Week Three

October 28, 2011- November 3, 2011

My husband finally had to go back to work on the 31st so I got to experience my first few days as a stay at home mom and student this week. I love it! My daughter is great! I took some pictures of her in her Halloween costume. For Brinlee's first Halloween, we just stayed in and carved/colored pumpkins together and I baked pumpkin seeds. Since the umbilical cord finally came off, she also experienced her first bath which she loved surprisingly! Parenthood is amazing!

                                                                   I love her kissy face!

         
                                                                       On Halloween!

                                                                Brinlee's First Halloween

                                                    Her first time in the Baby K'Tan! She loves it!

                                                         She loves the camera!!

                                                            Brinlee's First Bath!

Week Two

October 21, 2011- October 27, 2011
Our little girl is getting bigger and bigger every day. She has had amazing head control since shortly after she was born and she has been holding her head up more and more every day. She still sleeps a lot during the day and is sleeping for 3-4 hour stretches at night. My mom went home on the 20th so we have been adjusting to being just us three which is going well. We've managed to keep the house clean so far since we have so many people coming by to see Brinlee and bring us food (which is a huge help). We just had to get some pictures for Halloween done so we went to Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Patch and had a great time. Brinlee also got to meet her Great Aunt and Uncle, Great Grandmother, and Uncle!

My baby's reaction to her vitamin drops

Week One

October 13, 2011- October 20, 2011

Our first week of parenting went much better than we expected! People always tell you how big of a nightmare the newborn stage is but we were pleasantly surprised.

Brinlee woke up about every 2-3 hours to eat and have her diaper changed. She rarely cries and sleeps a lot.

 She is a good with being in public since we've gone out to eat and to Target a few times.

My husband has been such a trooper and has been a tremendous help. He always said he would not change diapers but he changed her first one and almost every diaper since then. Fortunately he is off for 2 weeks to spend time with our girl.

We just sit here and stare at her all the time.

My mom was able to fly in while I was in labor and is here for the week which is great! She has been helping around the house and making sure we have dinner and of course snuggling with the baby!

Here are some pictures from her first week:

                                                                      First Car Ride Home!

                                                             My mom was here for the first week!

                                                               Daddy's Little Princess

                                                                    3 Generations

                                                       Brinlee's First Doctor Appointment

                                                                     My Family

Dollface!

She has arrived!

Arriving fashionably late at 40 weeks, 3 days, I am proud to announce that Brinlee was born on October 13, 2011 at 9:06 PM. I had originally planned to have a natural Bradley method birth but I soon found out how quickly plans can change!
                                                                         
                                                               First time seeing my baby

Brinlee minutes after birth

Birth Story:

On October 12, 2011 at 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant, I started having mild contractions starting at 10 PM. At about 2:30 AM on October 13, they were 5 minutes apart so I called the doctor. Dr. Jaeger said that I should wait about an hour then go to the hospital. I woke Brian up at 3 AM so we could pack our bags and leave for the hospital. Once we got to Saint Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, they started monitoring my contractions and had me walk around for an hour. After walking, I was not progressing from 2 centimeters so they had me try walking for another hour. At 7 A.M., the doctor showed up and I still had not made progress so we were left to decide whether we would like to induce or wait and see if I went into real labor. I had originally planned to have a natural birth but after talking it over, I told the doctor that I had a feeling that we needed to induce for safety even though he suggested waiting. At 10 AM the doctor came in and broke my water which had meconium in it and the doctor told us it was good that we chose to induce. An hour later we started the pitocin to help my body dilate. My mom arrived at the hospital at 2 PM. I labored without pain medication until about 4:30 PM when the pain became excruciating so at 5 centimeters, I decided to get an epidural. After getting the epidural, I was able to relax and focus on how excited I was that my baby was finally about to arrive. At 8 PM, I started to feel pressure so I called the nurse and she said I was ready to push. I had to wait another 30 minutes for Dr. Reiss to finish with another patient and at 8:30 PM, I started pushing. At 9:06 PM on October 13, 2011, Brinlee Elizabeth Doyle was born at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 and 1/2 inches long. The first thing I asked was if the baby was okay and then, said “Hi baby” as they placed her on my chest. After a few minutes, she was examined by the nurse and then had to go to the nursery until her breathing was regulated then two hours later, she was returned to me as healthy as could be. I’ve never experienced a love like this before!

                                                                   My new family                        

                                        

                                                                          Going Home!

Been a Long Time

It has been a while since I've posted... again and a lot has happened. I'm completely failing at this blog thing. Ahh but alas, here we go again.

I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant with our little girl. Brinlee is due on October 10, 2011.



The Mr. and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary.



And he joined the Honor Guard. He also is taking summer classes for his Bachelor's Degree and I start classes in the Fall.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Every man dies – Not every man really lives.- William Ross

Dreams... I have so many dreams and wishes for this life and whether I can fulfill all of them or not, I'm going to do my best. I remember having so many dreams as a child and as I got older, some of them started to fade. Our dreams define us and make us unique. They mold us and help us grow. Following our dreams helps us lead a full, happy life.

Here are 11 of my dreams for 2011:

Not necessarily to happen in 2011

1) Raise a family

2) Go to Europe. Pretty much anywhere will do. I just want to go.

Italy

3) Own a house with true southern charm.

4) Learn to play the piano

5) Learn to speak another language

6) Take Dancing lessons with my husband

7) Start sewing

8) Plant a garden

9) Ice Skate at Rockefeller Center

10) See a Broadway Show

11) Go hiking

So here are some of my goals. What are yours?

New Years Resolutions

It has been a long time since I've posted on here and a lot has happened in our lives since my last post. Part of my New Years resolution is to keep up with a hobby so I am going to try to update my blog on a regular basis. Sometimes life just seems so ordinary and mundane so I never know what to write about.

On that note, every year I make New Years Resolutions but I rarely stick to them. They are achievable but I make it too hard where I can't stay motivated so this year I am making them more easily attainable.

My goals for 2011 are:

• Pay off our credit card
• Add to our savings
• Establish a better budget and stick to it.
• Find a hobby
• Exercise consistently
• Read through my Bible in a year

I always make goals to lose X amount of weight and it doesn't happen quickly so I get discouraged so this year I decided just to start exercising and bettering my health instead.

Last night I went to my very first yoga class at the gym here on base with a friend. I thought it would be an easy class to start with but I was shaky from the minute we started and today my body hurts. I felt accomplished at the end of the class because I finally went and survived my first class. I think I will try to do yoga on a regular basis because it has great benefits such as:

• Increases Flexibility, Strength, Posture, and Balance
• Develops Core Strength
• Tones and creates lean muscles
• Expands lung capacity
• Reduces tension, relieves stress, relaxes the mind
• Engages the mind to increase concentration and focus
• Therapeutic for previous injuries through muscle conditioning
• Improves the mood and can suppress mental issues such as OCD or depression.
• Establishes body awareness and creates self-acceptance
• Lowers blood pressure and slows heart rate which decreases your cholesterol and triglycerides, can reverse the effect of heart disease, and helps those who suffer from hypertension or strokes
• Allieviates chronic medical conditions like asthma, migraines and arthritis
• Energy level increases
• Improves blood circulation
• Promotes a healthier lifestyle