Baby Day-Kamps Updates

Beatriz is 7 months already !

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:28:41 GMT

Wow- Beatriz is already 7 months "wise" today !

And what a healing adventure my Mommy Birgit and I have been on these last few months, which caused us to have to cancel our trips to Indiana and the Netherlands (when I was supposed to meet the rest of my Dad and Mommy's family members)!

Let me start by sharing the "facts" regarding my growth progress:

At 5 months: weight 16lbs 4 oz, length 26.5
At 6 months and 2 weeks: weight 18 lbs 5 oz & length 28.5
At 7 months (today): who knows but take a look at my pictures and you'll see progress ;-)

For those of you who want to know more "details" than what we are about to share, please let my Mommy Birgit know. Since my birth she has daily been jotting down at least 1 sentence regarding what she noticed new about me and my growing up journey ;-) And during the last few months, my Mommy has also kept notes regarding the feedback she received from various doctors she was sent to (including copies of all her lab work results), along with valuable input from others who were so kind to share their own thyroid related healing journeys with her. Anyway, following is an attempt to give you a "summary update" on both of us:

Beatriz up-dates:
I am still breast-feeding, but my Mommy's supply has not kept up with my growing needs, so since about 3 weeks I only receive her yummy milk about 3 times every 16 hours (but who is counting?). This also means that we went through many "trial and errors" regarding finding another source for me to grow on since I have been allergic to so many things (inlcuding soy and goat milk), but at last we found a hypo-allergenic formula by Neocate which I tolerate (although as of this week I am being "fussy" again and will only drink the formula when I am really really hungry). Anyway, I have also finally starting to venture out and eat a few bites of rice "cereal", fresh pureed carrots, yellow squash and sweet potatoes. Oh, and sometimes I munch on some pears and sweet apples.
My eating and sleeping patterns are still such that I do not have a pattern other than I basically like to "snack" and "nap" a lot. And who knows "what I will be when I grow up", but I do know that I love to have people help me "walk and kick the ball", and I really like it when my Mommy takes me into the grown up pool to "swim" !

Mommy Birgit up-dates:
She found out that her extreme fatigue these last few months did not just come from me keeping her up at night during the pregnancy and thereafter...in fact, after being sent to various "specialist" doctors and undergoing many lab tests (including a trip to the emergency room which she was urged to go on for a possible blood clot), she was diagnosed with 4 "healing opportunities";
1) hypo-thyroid (after having been diagnosed hyper-thyroid within a 10 day span but this apparently does occasionally happen post-pregnancy)
2) intestinal permeability ("leaky gut" syndrome ~ http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/environmental-illnesses/leaky-gut-syndrome-(lgs)/
3) adrenal fatigue, and
4) celiac disease (well we kind of already knew that and I probably have the same...an intolerance to dairy and gluten products...we sure wish some restaurant owner would consider that for their menu selection ;-)
She was very "surprised" to discover the many "challenges" around thyroid related health issues...and found only one woman out of all the ones that she networked with (either via her own connections or via emails forwarded to other people's networks and thus new contacts) that had experienced a successful healing journey...all the other ones were mis-diagnosed, or put on incorrect medical thyroid medication and/or doses, and the ones that were told they would one day be able to get off the medication were still on it years later...but all that "desperation" has led us to "innovation" in terms of finding "outside the box and very effective" health practitioners and treatments (more on that later since my Mommy is in the middle of finally getting healed and then hopefully be able to help others on similar paths ;-)

Daddy Jamison's up-dates:
For details, ask him and visit his website at www.jamisonday.com . What I can share now is that he was offered a job with LSU, which he as accepted since he considers it a "great match" to his skill set and career goals (he starts on August 17th). And I can still confirm that he cooks us the best plain chicken in town in between his many travels to Washington D.C (ask him for great pictures at the White House ;-)

Hope you all had a Happy 4th of July and are enjoying your summer time ;-)

Beatriz is tall !

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:50:18 GMT

On Tuesday 3/24 Beatriz received her "report card" from her pediatritian, who said my breast milk is working well for her, as evident by her height He reported the following facts:

Age: 3.5 months

Weight: 13.14 lbs (6.32 kg) / 75%

Height: 25 in / 90%

Head Circumference: 15.75 / 50%

And, for the first time since her birth, Beatriz had a fever on Monday and Tuesday, and per the lab results from her Dr's office, she had a virus...cell count for healthy range is 8-10K and she was at 6200...but he said that it was good news she did not have a bacterial infection and would probably get over this virus in 2-3 days...

Beatriz is a bit cranky as her body is still healing, but I can confirm that she is a "tough cookie" and continues to only cry when she is really hungry (and thankfully I've started understanding her language enough to know in advance when it's time to feed her, since watching the clock no longer works while she goes through so many growth spurts). I too am a bit cranky as I haven't slept much but am so very grateful that the lack of sleep is due to the blessing of having a daughter ...I'm experiencing a whole new level of love !

PS If I'd invested my money in the company that produces the diapers Beatriz uses, I'd be a lot better off ...ooopse, I'd better stop while I'm ahead in terms of making comments about stock market strategies...

PS#2 And i"m glad to 'report' that since last Saturday, Beatriz has transitioned from sleeping in her bassinet to her 'big girl' bed !

Beatriz is 3 months wise !

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:46:21 GMT

Today, Beatriz is already 3 months old...I mean wise :-)

She now tries to hold long conversations with her 'baby talk' noises, and is starting to hold up her neck. She is definitely past the 3 month old clothing size, and still has her blue colored eyes (see them in her photo album that I just posted ;-)

Mommy Birgit is still breast feeding Beatriz, despite her boring and limited...I mean..."gourmet" dining foods, consisting of chicken, lean ground beef, rice, red potatoes, yams, squash, zucchini, pears, apples, and an occasional treat of a gluten, nut, and dairy free chocolate bar. And Daddy Jamison is still grocery shopping for them and making the best plain chicken in town ;-)

Thankfully, Beatriz is consistently sleeping from 7pm to 2am, and Mommy has at last surrendered to going to bed by 9:30pm...except for now since day light savings time is not something Beatriz has accepted nor adjusted to yet :-)

Beatriz is 2 months wise!

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:55:13 GMT

Wow - Today is already my 2 month birth-day

I now smile a lot and have learned to coo so I too may express my opinion ;-)
When I was born I weighed 6.14 lbs and today I weigh 11.12 lbs which puts me in the 75%.
And when I was born I was 19.5 inches long, and today I am 23.25 long, which also puts me in the 75% range (but that
range may not take into consideration my European genes, in which case I may not seem so long ;-).
My pediatritian Dr. Injac saw me today and said I was progressing very well despite the many apparent allergies I
have been dealing with as Mommy was figuring out what to eat to produce acceptable breast milk for me...so thank
goodness she finally figured out what i like and Dad does the grocery shopping, while both he and my Nanny cook the
food (which is almost always chicken, lean ground beef, squash, rice and potatoes with a touch of 'only imagine it'
seasoning :-)
Anyway, today my Dad gave me a new toy for my birth day and I like the colors but not yet the touch of it. And Mom
treated me to a celebration outside with the birdies and also the company of my 3 animals (see the pictures of this
event in the album Mom just created ;-).

Happy Hour ;-)

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:08:59 GMT

It's "Happy Hour" today ... as 3 of Beatriz' family members celebrate their birthdays !
Today, January 29, Monique turns 8, her sister Nicole turns 10, and Jamison turns...plus 1 ;-)
Please join me in wishing them all a very Happy Birthday ("Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag" would be the Dutch version :-)

January 1009 Pictures of Beatriz
Take a look at the album titled 'January 2009' for various new pictures of Beatriz...including her first smile and expressions as she watches and listens to the songs of various birds.
Next on the 'updates' will be some video clips of her, since Jamison announced a few days ago that he had added the video upload feature to her website - yippie ;-) Check out one that just got added in the "birth" album titled "Birthday message video from Paul Williams and family - it snowed!"

PS If you happen to notice the time this update was created, it's because Beatriz is Zzzzzz now after the breastfeeding and I'm wide awake...the great news is she has been sleeping 3-5 consecutive hours a night...but she starts doing that around 7pm and then it's 1-2 hour stints at a time...the good news about that has been the many opportunities that has created (given the time zone differences) to call my family in Holland while they are still enjoying their day...which I'm about to do again to wish Monique and Nicole a Happy Birthday :-)

Weight Wonders ...

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:57:16 GMT

Beatriz transforms her Dad into a cook for Birgit !
Jamison wanted to feed Beatriz so he decided he would do that via cooking for Birgit, since she is eating practically non-stop these days and seems to run out of groceries almost every 2-3 days...in addition, feeding Birgit to feed Beatriz can be a 'challenge' to many, since they require gluten and dairy free cooking...but Birgit can confirm that he cooks the best 'plain chicken' in town - she snacks on it so much she hopes she is still able to be couragous when needed (get it...?). Anyway, for the last few weeks, he has grocery shopped and cooked for them and they are very grateful for that ;-)

Beatriz is almost double her birth weight !
As of Friday, Beatriz weighed 11.05 lbs (at birth she was 6.14lbs), and her pediatritian said to keep letting her eat as much as she wants since she is developing very well and per the lab results is happy with the food Birgit is now consuming on her behalf (must be the good cooking of her Dad and her Nanny Elizabeth, who also cooks for and feeds Birgit :-)

Birgit is almost back to her pre-pregnancy weight !
Wow - breast feeding must be the best weight reduction plan around ! Since the birth of Beatriz, Birgit has lost almost 30 lbs and this during the 6 weeks that she was not allowed to do any heavy lifting or excercising (from the internal stitches) ! Birgit saw her midwife Theodorah last week for the 6-week check-up, and was told she healed very well and was now able to start excercising again. In addition, Theodora said that altough she 'had a neck of a ballerina', just to be on the safe side, she does want Birgit to take a thyroid test (scheduled in February).

Nanny news:
Nanny Elizabeth who is studying to be a nurse one day, started working part-time and she has been a real blessing. She cooks, cleans, and really cares for Beatriz like she is her own daughter (in fact, having raised children of her own, and knowing CPR, she has already taught Birgit a thing or two about parenting ;-). And part of the reason I'm able to compose this update (and hopefully soon add new photo's) is because Elizabeth is currently teaching Beatriz some Spanish (kinda ;-)

New Pics from Gram, Poppy, and Teti

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:26:44 GMT

See pictures from Gram, Poppy and Teti’s New Years visit to Houston. Go to the photo section.

Happy New Year!

1 Month Report Card

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:40:39 GMT

1 Month "Report Card" for Beatriz:

Per her pediatritian Dr. Alex Injac, Beatriz received passing grades on all her "report card" health categories :-) Her current weight is 9.13lbs, and her height is 21.25. She has thankfully continued to gain weight at healthy pace, even though Mommy Birgit is allergic to gluten and casein, which is apparently in many foods and has caused a reaction by Beatriz to the breast-milk (so Beatriz has "influenced" her Mommy to be even more on purpose about eating healthy...since what Birgit may not do for herself, she certainly will for others...especially Beatriz ;-).

Beatriz was able to enjoy meeting Jamison's parents and sister last weekend! And now knows that she has a "Grams" and a "Poppy" in Indiana, and another family branch that love her dearly. In addition, she benefitted from Poppy Nick's ability to burp her, and Gram's expert photography (her Dad will post those pictures ;-) Jamison won a volleyball tournament that same weekend, and played golf with Oma and Opa, while his sister and Mom spent the day with Beatriz and Birgit (maybe she will gain his athletic skills ;-)

Today (1-10-09) marks the day that Beatriz and Birgit are alone together, since her Oma and Opa Kamps left to go back to the Netherlands after 1 month of staying with them in Houston (and all nights except for 7 of those, Oma spent the night in their home to help Birgit transition into Mommy-hood and get some sleep :-) Beatriz certainly managed to come at the "perfect time" (12-10-08) to benefit from their love and support the entire time ! Opa even folded her clothes while Oma made up new songs to entertain her with. And as Birgit was breast-feeding her daughter Beatriz, Oma was spoon feeding her daughter Birgit (who seemed to be hungry also every 2-3 hours)!

Wishing everyone who reads this and knows us a very Happy and Healthy 2009 :-)

Nice Holiday Surprises!

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:53:46 GMT

Holland to Houston: The 2nd day of Christmas (12/26) Beatriz and Birgit were surprised by the visit of her sister Sylvia and daughters Nicole (9yrs) and Monique (7yrs) from Holland ! Nicolaas (Birgit's brother in law) was very generous as he gave them 3 tickets to Houston for Christmas to meet Beatriz and help Birgit 'get better prepared' for her transition to Mommy-hood life ;-)

Health Update: Birgit & Jamison were pleasantly surprised by the feedback from Beatriz' pediatritian Dr. Alex Injac (12/27) regarding her health progress. Beatriz is no longer at risk of jaundice from the A+/A- blood type issues. Also, she has gained weight at a good pace (now 8.6 lbs, up from 6.14 at birth, putting her at the 50% range which is average), and she grew in body length (now 20.75, up from 19.5 at birth, putting her height at the 75% range so she may be taller than Mommy ;-). The only potential issue is that she does have an umbilical hernia but the Doctor said it will most probably heal itself naturally.

Holiday Visitors: On 12/24 Beatriz was visited by the Williams family (Paul, Michelle, Sean, Ricky and Rachel), who prepared a video clip for her on her birth date that shows proof that it actually snowed in Houston that day. Also, Rachel is the one who during the baby shower guessed the size of Birgit's belly with Beatriz still inside! Aunt Kelly also came by to visit and offered her baby-sitting services :-). And today (12/28) Beatriz had a "full house" of visitors. Her uncle from Holland, Azing Jan, has moved to Houston with his employer, and came over with his 8 year old son Ab who does not speak English yet. Also, Jamison's friend Francisco came over with his 3 or 4 year old daughter Anna who does not speak Dutch. However, Nicole and Monique speak both Dutch and English, so I knew they could translate...but that was apparently not even necessary...they all had a great time playing together, riding my giant lion and and deer stuffed animals, trying on my shoes and purses, playing on the keyboard and flute, and coming by to show Beatriz their team talents :-) PS And on New Year's day, Jamison's parents and sister Caitlin will come to Houston from Indiana to meet Beatriz too.

Beatriz' First Christmas!

jmday.admin@gmail.com — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:58:40 GMT

Jamison invited Opa, Oma, mom, and Beatriz over to taste his first attempt at cooking Christmas dinner. He had already succeeded in baking his family's traditional sugar cookies, frosting and all (see new pictures in photo gallery). The dinner turned out to be edible. In fact, not only did everyone have seconds, but Oma and Opa actually brought home the left-overs and we've continued to eat them!

Beatriz also met Chewbacca for the first time. After an initial scare, they got along nicely! This moment was also captured in Beatriz' Christmas memories album, a new family tradition I started.