Letters to Bella: Month 4

Dear Bella,



SLOW DOWN!!! That is all I have to say. You are growing and doing so many new things! It is very bitter sweet, I love to watch you learn new things but at the same time my little baby is getting more independent. Rolling over is your new method of travel. You just roll from one place to the next, but I am sure crawling is in your near future. You are already getting up on your hands and knees and rocking back and forth.

The other big news of this month is you are teething...I was so sad because I love your little gummy smile!! So it is drool city with you (as if we don't already go through enough bibs as it is)! Everything goes straight in your mouth now and you are still our little spitter. Everyone has learned that when they hold you they have to protect their clothes (even though that doesn't always matter...). Your little personality has really started to show, you are so sweet. Always smiling and you LOVE to talk...wonder who you get that from??...and you are still such a snuggle bug, Daddy and I just can't get enough of you. I am seeing how much I miss out on by being at work everyday and that has been a struggle for me. I miss being with you everyday so much!!

You have become fascinated with Sammie. She is definitely going to be your BFF one of these days. She is getting better with you too, sometimes she even sits next to you and stays so you can pet her. But don't you worry, Sammie always has to check on you as soon as she gets out of her crate, and if you ever start crying she is right there to see what is wrong. So even though she doesn't want us to know she likes you, we know she does.

This month was also Halloween which you could have cared less about but it was still fun to dress you up as a ladybug. You looked cute and put up with us while we took you trick or treating to 2 houses. We also went to the pumpkin patch and I am already breaking you in as my little shopper. The Christmas season is upon us so there will be more shopping trips in our future...we just won't tell Daddy :)

You are so fun and bring so much joy to my life. Being your Mommy is the best thing I have ever done!

I love you.



Love,

Mommy

Letters To Bella: Month-3

Dear Bella,

Wow, I can't even believe that you are 3 months old! We have been having a blast together for the past 3 months. Each day it seems as if you have learned something new. You are a very nosey baby, always looking around to see what is going on. When it is time for your nap we even have to put a blanket over your eyes so you will relax and go to sleep. Speaking of sleep, you have always been a good nap taker, my favorite nap is when we go back to sleep after your first early morning feeding. You drink your bottle then curl up on my chest and we sleep until it is time to wake up for the day (I am really going to miss that when I have to go back to work). You love to be cuddled and held which I love about you. At times it can make me crazy (like when I am trying to get anything done) but I wouldn't have it any other way. You sleep through the night like a pro. We really never had a hard time with that, once you figured out night and day you began sleeping through the night. Sometimes you still sleep with us in our bed, but mostly you sleep in your bassinet or in your bouncy seat. To go to bed you must have your paci and your blanky (one to cover up with and one to hold on to). I could watch you sleep for hours, you are so precious.

After you wake up it is time for a bottle! You do not let us ever forget to feed you. Daddy and I call you our little "birdie" because you make this funny face with your lips that looks like a hungry birdie. You eat really good and give us loud burps but beware---you will at least spit up once. It has gotten a lot better recently, but you still have your times when you get us when we least expect it. Usually it is when Daddy has you, for some reason you love to spit up on him. You also like to make sure you leave your "mark" wherever you go. I don't think we have been somewhere new that you haven't spit up on their floor, couch, chair...pretty much whatever you can get. Some lucky family members have even gotten pooped on...you save that for special times :)

Once you have eaten it is playtime!! You LOVE to be talked to and we have the best conversations. Your smile can light up a room. Right now you love to eat your hands and play with your soft books. They usually end up in your mouth but you enjoy the bright colors. We have almost taught you how to blow a raspberry, it is so funny to watch you try to do it. You have done it a few times but your still working hard at it. I am sure at some point we will regret teaching you this as you will be spitting in our face, but oh well! You try to mimic almost everything we do with you. It is so fun to watch to you learn new things. You are happy to lay under your play yard, but you prefer for me to play with you. You can hold yourself up on your tummy, and your legs are kickin' the whole time. You love bath time too! Some nights I will just take you into the big tub with me and give you a bath. You love it when we do that. You splash around and love to suck on the washcloth. You don't even mind getting water in your face, I hope you continue to be a water baby! You always sleep so good after your bath in the evening, it is just relaxing.
It is really hard to believe that my little tiny baby that grew inside my tummy is now 3 months old and so full of personality. You are such a mommy's girl and I love it!! We are having so much fun with you and I can't wait to see what is in store for next month.
I love you forever my sweet baby!

Love,
Mommy

Mommy's Taking Over

Hello Everyone!! Joe has totally dropped the ball on keeping up on our blog, so he has turned the responsibility over to me. Now that he is back to work and the "daily grind" he has not been able to find the extra time to keep up with it, SO he has told me to give it a shot.

So let's see....a lot of time has gone by since his last post. Bella is now almost 3 months old!! Where does the time go?? Each day just seems to get better and better. Everyday she is learning something new and doing something that makes us laugh. I have gotten the privilege of staying home with her for 13 weeks and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. It has been the best 13 weeks of my life. Becoming parents has been the greatest blessing that Joe and I could have asked for. I am due to go back to work on Oct 1st, and needless to say I am very sad to have to close this chapter in my life. I will no longer get to spend every waking moment with my angel and I am going to miss her terribly. For now, I am not going to spend much time thinking about that but rather making each day count that I have left.

Bella had her 2 month check up where she weighed 10 lbs 2 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. She is growing like a weed! Of course there was also the 4 shots that she had to have too :( very sad to watch but she was pretty brave. She was baptized in early August and a big THANK YOU to all of you that were able to share in that special day. She is such a good baby, she has been sleeping through the night for a while now and gives us big smiles during the day. We have gone on a couple play dates with my cousin and her babies which has been really fun. We got her pictures taken which was quite the experience but she did very good. I was going to be happy if we got one where she was smiling, but we ended up with way too many to choose from!! (I posted a couple for you to see)

So that is a very quick glance at the past couple months...there will be much more to come!

Loving Life

I love my life, I have a beautiful loving wife that is the mother of my child, a beautiful baby girl and a great dog; if you look real close you can see Sam sleeping amongst the pillows on the right side of the picture. These pictures sum up what I love about my life, my girls.

Adjusting

We've had the joy of living with our precious little Bella for almost 4 weeks, it's been crazy but it's been amazing. Everyday is a new challenge and a new experience. She is just so wonderful, it's hard to realize just how much Stacy and I love her. She's such a cuddly baby it's hard not to love her, she doesn't like to be put down she loves it when you hold her tight and close to you. She makes you feel like you're really special, like you're the only person in the world that matters to her. I start my new job on Monday and I know that's going to be the toughest day I've had in three months, but I also know it'll be great to come home to her and Stacy that night. I love to hold her and just watch her sleep, she seems like she's in such a peaceful place. It's hard not to just stare at her every moment I'm awake. She is our precious Bella.

My Precious

It's amazing how your life can go from being busy every moment of every day, planning weekly meals, work, family, parties, planning the next get together with friends, doing housework and trying to squeeze some relaxation time, to sitting around waiting for the next feeding to change diapers, swaddle her and then watch her sleep for the next three hours. I know Stacy and I could sit here and have sat here all day and just watch her. It's extraordinary when you really think about how this precious miracle came to be. I know I'm just gloating about our little girl but the miracle of life is a true wonder of the world to behold.

NO MORE BILLIBABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We finally received a call from the doctor and Bella's count is under 15, so no more BilliBed!!!!!! I can't explain how excited we are, I'm just happy we don't have to deal with that bed anymore!!! Thank you everyone for all your thoughts and prayers, they paid off, our beautiful Bella is strong and healthy.

BilliBaby

It's amazing the emotional roller coaster we've been on for a week. 16 minutes from now Bella will be a week old and we were on such an emotional high during that entire time. People came by to see our beautiful little girl and to see how we were doing, and Bella did great. She was swaddled and passed around like green beans at Thanksgiving dinner. When we went to the Pediatrician on Monday she told us to go to the hospital to get her Jaundice level checked again. We thought, no problem she's been eating great, pooping regularly and just being a happy healthy baby. But when we got the results her level had risen from a 12.5 when we left the hospital to an 18.6! I can't describe the feeling I felt when I heard the news, we haven't had this angel in our lives for a week and already I'm worrying about her health. I know Jaundice is common and it's not something that's a huge concern, but that doesn't matter, when it's your child it's an entirely different situation. So we tried getting more sunlight on her and feed her every 2 to 2 1/2 hours to get her system working even faster. We did that the rest of the day and into Tuesday, then Tuesday morning she had to be tested again. She increased again, now to a 19.1. So as a precautionary measure the doctor prescribed a BilliBed, which looks like an infant tanning bed. I know this BilliBed is for her own good and she has to be in it to get better, but it's the hardest thing to try and continually soothe your child when she's screaming cause she just wants you to hold her. Stacy and I camped out on the living room floor last night with Bella. We put her bed in between us and just tried to make her as comfortable as possible, but there were times we just had to take her out and comfort her. She gets tested again today, hopefully she's doing much better, otherwise we have do this for another 24 hours. If both of those sessions don't work then she has to go back to the hospital. Stacy and I have the highest hopes and are saying our prayers that she will be fine after today and won't need any further treatment or hospital admission. I just want my daughter to be healthy and not have to worry about anything other than changing her diaper for a little while.

Last Night

We've made it through the last day. With nurses, doctors, hospital staff and visitors filing in one after another it has made for another long day. Luckily it wasn't as bad as last night because we hadn't slept in such a long time. Last night we were able to send her to the nursery and sleep for three hours before she had to nurse again. Which she did and we sent her to the nursery again after she was done, so altogether we slept for about 7 hours and we were finally able to shower. It's amazing how good a shower can feel after 36 hours of labor. But Thank You Very Much to everyone who came by and visited us. I know for some people it was a drive but thank you for your time and effort, it's humbling to see the amount of support we received. And to all of our family who called, texted, sent emails or came down Thank You, Bella, Stacy and I appreciate everything you all have done for us. Tomorrow is the big day, we finally get to bring our precious Bella home.

Wrapped around her finger

I'm not going to say much in this post, I'm just going to put up some pics. We just had a session with Bella Photography, and just so everyone knows this is a real photography business not me taking pictures and no we didn't get her name from them, and some time this evening or tomorrow, everyone will be able to view and/or order pictures online. I will give the log-on information to everyone privately, not through the Internet. Anyway, I will post more pics later of everyone that has stopped by to be a part of her life.

Bella Marie Frame

Little precious Bella was born June 24 at 7:32am, 7lbs 5oz, 21 1/4 inches long with a full head of dark hair. It was a very long night, labor was tough at times but eventually Stacy dilated fully and was ready to push. Delivery went very smooth and Bella was among us before we really knew it. She's healthy and beautiful and the light of our lives!!!

Little Bitty!

She's taken her sweet time! Family is starting to wear down, but they're all being real troopers and helping as much as possible, especially Uncle BJ... I mean Dr BJ. She is definitely won't be here on the 23rd, I'm thinking it's going to be some time VERY early morning the 24th. Uncle BJ thinks she is doing this because she doesn't want her birthday overshadowed by her Uncle BJ and Aunt Danielle's Wedding Anniversary. Since Peanut's Aunt Donna Lee has nicknamed her "Little Bitty", I think she's just trying to live up to her name and have everyone in her immediate family revolve around her, which is working. But we will love her even more when she gets here!!

Labor...you're not kidding!

We've passed the 24 hour mark, but we have good news to report. She is now dilated to a good 5, 80 percent effaced and the baby is in the +1 position. Basically this all means that we are getting close to starting delivery. It's been a long 24 hours so far, lots of waiting, hoping, guessing, walking around, eating and just trying to pass the time. I know our family grows more anxious with every passing hour, but they also know how special it's going to be when they're here to see her in her first few moments of life. Time goes by so fast, it feels like two months ago Stacy told me she was pregnant. The feeling I had that day still resides in me now, I just can't wait to see, hold and love my new baby girl. She means the world to Stacy and I right now, when I think about all the texts, email and calls we'll have to make once she makes her appearance it seems overwhelming and such a burden. But I don't feel that way at all. I look at the people in our lives and I think, "How lucky are we and what have we done to deserve such loving and caring family and friends?" So many people have touched our lives in different ways and we've touched so many others lives, it's just amazing. This little girl has no idea how many people have been waiting for her at the hospital, at home by their phones and following her progress on the Internet. I just want everyone who reads this to know that Stacy and I are so grateful for everyone in our lives, you've made this experience the pinnacle of our time together, and I know you will all share your love with our new baby girl.......just as soon as princess decides to show.

I like to move it move it

We have some progress!! Her water has been broken and she's now starting to dilate faster and the baby is coming down a little farther. She should be here around 10 tonight. Still just waiting, contractions are nice and consistent and Stacy is doing great!

Progress

Finally, we're starting to make some progress. She's starting to dilate more, become more effaced...and feeling more pain. I would post a pic of her, but like I said before what pregnant woman would want a picture posted of her during labor. Anyway, I'll post when there is more info available.

Family is arriving...and waiting

It's 11:30am and still no Peanut. She's still in there kicking away, Stacy's contractions are getting stronger and closer together, but it might still be a while. So far Bob and Sue are here, my Mom and Phil are here, my dad just got here and BJ and Danielle just showed up. I know this is the most boring part of waiting for a new little member of the family, but it's great to see we have such great family that they would be here in our time of need. It's a long slow process and it's nice to have family here that will just sit and be with you while hour after hour passes. I know we're all excited to meet and hold her, but all the suspense just makes the time she gets here even more exciting and special!

Nothing yet...

Not much going on yet, but I think Stac might've gotten a little sleep. I finally fell asleep around 2am, I fought it off until then. One thing is for sure, the Boppy pillow is not only a great pillow for mother and baby, it's a great pillow if you need a pillow. Stac had all the pillows through the night so I just used the Boppy and it was very comfortable. This is a picture of my sweet bed, it actually wasn't too bad, pretty comfortable really. Only a little while longer before we start bumpin up her meds and we get to meet our baby girl!! I can't wait!!!

Waiting...

Waiting is part of the process, we've been here three hours and it's going to be many more. The best way to describe waiting for your child to be born is like waiting for Christmas morning. Think back to that one Christmas when you were little and you knew you were getting that new bike, you didn't know what color it was going to be, what features it would have, would it be a mountain bike or a bmx bike? This is a very vague description of how I feel, we've waited for 39 weeks to meet her and now the waiting game gets more intense. We know she's coming but we just don't know when. I need to get some sleep but how do you sleep at a time like this?

Final Countdown

The time has finally arrived...we're at the hospital. After 39 weeks of waiting, doctor visits, reading books, receiving advice from everyone and the last few weeks of Stacy being on modified bed rest, it's time to finally meet our beautiful baby girl. We've been checked-in and Stacy went through the initial battery of pokes and prods, everything is fine and now we're just relaxing, as much as possible in a hospital. I've posted a pic of our room and NO, I will not be posting a pic of my gorgeous wife. For those of you who have gone through pregnancy yourself, you know that having your picture posted on the Internet is not a first wish you want fulfilled. For now you'll have to live with the pics I do post. I may post other random things later, depending on how much sleep, if any, I get tonight. ;)

And yes girls, that is a Seat Belt Diaper Bag in the picture...you know you're jealous!!