Tummy Time

The pediatrician said to ensure Violet gets at least 10 minutes a day of tummy time. It isn't her favorite time of the day, she either falls asleep when placed in this position or screams uncontrollably. I hope tummy time gets better soon. We will make tummy time work!

She has beautiful blue eyes right now, and look at those lips!

Busy Weekend!

Things are finally feeling a little bit more normal around here, Randy encouraged me to get out on my own this weekend so I was able to meet up with a couple of friends Friday night, it was nice to be out (even if if it was for only 3 hours!) and the nice part was Violet actually slept for 5 hours that night.
Then Saturday was Robin's 29th Birthday so my parents were in town to have lunch, John finally gave in and held Violet for the first time, see it wasn't so bad!

milk drunk

Who knew that breast milk could do this?

A day in the life

Randy returned to work this week, so it's just been Violet and me hanging out. We had our first pediatrician appointment yesterday, she weighs 8 pounds 4 ounces, so she has gained her birth weight back (and then some!) not surprising since all she does is eat and sleep...

Below are her favorite modes to calm her down (I should write a book on my findings- take note new moms!):
1. Her swing, there is a trick to this one. It MUST be on the highest speed, fast very fast, and she falls asleep, we have now figured out how to eat dinner in peace. If you look very closely you can see she already has slight bed head.


2. Laying on the chest, the sure-fire way to calm her down and have her fall fast asleep, what you can't see is the amount of drool she leaves on my chest in this position.

3. The football hold with dad. According to Dr. Kaarp (The world happiest baby- yes I had to buy it!) this works wonders, it also helps to have your dad sing you silly songs while in this position.
And sometimes, she looks like this. Even if we've tried all of the above. But fortunately it doesn't last for too long!

Daddy's Little Girl

The picture says it all.

Violet Meets the DeGroots

Violet had many visitors this week, and got to meet many special people. Below is a visit from her grandparents, and also her great aunt and uncle Heath who drove down from Washington to visit with us. She had a great time.

The whole DeGroot family tries to sooth a fussy Violet, Randy eventually used the finger method!

Grandpa DeGroot Meets Violet

We had a week of firsts:
First picnic at the park
First dinner in a restaurant (she slept through the whole thing!)
First walk around the block with Diego
Meeting Grandparent DeGroots, these pictures were taken from Grandma DeGroots camera, so they all contain grandpa DeGroot. There will be more over the next couple of days.

Play Time!

Someone was very alert today, so we decided to try out the play time mat. She seemed to really enjoy it.
Grandma and Grandpa DeGroot are in town visiting, so get ready for lots of fun photos!

I'm settling in!

We have had a great couple of days, pretty uneventful.
Violet had her first bath, it was scary at first, but we got through the whole ordeal. Needless to say she cried for the majority of the time, Randy taped the whole thing, and unless I can figure out how to post it on here, you may just have to wait to see it! But now she smells like baby wash, and baby skin- a great combination.
We have had great visitors, Traci and Garth came by I was feeling a little detached from work (can you believe it? It's only been two weeks) so it was nice to see them, and Garth and Violet are now the best of friends. I think there might be a baby somewhere in his future? Either that or he's one hell of an uncle!


Randy and Violet just hanging out, she just stares and stares at him. He's a master at changing diapers (see poop monster below), hes been a huge help with singing her songs and keeping her calm. She's already daddy's little girl.

I'm a poop monster

We started off the day with our very first visit to our pediatrician, while we were in the hospital they were very worried that she was losing weight (lost 14 oz the first two days) and she wasn't pooping. She has gained 5 oz back (7 pounds 5 oz), and we no longer have to worry about the poop issue, as today she suddenly turned into the poop monster. Randy had the pleasure of changing multiple diapers! He's so good at it, even sang her little songs to keep her calmed down.
6 Days old today, we have had an eventful couple of days, my mom (nana lu-lu is what she prefers to be called now) came to visit and take care of us, she is totally in love with her granddaughter, I'm surprised she didn't kidnap her back to Eugene with her! Pictures are worth a thousand words....


Jonica also came by to see us, we felt very special today with all of the visitors!
And finally Robin (Auntie Robin?) came to visit with a six pack of beer, do you know the last time I had a beer, yeah neither can I. We sat outside and Violet loved it. I also think she already thinks her aunt is super cool, and knows she will also be spoiled by her. Robin does know all the cool places to shop!

My First Day at HOME!

Today was our first day at home with Miss Violet, without the nurses checking up on either of us, and the comfort of our own home. It has been a great day!
Sleeping doesn't seem to be an issue right now, she has been sleeping very well, we slept about 5-6 hours total last night.

We also made our first car trip to the doctor today, finding out that the car seat was a very comforting place and she didn't want to come out of it once strapped in!
She had gained weight since coming home, so she is eating enough!

Just hanging out in the vibrating chair, had the hiccups the whole time while sitting in here.
Diego is still very unsure of what to think of Violet, when she cries he is very interested in what is going on and tries to smell her, but has made some small attempts at saying hello. Randy has been really great at changing diapers, and has named her is "little buddy"

July 5th, 2007

So she is finally here, we checked into the labor and delivery on the 4th of July, we thought we would have a typical delivery, check in, start the induction the next morning... we were mistaken!

I started to have contractions around 10 pm, then suddenly my water broke at 11pm, by 4 am we were ready to give birth. It happened very quickly. Unfortunately Violet was having some difficulty with stress in the final moments before pushing, her heart rate was becoming erratic and unpredictable, so after a few short pushes, the doctor decided that a Cesarean was necessary in order for her to be safely delivered, so we were wheeled off to the operating room and 20 minutes later she was born. Randy was able to be in the room the entire time, she cried the moment she was pulled out, she was very alert and scored 9's on her AGPAR.

I spend Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the hospital, which I think was well worth it! They took great care of me, and Violet is doing great, she is feeding and happy. Randy spend all 4 nights with me in the hospital, sleeping on the smelly couch at night and relentlessly caring for his wife and new kid all day. He was great! Check out our pictures, I'm sure we will post many more over the next few days as we get to know her!

Let the countdown BEGIN

We spend Sunday in Salem at the dragon boat races (I still have to support my team right?) so here is Randy and I hanging out, turned side-ways I look HUGE! I have a couple more days left. I think it's time to get ready?