Emma: week 3

Today Emma is three weeks old and we are celebrating our second anniversary!! This past week we got out a lot more and started moms on call schedule. She's doing great I must say! She's doing even better at night than I could have anticipated. We have had several nights she's made it from bed time til 3am, a few 2 am nights and then last night she made it til 4am! She's been a really good eater and napper as well. Her best nap of the day is from 10-12 in the morning. Her mid day nap is hit or miss so that's usually when I try to get out if we are wanting to get out of the house. 

Thursday night Tommy and I took her out to eat for the first time. We ventured to Vintage Pizza. They have a cool concept there because one side is kid friendly and the other is 18 and up so you don't feel bad if your child gets fussy because everyone in your side has kids. Angel slept the whole time and we got to enjoy some beer and pizza! 

On Friday I took her to school to meet my coworkers and I needed to fax some papers to insurance. It was nice to see everyone at work. It was their post planning day. From school I met my mom (Mimi), Bonnie, collier and Christy Balfour at the botanical gardens to see the Chihuly exhibit. Emma did great! I couldn't find somewhere to nurse so I ended up pacing the handicap bathroom. That was a first! And hopefully a last! 

Every day we play dress up because girlfriend has more clothes than me! 

We love weekends because daddy is home! Friday night we just relaxed at home (our sweet neighbor brought us dinner) and watched a movie. 

Saturday Tommy and I took turns on duty. He got up sooo early to go play a round of golf on his own. Fastest round he's ever played. He was HOME by 8:30am ha! I then ran to target to get a few things ALONE before Tommy's parents and Aunt Marsha stopped by for a visit. We ended the night with dinner at my sisters with my parents and Nana. It was a great night! Collier is so entertaining right now and Emma got her Mimi, Nana, Grandpa and Auntie Bonnie snuggles in. 

Sunday we started our day with a walk at Murphy Candler and took Cooper for a swim. 

We haven't quite navigated getting up and ready for church. Maybe next week. I need to figure out how to navigate it all. We usually go to the 8:45 service but she eats at nine so maybe for the time being we should just go to the ten am service in the sanctuary. Things to figure out! 

Sunday night we had a party with our tennis team. It was nice to see everyone away from the tennis court! She was such a cute little watermelon! 

(This is her "I'm pooping" face and me laughing at her!) 

Yesterday we just relaxed at home and cleaned the house a bit. Late afternoon yesterday we had some friends over to have one last group get together before Christy moves to Wedt Palm to join her boyfriend, Andrew. She moves this Saturday. We will miss having her close but look froward to making a trip to visit them! Andrew was one of Tommy's best men and Christy had been one of my closest friends since sixth grade. We are excited for them that they will finally live in the same city! 

She had to wear a festive outfit for Memorial Day! 

Today we got up and walked early because it's starting to be too hot for her after she eats at nine. We then met my best friend, Ansley, to go to the mall for lunch and some shopping. Nice to get out for just a little bit. Tonight my parents are babysitting so we can go out to dinner to celebrate our Anniversary. Thanks Mimi and Grandpa! 

The biggest success from week three is Emma is now sleeping in her crib. It was an easy transition for her and easier than I thought it would be for me. It was time for her to go to her room. Tommy was having to creep around in the morning to get ready for work and at night tip toe in because he goes to bed later than both of us. She was sleeping in longer stretches the past week so we decided to try it Sunday night. She's such a big girl! 

We are so blessed to be her parents and love seeing how she changes every day. 

Emma: 2 weeks

Emma is two weeks old today and so here's a recap of week 2. Last Tuesday Tommy had to go back to work and we had her first doc appointment. She wasn't back at birth weight so we were needing to go back today. She's now 10 lbs 1 oz so doing well! 

Last week my mom came each day to help which was great because I could get naps in and shower. Thanks Mimi for all the help! 

Saturday we took Emma to a friends pool for a few hours to get out. She slept the whole time and looked so cute!

On Sunday morning I took her to breakfast to meet my friend Lizzie and her husband. Colleen and Alex joined as well at Corner bakery. Again she slept the whole time! 

In her Sunday's best! 

Yesterday was my first full day on my own (with a daddy lunch break) and we survived. We started the moms on call schedule. My supper club girls came here for dinner and Caroline cooked.  It was delicious!

We are getting the hang of our days and nights but her worst time of day is after bath time and it's bedtime. Last night she went down at 9:30 and still couldn't settle until 11:30 I gave in and fed her again. She then slept great until I got her up at 3:30 to eat then slept great again until 6:30 to eat. The NP told me today I can leave her til she wakes up now bc she hasn't been eating for long at night when I wake her. We will see how that goes moving forward. 

Overall she's been a great baby and pretty chill. She will figure out what bedtime is and hopefully her "fussy" time or witching hour will shift abut earlier in the day. 

We are so in love with our little girl! 

Introducing Emma Claire Robinson!

This has been the best week/whirlwind of my life. Tuesday, May 10th at 2:49pm we met our daughter for the first time. 

Emma Claire Robinson

9 lbs 12 oz

22 inches long 

We were instantly smitten. Here is her birth story:

Monday morning (the ninth) I had my last prenatal appointment. I had been having contractions every 20-30 minutes but wasn't dilated anymore than the week before. The doctor scheduled our induction for that Wednesday morning and we were on our way. Throughout the day I knew it was just different. I went to lunch with my mom, Claire, nana and Bonnie before heading home for a nap. When I got up I took Cooper for a walk and things started moving. At this point my contractions ranged from 10-15 minutes apart. I started making dinner and after we ate we walked again. Now it was about every eight minutes so I called the on call physician. He said to wait until i was having contractions every five minutes before coming in. Around 7:30 pm we checked in to the hospital and I was hooked up to everything by 8:30. I still hasn't progressed anymore so they had me walk the hospital to get my contractions to be even stronger. Around midnight they gave me a shot of morphine and we tried to get some sleep. At 3 am I woke up to my water breaking (cue strong contractions every two minutes or so). Around five I finally got my epidural and we both went back to sleep. I was only about 5cm at this point so we knew we were in for a long day. At 11am I was 8cm so they called the on call physician to come in. We were told we would be ready to start pushing by 12:15 or so. Well 12:45 rolls around and my contractions in my back were unreal so Tommy went to get the nurse. We started pushing at this point and boy I've never exerted so much energy In my life. By 2:30 I was so tired and she was face up we needed extra measures to get that last ways out. The doctor had to use the vacuum to help her get out. At 2:49 after two hours of pushing she finally made her arrival (with a very swollen head. Poor baby). There were a ton of people in the room at this point because of using the vacuum and they had seen merconiam in my water. She came out screaming and relief set in for me. When they weighed her the whole room said "say that again?!"  Boy oh boy I did not realize just how big she was. No wonder! She was full of chunks and the cutest thing I'd ever seen!

Tommy went out to get our families once she was all cleaned up and we had had some time just the three of us. She came in God's perfect timing (and punctual! On her due date!). Over the previous two weeks I had gotten myself in a state my brother and sister were going to miss meeting her before they left on their travels for the summer. Claire was able to spend about 1.5 hours with her before needing to leave for the airport! I couldn't have planned it better myself. James was finishing up his finals in Athens (poor guy was in the dark about me being in labor. He finished his final to find out she was here! It was his biggest final and I didn't want to distract him. We got lots of time with both our families that night before we made it to our room. Once in our room Uncle Brett (who shares her birthday!) came to meet Emma since he had to work that day. 

We were so tired we both slept hard very early that night. The next morning Bonnie came with breakfast and James and my dad came for a visit on the way to the airport for James to leave for New Zealand. We had tommys sister, Beth  and his dad come by with lunch. Then Aubt Marsha and tommys mom came by in the afternoon. Wednesday was a busy day of visitors. We had friends who wanted to come see her but being during the week everyone could only come after work so from 5-8 we had Elizabeth Sullivan, Ansley and Matt Reynolds, Caroline and Drew Stelling, Kyle and Andrew Hartman, Elizabeth and Brad Mitchler, Lindsey Harvard, Catherine Dickinson and my mom. We had a full house!! We are so lucky to have such great friends and family to love on our little lady. 

Thursday we started our final arrangements to be able to go home. She had her check with her pediatrician and the cardiologist. The doctor could hear something during his check that he wanted checked out. She has a slight murmur that they didn't seem worried about. Apparently babies who have a stressful delivery which she definitely had sometimes have it and it clears itself up. He said the echo sounded really good except for a small leak in one of her valves so we have to go back at one month and prayers that it's fixed itself by then. He stressed with us that we shouldn't worry. We were able to finally leave and get home around 2pm. 

It's been a whirlwind since then. Collier came to meet him yesterday and he was so sweet! 

Breastfeeding is such a challenge at the very beginning. We are getting there. She's getting better at sleeping in the bassinet at night. I'm managing to get some sleep just not in longer stretches than two hours at a time really. We have our newborn pictures tomorrow and Tommy goes back to work on Tuesday (which I'm seriously dreading). We are so blessed and so in love with Emma. 

Now a photo dump:

Pregnancy Update

I haven't blogged in awhile and we are just in the waiting stage right now for Emma's arrival. To say we're ready would be understatement. I am still working and will work until this Friday the 6th. I was 39 weeks yesterday. We are praying she comes on her own some time before next Tuesday for many reasons. 

1) I would prefer to not be induced

2) my brother and sister leave for their study abroads for the Summer (James to Australia and Claire to South Africa) on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. I would be so sad if they didn't get to meet her in person until she was almost two months old. I know they would be good sports about it but I know they are dying to meet her as well. #comeonemma

I am not one who loves pictures of myself but I figured I should probably document the end of my pregnancy with some bump pictures (I apologize for the work bathroom pics). 

I am a planner so this stage of pregnancy is one of testing my patience. I've never been so out of control in my life. It sure does make you rely on your faith that everything will happen in the timing it's supposed to. I just pray she is healthy and that we have a smooth delivery to meet her. Her daddy and mommy sure are anxious to meet her!!! 

Stay tuned. I will probably not blog until she has made her arrival. I go back to the doctor on Monday if she still isn't here and from there we would then schedule an induction. Prayers that she comes on her own in the next 6 days!