Two Months (way late)

As you can probably tell by how late this post is, our sweet girl's second month has been crazy! Sweet Chandler has started to enjoy tummy time a bit more and at about eight weeks on the dot, she started to roll over from tummy to back. She does occasionally forget how to roll, but remembers just a day or two later (and then she forgets again...).

At her two month check up, she weighed 10 pounds and was 23 inches long. We've got a long and lean babe...like her daddy!

Our little bean is very talkative and loves to have cooing conversations with us. She has the sweetest toothless grin you have ever seen and seems to give her daddy her biggest smiles. She is sleeping well and absolutely loves bath time. 

It has been amazing to watch our little one grow and change so quickly. She is developing a little personality and is truly an easy going baby.

This month, we traveled out of the city...and state...limits for the first time. Chan did so well in the car and really handled all of the newness like a champ. The past two months have absolutely flown by! We're all adjusting to each other, and Adam and I are getting pretty good at handling Chandler's "witching hour" each evening.

I can't wait to see what month three holds!

DVT

DVT...these are three letters I wasn't familiar with until yesterday...Deep Vein Thrombosis...

Yep, a blood clot...in my left leg.

It's been almost six weeks since we welcomed our little girl into the world...it took two weeks for all of the fluids I was pumped up with to leave my body and when they finally did, my left foot and ankle seemed to be the only part still retaining water...

I, being a new mom trying to keep from hauling our new baby to every doctor in the city, did not have an ultrasound when my OBGYN recommended. Plus, I totally thought I had stress fractures in my foot (because apparently I'm a doctor?!?!)

Well, thank goodness I decided to schedule an appointment with my orthopedist yesterday and thank goodness he made me an appointment to get an ultrasound on my leg, ankle, and foot yesterday because yep...there's a blood clot. (Key words here...he MADE ME AN APPOINTMENT...thus I felt inclined to go)

I saw two doctors and two radiology technicians yesterday, in three different offices, in three different parts of the city...all while hauling our new baby with me. Obviously my plan to keep from hauling her everywhere did not work.

So now, I'm on blood thinners and giving myself a shot everyday for the next 7-10 days. I can't workout for two weeks while we get this under control...and I'm looking at up to six months on a medication my grandmother took (she was in her 90's when she was taking it...)...

Lesson learned...when your body tells you something isn't right and your doctor suggests an ultrasound...get it...right when she suggests it.

I am going to be fine, right after I get over the shock and once I (admittedly) stop feeling sorry for myself. I'm going to have to cut back on alcohol...even though I'm only just now able to have a teensy glass of wine...and I'm going to have to try and remember that I am fragile now (which is going to make shaving my legs WAY more tedious that it has been...)

I'm really not sure what the point of this post is, except to say when you notice something off about your body, take care of it...sooner rather than later. Though the location of this clot makes it somewhat unlikely that it could do real damage...it still could. And I'm so thankful I finally got this checked out.

People...take care of yourselves!!!

Baby's First Month (and a half...)

First and foremost, thank you all so much for all of your kind words. We have received so many sweet messages since the birth of our sweet Chandler.

The past month and a half has been a complete whirlwind. I truly cannot believe that in just two days our little girl will be six weeks old!? How did that happen?

Chandler at one day old.

 This time has been more difficult, more amazing, more tiring, and more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. The joy that we have experienced since she arrived is not something I could have ever prepared for. On a couple of occasions, I have even cried a few (several...) tears of joy.

Chandler meeting her namesake...Chandler.

 Our little one is so loved and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. She has been a great sleeper and we are making progress on sleeping through the night every day! She is a sweet baby and hasn't been colicky or too fussy.

Chandler is a great eater. We have done well with breastfeeding and introduced a bottle at 3 weeks so her daddy can feed her also. She is taking the bottle well, once a day, and has continued to nurse well. She is getting some chubby cheeks and the most adorable little tummy.

At two weeks, we had a friend come and photograph our family and I have been so pleased with the photographs. I think we'll be seeing our photographer quite a bit since Chandler changes every day. 

Photographs by Heather Hansberry

Photographs by Heather Hansberry

Photographs by Heather Hansberry

Photographs by Heather Hansberry

Here are some of my favorite photos of our little bean. She is such a sweetheart!

Chandler is starting to smile and starting to coo...she is a chatty little thing! She loves bath time in her tub and kisses from her mommy and daddy. She loves her paci at night. She is now sleeping in her crib and did so well (better than I) with the transition from her bassinet beside our bed to her crib in her own room. 

Every day has brought us something new and exciting. These past two weeks have been so much fun as she has started to smile at us and talk to us. We have so many exciting things coming up in the next several weeks! Chandler will receive her first round of vaccines (not so exciting...), she will travel to Georgia for the first time and she will be baptized! I am truly loving this life, and can't wait for more!

Baby Photo Dump

We're smitten with our little one...can you tell?

And that's it for today's baby overload...but I'm not sure I'll be able to refrain for long!

Chandler Francis

Just over two weeks ago, we welcomed our sweet daughter, Chandler Francis, into the world. I've gone back and forth over whether or not to post her birth story and I have decided to give an abbreviated account (sans all the gory details, you're welcome).

Adam and I went into the hospital on Thursday, January 22 at 6:30am. I was scheduled to be induced, but had already started having some contractions and signs of labor at home. I was admitted and given pitocin to get the ball really rolling. Around 7:30, my doctor came in, made sure all was on the right track, and broke my water. I knew from the start that I wanted to have an epidural, so at 9:00, I finally gave in and had the nurse call the anesthesiologist. I picked a great time to call because Labor and Delivery was filling up and he didn't have a line yet! By 9:30 I was feeling pretty good!

Obligatory hospital picture...

Things progressed fairly slowly that morning, but by the time my doctor came by around lunch, I was dilated 6cm. My parents arrived around that time also and it was nice to have a little company for awhile. By 3:00, I was dilated 8cm and Adam and I were feeling confident that our little one might arrive by dinner time! At about 5:30 it was time to start pushing. I pushed for about an hour and then took a break while my doctor did a c-section for another patient. I got a great nap and when she returned, I was feeling energized and ready to keep pushing. 

At about 8:30 or so, I started pushing again and things just weren't going the way that we thought they would. Chandler was angled in a way that was making it difficult for her to go under my pelvic bone. It was at this time that my doctor suggested we think about a c-section. I'm so grateful for her guidance and advice, while she offered to push with me all night, she was very up front and realistic about the fact that that just might not work. Adam and I decided that the c-section was the best option. By 9:50, I was in the OR and was being prepped for the c-section. Adam came in a few minutes later and by 10:06, our sweet girl was here. 

Adam went with Chandler and the nurses to the nursery to make sure that she was in tip top shape while my doctor finished my c-section. Adam was nervous to leave me because at that point I was shaking uncontrollably (a normal side effect), but thanks to a wonderful and very sweet nurse anesthetist, that was taken care of swiftly. 

Our first family photo.

Following the delivery, I was taken to the Recovery Room where Adam came to check on me and a nurse brought Chandler in so I could feed her. Everything went well with our first feeding and within the hour, we were getting settled into our room in the Mother/Baby Area.

Our parents, who had been waiting for hours, came in to meet Chandler. I am so thankful my parents made the trip for the delivery, because at that particular time, I definitely needed their support. 

Finally, by about 2:00 in the morning, we were able to attempt to get some sleep. We spent two nights in the hospital and on Saturday we were cleared to leave.

Adam and I are so thrilled to have Chandler in our lives. We are so very blessed that we welcomed a healthy, beautiful baby. We are still getting the hang of things (obviously, as we are only two weeks in...) but we love her more and more each day. We have been showered with meals and visits from great friends and have had some unbelievable help (thank you, Mom) over the past two weeks. 

Thank you all so much for the kind phone calls and messages you have sent us. I am healing well and Chandler is thriving!