Baths, Diapers & Molars, Oh My!

Alyssa had her first bath and she loved it!  I think she would have liked it more if the sling was in it, but mommy doesn't know where she put it :(  We may just buy a new tub because I really feel more comfortable with the sling since she is still so tiny.  Speaking of tiny - she has outgrown her newborn diapers, but can't quite fit comfortably in a size 1.  There should really be an in-between size :)

No, it isn't Halloween yet, but the way Addy looks in this picture would have you think otherwise!  1) It was pajama day, so that explains the monkey jammies.  2) The sun was shining really bright, so that explains the sunglasses & hat.  3) The mosquitoes are T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E & when Addy goes outside now she has to wear her 'outside uniform', so that explains the pink jacket (you can't see that she had on pants too).  Seriously, we've yet to find a bug spray that mosquitoes AREN'T attracted to around here!

Addison is getting her 2 year molars right now.  Both have broken through the skin on top, so hopefully she will get a break from the teething pain (until the bottom ones come through)!

iPhones are very popular at our house & these kids take their games seriously!

Priceless!!

Someone likes the camera!

We finally got Alyssa's newborn pictures done today.  Well, I guess they can't really be called newborn since she is almost ONE month old!  Our wonderful photographer, Ashley Nicholson, came to our house today for the session.  She got some great shots & I'm so excited to see the proofs!  Here's one I took with my phone:

Rewind & Mastitis

Let me step back for a moment & talk about some things I've missed blogging about.  Grams came to visit us the month of July.  It worked out perfectly (for me anyway) that she was here 2 weeks before I delivered & 2 weeks after.  The last 2 weeks I was pregnant were a struggle & then I couldn't pick up Addy until my 3 week check-up.  Memaw came to stay when Grams left.  Unfortunately, her visit was cut short because of a death in the family.  She left Tuesday afternoon.  Before she left she had started cooking dinner.  There were butter beans on the stove & she told me they would be ready in about 30 minutes.  Okay, no problem.  Wrong!  There was a problem.... Addison had to go potty & Alyssa was screaming.  The beans were forgotten about & destroyed!  LOL.  On my own for less than an hour!  I'm so thankful that I had all of the help I did.  It amazes me how I hear people talking about they had no help or declined offers for help.  I'm not TOO proud to ask for help or happily accept it!  I've only been on my own the last 2 days & even though I've been sick it hasn't been bad at all.  Addison is watching WAY too much Nick Jr & Alyssa sleeps all the time.

Tuesday I noticed my right breast was achey & engorged.  First thing I thought about was mastitis!  I had mastitis when I nursed Addison & she was about 6 weeks old.  However, this must be the new & improved 2010 version of mastitis, because I don't recall this type of pain!  Since I had my check-up on Thursday I decided I would just wait & get antibiotics then.  Never again!  I will never, ever, never wait again.  If this ever happens again I will call the dr same day & get some medicine.  At my check-up yesterday the OB got stuck in surgery, so everyone had to reschedule.  Luckily, I was able to talk to the nurse (the ONLY person there that I actually like) & she called me in some antibiotics.  I started taking the medicine right away like I was supposed to.  About 10:30pm I was having chills & felt terrible.  Blake checked my temp & it was between 102 & 103.  I took some Tylenol right away & the fever broke about an hour later.  UGH!  This morning I called the nurse to tell her about last night & she said if I'm not MUCH better by Monday to let her know & I would need a stronger antibiotic.  I hope it doesn't come to that since I would have to quit nursing & pump/dump until it's out of my system.

I wish DQ wasn't less than a mile from our house!

I was finally able to get a picture of the iris coloboma in Alyssa's eye.

Iris Coloboma

This morning we visited Texas Children's Hospital for Alyssa to see the pediatric ophthalmologist.  The nurse did her evaluation first & made notes for the doctor to review.  As soon as she saw Alyssa's eye she said it was coloboma.  Later the doctor came in & dilated Alyssa's eyes.  She was such a good girl the whole time we were there.  Probably because she's 3 weeks old & sleeps all the time!  

The doctor examined Alyssa's eyes & diagnosed her with iris coloboma. This type of coloboma may be in one eye (unilateral) or in both eyes (bilateral). The pupil is often described as an upside-down pear shape when an individual has an iris coloboma.  Alyssa only has it in her left eye.  The doctor said it won't impair Alyssa's vision, maybe just sensitivity to light.  She did see that one eye was slightly near-sighted & the other far-sighted, however, she doesn't rely too much on seeing that while the eyes are dilated.  We will be going back in November for another examination.  If the eyes are still showing a difference in vision then glasses may be prescribed so that one eye doesn't work harder than the other.

Wonder Pets & Coloboma

Last night Addison decided she didn't want Alyssa in the bouncer & instead wanted her Wonder Pets can phone in there.  Well, in a split second Addison threw her phone & hit Alyssa in the head.  We inspected the damage & applied an Elmo ice pack right away.  Alyssa continued to eat, sleep, etc just fine for the next couple of hours.  While nursing Alyssa at bedtime, I noticed her left pupil was much different than the right.  I immediately showed her to Blake & Grams.  They both agreed that there was a striking difference. I called the pedi & we talked for a few minutes about how Alyssa was acting, etc & although she was acting fine, we decided to go ahead to the hospital.  

We arrived at the hospital & waited about 20 minutes before we were called back.  After going through triage, we were seen by the ER dr & he ordered a cat scan.  All of Alyssa's vitals were normal & the cat scan also came back normal.  Thank goodness!  But, there was still the question of what the heck was going on with her eye.  HERE is what it looks like.  The ER dr decided to consult with the ER dr at Texas Children's Hospital.  That conversation led to getting the pediatric ophthalmologist involved.  The preliminary diagnosis is a birth defect called iris coloboma.  We have an appointment next week for a complete evaluation at Texas Children's with the eye dr.  Please keep our little Alyssa in your prayers.  

Oh, Happy Day (yesterday)!!

What do you see?

Yesterday, I decided to put a warm, cozy outfit on Alyssa.  It was so pretty (didn't get a pic)!  Less than 30 minutes later Grams said she was certain Alyssa had a poopy diaper.  So, off I go to change her diaper.  When I unsnapped the outfit I was greeted with mustard-looking poop coming out of all sides of the diaper AND a rotten stump carelessly floating about in the outfit!  I was more grossed out by the rotten stump than the poop!  EWWWWWWW!!!!

This morning was Alyssa's first appointment with the pediatrician!  (I'll post a picture later) The timing of the cord stump falling off was perfect because I wanted the pedi to look at it & tell me it was okay.  She checked it over & used a silver nitrate stick to expedite the healing process & told me to put Neosporin on it for a couple of days to help with any irritation.

Alyssa weighs 8.2lbs (up from 6.9lbs when we left the hospital) & is 19 1/4" long.  My super-powered breastmilk is doing a great job!  After her appointment we had to go pay a visit to the hospital lab for the follow-up PKU test.  BOOOO!  Thank goodness it's just a little heel prick.  She was great the whole time!

Kaci came over & kept Addison while Grams drove us to the pedi.  Addison was SO excited to see her. Kaci commented on how much Addy has grown in just a few weeks since she last saw her.  It's true :(  I need to get more video of her doing all of the new things.  I just can't keep up!  LOL  Wonder how much I'll keep up now with TWO little darlings??  I was thinking how lucky I am to have 2 healthy little girls & how being a mom is the best job ever.  It's hard, very hard at times, but the good times certainly outweigh the bad times.

Here's an idea....

How about umbilical cords be treated the same as a circumcision?  You should be given the option to have the cord removed before leaving the hospital or just leave it alone & let it rot off naturally.  (Not saying that the penis will rot off, but you get the idea).  I'm sure many many folks would be willing to spend an extra $100 or so to have it removed!  I'm like a kid at Christmas each time I change Alyssa's diaper anticipating the rotten cord stump will be in her diaper or hiding out in her onesie!

Addison keeps getting my breast pad while I'm nursing Alyssa & putting it on her head as a hat!  LOL! 

Welcome Home

Bringing baby Alyssa home on my birthday was such a special treat.  

Addison & Buddy were anxious to check her out & see what the fuss was all about.  They both seem to be adjusting well with the new addition to the family.  Buddy would probably like to run out the front door & never look back.  LOL  Poor Bubba!  What in the world is he going to do with another little girl in the house??  Addison is throwing tantrums more lately, but it's hard to tell if it's 'Terrible Two's' or jealousy.  We are trying very hard to make sure she still gets our attention, but at the same time we try to incorporate Alyssa into our daily routine.  Recovery has been much harder for me this time around & finally I'm starting to get around better.  It kills me that I can't pick up Addison for another TWO weeks!  When the day comes I'm going to pick her up & NOT put her down (well, until Alyssa cries anyway)!

It's been difficult to get a picture of Addy & Alyssa together!  Addy is too busy & not very interested in 'Baby Lyssa'!  Our photographer is coming in 2 weeks to do newborn pictures at our house & hopefully we can squeeze in a family shot or two!

Alyssa had her first sponge bath at home & seemed to enjoy it.  Poor Addy didn't get immersed in water until she was a month old!  We were too scared to bathe her, so just kept doing sponge baths even though her cord was already off when she came home at a week old.  Thank you NICU!  I can't stand treating Alyssa's umbilical cord.  It freaks me out!  It can't fall off soon enough.  To make it worse, last night she had her first diaper blowout.  It was from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.  Gross little girl!  Not sure where all that poop came from - LOL.  Anyway, her cord was covered with poop!  UGH!  We cleaned it as best we could with the little alcohol wipes, but it's still poop-stained.  I called the pedi this morning to see if there was anything else we needed to do & was told to use a q-tip & alcohol to continue cleaning it.  If there's a discharge or funky smell then call back.  Alyssa's first appointment is Tuesday, so maybe they can just take it off then!