I am a blog slacker..

No updates since November? Oops. Here's an update for Christmas. Only took me a month...and a few days.

In December, we drove to Arizona. Yup. Drove. It was a long 4 days. On the way there, we got caught in a snowstorm in Texas. I seriously said Hail Marys in the back. I kept thinking if we died, that we'd be one of those sad stories where people would say, "Oh, that's sad...there was a kid in the back." We ended up staying in Tucumcari, NM since the interstate was closed. Anyway, lesson learned. We're never taking that trip again. If we go to Arizona, we're flying.

To give you an idea of how bad it was, I'll share this story: we could barely see anything, so my husband was following the car in front of us. We ended up in a picnic area. Yup, that's right, we exited the freeway without even knowing it.

Leah's first Christmas was fun. We brought her to Mass at the church we were married in. We saw several people there we knew. We dressed her up in her cute Christmas dress, and she got lots of compliments. :)

We saw several friends in AZ...a few we hadn't seen since high school. We ate lots of yummy food at some of my favorite places: IN-N-OUT, Sweet Tomatoes, Boston Market. MMMM.

Overall, it was a great time. However, next year, we're thinking of doing Christmas properly by staying home, having a tree, decorating the house...we'll see.

Flashbacks

So recently, while hearing about a delivery, I thought back to the birth of my sweet Leah. I could recall the scenes in the delivery room and the exact conversations. I am writing this down for my own sake. I want to be able to look back and recall those moments forever. This is what I thought of:

• One of the nurses asked me as I laid there in stirrups whether I knew it was a boy or a girl. I said it was a girl, and I hope they were right, because we never could think of a boy name. "Otherwise, we'll just name it Baby [Last Name] Number One." My ob laughed and said, "What did you say? Baby [Last Name] Number One?" She was quite amused.
  
• I also remember being in stirrups and thinking, "This is it." I couldn't believe it. I told the nurse I thought I was going to cry, and she told me that was fine, as long as it was out of joy. :)
  
• It was so weird to watch my belly get lower and lower and disappear. I remember thinking, "Wait, this is it? She's out?" Then I heard the tiniest little cry I had ever heard. I had never heard a newborn baby cry, and couldn't believe how quiet it was.
• "Well, it IS a girl!" my doctor announced.
  
• Right before delivery, they put a blanket on me. When they placed her on my chest, I remember studying her as she screamed. She was curled up, and I couldn't believe this tiny little thing was a human, my baby.
• Watching them place her on the baby warmer while they were stitching me up. I couldn't believe it was over. This was the moment I had dreamed of for 9 months. Actually, I had dreamed of it for much longer than that. I remember passing by the hospital before I was pregnant, dreaming of the day I would go in there and have a little one.

Honestly, I tear up just thinking about delivery. Those moments are just so amazing and precious to me.

4 Months

Stats
Weight: 15lbs1oz (75th percentile)
Length: 25.5 inches (75th percentile)

Leah is 4 months (okay, and a few days)! She had her wellness appointment this morning. She's getting so big!

At the appointment, we were asked if she rolled yet. We told her that she had gone from front to back, but not back to front. She's always gotten stuck on the shoulder.

Well, in between when the doctor left and the nurse came in, she learned to roll from back to front! Good job, baby girl! Her head control is great, too.

We were also asked if we had started rice cereal. We're not really sure whether/when we will try that stuff. I'd really love to give her only breastmilk until 6 months, but the doctor suggested rice cereal at five months, so I don't know.

We also tried the jumperoo out last night. She seemed unsure at first, but then she started bouncing up and down.


I think she likes it!

Halloween and Other Musings

On Halloween, I dressed up my dear Leah as a ladybug. My dad was here to help me pass out candy, which is good, because Ray was at school. I know there's pretty much no purpose to dressing up a baby for Halloween, but I couldn't help myself. She was so darn cute!

My parents loved their time with Leah. My father hadn't seen her since July, so she was much more interactive this time. My mom shows up pretty much every month.

Leah is almost 4 months old. Where did the time go?

Still pumping like a maniac at work. I have quite the stash of frozen milk in our spare freezer. I like knowing I have backup in case my supply ever plummets.

Leah spends a lot of time in her bouncy seat these days. She fusses sometimes when we hold her, and the bouncer calms her down. Here's a picture of the cutie sleeping:


Also, can I just say how much I love sleepers with little animal feet? Check these out:

Seriously, how cute are these? This particular sleeper also has a bear on the back. So freakin' adorable! I'm pretty sure all footed pajamas should have these.

ETA: I can't believe I forgot to mention this. I think Leah had her first cold last week. It was so sad. She was so stuffed up. Poor girl. Luckily, she seems to be all better now!

Once again, time is flying!

Little Leah is already 3 months old. Where the heck is all the time going? She's growing so fast. Stats from 2 month appointment:

11lbs7oz
22.5 inches

She jumped from 30th percentile to 75th percentile. She's got such chubby cheeks, I love it! She's getting heavy to carry around, too.

I don't write as much as I'd like to, or take enough pictures. Heck, in this picture, she's actually 3 months and 2 days, but I figure that's close enough to 3 months.

My parents will be visiting soon. My mom has seen her once since she was born, and my dad hasn't seen her since she was born. They're pretty excited.

She learned to laugh yesterday! She's sort of cooed when you tickled her for awhile. However, last night she laughed the most adorable laugh! It's a bit of a giggle/shriek. I am so in love. Also, we're pretty sure she has a dimple. :)

She's also started grabbing my hair recently. Uh oh! It might be enough to get me to cut my long hair short. Maybe. I do love having long hair. When I was younger, my mother always made me have short hair, so when I started being able to decide for myself, I decided to grow it much longer.

Breastfeeding is going well, I think. I've been at work for over a month and a half, and have pumped enough for her so far. In fact, we purchased a freezer recently to keep the stash. Otherwise, we were going to have to start throwing stuff out. I know that my supply could eventually dry up, so when we found a good deal, we jumped on it. Strangely enough, I like pumping at work, as it really breaks up the work day. Also, I love returning home and nursing her right away.

On more children

Last night, I was looking through pictures from Leah's birth, and I have to admit: I don't remember ever looking so pregnant. I always expected to get a lot bigger than I did, so I guess that's why I never noticed.

While looking at this picture, I missed pregnancy. I think about it more than I want to admit. And I can't wait to give our darling little girl a sibling or two. I've only known her for three months, but I bet she'd be a fantastic older sister. I'm torn. Part of me wants to give her a sibling close in age, while another part just wants time to enjoy her.

Almost 2 months!

In a few short days, my baby will be 2 months old. I can't believe it. It really does go by so quickly.

Work is still going well. Leah is sleeping through the night pretty consistently these days, so I'm not completely exhausted or anything. I have been pumping enough for her, plus a few ounces to freeze everyday. I like stocking up on milk in case I go through a period when my supply drops considerably or something.

Leah finally decided she liked the bouncer, which I'm glad about. I was starting to think it was a waste. She really enjoys the lights, and seems completely fascinated by them.

Her two month appointment is next week. I'm not looking forward to it, because she will be getting vaccinated. I don't know how I will handle it if she starts to sob inconsolably.