Andy has this star that lights up and plays music and it is his favorite toy right now (well, the only one he even really cares for at all besides his jumperoo). Here he is smiling at the star...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
All smiles!
Andy smiles a lot now these days! And I LOVE his smile and his little laugh! They are just too cute!!!!!!
Baby Shower!
The ladies of St. Herman's (our Church) threw us a baby shower yesterday! Thanks to everyone who came - it was so nice to be able to sit and chat with you all!
And thank you to everyone who brought food and gifts - everything was so fantastic!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Andy's 1st ambulance ride and Hospital visit
Last night was brutal. Bru-tal! Andy had his last feed at 10:50 last night – I wanted him to eat late so he would sleep in late, like normal. But he was up at 2. I put his soother back in 3 times before getting up to feed him at 2:25am. He ate 6oz and was up for the full hour and then never seemed to be himself again for the rest of the day. He was up pretty much all night crying and screaming, not really wanting his soother or a bottle. We fed him another 2oz at 5am and then he screamed until another small feed (1.5oz) at 7:40am.
He cried all day long with small naps and a few 10-25 minutes of happiness throughout the day. But mostly he cried and screamed all day long. He ate 1oz at 1pm and 1 oz at 2:20pm. We attempted to feed him multiple times until Gabe took him to the clinic at 7:30pm. They were closed so he went to the Hospital but the line up was really long so he came home. We have Andy 1ml of Tylenol every 4 hours or so (5 times in total).
But after 4 or 5 hours of constant screaming, Gabe called the Health Clinic. Andy had been doing this weird hiccup sounding thing that seemed to be worse when he cried, and when he attempted to drink. It seemed like he was having trouble breathing and swallowing. The BC Health Nurses Line nurse said it sounded like he was having seizures and that we should call 911. So we did and I rode with Andy to the Hospital in the ambulance as Gabe followed in the car behind us. Elia stayed home with Owen. And of course, Andy stopped crying just before the paramedics got to the house and almost didn't complain, cry, or hiccup at all since then. He did have a few of the weird hiccup things in the ambulance though and the paramedics said it sounded like he was struggling to breathe.
Once at the Hospital we were seen to right away. We told our story to 4 nurses and 2 Doctors. Andy had a poop there and seemed to be better once he did that. We did attempt to feed Andy a bottle there, twice, and he refused to eat the first time,but at 11:30pm he ate 1oz. He had a good crying fit and the Doctors listened to his heart and lungs. They checked his ears, throat, back, chest, and checked his heart rate and circulation. They figure Andy is just having a bad reaction to the immunization shots he got yesterday but that it isn't an infection or allergic reaction. We attempted to feed him one last time but Andy didn't eat. We went home just before midnight and on the way out (this part kills me), Andy smiled at the Nurses. Why didn't he just say “My parents are idiots. They over reacted.”
I even said to Gabe while we were there “I'm glad Andy is feeling better, but I wish he cried a bit just to show the Doctors why we are here.”
He seems to be acting normal now (it is 12:30am) and I hope he eats a bit more and then sleeps. He hardly slept all day so I am hoping he'll sleep through the night. Today was brutal for me and I need a good sleep just as much as Andy does.
He cried all day long with small naps and a few 10-25 minutes of happiness throughout the day. But mostly he cried and screamed all day long. He ate 1oz at 1pm and 1 oz at 2:20pm. We attempted to feed him multiple times until Gabe took him to the clinic at 7:30pm. They were closed so he went to the Hospital but the line up was really long so he came home. We have Andy 1ml of Tylenol every 4 hours or so (5 times in total).
But after 4 or 5 hours of constant screaming, Gabe called the Health Clinic. Andy had been doing this weird hiccup sounding thing that seemed to be worse when he cried, and when he attempted to drink. It seemed like he was having trouble breathing and swallowing. The BC Health Nurses Line nurse said it sounded like he was having seizures and that we should call 911. So we did and I rode with Andy to the Hospital in the ambulance as Gabe followed in the car behind us. Elia stayed home with Owen. And of course, Andy stopped crying just before the paramedics got to the house and almost didn't complain, cry, or hiccup at all since then. He did have a few of the weird hiccup things in the ambulance though and the paramedics said it sounded like he was struggling to breathe.
Once at the Hospital we were seen to right away. We told our story to 4 nurses and 2 Doctors. Andy had a poop there and seemed to be better once he did that. We did attempt to feed Andy a bottle there, twice, and he refused to eat the first time,but at 11:30pm he ate 1oz. He had a good crying fit and the Doctors listened to his heart and lungs. They checked his ears, throat, back, chest, and checked his heart rate and circulation. They figure Andy is just having a bad reaction to the immunization shots he got yesterday but that it isn't an infection or allergic reaction. We attempted to feed him one last time but Andy didn't eat. We went home just before midnight and on the way out (this part kills me), Andy smiled at the Nurses. Why didn't he just say “My parents are idiots. They over reacted.”
I even said to Gabe while we were there “I'm glad Andy is feeling better, but I wish he cried a bit just to show the Doctors why we are here.”
He seems to be acting normal now (it is 12:30am) and I hope he eats a bit more and then sleeps. He hardly slept all day so I am hoping he'll sleep through the night. Today was brutal for me and I need a good sleep just as much as Andy does.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Jumperoo!
Andy loves to jump - he has from the very beginning, So Grandpa Kim bought him this Jumperoo. And Andy loves it!
Fashion Show!
As Andy is growing out of a lot of his newborn sized clothes (he is 12lbs 13oz now!), I had to do a fashion show and photo shoot before Iput them all away for good.
Friday, August 22, 2008
sleeping good!
Last night was another goo done! Andy ate at 10pm last night, and went to sleep around 11pm. He then slept until 5:10am! He ate 5oz at 5:15, had a huge puke, and then it took me an hour to do the whole routine (by then the sun was rising). I was worried he would be up soon after that, but he slept good until 9:40! That is more than 7 hours between feeds and sleeps – that is awesome!
I honestly credit the Miracle Blanket for his good sleeping these past few nights! He doesn't even have to come into our room anymore – I just put him down in his crib, on the nursing pillow all swaddled up. I don't even have to go back in and put the sucker in and all of that (at least not more than once within 2 minutes of laying him down). It is great!
I honestly credit the Miracle Blanket for his good sleeping these past few nights! He doesn't even have to come into our room anymore – I just put him down in his crib, on the nursing pillow all swaddled up. I don't even have to go back in and put the sucker in and all of that (at least not more than once within 2 minutes of laying him down). It is great!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Miracle Blanket is a mircale!
I bought this blanket online about a month ago and only really started using it now as the weather was too hot to swaddle Andy for the last few weeks. Andy has never had a good sleep 
from his middle-of-the-night feed to the morning feed , and that has been really hard on us as I don't sleep much a tall, and that is the time of night we really need our skeep. Otherwise it feel slike we have been up since 3:30am - and sometime we have been!
from his middle-of-the-night feed to the morning feed , and that has been really hard on us as I don't sleep much a tall, and that is the time of night we really need our skeep. Otherwise it feel slike we have been up since 3:30am - and sometime we have been!So I swaddled Andy all up in the blanket last nightand put him in his crib at 2am - and he slept until 7 without making a peep! And he is in his bed again now for his morning nap all swaddled up and sleeping heavy. This blanket is awesome!
Colic update
Well, we can now officially say that Andy is colic free. Yay! I don't know if he just grew out of it, or the chiropractor massage worked wonders, but it is all gone! They do say it peaks at 6 weeks, and we found that Andy's 6th week of life was terrible for colic. But now, at almost 8 weeks old, it is all gone. (knock on wood!)
Andy had his 2 month check up yesterday and he is happy and healthy! And 12lbs 5oz - my big boy!
Andy had his 2 month check up yesterday and he is happy and healthy! And 12lbs 5oz - my big boy!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Coping with colic
Yesterday we heard that these 2 things help with colic:
- infant massage from a chiropractor (3 times in a wek should do the trick)
- a drug called “BENTYLOL” (the trade name), also known as “DICYCOLMINE” (the generic name)
So today we will try both. Has anyone else heard of these, or any other ways of helping with colic?
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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Sunday, August 3, 2008
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Boy am I tired this morning!
July 30, 2008 (day thirty five)
Andy was very cranky from 9pm-midnight last night, and he exhausted both Gabe and I at night as he always does. I don't know why this is his rough time of day, but it is and always has been. I guess we should just get used to it for the time being.
Andy was up every other hour last night – 5 feeds in 1 night – what is up with that?! It was the night with the most feeds in his whole life. He must be having a growth spurt! I read today (online) that formula fed babies should be eating more per feed, but having less feeds throughout the day as the formula takes longer them to digest. But that isn't the case with Andy at all. He ate way less often with the boob. He must be growing right now and that is why he feeds every other hour. I just wish he didn't do it at night. It won't last forever though... right???
Andy was very cranky from 9pm-midnight last night, and he exhausted both Gabe and I at night as he always does. I don't know why this is his rough time of day, but it is and always has been. I guess we should just get used to it for the time being.
Andy was up every other hour last night – 5 feeds in 1 night – what is up with that?! It was the night with the most feeds in his whole life. He must be having a growth spurt! I read today (online) that formula fed babies should be eating more per feed, but having less feeds throughout the day as the formula takes longer them to digest. But that isn't the case with Andy at all. He ate way less often with the boob. He must be growing right now and that is why he feeds every other hour. I just wish he didn't do it at night. It won't last forever though... right???
Here is another good one...
http://www.babble.com/content/articles/features/dispatches/tuttle/Milk-Money-Is-breastfeeding-really-cheaper-than-formula-Not-always/
Milk Money - Is breastfeeding really cheaper than formula? Not always.
by Kate Tuttle
July 7, 2008
You hear it all the time: one of the reasons to choose breastfeeding over formula, in addition to all the well-known health advantages, is that it's free. No need to stockpile expensive formula, bottles, and so forth. You can meet your baby's nutritional needs, for the first six months at least, with zero economic outlay. Just think of how much more you can deposit into junior's college fund!
But if breastfeeding's so cheap, why do so many women spend so much money doing it? Between the lactation consultants, nursing bras and tanks, Boppy pillows with vintage cloth covers from Etsy, and a hospital-grade breast pump for when mama goes back to work, a nursing mother can end up spending a small fortune. And that's not even counting the financial hit involved in taking time away from work or negotiating a schedule that allows for nursing or pump breaks. If breastfeeding's so cheap, why do so many women spend so much money doing it? Every mother is different, and so is every baby. So it's impossible to quantify the expenses of the average nursing or bottle-feeding mother: and many, many women do both. But a little research and a handy chart can provide ballpark figures for just how much each option costs.
Milk Money - Is breastfeeding really cheaper than formula? Not always.
by Kate Tuttle
July 7, 2008
You hear it all the time: one of the reasons to choose breastfeeding over formula, in addition to all the well-known health advantages, is that it's free. No need to stockpile expensive formula, bottles, and so forth. You can meet your baby's nutritional needs, for the first six months at least, with zero economic outlay. Just think of how much more you can deposit into junior's college fund!
But if breastfeeding's so cheap, why do so many women spend so much money doing it? Between the lactation consultants, nursing bras and tanks, Boppy pillows with vintage cloth covers from Etsy, and a hospital-grade breast pump for when mama goes back to work, a nursing mother can end up spending a small fortune. And that's not even counting the financial hit involved in taking time away from work or negotiating a schedule that allows for nursing or pump breaks. If breastfeeding's so cheap, why do so many women spend so much money doing it? Every mother is different, and so is every baby. So it's impossible to quantify the expenses of the average nursing or bottle-feeding mother: and many, many women do both. But a little research and a handy chart can provide ballpark figures for just how much each option costs.
A very good article on breastfeeding VS formula feeding...
The Breastfeeding Conspiracy
~Believe it or not, formula isn't poison.~
by Marjorie Ingall
December 11, 2006
When my daughter Josie was a few weeks old, I started going to a support group for new moms. Most of us looked like we hadn't slept since the Carter administration. Epic tales were sung of colicky infants, dread about returning to work, exhaustion so severe it caused hallucinations. (I personally remember watching the bathroom rug crawl across the floor like a flattened Muppet.) Many of us cried over our struggles with breastfeeding: Plugged milk ducts, engorgement, nipples so thrashed and bloody they looked like raw hamburger, babies who couldn't latch on and kept losing weight. But some group members, those who'd had no problems nursing, kept insisting that we simply needed to try harder. Call a different lactation consultant. Use nipple cream. Butch up. Didn't we want what was best for our babies?
Exclusive breastfeeding is tough, and the temptation to give up is strong. Formula companies pimp their products, tucking bottles into the going-home bags of brand-new moms as they're released from the hospital, sending coupons to their homes, sponsoring medical guides and filling parenting magazines with ads. But breastfeeding advocates push hard too. Think of last year's public health campaign that compared not-breastfeeding to riding a mechanical bull while pregnant. In my ultrasound doc's office, there was a big poster headlined "THE TOP 12 REASONS TO BREASTFEED." The reasons included "Your baby will be smarter" and "You will lose weight faster."
Well, look, there's little doubt that breast is best, if you can manage it. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for a year. Breastfed babies have been shown to have less diarrhea and fewer colds and ear infections than formula-fed babies. Studies indicate that they're less likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or develop lymphoma later in life. (More on these studies later.) Breastfeeding is also free and super-portable, whereas formula can cost from $1,000 to $2,400 a year. Given the vitriol aimed at formula-feeding mothers, in online forums and on the street, one might suspect formula was pure poison.
But given the vitriol aimed at formula-feeding mothers, in online forums and on the street, one might suspect formula was pure poison. Jill Davidson, thirty-four, of Providence, RI, an educational consultant, was the mother of a newborn when she was invited to speak at a conference in Chicago. She was able to fly her mother from Connecticut to stay with her and care for the baby. Davidson pumped in her hotel room, then handed the baby off to her mother to feed. As her sixty-something mother sat in the hotel lobby feeding the baby, a woman passing by hissed, "Shame on you! You should be breastfeeding that baby!" That's been the tenor of the breastfeeding discussion in recent years: women (even menopausal ones!) who don't do it must be either ignorant or abusive.
But women formula-feed for many different reasons. Some have medical issues, like Ginny Falk, whose daughter had a cleft palate. Some are viscerally disgusted by nursing, like my friend Judith. Some have jobs that are incompatible with nursing or pumping, like Debra Siegel, thirty, a marketing executive in Los Angeles. She worked in "a warehouse full of men. I didn't have an office; I'd have had to pump in the bathroom. And I needed the job; my husband was unemployed at the time." For Debra, returning to work was hard enough. Adding the stress of breastfeeding felt impossible. "I felt suicidal having to leave my baby, but I had no choice," she says. "I was the sole support of my family. So I decided not to even try to breastfeed. I'd talked to a lot of people and knew it took a while to get into a groove, and since I had to go back to work, I didn't want to spend my entire maternity leave feeling panicked and miserable. But as I got closer to my due date, people got more and more aggressive telling me I was selfish."
Click here to see the whole article... http://www.babble.com/content/articles/features/dispatches/ingall/index.aspx
~Believe it or not, formula isn't poison.~
by Marjorie Ingall
December 11, 2006
When my daughter Josie was a few weeks old, I started going to a support group for new moms. Most of us looked like we hadn't slept since the Carter administration. Epic tales were sung of colicky infants, dread about returning to work, exhaustion so severe it caused hallucinations. (I personally remember watching the bathroom rug crawl across the floor like a flattened Muppet.) Many of us cried over our struggles with breastfeeding: Plugged milk ducts, engorgement, nipples so thrashed and bloody they looked like raw hamburger, babies who couldn't latch on and kept losing weight. But some group members, those who'd had no problems nursing, kept insisting that we simply needed to try harder. Call a different lactation consultant. Use nipple cream. Butch up. Didn't we want what was best for our babies?
Exclusive breastfeeding is tough, and the temptation to give up is strong. Formula companies pimp their products, tucking bottles into the going-home bags of brand-new moms as they're released from the hospital, sending coupons to their homes, sponsoring medical guides and filling parenting magazines with ads. But breastfeeding advocates push hard too. Think of last year's public health campaign that compared not-breastfeeding to riding a mechanical bull while pregnant. In my ultrasound doc's office, there was a big poster headlined "THE TOP 12 REASONS TO BREASTFEED." The reasons included "Your baby will be smarter" and "You will lose weight faster."
Well, look, there's little doubt that breast is best, if you can manage it. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for a year. Breastfed babies have been shown to have less diarrhea and fewer colds and ear infections than formula-fed babies. Studies indicate that they're less likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or develop lymphoma later in life. (More on these studies later.) Breastfeeding is also free and super-portable, whereas formula can cost from $1,000 to $2,400 a year. Given the vitriol aimed at formula-feeding mothers, in online forums and on the street, one might suspect formula was pure poison.
But given the vitriol aimed at formula-feeding mothers, in online forums and on the street, one might suspect formula was pure poison. Jill Davidson, thirty-four, of Providence, RI, an educational consultant, was the mother of a newborn when she was invited to speak at a conference in Chicago. She was able to fly her mother from Connecticut to stay with her and care for the baby. Davidson pumped in her hotel room, then handed the baby off to her mother to feed. As her sixty-something mother sat in the hotel lobby feeding the baby, a woman passing by hissed, "Shame on you! You should be breastfeeding that baby!" That's been the tenor of the breastfeeding discussion in recent years: women (even menopausal ones!) who don't do it must be either ignorant or abusive.
But women formula-feed for many different reasons. Some have medical issues, like Ginny Falk, whose daughter had a cleft palate. Some are viscerally disgusted by nursing, like my friend Judith. Some have jobs that are incompatible with nursing or pumping, like Debra Siegel, thirty, a marketing executive in Los Angeles. She worked in "a warehouse full of men. I didn't have an office; I'd have had to pump in the bathroom. And I needed the job; my husband was unemployed at the time." For Debra, returning to work was hard enough. Adding the stress of breastfeeding felt impossible. "I felt suicidal having to leave my baby, but I had no choice," she says. "I was the sole support of my family. So I decided not to even try to breastfeed. I'd talked to a lot of people and knew it took a while to get into a groove, and since I had to go back to work, I didn't want to spend my entire maternity leave feeling panicked and miserable. But as I got closer to my due date, people got more and more aggressive telling me I was selfish."
Click here to see the whole article... http://www.babble.com/content/articles/features/dispatches/ingall/index.aspx
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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Our feeding problems are over!
Andy has colic really bad for his first 3 weeks of life. So Gabe and I decided to do an experiment. We formula fed Andy for 2 days and 2 nights. First we gave him Good Start (the formual we had in teh house), and then we switched to Similac Alimentum (for babies with food allergic and lactose intolerance - specifically made for colicy, fussy, gassy babies). And Andy was like a new kid - he was happy and smiling, and slept well too! So on the third day we re-introduced the boob. First off, I wanted to see if he would take the boob OK again, and secondly we wanted to see what happened to him tummy/mood when we switched back. And cranky old Andy came back. But now we could tell that his cries weren't just fussy cries, but cries of pain. We could tell 
that he was having some sort of bad reaction to my milk. So after only 2 breastfeeds that day we switched back to Alimentum for the rest of that day, that night, and the next day (which is today). Andy happy Andy is back. So I am done breastfeeding.
I have a lot of food allergies myself and struggle with lactose intolerance, so we don't know what it is that is affecting Andy's tummy, but our family Doctor is almost 100% sure than Andy has at least 1 food allergy. We will have to be very careful when introducing foods to him in 5 months.
Since switching to formula, we have heard a few stories from friends about their colicky babies, and how formaula (this one particularly) helped them as well. I cried myself to sleep the first night we fed Andy formual and he was happy. I had a feeling that taking him off the boob would help him out, and I didn't want to give up breastfeeding. But after listening to him scream all day when we re-introduced the boob, and watching him struggle to pass gas, as he turned red and cried for hours was not worth it. I am sacrificing a really big thing here - I didn't get to breastfeed Owen either, and I thought I would get to breastfeed Andy longer than just one month. But it isn't meant to be. So I am done. And I am OK with that. Andy is a happy baby now (he even is smiling now and it just melts my heart!). I am sad for what I had to give up, but I would give up so much more to make sure my babies aren't in pain.
If anyone out there is struggling with a colicky baby, I suggest trying Similac Alimentium. It has worked wonders inour house!
that he was having some sort of bad reaction to my milk. So after only 2 breastfeeds that day we switched back to Alimentum for the rest of that day, that night, and the next day (which is today). Andy happy Andy is back. So I am done breastfeeding.I have a lot of food allergies myself and struggle with lactose intolerance, so we don't know what it is that is affecting Andy's tummy, but our family Doctor is almost 100% sure than Andy has at least 1 food allergy. We will have to be very careful when introducing foods to him in 5 months.
Since switching to formula, we have heard a few stories from friends about their colicky babies, and how formaula (this one particularly) helped them as well. I cried myself to sleep the first night we fed Andy formual and he was happy. I had a feeling that taking him off the boob would help him out, and I didn't want to give up breastfeeding. But after listening to him scream all day when we re-introduced the boob, and watching him struggle to pass gas, as he turned red and cried for hours was not worth it. I am sacrificing a really big thing here - I didn't get to breastfeed Owen either, and I thought I would get to breastfeed Andy longer than just one month. But it isn't meant to be. So I am done. And I am OK with that. Andy is a happy baby now (he even is smiling now and it just melts my heart!). I am sad for what I had to give up, but I would give up so much more to make sure my babies aren't in pain.
If anyone out there is struggling with a colicky baby, I suggest trying Similac Alimentium. It has worked wonders inour house!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Andy's 1 month photo with the bear
Every month until he was 18 months old, Owen had his picture taken with this bear. Now it is Andy's turn!Thursday, July 24, 2008
From happy to mad in 2 seconds flat
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Andy has colic. He is a terribly cranky brute, and if he is awake he is screaming. It has been really hard on all of us. We are sleep depreived and that makes it all worse of course.
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Thank goodness Andy loves the sling (and Ijust got a really good one), becasue he doesn't like the sing, bouncy seat, cuddle seat, or lying down. He is just such a fussy baby!Andy is 4 weeks old today. He
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weighs 10lbs 4oz, and is still wearing clothes that fit up to 8lbs. He is very long and lean! He has beautiful, full, pouty lips and really big hands and feet. Like his big brother Owen, I think Andy will be quite tall.But every night around 9am, Andy screams for 2-3 hours straight. Oddly enough, those are the house he would wake up and kick the crapout of me when he was inside the womb. He has terribly bad gas and these evening hours and when it is the worst (for some reason).
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
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