Browsing Category

Baby #2

Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Five Months

September 26, 2015
Five months old, 12 pounds, 9 ounces, and the sweetest and happiest little girl ever! She loves sitting up (I’m ready for her to be able to do that on her own), watching Cullen, and eating. She is all smiles all the time; I’ve even seen her smiling while she is screaming at me for food.

She has started reaching for what she wants: my hair, my face, Cullen’s toys. It’s time to keep my jewelry minimal and make sure tiny toys are out of reach. The look of determination on her face is hilarious when she sets her sights something and works to get it.

The only thing I’m not so happy about at this age, is that I have to hold her A LOT. Not because she doesn’t want me to put her down, but because she wants to sit up all the time. If I lay her down she is doing these crunches (you should see her abs!) Don’t get me wrong, I love having her close, but I’m ready for her to be able to sit on her own so I can start using two hands again.
She is still a great sleeper, once we get her to sleep at night. I don’t know how we ended up with a whole family of night owls, but she fits right in. I am usually able to finally put her in bed around 10 and she sleeps very soundly for eight and a half hours or so. It might be time to put the mesh bumper around her crib, she has started moving all over the place in her sleep and quite often wakes up with her tiny feet sticking out of the crib.
 
For about a week, Colette was projectile vomiting at least once every evening. This seemed to come out of nowhere and she was still happy the rest of the day, so we took her to the doctor to see what was going on. Although a little strange that is just starting at five months and only in the evenings, it looks like she has reflux. They gave us a prescription for Zantac and she is no longer covering me and the couch with “spit-up” every night. I am so glad she is happy all the time again.
Cullen is still her favorite person. I would be a little jealous if it were anyone else, but it makes a Mommy’s heart happy to see so much love between her children. He face lights up with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen every time he walks into her line of sight. And he is so sweet with her. He gives her hugs and kisses, loves to hold her, and there is nothing sweeter than seeing him pick up a book and read to her, making sure to show her the pictures on every page. I know there are bound to be arguments and fights as they grow, but I hope they have this kind of loving relationship forever!
I am going to leave you with these leg rolls and tiny toes. We never thought we would see rolls like this and are thrilled to have such a happy and healthy little girl!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Four Months

August 26, 2015

Since Colette was SO tiny at birth, I feel like we have been more concerned with her weight and growth than most parents (and certainly more concerned than we were with Cullen.) I am happy to report that she weighs 10 lb 13.5 oz (2%) and is 24.5 inches long (50%). She is finally wearing size 1 diapers and entirely in 0-3 month clothes. Her not-so-tiny feet are outgrowing some of her jammies, so we may be moving up a size in jammies in the very near future. It is really no surprise that she is growing so much, she loves to eat! About a month ago, she figured out how to nurse without the nipple shield (Woohoo!!!) and has been layering on the leg rolls ever since!

Colette may just be the happiest baby ever. Her cheeks must hurt all the time; if she is awake she has a smile on her face. Especially if Cullen is around. I should probably feel a little jealous that he is her favorite person, but it makes me so happy that they already love each other so much.

One of her favorite things is funny faces. She laughs at funny faces and likes to play endless games of sticking-our-tongues-out-at-each-other.

She is also quite the little talker these days. Quite often, her nursing sessions take forever because she wants to stop and talk to me every five minutes. And don’t get me wrong, I love the bonding time with her, but sometimes I’d like to be able to get some other things done.

 Most recently, Colette has mastered the art of rolling from front to back. She is so proud of herself every time she flops over and escapes the oh-so-hated tummy time! The funniest is when she rolls to her side, grins and coos, and then keeps moving onto her back. She is so pleased with herself, and wants everyone to know about it! I have a feeling she will be sitting, crawling, standing, and walking before we know it. If she is awake, she wants to be sitting or standing (with help of course).

She is still sleeping about six hours during her longest stretch at night and is finally in the crib in her room. For some reason it was a lot harder to move her out of our room than it was with Cullen. Probably because she is still so little it seemed like we were moving a newborn. But she has done well so far, and I have been able to sleep better than I expected without being able to just roll over and check on her.

 We are so blessed to have this little one a part of our family. We all fall more in love with her every day and have so much fun getting to know her sweet little personality!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Two Months

June 24, 2015
Our Little Colette is now two months old and growing like a weed! She is now 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.75 inches long. That means she is actually on the growth chart for weight (over the 3rd percentile)! She is finally in newborn diapers and is filling out her newborn size clothes. I love the double chin and leg rolls she is sporting these days! 
Colette is still a great eater, those rolls are proof! She is still a really good sleeper too. She usually gives us at least a five hour stretch of sleep every night, which is greatly appreciated by everyone else in the house!
She still sleeps a lot, but it seems we are getting past the super sleepy newborn stage. We are getting to enjoy longer and longer stretches of time with an awake and alert Colette. She is also starting to interact with us a lot more. She loves watching Cullen and seems to really enjoy when he lays down really close to her face. Big smiles and silly noises almost always earn us a sweet smile from our little girl. She is also getting really good at controlling her head when she holds it up and is already flexing like she is trying to sit up. (I remember Cullen doing that a while before he could actually sit up too.)
 
I feel like I can officially say that she will have red hair and blue eyes like Cullen. It was hard to tell at first, but her hair seems to get more and more red every day. I am beyond excited to dress another red-headed little baby!
These first two months as a family of four have been a blast. I can’t wait to see what the next few months hold for us as Colette continues to grow and develop her own little personality!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: One Month

June 4, 2015
At one month old, Colette weighs 5 lbs 9 oz and is 19.75 inches long. That means she is still < 1% for weight and only in the fourth percentile for height. Tiny girl is not even on the growth chart. But, like in the womb she is growing at the appropriate rate, just on her own tiny growth curve.
Colette is just now really fitting into newborn clothes and is still wearing premie diapers. Sidenote: they really should sell premie diapers in packages larger than 27 or 30!  She was only able to wear premie clothes for a short while because she was longer than premie size, but newborn clothes have been huge on her. As she is chunking up a little bit (we are starting to see a double chin!) she is filling out her newborn clothes and looking less like they swallowed her whole.
She has really been a great sleeper from the start. She has no problem going to sleep on her own at night and only waking up every three to four hours to eat. Right now she is sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed. I think we will move her to the crib in her room when I go back to work. During the day, she is still in that sleepy newborn stage, but has longer and longer awake periods every day. Unlike at night, she really wants to be held all day long. She doesn’t really like to be put down and wakes up if she is (and when she is laying down, she wants to be on her side). I’m glad she is only like that during the day and not at night. And let’s face it, I would rather hold her than do housework anyway!
Like with Cullen in the early days, breastfeeding has been our struggle. Because of her size and being born a few weeks early, Colette has had some trouble with latching and nursing (I’m sure I’ll share more details in another post later.) Over the past month we have gone from pumping, bottle feeding, and supplementing with formula to nearly exclusively nursing. And she would probably eat all day long if I would let her. We are all really pleased (and surprised!) with how well she is doing!
It seems like Colette is going to be a pretty quiet and laid-back little one. At this point the only really sense of her personality we have other than her easy-going demeanor, are the faces she makes. She has some pretty expressive eyebrows that keep us laughing and really make me wonder what she is thinking. She can give the side-eye with the best of them! 

As proof that she is not always so angelic, here is an outtake from our mini photo shoot. Sorry little girl, you are going to have to get used to those bows!
It feels like Colette has been in our lives forever, but this month has flown by. I love this snuggly newborn stage and wish they didn’t grow up so fast, but I can’t wait for smiles and giggles, playtime, and learning everything about who this tiny girl will be!
Baby #2 Photography

Colette’s Newborn Photos

June 2, 2015

A little over a week after Colette was born, we had our friend Elizabeth Testa come take some newborn pictures of Colette and some pictures of our new family of four. As always she did a great job and I love every single picture! Here are a few of my favorites. I can’t wait to frame some of these!

Baby #2

Colette’s Birth Story

May 12, 2015

We had the c-section scheduled for 8:30 so we got to the hospital at 6:00 that Thursday morning. We took Cullen in his pajamas and met our parents there when I checked in. The nurses started prepping me for surgery right away and before I even realized we were ready to go. We also took this time to play with Cullen a little, talk about what it means to be a big brother, and let him open his big brother gift.

As soon as the doctor arrived, a little after 8, we left our families and they wheeled me back to the operating room. Corey donned his scrubs and waited in the “dad” room while the anesthesiologist put in the spinal. I knew everything that was going to happen since I’d been through the exact same process with Cullen’s birth. But I was a little more nervous this time. I don’t think I was nervous about the actual procedure; I had no worries about the actual delivery. I was nervous about what would happen as soon as they got Colette out. We have been watching her so closely over the past several months, and had discussed the “what ifs” that come with having such a small baby born early, but there were still a lot of unknowns. How much would she actually weigh? Would she be able to hold her temperature? What does a 4 1/2 pound baby look like? Would Corey be able to hold her right away? Would I be able to see and kiss her right away? I knew there was a very strong possibility she would need at least a short stay in the NICU.

As soon as they let Corey in the room, my nerves started to calm. No matter what, we were about to have another little one in our lives. Not long after the surgery started, I heard the sweetest little cry. The doctor held her up for me to see. I couldn’t believe how tiny she was, but she was absolutely perfect. Corey followed the nurses to check on Colette while they weighed, measured, and evaluated her. He came back and reported that she weighed 4lb 8oz, was 18.5 inches long, and to everyone’s surprise, had near perfect APGAR scores. Despite being SO little, our tiny little girl was indeed perfect.

Corey held Colette right next to me while they finished up, and before long, we were ready to go back to our room. This is when I got to kiss her head, touch her face, and see her eyes for the very first time. Because she was doing so well, they said Colette could come to the room with us, but we would have to monitor her temperature and blood sugar closely. If anything changed, they would take her to the nursery, but for now, she was staying with us. The nurse placed her on my chest and we headed back to our room.

As we got back to our room, Cullen was able to come in for just a minute to meet his new little sister. It was love at first site. Cullen had the biggest smile on his face, reached out his arms and said, “A baby! I need to hold her!” While our families waited back out in the waiting room, Corey and I spent about an hour and a half alone with our newest little one.

The next few days and nights in the hospital we focused on getting Colette to nurse, which we are still working on, and keeping her warm. After about 24 hours, she had kept her temperature up and her blood sugar up where it needed to be and she stayed in the room with us the entire time. We got very little sleep over the next couple of days, but that is mainly because I wanted to soak up every minute with our little girl.

We were all able to go home Sunday. Even though Colette was so small, she JUST fit in the car seat, she was healthy enough to go home with us without ever leaving our side. Colette’s birth was truly an answer to prayers. Throughout this entire pregnancy, our family, friends, and church have been praying for Colette. God answered each and every one of those prayers by giving us a perfectly healthy little girl.

We have been home for a couple of weeks now and things are great! Colette is a very content and easy baby. Our only issue at this point is that she is still having trouble nursing because she is so small, but we are working through that and she is eating like a champ. I remember being super stressed at this point with Cullen, but it has been completely different this time around. Maybe because we have been through so much this time already or perhaps because we have been through this part of having a newborn before.

Corey and I are in love with this little girl, and Cullen loves her just as much. We are a very happy family of four and are so blessed to have welcomed Colette into our lives!

Baby #2

Big Brother Gift

May 1, 2015
To help welcome Cullen into the new world of being a big brother, we wanted to give him a little gift at the hospital to make it a special day for him as well. Since we new he would be hanging out in the waiting room for a few hours with his grandparents, we wanted to give him some snacks, a few things to play with, and a new shirt to wear when he met his new sister.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Cullen got to open his gift when we were all together before they took me back to the operating room. It was nice to have a moment to just focus on him before we added another little one to our family. Despite how early it was, he was so excited for the special attention. I really think giving him some new things just for him helped ease him into welcoming a new baby into his world.

Baby #2

Introducing…

April 30, 2015
Allow me to introduce Colette Marie Myers. Born 4/23/15 at 8:54 am weighing 4 lbs 8 oz and 18.5 inches long.

We are all so in love with this little girl already! She is the sweetest and most content little baby. She loves to snuggle and really only cries when she is mad (during diaper changes and baths). So far she is a great eater and sleeps great, even at night. Even Cullen is smitten with his little sister; she gets more of his attention than I do these days.
I’ll be back later to share more about her birth story and our stay in the hospital. For now, I am off to spend more time snuggling with Colette. I forgot how simply wonderful newborn snuggles are!
Baby #2 DIY Home Decor Nursery

Nursery Reveal

April 22, 2015
I am so excited to finally share pictures of our little girl’s nursery! I feel like we have been working on this room for the entire pregnancy, but it is now complete. And only two days before her arrival! I may add a few other things later, like a crib skirt and maybe some more art to her gallery wall, but for now, we are done.
I have been planning this room since before we even knew we were having a girl, and I love the way it turned out. I am in love with every piece in this room!

Sources
Crib | Dresser and Changing Table are family pieces painted Old World | Book Shelves | Ostrich | Blanket | Hamper | Tissue Holder | Mint Baskets | Flamingo Print | Closet Baskets | Pendant Light | Chalkboard Basket | Mint Shelf (Young House Love for Target) | Bow Jar | Sheep Toy | Night Light | Diaper Pail
DIY
Woven Rug | Side Table | Foot Stool | Embroidery, Large Canvas, Quilt, Pillows, Curtain, and Tassel Mobile all made by me
Baby #2 Weekly Update

Baby #2: 37 Weeks

April 21, 2015



baby’s size: Winter Melon (Last Thursday she weighed about 4 lb, 2 oz.)

how I’m feeling: Finally really ready to have this baby! The nursery is decorated, the baby clothes are washed and put away, and the house is almost cleaned. I feel like everything is in just about in place and I can finally focus on bringing home another little one.

best moment this week: It has been a pretty low key week. It’s great to finally have the nursery done, Cullen is doing well sleeping in his own bed, and we have spent a lot of time just hanging out as a family.

what I’m looking forward to: We have a c-section scheduled for later this week. I can’t believe we are so close to meeting our little girl! I am so looking forward to seeing her sweet face and holder her in my arms!!!