Two Weeks Old, Already!

Dear Baby Waider,

It is hard to believe but you have been with us for two whole weeks! During that time you did exactly what we needed you to do, which was gain a little weight. You did just that by putting on 2 ounces per day weighing in at 7 pounds at the doctor. Nice work. Dr. Lynn called you an overachiever. We agreed. You are definitely advanced in all areas.

All in all the past two weeks have been filled with much of the same. Meaning that every day is sort of the same as the day before. Pretty much here is the break down: We wake up around 9:00 or 10:00 AM. That is after a series of what I like to call "night naps." We sleep for anywhere from 2 to 4 hour stretches in between feedings. Your good old mom is probably the worst person in the world when she's tired and waking up in the middle of the night is not her forte so it is a miracle you have been fed in the middle of the night at all. So far we've done well. You gained weight, right? My perpetual fear of you crying in the middle of the night and not hearing you continues, but my hope is that that is not happening. Your dad and I have been taking turns sleeping in the living room with you so that we can easily wake up if you are crying. It has worked out well and I never knew how very refreshing 2.5 hours of continuous sleep really can be! Surprisingly refreshing. :)

One particular night I had a very refreshing night nap. The incident involved me, my phone alarm, and the giraffe. You have this awesome giraffe that you love to listen to (thanks Aunt Alicia). Anyway it plays little tunes or even a sound like my heartbeat. Well, one night my phone alarm was going off and I thought it was the giraffe. Your dad came out and in his half asleep state to tell me that the phone alarm had been going off for awhile. I proceeded to tell him that it wasn't the phone it was the giraffe and I just couldn't seem to get it turned off. He, in his half asleep state, figured even though the phone was still going off that I had it under control and went back to bed. I kept trying every button on the giraffe to get it to be quiet. Naturally, you didn't even wake up so once I came to I had to still wake you and coerce you to eat. You wake up exactly like your mom which will prove to make getting to high school on time very difficult for you. I also don't recommend any college classes before 10:00 AM.

Anyway after we wake up at around 10:00 we watch some TV, Dr. Phil, The Chew, and then a little news. You usually like to snooze through Dr. Phil and the Chew and I love to cuddle you during that time. After that you eat again, and I have my 3rd or 4th bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Then you like to nap again and I usually catch some more TV. Pretty much our day involves me watching TV, changing your diaper, feeding you, doing laundry, and you napping, lots. That is our day. All in all it is pretty fantastic.

The past two weeks can be categorized into a few sections.

Visitors


Many people came out to visit you out at the house AND brought food! Grandma and Grandpa Halter came out first. Grandpa took a nap with you after a delicious dinner of a food I can't spell so I'll just leave it at that. It was delicious. Grandma and your dad lost to me at cribbage even though I can't really count it as a win because your dad and grandma had to pull me through the game because I was so exhausted I couldn't even think.

Your mom and aunt's good friend Angela came out to see you. She was VERY pregnant and actually had baby Brandon less than a week after she came to meet you. I predict that you and Brandon are going to be very good friends.

Your Grandpa Waider came all the way from Denver to see you. He spent the weekend plus a few extra days with you. He also made chili for your mom and dad and helped out by holding you all the time.

Your Auntie Katie and Uncle Rob, and cousin Finn came out with pizza. Finn tried to play with you, but you were having none of it! You wanted to sleep.

Mom's good friend Stacie came to see you too. She came all the way from Chadron, NE to see you! She had fun holding you and mom had fun catching up with Stacie.

Mom's other good friend Mrs. Kvanvig came to visit you too. She brought dad and mom lunch and hung out for the afternoon. Also, mom's friend and awesome hairstylist, Stephanie came to visit with her daughters Shelby and Ally. Steph brought some of the most adorable little shoes I've ever seen! :) You will <3 them some day! They are adorable.

Also, Cousin Harry and Auntie April came out to see you and bring mom and dad subs. Mom and dad have been eating really well lately. :) Anyway you got to hang out with Cousin Harry. Again, you didn't do much, but with Harry being only 3 months older than you he didn't do much either. You two sure were cute! :) I hope I haven't forgotten any of our visitors... I'm pretty sleep deprived so that could lead to some forgetfulness.

Celebrity

Your dad and I have been pretty sure that you will be a celebrity someday. Your someday came while you were in the hospital. The head nurse came in and asked if we would allow you to be filmed for a news story on KOTA News. We naturally said YES and here is the footage. The story was a little scary, but you were so adorable. We like to think that they went into the nursery, looked at all of the little babies, and when they saw you said, "That's it! That's the one! She's the one we MUST have for our video." You truly are a beautiful baby. As a matter of fact our pediatrician, Dr. Lynn said, "People will tell you that all babies are cute, but I'm here to tell you that this is a cute baby." We couldn't agree more. You are so adorable.

Tears

So your grandma Halter, my mom, is notorious for crying. A lot. Even the littlest things seem to make her cry. I never really "got it." Until I met you. For some reason you can make me cry for no reason at all. You can just look at me and I just fall apart into tears. You are just so perfect and cute. I can just see myself now sitting at your first school performance becoming a hopeless bucket of tears. Call me a chip off the old block, but for some reason you just bring out the bawl baby in me.

Field Trips


You haven't been very many places. We stick pretty close to the house. You did go with your cousins to Bear Country and to eat at the Pizza Ranch. You have also been to Target, and Shopko. You've also made a couple of trips to the doctor for well baby check ups. Nothing too exciting yet, but those days are to come.

DFL, Diapering, Feeding, Laundry

So you don't understand this now, but your parents are obsessed with the show "Jersey Shore." On the show they do GTL, which stands for Gym, tan, laundry. Here this week we have decided that w do DFL. Diapering, feeding, and laundry. Today during diapering I discovered that you had either just started to poop your pants or you weren't going to poop very much. Unfortunately I didn't think that you would shoot poop all over your clothes, body, and changing table. But, you did. It turned out to be okay. We gave you a bath and washed everything that was soiled, and your mom learned the much needed lesson of always putting a diaper under you. Always.

Well, little Baby Waider, I've already written enough to bore everyone and I know that I haven't even touched on everything I want to remember. You are starting to fuss now, which means I need to diaper you, feed you, and then probably go change the laundry. :) You have made both your mom and dad's life greater than they ever could have imagined it.

Love,

Mom

What a Difference a Week Makes

Dear Baby Waider,

Where do I even begin?! I'm coming off of the best week of my life. Let me go ahead and start where I left off at on my last blog. I left off dilated at a 6 anxiously awaiting your arrival. I had had an epidural and was mostly having a good time in the labor room with my new friends, Nurse Jackie, Nurse Sandy, and your dad. I was also texting your Grandma Halter, Auntie Katie and Super Aunt Becky. We all really thought that you would be out between 5:00-7:00 in the evening, before a shift change.

This is me with Nurse Jackie. She was AMAZING! She was with me from the beginning when I was crying and rolling in a ball saying, "I can't, I can't" to the point where I was happily blogging while on my epidural dilated to an 8. Unfortunately like the part where you came 9 days early you did not do what we expected and I did not end up having you before the shift change. It turned out to be okay. I got to meet Misty and Wanda who were also awesome nurses.

Wanda, my delivery nurse, came in around 7:00 and declared that by 8:15 I would be dilated to a 10 and ready to push. I agreed and we told you to get it together and be ready. Wanda arrived precisely at 8:15, checked me and declared that you had followed directions. Oddly enough even though this meant a huge amount of work for me I was excited. I was ready to push you out with all of my might!!

Your mom ready to push.


Being optimistic I thought pushing wouldn't take long at all. It should have been a breeze, right? Well, sort of...I pushed for TWO HOURS. It was hard work, but again, with the epidural it didn't hurt at all. I was just so hungry, and tired. AND I kept feeling like I was going to barf the whole time. It actually occupied my mind trying not to barf. You were facing up when you were supposed to be face down so once we got you turned around things improved. Again, Wanda spoke. She declared that you would be OUT by 10:30PM. Again, she was right. She ran and got the doctor and your birth time was 10:30, or 10:35. My doctor was not on call that weekend so Dr. Fredrickson delivered you. She was really, super nice and we really liked her. She gave you a cute little bib.

Here you are first born. You were MAD, but you still look so cute.

Dr. Fredrickson

Here are Wanda and Misty with me after you were born! They ruled!

This was me when I first met you. We both look a little rough, but we had a really tough day!

This is what love looks like.

Here you are with your dad who waited 9 long months to give you this hug.

Your dad is CRAZY about you! Truthfully you are pretty crazy about him too.

After a little while Grandma and Grandpa Halter came up to meet you along with Auntie Katie and Uncle Kelly. We had fun taking pictures and meeting you. You are pretty special to Grandma and Grandpa Halter because you were born on their 35th wedding anniversary. I think that makes you their favorite granddaughter.

After everyone left you had to have your bath and eat. Naturally I got to eat too and Wanda in all of her awesomeness found me a delicious cheeseburger. :) Then we went to our own room and we all got to sleep...Well a little. I have so much more to tell you about your first week with us. We have been having a BLAST hanging out with you. Everyday you amaze us a little more. You are so smart and so cute. :)

Love,

Mom

Today is the Day!!!

Dear Baby Waider,

Well...this morning at 230 you woke me up with contractions. They weren't really bad so I decided to cruise the internet, check facebook, and play on the ipad for a few hours. Mia and I hung out on the couch like we have for the past nine months. Good old Mia. I decided to wake your dad at 6:00 to let him know we probably needed to head to the hospital. I did tell him i thought it was a false alarm.

On our way your dad decided to pick up some Hardee's. Now I'll tell you something about your dad. Hes directionally challenged. He's lived here for ten years and still does not know how to get around. So, he decided to take Mt. Rushmore rd to get to the hospital. Naturally he got stuck at omaha and Mt. Rushmore road. To be fair he thought we were just practicing because neither of us thought I was actually in labor. Anyway he jumped on the opportunity and ran that red light.

Boy were we wrong. I was in labor and wow! It really hurt! I was basically hysterical. I think Jackie, my nurse, and the other nurse sandy thought I was crazy. I was pretty crazy. Turns out you were doing some hard work. I dilated from a one to a four in a little over an hour!!

Once they found out I was actually in labor they took me and your dad to delivery room number 10. That's where probabaly the best thing ever came from. My epidural. I love this epidural. It turned me into a human and not some crazy lady. That paired with fetinol or however you spell it changed everything.

Right now I'm dilated to a 6 and anxiously awaiting your safe, happy, and joyous birth!!!!

Love,

Mom

P.s.  I opted to take a shower at 3am and did NOT DO MY HAIR!!!! so my hair will look atrocious when you first see me. But everyone was right. I really don't care!!!

Meet the Roommates

Dear Baby Waider,

WE MADE IT!!! We made it through conferences and at the doctor's appointment today we are thinking that we might just make it through next week. Nice work little gal.

I thought now was as good a time as any to introduce you to your roommates! You will not only be living with your mom and dad, but with our lovely pets as well. Provided they behave themselves...

Met Mia:

Mia is our Newfoundland mix dog who we have had for 7 years. She's the best dog in the world and we are sure that the two of you will hit it off right away. She loves walks as I'm sure you will too. She loves adventures and has been on many of them with your mom and dad. Once we lost her for 5 days in Denver...I'm hoping we do not repeat that adventure with you.

Meet Super Kitty:

This is Super Kitty...She is a s freaky as she looks. She was a gift to us from Mia. One night she just came in the house with Mia. She used to belong to the neighbors and now she belongs to us! She is mean and ornery. We are hoping that she 1. leaves you alone or 2. magically becomes nicer. She has actually mellowed quite a bit and I don't think she'll be very interested in you. She enjoys killing things, anything really that is smaller than her. She also enjoys following us on walks and meowing, terrorizing the neighbor dogs or just generally being in the way.

Here is a hilarious picture of Super with the nativity scene last Christmas. She is a FUNNY cat.

Lastly, meet Boo. She is a black cat who we inherited from someone who was moving and needed a good home for a nice cat. She is a nice cat. She's OBSESSED with your dad and likes to meow A LOT. Lately she's been annoying me because she likes to sleep on your changing table. I guess that's what happens when the changing table spends all summer in the living room. Hopefully Boo leaves you alone. I feel like she might be the most curious about you. Boo likes to wander around like she's lost and meow. She partakes in about 5 minutes of physical activity per day then she sleeps the rest of the time.

FYI Boo and Super Kitty DO NOT get along. You will find that they fight much more than they get along. Luckily for you they both like humans much more than each other.

All of the pets have potential to be your new bff,I just hope that they leave you alone and don't have to be sent away to a farm...

The pets really don't know what's coming, but we can't wait for you to get here!

Love,

Mom

What's in a Name?

Dear Baby Waider,

First, I want to give you some positive feedback. You are doing an awesome job of making sure your mom gets through this week! We are almost there. Just hang in for another day and get your mama through conference week. :) Plus mom will get to cuddle with you instead of having to go back to school before Christmas Break.

However, tonight I wanted to tell you a little bit about your name, how it was chosen, and a little bit about who you are named after. Presuming that our really nice ultrasound technician was right and you are in fact a girl your name will be Eleanor. If the ultrasound lady was wrong and you are a boy we have way bigger problems than coming up with a new name. For short we may call you Ellie or Elle. Your middle name is still being debated. Eleanor was my Grandma Hafner's first name. I understand she was never crazy about her name, but I've always thought it was really pretty. An added bonus is that Eleanor Roosevelt was pretty awesome too so you have some pretty strong women that have the same name as you. A triple bonus is that your mom or dad have not taught an Eleanor before, which is tough because your mom has been teaching for 12 years and your dad has taught for 10. We've known lots of kids during that time! Some names we'd use with fondness and other names we'd never use...

Anyway...A little about who you were named after. Your grandma Hafner was a great lady. She was always dressed very nicely and loved to shop. She could cook like no other and loved to have all of us over for dinner or take us out to dinner. She also loved to buy really cute, popular outfits for us and sometimes even matching outfits for your mom and your auntie. She LOVED a good joke and would have really benefited from the crazy of dirty jokes via email. She was into that long before it was popular. Your grandma loved a red beer here and there and wasn't afraid of hard work. In fact I think she worked really hard for most of her life. She started working when she was really young and was even a waitress in California. That's where she met my grandpa, who I never met because he sadly died long before I was born.

Grandma Hafner was known as the Grandma in Sturgis. You'll understand that someday. See she lived in Sturgis. She had a really neat yellow house up on a hill that looked over the town. It was always fun to go and visit grandma in Sturgis because she had a great yard and a great basement. The only toys that she had were a single basket of Legos and the board game Payday. I still don't understand the game Payday and I wonder where that game is today? Somehow we kept entertained for hours playing ship or hiking on the hill grandma was certain was infested with rattlesnakes. We did all of this as the aroma of a delicious dinner cooking filled the air. It was amazing. We would also walk down the hill to the park that had 4 swings and a merry-go-round. Sometimes we'd play tag in the cemetery. If we were really having a day we'd go downtown and eat at Bob's Family Restaurant and shop for a little while at Ingall's (spelling?). A little clothing store downtown Sturgis. Ingall's is long gone and Bob's isn't what it used to be. Then again, that was awhile ago.

Like I said you share your name with a pretty awesome woman. Your great grandma was a tough cookie. Don't get me wrong. She could be stubborn. Judging by your parents that is a trait that you could more than likely share with her. But overall she was a woman who cared deeply for her family, loved to surprise people, give presents, and worked her tail off. All traits that you could strive for. Also, she kept an impeccably clean house. Of course when I knew grandma the only person who lived with her was your Super Aunt Becky, or she lived alone. That makes it easy to keep a house really clean. I haven't even talked about her cooking. That woman could bake one mean cake with the best frosting ever. Thankfully your grandma Halter has mastered this cake so she'll make that for you someday. She also made delicious pies, roast beef, and the BEST fried chicken north of the Mason Dixon Line. Again, your Super Aunt is darn close on the fried chicken so you'll get to try that too.

Grandma Hafner passed away in 1996, when your mom was a freshman in college. It seemed too soon, but I never could have imagined her turning into an old lady. It just didn't fit her. She died with spunk in her step and truthfully defined growing old gracefully. I'm hoping that there is a little of her in you and if you are anything like your mother I know that will be true. ;)

Love,

Mom

Lampers and More

Dear Baby Waider,

Well, October is here! The month you will be born. The month that seemed so far away nine months ago when your mom and dad first found out you'd be joining us. The time has flown by and I sure hope it slows down once you get here because I want to enjoy every second I can. Thanks to you I've had very little to report the past week. We went to the doctor yesterday and pretty much I've made no progress, which is a good thing. Remember our little agreement? The one where you promised me that you won't come until after next week? That way your mom and dad can get conferences over and done and if you would give us the 3.5 day weekend to finish a few things up we'd be very grateful. PLUS we want you to be fully cooked and come out really healthy, so the longer the better.

Today was a good day. Due to your dad's very hard work the nursery minus the window is pretty much done. We now have a place for you to sleep, clothes, bedding, blankets, toys, and all sorts of things. Auntie Katie and Grandma Halter came over to help us put everything away from the shower and took me to Target to buy all the stuff I never knew I needed for you. For example, did you know that you needed a lamper in your room? A lamper is a cross between a laundry basket and hamper. We totally need to get one for your auntie for Christmas. She loves it. We also got a trashcan and so much stuff that I didn't even know we needed. It wasn't very much fun stuff to buy, but I'm glad to have it ready for you.

This is the "lamper." Your auntie described it to me as it is just like brunch, only it isn't a combination of breakfast and lunch, rather it is a combo of hamper and laundry basket. It is pretty sweet, and you will find that your auntie is full of wisdom to pass onto you. The lamper is only the beginning.

This is a cute skirt your Grandma Halter could not resist.

Holy smokes! I never knew I needed all this stuff. You will have plenty of pacifiers, bottle nipples, bottle liners, desitin, and other stuff. :)

Boppy cover that matches your room!

Like I said, not really fun stuff, but stuff we needed. See the point of this post is to tell you that we are close to being ready for you! In fact I hate to say that I'm not really even scared for the whole delivery part anymore. I think I might be to the point of being ready.

I do plan on taking some pictures of the nursery soon for you and for everyone else to see what an awesome job your dad did! It looks amazing, but we still have a couple of finishing touches to do before that blog is posted. We can't wait to meet you.

Love,

Mom