Aiden Week 3

She LOVES the hooded blanket from Chris!
Diaper baby in the bouncy!

Aiden's doctor appointment went very well yesterday. We found out that she is up to 7lbs. 11oz (almost 1oz/day!) and she is now 19 3/4 inches long. So she is definitely growing! She has also finally had a poopy diaper. Yippee! We can all feel better about her digestion now. We have taken her off of the rice cereal and are now giving her a soy formula for fussy, gassy, spit-up prone babies. It seems to be helping. Although, my milk seems to be coming in better now. So hopefully it won't be long and we won't be supplementing at all! Overall, the Dr. Laughlin said she appears to be very healthy. We shouldn't be heading back to the doctor until her 2month check. I can't believe it. She'll be two months old before we know it!
This past week has been very exciting. Aiden has become very interested in lights. Whenever her eyes are open, she seems to be looking at a light fixture of some kind. How funny.
She is also determined to get moving... or so it would seem. Whenever we put her down for tummy time, she scoots herself across the play mat. She is so strong! She is also trying to roll over already. She is already rolling to her side and is rocking to get moved farther. We just haven't made it that far yet. Maybe in the next couple of weeks :-)
She is also holding up her head MUCH better. We don't have to hold up her head all of the time now. And she is staying awake for long periods of time- long in this frame of reference meaning 3hrs-ish. She has also been sleeping better. One four hour stretch and shorter ones after that. We are very thankful for better sleep. However, she has been sleeping a lot this evening... so we may have issues tonight... I guess we'll see.

Pictures

Well, I haven't had a chance to upload photos until now. ENJOY!!!Aiden with Auntie Ellen

Cainy giving Aiden kisses during tummy time

Tummy time is also sleepy time


Bright Eyes!

Great Uncle Bill with Aidie!

Great Aunt Terry, Great Grandma King and Caina with Aidie

Four generation photo (Great grandpa and grandma Champlin, Grammy King, Me and Aidie)

Aiden with Great uncle Herb and Great aunt J.J.

Aiden with Grandma Wisley

Relaxing outside at the Wisley homestead

Pretty bouquet with a pretty baby


Bouquets and fingers help calm crying babies during VERY long doctor appointments...

At Brown County having lunch

Very pretty tree!

Walking through Brown County- first outing!

This past week's weight check

I just wanted to get a post out to let everyone know that Aiden is finally up (almost) to her birth weight. She weighed in at 7lbs. 5oz. at this last doctor appointment and we are hopeful that she is now up and surpassing :-)
The doctor has us trying a new feeding regime with her. She is now only taking 10z. at most after nursing with a tsp. of rice cereal. It has REALLY been cutting down the spitting up. Thanks goodness! Now instead of multiple times a feeding, it's only once or twice a day! However, she hasn't had a poopy diaper since before we started this... so I'm getting a little worried that it's making her constipated. Poor thing :-(

Saturday's Weight Check

Yay! We are finally gaining some weight! Aiden weighed in at 7lbs. 1/2oz on Saturday's visit to the doctor! Yippee! Supplementing seems to be doing the trick. I can't believe she gained 5.5oz in two days!!! Maybe we'll have a roly poly baby before long... it's how babies are supposed to be!
Aiden is definitely enthusiastic about the change in the eating situation. She is eating SO much. I am nursing at every other feeding (as that is all my supply will really allow for) and she is still taking 1-3.5 oz afterward. She is apparently as determined to gain weight as I am to put it on her.
I was a little worried that she may start preferring the bottle, being as the food is more readily available through that source, but she still always turns to nurse regardless of whether it is bottle or booby time (as every one has begun to affectionately call it!). It definitely makes me feel loved and wanted and DEFINITELY Makes me feel better about not producing enough. She wants me anyway :-)
As for development: Aiden is now lifting her head fairly well (although not holding it up for very long yet). She is also rolling to her side and looking for voices and sounds. She is definitely focusing better and mimicking us! My mom was making faces at her last night and Aiden started to make them back. Totally made her night!
We have had a good weekend with many out-of-towners stopping by. I didn't think I would be up for any kind of company, but it worked out. With Aiden adapting so well to the new feeding regime, I think we'll be ready to be out in the world in no time. Unfortunately this doesn't make talking on the phone any easier- sorry to everyone who never received a call back, got cut off, or cut short. Unless she's sleeping or Dan is home, talking on the phone is IMPOSSIBLE! Hopefully that will get better soon ;-)
The weight loss front is moving along amazingly! I have already lost 23lbs!!! I'm hoping that this rapid weightloss will either keep up, or give me a jump start into losing the weight that I wish I had lost before becoming pregnant. I only have 4lbs left to get back to pre-preggo weight, but many more after that to get down to what I would consider a comfortable, healthy weight.
Onto baby pictures!Out for a walk


Always a hand in the face/mouth

I'm so glad she got Dan's nose!


Caina standing guard


Off to an outing

Aiden's Check Up

Good news and bad news:
We went to see the lactation consultant today to see about Aiden's weight gain and tips for breastfeeding. As of today Aiden is still weighing in at 6lbs 11oz. So no weight gain, which is worrying. The lactation consultant monitored me while we nursed to make sure that Aiden is getting a proper latch, swallowing, etc. From what she saw, she seems to be doing everything the right way, as am I. So we aren't really sure what's wrong. The lactation consultant thinks that Aiden may be using up too much energy (and, thus, too many calories) by nursing. So I am going to start supplementing her feedings by pumping. This way I can nurse her for 20min and then feed her by bottle about an oz or so until she is full. The lactation consultant said that she expects a full turn around within a week. Hopefully we can get Aiden gaining weight and then we won't have to worry about pumping unless we want to do so.
I'm trying to be positive. This will give Dan a chance to bond with her during feeding times and will also help with transition to bottle later when I start my student teaching. I just hope this works and I won't have to use formula or donor milk...
For now, some pictures!Finally a picture of Aiden with her Grandpa Wisley!


Aiden's first bath at home- her umbilical cord fell off right away, so we didn't have to worry about sponge bathing.


Cuddling with daddy


Caina is definitely the little mommy dog. She thinks we brought Aiden home just for her :-)


Such tiny hands!

Aiden Updates!

Since Aiden's birth we have been so busy that my first time I was able to blog was yesterday. We had so many visitors at the hospital that all of what would have been my down time, was not. Not that I'm not appreciative of the company. We are so thankful that there are so many people who are excited and love Aiden (and us). That's just why I haven't had much time. Being home means that I'm trying to do some things around the house while trying to figure out how to be a mom. It has definitely been a whirlwind! But it's very exciting!
As for since Aiden's birth: We had her first doctor appointment last Friday. She weighed 6lbs. 10oz. was measured at 19 3/8in (I know it is weird that she seems to have shrunk, but the nurse said it's normal for measurements to be off a little), and her head measured at 34cm. While it's normal for her to drop almost a pound, she has been having trouble gaining it back. We had to go back to the doctor yesterday because Aiden had not had any bowel movements in two days and then all of a sudden had FIVE in under five minutes (talk about being afraid your daughter's intestines will come out!). The after hours nurse said to watch for dehydration, and because she hadn't eaten for more than 20min in a 12hr. time period by the next day, we had to take her for a check. She had gone up an ounce, now 6lbs. 11oz. but that isn't enough to make everybody feel good about it. SO... we are going back to the doctor on Thursday to meet with a lactation consultant to make sure Aiden and I are getting the hang of breastfeeding and that Aiden is pottying regularly and finally gaining weight like she needs to do. She is still so tiny!
That being said, we had a great day yesterday and so far today! She and I worked really hard on the breastfeeding and I think we are doing well. She is eating less often, but more regularly. This is supposed to be a good sign- every two to three hours for 5- 60 min. She had five wet diapers and finally had a transition to breastfed poopy diaper! Yippee! You would never expect a parent to be excited about poop, but when there's an issue, you can't help but be happy that it is resolving itself. She also only woke once last night to nurse- right at her four hour mark. So hopefully this pattern will keep up!
She has also been staying awake much more than she used to. We are finally having a chance to spend time with her awake side! She is such a funny, beautiful, and interested little girl. She is now tracking things and can find who is talking to her and look at them. She is also starting to focus on objects farther from her than before. She has taken an interest in the toys on her bouncy seat- not reaching for them yet, but she is focusing on them. She is smiling (my crooked smile!) and laughing the cutest little laugh I have ever heard. I know that it probably isn't reactionary at this point, but the other day it seemed like it was. I was trying to nurse her at my parents' house and was using a blanket to cover up. Both of us were under the blanket trying to get situated and the blanket kept falling off of my head and onto hers. Every time this happened she laughed! I know the experts say babies don't have reactionary laughs until later, but I swear she is starting a little early. Either way, it was SUPER CUTE!
Other notes: She definitely likes to "talk" to us already. She makes lots of cute baby sounds and we just love it.
She is also in love with her hands. When she feels she has nothing better to do, or would like to nurse, she sucks on them. Which is so endearing, especially since she came out of the womb that way. As soon as she had a free hand, it was in her mouth! Pretty well instantaneous!
In regards to me: I HAVE LOST 18 LBS. AS OF TODAY!!! YIPPEE!!!
Well, we are off to Nashville today! It's supposed to be nice out and we could stand to rid ourselves of cabin fever. I'll have to post pictures of that later. For now enjoy the pictures from out time at the hospital and I'll try to get newer ones uploaded SOON!

Aiden's Birth Story

On April 12, 2010 Dan and I loaded up the car with all of our hospital bags and set off for an 8 o'clock induction (we did quite a bit of ridiculous videotaping on the way!). At 9:20, the nurse, Becky, did my check and determined that I was 4- 41/2 cm dilated, 90% effaced, -1 station, ripe, positioned, and ready to go! She also couldn't feel much of a bag of water, which means I must have been leaking some that week. We called our parents afterward to inform them that we would be starting the induction in an hour and a half (Dr. Wood was in surgery at the time). Dr. Wood broke my water at 10:30 since I was already far enough along. I started contracting about 20min. later which of course made me gush amniotic fluid every time (completely gross feeling by the way!). The water was clear- a good sign. Dr. Wood and my nurses got a kick out of my being grossed out by my water breaking. I'm kind of glad my parents didn't show up until later, because this was quite humiliating, even if it is perfectly natural. I was very thankful for the great medical staff. Contractions started and were painful but manageable for the first 40min. After that, they picked up speed and intensity very quickly. By the end of my first hour, I was not getting any breaks from the contractions. I would have a small contraction that I could focus my breathing techniques on, but would start a big contraction immediately afterward. These were so bad by the end that I was silently begging for death, as I couldn't breathe let alone speak. Dan said I reminded him somewhat of a scared cat- bulging eyes, shaking. Apparently my concentration would not be broken. I was finally able to communicate enough to say that I needed an epidural. So after 3hours of monsterous contractions, I was relieved. So much for that natural birth I was picturing. Apparently I was dilating a cm. an hour (probably the reason for the sudden intense contractions). So I was at 7cm. and 100% effaced when I got the epidural. At 4:45, I was at 9.5cm, 0 station, but I didn't progress by the end of hour like they had hoped. In fact, I had not progressed AND Aiden had flipped herself around backwards. So we waited and I was flipped from side to side in the hopes that she would turn back around and I would finish dilating. Finally, at 10pm, I got to start pushing. Although Aiden hadn't turned all the way around, she did some and I had finished dilating. Crazy as it may seem, 33min later little Aiden was caught by an unsuspecting doctor, who hadn't quite finished clearing baby's air passage. I can't believe it went so quickly. Those kegels must really do the trick! I did have a second degree tear, but it's healing fine. I don't even have to take the Loritab anymore!
Little Aiden was born at 10:33 while we watched via a mirror, which I didn't normally intend to have, but I'm so glad that I did. It was the perfect focal point. It made me realize that I could do anything just to see her. She had tons of dark curly hair, weighed 7lbs, 6oz and was 19.5 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful and looks exactly like Dan only with my face shape. So with little Aiden entering the world, there were lots of smiles, tears and tons of people to great her. We are so blessed to have so many people who love her already!
Unfortunately for them, Aiden decided that she wanted to nurse for an hour and a half after getting cleaned up. So no one really got to see her until after 1am! We have some great friends and family for sticking around so late! Little Aiden was greeted by mommy, daddy, Grammy and Grampa King, Grandma and Grandpa Wisley, Uncle John, Uncle Matt, Lilly, Jim, Mike, and Erin. Justin stopped in earlier, but missed the birth. We were able to introduce Aiden to so many more friends and family over the next couple of days. Thank you everyone who stopped by to visit. Aiden may not remember, but we always will.
We got to move over to post partum around 3am and she slept really well (2, 3 and 4 hr. stretches!). We had our physical check with Dr. Laughlin at 7:30am that morning. Dan went with her since I still couldn't move around very well. She was pronounced a very healthy little girl.
Now we're home and figuring out how to be parents! It's quite an adventure by we are loving it. Dan said the sweetest thing the other night. He said that a lot of people think about how they have to get up in the middle of the night, have to change dirty diapers, have to breastfeed and become horribly sore. But we get to do these things. It's such a special time and getting to be a part of it is amazing!
Now she's a week old! She weighs 6lbs, 10oz. and is finally figuring out breastfeeding (along with myself). We made a trip to the doctor today after a horrible pooping session and a 12hr refusal to eat. She's finally eating normally and hopefully her diapers will follow suit. We have an appointment to see the lactation consultant on Thursday for some extra help in that department. Hopefully all will go smoothly and we'll get her weight up to where everyone feels comfortable.