Baby Bargains

Since I really haven't been able to blog about clothes right now, I thought I would comment on some things that I have found life savers or must haves throughout these last few weeks with a newborn.

1. Bottle sterilizer
Just rinse and pop in the microwave for 4 minutes.

2. Nap Nanny
I didn't register for this but had some credit at a store in Monroe that I needed to use so I decided to give it a try.  Aiden's digestive system had a tough time in the beginning and he really liked to sit upright for awhile after feedings so I bought it.  The lady at the store told me I wouldn't regret it and I haven't.  Almost every pic I take of him is while he is chillin' in the nanny.
3.Gowns
Just pull up and change.  No snaps involved. I can barely see at night I'm so sleepy.  The last thing I want to do is fool around with taking pants off and on. I especially love the Magnolia Baby gowns that can be converted into pants if you want.

4. 3 Martha's Burp Cloths

The material is so thick and soft.  Love them appliqued/monogrammed!

5. Little Tummy's Gas Relief Drops

I tasted these drops when some spilled on my finger because you can tell it tastes good by the way he licks his lips.  It did taste like cherries.  The pharmacist at Walgreens told me these were the best gas drops around and they have saved us.

6. Moms on Call
About a month before Aiden was born one of my mom's best friends told her about this.  Her daughter lives in Atlanta and had used this program with her first child.  It was created by 3 moms who are all R.N.'s and take call throughout the night to new mommy's who have newborn questions.  It is similar to Baby Wise from what I've been told.  We started it when he was 2-3 weeks old and immediately had him sleeping 5 hours when we put him down.  Now Aiden is sleeping on average 7-8 hours a night.  We are so blessed but I am also a big believer in Moms on Call.  You can take an online course or buy the DVD.  Apparently they have courses all the way up to toddler age as well.

7. Sleep Sheep-Giraffe by cloud b
Aiden loves music or noise period and part of the Moms on Call routine involved white noise.  The giraffe has slightly different sounds than the sheep, white noise being one of the options.  My mom does has the sheep and it has the heartbeat which is very similar and still seems to help him sleep.  Set the timer to 45 minutes and you are good to go.

8. Bottle Warmer
I just got one of these 2 weeks ago.  What was I thinking? Seriously, do you know how many minutes of my life I wasted standing by the sink waiting for the bottle to get warm.  These things are amazing.  I wasn't sure they actually worked and since I was planning on nursing I didn't think I needed one.  When Aiden got put into PICU, I had to quit nursing and pump exclusively.  This means everything had to be measured out and put into bottle form. I would encourage everyone to get one even if you don't think you will need it.  You never know!

What have been some of your favorite "must-have?"  Am I missing anything I need to get?

Aiden in the Nap Nanny

2 Months

Today my baby boy is 2 months.  I can't believe how fast time has flown.  This week will be my last on maternity leave and I don't know how I am going to leave him everyday.  I feel like everyday I'm with him I get to witness new milestones and I can't just don't want to miss anything.  I have to admit though, I have so much more respect now for stay at home moms than I ever did before.  It is a hard job.  I have double respect for working moms and moms with multiple kids.  To be able to juggle everything is a huge task.  I can see why women and the child bearers.  Men would give up.  It's way to difficult for them.  Even my husband admits it.  Not too long ago I left him with Aiden for a day and he was truly exhausted by the time I got home.  He said he could get nothing done while he was in charge of watching him.  Well, welcome to our world.

                                    Height and Weight: Unknown.  We go to the doctor on Tuesday.  Last weight   check 2 weeks ago was 9 lbs. 8oz. and 23 1/2 inches long. 
                                   Milestones:  Aiden has definitely found his voice.  He loves to coo and hear himself talk.  He can almost roll completely over. When he get to his side, he can't quite figure out how to get his arm out from underneath him.  His eyes are really focusing on things and he will turn his head to try and find you when he hears my voice.  He also loves to smile.
                                  Sleep Schedule: Around 7-8 hours a night.
                                  Clothing Size: Some 3 month outfits fit but we are still wearing our 0-3 month outfits quite well.  A couple we have grown out of because of length.
                                  Feedings: Have switched from 4 oz. of expressed breast milk to Enfamil Gentleease every 3-4 hours.  We are still adding a healthy teaspoon of neosure per bottle and teaspoon of rice to the bottle twice a day.  We have increased our Lasik medication from 0.3 to 0.4ml b.i.d. and Digoxin from 0.6 to 0.7ml b.i.d. because of your weight gain.

What are you Watching?

I love the fall because it's when all the new and old shows debut and there is no longer nothing to watch on TV.  Plus, the days are getting shorter so you can't stay out as long and need some entertainment.  Here is what I'll be watching.  What are you looking forward to?

Up All Night
Premiers tonight! Since I am a new mommy, the previews look hilarious to me.  Most of their lines are exactly how I feel!

Rachel Zoe Project
If you read my blog you know I love me some Zoe.  The show features her pregnant this season. And can she ever look chic with a belly!

Project Runway
Although this is the same ole stuff, I DVR then fast forward to the runway show if I don't feel like watching the whole thing.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
I am a huge reality junkie and can watch anything.  I watch all of the housewives series but love this one.  I think their reality is so far from my comprehension and that's why it intrigues me.

Grey's Anatomy
I don't think the show will be the same with Patrick Dempsey leaving.  ER was never the same when George Clooney left but I will still watch.

Desperate Housewives
I've followed from the beginning.  Heard a rumour this could be their last season. 

The Sing-Off
If you love singing competitions or appreciate music this is the show for you.  You truly have to be talented to put on an acapella performance and create your own background music.  It's phenomenal.

The X Factor
If Simon Cowell created it, it should be good.

Newborn Pics

It seems like yesterday and forever at the same time that we took Aiden's newborn pics.  He was 10 days old at the time and it is crazy how much he has changed. For one, he had more hair then than he does now.  We are losing our hair at a rapid rate.  Hopefully, it will still be the same color when the new hair grows back. Secondly, he looks chunkier there than he is now.  He was 8lbs 12 oz there and today weighs 9 lbs 8oz but has grown 2 and 1/2 inches.  Still, I think he was and is the most precious thing ever.  I am partially bias though. 

I have to sing the praise of the photographer.  The adorable and talented Brandi Smyth came to our house and took the pics.  It was great to have Aiden in a comfortable environment so I think she is a genious for setting the shoots up this way.  You can take your time and everyone feels more at ease.  She also has an assistant that is also fabulous.  She can just take those babies and mold them into the most amazing positions.  They never even wake up!  Check out Brandi's website here.  She truly does incredible work and it's all with natural lighting.  I wish I could post all the pics.  However, I tried just to pick a few of my favorites.  If your in the market for some family pics or even special ocassion pics, she is your girl.  Enjoy and everyone have a safe, happy labor day.

Are you ready for some Football?

I cannot believe that football is here.  Seems like just yesterday I was talking about high school baseball and caught up in spring fever.  Maybe I just can't believe it because it's still 100 degrees outside. Literally.  Football weather is crisp and cool.  But ready or not it is here.  My husband participated in a jamboree with 8 teams yesterday (congrats on the win).  Below is a pic of their new uniforms they got.  How fine are these?  If you are gonna play ball you need to look good too! Do you love the white helmets?

                                        Cedar Creek vs. Homer at Jam at the Joe (W 22-0)

                       The Hubby coaching-Not sure what he's doing her but it looks intense.

                     Aiden wasn't able to attend but we still dressed up to show our support!

More importantly, there are 6 days until perhaps the best non-conference game of the year kicks off (Well, let's hope it lives up to the hype).   It is #3 vs. #4 in a showdown in Cowboys Stadium.  Unless you live underneath a rock, you are well aware of the trouble that LSU Quarterback Jordan Jefferson has gotten into.  He has been suspended from the team indefinitely and Jared Lee has been named the starter.  I am very disturbed by this and think it's purely selfish to not be thinking about how this will affect your team when you choose to go out to a bar.  On top of that, Russell Shepperd will also not be on the field as he is suspended for the first game.  This game could be a total disaster or Jared Lee will be named some kind of hero for carrying his team to victory.  He will be sporting a slimmer frame this season and let's hope his confidence and accuracy have also improved during the off season.   Unfortunately, I won't be there but I will be watching and probably praying we pull out a victory.  Let's hope good ole Les pulls out some tricks from that hat of his.  Geaux Tigers!!

Oh, and the jokes have already started.  My husband received one on Friday: 2 LSU football players are riding in a car.  Who's driving?  Baton Rouge P.D.-LOL. This is only the beginning I'm sure.

Aiden's Room and 1 Month

I have been so busy and so behind that I have forgotten to post pics of the nursery.  It has definitely been a work in progress but finally has come together.  For some reason, I knew from the get go that I was having a boy.  So there were a few things that I had picked out from market before I officially found out the sex.  I did delay in ordering it but in my mind I had a picture of how I wanted to nursery to look.  I love elegant nurseries and wanted something just very soothing. Even though babies respond to colors early on I couldn't help myself from leaning toward soothing blues and taupe's.  So here are a few pics. There are still a few things I would like to do eventually but I haven't found the right accessories.  The nursery will just have to develop as he does.

 The bedding was custom made from HauteBaby in Dallas and the glider/recliner by Best chairs (storytime series) is one of the most comfortable chairs I've ever sat in. Up close, it is upholstered in a paisley to match the bumper pads. My personal favorite part of the room is the chandelier. Not exactly masculine but he's a baby. The rug, safari animals and rug were all ordered by my mom.

How adorable is this painting by Rachel of The Peek-A-Bootique? She made it to match my bedding.  I got the hooks from Hobby Lobby and hung them myself underneath the canvas.  I just couldn't resist taking a pic of Aiden to show ya'll how he sleeps (and no I do not lay my child down to sleep in a crib with the pads in.  This was strictly while I took the pics)

The crib is by Bratt for Restoration Hardware and I love this ceramic pacifier holder my aunt gave me.

The dresser was Ben's grandmother's that I had made into a changing table.  And how adorable are these shoes my mom gave me?

On a separate note today Aiden is 1month old! I can hardly believe it.  I guess time really does fly when you are running around like a crazy person trying to get a newborn on a schedule.  Some days, I don't know where my mind goes.  Like yesterday, I was so tired and wanted to make peanut butter brownies for our monthly Supper Club.  I forgot the peanut butter mix that makes the brownies rise.  So I made peanut butter fudge instead (and then I chose to leave it at home)!  I look forward to seeing my baby boy grow.

Weight: 9lbs.

Height: 22 inches

Milestones: On Aug. 17th he actually looked at me and smiled and knew who I was.

Started 1 tsp of rice formula on Aug. 16 to help gain weight.

Feeds every 3-4 hours during the day.

Sleeping 5-6 hours when we put him down at night.

Clothing Size: 0-3 month/Newborn (we haven't grown out of any outfits yet)

And We're Back

I know many of you already know what's been going on with Aiden but I am more or less writing to document our journey over the past week.  After 2 return visits last week to the pediatrician we were admitted into the PICU at St. Francis on Friday afternoon.  When I had arrived at the ped office Friday, my impression was I was just there for a weight check.  I had been on that Thursday and Aiden hadn't gained any weight.  After talks with out pediatric cardiologist we decided to increase his milk intake to 3 oz. and add Neosure, which is a supplement to help babies gain weight.  Therefore, I just knew on Friday when we returned that he would have gained an ounce. 

I arrived at the office and unfortunately Ben couldn't go with me because he had gotten a kidney stone that morning and was in severe pain.  When the nurse weighted Aiden I almost died.  He had lost 2 ounces over a day with the supplements I had been giving him.  When Dr. Slusher came in she immediately called Dr. King.  Over the past several days his breathing had increased and that along with the weight loss are 2 of the vital signs of heart failure.  When she came back in the room, she told me to go to the PICU and be prepared to pack your bags and be airlifted to Oschner in New Orleans for surgery.  As soon as I got in the car I broke down. Ben met me at a gas station, hopped in the car with me, and we headed to Monroe.  Even though it wasn't an emergency, we had our friend who is a CECP coach with Ben and full time sheriff escort us to the Ouachita line so we could get there faster. 

Ben did really well until all the nurses started hooking him up tot he machines and poking at him.  Since he was in heart failure, they couldn't get an IV or any blood to come out of his veins and for the first time since he was born we saw real tears coming down his face.  It was horrible to be that helpless.  Another Xray was done and this time it did show fluid in his lungs. Dr. King was out of town but was constantly checking in on us. I just can't say enough about him.  He was immediately started on Digoxin which is for heart failure as well as Lasik which is a diuretic to help the blood flow out of the heart and away from the lungs.  Because his respirations were so high (over 80 breathes a minute), we could only feed him about an ounce every 3 hours from a bottle so he wouldn't aspirate.  Could you imagine how mad you would be if you could only have like a cracker every 3 hours? 

Saturday came and went and he seemed to be doing better. Early Sunday we had another Xray.  There was still some fluid in the lungs but not as much.  Dr. King got back from out of town and made his way up to St. Francis to check on us.  He then started Aiden on medicine to calm his blood pressure and prevent backflow of the heart.  It typically takes 72-96 hours for the heart failure medicine to work so we knew we weren't going home any time soon.  He informed us that Dr. Lucas from Oschner would actually be in town on Tuesday and he wanted us to meet with him to talk about surgery.  Thankfully we were able to move into a room that had an actual door on Sunday which allowed us to get some sleep instead of a space with just a curtain that you close for privacy. 

Monday we repeated an Echo cardiogram to see if the size of the hole in Aiden's heart was still the same  size and it was.  I didn't really expect it to get any smaller since the 10 days when we first saw it.  By the end of the day Monday, Aiden's blood pressure was so good that he got to come off one of the medicines.  I also learned how to give him his medicine since I would be in charge when we got home. His breathing continued to decline to about 50 respirations a minute.  They have never been that low since he was born and some of the time I wasn't sure if he was breathing because I was so used to hearing him gasp for air and being able to see his chest move up and down. 
Tuesday was a waiting game.  Dr. Lucas got tied up and couldn't make it up here so Dr. King released us and we will meet him on his next visit to Monroe.  Him and Dr. King did talk and came up with the same consensus.  If the hole in the heart starts to close within the next couple months, then we have bought ourselves at least a year from having to do any surgery.  If it doesn't and he put on weight, then we will probably have to do surgery.  He forewarned us that the first year is the toughest.  After that, things get easier and you learn what to look for and how to manage the complication.  Looks like we will be seeing Dr. King alot this year.  In his own words, "we are going to give God a chance to fix it first and if he doesn't then we will."

I want to just take a moment and say how much I appreciate all the support and prayers that we received.  Ben and I were seriously overwhelmed and we can't say thank you enough.  We felt all your prayers and believe they worked.  To have gone from being told to be prepared to have surgery this weekend to maybe getting to wait a year can only be the grace of God.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.  Thanks again.

                    Hooking Aiden upto the monitors and trying to start the IV

                                                       Finally getting to eat more

                    We had to go home and get the Sleep Giraffe. Clearly, it worked!