Thursday, April 29, 2010

All is Well

I had my 6 week follow-up check up today, and the good news is...all is well! My blood pressure is perfect...116/65! I was really worried about this, so I am very relieved tonight! I really didn't want to start taking blood pressure medication! Everything else checked out great as well. I'm healing perfectly, and virtually back to normal.

Delaney is doing well, she is sleeping longer and longer stretches at night. Last night she slept from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., and then again until 8:30 a.m. Mommy is definitely appreciating the longer stretches, but I'm still fairly tired most of the time. I'm wondering if she's going through a growth spurt as her eating has been a little crazy the past couple days. She's been growing so much so fast, I think it might be hard to identify the actual growth spurts.

Well, we are in the middle of a thunderstorm right now, so I have a terrified puppy to console. Izzy absolutely hates thunderstorms. She shakes like a leaf at the first sound of thunder, and buries herself under the covers or the nearest blanket. Poor, puppy!

Monday, April 26, 2010

A Fun Weekend of Family & Friends!

We had another big weekend of visitors and first introductions with Delaney. We got an overdue visit from our great friend Charles on Saturday morning. He is one of my (if not the longest) friend, so it was so great for him to meet Delaney! We also had a visit from Delaney's Mencke grandparents on Saturday afternoon! She enjoyed all the attention and snuggling.

On Sunday, we traveled up to Omaha to have brunch with the entire Bryant clan. Delaney got to meet all of my Bryant cousins, including the newest arrival Leo! It was so nice to see everyone and watch Delaney get loved on by all of them! Leo was born in February, and it was so fun to see the two of them together.

Delaney is absolutely blessed and so lucky to have so many great people love her! She is truly the luckiest little girl in the world! (Oh, and she's pretty much the cutest little girl too!)

I also got the best news about a week ago! I get to stay home with Delaney for 4 extra weeks. I don't go back to work now until after Memorial Day! I was absolutely dreading and in complete denial about the planned return just next week! I couldn't even think or talk about it! Then, my wonderful boss (and uncle) all but demanded I stayed home until June! I am beyond thrilled! Trust me, I know the return will be horrible even in June, but at least I have more time to prepare for it. It also gives Delaney 4 more weeks to grow and get stronger, which will help us all feel better about it. I'm so grateful to have such a great job and boss!

Well, I better get started on the mountain of laundry we've accumulated over the last few days! We have a pretty fun week planned, with dates with both of Delaney's boyfriends (Reed & Parker), a lunch at my office, and a potential visit from Grandma Bryant. Oh, and I got back to my OB for my 6 week checkup on Thursday. I'm kinda nervous about it as we'll see if my blood pressure has regulated itself. If not, that more than likely means medication, which I don't really want. I'm too young for that! Ha!

Monday, April 19, 2010

One Month


































Our little peanut is one month old today! Can you believe it?!? She is changing so much these days! She is getting bigger and stronger. We haven't been to the doctor for a couple weeks, but our closest estimates at home are about 7.8lbs and 20in. This is quite a difference from her birth weight and length. Her hair continues to be dark and thick. I think it will be curly or at least wavy. It also is definitely growing. Her eyes are the deepest blue...so pretty! Her little eyelashes are coming in now too! She is just growing out of the preemie diapers and some of her smaller newborn sized outfits.

She is spending more and more time awake each day (and night). She has also started sleeping longer stretches at night (about 4-5 hours at times), which has been really nice. She loves to snuggle with her daddy in the evenings, and we're beginning to think she is scared of being alone in the dark at night. She's suddenly more aware of where we are and seems to fuss more these days at bedtime. She's really cute and cuddly when we hold her after she's fussing at night.

She is more alert during her awake times and seems to be focusing on the things she can see. She "saw" Izzy for the first time up close and personal the other night, and her little eyes just lit up. They are going to be such great friends! She also likes to watch her daddy. She'll lay on our bed and just look up at him with big eyes. It's pretty adorable.

She is a good little eater these days, which explains her great growth! She is eating 3 oz a time about every 3-4 hours. She's like her daddy in that she's quite a messy eater. She makes such a mess, and almost always has to change clothes after she eats because of the milk she spills! She's definitely got quite a temper, but the only time we see it is when she's hungry and we can't get the bottle to her fast enough. It's actually pretty cute, she'll clench her fists and turn beat red right before she really screams.

She is starting to enjoy her baths, but it is obvious she prefers her daddy to give them to her instead of me! I gave her a bath on my own last Friday. and she screamed the entire time. She's quiet and content when Craig bathes her. Already she's becoming a daddy's girl!

We've been working on "tummy time", and she tolerates it fairly well. She's strong and raises her little head up and looks around! She also seems to enjoy the outdoors. I'm hoping we'll be going on our first walk here very soon...maybe this week! She likes riding in the car, very rarely cries or fusses in the car, and almost always enjoys a nice nap!

Well, these are the highlights of little Delaney at the one month mark. Time is flying by, and I swear we love her more and more every day! We are so blessed! She's perfect!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Our First Roadtrip

We decided to take Delaney on her first road trip last weekend. We ventured north to visit all the grandparents. Delaney got to meet many new friends and family over the weekend! I think the only time she was laid down was during the night. She was a little spoiled!

She handled the car ride and all the passing between people very well. She even slept pretty good at her grandparent's house! Daddy and I also got a little extra sleep since everyone was so eager to help and see her awake! I think we all benefited from this!

Delaney is doing good! We can tell just by looking at her that she's getting bigger and gaining weight! Her cheeks are fuller and her little belly is getting a little pudgy! A few of her outfits are a little more snug this week compared to last week, and a lot of them are suddenly too short! She is also spending more and more time awake each day. Her eyes are more alert, you can tell she sees you better. She is even sleeping in a little bit longer stretches at night, which is greatly appreciated by this momma! I can't believe that she's closing in on 4 weeks old. Her due date is this Thursday...it's so crazy, she wasn't even supposed to be here yet! I'm so glad she is though!

She was awake for quite a while this afternoon, so I did a little photo shoot! Here are a few of my favorites!



Monday, April 5, 2010

Delaney's First Easter

We celebrated Delaney's first Easter yesterday with all of her grandparents and her Bryant uncles and aunt. Everyone made the journey down here to Lincoln to see us. They even brought most of the food and treats! It was a nice relaxing holiday for all of us! Delaney made her first trip to church, and did so great! She slept the entire time. Craig made his first attempt at smoking a turkey, and I have to say this is my favorite result so far with any of the smoking experiments. The best part is, we have plenty of leftovers.

Delaney has been doing well. She seems to be visibly growing and changing every day. I would have to guess that she is over 6 pounds now, as we are gaining roughly an ounce a day. She still seems to have her days and nights mixed up. Last night, she was as bright-eyed as she's been at both her 2 AM and 5 AM feedings. Then, this morning she was immediately asleep again after her 8:30 AM feeding. I know this is fairly common, but I just wish there was an easy solution.

Well, the little miss is starting to squirm....I better get going!

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed