Getting Settled In

Now that I finally have a few minutes without having to clean, pack, unpack, feed a baby, feed myself, feed my dog, etc... I figured I would update the blog.  We are officially moved into the beautiful new house in Brandermill, right on hole 4 of the golfcourse.  Words really can't describe how happy we are at the new home.  Waylon has adjusted quickly and is even going to the bathroom outside without a leash (our other house had a fenced backyard).  Ever since we put an offer on the house I have pictured Waylon running like a bat out of hell towards the golfcourse to bite some poor golfer.  He knows how good he has it here and I don't think he plans on making a break for it anytime soon.  We still have a list a mile long of things we want to do to the house (paint, new furniture, organizing, etc), but we are in no hurry.  I am going to view this house as a lifelong project, because I meant it when I said that I am NEVER moving again!!!

It seems like Morgan has grown and developed by leaps and bounds over the past few weeks.  Once we got moved in, she immediately started grabbing her feet and bringing them to her mouth, along with every other thing she can get her little paws on (including my hair!).  A few days later during tummy time, I noticed she was a lot more content with being on her tummy, which is major progress.  That same day she began doing little baby "push-ups" and by the time Brad got home from work she was ROLLING OVER!  YAY MORGAN!  We were so proud of her.  Other major news in Morgan's life...she is now sleeping in her crib!  I decided that enough was enough, and it was time to take the plunge.  I realized that I was keeping her in the Rock N Play for selfish reasons and she soon would be way too big for it anyways.  She has slept in the crib every night since July 7th.  Of course I have to go back and forth to soothe her and get her to sleep on occasion, but for the most part I lay her down and she is out like a light.  Unfortunately, she is waking up more frequently (about 3 times a night), but I have gotten pretty good at being a Zombie Mommy and I am able to feed her, burp her, change her, and go back to sleep without feeling too sleep deprived in the morning.  A few days ago I gave her rice cereal for the first time, in hopes that it would fill her up before bed and allow her to sleep longer.  She loved the cereal, but no such luck on the sleeping.  I may postpone the cereal a few more weeks since she is still breastfed, which is going great by the way.  I am so glad I made it past the difficult part because now it is so much easier.  I cannot imagine having to come downstairs and make a bottle at 3am, SCREW THAT!  Not to mention the hundreds of dollars I have saved on formula.  I encourage any new mom who is having a hard time with breastfeeding to just take things day by day, and DO NOT BUY formula.  If all you have is Momma's milk, then you are less likely to give up.

Well I apologize for the lengthy post and promise to do better with keeping it up.  Maybe I will even get motivated enough to blog about some house projects.  Warning: I am in no way crafty or creative, so keep your Pintrest accounts. 

Toodles!

PS This post's photos are a few of my favorites from my iPhone from the last few weeks.  Enjoy!

SCHOOOOOOOOLS OUT FOR SUMMA!

Despite the fact that I was only back at work for 12 days, I am still very excited that school is out and summer is here!  Obviously, I am thrilled to be at home with Morgan to watch her giggle, grow, and get prettier by the second (didn't think it was possible but she does get prettier everyday).  But I guess there is also that kid inside of me that can't help but love summer vacation, snow days, or any other event that allows the teachers and kiddos to have a break.

It was a moment that I had dreaded before Morgan was even born.  I knew that with her due date being in early March that I would have to go back to work for at least a few days unless she was born 2 weeks late (no thanks).  So May 31 was my first day back and I have to admit it wasn't as horrible as I pictured.  Yes there were tears, and yes my heart ached the entire way to work.  But honestly once I got there, the hugs from all the kids and the friendly faces of my coworkers made it much easier.  Within a couple of hours I felt like I hadn't missed a beat.  Of course, I couldn't get home quick enough in the afternoons and soaked up as much cuddle time as I could for the rest of the evening.  The hardest part (other than leaving Morgan, of course), was the balancing act of keeping up the house, being super organized with bottles and pumping, and running errands.  I am so grateful that I have a very  helpful husband, who will do just about anything I ask of him.  And I also have a happy, sleepy, healthy baby who is now sleeping about 6-7 hours at night.  Being well rested makes everything easier.

When deciding to post today I actually had to think about how many weeks Morgan is now.  When I figured up 16, I thought, CAN THAT BE RIGHT?  How is she 16 weeks already??  I knew the big 4 month mark was coming up but for some reason 16 weeks sounds insane.  She is doing great though, and everyday she seems to learn something new.  She loves grabbing things and bringing them to her mouth.  She has officially started giggling (cutest. thing. ever.) and is a very smiley girl.  I had guessed going back to work would result in bringing home some yucky kiddo germs, and I was right.  Morgan is a tough cookie though, and is getting over her first cold.  She just had some sniffles and a little coughing, but she never seemed to be upset over it.  What an angel!  I am still waiting for the all-important "rolling over" milestone, which technically doesn't need to be reached until about 5 months.  She has rolled over a couple of times, but not consistantly, so I am not really counting it.  She HATES tummy time, which doesn't help.  It's so hard to sit there and watch her cry, but I try to get in a few minutes so that she can build up those neck muscles.  Whenever I get stressed about Morgan's milestones, my mom reminds me that I didn't sit on my own until I was 8 months old and I didn't walk until 14 months (both well behind the curve).  My rents even put me in Junior Kindergarten due to my "delays."  Thanks, Mom!  Haha.

In my last post I mentioned that Brad and I had been house hunting and would possibly be moving this summer.  Well, it's official!  We accepted the sellers' counter offer and will be closing on July 6th.  After an exhausting search, we finally decided on a beautiful home in Brandermill.  The house has everything on our "wish list."  We made a small compromise on the yard.  It isn't fenced and is a tad smaller than what we were looking for, but we decided it was something we could definitely live with and being right on the golf course with a water view doesn't hurt either.  Because the market SUCKS to sell a house, we will be renting out our current home.  We are excited about being landlords and hope that it will be a smart investment, although at times the risks associated with renting makes me want to puke.  I have been doing A LOT of praying and am trusting that all of this chaos will be worth it in the end.

Speaking of my gut-wrenching anxiety, how about a Weight Watchers update?  Well, I have to admit I have been off the program since I last posted.  The stress of moving and going back to work was totally overwhelming, so I decided to take a WW break and see what happened.  I honestly had gone weeks without weighing, so when I stepped on the scale yesterday I was a nervous wreck.  Fortunately, I have managed to maintain my 12 pound weight loss.  Yay!  That is all I can ask for.  Maybe once we get moved and settled in, I can start utilizing those amazing walking trails in Brandermill and burn off a few more pounds.  If not, no big deal.  I have accomplished a lot and overall I feel good about where I am.

Now time to feed my growing machine...until next time!

12 Weeks: Happy baby, sick dog, and new house?

I had no idea that it has been 4 weeks since I last posted.  Time really has slipped away from me.  Morgan will be 12 weeks old tomorrow and continues to be a little growing and learning machine.  She laughs, coos, holds her head up, plays with her hands, loves to kick her feet, and is now getting used to her Bumbo seat.  She still enjoys swinging and will now take naps in her crib (Yay!).  She is sleeping great at night; on average about 6 hours.  She also takes a couple of naps during the day.  Her Rock N Play sleeper is still her napping/sleeping location of choice.  Hopefully she will become more comfortable in her crib before she gets too big for the Rock N Play.  At her 2 month doctors appointment, which was now about 4 weeks ago, she weighed 11 lbs 15 ounces.  Morgan is in the 75th percentile for height and weight, and 50th percentile for her head size.  We are still breastfeeding and it is going well.  Morgan spits up quite a bit and seems to have reflux issues, so we recently started her on some medication to help with that.  I never understood why some mothers kept a bib on their babies at all times.  Now I get it.  This child drools, spits, burps, and vomits ALL the time.  Good thing I have a supply of about 20 bibs.  Now I know why new moms complain about laundry.  I go through a few shirts a day because despite all of the bibs and burp cloths, my shirt seems to be the best place to puke.  I call it my "Mommy Perfume" and even though at times it stresses me out to have to change my clothes constantly, I wouldn't have it any other way!  I am LOVING being a Mommy and finally feel like I have settled in to being at home; of course just in time for me to go back to work.  I have about a week and a half before I return and I am extremely nervous about it.  I haven't given work much thought since I have been out, and I really want to go back and finish out the school year strong for the kids.  I just hope that I have the strength and patience to do my job well.  My mom is going to be taking care of Morgan 2 of the days, and one of my best friend's mom will be watching her the other 10, so I know she will be in great hands. 

On top of adjusting to life with a beautiful baby girl, Brad and I have had some other recent developments at the Hooper household.  Poor Waylon has been very sick and we have been so worried about him.  We took him to the emergency vet back in April and he had a terrible infection (still don't know what caused it).  He was having bloody stools (sorry if that's too graphic) and had a really high fever.  It took several days, but he finally got over it.  Last Friday, I noticed he was licking his rear end (not overly unusual), and was walking funny.  Upon closer inspection, I discovered he had a huge cyst-like sore spot on his bum.  He was also burning up and not acting himself.  Fortunately my best friend Amy was over and she helped me take him to the vet.  Sure enough he had a fever and the vet said that one of his anal glands had become infected and turned into an abscess (gross!).  They had to completely sedate him, drain it, and load him up on pain meds and antibiotics.  He seems to be doing a lot better, but still not 100% himself.  Needless to say this past month has been extremely stressful (AND EXPENSIVE) as pet owners. 

Also adding to the stress, Brad and I are currently looking at moving into a new home.  We made our first offer on a house yesterday and now we are just waiting to hear back from our agent with the counter offer.  It's true what they say.  Buying a house is one of the most stressful life events.  We also need to sell our home or rent it out, which has made me a complete cleanaholic (as if I wasn't one already).  Our house isn't on the market yet but our agent is hopeful that we will get a lot of activity.  Fingers crossed!

Weight Watchers update:  Down 11 lbs since the start and 33 since having Morgan!  I have become slightly less strict with my points, but I am still managing to lose a little every week.  I have done WW many times in the past,, and each time it has consumed my life.  This time I don't have that choice since I have so many other things going on, and it's really nice not to be stressing over the scale at every meal.  In fact, I only weigh myself once a week, and I only remember to do that because my WW app tells me it's weigh-in day.  I still have about 5 pounds to lose to reach my WW goal, and 10 to reach my personal goal.  But if it takes 6 more months to get there I am okay with that. 

Maybe the next time I post I will have some exciting house hunting news.  Prayers and happy thoughts are welcome!  Thanks again to all my wonderful family and friends for their constant outpour of love and support.  Morgan and I are still receiving gifts and acts of kindness from people and it warms my heart to know that so many people love us.  We are so very blessed!

8 weeks old!

My sweet Morgan is 8 weeks old and will be 2 months old on Saturday.  It is hard to believe that much time has gone by since she was born.  She amazes me with how much she changes and all of the new things she is able to do.  She is full of smiles now, and each one melts my heart!  She still sleeps a better portion of the day, but when she is awake, she is very alert and loves to check out her surroundings.  She absolutely LOVES her Daddy.  She lights up when he gets home from work.  Tummy time is usually a challenge.  She hates being on her stomach and usually fusses most of the time.  One time she got so mad she flipped herself over.  I know it was an accident, but I am still counting it!  Her favorite thing to do (other than someone holding her of course) is to swing.  She will stare at the little owls hanging down from it and just crack up laughing.  It is so adorable!  People ask me all the time if she is sleeping through the night.  Well, the answer is unfortunately NO.  I will not complain though, because she does sleep really well at night between feedings.  She will eat around 9 or 10, then get up around 3 or 4 and again at 6 or 7.  I have adjusted well to this schedule so I don't feel nearly as sleep deprived as I did a few weeks ago. 

Since my last post Morgan has had her first Easter and attended her first wedding.  She also got to meet my good friend Lauren and her adorable son, Connor.  I wish they lived closer.  Texas is TOO FAR AWAY.  She was an absolute ANGEL at Sam and Lauren's wedding.  She slept through all of the loud music, dancing, and being passed around like a little football.  I was so proud showing her off.  Sometimes I can't even believe she is mine!

Breastfeeding is going great.  It is so much easier than it was in the beginning.  It was a little tricky having to pump during all of the wedding festivities this weekend, but I managed.  Morgan still has a tendancy to break her latch and is a little fussy during feedings at times, but she is getting better.  I can't wait to see how much she weighs at her next appointment.  She hasn't been to the Pediatrician since her 1 month checkup, so I am hoping she has put on a couple of pounds since then.  She is filling out her 3 month onesies so I know she has grown.  I will try to update next week after her appointment.

Weight Watchers update:  HELLO PRE-PREGNANCY WEIGHT!  I finally made it.  The weight has been coming off slowly (about a pound a week since starting WW), so I was so excited to finally see that magic number on the scale this morning, especially after eating all the yummy food at the wedding this past weekend.  I still have 8 pounds to go to get to my WW goal, and 13 pounds to go to get to my "Wedding Weight," which is my ultimate goal.  I hope to start becoming more active to help the weight come off a little easier.  I know I will need to get better about working out once I stop nursing too.  I HATE working out though, so wish me luck.

5 weeks and Doctor update!

This week Morgan had her 1 month checkup with the Pediatrician. My little girl is 10 lbs 4.5 ounces! The doctor said that most babies gain between 1-2 lbs in a month, and Morgan had gained over a pound in 2 weeks. Great weight gain! I was worried that she wasn't getting enough milk because her feedings are usually pretty short (about 10 minutes), but apparently she is getting plenty. Being that she is over 10 lbs, most of her newborn clothes do not fit anymore. It was really hard for me to put her in her 3 month clothes, because I feel like she is growing up so fast. On the bright side, she has so many cute outfits in the 3 months size, so now I get excited to play dress-up with her every morning.

I am thankful to say that Morgan is doing a great job of sleeping at night. She does get me up several times to eat, but she normally goes back to sleep as soon as she is done. Brad and I are very nervous to put her in her crib, but we know it is something that we need to do sooner rather than later. Last night he set up her Angelcare Monitor (thanks Lauren and Cindy!) so that we can rest easy that she is okay. It monitors movement, and if 20 seconds goes by without any movement, an alarm sounds. We are going to give it a whirl tonight. Wish us luck!

Weight Watchers update: At my last weigh in I was down a total of 4.8 lbs! Yay! It isn't coming off as easily or quickly as I thought, but slow and steady is fine with me. I was always told that if I breastfed, the weight would literally FALL off. Well, it may for some women, but not me. As closely as I have been counting my points, and as much as Morgan eats, one would think I could reach my goal in no time. Oh well. I am going to stay positive and try not to put too much stress on myself. I am really anxious to fit comfortably back in my regular clothes though. Several of my pre-preggo jeans fit, but I have crucial muffin top because they barely button. I refuse to buy clothes in a bigger size, so if I have to keep wearing my maternity jeans, so be it! Brad has managed to lose almost 10 lbs since I have started Weight Watchers (damn him!). I am glad to know that we are both eating healthier, and I hope we can both keep it up.

Happy Easter everyone! I hopefully will get some good family pictures this weekend for my post next week. Sorry for the lack of pictures this time. I'm trying!!!

Almost 1 month old!

These past few weeks have really flown by. Morgan is changing everyday and it's so fun to watch her grow. I can tell already I am going to be that Mom who cries at every little milestone. I got weepy when her umbilical cord fell off. Now she is almost too big for newborn size diapers and some of her newborn sleepers. My little girl is getting big!

Morgan has been to the pediatrician a few times since I last posted. She has reached and passed her birthweight (8lbs 3 oz) and now weighs a whopping 9 lbs 1.5 oz! Yay! It is such a relief to know that your child is growing and getting enough to eat, especially when you are breastfeeding. Unfortunately, we have both developed a case of thrush, which is more annoying than anything else. It affects how she eats though, so each feeding is a challenge. I am sure we will get past it, and I am determined to continue nursing as long as possible. My mom warned me before Morgan was born that mothers who breastfeed are often discriminated against and rarely receive the support they need. Wow was she right! I never knew how controversial a topic it was until I became a nursing mother. I guess I will never understand why some people find it "inappropriate"/"disrespectful"/"disgusting"/ to meet a child's most basic need. If our society had a better attitude towards breastfeeding mothers, maybe there would be more nursing stations so that women could feed their child without a bunch of judgemental, uptight creeps staring at them. Fortunately, I do have the support of my husband, family, and many of my close friends, and that is all I need!

Being a Mommy is definitely a challenge, but nowadays there are so many wonderful products that make things just a tad easier. Here is a short list of the things I could not live without:

Pack N Play with changing station and storage (Living in a 2-story home, this is a must! We can change her downstairs without Waylon getting in our way and without having to go upstairs to her nursery)

Rock N Play Sleeper (One of my Mommy-friends recommended this and I am so glad she did! Morgan sleeps like an angel in it and it is super portable. Much easier than a bassinet).

Medela Pump In Style (Thanks Lori! This thing is wonderful.)

Canon Eos Rebel (My camera is amazing. I charged it before I went into labor and it still has most of its charge. Not to mention it takes wonderful pictures. A must for any Mommy!)

Microwave Sterilizer bags (So quick and easy. No boiling necessary! Each bag can be used 20 times. Amazing!)

Diaper Genie (Being that we change 99% of Morgan's diapers in our living room, it is so nice not to worry about my house smelling like baby poop. However, it does smell like dog poop from time to time, Oh Waylon).

I will admit, it is easy to go overboard now with baby gear, but some of the "luxury" items out there (you know, the things that your Mother said she never had and did just fine without) are so nice to have.

On a side note, I started Weight Watchers last Saturday. Yesterday was my first weigh in and I was UP a half pound. I had to laugh. I told myself I should receive an award for being the only woman in Weight Watchers history to gain their first week on the program while nursing. Ha ha. Today I weighed again and was down 3 pounds. The scale can be so mean sometimes. I have definitely been following the program and tracking EVERYTHING. I have about 5 lbs to go to get to my pre pregnancy weight, and about 13 to get to my goal weight. Wish me luck!

Morgan is here! The birth story...

I had a feeling that my 38/39 week post would be my last as a preggo. My maternity leave began Monday Feb 27th, which was perfect timing! Monday night/Tuesday morning I woke up to use the bathroom and noticed some blood (sorry if that's too graphic for you). This was obviously pretty alarming for me after having gone over 9 months without bleeding at all. I called the on-call doctor and she said it was probably my "bloody show" or "mucus plug" and to keep an eye out for contractions. I tried to go back to sleep, but I had a feeling this was the real deal, so I stayed up and watched TV for a couple of hours. Around 2:30am I noticed some mild cramping that was irregular at first, but then starting coming about 8 minutes apart. So I called the doctor back (pretty sure I woke her up and she was pissed, but oh well), and she said I could come to the hospital now, or I could wait until the morning and go into the doctor's office. No way was I going to wait until the morning, so off to the hospital we went. I honestly thought they were going to send me home, because I was not 100% convinced I was having contractions, and I had no idea if I was more dilated that I was at my last appointment.

We arrived at Johnston-Willis around 3:30am and when they checked me I was 2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and my contractions were 3 minutes apart! I was shocked. They gave me some pain meds which were great at first, but then I got really sick at my stomach. At 8:30am I was 5 cm dilated, so they broke my water and on came the painful contractions. I received my epidural within about 30 minutes of them breaking my water. The anesthesiologist (sp?) gave me WAY too much medicine, and I was numb up to my chest. VERY SCARY. My blood pressure kept dropping so they had to turn my epidural off for over an hour and give me epinephrin (I think) to regulate my blood pressure. The low blood pressure made me very sick at my stomach, so I felt like I had the stomach flu until they could get it back to normal. Finally they got everything normal, and I went about 2 hours where I was feeling great. Unfortunately, the epidural slowed down my progress, and I went hours without dilating. So then they decided to give me Pitocin, which also made me sick at my stomach. I felt like I couldn't win! But the Pitocin worked, and I dilated 3 more cm in a short amount of time. Before I knew it I was 10 cm and ready to push! I was incredibly numb, but the nurses said I was pushing great. About 30 minutes of pushing and Morgan was here! 8lbs 3 oz (holy crap), 20.5" long, born at 2:31pm. Best moment of my life.

We are definitely settling into our new lives as a family of 3 (well 4 if you count Waylon). Morgan is doing very well. She had dropped some weight (as expected), but has gained a lot of it back. She also had some mild jaundice, but that has resolved itself as well. Breastfeeding is going well. It isn't as difficult as I expected. Brad is doing WONDERFUL as a Daddy. I am so proud of him and feel so blessed to have such a great husband. He is very hands-on with Morgan. He has no problem changing diapers, getting her dressed, or holding her if she is fussy.

Well, I would love to share more but I have a beautiful baby girl who needs my attention. I will try to post often to update on her progress, and of course, share numerous pictures.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support as we start our journey as parents.