Two Months Old!

One day I will start posting for reasons other than age milestones. One day. But TODAY my baby girl is two months old! And that deserves an update!

- She continues to become more and more alert. She will sometimes smile at you when you talk to her, which is the best feeling ever! She has also found her tongue, which is really cute.

- She is sleeping well at night. We are definitely not on a regular schedule yet but she will usually give me a 5-7 hour stretch from 11:00 - 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00. I kiss all over her on the 6:00 days. ;-) When we get back to Nashville we are going to start a bedtime routine at about 9:00. I know I'm going to be TERRIBLE at letting her cry so we'll see how that goes. Stay tuned...

- She has learned to love being held. We have been in Little Rock for the past three weeks and the girl has hardly ever been put down. I am in big trouble when we get home. Again, I'm not good at the crying it out thing. Eek. I'm going to get very good at doing everything one-handed.

- Carolyn and I unofficially weighed her yesterday (I weighed myself and then reweighed while holding Greer) and she was 13.5 lbs!! I know other moms understand... Weight gain is so reassuring.

- There is still a great debate about who she looks like. I think the take away is that she is a good mixture and really looks like me sometimes and Will sometimes. She has one expression where she furrows her eyebrows and IS Will Peeples.

The first two months of Greer's life have been a whirlwind. We had such great help from our moms for the first month in Nashville, we had Will's family to our house for Thanksgiving, Will had finals, we've been in Little Rock for three weeks, Christmas was spent bouncing around AR visiting family, we spent two nights without power in Hot Springs, and now we have started a new year! We are headed home to Nashville on Thursday and I am really looking forward to starting our new normal.

Greer, you have already brought us so much joy. You are the greatest blessing we could ever imagine and I cannot wait to get to know you better each day. Your parents love you to the moon and back.
Love, Mommy

Six Weeks Old

I can't believe we have been parents for six weeks! But I honestly can't decide if that seems long or short compared to how I feel. I can't believe she's six weeks old already but I also don't remember sleeping through the night. ;-) She is doing so great and I continue to love her more every day. I still look at her little face and cannot fathom how blessed we are. She is happy and healthy... And she's ours!

Here are some updates:

- She weighed 11 lbs. 12 oz. at her appointment today. She is growing, which makes me happy and relieved! I knew she was bigger but having the weight confirmation was encouraging since I'm solely breast feeding. Feeding has been going well but every time she eats I will wonder if she's gotten too much or not enough... So it's just so great to know that's she's a growing girl!

- She has started smiling and cooing! I love hearing her little voice and when she looks at me and smiles... I absolutely melt. Funnily enough she smiles the most when I'm changing her diaper. That usually means that changes are prolonged so that I can talk and smile with her. And also that I get peed on a lot. Worth it.

- She's still eating every three hours during the day. Then in the evening she is usually hungry closer to every two hours or even less. But "power feeding" before bed does help us get a longer stretch at night. The other night she ate at 11:00 and then didn't wake up until 6:30!!! I almost fell out of bed when I looked at the clock. Now, that was a fluke. But I can consistently get a 4-6 hour stretch from her at night.

- Will took his last exam for this semester yesterday! He has been really good about spending some time each day with her but I am really looking forward to him having more free time. And I'm excited for Greer to be a little more interactive... I want lots of Daddy daughter bonding time for them!

- She has had some tummy aches in the last few days. We've started giving her mylecon (sp?) drops and I think that has helped. She is such a sweet girl that she fusses only in the moments when it hurts but she spent a few days awake way more than she should have been because she was uncomfortable. I'm hoping we're moving on from the tummy aches.

- She got her vaccinations today. It was hard to watch her scream when she felt the first one. Ugh. But the other two were finished so quickly and she had seriously quit crying before I could even get her paci in her mouth. Such a tough girl.

- Weeks 1 through 6 have been great! Now we will spend weeks 7 through 9 in the great state of Arkansas. It will be great for family and friends to get to see/meet her. And it will be a crash course in traveling and running around with a baby for her mommy and daddy! I'm nervous and excited! Any and all prayers are much appreciated.

Here are some previously unposted pictures of our precious girl!

One Month!

I can't believe our little girl is one month old! She continues to be the greatest blessing I could ever imagine. Here are some notes about her first month of life:

- She is a growing girl! 8 lbs 7 oz, 20 inches at birth. 9 lbs 6 oz, 22 inches at her three week appointment. And I think she MIGHT weigh over 10 lbs now... I feel like she's grown a ton in the last week.

- She continues to have a super laid back disposition. As she's awake more and more during the day I get nervous that she'll fuss and cry more. But in actuality she is just as content as she can be. We're continuing to keep our fingers crossed, hold our breath and say our prayers about it!

- In most pictures her eyes look brown but they are actually dark blue. They could obviously still change to brown or green but right now they're blue!

- She is starting to focus on things. I can tell when she's looking right at me and I love it. She's also starting to lay on her play mat and watch the mobile.

- She's still eating well and is down to six minutes on each side. Efficiency makes mommy happy because feedings are pretty quick!

- She is SUCH a good nighttime sleeper. Last night she fell asleep at midnight and I woke her up at 5:00 to eat. I know I am crazy to wake a baby but when you breast feed and it has been seven plus hours (she had gotten an 11:00 bottle so I could sleep) then we'll talk.

- We are getting out of the house together more and more. Yesterday I even fed her in the mommy room at Nordstrom. She was great for our entire day of lunch and mall shopping. I, however, was totally worn out by the time we left.

- She's been spitting up lately. Spitting up is my least favorite thing. I know that babies spit up - it comes with the territory. But every time I think it's because I've done something wrong. But there are fifteen different things that can make her spit up and some of them just can't be helped. And she never cries when it happens so I THINK she still loves me. ;-)

- She has grown out of most newborn things other than sleep sack/dresses. Mostly she's in 0-3 month clothes now.

- Each day her life is documented on Instagram and Facebook by her overly proud mother. Sue me. I do wonder how many people have removed me from their timelines, though. I know they're out there. Ha.

Here are some of my favorite pictures that I haven't posted on Facebook. You'd think I wouldn't have any left... But you would be oh-so wrong!

So Thankful

It is not hard to guess what I am thankful for this year. Growing up I never babysat and never wanted to hold babies. I loved my cousins but even they made me a little uncomfortable when they were really little. Then I got married and something inside me shifted. I was baby crazy. I knew that we would benefit from being married for a few years pre-kids but the dynamic with Will and me has always been me negotiating to start our family earlier than later. I say all of that just to point out that this girl is the answer to prayers that I've been praying for a long time. And I am beyond grateful for her precious life.

These first three weeks with her have both flown and creeped by... I feel like she just got here and has been here forever. It has been a major adjustment to have another human depend on you for everything. There is no copping out of parent duties because you're tired or not in the mood. Particularly when you are the food source. But Will and I have amazingly supportive and selfless families. My mom stayed for a week and Will's mom has been here for the past week. It is so much easier for me to tend to Greer when I have a sweet mamma here tending to me. My water cup has not been empty since she was born, my house is as clean as it's ever been, I have slept well and often, I haven't done a load of laundry myself since I was pregnant, life is good.

So, true to form here is a list of the specific things I am thankful for today:

- Greer is a happy girl. She has such a laid back disposition. She's only awake for several hours a day but during those hours she is just as content as she can be. If she's crying then she is hungry, cold or you are messing with her too much. If she is full and clothed, she is happy.

- She is a growing girl. Breast feeding is going well. But it is an art... not a science. So I am so thrilled that she weighed 9 lbs. 6 oz. at her appointment yesterday! She has gained almost a pound since birth. Which makes mommy happy and much more relaxed that she is getting what she needs.

- I feel great. I was so worried about post-partum issues before she was born. But my body and mind are both holding up great! Being her mom comes with a lot of pressure and unsure moments but I am thankful that I feel nothing but love and joy. I know that's not the case for everyone and I'm grateful it is for me. Also, I have my follow up appointment with my doctor next week and I'm hopeful that I'll get the go ahead to start taking Greer on walks and get back to normal physical activities. I feel great so hopefully the doc will give the green light!

- I am thankful for a God who has poured out so many blessings on us through this child. I told Will this week that I am trying to accept these gifts for what they are and just be grateful... instead of guilty. I have to admit that I have moments where I just feel bad for how well everything is going. I keep thinking, "This is supposed to be a lot harder!" But I am doing better every day. I have an angel baby - and I'll keep her!

I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day and that you are also able to count your blessings today. Here are some pictures of our happy girl!

And then the world shifted...

Well, Greer Allan Peeples decided it was time to meet her mom and dad on November 1! She is here and doing so well. I always thought this post would be hard to write... And I was right, because SO much has happened in the last week. I cannot begin to describe how much love I have felt - not only FOR Greer and Will but FROM so many wonderful family and friends. So, how did we get here? Let's start with last Wednesday...

Wednesday was my last day at work. It ended up being a pretty busy work day (not really just a day wandering the halls saying goodbye) and the only thing I can really say is that I felt weird. I had some painful (but still irregular) contractions and just felt sort of odd all day. I attributed all of that to the majorness of my last day (and the brownie dessert I shamelessly ate at lunch). BUT I did tell a group of coworkers before I left that I'd probably have her tomorrow because my body will somehow know that now I'm finished at the office. My water broke about eight hours later.

I woke up at 12:30 a.m. for one of my midnight bathroom breaks. As soon as I laid back down in the bed my water broke. Will was watching TV after taking a practice test for a standardized test he had (and still took because he's a rockstar) on Saturday. Poor guy never went to bed. I walked into the living room and told him I was pretty sure my water had broken. We called the doc, Will threw together a bag and we headed to the hospital. I was pretty confident that my water had broken and this was it but I think a mixture of denial and being gun shy kept us from calling most family until we were at the hospital. I knew that as soon as we sounded the alarms everyone would on the interstate pretty quickly. In the middle of the night. So we wanted to be sure. By the time we were checking into the hospital reality set it and we called everyone. They were all on the road within the hour. They are AMAZING!!

So, after checking in, confirming I was in labor and a move up to the labor and delivery floor we were officially in business. I'm not going to go into every detail of the night here so here are the highlights:

- Epidurals are awesome. I was nervous to get one, it did hurt to get it but not nearly as much as I expected, I had a hiccup with mine and they had to switch the actual medicine I got, but I was very affirmed that it was the right decision for me. As scary as labor was... That part was superb. ;-)

- IV's are not awesome. My veins rolled twice. Third attempt was a charm. And that charm left me with a bruise covering the entire back of my left hand that STILL has not gone away.

- Once you've had a baby no "private" part of your body will feel "private" ever again. It took an hour at the hospital before I forgot that it should be embarrassing to show 15 different people your nether-region. Just saying.

- My husband is my favorite adult on this planet (and I love this baby but it's still a tie for favorite person overall). He brought just the right amount of sweetness, support, humor and faithfulness to the entire experience. AND he did bring half of Greer's DNA to the table so I will be eternally grateful for that fact alone.

- I went from less than half-way there to pushing in an hour and a half. Greer was not messing around. It. Was. Time. 35 minutes later, she was here. I am so thankful for a healthy girl but I am also thankful for a quick and relatively painless labor. It's not lost on me how fortunate I was there. And I'm grateful.

- The early morning of November 1 affirmed my faith in our Almighty God like no other experience in my life. Over and over I saw how perfect His timing is and I felt so cared for by Him. We have a happy, healthy baby. I have been a happy, healthy mamma. Watching Will be a daddy has made me fall in love with him all over again. I just can't say enough how the Lord has had his hands all over us this past week. I will praise and worship Him forever for this precious girl's life.

So, at 10:37 on November 1 Greer cried her first cry, announcing the arrival of a special, beautiful woman. She has her daddy's dark hair and her mommy's hands and feet. Other than that you'll have to ask the grandmothers who she looks like. ;-) As far as I'm concerned she looks like Greer and my heart really did grow when I looked into her eyes. She has been such an angel and I can't begin to tell you how fortunate we are. I'll update more with how things are going but I will say that we are doing great! Our first pediatrician appointment is tomorrow so we'll also know more then!

Until I post again, much love from the very Happy Peeples!

To Mom

I have been spewing love all over the place on this blog lately. I guess I'm just overflowing with happy hormones! I started to write my mom a post and then remembered... I actually did that over a year ago!! I re-read it today and it really does sum up my feelings for her. The only thing I will add is how wonderful she has been over the past nine months and how INCREDIBLY excited I am for her to be Greer's grandmother (grandmother name still TBD - in true Mary Neal form this is a very important decision). 

I love you so much, mom! I am feeling especially connected to you in these last days of waiting to become a mother myself. Also, I cannot wait for you to get to town and clean my house. Haha. Moms are the best!

Mom Post - July 15, 2011

To Will

I realized after my letter to Greer that I have mostly talked about the pregnancy part of Greer being on her way and, in doing so, have left Will out more than I meant to. Anyone who knows him will not be shocked at all that Will has been the most amazing husband throughout this pregnancy. So, I wanted to (very publicly) thank him for some of the things I have appreciated most over the past months...

Will,

• Thank you for getting so excited and saying all the right things the morning we found out I was pregnant. I know you were a little shocked and scared at the weight of it all but you were so sweet and SO funny and that helped me tremendously. Your prayer that morning - that included thanking God for this amazing gift AND asking God that maybe my mom wouldn't move to Nashville RIGHT away - is my most precious memory from that morning.
• Thank you for taking me off of the ski slope and not totally freaking out yourself when I had a COMPLETE hormonal meltdown 100 yards into our second run. And for letting me bow out of skiing for the rest of the trip with absolutely no guilt trip. You were already a professionally supportive dad-to-be just days after we found out we were expecting.
• Thank you for waking me up for dinner during my first trimester when I would go to sleep after work. And then letting me go right back to sleep after we ate. You never made me feel bad for taking care of myself and that was so appreciated.
• Thank you for being excited that Greer was a girl. I was (secretly) DYING for her to be a girl but I was so nervous because I really thought you felt the same way about us having a boy. But as soon as the ultrasound tech said she was a girl you were beaming. And that meant everything to me.
• Thank you for letting me off the hook every time I've apologized for "complaining." Pregnancy has been great for me but it has come (as it does for everyone) with lots of physical discomfort. Every time I've said my back hurt or it was hard to walk or I was tired or I was just generally uncomfortable you have been nothing but supportive and NOT ONCE did you tell me to suck it up. Major husband points for that one. 
• Thank you for going to see Hope Springs with me on our babymoon because I wanted to see Meryl's new movie. I'll never stop feeling guilty for that one. Anyone who has seen that movie totally understands. Anyone who hasn't seen it... keep it that way.
• Thank you, first of all, for supporting (in every sense of the word) me staying at home with Greer. That decision will affect so many facets of our lives and I love you for your willingness to be the sole bread winner. And thank you for also standing behind my decision to give my notice at work so early. That was a sacrificial decision but I can't tell you how much it has put my mind and heart at ease these past months.
• Thank you for cleaning the house before our families were here a few weekends ago. You have helped around the house all along (even pre-pregnancy) but the big cleaning job before visitors meant a lot to me. Our house has not been as clean as I want it throughout this entire pregnancy (and thank you for never saying one negative word about that!) so having it cleaned before we had guests really made me relax. And my mom commented on how clean the kitchen was - official seal of approval.
• Thank you for taking on some of the big "getting ready" responsibilities like picking the car seat, setting up our pediatrician appointment, our tour at the hospital, etc. And thank you for going to every single one of my doctors appointments. Every one of them. And asking questions at all of them, too. ;-)
• I could go on forever... so thank you for being the man that I married. The man that I look up to, that makes me laugh literally every day, that makes me feel special and loved at all times and the man who is going to be all of that and more for our little girl. You are going to be the ultimate dad and I am so excited that I am about to watch and support you through that journey.

You are my best friend and you have my heart,
Caroline