Mia Learned a New Trick!

I left something out of Mia's one-month post!  She learned a new trick!  Gannon is so proud of her :)
Bryan and I were watching Mia on the floor the other day, April 7 to be exact, and she decided she no longer wanted to have tummy time.  That's right, folks!  She ROLLED OVER!  Holy wow!

I know what you must be thinking...April 7?  But she was only born on March 19!

That's correct, 19 days.  Nineteen days old!  Yikes!

Now that she knows she can do this, she does it almost every time we try to incorporate tummy time.  Either that or she falls asleep. Either way, we aren't getting a whole lot of tummy time these days ;)

She has always been strong.  And she doesn't like to just relax.  The night she was born I laid her on my chest, and she tried with all her might to lift her head and look at me.  She couldn't control her head movement, obviously, but her strength amazed me.

I can't wait to post more "firsts!"

Oh, What a Night!

Last night, we all headed out to the ball fields for Gannon's tee ball game.  Austyn and Ramsey had the best time watering the dirt to make great flowers grow, ha!  And Mia spent time cheering for her big brother:

 Okay, okay...So she was cheering in her head ;)

About 30 minutes after this photo was taken, she decided to scare the bajeezus out of us.  After the game, we loaded up and headed home to eat supper and see Bryan off.  He and Zach were heading to Conroe after the game for a training they were supposed to attend today.  When we got home, I popped a pizza in the oven (Healthy, right?) and began to nurse Mia.  Suddenly, she was burning up.  I asked Bryan to grab the thermometer, and I checked her temp.  102.9!  Seriously?!  This was about 8:00.  By this time, Zach was at the house and he and Bryan were getting in the truck to leave.

I have been told before not to worry about temps, but to worry about symptoms.  For instance, a kid who is miserable at 101 needs to be seen before a kid who has a temp of 103 with no symptoms.  Mia had no symptoms.  Well, none that I could see anyway.  She is only five weeks old, so symptoms are a little hard to determine.  Still, I felt uneasy about a temp that high on a baby so tiny, so I started calling around.  I decided to call the doctor to ask them what to do.  The nurse told me that in babies her age, the recommend the ER for anything over 100.5.  So, off to the ER we went!

Zach's wife, Laurie, and I had been keeping in touch since her fever started.  She offered to keep the bigs while Mia and I went to the ER.  Gannon was very worried about Mia, but jumped at the chance to go to Brantley's house.  I can't thank her enough for helping us out like that!

When we got to the ER, they took us back immediately.  They weighed her (10 pounds 6 ounces--holy cow!) and checked her temp again.  Still 102.9 (11pm).  They rushed her into a triage room and began a series of tests.  They drew blood (several times), did an in and out catheter, and started an IV.  Then the doctor turned to me and said, "We are going to need to do a spinal tap to test her for meningitis."  What??!!  Meningitis?!  Okay, this is where I start to panic a little bit.  He also asked if I had tested positive for Group B Strep during my pregnancy, which I had, and if I had the antibiotics, which I had not.  Enter more panic. 

*Group B Strep is a bacteria found in about 25% of all healthy women.  It does not present any symptoms, however, it is very dangerous, sometimes fatal, to newborns.  Women who test positive for GBS must have two rounds of antibiotics through an IV during labor (before birth).  Well, given Mia's birth story, antibiotics were not an option.  Both my doctor and her pediatrician said that because the delivery happened so quickly and because my water broke as she came out, she was at little to no risk.  There can, however, be a late onset of complications.

The doctor offered me to stay in the room during her spinal tap, but I chose to step out of the room.  I used that time to call and update Bryan.  He had just arrived in Conroe, but after hearing what was going on with Mia, he decided to get back in the truck and head home (It's 11:30 now and Conroe is over three hours away).  I hated the thought of him driving home alone, worried, and in the middle of the night!!  Thankfully, when he called his boss, Mr. Bobby insisted that Zach come home with him.  He even offered to help with our bigs or to come sit at the hospital with Mia and me.  I love that he works for such a family oriented company!

Finally, at almost midnight, I got to hold and nurse my sweet little angel.  She nursed for almost an hour, and then she passed out.  Chere little heart!

At about 12:45, they came back with some news.  Lumbar puncture came back crystal clear!  No meningitis (best news all night)!!  The culprit?  A UTI!  Wow!  I so didn't see that one coming!  We aren't finished, yet, but things are already looking better!  They immediately started her on antibiotics to start fighting the bacteria.  They warned me that even though she is on antibiotics and her fever is down now, it can spike back up at any time over the next couple of days.  They said it is normal and not to worry, but for this reason, they have to admit her for at least 48 hours. 

About 1:15, they bring us upstairs and get us in a room.  They hooked her up to heart and respiratory monitors, which made me feel a lot better!

The night went really well, but I didn't sleep.  She hated the bed they brought in for her, so I just help her all night.  I dozed for 5-10 minutes here and there, but I never actually slept. 

He said that on the outside, everything is anatomically perfect.  He ordered an ultrasound to check her kidneys and bladder.  He said the cause could be one of three things: E. Coli (number 1 cause of UTIs), GBS, or genetics.  Hopefully, we will have results tomorrow.

Until then, we are just hanging out.  My sweet girl has been such a trooper through this whole ordeal, and I am so proud of her.  She has gotten a little bit clingier, and I can't blame her one bit.  I am soaking up all the love she wants to give me!!

I will post updates as they become available.  Hopefully, we will get to go home Friday!

Time is Flying!

My sweet Mia, I can't believe you are already a month old!  It seems like just yesterday you were teasing me and keeping me guessing about your arrival.  Well, you are here now, and I can't imagine our lives without you.  You are so sweet and so perfect, and I just can't believe how much we love you!

You are such a happy baby.  You really only cry when you are hungry or tired.  You hate to be tired!  I guess you think you will miss something really important.  If holding you doesn't immediately comfort you, then we know you are tired. 

You have a love/hate relationship with swaddle blankets.  You sleep best when swaddled.  You just love it.  But, like I said above, you hate being tired, and you hate going to sleep.  Therefore, swaddling makes you angry at first.  I guess you know that you aren't going to win the battle, ha!  After we swaddle you up and rock you, it's over.  Two, three minutes, tops!

You are a really good sleeper!  Your first two nights home with us were rough, only because you slept all day and partied all night.  Then, we got a tip to keep you in as much natural light as possible.  It worked!  You started staying awake more during the day and taking your naps at night.  Happy Mommy and Daddy!  From your third night home, your schedule pretty much remained the same.  You eat a lot between 6 and midnight, then you sleep until 4.  You don't even cry to eat, you just grunt until I pick you up.  You don't really even open your eyes.  You wake again around 8, and then sleep until noon. 

You love your bath.  You aren't playing yet, obviously, but you get so relaxed and just seem so content.

You travel a lot, and are a really good sport about it!  You come with Austyn and me to ballet every Monday, and, of course, you go to all of G's tee ball games.  You are a hit everywhere we go (no surprise)! 

You even made your first trip home to Lake Charles!  You were a great little traveler.  You slept the entire drive.  You began to cry just as we turned in to McDonald's, which is where I was stopping to wake and feed you!  As soon as I put you back in your seat, you slept all the way to Sulphur :)

Everyone at home was so excited to meet you!  Of course, everyone just loved you!

You like a pacifier sometimes, but it is not a requirement for you.  You really only like the vanilla scented one they gave you at the hospital.  Don't tell, but Mommy had to go back to the hospital and get another one because yours went missing one day ;)

You like your car seat, but you hate to get into it.  Once you are in it and we pick it up you are fine.  You take really good naps in it, too.

You are the "gruntiest" baby I have ever heard in my life! It is the funniest thing! You grunt in your sleep constantly. Stretching, especially, is a giant production for you.

You love to take naps in your swing, but you don't really care for it if you are awake.

You are not a very "smiley" baby.  At least not yet.  You do smile, but we have to work for them.  You are usually very studious of the world around you, just taking in everything.  When you do smile, though, it is beautiful!

Your brother and sister love you so much!  They are constantly trying to hug and kiss you, even if you don't want them around you.  Here, Austyn heard you crying, so she shared her beloved Rora with you.  I don't think it is exactly what you wanted, but you have no idea how much she must love you if she is willing to let Rora love on you!

 

Our first month with you has just flown by so incredibly fast, and I am sure the months to come will as well.  I just love you so much and I am so happy that you decided to join our family and make us a family of five. 

Here are a few comparisons:



All Star!

Tee ball is hilarious.  I mean, really!  These kids don't have a clue!  They sure are cute, though :)

Bryan is helping coach the team this year, and Gannon just loves it!  It's not the best on the field, though.... Every time he catches the ball, he turns to show Bryan instead of completing the play, ha! 

My little stud :)

He got a double!!

Rounding third for the score!

My boys :)

Bryan's co-worker, Zach, is also helping coach the team.  His son, Brantley, and Gannon have become the best of friends!  He has a little brother, Ramsey, who is two.  He and Austyn have a blast playing in the dirt and yelling at their daddies and brothers on the field.  I'll try to get photos of them next time :)

I may be biased, but I love this little face!

Life With Three

Well, the length of time since my last post should tell you plenty!

I am going to "borrow" a quote from a friend:

I'm learning that as a Mom and a wife, I am pretty alright, as a housekeeper, I'm not.

Well, that is especially true now.  I am sure the first two were this way, too, but I just don't remember.  Mia is an extremely easy baby, but she is just that: a baby.  She doesn't like to be alone, which means I don't get much done. 

Thanks to the many, many family and friends who brought us meals, I cooked for the first time since Mia was born last night.  And not even because I had to!  We are so blessed to have such great people taking care of us!  Now, if only I could twitch my nose for everything else!!

Mia is a very happy baby.  She really only cries when she is hungry or tired.  Boy, does she get angry when she's tired!!  It's like she doesn't want to miss anything.  She will just suddenly start screaming, so we swaddle her up tight and rock her.  This makes her even angrier for a second because she knows she can't fight it, but usually within a minute, maybe two, she is out cold!  Sweet baby :)

You can see here just how relaxed she is!  She can't even wake up for a bath ;)

Just like her bigs, she makes lots of silly faces.  These are just a few of the expressions that keep us laughing.

Here are my bigs helping out.  I love that I am able to pump so that they can also bond with her.  Gannon feels very important when he gets to feed her Mommy's Milk :)

Austyn sure does love "her" baby!

Gannon got a shaving kit for Christmas, and he LOVES to use it.  Any time we can't find him, you can bet he is locked in the bathroom shaving!  Apparently, he thought Mia need to shave, too.  I don't think she agreed ;)

Gannon's tee ball games have started, and he has either one or two every week.  Austyn is still doing ballet every Monday, so we are pretty busy.  Mia is a little trooper, and cooperates very well on all our outings.

We are all a little tired, Austy-Bear!

Slip-N-Slide Fun!

We have all been enjoying the great weather lately, including Mia!  The kiddos got a slip-n-slide for Easter, so Bryan and I (and Mia) have been watching the bigs play.  Mia loves to sit outside in the fresh air and hear her bigs laugh and squeal :)

Austyn was so funny...She would run as fast as she could, then just before she would get there, she would stop and jump on it.  She couldn't figure out why she wasn't going anywhere!

Did I do it that time??

Bryan finally just tossed her down the slide...she LOVED it!

Then, of course, Gannon wanted a toss!  That boy sure makes some faces!!  Haha!

She actually got a little wind that time!

 Weeeeeeee!!!

He fell and knocked the wind out of himself, so A came and gave him a kiss.  They melt my heart when they are sweet!

I promise...It won't take so long to post again!