Bryce's 2 month Pictures

This afternoon I took Bryce to Sears to get pictures taken. Alas, the stars were not aligned for a smooth session. First, although Bryce was fed and dry, he apparently was not in the mood to cooperate. Though he smiles and laughs all the time at home, he steadfastly refused to crack a grin when the camera was focused on him. Second, our photographer, while very nice, was also very new. She seemed a bit uncomfortable and very unfamilar with how to photograph a newborn. The manager came over and helped quite a bit, but overall I wasn't thrilled with the resulting photos. I can't be too upset because there was one pose that I really liked and I left spending less than $11 for a slew of prints (I've heard rumors that the photographers are encouraged not to let customers leave spending less than $100). If you'd like to see the pictures you can view them online by going to searsportrait.com, then click on View My Pictures.

Online Session ID: 42195A103857149
Online Session Password: CRVTYNPNM
In other Bryce news, last Sunday we buzzed his hair, again. Yes, again. The first time we buzzed his hair he was only 2 weeks old. The hair on top was very short and it was long all around the sides, so we cut it all very short. This time most of it was growing nicely, but random areas seemed to be on turbo-grow and were WAY longer than the rest. I know some people think I'm crazy (they've told me as much), I just can't stand having it so uneven. I think it looks much better now and Bryce didn't seem to mind getting his hair cut at all! You can see his buzz with the Sears photos, or here's a recent picture:
Since I'm sharing pictures, here's one of Aubree showing her unique fashion sense (anyone think she's got a future in fashion design?) PS - Those are tights on her head.
Finally, here is a picture that to most people would seem quite ordinary - a young child asleep on the couch. However, in all honesty, this was the first time Aubree has EVER fallen asleep like this. Some kids fall asleep wherever they are when they're tired enough. Not Aubree! In fact, I can probably count on my fingers the number of times she's fallen asleep in her carseat. So, when I looked over and realized she had fallen asleep, I quickly picked my jaw up from the floor and ran to get my camera! I was afraid Mark wouldn't believe my story if I didn't have proof. ;)

The Latest and Greatest

*For Mother's Day I got a new camera to replace my big, low-pixel, battery-sucking, old camera. My new camera is very small and the idea is that I can keep it in my diaper bag to capture events when we're out and about. Unfortunately, I'm not used to having a camera with me at all times, so I still usually forget to pull it out. I did, however, manage to get the following picture of Aubree and our friend Amanda taking a rest in the shade after picking blueberries at a local U-pick farm. We picked 3 pounds of blueberries (and by "we" I mean "me." Any blueberries Aubree picked went directly into her mouth, so I'd have to say she had a really good time). Amanda (age 7) came with us. She picked almost as much as I did and she almost always gave her biggest, juiciest berries to Aubree. What a nice girl! *Before Bryce was born I started feeling really crafty (maybe it was my version of "nesting" because I certainly never got the urge to clean!). I borrowed a friend's sewing machine and with the guidance of that friend, sewed some diapers for Bryce (I'll talk more about that in another post) and a few other simple projects. This last week though, I got quite daring and decided to try to make a dress for Aubree. I bought some fabric super cheap at a garage sale so I figured even if the dress turned out terribly, I wouldn't be out much money and it would be a good learning experience. Amazingly I was able to follow the pattern and I think the dress can be considered a success. Most importantly, Aubree really likes it. Here is a picture of her modeling the finished product:

* As I've mentioned previously, Aubree loves, loves, loves to read. She has a fantastic memory for the stories she's read. Sometimes this makes for some funny experiences. For example: A few weeks ago Mark asked Aubree if her room was cold. She answered, "yes, it's a cold and lonely place." Mark was a bit concerned with her reply until I informed him that was a line from a library book we'd been reading. Another example: The other day we sat down to dinner and told Aubree we were eating beans. "Beans?," she said, "I don't know beans about taking care of a baby!" That's a line from an "Arthur" book. We never really know what will come out of her mouth next.
* The other day I was folding the laundry and Aubree was "hepping" (you know, when a kid is trying to help, but really causing more work). In an attempt to distract her I asked, "Aubree, do you want me to tell you a story?" She answered affirmatively so I asked what she wanted me to tell her a story about. I expected her to say "Cinderella," or "Little Critter" or something along those lines. Instead, she thought for a minute then answered, "Jesus." Talk about a melt your heart moment! I actually felt a little guilty that I haven't been making a habit of telling her stories of Jesus (and I plan to do better). I first told her about when Jesus was a boy and taught the men in the temple. When I finished Aubree said, "tell me another story about when Jesus was a boy." There is no doubt in my mind that little children are close to the Spirit. Experiences like this are a testimony to me that we lived with and knew our Father in Heaven before we came to Earth.

To Nap or Not to Nap?

I have a sleep conundrum. Aubree no longer wants to take a nap and now rarely does so. The problem is that by late afternoon/evening she often gets soooooo whiny or obstinate or emotional (sometimes all three). It's hard to not get upset with her and is certainly an exercise in patience. The good news is, on days she doesn't take a nap she usually falls asleep as soon as we put her in bed between 6:30-7pm and sleeps until 7-7:30am the next morning (can't complain about that!).
Last Saturday she woke up earlier than usual so I made her take a nap. After she woke she was so happy and pleasant through the afternoon and evening; the difference was remarkable! I loved it! However, on days she takes a nap it takes her for-ev-er to fall asleep. On nap days we usually try to put her to bed between 7:30-8pm and she'll spend at least an hour calling for us, crying intermittently, and asking for things. It's maddening. Moving bedtime forward or back a little doesn't seem to help much. It's such a catch-22. Hopefully this stage will be short-lived, but in the meantime - Any advice?

Company

One of the great things about having a baby is family comes to visit! For example, my mom arrived the day Bryce was born and was able to stay almost two weeks - what a treat! Mom was also with me when Aubree was born and stayed to help for another week. It was certainly helpful having her guidance and assistance at that time, but this time it was way more helpful because she was able to focus on Aubree. It was a win-win situation all around. Aubree loved spending time with her grandma and this was the first time my mom really had a chance to spend a lot of time with Aubree; the last two times we went to visit in California were for my sister's weddings, so Mom was very busy being "mother-of-the-bride" with all the associated responsibilities. Being here, her main role was "grandma," and she got to play, play, play. Grandma and Aubree had all kinds of adventures - they went to the beach, to the park, to the library, to SeaWorld, shopping... Aubree even invented a special game with Grandma called "catch the light." Aubree would shine a flashlight around her room and squeal with delight as Grandma tried to catch it.

When Grandma wasn't playing with Aubree she was often taking care of Bryce so I could spend time with Aubree, cooking fantastic meals for us, cleaning, or running errands. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to handle everything after she left! The day she left (she left early in the morning), Aubree woke up and ran to the room where Grandma had been staying yelling, "get up, Grandma, let's play!" She was terrible disappointed to see Grandma wasn't there and for weeks afterwards would sigh, "I miss my Grandma." She tells me she wants to get on an airplane to go visit. Grandma says she's also having a hard time being away and says she gets "homesick" for her grand kids. Ugh. I wish we lived closer!
We also had the pleasure of having Mark's parents and both his sisters (Karen and Amy) come visit for Bryce's blessing. Karen also brought her one year old daughter, Ally. Although having so many people made for somewhat cramped quarters, we had a lot of fun. As you might expect from a trip to Florida, there were a couple beach excursions, plus trips to a couple theme parks. Aubree and I accompanied the crew for a day at SeaWorld. It was Bryce's first big day out. Thankfully, SeaWorld is a very family-friendly park. We saw lots of shows and they were spaced perfectly to allow me to feed Bryce without slowing down the rest of the group. Bryce did really well; he slept most of the day. Aubree liked that I could now ride the kiddie rides with her since I no longer have "a baby in my tummy." By the end of the day I was exhausted - it's so much work going out with a newborn! The next day our guests went to Epcot. We opted out and used the day to recover.
When not playing tourist, we were able to spend some time playing the traditional Winters Family game of MahJongg. As always, Amy won. How does she do that? Aubree LOVED having our relatives visit. There were so many people who could play with her and read her books and dance with her and on and on. She especially loved playing with Ally. For the most part, she and Ally got along extremely well. Again, Aubree was terribly disappointed when our guests went home. I also appreciated all the extra hands to help take care of the kids and to keep us company. Things felt pretty dull when everyone left. So, who's coming next? We love company!

First Ever Bryce Update

Bryce in now 7 1/2 weeks old. I know it's cliche to say, but the time really does go by so fast! He's growing at an incredible pace (I wonder how long it will be before he passes his sister...). At birth he weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz. (certainly not small). He got down to 8 lbs. 4 oz. a few days after leaving the hospital. At his one month doctor's appointment he tipped the scales at 11 lbs. 7 oz. (and was 22 1/4 inches long)! I can only imagine how big he'll be next week at his 2 month appointment! By six weeks old he'd outgrown 90% of his 0-3 month clothes. The other day Mark came home from work and I met him at the door holding Bryce in my arms. Mark gave me a strange look and asked, "is that a baby?" Surprised I replied, "Uh, what else would it be?" He answered, "he looks almost like a toddler!" Here are a few pictures, the first is when he was 2 weeks old, the second from when he was 1 month old, and the third from today:

For the most part, Bryce is a great baby. He nurses great (although he has thrush, which is a pain - literally) and really likes to sleep. He figured out night-time sleep almost immediately and now only wakes up once or twice to eat and get a diaper change. During the daytime he often wakes up whenever I put him down, so we need to work on that. He smiles a lot and has even started laughing. Aubree interprets his smiles to mean that he loves his big sister.
When Bryce was one month old, we had our first big "adventure." Aubree had been sick for about a week and though I tried to keep her away from Bryce it was a pretty impossible task. So, Sunday afternoon during church Bryce started coughing. As the day progressed, his coughing got worse and he started grunting while breathing. It's extremely strange and unnerving to hear a deep, hacking cough come from a newborn. I did a quick internet search and everything I saw basically said, "newborns shouldn't cough; if they are coughing it means something's wrong - Call you doctor immediately." So, being an obedient (and nervous) mommy, I called the doctor and explained Bryce's symptoms. He said, "take him to the ER right now. We don't mess around with newborns because they can go downhill very, very quickly." Mark gave Bryce a blessing (which helped allay my fears) and Bryce and I headed to the ER around 8 pm. It took us a little over an hour to be seen by the triage nurse. Then they took us back to a room, and on the way back I saw a nurse who is a friend of mine from storytime at the library (the sad thing is, I didn't even know her first name! I only knew her as "Sophia's mom"). I was SO relieved to see her because from then on she took great care of us. The doctor ran a bunch of tests (i.e. influenza, RSV, pneumonia) and Bryce even had an X-ray. Everything came back normal, which was good news. We were sent home around midnight, but only after a bunch of shooting victims came into the ER! Thankfully, Bryce slept through most of night's events. It took another week or so for Bryce to stop coughing, but he seems to be doing fine now.

On May 4th, Bryce was blessed! Mark's parents and sisters came down for the blessing and we were so glad they could share the occasion with us (I'll write more about their visit in another post). It was a beautiful blessing and Bryce was awake and didn't cry at all. Here are some pictures from the day:

Aubree Update

I've been writing Aubree updates for over two years now. It's familiar, I know how to do it. I'm not quite as comfortable with "blogging" so, to help ease my transition, I'm going with the old style! And, since it's been a while since I've written an Aubree update (I had a fairly good excuse for not keeping up, right?), there's a lot to tell!
* A short while before Bryce was born I took Aubree to a "Big Sister" class offered by the hospital. Technically, Aubree shouldn't have been able to attend. When I called to register, the leader asked Aubree's age. When I replied, "she's 2 1/2" (which was a very slight exaggeration), she responded, "we don't take kids under 3." Then she asked a little bit about Aubree and decided to make an exception. I promised Aubree would be well-behaved, then prayed that she would! She did wonderfully! There were about 6 families (around 10 kids) at the class and Aubree was by far the youngest (the next youngest was 5 and he was a bit of a monster, which made Aubree look extra great in comparison). The class was extremely well done. First, each child was given a baby doll and taught how to hold the baby ("put on a 'seatbelt'"), diaper the baby, and take care of the baby. Then the kids got to make t-shirts for themselves and the baby (see the picture below of Aubree and Bryce modeling Aubree's creations. Aubree's shirt says "I'm a Big Sister" [she wears the shirt whenever it is clean] and Bryce's shirt says, "My Sister Loves Me). Finally, they were taken on a tour of the maternity ward and told what to expect. At the end, the leader told Aubree, "you were so good, you can come back anytime." Phew.
* I fully expected to have Bryce before Easter, but since he decided to wait I was able to go with Aubree to the Ward Easter party. She had a fun time hunting for the eggs, but was happy with the few she picked up. I think she realized there was candy inside and couldn't be bothered looking for more eggs when she could sit and enjoy her spoils.
After the egg hunt, the primary had organized a number of games and activities for the kids. Aubree participated in the first few, but soon she and her "best friend," Ella, retreated to a corner and spent the rest of the time feeding each other candy. It was so cute to watch!
* Here is a picture of Aubree modeling her Easter dress made by her Grandma Graff. She especially liked this dress because she could "spin."
* Aubree has proved to be an extremely loving sister. She takes every opportunity to tell me or anyone who will listen that she is a "big sister." She's always loved babies and seemed really excited when we talked about her baby brother coming, but you can never totally predict how a little one will react to such a big change. Overall, she's done very well. She only gets in trouble for being a bit too loving. She always wants to give him kisses, or give him his pacifier, or bounce him in his rocker. She likes to get right in his face to talk to him and generally refers to him as "my baby," "little guy," "buddy," or "my brother." However, she says brother more like "brudder." Sometimes I'll tease her by saying something like, "he's your little brudder." To which she responds, "no mom, not 'brudder,' brudder!" It cracks me up every time.
Of course, it hasn't been a completely smooth transition. She's been a bit more clingy and fussy, and often when I'm nursing she'll want to climb on top of me or will say, "hold me!" To help with this problem, we've turned nursing time into story time (if Aubree wants it). She picks out books for me to read to her...and she's getting pretty good at turning the pages!
*Lately Aubree has REALLY been into dress-up (i.e. all day, every day). She almost always starts with one of her leotards, then puts tutus, or dresses, or outfits on top. When her one-year old cousin, Ally, came to visit, Aubree helped her join in the fun. Thankfully, Ally was a good sport and didn't seem to mind being Aubree's living doll. Which reminds me, Aubree has also been spending a lot of time dressing up her dolls. She especially likes to dress them in her pajamas.
* One day, not too long ago, Aubree got in trouble for doing something and she got a bit mad. She came right up to me and very sternly said, "Mom. I don't like you 'No-ing" me!" Gotta love two year olds!
*I am thrilled to announce that Aubree is 100% potty-trained! Without any encouragement, help, or insistence from her parents, she started waking up dry most mornings. I was still putting her in pull-ups "just-in-case," but about two weeks after Bryce was born I decided I wasn't going to buy anymore diapers. I explained that from then on she would be sleeping in her underwear. Aubree didn't seem to care one way or the other. That night she had an accident and I began to question the wisdom of my decision. Since then, however, she hasn't had another accident. I take zero credit for this achivement - It's all Aubree!
* Aubree has had a major growth spurt recently. She's still rather tall and thin, but has certainly filled out. Lots of clothes that were too big for her a couple months ago are almost too small now! A few days before Bryce was born I took Aubree to the doctor and they had her get on the scale. The nurse said, "she weighs 27 pounds." I laughed and told the nurse to weigh her again because she made a mistake; I didn't think there was any chance that she really weighed that much. The nurse agreed to try again, but Aubree refused to get back on the scale. A week later we had to take Bryce in for a weight check and I had them weigh Aubree too, just to prove the previous week had been a fluke. Nope. She really did weigh 27 pounds! I almost fell over in shock. Aubree only gained 4 pounds from the time she was one till she turned two (from 18-22 pounds) and the doctor told me to expect her weight gain to slow after she turned two. So, to gain over 5 pounds in 6 months is quite an accomplishment. If you ask Aubree how much she weighs her standard answer is "245." I have no idea where she came up with that number.

Bryce's Birth Story

I need to record my memories of Bryce's birth before the details are permanently lost and/or distorted. Just a couple warnings - first, this is the LONG version (for my own and posterity's sake), second, it might be more information that some might prefer. Just know you've been warned...

Bryce's official due date was April 1, 2008 (yes, April's Fool's Day). However, I was certain he would be a March baby since Aubree was eight days early and plenty big at 8 lbs. 6 oz.. Thursday, March 13th, I went walking with friends and started having fairly strong contractions. I refused to acknowledge them because I really wanted to be able to take Aubree to the Big Sister class at the hospital that Sunday. The contractions slowed, but were off and on all weekend. In fact, at one point on Saturday they were every 5 minutes and Mark and I packed our bags - just in case. I kept telling Bryce, "please, just wait for the weekend to be over, then you can come anytime." Well, he listened - maybe too well.

Monday afternoon (March 17th), I had a doctor's appointment. My doctor, Dr. Ivery, checked and seemed surprised to find I was 4-5 cm dilated. She stripped my membranes and commented that she'd probably see me at the hospital the next day (that's a bad, bad thing for doctor's to say!). Then the waiting game began. From my experience with Aubree I knew that in order for things to progress my water needed to break. Days went by...a week passed. My mom made a comment, "maybe he's just waiting for me to arrive" (her plane tickets were for March 26th). I thought there was no way he would wait that long. Turned out she was right.

Dr. Ivery offered to break my water Wednesday, March 26th, at the hospital. I jumped at the chance! The timing worked out wonderfully. Mark picked up my mom at the airport Wednesday morning. They came home long enough to have a quick lunch then we got in the car, dropped Aubree off at a friend's home, and headed to the hospital. We arrived shortly after noon and filled out the necessary paperwork. I felt a bit strange telling the front desk worker, "I'm here to have a baby," when I obviously wasn't in labor. We got up to the maternity ward and started to get things going. The labor and delivery nurse, Donna, instructed me to change into the "oh so chic" hospital gown, then they would start the IV with pitocin. What?!? "No, no!," I exclaimed, Dr. Ivery is only going to break my water, I'm not getting pitocin!" Donna responded, "do you want to see my orders?" I answered, "if you're going to give me pitocin, I'm going home!" She double checked with Dr. Ivery and we all agreed she would only break my water.

*** Important Side Note *** I planned on having Bryce naturally - no epidural. Originally my reasoning was because when I got to the hospital with Aubree I was already 6 cm dilated. I had heard that many hospitals won't allow mothers who already had vaginal births to get an epidural once they were more than 6-7 cm. dilated. That made me think that there would be a good chance I wouldn't even have an option for an epidural with Bryce, so I'd better prepare myself for a natural birth, just in case. To prepare, I read many, many books about labor and delivery and decided that the risks associated with having an epidural outweighed the benefits. That's part of the reason I was so anti-pitocin. ***

The nurse hooked me up to the fetal monitor for about 20 minutes and I was having NO contractions. Shortly after 1 p.m. Dr. Ivery came in and broke my water. I spent the next three hours walking the halls with my good friend Amy (who is a former labor and delivery nurse) and Mark (my mom took a nap because she had flown all night). The first two hours I hardly felt any contractions. We walked and talked and Amy and Mark even made me do squats at the end of each lap to try to help speed things up. Around 3:30 I started to get contractions every few minutes that made me stop walking. By 4 pm the contractions really hurt and I went back to the room and crawled into bed. The nurse checked and I was 7 cm dilated.

The next couple hours are a bit of a blur. I remember getting on the birthing ball shortly after getting back to the room. That helped relieve the pain a little, but then Bryce must have moved because I had a big gush of water. I went to the bathroom to clean up and that's when things got REALLY intense. I started shaking and sweating and I couldn't move on my own. Mark came and helped me back to bed and I threw up. I realized I was in transition, but that knowledge didn't make the contractions any less painful. There was no break in between each contraction so I tried to deal with them as well as I could. At one point I think I said, "If only I had a break, I could do this!"

Around 5 pm the nurse checked and said I was at 8 cm. I almost cried! Only 1 cm in the past hour! Amy tried to encourage me by saying, "you'll probably have your baby in an hour." That didn't sound encouraging to me. I replied, "you just said the 'h' word." "Hour" might as well have been "week" the way I felt. I began to wonder what was really so bad about an epidural anyway? When the nurse had checked me however, it must have stimulated Bryce because I immediately felt him shift and start moving down (ouch!). Mercifully the contractions became further apart and I had a minute or two between each one to breath and collect myself. That made it SO much easier to bear.

Sometime around 6 pm Dr. Ivery showed up and the hospital room began to fill up with people. To be honest, I didn't notice much of it because my eyes were closed and I was focused on myself. I do recall hearing people chatting casually and thinking that was strange. Dr. Ivery told me I was completely dilated and said I could push when I felt like it. Then she asked, "why didn't you push? What's your concern?" I hadn't felt the "urge" yet. I thought that was slightly amusing.

When I was in the transition phase I was really looking forward to the pushing phase because every book I read described the pushing phase as a relief. With Aubree I pushed for three hours and I was hoping/expecting a much shorter time with Bryce. I thought that pushing for 10-20 minutes would be great. Well, let's just say that the pushing stage was never a relief because I only pushed for about 30 seconds! Once I felt the "urge" and started pushing, Bryce's head popped right out. To say I was surprised would be the understatement of the year! I started yelling (something along the lines of, "AAAAAAOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW"), but he was out super fast and then I felt total and complete relief.

Dr. Ivery put Bryce on my chest and I looked at this beautiful, perfect son and was completely overwhelmed with gratitude and love. What a tremendous moment! We stayed in the labor room with Bryce for a couple hours and got to hold him and admire him. Aubree even came shortly after he was born and was thrilled to see "her" baby. Bryce weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz!! He was 20 1/4 inches long and his head was 13 1/2 inches.

Overall, real "labor" only lasted less than 2 1/2 intense hours. Not too bad. The best part of not having an epidural was that my recovery was super quick and easy. I could immediately get out of bed and take a shower and I felt energized and powerful.

I am so thankful my mom was able to be there to see her grandson born. I couldn't have had a better support team - Mark, my mom, and Amy were the perfect combination. Dr. Ivery and the nurse made several comments about what a great labor and delivery experience it was for them and even thanked us for allowing them to be a part of it. Of course, the best part is having Bryce!