Raising Rosie, pt.1: First Month

     Rosalee Ray is a month old today!  We have had the time of our lives and already I cannot believe how fast time has gone.  She'd gain a pound by her two week appointment and I'm positive she's at 10 pounds now - our little chunk is soooo cute! We have got this parenting thing down!  ha ha, joke :)  It's been fun figuring things out and trying to get a smile out of her that isn't due to gas or pee.  I've aced a few bits of the art of parenting (like packing a diaper bag and taking day-time naps) but here are a few I'm looking for advice on.  Or at least some friends to commiserate with, since everything is still new and fun for me (give it another month, right?).  So, let me know if you have any tidbits of knowledge or funny stories to go along with these issues:

 Spit up - The cause of this is obvious but I do not know how to remedy it.  Our little Rosie eats way too much way too fast!  Inhaling/Gulping like you've just crossed the Sahara and have access to a fire hose describes it pretty good.  But then we spend the next hour, whether or not she's been burped multiple times, spitting up the majority of the meal.  And then it starts over...

     Crib - My child hates her crib.  She will sleep in your arms anytime--you don't even have to rock her when she's sleeping!  But touching the crib elicits automatic alarm clock syndrome.  My parents used to have to put me down and gradually remove all but a finger which then they had to sneak off my tummy in rhythm to my breathing while holding their breath and crawling out of the room on their hands and knees before I would stay asleep - I'm hoping someone has a remedy for this genetic condition, because our floor creaks.

 

    Night-time - I know we have been much luckier than most parents...but our little girl is NOT a fan of night sleeping.  Once she is asleep she usually stays that way for a good chunk of time, giving her grateful parents some good hours of sleep.  But she doesn't go to sleep until at least midnight, and when she does wake up she is up for a good 2 hours before going back to bed.  How do you get a baby to fall asleep in the middle of the night when all they want to do is stare at the ceiling while you are holding her?

 

midnight

 3:00 am

 6:00 am

 11:00 am

And Lastly (for the time being):

     Bath Time - Rosie has started peeing every time I take her out of the bath - yes, in her towel, yes, with no diaper, and yes, all over me.  I thought we'd had success yesterday when I had her in her towel and NO leakage had occurred.  I only had time to mentally congratulate myself before sploosh - yes, a POOPY towel and a POOPY mommy from a cute but now POOPY baby's bottom.  Sigh...and laugh!!

  So much fun!!!!!!!!!!

First week

We've been getting complaints for not uploading ANY pictures of Rosie since the hospital, So here is a smattering or those of you who would like to see her.  Confession, I've been putting this off because we keep taking pictures of her and, in my mind, they don't look like her - trust me, biased mother that I am, that she is infinitely more adorable in real life than in any of these snapshots!  Maybe I need a better camera???

She loves the car and her stroller.  This is on the way home from the hospital and she was happy the whole way.  Now she mostly sleeps when she gets in the car :)

This is her in her new room, on her very first night.  A little to much pink, perhaps...

I couldn't capture her cuteness on camera, so here is a taste of her personality - she makes the most entertaining faces.  Since her very first moments she has loved to stick her tongue out.

She is definitely our little diva - she strikes poses that would put most runway models to shame.

Hopefully I look more happy than tired in this picture...I have been learning as of this week to take naps with her during the day...but that usually means I have to skip my 'take a shower' opportunity....

Here's a shot of Daddy multi-tasking (putting Rosie to sleep as he brushes his teeth). You can get a view of our nursery (more pictures to follow), including the hide-away-bed-couch's mattress that we slept on for her first week.  Dustin is so patient with his slightly paranoid and hormonal new-mother wife.  He cheerfully slept on it with me with only a few humorous cracks at my expense (like being 6 feet closer to her really kept her from rolling over and suffocating in her sleep...I have since chilled out and we have moved back to our bed, much to Dustin's liking).

Tummy time is Daddy's favorite thing to do with his new little girl.  She...mostly likes it.  For a few seconds.  Then she usually starts screaming and face-planting into the blanket in frustration with her much-too-eager parents.  But since week #1 she's been able to flip her head from side to side (a great accomplishment in our book - oh, the pathetic-ness of new parents!)

Again, gotta love this girl's faces!!!

Bath-time has been fun.  She doesn't much like being doused with water, but she loves getting her hair/head washed and being dried off in her towel might be her favorite hobby to date.

 She has managed some fun outings so far - both Grandma's houses, fishing at Utah Lake, doctor's offices, walks to the parks - can't wait to take her hiking and train-riding later this summer!

 

She does still sleep through most of her adventures... but we still love doing things as a family.  Disregard the dirty laundry behind us and the sleep-deprived faces.  That is one happy baby and an incredibly blessed and happy family!  What a great life!!!!

Night of my Life

Dustin: I just had the most amazing night of my life! After going a full week beyond the due date, baby is finally here! Rosalee Ray Fuller (we call her "Little Rosie" mostly) was born on May 19, 2012 at 3:34am. She was born a healthy 7 lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long. My awesome wife went through labor and delivery without any meds and she was still able to joke around and make me laugh. 

It all started happening on Friday evening. We were having our weekly date night, a quick dinner at Wendy's and some ice cream at Cold Stone (of course we would spend more on ice cream than the rest of dinner). When we stood up to leave Cold Stone, Lauran had a bit of a surprise--her water was leaking! We grabbed some napkins and ran out the door, grateful for the towel we had put in the car for just such an occasion. When we got home, we called the hospital and told them the situation and they told us to get to the hospital right away. Deciding that it wasn't quite time for something as drastic as the hospital (it was only a little leak, and no real contractions), we tried going on walks and watching a movie to get contractions going. During our walk, contractions really started kicking in. We sat down to watch an episode of 'Person of Interest' and didn't even get through 15 minutes before deciding that it was time to get moving. Lu's contractions were 3 minutes apart and getting more intense.

After an eventful drive to the hospital we went in to get checked in and see where things were at. (NOTE FROM LU: Dustin said to look like we just arrived at Disneyland--I think he set me up.  But it was between contractions, so I was feeling pretty good)

At about 10:15pm Lu was dilated to a four and 90% effaced. She was doing awesome! The next few hours were intense, but Lu kept fighting through. We had 'fun' with the birth ball and using all of the tips we learned at our birthing prep class. At around 2:00am Lu's water broke and she started transition. By 2:50am she was pushing and baby was really on her way. The most amazing moment was when Rosie came out to say hello to the world.

We're such a happy family!!

What I've Learned from Pregnancy

A few tips I've picked up from this incredible, overwhelming, almost-over pregnancy:

1.  You either look "so small!" or "ginormous."  People can't really agree which one, but they will always tell you one or the other  You never look like a "normal" pregnant lady.

2.  Food tastes even more amazing when you are pregnant (unless you are puking it up) and the more salty, spicy, or random the better! (the last few months I've begun to once again enjoy the sweet things of life as well, but it took some time)  Beware those freaky cravings for things like chicken bouillon snow-cones...stick to salt and vinegar chips!  And husbands, remind your wife to let you salt the food or no normal person will be able to stomach it.

3.  One of your new favorite pastimes will be to watch your gut twitch. Maybe it is a sorry case of 'simple minds, simple pleasures,' but the fact that I could just sit there and my belly would go 'glug glug' and I could watch it moving was more entertaining than any magic show or midnight showing.  There's something alive in there!!!!

4.  You thought high school acne was bad?  That was a baby's bottom compared to 2nd trimester - seriously, worst day of middle school x 10,000.  Stay away from the cameras.

5.  You WILL have to run to the potty every 40 minutes, every day, every week of your pregnancy--it is unavoidable.  So, you may as well stay hydrated, because you have to go whether you are drinking or not.

6.  This is one of the few (or only) times in your life when you find your husband's jokes about your weight funny.

7.  NEVER expect the baby to come on time.  And DOUBLE NEVER expect an early delivery.  Prepare for one, yes, but have your sights set on 2 weeks after your estimated due date or you will die, I promise.  We are almost 5 days over, and I can testify that the 41st week is worse than the previous 40 weeks combined.  So. Not. Fun.

8.  You WILL get stretch marks.  Doesn't matter what you do--they will come.  Even if they don't appear until halfway through your 39th week. (Yeah, I totally thought I was off the hook.  TOO BAD!  Less than 2 weeks left, and sha-ZAM-oo-BANG, they come popping out)

9.  Successful attempts to naturally induce labor are all MYTHS.  NOTHING works, they are just placebos for the strong-minded.  Castor oil, birds-and-the-bees, long and vigorous walks, stairs, swimming, curb walking, mediation, balsamic vinegar, taking it easy, jumping, massage, aerobics, Ultimate Frisbee, stretching, visualization, NOTHING! I have tried them all, many of them repeatedly, over the past week.  You'd think over a week of 3cm+ wouldn't need such drastic measures.  I am even having my doubts about pitocin at this point...

10.  (Minus the 41st week) Seriously the best time of my life.  Even with the sickness and acne and bathroom trips and weight gain and sleep deprivation and waiting, waiting, waiting (that is quite the list, maybe I will rethink this next statement) pregnancy has been the best few months of my life so far.  We are so excited to see our family growing and I have been so happy (around the mood swings) to share this with Dustin.  I've learned a lot about me and life and God's plan for us.  I (knock on wood) am already looking forward to the next kid!! (if this little girl survives our terribly inexperienced and unprepared parenting attempts, that is!).  So grateful, and so blessed.

Home Furnishings: Part 1

 Here's a fun photo montage of home improvement projects we have been working on lately.   A follow-up post will have to cover our garden, living room, and nursery.

 

 My mother is the mastermind behind a beautiful quilt for our new baby - and I tried my hand a bit at sewing the parts that I couldn't mess up too badly - or at least that Mom could do easy damage control on.  It's so cute! (not that you can tell from my face - you've gotta concentrate to sew, people!)

 

The fact that baby's quilt is going to be done at all is a feat to be proud of.  I have been working on this quilt for a few years now and have only just gotten it to the point that you can almost see what it will look like - blue and more yellow squares to follow!

 This little project makes me smile every time I look at it.  First trimester landed smack dab in the middle of canning season.  Tip - don't can peaches or tomatoes when you are pregnant.  Applesauce and pears are okay--but the others will make you puke.  But, with some work, we've got our little supply of canned fruit with some surrounding random food storage supplies.  I am waaaaay too proud of this little domestic act!

 

My awesome older sister Emily documented these beginning stages of our largest nursery project.  My incredible Aunt Teresa donated her beautiful crib and gliding rocker for our baby's room.  The crib is perfect, but the chair needed a little fixing up.  This is us in Dad's workshop cleaning and sanding down the wooden frame.  We got a lot of saw dust on us everywhere--which explains the funny clothes: didn't want to get our work/school clothes all sawdust-y.

Really, slow going work.  Good thing Dustin keeps us on a tight schedule and actually thinks finished products are possible in this life.  Can't wait to show you the other stuff we've done!!

Almost there!!!

Too many of my friends have promised to post those last few weeks of pregnancy pictures and then their baby comes early and I never get to enjoy seeing them fat.  So, here are a couple for all of you, mostly from my amazing sister Emily who is the queen of documenting. 

I hope that you all are enthralled with the back-lighting in this picture enough to not notice the cropping job I did at the bottom because my dress is getting much too short--that happens when it has to cover a sack of potatoes plus the normal me.

I thought shaving your legs pregnant was hard until I tried to paint my toenails one last time--this is a great time to shout-out to my amazing friend Chaucie Durnham for her spa night she provided last night - massage, emulsified, and painted feet/toes plus an awesome hair-cut.  At least there will be something attractive for the doctor and nurses to look at...

I know this is a repeat, but I love it because it kinda captures how I feel about pregnancy--kind of shocked by the whole thing but exceedingly blessed with the lack of complications and usual bad side effects.  Unlike many other times in my life, the pregnant me doesn't worry about weight and my image in general, other people's judgments (except about baby names), or my worth as a person (talk about random miracles a huge gut can give you).  While I have been pregnant I've actually felt like I could conquer the world and found the guts to do some bucket list things I'd not dared to attempt before.  

To sum up, pregnant people can still enjoy doing this:

Month 1: Travel around England

-Hike King's Peak (13-thousand and some-odd feet)

Month 2: Present an academic paper (that actually 

has some merit) at a conference

Month 3: Target shooting

Month 4: Moved

Month 5: Skiing (the balance is definitely different with a belly)

Month 6: DISNEYLAND :)  :)  :)

-Accepted into grad school

Month 7: Run/Waddle a 5-mile race (that got some great comments)

-Enjoy the Festival of Colors (as already seen)

Month 8: Take finals for some masters' pre-req courses

-Continue to enjoy the dozen kids we teach in Nursery

Month 9: WAIT FOR BABY (AKA learn patience--a feat not accomplished 

by my mother, the mission, etc.)

Wish I could say I felt ready for this little girl to come--I guess no one ever really does feel ready.  But I can sure as heck say we are excited beyond belief to have this little kicking, squirming, unique bundle of joy finally almost ready to come to our home.  Can't wait until she can meet all of you!

A few more pictures per request: