First Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed our week of Thanksgiving. My mom was able to be here for the whole week, which was AMAZING! It was so much fun to have her here and spending time with us and Amelia. She cooked us lots of delicious food and we just chilled by the fire for a few days. It was COLD the first part of the week. Jonathan's family was supposed to come down the Sunday before Thanksgiving but because there was a chance of ice and it was so cold we decided to cancel. The biggest bummer was that it didn't end up icing at all and we could have still had our Thanksgiving, oh well, better to be safe than have people stranded or in car accidents. Since we didn't eat the food for that day we decided to have a friend Thanksgiving on Wednesday night. We also took a Thanksgiving meal to a family in need on Wednesday. Thursday we did a whole lot of nothing until that night when my mom and I braved the crowds and went shopping. Friday morning my mom and Jonathan went shopping while I stayed home with Amelia. We got a few gifts but most of our stuff we ordered online. Friday we also went and bought Amelia's first Christmas tree. She wore her Christmas shirt on Friday and then on Saturday we had Thanksgiving with our family so she wore her Thanksgiving shirt. Maybe a little backwards but it was fun! Before we could eat on Saturday Jonathan, my brother and my brother-in-law put the Christmas lights on our house, they are beautiful. We ate lots of delicious food and enjoyed spending time with each other. I really enjoyed my family being at our house and not having to drive for this holiday. Here are some pictures of Amelia in her Thanksgiving outfit. It was truly a day to be thankful for.

Not too thrilled with mom taking my picture

Halloween 2013

Amelia's first Halloween was so much fun. We went to the pumpkin patch and a couple of church Trunk or Treats. One for our church and one with a friend. Amelia was dressed up as Minion from Despicable Me and was adorable. Jonathan was dressed up as Gru. I was going to be Margo but the plan I had for a skirt didn't work out and then I didn't have time to make one from scratch. I had so much fun making Amelia's hat and Jonathan's scarf though. I can't wait until next Halloween when we will dress up as a family again. I love themed costumes!

Cloth Diapering...The Bybee Way

We use cloth diapers. No, we aren't crazy. Yes, it is a little more work than disposable diapering but not much. In our opinion and for our family it is completely worth the extra work. Amelia can't wear Pampers brand diapers, she gets an AWFUL rash. Huggies work and we have used them when traveling but prefer to use cloth even when out and about. Here is a little about what we use, our favorites and our least favorites, and our wash routine.

Our Stash: 3 Grovia Hybrid shells and 8 inserts
                       $16.95/shell; $17.95/2 inserts
                  3 Best Bottoms Covers and 9 Size medium stay dry inserts
                      $83.85 for package of 3 covers and 9 inserts here: Best Bottoms Package or
                      $16.95/Cover and $3.95/stay dry insert
                  1 Softbums cover
                       $21.95
                  6 Nicki's Pocket Diapers
                       $9.95/diaper
                  1 Little Monster Pocket Diaper
                       $11.95
                  1 Thirsties Duo Wrap Cover Size 1 w/ velcro
                       $12.95
                  1 Thirsties Duo All In One (AIO) Size 1
                       $15.75

We also have a bunch of Fuzzi buns pocket diapers that were given to us by a friend. When she was smaller we tried a trial package from Jillians Drawers that is for newborns. In this we tried Bumgenius Newborn AIO, prefolds, the Thirsties Duo AIO and Thirsties Cover, Kissaluvs fitteds, Prowrap cover and a Bumgenius Freetime AIO. We also purchased a Grovia Newborn AIO.

Newborn Period:
           Favorites: Grovia Newborn AIO and Kissaluvs size 0 fitteds with Thirsties cover
           OK: Thirsties Duo Size 1 AIO- we still use this one, not my favorite but works in a pinch. I  also liked the prefolds ok but they weren't my favorite and they were not as user friendly.
           Least Favorites: Bumgenius Newborn AIO (leaked) and Bumgenius Freetime AIO (too bulky)
      

Now: 6 weeks and up
         Favorites: My favorite is the Bestbottoms insert in the Bestbottoms or Softbums cover. The softbums cover is more trim fitting. The Bestbottoms covers are capable of preventing the most serious breastmilk poo blowouts. I also really like the Grovia shells and inserts. Jonathan's favorites are the Grovia ones followed by the Bestbottoms ones.
        OK: Thirsties Duo Size 1 AIO and Nicki's pockets. They work ok but are very bulky. The Nicki's pockets do have some seriously cute prints. I also really like the print on our Little Monsters Pocket (penguins) and it works similar to the Nicki's pockets.
        Least Favorites: Fuzzibuns. They just don't seem to fit her very well and leak. 

We have discovered that our Thirsties Duo size 1 wrap will fit our Bestbottoms inserts which is nice.

Closure types: We both prefer the snap closure to the velcro.

Wash Routine: Amelia goes through about 10 diapers a day. I prefer to line dry our diapers. If I am going to do this (it takes all day) I have to wash every day to day and a half. If I am going to dry them in the dryer I can go 2 days between washes. We really need about 6 more diapers and then I can go every 2 days and still dry them outside.

Washer Type: Whirlpool Cabrio Platinum Top Loader
Water Type: Hard
Detergent: Rockin Green Hard Rock
We start by spraying her poop into the toilet using a diaper sprayer attachment on the guest bathroom toilet. We then toss all diapers into the diaper pail liner in a normal trash can with a lid that is stored in the guest bathroom. We have never had problems with stink by rinsing the poo off and washing every 2 days. At wash time I dump all contents of the wet bag and the wet bag (turned inside out) into our washer. I first run a rinse and spin cycle without soap. This is followed by a cycle set to bulky with warm water with 2 tbsp of soap added to the soap dispenser. I also choose an extra rinse cycle. I then hang the diapers and covers to dry outside or place the diapers in the dryer and lay the covers to air dry. I dry the diapers on warm in the dryer (takes about 60 min to get them good and dry).  After I line dry the diapers I toss them in the dryer for about 10 min to help soften them. I have never had problems with leak or stink issues with our microfiber diapers but we have only been doing this for a couple of months.

Cloth Wipes: Yes, we also use cloth wipes but only when at home. We use Circo brand newborn cloth diapers for wipes with a spray bottle of water. I just spray her bottom and wipe it clean. The wipe goes in the diaper pail with the dirty diapers and gets washed with them.

When we are out and about I take a couple of inserts and an extra cover in the diaper bag. The nice thing about the BestBottom covers is the inside is wipe-able so if it just gets wet or a little bit of poop on the inside of the cover you can wipe it clean with a baby wipe and let it dry while using a different cover and it's good to go again. We take a travel size wet bag with us to store dirty diapers in.

There you have it! Cloth diapering Bybee style!

Preparing for Change...Returning to Work

My maternity leave will soon be ending. I have been so blessed to have these past few months. I will have taken 10 1/2 weeks off since her birth and I was off the week before she was born because that's how my schedule happened to fall. This means I haven't worked in almost 12 weeks. Yikes! I miss work. I miss using my brain and helping sick kids. However, I love being with her all day every day. Yes, there are times when I just want a few minutes without a baby on my lap (or nursing :) ) but for the most part when I am away from her I miss her. Since I am soon returning to work Jonathan and I have started trying to get her used to me being gone. In my 2 month post I put that she hates bottles, it's because she does. She HATES them. She will drink from one if she is hungry but she usually gives you a look while she does it. We find it hilarious that she seems to look at us and say with her eyes "seriously, you think this is the same as my mom?"

I work nights. Amelia has colic, worse at night. Can you see how this may not be a good thing? At least when both of us are home we can share the burden on a bad night. Amelia usually doesn't go to bed until 11 or 11:30. She does sleep until 6 or 6:30 almost every morning though. This week we have started trying to have Jonathan put her down every other night (the nights when he doesn't have class early the next day). The first couple of times he did this she went to bed a little later than normal and fussed more than normal but he succeeded and seemed to be no worse for the wear. NOT the case for last night! Last night she didn't go to sleep until 4:15am! Jonathan came and woke me up at 2:45 and told me it was my turn. For some reason she just didn't want to sleep. She would fall asleep in his arms for 10-15 minutes and when he laid her down her eyes would pop wide open and she would cry and cry and cry. I nursed her at 2:50 and tried to put her down at 3:20. No luck. She wanted to look at me and smile and coo. She nursed again at about 4 and finally fell asleep at 4:15 and let me put her down. She was awake at 8:30! We will continue working on getting her to go to bed at night without nursing. This is going to be a struggle. She is one stubborn little girl :) Please pray for our sanity over the next few weeks as we continue to work on getting her used to me not being around all the time. It is hard for her, hard for me, and hard for Jonathan. I'm going to miss her sweetness when I am working. For a little bit of humor after a long night we put her in a shirt that says "I'm a cotton headed ninnymuggins".

I know this is just for a "season" and that it will get better, but it is so hard to see your baby sad and know that you can help but shouldn't because it will just make things worse later.

I love this little girl and am blessed to be her mom!

2 Months Old.....Where Has the Time Gone?!

Time is going way to fast for my liking. Amelia is growing every day it seems like and I am wondering where my little baby has gone. Today was her 2 month doctors appointment. Here is what she is up to!

Weight: 11lbs 13 oz (75%)
Height: 22inches (45%)
LOVES: Cuddles and nursing
HATES: Bottles, Pacis, swaddling

She coos, smiles and holds her head up. She is trying to roll over already (that needs to stop :) ) She loves to "stand" in our laps and actually has pretty good control of her body. She's super colicky at night and cries most nights starting at around 7pm and going until she crashes around 11 or 11:30, some nights later. She sleeps great once she falls asleep and sleeps 6.5-8 hours most nights. She is happiest in the mornings and that is when we get the most smiles out of her. We are blessed!

Here are some recent photos!

First Time to Church, Sept 29

2 month doctor appointment

Princess stickers on chubby thighs after my shots 

The Mommy and The Pediatrician

I am both of these all the time, however sometimes one side wins over the other. At work I am a Pediatrician first and a Mommy second. Being a Pediatrician first allows me to do my job objectively and being a Mommy second allows me to have a level of empathy and compassion for my patients and their families. At home I am the reverse. I am first a Mommy and second a Pediatrician. I am never able to be just one and I wouldn't want to be. I love both of my roles, equally but differently. At home I love being a Mommy and not thinking too much about my job as a pediatrician. These roles collide a little differently however when my baby is sick. Amelia is only 5 weeks old and has her first illness. She is snotty, coughing, sleeping more than normal and not eating super great. I wish I could do more for her than suction her nose and use a humidifier. I know she doesn't need to go to the doctor, nothing they can do that I'm not already doing. I know if she has a fever we have to go to the ER and she has to have all sorts of tests run to make sure it's just a cold and not something serious. I know what to watch for if she is dehydrated. I KNOW she is ok, just a little cold. My Pediatrician brain tells me this. However, my Mommy brain tells me that my baby is sick and that makes me sad.

The Sad with The Happy

I'm going to be honest in this post. It's about being sad while being happy, something that may make absolutely no sense to some but others will completely understand what I'm saying. I'm not trying to whine, just be honest so that people understand what it's like to have things turn out not how you planned and what it's like to have a baby after a loss.

I am 100% totally in love with Amelia. I am thrilled that she is here and healthy. She is beautiful and perfect and amazing and I can't believe she is mine. I am sad that Grant isn't here with her. Sometimes when I go to nurse her in the middle of the night I get tears in my eyes as a thought enters my mind that it is something I never got with him. I look at her sweet little face where her nose is exactly like his and remember how amazing he was and wish he were here too.

I had a c-section. Not something I planned or wanted. It was necessary to get her here safely and I am thankful for the ability of my OB and hospital to detect problems and intervene before they become serious. I am thankful that she is here safely. I'm sad that I had to have a c-section. I had wanted a 100% natural, un-medicated birth. Not because I thought that women who chose otherwise are "less" of a mom, but because it was what I thought was best for me and her. However, I ended up getting an epidural because I wasn't progressing despite time and effort and I needed rest. I don't regret that decision for a minute. I'm sad that I didn't get to have the birth that I wanted for us. I wanted to have my crying, screaming, alive baby handed straight to me after she was born and placed on my chest so I could hold her close. Instead my OB pulled her from my womb and I got a short glance at her before she was taken to a warmer surrounded by strangers who were making sure she was ok. Her daddy got to go stand by her and take some pictures of her beautiful face but I missed all of it. I then got to "hold her" a little while I was still laying on the operating table, kiss her sweet face, look in my husband's eyes and marvel at her. This only lasted a couple of short minutes before I gave her to Jonathan and he was taking her to the other room where it was warmer.  They had him carry her to our room where my mom and sister waited. I didn't get to see her meet them for the first time. I got taken back to our room a few minutes later. The nurses were helping get her cleaned up and I had them bathe her. I wanted to but I was shaking so badly from side effects of the epidural and was in so much pain from my c-section that I was afraid of dropping her. I was so groggy from pain medicine that I kept dozing off and don't remember much about them bathing her. I am sad about this. I'm sad that I missed so many of her "firsts". I can't get those back. Then, because of all of the chaos we don't have a family picture of us that day, or any day in the hospital for that matter. I've missed out on so many things with Grant because he isn't here and then I missed out on things with her too. Something I wasn't ready for.

I am so incredibly happy to have her here. I LOVE being her mommy. She is amazing and perfect and everything I imagined her to be plus some.

Complications

It seems that if something can go wrong it will with doctors and their health. I don't know why that is but it's annoying. I'm typing this on my iPad as I hold my sweet baby and sit in a hospital bed. I got admitted back to the hospital Friday night with an almost 103 fever from an infection in the lining of my uterus. I'm feeling better today and haven't had a fever since early Saturday morning so hopefully I can go home this afternoon. I'm so thankful for hospitals and medicine. This is why so many women used to die during and after childbirth, however I will be fine. I'm also thankful for a hospital that allows my baby to stay with me to promote breast feeding and my husband to stay as well. Taking care of an almost 2 week old while sick and in the hospital has been hard but we are making it.

Amelia Kathryn Bybee Has Arrived!

Amelia Kathryn Bybee made her debut into this world on Tuesday August 20, 2013 at 4:46pm. She is beautiful! Here is her birth story with a few pictures.

We chose to be induced on Monday night the 19th when I was 39 weeks 1 day pregnant. We chose induction then because she was getting quite big and Jonathan starts the fall semester on Aug 26th. We wanted to have time to adjust to a newborn, me to have someone to help for a few days, and him to get to spend time with her before going to school again. The plan was for us to go to the hospital on Monday night between 9 and 10pm to start the induction process and have her on Tuesday. When we got to the hospital we had to sit in the waiting room for over an hour because there were so many babies being born they didn't have a room for us (or a friend who was being induced the same time). When we finally got put in our room I was 3cm dilated and contracting on my own but not regularly enough to have a baby so they started a low dose pitocin to help me have more consistent contractions. Soon I was contracting about 4 times in 10 minutes and they increased my medicine to make me contract every 2 minutes (5 times in 10 minutes is the goal). Around 5:15am I was found to be 5cm dilated and they broke my water to help things along a little more. I was being monitored during this time and Amelia was doing fabulously. My goal was to have a natural birth without pain medicine and I was doing well handling the pain. Around 7am I went for a walk around the halls with my sister to help pass the time and hopefully help me progress a little more. I was then checked again and was at 7cm. I was now having quite a bit of pain with each contraction and they were getting stronger and closer together. They turned off my pitocin because I was contracting so well and my labor continued on it's own without any medicine. My nurse was amazing! She helped me get in the shower at the hospital to labor with the hot water hitting me and it made all the difference in the world. Jonathan was a great labor coach. The contractions continued to get stronger and more painful and we thought I was getting closer. However when they checked me again around 11am I was still only at a 7. About an hour later I was still at a 7 and chose to get an epidural. I had been awake all night at that point and wasn't progressing. I was hoping that if I got the epidural I could rest and let my body relax a little and it would help me progress. The epidural went in great and Amelia was still doing wonderfully. I was able to rest for a while when things started getting a little scary. The monitors were showing that Amelia was having trouble with each contraction and wasn't recovering very well after some of them. Her heart rate was dropping and staying too low. They had me lay in different positions and put some oxygen on me and she was doing better. I laid on my right side, where Amelia was doing the best, for what seemed like forever. When they checked me again I was at an 8 and she was still not dropping down much into the birth canal. She then started having a few more heart rate drops so they put monitors on her head to watch her more closely, put some fluid back into the amniotic sac (hoping it would help her handle the contractions better) and we continued to watch. She was still doing ok and I was doing better with the epidural. Around 4:30pm they checked me again and I wasn't even at a 9 yet and she was still high. Then her heart rate dropped into the 40s and she wasn't recovering very quickly even with changing my position and putting me back on oxygen. Her heart rate did come up back to normal but she wasn't handling contractions well. We decided to go with an urgent c-section at that time to prevent needing an emergency c-section if her heart rate dropped and wouldn't come back up. Our only goal was to have a healthy baby and we didn't want to jepordize that just for a natural birth. The anesthesiologists and OB doctors rushed in and prepped me for surgery. Amelia was born at 4:46pm by c-section. When they were trying to get her out they discovered that her head was stuck in the birth canal. Someone actually had to push her back up into my abdomen to get her out. She did great! My recovery is now a little more complicated and I am very sore from laboring all day and then needing a c-section but we are doing well.

Amelia Kathryn Bybee
Born August 20, 2013 at 4:46pm
8lbs 7oz, 19 inches
She has her brother Grant's nose, her dad's hands and feet and my mouth and she is absolutely perfect.

Right after she was born! So alert!

My new favorite picture! Today getting ready to come home.

Getting ready for her first car ride.

Hanging out on the couch tonight.

Maternity Pictures

Here are some of my maternity pictures done by my amazingly talented little sister.

These are the ones we took Easter weekend to announce her coming arrival to the world!

These are some my sister took June 29th of just me and Amelia.

Here are the ones she took a few weeks later with both of us!

Me reading "Guess How Much I Love You" and him reading "Because I'm Your Dad"

Reading the book he picked out for her. So sweet!

This is in our living room. Love it.

Baby Showers

Our first baby shower was in May and our last one was in June. One was here where we live with friends and one was in Dallas with friends and family from there. We are so blessed to have so many people who love us and this sweet girl. Here are a few photos from each shower.

Temple, TX Friend Shower May 18th

Her invitation

My mom and I

Sarah, Me and Allie (2 of the 3 Hostesses)

The cake (delicious and beautiful!)

Dallas, TX shower June 29th

Me and the cake. Once again, pretty and delicious!

Yum, cake!

My Beautiful Grandmother making onesies.

Onesie making station

Her Just Born Onesie. We have one made for each month for the first year. It was fun to be able to do these at the party.

The Nursery

Here is Amelia's nursery. I am in love with it. I love going in there and sitting in her chair and just dreaming. It is calm and soothing and everything I wanted it to be. It's pretty and girly but not pink and "fru-fru".

Wreath on her door, made by a good friend!

View from the door. That's Grant's bear on the shelf in the corner :)

View from the crib.

View from the closet. That chair is sooooo comfortable!

A closer look at her bookshelf. The penguins are because we have called her Baby Penguin since our first ultrasound. That silver frame says "Me and My Big Brother." Can't wait to put a picture of her and Grant bear in it!

Her dresser/changing table. The blank space by the mirror will eventually have something hanging there, it's just not done yet.

Our dog Kira. She follows me everywhere and loves being in the nursery with me.

Close up of her crib. Jonathan picked it out :)

Bows and headbands on her bow holder I made.

Close up of her quilt!

I had so much fun picking out her fabric and making her curtains, bed skirt, crib sheets, changing pad cover and quilt. A good friend did the actual quilting after I pieced it all together. I even had enough of the curtain/bedskirt fabric left over to make the cute pillow and bow holder.