"She can't eat for three hours before her procedure..."

OK, so Zoe has to have a "reflux sonogram" today. I don't know what that is, all I know is the nurse told me she can't eat for three hours before. I tried to explain that Zoe is on a 2 hour schedule right now....she said the DR wants this done NOW. Great. So, this comes on the heels of our earlier conversation :

Nurse: are you feeding her Enfamil Lipil after every other breastfeeding?
Me: Nope.
Nurse: Why not?
Me: Because she's full after she eats, I'm not comfortable with formula, we can't afford the formula, and because nobody can give me a good reason why she "needs" the formula.
Nurse: Because of the calories.
Me: Interesting, because I read on the formula maker's website that there is only 1-2 more calories per ounce than breastmilk. And, why should I think something chemically made and enhanced is better for my child than what I make? When the formula companies themselves say "breast is best?"
Nurse: *silence*
Me: I have to go with my Mommy instinct and follow my heart on this one. I'm not comfortable with formula, I see no need, and she IS gaining weight...she fits her clothes, she's happy, and what's more.....that's not why I called today...I called because she is super gassy, and is crying out in pain on a regular basis. Also, she spits up either before a meal or immediately after a meal. If it's after a meal, she gets hungry sooner...so I know she's spitting up part of her meal.
Nurse: I'll get with the DR and call you back.

She calls me back to tell me that Zoe has to have this sonogram today. There is some sort of defect where there is a hole in the tummy or something? I don't know, but they want to rule that out.

I don't think they'll be pushing formula on me again....and if they do, we'll simply change Doctors.

Don't mess with me when it comes to my kids.

On Thanksgiving....

This year, on Thanksgiving (and really every day), I was most thankful for my two healthy and beautiful children. I was thankful for time spent with family, both here at our own home and in Plano (with family I rarely get to see). I'm thankful for the fact that Zoe is such a good baby, and I pray that she continues to be so good. I'm thankful that Daniel is such a wonderful big brother, and that he rarely gets jealous of her. I'm thankful that we have a roof over our heads. I am thankful for our Church family, too, because we couldn't have gotten through these past few months without them. I am most especially thankful for the example and gift that is Jesus Christ. I will strive to highlight that example in the lives of my kids. I am thankful that it is Christmastime, the most wonderful time of the year.

Baby Schedules...

I've never really been much for schedules....I guess that's why I never try to put my children on one. Daniel, it turns out, needs a schedule....a flexible one, yes, but a schedule nonetheless. Zoe...she has a schedule all her own. But I'm seeing a distinct pattern :

7:30 am wake up and eat. She usually stays awake for 2 hours or more.
9:30 am still awake, and sometimes eats...
11:00 am if she didn't eat at 9:30 she'll eat now and then fall asleep.
2-3 pm sometime in here she wakes up to eat then falls back asleep
5-6 pm " "
8:30 pm depending on the night, she gets a bath
9-9:30 pm she eats sometime in here
10:00 pm falls asleep
2:00 am wakes up to eat
This is where it varies....between 1.5 and 3 hours apart she wakes to eat.

Daniel, on the other hand : his schedule is wacky. But it's still a schedule. I just hope eventually their schedules line up.

First Photos....

I took Zoe to get her newborn pictures taken on Thursday. It took FOREVER. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about getting pictures made (and they're cheap too because I had a coupon)....but seriously, it took us 2 and a half hours!! J.C. Penney needs to have more than one person working their photo studio this close to the Holidays. I could not believe it....and their phone kept ringing, people kept showing up....and we kept getting put off. COME ON people, we're dealing with a five week old baby who gets tired of being handled and put into weird positions. I had to finally call the whole thing off and go with what we had to that point. SO, we'll see what they end up looking like when they come in on the 29th.

First Smile...AND first laugh!

She smiled at me this morning when I got her out of her bassinet! And, to make sure it wasn't just a fluke....I was able to get her to smile again! And, to top it all off....after I had fed her some today I was tickling her chin and she LAUGHED!! Jennifer Moore is my witness....she heard her! I forgot how exciting this all is!

ONE MONTH OLD....I can't believe it

Zoe is 1 month old, today. We had her one month check up yesterday....here are her stats :

7lbs 4oz -- 5%
21" long -- 50%
14.25" head circ -- 20%

So, needless to say : she's long and skinny, just like her big bro! And, of course, the Pediatrician is "worried" about her weight. Good Grief, do we HAVE to start obsessing over our daughters' weight before they are old enough to talk?? He said they want to see 1 oz gained per day, and she'd only gained 4 oz in 6 days. My lactation consultant said the books say .5-.6 oz/day....so I never know what to think. The DR wants us to offer her a bottle of formula after every other feed, but what he fails to realize is that she is FULL after she eats! I can't force feed her formula! GRRR it's really frustrating.

When Daniel was newborn, and was >95% on his height and 95% on his weight.....I was told "we don't pay that much attention to percentiles and charts." But NOW that Zoe has such a huge discrepancy in her percentiles (5% for weight but 50% for height), they're worried. It is such a double standard. As long as she continues to poop, pee, and eat....then I'm happy. Yes, I wish she'd put on a little fat so her clothes fit before she grows out of them length-wise, but all this means is she'll be able to wear her clothes longer ;) Unlike Daniel, who outgrew his clothes in mere weeks!

Growing....

It is so difficult to believe that Zoe is almost a month old....it seems like only yesterday that she was born! Funny, isn't it -- that the 8 days she spent in the NICU seemed to drag on for months but the three weeks she has been home have flown by. She's eating so well! She is sleeping a lot, too. I wonder if she isn't sleeping too much, but I suppose I should be thankful for all that she is sleeping. So unlike her big brother....and speaking of her big brother, he sure does love his little sister!

"Mummy's Little Pumpkin"