7 Weeks Old

We have been pretty busy. We have had another trip to Crockett and now Houston. Allison has been doing very well. She has slept 2 nights now for 7 hours straight. Her routine normally is waking up about once per night usually around 3 or 4 and then goes pretty much back to bed. Which is pretty wonderful. When at home, she usually goes to sleep in her bassinett at night but if she is pretty fussy I will put her in bed with us. She has been going through some phases where I at first thought she had colic, but now I know it was acid reflux. Last Friday I called the doctor and told her some of the symptoms, fussiness while feeding, arching her back, screaming in pain etc etc and they called her in some zantac. It actually has helped, poor baby, I feel bad it took me a while to call the doctor so that she could get some relief. Its so strange but I can see some of her behaviors like she did in the womb, such as being very active for an entire day and night and then sleeping a lot the next couple of days. Although its a little different now, she does go through days where she is so awake and then completely drained. She has so far hit all of her milestones, the biggest and most rewarding I will say is when you see her smile. At first she would smile usuallly when she had finished eating but now she will smile (sometimes) when you play with her. She has grown so much and I cant wait to go to the doctor this Friday to see how long she is. I have weighed her and she is 11 lbs 5 oz, but not sure what the doctors scale will say. She has to get her first set of immunizations which I am excited about so I dont feel like she is so vulnerable and I can feel more comfortable getting her out and about. Granted she goes many places now, but I am still careful. Being a mother has truly changed and blessed my life. I cant believe she is ours, I am still in disbelief.
Things to remember:
Zantac medicine
Mylicone Drops (we use these daily, as Allison is quite gassy)
Lamb that makes white noise sound (she sleeps with this for every nap and nighttime)
Head control-- She is getting better and better about holding her head up
She doesnt like socks, blankets on her legs-always kicking them off
Hot natured
Smiling- she has started smiling at things in her enviroment
Loves to look at fans
Her trying to nurse on Will's nose :)

Allisons First Trip to Wimberly

Well last weekend we went to the river with Allison. We loaded up ALL OF OUR STUFF which consisted of pack n' play, pumping bag, milk bag, will's bag, my bag, allison's bag, and 2 other bags filled with all the other baby stuff we might need. John and Emily met us on Thursday around 6pm and we all rode down to Wimberly together. It was a good trip although we had to stop at Whataburger and feed Allison. I actually had to pump in the parking lot- man have things changed... haha, but we made it work. We got to Wimberly around 11pm- fed Allison and tried to get her down. I went to bed around 130 and Allison was up from 3am-6am... Needless to say I was exhausted Friday but excited to be at the river. We got up had coffee and enjoyed the day. I had my first beer in 10 months!! It was weird, I felt like I was doing something wrong. We hung outside for a couple of hours with dad, natalie, wyatt, john, emily, will and I. Sandra and Stan came down and met Allison. We then loaded up and all went to Salt Lick. Allison slept the entire time, she did great!! Then we got home, I took a small nap with Allison and the rest of crew floated the river for what was supposed to be one hour according to dad, but it ended up being 3 hours and they had to paddle/walk the entire time. HAHA, I keep laughing out loud about the scenario, they were so pissed when they got off the river. We ended up just hanging out that night and ate pizza. We got up the next day went to the big house on the hill, had coffee and listened to music. Got in the river that afternoon, and had a bbq that evening. It was perfect weather, and Sherry helped me out so much with Allison. I am forever thankful :) We headed back on Sunday pretty early and are now trying to get back into a routine...

The first weeks at home

We have been very busy, not to mention that we have already made three out of town trips. I know most people are not suprised as people say we never sit still, but at least for now Allison loves car rides so we are able to do it. The first week home was interesting as I was going through so much anxiety. Not sure if it was no sleep, scared that I was doing everything wrong, out of whack hormones, but I will say I was quite anxious. We went to the peditrician on that Thursday the 8th and Allison had gained all her weight back plus three ounces. The first night home was interesting, we ended up bringing the swing into the room and putting her in it as we hadnt gotten any sleep. She slept good in it and I was scared that our baby was going to have to live in that swing for her first year of life. I believe the second night we put her in bed with us on the sleep positioner. It worked for an hour or so.... although the doc said she wanted her to learn to sleep in her bassinett and fall asleep on her own. We are definitely still working on that, but will say the swing has stayed in the living room. Miss Allison is 4 weeks old!! Crazy that this time has already gone by. At this 1 month mark, Allison is definitely not on a schedule, some days she is really active in that she wont go to sleep so mommy thinks she is always hungry. And other days she sleeps during the day and will eat 2 1/2- 3 hours. I will say at night Allison does pretty good. Knock on wood, but it seems like she will go down and sleep the entire 2.5-3 hours and then go back down relatively easy. She has started gazing back at people and she will grab on to your clothes or will's chest hair :) She has so much better head control, she can lift her head up for a couple of minutes if she is on her tummy. She also can control her head for a little while if she is sitting on your lap. She is definitely a grunter, my nickname for her is my little goat, not sure if its gas or just her finding her voice. She makes all sorts of noises lately. She doesnt seem to like being swaddled, so we dont do it at night. Of course I wonder if we should and maybe she could sleep longer. Who knows?!?! She has had 3 nights where she slept 5 hours straight, although I had to wake her to eat. I didnt want to wake her but I knew she wasnt at her 10 pound mark and she isnt supposed to go longer than 6 hours until she is 10 pounds. All the rules!!!! The third week was good in that the second week was hard for me so anything was better. I wasnt as hormonal, not really anxious, got used to Allison, and probably more confident in myself to know what to do if she was upset. The second week Iwas anxious, she was sporadic in eating, I was still getting used to breastfeeding, and we made our first car trip. HOW I did it I dont know, but Allison did well in the car. I cant believe this child is 1 month old and she has made 3 trips, Longview, Crockett, and Wimberly. Go Allison.

Things to Remember:
Gripe Water- we use it often as it seems like Allison gets in pain from gas or what not
Mylicon drops- again gas drops- seems to help
Pumping/Breastfeeding every 2.5-3 hours often 2-2.5 hours
Grunting noises
Sweet smiles after feedings-not on purpose but you can tell she is content
Grabbing onto shirts
Head control, she can lift her head for many minutes especially if she is on your chest. Although she is still our "bobble head" she is gaining much more strength as she can sit on your lap without her head falling over.

And then there were three plus a yorkie :)

OH MY GOSH, I cannot describe the emotions, experience, and life transformation that has happened within the last couple of weeks. Miss Allison Nicole Driskell made her debut on July 4th, 2010. I am so excited she came on the fourth, at first I didnt want her to have that birthday but now I am so glad she does. So the plan was for us to be admitted to the hospital on Monday evening to start the induction process and I would be induced on July 6th, 2010. So on Saturday night we had people over to the house to cook fajitas and go watch fireworks. I even made an apple pie from scratch and went to the grocery store etc. I was having contractions but they were irregular so I didnt think too much about it. We went and watched fireworks with the Brynes and the Vinsons until about 1145 at night. We got home and I just couldnt sleep so I was watching tv until about 145 when I felt a pop in my belly and felt a gush of fluid coming out. It was the strangest feeling ever and I immediately knew that my water had broken. Will was still up celebrating the fourth of July as he wasnt going to celebrate any of the other days so that he felt good for the events we thought were coming up that monday and tuesday. So when my water broke I called out to Will and we called the doctor. Dr. Harms was not on call so we were told to go to labor and delivery. We hopped in the car while grabbing my bag that I had mainly packed but we hadnt packed anything else like the car seat etc. haha, I remember yelling to Will grab the car seat.... I was sooooo scared b/c I thought I had two more days to get ready. We got to the hospital around 230 and were admitted into a labor room. I had already called mom, natalie, and dad and they were on their way. They also had celebrated the night before :) Will called Jim and Sabrina and his parents. I also called Lynne. Once admitted my contractions were irregular and causing Allison's heart beat to go really low. They firgured out that when I was on my back while I was having a contraction it was causing Allison's to be in distress. It was sooo scary as I didnt know what was going on. They immediately put me on oxygen and started the pitocin. They came in an did an epidural, which hurt but was okay. They put in a catheter and had everything ready in case I needed to have a csection since Allison wasnt at first handling all the contractions. I was so scared and just didnt know how I was going to make it through the entire process. I prayed and prayed and was defintely given strength to get through it all. Lynne and Jody got to the hospital around 6am and then mom and natalie got there about 7am. The Driskells got there around 8 and dad and Sherry got there around 1030am. The doctor thought it was going to take me 8 or more hours to get to 10cm but around 930 the nurse realized I was at a 7 and we were going to get ready for delivery. Although they had to come in and put another epidural as the first one didnt take on my left side. I will say contractions hurt like crazy but I have had cramps that bad before. I am just glad the other epidural took before I had to start pushing. I started pushing around 1030 and she was born at 11:08am. WHAT an amazing experience... when she came out they put her immediadetly on my stomach, I remember thinking oh my gosh its really a baby, :) not that I didnt think it would be but it was so serreal I couldnt believe she had actually come from inside me. Will and I both cried as we couldnt believe this experience had just happened. They cleaned her off and handed her to Will and I. We immediately tried nursing and she did wonderful. We then had everyone come in and meet Allison. When I first saw mom and natalie we all started crying as we were all in disbelief that all of this had just happened and little Allison was in our lives. After we introduced Allison to everyone they took her to the nursery to get her vitals and weight. She weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 19inches long. They then took me to our room and I recovered from labor. Will and I still hadnt slept from the night before but with so much going on we just pushed through. Everyone was so tired that mom and natalie left and went to frisco to nap around 4pm. So did dad and sherry. The driskells came back up to the hospital and we all hung out until about 7pm. We had Allison in the room most of the evening but then tried to get some sleep so the nursery would bring her in when it was time to nurse. That evening/morning is when it truly became more real that she was indeed ours. What an experience. We discharged from the hospital on Tuesday July 6th, Will was so ready to leave that he had everything in the car ready to go at like 9 that morning. Of course I had to meet with the lactation consultant again and go over nursing one more time as I was so anxious. This is truly an event in our lives that we will never forget. The first moment you see her is so serreal you think you are dreaming. Birth of a child is truly a miracle. She is a precious little girl and is loved by many already.

I will post later about the last 2 weeks as these are more new experiences for Will and I. :)

Almost Here

Well these last few weeks have flown by, I stopped working this past monday so I have had all week to get things ready and hang out. Last Tuesday June 22nd, we did our NST test and another sonogram. They stated everything looked great with Allison. The doctor didnt seem nearly as worried but still told me to get my 10 kicks per hour in one day. And wouldnt you know baby Allison was pretty active on our appointment day :). But again we went through the next couple of days barely getting our kicks/movements. I was definitely still re-assured when dr.harmes said we were looking good. They think she was about 6lbs 10 oz on Tuesday the 22nd, so by now she maybe be another pound bigger. She was gaining about a pound a week. Me on the other hand stopped gaining weight so far, dont want to rejoice just yet. But I was about the same at the doc, so I am about 20 pounds heavier. Anywho, I cant tell you how excited I am to be able to see and hold Allison. Although I will admit I am completely nervous as I dont know what to expect and I keep thinking bad thoughts like something bad might happen between then. But I am praying and thinking positively just waiting to get to Tuesday. :) I am so excited I just cant believe its almost here. We are being admitted on Monday night so they can begin the induction process. I am only dilated to 1 1/2 at this point but am having many contractions. Each time I go into a contraction I keep thinking maybe I will start having them every five minutes and she will be here sooner. I would love to go into labor now so I can meet her and start this journey. This week has been nice to be off work, I got a lot of errands done and took some stuff back to the baby store. I also got my hair done as well as manicure and pedicure. I have also managed to have naps and go out to eat a lot. :) I cant believe I will get to hold her and meet her in about five days. WOW!!! how exciting.

Oh Allison Allison

We went to the doctor yesterday. We had a sonogram and everthing looked good. She is weighing 5lbs 10 oz at this time. Its hard to see what your looking at on the sonogram I guess b/c she has gotten big. I have defintely grown a lot but feeling good. Baby Allison wasnt moving too much on the sonogram and when Dr.Harms asked me about her activity she was concerned regarding her decrease in fetal activity at different times. Its so strange b/c she will be so active for like 4 days and then she goes through a "quiet phase" where I dont hear much from her. I defintely feel some movement but I dont get as much acitivty as I do on the other days. I have always written it off as though she is more tired and usually right when I get worried enough to call the doc she starts moving more. But when talking with Dr.Harms she seemed very alarmed that I might not be getting enough movements. She stressed how I have to get 10 kicks in one hour each day and if I dont that I need to call her. She wants to do another non stress test and sonogram for next weeks appointment. It stresses me out as I am not worried that maybe I should have been calling a long time ago and I havent. Or maybe I have been negligent. I will say Allison has been crazy active since yesterday and today. She hasnt really stopped all day nor last night. I think sometimes she wears herself out and then goes to sleep for a little while. Who knows, I pray that everything is fine and she is okay. The doctor said everything looks good, but now I am just worried. I am just going to make sure I get my 10 kicks in an hour and if not then I will call the doc. I have started having contractions and the doc says I have dilated a small amount. I still need to do some things for instance pack my hospital bag and Allison's. We also need to finish the nursery and get the closet organized as well as figure out where to keep diaper warmer and other items. I have this weekend where I want to get everything done. I cant believe we have less than 3 weeks left until she could be here. We will induce labor on July 6th unless she comes before. I cant wait for this journey to begin I cant wait to see her and what she looks like. I am nervous though too as I have no idea what to expect. I just cant believe its all about to happen. HOW exciting. My last day of work is next friday june 25th. I am trying to get everything done so that the week before she is due I can relax and enjoy our last week before our baby is finally here. :)

Truly Blessed

Wow, What an amazing few last weeks Will and I have had. We had our couples baby shower hosted by Natalie Dunbar, Jenny Amalfi, Andrea Doornbos, Emily Ziegler, Lynne Flippen, Tiffany Strickland, Sabrina Driskell, Melody Zuker, Amy Adkins, and Amanda Burnett. It was at Matts Rancho Martinez in Lakewood. We had a great turn out with great food, beautiful flowers, great company, and so many great gifts for little miss Allison. The nursery is almost complete, we are waiting on the beautiful rocking chair the Driskells bought for us that we ordered from Pottery Barn (procrastination on my part). We got all of the big items we needed from our shower and now that everything is coming together it makes me feel great and less anxious. We are truly blessed by all of our friends and family who came to support Will and I. Its also so wonderful to see how giving everybody is to shower us with so many gifts, truly makes you humble. Its so weird, that I always feel guilty after showers because I want everyone to know how truly thankful I am for how generous everyone is and truly makes me feel blessed and loved. Today we had our work baby shower. AGAIN, what amazing people. They went all out, beautiful flowers, beautiful cake, SOOO much fun, SOOOO many gifts, balloons, pink everything. Everybody was so generous and Allison got so much stuff, so many cute outfits, tons of diapers, and lots of other stuff. Will even got 2 a&m onesies. We got so much stuff, now its time to organize and make it all have a home in Allison's room. I cannot get over how thankful I am and appreciative of everbodys generosity and support they showed us. We also got our bedding from Chrisine, its gorgeous. She also made us bedding for the bassinett they gave us for Allison to sleep in when she gets home from the hospital. ITS all so wonderful.
I am getting much bigger by the day. We saw Dr.harms this past Tuesday. She said everything is looking great. I am measuring 34 weeks and we went ahead and decided to schedule our induction date for July 6, unless Allison decides she wants to make her debut earlier. Who knows!! I feel good. Little tired, and my feet/hands have started swelling some. Mainly at night when I have been real active and on my feet most of the day. Other than that, doing very well. No new cravings or symptoms. Allison has been kicking a lot granted a week ago she gave me a scare because she goes from being really active for like 3 or 4 days then you notice a big difference for like 2 days where she isnt active much. It scared me so I went in and got a sonogram and a Non-stress test. The doctor that saw me (wasnt Dr.Harms) felt like everything looked good, babys heartbeat would go up when she kicked and there was a lot of variability for her beats. She did notice that she was small at this time --
4 pounds 5 oz, but Dr.Harms felt like she was fine. We go in for our next appt June 15 for our sonogram and beginning of our weekly appointments where we see if I am dilating. I doubt I am but who knows. Everything looks good so far from this point forward.
I cant really describe the emotions I am feeling. Its very serreal- its like I can tell now where the baby is as I can see different parts of her body protruding through my stomach ( I know so strange)... but then at the same time I cant picture what we are about to go through. Makes me very nervous yet sooo excited at the same time. I cant wait to be a mom but at the same time I cant picture that I am actually about to have a baby girl. VERY crazy.. but so amazing at the same time.. What a wonderful time in Will and I's lives with everything new and changing. I cant wait to see Will as a daddy, I know he will be so caring and loving towards our little girl. I think it will truly be amazing.