4 months

Merritt! You are four months old!!

Whew, little girl! You have maintained your sweetness but your spoiled and impatient sides have become well known around this house. You have become a handful with sleeping and nursing, or lack of sleeping and nursing.

We noticed the last month that you were becoming very distracted while nursing, so you would fuss until you were free to look around. At that time I started pumping multiple times a day to make sure you were eating enough. You became very attached to a bottle though! You got to be lazy and not have to work on getting milk out like you do when nursing. You were so impatient while waiting for let down!

Spoonful of applesauce and enzymes

We also had issues with enzymes and so you're weight has hovered right around 10lb. :( You are now taking 3.5 capsules with every feeding and that seems to be helping. We know when to increase your dosage by how often and what your stools look like. Other indicators are how many wipes I have to use and how many outfits you might go through.

The Hartley Stare

You continue to sleep in the swing, mostly with it reclined as much as possible and not swinging. You take 45 minute naps and to extend it the full 1.5 hours we get the swing going or hold you. There's a lot of holding actually.

You started talking yourself to sleep, but soon that turned into grunting and fighting off the Sandman. Once you give in you're out though!

We shouldn't complain too much since you sleep great at night. You usually nurse once between 4:30-5:30am, but sometimes you sleep until 7:30am!

You wear 0-3 clothes! And size 1 diapers. We haven't started cloth diapering yet, but I would like to try soon!

You have horrible cradle cap just like Hartley did, but I don't want to mess with it too much because it pulls your delicate baby hair out. The cradle cap is orange (Hartley's was that way too.. I'm not sure if that's normal for all babies) but at least it blends in with your dark strawberry blonde hair. Your eyes are a beautiful blue!

Although you haven't gained weight, your length has increased to 23.5 inches! It's funny when we meet strangers. They always comment on you being a newborn. I'm like, "Yeaaaah.. she's almost 4 months.." But they also notice how happy you are! You give big, happy grins. :)

You went to Columbus for the first time to see Momma's family. The only traveling you've experienced are the monthly trips to Augusta which take almost 2 hours one way. You did pretty well this trip, only fussing until we were about 30 minutes away from our destinations.

You met your crazy cousins and they loved meeting you!

We visit Mema and Grandaddy a lot! Hartley loves going over to swim in the new pool and you've joined us a few times. It's ridiculously hot so we have to be very careful not letting you sweat too much.  Too much sweating means you lose salt! You're forehead is usually salty (normal for CFers) and I often kiss it just to see how salty you are. We usually take turns watching you in the house and letting Hartley swim. 

Daddy's family got together for our "vacation" picture! You have so many cousins that love you!

You and Hartley love love love each other! We have to get on her a lot about getting in your face, but you love when she talks to you and lays with you on the floor. You have rolled over a few times but you are mostly content rolling to your side. And you love kicking around to get a good view of the tv. :)

Keep growing, Merritt!! And nurse better! And sleep longer!

3 months

MERRITT! You are three months old!

You've always been a happy baby, but you've really started showing how sweet you are! You love to smile and coo. We love those big grins that we get all the time!

This past month was rough and surprisingly challenging. You went for a few weeks with little interest in nursing. It would be time to eat and you would show all the signs you were ready. We would give you your enzymes and sit down ready to nurse. You might nurse for a second, sometimes a few minutes, but then you would pull off fussing. I eventually gave up after a good week of the fussing and let you nurse however long and pumped the rest to feed you from a bottle. I actually don't mind doing that since I know how many ounces you're taking.

I was so concerned because the last thing you need to do is lose weight. You hover around 9lb but I especially don't want you dropping below that. We looked for symptoms of an ear infection, thrush, teething, etc. I decided to check Hartley's 2- and 3-month posts to see if she had anything similar. And sure enough! She did. She went through a distraction phase right around the same time. While it's very frustrating, it's a reminder that you're a normal, developing baby!

Sleeping through the night has become consistent! Depending on what nursing schedule you're on (because it's really been off with all the interrupted nursing!) you usually nurse around 7-8pm and then we wrap you up for bed the swing or hold you on the couch. We watch The Walking Dead and around 10-11pm I give you a dreamfeed. You are asleep for the most part and rarely do you need a diaper change or need to be reswaddled. So back to the swing you go! We don't hear a peep until after 6am. You nurse for 20-25 minutes, diaper change, swaddle and you're back asleep. If we have a morning that we need to be somewhere, I get ready after you go back to sleep. Some mornings I'll pump if you don't nurse much.

We usually do your morning breathing treatments right before your second nursing of the day. You usually wake up around 8-8:30am anyway so that gives us about an hour before you need to nurse. Sometimes you go back to sleep! The nebulizer seems soothing to you and the air tube vibrates across your body. You've starting wiggling through the chest percussions! You don't cry too much anymore during them because you love smiling at us so much! Your evening breathing treatments vary depending on our schedule. For the most part we have them right before you nurse around 8pm. You are usually awake anyway. If we are going out to eat or over to someone's house I'll get them in before we leave, between 5-6pm. We prefer to not do them too late because albuterol is a stimulant!

Chest percussions with Daddy

Just like with Hartley, naps during the day are challenging. You will sleep great for 45 minutes to an hour. Then you need help going back asleep. We usually hold you for the second half of naps. You're so spoiled. You are also attached to your pacifier and if it falls out you wake up crying for it. This happens a lot and we have to put it back in.. over and over and over..

Newborn clothes are getting a little snug, but those 0-3months seem a lot bigger and look so baggy on you! You are hot natured so I usually keep you in onesies or bubble outfits. You sweat a lot and we don't want you to. CF causes you to sweat more salt than normal and losing that extra salt is not good! 

To compensate for the salt loss, you get one bottle everyday that has your 1/8 teaspoon of salt plus A, D. E & K vitamins. We've tried rationing out the salt in the applesauce and enzymes mixture, but adding it to one bottle is easier. With your vitamins, the bottle is also easier since it's diluted and it doesn't stain as badly. It's bright orange and not very tasty! It smells horrible too. :(

You absolutely love your sister! She can always make you smile! It's funny how much you girls look alike- but you're my recessive one! You've got bright blue eyes, strawberry-blond hair.. and cystic fibrosis! Not only do look like her, but I see so much of Hartley's personality in you already. You're a busy baby just she like she was- which scares me because she is a busy little girl now!

2 months

Merritt Moore! You are TWO months old!
(and I'm just a little behind..)

You have continued to surprise us with how good you are! You are such a joyful and content baby. Rarely do you have moments when we aren't sure what's bothering you or how to console you. You are always smiling and especially at your big sister! You absolutely love her and she loves you so much!

You had your monthly CF appointment in Augusta right before you turned 2 months and you weighed 8lb 4oz. The following week at your regular 2 month check up, you were up to 8lb 10oz! The recommended 6oz per week!! That made this exclusively nursing momma very happy! Your length was 22.25 inches. Only 4 inches in 2 months. :) Long and lean like your sister.
You still wear newborn clothes with the exception of two 0-3m outfits that were Hartley's. I love seeing you in them but especially because you look a lot like her! Still in size 1 diapers!

Your nighttime patterns are still trying to figure themselves out. A few times you slept through the night from around 11:30pm to 6:30am. Other nights you are up every 3-4 hours. For the most part you wake up once between 4-5am to nurse and then you're back asleep! You're getting there but you are already doing so great! You sleep in a swing, much like Hartley did. You do much better in there. I managed to get you asleep in the crib for a nap twice.. And you prefer sleeping on your tummy if you do sleep in there.

As far as maintaining CF, you get 1.5 enzymes mixed in with a small spoonful of applesauce with each feeding. Every morning and evening you have breathing treatments. We start with 10-15 minutes with your nebulizer administering albuterol (helps open your airways in your lungs), followed by 25-30 minutes of chest percussions. Depending on your mood you either sleep through most of the breathing treatments, cry or, on rare occasions, smile!

We continue to meet more and more people that know about you and your CF diagnosis. It's amazing to know how many people are praying for you! And it's even sweeter when they get to meet you and see you smile. You have the most beautiful and sweetest smile and I know that God has given you this joyful disposition to help you overcome this chronic illness. It also makes caring for you that much easier. :)

And for your viewing pleasure.. One of the first of many interactions with Hartley. We were cuddling in bed and Hartley was acting like a puppy. You loved it!!

Merritt is ONE month!

Merritt Elizabeth!

You are already ONE month old!

We can't believe a month has already flown by! You are one of the two most precious gifts God has given us and we are so thankful He entrusted us to be your parents.

Your birth was incredibly wonderful and I love reflecting on that day! You weighed in at 5lb 15oz and 18.25 inches long. You were so tiny and you still are. After many doctors appointments and weight checks, we know you are now up to 6lb 12oz. We are so proud of how well you're gaining weight and eating!

Aunt Diana painted your toenails! You get so many comments on how cute they are!

Your first month was wonderful but very emotional (especially for your Momma). At 8 days old we received a call from your pediatrician's office. You had just finished nursing and Hartley was playing in the bed with us. We were informed that you had 2 mutations for cystic fibrosis and required further testing to confirm your diagnosis. We spent the next week praying for you (and so many others did and still are) while we awaited your appointment in Augusta.

Initial CF appointment, 1 week 1 day.

One day shy of 2 weeks old, a sweat test indicated you do have cystic fibrosis. You will always be my miracle baby. We prayed for you for 2.5 years, not knowing if we would ever get pregnant again. But, here you are!

After your initial CF appointment, you began enzymes to help you digest and absorb food. Your stools normalized and your weight picked up. You are a great nurser! You latched on immediately after you were born and we haven't had any issues other than normal tenderness. You average right around 10 minutes per side. I was worried that you weren't getting enough, but after learning how much I can pump in the same amount of time I know you're getting plenty.

Grandmommie came to stay with us for about a week, thank goodness!

We had a hard time finding clothes that fit you the first two weeks, but you are now comfortably fitting in newborn clothes. You could still wear newborn size diapers, but we used them up! So size 1 it is! Your hair has a reddish tint to it and your eyebrows are mostly blonde. Your eyes are looking bluer and bluer! You might look like Hartley (and Daddy) but you have my coloring.

Mema comes to see you a lot!

You stick to a 3 hour schedule without any help! You have been a perfect baby. You eat, sleep, poop and pee! You are such a content and easy going baby. Some nights you are ready to eat every 3 hours on the dot, some nights you wake up once to nurse, and there have been a few times you go to for a long stretch of 5-6 hours of sleep. You have spoiled us with how great you are!

Hartley loves you so much!

You love watching Hartley! She entertains us all, but you especially enjoy following her with your eyes. She even lets you lick her nose… I'm so cautious about her getting in your face. I can't live in fear that she's going to give you germs, I know it's going to happen eventually but I worry so much.

You are such a snuggle bug! You absolutely love to be held and curl up on our chests. Your sister was so independent from the beginning, we never got to enjoy this with her!

Near the end of your first month, you started smiling and cooing a little. You are happiest in the mornings right after nursing!

We started Airway Clearance Treatments (ACTs) when you turned one month old. We begin with a nebulizer that gives you albuterol. That takes about 10 minutes and you do pretty well (with Momma). Then we do chest percussions. It takes about 25 minutes with us "beating" your chest and back in different positions at different angles. You hate when we have to beat your chest but you will fall asleep while we beat your back. These treatments help loosen up the mucus that gets stuck in your lungs, ultimately helping get out germs so you don't get sick!

Whitney came to visit!

You've had so many visitors come to see you! Everybody has to get some sweet snuggle time with you. And you obviously don't mind!

Alaina loves to see you!

It's crazy how quickly this first month went by! You are growing and changing constantly. I often want to skip ahead and see how well you're doing when you're 5, 15, 20. Going to school. Getting married. Maybe having kids of your own! But I know I need to focus on right now. You're not going to be this little forever and we need to soak it up as much as we can!

I look forward to you and Hartley becoming best friends! She adores you so much! And I know as you get older you're going to admire her and want to do everything she does. You have a wonderful big sister to look up to!

Keep up the good work, Merritt! You are doing so great at everything!  We look forward to watching you grow and change!

Easter 2014

Merritt's Birth Story

Now that we've adjusted to life with a newborn, I've got time to record Merritt's birth story. It was amazing and I want to remember as much as I can!

I attempted to deliver Hartley naturally, but after my water broke on its own and contractions came intensely and quickly without any warning, I caved in. I made it at least 6cm before requesting an epidural. Fortunately it worked perfectly and I was able to relax and enjoy Hartley's delivery.

Knowing what I knew from my first baby, I was better prepared with Merritt and I wanted to try my hand at a natural birth again. I did a lot more researching this second time around. I knew what to expect from the hospital and how to confidently decline pain relief. And I actually knew what contractions felt like!

I prepared myself for natural birth via hypnobirthing. This method focuses on relaxation, breathing and visual techniques. Through slow breathing and counting, the body is able to relax and allow uninhibited labor. I visualized my uterine muscles contracting and moving the baby down. Preventing the body from tensing up eased the pains and progression of labor, allowing myself to do what God designed me to do naturally!

And now with the anticipated birth story…

Mondays are my day to recover from the weekend. I usually get as much laundry done as I can for the week and attempt any other housecleaning if time and energy permits. The Monday before Merritt was born- the house was spotless. I should have known then what was to come.

Around 6pm I noticed I was having more Braxton Hicks contractions than normal. I remember sitting in Merritt's room, probably rearranging her dresser drawers again, when I realized there were multiple within 30 minutes. They weren't intense contractions, just more frequent than usual. Because my labor with Hartley was so different I had no idea what was going on and if I was truly in labor.

Marshall arrived home shortly after that. After a few more contractions I told him what was going on. I'm pretty sure he didn't believe me or think anything of it. :)

Between my sudden loss of appetite and going to the bathroom every 15 minutes, I just hung out while Marshall and Hartley ate dinner. We continued through the evening as normal. Marshall and Hartley wrestled around while I relaxed on the couch, monitoring minor contractions that were becoming consistently 7-8 minutes apart. As we neared Hartley's bedtime, I decided it would be best to go ahead and have a bag packed for her. If something happened during the night, her bag would be ready for her to stay with grandparents.

The rest of the evening progressed slowly. The intensity of contractions had not changed nor the timing. I went to bed early to make sure I would get enough rest. Of course, I couldn't sleep. I wasn't in pain but I was reminded every 7 minutes we would be meeting Merritt that day. I might have gotten 5-10 minutes of sleep.

Around 3:30am I decided to get up and take a shower. If we were having a baby, I wanted to make sure my hair and makeup were done. :)

After being in the shower for a few minutes, contractions began to intensify but were still very manageable. I proceeded getting ready and it was while drying my hair I had the first major contraction around 4:30am. Marshall hurried in the bathroom as he heard me cry out. It was after that I realized it was time to focus, time to breathe, time to remember my body was doing what it was designed to do. And Merritt was doing what she knew to do, too. We were going to be meeting her soon!!

I continued getting ready but it was taking much longer as I had to pause every 4-5 minutes and roll on the birthing ball. Swaying back and forth and in a figure 8 helped the most for me. Marshall got in touch with his parents to inform them it was go time. His mom came over a little after 5am. Before I had gone to bed I had all my bags packed and pillow, boppy, and camera ready to load. We weren't rushing but I knew we needed to be on the way to the hospital soon.

We left the house a little after 5:30am. Contractions were 3 minutes apart, my water had not broken yet.

We arrived to hospital around 5:45am. I waddled up to the front desk.

"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked.

"No, I'm having a baby."

"So you have an appointment??"

"NO! I'm in labor!"

[We were later informed by friends that most inductions are scheduled at 6am. We arrived just before six and that's why the lady kept asking us about an appointment. We were not amused at the time.]

After establishing the fact we did NOT have an appointment but that the baby was coming on her own, we gave her my information. Well, I began to give her my information but the contractions were coming again. And again. Marshall took over as I swayed and paced/waddled.

Once we were finished at the front desk, Marshall went to move the car and I walked back to get changed and give a urine sample. I was in extreme, full-out contractions and was getting impatient with the nurses at this point. Marshall wasn't with me and I was having to get undressed and pee in a cup by myself. The nurses were taking their time, not realizing how quickly I was progressing!

We managed to get settled in the delivery room. We quickly discussed with the nurses that I didn't want an epidural nor to be tied up to monitors the entire time. I was surprised with how understanding and lenient they were. My initial cervical check informed us we were at 6cm! I honestly thought I'd be further along considering how painful and close together contractions were.

After being in the bed for just a few minutes I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get through the labor without an epidural. Marshall was standing by my side and talking me through the first few in the bed. He kept telling me he knew I could do it. I didn't want to believe him. I really doubted myself and the ability to deliver Merritt without pain medications.

Once we were given approval to remove the monitors, I sat on the edge of the bed and continued to labor. I was going to attempt to walk around during contractions, but swaying on the edge with Marshall kneeling and sitting in front of me worked best.

I have no idea what came over Marshall but I saw a different side of him! He was an amazing coach! He spoke so calmly as we swayed and breathed through each contraction. I had been reading up on hypnobirthing the few weeks before and didn't expect him to know what to do when the time came since he hadn't been reading anything. But it came so naturally to him.

The nurses came in a few times to check on us. I was glad they mostly left us alone to labor by ourselves. Shifts changed during labor and I remember the nurses just watching us. The whole time I had not let out any screams. One of the nurses told me later that she had never seen someone so focused during labor. Marshall helped me to focus on my breathing, simple slow inhales and exhales. And I visualized my uterine muscles contracting. There was no need to scream and tense up my body!

We labored at the hospital for maybe 1.5 hours but it felt much quicker than that. Contractions were so quick it flew by! Around 7:20am I started feeling extreme perineal pressure. Marshall paged the nurses and they hurried in. I'm so glad Marshall moved out of the way to let a nurse check the monitor machines because it was then that my water broke. He would have been soaked otherwise. :)

With a quick check, I was 9cm and almost ready to go. At that time it was about 7:25 and my mom called. We tried getting in touch with her since 4am but no luck! Marshall let her know quickly that we were about to start pushing, although we had no idea that it would be in the next few seconds.

The nurses quickly found my OB and he hurried into the room. We began pushing and I had never felt such pressure before in my life! While I had been quiet throughout laboring, the real grunting started with those pushes. Two strong pushes. And Merritt arrived.

She was so tiny! My doctor and I made weight guesses, I was closest.

We were overwhelmed with so much emotion after she emerged. The long wait was over. And she was here. I didn't cry when Hartley was born, but I did as soon as I saw Merritt. Marshall and I cried together and we shared a kiss. I'll never forget that moment!

They laid her on my chest and covered her with a blanket immediately. She looked just like her big sister- with hair everywhere! I continued crying and telling her happy birthday. She was beautiful and Marshall and I just stared at her!

The next few hours were a blur. Family finally arrived. We didn't expect Merritt to come so quickly, so nobody was there to hear the hospital chime for her birth! Mema and Hartley walked in the room a few minutes after she was born. Hartley kept telling us she needed a bath! Merritt had not been bathed nor weighed at that point. Uncle Jason came in on his way to work, followed by BecBec, Luke and Caleb.

She was eventually weighed. 5lb 15oz. 18.25 inches long.

Almost six pounds of sweet perfection.

We finished all the routine checks in the delivery and gathered our belongings to head to our recovery room. I felt fantastic and refused to be wheeled down the hall. I couldn't get over how wonderful I felt after delivering Merritt! I was definitely on cloud nine and adrenalin was pumping.

Merritt's birth was the most beautiful experience. Everything went flawlessly. Marshall's coaching through it all was so impressive and I'm so thankful to have him as my husband and the girl's daddy.