July 24, 2014 & March 21, 2015 – two dates that changed my life forever

I don’t talk about this much ever since it was such a life changing experience, but looking death in the face has changed me.  Many people do not know that right after the birth of baby Joey I had an internal hemorrhage so bad I almost bled out.  They rushed me away and left Joe and my mother in a room covered in my blood that was described to me as looking like a murder scene with a nurse stating they would do their best to save me.

I felt my life pouring out of me.  I kept falling in and out of consciousness.  I was so cold.  At one point I closed my eyes as they were working on me and putting a line in for a transfusion.  I had a vision of my angels.  They were so cute.  My BOB was the exact image of Joey as he looks right now and I keep thinking of how he is just how I dreamed.   My perfect little angel.

Our angels were looking out for us that night.  They told me to go home and meet my baby.  They watched after Joey in the NiCU.

I remember waking up cold and confused thinking I can’t NOT fight for something I’ve worked so hard to get.  I pushed myself to respond to the staff of doctors as they were prepping me for emergency surgery.  I remember praying to God that he allow me to stay with my new little family.  All of a sudden, I felt at peace.  My doctor waited and said the bleeding had stopped and to hold off on the surgery until she could assess the situation.  A few minutes later she was certain they had the bleeding under control and she said how close I was to, at the very minimum, losing my uterus.

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of being reintroduced to our last frozen embryo so I felt the need to share why I will fight as hard as I possibly can for my child.  It is not only because he has been the one thing we wanted through 5 years on fertility treatments but also the one thing that made me fight for my own life.  I promise to give this little man the best I can give him, forever and always.

xoxo

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

3/21/2015 – 7:22pm, our son is born

  

Baby Joey – 4 months!

This guy is something else.  Every time I turn around he’s doing something new.  He’s been doing back to belly rolls all the time now that he figured out how to get over his arm!  What a champ!  I actually left the room with him on the play mat to grab a drink and I come back and he’s on his belly lol.

So what has he been up to the second half of this month?  Well first, we tried to figure out his allergy by re-introducing lactose…man was that a bad idea.  That’s what he’s allergic to!  We had a case of the poops for a whole week straight.  And by poops I mean every 20-40 minutes he was going.  No fever.  No obvious discomfort other than pooping CONSTANTLY.  His poor little bum got so raw from being wiped so much that we had to constantly have triple paste on him and switch from wipes to a soft washcloth and warm water.  We tried airing him out, too, as everyone says air is good for rashes but have you ever tried to air out a hiney that has poo leaking out NON STOP?  That made for lots and lots of laundry.  I can’t believe just how much poop there really was.  This led to a doctor’s appointment, too, just to make sure there was nothing more serious going on and to ensure he was nice and hydrated (which he definitely was).  He now measures in at almost 26 inches which put him up to the 80th percentile in height and weighed in at 14lbs13oz just over a week ago so I can guarantee that he is now well over 15lbs since the doctor had us start rice cereal a week early to help bind him up since he was going so much.

So now we have a baby on solid foods!  We were told not to expect him to eat on the first attempt.  He would spit it out and it would be a mess.  We needed to slowly introduce it to him until he can get used to eating.  The little guy surprised us and knew what he was doing from the very beginning and absolutely loves to eat off the spoon!  I can’t wait to see what new foods he will be trying when we talk to his doctor on Thursday for his 4 month check up (and shots!!).

So…we have a back to belly roller, a cereal eater, and like since birth he’s always wanting to stand, he’s learning to love his toys rather than just stare at them (…he figures them out, grabs them, smacks them, talks to them), he loves his bouncer now, he doesn’t mind the swimming pool (hated it at first and then fell asleep in my arms while we were in the water), he now loves bath time and splashes and kicks the water, and every day his smile gets bigger.  He has the biggest smile I have ever seen on a baby and it makes me laugh so hard!  He’s starting to let out little laughs, too, and they are so freaking cute.

I also started Christmas shopping for him already.  I know, it’s only July…I’m just a crazy planner.  I swear there’s no decorations up!  I just like to make sure all my presents are purchased WELL ahead of time so I don’t have to deal with crazy last minute shopping!

Oh, did I mention he is super freaking tall?  He’s already in some 9 month outfits.  6 month footies are too short for him.  I’m going to have to watch out, all the ladies are going to love this tall dark and handsome boy!

Until next time, enjoy these pictures and I’m trying to figure out how to post video so bear with me lol

   
    
    
   

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

3.5 Month update

Have you ever felt like the days were all meshing together and it was just one long crazy day of everything crammed all into one thousand hour day?  That’s been my life lately.  School started up again last week and the days are somehow melding together.  So much so that I am literally forgetting what day it is.  With work being super busy because of the move and the new hires being not totally up to speed, I’ve been putting almost 60 hours a week in, while taking care of my son, and NOW I have returned to my graduate program!

Some call me crazy…but you know what?  I’m determined probably crazy.  Certifiable at that.  Thank God for Joe, though.  He’s been trying to find ways to keep baby entertained in the evening so I can get my school work done and take a shower so I don’t stink!  He’s out with him right now, as a matter of fact, and I finished today’s school work early enough to quickly write a blog post!  (Thanks Joseph!!)

I must say, the baby has been so great with this transition to almost 100% working from home.  He adheres strictly to his schedule and I can actually set a clock to how perfectly he does!  3 hours on the nose between feedings.  Half hour nap between each feeding with the exception of his second feeding where he’ll take a nice 2 hour nap, play time before and after bottle, tummy time about an hour before feedings (to work out any extra gas, or puke, and obviously to strengthen his muscles), Zantac 3x day and prune juice twice a day.  His poops are becoming more regular now.  His reflux is under control.  His feedings have been upped in ounces to now 6oz (after it is all mixed up).  He has transitioned almost fully to Gentlease from Nutramigen as it doesn’t appear to be affecting his reflux now that he’s more active and his tummy muscles are so strong.  His colic has drastically reduced.  Teething is eminent as there is so. much. drool.  I actually just ordered him a baltic amber necklace as I have some friends who shared personal stories and I am just convinced to at least give it a try…there’s no harm in trying especially if it makes for a more pleasant baby!

I just wanted to give you all an update…I didn’t disappear, I am just a little loco with how busy my schedule is!  Only a year and a half more of this triple duty and then I can start paving way for our baby to have everything he could ever want.  He is the light of our lives and deserves everything we can give him.

xoxox

Here’s some more pictures of the many faces of Joey to enjoy until I can write again 🙂