Our Baby is One!

It is hard to believe that a year ago we were celebrating Thanksgiving from a hospital room. I can still remember the day like it was yesterday although Preston says I have a skewed view of how long everything took (we were there all day but in mind mind it seems like a few hours). What I remember most from that day were the overwhelming emotions we experienced. In one single moment my life was forever changed. I felt a sense of love, pride, and joy that I had never felt before. It was a truly amazing day and weekend.

This weekend while celebrating I have experienced many more emotions. I find myself tearing up just thinking about how fast these past twelve months have gone. I wish I could snap my fingers and start back over again. I swear you never believe anyone when they say "it goes fast" but it does... a little too fast.

Tomorrow we will celebrate with our closest family and friends with a "back yard carnival." We are really excited about it. My mom and I joke that this is practice for her wedding because it has gotten a bit out of hand. Our philosophy is that you are only one once so we are going all out! Even though ER won't remember, I hope she will be able to look back on the memories we made and appreciate the effort we made!

Friday we celebrated her birthday all day! After her favorite breakfast and long morning nap we ventured out to a newly renovated park downtown. Needless to say with the holiday it was a bit hectic and crowded but we still had a great time. She loved walking around (yes - we have walker now!) and meeting new friends. She really enjoyed watching the train and boats too. After we got home and her afternoon nap was over we gave her her birthday present from us. We gave her a Smart Trike and she loves it! She keeps opening the blinds to look outside at it. She also points at it too. That is our hint that she is ready to go for a ride! To celebrate we invited the grandparents over for dinner and cupcakes. We had a yummy steak dinner with pumpkin cupcakes. ER loved her cupcake! She picked it right up and tried to put the whole thing in her mouth. I hope she will do the same with her cake at her big party! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed reminiscing about the past year. We are really lucky to have such supportive parents in our lives. I don't know what we would do without them! Ella Ruth sure does love them!

Here are some pictures from the big day!

Future Meredith Girl?

This afternoon ER and I visited Meredith College, my alama mater. We originally went to participate in a young aluma pumpkin painting event, but quickly realized that wasn't really for us yet. Since we were already on campus I grabbed my camera and took ER to the quad area to take a few pictures. I am really excited about how they turned out. I have to say... strolling my baby girl around Meredith's campus was a surreal moment for me. I cannot wait to make visiting Meredith an annual tradition for our family. Hopefully as ER goes up she will begin to see herself going there. If she doesn't that is okay too. Either way I just hope our daughter will have an amazing time in college, making lots of lasting friendships. Just like her mommy did.

Love a Fair...

Is it really already October? October means three things in our home... football, pumpkins, and the FAIR. I cannot begin to tell you how obsessed I am with all things fair. Second to Christmas the fair was my favorite "holiday" growing up. I absolutly love everything about it. The rides, the food, the exhibits, the people watching. Most of all I enjoy spending time with my parents and grandmother (it is a family tradition of ours). This year I was especially excited because it would be ER's first trip! On Saturday we ventured our early to try to beat the first weekend crowd. We had a great time. The weather was perfect and the crowd really didn't show up until we were on our way out! Our only regret was missing the pig races! :) Overall ER's first trip to the fair was a huge success!

The Past Six Months

It is hard to believe ER will be one in a month and a half! Where has the time gone? She is truly a blessing and we are enjoying the little changes that are happening each day. She is becoming more idependent and mobile each day. Currently she is working hard to stand on her own. She cruises from place to place around the room and she is now walking behind her walker. I don't think it will be much longer before we have a walker on our hands.

This summer we had many fun family adventures. Between beach trip ER learned many new tricks. Her biggest trick was learning to crawl (July 4th week)! She also got two teeth that week too! It was fun being with family while sharing these big milestones. At her six month appointment ER weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces. She was also 26 inches long. She was still in the 30% for her weight but 50% for height. Everyone things she is younger for her age. At her nine month appointment in August she weighed 19 pounds and was 28.5 inches long. She finally made it into the 50% for weight and is in the 75% for height. She is growing perfectly and we are so proud of her!

This fall she has enjoyed visiting a pumpkin farm, fun play-dates with her new friends, many trips to the park swings, a trip to the mountains, and her first train ride. She is having a blast and so are we! At this time ER is enjoying learning how to feed herself! She is a great eater! Her favorite foods include pasta, peas, mac and cheese, cheese, apple sauce, carrots, and yogurt. She is also a new fan of baby oatmeal. She is obsessed! She really enjoyed black beans the other day but boy did we have our hands full with gas the next day!

Here are some pictures to catch you up on the last few months! I am going to try to work harder to do monthly updates! Here's to trying! Enjoy!

Happy Halloween from our Family to Yours!

Treat N Greet Halloween

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View the entire collection of cards.

Months 4 and 5

Whew... another couple months have past. It is amazing how much faster seems to pass with a child! I am hoping once summer break arrives time will slow down for a while! Being a working mommy keeps me busier than ever!

These last couple of months have been amazing. ER continues to amaze us daily. She is beginning to develop her own little personality which is a lot of fun. She now lets us know when she is bored, irritated, happy, and excited. She has also started reaching for familiar family members. That has been fun, especially for the grandparents!

At her 4 month check up she weighed 13 pounds 6 ounces and was two feet tall (24 inches). She is now in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. Although we aren't really focused on percentiles I did want to mention it so I wouldn't forget. At our appointment we discussed trying solid food with our pediatrician. He gave us the go ahead to try it. We decided to give it a go a couple days later and Ella Ruth let us know very quickly she was not ready. We waited a couple weeks and tried again. The second time she seemed more interested and ready so we have been giving her rice three to four times a week. I recently discovered Mum Mum crackers and she loves them! She is beginning to get more and more interested in eating (especially when we are eating) so I am sure "real" baby food is in our future!

Aside from eating and developing her personality Ella Ruth now has a couple other "tricks" up her sleeve. She is now rolling over onto her tummy from her back (I think it may be her favorite thing now!). She is also "jumping" in her jumperoo that goes in the door frame. Aside from rolling over this has to be her second favorite thing! I think she could jump all day!

Ella Ruth's most big girl moment came last Saturday night. She slept in her crib for the first time! She went down right away and slept the entire night. It was so hard to finally give in and let her try it out (yes she was almost 5 months old) but I am glad we did! She seems to rest better in her own space. In the morning she doesn't even fuss (she never really has though). I'll just hear her playing on the monitor. When I look to see what she is during she is usually rolled over to her tummy just looking around. Sometimes she can be found trying to find her toes through her sleep blanket. We love going in each morning and getting her out of her crib! She looks like such a big girl in there but I am so proud of how she is transitioning.

On a side note our family also had some excitement these last few weeks. We went to the beach for the first time with my mom and dad during Spring Break. It was a ton of fun! ER loved the beach! We are really looking forward to returning in July! It will be here before we know it! We also enjoyed celebrating Easter. We were blessed with a beautiful service at church on Saturday night. On Sunday ER and I (daddy was working) visited our families back home! We had not seen most of them since Christmas so it was great seeing everyone again!

Life continues to get better each day as we remain fascinating at how much ER changes each month. She isn't a newborn anymore and I have to admit that makes my heart hurt! All I have to say is she can start slowing down any day now!

3 Months and Counting

It seems every day with Ella Ruth just gets better and better. Every day we catch our selves looking at her with the feeling our hearts may explode at any moment from the amount of love we feel for her. No one could ever prepare you for the unconditional love a parent experiences.

Over the last month ER contiues to amaze us. She surpises us each week with new "tricks." Some of those tricks include rolling over from her stomach to her back, laughing out loud, smiling at familiar faces, and "talking" ALL the time! She is now wearing a size one diapers (although she can also wear size two) and three month clothes (some 3/6 month fit)! We go back to the doctor on the 29th for her four month check up so we are curious to see her progress as far as weight/height are concerned. We estimate she is around 12 pounds. I guess we will find out soon enough!

It is hard to believe we love her more than we did three months ago but we do!



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Over Due Posting

It is hard to believe our little girl will soon be three months old. With that said it is hard to believe I have neglected to post at all during that time. Although I have been keeping up with things in her baby book I feel that I am missing my chance to really document all those little moments that have brought joy to our lives during the last twelve weeks. I am not sure why I began a blog a couple years ago but I now have a sense of purpose! I want to begin documenting our new life with Ella Ruth! Of course I am still going to blog about other things as well but for the most part I want to dedicate my time to writing things down so that I don't forget them! So today begins my journey... to be a more dedicated blogger and more organized mom! Of course attempting to keep up with a blog is no easy task with an almost 13 week old, but I am going to give it my very best shot! Here goes nothing!

At Christmas ER loved looking at the lights! She now enjoys watching us instead. We aren't as pretty to look at or nearly as stimulating but I guess we will have to do!



On December 24th (Christmas Eve) Ella Ruth gave us what we like to think of as her first "real smile." She smiles all the time now! We love it! A couple days after Christmas she enjoyed practicing with her Grammy (my mom).



One of Ella Ruth's favorite things is her mobile! This was one of her first pictures getting the hang of things. You can now hear her "talking"/laughing at the objects throughout our house! What a beautiful sound!



Her second favorite thing is her swing. This is where she enjoys napping in the morning. I am in love with the way she looks when she is asleep so I probably have hundreds of her in this same position. I just picked one of my favorites.



Tummy time has not always been her favorite but she is beginning to like it more with practice. At first she got in most of her time on our chest looking up at us. I like to think she enjoyed bonding with us rather than spending time on the floor with her toys.



On January 22nd ER was christened. It was very special because my Uncle (the same who christened AND married me) was able to come down and conduct the service. It was such a special time for our little family and we felt so blessed to have the support of family and friends on that day. Unfortunately we did not get a lot of pictures before the service (my one regret) or inside the church. This photo was taken after the reception. The bow took the place of her bonnet.



Of course I still have a ton to catch up on. For now those are just a few highlights I enjoyed! More to come soon!

Meredith College Girls... Best in the World!

Five years ago I graduated from Meredith College. It is a small all girls college in Raleigh, North Carolina. I feel in love with Meredith LONG before I was old enough to apply. My favorite babysitter growing up went to Meredith. Hearing her stories and meeting her "suite mates" made an impression on me even at an early age (We are talking 9 year old people!). Once I was old enough to visit I knew it was the place for me. Although all of my girlfriends thought I was crazy ("You mean there are NO boys there?") the idea of going to a women's college seemed very impowering.



Looking back I could not imagine going to another college. I loved everything about my Meredith experience. From Cornhuskin' (you just have to experience it) to boy hours I made so many lasting memories.

On move in day my mom met G's mom in the parking lot. They introduced us and we became instant friends! We later became roomates and are now best friends!




C was G's roomate! We too became fast friends! Although she transfered and now lives a state away when we talk we pick up right where we left off!



M, L, and I became suite mates sophmore year. We became very close and still are to this day!





In my last years at Meredith I spent most of my time in
Ledford Hall. That is where all the future teachers could be found. There I met many of my "teacher friends" (some who are now colleuges). The other college down the street (that would be NC State) did not offer a teacher lisnse program so often those girls came to us. At first I was weary of these girls but I soon met some great, fun girls!

After student teaching with A we later became co-teachers! We continue to work at the same school and I will be in her wedding this spring!



At Meredith I learned a ton and met lots of girls who are now some of my best friends. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go to college. Going to Meredith was just the icing on the cake!

Our Birth Story

Before Ella Ruth I heard lots of birth stories. I knew our birth experience would be different but not knowing exactly what to expect was difficult for this self proclaimed "planner." I liked knowing exactly what to expect and this was something I could not plan.

Throughout my extire pregnancy I approached the whole experience with a laid back mentality. This was the first time I was pregnant so I everything was new and exciting. Fortunately throughout the entire process I felt great. It wasn't until the last few weeks that I truly "felt pregnant." For that I am so grateful! I certainly think that helped me a lot more pleasant to be around!

This laid back mentality crossed over into my thoughts about delivery. My OB-GYN practice helped with this a lot! One doctor told me that a "birth plan" should be considered more like "birth preferences." After hearing those words of advice I decided to let things happen the way they needed to, not how I wanted them to because let's face it... the only one that is truly in charge during birth is God. I was going to go into the hospital with the mentality that what needed to be done would be done so that my little girl would arrive healthy and I would be comfortable.

On ER's due date (November 24th) I went in for my 40 week appointment. During the examination I was still just 2 cm dilated just as I had been the week before. I was also still only 50% effaced. However the doctor told me she could feel the baby's head and lots of fluid. She did not think I would make it to the weekend. We did schedule an appointment for Monday - just in case induction was necessary. After I left my appointment I felt so excited! Knowing that I was one day closer to meeting my little girl made my heart smile. To celebrate my mom met me and we had a wonderful lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. Afterwards I treated myself to a mani/pedi. I went on about life and ran one last holiday errand before heading home and settling in for the night.

That night I did not feel particularly unusual so I went to bed thinking that our Thanksgiving plans would continue without a hitch. Honestly I just knew my water would break during lunch with our family. How embarrassing right? Preston was on duty so I settled in, watched a movie in bed, and fell asleep.

Around 2:00 I woke up to some light cramps. Nothing too serious but they weren't like those I had felt in the past. I started timing them and they were coming about every 10 minutes or so. I didn't think much of them although I couldn't get comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Then something very unexpected happened. Around 3:30 my water broke. Although it felt more like a big leak than the huge gush I was expecting. I tried very hard not to panic (again since it was more like a leak). I called the doctor on call and waited. Once she called me back she arrured me there was nothing to worry about. She told me to continue monitoring my contractions and wait 4 to 6 hours before coming in. This reassured me to not get too excited so I started to relax. I didn't even call Preston! I knew he would rush home from work and at that point there wasn't really any ting he could do. I went ahead and took a shower. Dried my hair, straighted it, and put a little make up on (yes I am THAT girl). I then finished packing our hospital bags and went back to bed. I even managed to eat a little bit and fall back asleep. Around 7:00 I woke up with more painful contractions. This time they were much closer together. They were now 5 to 7 minutes apart. One of my doctors had told me that real labor contractions started in the front of your abdomen and went through to your back (most of the time). That was exactly how these felt so now I knew something was really happening. The fact that they were increasingly painful was a clear sign too!

Around 8:00 Preston made it home from work. He was surprised to find out I had now been in labor for a few hours. He was excited to say the least. I told him I would call the doctor to let her know we were coming in. We were going to have a baby today! He packed up the car and off we went. We got to the hospital around 8:30.

Once we arrived we checked in and I went to triage to be examined. At that time I was just 3 cm dilated and they were not 100% sure my water had broken. Because I was just a little dilated they suggested I walk for 45 minutes. At that time the pain was not absolutely unbearable so we started our laps. Every 5 minutes or so we would have to stop for a contraction. During our walk they started to get closer and closer together. By the end of our walk they were 2 minutes or so apart.

After the walk I was examined again. By this time it was around 11:00. I still had not made a lot of progress but because I was having contractions so close together and so strong they admitted me. Once I was admitted they gave me a little medicine to "take the edge off." Although it really didn't ease the pain it made me not care as much! ;) I felt as if I had too many glasses of wine.

Around 12:00 my parents arrived. It was so nice to have them there. Although they had to leave family plans behind their support and words of comfort helped a lot! We spent our time watching football and talking. Although they did a great job of distracting me the pain increased and got even more frequent. It seems as one contraction ended the next began. At one point an internal monitor had to be placed on the baby because her heart rate was making an "unusual" pattern on the monitor. This was totally normal and as soon as the monitor was in place her heart rate changed into a more normal pattern. This also reasured us that my water had actually broken... they could not have placed the monitor if it had not! I knew it had broken!

Around 2:00 the pain was getting to be a bit too much for me to handle. I never went into my delivery thinking I would "hold out" until I couldn't take it any more. As soon as I realized it was getting unbearable I opted for meds - FAST! Within thirty minutes the epidural was in place and things were just peachy. It is amazing how fast and how beautifully that medication works! I like to think I was never too grumpy during the whole process but I know I certainly got a lot more pleasant if I was after that!

After they started my epidural they came in and checked me again at 3:30. I was still just 4 to 5 cm dilated so they began a potocin drip to help speed things up. It must have worked because around 4:30 I began feeling extreme pressure in my bottom. So much we had to call in the nurse because I thought I needed to use the bathroom. Turns out I was just ready to push. She checked me - even though she had just done that an hour before - and I was a full 10 cm! We said goodbye to our parents (by that time my mother in law had also arrived), said a prayer, and began the process of pushing.

Thankfully things progressed so quickly I did not need more epidural meds. This helped a lot because I was still able to move my legs, lift my bottom, and feel pressure. While I was pushing I could actually feel the contractions coming on (without any pain of course) which allowed me to help the nurse know when it was time to push. I began pushing around 4:50. Dr. Maddison came in just in time for my last two pushes (our nurse Margret was wonderful by the way - she did so much!). After just 25 minutes of pushing Ella Ruth was born at 5:18 pm!

Words cannot describe the emotions and feelings one has as soon as their child is born. For me it was a total rush of several. Oddly enough one of the first for me was relief. Not relief that labor was over but relief that she was here, safely with five fingers and five toes! It was so good to finally see her face and hear her cries. Of course an overwhelming feeling of love filled our hearts.

Honestly what happened afterwards was a big blur. It felt like a surreal out of body experience. I couldn't believe that I had just given birth. I couldn't believe that I was looking at OUR child. One that we had prayed for, created, and dreamed about for the last 9 months.



Once they checked her over well visitors began pouring in. Yes - they poored into the delivery room! They got to see Ella Ruth in all her glory getting measured, getting her first shot (which was horribly painful for us - now we truly understand the old saying, "this will hurt me more than it will hurt you"), and first bath. Preston and his grandmother worked to get her clothed and diapered. It was truly a precious moment!

After things were settled up in the labor and delivery room we headed up to our post delivery room. We were greeted by the sweetest nurses (my favorite quickly became the one who told me that diets start after you leave the hospital)! Shortly after we got settled in what seemed like our entire family once again poored in to meet Ella Ruth! We felt so lucky to have everyone there! I guess it was perfect timing! The holiday allowed so many, that would otherwise been out of town, to be there!

It was truly an amazing day. We are blessed beyond measure and looking forward to seeing what the future holds for our little family of three (well two and a half technically)!

Although this picture has absolutely nothing to do with our birth story it was just too cute for me to resist. It was taken in the hospital. One of our friends had given us the hat and she was coming to visit so we just had to try it on! We can't believe she was so little then! She is growing way too fast already!