Its been a while!

Sitting at the table with her family on Thanksgiving!

Hi Everyone! Dan and I have not gotten internet hooked up in the new house yet & are dying without it! I am babysitting (Kids are asleep) and thought I would do a little update on what we have been up to :)

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We had it at our new house this year. It was the first time I have hosted and thanks to help from my Mom and Aunt Monica the dinner was phenomenal. Gabrielle tried her first taste of sweet potato & loved it.


We LOVE our new house. It is on a private street in the center of Raleigh and convenient to just about everything. We attended a neighborhood Christmas party today and got a chance to meet some of our neighbors. Every flocked to Gabby, which may have been our plan to make conversation ;)

On the way to the party!

Gabby is 4 1/2 months tomorrow! We absolutely LOVE being parents!  She is been hitting some big milestones and we are proud of her.. She rolled over for the first time in month 2, she is chewing her toes and hands, smiling, laughing, reaching for toys and putting them in no other than her mouth! My absolute favorite thing she does now is reaches for me when I go to pick her up. Melts my heart every time :) Two weeks ago when G hit 4 months we started introducing her to baby food. Originally, we wanted to wait as long as we could but with her being the small fry that she is, we were worried about her gaining enough weight and wanted to make sure she was gaining. So far she has tried bananas, pears, peaches, green beans, peas, squash, cereal, & carrots!! Here is a video of Gabby trying food for the first time.. Bon apetite!

Johnny Jump Up FAIL

Lately I feel like Gabrielle has been bored with me. I try to keep her stimulated all day but there are times when something needs cleaning & I have to let her sit for a while. We bought a jump up for the doorway months ago & the box recommends 4 months which is only TEN days away. Scary. I decided to give it a try..tested it with a few hard tugs & set her in it. Apparently the 4 month recommendation is solely about the weight of the baby because seriously, look at her. That thing gobbled her up! She did a few bounces before her body fell back and then forward bumping her lip. Poor baby. Mommy fail. Jump up fail. See you in a few months!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0

Toesies

....are officially in the mouth! Gabby has been trying all week. She also loves to pull our hands/any objects to her mouth! Little stinker ;)

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0

First Mall Outing!

Today I was feeling brave (after Gabs 3 hour nap) and decided to venture literally across the street to the mall. Very imtimidating ;) With lights it takes 8 minutes and no lights about 2 minutes. Front the time we left the house until the time we got back there was not a fuss or tear. Success! I am sure this had to do with the billion distractions there were like.. The Christmas Section at Belk!! Yayy! Her eyes lit up so big when she saw the Christmas tree & loved watching the train go round and round in the picture. I even found an ornament with 'Gabrielle' on it, how cool is that?! Our next mall adventure WILL include Macy's Christmas section.. So much fun!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0

Daddy love.

Gabby has been more managable during the day, hallelujah! She still fights sleep but I came home to this from work the other day. Melted my heart. He said she started to lose it and just kept pacing with her. After 10 minutes he felt her head lay on his shoulder and she fell asleep. Sweet little baby. Feels so good to know that someone else can put her to sleep after losing it of course.. But thats not the point ;)

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0

Happy Halloween!

We dressed Gabrielle as a puppy & spent the night at my Mom's. It was a bit on the stressful side getting out with a 3 month old but it was nice to let Gabrielle see her Mormor (my Mom) & Aunt (my Aunt.. A very wondeful Aunt & would like G to consider her an Aunt ((not Great Aunt)) & her Grandma (Dan's Mom.) They made a delicious swedish dish & we had about 20 trick or treaters. Dan & I even dressed up for the heck if it! After being put in a situation that G was fussy & tired.. & driving home would result in a scream fest & having a dentist appt near my Moms while my Aunt watched the baby.. We decided to stay. The ride home the next day was tear free after a long nap. Totally worth the other night stay IMO :)

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0

Tiny & Mighty!

You can see her dimple a little here

October (my favorite month) is here! The beautiful blue skies, cool breeze & sunshine are just what I needed after a long summer being hot and pregnant. I haven't blogged in a few weeks & wanted to share a few new things Gabrielle has been doing. She is 2 months now! How time flies. It is starting to really sink in that I am a Mom & we have a daughter & we are a real family now. The days are long, sleep is becoming less frequent, unfortunately. But we hope to start developing better sleep habits as soon as we can figure out a solution to Gabby only being able to fall asleep while nursing.


We went to her 2 month check-up last week & she is topping the charts at 9 lbs 6 ounces & 22 1/2 inches! Not the biggest baby on the block but the doctor says she is slow gaining and nothing to worry about. I'm not much for bragging but I am just so proud of the way Gabrielle is developing & how much she has done way before the suggested age frame. Her doctor says she is ahead for development, which we were thrilled to hear. She may be tiny but she sure is mighty!

Reaching for those toes!

Last week, Gabs shocked us by reaching down and touching her toes!! She has been so amazed by them we can barely get her to look at us anymore. I give her a few weeks and those little feet will be in her mouth ;)


Today we tried the bumbo seat. It's not recommended until the baby has good head control & I thought she has been lifting her head & looking around well enough to give it a whirl. She loved it! We can't get her to hang out in anything for more than 10 minutes & she gave us a whopping 20 in the bumbo! I think she found her new best friend (next to Ink of course!)

Bumbo win.

Gabrielle's first crush.. Ink

Not actual writing ink, but her octopus.. Ink! The first thing other than Mommy and Daddy that she cracked a huge smile at & held a 'conversation' with. It is our go-to when things get out of control & the what keeps her busy for a short while. Ink doesn't have the warmth of Mommy so it doesn't last too long, but it gets a quick chore done :) We can't forget her other two friends, Bacon, the pig and Gilbert, the duck. Dan and I find entertainment in coming up with creative/humorous names for her toys. Gabrielle has the most fun on her mat first thing in the morning, her happiest time! She is cooing all the time now, it's THE cutest thing I have ever seen.. Daddy, & Grandparents agree! 

Gabby with Gilbert, Ink & Bacon!!

Gabrielle is also a huge fan of the flower & hummingbird mobile in her crib. The crib that we haven't yet ventured to for what it's purpose is.. sleeping. Unfortunately she thinks her crib is for playtime. I've dug myself a hole. :( 

^A little coughing, cooing and angry yells ;)^
And...

Our vocal little girl :)

My days with a newborn

Being a first time Mom I always wonder if what I do now with Gabrielle will haunt me in a few months. Multiple sources (pediatrician, happiest baby on the block book) say there is absolutely no way to spoil a baby before 3 months. Let's hope! I totally get that newborns need their Mommy's warmth, touch, smell but I had no idea it would be a 24 hour thing.. No complaining here, I love when her body is next to mine! Just exhausting that it lasts all day with no breaks. :/ This is our daily routine, it's the same every day.

10 AM- Baby & I wake up while she is being held in my arms. I love it. Just as I've loved it since day one. I love just opening my eyes to see that she is breathing. She is completely safe. I don't move an inch while she sleeps but boy, do I miss stomach & back sleeping.


I am able at this point to set her down for approximately 10 minutes before she cries to be held, slug a glass of juice & scarf a quick breakfast. 


10:15 AM-6 PM It depends here whether I have business to tend to on the internet & I will plop on the couch, grab the boppy & let Gabs chill on me while I Facebook, Twitter, Blog, look for houses or random nifty deals on craigslist. 

If I decide there are more important things to do like be a  decent stay-at-home Mom, I will strap Gabby on my chest in her carrier and clean, organize & possibly go outside to get the mail. These 8 hours the baby will still only let me put her down for 10 minutes at a time, just a couple times.


6- DAN!!!!! You are home from a long day at work, now take the baby so I can shower, or cook or do a task I cannot do with a cute little baby attached to me. Sorry, love. 10 minutes pass before she is fussy again & only I can console her. She will learn to let Daddy soothe her one day, I promise!


6:30-10 repeat of 10:15 except now I show off my mad trivial skills watching Jeopardy at 7 (wink, wink.) Dinner is somewhere in here making mac and cheese or throwing together a quick dish that we will have to scarf & in between the scarfing pop the paci back in the baby's mouth, two times or more. 

Clearly transferring her to the bassinet did not work.

10- Bedtime :)) Where Dan, Gabby and I all hop in bed for a nice, couple times interrupted night sleep.


Spending every minute with a newborn are indeed trying & exhausting but I want to cherish this time before its gone. I still gaze all day at the beautiful little girl Dan and I made. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the days with her. It is still so surreal that I am a MOM & I have a daughter. Sounds so sweet. 

Long days with a newborn has its rewards too :)

Bath time & smiles :)

Our sweet baby girl turned one month this weekend. Everyone says the time goes by so fast but for once this month has actually seemed like a month, maybe even longer & probably due to getting adjusted to a completely new lifestyle. It has been wonderful, everything about it. I still look at her in awe, just like the first day. It has been so much fun experiencing some of her firsts & we are giddy just thinking of more.. first Halloween, first Christmas, first word.. This is going to be great.


When we got settled at home, a couple days later we gave Gabrielle her first bath. It was everything we expected.. lots of screaming & tears. Poor little thing :/ I absolutely dreaded the second time but to my surprise.. she loved it. With Dan and I growing up on swim teams & near beaches our little one has learn to love the water, because we do! 


On August 8th, under 2 weeks old I laid Gabby on the bed & started talking & smiling at her. I thought there was no way she could smile at me already until... she did! She wasn't looking past me, she locked eyes with mine. I cried like a little girl. Her first smile. It was amazing. I didn't see another smile (other than while she was sleeping) for another week. Now she smiles multiple times a day & it melts my heart every time.

Stay tuned for more of Gabrielle's firsts :)

My oh-so-horrible birth story

I am a little late but I thought I would share with everyone how my first (and possibly last) labor went! ;)


6 AM- Exactly one day before my scheduled induction. I woke up to a gush & immediately called the doctor. I was hoping the only doctor I did not like at the office was NOT on doctor duty at the hospital, he answered. GREAT. This was more of a reason for me to stay at home as long as possible so he could get off the clock. He told me to wait until 8, to go into the office and get a labor check.


8 AM- The contractions had been going on for quite some time by now & Dr. Bass, one of my favorites told me I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. The day before I was the same for effacement but only 1 cm. He told me I was in labor but it could be a long one, to head home and labor until the pain was unbearable, then to come back for another check.


3 PM- I spent the morning at my Mom's house (she called into work :)) & my brother, Daniel was in town. It was nice of him to take my mind off labor and read me funny jokes thanks to stumbleupon. The contractions were strong at this point and about 4 minutes apart lasting up to 2 minutes. I thought for sure I was getting close. I drove back to the doctor, laboring. I just had to go, despite my Mom begging me to wait for her to get ready so she could take me.


4 PM- Dr. Rush gave me the unfortunate news that in 7 hours I had made no progress. I was torn. How long was this going to take?!


6 PM- The contractions were strong enough for me to say, "This is it, lets go." We grabbed the camera for one final pregnancy picture at 40 weeks and 5 days. Bittersweet for sure.

By the time I got to the hospital I was 4 CM & my horrid least favorite doctor was off duty :D I got checked in, changed into my gown, and walked the halls for 3 hours until my room was ready.


9 PM- I was in labor for 12 hours at this point & thought it couldn't be that much longer. The hardest part of this hour may have been getting in and out the bathtub. :/


From here until 6 AM was a big blur for me. My contractions were 45 seconds-2 minutes apart lasting up to 2 minutes long and excruciating. I tried so hard not to cry through every single one of them.


6 AM- I was only 5 CM dilated. I thought that couldn't be possible. The pain was so intense, I could not see myself doing this for another 24 hours. My plan for a natural birth went out the window and I opted for the epidural. Bad, bad decision.


The anesthesiologist set everything up and talked me through what was going on. After the epidural was "in place" I asked him if I was supposed to feel my legs. He said some feeling. I told him I had none. I started to have no feeling anywhere from my chest down and at that point it felt like a dream. I could tell the doctor and nurse were frantic, but trying to stay calm. Mine and the baby's heart rate was rapidly dropping & her pulse rate sky rocketed. The oxygen mask went on as the bad epidural that punctured my spine was being taken out. Thank goodness I got the IV at the beginning because if not, I don't know that I would be sitting here right now. They had to put emergency fluids in my IV to get our heart rate's back to normal. I was uncontrollable shaking. My Mom was crying & I will never forget the look on Dan's face as he walked up to me, grabbed my hand and said "Are you ok, babe?" I couldn't even speak. I was scared for my life and my sweet baby girl's.


6 AM-10 AM- Paralyzed. THE scariest four hours of my life as I thought I would never be able to walk again. The anesthesiologist never left the room. He knew he messed up big time.


10 AM- 2 PM- I could feel my legs again!! Praise the Lord. I became instantly happy & this labor started to seem wonderful. Because of the spinal tap, my labor slowed down and at this point I did not care how much pain I would be going through, so pitocin was administered which made this labor 10 times more painful.


2:40 PM- My OB, Dr. Smith came in and checked me, Hallelujah, I was 10 CM. Time to PUSH!!! This was the only point in my labor where I was in control. The nurse expected me to push for 2 hours & I told her that was not going to happen. My Mom on my right, Dan on my left and the squatting bar. It was so nice to let gravity do most of the work as I was in an upright position. The adrenaline kicked in and the nurses were running to call the doctor in. She was crowning as he was literally running in and as I look back I could not tell you if pushing hurt or not. ALL adrenaline.


3:08- Our baby girl, Gabrielle Grace Joy was born. I was hysterical, so was Dan, & my Mom. She was beautiful, we couldn't believe she was here, on my belly. That moment seemed to have lasted forever. She was here. The pain was over and it was time to start building memories. :)

Consider me a blogger.

Hello friends & family! Welp, I've decided it's time to start blogging.. Dan and I welcomed our little girl, Gabrielle into the world 4 weeks ago today & I now consider ourselves a family, which means a blog is totally appropriate ;) I am excited to share our adventures, milestones & stories with you. Let's see if I last at this!