Kelsie Sophia Nelson's 2 month Stats!

Her diva face!

It has been a crazy 2 months! Probably at the top ten of the craziest two months of my life! I often think back to the day she was born and try to remember everything about it.

When I first heard her cry, I knew we were in for it! She has the loudest cry ever. I'm pretty sure our neighbors can hear her across the street and are wondering what we are doing to her. I hate when that bottom lip comes out. So flippin' sad. Chad and I always start saying 'Oh no. Don't do it! Don't cry! Don't do it!' Sometimes it actually works and she'll start smiling again. She's been smiling at us for the past few weeks now and it seriously makes your crappy day worth it. Even if I'm totally annoyed with her (for some reason) she'll look up at me with those big innocent baby blues, smile and all is well.

Her eyes follow me and her dad all over the place. She'll even stare from across the room.

She is huge and I love it! I think she is the coolest baby ever. When they put her on the scale, I laugh hard every time. I still can't believe we made such a big baby. She rocks my world.

Her binkie is her true love! I don't know what I'll do when we have to wean her off that sucker but for now....oh well!

Some nights, when she is at her fussy time, I set her on my legs and pull my knees up so we can chat. She'll be happy faces and little coos at first and then she'll start telling me all her whoas. All I do is interject, "Oh really. Tell me all about it. Oh no!" It almost sounds like she's complaining but they are not big cries. It is so funny!

She's been a pretty awesome sleeper most nights for a while now. The last four nights she was consistent and has slept around 8 hours each night. Except for last night, she slept 5. Not too shabby. Unfortunately, the last few days she's catnapped. We realized last night that we weren't swaddling her for her naps. I'm hoping that fixes it but who knows. I thought for a little while I might go insane if it continues:)

When she wakes up from said sleeps, she always rubs her face on our shoulders or upper chest. I mean, I think she would do it forever if she wasn't ready to eat. Then she'll do it again when she's getting ready to go back to sleep. Goofy kid.

Official Stats:

Weight: 13 lbs. 4 oz (95%)

Height: 23 3/4 inches (95%)

Head Circumference: 15 3/4 inches (80%)

She's been a blessing and a challenge all wrapped up in one and we love her so very much!

Tub Pics for Lacey since she's NEVER on Facebook!

P.S. She is in love with the bath. She seriously used to scream at us the whole time. Now she's happy as can be in there.

Flowers and Fog

Last week, while I was at home on the couch holding the little one as she ate, I heard a knock and quick doorbell ring. I got up to see what it was and to my surprise it was a package. Pro Flowers was written on the box and inside there was a note from my husband. Suhweet! I've never gotten flowers in the mail and I loved it. Thanks baby!

We've also had a ton of fog at our house. On our way home, one evening, it was so thick that we had to pull over to the side of the road. As we were pulling over, a huge truck was driving by on the wrong side of the street and would have hit us head on if we had not pulled over!!! Just kidding. We obviously needed to spice up this part of the blog post a little so we could post these amazing pictures! Hee! Hee! We're dorks.

Padre

Today, another year has gone by since my dad passed away. I think about him a lot but I especially think about him in December. I would have never thought that 3 years from this day I would be married and a new mom. It is a very bitter-sweet time. I try to imagine what he would be like with Kelsie and how he would have responded when he heard her birth weight! I'm sure there would have been many times he would have stopped by on his way home from work in Tooele to see her. But, I can not dwell on what might have been for too long or it will make me cry.

He was a wonderful father. He made so many sacrifices for me. Being a new parent myself, I can only understand part of that sacrifice. I definitely can see why it's so important for my children to have a good relationship with their dad. His influence has reverberated through my life and I'm sure it will continue to do so. I think he would be happy to know I feel this way. That was probably one of his goals as a good parent. I can just see him now, patting himself on the back:)

I added a few of my favorite pictures of him below. Pardon the quality of pictures. They were photos that I scanned in a while ago.

My dad was also a more than 10 lbs baby. Look at those chubby cheeks!

I'm pretty sure this is Joel. The oldest and therefore his first child.

My baptism day. I love his jumpsuit. Classic.

One of my favorite pics of our family. It cracks me up every time. Speaking of cracks, Sethy.

A family photo at Draper Park.

This was a snowy winter. I'm sure he was clearing the driveway here.

I am a head case!

Hi! My name is Beth. I'm a new mom and I have a problem. I'm not really one that stresses too much about things. In fact, you might even say I'm a pretty cool headed lady. People at work used to always comment on how calm I was in stressful situations. Well that calm person has left the building.

Case in point. Kelsie Nelson's arrival to this world.

First stress. Baby freaking out every night for hours when we first got home from the hospital. We figured out she was still hungry and we were not feeding her enough, so we started giving her a bottle at night.

Second stress. Baby hadn't pooped in 3 days. She had a blowout the next day.

Third stress. Milk did not come in until almost the 5th day. Jami told me to relax, take a hot bath and start pumping.

Fourth stress. At two week appointment, baby's weight was 9 lbs 8 oz. Under her birth weight. Started eating a grain called Quinoa to help milk production.

Fifth stress. Baby acne or is it a rash? Had to call doc to make sure.

Sixth stress. Baby spits up more often and does this gagging thing. Reflux? Made an appointment today just to make sure and check her weight again.

Not to worry everyone. Kelsie is back up to 10 lbs 2 oz. That means she gained 10 oz in a week. Wahoo! I was so freaking excited and the doc was not worried that she had reflux because of her weight gain and sleeping habits. He said that most babies have some reflux. Now I can start thinking of something else to stress about. Sounds like a plan.

2nd Week and Some Pics For Heather

Here are some pics of our 2 week old. Hope you like them.

Notice her Spock Live Long and Prosper Sign

Kelsie's Birth Day (Warning! Super long post!)

This is what I woke up to one morning this week. They are both on their sides with their arms across their bodies. Hilarious. And Kelsie was squishing into my space of the bed just like her dad does.

It has been an insanely crazy week. Time just flies by when your doing nothing but breast feeding! Everyone tells you how much 'your life changes', 'you better get your sleep now', 'girls are the best' and yada yada yada.....but you seriously have no clue what it's like until it happens to you. I remember leaving the hospital and thinking 'They are letting me take this baby home and I have no idea what I am doing. Are they freaking crazy?' Oh and 'My bum is killing me in this car. Get me home quick.'

Let's back track to Friday night. Chad and I left for New Moon at 3:30 in Ogden. I had been having random contractions all day but nothing alarming or consistent. While watching New Moon, I was having them more often. (Which may tell you how good a movie it is!:P) Chad starting tracking them when we got out and they were coming every 10 minutes. Woke up at about 11:30 and they were 6-7 minutes apart. Finally at 4:30 they were 5 minutes apart and we decided to go the hospital. I was at 6 and feelin' fine.

We walked the hallways, sat on the labor ball, did some squats, ate some food, drank some water and was checked again 3 hours later. Still at a 6. The on-call doc wanted to break my water or start me on low dose pitocin which I wanted nothing to do with. We asked for another hour and got it. My doc was called and told my nurse I can do whatever I want and I can tell her when I want my next exam. I love my doc.

By about noon, it had been about 6 hours since I had entered the hospital and I had them check me again. Still a freaking six. I told Chad that if I was the same at the next check then we would brake my water. So I did and that's when labor all started to change. My contractions were harder and more painful. I was getting really annoyed with having to be put on the monitor where I couldn't really move to get comfortable. Granted I know they have to cover their butts but I can definitely see the annoyance for someone wanting to have an unmedicated birth.

I hit 9 a little while later and was starting to feel the need to push. It is so excruciating to have this need and be told not to push. Seriously, it's is like telling someone who's been holding their full bladder for hours....DON'T PEE! Chad was doing all he could to comfort me but I was telling him to stop touching me! I also had flashes of all the friends and family members blogs that recently had kids (who had epidurals) and how calm/peaceful they looked. What was I doing?

Finally, I was at a 10!!! Wahoo I can push. Yeah right. Really. You want to push but then when you have to push like a millions times for an hour you just want to die! And if any of you know of the 'ring of fire', then you know that the explanation of it does not do it any justice. It should be 'the ring of incomprehensible pain', or 'the ring of you want to shoot yourself it hurts so bad', or 'the ring of why the hell didn't I get an epidural'. I could go on and on.

She was born at 3:44 in the afternoon. Weighing in at a very healthy 10lbs 3oz, stretching 21 inches long and with a head circumference of 36 cm. What the?

It's been a really hard week. But I feel the blessings and stresses of motherhood all around me. From the moment she came, I knew I would love her and worry about her constantly. I've never prayed so much in one week in my whole life. I've never loved Chad so much either. He has been a huge rock and has let me cry to him all the time. Each night when going to bed, I think about how I seriously could not love him more.

Please no more pictures! She raised her hand up like this right before I was going to take the picture. I felt like the paparazzi.