Two Weeks, Already?

*7 lbs 6 ounces

*19 inches

*Slept for 6 hours through the night, two days in a row

*Loves bouncing up and down and being sung to

*Still sucks on anything she can get her mouth on

and won’t sleep in her cradle

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Special Moments

I wish I could record every minute of every day with Eva. I don’t want to forget anything. All of her smiles, all of her coos, even all of her tears. These past two weeks have been incredible, but unfortunately I don’t have enough time to write about it all. So here are a couple of moments that I’ve loved, especially.

  • Tuesday night, I was driving by myself with Eva. She was crying so loud for so long. I’m not used to this yet. Especially when I’m driving and can’t help soothe her. So, of course, I start crying too (probably doesn’t help the situation) then I decided to sing A Child’s Prayer from the Children’s hymnbook. During labor, I sang that to myself a lot and so I thought maybe it would help. When I got to the second verse, there is a line that really got to me that says, “Speak, He is listening… He hears your prayers.” I knew right then that my Heavenly Father was aware of me and that he was looking out after me. Eva fell asleep shortly after that.
  • One of these nights, Justin Bieber was on TV singing on a Christmas special and so I picked up Eva we danced together in the living room to “Mistletoe.” All the lights were off in the house except for the Christmas tree. It was quite adorable and I hope I remember this forever.
  • Before my parents left, my mom really helped out by taking Eva so I could nap, shower, and have time with T.J. I walked in on her many times rocking Eva and singing to her. I wish she could be here every day so Eva could always have that special time with my mom.

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Closet Makeover

Last March I found out I was pregnant and the three months before that I put on a little weight, so this year I put fashion on hold and barely shopped at all. The few maternity clothes I bought were simple and rather bland, so needless to say, I’m a little behind on fashion which I’m embarrassed to say considering I helped to create BYU Style.

This Sunday we are blessing our baby at church and I wanted a new outfit since it’s the first time I’m going “out” since the baby was born. My belly pretty much feels likes pudding right now (TMI? Probably.) and I was nervous about going shopping because if things didn’t fit me right, I knew I’d probably have a meltdown from all these crazy hormones. But fortunately, I tried on two skirts (from Trendy Xchange… who knew that place was so awesome?) and BOTH of them fit perfectly! Don’t you love that? It’s almost as good as when your normal size is too big. Almost.

Then today I was looking for a blouse to go with one of the skirts and went into Forever 21 for the first time in months. The whole time I thought, boy I wish Danica Budge (my fellow BYU Styler) was here to be my fashion advisor! Fashion has changed SO much in just these past couple of months and I feel like I don’t know how to put it all together anymore! So, I just picked out a bunch of random tops hoping something would work and eventually I found a blouse that (surprisingly) worked.

I’ve now decided I’m going to take this as an opportunity to start rebuilding my wardrobe. Obviously it will take a while, but I’m excited to start looking for new fashion trends and trying to branch out of my normal selection. Wish me luck, and if you’d like, tell me what some of your fashion favs are right now via Pinterest!

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Happy One-Week Birthday, Eva!

One week! She is one week old today. This week has been the FASTEST, but the best. While I was feeding Eva today, I was thinking about this past week and how one week ago I was delivering our darling baby girl. Of course, it made me tear up. How could it not? She is a miracle. Everything about her. She has changed my life so much in just a matter of days and made me a better person. I am so thankful for her and for the opportunity I have to raise this baby.

The sappiness aside, let’s get back to Eva Kay! Her favorite thing to do is eat. About every two to three hours, she nurses and then after a brief intermission, she wants a little more. She fools you to think that she’s finished, happy, and content after a couple of burps. But then this little girl surprises us all and is ready for seconds. Sometimes thirds. Boy oh boy, does she have an appetite. I swear I’ve been feeding her all afternoon. But almost as much as Eva likes to eat, I like to nurse. I’m a bit sore (I’ll spare the deets) but, the time when I feed her is so special. When I was pregnant, I thought I wouldn’t like breast-feeding. I mean after-all, the whole concept is kind of strange. But, I love it. It really does create an amazing and indescribable bond.

Oops, I got sappy again. Something else Eva likes to do is have us change her diaper right after we just changed it. What a prankster! With each diaper I throw into our diaper jeanie (which is the best invention of all kind, btw), I think… oh there goes another dollar… those things are so expensive!

Eva loves being held by daddy. She never cries when she’s all nuzzled up on his chest. She loves wearing zippered onesie outfits because that makes the time on the dreaded changing table a couple seconds shorter than when she wears the snap kind. The cradle still is not on her favorite things list, but she loves her swing, as long as it’s not actually swinging. Being held close is another favorite, while being swaddled in her fuzzy blanket and sucking on her pacifier. And finally, Eva loves having Grandma/Nana sing her Christmas carols while rocking her in the rocking chair.

Happy Birthday, Eva! I can’t believe it’s already been a week since you entered our lives!

*Since it was her birthday, I thought I should dress her up in something more than the onesie outfits. So, after a sponge bath and lotion rub down (she smells wonderful), I dressed her up in the this little number. The pants are velvet and she’s wearing adorable black and white socks. More pics to come…

 

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{Guest Post} New Realm of Emotions

I’m 28 years old (well, almost 29).  It’s hard for me to imagine my life before kids.  What did I do all day?  What did I worry about?  My life today completely revolves around my children–they’re constantly on my mind.  Each of their births were so different and so unique, I feel like I have to share them all….

Our eldest son, Caleb, was a fairly “normal” delivery.  My water broke in the middle of the night (my husband and I were laughing so hard when it happened).  He was exactly 3 weeks early.  We made our way to the hospital and got checked in.  I opted for an epidural when the contractions got too intense and Caleb was born 7 or so hours later.  He was the cutest little thing.  He had this way of pursing his lips so his dimples popped.  I had no idea how to take care of a baby–so luckily I had lots of help from family for the first few weeks.  Unfortunately for me, Caleb was a fussy baby.  I spent hours and hours rocking him in the glider every day.  He loved to be held, and fortunately, I had lots of time to hold him!

Onto baby number two, Lorelei.  Her birth story is one that will never be forgotten.  She arrived just over 2 weeks early.  I awoke in the night to some fairly strong contractions.  Since my last delivery began with my water breaking, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to tell if I was in labor or not.  I decided to take a nice warm bath and time the contractions.  After a little while, the contractions were getting more intense–I knew this was it.  I woke Josh up to tell him we needed to go to the hospital. We had a friend who was “on call” to come over to watch Caleb.  Josh called her and took the dog out to do his business.  As I was trying to get dressed, the contractions were getting incredibly intense.  My water broke and then the contractions were SO intense I thought I was going to pass out.  I hobbled around the house, yelling for Josh (I didn’t know he was outside).  When he came in I told him the baby was coming right then.  He asked me if I wanted to get in the car and we could leave for the hospital or if he should call 911.  I told him the latter.  The next few minutes were a blur of events.  Josh was put on hold to get the “delivery expert” on the line, but by the time they picked up, Josh had delivered Lorelei on our family room floor (thank goodness it was all hardwood flooring!)  She cried for a split second and we wrapped her in a clean towel.  There was something so magical about the next few minutes–just the three of us huddled together on the living room floor–so peaceful and calm.  The police arrived shortly after, followed by the ambulance.  Lorelei and I took a ride to the hospital, I got to hold her the entire time.  Once at the hospital, we both got cleaned up.  The nurse pointed out the she too had dimples.  So cute.  She was a much easier baby than Caleb.  Plus I felt so much more confident and competent this time around since I knew what to do and what to expect.

Lastly, baby number three.  I was terrified of having another baby at home, or in the car, at the grocery store etc.  About a month before my due date, I put a towel on my seat in the car–“just in case!”  Towards the end of my pregnancy, it was discovered that this little guy was sitting breach.  That terrified me more.  Not only was he breech, he was footling breach, which is when they’re feet down (this would qualify my for an automatic C-section).  We scheduled an external version (to turn him) 2 weeks before my due date.  If I went into labor before the scheduled procedure, it would be an automatic C-section.  In an effort not to go into labor early, I tried to rest and lay down as much as possible.  About 2 1/2 weeks before my due date I was lying in bed one evening, eating a Dairy Queen blizzard when my water broke.  I panicked.  Thankfully Josh was home and he calmly handled the situation.  He called a neighbor to hurry over to watch the kids and we rushed to the hospital (thankfully I had my towel to sit on!).  We made it there in time.  They prepped me for the C-section.  Everything was different.  I didn’t get to hold him right away.  They whisked him away to be cleaned up, weighed and measured.  The recovery was so much harder than I was use to.  Luckily Owen was the easiest baby.  It was discovered that he too had dimples (such a fun surprise!)  At this point I felt like a pro at taking care of babies.  I could enjoy every little moment because I just wasn’t stressed.

There are a million more details I would love to include.  Details that are probably a little too personal to share on the world wide web (not to mention that this is getting wordy).  But I will say that I can see the Lord’s hand in every aspect of these events.  They are innumerable.  In retrospect I can see how everything came together–even the smallest, seemingly insignificant details were taken into account.  The third verse of the hymn, “How Firm A Foundation” continually played in my mind during the nerve-racking moments:
“Fear not I am with thee, oh be not dismayed, for I am thy Lord and will still give the aid.  I’ll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand….Upheld by my righteous, Omnipotent hand.”

Motherhood itself has opened up a whole new realm of emotions I didn’t know existed.  Although there are greater depths of frustration at times, there are also greater depths of joy.  I am so grateful Heavenly Father has entrusted me with these wonderful, amazing children to raise.  I am learning so much.

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A Whirlwind

Wow! What an amazing past couple of days it has been. I honestly cannot believe that just last week baby Eva wasn’t here yet. I feel like I have known her forever. All of this is simply a miracle and the biggest blessing I have ever received.

I honestly can’t write any of this without crying, I probably cry more than Eva. Everything she does is just so cute and precious, I can’t believe how lucky T.J. and I are.

I don’t have time to write the birth story yet, although I need to soon or else I’ll start to forget the details. But I just wanted to share a couple of things so far about Eva and these past couple of days.

  • Eva wants to suck on anything, all the time! She makes for a great feeder (thank goodness, I was very nervous about breast feeding) but it also means that, if she could, she would eat ALL day long. I guess she gets that from me… ha! It’s pretty cute though, I’ll think she’s finished eating so I’ll bring her up against my chest to burp and then I notice she’s sucking on my skin like a little leach! If you ever hold her, she will probably try to nurse with you!
  • Eva loves to be held nonstop. This also has it’s pros and cons. She is the most cuddly baby, it’s the best right after she nurses. But that also means she’s not really into her cradle. We are trying to figure out the whole sleeping at night thing because of it… hopefully we’ll get a hang of it soon because I’m getting tired of sleeping in the LoveSac with the baby in my arms. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
  • She makes the cutest facial expressions and noises (including smacking her lips really loud). Probably gas, but my mom (Dr. Swainhart) says she is just happy to be here. My goal is to try to capture some of them tomorrow. I need to start taking pictures and videos of all this!
  • T.J. is the cutest dad. It is adorable to see him with Eva. He changed her first diaper and five minutes later, changed her second. He is always so sad when he has to leave to go work on his final projects, but always kisses her cheeks before he says bye. He also texts us when he’s gone asking how “his girls” are doing. And if you know T.J., for him to send a text… it’s quite a big deal.
  • My mom has been incredible to have around, I couldn’t do this without her. Because T.J. is busy working on finals, she has been able to keep me company and help with the baby. She also has been baking and cooking delicious dinners and holiday treats. She has changed more than her fair share of diapers, sang infinite amounts of songs to Eva, watched the baby while I get extra snoozes in.
  • I’ve never been so tired in my life. But I’ve also never been so happy. Last night I woke up around four to feed Eva. You’d think I’d be upset or something, but as soon as I saw the adorable face she was making, I couldn’t help but to smile. Also, yesterday, after spending the day at home tending to Eva, I told T.J. how excited I was to do it again the next day. It may be exhausting, but it is completely worth it.

Here are a couple proofs from the hospital photographer. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get some more photos and videos up of Eva. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks to everyone for your prayers, thoughts, texts, and visits. I am so blessed to have so many friends and family who care about us!

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{Guest Post} To my dear little Babushka,

That’s the name that your parents often call each other–a name that is taken from a book about a girl who knew the true meaning of love.  Your parents already love you so much and so do all your grandparents.  As I have waited for your arrival this past week, I have spent many hours walking along the shore of the mountains behind your home and into the Provo Canyon.  I have thought of your daddy’s pioneer ancestors who forged through those mountains because of their faith in Jesus Christ.  And I have also thought of your mom who has always stood up for her faith in trying to follow the Savior.  So you see you have a great legacy of loved ones who have faith in God.

And so on this day that you have come to earth, the sun is shining brightly.  It is like the sun is saying “Eva is here and life for the Derrick family will never be the same.  Because there will never be anyone exactly like you, ever in this world.”  Your grandpa Chris is playing his trumpet and I am singing away at the piano, and as far away as Texas, Virginia and Kentucky, many folks are smiling because Eva has arrived!

Love,

Nancy (we’re still working on a nickname)

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{Guest Post} Motherhood

We thought for sure we would be having a baby boy. For some reason we even picked out only boy names and was prepared to confirm our feelings at our Ultrasound checkup. The nurse said “it looks like a girl!” and my husband’s first response was “Are you sure? Can you double check please?” The nurse replied and said as she pointed out her ‘privates’, “there’s nothing down there.” My husband took 5 seconds to realize that he was going to have the most precious little girl instead of a rowdy little boy and reclaimed his happiness.

I know our story isn’t the typical sweet one to start out with but that’s the story of my little Lealah’s life so far. From the moment I found out we were having a little girl, my life has been the most adventurous, exciting, spiritual, unexpected, and beautiful part of my life.

You never realize how selfish you were until you decide to schedule your life around another person. This little tiny person decides when you even get to take a shower and what you will do all day. You think you would lose yourself but in actuality Lealah has helped me find out who I really am and has enhanced every part of my life.

She has taught me that veggies are really good for you and that you should eat them every day. She has taught me to multi task as I dance and sing to children’s tunes while driving. Watching Sesame Street is the only fun and educational way of watching TV. Reading books is good for you… You should read all of Dr. Seuss’ and 30 other books that she has every SINGLE day. Chores can be fun! Especially when she poops in her clothes and I end up washing the same thing twice in the same day. It really teaches you patience too. Hugs are the best… especially when those little hands first learn to wrap around your neck. Bed hair has a whole new meaning of cuteness. Exercise is good for you. That’s why she lets me chase her around ALL day. You learn to adapt to changes and surprises easily too! Like the time Lealah started whistling at 8 months. You always need to pray because her sweetness shines through the most when she prays to her Heavenly Father. Daddy is the best because when daddy comes home everything finally feels right. She gives me opportunities to talk to my Heavenly Father through prayer throughout the day. Because you never know what kind of trouble lil miss Lealah will get into. She has taught me to be a loyal friend. She never leaves her favorite doll behind. She’s taught me to be grateful as even the smallest toy puts a smile on her face. She’s taught me that sharing is caring. We must practice it everyday. She’s brought me closer to my husband as she needs her family hugs & kisses. She helps you to remember the importance of having date nights as well. But most of all, she has taught me to love. I didn’t think I could love someone more than I loved my husband. But she has taught me that there’s always enough love to go around.

I know that being a mother is a continuous job. I thank Lealah each day that she gives me to become the mother and the woman that I want to become. Heavenly father must love us if he’s willing to send his sweetest angels down to help us grow and to love every minute of our lives.

–Rachel

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Good Night

 

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What does this mean?

To all of you who are sick of my blog posts about my pregnancy, such as my brother, I’m sorry. Take me off of your Google reader then.

Today my mom and I were running errands and chatting in the car and I realized I was calm.

Suspiciously calm.

I haven’t cried once today. Not once. This is a huge deal. I’ve been feeling confident about what’s about to happen and how tonight is the last night I get to sleep at home before the delivery. But this worries me. Does this mean that I’m due for a major meltdown soon? Am I even aware of what is about to happen?

I guess we will see.

On another note, I check into the hospital tomorrow at 3 PM. Tomorrow is going to be a long day because I don’t actually get induced until the Thursday morning, so shoot me a text if you’re bored or find me on Words With Friends so we can play scrabble together.

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