March 2010

Well, Hello All!

We have been going through some changes the past 5 days. I read "Sleep Sense" and we have been trying our darnedest to implement it to a T. It's been hard (to see her so tired during the day, and not be able to swaddle her and put her in her swing).

Saturday afternoon was when it all began. I finished the book and got really excited to implement it. The basic gist of the book is that, if you'd like your sweet baby to sleep through the night, (as well as you sleeping through the night again) then you have to stop anything that makes her dependent on you in the middle of the night (ex: binkie, swaddling, rocking, nursing, bottle to put her to sleep) The main quote is "put her in her crib, AWAKE".

It makes a lot of sense. PS I am still feeding Kate during the night. My Dr. said she could go 6 hours with out eating but if she seems hungry, then I feed her. It's as simple as that. But I make sure she doesn't fall asleep while eating and I talk to her before putting her in the crib. It's so counter intuitive to be kinda loud before laying her down but I think it makes a lot of sense.

Well, the first day was hard for her to fall asleep for a nap and she only napped about 15 minutes...but HEY, she DID fall asleep and we were so happy for her. That night she fell asleep in 17 minutes, but she couldn't stay sleep, b/c her little arms kept jumping and waking her up. It was a really hard night. I stayed in her room and cheered her on, rubbed her tummy, fed her, cried with her, talked to her and held her a couple times, but made sure I didn't let her fall asleep in my arms. It was SOOO hard to see her so tired and not be able to really help. :(

She took lots of naps on Sunday (during each part of church pretty much).

Then Sunday night went well. She slept 3 hrs, 5 hrs, 4hrs. ( she only woke up twice!) I was sooo excited! But I knew she was probably catching up on sleep, so I wasn't sure that we were over the hard part yet. So,

Monday night was so tough. She woke up every 2 hours for a while and then every hour. She kept rolling onto her tummy...which scared me, so I kept rolling her back. That made it so hard for her to fall back asleep. I'm sorry Kate.

I cannot remember what happened on Tuesday. I think she woke up every 3 hours. Only b/c I kept putting her back on her back. Otherwise, I think she would have slept well.

Last night was crazy! She slept 8 1/2 hours straight. Not a peep! She was on her tummy, but I am not ready to let her sleep on her tummy until she can roll back to her back with ease. Right now it's still a struggle. So, from 3 am- 6:30am she had a tough time sleeping.

Tonight, so far she's been sleeping for 4 hours. She's on her sweet little side. She looks so cute.

I really like "Sleep Sense", b/c it gives you two approaches. Either: you can stay with your little sweetie and make sure she doesn't feel abandoned, encouraging her intermittently and letting her see you're there, and letting her know you love her so much. The other option is more for moms who have more than one kid. You still show them you love them and support them, but you don't stay in their room until they fall asleep. You to check on her intermittently until she stops crying. I am kinda to this point now, b/c she doesn't cry anymore at night. Hip hip hooray!

I have put this off for sooo long, b/c I didn't know that I had a choice. I am SOOOOO thankful for my friend, Stephanie, for recommending this. It's been an answer to prayers. I would recommend it to anyone. It's not only for newborns/infants. This woman has helped hundreds of families with toddlers too. So, cheers to Dana (Sleep Sense Author) hopefully this is the beginning of many full-night's sleep :)

PICTURE TIME!!!

I love making baby Kate laugh!

My Momma stayed the night with us a few weeks ago, while my Dad was out of town. She was sooo thoughtful and brought me flowers!

This little shnookems rolls onto her tummy all the time now. She's so cute. The poor thing sometimes can't figure out how to get back onto her back. That frustrates her. I'm hoping she'll get it down pat, soon, b/c then I can let her sleep on her tummy at night. Right now she's sleeping on her side or back.

"GG" Great Grandma. She's 95 but honestly she's sharper than a sharpened tack! She came for the day and we had such a great time! We went to lunch at Applebee's, chatted, and played with Kate. To wrap up the visit, we watched back-to-back episodes of Bonanza! hahah :D We loved it. They were filled with romance! Both of us were like "We thought Bonanza was about sheriffs and tumble weed!" I guess not. Maybe we were thinking about Gunsmoke. Bonanza, I love you!
We love you too, GG! :)


This one looks like she's holding her breath! She's so dang funny. Love those rosy cheeks. I am not sure what makes them so rosy. I check her temp. often to see if she's running a slight fever. It's always normal. In case you didn't' know, that's the reason why her middle name is Rose. We gave it to her a week or so after her birth. She had jaundice really bad, and as soon as it cleared up, we saw that she had beautiful rosy cheeks! Before that, she didn't have a middle name.




That little ray of light is perfect. This little ensemble is from her G-ma (Greg's Mom) and the boots are from my friend, Dara (Auntie Dairy). BTW (by the way) I didn't put her arm on the arm rest. That was all her!



This was what she wore to church on Sunday. So sweet! The only thing I was bugged about was that I found the brown tights that day, and she's almost too big for them. Today I totally reorganized her closet and drawers. I organized the closet according to type of clothes, rather than what age it's for. I put all of her pants in one drawer. I think it will be much easier for me to find stuff now. Thank you so much, everyone for being so generous at our shower and since. Kate has tons of adorable things to wear. I feel a little guilty though, b/c I put her in pjs many days. I'll try to do better! :)

March's Mullet of the Month

Don't they wear helmets in hockey?

What's going on...

Hello Folks,
Sorry it's been awhile since I updated. Here's what's happenin' in "our neck of the woods' (Al Roker).
With Kate:
So, our sweetie has had a cold for the past couple of days :( I think she's doing better. We'll go back to the Dr. tomorrow just to double check. The little sweetie. It's so scary when a little sweetheart gets a cold. Greg and a friend gave her a blessing last night and within an hour she was already much better (not coughing, and she slept really well). I am so thankful for that. I feel so blessed.
The latest with Greg:
He's really enjoying his job and he's having fun training for his upcoming triathlon. He's also great to help with Kate when he gets home.
With Me:
Lately, I've really been thinking about one main thing. Being a mom is such a joy and responsibility. I often get asked the question "do you work?". I think to myself, "I do." It's so important to be a full-time mom. I wouldn't want it any other way. I love it and am so thankful for Kate.

Mommy and Daddy with Baby

February's Mullet of the Month

BE MINE?

WE'LL MAKE IT AN EXPLOSIVE VALENTINE'S!!!

January's Mullet of the Month

Maybe the "Storm in the Heartland" explains the hair.

Hello All, Here's Some Updates :)

Greg is so great at taking pictures. I really think that this is the PRETTIEST sunset picture I've ever seen.

This is Hon-Hon on our little walk. We took a walk almost every morning before the sun came up. Kinda ambitious to be up by 6:30am on vaction, if I may say so. This is actually what I miss most about the trip (beside family).

Nicole, Wes, Tessa and Kate. They are so great with Kate. I've already learned so many great things from Wes and Nicole about parenting. Cute Tessa is almost exactly 2 years older than Kate. They're going to be best friends! Callie wasn't in the picture, but she is also going to be best buds with Kate. She was very good at holding Kate.

A Kate sandwich! Warm sun...I miss you.

Wes and Cole at the golf course. We all had such a great time golfing. Am I good at golfing? I'll tell you how good I was. My newphew, 8 years old, had only golfed twice. HE beat ME by one stroke! ha! (In his defense, he had some great shots! I was very impressed! ) He rode in my cart. At one point, I asked him to drive the cart to the green. He was like "uh, I don't thin I can". I thought, it can't be too hard. Wes looked at me and thought I was a little crazy. Cole said, "I'm only eight". I guess sometimes I forget how old he is! So Wes comprimised and told Cole he could press the pedal for the rest of the day. He was very good and careful. By the way, don't you think golf carts are hilarious!? Someone in our party always seems to skid, bobble from side to side, or fall out. I always ended up crying from laughing so hard. Wes and I used to rearend each other. For your information, it hurts worse than you'd think.
Such loving Grandparents.

Like I already mentioned...Greg is an incredible photographer.

Here's our little hula girl. She's growing so quickly!

This is Cole and Dad.

Blue Eyed Girl!

Greg loves Kate. He is smitten!

We spent Christmas break with my (Abbey's) side of the family. We had such a great time being with family all of the time. It was also incredible to get to be somewhere warm while it was snowing at home. That really makes you appreciate it! Melekelikimaka!

A Mullet Family Christmas!

Little Love

How sweet :)

Lil' Homey

I placed her in her swing and she fell asleep for awhile. The next time I checked on her, I saw that her head band had done this! So funny!

A little later... Hilarious! :)

November's Mullet of the Month

Beautiful

Little Giraffe

It was so fun to see Kate in her giraffe costume! :) It was especially funny when I nursed her, b/c her face was mostly hidden, so I really felt like I was nursing a little baby animal! :) Since the first week, I actually have felt much like a mother cat, nursing her kittens! Having her in this costume just confirmed that! She actually loved the costume. She was cozy and warm all day.

Notice the tail :)

It's a tough job to be a newborn.

I took Kate on her first walk a couple of weeks ago. How sweet

My mom with Kate. How great to have her in our home at last! She was at the hospital for Kate's big day but, was sick for the following 3 weeks. I really missed having her with us. I haven't mentioned it, but some of you probably already know; she was diagnosed with breast cancer this past June; then had it removed at the end of July. The surgery went really well and they believe they removed all of it. She completed her 6th and final week of radiation a few days after Kate was born. The last few sessions were extra powerful, so they made her feel yucky. That's why she wasn't able to see us for 3 weeks. She's feeling much better now. Hip hip hooray! We are SOOOO eternally grateful for them finding it in a routine mammogram. And that it was so small. The Dr.s were excellent. Before her surgery, she received a blessing and I know that it was because of Heavenly Father, that this all went so well. He can do all things and we know that His hand was guiding every step of this. We are also very grateful for everyone's prayers and fasting. It really blessed all of us. I did not have the best attitude while she was going through these things. I tried to, but I just didn't. But now that it's over (hopefully it's all in the past now) I feel very grateful that it was able to be taken care of so quickly and that she is doing so well now. But I also know that no matter the outcome of the trials we all face, Heavenly Father LOVES us and listens to each one of our prayers. We are not left alone.

How could I forget?! October's Mullet of the Month

This is called the "Femullet". A woman sporting a mullet is a really beautiful thing.

Hooray for Kate!

Great news! She slept a 3 1/2 hour stretch, ate in record time, then slept another 3 hour stretch! Hooray! I woke up today and felt like myself again! I needed that sleep! :) It's really so exciting!!! Thanks, everyone for your input. We have basically tried all of them. Hopefully we have found what she likes :)

This is why Heber, Utah is #1 in health and fitness

This is seriously the gym/tanning salon on Heber, Utah Main Street. We get such a kick outa this!

Fall Family Pics :)

Greg's mom, "Muz" came for a week to help out. We really appreciate all of her help! She's a great mom and a wonderful grandmother. :)

Dear Everyone Who Shared Advice,

Thank you so much for really thinking about my questions and giving great advice :) I really appreciate it. We are still trying different things, and are optomistic that we will soon sleep more :) I really DO appreciate you responding. If you think of anything else, please don't hesitate.

Take Care,

Abbs

Who says a brand new baby can't smile?

Hilarious! I love this smile!!!!

Question?

How do you get your baby to sleep less during the day and more at night? Do you think it's okay to have the baby sleep on or beside you if they just can't get to sleep in their crib/bassinet?

Labor and Delivery Day

The story of labor...
I started having contractions on Sunday morning (the 27th) at 4am. I had them every 10 minutes for 3 hours. They weren't bad, just knew I was having them. I got SOOO excited! :) I woke Greg up and we headed to the hospital. I was nervous and excited, hopeful that this was it :) We got to the hospital and they checked to see how far into labor I was. I was hardly dilated. I was disappointed. But they noticed my blood pressure had gone way up. Like 156/100. This really worried them. They called it preclampsia (or pregnancy induced hypertension/toxemia). It really surprised us, b/c I had just been checked the previous Monday, and my blood pressure was pretty normal. I actually didn't really have any abnormal blood pressure tests throughout my whole pregnancy. I also wasn't swollen, which would be typical of toxemia.

So, the Doc ordered that I go home and be on total bed rest until the baby was due. I was grateful I didn't have months left when they prescribed this. But still disappointed to not be having our little one that day. They told me to get a blood pressure cuff and test at home throughout the day. They said if my pressure got up to 150/100 for a half hour, to come back. Well, it hit that by that evening, and back we went to the hospital. They checked me out again, still hadn't dilated more. The nurse called my Dr. and she told the nurse to go ahead and induce me. When the nurse told me the news, I felt so relieved and SO excited! Relieved, b/c I knew that it wasn't good for the baby if my blood pressure was that high, excited b/c we would get to see our little one in about 24 hours! Wow.

So I called my parents at around 11pm Sunday night, and they drove down from their home and stayed at our house. Greg stayed with me at the hospital.

I did not want them to use petosin (spelling?) so I was very happy when they mentioned that they had a pill that was crushed up that they could put into me and it would gradually get things moving along. They put me on magnesium, (to lower my blood pressure) which made me sick. I didn't like that part very much, but it seemed to level out after about 45 minutes...I was very grateful. After about 6 hours, my water broke on its own. Then the contractions started getting really strong. I was surprised at how quickly that happened. Once it broke I dialed like 3 cm in an hour. While this was happening, I decided to get the epidural, which really wasn't bad. It stung when they numbed me, and I felt some pressure, but it really wasn't bad. The anestisiologist was awesome, b/c he went through everything he was doing with great detail, so I would know exactly what to expect. I ended up telling him I loved him, b/c I was so happy that I wouldn't need to feel the contractions any more.

My nurses was SO great. They were very sweet and cared so much about the baby's health. They noticed that the baby's heart rate would drop after each contraction, so they were hopeful that the epidural would lower my blood pressure. It did, but too much, so they had to give me something to raise it. This was kinda the goal during my labor. To find the fine balance with her heart rate and my blood pressure. That's why they put me on oxygen, b/c she needed more. So, b/c of these factors, I was very worried throughout.

I wanted more pain medicine, b/c I guess I was feeling contractions (I can't really remember why I asked for more) so they gave me a "re dose". Well, that one was a doosie! I DID NOT like it. It made me SO numb, I felt paralyzed, (numb from my chest down). I felt so lethargic and wanted to get some feeling back. At around 10 am, they told me to relax for an hour and let the baby naturally make it's way down the canal. At 11:10, they said I could start to push. I was soooo excited! So, 11:10am came (a really long hour between 10 and 11 b/c I was so excited). I had this idea that I would push for about 15 minutes and she would just come right out...boy, that wasn't quite accurate. :) haha After about an hour my epidural stared to wear off, and I had control over my legs. I was lifting them up, bending them, and resting them between contractions. They were surprised to see me moving so much. I kept pumping my epidural button, but it didn't seem to help. I could feel the contractions coming and they were quite strong. The Dr. came in to check our progress, and then said she's be back in about an hour. That was disappointing. So we kept pushing, Greg fanning me with the hospital folder and giving me "tiger's blood" flavored ice chips (which were actually really good). He was so attentive and selfless through the whole process. Very encouraging during the pushing part too. He told me I was doing a great job. But we weren't making a whole lot of progress, unfortunately. Then they added the petosin b/c my contrations were so far apart. The magnesium is a relaxer, the petosin is a muscle contractor. They had both in the i.v.

Well, the Dr. came after I had pushed 2 1/2 hours but little Kate was just stuck. So, the Dr. said she thought that the forceps would be necessary. I was fine with that, b/c I had seen a video of a birth when the Dr. used it, and it worked out just fine. We were coming on 3 hours, and after that, they start to really worry about the baby's health b/c of all the stress that puts on her. So, forceps it was, and holy-uncomfortable/ painful it became! But she was worth every second of it, or corse. But, lo and behold... after 3 hours of pushing, little Kate Phillips came and it was unbelievable! 2:27pm. I was SOOOO grateful she made it out okay and that we both got through that with out major problems. They placed her on me right away, which I loved. I got to feed her within a half hour. Greg and I spend that time alone with Kate, no nurses or anyone. Then my parents came back in the room and they got to hold her. Then Greg went with her to the nursery and they did all the tests and gave her a bath. I met up with my parents and Greg and Kate in a new room. And that was the wonderful, surprising, amazing experience.

Kate in her new swing. Me and a friend set it up yesterday. She seems to really like it.

They gave us this beanie in the hospital. We love it. It kinda makes her look like Santa's lil' helper. :)

What a cute little one. Seeing me with her really shows how tiny a newborn is :)