Friday, February 24, 2012

2 Things

Do you notice two things in this picture? Well I guess really three...my super cute 4 year old cowboy...make the boy a lasso and give him a cowboy hat & he will be a cowboy all day long.  He insisted on being in this picture.

I am not usually a take a self portrait in the bathroom mirror kind of person. But I wanted you to see two things.

1st...look at my sweet Lily in this beautiful ring sling. We are loving baby wearing & I am so glad I went with a ring sling. With Jake I used a mai tei & really liked it, but wanted to try something different this time. I love that you don't have to order the ring sling in a specific size. It is so comfortable. We have used the cradle position the most & love it. But I am sure as she gets a little bigger we will be using the tummy to tummy hold as well. Now to figure out nursing while wearing the sling...would be so much easier then having to take it off to nurse.

And the last thing...did you see what I am using to take the picture? After spending the last several months(or maybe year) using a camera that only partially worked. Borrowing a much better camera for more important things like birthdays & actually births. My wonderful husband bought me a Cannon DSLR...my big girl camera I have been dreaming about for a few years now. I love the pictures my camera takes...and I am hoping I will be able to learn how to actually use that thing. Until then bear with me as I might be the girl with a fancy camera still set on auto.


1 Month

Lily Pad(Jake's name for you),                   {Look at her face}
You are 1 month old now...hard to believe a month has gone by already! Not much has changed since your 4 week update. You are getting better & better at holding your head up. Looking at us when we talk to you & having longer periods of awake time. You did roll over from your belly to your back 3 times this week. But I am going with it was a totally fluke and your arms must have been positioned just right underneath you to help push you over to your back. You can't be rolling over yet...you are only a month old. You haven't done it again since then. Here are several pictures from this 1st month of your life.


{Having a big brother can be so hard}
{Little punching fist in her sleep}
{1st trip to church}
{Getting ready to leave the hospital}
{Playing doctor with Jake}




Saturday, February 18, 2012

Heart Full of Love


Happy Valentine's Day!! Always so much fun to spend a day dedicated to showing your family you love them. In our house it is a simple holiday, but filled with fun traditions.
 This year Jake wanted to cut out his own pancakes and put his strawberries on

Heart shaped pancakes with strawberries & whipped cream for breakfast. Small gifts to show your love. We did miss the pink/red bubble bath this year. Pour Lily didn't get her 1st pink/red bubble bath & she is probably the one who will really like it. Maybe next year when she is older we will go back to the pink bubble bath. However, I haven't been able to find the crayola water changing tablets so I guess we will see. For Jason & I we enjoyed delicious steak, baked potato, & asparagus dinner after Jake was in bed. It is nice to enjoy a delicious meal at home by the fire.


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

4 weeks

Our little Lily Lou(we have tons of nicknames for you), You are 4 weeks old. In the last few days you have started turning toward our voices a lot more now. Especially when you hear Jake talking you turn right to where he is. Which is no surprise since he was belly height and talked nonstop the whole time you were in my belly. You are continuing to stay awake for longer periods of time during the day. And it seems you are starting to notice other things more now. Like the toys hanging on your bouncy seat. Not sure you actually are seeing them yet. But you stare at them a lot while you are sitting in the seat. You might even be starting to out grow some of your newborn clothes. They are getting a little short in the arms and legs. And you are growing more into your 0-3 months stuff.

Daddy & Jake gave you your 1st bottle this week too. Of course it was a bottle of Mommy's milk, but it was still so cute to see them giving you a bottle. Both of them were so concerned with how you were drinking the bottle & if you needed to burp yet. You took the bottle with no problem. And thankfully you went right back to nursing without any problems either.  
We left you with Nana & Pawpaw for the 1st time this week. Daddy & I went on a short 2 hour date. It was great to spend time with Daddy & you did great being with them for a little while. 

You will be a month old on Friday and then you have your one month visit with the doctor on Monday. I can't wait to see how much you weigh now. You are an excellent eater so I am sure there will be a big difference from the 7 pounds 15 ounces you were at your 1 week check up.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

3 Weeks

Little Lily,
You are 3 weeks old...
This week you have started to hold your head up more on your own. When I am holding you up on my shoulder you almost always are lifting your head up.
You have started to have more awake time during the day. You usually are awake for almost an hour in the morning and then have several other periods of being awake. These are Jake's favorite times of the day. He is always asking if your eyes are open. And as soon as they are he is right in your face talking to you. Or wanting you to watch him do some new trick. He loves showing you all the cool things he can do.
Jake has started calling you sweet baby girl...it is so cute to hear him every time he says it.
You are still a great eater and sleeper. I am so thankful for the 4-5 hour stretch of sleep you let me have each night. It really goes a long way in helping to not feel sleep deprived. During the day you eat about every 2-3 hours.



Wednesday, February 1, 2012

No Change...labor & delivery pt 2

The day of labor continued with little change. I was able to be up walking around or changing positions as long as I stayed hooked up to the monitors. Because of my previous c-section they wanted to monitor the baby very closely. Any change in her heart rate may have indicated a problem.

After another check at 11 indicated I was 3 cm...it seemed little change was happening. Lily was still really high. My midwife was amazing and kept reassuring me that it was my decision. I never once felt pressured to do anything. Around 12 I decided to get my epidural...having heard that sometimes it helps you relax and dilate more quickly. But also knowing it can make things slow down. I really have no idea how you super mom's give birth without an epidural.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with contractions & naps. Hanging out with Jason, my mom & one of my sisters.

Again my midwife was in at 2 and nothing had changed. I wasn't making much progress at all. Had I never had a c-section I probably would have continued to labor. And I thought I really wanted to avoid a c-section again at all cost. Still my midwife was encouraging and leaving it all up to me.

At this point I felt like no matter how long I continued there would be little change. It was the same with Jake he never really came down into the birth canal & I was progressing better with him. So I decided instead of laboring all day long & still ending with a c-section...

I made the choice to have a c-section. (yes, shocking given I really wanted a vbac) So at 2:45 we were wheeled into the operating room. At 3:06pm our precious Lily Kate arrived in this world weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce & 20 inches long. She is absolutely perfect.



I will post soon about how having a 2nd c-section has been totally different then the first time around. But until then..post may be sporadic and sometimes just pictures. I am still in the middle of celebrating our sweet baby girl, spending time with her wonderful big brother & enjoying time being a family of 4!