colic, colic, colic!

That's the word around our household. Livia continues to grow and prosper, she is gaining weight and getting taller (she added about 600g and 4cm in one month)... but she most definitely isn't able to process her feeds too well. Her belly is the source of many a crying outbursts. Constipation, gas... to name two of her main struggles.

But it's not all bad. She does like her nights. And night sleeps. In the last two weeks or so, she has been sleeping from 10-11pm until 6am. So while the days look a lot like the photos shown, our nights are peaceful and calm. She is 2 1/2 months old and getting ready for her first flight in May - we'll all be going to UK.

earrings are in!

we went to the doctor's today. besides the great report of more weight added on (400+g) and an overall appearance of a healthy baby... we also got earrings put in Livia's little ears! the nurse politely sent us - parents - outside the room. the screaming was heartbreaking but luckily only lasted few moments.

and now, we have one stylish chick - judge for yourselves:

all's well

We're thrilled at the moment as the last news from our doctor was very good - Livia's blood test results show a great improvement, she has been now gaining weight consistently all week and the bilirubin levels have decreased significantly so the jaundice is on its way out!

Thank you for prayers and all the encouraging notes and emails.

She was one month old yesterday and we can hardly believe it! Big sister Mia is getting more and more used to the idea of Livia being around; and staying around. All's well.

baby needs to eat more

we've had some concerns with Livia...

since our return from the hospital, she has basically not gained any weight. it's complicated - she is breastfed but due to still recovering from her jaundice, she is not very strong and thus eats very little. she can't suck very well and not getting enough milk. the doctor first suggested supplementing with formula, which we wanted to avoid. yesterday, the doctor took some blood for testing the jaundice levels. she also seemed to think Livia might be iron-deficient.

today, she called us at home very concerned, telling us that the blood test results were not too good - Livia's protein levels were too high again (jumped back up from the release date in hospital) and her blood was too thick. she asked us to pack bags and go to the hospital for admission. she thought Livia might need IV to help get her blood sorted.

it was very concerning news to us. the doctor examined her upon admission and looked over her paper work. being a not very reputable hospital, we had our fill of hostility - they informed us that they were pretty full and though they could make room for us, the doctor seemed to think our situation was not too alarming for admission. we discussed the issues and decided that our children's doctor will continue monitor Livia closely and check her levels again by the end of this week. then we were released.

the main issue now is that Livia starts eating more (we have to add some formula) so she gains weight and gets stronger so she can fight her jaundice.

please keep us all in prayer.

two weeks old

We've been home for over a week. Livia is 2 weeks now. And what have we been up to? Definitely not resting. Last week was pretty challenging. We all discovered that the Big Sis has some issues we did not expect... Jealousy. Not so much filtered towards Livia but us, the parents. So the joys of new family of four began. We're learning and it's getting better.

Other activities included 2 or 3 trips to grandma's house (once we had to go because the water in our apartment was cut off for a day; the other time we had our windows fixed with blinds and window sills...); one trip to IKEA at 11 days old (never too early to start shopping with the Swedish); first church service on Sunday (which of course Livia slept through)...

Life is good.

coming home

Hi all

We are coming home now. Livia's jaundice levels dropped significantly last night and they've released us.

We are excited to get back to mia and to start our new life together.

Thanks for all the prayers and messages.

Sheldon, Anna and Livia

Livia's First Tattoo

We like to do things fast here in Slovakia. Pierced ears at 3 weeks and tattoos at 1 day! Just so we know she's ours the hospital wrote "ARM" on her leg!