So much to say...

That's right. My baby wears her trousers up to her neck. Mhmm. Ok. So the 0-3 size is still swimming on her... I can't wait for this outfit to fit her! OK...the truth is I can wait. I love how little she is still!!

In devastatingly sad news, Chris went back to work today. Not only am I lost without the extra set of hands, but I really miss him. We haven't spent that much time together since our honeymoon! Miss you Monkey! Look how freakin' cute he is. What a good sport.

Some pics from our fabulous trip to the OC!

Chloe got to meet her ridiculously cute cousin (who should seriously be a baby model), her aunt Tracee and Uncle Chris and even her great aunt Suzy!! I'm so glad we made the trip down. It was so worth the friday traffic to get there. We even got to have lunch with Chris' cousin Neil and his wife, Misa. Not to mention I got to wander around Fashion Island for a little. It has changed from my Balboa Island days, that's for sure! The Santa Maria mall leaves a LOT to be desired!

Sorry the video is sideways; the important thing is that somehow we lucked out and caught our baby girl sneezing. Make sure you have the sound on; her noise afterwards is so dang cute! (proud parent perhaps? Geez.)

*During this blog posting, I would like you to know that Chloe had a major blowout. Yes. That is right. Too much information for you? I think not. Luckily Chris had arrived home for lunch JUST in time to lend a helping hand. Thank goodness. It should have been a 3 person job considering she got a second wind AS we were changing her diaper. Yes. I want to blog about this so we never forget; well at least so we can use it to make her feel guilty when we get older and need her to take care of US!!

*our little poopy pants princess*

On the ROAD again...

Well, we're off on another road trip this weekend... this time it is down South to Orange County. I can't wait for Chloe to meet her big (as in one year old) cousin Ashley, and her Aunt Tracee and hopefully even her great aunt Suzy! I'm sure grandma Lynn will even make an appearance :)

In any case, I'll update when we get back into town!

2 Weeks Old! (Late, I know!!)

It's hard to find time to update this darn thing when you have a newborn!

Yesterday was Chloe's 2 week birthday. She is becoming such a big girl now. She's much more interested in the world around her, and I even got her under her little play gym today for some fun! (That lasted only about 10 minutes, but I'm sure she'll grow to love it!)

The last 2 weeks have been amazing. She's such an easygoing baby (knock on wood). She wakes a couple times a night to feed and still hardly cries at all, unless you're trying to update her blog of course. Then she decides to cry.

Gotta Run!!

Mini Photo Shoot...

We're back home now and had a great getaway weekend. Chloe met her great grandma, her grandma Laura and Grandpa Dave, her uncle Jeff, Aunt Jennell and her cousin Kailynn! We had an exhausting and busy weekend... but lots of fun.
Please enjoy the pictures from the mini photo shoot that Grandma Laura and I had with Chloe yesterday. She was such a good sport!

Pictures

Some pictures from the last few days...

Ken met Chloe for the first time, we wish Sandy could have been here to meet her also!

Chloe is learning to love her baths, but she loves getting them over with even more...

Some Quality Father/Daughter bonding time... I love these moments!

And Lastly, the gown you'll probably never see in pictures again due to an unfortunate blowout that couldn't be fixed no matter how many stain removers I tried...

Road Trip!

Don't worry - we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, we decided to take a little road trip to grandma and grandpa Johnsons house to visit for a few days since they were only going to be able to come meet Chloe for a day and we can stay FOREVER! Just kidding, Dave and Laura. We promise we won't stay too long. I love visiting Valley Springs, it's so calming!! I promise to post pictures of our adventures soon!

Week 1 Recap.

Well, the first week really was an experience! I couldn't help but think over and over to myself that I'd be scared out of my mind if this was my first time around a baby! Thankfully, I got a good taste of the baby life when my niece Taylor was younger. Although, I have to admit, things are much scarier when they're you're baby vs. someone elses. I always felt confident driving Taylor around, helping her when she'd swallow her bottle too fast, etc. But when it comes to my own kid, it seems so different! I know I'm capable, but not having the security blanket of her real parents makes it ... well... real. Make sense?

I've also learned that just like having a well thought out birth plan (which I didn't have because I know they always go the opposite way when you have one), the ideas and beliefs you have about bringing home a baby soon go out the window and you do whatever you have to in order to get through.

Things that I thought I Wouldn't Do:
1. Give Formula. (She's only had a couple ounces and that was days ago now, I'm proud to say!)
2. Give a Pacifier (especially this early on!) It became a necessity, although she hasn't mastered how to keep it in her mouth. Once she falls asleep, she kicks it out and wakes herself up!
3. CO-SLEEP! I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd bring baby into bed. However, it made everything a lot easier on us not having to keep getting up to put her paci in, check to see if she's breathing, get her for feedings, etc. I will say, however, that she did sleep in her cradle last night although not nearly as well. I did enjoy being able to sprawl out last night, however, so hopefully she'll learn to self-soothe or keep her paci and she can keep up the cradle thing!

Things I've Loved:
1. The way she sleeps with her mouth open.
2. Hearing Chris talk to her.
3. Her little cooing noises.
4. Her Dimples.
5. Seeing how confident Chris has become with her. He's now the baby whisperer of the household.
6. Seeing a Poopy Diaper after 4 days without one. Go figure.
7. Watching her change. This morning she kept smiling in her sleep, a pretty new development. I'm ready for her to do it for real now!
8. Ok. I give up. I could go on forever. I love everything about her!

The Final Pieces...

Well, the final pieces have finally been added to Chloe's room. I can't believe I didn't put this in the blog earlier, but with having a newborn and all, lots of things have slipped my mind. I've been begging Grandpa Chuck to paint something for Chloe's room...I know how much the painting I have from him means to me and I wanted Chloe to have something she would always have from her grandpa (aka. the baby whisperer). I'd been saving a spot right over the crib for said artwork and when they came to visit last week, he surprised us with 2 paintings!


It means so much to me to have these; I love sitting in the glider in her room and looking at them. I can't thank you enough, dad. I hope you're enjoying your time in Hawaii, even though you have to work. At least try and work on your tan!

I love the painting below... It reminds me of the central coast. Chloe will always know how beautiful it is here, no matter where we end up! Note the moon...Grandpa Chuck has an interesting moon story from driving home from our house one time.

Happy 1 Week Birthday!!

Well, the last week has been quite eventful for our household! I've appreciated every moment with my new family and can't wait to see what the future holds!

Today I took Chloe to a breastfeeding class all on my own in San Luis Obispo. Let me tell you - driving in the car alone with baby for the first time is a SCARY hump to have to get over! I definitely like it better when Chris drives and I get to sit with her in the back seat. Despite my fears, our trip went great with the exception of me setting off my car alarm as I was running to the class (late of course)... I had no idea how to turn the stupid thing off! Oh well.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Day 6

Today is Chloe's 6th day of life!
Please enjoy some pictures from today...

Birth Story

So for those of you who haven't had the joy of hearing our long, drawn out birth story, here goes...

Tuesday (9/9) Chloe was being unusually quiet so the doctor sent us to the hospital for monitoring. We got there and she looked great, she was just sleepy, evidently. Unfortunately, we hadn't made any progress from the previous week and we were already at 41 weeks. We didn't want to wait until Friday only to have to come back and be induced anyway, so we decided to just start the process that night! Chris and I wouldn't be leaving until we had baby!

We settled in for the long haul, they gave us cervadil to finish thinning out the cervix and let us know the plan. They would check us in 12 hours at 7 am to see if it worked or if we needed a second dose. At that point, they were planning on starting us on Pitocin to get contractions started if the cervadil had worked.

We didn't get to 7 to find out if it worked. This is where my idea of time gets fuzzy. At some point that night, I started having contractions. Immediately after, my water broke. Then all hell broke loose. Our contractions were immediatey close together; most labors take a while to get to 5 minutes between them; ours started out 2-3 minutes apart, sometimes not even that. In any case, the next couple hours were a blur; I think I was in denial that my body was doing it on its own.

All I know is that I was screaming bloody murder. I was the crazy lady in labor that you see in movies. Poor Chris.

I asked for an epidual at some point but I was only 3 cm and they don't give them until 4. What a joke! I had no idea how I would EVER make it to 10. Not long after asking for the epidural, I had the WORST urge to push. Nothing after this point was my finest moment and I'll spare you the details for the most part, but after this point, we dialated from 4-10 cm in about an hour. The anesthesiologist never did make it in time. He came at some point and according to Chris, he took one look at me (screaming bloody murder, don't forget), said there was no way he'd be able to get me to hold still and I remember telling the nurse I didn't want him anyway...(This is all going on as my body is refusing to wait for the doctor to start pushing; at this point I couldn't stop it). The doctor arrived a little before 7 to complete chaos - nurses everywhere, me screaming, and Chloe on her way out with or without him! The nurse told us later that I pushed for 10 minutes and she was out. The doctor hardly had time to get his gear on. Pushing was the most amazing feeling EVER. After not being allowed to push earlier on, finally getting the go ahead was unreal.

Nobody expected us to actually go into labor from the first drug. Nobody would have guessed we'd have had our baby before that 7:00 timeline for being checked. I'm so grateful for the anesthesiologist being late; I'm grateful for the experience of pushing her out; I can't believe we didn't have a C-Section...Labor actually turned out to be a fun experience, Chris said that beween contractions I still had my sense of humor, and yes, I've already forgotten the pain of delivery...

If you put up with this post this far...you deserve a gold star. Please enjoy the following picture of Chloe as your reward :).

Day 5 & Lots of Pictures!

Chloe is 5 days old today!

I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Then again, our life is now measured in hours not days.

The last few days have been completely amazing and overwhelming at the same time. She's such a good baby, we're keeping our fingers crossed that she continues with her fabulously sunny disposition. She makes the cutest faces and her cry is even adorable! (that could be because she hasn't had a true meltdown yet).

I've learned that no matter how much you think you love your husband, nothing can ever prepare you for how you feel about them after having a baby. I mean that in a good way. I can't believe the love I feel when I see Chris with Chloe. He's an amazing dad.

We've made such a great team so far. Chris has become quite the baby-burper. He even managed to take care of Chloe and I when I wasn't feeling well! But, I have to say that my favorite part of having Chloe here is when she's laying in bed between us. We can't help but stare at her for hours on end. Seriously. Hours pass like seconds when the 3 of us lay together.

This weekend we had Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Chuck up to meet Chloe for the first time. It was so fun being able to show Chloe off (and get some rest while they babysat!). I loved having them visit and can't wait for them to see her again!

We're Home!

Well, we're finally home! I think we win the award for shortest hospital stay. We realized yesterday about 30 minutes after she was born that we were dying to be at home. Every time we got Chloe fed and her eyes closed, the nurse came in to get a set of her vitals! I'm definitely in some discomfort when sitting down, but we're not here to talk about me anymore!

Chloe had her first car ride today!

Here are some pictures that we took today - she is SUCH an amazing baby. She is so content, except for this one picture and video!! Look at her cute ear! (Yes, she has one on the other side also... the doctor said it will fix itself, but for now it's just hangin' out).

She even has the cutest dimples!

Chloe Lynn Has Arrived!

Well... It's official!

Chloe Lynn made her speedy debut 9-10-08 at 7:00 am weighing in at a tiny 7 lbs, 7 oz. She's 19 inches long and has a serious fascination with anything related to her mouth. She's got the telltale signs of an overdone baby (peeling skin) but she is sooo perfect. After an absolutely crazy induction, she's stolen our hearts (and all the nurses as well!) For being a baby that wanted to take her pretty time and go overdue, she sure wanted to get the heck out once they started our induction. Thanks to Chris for putting up with my crazy behavior last night and early this morning. I had begged for an epidural but they didn't get it to me in time. The best thing that could possibly have happened. Chloe has been SO alert all day, she cried when she came out, she immediately started rooting and hasn't done anything but stare into our eyes all day. She's passed her hearing test, blood pressure test and even got her first bath by her daddy. She even pooped on him while he was holding her for the first time. He's an amazing dad. Watching them lay together today was an unbelieveable experience. I promise to post our whirlwind delivery story when we get back home, which will be by Friday. We're Parents!

I've Lost Count...

Good thing I have our ticker above to remind us. We're 41 weeks. YAY! Ok. The enthusiasm was totally fake.

Last night was one of my least favorite sleep nights of this entire pregnancy. Sleep deprivation doesn't happen when baby comes, it happens at the end of pregnancy when your hips feel like they're going to split in 2 and your baby kicks you all through the night. (Yes, still totally worth it, don't worry).

Our appointment tomorrow should hopefully give us some answers about 'the plan' since Chloe seems to enjoy her current dwelling. She evidently didn't get the eviction notice I sent a good month or so ago.

I had a LONG walk yesterday at the park, but didn't get a single contraction out of it. I will try the same thing again. Now we're down to the wire and she's gotta make a move! Kick down the door, Chloe. Please!

5 Days overdue...Happy Birthday, Ashley!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Baby Ashley!!!!!

Today is Ashley's First birthday. I can't believe how fast she's grown. The first picture is from when she was only a week old! I hope she's having a great birthday and getting lots of delicious cake!

Part 2: Debbie Downer.

I'm emotionally drained. I've had far too much time to think and have been on the verge of tears all day. It's not that I'm physically miserable, I can wait a while longer if that's what she needs, but the constant wondering and anticipation is absolutely exhausting. The first few days we went overdue were the hardest to accept, and I've really started to believe it'll be next Friday. I've started looking the other way when I pass by her room. It's disheartening to not have her here with us yet. I've even noticed Chris wander into her room a couple times... I feel like our lives are in some infinite holding pattern until she comes. I'm missing Ashley's First Birthday today, that makes me so sad! I feel like I've been a prisoner, not venturing too far for the last month or so, just in case. I've contemplated just getting in the car and driving for hours just to tempt fate!

The first couple days we had lots of phone calls, now most people have stopped calling and checking in daily, maybe they're getting used to the idea she's going to be a little longer as well. It's amazing how much of a disappointment it is for me to have to tell everyone when they call, "Nope...not yet..." It makes me feel like I'm failing and she should be here by now.

All these overdue days have given me plenty of time to think (not always a good thing). I've always wondered if having kids and giving birth would be an instinctual, natural thing for me. I've always wanted to know what it is like to "go" into labor on my own, not be given drugs to get it going (although I would take an induction to meet her at this point). But really, I've always wondered if my body would know what to do.

Up until last Tuesday, I'd been pleasantly surprised with the way my body reacted to being pregnant. Hardly no morning sickness, no stretch marks, good blood pressure, etc. After having such an easy pregnancy, I just assumed that my body had surprised me and that it would know exactly what to do all on its own. I've really started questioning that and I think that's the hardest thing about being overdue.

I just want her here and healthy. I want to count her toes and kiss her fat cheeks. I want to see if she has blonde hair like her daddy did or if she's got enough black hair to put into barettes like her mommy... I'm exhausted from worrying about whether she'll be alright...

Okay. I think that's enough of an emotional post for the day. I'm sure everything will turn out alright, it always does.

We're Moving Our Due Date!

Nobody likes a birthday girl who is late to her own party!
I've tried bribing her with cars, diamonds, puppies and all the other fabulous things little girls want. She isn't interested, evidently.

That being said, I've posted a new poll ... feel free to vote... (can you tell I'm out of things to do?!)

My guess is that she'll either share her cousin Ashley's birthday on September 7th or she'll wait until September 11th. Then again, she might not even be here by then! That being said, I'm moving our due date to next Friday, September 12th. I dont think the mind game will work, but I'm going to try.

My mind is playing tricks on me like you wouldn't believe. One minute I can't wait for her to come out, the next minute my mind flashes to my weekends and I'm reminded that I will NEVER sleep again. This morning, what I'm telling myself is that one week is nothing.
Chris helped me out of my pity party yesterday and gave me some fabulous insight and said that either way, we'll be in the hospital within a week (the doctor probably won't let me go 10 days past due). That is such good news!

Sleep has been a big joke. I lay awake for hours every night with hip (and now some nice back pain) wondering "Will Tonight Be The Night??" Then again, when I wake up, I wonder, "Will Today Be The Day?" Oh well. I'm not even due until September 12th now so it's still early!! Haha.

Anyway - I'm thankful for all the support Chris has given me the last few days. They have been dragging and have really been bumming me out. I'm so lucky that he always has some way of putting everything into perspective and making me feel better.

I'll try posting more lamenting tomorrow to keep all of you entertained :) I'm sorry the posts are getting so boring. Just one more week and we'll be posting pictures of Chloe! YAY~!!!

Officially Overdue.

Sooo our due date came and went. Big surprise. Life goes on, I suppose, but I'm officially bored and waiting for her to come out. I have a lot of hip pain when I lay down and try to sleep, which is new for me. I say try because I haven't slept well since my post bragging about how Tylenol PM is the greatest. I don't feel the same relationship with Tylenol PM anymore. In fact, after Chloe comes, I'd like to forget it ever existed.

I did go and get my nails done yesterday which was SOooo nice. I sat down in the chair and the nail lady said, "When are you due?" I said, "Today." She was shocked! She said I didn't look like I was even full term (she must have just wanted a big tip). In any case, she then said, "I could put you into labor, you know". What?! (Evidently she knows the spot to cause contractions...) I said, "That'd be great!!" she then replied...

"But I'm not allowed to."

Don't you KNOW not to tease a pregnant lady like that?! Ugh. I know, no guarantee it would have worked but there woulda been a hefty tip involved if she'd given it a good shot... and a lifelong customer if it had actually worked!

Anyway - as I was leaving a lady who looked like she was seriously carrying a basketball team in her belly waddled in. I say waddle because it's the nicest choice of words for her situation. I seriously thought she was having 4 or 5 kids. Her belly hung out like 4 feet in every direction. I felt so bad for her and thought, ok, she deserves a medal for going this far (overdue, I assumed). Turns out she's 38 weeks. With one baby in there. One.

Yes, for a split second yesterday, I thanked my lucky stars for having such a great pregnancy.

Split second over.

Get out, Chloe.

**Update** ~ Had our doctors appointment this morning and although we've made SLIGHT progress... I made another doctors appointment for this time next week, at which point we'll have to have a 'talk' if she isn't here by then. Chloe... that means come out now. Daddy doesn't want to work anymore and mommy is bored.

Happy Due Date To Us!

I couldn't resist. Today's the day that's been marked on the calendar for a good 9 months now...

just sitting there, taunting me

I guess it'll taunt me even more. I feel like it is Christmas morning... I've never fixated on a date like this before (no, I really didn't expect her to come today)... but now that Christmas morning, where is my dang present, I'd like to know!

How rude.

The only fabulous thing about today so far is that I promised myself a pedicure if I made it all the way to my due date (silently praying it wouldn't come to that - I could handle ugly toes during delivery for a baby born a few days EARLY)... So much for that. I suppose I'll have to go get my nails done so that if she ever DOES make an appearance, I won't look god awful. Maybe there should be some starbucks involved to console me.

Anyone else want to make me feel better and tell me they went PAST their due date??

No Labor on Labor Day!

Just a quick update... We're still here... My dreams of laboring on labor day are simply not to be... tomorrow is our due date, however. I absolutely can NOT believe it. I'm sure I'll be in shock most of the day. We have an appointment on Wednesday at which point I may have to beg the doctor to get her out. I think I'm just about done now. I've had a great pregnancy and now I want my prize. Now. Like Yesterday now. Haha.
Have a good (short) week...

For a good laugh, this is what parents-to-be do while they are waiting for their babies...

Behold, the men in black before our wedding. Isn't my monkey cute (he's the one on the left in case you can't tell!) haha. :)

Chris thinks this picture speaks for itself... then again...Ponch called and wants his glasses back, Dave! We miss you!!