Life With A Baby...

..is amazing. And amazingly busy. :)

Right now, we're having an uphill climb with acid reflux, complete with the uber-nasty spit-ups that never stop and that are currently gracing my clothes, hair and a monstrous pile of laundry that is awaiting my attention. It's just gonna have to keep waiting. Thank God for new reflux medicine. May it work quickly and be just what she needs to feel better...otherwise we're just gonna have to wait for her to outgrow it.

She's also dealing with gastrointestinal issues of the constipation kind. Some of my absence has been due to the fact that Preslie went 12 days with out a poop and we've been in and out of all kind of doctor's offices trying to see if she has a serious problem. Thankfully, she doesn't...her rectal muscles just aren't quite strong enough for her to do the job on her own, so...we have to do it for her. Lucky, lucky, me. :) Seriously, it isn't a huge deal and will correct itself as she grows, but can you imagine how you'd feel if you didn't go for nearly 2 weeks? No poop=unhappy baby=tired mama. And you cannot even imagine the gas. Ohhhh.

The reflux and the GI issues are kinda connected if you think about it. She strains to poop and the straining sends whatever she's eaten up, not out since she isn't strong enough. It's a vicious cycle, I tell you. Poor baby!

Consequently, can't you just imagine how embarrassed P will be later in life to hear this lovely story of her childhood? I'm such a bad mama! :)

What else? Oh, she also has an umbilical hernia which basically equates to having a huge 'outtie' belly button. It's another muscle thingy...her abdominal muscles haven't grown strong enough to pull it in yet. The only problem with that is that it leaves a 'hole' where the navel should be and we have to check daily to make sure that the 'hole' is still there and no internal organs (like the intestines) have filled the void. The doctors say it should correct itself by the time she starts Kindergarten...what? Anyway, apparently while it's not necessarily hereditary, several of my cousins kids have had them and they have gone in on their own way before age 5. We'll see, right?

Hmmm...and did you know that some infants just don't sleep much? Mine doesn't. I was under the VERY FALSE impression that babies just eat, sleep, cry and poop. Well, Miss Preslie has got the eating and crying thing down to an art...the sleeping and pooping, not so much. She just doesn't want to sleep. She nurses very well and then instead of drifting off to a peaceful sleep with her belly full and staying blissfully content, she opens those beautiful blue eyes and takes everything in! She'll often stay awake for an hour or more after eating. Some of the issue is the reflux but not all of it. Even when her food stays down, she stays up. For the most part, she's happy for the first part of her wakefulness but then, she hits a wall...and cranks up those lovely little lungs and fights going to sleep for all it's worth. Walking, singing, swaying, swaddling, massaging, bathing, rocking, bouncing, swinging, shushing, humming, riding in the car...you name it, we've done it. She will NOT go to sleep until she's doggone good and ready. I've never seen anything like it! Of course, when she turns those sweet baby eyes on me and coos and slobbers and holds my fingers, I think I could stay awake with her for days doing nothing but just looking at her. :) My tired body tends to disagree, though, especially at 3 am, which is still her hour of choice to be up and at 'em. And often when she does go to sleep, she doesn't stay asleep long, regardless of where she sleeps...bed, bouncer, swing, with me. Of course on the blessed occasion that she finally gives up and really sleeps for hours, it scares me to death because I wake up thinking something terrible has happened to her. We're a bit of a mess. :)

All in all, she is a good baby...just nothing like I expected. :) She's already very much her own person at only 5 weeks. And despite the changes, I wouldn't take anything in the world for her. She is the most incredibly wonderful thing that has ever happened to me, even if I do walk around with baby puke in my hair. :) She really is, on the whole, very healthy and is gaining weight like a champ even with her reflux issues. She loves her bath and her Daddy's voice and watching the ceiling fan. She is absolutely beautiful and has started to make noise and coo and it is the cutest thing ever. Especially to her sleep deprived mama who can't see anyway. :)

I just wanted to check in and let you know a little about how amazing life is with Preslie. There's never a dull moment, that's for sure! I still intend to write and tell you about our hospital stay (it was a doozy and not in a good way) and catch you up with what else has been going on in the last 5 weeks. And if I ever get organized, I have some more pics to post...she's changed so much that she doesn't even look like the same baby! I hope you're all doing well. I'm doing my best to keep up with your blogs, even if I don't have time to comment. Hugs to you all!! xoxoxo