Doctor's Appointment.

First let me thank all of you for the comments on my blog. I love to check them and see who is reading. I appreciate it!

So today was Daisy's two week well baby check at the pediatrician. She weighed in at 6lbs 15oz, which I was initially disappointed by. I thought if we weren't back to her birth weight(7lbs 5oz) we would have to change the feeding schedule by supplementing, however, that is not the case. Our pediatrician says that she is gaining weight adequately and we can now go to feeding on demand.....we will see how this works? Even though I was exhausted feeding every three hours I kind of like having a schedule (this is the type A in me). Daisy is in the 25% for weight and just below 50% for length and head size. The doctor says she is very strong, lifting her head up already, and that she has a very powerful suck.(this has made breastfeeding easier I think). The doctor did not initially have the echo results but she couldn't hear the murmur like she could last week---yay!

As we were leaving the appointment the echo results came in. Daisy has a very small VSD (2mm) because it is so small and she is asymptomatic the hole should close on its own as she grows up, hopefully that is already happening because the doctor couldn't hear it like she could last week! Thanks to everyone for your prayers.

Daisy's umbilical cord fell off this morning, it was in the process last night and kind of freaking me out. I kept putting it back on as it was hanging halfway off. It is really not a pretty thing once it happens. Daisy does have an umbilical hernia, which I guess is really common. We just have to watch it and keep pushing on it to make sure it is soft. Who knew that every week we were going to find something else to check on.

Daisy's left leg/foot is catching up to her right. The doctor says she really can't see a significant difference, however she is still bringing her toes up to her leg so again we just need to watch it.

So, we are finished with our doctor's appointments until 8 weeks! Please pray that this week goes well as we try to adjust to a new feeding schedule, we will see who struggles the most, mom or Daisy!

No new pictures from yesterday. Nana returns tomorrow, YAY! And I have scheduled a hair appointment on Thursday. We will see how this goes--my friend Danielle scheduled one at the same time so that we could alternate with Daisy!

If anyone has any advice on breastfeeding on demand I would love it. Also, where does everyone get their baby's picture taken? I feel like I should do this? How often do you take formal pictures? We received a birth announcement from our friends who's baby was born 4 days before Daisy---I haven't even thought about a birth announcement. I am sure you moms out there have some good ideas! Thanks!

2 weeks tomorrow!

I cannot believe that Daisy will be two weeks old tomorrow. We have her two week doctors appointment tomorrow at 11:00. Hopefully she will be back up to her birth weight so I can stop waking her up every three hours to feed! Also we should find out the results of the echocardiogram. We are just hoping that no news is good news at this point.

Well, I can say that I am exhausted. I think that adrenaline gets you through the first week or so and then the tiredness sinks in. I have slept through my feeding alarm last night and the night before at the three o'clock hour....tonight I am going to set more than one alarm! Daisy is doing really well still. She is feeding well and for the most part sleeps between, however, she does seem to have two fussy spells in which she just cannot be consoled, so we end up feeding her early which always works and is good for her weight!

During the night time feedings I have been ready a book that Leslie's mom gave to me-(thanks momma Martha). It is called Baby 411 it is advice and answers to your questions for the first year. It has alot of good advice in it. And it makes you feel good that what you are feeling and experiencing is typical newborn behavior. It also helps to keep me awake as I am feeding Daisy.

Yesterday we felt adventurous so we ran an errand to the apple store at the mall. Daisy did so well, she slept the whole time. I however was so tired afterwards. I am beginning to wonder when I will get my strength back. I think about my friends who have had kids and within 10 days are functioning normal---let me give them a pat on the back.

Another big moment this weekend. I am currently wearing my own t-shirts not my husbands and I wore a pair of pre-PG pants this weekend! Yay! Yes they were a little snug, but it was nice to start to feel normal again.

Well, I think that is all from here. I will leave you with the latest pictures:

Daisy LOVES her daddy. This is them snuggling on the couch Friday afternoon. In the bottom picture Daisy is hugging her daddy, how cute is that?

Our friends Adam, Suni and Ethan brought us dinner Friday night (yummy pot roast). It was good to see them. Ethan had a good time getting to know Daisy, although Daisy did not wake up to acknowledge her visitors but I am sure she appreciated the pot roast also!
These are our family pictures before our mall outing. We don't have many pictures of the three of us together. Don't worry, we are masters of setting the timer on our camera. The picture below is Daisy in her car seat after her mall adventure. This is pretty much how she was the entire day!

Daisy and Daddy after a long day!

Pictures, Finally!

Sorry for the delay. I know everyone is anxious to see more pictures. It has been a busy week as you can imagine. Daisy continues to be up feeding lots at night, which is so good for her weight, but not so good for mom and dad (especially mom). Last night went a little better. Once her weight is up I think we will be able to feed on demand and not have to wake her up so often, and hopefully get our days and nights straight.

Nana has officially gone home for a long weekend (she will return on Tuesday unless she gets an SOS from us before then) and Chris and I are holding down the fort on our own. We will see how it goes. She has been a tremendous help keeping up with the house, keeping us fed, and watching Daisy during the day so mommy and daddy can take a nap. We would not have made it without her.

We still haven't heard back from the echo results and are expecting to hear today. We will let everyone know as soon as we know anything. Thanks always for your thoughts and prayers.

Last night, as I was feeding Daisy I was thinking over this past year and what a miracle it has been (you have alot of time at night to do this). First the miracle of growing a baby inside of you, and how after 27 years the body knows exactly what it is supposed to do. Then at the exact moment your body somehow starts you into labor (even medicine isn't quite sure how this happens exactly) and then a wonderful little human arrives with her daddy's toes and her mommy's lips and the miracle continues. (not to mention that the woman's body is then able to recover from such an event-MIRACLE!) I just see our Creator in this whole process and how wonderful He is. What a great journey it has been and how I can't wait to see what is around the next corner!

Wow--enough with the deep post onto the pictures!

These two pictures were taken right after her bath. I'm not sure you can see in the picture but she definitely has her daddy's hair color. If you ever look at chris' hair close up, it is a mix of red, brown and some blond. Daisy has the brown and red in her hair. Unfortunately her hair gets greasy really quickly and then it looks brown. Hopefully she will outgrow this and not have thin greasy hair like her mother.

This was an attempt to see Daisy's coordinating outfit the day we went for the echocardiogram....and it isn't even pink! She had a purple bow, purple blanket and purple/white jumper on.....she is so cute.Yesterday, we had our first shopping trip to target. I am not sure who it wore out more, me, Nana or Daisy. Here she is winking at the camera----already a ham!Last night our friends Danielle and Craig came over for a short visit. (we are so glad they are back in OKC). Danielle thinks she needs to practice before baby Smith arrives (march 4th ish) however, she will be a great mom. Craig however has the baby soothing technique down. He says it is the soft low tones of his voice. We now know who we are going to call when we need a reprieve!

Last night after our big adventure to Target and visit with our friends Daisy was lying on the bed with Nana contemplating the days events.
This is mommy and Daisy preparing for another eventful evening filled with lots of poops (6 I think last night) lots of feedings (4) a couple hours in the swing, a couple hours screaming with daddy (because she wanted to eat and we think she had a tummy ache) and of course a few minutes of sleep.

Echocardiogram

First of all I would like to give the Goff family a pat on the back. Not only did we make it to our echo on time, we were even early and Chris stopped for coffee this morning! So we had the echo this morning and the ultrasound technician is the one who does the test, then the doctor comes in later and reads the test and dictates the results, then the secretary types the dictation and sends a report back to our pediatrician, then our pediatrician will call us with the results. All this to say...we don't know anything yet.

When technicians complete ultrasounds they really aren't supposed to give you information, this is what we got: "I am not sure when you will hear back from your pediatrician, just remember that no news is good news. If I had seen anything really concerning we would not send you home right now, we would do further testing, but I am sending you home" Chris and I take this to mean that hopefully it is just a VSD (I believe this is correct maybe VDS?) This is a small hole in the muscular wall between her ventricles of her heart in which 98% close on their own as the child grows. This is what we are hoping for! We will let everyone know as soon as we know. Thanks always for your thoughts and prayers.

I am sorry I don't have new pictures to post. We have had a couple of difficult days with Daisy wanting to eat all night long, thus we sleep during the day not allowing for many picture opportunities. We have taken some, but Chris is at a school deal right now, and I am not sure how to plug his camera into the computer. We will post soon. Basically she is adorable. I still can't comprehend that she is mine, well ours. I also can't believe that she was inside my tummy. Everytime I hold her on the outside I am like, how did you fit on the inside?

Funny story. Chris went to give me a hug yesterday and he did the C-shaped stick your bottom out thing in order to get around my giant tummy and I had to tell him that he could hug me closer now! It was so nice to finally hug him, it has been a while.

I think that is all from now. I am getting better at feeding and trying to make phone calls so hopefully I will catch up with all of you soon.

Great news

So we went to the pediatrician today and Daisy has gained 5 oz in the last two days! YEA for her! We were so excited. She is now 6lbs 11oz and only at 8% weight loss(which I guess they worry if it is greater than 10%). This was such great news. Our new goal is to be back to 7lbs 5 oz by next Monday. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray that we are able to pack on the ounces!

So after such a great 24 hour period, last night Daisy was on a feeding craze! She was hungry from 12:45-6:30 this morning!!!!! I would feed her and try to soothe her for 30 minutes and then feed her again. We were exhausted this morning, but luckily she slept from 6:45ish to 9:30, so we were able to get some sleep (as well as a short nap this afternoon)
Daisy's heart echo is scheduled for 8:00 wednesday morning. Please continue to pray that this comes back okay and that we are able to make it to her 8:00 appointment! Right now 11:00 is the earliest we are able to get around!

Things are still really great and we are having so much fun. I am not sure that being a parent has really sunk in to us yet, however, we love her more and more each day. My favorite moments are when she is eating and she loves to hold my hand (no pictures for obvious reasons) and my other favorite is when she is awake and not feeding and just looking at me, trying to figure her mommy out! She is truly a blessing and we are thankful each day for such a beautiful baby girl!
Here are some more pictures:



Nana is still here and loving spending time with Daisy! (plus she is a huge help around the house)

Daisy found her thumb for the first time!!!! So cute!!!!

Mommy and Daisy.

Daisy and her adorable piggy bank from our friends David, Tam and Luke. Isn't it the cutest thing you have ever seen?

Daddy, Daisy and Bimmer....the boys really haven't been phased by the new addition. Thank goodness, plus they are spending every night in the bed with Nana!

Lilly meeting Baby Daisy (her cousin) for the first time. She was so cute with her. Could not have gone better!

Daisy's first time in her swing.....she couldn't quite figure it out.
She was awake this afternoon, laying on the couch. Notice all the outfit changes. We are going through a phase where everytime we have a dirty diaper it is blowing out either the back or the leg! Daddy is having a great time changing them all!
Mommy and Daisy.

This is our favorite picture so far. Daisy is giving mommy a high five. (Chris attributes it to his new camera capturing moments like these)

Mommy checking in....

Finally, I have some energy and time to check in with everyone. It has been such a busy time, as we knew it would be. There are so many things to catch you up on, I guess I will start at the beginning and then continue as I have the time and energy. (So, I started this blog yesterday, but didn't get finished......so here we go again. Let me just say I think I have finally turned a corner and I am doing better! YEA!)


I know some are interested and some are not so I will start on Monday morning:
Labor: Monday morning I woke up with a stomach cramp (6:30 ish) and needed to use the rest room, not uncommon for 40 weeks pregnant. I went back to bed and woke Chris up around 7 because I felt kinda like I was going to start my period--cramps. So I decided to take a shower and see what happened (remember I had never had a contraction before now, so I had no idea if this was real or not). I had a few more cramps in the shower and Chris and I decided to take a walk. The contractions intensified and we started keeping track from about 8:00-8:30, by 9:00 I decided we needed to go to the hospital and they could turn me away.
10:00 we check into the hospital, the nurse checks me I am dialated to a 4 and 90% effaced so she says I can stay and that she already put me in line for an epidural!
11:00 Dr. Shirley gives me my epidural! I really can see why women think they can deal with labor without the epidural because between contractions you feel fine! But I knew that I was no trooper.
12:00 Dr. Nanda (my OB) comes by and checks me, I am a 5, fully effaced and she decides to break my water. My epidural is not quite working yet, but a few minutes later it starts to work, I didn't realize how bad my back was hurting until the pain was gone! YEA!
2:00 The nurse checks me and I am a 10 and ready to push! We are shocked....I can't believe that we are going to have a baby SOON! (Ha, ha, ha). So everyone is really excited at this point. Well, I push for 30 minutes and we figure out that the baby is faced side-ways and they tell me you can't deliver a baby side-ways so we will try to turn her or we will have to do a c-section. So the next few hours consist of positioning me in various odd positions trying to get Daisy to turn. At one point the doctor comes in and tries to manually turn her (again thank goodness for epidurals) Well around 5:30 Daisy falls completely down into my pelvis and her head is visible...they decide to let me try to push again----45 minutes later we have a baby! And yes I delivered her side-ways....thus the 4th degree tear. Which the terminology around labor and delivery for this tear is a vaginal c-section--awesome!

I was still pushing when they put Daisy on my belly! I had no idea she had come out! There are so many people yelling it is hard to hear what they are saying thus the picture with a shocked look on my face with her on my belly. I was so happy that we didn't have to go to a c-section and Daisy did awesome her heart rate never fell. She was happy and healthy.

We were at the hospital until Wednesday afternoon. We spent the days trying to figure out breastfeeding, visiting with friends and trying to sleep. The only other eventful moment was my first time out of bed.... I passed out on my way back from the bathroom thank goodness there were two nurses there to catch me! It was a very weird experience I am pretty sure it scared Chris to death. I lost alot of blood during labor(again vaginal c-section) so I was really running on empty....but I have been fine ever since.

Since we have been home things have been great. We are getting little sleep as was expected, trying to figure everything out. Little Daisy has lost almost one pound (6lbs 6 oz) so they want me to feed as often as she will. The last 24 hours have been great. Daisy has been feeding every 2.5-3 hours and sleeping in between.....I think we got around 5 hours of sleep last night! Thus I feel so good today.

Friday was an experience: I found a blood clot in my leg. It is superficial, but we had to go see my doctor, go get lab work done and go get an ultrasound to confirm the blood clot's location. Then we headed to the pediatricians office. So in summary.....I am fine, we just have to continue monitoring my leg...possibly more ultrasounds, Daisy is doing good, she is losing weight but that is normal. Daisy does have a heart murmur. They think it is the most common type in which 98% of the time kids grow out of, but just to make sure we are scheduled for an echocardiogram for Daisy's heart on Tues. She reports back to the pediatrician on Monday for a weight check. Please pray with us that she is gaining weight and that her heart is going to be fine.

A couple things I have been surprised about:
1. I still look very pregnant. I had read that when you leave the hospital you will look 4-5 months pregnant, but I still wasn't expecting it. Immediately after Daisy was born my tummy was very flat!!! My belly button instantly turned in, well within a few hours my belly plumped back up, as well as my face, feet and hands. I think they were putting so much fluid in me that it all caught back up. Luckily as my milk has come in and Daisy is eating more my belly has started to shrink and my belly button is inverting again.....however, it is very weird to still look PG and not be PG.
2. I had not thought about how much care I would require through this recovery process. I was prepared for what having a newborn would be, but no one ever talks about how much help the mom needs. I need help going to the bathroom, getting in/out of the bathtub, making my dinner plate, sitting down in a chair, getting into bed etc. I am not sure if this is due to my condition (VC-section) or if this is just part of having a baby. Chris keeps reminding me that it hasn't even been a week. He is so sweet. He constantly tells me I am doing great! But again, today I feel I am doing much better!
3. What a mess breast milk makes. Chris and I have spent many moments laughing as we are trying to get Daisy to feed and I am spilling milk everywhere out of both sides, down Daisy's face, all over the bed/chair etc. It has been a comical experience. (and my breast really do not hurt that bad from the milk---surprising)
4.I have been very surprised at how laid back I have been, and I am so thankful, because I think that has helped Daisy be so laid back. Chris and my mom think it has something to do with the pain medicine I am on, which might be true, but I think it is due to answered prayers. Thanks to all of you who are keeping us in your thoughts. We really appreciate it and have felt it!

I have so much I could write, and so much to say to new moms for their first week home. But I wont bore everyone, I have included a short list at the bottom of this blog of things that have been lifesavers these last two days. In closing, here are some of my favorite pictures from the last few days! More to come:



Daddy is the king of swaddling. Daisy loves it so much. Chris and I were talking already about how sad it will be when she is too big to swaddle! Chris has been outstanding! Not only taking care of me but our little girl. He always changes her poopy diapers and you can see the love in his eyes while doing it. I am so blessed. I know this has to be a stressful time for dad not only to worry about his wife but also his daughter! I love him so much!

This is Grammy and Grandpa meeting Daisy for the first time. Notice her little dress! And daddy agreed to the headband because she has so much hair!

This is us getting ready for her first bath. This is Daisy's favorite place in the whole world according to her daddy. She loves to be in a ball, I call her my little monkey when she is like this.

One of the few times she had her eyes open. This was day one home from the hospital.

(Side note: to all of those wondering, Daisy sadly does not have my thumbs, she did however inherit the Goffs long second toe (mortons toe for my PT friends). Daddy is very proud of this)

Absolute must haves:

1. a comfortable chair (if I had a wooden rocking chair right now, there is no way I would be able to sit in it, pillow or no pillow)

2. a pack n play beside my bed (ours has a night light on a timer that I can push and I can watch Daisy as I fall asleep, just to make sure the blanket hasn't come loose or that she needs me, you know first time mom things)

3. warm baths

4. a spray bottle (they will give you this at the hospital)

5. lots of pillows

6. straws---this is how daddy helps me stay hydrated while feeding daisy

7. blankets (I thought I had too many but you go through them really fast

8. snacks---to set beside the bed to eat during the middle of the night and so I can take my pain meds.

9. my mom....she has been doing laundry non-stop, making sure we have food to eat and taking shifts with Daisy those first two nights as everyone was adjusting

10. my husband......what would I do without him.

I am sure we will continue to post as we have time. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. We love you all.

Daisy June Comes Home!

Mindy has been a little too sore and sleepy to blog, but don't worry...................Chris is back!
We are now home from the hospital and we had a pretty good night last night. We are getting up every 2-3 hours to feed her, and both Daisy and Mindy are getting better at it. Daisy has been a happy baby so far. All she wants is to be held in Daddy's arms, and all is right with the world! Here are some more pics for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully Mindy will have enough energy to blog soon, and then you won't have to listen to my rambling anymore.
Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!
Chris, Mindy, Daisy, Bimmer, and Bentley

Daisy June is here!

Hi everyone,
Chris here. And I have no idea how to add a post to this blog thing, but I'll try (mindy usually handles this stuff.....as well as my finances, my calendar, my meals, you get the point).

Daisy June was born on September 15th at 6:28 pm. She is 7 lbs 5 oz and 19.5 inches long. She has a mop of brownish hair with a slight red tint that she gets from her daddy :) She has her mommy's nose and pouty lower lip that sticks out when she wants something (she already has me wrapped around her tiny phalange).

Mindy is doing well, but is going to be sore for a few weeks I have a feeling. It was a rough delivery because Daisy's head was diagonal (occiput transverse) instead of face down (occiput posterior), making her wedged in Mindy's pelvis. I could see the hair on Daisy's head for 30 minutes before Mindy finally could push her out!

Nanna (Mindy's mom) is here and loving spoiling her granddaughter rotten already. My parents ("Grammy and Gampa") are heading up here on Friday to further the spoiling. So everything with us is great. We can't wait for everyone to meet Daisy. You might even get her to give you her footprint autograph for when she becomes the next Avril Lavigne (female rockstar for those of you over 40). We are the happiest parents ever to have lived (I know, its a bold statement, but its true :)

The Goff Family