Blog Slacker

Well it's been like one month since I've updated my blog. I really stink. Sorry! So much has gone on in the past month that I know I'm going to forget to mention something really important.
Sam graduated from the police academy on February 26th. I was soooo proud of him. Sophia slept through almost the entire ceremony. I was proud of her too lol. She was sleeping in her car seat and everytime people clapped it would scare her. She'd throw her arms up in the air and like shake, then go back to sleep. It was hilarious, I admit I laughed at her....everytime she did it. I should have filmed her. So anyway, Sam started work the following Monday (March 2nd). It snowed that day of course! It didn't snow a lot, but it's exciting when we finally get some because it's been so long since I've been around snow. His first day went well - he was on the 6am - 2pm shift. He didn't get home til about 4:30 though. He really likes his FTI (field training instructor) that he has to ride along with for 12 weeks. Sam's schedule is 5 days on, 2 days off, 5 days on, 3 days off - repeat. He works 6-2 for 2 weeks, then 2-10pm for 2 weeks. Thank goodness he won't have to work the overnight shift during his FTI time. I'm sure he'll have to work it after he's done riding with his FTI. Sam's academy class had a party on February 27th. It was a buffet dinner at a country club in Portsmouth. It was fun to get dressed up and go out with Sam again. I still haven't uploaded the pictures to my computer yet, so I'll post those in the next blog....if I can remember. Otherwise, you'll have to keep an eye out for them on facebook or myspace.

On February 27th, Sophia went to the pediatrician for another weight check up. She was 22" long and 9lbs 1.5oz! Woo hoo. About a week later, the pediatrician's office called to say that they called our insurance to see if they would cover the shot for RSV (a bad respiratory infection that affects premature babies more frequently than term babies). The shot costs between $1600 and $2000! Our insurance covered the synagis shot, so she went in and had that shot on Monday March 9th. She screamed her poor little head off. It was Sam's first time being able to go to the pediatrician with us, so that was exciting. They also weighed her and measured her length. Sophia is 23" and 9lbs 10oz!!!! That's as much as I weighed when I was born! Hahaha. So anyway, she's probably close to 10lbs now. We go back to the pediatrician on April 2nd for her 4 month shots and another weight check up. She's wearing size 1 diapers now. I went and looked at all her old pictures and at how HUGE the PREEMIE diapers were on her. I guess we had gotten so used to how little she was, that we didn't really realize how tiny she was. What a little sweetheart.
Sophia has been changing soooo much! Tonight, she tried to roll over when she was laying on the couch! She made it all the way onto her side. She's been doing much better on her tummy too - holding her head up and being able to look around. She's extremely smiley. She loves to smile back at you and she is starting to scrunch her nose up. It's adorable! She has also started this thing where she makes like a gurgling sound and if you do it back to her, she smiles, does it again, then you do it again, and she thinks it's just hilarious. She smiles and laughs and starts to talk to you. She loves to put her feet on you when she's laying down on the changing table or on the couch next to you - especially when she's barefoot. She tries to watch the tv anytime that it's on and she can see it. I keep telling her that tv is not for little girls! Some more new developments: drooling, blowing spit bubbles, sucking on her bib, putting her hands in her mouth, and putting her hands together. She has been sleeping between 4 and 5 hours for the first stretch of the night, and then she's up eating every 2 hours. She doesn't usually do much napping during the day, but today she napped for about 6 hours total! She must be going through another growth spurt. She will be 4 months old in just under a week!
Sam and I are still househunting, without much luck. We're having a tough time finding a big enough house in the area we want to live. We really want an older house with character - big moldings, hardwood floors, possible a fireplace. We want at least 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths with about 1500 sq feet or more. We want to make sure there's enough room for us to grow because we need to stay in the house long enough for the house market to turn around and also to make the assistance from NRHA pay off.
More big news: I'm coming home!!!!!! Yay! Sophia and I will be riding back to WI with Kristin, Tyler, and Connor. We are leaving April 9th, and should get there on Friday afternoon. We will either be leaving the following Thurs or Friday to drive back to VA. Sam will be flying to WI early Easter Sunday and flying back out Tuesday night. I'm glad his days off fell on Sunday through Tuesday. How lucky for us! We can't wait to see you all!!!

Sam's dad, mom, and Uncle Jim.

Sam with a weapon...yikes!

Sam's very yummy cake!

Our lovely little family after graduation.

Connor's sweet sticker stasch.

You can see the water coming out of our bathroom ceiling.

Tryin' to poop

Must've been a stinky diaper! Hahah!

She loves her mobile!

These explosions are so gross!!!

Enjoying the warm weather...out for a walk...Sophia's sleeping in the sling :)

Almost 3 months old!

Sophia will be 3 months old on Sunday. That blows my mind. Soon she'll be out of her newborn clothes and into her 0-3 months! I hope she'll actually get to wear some of the cute outfits that she got as gifts - a lot of them are wintery outfits and they're size 0-3 months. With our luck it'll be warm out by the time she's big enough to fit into them. My new favorite thing is when I smile at Sophia - and she smiles back. She's such a little ham. She has also laughed a few times in her sleep. It's adorable! Her personality is really starting to develop. She loves to cuddle on your chest or up by your neck. She loves to smile back at you and bat her eyes. When she's hungry - you know it because she gets sooooo squirmy. She cannot be still. She gets her arms and legs movin' and she wriggles her body, tosses her head and goes to town on her pacifier.
I know Sam has been getting very frustrated. He comes home from work in the evening and wants to help out. So, he takes Sophia and I go shower or make dinner. When she starts crying, he can't get her to stop. As soon as I take her, she's quiet. He even said one time "I know she hates me." It makes me feel AWFUL. I think she's just more used to me because I'm with her allllllll day long. I've explained this to him and I think he believes me but can't help to be frustrated about it.
Valentine's day this year was absolutely wonderful. Sam took care of Sophia Friday night. All I had to do was get up to feed her and then go back to bed. Sam did all the burping and changing. It was great to get some sleep - and in my own bed as opposed to the couch like usual. Then he made breakfast for me, made me a wonderful bath, took me out to lunch, and made a great dinner as well. I love my husband!

My Valentine's Day Bath

Giving Sophia her bath....she wasn't happy

Her cute little lamb hooded towel.

Sleeping.

Not happy with Mommy.

Adorable little thing.

Pretty baby blues.

Just a typical day at home.

I love this picture!

Smiling big!

One Month Ago Today

One month ago today, we brought Sophia home from the hospital! I can't believe it's already been a month, and at the same time, I can't believe it's only been a month. It's hard to explain, but that's just how it feels.



Gosh, I really need to start taking notes about what happens, cuz I'm having a hard time thinking of what to blog about. Hmm....



My aunt Gina, Granny, and cousins came down to visit this past weekend. We mostly just hung out at Kristin's. We went to the beach Saturday afternoon and all went to church on Sunday. It was great to see them again, but Kaylee was sick and I have a feeling that's how Sophia ended up getting sick. I feel so guilty about it. Tuesday Sophia started coughing and sounded really congested. Wednesday she sounded even worse in the morning, so I took her to the pediatrician and she said Sophia's got an upper respiratory infection. They didn't put her on any medicine. I hope she starts feeling better. She didn't sleep well last night and it breaks my heart to hear her coughing and wheezing. They weighed her when I took her to the doctor - she's 8lbs 7oz! Holy cow! I also got sick of waiting for the Protonix to be pre-authorized, so I went ahead and called in a refill on her Prilosec because she's been out of it since Saturday. Grr. Well, this morning the pediatrician's office called and said that the Protonix was authorized on February 2nd. Flippin' a. So now I don't know what to do. I haven't picked up the Prilosec yet, but I'm guessing they'll make me pay for it since I already called it in. I'll have to call down to the pharmacy tomorrow and see if that's what I have to do. I'm definitely not filling the Protonix right away if I have to get the Prilosec.



Other happenings: My mom turned 50 on February 5th! My dad turned 53 on February 6th! AND my sister, Jaclyn turned 27 on February 10th! Tomorrow Sam and I get our tax refund. Yay! I've officially let Willis know that I won't be returning to work at the end of my maternity leave. :( I'll miss everyone at work, but it really was the best decision for our family and for Sophia's health.

We are still in the process of looking for a home. We've got most of our paperwork done for NRHA....now all we need to do is find a house. We're trying to find something in Ocean View so we can be closer to Kristin.

Sam graduates from the academy on February 26th! Aaaah, it's getting so close. They just got their precinct assignments yesterday. Sam will be working in the 3rd precinct - which includes Larchmont, ODU, and where our apartment is now. It also includes Park Place - yikes. It could be worse - he could have gotten South Norfolk. I'm sure every precinct has sketchy areas.

Lookin' cute before Kendal, Mike, and Mikey came to see her for the first time!

Look at that pout!

Granny's first time holding Sophia!

Riley, Kaylee, and Gina with Sophia.

Daddy and Sophia

She looks like she's getting Granny with her pigs!

Sam playing Trouble with all the kids.

She was so smiley Monday night!

Makin' noise.

Pooped. This is how I feel EVERYDAY. Lol.

A video for your enjoyment!


Hanging out before Kendal's visit.

....more videos on facebook and myspace. There are 3 different ones but the other 2 took too long to upload on here.

time flies

I don't know where all the time goes, but I feel like I've been so busy and it's hard to get anything done that I want to get done. When I'm at home with Sophia, I feed her, then I burp her, then I have to hold her upright for a good half hour so she doesn't throw up, and by the time I get her put down it's almost time to feed her again. I wish I could clean the house more, get some dishes done, actually cook some meals, maybe shower and dry my hair for once. I've been living with my hair pulled back and in a pathetic array of tshirts and sweatpants. I seldom get a chance to leave the house. Last night I finally uploaded pictures of Sophia to facebook...I hadn't posted any new pictures in over 2 weeks. Sorry!

Sophia went to the pediatric surgeon on Tuesday. She weighs 7lbs 7oz and he said her belly looks good. His only concern was that her tummy was especially soft where her belly button is. There's not really muscle behind it. She is more susceptible to getting a hernia there. Anyway, we don't need to go back to see Dr. Kelly again until Sophia's one year old. While I was at CHKD, I visited with two of our primaries - Christy and Nat. It was sooo good to see them! I think I'm gonna try to stop in one night next week to see April since she works nights usually. My mom wants us to get some more "bow glue" from April so Sophia can wear bows again lol.

Wednesday it was beautifully warm out. It was so nice that Kristin, Tyler, Connor, and Sophia and myself went for a walk on the beach. I put Sophia in her sling and she slept the whole time. It felt great to be outside and getting exercise. I put Sophia in her sling for a little bit today too so I could tidy up around the house....all I got done was some laundry sorting and putting away clean dishes.

It's amazing how much Sophia is changing already. She's very alert and yesterday she was talking to me quite a bit - little coo's that just melt your heart! Her face is finally starting to get chubby and her little legs are filling out. I love her little fingers and toes. I could kiss her all day. I love when she's laying on her back and you give her little kisses down by her neck. She smiles and just stares at you :)

Today we went to the pediatrician for her 2 month shots and weight check up. She now weighs 7lbs 11oz and is 21.5" long! I can't believe the rate at which she's growing. I am so proud for her. She fits into newborn clothes like she's supposed to...only took a couple months lol. She wasn't too thrilled about the shots she had to get. Poor little girl. She won't have to get any more shots until she's 4 months old. We go back to the pediatrician in another month to check up on her weight again.

2 months today

Sophia is 2 months old today! Where has the time gone!?

So Tuesday we were SUPPOSED to get 3-5" of snow! ...and we didn't. But, southerners are snow-fearing people and even just the possibility of snow prompted the pediatric surgeon's office to be closed. Our appointment was cancelled that day and it's rescheduled for next week Tuesday. How pathetic...we never even got any snow.

Sophia's appointment with the pediatrician went really well today. She got her shot for Hepatitis B. I cannot believe she gained 11oz in 8 days! She now weighs 7lbs 3oz and is 20" long. I was so worried that she hasn't been eating enough, but now I feel a little bit better knowing that she gained that much weight. As for her reflux issues - they are putting her back on the Protonix (what she was on in the hospital). This drug requires pre-authorization, so while we're waiting for that, I am supposed to double her prilosec (give her .75mL/twice a day). I really hope this helps because she looks like she's in a lot of pain when she spits up or even just burps sometimes.

Week One

We survived Sophia's first week home! ...with the help of my mom. She's been great - hanging out with Sophia for a little bit in the morning so I can get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep. It was great to have extra hands around or someone to make sure the dishes didn't get piled up. I'm sure going to miss having her around to help me out. I know my mom is really going to be sad to leave Sophia. :( Wednesday will be my real test - first day of having Sophia all by myself. Sam will be at work and I'll have the sole responsibility of taking care of Sophia.

Sophia had a couple rough feeds where she threw up quite a bit, but her latest development has been this struggle when she bears down. Poor little thing looks like she's in pain and even cries and winces. I'll ask the pediatric surgeon tomorrow at our appointment. I sure hope that everything is ok. She's still stooling fine, eating fine, doesn't have diaper rash, etc.

I'll update ya tomorrow or Wednesday about the appointment with the pediatric surgeon.

Sophia's Homecoming

Sophia came home from the hospital on Monday night, January 12, 2009. She spent 51 days in the NICU at CHKD. It was a bittersweet departure. I was glad that she was healthy enough to come home, but at the same time I will miss our primaries - Christy, Nat, and April - and the peace of mind knowing that someone was always there who knew exactly what to do. Sam and I got home at about 10:00 that night. We came home to pink balloons tied to our door with a big sign that said "Welcome Home Sophia." Sam's parents were responsible for that :) It was time to feed her, change her, and hit the sack. She didn't sleep much that first night, which means I didn't either. The second night went a little bit better - in terms of sleep. Last night was a stressful one for me though. Sophia didn't eat very well at 11:30 and she seemed to throw up a lot more than she had been. Since then, she's only had one good feeding. I'm starting to get very nervous and worried. She's not eating very much at a time, she's spitting up more, and she seems to be fussy. I really hope that everything is still ok. She's still having plenty of wet and dirty diapers, but I still can't dismiss the spitting up and the decreased desire to eat a lot. She seems very uncomfortable when she spits up - like it's really burning her throat. If it continues much longer I'll probably call someone and see what they think - if there's anything I can try, symptoms to look for, etc. :(
Sophia had her first appointment with the pediatrician Wednesday. They weighed her and she is up to 6lbs 8oz! She's also 19.25" long. Sophia threw up all down my shirt while we were there. Lol. Oh well, I can't blame her - she had her multi-vits right before we left for the appointment. We go back next Thursday to check in on her weight and probably give her some shots.

Enjoy the pictures! Saying goodbye to our primary, Nat! (on her last day before Sophia went home - 1-11-09)


The day Sophia got to come home - one last visit in the hospital.

Those socks look like legwarmers....ready for some aerobics!

So stinkin' adorable in an outfit that April got her.

Gettin' ready to head home.

All bundled up to go outside for the first time.

Big cousin Tyler's first time seeing Sophia.

Connor's first time holding her.

Grandma with all her grandchildren.

Our first visit to the pediatrician.

Pediatrician's office