This Little Piggy...

Little Miss Elsa has been suffering from what I'm assuming are allergies. Her tiny nostrils are stuffed most of the time and it has resulted in her sounding like a little piglet! She's definitely the cutest piglet I've ever seen, just check out these pictures taken this past month:

Unfortunately, our little piglet isn't eating like one. As mentioned in the previous post, Elsa was born tongue-tied. The hope was that after her tongue was clipped, she would become a pro at eating. We're finding that she is still trying to figure out what to do with her tongue.

We have her on a two-hour feeding schedule, which means that she eats every two hours (counted from start of one feeding to the start of another feeding). This leaves me with about an hour of "free" time between each feeding. It has become physically and emotionally exhausting! But in the end, it's worth it. We're making sure that she is gaining weight while getting the health benefits of breast milk.

Current stats for our "Miss Piggy" from her 2 month appointment:

Weight: 9 lbs 10 oz (12th percentile)
Length: 22.5 inches (50th percentile)
Head: 39 centimeters (just above 50th percentile)

Tongue-tied... My daughter?? No way!!!

Carl and I discovered last week that Miss Elsa was born with a condition known as "tongue-tied". Anyone who knows me may chuckle at this notion as I can be quite the chatterbox given the occasion.

Unfortunately those who are "tongue-tied" not only can develop speech difficulties but it can also cause dental problems and, as what was currently plaguing Elsa, troubles nursing.

If it weren't for a wonderful lactation-consultant-in-training that has been coming to our house on a regular basis, we wouldn't have caught the condition until it had created a much worse problem. The LC has been weighing Elsa at each visit and last week we found that she had only gained 2 ounces over 2 weeks. Babies at this age should be gaining at least 0.5 ounces per day! As you can imagine, Carl and I were instantly concerned. And I, being my typical self, automatically when into worst-case-scenario mode, concocting the worse possible causes for the sudden lack in weight gain.

Thankfully, the LC was able to schedule an appointment with one of her fellow co-workers for the next day. Her co-worker has been working as an LC for quite sometime and automatically was able to diagnose Elsa as being tongue-tied. We scheduled a doctors appointment for the very next day and now Elsa's tongue is free to move about as she pleases.

I'm sure that once Elsa reaches the teenage years, Carl and I will be looking for some reverse-procedure to help control that tongue! But for now, we're happy that our baby is healthy and happy and is starting to gain that baby fat that everyone keeps talking about.

Mama's Got a New Pair of Pants

I recently got the opportunity to try out a new style of jeans from Old Navy (thanks to my account with Crowdtap.com - I recommend you take a second to check them out!). Carl and I have been trying to clamp down on our expenses but I'm not quite at my pre-pregnancy size, so I've been left with very little to wear on the bottom. So, this opportunity was welcomed with open arms.

The pants are part of the new ankle jeans collection. I was a little scared of them at first - they all look like skinny jeans on the Web site and skinny pants should not be seen anywhere within 10 feet of my legs - but I found a style that I really like. Now I have cute pants to wear while I work on losing the baby weight!

Music to My Ears

I heard the most beautiful noise last night - my baby's first laughter (at least the first that anyone has heard). The laughter came as Elsa was drifting into sleep after a late night feeding. I've been pretty tired the last couple of nights and dreading her night time feedings. Hearing her laughter made up for all of the sacrificed sleep.

What a blessing that God brings joy to our heart even as a newborn baby! I'm excited for when Elsa is older and can share with me the jokes that make her laugh and I can learn what puts a smile on her mouth and joy in her heart.

Move Over Heidi Klum

Our family was recently honored by being asked to be featured in Financial Center Credit Union's member magazine. Elsa is one of the youngest (if not the youngest) members, so they thought it would be fun to highlight her in the magazine.

The magazine just came in the mail this past week. It will be so cool when Elsa is older and I can show her how she started her super model career (yes, I have high hopes for my little beauty!).

In the Blink of an Eye

The little miss turned one month old on Monday. I can't believe how fast her first month went by! It feels like she was just born yesterday and yet, one month later, here we are. It has been a true lesson in just how fast time goes by when you're having fun.

Here's a picture of the beautiful baby at one month:

Elsa's First Flight

This past week I learned a very important lesson - unplug your laptop when it's not in use.

I was doing some multitasking - holding the fussy little miss and playing on my computer on the couch. When Elsa finally calmed down and fell asleep, I decided to put her down in her bassinet for a nap. So, I shut down the laptop, set it on the coffee table and got up to make the short trek (5 steps) to her bassinet.

Instead of walking the short distance, I ended up tripping and flying half way across the room. My foot had gotten caught on the laptop! Thankfully, my maternal instinct kicked in and I made sure I had a firm grasp on my little one. Once we "landed", she woke up for literally a couple of seconds, cried for a nanosecond and was back asleep.

Mama and Elsa were lucky in that neither of us were physically hurt (emotionally, I was quite shaken up and convinced I was going to get Worst Mom of the Year award). And Carl and I have now decided not to sit on any furniture that has cords near it while holding a baby.

Hopefully Elsa's next flight will involve an actual airplane!