Woah Nelly! 4 months!

Well, Raelynn is now 4 months as of yesterday! Our little missy is getting so big!

She is talking SO much more! This past weekend she laid in bed at 2:30 in the morning talking to herself for a half hour. Sounds like a mix between an "ah" and "ugh." And she cracks me up! She has also been putting anyhing and everything she can get her hands on in her mouth! An arm while I'm changing her, a blanket, shoe string, toy, any part of her plug, and so much more! She got these really cute webble wobble things this weekend for Easter and LOVED them because they fit just right in her mouth! I'm pretty sure she is getting some teeth on the bottom!

She is getting longer hairs on top of her head that stick straight up most of the time! She is able to put her plug in her mouth about 90% of the time, as long as she has the right end facing her. The sitter and I talked about giving her more ounces per feeding, so she went from 4 ounces to 5 ounces. Which we've been doing and so we're on more of a schedule. She wakes up, eats, plays, and then takes a nap all within about 3 hours. In the morning she goes a little longer between feedings, about 4 hours or so. So we're not getting up as often at night, but still getting up. Getting her down at night and for naps has been a bit harder and I'm needing to rock her to sleep and can't put her down until I know for sure she is dead asleep. But, I like that Mommy-Raelynn time. I don't get much of it durring the day when I'm at work.
Raelynn LOVES to stand ever since we put her in a walker to play with toys.

She rotates between that and the floor, where she is rolling and scooting all over the place. Sometimes she sits in her bouncy chair to watch me in the kitchen. I don't dare leave her on the changing table anymore because I'm afraid she will roll over. I've had to make bumpers for her bed because she was getting appendiges stuck in the slats.
She loves watching the dogs and her favorite seems to be Bandit. She watches him and Dad run around the circle. And he seems to like and want to lay by her more than Rowdy. It probably doesn't help when Dad tries to get Raelynn to ride Rowdy. :)
Our little princess is growing up so fast and it has been so fun getting to see her learn something new every day! She loves going to the sitters and watching the kids and the darn tv, which she can spot a mile away! I love how she lights up when she sees my face or Dad's face and talking to her.

Our lives have changed for the better and I'm so in love with my daughter! I can't wait to see what she will show us in her 4th month!

10 weeks today!

My oh my!!! She is growing before my eyes and I'm constantly telling her to slow down! She LOVES sitting up, putting her fingers in her mouth (I caught her sucking her thumb last night!), talking to us, and watching the fans still and lights. She tries to take her daily poop first thing in the morning. Sometimes it happens and other times she just toots.
We're still not sleeping through the night, but I'm ok with that! I love getting up and snuggling with her. We're up between every 2-4 hours. She's usually in bed by 8:30-9 and we get up and get our day started between 5 and 6. So in that stretch, I'm up about twice. On Monday nights it's usually more often because she is coming off the weekend.
In the past month we have made a trip back to Illinois to say good bye to Great Grandpa Thomas. Her aunts, uncles, and cousins in Illinois were all very happy to see her and were amazed at how much she had grown. Her Auntie Em has come to see her several times. She got to see her Great Grandma Mulnix and spend some time with Great Grandpa Prouhet.
She also had her 2 month shots... and it was not good! The first was an oral vaccine and the nurse put the whole thing in her mouth at once, therefore 1/2 of the vaccine came out. Then she had her shot, just one, and she screamed and wouldn't take a breath, therefore turned blue. She didn't have any reactions to either one which was good. She did seem a bit fussy the next day, but nothing major. She weighed 11lbs 7oz and was 23.5 inches long. She was in the 85% for her height and 65% for her weight. She is my chubby little bunny! Her thighs are getting bigger and so is her belly! She had a little bit of ecezema on her neck which was cleared up quickly with a bit of baby aquaphor.
We go back at 3 months to get the other 2 shots their supposed to get at 2 months. I'm spreading them out because I don't know if I can handle 3 shots at once, plus I want to know which ones she is having a reaction to.
I'm still loving cloth diapering! I'm loving not having to spend money on diapers each month, although I have bought covers for her recently. The velcro ones don't work nearly as well as the snap ones; the velcro wears out too soon. She has had some cradle cap which I've tried a little bit of everything on. I tried vaseline first, which didn't work well. Then I tried olive oil, which worked ok. But what I've found really works well is baking soda paste. Rub that on her head, wash her hair, and when it dries brush it and it flakes right off. Of course, I need to be doing this for several days in a row but between doing supper, getting ready for the next day, and spending time with her it just doesn't get done.
Our little bug is getting so big and I'm loving every minute I get to spend with her! And miss her terribly when I'm at work!
Oh, and her second cousin was born this week! Walker Eugene Hempstead was born on Tuesday, weighing 8lbs 11oz (the same as Rae), 19 inches long! We can't wait to meet him!!!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! The weather is getting nicer (although I won't be liking the allergies and bugs to come this spring) and I'm hoping we can get outside more often.

Love,
The Thomas Family

PS: I wish I could write more often, but some little missy keeps me busy!!!

Crazy!

Well, I've been back to work for a solid week now (actually just over a week) and it has been crazy! Work has been good, and it is nice to get back into a routine. But I want to spend all of my time in the evenings with Raelynn and the house is a MESS! I'm not organized at all and things are spread out all over the place. It seems like every flat surface has become a place for what ever happens to be dropped on it.
Last Tuesday was my first day back and it was SO hard to leave her although I only cried when I left. It was mainly hard because she was crying when I left her. She has done so good at the sitters since then! Last week when I went to get her, she would immediately come home and sleep, eat a bit, sleep again, eat a bit, get her pjs on and go to bed. This week, not so much! Which is great with me because she has really started talking more and finding your face to smile at you!
I'm glad I'm able to get back into the swing of things at work. I feel though, like I'm not getting anything but pumping and teaching done durring the day. I'm always thinking about one or the other. Pumping will just become second nature soon, but making enough food for her is about all I can think of. Which I've been able to do, but its just stressful.
The sitter is the neighbor who has been babysitting for years! She writes me a note each day to let me know how she did, when she ate, and when she napped. She has 2 bouncy seats and a swing for Rae to be in. She is more than willing to do my cloth diapering and she is feeding her the milk I take her. I could not be happier with our choice in daycare.
This past weekend Mom and Emily came out to see us. We went shopping on Saturday which was nice to get out and get some of the things done I needed to get done and wanted to get done with extra hands. Shopping by yourself is hard! Sunday we just hung out, watched her talk to us for a good hour, and then Granny and Aunite Em made her into a dolly changing her clothes and taking pictures.
This weekend we're just hanging out at home. Ryan's changed shifts so he's working 12 am to 11 am. It has been nice durring the week because he gets up right as we get home, we can eat dinner together, and then he goes to bed before us.
Raelynn has been sleeping pretty good at night. Last night I thought she was ready for bed at 8, but she had other plans! She was up until about 11 and slept until 4:45. Unfortunately we get up at 5:30 and she was up and ready to start her day by 4:45. Last week she was sleeping a good 4 hours her first stretch and then every 2 hours she was up to eat. She is ready to go by about 5:30 every day.
The cloth diapering is going very well! I'm enjoying saving money for other things, like jeans for her! I've started using cloth wipes as well. Just an old t-shirt cut up into squares, squirting them with water and done. Often her poops have exploded out of the diaper but remain in the cover which is great! The disposable ones just blow right out of the diaper. I'm still looking for a few more prefolds to fit her so I don't have to fold them.
She is enjoying her bath time. I've just been taking a shower on Thursday nights with her because of how chilly our house is. With a regular bath, she just gets cold too fast and starts to cry. She seems to like the water running on her, but she sure does get slippery!
Other than being exhausted, we are two of the happiest people in the world! I can't believe how much she has changed in almost 7 weeks and I don't want to miss anything!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
The Thomas Family

She's still sleeping...shhhhh!

She ate at 5:30 and she's still sleeping! Don't worry, she'll be up in a little bit to eat again!
Things are going good. We went to mom and dad's last weekend and the newborn clothes I packed, that fit, on Thursday were all of a sudden tight on Friday. So, I packed all of her newborn clothes up. :( Our little girl is growing up. :(
The question everyone asks is "How's she sleeping?" or "Are you getting any sleep?" Yes and more so since I put her to sleep on her belly. She is usually in bed between 8:30 and 10 and sleeps until between 12 and 1 at night. The she goes right back to sleep and is up at about 3:00-3:30. That is the time she has a hard time falling back asleep. So we sit in the recliner and rock, also putting me to sleep. So sometimes we sleep in the chair until sometime in the 4:00 hour. Then she goes back to bed and we're up between 5 and 5:30. Often when I lay her back down in the 4:00 hour she doesn't sleep very soundly and I'm up putting her pacifier back in her mouth. This doesn't happen as much after she eats in the 5:00 hour. So, I'm getting sleep most nights. My biggest thing is that I like to sleep in my own bed! I sit up all day and I'm ready to lay flat at night. Some nights of course are worse than others. A few nights ago she cried and screamed from 3-4 and I had no idea what was wrong.
During the day she is usually awake for about an hour after we get up and get our day started. She is very content and happy to sit in her bouncy seat and talk to us. (Which she has been doing A LOT more of and it always makes me smile!) Then she is down for a nap and we do it all again a few times a day. She usually cluster feeds from about 3-5 and then takes another nap before she goes to bed.
Lately I've been wondering if something that I'm eating is making her belly upset. I'm thinking it is dairy and therefore I've given up milk for starters. I'm thinking dairy because we didn't have any milk in the house late last week, but when I went home, mom and dad had some so I drank like 3 glasses in one day. Well, her belly was upset the next few days. Then the night she screamed from 3-4 and kicked her legs, I had a glass of milk before bed that night. So I've not had a glass of milk for 2 days now and she's not had nearly as bad of a kicking screaming episode as she did. So, I'll keep giving up milk (although I'm craving about 3 glasses right now) to see if that helps her belly. I'm also not eating any plain cheese or cheese in huge amounts or any other dairy. (I'm also missing my coffee.)
Cloth diapering is going great! Except for the blow out we had yesterday that resulted in her having poo all down her leg, socks, sock-ons, clothes, and my moby that she was chilling in. The washing is easy, the folding is easy, and I'm enjoying it! Some of the prefolds I have are thinner and don't take the wetness away as much. So sometimes she cries because she is wet, but other than that she seems to be doing well with it too.
Breast feeding is also going well. I've pumped some to get a stash started for when I go back to work. She cracks me up because she is either massaging me like a kitten does its momma or she is trampolining her face off of my boob. But she eats between 10 and 15 minutes on one side. I've been trying to burp her about half way through, thinking that could also be part of her tummy trouble (gas).
I am so in love with our little girl. I knew our lives were going to change, but I never knew it would be this hard, this rewarding, this fun, this exciting. I love kissing her and holding her while she sleeps! My favorite thing is to talk to her and read her books! Although I have TONS of sleeping pictures :) Ryan loves when she holds his finger. Not that he has said anything, but he is always putting his finger in her hand. I wish he were here more so he could spend some time with her. He's here in the mornings to be with her and he got to feed her her first food out of a bottle. He was excited about that too! "You did!" was what he said when I left him a bottle in the fridge. We just haven't had a weekend to just be at home since she was born, but Ryan's off this Saturday and we're going to spend it together at home.
Well, she is starting to squeak and wake up. Tonight is shower night! (Which she likes MUCH better than a bath!) More later.

Love,
The Thomas Family

Pictures

First Trip, Headed Home

Granny, Great Grandma and Rae

Granny, Great Grandma, Me, Rae, Great Auntie Polly, Aunite Em

The NEW Thomas Family, day we went home

Rae and Santa at Bass Pro

2 weeks old

It is hard to believe two weeks have already gone by. Our little girl has already changed a great deal and I'm falling more in love with her each day. So much has happened in her first two weeks of life! She's been to her Auntie Em's college graduation 3 hours away and she's been to Illinois to see her daddy's family and friends. She's been to Walmart a few times. She's been to Bass Pro to see Santa. She's been snuggled up close at home with her Momma and Papa. She's been sniffed by her brothers. She's been in a million outfits, one of which got stuck on her head. :( She's had cloth diapers put on her butt. She's pooped and peed on the bed and made me laugh at her poops and pees. She's had a million pictures taken sleeping and awake. She's cried a few tears and had many silent screaming bouts. (Scares her Momma when she does her silent screams and she doesn't breathe.)
I know I have had a great 2 weeks getting to know Raelynn and watching her smile and scrunch her face. I've had a few moments of sadness and moments where I have no idea what to do next! Raelynn has had a few days so far where she spends the afternoon very upset, but I'm guessing it is because she is overtired. Often I rock or pat her to sleep in the afternoon. I LOVE holding her and snuggling with her. She can always make me smile!
I've been doing good. I'm back into my pre-pregnancy pants for the most part. All the extra skin is still hanging over the top, but my skin stretched slowly for 10 months and it isn't going to go back to place over night. Breastfeeding has been going great! Lately, she's been taking a mouth full and then letting it all fall out, making both of us very sticky! She gained all of her weight back plus 1 ounce in the first week. She goes back at 8 weeks for her first round of shots and check up.
She has been eating about every 2.5-3 hours except some nights she will go 4 or more hours. When she rides in the car she can go longer without eating (about 4 hours). Some nights it is a challenge to get her back to sleep, so her and I rock in the recliner after eating. Often I fall asleep there and we spend a few hours in the recliner sleeping. She HATES her clothes being changed about 90% of the time as well as her diaper being changed. She's had one real bath since her cord fell off, and she didn't like it either. She sleeps on her belly at night because that is the only way she will sleep longer. She has awesome neck and head control so I'm not too concerned with her sleeping on her belly. Plus, I'm going to do what helps us all sleep. (Although her Papa sleeps through her cries.) She still uses her pacifier often. She got a new pacifier this weekend with a caterpillar attached so we can all find it easier. She does great with the dogs barking and sniffing her; she doesn't wake up. She does VERY well in her Moby wrap when we go out. Often she gets in there and sleeps making Walmart trips and eating out very easy!

Her Papa and I are enjoying every minute with our pretty girl!

Happy Holidays,
The Thomas Family

And... She makes her debut!!!!

December 9, 2011 Raelynn Marie Thomas made her entrance into the world. Weighing a whopping 8 pounds 11 ounces. Measuring 21 inches long. Dark hair, gray eyes, perfect skin, and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!
And now for her story. We decided to induce on Thursday night, having to be at the hospital at 4:45. I worked all day Thursday and Ryan cleaned house and got things ready at home, then came to pick me up at school. Auntie Em came to school to hang out for the day. We went out and got Arbys for dinner, not knowing when I would get to eat again. Ryan, Auntie Em, and I arrived at the hospital and got checked in. IV was started, but no meds yet, and the doctor came in to insert the Cervidil. (A pill inserted next to the cervix to thin it out.) At this point in time, 6:00 pm, I was dilated to a 1.5. The contractions began and were like all of the other contractions I'd been feeling, not painful, but I could tell they were there. Granny Prouhet arrived at about 7. We all sat around and visited. They had a constant monitor on Raelynn's heart rate and on my contractions. I wasn't aloud to get up and move around much because of the Cervidil. Granny and Auntie Em left about 10 to go home and let the dogs out. We were going to call them and let them know when things were progressing.
About 10, I started to feel more intense contractions that didn't really let up. There was a constant pressure, but nothing more. About 2 they checked me again and I was dilated to a 2 or 3. They called the doctor and she said they could take the Cervidil out and see how things progressed. They were hoping contractions would continue and intensify on their own, but they could also decrease and stop. Well, I got lucky and my contractions increased and intensified. I asked if I could get in the jacuzzi tub and was aloud to get in for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes I had to get out and be on the monitors for at least 20 minutes to check on Raelynn's heart rate. Well, because the contractions were painful by this point, the only way I could get through them was by leaning forward. Leaning forward resulted in the monitors being shifted and not catching her heart rate. So instead of being 20 minutes, it was closer to over an hour. The nurse finally had to come in and hold the monitor on my belly to keep her heart rate on the monitor. By 5:15 am they had monitored Raelynn's heart rate long enough and the nurse was going to allow me to get back in the tub, begin on IV meds, or get an Epidural. I told the nurse I wanted to get in the tub for a while and then start IV meds. She checked me and I was at a 7. The nurse told Ryan that it was probably a good idea to make his phone calls to get Granny and Auntie Em back into the hospital. They got the call at 5:30 ish and were at the hospital at about 6. I went and got in the tub and about 3 contractions later I was back out because I felt the need to push. They checked me at 6 and I was at a 9 to a 9.5. So within about a half an hour I was about fully dilated. They were working on calling the doctor and she was there by 6:30. They set up all of their things. I had been pushing just a little since about 6 and when the doctor got there she said I could push when I felt I needed to. I pushed for a little over a half hour and by 7:08 Raelynn made her debut. She was out in one push, and that was the best feeling in the world! The other greatest thing about my delivery besides getting to finally see our daughter was being able to have her all natural. (Except for getting things started.) I always wanted to have a natural birth, knowing women had been doing so for centuries. Although, if I would have had to go much longer or had not dilated almost fully in 2 hours I would have gone with some sort of medication. I am so proud of myself for being able to live out my dream.
In this time, they wanted to hold my legs up so I could get a better push. Well, the nurse had one, and Ryan had the other. But, he didn't make it all the way through. He ended up very white and having to lay down so he didn't pass out. Thankfully Granny was there to help take Ryan's place. All of the nurses throughout the 10 hour labor and delivery were EXCELLENT!!! Actually beyond excellent. They coached me through each contraction and each push. I was surprised they didn't tell me how to breathe or how to push or when to push. The doctor didn't tell me how or when to push either. It was all instinct.
They placed her on my chest immediately and Ryan got to cut the cord. She didn't really cry much until they took her away to weigh her and do their testing. Then she started screaming and holding her breath. All of their testing looked great! They did have to check her blood sugar because she was so big, but all of their tests came back in the normal range.
While they were cleaning her up, the doctor did have to stitch me as I had a 2 degree tear. After feeding RaelynnRaelynn's first bath. There again she was screaming and holding her breath, but she made it through and the nurse was fantastic.

We had a few visitors in the hospital. ALL of the nurses I had throughout our stay were excellent! Very helpful and were able to answer any questions we had. The doctor came in on Saturday and Sunday to check Raelynn out and every time things were great! They actually did more monitoring on me than they did on her. However they had to run all of the tests on her. We got to check out Sunday at about 11.
Our car ride home went well. Raelynn slept the whole time except for when we got off the highway and our bumpy drive through town. Being home that last few days has been wonderful! We're up about every 2 hours feeding in the night, but that is to be expected. My milk came in yesterday and so I don't know if it was the switch in her food or if it was something I ate, but she was very gassy yesterday and crying because it hurt.
She had her first bath today at home and it went well. She does not like to be changed or messed with once she is comfortable. She smiles in her sleep. We can't keep socks on her cold feet.
Immediately after she made her debut and she was on the table being checked she had her fingers in her mouth. She has her fingers in her mouth or near her mouth constantly. It was funny because in all of her ultrasounds she had her hands by her face. Like mother, like daughter! She looks beautiful in her pink!

This week we are hanging out at the house while Ryan works. Auntie Em is coming up today to hang out for a few days. Then on Saturday, Raelynn and I are making our way to Kirksville to watch her Auntie Em graduate from Truman State University.

I'll find some time to put pictures up of her. I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I know I am going to soak up our little girl!

Love,
The Thomas Family