Monday, December 31, 2007

Lolli Pics - December 2007


Band-aids from her first shots

Best Friends Forever!

Lolli peed on Daddy :)

Merry Christmas!

Lolli has a Chuck-stache!


Oooh - big girl jeans!

Lolli can sit up - she loves the Bumbo

Christmas morning

Just the girls

Ho Ho Ho!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Baby-Sat at Gpa Swain's!

Zach & Lauren went to the Colts game tonight so they dropped Lolli off at Gpa Swain's around 6:15. They were gone until about 10:35. During that timespan, Lolli only cried for 5 minutes and only slept for 45 minutes! The reason she stayed awake and happy? Gpa played her his harmonica! Lolli loves listening to the music; it mesmerizes her! The only downside was that she didn't eat, but hey - that's Lolli for ya!

Shopping & Sipping & $h!*ting

Zach, Lauren & Lolli went to Metropolis Mall this morning to do some shopping. Lolli was good the whole time! She even let them all eat lunch at the Italian Kitchen - wow! While they were shopping, Lolli got a pair of really cute jeans and 2 sweaters that will fit her next year. One is sparkley & purple, the other is sparkley and green. Beautiful!

When they left the mall, Lolli was still being so good and happy that they decided to stop in at Chatuea Thomas since Jen (Violet's mom) had given Lauren a gift card for Christmas. Lauren & Zach tasted several yummy wines while Lolli sat quietly in her seat. All the employees there fell in love with her!

Halfway home from the westside though, Lolli started screaming and didn't stop until Lauren got her out of the carseat back at home. The reason? Lolli was COVERED in poop! It had even soaked through her onsie and pants to get on her swaddle! Ew - that's enough to make anyone scream!

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Popcorn Farts

Lolli, in an oh-so ladylike way, can fart for 30 seconds straight! It sounds just like popcorn popping and it oddly adorable!

Friday, December 28, 2007

PetSmart & attempted breakfast

Zach, Lauren & Lolli went to PetSmart this morning to buy some new litter boxes for the kitties for Christmas. After that they headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast but Lolli decided against that (she was screaming). So instead they got Taco Bell to go and went home. Booooooo!

Calendar Girl!

Lolli made a very special Christmas gift to give this year. She posed for a Calendar photo shoot! Actually it was 2 photo shoots. She had 36 different pictures taken, 3 for each month. The calendars were received with lots of "oooohs" and "awwwws" and even some tears from Gpa Swain! Lolli definitely gave the best gift of the season this year!

January - Lolli wearing a feathery Happy New Year tiara
February - Lolli holding a red heart
March - Lolli holding a Basketball on her IU blanket
April - Lolli wearing her bunny hat
May - Lolli in front of a checked background w/ some racing cars
June - Lolli wearing a lei & playing with her sand bucket
July - Lolly wearing patriotic beads & holding an American flag
August - Lolli decked out for Colts season w/ Marvin Bearison
September - Lolli wearing a birthday cake hat
October - Lolli w/ a stuffed ghost
November - Lolli w/ a stuffed turkey
December - Lolli wearing a Santa Claus hat

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Lolli's Christmas Gifts

Here's what Lolli got for Christmas:
$55 * $250 in Savings Bonds * 4 My Little Ponies * Glo Worm * Clothes * Telephone * Stacking Cups * Puzzles * Books * Piano * Piggy Bank * Car Seat Toy * Care Bear * Bibs * Colts Teething Ring & Bottle * Ball Popping Thingie * ABC Drum * Bumbo * "I Love You" Doll * Keys * Wrist Rattles * Stuffed Bear * Stuffed Turtle * Stuffed Reindeer * Bath Toys * Squirting Penguin Bath Puppet *

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

After Christmas Gathering

Zach, Lauren & Lolli went to visit Gma & Gpa Hall today. This was the first time Lolli had ever met them! They didn't stay long because Lolli was fussy, but they were glad to finally get to see her!

Lolli's Christmas Shopping

Zach & Lauren only had one doll for Lolli to open on Christmas. So today they took her shopping at WalMart. Lolli picked out a blue Bumbo seat, a set of plastic keys, some rattles that velcro to her wrists, and a Kidz Bop Christmas CD. She is really good at sitting up in her Bumbo & holding onto her keys!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

First Christmas!

Lauren & Zach got up BEFORE Lolli today and got ready for the day. Then they put on their pj's for the big pajama Christmas party at Carmen's. Lolli finally woke up when Gma Cathy came to visit since she was leaving town today. Zach, Lauren & Lolli posed for some family pictures under the Christmas tree & in front of the fireplace. Everyone was so happy to be having their first Christmas as a family!

Then they packed up and headed to Carmen's. Lolli napped as soon as she got there, which was nice because everyone got to eat a big breakfast in peace. She woke up just in time for presents and stayed up for a couple of hours! She had fun playing with Gpa Swain while everyone opened their gifts.

Finally the Christmas festivities were over! Zach, Lauren & Lolli went home and enjoyed a lazy day on the couch. Gma & Gpa Great came over later to see Lolli's presents and brought crab meat pizza for Lauren. YUM!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Eve

Zach, Lauren & Lolli were very busy today! First they went to the mall then to Granny P's for Christmas with Zach's immediate family. Lolli was pretty well-behaved and got lots of cool presents! She took a couple naps in her swing with the aid of static, of course.

Next they all went to Gma Great's. Lolli pretty much went right to sleep there. She got lots of cool presents there, too, and some $. Zach and Lauren went on Lolli's scavenger hunt in her honor, since she was zonked out. Lolli never was very happy at this Christmas but she did play the piano for everyone.

Finally the clan traveled to Gpa Swain's house. Lolli immediately went for a nap but woke up in time for presents to be opened. She got lots more toys and even a piggy bank!

It was a BIG day for Lolli but she handled it beautifully - just like a big girl! She wore her red Ho Ho Ho outfit with her new blue sneakers. Very stunning!

Eatin' like a little piggie

The hunger strike is over! Lolli is back to eating every 2 hours - whew!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Hunger Strike

Lolli is 3 months old today. For the past couple of days she hasn't been wanting to eat as often as usual (usual for us is every 2-3 hours except for 1 5-hour stretch at night). Yesterday she ate about every 4 hours with a few 5-6 hour stretches. She has eaten 3 times today: 12am, 5:30am, and a really short one around 11:30am.
She is not feverish, does not mind laying on either side while sucking on a pacifier, and is her usual smiley-then-fussy-then-smiley self. She's just not hungry. Lauren & Zach tried bottle feeding her and spoon feeding her. She just played with the bottle and smiled at the spoon in her mouth. All the milk just dribbled out. Lauren tried breastfeeding her in several different positions. No luck.
Lauren called the doctor an hour ago and he said not to worry unless she goes 12 hours without eating (or her behavior changes). We've been really busy these past 3 or 4 days, with Christmas shopping and visiting relatives. We're staying home on the couch today in hopes that the "understimulation" will help her want to eat again.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Lolli the Thief!

Zach, Lauren & Lolli were lazying around in bed this morning. Zach was leaning over Lolli, talking to her, when she reached up and yanked his glasses right off his face! Now that's some impressive hand-eye coordination!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Christmas shopping!

Zach, Lauren, Lolli & Violet went shopping today with minimal disasterous consequences. They went to Greenwood Park Mall where they visited Uncle Alex and bought presents. Then they went to Babies R Us to pick out Violet's Christmas present and buy Lolli an outfit and some shoes. All in all there were very little tears involved until the end of the trip, because by then the girls had shopped 'til they dropped and were sooo tired!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Day at Grandma Great's

Lauren, Lolli & Violet spend the day at Grandma Great's today visiting with Grandma Cathy. Everyone was pretty happy all day long. Violet cried a bit when she got hungry, and Lolli cried a bit when she got sleepy - but hey, not bad for babies! Violet stole the show with her laugh and Lolli's intense stares cracked everyone up. Lolli managed to ruin 2 outfits in 2 hours - she got breastmilk all over one, and poop all over another. Silly girl!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Santa Claus!

Lauren and Zach tried to take Lolli & Violet to see Santa this morning, but he hadn't arrived at the mall yet. So Lauren took the girls back later this afternoon. Grandpa Swain met her in the parking lot to help carry a baby. There was no line for Santa so it was quick and surprisingly painless! Violet even smiled for the picture! Lolli didn't exactly smile, but she didn't scream either - hooray! The Santa Claus even had a REAL beard, not one of those dumb fake ones :)

Monday, December 17, 2007

Pucillo Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

Lolli Got Shot!

Lolli got 4 shots and 1 oral vaccine today. She also got weighed and measured - 12 lbs, 2 oz and 23 1/4 inches! She peed all over the doc's measuring table :) She was a real trouper about the shots - she wimpered and fussed a bit but didn't really start crying until several minutes later when she was having a hard time getting to sleep. What a big girl!!!

She did, however, cry twice when Lauren yanked her bandaids off (they were shaped like red crayons!). But she quickly recovered!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Great Aunt Jodi baby-sits!

Since Uncle Aaron & Aunt Annie are living with the Pucillo's now, they invited Zach & Lauren to go with them to BW3s for Doug's birthday dinner. Zach asked Jodi if she would like to baby-sit and of course she said yes. Zach & Lauren left a little bit after 7 and came home around 10:15. Again, Lolli didn't sleep the entire time. But this time she wasn't quite as happy as last night. She spent quite a bit of time crying. She fell asleep in Lauren's arms as soon as she picked her up though. And she sure slept good all night long, since she was so worn out! Luckily Jodi wasn't too traumatized - she's offered to babysit anytime Zach and Lauren need Lolli to get a little bit worn out and sleep good through the night :)

Lolli Laughed!

Lauren was feeding Lolli out on the couch while Zach showered. After Lolli finished eating, Lauren sat her up and, as usual, within minutes Lolli pooped. Lauren took her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Zach was out of the shower, so Lauren just spent a few minutes talking to Lolli while Zach got dressed. Lolli was talking back and then she made a kind of laughing noise. Zach looked over and said, "That almost sounded like a laugh." Lauren talked to Lolli some more and sure enough she did it again - and this one was definitely a laugh!

It was such great timing since both Lauren and Zach got to hear Lolli's first laugh! The one downside for Zach was that he couldn't get her to repeat it; Lolli will only laugh for Lauren. But she talks more to Zach, so it evens out.

Shopping like a big girl

Zach, Lauren & Lolli went to Maijer this morning to get some Christmas shopping done. Lolli rode in the basket of the cart in her carseat. She was awake and quiet for the first half of the trip and then actually went to sleep in the store! Zach put a blanket over her head and eyes, which helped her out a lot. In fact, she even stayed asleep when she was transferred from the cart to the car - what a big girl! Lauren had so much fun on the trip - she isn't used to shopping with a happy, sleeping baby! And they got a lot of Christmas shopping accomplished - hooray!

Friday, December 14, 2007

Grandpa Swain babysits!

Zach and Lauren have been wanting to go out to eat for a ling time. So tonight Grandpa Swain came over to stay with Lolli. Lauren and Zach went to Stone Creek Dining Company in Greenwood. They had a wonderful dinner and were gone for about 2 hours.

Lolli had a great time with Grandpa Swain. She didn't sleep at all, but stayed happy for the most part. She did start crying the second Lauren and Zach got home, but of course that was just because she was so excited to see them :)

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Bumbo!!!

Violet brought her Bumbo Baby-Sitter Seat over this week. Lolli loves sitting in it all by herself - she holds her head up great! She leans back a little bit and folds her hands in front of her chest. She loves it because she can look all around instead of just 1 direction, like when she sits on the couch. Lolli's favorite thing to do is sit in the Bumbo and watch her Baby Einstein dvd. Lolli LOVES tv. What a dork!

Lolli is definitely getting a Bumbo of her very own for Christmas!

3 Night in a Row!

Lolli has developed a nighttime sleeping pattern. Last night was the third in a row that Zach, Lauren and Lolli all went to bed between 10 and 10:30. Lolli ate in the bedroom, then Lauren laid her down AWAKE in her bed. All 3 nights she fell asleep all by herself! And the best part - she STAYED asleep until 3:30 or 4 all three nights! Those are stretches of between 5 and 6 hours - which is considered "sleeping through the night." Lauren and Zach are so proud of her!!! Remember, this was the baby who wouldnt sleep at all for her first 3 weeks of life - look how far she's come! Hooray!

First Car Wash!

Lolli was actually being quiet in the car today on the way to let Baxter out. So afterwards Lauren decided to get a car wash. Lolli & Violet really enjoyed it, I'm sure. They got to see Elmo and Bert & Ernie and a bunch of other stuffed characters. It probably wasn't as exciting going backwards as it would be going forwards, but they'll get to experience that in a year or so!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Friday Night Freakout

Zach came home tonight from a 4-night trip to Cincinnati for work. Lolli freaked out the second he came home, as she always does. She gets so excited to see her daddy that she doesn't know how to contain it! Eventually though, she calmed down so they all went to Granny P's to visit for a while.

However, Lolli freaked out again in the car on the way over there. She didn't even want to look at the extravagent light display Zach showed them on the way. Lolli calmed down a couple of times during the visit at Granny P's, but it didn't last long. Zach and Lauren ended up cutting the visit short and taking her home.

Lolli Shares Her Milk

Lauren made her first donation to the Indiana Mother's Milk Bank this afternoon! She donated 37 bags of milk, with between 4 and 7 ounces in each bag, a total of around 200 ounces. It'll be pasteurized and then shipped to one of 6 regional hospitals where it will be used to feed premie babies, sick babies, and/or babies who can't tolerate formula for some reason.

Zach & Lolli went with Lauren to donate the milk. Lolli learned a valuable lesson about helping others :)

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

First Snow!!!

Today was the first snowfall of the winter - and Loli's first real snow! Lauren excitedly held her up by the window she she could look at it . . . and Lolli couldn't have cared less. Oh well!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Fun at the Lab w/ Uncle Aaron

Lauren had to get her blood drawn today in order to donate her extra breastmilk to the milk bank. She, Lolli & Violet picked Uncle Aaron up at CarMax and went to the lab. Aaron stayed in the waiting room and watched the girls while Lauren got her blood drawn. Violet was smiling and happy just sitting in her seat. Lolli, on the other hand, cried every time her carseat was set down. So Aaron spent a few minutes swinging and rocking her. Someone asked him if both of the girls were his - Nope, he said - neither one is!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Babysat again!!!

Zach & Lauren went to the Colts-Jaguars game today. Lolli stayed at her Grandma & Grandpa Great's house. Great Aunt Jodi & Great Uncle Kenney were there, too. It went very well! Zach & Lauren taught everyone how to swaddle Lolli and shush her like she likes. They took the swing over there and so Lolli tok some naps in it. She also played the piano for everyone - what a talented baby! She got mad a couple of times but they just wrapped her up and cuddled her to sleep and then she woke up happy! Hooray!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Pulsing Fontanelle

Whoa! Lolli was sitting on the couch and Lauren was singing silly songs to her when Lauren noticed Lolli's soft spot was pulsing! It was very gross and Lauren worried that something was wrong. But, according to various web sites, a pulsing fontanelle is completely normal as long as it's not bulging or sunken in. Whew!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Lolli Pics - November 2007


Praying for a Colts victory

Sound asleep

Half smile

Lolli & her BFF Violet

Lolli LOVES Naked!


Bath robe :)

Lolli & her cousin Paige

Lolli trying on her Christmas dress

Say cheese!

Her eyes are soooo pretty!

Pictures with Paige

Granny P wanted to get Christmas pictures taken of Lolli and Paige in matching dresses. So she set up appointment at Target at 12:50. Lauren, Lolli, & Violet arrived at Target around 12:35 and waited for Granny P, Kim, & Paige. Violet got hungry and Lolli got MAD - Lauren had her hands full! Luckily Violet was very cooperative and settled for a snack until Lauren had Lolli off her hands.
Long story short, the appointment was actually for 1:50, which meant more than 2 hours in Target! Lolli stayed pretty mad the whole time. Eventually Paige got upset too, so Granny P ended up with a Christmas picture of 2 crying babies. Better luck next year!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Growing Up / Tongue Action / All Ears

Lolli is really starting to grow out of her colic. She is still pretty fussy at times, but nothing like she was between 4 and 7 weeks! Zach & Lauren are so happy and they certainly breathe easier in the evenings. And Lolli is smiling and talking all day long now, not just in the mornings. She has such a great grin! Lollo has even been able to take some naps un-swaddled! It's mostly a restless sleep, but much better than she used to be able to do!

Lolli has started sticking her tongue out all the time! It's pretty cute but Lauren & Zach can't figure out why she does it. Maybe just because it IS cute :)

Zach swears Lolli's ears are sticking out more and more. Lauren says it just looks that way becasue her face got longer and thinner. Regardless, she has some very cute ears that stick out at the top. If it wasn't so cruel, Lauren would definitely be getting them pierced!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Joy To The World

Zach put up the Christmas lights today. Once it got dark, Lolli put on her warm bunny hat and headed outside with Lauren & Zach to fire up the display for the first time! Unfortunately, it was raining so Lauren & Lolli had to watch from the garage. Which meant they couldn't really see anything at all. But Zach was very proud of himself and had fun with the ceremonial first lighting!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Thanksgiving Part II

Lolli had visitors this morning. Rachel, Kym and Marley stopped by on their way to the Children's Museum. Then Zach, Lauren and Lolli headed over to Granny P's for Thanksgiving dinner. The meal was delayed, however, because Paul almost cut his thumb off trying to cut up a deer he'd killed earlier that morning. Eventually though, dinner was served. Lolli stayed in her swing and let everyone eat in peace.
After that, Zach, Lauren & Lolli went to Great Great Aunt Pat's for another Thanksgiving! Lolli sat in a big chair and smiled at everyone for a while, then got fussy so it was time to go home.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Let's Go Outback Tonight!

Since Lauren had been pregnant since 2006, she hadn't had and Ahi Tuna all year! So instead of risking ruining an expensive meal at a great restaurant (Koa Grill, Bonefish...) Zach and Lauren decided to go out to eat at Outback. Lolli had been sleeping all day and they thought she would do well. Well. . . she did not :) Lauren ate her Ahi Tuna appetizer but they got their entrees to go. Since Lolli was so unhappy, they drove her over to Gma and Gpa Great's and she got a good nap on the way.
Danny, Diana, and Kelly (Gpa Great's BIL, sister, and their daughter) were visiting from Tennessee and got to visit with Lolli while Zach and Lauren ate their food in peace!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was Lolli's first Thanksgiving! She went to her aunt Carmen's for lunch. Not everything went according to plan however, because Great Grandma Swain collapsed shortly before it was time to eat! Luckily she is ok, but Thanksgiving just wasn't the same with her at the hospital and Grampa & Carmen taking turns sitting with her.

Then Lolli went to Grandma and Grandpa Great's for a couple of hours. And she got to see her Great Aunt Jodi there, so Lolli was a happy baby! She even napped in her swing for a little bit.

Then Zach and Lauren took her to Muncie for the Colts/Falcons game. Lolli was really tired from not napping for more than 20 minutes all day long, so she got pretty fussy towards halftime. So Zach and Lauren headed home with her. She had had a very long day but when Lauren laid her down in her bed at midnight, she was wide awake. She fell asleep on her own though - what a big girl! And she slept until 6am when Lauren had to actually wake her up to eat! Wow!!!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Best Friends Forever!

Today was the first day that Violet stayed all day with Lauren and Lolli. All the girls had a blast! Actually, Lolli and Violet napped quite a bit. Luckily there were no complications from both girls getting hungry at the same time. Lauren always made sure Lolli ate a few minutes before Violet was due to start getting hungry, and it worked! Lolli and Violet like to sit on the couch together like big girls, and to sit in their rocker/bouncer seats and chill. They didn't have to go let Baxter out, because Zach did it for them. But they'll give that a try on Monday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Two Month Photo Shoot

Lolli turns 2 months old on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. Since her photographer's studio is in the mall, there's NO WAY Lauren was taking her for pictures that day! So Lauren and Zach took her tonight. Lolli wore her special red Christmas dress with rhinestones on it and her silver glitter shoes! She looked like a glamour queen! Everyone at the picture place wanted to take her home with them, but only Zach and Lauren were lucky enough to get to!
Lolli had a hard time looking at the camera because she preferred staring at the bright lights. Eventually though the photographer got 3 pretty good shots before Lolli started wailing. One family photo with Zach, Lauren and Lolli. And two of Lolli by herself. In fact, one of the Lolli-only pictures was soooo good that the photographers had Lauren fill out a Model Release form so that Lolli could be put up on the wall of their studio!!!
Lolli's gonna be a super model :)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Lolli gets babysat!!!

Today was the Colts-Chiefs game and Lauren and Zach really wanted to go. They were supposed to go to the Patriots game 2 weeks ago but ended up selling the tickets because Lauren was too nervous to be away from Lolli. But today Lolli is 8 weeks old and definitely old enough to have a babysitter every now and then!

Lauren and Zach dropped Lolli off at her Granny P's around 10am and picked her up around 5pm. From what Granny P says, everything went ok. She did say that Lolli hardly sleeps but did pretty decent with taking the bottle. She suggested putting cereal in the bottle to make Lolli sleep more, but since Lolli isn't even halfway old enough for anything other than breastmilk yet, and she's gaining weight like a pro, they'll hold off on that for a while. All in all, though, it was a good experience and now Lauren can get over her nerves about being away from Lolli.

As a side note, Lauren had to manually pump her boobs in the bathroom of the RCA Dome, and again in the car during the drive to go pick up Lolli. The things moms do for their kids :)

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Just the Two of Us

Zach had a loooong business trip this week and was gone from Monday morning until Thursday evening. Luckily Lauren and Lolli had 3 good nights, so it wasn't too hard on anyone! Lolli was very excited to see Zach when he finally got home, however, and that made her a bit fussy.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Muncie Part Deaux

Lauren and Lolli once again braved the trip to Muncie and this time the drive home was mostly a success! Lolli cried towards the end of the journey up there, though, and part of the time at Uncle Aaron and Aunt Annie's apartment. She loved looking at the Colts flag on the wall and had fun swinging and listening to static. Lolli did cry a little bit on the way home but it wasn't nearly as bad as the last time Lauren took her to Muncie alone!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Bounce Her!

Lolli's Granda Great Bowen gave her $50 to spend and Lolli decided she wanted a bouncer. So Zach and Lauren bought her one with piano keys at the feet. Whenever Lolli kicks the piano keys, music plays and lights flash. Lolli is very talented at this and can pretty much play a whole concert!!!

Granny P babysits!

Zach and Lauren needed to go to Babies R Us this morning to buy a bouncer for Lolli. Lolli's Granny P wanted to see her, so Zach and Lauren decided to leave Lolli at her house while they went shopping. Lauren fed Lolli right before they left and since her and Zach got back within an hour, there was no cause for worry about bottle feeding. Lolli did great and it was a good stepping stone for Lauren and Zach towards freedom :)

Friday, November 9, 2007

Visiting Violet

Zach, Lauren and Lolli went to Jen's house today to visit with her, Adam, and Violet. It was fun but (surprise) Lolli was fussy so they only stayed a couple of hours. The grown-ups had pizza while Violet chilled in her swing and Lolli bounced in Violet's bouncy chair. Lolli really liked it so Zach and Lauren think they will get Lolli her own! Everyone is going to try to get together again once Lolli outgrows this evening misery.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Doctor's Visit Day

Lauren had her 6-week check-up today and Lolli went with her. After that they stopped by the Milk Bank and Lauren signed up to donate. Then they stopped by Lolli's doctor's office to have her weighed.

She weighs 10 lbs, 15.5 oz! The doctor told Lauren to keep doing what they're doing because she is growing great!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Lauren vs. Lolli's Demons

Zach was out of town tonight so Lauren was on her own to battle Lolli's colic. It lasted from about 4 until she finally fell asleep for good at 10:30. Lauren did a lot of carseat swinging, rocking, and spinning. She also took Lolli for a drive which worked for a while and then quit working when they were near Grandpa Swain's house. So they stopped in for a visit. It didn't help much but oh well. Thank goodness it ended when it did - Lauren was exhausted!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Tasting Defeat

The 2006 World Champion Colts, who had been undefeated since Lolli's conception, lost tonight to the New Englad Patriots, 24-20, despite Lolli's prayer requesting otherwise.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Wedding Crasher!

Zach, Lauren and Lolli went to Valle Vista for Bryan & Ashley's wedding tonight. Lolli slept through most of the ceremony - thank goodness! Unfortunately she got overwhelmed at the reception. Zach and Lauren tried taking turns swinging the car seat to keep her quiet but even that wasn't working. So they all left just after the salads were served. Boooo! Lauren was *really* looking forward to a little bit of fun! Maybe next time...

Once they got home, Lolli continued with the misery until about 10pm, so it was a good thing Zach and Lauren didn't try to "wait it out" at the reception!

Balding!

Lolli is going bald! Her hair is falling out on each side of her head from her face to the backs of her ears. No more sideburns! It looks a little silly but maybe her hair will grown back in blonde! Then Lauren will have to dye her hair again, since she just dyed it darker to match Lolli!

Friday, November 2, 2007

Blow Dry Her!

Lolli was fussy tonight (as she is about 4 or 5 nights week) and Zach came up with a genius idea! He blow dried her (on the cool setting, of course). She loved it! He even managed to get her to take 2 ounces from a bottle while he was blow drying her. Lauren had to hide in the kitchen, though, but it worked! What a silly girl!

Thursday, November 1, 2007

IndyMoms Love Lolli!

Lauren posted a link to Lolli's pictures on IndyMoms.com and here are some of the responses:

She's gorgeous!

She is soo adorable.

She is beautiful!

She's a cutie, and seems to be quite the little sleepy head! Adorable!

Too cute! She is a doll!

DS was sitting w/ me as I watched the slide show. He said " Baby has tail!" refering to the cord & clamp! LOl Then one he said "Baby poopy", but I dont know where he got that from. Then on the naked pics he said " Baby way to cold! Nudey Bootie!" LOL Whenever he sees' her pic from your posts he calls her "Cute baby". She really is one of the best looking newborns I've seen.

My favorite picture was in September, she's naked and laying on the white sheet - her head is on the right and her mouth is wide open in the shape of a "O" - best baby picture ever! She's absolutely beautiful, congrats!

I must say she is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. She is sooooo precious. Some babies are cute but she is by far the cutiest thing I have seen since my two babies, of course. :)

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Lolli Pics - October 2007


Snoozing with Daddy

Trying to get a smile on camera...

Fresh out of the bath tub

Tummy Time

In her witch hat, getting ready for Halloween (also the first time she took a pacifier)


Snoozing on Mommy

Bath time "Hi Bud!"

Snoozing on the boppy (this is the pic that was on Regis)

First bubble bath

Sitting up like a big girl

Happy Halloween!

Lolli's first Halloween! She wore a white shirt with a witch on it that said, "Little Miss-chievious" and black pants with colored stars on them. However, she was fussy (surprise) so she ended up being a pink burrito for Halloween because she had to be swaddled all night! She was a very cute pink burrito!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Fighting Sleep for 7 Hour and Counting...

From IndyMoms.com

Help! Lolli will NOT sleep. She is miserable and screaming no matter what we do. A few times we have gotten her quieted but as soon as she starts to drift off, she screams and wakes herself up. She and I went to the mall today for a few hours and apparently that got her all out of whack. She hasn't really been able to sleep since we got home. She just cries.
She isn't hungry (she just calmed down to eat for about 10 minutes), she isn't dirty (we tried a bath to calm her earlier), she isn't constipated (just pooped) and doesn't have a fever. She isn't acting like she's in pain (except for the crying, of course). She is just way too tired.
The 5 S's are NOT working, no matter how long we try. She isn't liking her swing right now. She'll sometimes quiet for a minute when we're holding her but then screams again. The only thing she consistently likes is when we swing her car seat around. My back is spasming and DH can't do it much longer, either. We tried a car ride and it worked, off and on. But that was with us pulling over every few minutes to swing her car seat.
We are so sad for her and it's breaking our hearts not being able to make her feel better. This is by far the longest time she's ever acted this way in a row (previous "record" was 4-5 hours). How can we get Lolli to fall asleep and stay asleep, at least long enough for her to wake up rested enough to sleep some more???

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Blue Crew Sports Grill

Lolli went to her first bar today - the Blue Crew Sports Grill on 96th Street! But she sat in the family section with Lauren and Zach, of course! She slept almost the whole time and let everyone hold her. She was by far the youngest Colts fan there!

Lolli was being so good that Lauren managed to slip next door to Great Clips for a haircut while Annie and Lauren's friend Amber Lolli-sat! Zach got to play Golden Tee so everyone was happy!

Driving Miss Cranky

Lolli had another bad night tonight. Lauren and Zach could not figure out how to make her happy. The drove to Shelbyville and back, which made her sleep. But as soon as she was back in the house, she woke up crying again! So Zach suggested they drive the 465 loop. Mistake! Lolli stopped being soothed by the car around Meridian street. After a 20 minute effort to help her feel better (including stripping Lolli naked in the Mcdonalds parking lot) they all returned hom, where Lolli screamed some more. Poor Lolli!

On the upside, once she finally fell asleep at 1am, she slept until 5:30am! Whoa!

Friday, October 26, 2007

O'Charleys!

Lolli went out to eat again tonight - this time with Lauren & Zach and his parents. She was a perfect angel (because she was asleep ha) until it was time to leave, when she got hungry and became fussy. She's a dining out pro!

Sleepy Pictures

Zach didn't have to see any clients today so he went with Lauren and Lolli for picture retakes. This time was the polar opposite - Lolli wouldn't wake up! So Lolli's one month picture consist of some screaming pictures and some sleeping pictures. Silly girl!

Ahhh - Well-Rested!!!

Thank goodness! Lolli slept for 4 hours in a row tonight! Lauren felt like a bad mom because babies aren't supposed to go more than 4 hours without eating during the night. Oops! But obviously Lolli needed the sleep! Lauren was sooo excited to sleep for that long in a row!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

No sleep for this baby!

Zach was out of town last night so Lauren and Lolli were on their own. Lolli must have wanted to party, with dad out of the house and all, because she DID NOT SLEEP. The only way Lauren could get her to doze off was by holding her until she zonked out and then putting her in the boppy. But then Lauren couldn't sleep, because Boppies are not AAP approved for infant sleeping. Rough night!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Picture Disaster!

Today Lolli is one month old! Because today is Tuesday and Zach has to work, Lauren asked Aaron and Annie to go with her and Lolli to have her pictures taken. Lolli had a decent morning but got fussy around 10. Her picture appoinment was at noon. A & A arrived around 11 and tried to soothe Lolli while Lauren finished getting ready to go.

Long story short - Lolli screamed in all of her pictures! She was hungry but refused a bottle. Lauren nursed her for a bit in the mall but even that didn't satisfy her. In the end, the photo shoot was called off shortly after it began. Poor Lolli!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The 5 S's

This evening is the 3rd in a row that Lolli has started crying around 4pm and not stopped until 8 or 9, after exhaustive efforts on the part of Lauren & Zach.
After walking 3 or 4 miles this evening with Lolli in the carrier, Zach got tired and the effect was wearing off on Lolli. Pretty soon she was all-out screaming. Zach & Lauren tried a bath, tried the swing, tried walking her, tried bouncing her - Lolli was oblivious to it all. They even tried gas drops and gripe water - they still had a wailing, purple-faced little girl. That's when Lauren remembered reading about the 5 S's.
She couldn't remember all of the S's so she googled it. Apparently they are outlined in the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Karp. Here they are:
*Swaddling
*Side (or stomach)
*Shhhh
*Swinging
*Sucking
Zach was starting to get a bit fussy himself so he went to CVS. While he was gone Lauren double swaddled Lolli in a blanket and her Kiddopotamus. The she stood shirtless in the hallway (Lolli seemed to like the dim light and shadows), holding Lolli on her side while she breastfed, and swayed like a manwoman. It worked!!!
So now Lauren's back hurts like HELL but at least Lolli is feeling better. Zach was even able to take over for Lauren when he got back from CVS (he got shirtless, too, but Lolli wasn't latched on, of course ha). At the moment Lolli is still swaddled and on her side on Zach's lap but they've been able to eliminate the swaying and sucking. A few Shhh's every now and then have helped make sure she stays asleep!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Tuttles - First Pumpkin!

Zach, Lauren and Lolli went to Tuttles today! Tuttles is an apple orchard in Hancock County. Lolli wore her witch hat to celebrate the occasion and Zach carried her in the Snugli! Lauren and Zach had apple cider slushies and brought home a bag of yummy apples. Lolli got her first pumpkin! It's actually a gord, but she doesn't mind because it is just the right size for her!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Pacifier Success!

Lauren and Lolli went to Willow Branch today to visit Cindy & Ella. Lolli was very well-behaved in the car, for which Lauren was relieved! After being at Cindy's for a while, though, Lolli got fussy. Cindy left the room, returned with a pacifier, popped it in Lolli's mouth - and she started sucking on it! Hooray! Cindy is letting Lolli borrow the pacifier as long as she needs it.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Fine Dining!

After Monday's horrific trip to Muncie, Lauren knew she'd better try again or else she might end up scarred for life. So tonight Zach, Lauren & Lolli headed up to Muncie. Lolli slept the whole way there! They picked up Uncle Aaron and went for dinner at Red Lobster. Aunt Annie was their waitress. Lolli slept all through dinner in her carseat. After everyone was done eating Lolli enjoyed a bottle from Aaron & Zach. Then she slept the whole way home! It was a very enjoyable first dining experience for the new family!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Play Date!

Lolli had her first playdate today. Lauren's friend Jen brought over her daughter Violet this afternoon. Violet was born September 6th so is only 17 days older than Lolli! Lauren and Jen had a great time chatting. Lolli enjoyed her swing and Violet slept. The girls didn't really play much but what can you expect from such little girls!

Peee-Ewww!

Lolli's breath STINKS! It smells like rotten milk so Lauren thinks Lolli isn't swallowing everything before she falls asleep with her mouth wide open. OR it could be her neck rolls, but Lauren is very careful to make sure she stays clean in there! Lauren is going to try washing Lolli's mouth with a washcloth once a day to see if that improves things. If not, Lauren will just have to start eating A LOT of mint and hope for mint-flavored breastmilk :)

Road Trip!

Lolli was a very fussy baby yesterday but seemed to calm down in the car as long as Lauren was driving over 50 mph (kind of like the movie Speed - slow down and she'll blow!). So Lauren decided they would go visit Uncle Aaron in Muncie because he had too much laundry to do and couldn't come visit. So off they went!

Lolli got hungry around the exit for SR 38 so Lauren fed her in a McDonald's parking lot (yum). After that they made it all the way to Red Lobster pretty much drama-free! Lolli got the hiccups at Aaron's apartment and was very upset about them. Uncle Aaron rocked her carseat until she fell asleep. Melinda (the cat) seemed to want to play with Lolli but Lolli was too boring.

On the way home, Lolli had to be fed on a side street in front of some random house before Lauren even made it to I-69! And then AGAIN in a Kroger parking lot in Geist. Lolli started screaming again at I-70 and Post so Lauren stopped at a gas station and swung her car seat for a few minutes and then finally made it home. The whole car ridewas VERY traumatic for both Lauren and Lolli and they probably won't be taking any road trips for a while!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Big Girl Nap

Lolli got very fussy around 10:30 today so Lauren swaddled her and rocked her to sleep. Once Lolli was snoozing, Lauren laid her down in the cosleeper and left her in the bedroom all by herself! This was a big step for Lauren, who has never let Lolli sleep in a different room than her before.

All went well for about 30 minutes, until Lolli woke up screaming because she had the hiccups. Darn!!!

First Walk

Lauren and Lolli got up around 8:30 today and were out strolling the neighborhood by 9am! This was Lolli's first time touring the neighborhood. She seemed completely ambivilant about the whole experience and was more interested in gumming on the stroller strap. Lauren enjoyed it though, although she found it weird to be walking without a purpose (since her last few walks were intended to bring the baby down into the pelvis or increase contractions). No one cried though, so the walk was a success!

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Bath Time = Potty Time

Lauren and Annie gave Lolli a nice tub bath this morning. Everything was going well and Lolli was loving it. But then Lauren was holding Lolli and rinsing her head under the faucet when Lolli started to pee. Lauren moved her a little bit so that the pee would go in the sink and oops - Lolli's eye got under the faucet. She did NOT like it once bit. Lauren feels like a bad mom but Lolli has recovered nicely!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Ouch (Hair Pulling)

Lolli had started grabbing things and pulling. Today while she and Lauren were visiting Grandma and Grampa Great (Bowen), Lolli grabbed both Lauren's and Grandma's necklaces! And this evening when Lauren picked her up from the pack-n-play, Lolli grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged. Lolli's a feisty one!

An Ounce!!!

Lolli was napping this afternoon (hooray) and so was Lauren. When Lauren woke up, her sweatshirt had 2 tell-tale wet circles above the logo - time to pump! So Lauren pumped 5 ounces and stuck 4 of them in the freezer. The other ounce she put in a bottle and offered to Lolli. Success! Lolli sucked it down and managed to keep (most of) it in her mouth! And then Lauren breastfed her to complete the meal - so far no "nipple confusion."

This is VERY exciting for Lauren, because Lolli taking a bottle means the possiblity that Lauren may not be forever tied to Lolli 24 hours a day! AND that Zach can help out with midnight feedings during the weekends! Hooray!

3 months (at < 3 weeks!)

Lolli can fit some of her 3-4 month sleepers! And she's not even 3 weeks old yet! She's getting too long for her newborn clothes.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Nursing Blister

Lolli got her first nursing blister when she was still in the hospital. It fell off after she'd been home for about a week. By the next day, she'd grown another one! It is half off (hanging off her lip) today and she looks very silly! It doesn't seem to bother her one bit though.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Boppy Nap

Lauren has been having some frustrating days at home with Lolli because Lolli refuses to nap in her pack-n-play or on the floor or anywhere that is not Lauren's lap. Lolli will fall asleep on the boppy after eating, but no matter how long Lauren lets her nap there, Lolli always wakes up the second Lauren moves her into the pack-n-play. So basically Lauren couldn't move from the couch all day!

But today Lauren picked up Lolli, boppy and all, and set her down on the couch. Lolli didn't even notice that she had moved! So now Lauren can get up and move around today! She still can't nap though, because babies aren't really supposed to sleep in boppies, so Lauren has to keep an eye on Lolli at all times. Still, small victories are greatly appreciated around the Pucillo household these days!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Pacifier - HA!

Last night Lauren & Zach offered Lolli the pacifier several times at bedtime. Each time she made an incredibly repulsed face and spit it right out! Guess Lauren won't have to worry about breaking Lolli of the pacifier habit a year from now - she hates the thing!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Lolli's Family Tree

Lorelai Kate Pucillo is the daughter of Zachary Wayne (Hall) Pucillo and Lauren Renee (Swain) Pucillo.

Zachary Wayne (Hall) Pucillo is the son of Theresa ((Hillen) Hall) Pucillo, the biological son of A. Wayne Hall, and the son of William Pucillo. He has an older sister, Kimberly ((Hall) Pucillo) Ward, and a younger brother, Alexander (Hall) Pucillo.

Theresa ((Hillen) Hall) is the daughter of Frances & Aline (Jackson) Hillen and has an older brother, David Hillen, and an older sister, Judy Hillen.

A. Wayne Hall is the son of Dwight & Jackie Hall and has 2 brothers, Jeff Hall & Bobby Hall, and 2 sisters, Mary (Hall) Higgs, and Kathy (Hall) ?.

William Pucillo is the son of ? & Ruby Pucillo and has 2 brothers, Bobby Pucillo & David Pucillo.

Lauren Renee (Swain) Pucillo is the daughter of Mark Swain and Cathy (Bowen) Swain. She has a younger brother, Aaron Swain.

Cathy (Bowen) Swain is the daughter of Gary & Jenny (Ortel) Bowen and has one older sister, Rhonda (Bowen) Mundell, and one younger sister, Jodi (Bowen) Majors).

Mark Swain is the son of C. Wendell & Thelma (Gardner) Swain and has one older sister, Carmen (Swain) Hall, and one older brother, Deryl Swain.

Pacify Her!

Lauren and Zach have become frustrated with the hour and a half it takes to put Lolli to bed. She will fall asleep in the living room pack-nplay, but then wake up when moved to the co-sleeper. The only way to get her back to sleep is for Lauren to nurse her until she is snoozing, sometimes repeating this several times. Lauren is tired of being Lolli's pacifier and Zach is tired of Lauren poking him to make him stay awake with her and Lolli. So today Zach broke down and bought 2 pacifiers. Lauren boiled them on the stove for 2 minutes and they are ready to go!

The recommendation from most lactation consultants is to hold off on introducing a pacifier until 4 weeks to ensure that it won't interfere with breastfeeding. Lauren is feeling pretty confident and at ease with Lolli's breastfeeding and so is willing to try the pacifier a little early.

The plan is for Lolli to only have a pacifier for naps and at bedtime. There's a pacifier in the co-sleeper and one in the pack-n-play. If it weren't for the anti-SIDS benefits, Lolli would never have a pacifier - but since they are recommended for infant sleep, hopefully it'll help calm her down at bedtime!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Hitting the Bottle

Lolli tried her first bottle on Saturday, October 6! Lauren woke up this morning to find rings of milk on her sheets, so she got up and pumped. Soon after, Lolli woke up and Lauren fed her. Knowing it would make Zach incredibly excited, Lauren then told him that she would pump some milk and he could feed Lolli from a bottle the next time she was hungry. So once Lolli started getting fussy, Lauren sterilized all the parts, pumped out about 3 ounces, and got the bottle ready.

Zach took his shirt off (trying to convince Lolli she's "breastfeeding" from him) and got the boppy ready. He offered Lolli the bottle and she took it! She only drank about half an ounce before she got frustrated (the "slowflow" nipples didn't live up to their name - the fast flow of milk had her choking!). So Lauren finished feeding her the old fashioned way. But some babies won't take a bottle at all, so it was a good first try!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Swinging

Lolli loves her swing! She stays wide awake when she's in it and lets Lauren do things she might not otherwise get to do, like brush her teeth or go to the bathroom! Hooray for baby swings!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Great Grandma Hillen

Aline (Jackson) Hillen 1926-2007. Lolli's great grandmother (Zach's maternal grandmother) passed away on monday, October 1, 2007. Lolli attended the viewing on Wednesday, October 3. She and Lauren stayed from 3-5 and Lolli slept the whole time. It was the first (and last) time Lolli ever got to "meet" her Great Grandma Hillen.

The funeral was held on Thursday, October 4. Lauren and Lolli attended but sat in the back near the exit. Lolli got hungry midway through the ceremony and so she and Lauren hung out in the lobby with Lolli's uncle Paul and cousin Paige. Lolli got to hear Zach give a wonderful reading about her Great Grandma Hillen.

Towards the end of the service, Lolli started demanding to be fed so she and Lauren went and sat in the car to breastfeed. It was very awkward for Lauren because the police escorts were walking around and then all of the other funeral attendees came out to their cars. Luckily Lauren's car has tinted windows!

Lolli was still hungry when they arrived at the cemetary so she and Lauren stayed in the car and fed during the burial. All in all, though, Lolli did very well at her first funeral and was a big comfort to Zach and her grandma Pucillo!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Splish Splash

Lolli had her first tub bath on Wednesday, October 3. Her cord had fallen off a couple of days earlier so it was ok for her to get in the big girl tub now. Well, not exactly the big girl tub, but it still beats a sponge bath!

Zach got the tub ready and filled it with water. He checked the temperature with Lolli's rubber cow (that has a duck bill). Then Lauren stripped Lolli down to her birthday suit and plopped her in the tub. She didn't love it, but didn't seem to hate it either. Zach washed her little body and then rinsed her off.

Then it was time for Lolli's favorite part - shampoo!!! Zach stuck Lolli's head under the running water to get it wet, then Lauren massaged her little scalp with the baby shampoo. Then Zach rinsed her head under the faucet for a long time - Lolli LOVES having her head under the faucet!

After the shampoo, Lauren took a clean rag and wiped Lolli's eyes and face. All clean!!!

Lolli got wrapped up in her yellow hooded towel and was sooo happy to be clean and warm!

First Doctor's Visit

Lorelai's first pediatrician appointment was Wednesday, October 3. Zach and Lauren both went with her. The nurse checked her weight - 8 pounds, 15 ounces! What a good little eater she is!

Everything else checked out normal and Lolli got back for some shots on December 10.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Cordless Baby

Lolli's cord started looking dried and shrively almost immediately. Lauren and Zach didn't have to do anything to care for it except keep it dry, which they did. Finally on Monday, October 1 Lauren was unsnapping Lolli's outfit to feed her and out fell the cord! She yelled for Zach and they all celebrated Lolli becoming cordless.

There was a scab across half of Lolli's belly button. It stayed there until shortly after her first tub bath (Wednesday, October 3) when it fell off to reveal a perfect little belly button! No redness or oozing at all. Just 100% cuteness!

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Lolli Pics - September 2007


Scared of these flowery, girly pj's...
4 Generations
Lolli loves Daddy
Just being close to Mommy makes Lolli HUNGRY!
Cute pj's, weird face :)

Go Colts!

Lolli's first Colts game (outside of the womb) was the Texans game on her birth day. But, since everyone was a little bit sleepy and out of it that day, she was more excited about the Denver game. Lauren, Zach and she went to Lolli's Grandma Great's house and watched the game with Gma and Gpa Great, Aunt Jodi, and Uncle Kenney. Oh and dog-cousin Charlie.

The Colts are now undefeated with Lolli in utero (and SB champs) and 2-0 since she's been born! Go Horse!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Photo Shoot

When Zach and Lauren learned that Lolli had already gained back her birth weight (plus an ounce) by Friday, September 28, they hurried to get her "newborn" pictures taken. They booked an appointment at The Picture People in Greenwood Park Mall for that afternoon.

Upon arriving at the mall, Lauren and Zach struggled for a few minutes to figure out how to use Lolli's stroller. Once that battle had been once, they proceeded inside to the picture place. The photographer led everyone back to the set and asked Zach to strip Lolli down to her diaper. Well of course she'd peed so Lauren changed her in the bathroom. Then the photog took several shots before everyone realized Lolli was going to need to be fed before any more good shots could be taken.

Lauren and Lolli went behind a big black curtain and Lolli munched for about 6 or 7 minutes before they went to try some more pictures. But Lolli was STILL too hungry to focus so she and Lauren had to go eat some more. While Lauren was feeding Lolli, a young female employee opened the curtain and must have been SHOCKED to see someone breastfeeding because she exclaimed, "Oh My God!" and ran away. Haha!

Finally Lolli got full and the shoot resumed. Lolli was a pretty good model except that when it was time for the full nudey shots, she peed all over the blanket! Luckily the photographer had thought to put a plastic bag under the blanket so the bean bag didn't get wet! There were about 20 good pictures of little Lolli. Lauren and Zach narrowed it down to 3 and ordered prints of those. Everyone says Lolli is beautiful!

Home Nurse Visit

On Friday, September 28, Lolli and Lauren had a visit from a nurse. Methodist sends a nurse out to all new moms and babies as a courtesy to check up on how things are going.

The nurse arrived around noon and spent a few minutes asking Lauren questions. Then she checked Lauren's temperature, blood pressure, and uterus. A-OK! Then it was Lolli's turn. Lolli's temperature was good. Her food-intake and diaper-output were good, too! The nurse held Lolli by the window in the sunlight and declared her to have NO signs of jaundice (excellent!). Finally, she weighed Lolli - 8 pounds, 7 ounces!

This was especially exciting to Lauren and Zach because Lolli had been born on Sunday at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. On Tuesday, during her 48-hour check, Lolli weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces. And now, just 3 days later she was back up above her birth weight! It is normal for babies to take 2 weeks to get back to their birth weight, so Lolli was way ahead of the curb!

This verified to the nurse (and Lauren) that breastfeeding was going well! Hooray!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Lolli in the Hospital


Laboring!

After she got all the poop cleaned off of her...

Daddy got to hold her first (ugh, so much for a birth plan)

The Pucillo Family - and baby makes 3!



The cutest burrito in the world!

Mommy & Lolli


Lolli pretty much hated everything for her first few months


Oh my gosh - she's FINALLY asleep!


Lolli and her first flowers

Ready to go home!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Special Delivery

Upon hearing Doctor Soper declare, "Time to push!" Zach sprang into action. He hooked up the video camera, called some family members into the room (who were quite surprised – this was an hour earlier than the nurse was supposed to even check Lauren’s progress), and took his spot at the head of the bed. Lauren's brother's fiancee, Annie, held her right leg and Lauren's mom held her left leg. The doctor was standing to Lauren's right. Zach’s mom was at the end of the bed videotaping.

Each time a contraction would start to show on the monitor, Lauren would be instructed to push for 3 sets of 10 seconds. Between contractions Lauren was laughing, waving to the camera, and making jokes. She was so glad to be able to feel when a contraction was coming, even though she couldn't feel the actual pain or anything.

After about 20 minutes of pushing the doctor called for the NICU team and Lauren gave one more 10 second push and out came the baby, all at once! A beautiful, screaming, meconium-covered little girl! Lauren said, "Oh no baby, please don't cry yet," because she didn't want the baby to breathe in the poop. But the doctor said it was ok, that at least the cries were letting us know the baby was vigorous and healthy. Then the doctor said, "She's a good size baby - a little chunker!"

The doctor quickly clamped and cut the cord before rushing the baby over to the NICU team. Lauren watched from across the room as they suctioned her little baby. Zach was stunned at first and Lauren had to remind him to get over there with the baby! It took about 10 or 15 minutes for the NICU team to be satisfied that the baby was meconium-free and could be taken to Lauren. During that time, Lauren delivered the placenta, which was green from the baby poop. Ew!

Finally the NICU team handed the bundled baby girl to Zach, who was stopped several times by photographing family members as he crossed the room to show Lauren their daughter. "Why am I the only one who hasn't seen my baby?!?" Lauren was hollering from her bed. Zach dodged the paparazzi (ha) and finally arrived at Lauren's bedside. The whole new family was together! Lauren held the baby for a while and laughed because she had nappy dark hair.

The nurse weighed the baby before Lauren started to feed her. 8 pounds, 6 ounces! Not huge, but definitely a good size baby! Lauren stripped the baby down to her diaper and put her to her breast. Instantly the baby because sucking! Smart little kid!While Lauren was feeding the baby, the rest of the family came in from the waiting room with tears in their eyes to meet the newest member of the family - Lorelai Kate aka *Lolli*

Saturday, September 22, 2007

The Birth of Lorelai Kate

Lauren's due date was September 19, 2007. This was pretty exciting because Zach's birthday is September 21, so Lauren was hoping to have the baby that day! Lots of other family members had birthdays in the days before and after the 19th, so it was likely that someone was going to be getting an extra special birthday gift!

The 19th came and went with no sign of a baby being born! Lauren's mom came into town and so on Zach's birthday he, Lauren, Lauren's mom and grandparents went miniature golfing at Rustic Gardens. Lauren did 36 squats during the 18 holes (teeing up and retrieving the ball from the hole) and apparently this got things started!

Upon returning home from the golfing, Lauren had some spotting and was very excited! Later that evening, she and Zach walked around the mall a lot and ate spicy hot wings with Zach's family in an effort to get things moving faster. By the time it was getting dark outside, Lauren was having somewhat regular contractions between 8 and 18 minutes apart. She tried to go to sleep but was too anxious, so at midnight she and Zach drove to the gas station for Tylenol PM. They slept until 5:30am.

Saturday morning Lauren's contractions were about 7 minutes apart so her and Zach went on a long walk to speed them up. After the walk her contractions were consistently 4 minutes apart. Lauren's spotting had turned into yellow gooey stuff, so Zach called the doctor, who said to go to the hospital. Lauren hit the shower while Zach packed and vacuumed. Lauren said a teary good-bye to her cats, because she knew this was the last time she would love them like her babies. Lauren's dad came over and followed them to the hospital (Lauren drove!).

Upon arriving at the hospital, Lauren had to pee in a cup and put on an incredibly unattractive hospital gown. They stuck her in Triage room 6 and hooked up monitors to track Lauren's contractions and the baby's heartrate. Zach had fun watching the screen and telling Lauren when a contraction was coming (as if she didn't know!). Finally Dr. Soper came and checked Lauren's cervix. 1 cm dilated, 75% effaced, head at -2 station. Not very far along at all! But that wasn't the big news. That stuff coming out of Lauren wasn't her mucous plus - it was amniotic fluid! AND it was green because of the meconium in it. This meant that the baby had pooped in utero and would have to have a NICU team present at delivery to suction her all out. Lauren was very upset because this voided all plans for Zach to catch the baby and Lauren to cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating. And, of course, she was worried about the health of the baby because she knew that meconium can be bad news if it gets in the baby’s lungs.

Lauren calmed down and really wanted to stand up (laying down during contractions hurts) so Zach got the nurse's ok. She brought Lauren some giant mesh undies and a big old diaper. Lauren stood beside the bed for only a few minutes before her water REALLY broke and green stuff was gushing everywhere. Lauren started screaming and crying (that water gushing out is a horrible feeling, and Lauren wasn’t dealing well with “poop coming out of her vagina”). Zach was kind of amused but did his best to calm her down.

Since Lauren's water had been broken (unbeknownst to her) for over 24 hours, the doctor had her admitted to the hospital.Lauren and Zach spent the next 5 hours playing Yahtzee, entertaining visitors, walking the maternity ward, and trying to relax through contractions. Lauren's dad, Lauren's mom, Lauren's friend Emily, Zach's parents, Zach's brother, Zach's sister, and Lauren's grandparents all came to await the arrival of the baby!

Unfortunately, Lauren's contractions weren't coming hard enough to get the baby out any time soon, so at 6:30 the doctor said she needed to start Pitocin (which induces labor). Lauren was VERY upset and asked for 1 hour before the IV was started. She banished all the family to the waiting room and bawled her eyes out for a second before springing into action. She and Zach ran laps around the maternity ward and tried squats, lunges, nipple stimulations, and anything else they could think of to increase the strength of the contractions naturally. It didn't work. Lauren talked the nurse into letting her eat some dry cereal and resigned herself to the IV while Zach called the doula.

The Pitocin started at 7:30pm. The nurse increased it every 30 minutes. It started making Lauren have "coupling contractions" which were hard, because there was no break between them. It was especially hard for Lauren to go to the bathroom now, because she had to drag the IV pole with her each time. Each time Lauren peed it would be followed with awful pain and the contractions would get worse. By 9:30, the pain was pretty intense and Lauren was out of energy to move. She sat in the rocker while the doula and Zach tried to make her feel better.

At 10:30 pm, with the actual birth seeming years away, Lauren broke down and asked for a moment alone with Zach. She told him that the contractions were coming too close together for her to get any rest and she was worried she wouldn't be able to make it all the way through the birth without breaking down. Lauren wanted to make sure she had plenty of energy to spend hours loving on her new baby after delivery! Zach was 100% ok with her getting an epidural, even though the plan had been for an unmedicated birth. And so the doula was sent home, the epidural was inserted and the medicine started flowing at 11:30.

Lauren had been absolutely terrified of the epidural but it wasn’t as bad as she had anticipated. She could still move her legs and could feel the contractions. Luckily she had done all of her peeing before the epidural was inserted, so she never had to be catheterized (her greatest fear). The nurse checked Lauren and she was 5 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and station -1 (0 during a contraction). She said should would be back to check Lauren again around 2am.

Zach invited all of Lauren's family in to visit again, since Lauren was in much better spirits now! Even though the purpose of the epidural was to let Lauren rest, it actually gave her energy and she chatted nonstop. Lauren's brother and his fiancee finally arrived and visited with her for a while. At around 12:25 Lauren finally decided she’d better try to get a nap in since the nurse was coming back in an hour and a half.

Around 12:30am, the monitor started having a hard time keeping Lolli's heart rate. It was showing big decelerations and sometimes no heartbeat at all. The nurse turned Lauren from side to side and repositioned the monitors but the heartbeat was still looking bad. The nurse called for the doctor.By the time the doctor arrived, Lauren was feeling a LOT of pressure in her bottom. She said to the doctor, “I’m pretty sure this baby is trying to come out my butt.” The doctor checked - "She's complete - time to push!" (The heart rate decelerations reflected on the monitor had been caused by the baby twisting and turning and trying to get out.)

Upon hearing Doctor Soper declare, "Time to push!" Zach sprang into action. He hooked up the video camera, called some family members into the room (who were quite surprised – this was an hour earlier than the nurse was supposed to even check Lauren’s progress), and took his spot at the head of the bed. Lauren's brother's fiancee, Annie, held her right leg and Lauren's mom held her left leg. The doctor was standing to Lauren's right. Zach’s mom was at the end of the bed videotaping.

Each time a contraction would start to show on the monitor, Lauren would be instructed to push for 3 sets of 10 seconds. Between contractions Lauren was laughing, waving to the camera, and making jokes. She was so glad to be able to feel when a contraction was coming, even though she couldn't feel the actual pain or anything.

After about 20 minutes of pushing the doctor called for the NICU team and Lauren gave one more 10 second push and out came the baby, all at once! A beautiful, screaming, meconium-covered little girl! Lauren said, "Oh no baby, please don't cry yet," because she didn't want the baby to breathe in the poop. But the doctor said it was ok, that at least the cries were letting us know the baby was vigorous and healthy. Then the doctor said, "She's a good size baby - a little chunker!"

The doctor quickly clamped and cut the cord before rushing the baby over to the NICU team. Lauren watched from across the room as they suctioned her little baby. Zach was stunned at first and Lauren had to remind him to get over there with the baby! It took about 10 or 15 minutes for the NICU team to be satisfied that the baby was meconium-free and could be taken to Lauren. During that time, Lauren delivered the placenta, which was green from the baby poop. Ew!

Finally the NICU team handed the bundled baby girl to Zach, who was stopped several times by photographing family members as he crossed the room to show Lauren their daughter. "Why am I the only one who hasn't seen my baby?!?" Lauren was hollering from her bed. Zach dodged the paparazzi (ha) and finally arrived at Lauren's bedside. The whole new family was together! Lauren held the baby for a while and laughed because she had nappy dark hair.

The nurse weighed the baby before Lauren started to feed her. 8 pounds, 6 ounces! Not huge, but definitely a good size baby! Lauren stripped the baby down to her diaper and put her to her breast. Instantly the baby because sucking! Smart little kid!While Lauren was feeding the baby, the rest of the family came in from the waiting room with tears in their eyes to meet the newest member of the family - Lorelai Kate aka *Lolli*

Friday, September 21, 2007

Prologue

Zachary Wayne (Hall) Pucillo met Lauren Renee Swain through an internet website called HoosierHookUp.com. They had their first date on July 3rd, 2005. They went to the Indianapolis Zoo then had dinner at Cheeseburger In Paradise. After that they watched 3 movies in a row at Lauren's house. Much to Lauren's surprise, Zach even kissed her that night! It was the beginning of something wonderful!

Zachary asked Lauren for her hand in marriage on October 31, 2005. She said YES and they were married in a "surprise" ceremony at Judy's Wedding Chapel in Greenfield, IN on June 2, 2006 at 7:03pm. Only immediate family was in attendance. The wedding reception was held August 12, 2006 at The Columns ballroom in Greenwood, IN.

Zachary and Lauren knew they wanted children asap and were delighted on January 10, 2007 when they got a positive pregnancy test! The next 9 months were a pleasant surprise to Lauren, who had heard many pregnancy horror stories but was lucky enough to have a normal, healthy, easy pregnany. Zach and Lauren did lots of fun things while the baby was in utero, like go to concerts (The Fray, Nickelback, and The Village People), go on a 7-day Caribbean cruise, go to Colts games, go canoing, and lots more!

Zachary and Lauren decided not to find out the sex of the baby until he/she was born. Unfortunately that only lasted until 39 weeks into the pregnancy (the home stretch!) when the doctor ordered an ultrasound to make sure the baby was head down and that the fluid level was good. Zach and Lauren broke down and asked to know the sex. It's a girl!!!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Happy Due Date To Me!

From IndyMoms.com

Today I am officially 40 weeks pregnant!
When I laid down last night I told DH I was a little nervous about how I would feel when I woke up this morning. I know a lot of women go a little crazy if their due date arrives with no sign of a baby. I worried that knowing I am now 40 weeks would make me freak out.
Nope! I feel great this morning. I smiled when I updated the dry erase board on the fridge: "0 days 'til EDD - 14 days to go MAX!" I can totally handle 2 more weeks, if that's how long this little guy/gal decides he/she needs to go!
I've endured nausea, hip pain, tremendous pelvic pressure, stretch marks, and a couple other normal pregnancy "pitfalls." I am definitely not one of those women who *love* being pregnant. I am so excited to have my body be MY body again. I am SO ANXIOUS to meet this baby! I am so ready to kick labor's a$$!
But, really, if I made it this far, what's 2 more weeks?!?

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Lolli Kate

From IndyMoms.com

DH and I REALLY want to name our baby (if it's a girl) Lolli. We are both completely in love with the name. I've only heard it used once before (NBA player Scot Pollard's daughter).
DH has no worries about the name whatsoever. I am a little bit concerned that our daughter would grow up and wonder what her parents were smoking when they named her Lolli. She may feel it can't be taken seriously.
(I personally would love to be named something fun like Lolli. My parents almost called me Daisy and I so wish they had!)
So we picked Kate as the middle name. Simple and traditional. I figure if she really outgrows Lolli she would have a back up...
We have thought about using a longer name that could be shortened to Lolli to give her more options. But none of the names we came up with seemed appealing.
Dolores means "sadness" so that's out! Lolita has way too much stigma attached. We considered Lola but couldn't get the Barry Manilow song out of our heads! Anything else seems too forced: Lolliana, Lollia, Lolina.
Any suggestions, comments, thoughts?!? We need some outside input!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Gargantuan Baby

From IndyMoms.com

So I am 35 weeks and am measuring considerably beyond that for the 3rd appointment in a row (I didn't ask for the exact number of cm). Both DH and I were around 7.5 pounds when we were born but apparently I grow 'em big. The doctor says to be prepared for a "gargantuan" baby and not to buy any baby clothes smaller than size 6 months! AHHH!