My How Things Have Changed

It is really amazing what you will begin to get really excited about once you have a kid. Take for example the following exciting moments in parenthood:

1. *burp* "Good girl! Did that feel good?"
2. *toot* "Good girl! Did that feel good?"
3. "Wow! You made a dirty diaper. Did that feel good?"
4. "My goodness that's a wet diaper. Did that feel good?"
(is anyone noticing a pattern here?)
5. "You slept for two whole hours! Did that feel good?" (You bet! Mom and dad are in heaven!!!)

Tammie and I have now begun the long (long...) process of becoming accustomed to sleep deprivation. (I honestly never knew that I could function on so little sleep.) Last night Bailey gave us a present. After she ate, we put her down at about 11:30 (No...we did not keep her up until 11. She WOKE up around 10:30, and with her "precise" feeding instructions, we were unable to put her down again until 11:30), and she slept for three and a half hours before getting up at 3 am. Ate again and was put down at 4, then slept until 6. Tammie and I got a whopping five and a half hours of sleep!

The sad part is, we were really and truly excited. We were just as excited over the two dirty diapers in the middle of the night. (Man, we're dorks...)

Sleep? Yeah right! (warning! This one is kind of wordy...)

Another visit to the doctor's office, this time for the mandatory 2 week checkup. Bailey's been having problem with some gas, so we were glad that it was time for a checkup. Once again, a glowing review: perfectly healthy baby (except for the all night crying jags...). We were trying to explain what we were seeing and going through, unable to get our story across when it happened...

You know how you take your car in to the mechanic and spend forever trying to explain that "sound" the car is making? (I swear that it was just doing it; I don't know why it's not doing it now). Well, viola! As we were sitting there with the doctor we heard a little *urp*. The doctor immediately said, "You hear that? That's the acid hitting her vocal chords." (oh yeah, we were talking about acid reflux at the time. Sort of left those details out...)

So now we know that Bailey is not "suffering" from gas (although she still has a lot of it at times), but is actually suffering from heart burn. From everything we've read and that the doctor has told us this is a pretty common occurrence in newborns. Turns out the valve at the bottom of the esophagus is not fully developed and is allowing acid to flow up out of the stomach. She should grow out of it in a couple of months (which is a LONG time if you ask me) and will be perfectly fine afterwards. Until then...

1. lactose-free formula (I didn't know they had such a thing)
2. dairy-free diet for momma (man was she mad about that)
3. smaller feedings, more frequently (how much more frequently is ALL THE TIME)
4. hold her vertical for 30 min after feeding (um, how long? This kid takes 30 min to feed
already, then wants to eat again an hour after that, which means there is a whopping HALF
HOUR in between feedings that we may or may not actually get to sleep...)

There is another option: start giving her an acid reducer (like Pepcid) everyday for the next couple of months. I know there are some out there that would gasp at such an idea ("How can you think of giving that poor newborn medication like that?! And so young!"). Here is how: you don't have to stay up at night, helpless to do anything as this poor little baby cries for hours, pleading with her eyes for you to make the hurt stop. Frustrated beyond belief that there is nothing either she or her parents can do to help. I would rather have a healthy, happy baby who doesn't suffer from the pain of acid reflux, and will not be permanently affected by the short-term medication than to have to sit, helpless as my newborn daughter cries in pain and frustration. She deserves to not have to live like that.

Happier note (sort of...)
Bailey had to have a State screening test done at the doctor to check for "rare" genetic disorders (whatever those are. I think the government is just trying to get a database of everyone's genetic makeup. It's a conspiracy, man!). I know this shouldn't be funny, but it is. Tammie's was holding Bailey over her shoulder so the nurse could prick her heal to take blood samples. I was standing behind her to make sure Bailey didn't drop her pacifier and to help calm her down. She was almost asleep, her eyes just barely awake when *click*, the nurse pressed the button to prick her heal.

We had been warned that she would cry and scream, but that everything was fine. I was prepared for that. What got me was the look on Bailey's face when that nurse pricked her heal. Her eyes, which were nearly closed, shot wide open and the look on her face was one of, "What in God's name just happened?!" It took her a good 2 seconds before the tears actually started. I think she was trying to figure it out. I only wish I had the camera at that moment, because I was the only one who saw her face and it was hilarious. Tammie had a hard time listening to her, but then she didn't see her face when it happened. Priceless!

Luckily for us, the doctor encouraged us to start taking Bailey out for walks and even out to dinner. Simply feed her, burp her (hold her upright for half an hour), put her in a car seat and she should sleep through the entire thing. So the next day we took him up on his advice.

Wow, doctor's might actually know what they are talking about...we had a wonderful afternoon at lunch and running some errands. We'll have to try that again sometime.

We Cry, and We Cry Some More (but now we're laughing)

I has been a pretty rough couple of nights. Bailey has NOT been feeling good the last couple of days (mainly at night...yipee). Actually, last night was the worst. Tammie and I got, maybe, 30 min. to an hour of sleep in between desperately trying to figure out why Bailey was screaming her head off.

Commence the crying...not only by Bailey, but her mom and dad as well. Heck, even Max and Rosie got in on the act. Here is this precious sweet baby who is 100% totally dependent upon you to take care of her every need, and you can't think of anything to calm her down. Hours of tears, red faces, and pleading eyes... yeah, there were tears.

Finally the crying subsided, if only briefly, but enough to set her down to change a diaper. Among all the theories that we had tried to calm Bailey down, one was the possibility that her diapers may be too tight (hey, she's a big baby alright?). In Tammie's desperation she said that we would leave Bailey's diaper off. She said that she would just get a blanket to wrap her in. I, in my infinite wisdom, asked her if she was sure ("This is a baby don't you know?"). Tammie said yes...

Then the pee flew, and Tammie was holding Bailey, so sweetly wrapped in her arms. The crying started again, but this time it was accompanied by laughter of the best kind.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all and Happy 1 Week Birthday to Bailey! And your present is...

GAS!!! (well, gas and a silver James Avery charm for Bailey)

Yep, Bailey has had a rough couple of nights (not to mention mom and dad). And we thought we were doing so good. We were following the doctor's orders and supplementing with formula; we were watching for the cues that said Bailey was hungry and wanted to eat; we totally misjudged it all.

When bottle feeding, Bailey had gotten too much air in her system and we just weren't able to get rid of it all after her feedings. So of course, Bailey's tummy was hurting and making her upset. For her, a hurting tummy means, "I'm hungry...feed me." So she would make the necessary indications that she was hungry and we would feed her again...and again...and again...only compounding the problem to too much gas in her belly. Well, a rough night and day later (poor Tammie had to be there for both, I was at work during the day and missed "all the fun..."), Bailey finally seems to be calming down. We think that we have finally started to get some of that built up gas relieved, and amazingly she would sleep for about two or two and a half hours at night (only in mom's arms though...long second night for Tam).

This morning we were awoken by the sounds of trumpets blaring. Well, trumpets coming from the back end of Bailey (I guess I never even thought about the fact that babies too need to pass a little gas from time to time. Bailey just really seems to enjoy passing a lot of gas...). A dirty diaper later and back to feeding with mom, I was out the door on my way to work (the most unhappy 9 hours of my day...I don't get to be with my 3 1/2 girls...Tammie, Bailey, Rosie and Max, he's the 1/2). Hopefully things will go smoother today and Tammie will be able to get some rest. And I'll be home over the weekend to help out again...YEAH!

Can't Remember the Number for the Nursery When You Need It

Sleep.

Back when I was a human being, I used to remember something called sleep. It's been a while, so I'm not really sure what it was, but I think I remember it being a good thing...

Tammie and I are home with Bailey and everything is going fine (except for that sleep thing). The dogs came home on Tuesday and have been very attentive of Bailey. Max follows us to the nursery when we go back to change her and sits at the foot of her bassinet and wags his tail when she makes noises. Rosie is a little less attentive, but is interested just the same. Both of them love to sniff and lick Bailey's head when she is in our laps and both get very upset when Bailey cries. Them just have to check and make sure she is okay.

Tammie and I have been getting some sleep, although not a lot (gee, surprise!). She is feeding every two or three hours and is finally gaining weight. Just before leaving the hospital a nurse said that she thought she saw a little jaundice, and another nurse thought she heard a heart murmur (thanks ladies. Just what two exhausted new parents need...something else to worry about). So of coarse we scheduled a doctors visit for Monday morning (less than 24 hours after we left the hospital. New parents? How did you guess...)

11:30am, Monday morning: late for the first appointment. The doctor checks her out and gives us the good and the bad. No jaundice; no heart murmur. That's the good news. She had lost almost a whole pound since last Thursday and now weighed 8lbs and 5ozs. Not too good. Obviously she wasn't getting enough to eat, most likely because Tammie's milk had not come in. Apparently with a C-Section it takes quite a bit longer to produce milk. Okay, no problem. We were told to supplement with formula and come back on Wednesday.

11:00am, Wednesday morning: lots of dirty diapers, dirty clothes, sleepless hours and a few tears later, we are back at the doctor's office. Prognosis? (drum roll, please...) 8lbs and 10ozs! Bailey gained about 5ozs over a 48 hour period. Turns out Tammie's milk started to come in Monday evening, so that plus formula supplements have really helped (thank goodness...one less thing to worry about). Now we're back at home. Bailey has a full belly, she bundled up and taking a nap. I think Tammie will be napping soon as well.

I'm sorry that it has taken so long to get things updated, but I think everyone will understand. Here is a new picture of Bailey with her mp3 player and headphones (actually, this is her getting her hearing tested in the hospital. The doctors use these headphones and a sensor on her forehead. She has to be asleep because they are measuring her brain waves and don't want any extra sensory input.) Her hearing test was great; she passed with flying colors, but we already knew that. Her eyes follow sounds and voices everywhere and she will hold your gaze the entire time you talk to her. I love it!

More to come later...

Join Me in Welcoming a Special Lady into the World

I honestly believe that everyone needs a little hope in their lives. Tammie and I have now received ours in the most beautiful 9lb package. Please join me in welcoming Bailey Hope Acuff (yes, she finally has a middle name) to the world. I took her all of 5 minutes in this world to open her eyes and start trying to figure things out.

Meet Bailey Hope just a few minutes after she was born. They let me carry her out of the delivery room and place her in a crib to go to the nursery, and this is the beautiful picture she took. It is also my favorite!

Bailey was born on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 7:30 pm. She weighed in at 9lbs and 3oz and measured a whopping 21 inches long! We have already tried to get her into some of her new born clothes and, as feared, they don't fit. She is not too chubby for them at all, just way too long! Tammie said that a newborn one piece she tried to fit her into only came up under her arms. (So if you were one of the generous people who sent her a newborn one piece, I'm sorry to say, but there probably won't be any pictures of her in it...)

Bailey has been very alert (when awake) and has a very calm personality (she gets that from her furry "sister," Rosie the dachshund). My favorite time is sitting with her in the chair when she is awake because she will watch you intently, furrowing her brow in desperate attempts to figure out just who you are and what you are saying. She loves being held (especially by Tammie...just look at the picture) and LOVES to sleep (just trying to wake her up to eat after 4 hours is enough to exhaust me and Tammie. Don't worry, the doctors and nurses SWEAR that is normal). One thing she does not like is getting her diaper changed. Oh she loves it when you take off the diaper and clean her up, but just try to put that diaper back on... Now the kicking and screaming starts (since when were Tammie and I diaperless hippies?).

Bailey has long fingers and long toes, a trait that she definitely gets from her dad. It looks like pianos and bassoons are in her future (I've already contacted a great bassoon teacher and I'm pretty sure I could con Julie Boltz into piano lessons. What do you say, Julie?). She has beautiful blue-gray eyes that watch you constantly when she's awake. The color is similar to my own and I hope that they stay that way (but of coarse I'll love her no matter the color of her eyes). Pediatrician saw her today and the nurses gave her a hearing test which she passed with flying colors (and I do mean colors. Whenever I get more of the pictures off the camera I post the one with her blue and red headphones...Rock On Austin!).

I know that I'm rambling just a bit (and who wouldn't...just look at those cheeks!) so I'll end with a couple of links. Here is the link to pictures of Bailey, and here are some movies. More to come (I've got a camera and a camcorder and I intend to use them!). Wish us luck; now the REAL work begins...

7:30: Holy Smokes!

There's a baby here...

No, seriously. There is a baby here! Bailey ??? Acuff was born at 7:30 pm, Thursday, February 7, 2008. Weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 3 oz (oops, that should be 3 oz. NOT 8 oz. She's big, but not THAT big), measuring 21 inches. Big, and long, baby.

Baby and Tammie are doing well. Dad stayed on his feet (yeah, Dad) and took lots of pictures and videos. And just like the goober that everyone knows he is, left the cables at home. So until sometime on Friday (actually today. I'm typing this at 12:42 in the morning...yeah team...). I'll get pictures out to everyone just as soon as I can. Until then, keep us in your thoughts.

Get Ready, Get Set...WAIT!

Today has truly been a day of, well, annoyances. After getting everything ready, the car packed, and driving ourselves to the hospital for the delivery of Little Baby Acuff, we have had nothing but frustration after frustration.



12pm: Check in...no hellos, no how ya doin', just "You'll be in Triage Room 1..." Thanks for the warm welcome.



12:15pm: nurse arrives. She is very nice and extremely helpful. Starts Tammie's prep; lots of needles, razors, goo, and machines (I am terrified beyond belief!)



1pm: listening to the heartbeat and the different bells and beeps in the room. Over and over I think to myself (and sometimes outloud), "Does anyone else feel like we are in a submarine?"



1:15pm: the nurse rattles off question after question for Tammie to answer. Everything from what she did last night and this morning, what medication she is, was, and will be on in the future, any disease or proceedure that has even been slightly suggested. I've learned more about Tammie than I think a husband should know (and I don't think Tammie answered them all truthfully...I mean the one about "any mental or phsycological conditions?" Come on...)



2pm: lets get this show on the road. WAIT! "Oh, we're sorry. Dr. Shashoua is in emergency surgery. You'll have to wait. It should only be delayed about 30 minutes."



2:30pm: lets get this show on the road. WAIT! "Oh, we're sorry. It is going to be delayed until 5pm. Sorry." Not to mention that our wonderful and friendly nurse will be leaving soon. Shift change...great...



3-5pm: no nurse, no doctor, and did I mention no food for Tammie since 5am this morning? (Someone is getting a bit testy...)



5pm: lets get this show...on the road! Still...no...doctor...



5:20pm: while sitting in the waiting room with my and Tammie's dads, my mom comes out from Tammie's room. "The doctor's here. They are looking for a nurse to get things going."



5:25pm: LETS GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! wait... More pregnant women have just come in to the hospital in labor. Doctor says it'll be another hour...


6:11pm: still waiting...

Grab the Carving Set, It's Time to Slice

Well, for all of you who DON'T know, tomorrow is the big day. And how do I know? Why we scheduled it, of course.

Apparently from one doctor's visit to the next, Tammie has not been progressing as expected (she has always been a procrastinator...). So the doctor (sha-sha-Shashoua) thought that it might be wise to discuss the birth of a caesar. Oops! I meant a C-section... The doctor is worried that Bailey may be big (over 9 lbs) and he does not want to ''torture" Tammie any more than normal (I don't know why...I torture her all the time...).

So tomorrow around 2 o'clock, Tammie and I (mainly Tammie...they BETTER NOT come at me with any knives!) will head into the operating room to usher in a new direction in our lives...PARENTHOOD! (good god, what were we thinking?)

I'm sure that we are not the only couple to ever face this feeling (at least I hope not), but Tammie and I find ourselves struck by the realization, "By this time tomorrow we are going to be parents. What were we thinking?" While we are extremely excited and proud at this soon to be life-changing experience, we are at the same time overwhelmed and just a bit terrified. We know that these feelings of uncertainty will fly from our hearts and minds the moment that we set eyes upon our newest addition to this ever-growing and loving family of ours, but until that time, the feelings of nervousness are ever present.

Tammie and I can never express how much we appreciate all of the well wishes and support that everyone has given to us. We know that no matter what may come, we have had some of the greatest role models in our lives. Thank you, everyone! We can't wait to introduce you to our daughter, Bailey!

We're ALL Big Losers

No baby yet (heck, not even a contraction to speak of) which means that everyone participating in the "baby pool" is a LOSER! Well, except for Tammie of coarse. She is still expecting her original due date of Feb. 6th, but who knows. I mean, really. We are basing everything on a baby who can't even speak, let alone make decisions on her own. What is this world coming too?!

Doctor's visit this past Thursday. Everything is fine, but according to the doctor the baby is getting big. Just how big, no one really knows, but truth be told she can only get so big before we have to look into "other" options (usually involving lots of screaming, mostly at me but occasionally at the doctor, pain, and trauma on a scale I pray as a man I never have to go through). Yes, the term C-section was batted around, but the doctor wants to wait a little longer before we decide to take that route.

We head back to the doctor again on Monday, hopefully to find out more information, but what is there to really find out. Once again we are at the whim of an unborn baby who (if you ask me) is already showing that she is a handful. Tammie says that I'm impatient (and she's probably right...usually is) and keeps reminding me that the actual due date is not until this coming Wednesday. Well, we will just have to see what happens...

Ooo...quick thought! Looking at the blog title, if you think about it, Tammie will (even if she wins the pool) be the biggest loser of all! Eight-and-a-half POUNDS of losing, according to the doctor. Hahahaha!!!