Test Driving the Baby Bjorn

We finally broke down and got a baby carrier. I have been debating with myself for a while about which one to get. We have a Hotsling, which worked well when she was smaller, but now that she's over 12 lbs, it was starting to give me backaches, so I borrowed a Baby Bjorn from a friend.

My acquisition of the Bjorn coincided with two days of GREAT weather here in VA. It was 64 degrees one day, then 71 degrees the next. Perfect weather to get out with Lily, Ethan and our dog, Dixon. I wasn't so sure how she would take to the carrier at first, but as you can see in the photo below (taken while I'm still wearing the carrier and trying to get her out of it), she seemed to like it just fine!

Lily's First Christmas (Wardrobe)

This was Lily's first Christmas, which meant a lot to everyone (except Lily). At two months old, she really didn't know what was going on, but that didn't stop us from dressing her up, getting her a first stocking (courtesy of Aunt Jean), making a handprint ornament for the tree and buying her cute Christmas clothes. Though no one really got to see her except visiting family (the 4 pm children's Mass was lined up out the door, so Lily left), she still managed to look adorable while being very sweet and patient with staying up past her bedtime, getting her photo taken over and over and being passed to many loving family members during the week preceding the holiday, as well as Christmas itself.

Check out the many Christmas looks of Lily Bean. The first one below is with her Grandma Charlotte. I don't think she really likes her second outfit below, judging by her reaction. :)

Trip to NC

On Tuesday, December 16, my awesome sister drove four hours from North Carolina to pick up Lily and I to take us back to Durham for the week. Ethan joined us on Saturday, December 20, for my family's pre-Christmas get-together. Lily and I enjoyed our time with Aunt Sissy and Grandma and Grandpa Hart. Lily got to meet her Uncle Dennis, Aunt Jean and Uncle JJ, as well as her Great Aunts, who were anxious to see the newest member of our family.


On Wednesday, we drove to Chapel Hill (just 25 minutes away) for lunch with our formerly Alexandria-based friends Woody and Jenn and their son, Will. I can't believe how big Will has gotten! And Will's mom had a nice time holding a little baby again. I see more kids in their future!


Lily's mom also got to enjoy a massage on Wednesday while Aunt Sissy babysat.


Our Christmas gathering was over the top, as usual, with way too many gifts and too much food, but we had a great time, just the same. Lily and I were sad to leave on Sunday, but we were also excited for the arrival of her Idaho grandparents Dan and Charlotte on Tuesday, December 23.


While I am waiting on Christmas pictures from my parents' house, here are a few cute pictures of Lily that Sissy took on Thursday, December 18.

Lily and Santa

When we heard that Santa would be visiting our favorite coffee and dessert place, Buzz, on Saturday, we decided to take Lily. Best case scenario: we get pictures of her with Santa Claus plus coffee and dessert for us. Worst case: we get some coffee to-go as she screams.

As you can see, Lily did great! Santa thought she was adorable and she was sweet and calm while he held her and we took lots of photos. She told him what a good girl she's been this year, so I'm sure he'll be paying her a visit on Christmas Eve. While we had our coffee, Lily had her own beverage, as you can see. She really is a good baby when it comes to being out and about. She had a great time looking around and seeing the decorations and all the other kids. I also had to get a picture of her cute socks that look like little shoes (only a mom would really care about what socks she's wearing...I know...).

Two-Month Check Up

Though Lily is not quite two months old, she went to the pediatrician today for her two-month check up and immunizations. The photo above pretty much sums up her feelings on the matter. She did fairly well when she got the two injections, but as expected, she is feeling a bit crabby and fussy in the hours following. It's hard getting a shot in each of your legs! We are doing our best to comfort her and hold her while she's getting over the side effects. I think she really appreciates having her mom and dad here to hold her and tell her it will all be alright. Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day for Miss Lily.

On the bright side, she is still doing amazingly well in the growth department. Here are her current stats:

• Weight: 11 lbs., 15 oz.--which puts her in the 75th percentile for girls her age.
• Length: 22 3/4 inches--which also puts her in the 75th percentile.

She's doing great!

When Lily Met Henry and Jude

When I got pregnant, one of the first things I did was join a group called Mamistad. Mamistad's organizer matches up women who are pregnant with their first child into groups with due dates that are within a few weeks of each other. During the last 10 months, the women in my group have gotten together every few weeks to talk about being pregnant, becoming a mom and generally, just becoming friends. It has been great to have a small circle of women who are going through the same things I am.



Today, the 3 of us who have had our babies got together for the first time. Lily was introduced to Henry, born October 8 (left, above), and Jude, born November 18 (middle, above). While the three babies slept the ENTIRE time in their mothers' arms, the 3 of us had a great time talking about labor, delivery and motherhood. As we were leaving, Lily woke up, which is why she is the only one with her eyes open in the photo above. The boys were happy to just kick back and relax while their mom's did the talking. I'm sure Henry and Jude will make great playmates for Lily in the coming months, and hopefully, years.

New Photos

I realized it's been a while since I uploaded any new photos to Lily's photo page. We have been trying to take snapshots of her every few days so we can see how much she's growing. Enjoy!

Lily's photos

A Hot Bath After A Long Day

Today we headed up to Children's National Medical Center for Lily's DMSA Renal Scan. It was a procedure that will show us any scarring to her kidneys as a result of her infection a few weeks ago.

After spending a few hours in the hospital, being poked and prodded, what Lily really needed to relax was a warm bath. She seems to enjoy baths. While she doesn't really smile, she doesn't scream either. She just lays back and enjoys the warm water. Shortly after this picture was taken, she was fast asleep!

When I spoke to the nurse yesterday about Lily's DMSA scan, she told me that they would need to sedate Lily and that we could not feed her after 9 a.m. (her scan was at 2 p.m.). First, we were opposed to her being sedated--she's only 6 weeks old. Second, there's no way she is going to go 6 hours without eating. No. Way. The nurse said we would have to wait until we got there to talk to the doctor about our options.

In anticipation of her having to go 6 hours without eating, we tried to get her to eat as much as humanly possible during her 8:30 a.m. feeding. Ever try to force-feed a 6-week-old? It doesn't work. But here is a photo of Ethan trying his hardest to get her to finish a bottle before 9 a.m.

Luckily, we didn't have to keep her from eating, because let me tell you--a hungry Lily is a CRABBY Lily!

All Dressed Up...

I dressed Miss Lily on Wednesday and took her to my office. All of my co-workers, especially my boss, were anxious to meet her. She was a hit with everyone. My boss even suggested I bring her to work with me. Obviously she hasn't been around Lily when she lets loose with one of her change-my-diaper-now screams, but I appreciated the offer.

Professional Pictures

We got the CD of Lily's professional newborn pictures today. These were taken on October 31. I can't believe how much she's changed already!

We may be biased, but we think they are the cutest things we have ever seen. We may have to get prints of ALL of them.

To check out all of her pictures, click here.

10 lbs. 14.6 oz.

Our little Lily is growing by leaps and bounds. At a follow-up doctor's appointment, she weighed in at 10 lbs, 14.6 oz. That's a whole pound more than she weighed at her appointment on November 14 and almost 3.5 lbs more than she weighed when she was born! We are happy to see that despite being in the hospital, she still managed to eat like a champ, which I can attest to since I am the source of her many, many meals.

The two pictures above--one taken right after she was born and one taken on November 24--show just how much our little girl has grown!

Discharged!

Finally! After 10 looonngggg days in the hospital, our Lily was released today. I got her an adorable bunny hat for the occasion. It's a little big now, but at the rate she's growing, it will fit soon enough.

I know we are not the only parents in history to have a child in the hospital, and there are way sicker kids out there than Lily, but it was still very hard on us (ok, ME). Thank you to everyone who was so, so supportive during the last 10 days. It really meant a lot to us to have such great friends and family who where there to offer support, assistance, a good meal or a shoulder to cry on. We love you!

Hospital Day #10

Not much to report today. Lily and I hung out all day while she got her meds. She was pretty crabby today. I think she is just sick of being in the hospital.

We started an antibiotic countdown on the dry erase board in her room. Every time she got another dose, I crossed it off the board. It made the last full day in the hospital go by more quickly.

Hospital Day #9

As our days here at Inova Fairfax wind down and the doctor visits become fewer and far between, Lily wanted me to pass on a few tips about what to wear if you ever find yourself in the hospital.

Hospital Fashion

by Lily Ackerman

When you are in the hospital, it is important to focus your attention on getting well. It is also important to be stylish and fashionable while you are doing it. For newborns like me, the most important consideration when choosing a hospital outfit is staying warm. Since I have this big IV in my arm, I cannot wear traditional long sleeve shirts, gowns or onesies. And everyone knows that putting pants on and off of newborns during diaper changes is a big pain in the you-know-what. So, we improvised.

You will see in the photo above that my mom bought me a "kimono" shirt that snaps, as opposed to going over my head. She also cut the arm off to make room for my IV. This way, I can have one long sleeve to help keep me warm. Pink is also one of my favorite colors.

I also got to wear these stylish leg warmers during my hospital stay. They kept my legs warm but allowed for quick diaper changes. They are also pretty hip and I look cute in them.

So, if you find yourself stuck in the hospital, make sure you look good while you're doing it.

Editor's note: I did not really PLAN Lily's outfit for stylishness or coordination. Mainly, I just wanted to keep her warm and clothed till we can get her home!

Also, not much happened in the hospital today. Just more antibiotics!

Hospital Day #8

Today was a pretty uneventful day for Lily. She spent lots of time snoozing on Grandma's lap and looking around her room.

The pediatric urologist stopped by for a visit today to discuss Lily's post-hospital treatment. The doctor is taking a wait-and-see approach to Lily's case. She will be sent home from the hospital with a prescription for a low dose of amoxicillin, which she will take every day for the foreseeable future. The amoxicillin will hopefully keep her from getting any more urinary tract and kidney infections. If she can keep the infections at bay, she will be scheduled for another VCUG procedure when she is 18 months old, to see if her reflux has improved. The overall goal is to wait it out until she (hopefully) outgrows the condition. If she continues to get infections even while on the antibiotics, then we may have to discuss surgery, but we are not to that point yet.

In the next few weeks, she will also undergo a procedure called a DMSA Renal Scan. It involves injecting a radioisotope into her bloodstream, then using a gamma camera to photograph her kidneys. (It all sounds very high tech, no?) The photos will show any scarring in her kidneys that occurred as a result of this most recent kidney infection and provide a baseline for measuring any future scarring that may occur. It is an outpatient procedure that should be simple to complete.

Only two more days until she is released!!

Happy One Month Birthday to Lily!!

It's hard to believe that Lily is 1 month old already. She's spent an unfortunately large percentage of that month in one hospital or another, but you'd never know from her sweet attitude, attentiveness and (gasp, dare we say it...) even patience! Her sweet personality has grown almost as fast as her legs, arms, strength, weight and cute cheeks!

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Lily Bean! We LOVE you!

Hospital Day #7

Seven days down. Only a few more to go! This picture makes her look like she's in baby jail. It's just her nice hospital crib!

Today Lily had her VCUG procedure and she did great. We went down to radiology at 10 a.m. Lily got the necessary catheter, drank a bottle, and only fussed a little bit. Then she promptly fell asleep. Dr. Lee said she was easily among the most stoic and relaxed newborns he'd seen. (Dr. Lee obviously didn't recognize that Lily was the same sweet angel now as the explosive screaming hell-raiser he'd battled with two days earlier during an ultrasound.)

Dr. Lee began the VCUG with 65 cc's of an iodine contrast solution. Once her bladder was full, they began to take several x-rays of her abdomen. The images revealed that BOTH of Lily's ureters on the right side were refluxing into her right kidney when her bladder contracted. Fortunately, the solution that refluxed into the kidney when the bladder contracted also drained right back out afterwards. This was one thing Dr. Lee wanted to see - if one of her ureters contained an obstruction it might not have drained promptly and would be more damaging. Luckily, the kidney drained just fine.

The VCUG also indicated a lesser degree of reflux in her left kidney, something that will likely clear up as her ureter grows and the valve gets stronger. Kidney reflux is graded on a scale of 1-5. The reflux on her right kidney was graded a 4. The reflux on the left was graded a 2.

Now we just have to wait until we meet with a pediatric urologist after Lily is discharged to see what our next move is, because the right kidney will require some ongoing medical care. This will likely be with preventative antibiotics, but possibly more.

Hospital Day #6

Today was a good day. Very, very hectic but good. Lily continues to do well and feels fine.

We had to move to a different room, which was a pain but actually a good thing. She had been in an intermediate care room, which is reserved for children with serious medical needs. Today, they moved us to the more "general" pediatric wing, where kids with less serious issues (think tonsillectomies and rashes) are housed. These kids are also LOUDER than the kids in the intermediate care wing, but we can handle it.

My mom spent last night with Lily. I know Lily enjoyed having her grandmother there but I think Grandma was beat by the end of the night. Ethan is going to spend the night tonight to give her a break.

Aunt Michaela also spent time with Lily today. It was SUCH a big help having her there while I took my mom home to get some rest and also ran around the hospital on errands. Lily was perfectly content to sleep in Michaela's arms for FOUR hours. That's one of the longest naps she has ever taken and she sure looked comfortable in Michaela's arms!

Tomorrow is Thursday and that means we only have a few more days until she gets to come home. I really don't know how parents with chronically ill children do it. My hat is off to them!

Hospital Day #5

Lily continues to get better with antibiotics. She acts like nothing was ever wrong! Her Grandma arrived today and immediately came to the hospital to get her hands on Miss Lily!

We found out today that she had a urinary tract infection that likely started all this. In infants as young as she is, a UTI is often caused by an unusually-shaped urinary tract, so they did an ultrasound on her abdomen to make sure there were no physical defects in her bladder, kidneys, etc.

Well...our daughter is already an overachiever. It was discovered that she has not one, but TWO ureters extending from her right kidney. She's packing a spare. The ureter is the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. Each kidney should have only one. Lily has two on her right side. That right kidney also has a condition called hydronephrosis, which is a swelling of the kidney, usually caused by inadeqate, or reversed, drainage. The antibiotics she is receiving will cure the UTI, but because of the dual ureters, she will need to visit a pediatric urologist upon release from the hospital to treat the hydronephrosis and prevent it from recurring.

The pediatrician, after consulting with the urologist, has ordered an X-ray procedure called a VCUG, which will show the doctors if the dual ureter shape and attachment points are causing her to have kidney reflux, where urine in her ureter is being passed back into her kidneys. This is probably the case, and is the likely source of her Enterococcus infection.

While getting this infection has been very hard on all of us, our doctor says it may have been a good thing, because without it, we may not have discovered the dual ureters or the kidney condition. Often, kids with this problem have UTI after UTI, and the scarring that can occur with it, for a very long time before doctors discover the true cause. We found out when she was three weeks old and I guess that is one of the silver linings of this whole process.

Hospital Day #4

Ethan has spent the last two nights at the hospital being extra vigilant about Lily's care. He is SUPER dad!

The vein that held her IV "blew" yesterday so they had to find another vein. Baby veins are very tiny, as you can imagine, and they had to stick her 4 times before they found a usable one. Poor, poor Lily. She was NOT happy.

One thing she IS happy about is her Grandma coming up from North Carolina to help out with her hospital stay. Grandma makes everything better!

Hospital Day #3

Today we found out that Lily has a bacterial infection in her blood called bacteremia, in this case casued by a bacteria called Enterococcus. It is similar to strep bacteria and makes her very ill with a high fever. She could have contracted it a number of ways. We may never know exactly how she got it.

Her treatment is a heavy regimen of antibiotics, administered via IV. She will be in the hospital for 10 days with an expected release date of Monday, November 24.

Fortunately Lily's fever broke on Friday as soon as antibiotics started and she seems to be feeling better. Unfortunately, no amount of "feeling better" will get her released from here before her 10 days are up.

Ethan and I are taking shifts at the hospital so Lily doesn't have to be alone. We know she has a long week ahead of her, but Ethan and I are happy and relieved. She is getting the proper treatment from good doctors and since her condition was discovered early, she is expected to fully recover.

Still keep us in your thoughts! Jennifer

Hospital Day #2

We found out some test results today. Lily does not have meningitis (phew!), the flu, RSV or any other kind of viral infection.

Now we're just waiting for the results of her blood cultures.

A Very High Fever

Lily woke us up at 2:30 a.m. on Friday, November 14. She was burning up. A quick temperature check showed her temp at 101.6. Anything over 100.4 for a newborn is considered very, very bad. We took her temperature again at 3:30 and decided to take her to the doctor as soon as their office opened.

When we got to the peds office, her temp was at 101.9. The doctor examined her and decided to send us straight to the hospital. Obviously, this was NOT the result we expected.

We took Lily to Inova Fairfax Hospital's Children's Hospital. With a fever that high, there was obviously an infection somewhere, so the doctor's set about finding out the source.

Poor Lily had blood drawn, as well as spinal fluid and urine, to rule out things like meningitis, flu, RSV, and any other viral or bacterial sources. We were told that she would spend a minimum of 48 hours in the hospital, so we are hoping to go home on Sunday.

Lily was put on heavy duty IV antibiotics while we waited 48 hours for the results of the blood and spinal fluid cultures.

I spent Friday night at the hospital. Neither of us could bear to leave her, but they only have space for one parent to sleep over. It is so heartbreaking to see your child in pain and 1) not be able to do anything about it and 2) not know what the cause is.

We feel like we are getting very good care here. We are just playing the waiting game right now, hoping for some news...

Please keep Lily in your thoughts and prayers...

Happy Birthday to Mom! [From Lily]

[Dad is posting this for Lily, since she hasn't learned to type yet.]

Happy birthday to my mama! I got her my first gift and a card but she tells me that I am the greatest gift she could ever receive! Grandma Charlotte even watched me while she and dad had a celebratory dinner out.

Grandma Visit #2

Ethan's mom flew in today from Idaho to visit Lily. Seems like a long trip but Lily's pull is immense! Lily is Dan and Charlotte's very first grandchild, so needless to say, they are over the moon.

Charlotte was also a wonderful baby holder, which seems to be the favored job of Grandmas. She was a big help around the house and even went on a walk with Dixon. Thanks Grandma Charlote for all your help.

We can't wait to see you (and with Dan too!) at Christmas!

Grandma Visit #1

My mom came to visit this week. She could not wait to get her hands on Lily. Lily is her first granddaughter, so she fully outfitted her in pink, pink, pink.

My mom has been a huge help, mainly because no one soothes a fussy baby like a Grandma. She was also here when we took Lily to the pediatrician for her 2-week check-up. Lily has gained almost 1.5 lbs since her last appointment. She weighs 8 lbs, 8.8 oz.

Grandma and I also took Lily shopping. We hit Target and Kohls--had to get Lily familiar with our favorites stores!

Lily loves her Grandma and can't wait for her to come back and visit soon!

Photoshoot!

Today, we had a photographer, Jennifer Burns, come to the house to take Lily's newborn pictures. We got lots of interesting shots and I think they will turn out well. Lily was pretty patient with us posing her and making her wear a cloth diaper. She's a cover girl in the making!

More visitors!

The generosity keeps coming! We continue to have wonderful visits from neighbors and friends too!

Seattle (and DC) friends Kym and Aaron brought over a wonderful dinner and their two-year old son, Lucas, on Tuesday, and were generous to leave even more of the great lasagne for our rapidly overflowing freezer. Lucas loved seeing the "baby baby."

Paternity Leave is the Greatest!

I am so happy that Ethan is taking two weeks off for paternity leave. It's nice to have an extra set of hands for taking care of Lily and I love that Ethan is getting to bond even more with his daughter during her first days of life. She loves him already. And of course, she has him wrapped around her little finger!

A Trip to the Pediatrician

Lily made her first visit to the pediatrician on Thursday. She had lost a bit more weight, post-birth, than they typically like, so we took her in to visit the doctor. She was 6 lbs, 9 oz.

Today, we took her back for a follow-up and all of her eating the past few days has paid off--she weighs a healthy 7 lbs, 1.2 oz. You can't tell from this picture, as she looks TINY compared to Dixon's head, but she really is on the upswing in the weight and size department.

A Visit from Cathy

Tonight our dear friend Cathy brought us a delicious dinner. It was the perfect way to spend our second night home. She also wanted to get her hands on Lily Bean-and who wouldn't?

As you can see, Lily is very shy and afraid of strangers. Just kidding-she immediately fell asleep while being held by her new friend, Cathy.

Meet Aunt Michaela & Uncle Luke

Tonight, Ethan's brother, Luke, and his wife, Michaela, brought us dinner - but it was merely an excuse to get their hands on Lily! They were very enamored with Miss Lily and she with them. She can't wait to get to know her Aunt and Uncle much better!

Heading Home!

Lily and I got discharged today. Hooray! We put her in her carseat, which looks like it's big enough to swallow her, and she started to cry. Like most babies, after about 2 minutes in the car, she fell asleep. Ahhhh.

We were excited to bring her home and introduce her to our other two babies, Dixon and Leo. This picture pretty much sums up Dixon's thoughts on Lily.

He pretty much runs away any time she's near. I'm sure he'll warm to her to longer she's here. Just wait until she's older and starts dropping food on the floor. He'll LOVE her then!

We are enjoying our first day at home as a family!

Lily's Birth Story

As much as I hoped the stork would drop a baby on our doorstep, it turned out that I had to actually GIVE BIRTH to this baby. Here’s the story of her birth:

I woke up at 2:25 a.m. on Sunday, October 19, with mild contractions. Around 4:30 a.m., I woke up Ethan and we just laid in bed trying to get back to sleep. I never really slept, I think because of the excitement of possible being in labor. Having never been in labor, I wasn’t sure if it was the real thing.

On Sunday, my contractions continued to get stronger but were still manageable. We had brunch plans at 1:00 with Carrie Albee and decided to go. It was better than sitting around the house waiting for the next contraction to hit. I had to grab Ethan’s hand under the table to get through them, but otherwise, it was brunch as usual.

Once we got home, the contractions were coming harder but not to the point where I couldn't talk. I wanted to be up moving around, so we went outside and washed the car. I would periodically have to run into the backyard when a contraction hit because I did not want to be doubled over in my front yard.

By 10 p.m., the contractions hit the magic number - every 5 minutes for at least 60 seconds. I called my midwife and she told me to come on in to the hospital. One thing I was not expecting was how incredibly painful it would be to go over speed bumps, manhole covers, potholes, etc. on the way there. I just about jumped through the roof when Ethan hit one!

We got to the Alexandria hospital around 10:30 p.m. and I slowly got checked in. The midwife told me I was ZERO cm dilated. I almost cried. I assumed after having contractions for 20 hours, I would have made SOME progress.

The midwife recommended a small dose of morphine because I was so tense that it was causing me not to dilate. I had not planned to get morphine but decided if I ever wanted to start dilating and not get pitocin, I had better do so. I was hooked up to the morphine from midnight until 4:30 a.m. Note: low-dose morphine, while relaxing, does NOT numb the pain. I would fall asleep for 4 minutes then wake up for a painful contraction. This went on for 4 hours! When I woke up, I would also be talking complete gibberish from the previous sleep's dream. Just ask Ethan.

Finally, they checked me at 4:30 a.m. and I was 7 cm dilated. I asked for the epidural at that point. It was great—I couldn’t feel a thing. They let me continue to labor with the plan to start pushing at 8 a.m. Ethan and I took a nap and were awakened at 9 in the morning.

At this point, the midwife broke my water. Then they let me labor down a bit longer. At 9:45 a.m., I started pushing. Lily Kathleen was born at 11:28a.m. on October 20--her due date!

The staff at Inova Alexandria was very nice. Of course, since it’s a hospital, someone was coming in my door at all hours. On Tuesday morning, the nurse came in my room at 5:30 a.m. to draw blood and it was a revolving door after that.

Lily is wonderful and I’d do it all over again in a second!

Welcome to the World, Little One!

Lily Kathleen Ackerman was born today! She is punctual just like her mom--today was her due date. She weighs in at 7 lbs, 7 oz and is 21 inches long. She has a head of dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. She is just perfect and we already love her so much! Welcome to the world, Lily!