First month

It's hard to believe our little nugget is a month old!!  It has been a crazy month but a good month!  Steep learning curves for the parents and lots of tolerance for E! In general, she is quite a good baby and maybe a little spoiled!😉  She is quite a trooper and takes most everything we throw her way!  We have done a little traveling already to see great grandparents and she handled it like a pro!  She has also tagged along to a couple of restaurants when mom and dad have gotten too stir crazy!  And amazingly, the dogs don't seem to bother her much at all!  They bark and lick her and she rarely even flinches!

She is more conciously smiling at us (when we make utter fools of ourselves).  She has let a few coo's out this past week too.  She still sleeps the majority of the day, but this past week she has had slightly more awake times and is more focused on her surroundings.  She seems to like tummy time and does not seem to like being left alone (she's a big fan of baby wearing).

This last month has been one of the most rewarding times of my life.  It has been pretty awesome watching the gradual transformation from newborn to more infant-like.  Yes, there are sleepless nights.  Yes, the growth spurt week felt like I constantly had a baby attached to me...but then I realized some little girl was not fitting in her newborn clothes anymore!  And goodness, this kid can run you out of the room!  (It's actually really funny, I had assured Brian that nursing baby diapers weren't nearly as bad smelling as he was thinking...well, shes's surprised me!)

A couple of stats for my own sake- (pregnancy brain extends beyond the pregnancy people):

Weight- 9lb 7.5oz

Length- 22 inches

Clothing- all 0-3 months (in the last couple of days! Still NB diapers but about to bump up to size 1)

Food- eating every 2-3 hours from 6am to 9pm, then generally every 4 hours overnight (still no set schedule per se, but we do generally go to bed around 10 and get up between 6-8)

Favorite pastime- peeing on mommy during diaper changes (this has ONLY happened to me so far!)

The Great Hair Exodus

Okay, so everyone knows that during pregnancy and postpartum a woman's hormones are going crazy! Up, down, cycling around and around...and this causes all sorts of body changes (not to mention to help sustain the pregnancy and grow a person, then help you feed said person).  I was pretty aware of the hormone changes and their potential effect on my body during pregnancy.  Some of the effects I didn't see until after birth and some a realized before...like the linea nigra, so didn't notice that until after my belly deflated (and I actively looked for that because the possibility weirded me out)!  

But one of the biggest indicators of these hormone shifts has been my hair.  Thick and lush during pregnancy, plenty to pull up and style, I mean a serious amount of hair.  Now, it commonly seems like all of my hair is trying to abandon ship at the same time! I could probably save the falling hair and make a wig for when I am completely bald!!  No, really, all exaggeration aside, I knew this would happen, but there is no preparing yourself for those first few sleep deprived showers that end with a huge wad of hair in the drain! (And the continued loss even weeks out!)

Otherwise, the hormone shifts are pretty amazing...I mean, you grow a person on the front end and then everything jumps into gear to sustain and provide nutrients for this tiny person.  Some of my own body reactions have surprised me and made me laugh to an extent.

January- Part 2

We spent 4 days in the hospital and then we were home! I could not have asked for better care in the hospital, but there is something refreshing about being home!!  I have truly been blessed as my recovery has gone quite smoothly! The pain has not been too bad and easy to manage and moving around has not been terribly difficult.  Probably the worst part so far was when we discovered I was reacting to all the adhesive that was on my body- talk about wanting to be knocked out!

We made our way home, now a family of 3, and got settled in and readjusted some things in the house since my activity was kind of limited at first.  We have been very blessed to have family that was able and willing to come help out!  Not having to think about the next meal all the time has been huge!  We have had to venture out a couple of times for weight checks for EG, but she somewhat quickly returned to her birth weight and continues to eat like a champ!  We have managed to settle into a night time routine too (somewhat).  This stir-crazy momma has gotten out a couple of times after EG was sufficiently bundled up and covered up, but nothing too crazy and always in the "hottest" part of the day.

We have definitely been blessed with a great baby though!  She eats and sleeps pretty well.  So far she seems to have a good grasp on day and night. Rarely startles when there are loud noises (or barking dogs)!  And is generally content wherever she winds up!  So far her favorite thing to do is to pee while I'm trying to change her diaper.  She has done this to me 5 or 6 times now, but she hasn't done it to anyone else!😝. She's had a couple of baths and seems to not be a huge fan yet, but she does like the warm towel at the end (I mean, who wouldn't).  She has smiled a couple of times already (started around day 10 and was wide awake) and she has been known to laugh a little in her sleep (which is hilarious)!  We are eating up every moment with this sweet girl!

We also had some newborn pictures done when she was about a week old.  We went with a local photographer (Cooper and Co) that our neighbors recommended and could not be happier with the results!  E slept almost the entire time and tolerated all the baby posing without a fuss!  And the photographer did such a great job capturing such sweet moments!

It's hard to believe how fast the time is actually going by!  It makes me a little more thankful for the sleepless nights we are having right now...although there have been a few times I have begged her for 20 more minutes!  But the early morning "chats" are my favorite times!!

January 2015- Part 1

So the new year came and went for us.  Due to my ever growing belly, we were unable to travel during the holidays and both of us had work around Christmas and New Years, so we stayed close to home (or should I say the hospital) and did what we had to do.  My off days were consisting of trying to finish the last few things in the nursery and sleep as much as I could!  Work was becoming challenging and I had an episode around 35 weeks that sent me to the ER (even though I fought that decision by the nurse on call).

I had been having really regular Braxton Hicks and contractions at work and had done everything they told me to do to try and get them to stop without any success...so into L&D for 2 bags of fluid (in addition to the almost 70 ounces of water I had gulped during the day)...several hours later I was heading home still having contractions but less consistently and they weren't causing anything.  (Side note- almost everyone had been expecting me to deliver early, including my doctor.)

So, after that fun trip, I continued to contract daily with some increasing intensity but no progress.  At one of my regular appointments, I was measuring behind and they wanted to double check the baby's growth via ultrasound.  Thankfully, her growth was fine (actually was ahead) but we discovered this little kicker was wrong-side up (breach).  So, everything sort of changed from there on out.  It became a game of watching the contractions closely and if my water were to break, I was instructed not to waste any time getting to the hospital.  So we proceeded to watch the belly (and me) like a time bomb and went ahead and scheduled the c-section.

So, fast forward a couple of weeks.  (Every time I go in for an appointment my doc is somewhat surprised I still haven't gone into labor.)  My last prenatal appointment was the Friday before the c-section (on Monday) and still nothing too exciting happening.  I have decent contractions most of the day Friday but nothing to write home about.  Brian and I go see a movie and have a date.  We ran down the list of the few things we still needed to finish that weekend before Monday and have our weekend set with family coming in town and such.  Despite being 39+ weeks pregnant, I was still managing to sleep almost through the night with very few potty interruptions, so when I had to get up a few more times than usual Friday night, I attributed it to something I ate or too much to drink at bedtime...but then I was awakened at 6:30 in pain.  I went to the bathroom again, thinking that was the problem. Then I proceeded to grumble under my breath and attempt to get comfortable...at which point I started tracking the contractions.  Despite the different nature of these contractions I still didn't believe them (neither did B at first), so I drank a little bit of water and started to attempt getting ready for the day (since I clearly wasn't going back to sleep).  After I brushed my teeth (with multiple interruptions) I woke B up so he could track things while I was in the shower...which didn't help at all (the shower actually made the contractions more intense).  This whole time I am calm and not very vocal about the pain, so once I got done with the shower and told B I was calling the doc on call, he got up to start getting ready.  As he walked into the bathroom I was hunched over having a contraction and quietly cussing and mumbling under my breath.  He stopped in the doorway and said something along the lines of- yeah, okay, so that's pretty convincing.  A quick call to the on call service and within 30 minutes we were heading in.  Thankfully, no water breakage but man do contractions hurt! 

After they called us back and got us checked in they started pre-op and paperwork and then the lovely epidural!!  It was quite the odd sensation, but I love medical advances such as this!!  After B was convinced to be dad, things were well underway and soon we heard a rather robust cry! EG was born at12:05pm weighing 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches long.  We discovered during her birth that she had bounced around enough inside to tie a true knot in her umbilical cord.  To say I was relieved and thankful for her safe arrival would be an understatement!  We are incredibly blessed by the gift of this little girl in our lives!!  From moment one with this child, God has answered so many of my prayers and disbanded my fears!

Welcome to the world, EG! 

2014 in review

This was quite the year for us!!  Lots happened at the beginning that pulled us in different directions. Work was chaotic for me and B as we were still figuring out the differences here versus B'ham.  So in recap between our crazy work lives we...

Winter:
Went skiing in Colorado

Spring:
Saw the Lion king at the Fox with family (awesome show! Highly recommend it)

Summer:
Went on a cruise vacation (told everyone there was going to be a baby Thompson in the new year)

Fall:
Football, football, and more football

"Baby moon" to Highlands, NC

Winter:
Lots of sitting and waiting through the holidays

The face of the earth

Ever feel like you have just fallen off the face of the earth...

You're not sure how to get back to it...you know it's there somewhere...but in some ways life is so much nicer not being there anyways...

So that has pretty much entailed my last year...disappearing into the abyss of life and work and vacations and work and pregnancy and work...

I guess now is as good a time as any to work on updates (for myself, if for no one else)!!

Happy reading for those that actually do read this!

I Protest

The signs have been made, the shoes tied, the lines drawn...I PROTEST!

The last couple of weeks have been crazy- insane- stressful- demanding- consuming- encouraging- stressful- ridiculous- sad- joyful- exciting- stressful- did I mention stressful?

I hit a moment tonight where I literally stopped and thought, "whoa, Lord, You got this, right?"  Yeah, I know, weak in faith--> that's me right now.  The amount of insanity that I have seen in the last 14 days is too much to recount tonight (though I'm totally wired due to the steroids I was prescribed), but to say the craziness has been all encompassing is an understatement.

I have seen God working through a very dear friend and her family over these 2 weeks.  The hardship they are bearing is tremendous and the attitudes they are carrying is a testament to their faith.  They have been faced with many great (as in HUGE) decisions and have been faithful to the end.  They are family, they are part of my "extended family," they shouldn't have to endure all of this yet I hear no questioning, no injury, no doubts about God's plan- only acceptance.  Struggle- yes, emotional- yes, faithful- absolutely, prayerful- always.

And yet, I protested...

I know this world is full of suffering in many unexpected ways.  But to walk through such difficulties with such a friend is...heartbreaking.  Though I feel blessed that I have been able to walk along some of this journey, it has been hard at times to face the reality that they too are facing (granted, yes, to a lesser degree).  Watching them along this roller coaster has been hard, but the hopeful moments and encouraging moments outweigh the suffering as we continue to get glimpses of recovery.  Being able to witness God moving through this family has been something to behold and partake in...frankly, I am changed because of this.

And yet, I continued to protest...

Work in general has been a little more stressful than usual over the last several weeks, but the last week has skyrocketed out of sight.  We have become very short staffed and I still don't know many other coworkers here, so it has been quite challenging to fill our schedules up.  Funny how the Lord provides and His timing is always perfect.  Thankfully, a student has some rather unexpected free time over the next couple of weeks, so that will only leave me with small holes to plug in (so hopefully we will stay afloat).  But the entire situation has brought great struggle and sadness for me.  This has truly brought me to my knees repeatedly.  The stress of looking forward puts me quite on edge and probably close to a panic attack; hence, I must constantly remind myself that He had a plan for this immediate time and He has one for the future (I just don't know it yet, and that's okay).

And yet, I continued to protest...

You see, I think I can handle things on my own, even when God clearly has orchestrated things in a way that I cannot deny and can take no credit for at all.  Yet, I protest because it hurts to accept His will sometimes.  It hurts to follow His plan sometimes.  It hurts to watch others following His plan for them sometimes.

It has taken physical pain (a couple of random infections attacked me this week) for me to stop and actually realize that my heart has been walking the picket line protesting these last couple of weeks.  It has been an off and on journey...first the shoes were on, then off, then on again, then off again...it took me to this afternoon to realize that so many things have been orchestrated beforehand to the point that I couldn't have planned it better...so why am I going to worry about the next few weeks, months, etc?  What good will it do?

So, tonight the shoes are off, the signs are gone and I'm still.  I want to be able to continue to help my friend and her family, I want to be able to be relaxed at work again (as much as I can be at least), I want to be able to encourage those around me, I want to be a vessel- He is the Potter, I am the clay- and may He continue to mold me as He sees fit.