Aubree is 5 weeks

Aubree loves sleeping on her mommy :)

She also loves staring at the ceiling fan.

Aubree is 4 weeks/1 Month

WOW!  I can not believe that our precious little one is one month old!  

I couldn't decide between weekly or monthly pictures for Baby Aubree so I decided to do both.  It has been a crazy month and I can't believe she is 1 month already!  Our little girl is getting so big and growing so fast!

She is growing bigger and stronger every day!  Dan and I celebrated by taking our little birthday girl to Cold Stone (something I am sure will become some sort of tradition.)  

Aubree is 3 weeks!

And what a crazy 3 weeks it has been!  We have done so much in so little time!  

Aubree had her 2 week check up appointment (I might be a week behind... who would have guessed that living with a newborn was so time consuming. Haha!)  She is doing so well.  Aubree was 6 lb 10 oz which put her in the 12th percentile and she grew 1/4 inch which put her in the 5th percentile...  She might be a little baby.  I am so excited that her doctor was actually my pediatrician.

She also had her first experience with tummy time...  Our little lazy bones decided instead of working on her tummy and neck muscles, she would nap on her belly.  I guess having a laid back baby has ONE drawback.  

It was a week of many firsts! Miss A also had her first time in her bouncy chair and swing.

She also laid in her crib for the first time.  She sleeps in the bassinet in our room (if I am waking up every 2-3 hours, I going to keep her as close as possible) but she hangs out in the crib when I put her laundry away.

We also got her professional newborn pictures back!  Here are a few of our favorites...

Photos by Angela Kleinsasser Photography

Life has been absolutely crazy!  But I wouldn't change a minute of it.  I love this little girl more than anything.  I can't wait to continue watching her grow!

Happy Mother's Day

This was not like any other Mother's Day I have celebrated in the past.  This time, I am a mom.  To be honest, I never gave my mom enough credit.  She told me once that no one can understand the bond or love a mom has for her kids and now I must say that she was right... like always.  I would do anything for Aubree.  She is my everything.  To think that someone could even love me half as much as I love her makes me feel pretty darn special.  I am so grateful for everything my mom has done for me my entire life... especially this past year.  Thank you mom for making me the person I am today and I just hope that you know how much you really mean to me and Aubree.  

It wouldn't be a Mother's day without thanking my Grandmas too.  They gave me the best parents that I could ask for.

It was my first Mother's Day and Aubree's first holiday.  We had an amazing day together.  Of course we woke up and Aubree was hungry.  While I fed her, Daddy brought us Krispy Kreme in bed (and an adorable card from Aubree).  Cuddle time with my new, little family is the best!  We had a perfect lunch with my family and then attempted to find a jewelry store that was open so Aubree could pick out a necklace to give to me... We had no luck so she will pick something later.  I don't mind though... Aubree and my family is all I need.  They are the perfect Mother's Day gift and I am so blessed to have them.  We finished the day just spending time as a family.

Dan and I attempted to make homemade chile rellanos for dinner.  They were actually pretty delicious, although not at all on our diet.  I wish we would have taken a few pictures, but I can't wait to make them again.  I used to wish Aubree could stay 5 days old forever.  I know I will miss holding a 6 pound baby that can't do much more than cry and cuddle, but nights like tonight make me excited for when we can make dinner with all 3 of us and sit around the dinner table just talking about our days.  I can't wait for her to smile and walk and show her personality (I think it goes without saying that I can't wait for her to sleep through the night too...  Haha!)  I am just so excited to watch her grow and learn and become her own person.  I love her so much.

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect Mother's Day.  I absolutely LOVE being a mom :)

Our family

Happy Birthday Aubree Lynn!

This is the story of our sweet Aubree's birth on April 16, 2013.

By 38 weeks I was beyond uncomfortable.  You could squeeze my foot and leave huge dents that would last for minutes.  None of my shoes fit and my flip flops were getting tight.  Even my maternity clothes were starting feel too small.  I could barely move, get off the couch, roll over in bed, or even sit in my work chair.  The weekend before my 38 week appointment I got a headache that just wouldn't go away.  I tried caffeine, Tylenol, and naps.  Nothing helped.

My poor swollen feet

Dan took me to my 38 week appointment on Monday, April 15th and the nurse commented how huge my feet and legs looked.  Then she took my blood pressure... 140/110.  That was not good.  After the doctor heard about my headache, she asked if we were ok with being induced that night.  She told us that the risk of pre-eclampsia was not worth the risk to me or the baby.  She did not want to call it pre-eclampsia because I would have to take magnesium, so I was diagnosed with gestational high blood pressure and was to be induced that night!

Dan and I went home and packed our bags, anxious that in 4 hours we would be in the hospital and having a baby!  The snow started picking up so we loaded Amp in the car and took him to my parents house.  Then we loaded the car and slowly drove to Chili's for our last date night without a babysitter.  We had a nice dinner and then ventured into the snow again for some frozen yogurt.  At 8:00 we headed to the hospital.

Last pic before we left for the hospital

We got into the labor and delivery room around 8:30.  There it hit me that we would be having our baby here, and soon.  I saw the incubator where she would be taken to be cleaned off and the monitors that I would be hooked up to.  It was a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

The nurse came in to do my IV.  She tried twice in my right arm and once in my left.  I started to panic...  She couldn't get it in my veins and it hurt really bad.  She decided to have another nurse try in my left hand.  After I finally got the IV in and set up with all the monitors, we sat and talked about how we would meet our little girl soon.  It started sinking in that it was really time.

Another nurse came in and started my Cervidil.  We turned out the lights and tried our best to sleep.

The morning came and we met our amazing nurse, Mary.  She suggested that Dan get us some breakfast because once we started the Pitocin, I would not be able to eat again until Aubree was here.  I ate my oatmeal in a daze, our baby was on her way!

At 10:30 she hooked the Pitocin into my IV and we waited.  Aubree was facing the wrong way and looking up, so they were concerned.  They called her a "stargazer"...  a much cuter name than what it really was.  Basically, I would have to dilate to 13 cm rather than 10 cm to fit her head.  It was also causing back labor, which was quite painful.  Around noon, the monitors stopped picking up my contractions so Mary had to stop the Pitocin.  Dr. Chu came in around 1:00 to break my water.  What a weird feeling.  She also gave me a different kind of monitor that was more sensitive so we could start the Pitocin again.  At that point, I was ready for my epidural.  I was in so much pain,  I cried as they asked me all of their questions and I couldn't move.  The anesthesiologist came in and started my epidural.  I have never been so scared in my life.  The needles were probably my biggest fear during my pregnancy and here they were.  On top of that, I was in so much pain it was so overwhelming.  In minutes my legs felt very warm and I just felt comfortable.  I was still only dilated to 3 cm.  My parents came to visit and see how we were doing.  It was really comforting to have them there but I am so glad they came when they did.  After they left, Mary told us we should try to take a nap because it would be after midnight before we had our baby and it would be good to get some rest.  Within about 10 minutes, I started hurting again.  I couldn't even reach for the button to add more pain medicine to the epidural.  I motioned to Dan to hit the button because I couldn't talk, it hurt so bad.  Mary called for the anesthesiologist to up the dosage.  Around 3:00, I was feeling good again and I was had dilated all the way to 10 cm in about half an hour.  (That is why I was in so much pain.)  Mary told me I was almost ready to push.  It was such a surreal feeling.  Everyone started to clean up the room and get ready for delivery.  I called Dan over to help me.  I was about to be sick, but I couldn't sit up by myself.  He was so sweet and got me a trash can while holding me up.  I don't know what made me sick, but it made Aubree turn the right way so she was ready to come out.  At 5:00 I started pushing.  Baby Aubree Lynn was born at 5:33 on April 16, 2013.  She was 6 pounds 4 ounces and 18 3/4 inces long.

They put her on my chest and Dan cut her cord.  I just stared at her, I couldn't believe that this precious little girl had just come out of my belly...  That I had been carrying her around for the last 9 months and now she was here.  They took her to clean her off and weigh her while the doctor stitched me up.  I had a 2nd degree tear and 4 lacerations.  I was so glad I got an epidural.

At that point, Aubree was not crying and her chest was going in really far when she breathed.  They called the NICU nurse to come check on her.  Those were the longest few minutes of my life... waiting to hear if my baby was ok.  Finally, they brought her back to me and told us that she was going to be fine.

I just laid there holding her, rubbing her back, and enjoying our first minutes as a family of three.  I have never been so happy in my entire life.  Every second of sickness and uncomfortableness was completely worth it because now we were holding a happy, healthy miracle...  our miracle.  We just love her so much.

Our first family picture

We got to bring Aubree home on Thursday, April 18.  We turned in her birth certificate information and loaded up the car.  Aubree was not very happy when we put her in the car seat for the first time.  Although, I am not sure what she hated more, the car seat, or the adorable, huge bow on her hat.

My amazing parents made sure Aubree had a welcome home sign and welcome home stork in the front yard.  I am so blessed to have such wonderful, supportive parents.

38 weeks

How far along? 38 Weeks-April 13

Baby is the size of a: pumpkin

Total weight gain/loss: Still going with a lot.

Maternity clothes? Absolutely…

Stretch marks? Maybe one… Probably one… or two.

Sleep: Pretty good until I have to turn over. 

Miss Anything? Feeling like a normal person.

Movement: Lots

Food cravings: Too uncomfortable to have many cravings.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing.

The Bump: feeling huge

Picking out a name: Aubree

Labor Signs:  Some contractions

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. :(

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy. 

Best moment this week:  Our baby shower!  I can’t believe how much love and support we have gotten through this whole pregnancy and I am so grateful for all of the friends and family that are here for us! 

Looking forward to: Our 38 week appointment.