Everything Everleigh - 6 Months!

Dear Ev,
Well, sweet girl, I can't believe it! You are six months old today! As I sit here watching you sleep in the monitor, I find it almost impossible that we made it this far together! It may seem to some like six months isn't a long time, but for us it has taken a while to get here! It has been the greatest, most challenging, step-outside-of-myself six months I have ever had. I am better for them. I am better because of you.

In the past six months you have overcome so much. Your tummy seems to be feeling MUCH, MUCH better, though you still aren't eating anything but momma's milkshakes. ; ) We have been able to back you completely off of the Prevacid you were taking, and now you are just taking your Dysmotility medicine twice a day. We hope to back you off of that soon, and plan to try some green beans again this weekend.

You are a STRONG girl, both physically and mentally! You weigh a precious 21 pounds and are just the most delicious roly-poly baby I have ever laid eyes...or hands on, and you are about 28 1/2 inches long. You have some serious thunder thighs that make your legs as strong as pillars! You are able to bear all of your weight on your legs and stand on your own for a good amount of time. However, you are still lacking balance. You have ZERO interest in being on your tummy, but you can push up with the best of them. Because of your lack of interest in being on your tum-tum, you aren't rolling over yet. It will be a whole new world for you when you do! I feel fairly confident that you will walk before you crawl because you are so strong on your legs and show no interest in anything that would lead to crawling. That's okay! Do it your way, sister!


You love to play on your play mat, but would rather talk to and make faces at us and your other friends. You are for sure a social little gal! You LOVE your Sophie Giraffe and your face lights up when she squeaks in front of you. You also love your crinkle book. You love to be sung to and your favorite songs are "How much is that kitty in the window", "The Duck Song" by Elmo, "The Elmo Song", "Open the Eyes of my Heart", and "The Monkey Song" by the Wiggles. Mommy doesn't care how silly she looks singing them to you. Your smile is so worth it!

Right now, you are trying to get some teeth, so you are a drool fountain and chew on EVERYTHING! You are fascinated with hands...your hands, my hands, anyone's hands, and love to put them in your mouth, chew on them a little bit, pull them out and look at them, then put them back in. You are also starting to reach out for people when you want them to hold you, and you also reach to touch our faces while we have you in our arms. Sweetest thing!

You have the sweetest voice, and you love to hear it just as much as we do! Recently, you have started puckering up your face and spitting bubbles when you are frustrated or not happy. I can only imagine what you would be saying if you had words! It's too funny when you do it though!

You are sleeping like a champ! You wake up between 6:00 and 7:00am and take a nap every two hours from when you wake up throughout the day. Then you go to sleep by 6:45 at night and wake up one time for a 15 minute feeding during the night. We are able to put you down awake because you are such a big girl and can soothe yourself to sleep. That has been such a help to mommy and daddy. Especially at night!

You are such a little darling, Everleigh, and have brought more joy to our lives in just six months than either of us have ever experienced. We love seeing how you grow and change every single day. You will always be our first love and we hope you feel it every day of your sweet little life. Can't wait to see what the next six months bring for you, my sweet angel baby. Happy 6 month half birthday, pretty girl!

Gramma's comin' to town! Tomorrow at 12:10pm, we will pick up Gramma (my mom) from the airport to stay a week with us! We are so, so excited! Truth be told, she offered to come because she got a couple...well, maybe a few...hysterical phone calls (the kind with BIG tears) early last week from a daughter whose baby REFUSED to sleep...day and night. It was a rough week, fo' sho! But, momma is coming to hang, and that makes it all better.

Being away from my parents has been one of the hardest, most unforseen challenges of being a mom. If you have kids and live close to family, DO NOT...I reapeat, DO NOT, take that for granted. Let them come over as MUCH as they want to and DO NOT get annoyed! I would seriously give both of my arms for my parents to live close by. Well, at that point I would NEED them to live close by, but I digress. I miss my momma and daddy every day, and am so glad my mom will be here tomorrow.

LOVE YOU, GRAMMA!

It has been a rough few days here! We think Evie is starting to have some movement in her teeth. Though we cant see or feel any little chompers yet, we know they can start moving months before they ever break through and cause little ones to feel yuck! She has been so, so fussy, whiney, and extra clingy, has been drooling like a faucet, gnawing on her hands, my hands, my shoulder, and anything else she can get to her mouth, and has a little rash on her cheeks and chin. All classic teething symptoms.

She sure is cute though. Gosh!

- Posted from my iPhone

Growing Like a Weed

Look how much my baby has grown in just four short months! I am not sure how I feel about this! It's impressive, to say the least.

Week in Review

I feel like this past week just FLEW by! I finally got the BlogPress App for my iPhone so I am able to post on the go. However, it's still no fun to type a long post from your phone. I'm convinced I have Shrek hands. It's hard for me to type and not hit every adjacent key on the phone! Anywho...here are a few highlights from our week!

I have been working for the past month or so on a new Web site for the amazing Beautiful Dream Society. They are an organization based out of OKC who works to fight, and ultimately end, human-trafficking in the country of Lesotho, Africa. They were founded by our pastor's wife, Jennifer Crow, after having a very real dream about the country and the human trafficking industry. CLICK HERE to read the whole story and to view their amazing site!

I have also been busy working on two wedding invitations for two sweet gals! It's always so fun for me to see how different people's tastes are! Some brides are very, very traditional, and some very, very funky! I love getting to know each of them and creating something that is perfectly "them" for their most "perfect" day! Here is a sneak peak of the two, with names and details changed so the invites are still a surprise to those who will receive them!
One of the MOST exciting parts of our week was taking Everleigh to her GI Specialist appointment on Tuesday. We have been anticipating this appointment in hopes that they would start to back her off of her medicine and that we could possibly start eating some solids. She has been so much better with her tummy since the last time we went to see this specialist in November. We couldn't have asked for a better appointment. The doctor agreed that we should start pulling her off of a dose of medication per week, starting with the Prevacid for acid reflux, and see how she does. She also said we could start introducing green beans and squash, since those are the lowest carb, easiest to digest of the first foods. We gave Everleigh her first little taste of squash at lunch today, and she did GREAT with it! Watch and see!



However, I am sad to report that within an hour after eating her squash, she was screaming in pain, just like she used to before she was diagnosed with her dysmotility and put on medication. Needless to say, we are very discouraged by that. We just knew she was better and ready to move on. For now, we will put the solid foods on the shelf, stick with breast milk, and try them again in a couple months. :'( Poor Evie.

Another kind of discouraging event this week has been Everleigh's sleep. We aren't quite sure what is going on, but our girl who was doing so great with her morning and afternoon naps, and sleeping all night, has started to completely boycot all naps and has begun waking again for a nighttime feeding. I have read and read and researched everything pertaining to sleep training, naps, nighttime feedings, etc. and nothing seems to work in our situation. We can't let her cry it out because she is a tummy sleeper who is laying in a pool of drool in a matter of seconds if we let her cry. We can't put her on her back because all she knows of laying on her back is playing and having her diaper changed...totally confused. We can't go in and pat her without picking her up because that only makes matters worse. My girl is a FIGHTER, and I'm not sure how to remedy this one. It's hard on momma. Especially because I can't get ANYTHING done during the day. She is also letting up on eating, which is hard. She is not eating as often or as much, but is also not on a schedule so she eats at different times every day. Good thing she is cute enough to eat up, or I might spank her! ; )

I leave you with some cutie pics from the week. Hopefully next week will bring good sleeping, eating, and lots of laughs!

Everleigh fighting sleep, suited up for a walk

My little hippy girl

Someone is ready for the beach! That makes two of us!

She's the boss at home, and now she is the boss at Daddy's office

Our girl FINALLY pushed up during tummy time! All 19 pounds of her!

I cleaned out Ev's closet and drawers this week. The clothes on the right are what she has outgrown in four short months. The measily stack on the left is all that still fits her!

Cashy Kitty is enjoying the warm weather and glad to reclaim his place in the open window

Move Over Michelin Man!

There's a new kid in town!



- Posted from my iPhone

Nothing Sweeter...

Than a sleeping baby...



- Posted from my iPhone

The Things We Do...

It's amazing the things we will do to get a smile out of a baby. I have made more crazy faces, sounds, motions, etc. In the past four months just to see that big gummy, open mouthed grin!

Lately I have been trying desperately to get that baby chuckle out of her...you know, the one that comes from deep down in their little baby bellies? Well, the other night during bath time I got it. Granted she was deliriously tired and I haven't gotten it like that agin. She had the hiccups somethin' fierce and I was mimicking her. Who knew that would get it, but I will never, never forget it. Most precious sound I've ever heard! And thank goodness Mrs. Maggie was there to capture it!

- Posted from my iPhone

Daily Obsesh

Pretty sure my Boo Boo Baby needs THESE

Nicknames for Everleigh

The hubs and I are partial to nicknames. Dan says it's because he can't remember names half the time, and I just think they are endearing. Needless to say, I have a LONG, running, ever-growing list of nicknames for my most endeared, baby Everleigh. Here they are as of Monday, January 17th, 2011.

Ev
Evie (Ehh-vee) not (Ee-vee)
Elohlee (Eh-low-lee) thanks to my friend Sarah Henry's little girl, Ava, who couldn't quite pronounce Everleigh yet)
BooBoo Baby
Baby Bear
Little Bear
Lovey Bear
Lovey Dovey
Luhbee Duhbee (Mispronunciation of the above)
Angel Face
Monkey Bread
Doodle Bug
Tootle Bear
Tooter
Shooga Boo
Sugar Bear
Sooga Sooga Sooga Bear
Puddin' Pop
Momma Baby

At this rate, we'll be lucky if this kid EVER knows her name! Amazingly, she seems to answer to all of them with a big, toothless, open-mouthed grin. : )

Four Months!

Everleigh had her four month well-care doctor's appointment this morning! I weighed her at home a week or so ago, and she weighed in at approximately 17.5lbs. Today, we are happy to report our little bear is a healthy 17 pounds 9 ounces (6lbs 15oz at birth) and 26in long (20in at birth)! For a little gal with a rough start because of her tummy, she sure is growing! She is in the 97th percentile for height and weight! Way to go, little sweetie pants! She got some shots, so she is sleeping in her crib right now.

Developmentally, she is doing great! She is following us with her eyes from across the room, and has done that since early on. She is grabbing for and holding her toys, pulling ALL things up and into her mouth. The only thing she is not really on track with is her mini push-up when she is on her tummy. Granted, I don't give her a ton of tummy time because she hates it...but her weight probably has something to do with it as well. It's a tough job to lift all that lovin'! So, we will be painfully working on that for the upcoming weeks, strengthening her neck muscles.

On a sadder note, our little buddy Ty McCullar got some sad news yesterday. The tumor they found in his tummy was diagnosed as stage 3-4 Nueroblastoma. Ty has had a rough go at life since day one. He is absolutely THE sweetest and MOST BEAUTIFUL little boy! My little sister, who is a nurse in the infant and toddler unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital, met Ty when she cared for him in her unit. She fell in love with him instantly, and became his in-home nurse one day a week when he was released. Since then, I have had the privilege of meeting him and getting to know his sweet mom. They are near and dear to our family's heart, so we are asking for HUGE AMOUNTS of prayer for COMPLETE healing in his little body. No child should suffer. I spent a sleepless night last night just thinking about him and crying out to the Lord to renew his little body, give him strength, and take away all of his pain. I watched my little girl in the monitor for a good portion of the night, just thanking God that she is healthy and praying over every little cell in her body. A healthy child is truly a miracle, and we are praying for a miracle for this little guy. Click here to read Ty's story and keep up with his progress

Climbing Out from Under This Rock

Well, it's safe to say there is NOOOOO way to recap the events of the past 17 weeks since my last post. Many of the experiences I just can't possibly craft words for, and it seems like the most viciously overwhelming task to even try. So, I will just hit some high points.

I am cautious to write anything of the first few months for fear of sounding ungrateful for the precious gift who is sleeping like an angel in her room across the house. So let me preface: Everleigh is the most loved, most wanted, most treasured gift I have. I now know a mother's love, and it is definitely THE most powerful, and sometimes overwhelming, feeling I have ever felt. I think that's what makes it such a journey for a first-time mom. It's like learning to drive, driving the fastest, most powerful car out there...just turned loose, unbridled, behind a force more powerful than anything you've ever felt.

We obviously had Everleigh later in life than most...we are both 32. I pretty much helped raise many a friend's babies, so I just knew I was going to be GOLDEN when I finally had kids...knowing exactly what to expect and what to do with even the most unexpected. I was a seasoned vet...right? WRONG! I can sit here and conjure up the exact fear that I felt walking into my house with Everleigh for the first time knowing that this was it...we are on our own now...left to raise this perfect little person and make sure she turns out right. YIKES! But, the first two weeks were a cake walk! She slept when she should, and hardly ever cried. Granted, she woke up to eat a lot at night, but that was to be expected.

Around the two week mark, we started seeing a different side of our little angel. She cried more often and was harder to get to sleep and REALLY hard to get her to stay asleep outside of your arms. Day by day the times of crying got longer and the sleeping got shorter. The next thing we knew, she was crying constantly. At her doctor's appointments, we were told she just probably had colic and we could look for her to grow out of it by about 12 weeks (which felt like a CENTURY away!). I wasn't buying it though. My girl wasn't just crying. She was SCREAMING out of pain, and did so from the time she was coherent enough to realize she wasnt' sleeping anymore...before she even opened her eyes, she would begin screaming. And scream until we could finally rock, bounce, sway, or pat her with all the force we had in us. Dan would come home from work every day and I know I had a crazed look in my eyes because I had been doing a vicious cycle of all of the actions above since he had left that morning...and she would NOT let you put her down. She was also eating every hour, and would scream and fight me during the feedings...and she wouldn't have anything to do with a bottle. There were many times that we were both in tears. I hardly left the house at all for those first weeks because she just screamed. I also had to quit my job since my maternity leave was up and she couldn't be put down.

Finally, at seven weeks, Everleigh was diagnosed with acid reflux and a condition called Dysmotility, which basically means her little digestive system wasn't fully cooked when she was born. Switching her to formula was out of the question because she wouldn't be able to digest it in her condition. I have had to cut everything out of my diet including any and all dairy, wheat, gluten, citrus, tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, caffeine, and carbonated beverages, in order to make my milk as easy as possible on her little tummy. Luckily, with the meds we were given, and my restricted diet, she is a different baby. She is now sleeping well, and eating on a normal schedule (before, she was eating so often because babies cannot differentiate between a stomach pain and a hunger pain...so she was eating to soothe her hurting tummy, which was only perpetuating the problem). She is laughing and talking A LOT! Sweet little thing!

**We ALSO took Everleigh to a Chiropractor and believe the treatment she received is a HUGE factor in her quick turnaround.

All that to say (and this is where I automatically feel like a bad mom), it's been hard. It has not been what I expected motherhood to be. There have been lots and lots of tears shed...some mourning the loss of the picture perfect idea I had built up in my head of life with a perfectly healthy, sleeping, newborn. I can't count the number of times I said OUTLOUD to myself, "God gave THIS baby to YOU becuase YOU are the most perfect mother on the face of the Earth for her. No one else can love her and care for her like you can." The power of our words is amazing. The power of our thoughts is too because there were many days I would think myself into a hole..."I can't do this. Is she going to sleep? How long will she sleep? What if she doesn't sleep? When will I sleep? What does that cry mean? How can I not know how to help her if I am her mother?"

It has been really hard being away from close friends and family during this season. I have struggled through some pretty "alone" feelings, but hear that is normal for a first-time mom...especially one who is uber-social and has had to quit her job to care for this little one.

I will tell you what though, that baby's smiles and coos heal me every day. Every time she looks at me and smiles out of sheer joy that I am in her presence absolutely makes everything worth it. No, it's not what I expected, but she is mine and she loves me regardless of any inadequacies as a mother I might have. Though my best may not be THE best, it's good enough for her, and she loves her momma. We are enjoying watching her discover her world. She is mesmorized by her little hands, and it's the cutest thing to watch. She loves for me to say, "MOMMA!" to her. She loves for us to make funny noises with our mouths using our tongues, and mimics us. She loves the Octopus (who we have appropriately named "Ocho") on her Baby Einstein playmat. And best of all, she LOVES her Praise Baby DVD's...I even think she is trying to sing along with the worship songs sometimes! She is the most beautiful angel in the world, and we are blessed to call her ours.

In 2011, I promise to keep up with my blog. I really do. Now that I am figuring out this new life balance, I should have no problem doing it. So, keep your eyes open for the lastest musings in our life with baby Ev! It should be getting fun VERY soon!!!