Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Since she had a bottle at 4:45, she slept later than most mornings. I had to wake her up to get her ready for her dr's appt. The dr recommends getting tubes in her ears so they are to make an appointment for us to take her to an ears, nose and throat dr. We stopped at mom's for a while and Abigail slept most of the time we were there. When we came home, she played with her toys for a little while, then I put her down for another nap. She has been back there now for over 2 hrs. I had to put the pacifier in a few times, but it has been over an hour since the last time I did. I like it when she takes long naps b/c I can get things done. I am pretty much packed for this weekend. I started the other day b/c her sleeping schedule is so irregular at times that I wanted to make sure I got everything ready on time. Mom and I are going over to Jeffersonville to the outlet mall. We will leave on Friday. Chris is leaving tomorrow to go to a State Shooting Tournament around Medina.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

She had me up early again, but then went back to bed. When she got up around 9, I took a blanket outside and we laid on the blanket in the shade for about half an hour. She really likes to be laid down to just wiggle and play on her own. She started getting fussy again, so I put her down for another nap. Then, we put on our bathing suits and sunscreen and went swimming with our neighbor and her two grandkids in their pool. Abigail did well and ended up falling asleep on my shoulder. Of course, when I tried to put her down, she woke up. I gave her a bottle before the rest of us ate lunch. She got sleepy again, so we came back over and I changed her and put her back in her crib. While she was sleeping, I got a shower and got ready to leave. Chris was coming home early so we could go to Parkersburg. Our dryer wasn't working right the other day and we had to go get a new belt for it. Then we went to eat at River City and went shopping at Penney's where we got a few outfits for Abigail for $3. Then, to VBS again. We gave her a 6 oz bottle when we got home. She woke up at 3:19 but went back to sleep after I put the pacifier back in, then wanted a bottle at 4:45.

Monday, July 28, 2008

It started as a usual day but I just had to have the leftover pizza for lunch instead of a sandwich or salad. So, about 3 in the afternoon, my gallbladder started acting up again. I didn't really know what to do. Chris rode his bike to work so he couldn't come home quickly like he normally can and my grandparents (who just live on the next street) were getting ready to go to town. I took some pain medicine and just hoped it would quickly go away. Before long, I called mom and she woke up Geneva early from her nap and came and got Abigail. Right after mom left, I was feeling ok. I decided to lay down and I took an hour nap. When I woke up, I was hurting again but after I got up and moved around, I was fine. Then we went to VBS again and I stayed with Abigail in the cradle roll again.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Once again, Sunday worship was spent in the nursery. She was so tired but wouldn't go to sleep easily until I rocked her in the nursery. I thought about going back down to the auditorium but figured she would wake up and be fussy again if I did. So, I stayed up there till service was over. We put her down in her crib not long after we got home. Since Chris was here, I wanted to get a nap, so I laid down. I was surprised when I woke up at 3:30 that she was just starting to wake up. We laid her back down around 5 in hopes that she would be good for VBS and it worked. She went to sleep and she also was well behaved during the cradle roll class. I stayed with her because she still needs so much most of the time and I don't think it is fair to the teacher and helper to have to take care of her when there are other babies to take care of. Soon after we left the church building in the car, she let out a big yawn. It was the first time that we heard her make noise during the yawn, kind of like we do sometimes. It was very cute. She actually fell asleep in the car without the pacifier. I guess she was very tired.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Started out like a typical Saturday- I got up with Abigail while Chris slept past 9. I had started cleaning the kitchen floor and cleaning up a playpen by the time Chris got up. After he got up, we decided we were going to go eat somewhere and go to Wal-Mart. We went to Applebee's to eat. Abigail was good until right when we were getting ready to leave. She was so sleepy. We went to Wal-Mart and then to Dollar General before going to see Abigail's Great Grandma Nolen. Abigail finally fell asleep while we were there. We also went to her Great Grandma Davis' house, but she was not home. Later on in the evening, mom, dad, Tim and Grandpa Wells came up. Abigail was sleepy so she was kind of fussy. We gave her a bath which she loved (as usual) and put her in pajamas. She then settled down for a little while before wanting to go to bed.

Friday, July 25, 2008

She woke up early this morning trying to dirty her pants, which meant that she was still tired. after 8, I put her back down and she slept till about 9. We then got ready and I took her back to mom's while I got my hair cut. I picked up lunch for mom & I and soon after we ate, Abigail and I came home so we could take a nap. I had a pretty bad headache. She slept for 45 mins, then I put her pacifier back in and she slept for another 2 hours. I was amazed. I didn't get to sleep before she cried so I didn't even attempt it the 2nd time. Instead, I went ahead and got things ready for supper so when the time came, it would be easier. She took part of a bottle, then was happy for a little while before she got sleepy again. She slept for another 2 hours or more before getting her bedtime bottle.

Abigail's 3 month pictures

I would like to invite you to view pictures at Amy Parrish Photography. They are located at http://www.amyparrish.com/photocart.
When you go to the website click the Access Gallery link and enter in the access code below:
Access code: 3e4dc76c
After you do that you will be able to view these pictures.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Abigail slept in till 9 and then we left. I took her to mom's for the day so I could have a day to myself. After the long day yesterday (and the fussy Abigail on the way home) I just wanted to have time to myself today and I needed to get some new jeans. I brought her home a little before 5 and she has slept most of the time since she's been home. That has been nice b/c I was able to clean up some things in the house that needed cleaned up.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

We took Abigail back to children's Hospital, but this time it was for a hearing test. She has had 5 hearing test since she was born and she has only passed one ear one time. We can tell that she can hear, so we haven't been too concerned about it. They told us that if she had fluid in her ears, that would cause her to fail the test. Her appointment was at 1, but we left early so we could make a couple stops and eat lunch before going to the appointment. The test did show a mild hearing loss, but she did another test showed she has fluid in her ears. We will have to take her to an ears, nose and throat doctor to see what needs done about the fluid. They are sure that once the fluid is out, she will hear fine.
After we left the hospital, we went to Chris' sister, Amy's house to have her take Abigail's pictures. Abigail cooperated pretty well. Then, we rushed back to Marietta and made it to church during the opening announcements. Abigail was fighting sleep and slept 30 mins in 5 hours. Luckily she slept good through the night.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Nothing too exciting, just a typical day that I got to enjoy my sweet baby girl. She woke up early which meant that she took a nap early. She actually stayed in her crib for over two hours and I just had to pop the pacifier back in a couple times. Chris came home for lunch and she was in a pretty good mood until it was time to go back to sleep. When he came home at the end of the day, she soon went back to sleep. He mowed the yard while I gave her a bath and put her to bed. Then I went downstairs to walk on the treadmill.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Chris rode his bike to work. At 9, a physical therapist and a lady from a Help Me Grow program came for their visit. The Help Me Grow program is meant to help children learn how to do things and develop properly. At our last visit to Children's Hospital for her arm, the doctor requested that she have physical therapy, so the therapist will come here twice a month. Both of the ladies were very impressed with the progress that Abigail has made with her arm. She got fussy while one of the ladies was still here, so I went and put her in her crib. She fell right to sleep. When Chris came home at the end of the day, Abigail was pretty fussy. Chris cooked hamburgers on the grill and I ate mine while she was sleeping in my arms. Grandma and Grandpa Shepherd stopped by later on and then we put Abigail to bed.

Smile

I FINALLY got a picture of Abigail smiling. Isn't she cute???

Abigail's arm

Since she was born, we have noticed her arm gradually improving. It seems like it has improved greatly in the last week or so. If someone did not know that something had been wrong with her arm, they would not be able to tell. She has been swatting at her toys and occasionally grabbing on to them, putting her hand to her mouth, etc. This morning a physical therapist and a lady from another program came and they were very, very impressed with how well she is doing. The physical therapist even said that she didn't expect her to be doing as well as she is. That is great news for a new mother to hear. Now we are hoping for a good report when we go to Children's Hospital for her hearing test on Wednesday.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

I do not understand why Abigail cannot just go to sleep when she is tired. She has to be so dramatic. I took her from Chris during Bible Class because I was going to take her out. Well, I was able to get her settled down and she went to sleep. But of course, she had to fuss during church, too, so I did take her out. Turns out that her problem was that she had a burp. Chris took care of her in the afternoon while I laid down for a nap. She fell asleep soon before it was time to go to church, so I had to wake her up. She did go back to sleep soon after church started without too much fussing. We talked to Shalyn for a while which was great and then went home. Put her down after a story and she went right to sleep.

After listening to my cousin Jeni, I tried using corn syrup to keep a bow in her hair and IT WORKED. I had heard of using corn syrup, along with hair gel and other gels. I had tried the gels and they didn't work, so I figured the corn syrup wouldn't either, but it did. Thanks, Jeni.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Chris left me for the day and went to a sporting clays tournament at his dad's range. Abigail was pretty good. We went to see our neighbors, who just got back from a trip to Nebraska to pick up their grandkids. I think she was in bed for more time than she was out. It seemed like she would wake up from her nap but still be fussy and sleepy. She finally took a 2 hr nap (which rarely happens). After Chris came home, it wasn't long before she had a bottle, bath and went to bed.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Abigail woke me up after 7 because she had a dirty diaper. She wasn't up too long before she wanted to go back to sleep. So, I put her back in her crib and she slept till about 9. Before 10, mom came with corn and everything it takes to freeze corn. She took the 10 dozen ears of corn over to gma & gpa's house and they husked the corn on their patio. Meanwhile, Abigail was taking her morning nap. Luckily, Abigail cooperated pretty well while mom and I were doing the corn (at least until Chris came home at 1). Chris took care of her until we were done with the corn. We put her down for a nap and she slept for a while. I woke her up when her Grandma & Grandpa Davis came to see her. She started out fussy, even though we gave her a bottle, but ended up talking and playing. I was glad they got to see her in such a good mood. It is so cute to watch & listen to her talk and giggle.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

We decided to go walking again today. Abigail slept in till 8:30 or so, letting me get pretty much ready to go. We met up with mom, then walked for an hour and 20 mins or so. It was kind of hot, but we were in the shade most of the time so it wasn't too bad. Then, we sat and waited for VBS to be over, then went inside. A few of the girls there held Abigail. I sent Abigail home with mom and I went to pick up lunch for mom & I. I gave her a bottle then we came home and she went to bed. She slept off and on until 4. Once again, I was able to get things done, which was nice. Mom, Dad, Tim, Grandpa Wells and Grandma & Grandpa Shepherd came and we ate pizza before we went over to the pool. Some of us swam and others didn't, but we still had fun.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Even though mom was going walking while Geneva was at VBS, I decided I wasn't going. I was too tired. Between walking and swimming 2 days in a row, I was worn out. Chris came home for lunch, then Abigail went to sleep. She didn't sleep for a long period of time, but enough that I was able to make a pecan pie, fold laundry and make supper. She slept through bible class, then was awake for awhile after we got home. We fed her the rest of her bottle and she slept till 4:45 in the morning. For the second night in a row, she wet through her diaper.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Once again, mom and I planned to meet to go for a walk and we met by the levee. When we were there, there were a bunch of geese and ducks there, some being fed by a guy and his son. So, we took Abigail down so she could see them. She watched them some, but it is hard to get an 11 wk old to look exactly where you want her to. We did end up walking and Abigail fell asleep on the way back. We ate lunch at a new restaurant on the levee and Abigail was so content. But, as soon as I got in the car, she got mad. She cried all the way to Mom's house. I was planning to stay there until 2 or so, then come home and get ready for my drs appointment, but instead I came home sooner and took a nap before getting ready to go. My dr's appt went well. I am definitely going to have my gallbladder removed but I don't know when yet. It will be next week before I know. Since mom already had Abigail, Chris and I went swimming after I got home. Mom & Tim brought Abigail back after we were done swimming, then they went swimming. Mom also helped me water our neighbor's flowers. We were lucky that we didn't get stung by yellowjackets b/c there were at least half a dozen swarming around mom. I am pretty much terrified of bees.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Mom is taking Geneva to VBS at Sixth & Washington this week. So, instead of her making 2 trips to get her & pick her up, we decided that we were going to go walk. Abigail slept in her stroller for the first half of the walk, then was awake & content for the second half. I was going to go to Wal-Mart so mom took Abigail home with her and I picked her up when I was done. Around 7, mom came up and we went swimming. Our neighbors are out of town and we are taking care of their house. So, that means we also have access to their pool. Abigail was getting sleepy, so Chris stayed and took care of her before he put her to bed.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

We have started laying Abigail on the pew some during church and she does pretty good. She didn't want to go to sleep Sunday morning on her own but Chris was able to get her to sleep while she was drinking her bottle and she stayed asleep till the end. Sunday evening, she fell asleep while Grandma Wells was holding her. We decided to see if she would stay asleep if she laid her down. That didn't work, but she was in a good mood. She was playing and talking loud enough that Chris could hear her on the front seat. Well, all of a sudden when I tried to move her, she REALLY screamed. She didn't act like she was going to settle back down, so I went ahead and took her out. I was able to get her to sleep and she fell asleep in her crib as soon as we got home.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Pretty unevenful. Fed Abigail, changed Abigail, put Abigail to sleep, let her play. And Chris helped with most of it. My neighbor had a Beauty Control (kind of like Mary Kay) party that my mom, grandma and I went to. It was ok but the items are pretty expensive. I am satisfied with the make-up that I get at Wal-Mart. I took a nap when we got back home. Later on, I tried playing our new NASCAR game for the Playstation 3. It was quite hilarious.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Since I woke up at 3 with major pain from my gallbladder, I took some strong pain medicine that made me feel strange. Chris got up with Abigail at 4, then when I got up about 7, I knew I didn't want to be by myself taking care of Abigail. It almost felt like when I walked I was waddling like a penguin, even though I wasn't. So, I quickly got a shower so Chris could drop me off at Mom's on his way to work. We went to Food 4 Less to get produce that they had on sale then back to her house. Chris picked me up on his way home and was off for the rest of the afternoon. I took a nap since he was home to take care of Abigail, yet she slept the whole time I slept. Then, Abigail and I went with Grandma Wells & Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Shepherd to friends' house in Vienna. They have a group of close friends over every once and a while and have a sing at their house. Afterward, they have food. abigail was kind of fussy toward the end b/c she was sleepy but fighting it. She took part of a bottle on the way home and a little more when we got home but was not close to finishing it. I guess it was enough b/c she didn't wake up until 4:45. I put her pacifier back in and she slept till 6:15.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

I needed to go to Wal-Mart, so I figured we would go early. Abigail slept till 8 or so which gave me time to get ready. When she got up, I was ready to go. She fell asleep in Wal-Mart and was good the whole time. She took a bottle when we got home then went to sleep in her crib. I love being able to put her down and having her fall asleep on her own. So much easier than having to rock her to sleep like we had to before.

Chris didn't come home till after 5 and soon after that, Abigail fell asleep while he was holding her. He held her for a while but when he put her down, she woke up. I then gave her a bottle and a bath, then read a couple of books to her before laying her down to go to sleep. She hadn't been laying there too long before Great Grandma & Great Grandpa walked over. I tried to get Abigail up so they could see her but she fussed until I laid her back down. It wasn't long at all until she was asleep. After they left, I heated up some leftover Hamburger Helper. I guess my gallbladder didn't like it b/c it woke me up at 3 in the morning hurting. I took some of my pain medicine and it worked fast but it also made me feel wierd.

Mobile Child

For the last few days, I have noticed Abigail pushing with her feet to move her body. On the changing table, she will start in the middle and end up almost hitting her head on the side. While she was on her play mat today, she not only pushed herself backwards off the mat, but also turned herself. I thought it was very cute. The first picture is how she was placed on the mat and the second is how she ended up.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Wednesday was a good day. Abigail cried around 7:15 and the pacifier didn't seem to satisfy her. Before Chris left for work, he made a bottle so I could feed her quicker. Well, I got her up and before long she was going back to sleep in my arms so I put her back down and she slept till about 9. She took another little nap before her grandma Wells came and took a little nap on grandma's lap. I put her down again at 1 since I am trying to get her into a routine and she slept for more than an hour, then off and on when the pacifier stayed in. She slept long enough that I was able to get the husks off the ears of corn that mom brought when she came. At church, she got many comments about her new sandals that I found at Wal-Mart on Monday. When we came home, she took a bottle and went to sleep.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Today has been a pretty good day. Abigail woke us up at 3:30 am or so. She tried to go back to sleep with just the pacifier but she got hungry before she made it back to sleep. Oh well. She woke up again at 7. I put her pacifier back in and this time, she did go back to sleep. It was almost 9 before she fussed again, even though I heard her talking some in between when she was sleeping. It was a nice break for me. Even though I got up when she woke me up at 7, I had some "me" time before she wanted up at 9.

Abigail's Grandma Davis came to visit for a little while today. Abigail went to sleep while she was here. Later on, Abigail played on her play mat for a while. She sat in her bouncy seat and watched mommy get supper started, then she watched her Baby Einstein video for the first time. It kept her attention pretty well.

For the last couple of weeks, it is almost a fight to get her to finish her bottles, even when you can hear her stomach growling when she starts it. She normally will start drinking it fine, but after her first burp she does not want to drink anymore. I don't understand. We want her to finish it so she will last longer before wanting more but it can be very hard to get her to. Hopefully it's just a phase that will end soon. It makes it more challenging b/c I would like to get her on a schedule. Since she doesn't finish it, it is hard to know when she will be hungry again.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Abigail slept great last night, just getting up at 4:45 and again at 8:15. I liked it b/c I was able to stay in bed longer than usual. After we got up, we decided to go to town with mom & Geneva (3 year old that mom baby-sits for). We picked up lunch and headed back to her house. When we came back home, Abigail went to sleep easily and I was able to get some things done that either needed to be done or that I wanted to do. She's been a bit fussy tonight but is acting ok now, so hopefully she will sleep fine tonight.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Abigail was good during both services. We went out to eat for lunch and she was great. She talked to her toys while we all ate our lunch. We came home and she soon went to sleep and slept for a while. Chris and I rearranged the furniture while she slept, since we didn't need it in our bedroom anymore.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Chris and I have not had much time to ourselves in the last 10 weeks and my mom is ALWAYS willing to keep Abigail for us, so we let her today. We went out to eat at Logan's, bowled 3 games (which I was not too good at), then went to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. It was good for us to get out for a little while, though we were happy to see Abigail when we went to pick her up. She is getting so cute- talking and even giggling at different toys, etc. It is so fun to watch her learn. It seems like each day she is using different sounds when she talks than she did the day before.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Well, generally the 4th of July is filled with sunshine, cookouts & family. Not this year. It rained pretty much all day and we did pretty much nothing. We stayed here and found things to entertain ourselves with. Since Chris was home, I was actually able to get a nap since I can't during a typical day with Abigail.


Our baby is growing up and moving out on her own (sort of). We knew it was going to happen soon, but we didn't know when- until yesterday. For the first time, Abigail slept in her crib last night instead of in the bassinet in our room. It was different but not as but as I expected. She did great until before 6 this morning when she decided she would rather talk than sleep. Chris stayed up with her and let me go back to bed- I got up at 8:30.

Crib

I know that the Tylenol probably played a big part, but Abigail has slept good in her crib most of the time since we got home before 11:00 this morning. We started using the pacifier a few weeks ago which seems to help get her to sleep on her own, as long as it stays in. Anyway, the last few weeks, she started sleeping better in the daytime, if I put her to sleep first, then propped her up in the corner of the recliner. That's not the place I really wanted her to sleep, but she wouldn't sleep anywhere else. Today, two different times, I have laid her in her crib awake and she has fallen asleep with the help of the pacifier. I hope she will continue to do this, even though I have to go back a few times to place the binky back in her mouth. I want to get her on a schedule but has been hard since she hasn't wanted to sleep well. Also, she has to get used to sleeping in her crib b/c she will soon be sleeping in it at night. She is getting long and wiggles enough that the bassinet is getting too small for her. My baby is outgrowing it :-(.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Even though Abigail turned 2 months old over a week ago, she just had her 2 month appointment today. Dr. Ohly had been out of town so we had to wait a few extra days. Guess what comes with the two month appointment. The two month shots. I had given her a little bit of Tylenol before we went, thinking it would help. It might have helped some, but she sure did scream. I did not watch them actually stick the needle in her legs, but the whole process did not bother me like I thought it might. We gave her more Tylenol and now she is sleeping. Hopefully she will sleep for a while, or be happy when she wakes up- we shall see.

She now weighs over 13 lbs and is 23.5 in.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I will never understand why Abigail will be asleep until there is something that I want to do. That is what happened when I was trying to get ready to go to Wal-Mart. Oh well. We had to go to Wal-Mart to get prescriptions filled that they gave me at the ER on Tuesday night. Also, it was my dad's birthday and I hadn't gotten him anything. Luckily, Abigail was so good. She was talking to her toys part of the time and then went to sleep. I hate walking through Wal-Mart with a crying baby when everything you try doesn't work.

After bible class, we went to my mom & dad's house to have cake and ice cream for dad's birthday. We also gave him the present that we got for him.

Tuesday Night

Well, after we made it back from Columbus, Chris and I were faced with the popular question, "What are we eating for supper?". Neither of us were hungry at the moment, but knew we might be by the time we got something fixed. We couldn't come up with any answers, so we just got busy doing other things. Before long, I started having bad pains like what I had gone to the ER for before. Chris called the gastroenterologist who I was going to see on Monday and he recommended going to the ER. So, that is what we did. We were immediately taken to a room and the nurses were constantly doing things and checking on me (the opposite of normal). They tried a couple different remedies to get my pain to go away and they did not work. Eventually, they told me that I have gallstones and will have to see a surgeon about having my gallbladder taken out. Before discharging me, they gave me Demerol which finally made the pain go away (and made me feel strange, too). I have an appointment with Dr. Hershey, a general surgeon on July 15. Hope I won't have to wait too long after the appointment to get my gallbladder taken out. Thanks again to mom, who watched Abigail for us while we were at the ER.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Well, the trip to Columbus went very well. There was a possibility that she would have to have an EMG, a test that would test the nerve response in her arm. However, they checked her out (and played with her) and saw that she was moving it so well that they didn't need to do the test. We were so happy. They are not worried about her arm at all and we don't go back for another checkup on her arm until November 5th.

Another note: Being in the Occupational & Physical Therapy waiting room, Chris and I have become grateful that Abigail doesn't seem to have something major wrong with her. We see different children of different ages that have autism, downsyndrome, etc. Please say a prayer for all those children and their parents. Though they love their children as much as we love Abigail, I'm sure it would be rough sometimes for them.

Children's Hospital

Today, we are headed back to Columbus to take Abigail back to Children's Hospital. We have been there twice already and are going for a check-up on her arm. It appears that a nerve was damaged during delivery. When she was first born, all she would move was her hand but now, she is moving her whole arm most of the time. She rubs her face with her left hand and tries to stuff that hand in her mouth. It has been wonderful to see the improvement that she has made in the last two months. Hopefully the doctors will see it, too. I will post the outcome of the appointment later today after we get back. I think we are also going to shop around some to make some fun out of our trip up there.