15 months!

Noelle turned 15 months today! Well, I guess if you want to be super technical, she will turn 15 months in 4 hours since she was born at 10:50 pm.

I thought I would break this down by developmental area, since that is how we view the world in early intervention. It's easier for me to remember things that way.

Cognitive: she is making all sorts of associations now. She walks over to the drawer where we keep her hat after we put her jacket on and points to her head. She can put round shapes into a shape sorter. Being able to get the square in isn't too far off. She loves to really inspect how things work.

Adaptive/self help: she finger feeds herself very well. She can use a spoon to feed herself yogurt and applesauce. She likes to practice with the fork and understands that it is supposed to pierce the food, but can't quite get it yet. She helps dress herself by pushing her arms through the sleeve. She tries to put her diaper on. She can successfully take her diaper off, including ones with snaps.....yikes! So not ready for that. She sleeps from 7:30/8:30-6/6:30 and has been taking one giant 3 hour nap. The time of the nap varies a bunch.

Communication: Noelle says mom or mama and dada. She also says cat (her favorite!), dog, more, cup, milk, ga for grandma, car, sock, and has attempted cracker and banana once. She signs milk, more, all done, eat, sleep, horse, and I think she signed fish once also. She waves hi and bye. She understands everything. She walks over to the shoe cabinet if you ask her where her shoes are. She goes over to her high chair when you say "time to eat." She looks at family members when named.

Motor: She has been walking since she was 11 months. She can walk very quickly. You can almost call it a run, but not quite. She climbs onto anything about 18 inches off the floor. She is pretty short so she can't climb up on the couch yet, but has the skills to,do it if it weren't for her height. She uses a neat pincher grasp. She can grasp a crayon and scribble.

Personal-social: last but certainly not least is personal social. She smiles and laughs. Gives the best hugs and kisses. She loves to try to sit in the lap of older little girls, including strangers at story time. It's hilarious.

She is moving into mostly 12-18 month clothes, but still wears some 9-12.

That's Noelle in a nut shell at 15 months. Her well check is next week and I will find out her height and weight then!

 

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14 months

I'm so bummed. I just typed an elaborate 14 month update, with all the great stuff Noelle is doing separated into all the developmental categories. I went to post, and it completely vanished. Sad, sad panda. I don't have the energy to redo all that, so I will settle for posting a couple cute pictures from our walk to library story time.

Loves her little push car!

She was so excited when we got to the room!

 

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Quarterly Update

Why hello, woefully out of date blog. I guess it's time for a quarterly update huh? I really want to blog more, but continue to struggle with finding the time in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I am posting this with Blogsy, an app that allows you to easily post, edit, and add pictures from your IPad. I'm really hoping this will help me become a more active blogger.

We went sledding today! Noelle wasn't sure what to do at first. She was quite serious. Eventually though, she perked up and LOVED it. Phil and I realized how out of shape we are while running back and forth with her. I was hesitant to buy a sled because we've had such mild winters the last year or two, and even our normal winters only result in one or two good snow falls. When I saw the sled on clearance for $7 bucks at Target, I couldn't resist!

Noelle is now 13 and a half months old. She has been walking for about 2 months. She continues to amaze me everyday by doing new and exciting things. She loves to walk with a phone up by her ear and say "hello!" She walks up to you when she wants you to read a book to her. Cue, heart melting.
Sleeping has improved quite a bit. She slept through the night for about 2 weeks straight after she turned a year. Then we had one or two bad weeks during teething, but the past 4 nights have been pretty good. I'm really hoping she will continue to sleep through the night! Months 8-12 were pretty tough in that regard!
Here's a bit of a photo dump from the past couple months!

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42 weeks in, 42 weeks out!

Well, it's been exactly 42 weeks since I gave birth to my beautiful girl. That means she has been outside as long as she was inside! I wish I had a better picture of my last day pregnant with her. My friend made me take this belly pic to send her, otherwise I'd have none at all. I guess at 42 weeks pregnant, I wasn't feeling terribly motivated to photograph myself.

Babywearing

I am an avid babywearer.  Without question, my favorite carrier is the Ergo Performance.  I've tried out a bunch of different carriers, though, and thought that I would review them here.

Ergo Performance:

I've already stated that this is my favorite.  I love that you can wear on the front or back easily.  Phil loves it too.  It has a great pocket to store my phone and keys when I am just taking the dog for a quick walk.  It is SO comfortable!  It's easy to use, can adjust so anyone can wear it.  I can't go shopping without the Ergo.  Noelle does not do very well in the carts in the store and I far prefer to wear her on my back instead.  Perhaps one downside to back wearing: you can tell in the second picture that Noelle is considering pulling on some hair.....

Moby Wrap:

This was my favorite carrier in the newborn days.  I haven't used it in quite some time though.  However, it was absolutely worth the money.  I loved it in the newborn days because it was so snuggly!  She also loved it.  It's awesome for a winter baby.  Before I left the house, I would wrap it around me, then put my coat on.  Since it was already wrapped, all I had to do was take her out of the carseat, pop her in and wrap my coat around her without having to take my coat off at all.  Very handy.  I also managed to successfully nurse in this carrier a time or two, thanks to the help of various YouTube videos which demonstrated that task.

Maya Wrap (Ring Sling):

In my research of babywearing, I discovered that a lot of people really love ring slings.  The idea seemed attractive.  It was reported that they were easy to use, easy to nurse in, and fit compactly in the diaper bag.  Only the last of those was true for me.  I had a terrible time getting a good fit.  Surprisingly, I found the Moby much, much easier and quicker to put on because of all the fumbling I had to do with the ring sling to get a good fit.  It also was not as comfortable since there is only support on one shoulder.  This was not the carrier for us.

Infantino EcoSash Mei Tei:

This style of carrier is a blend between a wrap and a soft structured carrier (like the Ergo).  There is one piece of rectangular fabric, with waist and shoulder straps that you tie in order to secure the child in the carrier. You can see a picture of this carrier here:

https://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=les;&gs_nf=1&tok=uncuH9XUtgcyKWHxwxabGg&cp=12&gs_id=1nj&xhr=t&q=infantino+ecosash&pf=p&biw=1920&bih=883&sclient=psy-ab&oq=infantino+ec&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=d4867127953e69ad&tch=1&ech=12&psi=OsBhUIe9BMjj0QHSiYCICA.1348583482385.1&cid=17218644164282900714&sa=X&ei=UMBhUJ29AenH0AGIyoEg&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QrQQ

As a carrier, I like this okay.  I got it on super sale off the zulily site.  I like keeping it inside in case the ergo is in the car and Noelle is very fussy and needs to be held.  Thankfully, that does not happen too often.  The straps are too cumbersome to use on the go since they will fall to the floor when tying it.  It is not the most customizable style of mei tei out there.  It's also does not come from the most reputable brand as far as babywearing goes.  I think I would probably like the BabyHawk Mei Tei better, but chose this one due to the significant cost savings.  This was a good choice for us, since the Ergo really is our go-to carrier.  It did come in handy when Noelle was much smaller to do a high back carry (before she could go on the back in the Ergo).  If you are wondering how on earth you strap a child to your back in the first place, you can see BOTH Phil and I accomplish this (EASY) task in my vlog post:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_tl1ya9iII&feature=plcp

I hope this post was helpful if you are looking to wear your baby!

Recommitting to Blogging. Happy 9 months Noelle!

I've decided I really need to make blogging more of a priority and decided what better day than today, Noelle's 9 month birthday!

So, what is Noelle up to these days?  Well, she is a whirlwind.  She crawls.  A lot.  Just shy of 6 months, she was up on all fours rocking.  She practiced that for a good month, and then just before she turned 7 months she started full on crawling.  She had kind of a funny scoot before that.  Not exactly army crawling, more like doing the worm.  She would get in all fours, then go on her belly, and repeat.  That was how she propelled herself forward.  We are also in a Movers and Shakers class at the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center.  Each class starts out with a circle of parents and babies, singing songs and bouncing, then it's off to explore "stations."  Noelle loves the center and I feel so blessed to have this resource in Cincinnati.  It's truly an empowering place for parents, with a vibe that screams attachment parenting.  Suits us very well.

We are in our second session of signing class at the enrichment center as well.  At signing class there's lots of reading stories and singing songs that incorporate signs.  Each class has a different theme.  Last Saturday, we learned the signs for different foods.  Noelle seems to recognize a lot of signs, but has not started signing back yet.  Sometimes, it looks like she is signing "all done", but other times, I think she might just be playing with her hands and waving.  Speaking of waving, she does do that, and it's the cutest thing ever.

We had a couple really exciting one time outbursts of words also.  One day, Phil was playing with Noelle, lifting her up in the air and she said Daddy plain as day.  I really think it was the real deal.  She hasn't done it that clear since, but she does sometimes say "dada."  The other exciting word was her saying "doggy" perfectly clear, while petting the dog.  Again, we've only heard it once that clearly, but she says "doe, doe" a lot when the dog is around.  It's so fun to witness her learning and growing each and every day.

Breastfeeding continues to go well.  She nurses like a champ.  My pump output is not great, but I usually am able to pump just enough to meet her needs.  Except for those random times when I don't, which result in a comical display of me driving all over the city to drop off more pumped milk for her.  Luckily that's only happened twice.

At 9 months, Noelle is 18 pounds, 7 ounces and 26 inches long.  She is in the 43rd percentile for weight, and only the 7th percentile for height!  She dropped off her height curve a little bit, but the doctor thinks that was due to the subjectivity of how they measure.  She is usually in the 25th percentile for height.

Birth Story

Well, it has been over 6 months now.  I'm obviously horrible at keeping this blog updated.  Recently, my online mommy group uploaded a document with links to their birth stories.  I realized that I needed to get this thing written.

I'll start by saying that I was tracking ovulation.  Based on my ovulation date my EDD was December 2nd.  Because of when my LMP was, my doctor's marked my EDD as 11/29.  Certainly not very far off.  I knew from the beginning that Noelle would hold out until December.

I went to my 40 week appointment and my BP was pretty high.  The actual number escapes me. I was beyond devastated.  It had been so good up until this point.  I cried hysterically during the appointment....my poor doctor!  He told me we would do some blood work, schedule an ultrasound for next week, and that I should not be pregnant much longer.  The blood work was normal, and though my BP was higher than desired, there was still no reason to induce.  I was not dilated or effaced at all.

At exactly 41 weeks, I went back to the doctor and had an ultrasound/biophysical profile.  Baby checked out great.  It was clear that my placenta was still functioning beautifully.  I did however, still have a high blood pressure.  My doctor stripped my membranes (without telling me.....yikes!) and sent me to labor and delivery to be monitored.  During the course of monitoring, my BP started to come down to a healthy level.  The doctor at the hospital left the decision up to me....I could be induced or go home on bed rest.  I had happened to bring the hospital bag with me, my favorite doctor was working the next day (when I would likely deliver if induced), and they had managed to get an IV in me which is no small feat.  The IV issue alone made me decide to just go for the induction.  They did a round of cervadil over night.  I got no sleep, but did have a bit of contracting.  Much to my dismay, I had still not progressed.  I think I was about 30% effaced and at 2cm.  Then I had a round of pitocin.  I had some very mild contractions, but nothing too big.  By the end of the day, I decided to go off pitocin for a bit....get a shower and real food, and then try cervadil again.  The cervadil was placed for the second night stay.  This time I did not contract at all and zero changes in the morning.  It was devastating.  It was also clear that my body was not ready.  Thankfully, we talked with my doctor, asked to go home....and we were discharged.  I am so relieved that I had a doctor that was open to that.  It's not that csections are horrible, terrible things.  They have saved many lives.  But if I was going to have a csection, I wanted it to truly be necessary.  My BP was still a little high, but nothing dangerous.

A few days later, they wanted to see me back at the office for another ultrasound.  My BP was great, and baby continued to look AWESOME on the ultrasound.  She was just happy as a clam in there.  (We didn't know it was a she at that time!) They scheduled another induction to occur on December 12th (Our 2 year anniversary!) at 9pm.  This was the 42 week mark and the latest that they would want me to continue this pregnancy.  I would go in and have another round of cervadil.  All three rounds of cervadil were simply terrible.  That was BY FAR the worst part of being induced.  So painful having it placed.  So, so painful.  The third round of cervadil didn't do a ton, but seemed to help a little.  I was about 2.5 cm by this point, and 80% effaced.  We started the pitocin the morning of December 13th.  I think it was around 8 or 9 am.  The first few hours of pitocin were doing nothing.  Not a single thing.  After about 4 hours though, I was sitting on the birthing ball (okay, okay, it's really just an excercise ball!) reading my book and started having some stronger contractions.  They were fairly strong, but I thought after all of this, I was probably just being a baby so I held off on being checked for some time.  The nurse kept telling me the doctor was on his way and they would look at seeing where I was and breaking my water.  It was an eternity before he got there.  Once he checked me, we were at 6cm!!!!!!  That was such an amazing moment.  The pitocin was FINALLY working.  I had a chance at having a vaginal delivery!  I had really talked myself into thinking I was going to need a csection.  At that point, I continued to labor a while longer before getting an epidural. I progressed pretty quickly.  I had always planned on getting an epidural, and was proud of myself when I had made it to about 7 or 8 cm before getting it.  To be honest, the pain was still managable but I was just so relieved that it was working I decided to go ahead and get the epidural.  At about 8pm, I was a full 10 and ready to do some practice pushing.  In some ways I regret my epidural, and in many ways I am glad I had it.  I could not feel the contractions which made pushing hard.  I also was more limited in my movement.  Also, while on the epidural I was very, very shaky at first.  I didn't like it at all, and preferred the pain of the contractions to this feeling.  Eventually though, the shakiness did wear off and I was relieved to not be feeling any pain.  I continued to push for 2 hours.  Noelle had changed position on us, and was sunny side up.  I was pushing for a long time on my side to change her postion, but to no avail.  At this point, the nurse started preparing me for the possibility of a csection.  I was devastated.  I was pretty certain that I had enough feeling in my legs to try to push on my knees to give Noelle another shot at moving position.  Luckily, the doctor came in, took one look and said this could easily be a vaginal delivery with the assistance of forceps.  I was absolutely okay with this.  The medical team prepared everything, and about a half hour later, at 10:50 pm on 12/13/11 Noelle Christine was born!  6 lbs, 13 oz, 19 inches long!

They placed her on my stomach immediately and she looked at me with her beautiful eyes.  She didn't start crying right away, so they did need to take her right over to the bassinet (in the same room) to make sure she was okay.  She was.  It took about 30 minutes for everything to get cleaned up and for the doctor to stitch up my 2nd degree tear.  The tearing and the forceps assisted delivery is the reason why, in the end, I am glad I had an epidural.  I was not doing so well during some of this time.  I was terribly nauseous, and Phil describes me as having all of the symptoms of shock.  I was actually relieved that I was not doing skin to skin just yet.  It was actually even better to just watch Phil with her.  I never thought I would feel like that, as doing skin to skin the whole first hour had been really important to me.  I did still get to do skin to skin and nurse her just a half hour after her birth, though.

Around 1am, they moved me to the post partum room.  Finally, I was able to have some gingerale and crackers.  That was such a relief.  My first trip to the bathroom was awful.  I thought I would be able to walk there with the assistance of a nurse.  It was a scary, scary walk those few feet.  I was so lightheaded and Phil was completely knocked out.  It had been a long day for him too.  The nurse walked me to the toilet and I literally passed out while sitting there.  I woke up to 3 nurses looking at me with the smelly salt things (man, those sure do work!). They wheeled me back to my bed.  That night, was the scariest feeling.  Noelle was crying, I was weak, Phil was sleeping, and I just didn't know what to do.  Luckily, Noelle fell asleep and I got 2 hours of rest.  The next day, in the hospital was good and bad.  Noelle was doing great with nursing.  There were just so many people in and out, all day though.  It really affected the time I spent breastfeeding.  By the second night in the hospital, when Noelle was just past 24 hours old things really fell apart.  I nursed and nursed, and nursed for hours and she just screamed.  It was awful to watch her.  Nothing was helping.  Finally in the depths of the night, I decided to sign the "supplement waiver" they have and give Noelle just 5 ml ( 1/6 of an ounce) of formula.  This was enough to give her just a little rest.  She clearly was truly hungry.  I so did not want to supplement, but in my heart of hearts as a mom, I felt like I was letting my newborn cry it out for food.  I know newborns don't need a lot of food, but she clearly did need some.  She was showing all the signs of hunger.  I'm so glad I went with my mom instincts on this.  We both got a little bit of much needed rest.  The next day was still hard, because my milk was not in and she was still very fussy.  I powered through, however, without supplementing anymore.  We went home around 3pm on December 15th and it has been really smooth sailing ever since.  She broke her birth weight and was up to 7 lbs, 1 oz by just 8 days old.  It was such a proud mom moment knowing that breastfeeding was working!  Noelle is a beautful, wonderful, and frankly...pretty easy baby.  She is the light of our lives.

Next time around, I am considering going natural.  The only part that really terrifies me is feeling the tearing, so I am not sure what to do about that.  I absolutely loved my doctors at the practice.  The hospital was filled with some really wonderful people and is an absolutely gorgeous facility.  I do wish that the nurse who helped deliver and was with me through most of labor had been more proactive in getting me in different positions and encouraging me to move a little more before I got the epi.  Also, just a little bit after birth they had to get my blood because it was possible I would need more rhogam and that would help them know the right dosage.  Thats what they told me anyway.  It took 3 or 4 attempts and they barely got any blood.  The tech was rude.  It was a terrible thing to go through just after the birth of my daughter.  I really wish I had advocated more.  As it turns out, Noelle is the same blood type (AB-......hello rarest blood type) so it wasn't needed anyway.  There was absolutely no reason why that could not have waited until the morning.  Despite that one unfortunate event, I am really happy with the hospital and my doctors.  I can't wait to give birth with them again!