The Ducote Family

Friday, February 22, 2013

Ella-2 months

How is she 2 months already?  Ella turned 2 months on February 22, 2013 and I still can't believe that we have a 2 month old now. 

 It has seriously flown by.  She finished off her first month by going out with a bang...a trip to the emergency room!  On Monday, February 19th, after a full day at the zoo we were having dinner (and Rich was out of town) and she was sitting in her bouncy seat and coughed about 4 times and then really started gasping for air and her face turned red.  I grabbed her out of the seat and patted her on the back about 5 times and after a few more coughs she quieted down and had her breath back but I was pretty worried.  She was acting fine after and I tried to continue just to go on with the normal bedtime routine because I didn't want Joseph to worry so we did baths, stories, prayers and bed for Joseph and she seemed fine.  I then fed her and she was pretty fussy so I put her in the ring sling and she passed out for about 30 minutes-as she woke up though she did the coughing bit again and seemed to be gasping for air and then I was officially freaked out.  With Rich being gone it didn't help calm my nerves so after talking to a few friends here who thought it may be reflux and her choking on the reflux and a call to my  friend, Annie, all the way in Michigan whose daughter had bad reflux I decided to take her to the ER.  At this point she was really upset and her cough had a "eeee" sound at the end to it so I was almost thinking it was whooping cough or RSV.  Thankfully I have amazing friends and within 10 minutes I had two friends at my doorstep-one to stay with Joseph and one to come with Ella and I.  Ella was still pretty upset while we were waiting to be seen by the doctor but honestly the minute the doctor came in she was ALL smiles and was  flirting with the doctor.  I am pretty sure the dr thought I was crazy and Ella checked out perfectly.  Thankfully my friend Jamie who was with me heard her crying and coughing at home so could vouch for me that I wasn't making this all up. The dr did a pertussis (whooping cough) test as well and that came back negative.  She did say that she may have a minor cold so it was most likely mucus that got stuck and that I did the right thing of just patting her on the back to get it out...so we were sent home with instructions to saline and suction and called it a night.  Thankfully it wasn't anything more serious and of course now I feel like I totally overreacted but with Rich being gone and my mind going crazy I know I did the right thing...to at least allow me to get some sleep that night!  She's causing grey hairs already at only 2 months!
After that episode I was thankful that we had her two month appointment on THursday, the 21st, so that I could follow up with her regular pediatrician.  Ella's pediatrician said at first that it sounds like a classic case of acid reflux and often reflux babies have a lot of mucus and that at this point she isn't recommending meds since she isn't miserable all of the time but gave recommendations of having her propped up and burping her often.  However, after another appointment this past week for a yeast infection (this girl!!) and talking with the dr again she is now thinking that it may be an intolerance or allergy as well as possibly some reflux.  I have eliminated dairy from my diet but haven't seen a huge  improvement so she wants me to eliminate wheat to see if that is what is bothering her stomach and causing mucus in her stools every now and then.  Poor peanut!  We'll see what the next few weeks bring.  She does seem to be not as fussy at nights now but still pretty much just cat naps during the day and wakes up crying pretty hard as if something were bothering her.  She is definitely keeping it interesting and hoping we can figure this little one out soon.
Look at this face!  So sad!  Oh and she has the best pout which I  have to get on camera soon!
 With whatever it is that bothers her at times, she is as happy as can be the rest of the time.  She is full of smiles and has been great about just going with her brother's social schedule as long as she is fed on time.  She loves having her tongue out and the dr told us that this is actually a preverbal skill-she is going to be a talker!  She is cooing up a storm, too, and just loves it when you pay attention to her.  The minute that you look at her and smile she just lights back up and will start cooing at you.  She is definitely a flirt.
Two month photo shoot!
 
 
At her two month appointment she weighed in at 12 pounds, 13 ounces which is the 84th percentile.  And she measured 23.5 inches long which falls in the 89th percentile.  She is definitely a baby now and no longer seems like a newborn.  She has started hitting and grabbing toys in front of her and will track things in front of her.  
 
 
 She seriously lightens up when Joseph is next to her and she just smiles when he is next to her which is basically all of the time!!He is still great with her and is starting to respect her personal space a little bit more-although still prefers to be kissing her all day long and has recently been asking to give her puppy dog kisses which we try to avoid!  One cute thing that Joseph has started doing is that normally when I put her in her car seat she'll cry but once the car gets moving she quiets down so I often say while pulling out of the garage, "We're moving baby girl, we're moving" and now he says that.  It is in the cutest little voice and just makes me smile!  His favorite song to sing to her is "Row your boat" and he'll still tell her "No cry baby, no cry!"  Sweet kiddos.
Happy 2 months baby girl!  We love you!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Zoo Day!

On President's Day there were some of the moms in our group of friends whose husbands had to work so we decided to venture to downtown Houston to the zoo.  This was my first major trip with the two kiddos but knowing that my girlfriends would be there to help if needed so I felt pretty comfortable about taking this adventure on and we had a great day, even with a downpour!  That's right, it POURED on us towards the end of the day!  The kids loved it of course though and thankfully it was towards the end of the day so we sprinted through the monkeys and then called it a day.  
At the beginning of the day, nice and dry!
 Ella snoozed a little
and was up for awhile. Thankfully my friend, Jamie, was well prepared and had raincoats (that her boys didn't want to wear) so we draped them over the stroller and this little peanut stayed nice and dry and probably didn't even know it was raining!
 Joseph was ready for the rain!  But, of course, like a typical boy, he was soaking wet by the end of the day and loved every minute of it.  
 The crew at lunch
 Checking out the elephants-notice Joseph's wet hair and shirt!  This was towards the end of the day
  Joseph really loved being so close to all of the animals and he walked the entire time and did a great job. The petting zoo was a huge hit but that wasn't a huge surprise considering his love for animals.  A little bit of rain didn't dampen our day at all-it was a great day!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

New cousin!

These two welcomed a new baby cousin on February 17th, 2013.  
 Welcome baby Cole Alexander!  We are so excited to meet you and we know that this summer is going to be so much fun!  Sydney and Joseph are 8 months apart and Ella and Cole are only 2 months apart!  
He is a week old here in this picture but I just love this picture!!
 Congratulations Ozeck family!


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Fun with friends

 The weather has been off and on here since Ella was born-one day it will be sunny and in the 70s and the next day rainy and in the 50s-so we have had a mixture of fun in the sun as well as playing with friends indoors to keep warm and dry. Here are some pictures from the past month or so of our fun with friends.
Ella and her admirer Claire
 Picnic lunch with Claire and Norah
 And a big hug for Norah-sweet friends.  
 Why is it that boys even at such a young age love superheroes?  He has never seen a show or movie with superheroes in it or even read a book with them but for some reason he loves them!  Superman pajamas, Spiderman bike helmet and now a Superman cape...must be boy instinct.
 A little bounce house fun at Mathias' 2nd birthday.   Check out the other boy in his Batman cape-Superheroes everywhere!
We had a bbq with the Conleys a few weeks ago that ended up being an indoor bbq due to the rain but still such a nice night.  
 Even Ella found a friend her size!  Samantha, from church playgroup, was born in October and I'm pretty sure Ella weighs more than her!

 Looks like we're at the beach!  Wishful thinking but we love playing in the sand at Northshore Park.  Joseph and his sweet friend Olivia.  

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from our sweet kiddos!
 Our happy littlest Valentine (I just can't resist posting all of the photos!) 
 And here are the pictures from the photo shoot-I was trying to get them to smile both at the same time and it wasn't quite working and then Joseph leaned over and kissed her on the cheek without me even suggesting it.  Not only did I melt inside but it also was the perfect Valentine's Day photo!!  Here are the pictures leading up to it...

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Pop Pop and Nona

Over the weekend of February 8th, Pop Pop and Nona (Rich's parents) came to Texas to meet baby Ella and to visit us.  Despite the rainy weather all weekend we still had a wonderful time with them.  Ella was so happy to see them!
 We made it to Market Street one afternoon when the rain  subsided for a bit and Joseph made a lot of wishes in the fountain and the rest of us enjoyed Starbucks.  The following day it poured all day but we wanted to get out for a bit so went and had lunch at Panera at the mall and let Joseph get some energy out at the play area affectionately known as the "germ tree."  
 And we couldn't leave the mall without a carousel ride.
 And Ella just hung out looking cute all weekend long!
 Joseph loved the extra attention from Nona and Pop Pop.  He and Pop Pop definitely have a special bond (maybe its the name thing!) and he would wake up asking for Pop Pop (hopefully Nona's feelings weren't hurt because he loves her, too!)
 A quick photo shoot one night before bed!
 Richard Joseph Ducote III, IV and V
 And an attempt at our little family...I think this is the best we will get for the next few years!