May 30, 2013
8 weeks old
Hello wonderful people who love me, I'm Brynn Laree Kline. That's Brynn (rhymes with Lynn), Laree (rhymes with Marie), Kline. You'd be surprised the absurd pronunciations people have come up with.
Since you haven't truly been updated since before my birth (geez mom!), here are some highlighting moments, awesome pictures, and interesting things you should all know about me.
At 10:30pm on April 1 I started my way into the world. Since my mom didn't want to wait to meet me a minute after my due date, she decided to consult some old wives tales to induce labor. For anyone interested, castor oil and lots of walking are the reason I got here so soon. Contractions were sporadic from the first few hours causing my mom to think it was false labor. After about 7 hours the contractions evened out and mom and dad were on their way to the hospital!
Timing contractions:
We arrived at the hospital and sure enough I was on my way! By 10:00am mom was so exhausted from being up all night, she actually tried sleeping in between contractions (which were now every 3 minutes and really strong). The doctor came in broke the water...that's when things got real. It was only moments later daddy took this shot of mom after the epidural at 11:15
2 hours later, here I am!
Mom and Dad didn't get to hold me right away because some doctors had to check me out to make sure my heart was alright. And it was! After only a few minutes of listening to my heart and cleaning me up I was in my mama's arms!
I am so blessed to have Grandma, Pappy, Uncle Aaron, Aunt Margaret and my cousins Jaksen and Jett here in PA. I'm the first girl in the Kline family!
After 2 days in the hospital we were on our way home...
Man, they couldn't get enough of me! The first few days I had some trouble feeding, but within hours of being home I was eating like a champ.
My first 8 weeks of life have been filled with love, kisses, lots of music, and too many doctors visits. Even though I was eating great the first 5 weeks, I was not gaining weight. A few times a day I got a bottle with formula in it to see if a little extra calories would help. Nope. So we added even more formula. Still no weight change. Finally, last week I saw a nutritionist who prescribed another powder to add to mommy's milk....think of it as my boost, you know, like at Jamba Juice :)
Meanwhile, I was seeing the cardiologist, Dr. Ring, who is a kind gentle doc. He told us the weight issues were because of my heart. It has to work too hard to eat so I'm burning too many calories and not able to take in what I need to gain weight. Eating is like running a marathon for me. So lately I haven't been able to nurse at all. Even bottles are tough, but take less work than nursing. When I eat, I often break out into a sweat, stop for breaths and take a lot longer than other babies. I take 2 medications to help with my heart rate and blood pressure. These medications should help me eat better. To date I have only gained 4 ounces since birth. This is unfortunately not enough and my heart surgery may need to be moved up sooner than October.
For now, I am a happy baby! Although the weight is a struggle, the rest of me continues to progress normally.
Now the fun stuff...Everything you need to know about Brynn Laree!
*For the first few weeks of my life I LOVED being swaddled.
*Now, I sleep with my hands on, near, under my face
*I have lots of warm fuzzy blankets, but this owl one from Uncle Matty and Auntie Kels is my FAVE
*Speaking of which, I love owls! As made evident by my awesome nursery :)
*If you're going to hold me, it must be like this,
*I'm so in love with my Daddy. When I hear his voice I look until I find him....and I could just stare at him all day
*Punk rockers got nothing on my mohawk.
*I have an extra chromosome 21. This means I have Downs Syndrome. I can hear, my vision is perfect, my muscle tone is great, and my eyes are the biggest and brightest you've ever seen.
Downs is such a tiny part of who I am, let's move onto more of my awesomeness.
*FACIAL.EXPRESSIONS. Mine are priceless. Practicing my ASL already.
*I've gotten better, but the first 4 weeks or so of my life I loved to poop/pee on you when you opened my diaper. Oops.
*I'm a messy eater.
*I love music. But not just any garbage...here I am falling asleep to Fleet Foxes...mom and dad are so proud :)
*I look cute in everything (still rockin the newborn wear)
*Me and ma dig the gDiapers. We like the cloth/"green"/granola idea of 'em...even if they are still big on me.
*I am loved. Plain and simple. I will always know how loved I am by the unbelievable people who surround me.
God is so good to send all of you amazing people to me and my parents. Your prayers, gifts, hugs, and kind words keep us so positive that all will go according to His plan. Have faith in His goodness. We do.
Peace, love, and baby toes.
~Brynn Laree~
"You were born into a strange world, like a candle you were meant to share the fire....
cuz you were born to change this life, and you were born to chase the light"
- 'The Baby' by Cloud Cult
