Videos!

Thanks to Ashley I figured out a way to cheat the system and get my videos uploaded. :-) One is the beloved video from our first attempt at rice cereal. This was taken about a week ago. Since then, her spoon eating skills have greatly improved! I have started mixing some baby green beans in with the cereal the past two days and she really seems to like that!



Second video is from bathtime Wednesday night... I think we have a swimmer on our hands! Sorry for the poor video quality, but these were just taken with my regular camera. I think you will still enjoy!

4 Month Check Up

Anna Claire is 4 months old!?!? Where has the time gone? We enjoyed a super long weekend as I was off work on Friday and Monday for MLK Day. I really enjoyed the extra time with her and dreaded going back to work this morning! Every day she does something else to amaze me and I don't want to miss a thing.

Our appointment with Dr. Childers went well on Monday... aside from the trauma following her second round of vaccinations! Yikes. Maybe she is going to have a childhood needle phobia like her Momma! My Mom claims that I would scream and get stiff as a board and that it was always a real concern that a needle would be broken in my leg. To be honest, this continued until I was about 18! Thankfully we have a great Pediatrician and some wonderful nurses, so maybe it won't be so bad for AC! At this point it is ok as she is unaware until the moment it happens. She was not a happy camper following the appointment and she pretty much cried herself to sleep... I could not seem to sooth her right away. After some Baby Tylenol and a nearly 3 hour nap she was back to her giggly self Monday evening and was sound asleep by 8:45! Bedtime seems to be around 8:30 to 9:00 these days and she is sleeping anywhere from 8 to 12 hours each night. This is especially nice since I have returned to work. Thank you Anna Claire! Honestly I wish she would stay up a bit longer so we could have more time to play, but when she is ready, she is ready!

She is a growing gal! 26 inches long, which puts her in the 96th percentile and 13.3 lbs which puts her in the 44th percentile. She is long and thin, but you would never know because of her fabulously full cheeks! Dr. Childers said now is the time to introduce rice cereal. We tried a couple of times this weekend and I have posted a video and a few pics of the mess! She is not really a fan of the spoon, but we will keep trying!Dr. Childers again assured us that the catheter/dye test showed normal results, however he did refer us to a Pediatric Nephrologist (Kidney Doc) just as a precaution. This is a specialized doc who can just ensure that we haven't missed anything and will most likely monitor her as she grows. We go on
Jan. 28th. Dr. Childers seems to think that the dialation will subside with age. We certainly hope so and continue to believe she is healthy and happy!

As I suspected, she has some swelling in the gums - so we think teeth are on the way! She is drooling all the time and chewing on anything in arms reach. I am starting to encourage teething rings, rattles etc. but she seems to prefer her hand or my fingers! She is really, really working on sitting up and rolling over. I think she will master the art of rolling within a few weeks! Hopefully we will get the hang of the rice cereal soon and can start adding some veggies into her diet. I cannot believe she is growing so fast!

See below for some pics from this past weekend and a video of the attempt at rice cereal!









**sorry no video... for some reason it will not upload. I will try again this evening, so please check back - it is so funny!**

Mommy's Birthday

This past Sunday was my 1st birthday as a Mommy... my 29th all in all. ;-) To celebrate we went to Nagasaki Inn for some yummy Japanese with Honey, Poppy and Aunt MB. It was Aunt MB's last night in town, so it was bittersweet! We had a great time and Anna Claire really seemed intrigued by the fire on the table! She was so good, as usual and fell asleep just as the show was ending and we were beginning to eat.

It was a great weekend. Saturday night Brad and I got to go out for a real birthday date. Aunt Kelly and Grandmom held down the fort while we were gone. Thanks to all of our family and friends!

We miss you already Aunt MB!

New Year's Eve and a visit with Lyla

Lyla and Anna Claire


New Year's Day

Picture of Health!

Yesterday our Pediatrician's office called to inform us that the test Anna Claire had last week showed normal results. It revealed there are no structural problems or reflux issues! We go to see Dr. Childer's on the 19th for our 4 month check up. At that time the nurse said he would go into further detail. At this time they are not recommeding any further testing. Not sure what he is going to say, but suspect he may just let us know that one kidney is still measuring abnormally large, but that it is probably nothing to worry about and they may just monitor her closely as she is growing. So... great news and a big relief! Will update you after our appointment next week.

I have some great photo's to post and hope to do so later this week. For now, here is a cute shot from my phone. Not the best quality... but you can still see how adorable she is - ha!

Unbelievable!

This child is amazing and is full of joy! Yesterday we made a dreaded trip to the hospital for a test our pediatrician ordered to check out AC's kidney. As you may recall, during an ultrasound while I was pregnant they noted some fluid in one of her kidney's. It is probably nothing to be concerned about, but they have continued to monitor her closely since birth. After two different renal ultrasounds showed no change and some dialation in her right kidney they decided to do some further testing. Thursday they inserted a catheter into her bladder, injected it with dye and recorded internally, through x-ray - the flow of urine to determine if there was any urinary reflux into her kidney. While we do not yet have the results, we were shocked at how well she handled the test! She literally smiled throughout most of the test and did not shed a tear! The nurses were just as amazed as we were and said they "have never had one like this." I think she was just happy to be naked, looking at so many bright lights, playing with Mom and Dad and two very cheerful nurses. She loves to be adored and it seems people are happy to oblige! Anna Claire had no problem and I still shed some tears! I got a little panicked before the test while the nurse was describing the procedure. She said that they recently had a baby around Anna's age and that by the end of it the Mom, baby and nurse were all crying. That was NOT what I wanted to hear. Anyhow - we all remained calm during the test and even had a good laugh at how relaxed and happy Anna Claire seemed even during this awful test! She spent the entire time smiling, cooing and curiously looking around the room. She is such a happy baby and we feel so blessed. We are so proud of her! We should hear something next week or by the 19th when we return to Dr. Childers for her 4-month check up! They will explain the test results and recommend where to go from here. Hopefully it is nothing and we can just continue to monitor it as she grows. We are going to hope for the best and have no reason to think otherwise as she seems healthy and happy!

I plan to upload some more photos this weekend!

Nursery Pics and playtime

Just a few shots of the completed nursery, the infamous PINK Christmas tree and some playtime. I especially love the one of her in her candycane PJ's and the silly shot with her hat and pink cowboy boots... both Christmas gifts to fit her down the road. The one of her in her zip up suit is hilarious too... clearly she loved me putting her in it, but I had to try it! It will come in handy on these freezing, cold days! I am sure one day she will love playing dress up!

Holiday Fun

Our first Christmas with Anna Claire was great! We had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends and now we are recovering. I go back to work on Monday... not looking forward to it, but I think once I get into a routine it will be a good thing. These first couple of weeks may bring plenty of tears! As a matter of fact, they started last week! Here are a few pics... more to come tonight of the nursery and the pink tree, before it gets packed away until next Christmas!

Happy New Year!

P.S. - Anna Claire's next doc appt is Jan. 19th for her 4 month check up! I am not sure of her exact measurements but suspect she is between 12 and 13 lbs. Hard to believe!!! On Monday she will be 3 1/2 months old. She is sleeping like a champ... usually from about 10 PM to 6 AM and then goes back down after a bottle until about 8:30.