Another trip to the doctor!

During our appointment with the pediatrician last Thursday, she mentioned that since Elle has not had any allergic reaction to any food and there are no food allergies in the immediate family, we can start giving her egg whites. Elle has had egg yolks before and was fine. I have been holding off giving her egg yolks since I read that it is a common food allergen and they do not recommend giving it to babies until they are 1 year old. Well, since the doc gave us the green light, I prepared scrambled eggs for Elle this morning. I cooked it using PAM cooking spray (sincw we do not use real oil for frying). So I gave the scrambled eggs to her and she was feeding herself and within minutes, I saw red spots slowly developing around her mouth and then she started rubbing her eyes. I knew she was having some sort of reaction to the eggs or something so I immediately stopped feeding her and called the doc's office. The red spots were slowly developing on her face but Elle did not seem bothered at all. The doc said we can give her Benadyrl but to be sure, they want us to bring her in the clinic so they can see her. I took her to the doc's office right away since I was worried that she may have some bad allergic reaction. While we were in the waiting room, waiting to be called in, the red spots slowly disappeared! By the time the doctor saw us (about an hour after she ate the eggs), there was only a tiny red spot around her eyes but the rest were gone. The doctor asked if the red spots were raised/bumpy and I said no. She asked if it spread on her body and if her lips were red and swollen, I said no. The red spots were just concentrated on her face. The doc said she does not believe it was a true egg allergy. She said if it was, the hives would be raised, spread around the body and would have lasted for 24 hours. The doc advised us not to give any more egg whites or other known food allergens for the time being. When Elle turns one year old, we'll revisit and decide whether she needs to see an allergist and get tested for food allergies. Oh well, I should have trusted my mommy instinct and should have not given her eggs whites until later. I am also not very convinced that she has a true egg allergy. I am actually suspecting that the PAM may have something to do with it. She was touching the food (cooked in Pam) and since she was feeding herself, the PAM on her fingers may have irritated her skin? For now, we'll hold off giving her any egg whites and food cooked in PAM.  Seriously, I feel like our issues just never ends! Good thing Elle is very resilient and does not seem to be bothered with all of these issues. Hopefully, next weekend will be uneventful!!

Here she is playing at the waiting room. There was a little boy there who
kept saying hi to her and even followed us inside the treatment room and
said "there you are. I found you!" lol.

Clean bill of health!

I took Elle to her pediatrician this morning for a follow up check up after being admitted for stomach flu last week. I know she is back to her old self but given that she is still very young, they want to make sure everything is all well. The nurse weighed Elle and her weight was 18 lbs 14 ozs. She was 18 lbs 8 ozs during her 9 month appointment so she could not have only gained 6 ozs after 1.5 months. I am sure she lost a few ozs last week when she did not eat for a few days. Her weight normally falls on the 50th percentile but this time, it fell on the 25th percentile. The doc was not too worried though. Hopefully, Elle will gain her weight back up now that her appetite is back. The doc also said Elle is already immune to the virus related to the stomach flu so we should not expect her to get the same virus anytime soon (or at least for the rest of the year).

She was a chatterbox all day!

Visit to the doctor

We had an unexpected visit to the doctor today. Elle had bad diaper rashes which turned out to be an infection :(. Glad it is now properly diagnosed and we can treat it. 

Elle got weighed today and she is now 15 lbs, 5 ozs! We were just at the doctor's office last week for her 6 month appointment and she weighed 14 lbs 15 ozs then. 

Here she is patiently waiting for the doctor. She behaved really well while she was being seen by the doctos. Even the doctor noticed that. She listened intently to my conversation with the doctor.

6th month doctor's appointment!

Today is Elle's monthly birthday and she is now 6 months old! It s true that time is flying by so fast!

These photos were taken before we left for work/day care. Daddy Jarbs had Elle hold on to the crib railing while standing up on her own. I was in the other room but saw her on the video monitor. I did not get to her room fast enough to take a photo of her standing up. She didn't want to do it again when I got to her room. Little stinker lol.

 

I picked up Elle from day care mid afternoon to take her to her 6th month doctor's appointment. She was in her normal happy self and had no clue of what was coming....6 month shots! 

Here she is while we were in the waiting room. Yeah, she loves to pull her socks off! Her teacher at day care once told me that they have to take her socks off while in day care because she loves to play and eat them lol.

When the doctor finally saw us, she explained that Elle was going to have her 6 month shots that day. Elle, who was laying on the doctor's table started crying as soon as the doc said that lol. Yeah, as if she could understand. The entire time, she was looking at the doctor with fear in her eyes lol. The doc even made a comment that she is acting older than her age.

At 6 months, she now weighs 14 lbs 15 ozs (25th percentile) and 26 1/4 inches tall (75th percentile).  She is still growing well and the doctor did not see anything that we should be alarmed about. She also did pretty good when she got the shots. As expected, she cried when they stuck the needle in but stopped 2 seconds after it was done.

After we left the doctor's office, we drove out to Daddy Jarbs' office and picked him up from work. The weather was great so we stopped and had dinner at Old Town. Elle loves being outdoors so we got an outside sitting. Our big girl sat on the high chair while Mommy & Daddy Jarbs enjoyed our seafood dinner :-).

Four month check up!

We are a little bit behind on Elle's 4 month check up. Daddy & Grandma Jarbs took her to the doctor yesterday for her 4 month check up. She now weighs 13 lbs 4 oz and 25 3/4 inches long! Her height is still above average! She definitely did not get that from me :-)

Two month check up!

Elle had her 2 month check up today. She now weighs 10 lbs 14 ozs and is 23 inches long! Her weight is right on average. Her height is still above average and is at the 75th percentile!

Elle also had two vaccine shots. I was worried how she'll react but surprisingly, our brave girl only cried for a split second and was fine :-).

Taken before we left for the pediatrician's office. 

Little did she know she'll have two shots that day :-(

Taken after she had her shots...as if nothing happened :-)

One month check up!

Eleiana had her one month check up today. Guess what? She now weighs a whopping 9 lbs 4 ozs. No wonder it's getting harder for me to carry her in her carseat which is already 10 lbs by itself! The doctor said Elle's weight is within the average for her age. She also gained 1/2 inch so she is now 21.5 inches long. Her pediatrician said it falls right above average :-). Hopefully, she keeps up with her height growth and not end up as short as Mommy Jarbs :-). Elle also got her 2nd Hepatitis B shot. today The first time she got the Hepa shot, Daddy Jarbs was with us and held her. This time, Daddy Jarbs was not around so I had to hold her. I had the bottle of milk ready to pacify her when she starts crying. To my surprise, she only let out a cry for one second after being poked and she calmed down right away! I was so surprised. What a brave girl! Since she was a good girl, we went straight to the mall and I got her a couple of cute outfits from Baby Gap :-).

 The hepa B shot drugged her out :-).

Elle's follow-up weigh in

We went back to the pediatrician's office today for Eleiana's follow-up check up. They checked if she's gaining weight as she should since she lost more than 10% of her birth weight a week ago.  At last week's appointment, she weighed 6 lbs 2 oz. Today, she weighed a whopping 7 lbs 8 ozs!! She gained a full pound in ONE week! Whoa! Even the doctor said that's a lot to gain in a week but what can I say, our little girl has a HUGE appetite! lol. The doctor said breastfed babies don't really get overfed so she is not alarmed with her weight gain. She was born one pound short of 7 lbs so I think her current weight is just about right.

Today was also the first time that we went out of the house without Daddy Jarbs so I was a tad nervous how things will go. Surprisingly, Elle behaved really well and did not even cry at the doctor's office. Yay! Our next doc's appointment is for her one month check-up where she'll get another Hepatitis B shot :-(. Not looking forward to it!

Elle's first visit to the doctor

We had our appointment at the pediatrician today. It was our first time to take Elle out after bringing her home so we were a bit nervous how our first outing will go. As Daddy Jarbs was waiting for me to finish getting ready to leave for the doctor, he took Elle to a quick trip to our neighborhood coffee shop. Daddy Jarbs walked to Big Bear Cafe with Elle in the Ergo baby carrier! Daddy Jarbs has long been waiting to try out this carrier with a baby in it. Elle loved being in it and did not fuss one bit!

At the doctor's office, they checked Elle's weight. She weighed 6 lbs 2 ozs. She lost ~11% of her original weight :-(. The doctor was concerned she was not eating well. We were advised to supplement breastfeeding by giving her pumped milk or formula. Since my milk already came, we planned on giving her my expressed breast milk and forego the formula. 

Eleiana also had her Hepatitis B shot today. I had to have Daddy Jarbs hold her as I couldn't stand looking at the nurse poking my little girl. As expected, she let out a bloody cry. I immediately had her breastfeed and it helped calm her down. 

When we got home, my cousin Anabel swung by to visit Eleiana and brought treats not only for Elle but also for Mommy & Daddy Jarbs. Thanks so much for all the help Auntie Anabel!

Finally...some progress!!

Daddy Jarbs and I went to my 38-week doctor's appointment this morning. Good news is that I am already 1 cm dilated! Yay! I know it's not much but little progress is better than no progress at all. Baby Jarbs is still head down and the doctor said she will more than likely stay in that position until delivery. Good job Baby Jarbs!

I have one more appointment scheduled and I will be 39 weeks then. That is, if I do not go into labor between now and next Friday. Also, we have scheduled the induction date in case I do not go into labor by my due date and Baby Jarbs decides to come in late. The eviction date has been scheduled on November 1st which incidentally is All Saints day in the Catholic calendar.

My stats: BP is 122/80 and I lost -1 lb since last week's appointment. The medical assistant said my belly is bigger than me! lol.

No progress :-/

I had my doctor's appointment this morning and I am still not dilated!! Baby Jarbs is still head down but my cervix is still closed. With that said, anything can happen and I can go into labor any day and any time. I personally do not think and feel that Baby Jarbs plans to come out anytime soon though. I do not feel uncomfortable (yet) and "done" yet unlike some pregnant women who are in this stage. Baby Jarbs is so comfy in my belly so she wants to hang out some more lol. I told the doc that Baby Jarbs moves A LOT when I thought her movements are suppose to slow down at this stage. Doc said that's a good sign and that she probably still has a lot of space in there :-/. I have a feeling that she may come out past my due date. Maybe she wants to wait until Daddy Jarbs' birthday which is on the 29th :-).

As for stats, I gained +1 from last week's appointment and my blood pressure is still normal at 120/80.

My due date is two weeks from tomorrow! Eeek!

Baby Jarbs is head down!!

I just got back from my 36-week doctor's appointment. I had my first internal exam and the doctor confirmed that Baby Jarbs is already head down!! Woohoo! I was not expecting that. Great job baby!  Keep up the good work :-). I asked the doctor whether Baby Jarbs can still change positions. He said that at this point, more than likely she'll stay that way. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she won't change positions. The doc also confirmed that my cervix is still closed. He said that can easily change overnight though. I may go from 0 cm today and go to labor the next day. Good news is that everything is where it should be right now :-). As for stats, I have gained 1 lb since my 34-week appointment. My blood pressure is still normal at 112/60. Everything looks good and I still feel good :-). Next appointment is next week. I see the doctor every week from here on out.

It's official...

At 34 weeks, I now feel and look like a blimp :-(. Although my feet are not swollen yet, I think it is starting to get puffy. I had my doctor's appointment today and the doc said I may start to retain water. She also said to expect it to be like this until the end of my pregnancy. Waah :-(. I left the doctor's office feeling sad lol. I took the train back to work and as I sat in silence waiting for my train stop, a lady who was getting off the train stopped in front of me and said "you look cute" (pertaining to pregnant little me; no she was not hitting on me!). She also asked me when I am due. I said thank you and smiled.  At least, that brought a little sunshine to my day. A pregnant lady will take any compliment she can get! 

When I got back at work, I vowed to do whatever to help prevent swelling...put my feet up (I have a foot rest underneath my desk), exercise (I went to yoga class today), drink water (I drank about 6-7 botted waters today) and watch my food intake. I read that eating potassium-rich food may help too. I have to do some grocery shopping tomorrow!

So at today's 34-week check up, I met one of the 3 doctors in the practice (one of them being my primary doc). The plan is to meet all of the other docs prior to delivery since I will never know who will be on call when I go to labor. Next appointment will be at 36 weeks and I will meet the only male doc in the practice.

All systems go for Aruba!

I just got back from my 32-week doctor's appointment. It was a routine check up and at the same time, the doctor did an internal exam to make sure I am not dilated yet and I am still okay to travel to Aruba. Well, I am happy to say I am not dilated at all which means, I am safe to travel! :-). Yipee! She did mention that I should drink a lot of water before and during the flight to prevent swelling. I have not had any swelling during this pregnancy (knock on wood) so I am crossing my fingers that I won't have any problems.

As for my stats, my blood pressure is still normal and I gained 1.5 lbs since the last appointment which is 2 weeks ago (not sure how accurate this is since my own weekly check- in says I gained 1.5 lbs each week?!). My fundal height is right on track. I am 32 weeks along and it measured 30 cms. The doc said it's still within the normal range. I am petite so for my built, the fundal height on the lower side is normal.

My next appointment is in 2 weeks. I am going to start seeing the two other doctors in the practice so I can get to know them before my due date. There is a chance that my doctor will not be on-call when I go on labor so it is best to meet the other doctors now than be surprised who will show up in the delivery room later.

30-wk doctor's appointment

I had my regular doctor's appointment this morning. It was pretty uneventful except for the $100 parking ticket we got for parking on the street 5 minutes before 9:30 am! :-(. Daddy Jarbs came with me to my appointment and we got to Baby Jarbs' heartbeat again. I gained 4.5 lbs since the 26-week appointment. My blood pressure is still looking good (118/70). After this week's appointment, I get to see my doctor every two weeks until the 36th week where I would then have to go in weekly. Today, we discussed a little bit about labor and delivery. My doctor will let me go until 41 weeks. If Baby Jarbs does not arrive before then, I will be scheduled for induction (crossing fingers that we won't have to resort to this). At the latest, Baby Jarbs will be here first week of November!  If I'll end up being induced, perhaps, we can schedule the induction the same day as Daddy Jarbs' birthday which is on Oct 29th! Hmm..something to think about.

My next doctor's appointment is in two weeks, which will be the day before we leave for Aruba! My doctor will check my cervix then to make sure I am not dilated yet. If so, we may have to forego the Aruba trip :-(. I hope Baby Jarbs cooperates and let Daddy & Mommy Jarbs enjoy this last mini-vacay before she comes!

Glucose screening test

I had my glucose screening test (GTT) today. It is a test taken between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes, a high blood sugar condition that some women get during pregnancy. During last month's appointment, the doctor had me take home a sugar solution (contains 50g of glucose) which I need to drink for my GTT. I had the choice to either get the orange or the fruit punch flavor. I took fruit punch :-). I heard a lot of stories about how nasty the juice tastes. My doc's appointment was at 9:30 am so I took the juice at 8:35 am. I finished drinking the bottle at 8:40 am. Timing is critical since they have to draw blood exactly an hour after you finish drinking the juice. After I took my first sip of the fruit punch (expecting it to be real nasty), I looked at Daddy Jarbs and said "this is good!!" lol. It just tastes like a Hawaiian fruit punch. It's sweet but not nasty. Daddy Jarbs thinks I'm weird :-). Baby Jarbs started getting hyper as soon as I finished the drink. It's probably from all the sugar I drank. Daddy Jarbs dropped me off at the doc's office. I had my blood drawn (3 vials) and that was it. They'll check to see how efficiently my body processes sugar. If the reading is too high,I'd have to come back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test to see if I really do have gestational diabetes. I am crossing my fingers that the result will be normal. It should be ready by next week!

Yummy fruit punch

After my GTT, I saw my OB for my routine check up. I found out I gained 2 lbs since last month's appointment. My fundal height measured where it should be at 26 weeks. Baby Jarbs is not measuring big nor small. She's just right where she should be :-). My blood pressure was also normal. Overall, it was a good appointment.

I took the subway back to the office. For a second, I felt dizzy while waiting for the metro since I haven't had anything to eat yet. I am glad it only lasted for 2 seconds and went away. When I got off the metro, I stopped by Cosi to get a sandwich. Since it was still early, they were not serving lunch yet :-(. The manager saw my belly and told her employee "Give her a break. The baby needs to eat". The manager asked how the baby is doing. I said "She's hungry". Long story short, I got my sandwich :-).

Doctor's appointment

We had our routine doctor's check up this morning. Daddy Jarbs came with me. Everything is still looking good. My blood pressure was 108/60 which was normal. My weight gain is still in check. The doctor measured my fundal height which is a measure of the size of the uterus to assess fetal growth and development. It is right where it should be. We were also able to hear Baby Jarbs' strong heartbeat. She moved a lot prompting the doctor to call her "little rascal" :-). We also told the doctor that Baby Jarbs has been hiccuping a lot. She said that it's a good sign that Baby Jarbs is doing that as early as now. It's a sign of a healthy baby. Hiccups prepare the baby's lungs for healthy respiratory function after birth. Yes, we got a strong breather :-). 

My next doctor's appointment is in 4 weeks and will have my glucose tolerance test then. Ick!

The BIG ultrasound is scheduled!

I had my 16-week doctor's appointment this morning. Everything looked great. My weight gain is in check (+3 lbs from last appointment) and my blood pressure is in the optimal range (nurse  said "great job!"). I also heard Baby Jarbs' heartbeat (click HERE to hear the heartbeat; choose "download" and then "OPEN") again. As expected, it was nice and strong!! The best news of the day is that we'll have our big ultrasound on May 28th which is in 2.5 weeks! We will know Baby Jarbs' gender then! We're excited that we'll find out the gender the day before we leave for our babymoon! Ok, you can now start placing your bets. Team blue or team pink? :-).

12 week appointment

I had my 12 week doctor's appointment this morning. Everything went well. It was just a standard routine check up where they checked my weight (lost 1/2 lb from last appointment?!) and got my blood drawn. My OB said it looks like everything is going great since I do not have any issues. She said since I am petite, she will not be alarmed if I only gain about 20 lbs. The highlight of the appointment was being able to hear Baby Jarbs' heartbeat via the doppler. The doctor said some babies do not cooperate and she has a hard time finding the heartbeat but not Baby Jarbs. As soon as the doppler touched my belly, there goes Baby Jarbs' heartbeat :-). It was beating at about 150 bpm. Daddy Jarbs cannot join me for the appointment so I recorded Baby Jarbs' heartbeart for him. At first my phone was not cooperating but glad it eventually worked. Go to THIS (click download and then "open" to play audio) link to listen to Baby Jarbs' heartbeat at 12w2d.

My next appointment will be next month at 16 weeks and then we come back for the big appointment at 20 weeks where we will find out Baby Jarbs' gender :-).

1st prenatal appointment

We had our first prenatal appointment today and it went very well. I am soo happy and relieved. We met our doctor for the first time. We really liked her and the whole OB practice overall. Our doctor was pretty cool. She's not old school which is good. She practices at Sibley Memorial Hospital which is one of the best hospitals in the city. The doctor told me that 1) I can eat soft cheeses as long as they are pasteurized, 2) After the 1st trimester, I can drink 1 to 2 glasses of wine per week  - not that I plan to but good to know, 3) I can work out as hard as I used to as long as I can still carry a conversation. Obviously, I need to modify things as my tummy gets bigger and lastly, 4) I can eat crabs as long as they are cooked! Yay! I was so happy to hear the last one :-).

During the appointment, they did a sonogram to determine my estimated date of delivery (EDD), how far along I am and whether there are one or more babies in the uterus. First of all, the technician confirmed there is only ONE baby. Unfortunately (or fortunately?!), no twins :-). Baby Jarbs measured 8 weeks 2 days and the EDD is October 24th! It is 5 days away from Daddy Jarbs' birthday which is on October 29th :-). Daddy Jarbs and I also saw Baby Jarbs' heart beating! It looked like a little flicker on the screen. It was pretty cool. The heart was beating 143 bpm which the technician said was normal. There is an old wives tale that supposedly predicts the baby's gender based on how fast or slow the heart is beating. Supposedly, if the fetal heart rate is above 140 you are expecting a girl. However, if the heart rate is below 140, it is supposed to be a boy. Hmm...what do you think?

Meet Baby Jarbs!

Daddy Jarbs also took a video of the sonogram. Click HERE to see the video.

Since the 1st appointment went well, we went to Todai for dinner to celebrate!

Daddy & Mommy Jarbs

Crab legs..yum!

Daddy Jarbs also had to feed the "baby" in his tummy! lol.