Reminiscing

I often think about the day Bria was born. It was just such an exciting time and a wonderful experience, I loved it so much. Jaime took a ton of pictures for us while in the delivery room and I'm so grateful she did. The lighting was a little off because I had them turn the lights down to help me relax, I'm so selfish I know ;) But good or bad lighting, she captured the happiest day of our life and I love looking at these pictures. We are so lucky to have a photographer in the family, thanks Jaime!

This was taken right after I got my epidural. I had the shakes so they covered me in warm blankets:

Pushing:

In between pushes I focused on relaxing and going to a happy place:

My beautiful pouty-liped baby girl:

Our first family picture:

Grandma Renshaw beaming with her first grandchild:

Grandma Brooks (see where Bria and I get our blue eyes from?) happy as can be:

Aunt Jenny with Bria:

Aunt Jaime with Bria:

Proud Grandpa Armstrong with his granddaughter:

Dad, Grandpa, and little Bria:

Us with the midwife, Tina, who delivered Bria:

Man I was full of fluids, look at my face!

The Easy and the Hard

A fellow blogger had a great post yesterday where she listed what is easier than she thought after her little girl arrived, and what is harder. So I am going to copy her.

EASIER than I thought it would be:

• Labor and delivery. It went so much faster than I thought it was going to and I was impressed that I held it together and dealt with the contractions so well. Fortunately the epidural helped me during delivery as I didn't feel anything. Epidurals rock.
• Recovery. I was doing laundry and cleaning within a couple days of having Bria, although I think I should have slept more, but still, I was surprised that I physically felt capable.
• Breastfeeding. I don't want to offend anyone so when I say breastfeeding was easier than I thought I know it's completely different for others and I would never judge someone for not breastfeeding. I was really scared that it was going to be difficult and Bria wouldn't latch or she wouldn't suck or my supply wouldn't come in, on and on. So I was so happy when it went well from the beginning. Originally I was thinking I would nurse for 9 months, but now I'm thinking 12 months.
  
• Laughing with Brian. I was afraid our relationship would change so drastically that we'd forget how to be ourselves and laugh together, but we used humor more so in those first few weeks than anything. I am so grateful to have him.
• Taking showers everyday. That is the one thing that makes me feel like I accomplished something so I make sure and do it everyday, I was surprised that I am able to do this, lol.
• Taking her on errands. She really likes the stores which is awesome.
• Losing weight. I know nursing is the reason for this because normally I can't lose weight easily.
  

HARDER than I thought:

• Dealing with the lack of sleep. This pertains to the first couple weeks. I really thought that I could do well without sleep, and I can....for a day or 2. But after a couple days, then a week, then 2 weeks, I felt like a zombie and I wanted to sleep so bad.
• Not having a routine. It seems we have a routine for a week or 2 and then it changes, I thought babies napped at the same time everyday, ate at the same time everyday, pooped at the same time everyday. Nope, not the case, at least for use anyway.
• The amount of spit up. I really had no idea I would have a hard time with this, but the amount of harfing that Bria does is incredible, I have no idea how this child has gained weight. I swear all the milk and solid food she eats ends up on me, her, burp rags, bibs, floors, blankets, couches, MJ, you name it. She throws up all day long.
  
• MJ. I thought MJ would love Bria, but it's taken awhile just to get to where MJ will be around Bria. I also can tell I'm not half as concerned about MJ now that Bria is here.
  
• Not knowing what she needs/wants. I seriously thought I would be able to tell what she wanted, whether it was sleep or food or whatever. I still feel lost and am not sure what she wants, plus I hate decisions so a lot of times I'll ask Bria, "What should I do?" I guess I thought with time I'd know, but so far I still feel lost.
• Germs. I've always been kind of chill about germs, now I get freaked out and don't want her to touch anything that could possibly have 1 germ on it.
• Getting the motivation to clean the house. When she takes a nap I want to be on the computer and watch tv, I feel so lazy.
  
• Not being able to leave her. I seriously thought I would be able to leave her with someone and go do this and that, but I have the HARDEST time doing this. In fact, Brian and I had a big conversation about it last night and it involved lots of tears by me. I realized I have this huge weight on my shoulders because I feel the stress of being a mom 24/7 and the stress of not being able to get away from the stress. Going out on a date night with Brian to relax and have fun would make me more stressed out because I would be wondering how Bria was doing. I honestly had no idea I would feel like this and it's made things really tough. I am attempting to take baby steps and solve this problem. Honestly, this is by far the hardest thing and it's on my mind all day and night. I already have a hard time dealing with anxiety and this has definitely tripled now that I've become a mom. I'm trying to deal with it as best I can, talking to Brian helped and it felt good to get it out.
  

No matter how hard things get, not a day goes by where I don't think to myself, "I am so incredibly blessed." I thank God for our little girl and feel honored to be her momma. She keeps us laughing and smiling each and every day.

I know she makes more than just her Dad and I happy, our families can't get enough of her and she is in high demand. I love seeing our families swoon over her, it makes me happy and proud all at the same time.

Heather, this is one of the outfits you got her, doesn't she look adorable?

I added the sneakers and she couldn't keep her eyes of them and kept playing with the laces.

My aunt Loann and uncle Ron got Bria the cutest Blazer outfit. Since Brian and I were on the Trail Blazer stunt team it's only fitting that Bria sport some Blazer gear, and it's the cutest gear ever.

Isn't that the cutest bum?

Different everyday

We use to have a routine. It was predictable, it worked for Bria, it worked for me, it was nice.
But Bria decided she didn't want a routine and I'm not pushing her to get on one. That's a big step for me so I am very proud. Some days she stays up for 3 or 4 hours before getting tired and wanting a nap. Other days, like today, she was up for 2 hours and conked out already. I guess I'll just go with the flow and let her tell me when she's tired and when she's ready to party... except there will be no parties at 2 am, end of story.

We had 2 really hot days last week so this is how Bria kept cool:

How do you cool off on those hot days when you don't have a/c?

Friday Bria and I went shopping with Jaime and the kids up to the outlet malls. It was so nice to get out of the house and spend time with my sis and nieces and nephew. Bria did pretty good considering she went from her car seat, to stroller, to car seat. She had a big melt down on the way home and poor Porter was plugging his ears and telling us to make her stop. I told him I wish I could!

Saturday we made a very last minute decision to head up to the lake and meet my mom and Randy. That will probably be our last boating trip of the summer so I'm glad we decided to pack up and go. It's about an hour drive each way and Bria did really well, I was thrilled since the day before she lost it. Boating was a lot of fun and it was so nice to be in the sun and just relax.

Bria sitting on Grandma's lap:

I don't think she actually figured out how to get water out of her sippy, but she had fun playing with it:

"Mom, stop taking pictures."

My brother Lance and his girlfriend, Kayla, came with us which was a lot of fun. Now that Lance is living on his own I barely see him so it was nice to spend some time with him.

Sunday Brian's Dad and Kathie came down since they had just gotten back from their trip to Australia. They brought us some fun souvenirs which was really nice.

So that sums up our weekend. Bria and I spent a lot of time outside yesterday, going for walks, sitting in the backyard, getting the mail :)
Bria is a pretty cuddly baby and I am forever thankful for that. I was a very cuddly baby so it's only fair that I have one too :) She started doing this new thing where she wraps both her arms around me and it just makes me melt. She's always laid her head on our shoulder and wrapped one arm around us, but just yesterday she wrapped the other around my neck and it was the best feeling. I love feeling her soft hands on my neck, it's the best.

She is getting very grabby now, you can't have anything in your hands when holding her because she will surely grab it from you. She loves to grab your face, hair, clothes, anything she can get her hands on. This is making diaper changing a little bit of a challenge.
Speaking of diaper changes, the prune juice is definitely working. I am very happy it is because I was worried we might have to resort to something stronger.

Yesterday she finally figured out how to drink from a sippy. I also figured out that the way to help her was to hold her like I was giving her a bottle, it worked perfectly.

That's it for now, I leave you with a picture of her first tooth (you might have to click on the picture to make it bigger)!

6 Months

Well, it came. Bria is 6 months old and I cannot believe it. I guess I assumed time would freeze and she would stop growing and would always fit in her cute little newborn clothes, but apparently that is not going to happen.
Bria is just so much fun and we love her to pieces, here is what she's been up to:

Rolls back to belly, belly to back, left and right-The girl rolls all over the place!
Sleeps on her belly
Sleeps through the night most the time (7:30 pm-6:30 am)
Has a little tooth on the bottom that broke through and is VERY sharp, her other bottom one is right at the surface
Sitting up on her own for about 30 seconds and gets better at it everyday
Takes short naps and is staying up longer between naps
Says Da-da and Mom
Eating solids and loving her vegetables, especially green beans
Grabs at your cup when you drink
Grabs your arm with her feet (little monkey!)
Grabs her toys with her feet :)
Loves to eat her toes, both left and right
Loves Daddy's chest to lay on
Loves Mommy's chest (for a different reason...boobs)
Has big beautiful blue eyes
Very blond hair
Likes her swing
Plays with more toys
Wears 6 month clothes
Wears size 2 diapers
Loves when you sing her name

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's at least a start of what she is doing at 6 months old.

Her stats (these surprised me a bit):

Length: 26 inches - 60th percentile
Weight: 15 lb .05 oz - 35th percentile
Head: 16.75 inches - 50th percentile

I can't believe she's only in the 35th percentile for weight, she's so chunky! The doctor was not concerned at all and said Bria is doing really well.
She did notice that her legs are not symmetrical-when you hold them straight one leg is a little longer. So she had us get Bria's hips x-rayed. At first I almost started crying and got really worried. But she kept reassuring me that 95% of the time it's nothing, she just wants to rule out any possibilities.
So after the appointment we went over to the hospital and got her x-rayed. Fortunately we already heard back (I think the doctor could tell I was a little concerned) and everything is fine, she looks great. She did say that there is a lot of poop in there and that is probably why she throws up so much. I was actually quite relieved to hear this because I don't think everyone believes me when I say Bria throws up a lot. At first the doctor kept telling me it was probably reflux, but I highly doubted it because she is not in pain when she spits up.
After the x-ray showed all Bria's poop, the doctor said she is probably not able to keep all her food down because she is so full of poop (leave it to Brian's daughter to be full of shit, hehe). So we're instructed to get some Gerber prune/applejuice and give her some of that. I hope that helps clear her out, poor thing.

"Close your eyes Thumper, there's nothing to see here"

"Oh dude, cover your nose, I just tooted"

"What's up with your eyes dude?"

"Hehe, that was me."

"Up high Thumper."

She's waking up from her nap so I gotta run. I can't believe she is 6 months old, in just 6 short months she'll be 1. AHHHH! :tear:

Long week

Last week was a long week. Bria was having a rough morning every morning and nothing I did was helping. She also decided she was too big for naps. So the days were long, but we tried to make the best of them. I really think it's teething because this morning her bottom tooth is really close to breaking through, hopefully it does soon.

Bria is enjoying her solid foods and has tried applesauce and green beans, both of which she loves. The next new food will be sweet potatoes and then we'll move to fruits, I think she'll really like fruits. I also think it's about time to try a sippy cup because this girl is obsessed with our drinks and she is strong too. If you're holding her on your lap and pick up your drink, she'll intercept you and take a nose dive into your cup. It's hilarious, but seriously hard to loosen her grip.
Friday I decided a walk would be good for us, so we ventured outside. It was really cold in the morning so I got to bundle her in cute pants and a hoodie :) She enjoyed the walk and surprisngly didn't fall asleep.

Then Bria and I drove down to Brian's work on Friday and had lunch at Olive Garden. Afterwards we went and sat in a park while Bria played. It was so nice and I wish he worked closer to where we lived, or visa versa because it would be so nice to do that everyday.

She likes to lick the condensation off our glasses:

Saturday we went to the Jensen's to hang out for awhile and just get out of the house. Jaidyn let Bria borrow her cute red hat since it went with her outfit:

She ended up taking a pretty good nap there so we stayed there until she woke up. After we got home Brian did some yard work and Bria and I laid outside on a blanket. She was having a blast, especially watching the dogs run and play. We were watching Sammy for my Mom and Randy and he definitely keeps Bria entertained!


We also had a pretty big breakthrough this weekend: MJ started liking Bria!! She was sitting by her, licking her hands, licking her face, licking her feet. Brian and I were thrilled to death. I think MJ was getting jealous of Sammy being with Bria and decided to get protective. It was pretty funny. I won't go so far as to say that MJ loves Bria yet, but we're getting there and I am so happy.
And yet another breakthrough occurred, Bria sat for a long time all on her own! I was so proud of her.

Giving mommy some attitude:

Thursday she has her 6 month check up and shots, ick. Not looking forward to the shots at all.