33 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at me, I'm Thirty THREE {weeks old} !!!

Mommy tries to use her cute little sign with me to commemorate my weekly birthdays, but I keep trying to grab it!  So, she had to get creative and I got mad I couldn't reach it.

Here I am, happy again, because I forgot all about the sign and I love standing up on the couch!!!

This was a big week for me!

• I transitioned out of my newborn tub into a bigger infant ducky tub where I can sit up on my own while I'm bathing!  I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet, but I'm keeping an open mind.  ;)
• On 1/2, I decided to try out my new year's resolution.... I fell asleep at 8pm and slept until 1:40am!  When Daddy couldn't get me back to sleep, Mommy fed me at around 2am and afterward I fell back to sleep and she slept until 8:06am!  Woohoo!!!  A 5:41 stretch followed by a 5:24 stretch -- best sleep in a loooong time!  Mommy & Daddy are considering throwing me a party to celebrate! ;)
• I spent my first few days at daycare, and so far -- knock on wood -- everyone is surviving!
• I tried pureed mangos {bleck!} and also graduated to Stage 2 purees!  My first one was a squash, peas & pears combo, and I loved it {yum}!
• I went grocery shopping with Mommy & Daddy and sat in a cart like a big girl!

• Got my second flu shot, and barely cried!  The nurse had that needle in and out and my band-aid almost on before I even realized it!  I let out a little 1-second groan after I realized what happened, but by the time Mommy picked me up off the table I was fine!  I measured:  18 lbs 7 oz (with clothes & diaper on, 75th percentile), 28.5” long (97th percentile!), and 43.5 cm head circumference (62nd percentile)

19 Weeks Young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Mommy and Daddy can't imagine

Our lives without you!!!

Happy 19 Weeks, Emily!  We love you!!!

Emily got her 4 month vaccinations on Tuesday.  Thanks to teething and her 4 month sleep regression, she was tired and a tad bit cranky before her shots, so we weren't expecting an easy appointment or evening afterward.  Emily was a bit squirmy and fussy during her physical exam, and the doctor referred to her as both a "princess" {when the doc walked in and asked how Emily was doing} and a "stinker" {when we told her Emily still won't consistently take a bottle} before handing her back to me to hold because she was "hard to examine" due to all her kicking and rolling around.  Emily drank almost all of the rotavirus liquid vaccine {without spitting it out this time, hooray!} and didn't even wince when the first needle went into her chubby left thigh.  The second needle was a bit larger though, since it covers 3 vaccines, so she did cry loudly after her right leg was pricked, but she luckily calmed down pretty quickly once Daddy started doing a very amusing clown tap dance in the room after the nurse stepped out.  And for the record, unlike last time, Mommy didn't shed any tears this time around!  ;)

In terms of her growth, she's doing amazingly well!  She weighs 15 lbs 3.5 oz, is 24.75 inches long, and has a head circumference of 41 cm!  We got a little worried when the nurse gave us some low percentages for her growth statistics, but it turned out the nurse was calculating Emily's measurements as if she were a boy.  Silly nurse!  The doctor gave us the corrected percentiles, and we were glad to hear they are right on track with her prior measurements.  The doctor was pleased to hear that Emily laughs, can sit up with help, and roll over -- she does all of them and has been for a few weeks now!  We are super proud parents, to say the least!!!

E is for EMILY!!!

Unlike last time, Emily thankfully didn't seem to have an increased temperature this time around, but we did give her a dose of Tylenol before bed because she was crying hard and wouldn't calm down to fall asleep.  It was a bit hard to tell if she was uncomfortable due to pain from the shots or her teething, but the Tylenol seemed to help her get to sleep for a few hours at least.  Then she was up again a few times at night for her now-typical 4 month wakeful period shenanigans, but at least she was smiling then!  :)

Shots!

...And I don't mean the alcoholic kind.  We're talking two month vaccinations.  On July 25, Emily got her first round of vaccinations: TDaP, Rota virus, Polio, Influenza and Pneuoccocal.  Thankfully, it was only two shots and an oral dosage instead of 5 (!) shots.  Emily braved it like a champ.  Her mom...well, let's just say Emily was not the only one crying after getting her shots.  Here is our little girl right before the nurse came in; doesn't she look happy (and maybe kind of confused)?

After some quick measurements (93% percentile for height!!) we noted our little chubster was over 12 lbs!

But then the needles came out.  After two quick jabs in her little thighs (thank goodness for all of that chub!) we had this:

Note the real tears in the corner of Emily's eye.  If you look closely in the bottom picture, can you see Mommy's tears too?  Emily wasn't the only one crying that day...  C'mon Mom, you have to be tough for her!!  Kidding aside, it was tough for both of us to see her scream in pain like that, and a loud scream it was.  She was a bit clingy and weepy that night and was crying as if she was uncomfortable or in pain, so at the recommendation of the pediatrician we gave her some infant Tylenol.  Despite running a low grade fever the next day (totally typical from what we were told by the doctor), Emily was otherwise fine and smiling periodically throughout the day.  We repeat the same process in September. 

TDAP for All!

I mentioned in previous posts that Shep and I have both gotten our TDAP vaccines in preparation for this little kicker to arrive.  But, it's also important that caretakers, relatives, friends and any other people wishing to spend time with infants before they are old enough to receive immunity from their own vaccinations get vaccinated.  This concept is know as "herd immunity" and helps create a buffer of immunity around yet-to-be-vaccinated babies.  To ensure our families were familiar with the serious risks of whooping cough and the CDC recommendations around the TDAP vaccine, I wrote up and sent anyone who I thought might visit baby kicker as a newborn the below email.  Feel free to replicate/edit and use for your own purposes if you want!

***

Hello! We are in Week 30 of our pregnancy and so far everything is looking good with baby's development! Shep and I both recently got our TDAP vaccines in preparation for meeting our little bundle of joy in a couple months! The pertussis portion of this vaccine is especially important. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can be spread by coughing. There have been a number of whooping cough outbreaks in our area lately and it can be extremely dangerous for newborns to contract this disease. When a baby catches whooping cough, the baby can suffer from breathing trouble, pneumonia, and in some cases, even brain damage or death.

Since the baby cannot get his/her own TDAP vaccine for a couple months after birth, we want to make you aware of the TDAP vaccine. If you plan on visiting us to spend time with the baby after birth but before s/he can get vaccinated, we would ask that you also get the TDAP vaccination sometime between now and May, if you haven't already received it. We know it's still a couple months out, but this way, if you have a physical or a checkup at some point between now and then, you can ask for the TDAP vaccine while you're there. Local pharmacies like CVS and Walgreen's also offer TDAP vaccines. You should plan to get the shot at least 2 weeks before being around the baby.

According to the CDC:
Adults 19 years of age and older who didn't get Tdap as a preteen or teen should get one dose of Tdap. Adults get Tdap in place of one of their regular tetanus boosters - the Td shot that is recommended for adults every 10 years. However, the dose of Tdap can be given no matter when the last Td shot was received. It's a good idea for adults to talk to a health care provider about what's best for their specific situation.

Here is a link to a CDC article about pertussis if you still have questions or want to know more about it: http://www.cdc.gov/pertussis/about/prevention.html

Thanks for helping to keep our baby safe and healthy!