Alison's first trip to the park
Park
Reed vs. Ali
Reed and Ali are already SO different! I don’t really believe in comparing your children to one another, but it is hard not to do right now when there are such stark differences.
Reed was terrible at nursing and many times I didn’t think we would make it. Ali is awesome. She loves to nurse and sometimes I think she would stay there all the time if I let her. One point for Ali
Reed didn’t spit up once. In the beginning Ali spit up a little after every feeding. It wasn’t a lot and her doctor thinks its because I am just making too much for her to swallow, but we have no experience with a spitter. I never have a burp cloth around and we really don’t even own that many, much less any bibs. I don’t think I have a single one for her! One point for Reed
Reed was a fussy sleeper. Looking back it is probably because he wasn’t getting enough to eat and he was hungry most of the time. Ali is an AWESOME sleeper!! She consistently eats before I go to bed (10:30ish) and only wakes up at 2:30 and 5:30. She nurses and goes right back to sleep. One point for Ali (that one should probably count for 2 or 3!)
You want to know why Ali wins the comparison for this age? She is a cuddler!!! From the day Reed was born (literally, the first time I held him he tried to wiggle out of my arms) he was a wiggly boy and refused to cuddle. Even now I have to trick him into giving me a hug and kiss. Ali is a big snuggler and I think she would lay on my shoulder all day long if I let her. Thank the Lord for small favors!!!
Overall Ali is much easier, but I’m sure it is also because I am much more comfortable with newborns. Luckily, this isn’t a contest and I love them both more than I thought possible!! All that worry about how we were going to handle a toddler and a newborn haven’t been a big deal…YET! I know the fun is just beginning 🙂
Ali
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Reed
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Reed being Reed
Alison’s newborn photos
My one gift for our anniversary AND Christmas was a new lens for our Canon DSLR camera. It’s use for professional-style photos has certainly fallen off since I first got the itch with my new toy. The best fix for that issue… a new accessory! I took these using my new 28-135mm lens. Our new house has a room that is very bright with natural light, so it was perfect to set up a makeshift studio. Ali was my first model!
-RB
The most uneventful birth story
I am happy to tell this super uneventful story. We scheduled a C-section for January 11, 2011 back in November. The only wild card in the whole plan was whether or not she would decide to come early. Alison measured a few weeks big for her age at almost every sonogram, so an early appearance was always a possibility. I wanted her to wait as long as possible because everyday she stayed inside was another day away from Christmas for her birthday.
The morning of 1/11/11 we woke up, packed up the truck and dropped Reed off at day care just like it was any other day. Only this day we drove to the hospital, checked in for our 11am surgery and went straight to pre-op. The only eventful part was the anesthesia…
When I delivered Reed I had an epidural. Zero pain, zero problems. For whatever reason this doctor likes to do a spinal tap for ‘elective’ c-sections. I was not prepared for this, which is probably a good thing. Have any of you ever had a spinal tap? I had no idea I could be in that much pain. Seriously. Horrible. It only took a few minutes to get the medicine into my spine, but the whole time I was in horrible pain, plus I was terrified that the doctor was going to mess up and leave me paralyzed. If you are ever given the choice…go with an epidural. Seriously. The only good part about it is that I could feel my legs as soon as I was in recovery. That was nice, but I would still prefer the epidural.
So I get the spinal tap and lay down. Immediately my chest starts burning like the way that I imagine it feels (from Twilight) to be turned into a vampire. My heart is literally on fire like I have never felt before. Not to be too dramatic, but I was afraid something was very wrong. The anesthesiologist assured me my vitals looked good and that everything was fine…but that didn’t take the pain away. I heard one other scary thing when Dr. Vanover (my OB) asked for the vacuum. Yikes!! Turns out I was right about how low she had been. They had to use the vacuum on her little head because she was so lodged into my pelvis that Dr. Vanover couldn’t get a good grip on her to pull her out. Finally I heard what I had been waiting for…’she so chunky!’ I love Dr. Vanover.
Alison was a little chunk, but almost the exact measurements as Reed. She was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long. Reed was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Not to mention she looked JUST like him when she was born. It was like going back in time and seeing Reed’s little face for the first time.
Wow
There really aren’t any words. I can’t believe how humongous I got…luckily it is almost over and I can start working on slimming back down again. Month 1 versus Month 9. Laugh at will 🙂
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Christmas/New Years
We realized not too long ago that when Reed gets home and is cranky after his full day at daycare, it’s because he gets bored at home and had nothing to do or play with. It was so bad that he refused to come inside from the car, and wanted to stay in the garage to ride in the stroller or his wagon. Julie and I are not the type to buy toys for him on random occasions, so the last new toy he got was for his 1st birthday…. in March. Call me crazy, but I think the kid has had a little bit of mental and physical development since then, and his infant/toddler toys just don’t cut it for him anymore.
So, this Christmas we planned to make a concerted effort to beef-up his toy box and plan for toys that he will grow into. He has taken a huge interest in cars, trucks and trains. He also has an obsession with any type of ball sport.
This was also the first Christmas in our new home. We have been extremely happy with the additional space and couldn’t wait to actually have a place for a Christmas tree! As silly as it sounds, it was one of those things that we were so acutely aware of in the last house that it was important for us in the next one.
We had a an extremely restful vacation between Christmas and New Years. Julie and I were both off of work the entire week, so we would send Reed to daycare for the majority of the day and get a few things done around the house. The “stay-cation” was much needed R&R time for us, and well-timed before Baby Alison comes.
Our family will never be the same after this holiday season. We anxiously await Alison’s arrival, but we are not too quick to let go of this time we have as just the three of us.
-RB
Good Morning Reed
Alison’s Nursery
The nursery is complete! It had a few changes in the beginning (like blue to pink), but now it’s done and it looks first-class.
We especially want to thank my Mom, who gave her time and talent to do the murals on the wall. When Julie found the inspiration that matched the final bedding she had picked, there was a bit of concern that we would be able to follow-through with such a detailed idea. We have enough trouble putting stripes on the wall! Knowing that my Mom had done the mural in the house we grew up in, and that painting was a passion she rarely got to indulge, I realized she was the perfect person for the project.
For Mom and Julie, it was a Win-Win. Julie got the storybook nursery, and my Mom got to exercise her passion as well as contribute to her first granddaughter’s new room. We can’t thank her enough for the way it turned out… we have been proud to show it off, and we are sure that Alison will be at home.
-RB and J
Reed LOVES the Zoo now
We both took the day off last Friday to get a few things done, but to also take Reed out early for a trip to the Zoo. We have seen him take a big interest in animals recently, and even start to make the sounds, even if he can’t tell us what it is… like “meow” for cat, even though he has never even TRIED to say “cat”… and “hop” for rabbit. Those are just a few examples.
It was time to take him back to the zoo, where previously he was only a mild spectator in his stroller, and gave the animals only a passing glance. This time was much different. He was engaged and excited to see real, live animals, and so many varieties.
Our first real stop was the grizzly bear. He was out and about, and almost posing for those that were there to see. Reed latched onto the sight and could not get enough. We spent a good amount of time there taking pictures since the bear was such a willing participant. However, when we pushed Reed to leave, he wouldn’t have it… he through a little fit that we were moving on from Mr. Bear. We got him over to the next exhibit and slowly caught-on… there was much more to see! We set him down for this one, and after only a few minutes he was bored with it and asked, “More?”
It was an awesome day for a zoo visit. There were 25% of the people that were normally there, and there were NO schools visiting. That meant that letting Reed walk beside us on his own was stress-free and easy as a walk in the park. I HIGHLY recommend this timing for anyone interested in the Zoo.
I’d have to say that Reed’s favorite for the day was the fish in the Hippo aquarium. He could get right up to the glass and felt the need to talk to them all when they swam by. I got some great video footage that I have included below.
Great day trip and the timing and weather couldn’t have been better. We will never have just the three of us again, so times like these are getting more and more special as we look forward to Alison joining us.
-RB
ps: There were a few poopage stories that MUST be told… The hippo seemed to be pooping full hay bails, and the rhino’s stench hit us INSTANTLY, even though we were 50+ feet away (we had to grab Reed and run from it)!!
