We figured out the fussies!

What we thought was colic many weeks ago turned out to be reflux!  We've noticed after eating, Carleigh is making a swalling sound and then getting really fussy, sometimes to the point of screaming.  This only happens after eating and of course she doesn't ever want to eat more than 3-4 ounces.  

So after my mother-in-law suggested the possibility of reflux again (she mentioned it a few weeks ago and we didn't listen) last night, my mom took her to our pediatrician this morning and right away she told us that's what Carleigh symptoms sounded like.  She also saw the eczema on Carleigh's belly (it's no longer on her face but popped up on her tummy), and the doctor said it sounded like since the time of onset was when I stopped breastfeeding that it might be a milk allergy.  So Carleigh left the pediatric office with a reflux medicine and a new formula that's supposed to help her allergy.  Let's hope her pain is gone soon!

I should also point out that our baby girl is growing and healthy!  At 3 months old, she is up to 13 pounds 2 ounces, which is 55% percentile for her age.  For her height, 25 inches, though, she's only in the 5-10th percentile ... so even though she's got those chubby little cheeks (she gets those from me), she's a skinny little thing!  Soon enough though, with this new formula Carleigh will be catching up to her height!  Right now she's like her older brother and sister ... a long little doggie! Hahahaha

Fall arrived!

Even though Carleigh decided this would be the perfect weekend for a growth spurt, we didn't let her frequent eating and infrequent sleeping dampen our fun-filled weekend.  The weather was spectacular!  Breezy, sunny and so un-San Antonio-like!

To mark the start of fall, today we took Carleigh to the Pumpkin Patch at University United Methodist Church.  We thought she looked adorable in her ribbon-trimmed jack-o-lantern outfit, complete with tights and patent leather shoes, though she wasn't very enthused about the get-up.  Dustin and I had a great time taking pictures and we picked out a pumpkin that we plan to carve this week.

Luckily, growth spurts last at most one week and hopefully she will be done with this one soon!

Testing out the new jumperoo!

So yesterday during lunch, I was talking to my parents about how my neighbor Beth said how wonderful exercausers and jumperoos were for her kids, not fishing for anything, just having a discussion.  Next thing I knew, my dad nonchalantly mentioned that Babies 'R Us was nearby and he, Carleigh, and I were looking at jumperoo options!  He told me to hurry up and pick out whichever one I liked, but led me over to the top of the line one, admired it's features, and we both agreed that it looked like the best option.  Minutes later I"m heading home with Carleigh wondering what just happened!  But as you can see below, Carleigh is enjoying it and will have many more fun times ahead in it!

She loves it!

Even though her little feet can't touch!

In awe of the features!

 Smiling at Daddy!

She slept through the night!

Today is a glass half-full kind of day! Last night Carleigh had her last feeding at 10 pm and went down 10 minutes later (she's on level 2 nipples since last Thursday so she drinks very fast now but is still only drinking 4 ounces each feeding). I woke once last night at 4:44 am wondering what happened? Maybe I hadn't turned the monitor up loud enough? Or maybe she wasn't breathing? But at her longest stretch, Carleigh has only gone 6 hours between feedings. So I checked the video monitor, turned the volume up, heard her soft breathing, and was reassured. I started counting in my head back from 10 pm. I was getting kind of excited. I was thinking wow, it's been almost 7 hours! Then ... I drifted back to sleep and she woke up just after 5:15 am. What an accomplishment!!! Our baby girl slept through the night! Now if only she could make this behavior repetitious :). And if I would stop waking up!

She's also pushing up so good on her little arms!!! Such a strong girl. The drool that accompanies this effort is nice, too!

Anniversary/Dustin's Birthday weekend!

This past weekend marked our 1 year wedding anniversary and Dustin's 29th birthday! We decided to celebrate by spending the weekend in the Texas Hill Country touring some wineries in Fredericksburg. We left the house Saturday morning and enjoyed a scenic drive up 281. Luckily the weather had cleared up and by the time we got to the first stop just outside Fredericksburg, Becker Vineyards, it was sunny and 65 degrees outside. Neither of us had ever been to a winery/vineyard before, so it was nice to be able to sample different Texas wines based on our preferences. We made it a goal to buy a bottle of wine from every winery we visited.

From there, we headed into Fredericksburg and stopped at the Fredericksburg Winery. Note to those of you who've never been here: don't ever go. It was terrible. The wine was icky and the ambiance of the place was just not nice. No vineyards to look at ... it was like an old storeroom with wine barrels in it. But we can laugh at the experience.

From there we decided to browse around the shops in Fredericksburg and grab some lunch and then in the afternoon stopped at a brewery and a beer garden. We watched some college football and enjoyed some beer and actually had a really nice time enjoying the beautiful weather!

Then we went to our hotel to relax (we're not huge B & B fans) and the Marriott Horseshoe Bay Resort was very close to our evening dinner spot and was very nice! We had the most amazing dinner at the Treehouse Bistro on Sunrise Beach (at Lost Creek Vineyards). Wow - I can't wait to go back. The wine was fabulous, the food was great, and after dinner we sat in the outdoor amphitheater and listened to a band that was playing while drinking more wine (the alcohol got me to dance :). All in all it was such a wonderful way to spend our anniversary!!!

I will say we missed Carleigh and did talk about her but it was great to get away! Sunday, we spent the day with family and celebrated Dustin's birthday at his parents' house and he got a lot of presents and a wonderful book Carleigh and I made him that was his favorite! It wasn't a big ordeal (that will be his 30th - maybe Vegas?) but it was very nice and he had a great afternoon watching football and surrounded by those who love him!

All smiles

Carleigh's disposition has been so wonderful over the last week to week and a half! Below are some pictures capturing her smiling and giving some funny faces! (which is hard to do with a camera that has a huge flash and a red light for red eye reduction)

Carleigh meets Jake

Today Kira and Jake came over and we introduced the two of them. Of course, being so young it was mostly just sitting around and eating, but both stayed awake and alert the whole time. Jake is 8 weeks old and Carleigh is 11 weeks old. They are close to the same length, yet he is about a pound and a half bigger. He has the cutest cheeks and a full head of brown hair! It was fun talking new mom stuff with Kira and seeing the two babies interact! I am envious that Jake is sleeping through the night - way to go Kira!

Dustin's got the swine flu!

What a bummer! Friday, Dustin started feeling bad, and after laying a guilt trip on him, he finally went to the Texas Med Clinic Sunday and found out he's got the swine flu!!! Initially, his fever was low grade but at it's worst it's been 102 degrees. He had the chills, a headache, was coughing, tired, and just generally feeling terrible. I should also mention that he is rarely sick and doesn't handle it very well! I wanted so badly to take care of him and tried to make him more comfortable, but also took precautions to keep Carleigh and myself away from him. Her age was an obvious no-brainer as to why we wouldn't want her to catch it (and she's just getting over a bug) and if I caught it, then I wouldn't be able to care for her in the afternoons. So she stayed at her Gigi and Bubba's Sunday night and I followed suit Monday night. Luckily by today, Dusty was feeling better and has been fever-free for 24 hours so we've returned home but we are still spraying Lysol all over everything just to be safe.

"With the H1N1 swine flu virus responsible for more than 4,500 deaths worldwide, the World Health Organization says it could take years for the global threat level to be lowered.

According to the latest World Health Organization figures, the H1N1 swine flu pandemic has been directly attributed to more than 4,500 deaths worldwide. "As many countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case count is significantly lower than the actually number of cases that have occurred," WHO stated on their web site. But WHO officials also warned that it could take years for this strain to become more of a seasonal concern - and that the global pandemic alert would not be immediately lowered as a result. The pandemic alert will stay in effect until worldwide populations can demonstrate an ability to fend off infections. "At some point in the future, there would be a recognition of the fact that if it's no longer circulating on a sustainable basis in communities. Then you would lower the pandemic level," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters. "There is absolutely no indication yet of that happening." In the meantime, vaccine manufacturers have been shipping large numbers of dosages to hospitals and to health care facilities where needed - and there have been reports of H1N1 swine flu vaccine scarcity. The U.S. government has been actively working to educate the general population on the need for vaccination, and health officials remain optimistic that the strain will remain relatively mild. However, influenza is notoriously unpredictable. "

"7% of U.S. H1N1 patients died: study" - acording to the CDC

Good thing Dusty's healthy!!!

Home photo shoot

I thought I'd try to take a few pictures of my own using a black back drop and my new camera and though I still need to learn about the camera more, it turned out not too bad for an amateur. My old Lilly partner, Shalonda (gosh it's been 4 years!), sent Carleigh the cutest outfit, so I had to put it on her and take a few pics. Carleigh's getting better in front of the camera and she's just so beautiful, I can't help but show her off!

What about us?

Dear Mommy,

Ever since you brought that thing home, you've been very forgetful with our water bowl, even our food and bathing us. Our nails our ridiculously long and we miss playing with you. Don't you miss throwing the ball 100 times per day like the old days? And don't you miss petting me and staring into my eyes for at least one hour a day? Why has she taken over? We don't understand. The only time we ever get is when you collapse in bed at night. It is so nice to cuddle up to you under the covers, except we would appreciate it if you would stop getting out of bed so much. It disrupts our deep sleep. We still love you. Why? Because we are dogs and that is what we do.


Love,
Maddie and Tyson