Calla 3 Months

 

Well, first things first...

Calla's ophthalmologist appointment went great!

The doctor was able to get a good, long look into both of her eyes.

He said everything is looking perfect and he doesn't need to see her back again until September.  

We are so relieved.

Calla is such a happy girl!

At 3 months, she...

...smiles all the time.

...is starting to laugh more and more.

... "talks" a lot.

...sleeps wonderfully at night.

...sneezes every time I turn on the lamp in her room at night (every single time!)

...is rolling over!  

I saw her roll front to back the other day, and today I put her on her back under her play gym, stepped away from a minute, came back and she was on her tummy!

I feel like within this past month, Calla has settled into a schedule.  She's up most mornings between 8-9, ready for a little nap an hour and a half later, up until 1-2, takes a nice looooong nap while Wren naps, and then some days she needs another tiny late afternoon nap to get her through until bedtime.  Baby girl is ready for mommy milk and bed at 8pm sharp!  She is a crab if I don't have the Boppy pillow out and ready to nurse her on the couch at 8.  Most nights she wakes up sometime between 4-7.  I change her diaper and bring her into our room to nurse and sleep until Wren wakes up.  Some days we aren't up until after 9!  :)

It's funny to see her little personality developing already!

Love her so, so much!

Snow Day!

Our first of TWO snowstorms in March!

Isn't that just the cutest little snowman you've ever seen?

St. Patrick's Day

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day on the 14th at Matt and Josie's. 

 Irish stew, soda bread, Guinness, the whole Irish deal! 

 Everyone wore their green and we all had a wonderful time celebrating.

Grandma and Grandpa O' sent Wren and Calla a St. Patrick's Day package that arrived just in time for the party. Both girls went decked out in their new St. Patty's gear. 

So cute!

Macy and Wren going for a ride

Cousins!

My grouchy little lady bug!

Calla's EEG

Calla had an EEG done 2 weeks ago to check for seizures. 

 I was concerned because IP can affect the central nervous system and she had been displaying some behaviors that were worrying me. I had looked up infant seizures on YouTube so I knew what to look for. 

Bad idea. 

Infant seizures can be much more subtle that seizures in adults. So, of course, after viewing a few videos online, I freaked out. While nursing, and shortly after, Calla would arch her back and continually hit her face with her hand. It kind of looked like an infant seizure, but it kind of looked like she was fighting back reflux. It is so hard to tell and I just worry so much! I recorded an episode of this on my phone and showed her pediatrician at her last appointment. Just to be safe, the ped set us up with an EEG and referred us out to a neurologist.

Calla HATED the electrodes being placed on her head. She needed all 26 attached and she cried the whole time the tech was putting them on her! Fortunately, after they were all connected, she fell asleep immediately. Poor girl. They did need her to sleep during the test, so I'm glad she was able to!

All hooked up

Wrapped up so those darn things wouldn't come undone

The test lasted about an hour. Calla slept the entire time. We got the results backs a few days later.

Everything looked normal! 

 We met with the neurologist the next week. He said Calla looks great. He watched the video I took and said that seizures in infants definitely can look like reflux, so I wasn't crazy for being concerned. He would like to see her back in 6 months just to check her developmental progress. 

No EEG is needed again unless things change.

Whew! 

 So relieved to hear that things are looking good.

Our next appointment is on the 27th with the ophthalmologist to check Calla's eyes again. 

Crossing our fingers that everything goes well!

Calla 2 Months and IP

2 months old already, eh?
To say the least, it's been a crazy 2 months around here...

As some of you already know,
shortly after Calla was born, a rash appeared on her right leg.

A rash that hasn't gone away.
A rash that stumped our pediatrician.
A rash that continues to blister over again and again.
A rash that is an indicator of an extremely rare genetic condition.
A genetic condition called Incontinentia Pigmenti.

Shortly after Calla's 1 week appointment,

 I took her back into the pediatrician because the rash kept blistering over.

Our ped didn't know what it was,
so she referred us out to a pediatric dermatologist.

We visited the dermatologist that week.
She did a biopsy on Calla's leg and said she would see us next week when they had the results back.

When we returned, the doctor had some unfortunate news for us...

Calla has Incontinentia Pigmenti (IP).

Our doctor was very straightforward as she spoke, 

and the complications she laid out before us were far from good.

This condition can affect Calla's
skin,
hair,
nails,
eyes,
teeth,
and central nervous system.

So, so scary.

Because the condition is so rare,
and because each case is unique to the individual,
we don't know exactly how severely Calla will be affected.

Thankfully, some of the more serious complications such as
mental retardation,
seizures,
and blindness
currently are not present... 

but we have our work laid out ahead of us.

We have seen many doctors the past few weeks.

The first and most important visit was with a pediatric ophthalmologist.

One of the major concerns with children with IP is the risk of retinal detachment,
which can cause blindness.

We saw the ophthalmologist shortly after Calla was diagnosed.
 He said her eyes are looking perfect so far,
but we need to continue to see him quite frequently during the first few years.

We see him again at the end of the month.

Next, Calla had an echocardiogram done.

The results came back that she does have a small hole in her heart,
but it is something that they can monitor with a stethoscope.  

And although it's not a completely detrimental finding,
it still is yet another thing to keep track of.

After the echo, we visited with a genetic counselor.

We were presented with a lot of information about IP,

most of which we already knew due to our own extensive research.

Once insurance information goes through,
we are getting Calla genetically tested,
and then I will get tested, too.

IP typically is a genetic condition that is passed down on the mother's side.

Although I don't show any symptoms of IP,
it is possible that I passed in on to our baby girl.

But, it could possibly be a mutation that occurred only in Calla's DNA.

We are hoping to find out more through the genetic testing.

Earlier this week Calla had an EEG done to check for seizures.

The results came back normal,
but we are meeting with a neurologist on Monday to talk further.

Sooooo
 yeah...

 The past 2 months have been some stressful times.

Chris is the cool, calm, and collected one through all of this.

I, on the other hand, worry and over-analyze every. single. thing.

And although we really do believe she is going to be ok, 

I still worry about her every. single. day.

Right now we are just taking one day at a time...

staying on top of the important doctor's appointments...

and hoping for the best!

Despite all of life's craziness right now,
Calla really is such a joy to have in our lives.

She is smiling and sometimes even giggling at us.

She is such a snuggle bug.

She loves watching her big sister and playing on her play mat.

She isn't very consistent with her nighttime sleep lately, but that's ok.

A couple of nights ago she slept from 11pm to almost 6am!

But she followed that up with a night nursing every 2 hours....

Fortunately for me, both of the girls nap at the same time every day.

Woohoo!

2 months old and SO happy!
I just love this little person so, so much!
All 12 pounds, 7 ounces, and 23 inches of her.

:)

For more information about IP, 

check out the Incontentia Pigmenti International Foundation website here.

It is quite comprehensive and provides some good info that I'm sure I forgot to mention in all of my rambling...

Calla One Month

Well, Calla is officially one month old as of January 27!

What a crazy month it has been.

Bringing home an adorable new baby...

Juggling a crazy toddler and a hungry newborn...

Figuring how to get everyone fed, 

dressed, 

and out the door in one piece...

Keeping everyone ALIVE, 

and keeping my sanity throughout it all.

Not an easy task.

But we are figuring it out...

I love, love, love snuggling on Calla.

She co-sleeps part of the night with us,

(hey, it's not for everyone, but it works for us for now)

and she is just the snuggliest little bug ever.

My crazy-pants toddler has been much too busy for snuggle time since she could walk, 

so I am relishing in the fact that this baby has no choice but to cuddle with me.

Calla usually gets up once in the middle of the night to nurse, and then right back to sleep.

She's up again between 4 and 6, I bring her to bed with me to nurse again, and then we both go back to sleep until Wren wakes up around 8:30-9.

Calla eats ALL. DAY. LONG. to make up for this...

but hey, I'm sleeping at night, so I can't complain, right?

Right.

Wren was the same way.

Speaking of Little Miss Wren...

she absolutely LOVES her baby sister.

She is constantly hugging her and kissing her and loving on her.

Sometimes a little too much.

I have had to save Calla a few times now from Wren's super-lovey-yet-kind-of-too-aggressive hugs.

Her little arms get wrapped a bit too tightly around poor Calla's tiny neck.

She just loves her baby sister so, so, so much! :)

It's not all rainbows and butterflies around here, however.

Wren does act out sometimes.

A lot lately, actually.

Especially during a marathon nursing session.

I'm stuck on the couch, and the little stinker knows it. :)

I feel like I don't always have the patience I should have with her.

It is hard taking care of two little ones.

Granted, not as hard as I was preparing myself for...

but it's not always easy.

Especially when they BOTH need you.

How do you choose?

Like I said, we are figuring it out.

Slowly... 

but we are getting there.

Here's the little sweet pea at one week old.

I am doing a different format this time around with the month-to-month pics.

When I did Wren's, I wished that I had an object for scale.

This time, I am using the same 12 month onesie on Calla each month.

It should be fun to watch her fill it out!

The picture frame in the picture will kind of serve the same purpose, too.

The writing is a little hard to decipher.
It's says..

1 Week
8lbs. 7oz.
21 inches
-Back up to birth weight!
-Great first week home

I don't think I will be adding all that info every month,
maybe just height and weight.
I think it's too hard to read in the pictures.

Anyway, we attempted our first "family outing" this past weekend.
It actually went quite well.
We met the Ryan family at the Children's Museum for a few hours Saturday morning.
It was good to get Wren out of the house for a bit.
I think she has a bit of cabin fever these days.
Poor girl needs to run!
Calla slept like the entire time we were out.
Awesome.
We were all even able to grab lunch!
At a sit-down dining establishment!
With 4 kids in tow!
During the middle of the day!
And there were no mishaps!
Now that, my friends, is a successful day in my book.
:)

It's a GIRL! Welcome, Calla Lucile!

Here she is!



Okay, okay, okay...
I haven't posted in a LOOOOOOOONG time.
With the holidays, and family visiting, and HAVING A BABY, time really gets away from ya.  :)

So... for those of you actually still reading out there (hi, Mom), here is little Miss Calla Lu's birth story....

I had hoped this baby would hold out until after Christmas.  I really wanted to have Wren's first (technically second) Christmas to be relaxing and fun.  I was excited for the new baby to come, but I wanted to relish in the calmness of our little family of three just a little while longer before the craziness of a new baby was added.
Success!
Christmas came and went, baby-free.
Whew.
Wren had a blast opening gifts and playing with her new kitchen set that Santa brought, we enjoyed the morning at Chris's parents' house, and Chris and I were able to go see Les Miserables that night... it was a lovely Christmas- just as I had hoped!
The day after Christmas brought the most snow Indiana has seen in a long time!  A full-on blizzard!  We weren't going ANYWHERE.  Now I was really, really hoping that the baby would hold out a little longer.  My 39 week prenatal appointment was scheduled for that afternoon, but due to the weather, the whole office was shut down.  So instead, I spent the day taking down Christmas decorations and the tree (so, so glad that I did!), and playing in the snow with Wren later that afternoon.
The next day was the 27th and we were still pretty much snowed in.  I was feeling kind of restless all day.  Christmas had come and gone, the tree was down, presents were put away, now it was just time to wait for baby #2 to make his/her appearance.  So I decided to spend the day just playing with Wren.  Really playing with her.  Not flitting-around-doing-a-hundred-things-at-a-time-while-Wren-plays-in-the-same-room-as-me.  No.  I PLAYED with her.  We played with her new kitchen, and with blocks, and playdoh.  We read book after book after book.  I am so glad I had that day with her.  Just Momma and Wren time.  Little did I know, it was my last day with only ONE baby girl!
I had been having contractions sporadically throughout the day.  Nothing to hardly even make note of, though.  I had been dilated at 2cm and 80% effaced since the week before, so contractions coming and going were pretty common.  At around 5:00pm I was Skyping with my mom and had mentioned to her that I was having contractions a bit more regularly, but I still really didn't think much about it.  Chris came home from work, we ate dinner, and gave Wren a bath.  Contractions were coming more and more frequently throughout the night.  After we put Wren to bed at 8:00pm, I decided that maybe I should start timing those bad boys.  I hadn't been keeping track for more than a half hour when my water broke!  Chris had called his parents earlier in the night to put them on standby just in case things progressed.  After my water broke, he called them up and told them to head over so they could stay with Wren.  We called my doula, Tess, and she told us to get a bite to eat, pack up, and head to the hospital.  We left the house around 9:30pm with my contractions only 2 minutes apart.  They were strong, but definitely not unbearable.  I was unsure about heading to the hospital so early.  With Wren, my water broke at 2:30am and she wasn't born until 6:35pm.  I figured I had plenty of time and had wanted to labor at home as long as possible.  With contractions being so close together though, we decided to get moving.  Tess met us in the elevator on the way up to the hospital.  We got all checked in and settled in the room by 10:00pm.  I was dilated to 5cm, but the contractions seemed to be coming closer and closer together.  I didn't want to do anything besides sit and rock on the birthing ball in the room.  Tess and Chris helped me get through each super long contraction.  Chris rubbed my back and Tess talked me through each contraction.
(Oh, and P.S... hiring Tess as my doula was one of the BEST decisions I've ever made.  Seriously.)
Around 11:30, Tess suggested to the nurse that maybe she should check me again because my contractions weren't letting up.  I wasn't sure how I felt about getting checked because I was worried that I hadn't made much progress.  It would have been so disheartening to hear that I was only dilated to 6cm or something!  The nurse did the check anyway, and announced that I was already at 9.5cm!  I couldn't believe it.  She called the doctor in, I started pushing at 11:40pm, and after the longest, hardest 12 minutes of my life, Calla Lucile Tilson was born at 11:52pm on December 27!
Completely drug-free!
No epidural!
 8lbs. 7oz. and 21" long.
Another sweet, sweet baby girl!
We are so happy!
:)

 \
Just born!

Our new baby girl!

She's here!

Proud Daddy

My family of FOUR!  :)

Grandma O' made the trip to meet her newest grandbaby

Wren holding her baby sister for the first time

Going home.  Not so happy about the whole riding in a car seat thing...

Calla Lucile!

Big sis and little sis

So awake and alert

Love, love, love this!
<3