AWWWW

So we've been able to tease a few smiles out of Kahlan in the past couple of weeks... she smiled for my grandma, and she'll smile for me sometimes when I'm changing her diaper...

But today, I started tickling her foot when she was in her swing, and I got a GRIN and almost a giggle...

I tried to take a picture, but of course she wouldn't repeat it once the camera was out...

We had a scare alright...

So yesterday afternoon, Rickey was in the bathroom. I was in the kitchen getting ready to give the baby a bath. The baby was on my bed swaddled up. Now, I know better than to put her right by the edge or she could roll off. What I didn't realize is that if her head is pointing towards the edge of the bed, even if she is in the middle of the bed, she can push herself off by kicking her legs around. So I hear a thump and a cry and I'm like, WTH? So I go see, and the baby has kicked her way out of the swaddling, off the bed, and is laying in the floor face down with most of her body on a pillow that was beside the bed. *insert PANIC moment*

I checked her over, and she was moving all her limbs and crying, but unhurt thankfully. I picked her up and soothed her for a bit and she started to calm down. I gave her a bath and she smiled and enjoyed herself. I fed her after her bath and she fell asleep smiling. Go figure. I guess it just scared her. I KNOW it scared me... but she's okay now. And boy did I learn a lesson...

heh... Thanks Uncle Sam

We got our economic stimulus check a couple days ago... went out to lunch, went to Hastings, went grocery shopping... still had about $400 left. (We got the minimum of $600 because our tax liability was $0)

So Rickey got paid today. And when I got up, lo and behold, my daily balance check e-mail was here, and there's over $1000 there. *squeeeeeeeee*
Too bad it's all got to go to bills.... *sigh* At least all my bills will be paid at the beginning of the month now, and we can spare some money for blowing later in the month...

It really feels nice to have money and not have to worry about making the rent before the landlady tries to kick us out...

My, How Time Flies

Kahlan is a month old today... and it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital...

She had a Dr appointment yesterday. She's 22 inches long and weighs 9lbs 12oz. That's almost a pound and a half more than her birth weight. She's now in the 75th percentile for weight, and 90th for height. So she may be chunky, but she's TALL.

This really makes me appreciate what my mother went through... Kahlan is the same size now as I was when I was born... and my mom is a small person.

Anyway, she's drinking 4.5-5 oz at a time now when I bottle feed her, and she seems to never get full if I breastfeed... she's drinking everything I'm producing, AND burning through my pumped supply. I have 2 spare bottles pumped out right now, and I have a feeling they will be gone by the end of this week if her little growth spurt doesn't stop...

Little Chunker

erm, I mean... Kahlan is up a full pound from her birth weight.

We had a WIC appointment this morning and she weighs 9lbs 5oz, and is 21.5 inches long.

That works out to the 75th percentile for both weight and height, but only 25th percentile for weight/height combined... so she's tall and skinny basically... lucky girl, hopefully she will stay that way when she gets older... although then I might have to invest in a shotgun...

Let me tell you about WIC though... it is an amazing help. Since I'm breastfeeding I will be getting: (per month)
5.5 gallons of milk
3lbs of cheese
2 dozen eggs
36oz of cereal
7 bottles of juice (46oz bottles)
2lbs carrots
2lbs of dried beans
4 cans of tuna

and I will get a free electric double breast pump next month.


So we're going grocery shopping this afternoon... mmm....

*yawn*

So. I'm learning new skills as a new mother.

How to get 8 hours of sleep 2 hours at a time.
How to sleep without your husband in the bed, because he can't sleep through the baby crying and so has moved into the living room.
How to do household chores one-handed while the other hand is holding the baby on your shoulder because she won't sleep anywhere else.

I'm loving it though... especially the morning feeding, when I get her out of the bassinet and feed her in bed, then we doze back off for a few hours... It's been cold here again, and so her little hands are like icicles when she wakes up... but when she sleeps right up next to me she stays warmer...

Kahlan Rose

was born at 11:41 AM, Saturday, March 29, 2008.

8lbs 5oz, 20.75 inches long.

The oxytocin was started at 7:45... yeah. I delivered my first child, who weighed over 8 lbs, in less than 4 hours.

We came home Monday morning, and were just getting settled in... and then Tuesday morning we had to turn around and take her back to the hospital because she was lethargic and had (I thought) the runs. After many tests due to an irregular heartbeat that the ER doc discovered, we ended up spending 2 more nights in the hospital. We came home today with a very healthy baby. Turns out she was lethargic because she was dehydrated, and her low heart rate was just because she was THAT relaxed when she was asleep. And the dehydration was because I hadn't been feeding her often enough. I mistakenly thought that if she was hungry, she would wake up and eat. Nope. So now I have to wake her up and feed her every 3 hours... even if she doesn't want to wake up, I have to...

Hi Ho, Hi Ho,

Off to have my labor induced I go!!!!

Turns out my Dr is on call over this weekend, and since he will be at the hospital anyway, he is going to go ahead and induce me even though it's Saturday.

And to top off the good news, they actually came right after my last post and fixed the radiator in the bedroom. They also have an appointment to come next week and fix the other 2 that aren't an immediate danger. YAY!!!

Well, I will post pics and whatnot as soon as I get home... I'll see you all then.

Would you

take your landlord to court if your radiator heaters in your apartment built in 1926 were spewing steam and they refused to fix them?

So much steam in fact, that THE WALLS ARE SWEATING.




I am going to be bringing a newborn baby home in the next few days... into a SAUNA, not an apartment... And those pipes could be lead for all we know. There could be lead in the steam coming out... It's really easy to keep a newborn from ingesting lead paint chips, but lead in the very air she's breathing?

Oooops.

Realized I've been kinda quiet lately... my mom has been here waiting for Kahlan to make her appearance and I've not been spending much time on the computer. I'm still alive though... and STILL PREGNANT!!! *sigh*

Tuesday was my due date, and it's almost Friday and she still isn't here. I've been in the hospital twice thinking I was in labor, and both times it wasn't "active labor" yet so they sent me home. The second time I was having bad enough contractions that I was CRYING, but I wasn't dilating fast enough... so they sent me home and told me to take a Tylenol. And the contractions quit entirely for several days. Now, I just have random contractions, no dilation, and will probably be induced on Monday (or I hope they go ahead and do it Friday, but nurse said most likely Monday...)