Annie- 4 Months Old

Happy 4 months to our Annie girl! We celebrated by meeting with our premature/developmental lady that will be coming to work with Annie in the near future. She did say that Annie was right on track for her adjusted age which is 1 month.

Here are a few things about Annie at 4 months actual (1 month adjusted):
-She is taking about 18-20 ounces of breast milk per day. I would like to say we are still on that strict NICU schedule, but that would be a big fat lie. I let Annie schedule herself. If she is hungry she tells me. She eats every 2-4 hours averaging about 2-3 ounces each feed.

-She goes to sleep for the night around 8:30-9:00 and wakes around 2am and 4:30am to eat. She gets up for the day around 7am and takes her first nap around 9am. Her naps are usually very short (45 minutes or so). Overall I can't complain about her sleeping schedule. I know it gets better with time.

-She weighs around 8 1/2 pounds. I am not certain what her weight is but she goes back to the doctor on Monday so we should know then.

-She is beginning to outgrow some of her newborn clothing. I am packing those sweet outfits away with her preemie clothes. Dear heavens I need to hold myself together!

-She has been a little fussy for the past week. This girl can turn some heads with her cry! I am not sure if it is a growth spurt or just her way of getting lots of attention, either way, I hope this sweet screaming goes away soon.

-She smiled at me for the first time today. OK, it MIGHT have been gas but the timing was pretty coincidental if you ask me. I will talk to her in my high pitched goofy baby voice for the unforeseen future in hopes of getting her to do it again…please ignore.

-We are almost off of house arrest. RSV and Flu season decline starting in April. We will still be cautious and will hold off on taking her into big crowds, but maybe we can do a quick restaurant visit soon.

-Annie absolutely loves her "pouch" as Owen calls it. It is a wrap/sling that I wear that holds her to my chest. She does some heavy snoozing in that thing and spends most of her days being toted around as I chase after big brother...who by the way is becoming a bit of a dare devil here lately.

-She absolutely hates to be laid down. We invested quite the chunk of change into places to lay her…(the swing, her bouncy seat, her boppy lounger, the nap nanny…) all of those things make her incredibly mad. She wants to be in someones arms!! So thats what she gets…for now.

-She is still battling reflux. She spits up more than the average baby. For now this is resulting in a lot of laundry, but hey, it gives me a reason to dress her up multiple times a day.

-Speaking of clothes.. she wore her first piece of Matilda Jane clothing this week. There are several more pieces waiting in her closet. We just have to put on a few more pounds!

-She is our sunshine, our pride and joy, our little girl.

Bless you!!

That sneeze made her fall over on her bunny…

So she thought she'd just hang out and relax.

Naps with her daddy

Owen helps feed her…on RARE occasions

Morning snuggles…I might have played a role in this.

Matilda Jane dress up!

Hanging in the shade with my girl while brother played. 

Welcome March!

All is well in our little world. I am so glad it is March (my birthday month…what?!?). Hopefully this cold, snowy weather will be a thing of the past and happy, sunny days are in store! I am flying on cloud nine most of the time… well between the exhaustion, pumping around the clock, and the constant need to clean my house and do laundry. But seriously, everything is going very well.

We had some doctors appointments for both of the kiddos this past week. Annie had a frenulectomy procedure which is basically an upper lip tie. We had it clipped per doctors advice. This will help with nursing and will prevent dental issues later in her life. She is recuperating just fine. She was very fussy for about 48 hours after the clip, but she is back to her sweet little self now, all 7 pounds of her!

Owen went to the ENT for an ear tube check. Owen had tubes placed in both ears when he was 7 months old, which was right at 3 years ago. Well the tubes are supposed to come out on their own within those 3 years and Owen's haven't. His are lodged in his ear canals causing irritation and a little bleeding. The doctor gave us an ear drop that is intended to loosen the tubes and hopefully they will fall out on their own. If they do not come out on their own by March 20th (his next appointment) we will have to schedule a removal procedure with requires general anesthesia. Yuck.

Owen is warming up to his sister slowly but surely. He went to a birthday party (his very best friend "Peanut") this weekend and someone asked if I had a little girl now. Owen chimed in immediately and said, "Yes! Annie!". It was the first time that I felt like he was proud of having her in his life. It definitely put a smile on my face. He ASKED to hold her last night. Mind you… the contact lasted less that 10 seconds, but nonetheless a step in the right direction. I am sure they will be best of friends before I know it.

Doctor selfie with my Annie girl!

Stuck in the house…we don't care! Well, apparently Annie does. 

If these expressions are a foreshadow of her teenage years…then heaven help us. 

Happy big brother. 

Could she be any cuter?

Yes…this looks awkward…it was.

Snoozing with mommy

Having a blast at "Peanut's" party!

Playing hard to get...

Owen isn't a fan of group pictures...

They love each other. 

 

Practicing her cheerleader moves. Go Team!

This next picture may not interest some…but let me tell you how much effort has gone into it. When Annie was in the NICU I felt like I had no control over anything. I couldn't change the situation and I felt helpless most of the time. I put all of my efforts into pumping and providing milk for my tiny girl. It was the one thing I could give her that no one else could…no doctor or nurse could give her the nutrition like I could. I made a pact with myself that no matter how hard or time consuming this was…I wouldn't stop. So today I decided to count my "Milk Stash" I have accumulated so far…1,204 ounces! Right now I have enough in the freezer to get her to 6 months. However, I don't plan on quitting anytime soon. The moments that I do think about it, Brandon encourages me and tells me how important what I am doing really is. I can't thank him enough for that. PUMP ON!!