Raegan Walking

Spring Break - March 2010
Raegan's walking improves. Sorry for the sideways view, I recorded it wrong.

Peek-a-boo

Raegan playing her favorite game

Raegan smacks her lips

Raegan just started doing this a couple of days ago...not sure what it's about yet.

Raegan eating

This was Raegan 2 months ago...she now has 4 teeth. More videos to come later.

Just saying "Hello!"

Raegan's hair is finally getting long enough to wear bows without headbands, yay!

Raegan's messy face after I tried to give her antibiotics (pre-tubes).

Hope you all had a happy Monday!

As promised...

Update after ear tube surgery...

To prepare for the surgery Raegan wasn't allowed to eat after midnight Wednesday night. As her surgery was scheduled for 7:30am, this wouldn't seem like a big deal to most; however, Raegan still eats on a newborn schedule (i.e. every 2 -3 hours). Yes I have woke up every night for the past 11 months to feed her in the middle of the night. So I feed Raegan right before midnight and she slept until 2:47, when I had to have Philip rock her back to sleep instead of nursing her. The time between 2:47 and 5 o'clock is kinda blur, but consisted of crying, changing a diaper, rocking, playing lullabies on the ihome, pumping 2 bottles, and more crying. I think I caught a nap between 5 - 5:30 and then woke up, bathed Raegan, and ate breakfast before we had to leave for the surgery at 6:15am. We arrived a little late, filled out a lot of paper work, I drank a cup of coffee, and then had the risks and procedures explained to us. They weighed Raegan at 18 lbs. (same weight since she was 5 months old), checked her heart rate, and stuck a thermometer sticker to her forehead. Philip and I weren't able to go into the surgery room with Raegan. Instead nurses came over with a white glove blown up like a balloon (you know the kind that look like cow utters) and Raegan was sold, she went to them and didn't even notice that we weren't going with her.

The surgery went well and was very quick, it actually took longer for Raegan to wake up from the surgery then it did for them to put her under and do the surgery. When Raegan woke up, they came and got us and I nursed her until they told us she was good to go. She seemed a little sluggish/tired for awhile, but soon was back to normal. I went ahead and worked from home after we got home, just so I could keep a close eye on her.

Anyways, thank you for your prayers, we are so thankful everything went well.
Here is a pic of Raegan patting her babydoll on the back.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

I'm not sure if I've said it before, if not I've sure thought it many times. Whoever came up with the saying don't cry over spilled milk, definitely never had to pump breastmilk. Its not an easy job! Today was an interesting pumping day. First off I don't have my own office where I can just shut the door and the blinds when I need to pump. I work at different client sites and my "pumping spots" can vary from a private room with a fridge, leather recliner, sink, magazines, and a door with a lock to a big bathroom stall with a chair in it. Today I was in the big bathroom stall with a chair in it, when the cleaning lady busts in and I catch the door as quickly as I can trying to explain to her not to come in. She apologized sincerely, but I still don't understand how she didn't hear the loud annoying sounds coming from the powerful motor of my pump. The second time I tried to pump today there was someone taking up that stall, I waited for about a minute and then decided I'd try the restroom upstairs, to my dismay someone was taking that one up as well. I thought surely the one downstairs ought to be empty by now, so I walked back down stairs and checked and it wasn't, so I just gave up.

Philip decided to close tonight to train a new leader, so I had to leave work early to pick up Raegan. At the daycare I walk into Raegan's room to see her and another little girl pulling books off of a bookshelf, another baby asleep in a bouncer, and the teacher with her legs up in the recliner looking at/texting on her cell phone. This specific afternoon teacher/teenager is the one who I think is really scared of me, because one time she 'accidently' dumped out one of Raegan's bottles and I called the director very upset about it. I say hi to Raegan and the teacher puts her phone down real fast (I don't think they are suppose to have them out) and immediately tells me that she had to give Raegan formula. Instead of freaking out, I just said "oh ok, did she take it" her response, "yah kinda." Me thinking "I spend an hour (at least) a day with my loud pump so Raegan can have the benefits of breastmilk and you did what..." anyways, turns out Raegan still had 4 ounces (1 bottle) of milk left in the fridge in her bag at daycare, that somehow got missed so the teacher had to give her formula instead?!? Luckily when we got home I gave Raegan that bottle and she showed me how much she appreciated it by drinking the entire thing along with some air after it was empty because she wanted more.

Raegan's favorite morning teacher from the daycare, found another job and isn't working there anymore, we miss her. This afternoon though Raegan jumped out of my arms to go to her favorite afternoon teacher who was in the room next door at the daycare and then waved bye to me :( It made me realize how much time I've been spending with work this busy season and not enough with her. I'm looking forward to having a full day off each week again so that she and I can spend more time together! Hopefully by the end of March, busy season will be over, well at least until September.

Raegan's surgery is in the morning and I'm really nervous, yet hopeful that things will get better. I'll keep everyone updated on how it goes.