Bladder Infection and Potty Training News

Who is not going to win the "Mommy of the Year" award this year? Correct - me. Olivia has been telling me for weeks that her "tummy hurts," which I have summarily dismissed as attention seeking behavior with a new baby sister around. Well, on Saturday she was more specific and told me that her "bottom hurts." When she started crying when she used the restroom, I knew something was up. So I sent her to the urgent treatment center with Daddy and lo and behold - a bladder infection. So that is why her tummy was hurting - who would have thought? Anyway, we are on yet another round of antibiotics and are hoping to make it through Christmas without another infection of some kind.

On the upside, we discovered that apparently Olivia has been using the potty for #2 for several weeks now. Jeremy took her to daycare and we always inquire about her potty habits. Her teacher mentioned that she had not done a #2 that day, to which Jeremy replied that at least they didn't have to change her panties (since she is wont to mess in her panties rather than tell anyone). To this comment, Ms. Diane looked at him oddly and told him that Olivia has been using the potty. Huh?! What? Say that again! Apparently Olivia knows how to use the potty at daycare, but chooses to make Mommy and Daddy clean up the mess at home. We were quite surprised to say the least. Now that we know, though, we have been more diligent with her about using the potty and sure enough, she used it the other night at, of all places, a family Christmas party. Once she was finished, she paraded around the house telling everyone she saw that she "poo-pooed in the potty." That's my daughter - proud of her accomplishments and wants everyone to know about it. Nice.

Birth Weight!

I am happy to report that our little monster finally reached her birth weight today - 5 lbs. and 14 oz. Hooray! One day I am certain I will look back in astonishment that she ever weighed so little...

Nanny, Papaw, and Uncle Chris

Two Weeks Old

Lilly is two weeks old today. She now weighs 5 lbs. and 10 oz. and is actually measuring 18 1/2 inches long (no, we don't think she has shrunk, but we do wonder how far they had to stretch her at the hospital to get 19 inches long). That puts her in the 3rd percentile in weight and 3rd percentile in height for her age. She is tiny! But have no fear - she still has the large Cranfill head that measures 33 1/2 cm, or 10th percentile! I give birth to bobble heads apparently.

We still haven't reached our birth weight so we are being diligent in feeding her. She eats every 3 hours and is a little piggy. Most often she takes 3 1/2 oz. which is a lot for her age, so I expect her to start packing on the pounds very soon. I hope it happens sooner rather than later because she is a little too long for the preemie outfits, but much too small for newborn outfits, which means nothing fits her. It is a pain to keep her in clothing and swaddled.

Overall, Lilly is an incredibly good baby. In addition to eating and pottying well, she is not very gassy (yet) and is not much of a spitter (that was NOT our experience with Olivia). We have one fussy period a day and usually Daddy gets it (hooray for me!), since he takes the feedings until midnight and I take the rest of the night. My pediatrician has warned me though that newborns typically become higher maintenance at about a month old, which also happens to be the time when the newness of having a new baby at home wears off and the siblings can become more trying (more trying? It is possible for Olivia to be more trying than she is right now?) Considering that the holidays will be over when Lilly turns 1 month old and Daddy will start traveling again, I think we can safely say that the doctor was warning me that the "poop" will really hit the fan come January. Fabulous. I think I need to go ahead and fill my prescription for anxiety medicine now...

Elf on a Shelf

Many of you have heard about the Elf on a Shelf. It is a "game" to play with your children in which the "elf" pictured above visits your house each Christmas to keep watch over the children and to report to Santa Claus about their behavior. The elf watches the kids all day and then leaves to night to go to the North Pole to report to Santa. When he returns, he situates himself in a different spot and it is the kids' job to find him. Aunt Shell recommended this to us last year and we decided to give it a whirl this year. The Elf has been a BIG hit at our house. Olivia looks for him every morning and gets so excited when she finds him. She yells all over the house, "Elf, where are you?" and once she finds him, she will yell, "Elf, I be a good girl! Tell Santa I be a good girl!" It is really quite cute and funny.

As for the Santa update this year, I can report that Olivia has made two attempts to sit on Santa's lap. The first was with her Nanny. She refused to sit on Santa's lap by herself and would only sit in Nanny's lap when she sat on Santa's lap. Santa also visited Olivia's daycare and apparently she refused to get anywhere near him. She told us for days that she was going to sit in Santa's lap and tell him that she wanted a castle and a baby doll, but Ms. Diane reported to us that the second he poked his head in her room, she began to cry and Ms. Diane had to hold her the entire time (on a side note, neither Jeremy nor I were able to attend her Christmas party at daycare this year - Jeremy had to go to a funeral and I couldn't take Lilly to daycare due to the germs that cover that place. I think I will be carrying the guilt with me for years to come). We are going to make 2 more attempts this weekend at 2 separate Christmas parties, but I am not holding out much hope...

A Christmas Tradition: The Gingerbread House

A Proud Big Sister

Olivia is developing into a great big sister. Not only has she warmed up to Lilly, but she tells me often that she "likes/loves her baby sissy." She enjoys giving her hugs and kisses and takes quite a bit of offense if you don't let her help by picking out the bib, burp cloth, and handing you the bottle. She will help feed Lilly by holding the bottle and burp her by patting her back. Olivia checks on Lilly for me whenever she is in her bed and informs me if anything is out of place (i.e. if Maggie gets too close to her by Olivia's estimation, which means if Maggie is anywhere in the same room as Lilly). Olivia also loves to show her guests Lilly's room. We are really pleasantly surprised about how well she is doing with the transition.

At the same time, we are also noticing signs of jealousy, which can be exhausting to deal with. We are having a terrible time getting Olivia to go to bed anymore, especially if she perceives that Lilly isn't going to bed. I often have to put her to bed in tears as she cries that she wants Mommy or Daddy (depending on who is holding Lilly) to go to bed too. She also has developed an aversion to going to daycare. She never wants to leave in the morning and tells me that she wants to stay home "for a little while." Olivia refuses to eat her breakfast and struggles when I try to dress her, sometimes even stripping off her clothes after I have dressed her to avoid going to daycare. When Olivia comes home from daycare, she most often tells me that her "tummy hurts" and she wants to sit in my lap. This is usually when I hear that she doesn't like Lilly anymore. But after a while she will be kissing her and telling Lilly that it is "okay baby" when she cries.

I guess all these mood swings are very normal for the big sister but they certainly can be exhausting. Running on less than normal amounts of sleep, I am often having to count to 10 to regain my patience in dealing with Olivia's love/hate relationship with her little sister, as well as the "terrible twos." It is certainly a transition for all of us as we adjust to our new family of 4, but all things considered, I think we are doing well.

Lilly's First Bath

It was only a sponge bath because her umbilical cord stump hasn't fallen off yet, but she wasn't much of a fan...

Daddy and Lilly

Finally Warming Up

A week makes a big difference. Lilly is a week old today and Olivia has warmed up quite a bit to her. We have gone from refusing to touch her to helping Mommy by picking out Lilly's diapers, wipes, bibs, and burp clothes. Olivia helps me hold the bottles while I feed her and loves to feel her feet ("I like them Mommy.") She pats her on her back and tells her "It's okay, baby sissy, it's okay." She also will tell her it is time to get up to eat when we are ready to feed. It is really quite funny. I did tear up a little when out of the blue Olivia told me that she "liked her" and then later said she "loved" her baby sissy. Now if we can get her to hold her...

On another note, although Lilly lost over 8% of her body weight and reached 5 lbs. 1 oz. (like I said, a complete monster), she is finally gaining some weight and is back to 5 lbs. 4 oz. In the words of her pediatrician, she is a peanut!

Our First Family Photo

This is our first family photo and it is a riot. Uncle Bob and Aunt Windy brought us dinner and a Christmas party! They arrived with boiled shrimp, potatoes, bread, and salad, dressed up for Christmas with Santa Claus hats in tow. Olivia was ecstatic! She danced to Christmas music and sang Christmas carols while we visited. It was very cute. We all were given hats and had to take a family photo in front of the Christmas tree. Olivia's smile says it all. Lilly slept through everything and, as you can see from Jeremy and I, we are doing good these days to keep our heads up. No makeup and bags under my eyes - well, I did take a shower that day...

The First Meeting

Olivia was not allowed to visit us in the hospital due to the H1N1 restrictions, so her first meeting with her little sister happened when we arrived home from the hospital. This has been a source of anxiety for us for some time, since Olivia cries when other babies cry and has recently taken to telling me that she does not like babies. But her Nanny and Papaw, who kept her while we were in the hospital, worked diligently with her, so she was a little prepared when we arrived home. The second we walked in the door she had a look of pure terror on her face and her hands over her ears in preparation for the baby to cry. She warmed up after a while of showering attention on her and not focusing on the baby and presented Lilly with a present - a new outfit she picked out and a sippy cup with Lilly's name on it (spelled "Lily"). She wouldn't come within a few feet of her without getting terrified (as you can see from the pictures), but it was better than I ever imagined it would be. Daddy bought Olivia a new camera as a present from Lilly and that, along with a box of Cheerios he sent home to her from the hospital from my breakfast tray, were a BIG hit. Lilly slept through the entire ordeal, completely oblivious, of course. All things considered, I think the introduction went really well.

Lillian Belle ("Lilly") Lankster

We welcomed Lillian Belle Lankster into this world at 11:51 a.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2009. She weighed a whopping 5 lbs. and 14 oz. at birth and was 19 inches long. It was quite a ride, particularly since my due date was not for another 2 weeks or December 17th. For those of you who don't know the story (and are interested) and of course, for posterity's sake, I will quickly fill you in.

On Tuesday, December 1st, and Jeremy's birthday, I had a particularly long day of painful Braxton-Hicks contractions and then a couple of hours that night of actual contractions, albeit irregular. I had a regular appointment scheduled with Dr. Simms on Wednesday, December 2nd, at lunchtime, but I was feeling better, so I scarfed down some peanut butter crackers since I had only had a bowl of cereal and headed to the appointment. When I reported to Dr. Simms what happened the day before, she asked about the baby's movement. I told her I thought it had decreased some, although I still had 10 kicks in 10 hours as required. She decided to put me on the fetal heart monitor, which I had done the previous week before with no problems. Unfortunately, she noticed a drop in the baby's heart rate during a contraction (that I did not feel). Dr. Simms decided to check me into the hospital for the night for prolonged fetal heart monitoring and an ultrasound, with the possibility of being induced in the morning. Dr. Simms said that even if the heart rate turned out to be fine, she could still induce me in the morning if I wanted, but I was so freaked out that I wasn't ready to make that decision.

Jeremy and I headed to the hospital, where I sat hooked up to the fetal heart monitor for most of the day. They didn't let me eat or drink anything, so I was absolutely starving and actually started having uncomfortable contractions every 5 minutes due to dehydration. I was wheeled off to an ultrasound that showed everything was normal other than the baby was small. A previous ultrasound, done a week earlier, estimated her weight at 5 lbs. and 11 oz. This ultrasound estimated her weight almost the same. By 7:00 that night I had not heard from my doctor and was worried about what was happening. A mix-up ensued in which the nurses informed me that they could not locate my doctor (I later discover that they apparently didn't try very hard) but they located Dr. Owen, who is in practice with Dr. Simms and helped deliver Olivia. Dr. Owen took a look at the stats and informed us that he was going to induce me at 5:30 the next morning because the baby was small and apparently not growing.

So Jeremy and I settled in for the night and I did not sleep at all. They moved me into a labor and delivery room at 4:30, induced me at 5:30, I was dilated 3-4 cm at 8:30 and Dr. Simms arrived to break my water. After my water was broken, I followed the doc's advice this time and went ahead and got my epidural. Boy, what a difference. I can safely say that my epidural did NOT work with Olivia, as this was a completely different experience. I felt nothing for the next several hours, despite contractions and dilating. In fact, I slept for a good hour before I woke at around 11ish with the pressure that ultimately led to 4 rounds of pushing before Miss Lillian entered the world at 11:51 a.m. It was a wonderful experience and we will always treasure it! I hope you enjoy the photos of our little Lilly Belle!

The Punkin Posse

If you have ever heard of us refer to the "punkin posse" and had no idea what we were talking about, this blog explains it. Olivia has an entire entourage of stuffed animals that must go to bed with her each night. We continue to add to them on an ad hoc basis and Jeremy and I refer to them as the "punkin posse." Hence the queen size bed.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We celebrated Jeremy's birthday on December 1st with a birthday cake that Daddy and Olivia made together. Daddy baked it and Olivia iced it, with the help of Nanny. Then Mommy wrote "Happy Birthday Dad" on it and Olivia helped put in the candles and blow them out. It was quite a project, but very fun. We also celebrated with dinner at Malone's. A low key but very special birthday, especially when Olivia sang "Happy Birthday" to Daddy!

An Ultrasound At 37 weeks

Jeremy's cousin, who is due to have her second child in January, went to an ultrasound and found out that the girl she thought she was having was actually a boy! Needless to say, that surprise scared me to death so I begged for an additional ultrasound to make sure that Lilly was actually a girl. It is confirmed - she is a girl. The pictures are really cool. Here is one of her sucking her hand!

A Baby Sprinkle

My friend, Laura, from work was kind enough to throw me a baby "sprinkle" (as opposed to a baby shower for your first child) the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Olivia attended with me in her "party" dress and had a wonderful time helping Mommy open all the presents for her baby sissy, Lilly. Everyone was very generous and the shower was so fun. Even Olivia received a special present - a "big sister" t-shirt monogrammed with her name! Thanks to everyone who was able to take time out of their busy schedule to attend and celebrate with us!

Ho, Ho, Ho...

Olivia has really started to play the "I-Don't-Want-To-Go-To-Bed-So-I-Will-Use-Every-Delay-Tactic-I-Know" game and it is already quite exhausting. Generally, it involves a stuffed animal that she must sleep with, a sticker that she needs, or - the trump card - the need to potty. I think she has a hollow leg, because if she says she "needs" to potty she can usually squeeze something out and STILL find a way to get up in the middle of the night to go potty again. Argh. I need to reduce her fluid intake.

But the other night, she came up with an excuse that actually made us smile. Apparently after Jeremy went upstairs for the 3rd time and asked her why she was still up, she smiled sweetly at him and told him she was waiting for Santa Claus. I can't help it - that is too cute. So he left her waiting for Santa and went back downstairs. I think Santa outlasted her...

Fall Hayride and Festival

After surviving the swine flu (which meant we missed Halloween), we decided to make a trip to Somerset for a family hay ride and fall festival. Aunt Holly's family hosted a hayride and fall festival for the kids and invited us to come. Olivia had a great day hanging out with Grammie and Grandpa, who bought her and her cousin Cooper a new golf cart. You could not have wiped the smile off of Olivia's face. Moreover, she enjoyed the hayride (although she kept her hands over her ears for the entire time), had a great time roasting hot dogs and marshmallows (and eating them) and absolutely adored the puppet show that followed. It was quite a success! The downside of the day is when her cousin Cooper decided to give her a big hug goodbye - the horror! Olivia started bawling. Sounds like I will have an uphill battle transitioning her from only child to big sister!

Swine Flu

Well, we survived the swine flu. It was a week of pure hell. Olivia started vomiting Friday night and by Saturday was running a 103 degree fever. I immediately called by OB/GYN for a prescription of Tamiflu and warned Jeremy he should take some of mine when it was filled. Well, he didn't and what do you know, but he catches the flu that night. So for an entire week I nursed Olivia and Jeremy (I say "nurse" Jeremy very loosely - there wasn't much time to take care of him and he had to help with the childcare duties since I am 9 months pregnant), but we survived. Poor Olivia caught a secondary infection and had to take a round of antibiotics, but she finally improved. She was so pitiful - she would just lay on the couch, burning up, and refuse to eat pretty much anything. I could occasionally get her to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch, her all time favorite food, but after a couple of bites she would complain that her "belly hurts" and quit. I was at my wits end. It was the most exhausting week ever! It was particularly frustrating because everyone was so concerned about me catching it while pregnant while all I wanted was someone to make my baby better. But I am very thankful some girls at work convinced me to drop in my OB/GYN's office when they heard that they had received a small shipment of the H1N1 vaccine and insist on getting vaccinated. I am positive that the combination of that vaccine and the Tamiflu protected me.

Now I have to worry about getting Olivia and Jeremy vaccinated. Since the crazy health department has decided to only do Saturday clinics for high risk persons here, it doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. Maybe after the holidays. Lets cross our fingers we don't catch it a second time around. I am also hoping that since I am vaccinated while Lilly is in utero that it will protect her as well, but it is going to be a LONG maternity leave if I have to keep her in the house to avoid contamination.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! As you will notice, I do have a picture to post of the pumpkin that Olivia and Daddy carved. What you will also notice is that there is no picture of Olivia in her costume. Why, you ask? Because we didn't go trick or treating - Olivia has the flu. There is nothing like hanging out at home on Halloween with a cough, vomiting, and 103 degree fever. We only get sick on holidays apparently. Pneumonia last Christmas, the flu this Halloween - what will Thanksgiving bring?

What A Difference A Year Makes

Olivia at Boyd's Orchard - 2009...
Olivia and Mommy at Boyd's Orchard 2008 (notice I didn't do a comparison photo of myself...it was too depressing...)

Boyd Orchard 2009

If anyone can show me how to put these pictures in order, I would appreciate it! But for purposes of this picture - one tuckered out child after a big day at the orchard...
Baby Lilly - circa 32 weeks...
Olivia picking out her apple...
It was easier to choose than the pumpkin - all of them were "too dirty mama..."
The family at the Orchard.
Olivia's favorite part of the day - riding the "choo choo train!"
She was so excited she could barely talk!
Feeding the goats. It took several tries, but once she figured it out, we couldn't keep her away!
A beautiful day at the Orchard!