So Much Going On

I have been horrible about keeping up with Brooklyn's blog since she has arrived. I have been keeping so busy with her and school and things around the house and everything else, the most things have fallen by the wayside. I promise I will get back to posting what is going on soon. I have so many things to talk about. So much has been going on with Brooklyn and she has grown up so much since the last time that I posted. I will have a hard time trying to remember it all and some details, but I will try my best to get caught up soon. When I get the time I will turn into a blogging machine! So get ready!!!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn Got Tricked!

So there is this stuff called Gripe Water that we have to give Brooklyn every now and then when she is gassy or has an upset tummy. This stuff is absolutely WONDERFUL. It was recommended to us back when Brooklyn had problems with Colic. She has been using it ever since. Anytime she is extremely fussy, we will give her a little bit of this herbal supplement, and she calms right down. I don't even have to give her the dose that the bottle recommends. Just about half a medicine dropper full, followed quickly by a binky and holding her tight and rocking will put her right to sleep. We go through probably one, maybe two bottles of this stuff a month. I don't know what I would do without it!

Well last night, Brooklyn was going through one of her really upset crying spells again. I couldn't get her to calm down for anything. Her diaper was clean and she wasn't hungry. So all that left was upset tummy and just plain cranky and tired. So I sat there and tried to rock her and rub on her tummy in case it was gas. That just seemed to make her worse and make her scream even harder. So I got to thinking... I wonder if I could just give her the medicine dropper with nothing in it. I was about out of the gripe water and hadn't made it to the drug store to get more yet. So what the heck, I tired it.

I gave Brooklyn the medicine dropper with nothing in it. She stopped crying and sucked on it a couple of times. I took it out of her mouth before she realized there was nothing in it, and put her binky right in her mouth and held her tight. Low and behold, she stopped crying and started to calm down and go to sleep!!!! She was tricked!! I guess she thought there was actually something in the medicine dropper. Not even 5 minutes later she was fast asleep. Her daddy and I were sitting there trying not to laugh and wake her up. I couldn't believe tricking her like that had actually worked.

So later that night when I was trying to rock her to sleep she started to get fussy again. Thinking that same trick might work, I tried it again... Brooklyn didn't fall for it this time though. I actually had to put a little bit in the dropper and let her drink some of the gripe water for her to calm down. I didn't have to use as much as I usually do though. Soon after that she went right to sleep.

After all is said and done, I think Brooklyn has a crutch. I think she is now addicted to the gripe water and I think half of her problem is just a mental thing. She gets herself so worked up and so upset sometimes that the gripe water, or simple action of giving her the gripe water calms her down. From now on before I actually give her the gripe water, I am going to try to trick her to see if she actually needs it or now. I have tried water as a substitute before, but she didn't fall for it. Brooklyn is way to smart for a trick like that!!

Love,
Jennifer.

Brooklyn the Chatter Box!

It is amazing how much Brooklyn changes every day. In just a week time she has changed in her looks and attitude. She is now a lot more aware of what is going on around her. She stares at bright, colorful, and shiny things. She will follow things with her eyes also. Plus she "talks" up a storm! When she is in a good mood she will just sit there and coo and make all kinds of noises at you. She just tells you all about it.

She started doing this maybe two, maybe three weeks ago, but it was just off and on. Now she talks all the time though. There is a book her Grandma Carrie had that had a bunch of really bright Sesame Street characters in it, which she LOVES. You don't even have to read the book to her. Just open up the cover and turn the pages for her and she will tell you what she thinks and will read it for you.

Brooklyn gets so excited sometimes at what she is looking at that she will start to blow bubbles and almost spit trying to get her words out. I have started putting a bib on her during the day just to keep her clothes dry. Otherwise the whole front of her shirt is soaked from her drooling all over the place!

Brooklyn also seems to love Elmo. That seemed to be her favorite character in the book. So Grandma Carrie broke out the old Tickle Me Elmo she had which laughs and vibrates. She wasn't too sure what to think about it, but she did have a few conversations with Elmo.

It's so amazing seeing her learn things now though. She will just sit there and stare at something like she is trying to process what it is and what that thing she is looking at does, or even who the person is. I have a feeling when she actually learns how to talk that she is going to be a little chatter box!!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn and Kanye- Part 2

Last week, Dale and I were sitting up, kind of late watching t.v. We were fixing to try to go to bed, even though Brooklyn was still awake and was eating at that time. All of a sudden, Dale came across the VH1 station and there was a Storytellers special on with Kanye West. Now I know I have mentioned before Brooklyn's love for this rappers music. She just seems to be a rap baby. But what happened next was just the icing on the cake to the whole thing.

As soon as Brooklyn heard the music on the television, she stopped eating and started fussing for me to sit her up. So I sat her up and faced her looking at me. She literally turned her head towards the television and stared at it, watching Kanye on television. So I turned her around so she would be more comfortable and let her sit there and watch Kanye. When the show went to a commercial Brooklyn started to get fussy again. She started moving around and got uncomfortable, until the second the show came back on the television. At that point she stopped and started watching the t.v. again. It was hilarious! I couldn't believe she could recognize something like that at such a young age.

By the end of the show she was asleep and all was wonderful. Now if I could just get Kanye West to record a baby rap lullaby album I would be set every night!

Love,
Jennifer

My Snuggle Bug

Already, at such a young age, I can ell that Brooklyn is going to grow up to be a snuggle bug. She loves to be wrapped up in a blanket and held tight right up against me. She even snuggles up against me at night, which is perfectly fine with me. She lays as close to me as she can and lays one arm and one leg on top of me like she is hugging me and holding on tight. Of course I make sure she doesn't get too close because I don't want to suffocate her. It's so sweet though. I can't move her an inch away from me before she scoots right back up against me again. She is this way even during the day when she takes her naps. I know I might not like her being so clingy later on, but right now I love it. I fell lost without her sleeping against me at night. I hope she stays my little snuggle bug forever too.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn Wants It Now!!

There is one thing that Brooklyn has definitely inherited from her parents. One thing that isn't exactly the best thing either. She has absolutely NO patience. None. At all. What-so-ever. This is especially apparent when it is time for her to eat. She will be perfectly fine or asleep one moment, and then next awake and ready to eat, immediately! Now if she is breast feeding, it's not that big of a deal. Her meal is ready for her in seconds. If she is eating from the bottle though... oh boy, it's a whole different story.

More often than not, she doesn't give you any warning that she is ready to eat, unless you are aware of her eating schedule, which she doesn't always like to follow. When her grandparents watch her, they have to feed her milk from a bottle. I think this can usually be handled by one person, but not in Brooklyn's case. It becomes a two person job. One person has to warm the bottle up, because obviously the milk has to stay cold. This process can take a while. Then once it's warm, if it's too warm, you have to cool it down. In the mean time, the other has to take care of Brooklyn and try to calm her down. Well, this whole process just isn't fast enough for Brooklyn. When she wants food, she wants it right then. No exceptions. She will cry and fuss until she gets her way too.

I am hoping that as she gets older she will learn to grow out of her impatient attitude and mellow out. Though I am thinking, if she is anything like her daddy or myself, we will have no such luck!

Love,
Jennifer

Late Night With Brooklyn

It looks like it is going to be yet another late night with Brooklyn. As I type, with one hand, I am in the rocking chair, holding Brooklyn tight, trying to rock her to sleep. She isn't feeling her best right now. Not only is she fighting sleep, but she started screaming about 15 minutes ago because we think her tummy was hurting her. I finally got her calmed down from all the screaming and now am just working on getting her to sleep. The recliner I am rocking her in continues to pop every time I go back and forth in it. It's old and worn out. Thankfully we will be getting a new recliner for me to rock her in within the next week though.

Anyway, this isn't the first night Brooklyn has kept me up late recently. Last night I was awake with her until 1:30 in the morning. Luckily it wasn't because of a tummy ache though. No, this time it was my own fault. I had her sleep most of the day and then she slept all evening too. So when ten o'clock rolled around and it was time for her feeding before bedtime, she was wide awake. I think I tried about three times to rock her to sleep, only for her to wake right back up as soon as I got in the bed room and laid down.

So the bedtime thing is something that I really need to start working on. On average, we don't get o go to bed until sometime between 10:30 through midnight. She always has to have that one last meal to get her through the night.On one hand, I don't mind being up that late with her because I know it will help her sleep all the way through the night. On the other though, her daddy needs to be in bed at a decent time because he has to get up earlier than we do in the morning to go to work. She is a work in progress though. Hopefully we will be able to fine tune her routine soon enough. Until then, we will just stay up and enjoy Jay Leno!

Love,
Jennifer

Sleeping Through the Night

I have been told that I am a very lucky person. Every time some one tells me this, I like to knock on wood and hope that nothing will change. Why am I lucky you might ask? I am lucky, because at 7 weeks old, Brooklyn was already sleeping through the night. Now at 9 weeks, she still sleeps though the night! We are finally getting into a routine and Brooklyn is growing up.

I feed Brooklyn every night between 10 and 11. Never any later than midnight, and that is if she ate a late "dinner time meal." After that last feeding, she goes to sleep and will sleep clear through the night until about 6 to 7 in the morning! Usually some where around the 7 o'clock hour, she will start to get really squirmy and wake up ready to eat. Every now and then she will get a little fussy in the middle of the night, but not very often. It's nice to finally get some "sleep" though.

So I am going to keep on knocking on wood and hope that Brooklyn will continue to sleep through the night!!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's 2 Month Doctor Appointment

This morning I took Brooklyn in to the doctor for her two week check up and to get her shots. I was not too excited about this appointment, but overall I think it went pretty well.
Brooklyn is 9 pounds and 8 ounces now and 22 inches long. She gained 7 ounces in 2 weeks and grew half an inch. The doctor said the slowing down in weight gain was ok though and there was nothing to worry about. She was gaining about a pound every 2 weeks. Brooklyn is currently in the 10-15 percentile for her weight and 25 percentile for her length which Dr. Beard said was good.

The main reason Brooklyn went in was to get her shots. They were wanting to give her 6 shots at once, but I wasn't about to let that happen. I just got done reading a book on all the immunizations and the affects that they have on children when they are given to them all at once. It gave me a look into both sides of the situations. The doctor that wrote the book gave her opinion and what she does with her patients about giving the immunizations and when. The doctor in the book suggests not giving children any immunizations until they are at least 4 months old and their immune systems are further developed and able to handle all of the vaccines. They think one of the major contributors, (based on studies, but not completely proven), to autism developing in children is them getting their vaccinations all in mass dosages. They think getting too many of them overloads their system and they are not able to handle it. Not to mention the mercury and other things in the vaccinations. I asked though and all of the shots that Brooklyn's doctors office gives are mercury free. They also do not combine multiple shots. Each shot is it's own individual one.

The suggestion given by the doctor in the book is to spread the shots out and only give them one at a time that way if there is some kind of reaction you know what shot the reaction was to. So today she only got the Rotavirus vaccine, which was oral, the HIB, and the polio shot. Then at four months we will go back in and start her DTaP shots and maybe one other. Dale's mom said Dale had a really bad reaction to that shot on the fourth dose so he never finished it. So before she gets that shot I will have to ask the doctor if she is at a higher risk for having side affects since Brooklyn's daddy had a bad reaction to the vaccine.

Dr. Beard wasn't too happy that I wasn't giving her all her shots today but I told her that it was a risk I was willing to take postponing them for two more months, especially since Brooklyn is not going to daycare and all. I told her since autism spectrum disorders run in her family that I don't want to do anything that might potentially increase her risk of getting it. Since it is still neither proven or disproved that vaccines don't cause it, her getting all the shots at once just wasn't happening and that I didn't mind the fact that I would have to come in every month for her to get a shot.

So anyway, Brooklyn was really good until they gave her the shots. Then she turned into a firey, red, angry looking Elmo and screamed at the top of her lungs until I picked her up. Then she calmed down a little but still cried until we got to the car where she fell asleep. She has been fine since though. I have to give her .4 of Tylenol every 4-6 hours as needed and massage her thigh 3-4 times a day with a warm cloth.

The doctor is also going to keep her on her acid reflux medicine until she is 6-9 months old since it seems to be helping with the spit up problem. She still gets fussy after she eats and still chokes up a couple hours after, which is why she wants us to keep giving her the medicine three times a day. She said eventually Brooklyn will grow out of it though and be fine.

Dr. Beard also said Brooklyn is going to be eating a lot more during the day and that it was fine since she sleeps through the night and she will start going through a real growth spurt here soon. I was concerned I wasn't producing enough milk and that she wasn't getting enough but the doctor said the 3-4 ounces she eats at a time are fine. The doctor said that I will know if she is dehydrated because of her number of wet diapers will decrease. So as long as that doesn't happen then she is ok.

I also had the doctor check all Brooklyn's joints because I was concerned since Brooklyn's daddy doesn't have any joints in ankles, and Dr. Beard said they were fine also. She was impressed by how strong of a grip Brooklyn had, how well she can already hold her head up, and how she was smiling and trying to laugh. I guess not all babies do as well as she is doing at 9 weeks, at least that was the impression I got from the doctor.

The next well baby check up is at four months. By then I think Brooklyn should be around 13-14 pounds maybe....I will have to call and schedule that appointment around the end of March. Overall, Brooklyn is perfect. I already knew that though!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn the Fussy

So we thought Brooklyn was going to be a colic baby. At about 5 weeks, Brooklyn started becoming very fussy and there was nothing we could do to fix her. It turns out that she in fact suffers from acid reflux. After three different prescribed medications, we are starting to think that we finally got the situation under control. Her doctor, Dr. Beard, is convinced that the acid reflux problems is what was causing her to spit up. She thinks that she may also suffer from colic, but that it wasn't the only reason she was fussy.

The first medication that we tried was a pill that I had to hold in Brooklyn's mouth as it dissolved. That did not go over well because this pill did not dissolve fast enough and she got tired of my finger being in her mouth. So then we were prescribed a liquid medicine. Well that didn't work because it actually caused Brooklyn to spit up even more. So then, finally, Dr. Beard gave us Zantac for babies. We had some problems with it at first, but after keeping at it, it has seemed to help cut down on the spit up.

Trying to get Brooklyn to take it is a whole other thing though. This medicine is a nasty mint flavor, which she HATES. I have to give her this medicine three times a day too. So thinking that it might help, I took the medicine and had it flavored. The only flavor Walgreens could add to the medicine though was grape. So now, the medicine is a nasty grape mint flavor. I tried a little bit of the medicine just to know what it taste like, and it is SO gross. I feel horrible having to give her this medicine. She gags on it and everything. I have to hurry and give her the medicine and then hurry to feed her so she will keep as much of the medicine down as possible.

Brooklyn still has issues, even though she is on the medicine. Usually about an hour or two after she eats, she sometimes gets choked up and I have to hurry to sit her up and pat her on the back. Plus, every now and then she will still become really fussy after eating. We think this is because she is a pretty gassy baby. So to help with that problem we give her something they sell over the counter called Gripe Water. This stuff is AWESOME! It's an herbal supplement that is suppose to help with gas, stomach cramps, hiccups, and colic. Almost the second we give Brooklyn some, she calms right down. I don't know what I would do without it!

Anyway, Dr. Beard seems to think Brooklyn will outgrow all of this by 6-9 months. Just another thing to look forward to as she gets older!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn, The Car, and Kanye West

Brooklyn loves to go for rides in the car. Almost any time she is fussy, we can just strap her in her car seat and take her for a ride. She will 9 times out of 10 calm right down. There has to be something about the movement of the car and maybe the noise that calms her down and puts her to sleep. Every now and then she will fight going to sleep and will still try to fuss. At that point, we play a little Kanye West and she calms right now. I don't know what it is about Kayne West, but it soothes her.

When Brooklyn was still in my tummy, Dale would play Kayne West in the car, and would turn it all the way up. Brooklyn would kick every time he played the music. Now, it calms her and will put her to sleep. It's amazing! I think he should make a rated G baby album next! So thank you Kayne West for helping calm Brooklyn down and put her to sleep!

Love,
Jennifer

Who Brooklyn Looks Like

So it is said that Brooklyn looks just like her daddy. It is also said she looks just like her mommy. So who does she really look like? Well that is a question that continues to go unanswered because Brooklyn continues to change every day. She might look like me on one day, then her daddy the next.

According the her Grandma Carrie, Brooklyn looks like me because of her hair color and eye color and nose and mouth. In fact, there are some pictures were Brooklyn does actually look like me. This is especially true now that he hair is starting to turn red and her eyes are blue. Her nose though, I think is her daddy's. I think the only thing Brooklyn has of mine for sure are my hands, feet, lips, hair color and eyes (currently), and temper. I am hoping, as well as everyone else, that her eyes will stay blue. The temper thing she can lose though because one person with my temper is plenty for her daddy to handle.

Now, according to her Grandma Belinda, Brooklyn looks like her daddy because of her eyes (the shape), her ears, nose, dimples, and the build of her body. Brooklyn has a long body and short legs, which is totally her daddy's build. I had long legs and arms. She is definitely getting her daddy's ears. They are starting to stick out from her head a little like her daddy's did when he was a baby, which is SO cute. Her eyes seem to be a little bit bigger than her daddy's, but the angle of them look like her daddy. Then, Brooklyn has dimples. She has one on each cheek and then two on her chin, which her daddy had, and still has to this day.

So to recap from head to toe. Brooklyn at this moment in time seems to have my hair color, her daddy's perfectly round head, her daddy's eyes, my eye color, her daddy's eye lashes, the nose is still at a toss up, her daddy's ears, my lips, her daddy's cheeks and structure, her daddy's dimples, her daddy's build, my long fingers, my feet, my toes, her daddy's bottom, or lack there of, and my temper. Overall, I think she is a perfect, beautiful mix of us both.

Love,
Jennifer

When Brooklyn Sleeps

So currently, Brooklyn sleeps with me at night. There has not been one night since the day she was born that she has slept by herself. Especially since that incident where the hat got pulled over her face on the second night home. I am just too paranoid. Plus now, Brooklyn has acid reflux problems which we are treating her for. She still gets choked up even a couple of hours after she eats and I have to rush to sit her up and pat her on her back. So this makes me even more paranoid that something is going to happen if she sleeps by herself and I won't hear her choking.

Now I know, I know, I shouldn't' t let her sleep with me because then I will NEVER get my bed back and then there is the increased risk that I might roll over on her. However, since I have become a mother, I find that I don't really sleep at night. Brooklyn always sleeps on my left side, so there is no risk of her daddy rolling over on her, and she sleeps on her side. She is not a back sleeping baby. She is comfy on her tummy and her side. The only time she sleeps on her tummy is when she is laying on my chest, or during the day for a little nap. Other than that, she's on her side. So at night, she sleeps with her head on my arm, on her side, curled into a ball with her binky in her mouth. I make sure that she doesn't roll into me and suffocate by keeping my chin on her forehead at all times, so she is a safe distance away from my chest.

Her daddy is still worried about her sleeping against me like she does, but for me, it's a comfort thing knowing that she is right there next to me at night. Plus, like I said, I don't really sleep. I am constantly aware of every single move and noise she makes. Now I have tried to put her in her bassinet, which is right beside my side of the bed. This doesn't work though. Usually, as soon as I put her down, away from me, she wakes up and starts crying. The longest she has ever slept in the bassinet was for an hour. Then she woke up and started screaming. As soon as I pick her up though, she is perfectly fine and goes right back to sleep. I will try to let her cry until a certain point, when she starts hyperventilating. Then at that point she sleeps with me.

She has become so spoiled to being held all the time that very rarely am I able to put her down during the day. She either sits in my lap with me all day while I do whatever needs to be done on the computer ( like she is right now, passed out, sleeping on my lap), or she is in the sling that I wear around my shoulder. Brooklyn will lay in her crib every now and then and allow me to get things done though.

I spoke with the doctor today and asked how long the risk of SIDS lasts, and she told me only until about 6-9 months, until she is able to roll over on to her stomach by herself. After that it won't matter really how she lays. So I am excited for that risk to go away.

I am sure that I am one day going to really regret holding her so much, but right now, I love it. Like someone once told me, "a child isn't really ever spoiled, they are just loved a lot more than others." So that is my excuse!

Love,
Jennifer

I'm Staying At Home

So it is official! I am now a stay at home mom. I am so excited and blessed to be able to stay at home with my beautiful baby girl! I don't think I would be able to handle going back to work because I am so attached to her. I am so happy that I'm not going to miss the memorable moments in her life like her first word and when she starts crawling and walking. I will miss my job a little, mainly my friends, but I don't mind giving that all up for her. Eventually I will start working from home as a medical transcriptionist, which I am currently in school for now. For the time being though, I am just going to enjoy and soak up every minute I spend with her because she is already growing up too fast for me!

Love,
Jennifer

New Pictures

Here are more pictures of puppy from today.

http://tinyurl.com/b3kltg

Brooklyn Pictures

I posted a bunch of pictures of Brooklyn and I playing yesterday at the link below.

http://cid-c9637eff6a113174.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Brooklyn%2001.17.2009

Brooklyn Can't Hold It!

It has come to our attention that Brooklyn likes to mark her territory. She has now pee peed on her momma, her daddy, and both of her grandmothers, multiple times and I few other people too. Her daddy is extra special though, because he's been privileged enough to be pooped on! It sounds gross, but it is oh so funny! She does it out of no where when you least expect it. By now we have learned of course not to take the dirty diaper out from underneath her until we are ready to put the new diaper right on her. When you take her old diaper off she seems to think that is the time to go again. I haven't been able to keep a changing table pad cover clean for more than a day since the day she was born! She always seems to mess on it. Yet, when I only have a blanket over the pad, she does fine! I'm beginning to think she is playing mind games with us! Anyway, Brooklyn is starting to get better, but she still has her moments, which from the other room are pretty funny when you hear a sudden "ahhhh... Puppy!"

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's First Bath

Brooklyn had her first official bath on Sunday, December 14,, 2008. She had sponge baths before this time of course. This was the first time she actually got to be in the bath tub though because her cord had finally fallen off the Friday before. So Brooklyn took a bath with her momma, which was very nerve racking. With daddy's help, we quickly tried to go through and get her washed off and cleaned up. Brooklyn was not impressed though. She was ok in the water, but once she was lifted out of it, she started screaming. Then she discovered that hey, she was in the bath tub with momma... momma has food... I need to eat!! So what did she do? She started to eat in the bath tub!! Eating calmed her down and allowed us to continue with her bath, so we went with it. The only problem was, when we were done, Brooklyn wasn't. So taking her away from her food was not a pleasant experience. She was not happy one bit. She cried and screamed the whole time her daddy was trying to dry her off and was not content again until I got out of the bath tub and she could pick up where she left off.

So that was her first bath experience. She has had many since then, but now she takes baths with her daddy. Now, obviously, her daddy can't feed her, but he seems to be able to keep her calm without the food. Brooklyn and her daddy jut sit and chill in the tub. She doesn't start to get fussy until it is time to get clean, which she is getting better about. Now the only thing we have to work on is her crying and screaming her head off after she gets out of the tub. Which, I can understand why she would be upset. I wouldn't like to be taken out of a warm environment into the cooler air like that either. Once we get her warmed up though she is fine. At least until it is time to put lotion on her. Then she starts with the crying again.

When everything is said and done though, we have started having quiet time after where we try to calm her down and then I read her a bed time story to try to put her to sleep. We will see tonight if she has gotten any better with bath time. I think the older she gets the more she will enjoy the time though.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's First Christmas

Brooklyn's first Christmas was a very hectic one. We had so much family to go visit and see that by the time Christmas was over, we were all exhausted. It all started with Christmas Eve. We went over to her Great Papa's house for daddy's family get together. Everyone was there, but not many people got to really hold Brooklyn. She was claimed early by the arms of her Great Papa as she is every time we go to visit. He sat there and talked to her most of the night as everyone else opened up presents and we played a game of dirty Santa. Brooklyn received some presents of her own. Her Aunt Michelle got her a stuffed Thumper bunny, a baby Minnie Mouse rattle, a Pooh bear, and a really cool car seat cover that keeps her warm and keeps everything inside from falling out. The her Grandma Belinda got her this really neat worm that will teach her colors and letters and how to count and all kinds of neat things. She also got a really sweet prayer bear that will teach her different prayers to say at night. Brooklyn's Great Aunt Laura and Uncle Raymond got her a really cute ballerina outfit and a really cute prayer bunny, and then Brooklyn received money from her Great Papa and Edith. So she made out like a bandit on Christmas Eve.

We didn't get home from Christmas Eve until late, so Christmas morning we slept in. This year, Brooklyn wasn't aware of what Christmas meant, so it wasn't anything too special. We got her a little stuffed hippo and a stuffed penguin, and that was it for this year. Next Christmas will be crazy though and will be extra special. After we got up Christmas morning, we headed over to Grandma Carrie and Grandpa Walt's house for lunch and to open presents over there. Brooklyn's gift from her grandparents was this really neat fish tank that hangs over the side of the crib. It plays music and has lights and bubbles. It gives her something to look at and to entertain her until she falls asleep.

After lunch and presents, we got everything together and headed over to her Great Grandma Betty and Grandpa Jack's house. There we had snacks and yep, you guessed it, opened even more presents. From her great grandparents, Brooklyn received more money and some hats and mittens, as well as a red blanket with teddy bears that her great grandma made her. Brooklyn pretty much slept the whole time we were over there though. She was kind of oblivious to everything going on that day. We did manage to sneak in a four generation picture from my side of the family, which I was grateful to be able to get. (Now we have to get one of her with her daddy's family.)

Anyway, when we were done with the great grandparents, we headed out to her Grandma Belinda and Papa Kevin's house to eat dinner. We stayed out there and visited for a while, and then finally headed home for the evening. On the way home we stopped by our cousin's David and Nina's house to visit them and to see our Godchild Mila. Brooklyn got even more gifts there a couple of gowns and a little stuffed bear.

Needless to say, we had a long and exhausting day, so when we got home, we crashed. So that ladies and gentleman was a recap of Brooklyn's first Christmas. I am very certain that the next Christmas will be 10 times as hectic, but also a LOT more fun because she will begin to understand what Christmas means, which to her, will be a creepy old man in a red suit and presents!!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn and Santa

Brooklyn went this year to meet Santa Clause!!! We tried to take her to the mall the week of Christmas while her daddy was off to get her picture taken with him. That was a HUGE mistake though. The line to meet Santa was about 2 hours long. So then, one of daddy's friends told us that Santa was also at Bass Pro Shops, so that is where we went to visit.

It was extremely crazy trying to get Brooklyn ready for her picture. I had to get her changed into her Christmas dress once we got there, which is really hard to do in a public bathroom on a changing table about a foot wide, while trying to be extremely cautious of germs! However, momma was able to do it! Brooklyn's first Christmas dress was way too big for her, but it was all we had, so we made it work and it turned out great!

The Santa at Bass Pro was awesome and the whole back ground and set up was really nice too. There wasn't a line at all to see this Santa. We walked right up to him and handed Brooklyn over, which was an awkward transition because she was still so tiny since she was only three weeks old at the time. Santa had no idea how to hold her because she kept curling up into a little ball! Needless to say, the pictures turned out great! I was so proud of Brooklyn because her first picture with Santa wasn't one of her screaming her head off, terrified to death of the "scary man in the red suit." She was perfectly content and looked so precious. She was the perfect little present. Now I just hope that next year's picture with Santa will be as easy as the first!!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's 2 Week Check Up

Brooklyn had her two week check up with Dr Beard on Monday, December 15, 2008. Her daddy and I took her in together to make sure everything was going ok due to the previous problems we had with her being jaundice and losing weight. So the end results... Brooklyn had gained more weight. She was up to 6 pounds 10 ounces at that point. She hadn't grown any in length yet, but Dr. Beard said that was fine and that Brooklyn looked and was going great! She told us we could go back to a regular feeding schedule and that she didn't need to see us back again until her two month check up in February when she would need to start her immunizations (which momma is NOT looking forward to!)

I'm sure there was other discussion with Dr. Beard about other issues and questions we may have had at the time. Seeing how Brooklyn is currently 6 weeks old now though, I do not remember them. The important part though was that she was gaining weight and was a healthy baby at two weeks.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn and Chi Chi

Brooklyn has a new Nanny! Introducing Nana Chi Chi! Our 10 year old Chihuahua has taken to Brooklyn surprisingly well. She has become very protective of her and goes everywhere she goes. When we do have to leave Chi Chi at home while we are away, the first thing she does when we get back home and let her out is run to Brooklyn's car seat to try to find her and make sure she is ok. Chi Chi is always on alert and has to investigate everyone that holds Brooklyn. She never lets her out of her sight.

The first few nights we had her home, Chi Chi slept right beside me and woke up at every noise Brooklyn made. The pictures below shows just that. Brooklyn was laying in her bassinet and made some kind of sheep like noise. Chi Chi jumped out of the blankets and looked over the side of the bassinet to make sure that Brooklyn was ok.



When Brooklyn cries, Chi Chi is right there, looking at us like, "you need to fix her pronto!" The first time Brooklyn really started crying after we got her home, Chi Chi got so upset that she was crying that she peed right in the middle of the floor! Lucky for us she has got used to the crying and hasn't done that again. Anywhere Brooklyn goes though, Chi Chi isn't far behind. We are so grateful that Chi Chi has taken to Brooklyn so well and isn't insanely jealous like we have heard other dogs of being. Noah has even taken well to Brooklyn and has become more of an alert gaurd dog when he is outside.

Anyway, so that is the story about Brooklyn and her Nana Chi Chi.

Love,
Jennifer.

Brooklyn At Night

So Brooklyn doesn't like to sleep by herself, which is my fault. The first night in the hospital she slept on me in my bed. Then the first night at home she slept with me in the rocker chair. We tried to put her in her bassinet the second night so I could sleep on the couch right beside her, but that didn't work either. About 30 minutes after we turned the lights out, Brooklyn woke up screaming. The hat that the hospital had given us and told us to keep on her head so she would stay warm, had gotten pulled down all the way over her face and was suffocating her. It freaked me out so bad and I still to this day can picture seeing her with that hat over her face in my head and it scares me to death.

So every night since then she has pretty much slept with me. I am so worried about her suffocating or choking in her sleep that I hate putting her down at night. The whole SIDS thing also really freaks me out. I have gotten better about trying to put her to sleep in her bassinet, but now she doesn't want anything to do with it. She will sleep in there for about 5 minutes before she starts crying and I have to pick her back up to hold her. We've tried all the tricks... a sound machine, a heart beat, a night light, a sleep positioner, a higher end sleep positioner that has a heart beat and vibrates, but nothing works. So now we are trying to put her in the bassinet during the day to get her used to laying in there to see if that will work.

I'm afraid I have started a bad habit, but yet I don't really mind because with her laying on me I am aware of every move and noise she makes and that makes me feel more comfortable, and I think makes Brooklyn feel more safe as well. Once she is laying on me though, she goes right to sleep and will only wake up when it is time for her to eat again. It wasn't until this past Monday night that we finally started having problems, but that is a whole other story.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's Binky

Brooklyn loves her binky! We tried to get her to use the new orthodontic ones that are suppose to be good for when the baby starts getting teeth, but she wouldn't have it. She uses the round rubber one that the hospital gave us. She won't take anything else. We had to go out and search through Babies R Us to find other binkies just like that one. You wouldn't think they would be hard to find, but we only found one other brand like them. We were starting to think we would have to try to buy some from the hospital or something. Anyway, the binky is great. It helps keep Brooklyn calm and comfortable and she loves it.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn and her Daddy

Brooklyn already has her daddy wrapped around her finger. She understands all the wacky animal noises he makes at her and loves hearing her daddy's voice. The first few weeks, he was the only on that could get her to wake up. The first weekend was really hard since we had to wake her up every two hours. Dale would wake her up by singing her a song called Hippo Feeding Time. He said she looks like a little baby hippo because when she yawns she stretches her mouth open all the way. The song actually worked for a while, but then she got used to her daddy's silliness and now he has to do other things to try to get her awake. She is quickly getting used to him though.

Anyway, the first few weeks, anytime she heard his voice she would wake up. When Dale had to go back to work the week after she was born, she would sleep all day and wake up when he got home because she would hear his voice. When he was holding her she was busy looking around, exploring everything around her and getting to know her daddy's face. I would hold her, and she would go to sleep.

Just last week, Dale started playing what he calls "Rawr" with her. He was holding her and would say "rawr" at her, and make a face. She would then in return make some kind of noise of her own and try to mock that same face back at him. The went back and forth doing this with each other for about 10 minutes. This is now his favorite thing to do with her besides take pictures, which he is addicted to doing.



We have, from the time she was born alone, which is less than a months time, over 3000 pictures of Brooklyn. Dale even bought a new camera so he could make sure that he has good quality pictures of her. They have special "photo shoot" times two of three times a day right now where Dale just takes tons of pictures of her. I am sure this will slow down some when he returns to work next week. He has been on vacation to spend time with her the past two weeks. I have a feeling Brooklyn is going to grow up and either hate having her picture taken, or she is going to think it is perfectly natural to have a camera in her face all the time.

Anyway, like I said, Brooklyn loves her daddy and I know as she gets older she will love him more and more because he is just eaten up with her and loves playing with her and spending time with her. He takes such great care of her and does more things for her, like changing her diapers and clothes than I have had a chance to do. I pretty much feed her and get her to sleep and he does everything else. As a matter of fact, Brooklyn loves her daddy so much that she has peed and pooped on him more than anyone else!

More to come later!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's First Time Away

Brooklyn's first time away from her momma and daddy was on Saturday, December 13th, 2008. It was the hardest thing to do, but we had to get some Christmas shopping done, so my mom, Grandma Carrie, watched her for a couple of hours while we ran around town. I was ready to get back to her after about 10 minutes, but survived for about two hours.

Since then, she has been away from us a couple of times. We have gone away to see an NBA game. That time her Grandma Belinda watched her for us. The grandmothers have had their fair share of time with her and watching her for us so we can get things done. It's not easy trying to take a baby everywhere with you. It's getting easier to leave her behind since I have become more comfortable with the grandmothers watching her since they have spent so much time with her. I still call and check up on her a lot though and can't leave her behind for too long since she has to be fed so often. It helps with the separation anxiety though and I know the grandmas really enjoy their time with her too.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's First Trip Out

Brooklyn's first trip out in public, besides to the doctor's office, was to Western Sizzler on December 12th, where we had dinner with Dale's family. It was very nerve racking having her out around strangers because I didn't want random people trying to come up and touch her. Luckily we didn't have that problem and Brooklyn slept through all of dinner and did great. She's such a good baby!

Since then Brooklyn has been out many times and we still haven't had problems, knock on wood. We took her out to Sooner Fashion Mall, Sam's Club, and Wal-Mart and she slept through it all. We think she likes the noise and movement. She's also been to see Santa Clause, but that post will come later.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn's Jaundice

As previously mentioned, we had some problems with Brooklyn being jaundice for about her first week. The nurses had to make her poop before we left the hospital. We also were having problems getting her to have a wet diaper and were afraid something was wrong. So that Friday after she was born, the 5th of December, we had to take Brooklyn to the doctor.

Dr. Beard was great with her. She was concerned however because she had lost some weight, down to 5 pounds 12 ounces, that she might not be getting enough the eat. However, my milk had just come in that night before so she wanted us to be on a strict feeding schedule with Brooklyn over the weekend to try to get her weight back up. She also wanted to make sure that she wasn't becoming jaundice so we had to have another heel prick test done. Brooklyn's daddy had to hold her for this test because I couldn't stand to hear her cry at that point and me not be able to fix what was wrong. After she had her heel pricked, Dr. Beard called us a couple of hours later with the results which came back high. She wanted to see us back in the office the following Monday, the 8th, the check her levels again.

So that following Monday we went in to have her heel pricked again and the check her weight. After no sleep over the weekend from having to wake her up every two hours to feed her, Brooklyn had gained back some weight and was at 6 pounds 1 ounce. Then we took her to have her heel pricked again. Dr. Beard called us back that night and said that it was about the same level, but a little lower. She wanted her to come back again the next day, the 9th to ave one more heel prick done to make sure that her levels were on their way down instead of rising.

The next day we went straight to the lab to have her test done. This time I had built up enough courage to hold Brooklyn myself while they did the test. It wasn't so bad because Brooklyn takes getting blood drawn much better than I do. She started to cry once and then was fine. Later that night Dr. Beard called us back and told us that her levels had lowered another point so it looked like she was on her way down and was going good. We just needed to continue to feed her about every three hours to make sure she was staying well hydrated and getting enough to eat. She didn't need to see us again until our two week appointment the following week.

I felt so bad that I had to subject my baby to those heel pricks. Four in a week was a lot and I was just happy that she was doing better so she wouldn't have to get anymore. She hasn't had any problems with being jaundice since then though and has been doing great.

Love,
Jennifer

The Day The Puppy Was Born

December 2, 2008 is the day that our lives were forever changed. On this day, Brooklyn Carly Belle Spoonemore was born. It was a glorious day that, when looking back on it, seemed to come and go way too fast.

I had to be at Moore Medical Center at 7 o'clock in the morning to get checked in and ready to be induced for labor. My mom, Grandma Carrie, and Dale's mom, Grandma Belinda both met us up at the hospital that morning.

Once we got checked in we were taken to room 202 where our nurse Melissa was waiting for us. Melissa would be our nurse for the delivery and the rest of the day until her shift was up. She was a very calm, quiet, and nice nurse. She got me set up on the monitor and got my iv started, which I was not excited about. Lucky for me it didn't seem to hurt near as bad as I thought it would. She then got me hooked up to the medicine to start labor. By this time it was 8 o'clock.

At about 8:30, Dr. Fletcher stopped in and broke my water to get everything going faster since I was barely having contractions from the medicine. This was not a pleasant experience. It didn't hurt at all. It was just extremely uncomfortable because here I am in nothing but a hospital gown with a puppy pee pad underneath me and leaking fluid that I have no control over. It feels like you peed your pants and you just have to sit there in it.

Not long after my water broke I started to feel the contractions start. To make me a little more comfortable Melissa started bringing me some pain medicine. At this point in time I was still completely set on not getting an epidural. More time continued to go by and I continued to dilate at a good pace with the contractions getting stronger. I would recommend taking the prepared child birth classes for the breathing techniques. Your throat will be sore after all is said and done from the heavy breathing, but they really did help. The pain pill they gave me was helping some, but it was also making me really tired.

By about 12:30 or so I was starting to be in pain and was only dilated to a 6 almost a 7. My contractions were starting to come on more frequently and a lot stronger than before. Then by 1:30 in the afternoon I was in pain. My contractions were one after another with no break. They were hurting me so bad that I was crying and couldn't communicate very well because I couldn't see I was in that much pain. I was so glad that I had Dale there by my side the whole time because I needed his hand to squeeze. I thought for sure by that time I had to be almost fully dilated. The nurse checked though and I was only at a 7. At that point, they would not be able to give me anymore pain medication because it could affect the baby. As much as I wanted to be able to do everything naturally, I just couldn't handle it. Dale, knowing this, told the nurse to bring in the anesthesiologist because I would need an epidural to be able to get through the rest of the delivery.

After that I don't remember much else or how much time really lapsed. Lucky for Brooklyn, her daddy took video after I received the epidural. I didn't want it because I am terrified of needles. However, I was in so much pain from the contractions and so distracted with getting through them that I did not even notice when the anesthesiologist put the epidural in. The only thing that went wrong with it came later after Brooklyn arrived. The tape that they used to hold the tube in was the strong adhesive tape that my skin is allergic to, so for about two days after, if not longer, you could tell where my epidural was on my back.

After the epidural was given to me, the world was great! I didn't like the fact that I couldn't feel my legs or move them on my own, but I wasn't in anymore pain almost immediately. The doctor was still in the room when I asked when I would have my next contraction and the nurse told me I was having one right that moment, a big one, and I didn't feel a thing. It was great. My mistake was taking the last dose of pain medication and then getting the epidural because I was so relaxed and then the last does of medicine made me sleepy, so I was out. Dale has video of me talking that I don't even remember.

It was about 1 o'clock when I got the epidural and it didn't take long after that when the nurse came in and checked and said I was fully dilated. They called Dr. Fletcher to come deliver Brooklyn. While we were waiting for the doctor to arrive, the delivery nurses had me try to practice pushing. Since I couldn't feel anything from the waste below, they wanted me to try to see if I would be able to push and know what to do. I gave three practice pushes and the nurses told me that was good and to stop. I had no idea what I was really doing, but apparently, Brooklyn was ready to come out and had started to crown at that point. They were afraid if I practiced anymore that I would deliver her before Dr. Fletcher arrived.

Dr. Fletcher finally arrived about 3:22 in the afternoon. At that point she didn't even have her gloves all the way on before she told me to go ahead and start trying to push since I was having a contraction at that very moment. I started to push and she was like "WHOA! OK hold on." Then she told me to give it one more push and Brooklyn was born! I was so happy that she came out as easy as she did. I was so afraid they would have to use the vacuum or forceps to get her out. Instead she came out so fast that the doctor wasn't even prepared and the nurse with the camera couldn't even get there fast enough since they video tape (G rated) the birth.

When Brooklyn was born she came out crying at 3:25 in the afternoon. She wasn't even all the way out before she started crying. I was in such shock at what I had just done that when Dr. Fletcher plopped Brooklyn on my belly all blue and slimy and crying, I didn't know what to do. I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I froze. I think I remember trying to cry tears of joy, but at the same time I was terrified because she was so tiny and I was so afraid to touch her because she just didn't seem real. Then another part of me was very freaked out because she was blue and that was one thing I didn't know to expect and I was afraid something was wrong with her since she was blue! All together though, it was just the best feeling ever knowing that I just brought the most beautiful six pound, three ounce, twenty inch long miracle into the world.

Dale got to cut her umbilical cord and then followed her over to the warming station with the nurses where they cleaned her up and took care of her. He then got o cut her umbilical cord again since they didn't catch it on taped the first time. He got most of everything they did to her on tape and took a bunch of photos. It seemed like it was taking forever for them to get her back over to me. Dr. Fletcher was talking to me about how everything went but I couldn't focus because I was too busy trying to watch Dale and Brooklyn. I do remember her telling me hat we made the right decision by delivering her early because my fluid was lower than they thought. She said the fluid I lost when she broke my water was it and that usually there is more fluid after the baby is born. In my case there wasn't anymore fluid. She told me had we waited longer like we were thinking about doing so she would come on her own, that it would have put her in danger.

Anyway, the whole time Brooklyn was at the warming station she was crying. I remember thinking to myself, oh my God... if she is that loud now, I am in trouble. Lucky for me, she is just the opposite now. She was very frustrated that day though being passed around so much with everyone there to see her. By the end of the day, Dale, Brooklyn, and I was all exhausted.

Dale and I got to hold Brooklyn to ourselves for about 5 or 10 minutes before we opened the door and let my mom and Belinda in to see her. We wanted the grandmothers to have some special time with her by themselves before the rest of the family, who were all there ready to see her, came in. They were in just as much awe with her as Dale and I were. I found out later from Dale's Uncle Raymond that they were outside our room with their ears to the door and started crying when they heard her cry.

After they had their time with her, we let everyone else in to see her. I can't even begin to list everyone that was there. Partly because there were so many people, and then also because I was still pretty drugged up from the medicine still. Eventually everyone left though and things started to calm down. Dale stayed the night and slept in the chair in the room, helping me with her throughout the night. She slept on me that night because I did not want to put her down. Nurses came in periodically throughout the night to check her vitals and to take blood work and make sure I was doing ok. It was nice having a button to push whenever I had a question about something or thought that something was wrong.

The next day was pretty mellow. My mom came up and held her so I could get some sleep, then Belinda came up later to help out also and help us get home that night. We were only in the hospital for a little over 24 hours. We would have been gone sooner but we couldn't get Brooklyn to poop. Turns out she was jaundice and the nurses had to mess with her to make her poop. Other than that one problem, everything else checked out great for me and for Brooklyn. The pediatrician came in that morning, December 3rd to check her out. She passed her hearing test and the doctor, doctor Reba Beard, said she looked great. We were originally going to go with Dr. Harmon as her pediatrician but have since decided to stick with Dr. Beard since she has seen Brooklyn from day one and knows about all the issues that we have had with her since her birth, which I will go into at a later time.

The 3rd was kind of an overwhelming day that seemed to go by too fast though. I got my complimentary back massage, which was SO nice. Dale and I also got a steak dinner, which was built up to be way more than it should have been. It wasn't all that great, but it was food. That was luckily our only meal we actually had from the hospital. When it came time to leave, I wasn't ready. It was scary to me because I wasn't going to have a nurse that I could just press a button and they would be right there.

That is basically it though. I'm sure I am forgetting something but that is the gist of it all. Looking back, everything seems like one big blur, but it was one of the best days of my life and I am so happy and grateful that Dale and I have such a healthy, happy, beautiful baby girl!

Love,
Jennifer

36 Week Doctor Appointment Continued...

So to complete the post about my 36 week doctor appointment... I didn't stop having contractions that day. In fact, shortly after that, Dale came home to take me up to the hospital. I called the hospital first to see what they thought I should do. They told me the best bet was to just go ahead and come in and they could hook me up to the monitor to check and make sure, so that is what we did. After all was said and done, it was a complete waste of my time.

We arrived at the hospital and went straight up to labor and delivery. When we got to the nurse's station we told them that I thought I was having contractions and that I had leaked a little bit, so we weren't sure what was going on. They told us that we would have to wait because both of their triage rooms were full right then, so they sent us to the waiting room and told us they would be with us shortly. Well, shortly turned into 20 minutes, which of was 20 minutes of waiting that I didn't mind too much because I wasn't in pain, just uncomfortable. Dale on the other hand was getting extremely irritated. So he went back up to the nurse's station and asked them what was going on and how much longer it was going to be. They told him not much longer and that they were cleaning up room right then and would come get me in a minute. Well that minute turned into another 25 minutes. We were fixing to get up and leave when they finally came to get us. We had to wait 45 minutes! By that time I was irritated.

When we got to the room the nurse had me change, and left the room for another 10 minutes before they came back in to hook the monitor up to my belly. At that point it was a different nurse, a RN by the name of Cynthia Popejoy. Her name is important because this nurse is by far the rudest, most incompetent, unprofessional nurse I have ever met. When she came in she asked what was going on and I explained everything to her. She then told me that if I wasn't in a lot of pain that I couldn't be in labor because contractions would be making me bend over in pain. I told her, no not necessarily because I was put on bed rest because I was in labor and that my contractions that the doctor said I was having then were lighter than the pains I was currently feeling.

She then hooked me up to the monitor and proceeded to pretty much explain to me how being pregnant worked and treated Dale and I like we were stupid and had no clue what was going on or what we were talking about which really started to irritate me. I don't need to be told to come into the hospital to be treated like a 5 year old. Throughout the conversation with her I kept telling her, "Yeah I know" thinking she would get the point that she didn't need to explain everything to me. I also told her that Dr. Fletcher is the one who put me on bed rest, that Dr. Fletcher took me off of the medicine, and that Dr. Fletcher and I had already discussed everything that was going on with me being in pre-term labor so early.

The nurse then asked if we were wanting to have Brooklyn that day. Dale and I both told her no, but if I was in labor and she was coming that there was nothing we could do about it and that I was scheduled to be induced on the 2nd anyway. She then went into a whole tangent about the risks of having Brooklyn early and treated us like we weren't aware of the fact that she could have under developed lungs. She continued saying that she might be under developed and have to be put in NICU for weeks before they would release her and that NICU was at Norman and that I needed to be aware of the fact that if she came early that I might not be able to be with her and that she would be taken away.

By now I was about to snap. I told her that I was fully aware of the risks and that Dr. Fletcher and I had already discussed everything that was going on and what the risks were, but that we were also sure that if she did come, she wouldn't have to be put in NICU because of her weight and that Dr. Fletcher was inducing me in less than a week anyway.

So then the nurse checked my cervix to see how dilated I was, which, usually when Dr. Fletcher does this, it's uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt. When nurse Popejoy did it, IT HURT! It hurt so bad that it made me cry. When she was done I told her what Dr. Fletcher had told me I was dilated to that morning. The nurse then tried to tell me that the doctor was wrong and I wasn't as far as she said. The nurse was trying to play my doctor, which is a big no no. Dr. Fletcher is the only one that I trusted telling me anything about my condition or my baby.

The nurse then asked me if I was having anymore contractions. I told her yes, that I felt like I was having one at the time. She looked at the monitor and said "Well I don't see where you are having on right now. We'll keep you hooked up a little bit longer though and I will go call your doctor and see what she wants to do. We will probably keep you hooked up for about an hour and then just send you home." She then left to room for about 10 minutes before returning. When she returned she told us that the doctor was going to go ahead and release me and that I was going to be sent home, even though I was still having what I thought were contractions.

Then the real bomb dropped. This nurse then asked me "So why were you wanting to have the baby today?" I told her "I wasn't wanting to have the baby today." She then said "Well that isn't what you told me a second ago."

That was it! I snapped! I told her " No what I told you was that if she came today then she comes. I told you that my doctor has scheduled me to be induced next week and that there is nothing I can do about it and honestly, it pisses me off that you come in here accusing me of trying to have my baby early when it s the doctors orders that I am going to be induced next week. I don't appreciate you coming in here and treating us like we are stupid when you guys were the ones that told us to come in the first place so I could be monitored because I wasn't sure if I was having contractions!!" I'm pretty sure I said a few other things too, but that was about the gist of it. The nurse didn't say another word and just had me sign my papers and walked out of the room.

I was SO mad that I was shaking. I could not believe that they would accuse me of coming into the hospital just to try to have Brooklyn early. If it were up to me she wouldn't have come as early as she did! My fluid count was low in the first place, which was the whole reason the doctor wanted her here no later than the 2nd of December. So I got dressed and left. As Dale and I were walking out I heard nurse Popejoy saying something to the other nurses about how I was being induced at 37 weeks like it was my choice.

That experience with the nurse and Moore Medical Center was the final straw for me. I called my doctors office to see if Dr. Fletcher practiced anywhere else because I did NOT want to have Brooklyn there. They told me no, that she doesn't. I informed them of what had just happened and they said that they would make sure that nurse Popejoy was not on my case and that she would have nothing to do with Brooklyn or be allowed anywhere near her. The doctors office then went through and answered my questions about how I was feeling and what I needed to watch out for in case I went into real labor which to hospital neglected to do.

I then called the patient liaison and filed a formal complaint against to nurse as well and informed them that if it wasn't for the fact that their hospital was the only facility my doctor practiced at that I would not be returning there. This wasn't the first bad experience I had with their facility. Now that I have had Brooklyn, I don't ever plan on going back to that hospital. I also learned from my stay in the hospital giving birth that their monitors for the contractions don't always pick up the contractions. So I very well could have been having contractions that day and the monitor just wasn't positioned right to pick them up.

So that was how the rest of my day went for November 25th. I'm sure there is something that I am forgetting to talk about from that day, but this post is long enough as it is and I have too many other good things to move on to and talk about. Just avoid nurse Cynthia Popejoy if you have to go to Moore Medical Center to have a baby!!

Love,
Jennifer

The Baby Shower

The baby shower for Brooklyn was held on November 15, 2008 at 1 in the afternoon at the Moore Public Library Room A. Grandma Carrie and Grandma Belinda worked together to plan the shower. There were a lot of family and friends there and Brooklyn received a LOT of gifts. It took Daddy and I a while to go through all of them and to write down what we got from who. We are very grateful for everything that we received. It has all been very useful.

I would go through and list some of the things that we received, but it would take me forever to do that, so I will save that for her baby book which I also need to catch up on. Everything was beautiful though and it was all very overwhelming. I wish I could remember more to talk about but too much time has passed since the baby shower for me to remember details. I have posted a few pictures below though, so enjoy!

The table at the front door with Brooklyn's 1st Christmas tree.


Daddy and I behind the cake for the baby shower.

The gift table. These weren't even all the gifts!


Daddy and I opening Brooklyn's gifts.


The aftermath. This is what we had to go through once we got home!

Love,
Jennifer

Dreams Really Do Come True!

Yes everyone, it is true. Dreams really can come true! Brooklyn Carly Belle Spoonemore has finally arrived! I apologize for not keeping up with everything. Life has been such a blur since about the middle of November. I have so much to talk about and such little time to actually sit down and type it all out now. I promise to try to be better though. On to the good news though!

Just in case you haven't already heard, BROOKLYN IS HERE!!!!!

Brooklyn Carly Belle Spoonemore was born on December 2, 2008 at 3:25 PM at Moore Medical Center. She weighed 6 pounds and 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. She has a head full of hair, as you can see from the pictures posted on the previous entry. I think she looks just like her daddy, like I have always thought, though I am told she looks a lot like me when I was a baby too. Her looks seem to change every day though.

Brooklyn is an amazingly beautiful baby. It is still so hard for her daddy and I to believe that God helped us create something so wonderfully special and SO beautiful. She is literally the best baby ever. She doesn't just randomly cry for no reason. She sleeps through everything and is just so incredibly sweet and adorable. I know, I know, I am partial since she is my daughter and all, but I honestly believe she is the most beautiful best baby ever and I have a lot people that will back me up on that statement!

Anyway, the story of her day of birth is one of many that I have to catch everyone up on. I know I will probably forget some things since it's been over a month since my last post and I am so scatterbrained now, but I will try my best to remember all the details. I also have to catch everyone up on the baby shower, the visit to the hospital the week before she was born, her first day out in public, her first bath, her first doctors appointment and much much more. Some of the stories might not be as long as they originally were going to be since my time is taken up by more important things now like Brooklyn. I will make sure to try to get everything caught up to date in the next few days though. So be prepared to read!!!

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn is here!

I'll let momma tell the story but here are the pictures for now!

Pictures!

36 Week Doctor Appointment

Ok, so the time continues to get closer and closer. I'm starting to think it won't get here fast enough though. Brooklyn's Grandma Belinda took me around to all my appointments this morning. I had another ultrasound at 7:30 in the morning to measure the amount of fluid around Brooklyn. She is really out of room to move now, which explains why her feet are in my ribs all the time. The fluid amount went back up from last week from 8.1 to 9.2. Dr. Fletcher said the count is always higher in the morning and decreases through the day, but that I am maintaining a healthy level, so she thinks everything is fine.

After my ultrasound at 7:30 in the morning, I had to go upstairs to have another NST, Non Stress Test, done. I passed that fine. This time the chart actually picked up some small contractions that I have been having. I have been having random contractions off and on all morning though, especially when I am laying down.

When we were done with the stress test we headed over to Dr. Fletcher's office for my 9 o'clock appointment. Surprisingly enough, we got right in to see the doctor. They told me all my tests came back fine. My blood pressure was good and Brooklyn's heart beat was about 150 when we were at the doctor's office. Dr. Fletcher told me that I am not dilated to a loose three, which I am guessing is going into a 4 almost. She said I was 50% effaced and that Brooklyn was stationed at a negative 2, which means she is no longer just floating around and is down in position.

SO, with all of that being said, I could possible have Brooklyn any day now, or she could just wait until next Tuesday, December 2nd to be induced. Either way, we are less than a week away now. I have fully accepted the fact that the chances of me being in the hospital over Thanksgiving and even Black Friday have dramatically increased. Hopefully she will at least hold out until Saturday so I can still have turkey and pumpkin pie, and then go shopping Friday morning. Today was my last doctor appointment with Dr. Fletcher though until Brooklyn arrives. I have another NST to do on Thursday morning as long as I don't have her. Then next Tuesday I have to be at the hospital at 7 in the morning for them to induce.

If I don't stop having contractions here soon we might need to go to the hospital again though to see what is going on. I can't seem to get really get a timing on the contractions. I just know that I am having them. We shall see what happens though!

Love,
Jennifer

35 Week Doctor Appointment

Dale and I went in for our doctor appointment this morning at 9 o'clock. I think it's so funny how when he is with me we barely ever have to wait. There was only one other person in the waiting room ahead of us, so we were called back not long after we got there.

They did all the usual vital stuff and tests. Took my weight, still good, (not going to share that one!) and her heart beat was still in the average range. I measured out at 35 weeks and my blood pressure was 137/74, which was a little higher than it usually is when I go in, but still not bad.

Dr. Fletcher came in joking with me about how I just don't want to produce any extra fluid and proceeded to explain to Dale and I what was going on. She told me my fluid count was lower, at an 8, but that it was nothing to worry about at the moment. She explained to us why the fluid was so low. She said the placenta is like an egg timer. It only goes so long before it decides it's done with the whole pregnancy thing. Well the placenta is what provides the blood flow to the baby. So when it decides that it's done the blood flow to the baby decreases. From there, there baby realizes that it's not getting enough blood flow and to protect itself, rushes it's blood supply to it's head to protect it's brain. In doing this, it means that the baby's kidneys aren't producing as much as they usually would. Basically, amniotic fluid is baby pee. So when the baby's kidneys are producing enough fluid, then the fluid starts to run low, which puts the baby at a higher risk the lower and lower the fluid gets. The fluid is vital for the baby to be able to move around and function.

Dr. Fletcher told me that since I was at an 8 that I was still ok for the time being, but that she feels that I shouldn't go any longer than 37 weeks, or the first week in December, which is why they set a date to induce labor just in case she wouldn't come before that period of time. When Dale asked why they couldn't just induce me today she told us because the risk of delivering a baby at 35 weeks who might not be ready is much greater than delivering a baby at 37 weeks. At 35 weeks, Brooklyn's lungs might not still be completely developed because my body wouldn't have given her that last natural dosage of steroids like it would naturally verses inducing. Also, babies at 35 weeks can not control their body temperature near as well as a baby at 37 weeks. So all and all, it was safer for me to wait as long as possible because being an 8 fluid wise was not causing the baby any harm. Had I been a 5, then she would take Brooklyn immediately.

So to keep and eye on everything, I now have to go in every Tuesday and Thursday to the hospital to have a NST done. She said she will be able to tell from this test whether or not the baby is stressing out. I also have to have a BPP, or Bio Physical Profile, AKA ultrasound, done every Tuesday as well to measure the amount of fluid and her weight. When I asked the doctor about her weight gain she said she was not worried about it at all. That babies grow in spurts and that there was always room for a little error in those weight measurements.

The next thing we discussed with her was whether or not I needed to continue taking my medication for the contractions. She told me no! She said not to worry about taking any more of the medicine because if I have Brooklyn, then I have her. As far as bed rest, she did tell me to take it easy still and that laying around wouldn't hurt me. Dale asked if that meant I couldn't get out because I was dying to go shopping for baby stuff. Dr. Fletcher said to go ahead and that it was fine for me to do all of that. If doing so sends me into labor, then oh well. She said she didn't have a problem if I went into natural labor because that was my body telling itself that it was time. If it's time, then it's time, so be it because my uterus is a lot smarter than she is!

She said that she is not on call this weekend, but if something happens over the weekend, that she has it written on my charts for the hospital to call her first. She is on call over Thanksgiving, so if something happens then, she'll be there. She then checked my cervix and everything and said I was still dilated to a 2 at this point. She ran some other tests and told me that she would see me next week on Tuesday since they would be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday.

I also asked her why I wasn't able to eat too much without feeling like I was going to get sick. She told me that my stomach was literally up in my chest like I was feeling and that with the baby pushing on it all the time it has shrunk. With that being said, I need to eat 6 smaller meals a day instead of bigger meals otherwise I will make myself sick. Yay! I have never been so hungry but so unable to drink or eat anything in my life! I just hope I will be able to handle Thanksgiving! I am SO looking forward to turkey and pie!

Anyway, after we left the doctors office we had to go to the hospital so they could run a NST on me. After about 30 minutes of me laying there listening to Brooklyn's heart pound like a race horse and feeling her kick the crap out of me, they let us go. They said everything looked fine and that they would see me on Tuesday whenever I decided to come in. As for next Thursday, they said whenever I wanted to come in would be fine also and that I just needed to schedule my BPP with radiology before I left.

So my doctor appointment schedule for the next week is really nice. Now given that I don't have Brooklyn sometime this weekend, I have to be at the hospital around 7/ 7:15 in the morning next Tuesday for my 7:30 ultrasound. From there I have to go upstairs to have another NST done. After I am done with that I have to head over to Dr. Fletcher's office for my routine doctor appointment at 9 am. That should be nice since their last appointment that day is at noon because of the holiday weekend and the lady at the front desk went ahead and double booked us so we could get an earlier time. So I will probably be waiting a while there. Then sometime Thanksgiving day I have to run up to the hospital to have another NST done. All of this makes for a very busy week.

Anyway, with me being off of bed rest now, which I am SO excited about, Dale and I are finally going to be able to go to Wal-Mart and finish our baby shopping. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I can't wait to go to Wal-Mart!!

That is about it for my day so far though. I still need to talk about the baby shower, but I will have to do that another time because I need to get my bags ready for the hospital now just in case something happens!

Love,
Jennifer

Wednesday Worries

Big news for a non doctor appointment day. After my ultrasound Tuesday, Dale and I had some concerns about how little weight Brooklyn had gained in a weeks time. So I called and left a message with the nurses at my doctors office to see if they could have the doctor check into the results of the ultrasound because I was worried and wanted to make sure everything was still going ok.

It wasn't until later that afternoon when one of the nurses called me back. They said that Dr. Fletcher had been in surgery all day, but that they got the results back in and had messaged her with the fluid count results. It turns out that my initial thought of my fluid count being lower was right. I went from a 9 from the week before to an 8 for this week. They said it still wasn't dangerously low, so there wasn't any immediately danger or anything to worry about. The nurse told me that Dr. Fletcher would go over everything in detail with me tomorrow, Thursday, at my doctor's appointment and that she hadn't looked at the actual ultrasounds yet, but that she wanted to start getting the ball rolling on what was going to need to be done.

Apparently, since m fluid count continues to decrease, Dr. Fletcher now wants me to go in twice a week now to get a NST, Non Stress Test, done so she can monitor Brooklyn's heart beat and stress levels to make sure she is getting enough blood supply needed to function. She also wants me to continue my once a week ultrasound until Brooklyn arrives so she can keep a close eye on the fluid amount.

When I asked the nurse about the weight problem she said she wasn't sure because she hadn't noticed or asked the doctor about that because the main concern was the amount of fluid. She told me she would ask one of the other doctors in the office and call me back if they felt it was a big concern that needed to be addressed at that moment. She told me if she didn't call me back then I could just address the issue with Dr. Fletcher tomorrow morning.

With that being said, we ended out phone conversation and I called Dale and the grandmothers to let them know what was going on. In the middle of my phone conversation with Dale's mom Belinda, my cell phone rang. It was Dr. Fletcher's office and I became really nervous. When I answered it was the nurse again. She said that she hadn't had a chance to talk with the other doctor about the weight yet. She was calling me back because Dr. Fletcher had gotten with another one of the nurses and wanted her to go ahead and set me up to be induced!! Yeah! Induced! The nurse told me that Dr. Fletcher did not want me to go anywhere past 37 weeks before they would induce me, so she was going to call the hospital and schedule me for a date sometime in the first week of December and then call me back and let me know. When she called me back she said they had me on the books at the hospital for December 2, 2008. I needed to be at the hospital at 7 that morning for them to start the process. I was kind of in shock because setting an actual date made everything so much more real!

The nurse told me I would talk with Dr. Fletcher more the next day about everything, but that if and when she took me off of my medication Brooklyn didn't come by December 2nd, that she would definitely be here on that day, no later! So everyone, less than two weeks before we have a baby here. I went ahead and changed the due date on the count down from December 22nd, 2008, to December 2nd, 2008 so it is a little more accurate. Anyway, that is what happened on Wednesday. It made for a very interesting day! The day we found out for sure when Brooklyn would be here by! Everyone is really excited and nervous now, including me! I can't wait though!

Love,
Jennifer

Tuesday Ultrasound

So part of my doctor's preventative care is going to get an ultrasound done every week now until Brooklyn is here to check the amount of fluid. I went this past Tuesday, November 18th, so the doctor would have the results in by my Thursday appointment. For the most part, everything seemed to be ok. Brooklyn was moving around and still healthy. Her heart beat was in it's usual 150-160 range. The ultrasound tech took all of her measurements to get her weight, and also measured out the pockets of fluid. After the tech took all the measurements, she told us her approximate weight was 5 pounds 1 ounce. This concerned me because that meant she ad only gained 2 ounces in the past week. She is suppose to be gaining half a pound, or 8 ounces, a week now.

The tech couldn't tell me anything about the amount of fluid she measured, but I could tell that it didn't look like it was as much as the previous week. I also asked about her umbilical cord to see if they could tell if it was anywhere around her neck, just to make sure. They told me she is so crowded in my belly now that there really isn't a way to tell. As long as she continues to move around though she should be fine. So that was basically it for that day. They told me that they should have the results to the doctor's office by the next day, and I was free to go until next week.

Love,
Jennifer

Brooklyn & Momma at 35 Weeks

This is the most recent picture of me at 35 weeks pregnant with Brooklyn. I can't believe how much weight I have gained! My face looks so chubby now! Anyway, this picture was just taken yesterday, November 18th 2008. Look how big she has gotten!

Love,
Jennifer