Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Ashlyn update and more =)


Ashlyn had her 4 month check up (yep she is 4 months can you believe it) yesterday. She is doing amazing. Her stats where:
9lb 3oz and 21in
The Pediatrician said she see's babies born bigger than her all the time lol. She also said she is doing some things a 5 month full term baby does. (remember her corrected age is 3 month). Ashlyn supports her weight and sits assisted. She is smiling so much now. She rolls for tummy to back. She tries SOOOO hard to roll from her back to her belly, but not quite there yet. The best of all she is sleeping through the night. Overall she is doing amazing and progressing perfectly. =)
We got the ok to start trying rice cereal. So below are a couple pictures of her first bites from last night.

Her very first bite! It came right back out
She was not to sure about the spoon
Nope not liking this one bit
She finally started opening her mouth for the spoon. Still couldn't keep much in her mouth, but we will work on it

So with all these big milestones Ashlyn meets, brings bittersweet thoughts. I know this is my last child and it is like each day a chapter in our life ends. Don't get me wrong i NEVER want to pregnant again, we don't get along. And i am so thankful for both my healthy babies. But to think i will never hold a newborn that is mine, wake in the middle of the night with a newborn, be so tired it hurts. (i know i am crazy) Never see those first smiles again, never get to give those first bites. The only good thing about haveing a (healthy) preemie, is each stage last just a little longer. With Caiden i was in such a rush to move to the next stage, but i knew that some day we would add to our family. With Ashlyn i want to move as slow as possible. I am having the hardest time moving Ashlyn to her crib in her room. I did move her from her upright sleeper to laying flat in the pack-n-play in are room and she has been sleeping good. Guess i am just ready to close the "in our room sleeping" chapter. lol

Moving on, Caiden is doing amazing and growing so fast (which i don't like either). He is so independent these days. He wants to do everything himself. He is amazing with his sister and always wants to help with her. We have been trying to schedule some alone time with him, with just mommy or daddy. I took him grocery shopping with me the other day just me and him and he loved it. When daddy does yard work, he loves to spend that time with just them two. He has been starting to act out a little lately, so i think this one on one time will help a lot. i have already seen his behavior change a little. and of course i keep us very busy through out the week, which seems to help. We also started a reward system with him. He gets "coins" when he does something good with out being asked or listens. and at 5 coins (i did have it at 10 coins that did not work took to long to get 10 coins) he gets a prize. I took him to the dollar store and let him pick out a bunch of toys or whatever he wanted and we put them in a basket and he gets to pick one of the toys when he get his 5 coins. This also seems to help with his behavior. The Pediatrician thinks he is acting out for attention, since our time in now spit. All these techniques seem to be helping. He continues to amaze me each day. He is so smart and some of the things he says and knows blows my mind that it is coming from a 3 year old.

So the holidays are upon us and i am SOO excited. Last year i spent the holidays in bed sick out of my mind. Pregnancy was not nice to me. Not only will i be able to enjoy it but i will get to enjoy it with my babies and family. I am already done Christmas shopping for the kids and i only spent about $120. Love Kohls. Now i just have to be patient and wait to give them there gifts =)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Ashlyn's Development

Ashlyn had her 3 month weight check with the pediatrician on Tuesday and today we met with her Development Nurse. Needless to say, Ashlyn is doing GREAT and continues to amaze her doctors.
How Ashlyn is developing:
3 month -8lb 4oz and 20.5in
-Holds her head up
-Sits up assisted
-Rolls from tummy to her back
-Sleeps through the night 10pm-7:30am
-Focus on faces and objects
-Kicks
-Brings hands to her mouth
-Eats 4-6 ounces
What Ashlyn should be doing:
-smiling
-babbling
-trying to grasp objects

She is still very small for her age, being 3 months old and only the size of an average new born. Her corrected age is 7.5 weeks and is right on track for her corrected age for size.
Her developmental nurse is amazed with her development. She is doing all the things a 3 month old should be for the most part. There are only 3 things she is not doing. She said she should start smiling, babbling and grasping objects in the next month. Her nurse also said her motor skills are advanced for a preemie =). She said everything else will come and that she is very pleased with her development. We don't have to meet with her again till January. Usually she meets with most preemie's every month. Because Ashlyn is doing so well we can go 2 months. We also got the OK to start trying rice cereal in a month. Yikes my baby is growing fast!

All in all we are SOOOO happy with our vists this week. Pediatrician said she is very healthy and Developmental Nurse said she is right on track. It is so good to know that all we went trough with the pregnancy, and she is perfect. One happy mama here.

P.S. Caiden is doing amazing and loves being a big brother.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Weight loss

So we have decided that not just losing weight is in order but just eating healthy needs to happen in the Deaner household.
I am 5'7 and before i had Caiden i weighed about 135, after Caiden i weighed about 145, and after Ashlyn i weigh 153. I don't like that trend. I felt my best at between 140 and 145 (145 is pushing it). Weight has never been an issue for me and i know that i am not fat, i just don't feel comfortable in my skin.

Sooooooo, we are going to cut out all the junk (Lord help me) and i am going to try and cook some more healthy items and incorporate more veggies and fruit. This will be good for Caiden to cause i see him following in my junk food habit.

We also have been walking about 2 miles every week night and we do sprints up this huge hill at our community park. With the exercise and healthy eating i hope to lose a few and just feel better all around. I know Chris is excited to he always wants to lose a few. I will make sure to do update on starting and continuing or healthy lifestyle. Wish us luck

Friday, October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

ASHLYN ROLLED OVER

Guess who rolled over last night...... ASHLYN, from her tummy to her back.
Now i am not sure if it was an accident. But when i tried to get her to do it again she screamed.
So we shall try again today during tummy time =) and will try and get some pics as well.
This is huge for her, it means she may not be as far behind as we thought

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Camping = Disaster

We went comping this past weekend. We thought it would be the perfect time to go, not to cold and not to hot. Oh boy where we wrong LOL
we left Saturday morning and drove to Bartlett Lake and set up camp. It was beautiful out. The temp out was i think in the high 70's low 80's. We spent the day setting up camp and just relaxing and enjoying the weather. Our friends Tony and Sherry met us out there. Everything was going great. Caiden was getting dirty and loving every minute of it and Ashlyn was just hanging out in her rocker taking it all in.

But once the sun went down Ashlyn was done with this whole camping thing. She had her night time bottle and slept for about an hour. she woke up screaming so we just held her thinking that maybe she was cold or just out of her element. The temp out at night was high 50's low 60's. So not super cold out. She was fine till we put her down to go to bed. She fussed a little but fell asleep for about another hour and then all hell broke lose. She woke up screaming at the top of her lungs. I mean you could hear her screams echoing off the mountains LOL. When i couldn't settle her down i thought maybe she was cold so i took her into the truck and turned the heat on and gave her a warm bottle. Needless to say i don't think she was cold. She continued to scream all night. I stayed in the truck with her to contain her screams so we didn't wake up everyone in a 5 mile radius. She finally wore her self out at about 4am and slept for about 2 hours. I didn't get any sleep. The truck looks big but trying to sleep in it is not comfy. Once the sun was up i was out of there. It warmed up quick so i took her out of the truck and put her in her rocker and of course she slept. after her morning nap she woke up and still was not happy. So we gave up and packed up and called it a day. We were home by 1pm on Sunday and she slept the rest of the day.

It wasn't all bad, Saturday night we enjoyed a camp fire with marsh-mellows. Tony brought his golf cart so we took that out and did a little exploring. We took Caiden down by the water and let him play. He loved playing in the dirt and running around getting dirty. When we got home i put him directly into the bath and he turned the bath water brown lol. Had to drain and refill the bath he was so dirty LOL. We saw skunks and of course ran the other way. One skunk made into out neighbors campsite and listening to them run and scream trying to get the thing out of there campsite was hilarious. Thank goodness the Skunk Chris and Caiden saw was down by the water and never made it to our campsite. Although we did smell one which was probably the one in our neighbors campsite.

All-n-all it wasn't all bad i was just tired and cranky on Sunday. We did have fun. There are some pictures below of our adventures. Guess we will have to try again next year when Ashlyn is a little older.


Our Tent

Caiden and Tony going out for a golf cart ride

This is how little boys pee while camping LOL right in front of everyone

Sitting around the camp fire

Sherry and Caiden

Ashlyn in the tent before the screaming





Thursday, September 29, 2011

Caiden's Story


I am kinda sad i wasn't able to do this sooner with Caiden. It is 3 years later and memories have faded. Don't get me wrong i will never forget the day my baby boy was born, and some things like the song that was playing while they preformed my c-section, or how much he weighed and that first cry. But certain details and specifics have faded. But 3 years is better than 5 or even 10 years.
So here is Caiden's story:

My preganacy with Caiden was relativity easy compared to Ashlyn's. I did have morning sicknes with him that lasted about 6 weeks. Nothing like i had with Ashlyn. I was able to continue working and only lost about 10lbs which i gained back pretty quickly with him. I did develop mild Preeclampsia with him. I was able to maintain my blood pressure with out medication. Towards the end i did have to have twice weekly NST (non-stress tests) with him. Pretty much they just hooked me up to a monitor and monitored his heart rate for 20 mins. At 34 weeks my blood pressure did spike pretty high and i was put on bed rest for the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy. Which wasn't so bad. I was able to finish stuff up around the house and in the nursery. I was working full time as a Medical Assistant during my pregnancy with Caiden. "Bed Rest" was just nice 4 week vacation from work till he came.

My induction was scheduled for 38 weeks. I went in to the hospital bright and early on June 26th 2008, I think it was about 5am or maybe 7am (see details are getting hard to remember). They got me all hooked up to my I.V.'s and started the meds to induce labor and we waited.........and waited..........then waited some more........... and nothing. 12 long hours after staring the induction i had only dilated to 1cm. I had already had my epidural, so i was feeling good. The monitors where showing i was having some pretty good size contractions, which i couldn't feel =). The Doctor came in and said we can go another 12 hours with the induction or we can do a c-section and call it a day. LOL He recommended the c-section because of my blood pressure and the fact Caiden seemd ready to come out but my body was saying hell no. I agreed to the c-section. i was tired and ready to meet my baby.

They started all the preparations for surgery and i was starting to get nervous. I will never forget Chris standing they wide eyed and pale. He asked me "are you sure you want to do this". I couldn't help but laugh, there was no turning back now. Caiden couldn't stay in there forever. I was all ready and they wheeled me in to the operating room and Chris was next to me. I will never forget the song that was playing in the operating room as the doctor started my c-section. Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis! Kinda ironic if you listen to the words. That will forever be my song for Caiden.

At 8:06pm on June 26, 2008Caiden Edward Deaner came into this word weighing in at 7lb 10oz and 20 1/2in. He was perfect and healthy. His cry was loud and healthy. Another cry i will never forget. It was over and he was here healthy. They took me to recovery and Chris went with Caiden. About 30min later they brought him to me and the first time i held him was love at first sight. He was perfect in every way, MY baby boy. We spent the next three days in the hospital cuddling and loving on our baby boy, something i never got to do with Ashlyn cause she was in the NICU. I look back on those 3 days with Caiden and am so thankful that i was able to have him with me in my room and that he was as healthy as could be. Today Caiden is a healthy, wild 3 year old. A total boy in everyway. I love my perfect little family =)


Just mins old and mad!

My Handsome little guy




Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I guess i should put a disclaimer on my blog:
I AM A HORRIBLE WRITER AND SPELLER!!!!
So don't judge me LOL =)

Ashlyn's Story

I know that in one of my last posts i wrote a little about Ashlyn and her begining, but i would like to share the whole story, so as the memories fade and new ones take there place i will be able to share with her one day just how lucky and amazing she is. That life it just to precious. I wish i would have done this with Caiden. I will share his story as i remember it today in another post.
Here is Ashlyn's story:

Ashlyn had a very rough start to this life, She is a true miracle and a fighter. I found out i was pregnant with her in November 2010, after 4 month of trying we were so excited to know we would be adding to our family. We took a trip to the Bahamas in December and it was a nice way to celebrate. =) My morning sickness waited till the day we got back from out trip to kick in (Thank god) I saw the doctor for the first time at 8 weeks and man was i sick i mean bedridden sick. i couldn't keep anything down and i felt like death. I ended up having to quit my part time job i was so sick. But at my 8 week visit the baby looked great and had a strong heart beat. I was given some meds to try and help with the "all day sickness". I ended up losing almost 15lb cause i was so sick. Finally at about 16 weeks i started to feel human again. Everything was going good just trying to gain some weight back, and baby was healthy. This was an exciting time at 19 weeks we found out we were having a GIRL =) and her name would be Ashlyn Natalie Deaner. We were beyond excited, one boy and one girl a perfect mix. As Ashlyn would be our last child.
This excitement was all short lived, at 23 weeks we had a scare i was sent to the E.R. with some pretty bad contractions. They gave me some meds and were able to stop them. Then over the next month i came down with the stomach flu and an awful upper respiratory infection. I could not catch a break. gaining weight was becoming impossible for me. But Ashlyn was doing great and thats all that really mattered.

This is when things went from OK to really bad really quick. At 28 weeks i went in for a routine check up and the doctor noticed my belly was measuring super small. So he scheduled me for an ultrasound to check her growth. This ultrasound was done at 30 weeks and this is when the ceiling came crashing down around us. It was the same ultrasound tech i had had for all my other ultrasounds, so we were chatting while she was scanning. When she finished she asked me to stay and she would be right back. Something she had never done before. I was a little nervous but i thought since the doctor had order a special test she was just going to show him and then let us go. Didn't work out that way, she came back with the doctor who explained to me my baby wasn't growing and was very small for as far along as i was. I was then rushed to the hospital to meet with a Perinatologist to have more test done. Ashlyn had always been in the 30th percentile for growth and weight, but as the Perinatologist explained to me she had dropped to the 5th percentile in a matter of 2 weeks. After all the test he could not find the cause for her small size and diagnosed her with IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction). I was given 2 steroid shots because they were sure the would have to deliver her in the next week or 2. I was to have twice weekly ultrasounds to check for movement, fluid levels, and breathing. Then every 2 weeks they would check her growth. At 32 weeks she had her first growth check since meeting with the Perinatologist. She had grown, she jumped from the 5th percentile to the 10th percentile. We were so happy she was measuring at 3lb 7oz.

She always passed her weekly ultrasounds with flying colors, things were looking up until my 34 week growth check. At this ultrasound she had completely stop growing. She was now in the 6th percentile. The doctor decided to give me more steroid shots and wait one more week and check her growth again. At my last and final growth ultrasound at 35 weeks there was no change and she had dropped to the 1 percentile. She was still measuring in at 3lb 7oz. The doctor decided enough was enough and i was once again rush to the hospital to have an emergency c-section. This was all happening so fast i didn't have time to process it all till i was sitting in the hospital were i lost it. I couldn't stop the tears.The unknown was soooo scary. I was so worried for my baby. Somethinga mother should NEVER have to go through.

Ashlyn Natalie Deaner was born on July 15, 2011 at 1:56pm not breathing, but a couple mins later when the doctor threatened her with a tube down her throat, by the grace of god she started breathing on her own. Hearing her first tiny cry will forever be etched in my mind and heart, I cried with her (tears of joy of course) She weighted in at 3lb 6oz and 16in. She was my tiny miracle.

She was rushed to the NICU. The hour i spent in recovery was probably the longest hour of my life. I had no clue what was going on. All i knew was Chris was with her. She had her daddy with her. When they finally wheeled me in to see her, all i saw was a perfect little girl, MY little girl. I didn't see all the wires and tubes. Oh and the fact that she was in a big plastic box. All i saw was a little girl that made it. She spent 12 long days in the NICU. She amazed the doctors with how strong she was. After 2 days she had all the i.v.'s removed. Now she just needed to gain a little weight and she could come home.

We learned while she was there that she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice (which in not completely abnormal) and had a "True" knot in her cord. They are not sure if this is what lead to her growth restriction.

Ashlyn Natalie Deaner came home July 26, 2011 weighing in at 3lb 13oz and as healthy as could be. She had no idea she was 5 weeks early and small. Today at 10 1/2 weeks she is 6lb 15oz and 19in. She is a growing girl =)


Just mins after birth

3lb 6oz

Monday, September 26, 2011

Reunion

This weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. I still can't get over the fact that it has been 10 years since i have been in high school. I feel like the last 10 years have been a blur and so much has happened in the past 10 years. Some good and some bad. Just a few things:
- 2001 graduated high school
-2002 ended a horrible relationship
2003- went back to school to become a Medical Assistant
2004-graduated with an associates degree in science
2005- bought my first new car
2006- working, dating, partying, just plain being stupid
2007- finally ended another futureless relationship and MET CHRIS =)
2008- A big year, got married, and gave birth to my perfect Son Caiden and quit my job to be a stay at home mommy
2009- went back to school to get my nursing degree
2010- School and being a mommy/wife
2011- Gave birth to my perfect beautiful daughter

So much has happened in the past 10 years and wow it went by so fast. The actual reunion was Saturday night which i was not able to attend =( . The Deaner plaque was running through our house. Sinus infection for me and stuffy/runny nose for Ashlyn. Chris had a sore throat. Caiden was the only one that is healthy. But i am sure he is next on the list to get it. I was able to attend a Sunday Funday at the park for the reunion. It was a good turn out. People brought there families and kids. It was nice to see everyone that came and to start new relationships with people you may have not been close to in high school. It is nice to see everyone getting along and all that high school drama gone (for the most part)

I am so excited to see what the next 10 years has in store for me and my wonderful family, and i know that it will go by just as fast as the last 10 years
-

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Here we go!

Well as i was reading back the last time i wrote anything was in May of 2009. Caiden was 10 1/2 months old. Holy Moly a lot has happened in the past 2 years........ I don't know where to even start. lol
Lets start with Caiden. He is 3 now and man growing fast. He is all boy and beyond anything i could ask for in a son. He is talking up a storm and will repeat anything you say, so we have to be a little careful =). He is in Preschool 2 days a week and really loves it. He always talks about his friends and he will even tell you the kids he doesn't like. We have been working on potty training for the past year, yes i said a year and it has been a rough road, he did not want anything to do with the big boy potty. Then over night yes 1 year after starting the whole awful potty training stuff he woke up and that was it he was potty trained. He hasn't had one accident since HE decided he was ready. Maybe it was because with his new baby sister he knew he would get a ton of attention by going on the potty. That brings us to Ashlyn
Ashlyn Natalie is the newest addition to our family. She was born July 15th, 2011 at 1:56pm weighing in at 3lb 6oz and 16inches long. She was 5 weeks premature and spent 12 long days in the NICU. Ashlyn had a very rough start to this life but is doing amazing now. During my 28th week of pregnancy they noticed that my belly wasn't growing fast enough and i was only measuring around 25 weeks. The doctor scheduled a ultrasound to just make sure all was OK. At 30 weeks when i went in for the ultrasound, we got some very scary news. She wasn't growing. I was rushed to the hospital where i was given steroid shot to prepare for an early delivery and met with a perinatologist. They ran many test but could not find the cause for her not growing. He sent me home and i was to be monitored every 2 days and every 2 weeks do a growth check. All was OK, at my 32 week growth ultrasound she was still small but growing. They diagnosed her with IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) at this time. They scheduled my c-section at this time to which was Aug 10th 2011 (37 weeks). I continued with my twice weekly ultrasounds and at my 35 week growth ultrasound everything came to a screeching halt. She hadn't grown in 4 weeks, She had completely stopped growing. I was rushed back to the hospital where they did an emergency c-section. We were all prepared for the worst. But let me tell you this little girl is a fighter, she came out perfect and small. She did have to spend some time in the NICU just to make sure she would eat and grow, which she did perfectly. After 12 days she game home at 3lb 13oz. We could not ask for anything more. She is perfect, our little miracle baby. Today at 10 weeks she weighs 6lb 13oz and is 19 in, finally the size of a newborn. She just had her 2 month check up and still amazes the doctors with how healthy and strong she is.
Now on to me and Chris, we are doing great, love being parents and watching our beautiful children grow. Chris is still working at UTI, He switched departments but i couldn't tell you to much about what he does, accounting and numbers stuff. Stuff that i don't understand LOL. I am still working on my nursing degree. But i think in on of my last posts i was just starting school. Well i am happy to say that i am all done with my pre-reqs and am officially on the waiting list for the nursing program. It is about 1 1/2 year wait. I will start taking a couple classed in January, so i don't get to far our of the loop. But i am excited to be one step closer to being done.
I am sure there is a lot more that is new since the last time i posted anything but as i remember new things and new things happen i will post them. I want to make sure that i keep this up to date so one day Caiden and Ashlyn can look back and see what was going on in there lives. I will also make sure to get some pictures up as i take them as well.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Well i have noticed that all my older posts start with " i am so horrible at keeping up with this". I am here to say it again
I am SOOOO horrible at keeping up with blogging!!!
I have been inspired to start blogging again (thanks Ashley). After reading some of my older post and seeing what was going on in our family back then has been really fun. This will be a great way to mark special dates, and someday go back and read what we were doing at a certain time in out life.
So stay tuned i have a lot to catch everyone up on =)