I mentioned that during Ruby's 6 month check up, our pediatrician requested that we do a trial off of her reflux medication, Prilosec. Most babies grow out of their reflux by this age, but for some it can take 12 months or longer.
Well, it only took three days before Ruby started vomiting. This is much different than the usual spit ups we've become accustomed too. We waited a day just to ensure it wasn't a fluke, but it just got worse. And we had a cranky baby on our hands. We started the medication back up and it took almost a week before Ruby was back to normal! I felt bad for even trying, but at least now we know we're not giving her medication unnecessarily.
I'm sure we'll try again after her next check up, but for now I'm just happy her reflux is back under control...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Adventures in Baby Food
With the ok from our pediatrician, we have been giving Ruby new foods to try. She had started on cereals, which went pretty well. She's had both rice cereal and oatmeal so far. Usually if she doesn't finish a bottle during the day, I'll add some cereal to the leftovers and see if she'll take some bites. A good way to get those ounces in!
For her first try at fruit we with went with banana. She opened her mouth wide and then looked at me like I was feeding her dirt! "It's food, I promise!" I kept telling her. She ate about 10 bites before being too distracted to continue. So Ruby got to eat bananas for dinner for three days, each time looking equally concerned for her welfare.
Next we tried her first vegetable, carrots. I happened to have loved carrots when I was a baby, and am told I even turned orange from eating so much! Ruby too seems to like them, although as with bananas, her first bites produced a look of horror. Again we waited three days to be sure there would be no reaction before moving on to our next food...
Applesauce! Babies love applesauce, right? Well, Ruby still looked at me like I was crazy, but ate it none the less. So for now, we'll keep introducing new foods, while letting her eat some of the old ones too. For the time being, all this pureed goodness is just for practice. I think once her adjusted age hits 6 months she might be more into it, but we'll continue to have fun with it in the meantime!
Ruby sure does L-O-V-E her high chair by the way! And so do we. We have the Fisher Price Space Saver and I'm so happy we do. I highly recommend it. We've also introduced her to the sippy cup, although so far all she's done is try to play it like a trumpet =)
Here are some pictures of meal time with Ruby. I believe this was the Bananas Experiment. I have more on my camera that I will be sure to share later!
For her first try at fruit we with went with banana. She opened her mouth wide and then looked at me like I was feeding her dirt! "It's food, I promise!" I kept telling her. She ate about 10 bites before being too distracted to continue. So Ruby got to eat bananas for dinner for three days, each time looking equally concerned for her welfare.
Next we tried her first vegetable, carrots. I happened to have loved carrots when I was a baby, and am told I even turned orange from eating so much! Ruby too seems to like them, although as with bananas, her first bites produced a look of horror. Again we waited three days to be sure there would be no reaction before moving on to our next food...
Applesauce! Babies love applesauce, right? Well, Ruby still looked at me like I was crazy, but ate it none the less. So for now, we'll keep introducing new foods, while letting her eat some of the old ones too. For the time being, all this pureed goodness is just for practice. I think once her adjusted age hits 6 months she might be more into it, but we'll continue to have fun with it in the meantime!
Ruby sure does L-O-V-E her high chair by the way! And so do we. We have the Fisher Price Space Saver and I'm so happy we do. I highly recommend it. We've also introduced her to the sippy cup, although so far all she's done is try to play it like a trumpet =)
Here are some pictures of meal time with Ruby. I believe this was the Bananas Experiment. I have more on my camera that I will be sure to share later!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Disneyland!
Ruby had her first trip to Disneyland this weekend! Amy's triplets turned 1 and we went to celebrate with their family. The weather was just amazing, and the crowds weren't bad at all.
Ruby did great, aside from the initial crying fit on the tram! (She did NOT like the guy on the loud speaker) After that, she was just a sponge, trying to take in all the new sights and sounds. I carried her in the bjorn most of the day so she could see, and she seemed happy as a clam. We had lunch at the Rainforest cafe, and afterwards Louis got ice cream and I got frozen lemonade! Yum! At the end of the day Ruby started getting wiggly. She wanted to be put down so she could stretch out and roll around. The last picture is of Ruby laying in the back seat of the car when we left. As soon as I put her down she was just laughing and laughing! She definitely slept good that night, we all did =)
I must say, Disneyland is an entirely different experience when you're trying to coordinate a bunch of little ones! Thankfully Amy is an expert, since she is the mother of 6. But at the end of the day, Louis and I decided that now we have to go back so that we can do more!
Ruby did great, aside from the initial crying fit on the tram! (She did NOT like the guy on the loud speaker) After that, she was just a sponge, trying to take in all the new sights and sounds. I carried her in the bjorn most of the day so she could see, and she seemed happy as a clam. We had lunch at the Rainforest cafe, and afterwards Louis got ice cream and I got frozen lemonade! Yum! At the end of the day Ruby started getting wiggly. She wanted to be put down so she could stretch out and roll around. The last picture is of Ruby laying in the back seat of the car when we left. As soon as I put her down she was just laughing and laughing! She definitely slept good that night, we all did =)
I must say, Disneyland is an entirely different experience when you're trying to coordinate a bunch of little ones! Thankfully Amy is an expert, since she is the mother of 6. But at the end of the day, Louis and I decided that now we have to go back so that we can do more!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
March for Babies
Hi Everyone!
I just wanted to let you know that Ruby and I will be walking in this year's March for Babies which raises funds for the March of Dimes. As you may know the March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
Having a baby that was born prematurely has made this a cause that means the world to me and has made me want to do my part to help in any way that I can.
This 5 mile walk will be on April 25th at Balboa Park. Please make a donation, join me in the walk itself, or send me any words or encouragement if you'd like! Thank you for all of you love and support over the last 6 months. Our family is forever grateful.
Donations and Information: http://www.marchforbabies.org/kellyann711
You can also check my progress in the sidebar!
I just wanted to let you know that Ruby and I will be walking in this year's March for Babies which raises funds for the March of Dimes. As you may know the March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.
Having a baby that was born prematurely has made this a cause that means the world to me and has made me want to do my part to help in any way that I can.
This 5 mile walk will be on April 25th at Balboa Park. Please make a donation, join me in the walk itself, or send me any words or encouragement if you'd like! Thank you for all of you love and support over the last 6 months. Our family is forever grateful.
Donations and Information: http://www.marchforbabies.org/kellyann711
You can also check my progress in the sidebar!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Rubysaurus!
I think I've mentioned that Ruby has discovered yelling. Well, for the last few days, she's really enjoyed it, yelling off and on throughout the day. I started calling her babysaurus because I thought she sounded like a monster. Last night, she was even starting to lose her voice a little. Louis and I cannot stop laughing. So... for your enjoyment, here is a clip of our little Rubysaurus!
6 Month Check Up
We took Ruby to see Dr. Hansen yesterday morning and overall it went great. Ruby weighs 13 pounds 13 ounces and is just over 24 inches long, keeping her on the charts for a 6 month old. He checked her ears, eyes, and throat and all are looking good. He did detect a heart flow murmur, which he explained is not a "bad" murmur, just something to be aware of. (Thankfully, I've taken enough anatomy classes to know what he was taking about and that there truely is nothing to worry about.) He even let me listen to it, very interesting!
I asked the doctor if he would be sending us for a developmental analysis, as they often do for preemies once they reach 6 months. He looked surprised! He said if he didn't already know she was a preemie, he wouldn't be able to tell at all. She's doing so amazingly, that there is no cause for concern, and that whatever we're doing, to keep doing it!
Dr. Hansen even asked that we do a trial off of her relux medication, Prilosec. If we see an increase in spitting up that concerns us, or her pain symptoms return, we will of course restart the medication until her next checkup. So wish us luck!
Finally, he gave us the go ahead to start introducting solids. He said Ruby can eat what she wants, and as much as she wants. haha. Lucky girl! We've already tried bananas, and she didn't seem particualarly impressed, but I'm sure in no time she'll be eating everything in sight like her Daddy =)
I love our pediatrician. No matter what concerns or worries I walk in there with, I always walk away feeling reassured and empowered. Unfortunately, every check up always has to end with vaccinations, which definitely sucks! Ruby got three of her regular vaccinations, and her first flu shot, since she is now 6 months old. It's heartbreaking to see your baby cry in pain. This was by far the worst round yet. She stopped crying as soon as I picked her up, but later that afternoon we could tell she did not feel well. She was crying off an on until she finally went to bed at 5pm, a few hours early.
She woke up to eat and then was back to sleep again. Apparently she was feeling better by midnight though, because she woke up yelling, laughing, and singing her bed! And did this off and on the rest of night =) That's my baby! Got to love her...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
She freaked out!
Yesterday Ruby woke up from a nap crying. This is very unusual, since usually she just wakes up and starts talking or fussing until someone comes to get her. This time was different. She had only been napping for 30 minutes, so I thought maybe she wanted her pacifier, but instead she progressed into full out loosing her voice crying! At first I was so sad, since she hardly cries, let alone full out like she was. i tried everything to make her feel better.
20 minutes later I was getting totally frustrated trying to help her calm down, which made me feel even worse. My heart goes out to all the moms who have babies for whom this is normal behavior! She calmed down shortly after, but seemed to be on edge most of the day, laughing and fussing in the same breath. Anyway, I was worried that perhaps she was getting sick, but after her late nap she had returned to her normal happy self.
She did cry again when it was time for bed, and it took to few extra rounds of the musical seahorse to get her sleep instead of the usual one. But she did sleep for 7 hours after that. I guess it's all part of having a baby, sometimes they just freak out for apparently no reason. Good times =)
20 minutes later I was getting totally frustrated trying to help her calm down, which made me feel even worse. My heart goes out to all the moms who have babies for whom this is normal behavior! She calmed down shortly after, but seemed to be on edge most of the day, laughing and fussing in the same breath. Anyway, I was worried that perhaps she was getting sick, but after her late nap she had returned to her normal happy self.
She did cry again when it was time for bed, and it took to few extra rounds of the musical seahorse to get her sleep instead of the usual one. But she did sleep for 7 hours after that. I guess it's all part of having a baby, sometimes they just freak out for apparently no reason. Good times =)
Friday, January 9, 2009
Home Health Visit
Today Ruby's nurse came to our house for a quick visit. She did a development check to see how she's doing. She surpasses all the skills for her adjusted age and is working on many of those for her actual age! Good job Ruby.
The nurse also weighed Ruby and she is now over 13 pounds and 24 inches! This is perfect for her adjusted age, and on the very low end for her actual age, which I think is pretty good. We will visit Ruby's pediatrician next week, so we will get more accurate measurements and see what he has to say about her progress.
Ruby's nurse had not seen her in 3 months, so she is a whole different baby since then. She said she looks perfect to her! =)
The nurse also weighed Ruby and she is now over 13 pounds and 24 inches! This is perfect for her adjusted age, and on the very low end for her actual age, which I think is pretty good. We will visit Ruby's pediatrician next week, so we will get more accurate measurements and see what he has to say about her progress.
Ruby's nurse had not seen her in 3 months, so she is a whole different baby since then. She said she looks perfect to her! =)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
6 months old!
Ruby is six months old today, happy half birthday!
She is talking all the time, is incredible at grabbing things (especially Mom's face), likes to play with her feet, and enjoys making fun noises with her lips. We will go to see her pediatrician next week, and I'm just in shock by how much she has changed in the last two months. I remember her doctor telling me all the things that would happen over the next two months and I just couldn't imagine it. But here we are! Rolling, laughing, vocalizing, trying to crawl, it's amazing. I am excited to see how she's doing as far as her growth goes because she really seems to have gotten taller in the last few weeks. She's my little sprout =)
She is talking all the time, is incredible at grabbing things (especially Mom's face), likes to play with her feet, and enjoys making fun noises with her lips. We will go to see her pediatrician next week, and I'm just in shock by how much she has changed in the last two months. I remember her doctor telling me all the things that would happen over the next two months and I just couldn't imagine it. But here we are! Rolling, laughing, vocalizing, trying to crawl, it's amazing. I am excited to see how she's doing as far as her growth goes because she really seems to have gotten taller in the last few weeks. She's my little sprout =)
The new year has been good to us so far. Ruby is doing great at with my aunt while I'm working, and she's always happy when I go to pick her up. I'm still not back full time, but trying to work 4 days a week this month. The upside about Louis's job is that he gets to be home with Ruby on his days off during the week, which I love.
We did get notice that our rent is going up again this year, so we've starting looking at other places. It would be great to have a washer and dryer in the apartment instead of in the garage. It would also be nice to not have to deal with the stairs when I'm carrying Ruby and all of our stuff in the morning. But, we still need a place that makes it easy to get to my aunt's house and to work. It would also be awesome to have a yard! We'll see what happens.
Anyway, that's about it for now. I'll let you know how are appointment goes, as well as Ruby's second trip to Disneyland! I hope everyone is enjoying 2009.
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