Baby Beginnings

Baby Rollins #2 very first picture!
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Our first doctor's appointment was August 27th with Dr. Robert Ryan, Center for Integrative Women's Health at St. Anthony's. He delivered Reid and I had a wonderful experience with him. I was so extremely pleased with Dr. Ryan so I knew I was going to use him as my OB again. I had an ultrasound a week before my appointment because I was a little nervous since I rode the Skycoaster and I wanted to make sure everything was ok with the baby. According to my last period I thought I was around 7 weeks at this point. The ultrasound measured the baby at 5 weeks 6 days, but we did get to see and hear the heartbeat. The heartbeat was only 101 bpm which made me a little nervous since I knew this was low - not the normal 120-160 bpm - so of course I did a little research and discovered that this is nothing to worry about at this early in the pregnancy as the heart first starts beating sometime in the fifth week. I also learned that the heart starts beating at about the same rate as mom's - about 80-85 bpm - and increases by 3 bpm per day until it reaches the normal 120-160 bpm. This made me feel a little better, but of course I was still a little uneasy. With this pregnancy I've been more nervous than I remember being with Reid. I keep reminding myself that this baby is in God's hands and I have been continually praying for Him to watch over and protect this new precious life. The following week at Dr. Ryan's office we did another ultrasound (mainly for my peace of mind) and the baby had grown exactly as it should and the heart rate was 143 bpm. I was so excited! She measured me at 6 weeks 6 days, correlating exactly with the previous ultrasound and we got a due date of April 16, 2010. Dr. Ryan is an M.D. and has a Ph.D. and specializes in VBACs, vaginal births after cesarean. He is one of the few doctors that still offer women the choice of having a VBAC if they are low risk. He discussed at our visit how I was a candidate for a VBAC if this was something I was interested in. I had to have a c-section with Reid because he was breech. My water broke at 36 weeks and I was having hard contractions and had already dilated to almost a 5 before the c-section so I felt like I experienced the best of both worlds. I had a great c-section experience as I was up walking around a few hours afterward, never had to take any pain medication except for ibuprofen, and Dr. Ryan let me go home the following day. This experience plays into my thoughts about having a VBAC and although I am going to consider it, I'm currently leaning towards another scheduled c-section.

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The morning sickness has been constant with this baby. I feel like I've been sick since the moment I found out I was pregnant. One night I was throwing up and Reid came into the bathroom and looked at me with the most puzzled look on his face. I was thinking that he probably thought his mommy was crazy! And although it's pretty awful at times, I'm thankful for the nausea as it is a reassuring sign of a healthy pregnancy.

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Cravings so far: salty dog snow cones, limes with salt, Mexican food, gingerale, chicken &

dumplings, potato soup, Sour Patch Kids, sweet potatoes, black olives

What a Blessing!

Reid has an announcement...

He's going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!

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We are so excited to announce that God has blessed up with another child, due April 16, 2010. Just one week before Reid's 2nd birthday!

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. -Psalm 127:3

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I was almost SHOCKED by the two pink lines as I sat in the bathroom alone in the condo at Destin, Florida on August 4th. Things had been a little irregular since I stopped breastfeeding in May and I had taken so many negative pregnancy tests that I assumed this one would be the same. The night before, I was grocery shopping in Destin with mom when I suddenly got the urge to want to run down the isles eating everything in site...this was my first clue! As we were checking out I said to her, "I would just love a grilled cheese, some black olives, tomato soup, and some limes right now." The funny thing is I don't even like tomato soup! She gave me that "are you pregnant" look and at that point I thought to myself, well, maybe I am. Then the tought quickly passed because I had just taken a test on Friday morning before Logan's wedding and it was negative. So I proceeded to ride the Skycoaster, an over 100 feet free fall thrill ride, that night and then the next morning...you guessed it...there were TWO lines. I walked into the bedroom and woke Jeb up and said, "Jeb you have to come to the bathroom, I have to show you something." He opened his eyes and smiled then said, "you're pregnant." I shook my head yes and he gave me a big hug and kiss and said not to tell anyone that he wanted it to be a BIG SURPRISE!!! Ok...good luck with that in my family. While I was in the bath that morning I secretly texted my best friend Kari because I just had to tell someone and she knows everything about me! Then later that day I told my Aunt Johnna because she makes me really happy and because she kept wanting me to drink a strawberry daquiri with her :) I told Suzanne next, well, because Suzanne just knew. She's good at that! Two days later mom and I took Reid and went to do a little shopping in all the cute little stores in Destin. While we were in one baby store she spotted some really cute newborn things and looked at me and said, "who do we know that's having a baby?" It was all I would do not to shout, "ME!" But, I didn't and we went on with our shopping. Later that morning we were letting Reid play on bench outside the shops and I finally told her. How could I not tell my mom? We hang out every single day! She was thrilled and suspected it was coming soon anyway. I didn't want to tell my dad for a while because like his daughter, my dad CANNOT keep a secret. I didn't want the rest of the family to know yet because I wanted to surprise them all. Mom felt guilty about keeping a secret from dad and made me tell him when we got home from vacation. One week later Reid's "Big Brother" shirt had come in and I took pictures of him wearing it. I was going to mail it to all our family members, but my dad couldn't wait for everyone to find out so I emailed it to everyone that night. Now here we are, 7 weeks pregnant and the new baby is doing great. Ultrasound pictures soon to come!

He looks like a big brother. Notice the black eye!!

Up to the Hype: Goat's Milk

When it was time to start Reid on another form of milk once I weaned him from breastfeeding, we chose goat's milk. I breastfed Reid for an entire year and he has never had a drop of formula. There were a few times, after he turned 6 months old, when I hadn't pumped enough or I wasn't home from work where he did have a few goat's milk bottles, but as far as milk and formula goes he had exclusively breast milk for one year and two weeks. Reid has always really liked goat's milk, but I have tried it myself and I don't think it's too tasty (warning: it smells awful), but that could be because I've always been used to cow's milk.

And you say... Why goat's milk?

Some of you may know that I'm a family nurse practitioner and the nurse practitioner that I work for is very knowledgeable about integrative and alternative healthcare (she's currently working on her doctorate and is doing a huge research project on Vitamin D- we check a ton of Vitamin D levels in my practice). We have a vitamin shop in our clinic and practice holistic, nutritional medicine integrated with conventional medicine. I'm just beginning my integrative/alternative journey and I have a LOT to learn (as I didn't learn much about any of this in school), but I can say that I'm fascinated by the differences that I see in people's health with nutritional change and supplements. Children with behavioral problems, irritability, and hyperactivity can make tremendous progress with nutritional intervention. This is the background I am coming from so back to the goat's milk question. My grandmother took my dad to a gastrointestinal specialist when he was a child (over 40 years ago) and he said to her, "Do you know what cow's milk is good for?" And she replied, "What?" and he said, "baby cows." Dairy products are some of the most allergenic "foods" and children can have reactions to cow's milk including skin rashes, respiratory allergies (sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes), abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, reflux, fatigue, headaches, irritability (these are common symptoms of most food allergies). Now I know what you are thinking...millions of people drink cow's milk all the time. And yes, this is true. I'm not saying that cow's milk is terrible and that all people have reactions to it, but I chose goat's milk because it is more closely related to human's milk.

Facts about goat's milk:

-contains a little more fat than cow's milk (10 grams compared to 8 grams in whole cow's milk)

-does not contain agglutinin making it easier to digest

-contains more essential fatty acids

-forms a softer curd so more rapidly digested

-only trace amonts of alpha-S1, allergenic casein protein in cow's milk

-slightly lower levels of lactose (better for those who are lactose-intolerant)

-13% more calcium, 25% more vitamin B6, 47% more vitamin A, and three times more niacin

-more antioxidants, 27% more selenium

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Goat's milk has been used for years for children with digestive issues and sensitive stomachs, but it should not be used as a substitute for breastmilk or formula. Soy milks are not very nutritious and most soy now is genetically engineered. Rice milk is a great choice for adults, but does not contain the nutrients or fat that growing children need.

Important to know about goat's milk:

Goat's milk contains a lot LESS vitamin B12 and folic acid than does cow's milk so it must be supplemented with folic acid. Be sure is you're buying goat's milk that it is supplemented with these important nutrients, as most brands usually are. I read lots of articles and books by Dr. Sears, a well-known pediatrician that is really big on nutrition, and he recommends the brand Meyenberg. Meyenberg is natural and is free of bovine growth hormones. This is the brand that we use and is available at Wal-Mart. It comes in a purple carton and costs about $3.50 for a quart.

For more information see the following links:

Meyenberg

Dr. Sears: Goat's Milk

Information from http://askdrsears.com/html/3/t032400.asp

Up to the Hype: Snack Cup

Munchkin Snack Catcher Snack Cup

We LOVE the Munchkin snack cup! Reid has been using these since he was about 11 months old and now we don't leave home without one. I have one in my car, in the diaper bag, in my kitchen, and we usually end up leaving one everywhere we go. I really like all of the Munchkin products, especially the Mighty Grip Flip Straw sippy cup, and heir products are BPA free . This snack cup is very affordable, costing about $3.29 for a 2-pack, and comes in a few different color options. Most of the Munchkin feeding products come in clear, neon-type colors that are super cute! The easy grip handles, no-spill lid, and easy accessibility of the snacks make this the best snack cup in my opinion. Some other snack cups we have tried are much more difficut for the toddler to get the snacks out of the opening in the top, but Reid seems to have no trouble getting his snacks out of this cup. This snack cup is also great for the car because it's easy to hold on to and the snacks won't spill out all over your car!

Reid carries his Munchkin snack cup all over the place and I try to put healthy snacks in them, with a different type of snack in each one. Here are a few examples of the snacks I sometimes use: goldfish, organic Earth's Best cookies, organic cheese crackers, dried fruit, organic vegetable puffs, Gerber veggie dip puffs, Cheerios and raisins.

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Here are a few other Munchkin products I like:

-Mighty Grip 10 oz. flip straw sippy cup (one of the best sippy cups we've tried, better for
on-the-go)
-Mighty Grip 10 oz. straw sippy cup (better for at home)
-Fresh food feeding (good for about 7-9 months)
-Soft-tip Infant Spoons
-Stay-put Suction Bowels

To see more Munchkin products click HERE

Reid's First Vacation: Destination Destin

This is the second part to our Destin, Florida vacation we took this summer the first week of August. We had so much fun and made so many memories.

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Waiting in the airport at 4 a.m. for Reid's first airplane ride...how cute is his luggage?..........
Reid saw us pulling our luggage and thought that he needed to pull his luggage too!

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Reading a book with daddy...it's pretty hard keeping a 1 year old occupied in an airport ..........

Reid's First Airplane Ride...finally! We didn't get to go ono our scheduled 6 am flight because we were making Reid a bottle and were late for boarding. The American Airlines lady made me cry and they put us on standby. $300 later we were on a Southwest flight to Dallas.
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Watching Barney on the plane

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What did we do when we first got to Destin? Shopped at a cheesy beach souvenir shop, of course!

Reid was pretty impressed with the hermit crabs. I was too, they had one with a shell painted leopard print. ..........

Full speed ahead!

We rode go-carts at the waterpark across from our condo. Reid was so sad that he couldn't ride in one with us.

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Lovin' his cousin Trey

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Kassidy and his friends rode this Cyclone. It look WAY too scary for me!

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Jeb and I rode the Sky Coaster. I had rode it once when I was about 12 in Branson and couldn't wait to try it again!

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The boys, anxiously awaiting their turn to ride the Sky Coaster.

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Fun with Papa's hat!

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My favorite person...well, one of them :)

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The Wharf at Baytown, Sandestin Resort

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I think I found my hidden talent!

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Honey, I shrunk Suzanne! ..........

Cutest Couple Award - Billy & Suzanne

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Reid had so much fun dancing and playing on the playground at the Wharf at Baytown in the Sandestin Resort.

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Here are a few video clips of Reid dancing to the "Cupid Shuffle."

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There was even a really cool tree house that you rode a zip line into! ..........

Florida's Gulfarium

Watching the Dolphin show at the Gulfarium

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I got a few video clips of the dolphin show so you could enjoy it too!

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Posing with some coral :)

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This picture was taken right before Reid chunked a red Icee all over the guy in front of us!

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My little Pearl!

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A tropical penguin...I thought it was beautiful!

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Dad picked up this spiny tailed turtle in the touch pool area...he's SO brave!

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Hello Mr. Alligator!

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I took this picture at the Dolphin and Sea Lion show. The dolphin is getting the fish out of the sea lion's mouth. What a great action shot!!!

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A video of a break dancing sea lion! Too cute!

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On the way back from the Gulfarium we stopped by the harbor to check out the fish that we caught that morning. We saw red snapper, grouper, and even a shark!

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Fudpucker's

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Everyone waiting (for 2 hours!) to eat at Fudpucker's

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At Fudpucker's you could pay $10 to hold an alligator and take a picture with it. Reid wasn't too sure about holding such a scary creature!

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The Gator Tamers

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little boy...BIG MOUTH!!!

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Dinner on the Beach

The next to last night before we had to leave we ate at a cute little back porch-style seafood restaurant on the beach. The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect!

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Cutest Couple Award #2 - Jeb & Brayle

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Reid and his Nana

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My favorite person...well, one of them :)

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Jordan and Grayson checking out the waves

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He doesn't do mornings!

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We had such a wonderful time in Destin and doing this post makes me really anxious to go back! We'll definitely be going back to Florida for a vacation and I highly recommend Destin to anyone looking for a great family vacation spot. Things aren't too spread out and the beaches are very clean with gorgeous white sand. There are lots of things to do for kids of all ages and what is better than the beach?