Our week

Merry almost Christmas!

It has been quite the last few weeks here at the Jewell house. Casey caught the flu and had to miss a few days of work. Naturally I started getting it so I got on meds asap and then Rylee caught a cold so she's been on Tylenol. Were all finally starting to feel better thanks be to God because it's almost Christmas!! It would break my heart to miss our first Christmas as a family of three.

Rylee had her 3 month dr visit last week. She is doing so well! She weighs 15 pounds and is 25 1/2 inches tall. She is in the 99th percentile for height!! That's my girl. She is also above average for weight, which isn't unusual since she likes to eat. The Dr was super impressed with her and how much she smiles and talks and how well she can hold her head steady and her upper back muscles. She didn't get her shots because my husband and I have decided to not vaccinate. We have really concrete reasons and personal experiences why we chose this option. It's a choice each parent has to make for there child. Our doctor was very understanding and respectful of our decision. Thanks be to God again because we've all heard those horror stories and I was very nervous about that part of her appointment. Rylee's just hitting milestone after milestone. She now tries to grab stuff and hold it to chew on. I can't wait til she can sit up on her own and we can play together. 

All around a very good doctor appointment.

We also got to spend some time with family for a few days. My youngest brother and sister are only 2 and 4 years older than Rylee so they love to play with her and take baths together, you betcha I got a picture of that. Rylee also had her first piano lesson! My mom has an exact picture of me as a baby sitting with my nana playing the piano and when my nana did the same thing when my daughter I had to get a picture of it. 

I did all my Christmas baking this past weekend to! Rylee joined in for a few cut outs, she could really care less as you can tell. But Momma loved it!

Lastly we did all our Christmas shopping and are officially done! I really wanted to stick with the 4 gift rule with Rylee and I think we did a good job at it. She of course got a stocking to go along with that. 

I can't wait to post about Rylee's first Christmas and all the details and festiveness that comes along with!!

3 months update

Baby girl is three months old today! I love everyday with her. I love watching her grow and learn knew things. Her smile is my favorite thing and that pouty lip is absolutely adorable. 

It took me forever to get her to smile for this picture, as you can see it started out with a pouty lip and then turned into laughing and smiling.

Rylee is weighing in at 15 pounds and a little over 24" tall. She loves being in the water and splashing around during bath time. But if she is too tired for bath time she quickly looses her marbles and that lip gets a going. Usually we can make her happy enough to finish bath time but it becomes a full blown melt down when we lather her with lotion. 

She is always smiling and hardly ever cries. Her big brown eyes light up every time she sees us. We just love her so much!!! I couldn't picture my life without her! 

Happy three months baby girl!!

Books!

One thing I want for Rylee more than anything is to be well rounded in a variety of things. I want her to be well read and love to read. I want her to be involved in as many extra curricular activities as she can manage. I want her to learn sign language, Spanish and French. I want her to be everything she wants to be. I feel all that stems from books and diving into a whole new world and other cultures. There is so much rich knowledge out there that I want her to get her chubby little hands on. 

I've been buying books for Rylee since I found  out I was pregnant. I want her to have her own personal library. I wanted to make sure she had all the classics that I loved growing up, but I don't have the money to pay $17.99 for those books. Which is why I love used book stores. I can get all these books for $2 a piece. Score!

Once we finish remodeling her play room I plan on putting some cute picture ledges on the wall to make her a cozy reading space. 

A few of the books were loving right now are

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

The Rainbow Fish

A Turkey for Thanksgiving

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Swimmy

I have a ton of books from when I was young that I can't wait to share with her! 

A Christmas post

This past weekend we were finally able to put up our tree and do a little Christmas shopping.

There is nothing I love more than glitter, I am seriously considering sprinkling some around my house, the baby, and the hedge hog. I loved the floors at the newest craft store at our mall.

This is what I ended up coming home with. The beauty! I've come to realize that I don't like characterish Christmas decorations... Santa, the snowman...

I prefer woodsy Christmas decor.

Naturally Rylee had a Christmas dress to wear to all the festive parties. I decided to try it on her a few nights ago to make sure it will still fit and it doesn't. I had a feeling it wouldn't because she has outgrown all her 3 month sizes. Sad.

So I went hunting for a new outfit for her to s wear and I found this beautiful skirt. I plan on pairing it with black tights, black onsie, and a big glitter red bow. Gorgeous!

Have you guys seen these? I started on rylees but have to paint and seal it still. Definitely won't be painting it a Santa. Obvi!

Christmas heart

I always have such outrageously high hopes and expectations for the Christmas season. I so desperately look for that Christmas magic that was around when I was little. I cling to certain events as what Christmas is all about and the excitement that leads to the big night.
Christmas tree chopping ;-)
Decorating the tree, the house, the hedgehog.
Listening to Christmas music on repeat.
Drinking hot chocolate by the fire.
Driving around looking at lights.
Watching every Christmas movie on hallmark.
Getting glitzed up for parties.
Celebrating Christmas "firsts" with Ry.
Gift shopping.
Baking.
Milking every last festive drop of egg nog right out of the Christmas season, but some how every year is the same. Barely getting the tree up in time to make it worth being up, no decorations, no music, no movies, baking once out twice, and no driving around to look at lights. No Christmas cheer.
So far this year is turning out no different and it's sad, but then maybe I need to realize that Christmas doesn't come from a store, perhaps Christmas means a bit more. And it does! The only reason Christmas exists is because Jesus was born. That's what I should be looking forward to and excited about because without Him, what's the point of life. Yet somehow I'm still dragged down by "societies" Christmas and the need to make it the best for Rylee.

Let the praying and heart changing begin.

Rylee's first Thanksgiving

Sadly this was the only picture I was able to capture on Turkey day. But I think it sums up how our day went perfectly. We went to my mom's for dinner and had the best line up ever! Thanksgiving is quite easily my favorite holiday because I get all my favorite food at once. My mom makes this amazing ham gravy that I could just eat by itself and then my nanas sweet potato casserole is like a party in your mouth. I also got to play some fun family games. Disney's Parents vs. Kids is by far a great one especially since I rock Disney everything. 

Hope you all had a great thanksgiving with your families!

Teething rage monster

My sweet little babe has started teething. I didn't think it was possible to start teething at just 3 months old. None the less she is drooling like a Rottweiler, chewing on everything and will not sleep. Last night was the first good night's sleep I have gotten all week and it is because i kicked my husband to the couch. I put her in my bed at 11, nursed her and she slept great till 10:20 this morning. She only barely woke up twice to eat.

I woke up feeling so refreshed. Which is nice because the lack of sleep has had me pretty cranky the last few days.

Santa: to do or not to do

With Christmas just around the corner, there is Santa stuff popping up every where. Figurines, placemats, and soap bottles, etc.
I always dreamed of waking up Christmas morning with my children excited to see what Santa brought them. But now that I'm a mother, I'm not so into Santa anymore. I definitely don't like Santa "stuff"and will not decorate my house with that gaudy-ness.
I loved seeing what Santa brought me when I was little and am not one of those kids who was upset with there parents for lying about Santa, but I'm just not sure how I want to play this. Casey says we have to do Santa because it's a childhood memory.
I just feel like Christmas is already blown out of proportion and has nothing to do with the true meaning. I want Rylee to be excited to celebrate Jesus birthday and not Santa coming.

I suppose we will see..

Cosleeping and the 12 week growth spurt

She may look all sweet and innocent here sleeping, but this was taken last week when she still slept. Monday night turned into a whole new ball game. She would fall asleep and as soon as I laid her down would wake up screaming. She wanted to be on my boob non stop. When I say non stop I mean like even if she wasn't hungry. Human pacifier over here folks! Yes, I tried a real paci. She would take it after much debate, fall asleep, spit it out and wake back up. 

We co-sleep every night which is normal for us, but usually she is put to bed in her crib at 8pm and then I get her out around 1am when she wakes to feed. Lately, she has been in our bed from the get go. I am dying for just four hours of my own sleep where I can sprawl out and not have to worry about her in bed with me. My poor husband I literally kicked him out of bed as soon as his alarm went off. I look forward to 3:30am every night now so that I can get some sleep comfortably. However, right now she is obviously needing something from me and it might just be emotional reassurance which she gets by sleeping with me and comfort nursing or it is about time for another growth spurt since she will 12 weeks on Saturday. Where had the time gone?

 Praying tonight is better for all of us.

2 month updates

Man I am bad at this blogging thing. Every time I have a free moment I think I should sit down to blog about my day or what new thing is going on with Rylee, but then I end up doing house work because I still haven't figured out how to balance that part of my life quite yet.

Okay so Rylee is now two months old and growing like a weed. I swear she is above average for babies her age or maybe I'm just biased.

She is weighing in at a whopping 13 pounds and in a size 2 diapers. Didn't think it was time to size up in diapers, but after many blow outs and countless outfits ruined-it was time. How sad!

Speaking of diapers; we are currently no longer cloth diapering because she has out grown the ones we had. We are using luvs in the mean time being because it's the only thing that doesn't leak. Hoping to get back to cloth soon.

She has also sized up in clothes. My 2 month old is wearing 3 month clothes and 3-6 month sleepers. My baby! Growing right on up ain't she?

Some milestones for her so far are she loves being read to. Her favorite book right now is "A Turkey for Thanksgiving". She will coo, laugh, smile and kick her little feet.
She also holds her head up really well and herself for the most part. We put her in her bumbo chair for a little bit and she loves that. She hates to be layed back. She wants to be up and part of what's going on.

She really is amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better baby. And I couldn't leave you without a few cute pics.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Its freezing cold and rainy here so we will most likely NOT be taking our wee one out trick or treating tonight. We're hoping to find a indoor festival we can take her to instead. 

For those of you going out tonight, stay safe and warm. 

Also, happy almost thanksgiving month eve! 

Halloween Party

Saturday night our really good friends threw there first Halloween Party in there new house. It was so much fun! Casey was a zombie, Rylee was a pumpkin, and I wasnt anything specific. Rylee was such a good girl! She slept through most the party and even got to meet some of her honorary aunts and uncles made up of our closest friends. 

There was so much festiveness in one night that my heart about exploded! 

There was a bonfire, a pumpkin cooler, and lots of costumes.

The only family picture we got the whole night.

All the girls dressed as various things.

We left the party early because baby girl was ready for bed and some peace and quiet. Overall it was one of the most fun parties I've been to ever!

October festivities!

October 2014 is Rylee's very first Halloween and even though she is only 7 weeks old, we are celebrating. These are the moments I have dreamed of forever when having kids: pumpkin picking, trick or treating, dressing up, Christmas shopping, everything! I'm taking full advantage of every festive thing and event I can get my hands on. Starting with pumpkin picking! We took her to one of our favorite orchards a few weeks ago and picked out her first pumpkin! It's small and cute just like her. Casey and I also got our pumpkins. You can totally tell whose is whose. Oh, and of course I couldn't miss out on putting her in her first Halloween costume for the occasion- a pumpkin!

Rylee's great grandparents came down for a visit and brought her her very first pumpkin full of candy! Granted the candy may have been more for mommy and daddy. 

Sunday, Wal-Mart had trick or treating for all the kids. Naturally we were there! 

I hope you all are having a great start to your fall and have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Rylee's first doctor appt

Because baby girl was losing weight fast and not eating well, the hospital ped wanted us to have an apt with her primary doctor the day after we got home.

So we did. Her birth weight when we were discharged from the hospital was 7.9. Her Dr apt weight was 7.3. Her jaundice was slight but because of her weight we had to go back two days later for another weight check.

Well my milk had finally come in and she was eating non stop. At her next apt she had gained 2 whole ounces. Thank the Lord and her jaundice was disappearing.
Good news all the way around! And of course a few pics of the day.

My birth story

I've been so busy with Rylee since she was born that I have neglected to blog about things going on with her. So excuse me while I play catch up.

We welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Saturday, September 13th at 10:15 am. She weighed 7 pounds 13 oz and was 21 inches long.

I went into labor Friday night at 11:30pm and labored at home until 2:00am. We arrived at the hospital at 2:30 where I found out I was already 4cm dilated! That's huge progress! I did end up getting the epidural because I wanted to enjoy the birth process and what was to change our lives forever.

About an hour or so after my epidural, they broke my water-I was already at an 8 when they broke it. I quickly progressed to a 10, but didn't start pushing because I wasn't completely effaced yet and they said it would be easier on me to push once I was. After what seemed like forever I started pushing. Half hour later and she was here! That made for 10 hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing.

After an hour of recovery we went to the mother baby unit. Casey and I worked on breastfeeding her, skin to skin, and lots of cuddles. She wasn't a feeding champ and lost 10% of her body weight in a day and a half-which is bad. So the day after we got home from the hospital we had to take her to the ped to be checked. She also had slight jaundice so they checked her levels for that to.

Overall I had a great labor and delivery-very smooth and easy.

Some points on her newborn care:

She did get the vitamin k shot.
She did not get the hep b shot.
She did not get the eye ointment.

Now for a few pictures of the glorious day.

My pregnancy must haves

Sorry I've been absent for the past two weeks. I've been pretty busy taking care of my bebe. Who would have thought newborns were so time consuming. Ha! Now that my pregnancy is over, I've compiled my list of things that helped me make it through the last 10 months. I'd also like to note that I cant believe my pregnancy is over. I thought it would never end and here I am. So here is my list...

Unscented shea butter-this kept my skin in perfect tact. I have absolutely zero stretch marks and I owe it all to this homemade creation. I seriously went through like 5 jars just to be on the safe side.

Baby nasal spray- I got the lovely rhinitis of pregnancy. Its pretty much like one giant stuffy nose-cant breathe fest for like a year. This stuff helped break everything up so I could blow it out.

Body pillow- your whole body will love you for this. It helps with achy joints and supports the growing belly.

Sports bra or shelf shirts- way more comfortable then wearing a regular bra.
Water bottle- your supposed to drink gallons of water while pregnant. This will help make it easier. Especially if you buy a super cute one.

Almay makeup remover wipes- you will be to tired to wash your face properly. These are a must!

Humidifier- because I was so stuffy, this helped put some moisture in the air so I could breathe. Use this along side the nasal spray and it could almost be like your back to normal. Almost.

So there you have it. Just a few of my musts for carrying a little human for 10 months. I'll be back with a few more posts and of course to show off my little lady and fill you in on how motherhood is treating me.

She is here!

Rylee Morgan Jewell was born on September 13th, 2014. Just one day before her due date. She weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 inches long.
Her daddy and I are so in love.

Grand parents were first to hold her. My dad-poppi. 

My mom-gigi.

Casey's mom-grandma.

39 weeks

How far along: 39 weeks. I have officially been pregnant for 10 months. (August had an extra week) That's a little to close to a year if you ask me. 
Total weight gain: 28 pounds.
Maternity clothes: Nope, I wear my belly band when I go out and when I'm home I just let it all hang out. Ha!
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: I really feel like skipping this question for the rest of my life. Sleep sucks like usual. 
Miss anything: Sleep, moving around at night and it not hurting, my clothes to fit normal again, being able to breath, sleep, sleep, and sleep. 
Movement: she is starting to slow down a bit, but now when she does move it's usually her trying to get comfortable. I literally saw her heel move from one side of my stomach to the other. 
Food cravings: cherry tomatoes!
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: I get a few Braxton hicks here and there, but that's about it. 
Belly button in or out? Out
Wedding rings on or off? Off, they are finally off. Only took 38 weeks. I've been wearing my grannies ring since that fits me. 
Looking forward to: Rylee's arrival. It could be any minute. Although it will probably be next weekend. 
Countdown: 7 days! 
News: I had been suffering from serious foot pain at night. So much so that I couldn't sleep. They would just throb and ache horribly. My nana gave me an Amber teething necklace and I haven't had the pain since. Unless I forget to put it back on after I shower.

I had my 38 week appointment on Wednesday. Baby is doing great! She is head down and ready to go (when she decides to go). I also had my first cervical check. I wasn't expecting to be anything at all, but I'm 75% effaced and 1cm dilated.

Wednesday in general was exhausting for me. I was having contractions from 3:30-6am. They were time-able but not consistent.

All in all, I'm quite ready to experience the worst pain of my life.