Sick Baby

So Monday night Abbie Mae had a stuffy nose, no biggie.  Tuesday night she coughed a few times.  Wednesday she coughed a little bit more.  Thursday afternoon she developed a fever. The fever progressively got worse.  It got up to 102.3 that night.  I called the after hours hotline at her doctors, and they said to take her to the ER.  The ER said she had an upper respiratory infection. Yesterday was worse!  She was not herself.  She did not want to eat.  She usually eats 36 ounces of milk and only ate about 16 ounces.  Her fever got up to 103.4, then 103.8, talk about a mommy panicking.  I called the after hours place again, and they told me not to worry, unless it doesn't go down after Tylenol or if it gets to 105. Can you imagine????  Today she still has a slight fever, but much more herself!  She's "talking" and playing.  I am so happy, but she's not completely better yet.  A sick baby is the worse thing for a mommy to have to deal with!

4 Month Check-up

Abbie Mae went for her 4 month old check up today.  She weighs 19 pounds 7 ounces (99%) and she's 26.5 inches long (98%).  She's  a big girl, but the doctor said she is proportional.  She is estimated to be the size of  an 8-9 month old.  She got two shots and one oral vaccine.  She was super pitiful, but only for a minute.  She is wearing 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes.  She is in a size 3 diaper.  She can now start baby food and cereal. I am excited for her to try it. 

So we got back from our vacation last night.  Abbie Mae was the perfect baby the entire trip, she was a little fussier than normal the first day, but still was good! I think she was just getting use to the new environment and not having all of her stuff.   She sat quietly in her car seat there and back.  She was up for anything, which was good, since we were on the go all the time. 

We are so blessed!

Preparing for Vacation

Getting ready for a vacation is always hard work, but add a baby to the mix and that work triples.  There is so much more that the baby needs.  I use these things daily, but you don't realize how much is needed until you have to pack it all up, not counting all of the things I want to take to occupy her time. 

So here are the things you need. I'm probably forgetting something, I hope I packed those things already! :)
Diapers
Swim Diapers
Wipes
Bottles
Bottle Brush
Bottle rack
Dish washing soap
Clothes
Socks
Towels/wash cloths
Burp cloths
Bibs
Formula
Travel Formula Holder (for out and about)
Water
Blankets
Lotion
Baby wash
Boppy

Things to occupy her time.  I so wish I had one of those portable swings! 
Activity Mat

What's been going on.

First our four-legged baby!  Dixie has been limping after she has been laying down for a while. At first it was just in the morning after sleeping, but then it started happening more often.  We were told when she was a puppy, she would probably have hip problems, because of the way she sits.  She sits more on one hip than the other.  Jon took her to the vet today and the vet said she's fine.  One of her ligaments attached to her knee is moving out of place when she lays down, and she can't put pressure on it until it pops back in place.  The vet said it's not that uncommon and that she will learn how to pop it back in place immediately. She just hasn't learned how to do it immediately yet.  I guess I really didn't know how much I loved her until this, because it terrified me that it was something major and I would cry, when I would see it happen.  I never thought I would cry over a dog, but she really is a part of the family. 

Now our two-legged baby! :) Abbie Mae amazes me daily.  She has discovered her tongue and that she can stick it out and "play" with it.  It is so cute.  Her fine motor skills are becoming better, she is pulling the bottle in and out of her mouth.  The other day she took out her pacifer and put it back it.  I introduced her to her first sippy cup yesterday.  She is learning how to use it and is a little unsure about it.  It's a different type of nipple than her bottle.  I didn't see any like her bottle, but I am going to look some more.  We are going to Savannah next week, and then she has a doctor's appointement on the 9th and we get to take about adding baby food to her diet.  I am excited to watch her experience new things.  I love that girl more than words can describe!! 

This is brithday week for our family.  My cousin, Dystiny, is the 26th, Jon's is the 28th, our sister-in-law,Claire is the 29th, and our nephew, Brody is the 30.  It gets a little chaotic! :)  Jon loved his present.  Abbie Mae and I got Jon a giant Georgia Tech flag that goes on the house. 

So that is what's going on in La Casa Del Bartonto! 

Pool Time

So today I decided to finally take Abbie Mae up to the pool.  First of all, it is A LOT of work getting a baby ready to go to the pool.  You want to make sure they are slathered in sunscreen, which is a feat in itself.  Abbie Mae can't quite sit up on her own and can't stand on her own, without me holding her.  Plus, she's in the wiggle worm stage! :)  Then you got to gather the float, towels, sunscreen, stroller, hat, extra swimmies (pool diapers), and all of my stuff.  It's a big deal for 1 person. 

We get there and it was full of mommies in their children and I was happy to see another baby, smaller than Abbie Mae there.  Come to find out she was 9 months old, but smaller in size.  Yes, I have a BIG girl!! 

Speaking of her size, We had to go shopping this weekend.  Her 3-6 month and 6 month clothes are tight.  So we had to get 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes.  Each store has different sizes. 

Sadly I did not get any pictures of her in her suit or in the pool.  I wasn't risking my phone and/or camera that close to water! :)

Baby Wipes

First of all, baby wipes are AWESOME.  It's nice to always have them with you in the diaper bag for whenever you need them.  You will be amazed how many wipes you go through!

When Abbie Mae was "baking," Jon and I would purchase diapers and wipes when they were on sale and we had coupons, we stuck mainly with pampers wipes, but if huggies were on sale, we got those too. 

So here are my opinion on wipes.  Unless your baby has sensitive skin do not get the sensitive wipes.  They are not as thick as the other wipes and have a very weird texture.  A thick wipe is a good wipe.  Huggie wipes are very thick, but aren't very moist.  A moist wipe is a good wipe (especially for poops).  So my favorite wipes so far are the regular pamper wipes, I think they are called baby fresh.  They are very moist and thick, the perfect combination. 

So those are my random thoughts of the day! :) 

Things I've learned as a mom, part 2!

You can see my first list in the post before.

4.  You will be pooped on, peed on, or thrown up on.
If you are lucky like me you will experience all three, more than once.  Those diapers aren't leak proof! :)

5. You will believe in love at first sight.
Yes, you love your baby as you are pregnant, but you don't realize how much until you first see him or her and hold him or her.  It will change your world!! 

6.  It will break your heart the first time you have to leave your baby. 
You will want to get out, but driving away does hurt.

How can you not be in love with something so precious?

Things I've learned as a mom!

I'll be sure to update this list as time goes on but here are a few things that I have learned as a new mom.

1.  You will do things you said you would never do.
Remember that time in the grocery store or around other moms and they do something that you know is not good for their baby/child and you say in your head... "I will never!" Now, I don't mean those harmful things, just not the "best idea" things.  My confession- baby in the bed with a bottle.  So here's the situation- Abbie Mae was having one of her unusual melt downs, was super tired, and refused to sleep.  I had tried everything.  So finally, I laid her in her bed for like the 100 time, and propped up her bottle on a blanket and sat their beside her until she drifted off to sleep.  I sat that beside her, because I know there is a risk of choking, which is why the doctors say it's a "no-no." As soon as she was asleep, I removed the blanket and the bottle.  Luckily Abbie Mae doesn't have issues with gas or acid reflux, so that wasn't an issue either. So moral of the story, when you are desperate, you will do almost anything. 

2.  People will always give you their advice.
Some times it's good advice and sometimes you think they have lost their minds.  I just politely say "thank-you" and move on.

3.  Strangers will want to touch your baby.
So, I never had the strangers wanting to touch my belly when I was pregnant, and I had heard the stories.  However it seems everywhere I go, they want to touch my baby.  I was at Publix and this creepy man came up and I had to walk away quickly. He was trying to touch her all over. I was at Walmart and this 70+ old lady gave me a sob story about how her 47 and 50 year old children never had kids. Therefore she doesn't have any grandkids.  I almost offered to bring Abbie Mae over to her house! She just wanted to rub her little feet.  We were at Stone Mountain this past weekend.  I had to change Abbie Mae's diaper, and of course there was a line for the restroom.  As we were waiting, this teenage girl and her family came over and were telling me how precious Abbie Mae was (as if I didn't know ;) ). Then the teenage girl asked to hold her.  She seemed nice and clean enough. ;) Plus, if you know me, you know I have a hard time saying no to people. 

More to come at a later date!

3 Day Weekend!

Abbie Mae and I had a rare 3 day weekend with Jon. Friday we all rested, multiple naps for each of us! :)  Jon suggested we go to Stone Mountain on Saturday.  I was unsure how Abbie Mae would like being in the stroller all afternoon.  However, she was perfect! 

They have a new parrot show in the little shopping area.  It was really fun.  Those birds are so intelligent.  One bird sang, one flew around really low, one misbehaved (doing the opposite of what the trainer said), and one played basket ball, pushed a shopping cart and gathered groceries, rode a scooter, rode a bike, and roller skater.  It was so cute. 

My aunt Karen, uncle Artie, and Dystiny came up for the laser show.  Abbie Mae fell asleep right before the show, but woke up. She stared at the lights the entire show.  She was a little unsure of the loudness of the fireworks, but never cried. 

Yesterday was Father's Day.  We got Jon a card and a "Worlds Greatest" photo book.  We spent the day watching netflix. 

It was a nice weekend.  It still amazes me how well behaved our daughter is.  We are an on the go family and she usually just goes along without issue. 

It's crazy how fast time goes. On Father's day last year (6-19-11) we would out we were pregnant after praying for months for a child.  The news couldn't come on a more perfect day!  Now she's a 3 month old wiggle worm, who has the sweetest smile that will melt your heart!

We are blessed!

Wow... Lots have happened in the past year.  Jon and I found out that we were pregnant in June 2011 after a few months of trying.  Abbie Mae was born March 6, 2012.  She was a week late, so I was induced.  She was turned the wrong way and after almost 4 hours of pushing, she was stuck, so they decided on a c-section.  Abigail Mae Barton was born at 10:02 pm and was 9.2 lbs and 21.5 inches long!  She is now a little over 3 months old.  Where did the time go? 

I am enjoying our summer together and dread the end of July daily! So I am getting as many kisses as I possibly can. 

She has been standing up since she was around 6 weeks old. She loves to stand and hates to be held like a baby (except during feedings)! She adores her swing and activity mat.  She is learning to slide around on her back.  She tries to kick her feet to crawl when she is on her stomach, but doesn't really get any where.  She loves her daddy.  She will sit on his lap and "talk" and smile at him for hours! When I get her out of her bed in the morning she just grins from ear to ear!  She melts my heart.  If she gets really upset, she pokes out her bottom lip, so cute, but heart breaking!

Being a mommy is the best thing ever!  I was very hesitant about bringing a life into this world for a very long time and really never wanted children.   Last February that all changed, and now, I can't understand how I ever felt that way!  She is my heart!