Attia's Second Month

1 Month Old
April 1, 2011

       By the beginning of the second month we were still very sleep deprived, but things were starting to feel more 'normal.' Maybe not what normal used to be, but a new normal. We were starting to get into a nice little routine. Austin had been back at work for a while (he stayed home with us those first two weeks), and I was enjoying maternity leave and the time that it gave me to bond with Atti and go to mommy/baby groups. She continued to put on weight at a quick and steady pace and had many 'first' experiences during her second month of life. She went to her first bike race, celebrated her first Easter and rolled over for the first time (a feat which is yet to be repeated).

Here is a photo re-cap of Attia's second month:

Thumbs Up!

Ready for some spring weather!

Gram & Grump stop by for a visit before heading to a concert.

Sitting pretty waiting for her 6 week doctor visit

Making faces with Daddy.

Conked out at her fist Bike Race
Perry-Roubaix, Lawrence, KS

She outgrew her first outfit!

Pushing up during tummy time.

Happy Easter! (I think this photo is from Heidi - Thanks!)

Attia's First Easter

I thought we would change a diaper, but she had other ideas.  (She'll thank me for the black spot later) 

Attia's First Month

       Our stay at Lawrence Memorial Hospital was great. They were all very friendly and very helpful - and it was wonderful having so many people around who knew what they were doing! I was actually a little nervous about going home and being on our own, especially with so little sleep. However, on Thursday afternoon those first steps through the door felt great. Home with the whole family for the first time! Quiet and peaceful and right. Ahhhhh... time for a nap!

       The first few weeks went pretty smoothly. Eating, sleeping, peeing, pooping, repeat... again... and again. And all through the night... She was slightly jaundiced, so she slept all the time and I had to wake her every three hours to eat (an entire process that could take an hour or more). I had no idea that I would literally be doing some aspect of feeding for 8-12 hours a day! We went to our first doctor visits and within two weeks Attia had surpassed her birth weight and the jaundice was gone. Yea!

       The rest of the month went well too. Attia kept packing on the ounces/pounds, we had several nice visits from family and friends, she went on her first walk, and she saw her first snow. We also started going to a mommy/breastfeeding group (another nice/free service that the hospital provides) and meeting other moms and babies. Lot's of fun!

Here is a photo re-cap of Attia's first month:

Coming home from the hospital

First evening home from the hospital.

Sleepy  5 day old Attia

Attia's first time in her swing seat. Rosa is making sure she is ok. 

Little sweet pea.

Grumps' 60th Birthday (Austin's Dad, Skip, pictured with Jack on lap)

A visit from Opa Mark (my dad)

Attia's first snow

A visit from my Uncle Ding (Chris)

Catching some Zzzzz's under the mobile.

Attia's first walk ~ 3 weeks old

Cuddling with mommy. 

Watching the Jayhawks with daddy during March Madness.
(Unfortunately we lost.)

Sponge bath time! (I think this was her last sponge bath.) 

The day our lives would change forever

       And that brings us to March 1st 2011, the day our lives changed forever. Well, actually it all started on February 28th. The 28th was a normal  Monday, and although it was only two days or so before my due date I felt as though it was going to be weeks before Attia was ready to make her debut. I worked from home before my last appointment, and then at 3:00 I went in to see what the doctor's news would be - how much longer? After telling the doctor, "that I didn't feel like there was going to be any change soon," I got up onto the table so that she could measure my huge belly, and... my water broke.  Good timing!

       Dr. M sent me straight down to the delivery wing, and I sent Austin a text (after trying to call him) to let him know that I had some big news. He was on the way to an eye appointment, but when he got my text he turned around and ran home to finish packing our hospital bag and meet me up there.  I'll admit I freaked out a little. Everything was fine, but this was not how it was supposed to happen! I was supposed to go into labor at home, wait for 5-1-1 (contractions 5 minutes apart, 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour) and then we would drive to the hospital together. I had arrived alone, and I was not having any contractions. 

       After I got checked in and Austin arrived we walked the halls and waited, then walked the halls, and waited some more. We tried the whirlpool, etc., and after what seemed forever, at 11:00 p.m.things started to move much more quickly.  That's when I started to really be able to feel the contractions. 

       I was able to get a few minutes of sleep between contractions until about 1:00 a.m., but at that point I had to get up and move around and try some of the techniques we had learned at our birthing class (all of which really helped.) By 3:00 or 3:30 a.m. it was pretty intense and I started to wonder if I would be able to make it much longer without an epidural, but I tried laying down and immediately felt much better. And surprise-  I had a strong urge to push, but the on-call doctor was still on her way to the hospital, so I had to try to wait until she got there. Which was hard. After what seemed like forever (again) the doctor finally arrived and four pushes later Attia was here! At 4:27 a.m. and she was a healthy little girl at 6lbs 15oz and 19.5".  Amazing!

And she was perfect in every way.

       After an hour or so she got to go take her first bath (with daddy's help) and I moved down to the recovery room, which was very nice (as was the delivery room). We had several nice visits from family and friends - even some from St. Louis!

 

We had time to snuggle with our itty bitty little baby and start to soak it all in. We were able to rest some at the hospital, before heading home for next exciting chapter in all THREE of our lives.

What a wonderful day. 

Changing Times bring Lots to Do!

    

Once we found out that sweet little piece of information things started happening quickly. Not only did we need to get moved into our new house, but the office needed to be turned into a nursery, lots of furniture needed to be purchased, walls needed to be painted, and not to mention everything else that needed to be done to prepare for a new little baby. 

 


Oh yeah. And then there was also the new wardrobe I was going to need to acquire because my belly was growing rapidly.

                   3 Months Pregnant (Aug.)      4 Months Pregnant (Sept.)        5 Months Pregnant (Oct.)

                   6 Months Pregnant (Nov.)     7 Months Pregnant (Dec.)                      8 Months Pregnant (Jan.)

                    

                    9 Months Pregnant (Feb.)                                       A FULL 9 Months (Feb. 28)