Two Weeks Already!?

Baby girl is growing up way too quickly. Already. I mean. Next week she might be driving, right?

This week has been my first one as a stay-at-home/maternity leave mamma. And as much as I love cuddling, not having a lengthy stressful to-do list, and having visitors, I can already tell I am not cut out for this life. I feel bored, socially deprived, and have a need to get back to work. And I'm only a week into this.

This week, Elayne has really shown some good neck muscles. While we still need to support her head when holding her, she lifts her head and turns it when she is uncomfortable or wants to see something more interesting. She's also increased her formula intake, and is still consistently only waking up twice in the night - between her 10pm ish and 8am ish feedings. Since Phillip and I are able to divide and conquer, that means we're only each waking up once. While it is still exhausting since "feedings" can last up to two hours, depending on her need to be held, alertness, etc., it's nice that it isn't as exhausting as it could be.

Yesterday, Elayne had her first pediatric visit. It was great. I love the doctor we have - and plan on keeping him, regardless of the lengthy drive to Grapevine to visit him. He is the husband of my OBGYN. I feel the same way about her too - I am willing to drive because they both are so good at what they do. They are a perfect mix of old-school realistic thinking and modern technology and thinking. On one hand, they know up-to-date information, but they also understand that our parents survived just fine without some of these new rules. I like that. And they both have good bedside manners.

Elayne had one shot - and she did so well! She wailed for approximately 2 seconds - the time it took to shove her pacifier in her mouth. Then she was done. Everything else about her is great. She is now 6 pounds and 1 ounce and 19.5 inches. While she is still small for her age, she is growing at a great rate. Especially since her "due date" isn't even until tomorrow.

The doctor said her ears are clear of fluids and look good. That means that if she fails her hearing test again on Tuesday, that it isn't due to obstructed and/or underdeveloped ears. Those are two major causes of falsely failing the test. That makes us happy and nervous at the same time. On one hand, it means that there is a big amount of hope to pass this third test since her ears are in great shape. But on the other hand, it could mean that she really does have a hearing issue that can only be explained by really and truly having a problem.

That appointment is Tuesday. I will definitely let all of you know how it goes! So far, we aren't seeing anything positive or negative when it comes to her hearing. She's kind of the same. The things we're seeing could indicate difficulty hearing or just point to the fact that we have a really good baby.

I want the best for my child and want her to have every single opportunity available to her. I want her to be fully hearing to make her life easier and so the world around her accepts her as much as we already do. I don't want her to have any obstacles before even having a chance to greet the world fully. However, we are fully prepared to do whatever it takes if she is hard of hearing. No matter the outcome, we love her unconditionally and think she is perfect in every way.