Rough Night

So last night was pretty rough. Tyler was so tired from daycare that he actually went to bed at 6PM last night! That was really early for him as his usual bedtime is 7PM. So I was actually expecting that he would wake up at 4AM or 5AM. Nope. He woke up at 10PM and at 2AM.

The 10PM one wasn’t so bad. He yelled a couple of times and went back to bed again.

The 2AM one was pretty horrible. We let him cry for about 20min and then it turned bad. It sounded like he was hurting in there or something. Rob got up to try and give him a bottle but he only drank 2 oz and then he wanted to play! Well, he got put back in his crib and the screaming started all over again. He finally fell back to sleep but it took a while. I think we need to Ferberize this baby! We have been trying to do it at bedtime because he screams bloody murder if he is still awake when you put him to bed. It works better at bedtime, not great. He still falls asleep at the bottle and we have to wake him up slightly to put him to bed, but I don’t think that counts. Oh well, I just want him to consistently sleep through the night. He has been doing it on and off since he was 3 months old but it has never been consistent. Sometimes, he would wake up wanting to play or wanting a bottle and sometimes we pick him up. I think we need to stop or he will never learn to self soothe when he wakes up in the middle of the night.

He has been waking up at 4AM consistently for the past few weeks now and that is difficult but on the days when we let him cry it out, he will usually go back to sleep and wake up at 6:30AM. I think we need to be consistent with it or it will not work. If he is smart enough to know that crying will get him picked up, he is smart enough to know that if he cries at night, he will get picked up too. Hopefully the Ferber method will teach him to self soothe…… Rob & I both desperately crave sleep!!!!!

Surgery

So this week was kinda stressful. Rob had sinus surgery and it was pretty awful. He was in pain and I had to take care of him and Tyler. Thank god for daycare otherwise I think I would have gone mad!!! Rob is thankfully feeling better but still not at the top of his game yet. I hope he feels better soon….

Personal & Baby Meltdown

So today baby & I both had meltdowns. One following the next of course. We had just gotten through an incredibly noisy (screaming) and difficult (food throwing) feeding of beef and rice pilaf (I guess he didn’t like that one) when it happened. I took him to the sink to try and rinse him off and since his clothes were covered in food, I took them all off. He laid down on the floor Jesus style (hands stretched out horizontally and feet pointing straight down) and proceeded to scream. Man that scream was horrible. Nothing was wrong, he was just screaming so I would pick him up. It was awful. I actually thought I was going to throw something across the room it was that bad. Well, I let him scream for a bit while I cleaned up and he never moved. Just laid there and screamed. Finally, I picked him up and took him to the living room and the minute I set him down, it started again. I think he is learning that screaming gets him picked up and I just don’t know how to break this nasty habit becoz I really cant stand the screaming….. hope he grows out of this one quick! Well, thankfully we both survived the meltdowns. I bet there will be more coming!

9 month doc visit

Tyler had his 9 month checkup today and weighed about 20 lbs and was 29 inches long. My little baby is growing up so fast! I still can’t believe that he will be 1 in 3 months…. Time flies…. Oh and his head is up to the 20th percentile now. YAY!!!! When he was born, he was only at the 5th percentile. It was so funny because we were so worried that he wouldn’t be smart coz he had a small head! I guess the verdict is still out on that one but I think he is a keeper!

Limey...

Pictures from the afore mentioned limey incident....

Tyler eating his First Lime

So we were at Don Julio's and decided to see if Tyler would like limes. Suprisingly, he loved it! So funny to see him make a funny face but keep going back for more...

Milestones

Tyler's Milestones

December 31st, 2008: Born

February 11th, 2009: Rolled over for the first time at 6 weeks

May 23rd, 2009: Tyler's Baptism

June 13th, 2009: Tyler sitting up for the first time

June 27th, 2009: Tyler's first time in the pool

June 28th, 2009: Tyler holding the spoon for the first time

July 12th, 2009: Tyler's first time on a swing

July 16th, 2009: Tyler's first meeting with Baby Finley

July 31st, 2009: Tyler crawled for the first time

Aug 11th, 2009: Tyler pulled up for the first time

September 2nd, 2009: Tyler's first ear infection :(

September 15th, 2009: Tyler's first step using our papasan ottoman

Poopie Tub

Ever asked your husband to give your baby a bath during Gator Football Game at Halftime? Don't do it! He will try to rush it and get careless.

Tyler had just eaten dinner and Rob took him upstairs to take a bath. He ran it, took his diaper off, and promptly plopped him into the tub full of warm water. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and all of a sudden, I noticed a lot of screaming and yelling coming from upstairs. Scared that he had gotten hurt, I ran upstairs with lightning speed and came upon the funniest scene I have ever seen.

Rob was holding onto naked Tyler by his arms, and yelling at me, while Tyler was kicking and screaming his head off, his butt smeared with yucky poop. Of course, the tub was full of poop, both floating and sinking...... While Rob lifted Tyler up off the tub, I proceeded to "try" and rinse the tub off while trying not to scare Tyler even more. Then I asked Rob to move Tyler to the sink and rinse his butt off while I tried to get the poop in the bathtub to drain. I finally got the poop rinsed off and drained and we finished the bath after much commotion.

Moral of the story? ALWAYS, ALWAYS check the baby diaper before you try and give him a bath because no matter how many times he pooped earlier in the day, (3 times by the way) you never know, he might just surprise you again!

The Chase

So last night, Tyler and I played cat & mouse. He was so cute! Screaming and laughing, the belly kind of laugh, everytime I would go to chase him on all fours and turning to "run", of course crawl, away.... He wouldn't get very far before he would turn back around, sit up, and stare back at me with his devil-may-care attitude, like he was saying: "Come and get me!" I think I could have done it all night long! Crazy that something as simple as that could bring me so much joy!

Movin on Up!

Oh dear! Tyler's teacher at daycare just called and told me that he would be moving up to the older infant class! I am excited and a bit worried because all the infants in there now are walking. I hope he doesn't get bullied!

Morning!

Tyler woke up in such a good mood this morning. I love that when you pick him up now, he locks his legs around your hip and clings on for dear life! :)

Laugh

Tyler's laugh is the best thing in the world! He is sooooo cute!!! This is Tyler with his cousin Morgan.

Catch up

So.... I don’t really know how to catch up from November, my last post but I am going to try….

After finding out I had GD, I went on a strict diet, which honestly, I think I fell off a few times…. (Thanksgiving, Cheesecake Factory 10,000 layer cake! To name a couple) But, all in all, I thought I was doing pretty good! Then, Dec 18th I think it was, at my OBGYN visit, they took my blood pressure and it had spiked a little. Not a lot, maybe a point or 2. My immense bloating in my legs, cankles, arms, and face, made them more cautious so they sent me to get a blood test done to test for preeclampsia. I didn’t even know what that was! My levels came back fine but they were still worried since I was so swollen so they told me to come back on Monday to get another blood pressure check done. They also wanted me to get an ultrasound done to check on the baby.

That Monday morning, they checked it and it was still a little high but they told me to come back in a couple of days to check on it again. They also sent me for another blood test. Man oh man I was getting pricked all over the place what with the GD situation and all…. I scheduled the ultrasound for Dec 24th, Christmas Eve, since everyone was going to be here. My mum & Felipe, my Dad, Rob & Joano all come to “see” the baby. Then, when they took the blood pressure again, it had spiked real high and they told me that they might have to admit me. After making me lay on my side for a while, my blood pressure went back down and I was told to go home and relax and not do too much. The doctor wanted to see me again the next day. They put me on “bed rest”. They told me to keep off my feet and not do anything or my blood pressure would spike again. That was not an easy thing to do since our house was going to be filled with family and I was supposed to cook Christmas dinner for 15 people! Everyone did chip in but it was so difficult giving up the control of the kitchen! On Monday, Dec 29th, after everyone had left, I went to get my blood pressure checked again and they admitted me because it was so high. They told me at the hospital that it was too early to deliver the baby since he was only less than 35 weeks old. They told me that they wanted me to stay in the hospital for up to 2 weeks to try and get the baby to 37 weeks so that his lungs would fully develop. I threw a hissy fit! I did not want to stay in the crummy old hospital on the lumpy thin mattress with the prickly blanket for 2 whole weeks! I didn’t understand why they could not just let me go home and have me come in daily to check my blood pressure. But they wouldn’t let me go. The nurse even told me that I was selfish and I shouldn’t be upset! I thought she was quite mad! So I was admitted into the hospital and diagnosed with preeclampsia. After a day, the neo natal specialist came to visit me and told me that it would be safer for the baby and me if they delivered the baby now. I actually prayed and wanted for this because I was soooo uncomfortable. But, when I got what I wanted, I was scared. Was the baby going to be fine? Would there be any danger? I had no idea and they didn’t know until the baby was born. So early the next morning, I was induced. Tyler was born 6lbs 11 oz on Dec 31st just in the nick of time for us to get a tax break!

The birth was a whole other story! They tested me for GBS which of course, I was positive for. Why not? I already had every symptom in the book of “What to Expect when you are Expecting”. So on top of the inducing medicine, they had to give me antibiotics for the GBS so it would not pass to the baby. I was in labor for about 19 hours I think. It all seemed like such a blur. I could not eat or drink. Only ice chips. And the pain was incredible before the epidural. I don’t know anyone who could do without it. Its crazy. Then, came time to push. Man was that hard to do when you cant feel anything below the waist. Dr Anderson kept saying that if I didn’t push harder, I would have to have a c-section! I didn’t want that! After all this, they want to cut me? Madness! So they put a mirror there so I could “visualize” the pushing. I guess it work. Oh and they reduced the epidural medicine so I wouldn’t be so numb. Then, it happened in a flash, after 2 hours of pushing. Dr cut me and pulled Tyler out. He didn’t make a sound and I was worried that he would not be ok. They placed him on my belly and he looked a scrawny mess! I didn’t know what to think! Then, they whisked him away to check on him and make sure that his lungs were fully developed. The whole time, I kept asking if he was ok and for some reason I didn’t hear an answer. All of a sudden, I felt this horrible piercing pain shoot up my belly. Apparently, while the pain medicine was wearing off, I could not stop hemorrhaging blood. My uterus would not contract. Dr was sticking her whole hand up inside me and squeezing on top of my belly from the outside, trying to make my uterus contract and stop the bleeding. Unbeknownst to me, I was gushing blood onto the floor and screaming, was that my screaming? I guess the screaming was so bad that they got 3 more anesthesiologists to come back in to give me more medicine. The whole time, all I could think about was if Tyler was ok. No one was answering me! They were mostly focused on me… Rob tried to come over with Tyler after he checked out, his lungs were great, but Dr said no. she worked on me for a while and slowly, the bleeding did stop. All of a sudden, I couldn’t stop shivering. I guess I had been uncontrollably shivering for a while now but did not realize it until the pain stopped. They covered me from head to toe with blankets and I was still shivering. They told me it was shock but man was I cold! My whole body convulsed involuntarily and my teeth chattered ridiculously. Finally, it slowed down. The chills went away and they told me that I had to have Magnesium pumped into me to prevent a possible stroke from the preeclampsia. With that medicine, I cannot breastfeed and I will also feel horrible. On top of that, I still could not eat or drink anything. They told me that they had to give Tyler a bottle of milk because his blood sugar was so low from me not eat and from the GD. I would later learn that this was going to cause me a lot of pain and heartache.

They gave me the magnesium and medicine to help stop the bleeding. And I was also getting antibiotics for the GBS. They did not give me any pain medication; I do not know why I did not ask for it. I guess I thought I already had it. It was the worst feeling. Tyler had to stay at the nursery and be fed by some stranger and I had to suffer the burning sensation of the magnesium coursing through my blood while a nurse came in every hour while I “tried to sleep” to press down hard on my uterus to make it contract. I was bleeding so much they had to change my pad every hour… the thirst was the worst part. It was a continuous thirst that I could not quench. I could not have water since they didn’t want me my lungs to fill up with water from the medication. I had to have ice chips and only a couple every hour. It was awful!!!! Finally, they stopped giving me the magnesium and they told me I could breastfeed. I was so happy but I was so tired. My arms could hardly hold this tiny little baby. He was soooo sleepy too! He was too sleepy to try and breastfeed and it was so difficult, since he was early, my milk had not come in yet. I felt like he was crying and trying and biting all at the same time. It was so uncomfortable and heartbreaking. I tried for days, all the while pumping. Finally, the milk came in but we still had to feed it to him through a feeding tube while he was breastfeeding. And, he had to get a bottle also to supplement. It was double duty. All of a sudden, one morning, I started uncontrollably trembling again. I could not stop shaking. It felt so cold like it did after I delivered. They came in and covered me with blankets and were confused as to why this was happening. Rob called Gary and the first thing he said was to have them check my blood sugar. My blood sugar was so low and my temperature was high. They gave me juice and food and medicine for the fever and they tested my blood. I felt like a pin cushion. I was black and blue from all the needles in me. I had developed an infection from the delivery and was almost sepsis. They had to give me antibiotics and they told me I would possibly have to stop breastfeeding! I was devastated. Could I not cut a break? On top of that, the antibiotics they gave me burned like hell every time it entered my bloodstream. Finally, after inquiring several doctors, they told me that it was safe to breastfeed even with the medicine. I was so relieved. I had a lot of catching up to do. My milk supply needed to catch up with Tyler’s need for nutrition.

This whole time, they were checking my blood pressure and they were happy because it kept going steadily down, which was a good sign. As we were thinking we were going to get to leave after my course of antibiotics ran out, Tyler developed jaundice. They told me that he might have to stay longer under the ultraviolet light to make sure that he recovered. They told me that I could go home. I was horrified! Leave Tyler here by himself? No way. I was so anxious that I think my blood pressure spiked. They got really worried. The same time that they told me that Tyler was better; they told me that I might not get to leave after all. It was so depressing. I thought that I would never get to leave this hospital. Finally, they rechecked my blood pressure and told me that I was fine and that mother and baby could leave. I was ecstatic beyond words. It was such a relief. Little did I know that I was in for a ton of heartache and pain…

When we got home, my mum and Joano was there. I had a lot of help but I was so tired and swollen still that I could not do very much. Breastfeeding was so difficult. It was probably the most difficult thing I have had to do my whole life. No one tells you that the pain is excruciating. No one tells you that your stomach lurches every time your baby cries and you know you have to endure the pain of breastfeeding and the feeling of inadequacy you feel when you feed the baby and he still cries for more. No one tells you how the doubt will kill you. Is he getting enough? Why wont he stop crying? Is he still hungry? I just fed him, how could he still want more? We had to supplement with bottle milk after each breastfeeding session to make sure he was getting enough milk. Finally, when I thought that he was latching on and getting good at feeding, we stopped bottle feeding and relied solely on breast milk. He would not stop crying and we thought that he had colic. At his first doctor’s appointment, he had lost so much weight that the doctor told us we had to continue supplementing with bottle milk until he put on more weight. I was so upset. I felt so inadequate. Why couldn’t I produce enough milk. I felt so horrible because it was as if we had been starving the poor baby. When he cried, we thought his stomach was hurting. No! He was hungry!!! The pain I felt was beyond words. I continued to breastfeed and supplement with bottle milk for a few months and finally after 2.5 months, he got good and my milk supply caught up. It went well for a while, Rob got up once a night to feed him from the bottle so I could catch some zzzz’s. the sleeplessness was amazingly intolerable. I had no idea. I couldn’t nap in the daytime and all I wanted to do was sleep at night but Tyler wouldn’t stop crying. I thought that it would get better all of a sudden, like what everyone says. One day, you’ll wake up and realize that he slept through the night. It never happened. Till this day, he is 8.5 months old, I am still afraid he will wake up in the middle of the night. He was never a good sleeper.

On top of this, he developed acid reflux. He threw up constantly and every time he did, he cried. We had to go to the doctor to get him Zantac for babies and it actually got better!

In the midst of this, around the 3 month mark, we found out that he had eczema. The doctor told us it was baby acne and when it didn’t go away and got worse, pus, bleeding around the ears, Rob took him to the doctor and they diagnosed him with eczema. It must have been so uncomfortable for him. He might have been crying all these months from the pain and the itchiness. We will never know. After applying the cream, in one day, it cleared up and Tyler seemed like a different baby. I was so mad at the doctor for so long for misdiagnosing him but it could not have been helped. It did look like acne at first.

Now, he is happy, healthy, and very mobile. It seems like the worst is over and I hope it is. It is such a joy to have him but man was it a tough ride!

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I'm back!!! I think....