Portland, Teething and Colds... Oh My!

So we just got back from a fun trip to Portland, OR to visit Nathan's parents and grandparents. It was really neat to have four generations in one house! Nathan's dad is the men's pastor at a church out there and they allowed us to go to the nursery and borrow any of their toys we wanted to for the weekend. We borrowed an exersaucer and some sort of toy that Bella could kick and it would make music and other noises. She LOVED that toy!! Oh my word! I'll post pics and videos later. She liked the exersaucer too, but the kicking toy was definitely her top pick. And needless to say she loved all the attention of all the people while we were there.

Nathan and I also got to go on a date while we were there. He took me to the restaurant we went to on our first date, McCormick and Shmicks. I had TASTY salmon, and he had some monster looking sandwich. It was very nice! Nathan's dad proudly donned the Moby Wrap and Bella napped happily during our date and was up and playing when we got back.

She did really well on the plane all things considered, but she didn't really sleep much. In fact, on the trip out there when we landed she was the only baby NOT screaming, and there were a TON of babies on that flight. She just looked around very wide-eyed wondering what in the world was going on! She was actually teething before we left, and had a little tooth poking through, and another one starting to poke through two days after we were there. All of which made eating, and napping, and the likes very difficult. Well, they both went back down, so we got a little reprieve from that, but the very next day Bella woke up with a stuffy nose and I with a sore throat. :-( So now, if her nose doesn't wake her up at night and nap time, mine wakes us both up. So we're tired girls. :-( Looks like Nathan may be getting it too. We shall see. But she's still super smiley for the most part. She's enjoying sitting on my lap and watching the words pass by as I type now. :-)

More to come on our trip to Portland and of course fun pics. But I just wanted to give a quick update to say that our little girl is doing great! OH! And we had the chance to take Bella by Nathan's mom's work to have her weighed. She's a lactation consultant. Bella weighs 14lbs 3oz at 3.5 months. She's almost double her birth weight!! Momma doesn't have low-fat milk, that's for sure!

Well, off to see if we can get another little catnap in and to do more laundry.

3 Month Randomness

It's hard to believe that Bella is already 3 months old, but sure enough she is. I was able to get her in to see the nurse practitioner at a doctor's office my midwife recommended a few weeks before she turned 3 months, and her stats were:

50% for weight

25% for head circumference

5% for length

She said, "she's a little on the short end of the scale, so we'll need to watch her." And I thought to myself, "did you look at me when you walked into the room?" As she towered over me in height. :-) Needless to say, Nathan and I aren't worried about the height issue, and are very pleased at how well our plump girl is growing.

She's started to take a little bit of a longer nap in the morning now, but only if I nap with her. If I don't, she still won't sleep for more than half an hour or an hour if I'm lucky, but I certainly don't mind napping with her. In fact, in the most recent book I've read about natural parenting and natural child spacing (Ecological Breastfeeding) one of the things it recommends is taking a daily nap with your kiddo. So, I've been enjoying that. :-) Makes it a little difficult to get a whole lot done, but I am really rested, and I absolutely cherish those times with her. Though it will be challenging to nap when we have more, I'm hoping if I continue this practice that Bella will come to enjoy it too.

So, that's the news on the 3 month update I suppose. Not much to report, as she is happy and very healthy. She truly is a joy. Even when things are rough in other areas of life, she just brightens our days so much with her million dollar smile. We have chosen to wait on vaccinating her until she is two. I've done so much research on both sides of the issue (all very overwhelming if you ask me), and Nathan and I feel this is the safest compromise between the two arguments as we've weighed the pros and the cons of both. We'll also probably pick and choose what she gets at that point, and are thankful that her nurse practitioner is supportive of our decision.

She and I still see our amazing chiropractor on a somewhat regular basis. Hopefully, more regular should finances allow in the near future. It truly is amazing the difference I see in her if something isn't going well. For instance, there have been a few instances where she's been extremely fussy about nursing on one side to the point where she completing refused to eat on one side for an entire day! I called and asked everyone I knew for advice, but nothing seemed to work. I had an appointment with our chiropractor the next day, and I ran the situation by him thinking, MAYBE he might know of something, and he said, "Oh, no problem! Her neck is probably a little out of alignment." Sure enough! He adjusted her, and her next feed was a BREEZE! And she also barely spits up at all after he adjusts her, and my girl has been a BIG spitter since birth. It's quite amazing.

We're all flying to Portland next week to visit with Nathan's parents over labor day weekend. We're really excited to see them and to just get away. We've really been hit hard by the economic situation, and the cumulative toll it's taking on us is really hard. So, getting away for a bit will be quite the blessing. Though, I am nervous about the packing and hauling of all the STUFF associated with our beautiful girl through the airport, but I know it can be done. :-) Thankfully we'll be flying there together, but Bella and I fly back by ourselves on the way back. Gulp. We shall see!

The Many Faces of Bella

So I still haven't had a chance to blog about the birth or my many thoughts about being a mom, but I have had lots of opportunities to take pictures of my beautiful and highly animated little girl. The other blogs will come later as they continue to ripen in my mind, but for now enjoy these photos of our beautiful, fun Bella. Hard to believe she'll be 6 weeks tomorrow! And that smile.... she's been doing that responsively since she was less than a week old! She never ceases to amaze us!!

Beautiful Bella

Bella made her debut on May 22nd at 1:03pm in our bedroom! We had a very successful home birth that was truly a miracle in many ways. I can't wait to write out my story and share it with you here on this blog. In due time, when things have calmed down a bit. :-)

Bella weighed 7lbs 15.5oz and was 19.5 inches long when she was born. She was alert for hours and a champion nurser from birth. She even pushed herself up on my chest to lift her head to look at me right from birth. She is amazing!! And she's thriving... a week ago she weighed 8lbs 2.5oz, and I know she's growing still.

More later, but I wanted to share the news of our beautiful baby girl. She is the most precious gift ever!! We are so humbled.

Waiting....

Well, today is the big due date. May 19th... but no Annabella yet. I've been having irregular contractions for over a week now, but in the past two days they've gotten stronger and more frequent, but still not all that regular or intense enough that they make me stop what I'm doing. Maybe I'm just stubborn, because they are pulling on my back and lower abdominal area quite a bit and with a decent amount of force, but my midwife said not to get too excited until they start interrupting my life and are regular enough to time. So... thus begins the waiting game.

Nathan's parents are in town and have been since the 8th, and will be until the 30th as that is when Nathan's younger brother is getting married! Nathan is supposed to be a groomsman in the wedding, and we both of course want to be there for it! His whole family will be there too so it would be a great opportunity for Bella to meet people she may not see for a long time (not that SHE'LL remember them at all, but still :-)), but we shall see. We're praying she's not much overdue than 6 days or so, so I have at least a few days to recover (slightly) before the wedding. Thankfully, it's in Denver.

We shall see. So tick tock goes the clock and wait I shall do. If there's one thing I have become very accustomed to in my walk with God it is the big long WAIT.... so as I think back on all the things for which I've waited long and hard (Nathan for one), and for which am still waiting, I figure what's a few more days after 9 months anyway, right?

Stay tuned....

Baby Time!

Well, now that the show is over (and it went REALLY well!) and all classes are taken, and shower celebrations have ended, now it's the waiting game! I am 38 weeks today, and was given the "good to go" at any time stamp of approval from my midwife on Friday at our home visit. So, tick tock... when will she come? She's already dropped, and is head down, and seems to be consistently facing the right way, and I'm all too familiar with Braxton Hicks, so now we just wait.

It's very exciting to think that in matter of weeks (or days!) we will get to meet this little girl who's been growing and poking me from within... and that ALL will change in our lives in such a short amount of time. Our home is full of baby things, a constant reminder that another person will soon be living with us, one who will look to US for all her needs. It's a humbling and sobering thought as well as one that's very exciting and thrilling all at the same time. One of life's many paradoxes I suppose. We are so blessed and cannot wait to love her to pieces!

Here are a few pictures from the showers I've had. We certainly have been blessed with wonderful family and friends as we begin our own journey in creating and nurturing our own family! Thank you all.

Honk Jr!

So for the past several months I've been working very hard on theatrically directing, choreographing, and musically directing a full length musical, Honk Jr! It's been a TON of fun but also a ton of work! The kids range in age from 6 years old to 18 years old, and they all ROCK! Truly. It's going to be a very high quality show, and they have worked so hard and have come so far. I'm so proud of how hard they've worked and are still working that I'm quite shamelessly plugging this show at every possible turn and chance I get. So.... here's my blog plug! :-)

HONK! Junior

Music by George Stiles

Book & Lyrics by Anthony Drewe

Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of the Ugly Duckling has been transformed into a modern musical comedy. Written by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe, HONK! tells the story of Ugly, whose odd, gawky looks instantly incite prejudice from his family and neighbors. Separated from the farm and pursued by a hungry Cat, Ugly must find his way, while his loving mother, Ida, searches for him. Along his journey he not only meets lively characters of all shapes and sizes, discovers his true beauty and glorious destiny, but he also finds love and acceptance.

HONK! Junior, with all of its wonderful humor and charm, will captivate audiences of all ages!

Director: Barbi J. Carr

Producer: Lynn M. Hamilton

Technical Director: Jacque Abplanalp

Location: Sunrise Connections Center

• 4005 Lee Vance View, Suite 200 (Near Woodmen & Rangewood)
• Colorado Springs, CO 80920

• PUBLIC Shows:
• April 23: 7:00 PM
• April 24: 7:00 PM
• April 25: 10:00 AM
• April 25: 12:30 PM
• Tickets: $8

For tickets call 719.282.9101 or order online at www.aoct.net

Hope to see you there!!!!

HONK!