Baby's First Christmas

Christmas took on a whole new meaning this year.  Last Christmas we were ready to have a baby and we're praying that God would bless us one.  A few weeks later we were pregnant and we just celebrated our first Christmas with our little blessing.

We traveled to Benton a few days before Christmas and took you to Holland Chapel for the first time.

We celebrated Christmas at Grannys...

We woke up Christmas Eve to open gifts with Joodge and Baba..

 

Christmas Eve, we went out with Cece's brothers and their families.

 

Christmas Eve we stayed at CeCe and Poppas and opened gifts there Christmas Day. Afterwards, Poppa's family came over for lunch.

Christmas Day, it started sleeting/icing/snowing around 2:00.  The power went out shortly after and we were stranded for a couple of days.  Luckily Papa got the generator going so we didn't freeze.  We loved that your first Christmas was a white one!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord."

 

My baby is 2 Months Old!

Miss Priss was 2 months old on December 16th. My post is a little late, but all of these pictures were taken on her actual 2 month birthday.

I'm kind of glad I'm posting at her 2.5 month mark because in the last 2 weeks her personality has really started showing!

Her biggest milestone at her 2 month mark was she had really started smiling! It's the best thing in the world to be able to just look at her and see her face light up!  Caroline had also been sleeping 8 hours about every other night. We put her down at 10:15 and she sleeps until 6!  It was pretty inconsistent until about a week ago and she has slept like that almost every night, even with traveling a lot for Christmas.  I feel like a whole new woman with 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep!

Here's what you've been up to this month:

- smiling

- really enjoying bath time (we got a new bath mat/tub that you LOVE)

- going right to sleep in your crib after your 10 pm feeding and sleeping until 6 or 6:30 am!

- you eat 4 ounces every feeding.  You eat at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm, and 10 pm.  We started giving you a little bit of rice cereal in your 10 pm bottle at 7 weeks

- you have started making lots of sweet baby talk with us... that is my favorite thing right now!

- you kick your legs when you are mad and have quite the set of lungs. You don't do this often and most of the time you just want to be held or talked to.

- you and mommy have been going back to sleep after your 7 am bottle for about an hour every day.  Mommy is very sad this is coming to an end since she goes back to work on Monday. :(

- your longest nap times are from 10:30-1:00 and 1:30-4:00.  You usually nap in your swing (which you now love... you love to swing on the highest setting).  I usually have to wake you up for your 1:00 and 4:00 feeding.

- You turned 2 months old in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  You also experienced your first snow/ice storm on Christmas Day!

- You are a very easy baby. You only cry when you are hungry or need a new diaper. You LOVE to be held and we LOVE to hold you. :)  We are finally on a really good schedule that works for all of us.  Mommy felt kind of crazy for the first 6 weeks and is really glad she took 10 weeks off from work!  You are healthy and happy and we are so blessed to have you!

 

 

"Firsts"

You had your first bath when your umbilical cord fell off at about 10 days old. We have found it's easiest to bathe you in the kitchen sink. You love your bath and only cried when we got you out!

You also had your first Halloween! We dressed you up in a cute little glow in the dark skeleton onesie.

 

You took your first trip to Benton a few days before Thanksgiving.  Daddy stayed behind to work and we headed down early to spend some extra time with friends and family.  You did ok on your first trip until we got to Little Rock... then screamed the whole way to Benton. :)

... you met MawMaw for the first time.

... you were worn out from all of the traveling but you were in a great mood the whole time.

... you slept through the night for the first time ever when we were in Benton at 6 weeks old! You did it 3 nights in a row until we got home and then you were not as consistent.

 

You really started smiling at about 8 weeks old.  You cracked some smiles before then... but at 8 weeks we could make you smile.  It's my favorite thing in the whole world!

First time for mommy and daddy to leave you... it was only for a few hours, but it felt like an eternity! Cece and Papa came for a weekend at the beginning of December to keep you since we had 3 Christmas parties to attend in a weekend.  You were in great hands so we didn't worry, but we came home early from each party because we missed you so much!

 

You are one loved little girl and we can't wait to spend many more "firsts" with you!

 



 

 

 

Baby Dedication

We dedicated Caroline to the Lord on November 25th.  We had Caroline's grandparents and my Meme in town to celebrate with us. We are blessed to be a part of a church that celebrates babies and supports parents to love them and grow them in the Lord.

 

Unkie Lee loves Caroline. 

 

 With Joodge and Baba...

 

 With Cece and Poppa...

 

 So sweet!

 

 Our family...

 

 

"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."

Happy One Month Birthday, Caroline!

How is it possible that my baby is ONE month old?  I'm sure that is a phrase that I'll be repeating a lot over the next months/years, but the last month has truly flown by.

One month old

What you are up to:

- You are still wearing newborn diapers and clothes, but it won't be long before you move up in both!

- You weighed 7 lbs 14 ounces 2 weeks ago at the doctor, so if I had to guess you are close to 8 lbs now

- You will probably never learn to sit up or walk because you want to be held ALL the time.  I'm ok with that right now and your grandparents don't mind holding you either! :)

- You do NOT like your swing, and scream when we put you in it.  You do like the play mat and bouncy seat.. so long as someone is talking to you while you sit/lay there.

- You are nursing every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night.  You also take a bottle like a champ! You wake up every 3 hours on the dot to eat and have pretty much done this since you were born.

- You are still sleeping in our room in your bassinet. You can't fall asleep without your sound machine and sleep sack.

- You wake up between 6 and 6:30 every morning. Daddy gives you a bottle and puts you back to bed before he goes to work. We sleep until about 8:30 or 9 and then get up.  You eat again at 10, then we get ready for the day. We have been going for a walk every morning in your stroller before daddy comes home for lunch.  In the afternoon we usually nap together or run errands.  Daddy comes home and he and mommy eat dinner, then he feeds you, holds you, and gets you ready for bed.  Mommy stays up late with you and gets up in the night to feed you. Daddy has been sleeping in the other room since he is such a light sleeper. :)

- You had your first Halloween this month

- You had your first bath

- You are SO loved!

Labor Pains... or the Lack Thereof

On Monday, October 15th, we went for our 39th week check up at the doctor. I was only 20% effaced still and dilated to 1 cm. Dr. H decided that she did want us to check into the hospital that evening and start inducing first thing Monday morning.  She decided to have us check us in Monday evening to start a drug called Cytotec overnight to thin my cervix. Then Pitocin would start first thing Tuesday morning to start contractions.  She decided that Caroline was just the right size and that we didn't want to risk her getting much bigger so it was decided to induce 2 days before my due date.

So, we left the appointment at about 11:00 and then ran a few errands and had lunch at Hammontrees. We had planned to go to a movie afterwards, but decided to do a last minute tour of a daycare that we're thinking of sending "C" to. (Nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh?) The tour ended up lasting longer than we thought so we missed the movie.  We went to McAlisters and grabbed some tea and desert before headed to the house to get ready to go the hospital. As much as I really wanted to lay down and take a nap, I knew that I would be laying down a lot over the next few days. So, we decided to play some Super Mario Brothers. :) About 4:45. we left for the hospital.

Me at 39.5 weeks. 1 day before Caroline's birth day.

We got all checked in, then my parents and Adam's parents arrived shortly after to keep us company.  I got the Cytotec at 6 pm and midnight. At 6 am, I was no more effaced and only dilated to a 2.  The Cytotec did start some contractions, but I could barely feel them.  The nurse started Pitocin at 6 am and immediately the contractions got intense, but still weren't too painful. The anesthesiologist came by around 8 and I got the epidural. Dr. H stopped by about 8:30 to check on me and I was still at a 2 so she broke my water.  At noon I was dilated to a 4, at 2:30 I was at a six, and at 3:30 I was dilated to a 10! I couldn't believe it when the nurse said it was time to start pushing... I nearly died! I had just woke up from a nap, ha!  

Adam and I when we found out it was gametime!

It was about 4:00 when the nurse said it was time to start pushing.  I remember laughing that it was time to push since I was in no pain and hadn't broken a sweat.  Adam kept asking if Dr. H was going to make it... I was convinced that she wasn't and that our nurse was going to deliver Caroline (which I was totally ok with- she was awesome and I totally didn't care at that point.)  Literally 5 minutes before C was born, Dr. H came barreling through the door. It's amazing how they know just how much time they need to get there!  We were so thankful that our favorite doctor delivered.  Adam was such an amazing "coach." I was so impressed that he was so into the whole process. I was a little nervous about how he would do since he doesn't handle blood well.  He cut the cord and everything! He also cried like a baby when our angel came into the world at 4:23 pm. It was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. I have never felt love like that!

Our first look at Caroline Reese

lots of dark hair!

My loves

Our first photo as a family of 3

Adam and I had Caroline all to ourselves for about an hour. We wanted some time just the three of us and I'm so glad we held off on visitors for a bit. That time is so sacred and I knew we would never get it back. We let grandparents, uncle Lee, and Sarah in just before she was taken to the nursery for her bath. The rest of the time in the hospital Caroline rarely laid in her bassinet since someone held her ALL of the time. :)  We ended up staying 3 nights total in the hospital. I had planned on us going home the day after C arrived, but Dr. H and the nurses suggested staying another night... and I'm really glad we did. We felt much more confident taking her home after another night.

The most beautiful baby in the world!

While in the hospital, we had lots of visitors... which I loved! The day C was born I was glad it was just us and close family, but the next day I was ready to see some more faces, ha. It meant so much that people visited and wanted to hold my baby. I also loved the flowers and food we received.

 

Joodge and Baba with their 4th grandchild.

Pappy and Cece are in love!

 

Sarah, Caroline and I

Caroline with her DZ aunties... Becca, Britney, and Jessica

Our friends Brad and Mandy came to meet C

One of my best friends, Amy was in town working the day we went home from the hospital and came by to meet Caroline before we left.

Getting ready to go home! Caroline is wearing the same dress that I wore home from the hospital.

Our sweet friends Sean and Nicole had a doctor's appointment upstairs to hear their baby's heartbeat for the first time just before we left the hospital. They came by afterwards and walked us out. It was really neat to be ending our pregnancy journey as they are beginning theirs!

Me and my sweet baby girl in the back seat as daddy drove us home. We stopped at Back Yard Burger for lunch while we waited for my meds to be ready at the pharmacy. 

 

Gus was there to greet us when we got home. He could have cared less about Caroline... he was so excited to see us, though!

Our first night home with C, the Greens brought us dinner. Payne held Caroline for the first time and cried when it was time for them to go.

We just sat on the couch and stared at our new baby for hours before going to bed. We just kept talking about how surreal it was that we had a baby... and she was ours... and that we get to keep her! We survived our first night at home with Caroline and had 3 full days together, just us, before Adam went back to work the next week.  God is so good and we are so blessed.

 

While there was very little pain (ok -basically none) during actual labor and delivery, the pain afterwards was more than I anticipated. The first week was pretty tough. Of course, it was worth every ounce of pain, and about day 10 I felt significantly better. I probably overdid it the first couple of days too, getting out of the house to run around town the day after we were home and going for a walk down the street on  day 3. I kind of laughed when people said "take it easy" and "sleep when she sleeps" but now understand the importance of resting those first few days/weeks.  We truly had a wonderful labor/delivery experience and most of all a healthy baby and mom. For that we are so thankful.