The 3rd Month

Month number three is where things really began to get fun!  Fenna started becoming more interactive and gave us some of the most beautiful smiles!  She was really strong right from the get-go, but during this month she could hold her head up so well!  We did lots of tummy time to strengthen her neck and shoulder muscles.  A physical therapist friend of mine advised that babies should have tummy time up to three times a day, even if they don't enjoy it.  It helps strengthen their muscles as well as helps them learn how to use their arms.  During this month I also had to go back to work (insert sad face), but there will be more to come on that topic later.  While I was still home I just wanted to capture as many moments as possible with this little one.

Since this was her first fall season we of course had to take some pics outside in her jacket (which I found for $3.50 at a consignment store)!!

These next few are still some of my favorite pictures of Fenna Mae, I can't help but smile whenever I look at these!

Daddy's Sweetie...sooooo true!

Love her in her little PJ's!  Daddy was off to the side making her laugh for these!

3 Months Old!!

Happy 2014!!

Happy New year to all!  This is the time of year where everyone is making resolutions for the new year and looking forward to all that 2014 will hopefully offer.  I have never been a huge fan of new years resolutions for the simple fact that, from my experience, it seems that most people burn out on their resolutions within the first few months of the new year beginning.  That just depresses me...and trust me I have been one of those people!  I always (like most of America) resolve to loose weight (I need to more so this year!), but it very rarely ends up happening.  And if it does happen, I end up gaining it all back before too long.  New years resolutions in my mind are just set ups for failure and disappointment.    Now, don't get me wrong, I know there are those people out there who set resolutions every year and stick to them!  Kudos to those people!  I am just not one of those people.  So, this year, I want to set some different kind of resolutions for myself.  This year I simply want to grow.
I want to grow more in love with my God, my husband, my Fenna, and my family.
I believe a growth like this will bring about more joy, peace, and happiness.  Losing weight may make me happy momentarily, but if I am not happy deep down in my soul then no resolution that I make will bring complete and utter happiness.  This love will also make me a better wife and mother, a better friend and confidant, and a better witness for our Creator.  These are the important things in my life and I want to focus on those, instead of the superficial.
So, I am spending the day with my family, watching the Huskers (hopefully) win!  My husband is sick and Fenna has already puked all over me and herself THREE times (to the point where we have both had three outfit changes today), and it is only 1:30.  It is not a perfect day, but at the same time it is.  I am spending time with the ones that I love and each moment with them is priceless and should be cherished.  To commemorate Fenna Mae's first new year, we of course had to document with some pictures!

  

The 2nd Month

By the second month of parenthood you're pretty much a pro!  By this time we had definitely gotten in the swing of things and Fenna Mae was on a great schedule.  I think the hardest part for us during this month was how long it would take if we wanted to go anywhere...we had to make sure the baby was fed right before we left so she wouldn't get hungry in the car, we had to pack diapers, wipes, burp cloths, blankets, bibs, bottles and formula, an extra change of clothes, and of course, we couldn't forget little Fenna!  Trips out of the house would take us about an hour to prepare for.  Fortunately since we have now had lots of practice with outings we have gotten much faster!  I was still on maternity leave during this whole month and Fenna and I would spend the day eating and stretching and napping!  It was such a beautiful time and I will treasure all of those small moments that I had with her.  Here are some pics of our second month!

I can't believe how little she was!

She loved to stretch out those long limbs!

She has been such a Daddy's girl right from the start!

Two months old!

  

The 1st Month

The first month with a new baby is such a huge adjustment period!  But, honestly, it wasn't as horrible as I expected, as everyone described it to me.  I was so worried about how horrible I would feel after birth and around the clock feedings and a screaming baby, but my experience was completely different.  Sure, my body had definitely changed after giving birth and I was absolutely sore and a little slower to get around for the first few weeks, but it was not as bad I had built it up to be in my mind.  David was amazing during those first two weeks, and I honestly don't know if I could have made it without him!  He was Super Dad, cleaning bottles, doing laundry, and taking care of me.  However, after only two weeks I was feeling about 90% back to my original self (except for the baby belly that made me still look about 3 months pregnant!).  Only a few more weeks after that and I was feeling better than ever (aside from the still huge belly)!  As for the baby aspect of it, David and I were extremely fortunate because Fenna Mae began sleeping through the night after only 3 weeks, which is amazing!  I'm talking about 10 PM to 6 or 7 AM!  I cannot complain about that.  I do have to admit that the first night she slept all night, I did also.  The next morning I instantly felt guilty that I did not instinctively wake up throughout the night to check on her, but my body apparently needed the rest and all was well when we woke up that next morning.  Since then, she has slept through the night very consistently, I can only remember a handful of times after that that she woke up during the night.  She is such a laid back little lady and I wouldn't change a thing about her!
Here are some memories from our first month with Fenna Mae.  The first couple were the first day she came home!

 Our first family pic outside of the hospital!

 Some of her newborn pictures, taken by yours truly:

And a few 'just chillin' pics!

One month old!!

 

The Inevitable Introduction

Welcome!  My name is Samantha and I am a new mother to a precious, almost 5-month-old baby girl! My little girl, Fenna Mae, is the light of my life!  She is as cute as a button and as sweet as apple pie.  Part of the reason for this blog is for me to be able to document my life as a mom, my children as they grow (Lord willing there are many more to come!), and have a place to put the thousands of pictures I plan on taking (I think my Facebook friends might already have had their fill of Fenna pictures!).  As for me, well I am 26 years old, about 5’ 6” with brown hair and pretty ordinary facial features.  I don’t consider myself very pretty, but I also don’t consider myself ugly (but I do think I married ‘up’ in the looks department!  Go me!).  I used to be of average weight, but after little Fenna was born I’ve been having trouble getting back to the ‘before me’.  I know there’s an expiration date on the time that I can use the excuse that “I just had a baby”, but I’m going to milk that one for as long as possible!  All-in-all, I’m just an average girl.  I don’t yet feel like an adult, but I suppose having a husband, a mortgage, a job in a cubicle, and a new baby definitely makes me one!  I suppose that is something I will have to come to terms with soon!  
So, what is the purpose of all of this information?  Why do you care or want to know anything about me?  Honestly, you probably don’t!  BUT, as a new mommy, I am learning how important it is to have a community of other mommies that you can go to for help, advice, or even just to vent every now and then!  I want to share my very real mommy experiences as well as open up the floor to just talk.  Talk about the hardships, the successes and everything in between.  I want to relate to the experiences of other new mommies and learn from the Super Moms out there!  In the process, I want to paint a very true picture of motherhood and all of the good and bad that come along with it.  Please join me on this journey; I would love to hear from you about your little one!
Since this is my first post and my daughter (it still feels strange to me to say that I have a daughter!) is already almost 5 months, I am going to take the first few posts to 'catch up' on the last few month, so the first few may be a little on the longer side, please bear with me!  I want to begin with Fenna Mae's birth story.  This is mostly for my benefit because I have a HORRIBLE memory (pregnancy side effect??) and I know in a few years a lot of the details will probably escape me, but I don't want to ever forget these moments!
I had a fairly easy pregnancy with absolutely no morning sickness whatsoever.  I enjoyed being pregnant so much that I actually miss it now and am looking forward to the next pregnancy already!  Of course, as everyone says, the last month was a bit trying, I was tired, sore, and had to get up every 10 minutes at night to pee!  Here is one of the last pictures before Fenna Mae arrived:

  
Fenna's due date was 8/20/2013, but she decided to come a bit earlier, and I was definitely ready to meet her!  The night of 8/11/13, a Sunday night, my water broke around 8:30 PM.  It was funny because I had actually been at the hospital earlier that morning thinking that my water had broke, but was sent home because it had not.  Once it did break that night, I had no doubts!  At that point I wasn't having any contractions (that I could feel), so I drove myself and my husband to the hospital, which was only a few minutes from our house.  A little after we arrived I was put on pitocin because I was still not having contractions.  Once the pitocin kicked in though, WOW, there are no words to describe that pain!  I had wanted to try to have a natural birth, but since the pitocin intensifies the contractions I was just not able to handle it and ended up having an epidural...which was AMAZING!  I would still like to try a natural birth in the future, but it was just not in the cards for me this time.  With the epidural I was able to get some naps in throughout the night while we waited.  I had my husband, David, my parents, and my mother-in-law in the room with me throughout the labor process (we kicked them out right before it was time to start pushing so it was just David and I there for the actual birth).  Around 7 AM the next morning I was ready to start pushing.  It was such a surreal experience.  The lights were dimmed, my feet were put up in the air, the doctor with her mask on was standing in front of me, and there were two 'surgery' lights from the ceiling pointed directly on me; I seriously felt like I was in an episode of Grey's Anatomy at that point!  I only had to push for a little over half an hour and Fenna Mae arrived at 7:37 AM on Monday, August 12, 2013.

This was, hands down the most amazing, intense, beautiful, wonderful, crazy experience of my life!  Our family had grown and we immediately couldn't imagine life without our little Fenna Mae.  Of course, next comes the 'I have a baby, I don't know what to do?!?!' stage, but there will be more on that later!  For now, here are some of the first pics of our new family!