Two Weeks

I can hardly believe that we have had Abrielle as a part of our family for 2 weeks already! In some ways it seems like the time has flown and all mothers can appreciate it when I say - in some ways it seems like MUCH longer! (i.e. 3 am feedings with a WIDE AWAKE baby who can't seem to be satisfied...)

Abrielle gets the rare experience of having the same pediatrician as her mother. That's right, MY pediatrician is still practicing at the Sandy Clinic by the Alta View hospital. I must have been one of his very first patients because he has been practicing for only 21 years. (lol. Only...) Dr. Mark Valentine is a fantastic doctor and I was very excited that he was still taking new newborns when Abrielle was born.

As far as stats go, Abrielle now weighs 7 lbs. 3.6 oz. (18th percentile) which is only 3.6 oz. up from when we left the hospital. The doctor said that that is very normal for infants and that we should look for weight gain in the next few weeks - otherwise she is going to formula and not breast milk. She is 19.17 inches long (11th percentile) and her head is measuring just over 14 cm (46th percentile). To sum it all up, she is a small girl! But she is super cuddly and fits perfectly in our arms and it makes it really fun to enjoy this time that she is so little.

Everything else looks great: mouth, ears, head, stomach, hips, etc. He said that he just wants to see her back at her 2 month appointment and that should be great!

Unfortunately, that was the easy part of the appointment... we had to go over to the lab to get the pKu test done as well. Our poor little Abrielle was not very happy about getting her foot poked and squeezed so that 6 bubbles could be filled with blood. Her doctor said that in the 21 years he has been practicing this test has only come back positive for 2 of his patients that he can ever remember. BUT, it detects some very hard to see and rare diseases that, if they are caught early, are easily treatable. So... we suffered through it, survived (barely) and are just a little bit worse for wear. Hopefully the test will be negative and we can leave it at that.

All-in-all we are loving the experience of being parents and Abrielle is as beautiful and adorable as ever.

As an update on Jake and I: my breast infection is slowly going away and my antibiotics are slowly disappearing from the bottle. (Hallelujah!) I have been so grateful for the prayers on my behalf that have certainly contributed to my speedy recovery. I am adjusting to being a new mom and learning the ropes of how to care for my daughter, myself, and my adorable husband. Jake is doing his best to keep on top of work, school, being a new dad, and taking care of a sometimes frazzled new mother. He is anxious for the semester to be over and is enjoying his job. We take every opportunity to steal special moments for the two of us and we are continually growing closer together and continue to fall more and more in love!

We hope all of you are happy and healthy. With the flu virus at such a high right now we are still pretty wary about public places and visitors, but we would love to hear how you are doing and what is going on in your lives! Please take care of yourselves and those you love!

Love from the Bentley Family