Poor Baby!




At the doctor - weighing in at 19lbs 12oz!


 It was bound to happen sometime. I am actually surprised she stayed healthy this long. I thought her first sickness would have been a cold or ear infection, but the poor baby got some sort of GI bug (tummy trouble). Last week, Paityn just decided that she didnt' want to eat any of her solid food. She was taking a bottle, but she flat out refused to eat any solids. In addition, she started to have some diarrhea. She was also kind of grabbing at her right ear. I was not sure if she had an ear infection, if it was just a phase, or if she was teething. I had to take her in to get her second flu shot so I thought I would just get her checked out.

   We went to the doctor on Wednesday 2/20. Partners in Pediatrics does such a great job. She wen to ready care which is just a walk in type of clinic. The doctor she saw was actually the doctor who saw her in the hospital - Dr. Cantor. I loved him, but he is at the Calhoon office and just happened to be at the Brooklyn Park office that day. He said he remembered us (I am sure he didn't, he see so many people/kids in a day - I would be amazed if he did) and said he couldn't believe Paityn had gotten so big. She was a trooper with the shot and her ears were clear. I thought we were in the clear, but the next several days it was a fight to get her to eat and she had severe diarrhea. She went about 6-8 times a day and every time it was a full outfit change. Her poor butt got so red and sore and you could just tell she didn't feel right. She still smiled and would laugh occasionally, but she just wasn't herself. One morning, when I was at work, she even vomited. Poor Brian had to call me at work because he was so worried about her. I did call once I got home and they said that kids can get GI troubles that last anywhere from 5-14 days. I was told to make sure she was just having wet diapers (they worry about dehydration) and eating her bottle.

  The last few days this little lady seems to be feeling better. Diarrhea is minimal, her butt is healed, and today she ate like a trooper! Today, it seemed like her appetite was back. She was actually interested in solid food and ate really well! I hope she is almost back to feeling 100%. It is so hard to see your child not feel good, and even worse not being able to have her communicate what is wrong. We gave her lots of love and snuggles and just wanted her to know we cared and were there for her!



Starting to feel better!



7 months

   This little doll is 7 months old! It is so hard to believe. Brian just said to me the other night "it really does go fast, doesn't it." For some reason 7 months sounds so old to me. Perhaps it is because she is no longer an infant, she is a growing baby who is rolling like crazy, eating baby food 3 times a day, and is overall becoming her own little person with her little personality shinning through more and more everyday! We have decided that she looks like Brian in most everything, however, she does have my face structure. For awhile there I was wondering if they got the eggs mixed up :) I am pretty sure her eyes are going to stay blue. Right now they are a dark blue with some brown hues mixed in. My mom says they are like my great grandmother's eyes. They do look a lot like Brian's eyes too, but his are a lighter blue.

  She has not tried to crawl or even army crawl for that matter, but she is still on the go. She rolls to get places. I often set her down in the middle of the floor and leave for a few minutes to go do something and I come back to find her clear on the other side. I have laid toys out all around her and I have watched her figure out how to roll and shift to get to the toy. She just loves to roll and jump in the jumperoo. She has learned how to turn herself in the exersaucer and jumperoo and can entertain herself for 45 minutes or better. I often put her in the exersaucer while I run and she just has a grand old time in there!

  She is eating 3 times a day now. For breakfast and dinner she has 2 heaping tablespoons of oatmeal and 1/2 a container of fruit. For lunch she has a container of vegetables. She drinks about 20-25oz a day of formula. She has liked most food we have introduced. Some of her favorites are sweet potatoes, green beans, and carrots. She has also tried apples, pears, peaches, squash, avocado - all which she seems to like. Peas were an epic fail, but that is the only thing she has actually gagged when given to her!

  On my birthday we took our first family adventure to Underwater World at the Mall of America. She LOVED it! We had so much fun watching her take everything in - looking at all the colors! We took her out of the stroller and held her - her head was on a swivel!

 

   We have had a small milestone with sleeping. No, she is not sleeping through the night, but she has broke the need for her swaddle. I swear I thought it would NEVER end. She now sleeps in a sleep sack with her arms out and she does wonderful. She has been doing VERY good at putting herself to sleep! She sleeps with her elephant and rolls all over in her sleep. She seems to like sleeping on her right side the best. Her naps are still all over the place. The other day she took 3 - 30 minute naps. Today she took a 1.75 hour morning nap and a half hour afternoon nap. Sometimes she just downright refuses to sleep. I sent the picture to Brian the other day when I was checking on her with the video monitor.

So glad the swaddle is gone!

  Paityn has also started to stand while holding onto items. She is not very steady, but she can stand independently while holding onto something sturdy for a few minutes. She is no where near walking - maybe by her first birthday. My mom said didn't walk until I was about 14 months!

 

   In addition to eating food, standing, and sleeping without the swaddle the little lady got her first teeth. She got both bottom middle teeth within a few days of each other. I didn't really notice any extra fussiness with the teething, but these are just the begining. We give her a mesh feeder with an ice cube in it which I think helps. She also likes to chew on her toys! She puts EVERYTHING in her mouth!



Look at those teeth!



   Here are some more 7 month pictures: