Ayla Is 6 Months Old Today

Today Ayla is six months old.  I'm conflicted whether I like this or not.  It is really fun to see her doing new things and really developing a personality.  But it also means my last baby is no longer a little baby.

I'm going to use this opportunity to tell her story.  Ayla was a little surprise as a result from my six weeks joining Mike in California last fall (I know, too much information).  I had pretty bad morning sickness which made flying home alone with Mikey an extra challenge.  Mikey and I still had 3 1/2 weeks by ourselves while Mike finished his California job.  It is torture to grocery shop and cook for a two year old while you want to throw up all the time.

Most of my pregnancy with Ayla was very easy.  I was tired but felt good and was able to continue being active.  I had very little swelling and water retention (vast contrast from Mikey).  I did develop gestational diabetes which was not fun but it did force me to exercise and eat right.  I am thrilled to say I only gained 27 lbs during the entire pregnancy (45 with Mikey).  I was even at the beach playing with Mikey the day I went into labor.  My mother-in-law will claim it was the gorgonzola cheese but I think it was coming anyway ;)
 
Not too many people know this but I have become a bit of an advocate for VBACs.  That is a vaginal birth after cesarean.  Mikey was a necessary cesarean (placenta previa and vasa previa) but I did not enjoy the experience and really hate what strong pain medications do to me mentally.  Luckily, my same doctor that I have had since moving to Miami is one of the few in Miami that will allow VBACs.  We discussed it at my first visit for Ayla's pregnancy and she said I was a good candidate.  For those that think it is too risky, it really is no more risky than a repeat c-section.  Both are simply more risky than a vaginal birth in someone that has never had a c-section.  When I went into labor my doctor didn't even mention a c-section, just if I was ready for my epidural (boy, was I).  Ayla's birth went great with very minor issues (usual tearing and hemorrhoids).  It was so much easier than Mikey's.  I was sitting up, feeling great and happy less than an hour later.  I am so glad my doctor gave me the chance to let my body do what was natural.

Ayla has been feisty from the start.  They first took her from my breast to go to the nursery to be checked shortly after birth.  She screamed the entire 2 hours she was away from me.  This has become a pattern.  She will let you know how she feels and she may change her mind in the blink of an eye.  She is a total momma's girl and loves to be carried around in her baby wrap carrier (as seen in our facebook pictures).  She is very curious and loves to run her fingers over new things.  But if something starts to frustrate her she will scream at it and bang in on the floor.  Very amusing :)

She did end up with one major health issue.  After her screaming all of her waking hours for the first 5 weeks of her life we finally figured out she had a milk allergy.  I feel bad it took us that long to figure it out.  The poor girl pooped 15-20 times daily, had horrible gas and an ulcerative diaper rash that wouldn't heal.  I would scream too.  We decided the best for her (she loved to comfort nurse) would be for me to stop eating all dairy and nurse her exclusively (no formula).  Nursing her has been easy (didn't work with Mikey) but no dairy can be annoying.  It is amazing how many foods hide dairy on their products.  There was one day that I thought I ate safe but Ayla's tummy tols me otherwise.  We later food out it was a bread I had eaten.  I will be thrilled when she outgrows this.  I am really sick of special diets :(

Anyway...   She is a very strong little girl who rolls over, sits up for a while on her own (when placed in sitting position) and acts pretty close to trying to crawl.

We love her to pieces!!!!!