Happy Belated Birthday to me!

I apologize for the delay in these postings. I've been busy, tired, and eagerly counting down the days 'til Christmas break! Over the week I celebrated my 26th birthday! We didn't do much because it was on a Tuesday but my mom cooked dinner, Ray cooked a meal, and we all went to our school's Holiday program where Mackenzy was passed around again!

I've also developed deQuervain's Tenosynovitis (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/de-quervains-tenosynovitis/DS00692) which is a form of tendonitis in my wrist which hasn't been fun. It's very painful and I believe it came from moving Mackenzy around. I went to the doctor to confirm my diagnosis and to get a good wrist brace with a thumb spica, but since my co-pay for a specialist is so high I decided to go to a primary care doctor which was a waste of my time. She did give me a prescription for high powered Advil which takes the pain away, but in the end I ended up ordering my own brace online! Next time I'm going to a specialist so I can avoid all of the trouble...

Mackenzy is doing wonderful! She's still sleeping for 5 hours at night even though it's from 10:00-3:00... I still have to get up in the middle of the night to feed her, but at least it's not every 2 hours like it was before! Below is a picture of her in her bouncy seat playing with her Winnie the Pooh rattle while my mom was babysitting. She's getting good at holding and pulling things so I have to be careful when I wear necklaces. She'll officially be 3 months old on Saturday! She's still wearing 0-3 month clothes, but I've started experimenting with some of her 3-6 month outfits. She's growing so fast but she's still a shorty like her mommy!

Is it Christmas break yet?

I've been back to work for a little over a month now and I'm already ready for another vacation. Thanksgiving spoiled me! Mackenzy is sleeping about 5-5.5 hours each night which is wonderful, but I feel like I'm constantly on the go. I'm thankful for the weekends because I'm able to sleep past 5:00 am and relax with Ray and Mackenzy. I'm definitely ready for Christmas break...

I realized over the weekend that I haven't posted a picture of myself in a while. I'm know I'm not as cute as Mackenzy, but I have to document my progress. Only 16 lbs left to go...


December 6th was my mom's birthday. We went out to dinner at Phoenix Asian Cuisine and then helped her decorate the Christmas tree. Of course Mackenzy slept through most of the day, but she did manage to poot in church and take this cute picture. My mom bought her this outfit and although it was a little big she still looks adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone! Mackenzy went to the doctor the day before Thanksgiving and she now weighs 10lbs 3oz and is 22 inches long! She also got her 1st set of shots and I have never seen her scream so loud... She had a delayed reaction and once the pain set in she cried and screamed for about 20 minutes afterwards. Luckily my mother in law was with me and she took her outside for a walk so she would calm down while I checked out. She was a little fussy and very sleepy that afternoon, but she is feeling much better now. Unfortunately she has to get more shots at her next 2 appointments, but I'll let tell her that a little later!

Mackenzy also celebrated her 1st Thanksgiving! Ray and I decided to get her a new outfit since it was her first time meeting some of her family members... and it's fun shopping for baby clothes! She even has on little shoes, but they didn't stay on long because she figured out how to kick them off! I didn't get a lot of pictures of her because she with with Ray, his dad, and his brother to aunt #1's house and then they all came back to aunt #2's house, which is where I was. Since she was passed around like a turkey I didn't get a lot of pictures, but she was the center of attention!

Nana and Aunties

Mackenzy and her boyfriend Twinkle Toes

Concentrating on tummy time

Chillin in the bathroom while we got dressed

Hey Mommy, I have hands!!!

"Hi folks! It's Mackenzy! I'm 9 weeks old and so much has happened since Mommy went back to work. I spend most of my mornings with Daddy and we take naps, watch Sports Center, play with my toys, and I even spit up for him! In the afternoons I go to Mrs. Karen's house for a few hours and play with her. We play, eat, and sleep so Mommy can go work out! Last time I was weighed I was 9 lbs 16 oz and I go back to the doctor on 11/24. Mommy hopes I'll be over 10 lbs at this appointment and she keeps warning me that I'm getting these terrible things called shots. I don't know what those are but she told me not to worry because she'll be right there with me...

Anyways, on Friday night I woke Mommy up because I made a wonderful discovery... I have hands... 2 of them! I was sucking on them so hard that Mommy woke up from a good sleep and laughed! If I aim right I can get my thumb in my mouth all by itself, but I'm still working on that.

(Mommy needs to get a video camera for all my new discoveries... Maybe I'll ask for one for Christmas!)

Our lactation consultant was concerned that I had thrush- a yucky yeast infection in my mouth, and she didn't want me to pass it to Mommy so she suggested we use Gentian Violet. She warned us that it was very staining and very purple, but Mommy didn't realize it was that purple! I had to go out in public with a purple mouth, but luckily that white stuff is almost gone. Mommy is going to have the doctor check my mouth when I go to my appointment and hopefully he'll say I'm all better.

Look at me! I'm only 9 weeks old, but I've been trying to sit up for about 2 weeks. Mommy and Daddy decided to bring out the Bumbo to see how I would do and I could sit up all on my own! I still fall to the side a little bit, but I'll be sitting in my new chair before you know it! I love sitting up and looking around which is much better than lying around all the time. Oh yeah, don't tell mommy, but I spit up on my shirt right before she took this picture. Do you think she noticed???

Mommy and I were watching a movie, but I didn't make it through the whole thing. What do you expect? She had just given me a nice warm bath and filled my belly! I'm only a baby!

After I woke up, she told me that Nicholas had eaten some of my Vaseline out of the jar... Bad doggy!

I've had this toy for a while, but I just discovered all the neat things it does! I can kick the toys and it'll sing music to me. I figured this out all by myself! There's even a mirror and I can look at myself and practice my new smile!

Well that's all I have to say about that! Mommy will update you on how my 2 month doctor visit went. I can't wait for Thanksgiving! I'll get to meet more aunts and uncles and I'll get extra time with Mommy!"

Smiling Baby!

My first week back to work went well, but I have to admit I'm glad it's over! I miss my little bit so much during the day, but luckily my job keeps me busy enough that I don't have time to dwell on how much I miss her. She's been doing well with Ray and the babysitter absolutely loves her!

I've started working out again which feels wonderful! I forgot how good exercise makes me feel! I worked out throughout my entire pregnancy, but I am still very much out of shape. I can't even do a sit up! I tried to run a little bit yesterday and I didn't last very long and my legs are so sore. At least I can see my body slowly shrinking back to its normal size and I know I'll be back to my old self (or close to it) in a few months!

Mackenzy has been smiling in her sleep for about a month now and she's been smiling with a purpose for about 2 weeks. Every time she smiles I don't have my camera ready, but this morning she was extremely happy and gave me enough time to go and find my camera!

She's 8 weeks old today and weighs 9 lbs 14 oz... we're getting close to 10 lbs! Finally! She's been sleeping for about 4 hour stretches at night which gives me some sleep and she is becoming more awake and alert during the day. She can follow us as we move around the room, hold small objects for short period of time, support her body weight when she attempts to stand, and she is getting better at sitting up. She can even hold a conversation with you when you talk to her! She's growing so fast and I find myself wishing my workdays to go by faster so that I can go home to see how much she has changed.

Back at work!

Well folks, I have added another title to my mommy status... I am now an "Exclusively Breastfeeding Working Mother" and also great at multitasking since I'm typing with one hand because Mackenzy just fell asleep on my arm!

Today I went back to work while Mackenzy and Ray had a great time all day before he had to go to work. The day went rather smoothly considering I didn't practice before hand. I woke up 10 minutes earlier than normal to get ready, ate breakfast, filled bottles, cleaned up the leaking milk storage bags, and got all my junk in one place all before she woke up at 7:00 for her "breakfast". I even got to work early! I'm so proud! I did shed a tear while I was nursing her because she looked up at me like she always does right before she falls asleep, but then she ruined the moment by farting 3 times and I started laughing! How I missed my little stinker today!

Being back at work felt natural although I did get tired around 12:00 which has been our nap time for 7 weeks! I also felt like a cow while I was pumping all that milk out for her. I was a little nervous about how day 1 would go, but I see now that continuing to breastfeed when you go back to work is definitely possible and being a working mom can work! I love being a mommy and I wouldn't change anything!

Here are the latest pictures of our little bit! She's 7 weeks and weighs about 9 lbs 6 oz!

Halloween and 6 weeks old!

This week Mackenzy turned 6 weeks old, celebrated some of NC A&T SU homecoming, and wore her Halloween outfit- we're not big on Halloween so no trick or treating but she did wear her festive onesie for the occasion! I went in for my 6 week check up and my midwife said I'm released from all of my restrictions! So of course I took my first bath (I've only been allowed to take showers) and it was wonderful and I even began sit ups! I can't believe how much my muscles have gone down because after doing 50 sit ups I was winded! Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to go to the gym and see what I can get done on the cardio machines.

Today Mackenzy spent the day with her Nana so Ray and I could have an afternoon movie date. They went to church and had a relaxing afternoon together. Nana said she did well, but she pooted loudly during service and shot pee at her Great Grandmother! That's my girl! It was wonderful being with just him and being able to devote our attention to each other for a few hours, but we deeply missed our little bit. I'm glad she had time with her Nana because it prepared me for the hard task of leaving her with others... and I admit, I did shed a tear when he dropped her off, but I'm ok now. I'm sure that part will never get easier.

Anywho, here are a bunch of pictures we've taken over the week. Sorry for the lack of pictures last week, but my camera never made it near the computer! Enjoy!

Mackenzy in her Halloween outfit from my mom

Finally my hands are bigger that someone else's! Unfortunately she did get my hands which means her hands look fat and old... poor thing!

Emily, Nicholas, and Mom sitting on the couch after church. Nicholas is doing well with the baby, but if I could just get him to alert me when she cries... He just kind of looks at her like she's crazy!

She took her 1st nap in her crib while I was working on progress notes. It lasted about 30 minutes before she summoned me to come and get her!

She'll hate me for this later, but she's still working on the eye focus and sometimes her eyes aren't quite together. Here is one of her cross eyed moments... This week she's beginning to focus more and will follow our faces and voices and she will look up at any object that is in front of her. She also smiled and I'm sure it wasn't gas :) , but I took that picture on my phone and once I figure out how to get it off of there I'll post it!