We have a smiler!!!

1 Month Old!

Mackenzie is 1 month old already! I can't believe it. I really can't.

Anytime I have her out and about, people can't believe she is only a month old. They think she is at least 3 months. Not because of her size...She is very tiny still. But because of the way she acts! She is SO alert and aware of things around her. She does things that I don't think a 1 month old should know how to do. She can lift her head up and hold it like a pro. She's been doing this since she was a few days old, but now she keeps it up for a long time. She recognizes my hair as something to grab, and pulls it all the time. She also will pull her pacifier out of her mouth if she doesn't want it in there.

She had a HORRIBLE diaper rash that actually started in the hospital. I had noticed her little bottom was really red and irritated and said something to the nurse. She assured me it was just "newborn rash" and would clear up in a few weeks. Well, it kept getting worse and worse. We were using EVERYTHING we could think of. Desitin, Mustela, baby powder, warm cloths etc...It wasn't getting any better and was SO bad, it would bleed everytime we wiped her bottom. The por thing would just scream out in pain. It was heartbreaking. Finally, I did the one thing I hadn't even thought of before. I switched from Pampers to Huggies. The thought never even occured me because I had always heard Pampers was the absolute best. And it's what they were using in the hospital. So it had to be good, right? Wrong. After just 2 diaper changes in the Huggies, her rash was GONE COMPLETELY. Not a single red mark on her bottom. I mean, within HOURS the rash was gone. Thank you Huggies!!! So now we are using the Huggies Sensitive diapers and wipes.

She is sleeping like a champ. She already pretty much has a routine. Bottle (4 oz) around 9:30. Asleep in her crib by 10. Then she wakes up for another feeding about 1:30 or 2. Another 3-4 oz. Then it's back to bed until sometime between 4:30 and 6:30. Some nights, after her 2 am feeding, she'll think it's playtime and not want to go down. So I'll stick her in her swing, put on some rock music (yes, she LOVES rock music...That is her daddy in her!) and usually within 20 minutes she is asleep again. Some nights she just is NOT tired, so I'll play with her a little while and then try the swing again.

Her favorite things:

-Bath time

- Car rides

- Going for walks in the stroller

- EATING!!!!

- Tummy time (although after a while she does start getting frustrated)

- Sleeping on her tummy ( before anyone freaks out and calls CPS on me, I only let her do it when she falls asleep during tummy time on her mat, and I am there watching her.)

Least Favorite Things:

- Being flat on her back

- Diaper changes

- Getting dressed/undressed

- Just being fussed and messed with in general

All in all she is a pretty happy and content little girl!!! I am so excited to watch her grow and see her little personality develop!!!!

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She's here! And she's amazing!!!

A little over a week ago I brought Miss Mackenzie Paige into the world! At 5:52 am on September 24th!! It was a looong and painful 27 hour labor. We are all doing well, and adjusting. Not much time to do much of anything these days, but it's so worth it!!

Mackenzie's Birth Story~

September 22nd 2011

At 9 pm I got the call from FMH Labor and Delivery to come on in to start my induction! Even though I thought I was totally prepared, I was still running around the house like a chicken with my head cut off.

We arrived at the hospital and I was taken to my room where I got changed, got my IV's (They blew the first vein they tried...OUCH!) and got checked out. Still 0 cm and 0% effaced. Baby was up high.

They put in the cervidil at 11 pm, and from then on it was just the waiting game!

2 am the painful contractions started. At first, they weren't too bad. Painful, but tolerable. They checked me again and sure enough....0 cm 0 % effaced. I somehow managed to make it through the next few hours with these contractions

Towards Friday afternoon the contractions were more then I could bare. I thought for sure I had to be at least 4 cm. I was contracting HARD every 1-3 minutes. They checked me and Nope.... 0 cm 0% effaced...WTH?!?!? At that point I was BEGGING for a C-section. They then gave me Cytotec and told me I needed to walk for an hour. But I was so nauseous despite several doses of Zofran, and dizzy that I couldn't even get out of the bed.

About an hour later, I was screaming in pain. The Dr. came in and checked me..............HALLELUJAH! 2 cm dilated and 50 % effaced!! Progress!!!! The Dr. decided because of the amount of pain I was in, it would be best to get the epidural now and then break my water. So around 5 pm I got the epidural...Did not feel it AT ALL. It actually felt kind of cool when he was threading the catheter down my back! Almost instant, the pain from the contractions was GONE. I was in such good spirits!

He broke my water and there was Meconium in it.....Mackenzie definitley takes after her father! Then they started Pitocin....And here is where the fun begins.

I tried to sleep for a little while, but the epidural again was making me VERY nauseous. I didn't throw up though! And then....The pain returned. Only it was a different pain. A pressure like I had to go to the bathroom really badly. It got worse and worse and worse. Around 4 am, I was THRASHING around in pain. It looked like a scene from The Exorcist. I was grabbing onto the rails of the bed and just shaking them and screaming. The nurse checked me.... 4 cm! WOOHOO!! More pain, more thrashing, more screaming. 15 minutes later the nurse checked me again.... 6cm!! Repeat with the pain and screaming, only 10 x more intense then before, only about 20 minutes had gone by and the nurse checked me again....8-9 cm!!!! At this point, I could NOT stop myself from pushing, the pressure was so intense. The nurse was literally BEGGING me not to push. BEGGING. I tired but I couldn't help it. 5 minutes later she checked me again, and I was 10 cm and ready to go! The Dr. was nowhere to be found though. So tried calling him on the phone, and the phone wouldn't work right. Meanwhile, My epidural stopped working, I can't stop myself from pushing and I can feel Mackenzie coming out. The nurse literally had to HOLD her in. Finally, the Dr walked in and within 4 or 5 giant pushes, I brought my amazing little girl into this world!!! 6 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long! Perfect!

All together from the time the painful contractions began, I was in labor for 27 hours. I suffered a 3rd degree tear, and I felt EVERY MOMENT of the Dr stitching me up afterwards. OWEY. But it was all so worth it!!!!