2 month Check-up and IUC

Today was Malaika's 2 month check-up and what a trooper she was! She is actually almost 10 weeks so this appointment was a little late. I was excited to see how much she had grown it is weird when I hold her and actually think about it. When she lays on my stomach now she stretches all the way from my chin to my hips and her feet are almost to my thighs! What is really weird is you don't really notice it. She is still fiting into some of her newborn stuff but I can tell I am going to have to get out the tote and start packing some things away.

ANYWAY Back to her appointment...

She weighs *drum role please* 12 lbs and 2 oz!!!! They also measured her at 25 inches long. The doctor said she is in the 90th percentile. He was a little shocked at how long she has gotten. He said he wants to monitor it and see if she is just having a major growth spurt now or if she really is going to be tall. He said at the rate she is growing right now all the charts say she will be well over 6 feet! Which is weird because edwin and I are both about 5'7. I asked him if 12 pounds was to much for a 2 month old and he said no because she is very long and needed something to fill her out.
After that were the dreaded shots. I was a basketcase because I had to be there alone and I was afraid she would think that it was me giving her the shots. When the nurse came in Malaika had fallen asleep in my arms and she was so peaceful. The nurse had me lay her down on the table and wake her up a little bit. The first round of meds was in liquid form and that was comical to watch her gag it down. Then the nurse had me hold her arms down and she gave her two shots in each leg (4 SHOTS all together! I would cry too! ) The first one went in and she turned BRIGHT red. He mouth was wide open and as soon as she took a breath she was screaming!!! I kept trying to kiss her face to calm her but I couldn't do anything until the nurse was finished. As soon as she got the bandaids on I picked her up and calmed her down and then she was smiling and cooing. I guess babies forget easily.
The doctor told me all of the signs to watch for just in case she has an allergic reaction. Right now she is asleep in her swing but she keeps doing little cries in her sleep so I wonder if she is dreaming about it! Her next appointment is in March it will be interesting to see how long she is then .
I also had my IUC (Merena) implanted on Monday and it went WAY better than I expected. When I got there I was nervouse because she told me it was going to be really painful. Also I had talked to some people who had it and they said the procedure was really uncomfortable and painful. The doctor walked me through what she was doing step by step and when she told me she was inserting it I held my breath and waited for the pain..... nothing!... Then she said Ok I am done! I was like WHAT I didn;t even feel anything! I was sooooo thankful! So I am good to go for five years now unless we decided to have another baby in less time I can always have it removed. I hve to go back in 2 weeks for a checkup and then I won't see Dr. Byrd until my annual check-up.

hmmmm what else is there... Edwin and I started school this week and that has been going well so far. I can tell This anatomy class is going to be intense and I need to make sure to put as much effort as I can into it. Edwins classes are from 6 to 10 on monday and tuesdya night. This makes for a long day for both of us because he is gone all day long and I am home bymyself. then my class is Friday night from 6 - 10 and then Saturday Morning from 9 to 12. Then I have 2 other classes that are online.
Edwin and I are attempting to start a small business that will take place here and in Africa sooo if you could all be praying that it goes well and that we are doing what the Lord wants us to be doing. I am hoping it will really get going and I will beable to stay home longer. So far it seems to be working!
I hope everyone is doing well!

Biggest Loser Mwango style

That's right we have come to the realization that we are fat..LOL Photographs have been trying to tell me for years but I looked the other way! We decided to have our own biggest loser competition in the house. We are all going to try to lose 20 pounds and we have to do it the healthy way. The incentive? All of us had to put 20 bucks in the pot and also the bragging rights will be the best reward ever! I will keep you posted on how we are all doing (of course I am going to win!!!!!! ) Pilates here I come!

Professional Photo's - 7 weeks old

Here are some photo's from our little photo shoot we did. I found this photographer on Craigslist and she is AMAZING! They were such a blessing to us and gave us a deal on our package. We are going to go back to her for Malaika's 6, 9 and 12 month pictures. I will post more on my Myspace page but here is a little preview. Malaika did such a good job she was not very fussy and we got all the photos done in about 2 hours. (She also pee'd and pooped all over the place but it was fun! It is dangerous havin a naked baby!)

growing growing growing - 2 months

Well she is not really two months until next Tuesday BUT she is eight weeks today and I consider that blog worthy! I have to say that being a mom is getting a lot easier! I am enjoying my timewith her during the day more and more. Here are some of the things we have been experiencing together...

* She is a noisy little thing!!! When she is awake she is always smiling and talking. The other day she was cooing so loud I couldn't help but laugh. I think she likes to hear her own voice. When she is sleeping she is always grunting or moaning. This can get a little frustrating because I am always checking on her thinking she is awake when she is actually sound asleep.

* She is sleeping in her cradle! She grew out of the co-sleeper we were using so we had to move her to the cradle andI am very happy we did. I missed cuddling with my hubby!

* She is holding her head up really well. When we went to our photo shoot with her the photographer was amazed at how well she could hold her head up and also how expressive she is.

* I play a little game with her and hold my hand above her and then go slowly toward her likea claw... her whole body tenses and she smiles sooooo big!

* She is getting used to being on her own. We can actually put her in her swing and vibrating chair and she is perfectly happy.

* She loves the car *YIPPIE* If she is fussy we get in the car and go for a drive and that usually calms her down. She also loves music I think her favorites are Tommy walker and New season. When I put those in she talks a lot like she is trying to sing with them. SO CUTE!

I have been having a lot of fun during the day with her. Edwin and mom leave around 6:30 and then I feed her and we go back to bed and sleep until around 10 or 11. Then we get up and get ready for the day and go shopping or just hang around the house.

Breastfeeding is getting a lot easier! I still don't have enough milk to pump extra but she is getting what she needs from me and we have not had to supplement as much. We did have to go back to the doctor and get her thrush medicine refilled. I am beginning to think that stuff never goes away. But it is getting easier to handle.

At her last doctor apppointment she weighed 10 lbs 4 oz... so she is getting to be a chunker! The weird thing is her newborn clothes still fit. I can tell she has grown though because the premie outfits don't fit anymore they are soooo small and I can't even believe she has grown that much! It is happening right before our eyes.

LEts see what else.... She is wearing size one diapers now and they are starting to get a little snug. I am amazed at how many diapers and wipes we go through. Luckily we found kirkland wipes from costco 15.00 for 700 of them and as soon as she fits into size 2 diapers she can start wearing the kirkland brand for those too!

Well I think that is all for this month. I can't believe how fast it goes Edwin and I start school next week so I will try to keep up on the blog... My unemployment also runs out in February so I need to make sure I have a job by then or we have our finances in order so I can stay home a few more months. I don't know how I can work fulltime and do school fulltime and still have time with the baby... I guess I need to tap into my super mom skills.

Hope everyone is doing well!

6 week doctor appointment

I had my Six week Dr. appointment on the 27th. I still have four more pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight then I plan on losing a lot more! The doctor said that everything looked great and she was proud of how well I am doing. We also talked about what type of birthcontrol to use and we decided on Mirena it is an IUD that will last for up to 5 years but we can have it removed anytime if we decide to have more children (which we will.. but not anytime soon! ) I have to go back on the 14th to get that. She said it is a small procedure but it can be pretty painful so I will let y'all know how that goes. Bu I don't think anything can compare to childbirth.

It was a nice visit and my doctor was in a really good mood so we joked around and laughed. She also wanted some pictures of her and the baby and I. So it was fun to have her hold Malaika and take some pictures. I had the nurse take one with my camera phone and it turned out a little blury but it works! Ihave to say Dr. Byrd was the best doctor for me. I will continue to go to her for my checkups and for the rest of my pregnancies.

The Holidays

It is crazy to think that the holiday season has come and gone already. It was exciting this year to establish more traditions as a family and spend some time together. Edwin requested for some time off so we had two four day weekends together in a row. My mom was also able to get the same time off so we were all home together. We decided to open our gifts on Christmas Eve and leave our stockings for Christmas day. I was excited because Malaika fell asleep and we were able to watch a movie together and open gifts and eat dinner while she slept like a little angel. She probably fell asleep for so long because of all the pictures we were taking! hehe She is probably traumatized for life! I got so many nice things this year...Edwin got me a really nice Winter pea coat and lots of scratch tickets!!! He also got me the new alicia keys cd and a nordstrom gift card and a TOASTER OVEN!!! . My mom got me an AMAZING bathrobe, some earings and socks (which I was in desperate need of). My dad also sent us our Baby's first Christmas ornament and an ornament that says First Christmas as parents. I was really excited about that because I had looked all over for one and couldn't find one that I liked. Edwin got a lot of lounge wear from mom and I. He also got a leatherman from mom and a wine chiller from me (yes we are becoming wino's (spelling) )

Malaika didn't get any big gifts from us this year (we were saving the money for her professional photo's) but she got a TON of new clothes from Grandma. Of course I loved opening every gift! My dad and Cindy also sent her an electric mobile that displays on the ceiling and rotates (it makes edwin and I fall asleep..hehe) We put in her stocking some new binkies since we can never seem to find one when we need it..LOL I also got her some wrist rattles she loves them!

On Christmas day we had Holly and Musonda and Mwila over and also another friend fom Zambia Mapenzie. Mom and I cooked Dinner (roast with mashed potatoes and green beans) and it was sooooooo yummy! I always like visiting with Holly because we have recently gone through the same thing and it is nice to just gab about it. We watched the Blazer game and then they all went home and we got settled in for bed. Malaika is starting to get on a schedule for sleeping which has been VERY nice.

For new years we pretty much did the same thing. New years eve Edwin my mom and I watched the Blazer game and then watched the countdown. I was soooo sleepy and I had had some wine and was soo relaxed that I actually fell asleep before midnight. Edwin had to wake me up at midnight to give me a kiss LOL! Susanna and her sister Hannah came over for New years day and we had a nice dinner and watched a movie. It felt good to be homebodies this year and not go out downtown. We also saved A LOT of money by not going out!

STAY TUNED:

We are starting our own biggest loser competition in our house... we have not set all the rules yet but I will keep everyone posted on who is winning!

I hope everyone had a nice relaxing holiday!!