3 weeks, 6 days!

Above are pictures from scrapblog.com that I created. LOOOOOOOOOOVE that website. There are some pics from her birth, too.

3 weeks, 4 days!

Houston, we have smiles! She started doing this yesterday or the day before (can't remember), but this morning, she started smiling everytime her Daddy kissed her on the nose. This smile was in her sleep, though, so it's likely she's gassy, haha. Also, included, is a pic of our living room on any given day of the week. For a 3 week old, she sure has a lot to play with!

Also included is a video of Rose holding her head up! Everyday she's holding it up for longer periods of time!

3 weeks, 3 days!

Rose and I went to visit Great Grandma Anderson this afternoon. Of course, she slept the whole time we were there and then was wide awake as soon as we got home, but at least she got to visit.

3 weeks, 2 days!

Rose has discovered the mirror on her play yard! This is also the first time she's really shown interest in the play yard and/or even tried to play with anything hanging from it! She's growing up!!

3 weeks, 1 day!

With her cousin, Elizabeth, on her First Communion Day

Looking cool in her shades

With Grandpa

3 weeks!

Well, today is my due date! Funny how three weeks has already passed by. I wish time would slow down, but I know it won't and the more I bet it to, the more it will speed up. I just have to love every moment as they come!

Today we went over to my parents' house and hung out in the afternoon. For the first time, she actually grabbed at a toy, grasped it and moved it around. She also was really alert for a good 45 minutes or so, and loved watching the different toys we had out. As of yesterday (2 weeks, 6 days), Rose weighed 7 lbs 10 oz. The last day or so, though, she's been cluster feeding a lot and seems to be going through a growth spurt. I'm going to a Tuesday breastfeeding support group meeting next week, so I'll weigh her there to see how she's gaining. She's eating lots, so I hope it's a good gain!

Starting up the Blog! - 2 weeks, 3 days

I have a rare moment of free time, so I thought I'd start up Rose's blog. I really need to type of my birth story, but the short version is that I went for my 36 week pregnancy appointment on April 8 and my blood pressure was through the roof. I had been on bedrest for the blood pressure, so it wasn't a complete surprise. However, my doctor wanted to see me back on Friday to check it again. We went in on Friday and I ran the same extremely high reading again. So, the doctor came in and said that it was time for Rose to be born and would do better on the outside than the inside. I was completely and utterly shocked. I had NO IDEA that it would be that soon. I was thinking they were going to wait until I was 38 weeks.

The next shocker part came after she left and went to book the hospital time. She was planning on doing it the Tuesday of the next week, but the hospital was booked. Since she was working that weekend, she told us that we were going to check into the hospital that night (the 11th) and have Rose the next day. My eyes seriously popped out of my head. I think I said something to the degree of, "You have got to be kidding me!" She was not kidding. I expressed my extreme concerns about Rose being born too early (I was just a day shy of 37 weeks, and would be 37 weeks when I delivered - just barely term) and she said that Pregnancy Induced Hypertension babies usually developed quicker than normal babies and that hopefully, she would be just fine.

So, we went home and called everyone, including our in-laws who live three and a half hours away and everyone was shocked, obviously. The in-laws headed down, we got our stuff together, and checked into the hospital Friday night. I ended up going into labor on my own Friday night and by Saturday morning, I was having contractions 5 minutes apart regularly. Pitocin was started at 6 am Saturday morning, and Rose was born at 7:56 p.m. that night, the twelvth of April.

I absolutely loved labor and giving birth. If I could do it again and again and again, I would in a heartbeat. Giving birth is the most completely awesome, awe-inspiring act one can ever do. Bringing life to something is beyond any high ever. There are absolutely no words for the complete miracle it is. It was the best day of my life by far, next to getting married, of course.

Rose, thankfully, had no problems and was a healthy baby girl. She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz at birth, and was 20.5 inches long. Breastfeeding was extremely important to me since I found out I was pregnant, so after she was born, I got to nurse within the first hour. It was great. Unfortunately, because Rose was born early, her suck/swallow reflex and just getting her to stay awake while eating weren't up to par. She ended up dropping down to 6 lbs 4 oz and I had to start pumping every 2 hours and feeding her that way. At first it was finger feedings and then that graduated into bottle feedings. As of yesterday, April 28th, she's finally back up to her birth weight of 7 lbs 6 oz. She also *just* started feeding at the breast yesterday after struggling with sucking continuously the last couple of weeks. So, things are looking up in the breastfeeding department!

I'm absolutely in love with her. I can't even imagine how I enjoyed life before her. Just the way she looks at me melts my heart. She's the sweetest baby and so easy to care for. My dream my whole life has been to be a mom and now that I am one, I just thank God everyday for being able to live it and for having her in my life. She is such a blessing and will always be.