Two Weeks Already

Addison likes to spend time snuggled in her Boppy watching everything around her.
Our beautiful little girl!
About the only time Addison cries is when you take her clothes off and give her a bath.
Spending quality time cuddling with daddy when he arrives home in the afternoon.

It's hard to believe Addison has been in our lives for 2 weeks now. What an amazing 2 weeks it has been. Like the commercial says --"Having a baby changes everything." And we are enjoying those changes so much.

Wayne went back to work on Monday after spending the first week at home with us. We missed him terribly during the day, but he has come home for lunch every day to see us. Addison and I had our first outting on Tuesday--a trip to mom's for the day so we could get out of the house. Mom and I took her to Brookwood to have her weight checked and she has broken the 5 pound mark! :-) She was 5 lbs, 3 oz. Babies are supposed to get back to their birth weight by 10 days of age and she was above her birth weight at 11 days. Mommy was very excited about that. Feeding has been our biggest challenge so far, but it seems that has worked itself out too.

Addison is a wonderful baby. This week she has started staying awake a little more during the day. She eats about every 3 hours, but sometimes wants to eat every 2 hours in the afternoon. She rarely cries except when we take her clothes off for her bath. She makes lots of sweet noises and funny faces that keep our attention on her all the time. She is only waking up one time per night around 2:30 to eat. She goes to sleep around 10 and wakes between 6 and 7. She does not like sleeping on her back so she usually sleeps in her bouncy seat inside her Pack N Play at night. I'm trying to get her to nap on her back so she will sleep in her Pack N Play at night, but she is not up for that now. She is smiling at random times and is rolling from her back to both sides already. She is truly a blessing and Wayne and I are enjoying her so much.

We appreciate all the phone calls, cards, and visitors we have had since arriving home. There is definitely one thing Addison will not lack--people who love her!

Rebecca

Surprise!!!

Addison at 48 hours old dressed and ready to leave the hospital on Sunday.
Our new family!
Addison after her first bath at home. She screamed most of the time but quieted quickly afterwards.
These are the pants from her going home outfit which was a newborn size. They stretched from her shoulders to her feet. Thankfully my mom searched until she found a perfect going home outfit in a preemie size. Even some of her preemie clothes are too big right now. But she will grow into them quickly I'm sure.

At this time one week ago, I was on the phone with my OB talking about what I thought might be signs that Addison was on the way. I was thinking to myself it was just a false alarm and there was no need to go to the hospital. After talking to the doctor and Wayne and my mom, I decided to take my time but get ready to go to the hospital just to check things out. Since I hadn't planned to pack until Saturday, I had to get my things together. We left home around 10:30 and got to Brookwood Hospital around 11:00. Once there I was checked and told that indeed my water was leaking and I had dilated to 1 centimeter. There was no turning back. The doctor on call admitted me and said we would just see how things progressed during the night. I had contractions throughout the night, but they weren't too consistent or strong. Around 7:30 Friday morning, my OB came by and checked me again. I had progressed to 2 cm. She suggested starting Pitocin to induce labor and that was fine with me. It there was no turning back, I was ready to meet Addison as quickly as possible. My labor progressed steadily, but was managable until around 10:00. At that point I was pretty miserable. Thankfully I had progressed to 4 cm and could get my epidural. Whoever came up with epidurals should be highly rewarded. I went from agony to sleep in a matter of about 20 minutes. Unfortunately the epidural slowed down my progress and I stayed at 4 cm for about 2 hours. Then the nurse who was with me started seeing signs of stress with Addison--her heart rate was decelerating after each contraction. They laid me on my left side and started me on oxygen. I told the nurse something felt different all the sudden and she checked me again. I had gone from 4 cm to 9 1/2 cm in about an hour. It was time to get ready to push. After about 30 minutes of pushing, Addison was born at 3:07 pm on Friday, September 12, 2008. She was 4 lbs and 14 oz and 18 1/4 inches long. Although the doctors had prepared us for immature lungs, difficulties regulating her body temperature, and blood sugar issues, Addison came out screaming and pink and had no issues after birth. She is an amazingly healthy, but small little girl.

Wayne and I have enjoyed getting to know our little girl this week. We are truly blessed to have her and are in awe of her. We just sit and stare at her beautiful face and thank God for this miracle he has given us. God is so faithful!

Thank you for your prayers throughout our fertility struggle, this pregnancy, and as little Addison was born. I will continue to post updates about her as she grows. But now I need to go feed my little one! What a blessing!

Love,

Rebecca