the edge between the contractions but I could still feel the painful intensity of the contractions. I asked DH to read me my Hypnobabies mini-script. Just as I was about to come out of hypnosis, I felt a pop and a gush and thought my water had broken. I paged the nurse and she checked me, but my water had not broken.

I continued to wait for the epidural and was told the anesthesiologist had to do a C-section at 11 a.m. (or was it 12 p.m.?) In any case, I thought he would come in before he had to do the C-section, but he came in after. So I was stuck waiting for a while. He came in at 12:40 p.m. I had to sit up in the bed with my legs dangling off on the side. DH was set up in a chair in front of me. I was supposed to concentrate on him. I think they had me prop my legs up in the chair. They gave me a pillow to curl over like a cat. And then I had to stay perfectly still (even through contractions). The anesthesiologist had a hard time getting the needle in – he said I had a narrow dural space. He had numbed me up and tried to get in and was not successful and said he would have to start over in another spot. The pain from the numbing needles was bad enough! He started over and then I heard him say “Ugh ... bone”. I had to curl over even more and luckily he was able to get the needle where it needed to go. DH says I screamed at some point during this procedure but I don't remember.

It took a little while for the epidural to kick in and when it did, there was a hot spot where it did not take and I could still feel the contractions. Eventually, I was propped up on my left side, so the medicine could make its way down my right side and it took. During this time, G came in and broke my water. I was still only 4 cm at this point, 100% effaced and +1 station. G wanted to start Pitocin since I was not progressing at the preferred rate.

Around 3 p.m., my nurse rushed in and quickly rolled me over to my left side. She said the baby's heartrate had dropped and had me put on an oxygen mask. I was still only 4 cm. I was dozing on and off, trying to rest. I remember that the oxygen mask would keep slipping off me. My parents and DH's dad had been in the waiting room for several hours at this point. They would come in my room from time to time, but I really didn't want anyone there – I just wanted to rest. DH was in the hall with them running interference, but I would have liked it if he was in the room with me.

At 5:45 p.m., my nurse came in to drain my bladder (with a catheter) and then checked me. I was now at 7-8 centimeters! She said she had a hard time even finding the edge of my cervix. She thought that once I was fully dilated the baby would come right out.

Around 6-6:15 p.m., B came in and I was so excited to see her because I thought G was on call and would be the one to deliver Mungee. When she came in, she was wearing Blues Clues scrubs. She said she was babysitting her 3-year-old grandson and when she was getting ready to leave her house he asked where she was going and she said “To deliver a baby”. He said “For me?!”

B checked me and she said “Are you ready to have a baby?” The next thing I know, they are pulling off the end of the bed and bringing around the attached stirrups. The bed was like a Transformers car. They got my legs up and had to watch the monitor for my contractions since I could not feel them. With every contraction they would tell me to take a deep breath and hold it in and push for 10 seconds. I am sure we did about 12-15 sets like this with 3 rounds of pushing each time. The last few sets, we did 4 rounds of pushing. At one point, B said to reach down and feel Mungee's head (I would not recommend doing this for the easily squeamish!) Mungee was not coming out and B said it would be best to get the vacuum extractor because her head seemed to be sideways (instead of facing down). I said that it was okay and I remember seeing the nurse with the extractor break the suction, pop off and take a few steps back. I guess the extractor is pretty powerful. The next moments were pretty surreal and I don't even remember, but soon after, Mungee was placed on my chest. She was born at 6:56 p.m., 8 pounds, 21 inches long. DH cut her umbilical cord. I heard B and the nurses say a few times “She pooped, I stepped in it!” Very embarrassed, I said “I did?” And they laughed and said no, that the baby had pooped.

Her cord was short (33 cm, vs the average 55 cm) and it was compressed in her left elbow. Since she was trying to come out sideways, her elbow caught me as she was emerging and caused a 2^nd degree tear. B asked me if I wanted to see my placenta, which I ever so graciously declined (I'm sure “Hell no” is what was going through my mind).

Our nurse M, who was with us throughout the day and stayed through delivery (even though she was about to be off shift), asked us the baby's name. We whispered it to her. She was the first “outsider” to know Mungee's name.

After some time, my parents came in along with DH's dad and met Mungee. She is the first grandchild for all of them and was named after DH's late mother, so it was a beautiful and bittersweet moment for everyone when we announced her name, especially DH's dad.

Unfortunately Mungee had a hard time making the transition into the outside world, so we didn't get to spend much time bonding with her before it was suggested that she go to the NICU for observation. She wasn't very responsive after being born (grunting rather than crying) and had some fluid in her lungs. They took her to observe, then brought her back to me later that night to nurse, then took her back to the nursery where she had some blue spells and her oxygen stats were dropping so at that point she went back to the NICU for the rest of our stay. Her white blood cell count was high, so they did preventative antibiotics. Luckily her blood cultures came back negative for infections. It was all such a blur those first few days, I honestly am not sure I have all the details correct. I was discharged on Wednesday, but instead of going home, we checked into the hotel right next to the hospital. On Thursday, we went back to the NICU to visit for her feedings and so I could try and nurse again. We were told that she would get to come home that day! We brought her home around 5 p.m. - time has flown by since then and here I am, 7 weeks and 3 days later trying to recall her birthday!

I went into Mungee's birthday with the intention of having a med-free birth, but never having given birth before, I had no idea what to expect. I wonder if I could have gotten through it without the medications, but that's something I'll never know, so I try not to dwell on it. Getting the epidural helped me to relax and rest, which I'm sure was beneficial when it came time to push and deliver her.

Professional Photos

Photos by Jenhappy

Growing Up

Over the last week, Mungee has been smiling and cooing a lot more. She's even cooing, making eye contact and smiling at me when she nurses. I have a feeling she's going to be asking for the car keys soon ...

One Month Checkup

One month old? Nooooooooooo!

Pretty worn out after her doctor's appt and visit to the hospital to have her heel prick test redone :(





One month checkup (9/18/09) and first vaccine (Hep B #1, as we chose not to do this at the hospital)

Stats:
One month old
10 pounds, 14 ounces (97th %ile)
23 1/4 inches (95th %ile) - I think the length measurements are a bit off because the pen they use to mark the paper is about a 1/4" thick!
Head: 14 1/2 inches (50th %ile)

First Tub Bath

Finally, I'm clean!

Pictures

Giving you the side eye ...


Put some clothes on me already!


First tub bath


Tummy time


What do you mean my bottle is not ready?