Merry First Christmas Evelyn!!

          Like most families our Christmas Celebrations began Christmas Eve. Hubby and I enjoyed the better part of the morning enjoying each others company and playing with baby girl. We had a wonderful breakfast and relaxed. It has been far to long since we have been able to spend this much quality time with each other. Around noon I went up to my grandmothers house to help her prepare for all the family that would arrive there later. We made all kind of appetizers or pupus as she likes to refer to them haha. A big Hawaii fan. Just before the guests arrived hubby arrived with Evelyn. She was dressed up in her little Christmas dress that we received from my dear co-worker. My cousin was already there and hadn't met her yet so she was ooing and ahing over her. Evelyn finally got to meet her great great grandmother too. There were 5 generations in that household! It was just a really awesome night and everyone enjoyed Evelyn and Evelyn enjoyed everyone. By the end of the night we were exhausted. We out down Evelyn straight away when we got home as it was WAY past her bed time. We tried to stay up and watch a Christmas movie but as soon as we turned it on we were both dozing so we called it a night. I guess being a parent kind of does this to you haha!
            Christmas morning came very fast. Evelyn only slept in an extra 30 minutes regardless of her late bed time. I guess she was just too excited to sleep. When she woke up we decided to open our stocking from each other and let Evelyn "open" hers with some help. She got some utensils, a car, 2 winter hats & mittens, finger puppet glove, some small bath books and bubbles. She loved the bubbles and was trying to catch them! By the time we got done my dad finally arrived to join our little festivities and watch Evelyn open her presents. She got to sit right on Grandpa's lap while daddy helped her open presents and mommy recorded the whole thing! She was just hilarious to watch. She tore into those presents like a pro! She was interested in a few of the presents right away like her little frog and miniature stocking that held her personalized ornament from grandma. Of course they both went straight to her mouth. Other than that like I thought she was chewing on wrapping paper most of the time haha! By the end she was so overwhelmed with everything we put her down for a nap so she could take it all in. After her nap we went out to breakfast all together and had a great time well not really Evelyn, but we got through it!
        After breakfast we departed company with my dad and went straight from the restaurant Hubby's Mom's house. She lives just over and hour away so it was a great chance fro Evelyn to get a nap. As we trekked over the mountain passes and through the woods we started getting into some snow and began getting a little nervous. We were just in my tiny little car and prayed that the roads would be clear all the way there. Thankfully they were and we made it just fine. Although as we pulled into his mom's driveway that was not clear and slipped and slid a little but were able to get out of it and parked in a dry area.  We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone there and exchanged gifts and ate some delicious food. We didn't spend as much time as we would have liked though. It was starting to get dark and we still had a long trip home. By the end of the day we were once again spent! Evelyn took another nap on the way home. When we got home we tried to put her to bed but it seems she wanted to stay up and play with her new toys right along with us so we let her stay up and play on her new around we go for a little while, while hubby played with his new ps3 and I set up my new photo printer.

 

Humor of the day!

End of the world humor! Thank goodness it's already the 21st on the other side if the world hehe!

Peas & Sweet Potatoes! Yum!

Well aren't we enjoying our food!

I have been making my own baby food lately. I started with just experimenting but found it to be so quick and easy I have just continued. I love knowing what is going into my baby's body from start to finish. Not only that but I can't fathom spending .60 a jar on something she will eat in one sitting. I'll have to write up a segment on baby food making as well. So far I have made applesauce, peas, and sweet potatoes. carrots are next on my list. I will probably take photos when I do it just to show how easy the process is. Even a working mommy like myself can find time to do it!

Evelyn's First Snow Day!

This morning was a cold one for us Southern Oregonians. I stepped out the door to head to work and much to my surprise there was snow falling. Today marks the first snow of the season on the valley floor. I personally love snow! Maybe because we see it so rarely or maybe because it makes the whole world seem so perfect. It continued to snow throughout the better part of the morning while I was at work. It was really starting to stick and build up. I called Ernest who was with Evelyn at the time and asked him to get some photos of Evelyn in the snow. Snow being so rare around here and it being the first in her little life I wanted to make sure we captured the moment. It will also make great first winter photos for her baby book! So these are the photos he shot and I am so pleased with them. I thought they turned out so good! Props to my wonderful hubby! Such a good daddy!

 

Happy 5 Month Birthday Baby Girl!

Happy 5 months to my adorable baby girl! Yes, I'm going to photo bomb you all!

 

Evelyn loves "real" food!

Today on Evelyn's 5 month birthday we decided it would be a good day to try solids again as the first time she was not having it. Well it turns out she likes eating after all!

 

 

Evelyn Meets Santa Clause!

Here we are on a Saturday night waiting in line so that Evelyn can meet Santa Clause. This is what our Saturday nights have regressed to haha! I love every moment of it though!

 

Evelyn's First Christmas Ornament

So we decided that for Christmas we would make these super cute homemade ornaments with Evelyn's foot print on them. I found the idea online and had to try it for myself with a few key tweaks to make it easier on mama and make it long lasting. Check it out!

So I started off with the things you will need to create you masterpiece...

• Plain ornaments ( I chose flat you can also use bulb)
• Non-toxic Elmer's school glue
• Glitter of your color choice (I chose Christmas red for the season)
• Metallic Sharpe's
• Acrylic Sealer

 

Put some glue on the bottom of baby's foot (She was not impressed with the whole situation!)

Pick up your ornament and press firmly making sure to get all the little toes. Have to be quick too because if your little one is anything like mine she will squeeze her toes and ruin it! Then you have to start over.

 

 

Once you are satisfied... Sprinkle the glitter generously over the glue foot print. Best to do this over a paper plate or the like to catch the excess. When you are done tap the ornament on the plate. I blow dried my ornament on low to get any left over off and to dry it quickly. I then wrote in "2012" & "Evelyn". Lay newspaper down outside and set the ornament on it take your acrylic spray and pass over the ornament 2 or 3 times. Let dry. Done! You have you little one's foot print preserved forever! I found small cute Christmas gift boxes to gift them in. They second as a place to store the ornament when out of season!


 

Happy 4 Month Birthday!

Another Happy Birthday to My Evelyn Mae. She has been warming our hearts for 4 months today!

 

Happy 3 Months Birthday Evie!

Evelyn has blessed us with her presence for 3 whole months today! I love you baby girl!

 

2 months old!

Ok bear with us (no pun intended) on these photos, they are TERRIBLE! We have gotten a lot better though haha! Hoping to keep these monthly photo sessions on the straight and narrow from now on! Here goes nothing!

Best one of the bunch!

What are you doing to me mom!

I'm suffocating! Help!

Ok I'll try and go with it just this once Weee! Riding a unicorn!

Uh little help here!?

 

Needless to say we bought a tripod and lost the silly stuffed animals for the future LMAO!

 

She's already a month old!

Happy Birthday sweet baby you have drastically changed our lives. We had no idea how much work you would be. Everyday is better than the last though. We are all learning together to be a family. You are the best thing that has ever happened to us. We love you sooooo much!

 

Aw reminiscing.... just 4 months ago look how tiny you were! I can't believe how big you have gotten in such a short amount of time! I love you sweet baby! Every moment of every day!

 

Welcome to the World Evelyn Mae Nussbaum! (Birth Story)

So as many of you know from previous posts Evelyn was a bit on the larger side for a newborn. The doctors gave me a heads up on a possibility of a cesarean. I had my mind set on a peaceful unmedicated birth so this was not good news to me. I feel like I got a lot out of my birth experience regardless of the outcome. So continue on for the full fledged deal.

Welcome to the World Baby Girl!

So it all began on July 9th. At 8am we went in to our 40 week u/s appointment to check her fluid levels to make sure everything was still looking adequate. She was measuring pretty large and they thought her to be about 9 1/2 lbs. So they were keeping a close eye on her. I had been having these painless contractions since that morning but didn't think anything of it since I had had them on an off for the last week and even a case of them a few weeks prior. They never turned into anything so I just shrugged them off.

We went out to a nice breakfast after the appointment. Ran around, did some errands and went home. When we got home I just got in some comfy clothes and tried to relax. I began timing the contractions because they were coming pretty close and they had never lasted this long before. So I timed them and they were about 3 min apart so it was definitely peaking my curiosity even though they were painless. I decided that we should go on a long walk just to see if we could make anything come of the contractions. So we took a 2 mile walk around our town and came home. Still had them but still really no pain. So we just got a pizza and relaxed for a little bit into the night.

By about 8pm that was when I thought there might be a little bit of pain/cramping to the contractions, I still wasn't sure though. We just laid on the couch watching TV a little longer and I noticed the pain a little more than before even though it still really wasn't bad. They weren't going away by laying down or drinking water so I knew this had to be the real thing. So since I planned a  unmedicated natural birth I called my doula told her I thought I was in labor and told her my times and decided yes that I was most likely in labor. She came over by 11pm and we labored in the comfort of our home for a while until about 2:30am when I was beginning to have to vocalize through the contractions. We then headed to the hospital.

Evelyn Mae

We got checked in and I was hooked up to fetal monitor because they needed a strip on her heart rate. Nurse checked me and I was actually already dilated to an 8cm, I was so relieved! I honestly thought I'd be only 3 cm dilated. Labor up to that point really wasn't that bad it was very manageable. Anyway nurse wasn't happy with the heart rate on baby said there wasn't enough fluctuation in the heart rate, that it was too flat. So they put me on continuous monitoring. Thank goodness they have a waterproof one so I could still use the tub.

I was about to have a contraction just before I hit the tub and it just disappeared it was amazing! Anyway, I labored in there for about 3hrs. I began feeling pressure so they moved me back to the bed and checked me. This is when the contraction were getting really bad. I was pretty much fully dilated with just a little lip left.

I ended up laboring a little longer in hands and knees position because the baby was still really high. They thought she might just be in a weird position. So I did for a bit but I started having urges to push. So they got me on my back and I began trying to push with my contractions. This was by far the worst part of my whole labor honestly. Felt like the contractions never let up even though the monitor was saying they were. By this time the doctor and the nurse were getting a bit frantic. Her heart rate was dropping way too low when I pushed and having a hard time coming back. It dropped down into the 50's it was really scary.



First time touching her.

They put me on oxygen and IV fluids which seemed to help. She started doing a lot better. I just kept having to be constantly reminded to breath deep and steady after each contraction. They then broke my water hoping it would help her descend it didn't. Then they come to find she has already had her first BM, which was why she was distressed. I pushed for two hours and she never made it past the -2 station... she was a stuck baby!

At that point I was so exhausted after laboring 10hrs and pushing for 2hrs. The pain was so intense it was the most pain I'd ever felt. The fact of the situation was all too clear, I had to have a C-section things were just not happening. So they brought me in for the C-section. They gave me a spinal and you do not know how good that felt after being in that much pain for that long! I imagine it's what it feels like when your baby finally pops out, except the massive numbing feeling!

They got me all prepped and started operating. Once they finally got to baby she was so far wedged in my pelvis they literally had to shove her back up to get her out. Those first cries were the best sounds I had ever heard. I instantly started crying. I watched them caring for her across the room while they patched me back up. They finally brought her over and I got touch her is was really a magical experience regardless of how it happened.

First Family Photo!

She was born on July 10 at 8:56am right on time (her due date!). She weighed 8lbs 5oz and 20.5 inches long! Her Apgar score was a 3 then a 9 thank goodness. She had swallowed a lot of meconium and they were trying to get it out of her before she inhaled it. I am not disappointed with the outcome at all as I know it was necessary and my daughter is doing so great she is amazing. Recovery will be a little different for me but it's really not bad. I am completely at peace with the way things worked out and so happy with my birth experience. I added some pictures for your viewing pleasure :)

 

 

 

Belly Music (20 Weeks)

I have been anticipating feeling a kick from outside the womb for some time. I have been feeling her strong kicks for some time now,  so you can imagine my anticipation. So I figured it was experimentation day. I have been reading a lot online about how music is good for babies development inside the womb and can sometimes even recognize songs once outside the womb. I went online today and downloaded some Mozart. I grabbed my big padded headphones hooked them to my ipod and placed them on my belly. To my amazement she reacted right away! It felt as if you were having a dance party in my belly she kept going and going! When Ernest got home from work I showed him and he got to feel her kick for the first time! I think that's when it really starts to feel real for the dads is when they can actually see and feel the baby moving. This was definitely one of the best days being pregnant so far!

 

It's a Girl!

She's Smiling!

 

We found out today that it's a girl! I knew it was, I just knew it! Mother intuition?? They didn't forget to record the ultrasound session this time either thank God! I would have cried lol. I did everything in my power to make sure it got recorded.

They started off like a tease. Are you to wanting to find out the sex of your baby today? Yes, of course we replied. She started off by looking at the brain and taking some measurements. Then she moved down to the stomach (full stomach :D) and measured the diaphragm. Then she measured the baby's arms.   

She then proceeded to take a look at the heart and the blood flow, then the umbilical cord and the blood flow in that. She finally got to the bladder ( full bladder too :P) and then watched the blood flow from the heart to the kidneys. Last but not least, she measured the legs.

After all of that time the anticipation had built up to maximum and our feet were literally bouncing in anticipation. She finally blurted out, Looks like you guys are having a girl! Although I had a strong feeling that she was a girl, a feeling of relief came over me and my heart was skipping beats, I was so excited.

We had her name already picked out for her. Evelyn Mae, we just both fell in love with the name but only recently found out it was my husband's great great grandmothers name so I guess she is named after someone after all haha! It was my grandmother's great aunt's name too, so it's an OLD name lol!

We announced the news immediately upon leaving the office. We called my dad first and he shared the news with everyone on his side of the family. I called my mom next, who also shared the news with everyone in her family. Both of them were so excited about the news of a baby girl. Hubby called his mom too but had to leave a message when she called back she was very excited about the news too!  

We had a big family dinner that night. It was awesome to be in everyone's company. We showed them all the video of the ultrasound after dinner. They were all in awe of how awesome the ultrasound technology is these days. They really liked the 4d part, especially when she broke into a smile, it was so precious. I can't wait to meet my little Evelyn Mae!

Week 18: So Excited!

          Yes I'm slacking and I know it lol! Not much has been going on the last few weeks. Work, work, work! I don't mind it too much. keeps my mind off of how many days are left till I meet my little one. Which is only 153 by the way! I am really excited this week because for the first time someone that I don't know has actually noticed that I am pregnant.

          I'm sure I am going to hate it later when everyone notices and are all trying to touch and feel and give me advice... but I'll just savor this moment. It means I am actually getting big enough that I look pregnant and not fat lol! He was an older gentleman, a customer and on his way out the door he said " Good luck with the new baby!" I was a bit shocked and uttered out a thanks. He looked like he needed reassurance just in case he might of just called me fat! Nevertheless I was ecstatic.

          I just ordered the crib, changing table and dresser yesterday. I am so excited about it. The set should be here tomorrow or the next day. It's a really cute set expresso colored and just about matches our bedroom set in color and style so the house can be in unison :) My mom is going to be making the bedding as soon as we find out if it is a boy or a girl. We can pick out the fabric and she can go to town on it lol.

          So everything is starting to come together a little bit. I am going to call the hospital next week to see about their birthing classes. I really can't wait to take it. As a first time mother I feel this is very important step to preparing for the baby's arrival. I want to be as prepared as possible. I also really want to tour the birthing center as well so that's all part of it. The birthing center looks very nice from what I've seen online and am actually excited to spend a couple of days there.

          Only 4 more days until I find out it is a boy or a girl. I really want to have a girl but a boy would be just fine too. My husband and I both think it is a girl but my dad is convinced it is a boy. He said the picture we have of the baby at 13 weeks looks like a boys profile lol. We will see though I am about to start a pool at work :P I don't know how I'm going to get through this weekend, I'm just so excited need to keep myself busy, busy, busy! I'll update you all Monday!

Week 14: Pregnancy Woes

          Well, I can no longer fit in my size 7 pants anymore.. tear. I got so irritated trying to find things that fit this week that I just went out and bought some maternity jeans and a few maternity tops. I am so glad hubby is understanding. Whenever I complain about the weight gain or the stretch marks. He just shrugs it off it's ok sweetie your pregnant. Like it's expected and I know it is but I can't help feeling so fat and ugly sometimes haha. I need to be a positive thinker. I am only getting bigger because the baby is and that is a good thing!

           I have done everything I can about the stretch marks but they just keep spreading and spreading. They started on my lower belly and now they are kind of just circling around my belly button. I have been putting on palmers stretch mark lotion every night and every morning since the beginning. It is purely genetics for me though. My mom had them so I suppose I will just have to deal with it. I can only pray that they will fade. Hubby says I am earning them, I don't feel so positive about it.

           I do have something to look forward to though. Just one month until we get to find out if it is a boy or a girl. Everyone thinks it's a girl. I am hoping for a girl but we will just have to see. I bought the cutest little girl onesie, I may have jinxed myself but that's okay I kept the receipt and the tags on. My mom thinks it is a girl because she never had morning sickness with any of her girls just my brother. Since I haven't either she thinks it's a girl. We will just have to wait and I suppose. I have heard every wives tale in the book about gender so far, some are just plain ridiculous.

          One of my good friends is going to be throwing me a baby shower and I can't wait. I get to help plan it and everything, glad I get to be included on that part should be a lot of fun. I think I will have it about a month before my due date, I think that is about the right time to have it. My sister whom I haven't seen in two years is going to come up and stay for a month. She is going to be doing my newborn photography as well. I can't wait to see her.