Mallory Grace

We were invited back by our Lamaze instructors as guest speakers for their current class. It was nice to be on the other side of the classroom. Beth and Bev were very impressed with the beautiful little girl and very surprised that you were so late. To think they were actually worried that I might go into labor during our last class. Ha! You showed them.

skeleton in her closet

How can it be possible that I have an entire nursery full of clothes and nothing fits this child? She was not premature or unusually small by today's standards. Mike and I had our first bout of serious "buyer's remorse" at 1:30am last night.

The debouchle was:
If we place her in the "sleep sack" she can (and did) squeeze her head through the small opening: result – possible suffocation
If we swaddle her, she could (and did) kick the covers off: result – possible suffocation
If we don't swaddle her, she will feel abandoned: resulting in future therapyIf we don't cover her, she will be too cold: result – hypothermia

The answer…It doesn't matter – she had NO plans to sleep anyway. Lesson learned…Dad went to Babies R Us today and bought much smaller (preemie sized) t-shirts and a swaddle type blanket with velcro.

Well, we've hit the lowest point in our journey. The visiting nurse came out today and while Mallory appears to be thriving, she is down almost a full pound from her birthweight. They tell you that it's normal to lose up to 10% of birthweight, but she needs to regain it in the first two weeks. As the primary source of food, I can't tell you how horrible a feeling it is to hear that she isn't gaining weight. Good news is the nurse seems to think that her latch is perfect and it should happen any day. She now weights 6lbs 15oz and has a dr. appt tomorrow morning.

Today we brought you home from the hospital. You were so tiny in your carseat. Daddy drove the car and I sat in the back seat with you holding your little head up.

You were born on a Tuesday under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Chinese Astrological sign is the rooster and your element is wood
The moon's phase was waning gibbous.
Your birthstone is Aquamarine which is often used to experience love and mercy.
Your birth tree is Weeping Willow

You were born on a Tuesday under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Chinese Astrological sign is the rooster and your element is wood
The moon’s phase was waning gibbous.
Your birthstone is Aquamarine which is often used to experience love and mercy.
Your birth tree is Weeping Willow

You were born on a Tuesday under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Chinese Astrological sign is the rooster and your element is wood
The moon’s phase was waning gibbous.
Your birthstone is Aquamarine which is often used to experience love and mercy.
Your birth tree is Weeping Willow

You were born on a Tuesday under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Chinese Astrological sign is the rooster and your element is wood
The moon’s phase was waning gibbous.
Your birthstone is Aquamarine which is often used to experience love and mercy.
Your birth tree is Weeping Willow

On February 28th I had a doctor’s appointment because your duedate was Friday the 25th and you were still content to hang out with mom for a few more days. At the doctor’s visit we were told that it was best to schedule your delivery for the next day. After 40 long weeks, we were more than ready to meet you.

It was a good thing we knew in advance because there was a 10″ snowstorm overnight and it gave your dad lots of time to shovel the driveway. He got up twice during the night to make sure the snow didn’t accumulate too much. Bright and early the next day we headed to St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem. We had pre-registered months ago and they were expecting us, so this part went very smoothly. Upon arriving we found out that I was the only person on the floor giving birth that day. After settling in to our suite, the nurses hooked me up to a machine to monitor your heartbeat and contractions. Baby Woodland you were doing fine. It turns out I was having contractions and not feeling them at all. Feeling confident your dad and I did some laps around the floor and awaited some medication to jump start your arrival. We waited almost 2 hours and then time just started to fly.

By 3:00pm it was time to push. Almost immediately the doctor was able to see your head. Your dad stayed with me and gave support as you made your way into the world at 4:31pm. You gave a hearty wail as we examined ten perfect fingers and ten tiny toes.