6 Weeks

6 weeks old




I'm going to break this blog into 3 parts because it's going to be lengthy.

Part 1 - The Past Week:
I didn't write my 6 week blog Wednesday because I figured I'd wait until after Finley's appointment with the Orthopedist Thursday. And I didn't write my blog Thursday because by the time we got home I was very tired and wanted to wash some bottles and watch at least one of our many Thursday night television shows. So how has the last week been? Well, it's been really great. Finley has been in such a good mood and we have a pretty good schedule going that she and I are both used to. (It will have to adjust back a little bit when I go back to work and I'm dreading changing it!) Her hair seems to be lightening up a bit. It actually appears to be a reddish color right now. Her eyes are lightening up a little bit also. I'm hoping they will stay blue! We've been giving her some formula bottles for a couple of weeks on and off when it's convenient and nursing is not and that is going well also. Her poop is much nastier though. In the past week I think she's had about 5 leaky poops that got onto her clothing. I hate that! Hooper's mom came down for the weekend and let us sleep a little longer in the mornings. She also changed all of her poops! I was a little spoiled by that. Alice and Lefty finally got their haircut after months of growing and matting. Alice looks like a completely different dog. I've never had her this short, but she's still adorable and seems to be more comfortable. Also, when I picked them up from grooming Alice jumped into the backseat and into Finley's car seat! I had to pull over on the side of the highway and get her out.


Some days Finley and I go run errands with my mom and Elliott and Beckett and we all have such a good time together. I am so glad that we all live so close and are able to spend so much time with one another. Hooper put Finley in her Bumbo for the first time and we know it's way too early for her to actually be in there and for it to be practical, but she actually sat up really well in it.

Finley has been smiling more and more at people. She's smiled at my dad and Eddie and Sherry now also. Basically, if you talk to her in a baby voice and get her to focus on you, she'll smile at you. She loves sweet baby talk. She also has a weird spot on the wall that she loves. When she's on her changing table, there are fabric hoops on the wall right next to her (most of you have seen them in previous posts). She has a certain spot right next to one of the hoops that she looks at when we are changing her and she just smiles so big at it! It's so weird! She's probably done it over 20 times now. She doesn't always look at it, but if she does, she smiles.







Part 2 - Newborn and Family Photos:
Speaking of smiling, Anna had taken some newborn photos of her when she was somewhere around 9 days old or so. We really wanted to have some family photos also, but my roots were horrid and I felt ugly and large and was rarely putting on makeup when she was that young. So last Friday we finally did them! Anna did such a great job. She had some great ideas and Hooper and I are just so pleased with how they turned out. Here are some of the favorites! Which are your favorites?
















Part 3 - Hip Dysplasia
Yesterday we went to her appointment with the Orthopedist and we waited for about 2 1/2 hours to be seen and I forgot to pack diapers! Luckily, she didn't poop while we were there, and the hospital let us have two diapers. :) When we were finally seen, her doctor was really sweet and down to earth. He examined her hips over and over again and looked over her ultrasound and told us that she has a very mild case of hip dysplasia. When we were first speaking with him, he told us she'd have to wear the Pavlik Harness for 3 months. But by the end of our appointment he changed it to two months. Basically, she has to wear this harness that keeps her hips in place and will help form her socket like a cup. We are allowed to take the harness off to give her a bath, but that is it. She has to sleep in it, nurse in it, play in it, ride in the car seat in it, etc. People have asked if putting her in the car seat is hard but it is not. Her legs are open when she is laying down, but they can move towards each other also. So far, she hasn't had any problems with the harness. It's very frustrating for us as her parents because we want to see her grow in length and feel her little legs and watch her kick. It's also very hard to change her diaper. The only things that she can wear are onesies and dresses. No pants. :( It's very weird to hold her in it because she feels so incredibly short and I know that really, she's very long. I keep telling Hooper that when we take it off of her for good we are going to feel like she is so long! I was really emotional about this whole hip dysplasia thing when her pediatrician first brought it up to us, but I am better with it now. When we first entered the hospital, a young girl with cancer got off of the elevator and I feel like it was God's way of reminding how silly I am being, and that there are WAY worse things that could be going on than having to wear a harness for 2 months. In two weeks we will go back for a check up and the doctor will adjust the harness since she is growing. Speaking of growing, she is definitely going through a growth spurt right now. Her feeding schedule is outrageous! She wants to eat every hour! It's hard to keep up! But back to her hip dysplasia, like I said before, it's such a tiny problem compared to all of the things that some other families go through. But with that said, I would still appreciate your prayers regarding the issue. Please pray that Hooper and I (and my mom too since she'll be keeping her when I go back to work) have patience and get used to the harness very quickly. And that Finley gets used to it in no time and has no issues with it. And most importantly, please pray that this harness fixes the problem!



Comments

THE COOKS said…
I can't believe I'm just now reading this post and reading about Finley's hip. I wanted you to know that my husband and I will be keeping her in our prayers! :)

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