Addi's Nursery

So...I never posted photos of Addi's nursery. (I actually never posted photos of my baby showers, either, but that's for another post). I guess I felt like it was just never really finished (or picked up). There are couple of art pieces that still need to go on the walls, but I was never going to get this posted if I didn't just sit down and do it. So, again for nostalgia's sake, I thought I'd post some before and after pictures of Addi's nursery. And hopefully, I will get better about blogging stories and pictures when they actually happen, rather than 8 months after the fact.

Until then, here's the before, during, and after pictures of setting up Adelyn's room.

Before:

During:

After:

See - that only took me a whole 5 minutes to post. Why I couldn't get around to doing it months ago, I have no idea. :D

Thanks for stopping by,

Lauren

Adelyn Ruth's Birth Story

I wrote out Addi's birth story a couple of months ago, and I'm finally getting around to posting it. It's quite long, so I understand if you don't want to read it all. I just wanted all of the details written out for my sake and for hers.



Birth Story
December 6th: My mom came to town for the birth. Her work was having a Christmas party that night here in San Diego, so it worked out well for her to come down then. I went to the party with her, because what else was I going to do on a Friday night when I'm 9 months pregnant? After the party she said, "Ok, now you can have this baby."

December 8th: I went to church and since I was still pregnant I worked in the cafe. I was technically on maternity leave already, but Sundays are crazy busy, and I thought maybe if I kept moving, I would walk this baby out of me.  People couldn't believe I was working when I was so pregnant, and they were shocked that I was working when I told them I was due the next day.

December 9th: Due Date!!! I woke up excited that today was my due date. My excitement quickly turned to grouchiness. Where was my baby? Why was I not going into labor? Today was the day they told me. Today was the day I had told everyone I was due. Today was the day I had been using to plan my whole life for 9 months. Today was THE DAY!!! Chris, my mom, and I ran errands and hung out, but I was just grumpy all day. I was tired of being pregnant, I wanted to meet my baby, and did I mention it was my due date?! 

December 10th: I had my "I'm passed my due date" doctor's appointment. I saw the Nurse Practitioner for this appointment. She said that I was 1cm dilated, and that it could happen anytime or it could be another week. She stripped my membranes, scheduled my induction for the next week just in case baby didn't show on her own, and she sent me on my way. I was so sad. I really didn't want to be induced, but the idea of waiting another full week was very overwhelming to me. I was uncomfortable, tired, and done being pregnant. Plus, I had family set to come into town that week, and if she didn't come, those plans were doing to be all thrown off. Luckily my dad came in town that night. We went to dinner, and it helped to keep me occupied while we waited. 

December 11th: I woke up with still no change. We just all lounged around the house waiting for baby girl. Mom had been teaching me to crochet, so I spent the morning making some boot cuffs. After I finished the boot cuffs, I realized I had nothing left to do but have this baby. So I contacted a friend of mine who does prenatal massage. I pretty much begged her to come over that day to see if she could hit some pressure points to help induce labor. She agreed and was at my house a few hours later. She gave me one of the best massages I've ever had while in the comfort of my own bed. (Thanks, Joy)! After my massage, mom and I decided to go get more yarn for crocheting, so we headed to Michael's about an hour or so after my massage. In Michael's I started getting cramps that felt like menstruel cramps or gas bubbles, and I just wasn't feeling very good. So we got our yarn and headed home. I thought the cramps could be contractions, but they weren't constant, and they didn't increase or decrease in severity, so I couldn't really time them. Eventually I started to notice that they were coming in waves, so I started timing them, but they were very inconsistent. I called the nurse hotline (since it was after hours) and asked what I should do. She got my info and said she'd talk to the doctor on call and call me back. She called back and said that since I was past my due date, I should go ahead and go to the hospital in the next couple of hours to get checked out. So mom made dinner, I took a shower, and we finished packing up. The contractions were definitely contractions now, coming and going, but they still weren't very painful or consistent. After dinner, mom, Chris, and I loaded up and headed to the hospital. On the way, my contractions started getting a bit more painful but still bearable. I went to triage, and they hooked me up to the monitor to watch my contractions. After a bit, they checked to see how dilated I was. I thought for sure I was like 5cm. Nope. Still only 1cm and my contractions were still all over the place. So, they sent me home at 9:30pm.  She said that I might be back the next day or the contractions could go away and it could be another week. (Not what I wanted to hear. This was not time for a reality check. I wanted them to tell me that this baby was coming soon - not that I was going to have to wait another week). My contractions continued to get worse as we drove me. When we got home, I told Chris I just wanted to go to bed. I crawled in bed and tried to fall asleep, but every time I'd fall asleep, I'd get another contraction. Chris was timing them for me, and although they had increased in intensity, the timing was still all over the place. Finally, at about midnight (after 2+ hours of this), I asked Chris how far apart my contractions were, and he said 2-4 minutes. I asked him to call the nurse at triage. I remember one of the questions she asked him was, "If I was offered pain medicine, would I take it?" I think I may have yelled, "YES!" She said that I could come back in and get checked out again. This time, I didn't happily walk to my car with my stuff. I practically ran there in between a contraction. I sat in the back seat with my mom so I could grip the headrest of the front seat. We got to a stoplight just outside the hospital and hit a red light. (I'd like to have a few words with whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a stoplight right outside a labor and delivery ward). But since it was the middle of the night and my husband loves me (or maybe was scared of me at this point), he ran the light. I just remember seeing it, and saying, "Thank you, baby!" 

December 12th: It was about 12:30am when we arrived back at the hospital. They asked if I wanted to give another urine sample or just go straight to the bed to be checked. I picked the latter. The pain was becoming unbearable. I was having trouble focusing, and I could barely walk. The same nurse that checked me the first time came in to check me again. She wasn't rude, but I could tell that she was thinking, "Oh girlfriend, I'm just gonna have to send you home again." Then she saw me have a contraction, and the look on her face changed. I think she knew at that moment that I was for real this time. She checked me and seemed shocked when she realized I was 4.5cm dilated. (Yes, I went from 1cm to 4.5cm in 3 hours. I was not messing around). She said they would admit me, and it would be about an hour before I could get an epidural. I was so happy to be admitted, but I didn't know if I could make it another hour. They were pretty quick with getting me a room, and by 2am, I had my epidural. Let me tell you, my whole demeanor changed after that happy juice was tapped into me. I went from crazy lady in a ton of pain, to happy mama ready to have a baby. It was like an instant switch. I had been so nervous to get an epidural while contracting. I just didn't know how I was supposed to hold still while I was in so much pain. Nobody told me that they give you a shot of pre-happy juice to take the edge off before the epidural. I couldn't believe the difference I felt. They need to keep that stuff in triage. It was awesome! It took most of the pain away, and I was able to be perfectly still for the epidural. Chris was so bummed though because he wanted to see them put in the epidural. Unfortunately, they made him sit about 5 feet away from my bed and face me so he couldn't see anything. 

Like I said, about .6 seconds after the epidural, I felt amazing. Mom and Chris got settled into the room and we went to sleep. The nurses continued to check on me and monitor the baby throughout the night. Things seemed to be progressing well, but I had no idea how long labor would last, so I tried to get as much sleep as possible. At about 4 or 5am they checked me, and I was 6.5cm. So another 2 cm in just about 3 hours. Then at 6:30am, the nurse checked me again and said I was 9.5cm. My mom practically jumped out of her chair at the news and had to clarify that she heard the nurse right. My mom immediately called my dad (who was staying at our house), and told him to come to the hospital. The nurse prepped the room for delivery, and then the nurse's shift changed. I waited for about another hour, then my doctor came in. I was very surprised to see my doctor was going to deliver my baby. She just happened to be the doctor on call that day, and I was pleasantly surprised. She said things were looking good and told the nurse to call her about 5 minutes before delivery. 

My nurse who was leaving for the day told me that it can take first time moms up to 3 hours of pushing to deliver the baby, but not to get discouraged and just keep going. After she left, my mom looked at me and said through a smile, "It's not going to take you 3 hours to get this baby out." (She knows me so well). My new nurse said I was going to start pushing. Now I had only seen labor and delivery from the movies and a few educational YouTube videos, so I was a little surprised to find out that I was starting the delivery process without my doctor being there. But apparently the nurses (and moms to be) do all the hard work then the doctor comes in for the glory moment. Whatever, I guess she is the one with the degrees. But I digress. 

I looked at the clock right when I started pushing, and it was 7:55am. Pushing was easier than I expected. I couldn't really feel a whole lot (praise The Lord for epidurals), but apparently I'm good at pushing (according to my mom and the nurse). I wasn't sure if they were just being encouraging or if I really was doing good, but I guess I really was doing well because about 30 minutes later, the nurse said she needed to call the doctor in. I was actually surprised at how enjoyable the pushing process was. (Did I mention I had an epidural)? We were talking and laughing between pushes. I think we were just giddy to meet our girl. The doctor came in and got all set up. She set up the tarpy bag thing that catches all the gunk, and my mom jokingly asked if that was in case she dropped the baby. The doctor smiled and said, "I've only dropped one." (I laughed, but I think it freaked my mom out a bit). So I pushed. After a few pushes, my mom looks at me and says, "Her heads out!" I looked at her, smiled, and said, "Oh, I know!" The next push would bring out her shoulders. In my head, I figured that would be just as hard, if not harder, than the head, so I gave it my hardest push, and her whole body came sliding out. I think it surprised the doctor a bit because she fumbled her onto my chest. (We almost had drop number two of this doctor's career). 

The moment that baby was put on my chest, I started balling. She was the most beautiful thing in the world and I couldn't believe she was here and she was ours. I couldn't stop crying because I was so overwhelmed with joy and love (and probably hormones). I finally stopped crying and told my mom that her grand baby's name is Adelyn. I explained that since my middle name is Delyn, we thought it was very appropriate to name her Adelyn. We still hadn't decided on a middle name, but for now, Adelyn was in my arms. I started balling like a baby again. My doctor (who was stitching me up) asked if they were tears of joy. I laughed and told her they were. 

After I got all stitched up, they let my dad in the room to meet her, then he left for the airport to pick up my sister who had just flown into town. Addi and I cuddled for awhile, and we tried feeding for a bit. They weighed and measured her, did they're tests, and then Chris got to hold her. It was so sweet to see my husband holding his baby girl in his arms for the first time. You could just see how much he loved her. 

A bit later, my dad and sister arrived. Then Chris' parents made it in from Sacramento. (They had left at 2am when Chris called them right after I'd been admitted). Soon they moved me to my recovery room, and we got settled in. The rest of the family went to lunch, and it was the first time I was alone with Miss Addi. She was asleep, and I needed to be, but every time I'd start to doze off, I'd startle awake to check on her and make sure she was still breathing (because apparently babies can't breathe unless you are watching the rise and fall of their chest). Friends came to visit, and family came and went. I remember it was a really long night with very little sleep. The next day, I was ready to go home. Once Addi had her tests, we saw a lactation consultant, and we both got cleared to leave, we headed home. I was a little baffled that they would let me just leave with this precious little one. She was here. We were taking her home. She was ours.

About 6 weeks after she was born, I went back to work. One day I while at work, I looked at my phone that had her picture on the lock screen. I just smiled and thought, "We made that and she's all ours." Now really, God made her and she's his, but you know what I mean. We get to have her and raise her. God has entrusted her to us, and we are so blessed to be her mommy and daddy. 

Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful girl of ours. We are in awe of your creation and your love. If I love her this much, I can only imagine how much you love me. Thank you for this precious gift. Our Adelyn Ruth.

Five Months

5 Months

Weight: about 16 pounds

Height: 26 inches

Sleep: She’s starting to sleep really well. She’s doesn’t sleep through the night consistently, but occasionally she will. We’ve gotten rid of (for the most part) the middle of the night feedings, so when she wakes up in the night, we just give her the pacifier back and she’ll go back to sleep. We also discovered that she loves sleeping on her stomach. She was constantly fighting her naps, but she goes down so easily when she’s on her belly. At nighttime, we put her on her back, but she usually rolls over in the night.

Size/Diaper: She’s in 3-6 month and 6-month clothes, and in size 2 diapers.

Diet: Breast milk and formula. I’m pretty sure we’ll start cereals and other solids this month. I know it’s one more thing for me to think about, but I’m really excited for this next stage.

Baby Gear Love: Our friends let us borrow a Baby Einstein bouncy seat. It has toys all around the seat and things hanging from bars above it. She can practice standing and bounce up and down. It’s a great way to keep her entertained while we try to get stuff down.

Milestones/Firsts: She rolled over from her back to her front for the first time, and now she’s a rolling champ. Just about every time we lay her on her back, she’ll end up on her tummy. She’s reaching for things really well, and has a good grip when she grabs things.

She’s also become more aware of our dog, Ace. She’ll smile at him and often reaches out to pet him when he’s nearby. He’s pretty good with her, and will just start licking her hand when she tries to pet him.

Likes/Dislikes: She has a Lamaze brand doll that has crinkling fabric, rings, and a rattle on it that she loves.

She gets so excited every time we give it to her. She also enjoys FaceTiming with our family. She’s always loved things on screens, but she gets so excited and smiley when we FaceTime. She reaches for the phone like she’s trying to get to the people on the screen.

She’s also a big fan of books. She loves to hold the book and help turn the pages, and she’s so enthralled with the pictures. You can just see the wheels turning in her head as she takes it all in.

She’s not a big fan of those teething rings that you freeze. I think they are just cold on her cheeks and a little big for her mouth. She’d much rather suck on her hand or mommy’s fingers.

Things I don’t want to forget: The way she rubs her eyes when she’s tired. The look (and smile) she gets when she sees her Daddy. The way her whole body shakes/wiggles/spasms when she gets excited. 

Four Months

4 Months

Weight: 14lb 7.5oz (56%)

Height: 25 inches (73%)

Sleep: She is (by definition) sleeping through the night! “By definition” is that she sleeps 7 or more hours for 3 or more nights in a row. Now when she goes to sleep at 8pm, that means she still sometimes wakes up at 3:30am, but sometimes, I get lucky, and she sleeps longer. This took awhile since we messed her schedule up when I took her to Oklahoma to see family. But it seems we are back to normal, and sleeping well.

Size/Diaper: She is mostly in 3-6 month clothes and still in size 1 diapers. There are some 3-month things she can fit into, but they are getting tight. She’s out of all of her 3-month sleepers because her legs are just too long for them. She can fit into some 6-month clothes, but 3-6 month seems to be just right.

Diet: Breast milk and some formula. I’m really looking forward to starting her on some solids like cereal and bananas here soon – probably in the next month or so.

Baby Gear Love: We really like her baby monitor. It’s a video monitor that has an app, so I can watch her on my phone or iPad. I can also play music through it, take pictures of her, talk to her, & turn on a night light all through the app. The only bad part is that my phone can get disconnected from the monitor, and if I’m asleep, I don’t know that it happened, so I can’t hear her. I still get notifications if there is sound or movement coming from her room, I just can’t hear her. I think this is just a glitch that needs to be updated, so hopefully they can get that fixed soon!

Bonus Gear Love: I just got a gliding chair. Actually, it’s been in our garage for a few weeks because we were going to paint it, but I just decided to bring it into the house to use it until we get around to painting it. A friend gave it to us. They actually offered it to us when Addi was 2 weeks old, but it took us this long to go get it from them. Wow, I wish we had gotten it sooner. I personally love swinging/rocking/swaying, so I’m enjoying having the glider. She seems to like it, too, since she’ll easily calm down and fall asleep when we’re in it. So, I highly recommend some sort of glider/rocking chair to any new moms out there (or those who, like me, like gentle movement to lull them). 

Milestones/Firsts: She started giggling this month. Usually it’s in response to something Chris does. It’s so adorable to watch her look at her Daddy doing something silly and just laugh. We love that sound. She also rolled over for the first time from her front to her back! I thought it may have been a fluke, but then she did it 3 more times in the next 10 minutes. She hasn’t done it since then, but she’s definitely done it. She almost rolled from her back to her front, but couldn’t quite make it all the way over yet. And then of course, she’s starting to sleep through the night (mommy’s really happy about this one)!

She found her thumb this month. She’s been sucking on her fist for a while (and she often still does), but I’ve found her sucking on just her thumb quite often. Braces, anyone?

She’s also started “talking” a lot more this month. She will just jabber on and on telling some story. Hmm, I wonder whose kid she is? She will just gab and gab, and we’ll listen to her and ask her questions like we understand what she’s talking about.

Likes/Dislikes: She loves sucking on her thumb/fist. She really enjoys her baby gym and all the toys hanging from it. She loves watching her Daddy make funny faces and noises.

There’s not a whole lot she doesn’t like. She’s a very content baby, so just the usual stuff like having a dirty diaper or when she can’t see one of us nearby.

Things I don’t want to forget: Her giggle. It’s just so sweet and makes me laugh every time. The way she closes her eyes and raises her eyebrows when she’s eating while she’s tired. It’s like she’s trying to stay awake by raising her eyebrows, but she just can’t keep her little eyes open. Her little features: her nose, hands, feet, eyes, ears, belly button, her long tongue and her little tooshy. Even though she’s getting bigger, she’s still just so small, and I want to remember this time, and all her little features, forever.

Three Months

3 Months

Weight: 13lbs 4oz

Height: 26in

Sleep: Her sleep hasn’t changed much. She’s still waking up 1-2 times a night. We went out of town (with a time difference), she got sick, and we had the time change all in one week, so it really threw her off and messed up her sleeping schedule. Luckily, she got back to normal pretty quickly.

Size/Diaper: She’s in 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. She can fit some 0-3 month clothes  and some 3-6 month, but the 3 month sizes seem to fit her best.

Diet: Breast milk. Chris and I always joke about what Addi would order for dinner. “I’ll start with a bowl of breast milk bisque. Then I’ll have the breast milk soufflé with a side of breast milk, and I’ll finish with some frozen breast milk.” Ha. It cracks us up every time.

Baby Gear Love: Swing. We have the Ingenuity swing. It’s blue/tan and has an elephant mobile. It swings, vibrates, plays music, and has auto shutoff if it’s been going for a long time. She really enjoys her swing, and it’s not too heavy to move around the house. Another great feature is that it folds flat. We packed it when we drove to Arizona last week, and it fit just fine.

Milestones/Firsts: She hasn’t really hit any major milestones, but her neck is getting much stronger. When she’s on her stomach, she can push her whole chest off the ground. She’s also been trying to sit up. If I lean her against a pillow, she often tries to use her little baby abs to sit up. She’s also engaging with her play gym more. She tries to swat at the toys to make them make sounds and loves staring at them. 

Likes/Dislikes: She likes mornings. Every morning she’s super smiley and happy. She also likes being in the same room with us. She will start crying and whimpering if we walk out of sight, but as soon as we come back in view, she flashes one of her famous smiles. She dislikes having her nails clipped. She pretty much hates it when I mess with her hands at all (I’m constantly pulling lint out of her fingers). I think she just doesn’t like me to hold her hands still in order to cut her nails. But, man, those puppies hurt if I don’t keep them cut short.

Things I don’t want to forget: Her smile. I can’t get over how much she smiles. I get “morning smiles” every morning when she wakes up. When I pick her up from day care, she smiles at me. When I walk back into her view, she smiles at me. Those smiles just make me feel like a million bucks. Sometimes I think her face might explode because of how big she smiles. Her little eyes disappear, her mouth opens wide, and her tongue usually sticks out. It’s adorable!

Sleeping baby on her three month birthday.

Baby Girl trying to sit up. Use those baby abs! (This is Chris and my favorite sleeper of hers. We separately decided it was our favorite, and once we realized we both love it, we put her in it as much as possible. She is just so cute in it)!

Two Months

2 Months

Weight: 11lb 5oz

Height: 23 ¼ inches

Sleep: She’s still a very good sleeper at night. She usually sleeps in about 4-5 hour stretches at night, which I really appreciate. In fact, for the last 2 nights she slept for 7.5 hours straight, fed, then slept for another 2.5 hours. It’s been wonderful. She doesn’t sleep very well during the day. She has no problem falling asleep in our arms, but as soon as we put her down in her bassinet, she wakes up. She does like to sleep in her swing, so that helps me out a lot when I have to get stuff done. Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE having her sleep in my arms! But I’d get nothing done if I always let her sleep like that. Our schedules are very different everyday, so it’s hard to keep the same routine everyday. I keep trying to get her to take naps in her crib, but, like the bassinet, she wakes right up. So we’ll keep trying.

Size/Diaper: She’s in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. She fits in the 3 month sizes, but they are just a hair too big, so the 0-3 month size is perfect.

Diet: Breast milk and a little formula. She is mainly on breast milk, but my supply is a bit low. So in order to have enough breast milk to send to day care we will usually feed her a bottle of formula right before bedtime. This seems to work well and she sleeps well after getting full on formula. The doctor said she’s growing well and doesn’t need more than 4-5 ounces, so I may back off the formula assuming I have enough stored up for day care.

Baby Gear Love: I love our travel system. We have the Britax B-Agile travel system (http://www.britaxusa.com/strollers/b-agile), and it’s awesome! We did a TON of research on strollers and car seats. When we went to check out my top two choices at Babies R Us, we found this one (which wasn’t even on my radar) and fell in love. It is the lightest stroller I have found (16 pounds), folds up with one hand, and moves really well. Our two complaints are that it takes 2 hands to lay down the handle on the car seat, which we don’t do that very often, and the basket underneath is a bit small. Other than that – we love it!

Milestones/Firsts: She’s sucking on her hands. When she gets hungry and doesn’t have a pacifier, she starts sucking on her hands. She also smiles and giggles/coos a lot more often. It’s not full on giggling, but it’s getting close.

Likes/Dislikes: She loves her swing and riding in the car. For the 6 weeks or so, I didn’t really have anywhere to put her except in the bassinet. Then we bought the swing. She loves it, and mommy can put her down in a safe place. Whenever we go anywhere, she’s almost always happy in the car seat. The car ride usually lulls her to sleep, and if she is awake, she’s almost always content.

She’s not a fan of her vitamin D drops, but I can’t really blame her. It smells like black licorice, so, yeah, I wouldn’t like it either. She puts up with the taste, but she always makes a “this is yucky” face.

Things I don’t want to forget: The way she smiles at me every morning when we wake up. It’s like she’s saying, “Good morning, Mommy. I’m ready to eat!” After one of her middle of the night feedings, I was trying to put her back to sleep. She was wide-awake and all smiles. She finally settled down and closed her eyes. I was looking down smiling at her, when she opened her eyes, looked at me, smiled, then closed her eyes again and went back to sleep. It was adorable and totally made my heart happy.

 Some more favorites from month 2!