When the girls were born, Laurel came home with us first since Vienna was jaundice. She also needed to be monitored. Basically during one of her feedings, she stopped breathing, so to assure there weren't any really complications, they kept her in the NICU for one day. Boy, was she not happy, she cried and cried. Everytime we visited, we could see dried tear tracks on her face. We knew she wasn't uncomfortable, since the baby right next to her incubator was lounging and bathing in the infralight. That was the first sign of Vienna's personality...
The first night with Laurel was a dream, she eats, burps, poops and sleeps like clockwork. To this day, she just wants and needs her pacifier. She'll play alittle, watch the mobile and put herself to sleep, sucking on her paci.
Then Vienna came home. She wasn't colic right away, not until 2 weeks later. But she was still a more fussy, touchy baby. Changing her diaper was a sporting event!
Once the colic started, it felt like a 2-3 hour marathon, mentally and physically exhausting. Eric would have to take the girls outside in the stroller since Vienna loved looking at the trees which calmed her down. Or I would walk her up and down Easie Street. We would also rock her in the bathroom with the vent blasting. Sometimes she would be fed in there since she would be so riled up and wouldnt eat. They say babies cry from colic due to gas discomfort (she would burb 2-3 times after a meal) and an immature nervous system, so crying helps them block out the world.
On top of her colic and gas pains, poor Vienna has had excezema (which cleared up in the about 2 weeks), slight cradle cap, aka baby dandruff, on her forehead (even though she barely has any hair). She also originally tested positive for cystic fibrosis. But was negative on the retest---but of course, since asians rarely carry the gene.
And when she was born, the doctor had to turn her, which made her face uneven. It's slowly getting better and barely noticeable, along with the giant dent on her head from clearing my pelvic bone. Its not always fun being the older sister!
And we wont mention her weight percentile.
Now this week, we're bringing her in to the physical therapist. She has the tendency to tilt her head and neck to the left---and hopefully this hasnt cramped up a nerve. I'm pretty sure this is how she slept in the womb, since during the late sonograms, they had to measure her head circumference in my pelvic area. She must have been smooshed!
Happily, at two months her colic went away. She's gotten bigger and is able to handle the gas. No more evening screaming bouts, but her strong personality is still intact. Even in the womb we called Vienna the 'wiggler' since she was never still, always kicking away.
But you know, we wouldnt have Vienna any other way. One of the nurses at the hospital noticed how fiesty she was and made the comment, 'she's gonna be the one stealing cars'. Too funny! Never a dull moment with our Vienna.
