Ollie's Escapades

Silly Sick

2009-07-21T19:17:00.004-04:00

What a crazy month its been. I've been really lazy about posting. Sorry. Ollie's been sick sick sick. He ran a high fever for about a week then developed a terrible head cold and ear infection! Ugh!! He had antiobiotics that did not agree with his digestive system which in turn caused us to go through a tube of Desitin in a few days. Ick and ouch! On a happier note. Ollie will be 9 months old tomorrow!! He's growing so fast. He is starting to stand on his own, but still needs some courage and practice. He is also dancing now. I have a video on youtube, then link is below. I love it. He has 3 teeth now, too. Two bottom front teeth and one upper right eye tooth. He's gotta be working on some more becuase he is constantly chew chew chewing! On a not so happier note. He sees what he wants and he wants it right now. Usually his wants are the tv remote, the radio remote, or my cell phone. The other day he had my cell phone for work and he called a few people. He actually tried to leave a message for Debi, sorry, Debi. When he sees what he wants and doesn't get it he cries and fights. He also thinks, "NO" is funny. He's learning though. Well, I think that's about it for the Ollie updates. We've got a lot coming up so I don't expect to post much, but I'll try. Enjoy the pictures below and check out the video link. Thanks for checking in. Ollie and Daddy watching fireworks from our house. This is the view from our house. NICE!!

SORRY...BAD MOMMY!

2009-06-17T19:30:00.005-04:00

Sorry, all. I haven't blogged since Mother's Day. Ouch! I will try to do better.

Now for all my excuses! Ollie has been growing soooo much. I have some pictures to post to show his progress. He is crawling so fast these days. He is pulling up on everything higher than the floor. He is opening all the drawers (don't worry they have safe things in them). He has his first tooth (bottom front right). He is mimicking me. He grunts when he wants more food. He's proficient with the spoon and is even eating some table food. He'll be walking any day now. Not really, more like a month, but very soon anyway.

He's not been feeling well and therefore not sleeping well. When I get home from work we play for just a bit and then he starts getting tired and fussy. He's fighting sleep more now, but I think only because he is in pain with his teeth. He doesn't have his next appointment until July.

He'll be 8 months old on Monday! 8 months came sooo fast. Right now he's on the floor crawling over Josh's legs to get to me and figure out what this clickety click click noise is that I have going on in my lap. He's also getting tired so he's moving around like he has ants in his pants. He just can't sit still or he'll fall asleep.

He is such a good baby though. So relaxed and laid back. He sits in the floor and play by himself. He's so independent. We have the bestest baby ever.

Well, enough of my jibber jabber. Here are a few pictures.
Crawling and sitting up on his own at 6 months.

Standing up and enjoying his new swimming pool at 7 months.

Enjoying a day outside with Pappaw.

And this is what you get when you let a 7 month old feed himself.

Such a big big boy! He'll be walking any day now.

Being His Mother

2009-05-10T21:06:00.006-04:00

When he smiles as I walk into the room.
When he laughs at my funny noises.
When he reaches for me to pick him up.
When he quiets as I soothe him.
When he grins as we make eye contact.
When he lies his head on my shoulder as I sing him to sleep.
When he looks at me as I feed him.
When he cries for me.
When he breathes.

This is when I love being his mother.

Ollie's Laugh

2009-05-02T08:16:00.003-04:00

This video is long, but you have to hear him laugh. It took forever to capture this sound. When he sees the camera he stops what he's doing and looks at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUC8fX-VJVo

Here are a few pictures of us spending time outside while Josh mowed. Ollie didn't enjoy the noise from the lawn mower.

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Ollie

2009-04-23T09:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Ollie's 1/2 birthday! 6 months already. It has gone by so quickly. Let's take a long look at the first 6 months:

Zero to One: Josh and I are exhausted. Ollie is eating every 1.5 - 2 hours and will only sleep if we are holding him. He was admitted to the hospital for jaundice treatments. It was as rough month, but we fell in love with this tiny, needy, adorable little baby!

One to Two: Josh and I are exhausted. Ollie is eating every 2 hours. He had his first cluster feeding and that was difficult. He's beginning to pay attention to the things around him. He's started to get really fussy and inconsolable every night around 10pm. We can't figure it out. We're tired. Ollie saw Santa for the first time. He didn't even cry. We also got a couple of his first smiles this month.

Two to Three: Josh and I are exhausted. Ollie is eating every 2 - 3 hours. He sleeps in his carseat now and the first night he did this he slept a solid 6 hours. Astonishing!! Ollie had his first outing this month. He went to the Louisville Science Center. First time I had to feed him and change a poopy diaper in public...fun! At his pediatrician visit this month she told us he's short and fat! HA! Ollie's first Christmas. He also found his hands!! We started bedtime routine and it works!

Three to Four: Josh is exhausted. I went to back to work this month. Ollie eats every 2 - 3 hours, but is sleeping more through the night. He smiles so much more now, but still we really have to work those smiles out of him. He actually loves to get a bath now. We're slowly moving into 3-6 month clothes. No more newborn stuff :-( Ollie rolled from his belly to his back. He loves his new mobile above his bed, first toy he ever smiled at. Ollie started to really spit up and drool a lot this month. He's learned to laugh out loud. That's fun. We started cereal at the end of this month, he loves it. He eats it from a spoon! He's also batting at toys above his head now. He loves the TV, too.

Four to Five: Ollie is sleeping longer stretches at night. He's doing great. He's cooing and "talking" a lot these days. Usually, he likes to talk over me. He grew three inches in two months. We found out he has eczema. He needs lots of lotion. He got an exersaucer and he loves it!! He's sleeping from about 6:30pm - 5:00am. WOW! When I go in his room in the mornings because I hear him stirring around he is sitting in his seat smiling up and me! So cute. He laughs so hard when Josh tickles him, or really when Josh looks at him. He had some sweet peas for the first time. His first taste of flavored food. YUM! He had a tooth pop through, but then go back into his gum. Weird.

Five to Six: Ollie is sleeping in his crib now on his belly. If you put him on his back he just rolls right on over to his belly. He is absolutely adorable! He is rolling around on the floor, army crawling and scooting around the room, "talking" so much, smiling constantly, teething, wearing 6-9 month clothes, wearing size 3 diapers, feeding himself from a sippy cup, drinking not only formula but water and juice, putting EVERYTHING in his mouth, grabbing and watching the dogs and SO MUCH MORE! I just can't get over it. He's the life of the party and such a little flirt. He's starting stage 2 foods as soon as we run out of the stage 1 we have left. He's such a joy. I'm looking forward to the next 6 months, but I'm a little sad he's not going to be "baby" much longer!

Doctor, Doctor!!

2009-04-16T17:02:00.003-04:00

Ollie had his 6 month checkup today. At 4 months he weighted 15lbs and 13oz. Now he weighs 18lbs and 5oz. At 4 months he was 26.5" long and now he's 27.25" long. He's a growing boy. He's in the 75th percentile for both so he's doing very well. No baby diet for Ollie!!

His pediatrician told us to expect him to start crawling and cruising and saying "Momma and Dadda" before his 9 month appointment. It just doesn't seem like that'll be happening so soon.

He's trying so hard to crawl right now though that I think he'll be crawling before he's 7 months old. She thinks 9 months so we'll see who wins!!

I put a video on YouTube, but don't want to load it on here because it takes too long. You can view the link though if you'd like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIPpTr-VeZo

I'll let you know if he takes off and crawls one of these days!!
We took this picture before Gran left for Texas. Ollie was looking through his Easter goodies from Gran and Pappaw and we decided he'd be cute in the basket. We were right!!

Such a Big Boy!!!

2009-03-24T21:28:00.004-04:00

Here he is only discovering he has feet. I don't have a picture of his foot in his mouth just yet.
He's chilling in his excersaucer watching Daddy play with the dogs.
This is how you'll usually find him, with both his hands in his mouth. His poor little hands are so red and chapped. He's eating a lot of lotion because we have to keep his hands coated to keep them from bleeding...ouch!

And some smiles!!

A few new notes about Ollie. He has now taken to eating his feet. That's right, he'll grunt and groan until he has managed to shove a foot, or at least a few toes, into his mouth. His smiles have grown much more frequent. Now, to get him to smile I must only walk into the room. I love that.

He's still sleeping really well at night, but sometimes getting him to sleep is torture. He cries and cries. He'll sleep on my shoulder, but then when I lay him down he ain't having it!!

He's eating veges and fruits now, too. Actually, tonight we gave him peaches and he gagged a few times and the peaches ended up all over him. We switched to sweet peas which he gobbled up in no time. I just can't seem to feed him fast enough! I think the peaches are a little too tart for his taste right now. He loves bananas, applesauce, pears, sweet peas, green beans, sweet potatos and even squash, but peaches he can do without! We'll try again later.

Ollie Wollie

2009-03-09T19:49:00.005-04:00

I've some new pictures to post. Ollie had his 4 month shots last week and he did just fine. Once the initial shock of the shot was over with it's as if he didn't have any shots. No fever, no fuss, no pain. We were all happy.

He's "talking" so much now. Every chance he gets he starts jabbering. It's the cutest thing ever. I especially enjoy when I put him in his crib to sleep and he "talks" himself to sleep. I could just listen to that all day.

Today, I came home from work and he rolled himself from his back to his side and then to his belly. The only problem was that his shoulder kept him from really rolling all the way over. All I did was reach down and support his head and then he pushed himself on over onto his belly. Such a strong little boy!

Also, today he was grabbing his toes. He's been doing that randomly for a few days, but this afternoon if he's on his back he has one foot and each hand. I love it.

He'll be 5 months next week. Fast approaching!! He'll be walking before we know it.
Yesterday he had his first taste of green beans and he LOVED THEM!!! He was so happy to have them. I think more ended up ON him than IN him, but we tried. He's been wanting to eat every 2.5 hours and that's just too much so we decided more solids might help. We haven't worked out a routine yet, but we'll get there.

Here's where we started.

And here's where we ended!!

I Love Me Some Baby Overalls!!

2009-03-01T05:14:00.005-05:00

I don't have any new news to post, well, other than Ollie gets his 4 month shots on Wednesday. Ugh!!!!

Anyway, I decided I am putting Ollie in a new outfit everyday just because he is growing soooo fast that he doesn't have time to wear all the clothes he has. So, yesterday was overall day. Then, when I saw how cute he is in overalls, I had to take a million pictures, much to Josh's chagrin, he has to be Ollie's support.

I have two pictures to post. The first shows Josh's vexation as he is teaching Ollie to punch Mommy. The second is just plain cute. Enjoy!

I'm Doing Just Fine

2009-02-18T18:31:00.004-05:00

He loves loves loves to talk to his toys and he so very serious about it!!
He was playing with his ding a ling here. That's the toy my sister, Sharlet, made for him. He loves it!!!! She was right, "Every little boy [does] need a ding a ling!!"
Ollie had his 4 month check up today. He's 3 months and 3.5 weeks or he's simply 17 weeks!! He weighs 15lbs and 13oz which is the 70th percentile. He is 26.5 inches long and in the 95th percentile which is much better than his 20th percentile last time!!!! HA!!!

He's sitting up well while supported, cooing "talking," batting at toys, grasping toys, putting things in his mouth, drooling, spitting up and eating irratically just like he's supposed to be at this stage! In other words, he's doing just fine!! He did not get shots today because we are going to get the at the health department because my insurance does not fully cover them. Stupid health insurance!

Its hard to hold him now because he is trying so hard to sit up that he'll flop right out of your arms. Ya gotta hold him. He loves to bear weight on his legs so he loves his exersaucer a lot!!! His little back, neck and arms are sooo strong and he does so well at tummy time.

Things are looking good. Not much else to report since we just had a Valentine's Day report. We hope all is well with everyone else!! THE END!

Happy Valentine's Day (a day late)

2009-02-15T04:54:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Valentine's Day. Of course, Ollie enjoyed lots of chocolate coated suprises and candy hearts that read, "Kiss Me." Okay, so maybe not all this, but he did get lots of kisses all day. It was a good Saturday. Here are some pictures of Ollie in his Valentine's Day outfit from Gran. Sent with Love!!
He was being very good for tummy time pictures, but he kept wanting to roll to his back.

This past week he's been sitting in his exersaucer more and more (thanks James and Sarah) and he loves it. He's started to look at the toys and bat at them more and more. I've got some great pictures of this, too. The pictures say it all so I won't spend much time up here.

He loves to talk to his toys, too!

We go back to the doctor on Wednesday this week so we'll have more news to share then.

January...What a Month!!!

2009-01-31T10:12:00.000-05:00

Ollie is officially 3 months old. 14 weeks and 3 days if you want to count by weeks. We are having a blast with him. He is such a bundle of fun these days. Don't get me wrong, he has his evil moments, but we're overcoming those, one fit at a time.

As of lately, he is laughing out loud when he's in the right mood. Sometimes he'll open his mouth really wide and throw his head back, but no sound comes out. Other times he's cracking up. Sometimes, he cracks himself up. Sunday, January 25th, was his first comedic moment with his favorite cousin, Tina. We'd visited with family and friends and he would just stare and sometimes crack a smile, but when he met Tina, he went wild. He laughed so hard he gave himself the hiccups. Then he decided he didn't like cousin Tina anymore ;-)

From that day on he's been laughing frequently. Its such a joy to finally hear those sounds and see those smiles!!! We've worked hard to earn that!!!!

I don't remember if I blogged about this or not, but he can roll from his belly to his back now. Sometimes he needs to be reminded he can do it, but then he'll take off on his own. He isn't rolling from his back, but he is sitting up really well while supported. He sits in his Bumbo seat like a champ. He loves to be in his Johnny Jump Up, too. I've got pics of all this I'll include below.

Our big leap recently has been cereal. He has been spitting up a lot recently so I called the pediatrician and asked if it'd be okay to go ahead and start cereal. She said yes. So we spoon fed him some cereal and he did GREAT. He loved it. He'll be a healthy eater. Hopefully, he'll start eating on a better schedule. Right now we are feeding him about every 2.5 hours. Ugh!! At night he's still a great sleeper. He sleeps for usually 6 hours then eats then sleeps another 3-4 hours. He has his nights, but for the most part he's doing great. We put him in his crib to sleep one night, but he wasn't getting a good sleep so we switched right back to the car seat. Don't judge me, he sleeps well and it isn't hurting him. Someday he'll be a hunch back, but we'll just blame that on his slouching!!! HA!!

I think that's all the updates I have. He's growing and growing and I love him more and more everyday. Doesn't seem possible, but its all the new things he does that I fall in love with.

PS-- We survived the snow and ice storm and are patiently awaiting the next big snow we are supposed to get on Monday!!!

Blogger isn't allowing me to put up pics. There are some technical difficulties. So until I can fix this problem copy and paste the following link into your internet browswer for more pics on snapfish.com link

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=276286300/a=83874118_83874118/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink

Time for an Update, I know, I know!!!

2009-01-15T07:34:00.001-05:00

This is the first day he got his mobile and was LOVING it.

I haven't posted since Christmas!! Wow. Lots of changes. I am back at work now so Josh is parenting alone. Gran comes over the help out on her day off and some afternoons so that's very helpful. I miss him while I'm at work, but I try to stay busy so it isn't so bad. I don't have to drop him off at daycare with strangers that is a HUGE plus. I don't think I could handle that.

Things are going VERY smoothly...knock knock knock. Ollie is sleeping pretty good at night. He still goes about 6 hours and then wakes up for a bottle then sleeps about 4 more before being awake for most of the day with a few unscheduled naps. It'll be nice to get him on a more consistent schedule...routine.

Ollie partied hard ringing in the new year...explanations of the pics below. He got a new mobile for his crib and he just loves it. It is the first "toy" he's smiled at. He loves to look at it and "talk" to it. Soooooo sweet!!! He got a Bumbo seat for Christmas and he sits in it for a little while then tires of it. Mostly, he's happy lying on his back in the floor staring at his black and white cow or watching TV...don't freak out, we don't let him watch TV, it just catches his attention every now and then.

Now, I'll post these pics for your viewing pleasure.
Thanks, Nan. He loves this light up toy.
Eyes were glued to it.
Time for a New Year Party!!!!
Oh, I'm partied out, Man!!!! (Looks like he's fake sleeping here.)

I'll post again, soon. I hate that I can only post 5 pictures and it takes soooo long to load them. We've got a few more to share though.

Ollie's First XMas!!

2008-12-30T08:40:00.001-05:00

We spent our first Christmas with Ollie at home. We visited other family members back in Marshall County and here at Josh's parents' house, but Christmas morning we were here. I refuse to be somewhere other than my own home on Christmas morning now that we have little Ollie. It's just nice to be at home! Of course, Gran and Pappaw were here to help Ollie celebrate his first Christmas.

He slept through the gift opening, but he loves everything he got from Gran and Pappaw, us and of course, SANTA!!

After we had our gift opening, Gran made breakfast and we enjoyed that then we lounged around the house before going to Gran's for lunch with more family.

Prior to Christmas Day we visited my family back home. My dad got to see Ollie for the first time as did many others.

And you can see he slept through most of this, too.

All in all, we had a good christmas and we have some good memories. Josh got a gift from his Uncle John that is definitely memorable. He was handed a card that read "Open in order. Try them on as you go. No refunds. No exchanges." Josh was confused, but quickly understood when he saw a stack of gifts on the table. He began opening them in order and if you want to copy and paste this link into your browser http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275821215/a=83874118_83874118/t_=83874118 you can see what happened...if you don't get it, leave a comment and I'll explain, but I don't want to ruin it for you.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and we'll do it again next year!!

Look What I Can Do!!!

2008-12-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

We learned more about tummy time when we saw the pediatrician. Someone should really write a comprehensive book on this parenting stuff and I don't mean some doctor who's never had kids. Anyway, I've been letting him lie on the ground and flail about when I should have been putting him as demonstrated in the above picture. Who knew he could lift his little head so high on his own? Well, we found out yesterday!! So cute. Those chubby cheeks were weighing him down so he only tolerated a few minutes.

I've inclused a couple of other pics that I took yesterday, as well.

2 Months!!!

2008-12-19T04:21:00.000-05:00

I don't have any pictures at the moment to post, but we had Ollie's 2 month appointment today and I wanted to post about it.

He is weighing in now at a whopping 12lbs and 10.5oz. He's in the 75th percentile for his weight and the 25th for his height, so he's short and fat!!!! He's healthy!! He's 22.25 inches long. Growing boy!

He still isn't smiling consistently, but we aren't concerned. He hasn't been sleeping well so we're working on that. Tonight he's doing great sleeping all by himself. Better sleep will make him better during the day so he's not so crabby. We should start getting those smiles soon!!!

He had his shots today which really sucked for me, but he seemed to handle them like a champ. He turned Santa Red in the face when she poked him 3 TIMES, but as soon as I picked him up he gave me a few good cries and then settled right down. He's been a little sore at the injection sites this evening and he was a little crabby for a few hours, but he settled down around 10:00pm and slept until 2:30am. Josh fed him and now he's sleeping again (please don't jinx myself, please don't jinx myself). It's 4:30am, by the way! I couldn't sleep. I'm so used to be being awake, I guess!

So, about his shots, I tried to put some ice packs on his little injection sites because, as chubby as his legs are, they are still swollen. He didn't seem to care for the cold. I did break down and give him some Tylenol because he was giving me these screams that were sporatic, which told me he was sore. I can tell his cries and he definitely has a PAIN cry coming out!!

As far as other things we have going on, not much. We've been tending to his every need and now we are trying to get him to sleep on his own. It's better for him if he feels safe falling asleep on his own and so far all we've shown him is that its only safe to fall asleep if he's being held. We're learning!! I feel better that the pediatrician told us to let him fuss and cry for a bit and then comfort him, but don't pick him up. Everything I read says, "Don't let your newborn cry!!!" So I was worried I wasn't giving him what he needed if I let him cry when he was trying to sleep alone, but I feel better about it now and IT WORKED!! He fussed for a bit tonight and then fell right to sleep. I'm a little worried that he's stressed from his shots and that's why he's sleeping so well. Tomorrow night may be a different story.

I'll try to take some pictures later today and get them posted on here. We've been so busy lately that we haven't broken out the camera!! Bad Mommy!

Thanks for checking in.

Happy Holidays!!

2008-12-10T12:48:00.000-05:00

I'm a lot behind in my postings. I apologize to you faithful followers.

Ollie is growing like a weed. He gets a little heavier everyday. He has started cooing more and making "real" noises that just make us laugh. He's tracking more and more with his eyes. He's been smiling inconsistently, but its a rare treat when he does!!

We've had a rough couple of weeks because he's been so fussy and wanting to be held all day and all night. Only in the past couple of days has he begun to chill out a little more. It's nice to have a break, but then again I don't know what to do with myself when he's being so well behaved!! HA!!

We went to see Santa at a work party and he didn't mind Santa one bit. I took some pictures myself, around the house, but they aren't that great. I'm still learning to use my camera and haven't fully figured it out. Also, he's been so tempermental that he doesn't want to be put down which makes picture taking fast and unorganized. UGH!! It's fun anyway!

I may be leaving some important stuff out, but I really can't think of anything right now. We'll be making the trip home on the 21st for an early xmas. I'm excited, but also terrified. I think he'll sleep in the car without a problem, but I'm not sure about sleeping with him somewhere other than home. Hopefully, it'll be stress free and we can get as many visits in as possible.
Enjoy the pics.

Ollie's First Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T16:59:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with family yesterday and had a good visit and dinner. This past week Ollie turned 5 weeks old. He's a growing boy. We don't see the doctor again until December 22, but we are thinking he's pushing 10lbs. He's getting chubby. He's getting much more interested in the things around him and he reacts to our voices. It's neat to watch him develop these things. I've included a few pictures of Ollie yesterday. He at too much turkey and slept the whole day.

Pictures

2008-11-19T17:23:00.001-05:00

This blog goes along with the one below it. I ran out of room for pictures so I'm adding more here.
These are simply a few miscellaneous pics I've taken.
One month old.
And hating getting his picture made. "HOLD ME"
He wore this shirt on election day. Worked out nicely.
I love the colors in this picture. And those long johns are TOO cute.
Handsome. Good looks run in my family!!

One Month Young

2008-11-19T17:02:00.000-05:00

Today, Ollie is one month old...uhum...young. It's been an intersting day. He's been a little crabby. He did get his first big boy bath which I've included pictures of. He finally lost his umbilical cord so he got a real bath instead of a sponge bath. He hated it. He was not loving the shower like I was.

I tried taking some other pics of him today and he was not feeling it. He's wanted to be snuggled all day so getting pictures has been near impossible. It is nice to just snuggle him, though.

On Tuesday we took him to his doctor's appointment to check his jaundice level. She sent us to the hospital for another blood test and it was 7.9. This is great news because it is going down without the use of lights. We are very happy. I'm so sick of him having to have slices in the bottom of his feet!!! He weighed 9lbs 1oz at this appointment and the doctor was very pleased with this weight gain. He's eating pretty much every 2.5 - 3 hours and it's usually 4oz., but sometimes a little less and sometimes a little more.

He shouldn't see the doc again until Dec. 22. Hopefully, all will go well and he won't have to see her sooner!

He's holding his head up a little more each day. I just know time is going to fly by. He's getting bigger everyday. I've included some pictures for those of you who haven't seen him in a while. Enjoy!!
He lost his cord and has a real belly button. He's growing up so fast!!

And here he peed on me after I got him out of the tub. Thanks!!
I've run out of room for pictures so I'll post another blog with a few more pics.

Ollie is Better!!

2008-11-13T18:33:00.000-05:00

Today we took Ollie to the hospital for his LAST blood test. His level of bilirubin was 10.2. Before we knew the test result we went ahead and decided he didn't need the lights anymore. I just wanted to hold him and snuggle him. So that's what I did, all day. So I was really happy when the doctor called and said he didn't need the lights anymore.

Now, we have a follow up appointment on Monday, but I don't think anything will come of that. They'll weigh him and check his color. He should be just fine. The last weight we have is 8lbs and 4oz. so hopefully, he'll be weighing more than that.

We haven't started him back on breast milk just yet, but we probably will tomorrow. It's easier on his digestive system. He has a hard time with the formula and he spits up so much with it. Makes me sick!! Ugh.

So, we're well and happy!!

Must be Me!!

2008-11-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

Good news!! We took Ollie off the breast milk after his bilirubin level started going back up. We did that at about 6:00pm last night. He's been under the lights since Friday night. At 11:00am he had another blood test and this afternoon the pediatrician called to tell us his level is now 12.4.

His results have looked like this:
Friday 18.7
Saturday 18.1
Sunday 15.3
Monday 14
Tuesday 15.3
Wednesday 12.4

The pediatrician said we can put him back on breast milk and continue the lights for one more day. We are going to continue with the formula until we KNOW his level is down and isn't coming back up. We go again in the morning for his "last" test. We hope it's his last. I think we'll more than likely start him on breast milk once he's better and then we'll supplement a bottle a day with formula just to ensure he's getting what he needs to keep the level down. At least for a few weeks.

I forgot to mention that on Sunday at the hospital he weighed 8.4 oz. He's a growing boy. Today is his 3 week birthday, but we haven't felt much like celebrating. We miss him, yet he's here. It's strange. We haven't been able to hold him much without feeling guilty because we know he needs the lights as much as possible. It really takes away from just enjoying him. It's so nice to take his mask off when he's awake so we can see his little eyes. Just in a week he's come so far with looking around and really taking in his surroundings. I can't wait to get him off the lights and get him well!!!

Stay tuned and I'll keep you updated.

Breast Milk Jaundice???

2008-11-11T14:21:00.000-05:00

Well, we went for another blood test this morning. Yesterday the level was 14 and today it is 15.3. Bad news. That means its going up and we don't really know why. It should be coming down, even if slowly. So, we're testing the Breast Milk Jaundice theory. If we take him off breast milk and supplement with formula then the bilirubin level should drop rapidly. He's eating randomly. About every 3 hours, but never more and often less. He eats between 3 and 4 ounces, but today at his 11:30am feeding he had 5oz. He just kept wanting more and more. This is good because the more he eats the faster the bilirubin can leave his body. We're encouraging his healthy eating!!

We have to keep the lights going again all night and give him formula and then off again in the morning for another blood test.

Oh and one more thing for all you parents out there. You know those little mitts you can buy to put on your babies hands so they don't scratch themselves? Don't use them!!! We had some for Ollie and we put them on his hands last night because he kept getting mad and ripping the mask off his eyes. We didn't want him to do this while we slept and then be exposed to the lights so we put the mitts on. Big mistake. This morning his little hands were swollen. It cut off the circulation and we didn't even know. We felt terrible. We should have checked to make sure they weren't too tight, but they went on easily so we didn't think about it. UGH!! Don't use them. Or at least check every half hour to make sure they don't get too tight. Lesson learned at poor Ollie's expense. He is fine, by the way. His hands must have been sleeping in those mitts though because when I took them off he waited about 1 minutes then started screaming so I'm assuming the blood was then moving around and he got the prickly feeling that we all hate!!! Poor baby! He's had it rough!

Keep checking back for more updates! Hopefully, we have good news tomorrow.

Ollie's Jaundice Terror

2008-11-10T17:55:00.000-05:00

What a rough week. Ollie celebrated his two week birthday on Wednesday last week. He's thriving very well and packing on some weight. Then on Thursday we noticed he was beginning to look more and more yellow. Friday we decided to call the doctor before waiting for the weekend so we wouldn't have to worry all weekend about his condition. I called the pediatrician and told her my concern. She ordered a blood test at Harrison County hospital to check the level of bilirubin in his blood.

Bilirubin is a waste product from dying red blood cells. The bilirubin is supposed to be flushed out by the liver, but in newborns sometimes the liver isn't mature enough to do this. Usually it shows up on day 1 or 2 of life and goes away on its own in 2-3 weeks. When we left Norton Hospital on Oct 25, Ollie's bilirubin level was 11.7. This is an okay number so we were told to simply keep an eye on it and if his color got worse they would do a blood test. We kept watching and it was going away. When he had his one week check up his pediatrician said his color looked great and she wasn't going to order any tests.

Now, back to Friday. We took him to Harrison County and they did the blood test. That evening the pediatrician called us back and said it was a good thing they ordered the test because his level was 18.7. Rarely, does jaundice go away and then come back. This concerned the pediatrician so she sent us to Floyd County ER for admission and phototherapy. The phototherapy breaks down the bilirubin into a water soluable component that is then more easily flushed out of his system in the form of feces and urine.

Friday night they hooked him up with some lights and then tested him again on Saturday morning. His level was then 18.1. It was going down, but not very quickly. This meant another day and night in the hospital. Because his level was so high and he was 2 weeks old they were again concerned so they ordered a whole panel of blood tests. This time 6 vials of blood were taken and he was tested for many many different possible disorders. On Sunday morning we were told that everything looks normal and there is no cause for concern. Again, his bilirubin level was tested and it was 15.3. Going down still. This time we asked for phototherapy for our home so we could leave. We had a HORRIBLE room and TERRIBLE accomodations at the hospital. Our request was granted and we were able to bring him home on Sunday with home phototherapy. I've included some pics to show you how this looks. The mask for his eyes is to protect him from the lights which can be damaging.

Today, Monday, we took him back for another blood test and it was 14. Again, going down. We will continue the lights and blood tests daily until we reach 10. After that he should be good to go!! He's as tired of the lights as we are.
His soccer injury. Okay, this was actually the first of MANY needle pricks he got. His IV was the worst!!! This is a good picture to compare the color of his arms to the color of his face. You can really see the jaundice.
His suitcase of phototherapy lighting. If we have the drape up he doesn't have to wear the eye mask, but he hates the drape.
The mask protects his eyes.

Like Father Like Son?

2008-11-03T16:35:00.000-05:00

What do you think of the resemblance? I see many similarities. The first picture is Josh as a newborn. The second is Ollie at 4 days old and the last at 10 days old.

Baby's First Halloween

2008-11-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

Ollie really enjoyed his first Halloween. He peed all over his jack-o-lantern onesie. Ugh. I did manage to get a few pics before though. He also made his first debut at Wal-Mart. Fun. He slept through the whole experience. Yippee!! Actually, he pretty much slept through all of Halloween. At about 10:00pm he decided it would be fun to wake up and enjoy the night. That was not fun for us, but he seemed to enjoy being awake.

Enjoy the pics of our little punkin.

A Visit with the Pediatrician and Tummy Time

2008-10-30T18:39:00.000-04:00

Today Ollie saw the pediatrician, Dr. Hall, for the first time. He weighs 6lbs and 12oz. She told us that they like to see babies reach their birth weight by 8-10 days of life. He's at day 8 and he's only an ounce away so he's doing great. His slight jaundice is going away. She said his color looks great and she's not going to do any blood tests. That's good because we were trying to keep an eye on that. She answered a few questions we had about when to feed and how much. He is demanding more and more food and we didn't want to cause stomach problems by overfeeding, but she assured us that when he drains the bottle and wants more it's okay to give him more, go figure. So he's eating about 2.5 ounces now every 3 hours. He's pretty consistent with his timing, too. It makes planning easier.

Dr. Hall showed us how to clean his umbilical cord, too. The nurses only told us to swab it with alcohol. You're actually supposed to pull it away from the belly and really get the swab around the icky part. It's quite scary because I feel like I'm going to pull the cord off, but it seems okay. She also showed us how to swaddle him. Again, much better than what they showed us in expectant parent classes and at the hospital. He was snug after she did that.

He has a diaper rash that we've been looking after. We were afraid he has diarrhea, but she didn't seem concerned. Breast milk babies tend to have runnier poopies than formula fed. She told us if it doesn't clear up in 2-3 days to eliminate dairy and soy from my diet for 2 weeks and see if that helps. He may be lactose intolerate, but doubtful. We'll see. I think it's clearing up already. Besides, I like milk. :0

So, basically, he's doing well and we got a good report from the pediatrician.

Today, we played tummy time. He did very well as you can see from the pics below. He was so into it. Not really, he only found the belly down position very comfy and wanted to sleep. We got some really cute pics though. I put together his rain forest exercise set so we'll see if that helps with tummy time. At least he's not opposed.

That's about it for updates that I can think of. Tomorrow is Halloween. Stay tuned for that.

Celebrating One Week of Life

2008-10-29T12:53:00.001-04:00

One week ago today Ollie was entering this world. He didn't look to happy about it at the time, but I think he's more positive now. Eating, sleeping and getting tons of kisses seems to be alright with him. It's alright with us, too. He is such a good baby. We couldn't ask for better. He's eating about every 2 - 3 hours depending on how many ounces he takes. We offer 2 and he usually takes that or 1.5. He's doing great. No spitting up and no upset tummy!!! That makes all of us happy.

Tomorrow is his first doctor's appointment. We think he's doing great so we hope to get a good report from the doctor. His pediatrician that we selected hasn't met him yet. He saw the other two doctors in the practice while in the hospital so we are excited to work with the peditrician we selected.

We're having trouble with breastfeeding so I am pumping and he is still getting some good old fashion breast milk. We have formula just in case, but recently haven't had to use it. He tolerates both very well so we are happy with the decisions we are making.

We couldn't be happier. We could be more rested, but hey, that par for the course, right? We aren't wishing one day away. I look at it like this. When he wakes me, or rather I wake him, at 3:00am for a feeding that one more hour I get to spend cuddling and feeding him. Someday, he'll have grown to a man and I'll look back and wonder where the days went. We're just enjoying him!! He's so darn cute we can't stop staring at him!

Well, I've posted a few pics here, but if you want to see more you can go to the follwing link. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731060482&ref=name

Stay tuned for more of Ollie's Escapades.

John Oliver has arrived!!

2008-10-25T16:41:00.000-04:00

On October 21, I went to my regularly scheduled appointment with my doctor. We had an ultrasound scheduled to see how big Ollie was getting and he really only scheduled that because I really wanted to see Ollie again. So, I went in for that and the nurse doing the u/s said the amniotic fluid level was a little low, but she estimated him at about 6lbs and 14oz. He was also breech. I had to go back to the waiting area and wait for the doc, but within 5 minutes the nurse had me back there. Usually, I wait around 10-15 minutes for him, but not this time. He was in the office before I even put my purse in the chair. He confirmed that the fluid level was low and he was concerned so he was sending me to the hospital for overnight monitoring and fluids to try to get the level back up.

Over at the hospital they put me in triage and we waited for a room, and waited, and waited. I got there at 3:00pm and we got in a room at 10:00pm. Seven other women were in labor so we weren't exactly priority. We had a very nice labor and delivery room though. So all night we waited and I was pumped full of IV fluids. The IV part was NOT FUN!! Not a very IV educated nurse. OUCH!!! That's a whole blog in itself.

Early the morning of the 22nd, we had another ultrasound with the high risk specialists at Norton Hospital and again the fluids were low. It had increased by one ounce, but that was still only 5.6oz. Normal range that doctors like to see is between 8oz. and 20oz. That's quite a range, but even with that it's still below the range. The doctor on call that day came by our room and told us that she had consulted with the high risk doctor and they'd decided the fluid was dangerously low and we'd be delivering that day. The funny part is that she told me she was going to induce labor and I had to tell her Ollie was breech. She went back and looked at the ultrasound again and agreed that he was breech so we'd be doing a c-section after 4:00pm. We were scheduled for 4:30pm, but he didn't arrive until 7:34pm. Other emergency c-sections took precedence. He weighed 6lbs and 13oz at birth and was 19 inches long. Soooo cute, too.

After the c-section we are all doing great. We had to spend an extra day at the hospital because of the c-section birth, but other than that all has gone very well. Ollie is slightly jaundice so we have to keep an eye on that. He came home weighing 6lbs. 2.5oz. I'm going to post a few pics of little Ollie. He's the cutest baby I've ever had!!!!! HA! Enjoy the pics!

And a little tiny baby in a great big world.

Catching Up!

2008-10-19T11:01:00.000-04:00

Now at 37 weeks I'm offically carrying a FULL TERM Ollie. If he comes today, wishful thinking, he should be just fine. We're getting excited. My bag is almost packed and Ollie's is packed and ready to go.
We've been working on the nursery and getting things finalized. We've got a few small things left to buy. We've got some pictures to hang and a little more organization to do. For the most part we're done.
Mindy, sister-in-law, gave us a dresser and Josh spent some time scraping paint off and then sanding and finally repainting. I love it.
Little Ollie has more clothes than I do. He's got a closet full of clothes and we've got tons of bath stuff. Over 80 washcloths. HA. He'll be super clean.
We've got a little motivation for Ollie to come early. This was a gift from someone who thought Ollie is already here. That's okay, we're cheering him on.
And last, but certainly not least here's the lastest belly picture at 37 weeks. You can see a few stretch marks, but really they only show up in pictures. Weird, but I'm not complaining.
It's been fun. I'm going back to the doctor on Tuesday so I hope to have more of an update of when he'll actually be here. I've got some other things to square away with the doctor, too. Like when do I go to the hospital? When do I call? etc...

4 More Weeks!!!

2008-10-14T18:16:00.000-04:00

I went to the doctor today for a regular check up. I am ONE WHOLE CENTIMETER DIALATED!!! Aren't we excited?? Ollie's making his way on outta that dark cave he's living in. WooHoo!! I recently posted on myspace and facebook that I was on semi bed rest so for those of you who saw that....I'm doing much better and that's been lifted. Really it was more of a "go home and prop your feet up" kind of thing. I had a horrible ear infection that was causing pain and a fever. The pain and fever caused my bp to be elevated. My OB wanted me to go home and get some rest so I did. When I went today they checked my bp and it is still a little high for me, but within a good range so the doc wasn't concerned at all.

I go back next Tuesday for another check (we're hoping for more centimeters shaved off) and my ultrasound. WooHoo!!

I had my group B strep test today so I should get results soon. If I test postive for that then they'll have to give me antibiotics when I go into labor. If I test negative then I don't have to worry about anything at all. The nurse said about 40% come back positive. We'll see. I've been lucky thus far.

That's about it for an update. I am looking forward to next week!! My doc seems confident I'll deliver between 38 and 39 weeks!! Me, too!! I hope. Ollie's got a cute little newborn pumpkin onesie and a pumpkin sack so it's only natural that he come in time to wear these. Wouldn't wanna waste clothing now would we??

Until next time!!

Suprises and Pumpkins

2008-10-12T12:28:00.001-04:00

Since my last post we've had some exciting times. For starters, the ladies at work had a suprise shower for me. I was lied to and tricked..hmmm...but it was for the best. It was a great suprise. We got more useful items. Sorry, no camera at the party so no pics. Trust me, though, it was great.

Our next suprise happened Friday. I was sitting at my desk, working hard as usual, and suddenly, I felt little twitches. I was thinking, "What are you doing in there?" Then I realized this was Ollie having the hiccups. This is the first time I felt it. Of course I called Josh and told him. :-) Since then he's had them twice on Saturday and he's hiccupping as I type this. Now, I'm sure, it'll be a common occurrence.

I've been feeling very tired and walking too much makes me hurt all over. I have moved offices at work so now I'm in the front and don't have to walk as much. That's helping. Of course, I'm not getting out on the plant floor as much, but my faithful intern is doing a great job (I hope you're reading this, Debi)!!

Last, but certainly not least, I've got some pumpkin pictures to post for you. Two pumpkins this year!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Doctor Doctor

2008-09-30T19:23:00.000-04:00

Another doctor update. I've been a little under the weather lately, but feeling a little better now. Doctor isn't concerned. My blood pressure is low, but that's okay, it's better than high. I just have to be carefull standing too fast. I struggle with this at night when I have to go to the potty.

Ollie's heartbeat is strong and I'm measuring and weighing in at a great rate. No worries. Doctor said if I've not delivered on my own by Nov.1 then he'll start helping me along. He wants Ollie out by the 8th!! I'll take it. I'd love a Halloween baby!!!!!

I have an ultrasound on Oct 21. Seems like forever away, but it's a measurement to see how big the little sucker is. I wanna see him one more time before he gets here anyway. Just cuz. The last pics we got of him aren't that great because he is stubborn.

We picked our pediatrician. She seems like a nice lady and very educated. She's in an office with two others so there will always be others close that she can consult if there is a problem. Her name is Deborah Hall with Kid's First Pediatrics. Very nice office, too. Clean AND they have a well waiting room and a sick waiting room that are separate so that's nice.

The nursery is all ready to go. We've got Ollie's bag packed, but not mine. I've, hopefully, still got some time for that. I'm getting anxious, but am waiting patiently.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'll keep you updated on Ollie's escapades.

The Belly at 33 Weeks

2008-09-21T18:34:00.000-04:00

Hey folks. I wanted to add a few pics of some craftiness of my family members and I have a few belly pics, too.

My mom made these frames and she embroidered some burp cloths.

My sister, Sharlet, made this horsie for Ollie. Cute.

Also, crafted by Sharlet. "Every little boy needs a ding-a-ling."

And now: THE BELLY! Ollie's very first escapade. The invasion of the organs of Mommy's body.

The belly is taking over my clothes.
Side view at 33 weeks.

Thanks for checking back. Join us next time.

Showers Galore

2008-09-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry dedicated readers!! I've been out of touch with this blogging. Power outages, laziness and then internet connection problems. All sorted out now so hopefully, I'll get you your long awaited update. I'll start where I left off.

At my last Dr. appt. I was given another clean bill of pregnancy health. All is going great. I'll have an ultrasound at 36 weeks so being 33 weeks now, that's only 3 weeks away. He told me I may deliver early. As early as Oct. 24th!! Ahh, that's not far off. Then again, neither is Nov. 8. Enough of that.

We had our first baby shower on Sept. 7th and it went great. Lots of attendees, great food and loot! We are very grateful for the family who put this on for us. The nursery is pulling together. :-) I've posted a few pics of the "getting ready and aftermath" of the shower, but I don't have the pics of the actual shower. Cousin Katy took those and I don't have them yet.

Getting ready for the shower!

The party organizers! Thanks, Ladies!

This is the beautiful and PERFECT quilt that Debbie and Suzanne made for Ollie. Adorable!!!

The loot!! Lots of great and useful items. Thanks everyone!

The great books that I can't wait to read to Ollie. I've already been reading some of them!! I love books and Josh loves books so it's only natural that Ollie will, too!!

Okay, next I have some pics of the OTHER shower we had with my family and friends back home. My mom did a great job of getting things organized and my sisters (including Jessica) did a GREAT job of helping out and pulling it all together. Again, I only have a few pics because I was busy during the shower so others took pics and I don't have them yet. Patience. Here we go!

Getting ready!! They did a great job with such a big space!

All the great gifts from the shower in Draffenville.

The wonderful books Josh and I will read to Ollie and then he'll slowly destroy with his mouth!!! :-)

More will follow, but I want to go ahead and post this because I've had internet connection problems and don't want to delay any longer. This alone took me three days of starting and stopping. Thanks for reading and come back for more of Ollie's Escapades.

Ribs, Doctors and Bellies

2008-08-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

Ribs: Ollie really likes his new home under my right rib cage. That's where he's set up camp for a quite some time now and will probably remain for a few weeks. My posture has gotten much better recently because slouching cuts off my breathing, squishes my stomach and sends stabbing pains through my rib cage.

Doctors: I had another appointment with the doctor on Wednesday. Everything went great. I told him about my self diagnosis of pubic bone separation (major pains in my pubic bone when standing on one foot and getting off the couch or in and out of bed). He said he could give me meds, but I declined. It really isn't intolerable at this point. He also recommended a physical therapist if it gets worse now and especially after delivery. I also told him of my restless leg syndrome diagnosis. Again, he prescribed meds, but I haven't filled it. Last night it would've been great, but again, it isn't intolerable, just annoying. My BP and weight are good. Ollie's heartbeat is strong. I passed my glucose and anemia test and all is well. I really can't complain.

Bellies: Getting bigger and bigger. The dogs really appreciate my bulging belly because they'll lie in my lap and put there heads on my belly and they are almost at eye level with me when I'm lying down. They enjoy the attention. I've been hoping Ollie will kick them because I'd love to see a reaction, but they are never in the right place at the right time.

30 weeks - Profile view

30 weeks - Front view

Badger wants to know who's invading his space.

Our first shower is next weekend. I'll be sure to post some pictures from that event. It'll be nice to have family and friends together. Until next time!!

A Quiet Sunday (While I can still get one)

2008-08-24T14:48:00.001-04:00

I felt crafty today so I went shopping and bought some crafty things to make a "Diaper Wreath." I've been thinking of decor for the house since we are having a baby shower here in two weeks. I decided on a diaper wreath to hang on the door. I love it so much I decided to post a pic. It'll be on display for the shower and then I can disassemble it and use all the parts for Ollie. I don't think I want to take it apart. Maybe Ollie could keep it and hang it in his dorm room in college!!

Look closely to see each piece that is attached!

28 Weeks Pregnant

2008-08-16T12:30:00.000-04:00

I had my 28 week doctor appointment this week. Everything went very well. I passed my 1 hour glucose test so I am not at risk for gestational diabetes. The really good news is that if women are at risk for gestational diabetes it is usually an indicator that they are at risk later in life for diabetes. So hopefully, that won't be a problem, ever, for me.

My BP and weight are right on track with an "average pregnancy." I'm having a typical healthy pregnancy. I have a few complaints. One being, heartburn. If the wives tale is true then Ollie has the maternal gene for hair. I've got it bad. Heartburn was the first sign I was pregnant and it hasn't stopped since. It has consistently gotten worse, though. Another complaint is soreness. I'm sore in my hips, OUCH, and in my ribs. My hip pain is more pelvic pain and my bottom two ribs on both sides are sore to the touch. I think that's because my uterus is attacking my ribs as it grows and invades. Ollie's taking this "escapade" a little too far. He's invading my organ's and bone's space!! HA! One more complaint is RLS, Restless Leg Syndrome. I self diagnosed myself with this a while ago because it just made sense. I have trouble keeping my legs still while I'm relaxing. Thanfully, it doesn't affect my sleep, but it bothers me when watching TV, usually. I read recently on a pregnancy website that it is very common during pregnancy so I've confirmed my self diagnosis. I forgot to mention it to the doc, but I've read that iron is a good source to "relieve" the symptoms. More red meat, please.

We have a crib and a dresser for the nursery. After the showers we'll see what else is needed and then we'll have a complete nursery, minus Ollie for a couple more months. I said I would post pics of the nursery so I've done that here so you can get an idea of what it looks like. The nusery is very lonely right now, but will soon perk up.
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Nursery from a few angles and this last one is the chair rail that Josh worked so hard on.

Lastly, for those who haven't seen me in a while I wanted to post a belly shot from 26 weeks. I don't have one from this week so keep in mind I've grown since these were taken. People who see me everyday at work will go from Friday to Monday and say, "WOW, you're getting bigger." It's actually quite scary. Especially when they say, "Are you having twins?" The nerve! I think I look good for 28 weeks!!

26 weeks and a few days.

26 weeks again. I call this one "The Belly!"

I hope you've enjoyed this addition to Ollie's Escapades. Stay tuned!

A Place for Family Gatherings (from afar)

2008-08-10T10:12:00.000-04:00

Hello family and friends. I've decided to create this blog in order to keep everyone up to date of everyday happenings. Well, not everyday, but you get the idea. I'll publish a blog here periodically of my pregnancy and then of course when Ollie makes his grand entrance, his very first escapade.

I stole the idea from my good friend Sarah. She created her own blog for her little ones and it's a great idea. Here I go, too.

I am 27 weeks pregnant with little John Oliver. His expected arrival date is November 8th. According to my doctor everything is going just great. Which is just great. He's on track, I'm on track and now we're simply waiting...and gaining.

I'm still working and plan to work up to my due date unless Mother Nature has other plans. Working isn't all so bad. I get swollen hands and feet pretty readily, but it only lasts a little while. My hands swell in the heat so I stay confined to my office most days. Some days I can't help it and have to venture out into the wild, but not so often. I think that's bareable and I'll be just fine.

Josh is gearing up to be a stay at home dad. We're both hoping our instincts will kick in as we don't know the 2nd, 3rd and 4th things about being parents. We've got the 1st down, we hope, being love and nurturing and well, basic survival.

The nursery is complete and I'll figure out how to get some pics up soon. We just need to fill it. So thanks to family and friends we'll have our showers on Sept. 7th and 13th. Fun!!

So, I hope you enjoy this blog and I hope I can keep up with updates of Ollie's Escapades.