A Formula First

Tonight was a new 'first': Riley got her first taste of formula. I gave her a bottle with 2oz. formula and 2oz. breast milk before bed. I did this for a few different reasons:

1. Last night was the hardest night we've (I've) had since she was born in regards to sleep. She was up every 2 hours or less. It was very taxing and I was a zombie this morning. Seeing as how I return to work on Tuesday, I really can't let this become the 'norm'. If it is true (of course it is) that formula takes longer to digest and therefore leaves a baby feeling full longer, then hopefully she'll sleep a little longer and I'll be a much more rested mommy in the mornings - good for her sake and mine!
2. If there were ever an emergency and we had to turn to formula all of a sudden, I want Riley to have had a taste of it in some form prior to that.
3. One of my biggest fears in returning to work is that my frozen supply of breast milk will quickly be depleted and I'll have to go exclusively to formula. I have nothing against formula, but as long as I am able to breastfeed, I want to. If I were to supplement Riley's bottles on my days at work with half formula and half breast milk, my frozen supply will last twice as long!

So Riley is in bed already - she conked out at 7:30pm - and we'll see how long this first stretch of sleep is. We'll also see what effects the formula has on her poop!! (Oh goodie!!)

12 Weeks Old!

Riley is 12 weeks old today - crazy how time flies!! I don't have much time right now to write about anything in particular, but wanted to add some recent pictures of the cutie-patootie herself!

Riley was reading to Mommy and Daddy for a change. If you can't tell, she was dying with anticipation to find out what is really wrong with Little Pookie. (Taken 2/27/09)

Riley's 3-month pictures are coming up next Friday and I was trying to decide whether or not the tutu would be one of her outfits. Kevin made the decision for me by deciding against it, but we had some dress-up fun with it anyhow! (Taken 2/26/09)

Getting ready for bath time! (Taken 2/25/09)

Is the tutu a 'no-no'?

Riley's 3-month pictures are a week from tomorrow - she'll actually be 3 months and 1 day old, exactly. In preparation for it, she and I played a little bit of dress up this afternoon to see whether or not she should wear the tutu. What do you think?

Welcome to the World, Jonathan Long!

I've found that I get caught up on my emails and have a pretty clear mind to blog after I feed Riley in the middle of the night. Right now it is 2:43am and I just put her back down in her crib after a 10 minute feeding. She is such a good baby.

My dear, dear friend Katie met her baby boy last night - Jonathan Charles Long. He weighed 7lb 10oz and is 21 inches long. I haven't talked to Katie yet - we've just exchanged text messages. However she did tell me that she pushed for over two hours and had NO epidural. I know this wasn't her choice, so I am anxious to talk to her later this morning to hear all about it. She is my hero right now - she has to feel as though there is nothing in this world she can't do. I cannot imagine going through childbirth without medication!

Both Jonathan and Riley are such miracles. God knows how much Katie and I both prayed for each other's babies and how neither of us take the miracle of getting pregnant for granted. I cannot wait to talk to her and even more, to meet Jonathan and to give her the biggest hug I can!

The Beginning of the End

It has finally arrived ... my last week of maternity leave. Never in my life have 11 weeks passed so quickly. I pray and pray that the final one goes as slowly as possible.

As I type this (with one hand), Riley is napping on me. I have vowed to hold her through each nap this week. I want to know a week from now that I took every possible moment with her. Kevin and I tackled all of the housecleaning this morning so that I don't have to worry about any of it this week - and can just focus on my Little Miss.

Thankully I'll just return part-time, working on Tues, Weds, and Thurs each week while her grandparents babysit. We are very blessed with this situation and I have to remind myself of this.

Are We Regressing?

I feel like we're moving backwards rather than forwards in regards to Riley's nighttime sleeping. The past two nights she has been waking up every three hours. She has gone down around 9pm and been up at midnight, 3am, and 6am like clockwork. I am praying that tonight doesn't turn out to be a repeat performance. I keep going over everything in my mind that we're doing in the evenings as well as throughout the day to see if I am the one causing this change ... but I can't put my finger on anything in particular.

I wouldn't worry so much except I go back to work in 11 days ... and it would be very nice to not be waking up every three hours through the night. Most friends have told me that their babies really turned the corner on the whole sleeping thing between 10 and 12 weeks. Riley will be 11 weeks tomorrow, so I hope we're just on the back end of that estimate.

And as much as it may sound like I am 'complaining' about this, I really am not. I love all the time I have with Riley, regardless the time of day ... but 5-6 straight hours of sleep would be nice again. =)

10-Weeks ... Wow!

Riley is 10 weeks old today. Weeks have never passed by so quickly in life - I assume this will hold true for years as well ... and for the rest of my life.

She continues to amaze Kevin and I. This week she has really started to 'play' more in the mornings and at night when we have her on her blanket or activity mat on the floor. She loves to look at herself in the mirror still, but now seems to enjoy interacting with us just as much if not more. She really gets those little legs kicking and those big eyes get even bigger and she just works herself up so much ... it's adorable. I've finally started capturing those times on video camera, although I can only tape her if Kevin is present as well. If it's just her, the video camera and me she freezes and focuses only on the camera. She still needs distraction and Daddy is that perfect distraction for her.

We've really been working on separating eating from sleeping with Riley. This came at the suggestion of Dr. K, as well as from some books I've read on getting your baby to be a good sleeper. The school of thought is that you want to keep your baby from associating eating with sleeping so that if they awake in the night, they are able to go back to sleep without thinking they need to eat first even if they aren't hungry. So our routine throughout the day is Eat, Play, Sleep, repeat. Along with this routine, we're trying to put her down to sleep at the point that she is drowsy, but not quite asleep. Again, this will help teach her how to put herself back to sleep without needing us should she wake up in the night. I don't know how well it is all working, but I think the reward will come with time. I have heard her wake up in the past few nights, suck on her little fist (it's her way of self-soothing now) and then she is back to sleep within minutes.

So tonight I fed Riley, had some playtime with her, and saw she was tuckering out fast. I wanted to get her down before she fell completely asleep, so we had story time, said her prayers, and then as I walked her to her crib, those little eyes that were drowsy popped open wide. I thought I'd take a chance, though, and put her in her crib. I laid her in there, rubbed her back, and put her fist near her mouth. As I was leaving her room I heard her begin to suck on her fist. By the time I turned the monitor on in the living room, not a sound could be heard. She had done it!! She put herself to sleep without a single cry. Here we are, over an hour later, and still no sounds from her room. I'm awful proud of my little miss tonight.

Turning the Corner

I am happy to announce that I think Riley has turned the corner on her cold and is on her way back to being a very healthy, happy, cough-free baby! Her cough is still present, but much less pronounced and not as frequent.

She had a rough night Friday night following her first round of immunizations. She didn't sleep well at all. Around 2am I finally went in and got her out of her crib and just held her on the couch the rest of the night. She was burning up when I went in to get her and I was shocked when taking her temperature that it was 101.2! I knew that a side effect was a mild fever, but I didn't realize 'mild' in baby world included 101.2. I quickly looked up 'fever after immunization' in my What to Expect the First Year book and was even more shocked to find that you don't need to notify your doctor unless the fever reaches 104 after immunizations! I didn't have any infant tylenol on hand (bad mommy!), but thankfully by morning she had dropped to 99.6.

On a personal note, I took a risk yesterday by trying on some of my pre-preggers jeans ... and five out of five of the pairs I tried on FIT!! Looks as though the Cardio Jam classes my friend Morrighan bought me for my birthday are paying off! Speaking of which, I had better start getting ready ... I have class from 4-5 tonight!

2-Month Well Check

Today Riley had her 2-month well check appointment. Going into it I wasn't sure if she was going to receive her vaccinations or not, due to the cold she is currently getting over. She had improved enough, though, that Dr. K said there was no medical reason not to give them - it just came down to whether I wanted her to have a little more discomfort today or sometime next week. I decided that since she wasn't feeling all that great right now, might as well get it over with, hoping that next week she just feels fabulous all around!


Getting her shots went just as I had imagined: she cried and I cried. Her cries only lasted about 5 minutes, though. She's a tough little girl! This picture was seriously taken just about two hours after the shots were given.






Now here we are, three hours later, and she still hasn't crashed! I thought we'd get a real good nap in as a result ... not the case! Instead, she is cruising in her new glider that I picked up at the store last night - she loves it! It's the Fisher Price Soothing Motions Glider ... and I highly recommend it! I first saw it a couple week ago at our friend's Kelly and Frank's house and knew Riley had to have it right then and there! Babies R Us no longer carries it, though, and Fisher Price has discontinued it. I was lucky to snag the last one at Baby Depot (Burlington Coat Factory) last night!





I digress ...


At today's appointment she weighed in at 10lb 10oz. I got a little worried at first, seeing as how she weighed 11lb 4oz at the appointment just a few days ago. However Dr. K quickly reminded me that at today's appointment she was weighed only in her diaper and that would make that much of a difference. No worries, then! This weight puts her in the 50th percentile!

She is also 22.5 inches long, putting her in the 50th percentile for height! Her head circumference is 38cm and that puts her in the 25th percentile. Our little miss has a small head! Dr. K said that was nothing to worry about, though - that she is developing wonderfully! And oh - did I tell you that she slept 8 straight hours last night?!

BabyLegs!

Ever hear of BabyLegs? If not, and if you have a baby or young child, you must check them out! I received my very first pair of BabyLegs as a gift before Riley was born. When I saw them I thought, "I will never, ever use these" and returned them. I've regretted it since!

Last week I went onto eBay and ordered two pairs of them (much cheaper on eBay than on the actual BabyLegs site, btw ...) - and today the first pair arrived! It took me less than five minutes to get them out, get Riley's pants off, and replace them with her new BabyLegs!

There are two big 'pros' for me with these BabyLegs:

1. Riley has several adorable dresses that I want her to wear before she outgrows them, but tights for babies look ridiculous on her, as they are so oversized and baggy. The BabyLegs will serve the same purpose as tights ... but look much better!


2. Diaper changes are a BREEZE now. Instead of having to take off her pants (which in turn, makes her socks fall off) and then undo her onesie to get to her diaper, I can simply just unbutton the onesie and be right at the diaper in no time!

They are a little long her her right now, but I am pleased with that - it only means there is room to grow. The BabyLegs site promotes them as being 'one size fits all' that can fit newborns to size 10 girls. Amazing! I've even read testimonials of MOM'S wearing them as leg and arm warmers!! I don't think you'll see me in them anytime soon, no matter how cute they are for Riley.

Here is a picture of her in her cute, cute BabyLegs! (These are the cream, organic ones)

** Another great site to purchase these from is www.babybella.biz. I haven't yet found a retailer in the area that sells them, but if anyone knows of one, please let me know!

Dear Riley ... (2 Month Letter)

The following is a copy of the letter that I wrote to Riley this morning - she is two months old today.

My Dearest Riley,


Today you are 2-months old. I feel like the time has gone so quickly, yet we already have so many memories together. As your Uncle Mark says, "The days are long, but the years are short". I am sure I'll agree with him on that. I have cherished every day that I have been with you and look forward to this next month. You are changing every day. Ever since you learned to smile, you've put on a show with those adorable dimples and that big, gummy grin. I love to hear you laugh - it just melts my heart.


I am amazed at your strength - you are able to hold your head up so high and move easily from side to side! You're even becoming quite the pro with your baby pushups when we do tummy time. You really enjoy to listen to music and LOVE to look at yourself in the mirror! I love getting you out of your crib in the mornings. Daddy and I walk in and see those big, beautiful blue eyes of yours and you greet us with a huge smile! Then, as I get you changed and dressed for the day, you are the most talkative. Maybe it's because we're nearly eye to eye while you're on your changing table. Regardless the reason, I love that special time with you.


You've begun to coo and quietly let out an "ahh-goo" every once in a while, but still don't seem quite sure of yourself with it. I stick my tongue out at you and blow raspberries and you've tried to do it a few times yourself, although so far it's only produced spit bubbles rather than sound. I am sure you'll master that very soon.


You're celebrating 2-months with a pretty yucky cold - your first cold ever. Today you and I are having a pajama day together, cuddled on the couch. As you were drifting off to sleep, you locked eyes with me and kept giving me beautiful smiles. I constantly tell you how much I love you, confident that while you may not understand the words, you know what I am saying is good and it makes you happy. You're such a growing, healthy baby. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and you now weigh 11 pounds, 4 ounces!


I love you so much, precious. I can't wait to see what this month brings and I am sure you'll continue to amaze your daddy and I.


Love, Mommy

It Was Getting Worse ...

I had mentioned that Riley had caught her first cold. The hardest part of this is that I know I am the one she caught it from, which makes me feel like such a bad mom. I called the nurse at Dr. K's office on Monday and explained her symptoms - runny nose, congestion, coughing. The nurse suggested that I take that day as a baseline and that only if she seemed to get worse, to come in. We are scheduled for her 2-month well-visit on Friday anyhow, so the nurse didn't seem to think she needed to be seen prior to that, given how she was on Monday.

Yesterday seemed to be the same as Monday, so I thought maybe Riley had plateaued and we were rounding the corner on this, but then today she sounded worse. She had a fabulous night - she slept 7.5 hours and at her 2:45am feeding she sounded great - no coughing and her nose sounded clear. However when she got back up again at 8:30am, her cough sounded the worst yet.

I called Heather (the perks of having a sister-in-law whose specialty as a nurse is the respiratory system!!) and she came over again this morning to check Riley out. Her lungs were still clear, but Heather agreed her cough sounded worse ... and her breathing was still a little labored, intermittently. I called Dr. K's office again and they were able to squeeze her in at noon today.

Dr. K examined her and said she certainly does have the cold virus, but was encouraged to hear that she seems to be eating okay (taking only 2-3 ounces per feeding, though, compared to her normal 4 ounces) and that she is sleeping well. He said that sadly she is too young to be given any medication for this. Her temperature in the office was 99.6 - her highest yet.

Our directions are to continue to do what we're doing - allow her to sleep and eat in an inclined position, run the humidifier in her room, keep a watch on her temperature, her breathing and her eating. Also:

• If she seems to be worse by Friday, come in for the well-visit appointment, although she won't receive shots, then.
• If she seems to be the same by Friday, reschedule the well-visit appointment for late next week.
• If she seems to be better by Friday, come in for the well-visit appointment and she'll get her shots.

I've always said that if I am going to err, I want to err on the side of caution, so I am happy that we had Dr. K look her over ... it helps me rest a little more easily knowing that we've had several people look her over. Dr. K said this virus seems to run about 7-10 days long. Friday will mark day 7 for her.

Again, we were able to get her weight today - 11lb 4oz! What a growing baby girl! And bless her heart, the entire time in the doctor's office, she smiled so big. It may be because her daddy came to the appointment to meet us - and she loves him so much!

Uh oh - there's the cough over the baby monitor. Better run ...

Riley's First Cold

Riley has her very first cold. I feel horrble because I am the one who gave it to her. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and a sinus infection on Wednesday and have since then tried really hard to limit my face-to-face interaction with her, but we can't eliminate it completely.

Now Riley is coughing, has a stuffy nose, and a runny one at times. Thankfully she doesn't have a fever - her temp has held steady at 97.1 degrees - but I still feel so badly for the little peanut! Thankfully her 2-month well-check is on Friday. I'll just feel better once Dr. K has looked her over. Until then I'll keep up with the saline drops, nasal aspirator, and run out to buy an inclined sleep positioner to try and get some of this drained out as she sleeps.