General
baby clothes
August 26, 2011
Graciela has a lot of really cute clothes. Unfortunately, they are mostly sizes 3-6 months or larger. I’ve had a hard time figuring out what to do with her at this size. She is still a little too small for most 0-3 month clothes. I hesitated getting anything in newborn sizes because I knew she would outgrow them way too quickly (she is officially too tall for the pajamas she was wearing in this picture and I think she ended up only wearing this twice). So for now, I mainly keep her in little pajamas or onesies during the day and then I run out to buy her an outfit when we need it (i.e. when we went to church last week, and the wedding we attended this week).
pediatrician visit
August 11, 2011
As of today, I weigh 7 lbs 15 oz and I’m 20.75 inches long :)
Today was a big day for little miss Graciela. We had our first visit to the pediatrician. So we got her all bathed nice and clean, put on her little footed pajamas, and headed off to the doctor’s office.
Once we got into the room, we were asked to get her down to just a dry diaper. I was busy filling out paperwork, so I asked Luis to handle it. So he took off her little pajamas and noticed she was a little wet. As soon as he took off her diaper to put on a fresh one, what does the little diva go and do? She pees all over the table! Poor Luis got a little frazzled and it took the two of us plus my mother in law to get both Graciela and the table back to a presentable condition.
The nurse eventually came back in to get me and the baby so we could get her measurements. When we were finished, the doctor came in, marveled at our wonderful baby who has both gained weight and grown since her birth, and chatted with us for a little bit. After he left, I was still trying to finish the paperwork and asked Luis to get Graciela dressed again. Knowing that her Papi was on duty again, what does little miss Graciela do? She spits up the vast majority of the bottle her abuelita had just fed her.
All in all, it was a very adventurous little outing to the pediatrician. After all of that excitement, Graciela came home and slept nearly the entire afternoon… pausing only to drink half a bottle.
specialist appointment
June 17, 2011
We went to see the specialist again today. Apparently the fibroid has gotten just a tiny bit larger, but nothing of great concern so we were told we don’t have to go back :) My mom was able to come with us to this appointment, which was awesome for me to have her there. Plus I think she enjoyed being able to see the ultrasound. The ultrasound itself wasn’t as amazing as the first couple we had because the baby is just getting too big to be able to see things as clearly, but it was still pretty neat to see here in there and see how much she is growing.
for next year
May 30, 2011
While setting up our registry at Babies R Us, I came across swimming suits on sale and I just couldn’t pass it up. Come next year, little Graciela will be wearing this to the pool on a regular basis :)
The father’s take on the specialist visit
April 8, 2011
I felt that Natala’s post from yesterday didn’t properly convey the anguish that SOME OF US might have been feeling.
During our normal doctor’s visit two days ago, after we had the ultrasound, the Tech said she’d show the doctor the what was found, and that we needed to wait. She came back and my heart sank when the tech told us the doctor wanted to see us again. So, we went back into one of the examining rooms and waited again.
Things didn’t much better when the doctor and a nurse marched in. They told us what was going on, letting us know that the specialist we were being referred to was going to call us TODAY. Again, a little scary.
The thing is, I’m a worrier… of the WORST kind. After leaving the office, I tried to promise myself that I wouldn’t look up what could cause low amniotic fluid… but I did anyway. Here’s what I came across:
Leaky or ruptured membranes
A small tear in your amniotic membranes allows some fluid to leak out. This can happen at any point in your pregnancy, but it’s more common as you approach delivery. You may notice the leaking fluid yourself if you find that your underwear is wet, or your practitioner may discover it during an exam.A ruptured membrane can increase the risk of infection to both you and your baby because it provides a way for bacteria to enter the amniotic sac. Occasionally, a tear will heal on its own, the leaking will stop, and the fluid level will return to normal. (This is usually the case if the leaking happens after an amniocentesis.)
Placental problems
A problem with your placenta, such as a partial abruption, keeps it from supplying enough blood and nutrients to your baby and causes him to stop recycling fluid.Certain medical conditions
As mentioned above, certain conditions — such as chronic high blood pressure, preeclampsia, diabetes, and lupus — can result in low amniotic fluid levels.Fetal abnormalities
If you’re found to have low levels of amniotic fluid in your first or second trimester, it may mean that your baby has a birth defect. If his kidneys aren’t there or aren’t developing properly (Potter’s syndrome) or his urinary tract is blocked, your baby won’t produce enough urine to maintain the level of amniotic fluid. A congenital heart defect can also cause this problem.
The next day (yesterday) my anxieties began to kick up a notch. I was scared that something could seriously be wrong. My mind began to spit out visualizations of all sorts of scenarios, and it frightened me.
After leaving the specialist appointment, though, and discovering that everything was going well, I was quite relieved and grateful. I imagine, this is the first of many scary experiences I will be facing as a parent.
specialist visit
April 7, 2011
Yesterday Luis and I went to my regular check up with my regular doctor. We have these regular visits every 4 weeks (once we get to 28 weeks, it’ll be every 2 weeks). The visits are usually really quick.
- We check in at the office, pay the co-pay.
- Wait 5 minutes, get called back. I give a urine sample.
- The nurse weighs me and checks my blood pressure.
- Then I am taken to a room, where the doctor comes in, uses a doppler to check for the baby’s heartbeat.
- She asks me if everything is ok.
- And normally that is the end of the visit.
This time around, she also asked if I was feeling the baby move. I explained that I sometimes think I might be feeling the baby, but that I don’t know for sure and that it might be gas or something. The doctor said it is most likely the baby and that it is totally normal for me to not be feeling too much movement because I have an anterior placenta (meaning the placenta is located in front of the baby acting as an extra cushion).
But just to be sure everything was fine, the doctor sent me to get a quick little ultrasound. The super nice ultrasound tech checked everything and said that everything looks fairly normal. Size and development are perfect. But the amniotic fluid was looking a little low. I was referred to a specialist and was told to make sure I stayed hydrated. I spent the next 24 hours drinking glass after glass of water and going to the bathroom about a million times. Luis and I “researched” possible problems associated with low amniotic fluid, which includes a ruptured amniotic sac and poorly functioning kidneys for the baby. Possible treatments included bed rest (which is one of my nightmares considering the fact that I need to work), I.V.’s, or even amniocentesis.
Fortunately, the specialist was able to see me this afternoon. We had another ultrasound performed. This time, it was a little more high tech and we were able to see things really clearly, including all 4 chambers of the heart, kidneys, lungs, etc. It was confirmed that the baby was in fact still a girl (despite a dream I had a couple of nights ago). Her growth is exactly on target, and her fluids were perfectly normal.
I know I complain a lot about being sick all the time. And believe me, it is not fun. Especially when you want to get things done (like setting up a closet) but are unable to finish the task because you feel like you’re going to faint from exhaustion. But I am so grateful that our baby is doing well, and that for now we don’t have to think about NICU’s, hospitals, bed rest, or needles.
Luis: Stay tuned for MY take on the events.
The family blog debuts
March 22, 2011
We didn’t make much of a splash when the family blog was officially introduced this past weekend… but it is officially here.
There are almost a dozen posts here already that Natalia has been keeping saved up over the past several weeks, so take a look around.
If you’d like to subscribe, our feed can be found here: http://mertinso.com/family/feed/
Thanks for supporting us, everyone. :)
adding to the cuteness
March 19, 2011
Our friends Daniel and Katey came through town with their little girl and stopped to have lunch with us today. On their way out, they gave Graciela her very first present. Well, I should clarify. Graciela has received a few other presents, but this is the first she has received since we found out she was going to be a little Graciela and not a little Lucas. Up until now everything was very gender neutral. But now? Bring on the frilly and girly!
consignment
March 17, 2011
Every 6 months, As They Grow has a big consignment sale here in Las Vegas. For those who may not be familiar, a consignment sale is kind of like a huge yard sale, except for the items are all dropped off in one place and you don’t know who you’re buying from. Anyway, this particular consignment sale is targeted at baby items only. I have really been looking forward to the sale. I hoped we would find some great buys on big ticket items like a crib, stroller, car seat, etc. The people who run the sale check to make sure the items being sold have not been recalled and are in good condition. Unfortunately, we didn’t come away with quite as much as I was hoping to get. First of all, there were no cribs. We did end up buying a pack-n-play so if nothing else, our child will have a place to sleep:
Luis thought the pack-n-play was kind of boy-ish, but I feel like it works for both. I want to sew a little fitted sheet to go on the pack-n-play pad so the baby won’t be sleeping directly on a plastic-y fabric.
We also bought a pair of little airwalks (to match the kind of shoes her daddy loves to wear):
A book about baby sleeping habits (because I, for one, will be going back to work and would like to be able to sleep):
A bouncy seat (which I’ve placed in our computer room to remind Luis who is going to be staring up at him in a few months):
And my favorite piece of the night, a baby carrier for Luis so he can have his typing hands free while holding our little Graciela:
As was the case with when we went to Babies R Us, I felt extremely overwhelmed at the thought of picking a stroller. There were just so many different types to choose from and I couldn’t decide. Part of me really likes the Chicco strollers because the handle seems a lot higher than most other strollers. But even the used Chicco travel system at the consignment sale was $200 (they retail for $300). I’m still completely undecided about what to get. But at least we still have several months to make a final decision.
After about an hour of roaming and looking and searching and questioning, I started feeling sick. And then more sick. And then more sick. And then I felt like I was going to pass out. I had to sit down on the ground. Sadly enough, I wasn’t embarrassed at all about it. Luis was very concerned about me driving myself home (we drove both cars because we didn’t know if we were going to end up getting a lot of stuff that might not fit in just one car). But I got to the car, threw up, and then felt a little better. Better enough to drive home, and get in bed.