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Saturday, December 13, 2008

Today was supposed to be the day

Alexa's due date was supposed to be today! She decided to come a bit early as we all know and she continues to keep us on our toes. I have a feeling we're never going to have her completely figured out - she'll just keep the surprises coming.

I've learned that being a parent of an infant turns you into a detective of sorts. When Alexa cries, I don't really know why - is she cold/hot, hungry, need changed, need to be burped, uncomfortable, wants to cuddle, or ? We have been able to figure out her cries to some extent but it's still difficult to know if a cry means something more serious or not. For the most part Alexa is easily comforted and I think she just likes to be held. However, Alexa has been having what appears to be abdominal discomfort for the past few weeks. Some days are better than others but at times she makes it seem like it really is bothering her quite a lot. Sometimes she can be comforted and sometimes not. We did talk to the pediatrician about it last week and she suspected that Alexa has a sensitivity to the milk/dairy that I consume in my diet and recommended that I cut it out to see if that helps. Well I did do this (which is not as easy as it may sound - read the labels on your food and you'd be surprised what has milk in it) and we haven't seen as big of a difference as we would've liked. I also cut out all citris (which is hard for a juice lover like me) and all carbonated beverages. We're still in the process of figuring out what the source of her discomfort is and if anyone has any suggestions on what we may try we'd be glad to hear them.

The good news is Alexa is gaining weight like crazy and is definitely catching up considering she was so early. At her last appointment, she had gained 18 ounces in 2 weeks. She is still very short (only at 5% on the growth chart for full-term babies her age) but I figure she'll just fit in with both sides of our family that way.

So...we don't have a lot of pictures from this week since a lot of her awake time is spent being held or being upset. However, here are a few that I thought were pretty precious...

2 comments:

  1. She and Eli will be perfect for each other! He's in the 8th percentile for his weight and Alexa is in the 5th for height. They'll be the perfect balance!

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  2. Pretty soon you'll be a pro at figuring out what her cries mean. You are doing a great job at being observant, and practice makes perfect! :) Isaac had a bit of gas issues for a little while too, and alongside watching the food I ate, we also used Baby Gas-X. It did wonders for Isaac! We started to give it to him toward the end of the day during feedings since his gas seems to flare up more in the evening, and it really helped to break up the gas bubbles inside. Maybe you could try it for Alexa. The good news is that she will eventually outgrow the gas troubles. In the meantime, hang in there and just do the best you can! :)

    She adorable.

    Rachel

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