Two Months

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time today to write much - it's cleaning day over here at the Nelson's and there is a lot to do before my grandparents arrive from Pennsylvania tonight.  Can't wait for them to see miss Baileigh Boo!!  She's two months old today...here are some pics:

One Month

On Valentine's Day Miss Baileigh turned one month old!  We went out to lunch as a family and Baileigh wore a pretty red dress with hearts!

The first month has gone by so fast, yet at the same time it seems like it's been about 6 months.  Baileigh is already growing and changing so much!  I already have a box of clothes in her closet that she has sadly outgrown.  I have definitely learned so much this first month...that will come in handy the next time around.  For instance, she grew so fast that she barely got to wear any of the cute newborn outfits we had bought.  Since we mostly stayed at home for the first month, all she ever wore were her pajamas.  All the cute outfits were, well, cute...but really unnecessary.  Lesson learned.  Also, the "burp cloths" that you get at Target and Babies R Us have proved to be very disappointing and a complete waste of money - way too small and flimsy to handle baby spit up.  Cody and I are going to Babies R Us tomorrow morning to buy a pack of cloth diapers, which really make the best burp cloths.  I'm also learning that regardless of how tired I am at night while I'm nursing her, it really is important to take my time and let her nurse for a long time.  If I try to rush it so I can go back to sleep...it only ends up worse because she is up within the next one or two hours because she is hungry again.  I'm still working on this one :-)
We had a great visit with Kaitlin earlier this month.  The only downside is that every time she is here, it just makes me miss her more when she leaves.  We are all really looking forward to a visit from my grandparents on March 14.  I can't wait to see them, and for them to meet Baileigh!!

This picture is my attempt at catching her smiling.  She just started doing it a few days ago and it's the cutest thing.  It only lasts a second though - I think she's still learning how to do it.  Hopefully by next post I have a good picture of the cutest smile in the world!!

We're Parents!

After our first sleepless night in the hospital, we weren't quite sure what we had gotten ourselves into!  But thankfully, with lots of help from family and friends, we survived our fist week of being parents!  We've already learned so much, yet have realized we have MUCH to learn.  Our Baileigh is sweet as can be, and we spend countless hours just staring at her and kissing her a million times!

She had her first doctors appointment, and we are happy to report that she is still a healthy baby girl!  She weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 inches long at one week.  So our little munchkin is growing already!  Daddy survived his first poopy diaper change like a champ, so now I'll be more than happy to pass her off to him when the time is right ;-)  We took Baileigh to our church to meet all of my old co-workers, which I think I enjoyed more than anybody.  Not only was it so, so good to see my friends, but it is the most wonderful thing to see others love on your child.  I felt so blessed.  I look forward to many more visits in the future!

Cody went back to work this week, and I really miss him when he is gone.  I'm stuck at home for now because I'm trying to get Baileigh on a schedule, so some days are a little lonely when I don't have any visitors.  But I am truly enjoying my new role, I really feel so at peace being at home and taking care of my daughter and my husband.  I'm still a bit on the mend, so I'm trying to take it easy.  Cody, as usual, has been more than helpful, and friends and family have provided dinner for us almost every night.  But I look forward to things getting back to normal (a new normal!) and being able to run errands and visit with friends.  

Thank you all for all of your prayers and support the past few weeks, Cody and I are so blessed to have such great support!  Now for some pictures of the cutie pie:

Right after her first bath - which she hated.

Meeting her cousins!  She hasn't had a chance to meet Noah and Tate yet because they have been sick :-(

Cody snapping pictures, as usual!

Aunt Lindsay

Grammy

Look at all that hair!!! I love it!

My favorite picture of her!

The two pictures above just crack me up! Her guilty face and angry face..which are both, coincidentally, her "pooping" face!

Baileigh and Liz

Aunt Courtney and Grammy

Aunt Jenna

She's Here!!

After waiting 40 weeks, 6 days...and not to mention about 9 years...our daughter finally arrived!!  Baileigh Dawn Nelson was born Januray 14, 2013 at 7:28am, weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 19.5" long.  She is perfect in every way and we are overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness.  Cody and I are still working on getting into a schedule with her...and catching up on sleep...so I will just post some pictures for now and update the blog with the story later!  Enjoy!!

 My labor cheering squad

She has her Aunt Kaitlin's loooong toes

Finally home!!

40 Weeks and Counting...

Well, my due date has come and gone...and was pretty uneventful.  I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, and hadn't progressed much since last week.  My doctor seemed pretty optimistic though that Baileigh will be making her arrival soon.  They are estimating her birth weight to be around eight and half pounds.  So, needless to say, this little lady needs to come out before she gets any bigger!

Today marks my third day as an official "stay at home" wife.  Cody was off on Monday and Tuesday, and to be honest the days seem to drag on a little bit.  Waiting for a baby is no easy thing.  We've cleaned a lot, organized a little, played two games of Monopoly (I won both), watched some movies, and went on lots of walks.  If Baileigh doesn't come soon I think we are going to both go crazy.  Cody went back to work today, so I will catch up on some laundry, and more cleaning, until he gets home.  So exciting!  I try to remind myself to enjoy it because in a few days (hopefully) I will probably be exhausted!

T minus 12 days!

I really can't believe that in just a few short days...I will be able to say "I'm due next week"!!   That's CRAZY!!  Cody is at his absolute limit waiting for Miss Baileigh...he is hoping I have her...like...now!  I'm excited as well, but fully prepared to wait another week or so.  I guess the looming reality of delivering a baby is slightly frightening, so if she wants to chill for a few more weeks - fine by me!

We celebrated our last Christmas as just "a couple" a few days ago.  It was a little strange.  It was our tenth Christmas as a couple, so we definitely had plenty of years together with lots of great memories.  We spent a good part of our Christmas Eve and morning talking about what next year will be like with a soon-to-be one year old.  I'm sure she'll be terrorizing our tree and eating gobs of wrapping paper - but we can't wait!

With the new year just a few days away, Cody and I have spent some time reflecting on 2012.  In January, we were both anxiously awaiting my possible acceptance letter into the Clinical Laboratory Science program at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.  I thought I had a good chance of getting into the program (they only accept 2 applicants a year), and we were anticipating I would be a full-time student for most of 2012 and into 2013.  I received the letter the second week of January, and was devastated that I didn't get in.  Cody and I had talked about this possibility, and where we would go from there.  Our number one priority was to start a family.  After almost 4 years of trying to go back to school and not succeeding, we both felt that perhaps that was not God's will for our lives.  In our hearts, we had wanted to start a family for many years, but just hadn't had any luck.  So my rejection letter was our green light to give it a try again.  It also gave me the courage to say out loud, "I hate my job and I want to quit ASAP," and to look for a new job.  That very next Sunday at church, I read about an open Secretarial position and applied right away.  Much to my surprise, I got the job and so began my short employment at HDC.  Within 2 months, much to my surprise again, I found out I was pregnant.  It was a little scary, but the happiest moment of my life.  So to sum this year up...God has taken Cody and I down a path that we never saw coming...and we couldn't be more thankful.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." 

Proverbs 19:21

One month to go!

Well it's officially less than one month away from my due date!  The nursery is ready, baby clothes are washed, carseat is assembled, and the hospital bag is packed and ready to go!  A few days ago Cody and I tag-teamed a massive grocery list, and tonight I began Day 1 of cooking meals to freeze for next month.  Today I made enchiladas and meatballs, and tomorrow I will tackle Hawaiian Chicken, Goulash, and Shredded Chicken for sandwiches and burritos.  By this weekend our freezer will be packed! As accomplished as I feel right now - I still have that lingering feeling in the back of my mind that I am not quite ready.  I'm sure there is some truth to that feeling - I mean, does anyone ever feel completely ready for a baby?  Hopefully I'm not the only one with doubts!

Cody and I decorated our home a little earlier than usual for Christmas this year, because we knew we would be taking everything down early as well.  We usually leave all of our decorations up until the first or second week of January, but with Miss Baileigh making an appearance soon, we decided we would take everything down the weekend after Christmas.  As much as I would love to bring her home to a house full of Christmas decorations, I know our house will be filled with lots of new baby stuff - which would probably make for a packed house and cause me lots of anxiety.  Right now my motto is 'the simpler, the better' - so with that being said, the decorations are coming down early!