Six Weeks

Six weeks was made up of all kinds of things...

- Lots of more consistent interactions, eye contact, giggles, coos, and smiles. You seriously have the most precious noises!
- Definite tracking...You like to watch me walk all around the room that you are in.
- Continued loathing of baths..You just scream and cry about the whole time. I think you have NOT cried once.
- Good tummy time...you love practicing holding your head up for about 5-10 minutes after you eat. You are doing great, and it just bobs all around while you look at me, your dad, the lights, or bright colors in the room.
- Stopped your hydrocortisone treatment for the cradle cap on your face, and it has started to come back again...the doctor swabbed a little place and it tested positive for staph (not MRSA). Now we have started an antibiotic. Boo.
-  A few rough nights of not sleeping...You've started to show a definite, strong preference for being held the whole time you are sleeping :) I mean, who wouldn't? We have held you a lot from day one, because I am of the thought that you can't really spoil a newborn by holding them. I'm not really a scheduled person, but as of today I started to be more intentional about your sleeping, awake time, and getting a few good naps in between feeds. Today you are actually 7 weeks old, but for the first time, you put yourself back to sleep! Yay!
- Before I started any kind of schedule, you were sleeping anywhere from 3-6 hours/night (usually about 4 on average) and taking a 45 minute morning nap and a 45 minute evening nap.
- You attended your first basketball game at Robinson High School and watched your daddy coach. He was kind of worried that I brought you, because he doesn't want you to get sick. He said that it seems like everyone at school is sick. We're trying to be very careful!
- You went to see where your mommy works at Pediatrics Plus and met all her sweet co-workers there. They were pretty much enamored with you :) I think I got stopped in the hallway about 20 times so people could "oooh" and "aahh".
- Right before you turned 6 weeks old, you attended your first birthday party. Your cousin, Spencer, turned 4, and we celebrated "campin' style" at Calvary Baptist. Your Gigi and your great grandmothers got to hold you.
- Your cousin, Evie, is getting more and more used to you being around. She no longer cries or claws at Gigi or Lauren when we are paying more attention to you than her. Soon you guys will be running around together, probably carrying out some crazy plan of Spencer's! 
- You went to church for the first time. We went to go see the Scarlet Thread Christmas production at Summit and you slept through the whole thing (loud music and all) while I held you. Way to go, Rubes!
- People still can't believe how much hair you have and how light blonde it is. They also always comment on how long and skinny your little fingers are and how long YOU are! Most 0-3 month pants are almost all to short on you now!

This week you have really started smiling, cooing, and giggling all the time!

Our tall girl...trendsetting already :)

That big bow only increases your bunny rabbit like looks. I call you my little bunny.

"Hello!"

We love you Rubes! Next week holds more fun adventures as we head to Kansas City and Wichita to see your Nana and Papa Coach for Christmas. I'm pretty sure all my "scheduling" will be in vain this week, because your grandparents, Aunt Shiloh, and all your uncles will probably not be putting you down the whole time you are there! You are a loved little girl.

A Review in Pictures

Here's a little update on what we have been up to along with some pictures. Ruby, you finally stopped crying EVERY time that I got my camera out to take some pictures....so, thank you.

Most days you wake up anywhere between 5-7 after having slept anywhere from 5-7 hours. After you get up and eat, you usually let me rock you back to sleep and you will stay down for another 2 hours. This has been our schedule lately. If you wanted to start sleeping 8-12 hours at a time, that would be fine. Feel free to start anytime.

For a while you really enjoyed sleeping in your bouncy seat. And by a "while" I mean like a week. 

When you were about 2 weeks old, I started taking you on some walks in your stroller. It was chilly outside, so you donned your sweater and your hat. You aren't really thrilled with getting dressed or with getting buckled in your car seat. Thankfully, you usually calm down once the car is moving...although long stoplights get you going again. I don't really love long lights either. :)

 

 

This is what you and your dad like to do during the evenings when he isn't coaching games...he loves being home with you! You give him more smiles than you give me. I will try not to take that too personally. 

Here you are at 5 weeks old. Yes, you are still glowing and looking yellow. Don't worry- We spent all last week at the pediatrician in order to address your persisting jaundice and the rash that covered your face. Thanks to hydrocortisone  cream, your rash is gone, although you are looking a little greasy after each application, lol. Your bilirubin is a little high but nothing to be concerned about. Unless I supplement with formula, you will keep looking a little yellow for a while. Just consider it your newborn tan! Thanks, Aunt Hill, for the fab onesies featured in this post. :)

Here are a few more 5 week pictures....You are looking so old and growing quite long. You are now a little over 9 pounds and measuring almost 22 inches long. Our tall, skinny girl that is too long for some 3 month pants but all the newborn pants still fit you in the waist. Nice. 

You and your cow.

Precious little lady on your sheepskin rug.

I took a few more pictures of you tonight to show your Aunt Lauren how tall you are in an outfit that used to be Evelyn's...

My big girl :)

I never understood the joy that comes from watching your children grow....it makes all the crazy pregnancy/delivery/postpartum ailments more than worth it. I'm excited to see what adventures await.

Ruby Red

Ruby, Ruby, what a day we have had!
You have started your second month of life with a bang, and you have wasted no time developing horrible cradle cap all over your face. You also have continued to look yellow to me, so off to the doctor we went this morning. Thankfully, your Aunt Lauren stopped by to bring me a nutritious McDonald's breakfast and offered to accompany us. My suspicions were confirmed that your bilirubin is a little high for your age, so of course we had to follow your heel prick with a more invasive blood draw from your little arm. All of this was followed by your Hep B vaccination. You poor little lady. I think you cried more today than you have your entire existence. You certainly live up to your name as your face turns a deep shade of red in about a millisecond when you are in pain or upset. Bless your little heart- Your face was red alot today. :( I kept telling myself that a few seconds of pain are so much more tolerable than possible brain/liver dysfunction. This got me through the screams. The great news is that you are a healthy little girl, and you are up to 8 pounds, 11 ounces...the 35th percentile I think is what they told me. Way to go, little Rubes!
After your doctor's appointment, "we" needed a little emotional pick-me-up. What better place to squander our time (and money) than at Target! This was our first shopping outing together. I'm just breaking you in slowly. You did great and slept basically all day. I think you were completely worn out from all the morning doctor drama. Next was your Gigi's house, your Aunt Lauren's house, and then to Hobby Lobby.
Part two of the horrible day continued when we got home and I scrubbed your little cradle cap (cradle mask is a better term) with Selsun Blue. You were also not excited about this. You have been sleeping ever since I put you in your PJ's and held you close. Bless it.
Tomorrow I promise we will do a lot of snuggling and eating and decorating for Christmas. I'll even eat some cookies for you. Here's to a better tomorrow! Congratulations on making it through your first month of life in this crazy world. It will only get better. :)

Settling In

Week two went a bit smoother than week one, and now that we are in the midst of week three I feel as if we are finally settling in (as much as one does with a newborn).

 Our days are slow and simple, and that is how I like them. Recently, you are sleeping anywhere from 3-6 hours at a time at night. You are usually awake when Levi leaves for work, so we get to tell him bye and then we take a little nap until a more "reasonable" hour. Six in the morning will never be a reasonable hour to me. Nine or ten sounds (and feels!) much better. After our nap, we get ready for the day, which usually consists of me quickly brushing my teeth and putting a little deodorant on and giving you a quick little bath and diaper change. Today I even got brave and trimmed your long, perfectly manicured (but sharp) nails that you have had since birth. Next is when we play dress up for approximately 20 minutes where I try to make all of the really cute clothes that your Gigi bought you from Gap fit you even though they are all still way too big. After we are ready for the day, you basically eat and sleep and stay awake for a little bit and repeat the whole cycle all over again.

You are a pro at raising your head and weight bearing on your tiny little elbows when you feel like it. You've seemed much more awake and alert this week, which has been really fun. I finally broke down and gave you a paci to soothe you at night when you just get fussy and restless for no reason apparent to this new mom. You are nursing pretty well except for when you take in a little too much at one time and do some coughing (which makes me sad). I spend my free time reading all kinds of articles on Kellymom.com, watching depressing daytime television, writing thank you notes, praying for your safety and well being, and trying to keep up with the everyday. The change of pace that has come with staying at home has been great but very different. I am not going and doing all day, but I am supposed to be available 24/7 nonetheless.

We went on some walks this week, which was good for both of us. You just doze off while I push your giant stroller up the hill on our circle. We've gone a mile each time, although at the rate I am consuming chocolate cake and cornbread that people have brought us, I'm sure my weight has remained the same despite the daily exercise...

Levi has constantly reminded me that I don't have to have a list of things that I've "done" all day to prove that I am valuable. I like to at least have one thing to report, but it is nice to hear that just keeping up with a newborn is very worthwhile. I know this, but it is truly a blessing to have a husband that views it equally as worthwhile. Now that basketball season is in full force, You and I are going to have a lot of nights alone together. I can't think of a more precious way to spend my evenings. :) I mean, really- that is ALOT of cute, y'all!

Stationery card

Striped Girl Birth Announcement

Announcements for every life event: graduation, wedding & baby.

View the entire collection of cards.

Precious Firsts

Well, I've already started tearing up writing this post. In an effort to not make it into "Diaries of a Postpartum Lady", I will try to stick with the facts. :) Ruby Clare Miller entered the world at 4:10 AM on Sunday, October 28, 2012. We thought just maybe my labor would NOT be 23 hours long and she would be here on the 27th, but she just seemed as if she wanted to spend a few last hours in her warm, cozy environment before coming into this cold, sterile world.

All I have been able to think about this whole first week is how shocked I am that she is here and that she is here to stay. I'm shocked that she is perfectly healthy-- I was convinced that something would be wrong and tried to prepare myself for the worst. I'm shocked at how much we love her. I'm shocked at the havoc bringing a child into this world wreaks on the body. I'm shocked at how much I don't really care now that I've met her. I'm shocked that she belongs to Levi and me and how sobering it is to have a life entrusted to us by God. I'm shocked that God's design for bringing children into the world can be such an immense blessing. It is a normal, everyday, mundane miracle that I refuse to take for granted. I'm NOT shocked, however, at how cute our little Ruby Clare is. I mean, we knew she would be.

This first week has been stressful and overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time! We've had countless calls, texts, visits, and meals that we have really appreciated. I didn't cook much before, so we all know I'm not starting again anytime soon. Being in the hospital was a blur of medical health professionals in my room at all hours of the night and me obsessing about them not taking her to the nursery. I'm going to refrain from writing about any of the labor and delivery, because it got a little gory and no one wants to read about that. LOL. Maybe another post for another time. Coming home was special, and my mom got a little bit of it on video with her iphone. I'm glad she was there to help me up the stairs to our apartment while Levi carried Ruby. Now that we've been home, Ruby has honed her nursing and sleeping skills. She eats for about 15-30 minutes and will sleep after that anywhere from 2-5 hours at a time. This has been really great. Besides one really rough night in which I had no swaddling skills and probably should have realized she was cold and hungry, we have been doing pretty well. I've developed an eczema outbreak covering about 60% of my body (probably triggered by stress) that has kept me really uncomfortable and grieving the body I once had. I am 20 pounds heavier and covered in red spots, but Levi has been sweet, helpful, and encouraging every step of the way. He's a great dad already. Tummy time has really only consisted of me holding Ruby on my chest while she sleeps. She likes to lift her head up and look around every once in a while. Sometimes we can get her to open up her eyes and look at us for a little while, but for the most part, the girl likes to snooze. She doesn't love diaper changes, but if I can quickly do them while she is still in her milky or sleepy stupor, they go well. She is the wiggliest little girl I've ever known and her little legs and feet remind me of a jack rabbit. I call her a little bunny. She has long skinny legs, long skinny feet and toes, and long perfectly manicured fingers and nails. Ruby makes the sweetest little sounds while eating, has a high pitched forest animal cry, and snorts/sneezes alot (I should probably use the bulb syringe to clean out those nasal passages soon). The most unforgettable part of this first week is how thankful I have been every single day. I can't believe how perfect she is and how much I fear and pray for her well-being. It is a new kind of fear that I do not enjoy and that has had me surrendering her to God over and over and praying for peace. Oh, Parenthood, you are rich, invasive, bitter, wonderful, and difficult all at the same time. Here we go!

You win some, you lose some.

Pregnancy WINS:
- Exercising a little the past two weeks
- This great Arkansas "cold front" that has brought the temperature down to 80s and 90s at night these days
- Tackling a DIY project of painting my grandmother's old dollhouse for Ruby's room
- No more back pain
- Feeling alot of strong and consistent kicks come from Ruby lately
- Levi is back in town after being gone for the past 10 days
- Making it to work and getting things accomplished on time (this was a challenge when all I did was throw up)
- Still being able to wear my wedding ring
- Blood pressure remaining low
- Meeting my baby in only 11 weeks! :)


Pregnancy FAILS:
- Experiencing a new surge of nausea and reflux that I thought I bid farewell to at 20 weeks
- Eating fast food for the past 6 lunches
- Loving Diet Coke more each day
- Left ribs that burn/ache about 80% of the day every day for the past 5 weeks
- Pelvic pain always
- More cellulite every time I look in the mirror (I have just stopped looking lately).
- The DIY dollhouse looking a little crappy. I am telling myself that it is a child's toy and not a design project.

At the end of the day, though, I can't be more thankful for the fact that for the most part, I am healthy and God has given me everything I need and much more to physically, emotionally, and spiritually take on the new journey of parenthood....not to mention a fantastic husband!

Ruby's Chair

Levi was super excited about Ruby's new chair for her nursery...We picked out the Peyton Glider by Best Chair. It was Gigi's present to us :)
This picture makes me laugh every time.

A Mighty Good Man

Happy Anniversary to the one that I love! Has it already been two years? I am so thankful for my husband who has made our marriage a priority, scrubbed many a toilet during my bouts of morning sickness, passionately pursues what is right and true, and loves me more than anyone else. What a mighty good man!

Food for Thought

An interesting article to read here (and even more interesting comments!) as I prepare for birthing a child pretty soon....

Doctor, doctor.

Going to doctor's appointments are so much more exciting now than they ever were in the past. When I am at the OB/GYN clinic, I feel like a rockstar. Most every healthcare professional working there has some sort of passion for pregnancy/reproduction, and they are (for the most part) so kind and encouraging as they notice my protruding tummy. I truly am thankful for a doctor that genuinely seems interested in what is going on with me and my uterus. He listens to me, validates my concerns, and gives me truly helpful feedback. Today I think he even said, "Bless your heart!". No, Dr. Breniman, bless YOUR heart for being such a peach.

I usually smile and try not to complain too much, but today when he asked if I had any questions, I did not hold much back. After discussing with him all of my ailments (most of which are not appropriate to publish), I was delighted to hear Ruby's strong heartbeat and to feel a few strong kicks. Earlier that morning, as part of my glucose tolerance test, I had consumed 10 ounces of sugary goodness, so Ruby was wide awake.

So far, everything is right on track. I am measuring right at 25 weeks. My weight gain is maybe a little above average, but I am okay with that. My blood pressure is perfect, and I do not have gestational diabetes, which is wonderful. I tried to convince myself while waiting for the results of my test that it would be okay to have GD, but honestly, carbohydrates would have been so hard to cut out during a time when they are so fun to consume. Besides my ribs and pelvis feeling like they are about to crack in half at any given moment, everything is going well, and I was reminded of what an awe-inspiring thing pregnancy really is. Incredible? Yes. Comfortable and enjoyable? No. I needed the encouragement today, and it was good to be reminded of how precious and invaluable is the little blessing God has chosen for Levi and me.

Testing- 1, 2, 3.

I hesitated to start blogging for a number of reasons, the main one of which I was embarrassed to admit that blogging makes the assumption that the entire world wide web population might want to read and know how my family and I are doing, my most recent reading material, the room I am currently decorating, and/or the general ups and downs of us. Obviously, this is not true, but it is essentially what one assumes when they "post". I also hesitated, because I rarely captivate people with my words (it is often my beauty instead....ha!), and it is a little scary to send thoughts and feelings out into the internet galaxies only to possibly be discounted, misunderstood, criticized, etc.

People say that having a baby changes everything. They are right. Now that Levi and I are having our little Ruby enter this world sooner than later, I am going to swallow my pride and insecurity and blog for the sake of recounting moments that I know we will want to remember. I know at least two people (myself and hopefully my husband) that will be interested in looking back months and even years later to see the tiny operations and details of our existence that seemed so mundane at the time, but upon looking back are actually quite sacred and special and make you cry.

I also could and should be accused of being an internet consumer as opposed to a supplier. I follow close to 80 blogs, but I never comment or contribute, because I never wanted to take the time or energy to have my own blog with which to communicate. Now I can do that as well! Hooray!

Off we go! Come along if you would like.