The babe and the 'boat

Since I'll be working full-time again on Monday, Chris and I decided to escape to the mountains for a few days. We chose our favorite mountain town, Steamboat Springs. We've been here since Wednesday, and it's been pretty much like paradise! We've been mountain biking, hanging out with Emmaline, and watching some bike racing. The baby has been pretty good overall. Her sleep schedule is a little messed up, but other than that she has been a trooper.

We are high maintenance coffee drinkers, this is everything we brought for making coffee!Getting dressed on Thursday. It's been sunny so she needs a hat (pants are on the way). She is definitely smiling these days, it is really cute :)
We've mostly enjoyed the trails on Howelson Hill/Emerald Mountain. The singletrack is AMAZING!! Chris hung out in a park with Emmaline while I enjoyed the tight, smooth trails through aspen glades, and the sweeping switchbacks through wide open meadows - heavenly! I've been pretty slow but very very happy to back on the bike.

Emmaline really loves her dad, and even when she's tired she'll get a smile on her face when he's around. This is before the family nap on Thursday (7 miles of mountain biking really wipes you out when you're out of shape!).

Speaking of sleeping, Emmaline was awake 2:30-5 AM Friday morning. So instead of riding that morning, we all hung out in bed a little longer.
Friday we took turns riding at Howelson, and then met up to watch the end of the US Pro Cycling Challenge in downtown Steamboat. Chris bought us oreo-covered doughnuts!! Oh my gosh, what a way to end a ride :)
I painted a onesie to look like the Leopard Trek kit, so Emmaline could cheer on Andy Schleck, her favorite rider!
There were people everywhere to watch the end of the race. The atmosphere was electric! The bikers came by so fast, but it was worth the wait.
After a hot day, we let Emmaline hang out mostly naked, and Chris and I enjoyed a dip in the pool.

Watching the sunset from our patio - a perfect ending to a perfect day!!
Today we drove about a mile up Rabbit Ears pass to watch the bike race. Once again, it was super exciting!! First a breakaway of 5 guys passed us, followed by Cadel Evans (winner of the Tour de France) and another dude chasing them down, and then the peloton came wooshing by.
Chris spent the afternoon riding on the Beall and Ridge trails at Emerald Mountain, and I sat in a park with Emmaline. Tomorrow it's my turn to ride, right before we had back home and to reality :(. This has been a wonderful break. I'm glad we've been able to get out and about with Emmaline. And I've really loved spending time on trails like this ...

Snippets

I started this post almost 2 weeks ago!

The baby
Alright, I know this is the only reason most of you read my blog these days ;), so I'll start with the good stuff. Lately Emmaline is really becoming more aware of her surroundings. It's so much fun to watch her discover the world around her. Last night Chris and I took her on a walk in her stroller. Usually the best we can hope for is for her to fall asleep. But last night she was awake and looking around the whole time. She seemed to be in awe of everything she saw, even if it was just blurry shapes on her periphery.

She's also been growing quite well. In her first month she went from 6lb 12oz, to 8 lb 13oz! Most of her newborn clothes don't fit well, which makes me a little sad, even though I should want my daughter to grow. The funny thing is her newborn diapers don't come all the way up her back, which kind of makes her look like a plumber. Not so good for leak protection, though!!

Work - blah
Chris took on a huge project in early August, which in his words "Nearly killed him". He probably worked 80 hours the 2 weeks he was working on it. Luckily my friend Laurie was out for one weekend during that time, and she was a great help (and fun to be with!). Chris also got sick, so he was either working or quarantined away from Emmaline the whole 2 weeks. It was very hard for both of us. We were grateful for the income, but very glad when he finished the video (which you can see here - he did everything from casting to shooting & editing).

This past week I also went back to the grind. Honestly, in some ways I was looking forward to it. I enjoy what I do, and am anticipating wrapping things up sometime soon(ish?). I also really like the people I work with, and was missing some of the social interactions. So for all those reasons, it was good to be back. I missed Emmaline though! The hardest thing is the mornings. Usually I go back to sleep after her last feeding (anywhere between 5-7 AM), but this week I stayed awake. So I'm operating on about 6 hours total sleep each night, but it's not really enough! At least she doesn't mind when I drink coffee (in moderation), thank the Lord! :)

That's all I have for now. Emmaline is asleep but I bet she will wake up soon (she ate at 6:40 and it's past 11). In other news, the garden is doing pretty well! Although we have very little time to tend to it or fix the veggies that come out of it. But they sure look nice :)

Cuteness Overload

Today was fun. I hardly slept at all the day before, so was very pleased when Emmaline let me sleep until 10:00 (with a few interruptions, of course). Then we rushed over to my friend Kim's house, who had her son Cedar just two days after our new arrival. It was nice to visit with her and laugh about some of the crazy experiences we've had over the past month. Then we had a photo shoot with the two new friends. Cedar was wide awake but Emmaline slept through the encounter - although that didn't stop her from snuggling up with her new friend! It was super adorable.


Next we went to Starbucks to catch up with my Bible study friends, Deanna, Lyndsey, and Jennifer - what a great group! I miss meeting with them regularly, but life is so busy for all of us. After coffee, I came home and decided to play with Emmaline. Kim mentioned playing with Cedar and I thought ... what does it really mean to play with a 4 week old? But it seems like a good idea and a good way to let her know I'm interested in her and help her development.

So today playing consisted of laying on a blanket on the nursery floor, looking at colorful toys, staring at the singing caterpillar, and some tummy time. I also don't quite get tummy time. Emmaline is doing great at holding her head up anyway, and she usually doesn't enjoy being forced onto her stomach. But today she enjoyed it and turned her head from side to side a couple of times. It was actually really fun "playing" with her, and I'm excited about the developmental strides she'll be making soon.

Is that a smile?

Okay, tummy time has officially pooped us out

"What the freak is up with that caterpillar?"

The downside was maybe she was overstimulated, because playtime ended with an hour of cry time. Beginning with this video ...


But eventually she took a nap and I was able to get some work done, something I'll be trying to do a little each day from now on. Chris has been working a ton since last Friday (~30 hours in the past 2 days!). He got home around 7:30 and held Emmaline (she was being fussy again), so I got to eat dinner and relax for a bit. I don't know how single moms do it. Having him around, even just for a few hours a day, is a huge help and relief.

She fell fast asleep in this position - but it didn't last

The Silver Lining

Just when I am feeling super tired or worn out, something will bring a smile to my face. Either that, or I will give up and take a nap! For instance, one night last week, as I was feeding Emmaline, she reared her head back and let forth a massive projectile vomit all over me and her. It was EVERYWHERE!!! I called Chris into our room to help me clean up, I didn't want to move her for fear of making it worse. So he was dabbing spit up out of her nose and telling her what a mess she was. I was deciding where to start on me - with the spit up on my shirt, in my bra, or on my arm. And then (most likely on accident) Emmaline smiled at Chris! And then we were all smiling and having a ball. Who knew I could be so happy while covered in spit up??

As promised, here are some pictures. Thanks for stopping by!
My aunt and uncle sent Emmaline some Braves clothes, so she wore them while we were watching the Braves and Rockies play a couple of weekends ago. Interestingly I went into labor while we were watching the Braves and Rockies ... not sure who she will grow up to cheer for!

Emmaline hanging out on my lap a couple of weekends ago. I took a bunch of pictures of all of her faces, this is one of my favorites.

Last week she put on this pretty dress I bought her.

Chris' parents gave Emmaline a bath last weekend and she hated it less than usual. They enjoyed loving on her while they were here, and she loved the attention!

We went on a tour at New Belgium (yes, E came too!) with Chris' parents. I had a little bit of beer and Emmaline didn't seem to mind - woohoo!

Chris and I took Emmaline on her first hike at the Caribou open space near Nederland. The wildflowers were amazing, some of the best I've ever seen in Colorado!


Chris got a freelance job that required scouting out a location with 360 degree views, so we spent Saturday afternoon driving along the Peak to Peak Highway. We stopped to feed Emmaline at this scenic vista.

Trigger happy

I hate to admit it, but I am already one of those moms who is very trigger happy with the camera around my child. The other day I took about 20 pictures of her in 10 minutes while she sat on my lap. Every time she made a different face, I snapped a picture of it ... and she makes a lot of faces! I feel like I have to take so many pictures because: 1. She is so stinking adorable, and 2. She is growing fast and seems to change every day.

Blogger is not cooperating and I don't have the time to fool around loading pictures, but just be forewarned that you might be subjected to more photos of Emmaline in the future!

This is my mom with Emmaline on July 9. She stayed with us for a week and a half, and she was a huge help, and of course enjoyed every second with her new granddaughter.

Welcome Emmaline!

8 days ago my life changed forever when little Emmaline came into the world. If I had known how much I would love her or how happy she would make me, I might have appreciated pregnancy a little more!

Her birth was incredible. Last Tuesday, Chris and I woke up at 6:15 to schedule the induction. The hospital was very busy (lots of 4th of July babies!), and they said to come in at 12:00. So we showed up at noon, with tons of stuff for the next few days. It felt kind of like we were leaving the house for vacation, but not like any vacation I've ever been on!

It was 1:30 before I got my first dose of cyto-something (cytotac?), which was supposed to help my cervix open. We hung out ... and waited ... and waited. A few times Emmaline's heart rate dropped and so I had to stay on my side to make sure she was stable. The nurse and midwife were worried that she wouldn't respond well to labor and contractions. There was a bit of a negative atmosphere brewing as things like 'it could take up to 2 days to induce' or 'we might have to just take her out' were mentioned. We waited on the next dose of cytowhatver to see how she was responding.

At 6:30 Terry, my midwife, checked my cervix and it was only 1.5 cm dilated. Fail. Chris and I were feeling kind of down. We sent an email to family asking for prayers. Then around 7:00 I started having some bad cramps. The monitor I was hooked up to wasn't registering any contractions. I was upset - first the uncertainty of how Emmaline & my body would respond to induction, and now I was feeling like crap for no reason! (This proves that I would not have known labor if it hit me like a mack truck.)

Pretty soon it became apparent that these were contractions, and they were coming fast & furious. They were only 2 minutes apart, and lasting 30-90 seconds. We were very relieved that I was in labor! The contractions steadily got more intense, and at 8:30 Terry rechecked my cervix. I was at 6.5 cm. I decided then it was time for the epidural. Things were moving so quickly, I didn't want to miss my chance. It seems like as soon as I made that decision, things got more painful in a hurry. I didn't regret the decision at all!!

By a little after 9 the epidural was in and I was fully dilated. Holy crap, that was fast!! Terry told me to rest and I 'labored down', which just means my body gradually moved the baby down through the contractions while I relaxed as much as possible. About 1-1/2 hours later, we decided it was time to push. It didn't take too long before little Emmaline was just about ready to come out. Apparently at this point, her heart rate decelled again, and Terry was worried about her. She wanted to vacuum her out, which didn't sound all that appealing to me. So we pushed a few more times, and this time I put everything I had into it ... and out she came!!

Brand new baby!

It was an incredible moment. Chris was totally blown away and completely amazed. I was very very happy but also pretty dazed. She was tiny and precious! It was great holding her for the first time. She is beautiful :), and it didn't take long for Chris and I to be completely in love with her (I think it took me a little longer because I was a little overwhelmed from the whole delivery process).

Chris really enjoys holding her, they had some great father-daughter bonding while we were still at the hospital.

The downfall of staying at the hospital was people were constantly coming in and out to check on Emmaline and I. One visit was for her hearing ... she looks like a little alien!

She was born at 11:08 PM, weighing 6lb 12oz and 19.5 inches long. She lost about 6 oz. the first day but we had a doctor's appointment on Monday and she has gained it all back. A little surprising given that she likes to fall asleep while eating. She definitely did not inherit her mom's appetite! Everything looks good though and she seems perfectly healthy. :) Yay!

Ready to go home! She looks so little here. We came home on Thursday, it was nice to be somewhere familiar and peaceful.
Our friends Matt & Beth were waiting for us at home with some tacos & took this picture. We don't know who put up this cute sign, was it you??

At her first doctor's appointment, back at her birth weight.

Day 2: What I've learned about pregnancy

It's hard to believe our baby is due tomorrow, and that I am being induced in less than two days (unless she comes before!). I was put on bed rest last Tuesday and thought I would blog a lot, but it's been so boring that I haven't had the motivation. Also I don't want to subject you to reading about my awesome days: "Today I watched TV, and slept in, and ate, and talked to some friends." That just about sums up the last 5 days.

But for fun I thought I'd share my list of "Top 10 things I've learned while pregnant". Sorry in advance because some of these are sappy (blame it on the hormones).

10. I like meat. Usually I shy away from things like pepperoni and sausage, but with the excuse of eating for 2 and needing protein, my diet has expanded. Now I'm all about some biscuits and gravy, or meat-lovers pizza. Yum!

9. I am not a nester. No surprise here, I never got a huge instinct to get the house perfect. In fact, the baby's room is still a mess!!

8. Fat ankles piss me off.

7. Pregnancy would be great if it only lasted from week 12-32. Before then, I was feeling sick and miserable. After that, I started feeling more tired and huge. But that middle section is golden. Then again, I've needed 40 weeks to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for this change.

6. I miss all the things I expected: biking, running, beer, and coffee (although I have been drinking a cup a few days each week - how could I be productive at work without it??).

5. We have great friends We've had lots of friends help us out as we get ready for the baby and I am so grateful for all of them.

4. Trust. I don't usually bring up my faith on here but this is a big one. I've had plenty of fears about whether the baby will be healthy, and whether I'll be a decent mother. I'm learning to turn all that over to God and trust that no matter what, He will watch over our daughter and help me be the best mom I can be.

3. Contractions do not equal labor I've been having them for weeks! It makes me glad I'm being induced, I think otherwise I would completely miss all the 'early labor' signs and probably end up being one of those people who delivers on the way to the hospital.

2. I married well! (Warning, sappy part 1) For the last 7 years (since we moved to Colorado), Chris and my life together has been very much about seeking adventure outside. I couldn't help but wonder if losing that aspect of our life would hurt our relationship. But I've learned that I can enjoy sitting on the back porch with him just as much as spending a night in the backcountry. This next phase in our life will be very different but I know we'll still have fun together and support each other. If anything, I love him more now than I did before being pregnant.

1. It is hard to anticipate what this little girl will mean to me. (Sappy part 2) Seeing how much I love Chris, I can't imagine that I might possibly love our daughter even more. Is that possible?

0. I will never finish my paint by numbers