Libby is 3 months old!

Oh how time flies when you are sleep deprived! Libby is growin' like a little weed. We continue to hit milestone after milestone. The newest thing is making little noises like a motor boat. VERY CUTE. There is much spit and slobber involved as well as a bib, but what could be more musical to my ears? Libby's belly continues to be trouble. At night there is lots of crying. We are used to it. Ella was the same way. She hasn't grown out of it yet. We have tried EVERY possible remedy to get her to stop screaming. And I do mean EVERYTHING. She has seen 6 different doctors from naturopaths to midwife to chiropractor and of course, our family doctor. Nothing seems to work. We now have an appointment for an xray at Children's Hospital which will be reviewed by a GI infant specialist. Hopefully that will be all clear. There are always hoops to jump through when it comes to kids!

Ella is doing great. She LOVES being a big sister. She tries very hard to be helpful and involved with her little sister. It more turns into pestering her, but it is nice to have her want to be so actively involved and not jealous. They look identical to eachother in the baby stage. You could hardly tell them apart when shown 2 baby pictures at the same age side by side. I played a little trick on Dale with that!

We can't believe that 3 months have already gone by! Before we know it she will be a year old. She is such a happy girl and VERY cooey when her belly is happy. I haven't been doing much work and have been focused mainly on caring for Libby. Ella has started Pre-K school and is there 3 days a week from 9-4. She is LOVING it!!! They call her their little busy body at school. HA! She is their "blessing" for the time there and it is nice and quiet at home! LOL She turned 4 in August and is looking like QUITE the big girl. Amazing how fast that happens!

We havent done much this summer with Libby outside. 2 times we sunburned her in the SHADE. No sun on her but the refection of the rays sunburned her. A very odd thing that kept us inside a lot. She appears that she will have strawberry blond hair and is definitely a red head. No one in the family has red hair.... very odd. The UPS man does, but she looks nothing like him.

As we move into the fall I am looking forward to the cooler weather so that we can do walks and be out during the day. We are having fun and trying to soak in every moment, even the ones that are frustrating with belly upset. Our little family grows and so does that love!

Learning new things...

Summer is finally here in Lake Stevens! We have been enjoying some nicer weather, getting outside and feeling like maybe mother nature isn't totally bipolar! The amount of rain and gray days we have had recently had us wondering if summer was ever going to show up! Last weekend we spent 2 wonderful days hanging out on our patio and enjoying the lake. It seems like an eternity since we have been able to do that. The new patio that we poured last summer is very nice and makes for a lot more space to "be". We got some new lounge chairs and a fun floating island that Ella thinks is the coolest thing since sliced bread!

Libby is doing much better. The probiotics she is taking are finally having an effect on her tummy. Things are processing easier and a LOT of the screaming she was doing has stopped. I took her to the chiropractor today and she is VERY out of alignment. Her neck and hips are bent and she is kinda "C" shaped like a little bent wire. I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before... it is so obvious now. Also, the way she likes to be held and comforted has a lot to do with holding her in the right position. The chiropractor is someone who specializes in babies. She adjusted her, which looked like her poking her with her 2 pointer fingers (gently) and home we went. It didn't seem to have a great effect on the "bent" part, but she did have a full diaper today. Not sure if it's totally related, but we will see with the future adjustments I have on the books for her.

Life is getting better. We have switched Libby to another formula that has a little more to it than the hypoallergenic formula she was on. We have been mixing it with the hypo formula to get her used to it at 1/2 strenght. The hypo formula wasn't sticking with her and she was eating every hour and 1/2. She is stretching longer with this formula and seems to be happier, generally. Soon we will give her the new milk full strength and I am sure she will start to give me a 3 hour stretch of sleep at night. I really wanted to ease her into the new type and not create troubles with her bowels being on a less broken down milk.

Ella is doing well. She has started summer camp which is the same as her preschool with new lessons focused around reading enrichment. It is nice for her to have school 2 times a week. She really likes it! If she is not in school I am taking her with me to run errands and spend time together while LIbby is at home with Sasa. She likes the one on one time with Mommy and we do little fun things or have "treats" while we are out and about.

With the sun coming out, I am hoping to do some camping in the travel trailer. I would like to get that ready to go so that we can hit the road when ready! Until then, Dale's company picnic is coming up in 2 weeks, and I was hoping to take Duke for a ride on Saturday! We shall see what happens!

E

Happy 4th!

We have had lots of little firsts with Libby this week. She is starting to coo and has been making some cute little noises with her voice. She doesn't realize it is HER voice making those little squeals while kicking on the changing table which is pretty cute. We gave her the first bath on June 20th and she has had a few since then. She doesn't like it but she is getting used to the idea of being naked. She had her first afternoon nap in her crib (picture above) and was passed out for 3 hours. She likes to sleep on her belly some and it is the perfect place for her to do that.

Her colicky belly is getting better each day. I am not sure if it is the probiotics she is on or if it is that we are figuring out what makes her more comfortable. The screaming is greatly diminished with only a couple of episodes each day. She is happy and content, typically, during the day which is a wonderful time to enjoy her. She sure is cute! Right now she is going through the baby acne stage and has a bunch of little red bumps all over her face.

Ella is doing good. She will go back to school on tuesday for summer camp. Basically it is the same thing as preschool. She will be excited to see her friends that she has been missing for the last 2 weeks. Daddy has been sleeping in her room while Libby and I occupy the master bedroom. They are enjoying each other's company and that way Daddy is able to get more rest. Libby is still giving me one 2.5 hour stretch at night then waking up every hour to eat. She is one hungry girl!!!

It is a blessing to have each day improve and Libby feeling better. She is one darling little itty bitty being and we are eating her up with love.

A Little Relief... Libby is ONE MONTH OLD!

Our little Libby is doing better on the hypoallergenic formula and prune juice. The crying and discomfort is still there but at much less frequency and volume! I took her to a midwife naturopath and we put her on probiotics. That will take about 2 weeks to help regulate her digestive system and get things moving more efficiently. Until then, she is one little gassy and uncomfortable being at times. She will grow out of it.

As of now she is being held in one way or another most of the day. There are windows here and there that she can be put down on something very soft to give us a rest. I also put her in the moby wrap (a kind of baby sling you wear) and go about my business. That last for a while. We can take a walk or I can do chores but it is limited.

Her schedule and Ella's are kind of opposite. It is sometimes hard to get Libby settled before midnight with her fussing and discomfort. Ella goes to bed between 9-10 and Dale has to get her settled and through the night routine. Once I get Libby settled I go to bed, she wakes up to feed almost every hour starting at 2ish and then has an awake time around 6am. She likes to go back to sleep about 7:30am which is when Ella gets up. So suffice to say, both of them are making sure night time sleep is a little questionable.

Alyssa (Sasa) is helping out during the day so I can sleep an hour here or there and get errands run (like groceries) as needed. Sasa is a baby whisperer and can get Libby past her crying fits. The crying doesn't bother Sasa, she just works through it with Libby and settles her as best she can.

As it turns out, Libby really likes to be out and about. We have had a couple of successful outings with her to dinner. As long as the restaurant is loud and lots happening, she is pretty content. Dale has joked that we need to take her out every night! LOL.

We are making sure we enjoy the time that is passing us by. A month has already flown by and she has already gained almost 2 lbs! Although times are tough and trying, we are aware of how important it is to smell the roses and ENJOY her being a newborn. She sure is cute!

I will post more pics soon!

Where did June go?

It has been far too long since I have blogged but my hands have been a little tied up holding Libby. At about 2 weeks old she developed colic and the screaming started. We are exhausted and trying our best to figure out what makes her more comfortable. Since Ella was colicky, we are very knowledgeable on how to handle it and what to do. I was breast feeding her and have since stopped that, as we switched her to hypoallergenic formula. This is what Ella was on as an infant. It has helped with the gas and taken the edge off her screaming. Hasn't been quite as bad. We couldn't figure out what it was that I was eating that was making her so gassy and uncomfortable... so we called it a day and put her on formula.

I have taken her to the doctor 2 times and to the naturopath/midwife for suggestions. I know it will just take time for her to grow out of it. We have had a little success with some of the remedies in making her more comfortable but she still has very unhappy times during the days and nights.

I am hoping in my next post to have good news, that she is better and we are getting more rest! She is such a good girl and really tries not to be so unhappy. We are doing our best to keep up with Ella's schedule and not have the colic impact her so greatly. We have been getting her to the park and other fun activities so she doesn't feel put on the back burner with Mommy and Daddy giving Libby so much attention. She is a good big sister.

The baby milestones are wonderful and we are enjoying each and every one of them. Since Libby is our last baby we are making sure to be present in the moment and enjoy the time we have with her where she is happy. She is such a darling little being and a blessing. Sometimes it is hard to see that through the fog, but we are making sure we make light of it and remember how fast it all goes by.

Ella's big school bus ride!

It's official... we are tired! Miss Libby is the cutest thing ever and has a vivacious appetite! Daddy is getting very little sleep since Libby is in the basinette in our room and he is woken up every time I nurse. I haven't been able to pump yet... things are still too sore! ;0) TMI, I know. It would be much easier if someone could give her a bottle, but it just isn't in the cards right now. We have given her a little bit of formula and it upsets her belly, so it is all about the boob!

Daddy had his Central Welding golf tournament over the weekend. It is nice to have that completed and off his chest. It was a very nice event. We girls loaded up and went to visit with everyone after they were finished with the golfing. There was a nice luncheon and we got to introduce Libby to lots of the company family.

Ella had a big day on Friday. She got to go on her first bus ride. The bus picked her up from preschool, it went around the lake and we met at Lundeen Park for lunch and pictures with Clifford. It was a VERY fun day for her that she had been talking about for the last couple of weeks. SHE LOVES THE BUS!!! We have been trying to add things into her schedule that are fun for her and gives her special one on one time. She is doing reasonably well with the adjustment of Libby, but is also over the top INSANE with her energy level. It is all due to the adjustment but I am getting sick of telling her to stop jumping on the furniture, running through the house yelling and other things she KNOWS are NOT acceptable in our home. I feel bad putting her in timeout so much, but... she knows the rules. She is VERY sweet to Libby and a BIG helper to mommy. If we could just get the energy thing under control. You can only go to the park so many times in the day!!!

I am having to watch what I eat. Libby does NOT like fajitas (our regular friday night dinner with the neighbors). Anything spicy or containing preservatives seems to make her belly hurt.... Ate a costco hotdog the other day... that was a NO GO for the Libs! No big deal though, it is a great reminder to keep my diet to my normal plan. Lots of water, fruits, veggies and such. I don't know how it is possible, but I weigh the same today as I did when I got pregnant with her... I feel great, other than being tired~!

One week old!

I will post more pics in a few hours (gonna grab a nap while I can).

Miss Libby is now one week old. We are setting into a routine that is pretty doable. She is a nursing champion. I can't believe the difference between her and Ella. She is so content and very scheduled with her eating. There has been very little fussing and she is sleeping a lot. Some of that will change after she gets closer to a month old, so I am trying to take advantage of it while it lasts. Libby is DEFINITELY the second child... she is so used to hearing the busyness of Ella from the womb that NOTHING phases her. I swear a freight train could run through the house and it wouldn't bother her. Ella can, well be Ella, and the Libs is quiet and takes it all in stride. I can remember tip toeing around the house with Ella. EVERYTHING would wake her up or upset her. Libby is the polar opposite in that regard... well, at 8 days old anyway.

I am doing really well and am putting my all into it. Dale is wonderfully supportive and a great cheerleader. Anything I need he is right there helping out. I have cut out most of my busy schedule to focus on her and trying to stay healthy... without the exhaustion that I experienced with Ella. So far it is working! I am taking my vitamins, grabbing sleep while I can and have been grateful for friends meal deliveries that have helped feed the family and made my life much easier. We are so blessed to have such supportive friends that keep showing up and feeding us!

Dale's mom is coming over once a week and taking ella on fun playdates. This week they went to the park and rode her new bicycle that my mom brought over for her. She is learning how to ride it. Very cute. EVERY opportunity we have to burn off some of her energy is helpful. That is what we are relying on other most for... Ella play dates!!! This week Ella had a ride on a school bus for a pre-school field trip where we met at a park and got to have our picture taken with Clifford. I will upload a few pics of that shortly. It was a VERY fun time for her!

Alyssa (Sasa) is here helping out for anything/everthing I might need during the day. Right now she is taking Ella to pre-school so that we don't have to cart Libby around and can keep her out of the public for a little while longer. Her immunity, I am sure is better than yours or mine, but they recommend not throwing them into any environment that is germ infested for a while.... which I would say a room full of coughing and busy 3 year olds would be!

Our little family is thriving. I am LOVING every minute of it. It is difficult at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way!