I thought I'd do one final post dedicated to my CP baby - at 3 months, Nugget is tipping the scales at approximately 15 and a half pounds. She is all rolls and chubby cheeks and I love it. The downside is that my arm muscles have not had the gradual time to adjust to carrying that weight in the infant car seat, so I feel like a big weakling.
We are so blessed that something that can potentially be a concern was ultimately not a concern for us. My OB stated that as ultrasound technology has improved, they are diagnosing more and more circumvallate placentas, and realizing that they don't always cause growth issues.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
To the Dr. or not?
No, this is not a post where I ask for anonymous internet input on whether or not I should take my child to the doctor.
But seriously, I hate trying to figure out if I should take my kid to the doctor. Daycare has been rough on our household. I'm a believer in building immunity, so I don't super clean or sanitize at home (except following our nasty bout of norovirus brought home from daycare...which we only found out was the super-contagious, super-yucky norovirus AFTER everyone in the house had been knocked down by it...) however, daycare means that SB and BW always seem to have a bug. Runny noses are the norm, not the exception. I hate that I have snotty-nosed kids all the time. We should buy stock in Kleenex.
We've also managed to remain largely ear-ache free - SB and BW have only had one each. So with a few other miscellaneous ailments, they each have only had to have antibiotics 3ish times in 2 years. Not bad. But I constantly struggle with deciding how high/how many days of a fever warrants a trip to the doctor, which will usually result in - it's probably a virus, but here's some drugs. I'd prefer not to go that route.
However, with two older toddlers in daycare, Nugget was bound to get sick - and she is already on her second cold in three months. Poor baby. The nasal congestion isn't something I'm too concerned about, our Nose Frida just gets a workout. But now she has a cough that has persisted a couple days. So I'm at that place again where I try to decide myself - virus? Or something that may require some big guns, like a nebulizer or something? I feel the nurse line is no help, as they seem hesitant to provide any other advice than "you better bring her in just in case." Argh.
But seriously, I hate trying to figure out if I should take my kid to the doctor. Daycare has been rough on our household. I'm a believer in building immunity, so I don't super clean or sanitize at home (except following our nasty bout of norovirus brought home from daycare...which we only found out was the super-contagious, super-yucky norovirus AFTER everyone in the house had been knocked down by it...) however, daycare means that SB and BW always seem to have a bug. Runny noses are the norm, not the exception. I hate that I have snotty-nosed kids all the time. We should buy stock in Kleenex.
We've also managed to remain largely ear-ache free - SB and BW have only had one each. So with a few other miscellaneous ailments, they each have only had to have antibiotics 3ish times in 2 years. Not bad. But I constantly struggle with deciding how high/how many days of a fever warrants a trip to the doctor, which will usually result in - it's probably a virus, but here's some drugs. I'd prefer not to go that route.
However, with two older toddlers in daycare, Nugget was bound to get sick - and she is already on her second cold in three months. Poor baby. The nasal congestion isn't something I'm too concerned about, our Nose Frida just gets a workout. But now she has a cough that has persisted a couple days. So I'm at that place again where I try to decide myself - virus? Or something that may require some big guns, like a nebulizer or something? I feel the nurse line is no help, as they seem hesitant to provide any other advice than "you better bring her in just in case." Argh.
Friday, August 14, 2015
My love/hate relationship with the Rock n Play
I first heard of the Rock n Plays when SB and BW were a few months old. Many twin moms were singing their praises, and I thought about purchasing them, but also read a number of reports of flat heads and needing helmets, or a nightmare crib transition, and after dragging my feet for a while decided that we were past the stage of usefulness.
When Nugget was baking, I decided to dive into the Rock n Play fan base, as I thought it would be something that I could easily carry to and from the different levels of our house so Nugget would have a safe place to be/sleep with two rambunctious toddlers around.* I thought it would also be a sleeping place for Nugget for the time being if we went to grandma's so we wouldn't have to invest in another pack n play.
I bought one used, since the useful life of a rock n play appears to be a few months, and they usually resell quickly and easily. I didn't use it for the daytime sleeping place that I intended - mainly because SB and BW can just reach into it if they balance on their tippy toes and are very unstable in the process, and I was worried they would fall onto it while trying to give Nugget kisses. However, with Nugget getting a cold within her first month of life as well as having reflux, I tried it for night time sleep one night. Which, as everyone raves about, works wonderfully. Nugget sleeps SO well in that thing, and it really helps if she is congested (which, she is, again. Poor kid is on her second cold in the first three months of her life). However, I am paranoid about letting her sleep in it for overnight sleep; so I put it in our room, next to our bed (Nugget otherwise sleeps in the crib in her room across the hall). I try to use it as infrequently as possible. It's like a parenting drug. I try to control my use of it, I know the consequences could be bad, but it feels SO good to get a nice long stretch of sleep. (For both Nugget and I).
So, I continue to use it as sparingly as I can. I always put Nugget down for the night in her crib (which, so far, has been going swimmingly since her chiro adjustment). But, in the middle of the night when I'm tired and she's congested and tired and restless, I can't help but succumb to the RnP.
*Note - it's not. It requires two hands to fold and unfold, which I appreciate for safety reasons, but it just wasn't workable as easily folded/transported if I also had to keep Nugget safe from bouncy toddlers and fold it up and then pick them both up.
When Nugget was baking, I decided to dive into the Rock n Play fan base, as I thought it would be something that I could easily carry to and from the different levels of our house so Nugget would have a safe place to be/sleep with two rambunctious toddlers around.* I thought it would also be a sleeping place for Nugget for the time being if we went to grandma's so we wouldn't have to invest in another pack n play.
I bought one used, since the useful life of a rock n play appears to be a few months, and they usually resell quickly and easily. I didn't use it for the daytime sleeping place that I intended - mainly because SB and BW can just reach into it if they balance on their tippy toes and are very unstable in the process, and I was worried they would fall onto it while trying to give Nugget kisses. However, with Nugget getting a cold within her first month of life as well as having reflux, I tried it for night time sleep one night. Which, as everyone raves about, works wonderfully. Nugget sleeps SO well in that thing, and it really helps if she is congested (which, she is, again. Poor kid is on her second cold in the first three months of her life). However, I am paranoid about letting her sleep in it for overnight sleep; so I put it in our room, next to our bed (Nugget otherwise sleeps in the crib in her room across the hall). I try to use it as infrequently as possible. It's like a parenting drug. I try to control my use of it, I know the consequences could be bad, but it feels SO good to get a nice long stretch of sleep. (For both Nugget and I).
So, I continue to use it as sparingly as I can. I always put Nugget down for the night in her crib (which, so far, has been going swimmingly since her chiro adjustment). But, in the middle of the night when I'm tired and she's congested and tired and restless, I can't help but succumb to the RnP.
*Note - it's not. It requires two hands to fold and unfold, which I appreciate for safety reasons, but it just wasn't workable as easily folded/transported if I also had to keep Nugget safe from bouncy toddlers and fold it up and then pick them both up.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
We're all adjusted over here
Nugget was a very easy baby for the first 4-6 weeks - at least for me. She definitely preferred her mama over others, but it wasn't a big deal. Then, around 6 weeks, she became more alert. And she was generally happy...for about 10 minutes out of every 3 hours. Our schedule went like this -
Nurse for 15-20 minutes
Coo and smile for 5-15 minutes (unless we attempted tummy time)
Start to fuss, but comforted if held facing out for 10-15 minutes
Lose it and fight sleep like a banshee; refuse to be held by anyone else but mama. 10-30+ minutes
Fall asleep for 30 minutes to 2 hours
Repeat
There were also times when Nugget would scream as if in pain. We are pretty certain she has silent reflux, but she was not having any issues with weight loss so I didn't want to start her on medication. I'd tossed around the idea of taking her to the chiropractor, but couldn't make up my mind (figures). Then some friends of ours said they took their son to the chiro after 6 months of colic, found out his hip was out of alignment, and saw a night-and-day change. So I scheduled the appointment.
The chiro found some mild hip misalignment, and basically made adjustments all the way up Nugget's back, especially the areas that contribute to reflux as well as making some adjustments to her neck since she has a tendency to favor one side. She also showed me how to do inversions with Nugget to help her spine realign on its own, which I'm not going to describe in any fashion because I don't want to be responsible in any way for someone attempting them on their own, but Nugget seems to really like the inversions.
That evening, both the hubs and step-daughter were able to hold her without her throwing a fit. The next day at daycare, the staff said she had a REALLY good day. They are still struggling with her fighting sleep (which she does, if you miss her "window" you are in for a battle) but they saw a definite improvement. We go back to the chiropractor in a few days to evaluate and readjust as necessary, but I'd say we are definitely seeing an improvement. Yay!
Nurse for 15-20 minutes
Coo and smile for 5-15 minutes (unless we attempted tummy time)
Start to fuss, but comforted if held facing out for 10-15 minutes
Lose it and fight sleep like a banshee; refuse to be held by anyone else but mama. 10-30+ minutes
Fall asleep for 30 minutes to 2 hours
Repeat
There were also times when Nugget would scream as if in pain. We are pretty certain she has silent reflux, but she was not having any issues with weight loss so I didn't want to start her on medication. I'd tossed around the idea of taking her to the chiropractor, but couldn't make up my mind (figures). Then some friends of ours said they took their son to the chiro after 6 months of colic, found out his hip was out of alignment, and saw a night-and-day change. So I scheduled the appointment.
The chiro found some mild hip misalignment, and basically made adjustments all the way up Nugget's back, especially the areas that contribute to reflux as well as making some adjustments to her neck since she has a tendency to favor one side. She also showed me how to do inversions with Nugget to help her spine realign on its own, which I'm not going to describe in any fashion because I don't want to be responsible in any way for someone attempting them on their own, but Nugget seems to really like the inversions.
That evening, both the hubs and step-daughter were able to hold her without her throwing a fit. The next day at daycare, the staff said she had a REALLY good day. They are still struggling with her fighting sleep (which she does, if you miss her "window" you are in for a battle) but they saw a definite improvement. We go back to the chiropractor in a few days to evaluate and readjust as necessary, but I'd say we are definitely seeing an improvement. Yay!
Friday, August 7, 2015
Back to work
So, I'm back to work. It was harder to return to work than when I returned after SB and BW were born - I think it's because I knew the 12-week leap (See Wonder Weeks) was coming and I was able to take it in stride instead of being overwhelmed by the fussiness.
I was also glad to be getting back to work because there was a ton of stuff going on and I felt like I was falling further and further behind.
When SB and BW started daycare as infants, DH had a hefty commute and usually left for work around the time I was getting them up for the day. Now, DH has a very reasonable commute and daycare is on the way, so we tag team the morning routine and daycare drop off. I'm lucky that he is so "all-in" with the taking care of our kids - the only thing he struggles with is pony tails for SB and BW (they still have really fine hair that hasn't outgrown the toddler mullet but hangs into their eyes so it's not easy to put it up and out of their faces), so he usually gets them ready for the day and I quick put their hair up before we head out the door.
It's so quiet at work. I enjoy the noise break. But SB and BW are still adjusting a bit to being back in daycare full time. BW told me "I don't want to go to daycare today." Sigh. Hang in there girl, it's almost the weekend.
I was also glad to be getting back to work because there was a ton of stuff going on and I felt like I was falling further and further behind.
When SB and BW started daycare as infants, DH had a hefty commute and usually left for work around the time I was getting them up for the day. Now, DH has a very reasonable commute and daycare is on the way, so we tag team the morning routine and daycare drop off. I'm lucky that he is so "all-in" with the taking care of our kids - the only thing he struggles with is pony tails for SB and BW (they still have really fine hair that hasn't outgrown the toddler mullet but hangs into their eyes so it's not easy to put it up and out of their faces), so he usually gets them ready for the day and I quick put their hair up before we head out the door.
It's so quiet at work. I enjoy the noise break. But SB and BW are still adjusting a bit to being back in daycare full time. BW told me "I don't want to go to daycare today." Sigh. Hang in there girl, it's almost the weekend.
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