Esmé 3 months

Our wild baby is 3 months old!
Wearing:6months, some 6-9 months, size 2 diapers
Weighting: 14.5lbs

It's been a rough past couple of weeks. Emsé is thriving but is having some issues with food sensitivities/ allergies through breastmilk. Yes it's possible and if you're rolling your eyes- please stop reading and leave the blog. I'm serious about breastfeeding and will do anything I can for my kiddos- including eliminating problematic foods that cause poor sleep, colic symptoms, and severe Momma stress. I've had to cut out all things dairy with all my wilds. The wild woman has grown out of her sensitivity but we still keep most of the dairy out of her diet. The wild man is completely allergic to the point of ulcerative colitis. I chose to not do dairy with the wild baby just to be on the safe side however- something else is not sitting well. It's not to the point of her not growing- good grief the child is over the 99%- I think we're safe there. However,  the screaming, not napping, terrible diapers, and constant vomiting is something I'd like to get a better handle on.

So right now, I've cut out all dairy, all wheat, eggs, nuts, corn, and beef. It's horrible. I love wheat. I love eggs. I love nuts, any and all kinds. I love butter and cream (could totally do without drinking milk, but I really love butter and cream) I'm keeping a food diary and hoping to keep clean from the above for 10+ days then introduce one at a time to see the culprit. Im hoping that I won't have to do a complete allergy free diet for a few weeks. We'll see. It sounds silly but, I feel so much better since cutting it all out. Almost lighter? I've also been sleeping better too with so much less grog upon waking up. I'm still working out the bugs and finding things that I can eat/snack on.

Emsé has been busy! She has been doing crunches, and trying to roll over! Its so funny. Its like Es- what are you going to do when you do sit up? Silly girl. He crunches are amazing. She lifts her legs and her head so that her shoulder blades are off the floor.

She's getting better at napping. Since I've cut things out of my diet, I've no longer had to hold her so that she will sleep. My arm and shoulder was killing me. She's had some amazing days and some not so great days. But the good ones way out number the rough ones. Nights are still pretty good. When we do have a rough day- it takes a hot minute to get her to put herself to sleep. Not cry it out, can't do it- but helping her sooth herself and if she can't I step in.

When she is hungry or over tired she can really let you know just how unhappy she really is- just like her Momma.

She's such a good girl and is loved by the wilds something fierce. They are amazing and help so much.

The Wild Woman is FIVE!!!

My first born is FIVE! My wild woman, iron will, gifted leader, tender heart, amazing helper is FIVE! I can't get over it.

I can still smell the top of her head when I would rock her to sleep. I can still recall the days like it was yesterday. When I stare at her, I can recall her infants stages so vividly it feels real.

Audrey is truly one of a kind and I just can't get over how God has chose me, to be her Momma. Sometimes I think that there is a more patient, more fun, more clever, more Godly woman who could have been her Momma- but then I'm reminded that He knows EXACTLY what he is doing, and I'm to trust. I am not the perfect Momma, at all. However, I am the one He chose to raise her.

This yes, just like the last 4, have flown by. It's been a bit of a whirlwind again. Shortly after her 4th birthday we got the news that Ben was going to be medically retired. Since then we have said goodbye to our dear friends in New Jersey, traveled to Germany, tried to set up camp in Knoxville, moved back to PA, and had a new addition to the family. It was thought but my girl did amazing. She loves Germany, I truly believe she is a German at heart and wouldn't be surprised if she made it back there. Knoxville is a close second to Germany but I know she will also have a hard time leaving PA when the time comes. We've got to spend so much time with Meem and Bill, Poppa Marty, Oma and Poppa Charlie and some many others in our family- and she adores them all.

Somethings that the wild woman has done this year- mastering her letters, improving her artistic ability, swimming lessons, sled riding, a continuing love for being outdoors, started loving chapter books, helping with chores more in depth, and so much more.

Some favorite of the wild woman starting with food (the most important): Momma's veggie fried rice, black bean burritos, smoothies, carrot fries, fish sticks, popcorn, all things cupcake, fruit, peanut butter, Chinese food, fleishwurst (similar to bologna), guacamole, nuts, popsicles, and the occasional hot dog from the famous little spot down the road from our house.

Things to do: crafts, read, play outside, build a snowman, sled ride, have sleep overs at Meem's or Oma's house, Skype/facetime family, go on Daddy dates, go on Momma Dates, go on Family dates, stay at hotels, splash pads, watch a movie, dress up, play board games, make up games for her and Judah to play, help cook, take pictures with our phones or the iPad, ride her bike, get baths, color, play with her dolls, and so many other things it's hard to think of them all.

We celebrated four times! The first actually her gift, a night a Great Wolf Lodge. It was her gift from Momma and Daddy. Then was a little party with my Grandparents and they got her a little cake and her first bouquet of flowers and a super fancy dress.  Then the third was on her birthday with all of us, Oma, and Poppa- with her three little pig cake. The last was a party at Meem's house to celebrate both of their birthday's with a octopus turned spider cake.

 Last night of being 4!!!

Woke up with balloons and streamers!!!

...and then Judah got ahold of them...

Birthday Dinner of pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, and cake- per her request :)

The wild woman's first bouquet of flowers from her Poppa Huff :)

Confetti shower :)

The wild woman adores the story of the three little pigs and loves to change it around, so her cake this year was the three little pigs.

This was the day before her birthday! We celebrated with Gram Pat and Poppa Huff. Her total cake count for turning 5, was three cakes!!! She is so very loved (and we all went on a sugar detox following)

In her Poppa Huff dress. Since I was little, he would buy all of his granddaughters beautiful dresses... the tradition continues with his great-granddaughters now :)

Three little pigs cake. Made with love folks, I've never professed to being a cake boss.

She wanted an octopus cake for her and Meem's party but it didn't turn out the way I had hoped so we turned it into a spider cake (minus 2 legs) and she was very happy with it.

Emsé is 2 months!

Biggie girl is two months old!

Wearing: 3-6 month, 3 month bottoms and 6 month tops with size 2 diapers

Height: 25inchs (up 4 inches from birth)

Weight: 13lbs 5oz! 99% for weight and height

Her second check up went wonderful and so thankful for a thriving baby. Shots went well and she really did great afterwards. I cried. You'd think with this being my third round of this I'd be able to get through it... nope :)

Of course she loves to eat. She's still pretty spitty and I'm really trying hard to narrow down what exactly it is that makes it so bad sometimes. I'm thinking it's gluten but not 100%. She throws up a good bit and can take longer to calm her down.

She is still rocking the schedule and is sleeping anywhere from 6-8hrs right after laying down at night  then up every 2.5-4 hours after that. She likes to be bathed and swaddled by 630-7 so she can be sleeping between 7-8. I know, she's amazing. During the day she like to be held for her naps and will sleep 3hrs at a time. She will lay flat to sleep but it's usually no more than an hour to 2hrs. She like to sleep with her face to the right and has to have her bink. She's a binky baby :) She  also loves to have her face covered when she's falling asleep (only in my arms folks)

She adores her bath, and even if she's screaming for whatever reason- she totally changes when she gets in the tub. 

She's such a happy girl and smiles with her whole face. She's rubbing a little bald spot on the back of her head. 

Cuba took this of me and Es-zers

Sweet Esmé Grace

My man and I regularly will turn to one another and ask, "Can you believe we have 3 kiddos?" Life is crazy, our home is lived in, and most of the time I have to ask Ben what I was doing or what was I going to go do? Sometimes it's really hard. Sometimes its really messy but it's where we are and I'm so very thankful.

On December 29th, a week overdue- our 3rd wild was born. We went to my 41 week appointment and decided to go up to labor and delivery to have my water broke since I was dilated and all that good stuff.

My OB called L&D and they said it was slow and to send me right over. Naturally, after we arrived the damn of pregnant women broke and the floor was flooded. I was admitted at 1030. Well, I was in my room and my induction was pushed back hour after hour. Didn't bother me- I knew baby was coming out soon.

As we waiting, I started having intense back pain. It keep coming closer and closer and more intense. When my midwife came in to check on me said, "sometimes I think the air in this place just puts women into labor- I'm not going to break your water because you're moving right along!!"

The contractions were strong but my back was killing me. When the wild man was born at 10 lbs- he herniated my L5 and S1.... I KNOW. Sooooo, that made for an enjoyable pregnancy and labor let me tell you!!! Anyways- the labor really didn't start till about 1630. My nurse and midwife suggested getting in to the Jacuzzi to help with my back pain. I was about 4-5 cm's. I got in and it. was. amazing. I was in the tub from 1700 to 1830. I was able to relax and my back got some relief.

About 1800 I could feel things changing. At first I tried to tell myself things were picking up- I still had a ways to go but then the contractions were every 4-5minutes apart. Ben went and grabbed my nurse and I got out of the tub. From 1830-1845 things really started getting intense. Its amazing what the body can do- a true miracle. My night shift nurse came in and said it was time to get in bed and get checked. I went from 4-5cms to 8-9cms. My water still hadn't broke and they weren't going to break it because my midwife said that things would go 0-60 if she did. She wanted to let my body set the pace.

The contractions were extremely intense but it was the back pain that I couldn't handle. I opted for the epidural. They called at 1915 and by 2015 he still wasn't there yet. I had joked with the nurses while they were getting everything ready for delivery that the baby was just going to come flying out when my water broke- like riding a wave. I should have known not to joke about such a thing because that's just what Esmé did. I was in the edge of the bed, contractions every minute, waiting for the epidural when I could feel my body transition. I was trying to hold off, I could feel the pressure of having to push but I was scared to as nuts as that sounds. I had a epidural with the wild woman after 25hrs of labor and 36 hours of no sleep. My doc said to get the epidural or get ready for a c-section. I got the epidural and a hour later Audrey was born. I choose to get an epidural with the wild man when I was 8 cms because I was already so worked up about what was going to happen after he was born. I was afraid of going natural- I didn't know how to do it. Praise God he knew my fears and took care of things in a big way.

When I sat up on the edge of the bed, I was sitting there while he got his tray ready and all of the sudden I felt like I was going to be torn apart and my water broke- more like exploded! haha I know that sounds terrible but it's what happened. As soon as my water broke she was coming. I told my nurse " I can feel the baby's head- the baby is coming NOW!" She threw me back on the bed, my head was on the headboard bent to the side. My midwife didn't have a chance to get gloves on. My water broke at 2030 and Esmé was born at 2033. It was insane. People were flying everywhere and then I didn't even know who was in the room. All I was aware of was that I had to push and my baby would be in my arms in seconds. I had to ask Ben when it was over if he was holding my leg!

I got her in my arms and couldn't believe her head full of black hair. The first two wilds were bald with blonde fuzz. Here was an 8lb 12oz 21inches long chubby baby girl with black hair. I was speechless. I had no idea how many people were in the room or really anything else until my nurse said, "she loosing a lot of blood, I need help" My midwife who I didn't know left, came back in and called for an injection to be brought in STAT. Things slowly got better after that but golly I lost a lot of blood. My Hgb went from 11.5 to 9.

Esmé didn't have a name for the first couple hours- we couldn't  decide if she was a Stella, a Grace, or an Esmé. From the get go she was such a good baby. She loved to eat, loved to sleep, loved being held, and had to be swaddled.