THREE BABIES G: March 2013

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Abi Update

We had Abi's weight check this week. I felt as though there was a lot of pressure on me as I have been working so hard to get Abi to gain weight over the past 3 weeks. Around the clock (literally) I am pumping, or feeding, or thinking about what I am putting in my mouth/reading labels/trying to find new recipes/snacks/or prepare so I get enough calories to give Abi enough nutrients. Deep breath.

Abi gained 12 ounces and grew 1/2 inch in 21 days. It's not the big growth spurt Dr. Allen was hoping for, but he was pleased with the growth. We're not sure if it's the pumping and feeding by bottle or the change in diet, but her growth definitely took a curve shift, which is good news. Dr. Allen feels strongly that Abi has a dairy and soy protein intolerance, something she eventually will outgrow. For now, I am instructed to keep this schedule up as breast milk is the best thing we can give her. We can introduce solids if we want to, but it would be "just for fun" as at this age she isn't mature enough to eat/digest solids and have it pack on the calories.

Overall, we are thankful for her growth and pray that her intolerance is the only issue we are facing. Grow girl grow!!! I was very relieved after the appointment as it has been a very physically and emotionally draining 3 weeks, but it all served a positive purpose.

Abi's stats as of 3/27/13

Weight: 10 lbs, 4 ounces (still not on the charts)

Height: 23 1/2 inches - 10% (woo hoo!)

Head: 38 1/2 cm (same)

Happy, Silly girl : )

Sitting in her bumbo - with her brother who LOVES her

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

What we've been up to...

I haven't taken my camera out to capture my own family, but have trying to grab shots by phone to capture what we've been doing the past two weeks.

We've tried take advantage of the sunny (but COLD) days by heading to the park. I love how these two are such buddies these days

Katie wanted to be in the "big girl" swing, but Andy still prefers the baby swing. He could care less.

We celebrated miss Charlotte Johnson's 1st Birthday. Nope, I didn't get any photos at the party...ugh, but I did get one of Katie enjoying the fun party favor stickers.

We kind of forgot to celebrate Valentine's Day as a family. So, instead we decided to celebrate a "daddy day" and surprise Kyle one night with love and gifts and a yummy dinner.

My perspective of Abi these days...attached to the boob.

Happy girl!

I hosted our monthly bunco party. I should have taken more of the group, but got this one with Auntie Beks. Abi decided to join the big girls.

Laughing away!

We visited Mum one week after her 91st birthday.

The oldest and youngest members of the Campbell Clan.

We took full advantage of this mosaic art. Andy worked on them ALL AFTERNOON. Thank you Betsy for the suggestion.

And still in his pajamas when daddy got home from work. It was jammy day at preschool, but we are in our jammies a lot these days.

Katie went poop in the potty (after I told her I would throw her a poo poo party if she did). She is so proud. Later that night, she proclaimed that her big girl undies were not comfy and she preferred her diaper. Today she looked at me straight in the eye, while she was pooping, and said, "I'm NOT going in the potty." As I predicted, she's on HER timeline.

And when I asked if she wanted to put on her big girl undies, she replied, "No mommy, I do it!"

And boy was she excited...until she peed her pants and it ran all the way to her boots. "Mommy, I have pee pee in my BOOTS." Well, I guess it's a start. At least she tells me now when she's going...she just firmly prefers to go in her diaper.

Excited for their chocolate chip cookies at the poo poo party.

Abi in the bumbo for the first extended period fo time. Her cheeks are looking a little fuller, don't you think?

Katie hard at work at Coop. She was working the drill - and was quite proud of her skills.

Playing hide-and-seek with buddy Sylvie

Dadd and his kiddos. These two LOVE their daddy...and he is so good with them.

I had to take this picture because this is Katie's baby doll. Katie likes to put it in different places around the house that Abi normally would be (swing, bumbo, in my bed, etc.). Often time's I panic because I think it's the real Abi. Not too different looking...but loving the real baby Abi's rosey cheeks.

This is not an uncommon scene to walk in on.

Buddies working on a project together. This time it's re-doing our basement flooring. Love that Andy wants to wear his glasses just like daddy.

And last but not least, we celebrated miss Saylor's first birthday on St. Parick's Day. It was so fun to see all of these kiddos together. On the top row from left to right - Betty Edmonds, The Graebner 3, Lauren Rose. On bottom row from left to right - Charlotte Johnson, Edie Daniels, Saylor Sievers, and Jasper Lacy

Two weeks later...

When I was given the news that I would need to make a little shift in my daily routine to see how it would impact Abi's growth, I never thought I would experience what I have experienced. First, Abi seems like she's grown. Her cheeks are red and rosy and FULL. She is more hungry and less sleepy. She wants to interact more. And, in 14 days, she has gained around 10 - 12 ounces. This is almost double what she was gaining before. Hooray hooray hooray!

Did I know it was going to be a huge shift for me? Nope. Giving up my morning latte was my biggest concern, but then I discovered almond milk. I think I like it even better than real milk. I have learned a lot about food, about other moms who have had to cleanse their bodies of dairy and soy, and expanded my recipe and food repertoire quite a bit.

My number one priority has been Abi. Whatever I need to do for her to be as healthy as can be. But I've also discovered that I feel better on this diet. I am less bloated, I am eating more raw food and less processed food (because soy is in almost everything processed!). And I think this bread loving woman might have some issues with gluten. A lot of the recipes that I have used are dairy/soy/and gluten free. Since gluten free is the "trend" these days - I have been lucky to find some good sources and have made many trips to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I would have laughed at a "gluten free banana bread " recipe. After I made it (and added dairy/soy free chocolate chips), and the kids devoured it, and I devoured it...and Kyle devoured the non-chocolate parts...I was a pretty happy lady.

We have one more week until we go back in to see Dr. Allen. We have a scale on borrow (thank you Sievers!), which has eased both Kyle's and my mind. We can get a better idea of where her weight is instead of relying on one measurement on one day when we visit. It also has given me reassurance that the energy spent on this shift has been having an impact.

The past two weeks have been physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. Since I am pumping and feeding Abi my breast milk by bottle 3 times a day in addition to breast feeding, AND everything I put in my mouth is questioned (since I'm still learning what I can and cannot eat), I feel like I am barely able to make it out of the house or arrive anywhere on time. And when it rains it pours. I have had 5 photo shoots in the past two weeks (which I love - and has been a great outlet!), I learned that I have my first cavity (booo...mostly because I have to make another appointment soon), and Katie's preschool decided to end at the end of March, Alden is getting out on work release next week, and Katie decided she wants to attempt potty training. AND my pump battery decided to die today. My time has been stretched to full capacity and I am exhausted. These are all little things that just add up to make time feel like I don't have a grasp on anything, but big picture, we are thrilled that Abi seems to be responding as health is EVERYTHING. We are praying that this is the answer and she continues to respond positively.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Abigail - 4 months

Dr. Allen finally decided that he is worried about Abi's weight. She has fallen off her 2 % curve. Although she is hitting all of her developmental milestones, looks healthy, acts healthy, is happy, isn't fussy, sleeps 10 hours a night (all great things!), he isn't comfortable with her size. So, we're testing her poop, feeding her pumped milk by bottle 3 times a day on top of my normal breast feeding, and eliminating dairy (casein, whey, lacto, cheese, yogurt, milk) and soy from my diet for 3 weeks. I didn't think eliminating milk and soy from my diet would impact me too much (besides my morning latte!). Come to find out that soy or milk is in about everything except for raw foods. I already have learned a lot...but have a lot more label reading and learning to do. I would do anything for the health of my baby - so it's a small sacrifice if it's going to help her thrive. I just really hope it helps. At 4 months old here are her stats:

Weight: 9 lbs, 8 ounces - not even on the charts

Height: 23 inches - 2%

Head: 38 cm - 5%

Where will you find me over the next three weeks? Pumping, bottle feeding, breast feeding, and reading labels. Grow baby girl grow!

Spring?!?

On Saturday the sun was shining and we decided to go for a family walk/run/park visit/Starbucks treat. It was a beautiful morning, but it was COLD. The kids were happy as can be and didn't complain once. We have gotten a lot of use out of Abi's snuggly Northface outfit. It looked like a nice spring day, but it's clearly March in Seattle...windy and cold. About 2 minutes after we got everyone inside, it started pouring. Gotta love Seattle in the winter. I am ready for some real spring!

Andy in a Hat

Andy loves "Cat in a Hat" and all Dr. Suess books. He was really excited that he made his OWN hat at preschool in honor of Dr. Suess' birthday. He especially was proud of his one straight stripe in the middle. I called him "Andy in a hat", but since he's so literal, he was not thrilled with the nickname and kept clarifying that it's Cat in a Hat NOT Andy in a Hat. Oh Andy man.

Big Brother

Many people ask how Andy and Katie are with baby Abi. They have been really good siblings and whenever they walk into a room and she's not in my arms they ask, "where's baby Abi?" "Can I give her a kiss?" or they talk to her in a high pitched voice. My favorite times are when Andy talks to Abi about what to expect when she gets bigger. For example, that Abi will only be able to play with certain cars of his. Today, I told Andy that Abi was going to the doctor to get her check up. While I was driving Andy to preschool he was talking to her about being brave getting her shots and that she'll probably get a cool band aid to make her feel better. It's so sweet to see him love on her so much. He also always wants to hold her. Here's a quick pick of him holding her. I loved the expression I captured on Abi's face. It's like...mom, are you crazy???

Thank Goodness for Health Insurance

Although I have seen our insurance coverage get worse and worse with each pregnancy, I count my blessings that we have insurance coverage. We got this in the mail (we've been waiting for the final bill to come). And this is just my surgery - doesn't include Abi's NICU stay. Crazy!

Happy Birthday Ka and Bapa!

We celebrated Ka's and Bapa's birthday a month late as they have been in California. We had the whole family, but sadly were missing Brendon and Mollie. It was a really fun night with all the cousins and a fun night celebrating the big 6-5 for dad and 6-4 for mom. We made a list of 65 things we love about Bapa which led us to reminisce about all the wonderful memories we have created as a family. It's great to have an excuse for us to get together and I am so thankful for my wonderful parents and all they have provided for us in so many ways. Love you mom and dad!

List of 65 things we love about dad

1. Always present

2. Never let work get in the way of life, Worked hard , plays hard

3. Mentor

4. Awesome skier

5. Nicknames

6. Provided for us so that we were spoiled but not brats

7. Amazing trips

8. Family first

9. Rigalettos

10. Gross short workout shorts and finally getting new ones J

11. Made us feel confident

12. Never ending job….still our dad

13. Best grandpa

14. Honest, Loyal, Funny, Fair

15. Handsome---all our friends had crushes on you

16. A great student---4 times J

17. Even keeled---our rock

18. Never shy about farting

19. Creative…..the best poems

20. Thoughtful…always remember everyone’s birthday, anniversaries, caring for sick friends

21. Loves a good routine

22. Shredded Wheat, red apple, peanut butter and honey, fig newtons or oreo cookies, diet pepsi, cranberry juice, chicken pot pie…..the meals of our dad

23. Organized…who else labels their clothes or lines breakfast up the night before?

24. Logical, Predictable, and Stable….needed in a family of 4 girls

25. Athletic and always in great shape

26. Taught us the importance being responsible with money (at least the tried with some of us!)

27. Errands with dad….Ernst, cd store, certs contests, car wash

28. Hawaii, Sun Valley, Timberline, Europe….3 times

29. NY trips with each of us when we were 10

30. Ski trips with each of us as adults

31. The gift of Whidbey….priceless…then and now

32. It’s a good word, use it

33. Ski stretches

34. At all of our events….and there were A LOT!