1 Month Old!

On February 24th, we celebrated Amelia's 1-month birthday! I can't believe she's been here that short of time - it feels like she's always been here. We're all still adjusting to life with a newborn (ie, interrupted sleep, increased laundry loads, and things taking a lot longer to accomplish than before), but it's been fun, and we're looking forward to continuing to watch her grow!

 

I got a breast pump about a week ago, and David's been enjoying being able to feed her with a bottle. I'm just jealous because it only takes him 5 minutes to feed her, and it takes me 15.

Amelia likes...

~ cuddling with Mom and Dad

~ looking at faces

~ bath time

~ her "paci"

~ listening to Mom sing songs and read Harry Potter (start 'em early! :) )

~ car rides

~ having her head stroked

Amelia does not like...

~ being awake and alone in her crib

~ having her feet touched

~ having her arms swaddled - she'll break free every time

She's a fairly mellow baby; there's not much she seriously dislikes. Except being hungry - gotta go! :)

Valentine's 2011

I'm sensing that, with a 3-week old baby, posts are going to be very brief and image-saturated. Oh well, it's a miracle that I can type this with two hands while still holding Amelia on my lap. :)

This year for Valentine's Day David and I stayed at home and made dinner. We made spinach and artichoke dip and cranberry pomegranate bellinis...

...stuffed pork chops...

...and molten chocolate cakes with vanilla bean ice cream and raspberries.

Everything was wonderful, especially the drinks! Here's the recipe so you can try it out yourself. David and I made them in a punch bowl and let the lime slices hang out for a while to mix their juice with the other fruit juices, which I recommend doing. We skipped the mint, because I'm not into buying things that are just for "garnish" that you don't actually eat. If I wanted unnecessary garnishes, I'd go out to eat.

What did we give each other for Valentine's, you ask? I got a box of See's chocolates (that I picked out myself - I have specific chocolate tastes!) and a house plant (it lasts longer than flowers - a lot longer). David got 11,000 perler beads and made Pokemon and Nintendo characters all weekend long. I'll be sure to post some pictures of those, they're quite impressive.

I hope that you all had an excellent Valentine's Day as well, and got to spend it with those you love, eating chocolate. :)

3 weeks old

On Monday, Amelia "turned," I guess you could say, 3 weeks old! Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Amelia's First Bath

Tonight David and I gave Amelia her first real bath! I say real because we've given her a few baths before, but we could only wipe her down with a damp cloth because her umbilical cord stump hadn't fallen off yet. As a result, she was probably cold and didn't enjoy the experience. Now that she can have her belly covered in the water, she had a much better time.

David and I inadvertently went for an aquatic theme with our bath time accoutrements. We have a whale tub, complete with mini whale pouring cup; a crab bath mitt (seen on David in the photo), and sea life-themed bath towels as well. If she seems a little shocked, it's because the flash on our camera is ridiculously bright. I have a hard time not looking shocked in pictures taken with it as well.

 

We dried her off in one of the aquatic towels, and then put her in her duck-themed "robe." It's made of the softest terry you'll ever feel; if they made one in an adult size, I'd be all over it.

 

After some food and some warm pajamas, Amelia fell right asleep. And she's been asleep for the past hour and a half - the longest she's slept for a single stretch today. *Sigh*

Amelia Catherine Steed

With our baby girl being two weeks old yesterday, I figured it was high time I did a blog post about her. I won't bore/gross you out with all the details; if you want them, call me. I'd love some adult interaction, even if it is just over the phone. :)

I was induced on Sunday night around 11:00 pm, my water broke around 7:30 am, and after an hour of pushing, she was born! We welcomed Amelia Catherine Steed on January 24th and 10:37 am. She weighed 8 lbs 10 oz and was 21 inches long!

 

It was definitely the most physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting thing I have ever done. I had never been so tired in my life. I'm not going to lie, I'm still pretty tired, but nothing compares with that first 24 hours after giving birth. See? Tired but happy:

 

Having never been hospitalized before, I could never understand why people hated them so much; I understand completely now. I was more than ready to go home after two days. I wanted to sleep in my own bed, and I was tired of nurses coming in at all hours of the night and day to take my vitals and whisk Amelia away to weigh her and do tests. Had there been a lock on the door, I would have used it. Here we are, all ready to go home:

 

Before Amelia was born, I made several casual commitments, such as having an unmedicated birth - and that was not easy. Another was to breastfeed as long as possible, and I didn't realize what a job that would be, either. This past week I took Amelia with me to my parents' house during the day, and my mom and I wanted to go to Walmart; we were about to turn into the parking lot when David called and said, "I think she's hungry." So we turned around and went back home. I turned to my mom and said, "Silly me, I thought the tether between the baby and me broke when David cut the cord." It's kind of rough being THE food source. Nothing reinforces the fact that your life now revolves around this tiny creature quite like breastfeeding. Overall, it's been going well. Amelia does get a little confused sometimes, however:

In all the chaos that comes with being new parents, we did manage to get some announcements out and take pictures to document her age. This picture was taken when she was 3 days old:

This one is at 10 days:

And this one is at 14 days (we all survived the first two weeks!):

 

It's been an exhausting experience for all involved. This is how David and I spent our first "date night" home with Amelia:

 

We love our little girl, though! She loves to smile, especially in her sleep. She has a cute belly button, and a myriad of facial expressions, some of which seem far too serious for a newborn. My favorite is her "I don't think so" look; it's the exact look David gets on his face when someone says something he doesn't believe is quite accurate. I'm enjoying getting to stay home with her for a few weeks before I go back to work; we'll see how David and my dad handle full-time childcare then

Capitol Reef Part I

Here are some more pictures from this past summer. David and I took a quick weekend trip to Capitol Reef in southern Utah in August. David went there a lot with his mom and brother as a kid, and it's become one of our favorite places to go as a couple. Since I took more pictures than I could possibly hope to post (and more than you would ever care to see), I'll post some highlights of the trip.

We had some fun on the way down. We saw a half-sunken house...

...a beautiful sunset (although southern Utah is never short on these)...

...and the Manti temple.

Due to a series of unfortunate events involving our Jeep and a two-hour freeway delay for no apparent reason in Provo, we were a little late getting started on our trip. Therefore, by the time we got down to Capitol Reef, it was close to midnight and pitch black outside. So, we spent the first night of our trip in the back of the car, an experience I would not recommend and have no desire to repeat. I was so thankful  when I heard a nearby rooster crow, because it meant that the sun was coming up and I could get up as well.

See how happy I am to be up and awake?

 

We drove into the park after some hot chocolate and scrambled over some rocks for a few hours.

 

We decided to hike Chimney Rock, which was five miles round trip. I had to take pretty frequent breaks and was sore for about a week after, but it was still a lot of fun. Chimney Rock is in the background behind David and I.

While we were on our little hike, we found quite a bit of petrified wood. Here seems to be the remains of a prehistoric campfire:

Here's a close-up (yes, I picked it up, but I put it right back where I found it, don't worry):

 

David and I found the biggest chunk of petrified wood ever! Can you imagine the tree it came from?

David found an old wagon near the visitor's center and decided to give it a try...

 

It was really hot outside, so we decided to roll up our jeans and play in the Fremont River. This pose reminds me of Juno's "I am a craken from the sea!" moment. If you haven't seen that movie, do it. It's hilarious.

 

We found this amazing mud hut on the side of the river while we were there. Actually, no, we didn't. David built it, it's 3" tall.

 

Stay tuned for our more conventional second night of camping, fruit picking, and petroglyphs!

Capitol Reef Part II

Our second night in Capitol Reef, we managed to find the spot we camped in the last time we went. Our Jeep handled the rough terrain slightly better than the Yaris.

 

We made tinfoil dinners in the fire...

 

... and mountain man breakfast the next morning (bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns all in the same pan).

Then we drove into the park to see the petroglyphs carved by the Fremont Indians.

 

You can't go to Capitol Reef and not pick fruit from the orchards planted by the pioneers who originally settled the area. I have never tasted better apples in my life! David went for peaches this year, though:

The most beautiful thing about Capitol Reef is the contrast between the green trees, blue sky, and red rocks. It is one of the most visually stunning places I have ever been, and I'm so grateful we live so close to it!

 

At one point during my pregnancy, David turned to me and asked, "Do babies go camping?" I said, "I don't see why not." We'll have to take our little one there this year, if we're feeling brave, that is.