Week 2

I thought I would post a few pictures and videos of Cosette.

Here she is sleeping in the pack and play in our bedroom.

I've found that she loves falling asleep on my chest. I love having her snuggled up to me like this!
Just chillin. This is the onesie she was wearing when she came home from the hospital. It has a matching pair of pants with a monkey's face on the bum.

This is a video of Cosette trying to wake up. She is a very deep sleeper right now and I usually have to wake her up to eat.

I love watching Cosette while she's being burped. She generally seems to enjoy it. In this clip, you can see her hug the burp cloth, smile, wave her left arm like a conductor, and at the very end her right hand forms the I love you hand shape. She is so cute!!!

Ups and Downs of the First Week

Today I'm starting to feel a bit more normal. I got to take a shower, I got a decent amount of sleep last night, and I even got a nap in this afternoon.

The past few days, though, I've kind of been in survival mode, just getting from taking care of one bodily function to the next. Her needs come first, of course. And in the time when she is sleeping during the day, I try to take care of my needs. But the time always seems to go by too quickly to get much done.

Cosette is a pretty good eater, but she is also pretty slow. Sometimes feeding her can take 2-3 hours, when we keep getting interrupted by spitting up and changing her diapers. For example, this morning we changed 3 or 4 diapers in a row, one right after the other. It was a bit hectic, messy, and time consuming. One of them was a really nasty blowout all over me, her, and the boppy that was propping her up. (This was right after we'd already changed both wet and poopy diapers and cleaned up some spit up, so we were just getting her into position to eat some more. Go figure.) She's still getting some maconium out of her system, and let me tell you - that stuff stains. But we got through it, and she slept for a good 4 hours after that, giving me time to eat, shower, and take a nap.

It's been interesting learning to take care of her. I'm developing all kinds of talents:

• Changing a diaper when she's super wiggly or sleepy (both present a challenge)
• Getting her arms through the sleeves of her onesie
• Swaddling her snugly enough so that her arm can't escape
• Burping her (thanks for the help, Mom!)
• Buckling her in her car seat
• Breastfeeding - still a work in progress, but we're both getting a lot better

I'm really grateful that Cosette is such a good-natured baby. She doesn't cry without a reason, and when she does have a reason, she's been pretty easy to soothe. Plus, we're getting better at reading her cues and giving her what she needs. Right now, most of the time she's either feeding or sleeping. I realized the other day that we don't spend much time with her when she's just awake and not needing any of her needs to be met (feeding, burping, changing her diaper). I've been trying to hold her and play with her more. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, when we will hopefully see more of her with her eyes open.

I love watching her. She is so adorable! Her hair is always sticking up all over the place. I think she looks like a rocker baby. She likes to stick her arms straight out when I'm burping her, like she's trying to fly. She makes really cute noises when she's sleeping. She smiles a lot, and I don't seem to relate it to gas or filling a diaper much (I don't care what the "experts" say).

I would have to say that the toughest time for me was Friday night. This is when Jeff got sick and couldn't be around me or the baby. It had been nice working as a team up to that point, but I realized that I would have to do it on my own. I only got 2 hours of sleep that night and was pretty drained emotionally and physically. But I learned that I had the strength and willpower to do what needed to be done and to do it on my own. It was empowering to discover this. Starting tomorrow, I will be home on my own with Cosette during the day. But I already know I'm up to the task, because I took care of her on my own from Friday night to Sunday night.

But let me tell you - I certainly love and appreciate Jeff's role as a father. He has been so wonderful and eager to help. Although he couldn't help physically while he was sick, he talked with me and read to me during long feedings so I wouldn't fall asleep. When he isn't sick, he's been great to change diapers, help me position pillows when I'm breastfeeding, feeding me snacks and getting me water when both of my hands are full of Cosette, grabbing extra burp cloths or clothing, etc. I love the way he loves Cosette and me. He has been a superman today, on fire with doing dishes, laundry, and straightening up. He's going back to work tomorrow, and he wanted to get a lot done today to help out. He's also been wonderful to let me know that it's ok if the house is a bit messy these first few weeks, and that I don't have to try to do everything on my own. He's the best!

I love being a family of 3. I look forward to the weeks and years to come.

Cosette's Birthday

This week our sweet little daughter arrived in our family. She has quickly captured our hearts. We love her and she is absolutely adorable. Early Tuesday morning we went in for a non-stress test. We found out it was routine when an expectant mother is past due. During the test, they measure the amount of amniotic fluid and monitor the baby's heartbeat. They did the test twice and determined there was a low level of fluid and that it was best to bring Cosette into the world via induction. We didn't really want to induce, but felt the benefits outweighed the risks. So they admitted Christine to Labor and Delivery. I'll spare you most of the details, but Christine did great! Due to the Pitocin, labor went very quickly. The whole process took about 8 hours. Christine pushed for about 35 minutes. They told us most first time moms have closer to 18 hours or more of labor and about 2 hours of pushing. Cosette was bright and alert. A lot of the nurses remarked how alert and awake she was and how cute she is. :) Grandma (Christine's mom) was there and was a great help. We were so glad to have her there to help Christine and help me help Christine. What a joyous day! Here are a few pictures of the big day.

Here is our little Cosette sticking out her tongue.

Happy and healthy mommy and baby on the next day.

Daddy holding Cosette for the first time.

Grandma and Cosette

Here is our happy new family of three. We got to bring Cosette home just two days later - on my birthday! Isn't that the best present ever?! We have both received less sleep than usual, but that is to be expected. Christine has been especially tired. Unfortunately, I got a bit of a stomach bug Friday and have slept on the couch to keep Cosette from getting sick. Poor mom has been taking care of a lot more than I wanted her to. Thank you grandma for coming and helping with meals and shopping. Cosette was tested for jaundice and her bilirubin levels were high. We took her to visit the pediatrician and he prescribed a light bed which was delivered Friday night. We've had a couple of visits to the hospital to get her tested and she is now doing much better and no longer needs any treatment. Cosette didn't sleep too well on the light bed and we hope she sleeps much better tonight. We are so happy to have our beautiful baby girl and love every cute little thing she does.

40 weeks

Well, today is my due date! And it looks as though it has come and gone. As I'm heading to bed, I figure that even if I go into labor, she wouldn't be born until the 28th.
Overall, I'm actually feeling pretty good today. All things considered, I haven't been too sore or uncomfortable, and I've been in a pretty good mood. It's been kind of up and down the past few weeks with regards to how I'm feeling. I've had sore hips, achy back, swollen feet. Sometimes I have a really hard time finding a comfortable position. It turns out that I really like sitting in our banana chairs. Who knew?
This has definately been the most uncomfortable part of pregnancy for me. Up to now I've had it pretty easy.
People have been asking me for a while, "Are you ready?" I can now say that yes, I am ready to have this baby. I am ready to welcome her into the world. In addition to wanting certain discomforts to end, I'm also feeling more prepared for her arrival. The nursury is ready to go (well, all the needful things - I still don't have any curtains or things on the wall, but that wasn't high on my priority list), and the carseat is installed in the car. I'm feeling more prepared mentally. I've been taking time to read about newborns and infants in the collection of books I've bought while I'm pregant. I know that I'll learn best from experience, but it feels good to go into parenthood with some background knowledge. With all of this time and preparation, I'm also now feeling more ready emotionally.
So stay tuned. Look for a blog post in the near future (we hope)!

Touch-itis

I have contracted an unusual disorder. Its primary target is the left hand. The joints of the left hand become stiff, it hurts to open your hands all the way. You can't grasp things easily. Then your wrist hurts. I had been suffering for several days. I didn't know what was causing it. I was complaining to Christine and wondering what I did to my hand to make it hurt so much. I thought about seeing a doctor. Then I figured out the culprit.---My new Ipod touch, or rather my addiction to my Ipod touch. See, I was holding the touch the same way for quite a while each day. By the way, leaving your hand in the same position for a long time will make it hurt. But while I contracted this new disorder, there are several benefits. Here are few things I like about my new Ipod touch.

• Scriptures - I used to have them on my "Palm", but I couldn't download new stuff because it got so full. Now I have anything the church has published.
• Budgeting - I have found an app that help us manage our budgets. (Mint.com)
• Another one that allows me to scan bar codes and find out how much things cost in several stores.
• All my email is in one place. I have something like 7 email accounts. I just don't know how to get rid of email accounts. However, for some reason my Ipod touch makes everyone who has ever contacted me at my work email be in my contact list, including all the junk mail addresses.
• Free texting - I haven't taken advantage of this one much yet. Mostly because I haven't told very many people that I have a number just for texting. But it should become useful. I have had people send a text to my phone and not know that I don't get texting on my phone. Well, now there is a way. But I don't want to ever become someone who texts a ton, and I am limited to how many texts I can send/receive.
• I found an app for timing contractions, which might come in handy in the next few weeks.
• Then there are those addicting games that you can get for free. This is the primary cause of Touch-itis by the way.
• Weather apps - It is nice to be able to check the weather almost instantly.
• Gas prices - There is an app that allows you to check gas prices by zip code.
• There are some engineering apps that I use too.
• Sometimes it is just fun to browse and find things that you can get for free.
• Music - I have downloaded just about my entire music collection and a lot of Christine's.

My Touch-itis is getting better. If I am going to use my Ipod now, I hold it differently each time. I also set it down and use it. But my left hand/wrist still hurts from time to time. Consider yourself warned about this growing epidemic. I hope Christine doesn't catch it :).

Book Recommendation for Wives and Mothers

Here is a book that I highly recommend to all of you wives and mothers out there. It is called Being the Mom: 10 Coping Strategies I Learned by Accident Because I Had Children on Purpose, written by Emily Watts. A few months ago I was at the DI and picked up a variety of parenting books. This one caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. I'm so glad I did!
It's a fun and quick read with lots of great advice. As I read it, I felt that she was a kindred spirit - I really connected with what she was saying. Here are some excerpts from my favorite chapter:

"Strategy 9: Be Grateful for the Things You Have to Do"

She talked about the stress and frustration that can come with planning, shopping for, cooking, and cleaning up after meals. I go through cycles where I just don't want to cook, get really frustrated, am tired of "the same old meals," etc. But she really helped me put things in perspective: "The fact that I have to cook each day suggests that we live in a time and place where food is abundant. If I have to plan the meals, all that means is that we have a wide spectrum of possibilities to choose from. I get to exercise judgment and creativity on a daily basis in an activity that helps build unity, comfort, and physical strength in my family."

She also talks about laundry, and how blessed we are to have an abundance of clothing, as well as access to machines that will do the washing for us. I know these are pretty straightforward and simple concepts, but it really helped to put things in perspective.

Let me finish my thoughts on this chapter with one last quote: "I realize that to some people this seems Pollyannaish to the point of gagging. ... But, hey, I just figure that if there's something I'm going to end up doing anyway, I might as well do my best to find some joy in it. The truth is that our greatest blessings and our greatest trials seem to often come in the same package, and if we wish away the trials, we forgo the blessings as well."

I know I've been taught this principle over and over in the scriptures and various Sunday School and Relief Society lessons (and, in case you're wondering, the author is LDS), but it just really hit home when she put it in terms of the day-to-day frustrations we deal with.

Some of my other favorite strategies are:

Strategy 3: Be Discerning: Sometimes a One-Mile Effort is Enough

Strategy 7: If It Can Be Vacuumed Up, Wiped Off, or Washed Out, Don't Worry about It

Strategy 10: Remember That the Years Fly By, Even though Some of the Days Are Mighty Long

A lot of the advice in this book are things I've heard before. But the way she says it and the experiences she shares just clicked with me. I encourage you to check it out. It sure gave me a boost!

Nesting Project - Cosette's Clothes

Since I stopped working a few weeks ago, I have had a lot of energy to clean and organize and get things ready for Cosette's arrival. Everyone I've talked to calls this "nesting." I have been working on a series of projects and tasks each week, prioritizing those that I think are most important (because you never know - Cosette could be early!).

Lately, one of my projects was organizing Cosette's clothes. I first went through everything and made sure my sister's clothes were labeled (she's just lending them to me). I also removed the tags on my new clothes and labeled them, too. Then I washed everything in the baby detergent I bought (5 loads). Here is a picture of the laundry dumped on our queen size bed.

Next, I sorted everything into piles by type of clothing - onesies, pants, shirts, dresses, hats, jackets, bibs, burp rags, socks, bloomers, tights.... I then went through each of these piles and further sorted them by size.

Last, I put everything away in Cosette's dresser. I knew that I didn't want all of this sorting to go to waste, so I decided to use dividers. I bought some for my sock drawer when Jeff and I got married and have loved using them. But with 4 dresser drawers to organize for Cosette, I didn't want to spend a ton of money to buy all of those dividers and organizers. So I looked around the house and used a combination of shoe boxes, scraps of Plexiglas, and pieces of a Wii box I cut up. I am very pleased with the result and have included pictures below.

It felt so good to get all of that put away! Not everything fit in the dresser. A few larger items of clothing went in a bin under her crib, and I'm hanging up her dresses and jackets in the closet. By the way - the hangers I've gotten with the 2 and 3 piece outfits, the ones that have a pant clip attached, are perfect for hanging up the dresses that have a matching bloomer or bonnet.

We are going to have one stylish little girl! Thank you to everyone who has gifted us with clothing. It is such a blessing not having to spend money on her clothing for the first few months.