3 Weeks Already!

Time is flying by with our little one. It's crazy how quickly a day passes - we wake up and next thing I know it's 9pm. Her little cheeks - both sets - are filling out and she's too big for newborn sizes already. We have been having so much fun staring at her while she makes cute baby faces and discovers her little hands and feet. It hasn't all been easy though - this weekend we had our first nights of baby wanting to party nonstop from 11pm to 5am -- Mommy and Daddy were quite exhausted in the morning, but we survived despite nothing being on tv except late night infomercials. You wouldn't believe the junk they peddle at 4am...we're talking Girls Gone Wild DVD collections and such. Kurt used that opportunity to teach Sarah Beth about the dangers of Spring Break. ; )

We've been cooped up in the house for quite a while now and are anxiously awaiting Sarah Beth's 1 month checkup next week so we'll feel comfortable taking little miss out and about in the world. It's a little too hot here most days to take her out for long, but hopefully we'll have some under-90 degree weather soon so we can break in the stroller.

This week is my first week "flying solo" all day - Grandma is on standby however in case I need some help. I'm sure SB misses having Grandma around to sing silly songs to her and rock her to sleep. Maybe next week she can come for a visit. Our first trip will definitely be to Grandma and Grandpa's house up in the mountains. Sarah Beth needs to start learning about golf if she's going to be the next Tiger (Tigress?) Woods.

Here are a few pictures of our girl. Still working on the "perfect" shot for her birth announcements...stay tuned!

Wide Awake Baby - this is how she looks lately from 1-5am

Daddy with his 2 "babies"

Nothing feels better than little baby fingers tapping your arm

Happy 2 Week Birthday Sarah Beth!

Our little girl is 2 weeks old already! It's gone by so fast, but it other ways it seems like she's been with us forever. We're doing well - all 3, make that 5 of us are still alive and healthy. The dogs are getting more used to baby, and she doesn't seem to mind the barking too much. She must've gotten used to it when she was still in the womb, because she doesn't flinch when they go bananas barking at the mail lady, but she'll react to dishes clinking in the kitchen. Apparently we didn't do a lot of cooking when I was pregnant with her. ; )

We've learned a lot over the past 2 weeks, such as: (1) yes, you do want the most expensive baby monitor that monitors her movement and breathing, (2) do not bathe baby right after she eats, (3) as soon as you take off the diaper she will poop, (4) if you want to wake the baby, put her down in her crib, (5) baby sounds are the cutest sounds ever.

We also learned that we're pretty good at this so far. Granted, we have the best baby ever, but we've managed to figure out breastfeeding and bathtime and bedtime without too many breakdowns or tears shed (our tears and hers.) Something I never expected was how much closer it would bring Kurt and me together. It feels like our relationship is on an entirely new level. He's been so great with Sarah Beth and has been taking good care of me as well. He held her for 3 straight hours Saturday morning so I could have a desparately needed nap. We are very lucky girls.

Other notable happenings this past week - Sarah Beth's birth was announced in church last Sunday and mentioned in the bulletin. We are so happy our new church family is so welcoming and are looking forward to her baptism in a few months. We had a modified dinner date on Saturday - take out from Fiamma - oh how we've missed it!

We had a Daddy-Daughter photo session today. She wore a cute Irish onesie that Aunt Alice and Uncle Fred sent her. Here are a few more pictures:

Tomorrow is my first day alone with baby while Daddy goes to work. I think mommy and daughter are going to have a fun day of eating and napping planned. Grandma comes back on Tuesday for a few days to help with laundry and cooking. Hopefully I'll get out of the house for a quick field trip this week, just to remind myself what it's like to be a part of society. Being in this this little family cocoon has been wonderful, but one can get a little stir crazy after being holed up for over 2 weeks!

Last but not least -- thanks to everyone who has sent gifts and cards and congratulatory emails. We love that our friends and family share our excitement and look forward to introducing her to everyone!

Baby's First Photo Session

Finally I must be feeling better today because I dusted off my Canon and proceeded to torture my daughter with a photo session. Need to get my money's worth from that portraiture class I took earlier this year. Here are some of the good shots...she's the most beautiful baby since Jesus if I say so myself. ; ) Not a lot of variety, but hey, she's only 11 days old, she doesn't do much yet.

Changing table shots

Looking out the window

So Serious!

Hangin' out with Grandma

Only 1 trip to pediatrician so far this week...

We've made it almost 1 week at home with only 1 frantic trip to the pediatrician...I think that's pretty good! Our little eating champ slowed down yesterday for 2 feedings in a row and seemed a little stuffy so of course we assumed it was pneumonia or something. We got her to the doctor in the morning where we learned she is perfectly healthy - just a little nasal congestion. She gained 4 oz over the weekend bringing her grand total to 8 lbs 2 oz - 1 oz over her birth weight. Yay baby! She even put up with Mommy and Daddy putting saline drops in her nose and suctioning out all the gunk without pitching a fit. What a good girl.
Sunday was Grandma and Grandpa Fagan's 40th anniversary - Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa! I think they like their snuggly little present. Grandma came back yesterday to stay the week and help since I'm not supposed to drive or lift things heavier than the baby. That means no laundry or cleaning of any sort. Darnit. ;-) Grandpa also came for a quick whirlwind visit yesterday. He had to get his grandbaby fix for a few hours.
Sarah Beth is still sleeping pretty well which has been fantastic. She gets up for feedings around 3 and 6am but goes right back to sleep. We are so lucky!

Happy 1 Week Birthday Sarah Beth!

Well, we made it through going home day and our first nights 'unsupervised' with baby Sarah Beth.

It's been a long week! Started on Thursday after a visit to our doctor revealed low amniotic fluid levels on the ultrasound. She had us check into the hospital Thursday night to start inducing labor. I spent a long uncomfortable night there and started a pitocin drip at 6am Friday. After all day tethered to IVs and fetal monitors and blood pressure cuffs on a diet of nothing but clear liquids, it was determined that nothing was happening to move labor along. I got a quick 'real' meal and then it was night #2 in the hospital. This time, we were awoken at 3am by a flurry of nurses because the fetal heart rate had dipped and I had to shift positions, get on oxygen and IV fluids. Talk about scary. The next morning our doctor decided that she'd have to 'go in and get her' so within 20 minutes we were prepped for a c-section and had our baby in our arms at 10:26 Saturday morning and our lives are changed forever.

She is the most beautiful baby we've ever seen. All pink cheeks and blonde hair and snuggly 21 inches of her. It's amazing how this little baby has transformed our lives instantaneously. She is all the matters. I look at Kurt with a whole new kind of love now. Watching him care for our little one makes my heart ache with happiness. We are in love with her. : )

The first days home have gone better than we expected for 2 nervous first time parents. It's been tough recuperating from major surgery while caring for a newborn, especially when you want to hold her and love on her nonstop. My mom has been here to help us settle in which has been a big help. Miss Sarah Beth loves nursing. I mean L-O-V-E-S nursing. She gained 7 oz in 2 days home from the hospital. The pediatrician said she thinks that's a record. Our girl is a healthy baby in addition to healthy eater. Kurt is taking excellent care of his girls. He is in charge of sponge baths and most 'output' while I, Mommy, am in charge of 'input.'

We've had several new adventures. A trip to the pediatrician which, as I mentioned above, went very well. She doesn't seem to mind the car seat and I think she appreciates the new car we bought for her. She looked very cute for her first outing. See below:

We tried the swing - she seems to like that too.

The dogs haven't quite figured out what to make of her. Moose has figured out that baby is somehow a part of his Momma and he should guard her. He gets up for all the feedings and sits on the couch with me. When she cries he gets upset and sticks his nose through the crib slats. I think he will be her great protector. Savannah at first was in denial and completely ignored the baby, but she seems to be coming around now that she realizes baby is not going away. Here's the great protector below resting his head on the boppy, and curious Savannah below:

We've been lucky that Sarah Beth sleeps pretty well through the night so far (I shouldn't have said that out loud.) She's let us sleep for good 4 hr stretches at a time which has been fantastic. I know that will change but we're enjoying the rest right now. I certainly need it. C-Sections are no joke. Percocet helps but have a baby on your lap all day after abdominal surgery is cruel irony. Not that I'm complaining. I'd do it a thousand times over to bring this little angel into the world. She is our heart.

Here she is!

Sarah Beth Katherine Newsom

Born Saturday July 11 at 10:26 AM

21 inches long 8 pounds 1 ounce

Such a long story to tell...started an induction on Thursday night and ended up having a C-section on Saturday morning. We're still in the hospital stealing a few moments away to update friends and family with some photos of our beautiful daughter. We are so happy and sooo exhausted. More to come...

Ready or not...here she comes!

We had out doctor's appointment today and it seems that our little one is running out of room. She has a strong heartbeat and looks very healthy but the levels of aminotic fluid look too low to wait much longer so...tonight we are checking into the hospital at 7pm. They'll insert a "cervical ripening agent" overnight (ew) and then start a pitocin drip early in the morning to get labor started.
It could take 12-24 hrs once the pitocin starts until she is born, but we are hoping tomorrow will be Sarah Beth's Birthday! We are very excited. We had hoped she's make an appearance on her own but we are happy to know she'll be here very soon!

Due Date +3

Still no sign of baby. We had a doctor's appointment today and they hooked us up to a fetal monitor to make sure her heartbeat is strong and she's getting enough oxygen. Everything sounds perfect. She's just going to come out when she's good and ready, it seems. The doctor said to keep active and if we wanted, have 'lots of sex' to get things moving. I told Kurt that this is probably the only time in his life that a doctor will prescribe that so he better take advantage of it!
So...following doctor's orders we spent a few hours walking around at Ikea where we got some lovely throw pillows and then, well...
Next appointment is Thursday. The doctor will do an ultrasound to make sure baby still has enough amniotic fluid and check 'under the hood' to see how things are progressing. Hopefully all our hard work today will pay off and baby will come before then!

Due Date +2

Sarah Beth had no interest in being a firecracker baby, it seems. She is perfectly happy in mommy's belly, despite the shrinking leg room. We did a lot of walking this weekend, hoping that gravity would encourage her to move out, but no such luck. Kurt has tried reasoning with her and sweet-talking her and demanding that I give him his baby immediately, but none of these tactics have worked. So we wait. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow when we'll see how everything is going and figure out a game plan. On the bright side, Kurt has now completed the pre-baby "must do" chore list and is halfway through the "would be nice to do" list. If baby holds off long enough, the whole house may be in perfect shape by the time she comes home. Such a good Daddy he is already!

D-Day

It seems that "due date" is not necessarily the date our little one will be making an appearance. Unless she gets busy in the next few hours, that is. I've had some noticiable back pain over the last 2 days but no sign of anything more. We took the dogs for a walk and then went to the mall to walk around some more in an effort to shake the baby loose and get her moving...don't know if it will help but it wasn't for nothing - I found a great pair of earrings at Anthropologie.
Maybe she'll be a Yankee Doodle baby...