Appointment

Brooke had a great 1-year appointment yesterday.

She is weighing 22 lbs and is 29.75 inches tall! That means she weighs more than 70% of 1 year old girls and is taller than 75% of one year old girls. And her head is bigger than 80% of 1 year old girls. Haha, she's big, but proportionate!

She can now eat whatever we eat. She got 2 shots and a blood test, which she wasn't happy about.

I spoke with Dr. Castro about taking Brooke to see her godmother, Jacqui. Jacqui is going into the hospital this Thursday, the 29th, and will be having her bone marrow transplant on Aug. 5th. I was thinking of taking Brooke to see her on Friday while we're in Pittsburgh. Dr. Castro said it would be fine for Brooke, but Jacqui's drs will probably have rules about visitors and especially children - but Dr. Castro thinks that, at the very least, Jacqui's room may have windows looking into the hall so that she would at least be able to see Brooke through the big window. I feel better about my decision to take a one-year-old into the hospital to visit after speaking with Dr. Castro about it :-)

Great weekend!

Friday, I didn't want to have to carry Brooke in all the rain from Tropical Storm Bonnie (it was raining when I left for work), so she stayed home with Jim. Turns out, the so-called Tropical Storm was a dud (although it ruined my morning commute), but it was nice for her to have a day at home anyway!

Brooke and I had a great time this past weekend. On Saturday, we went to her friend Andrea's first birthday party. It was outside...the day was really beautiful! It was hot, but the sky was clear and so sunny! There were ponies, and Brooke took her first pony ride. She seemed to like it - no smiles, but lots of squinting at the sunlight, and she even petted the pony's neck (thank goodness she loves to "clean her hands" with wipes!). Brooke had her first taste of cheeseburger (which was delicious - I haven't had a cheeseburger on a charcoal grill in ages!) and tried potato chips. She also had snowcone and cake. Liz and her husband, Andrea's parents, did a great job with the party, and the craft table was fun! The birthday girl is so sweet and promptly grabbed a handful of icing!

Yesterday was "Mommy-Daughter" day when we just stayed home and played ALL DAY. It was great. I like to do that on the weekends, she gets so tired of being on the go all the time. She's always an angel when we're out and has fun wherever we go, but it's never quite the same as being at home playing with her toys!

Now, we're into another week, and looking forward to next weekend, when we'll be with family and finally having her party!

Update

Brooke's one-year appointment was supposed to be this afternoon, but her pediatrician had an out-of-town emergency and rescheduled for Monday. I'm a little disappointed, because I can't wait to see Brooke's stats, but it will be nice to have extra pay before vacation!

I am getting beyond excited - only one more week, and it will be time to leave! This weekend, I plan to play fashion show with Brooke and figure out what clothes to pack her - she's at this in-between stage where a lot of 12 month still fits her, but in some outfits, she needs 18 months. It drives me a little crazy - I knew what I wanted to pack, but now I need to make sure it fits her. And she outgrew roughly half of her pj's - right before our trip. Have you ever tried playing fashion show with a one year old? I'm lucky I can get her to sit still to get dressed once a day, let along trying on multiple outfits....

We've had a great week so far. Sunday, we started it out by going to Gaby and Olivia's birthday party. Their theme was Snow White, and they had their party at Busy Bee Kidz...it was this really cool play area for little kids. Brooke was a little clingy at first - I think she was overwhelmed by the amount of kids (most of them 3 years old) running around. Then, she found the rocking horse - once I showed her how to rock that pony, that was it. Then she started crawling and playing. She ate pizza, cotton candy, jello, and cake - I have never given her that much sugar at one time, and she LOVED it. She had never had pizza either, but couldn't get enough and ate almost a whole slice by herself! She got her face painted and brought a balloon home. They gave out Disney princess swim floaties as the favor - thank you, Gaby & Olivia. We had so much fun!

Tuesday was Brooke's actual birthday. I was working, so I dropped her off at daycare in her "baby's 1st birthday" onesie and a headband with a large pink rose - they got out the camera and started snapping pictures! She was so happy all day. After school, we picked up Daddy and went to IHOP for her birthday dinner. She loves breakfast, so we wanted to take her for eggs and pancakes. She ate about 1/2 of the child's meal we ordered her (!) and then the waitresses brought out a scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in whipped cream with a candle. They sang happy birthday, and we helped her "blow" out the candle, and she enjoyed her treat. When we got home, it was present time - she got clothes from Aunt Kelly, toys and a book from Aunt Heather and her family, and several toys and clothes from Mommy and Daddy. She did NOT want to go to bed that night!

This weekend, we have another birthday party to go to, and we'll start getting ready for her big birthday trip! I need to get my bridesmaid dress packed and get out all the clothes we're going to pack, and we have some bills to pay. And we need to clean so that we can come to a clean house at the end of vacation. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday, Brooke!

My little princess is 1 year old! Her appointment is on Thursday, so we'll know her stats then. She's now standing and cruising, and she loves to play. She has the sweetest laugh and is just the most cuddly little thing.

So, back to her birth story....I had contractions ALL NIGHT. I would try to get into bed but be really uncomfortable. So, at about 5:30 am my new nurse promised she would help me get into bed and lay on my side and find Brooke's heart rate. I got into bed, and as I was moving to my side, I felt a huge gush. My water broke at 5:45 am. The Cervidil was still in, I was so excited - until I found out I was only 1 cm.

Once my water broke, the contractions got more intense. When my dr got there at about 9 am, I was still only 2 cm dilated. I got my epidural and was finally able to get some rest. Time passed and is a blur to me. The nurse kept putting the oxygen on me, but I couldn't stand to have it on. Around 1 pm or a little after, one side started to wear off, so I was given a little more medicine through my epidural. I was still only 2 cm dilated, and Brooke was starting to have delayed decelerations - Dr. Miranda said she didn't like the contractions, she was trying to move away from them, and her heartrate was decelerating after contractions every once in a while. She said since I had so far to go (I was on a high dose of Pitocin, but my contractions were coming every 2-7 minutes - super random), she thought it would be better to have a C-section so that I didn't end up needing an emergency C-section later in the day. I was sad, because I wanted to have a natural labor, and very scared, but all I care is that Brooke was born, safe and healthy.

She gave us some time to call our families, then I was prepped for surgery. I was given a different mix of my epidural drugs to completely numb me for surgery. When I was in the OR, I started vomiting - I don't know if it was all the drugs, the smell, the nerves - or a combo of all of it. I completely relaxed as soon as I heard Brooke cry. She was born at 2:07 pm weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and 18.75 inches long.

We had an uneventful time in the hospital, despite having trouble nursing. I am so grateful to Dr. Miranda, who safely delivered my baby girl and took steps to keep her healthy before we were in an emergency situation. I have told Jim that she is delivering our next baby, even if we move to Broward County.

Dr. Miranda holding Brooke at 1 day old.

A couple of more pictures (what a difference!):

Brooke at 2 days old, getting ready for her hospital pictures.

Brooke at 1 year old.

Loving Tigger (notice her monkey in the background, she loves Monkeys).

One year ago today...

...was our last day as a "couple." I'm serious when I say I want to document Brooke's birth - for my own recollection, because sometimes the details already seem hazy to me and I want to remember every second of waiting for my baby girl.

We had everything ready for the baby - just look at her crib. We went to a nice dinner at Chili's, just the two of us. It was our last date, even to this day. It was packed. I couldn't get a seat to save my life while we were waiting. Everytime one opened up, someone else grabbed it before I had the chance. (Wouldn't want to let the puffy, about-to-burst pregnant lady get off her feet, would we?) I was forced to squeeze into a booth (you'll see why that was torture in just a few minutes). The waiter offered me alcohol, until he saw my belly. I had a burger and strawberry lemonade of some sort, and Jim had buffalo chicken fajitas with diet coke. It was delicious.

After we got home, I put my feet up. Techically, I was still on bed rest. Of course, I painted my toenails a lovely red color (good thing, too, the first thing the dr said to me was, "You painted your toenails!" And, completely unplanned, they are painted the same color today) I finished gathering my stuff for the hospital, and off we went. I was huge and so ready to get that baby out of me! I had high hopes of being able to labor quickly and have her on the 19th (although I knew this was a long shot), and even higher hopes of being able to do all this without any pain meds!

We got to the hospital at 8:00 pm as scheduled. By the time I was checked into my room and situated, my Cervidil was started at about 9:30 pm. I wasn't allowed out of bed or off of my back for two hours once it was started, so I settled in very uncomfortably. I counted down the minutes until 11:30. Seriously why is it that when someone tells you that you can't move, you want to just get up and run?

It wasn't too bad. I just chilled and ate ice chips. Around 11, Jim and I decided to get some rest - who knew how fast this would work? We no sooner settled in for bed than the contractions started. At first, they just felt like regular monthly cramps - nothing I couldn't handle. Of course, Jim was already asleep. They never got too intense that first night, but I felt them - and they were ALL in my lower back. I ended up getting out of bed as soon as I was allowed and sitting in the rocking chair. The nurses kept telling me to rest because I was going to have a hard day the next day (Um, thanks, got that), but I just couldn't stand to lay on my back with what felt like crampy spasms in my lower back, and if I moved to my side, they would lose the baby's heart rate on the external monitor. (She loves rocking in rocking chairs, I guess it started way back then). When I was sitting up, I was still feeling the cramps in my lower back, but they were much more tolerable (kind of just an annoying sensation, but not as tight as when I was laying down). So there I sat as the 19th turned into July 20.....

Weekend...

This time last year, I had a dr. appointment - my last one before Brooke was born. There weren't many changes - I got some ultrasound pictures of our squished girl (we didn't know just how squished until she was born!) and I was starting to "soften" - not what I wanted to hear mere days before my induction!

Today, a whole year later, we took Brooke to get her one-year pictures done. They didn't turn out - the Penneys we normally go to said they didn't "have time" for her two outfits because they were running late - I left and scheduled an appointment at a different Penneys for tomorrow because I refuse to feel rushed for photos of my girl's first Birthday.

Since I was looking forward to pics today though, here's a recent one to hold us over:

My girl just woke from her early nap, so it's time for her to have a late lunch. Pictures are rescheduled tomorrow, before we head to Pembroke Pines for a birthday party!

It's amazing

I can't believe how fast little ones learn. Brooke just started pulling herself up last week - now the past couple of nights, she's started cruising along furniture! She doesn't go far, but it just amazes me that she can walk around her activity table to the chair behind it. She LOVES to walk holding on to our fingers - I have a feeling that walking is just around the corner!

July 13, 2009

There are going to be a lot of posts reminiscing about last year - I love to look back and remember the excitement of having Brooke, and since I just started this blog in Feb. 2010, my pregnancy and Brooke's birth are not documented, which I want them to be (this blog really is about our lives with her, after all).

This time last year, my dr was debating about when to induce me. She had even offered to induce me around the 11th (my dad's birthday) as soon as the baby was full-term - I was due on July 31. Even though I wanted to meet my little one SO BADLY, the dr, Jim, and I all agreed it was best to give her a little longer.

During my pregnancy, my dr had been watching my blood pressure closely. It was always 138-ish/90-ish, but, like I said, my dr was watching closely and tested me to make sure I wasn't developing pre-eclampsia (I'm pretty sure I spelled that wrong). About a month or 6 weeks before this day last year, I was told I had to leave work early and lay on my left side for 3 hours before dinner.

But on Sunday, July 12, 2009, my blood pressure jumped up, and it was consistently 145/90. I called my dr, and the on-call dr called me back. I wasn't having any other symptoms - lighteheadedness, dizziness, excessive swelling, etc - so he told me to come to the dr office the next morning. Plus, I was getting ultrasounds every other week to keep an eye on my fluid levels and the baby's growth, as high blood pressure can interfere with that.

On July 13, 2009, when I saw Dr. Miranda, she talked about moving my induction (I was scheduled to start Cervidil the following Sunday, July 19). She could have done it the next day - but ultimately, she felt the baby and I were both doing well enough to wait for the weekend and that the baby would benefit from that extra week in utero. She pulled me out of work and put me on modified bed rest - I could be up to get something to eat, go to the bathroom, etc., but that was it. The rest of the time, I needed to be laying down with my feet up - on my left side as much as possible.

And so, that's how my pregnancy neared its end.

Something strange...

...has been going on with me lately. I'm not sure what it is. I've stumbled across a whole blog-ommunity of mothers and families of children with a birth defect known as HLHS. I've learned a lot about this - such as when it's diagnosed in utero, parents are given the chance to terminate the pregnancy, choose compassionate care after birth, or choose a series of 3 open heart surgeries in the baby's first few years of life. I just can't stop thinking about these babies and their parents. I hope I never have to be in their shoes, but I am amazed at their strength and, especially, the strength of these babies and what science allows - that these babies can live with only half of a heart!

One story in particular has really touched me and been on my mind. You can read it at www.lukesexton.blogspot.com. Sadly, this little angel passed away last week - at not even two weeks old. He gave a good fight, but it was too much for his little body to take.

I can't even imagine what his parents, Kristin and Benson, are feeling and dealing with right now. And yet, their faith in God does not seem to be shaken.

I believe knowledge is power, and I think more people need awareness of congenital heart defects like HLHS - so, please, pray for the Sextons and other families with babies born with CHDs.

It's official!

Brooke is officially pulling herself up to standing! Last night, she pulled herself up to her activity table, the TV stand, and she's been pulling herself up in the crib. I have pictures at home I'll try to post soon.

She LOVES to walk while holding my fingers - and she moves her feet like she's walking while she's standing at her activity table. I think cruising (and walking) is right around the corner!

Tonight, I'm going to order my new (smart)phone and I am excited! I was going to go with the HTC EVO 4G, but it's a little out of my price range with birthdays and vacation coming up, plus 4G isn't even available everywhere yet - so I think I am going to go with the HTC Hero with Google. It's an Android phone, so I'll be able to download lots of fun apps. I am most excited to find some kind of traffic or GPS app - yesterday, it took forever to get home thanks to an accident on I-75, so I'll be glad to be able to avoid those situations!

July 7

There really is no special reason for posting today, other than I am super bored.

Jim and I get told all the time that Brooke looks like a Gerber baby, so I decided to enter her in a Gerber Generation contest on http://www.gerber.com/. Her picture is there now, but it's not open for voting quite yet. It had to be a recent picture, so I chose this one:

It's one of my current favorites of her - I love the look on her face!

I know I've said it about a million times, but I cannot wait for my vacation. Jim and I haven't really been out since before the baby was born, and we have a couple of "dates" planned during our trip. On Saturday, July 31, we're going to go out to dinner and go to a concert - one of our favorite bands, the Clarks, is doing a concert while we're there! Then the following Saturday is my best friend's wedding.

I'm excited for these outings - we definitely need them. Not only don't we have any alone time, most weeks we barely get to see each other, depending on Jim's work schedule. It's rough, and I feel like we need this time together....

Brooke's first Fourth

We had a great 4th of July weekend, the first one with our baby girl!

Saturday, Jim was off. I was supposed to have relaxation time in the sunlight, but the weather was terrible - it rained ALL DAY. So, we went shopping. We went to the Dolphin Mall and picked up some clothes for Brooke's birthday (now all we need to get her is some small toys!) and had a delicious lunch at Dave & Buster's. Brooke loved it, and she had a blast with the balloon that the waiter brought her.

On Sunday, Jim worked early, so Brooke and I went to the grocery store. When Jim got home, we made burgers, fresh green beans, and we ate them with fresh peaches, baked beans, potato chips, and a cake that I made. It was so good! The weather was still yucky, so we watched fireworks from our couch - we could see some from our balcony, and we watched all the fireworks on TV. I was sad that we didn't go because Brooke LOVED them. She clapped, said "yayyy!," the NYC fireworks even got an "ooohhhh" and an "ahhhhh" from her. But, she fell asleep early, and Jim had to work early on Monday, so it's just as well we didn't go out in all the crowds.

Monday, Brooke and I were off, and we shopped a little bit and just relaxed at home. I think she's starting to get her top teeth now, so we didn't do much - she's been so clingy the past couple of days!

Today's the start of another week, and I'm already looking forward to when it is over and I can enjoy another weekend. Can't wait for it to be time for our trip!

Honestly.....

Where has the past year gone? Here it is, today's the first day of July, and my baby girl turns 1 in less than 3 weeks. I can't believe it. I'm so excited, it's been so fun to watch her grow so far, and I know it's going to get even more fun (and crazy) as she starts to walk/run, talk, etc. But, I am a little sad too - where is my cuddly little baby that just stared at me and depended on me for EVERYTHING? It's gone way too fast.

She started liking to try to feed herself. This is new. She'll grab the spoon and pull it towards her wide-open mouth. Luckily, she lets me still hold on to the spoon, or else I think it would end up in her eye more often than her mouth!

We have things together pretty well for our trip to PA. We booked a rental car for the week, and today I booked parking for the Fort Lauderdale airport. I've started making lists of what to pack (yes, already!) so I can be sure I either get it or make arrangements for Mom to pick it up. The design on the cake has been decided, we just have to let her know when it gets closer how many people so she knows how big. The invites were mailed yesterday.

Brooke is now riding in her "big girl" carseat - rearfacing for the moment, but it will be turned around before our trip. It's super big and cushiony - I wish they made one for me, haha. It looks super comfy! She is now also drinking all whole milk - still needs it warmed up a little, but we're working on drinking it cold straight out of the fridge. She also still drinks it from a bottle, but we'll work on the sippy soon. I've been a little curious how much she should be drinking a day, so I will have to ask her dr that soon.

I have a month until the trip, and so much to do! I'm sure I'll need a haircut. I know I'll need to buy Brooke something to wear in the pictures with her cousins, food, snacks, and small toys for the airplane/car ride to my parents house. We gave her the big toy for her birthday already, but we will need to pick up a few more presents for her to open on her birthday. Will we look terrible if she doesn't get any gifts from us at her party? haha.

I'm so very excited to take her to her friends' parties a couple of weekends this month. I think Brooke will have a blast, she loves playing with other kids! At our last playdate with Adriana and Gaby, Brooke was a little shy - I'm not sure why, because she's not like that at all at daycare, but she warmed up quickly after she had dinner (maybe she was just hungry) - so I fully expect that, so long as I make sure she has a full belly before the parties, she will play until she crashes on the way home!

This weekend, I think we'll go shopping and see if we can pick up anything needed. Maybe birthday presents. I found a cute stand at the Dolphin Mall that sells headbands with the big flowers for Brooke - definitely going to get at least one of them!

On Saturday, my wonderful husband is giving me a chance to swim and lay out by the pool. He's going to bring Brooke down to the pool for a bit, then take her back up and play, feed her, etc., while I have some Mommy relaxation time. I hate spending my weekends away from Brooke since I'm away from her so much during the week, but I'm really looking forward to relaxing and getting some sun - that will refocus me enough for work for the rest of the month, and I'll get a start on a great tan for Becky's wedding (afterwards, I think the tanning bed for me because it's so hard to find time to be outside).

Oh, and I mentioned the lists. OH, the lists. I've always made lists - but right now, I have about 5 going, and I love it. Since I love lists so much, I'll make a list of my lists so you can see how crazy I really am:
- List of what we need for Brooke's birthday party
- List of what I need to pack for Jim (very short!)
- List of what I need to pack for me
- List of what I need to pack for Brooke
- List of what bills we have to make sure we pay before vacation, what we need to pay during vacation, and our income until vacation
- At work, I keep a to-do list so I make sure I get things done each day.

I like how lists keep me organized, writing a list gives me a chance to spit out everything I'm thinking and clear my brain so I can focus, and I love the sense of accomplishment when I get to cross items off my lists.