The Slyngers: March 2011

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Grammy's here!

Brad's mom has come to town to visit with us and help with Maya. I'm so excited to have her here! It's not only great to have the help, but it's so fun to see Maya bond with her Grammy.

For the last few weeks, we've been dealing with Maya's fussiness, which we've been trying to convince ourselves is "normal". It's been really difficult not knowing what's causing her to be so upset all the time and emotionally wearing as we go through all the options (hungry? diaper? tired?) and still have a crying baby. For a while we just assumed she had some gas issues and were giving her Mylicon, but it seemed like there was more to the problem. As new parents it's so hard to know what's "normal" and what to do.
When Grammy got here, she helped confirm that her fussiness was not "normal" and that we should take some further action. Yesterday, we called and got an appointment with the pediatrician. We had done some research online and the doctor confirmed our worries...our baby has acid reflux :( It's good to finally have a cause for the fussiness, but now we're trying to find the right solution. The doctor prescribed Zantac, which seems to help for the first couple hours after we give it to her, but then she goes back to fussy. We read some mixed reviews online and I don't love the idea of giving my 5 week old medication, but I think we'll give it some more time to see if it'll help. We also read out an all natural option called Colic Calm. People who didn't have success with Zantac, seem to love this product and I love that it's all natural. Hopefully she'll find some relief with one of the options!

In the meantime, we're loving our time with Grammy :)

Mama's first escape

Last weekend was my future sister-in-law's wedding shower. Leading up to the day, I struggled to decide what to do with the Maya...take her along or leave her at home. I knew there would be a lot of people who would love to see her, so part of me definitely wanted to bring her with me, but I decided that it would be better to leave her home. With so many people there (and the venue was a senior living community), I didn't want her to catch any bugs. I also knew I'd be very preoccupied and unable to focus on the shower guests and activities. Finally, I was excited at the thought of getting out of the house for a little "alone" time.
Of course, leaving her home would be impossible if not for one key point- she needed to take a bottle! Our doctor had advised that we should introduce the bottle between 3 and 6 weeks. Before 3 weeks could cause nipple confusion and after 6 weeks would be too late and she would have a hard time learning the new skill. With the shower the day after her 4 week "birthday", we knew we needed to introduce the bottle that week. The first attempt didn't go very well, but try #2 and 3 were great! She finally figured it out and I experienced a major mental relief to see her take the bottle from Brad. I saw some freedom and flexibility in the future and I was ecstatic! Not that I don't enjoy nursing my baby, but having the option of Brad taking over a feeding every now and then was a very exciting thought! Not only does it give me some freedom, but we both like the idea that Brad could partake in the bonding by feeding her as well.
Here's my girl taking the bottle for the first time! She's getting so big (really...she weighed 9lbs 4 oz at her dr appointment yesterday)!

The shower was wonderful and it was great to spend some time with my family. I'm so excited for my brother, Paul and Tina! The wedding is around the corner and I cannot wait for them to make it official!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

3 weeks in...

I'm 3 weeks old today! 3/5/11

As I expected, I haven't had much time for blogging. Even now, I'm watching the clock, knowing she'll be waking up soon to eat! Not that I mind...she's definitely the priority these days and even though this "mom thing" is more challenging than I expected, I wouldn't trade it for anything!

The last three weeks have been incredible. We're loving our new addition and it's been awesome to be home with Brad and transition as a family. Our "transition" has definitely had its highs and lows. These first few weeks have been harder than I expected. I have a whole new appreciation for moms. Little sleep combined with a crying baby that can't communicate what's wrong can be very wearing. As a new mom, I so badly want to soothe her and make it "all better". It breaks my heart when I'm unable to do so. Fortunately, I have a great support system and through talking with other mommy friends and family, I've learned that her fussiness these first few weeks is not only ok, but totally normal. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that she's not colicky...apparently that would officially start this week! The more time that passes, the more we're able to figure out what might be the problem and how to fix it. We have our bag of tricks depending on the situation and can rotate through our options until we find something that works. Unfortunately, there are times when nothing seems to work and it's then that we've learned to lean on each other for support and sanity.

I also have a new appreciation for this guy!

I'm not sure what I'd do without my hubby these days. I always knew he'd be a good dad, but I had no idea how awesome he'd be until she entered our world. From the first moment he held her, it was obvious he would be amazing. There was nothing awkward about it...he held her like a pro and talked to her with so much love and adornment. Once we got home, he became my rock. When I was an emotional mess, he stayed strong and positive, reminding me that it was all ok and I was doing a great job, even though I sometimes felt like a total failure. I have a whole new appreciation for him and love him more than ever before. I'm so blessed God put him in my life. I can't imagine doing this without him.

We love our little girl so much! I can't wait for the next few weeks to see her grow and change. Here's a few pics of our first few weeks...