Ella Reeves is 2 Months old!

As always, time is flying by and our girl is already two months old. We love having her in our family. What did we do without this precious little bundle?

Facts First:
We went for her 2 month check-up on Friday and I was shocked to find out that she weighed the exact same as her 1 month check-up...what? I freaked out. The doctor seems to think that she was incorrectly weighed at her 1 month appointment. Not even gaining an ounce just made no sense to either one of us, especially since she visually looks bigger and fills out her clothes more than she did at a month old. Her doctor did not seem worried but we decided to bring her in again a week later (this Friday) to weigh her again. If she hasn't gained anything or has lost weight, she will have to be re-evaluated. So needless to say I have been trying to feed her as much as possible without overfeeding her.

Typically she would only nurse on one side and then sleep for a couple of hours. But she would also spit up a good amount and I just assumed she had plenty to eat, especially since she is a very happy baby and smiling all the time. Although I don't really think she is being underfed, I've been trying to get her to nurse both sides now and she is taking it pretty well. I've been worried just because I'm a mom and hello, worry is our middle name. For her age and weight at 11 lbs 12 oz, she is still above average in the 65th percentile. However, the most important thing is that she is continuing to grow. So anyone who reads this, please pray she has gained some weight by this Friday!

She has grown in length to 23 inches and is in the 75th percentile for height.

Besides the weight glitch, she looks great to the doctor and is very healthy. She has a small hemangioma on her arm (like a strawberry birthmark) and her doctor said it should be just fine. It will probably change color as she gets towards a year old and may fade. She said she would probably always have some kind of birthmark there though. We don't have to worry unless it starts getting larger. At that point we would have to see a dermatologist.

Okay, how about some fun stuff now.

Ella is such a happy little girl. She just smiles all the time and really only fusses when she is hungry or sleepy. If she wakes up and fusses for someone to get her, she greets you with a big smile. She is watching us all the time now and loves to be talked too. She loves to coo and talk back to us too. Preston is still loving on his baby sister all the time. He adores her. It melts my heart to see him talk to her and she smile back at him. They are forming a little bond already.

She sleeps in her swing during the day. I have tried to put her in her crib some for naps but she only stays in there 10 minutes or so and she's had enough. She's starting to put herself to sleep more and more. The other night I laid her in the floor by Blake who was watching basketball. She just kicked around for a while, found her thumb and was off to la-la land. She still does well in her bassinet at night too. After I feed her she will usually drift off to sleep on her own...but with the help of her paci or thumb of course.

She is sitting in her bumbo in small increments now. She loves to sit up and look around. She doesn't like to be cradled very much, just like her big brother on that one.

I haven't ventured out by myself very much with just the two of them yet. We have gone swimming with friends a few times but I'm still afraid to handle both of them in a store. Preston is a one-person job all on his own in a store so I'm a little nervous! Plus, if I have him in the top of the buggy and Ella's carseat inside the buggy, where will my groceries go? Thankfully, my sweet Mama can meet me during the day and help out if I need a few things. I'm sure things will get a little easier when Ella is bigger though. Overall, we are adjusting very well in the Mosley household and we couldn't be happier with our sweet babies.

I will update as soon as I can about Ella's weight check this Friday.

And I will have a new post on my Preston this week too. He's such a big boy now!

1 Month Old

Our girl is already a month old. I can't believe how fast the time goes by. It's amazing to think I have a two and half year old and a one month old. Two kids! And they bring Blake and I so much joy. I'm so thankful.

I'm not gonna lie, those first few days and weeks were definitely tough. Things now are by no means easy but we seem to have adjusted to our new family size. And can I just say I have the best family and friends.  The first three weeks after we got home from the hospital I think we had to supply dinner for ourselves twice. As any new mom knows, a hot meal for your family is so appreciated when you aren't up to preparing or have the time to do it yourself.

Preston has done very well with his new little sister. He truly loves her so much. Sometimes I have to tell him to wait on something while I'm nursing Ella or changing her, etc. and he usually very patient to wait. And if he does get huffy about waiting he never blames or takes it out on her. He will walk up to her at the same time and give her a kiss on the head. He's such a sweetheart.

Ella is such a precious baby. She nursed well from the very beginning and is still doing great. The first few weeks she slept almost all the time but she is definitely more alert now and more aware of the world. I remember Preston never wanted to be put down in the bouncy seat or swing but Ella is a big fan of her swing and takes most of her daytime naps in there. She will hang around in the bouncy a few minutes too but not for a really long period of time.

The last two weeks or so she seemed to have developed some colic. It's not nearly as bad as Preston's but we have been working to see what helps her. Her doctor recommended a probiotic called BioGaia and she has been on it for 4 days. It says it takes about a week to see a difference. I was worried about my diet affecting her tummy so I have been doing my best to avoid the most common culprits to cause gassy/fussy babies. I knew dairy, especially milk, caused gas but I have been researching the last few days and it seems milk is probably the worst for causing colicky babies. I am a big milk fan. I eat cereal every morning and love milk with all sorts of stuff. So off to the grocery store I went and bought some soymilk. It's really pretty good! I didn't have any milk yesterday and Ella did very well last night. She normally gets fussy in the evenings. She fussed a little bit but not nearly as much as normal. Hopefully it will continue to improve!

Nighttime sleep is different each night. Most nights she will sleep about 3 hours at a time but for a while it was every hour she would wake and fuss. I'm hoping the dairy I am cutting out will help with it now.

As for more detailed stats, we went for her one month check up yesterday and she weighs 11 lbs 12 oz. and measured 22.25 inches. Big girl! She has the cutest fat rolls on her arms and legs. I love chubby babies :) She is in the 95th percentile for weight and 93rd for length. Preston at 4 weeks was 9 lbs 15 oz and 21.75 inches long. But he was also a full pound less than Ella at birth and was 3 weeks early. I'm curious to see how they compare as she grows.

On a more fun side of things, she just started smiling! It's so precious. I caught a picture of her smiling on her one month birthday :)

More posts to come soon...as long as I get both kids to sleep at the same time :)

Ella Reeves Mosley

I know this post is way over due but I have been a little ticked off at my blog. I actually typed up this post two weeks ago and due to a bad internet connection, lost the entire post because it wasn't saved yet. I was so upset and haven't even attempted to re-do it until now. But my girl deserves her post so here we go again!

Let's start with the birth story.

We went in for my induction at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, April 19th. My parents came over to our house at 4:00 that morning to stay with Preston until he woke up.

Once we arrived at the hospital we were ushered to my room and got settled. After the initial q & a paperwork from the nurse, she checked me and I was still 3 cm dilated (same as my appt. the week before).

I was already having irregular contractions but that was old news. They were the same ones I had been having for weeks.

The doctor came in to break my water around 6:30 and they gave me Pitocin to start my labor right afterward. My nurse told me that since I was already at 3 cm I could have my epidural at any point. I decided to hold off as long as I could for fear that my epidural would wear off by the time I needed to push (like it did with Preston).

But by 7:30 contractions were very intense and painful so we put in the order for the epidural ASAP.

They checked me at 8:00 and I was 5 cm and then I got my epidural. It helped for a while...I felt numb but still had feeling in my legs, sort of like they were just asleep. I didn't worry about it since I couldn't feel my contractions and that was obviously the most important. Around 8:30 they checked me again and I was 6 cm dilated.

About an hour after I received my epidural I started feeling my contractions and they got really intense. I could not believe it. I started crying...partly for the pain I was in and partly for fear of the pain I knew I would be in when it came time to push and deliver the baby.

The nurse called the anesthesiologist in to give me a boost and then checked me again. I was 10 cm! The nurse thinks since I progressed so quickly that my epidural simply could not keep up and that's why I was in so much pain. Who knows?

But anyway, the doc gave me the highest boost and things quickly started going numb. And I mean numb. They started prepping everything for me to push and in the meantime things went from numb to dead. I literally could not feel a thing from the waist down. I couldn't move my legs at all. It was bliss.

Now during all of this I had a terrible pain in one of my ribs. It felt bruised or broken and I had no idea why. The doctor had me lay on my left side to see if that would take some pressure off from the baby.

So when it was time to push I was still on my left side and had to have help moving to my back since I was basically paralyzed at this point. They rolled me over and my stomach stayed to the left. It was a bit shocking to look at. The baby had apparently wedged herself up under a rib on the left side and was causing all that pain. When I started to push I literally was shoving (gently) her back towards the middle of my belly to get her on the right path.

And 9 pushes and 14 minutes later our girl arrived!

She weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and measured 21.25 inches long. She was beautiful, healthy and perfect and had a head full of black hair.

It's amazing how quickly you can fall in love with your baby and how you instantly get those protective instincts. I absolutely love being a mother and I'm so thankful to be entrusted to take care of these precious babies.

Preston immediately took to his baby sister. He was so excited to see her at the hospital. He stayed with my parents while we were in the hospital and that first night he kept asking for Mama/Daddy/Baby Sister. Mom said he was already including her with us. It's like he knew she was part of the family now.

Our sweet girl is almost a month old now so I will be posting soon about how she has changed since her birthday and how we are adjusting to life as a family of four.

Here are a few pictures from our Ella's big day!

Nice to Meet You 39 Weeks

Yes, still here. Still pregnant. I am 39 weeks 1 day and completely surprised I have made it this far in my pregnancy. I feel like I have been pregnant for so long. Mom and I were talking about our family beach trip back in September. I had just started getting nauseated from the pregnancy while we were on the trip. And it seems like ages ago! But anyway, just goes to show that each one is different. I thought for sure she would come like Preston did, somewhere between 37 and 38 weeks. Nope, she has plans of her own :)

So I am getting to experience what it's like to be at the very end. It's not that bad, just definitely uncomfortable. These crazy contractions I keep having are throwing me for a loop. I didn't realize you could have such intense painful contractions and not really be in labor. Learn something new every day.

Last night we ate Mexican food with my parents and I honestly wasn't sure I was going to be able to get out of the booth. (Note to self: sit on the end the next time you have a watermelon in your stomach). My belly felt so heavy I could barely stand up straight enough to walk out of there with a little dignity. Thankfully it feels much better this morning. Guess I better cut out the Mexican until baby girl gets here.

It really has been a good thing that she hasn't arrived yet since Preston has been sick since last week. We think it was Hand, Foot and Mouth. He had a terrible rash all over and a few places around his mouth. But the majority of it has faded and he is acting like his normal self so hopefully within a day or two he will be completely better!

When I went to the doctor last Thursday I had dilated to 3 cm and was 60% effaced. We decided to go ahead and schedule an induction for this Thursday, April 19th! I'm so excited!!!! Although I would still rather her come on her own :)

Blake and I have been getting things done around the house this weekend to get things ready for our precious girl. Nesting is full blown. I keep thinking of new things I want us to do/clean. Blake loves it. Ha, ha. No really, he doesn't mind. I am blessed with a husband who likes things clean and orderly.

So that's the latest on us. Our little girl will be here this week! I can't wait to meet her!

Here are a couple of pictures from Easter of us three. Probably our last ones until we are a family of four!!!

37 Weeks

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks and 5 days along with Miss Ella, exactly the length of my pregnancy with Preston. My water broke in the middle of the night with him so every night this week when I go to sleep I think "Will it happen tonight?!?"

I did not experience any Braxton Hicks contractions with Preston or any false labor but this pregnancy has been totally different in that regard. I have contractions all the time and have been for the last month or so. I'm nervous that I won't be able to tell the difference if the real ones come along without my water breaking.  Mom assures me I will :)

Blake is getting anxious and calling me all day to make sure everything is okay. He is ready for baby girl to be here. I am definitely ready to meet this sweetie pie but I still have some nesting to finish! For example, I have been working on curtains for her room and finished one panel yesterday but still have one to go. Let's cross our fingers I can get it done during naptime today. I did manage to finish appliqueing/monogramming a Big Bro shirt for Preston so that's one more thing checked off the list.

Ella's room still has some tweaking to be done and more things put up on the walls but if I can't get it all done IT WILL BE OKAY, or that's what I keeping trying to tell myself when I start hyperventilating about it.

I have nice goals each day of getting certain things accomplished and sometimes I get them done and sometimes I just can't do it. I am definitely at the very uncomfortable point in pregnancy and physically I just wimp out easily. Between the bulging abdomen, contractions, and constant pressure, it gets a little tough. Oh yeah, I can't really breathe anymore either. You don't want to see me after a walk up a flight of stairs. And when did the nausea decide to make a reappearance? Well, it never really left me completely but it has stepped up a notch these last few weeks. I am also battling the fat foot again. I had one ankle/foot swell with Preston and it's back! I think it's worse that it's only one foot because you can see the obvious difference in my normal one. The doctor says it's just the way the baby is laying. It's not painful but kind of annoying and definitely not cute. I really am ready to feel like a normal person again. Can you tell? Don't get me wrong. I love being able to carry a child in my tummy and feel these kicks and movements. There is nothing like it in this world and I am so thankful for it. And the love I have for my children is unexplainable. They are worth every minute of discomfort. I guess being at the end of my pregnancy I'm just ready to meet this precious baby and get myself normal again and start our family of four :)

I went to the doctor this past Friday (today is Wed) and I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced (thinned out). I go back tomorrow for another check-up so we will see if I have progressed anymore!

I can't believe she could be here any day. I'm trying to snuggle with Preston and soak up these last few days with him as my only child. I pray he adjusts well to his new baby sister and honestly, I really think he will. I just know the first few days and weeks will be the most trying for him so please say a prayer that all goes well!

And speaking of going well, I would appreciate prayers for labor and delivery to go smoothly too. I am so nervous! My epidural wore off with Preston so I basically had him naturally and the thought of doing it that way again REALLY freaks me out. I know women have done it since the beginning of time but it was not a fun experience. But, hopefully everything will go okay this time and I pray that God will keep his hand over us no matter what happens.

My sis-in-law took some maternity pictures on Sunday for me so I'm sharing a few of my favorites. Can't wait to meet our little Ella!

Okay, I am off to finish curtains now.

My Lola

Please note this post was typed up on Thursday night but not posted until today, Monday.

My little Lolee girl, my sweet and doting little pet is gone. I am truly heartbroken at losing her. Those who don't have pets or those who aren't "animal people" probably don't understand my grief. This little furry bundle has been following me around for nearly five years, fretting if she looked up and couldn't see me, who got ridiculously excited whenever I walked in the door, and snuggled in between Blake and I in the bed every night.  This little dog who loved me unconditionally and looked to me to care for her and in the end I couldn't save her. She got so sick within a few days time, declining significantly with each passing day. The veterinarian diagnosed her with pancreatitis, a heart murmur and she had dangerously high levels in her kidneys, liver and glucose. It was very grim. I took her home and kept her hydrated with Pedialyte in a syringe. She had stopped drinking on her own the day before and was so weak she could barely stand. Whenever she would need to go outside and use the bathroom she would get up and walk to find me. I was so proud of her. She has had potty problems in the past so knowing she was using all of her energy to "hold it" and not have an accident in the house even though she was so sick just breaks my heart. By the next day, her last day, she couldn't even stand long enough to use the bathroom. And still she held it all day. I took her out in the backyard with Blake and Preston while it was so warm and sunny and took some pictures of my sweet girl. By evening she could not breathe well and was getting colder. She tried to get up and move around, probably from discomfort and all I could do was try to help her. I told her how special she was and that I loved her very much. I told her she was such a good girl. I took her up to bed with me around 11:00 p.m. and snuggled her in between Blake and myself. I fell asleep and woke around 1:00 to check on her and she wasn't breathing. I listened to her little chest but it was silent. I pulled her in my lap and could see there was no longer any life left in her. It's a horrible thing to see and I will never forget it. I wrapped her in a towel and just held for a while, not wanting to let her go. I finally laid her in a cat bed we had and tried to sleep for a few hours. Blake got up early that morning and dug her a place to be buried in our backyard. I kept her in the cat bed because she always loved to sleep on comfy pillows and blankets.

Every time I pass by the windows overlooking our backyard I see the fresh dirt where her little grave is and it just plain hurts. I miss her so much. Since I am a stay at home mom I am just so used to having her right beside me all day. She would always bark when someone knocked on the door or rang the doorbell and I still catch myself whipping around to stop a bark whenever I hear a knock at the door. I still look over my shoulder to see if she's following me and I still think every night before I go to bed that I need to let Lola outside to potty. I also still rush to grab food that Preston drops so I can beat Lola to it. She was like a little vacuum. I know all of this is habit and it will eventually fade away but I will always miss her. At the new house she liked to curl up under the big office desk (the previous owners left it for us) and I'm sitting here now typing and wishing she was snuggled up down there by my feet.

Our cat has done his best to make me feel better, snuggling with me more and following me around more. I know he realizes something is wrong. He loved Lola too, would snuggle with her and play with her all the time. One of the hardest things now is listening to Preston ask about her. It's been one week ago tonight since she passed and up until yesterday he has only mentioned her a handful of times. But all day yesterday and today he has asked about Lola continuously. He holds his hands up and says "Lola?" and I have to tell him that Lola went bye-bye and he says "oh". Today I took him to my parents house and he wanted to feed my mom's dogs. He went to the pantry and saw Lola's food bin that I had given to my mom for her dogs. Mom said he got so excited, running through the house calling for Lola. It's like it dawned on him that Lola must be at their house since we had told him she went bye-bye. Then my brother and sister-in-law came to our house tonight and when they walked in he started asking them "Lola? Lola?" It's like he thinks someone has her and so he's going to ask everyone now. I just hate that I can't explain it to him. He has no way to grasp it. He loves her so much and she was always so patient with him, putting up with tugging and pulling and squealing. I'm so glad he had her, even if it was for a short time. The morning we buried Lola he was still asleep but woke up about 30 minutes afterwards. I went to his room and opened his curtains and blinds which overlooks the backyard. He went straight to the window and looked out and said "Lola". It was the strangest thing because he knows that Lola is always inside unless we are out there. It's like he knew in some way that she was out there.

I wanted to get some of this off my chest and down "in writing" as some sort of relief. I also wanted to share some of her little habits and funny things so I don't ever forget them. For my birthday, June 4, 2007, Blake came home carrying his golf bag in the house. He asked me to get a golf ball out of the side pocket (which I thought kind of strange) and when I opened the pocket this tiny little fur ball wriggled out. She was absolutely adorable. I fell in love immediately. Anyone who met Lola knew she liked food because she was definitely overweight. I called her a little piggy because she would grunt and snort like a pig sometimes when she slept. She would eat almost anything if given the opportunity. We never gave out table food to her but she would be sneaky sometimes and manage it on her own...or with the help of Preston. We were working on her weight issue and she began to lose weight rapidly in the last few weeks before she got sick. I stupidly thought it was attributed to the stairs in the new house but it was probably just an early symptom of her illness. She had lost 7 of her 22 pound frame when she died. I couldn't believe it. One thing I wish I had on video was the little "train" that happened when Preston would have a snack, usually goldfish. Preston would run with his cup of goldfish chasing the cat and Lola would be chasing Preston hoping he dropped a goldfish in the process. So the cat would come running by followed by Preston squealing and then Lola right behind him. It was hilarious. I don't know if it was some kind of little dog syndrome but Lola has never liked strangers and barking was her defense of choice. She was territorial at home and at my parents house but she wouldn't bark if she was anywhere else. Whenever we drove to my parents house she would either sense or smell when we were close to the neighborhood because she would wake from her snooze in the passenger seat and go berserk with excitement. She loved my parents. Her groomer always went on and on how sweet she was and how she never tried to snap at them or anything. She truly was a sweet girl. She just had a bad reputation because of that bark. It's so strange to think I won't ever hear it again, or her little pig snort. She had the softest little head and ears and to think about not ever petting her again makes me want to cry. She was my first dog of my own and first little dog in my lifetime. We always had big outdoor dogs growing up. I have never lost a pet that was so close to me. And it's hard. Have I mentioned that? Thankfully, we have had to stay busy at the new house getting things settled and ready for when Ella gets here. I'm sad that she won't ever know Lola. I'm getting better as the days go on but I still have my moments when I have to just cry it out. It's all a huge adjustment for me but I will be okay. Just taking it one day at a time.

I have several pictures of my girl from puppyhood to recently that I wanted to share. If you made it to the end of my post, thank you. She was definitely worth blogging about and very special to me.

I love you, Lola girl

Baby Lola

Buddies

Halloween Bunko one year. Lola and I won Best Costume

Her first haircut

Sunbathing with her brother

She loved to snuggle with us

My girl's last day

Preston checking on her. He loved her so much

My sweet girl

I will always miss you, Lola.