First Foods

The day little Miss Paisley turned 6 months I baked her some sweet potatoes for her first meal. She had seemed interested in food for a little while but not overly so we hadn't even tried anything yet. I love being able to make something wholesome and nutritious and know that there are no preservatives or chemicals in it. I have found lots of great websites for baby food making, but my absolute favorite is Wholesome Baby. This site goes through absolutely. everything that I had questions about. It talks about each food group, grains, dairy etc. There is discussions about when and how to feed. Allergy info, contamination info, etc etc. If you are looking for a great site, look no further. This first batch of food that I made included sweet potatoes, peas, apples, squash, and plums. And then different combinations with those foods. I love to bake the foods as the foods taste much better in my opinion and the nutrients remain. She loved her first meal. Now if she was just a bit bigger in this high chair it would be perfect.

3 months old

Can you believe it? Miss Paisley is 3 months old now!!! I feel like especially with her time is flying by. AT 3 months Paisley is 9lb, and is 20 and 1/4 inches long. She is cooing, and smiling largely now. She can roll from her back to either side but can't seem to get herself all the way over quite yet. She is my "high maintenance baby". She loves to be held and snuggled all the time, which isn't conducive to getting anything done around the house. She is continuing to love nursing and takes some of my milk pumped in a bottle fairly well. She is very gassy at times, and I wonder if she has any allergies or something that we are not thinking of.... Sleep is a huge challenge right now. She doesn't like to be put down at all, and therefore someone is going to have to hold her throughout the night. Right now she sleeps on top of me as we have been trying to get her to sleep longer....

Red Apple Farm

Today I got to go to the Red Apple Farm with Preston and Paisley. Preston is part of a wonderful program in which a home visitor comes into our home twice a week and bring him either a new toy or new book each week. I had her start coming last year when we were just determining how poor his immune system was and that we couldn't really take him out into public too much. Martha started last year and was wonderful. I am so blessed and thankful for her, and am so thrilled that she is also a believer. :-) So today we went with the agency that provides the home visitors. There were many families that took part in this trip. We went on a wagon ride (there was NO HAY!!!) and picked a bag of apples and a pumpkin. Preston only picked one apple and then he was done. He wouldn't put the apple he picked into his bag either. Right when we got there we were to go on the wagon ride. Preston was not at all interested in the ride. He was actually even crying and trying to get off. Poor guy was scared of the tractor. But once the ride started he kept saying things like "Wee! Fun!!! Wee" It was so cute. s He wandered around in the apple orchard with his empty bag. He didn't put one apple in his bag. He ended up sitting with Martha for a little while and enjoyed eating an apple with her. They also gave out apple cider. I didn't expect that Preston would enjoy the cider but he really did. He actually ended up asking for a second cup. He was so cute today. I really enjoyed this special time with him. Don't get me wrong it was really hard trying to juggle him and Paisley with no stroller (farm too bumpy), but it was a beautiful day that God blessed us with. Just prior to leaving Preston went over and sat on a big rock to watch the animals. The donkey started making lots of nose, and Preston told it "Sssshhh" and "Be quiet!" It was so funny.

My due date

Today is my due date for Paisley! It feels like the pregnancy ended so long ago and that God has healed my body so much since it has ended. Looking back on those crazy few days, and remembering how disappointed I was that I wasn't going to get my full term baby, I am just so grateful that God brought us through all of it, and that our lives are a testimony to His amazing love and grace. My pregnancy buddy Michelle was due two days after me (this coming tues). She was induced this past week as her doctor was expecting a very large baby. So the other day Paisley and I went to go meet Baby Genesys. She is 8lb 6oz, and seemed so much bigger than Paisley. Seeing how uncomfortable Michelle was, I am a little relieved that I didn't have to still be pregnant today :-) Michelle and I are hoping that Paisley and Genesys will be great friends. Paisley wasn't happy at all during our visit so she is screaming, and while there my friend who is also a lactation consultant pointed out that Paisley is tongue tied, which I already knew...

6 week check up

Today I had my six week check up. My weight is great, I am 21 pounds less than when I got pregnant. Unfortunately my blood pressure is still not back to normal :-( I am so discouraged about it. It really isn't high when it comes to the parameters that doctors set, but it is higher than before I got pregnant. The OB also recommended I contact the cardiologist "sooner rather than later." So unfortunately I have to schedule that now too. But all in all it was a great appointment. I am so thankful to have the pregnancy behind me, and praising God that He protected Paisley and I throughout the whole thing. Hard to believe the little miss is 6 weeks old today! Her smallest weight was 3lb 13oz and she is up to 6lb 4oz!!! Growing like a weed. Unfortunately this week has been a little bit rough for her. I am not completely sure what is going on, if it is something that I am eating that is upsetting her stomach, or if it is reflux. But she has been spitting and puking with just about EVERY feeding. Poor girl seems to have some discomfort with it too. We will be headed back to the doctor on Monday.

Family

Miss Paisley got lots of loving this week. Auntie Deanna has come to see her several times already, but due to Uncle TJ's work schedule he hadn't gotten to see her yet. They came over and got lots of snuggles in. Uncle TJ couldn't get over how small she is, but Deanna kept reminding him that she is more than a pound bigger than when she started Paisley also got to meet Auntie Colleen and Nana this week. Nana was a little nervous to hold her but it was so nice to have her spend time with her. Auntie Colleen didn't seem nervous at all, and just got right to snuggling. The Paradis family has been such a huge part of our lives for the last several years. It was such a blessing when Meg and I met. God has just blessed us so much. These guys are like family and I am so thankful every day for them. Meg throughout the last several weeks/months has been such an integral part of our team of helpers/prayers etc. She has organized meals and child care. She has come over herself and taken care of us. She has been my encourager and prayer warrior. When I get down I reach out to her and she always shows me God's love. Jeremy has been amazing as well, so encouraging and supportive. And we just love these kids. Abby helped me a lot this summer as a mother's helper. Both she and Gracie are just incredible with Preston, as well as Sophia. And Sam just loves the boys. These guys have been adopted into our family, and we call them auntie and uncle.

Tubby time

Miss Paisley got a bath today. She fussed initially when they put her in the tub but then she relaxed and was just floating with her legs crossed. The nurses are so wonderful, I feel so blessed to have such kind women caring for my girl. She is doing so well. She is up to 4lb 11.7 ounces now. She is taking almost 1.5 ounces when she bottle feeds, and is nursing for anywhere between 6-15minutes per feeding. Right now she eats every three hours, and we are alternating between breast and fortified breast milk to give her extra calories to help her grow quicker.