Road Trip!

Here are a few highlights from our recent week-long road trip to visit family and friends...

Day 1 (Oct 22): 

Visit with Uncle Kurt and Aunt Kim in WI.  Stayed at Granny Callie's overnight.

Day 2: 

Drove to IN.  Amelia met her Great Grandma Pavot.

Four generations:

Spent the afternoon at my Dad's place, and had a late night bonfire with friends from Hobart.

Day 3:
Hung out with the Sharps, Uncle Bill, and my grandma's good friend Pat.  My Aunt Martha had tons of fun with Amelia, and we also had a surprise visit from a very scary gorilla:

Day 4:
Matt and I had the morning free, so after deciding that the apple orchard was a bit much, we had a fun time enjoying beautiful fall colors at my favorite home town county park:

Then we spent the evening hanging out with more of our friends and their kids (the Carter clan and our friend Sam), and we had a late night trip to visit Uncle Jason and Aunt Carol and their family.  Got home pretty late on this day!

Day 5:
Slept in, packed up, and drove to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ann's for dinner.  Then drove to Matt's brother's house before bed.

Day 6:
Spent the day with the Cromers.

Note: It rained on our walk, but not too badly.  And Kim made an awesome Thanksgiving-esque dinner for all of us!

Day 7:
Lunch with the Cromers, then off to visit my college roommate Amanda and her hubby Loren.  We visited a massive, new "art park" with a few pieces of art and a ton of hiking trails, and then we went out for dinner.  This day was a bit colder than the day before, so we did our best to keep Lia warm!

And back to the Cromers' place we went...

Day 8:
Packed up and drove to Granny Callie's for dinner.  This was the longest driving segment of the trip...

Day 9:
Packed up for the last time and drove home.  It was a fun trip, but I am glad to be back!

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Lia!

In celebration of Amelia's first month on the "outside", here are a couple of pictures taken today.  The first of these pictures requires a caption.  The caption is: "So you've heard of a milk mustache?  Well, this is a milk goatee!"

Way to rock it, Lia!

Here's the second picture of Lia all snuggled up for bed after a night of hanging out with friends at Bible study:

Also, we celebrated on Lia's behalf with apple pie, ice cream, and candy.  Yummy!

Birth Announcements!

Good news!  Matt woke up this evening with enough spare time (before heading to work at 11pm) to take over for me with feeding Lia so I could get something accomplished.  Note that Lia packed down about 5 ounces in a span of approximately 2 hours, so I'm hoping she'll sleep for a while longer tonight.  :-)

Anyway, thanks to our wonderful photographer, Ryan Siemers (www.ryansiemers.com), we have a cute birth announcement with beautiful baby pictures currently being printed.  I know that we're a bit late on this bandwagon, but I couldn't help wanting to share some of the cute pictures with family and friends in a conveniently sized announcement.  Look for the announcements to be arriving in a couple of weeks, assuming that Matt will cover for me again so I can get them in the mail once they have been picked up from the photo printer.  Yay!

"Celebrating Families" class

As part of our prenatal classes, Early Childhood Family Education hosts a night for our class to gather again post-delivery to talk about the experience and baby-related updates while learning more about babies and development.  I was slightly disappointed to find out that only two couples in addition to Matt and me showed up for the event.  And only one of the couples was from our class, so there must have been at least 2 classes invited...  Regardless, we had fun sharing and walked away with more resources and info!

In answer to the question: "Are you getting enough sleep?"

It's been a long weekend (plus Monday) so far.  Matt got started on a string of night shifts at work, so I have been covering Amelia-care on my own much more that usual.  Saturday was a good day.  Matt and I got to go for a walk in the morning, then I got to take a nap in the afternoon while Matt ran some errands with Amelia.  Sunday was a bit more work...

As normal, I like to live in an "overcommited" way.  Matt covered for me as a table leader in our Sunday school class, Amelia got to spend time in the nursery (her first day there!), and I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off playing in the orchestra, jumping into Sunday school for about 5 minutes, running to the nursing room to pump (twice), running to check on Amelia, and back again  for more orchestra and church service.  It was a fun morning, but I was running on about 2 hours of sleep from Saturday night since Matt had been at work and Amelia needed extra attention overnight.  Thank goodness for that Saturday afternoon nap!

The whole "attempt to breastfeed/supplement with a bottle/change Lia's diaper/play with Lia/put Lia down to sleep/pump/wash bottles and pump pieces/try to nap/Lia wakes up hungry" cycle is keeping me from having much time to sleep.  I tried to nap Sunday afternoon but had no luck.  (I think Amelia was hungry during the 2nd church service on Sunday, but her caretaker was able to calm her without feeding her, so she stored up all of her hunger for the afternoon.)  Sunday night and Monday didn't work well for much more sleep, either, but Matt did help me get a bit of a nap in the afternoon.  I'm looking forward to more sleep tonight, so here's to hoping that I can learn to fall asleep fast and help Lia to do the same.

Anyway, all things considered, I'm still functioning pretty well on limited sleep.  Matt is doing well, too.  But I am looking forward to getting through this stage and into the more sleep-filled nights down the road!

Bad Kitty or Protector Kitty?

We put Amelia down for a nap this afternoon, and when I stopped in to check on her at one point, this is what I found:

I'm guessing Mattie (the cat) was just attracted to Lia's warm and toasty temperature.  Regardless, the kitty was removed from the crib promptly after photos were taken.  Matt and I decided that we should close the door to the baby's room during naps and use a fan to circulate air in the room instead of leaving the door open.  Mattie is a sweetie, but she is also twice the size of Lia, which doesn't make for a safe situation when unsupervised...  It did make for some cute pictures, though!

Visiting Baby Sam

Less than three weeks after Amelia arrived, baby Sam arrived, too.  Fun times!  We went to visit our friends and meet the new baby this morning.

I find it interesting how newborn instincts drive similar behavior patterns in these kids.  It reminds me how amazing this whole process of being born is and how wonderfully we are all designed...

Post Bath Snooze!

Visit to the Orthopedic Specialist

Since our pediatrician heard a click when checking Lia's hips at her 1 week checkup, we were scheduled to meet with an orthopedic doctor today.  Her hip ultrasound from a week ago looked good, but we still needed to get her checked out by the expert. Thankfully, the expert thinks she is doing well, though he wants to have her checked once more in another month to make sure everything is still going well.  (He said one of her hips was a bit "shallow", and that this may be the result of her being only 3 weeks old.  In another month, we will know more.)  So the good news is that the doctor says there is still no need for her to wear a brace.  Let's hope the good news continues next month!

Bowling

Another fun day!  Today was Lia's first visit to a bowling alley.  Matt and I went bowling with Dustin and Wanda this afternoon, and we all had a great time passing the baby around in between turns.  It kept her very awake, so we are hoping for her to be sleepy tonight!

A Day of Celebrations!

We had a fun and busy day today!  Matt worked until 3pm, so Amelia and I got to party without him during the morning and afternoon.  We went to a wedding shower in the morning, and then a graduation party after lunch.  Amelia was happy to be passed around and held all day.  Here is a picture of Lia being held by our friend Ali while at the graduation party:

So while we were at the graduation party, a group of us decided it would be fun to keep the party going longer by having a Big Bang Theory Marathon.  Matt was able to join us after work, and we hung out with friends until about 8pm.  Matt and I were pretty exhausted, and he has to work tomorrow, so it was a good plan to go home.  Now that Lia has been fed, and she had her first major blow-out diaper, and I have scrubbed clean her outfit, I think it is time for bed!  (We need our beauty sleep so we can be up for those two nighttime feeding sessions!)

Birth Weight!

Goal: birth weight (7lb 4oz) by 2 weeks.

Actuals: 6lb 14oz @ 2 weeks, 7lb 5oz today/18 days.

Better late than never!

Hanging Out

I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this parenting a newborn thing.  So far, everything is seeming simple enough.  Lia eats, sleeps, and dirties her diapers.  And she is fun to cuddle and talk to.  Now that we are starting to get into a groove with feeding and sleeping, I realized that I am not doing so well with remembering to take pictures.  So, in lieu of attempting to take any sort of staged, professional-looking photos, here are some snapshots of this evening.

Snoozing in the swing:

Hanging out with Dad:

Diaper change!

Snuggling with Mom:

4am - The Bewitching Hour

Lia has become way to lazy with breastfeeding. I keep trying, and she keeps giving up. I'm still pumping, but ready to give up on getting her to actually take food from the breast itself. Though this has been a frustrating conclusion to arrive at after all of our hard work, it may have its advantages...

Last night, Matt and I agreed that since he didn't have to work today, we would take shifts at night. Lia had been cluster feeding up until about 11:30pm, and Matt decided that I should take the "until 4am" shift while he would take the "after 4am" shift. At 3am, Lia woke up, and I noticed her toes were freezing. After wrapping her up in a warmer blanket, she fell right back asleep, so I didn't worry about feeding her just then. Back to bed! Then, just after 4am, she was up again, but now it was Matt's shift. According to Matt, this was her only feeding during the night, and she wasn't up again until after 7am. It seems that the formula/breastmilk mix from a bottle plus a late evening cluster feeding is a perfect mix for having her sleep most of the night away. Way to go, girlie!

Breastfeeding Woes

Although we have had a few minor issues crop up since Amelia was born (jaundice, possible hip issues, etc.), the most frustrating has been breastfeeding. Everyone tells you that breastfeeding is difficult for a couple of weeks, they just don't tell you how it is difficult. I was expecting pain, but what I got seems even more frustrating...

Lia hadn't pooped until Friday after she was born. Since she was jaundiced, this was an issue, and the pediatrician recommended supplementing with formula. While I agree that this was probably a good thing to help her get her weight moving in a positive direction and to help with pooping, ever since then, we have had issues with Lia falling asleep at the breast even when she is hungry and milk is flowing. As such, my supply hasn't been built up as much as necessary, which has led to a greater need for formula. Ugh - what a vicious cycle. And the worst part? Now I don't feel very comfortable with knowing whether she is simply satisfied with what she is getting on "good" breastfeeding days or whether she is sleeping in an energy preservation mode. I do not want to starve my baby, but I also don't want to force-feed her formula if she has had enough breast milk... Oh, the joys of being a first-time parent.

Amelia's Birth Story

Before I dig in to the "meat" of this post, I think it would be helpful to give a bit of the details regarding the days leading up to Lia's arrival...

Thursday, Sept 16: Lia was in a frank breech position, and we had a meeting on this day with one of the two doctors at our clinic who might be able/willing to deliver Lia via natural methods. The meeting didn't make Matt or me feel very comfortable with the idea considering this doctor's methods weren't lining up with our research regarding the safest way to naturally deliver a breech baby. I went into panic mode and decided to look into changing our plans at the last minute. Got the number for a local birthing center and planned to call them ASAP in the morning for additional info.

Friday, Sept 17th: The head midwife at the birthing center informs me that they are not allowed to have a planned breech delivery in their facility, but they can help us if we have a home birth. Our insurance doesn't cover a home birth, so the midwife refers me to a doctor (Dr. Dennis Hartung, Hudson Physicians) who would likely be able to help. The doctor's clinic is 40 minutes away, much farther than the hospital that is within a mile of our house, but I am desperate. After a brief phone consult over lunch, I schedule a 4:30pm in person consult with the doctor for the same day. Our meeting with the doctor goes amazingly well. His experience and plans for delivery fit perfectly with our research, and he has successfully delivered multiple breech babies throughout his career. I finally feel comfortable with the birthing plan we have in place. I have a strong suspicion that I don't have much time left, so I'm relieved to be at peace with our plans for delivery. Matt and I spend time on Friday night trying to encourage labor to start, but no luck yet. :-)

Saturday, Sept 18th: Matt and I do something touristy, so I get in good walking time (again, hoping to get labor started.) By evening, I realize I have caught a cold. Lots of congestion and no energy make me very sleepy, so I zonked out early.  Here's a pic of me while on our walk after the tour:

Sunday, Sept 19th: I was able to make it through church with a lot of warm tea to help with my sore throat. Afternoon was spent cleaning and preparing for company who would arrive once the baby came.

Monday, Sept 20th: Amelia's birthday!!

The birth story: As usual, I got up multiple times throughout the night. by 4:30am, I realized that I now had a fever of about 99.5 deg F, so I took some Tylenol to help bring the fever down. At 5:30am, I was wrapped in a blanket on the living room couch with tissues and water on hand. I had decided to stay home from work due to the cold/fever. Matt woke up to make sure I was up and moving, and that is when I informed him I would be staying home. At that very moment, my water broke in a massive gush. I exclaimed something along the lines of "oh my goodness!", and I told Matt what had happened so he could help get things in the car for us to head to the hospital. (5:30am sure was good timing for avoiding traffic yet being awake!) I was leaking badly, so Matt got everything ready and loaded into the car without me (only later realizing that we hadn't packed the camera.)

We arrived at the hospital around 6:30am, and I was wheeled in to get registered. (We weren't in the hospital's system yet because we had just switched to the new clinic on Friday.) My contractions were only a couple of minutes apart and strong, getting stronger every time. We checked into our room, and during these early contractions, I puked twice. By 8:30am I was already 9cm dilated, and I was fully dilated by 9:20am. I was trying every position possible to manage the pain. Tub/bed/birthing ball/lying on my side/kneeling... wasn't having much luck, but for some reason, I still wasn't thinking about asking for any pain meds. I like to think this is due to my stubborn, stoic nature.

At 9:25am, I was able to start pushing. Thankfully, I was able to move around as needed using a birthing ball, birthing stool, and kneeling on the bed. The doctor had been checking in throughout the morning, and he and the nurse had been great coaches for me. By 11am, Matt was able to see our baby's bottom just before she slipped back inside to await the next push. I was determined to make every push count in order to be done ASAP. The doctor stayed with the nurse, Matt, and me practically the entire time monitoring progress and encouraging me through the pushes. At 11:20am, our baby girl, Amelia, was born! Her APGARs were good (7 and 8), and she only needed some oxygen and time in the warmer after she had arrived. (The doctor did have to help her legs and arms to come out during the pushing, so we are glad we had someone there who knew how to do this safely!)

By the time she was born, I was so exhausted that I didn't mind having a few minutes to rest and recover while the team took care of Amelia. Throughout the labor process, I wanted everything quiet and dark. I had no energy to talk or even respond to questions. Matt and the team were wonderful, taking care of everything for me that they could. After Amelia was deemed okay, the doctor talked me through the delivery of the placenta. One easy push and that step was done!

Hospital recovery was great. Lots of caring people were near to help with cleanup of the mess, bring food, and keep us comfortable. I had thrown up twice during early contractions, and I felt nauseous for a long while after delivery, so it took some time before we were moved to the post-delivery room. Matt skyped/facebooked/took pics (using my mom's camera and a disposable camera that a nice hospital employee had purchased for us.) My mom helped with the baby and other needs. (My mom had arrived just after the delivery, which she thinks is probably a good thing.)

We stayed in the hospital for one night only, leaving in the afternoon of 9/21. I was overwhelmed by the caring, high-touch nature of the hospital staff. What a wonderful team! Plus, the nurse (and the doctor) seemed excited to be part of the process. It was a great event in our lives to share with such a caring team of medical professionals. (Note: We were discharged before we got to see the doctor again, but he gave us a phone call on Wednesday to check in on how things were going. How nice!) I couldn't have asked for a better labor and delivery experience! No drugs, no tearing, no surgery, and a healthy baby girl. What a great day!

Pictures from just after the birth:

For having just gone through an all natural labor and not having taken a shower, I think I was looking pretty good!  

And here are some pics with Amelia being held by Granny Callie:

Blog Introduction

Today, Amelia (a.k.a. "Lia") is 2 weeks old. To celebrate, I have decided to start a blog in order to help keep family and friends up to date on daily happenings and any major events.

At the moment, I am typing one-handed as I hold my baby girl. We just finished her 3rd overnight feeding session/diaper change. We are starting to settle into a routine, though challenges with breastfeeding are making routine a bit difficult at the moment. More to follow on this at a later time...

Quick update: In her first two weeks, Lia has visited the pediatrician multiple times for jaundice, issues with pooping, possible hip issues, and other typical newborn checkups. Today will be the big two week checkup, and so far things are looking good. Digestive processes - functioning as expected, hips - good to go, jaundice - no more yellow!! We have also had many visitors these last couple of weeks. Granny Callie, Grandpa Sharp, and Great-Grandma Sharp all came to our house for visits. Multiple friends have stopped by to share meals with us and meet Lia. We are so blessed to have a healthy baby and so many people who care about our family so much!

For now, it is time to get Lia all wrapped up and back in her crib to snooze until Daddy gets home from his overnight shift. Then will come bathtime and a couple of medical appointments. All three of us are looking forward to a fun and busy Monday!