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03-4-2011 - Belle's 1st Year

My mood while writing this blog: Thankful

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04/01/2010: 5 days old ~ We had our first pediatrician appt. today. We had to come the first week because Belle had a mild case of jaundice. Since I had jaundice as a baby dr. wanted to be aggressive with treatment and Belle was put on light therapy at the hospital and at home. Dr. said that she's doing really well developmentally and was happy to see that Belle was almost back up to her birth weight (6lb 12oz). She was 6lb 6oz when we left the hospital. (Current weight - 6lb 10oz) Dr. said that is a sign that my milk has come in and that she's eating good. We had one more lab test (on 4/2) which revealed no more jaundice and no more light therapy! We will return to the pediatrican next week for the "two-week" check.

04/08/2010:12 days old ~ Belle had a great two-week check. She is up past her birth weight now at 6lb 15oz and is still measuring 20.5 inches long. Her head circumference is 34.5 cm. I believe that puts her on the petitie side over all - just like her parents ;) We go back when she's two months old for the well baby check and immunizations.

05/27/2010: 2 months old ~ Belle got her shots today, and my mom (Belle's loving grandma) was there too! She sure did let out a cry when the shots went in, but was quick to recover. She's growing as expected and gained almost 2lbs...she's now, 8lb 13oz and 21.5 inches long. Head circumference is now 37cm. Breastfeeding is going really well, as seen by her weight gain and she's actually 'sleeping through the night' - going down at around 9 p.m. and up at 5:30 a.m. or later....I know I'm very lucky with that!! I think implementing the routine of bath-feed-bed worked well for us!

June 2010: 3 months old ~ I started back to work at the end of the month and luckily get to start part-time for a couple months. Grandma is watching her on my work days and so far it's going well. Grandma absolutley LOVES her times with Baby Belle :)

July 2010: 4 months old ~ Belle got her second round of shots and she really cried this time :( She's a tiny little thing...she's in the 4th percentile for weight at 10lb 10oz and she's in the 48th percentile for height at 25 inches long. Now at 4 months old, Belle has decided to stop sleeping through the night :-s She is sleeping in her crib now, but the night waking and crib sleeping didn't coincide. She's still going down around 9 p.m., but waking often at 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. She eats everytime, so perhaps its a growth spurt! As hard as it is to be getting up so often, especially on a work day, she's super quick to go back down. She will fall asleep while eating so I can put her right down. I'm usually up for about 20 mins...so that's not too bad.

08/14/2010: 20 weeks old ~ and we started rice cereal. Belle ALWAYS has her tongue out, so I didn't know how eating would go...but she did GREAT!! The first day not much went in, but after that she's totally eating!! It's so stinkin cute :) We are doing 1/2 tablespoon cereal with 1/2 oz breastmilk every morning. She's still waking a couple times at night, but she is finally taking a long nap during the day (previously she only slept 30 - 45 min at a time). We continue to do 'on demand' eating and sleeping...so the time varies...but her first nap is usually between 2 - 2 1/2 hours and a second nap is around 45 min. Ocassionaly she will do a third 45min nap especially when she's at grandma's house.

08/28/2010: 22 weeks old (aka: 5 months) ~ and we have implemented Oatmeal :) She seems to really love the oatmeal! We do 1 tablespoon oatmeal with 1/2oz breastmilk every night. Mobilitywise: Belle easily rolls over from back to front (doing this since 14 weeks old) and almost prefers to be on her belly these days - she's also been sleeping on her belly, as she will get herself there even if put on her back. She can also roll from front to back, but it's not her favorite thing to do. She is sitting with minimal support and loves playing in her jumper so she can 'stand'. However, with anything - swing, bouncer, jumper, stroller, etc - she doesn't like any of it for any long duration. It seems, she loves to be held more than anything ;) She reaches out for everything in front of her, of course, then putting it in her mouth.

09/04/2010: 23 weeks old ~ and we've upped her rice cereal intake to 1 tablespoon (with 1oz breastmilk)...she doesn't always eat it all...she seems to get VERY easily distracted and then becomes disinterested in food - LOL!! I'm also back to work full time (with every Friday off), so Belle is in day care 2 days a week and with grandma 2 days a week. I found a very nice lady to provide the daycare and the best part is that Belle is the only one she watches, so she gets lots of one on one attention. So, far Belle seems happy and well cared for there...I can't ask for much more!

**Well, 'solid' food is now on hold.....last week (9/9/10) Belle was constipated....she was with grandma that day and according to grandma, she would eat 2oz of breastmilk and starting crying WITH tears (she normally drinks 4oz at a time). That happened two times...and she was grunting a lot (no BM). At home that night Belle seemed to continue to be in pain....I tried giving her oatmeal, but she refused it and started to cry. She was very teary though the night and seemed to be in pain. Although, her BM the day before looked normal it was pretty clear that she was having a hard time getting it out and it was painful. I gave her Little Tummy's gas drops and that helped ease her pain so she could sleep. The next morning I called the dr. and they said to stop solid food for now...since she's not 6 months yet she doesn't 'need' it. I was also told to give her a suppository...and I did. She quickly pooped and seemed much happier! As of this morning, (Mon. 9/13) she has yet to have another BM...so we'll see what today brings. We see her pediatrician next week, so we'll be waiting until that appt before starting back up on solid food.

**According to Belle's babysitter....she had a HUGE blowout BM on Monday (9/13) - I guess her system really got moving without all that binding cereal & oatmeal - LOL!!!

09/24/2010: 6 months old ~ Belle's six month check went well. She is still VERY tiny at 11 lbs 13 oz...that's less than a two pound weight gain in a little more than two months. The dr. is a 'little' concerned. She wants to make sure that she's petite and not under weight.....so we are going full force on solid foods and have to go back to the dr. in 6 weeks for a weight check. Belle also got immunizations and she cried so hard...I hate seeing her in that pain. So, on Saturday...we did peas and barley cereal in the evening....then Sunday we implemented oatmeal in the morning. Next up green beans, then carrots....a few more veggies then fruits!!! She ate good, but also seems to loose interest in food pretty quickly as well. Belle is sitting for a couple minutes at a time unassisted....crawling should be coming soon!!

10/19/2010: Belle officially has her first cold :( I noticed some coughing, especially at night, but also didn't hear any conjestion....so wasn't convinced it was a cold. Monday her eyes were pretty red and Tue. morning she just looked terrible. Took her to the dr. and sure enough she has pink eye, a sore throat and an ear infection. My poor baby!! But, you really wouldn't know that she's sick except for her terribly red eyes. Her spirits are up and her appetite is still good! She's now on eye drops and amoxicillian and after just a couple days she already looks MUCH better.

Food: Along with rice cereal, barley and oatmeal...so far Belle has had - peas, greenbeans, yams, apples, carrots, corn and peaches. With each new food she makes a bit of a funny face, but eventually gets used to it and is happy to eat! Next up - butternut squash and pears :) At 6 months old Belle started on formula for her daytime feedings. I still nurse before bed, during the night and first thing in the morning. She is still waking a couple times at night.

Mobility: Belle is quite the scooter. Ocassionally she'll get up on her hands and knees with her belly off the ground, but she's not coordinated enough to crawl. Though I think that's just around the corner!! She sits up really well, but if there is a toy or something off to the side, she'll fall over :) She's babbling up a storm and she brightens up my every day!

10/30/2010: 7 months, 3 days ~ Belle cut her first tooth!!! She's got the army crawl down and can spin around on her belly in seconds :) She often pops up on her hands and knees...so official crawling is VERY close!

11/05/2010: 7 months, 9 days ~ 6 week follow-up weight check...... Belle weighed in at 12lb 13oz. So, she gained exactly 1lb in six weeks. I thought - GREAT! But, she's down to about the 3rd percentile...so the dr. wants us back in 4 weeks for another weight check. I'm confident that Belle is just petite, but I can understand the dr. wanting to be cautious. So, if Belle is stil under weight, then we will be sent for blood tests to rule out anything medical.

11/06/2010: 7 months, 10 days ~ Belle officially crawled for the first time today!!! It was only two steps, but it was up on the hands and knees :)

11/20/2010: 7 months, 3 weeks ~ She's crawling now!!! Oh and her 2nd tooth came in about two weeks after the first :)

11/27/2010: 8 months ~ Belle can officially go from a crawl to a sit :)

11/29/2010: 8 months, 2 days ~ Belle cut her 3rd tooth today. It came in on the top and slightly left...so I don't think it's one of the two front teeth...so exciting!!

12/03/2010: 8 months, 6 days ~ So at Belle's weight check today she weighed in at 13lb 7oz. Still very small so our Dr. ordered a pee test and blood tests. All came back normal!! I just have a peanut on my hands just as I thought ;) The Dr. referred us to a GI specialist as a precaution...but I just KNOW Belle is fine and not sure that I want to waste mine or a specialist time. I'm going to schedule her 9 month check and decide after that.

Development: Belle now has FOUR teeth :) The two bottom front, the side left and front left tooth. She is pulling herself up all the time, so walking will be here before I know it. She's still very unsteady on her feet, but it doesn't take long before she can master a new task! She loves to scream out in happiness and can be quite noisy at times ;) My favorite time of the day is in the mornings when she is in bed with me. She will babble and then lay her head down on my chest and just smile at me.

Food: Belle is eating just about anything and everything....still always pureed! In addition to above she's had - - chicken, salmon, pears, papaya, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, butternut squash, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, potato and cheese. I have these great receipe's, so most of her food is a mixture of things starting off with a saute in a little butter and onion or leek then cooked in a veggie or chicken broth. She is often constipated, so she gets prunes 2x a day and that works wonders!! She's a pretty good eater....usually is open to trying anything, but gets easily distracted and then is just done with eating. I continue to nurse at night and she gets formula during the day. And, she just LOVES water.

01/12/2011: 9 months, 16 days ~ Today's 9 month check went well. Belle got the last in her series of HepB shots and cried hard, but recovered quickly. Dr. asked about various developmental milestones and I got to tell her that TODAY was the first day that she waved :) Belle weighed in at 14lbs even and is 26 3/4" long. That puts her under 3 percentile in weight and in the 17th percentile in height. Since she still pretty far under the chart the dr asked that we follow-up with the GI specialist. Othewise dr said she is a healthy baby! Belle has SIX teeth and I think more are almost in, as she is drooling like crazy! So, we've started a teeth brushing routine at night. She still wakes up a couple times at night, but it's getting better. She is on formula 100% of the time and no more night feedings. Just a quick rock back to sleep during those night wakings and she's right back to sleep.

02/04/2011: 10 months, 8 days ~ We went to the GI Specialist appt today. Belle weighed 13lb 15oz. So that's 1oz less than at her 9mth check, but I'm sure different scales have something to do with that. The specialist said she is VERY small, but also said she looked HEALTHY. He gave us various options - reflux meds (she had been having gagging issues - but really minor), an appetite stimulant and/or a series of blood test. At this time, I believe her size is a genetic thing and opted for nothing invasive at this time. I also don't want meds in her system as a 'precaution'. I want to know that she would 'need' them. The specialist said that would be fine at this time and that following her growth for now makes sense. So, we go back mid-April to check her growth/weight.

02/25/2011: 2 days shy of 11 months old ~ Achievements: Belle has been working on knowing where the parts on her face are, such as eyes, nose and mouth. Today she was a little preformer and did everything exactly on command for the ladies at CostCo!! To show her "eyes" she blinks her eyes - for "nose" she sniff's her nose - "mouth" she opens and closes her mouth. It's so darn cute!

03/07/2011: 11 months, 8 days ~ Had to take Belle to the doctor today because she had a fever since Friday. (weight 14lb 9oz) Her fever had finally broke by the later morning and upon arrival at the doctor she had a rash....soooo, she had Roseola!! I felt so bad for her, but she really was a tropper :) A bit clingy (which was so cute), but when I gave her motrin and her fever came down she was in good spirits. The rash was very minimal for her and was gone within a few days --- she seemed to have a text book case. She is 100% back to healthy now :)

03/20/2011: 11 months, 3 weeks ~ Achievements: Belle took her first steps tonight. It was only a couple and she definitely prefers crawling...but it won't be long now, though I don't think she'll be walking before her 1st Birthday.

03/27/2011: 1 year old ~ Belle is now one year old :) We had a wonderful birthday party with family and my closest friends. And, just as I expected...she's not walking. Still a couple steps here and there, but nothing more than that :)

3/30/2011: 1 year, 3 days ~ Belle has two more teeth coming in.....finally! At this point she babbles all the time, but still cannot say ANYTHING that starts with "m" or "n"...which means no "Mama" yet!! She can say specific words for various things. She says: Ball (baa), Bath (baa), Doggie (doggie), Roxy (doggie), Annie (dadie). She is also feeding herself, as she prefers that and is eating 'real' food now :) I still do some babyfood...but it's not her favorite. She likes the packets that she can suck the food right out of. After her dr. appt I will transition to cows milk, so we'll see how that goes!

04/01/2011: 1 year, 6 days ~ Belle's 1 year check was today...and as expected she is still falling lower and lower on that weight chart! I was hoping for 15lbs, but she weighed in at 14lb 10oz. She is doing good on length - 25th percentile at 28 1/2" long. Due to her continued slow weight gain, dr suggested that we don't go to cow's milk yet. She said to continue on Toddler formula for now...and up the mix ratio to 3 1/2 scoops for 5 oz's. I'm going to start weaning from the bottle now, and will do that by starting with changing the afternoon bottle to a sippy cup. The dr also suggested giving Belle high calorie foods such as yogurt, avocado and cheese. Belle isn't the greatest eater, so we'll give it all a try. We see the GI dr in a couple weeks, so we'll see what he has to say.

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