It's summer, baby

Is this one cute girl, or what?

New pictures

Pumpkin loves the play mat/gym that Grandma and Granddad got her for Christmas. I put her in it and she starts smiling and cooing. It's very cute.

It is amazing how my whole outlook changes once I get a little sleep. Pumpkin has been wanting to stay up after her 5/6 a.m. feeding which makes for a very tired momma. It hasn't helped that I couldn't nap because we have gotten a new furnace and air conditioner so I have had people here working from 7:30 a.m. on for 3 days. The upside to all of this is that now the house is actually cooler than 80 degrees!! Anyway, I got a long stretch of sleep last night and the world is right again.

I am hoping to post the last of the birth story soon. But, I need to clean my house first. Hmmm, I may not be getting to the birth story until next year then at the speed I clean.

Pumpkin's first weekend trip

Here are some pictures from our big weekend with the family. Pumpkin with her great-grandpa.

Pumpkin and great-grandma

Pumpkin with her Granddad

My sister-in-law "S" with Pumpkin and me with my new nephew. Isn't he adorable!!! Granddad says they are twins and he can't tell them apart. I think Granddad needs to get his glasses checked.

Pumpkin with her great Uncle "D"

"A" with our niece, "M". She was helping him play his game.

"A's" sister "A" with her new niece. She would have held Pumpkin all day if she could have. What a great aunt!!

We got to see our friends "B" and "T" and their new baby "N". He and Pumpkin are tentatively bethrothed (unless she likes his older brother better).

I shouldn't have worried that Pumpkin would not do well on the way down there. She slept pretty much the whole time in the car and even went right to sleep after we got there. Mommy was worried about nothing (as usual).

2nd pediatrician visit

Pumpkin in her favorite spot, lying between daddy and mommy.

Went to the pediatrician today. Pumpkin weighed 10 lbs 3 oz, (she was 9 lbs 14 oz last Wednesday). He said she looked fine, she screamed pretty much the whole time so he could tell she had good lungs!

Pumpkin is going to have a big weekend, we are going south to see all the family. I'm a little nervous about traveling at night because she is soooo grumpy in the evening. I'm not looking forward to spending 3 hours in a car with a screaming baby, but I'm sure we'll make it fine.

I tried on some of my normal pants/jeans this morning hoping I could find something to wear, but couldn't fit into anything yet. I know it has only been 5 weeks but my maternity pants are literally falling down and I am running out of stuff to wear. I'm basically living in sweats and the one pair of maternity pants that are expandable. So, going somewhere this weekend where I have to actually wear something other than sweats is making me a little nervous. I guess I'll be washing those jeans a lot!

Happy Mother's Day

Here is what I am thankful for this Mother's Day. This time last year I could not imagine that I would actually be a Mom! I am so thankful for "A" and especially Pumpkin. I got up to feed Pumpkin Sunday morning (12 a.m.) and there was two cards waiting for me, one from Pumpkin and one from "A". He had also blown up a picture of Pumpkin and I right after she was born and mounted it in this beautiful frame. Then I get to church Sunday morning and hear that a couple in our Sunday School class who have been waiting several years to adopt have had a baby boy placed with them! THEN they walk into Sunday School with him, what a blessing. God is so good!!!

It is hard because I remember how Mother's Day can be such a difficult day for a lot of people who are dealing with infertility. I still remember how I felt when mothers were recognized at church and I couldn't be included. But, I am so thankful that this year there are 2 women who don't have to feel that way ever again.

More pictures from our doula

First bath
Grandma and Pumpkin

Granddad and Pumpkin

The only one who doesn't look exhausted is Pumpkin.

Pictures from our doula

Finally! I love the second one, look at that arm!!

We're doing fine. Had Pumpkin weighed yesterday at the breastfeeding support group and she was 9 lbs 14 oz. (up from 9 lbs 8 oz. on Friday). She is a growing girl. She has been pretty grumpy the last couple of evenings. Thankfully once she has her last feeding of the day she goes to sleep pretty easily. Right now she is in her bassinet (which she is not too fond of, btw) letting me know that she needs some attention. Got to go!

Yesterday

Went to see the lactation consultation yesterday again (still having issues). Pumpkin weighed 9 lbs 8 ozs. Woo hoo. Our little girl is growing pretty fast. I think she is going through a growth spurt as she is wanting to eat every couple of hours.

A little bit of the birth story:

I was scheduled to be at the hospital on Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. to be induced. Tuesday night around 5 or 6 p.m. we went to the grocery store and I started having contractions that I would have to stop and breathe through. By the time we got home I was having regular contractions that lasted about a minute each. Sometime that evening I called our doula, Heather, to let her know that I thought I was going into labor. I remember her saying that she knew I was only in early labor because I was still joking and laughing and that if I was in full labor, I would not be laughing! Heather suggested that we try to get some sleep so we went to bed around 9 or 10 p.m. I think I slept a little but I finally got up because the contractions were not letting me sleep. "A" and I timed the contractions off and on that evening and they were somewhat regular, but after I got up and we timed them some more, they were around 5 minutes apart so we called the hospital and they said to come in. I called Heather and we agreed to call her after we got to the hospital and settled in. We got to the hospital between 1 and 2 a.m. The drive was not too much fun as the road there has some pretty big bumps. When we got to the hospital, they put us directly into one of the rooms instead of going to triage since they knew even I would be in labor soon, one way or another. They checked me and I was still only 1-2 cm. dilated but I believe I was only dilated 80%. I know I was disappointed because I thought I had made progress with all those contractions that evening.

More later, I will need to get with "A" to verify what happened after that (in terms of when I started dilating, etc.). Besides, Pumpkin is throwing a proper hissy fit.