My girl is a month old.

She went out on her first social outing. To lunch with Joy. She told me she wanted to wear her leopard print outfit because 1) her Auntie Nycole got it for her 2) leopard print is hot right now. Ok, she didn't really say all that, but I know that's what she was thinking. Because she is MY daughter afterall. We also have to document that 30 mins prior to our first social outing, we had an epic poo blowout. Yeah, all over the swing, me, her - everywhere. Thank god I didn't put clothes on either one of us until the last second prior to leaving the house for this. exact. reason.



Let's see-what else happened this week? She started smiling and cooing a little bit. It's so exciting to see her eyes light up when she finally gets focused on you and then that little teeny smile comes. We've been seeing the dreaming smiles for quite some time now, just really excited to see the conscious ones!



Little mama likes to sit up like a big girl when her tummy is gassy. She's so content watching tv with daddy :)



She's so old! May as well be 3 in this picture.

 She hasn't been taking very good daytime naps. They are very random-sometimes long (3hrs) and sometimes only in 30-min intervals all day. She sleeps in her basket or swing during the day. It's sad to me that she will be too big for this basket in a few short months...

Mis-matching gloves. Because that's how we roll.



Collars on infant clothing=STUPID.



We attempted a photo shoot. She was out cold, so I thought I would go for it. Let's just say it was 5 mins, 5 pictures, and pee all over the place. And I interrupted the only nap for the day. Go mommy! Here's what we got. We will attempt it again soon :)



We have been to the store a few times to get out of the house and also been over to Grammy and Grampy's for dinner.

Paisley's Grandparents...

Don't love her.

3 weeks old...*sniff*

Wow. It's amazing how something so small can RULE YOUR WORLD.

Week 2 was HARD. The nights were sleepless and the days were spent catching up from the nights before. And I had help, help, help. But that just doesnt change the fact that life is just so different than it was before. People tell you and tell you that life is going to change, that it is going to be hard, that babies are alot of work, etc! But you just don't know the feeling until you experience it. So did I say it's hard? Well, it is. I'm not going to lie and say it's all roses. That's how I feel right now. So, here's my sob story: I'm going to admit that it does not please me to not sleep, wear sweats everyday because your ass is too fat for your jeans, worry every second about what you are going to do next because your baby needs food and a clean butt, give your boobs away, and have anxiety about leaving the house for any period of time, with or without the babe, when all day, this is exactly what you wanted to do. And don't even get me started on the DIET CHANGES that they expect a newly nursing mother to make. Coffee? Dairy? Sorry, I don't think I can be sacrificing such things (among all the other above mentioned sacrifices). And I want to remember this feeling, along with posting pictures and milestones of my super duper precious little pumpkin pie- whom I take large bites out of daily. Okay, so I don't bite her, I just kiss her. Alot.

Oh, mommy! Quit complaining!

I love how she sticks her lips out and stretches.



My two babes

 Paisley had her 2 week well baby check up and everything went great. A few things that we wanted to ask abou were the 4-5 hour nightly crying spells we had been experiencing; to which the Ped shrugged off as "maybe some gas". WHAT??!! That's all youre going to say to me? I NEED answers. So now we give baby girl Mylicon at bedtime and during her middle of the night feeding. Seems to be getting better. The Ped wasn't too hot on the idea that she had a binky in her mouth and told us it could be contributing to sleeping issues. Well lemme tell you that when she is screaming it works wonders! So we arent ditching the bink at this time. She also gave us the advice of saline drops for her stuffy nose, and she got cleared for baths since she lost her belly button the night before! :)
Weight: 9.6 lbs (80th percentile) She's wearing the smallest of her 0-3 month clothing! Officially out of newborn size and the newborn diapers are getting too small, but size 1 is still huge on her!
 Sleep: I'm probably speaking too soon. But currently going well. She gets a rocking just to calm her down and layed in the pack-n-play between 9 and 11. Sometimes it takes up to an hour though to get her to sleep. Sleeps till 3 or 4, and wakes up again around 7ish.

Likes: baths, daddy rocking her.
Dislikes: being cold after baths, getting her clothes changed.


The moment we realized her belly button had fallen off.

 

Strawberry mark. It's still getting darker, too.





Precious little bunny!



Unfortunatley Paisley doesn't feel the same...



Let's see, what else? She is lifting her head up great, also following sounds and people with her eyes. Oh yeah, and she's balding :) Just on top right now. She's got male pattern balding. She has to wear gloves all the time because the first thing she does is claw her face like crazy! I try to let her hands free a couple hours a day so that she doesn't think cotton is the only texture in the world.





I am NOT balding!!

   

It's exhaustin being a newborn!



The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Lets start out with the bad. It's my attitude at 3am when the only thing I can do to console my crying babe is give her the boob. Just like we did 30 mins ago. Dammit. So I nurse her and cry. Because I'm tired. Because I want to know why she can't be consoled by anything else. Because my boobs are sore. Because as I'm feeding her, Andrew is fading away into a deep sleep and I'm going to be awake for the next hour. The ugly is my attitude towards my hubby when he tells me "babe, I love you and this is what we signed up for". Thanks. I had no idea. Again, he is my calm at a time of exhaustion and wanting to give up. He is it, the one who digs me out each time I feel buried. He's the good. *Que tears from hormonal nursing mom*



Shhh baby...

A late night with daddy techniques being utilized. Yes, I'm aware it looks like he's choking her out, but believe me, don't mess with the daddy magic. Works every time.

 



What mommy got after a rough night. I could marry him again.



Speaking of tears, I think we should document the binky story. I know, I know- a story all about giving your kid a binky?! I was absolutley torn with the idea of the bink. Everything that we had learned through our pregnancy told us that we should hold out on the binky just a couple of weeks until we have established nursing and latching, just so that we would not reverse our efforts. But from the first night in the hospital, our girl would just suck, suck, suck, even in her sleep. She would make this little noise and latch on to whatever came near. She seemed restless and I oh so badly wanted to pop a bink right in those tiny perfect lips. But I knew I should wait. After a few days home from the hospital, I was still convinced that she would be consoled by a bink. My parents didn't think it would hurt and knew I was torn (and obsessing) over it and said 'just try it and you'll find out if she does or doesnt want it'. But Andrew and I were still unsure and I wanted to be sure we were in agreement about giving it to her. But then, in a moment of not being able to console her, I simply grabbed it and popped it in. Oh my god. What have I done? Have I just given up? Did I just do what's best for me, or my daughter? Then, the tears came. Oh man. You never would have thought a pacifier would have been such a big deal. But it was to me. I know, crazy first-time-mom syndrome. It is what it is.

I'll have you know I haven't had anymore boughts like this since. We're all good.

2 weeks old

Wow! The craziest 2 weeks of my life! Paisley is such a good girl. Beyond the normal tiredness, our little family is doing great! Here's what's going on in our life right now...
Andy is off work until Monday...which really makes me sad! I have loved our time off together and am really going to struggle when he goes back to work! We are going to have to balance our time well. I know I can do it, and people do it all the time. Hopefully we don't keep him awake too much at night so that he can be productive during the day ;)

Luckily my mom is coming during the day for next week so I'm not a total lost cause! She is so much help to us and I am nothing but thankful for all the wonderful people that we have had around us for the past few weeks! Dinners 6 nights in a row from coming home from the hospital, and gifts, gifts, and more gifts!

Paisley was born with a slight case of jaundice and had to be fed every 2 hours for the first week. This was very hard because I am exclusively breastfeeding and by the time she got changed, nursed, and fed, I would get about a half an hour of sleep and do it all over again! I know, I know- the life of a new mother and father, right?! Now she goes about 2 1/2-3 hrs in between feedings, sometimes more if she is extremely tired. The longest she has slept was 5 1/2 hrs one night and it was great! I think Andrew and I woke up and didn't even know what time it was, what happened, anything. Dead to the world.


ME? What!? I don't keep you awake all night...

Right now, she has her days and nights mixed up. We are not sure if she might have a slight case of colic because her fussiness has come like clockwork for the past 3 nights. Around 11PM, it starts and she doesn't sleep or want to do anything but nurse until about 3AM. Once she goes down, she does great and only wakes up every 3 hrs to nurse, burp, diaper change, and right back to sleep. But this means our day starts at 12PM...which is hard! Right now, we are just trying to "sleep when she sleeps". It's great to bore everyone with these details, but the truth is, I can't really remember from week to week, so remember- this is my version of scrapbooking ;)

These cute booties were a gift from our childbirth educator

How babys doing:
Weight: I'm pretty sure she has gained, but we find out at her 2 week appointment early next week! She was 8.3lbs 3 days after birth. She is exclusively in newborn clothing and diapers, but I think will be graduating to 0-3months very soon.

Sleep: Good, but off "schedule". We will start establishing a "schedule" of some sort with the pediatrician next week.

Sleepy in my moses basket

Likes:

•  Her binky, even though she spits it out every 2 mins and then cries for it right away. We have got to get the hang of this binky!
• Being held. All.the.time.
• Tummy sleeping. Wish I could put her on her tummy at night time.
• White noise. Tv sounds. Daddy playing guitar. The shushing noise.
• Her moses basket and swing. Likes to swing FAST when cranky.
• Walks in the stroller.
• Being burped. Falls asleep every time.



She looks so tiny in her carseat!



Dislikes:

• The pack-n-play. PHOOEY!
• Wipe baths.
• Clothes changed.
• Swaddling with arms in. OMG you would think we were killing her.
• The night hours...

Listening to her nature sounds

How mom and dad are doing:

TIRED. On a whole different level. They say you'll be tired and get no sleep. But OH MAN.

Lost about 30 of the 40lbs I gained during pregnancy.

Not so enthused about breastfeeding. It's exhausting, painful, and emotionally draining. It sucks to be the cow that has to be milked every 2 hrs. It also sucks being the only one who can console her with the boob! On the other hand, I know it's best for us and I know it will get easier (they say). I do enjoy cuddling with her during that time and doing the best thing I can do for her. Andy is juggling school a new baby, his crazy wife, and soon, work. I'm so proud of him, even though it's been crazy! 



Spending more hours awake during the day now that she's big. 2 weeks big.

 

Mommy and Paisley



First Dr.'s appointment. Such a good girl!



Birth Story-Paisley Reece

SHE'S HERE! I've tried about 543 times to sit down and write this. But it becomes so low on the priority list when your baby girl needs to be fed, diaper changed, cuddled, stared at while she sleeps, dishes everywhere and you've had no shower (oops!).

We welcomed our sweet baby into the world on Friday, October 22, 2010 at 3:58PM! Meet Miss Paisley :)

I was due on Wednesday and had a Dr's appointment at which they told me I had made really no progress. I was still not dilated and I was 50% effaced. I had actually been having some stronger contractions that day, so I was hoping that when he checked me, I would be dilated.  So we scheduled an induction for Saturday, October 23rd. I was 4th on the patient list and they were going to give me a call when a bed was ready. Andrew and I were OK with this plan because that meant that there would be no rushing to the hospital in the middle of the night or while he was at work! After the appointment, we went to the movies and I continued to have contractions. I just ignored them because I wanted to be the real thing but knew that it wasn't. Fast forward to Friday morning when I awoke at 330am with a good contraction. I REALLY had to pee, but another contraction came pretty quickly, so I laid in bed through it. Right after that, I felt a kick and pop and knew my water had broken! I got up and woke up Andy and told him it was time to head to the hospital! So we got in the car for our hour long drive about 45 mins later. Andy was getting very worried because on the way down, my contractions were coming about 5 mins apart (thank you, Contraction Master App!), which is when the Dr. told us we needed to be heading to the hospital. We always thought we would be way ahead of this! Of course, it took us about 45 mins to get ready and get outta town, and we also needed gas :o) Ooops! But I wasn't skipping out on my last shower for a day or two!

By the time we arrived in triage, I was most definitely in active labor already. The pain was excruciating and my contractions were coming about 3 mins apart. They checked my dilation and I was already at a 4. I was begging for any pain meds at this point! But they told me I had to finish a bag of fluids and wait for my Dr to be notified I was there and my condition prior to administering pain medication. I was having terrible back labor, so each contraction I would beg Andrew to massage my lower back through it. I kept telling him "harder, it hurts!" and he massaged so hard that his hand kept cramping up. He most definitely worked too! The next day, my entire lower back was bruised from where he had beaten massaged me. By the time they got me a room, the anesthesiologist arrived to skip the Stadol and go straight for the epi. Since I had a contraction through the epidural, I didn't feel a thing (thank god!). I was really getting upset when they were asking me my pain level on the cute little 1-10 scale. Mmm, I don't know- 30, 40, 50, 100!! Needless to say the epidural was the best thing ever!! To those who have had natural births, you are off your rocker, but I SO give you craploads of credit! :) I layed there like a rag doll for a few more hours as my labor progressed and even took a nap!



Makeup for the arrival of my girl :)

Before I knew it, they came in and told me I was dilated to a 10 and it was time to push. (Eeee!) I made a few comments about how numb I was and I was concerned if my pushing would be effective. Secretly, my nurse turned the epidural off right before pushing to help me regain some feeling. Then, we started pushing. The contractions were coming very far apart, so they decided to administer some pitocin to get them going again. I told the nurse that I started feeling some pressure. She said that my pushes were working and she was going to call the Dr. and see if we could get the baby out in a few more pushes. The Dr. came in and checked me and said that not only was I not ready, I still had at least an HOUR of pushing left and he recommended a c-section if I didn't have the baby in an hour. I knew I didn't want to have a c-section,and the nurse kept telling me that we were so close and she thought I could do it! So after the Dr. left, Andrew, Deli, (the wonderful nurse) and I all decided that we were going to push this baby out and prove the Dr. wrong! 15 mins later, I was told to breathe (and not push) through the contractions because the baby was coming and we needed to call the Dr.!! They also had respiratory therapy standing by in the room because some of the fluid was not clear during labor. A push later and she was out with a little cone head! After only 12 hours of labor, she was here. (I'm told that's pretty good for a first baby!) They put a tube down her throat and made sure her lungs were clear, and she was perfectly fine. It's absolutely amazing the love that you immediately have for your baby when you see and hold them. Nothing in the world is more beautiful to you and you don't care about anything else. Paisley, mama and daddy love you so much.

Now I'm already behind on my weekly posts, so lets hope I can get caught up! So many things have already changed since she was born, I can't believe it!