Baby Gemma - Week One

Well, we survived our first week!  We were discharged from the hospital on Monday afternoon.  We've had several visitors over the last week and we've tried to nap when there's time.  The first few days, before my milk came in, were rough.  She cluster fed all night (feeding every 1-2 hrs) which didn't allow for Mommy to get much sleep.  Lucky for Daddy, he could sleep through a bombing.  Once my milk came in, she started to sleep much better.  The last few nights, she's slept 2.5-4 hr spurts during the night.  During the day, she likes to eat every 2-3 hrs.  Otherwise, she's a very content little baby.  She'll sleep anywhere - in her bassinet, in the pack n' play, in our arms, in her lamb chair, on our bed, in her car seat, etc.  So, we're thanking our lucky stars and praying this sticks.  

We had our first pediatrician appointment on Wednesday and everything is looking good.  She weighed the same as she did the day we left the hospital - 6lbs, 14 oz, which is great.  The doctor said she'd only lost 5% of her birth weight which is excellent - anything more than 10% is worrisome.  She also was measured at 21.5 inches in length.  She got her first shot in the Hepatitis B series which was sad to watch....not looking forward to when the big vaccines start in a month or so.   

 She likes to snooze on our bed sometimes.  We took naps after the doctor's appointment and here is a picture of my two bums.  Gemma LOVES her daddy.  She can't get enough of him, and he can sooth her better than anyone else.

 Tuesday afternoon snoozin...

 Thursday morning snoozin' with her favorite pup.  Riley has come around - on day 1 he was a little jealous and sad, now he wants to be with his baby all the time and tries to sneak her kisses.

 We gave her her first "at home" sponge bath yesterday (although, after a little bit of a pee and waterproof pad incident, she got a quickie bath one night earlier last week).  Her daddy's hands are so big it's easy for him to wash her.

 Yesterday, she turned 1 week old - we can't believe how fast the first week flew by.  Gemma and I are sad Brian has to go back to work tomorrow, but we're excited for him to work from home the week after.

 We're still working on baby posing....luckily, tomorrow we're getting professional newborn photos taken.  I left the house for 30 minutes yesterday, made a mad dash to Nordstrom to buy some cute baby flower headbands for her pictures.

 I have a short list of "favorite baby items" already....

Earth Mama & Angel Baby Nipple Butter - I got this as a shower gift and I like it way better than lanolin.  I think it's from Whole Foods, but when I googled for a photo, it appears Target and Amazon carry it, as well.  The main ingredient is olive oil!  This is a MUST HAVE, in my opinion, for nursing moms, early on in my experience.

Swaddle Sacks - We have both the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle (top) and the Summer Infant Swaddleme (bottom).  They seem to both work the same in terms of how long and well she sleeps, but the Halo one is a bit thicker (warmer), but it's more difficult to change her diaper without un-swaddling her.  She loves being swaddled, even if these things are like baby straight jackets.

 My Brest Friend - Hands down, this is my favorite piece of gear so far.  I was debating between this and a Boppy and ended up with both.  This has made nursing so much easier for us.  Much more support so I can concentrate on her position and latch instead of how much my arm hurts.  I wish I'd brought this with me to the hospital.  Best $30 you could spend!  The Boppy is nice and seems more versatile and we'll likely use it more down the line, but for a newborn and a mom learning to nurse, I recommend the My Brest Friend.

Welcome to the World, Gemma Ann

Our baby has arrived!  Little Miss Gemma Ann Rogers was born on Saturday, June 18 at 6:14pm.  She measured in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long.  She is so precious!  We are having a wonderful time getting to know her and learning how to be parents.  We were surprised to welcome a baby GIRL into the world since 99% of everyone who had an opinion said we were having a boy.  Also, her hair is very fair!

My water broke at 1am and after some fumbling around, packing last minute hospital stuff, and arranging for Riley to be left and picked up later, we headed into San Francisco to the hospital.  My contractions were about 6-8 minutes apart at this point.  Once checked in at OB Triage, the nurses confirmed I was indeed in labor and there was meconium in my fluid (meconium = baby poop).  So, I was admitted up to Labor & Delivery where I was told my doctor wanted to start me on pitocin in the morning since I was only dilated to 1.5cm and my contractions were not coming as often as they would have liked given there was meconium in my fluid.  Let me tell you, those suckers (contractions) HURT!  I was such a wimp.  I guess my tolerance to pain is not as great as I'd thought.  In the morning, I was only dilated to between 2 and 3cm and I knew the pitocin would intensify the already killer contractions AND I had a long way to go to get to 10cm so I asked for my epidural.  I thought I could wait it out until 4 to 6cm but alas, this wimp wanted her pain meds.  The anesthesiologist came and gave me my epidural but it didn't take!  After an hour of trying different dosages and positions, they offered to redo it - I said "yes, please!".  Finally, I was feeling some relief.  My right side was completely numb and my left had some sensation left - enough to feel contractions, sensations and pressure.  I was able to get collectively 2 hours of sleep over the next several hours - I was tired and STARVING since I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before and after the epidural, I wasn't allowed to eat anything but chicken broth and jello.  By 2pm or so I was dilated to 8cm and we were getting closer to getting the show on the road.  We had a group of anxious family members standing by waiting for "go time" - my parents, my brothers, my brother's girlfriend, Brian's mom and her fiance, Brian's dad and eventually Brian's brother - my aunt and my grandpa arrived within minutes of Gemma's birth, too.  Stefania came for most of my labor, but had to leave before Gemma decided to make her grand entrance.  Here we all are (except my mom, the photog) before everyone was ushered out (not my favorite photo, but it does capture the scene).

By 5pm or so, I was dilated to 10cm and it was time to push.  Brian, my mom, and Debbie were in the delivery room with me.  I pushed for about an hour or so - and the whole ordeal/situation was VERY calm and un-chaotic - not like you see on TV and in the movies.  Out came baby - with the cord wrapped around her neck four times - all the while never going into distress!  As soon as she was out, I asked, "what is it? what is it?" and the doctor flipped her genitals in our direction and I said, "it's a girl!" (I was a little bit confused at this point because I was so convinced the baby was a boy, I was looking for a big, red baby scrotum).  The grandmas went crazy, screeching, "it's a girl! it's a girl!" and emotions were flowing.  Everyone in the waiting room could hear the grandmas so there was no need to make the big announcement to them!  Brian and I were over the moon for our healthy baby - she was immediately laid on my chest and we were in awe of our little miracle.  Because of the meconium in my fluid, the nurse and doctor had said the baby would have to go to the warming table immediately and be examined by the pediatric specialists, however she was clearly so healthy right off the bat, they sent peds away and gave her right to us.

We could not be more thrilled and in love with our sweet baby girl.  She was a nameless little one for a good 18 hours or so, but we locked her name in by Sunday afternoon.  We had lots of visitors in the hospital, too - Stefania, Dave, my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, Grandma Debbie, Dorothy, Great Grandma Althea,  Amy, Donna, Travis and his girlfriend, and Tracey.

 We are still in disbelief that we grew her from scratch and she's half me and half Brian.  We love her so much and she's still so new!  She is so precious and sweet and we can't get enough of her.

Heaven is....

...a pedicure, including foot massage, when you're 9 months pregnant....ahhhhhh.  My lunch break today was spent at the nail salon indulging in a mani/pedi - can't really do my own toes these days anyway and now my fingernails (also known as talons) are trimmed up nice and short so I don't jab my baby's eyeballs out on day 1.  The pedicurist had a nice chuckle at my swollen ankles and feet.

In other news, I placed an ad on Craigslist to get rid of our plethora of broken down moving boxes in the garage....for free!  Our phone was ringing off the hook and I got a handful of emails and a lovely gentleman named Kensley came and took them away in his minivan.  

Brian got to pick out a new grill for his Father's Day gift.  Ours has bit the dust so it was time to replace.  It's been killing me not being able to grill this week in the new house, nice weather and spacious yard.  We went in for a Weber and left with a Huntington.  Apparently, comparable quality but the Huntington is made in the USA which Brian really liked....also a little bit cheaper than the Weber.

Today marked my last day of work before heading out on maternity leave - woot woot!  Good-bye work, see you around October 17.  I also had a doctor's appointment this week and I was dilated to 1cm.  We have movement!  Working our way towards delivery.  I need a new alternator in my car and have an appointment to have it replaced on Monday morning, AND we have a small gas leak (nothing hazardous, confirmed by PG&E) that is being repaired on Monday afternoon, so it would be grand if baby waited until at least Tuesday to make its appearance....we'll see!

The Yard

The sun FINALLY came out here in the bay area over the last few days so I snapped a handful of photos of our yard.  We haven't done any work yet to the yard so what you see is what we got when we signed on the dotted line....

 This big, huge tree is really pretty, however its roots are causing bumpiness in the lawn and the pavers patio.  We'll have to see how to remedy that.....(and by "we", I mean Brian).  Brian started doing some trimming to the tree branches this weekend so that's the big pile you see next to the tree.  We brought our hammock from Colorado which makes for a nice lounge break here and there.  Brian gets to pick out a new grill for his Father's Day gift - so this coming weekend, we're hoping to hit the sales!

 This little stone bench is a little odd, but the ivy covered arch over it has the COOLEST flowers ever - our friend told us it's a Passion Fruit Vine.  Whatever it is, we're keeping it because the flowers are awesome.

 Here's a little shot of the cherry tree, the swing, the ladder up to the tree house, the tree house, etc.  The squirrels like to jump from the big tree to the cherry tree and Riley awaits underneath in case one of the squirrels misses its jump one day....

 Here are those crazy flowers I mentioned earlier - aren't they neat?!

 Love them!

Lastly, here's a snapshot of the herb garden.  It came with rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme.  This weekend, Brian tore out some of the sage and thyme to make room for basil and two tomato plants.  We'll see how they flourish this late in the year!  We're excited to keep working on the yard and to have a housewarming bbq of some sort hopefully this fall!

Holy Smokes! 38 Weeks!

Can't believe we're 38 weeks along - baby can come at ANY time!  Here's a snapshot of me in the new backyard, with my boy, 38 weeks pregnant.

 Feeling pretty good - very pregnant.  My pelvis and feet ache if I do too much - too much walking, too much standing, etc.  My doctor estimated on Thursday during my appointment that the baby is about 6 lbs, and she also thinks the baby will be right on time.  If her estimates are correct, we'll probably be having a baby between 7 and 8 lbs. - yippee!  No giant baby for us!

 For those animal lovers out there, here's a little snapshot of my boy giving his baby some kisses.  If I point to my belly and say "give the baby kisses" he bathes my belly in licks.  What a good dog-brother!

 I was lazy and had my bassinet and crib skirts pressed at the cleaners (wow, that cost a pretty penny, won't be doing that again), but, alas, they are done and I was able to put the bassinet together, and finish up the crib.  Here's a photo of the bassinet (sorry for the poor lighting), all set up, but in the living room - this will be in our bedroom once baby arrives.  It's so adorable!  I hope the baby loves it and sleeps in it like a good little baby.

 I think the crib looks so cute all set up!  Although, the bumper didn't tie on as symmetrically as I would like.  It's just decorative as it's totally taboo these days to use bumpers.  Apparently, they are a huge SIDS/suffocation risk now.  They sure are cute, though. 

My mom also picked me up this musical Peter Rabbit to go with the baby's bedding.  it's so cute.  Riley loves to look at it.  I think he's secretly planning to destroy it.  We're working on sniffing the baby toys only - no licking, no biting.  We'll see how well it works...

Birthday Brunch on the Bay

Yesterday was Mom's birthday and we celebrated by heading to Sam's Anchor Cafe in Tiburon for brunch.  I've actually NEVER been to Sam's if you can believe it (local hot spot for us bay area natives) and it was a great morning to give it a try.  Just warm enough to sit outside, no wind, not too crowded.  We had lots of yummy brunch food and enjoyed the morning with the fam.  Brian and I are both slightly sun-kissed (ahem...burned).  We finished the day off by running house errands - got some new pots for our plants that needed re-potting and some other new pots and plants.  Our huge garden window in our kitchen is looking so cute!  I'll have to post pics soon - as soon as I take some!  We've got a flowering cactus, a garlic chive plant, an Italian parsley plant, and a few others whose names are escaping me.

Nursery & More

Our baby's nursery is well on its way to being complete...although, this room will not be done until after baby comes since we've decided to hold off on much wall decor and a lamp shade and some other accents until we know if baby is a "he" or a "she".  Also, we ordered plantation shutters for the window below in the baby's room.

Brian did a great job setting up the crib and changing table - they look great!  Lindsay and I did the bookshelf and it turned out pretty good...it only took probably 3x as long as it should have!  I have all of the baby's books on the shelf and two adorable baskets with gingham liners filled with toys and rattles, etc.  I also put up some keepsake frames with my shower invites in them, a diaper cake and a sleep sheep!

 The closet is full of baby gear and supplies, the wipes warmer is ready to be filled and plugged in, the changing table is full of newborn sized diapers, dresser is full of the few outfits we have and lots of blankets and burp cloths.  The closet doors still need to be put back up.

The changing pad cover is white with green polka dots, although it looks white in the photos.  I'm waiting to set up the crib until the skirt is pressed (yes, I caved and took it to the cleaners, ironing that bad boy was more than I wanted to take on - too many layers and double pleats!).  I also got a mattress cover that is fresh out of the dryer tonight, as well as a few other last minute items.  Brian installed the fan on Sunday with no troubles and a little help from Vai, who was also super helpful in organizing baby's closet and getting the dresser organized with me!  Next up, I'd like to hang the "Welcome "R" Baby" sign from my shower that my aunt made - it's super cute!  We're getting there, little by little!

We finally uploaded and organized our house photos.  If you're interested in seeing the before pics and the progress pics to date, click here to check them out: https://picasaweb.google.com/gina.michelle.rogers/232KentPlace?authkey=Gv1sRgCITM5Zyrk8mKVg&feat=directlink

Annoying...

We bought this beautiful baby furniture at Costco that we love and the quality is outstanding.  However, the manufacturer has to put warning stickers on it for morons (Really?  Falling hazard on the changing table?  Of course it's a falling hazard to leave an unattended, active baby laying on a flat surface with no supervision).

 Brian and I probably collectively spent 2 hours trying to rip off pieces of these stickers and scrub off the stickiness without ruining the finish - we tried wood cleaner and soap and water to no avail.  My grandpa suggested WD-40 and voila!  Took the sticker and stickiness away within 3 seconds and no damage to the wood!  Good to know for the future, annoying that we wasted so much time trying to deal with this.

Who Has Two Thumbs....

AND A CLEAR PLACENTA?  This girl!

Needless to say, my doctor's appointment yesterday went really well!  We are 36 weeks and 4 days along and baby is looking healthy and normal!  The ultrasound showed my placenta previa has cleared and I am allowed to go into labor and potentially have a normal delivery (pending any other unforeseen hiccups).  No info shared on baby's size - I'm taking that to mean it's a normal sized baby, not too big, not too small which is FINE by me!  I am also off the modified bed rest, but still need to take it easy.  Some might think I planned it this way with the move, but alas I did not - my mom was with me at the doctor's office as a witness!  At least now I can run some light errands and do laundry and set up my own baby's nursery.  Wahooo! 

 Speaking of the baby's nursery, Brian hauled the crib and changing table/dresser (with some help from Josh) up to the nursery last night and the crib is now assembled and the dresser is in place - just need to assemble the changing table attachment.  Then, it's time to start putting clothes away.  I tried to organize a little last night, but the ceiling fan/light is not up yet so once the sun set, I struggled to see what I was doing.

Lastly, Riley is LOVING his new house.  He loves the yard - lots of room to run in circles and play with big sticks he finds.  He likes to stare out the front window as guests arrive and leave.  His favorite thing, though, is the abundance of squirrels in our backyard.  Every morning around 8, about 4-6 squirrels run along the fence and hop into the cherry tree and into the big tree and back and forth, and Riley the Squirrel Hunter goes bananas.  Here is a photo of him stalking the squirrels from the bedroom slider.  This morning he chased them around for a good hour or so, making weird whining/barking/growling noises as the squirrels taunted him from above.  We call the squirrels his frenemies.