Bella is 10 weeks

My sweet little girl is really no longer a newborn....she truly has a personality and is so alert and interactive.  She successfully has slept ALL the way through the night 3 times (8pm to 7am) but usually just wakes up once around 3am.  She is on a consistent daytime schedule of eating, playing, then napping.  During our play times she loves to bear weight on her legs, bat and now grab at objects, and gaze into mirrors.  The things she can do amaze me-we have a touch and feel book I have read to her since she was born.  I have always taken her hands and rubbed them along the textured part of the book and now when we read it she feels the textures all by herself!  This stage of her development is so rewarding because I can just see her absorbing the world around her....it makes those grueling first 6 weeks of life so worth it.  David was holding her last night and I almost cried at how big she looked in his arms....she used to be so tiny....if only I could slow down time just a little bit!

This picture is a little old (Valentines day) but David went to a conference in Arizona for 5 days so I went to stay with my parents....although I missed David, I was loving being taken care of by mom!

Bella and her cousin Emily staring at each other.....uh oh, Bella's about to cry! (Bella at 9 weeks)

Bella really enjoys watching her finger puppets. (Bella at 10 weeks)

Reaching out to touch the puppet

Goofy girl!

Smiling at the toys on her play mat

Tuckered out after playing hard

Loving her reflection in the mirror

Bella also really likes bathtime-maybe it's because she is looking in the mirror again!

This past weekend my parents came down to babysit-David and I had a wedding to go to so it was officially our first night out alone together since Bella was born.  When Bella was younger she used to choke everytime she was given a bottle so I was kind of nervous about leaving her with my mom.  Also she tends to be fussy from 6 to 8 pm so I hate to leave a crying kid.  But according to mom bella did great, she played and then took a nap in her sling and then successfully drank her bottle and went to bed without a fuss....thanks mom!!  Now I feel much more comfortable about going out again in the future....my lack of ability to give up control should not suprise any of you!!

2 month doctor's appointment

So I have been anxiously anticipating this 2 month pediatric appointment knowing Bella was going to receive a series of shots.  It's funny, while I was in health care it didn't bother me one bit to use a needle, scalpel, whatever.....but now I am a huge whimp when it comes to my baby!!

We started out with measurements; she weighs 12 pounds 2 ounces (in the 90th percentile....NO suprise there!!!), head circumfrence 15.5 cm (75th percentile), and 22 inches (50th percentile).  The doctor's exact words were "you can't overfeed a breastfed baby".....in the Turkish culture, the fatter the better.....so I have a healthy baby on my hands!!!  Then I got to ask all my questions....like when do I get to eat dairy again?!!!  Unfortunately it will be most likely at 1 year of age but when she is 6 months we will try yogurt and see how she does....again, the lack of dairy in my diet is obviously not depriving her of calories!!!  I also wanted to know how long I could let Bella sleep at night without feeding her....and was told, as long as she wants.  So, David has been giving her a bedtime bottle at 8pm and I wake her at 3:30AM....tonight we shall see how long she goes....ah, SLEEP!!!!  And then I wanted to know how young I could get her ears pierced.  I was told they could do it today but I wasn't emotionally prepared (see opening paragraph!).  So, I have 2 months to build up the courage and we will get it done at her 4 month visit....yes, I know some of you have opposing opinions to piercing her ears this young.....I respect that, but please keep those opinions to yourself ;)   Besides, maybe it will make her face look slimmer!  HA!  And finally it was time for shots...she got 3 jabs and an oral dose.  OH MY GOODNESS...bless her heart....she did the cry where you wonder if they are ever going to inhale again.  Thank goodness it was short lived.  Needless to say we are back home and she is absolutely passed out in her swing.  I am so grateful God has blessed us with such a beautifully healthy baby girl!

8 weeks

Bella has really become a lot of fun and predictable these past few weeks.  She is thankfully sleeping wonderfully at night-from 8pm to 3:30am to 7:30 am....I appreciate the sleep so much!  She is also finally feeding at the same times during the day so I feel like I can plan things a little better.  This past week I was asked by my first employer out of PA school to come help out with some administrative tasks while she was on vacation.  So, everyday Bella and I would go to the office for about 3 or 4 hours.  She did great.  I brought her pack and play to nap in and she was so content.  I am excited to be staying home this week....being out just a few hours during the day doesn't allow me any time to get things done around the house and I just feel so exhausted.  One activity I do continue to look forward to each week is a Thursday morning playgroup I attend at one of the hospitals in the medical center-moms with babies 0 to 1 year get together and socialize and each week there is a guest speaker (ex. one week was on baby sign language, last week was on timesaving tips)...I have met some really nice women and I love being able to ask if what Bella does is normal!

Below are two of Bella's play group friends, Hunt is on the left who is 7 weeks, Bella in the middle is 8 weeks, and Madelyn on the right is 11 weeks.  Bella is so observant and will watch the other kids for what seems like forever!

We got a bouncy seat as one of our shower gifts and I hate to say but Bella hates it....I can keep her happy in it for MAYBE the first 2 minutes and then she cries....I had the camera ready for the split second of quiet!

Bella has a little monkey rattle that has bananas hanging on the bottom-it really makes her smile and she likes to bat at the bananas!

So, one of the biggest changes we made in the past week is that David now puts Bella to bed at night.  He was getting home so late and not getting to spend any time with her so I now pump and he gives her a bedtime bottle.  It really is sweet to see them together.  And it gives me a much appreciated break!

This weekend was so beautiful that we decided to run a few errands and then sat out on the porch for some sun.  Bella will stare at lightbulbs that really hurt my eyes but she squints and can barely open her eyes in the slightest bit of sunshine.....so, what's a girl to do but wear sunglasses!!!

Tomorrow we go for her 2 month pediatrcian appointment....and shots (I can already tell she will handle it better than I will!).

Bella is 6 weeks

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time is passing....Bella is 6 weeks old already.  It almosts feels like it's been just one REALLY long day since she was born!!  This week she has reached some major milestones.....
-We are getting our first smiles out of her....and it's not just gas!  It's usually during bath time and when looking at her reflection in the mirror, both of which keep her entertained for a long time.  Although I find it really hard to manage giving her a bath by myself in the mornings I do so because when David and I tried to do it together at night it was just too stimulating for her.  The smiles make it worth it!
-She has really started cooing.  She has the cutest little voice.  She has a rattle she is particularly fascinated with that she will kick her legs, try to reach for, and coo at.  Oh, I just want to eat her up she's so cute!!!
-The past 3 nights she has slept 6 hours at a time, and could have slept longer but I wake her up.  Some of you reading this are probably thinking, "why on earth would you wake a sleeping baby?"....it's all about milk supply.
-I think my drastic milk-protien free diet is working.....let's just say Bella's baby poop is starting to look like proper baby poop once again!!

For the first time in awhile David had the weekend off so it was great getting to spend family time together.  I took advantage of his being home to go have a little girl time Friday night.  I left Bella with him for two hours and bless his heart she cried the WHOLE time!!  Saturday was such a beautiful day that we went shopping at an outdoor outlet center....it's sooo nice to be able to try on clothes again!  Sunday we of course watched the superbowl...we went over to one of our neighbor's house who is from Louisiana....let's just say it was REALLY loud....after about 2 hours Bella had had enough of that!  And thus begins another week.....

I sure hope my darling doesn't develop a weight complex as I affectionately refer to her as my "chunky monkey"....how can you not, look at those cheeks!!!!

This picture below CRACKS me up....David says she looks like Aunt Jemima!

I need to be better about capturing more pictures of the three of us....I love this one because we are all smiling!

A Weekend of Firsts

1.  Bella's First Trip to the Park:  On Friday David got home suprisingly early and it was a gorgeous day so we decided to take Bella to the park.  David threw on the baby carrier and we walked around Hermann park for about 30 minutes.  Unfortunately it was windy so we kept a blanket over her and so I didn't get any pictures.  She slept the whole time-I am sure it was toasty warm against daddy's chest.  David and I really enjoyed getting some sunshine and spending a little time together since he was on call all this past week and we didn't see much of each other.

2.  My First Attempt at a Dairy Free Diet:  Caution-this may be too much information!!  Bella has been having green poop for the past two weeks that has progressively become mucous filled and blood streaked.  So we called the pediatrician who didn't seem alarmed at all and felt it was due to a milk protein allergy.  So there goes all my favorite foods!!!  I am not much of a meat eater so I eat a lot of cheese and love my morning cereal.  Unfortunately cutting out milk doesn't just mean not drinking milk; it includes cutting out everything that even contains milk as an ingredient...which is A LOT OF THINGS!!!  I even learned that it may not say "milk" but things like "whey" and "lactic acid" are also to be avoided.  I am praying this resolves the poop problem and maybe will even fix the evening fussiness.

3.  Bella's First Play Date:  Our good friends Huntleigh and Kim had a baby boy, Hunt,  exactly one week after Bella.  They brought Hunt over on Sunday and we talked non stop about all the difficulties of raising a new born.  It was reassuring that we are all just as clueless and dealing with the same things.  I loved being able to observe Hunt and see that all of Bella's little quirks and movements are aparently perfectly normal for a newborn.  I look forward to them getting a little older and really being to interact together.

I think Bella had a little crush on Hunt...she seemed much more interested in him than he did in her!

This picture makes me laugh because I feel like Bella looks HUGE!

Random photo of Bella at 4 weeks old....sleeping so soundly.

Our Weekend

You always hear about how quickly your kids grow up and now I truly believe it!  Bella has changed so much over the last month and has become so much more alert.  She has her fussy times in the evening but otherwise sleeps really well at night which I am beyond grateful for.  She definately likes to be held but in the mornings she does enjoy time on her playmat looking up at her toys.  I can't wait until she smiles!

This photo was taken at 3 weeks in her Boppy chair which she is learning to like-I think she was too small for it initially and now fits a little better.

This past weekend, David's mom (Kiki) and sister (aunt alli) came down for a visit.  They helped out so much by just holding Bella and preparing meals....it is so nice to have a break!  The company and ability to have an adult conversation was nice too!  Kiki bought Bella some Valentine's day outfits to wear next month and some hair accesories.  I swore I would never put a big obnoxious headband on Bella but I have to admit, it is too cute!!

Aunt Alli and Bella

Bella's Aunt Alli had fun creating a mohawk, or should I say a tri-hawk!  Girl's got some cheeks!!

Kiki and her two grandaughters, Bella and McKenzie

Bella admiring her daddy after a bath!

Announcing Isabella Rose Clark

We are so excited that our precious little girl has arrived!!  December 23, 2009 David and I headed to Hermann hospital for my scheduled induction.  Let me just say that the labor/delivery was by far the easiest part of my entire pregnancy.  I got my IV and the induction started at 6am.  At 8am the anesthesiologist arrived for my epidural and my exact words were "do I need an epidural?  I'm not even in pain?!".  The anesthesiologist recommended I go ahead and get it anyway-so needless to say I have no idea what a true contraction feels like!  The doctor broke my water at 10am and by 1:20pm Isabella Rose Clark arrived weighing in at 7.1 pounds and 19 inches long.  She was immediately put up on my stomach which was such a precious moment....and so surreal!

Proud papa!

Our first family photo

Grandma Celina

Grandpa Vural

Uncle Ilhan

Cousin Emily

After 2 days in the hospital we bundled up and headed home Christmas day-what a perfect Christmas gift!

Unfortunately we were home for 4 hours when Bella had a little episode.  She was sitting in her Boppy pillow and David looked over at her to find her body in full extension and her face all red.  He ran over to her and saw a little milk at her mouth, wiped it off, and saw she wasn't breathing.  He ran and got the suction and it took two suctions for her to finally relax; but despite all his prodding she didn't cry-she just kind of had a blank stare on her face.  We were terrified and didn't know if she had had a seizure and so we rushed to the ER.  They took blood and urine cultures and did a head CT.  The blood showed she was dehydrated and there was the possibility of infection so they had to do a lumbar puncture.  They empirically started her on antibiotics and we were admitted.  The CT showed a funny spot on the left side of her brain suggestive of possible intrauterine stroke and so an MRI was recommended.  I cannot tell you how devasted, exhausted, and overwhelmed we were at this point.  We proceeded to spend the next 4 days at the hospital having multiple tests done.  It broke my heart because she kept having to be stuck for blood and had 4 different IV's placed because her veins would keep blowing.  At one point the IV was in her scalp and I just couldn't take it-I just bawled. Thankfully the MRI came back normal meaning the spot on CT was probably Bella moving during the test.  Eventually all the cultures came back negative and the antibiotics were stopped.  She had an EEG to check for seizures which was normal.  Finally she had a barium swallow which showed severe reflux. So what happened was she refluxed which caused her to arch her back and instinctively hold her breath so not to choke.  We were SOOOO incredibly grateful it was nothing more serious.  My source of

 comfort during our stay was the verse in Luke 8:50 where Jesus says. "Don't be afraid; just believe. and she will be healed."  We were so blessed during our stay to have the most amazing nursing staff and I am not going to lie....it helped that David is a resident at Hermann and knew the majority of the specialists following Bella and so we got tests done and results read at record speed.  We would like to thank all the people who came to visit us during our hospital stay and all your thoughts and prayers!

Bella getting the EEG.  She slept through the whole 1 hour test.

Gripping her paci tight after some tiring tests

One of the nurses made Bella a bow-so cute!

We FINALLY made it back home December 29th.

For New Years we spent one night at my parent's house up in Conroe with my whole family.

Aunt Missy and Josh

Uncle Don

Aunt Clare

And now we have officially been out of the hospital and home a week.  We are adjusting to frequent feeding and diaper changes but enjoying this precious time.  I am not going to lie, this is more difficult than I ever could have anticipated but we are so incredibly blessed to be a family of 3 with a beautiful healthy (despite the reflux) baby girl!