1st Annual Barrett Family Christmas

We love the holidays here at the Barrett home and this year we were even more excited for it all to begin. We now have a special person in our life to celebrate with!
Once Thanksgiving is over, we don't hesitate to start making our home feel like Christmas. We always go and get our tree within the days following Thanksgiving; nothing better than the smell of fresh pine to get the holidays started! And getting all the decorations out is the best way to get you into the holiday spirit. We didn't decorate as much as we typically do; we figured it was good practice in preparing our home for a mobile baby. We decorated the tree with Jason's grandmother's glass balls, knowing the next few years we'll have a toddler running around and kid-friendly decorations. It was a lot of fun to see Eva stare at the tree and smile. She loved the lights and how they made the glass balls sparkle. I look forward to decorating the tree with her in the coming years!

This year also meant our first family Christmas card! A friend of ours offered to take some photos of Miss Eva so we had to get one of her in the Christmas dress that was given to her at her baptism by her great aunt and uncle from Chicago. It's gorgeous and she definitely looks like the princess that she is!

Our Christmas card included pictures from my other post, Full Circle, but it was fun to get some family photos done as well.

Christmas was pretty busy this year making sure we were able to see family and share Miss Eva with everyone. (she was popular this year!) We spent Christmas Day at home, which was really nice. Although Eva didn't quite get Santa this year, pretty sure she loved her first Christmas just as much as we did. She thoroughly enjoyed opening her presents...okay, she just liked to chew on the ribbons and bows :)

She got a lot of adorable outfits which will come in handy since she is quickly outgrowing her wardrobe. She also got some really great toys and a lot of them that she can grow with!

Our first annual family Christmas was awesome. We're so blessed this year and look forward to man more family Christmases to come! Although J and I always loved Christmas, it's amazing how much more fulfilled we feel this year being able to celebrate with our own child...our own little family. We can't wait to start our own family traditions; so many memories to make and cherish!

Full Circle

Last Christmas we made the announcement that we were pregnant by sending out our annual Christmas card with this picture:

That was the first outfit we bought for our miracle baby and I'm so glad we bought it in a 6 month size as it fit Eva perfectly this year!

It was only fitting to include the outfit in our Christmas card this year. Amazing how we've come full circle.

Playing Hard!

Playtime is a fun time at the Barrett house. Eva is so much fun to play with and loves to reach and grab, roll over, giggle and chatter! (playtime is also quite noisy these days)

We recently put together Eva's jumperoo and although she's still a bit too small for it, she loves to be upright and grab all the toys. In fact, she plays so hard, she falls asleep! We've caught her twice now!

Look at that face! Mouth wide open!

She's still holding on!

Four Months - Yum!

Now that Eva's getting better and better with her motor skills and eye hand (and mouth!) coordination, everything goes to the mouth. Even her toes!

She's also shown a lot of interest in food. Every time J and I sit down to eat, she just stares at us as though she is thinking "Hey! What about me?!". We read a lot about introducing solids and realized that although we're first time parents, we felt we knew what was best for Miss Eva. Time for food!
We skipped rice cereal since there are no real nutrients in it and went straight to oatmeal. She loves it! (and looks pretty cute eating it too) We also put some mashed banana in it a few times which she likes even more. We're looking forward introducing more food soon and can't wait to see how she reacts! Here's her oatmeal face...

Eva also had her four month check up last week. She is now a whopping 15lbs 12oz which is in the 88th percentile. She has definitely slimmed down a bit and isn't the chubby baby we once had. I think part of that is because she is 26 1/2 inches tall! That's in the 98th percentile so she's definitely growing! The only part that is small is her little peanut head which measured in the 38th percentile at 16 in. I guess better than a big head :)

Just Roll With It

Eva is great with tummy time. Due to mommy's paranoia about getting a flat head, we were vigilant with it from the beginning, so she is really used to it. We also have a lot of playtime on the floor and I've been trying to get her to move around a little. I'll place toys just out of reach so she has to stretch for them or roll onto her side to grab them.
I was warned not to encourage too hard; one day I'll regret her growing up so fast and more importantly....I'll regret the times when she wasn't mobile. But it's just so great to see her figure things out!

After much encouragement over the last few weeks, she finally did it! She ROLLED OVER! It actually happened twice last week during her Christmas photo session, but I kind of assumed it was a fluke since I couldn't get her to do it again. But then tonight when we were playing on the floor, she rolled over on her own! I didn't do a thing!!
And leave it to Miss Eva to already not conform to the norm. She rolled from back to belly rather than belly to back! Not only were we screaming with excitement and so proud of her, she was smiling ear to ear. I'm sure she'll soon be rolling both ways and then the fun really begins....


And speaking of rolls...check out the view from behind after bath time. The only time it's adorable to have all those rolls :)

A Thanksgiving Worth Waiting For

This time of year we all count our blessings and there is no doubt that this year we'll be doing the same. Last November was a whirlwind for us. Between doctor appointments, daily injections, weekly blood draws and then egg retrieval, embryo transfer and of course, a positive pregnancy result!...this year we get to sit back and reflect on it all. All while snuggling our precious Miss Eva :)

Last year on November 22nd, we found out we were pregnant. I cheated a bit and took a home pregnancy test the day before we were to get the official blood results from the IVF clinic. I will NEVER forget that moment when I saw the positive test. And I will never stop thanking God for our little blessing, she was definitely..Worth The Wait.

                                                

                                                (Thanks for the adorable onesie Alana!)

Frozen Babies

This week we got a letter in the mail stating:
"We are pleased to inform you that your 5 vials containing 5 cryopreserved embryos were safely transferred on November 15, 2012 and are now in long term storage"

It's still hard to believe, but we have five frozen babies! And I'm not really sure which is harder to believe:

1. That we were lucky enough to have such a successful IVF cycle to produce so many embryos
2. Also that we were lucky that five of those embryos successfully made it long enough to survive cryopreservation
3. The fact that technology is now so advanced that we're able to freeze these embryos for any amount of time and thaw them to use at a future time when we want to grow our family

This letter means it has been a year since our embryos were conceived and frozen, as they were transferred from our fertility clinic to a cryopreservation storage center where they will be safely stored for as long as we desire. (or as long as we want to continue to pay, because yes, those frozen babies have a storage fee!) And I truly mean that they can be frozen for 100 years if we wanted. Amazing!!

I've wondered what this storage center must be like. A giant walk-in cooler with racks of frozen vials and liquid nitrogen "steam" everywhere? Do you have to wear full rubber gear with a mask?
I knew these places existed but never really put much thought into it before this. This place holds the dreams of so many families who've struggled with fertility. It also holds the promises of those who weren't able to conceive but may be receiving a donated egg, sperm or embryo. I'm sure it's not a big freezer by any means, but it's definitely not a typical workplace.

I'm still amazed at how everything worked out for us and can't be more thankful to live in a time where all this is capable. Without it, we'd most likely still be trying to conceive and I cannot imagine being back to that place in our lives.

I'll gladly send my payment and put my trust in them, knowing our frozen babies are safe and sound. 

Kitties!

I love cats. Some may even say I'm a little cat crazy.
We have two furry friends, Bear and Mittens, and before Eva arrived, they were our "kids" and spoiled silly. It's been quite an adjustment for them and not an easy one, but it's getting better. They are no longer freak out and scamper when Eva screams and cries and have even started to come up and smell her. Though they must not like that baby smell cause they give a look of distaste and walk away (they are the only ones who don't like that new baby smell!).

Eva had gotten quite a few kitty outfits and toys from friends and it turns out, she loves kitties as much as I do! This Kitty Tails book is her favorite. She loves to look and smile and coo at it and has now discovered all the different tails. Smooth tails, curly tails, fluffy tails and striped tails. The first time she grabbed something and brought it to her mouth...guess what it was?!  A kitty tail!!

We may be teaching a bad habit, but it sure is cute for now!

Last week she finally noticed them. Bear was walking across the room and it caught Eva's eye and she was locked in on him. I'm sure she was admiring that fluffy tail!  And later in the week, Mittens came and sat on the ottoman while I was holding Eva. She saw Mittens and then I watched as she got the biggest smile on her face. It was heart melting!

I have no doubt they'll be buds soon enough, or at least until Eva tries to grab their tails and dress them up for tea parties. We've warned the "kids" of what's to come.

Halloween Fun!

We finally got to celebrate a Halloween with our own little goblin! It was so much fun to plan costumes for the whole family. J really wanted a theme and started thinking about it pretty much right after Eva was born.

Although Eva is much to little to go trick-or-treating, we went to a few Halloween parties that our friends were having. Since most of our friends have children, it was really fun to celebrate with everyone, something we definitely will look forward to every year!

Here is our Wizard of Oz family! The scarecrow, Dorothy and our little munchkin!

Once J had picked the Wizard of Oz theme, we took about a month to get our costumes pieced together. I went to a few local consignment stores and picked up items to make Eva's munchkin costume for under $10! J went to a hardware store for a lot of his and I on the other hand...good ole Ebay!

For Eva's costume, we had gotten the leg warmers as a gift and I based everything around them. I found the orange pants at a consignment store and cut the legs off. I also found the green flower headband there as well. I took one of her long-sleeved onesies and used fabric glue with ribbon to make the suspenders and cut out buttons with felt and glued those on as well. It turned out perfectly!

J also really enjoys carving pumpkins and cannot wait to do this with Eva when she gets older. She was still a really big help though...

Here is how they turned out!

Eva and I handed out candy to all the little ones that came to our house, though she fell asleep in the carrier. Apparently the doorbell ringing and the sugar buzzed kids were boring to her. Can't wait for next year to take her to a few houses and better yet, to start planning our costumes...

Three Months - Hand Foot Mouth

No, Eva doesn't have Hand Foot Mouth disease....she has discovered she has them all and is figuring out how to use them together, so fun to watch!

It amazes me how much she has changed in three months (I'm sure I'll say this every month) but it really is crazy how fast they develop and change and learn something new. Now that she can control her arms and legs a bit more, it's hilarious to watch how she uses them and tries to figure them out. Sometimes she'll see her hands and just stare at them. Yes Eva, those are yours! She loves to suck on her fingers. Not sure if she'll end up a thumb or finger sucker or if she is teething, but I don't see them disconnecting from her mouth anytime soon. They must really taste yummy.

We've also been spending a lot of time playing on the floor. I'll take her feet and tickle her chin and she has just started to GIGGLE! It's the most adorable sound I've ever heard. I cannot wait to hear a full out giggle, I have a feeling I'll be hooked and my daily goal will be to make her giggle as much as possible. She also really likes her feet and opens her mouth to suck on her toes when we play this little game. Apparently her toes taste yummy too.

Here are pics from her favorite times of the day...Play Time! She is so interactive and curious, so playtime is getting more and more fun!

Stay tuned for A LOT more updates in the coming months. We are very close to rolling over, full out giggling, starting oatmeal and all the fun little surprises along the way! Before we know it, she'll be walking! Eeek!

Sweet Dreams

Every time I would talk to a mom or dad about Eva and her sleeping habits, I’d always hear “Don’t worry, it’ll get better”. I hated hearing that. In our eyes, it was never going to get better and we’d be getting up two or three times a night forever! And then we'd hear those those moms and dads who would respond by telling us how their perfect angel baby slept through the night the first night home from the hospital…I hated you (and secretly still do) and am pretty sure you were lying.

However, I must say…you were RIGHT! It DOES get better!

I went back to work this week and Tuesday, Eva spent her first day with our friend Toni, who is watching Eva for a few weeks until she starts daycare. That night, she slept EIGHT hours!! EIGHT HOURS! I know for some, this isn't a big deal, but for us, this is UNBELIEVABLE! She went to bed at 9:30pm as she always does and I woke up at 2:30am, since that is when she normally wakes up. Eva wasn’t fussing, so I decided I’d pump cause she’d surely be up by the time I was done. And she wasn’t, so I went back to bed, thinking I’d be woken up at any moment. Then I woke up again at 4:30am and she was still sleeping! I jumped out of bed and went to her nursery to make sure she was breathing..and of course she was. She was sound asleep! I crawled back into bed with a huge smile on my face and wasn’t awoken for another hour. Sweet dreams!

When I dropped Eva off at Toni’s the next morning, I told her keep doing whatever it was she was doing; this thing called "sleep" is great! Sure enough, Wednesday night she slept for six and a half hours and this time I never woke up to check on her. I haven’t slept for that long of a period since before she was born! 

Apparently all the stimualation Eva is getting over at Toni’s is tiring her out! And hopefully her bedtime routine is really starting to settle in so this becomes constant.Although I'm sure Miss Eva was just giving us a taste of sleep and will soon enough, show us how fast she can take it away. Good thing her morning smiles make me forget how tired I am.

Hi Ho..Hi Ho..

...Back to work I go...

I've been dreading this day since the day she was born, but knew it was inevitable. I always knew I wasn't the stay-at-home type, however I loved my time at home with Miss Eva. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Sure it was hard at first and there were plenty of tears, but we got into a routine and had some really great times just hanging out and getting to know each other. Being at home is the hardest job I've ever had but also the most rewarding. I wish I could be home part-time with her, but it's just not doable for us right now. Maybe someday!

I tried to prepare myself for this, but how can you? J always tried to explain to me how hard it was to go back to work and then come home and change gears. You are mentally exhausted from working all day and would love to come home and relax, but Eva needs you and you also want to spend as much time and energy you have left in the day, on her. After Day One, I totally got what he meant. This is exhausting!

Being back at work does feel good. I really enjoy my job and my coworkers, which really helps, and having adult interaction again is great! Though I'm definitely distracted and constantly find myself daydreaming and trying to envision what Eva is up to throughout the day. Thankfully my mom and girlfriend are watching Eva until she starts daycare at the end of November, so they don't mind when I call and text to check in...multiple times a day. And of course the highlight of my day is when I go pick her up and she smiles when she sees me. Melts. My. Heart.

I made it through the week without shedding a tear but picking her up Friday afternoon was the best! I knew it meant I got to spend ALL weekend with her ... before we start all over again on Monday...
The weekends definitely mean even more to me now than ever. Looking forward to soaking up as much Eva time as I can!

PJ Day

Eva and I have been really busy lately. Lots of errands to run, people to visit and too much time spent out and about. It usually comes crashing down and Eva gets crabby..and so does Mom! So every week, we take one day and stay in our jammies and don't leave the house. PJ Day! These are my favorite. It's just me and Eva and we get to spend all day playing, napping and mom gets a few loads of laundry done.

Most of you know that Eva has quite the hair-do. She was born with a full head of hair and I don't think she's lost any of it. We brush it down every night after her bath and by the time it dries, it's sticking up on end. So we've given up and love how crazy it can get sometimes.
Here's some great bed-head hair-do pictures from our PJ Day last week...

                                                        It definitely has a mind of it's own!

                                                                         Mohawk!

                                                                 Love this face!!

And I finally got a video of a very busy Miss Eva. Once she's able to move around, we'll have to watch out!!

Here's to our favorite day of the week..PJ Day!!

Twins?

I found a picture of myself in the baptismal gown that Eva wore and thought we looked a lot alike. I had to share since we've heard so many people tell us how much she looks like Daddy. Finally she looks like Mommy too! (or at least I think so!)

And for fun, another comparison picture...
We LOVE Eva's chubby cheeks and one of her nicknames is Droopy Dog, from that old cartoon we grew up with. Check it out!

Two Months: Roaring!

I cannot believe it's been TWO MONTHS since Eva was born. Now I understand what all you moms always told me...time FLIES!

She is changing so much every day. It's amazing how much different she is in just two months. She is so alert and melts our heart with her smiles. She also has mastered her voice. It was just a month ago, that I posted  Hear Me Roar! when we first heard her voice. And now she screams and giggles and has the cutest little roar! Here's a sneak peek:

 We also have discovered some of Miss Eva's favorite things:
- Bath Time! Her first two baths at home didn't go well but as soon as her umbilical cord fell off and she could have real baths (not sponge baths), she realized how great they were! Especially when I scrub her head and tell her this is how they do it at the salon. (why not start her early!)
- The ceiling fan in her nursery. Yes...the ceiling fan. For some reason, when she looks up at it, she always smiles. Somehow it just amazes her. Every time we're in her room, she is mesmerized. Thanks Daddy for putting that fan in!
- When we change her diaper and/or clothes. This can be combined with the ceiling fan as she is usually staring at it and smiling, but this is also when most of her chit-chatting happens. I personally think she just loves being pampered and tended too. She sure loves our undivided attention!
- DADDY. She is definitely Daddy's little girl (and Jason is screwed!). When J gets home from work, he goes right to her and her face lights up and she has a huge smile on her face. What a great thing to come home to! If we are sitting and chatting and I'm holding her, she will always turn her head and stare at Daddy, she is just mesmerized by him! He's also the magic trick to get her to fall asleep when she's fussy. Something about being on Daddy's chest knocks her out cold.

God's Child

Last Sunday, we had Miss Eva baptized! She was baptized at the same church we were married at four years ago, and also the same church I grew up in. We planned the baptism pretty quickly, mostly to make sure family could make it before they would be out of town for an extended time, and also to ensure she'd fit into her gown!
Eva wore the same gown that I wore when I was baptized as well as the same one my mother wore. Since it was so sentimental and important for us to have her wear the gown, we were just worried if we waited any longer...she may not fit into it! :)
The bonnet was made from a hankie and will be used at her wedding. I wore the bonnet when I was baptized and carried at it my wedding. I love that we have this family tradition to hand down to Eva's daughter one day.

My mother also embroidered all our names, birth-dates and baptism dates on the bottom of the slip. The next name to be added will be Eva's daughter!

Here the generational picture of all who's worn this gown:

We were so happy that all of our families were able to make it and celebrate this very special day with us. We chose William and Sherry Cochrane (Jason's cousin and wife) to be the godparents as they are also listed as Eva's legal guardian's if anything were to happen to us. They have a beautiful daughter, Camilla, who is 9 months older than Eva. We can't wait for these cousin's to grow up together!

She was an angel throughout the service and baptism; she slept the whole time! It was such a wonderful experience to welcome Eva into God's family and truly thank God for our little miracle.

Poopsie

Another parenting first today. And Eva has a new nickname: Poopsie!

It had been 7 days since Eva had pooped. Yes, SEVEN days. Needless to say, I was really freaking out.
Last week we put a teaspoon of rice cereal in a few of her night bottles in hopes she'd sleep longer. Since it didn't really seem to help too much and all the hype about arsenic in rice came out, we had stopped. But that's not the only thing that stopped. So did her bowel movements. We were used to at least 3 a day so it to go to nothing really freaked us out. We assumed the rice cereal had backed her up a bit, but when the weekend came and still no poop, first time parent worries kicked in big time. She wasn't fussy and didn't seem in pain at all, but let's just say her gas was hazardous. P-U!
We also had Eva's baptism on Sunday and my biggest fear was her having a blowout in the antique gown! We heard all sorts of advice from friends and family including giving her water, using a rectal thermometer, putting our pinky in her butt (no way!), using suppositories, massaging her belly...and more. Although we really wanted her to poop, we also knew we should call the pediatrician's office to find out what was safe to do.
We made it through the baptism with no blowouts, though I'm sure she gave off quite the impression with those stinky toots :)  I called the nurse triage line on Sunday night, frantically concerned about the lack of poop. However, the nurse assured me Eva was fine and it's common for breastfed babies at this age to only have one bowel movement a week. What?! Really?! Apparently they are absorbing more of the nutrients...so less waste. She told me to keep an eye on her and if she hadn't gone in a few days, to call back.
Tuesday came along and there was still nothing. Although the nurse told me it was okay, we were still freaking out. How can one not poop for a WEEK!? I called the pediatrician's office again, frantic of course. I spoke to a different nurse who told me the same thing. Eva is fine and this can be normal. (whatever, I still don't believe you) She told me to soak her bottom in a warm bath, use a rectal thermometer and give her 1/2 to 1 ounce of apple or white grape juice to get things moving. Done and done and done. Still nothing.
So today was Mission Poop Day. I even kept Eva in her pajamas all day, waiting for a massive blowout and multiple outfit changes. I decided to do all the tips the nurse told me yesterday again. I gave her an ounce of apple juice and she sucked it down. While I did the dishes, I looked over and heard Eva grunting away. Could this finally be IT?! YES! She POOPED!
I literally yelled out loud "We have POOP!" and did a happy dance in the kitchen with a smiling, relieved little Eva staring at me. Who would've thought one would be THIS excited about changing a poopy diaper! Definitely a parent first today.
And although it wasn't a huge blowout, I have a feeling there will be more to come. Bring it on Poopsie!!

July Moms Playdate

When I was pregnant, I found a group on Facebook called July 2012 Moms, and it was a group of women all over the country who were due in July 2012. Some of them were first time moms, moms with other children, pregnant with twins and even other moms here in the Minneapolis area! This group was fantastic to have while being pregnant for the first time and not knowing all the little things and changes that happen. We were a big sounding board for each other!

I previously posted Let's Dish, when me and the other Mpls moms got together and made meals when we were all pregnant. And now that all the babies are here, we all got together for one big playdate about a month ago! It was so fun to see everyone again and meet all the babies! We met at a local Caribou and got caught up on how little sleep we were getting and sharing all the secrets to keep ourselves sane. It was great! We sure got a lot of looks from other customers :)

Here's a picture of the July 2012 Moms and our babies:

We also got a picture of just our babies...and since they were all still so little, car seats are the props! It will be fun to watch them all grow up!

Top Left to Right: Levi, Evelyn, RJ
Bottom Left to Right: Eva, Cecilia, Aidan, Charlie

War Wounds

Although Miss Eva weighed almost 10 pounds at birth, I was lucky enough to go through the pregnancy with barely any stretch marks. The only ones that appeared were some on my behind and then a few after she was born on my hips and by my belly button. I was really worried about them my whole pregnancy and oiled up twice daily to prevent them. None of them are that bad and I'm very thankful for that. However, I saw this photo and realized stretch marks or not, vanity has no place when it comes to pregnancy.

I know a handful of women who would take every possible stretch mark to have a happy, healthy baby in their belly and/or arms. So many things that women take forgranted, and unfortunately it's how society has made us. Instead of being shameful of things such as stretch marks or c-section scars, we should embrace them!

These are the best war wounds anyone can ask for!

Locked In and Locked Out

I've officially earned a spot in the Worst Mother Ever list.

We're still working on Eva's sleeping habits and let's just say, it's not going as planned. Not sure if she's in a growth spurt or just really dislikes sleeping, but Tuesday night was a rough one, so I started off Wednesday pretty tired. Since we got an early start to the day, Eva and I ran to Target and then wanted to go to Babies R Us before dropping her off at my parents house so they could watch her while I had an appointment.
I pulled into Babies R Us and it was really starting to rain and Eva was starting to fuss, so I wanted to make the jaunt to the store as quick as possible. I grabbed my keys, wallet and cell phone rather than my whole purse and opened the back door to grab Eva in the carseat, who was now crying probably due to a wet diaper or in need of a bottle.
I usually stick my wallet in the diaper bag and my keys and phone in her carseat, making for easy access. Since I was in a hurry as not to get wet, I dropped my wallet on the ground and when I stood up, bumped her car door shut. And then it hit me. Not only were my keys in her carseat, but the car was LOCKED. OH MY GAWD.
It took a matter of seconds for it to really hit me and I started to panic. Eva was locked in my car and now screaming. And I was standing outside, in the rain, totally helpless. And then the tears hit. Hard. I called 911 and hysterically let them know I was locked out of the car and my 5 week old baby was inside. They connected me to the local police and assured me they were on there way. The local police station is about a block away, though I swear it took them a half hour to get there (really it took them about 7 minutes). Two young female officers got out to help me and before they started, told me I'd need to sign a waiver for any damage to my vehicle. I looked at this young community service officer and said "You can break my windows for all I care, get my baby out!!" She saw the panic in my face (though how could she not, I was still totally crying!) and began working on getting my car unlocked while the other officer got the waiver for me to sign. After a few minutes, my car was open and I can't tell you how fast I was inside. Not sure who was crying louder, me or her! I got her in my arms, got a bottle and sat in the car snuggling her as tight as I could. Pretty sure I was more traumatized than her because once she had the bottle, she was totally fine while it took me a good 20 minutes to calm down to drive out of there.

Now that we're all safe, it might be funny to hear that 911 tape. I was definitely a hysterical mother in a situation that was actually pretty safe. Thankfully it was a cool, rainy day and not 90 degrees like it was the day before and she was at least safe inside my vehicle. And thankfully she's way too young to ever remember this incident, though I know I'll never forget it!

Sleep Week

Now that Eva is one month old, time to work on SLEEP. The one thing this house so desperately needs but can't seem to get. I think we've almost forgotten what it really is!

First step was moving her to her own room and her crib (aka: big girl bed). She was sleeping in the pack-n-play bassinet in the guest room with me up until now. It was working well since I need to get up with her all night, but she is a noisy sleeper so she is keeping me up when I should be sleeping! Plus we figured it's best for her to get used to her own bed as early as possible.
Her nursery is right next to the guest room so this shouldn't have been a big deal, right? Ha, not so much. Funny how it's harder on the parents! Daddy was having a really hard time with her not being right next to me all night, but with the video monitor all set up, I assured him that she'd be fine. So Monday night was her first night in her big girl bed and she did great! I'm pretty sure she'll sleep anywhere, the bassinet and the crib didn't make a difference to her. I did catch Dad getting up at midnight to come check on her though :)

We added music to her nightly routine in hopes she'd have long, sweet dreams. The nurses at the hospital gave us the tip that babies like white noise/music, which makes sense since it's loud in the womb. Good thing we have great taste in music!

**Thanks Auntie Jenni for the awesome Bob Marley lullaby CD and thanks Aunt Jessica and Uncle Kyle for the sweet onesie!

The next step in our sleep conquest was getting Miss Eva to sleep longer than 2-2 1/2 hours. I am beyond exhausted getting up so much throughout the night and getting such little sleep. The first few weeks we expected it, but not sure I can survive much longer like this.We had stopped swaddling her a few weeks ago as we discovered that she likes to sleep on her side with her hands by her face. However, if we really want this to work, we have to go back to the "sleep bible": Happiest Baby on the Block. We swaddled last night and she slept 3-3 1/2 hour intervals = WIN! I know it's not much, but we'll take it!

We plan to watch the DVD to really get educated on the 5 S's and I will do what I can to make time to finish the book. Good ole SLEEP is right around the corner!!

One Month - Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!
I had my own little Labor Day celebration as it was exactly one month ago today, I labored all day and half the night and finally got to meet our little miracle baby. It's amazing how much has changed in our lives in one month and how much we love our little Eva.

Everyone says time goes by fast, but WHOA! This month has flown by! We're still only sleeping in 2 to 2 1/2 hour intervals and really hoping that gets longer sooner, but I've grown accustomed to lack of sleep and can really pull it off. We're getting into a daily routine (if that is really possible) and I am enjoying all the time I have with Eva before going back to work in two months. As of last week, I only had 4 more pounds to go, to be at my pre-pregnancy weight so hoping it starts to cool off soon so we can enjoy daily walks. I'd also like to knock off a few extra, so bring on the cool autumn days!

Miss Eva wants to be much older than she is. It may be partially because she was born a toddler baby (our little joke), but she really is strong for being one month old. We do a lot of tummy time and activities to get her to practice holding up her head. She loves to be at our level, not in a bouncy seat on the floor, so we thought we'd see how she'd do in the Bumbo (of course knowing she's much too little). Sure enough, she loved it! In fact, she loved it enough to fall asleep in it....our little Eva is one month going on 3 months :)

I've been much too busy to prepare a cute monthly picture of Eva but I got a cute snapshot of her in the Bumbo today that I had to share.

Looking forward to seeing what changes Eva will bring in the next month!

Hear Me Roar!

Tonight we got a sneak peek on what's to come....Eva's little voice! Lately she's been moving her mouth alot and I knew she just wanted to say something so I kept telling her to "tell me!" and tonight, she finally did!
Jason and I were playing with her on the floor and out of nowhere, she let out this little noise! Not quite a "coo" but a little shout, it was ADORABLE! Of course mommy got teary when she heard it and daddy was so proud and happy he was home from work to hear it. Cannot wait for her to let out more and really get to hear that tiny little voice of hers.

...though I should be careful what I wish for. I can see Miss Eva being quite the talker as she gets bigger.

Meet Miss Eva Elizabeth

Although I missed out on the newborn pictures with the photographer I initially booked (my fault), I was still able to get her in and get some adorable ones done. She's going to grow up so fast, so here is our little Miss Eva Elizabeth Barrett!!

                                       Eva's wearing the dress I wore home from the hospital!

      Eva's great-grandmother made this white blanket for her baptism - so special!

Our Birth Story

After a long weekend of trying to induce labor and thinking I had totally failed, I woke up at 1:30am on Monday morning, with very strong contractions. They had stopped Sunday night before I went to bed so I was surprised to be woken up by them. I got out of bed and went to lay on the couch, figuring they would go away just as they had previous nights. No reason to wake up J for false labor again.
By 3:00am, they were now 5 minutes apart and they HURT! More so than ever before! And the biggest difference, was during each contraction, I could feel a small gush of liquid. However I had no idea if it was my water or not. I had always heard that it was either a slow trickle or a gush, and this was neither of them. I had been losing my plug and bloody show for days, so perhaps it was just more of that? Either way, I knew this was it!! As much as I had told J I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible, I also wanted to be sure this was it and was afraid it would move fast since it came out of nowhere. Time to wake up J and head to the hospital!
It took us about forty-five minutes to get everything and ourselves into the car. The contractions were still 5 minutes apart and when they hit, I was paralyzed in pain so it took quite some time to get dressed and add the last minute things to my bag. And the walk into the hospital was a long one. I didn't want to be in a wheelchair (I wasn't crippled!) so the walk was a slow one. And once we got inside, the guy at the information desk asked us if we knew where to go and I looked at him, looked down at my enormous belly, smiled and said "Yep". (what a dumb question to ask me! haha)
We were checked into a triage room and they hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. Knowing how busy this hospital is with births, I asked if there were others here in labor tonight, well actually this morning since it was now 3:30am. She said there were a few, but she had just sent a couple home since the woman wasn't fully in labor. When she told me that, I looked at her and said if she sends me home, I'll die. And I was serious, I was here to stay and deliver this baby!
I informed the nurse about the small gushes I felt during contractions, so she decided to do a swab of the liquid to see if it was in fact amniotic fluid and not urine (though I was pretty sure I wasn't peeing my pants!). She came back 5 minutes later with the good news, my water broke! She checked my cervix and I was dilated to 4cm, I was officially in labor and not leaving this hospital without my baby! YEAH!! Time to check into our labor room!
It was now almost 5:00am and we were progressing well into labor. Contractions were really hurting and I wanted to really try and hold out on the epidural until I reached 5cm. I lasted a couple of hours but realized I wasn't able to fully relax, therefore hindering my progression. It was time for the epi. As much as we tried to nap, knowing it could be a long day, we just couldn't. We were so excited to meet this baby! Good thing the Olympics were on, as we watched ALOT of them throughout the morning and afternoon.
Skipping forward about ten hours, it was now almost 6pm and I was finally dilated to 10cm. It took quite a bit of pitocin to get me here, so thankful for that epi! Due to the fact I had AFib, they were cautious to have me start pushing too early, as to not put extra stress on my heart. They really wanted baby to drop down further before we started pushing. An hour later, we all agreed I could start pushing. It was now 7pm and I was STARVING and we were both exhausted after waiting and waiting all day with no sleep. The OB told me that it could take 1-3 hours of pushing but I looked right at her and said "oh, it won't take that long". I was determined to meet this baby sooner than later.
They turned down my epidural so I could feel the contractions and push. J was an awesome coach and kept me motivated. The first few pushes felt like I was getting nowhere until suddenly the OB excitedly announced that Baby B had alot of dark hair! She grabbed my hand so I was able to reach down and feel the top of Baby B's head crowning. I felt the hair and began to sob. I was getting closer! I calmed myself down and really put all of my focus into pushing. Once Baby B had full crowned, the OB made the decision to make a cut to help me out. I was in quite a bit of pain and felt as though the baby was stuck. And after that, I pushed a few more times and the head was out! The shoulders and body were so much easier knowing I was so close to meeting our miracle! And then I heard it, The Cry. Per our wishes, they immediately put the baby on my chest and I was sobbing harder than I've ever cried before.

Our baby was here!! I was in LOVE. And then I realized, was it a boy or a girl?!? J was also so wrapped up in the moment that he didn't realize it either. He took a peek and then made the announcement. A GIRL!!! A very healthy, 9lb 11oz baby girl with a ton of dark hair. She couldn't be more perfect.

And as much as J wanted a boy, he was now a VERY proud daddy and as he said "already screwed".