Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung and Cecilia turned 8 months old on Monday. She got to go out and enjoy the fresh air and new spring flowers and green grass. I can't believe how much more mobile she has become over the last few weeks. She is crawling like a racing champ and pulling her self up on everything. She has expanded her foodie favorites and mastered the sippy-cup. She is also a very good story teller. She LOVES bath time, especially now that she has graduated to the big tub. She has made my life great, and I love her sooooo much!

On the Mend

Surgery last week was a routine success. That is how we like surgery to be. Jon and I arrived on time at the hospital, fully expecting them to be running late. As it was, the were early and ready for me. My parents arrived with Cecilia shortly before I went in to the O.R. The last thing that I remember is being wheeled into the room, scooting on to THE table, and a mask coming over my face. I stayed the night in the hospital, with big dreams of getting TONS of sleep- HA! My pain was fairly substantial, and I was glad to have the button to push for direct pain meds into my IV. The worst part of the whole thing was the nursing staff. I was way less than impressed with their responsiveness to my calls and questions. At about 8pm I had to go to the bathroom, but I didn't see a nurse until 9PM! At 11:00 I paged, and didn't see a nurse until 1:30! By that time I really had to pee, and I was mad! In the morning, the gas pains started. I have never in my life experienced gas pains in my shoulder and chest like that. I thought I was having a heart attack. When I paged at 9, I got ZERO response, and it wasn't until 9:15 when I was screaming in pain that someone finally came in and gave me drugs and helped me out of bed. I let the charge nurse know all of this before I left, I was not pleased at all. They must hear this all the time though, because she promptly brought me a goody bag with a sticker that read "Please accept my apology". Give me a break! I was glad to get out of there and get home.

My nervousness about Cecilia was all for nothing, a good thing. She did great with Dad and Grandma around. She ate like a champ from her bottle, and I was able to nurse her as soon as I got home. My pain was low enough, that I only took one Vicodin after she went to bed, and Jon did the first feeding on the night I came home. I've been able to manage on Ibuprofen since then. It has been great having my Mom here. She has been an angel. I am feeling so much better already, and Mom is headed home today.

Here is a side of me that you have never seen before (WARNING: Not for the squeemish type!).

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Exploration

Since Cecilia started crawling, she has been turned into a little explorer. Explorers have to do many training exercises:

Climbing mountains.

Stretching and selecting the appropriate socks for the expedition.

Weight check (no, I did not put her there, she found the scale herself).

Finding fresh water sources.

Pull ups on new furniture.

Planning escape routes.

Finding good cookware for the trek.

Stocking up on essential (and non essential) supplies.

Sludge Removal Scheduled

We just got back from the surgeon's office. We got to see the pictures of the ultrasound, there is definitely sludge present. My surgery is scheduled for next Thursday 3/25 in the afternoon and I will most likely stay overnight in the hospital. My initial recovery will be about two weeks, but the doc was very adamant about resting (which I am NOT good at) for a full 6 weeks- God help me! I am very anxious to get this over with. My symptoms seem to be getting worse by the day, and new ones are popping up. My pain is manageable, but I feel like crud. The surgery will be laparoscopic. They will make 4 small incisions, the largest being just under my rib cage where they will pull the gallbladder out from.

I am most concerned about not being with Cecilia, and her getting enough food. I am a terrible pumper. The most milk I can pump at one time is about 3 oz, on a good day. The 4 bags of milk in the freezer will maybe provide two meals for her. I will have to pump & dump for the first 48 hours after surgery, which means that she will need approximately 14 feedings. Ya, not going to happen via pump. She will have to be supplemented with formula, which she has not had since she was itty-bitty, and even that was short lived. I am worried that at this stage in the game she will prefer the bottle and nursing will go by the wayside. I am not ready for that. What will be will be, and I will be better, and I will still be her Mom, less a Gallbladder.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cecilia's 6 Month Portraits

Last month we had Kaela of Kaela Green Photography come and photograph Cecilia for her 6 month portraits. I met Kaela back in January when I presented to professional photographers on album pricing and process. Kaela did a beautiful job, and we absolutely LOVE how the photos came out. She really did capture our family and Cecilia in a natural way. She came to our home, and her style made us feel so comfortable, normal, and happy. Her prices are also so reasonable for a professional photographer. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking to get some professional photos taken of their family/kids/senior etc. Thank you so much Kaela! Here are just a few of our favorites.

Sludge

The results of my ultrasound show that I have Sludge in my Gallbladder. Lovely! I have a consultation wtih the surgeon on next Wednesday, and surgery will most likely be the week of the 22nd. I am anxious about the whole predicament. My pain is tolerable, and my pain pills make me sleeeeepy, so I haven't been taking too many of them.

The Mama is Sick

So, I've had this pain in my side since before Cecilia was born. At that time I just thought that it was from her kicking me in utero because it was right under my ribs on the right side. It got worse right after she was born, and then subsided to an intermittent pain, until last week when it became constant and painful enough at times to stop me in my tracks. I decided that I would keep an eye on it through the weekend and go see the doc if it was still there on Sunday. Saturday night it flared up really bad and I was really nauseous too. Off to the doc on Monday morning. The verdict- the Gallbladder must come out! I had an ultrasound this morning, and I will make an appointment with the surgeon once the results are back from the radiologist. When I asked my doctor what could have caused this, she pointed at Cecilia. HA! (I'm sure this won't be the last pain she causes!)

I've never had surgery before. I am not really worried about the surgery, I am most worried about being able to take care of my baby. I rented a pump so that I can stock up some food for her, but I am worried about not being able to be there for her. I know that she will be in good hands with her Daddy and her Grandma, and all of the other family and friends around.

Stay tuned for more details.

Crawling

She is officially crawling. It is crazy and we are definitely in trouble. She started the hand-knee coordination last Saturday at the ripe age of 7 months and 5 days. It is so cute to watch her little butt wiggle across the floor and hear her hands thud on the carpet. With this new strength and mobility she has found new places to hide, and new things to climb.






She has also discovered her tongue, she is working on learning how to "hold her tongue right". Her new favorite noise is made by inhaling and talking at the same time, it is hysterical and she does it all the time.


In other news, Uncle Pat has been in town since last Thursday night. The whole family was together for about 20 minuets on Friday night (less Sarah). Uncle Pat and Cecilia have been able to have a few pajama parties in the morning too.

It has been so nice the past week or so too. She got this funny shirt for Christmas, and it was finally warm enough to wear it. AND the fortune came true!

So Proud

You might recall a post a while back about "My Super Builder Dad". He is super. So super that he received the runner up award for "Best Builder in Park County" for 2009 via the People's Choice Awards through the Fairplay Flume. He is currently building the new Catholic Church in Fairpay, you can see pictures here. My Mom, however, is so SUPER that she received the "Best Teacher" award!!!! I am so proud of her. She deserves the award. She works so hard, she teaches so well, and she cares so much for all of the children. She is the best math teacher around, and her CSAP scores prove it. She also is the Destination Imagination coordinator for all of South Park Schools. She has been doing this since they moved to the mountains eight years ago, and she has grown the program to include over 75 kids each year (which is a lot for the small population of Fairplay). She has such a passion for what she does, and she is a role model for not only her students, but for her co-workers the same. I am so lucky and blessed to have such great parents! Congrats Mom and Dad, I love you!

Here is the ad that I designed for the Flume to boast about their achievements.

Seven Months and a New Trick

In some small moment between February 28 and March 1, Cecilia turned seven months old. I really am in disbelief, and I would like whom ever it is that controls the rhythm of time to slow it down a bit. It seems as though time has moved into warp drive ever since she has been born. Jon and I find ourselves asking, "What did we do before we had her?"

We received this outfit when she first came home from the hospital, and I have been itching to get it on her cute little body. It finally fits- kind of. If you notice, I had to cinch in the waist of the skirt with a ribbon. She is just so lean, and we wouldn't want her skirt to fall off! She was so cute playing in the mirror the other day.

And now for her newest trick! She has figured out how to push herself up to a sitting position from laying down!!! Woooowhooo! I know, it sounds so trivial to some, but watching her learn to move her body and get where she wants to go is truly amazing. She has been so much more mobile recently. She has perfected the army crawl, and she is starting to pull herself up on to her hands and knees. It is only a matter of days before she is crawling all over the place.