Newborn Photo Shoot

A week ago Jocelyn (one of my roommates from college) came to take Peyton's newborn pictures. She did such a fabulous job and it was so fun to catch up with her.

Here are just a few of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love our perfect little angel!

Friday Letters

Nap time with daddy.

Dear Diana,

Thanks for coming all the way from Texas to visit us. You and Blake were Peyton's first relatives who don't live in Utah to meet her! It was fun for our little boys to get to play together. 

Love,

Your sister

Dear Mom,

Thanks for everything you did to help us! We really can't thank you enough. I know it probably wasn't the most fun vacation you've ever had, but we really appreciate you helping us ease into having 2 kids!

Love,
Your daughter

Dear Dad,

Thanks for letting Mom come stay with us when it meant you had to be wifeless for 2 weeks. I know it was a sacrifice for you. Hopefully all that golf you got to play made it worth it!

Love,
Your daughter

Dear Corbyn,

Kid, you've really got to get an immune system. You'd think with all the colds you've had in your life you would have developed one by now. Thanks for playing in your crib and letting me sleep a little longer. 5:30 is a too early for any mom to have to wake up, but 5:30 is especially too early for a mom who has to get up to feed your baby sister in the night! Take a good long nap and get better soon! And do me a huge favor - don't give your cold to baby sister!

Love,
Your mom

Dear Peyton,

You are the sweetest little thing. I love the little squeaks and grunts you make. Sometimes when you fall asleep in my lap after nursing, I can't help but just sit and stare at you in amazement. I can't believe you are mine!!

Love,
Your mom

Dear Rog,

2 weeks until the GMAT. I know you're sick of studying and being spread so thin. And I have to admit, I'm a little sick of it too. But you are going to do awesome! And I'm sure one day when you're a big hospital administrator it will all be worth it!

Love,
Your wife

Big Brother Corbyn

I get asked a lot how Corbyn is handling becoming a big brother. That isn't the easiest question for me to answer because sometimes it seems like he is doing just fine and other times it seems like he's having a really difficult time. It's been kind of a roller coaster ride for him with lots of ups and downs.

When he first came to visit baby sister in the hospital, he had a few rough moments.

 

He also had this sweet moment when we let him hold baby sister. (Yes, I realize I've already posted this picture 2 times, but I really love it.)



My mom was sweet enough to watch him while we stayed in the hospital. They had fun, but I also think it was rough on Corbyn to have someone other than mom or dad come get him when he woke up in the mornings and from his naps. I think he thought we were never coming home.



But of course we did come home. And he was SO excited. We got home on Saturday (the 28th) right before his nap and let him examine baby sister for a few minutes while we read books. (Our pediatrician recommended we try to sell Corbyn on the idea that baby sister's toes are all his - rather than having him touch her face and hands - in an attempt to prevent him from giving her his many colds.) Unfortunately when he tried to put him down for his nap, he would have nothing to do with it. And then of course he was pretty awful for the rest of the day.  



I spend most of my time protecting Peyton from Corbyn. He can be very rough. He likes to snuggle up to her when she is laying on the ground by putting his head right next to hers and then trying to do a somersault onto her. (Don't know where he got that!) But he can also be very sweet - bringing her all her toys, getting me diapers for her, throwing her diapers away, etc...



And we have moments like this one where he just lies calmly next to her and tells her all about Buzz.



I think the hardest part for him is when I have to sit down and nurse her. He knows it is going to take a long time and I can't do very much for him while I'm doing it. (I'm open to any suggestions about how to entertain him during that time. I really don't want to resort to turning on a show every time I feed her.) One silly thing about nursing time - he thinks my breast pads are hats for her and will always put them on her head.

 

My mom stayed until yesterday afternoon and she was such a big help - taking him on stroller rides, keeping us fed, cleaning the house, doing the dishes, etc... He was pretty clingy to me the whole time she was here though. (I think he thought I was going to abandon him again.) So while it was hard to see her go, it was also good because maybe now he will realize that I'm not going anywhere!

Today was my first full day all by myself with 2 kids. We had Peyton's 2 week checkup at 10:45 and he was pretty awful from the time he woke up until we left for that. But when we got home he was much better for the rest of the day.

We still have a ways to go as far as adjusting goes (and that goes for me too), but we'll get there. I've been told that in a few weeks he'll forget what it was like before baby sister was here. Hopefully that is true!

Five on Friday

1. A tragic event occurred at our home yesterday. While Corbyn was falling asleep for his nap he managed to break his favorite Buzz. He only slept for about 45 minutes and then he woke up screaming hysterically. He has WAY TOO MANY Buzz toys, so we have decided we can't replace him. It's just too bad he had to break his absolute favorite one. When he was getting ready for bed and he remembered that Buzz was gone, he collapsed on the ground crying. Poor boy!



2. I forgot what it is like to change a newborn's diaper. It seems every time Peyton's diaper is off, she either poos or pees creating a huge mess. The result has been having to wash the quilt on our bed 2 times in the short time she has been home. One of these days I'll learn my lesson and stop trying to change her diaper on our bed!

3. Yesterday I successfully took both kiddos to the grocery store and then to the park after. It probably doesn't count because my mom was there helping, but it gave me hope that I'll actually be able to get out of the house with 2 kiddos around.

4. Nursing is going incredibly well with Peyton. Other than being horribly engorged for a few days, it has been smooth sailing. It got so bad that I actually resorted to using cabbage leaves to help with the swelling and surprise, it actually worked. It was interesting because I had quite the opposite problem with Corbyn. When my milk came in with him I had hardly any milk and had to work for weeks to get my milk supply up. I do have to say, I prefer having an oversupply to an undersupply!

5. Yesterday Peyton celebrated her 1 week birthday. In keeping with tradition, I made Frozen Lemonade Pies to celebrate the event. (I made homemade oreos for Corbyn's 1 week birthday.) They were both delicious and very EASY!

Sleepy Jaundice Girl

At the hospital Peyton tested in the low-moderate range for her bilirubin level, so on Monday we had to take her to be tested again. Her level had gone up a little, but not enough to warrant being under the lights. Corbyn had to be under the lights and I hated it, so I was grateful for that! Today we had to take her in to be tested yet again. Her level has gone down and it is low enough now that we can stop testing her - woot!

Even though she didn't have to be under the lights, she still has had some of the symptoms of Jaundice - mostly being incredibly sleepy. I would have been more worried, but that's how Corbyn was too, so I knew what to expect. I've had to wake her up to eat and go to extreme measures to keep her awake while I'm feeding her. While it hasn't been the most fun, it has made for some cute sleeping pictures. Enjoy!





We decided to do a little home treatment yesterday. When I was a baby and had Jaundice, they kept me overnight under the lights at the hospital and then told my parents to put me in the sunlight in my diaper.



Here's to less sleepy days ahead!

Lots of Firsts

First time breaking free from being swaddled.



First car ride.



First outfit.



First sponge bath at home. Parts of it she enjoyed....



Other parts she didn't like so much.



First footie pajamas. (This was the first thing I bought for her when I found out we were having a girl. Love the ballet slipper feet!)



First time in her swing. (We buckled her in for her own protection against her crazy brother who thought it was fun to swing her.)

Peyton's Birth Story

Here it is - the long-awaited birth story.

On Thursday morning, the hospital was supposed to call sometime between 6 and 8 to let us know when to come in. I was planning on getting up around 5:45 to shower, but was waken by Labor and Delivery calling at 5:20 to tell us to be there at 6:00 - so much for my shower! I only had time to get dressed, put my hair in a ponytail, and put on some makeup. We grabbed bagels for breakfast and were on our way to have our baby girl!

We took a quick, final belly picture - 39 weeks!



We got there just after 6 and waited a few minutes in the waiting room before they got to us. They put us in our room and I dressed in my gown. The nurse came in and started my IV - after 4 tries. Apparently they just got new IV kits that the nurses hate. So after 3 failed attempts using the new kit, she found an old kit and finally got it going.

Then after making sure Peyton was still head down, she started the Pitocin at about 7:30. At that point, I started my Gilmore Girls marathon while Rog tried to get some GMAT studying in. Dr. Drewes came in and went over the plan with us. He said that he would come break my water after I got my epidural and then he suspected things would go pretty fast. He felt Peyton and said that she felt pretty good sized which of course was not music to my ears. I seriously spent the rest of the time I was in labor worrying that I was going to have yet another 10 pound baby.

I was having regular contractions, but nothing too painful yet, so I decided to wait a little bit. By 11,  the Pitocin was turned up to the max and I was starting to really feel the contractions, so I requested my epidural. I got a huge dose of the epidural on my right side as soon as he started it which made my right leg SO SO numb. I hated that more than anything. 

Of course when I got my epidural Dr. Drewes was at the Timpanogos Hospital delivering a baby there, so I had to wait until he got back for him to break my water. He didn't get back until almost 1! I was dilated 3 cm when I came in and when he broke my water at 1:05, I was only dilated 5 cm. We had agreed to participate in a study for a new monitor that can read and interpret the baby's EKG, so after they broke my water, they got that attached to Peyton's head. 

That's when things got really crazy. It only took about 40 minutes for me to finish dilating (from 5 cm to 10 cm). They started getting things set up for the delivery. I kept thinking how weird it was that Dr. Drewes was there and I hadn't even started pushing yet (because it took 3 hours of pushing with Corbyn). As soon as everything was ready I started pushing and after a few good pushes, she was here! It was seriously the easiest thing ever after having pushed Corbyn out.

I had a few "skid mark" tears that Dr. Drewes repaired quickly while they cleaned, weighed, and measured Peyton. I got to hold her for about an hour before they came to take her to the nursery. During that time I was able to nurse her. She latched on easily and nursed for a good long time. I loved that time I got to spend with her because they had immediately sent Corbyn off to the NICU after he was born.

Rog went to the nursery with Peyton while I got cleaned up. She was healthy and alert - Rog says that everyone was impressed by how much she was moving around which didn't surprise me at all because she was such a mover while she was growing inside me!

We got to spend a few hours in our room just enjoying our little girl before we started having visitors.

My mom brought Corbyn over after his nap and then Rog went with them to get dinner at McDonald's. A little later my dad joined us with my grandparents. Corbyn wasn't so sure of this new baby thing, but he liked it when we let him "hold" her (with our help).

I couldn't have dreamed for a better birth experience. I am so grateful I didn't have to have a c-section. Thank you Peyton for turning on your own and thank you Corbyn for paving the way and making every delivery after you a piece of cake!