Happy One Month, Laura!

Today our little girl is one month old! That happened in about a blink of an eye. Father B was working at home today so we both got to spend a lot of time with her. Laura tried out her swing for the first time today. It was a gift from her Grandpa G and Grandma J. She seemed to like it - there were a lot of things to look at!



We also had a little "photo session" (we're going to try and take photos each month, sort of like my belly pictures), and recorded her playing and having a bath today. Laura had her first "real" bath - naked and sitting in the water! She seemed to like it as much as her sponge baths, but howled when it came time to wash her hair, usually her favorite part of bathtime.

I still haven't brought her in for a weight check, so her one month stats are a little incomplete as of now, but she did start on the next size up of diapers today (boo hoo, another sign my girl is getting bigger).

Likes: Snuggling, playing on the activity mat, singing and dancing to N'Sync songs with mom, looking at her uglydoll from Lexi, going for walks in the stroller, sleeping, looking at faces.

Dislikes: Being buckled into her carseat, when her pacifier falls out on car rides. We are proud to report she's gotten over the diaper changing freakouts. She's ambivalent about "tummy time" - sometimes fussy, sometimes not.

Today Laura wore some pants that used to be her cousin Lilly's. They were fuzzy and a little big in a funny way. Dad kept calling them her "Hammer pants" (you know...stylin' like 80's great MC Hammer).

One last picture for today - Laura enjoying her swing. Thanks Grandpa G and Grandma J!

Stop Getting So Big!

Father B and I are falling more and more in love with Laura every day. We are a little distressed however, that she also keeps getting bigger every day. What is this?! We like her all tiny and sleepy and snuggly. Her newborn outfits and newborn-size diapers aren't fitting her anymore and I keep getting sad thinking, "This is the last time she'll wear this."

One good reward to all this loss of newborn-ness is that she has started to smile. I feel guilty not knowing when to put the "First Smile" sticker on her calendar because it was hard to tell when it switched from the involuntary, not meaning anything smiles, to the real thing. I suspect it happened just this week. I've had some big smiles in response to me smiling and talking and looking into her eyes - not too many things more rewarding than that!

Here's some pictures of our "big girl."

Laura's First Video

Mom and Dad meeting Laura for the very first time
For all those months of talking and reading to Mom's tummy, guessing the gender and wondering who he or she would look like, all came to reality at 3:36pm on March 30, 2009.

Here's a two-minute video highlighting the contractions and hospital experience.

*Video updated Tuesday, April 28th.

Laura's New Ride

Laura's New Ride

I just KNEW I was going to jinx myself with that last post about how good she is...Laura is still lovely, but has become a little sassy too. Lesson learned; don't brag about your kid. I think she's kind of a gassy gal, and for about an hour after she eats, she's not the happiest camper on the block. Or as Uncle Matt would say, "She's fussy." It's a small price to pay for all the rest of the enjoyment we're getting out of being her parents!

So yesterday Laura's stroller arrived in the mail. I was super excited to get it since the weather is supposed to be getting so warm. Also true to form, I did extensive research and thinking before purchasing this stroller and am hoping it lives up to all the hype I've read about it. Today when dad got home from work, we went for our first walk as a family! I was waiting for this all day. Laura did great on the walk and seemed to enjoy being outside. Here are some pictures of us with Laura's "new ride."

I also took this picture of Laura this morning sleeping in her chair...many people have commented on her long fingers. When she startles in her sleep, she keeps freezing her arms up in the air, and I thought this looked just like she was ready to play the piano!

Going to the Hospital

I can not believe how fast time flies by. I have been meaning to write this post for two weeks and because of frustration to finish, I have to write it on my lunch break (before I forget).

Alright, to continue on from the Pre Labor post...

11:00pm
Dad drives Mom to the hospital. The weather was calm, cool, and if I can remember right, there was a full moon. The ride was rather uneventful. No screaming or severe pains from Mom, no traffic jams or detours.

11:05pm
Dad drives up to Emergency Room entrance (because it is after hours) and drops Mom off at the door. As Dad proceeds to park, he notices another couple in the parking lot walking toward the doors. Dad watches in horror AND with slight delight. How can you make the soon-to-be in labor woman walk in the parking lot?!? The girl was still in her PJs and waddling in obvious pain. Dad felt bad for the girl, but smiled and with a small fist pump, he knew he one-upped this guy!

11:15pm
Went up to the fourth floor and were admitted to room 10. Robyn, our nurse, gave Mom an examination. Mom was dilated to a 1-1.5 and Robyn informed us that we may have to go home. Mom expressed that she was in a lot of pain during contractions. The nurse advised us to walk around and that may speed up the labor process.

12:30am
Mom and Dad walk around the entire 4th floor of the hospital for an hour. Mom only had to stop a handful of times because of the pain.

1:30am
Ran into the Nurse Robyn in the hallway and she told us to walk around for another 30 mins. MORE WALKING!

2:00am
The pain intensifies but the dilation stays the same. Robyn prescribes some pain medication, a combination of Nubain and Phenergan. Mom falls asleep.

6:30am
Another examination...no change. Frustration comes to a boiling point. We have to wait for our doctor to come to determine if it is time to give Mom an epidural.

7:30am
A new nurse...Cindy. Epidural was given by Dr. Lee.

7:40am
Major progress. In ten minutes, Mom went from a dilation of 1.5cm to a 6cm!

8:00am
Dad calls the grandmas and uncle Scott. Auntie Lynn and cousin Lillian are at grandma's house and hears the news.

9:42am
Our doctor came in and broke Mom's water. Dilation is now at 8cm. Doc says this baby will be here by noon! (ha!)

10:40am
Full dilation, the baby's head is very, very low. Nurses and doctors inform us that pushing will start at 11:30am.

Next will be the labor post.

She's Such a Good Girl

Hi everyone! The whole week has gone by and we haven't given an update. Here's a picture of Laura from last night. Just yesterday I decided she was starting to look a little different (older?). I really want her to stay so small and lovable and tiny forever!

This week she had a couple of "firsts": on Tuesday, her umbilical cord stump fell off. Her bellybutton looks like a combo innie/outie. On Wednesday, dad gave her a bottle for the first time. She finished it like a champ!

I hate to even blog about this for I fear the tides will turn, but she really has been such a good baby. She rarely fusses except for the diaper changes, and she loves sleeping. A lot of my books say not to tell other parents how well your child sleeps because they will not like to hear it! We will just say mom and dad are getting close to the same amount of sleep they did P.L. (Pre-Laura), albeit with an interruption here and there in the night.

Thanks to everyone for all of the packages in the mail! It has been much more fun lately to have cards and cute outfits to open instead of junk mail. Checking the mailbox has been exciting every day! Have a good weekend, everybody.

Happy Easter!

Laura did a great job surviving all the Easter festivities! We spent most of yesterday in Eagan at the "Egg Day" competition - a favorite Mason/White family event. She was very content to be passed from person to person and slept through a lot of noise. Today we decided to see how she would do at church; Laura slept the entire time in her car seat. Later on, we had the Bauer fam up here for a little lunch, and again she had many admirers (and willing diaper-changers...yesss!). Here is Laura posing with a lovely egg that Great Uncle Scott made for her yesterday:

Happy Easter everyone!

Pre Labor

I have been meaning to get to this story but have had many WONDERFUL and not so WONDERFUL interruptions the past two weeks. When I say wonderful interruptions, I really mean in the nicest way all the people who have stopped over to say "hi" and to meet Laura. Mom and I can't express enough how grateful we are to have caring, thoughtful, AWESOME friends and family! And for the not so wonderful interruption, my little trip to the ER and the effects of the medication.

PRE LABOR
Mom sensed something was feeling "different" the afternoon of Sunday, March 29, 2009. Early in the day Mom commented, "this baby will be here in the next 24hours." Note to dads, trust the motherly intuition!!!

6:30pm
Mom starts to feel pains in her lower back triggering the first sign of contractions. Meanwhile, Dad is down stairs on the computer playing a stupid game that he was addicted to about 10 years ago called, Civilization III. (I will agree with Mom that it is a NERDY game.)

9:25pm
Yes, three hours later, Dad is still playing Civ3. Mom comes down stairs and sits on the couch. After a few snide comments about Dad being a computer nerd, she calmly states she could be having contractions. Dad slightly ignores her remarks and keeps playing.

9:30pm
Dad comes to the conclusion that Mom is trying to get out of going back to school. Since it was Sunday night AND after a long Spring Break, Dad senses Mom was brewing up an excuse to stay home from teaching the next day.

9:35pm
Dad notices Mom has been looking uncomfortable every few minutes and starts to think this is for real. I run around the house and can not find a clock that has a second hand to count the seconds. NO STOPWATCH, NOTHING! Frustration begins.

9:45pm
Dad goes on the Internet and Googles "Contractions Timer." Up comes the best website ever for timing contractions...http://contractionmaster.com/. For expecting parents...I highly recommend this site. It is so simple, it tracks and calculates all the important information I need to relay to the nurse.

10:15pm
The contraction times charted on the website were very consistent... 45-50 seconds long and averaging 4:45 minutes between each set. "Oh boy, this is for real!"

10:30pm
Dad calmly calls the clinic and informs the nurse on duty that Mom is having regular, consistent contractions. The nurse calls our doctor and within a few minutes, informs us to head for the hospital.

11:00pm
"It's GO TIME!" We looked at each other and with a slight grin, grab our bags and car seat and headed for the hospital.

Even though this is not the end of the pre labor portion, I will add the rest of the details in the "Hospital" posting.

Meeting Uncle Matt and Steph

Laura finally got to meet her Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Steph! They have been away at college but are back for a short Easter break. I think everyone was very excited to meet each other - Laura even woke up from her favorite activity (napping) both times in order to see them. Uncle Matt came over late at night after his bus got in on Wednesday, and then Matt and Steph were back last night too! We are glad they came to visit.

Laura Stats

Certain blog readers (ok, certain grandmas) were concerned about the failure to post Laura's stats from the one-week doctor visit yesterday, so here they are. The format is borrowed from another baby blog I've admired (thanks Mandy!).

Age: One week on 4/6/09 (cousin Lilly's birthday!)

Weight: 7 lbs., 6 1/2 oz. (Yeay, Laura! 5 1/2 oz. gained back since we left the hospital)

Length: No growth. Still 20 inches

Hair: Just a little, darker on the top but a little blonder on the sides

Eyes: Standard "baby" color - dark blue-gray

Likes: Snuggling with people, playing on the activity mat, sleeping, faking us out with a "pre" poop and then unleashing a lot more 5 minutes later, looking at mom and dad's faces

Dislikes: Changing clothes, changing diapers, cold wipes

I leave you with more cuteness...a photo from yesterday's sponge bath:

Little Twins Fan, One Week Old

Laura is excited for the Twins Opener today! (Her jersey doesn't quite fit yet)

She would like to wish good luck to:

Michael Cuddyer, mom's Twins boyfriend

Nick Blackburn, Erin's Twins boyfriend

Justin Morneau, Great Auntie Sue's Twins boyfriend

and everyone else on the Twins roster (Grandma Barb's Twins boyfriends)

We'll add to this post later with some week-old stats...she has her first doctor appointment early this evening!

Update: The Twins didn't do so well in Game 1 of 2009. "Is it too early to jump off the bandwagon?" Laura saw (actually her eyes were closed from the 4th inning on) the Twins lose to Seattle 6-1 in the last opening day at the HHH Metrodome from the comfy confines of our chair.

On another note: North Carolina walloped Michigan St. to win the NCAA basketball. Dad flipped over to see the score at halftime and decided the Big Ten team had no chance for a comeback.

She's So Cute, I Can Hardly Stand It

I know all parents think their baby is the cutest baby; I am no exception. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last few days!

AAAHHH! How do people with babies get anything done with so much cuteness in the house?! Laura and Dad are napping right now (no surprise; see previous post) and I should be too, but instead I have to be the crazy mom showing off pictures of her baby.

The Snugglers

I am beginning to notice a theme in many of the pictures of Laura and Father B. They both LOVE to snuggle and they LOVE to sleep! This works great because now they can snuggle and take naps together. Here are some of my favorite "snuggling" pictures:

This is right after we arrived home from the hospital. Laura isn't even out of her car seat yet!

This was last night. I think he was trying to burp her but then they both fell asleep.

Father B claims that "it's really comfortable to nap with a pillow on your stomach." Here he was testing to see if Laura likes this too.

Awww...they're cute.

Laura, Dad, and Mom at Home

Well. Here we are, starting our new life as a family! We brought Laura home around noon on Thursday. Overall, she's a pretty calm girl and so whether sleeping or awake, things are mellow around here. She has been very good! Thursday night was a little rough for the first night - she would eat every couple of hours but had no interest in sleeping in between. Dad and Mom had about 2 hours of sleep that night.

Jaundice Update
Friday brought some good news at first. We brought her back to the hospital for a visit to the lab. The doctor wanted to check her bilirubin levels to see if her risk for jaundice had continued to decrease. A phone call later confirmed that she was doing great and we would not have to bring her back in for another check on Saturday. When we returned home, we had a home visit from a nurse who came to check Laura and myself. She had gained back a couple of ounces and the nurse thought she was in very good shape. Laura has become a much better eater now so feeding is going well for all parties involved!

Emergency Room
Now, the other story from Friday!! Dad made a little DQ run for some ice cream right before the nurse came for her visit. His back has been troubling him as a result of some nights sleeping on the hospital cot. When bending over to put our treats on the coffee table, Dad kept right on going and collapsed face-first to the floor with a back spasm. I had to help him as best as I could to get him on the couch. The nurse kept commenting that he didn't look good and I agreed. Amazingly, Dad consented to having someone look at his back and decided he would drive himself (?!?!) to the emergency room to get this checked out (remember I cannot drive due to the C-section).

An hour or two later, I got a very loopy Father B on the phone, courtesy of a Valium and 2 Vicodins. Thankfully, our friend Jeremy consented to go pick up this mess at the hospital and deliver him home to us. Upon arrival, Dad was insistent upon A) me preparing him some chicken nuggets and mac & cheese and B) holding Laura. The answers were A) ok and B) NO. I was very nervous and thankfully Grandma Barb and Grandpa Glenn came over to help out and get Dad's prescriptions filled. Grandma elevated herself to SuperGrandma status for the evening by staying the night and assisting with Laura, trying to make sure we had as much sleep as possible. Thanks Grandma Barb, we are so grateful!!! Dad is doing better today with the assistance of painkillers but is taking it very easy on his overextended back. We have so many other things to tell and are constantly amazed by the fact that we are parents to this excruciatingly cute little girl, so stay tuned...

On A Side Note
A big, happy congratulations to Uncle Scott and Auntie Lynn on their special announcement...a baby boy is coming later this Summer!

Day 3 in the hospital

I went to work today for a few hours to finish a couple of deadlines. I decided to take my laptop back to the hospital so Mom can check email and I can do some work. This is probably not a very wise decision. After a little over 10 hours of sleep since Sunday at 9am, I should be taking every advantage of these precious down times and sleep. Unfortunately, I have decided to do work and write a blog. Running on caffeine or just insane?

Incubator Cancun
Laura's doctor informed us that her blood type is O-positive (just like Daddy). Unfortunately, Mom is O-negative (could this be a direct correlation to why Uncle Michael calls Mom "Captain Bring Down?" Because she is negative?) Anyhoo, a test result showed that there was a little bit of Mom's blood that mixed with Laura's. This could lead (and possible did) to jaundice. Laura is showing a tad bit of yellow but I can't really tell. After a short consultation with the doctor and nurse, Mom and I decided to put Laura in an incubator last night at 8pm and she will be in there until 8am, Thursday morning. Mom and I decided this option outweighed the alternative of waiting for jaundice to really develop and then we are solely responsible for incubating her at home.

When we dropped her off at the nursery for the first time on Tuesday evening, Grandpa M cleverly called her incubator "Cancun" because she has to wear goggles under the warm bright lights. (I will post a picture when we get home.) She is all toasty while I look out the window to a cold, gloomy day and see scattered snow lightly spread across the tall, brown grass from the early morning flurries. This is tough on Mom and I because we only see our baby every couple of hours for feeding time and that lasts a short-lived 45mins.

Tearjerker
Last night I walked out of our room to bring Laura to "Cancun" in the nursery. As I walked down the hall, I could see a dad about my age (30) and his daughter (5-7 years old) walking away from me toward the elevator. For whatever the reason, the dad and daughter heard us walking down the hall and turned around and walked back toward us. The dad, in a sadden, whispering voice asked if they could see our baby. The couple looked at Laura and commented how cute she was. The dad looked up 30 seconds later and with glassy eyes, told me they were here to "see someone go". He told his daughter, "we have experienced the circle of life tonight." The daughter replied, "Thank you dad, I am very happy we did this." AHHHH...How emotional is that?!?

I felt like I was in a movie shown on the Lifetime channel. This is purely speculation, hearsay!?! Let's just say I am too manly (tounge-in-cheek) to ever land on that type of network. I call We and Lifetime "fly over channels" because the "up" and "down" button doesn't stop until it is way past those type of channels.

More to come. I will cover the prelabor and labor portions when we go home. I will cover our experiences at the hospital some day soon as well. Thank you for the wonderful messages. They have helped us pass the time by.