52:4 Strange Symptoms are Normal Symptoms

I want to Remember 

Strange Symptoms are Normal Symptoms

Everything that you do is new to me. I am not sure what is normal, good, bad, scary, or common - but I am learning quickly. Thank you for being patient with us as we try to tackle this parenting thing, one strange symptom at a time.

It’s official. I am a mother.  

So far I've been peed on, pooped on, spit up on, cried on and sucked on and I still love her to pieces. In the past four weeks Nickolas and I have definitely learned a lot, but we couldn’t be more in awe of our little Annie. She does something new every day that amazes us and makes us fall more in love. I feel like we have grown and learned so much already, but most importantly we have learned that strange symptoms are normal symptoms.  I feel like I should just have a nurse move in with me to reassure me that she is just fine! So far I have talked to the doctor about her blue feet, twitching while sleeping, baby acne, projectile spit up, and thrush. The only thing that was a slight cause of concern was the thrush. Not painful for her (for me, yes), but regardless we both got some medicine and are doing better! Other than that, all those other symptoms are completely normal. Who would of thought?! 

52:3 The Way You Sleep

 I want to remember

The Way You Sleep  

I want to remember the different ways that you sleep. Our daily naps are heavenly. I'm pretty sure any mother would agree her favorite thing is to stare at her newborns face. I am no exception to this, but I find myself staring at your face for so many different reasons. It's crazy how much you have changed in a weeks time. I will never have the way you looked those first few days in the hospital back. You are changed forever and I will only have that little look through pictures I have taken or the memories I have stored. I'm very lucky to have experienced those looks and moments at all. I want you to know that our daily snuggle sessions make my heart melt and whenever I look down at you Anniston, I know that I was meant to be a mommy. 


Shhh...She is Sleeping

Literally on her three-week birthday, Anniston slept in her crib through the night! I repeat, she slept through the night and she was in her crib! Trust me, we were as shocked as you are, but she is that fabulous! Around week 2 ½ I started putting her in her crib in between feedings and for some daily naps, just to get her adjusted to both the bassinet and her crib. Then on her three-week birthday, I put her in her crib at 10:40pm and I finally woke her up 6:00am because I was in dire need to feed her! Just awesome. We have had a few nights where she won’t go to sleep until 12:00am, but then she still sleeps well into the morning! More reason to be completely in love with her! I will give all the credit to her swaddle blankets and her daddy’s amazing lullaby skills every night! 

I love the way your body shifts during your naps and nightly sleeps. Whenever you take a nap I catch myself just staring at you and thinking about how perfect you are. You are so sweet.

Newborn Pictures

These are Anniston's newborn pic's shot by Anniston's Grandma Parr and her co-worker Shannon. I love their simplicity and how they captured every little detail. 

Thank you grandma for such a beautiful experience! 

2 Week Check Up 

Doctor: Dr. Chaun Cox 

Height: 22.16 inches 

Weight: 8lbs 3 ounces 

Head Circumference: 36.3cm

52:2 The Way You Eat

I Want to Remember 

The Way You Eat

I want to forever capture your sweet coos and soft cries. I love that when I hold you, I can feel your body relax. I love that when I feed you, you seem at ease. I can honestly say that feeding you is my favorite part of every day. It is a bond we share that is truly unexplainable.

Boobs are for Food, Not Fun. 

Well, lets face it. The first time Nick saw me use the breast pump I knew our relationship was on a whole new level. Annie is literally an eating machine and I am her favorite vending machine. If she isn’t eating, she still just likes to lay next to them as if she is letting dad know, they are all hers now. And no one prepared me for the constant milk flow either. When I shower they leak. When I am cold, they leak. When I give hugs, they leak. When I take a bath, they leak. When Annie cries, they leak. When I go one minute over three hours of feeding, they leak. It is ridiculous, but at least I know I have quite the supply for the time being.

52:1 The Way You Took in the World

I want to remember 

the way you took in the world those first few days

I want to remember the way you took the World in so quickly. Even in the hospital room you seemed so alert. The nurses kept commenting on your eyes and how they were really taking everything in. I love staring at you, while you take in everything for the first time. I wish I knew what you were thinking. I hope we show you a beautiful world. 

We have been overwhelmed with all of the well wishes, family and friends visiting, and the constant support following Anniston's birth! The last few days have been so much more amazing than I ever could have imagined. I still haven't really slept and I still can't believe she is here. And there are moments where I look down at her and think. She is still here. She is still perfect. And she she is ours. Forever. 

It is really a feeling I can't describe to anyone else and it's quite overwhelming. Each day she is changing and I find myself just holding her tighter just to stop her from growing. She makes my heart melt and daddy's extra sweet side come out. I cannot wait to start making memories as a family.

Here are a few (of the hundreds) of photos that grandma, Auntie A, and I have already snapped from this week. She is definitely a heartbreaker and has stole daddy's heart and melted mine.

All set to go home.

Welcome Home Anniston Jean!

She was so exhausted she wanted to test out her crib right away!

She still has to grow into it quite a bit!

Annitston Jean - Day Four

Oh Please Mom, Stop with all the Photos!

Happy Fourth of July from our Little Firecracker!

My Little Firecrackers were all Burned Out!

52:0 The Way You Felt Against My Skin

I want to remember 

the way you first felt against my skin

 No books, no class, no conversation could have prepared me for how my life would change once you were placed against me. I know at the time I was completely exhausted, but it was the first time I felt like I knew what my purpose was in life. To love, hold, and care for you.

Meet Our Annie

Anniston Jean Rehder arrived at 6:17pm on June 30th, 2012. She weighed 7lbs & 12 oz and was 22 inches long. She has a full head of beautiful dark hair, sweet sounds, and is already nuzzling us during skin to skin time. We are so in love and couldn't feel more blessed!!

First family photo after 40 hours of no sleep!

Daddy doing skin to skin time

So sweet. So in love.

39 Weeks!

How Far Along: 39 Weeks (6/25/2012)

Stretch Marks: Nope! I am very thankful for this!

Sleep: Pretty rough. My ribs are bruised and pretty tender so sleeping on my sides isn't very comfortable. Last night I headed down to the couch around 3am and slept upright for the remainder of the night. But definitely waking up every few hours for the bathroom, to readjust, to take a bath, to put lotion on, etc. Pretty ridiculous!

Best Moment This Week:  We are an auntie and uncle again! Quincy Ganna Mboob was born on June 21st and doing great! He is at home now with mom and family and couldn't be more adorable! I cannot wait to meet him and hear all about his progress over the next few weeks! My friend Meghan  also had her baby today, on her birthday!! She named him Brock Patrick Rozell and I just know our babies will be great friends! My teaching friend, Brittany had her little Conner last week and we were lucky enough to see him at the hospital and that just made us so excited and anxious to meet our little one!! And my high school friend Betsy had Tayden Elroy, a healthy little boy on Monday! So happy for all the new mommas! Cheers to happy and healthy babies all around!
Around the Home: We finished packing, the nursery, painting our exterior doors, and ALMOST done painting the garage. (Yes, Nick insisted on painting the garage. It guess it's a "guy thing" and I don't understand).

Hardest Moment of the Week: Well I had my doctor appointment this week and this was "supposed" to be the big week. I was certain that I would go in and he would send me to the hospital since I have been having contractions since Thursday. I think he was even thinking that would be the case. Unfortunately, after checking, there was no progress and he told me he would probably see me next week! Yup, back to the original due date. Looks like we might have a firecracker baby after all!

Miss Anything: Sleeping on my tummy and the idea of drinking a big margarita after these HOT days!

Movement: Big movements and like I said, I have been having irregular contractions since Thursday. Most are very mild, but I have had a few that make me take a few deep breaths.

Food Cravings: Fruit and brownies! Weird I know, but both taste so delicious!

Symptoms: Contractions, pressure and sore ribs!

Belly Button: Still slightly popped out!

Mood: Happy, excited, emotional (whew), and anxious!

Looking Forward To: Baby R's D-Day! Seriously cannot come soon enough! 

P.S. Stay Tuned for More House Updates and Nursery Updates!  

Our Nursery!

Oh this nursery makes me so incredibly happy! We already painted and decorated our nursery in our rental, but I didn't have the energy to paint this time around, but we added lots of coordinating color, adorable animals, and amazing artwork to create a bright and happy nursery for Baby R! 

When I look at it, it is everything we ever imagined and more! Our inspiration from the start was a "You are my Sunshine" mosaic Nickolas made me a few years back. He has always called me sunshine and it is just a phrase that we've always used. And now, we will use it for our little sunshine! 

We also created a canvas with the "You are my Sunshine" words on it. Nick painted and I wrote and did the fabric flowers and sun. It is one of my favorite pieces in the room and I love that we were able to create it together! 
We added Valerie's prayer shawl over the rocker. It is so soft and I love the idea of having a little bit of her memory in the room. She also loves the phrase "you are my sunshine," so I think this makes her happy to be close to the baby every day. 

I also took on sewing again and created the baby bumper, diaper stacker and quilt for Baby R! It has been so fun to see all the pieces come together to create the nursery! I hope Baby R feels welcome and comforted by the color! I know I do!

I seriously just sit in there during the day, sit back in that chair and read baby books until I feel sleepy! It is the best stress reliever and feeling to know that in a matter of a few short days I will be holding our baby in that chair and reading him/her all those magical stories. It truly is quite a surreal and euphoric feeling. Here is a sneak peek at the completed nursery! 

Entrance into Baby R's Nursery. Curtains will go up this weekend as long as Baby doesn't come before then!

This is my bookshelf from my old room and it is filled with books from my students this year and friends and family! It has been so fun reading through all of them! Baby R has been read to quite a bit already! Above the bookshelf is the beautiful mosaic that Nickolas made me!

Here is the crib with the fun bumper and mobile! This is the fun canvas that we made to go along with the mosaic!

Other half of the room for the cute clothes, blankets and diaper changing area! This is also the fun diaper stacker that goes along with the bedding and bumper! Love it!

38 Weeks

On Friday night Angie and Jake came to stay with us and see the house! They brought us an amazing Bobo Hardy Hydrangea! Being a novice to plants I didn't know how cool this was. First off it is new and not being sold to the public until the fall (Angie knows way too many people) and secondly, it is going to be a beautiful plant! 

Now, we knew NOTHING about gardening before this weekend, but after talking with Angie and talking with some gardeners, we learned quite a bit! All part of being a homeowner I guess!  We found what we needed/wanted on Saturday and on Sunday we got to work early in the morning, and worked the whole day! And still no baby. I was certain it would induce labor...but no such luck! Overall, it was quite the learning experience but we can officially say we completed our first home project as a team! Now if we can keep it all alive...

How Far Along: 38 Weeks

Stretch Marks: None Yet!

Sleep: Still pretty good! Thankful that it is summer so I can squeeze naps in on most days!

Best Moment This Week: Seeing Angie and Jake and getting all our bags packed organized and ready to go for D-Day!

Miss Anything: Cuddling with Nick and laying on my tummy. I spend my nights spooning my snoodle pillow and if I don't have it, I am quite squirmy! But I won't complain because I know I will miss my belly more than anything when all is said and done!

Movement: Large body movements. It is fun to guess which part of the body with are feeling or seeing!

Food Cravings: Fries! Turns out Arbys has the best fries...EVER! Healthy, I know

Labor Signs: I have had quite a few Braxton Hicks lately, but they are very irregular. I think baby wants to stay in me a little longer than I would like. But we are still hopeful for sometime next week!

Symptoms: Quite a bit of pressure but baby did drop so my ribs are feeling much better. I just can't sit for a long period of times.

Belly Button: Just a little outie!

Mood: Happy, excited, over-whelmed and anxious!

Looking Forward To: D-Day! I cannot wait to meet our little sparkler!

37 Weeks - Finally Full Term

How Far Along? Full Term Baby! 37 Weeks (6/11/2012)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity Leggings and Dresses from here on out folks!

Stretch Marks: None Yet!

Sleep: Shockingly Awesome...new home = sweet dreams for this chica! I am also having a whole new surge of energy lately! I think I just have adrenaline from all the excitement in our lives lately and I am definitely in that nesting mode!

Best Moment This Week: Can I have Lots? Summer started for me on Friday. We watched my friend Vanessa get married on Saturday. We MOVED into our new home on Monday and Tuesday (with the help of my AMAZING family and KIND friends! And today my fellow teacher friends threw me a baby shower! Yeah….feeling pretty dang lucky right about now!

Miss Anything: Wearing Shoes. Yeah….my feet have taken on a whole new life. It isn’t pretty and it isn’t comfortable!

Movement: Lots of major movements and rearranging. I am pretty sure it is feeling quite cramped lately.

Labor Signs: Nothing Yet, but I am hoping Baby R does to decide to join us sometime soon. I am ready and I think it is too!

Symptoms: I am starting to feel pretty uncomfortable lately – it just feels like I can never find the correct position! But poor baby doesn’t have much room in my short belly, so I guess I can’t complain that it is kicking my ribs constantly! It has been in a curled up ball for over 9 months now. That’s rough! I also discovered another new fun symptom of pregnancy that I was never warned about! Carpal Tunnel….no, I have not been sitting at a desk typing like crazy! But I woke up on Thursday morning and my hands and arms were tingling and numb. And unfortunately they have been ever since. Sometimes it is really light, but other times I can’t even squeeze my hands enough to open the fridge! Another joy of fluid retention!

Belly Button: Flat as a pancake still!

Wedding Rings: Off!! On those day that my hands would swell, I paniced that they would never go back to normal. So now, it is off until Baby R comes. Then I’ll be married again!

Looking forward to: Baby R’s arrival of course! But first I would like to finish unpacking and decorating the house. Dr. Taylor said I probably didn’t need to take the nesting term to this extreme! But little does he know, Nick and I don’t do much the easy way, so this is completely how we roll!

Here is a pic of our new home! I'll try to post some more of the interior next week!