Two Weeks!

Has it really been 2 weeks already?  (Actually, today, it's been 2 weeks and 1 day).  They say that time flies, but this is going a little fast!  People say the first 2 weeks are the hardest.  I think the first week was the hardest for us, and then we started adjusting.  This week has been no piece of cake with all the gas and pooping issues, but at least my hormones are starting to balance out, and I haven't bawled at every drop of a hat.

Cameron had a big week this week!  She got to meet her great-grandparents on Adam's side of the family, she met the Dr. who helped get her started, she went with mommy to her post-op appointment, and she had her 2 week appointment! 

We went for Cameron's 2 week appointment yesterday, and she is a growing girl!  She is weighing in at 8 lbs 15 oz (75th percentile) which means she is back up and has passed her birth weight (by 1 oz).  She has grown 1 & 1/4 inches since she was born also and is in the 77th percentile!  Her head measurements are actually smaller than when she was born, but she is in the 92nd percentile.  Our little girl is growing and we are pleased!

Since the "To Poop or Not to Poop" post, Cameron has gone from having constipation or struggling to go poop most days to yesterday having multiple dirty diapers in one day.  It seemed like every time she passed gas, there was something to go with it.  Today, it seems to be back to the not going to poop.  The Dr. wasn't concerned at this point and said that she just needs to train her little body how to go to the bathroom.  She said that it seems like her muscles haven't quite figured eveyrthing out, but she is getting there!  We did switch her formula to Enfamil Gentlease in hopes that it will help with the gas and pooping issues.  That stuff smells awful and she doesn't particularly care for the taste (that we can tell).

Over the past week, we have figured out a sleep schedule that works for us, but will probably disappear when Adam goes back to work in a week.  But, for now, it's working.  I'm hoping Cameron will start sleeping a little more at night and not wake every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to feed when Adam does go back to work, but we will continue going on her needs.

We have moved our bedroom completely into the living room for the time being.  I expect that within the next week or so, we will move it back and try to start transitioning her to the crib.  Gotta use that expensive piece of bedroom furniture that has been hanging out in there for over a year!

Overall, a descent week!  Here are some photos from this week...

Chillaxing in the bassinet!

Went to see the great-grandparents - 9/24/2011

Went to mommy's post-op appointment - 9/28/2011

With all the pooping issues...diaper changes are NOT fun!

Desmond wants to know why she's screaming...

Daddy made fun of the bottom lip being stuck out when sleeping on her belly for a little nap.

I'm awake and I'm smiling!

To Poop or Not to Poop?

To poop or not to poop?  That is the question.  That's right folks...you getting a pooping post.  Aren't you excited?

That's been the summary of my week so far.  Cameron is having issues going to poop.  Sunday we had to call the pediatrician's office because it had been about 30 hours since she had last pooped and no one got any sleep in our house on Saturday night because of how miserable the poor child was.  The nurse on call told us to give her a glycerin suppository.  So, off to the store Adam went and we gave her a suppository and it worked instantly!  She felt so much better and we had a really good night on Sunday night.

Monday, she was on the verge of another 24 hours, had horrible gas, and kept trying to push, but nothing was coming out.  Made us start wondering if we need to switch formula.  Adam called the pedi's office again.  Told them about Sunday, and when he mentioned the suppository, the response he received was "We don't condone that".  Excuse me?  Then we do you have someone telling people to do it?!  Neither of us are very happy right now.  And then they proceeded to tell him that they aren't concerned about a baby not pooping until it's been 3-5 days.  THREE to FIVE DAYS?  Are you kidding me?  I'm miserable by day 2 if I haven't pooped, what about my baby who can't tell me that she is miserable, and all she does is cry because it hurts so bad?!  So, basically, everyone has to be miserable before they will do anything about it?  NOT happy.

Cameron finally pooped again at midnight after 33 hours of nothing.  She SCREAMED from 9:30 to midnight, and then finally did her duty and was a happy baby again!  Slept like a freaking rock star.

We decided to take a field trip yesterday and went to see Dr. Reshef (my RE) and his nurse, stopped by one of the branches for the bank I work for, and then proceeded to go to Adam's work.  When we got to the hospital to see Dr. Reshef and Beverly, we knew it was diaper time and feeding time.  So we went in, and when we picked her up out of the car seat/stroller combo, we heard the world's largest fart ever.  Even someone who was sitting a good ways away from us heard it and he started laughing. 

I took her into the women's room and OMG...it was not just gas...it was the most explosive bout of diarrhea...Poor girl!  Then she was STILL going!  So I was trying not to make a HUGE mess, but in the process of her straining, she started with the most forceful peeing attack I have seen and made a mess with her pee!  So, here I am, handling this ALL on my own, trying to block the still going poop, clean up the projectile pee before it gets all over her clothes, and not make a huge mess.  It was pretty comedic. 

Today, after 24 hours, she finally had another BM and seems to feel a little bit better, but last night was another rough night.  About halfway through the night, it go better, but she still was noticeably miserable.  The gas is still outrageous and we have to figure out how to help that (Little Tummys is not working for her and she is still too young for Gripe Water)...but, hopefully tonight will be a little bit better.

What have you tried to help your LO go poop or handle the gas?

Next post will have pictures.  I have to download them off of my phone and camera before I can post!

Hospital Pictures

If you are friends with me on Facebook, you probably have already seen these, because I linked them when we received notice that they had been posted.  But, I promised to post them here too, so here they are!

These are the pictures that were done at the hospital!  I think they were done on September 17th.  Enjoy the photo-bomb!

One Week!

It's been one week since Miss Cameron came out to meet this world!  And she has been loved on every bit of it!

We got to come home (all 3 of us!) on Sunday, Sept. 18th.  Cameron had lost 7% of her body weight (she was down from 8 lbs 14 oz @ birth to 8 lbs 3 oz when we left) and had a jaundice rating of 11.3.  The pediatrician said at her age, she wouldn't do any treatment for jaundice unless the level was above 20, and we were well away from that.  Due to her weight loss and the jaundice, we did have to go in on Tuesday for her first weight check at the Dr.'s office.  More to come on that.

We got home on Sunday and wasn't quite sure what we were going to do.  Desmond wanted to check out what the new thing was that we brought home.  Fortunately he doesn't think she is his own personal chew toy! 

Gotta check this out...whatcha got for me?

We were already both tired, and had NO clue how we were going to split the night shift.  Adam doesn't do well at waking up in the middle of the night (really, I don't either...), so we tried him taking the 8:00 and 11:00 feedings and I would get up and take the 2:00 and 5:00 feedings.  However, I was up for both of his feedings and he snored through both of mine.  I was exhausted come Monday morning.

Adam's parents came and helped me out on Monday while Adam went and ran errands.  That helped allow me to get some rest, but also helped me figure out that I can NOT take the Percocet anymore.  It makes me so drowsy that even taking one pill that I am miserable.

Tuesday, we went out for our first outting.  We had to go to the pediatrician's office for Cameron's weight/jaundice check.  So, we left a little bit earlier, and went to Braum's to see Adam's morning ladies.  They just loved her (but, who wouldn't?)!

Cameron's appointment went well considering.  Her jaundice levels were down from 11.3 to 8.4, but her weight was down too.  She was down to 8 lbs 1.5 oz, which is still within the 10% she is allowed to lose.  I think she has started gaining weight, but until our appointment on the 29th, we are set to strict every 3 hours feedings.  Once she is back to gaining weight like she needs to, then we will be allowed to let her eat when she wants.

The nights have been rough, but we have figured it out a little bit.  Adam is taking the earlier feedings, and I'm still taking the late night/early morning feedings, I have been waking him up if I need help.  Last night was actually a smooth night for us.  We moved our bed into the living room (until we can all get adjusted) and I went to bed a little bit earlier than normal.  I still woke up when Adam needed to feed, but when it was my turn, Cameron ate, burped, and then went right back to sleep, and then would sleep until her next feeding.  So, mommy actually got some sleep!  I'm still pretty tired today, but I didn't feel like I had been hit by a semi this morning when I got up.

All in all, we have had a pretty successful first week!  I've heard the first 2 weeks are the hardest, and we are 1/2 through that!  I'm still slightly sore in places from the c-section, and I've had a couple of massive meltdowns (gotta love hormones!) and trying to get my milk to dry up is painful, but it's going pretty well!

Here are a couple more pictures from this week.  I really need to get better about taking pictures...This time is going to fly by oh too fast!

I actually stayed awake long enough for mommy to take a picture with my eyes open!

Tummy Time!!  9/22/2011

Close up of tummy time

One week old!  9/22/2011

She's Ours!

I still sit in amazement today that Cameron is here...safe, sound, healthy, and alive!  I keep expecting something bad to happen or someone to wake me up from this dream.

I just look at her, completely and totally fascinated with her, and then I just think to myself..."She's Ours!  She's really ours!"  We get to take her home, love on her, and watch her grow up.  And then there is always that part of me that gets sad, because Bailey is ours, but we don't get to do those things with her.

We survived our first night with Cameron in our room.  I was so tired today though that we sent her to the nursery here at the hospital just so I could get a little bit of sleep.  Between the exhaustion and the percocet, I was struggling to stay awake.

Cameron did pass her hearing test today after failing it yesterday, so she is good there!  We also had her pictures taken here at the hospital and ordered some of those.  I will be posting those once I get the information from a CD they will send with it (including copyright rights).  There were some really cute ones and I can't wait to share them!

Here are a few pictures from today...I laugh because Cameron works and works to bust her arms free when she is swaddled, and then once she gets them free....she gets mad because they get cold!  It's too cute!

This was after she got one arm free, but before she got mad because it got cold!

We think she is "Cute as a Button".  This onesie is actually one we had bought for Bailey.

Picture time with daddy!

Introducing.....

Introducing with great pride is our sweet rainbow baby, Cameron Bailey Southerland!

Cameron was scheduled to arrive on September 15, 2011 via repeat c-section, and everything went according to plan!  We arrived at the hospital yesterday morning at 7:00 a.m. and was taken back to surgery at 9:15 a.m.  Cameron came out screaming and crying at 9:45!  I was so relieved to hear her crying and screaming that I cried too!

Cameron weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and that's having arrived at 37 weeks!  She is 19.5 inches long and she has a head FULL of black hair!

The only blip that came up during the c-section is that I was hurting a lot while still being operated on and they ended up giving me something that knocked me out for the rest of the procedure.  Fortunately, she was already out, and I had already gotten to see her before they did that.  I was very drowsy for most of the day yesterday, but after it finally wore off, I felt pretty good.

She is such a good girl and we are so proud and so incredibly thankful for this sweet girl!  She is eating great (I chose not to breastfeed with her...own personal decision), but everything is going well!  I know Bailey is watching over her and is so proud of her little sister.

Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday and today!  Happy viewing!

First picture taken by mommy - 9/15/11

Our first family picture - 9/15/11

Daddy's favorite onesie - 9/16/11

I'm a happy baby! - 9/16/11

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers as we gone down this very long journey to get to this point.  We appreciate it all!  

24 Hours!

It's 7:50 a.m. Oklahoma time right now.  By tomorrow, this time, we will be checked into the hospital and should be 1 hour and 10 minutes away from c-section time....which means we are that much closer to meeting our Cameron!

Yesterday was my last day of work...for 12 weeks!  It's hard to think that I hopefully won't be going back to work until December 8th.  Crazy! 

Today, we have tons of things that need to be done.  I've almost finished up the laundry.  We have to run the dishwasher tonight.  I have a hair appointment at noon, my LAST prenatal Dr.'s appointment this afternoon, and then it's heading to Elmore to take Desmond to mamaw's because she is going to doggy sit for us while we are in the hospital (hopefully we get to come home Saturday).  I want to go by the cemetery this evening and make sure all of Bailey's flowers look good and trim down the stems and actually get them in the vases.  And then, before I am not allowed to eat or drink after midnight, it's going to be Mexican food for dinner!  Because tomorrow, it's the land of broth, jello, and juice...gag.

I will try to post sometime tomorrow evening about our adventures in repeat c-section and how Cameron is doing, but I make no promises.

If you happen to think about us, please just say a little prayer that everything goes smoothly and everyone does well tomorrow.

Where Were You?

There are two dates in history when tragic events occurred in American history that I will forever remember where I was.

The first:  April 19, 1995 - The bombing of Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City.  I am a native Oklahoman.  I was born and raised here.  I still live here.  My husband works in downtown OKC now.  And on that morning, I was sitting in Mrs. Johnson's 6th grade class, when a classmate came in and said "There was a building bombed in Oklahoma City".  No one knew what was going on, but as we started getting more information, we watched the news.  At home, I watched the horror and devastation on the news.  I remember the picture of the fireman holding the baby that he had brought out of the rubble.  I remember our 6th grade classes learning to sign "From a Distance" by Bette Midler.  I remember when they imploded the rest of the building...I watched it live on National t.v.  I remember it all.

I also remember thinking during that time, I hoped that event would be the worst I would see in my lifetime.  I hoped and prayed for no other devastating, tragic, and horrendous act to happen.  If only.

The second:  September 11, 2001.  I was freshman at the University of Oklahoma.  I remember listening to KJ103 when driving in to park on the South Oval and heard that a plane had struck a building in New York City.  At that time, there were no details on what building, what kind of plane, nothing.  I remember thinking that it must have been an accident...a pilot fell asleep...an engine failure.  I got to campus, parked my car, and headed into my Gateway class.  Gateway was that class for incoming freshman to take to help them transition from high school to college...they especially recommended it if you came from a high school as small as mine.  I remember sitting there, waiting for class to start, when Lauren Shoush came in and told us what they were reporting.  Do I remember anyone else's name in that class?  Nope.  But, I remember Lauren's, because I remember that day.  I watched the news in the Union that showed the Twin Towers falling.  I watched as they talked about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania...I watched all day as I waited for my only other class that afternoon.  But, even as I got to that class, I found it was cancelled due to the awful events of that day.

So many lives lost.  So many more since then as our country fights this war on terror.  So many broken hearts, families who are hurting, families who are forever changed because of these events.

Today, and everyday, I remember those who lost their lives on that September morning.  I also remember those who have given their lives serving our country.  I hold those who are still serving close to my heart and keep them in my prayers.

What events do you remember exactly where you were when they occurred?

High Risk Grad!

Today, at 35w5d, I am a High Risk Graduate!  What do I mean?  I had my last appointment with my high risk Dr. and we have been released until the next time we decide to do this dance again (and God willing, as long as all goes well this time...it won't be for a while!).

Cameron was a good girl today and showed off her ability to practice breathing and even gave them some good motions to see.  We verified, yet again, that she is a little girl!  Adam also asked about hair, and you could see lots of hair on her ultrasound!

She is still measuring about 2 1/2 weeks ahead, which means at almost 36 weeks, she is measuring almost 39...and she's weighing in (according to measurements from the ultrasound) at 7 pounds 14 ounces!  That's more than her mommy weighed but no where near where chunky daddy weighed!  :)  If she gains another 1/2 a pound between now and next Thursday, then she should be well into the 8 pound range.  My regular Dr. has always said that ultrasounds in the 3rd trimester can go 1 pound either way because it's so hard, but based on how big I am measuring, she wouldn't doubt that ours is going to go towards the +1 pound as opposed to the -1 pound.  She's going to be our chunky little girl when she comes out!  :)

I'm getting excited, but I'm still so scared and anxious.  Every pain I question still...every lazy moment I worry...but, I am allowing myself to get excited.  But, there are days I still find it hard.

I have come to the conclusion that I suck at being pregnant though.  I am whiny, a complainer, and the worrying doesn't help.  So, I deem myself as a horrible pregnant person.  I am just as bad as every other naive pregnant person, who at this point is so fat and miserable that they are done.  I am so entirely grateful for getting this far, but I'm to the point where I just want the end result.

I want her here.  I want her safe.  I want her healthy.  I want her alive.

I don't ask for much.