My girl

Went for a walk with my sweet little Abrie this afternoon-- just she and I. 

Maddie and Faith stayed to "help" clean the deck with Dan, and the sun had just come back out again after a brief thunderstorm. It was an awesome time with my baby girl. It's the little things that count the most, and I love having one-on-one time with each of my girls.

2-month old smiley girl

I swear there isn't anything cuter than those first smiles... well, and those first big giggles!

Abrie has been smiling (and not gas smiles) since about 3-4 weeks, but not on a regular basis at anything that we would do to her. She is smiling all the time now, and we know what to do to make her smile. She loves all of her toys that make sounds (in particular, a little giraffe and a monkey that used to be Donovan and Ella's) and Faith's Ernie doll that sits in her crib. It's too cute! Now I'm just waiting for some better light so that I can sit her in front of the big window to try and get a better picture of her 'first' smiles!

Abrie's 2-month appointment was yesterday. She had her 2nd round of bloodwork at the lab on Monday to check her total and direct bilirubin and to do another liver profile test. Maddie and Faith were NOT looking forward to this. They are such excellent, and protective big sisters. They are all business when it comes to anyone remotely making Abrie upset, and they both stood right next to her carseat holding whatever they could to make themselves feel helpful to their baby sis. 

Her bloodwork came back fine yesterday at her appointment. Her total bilirubin is still slightly elevated, but her direct is fine (which is the one that would indicate any liver problems apparently). Her eyes look pretty much perfect to me now, and the doctor said she looks "tremendous!" She said that the elevated bilirubin could still be the aftermath of my extremely elevated blood pressure that was borderline eclampsia (I am still being treated for it). She said it could be that Abrie's liver is just taking a little longer to develop and do everything it needs to do correctly since the preeclampsia can hurt my liver and hers. But, she said there should be no serious repercussions whatsoever, and that she is totally fine.. which was awesome news to us!

My little Breezer weighs in at a whopping (drum roll....!) 9 lbs, 13 oz. She is 22 inches long, and her head measures 14 1/2. I used to always call Beebster our little girl, and Breezer is even "littler!" I love it! She's such a roly poly little woman though, and I just think she's so precious. Maddie was a staggering 12 lbs, 14 oz at 2 months, and Flop was 10 lbs, 8 0z. Abrie is our shortest and smallest little lady! But, the girl has outdone her big sisters in firsts thus far. Dr. Sergi couldn't believe me that she's been rolling since 5 weeks, but considering she nearly rolled off the exam table, she trusted me on it;) 

She had her first shots yesterday too. Poor little woman. Bloodwork on Monday and then shots on Tuesday. Needless to say, all I heard out of Maddie yesterday was "pooooooor Abrie!" and from Faith "Beeba waaah!" 

Piece of cake

I never grow tired of watching her do this!

8 weeks tomorrow...

... and, she was supposed to stay 2 days old forever.

I don't know why, but I just can't picture our Abrie any older than a couple days. It feels like we just brought her home from the hospital, and yet we're nearing her 2-month birthday already. Time goes too quickly.

In the meantime, we are enjoying our sweet Abrie. They don't make them any sweeter. The girl has got a set of lungs when she is angry, and she has voiced her opinion on her gas lately when she eats (refusing to eat at times and leaving me feeling anxious!), but when she is observing the world she is so darn adorable with those big eyes of hers.

Took the big sisters to play basketball this afternoon, and they had a blast running and jumping through the big puddles on the basketball court. Abrie couldn't have been happier just being held and watching them. She stares intently, and it's so cute.

The woman rolls

Crazy.

My baby has been doing this since 5 3/4 weeks old, and I actually witnessed it today. She has done it 4 times already today, and she is not even 8 weeks yet.

Waiting

Abrie's doctor called this morning by 8am. He called before I even had a chance to call for the results. I have traditionally gone with the knowledge that "no news is good news" so I was a little worried to hear from him already.

He said her bilirubin levels are a little elevated, but that was something he had expected. What he didn't expect though is that her hemoglobin is also slightly elevated. So, he told me we'll wait until the 22nd to take her blood again, and compare the results then at her 2-month appointment on the 23rd. He wants both of these numbers to drop.

*****

I am going to try my hardest not to worry about this all, and take the doctor's word and just wait to see what her results are on the 23rd. In the meantime, my little woman rolled from stomach to back yet again today!

Little things count the most

Just finished feeding my Beeba for the night. Said 'goodbye' to Dan and he kissed her goodbye, and I held her close before putting her in her crib for the night.

I get her from her crib at 9pm (she's been going to sleep at Maddie and Faith's bedtime of 6:30-7pm every night) for her last feeding, and Dan and I sit there together on the couch with our littlest lady. It's so nice to have that time together with our baby girl, even if she is asleep. She is so content. I hold her little hand or she places it on my chest. And, I feel her other little hand on my back giving me what I've always affectionately termed their very own "back scratches." Sweet little Abrie. 

I love it. I don't ever want to forget these little moments: the 'back scratches,' the little fingers clutching my own, the hand on my chest. These little moments are what will remain etched in my mind for always.

On the bright side, Beeba is now 9 lbs;)

Beeba had a doctor's appointment this morning.

I ended up calling yesterday just to ask the nurses if it was alright that the whites of her eyes are quite yellow. Dan and I had noticed this starting on Friday. I didn't expect that they would call me back since yesterday was Sunday, and I definitely didn't expect for them to want to have her seen by the doctor today. But, the nurse told me that it didn't seem right for her to show signs of jaundice at 6 weeks of age.

Anyway, the doctor saw her this morning and reassured us that he is pretty certain everything is alright. He said the whites of her eyes are quite yellow, but that it could be something known as breast milk jaundice. He ordered some lab work for today, and then again on the 22nd (a day before her 2-month visit) to compare the results. So, the girls and I went in to the lab before lunch. Needless to say, I had three very upset little girlies. Poor Abrie was beside herself screaming. The poor thing was trying to take a nap in the carseat when they poked her with the needle in the bottom of her right foot. They needed two tubes of blood (liver profile test, complete blood count, and total and direct bilirubin levels) so they kept squeezing her little foot for every little drop of blood. Talk about agony to stand there and watch them do this to your 6-week old daughter. Not to mention, I had Maddie standing next to me with her head down because she didn't want to watch her Breezer in pain. She even got mad at the nurse when Abrie kept screaming, and started to cry herself as well. And, Faith stood in the corner too saying "Awwww... Beeba.. waaaa.. waaaa... waaa... Awww, Beeba."

I'm just hopeful that everything comes back completely normal.

Need not worry

Amidst all the diarrhea, throwing up, and even fainting that was last night, there was also a bright spot.

I suddenly succumbed yesterday to either a nasty 4-hour stomach bug, violent food poisoning, or a touch of salmonella from making brownies with my little helpers yesterday afternoon. Whatever the cause though, it totally took over by the girls' bedtime yesterday. I don't like asking Dan to take off ever, but was begging him to come home about 20 minutes after he left. I didn't know how in the world I would be able to feed my baby girl if pressing her up against my stomach to nurse was sheer torture. He realized he had to call off for work when I fainted while on the phone with him.

Bright spot in all of that? My ever-so-dependable Abrie slept until a little after 4am this morning. She had gone to sleep last night shortly after her big sisters, and I woke her up for her last feeding at 9:00pm before she went straight back to bed. She awoke at 4am, ate like the champion eater that she is, and went back to sleep until 7:30 this morning. 

Needless to say, I hugged her and kissed her like crazy this morning. My sweet little girl. 

*******

Totally unrelated, but Abrie is affectionately known as "the librarian" to her big sisters now. It's hilarious. She "tells" them stories when she's wide-eyed and alert, and they just love it. They are constantly asking if she's awake enough and happy enough (Beebster: "Beeba happy?? No waaaa?" hahaha) to sit on my lap and face them and tell them a story. They each ask for a story. Faith is constantly asking for Abrie to sing her "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" and Maddie rotates different stories she'd like for the librarian to tell her. Their sweet little sister sits there just staring at them, and smiling every so often. It's awesome.

What in the world is going on here?!

This is unreal..

I walked in this morning at 7am to find my BABY girl on her back. She sleeps on her stomach. Which means, she ROLLED. At 5 3/4 weeks of age. Maddie and Faith did not do this until 3 1/2 months (Maddie), and 3 months (Faith). Abrie looked quite confused when I found her, and I must admit I stood there confused for a little while too. Of course, I stood there clapping like a maniac also. I don't understand how she did this. Then again, I can understand it because she's been flopping herself every which way since the day we brought her home from the hospital. I remember the first night we were here, Dan and I were equally worried when we would swaddle her and put her against the bumper to sleep on her side, and she would roll face first onto the mattress. The doctor even commented on this at her 4-day check-up! She is freakishly strong!

As excited and proud as I am of my little Breezy, I am also sad. How can she be doing these things so early?! She needs to slow it down, for MY sake! I don't want her to grow up on me!

*****

The little woman seems to want to conform to her big sisters' schedule. She seems ready to go to sleep and call it a night already by 7-7:30pm just like Maddie and Faith. I am nervous though to have that be the last feeding of the night, as I'm not sure then what time it would prompt her to wake up for the first time in the middle of the night. So, for the time being, I'm still getting her between 8:30-9pm and feeding her as her 'last' feeding before bed. Last night she did wonderfully and woke up at 2:15am and then not again until I found her at 7am on her back!

Sweet little girl

I really don't think my Abrie could be any sweeter.

She is now 5 weeks old as of Friday. Her 'new' things as of the last week and a half:

It's fairly predictable now where I feed her for the last time of the night between 8:00-8:30pm. She sleeps until about 1:30-1:45am, and then eats and falls back asleep until anywhere between 4-5am. Then, she typically goes back to sleep again until about 7am. Of course, she's usually trickier to put back to sleep after that 1:30-1:45am feeding. She takes her nook now for naps and for bedtime, but if it falls out she starts crying. So, sometimes it is up and back putting the nook back in until about 3am or even later! 

She's our pimply little sweetheart! She's hit the baby acne stage right around the exact time as both of her big sisters did.

She HATES baths. Oh man, she hates baths. Faith and Maddie loved baths by the time they their cords had fallen off and they could be submerged in the warm water, Faith especially. But, that is not our Beeba! I'm hoping this doesn't indicate a fear of water later on in life...

She is now officially in size 1 diapers as of last week. My "big" girl!