So it has been quite some time since I last posted. This has nothing to do with how Abigail is doing and everything to do with Erin and I being sick. During the month of October, there was not a single day that one of us was sick and several where both of us were. During this same time, Abigail got by with just a little cold. Erin and I are both in agreement that we have no idea how someone could manage to be a single parent, that would seem to be an impossible amount of work and would require and endless amount of energy.
Luckily, we are on the mend now (for the most part) and Abigail has been making some huge strides in development. The second weekend of October, we traveled to Evansdale for UNI Homecoming. Abigail spent time with Grandma and Grandpa O'Connell playing in the leaves while Erin and I went to the game and out to dinner.
Grandma and Grandpa Weiler visited the following weekend and Abigail got to experience the Des Moines farmer's market and Arcadia in Ames (a little cafe that a friend of Erin's owns). Then on October 22 - 23 we headed to Kansas City. We spent part of Saturday visiting my sister Brenda, her husband John, and their daughter (who is only 6 days older then Abigail), Jocelyn. Then we spent the night at John and Susan's house (Erin's Aunt and Uncle) before heading home on Sunday. Abigail did great and traveled well.
After returning home from KC, Abigail had rice cereal for the 1st time and loved it. She has now moved on to 2 meals a day that include rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, squash, or carrots and she is such a good eater.
The 1st week of November was a busy one as Abigail had 6 month pictures taken at Sears on November 1st, then had her 6 month well baby checkup on the 2nd. Both went very well. At her 6 month appointment she was 23 3/4 inches long and weighed 14.1 lbs. The doctor is starting to get a bit concerned about her weight, so we have started to add rice cereal to all of Abigail's bottles to add calories. She also switched her off of Zantac for infant reflux to Previcid which seems to be helping even more as her spitting up has nearly disappeared.
A lot has happened over the last month in the way of development. Abigail is now sitting up completely unsupported and playing with toys. When put on her back, she will roll back and forth from side to side but won't quite roll over yet. She has rolled over a couple of times from her tummy to her back but doesn't do it very often. She can pass toys from one hand to the other and has figured out that if a toy is out of her reach, she can pull the blanket she is on to move it closer to her. Most of her time is spent laughing, smiling, and more recently screeching. One week during October, she enjoyed sticking out her tongue and spitting...nothing like getting a baby spit shower in the afternoon! Of course, everything is a chew toy right now, her favorite being her fists. She loves to play with her feet but surprisingly doesn't put them in her mouth.
I am really starting to look forward to the holidays and Abigail experiencing so many firsts. She was a pumpkin for Halloween (thanks to aunt Melissa for the costume) and helped me hand out candy to the kids. My parents and my sister Brenda's family will be visiting for Thanksgiving (the 1st time ever I will get to make a Thanksgiving dinner). Then of course, Christmas and all of the fun that goes with that season. So much to look forward to over the next couple of months!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
On the downhill slide to 5 months
In 1 week, Abigail will be 5 months old...wow.
Over the past couple of weeks, life has gotten back to normal (well, as normal as it can get with a baby in the house). Abigail's feeding has stabilized and she has gotten through her constipation issues. She did come down with a cold that caused a few miserable days last week, but she is now over that too. For the most part, she continues to be a very happy baby and is still sleeping very well both at night and for naps (even unswaddled).
I guess the big news doesn't have to do with her at all. Over the past couple of weeks, I have finally started to overcome the guilt of leaving the house for some time "off" to do some of my hobbies and the things that I love. Last Wednesday, I tent camped with my mom and dad at Lake Belva Deer (in near freezing temps) and spent some time fishing. That was my first night away from Abigail since she was born. I expected it to feel weird. Although I missed both her and Erin, I think that trip is exactly what I needed to overcome the guilt that I have been feeling. It actually made me feel "normal" again (whatever that means). Last weekend, my parents came to our house for my birthday, so naturally, my dad and I spent time fishing. It was a blast! It is so fun to watch my parents interact with Abigail and see how much they love and care about her. This coming weekend, Melissa and Mike will be stopping by for supper Saturday evening so they will have a chance to see Abigail again too.
Over the past couple of weeks, Abigail has started to try to mimic faces that we make which can be quite entertaining. She also tries to mimic some sounds as well. Tummy time continues to become less of a chore as she spent about 30 minutes straight on her tummy a couple of nights ago. Every time she is on her tummy, she seems so close to rolling over but she still hasn't. I feel like she has been close for a month now, but there is no rush from me. She has also figured out how to grab the pacifier out of her mouth and put it back in. It certainly isn't a fluid motion, but she can get the job done as long as the pacifier is within reach. Last week, Erin said that when she put Abigail in the car to go to daycare, she didn't have a pacifier in her mouth, but when she got her out at daycare she did.
I have also discovered another perk to no more swaddling, and that is sleepers...oh my gosh does Abigail look cute in a sleeper:)
Although the doctor said it can take awhile for the teeth to actually show up once a baby starts teething, I'm pretty sure Abigail is on that track. We are going through several bibs a day to soak up all that drool.
This week Abigail moved up to the next room at daycare. I really like the staff in that room and it seems that there is a greater focus on development and play over the last room, which was focused more on feeding, diaper changing, and sleeping. She now has 2 nap times in her crib and gets to spend time with play mats and in an excersaucer (which she loves).
I think that is all for now.
Over the past couple of weeks, life has gotten back to normal (well, as normal as it can get with a baby in the house). Abigail's feeding has stabilized and she has gotten through her constipation issues. She did come down with a cold that caused a few miserable days last week, but she is now over that too. For the most part, she continues to be a very happy baby and is still sleeping very well both at night and for naps (even unswaddled).
I guess the big news doesn't have to do with her at all. Over the past couple of weeks, I have finally started to overcome the guilt of leaving the house for some time "off" to do some of my hobbies and the things that I love. Last Wednesday, I tent camped with my mom and dad at Lake Belva Deer (in near freezing temps) and spent some time fishing. That was my first night away from Abigail since she was born. I expected it to feel weird. Although I missed both her and Erin, I think that trip is exactly what I needed to overcome the guilt that I have been feeling. It actually made me feel "normal" again (whatever that means). Last weekend, my parents came to our house for my birthday, so naturally, my dad and I spent time fishing. It was a blast! It is so fun to watch my parents interact with Abigail and see how much they love and care about her. This coming weekend, Melissa and Mike will be stopping by for supper Saturday evening so they will have a chance to see Abigail again too.
Over the past couple of weeks, Abigail has started to try to mimic faces that we make which can be quite entertaining. She also tries to mimic some sounds as well. Tummy time continues to become less of a chore as she spent about 30 minutes straight on her tummy a couple of nights ago. Every time she is on her tummy, she seems so close to rolling over but she still hasn't. I feel like she has been close for a month now, but there is no rush from me. She has also figured out how to grab the pacifier out of her mouth and put it back in. It certainly isn't a fluid motion, but she can get the job done as long as the pacifier is within reach. Last week, Erin said that when she put Abigail in the car to go to daycare, she didn't have a pacifier in her mouth, but when she got her out at daycare she did.
I have also discovered another perk to no more swaddling, and that is sleepers...oh my gosh does Abigail look cute in a sleeper:)
Although the doctor said it can take awhile for the teeth to actually show up once a baby starts teething, I'm pretty sure Abigail is on that track. We are going through several bibs a day to soak up all that drool.
This week Abigail moved up to the next room at daycare. I really like the staff in that room and it seems that there is a greater focus on development and play over the last room, which was focused more on feeding, diaper changing, and sleeping. She now has 2 nap times in her crib and gets to spend time with play mats and in an excersaucer (which she loves).
I think that is all for now.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Troublesome Month and Great 4 Month Well Baby Checkup
As mentioned in my last post, we were having some issues with Abigail eating and the consistency of her stools. Well, I'm going to lay out a time frame for you as we continue to see repercussions of this issue.
August 2: We discover mucus in Abigail's dirty diapers
August 4: We take Abigail to the doctor's to get checked out. The nurse practitioner believes it is a GI infection and will pass. Told us to call if it is still happening on Monday
August 8: Still have mucus in the stool. Call the doctor and she has us switch Abigail to Soy Formula
August 19: Mucus is gone, but now Abigail is having issues with spitting up and vomiting (often several hours after eating). Doctor okays switching back to regular formula
August 20: Abigail vomits after eating in the morning and eats very little for several days (although nothing else seems to be wrong)
August 22: After 3 days of not eating much, we call the doctor with concerns of dehydration and schedule an appointment for the next day.
August 23: Doctor thinks the spitting up and not eating well are both related to infant reflux recurrence (She says reflux is usually at its worst around 4 months old). Suggests going back to sleeping upright and keeping her upright as much as possible. Also suggests trying to feed her a little less and prescribes Zantac to be taken twice a day
August 29: Reflux symptoms subside but mucus returns to her stools
August 31: Abigail's 4 month well baby appointment. Doctor is happy with her progress in the past week and suggests trying to go back to Soy formula since that eliminated the mucus the first time.
September 2: Successfully start Abigail back on Soy formula
September 5: Now 2 1/2 days since her last dirty diaper, Abigail is showing signs of constipation (Straining, crying and a little bit of hard stool). After getting suggestions from my mom and the on call doctor, we give Abigail some prune juice.
September 6 (Today): Abigail wakes us up around 3am with a full diaper (although it is still quite firm, it was good to see her pass that much). She went back to sleep until her feeding at 5:30 and didn't seem to be straining and wasn't crying like the previous day. Erin fed her some more prune juice before dropping her off at daycare.
Hopefully the battle with her GI system is coming to a happy end soon, but it has made for some stressful moments in the past month.
On a good note, on August 31st, Abigail had another well baby appointment and the doctor is very pleased with her progress. She now is 11lbs 14oz putting her in the 15th percentile for weight (up from the 10th at 2 months). She is 22 1/4 inches long and her head circumference has jumped from the 3rd percentile to the 40th percentile. The doctor is convinced that we have been feeding her upside down. Short of rolling over, she is meeting all of the expected milestones for a 4 month old (I might add that she is getting close to rolling over, just not quite there yet).
Abigail loves to smile at us and it warms my heart each time she does it. We are starting to discover ways to get her to giggle but most of the time giggling ends in hiccups. She is still sleeping very well at night and napping well. Another milestone was reached last Friday night when Abigail started sleeping at night without a swaddle. I was worried that she might wake herself up during the night if we didn't swaddle her, but so far those worries seem to be unfounded (I don't count last night due to the constipation that she is dealing with).
This past weekend we spent in the quad cities. On Saturday, we drove up to see my sister and her family and had a great time playing with her kids. Sunday, we met them at the I-Wireless Center for the Ringling Brother's Circus and it was a blast. I think that the loud noises and busy atmosphere got a little overstimulating for Abigail, but she did a great job and eventually dozed off with Erin holding her. As for me, I absolutely loved the circus and can't wait to go back when Abigail is older.
August 2: We discover mucus in Abigail's dirty diapers
August 4: We take Abigail to the doctor's to get checked out. The nurse practitioner believes it is a GI infection and will pass. Told us to call if it is still happening on Monday
August 8: Still have mucus in the stool. Call the doctor and she has us switch Abigail to Soy Formula
August 19: Mucus is gone, but now Abigail is having issues with spitting up and vomiting (often several hours after eating). Doctor okays switching back to regular formula
August 20: Abigail vomits after eating in the morning and eats very little for several days (although nothing else seems to be wrong)
August 22: After 3 days of not eating much, we call the doctor with concerns of dehydration and schedule an appointment for the next day.
August 23: Doctor thinks the spitting up and not eating well are both related to infant reflux recurrence (She says reflux is usually at its worst around 4 months old). Suggests going back to sleeping upright and keeping her upright as much as possible. Also suggests trying to feed her a little less and prescribes Zantac to be taken twice a day
August 29: Reflux symptoms subside but mucus returns to her stools
August 31: Abigail's 4 month well baby appointment. Doctor is happy with her progress in the past week and suggests trying to go back to Soy formula since that eliminated the mucus the first time.
September 2: Successfully start Abigail back on Soy formula
September 5: Now 2 1/2 days since her last dirty diaper, Abigail is showing signs of constipation (Straining, crying and a little bit of hard stool). After getting suggestions from my mom and the on call doctor, we give Abigail some prune juice.
September 6 (Today): Abigail wakes us up around 3am with a full diaper (although it is still quite firm, it was good to see her pass that much). She went back to sleep until her feeding at 5:30 and didn't seem to be straining and wasn't crying like the previous day. Erin fed her some more prune juice before dropping her off at daycare.
Hopefully the battle with her GI system is coming to a happy end soon, but it has made for some stressful moments in the past month.
On a good note, on August 31st, Abigail had another well baby appointment and the doctor is very pleased with her progress. She now is 11lbs 14oz putting her in the 15th percentile for weight (up from the 10th at 2 months). She is 22 1/4 inches long and her head circumference has jumped from the 3rd percentile to the 40th percentile. The doctor is convinced that we have been feeding her upside down. Short of rolling over, she is meeting all of the expected milestones for a 4 month old (I might add that she is getting close to rolling over, just not quite there yet).
Abigail loves to smile at us and it warms my heart each time she does it. We are starting to discover ways to get her to giggle but most of the time giggling ends in hiccups. She is still sleeping very well at night and napping well. Another milestone was reached last Friday night when Abigail started sleeping at night without a swaddle. I was worried that she might wake herself up during the night if we didn't swaddle her, but so far those worries seem to be unfounded (I don't count last night due to the constipation that she is dealing with).
This past weekend we spent in the quad cities. On Saturday, we drove up to see my sister and her family and had a great time playing with her kids. Sunday, we met them at the I-Wireless Center for the Ringling Brother's Circus and it was a blast. I think that the loud noises and busy atmosphere got a little overstimulating for Abigail, but she did a great job and eventually dozed off with Erin holding her. As for me, I absolutely loved the circus and can't wait to go back when Abigail is older.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Daycare Starts and the Fun Continues
Last Monday, Erin dropped Abigail off at daycare for the 1st time. I know that it was very difficult for Erin after spending the 1st 3 1/2 months of Abigail's life with her every day, however, both of them seem to have transitioned well. Abigail started off in the newborn room (6 weeks - 4 months) at daycare and the teacher said that she hasn't had any issues during the 1st week. At first we were nervous about her figuring out how to sleep at daycare without being swaddled (thank you state of Iowa for that silly rule) but by Friday, she was taking naps just fine at daycare and we are no longer swaddling her at home for naps during the day. We are still swaddling at night, but I think we might be nearing the end with that too.
The one thing that I have noticed with Erin going back to school, is how much I am missing Erin now. I spent all of my time worrying about the transition for Erin and Abigail, I guess that I didn't prepare myself for the changes. Another surprise is that so far I am not missing coaching at all, however, that may change as football seasons start in the next week or so.
I look forward to picking up Abigail from daycare each day and am excited when I hear from the teachers how well she is doing. I'm trying to identify things that we can do each day to enjoy our time together before Erin gets home from school. So far, we have just spent time at home playing on the floor and reading books, but I hope to find places that I can take her that both of us will enjoy.
After looking at my last post, I guess a lot has not changed over the past 2 weeks. She is smiling and laughing a lot now and is generally a happy baby. She grabs onto anything within her reach. While eating, she likes to grab onto her bib and/or burp rag and shove them into her mouth (I keep telling her that we only have so many bibs so she can't eat them all). She has started to hate tummy time less (although she still isn't a big fan) and on a few occasions has gone longer then 5 minutes at a time without screaming. In fact, yesterday we had a really good tummy session where she held her head and chest up for quite a long time to look into a mirror and almost rolled over a few times too. She discovered the baby in the mirror and never seems to tire of looking in the mirror. She has started to reach out from her body to bat at objects (she has been grabbing objects out to the side for awhile but just started reaching out in front of her for things).
I guess there has been one issue that is plaguing is lately. Due to her stool consistency at the beginning of August (I will spare you the details), the doctor suggested we try Soy-based formula. This seemed to clear up the issues with her stool but she began spitting up a lot more often (and strangely, not right after a feeding but a couple hours later). With the doctor's permission, we switched back to regular formula on Friday evening. Strangely, she didn't eat much on Saturday (15oz total instead of close to 30oz). Yesterday was a little better as she ate close to 20oz but she still has us a bit worried. Luckily, she woke up this morning and ate very well. We told daycare to call us if she didn't eat well for them (and since we are nearly 2 hours post feeding and they haven't called, she must have eaten well). We are hopping that it was due to the formula change and not something more serious as we are concerned with dehydration. Time will tell, but hopefully we won't have to take her to the doctor again before her well baby check up next week.
I almost forgot, an unofficial weigh this weekend has Abigail nearing 12 1/2lbs. Time to start buying level 2 diapers!
The one thing that I have noticed with Erin going back to school, is how much I am missing Erin now. I spent all of my time worrying about the transition for Erin and Abigail, I guess that I didn't prepare myself for the changes. Another surprise is that so far I am not missing coaching at all, however, that may change as football seasons start in the next week or so.
I look forward to picking up Abigail from daycare each day and am excited when I hear from the teachers how well she is doing. I'm trying to identify things that we can do each day to enjoy our time together before Erin gets home from school. So far, we have just spent time at home playing on the floor and reading books, but I hope to find places that I can take her that both of us will enjoy.
After looking at my last post, I guess a lot has not changed over the past 2 weeks. She is smiling and laughing a lot now and is generally a happy baby. She grabs onto anything within her reach. While eating, she likes to grab onto her bib and/or burp rag and shove them into her mouth (I keep telling her that we only have so many bibs so she can't eat them all). She has started to hate tummy time less (although she still isn't a big fan) and on a few occasions has gone longer then 5 minutes at a time without screaming. In fact, yesterday we had a really good tummy session where she held her head and chest up for quite a long time to look into a mirror and almost rolled over a few times too. She discovered the baby in the mirror and never seems to tire of looking in the mirror. She has started to reach out from her body to bat at objects (she has been grabbing objects out to the side for awhile but just started reaching out in front of her for things).
I guess there has been one issue that is plaguing is lately. Due to her stool consistency at the beginning of August (I will spare you the details), the doctor suggested we try Soy-based formula. This seemed to clear up the issues with her stool but she began spitting up a lot more often (and strangely, not right after a feeding but a couple hours later). With the doctor's permission, we switched back to regular formula on Friday evening. Strangely, she didn't eat much on Saturday (15oz total instead of close to 30oz). Yesterday was a little better as she ate close to 20oz but she still has us a bit worried. Luckily, she woke up this morning and ate very well. We told daycare to call us if she didn't eat well for them (and since we are nearly 2 hours post feeding and they haven't called, she must have eaten well). We are hopping that it was due to the formula change and not something more serious as we are concerned with dehydration. Time will tell, but hopefully we won't have to take her to the doctor again before her well baby check up next week.
I almost forgot, an unofficial weigh this weekend has Abigail nearing 12 1/2lbs. Time to start buying level 2 diapers!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Golden Age
Recently, Erin was reading the book "What to Expect in the 1st Year", and came across a statement declaring that from about 3 months old until 7 or 8 months old (or when a baby starts crawling) is considered the golden age for infants. Their reasoning is that usually, starting around 3 months, babies start sleeping better at night, are smiling, begin laughing and making happy noises, playing with toys and other "fun" things but are not yet very mobile. I know several parents that would disagree with the above description, however, I really feel that the golden age for Abigail has begun.
Taking care of her is still quite the chore, but I have found that more and more time has been spent playing with and interacting with her verses doing work to simply maintain life. For the most part, she spends her days being very happy.
The past couple of weeks have been a lot of fun. She has gotten much louder with her noises and at times seems to be yelling at us. She can now grab onto objects that are either handed to her or placed near her and is just beginning to reach for objects held above or in front of her. She has rolled over from her tummy to back a few times when propped up on her teddy bear, but isn't quite there yet when placed flat on her tummy. She can now get her thumb and whole hand up to her mouth whenever she wants and drool is flowing freely.
One thing that Erin and I discussed yesterday is that she seems to be understanding social interaction more. She will turn to look at us when we talk and smiles at us when we walk into the room. When we smile at her she will smile back. She also can tell when we are and aren't paying attention to her and she prefers the former (and lets us know by making loud noises when we aren't paying enough attention to her).
Last Saturday was a BIG day for our family as Abigail was baptized at 4:30 mass. I'm not even sure how to describe how happy it makes me to be raising our daughter in the faith that both Erin and I have been raised in. The Catholic church is an amazing community to be a part of and God's Grace has definitely blessed Abigail since the day she was conceived. I think back at all of the worry and stress that was involved during Erin's final months of pregnancy and through the first couple of days after Abigail was born. All of the things that could have gone wrong but didn't, that was God and work. For her to become a part of our faith family, makes everything seem whole.
To end this entry, I would like to take a moment to thank Erin and both of my parents. The first 2 months of Abigail's life were very hard for me. Throughout that time, Erin and my parents spent countless hours listening to my struggles and encouraging me as a dad. Becoming a parent for the 1st time is the hardest thing that I have done in my life, and it is just so great to have the support I need to do it. Ironically, as I have seen happen so many times in my life, I don't think I would be where I am at in my role as a father today had I not struggled through those first couple of months and I am a better person today because of it.
Taking care of her is still quite the chore, but I have found that more and more time has been spent playing with and interacting with her verses doing work to simply maintain life. For the most part, she spends her days being very happy.
The past couple of weeks have been a lot of fun. She has gotten much louder with her noises and at times seems to be yelling at us. She can now grab onto objects that are either handed to her or placed near her and is just beginning to reach for objects held above or in front of her. She has rolled over from her tummy to back a few times when propped up on her teddy bear, but isn't quite there yet when placed flat on her tummy. She can now get her thumb and whole hand up to her mouth whenever she wants and drool is flowing freely.
One thing that Erin and I discussed yesterday is that she seems to be understanding social interaction more. She will turn to look at us when we talk and smiles at us when we walk into the room. When we smile at her she will smile back. She also can tell when we are and aren't paying attention to her and she prefers the former (and lets us know by making loud noises when we aren't paying enough attention to her).
Last Saturday was a BIG day for our family as Abigail was baptized at 4:30 mass. I'm not even sure how to describe how happy it makes me to be raising our daughter in the faith that both Erin and I have been raised in. The Catholic church is an amazing community to be a part of and God's Grace has definitely blessed Abigail since the day she was conceived. I think back at all of the worry and stress that was involved during Erin's final months of pregnancy and through the first couple of days after Abigail was born. All of the things that could have gone wrong but didn't, that was God and work. For her to become a part of our faith family, makes everything seem whole.
To end this entry, I would like to take a moment to thank Erin and both of my parents. The first 2 months of Abigail's life were very hard for me. Throughout that time, Erin and my parents spent countless hours listening to my struggles and encouraging me as a dad. Becoming a parent for the 1st time is the hardest thing that I have done in my life, and it is just so great to have the support I need to do it. Ironically, as I have seen happen so many times in my life, I don't think I would be where I am at in my role as a father today had I not struggled through those first couple of months and I am a better person today because of it.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
It Has Been Awhile
I was very surprised when I looked at my blog this morning to see that it has been nearly a month since I have posted. Between Erin having jury duty for a week and me being sent to training for work all last week, the month as flown by. So I guess that means that I will take a look back at month 3 of Abigail's life in review.
For starters, over the past month I have really started to feel great about being a dad. The newness has worn off, we have gotten into a bit of a routine, and pieces of "normal" life are creeping back in slowly. After meeting with the DCG AD this past Monday, it has been decided that I will be taking the year off from coaching which will be great for our family and allow Erin to ease back into teaching and adjust to everything knowing that I will be around to help out with Abigail in the afternoon and evening most days.
On Friday, Abigail will be 3 months old (I know...I know...where has the time gone!?!) As of yesterday, at the bi-weekly breastfeeding class, she weighed in at 10lbs 7oz so she is still growing very well. A lot has changed since the last time I posted. She went from eating about 3oz 6 - 7 times a day to 4 1/2 oz on a set schedule 6 times a day (5am, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm). Her biggest accomplishment so far, in my opinion, is that she has been sleeping a full 8 1/2 hours through the night for about 3 1/2 weeks now. In fact, in the past 2 weeks or so, I have been having to wake her up at 5am to feed her before I head to work. I'm sure that sounds crazy to most people, but I start work around 6am every day and Erin will be dropping her off at daycare around 7am when school starts so we are just trying to get her used to that schedule. Besides, I have never been much for sleeping in (sleeping in for me usually involves waking up around 7am). Although I am confident in her sleeping pattern, we have been warned by many people that it may not last, but I will certainly take it for now.
Abigail has become an expert at holding her head up and now prefers to be held upright sitting on your knee instead of laying like a baby. She looks around at everything and very much enjoys getting to sit in her Bumbo seat (courtesy my sister Melissa and her family) because it makes her feel like a big girl. She has really begun to show her personality as well. She has developed a fake cry that she uses mainly at feeding time when she thinks I'm not getting her the bottle fast enough. She also has a contagious smile and we think she is getting close to letting out a laugh. She is developing toy preferences too and loves when her teddy bear (courtesy of Ethan and Morgan) "tackles" her while laying on the floor. Just yesterday, while visiting our friends Drew and Kelly in Harvey, IA, Abigail grabbed on to a toy for the first time. She grabbed a rattle that I was holding and shook it many times then tried to put it in her mouth. At first I thought it might be a fluke, but then she repeated it a few times.
The noises she makes are increasing in both frequency and volume each day and she uses them to let us know when she is happy. She has also developed a bit of an scowel for when we make her do things she doesn't like. Abigail is now able to lift up her chest and head when put on her tummy, but for the most part still dislikes tummy time. One funny thing that has started to happen (I say funny although it kind of gets old, especially for Erin who does the laundry) is that several evenings in the past 2 weeks, she has had a diaper blowout while sitting in her bouncy seat while we are eating dinner. Of course it gets all over the bouncy seat and her clothes, forcing Erin to do a load of laundry when she wasn't planning to.
We have started to do more things over the past month too. Grandma Weiler came to visit and watch Abigail while Erin had jury duty. She also gave us a gift card and sent us out to eat one night while she watched Abigail. My parents visited the following weekend when we took Abigail out to eat for the first time, we went to the Pizza Ranch in Waukee. Grandpa O'Connell and I also took a fishing trip that weekend and did some baking on Sunday. Erin took Abigail out to lunch at Panera last week with friend's Ashley, Kevin and their baby girl. She also had her co-worker watch Abigail at school for a morning last week while she helped out with interviews for a new math teacher. Finally, last night we took Abigail to Harvey to visit our friends Drew and Kelly.
It was a very busy month, and I'm sure I missed or left out something that we did or someone that we saw, but I think you get the idea. I'm looking forward to another great month in August, as well as a wonderful fall with a lot of trips and activities planned!
For starters, over the past month I have really started to feel great about being a dad. The newness has worn off, we have gotten into a bit of a routine, and pieces of "normal" life are creeping back in slowly. After meeting with the DCG AD this past Monday, it has been decided that I will be taking the year off from coaching which will be great for our family and allow Erin to ease back into teaching and adjust to everything knowing that I will be around to help out with Abigail in the afternoon and evening most days.
On Friday, Abigail will be 3 months old (I know...I know...where has the time gone!?!) As of yesterday, at the bi-weekly breastfeeding class, she weighed in at 10lbs 7oz so she is still growing very well. A lot has changed since the last time I posted. She went from eating about 3oz 6 - 7 times a day to 4 1/2 oz on a set schedule 6 times a day (5am, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm). Her biggest accomplishment so far, in my opinion, is that she has been sleeping a full 8 1/2 hours through the night for about 3 1/2 weeks now. In fact, in the past 2 weeks or so, I have been having to wake her up at 5am to feed her before I head to work. I'm sure that sounds crazy to most people, but I start work around 6am every day and Erin will be dropping her off at daycare around 7am when school starts so we are just trying to get her used to that schedule. Besides, I have never been much for sleeping in (sleeping in for me usually involves waking up around 7am). Although I am confident in her sleeping pattern, we have been warned by many people that it may not last, but I will certainly take it for now.
Abigail has become an expert at holding her head up and now prefers to be held upright sitting on your knee instead of laying like a baby. She looks around at everything and very much enjoys getting to sit in her Bumbo seat (courtesy my sister Melissa and her family) because it makes her feel like a big girl. She has really begun to show her personality as well. She has developed a fake cry that she uses mainly at feeding time when she thinks I'm not getting her the bottle fast enough. She also has a contagious smile and we think she is getting close to letting out a laugh. She is developing toy preferences too and loves when her teddy bear (courtesy of Ethan and Morgan) "tackles" her while laying on the floor. Just yesterday, while visiting our friends Drew and Kelly in Harvey, IA, Abigail grabbed on to a toy for the first time. She grabbed a rattle that I was holding and shook it many times then tried to put it in her mouth. At first I thought it might be a fluke, but then she repeated it a few times.
The noises she makes are increasing in both frequency and volume each day and she uses them to let us know when she is happy. She has also developed a bit of an scowel for when we make her do things she doesn't like. Abigail is now able to lift up her chest and head when put on her tummy, but for the most part still dislikes tummy time. One funny thing that has started to happen (I say funny although it kind of gets old, especially for Erin who does the laundry) is that several evenings in the past 2 weeks, she has had a diaper blowout while sitting in her bouncy seat while we are eating dinner. Of course it gets all over the bouncy seat and her clothes, forcing Erin to do a load of laundry when she wasn't planning to.
We have started to do more things over the past month too. Grandma Weiler came to visit and watch Abigail while Erin had jury duty. She also gave us a gift card and sent us out to eat one night while she watched Abigail. My parents visited the following weekend when we took Abigail out to eat for the first time, we went to the Pizza Ranch in Waukee. Grandpa O'Connell and I also took a fishing trip that weekend and did some baking on Sunday. Erin took Abigail out to lunch at Panera last week with friend's Ashley, Kevin and their baby girl. She also had her co-worker watch Abigail at school for a morning last week while she helped out with interviews for a new math teacher. Finally, last night we took Abigail to Harvey to visit our friends Drew and Kelly.
It was a very busy month, and I'm sure I missed or left out something that we did or someone that we saw, but I think you get the idea. I'm looking forward to another great month in August, as well as a wonderful fall with a lot of trips and activities planned!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Party Time!
For starters, Abigail did great at her 2 month appointment. She didn't care for the shots, but the nurses made sure they went quickly and she only cried for a few minutes. The good news is that she is growing very well and the doctor is happy with where she is at. At her 2 week appointment, she was 5lbs 6oz and 18in long which put her in the 3rd percentile for babies her age for both measurements. At 2 months, she was up to 8lbs 13oz and 20 1/2in long, bumping her up to the 10th percentile in both. Also, previously her head circumference wasn't even on the chart, but she is now in the 3rd percentile.
I guess that turning 2 months old made Abigail decide to start acting more grown up. In the past 8 days, the shortest amount of time she slept at night was 6 1/2 hrs and all of the other nights have been at least 8 hours, including 1 night that was 9 hours. Even taking a trip to Grandma and Grandpa O'Connell's house for the weekend didn't seem to break her sleeping pattern. She has also been doing a great job of holding her head up. At times she can be a bit of a bobble head and gets lazy and rests it on our hand after awhile, but that doesn't seem to matter to her as she now likes to be held upright in a sitting position and only tolerates being held down when she is tired or sleeping.
Her smiles are starting to shine through more and more each day and over the weekend she increased her vocabulary of noises (along with length and volume of those noises). One time last night she even let out a high pitched squeak while I was wrapping her back up to go to bed. Her eyes are starting to wander more (and often times her head follows) making feeding her a bottle more of a chore then it had been.
This past weekend was spent at my parent's house in Evansdale. My parents threw and open house for Abigail and my new niece. It was a great time and Abigail did very well all weekend. She loved being held by so many different people (as long as they were holding her upright so she could look around) and it was a great opportunity for her to meet and spend time with so many family and friends. She got a lot of cool new things like books to read, a travel stroller and clothes for when she is a little bigger. I think we are going to use the gift cards that she got to buy a baby carrier so that we can go on some new adventures. I continue to be amazed at how easy going babies can be. Abigail experienced being and sleeping in a new environment, seeing a lot of new faces and being passed around and held by dozens of people, being in a large crowd that was loud at times, and being outside in the heat for several hours and was not bothered by any of it.
It was really good for me to get away from home and see friends and family this weekend too. It is a lot of work to travel with an infant, but it was really worth it in the end.
I guess that turning 2 months old made Abigail decide to start acting more grown up. In the past 8 days, the shortest amount of time she slept at night was 6 1/2 hrs and all of the other nights have been at least 8 hours, including 1 night that was 9 hours. Even taking a trip to Grandma and Grandpa O'Connell's house for the weekend didn't seem to break her sleeping pattern. She has also been doing a great job of holding her head up. At times she can be a bit of a bobble head and gets lazy and rests it on our hand after awhile, but that doesn't seem to matter to her as she now likes to be held upright in a sitting position and only tolerates being held down when she is tired or sleeping.
Her smiles are starting to shine through more and more each day and over the weekend she increased her vocabulary of noises (along with length and volume of those noises). One time last night she even let out a high pitched squeak while I was wrapping her back up to go to bed. Her eyes are starting to wander more (and often times her head follows) making feeding her a bottle more of a chore then it had been.
This past weekend was spent at my parent's house in Evansdale. My parents threw and open house for Abigail and my new niece. It was a great time and Abigail did very well all weekend. She loved being held by so many different people (as long as they were holding her upright so she could look around) and it was a great opportunity for her to meet and spend time with so many family and friends. She got a lot of cool new things like books to read, a travel stroller and clothes for when she is a little bigger. I think we are going to use the gift cards that she got to buy a baby carrier so that we can go on some new adventures. I continue to be amazed at how easy going babies can be. Abigail experienced being and sleeping in a new environment, seeing a lot of new faces and being passed around and held by dozens of people, being in a large crowd that was loud at times, and being outside in the heat for several hours and was not bothered by any of it.
It was really good for me to get away from home and see friends and family this weekend too. It is a lot of work to travel with an infant, but it was really worth it in the end.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
2 Months Old
Abigail is officially 1/6 of the way through her first year of life and a lot has changed already.
Last Friday, Erin and I decided it was time for Abigail to start sleeping in her own bedroom. Although, due to her reflux, we still have her sleeping in the bouncy seat and not her crib. That night, and the 4 nights since, she has slept like a champ and we have been sleeping better too.
Last Friday, Abigail also got her first cold. Just as we were getting the congestion caused by infant reflux to subside, her poor little nose became congested from the cold. I'm pretty sure I have sucked several pounds of snot out of her nose since Friday, but I am glad to say that she seems to be getting better each day and being sick didn't seem to bother her as much as it bothered Erin and I.
We have been starting to get out of the house more in the past week, which is a good thing because I have really gotten sick of just sitting around home all of the time. Last week, Erin took Abigail to a baby lap sit at the Grimes library during the day. She was by far the youngest baby there, but Erin said she was enthralled by all of the other people. On Sunday, we spent a few hours out at Big Creek in the morning just walking on the trails and enjoying the nice weather. Yesterday, Erin took Abigail to the hospital for the breastfeeding class again and she weighed in at 8lbs 11oz and Erin says she is starting to make some of the newborns in the class look small.
I guess the only other thing that I can think to share is that Abigail has really started to enjoy taking baths. She would prefer to not have her head washed (so we get that out of the way first), but once she is in the tub she is quite happy. During the past 2 baths, we have let her soak in the water for awhile and she has started to kick and splash in the water. Erin says we will have to move the baby bath from the kitchen table to the bath tub soon.
It is very weird when I sit down to ponder the past 2 months. On one hand, time seems to be going by and she seems to be going quickly. On the other hand, when I think back to those first few weeks at home and our time in the hospital, it feels like lifetimes ago. I'm still waiting in anticipation for all of the fun things that are to come, but I am trying to enjoy the moment as well. Erin says that in her eyes, my time with Abigail is like the song "It won't be like this for long" by Darius Rucker and I need to enjoy everything that is going on right now...I told her I'm looking forward to when it is more like "She Thinks We're Just Fishin" by Trace Adkins...
Last Friday, Erin and I decided it was time for Abigail to start sleeping in her own bedroom. Although, due to her reflux, we still have her sleeping in the bouncy seat and not her crib. That night, and the 4 nights since, she has slept like a champ and we have been sleeping better too.
Last Friday, Abigail also got her first cold. Just as we were getting the congestion caused by infant reflux to subside, her poor little nose became congested from the cold. I'm pretty sure I have sucked several pounds of snot out of her nose since Friday, but I am glad to say that she seems to be getting better each day and being sick didn't seem to bother her as much as it bothered Erin and I.
We have been starting to get out of the house more in the past week, which is a good thing because I have really gotten sick of just sitting around home all of the time. Last week, Erin took Abigail to a baby lap sit at the Grimes library during the day. She was by far the youngest baby there, but Erin said she was enthralled by all of the other people. On Sunday, we spent a few hours out at Big Creek in the morning just walking on the trails and enjoying the nice weather. Yesterday, Erin took Abigail to the hospital for the breastfeeding class again and she weighed in at 8lbs 11oz and Erin says she is starting to make some of the newborns in the class look small.
I guess the only other thing that I can think to share is that Abigail has really started to enjoy taking baths. She would prefer to not have her head washed (so we get that out of the way first), but once she is in the tub she is quite happy. During the past 2 baths, we have let her soak in the water for awhile and she has started to kick and splash in the water. Erin says we will have to move the baby bath from the kitchen table to the bath tub soon.
It is very weird when I sit down to ponder the past 2 months. On one hand, time seems to be going by and she seems to be going quickly. On the other hand, when I think back to those first few weeks at home and our time in the hospital, it feels like lifetimes ago. I'm still waiting in anticipation for all of the fun things that are to come, but I am trying to enjoy the moment as well. Erin says that in her eyes, my time with Abigail is like the song "It won't be like this for long" by Darius Rucker and I need to enjoy everything that is going on right now...I told her I'm looking forward to when it is more like "She Thinks We're Just Fishin" by Trace Adkins...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Smiling, Sleeping, and 1st Conversation with Dad
Abigail will be 7 1/2 weeks old tomorrow and 2 months a week from Wednesday. I would say that over the course of the past week, life has started to feel 'normal' again (whatever in the heck that means).
Erin has been claiming for a week now that she has been able to get Abigail to smile from time to time. Of course I would not believe her until I saw it myself, and on Friday I did. While Abigail was laying on the floor, Erin was playing with her legs and talking to her and sure enough she smiled...a couple of times. On Saturday morning I got her to smile and on Sunday morning, Grandma Weiler got her to smile. This morning, after the 5:00 feeding she was wide awake and kept looking at me and smiling big...I think she is going to be a morning person:)
Ever since the week of which we shall not speak of, Abigail has begun to develop a good night time sleep pattern. I'm pretty sure we are quite a ways away from sleeping all night because of how small she is and how little she can eat, but I will take what she will give us. She pretty much has 2 different night routines, either she sleeps about 5 - 5 1/2 hours for the first stretch and then 3 - 3 1/2 hours for the second stretch or she sleeps 2 4 - 4 1/2 hour stretches. I can live with both for now. I contribute how well she does at night to both the bedtime routine that we started about 3 weeks ago and the stabilization of her feeding schedule.
Yesterday was my 1st Father's Day as a dad. After feeding Abigail in the morning, I placed her in a bouncy seat looking out the window onto the deck while I did some dishes. She seemed quite content, so I started asking her questions about what she was seeing out the window. For nearly 30 minutes she responded to my questions with various noises (grunt, ahhhh, guh, etc...) like she was answering my questions. Every once in awhile she would get really excited and start kicking and making louder noises (I think she was yelling at me). Anyways, it was a nice conversation to have. Something tells me that she is going to take after her cousin Aubree and in a couple of years, we won't be able to turn her mouth off:)
Erin has been claiming for a week now that she has been able to get Abigail to smile from time to time. Of course I would not believe her until I saw it myself, and on Friday I did. While Abigail was laying on the floor, Erin was playing with her legs and talking to her and sure enough she smiled...a couple of times. On Saturday morning I got her to smile and on Sunday morning, Grandma Weiler got her to smile. This morning, after the 5:00 feeding she was wide awake and kept looking at me and smiling big...I think she is going to be a morning person:)
Ever since the week of which we shall not speak of, Abigail has begun to develop a good night time sleep pattern. I'm pretty sure we are quite a ways away from sleeping all night because of how small she is and how little she can eat, but I will take what she will give us. She pretty much has 2 different night routines, either she sleeps about 5 - 5 1/2 hours for the first stretch and then 3 - 3 1/2 hours for the second stretch or she sleeps 2 4 - 4 1/2 hour stretches. I can live with both for now. I contribute how well she does at night to both the bedtime routine that we started about 3 weeks ago and the stabilization of her feeding schedule.
Yesterday was my 1st Father's Day as a dad. After feeding Abigail in the morning, I placed her in a bouncy seat looking out the window onto the deck while I did some dishes. She seemed quite content, so I started asking her questions about what she was seeing out the window. For nearly 30 minutes she responded to my questions with various noises (grunt, ahhhh, guh, etc...) like she was answering my questions. Every once in awhile she would get really excited and start kicking and making louder noises (I think she was yelling at me). Anyways, it was a nice conversation to have. Something tells me that she is going to take after her cousin Aubree and in a couple of years, we won't be able to turn her mouth off:)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Crabby Day, Following Objects, and Happy Noises
Abigail is 6 1/2 weeks old today! She is officially outgrowing her newborn clothes and moving into the 0-3 month size. We are also merely days (or possibly hours) away from outgrowing newborn diapers. An unofficial weigh in on Sunday had her at about 8 lbs.
As Grandma O'Connell put it, everyone has crabby days, even babies. Boy was that true for Abigail on Sunday. After such a great week, and a good day at the walk on Saturday, we had a crabby baby on our hands Sunday. Luckily, grandma was there in the morning to deal with the fussiness, which gave Erin and I time to get ourselves ready for the day. After grandma and grandpa left, things went down hill fast and frustration set in. For the first time in her little life, we were unable to do anything to make her happy. She refused to sleep and just cried and cried all afternoon. We were finally able to get her to calm down when I put on the Moby Wrap (my first time with it) and she took a nap while I sat in the chair watching TV. I'm thinking a good nap is what she needed, because the evening was much better.
After feeding her, we let her lay out naked on a blanket for awhile. This is when we discovered that she can follow objects with her eyes and by turning her head. Not only that, but she seemed to love doing it because it kept her very happy for quite awhile. I'm certain that I had the most fun with it (I've been waiting for a good way that I can interact with her) out of all of us. We also discovered that she loves having different textures rubbed on her skin, especially her soft bunny toy. She would make the happiest noises and coo as we would rub it on her arms, legs, and tummy. We are hopping to get a video of these happy noises this week.
Things sure are beginning to happen fast, and I am loving every minute of it (except for Sunday afternoon, we can just forget about that one). In fact, I have spent a few hours this week reading about the 1st year of a babies development, and different ways to play with her each month. I am very excited to keep watching for her to reach milestones and be able to interact with us even more.
As Grandma O'Connell put it, everyone has crabby days, even babies. Boy was that true for Abigail on Sunday. After such a great week, and a good day at the walk on Saturday, we had a crabby baby on our hands Sunday. Luckily, grandma was there in the morning to deal with the fussiness, which gave Erin and I time to get ourselves ready for the day. After grandma and grandpa left, things went down hill fast and frustration set in. For the first time in her little life, we were unable to do anything to make her happy. She refused to sleep and just cried and cried all afternoon. We were finally able to get her to calm down when I put on the Moby Wrap (my first time with it) and she took a nap while I sat in the chair watching TV. I'm thinking a good nap is what she needed, because the evening was much better.
After feeding her, we let her lay out naked on a blanket for awhile. This is when we discovered that she can follow objects with her eyes and by turning her head. Not only that, but she seemed to love doing it because it kept her very happy for quite awhile. I'm certain that I had the most fun with it (I've been waiting for a good way that I can interact with her) out of all of us. We also discovered that she loves having different textures rubbed on her skin, especially her soft bunny toy. She would make the happiest noises and coo as we would rub it on her arms, legs, and tummy. We are hopping to get a video of these happy noises this week.
Things sure are beginning to happen fast, and I am loving every minute of it (except for Sunday afternoon, we can just forget about that one). In fact, I have spent a few hours this week reading about the 1st year of a babies development, and different ways to play with her each month. I am very excited to keep watching for her to reach milestones and be able to interact with us even more.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Last Week is Gone Forever
So I put off posting for awhile as life was a bit stressful and I didn't feel like I had much good to say. After putting some thought into it, I realize that parenting isn't all great and it is important to document the bad with the good.
Over Memorial Day weekend, our family traveled to Erin's parent's house in Bettendorf. The weekend went well and all of Mary's friends loved having a chance to meet and hold Abigail during the annual Taco Day celebration on Sunday. Abigail traveled well and slept most of the way there and back in the car. That being said, while at Grandma and Grandpa Weiler's house, she started to become VERY congested and wasn't eating or sleeping as well.
Over the next couple of days things kept going down hill as Abigail was sleeping less and less and becoming much more crabby then usual. Erin took her to the doctor on Wednesday where she was diagnosed with chronic congestion from acid reflux. The doctor pointed out that we were over feeding her and using the bulb syringe too much, which was irritating her nasal tissue. She also provided us with some suggestions to help alleviate some of the problem, such as keeping her upright as much as possible. Over the next couple of days, we also identified part of Erin's diet that proved to be adding to the problem. By Saturday, her major symptoms had begun to subside and since she has been more like the baby we knew prior to the holiday weekend.
Of course, if the issues and lack of sleep at home weren't enough, I also had a VERY RARE bad week at work providing additional stress. Happily, as the title of the post mentions, last week is gone forever. I hate wishing my life away, but sometimes it is just a matter of getting through the day somehow and someway.
As a disclaimer, I am very aware that the few minor issues that we have had while raising Abigail seem insignificant compared to the experience of many family members and friends. I am not complaining, but instead using this blog to record my feelings and experiences of being a dad.
Over Memorial Day weekend, our family traveled to Erin's parent's house in Bettendorf. The weekend went well and all of Mary's friends loved having a chance to meet and hold Abigail during the annual Taco Day celebration on Sunday. Abigail traveled well and slept most of the way there and back in the car. That being said, while at Grandma and Grandpa Weiler's house, she started to become VERY congested and wasn't eating or sleeping as well.
Over the next couple of days things kept going down hill as Abigail was sleeping less and less and becoming much more crabby then usual. Erin took her to the doctor on Wednesday where she was diagnosed with chronic congestion from acid reflux. The doctor pointed out that we were over feeding her and using the bulb syringe too much, which was irritating her nasal tissue. She also provided us with some suggestions to help alleviate some of the problem, such as keeping her upright as much as possible. Over the next couple of days, we also identified part of Erin's diet that proved to be adding to the problem. By Saturday, her major symptoms had begun to subside and since she has been more like the baby we knew prior to the holiday weekend.
Of course, if the issues and lack of sleep at home weren't enough, I also had a VERY RARE bad week at work providing additional stress. Happily, as the title of the post mentions, last week is gone forever. I hate wishing my life away, but sometimes it is just a matter of getting through the day somehow and someway.
As a disclaimer, I am very aware that the few minor issues that we have had while raising Abigail seem insignificant compared to the experience of many family members and friends. I am not complaining, but instead using this blog to record my feelings and experiences of being a dad.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Growing Like a Weed
On Saturday, Erin and I took Abigail to Valley West Mall for her first shopping trip. The trip was fairly uneventful but we did notice something big when putting Abigail in her car seat. When we brought her home from the hospital 3 weeks ago, the plastic clip that goes across her chest was practically choking her because she was so small. On Saturday, there was about an inch of space between her neck and the clip.
Overall, we had a very good weekend. It started off with a lot of visitors on Friday afternoon and evening. First, Ashley and Kevin brought over there little girl who is almost 4 months old. After supper, Erin's Aunt Lisa along with her son Adam came over with his girlfriend Christy and their little boy. When they left, some of the coaches, Mike, Joel, and Tim stopped over and gave Abigail an engraved piggy bank that is a little shoe.
Feeding and sleep have been going well too. Abigail is going between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 hours between feedings and is taking up to 2 1/2 ounces from the bottle on top of breast feeding. Although I'm sure it isn't very accurate, Erin stepped on the scale with Abigail and it registered that Abigail is over 6 lbs. We will find out for sure today when Erin goes to the Mommy and Me Breastfeeding class at the hospital.
Overall, we had a very good weekend. It started off with a lot of visitors on Friday afternoon and evening. First, Ashley and Kevin brought over there little girl who is almost 4 months old. After supper, Erin's Aunt Lisa along with her son Adam came over with his girlfriend Christy and their little boy. When they left, some of the coaches, Mike, Joel, and Tim stopped over and gave Abigail an engraved piggy bank that is a little shoe.
Feeding and sleep have been going well too. Abigail is going between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 hours between feedings and is taking up to 2 1/2 ounces from the bottle on top of breast feeding. Although I'm sure it isn't very accurate, Erin stepped on the scale with Abigail and it registered that Abigail is over 6 lbs. We will find out for sure today when Erin goes to the Mommy and Me Breastfeeding class at the hospital.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The First Few Weeks
No matter how many times people have told me, I didn't understand until now how fast time goes by when you have a newborn. Abigail is already 2 1/2 weeks old (3 weeks this Friday) and I feel that Erin and I are finally starting to settle into a groove. I'm pretty sure that over the course of the past 2 1/2 weeks, I have experienced every emotion possible at one time or another but I am really liking this dad thing.
During our 1st week home, Erin's mom stayed with us and helped clean and take care of Abigail. My parents were suppose to come for the 2nd week, but their plans changed when their neighbor, Steve, passed away so they are here to help us this week. Last week was not very fun as Erin was sick for a few days, requiring me to take on a larger work load while I was trying to start back at Pioneer as well.
Throughout all of this, Abigail is still doing great! At her 2 week doctor appointment last Friday, she weighed in at 5lbs 4oz, which is up from 4lbs 6.5oz when she left the hospital. We are still supplementing at each feeding but now almost exclusively with breast milk and just a little formula at night. Abigail is also helping us out as feedings have stretched out from every 2 hours to normally 3 hours and occasionally a 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretch at night. She is starting to become more active and sleeping less then when she first came home which makes her a bit more interesting in my opinion.
I'm trying to take the advice that I have received and "cherish these times", but I often find myself dreaming about what lies ahead for our family. According to my mom, I am more of a "toddler person" compared to an "infant person" and I'm okay with that. I look forward to the little things like when she will start to smile and laugh at me, when she will start to sit up on her own, crawl, walk, and even begin to talk. I dream of her first boat ride, her first fishing trip, first deer hunt (but only if she wants, according to Erin:), etc. So many great memories lie ahead and it fills my heart to know that I will get to be a part of them.
During our 1st week home, Erin's mom stayed with us and helped clean and take care of Abigail. My parents were suppose to come for the 2nd week, but their plans changed when their neighbor, Steve, passed away so they are here to help us this week. Last week was not very fun as Erin was sick for a few days, requiring me to take on a larger work load while I was trying to start back at Pioneer as well.
Throughout all of this, Abigail is still doing great! At her 2 week doctor appointment last Friday, she weighed in at 5lbs 4oz, which is up from 4lbs 6.5oz when she left the hospital. We are still supplementing at each feeding but now almost exclusively with breast milk and just a little formula at night. Abigail is also helping us out as feedings have stretched out from every 2 hours to normally 3 hours and occasionally a 3 1/2 to 4 hour stretch at night. She is starting to become more active and sleeping less then when she first came home which makes her a bit more interesting in my opinion.
I'm trying to take the advice that I have received and "cherish these times", but I often find myself dreaming about what lies ahead for our family. According to my mom, I am more of a "toddler person" compared to an "infant person" and I'm okay with that. I look forward to the little things like when she will start to smile and laugh at me, when she will start to sit up on her own, crawl, walk, and even begin to talk. I dream of her first boat ride, her first fishing trip, first deer hunt (but only if she wants, according to Erin:), etc. So many great memories lie ahead and it fills my heart to know that I will get to be a part of them.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Abigail Kristina O'Connell is here!
At 6:26pm on Friday, April 29, Abigail Kristina O'Connell joined us in this world. She was 4lb 10oz and 17 3/4 inches long at birth which was enough to keep her out of the NICU. Both Erin and Abigail did great for the entire hospital stay and each day since has been getting better and better.
As expected, life is much different with Abigail around. I am off work for the week and Erin's mom, Mary is staying with us which has been a great help. We came home on Sunday and Monday and, although Abigail did fantastic, Erin and I were exhausted and a bit overwhelmed with the change. Yesterday and today have been much better. We have been very lucky as Abigail sleeps well between feedings (even at night) and we are actually having to wake her up to eat. Erin is really getting down the routine of breastfeeding and pumping and even the little things like changing diapers and clothes are getting easier each time.
Yesterday, Abigail had her first appointment at the pediatrician and everything went well. She held weight, at 4lb 7oz, since leaving the hospital and everything else is doing great. The goal between now and her next appointment, a week from Friday, is to get her back up to birth weight.
I feel like there is so much to write about but don't want to put it all in 1 post, so that is all for now.
As expected, life is much different with Abigail around. I am off work for the week and Erin's mom, Mary is staying with us which has been a great help. We came home on Sunday and Monday and, although Abigail did fantastic, Erin and I were exhausted and a bit overwhelmed with the change. Yesterday and today have been much better. We have been very lucky as Abigail sleeps well between feedings (even at night) and we are actually having to wake her up to eat. Erin is really getting down the routine of breastfeeding and pumping and even the little things like changing diapers and clothes are getting easier each time.
Yesterday, Abigail had her first appointment at the pediatrician and everything went well. She held weight, at 4lb 7oz, since leaving the hospital and everything else is doing great. The goal between now and her next appointment, a week from Friday, is to get her back up to birth weight.
I feel like there is so much to write about but don't want to put it all in 1 post, so that is all for now.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Small Baby and Getting Ready
For the past 15 weeks or so, the story has remained the same, our baby is undersized. Erin has been having weekly (and now twice a week) appointments for several months that include and ultrasound, NST, and various other tests but luckily our baby seems to be doing just fine even though she is undersized. Erin is going to see a specialist after school today for confirmation that the baby is not in distress and can stay in for awhile longer. I will be sure to post how that goes.
Knowing that the doctors may decided to take the baby at any time, we felt the need to be prepared going into today's appointment. I installed the car seat in Erin's car yesterday and we packed a hospital bag that I put in my truck. I figure that by being ready, we probably won't have the baby today:)
Knowing that the doctors may decided to take the baby at any time, we felt the need to be prepared going into today's appointment. I installed the car seat in Erin's car yesterday and we packed a hospital bag that I put in my truck. I figure that by being ready, we probably won't have the baby today:)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Found a Pediatrician
Erin and I met with a pediatrician at Mercy Clinics in Johnston today and she was great! She gladly answered all of our questions and was very straight with us. The best part is that by going to this clinic, we will have access to the central clinic downtown that is open on weekends in case of an emergency.
On a side note, I put together the stroller on Sunday night and identified how to install the car seat bases. I think the stroller has more options then my boat does...kids get all the good stuff.
On a side note, I put together the stroller on Sunday night and identified how to install the car seat bases. I think the stroller has more options then my boat does...kids get all the good stuff.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Birthing Class and Baby Showers
We have currently completed the 4th week of a 5 week birthing class that we are taking at Mercy Hospital. The things that we have learned in this class are invaluable and have helped me a lot (and I'm sure Erin too) to calm some fears and take some of the mystery out of what labor and the birth with entail. The 1st week of the class was just an intro to what we would be covering during the class. The 2nd week we covered what to expect during early labor and some suggestions on relaxation techniques. The 3rd week we talked about pain management options of labor and the risks associated with each, as well as the transition phase of labor and breathing techniques to keep from pushing too early. Last week, we discussed ways to push and information about c-sections and what to expect if you have one. Next Sunday will be our last class and we will actually go through a mock labor. I cannot express how helpful this class has been for both Erin and I.
Rarely does a day go by without remembering how blessed Erin and I are to have so many wonderful people, both friends and family, in our lives. From coworkers who help me figure out how to add baby to my medical insurance, to parents who come down to help put together the nursery, and family and friends who throw baby showers for us, I am beyond appreciative. We have been lucky enough to have 4 baby showers and I was able to attend 2 of them including 1 last night thrown by Erin's bible study group. What a fantastic group of men and women! My favorite part was listening to all of their stories about their children/grandchildren/nieces and nephews. It goes to show that every child and every situation is very unique and that is one of the best parts about babies and children.
Rarely does a day go by without remembering how blessed Erin and I are to have so many wonderful people, both friends and family, in our lives. From coworkers who help me figure out how to add baby to my medical insurance, to parents who come down to help put together the nursery, and family and friends who throw baby showers for us, I am beyond appreciative. We have been lucky enough to have 4 baby showers and I was able to attend 2 of them including 1 last night thrown by Erin's bible study group. What a fantastic group of men and women! My favorite part was listening to all of their stories about their children/grandchildren/nieces and nephews. It goes to show that every child and every situation is very unique and that is one of the best parts about babies and children.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Daycare Search Complete!
It is official, after a lot of phone calls, talking with people, and searching online Erin and I have found a daycare for our baby girl. After spending a lot of time determining what we wanted in a daycare and gathering contact information, we decided on a daycare center that we had driven by many times and is used by people that both Erin and I know. The center is called "Koalaty Time" and it is owned and run by Jan, a mom who couldn't find good daycare for her own children 20 years ago so she started her own. If you would like to know more about the center, visit the website at http://www.koalatytime.com/.
As soon as we walked in the door for a tour last Friday, everything just seemed right and a good fit. The staff were very happy and caring, Jan was very open and honest and took over an hour of her time to give us a tour and answer our questions. It was easy to tell how passionate she was about child care and it was exiting to see that all of the kids and parents knew her and she knew each of them by name. The one downfall, if there is one, is that the price is a little more then we were planning to spend, but making sacrifices and adjustments is part of becoming a parent. Another good thing is that we will not have to pay during the summer since Erin is a teacher and will be at home, that is much more then other places had to offer.
As soon as we walked in the door for a tour last Friday, everything just seemed right and a good fit. The staff were very happy and caring, Jan was very open and honest and took over an hour of her time to give us a tour and answer our questions. It was easy to tell how passionate she was about child care and it was exiting to see that all of the kids and parents knew her and she knew each of them by name. The one downfall, if there is one, is that the price is a little more then we were planning to spend, but making sacrifices and adjustments is part of becoming a parent. Another good thing is that we will not have to pay during the summer since Erin is a teacher and will be at home, that is much more then other places had to offer.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
She is Growing
Erin had an appointment at the OB yesterday for another ultrasound. Our baby has been in the 22nd percentile for size for a couple of months requiring bi-weekly ultrasounds, but I am glad to say that as of yesterday she has moved up to the 26th percentile which is a huge step. The ultrasound estimated her to be 3lb 7oz, although after hearing several stories from coworkers and family, I'm not sure how accurate that is.
After work today, Erin and I are going to visit the Grimes Learning Center Daycare as they are the only place we have found so far with a daycare opening for next August. Hopefully everything looks all right so we can check one more thing off the list.
After work today, Erin and I are going to visit the Grimes Learning Center Daycare as they are the only place we have found so far with a daycare opening for next August. Hopefully everything looks all right so we can check one more thing off the list.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
It Begins
Becoming a dad has been a dream of mine for several years now and I am still in awe that it has finally come true. Since learning that I will be a dad last fall I have learned a lot of new things, some interesting and some not so interesting, and I intend to use this blog to share those things with all of you.
So far, my favorite part is all of the planning. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a very organized person, and preparing for a baby to arrive takes a lot of organization and planning. From preparing the nursery, registering for presents, figuring out finances and daycare options, taking parenting classes at the hospital, and supporting my pregnant wife, I have kept very busy. So far, the one thing that I am not looking forward to is the actual delivery as I really don't like to see my wife in pain and hospitals are not my favorite place to be. That being said, we started a 5 week birthing class at Mercy this past weekend and after only 1 class, I am already feeling a lot better about the whole experience. With less then 2 months to go until the due date, I am hoping that my comfort level continues to grow with each class.
Another thing that will help us greatly when the baby comes is the timing of her arrival. With Erin being a teacher, she will not have to return to work until August, giving us plenty of time to get acclimated to having a baby at home before having to tackle the challenge of balancing 2 work schedules while raising a child. It also will fall during the down time in my "coaching year", allowing time to evaluate how/if coaching can continue to be a part of our lives.
I have a lot more to write, but will leave it at this for my 1st entry. I cannot express to you how excited I am to be a dad, and I look forward to sharing with you all along my journey.
So far, my favorite part is all of the planning. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a very organized person, and preparing for a baby to arrive takes a lot of organization and planning. From preparing the nursery, registering for presents, figuring out finances and daycare options, taking parenting classes at the hospital, and supporting my pregnant wife, I have kept very busy. So far, the one thing that I am not looking forward to is the actual delivery as I really don't like to see my wife in pain and hospitals are not my favorite place to be. That being said, we started a 5 week birthing class at Mercy this past weekend and after only 1 class, I am already feeling a lot better about the whole experience. With less then 2 months to go until the due date, I am hoping that my comfort level continues to grow with each class.
Another thing that will help us greatly when the baby comes is the timing of her arrival. With Erin being a teacher, she will not have to return to work until August, giving us plenty of time to get acclimated to having a baby at home before having to tackle the challenge of balancing 2 work schedules while raising a child. It also will fall during the down time in my "coaching year", allowing time to evaluate how/if coaching can continue to be a part of our lives.
I have a lot more to write, but will leave it at this for my 1st entry. I cannot express to you how excited I am to be a dad, and I look forward to sharing with you all along my journey.
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