TuTu Cute at Two Months

 

 

I figured since Riley's 3 month mark is fast approaching (December 7th), I'd give a rundown of month 2.

 

First of all, Toby was on an "easier" Cardiology rotation the first 2 weeks of November (Electrophysiology) & can I just say how nice it is to have your husband home for dinner...I mean seriously awesome!!!  Working 7:30 am - 5:30 or 6 pm is MUCH better than his usual 14 or 15 hour days.  It was a much needed change of pace from the previous few weeks.  However, we're back to night shifts this week.  :(

 

While Toby was working a bit less & had 2 FULL weekends off in a row (unheard of), Riley & I took advantage of much needed Toby/Daddy time.  The first Saturday he was off, we ventured to The Loop for some lunch & had our first experience with Bubble Tea (NOT a fan of Tapioca balls by the way!).  Then, with so much time on our hands, we decided to visit the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.  We learned all about women's fashion through the centuries (kind of a random exhibit I thought, but nonetheless, interesting....& definitely made me reminisce about my History of Apparel class back in college) & they had a huge exhibit on the 1904 World's Fair...St. Louis' Forest Park was completely transformed for the one of largest World's Fair in history.  Did you know, it has been claimed that Peanut Butter, Dr. Pepper, the hot dog, the hamburger, waffle cones, & cotton candy were first introduced at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis?!  Who woulda thought....

 

Riley & Daddy at History Museum looking out at Forest Park

 

 

Anyway, the next weekend Toby had off, his parents came in for a visit.  We went to the park on Saturday & while the guys played a round of Frisbee Golf, Toby's mom & I took Riley for a stroll....it was a beautiful day to be outside.  They watched her that evening while we went....wait for it...our first date by ourselves since Riley entered the world!  :)  We only went out for a couple of hours to dinner at our favorite little Thai restaurant in downtown (Sen Thai), but it was nice just to get out.  I was a little worried about Riley taking a bottle from Grandma....but she did (however, has not done well since).

 

First Date since baby...

 

Her 8 week Dr. appointment on 11/02/12 proved for her to be right on track:

 

Height: 22.7 in (68th percentile)

Weight: 11 lbs 4 oz (53th percentile)

Head Circumference: 14.7 in (16th percentile)

 

So, basically, she has a small head (but I'm sure not lacking any smarts) & about average on height & weight....she's looking pretty healthy. 

 

But don't take my word for it...

 

 

 

Mommy Lessons learned this month:

• 1.  Don't put your child in the baby Ergo immediately after they eat, march around the house to "test it out", put them in the car seat & tightly strap them in, pull them out of the car seat once at destination to then place them once again into the baby Ergo.  Because....THIS HAPPENS!

 

• 2.  If your baby does not take a pacifier, don't wait until after 2 months old to introduce a bottle....because, they will act as if they have NO clue what to do with a rubber nipple!

• 3.  While breastfeeding during church, be sure the baby doesn't get a diaper wedgie while you're trying to get them situated....because, you could have them pee all over themselves & you during the middle of the sermon.  Lucky for us, our church has speakers in the bathroom!
 
• 4.  Make sure you have Baby Tylenol on hand BEFORE their 2 month shots....otherwise, when their leg starts to swell & gets red hot, it's not fun to load up a screaming baby in the car, run to Wal-Green's by yourself & patiently wait for the pharmacist to tell you the new dosage requirements for infants!
 
• 5.  As for sleeping, well I have no lessons learned yet.  Let's just say...we're STILL learning!!

 

And just for the fun of it...this is how Toby likes to spend time with Riley!

 

Spa Baby

 

 

~Bridget 

 

Oh, the things you've missed....

Oh, bloggety, blog, blog, bloggety, blog...have you missed me so?!?  It's been over a month since I have graced you with my presence, so I guess I have some catching up to do.  Last time I wrote, it was all about Riley's birth story & here today she's already 8 wks! 

 

So, what have I been up to that has been keeping me away?  Well, I'm so glad you asked!  Riley & I have been attending the Mom's & Babies group at Missouri Baptist Hospital on Tuesday mornings.  We get to meet with other brand new moms & talk about how we have no idea what we're doing.  There is an experienced volunteer who talks us through various topics (like tips on traveling with a baby).  Then, we have a mom's Bible study that we're attending on Thursday mornings and have also met with other moms & babies through WUMCHA.  We go on walks, read books, visit friends, etc, etc.  Honestly, I have such a limited amount of time in between feeds & I usually fill it with stuff that needs to be done...like showering & cleaning the house (sometimes a nap). 

 

Other than that, I have just been thanking God everyday for this wonderful & special blessing in our lives.  I now have a glimpse at how much the Lord loves us as his children...how amazing!

 

And since pictures are worth a thousand words, I'll share a few (or several....or lots....)....

 

 

First Bath

 



Hating it...





Realizing it might not be so bad after all...





And, hating it again...

 

Luckily, she has no problems with bathtime now! 



*****************************************************************************

1 Week Old Stats:

Height: 19.60"

Weight: 6 lbs

Head Circumference: 13"

One week old & very first outing...St. Louis Balloon Glow!

************************************************************************

 

2 Week Old Stats:

Height: 21.4"

Weight: 7 lbs

Head Circumference: 13.7"

Just chillin' in my clean diaper...

 

 

********************************************************************

One Month Old:

I love my fat sheep, I really do...

Totally had enough of this tutu!
 



Riley's favorite place to sleep...even has a smile. 



Pretty girl 

Getting bored with these pictures mom.

No, I'm seriously DONE with these pictures mom!

Well, that's about all we've been up to!  ;)

Riley's Birth Story

 

 

 

 

Well, it's been awhile since my last post.  I've been meaning to update this thing ever since we arrived home from the hospital but due to sleep deprivation, napping always prevailed as THE  priority during any "free time"....so, finally...here's Riley's birth story (mostly told by daddy/Dr. Toby Rockefeller...as you'll be able to tell).

 

 

"Birth Day Thoughts:

06:00 – Awake after a TERRIBLE night of sleep. I tossed and turned all over the place. I’ve never done well with anticipation of big events (e.g. vacations, tests, birth of my first child, etc).

07:58 – Just arrived to the hospital for our 7:00am check in time… Yeah, we’re that late. The front desk lady was pretty rude, but we eventually got registered. We had to wait for the front desk lady to register the 8:00am appointment first. She didn’t care that the traffic was atrocious.

10:00 – Oxytocin started after 3 painful attempts at placing an IV. Apparently she was a little dehydrated so they gave her a liter of LR. Man, I really hope this goes well…

10:15 – Bridget struggled out of bed to straighten her hair in front of the mirror. Unbelievable…

10:30 – We prayed together that Riley and Bridget would stay safe. God is sovereign over all things, including the delivery of his handiwork. Can’t wait to see what He’s been knitting for the last 40 weeks.

10:45 – Contractions are starting to get a little stronger. Now coming every 4 min and lasting 2 min.

12:00 – Mom is pacing the room, intermittently watching the monitor. We’re talking about Mom’s deliveries, and apparently, I was the perfect child. Unfortunately, I was born 8 days late and I seemed to have passed this trait on to Riley. Contractions are becoming a little more painful and frequent.

1:20 – I step away and grab a bite to eat.

3:00 – Nothing is happening now. Seems like everything has stalled out… Did we make a mistake?

3:30 – Dr. Philpott came in to talk about our options if Bridget gets to 20 on the Pitocin in the next hour and things still haven’t changed.  We can try an artificial rupture of membranes and put ourselves on the “we’re gonna have a baby in the next 18 hours come hell or high water” pathway, or we can go home and try again in another week or so if things don’t take off naturally in the meantime. Needless to say, I was pretty frustrated at this point, because no one had any strong opinions. We all just looked at each other and said, I could go either way…

3:30 - 4:40 – I read everything from midwivery blogs to Cochrane Reviews and I still haven’t convinced myself of the perfect decision. I’m mentally weighing the risks/benefits with no real research to guide me. I hate when medicine is more art than science… Midwives might say “you never should’ve tried the induction in the first place because there’s no such thing as a baby that’s too big, and Pitocin is made by the devil himself,” OB/Gyn’s would probably say, “go ahead with the AROM and see what happens. If she fails to progress and gets a c-section that’s not the end of the world,” and the research I was reading claimed something in the middle: Primigravida AROM causes more fetal distress than SROM, but inductions prevent meconium aspirations and deaths… So, if we proceed with induction and do the AROM, I feel that the risk of c-section is unchanged, the risk of infection from prolonged rupture is higher, and the risk of meconium aspiration is lower versus going home to wait for SROM or a more receptive time to induce. Add to that the fear that insurance may balk at paying for an induction under the diagnosis of “high risk for cephalo-pelvic-disproportion” if we just walk away later in the day. I mean Riley’s head is changing faster than Bridget’s pelvis. How could the risk for CPD be present in the morning and not in the afternoon? I can hear them now, “if you went home, then there obviously wasn’t a real indication for induction.” They may be right…

4:40 – Bridget’s Pitocin is turned up to 20 microunits/min and the countdown begins. We’ll give it an hour and recheck her cervix. If there isn’t any change, then we’ll be forced to make a decision. Pretty sure I’ll push for going home…as crazy as that sounds.

5:00 – Contractions are coming pretty regular now and they seem to be more painful. Wish this would’ve happened hours ago!!

5:30 – Contractions are pretty painful! Bridget is crushing my hand and she’s telling everyone to shut up while she’s making a floppy face and blowing away the pain…

5:45 – Cervix rechecked and we’re 5-6cm, 90% effaced, 0 station. Things have changed…some. The nurse asks for a decision and I voice all my concerns. Bridget is laboring away. We’ll wait and see what Dr. Philpott thinks of the change…

6:00 – Bridget’s contractions are considerably more uncomfortable. Dr. Philpott basically said we can do whatever we think is best. The nurse is wishy-washy. Ahhhh! I ask Bridget one more time if she has an opinion (which she didn’t have before) and she now seemed adamant about finishing what we started. She wanted her water broken and she wanted Riley OUT! We prayed it over before making it our final decision. In the middle of the prayer I had the realization that my anxieties about the delivery would never go away, there is no way to reduce the risks to zero, and I just needed to trust God’s faithfulness. The decision to induce was made after much prayer, so why second guess it now? Onward!

7:30 – Contractions are regular and intense. No AROM yet because the Dr is busy, so we checked the cervix again. 7cm and 100%!! We turned down the Pitocin to 10 and plan to ride this thing to SROM!

9:00 – SROM occurred and it was clear. Contractions are really good and we have a great system of rubbing every inch of Bridget’s body while she blows the pain away…

10:00 – Bridget got in the shower for some warm water/relaxation. It was actually quite nice, and she seems to be doing a little better.

10:45 – Bridget is REALLY tired and the contractions are starting to get to her. It’s time for that epidural. She seems defeated, but I’m really impressed with her tolerance so far!

11:10 – Epidural is in and she’s getting some relief. We checked her cervix after laying back down and she’s completely dilated with some of Riley’s hair visible!!

11:20 – She’s now feeling numb all over and wants the epidural taken out. Hahaha. Grass is always greener…

11:45 – Bridget’s starting to push!!

12:07 – Riley is literally at the threshold! Dr. Philpott is on the way in! Bridget actually asked to use a crotch mirror to see Riley’s head! Mom is taking off-centered pictures!

12:17 – Riley Anne Rockefeller is born, healthy! Bridget has minimal tears/tears and is so beautiful! Pictures galore. She weighs 6 lbs/12oz, is 19 inches long, and had APGARS of 9 and 9! God is good…"

As for my thoughts...I can only simply say, it was the most AMAZING feeling to finally have her here!!  I endured hours of pain (was pretty proud of myself that I made it to 9 cm without the epidural!), was beyond thrilled that we didn't have to have a c-section (as many thought I would), thanked God that she came out screaming, kept wondering why she had dark hair :), but above all else, now know what love at first sight truly means! 

 

I am currently loving my job as full-time mommy & wouldn't trade this for anything. We have prayed for her for years & now have her in our arms....yes, we're completely & utterly in L-O-V-E!

 

 

 

Daddy's little girl...

 

 

About to head home from the hospital...

 

 

Hating the carseat...

 

And we're still trying to decide who she looks like...thoughts??



Mommy

Daddy

Riley

 

Riley



Riley



Cutie Pa-Tootie


And don't worry...more updates to come such as: 1wk stats, 2 wk stats & first bath...but right now I need to go change a blow-out diaper.  ;)

 



Nesting 101 & Riley's Room is Ready!!

 

Well, here we are...nearly at the VERY end and waiting anxiously for baby Riley to arrive.  To be honest, I think most people (including my doctor...& myself) are surprised I have made it this far!  I can't believe I'll be 39 weeks tomorrow...my, how these last few weeks have flown by.

 

We've accomplished quite a bit in weeks 36-39 & I finally feel "ready" (well, as ready as you can be) for her to make her debut.

 

My list of "Nesting Chores" started waaayyyyy back at the beginning of this pregnancy & we finally finished the last thing on the list!!  How was I able to pull this one off you might ask?! Well, you just do it while your husband is working 95 hours per week at the hospital, is completely sleep deprived, & as long as you don't ask for his input & he doesn't have to make any decisions, then he really doesn't seem to care.... ??  Hmmm, I might try this more often!

 

So, thanks to our friend Pete from church, we were able to finally get rid of that old, 1970's, gold-speckled vanity & install a new pedestal sink in our bathroom. (Yes, we still have green subway tile, glass door knobs, & hexagon tiles...that's what happens when you buy a house that was built in the 1920's.)

 

 

Before...

 

 

 

After....

 

 

My recent nesting activities have also included staying up until 1:45 a.m cleaning the house, dusting the ceilings, pulling every shelf, drawer & cubby out of the refrigerator to clean them & of course, putting the final touches on Riley's room. I hope she appeciates all my hard work someday!  :)

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, & we have our bags packed ready to go....

 

 

 

 

We can't wait to meet you Riley!!

 

Love & Kisses,

 

Mommy & Daddy