Weekly Update: Attack of The Acid Reflux Monster

Teddy is getting so big already. How so you ask? 

Here are some things she started doing this week:

Opening her eyes and making eye contact:

Laughing like a maniac in her sleep.

Smiling in her sleep (dreaming about daddy, I assume):

Smiling while pooping (thinking about me having to change her, I assume):

Napping in her crib:

Wearing headbands:

Being a pro at tummy time:

Holding up her head:

Pushing her paci in her mouth with her fist.

Relaxin' in her Ergo Carrier:

Staying awake all day ...this kid already likes to party.

Rockin' her crooked pinkies:

Getting chubbier cheeks day-by-day:

Almost outgrowing newborn sizes.

(Don't know how she still or ever even fit in newborn sizes!)


Losing her umbilical cord:

Making thee cutest faces:

When you look at these pictures you may be quick to think that we have the happiest baby alive, but don't be fooled because these pics are deceiving...

November 2nd is when the Acid Reflux Monster attacked our sweet angel.

(YAYYYYY!!!!)

On her one-week birthday Tenley did great during the day. Then after a late afternoon feeding she was screaming, arching her back and shaking her head back and forth uncontrollably. We had no idea what was wrong with her so we assumed gas, again. Then this was happening after every feeding and peaking between 2 pm to midnight. There was nothing we could do to get her from screaming bloody murder. Rocking her didn't work. Walking with her didn't work. Burping her didn't work. Her paci didn't work. At this point, I feel like thee worst mom EVER. Why can't I calm my baby? On Saturday, Ed and I reached a breaking point and called the pediatricians emergency line. He said she had all the symptoms of acid reflux. Poor baby. So we went and bought Colic Calm to help her out, but it didn't seem to work either. We were keeping her upright for 30 minutes after every feeding, but that didn't help either.

On Monday she had an appointment with the pediatrician to see if she was back to her birth weight and sure enough our little chunker weighed 10 pounds 1 ounce (she's seriously going to be a body builder some day). We got to talk more about her recent behavior and apparently I'm a milk machine and she's getting too much milk when she eats, thus only making the acid reflux worse and stretching out her belly. Who would think that making too much milk is a bad thing? So he suggested pumping then feeding her, but I didn't agree since that would make me produce even more milk. So I decided to cut down her feeding time and get her adjusted to a smaller milk intake. Even that didn't seem to help her tummy so we frantically called the pediatrician; looking for some type of relief for our daughter. He said since she was getting worse he would prescribe her Zantac. I'm not a fan of having her on medication so early, but how am I supposed to be a good mom if I'm not getting any sleep and am extremely stressed out too? I couldn't stand seeing her cry anymore, since it was also making me ball my eyes out every time so I gave in and started her Zantac, kept her elevated for 30 minutes after each feeding and am having her sleep in her crib that's elevated as well. We're currently one day in and it has not kicked in completely. Hopefully it'll help her soon because I hate seeing her like this!

To top it off, Ed went back to work yesterday and I've been home alone with Teddy all day. I also don't have anymore grandparents around to help out either...

HURRY BACK GRANDPARENTS!! Pleaseeeee.

Thank God for the support of my friends and the offers to come help out! I also don't know what I'd do if I weren't able to call Courtney in tears all the time and hear that I'm doing okay and that this is just a phase. (Thanks, Court!!) I used to think being a "stay-at-home mom" would be fun, but I'm honestly scared shitless! Please pray for me to have major duty patience this upcoming week.

Gotta go tend to lil' miss fussy pants...

Happy Hump Day Everyone! :)

Weekly Update: My Cup Runneth Over

We were excited about bringing Tenley home and introducing her to Pearl for the first time. (keyword: were) The introduction to Pearl went well; however baby girl screamed all night. This is when we were wishing Nurse Julie was still around to give us pointers (she was the best!). Thank God my mom was here to rock her to sleep after Eddie and I had enough. Who knew a baby could have so much gas? Not me. 

So the next night we decided to give her a sponge bath to calm her before we tried getting her to sleep:

She hated the sponge bath, but it worked and all three of us got some much needed rest. If she continues to hate baths I guess she'll be the smelly kid in class. Everyone has to have a smelly kid, right?!

To poop her out on Saturday we went to the Espejo's so she could visit her best friend, Gracie:

Mommy's Little Pumpkin

Then on Sunday, we cheered on the Steelers, of course! Since she was wearing her cute Steelers dress from Auntie Frannie we pulled off a win against the Patriots. WOO-HOO!!

GOOOOO STEELERRRSSS!!

This year was Tenley's first Halloween and since it was too late to find a newborn costume, Tenley wore her kitty hat and was the cutest little kitty cat for Halloween:

Baby girl even had her first appointment with the pediatrician on Halloween:

Tenley weighed 9 pounds 7 ounces at the pediatricians so we have to go back next week since she isn't back to her birth weight yet. Everything else was great and she did so well with the doc. She even left him a stinky lil' present!

After the doctors, we hung out on the couch:

Then, the Cantors came over to visit and Linda gave Tenley her first piece of jewelry:

(Thanks, Linda!!)

Later, Tenley changed into her Halloween PJs:

The next day we started Tenley on "Tummy Time" and she was a champ:

Even Pearl joined in:

Then, it was lights out for this lil' girl:

Our first week home with Tenley was great and we love her more and more every day. I love watching my lil' miracle grow each day and get even chunkier cheeks for me to love on all day! As my mom says, "my cup runneth over."

Welcome Home, Tenley!!

Tenley Elizabeth's Birth Story

Tenley Elizabeth Ditata

October 26, 2011

9:18 am

9 pounds 8 ounces

21 inches long

Here is the story of how my sweet angel made her fashionably late entrance into the world:

When I was 34 weeks pregnant, Tenley’s doctor estimated her weight to be 7 pounds and 5 ounces (BIG ...already). He also stated that if she was born on her due date that he would estimate her birth weight to be a whopping 9 and a half pounds! Seriously?! How could that be possible?! Eddie and I had the mindset of “that is just a calculation – he must be wrong.” The doctor recommended I schedule an induction for October 19^th due to her size; however we wanted to give her to her “due date” (October 20^th) to keep cooking and I really had my heart set on experiencing the moment I had my “birth show”, my first real contraction, my water breaking, etc. Needless to say, I was hesitant about not giving my body the opportunity to go naturally on its own. So we scheduled an induction for October 26^th in case I did not go on my own.

My due date came and went… at 3 am on October 24^th I experienced my "birth show". I sat on the toilet telling Ed, “Oh my God!! She’s coming soon!! We’re having a baby!!” That night I could NOT sleep... Instead of sleeping I laid in bed having the strongest contractions I have ever had before and was way too excited to sleep. Eddie and I went for a walk around 9am to try to get my labor started, but it did not work. As I anticipated labor, I went through another sleepless night.

On October 25^th, I went to my weekly doctor appointment and it couldn’t have gone any worse. The baby’s heart rate and my contractions were monitored and I was having major contractions and Tenley’s heart rate seemed to be okay. Then, the nurse came to test my fluid levels and the baby’s movement since she had been moving less; which I just assumed was due to her being crammed in my belly, but I was wrong. I had lost 3 pounds and my fluid levels had dramatically decreased. To measure her movement the nurse had to use this buzzer thing to get her to move, but she wouldn’t. The nurse said she was being graded as a C- and was very sluggish because my placenta had “aged”. At this point during our appointment, I started to get nervous and emotional. The doctor came in and expressed his concern about getting Tenley out safely. He said she needed to be out in 24 hours or less because my placenta was not functioning properly. He also advised me that due to her size and my placenta that my risk of a c-section was now extremely high. The water works began and I could not control my sobbing. I felt like such a baby because I couldn't stop crying. The doctor and nurses hugged me trying to give me reassurance, but it did not help. I couldn't stand the thought of Tenley being in danger. I also felt like such a failure. Here I am doing everything possible to prepare myself mentally and physically for labor, but my body was not proving to be capable. My doctor told me to do kick counts throughout the night and to call him immediately if her movement decreased even more.

We headed home and stopped by Tropical Smoothie so I could go home, eat and start my kick counts. I got 10 kicks in 10 minutes so I felt a tid bit relieved, but kept thinking, “how am I going to get through the night worrying abut her movement?” We decided to call the doctor to see if we could possibly go to the hospital tonight rather than 8am on the 26^th. He said that he would love it if we went to the hospital now since I only had 24 hours to get her out. He said that he didn’t mention that at our appointment because he knew I was hesitant about being induced anyways. So I hopped in the shower and we headed to the hospital to get this party started.

We arrived at the hospital at 7 pm on October 25^th. Our labor and delivery nurse, Cindy, was super nice and made me feel extremely comfortable about my birth plan. She did an exam and said that I was 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  After talking to my doctor, she started me on the smallest dosage of Pitocin at 9pm and I immediately started having strong contractions that were 3 minutes apart. By 10:30 pm my water spontaneously ruptured. Ed and I giggled with excitement because this meant our daughter was closer to meeting us. Then the laughter quickly stopped because my contractions got even worse. Cindy told me that from this point on my labor would get even worse since my water had ruptured. I kept moving from the bed to my birthing ball while listening to my birthing affirmations and practicing my breathing techniques, but nothing helped. I began feeling nauseous and vomited with every contraction. 4 am rolled around and I was 4 cm dilated. Since I was so against an epidural, I tried to handle the pain the best ways I knew how, but with this being my third sleepless night exhaustion doesn't even come close to explaining how I was feeling. I asked Ed if he would think less of me if I got an epidural and if I would be a hypocrite, but he encouraged me to do whatever I needed to do. We called the nurse and asked for an epidural. The anesthesiologist came to give me the epidural and it kicked in by 4:30 am. Even with the epidural, I was able to feel the contractions coming and going. The nurse was worried since I was still able to feel the contractions, but I assured her that it was a lot better and I was able to sleep through my contractions. I woke up at 6 am with hard core contractions. Cindy measured me at 7cm dilated and informed me that the machine dispensing the epidural was reading low battery and not pumping into my system anymore. The anesthesiologist was currently in a c-section and could not come to administer/correct my epidural. By 7 am, I was 10cm dilated and Cindy called my doctor to tell him I was going to start pushing. Cindy's shift was over and another nurse stepped in for her. I was worried I wouldn't be comfortable with her, but she was awesome. By 8:30 am I was still pushing and making little progress. Tenley’s heart rate began to drop and the doctor said her head was so big that it may not be able to descend so he gave me until 9 am to have her. He booked an O.R. in case 9 am came and no progress was made. Could I really have done all this work for nothing?! I wasn't going to allow that and I was determined to have her the old fashioned way - vaginally. Then, my body started to bear down spontaneously and my body was convulsing with every contraction. I was bearing down like a maniac and Eddie said he could see her head come out more and more with every push (then it would go back in). I was almost there! 9 am rolled around and the baby was crowning. The doctor came in and said “WOAH! I didn’t think this was going to happen!” Tenley's heart rate dropped even more and he began to worry about her. He came to my side and told me that the baby needed assistance coming out because of her heart rate and size of her head and suggested using a vacuum. This was something I did not consider, but what else was going our way through this besides nothing? My doctor said, “You need to start trusting me. I may not know everything about everything, but this is what I do know.” We told him to do whatever he had to do to get her out safely. He called about 9 nurses into the room because he said once her head was out they may have to manipulate her shoulders out because they assumed her body was just as big as her head. The room was full at this point and I had a lot of cheerleaders giving me great encouragement. My body really took over and I could feel that with every contraction I was making more progress. After a massive push and use of the vacuum, Ed looked at me and said, “her heads out babe; you’re almost there!!” I beared down and pushed for what seemed like another hour and her body came out with no problem. At 9:18 am, all 9 of the nurses, the doctor and Ed were screaming “she’s out – you did it!!” My body went into extreme relaxation and my sweet baby girl was put on my chest and I began to sob... 

(This is thee greatest moment I've ever experienced in my life.)

I could barely see her because I was crying so hard, but she was starring right at me and began to cry with her sweet raspy lil’ voice. Eddie and I had a Tenley sandwich and just marveled in her beauty. After a little bit they put Tenley under the warmer since our room was an ice cube and her temperature was really low. The doctor came to my side and informed me that she weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces and said, “Now are you going to start trusting me?”

He was spot on with her estimated weight. 

He hugged Eddie and told me he was amazed at how well I did and was surprised I was able to give birth to such a big baby, but I was determined and had the BEST supporter by my side - Eddie.

Although the journey did not go as planned, we are extremely happy with the outcome - a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Tenley is thee greatest gift that God has ever given us. We will do anything for her and will love her unconditionally forever.

Tenley's pediatrician came to check her out and since she was doing great, we only had to stay at the hospital for 24 hours. Tenley got dressed in her birdie outfit to go home:

(Gahhhh those ruffles kill me!)

Then, she quickly left us a present in those sweet, sweet ruffles so she had to have a wardrobe change (such a diva):

She has enriched our lives in a way we never thought possible and we are thrilled to be her parents. Now I'm going to go cuddle my chunky monkey and kiss her sweet chubby cheeks ALL day!

Tenley's Nursery

I can now cross a major item off my To-Do List:

Finish Tenley's Nursery

When we found out a little chickie hi-jacked my belly the quest for her adorable bedding began. I didn't have to search long as I had a few that I already had my eye on. I wanted her nursery to feel calm, modern and earthy so when I found the Dwell Studio sparrow baby bedding, I could not be talked out of buying it for her. I was inspired by the sparrows on her bedding and found some great pieces to go with our "bird" theme: Etsy Tree Decal, Dwell Studio Sparrow Pillow and Pottery Barn Bird Lamp and Rug. We also got creative and bought 5 wooden bird houses from Michael's, painted them white and hung them above her curtain boxes. Then to complete the furniture in her room we were on a mission to find a nifty chair. We didn't want anything too big or too bulky and we found this mod rocking chair from IKEA that would match her furniture perfectly.  My amazing in-laws went to PA to buy it, then shipped it to us so we didn’t have to drive to CA for it. Yes, they totally spoil us (and Tenley, too). I don’t know what we’d do without them ...thanks again!  The only thing we still need are these bird book ends so we can put her books on her dresser and her name to hang above her crib. I was worried about how everything would look together, but I must say I am extremely happy with how it turned out. Here is a peak into Tenley's nursey:

Now if only I had a baby to put in that crib or rock in that chair...

4ish weeks left!!

Maternity Shoot

My friend Chelsea, who just had a beautiful baby girl, takes thee best photos so I was thrilled when she agreed to take our maternity photos even though her baby girl was only 3 weeks old. We decided to take the photos at 32 weeks and I could not stop thinking about them. Then, when I was 31 weeks pregnant I had a dream about our maternity shoot and shared my dream with Chelsea ...I was in a field in a earthly dress, then in a bathing suit with Ed painting "We <3 Tenley" on my belly. So she tweaked it and came up with a beautiful/super fun photo shoot. Here are some of our favs:

 

I'm so happy we took these photos and can't wait to be able to share them with Tenley some day. Thanks to Chelsea for making it so much fun and giving me amazing confidence throughout the whole shoot. You are awesome! :)

To see more of Chelsea's photos go to: www.chelsearobbinsphotography.blogspot.com.