2 Months!

As of yesterday, our sweet baby Roo is 2 months old. Half of me can't believe she has already been here 2 months and the other half can't remember life without her. Ceiling fans are almost guaranteed to make her smile. She likes looking at her animal mobile and the picture above the changing table. She is a pretty good traveler although she is starting to get upset when we put her in the car seat. She hasn't determined if she likes her paci. She prefers to fall asleep swaddled, but eventually breaks her arms out and sleeps like her dad- arms out to the side. Today was her 2 month appointment. She is just over 12 lbs and is 2 ft long. She is a very happy baby and brings us so much joy.

Our Baby Girl!

Getting all of my thoughts together about our newest addition has been quite a challenge.

My last official day of work was March 31st, but I did go in for a half day the following week. I was hoping to be able to work right up until my contractions started, but I was so big and uncomfortable it became impossible. It was an adjustment to being at home and not being able to do much. My mom came over several times and we went on slow walks.

In April, our family was blessed with the long awaited arrival of our baby girl. Her due date came and went. The day I was supposed to be induced she decided to make her entrance. My labor experience was wonderful and a hundred times better then I ever imagined. A big part of that was the epidural as I felt almost zero pain and I was surrounded by Randy, my mom, and Chantel. After 15 hours of labor and and 1.5 hours of pushing, our darling baby girl was here. We both experienced mild complications. We spent two nights in the hospital then we came home Thursday afternoon.

Randy was able to take two weeks off when Roo was born. It was wonderful having him around. He has been a great support to me, reminding me that Roo is the most important thing and everything else can wait. My mom, Chantel, and some close friends came over often to help me and give me break.

One of my favorite parts of becoming a mom, has been watching Randy take on his role as father. He has transitioned into this new role with so much love and tenderness for his daughter. I knew he would be a great dad since we started dating.

It was hard getting used to sitting on the same couch cushion all day long. I watched so much TV (something that is out of character for me) because I needed something to do while constantly nursing and pumping.

Breastfeeding has been a real struggle. My milk production is finally somewhat improving (8 plus weeks later) thanks to time, pumping (so much pumping), and supplements. We had to start supplementing Roo with formula after week one because she had lost almost 10% of her body weight. We have gone to the pediatrician multiple times for weight checks and so far she has been improving. I was also told to feed her every 2-3 hours day and night. That was so hard. She was a super sleepy newborn and it took great effort to get her to wake up to eat (think ice packs on her feet and belly would not wake her up). Sometimes it would take over an hour to get her to eat anything. By the time I had fed her, pumped, took a breath, it would be time to feed her again. Night time was especially hard because I was exhausted and trying to wake her up to nurse then take a bottle. I finally gave up on that when I would turn off my alarm and fall back asleep without any memory of doing so. Roo will wake up when she is hungry. Now she sleeps for about 4-5 hours then wakes up to eat. Then sleeps for another 3-4 hours. She actually slept through the night once.

I started back at work last Wednesday. My employers and coworkers have been incredibly supportive throughout my entire pregnancy and maternity leave. For the last month or so of pregnancy they scheduled longer appointments for me as well let me go home earlier. They also sent flowers, gifts, and allowed me to come back to work slowly. For June, I am working only half days. Big thank you to my mom for watching Roo this month for me.

Our lives have changed dramatically, but I wouldn't have it any other day. If feels like Roo has always been with us.   

Maternity Photos

Brittany took some beautiful maternity photos for me at 38 weeks. 

Memorial Weekend

For Memorial day my parents rented a condo in Washington Utah. Baby girl did so good on the 5.5 hour drive down. My parents, Chantel, Jason, and Cayden, and us drove down on Friday. Ashley flew in from NYC Saturday afternoon and Garrett joined us that evening. The condo was huge! Friday night we relaxed and walked around the neighborhood.

Saturday morning started with a walk/run for some of us followed by a huge pancake, bacon, and egg breakfast. We then headed to Sand Hollow Reservoir. It was packed!! We finally found a place on the red sand beach. We brought kayaks and a paddleboard. I tried paddleboarding for the first time and I prefer the kayaks. The water level was quite high which made a neat little area of trees that were flooded. You could paddle around the trees and look at birds nests and see the birds up close. That evening we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner followed by a walk to a small pond. My parents tried out my brother's ripstick (it was entertaining).

Sunday morning Dad made his delicious breakfast burritos and Ashley made sticky buns. We then went to church. This was the first time our family of three had been to church together. That evening we played games and ate and ate. Chantel and Garrett were looking at different houses which sparked a finance discussion.

Monday Dad, Randy, and Garrett went golfing (Randy supervised) and the rest of us headed to a trail head called Hell's Hole for a walk. The trail was paved and Jason took off down the hill on his ripstick. The trail got steep quickly and he decided to bail off before he lost control completely. Only Cayden witnessed his fall but he slid at least 10 ft, put holes in the front and back of his shirt, scraped up his knee, hip and the palm of his hand. Nurse Chantel took him and Cayden home and patched him up. Mom, Ashley, R, and I continued on. It was really pretty. There was a small stream to that was surrounded by vegetation on one side and barren red rocks on the other. It got hot fast. After feeding R again my sisters and I cooled off in the community pool. Then it was time to pack up and head home. That journey took us 6.5 hours. We had to stop a few times for the baby and then we got stuck in horiffic traffic. We tried and alternative route but then so did a million other people so it was just as slow if not slower then the freeway. While we were stuck, Randy and I had a good discussion about our finances as a follow up to Dad's discussion with us. We reviewed our budget, talked about our loans and how to pay them off as fast as possible. It is liberating to have a plan! Now we just have to stick to it.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun weekend!

The First Third of The Year

Once again time has run away with me and I am months behind....

Quick Updates

Baby showers: My work was kind enough to put on a baby shower for me. I received so many thoughtful and useful gifts and truly felt loved by co-workers and employers. My mom threw me a baby shower for all my friends and family the following month. Everyone brought a book for the nursery. Everything was so pretty. Cindy came down for this shower and the night before we went over to help my mom make the treats and there were so many! - white chocolate popcorn, pink rice krispies, cupcakes. 

Randy's car accident: On our way home from the family shower, Randy's truck was hit. He had followed behind me and we had stopped at a stoplight when I heard a loud noise. A lady in a car ran right into Randy who was completely stopped. Thankfully no one was hurt and the truck's only battle scar was a dent in the bumper. Unfortunately the lady's car was toast.

The Lion King: For Christmas last year my mom, bought tickets for all 9 of us to see The Lion King Musical. The show was March 28th, which was pretty close to my due date. I was worried that I would go into labor before or the day of the show. Thankful little girl did not make her entrance before then and we were able to enjoy this incredible show - the costumes, the puppets, the singing, the sets, the drums! 

Randy's Interview: A biologist position opened up at DNR (where Randy works) and Randy was encouraged to apply for it. He did and was offered an interview. The interview went really well and he had the best answers on some of the questions of all of the interviewees. He felt good about the interview in that he did his very best. He was not offered the job, he was beat out by a guy with 15 years experience but he was the number 2 choice out of 50 original applicants. I am so proud of him. 

Baby girl: This will be a post all its own. Randy and I became parents in April to the most beautiful and perfect little girl. Life is so sweet.

Zoo: We attempted to go the the zoo last month but inadvertently picked military appreciation day. It was PACKED! As in zero parking anywhere within a half mile of the entrance so we went across the street to This is the Place Memorial park and explored. We met up with Logan and Stephanie at the Cheesecake Factory (we were originally going to meet them at the zoo) for appetizers and cheesecake. That evening we went to Chili's with Chris and Jamie's family. Baby girl did so well all day, but by dinner time was ready to be out of her carseat.