Felicity's First Christmas!!

Felicity's first Christmas was so much fun for her parents! She was just a smiley doll! We had fun celebrating with lots of family up at Crooked Creek! Felicity got to meet lots of family for the first time including second cousins Zoe (below) and Caleb. They thought she was lots of fun making for a cute show for all of us adults! 

Four Months and Counting!

We have a four month old on our hands! This month we have started to see some real changes in our girl. Felicity no longer seems like a newborn (tear and sigh of relief). She feels so much bigger when we hold her and continues to mellow. Those truly sleepless nights are few and far between now. The 2am car rides and long days of trying to console a crying baby are also becoming distant memories.

Our little girl falls asleep on her own for both naps and bedtime (so awesome!) and when she wakes up (and isn't hungry) she can put herself back to sleep most of the time. Her naps used to always be about 20-30 minutes max and they are becoming longer and longer. We are so proud of her! Three months ago I wasn't so sure she would ever be able to do these things. I guess all she had to do was get older!

She still gets up a couple of times to eat in the middle of the night, but if I am honest I don't really mind these days. We are usually only up for about 15 minutes and I love starring at her sweet little face. Sometimes I still can't believe she is ours, but can't imagine life without her.

It has been fun watching her develop this month too. She just recently started picking up toys on her own and putting them in her mouth. I never knew I would get such a kick out of watching a baby learn to do something like that, but I also couldn't comprehend how much we would love her! She is becoming a little more mobile in crib too. I am often coming in to find her facing a different way than I laid her down. I believe the impressive part about it that she is swaddled with both hands in and still manages to do it. May be time to start thinking about losing the swaddle. 

Felicity came down with her first cold this month too. I had been fighting off a bug for a little over a week and then my body finally caved in. As soon as I knew I was sick, we knew it was curtains for her. Felicity had a runny nose within a day or two of me. Luckily, it wasn't too bad of a cold and thankfully she was never so plugged up that she couldn't eat. I think her not eating well would have made the whole experience much more stressful for all of us. It is nice to have her first cold under our belt. I was really nervous for the first one and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Felicity was also dedicated at church this month. We were a bit nervous she might have a huge melt down, but she did awesome. I am starting to think those newborn melt downs she used to have may also be behind us, which is fine by me! It was fun getting her all dressed up for the dedication. She wore a little dress that was mine when I was a baby and a special bonnet to go with it. The bonnet was a gift and is actually a folded handkerchief that she can carry with her on her wedding day. I love sentimental things and Brady says with a chuckle that she surely will too thanks to her Nana Jane and me. I hope so!

Baby Dedication

Starting her early. Her dad says she will be taking lessons whether she likes 

it or not. 

aren't I cute?

Morning tummy time.

My daddy is so funny!

Babyzilla...ahhhhh!

Felicity's favorite game with Daddy right now. 

3 Month Picture

Three Months Old

"Seriously?" she says.

We thought that picture of Felicity was so funny and well... adorable! We are definitely biased, but come on! Felicity has brought us much laughter this last month. We are getting to know her little antics (yes, our 3 month old does indeed have antics) pretty well and find ourselves often chuckling about them.

Three months ago today was Felicity's due date. This means that three months ago today I was crying because she hadn't come yet. At the time it felt like she would never get here. Now, it is hard to believe that we already have a 3 month old!

It is also hard to believe it has been 3 months since I have slept more than 4 hours in a row. :) I feel like I am still doing pretty well without more sleep than that, even though most mornings I have a lot of trouble recollecting what exactly took place in the night. When Brady and I get up with her in the middle of the night we do our best to remember how fleeting this time with her is and treasure the quiet moments watching her fall back asleep. I often find myself praying over her as I gaze at her peaceful little face. It is so amazing that she was the one kicking me all those months!

Felicity continues to be at her best in the mornings right when she wakes. I often go into her room in the morning to her just cooing. When I tell her good morning she just gives me a sweet little smile. My heart could just melt! I have really appreciated the blessing of not having to rush off to work in the morning so that I can enjoy this sweet time of day with her.

We recently got to have a little baby reunion with the other couples from our birth classes. It was so fun to see the other babies and new parents. We got to chat and compare notes of life as new parents. It was so nice! There is a little video of the babies at the bottom of this post.

Well we continue to fall more in love with this little girl. Hard to believe our love for her could only continue to grow, but none the less it does!

Brady singing and playing the guitar for his little girl. She just sat and listened for quite a while. And as you can see Margot had to get in on it too.

My first Halloween...I tried to be a mouse, but never made it all the way into my costume. Only got as far as a few whiskers.

Cuddling with my blankie from my Great Aunt and Uncle in South Carolina.

Just relaxin' with Mom and Dad one morning.

Here are the babies from our class. We lined them up for picture time. Felicity wasn't too crazy about the idea... she is the main one crying. :)

2 Month Picture

Two Months Old

Felicity is two months old this week and goes in for her two month check up in a couple days! She is doing well weighing in at 9lbs 8oz. It has been fun these last couple of weeks because we are starting to see her little personality come out even more.

When Felicity is not escalating into full on wailing (we are thinking she may become an actress-- she is quite dramatic sometimes) she is a smiling and cooing. Those smiles are especially joy giving because these last couple weeks they are in response to us! Felicity is most happy in the mornings just upon waking up. She just smiles and smiles at us, and we are talkin' BIG smiles! One smile from our little Felicity and all the exhaustion and stress a new baby brings just melts away.

We have also begun to notice some other subtle changes that are showing us she is getting a little older. While she can still get worked up with the best of them, it is beginning to happen a little less. Things that used to set her off every time aren't in the same way. This has been encouraging to us because it is so hard to listen to her cry.

This month also marked the transition of Felicity sleeping in her own room. She was not alone in there for the first week though. Brady and I spent the first week on an air mattress in her room, however I believe that was more for our sake than hers. Our first night back in our room without her was a sad night for us and turned into a fairly emotional night for me. Felicity is doing well in there though. She is not sleeping through the night yet but, most nights she is pretty close. I am not complaining, I know it could be much worse.

Felicity really likes her new bouncy chair too. It was a very cheap little toy, but it seems to be her favorite thing now and therefore it's our favorite too! She loves to just sit in it and watch me work in the kitchen. It is so nice to be able to bring the seat in the kitchen with me and have her contentedly watch and smile at me while I cook.

Speaking of her watching me cook, we are also noticing that she is becoming more and more aware. She actually keeps an eye on us these days. Her little eyes are following us around the room and she is starting to squawk when we leave her line of sight.

At the two month mark, I am also learning how to better manage Felicity and my day so that I can actually fit in some normal things in (aka exercising some, cooking dinner, and showering... I am sure Brady and really, the small percentage of the general public I come into contact with these days appreciate that third one).

Check out the video of our "little drummer girl" via her daddy. We look forward to the next month and the new things we will watch her learn... maybe next month will be the guitar!

Six Weeks Old

Can't believe Felicity is already six weeks old! Time does go by to fast and you know you are new mom when you dream that you are feeding your baby and wake up with a huge wet spot on your shirt. OOps! I have literally been waking up confused at times utterly convinced I fed her and can't figure out why she isn't in my arms. I get a little scared and then realize it was all a dream. I was actually asking Brady in the middle of the night last night if I had just fed her and I thought he was now holding her. He was actually just holding onto a pillow. Yikes!

I have had a draining couple weeks, as I know every mom can, but I feel like my difficulties have finally had a turning point and the three of us have had some break throughs this week! Thank you Jesus!

I am currently writing this post as my daughter naps quietly in her crib, that she fell asleep all on her own! Yes, that's right! This has been our biggest and most encouraging break through. We had been walking, rocking, bouncing, lunging, you name it to get her to sleep. Felicity would try so hard to resist even though she obviously needed it (aka. she was super fussy), so our little "go to sleep dance" would usually take 45 minutes to an hour before she would actually fall asleep. Needless to say I spent most of my day (Felicity does much better in the middle of the night- luckily) doing that and then praying she would not wake up once I set her down. Then probably about 80% of the time she would. Sigh!

So, let's just say it became necessary to figure something out. A friend had given us one of the Baby Whisperer books amongst others. I had heard a few people liked her stuff and I decided to give it whirl. Brady and I read her book over the course of a week and started to implement her techniques this last weekend. AND!!>>>> they actually worked for us! It looks like our daughter (knock on wood, for the time being) can actually fall asleep on her own and we did not have to let her cry it out! Thats what I was most happy about. I just did not want to have to resort to that (although I understand why people end up doing that. It was our next option if these techniques didn't work). We are still working on taking good solid naps, but progress is progress and I am not going to let that get me down. :) We are both a little sad to not have her in our room anymore, but we know it is best for all involved.

Felicity's reflux medicine is now working, which has been a huge relief. We are so glad not to see her in pain anymore. I hate having to give her medicine everyday but it is worth it so that she feels good.

Felicity continues to get bigger! She is now about the size I was when I was born. Yikes, sorry Mom! :) She also seems to be responding more to her surroundings. I think they say that babies don't start smiling in response to things yet, but we are convinced she is responding to us from time to time. What joy! We also continue to feel like we are getting know her better. Luckily for her, we are starting to be able to know her cries and what she is asking us for.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers for us new parents! We are so blessed by all of you!

Getting ready for one of those naps I am learning to do on my own!

So serene!

One of our favorite Felicity faces!

Video: Felicity's cousin Reilly giving her kisses. Melt your heart cute!

My First Month

Out little girl will be a month old on Sunday! The first month has flown by. The nights don't always go by so fast, but it is hard to believe we have been parents for a month already.

Felicity is growing like a weed. She is a little over 8lbs at 4 weeks and now fits into her cloth diapers. (Woohoo! FYI- Disposable diapers are expensive!) She has gained nearly 2lbs since we left the hospital and more than a pound from her birth weight.

The last couple weeks have been a little more difficult as we have realized Felicity has acid reflux that is pretty bothersome to her. We have recently put her on a prescription for it and hoping that it takes care of her pain. The poor girl has been having heart burn! It is too hard to watch her be in pain so... I usually cry with her. :)

Felicity has had her first bath and is doing some tummy time every day. She really likes her tummy time mat and gives little newborn squeals every now and then. Wish I could say she enjoyed her bath as much as her tummy time mat. She wasn't so sure about being in her tub.

Our human size dog, Margot, has done great with Felicity. She loves to come over to sniff her but rarely licks her. The licking is a big surprise because if you have met Margot you know she loves to shower people with kisses. Margot has been a little confused at night when Brady and I are up walking around with Felicity. She sometimes goes to the back door like it is morning... we tell her to go back to bed. Sometimes when Felicity is crying Margot does come over to check on her, which is pretty cute. Margot has adjusted much better than I thought she would. No signs of jealously so far.

Mommy and Daddy are adjusting too. We slowly but surely feel like we are figuring things out. Week by week we feel like we are getting a little better at caring for her. It has been stressful at times because we just love her so much and want to do it right! (even though we know we can't and never will do it ALL right:)

Bringing Home Baby

We just can't stop oooing and awwwing over our little girl! We brought her home the Saturday after she was born. It was nice to have a couple days in the hospital getting our head wrapped around the fact that she was really ours. We were both a little apprehensive about taking care of her on our own at home, but it turned out it was much nicer being at home. Everything just feels right being at home with her.

Our friends and family were so sweet to help us welcome our little Felicity home. We had two banners that said "Welcome Home Felicity." One was outside as pictured above and the other is inside our living room. We still have the one inside hanging up. I have enjoyed keeping it up because is reminds me of all the love and support we have from our family and friends. We feel so blessed by you all!

Felicity's first week was pretty easy despite the lack of sleep. She had some jaundice, which made her really sleepy. Our biggest challenge her first week was keeping her awake enough to eat. He doctor said the more she eats the more she poops which will help get rid of her jaundice. So we had her eating as much as we could get her to every two hours for her first week of life. I took her to get weighed at exactly one week and she was over her birth weight and her jaundice was way lower! Woohoo! It felt good to leave that appointment knowing she was eating enough to gain plenty of weight. She had gained 8oz in 4 days.

Our second week has been a little more challenging. I am pretty sure her jaundice is almost all gone because she had much more difficulty going to sleep. The lack of sleep is also beginning to catch up with both of us, especially me. I have been pretty weepy and easily overwhelmed this week. Welcome to parenthood I guess. She continues to bring much joy and thankfulness to us despite the challenges. It hard to believe she was ever not here now. Our love for her grows each moment that passes.

This is one loved little girl, just as all babies should be. The Lord has blessed her with a lot of love around her. She has no idea how blessed she is yet!

Let me introduce to you, Felicity Virginia Loyd!

Despite our lack of consistency of posting I made it to our due date and a little past before we had out little girl. Our little Felicity Virginia Loyd was born on August 18, 2011 at 8:18am and weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 20.5 inches long.

She made her grand entrance after about 18 hours of labor, and all I have to say is giving birth is hard work! My water broke in at my midwife appointment around 10:30 am on the 17th. She told us to go home get our things, eat some lunch and head over to the hospital. Although we were 5 days past my due date I was in shock the whole way home. I was not having regular contractions yet. We made it over to the hospital around 2pm and things slowly progressed from there. I did not start having regular and more intense contractions till later that night. Things are getting a bit hazy but I think it was close to 10pm when things started to kick into gear. My nurses and midwife were so amazing and I had an even better coach! Brady was the perfect coach. I know I could not have done it without him!

Around 6:30am I was feeling so exhausted and was in a lot of pain. I hit that wall people talk about and sure enough my midwife checked me and I was ready to start pushing. Woohoo! Everything changed when I heard that! I felt like I could do anything. Brady and I both felt a rush of adrenaline! I pushed for a little over an hour until we met our daughter. Our midwife was kind enough to let Brady catch her too. I just remember pushing and then hearing everyone tell me to look at my daughter... I opened my eyes and had to open them wider and wider because I couldn't believe she was actually here! She had strong cry that our family and friends could hear outside the door. There were tears of joy all around!

Once everyone was able to join us in the delivery room we announced her name which we had been keeping a secret. Felicity Virginia Loyd is named after one of her great grandmother's whose middle name was also Virginia. Felicity was chosen because we both thought it was a beautiful name that is not over used. I hope she likes it as much as we do!

34 Weeks

Missed another week. Everyone makes mistakes.

Melissa continues to find herself pretty exhausted most days. Apparently growing a human takes a lot of energy. I got to experience a little of what it is like to be 36 weeks pregnant at our birthing class a week or so ago. We had an "empathy belly" that I got to wear. I was pretty tired after wearing it for only a few minutes. It just reminded me of how amazingly strong Melissa is and has been through this whole process!

Melissa is also finding it a bit more difficult to get and stay comfortable at night. Last night I woke up to her just sitting straight up in bed...just sitting. It was like a scene out of a bad horror movie. I was just waiting for her head to spin all the way around or something. I asked if she was okay and she said she couldn't decide which side to sleep on.

The baby's room is coming along. She now has a changing table, glider and crib with mattress. Melissa sewed some curtains for her room as well. She still has a couple other projects for the nursery she plans to get done before our passenger's arrival as well. I think she's right in the middle of that nesting stage.

We went to the doctor again today and everything looks great. The baby's heartbeat is good (about 135 beats per minute), she is laying head down and Melissa's belly was measuring at 35 cm, which is right where she is supposed to be. Everything looks great! Let's hope and pray that all of that continues for the next 3-7 weeks (hopefully not 7).

We'll try to be better about posting every week for the next 5, but I make no promises.