Category: Newborn
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Thoughts on Motherhood
While we were in Washington DC, my sister-in-law shared some words of wisdom from her mother. I’m going to remember these words: “The troubles are little when they’re little.” Such a simple little statement packed with a powerful punch. Now, neither she or I are trying to downplay some of the very critical issues that…
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Pumping Breast Milk for a Preemie
As I mentioned HERE, pumping for your baby can be extremely challenging, tiring, overwhelming, and incredibly rewarding. While I absolutely HATED the actual process of expressing breast milk, I loved that I was able to give Olivia a nutritious blend of my protective immune cells and all the necessary ingredients to GROW. I have very…
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You Are My Sunshine Party Theme
When Olivia was discharged from the hospital, we followed the nurses orders to stay away from public places for fear of RSV. When the flu season ended in late April, we decided to celebrate! I knew that I wanted to do something based on song, You Are My Sunshine, since I sang this tune to…
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DIY High Contrast Books for Babies
During our first visit with the Parents as Teachers program, our coordinator emphasized how fascinating black and white images were to infants. She recommended this popular board book to help stimulate Olivia’s brain development. It features a total of 10 large and familiar shapes for babies to study. I loved the concept of this simple…
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A Typical Day in the Early Weeks
We were blessed in countless ways during the first couple weeks after my early delivery and Olivia’s release from the hospital. That being said, the beginning weeks were hard, especially since I was attempting to balance a pumping schedule with Olivia’s care. To establish my milk supply, I diligently tried to pump between 8 and…
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Preemie 101
With Olivia’s early arrival, we were welcomed into a brand new exclusive club: the world of preemies. We didn’t ask for this entrance pass and I wouldn’t wish our experience on my worst enemy. There were endless hours of waiting, grieving, worrying, and coordinating arrangements. As a mama-to-be, I had heard countless stories of women…
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Olivia’s Birth Story: Part 2
This post is a follow-up to Olivia’s Birth Story: Part 1. After arriving at the hospital and facing the reality that we were going to meet our baby almost 7 weeks early, here is how our story unfolded: The doctor checked me at 1:30am and reported that I was already at 3cm, -2 station, and…
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Olivia’s Birth Story: Part 1
I wasn’t sure how much of this story I was actually going to share on such a public forum. Why divulge the intimate details of such a meaningful and life changing moment? Reason #1: One of the lines in this post resonated with me. I could completely relate to Molly Mahar’s desire as a first…
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The Day Time Stood Still
You might have noticed a bit of a time gap from my last post… our lives have been utterly transformed by one precious event: the birth of our sweet baby girl. Olivia Rose arrived on December 28, 2013 at 5:51 in the evening…. almost 7 weeks premature. I am not the same person I was…
