Mountain get away

Over the past weekend we went up the mountainS to Avon/Vail. It was Adley's first long (2 hour) car ride and time in the mountains and she slept the whole drive up. We made one pit stop in Breckenridge to change diapers, nurse and to eat crepes of course. The last time I ate a crepe in Breck I was in labor 12 hours later!

We continued our drive to the Marriott in Vail, and just after checking in we changed 2 big diapers, which lead to doing laundry in the sink (twice). Then we walked to the village for dinner so Matt could carb load for his big race the next morning. When we got back to the hotel we thought we would try to give Adley a bottle again and she threw a royal fit. That little girl really knows what she wants! It took at least an hour to finally calm her down and for us to try to get some sleep.

The next day we woke very early, quickly packed up and headed to Beaver Creek so Matt could do the most challenging race of his life. The race is called the Tough Mudder and the tough is an understatement! It was 12.5 miles long, with huge obstacles that required lots of team work, they went from 8,000 feet to 11,500 feet above sea level. The first 7 miles were all hiking up a black diamond ski hill while doing various challenges along the way. Adley and I watched and waited at the top of her first chairlift for Matt and his team to arrive. Naturally they were already dead tired as we watched them go over and under a bunch of logs and climb two 15 foot walls.

By mile 8 Matt was thinking he might not be able to finish because his feet felt like they were broken and at mile 10 he was climbing down a cargo net, lost his footing and had to jump down 4-5 feet. He landed right on his already sore heels and couldn't walk. A medic on a 4 wheeler drove him down the mountain the last 2 miles and helped him with some ice packs.

Meanwhile Adley and I were waiting by the end of the race, we watched as people ran through electrical cords and slippery mud. When the runners get hit with the cords their bodies freeze up and they face plant into the black mud, most spectators thought it was funny but I thought it was sad. I stood there worrying about how Matt was doing, since I didn't know he had gotten hurt. I worried about him running through the cords and getting laughed at if he fell. When his team showed up for the last obstacle Matt was no where to be found. My heart dropped, was he really doing the race alone? Was he hurt somewhere? Where was he? Adley and I went over to the finish line and found him, the poor guy had one shoe off and was trying to walk without showing how much pain he was in.

We then gathered our things and left in a hurry. I drove Matt right to the urgent care in Avon and he got his heels x-rayed and checked out. Thankfully nothing was broken, just badly bruised. They gave him a shot in the butt and sent him home :) I'm so proud of my strong tough mudder husband for making it as far as he did. Thankfully he said that he would NEVER do the race again and that he is proud of himself too. However, after a couple days to rest and think it over he may decide to do the race again...

Over all it was a fun weekend for our little family. We learned a lot about traveling with an infant and doing stupid challenges that no sane person should ever do. I was also reminded that my white skin can't take the mountain sun. I was so busy keeping Adley covered in sunscreen that I forgot about myself, ouch!

Back to the Salon

Last week I went back to work. My first day back is a day that I will never forget. 

The night before I couldn't sleep, so all day long I was feeling pretty tired. Matt had to work a 10 hour shift so I needed to get ready for work with Adley's "help"...needless to say I spent what seemed like the whole day getting myself showered, dressed, hair done and make up on. Matt and I thought it best to meet each other at the salon to make the transfer of Adley and since I'm now always late for things I left super early to get there in time. We ended up getting there 45 minutes before my client was coming so I feed Adley in the parking lot in my car. While she nursed she proceeded to blow out her diaper and spit up on me. She also didn't really want to eat much since she was so tired from the car. I cleaned up the mess on a bench outside while waiting for Matt to arrive. 

We had known since the day Adley was born that I would go back to work when she was 8 weeks old. We knew that meant she would be home with Matt and need take a bottle of stored milk from him. I had been filling my freezer with milk for 8 weeks now. Adley had willingly eaten a bottle at 3 days old, 4 weeks and again at 6 weeks old. The weekend before I needed to go back to work she wanted nothing to do with her bottle. I ended up canceling 2 large appointments and warning all my clients that were coming that I would need to take a break from doing their hair, to feed my daughter. It was like take your daughter to work day, but every day. Don't' get me wrong, I really do love nursing but I never would have guessed that meant I would be on such a short leash. 

So for 3 days, Matt went to the salon with us, I would feed her there. Then he would take Adley to run a few errands and franticly drive back to the salon when Adley was screaming for food. This could be our way of life for awhile now... she is still fighting us daily as we try every bottle Babies R Us carries. Here's hoping my next week back to work goes a little more smoothly, even if I need to break to nurse every 1-2 hours. Thankfully my job is flexible, people are understanding and I only work on Matt's weeks off, so he can come to work with us too.  

My much needed wine and chocolate at the end of the night

2 Months Old

Adley is now 2 months old and growing so tall, 

look how much bigger she grew from last month:

Adley STATS!

Today was Aldey's 2 month well-baby visit and the one that Mel had been dreading since she was born. That's because it was the appointment that she was supposed to get her first round of immunizations. 

The appointment went really well and Adley was quite well behaved.  She didn't mind being naked (except for a diaper) on the exam table and only complained a little when Dr. Knott checked her ears.  I guess she doesn't like people touching her ears... just like her daddy.  Anyway, she's been growing like crazy and is fantastically healthy.  

Pre-shots at the 2 month checkup

She got immunizations against a number of diseases, so in total she got 3 shots and had to drink a small vaccine also.  She didn't seem to be a fan of the oral vaccine, and as you could imagine, she wasn't much of a fan of the shots either.  When the nurse gave her the first shot it took her a second to recognize that it was painful and she screamed, but by the time she finished her first scream the nurse had already given her the other two shots.  I was able to quickly wrap her in her blankie and cuddle her and she stopped crying/screaming in a matter of seconds.  I'd like to think it was because of my superior comforting abilities, but I think she's just a tough cookie.  

I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed seeing my daughter get poked and scream like that, but I really did enjoy how cuddly she was afterward.  It's tough to beat her crazy-haired head on my shoulder and her arms trying to wrap around me.  I love her little hugs.  We cuddled for a bit before mom came back in and then we dressed her back up and got out of there.  I even managed to get a couple smiles out of her while dressing her.

Anyway, we've been pretty lax in terms of keeping records of her growth, but have decided to remedy that situation by combining my love of spending time on the computer and the infinite possibilities of Excel spreadsheets.  Behold the charts!

Ht - 90th percentile

Wt - 50th percentile
 

Head Circ - 50th percentile

Adley's New Talents

Update of Adley's latest talents:
- Smiles in response to our smiles
- Loves baths
- Enjoys tummy time and lifts head at least 45 degrees
- Grunts and try to talk some
- Grabs at fingers, cloths, blankets, and hair (if you're not Daddy)
- Sleeps longer at night (up to 6.5 hrs!)
- Exploring her hands and putting them in her mouth
- Follows an object held in front of her with her eyes
- Brings both hands together

Reflections of an 8 week old dad

It has been a while since we've blogged, but now that Adley has just turned 8 weeks old (yesterday) I felt like I should sit and put down on paper (the electronic kind) my reflections from one of the fastest 8 weeks of my life.

First, is just that. The time... where does/did it go?!?!  I swear it was only a few days ago that I witnessed the miracle of my daughter's birth and brought her home from the hospital.  Five hours feels like 5 min when she's happy and 5 min feels like 5 days when she isn't.  I can't even count how many times I've tabled some chore or task thinking I could get to it later that day only to blink and realize it's time for bed.

Second, the incredible change in how I see my own life.  It's only been 8 weeks, but I have serious trouble remembering what our lives were like without Adley.  Even when I think about past trips or events I feel a nagging sensation that I'm forgetting something and then I wonder how we would have done the same trip with Adley in tow.  I've noticed that this even extends to friends who've had children recently.  I remember them before their child, but now whenever I think of them, there's three names instead of just two that come to mind.  It's amazing how quickly they wiggle their way into everything you do, think, and feel without you even realizing it.

Third, the huge mood swings all three of us experience.  Adley, obviously, can go from happy as a calm to seriously ticked within the same breath, but I've noticed that Melissa and I do it too.  When she is upset and we're having trouble calming her down we both can get snappy and things said out of love are taken as nagging or insults, but as soon as Adley smiles or coos we seem to forget why we were upset or frustrated.  Who would have thought that a beautiful simple smile or an unintelligible noise could cause such drastic shifts in emotion?

Fourth, the growth.  Not just Adley, but in my wife also.  Adley grows incredibly fast, which is probably why these past 8 weeks seem to have flown by.  She's had a couple growth spurts which were crazy.  You could almost she her getting bigger.  She's gained the ability to grip things and smile (my favorite!), and everyday it seems like she shows me something new.  I've been nearly as impressed, if not more, with the growth my wife has shown.  I always new she was great with kids, but seeing her with our daughter and how she cares for her is amazing.  She has seemingly limitless patience as well as the amount of sacrifice she has made so that Adley can be happy and healthy and so that I can get enough sleep before work have been incredible.

Lastly, do I feel like a Dad?  Yes, no, sometimes, all the time.  I'm not sure how to answer it.  I feel like I've got a lot more to be responsible for... cause I do.  There's a bunch of things I'm worried about doing wrong or forgetting, but at the same time I realize I've got to go with the flow because Adley will tell us what she needs.  I've learned things about babies that I didn't know before, like they really do have different cries.  I've learned things about myself that I didn't know before, like when it comes to my daughter I do have patience.

Update:

As I said, Adley is 8 weeks now and growing like a weed.  Melissa takes her to a weigh-in group every Thursday morning and the lactation consultant who runs it is always amazed at how quickly she grows.  Thus far, she's been gaining weight at nearly double the normal rate.  At her last meeting, Adley weighed in at 10 lb. 14 oz..

     

She has her two month check up this week and Melissa is dreading it because it's when she gets her first round of immunizations, and since we don't take health advice from former Playboy playmates who think they can diagnose and cure autism... we're getting her immunized.

Other than that, we've had a lot of visitors to CO to help care for and meet Adley, but right now the house is just us three.  We're looking forward to the summer since my work decided to trial a 7-on-7-off shift on the day shift.  I get all the time off I had while on midnights without having to mess up my sleep schedule!  We're heading back to MI for a camping trip in July and I'm sure we'll think of other fun things to do before summer is out.  Later!

m@

Happy Memorial Day

Time flys when you're having fun!


Memorial day to me means summer has arrived. We have been counting down the months for spring to come and for Squirt to arrive that I didn't even realize spring has come and gone already.


Adley has been filling our hearts and arms with love for eight weeks now and she can't possibly get any cuter, can she?! She is now just under 11 lbs and developing the cutest double chin! For the last two weeks we have started to see more of Adley's beautiful smile and personality. It really isn't hard to make her happy, as long as we keep her feed and pat her butt to get her to sleep.


At 7 weeks Adley went through her second growth spurt. For about 2 days she needed to eat every 45 minutes. Nursing is measured from the beginning of one feeding to the beginning of the next. So she would eat for 15 minutes and we would have 30 minutes to change a diaper, take a short nap or give me a pee break before she needed to eat again! It was a long few days but we made it. The timing was a little bad for all this eating since we had a ton of visitors who just wanted to hold her.


Our extended Memorial weekend (and the week before and after) went like this:

Wednesday: Aunt Beckie visited from Uganda we relaxed and played cards with Meredith and Sasha.


Thursday: Aunt Amber joined the party from Michigan we spent the afternoon at my 6 week check-up appointment where we found Adley to be a very hungry little girl. She ate at the airport and again just before the doctor was able to see me and then still had to come in the room with me during my appointment!

Friday: Beckie left to go camping with Meredith. Amber, Adley and I went to shopping at H&M. I probably shouldn't have left the house that day since Adley was taking almost no naps and eating constantly, luckily Matt came to help out after he got out of work.

Saturday: In the morning Amber left for a bachelorette party and by afternoon Brent, Lora and little Jacob arrived and moved into our guest room. Beckie and Meredith can over that night and our huge family took a trip to Chick 'fil A for dinner.

Sunday: The Hendriksen's and Colvin's went to Evergreen for some hiking. Matt got to use his child carrier for Jacob while I carried Adley in the Baby Bourne, it was a beautiful day and a fun hike. Jacob even went for a swim in the very cold, snow melt stream. He learned quickly that there was a reason he really shouldn't want to go in the water.


Monday: (Memorial Day) We had a backyard BBQ. Matt's good friend Andrew, from Chicago was in Colorado camping and joined us along with his girl friend and her family. Adley and Jacob took a dip in our plastic kiddie pool but Adley wasn't really liking it since it was pretty cold.


Tuesday: Matt headed to work and Brent, Lora, Jacob, Adley and I checked out the Denver Zoo. Jacob went crazy over the train we rode while Adley slept most of the day away. I think she was extra tired from all the eating and growing the days before. Tuesday night we all went up the mountain for some mountain pies at Beau Jo's pizza.

At the Denver Zoo

Wednesday: Brent, Lora and Jacob drove up to the top of Mt Evans to get the true CO mountain experience. Surprisingly they made it without anyone getting sick! That evening we all went to the Rockies baseball game. Both children were a little upset at the beginning of the game but after they were feed Jacob enjoyed a few innings while Adley calmed down and took a nap.




Thursday: We went to Coors brewery for a free tour and samples! Then Brent and Lora ended their trip with a tummy full of Chick 'fil A and hit the road for Michigan.


It was a great busy week. It was nice to have family come visit us!

Adley and I on the train ride at the Zoo

After the Coors brewery tour

The Colvin family at the Rockies game. Beautiful night with a beautiful sky!

The cousins

Just can't get enough

Everyone tells me kids grow up fast and I'm really starting to notice it. I've been trying to cherish all our time right now even if that means a 3:00 in the morning feeding. I can't seem to get enough cuddles in during a day and that's really all we do. Matt once made a comment that there seems to be way less time in a day because you don't even realize you've been staring at Adley for hours. She has so many funny facial expressions it's hard to get anything done these days. 


This past week and a half she has developed quite the personality. Which can be a good thing but also a bad. I keep joking that she is bipolar, she can easily go from a huge (ear to ear and whole face) smile to screaming bloody murder for an hour. Thankfully she only has fussy time for a few hours in the evenings and we've only had 5 real bad episodes. This is how I pictured being a parent would be, her screaming and me not knowing what to do... total frustration. Thankfully that is not how it is 95% of the time. Adley is such an easy carefree baby and because of that I can handle a few light episodes. 


Adley is really starting to hold her head up this week and loves to "jump" and push with her very strong legs. Even though most of the time she is sleeping and if she isn't sleeping she is eating, there are a few moments during the day that she shows off her cute personality. One of my favorite things she does is make eye contact with me, smirk, then she makes her eyes go quickly back and forth as if to say she "wasn't looking at me, you didn't catch me looking". Another cute thing she does is let out a big sneeze then she sighs right after as if to relive herself from the sneeze. When I'm not staring at our daughter I'm trying to get house work done and I'm trying to create a photo baby book for Adley. 


The idea of the scrap book is that she will have a keep sake from her first year of life. I saved all the cards from my 5 showers and all the ones sent after Adley was born and I'm using them in her book as backdrops! I'm super excited about how cute the book might turn out. I just wish I had more time in a day to work on it and at the rate we are taking pictures it's going to take forever to put together. 

Adley loves her changing pad. This is her in my 1983 ice-cream jumper.

After a bath time. Sometimes she does crazy things with her eyes. You wonder what the world looks like to her.

Holding up her head during tummy time! (She has developed a bit of baby acne this week)

Awe

Love  

Beefing up and hiking

Time is flying by and Adley is beefing up before our eyes :)  

On Thursday mornings I go to a weigh in group at our hospital. They weigh Adley with her diaper off then again with it on and then she eats. When she is all done eating she gets weighed again with her diaper on to see how much she has eaten. It's really nice to know she's growing and getting enough milk. It takes away a lot of worry, plus I love the support from the other moms. Camille, the lactation specialist, is so wonderful that even the one year olds come back to visit her from time to time and refer to her as Auntie. 

Last Thursday when we went in Adley weighed 9lbs 6oz. She gained 9oz in one week!!! She had gone through quite the grow spurt, which explains her constant need to eat last week. This week has brought on the opposite from last weeks cluster feedings. Last night Adley went 5 1/2 hours before needing to eat again! That's the most consecutive sleep I've had in 5 weeks! 

With all of her growing we had to retire her newborn size clothes and newborn diapers. The 0-3 month things still have a bit of room to grow but they also allow her to breathe. I'm a little sad that she is never going to be that small again but looking forward to dressing her in all the new cute clothes that everyone has sent, instead of rotating the same 8 outfits. 

Today Adley was sporting a little pink hat while we took her on her first little hike up to Boulder Falls. She slept in her baby carrier strapped to me while Matt carried the camera and shot pictures along the way. 

Here are some if the great pictures from her first hike:

Adley is 5 weeks old today!

My first Mother's Day

I will never forget my first Mother's Day!

I woke up Sunday morning to Matt making me feel very special and loved. He made me cry with some really nice cards, one from him and one from Adley. Adley got me a gift certificate for a massage that said "Take some time to yourself and relax mom" and Matt got me a necklace from Etsy with Adley's name on it! Then Matt made me a yummy breakfast of eggs, turkey bacon, and cheese on toast and we were out the door to church with a quick stop at Starbucks. After church Matt made dinner of grilled chicken, baked potato and brocoflower. To top it off we were able to spend the whole day with my mom who was on her last day of her week visit. Saying good bye at the airport that night wasn't too hard since she gets to come back in just 5 short weeks with my Grandparents!

3 generations on Mother's Day

1 Month and Back to Work

I don't know where the time has gone, but it has gone fast!  Adley turned 1 month old yesterday and she's already showing us that she's going to be pretty sassy when she grows up.  She definitely knows what she wants.  That being said, she has been an incredible baby.  She isn't quite sleeping through the night, but she's gotten up to 4 hour stretches.  Here is her 1month photo:

I also returned to work last week.  It was tough, but not as bad as I feared it would be.  I do miss both my girls while I'm away, but the evening shift is hardest since they are both fast asleep when I get home.  I also got some great news from work for the summer.  They have decided to trial a 7-on-7-off position on day-shift and I was selected to do it.  So for June and July, we'll be able to get out and do stuff like we used to when I was on nights and I won't have to mess up my sleep schedule!

m@

Adley's First Photo Shoots

Adley was 10 hours old in these pictures taken at St Anthony North Hospital

Adley was 11 days old in these pictures taken at our home in Westminster, CO