Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Tired?

Rob and I have been having fun each day studying Ellie and trying to figure out who she looks more like and what personality traits, etc she has that are like us. One thing that we have agreed on is that she sleeps like me! She spends obviously 3/4 of the day sleeping so I've caught a few of her poses on camera. I usually fall asleep with one arm curled under my head like this:




And then during the night - somehow end up sleeping with both arms up above my head . . .like this: (And Rob thought I was the only one who slept like that)

Monday, February 26, 2007

Good Mail Day!

I'm going to steal the phrase from Jessica - today was such a good mail day! :) Eliza got 4 presents in the mail today. Jessica sent an adorable cross stich that I have the perfect place for in my nursery (colors match and everything) - I just need to find a frame for it! And she sent along the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" which is on my list of parenting books to read . . .so it's perfect. Thanks Jess!!




Shanna made me (or rather Ellie) this beautiful baby blanket in pinks and browns. I love it!!




Then I got some sleepers and a matching receiving blanket from the Fish's (long time family friends from Washington) and a bunch of outfits from Rob's Uncle's family.

Yesterday Nicole brought over a bunch of bows for Ellie to wear that her and her sister made this last weekend. I stuck one on Ellie today and it kept falling down but I still think it's cute!





Last week we were totally spoiled by my aunt Kelly and Uncle Dale's family. They sent Eliza her infant to toddler rocker/bouncer chair, a bunch of clothes for when she is older, and some baby essentials like diaper cream, baby gas medicine, etc. oh and they sent Rob and I a little mini fondue set also that we still need to try out!

And two other families from my hometown sent along some baby outfits for Eliza last week.

I feel so spoiled. I know all of these things are really for Ellie but makes me feel so loved to have all of these wonderful friends and family in my life!

Permits

Rob and his dad started enclosing our carport into a garage a few weeks ago. After clearing out the nursery and making room for Ellie - we realized that our house just wasn't big enough! Plus adding a garage (even if it's only big enough for one car) will add some more value to this house. It seemed like a pretty basic project - just adding one wall and then a garage door. Well that easy project just turned a lot more complicated when we got a letter from the City of Mesa telling us that we needed a permit to do that work on our house! Who know? A lot of other people in our neighborhood have done the same thing without getting a permit (I've asked) so maybe we just weren't doing it fast enough? So I went today to the City of Mesa and was told it will cost $220 to get 2 inspections done and we have to turn in multiple copies of our plans and the materials we are going to use, etc. I have a feeling my garage might not get built for a while since Rob is already working 10-12 hour days and who knows when he will have time to fill out these plans! Not to mention actually completing the work . .. So if any of you visit my house - please ignore my office. It is currently the holding room for everything that should be in storage!

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Dads are the best!

I maybe a little biased but I think I have one of the best Dads in the world. I was sitting at home today taking a nap with Ellie on the couch and had a knock on the door. It was a delivery man from Safeway with some groceries that my dad had ordered and had sent to us! He sent diapers and wipes for the baby (in my favorite diaper brand of Pampers), a few cases of Coke with Lime for Rob, Ben & Jerry's ice cream for me, doggy treats for Max and Roxy, and then some frozen dinners and milk. Such a nice surprise! Although now I'm really considering using Safeway.com and getting my groceries delivered every week now . . . Love ya dad!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Little Friends

My friend Amy came over today with lunch and her new baby son Wyatt. We worked together for the last couple of years and ended up pregnant with the same due date. It was fun to have someone to go through the pregnancy with and compare and complain about it all with! Amy had Wyatt early though on February 6th while I had to wait until her due date to have Eliza. Wyatt was a big baby at 8 lbs 11 ounces (I still don't know where he was hiding in her) and he just looks huge next to little Ellie who is tipping the scales at 6 lbs 1 ounce. It'll be fun to see them both grow up and develop little personalities. Both of them just wanted to sleep today but hopefully in the future there will be some play dates!


Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Visit from Grandpa and Uncles

Ellie was able to meet her Grandpa White and 3 of her uncles (the 4th one will have to wait until he gets transferred closer to our house in Phoenix since he is in the Phoenix mission but serving 6 hours away). There really wasn't much we could do while they were here since I'm pretty much confined to the house with Ellie during RSV season. But they seemed content to just relax for a couple of days and just hold their new granddaughter and niece!


Grandpa White holding his first grandchild


Uncle Tysen and Ellie


Recently returned missionary - Uncle Trent and Ellie


Baby brother Kevin and Ellie


Ellie had her first doctors appointment yesterday and it was quite the experience. She is still very healthy and actually has gained weight and is a whole 6 pounds 1 ounces now! But that made me happy since she was 5 lbs 10 ounces on Saturday when we left the hospital. They had me take off her diaper so we could weigh her and she decided to pee all over me! I thought only boys did that! Everyone thought she was just a doll (which I agree with) and told me I looked great for just having had her 5 days ago. So that was a nice confidence boost. I still have no intentions of even trying to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes yet though. I'm living in my pajamas for the next week and wearing my 4 month pregnancy clothes if I have to actually get dressed.



I love this picture because you can see just how tiny her little hand is while she holds my brothers finger.



And look - clothes that fit her! Thank goodness for borrowed preemie clothes!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Feeding and Diapers

People really weren't kidding when they told me I would basically be feeding and changing diapers 24/7! It's a good thing little Ellie is worth it. :)

We've been having lots of fun with Ellie at home. My dogs still aren't sure what to think about her but they have learned already that they aren't allowed to touch her or sit on mine or Rob's lap when we have the baby. And I think since Ellie has been listening to them bark in the womb for the last 9 months - she doesn't even get phased when she hears them bark now! It's quite nice actually that she can sleep through so much noise. I just need to get back to vaccuming and those loud noises so she is used to them also.

I really have no complaints so far with being a mom! I'm trying to take the advice and sleep when she sleeps but I find myself just staring at her instead of sleeping sometimes. She's just so cute!



Ellie found her thumb already!



This baby beanie bed is my favorite invention! I can put Ellie on it and then have her sit in my lap and she is totally happy.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Eliza (Ellie) Colleen is here!

It's nice to finally be home from the hospital! Although I could get used to having people wait on me like that. :)

We had our baby girl on Thursday, February 15th. Her due date! It was actually a great labor and delivery. I was terrifed going in but I could do that part over!

Rob and I went to the hospital at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning. I was being induced and it took a while to get things going. I almost passed out when they were putting the IV in (I think from nerves) but they started the Pitocin a little before 6 a.m. I was at a very solid 3 going in so I waited about an hour until I was dilated to a 4 before asking for the epidural. I'm definitely glad I got the epidural!! Nicole's roommate Jacqui was my nurse that day and she was fabulous. I watched the news for an hour or so and then my doctor came in and broke my water around 8:30. The baby and I both were having some problems after that so I had to wear an oxygen mask for the rest of the time but it wasn't a big deal. I was nervous watching the monitor of the baby's heartrate because it kept dropping down really low and then shooting up. Jacqui came back in at 10 and checked me and I was already dilated to a 7! She took me off the Pitocin at that point and then an hour later I called for her because I was feeling tons of pressure. She checked and said I was ready to push and the baby was already at 0 station so it shouldn't be too bad. I think everyone was shocked that I was ready so fast! My doctor even said that if he had known I was going to go that fast - they would have turned off the Pitocin a lot earlier. Jacqui had me start pushing and we did 3 or 4 push sessions. The doctor came in and had me push a couple times and she was born! It was a pretty surreal experience since I couldn't feel myself pushing or anything and I did have to have a small episiotomy but overall it seemed like it was over and done with really quick. So from the time they started my pitocin to the time I delivered was a little under 6 hours and only 30 minutes of that was pushing. Apparently my little girl just needed a jump start to get going.

We had a few name ideas ready but ended up immediately going with Eliza after we saw her. We will probably be calling her Ellie most of the time but wanted a more formal name. We're kind of funny that way! And then obviously the Colleen is after my mom. We haven't decided who she looks like! My dad thinks she looks just like me as a baby but I am not sure yet. But we'll keep her - we think she's cute! :)

Little Ellie has been great so far! She has nursed without a problem and is sleeping and eating great. I actually had to wake her up after 6 hours of sleeping on Thursday night just so she would eat! But now she is on a more regular eating schedule of every 3-4 hours. I knew I would have a small baby but she is so tiny that she doesn't fit into any of the clothes we have for her! Luckily Rob's sister's sister in law (if that makes sense) had a preemie girl a few months ago and is dropping off a bunch of clothes for us to use.

I'll put in a few pictures. Rob has mainly been in charge of the picture taking and I realized now that I have to take a lot more since it's not really his thing! I am going to feed her and try and take a nap.



When she first came out! Doctor was nice enough to clean her off for me pretty quickly before I held her.



Hard to see but it's her first weighing. 6 lbs 0 ounces!



All bundled up for sleep



Our new little family!



Ellie and Dad

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

40 Weeks




So I had Rob take a couple last pictures of me since we are going in tomorrow morning to hopefully have this little baby! And don't mind my double chin that keeps popping up whenever Rob takes these picures. I'm very overwhelmed and excited and anxious all at the same time. I feel absolutely huge and her movements are to the point of being really painful because she has no more room left in me. I feel like I've been pregnant so long that I don't even remember what I used to feel like. :) Rob will not update this so you'll have to wait until I get home from the hospital for the update.

Welcome Home Trent!



So my little brother Trent comes home today after serving for 2 years in the Brazil Campinas mission. He has been a great missionary but I'm excited to see him again! My dad is meeting him at the SeaTac Airport at noon today and then this Sunday night he will fly down with my dad and two other brothers (Kory is on a mission still) to visit me and the new baby. I can't wait!

Monday, February 12, 2007

Induction

I managed to get squeezed into the doctor this morning after I called and told them about my weekend of contractions. The doctor told me that I could go over to the hospital and break my water right then and there but I would probably have a really long labor. Or I could wait and see if I go into labor in the next few days on my own with a backup plan of being induced on Thursday. So my induction is scheduled for Thursday morning at 5 a.m. (yikes!!) I am relieved to maybe have an end date in mind! And the doctor said to keep going about my normal activities until my water breaks or my contractions get to the point where I can't breathe through them. So looks like this little girl could very well come on her due date! And I'm just going to enjoy the next few days and not stress too much. Rob now tells me it would be better if she waited until Thursday to come. I told him he shouldn't say that because we might end up in the hospital today!

False Labor

So judging by the fact that I still haven't made it to the hospital yet after a full weekend of contractions . .. I think I'm experiencing false labor! My contractions are now between 4 and 8 minutes apart and painful but not regular enough for me to go to the hospital.

Luckily though - today is my first day not working!! So I'm excited to have the day off. I woke up early from these contractions but I don't care because I know I can take a nap later today. I'm going to do some deep cleaning and maybe start my nesting drive, go on a long walk with the dogs, and just try and keep myself busy and hope that this little girl thinks about coming out one of these days!

Any other old wives tales I should try here? lol.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Contractions

So I woke up this morning with really bad lower back pain and was actually kind of excited thinking that maybe this little girl was thinking of coming out today! But I just don't know. I've had regular contractions all day but they've been about 15 minutes apart. I went to Target and walked around for a while, took my dogs on a long walk, etc. I have a feeling I'm going to be going through this for the next couple of days! Rob is going to put in the car seat tonight and my bags are all ready to go just in case. But of course that means that she will probably still not be here for another week! It would be just my luck. ha ha.

Rob and I celebrated Valentine's Day just a little early (we're hoping our little girl is either here or we are having her by then) and went to Cheesecake Factory last night (I am still on a cheesecake kick lately). We had to wait a while to get a table and it was interesting that during our wait - all these people were staring at me and my huge belly but not one of them offered me a seat. Rob was really upset by it and almost said something to some of them but I figured it wasn't worth it! Just interesting how at times - people can be so nice and accomodating when you are pregnant . .. and other times people couldn't care less!

Thursday, February 08, 2007

15 More Hours of Paid Employment

I'm down to 15 more hours of paid employment (unless baby girl decides she wants to arrive tonight). It's pretty crazy to me. I've had a job ever since I was 15 years old (and did babysitting before that). So that's about 11 years of employment behind me. Starting tomorrow at 4 p.m. though - I will no longer be employed. I know I will still be working and being a mom but it's kind of strange that I will no longer be getting a paycheck! Everyone says that it doesn't matter because you will get paid in other ways by staying home to raise the kids. I know what they mean by that but I still think it's going to be hard for a little bit to not get a paycheck! Even though Rob and I share everything anyway - I always felt a little more justified in some of my spending because I went to work 40 hours a week to buy things. ha ha. I guess I just have some mixed emotions! Plus I've been so lucky at this job I've had for the past year and a half. They have treated me so well here and I really can't complain. I mean I'm sitting here blogging at work and no one cares. :)



In other news - today is exactly one week until this little girl is due. I'm beginning to question if she is even going to arrive on time! It seems like everyone else I know that was due in February has already had their little babies (congrats again Jess!). I've been sick this week with a nasty cold so I'm actually ok with her not making her arrival right now. But Rob is getting really excited. He calls me at least 3-4 times a day just to see if I'm having any sort of contractions. Every night he asks why we aren't eating more spicy foods too. I keep telling him that she'll come when she is ready but he thinks there should be more that I can do!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

The Waiting Game

This whole pregnancy I've tried to not be anxious and I've been trying to prepare myself for this little girl to come late the whole time. . . but now that it's so close to the end - it's really hard! I am beginning to think this little girl is very comfortable in her home and doesn't want to come out. And I really can't even complain - I have another week and a day before her due date is even here. I think it's just because all the girls that I have gone through pregnancy with are all having their babies! My good friend and coworker Amy had her baby this morning (we had the same due date) and my friend Christina had hers over the weekend. I want my little one here! I had a check up today and the doctor told me I'm completely thinned out and about as dilated (between a 3-4) as he sees first time moms get before they go into labor. So I guess that is good? He said maybe he'll see me at the hospital before next week. Otherwise - next Wednesday (Valentine's Day) he will strip my membranes and see what happens. Here's praying that she starts thinking about coming!!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

One more reason to love Costco


Last Thursday on my way to work, I managed to get a flat tire. Of course smart me at 6:45 a.m. didn't realize that I had a flat tire until I was almost driving on my rim. I just thought my alignment was really off and was talking to Rob on the phone and telling him how I needed to drop off my car at lunch to get that fixed. Since I wasn't near anything - Rob came with a can of fix a flat. It worked great and my car was drivable and I could make it to work. After work I headed over to Costco since that is where I buy my tires and they fix flats for free. Turns out that you should never use the "fix a flat" stuff on your tires unless you never plan on using the tire again! Apparently they are unrepairable after that. So I was going to have to buy a new tire (after replacing all of my tires in August). Only problem was - they didn't care these tires anymore! I said that I would go to the Discount Tire store across the street but the Costco guy said he would give me 3 new tires for free and just prorate the use of the 4th one that I ruined. Sounded like a good deal to me! I ended up getting $375 worth of tires for $50. So just another reason to love Costco. :)