Monthly Archives: January 2017
Twenty Weeks Post Partum – The 411
My angel is now 20 weeks old !
She is growing by leaps and bounds and is growing super long. She now weighs almost 16 pounds.
She can sit up with assistance for a little while before falling forward.
She hates to sit down or lie down. She now prefers to sit up and stand up.
A friend sent her an Amazon gift card for her christening so we ordered her a Fisher Price Jumperoo. I am still trying to put it together. I deplore reading instructions and putting things together. Hopefully I will figure out how to get this seat part together this weekend before calling in the calvary lol.
I am completely and head over heels in love with my daughter ! She is the culmination of every dream I have ever had of a child.
I soooo want to give her a sibling. I have been very depressed about that lately. Because of the emergency hysterectomy, I can not carry another baby. I am blessed to have four eggs on ice so that once I find a willing surrogate, my little girl can have a sibling. I worry about leaving her in the world alone. I want her to have a sibling that she is close to and to experience having a life growing up fighting and loving a sibling. There is nothing like it !
I can’t believe that in a few short days, my baby will be five months old ! I am starting to plan her 1st birthday event. I am doing a safari theme and am looking at trip packages to either Tampa Busche Gardens Africa or to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I am hoping my family will be able to go, but if not, it will be just us.
I ask that you all keep my mom in your prayers. Not only has a knot formed under her breast that she just had surgery on (hoping its just scar tissue) but her anemia seems to be caused by something other than iron deficiency. The doctor has ordered a colonoscopy and referred her to a Gastroenterologist for further review. She is nauseated all the time and has been for quite some time. The doctor assumed is was reflux. Now I am scared to death, that given how much she sleeps and the fact that even with nausea medications are not very effective, that we are dealing with something far more serious. It is my prayer that God could not and would not be that cruel to allow her to be sick again. There is only so much the human body can withstand. Now that she is retired, I want her to be able to travel and enjoy her life and not have it marred by illness and fear of illness.
Until next week….
Nineteen Weeks Post Partum- The 411
Today, my little Queen turned 19 weeks old ! Can you believe how time has flown by?
This week, not only has she become more consistent with flipping over and back, she is not starting to sit unassisted and is balancing herself using her hands. She gets frightened when she gets tired and starts to fall forward.
She is also becoming more spoiled! When she cries and gets upset, if I go to YouTube and turn on Elmo’s Ducks, she stops hollering immediately and resumes tears if you stop the music.
She still hates getting hair done and also despises getting her clothes on. She has gotten better about taking warm baths.
As you can see, my little angel can go from zero to sixty very quickly when she is displeased ! For a baby model, she isn’t very happy playing dress up !
Sleep:
The baby has nights where she goes to sleep at 8 pm and doesn’t awake until 6 or 6:30 am. Lately, especially when she was sick with Croup, she would wake every 2-3 hours demanding to be fed. Now she is going to sleep at 8 pm and waking up at 1 am and 4:30 am again. Hopefully she will get back on schedule. I am not going to force her to. I decided against sleep training and will let her find her own rhythm for now.
Eighteen Weeks – Sick Baby- The 411
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On the day my baby turned 18 weeks, at the exact hour, we were sitting in the Children’s ER getting dexymethasone for a Croup diagnosis.
My baby became increasingly hoarse on Wednesday and Thursday, so I text my sister, who is a Pediatric RN and she said the baby has Croup and to put her under the vaporizer and call her doctor the next morning and see for she should receive a steroidal breathing treatment. We were traveling back to the beach so when we got back, I put Vicks in the vaporizer and put her in the room with the door closed. After a few hours, she became more audible ( she sounded like a faint baby seal) and the coughing and heavy breathing lessened. Her doctor called me back that afternoon and instructed me to take her to the ER because she was so young. The ER staff was really attentive and quick.
What a scary way to come down off the high of the week; baby girl being handpicked to do a Target national print ad and having three agencies wanting to add her to their roster ! We are still holding out for the agency that my friend’s children are signed to, but they don’t usually take babies until they are six months.
While sitting in ER, another major agency called wanting to add her to their roster.
Because of these developments, we are going to have to stay within 2 hours of NYC. So…. back to up North we go for six months. We are putting plans to go West for 1/2 the year on hold unless the baby can get the same number of gigs in LA. The agency we are holding out for will exclusively rep her in NY and LA.
This week, my mom added a little cereal to the baby’s last evening bottle. It is helping her stay asleep without waking to eat in the middle of the night.
Baby Christening/ Dedication- The 411
Blessed be your mind, that you may grow in wisdom.
Blessed be your eyes that you may see truth.
Blessed be your lips that you may speak with honesty.
Blessed be your heart that you may give and receive love.
Blessed be your hands that they may do great things.
Blessed be your feet that you may walk a life-long path of honor.
On Saturday, January 7, 2017, baby girl was christened by my pastor, Dr. H. Beecher Hicks Jr. in a private baby dedication ceremony. Dr. Hicks, who is world renowned, has been my pastor since 1989. My entire family belongs to Metropolitan Baptist Church and Dr. Hicks funeralized my father when he passed away from lung cancer in 2000 and my sister was married in the church. He is so much like my late Grandfather (who was my heart) it’s uncanny. The two of them met and they hit it off ! They even have some similar features.
It was no surprise that my baby girl was immediately drawn to him and started smiling and cooing at him right away.
My sister in NC and her children were unable to make the ceremony due to inclimate weather. My other sister and the girls along with Kyrie were in attendance, as was my mom.
Mrs.Hicks and their daughter were there and assisted him.
The ceremony was perfect.
Baby girl wore a beautiful white christening gown that I bought that morning. The gown I ordered and had custom made, I hated once it arrived and it had been bothering me. I decided I wanted her to have a different gown and I went out and purchased two. I decided on one and will take the second one back today.
My baby looked so beautiful in her gown and bonnet.
God gifted me the most precious gift anyone could ever have or ask for and I am charged with the task of making sure she knows who He is and how amazing, and loving He is.
Seventeen Weeks Old – The 411
My precious girl is now 17 weeks old ! In a few days, she will be 4 months old ! Where does the time go?
She is now 14 lbs 4 oz, 24 inches long, and has mastered rolling over, sitting up with support and standing with support. She is a lot more engaged and holds a whole conversation with you when you talk to her. She now even initiates conversation. I would love to know what she is trying to say.
Mommy News:
I am doing well. I am down 67 or 68 pounds from the day of delivery. My incision has healed well and the feeling is starting to come back in that area though it feels strange.
I am still exclusively pumping and giving the baby half her daily intake and supplementing the other half with Earth’s Best Organic Sensitivity Formula.
My legs still feel weird off and on from residual effects of the edema.
It still feels surreal to me that I had a baby and that she is here.
Sixteen Weeks Post Partum – The 411
16 weeks ago, God gifted me the most precious gift, my baby girl. She is hands down the love of my life and I could not imagine how I lived or loved before her.
She is such a good baby and has the most pleasant disposition ! She is incredible.
She has amped up her conversation when she is spoken to or if you sing or read to her. She laughs and giggles and smiles so… Her latest milestone or developmental fete is that she completely rolls over and back. She enjoys tummy time and she is not as cranky in her carseat anymore. She travels a lot better ! Thank goodness.
This week, we are headed to NYC, as she has her 4 month well baby checkup and vaccines. I hated watching her get vaccinated last time, but realize it is necessary to keep her healthy. She did not cry long and she slept a lot after she got her vaccines. I had given her Tylenol and Motrin before we went to help offset a fever.
In other news, our mother retired on Friday and also won her EEO complaint she filed against the new Director who started targeting female employees. She is so happy to be a full time Grandmother now ! She says she and baby girl will be hitting the road and traveling the globe.
I am still losing weight… just a pound or two every few weeks. I feel great. I assume it is because I am nursing. I have to see my doctor this week because the front of my left leg is numb. My sister thinks I have a pinched nerve. We shall see…
I am trying to pull myself out of the dumps. My make up artist / dear friend died on December 2nd and last week, my friend, comedian/ actor Ricky Harris passed away of a sudden heart attack. I had just communicated with him two days prior. I am labeling 2016 a serial killer ! I went to church this morning with my mom and the baby and it was announced at the end of service that one of our Ministers, Karen Hampton passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was in the choir with me when I was there full time. I am so sick of hearing about death, I do not know what to do !
Anyway, Happy New Year to you all ! I am spending the day with my family and my sister and I are cooking a fabulous meal.
Four Month Well Baby Check Up and Vaccination – The 411
Yesterday, we arrived in NYC early am for baby girl’s four month well baby visit and second round of vaccinations.
The baby is 14 pounds 4 ounces and now 24 inches long.
She is growing well according to her Pediatrician and the doctor said we can start her on solids anytime between now and six months of age. She suggested we start her with cereal and then wait a few days to introduce a pureed fruit or vegetable. I am going to wait a little while and introduce cereal when her demand for more ounces of milk is noticed. Currently, she still drinks 3-4 ounces per feeding and averages 18-24 ounces per twenty four hour period. She seems to be going through a growth spurt the last few days and has taken in 5 – 6 ounces at a few of her feedings. She still doesn’t like medication so I have been putting the Benedryl and Tylenol in her bottle with a 1/2 ounce or so of milk to get her to take it. Otherwise, she spits out most of the medication.
The baby demonstrated her newly found skill of flipping over by trying to flip over and off the exam table !
She is doing better with taking in formula. Most days we are doing 1/2 Breast milk and 1/2 Earth’sBest Organic Sensitivity Formula. I add probiotics to the 1st bottle of the day, every other day and that seems to be working for us.
After the vaccines last time, I gave the baby Tylenol, Benedryl and Motrin for two days. This time I gave her dose before we left for the doctor and once when we got back that afternoon. This morning, she awoke with a 102.1 fever. I gave her Tylenol and Motrin and called her doctor. Her doc says it’s normal after vaccinations and to give her 2ml of Tylenol only and hold off on Motrin until after 6 months of age. She said she doesn’t need the Benedryl now.
I gave the baby the additional dose of Tylenol mixed with a little formula and her fever has finally broken.
I am in love with her Kinsa thermometer that attaches to the smartphone and works via an app.
Now that the baby is no longer feverish, we will head out and grab some lunch before going to the post office to retrieve mail and packages.
I just hope the Tylenol keeps her fever under control and that she feels better. It is horrible watching your baby be miserable.
Plan B Chronicles 