Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

We got a couple inches of snow on Thursday, so of course I had to suit Olivia up for the obligatory "First Snow" pictures! Her snow suit was huge on her and we didn't last long outside, but at least I got a couple of good shots.

An Early Christmas Present

This past weekend, we braved the crowd at the mall to finish up our Christmas shopping. While there, we walked past a mother holding a baby girl wearing a medical halo brace around her head. It was a jarring, poignant image. . .this sweet tiny girl wearing such an industrial, macabre device. We looked at each other and didn't even have to say what we were thinking: that we are two incredibly lucky people. It put our daughter's hip dysplasia into crisp perspective.

For the past three months, Olivia has worn a Pavlik Harness to correct the hip dysplasia that was diagnosed when she was born. The day they put my perfect little baby into that harness was a rough one to say the least. I remember thinking how long 12 weeks (the prescribed treatment time) was and crying for all the big and small reasons why this wasn't fair. But today we received an early Christmas present: Olivia's treatment is complete, and she no longer has to wear the harness. An x-ray this morning showed that her hip joints have matured and the bones are just where they should be. Other than a few milestone delays, which she'll make up for quickly, she's just like any other perfectly healthy baby.

What felt like a horrible, traumatic diagnosis only three months ago is now just an early chapter in Olivia's story, something she'll have to mark down for sports physicals and a random fact she'll be able to use when she plays "Two Truths and a Lie." This Christmas, we are counting our blessings, the most important of which is sleeping soundly in her crib. . .harness-free.

Back to Work Blahs

I am returning to work on December 28th, and I have to say that I have never NOT looked forward to something this much in my life. Don't get me wrong, my coworkers are great, but they are absolutely nothing compared to my newest boss. The mere thought of leaving her in someone else's care for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week is enough to bring me to tears, which it does. . . on almost a daily basis these days. Shoot, I'm tearing up just writing this.

After a lot of time, many, many interviews, and the obligatory reference checks, questions, etc., we have selected a lady to watch Olivia during the day. She's only 2 miles from our house, has raised 6 kids of her own and is super nice. Olivia even spent a couple of hours over there today, getting acclimated, while I ran errands.

I know there are pros and cons to both staying at home and going back to work, so I am trying to focus on the positive aspects of this situation and just hope for the best. If any working moms out there have advice on how to weather this tough time, please feel free to share!

Merry Christmas!!

Turkey Day 2010

Olivia spent her first Thanksgiving with the Wyatt family, and even Nanna and Pops Breeden joined us so they wouldn't miss out on her first Turkey Day! Since my family is kind of large and we all like to spend Thanksgiving together (and that's about 30 people all told), we have our Thanksgiving meal at my Grandma's church social hall so there's plenty of room. I know that, one day, Olivia will create some great Thanksgiving memories running around with her cousins, playing flag football outside and munching on the ridiculous amount of food my family puts together (seriously, I think we could feed a small army).

On Saturday, Ama and Pawpi (aka my stepmom and dad) hosted an "Olivia Open House" so that all of our family and friends could meet Olivia and kick off the holidays with some great food and good company. Here are a couple of pictures. I would have more except that we had to dump my camera card onto a disc because it was full and now I can't get the pictures to load properly. :(

2 month check up

This morning, Olivia had her 2 month well check up. Things were going swimmingly until she had to get an oral vaccine and 2 shots. There is really nothing sadder than your baby looking up at you wide-eyed and confused before bursting into tears and screaming bloody murder. It brings tears to my eyes every time. I feel so helpless. Luckily, the crying didn't last long and the only evidence is two small round band aids on each leg. She is now average in length and just above average in weight (11 lbs 1 oz!). Dr. Gardner said she'd bet money Olivia's eyes will stay blue. Between Ryan and I, our parents and our siblings, only Montana has blue eyes- so maybe Olivia will take after her Auntie M!

Actually, a pretty nice little Sunday. . .

Olivia and I ventured out to South Riding on Sunday afternoon for a little play date with Baby Eddie and Baby Ben at the Harn residence. It took Dori, Jessie and I way too long to organize this, but it was so fun to have all the little munchkins together. Big Sissy Sadie joined the fun and kept telling us how much she loved the babies. She even sang the "Olivia" song for my little peanut and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to help Ben fall asleep! And since we didn't get to celebrate Jessie's 30th with her, we had a mini cake with candles which Sadie happily dug right into (and unknowingly shared with their dog Sonny, haha).

Videos

The Breeden family now has a YouTube channel so we can share all of our videos with our friends and family. You can check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBreedenClan?feature=mhum

The Wake-Up Routine

Olivia makes the cutest faces and noises when she's just waking up. She has this one move where she sticks her chin up in the air as she sticks her butt out and stretches- it makes me laugh every time!

Olivia 1, Crib 0

Olivia has successfully transitioned to her crib for naps and nighttime sleeping! I was dreading the move and fully anticipated lots of crying (possibly from us both), but it went surprisingly smooth. It's only been a few nights so far, but it seems to be going well. Olivia has slept for a long 5-6 hour stretch each night. I, on the other hand, didn't sleep so soundly the first night, but I'm getting better. Even though I know she's right across the hall, having the baby monitor right next to me helps- that thing even picks up her breathing! Today's naps didn't go all that well (as in, they didn't happen unless I was holding her- not ideal), but tomorrow is another day!

Uh "O"

In a move sure to give her Daddy gray hair, Olivia has her first boyfriend. Ben Rome staked his claim with a little cuddling on the froggie blanket during a recent visit:

Dori and I are already starting to plan the wedding, haha!

First Trip to OC

This past weekend, Olivia took her first trip to Orange County to visit Nanna, Pops and the rest of the Breeden family. Uncle Ricky finally got to meet the little munchkin (he's been in Canada for work since she was born), and she got quite comfy in his arms- Nanna and Aunt Angela almost had to wrestle her away! On Saturday afternoon, we took a walk to Granny's for a visit before venturing out to Yoder's Country Market for some lunch, a little pumpkin roll and to see the new baby goats. They were even younger than Olivia- born just last week and SO cute!! Even though we've realized we basically have to pack up the whole house to travel now, it was a very successful first trip away from home and a great dry run for our longer Thanksgiving trip coming up!

'Tis the Season

We have officially kicked off the 2010 holiday season in the Breeden household with some early Christmas shopping. And while we haven't yet decorated the house, we'll be ready when we do with our new stockings from Pottery Barn:

I can't wait to celebrate our first holiday as a family of three. I am definitely the one in this household that's full of psycho holiday cheer (enough for us both), and I'm looking forward to watching- and feeding- Olivia's Christmas excitement as she grows up!

Our Buddha Baby

We have reached a milestone that has nothing to do with cognitive development or fine motor skills. . . but is noteworthy nonetheless. We packed away all of Olivia's newborn clothes. Alas, our little chunky butt can no longer fit into them. But when I pinch her rolly thighs or blow raspberries on her belly or snuggle her plump little neck, I can't say that I'm sad because I love her soft little baby fat. Plus, it's a constant reminder that she's thriving and growing well. Here are a few pictures we took the other night (some of which show off her cute little rolls rather nicely!):

Updates Galore!

Sorry we have been MIA with the blog updates. Who knew I would go days without touching a computer with an infant around?! Thank goodness for my BlackBerry so I'm not completely out of touch, but that doesn't really work for posting blog updates. So here we go. . .

Olivia is weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 15 oz now! We just got the okay on Tuesday for her to wear her harness only at night now, which is great news! That means the harness treatment she's had for the past 5 weeks has worked and her hips are looking normal. So we're trying to keep her in her harness for a 12 hour stretch each day for the next 6 weeks. Then she'll have an x-ray on December 14th to determine if we can discontinue the harness altogether. Things are looking good!

This also means that Olivia can now wear pants and footie onesies- yay! I've had a blast dressing her each day, but it has become clear that we are grossly under prepared with her wardrobe now. So I'm thinking a mommmy and me shopping day is in order!

Other than that, Olivia and I are both being treated right now for thrush, which is NO FUN. If any of you nursing mommies have dealt with this, you know my pain, quite literally. Hopefully we'll see some relief from the medicine soon.

We are starting to see social smiles now, which is so exciting! Nothing makes your heart melt like your baby looking up at you and breaking into the happiest little smile in the world. Her whole face lights up- she even has dimples just like her daddy! Now if I could just manage to capture it on camera, we'd be doing good.

Speaking of pictures, here are a few newer ones:





I promise we're going to try and be better about taking more pictures and posting to the blog to keep everyone updated!

Photo Shoot

About a week ago, we had a local photographer come to our house to take some pictures of Olivia. She was here for about 3 hours and was incredibly patient as our little naked baby peed once and pooped twice all over her props (and our floor). Not to mention our 3 nursing breaks during the session because Little Miss Insatiable was hungry, hehe. It was all worth it though because we got some really great shots. Here are a few of my favs:

Introducing Olivia Parker Breeden

At 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, our lives changed forever. Olivia Parker Breeden came into the world with a wail at 6 lbs, 14 oz. After what can only be described as a "ridiculously crazy fast" labor, we finally got to meet our baby girl and see her beautiful face. It was overwhelming then, and I still am in awe every time I look at her.

Progress Report

After sitting at 1 cm for 6 weeks with no change, things are finally starting to happen! I found out at the doctor today that I'm 2 cm and 75% effaced. Yay! This doesn't really tell us much about when I might go into labor, but at least I know all these uncomfortable contractions are actually doing something. Tomorrow is also my last day in the office. I'll be working from home next week until Baby Breeden decides to make her appearance. I have to say, I'm REALLY looking forward to being able to wear flip flops and yoga pants everyday and not having to deal with the back to school commute! Only 9 more days until my due date- we're officially in the single digit countdown. :)

The Waiting Game

We are officially 2 weeks from my due date and the waiting is driving me CRAZY. I am such a Type A organized planner that this whole not knowing when I'm going to go into labor business has me on pins and needles. I'm so tuned into every little thing, wondering "Is this it?!"

Apparently not. I've had a ton of contractions over the past couple of weeks, ranging from 3 minutes apart to 20 minutes apart all day long, and I was sure all that discomfort couldn't be for naught. But alas, I am still just 1 cm dilated as of my doctor's appointment yesterday. The doctor must have noticed my disappointment because he immediately told me not to be discouraged that there hasn't been a change in the past 5 weeks because some women stay at 1 cm for a long time and then just fly through the rest.

I am not really sure if I want her to come early or not. My rational, logical side wants her to wait because it will work out better for my maternity leave. But my aching back, undereye circles and sore belly are quite ready to welcome her into our family. Either way, she'll come whenever she's ready. And so we wait.

3 1/2 weeks to go!

The nursery is complete (save a few pictures and curtains to be hung), the Pack N' Play is set up in the dining room, the car seat bases are installed in both cars, the hospital bag is packed, and we're picking up the cradle from Jessie and Ryan this weekend. All we need now is our baby girl!

It's hard to believe that she'll be here in just a few short weeks. I am such a cyclone of emotions right now: excited, impatient, terrified, nervous. We are about to meet our daughter for the first time (and we're so curious to see what she looks like!). We are being handed this perfect little person, and it will be up to us to make sure she grows up happy and healthy. It is, by far, the biggest responsibility we've ever had (sorry Tater, you're way easier), and that is both stressful beyond belief and exciting at the same time.

All we can do is love her unconditionally, the same way our parents loved us, and try to teach her how to be a good person and live a good life. Ryan's cousin recently posted this quote by Elizabeth Stone on Facebook: "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." So true. . .

Surprise!

On Friday afternoon, I was preparing to go to a meeting with my company's cofounder to discuss marketing test results. I printed out the report, went over any unusual results, and then grabbed my notebook, pen and BlackBerry and made my way downstairs.

So imagine my shock (and relief, truth be told) when I walked into a conference room full of my coworkers for a surprise baby shower! There was tons of food and they decorated the conference room in our nursery theme. I didn't even notice that my department had cleared out when I walked to the stairwell. After enjoying chocolate Rice Krispie treats, yummy cupcakes, fruit, brownies and so many other delicious things, they presented me a card signed by everyone, a baby bath set and (dun duh duh dun) our STROLLER!!

After so much confusion over our baby registry, I was truly surprised and overcome by their generosity. People never cease to amaze me. A huge THANK YOU goes out to my fellow Envisionaries!

Ta Da!!

Here are the first pictures of Baby Breeden's nursery! We still have a few things left to do, like hang pictures and the bookshelf on the wall, and the curtains are backorder until October (ugh), but this should give you a pretty good idea of what the room looks like. We did a vintage nursery rhyme theme in the room and even have vintage Mary Had a Little Lamb bookends to put on the bookshelf when it's up. We can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all finished!

Meet Benjamin Alan Rome!

On Sunday, August 8th, Dori and Scott welcomed Baby Rome into the world. Benjamin Alan Rome burst onto the scene at a healthy 8 lbs 6 oz and just as cute as can be. The following Wednesday, Ryan and I ventured out to meet the newest Rome and visit his very tired but very happy parents. :) I wish I'd taken more pictures, but here are a couple.

Last Baby Shower

This past Saturday, Ryan's parents threw us our third and final baby shower. This time it was a coed shower, so Ryan got to partake in the festivities. :) There was lots of food, family and fun, and Baby Breeden was again showered with lots of love and happy wishes. It's hard to believe that the next time the family is all together like that, she'll be here!! Here are some pictures from the day:

Good News!

As some of you already know, I am already dilated 1 cm and am 50% effaced. When the doctor discovered this at our appointment last Friday the 6th, there was some cause for concern since I still had 7 weeks to go before my due date. So we went to the radiology lab on Tuesday this week for an ultrasound and then back to the doctor yesterday for the verdict. The good news is that there hasn't been any change since last week, so if labor is progressing at all, it's moving slowly enough to not be a huge issue. The GREAT news is that I don't have to have steroid shots or go on bed rest or anything- I just have to take it easy and count my contractions to make sure they don't become more frequent. I can definitely handle that! So for now, Baby Breeden is staying cozy in her little home and, hopefully, won't feel the need to make an early debut.

Where's Tater when I need her?

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to bend over and pick things up off of the floor. That's why it's so great to have a dog in the house. Whenever I drop food, she cleans it up for me. However, I spend most of my time in the office, and I can't easily bring her here with me (and I doubt she'd be as eager to pick up paper anyway).

I am constantly dropping stuff at my desk. The other day, I leaned over to grab something and knocked it on the floor accidentally. As I watched the paper float to the ground, I actually started weighing exactly how important that task was to complete. After all, the night crew would throw it away for me so I wouldn't have to pick it up. Alas, I got on all fours to crawl under my desk and pick it up.

But I have discovered another way. . . my monkey toes. I have managed to pick up all sorts of things off the floor with my feet. Why did I not think of this sooner?! Candy wrapper on the floor? No sweat! Pen knocked off the desk? Piece of cake! Granted, this doesn't always work out. Ryan walked in the kitchen the other day to find me staring at the floor and working feverishly to pick up something I had dropped (obviously not food or Tater would have vacuumed it up for me). I had been working at it for a good 5 minutes without any luck, but there was no way I was bending over. He walked over to me, picked it up (while chuckling) and handed it to me. Show off. . .

Baby Shower #2!

This past weekend, Ryan and I drove back to my hometown for our second baby shower, thrown by my family. It was so great to see everyone! I hadn't seen my grandma since I was around 20 weeks, and I've definitely grown since then. We got so many wonderful gifts at the shower- Baby Breeden is feeling the love! I think Ryan's favorite gift was a tiny little pair of Sperry Topsiders that his parents gave to us-I mean, how cute are these?!

The shower was themed "Baby Breeden Bliss" to match our blog, and everything was absolutely amazing! Here are some more pictures from the day:

The Not-So-Perky Things About Pregnancy

As I'm about to start my 8th month and the final countdown begins, I'm feeling slightly less enamoured by this whole pregnancy thing. Don't get me wrong- I love feeling my baby girl move and I will certainly miss her when she's no longer with me all of the time. But I am starting to understand why, near the end of their pregnancies, so many women exclaim how they are so ready for their pregnancies to be over. I never thought I would feel that way, but alas. . . here are some things I will NOT miss about carrying around our little bundle of joy:

10. A sneeze is no longer just a sneeze. It now involves a mad dash to the bathroom and a quick prayer that you haven't horrifically embarrassed yourself in front of all of your coworkers (or the other customers at the grocery store, or the people trying to eat at the table next to you. . .)
9. One word: HEARTBURN. I had never experienced this before my pregnancy, and I now fully understand why people complain about it so much.
8. Having nothing to wear. Oh, I have maternity clothes. But now half of those pants don't even fit. It's a humbling experience when your MATERNITY jeans are too small.
7. Body parts sticking out of my abdomen. I always heard people say "You can even see an actual foot poking out, it's so cool!" However, "cool" is not the word I would have chosen. I think "painful" is a more apt description. I think this little gal thinks she's going to make her appearance through my belly button.
6. And that's another thing- my innie is now an outie (and has been since about month 5). It shows through my shirts! People have said to me "Oh look at your belly button, it's so cute!" Again, not the adjective I would have chosen.
5. Sciatica, bruised tailbone (see previous post about falling down stairs), muscle pain, OH MY! There isn't a massage long enough to cure all of my back ailments.
4. Bathroom (ahem) issues. . . too much, too little, bad timing, you name it. . . I just can't wait until everything works properly again!
3. Can't. Breathe. I get winded walking from the mailbox to the house, let alone trying to walk a crazy beagle for 30 minutes in 95 degree heat and 100% humidity. Thankfully, Ryan has taken pity and relieved me of my dog walking duties.
2. Medium rare steak, cold deli sandwiches, sushi, ice cold Pacifico. . .all the lovely things that are currently off limits. Forget yucky hospital food. When this baby girl is born, I want a cold turkey sub, Diet Dr. Pepper, and a side of spicy tuna rolls!
1. No sleep. What with the aching hips, copious bathroom breaks and constant tossing and turning, I'm averaging 2 hour stretches between interruptions. I think it's God's way of preparing new mothers because, unlike everything else on this list, this ailment will not go away along with the pregnancy. But at least then I'll be getting up for a much better and cuter reason than having to pee.

DC Baby Shower

I seriously have the best friends a girl could ever ask for. A couple of weeks ago, they threw me a baby shower up here for all of my friends in the area and even hired a professional photographer to capture the memories! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. All photos are courtesy of Brooke Bready Photography (she did an amazing job!). The shower was book-themed, which was so perfect considering we're doing Baby Breeden's nursery in a vintage nursery rhyme theme.