You know you're a mother when...

I am in the midst of late night-middle of the night-early morning feedings.  Every night I hear Abby stirring in the bassinet set up next to my side of the bed and I swoop her up before she totally wakes up and starts screaming.  I sit in the bed with Abby attached to me as I try to stay awake myself.  After each feeding, I carefully place Abby back in the bassinet hoping that she'll fall right back to sleep.  Once that has been secured, I quickly lay back down into bed for another few hours before I do the process again.  On a couple of occasions, I would snuggle into my pillow to feel a cold sensation as my shirt rubbed against my chin.  I think "ooh, is that spit up on my shirt?".  I lean my head down to move my nose closer to the suspected wet spot on my shirt.  I smell it and it doesn't smell like spit up.  I then lean my head back and go to sleep.  And even when it does smell like spit up, I still lean my head back and go to sleep. 

Abby meets more friends!



Abby and Jill

Abby and Graham

Abby and Heather

Abby and Kim

Abby and Rob

Abby and Doug

Abby and Melissa

First Bath

Abby had her first official bath today!  Both Brent and I anticipated some wailing on Abby's part because we know that she doesn't like to be cold and naked.  Surprisingly, she was cool as a cucumber.

  

And then after we got her clean and dried off...she spits up on herself.  Greaaaaaaaat. 

Showing off her spit up that went all over her arm and torso.

2 Weeks Old

Mommy's Little Pumpkin is 2 weeks old!

New statistics:

4 - number of times spit up has spewed off the back of my shoulder

1 - number of times spit up has spewed off my shoulder and landed on Lacey

1 - number of times spit up has spewed off my shoulder and landed on my shoe (not on my foot)

5 - number of times spit up has landed on my sheets and/or pillowcases.

0 - number of times sheets have been washed since spit up

12 - number of smiles we have caught during sleeping or other random moments

5 - number of pacifiers in rotation

1 - number of pacifiers missing in action

They work!

Abby was 8 pounds 15 ounces of baby goodness when she was born.  When we were discharged from the hospital, Abby weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces (it's very normal for babies to lose a little weight at discharge).  That was a Friday.  The following Friday, we had our one week weight check at the pediatrician's office.  She weighed in at 9 pounds 6 ounces. 

Do you know what that means?  Yes, it means that she's gained weight.  Yes, it means that her digestive system is working.  But do you know what else that means?  Abby gaining nearly a whole pound after being discharged from the hospital by obtaining nutrition soley from me means that...

my boobies work! 

I began pumping the same weekend.  Now that is a whole new experience.  Seeing liquid come from a part of your body that you have not seen excrete liquid is just odd.  However, I'm beginning my stock pile of breastmilk.  Let the pumping adventure begin!

Friends and Family meet Abby!

Aunt Bethany

Megan (old co-worker of Brent's that now works at Christ Hospital)

Grandma Sue

Uncle Andy

Aunt Stephanie

Uncle Blake with Aunt Stephanie

Uncle Craig

"an actual Aunt" Megan and "an actual Uncle" Kevin with cousin Natalie

Grandpa C

Aunt Tara

Aunt Lauren

One Week in Review

Brent and I have survived one week as parents.  We came home on day two and since then we've been figuring out our new life at home as a family of three.  Of course, we've had some assistance.  My mom and dad came into town for the birth and stayed to help out.  Dad left to go back to KC since he considered himself a fifth wheel at the house.  Mom stayed and has been great helping out with meals and laundry. 



Abby's making a face, but she was fussy and so it was hard to get a good shot!



One week stats:

3 - number of showers taken by Mommy

2 - number of projectile poops

1 - number of projectile vomit

1 - number of comforter AND duvet cover needing to be washed because of said projectile vomit

5 - number of consecutive hours slept by Abby on our second night home!

9 - number of diaper changes in a day

4 - number of different non-human napping locations

2 - number of sound machines used in our house

12 - number of loads of laundry laundered

17 - number of times a day we have to tell Lacey to not lick Abby

0 - number of football games Brent has gotten to watch that he has cared about

2 - number of times Abby has been left with Brent while I go to out

3 - average number of times I wake up to feed Abby in the night

0 - number of take out meals we've eaten (thanks to friends and family bringing in food and Mom cooking!)

4 - number in pecking order Lacey has dropped to since Abby has arrived

1 - number of bad nicknames created (by Grandpa Jake)

37 - number of times we've heard "Grandpas can do whatever we want"



Brent's hand in the corner was necessary to help Lacey "stay".  Brent says "it's hard to get all his ladies to do the same thng at the same time"



She's Here!

When I last posted, I had no idea that later that day I would be in labor and would be on our way to the hospital to meet our little girl.  Without further ado...

Brent and I welcome

Abigail Jean Cullen



Wednesday October 12, 2011 at 4:55 a.m.

8 lbs., 15 oz.

22 inches



Our first photo as a family of 3!





Still No Baby...

Sometimes I forget to update the blog...I assume (you know what that spells!) that everyone is on Facebook and they're getting baby updates from that medium, not my blog.  Forgive me.  My non-Facebook or non-regular Facebook users remind to update the masses on the goings on in my abdomen. 

Obviously, my due date of 10/6/11 has come...and gone.  I worked my last day at Children's on 10/5/11 and I worked my last day at Butler County DD on 10/7/11. 

I'm officially on maternity leave!  It feels nice.  It feels nice that I have nothing to focus on except to relax and enjoy the quiet.  Usually on the weekends, I see that as a ticking time bomb to get a gazillion things done that I'm usually so hyped up to get those things done that I don't get time to relax on my couch.  And when I do, I feel guilty that I'm not doing something else.  But now?  I felt just fine lumping it on the couch this weekend and doing nothing...waiting for the inevitable: signs of labor. 

After I left work on 10/7 (Friday), Brent and I had an ultrasound scheduled.  An ultrasound is routine for mothers who go beyond their due date.  The focus was to check to make sure baby is active enough and there is enough amniotic fluid.  Baby girl passed with flying colors.  She showed us her practice breathing skills as we watched some body part (don't know if it was her diaphragm or stomach) dilate and constrict.  She had her hands in front of her face and I'm pretty sure we saw her sucking on her hand.  But we did get a clear shot of was her female parts.  She wanted us to know that she in fact was a girl.  That was good to get confirmation on...I often wondered if our baby girl was hiding as a baby boy.  Nope.  She's a girl.  We saw her "hamburger buns" as the ultrasound tech called it. 

Today, I have a doctor's appointment.  Now my appointments are 2 times a week.  Whew.  Today's objective is to do a non-stress test.  I guess this is going to measure the activity level of baby and compare them with any contractions I have??  I think?  When we scheduled this appointment, it was the secretary that informed us that we were having this test done.  Not the doctor.  Makes total sense, right?  That's my HUGE gripe about my doctor's office - I feel like a number and not a person...maybe that's the medical profession.  Brent talks about how he talks with his patients at his office, so I assumed (there's that assume word again!) seeing my OB office on a regular basis would be the same.  I'm not a regular doctor's office visitor, so I've never had the opportunity to build that rapport.  And I digress....

Mom and Dad are hopping in the car today to make their way over to Cincinnati to become Grandparents! 

Stay tuned for any announcements!