Merry Christmas

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Sloan's Blessing Day

Sloan's blessing was on Sunday. It was such a special day and she looked so beautiful (thanks Sally for the amazing dress). Lee gave her a great blessing and it was so fun to be here in Utah with my family surrounding us for this special day. Here are some pictures from the day. There were so many cute ones so I apologize for the overload! I just can't believe how beautiful Sloan is inside and out. I just love her soooooo much!

My sisters and I were all pregnant at the same time and here are the babies. Ava (5 months), Seth (6 months) and Sloan (3 Months).

Baby Announcement

Hi everyone, I just got Sloan's birth announcement and am ready to send them out. I would love to send them to all my friends but I realized I don't have most of your addresses. So if you would like me to send you Sloan's announcement (it is really cute), please e-mail me your home address. I have set up an e-mail account just for this purpose:

Sloanannouncements@yahoo.com

Please e-mail me your address and I would love to send one your way!!!

Doctor's Orders

So Sloan got her first taste at being sick. Last night she woke up at about 10:30pm with the snottiest nose ever. She could barely breath and it was draining into her throat and making her gag and gasp for air. It was really scary! She did this all night about every hour, so needless to say neither of us got any sleep. Even when she was sleeping I was awake straining to hear every little breath to make sure she was still breathing. I called my Charlotte pediatrician in the morning and she told me to try and get in to see a pediatrician here. I made an appointment with my sisters pediatrician...we will refer to him as Dr. McHottie (no wonder you take your kids to him Shauns :) ). McHottie tested Sloan's oxygen levels and they were fine. This was my biggest concern so I was happy to hear it was all okay. Mostly she just has a bad case of post nasal drip and I have to shoot saline up her nose every few hours which she hates and makes me feel like a bad mother.

The funny part of this story is that while Dr. McHottie was checking Sloan's ears he said "Your daughter has beautiful ear canals." Apparently most babies have small, awkward ear canals, but not my little overachiever. I know most mom's are biased and think their children are the best at everything, but this very unbiased doctor told me my daughter's ear canals were exceptional. In fact he said "now you can go home and blog about it," so that is what I am doing, just following doctor's orders. So here's to something any mom would be proud to say...my daughter has beautiful ear canals!!!

There's No Place Like Home

I am finally home in Utah and loving every second of it. I love being with my family and eating good home cooked meals. Traveling with a baby is definitely much more of a process than it was when it was just Lee and I. Sloan did awesome on the plane though. This is how she spent most of the ride...

She has also handled the time change amazingly. She has stayed on Charlotte time for the most part and goes to bed at about 5 or 5:30pm Utah time which is her normal bed time in Charlotte. She sleeps until about 3am and then goes back to sleep until about 6am. After her morning feeding she sleeps until about 9 or 9:30am, so no complaints here. (If we were in Charlotte she would be sleeping through the night!) So all my worry was for not. I should have known, she is such a good baby, I shouldn't have doubted that she would be able to handle it so well.

First Thanksgiving

Here are some pics from Sloan's first Thanksgiving

My sisters and I were all pregnant at the same time and here are the new babes. Shaundee had Seth in May, Shalice had Ava in June and I had Sloan in Sept.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

My Little Wiggle Worm

Last night I put Sloan to sleep at about 7:30pm. I always lay her in the top middle of the crib. I came in to check on her at about 8:30pm and this is what I found...

She truly is my little wiggle worm!

She's Two Months Old

Sloan is now two months old. I can't believe how fast they grow and how much she has changed in just two short months. I stole the idea for this photo from some of my friend's blogs so I hope they don't mind.

Two Months

12.2 Pounds (50th Percentile)

23 1/2 Inches (90th Percentile)

Very Smiley

Best Husband In Town

Because I have lived in states other than Utah, I have been able to see "So You Think You Can Dance" every year it has been on tour. Since I just had a baby I didn't think I was going to be able to make it this year and I was so sad. I read on all of my Utah friend's blogs about how amazing it was and I was so sad to have to miss a year. Well SYTYCD was here last night at the Bobcats Arena which is right up the street from our house (one of the many benefits of living in the city). My loving husband walked up to the stadium and found me a really great ticket for pretty cheap from a scalper. I was a bit hesitant to go and leave Sloan (although Lee is a completely capable and great father I still feel guilty leaving her, it makes me feel a bit selfish), but Lee encouraged me that I should. I put Sloan to sleep and Lee stayed home with her while I went to the concert. I went by myself and it was actually really refreshing. I completely enjoyed being there by myself and just enjoyed some much needed me time. It was so amazing! The talent of the dancers never ceases to amaze me! They are even better in person than they are on TV. I loved every second of it and I am so glad I was able to go. So thanks so much to my amazing husband that made it possible for me to have a really great night and get away from it all for a few hours. I love you babe!!!!

Another Break Through!

So it may just be a fluke, but Sloan has been taking naps in her crib for the last three days. She has been sleeping in her crib at night since she was about 4 weeks old, but for some reason she won't sleep anywhere but in your arms during the day. When we tried to put her down she would immediately wake up no matter how long she had been asleep. I am not sure how long this will last, in fact I probably just jinxed myself and she will stop doing it. None the less I am super stoked about this new development. It makes a world of difference to have a few moments of time during the day to be able to shower and get a few things accomplished!

I am so excited that am I going home soon. I wasn't leaving until the 6th of Dec, but my loving husband decided we might as well go to Utah for Thanksgiving too. Now I am leaving on the 23rd and will be in Utah through the holidays. I am sooooooo excited to see my fam and especially my sisters and their kids. I am a bit hesitant though, there is a two hour time change between North Carolina and Utah. I am not sure how Sloan is going to handle this. A few weeks ago when we had daylight savings it did a number on her. She doesn't really have a schedule yet, but even still it was really hard for her. Now I know I can get her on Utah time after I am there for a few days, but when we get back to Charlotte I have to go back to work and won't be around to help her get back to her regular routine. I don't want her to have to adjust back to NC time and have me gone all at the same time, I am afraid she will be traumatized. Do any of you have any suggestions on how I can make this transition a smooth and non painful one?

Yesterday we had our first professional picture session with Sloan. I have been meaning to get pictures of her to make announcements to send out, but with getting sick so many times as well as the stress of figuring out how to be a mom I have slacked. Finally I decided we needed to stop procrastinating, so we got an appointment with a lady in our ward that is a photographer. It was a very unique experience to try and get a good picture with a newborn, but I think we got some good ones. Hopefully I will have an announcement to send out to all of you soon!

I know I post a million pictures of Sloan, but I just love this girl so much I have to document every amazing moment. So for those of you who aren't completely sick of seeing the same thing over and over, here are some more pictures.

Sloan is usually swaddled when she sleeps, but when I don't swaddle her she just totally sprawls out...I love it!

Totally sitting on the couch like an adult!

This is the evolution of Sloan waking up in the morning...

I have to document this because it is so cute!

Asleep in our bed...we cuddle after her morning feeding.

She's awake

So happy to see us that she just smiles away! She even ignores the fact that she is hungry and probably has a poopy diaper!

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures!

This is how we bundle up to take Odie out when it is cold outside (although it has since warmed back up again).

More Smiles!

Sometimes eating is a tiring job for her.

Don't mind the now shower, no makeup as neither of these seem to happen as much these days...sleep always seems to win out.

She's a Sleeper & A Smiler!

Although she is now sleeping in her crib every night (yea), every morning Sloan and I have cuddle time and she sleeps in the bed with me. This is obviously way more for me than her, but I like to think she wants to bond with me as well. Yesterday Lee plopped her on what he calls my "throne of pillows" (I sleep with 6 pillows surrounding me every night LOL), and she fell right to sleep. I don't blame her, I also feel my "throne of pillows" is very cozy!

Sloan has been smiling for a while, but I haven't been able to attribute it to me until the last few days. I think in the past it has been more of a gas thing, but I now know for sure she is smiling at me. I tried to capture how dang cute her smile is, but my camera is slow and I never got a really good smile picture. Here are a few of the better ones, but still none of these do justice to how cute her smile is!



The only time in life where a toothless smile is acceptable!

Breakthrough!

So my pediatrician recommended the book "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp. This has been the best book I have read (and I read a lot of them to get ready for the baby). I wish I would have known about it before Sloan was born as it has made the world of difference. I have gone from Sloan sleeping on my belly all night long to her sleeping in her crib. She also used to have a really fussy time from about 6-10pm and she is no longer unhappy at this time of night. She naps really well and just as of today I have gotten her to nap in her swing during the day so I can actually shower and get some things accomplished, including blogging as you can tell from my 3 new posts (it is amazing to have some extra time on my hands, I never thought that would happen)...HOORAY!!! This book has really changed everything and made it so much easier for me to know what to do to calm Sloan down and make her happy. Please if you are going to be a new parent, or if you have a fussy baby and you don't know what to do, read this book. It may take a second to master the "5 S's" but once you do it really works. I don't even have to use all 5...mainly just swaddling (which I thought Sloan hated as she always fought it, but then realized I wasn't swaddling her tight enough), and rocking or swinging. It truly is amazing! Tomorrow may bring a whole new set of issues and frustrations, but as of today we have had a breakthrough!!!

More Pictures

For those of you that aren't completely sick of seeing pictures of Sloan, here are some more. I know I am a little obsessed with posting pics, but it is mostly for my family that is sadly missing out on her first few months. Anyway, here are some more pics of my adorable little babe!

Sloan's preferred method of sleeping.

She spends a lot of time in the Baby Bjorn.

First day at church.

First family pic...using a timer doesn't always produce the best product.

Sloan loves to stretch!!! I mean how cute is this?

THANKS!!!

What would we do without moms and mother-in-laws? I wanted to post to say thank you so much to my amazing mom and mother-in-law. Lee's mom Sally (also Sloan's namesake) came to Charlotte shortly after Sloan was born to help us out. She did pretty much everything from cooking to cleaning to taking the baby whenever I needed. She planned to be here for two weeks and the day she was supposed to leave I got my first case of mastitis. Being the amazing person she is she changed her flight to stay here and help out. She stayed in the hospital with me for two nights and three days. There is NO WAY I could have done it without her! She ended up staying for three weeks and I was so sad to see her go.

Then my mom came out and stayed with us for a week. Luckily she was here for my second bout of mastitis so she was able to help with the baby while I was feeling like crap. She cooked and helped me clean out a bunch of closets (which was a huge deal as I am starting to feel really cluttered in my tiny house). We also got to hang out and take the baby on her first shopping trip. I am sure it will be the first of many to come! It was so sad to see my mom leave. We had so much fun.

So thank you to amazing moms that helped me to keep my sanity through the last month! There is no way Lee and I could have done it without you both. We love you soooooooo much!

Suggestions Please?

So my beautiful baby girl has a few small issues. She hates pretty much everything that every normal child enjoys. The only way I can get her to sleep is if she is being held on my chest in a somewhat upright position. She HATES, and I mean hates her crib, bouncer, swing, car seat and stroller. Anything where she has to lay down, she hates. She loves the Baby Bjorn though (because she is being held in an upright position). I love holding her and cuddling and would do it all the time with no complaints if I never needed to accomplish anything in my day, or shower, or sleep at night. Basically I can't really put her down for more than about 10 min. I was hoping someone out there has had a child like this and might have a solution. I have never met a child that doesn't like driving in the car. Isn't that really strange or do I just not know what is normal and not??? Oh, and she also hates a pacifier so I don't have anything to sooth her when she is upset.

The other thing is she doesn't love to sleep, and when she does it is kind of a half sleep. The only time I can get her to really sleep is if I am walking her around in the Baby Bjorn. I think I may get her to sleep for about a combined total of 2 hours a day on a good day. I really don't think this is normal for a newborn (or is it?).

Anyway, just thought I would throw these few things out there if anyone has any ideas. I am open for anything so just let me know!

A few More Pictures

It has been really crazy and busy around here. I got mastitis again in my other side (no hospitalization required this time as I caught it pretty much the second I felt it coming on). Anyhow, since I haven't had a ton of time I wanted to at least post a few more pics. I will post more as soon as I have time to download them from my camera!

My New Weekend Home

So I have a new vacation home where I like to spend my weekends. It is an all inclusive (the food is amazing), 4 star location. This last visit I even got a room with an amazing view of the city. It is pretty expensive, but you are waited on hand and foot. No, it isn't a Sandals vacation resort in the Bahamas...it is the hospital. I really like it there, I can't seem to stay away. I have spent the last three weekends there. In fact since I have had Sloan I have spent more time in the hospital than at home. Last Sunday night at about 3am I woke up very sick. I had uncontrollable chills and a fever of 103.9. I new immediately I had mastitis since I have heard my sisters horrible mastitis stories many times. I called and got an antibiotic and started taking it. The medicine wasn't helping and by Sunday late afternoon my temperature was still 103. I called the doctor again and she asked me to go to the hospital. Long story short they admitted me once again. I was given an IV (I mean they didn't even have to make a hole since I have a permanent one from the last two visits) and pumped a bunch of antibiotics and fluids. After 24 hours of nothing working and a fever that was still spiking to 104, the doctors decided this was more than just mastitis. They think I may have gotten some kind of bacterial infection. The doctor said once in a while there are rare cases of mastitis that are abnormally bad. If there is a way to get a "rare" case of something, leave it to me to get it! So I spent two nights at my home away from home and finally got to go home on Wednesday. The most frustrating part is that I pretty much lost all my milk supply I worked so hard to build up. So we are back at square one of doing everything I can to get my milk to come back in. Who ever said child birth was hard obviously didn't breast feed their child. I have never worked so hard at something in my whole life!!!

Man She Is Cute!!!

Here are a few more pics of Sloan. I have some pretty cute video too. Once I get technically smart and figure out how to post videos, I will post some.

Here is a little update. Everything is going really well. It was pretty rough before my milk came in. Sloan lost a pound and was slightly jaundice. The pediatrician told us we had to supplement some formula until my milk came in. Luckily my milk started flowing on Saturday and the world got a lot easier!!! Sloan is eating well and is almost back up to her birth weight. The doctor said she is looking great. The last few nights she has only woken up about every three hours to eat (which is great seeing as it was about every hour and a half). It may just be a fluke, but I have definitely enjoyed it for at least a few nights.

I can't believe how much I love this little thing. She is so alert and I love to just stare at her. She looks around and can totally hold her head up on her own. She is constantly moving and gets the hiccups at least three times a day...so not much has changed since she was in my belly. I can't believe how beautiful she is. I just want to cuddle with her all day long, and well, I pretty much do. My sisters say you can't spoil a newborn, so I am going with it. I really can't explain how much I love her. I don't want her to ever change from this moment because she is perfect!

The Big Day!!!

So before I give you the rundown on the whole day's events, I thought I would just post a bunch of pictures. Since most of you won't care to read the birth story I thought I would put the important stuff first. The rest is more just for those who are interested and for my "journal keeping" sake.

Sloan is about the cutest thing I have ever seen. I know I am slightly biased, but I think even if she wasn't mine I would still think she is the most beautiful thing ever. Here are a bunch of the millions of pictures I have taken.

Right before I went to the hospital. Big belly with a big baby in it!

Lee, a very proud and loving father!

Sloan going home from the hospital.

Very relaxed at home in her crib.

Odie really enjoys the boppy. Oh, and for those of you that are wondering, I still love him just as much!

Sloan's first bath.

I mean could she possibly be any cuter???

So here is the story...

I was scheduled to go to the hospital on Sunday the 14th to get induced. That morning I woke up and was having some contractions. They were slightly stronger and definitely more consistent than they had been in the past. I made strawberry waffles and Lee and I kind of hung out all day. I didn't have to go to the hospital until 7pm, so we passed the time by watching movies. Throughout the day my contractions were getting a lot stronger and closer together. When my contractions were about 7 min apart I felt I needed to go to the hospital, but we decided to wait until our 7pm appointment. We got everything together and headed off to the hospital about 6:45pm. When I got to the hospital they admitted me and checked me and I was dilated to a 3. I was supposed to get cervigel (I think that is what it is) to soften my cervix and then I was to get induced on Monday morning as that is when my doctor would be on call. The on call doctor for the night, Dr. Hardy, thought I was looking good and decided to wait and see what happened. Well my contractions got stronger and stronger. At 11:45pm I had a really strong contraction and felt a pop and whoosh, my water broke. After that my contractions started getting really strong. I asked for my epidural, but they told me my contractions although strong were still about 7 min apart so I needed to wait. Looking back this was my biggest mistake, I should have said nope, I want it now. Instead I waited and waited and my contractions got more intense and more intense. I really have NEVER felt pain like this before. Finally at about 2:30am they checked me again and I was at a 6 (I could have told them that). The anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural. I was pretty scared, but the doctor did an awesome job. And let's face it, at that point they could have stuck a pitchfork in my back and I would have been okay with it as long as it took away the pain. It was almost instantly that the medicine kicked in and man, that was an amazing moment. To anyone that is questioning the epidural I say get it, it is definitely a life saver! It wasn't much longer after that that I started getting an intense urge to push. I knew the contractions would hurt, but I didn't even think about how badly this part hurt. At about 3:15am the nurse had me start to push and gave me a mirror to give me some motivation (which by the way I said I would never do, but it really did help). The first thing the nurse said was "your baby has a LOT of hair." Sure enough when they brought out the mirror that is about all I could see. I only pushed with the nurse for about 15 min and she called in the doctor. The doctor had me push and I could feel the head starting to come out. At this point all I knew was I needed to make this really strange feeling go away so I decided to just push as hard and as long as I possibly could because this was the only way I could make it go away. Everything during the night is slightly fuzzy to me as it was all just really intense. However I do vividly remember this moment. Lee was holding my hand and my leg and every time I pushed he would join me. He did this a few times and I looked at him and said "Lee, stop pushing with me...I need you and if you keep holding your breath like that you are going to pass out." For those that know my husband he is really weary with blood and needles so I am surprised he had made it to that point without fainting. He did really well though and was so supportive and I couldn't have done it without him. He even cut her cord which he said he wasn't going to be able to do. Anyway, I pushed for about 30 min and at 4:04am Sloan was here. She was 9 punds and 21 3/4 inches long. They put her on my belly and it was amazing. I was so glad it was over and I could finally meet our beautiful little girl.

Sloan is amazing and I love her more than I ever imagined I could. All in all my birth experience was good (minus getting the epidural so late in the game). I really prepared for the worst and was amazingly surprised that although child birth was the most intense, painful and tiring experience I have ever had, it wasn't as bad as I had built it up to be. And I will say it now for the record that I would totally do it again. I am so excited to be a mom and Lee has been an amazing dad. I can't wait for all my experiences to come! I am so grateful for this experience, and I thank Heavenly Father every day for giving us this amazing, beautiful, healthy little gift!!!

I'm Here!!

Baby Sessions made her arrival yesterday September 15, 2008 at 4:04 am! Sloan Sally Sessions made her debut weighing 9 pounds, 21 3/4 inches and with a full head or gorgeous hair. Both baby and parents are doing GREAT!!!

I Must Have a Really Luxurious Womb!!!

So today was my due date and I've got nothing, no contractions, no dilating, nothing. I figured I would probably be late, but thought I might get a sympathy contraction or two. My doctor is going to induce me on Monday if I don't have the baby this weekend because she can tell she is going to be big and doesn't want to wait until she is 9 pounds (if she isn't already). I am showing no signs of labor so it looks like Monday will be the day. I am definitely ready as I have never been quite so uncomfortable in all my life. For now it is looking like inducing will be the only way to get me to go into labor, but we will keep you posted.

Two Days in the Hospital...Still No Baby

So I just spent two days in the hospital and left with a belly as big and uncomfortable as the day I was admit ed. Here is the long story for anyone that is interested.

I was at an offsite all day meeting for work on Wednesday just doing my job like any normal day. Suddenly at like 4:00pm I started feeling really sick. The meeting got over at about 5:30pm and luckily Lee was there to drive me home. The car ride was bad and by the time I was home about 20min later I was really sick. I was achy and freezing cold and my back was in a lot of pain. I tried getting in bed with a sweatshirt and all my blankets over me and I was still so cold my teeth were chattering. About an hour later I suddenly got really hot and sweaty. This cycled for a while and all along I was just really achy and couldn't really walk. I tried to get some sleep and almost woke Lee up to take me to urgent care. I decided to stick it out until the morning and I would go see my normal doctor. Finally the morning came and I was able to get a quick appointment with my doctor. When I got there she did some tests including a blood test. She told me the test came back and my white blood cells were elevated to 20 when they should be about 9 or 10. She called my OBGYN and they both agreed that I needed to go to the hospital immediately. I was pretty stressed since my house was a mess and I hadn't showered for a few days. I had no overnight bag and nothing to bring the baby home in if for some reason they told me I needed to have her. This was not the way I was picturing our little girl coming into the world. We went to the doctor and I was admitted and immediately given IVs and put on fetal monitors. It was a little scary as I didn't really know what was going on. The doctors came and ran lots of tests on myself and the baby. A specialist came in to do an ultrasound and it was determined the baby was fine. This was the biggest relief as this was my major concern. I could deal with whatever I need to as long as my baby was okay. They said I needed to stay overnight to be monitored and wait for some tests to come back. If anything came back positive they said they were going to have to induce me. After many hours of tests and IVs and a long night on a very uncomfortable bed the doctor said she felt I was okay to go home. I was elated to leave the hospital, but at the same time I was a little disappointed they decided not to induce me. I was a week a way and when I got the ultrasound the doctor said that my baby was big...at least 8 pounds. I thought this plus the fact that I had some unknown illness would motivate them to say let's just go ahead and do it. However our hospital has a strict no induction rule unless it is a medical emergency. So Lee and I left the next day just as uncomfortable as we came.

I am so glad that the baby is okay and that I am feeling a little better. In the end they found a small bacterial infection. Who knew bacteria could make you so sick? However I will say that I am pretty disappointed we left without our little girl being born. I mean I was there, I had the IV and let's face it, my child is ginormous. But I guess they want her to sit and float in her little haven and eat lots of food so she can be at least 9 pounds when I have to push her out.

So, we will continue to keep you posted but thus far it is looking like it isn't going to be any time all too soon. And although I have decided that when the stretchy maternity clothes no longer fit it is far past time to have a baby, I guess I will have to wait for her to decide she is really cramped and uncomfortable in there and wants to come out. And if I were her I guess I would want to stay in there as long as possible too!!!

Ode to Odie

Anyone that knows us knows that our dog Odie is our child. He is incredibly loved and very, very spoiled. Our life revolves around him and he is the center of attention. Well Odie has about 2 weeks left of being our #1. I know that once we have our baby he is going to become slightly less spoiled and probably slightly more ignored. Although everyone tells me that my intense love for my dog will change once I have a child, I am sure that it won't. So before our little girl comes into this world and becomes the #1, here is an "Ode to Odie," our first born child.

This is Odie as a puppy. Apparently we hadn't found a groomer yet!

Doing what he does best...sleeping and relaxing! He must take after his mom and dad.

This is Odie's favorite thing to do since we moved to Charlotte. There is a park behind our house that is full of squirrels. Well Odie has become a squirrel hunter. He loves to stalk them and chase after them. Good thing he isn't that fast, who knows what would happen if he really caught one!