February 16 Pappy to the Rescue!

     Oh joy of joys! Lily did not begin having tummy troubles until 4 this morning. Until then, from 10 to 4, she slept! Of course, since she's so teeny tiny, I had to wake her in the middle of that time to feed her, but other than than, a much better night than the last two. Eric got to sleep, uninterrupted. Lily slept more soundly than she has in days. Unfortunately, when 4 am rolled around, all bets were off!
     Poop little baby! She grumbles and cries. She strains and turns red. All in pursuit of a poop! As of this morning, she hadn't had a really good poop in over 24 hours. I have done the research though, the books all say that this is totally normal and it's babies way of slowing down their "intestinal time" and holding on to more nutrients. Things should even back out soon.
     Blessedly, we had a savior today! Pappy to the rescue! Mr. Cliff came over at 9 and took charge of little Lily. I went up to grab a nap and things were so blessedly quiet. Lily still had the grumbles, but does so much better coping with them when she's warm in someone's arms. She farted her little bottom off all day today! She was like a music festival of farts!
     Having Mr. Cliff here was wonderful! He held her nearly all day! He is so sweet with her. He talked to her, walked her around, looked out the windows, and held her while she slept. It was really cool to see them together. This is the most loved baby! While she was being cuddled and loved on, I got some house things done.
     Tara arrived at 3:30, and Lily was in a bit of a tummy trouble mood. She cried for a while, ate, and slept again. This seems to be the status quo for the last few days. However, I was determined to enjoy a walk with her today! We waited until she had settled and went for a walk around the block, Tara, Lily, and I. She loved it!!! She remained asleep for the first ten minutes, but then woke up and was so curious about what was happening! She looked around and made precious little faces. She is such a joy!

     When we got home, we changed and fed her. Still no poop! Her little tummy was getting kind of fat and firm. It was getting a bit worrisome.
     Tara had tummy time with Lily. I helped support her little body while Tara read a book and showed her some flash cards that our lovely neighbor, Don, sent over. She isn't the biggest fan of tummy time, but I hear that it is an acquired sensation...

     Lastly, today was first submersible bath day! We filled the baby bath and eased her into it. SHE LOVED IT!!! She kicked her little legs and waved her arms. She seemed really relaxed and happy! It was so cool to watch her in there, although it made me slightly nervous that I was completely responsible for keeping her head above water. Eric and Tara, understandably, were worried about water getting into her ears, so I took special care not to. Tara had bought a little terry cloth fish that you place over the unsubmerged part of the baby to keep her warm while the rest of her is being washed. She loved that too! Katie washed her little body while I held her, Daddy watched, and Mimi and Nanny took pictures. It was such fun for her!

     True to form, before I could diaper her, she peed. Everywhere! She is so quick with that!! We also decided to try the rectal thermometer trick to see if it would help her poop. Boy, did it!
     I went up and got the thermometer and KY from her bathroom. I was extremely nervous about this thermometer thing. It seems so uncomfortable (to me...), but Lily couldn't care less! Katie talked to her and kept her bundled up while I did the deed. I don't know what we were thinking, but we did not realize that this is an instant fix! The minute I removed the thermometer, she began to poop. We were NOT prepared for this! I grabbed the washcloth to catch the poop. She quickly filled it. We were all so busy celebrating that it was hilarious when Katie asked, "Someone want to get the wipes or something?!?" Eric and Tara both ran for wipes and a new diaper. When the wipes arrived, I tossed the washcloth, poop-filled, into the sink for lack of a better place to put it. Eric went to wash it out with water and it slipped down into the garbage disposal! Mr. Big Hands, he obviously couldn't reach in to get it, so Tara volunteered. Because the space is small, she drew back a very poopy hand! By this time, Katie and I had gotten Lily dressed and we were all laughing hysterically! Never a dull moment with Lily around!