What A Year!

Today is what I like to call Bailey's "should-be-birthday."  If you remember, I had a scheduled C-Section with her that was postponed at the last minute due to the hospital being full. Instead of having a March 25th baby, I had her on March 27th. At the time, it sure was the end of the world. I was a wreck!

Little did I know on this day last year, but that little setback was pretty much the way the rest of the year would go. For starters, my delivery with Bailey was a little tumultuous (constant vomiting, excessive blood loss, issues with scar tissue) and to make matters worse, she was taken from me and sent to a NICU in a hospital 30 miles away. It was definitely not the joyous birth that I had so desperately longed for. In fact, if I think about it, tears still feel my eyes.

After the hospital and birthing challenges were behind us, I was happy to have my girl home and move on with the rest of our lives. I quickly realized that she would sleep absolutely nowhere but in my arms. We tried the swing, several different bouncers, her crib, the couch, a Pack 'N Play, etc.. If you name it, we tried it. We also quickly learned that she had reflux when she started vomiting like crazy. She would seriously soak me with vomit with absolutely no notice. It made life that much more work. In fact, she had so many issues with throwing up that she was hospitalized at 3 weeks of age because the doctor feared she was dehydrated. That was yet another ordeal.

There have also been the constant, never-ending ear infections. For many, many months we battled pesky ear infections that weren't even touched by antibiotics. After getting her tubes in on January 27, we have seen marked improvement. She stills gets infections but the fluid drains out so she's not in as much pain, thankfully.

All of these challenges aside, Bailey is simply a high needs baby. Healthy, sick, rested, not rested.. It doesn't matter- She requires constant attention and if she doesn't get it, she is a disaster. This means that if I put her down to go the bathroom, she flips out. Dinnertime is still precarious, as well, and it's quite a daunting task to feed everyone because of Bailey's demands. We've had many issues with sleeping (that are thankfully completely resolved, finally) and nap time is still somewhat of a joke.. I'm lucky if she sleeps for an hour. Oh yes, and then there's the constant, non-stop nursing. Anytime she gets her feelings hurt or she falls down, she has to nurse. Otherwise, she's inconsolable. I think she still nurses a million times a day! Lol. Because of all of this, life really seems like one enormous balancing act.

I have been too proud to really post about the emotions and challenges of having such a demanding baby... Mostly because I don't want people to think I'm complaining. That is not at all my intent in writing this and I wouldn't give my precious girl back for anything in the universe. In the midst of a rough day, her smile and goofy personality is all it takes to make it worth it. Her life has absolutely been a whirlwind and things have been (and still are!) a little crazy but I'm confident that it can only get easier from here on out!