2 Weeks Old!

Miss Lily turned 2 weeks old today! She had her second Well-Baby checkup today, and passed with flying colors. We've got a growin' girl on our hands...she is now 8lbs 9oz, and almost 22" long. She had her second PKU test done (hence the bandage on her ankle) and was not a happy camper after. So glad we don't have to go back to the doctor for another 6 weeks!

She's already passing up Teddy!

Lily got 5 uninterrupted hours of sleep the other night. If she keeps this up, she'll be sleeping through the night in no time! She's starting to get a little more fussy, but is still such a good baby. She just has a hard time coping with tummy troubles and gas bubbles. Hopefully she'll grow out of that soon.

We took her newborn pictures last week, and should have them back tomorrow! I'll post them when we do. They are beautiful! Or am I just biased? :) You can see a sneak peek here.

Todd went back to work yesterday. Lily and I are working on adjusting to this new situation. I got very used to having Todd around all of the time! It's been pretty overwhelming, but we're getting the hang of it.

1 Week Already!

Oh goodness...how is our little baby possibly a week old already? It has absolutely flown by.

We are going to track her growth against Teddy (aka: Fuzzarilla, as Todd would call her!)

Milestones of the week:

• First sponge bath - she was not so thrilled!
• First real bath  - this one she mildly enjoyed, although she had a skeptical look on her face the entire time.
• First two doctor visits - She had lost 8oz and had a little bit of jaundice at her first visit, and is back up to 7lbs 12oz (3oz above her birth weight!) and no jaundice at her second visit.
• No more meconium! - TMI, I know..but that stuff it no fun for us OR for her!
• First throw-up - Yep...it was a doosy. I couldn't help but laugh, because I had NO idea how she fit that much milk in her tiny little stomach. None of it got on her, but all of it got on me!
• Sleeping longer during the night - She slept for a 4hr block, then a 3hr block last night. MUCH better than her regular every-two-hours feeding schedule.

Lily has been such a good baby. We feel so blessed, in so many ways! Thank you to all of our friends and family who have visited or brought us meals. We appreciate it so much, and have thoroughly enjoyed not having to cook all week. 

Lily Fay Parris ~ 7/3/12

We are so thrilled to announce the birth of our little angel!

Lily Fay Parris

Born July 3, 2012

6:00 pm, 7lbs 9oz, 19.5"



I had hoped to post this earlier, but things have been a little...well...busy! We have absolutely loved having our little girl home with us. She's nursing well, sleeping well, and is so fun! We definitely have our ups-n-downs (as all new parents do), but Lily is doing a good job of training us :)

Lily dropped 8 ounces by Thursday, and is back up to 7lbs 12oz today! Three ounces more than her original birth weight. The doctor joked that we must be feeding her lard, haha.

Our experience at the hospital was perfect. I won't sugarcoat it and say that labor and delivery was "easy," but I can say without hesitation that it was the most amazing experience I have ever had, and was definitely worth it! Here's the short version of our birth story. We have decided to only share the full version with select individuals, as it was a very personal and special experience for us.

From very early in my pregnancy, Todd and I both thought that Lily would come early. So, when my due date came and went, I begant to feel very discouraged. Each day was a challange. Finally, the night before my 41 week appointment, Todd and I decided that it was time to turn it over to the Lord and trust that He knew what He was doing. The next morning, I said a prayer expressing my desire to have this baby naturally without the need for induction, and hoped that my wishes and desires could be taken into account. Within minutes I felt my first contraction! They continued until 1:00, when we went to my doctor appointment. Our doctor said that I was dilated to a 5, and was beginning to leak amniotic fluid. We were sent right over to Labor and Delivery at Ogden Regional Hospital.

We were checked in by 2:30, and my mom arrived around that time as well. Our doctor got there around 3:15 and finished breaking my water. Within minutes my contractions went from 5 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart. Everything went very quickly from that point! After laboring for only 2.5 hours, Lily was born. It was a very intense and speedy process. Our little girl was anxious to come, and she helped move the process along very efficiently.

As many of you know, Todd and I learned and practiced the Hypnobirthing technique for natural childbirth. Although I wasn't able to use it quite like I had hoped, I was able to impliment the breathing techniques. I can honestly say, I don't think I could have done it without those techniques! I was so fortunate to have my sweet husband, my mother, and our Doula (Marie Chase) all there with me.  So, details set aside, giving birth was the most intense, most challenging, most amazing, most awe-inspiring experience that I have ever had.

Thank you to everyone who has offered their love, help, and support to us during this journey. We are so happy to have our little girl here with us, and are enjoying our new life with her.

Due Date: Come and Gone...

Well, for those of you anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lily Fay, she is officially late! We never thought we'd make it to our due date, and here we are breezing right through it. That's what we get for having expectations, right?

The thing Todd and I have learned most the last few weeks is just how little control we have over certain situations. We've had to accept that our little girl must not be quite ready to greet the world, and that between her and my body, they know what they're doing. I will admit that I have a hard time accepting that some days, but am working on my patience and trying to connect with the power that my body and my baby inherently have to birth naturally.

Fortunately, everything is still looking great on our ultrasounds. She is very healthy, with a strong heartbeat, surrounded by plenty of fluid, and in the proper position for birth. Our doctor is comfortable with letting us wait a little longer to let her come natrually, without being induced. We have a 41 week appointment scheduled for July 3, and hope that she comes before them or we may need to start considering an induction date.

 I am also doing very well, despite some discomforts some days. It is a bit difficult to stay up-beat when I wake up so stiff I can hardly roll over! But I know how fortunate I've been to only have these pains and discomforts this late in my pregnancy, when SO many women experience them for much longer than I have. Lily has been very kind to me and my body this pregnancy, which I appreciate so very much!

The funnest changes I've noticed over the last few weeks are as follows:
- Not being able to see my feet. A straight-down view is SO overrated...right?
- Struggling to be able to TOUCH my feet. This makes making my toes look pretty a little tricky...
- Stretch marks. I made it SO close to not having any stretch marks! They're so small that I really shouldn't complain...but I am... lol.
- A bladder the size of a golf ball. This one is fairly self-explanatory, I think!
- Going to the doctor every week. It's beginning to feel like we live there.
- Realizing that a Due Date is actually a Guess Date. Doctors don't really know when these babies are gonna come!

OK, my pity party is over :) Here's a picture of me on my due date!

Todd and I went to dinner wtih some friends tonight to "celebrate" and distract ourselves. We had a blast! I highly recommend Settebello's Pizzeria in downtown SLC.

Well all - wish us luck! Every day is an adventure, wonding if  "today is the day." One of these days, it actually will be! We'll be texing family and friends when she's born, and will post pictures as soon as we're up to it. Can't wait to introduce you all to our sweet girl! We're even more excited to meet her ourselves :)

Maternity Photos! (and more)

Todd and I got to take a trip out to Antelope Island with our neighbor Amanda Gibbs when I was 35 weeks for some awesome maternity photos! I just thought I'd share a few :)

Thanks again Amanda for doing such a great job! I hope you had as much fun as we did :)

We can't wait for our little girl to be here. Todd and I were convinced that she was coming early, and she sure pulled a fast one on us! I'm now 39 weeks and am thinking she may come a little after my due date. We're willing to wait for our sweet girl if she needs to "cook" a little longer, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want her here now :) We're just trying to remember that my baby and my body know best, and that she will come when she's ready! She's definitely started to drop, as you can tell by this next picture:

39 Weeks

She has definitely grown the last couple of weeks! I finally "filled out" and officially look pregnant, lol. About time, right? It makes me wonder if my due date is actually a little later than the doctor calculated. Who knows!

Well, I'm hoping the next post I make is to annouce baby, but I won't get my hopes up quite yet. I'll post a 40 week picture if we get to that point. 



And the real waiting begins!

Todd and I had our 36 week appointment last night and were very happy with how well it went. At our 35 week appointment I was 2cm dilated and 75% effaced, and this weeks I am already 3.5cm dilated and 80% effaced. Not bad progress for a week! Our doctor is pretty confident that she will be here by the 20th, but he joked around that I could go into labor this weekend. So, because some women can sit at a 3 or 4 for weeks, we're just playing the waiting game now. Todd and I are both thinking she might come sooner than later, based on the number and strength of the contractions I've been having. I'm excited for her to be here, but want her to stay in there as long as she needs. (Now I just need to remember that next week when it's 90* outside and I'm dying of the heat...).

My most recent picture - 36 weeks!

We finished our HypnoBirthing classes last week and have decided to hire our instructor as our Doula (labor companion). Here's her website if you're interested in learning more. She will come to our home when I'm in labor, or just meet us at the hospital to assist us with labor and delivery. I can't wait to work with her! Todd has been so amazing through this whole process. I feel myself growing more impatient at the little things (leaving socks on the ground, not rinsing the dishes, etc) but I can't help but be amazed at how much he as risen to the occasion when it comes to helping me prepare for labor and birth. He has been by  my side every minute of the day (and night, for that matter), and is going to be such a wonderful Dad to our little girl.

We've started packing our hospital bag. You know me... have to be prepared and organized! I've made a packing list for us to go over before we leave just to make sure I didn't miss anything. I'm hoping it pays off, and doesn't just make me impatient to go into labor.

We had some maternity photos taken two weeks ago. You can visit our photographer's blog for a sneak preview :) I'll post my favorites on here once I get the CD from her. We had a BLAST taking them at Antelope Island, and I can't wait to see the final result.

From Babyshowers to Basketball Bellies ~ the joys of the Third Trimester!

I am ashamed to see that it has been a MONTH since I posted anything! Fortunately, there's not a whole lot that you missed. My sweet friend threw a wonderful baby shower for me two weeks ago, where I had an absolute blast and received wonderful presents. I'm also having another shower this Saturday for my family and family friends. I can't wait! My sisters are throwing this one for me, and I know it will be fabulous.

I had my 33 weeks appointment today. Miss Lily is measuring about 3.5 lbs (give or take a pound - ultrasounds aren't known for their accuracy) and both of us are very healthy. Healthy enough that my doctor is comfortable with me staying at 2-week appointments! I have a regular 2-weeks scheduled for 5/24 and 6/7, at which point I would start my weekly visits, but he may just have me come in on 6/21 if things are still going so well. That leaves only a week before my due date (6/27), and we are hoping that she will arrive by then. I feel comfortable with this arrangement! I am confident that I will feel the changes in my own body as they come up, and that the transition into labor and delivery will be smooth and natural. Todd and I are working very hard to make that happen.

It is starting to look more and more like I have a basketball stuck under my shirt!

A large part of this preparation began when we registered for a series of HypnoBirthing classes. We have had 2 of the 5 classes so far, and are absolutely loving them! I'm currently reading the book that goes with the classes, "Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method." It goes through the chemistry of labor and delivery, and introduces the concept of Physiological Birth. This method allows mothers to work with their body's natural way giving birth for a positive and pain-reduced (if not pain-free) experience. We are currently learning how to intentionally enter a deep state of relaxation or self-hypnosis and to use this relaxation to create a smooth and natural transition for our baby to enter the world. If you want more information, you can visit their website here. I was very pleased to find out that their classes go much beyond "finding your happy place!" 

As I have thought about how to decorate Lily's "nursery" (aka: corner of our room), I was inspired by a baby shower gift I received. I was given a small diaper hand-bag (the kind that fits a portable wipes package and a couple of diapers) made from a pattern Beatrix Potter characters! I had grown up with the stories of Beatrix Potter, and completely forgot about them as the years went by. I would love nothing more than to use those stories and characters as a sort of mini-theme for her room. I still want to use butterflies and flowers, but add this theme to it as well. Wish me luck, I'm not sure where I'll find any decorations to use! I did find a couple of books that can act as decor and reading materiel. The Complete Collections of both Beatrix Potter AND Winnie the Pooh! I can't wait to get them in the mail, and start reading them to our daughter :)

Over these next 7 weeks (give or take) we have a LOT to do. We have to figure out what else we need to purchase, decorate, put together, touch up, read, learn, and practice before Lily gets here. Fortunately I will not be working past the end of this month, which will give me some much needed time to rest and finish preparing. I can't wait to meet our little girl! So many babies are being born around us, which makes us even more excited for her to come.