for my DFW friends

this wesite has some interesting info.
Enjoy!

2 months for Mia

I took Mia to the doctor for her 2 month check up and all is well!
She is growing in weight and length everyday. Despite still having traces of blood in her stool, the doctor thinks I'm doing well with the breastfeeding and the new diet. Just so you know what a struggle this is, consider looking at the ingredients in the next thing you eat... I have to avoid the following:

• butter and related products (including artificial butter flavor, butter fat, butter solids, butter oil, buttermilk, and natural butter flavor)
• caramel color or caramel flavoring
• casein products and caseinates (including ammonium, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, rennet, sodium, and zinc caseinates)
• cheese
• cottage cheese
• cream and cream curds
• custard
• fat replacers such as Opta and Simplesse
• flavorings and natural flavorings (including Bavarian cream flavoring, brown sugar flavoring, caramel flavoring, coconut cream flavoring, some seasonings and natural flavors for meat and poultry, binding agents, fillers, natural egg flavor, canned fish, seasoned and ranch-style potato and tortilla chips, and seasoned french fries)
• goat's milk (contains proteins similar to those in cow's milk)
• half-and-half
• high-protein flour and other types of added protein (particularly the kind found in "high-energy" foods, which often contain milk protein)
• hydrolysates (including hydrolyzed casein and milk protein)
• lactose (and other products that begin with lact including lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate, lactate, lactic acid starter culture, lactoferrin, lactoglobulin, and lactulose)
• margarine
• milk in all forms (including condensed milk, dry milk, dry milk solids, evaporated milk, low-fat milk, nonfat or skim milk, milk derivative, milk fat, milk powder, milk protein, milk solids, malted milk, and powdered milk)
• sour cream, sour cream solids, and sour milk solids
• whey and whey products (including delactosed whey, demineralized whey, whey powder, whey protein concentrate, and whey protein hydrolysate)
• yogurt

Thus, I must pretty much be in control of everything that goes into my mouth. I really can't eat out, because you just don't know how the food is prepared. For example, I ate Chicken Fajitas that my sister in law made and they were preseasoned from HEB (a grocery store), well after I read the package I realized they had Sodium Lactate...essentially some milk by product. Go figure!! It wasn't her fault, it was my ignorance.

Fortunately I realize I can still get my bread fix by making my own bread, I have a bread machine that was collecting dust, so I'm pretty excited about making my own bread. I think it will be pretty cool.

Anyway, Mia is weighing in at 10 lbs and .06 oz, putting her in the 40th percentile and she is measuring 22 1/2 inches putting her in the 47th percentile. She is cooing and smiling so much more everyday and she is generally a happy baby. She is sleeping pretty well, about 6-7 hours a night and during the day she is taking good naps in her crib. The doctor said we could even give her an ounce of chamomile tea to help with gasiness. I haven't done it yet, but if Mylicon fails me at least I can turn to that. Even at 1o lbs. she still seems so small to me. Let's just say she's petite. Mia has started making bubbles with her saliva and just last night was trying to suck on her fingers, when she couldn't get a finger in her mouth she resorted to the palm of her hand. Silly girl! I hope she never finds her thumb or else it will be a battle later on. :)

Luisa spent the day with her Grandma Anna (Ted's mom) while I took Mia to the doctor and did some damage at the Gap. They had an extra 25% off sale for kids and baby clothes. Her Grandma bought her a pair of jeans from Talbots. A bit too pricey for me, but I will gladly accept them. :)

We took pictures at Portrait Innovations of Mia and I hope to get those out soon.

2 month check up

I am taking Mia for her 2 month check up tomorrow (Tuesday). I will let everyone know how it went after we get done.
I'm really thinking that we'll be doing formula after tomorrow.
The bleeding has been continuous.
My poor baby. I have really been trying... I've even kept a food journal.

Allergic to Cow's Milk? !?!?!

Last week I finally gave into my suspicion that Mia was bleeding at just about every bowel movement. It happened on Thursday (10/4/07) morning after she had slept for 7 straight hours I was changing her diaper and I could deny it no longer, there in her stool was a bunch of bits of bloody mucous. I had been thinking it was possibly food coloring before, but I finally had to admit what I saw was a blood halo in her stool. I am breastfeeding and I am determined to continue without hurting my child. So I called around and I was finally able to find a pediatrician that was recommended by a friend to see me on such short notice. Sadly I got to the appt a little late, but we made it. She confirmed my suspicions and suggested that we do a hypoallergenic formula while Ted took care of the girls over the weekend. This would allow me time to clear the pantry of all things that contained milk and basically so I could do the research as to what I had to avoid. I also confirmed with my former pediatrician, whom I loved, to see if they would recommend the same course of action and they agreed. It was very difficult to let go of my baby Mia, but it had to be done. I left them on Friday at my in-law's house with their father and cried until I reached my girlfriends who were ready to get my mind off of the current situation. On Saturday Ted and I met up so that I could get Luisa to a birthday party and then I returned her to him after a couple of hours. Mia was restless Friday night and all day Saturday, giving Ted a taste of what my life is like 24/7. I screwed up at the birthday party and had some ice cream and vowed not to let that happen again!

Fortunately, I think Luisa has adjusted well to the fact that dad isn't around. Although some of the things she says concern me, like "Daddy threw us away" or "Daddy always screams at me", or "I want that Daddy on TV". I can't imagine what it must be like not to have your dad around when you need him most (all the time). But, I can relate to what it feels to be a single mom and it sucks. I feel like I yell at Luisa when what I really want to do is yell at Ted. I get so annoyed with myself when I have sympathy for him. I really just want to ring his neck! He has created such chaos and havoc in my life, I feel like I can never forgive him for what he has done to our family. I may be paying for this now, but I hope he will pay dearly for later for this. I know that doesn't sound kind or very Christian like, but let's face it what he has done gives me justification in feeling this way.

As for Mia, she has been a champ. She finally adjusted to the formula and then I switched her back to breast milk. I really am committed to doing right by her. I know right now it's a little rough, but we will get through this. Today (10/10) she had another bloody stool, but I'm hoping it's just because my body is getting rid of the last of the milk I had on Saturday. I'm keeping a food diary now in hopes that I will not make any more mistakes. I contacted the on call Dr. tonight and he advised I pump and save the milk and give her formula tonight, I just couldn't do it. It is way too hard for me to pump and feed Mia and bathe, discipline, and put Luisa to bed since I am all alone. I am not completely alone, my mom is available to help me, but Luisa doesn't obey her and would rather I be the one to wipe her when she goes to the bathroom, and she prefers I read her the books at night and she prefers I be the one to take care of whatever it is she needs. So I'm doing the best I can and I'm praying that God help us through this situation. Won't you pray for us too?

By the way, Mia is smiling more and she has slept 7 hours in a row 5 out of the last 8 days. Luisa and I have been on a real search for a preschool and we might have one, now if they just have a spot for her that would be awesome. I really think once she's back in preschool our relationship will improve and she may lose some of her stubborn behavior and I can be a better mom.

I'm calling Dr. McCray (our pediatrician) tomorrow just to let her know of my concerns although she said the bleeding could continue for another 7 days. I hope that by the time we get in to see her it will be gone and I WILL stick to the diet. I spoke to a friend who did it and she said the bonus was that she lost some extra pounds in the process. I could stand to eat more fruits and vegetables anyway, so here's to healthy eating!

Let's just hope my situation doesn't turn out like this woman's story.

feeding the baby while dressed as cinderella

This morning Luisa thought it would be a fabulous idea to dress as Cinderella. While this is just fine around the house, she let us (me and my mom) know that she planned on going to Target dressed this way. I went ahead and okay'd it but refused to allow her to wear the heels out in public. Especially since she almost twisted her ankle while she was in the house.
While mom went home to grab her purse, I nursed Mia. Well, Luisa decided that she too better nurse her baby, so off came her top and she put the baby to eating! I had to chuckle, but I was good about doing it behind a news paper I was trying to read. I didn't want her to know I was laughing at her.

While we were out and about I took the opportunity to leave mom in the car with the girls while I ran inside Home Depot. Mia started crying and again reminded Luisa it was time to feed her baby. So off came the top and she fed her baby. This cracks me up!! I'm just surprised that it took this long for her to imitate my behavior.

Tomorrow we're going to check out a preschool in the area so I hope all goes well. Then we're going to lunch with Madrina (Godmother) Sandra.

First Smile: Sept 27

I was very excited to see that Mia waited 6 Weeks to the day to share her first true smile. Prior to this she was only smiling in her sleep. She has a great smile and she has a dimple on her right cheek. I don't know where the dimple came from. Any ideas?

sleep

Thanks to Jaime (my sister Rachel;s husband) and my mom I was able to attend the Speaking on Women's Health Conference (Hablando de la Salud de la Mujer) on Saturday 9/29. The final speaker of the day was Maria Marin, a motivational speaker, and she was quite entertaining and empowering. I really enjoyed the whole experience and especially the goodie bags!!

Mia stayed with my mom and I had been pumping a little milk each day so I was able to leave knowing she would not have any formula. However, mom did say that she would only stay asleep in Grandma's arms. I think she could sense that I wasn't here so she took full advantage! Stinker! After I got home and nursed her we were off to pick up Luisa and head to dinner with Rachel and the fam.

Luisa stayed with Jaime and the girls all day and although she missed her nap, it all worked out pretty well because after dinner with Rachel & the fam, Luisa fell asleep on the way home and was so exhausted I was able to carry her to her bed and just lay her down without a fuss. That was a really nice treat, since she can really put up a fight sometimes. The best part about this was that when we arrived in the neighborhood, there was REALLY LOUD music. It was so loud, because a neighbor was having a wedding in their back yard and the DJ was going full force. Luisa was so asleep she wasn't even bothered by the noise. This was good because she can be so sensitive to loud noises, music or otherwise.

Mia has been sleeping fairly well. I have been bathing her most nights in hopes that the bath will soothe her and keep her asleep longer. She is usually in bed between 10:30 and 11:30 and wakes between 3:30 and 4 AM. Overall I think that's pretty good. Then she will sleep about another 4 hours after that. I was finally able to get the office cleaned up enough so that I could put the pack and play in here for her to sleep in. It was in my bedroom before this and that was a very tight squeeze. Have I mentioned that the house is only 1100 square feet, so bedroom space is at capacity with all our furniture. Perhaps I can put up the crib and take down the pack and play in about a month.

Richard, Rosie, and Rachel and their families have really made this transition go fairly smoothly! I am so blessed to have such a great family! Of course I couldn't do all this without my mom and dad too!

So my question this morning is: Can Mia sleep in the pack and play until she is 1 year old, or is that just cruel?

First Week back in SAT

Hello out there!
I have been trying to settle into a new routine.
We (the girls, my sister (Rachel) and I) flew into San Antonio on Friday 9/21. Mia did very well on the flight and Luisa as always was an expert traveler. The only difference for Luisa is that we checked her car seat and thus she was free to move about the cabin. Thanks to Rachel for taking her on those potty runs. :) Cousins Patty and Charlie took us to the airport and treated us to dinner. We are going to really miss them!

Saturday the whole familia was here helping unload and unpack. Thanks to Ellen and Paul who brought a friend! It was so nice spending time with everyone! Luisa hung out with Uncle Jaime, Sara and Natalie until after noon time and then came home to her new house. She said she loved it. She will continue to have her own room. In lieu of a guest room we will have an office/Mia's room. Mia and I will have to share space until we eventually move to a bigger house. I think it could work out ok.

Monday we hung out at home. Tuesday we had dinner with my mother in law and Vivianne. We go to meet Izabella Faith. Vivianne's daughter. We ate at Panchito's, a favorite breakfast place, that serves good lunch and dinner too.

Also on Tuesday we briefly visited the library and returned on Wednesday for the ABC Club. The ABC club is geared for toddlers and Luisa said she had a great time! I'm so glad. It is very well put together and I think it's going to be great.

Wednesday we met a pediatrician, but I'm still not sure about her. Until I have a chance to look around and meet someone recommended by a friend, this doctor will have to do. She seemed nice enough. I will at least get Mia's shots done there for now. Thanks to my BIL Gus, my ice maker got hooked up.

Thursday Rachel came over and helped me rearrange Luisa's room and she took some clothes for me. She is going to take the clothes to the consignment store. Yeah!

Today Friday we went to Home Depot in the morning. Finally today Luisa napped without incident. Everyday she fights the nap, but I finally realized it's because I was waiting too long to try and put her down. Monday when I tried to put her down for the nap she resisted so much that I gave up. When I went outside with my dad to reorganize the patio (think about all the boxes I have yet to go through), she started crying because she wanted to come outside but didn't want Grandpa out there. I told her to go to her room to cry and when she did she fell asleep. It was 6 PM and she slept until 8. So she definitely needs her naps. Today (Friday) I got her to take her nap at about 1:25 and what a difference, no fighting, no arguments, no back and forth, it went really well. Also, I implemented a timer for eating lunch and thus getting to bed at a decent time. So I don't know if it was the timer or the actual timing of the nap, but whatever I will try again everyday and hope for the best. :)

Mandy and Manny came over this evening to help out with my computer (mostly Manny). It's running smoother I can tell. Tomorrow I'm going to a conference for a little while and Luisa is going over to hang out with Jaime and the girls again. Sunday we're open.

Have a great weekend!

test email post

this is just a test.

So I'll include a picture too:

Month No. 1

Okay, so I'm a little behind already. My goal is to at least post monthly, and maybe even more often than that!

Mia was born on August 16, 2007. In the past month we have adjusted pretty well to having a new born. By we, I mean Luisa and I. Luisa is loving having a baby sister. She just adores Mia. From the moment we got home, she just wants to give her sister a hug and a kiss as often as possible. Fortunately, Luisa has relaxed quite a bit, but rest assured that Mia is still the center of attention around here. Funny thing is that Luisa speaks very loudly to Mia and gets right in her face to talk to her. I guess she figures that Mia is deaf, since she can't speak. Go figure!

I believe Luisa feels more complete now that she has a sister, since all her friends and cousins have a sibling. I'm so happy I could give her that. The girls are just about 3 years apart and Luisa is going to be a great role model for her little sister. Already Luisa is a tremendous help to me, getting whatever it is that I need.

Mia is growing everyday. Initially she had issues gaining weight, but weighing 8 lbs 8 oz as of Friday 9/14. She is exclusively being breast-fed now. Mia still sleeps quite a bit and whenever she is awake she enjoys being held...of course she enjoys being held when she's asleep too!! Whenever the girls nap, I try to nap as well.

Luisa started back at pre-school on Sept 5th and I'm so glad she has been able to attend. It has helped keep her entertained and it gives mommy a good break! My cousin Patty has also been a God-send in helping out by taking Luisa at least once a week. Since I am pretty much on my own every night I so appreciate the breaks. Mia is fairly good during the night. I say fairly because in the last couple of days she has been needy...wanting me to hold her or sleep next to her. Since I am so tired, I am only too happy to oblige. I will quit doing this soon, because I don't want to spoil her!

We move on Friday 9/21, which ironically would be my 11 year wedding anniversary. I'm sad my marriage is over, but I look forward to new beginnings.

Enjoy a picture of the 2 most important people of my life: