Growth Spurt

Let the growing begin. The last three days Alli has been wanting to eat every 2 hours instead of every 3. Not only is she eating sooner but she is eating more. She wants anywhere from 3-4 oz whereas she was having anywhere from 2-3 prior to that. She's going to grow like a weed! The upside to all this eating is that by the time we get her in bed between 10 and 11 she sleeps until somewhere around 3-4am. It's heavenly! Then once I get her back into bed by 5 she will sleep through till 8am.

Ben worked his first 48 hour shift today and yesterday since we had Alli. I went and saw him at work both days. It will be harder when he is working in Winchester instead of Murfreesboro on the ambulance. But honestly the day goes so quickly and you know that he is coming home in the morning so it really isn't all that bad. Alli and I seem to find things to do to fill the day. Mostly right now it just involves eating and sleeping for her and me trying to get a few things done around the house while she sleeps. Once she is awake more during the day things will get more complicated. But for right now, we're smooth sailing. I hope it continues.

Here are a couple cute pictures we've taken recently. The first is what I came home to find after running out to Target to pick up some diapers and a carrier harness for Alli. Ben and Alli had fallen asleep on the couch. The second one is just a funny picture we took when the pacifier fell out of Alli's mouth and got stuck on her lip.

Done with Cats

As of today we have made the decision that the cats have to go. The cats have made one too many attempts at clawing at Alli. We aren't going to keep that risk around. So if anyone knows anyone who wants two sweet litter mate cats...they are welcome to them. Otherwise, they are going to become outside cats on the farm and claw at rats instead of our daughter!

Great Night!

Alli was GREAT last night!!! It could not have worked out better with Ben gone. It was the perfect scenario. I got her in bed by 1030 after her last feeding. After a ride in the car earlier that day I realized Alli likes music. So when I put her to bed I turned the music on repeat for her. It kept her settled and allowed me to block out all the noises that have been waking me up other than her crying! She woke up every 3-3.5 hours. So I got up twice with her to feed. That I can handle! She was always back in bed within the hour. It was wonderful. Let's pray it continues.

10 Day Check up

We went last Friday to meet with Dr. McCollum. Alli is doing very well. She is now 7lbs 2.5oz but still 19inches long. Her gas issues appear to be resolving each and every day that her intestinal tract matures. She has recently been a little fussy and appears hungry every 1.5 hours. Before she was eating every 2-3 hours. So we think she is going to through a growth spurt. She is keeping me on my toes! Today was Ben's first day back to work since his FMLA leave with Alli. I'm not sure how it was for him, but for me, I missed having his help and reassurance that I was doing everything I could for Alli. There are times when I feel really confident and think I'm getting the hang of motherhood and then she cries and I get tunnel vision and forget the simple things that will soothe her. Speaking of soothing her, it is time to feed and head to bed! We're hoping for a good night. This is my first night just the two of us. It should be fun! Dr. McCollum told us we could stop waking her every 2-3 hours to feed at night. So now we feed only when she cries at night. Last night she woke me to feed only once but I woke every hour to her cooing and squeeking. Anyhoo...off to take care of my girl!

Mylicon anyone?

So the last two days have been a nightmarish whirlwind. Three nights ago Alli slept great. She woke for her 3 hour feedings and was fairly simple to get to go back to sleep. We were so pleased. Then chaos hit Sunday night! She went to bed somewhere around 1030 and we woke her up around 1 to feed. The problem was that she couldn't go back to sleep after that. She would have brief moments where she was calm but the majority of the time she was screaming bloody murder. We got her quiet around 4am and put her in the crib. Both Ben and I got back to bed and soon as we were settled in, she started crying again. Ben thought she had a dirty diaper so he went to change that. I wake around 6am and realize Ben never came back to bed. He had been up another 2 hours trying to console her. Her poor tummy has been wreaked with gas pain. We didn't get her to sleep until we put her in the swing/vibrator. That bought us 2-3 hours of sleep. We had been using a variety of bottles trying to figure out which ones we like and which ones she likes. We had pretty much exclusively started using this one kind by gerber. Not anymore! Monday night was much of the same. About 5pm in the afternoon Alli started crying again with no consoling. We tried and tried but could not comfort her. No amount of Mylicon over the last 3-4 days has done anything to help her. We wish it helped Alli like it seems to help everyone else!

So at 9pm last night we went to Walmart and bought the Playtex bottles with drop in liners. They are a little more expensive but appear to keep the air out of the bottle, which makes her more comfortable. We got her to go to sleep around 1030 and was up again around 1am. I was so out of it that only Ben got up. He was up with her till 4am. I woke and gave him some relief. Ben took a cat nap on the bed while I rocked her. I had read in a book the pediatrician gave us that sometimes it comforts collicky/gassy babies to be laid on their sides while they are awake. So I laid her on my chest on her side. She finally fell asleep somewhere around 5am. I fell asleep with her in the recliner and woke around 6am. I woke Ben and we put her in the crib. She slept another 45 min and I got up with her again to feed and change her. The best part was that I was able to change and feed her in 15 min and have her back to sleep. I was back in bed by 715am and we slept till 10!!! It was great! She has been in the best mood since. I really hope this continues. She seems much more relaxed and comfortable. I hope all the gas is out of her system now.

Delivery and Home

Alli's delivery went well....considering. We arrived at 4:30am, checked in and got fluids started. Dr came in at 7am and broke my water. We shortly thereafter got epidural and life was good. I progressed slowly at about 1 cm every 2 hours. Finally around 5:30 or so and after 3 extra bolus shots of more meds from the anesthesiologist, I was ready to start pushing. Alli was very stubborn though and refused to join us until 7:36pm. She weighed 6lbs 14oz and was 19in long. She has beautiful brown hair (which we hope she doesn't lose) and dark hazel/brown eyes. Its hard to tell what color they will really be.

Her first nights at home have been rough as everyone expects. Ben spent most of the first two nights taking care of her. Finally last night I was able to sleep enough to get up with him and we double teamed the efforts. Alli slept much better in her crib and we might be finally getting the hang of her cues.

Today we gave her a bath. Her hair was starting to get oily. Below are some pictures. I love the 3rd one. She is giving me the stink eye!

Alli

Well Alli is here. I really haven't had time to blog. Wish i could. Still trying to get the hang of everything. Ben has taken so much on himself when it comes to what is needed at night. I wish I could do more. I've had terrible back pain lately. Hopefully it will go away soon. It makes holding Alli very challenging. Actually it makes everything challenging. Shannon has posted some pictures. I honestly don't have very many more I could post. I'll try to update more later.

Crafty Husband

Over the last year or two Ben has developed a desire to do some woodcrafts. We have slowly been getting him a few tools here and there. He really wanted to put some cool burnt designs into the handle of a tomahawk he had so here are a few pictures of his craftiness.

4 days

Ultrasound looked good. Alli is good and buried! She is head down and ready to go! Approximate weight is 7lbs 9oz. Sugars are good. They will check them while I'm in the hospital and as soon as that placenta is gone I might...MIGHT get to finally have some ice cream without feeling guilty. So 4am tuesday morning here we come!

Oh so Ben and I went to Lowes and bought a shelf. Then we glued a dowel rod in and made our own shelf with rod instead of buying one. So we have it hanging and the quilt is up. I will take a picture and post it here in a few. Thanks again for all the love and support. We can't wait to share Alli with everyone. Doc hopes she'll be here by early afternoon unless it happens over the weekend. Who knows...I was in a little pain last night and this morning. We'll see. Still only dilated to 2cm. So its all good.

As Promised

Food for Thought

Ashlie will appreciate this blog. She knows I have an addiction to cook books and new recipes. I get very bored very quickly with the same food week after week. I'm always looking for something new to cook. Ben is very agreeable to this as well. He loves to randomly pick a recipe and we'll give it one shot. If it's a keeper, then I type it up in my recipe book and we have a collection of all our favorites. The other night I decided to plan out the weeks meals and found two new recipes. We love them both and they are SUPER simple so I wanted to share them with you all.

Cheddar Chicken & Rice Skillet

What You Need

1/2 cup KRAFT Light Zesty Italian Dressing

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

1-1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 green pepper, cut into strips

1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup sliced green onions

HEAT dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min.

STIR in rice, broth and peppers. Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender. Let stand covered, 5 min. or until liquid is absorbed.

ADD tomatoes, cheese and onions; stir until blended.

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

What You Need

Take 1 lb. extra-lean ground beef, 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix and 1 cup water and mix & match your recipe from these options...

seasoning options	add-in choices	cheese possibilities
1 tsp. Italian seasoning	spaghetti sauce	KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 tsp. chili powder	TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa	KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves	chopped roasted red peppers	ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder	KRAFT or BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce	KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Then follow our 3 simple steps:

HEAT oven to 375°F. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and seasoning until well blended. Press into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray.

MAKE indentation in center of each with back of spoon; fill evenly with 3/4 cup add-ins.

BAKE 30 min. or until meatloaves are done (160°F). Top with 3/4 cup cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted. Let stand 10 min.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion

Serve with a hot baked potato and steamed seasonal fresh vegetables.

Make Ahead

Bake meatloaves as directed. Remove from muffin cups; cool completely. Place in single layer on baking sheet; freeze 1 hour. Transfer to airtight container. Store in freezer up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator, then reheat in 375°F-oven 20 min. or until heated through.

Special Extra

For a little kick, add 2 Tbsp. A.1. Original Steak Sauce to meat mixture before pressing into muffin cups as directed.

Final Preparations

With 11 days to go I'm trying to get everything finalized and make sure we are ready for Alli's arrival. I've washed all her clothes, blankets, towels, etc. I'm putting together my hospital bag. I know I should've already had this done, but I'm a procrastinator. Here are some pictures of the room all put together.

































































































I would really like to put a decorative shelf on the wall here with a rod attached underneath. I want to hang the comforter as a decoration from the rod. I haven't been able to find what I'm looking for yet.

37 Weeks

Had my next to LAST dr. visit today. Finally there is an end in sight. I am now dilated to 2! woohoo. hah. We are definitely set for the 14th to be induced. Doesn't look like anything will change that now. We will have an ultrasound on the 10th to know what her progress is but it won't make me be induced any sooner. It will just give the dr a heads up on how big she is so we will know how likely a c-section might be if we run into problems during delivery. My strep-b test came back negative. yay. So that's one less thing to worry about.

I'm officially done with full time work now! It really feels weird. It will be nice only being PRN but I will miss the people I work with. They are begging me to work as much PRN as possible and they want to see Alli as soon as I will bring her. haha.

I now weigh 173. Of course this weight was taken after I'd been up all night and had eaten recently. So I'm still around 16-18 lbs of weight gain. Not bad eh? I can really tell Alli is getting cramped for space. Some of her movements lately have been so wild and almost painful. She's all over the place. Not long now!