Nora Kate | Three Months

A little bit late on this one but give this teacher/momma a break! It's the last 2 weeks of school which are incredibly busy and exhausting! Better late than never though right?

Two Months

Weight | Somewhere around 12lbs

Length | Between 24-25 inches 

Clothes | She is now exclusively in 0-3 month clothes. Some brands of those are still a little big but most all 0-3 fit. 

Diapers | JUST moved her to 1's. Kind of sad she can't fit into the tiny newborn diapers anymore. 

Sleeping | This has been one of the best changes this month! Nora now sleeps exclusively in her crib from about 8:30-6:30 every night! She cut the middle of the night feeding out on her own! It is so incredibly nice to have some time for just The Hubs and I!

Eating | Nora loves to eat and boy does she let you know when it's time. She can be laying there completely content and happy one minute and then instantly start screaming when she decides she's hungry! It's surprising she's not chunkier than she is!

Likes | She loves to be kissed all over her face, loves "standing" while you hold her hands, and she loves the turtle toy over her changing table. 

Dislikes | Being hungry, her carseat after too long, and the Jaws theme song.

Milestones/Other | Our little lady rolled over this month! In true Nora style she did this quite early. It was not a one time thing either, she does it multiple times during tummy time if you catch her on a good day! 
Nora also had her first trip to a restaurant and was a perfect angel the whole time! 

Exciting Experiences | Because of Nora I got to celebrate my first mother's day and it was such a sweet day! I love my little gal so stinkin' much!

It's crazy how I want her to get to the next stage so much but also want her to stay exactly as she is at the same time! 
Here's to hoping that Nora keeps growing but that time passes slowly :)

Nora Kate | Two Months

Two Months

Weight | 10lbs 4oz

Length | 23 1/4 in  90th percentile!

Clothes | She is in between newborn and 0-3 month.

Diapers | Newborn, but after we use up the last boxes she will probably move to size 1. 

Sleeping | Since she started daycare at 7 weeks she goes down between 9:00-10:00 sleeps 6-7 hours then wakes up to eat. Goes back down for about 2 hours then wakes up to eat again and is happily awake until time for daycare! 

Eating | Things are going great with breastfeeding except pumping sucks! I am so grateful to even have the option though and a job and an employer who understand and even support it. 

Likes | She loves her bath now, especially getting water poured over her! She also loves being sung to by Collin or I and loves her Rockaroo swing. 

Dislikes | After she is happy from her bath comes her least favorite thing ever... Lotion. She hates having lotion rubbed on after her bath. 

Milestones/Other | Lots of smiles and definitely recognizes our faces and voices now. She also started cooing recently and it is the sweetest thing ever! 

Nicknames: NoNo and Squeaky 

Month One Favorites

These items are ones that are used on the daily in our house now! Many of them can be found at Target or online!

1. MAM Pacifiers
Nora just started taking a pacifier really well and these are her favorite. We tried the Soothie brand but she didn't keep them in her mouth very well. A pacifier really is an incredible invention! Especially at night!

2. Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper
This is what Nora sleeps in every night, right beside our bed. She seems to really love it and I love that it rocks on its own! I usually don't have to use the rocking function until I put her down after her first feed at night.

3. Little Remedies Gas Drops
Wow! Do we have a gassy girl on our hands. She is always burpin' or tootin' and sometimes her little tummy hurts real bad when she has some gas. This of course makes her fussy, we giver these drops and about 15 minutes later she is lettin' out all that gas! It is both entertaining and great because she gets relief and we get to laugh!

4. Munchkin Wipe Warmer
Nora does not like having her diaper changed and I think this helps a little. I want one for me too!

5. Fisher Price Bouncer Chair
We actually didn't register for one of these and weren't planning on getting one. Then I realized about a week before she was born that we didn't have anything that was easy to move from room to room. So we picked this one up for only $30! So glad we did because, besides the bassinet it is our most used item!

6. Raney Day Designs Burpies
I am slightly biased because the creator of these is my lovely sister in-law, but I love these burp rags! I had her make me a few and they already look pretty raggity because they get so much use!

7. Gripe Water
Nora gets the hiccups just about every time after she eats. She doesn't mind them for the first few minutes but then she starts to get upset. The Hub's sister told us about this stuff and it is amazing! We give her the recommended dose when she gets the hiccups and they are gone after she finishes taking it! It says it helps with colic, gas, and teething as well but we haven't noticed it doing much for those.

8. Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle
Bedtime routine always involves nursing Nora on one side, burping her then putting her in the swaddler before nursing on the other side and putting her down for the night. Babies love to be tight, warm and cozy and for the most part she really does love being swaddled. If her arms get twisted or aren't down by her side she gets frustrated so we just adjust and she's happy again! She also looks super cute, like a little baby burrito!

Nora Kate | One Month

One Month

Weight | 7 lbs 10 oz (at 2 week appointment)

Length | 20 1/2 inches (at 2 week appointment) 

Hair | Nora has lots of strawberry blonde hair. It is one of our favorite parts about her! 

Eyes |  Right now they are blue like all babies but I am doubting they will stay that way with 2 brown eyed parents. 

Clothes | Wearing newborn still, but as we see her grow some of the outfits are starting to get tight. 

Diapers | Newborn. She still is not a huge fan of having her diaper changed but if you catch her at just the right time she won't cry until the very end. 

Sleeping | Nora has been very hit or miss on the sleeping since the first week. Week 2 she slept pretty good and then she had her 3 week growth spurt and was waking up every hour and a half to eat. Needless to say, momma was exhausted. Luckily that only lasted 3 nights and then she went back to sleeping well at night! On the eve of her one month birthday she gave me a present and slept for a 6 hour stretch! I'm sure it was a fluke, but gosh was it nice! 

Eating | Nora and I are now breastfeeding champs! The beginning of week 3 Nora started cluster feeding at about 6:00 every night and would eat every 45 minutes to an hour until 10:00. That was no fun at all, but again that stage only lasted about 4 days then she went back to every 2.5-3 hours. I have been using a shield because she had latch problems and this last week I have been weaning her off of it. It is slow going but I can tell eventually we will be able to go without it! 

Likes | Her favorite thing is to be held up by your chest, facing out so she can look around at everything. She will let you do this sitting down for a very short period of time and then she wants you to walk around. She loves to snuggle close and nap with her mom or dad! 

Dislikes | She does not like having her diaper changed (totally don't blame her). She also is not a fan of baths. If she's awake she doesn't like to be sitting for too long. 

Milestones/Other | We have been doing lots of tummy time and she does a great job. She likes it for about 10 minutes and then she's ready to be done. She is also starting to really be alert when she is awake. It is so fun to watch her take in her surroundings and study our faces!

Nora Kate | A Birth Story

Thank you all SO much for all of the love and congratulations on our precious little love. We are so over the moon in love with this sweet girl! How could we not be?

So now, before I forget her entire birth, I figured I should document it with lots of details and a massive photo dump!

Before we get to the actual birth, just so I don't forget this part I want to note that at my 36 week appointment I was 3cm, 90% effaced and 1 station! Then, on January 31st at 37 weeks 2 days I went into labor and progressed to 5cm. Labor stalled and since I was only 37 weeks they would not induce me. I was sent home and told to take it easy and be ready to book it to the hospital should I go into labor again or my water broke. 

What a whirlwind! 

Then, on Tuesday February 9th around 8pm, I started having very strong contractions. I was really ready to have this baby so I walked, bounced on an exercise ball and did laundry to try and keep the contractions coming. At 10:00 The Hubs and I decided to go to bed, my contractions were the same so I figured they would fizzle out again and it would be nothing. I laid in bed until 11:30, and finally fell asleep. Then at about 12:30am I was woken up by strong contractions. I got up to go to the bathroom and promptly had another strong contraction. I still wasn't so sure if this was it so I went back to bed. Literally 5 seconds after laying down again, my water broke! I got up to make sure and from the bath room had to yell Collin's name FOUR times before he heard me. I said "Babe! My water broke!" He sat right up out of bed and said "let's do this!"

We both jumped into action gathering anything we needed, getting the dogs situated in the living room and then hopped in the car. We had a 30 minute drive to the hospital and on the way my contractions were getting way stronger and were about 5 minutes apart. We made it to the hospital in 25 minutes (God gave us EVERY green light!) and got to the OB floor and luckily were the only ones there. We got checked into the same room my false alarm had been in and they quickly hooked me up to everything I needed since I came in already at a 5 with my water broken. 

They checked me right away and I was 6cm, 100% effaced. They went ahead and ordered my epidural but no one could find the ONE guy who did pain relief for the whole hospital. So we ended up waiting an hour for my epidural, at this point I was at an 8 and in A LOT of pain! I was thinking they wouldn't give me an epidural at that point but they said if I could stay calm and sit still for it they would still give it to me. You better believe I made myself still and calm! 

This was after the epidural :) Last few hours pregnant with our little one! So ready to find out if it's a boy or girl! 

Magically after the epidural, everything got better! After about 2 more hours I was 10cm and they were ready for me to push. This part was so much more low key then I thought it would be. I pushed for about an hour and half before my doctor came in. Then after another half hour of pushing, at 9:04am our baby GIRL was born! She was sunny side up but perfectly healthy and absolutely perfect! I was convinced it was a boy so I was shocked to see a little girl in my arms! The Hubs and I bawled our eyes out while looking at every adorable inch of our sweet Nora Kate! 

She weighed 7lbs 3oz, 20 inches long and had a head full of strawberry blonde hair. All the nurses kept commenting on her hair color and how unique it was!

Labor and delivery were not at all what I expected it to be. In so many ways is was much easier than I thought it would be and much more amazing and emotional! Now, Miss Nora is getting close to 2 weeks old and we cannot imagine our lives without her!

Love you Nora, forever and always!

One Week

How in the world is Miss Nora Kate already one week old? Time has absolutely flown and in many ways it has all been a blur. I am slowly learning to be this little girl's mommy and falling more and more in love with her each second she is alive! Nora has been such a good baby so far. She has a very calm demeanor and only screams when you change her diaper or give her a bath. Other than that, she is usually content and calm. I am so blessed to be mom to this little lady and can't wait to see her change and grow each day!

I want to do monthly updates as often as possible because I want to remember every little thing! The piece of advice I have been given the most by parents is that time goes so fast, so I plan on savoring these days, even the hard times. Our first week together is a big milestone so I wanted to remember everything possible!

Some first week stats:
Number of baths given: 2
Number of blowouts: 3
Number of meals burned: 1
Number of showers: 7 (personal victory)
Number of times I have checked if she is breathing: 47,228
Number of kisses given: 123,455,399

Weight: 6 lbs 12 oz (after first appointment weight loss)

Length: 20 inches 

Hair: Nora has lots of strawberry blonde hair. It is one of our favorite parts about her! 

Eyes: Right now they are blue like all babies but I am doubting they will stay that way with 2 brown eyed parents. 

Clothes: Little lady can only fit in newborn right now so we had to buy a few things for her! 

Diapers: Newborn. She HATES having her diaper changed right now. Hopefully that will change cause she cries the whole time!

Sleeping: Nora is a great sleeper so far. Some of that is because she is low level jaundice and the doctor said that will make her tired until it is all out of her system. At night I change her diaper and put her in jammies at 10:00 then nurse her and put her down in the bassinet at about 10:30. She wakes up at about 12:30 to eat again, I put her back down and the wakes up again around 4:00 or 5:00 to eat and then sleeps until 8:00 or 9:00. During the day she is off an on sleeping, eating, awake. Typical newborn stuff :)

Eating: Breastfeeding was a struggle in the beginning. Nora struggled to latch in the hospital the first day. By day two she was doing better but was really hurting me because she had a shallow latch. When we brought her home, things got worse, she acted like she hated eating and would act hungry but scream and cry and wiggle or just fall asleep the whole time. She was only really eating like once or twice a day and it was really concerning me. Luckily, at her doctor's appointment she was doing fine weight wise and I got to speak with a lactation specialist. I got some great tips and now her and I are champs! Makes this mamma feel so much better that she is getting what she needs. She also gets hiccups every time she eats! Thank goodness for Gripe Water!

Likes: She likes to be moving! She loves her swing, her bouncy chair or to be in someones arms. I love that she lets us put her down when we need to but she doesn't do well sleeping if she isn't on the move in some way. She loves to be held in the burping position and snuggle up real close ( I love it too). She also makes these adorable squeaking sounds which has given her the nickname Squeaky! 

Dislikes: She does not like having her diaper changed (totally don't blame her). She also is not a fan of baths. 

Milestones/Other: Nora is incredibly strong and loves to raise her head up off our chest if we are holding her. She took her first trip to Target (mommy's favorite store) and slept the whole time! I'm sure when she gets a little older she will appreciate it as much as I do!

Baby items we can't live without: 

Graco Swing (Target)

Boppy (Target)

Bassinet (Target)

Bouncer Seat (Target) 

37 Weeks and Labor!

Wowza!
Do I have a crazy story to tell for my 37 week update! I'm just gonna jump right in!

Saturday night (January 30th) at around 9:30 I started having REAL contractions. I could tell the difference from Braxton Hicks because these surged all the way from my lower belly around to my back. That and the fact that they actually really hurt! After quite a few I decided I better start timing them to see if this could possibly be the real thing. At this point I was 3cm dilated and 90% effaced at my appointment the Tuesday before. When I began timing the contractions they were about 20 minutes apart and after a couple hours they got to about 12 minutes apart. We were told that since I was already 3cm, that we needed to get to the hospital when they got to be 15-10 minutes apart. So, we loaded up all our things and headed for the hospital. They stayed about the same distance apart on the drive, but increased in intensity a bit.

We arrived at the hospital just before midnight and were checked-in very quickly (pre-register people!). They wheeled me back to a room and right away hooked me up to some monitors. They also checked me right away and I was at 4cm now. They could see that I was having strong contractions on the monitor that were now about 8 minutes apart. I on the other hand could feel them even more now and was clinging to the bed through a few of them. They kept us for 2 more hours, checked me again and I had hardly progressed from the 4cm but was still having contractions. They called my doctor and she said to keep me until morning but not to officially admit me yet. So for about 2 more hours I was awake and having painful contractions. but they slowly began to die down. I then was able to sleep from about 3am to 6am when they came and checked me again. I was still having contractions but they were far less painful. They checked me again and I was at 5cm so they called the doctor and she said to admit me because I was having a baby today!

We were so excited and began making all the calls to our family that needed to be informed. Then at about 8:30 my doctor swung by to check on me after a surgery she had done. She saw that my contractions were less intense and told me it looked like I was at risk for a stalled labor. Since I was only in my 37th week, if labor stalled they could not break my water or induce so she said to go walk the halls to try and get contractions going again. We walked until I couldn't any more. I had a few more contractions but they were not terrible. They hooked me back up and 2 hours later doctor came around and saw that my contractions had basically stopped at this point. They checked me again and I was still 5cm so she apologized profusely and said they were going to have to send me home.

Boy, was that disappointing! We were all excited to meet this little one and were ready to go! I was pumped up for labor and things had looked so promising for a while. Then to be sent home with no baby in our arms and to just basically be told we were to wait around... NO FUN! So we used our provided hospital meal and ate before we left while I finished my IV and then we left, feeling very defeated.

We were home for two days and I felt nothing but discomfort, no contractions or anything. I did the worst thing you can do and read all kinds of things online. The thing that terrified me the most were stories of women who were at 5cm dilated for 3 weeks or more! No, thank you!

Well, yesterday I had a regular appointment and I was so nervous that the news would be "baby will come when it's ready, just wait patiently." So before the appointment we went bowling and on a long walk, hoping I would progress to 6cm and they would admit me right then and there! So we go to the appointment, baby's heart rate is great, I am measuring perfect and after she checks me I am still 5cm, 90% effaced but baby's head is now even lower and pushing down very hard (she didn't have to tell me that... I already knew!).

Then came the good news! She did not want me to walk around too long that far dilated so she offered for us to have an amniocentesis done to see if our little one's lungs are fully developed. If they are, she said she would break my water that day and deliver. The Hubs and I decided that since I was only 37 weeks 4 days that we would rather not take that route yet. So after talking it over, the plan of action is to wait until my next appointment on Monday (I'll be 38 weeks 3 days) and if I haven't gone naturally by then we will do the amniocentesis. Or if I have progressed to 6cm by Monday, she will just admit me and break my water that day.


Basically, we will be having a baby on Monday if not sooner! Praise the Lord because this momma cannot wait too much longer in the state she is in!

What a fun story this will be to tell this child one day! I just have a feeling all this crazy stuff may be letting us see a tiny glimpse of this baby's personality. We may be in for a crazy ride with this one! But I wouldn't have it any other way!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

These babies have only 5 ingredients and they are things you probably always have laying around your house!

Warning: I do not measure! I only measure the first time I make something and then I am more of an eye-baller. So if you like things to be exact, this is not the recipe for you... sorry!

First you need about 1/2 a stick of butter melted

1 can of biscuits, I usually use Pillsbury Homestyle

A little bowl of cinnamon sugar (you can buy this or mix it up yourself)


Take each biscuit circle and rip it into four equal pieces. Roll the little pieces into a ball and dip them in the butter, then roll the buttered dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place all four small circles into one muffin tin section. Continue these steps until you are finished.

One can of biscuits makes 8 muffins.


Place in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

While they are baking simply mix together the last two ingredients. Milk and powdered sugar! (You can also add vanilla or almond extract for extra deliciousness) You want the icing to be pretty runny so it will get in the cracks of the muffin!

When the muffins are done, pour the icing over immediately! Trust me, it needs to be done this way.

Give them about 5 minutes to be bearable to eat and then devour!

We eat these a lot in our house hold! So easy and so delicious!