10 1/2 weeks!

Cadence continues to grow. She had her two month checkup on Monday and was 10lbs, 14oz! She's still 21 inches but that's a hard thing to measure as she is a wiggler. The nurse actually thought she was shorter than 21 inches but she was 21 at her last appt so I wasn't sure how that was possible. :) She got her first set of shots at the appt and handled them like a champ. She had 3 in one leg, 2 in the other and one oral one that they did at the end while she was crying and had her mouth open. It wasn't as bad as I thought to be there when it was done--maybe I'm just used to her crying. We held her hands though and talked to her and after we gave her a bottle (she was both hungry and tired while we were there), she forgot she even had the shots. We gave her tylenol at the office but she didn't run a fever afterwards so she didn't need any more. She seemed to nap quite a bit the next day but that was really the only difference I saw.

Last week was a big week--we went down with GramPam to North Carolina for Distinctly Bronze! It was sad that David Davidson had passed away before the event--I really wanted him to meet her but we had a pretty good time nonetheless. It was very stressful for me to plan for the trip. I had tons of lists of everything we needed to take and started putting things aside a week before we left. Even still, I managed to forget the frozen breastmilk b/c I didn't double check my list before Mom and I left the house. Oops. Luckily I was able to pump enough and we went with 3 full bottles so I stayed ahead of her. It was just a little more annoying since I had to pump a bit more than I anticipated. It was really hard adjusting to the trip. It was a long first day since we left around 7:15am, got there around 1:30pm (we stopped for lunch and to pump) and then rehearsed until 9pm. There was a memorial service for David until after 10pm so I didn't even get to the hotel until about 10:30pm for the first time. I ended up sleeping terribly b/c my mind was going a million miles a minute and the music was hard and mom was snoring and there was a fire drill. I told mom in the middle of the night that I wanted to go home and I really did--I was planning on how to tell Karen I couldn't do it the next day. But I stuck it out, even on virtually no sleep (although Cadence slept like a champ in the co-sleeper on the floor next to my bed!) and started to feel better about rehearsals and each night I got a bit more sleep. It was a rough drive home Sun evening since I was so tired but we made it home by about 12:30am. Cadence woke up when we got home and had a bottle but went back down pretty easily. I'm more glad that I went than not--I think I would have regretted not going but it was a stressful trip. I definitely overpacked clothes but better to overdo it than not have enough! It was a good experience for me to leave baby with someone for an extended period of time. I found that I really really missed her though and wanted to hold her a lot when I was with her.

The big news was that Dr. B and Mr. Murphy got engaged the night before DB! I get to be a bridesmaid. :)

Cadence is still a pretty darn good sleeper. She has been sleeping between 5 and 8 hour stretches! Sometimes she'll go between 10pm and about 3-4am and then from about 4-5am until 8-9am! I only wish I was sleeping as well as she is. I'm still getting up and pumping around when she gets up--I try to beat her to the punch and then feed her the bottle I pump. I listen for her sucking on her hands, which she does quite a bit these days and I use that as my cue. Sometimes though, she does that and then goes back to sleep! Very funny little girl. We bought a little space heater for her room b/c of the crappy insulation in the house and b/c we can't put a blanket over her during the night (even though I do during naps. bad mommy! :)) She seems to be sleeping well and doesn't seem to cold so I guess its working.

On Tuesday, we went to an ear, nose and throat doctor that Pat the lactation consultant recommended. He said Cadence had a short posterior frenulum that could use to be clipped to help her nurse/feed better. It wouldn't impede her speech so it was just about eating. I had essentially stopped nursing before we left for DB and was exclusively pumping (she still hasn't had any formula) but the Dr. said I could try nursing again if we clipped the thingy. I ended up deciding to do it--figured there was nothing to lose as it was only painful as it was being done and she could eat immediately afterwards. I was hoping it would stop the clicking that he said was b/c she couldn't extend her tongue enough but that hasn't seemed to stop. I tried nursing her on Wed AM on the left side (which is the side that produces and insane amount of milk) but she wasn't good technique wise (luckily it didn't hurt, she just wasn't opening enough b/c she was so used to the bottles) and the milk was coming out so fast, she didn't know how to deal with it since she was used to controling the flow with the bottles. I just don't think nursing is something we're going to pick back up again and we seem to have a good rhythm with the pumping. I'm definitely still producting enough milk and I have enough stored in the freezer that I think we're doing ok. All I can say is that I'm always hungry since I'm still producing so much milk! I eat constantly and bigger portions than I used to. I wonder what my weight is...

I'm finding it stressful to get business stuff done during the day. I really just want to sit and play with her when she's awake and I never seem to get everything done when she's asleep. The house is a mess--I may have to call the Maids again since they are wonderful. The tub is just scary; luckily we are bathing her in the big tub.

Here's a cute picture of her from the other day. All smiles!