Another Update

I know I am terrible lately at keeping everyone updated and I apologize for that. Life has been crazy and busy! So last Monday M and I talked about applying for Food stamps again. If you are a long time reader of this blog you know the issues we have had in the past with this. He agreed and I went and applied online. Within 10 minutes the guy called for the interview. By the end of that phone call we  had food stamps for Feb ( what is left of it anyway) and March. Which is helpful. I have to do a second interview and get the paperwork done then we will get food stamps for the rest of the year possibly. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Charlotte has back to back doctor appointments tomorrow with the NICU grad clinic and the hematologist.  I am thinking she will need another transfusion tomorrow or sometime this week. WIC appointment is on Tuesday for us as well, so this will be a busy week!

M went back to Drill in Feb for the first time since surgery. He did well. So did we because it was our (the kids and I) first time all of us home all day with out him. His next Drill is beginning of March. He is doing so well with physical therapy.

Well, I am going to run, I am tired and I need a nap.

-Ciao!

Possibly A Turning Point

So, I have been not posting because honestly getting Charlie to the point where she is sleeping well enough so that the rest of the house can sleep too has been a full time job around here. We are all exhausted, finally I broke down and got her a HALO swaddle sleep sack and it finally came yesterday. The hospital uses them in the NICU and in the neonatal nursery. I put it on her yesterday as soon as I opened it and it calmed her little bootie right down and she slept really well for the first time since we brought her home.

We also changed her formula to soy, and finally seeing a decrease in the gas she has had. It was pretty bad until yesterday, so maybe we have hit a turning point with her. I sure hope so because honestly this no sleep thing is wearing on us all around here. As I write this, she is swaddled all snug as a bug in a rug and sleeping in her bouncy seat. That is another thing that has helped me out a lot! I was constantly holding  her before we got her a bouncy seat and this one vibrates and will let her sit in it until she is 40 pounds, so for a good long while!

Jeff of course has been out of sorts since we brought his baby sister home and he is still acting out a little bit, but we are trying to give him as much one on one time as we can while the other has Charlie and we are constantly praising him for being a good big brother. He loves to kiss her and help us with her. Sometimes to the point of being more of a hindrance than helpful, but we let him help anyway and move forward. He is slowly getting  used to her and having her here, so I am hoping that he will settle down soon. He is getting to be such a big boy, he is learning to eat with a fork on his own. Yeah, it gets messy sometimes but the look on his face when he accomplishes it is priceless. We are definitely running the vacuum more these days. LOL.

I went for my post partum check and ended up with a side trip to the hospital for my trouble. Ugh. I had some swelling start a few days ago in my feet and legs, at first I thought maybe I was eating too much salt, so I backed off the salt and the swelling went away but was back the next day even worst than it was. So, I showed my doctor and they were concerned enough to send me to the hospital for an ultrasound on my legs to rule out any blood clots. Which I did not have, thank God. So they recommended that I try and sit with my feet up. Um, I have a newborn and toddler, not happening! LOL. I do try and get my feet up when I can, which is not very often.

I have an appointment with a neurologist in May for my migraines. They are getting way worse and more frequent and it is time I saw a specialist about them and get a game plan working for myself. Right now I have had a migraine every single day since Charlie was born. Ugh. I have tried Firocet but I did not like that it gave me a ‘rebound’ headache so I stopped taking it after one dose. Also it is a controlled substance and honestly I do not want to take that for ever, so hopefully we can find a medicine that will help me but not make me sleepy. Or give me rebound headaches.

I did find a pretty good community of people on migraine.com and they have some very helpful articles and blog posts.. So I am enjoying that. Well, I have to run..

-Ciao!

Oh Man Am I Tired!

I am so exhausted that honestly most days I have no idea what day it is or even who I am. At least until Jeff yells at me, but even then he does not say momma. LOL. Charlotte is doing well, gaining weight so now we do not have to go back to the doctor with her until January when she is 2 month old. We switched her formula to soy because she was very fussy and gassy. It seems to have helped some, but she is still very gassy and fussy sometimes, but it has not even been a whole week on the new formula, so I am hoping that things get better.

M is doing so well with physical therapy, they said he might be running by March again. I am so thrilled because that has been his serious goal. Once he starts running again he can get into shape again and pass a PT test for the Army he can pick up his 5 and then we can assess what will be next for us. He truly wants to go back to active duty and I am totally behind him on that. Once he has his 5 he only has to be in that rank until he can possibly pick up his 6.

So hopefully some good things coming in 2016, we could sure use them!! Jeff is really loving towards his sister and loves to kiss her. In fact, it is hard to get him to keep his hands off her when she is trying to sleep! He is helpful to me by putting the lid on the bottle and taking it off too when I need it.

Today Charlotte is in her swing for the first time. Not sure she totally likes it, but it gives my arms and back a break from holding her. I celebrated by taking a picture of course. I will post it here when I am done.

Well, my mind just went blank, so I will go… cause I can not remember what I wanted to say. Seems like normal for me right now.

-Ciao!

Charlotte is Home

Charlotte came home finally yesterday! Her bilirubin number was 10 that morning so she was good to go! We have a ton of doctor appointments in the next few months, more than just her pediatrician, but that is okay. They want to make sure everything is okay and is working right.. Monday is the pediatrician appointment which kicks off the parade of doctors! Jeff is not sure what to do with her yet and he has been fussy because he realizes she is here to stay and that means we love him less. So e are trying to give him extra cuddles and kisses.. 

Charlotte Home

It’s Been Crazy Here

I am sorry for not keeping everyone updated, it has been kinda crazy the last few days. I went on Monday and sat with Charlotte for over an hour and fed her. It as nice to hold her again. She was off lights at that point, so that was good. Then her numbers spiked again and they moved her to the nursery. Well, techincally they moved her first then the numbers spiked. She was back up to 15 this morning but she is back down to 13 again tonight when I called. I am going to see her tomorrow and speak to the doctors because I have a lot of questions. 

We are of course worried about her and I was hoping to have her home this week but that looks like it is not going to happen. She is eating well and having lots of diapers, so that is good, I am worried about all the spikes and the effect it is having on her body. I also am wondering why this is happening most of all. I also am wondering what this is doing to her liver too. Like I said lots of questions. 

I have the best in-laws on the planet, they helped us out with rent.. so that is one less major thing on my mind and we will get some money today or tomorrow to pay the other bills that are due. We have food, so that is not an issue at this point. The WIC appointment to get Charlotte is on that is on the 8th so I am trying to get stuff in case she comes home before that so we can feed her. I am lucky and I have great friends, a friend of mine got me some diapers and an outfit and also shipped a box to me on Monday with other stuff for her. My MIL got her a bunch of clothes as well and other stuff. Right now, the immediate need is bottles and formula. 

Jeff is doing well, he is starting to actually call family members on the phone. LOL. I guess I am glad it is family and not some random person somewhere, although I am afraid that is next with the way he loves to push buttons. He is running all over the place and learned how to open a zip lock bag in the last few days. Now nothing is safe! 

M is doing well, he started physical therapy and the physical therapist was impressed with what he has done on his own. He is working hard as usual and is happy with his own progress. I am just glad he finally is in physical therapy and able to ork on gettng his balace and stability back. 

That is about all that has been going on for now.. 

-Ciao!

Still Here!

Well, baby Charlotte and I are still in the hospital, hoping that we can go home tomorrow. She had a heart murmur that was not there yesterday so the pediatrician wanted her to stay one more day. I am having issues with pain in my legs which means blood clots usually.

I am so tired and honestly can not wait to get home to be able to sleep, maybe. LOL. Thanksgiving was okay, Jeff and M came up to visit us, but Jeff does not like the hospital and I can not really blame him for that. So he is not having any of me while I am here, it was so much worse when I had IVs in and was attached to machines.

To say that I am overwhelmed and overly emotional right now is honestly an understatement. I look at her and I cry sometimes. I am so happy she is here and she is amazing but sometimes I have to question my sanity! I am so exhausted beyond what I am normally and I have so much that is about to be going on with doctors for the baby. She did fail the second hearing test again, so now we need to see a hearing person. Ugh. I know it is common, but this is the first kid I have had to deal with this with.

Not to mention all the pediatric appointments every other day for the next couple of months. Although it might be different because she is being bottle fed, so she is not losing weight at all. So, hopefully it will not be like it was with Jeff, but we will soon find out.

I gotta run and feed Charlie..

-Ciao!

Charlotte

Introducing my beautiful daughter born this morning at 12:23 am weighing in at 8 pounds 1 ounce and 19.5 inches long! 

Charlotte Elizabeth Gardner

Busy Bees and Doctor Appointments as Far as the Eye Can See!

The last couple of week have been crazy busy! The in-laws just left this past Friday and it was nice to have them around! We were so busy, me mostly with doctor’s appointments and such. I will get to all those in a few minutes, first I want to tell you that yes, M and I did get married but it was not until October 19th, which is the day before my birthday. I ended up in the hospital until 10 pm that night. Luckily my wonderful brother-in-law had Jeff here at the house because he had to bring his beautiful black lab with him, so instead of him staying where the in-laws were and there was a no pet policy, he stayed with us instead. It was great to get to know him and he got to know Jeff and hang out with us. Jeff also got to know his dog which did not at first go smoothly because Jeff was scared of him. Not because he was mean or anything, actually he is the most well behaved dog I have ever met. Mainly because when Malachi was standing on all four paws he was bigger than Jeff. But by the time they were leaving Jeff was petting him and giving him treats! Now I have to get Jeff to stop throwing food on the floor because the dog is gone! LOL

Back to us getting married, we got married in the main branch of the library here, which has an art gallery. It was the perfect place actually. Mainly because I am a book person and the gallery had all this interesting art. It was a nice ceremony with just family there. When the in-laws get back to California, I will be able to post pictures. They did not bring USB cords for the camera or phones, so the wedding pictures are trapped in those devices until they get back. 

So, as I mentioned on the wedding day I had to go to the hospital. I actually had two doctor appointments that day and we got married in the middle of them. It was a crazy busy day! My second appointment, they took my blood pressure and it was 141/94 according to the machine, which is super high! They retook it and it did not come down, but I always seem to have issues with their blood pressure machine in the office anyway. So, the doctor was throwing the word pre-eclampsia around and wanted me to go to the maternity triage at the hospital for more monitoring, so I did. Mind  you, I was supposed to go out to dinner with my in-laws to celebrate getting married! We never made it that night because I was hooked up to monitors and such for four hours! 

The reason I think that the blood pressure machine is wrong at he doctor’s office is because I was at the hospital and had my blood pressure taken again in less than an hour and it had dropped over 20 points. Apparently they are still talking pre-eclampsia because of some things in my tests I did at the hospital came back high. I have since had my blood pressure checked at a new place yesterday and it was fine, which is a relief! 

So, now I have to do NST’s (Non Stress Tests) for the baby twice a week.  Mondays and Thursdays. Ugh. Not to mention I have a hematology appointment in November, as well as another doctor appointment on the 2nd. I am tired of spending all my time with doctors! LOL. 

So if you do not hear from me, that is where I am at, probably tied to some machine some place wishing I was anywhere but there. I am happy that everyone is taking the baby’s health and my health seriously, but oh man I am tired! Well, this is all I have for now.. 

-Ciao!

Doctors Doctors Everywhere!

Yesterday was my doctor appointment for my monthly check up to make sure everything is fine and the dreaded sugar test. I got there early like we always do when riding the bus and I sat and waited and waited and waited. My doctor was running late, which I understood so I waited patiently because honestly what good does it do for me to get upset? It just makes me and the baby out of sorts, so all the nurses were thanking me for being patient. LOL.

I had to drink 10 ounces of this glucose stuff and sit for another hour so they can take blood and if it was high then I would have to do another 3 hour test. For me, I have never had to do the 3 hour test, ever. I did not plan on having to do it this time either. LOL. Their blood pressure machine hates me. It never works right with me. So, I had to have my blood pressure taken 3 times and it was still kind of high. I told them that I was stressed about the sugar test because it always makes me feel terrible!

You can’t eat or drink anything for at least 2 hours before and of course the hour you are waiting on your blood to be taken. I stopped all eating and drinking a bit before noon and my appointment was supposed to be at 2:45 pm, but I did not get taken back until almost 3:30 pm. So yeah. I was a  hot pregnant mess after. LOL. M went to the closest gas station and got me a couple of bottles of cold water which helps right after. It flushes the sugar through the system quicker, at least in my case.

I have another appointment at the end of September, actually the same day as Jeff’s but earlier. In October I have to see an orthopedic doctor for my knee because at the beginning of August, I thought I just tweaked it a bit, but it has not gotten better, in fact it has gotten worse pain wise. So to be on the safe side, they made me an appointment to get it checked. M’s surgery is in 13 days if Amazon can get off their butts and get the paper work done.. If not and we have to reschedule, it might have to wait until after the baby is born.

Of course M has all the pre surgery appointments on September 8th and I am supposed to have my ultrasound done on the 21st too. I am thinking I might have to reschedule that because he would have just had surgery the week before that and might not be up to going anywhere or doing anything.

Oh, did I mention that I managed to schedule 2 appointments on the exact same day for the exact same time?!? Yep! I sure did! WIC and my doctor appointment yesterday. I am so glad that WIC called Friday to remind me of that appointment, so I rescheduled it for Sept. 10th. Then after I scheduled it, I got off the phone and could not remember when it was!! Baby brain strikes again!! So, I called this morning to find out and actually wrote it down this time and put it on the calendar. I also had to reschedule the ortho appointment for me because they had originally scheduled it for the day after M’s knee surgery at 8:15 AM! Are you KIDDING me?!?! Um, no.

The baby is doing well, and I have lost another 3 pounds between visits. Which honestly is a good thing. I am almost back down to the weight when I went in for the first appointment. I wish it was me doing this, but the baby sometimes, okay most of the time does not let me eat much. I think I have gotten to eat maybe 3-4 whole dinners in the month of August with out her pitching a fit! If I had been in shape and weighing what I was supposed to weigh in the beginning, this might be cause for concern, but since I started over weight, it is okay. Her heart rate was 135, which is perfect. She is the right size and all too.. so that is good news!

M’s parents will be here in October and we are excited!! Starting to count down the days! Of course I am wishing for fall weather now.. it would be nice.. but it still feels like summer here for now. Ugh. Well, I am tired and Jeff is kind of out of sorts today.. So I have to run!

-Ciao!

Life Lately

I have been actively trying to get into the kitchen and cook more lately. See, before we had kids, I was always making new recipes and trying out new things, but after, not so much. Life got crazy with a baby in the house and cooking for fun went on the back burner. Life in the kitchen lately has been about fast, easy meals. I miss the days where I made Swedish Meatballs from scratch. 

I have been actively trying to find freezer meals that I can make before the baby comes and all that has to be done is put in the oven or crock pot, so life will be easier on us because I know I will not want to cook and I know M will be tired as it is peak season at Amazon when the baby is born. We are very lucky in that Jeff is a wonderful eater so far and basically as long  as  I am eating it, so will he with very few exceptions. 

I am going to have M’s mom come back out after the baby is born to help with Jeff and I know he will love that! I am so tired lately.. I know it is part of the whole pregnant thing, but also dealing with Jeff exhausts me! LOL. He is so crazy active and curious.. I love it. He is walking so much more now and using a sippy cup with regularity, which I am so proud of, but I wish he would slow down! LOL. Well, I have to run… 

-Ciao!