Christmas cheer

I was finally getting into the Christmas spirit 3 days before Christmas. I am reassuring myself that the lack of holiday cheer this year has been due to a newborn in the house and starting back to work the week before Christmas. I still can't help but be excited for the years to come when we get to play Santa and load Ri up with goodies that she will squeal about as we videotape every second of it. I can't wait to take her to the Polar Express or drive around drinking hot chocolate and eating sausage balls while looking at Christmas lights. I especially can't wait to start her tradition of opening up a pair of Christmas pj's on Christmas Eve every year for her to wear to bed while Santa makes his stop at our place. We never did that tradition at my house growing up, but my friends did and I loved it. I just can't.wait.

In lieu of that future tradition, I naturally spotted some pretty presh Christmas pajamas that I am hoping some stinkin' cute kid out there was wearing this Christmas Eve.

This post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my little munchkin in her Christmas pj's of course.

And Copper...

Even though time hasn't really allowed it to feel like Christmas for me this year, my house on the otherhand, is feeling quite festive. It is just a bit toned down from years past. Here are some instagrams of the Campisi abode this holiday...

Our one and only tree. Rustic with pheasant feathers, burlap and moss.
I plan on one day having a food themed tree in our kitchen,
as well as an Auburn tree for our beloved tigers.
Guess I should be asking for a bigger house for Christmas!

Rilynn's very own Christmas tree in her nursery. I never want to take the thing down.
It is adorbs and  has been quite a good nightlight! 

Ri's very first Old World Christmas ornament I bought her this year.

Baby's 1st Christmas ornament from Li Li, right next to the OWC ornament of Copper. Duh.

My sideboard is decorated with live evergreen and NOEL was a Pinterest idea.

I am obsessed with our stockings. Mine and Hubs are the ones on the outside. I adore them.
I  purchased them on Etsy back in the day, but you can read about them here.
Rilynn and Copper's were not purchased together but wound up complimenting each other perfectly. 

And I had to add this last one of our annual Tacky Christmas party at some friends' home.
I was a leg lamp and am pretty proud of it.

Merry Christmas to all!

dude-stuffed stocking

Hi all! So I am pretty sure hubs never looks at my blog, otherwise he wouldn't be asking me what I want in MY stocking for Christmas... so here is a list of what he is getting in his. :) If you DO see this Hubs, Merry Christmas! :)

1. Zippo Hand Warmer 

2. Moonshine Soap for Men

3. Manly Playing Cards 

4. Outdoor Sporting Goods Gift Card

5. Chocolate Covered Bacon

6. ESPN's 30 for 30 DVD set

7. Mini liquors

first Christmas list

I understand that my child is only going to be 12 weeks old on Christmas but the girl could always use more "stuff"! (I mean, couldn't we all!?)  Lucky for me, she is too young to choose her own items so it is like Christmas x2 for me this year as I happily chose some items for her. 

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Months 1-2 Must Haves

1. Summer Infant Monitor

I seriously don't know how I could have gotten through without this monitor. I can carry the homescreen anywhere in the house and be able to see and hear her every peep, I can talk to her through it & it is super easy to take with you anywhere you might want to have it available for use. 

2. Homedics Sound Spa

This thing is super cheap but has spa sounds, including a heart beat, that sound much more realistic than some devices. Rilynn was not a huge fan of her Sleep Sheep but we use this sound macine every single time she sleeps. Plus, it has projections to play on the wall when she is a bit older. 

3. Ubbi Diaper Pail

I did a lot of research on my diaper pails before Rilynn arrived. I have smelled one too many nurseries that immediately made you think, Dirty.Diaper. This diaper pail has been everything I read it would be. Super easy to change out (you can use regular 'ole garbage bags!) and I seriously don't smell a single diaper as long as the lid is closed. It is amazeballs. 

4. Summer Infant Right Height Bathtub

Our tub situation was a bit tricky. Our PUJ tubs never really fit right in our sinks, and Rilynn was so tiny she would just crumple into a little ball at the bottom and scream. Until her stump fell off, we just used a foam matt and sponge bathed her on the counter. But then I found this tub. I wasn't excited about it's bulkiness, but I liked that it would grow with her and for now, had a perfect little nest for her to bathe in while so tiny. We have been super pleased with it.

5. Footed pajamas

I learned quickly that I hate despise newborn gowns. Totally sucks since I had a ton of them, but they just seemed so time consuming to get that elastic all the way down her body, and then back up when it was time to change her diaper. I found that footies were our favorite. We didn't have to pull them over her head and we only have to unfasten the legs to change her diaper so she isn't fussy from being cold. I know they keep her warm, and they are just EASY. And you can find a gazillion super cute ones. 

6. NoseFrida Snot Sucker

Rilynn has had a pretty stuffy nose since birth and is now producing some nice little boogs overnight. I have used the NoseFrida from day one and she has never really had a problem with it. I spray a little Saline Spray in her nostrils in the morning, change her diaper and then suck it out. In the evenings before bed, I let the shower run after I get her out of the bathtub and let the vapors loosen up her nose and then use it again. Hubs gags when he watches me use it. Wimp. 

7. Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30 Infant Car Seat

We have loved this carseat. Top of the line, kiddos. I feel like she is safe in it and it seems quite cozy. Plus, I just adore that it snaps so easily into it's base as well as our stroller. 

8. Wee Gallery Art Cards for Baby

A friend of mine told me about these. I ordered them for Rilynn for Christmas but let her have a sneak peek at them when she was only 7 weeks old. She was mesmerized! Since she was at an age where there was some new alertness but no capabilities to do anything, we used these cards to work on her tracking skills and  just because. 

9. Dr. Brown Prevent Pacifiers

Some point during the first two months, Rilynn changed from her Soothie pacifiers to these and her Nuks. I like these for bedtime because they sit so flush on her face and don't have the little handle that pokes out. Since we are tummy sleepers (I know, I know), the other pacifiers would fall out constantly. 

two months

Two months old... I find myself getting choked up now when I see movies or tv shows of people delivering, or finding out they are pregnant. The movie Nine Months came on yesterday and I cried. I watched the Giuliana and Bill episode where they introduce Edward Duke to the world- 3 times- and cried each time. It seems like I just left the hospital, yet so long ago, all in one. I am loving that little Ri's personality is starting to evolve but now I understand how much I need to cherish the moments we get to just sit and cuddle while she is so tiny. 

Ri is starting to coo and make the cutest little noises and really loves to check everything out. She is an UP and OUT baby- doesn't like lying flat on her back, doesn't like facing you in her Baby Bjorn. She wants to sit up and out and see everything. 

She loves the Christmas tree lights, getting kisses from Copper and grins from ear to ear when you tickle her feet. She has started smiling when I come in to see her and I just eat it up!!

We have started sleeping longer through the night, although we aren't quite there yet. We are still getting up in the MOTN but it is only once and usually around 3 or 4 so it isn't too bad! We HAVE finally cut down to about 5-6 feedings of 3-4 ozs each, but it literally just happened suddenly in the past few days so we are definitely making great progress. 

Rilynn is still a great sleeper, but after a few days of tiny naps=tiny feedings, I decided to try her on her tummy. Unfortunately for me, the SIDS nazi, she loved it. Slept full naps and ate full meals. So, I have started putting her on her tummy during the day for naps since I can check in on her and stare at her monitor and she is sleeping in her swing in our room at night. She doesn't like being flat on her back, thus not putting her in her crib right now. I have been debating and have decided that once she can roll over, we are going back to her crib and I am just going to let her sleep how she wants. By then, SIDS likelihood goes down anyways. I have also purchased the Angelcare movement monitor for both Rilynn and myself for Christmas. Afterall, it will give the gift of sleep to us both!

We went for our 6 week doctor appt and got 5 vaccinations. She did great. Of course she screamed bloody murder but I had a bottle ready. She immediately forgot about it. She woke up screaming later that afternoon after her nap, but once I gave her some love and some Tylenol, she was good to go. No fever, nothing. That's my girl! 

Doc said she was now 9 lbs, 3 oz and 21 1/2 inches long! I am not at all surprised she is slower in the weight department but I am quite shocked that she has grown 4 inches since birth considering both of her parents are shorties. Either way, she is 50% in both height and weight but I am expecting it to slow down at some point. She is going to be a little one! 

We have left our Newborn diapers and I have had to put away newborn clothes. Sad day. But it also provides me with more fashionable options in the bigger sizes. 

We had our first holiday- Thanksgiving, and ate our way through it. Rilynn slept. 

Two month happenings:

Supported my Tigers through the worst season in history. 

Helped Mom and Dad vote in the presidential election on November 7, 2012. 

Shopped Christmas Village, which was a nightmare. But I did get this cute outfit out of it!

Happy Turkey Day!

Sitting in my Bumbo for the first time!!

We are very excited for Rilynn's first Christmas and enjoying it as a family. I can't wait to see what changes she has in store for us in the coming month, but will keep you updated, it is also my sad return to work! 

one month

Novemeber 2, 2012

 I CANNOT believe a month ago, our baby was born. Actually, its been a month and a half now that I am getting around to posting this! Seriously, I am baffled that I have had a newborn for that long now. Where does the time go? Really. I think it has gone right out the window because having a newborn is super exhausting and time-consuming. Holy moly. So before you know it, BAM! A month of your life is gone. But it has definitely been worth it. I will not be one of those who just raves about the great, and perfect moments of becoming a mom. I will be honest. Brutally honest about our journey thus far...

Rilynn came home and was literally the perfect baby for the first week. She barely made a peep. She ate some, slept alot, pooped. Little did I know that that was just par for the course and that things would start to change within a week or so...
By week two, what I thought was our routine, changed. Completely. I have been following Babywise but I think maybe I tried to follow it a bit too religiously, which in turn just stressed me out when she didn't follow the guidelines. I am now ready to burn the book because I quickly realized she is her own person and will fall into her own routine on.her.own.time. I just try to keep some boundaries and hope for the best. And for the record, Babywise is still a great book with lots of information, but needs to be used as a guideline, not a manual!

Rilynn is still a great baby. Really. We have no colic thus far, and she only fusses when she is in distress of some sort- whether she needs some TLC, a diaper change, or has some gas. It has just been exhausting for me to get used to being up every couple of hours around the clock and dealing with her now alert states (She is awake?! What do I do with her now?!) and getting her to go back down for naps when she is obviously tired.

She is precious. She has her daddy's lips, my eyes, and my mom's, grandmother's and uncle's stork bite on her neck. I love that the birthmark skipped my sister and I and still showed up down the line. Genetics and heredity can be quite amazing. She looks a lot like many of my newborn pictures and is starting to really notice the world around her. She is still too young to really give us much feedback on her thoughts of this world, but I think she likes it thus far and is starting to feel at home.

In her alert states, she just gazes around and makes the cutest little squeaks and coos. She isn't too fond of her play mat yet, and tummy time doesn't last too long unless you count the endless naps on our chests- her fav. She seems to enjoy Copper's endless supply of kisses on her ears and feet, and is really an UP baby. She loves to be able to sit up and look out at the world.

Two days ago we discovered the swing at a friend's house. No, we never invested in one... and you would know she LOVED the thing. Luckily, our friends' baby is too big for it now so they let us borrow it. She has been sleeping in it since we got it home and it has actually averaged me an extra 2+ hours of sleep each night. I hate not having her in her crib like we have been so good at doing, but she would squirm and wiggle nonstop- I am assuming because she didn't have that secure, snuggled feeling in there. With the swing, she is confined in a little cushion and I love that I can rest assured that there is no way for her to roll in it. So for now, whatever works!

Today, we went up in our Dr. Brown nipples from a Preemie size to the Size 1s. Initially, they were too much for her and she was drowning in milk. She is a big girl now and no longer needs them. Bittersweet. She is also starting to fit in some of her 0-3 month clothes, not just her newborn sizes.

She loves her bath, but hates getting out, even when I have heated up the room and taken her towel from the warm dryer.

She was a little ladybug for Halloween. Even if her costume was just a pair of polka-dot jammies, she wore them proudly to our friends' house and slept while her friends Will and Avery played. She looked pretty presh, as did Cop.

Speaking of Copper, he has grown fond of Ri. He knows she is here for the long haul and has adjusted to her cries and wimpers and our constant attention for her. He still gets to sleep with us, so he seems pretty happy. He actually seems concerned for Ri when she is really upset and he goes to the car and looks for her when I come home from taking her on outings. He will wait for me to pull her carseat out and then gets on his hind legs to see her. I know, sweet!

So that is life right now! Slowly adjusting but she has been a super easy baby, and it has been a precious time. I just stare at her and take it in, knowing she will be all over the place in the blink of an eye. I cherish my mornings lounging on the couch, watching Live with Kelly, fire going, with Copper at my shoulder and Ri in my arms. I could stay there for the rest of my life.

Look mom! I lost my umbilical stump! 

My first BIG GIRL bath!

Happy Halloween from Copper and I

Mommy and I on one of my first mornings home

My first walk around the neighborhood

My second walk around the neighborhood

   

it's not brave if you're not scared...

Hi! We are alive and doing well! Just taking in every learning and loving moment with our little newbie!

I read a wonderful post on Pinterest the other day, a post about 100 ways to encourage a new mom. Here are a few that really rang true to me that I want to share with all of my mommy friends out there and those who will be here soon...

1. Tell her a day will come when she will sleep again
2. Offer to drive her on errands and stay in the car with the baby
3. Be honest about how hard motherhood can be
4. Never expect her to show up anywhere on time
5. She is just discovering the hard world of mother guilt – please don’t do or say anything to add to that burden
6. Anytime she is disappointed by her new figure remind her that she grew a human being – that’s a miracle and turns out miracles need room to grow
7. Tell her it’s OK to feel like you want to quit motherhood some day
8. But tell her that Trace Adkins is right and she’s gonna miss this one day
9. If she has to go back to work, assure her God will be watching over that precious baby. She is brave if she gets up while it is still dark to provide for her family
10. Go ahead and quote that goodie-but-oldie, “It’s not brave if you’re not scared.”
11. Warn her everyone will have an opinion on how she mothers but at the end of the day, hers is the only one that matters
12. Assure her motherhood is not graded; some days just surviving is victory enough
13. Tell her it’s normal to be smitten with newborn love one minute and weeping with tired the next
14. Remind her it’s the ordinary days that make the extraordinary memories
15. Promise her it will just keep getting better

To see the list in its entirety, you can find it here. 

d-day deets

I decided to write a post about Rilynn's delivery day (a.k.a. D-Day), for two reasons. One, I was terrified of labor and delivery since the night we found out we were pregnant so to make it through the process is a huge accomplishment for me, and two, Rilynn and I may want to look back on that glorious memory one day, and through the years, I am sure to forget bits and pieces; as the day is already somewhat of a blur...

Dr. Ellis and I discussed induction at my 38 week appointment and set the day for the following Sunday. It was at that moment that it all started to feel real. In that moment, I knew I would have a little girl within a matter of days at the most. However, the hospital wound up being full that night (coincidentally there was a full moon that weekend) so they bumped me to Monday night. I was ok with that since hubs was getting over a cold and I still had a few things to get done.

Monday rolled around and I just about sat at home all day driving myself crazy! Neither Chris nor I got much sleep that night. Monday we finished any laundry or dishes needing to be done, re-packed the hospital bags and just hung out. We decided to go to dinner that evening one last time as just us. It was a weird dinner. We both were kind of quiet, anxious, did a little bit of staring at each other as our minds went 90 to nothing. We knew we were told not to be at the hospital until 9:00 PM, but were done eating by 7:00 anyways. So, we walked around some shops to kill time. Actually, we walked through a shoe department as I picked out Fall/Winter shoes I couldn't wait to get my fat, puffy feet in. :) Then, it was go time.
We got settled into our hospital room and within 10 minutes, my mom and sis came by to see where I was and wish me luck until morning. They started me on a low dose of Pitocin at midnight and gave me Ambien to sleep. I think I slept a little bit... just remember being woken up and told that another doctor was there to break my water at 5:30 AM. And let me just tell you, I DO remember what that felt like and it was quite uncomfortable!

I dozed in and out for the next few hours until my mom and sis came back to the hospital to sit with me that morning. It was around 9 AM or so that the contractions began to worsen (I think. Again, I already don't have my times all straight). They were never awful, just very uncomfortable. I needed everyone to be silent during each contraction and once they would pass, I was fine. However, when they started becoming a minute or so apart, it was getting annoying that I had to ask everyone to shut up so much so I asked for them to check my cervix again. They didn't want me to get an epidural until I was about 3-4 cm and of course, I wasn't quite there yet. So until then, they gave me something called Nubain- worse drug on the planet! It was put into my IV and I immediately felt extremely out of body, I was saying weird stuff, I still felt the contractions and it only lasted an hour. Boo. About 10 AM, my wonderful nurse said I was dilated enough to receive the epidural. The epidural was also just uncomfortable but the initial implantation of the tube lasted only a minute. The worst part to me was having to sit crunched over a pillow during a contraction. I spent the next few hours in amazement that I could stare at my leg, tell my mind to move my leg, and it wouldn't budge. Actually, it wasn't really amazement as it was more so a bit of panic. It is such a weird weird feeling, but HEAVEN SENT when it was time to push...

I dozed off and on again for a while after receiving the epidural. Finally at some point, I remember my nurse checking my cervix again, although I had no idea she was doing it since I couldn't feel anything and she says, "Guess what?? You are 10 cm girlfriend. It is time to push!" It was at that moment that I really began to panic a bit. I kept asking questions because I like going into things knowing what is expected. I asked her about how long she thought it would take (as I am half asleep), and she said that for a first baby it usually takes about 2 hours. I thought I was going to lose it. I thought, TWO flippin HOURS? There is no way in HELL I can push that long. I was completely exhausted and hadn't even started. She kept reminding me that she had me a diet coke (my addiction) in the refrigerator ready to give me as soon as I was done.

All of a sudden I was very pessimistic and negative and just kept thinking, I can't do it. I can't do it. I need to sleep. I honestly don't think my pushes for the first 30 minutes were remotely helpful to the process, but they kept coaching me through it. Chris was great. He stroked my hair and kept encouraging me. That really helped since I had wondered all along how he would take the whole ordeal. Somewhere along the line, I got a burst of woman power and decided to give it my all, as hard as that is when you can't feel a thing you are doing. I stared at the clock the whole time which may have helped because deep down I think I was competing against the whole "2 hours of pushing" thing.

An hour and half later, I was told she was crowning. My nurse called Dr. Ellis who was down in a matter of minutes. She said we would give the last few pushes through the contractions. However, my contractions had slowed for some reason and we just sat there and waited. I took advantage of the break to close my eyes and take deep breaths. Dr. Ellis started laughing as she said, "Well, we are supposed to push during contractions but she is just sliding on out. If you want to push now, go for it." So I did. I pushed so hard I thought I was going to break my teeth from clenching. My fingers were sore from gripping the bed rails. My whole body was convulsing from shock and drugs and everything else. But I pushed, dammit. And she was here. 4:32 PM, weighing 7 lbs, 1 oz and 18 inches long.

I remember them placing that little cheesy body on my chest and I just lost it. I couldn't believe I had just endured 12 hours of labor (that actually went quite easier than I had anticipated), I had just produced this human being, and she was mine to love and take care of for the rest of her life.

Chris immediately started taking pictures of her, careful not to expose the gory details. Looking back, those first few photos he took are priceless and we wouldn't have them otherwise. I am forever grateful he got them. And I am so proud that he was so proud of his new daughter.

So that is it! Not really too detailed, but it really was an easy, breezy delivery that I have already forgotten a lot about. But now we have a gorgeous, healthy little girl that is keeping me up at night. A lot. Posts on our progress as parents and baby to come. :)

I have no recollection of taking this picture. I think my face says it all though.

Headed home!

First night home, cuddling with Pops

My Gigi is just so in love with me!

This is my favorite picture of Rilynn's birth day.
It is my sister, Ri's aunt, as she burst into tears the first time she held her.
Melts my heart every time I see it. 

she has arrived

Rilynn is here!!! Actually, she is now a week old. I cannot believe it. It has been a whirlwind week of emotions- but all of it utterly amazing. I will post back all the details as soon as I can catch up on some sleep, yea, right... but until then, here are some pictures of my preciousness!

Rilynn Elise- born October 2, 2012 at 4:23 PM

Weight: 7 lbs 1 oz         Length: 18 in

Poor Daddy looks tired after nights on a couch!

Headed home!

Finally home and peaceful

nursery- FINISHED!

Hello friends! I know I have not been blogging much, but here is why: I am so so happy to report that the nursery is officially FINISHED! Now I can just concentrate on being a mommy and a maid to this room. :)

Here is a before picture of when it was Hubs' office space:

It was then slowly transformed into a nursery. First some paint, then some furniture changes that still didn't work, and then some more furniture changes.

Here is the initial design board:

And here is the final product- a little different, but not too much!

I decided against painting the crib gold, although I still love the idea. I just didn't want to have to change it again later on if baby #2 is a boy, or if I no longer like gold.

The bedding was originally from Etsy but we completely re-did it once it came in. 

The original dresser was a bit large for the space so we replaced it with a smaller white washed piece. This also allowed us to rearrange the room to make a more aesthetically pleasing arrangement and add some room for a glider.

I found an old cheap mirror in a closet of our house and liked the round shape for above the dresser since most of the pieces in the room are "boxy." A little TLC & some paint, and voila!

The glider was a mega steal and is my favorite part of the room, in addition to the inital Etsy prints framed on the wall.

I needed a bit more gold in the room to tie in with the refinished mirror, so I purchased the Sofia Accent Table from World Market and will incorporate gold into the mobile once I finally get one ordered.

The lucite bookshelves may be one of my favorite parts of the room. I love that they do not take away from the books themselves, or the minimal amount of space we had for them all. 

I am still in search for the perfect rug. I know I want a round rug, and I am slightly obsessed with the Whorled Trapunto rug from Anthropologie, but I despise the price. So until I find something similar but in my budget, we will be rug-less. Anyone know of something similar, and cheaper?

So, that is it, folks! The nursery is officially baby-ready. And it sure should be, considering we leave for the hospital tomorrow evening! Baby should be here sometime on Tuesday. Keep us in your prayers and I will be back to blogging at some point when I get the hang of this mothering thing. ;)

Until then!