So tonight we're staying in Dillon, Montana, about halfway to Raymond, on the way to our way to what will be our new home in Calgary. The next few weeks\months will be a time of turbulence and anxiety, but this blog post isn't about that. This blog post is about the dream I had last night.
We had made it to Raymond, and had set up Calista in her bassinet in my parents room. Right next to the bassinet, Suki had her dog bowl. Without warning, Calista starts being really fussy, and we can't figure out why. She cries for several minutes and we try everything, but nothing calms her down. It's then that, at one month old mind you, she stands straight up in the bassinet, walks over to the dog bowl, picks it up (which is a feat in itself. In the dream, the dog bowl is bigger than her), and says "It stinks!" and then tosses the bowl away. We are all dumbfounded.
Then I wake up, with Calista between Jeanette and I on our hotel bed, with Calista her non-talking, non-walking newborn self, and I am glad that such antics will be a long time coming.
21 August 2011
16 August 2011
Vampire Baby strikes!
Our baby girl is three weeks old today! How time flies... and how much better I feel now than I did 3 weeks ago, even with nighttime feedings and diaper changes.
Calista is seriously the cutest thing ever. We call her all sorts of things that aren't actually her name (who knows when she'll recognize it) including:
3 days old:
Tummy time with Daddy. Calista actually loves tummy time, it's kind of strange. But, hey, no complaints from us. She is trying to crawl already, although not experiencing much success - thank goodness! I don't want to have to baby-proof our place just yet!
4 days old:
Ruffle bum! We think she looks really good in this color. Plus the ruffles are just so dang cute!
1 week old:
Still very much in love with her hands, Calista nearly always has them by her face. She loves the flail them around, claw at herself, suck on them... I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since in all her ultrasounds, she had at least one hand by her face, and she was born with her hand there, too.
9 days old:
See? She's enjoying tummy time while sucking on her hands! Can life get any better than this?
2 weeks old:
After a bath, it's a naked baby! See her up on her knees? And even better, see her curly-when-wet hair?
Just hanging out with Daddy. Does she have hair like his, and will it stay that way?
After a nice meal. She is generally an excellent eater, which makes my life so much easier!
15 days old:
I just think Calista is so beautiful. I am so lucky to have her in my life.
3 weeks old (today):
A couple of pictures for Loradona, Jill, Kari, Kristina, and Rachel. I think it's accurate, since they are all absolutely beautiful women.
My mom and sister left yesterday, so now it's just me and the babe during the day. Well, at least until we move... on Saturday. After that, Kyler will be around for a couple of weeks until school begins. I'm looking forward to spending time with him.
I am not looking forward to packing all our belongings up and then driving a thousand miles with a 4-week-old. And then unpacking all our belongings, yikes!
One day at a time... and today, my baby girl is beautiful.
Calista is seriously the cutest thing ever. We call her all sorts of things that aren't actually her name (who knows when she'll recognize it) including:
Bright Eyes
Baby Girl
Turtle
Salamander
Peanut
Pumpkin
Beautiful
Melon
Doll Face
Vampire Baby
Some pictures of the last couple of weeks...
Baby Girl
Turtle
Salamander
Peanut
Pumpkin
Beautiful
Melon
Doll Face
Vampire Baby
3 days old:
Tummy time with Daddy. Calista actually loves tummy time, it's kind of strange. But, hey, no complaints from us. She is trying to crawl already, although not experiencing much success - thank goodness! I don't want to have to baby-proof our place just yet!
4 days old:
Ruffle bum! We think she looks really good in this color. Plus the ruffles are just so dang cute!
1 week old:
Still very much in love with her hands, Calista nearly always has them by her face. She loves the flail them around, claw at herself, suck on them... I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since in all her ultrasounds, she had at least one hand by her face, and she was born with her hand there, too.
9 days old:
See? She's enjoying tummy time while sucking on her hands! Can life get any better than this?
2 weeks old:
After a bath, it's a naked baby! See her up on her knees? And even better, see her curly-when-wet hair?
Just hanging out with Daddy. Does she have hair like his, and will it stay that way?
After a nice meal. She is generally an excellent eater, which makes my life so much easier!
15 days old:
I just think Calista is so beautiful. I am so lucky to have her in my life.
3 weeks old (today):
A couple of pictures for Loradona, Jill, Kari, Kristina, and Rachel. I think it's accurate, since they are all absolutely beautiful women.
My mom and sister left yesterday, so now it's just me and the babe during the day. Well, at least until we move... on Saturday. After that, Kyler will be around for a couple of weeks until school begins. I'm looking forward to spending time with him.
I am not looking forward to packing all our belongings up and then driving a thousand miles with a 4-week-old. And then unpacking all our belongings, yikes!
One day at a time... and today, my baby girl is beautiful.
03 August 2011
And then there were three...
On July 26th, 2011 at 11:23 PM (23:23 military time!), Kyler and Jeanette welcomed Calista Elizabeth Rasmussen into the world. She was 8 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long.
Her coming was a long process, and I don't mean 9 months long. I mean I started having contractions every 6-8 minutes around 10 PM July 24th.
By noon the 25th, they were every 3-5 minutes and we decided to go to the hospital.
By 5:30 PM, the hospital had sent us back home, telling us to come back when the contractions hurt more.
By 1 AM the 26th, I decided they hurt more and we went back to the hospital... where they told us to go for a walk.
By 5 AM, the hospital was going to send us home again, just as soon as they had finished monitoring Calista's heart rate (which they had to wake her up to do).
However, by 5:30 AM, my water had broke, and by 6:30 it was confirmed and we were on our way to labor and delivery. Yay!
By 8 AM I had an epidural, though it didn't exactly last as long as would've been preferable.
By 3 PM, they decide to augment my labor with pictocin... and my epidural ran out while the anesthesiologists were in a c-section. I was having contractions every 1.5-2 minutes without any pain relief. It was fun. Kyler and I got to really practice my breathing, and discover that Kyler is a great support. Eventually I get the epidural back and it's all good.
See? Pain management exists again, and life is pretty good!
By 8 PM, I am fully dilated and effaced, and the doctors decide it's time for me to push, which I do, with all the energy and effort I have... for 3.5 hours. During which my epidural runs out again, not that I have the strength to care; my entire focus is on pushing. Kyler said the longest sentence I utter in these 3.5 hours is "Even if I take a break, my body will just want to push."
By 10:30 PM, doctors are starting to offer options like vacuum and forceps. I desperately want to be done, but I look at Kyler and he says, with love and confidence in his eyes, "Just two more pushes. You can do it." Two pushes later, he says "Just one more! Try just one more!" And I do. And she's still not out. And I accuse Kyler of lying. But the doctors are now convinced I can do this, even though I'm doubting it more and more.
As I mentioned before, by 11: 23 PM, she is finally out. I am exhausted, more tired than I have ever been before in my life. I pushed with everything I had, all the physical and mental strength I could summon, and I had absolutely nothing left.
But I had my baby girl.
All goopy and cold, so the nurses covered us up with blankets.
Naked on the table to get measured. She's grimacing, annoyed by the camera interfering in her personal space.
We came home on July 28th, my actual due date.
We're getting ready to leave the hospital, and we are both dressed in our civvies.
At home, asleep in the bassinet.
And, of course...
Spending quality time with her daddy.
Our little baby girl is absolutely adorable, and I'll post more pictures soon.
Her coming was a long process, and I don't mean 9 months long. I mean I started having contractions every 6-8 minutes around 10 PM July 24th.
By noon the 25th, they were every 3-5 minutes and we decided to go to the hospital.
By 5:30 PM, the hospital had sent us back home, telling us to come back when the contractions hurt more.
By 1 AM the 26th, I decided they hurt more and we went back to the hospital... where they told us to go for a walk.
By 5 AM, the hospital was going to send us home again, just as soon as they had finished monitoring Calista's heart rate (which they had to wake her up to do).
However, by 5:30 AM, my water had broke, and by 6:30 it was confirmed and we were on our way to labor and delivery. Yay!
By 8 AM I had an epidural, though it didn't exactly last as long as would've been preferable.
By 3 PM, they decide to augment my labor with pictocin... and my epidural ran out while the anesthesiologists were in a c-section. I was having contractions every 1.5-2 minutes without any pain relief. It was fun. Kyler and I got to really practice my breathing, and discover that Kyler is a great support. Eventually I get the epidural back and it's all good.
See? Pain management exists again, and life is pretty good!By 8 PM, I am fully dilated and effaced, and the doctors decide it's time for me to push, which I do, with all the energy and effort I have... for 3.5 hours. During which my epidural runs out again, not that I have the strength to care; my entire focus is on pushing. Kyler said the longest sentence I utter in these 3.5 hours is "Even if I take a break, my body will just want to push."
By 10:30 PM, doctors are starting to offer options like vacuum and forceps. I desperately want to be done, but I look at Kyler and he says, with love and confidence in his eyes, "Just two more pushes. You can do it." Two pushes later, he says "Just one more! Try just one more!" And I do. And she's still not out. And I accuse Kyler of lying. But the doctors are now convinced I can do this, even though I'm doubting it more and more.
As I mentioned before, by 11: 23 PM, she is finally out. I am exhausted, more tired than I have ever been before in my life. I pushed with everything I had, all the physical and mental strength I could summon, and I had absolutely nothing left.
But I had my baby girl.
All goopy and cold, so the nurses covered us up with blankets.
Naked on the table to get measured. She's grimacing, annoyed by the camera interfering in her personal space.We came home on July 28th, my actual due date.
We're getting ready to leave the hospital, and we are both dressed in our civvies.
At home, asleep in the bassinet.And, of course...
Spending quality time with her daddy.Our little baby girl is absolutely adorable, and I'll post more pictures soon.
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