Bryson's Birthday Party

We celebrated my nephew Bryson's 3rd birthday today! I can't believe he's 3. It feels like just months ago when I was rushing to meet him in the hospital. He had his party at a park in Willow Park. It's right next to the fire station. They had the fire truck out and let the kids get in it and look at the firemen equipment. There were lots of little ones there! What a great age they are all at, but I'm not ready for Ramona to be there yet!

Ramona slept through the entire party after she slept pretty much the whole night last night. Plus yesterday she was awake for the majority of the day, but I guess she's mailing it in today. We got Bryson a Nerf gun that shoots ball which is slightly safer than the arrows (you're welcome Alicia) and the book Where the Wild Things Are.

Nick and I were talking about how Ramona and Macie are going to be causing all sorts of havoc for years to come! Oh the joys of family and having cousins close to your age! Nick and I both were fortunate to have that privilege. I am going to enjoy watching them grow up together.

Enjoy the Morning

Nick and I were enjoying Ramona this morning. We woke up and just watched her sleep and dream. She kept making hilarious faces. We knew we had to capture this moment, so we grabbed the flip. Here's our precious one sleeping.

Ramona makes funny faces from nickwills on Vimeo.

Family Fun Night

My sister Alicia came over tonight. She brought some of her delicious lasagna and of course the kiddos! I attempted to clean up certain areas of the house that aren't kid friendly. I got as far as moving Ramona's swing in the kitchen. Then with the doctor's appointment, time just got the best of me. Bryson was playing the the bottle brush. He started brushing the glider. I told him no. He was so upset that his Aunt Amber told him no. He started crying, so I cuddled with him and told him I wasn't mad at him. He calmed down, but it was traumatic enough to be reported to his daddy on his way home from our house.

We ate in the game room. Don't worry I had seconds and 3 pieces of bread. Don't judge me you're supposed to eat more when you're breastfeeding. Which speaking of I haven't been eating nearly enough because I wake up and have a late breakfast then have dinner when Nick gets home. I'm usually starving during the night (or technically the early morning), but too tired to do anything about it. Therefore I'm justified to eat like a pig when my sister brings over wonderful food.

We capped off the night by watching Rookie of the Year and eating Marie Callender's Banana Cream Pie. Bryson was cracking us up mimicking the pitcher in the movie. Macie was loving the pie. And Ramona...well she slept! We had a lot of fun. I wish I would have taken some pictures to share, but I guess I need a small camera that I can get out on a whim. **Hint, hint Santa**

Ok now it's just ridiculous

I went back to the doctor again today. Ugh I'm not crazy I promise. I've been told that when you go to the doctor for one thing as soon as you get home something else happens. Well that's pretty much what happened today. I was changing Ramona around 10 am and noticed a very red bump on her butt. She has been battling serious diaper rash for almost as long as she's been wearing diapers. This is the first time it has manifested into a bump which of course decided to appear the day after I took her to the doctor. I called to leave a message in the hopes I could deal with this without having to go in, but they said they'd need to see her. I was just thinking great these people are going to be so exasperated by me. In my defense it's Friday and I didn't want this situation to worsen over the weekend, so it's not like I had the luxury of giving this time to see how it played out. Again the doctor didn't think it was a big deal. He gave me some samples of some over the counter medicine. We will try it out. Nothing has worked well enough to clear her rash thusfar what can more over the counter junk hurt, right?

Nick came home and changed her diaper. He called me in there freaking out when he saw the bump. I just rolled my eyes at him and said well that's why I took her to the doctor again today. He thought I was over reacting when I called him this afternoon but when he saw how bad that one area was he knew I was justified in my panic.

Glider!!

We got the Monte in today!! Ramona loves it. I love it. It looks amazing. I am leaving it in the game room for now. I was debating on whether to put it in our room while she sleeps with us, but I figured I probably won't get out of bed anyway and if I do the game room is right outside our door, so I might as well leave it in there.

Back Again

I took Ramona to the doctor again today. She is still congested, but she has started to spit up straight milk from her nose and mouth. I know babies spit up - that isn't the concerning part. It's how much is coming up and the fact that her breathing is already terrible right now. I want to make sure that her spit up is not being sucked into her lungs compounding the issue. While we were in the room waiting for the doctor, I read her Green Eggs and Ham. She calmed down and started to sleep. My mom always read Green Eggs and Ham to me while we waited at the doctor. Thus the tradition continues. I may or may not have gotten teary eyed while I read to her. The doctor didn't seem concerned with the spit up which wasn't technically the problem. When he checked her breathing, it sounded as it had before which is good and bad in this case.

Trust me I'm not trying to over analyze this or be a first time mom that freaks out about everything, but I am not taking any chances when it comes to her breathing especially when her spit up is causing her to choke. I would rather annoy my doctor that have a potentially greater problem on my hands.

Ramona weighs 8 lbs. 3 oz. She's gained 5 oz since her last visit on Monday.

Bucca

We celebrated great Mimi's birthday tonight at Bucca di Bepo in Southlake. It was a rainy day, so I bundled little Miss Ramona Christine up before we headed out. Our reservations were for 6:30, but everyone didn't show up until around 7:45. Ramona slept through the whole dinner but started to cry around 9. I knew she was hungry and need to be changed, so we had to jet back home to get her all situated and content again. Happy Birthday to great Mimi!

Poor Baby

Ramona's breathing sounded weird, almost labored really, so I called the answering service last night. Of course the doctor just seemed agitated and told me nothing of importance except make an appointment in the morning. I took Ramona to the doctor today. He said she has a cold. I should aspirate her nose (which hasn't been running), give her some Pedialyte to wash down the congestion in her throat, and use a vapouriser. Poor thing sounds terrible especially after she eats. I just don't want it to turn into something really bad. On a side note, her diaper rash is still pretty bad, but it's beginning to look better.

Newborn Photos

Ramona had her newborn photo shoot today with Carleen of Charm Me Photography. Ramona was really fussy. I am going to blame the diaper rash. Her poor bottom just keeps getting red. We switched to Desitin last night hoping that would make a difference. She also started having a runny nose. I hope she isn't getting sick.

Ramona looked so precious laying there. Nick and I are just amazed at how we can see her growing old right before our eyes. It's astonishing how much she's changed in only 10 days. Our hearts are just so full of love and admiration of this small child. We can't even begin to explain it. Enjoy these adorable pictures of our little princess.

Here is a behind the scenes look at the photos!

Ramona's Baby Photos from nickwills on Vimeo.

First Bath

Ramona's umbilical cord fell off today. We aren't sure where it went, but Nick was changing her diaper when he noticed it was gone. We also got our stats on her cord blood collection at birth. They look for a cell count in the 100 millions as a good sample. Ramona's collection is 1.1 billion! It's nice to know we have a good collect in case we need it.

Ramona had her first bath today! I was a little nervous about giving it to her since she's so small and fragile to me. I knew it needed to get done especially since her diaper rash is extremely terrible. She didn't do too bad. We didn't use soap because Nick read somewhere you should wait until they are 2 weeks old to use any products. We wrapped her body up and let her little bottom air dry for a while before putting a diaper back on her. She poops all the time which is why it's so difficult to keep her bottom dry. She was pretty content for a while being wrapped and warm with a naked butt! We couldn't stop staring at her and laughing at every face she made! She's just so precious we can't get over it.

First Doctor's Visit

I can't believe it's been a week since little Miss Ramona entered our world. Where does the time go? We took her to her first doctor's visit today. She weighs 8 lbs even, so she's gained some weight since her check on Friday which means she is getting something when I feed her! She has a diaper rash, and we got some ointment for it. Hopefully it will clear up soon.

Ramona looks healthy and everything checked out to be perfect. She's a keeper! We are so blessed to have a healthy baby. God is so amazing to give us such a beautiful little girl who is absolutely perfect in our eyes.

Brunson-Wills Connection

Cleve came over today to help Nick set the double oven, cut cans and wire for the new kitchen fixtures. They worked in the kitchen while I stayed in the game room with the kiddos. My younger brother and sister came over but weren't very helpful. Luckily my mother in law came over for a while to help out. The kids weren't bad, but I wanted to make sure they didn't get into anything and stayed in the game room. Ramona has been pretty good. I am trying to figure out a schedule for her. I decided that I didn't want to wake her up to make her eat. She does get fussy on you though and can really wail when she wants to. 

The kitchen looks so much better. We are so grateful that Cleve would spend his day helping us out.

We went out to Aledo to bring Pappasitos to the Brunson's as a thank you and a happy birthday since my sister Alicia turned 29 today! We had some delicious fajitas with the whole family. My parents came over to join the celebration. Cleve managed to find time to bake a carrot cake! It was wonderful end to a productive day.

We're Home

We have officially moved back home. There is still construction going on. The kitchen isn't quite functional, but it's not like we'll be cooking any time soon! The main thing is the dusty stuff has pretty much cleared and won't return. They are coming to grout the backsplash and the fireplaces tomorrow, so Ramona and I will just stay out of the way. My parents have come over for 2 nights to help us get things in order. We've taken the old appliances to the dump, put contact paper in the kitchen, and unpacked a few boxes. We're also having a work day with my brother in law to help getting the kitchen appliances and lighting done.

It's good to be home, but it was really nice to stay with my parents and not have to worry about what was happening around us especially since I've been walking like an old women and have been in lots of pain and pretty much worthless. It's been such a wonderful experience enjoying my family and our new little one. We can't thank both of our families enough for all they've done for us. We love you guys.

Weight Check

We took Ramona to the pediatrician today for her weight check. We had to make the drive all the way from Aledo to Arlington to be there at 9:00. We didn't get there until 9:15. The nurse was not very nice about it either which is ridiculous because the weight check has nothing to do with the doctor so it's not like we were causing them to run behind schedule. Ramona weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz at birth. She now weighs 7 lbs. 9 oz. It's normal for infants to lose weight after birth. I'm sure she'll pick it back up soon. Nick and I were both chubby babies, so Ramona will probably be a chunk as well - a very precious and perfect chubby baby!

Going Home-ish

We left the hospital today around 5:30. We decided that instead of going to our house we would go to my parent's house. Our house isn't fume ridden like it was, but it still is a long way from truly functioning. I figured we didn't need to be surrounded by the stress and constant reminder that it isn't quite finished yet. Our families have been so amazing and helpful throughout my pregnancy and delivery. I don't know how we could have survived without them. They are so wonderful.

As we leave the hospital, I want to thank all of you who came to visit us. Of course our family - Mimi & Papa Snowden, Lolli & Pops Wills, the whole Brunson crew, Mimi and Papaw Wills, Annette Wills, Angel Wills, Trista Wills, Don & Brenda Wills, Cody & Apryle. Our friends - Kristina & Jack Sheaffer, Ashley Hamilton.

What an experience...can't wait to spend the days with my amazing husband and beautiful daughter.

Beautiful Girl

Today is the 3rd day of Baby Ramona. I have really had a hard time getting a picture of her during those fleeting moments when she has her eyes open. Finally this morning I was able to capture this gem:

Childbirth

The whole child birth experience was great. I was so fortunate to have an easy delivery and no pain really. I was really scared going into the hospital not knowing what to expect but knowing that this was it after 40 weeks of build up. For those of you who don't know, I'm terrified of needles. I cried when they placed the IV. Nick held my hand and tried to calm me down. I was told I could have an epidural as soon as I wanted it. After the first contraction, I requested it. There was really no reason for me not to since it was inevitable and there's no point in having pain when I don't have to. The numbing part of the epidural was the worst. All in all things were not as big of a deal as I expected. At 3:30 I began pushing and Ramona arrived at 4:12. It would have been sooner, but we had to wait for Dr. Robbins to show up.

When Dr. Robbins held Ramona out, everyone in the room dropped their jaw. (And by everyone I mean everyone - 3 NICU nurses, Dr. Robbins and the 2 nurses helping her, Nick, my mom, his mom, and my sister Alicia) Not only was she probably the cutest baby they'd ever seen :) but no one expected to see such a big baby! She was 8 lbs 8 oz and completely beautiful. Since she had meconium in utero, the NICU had to clean and suction her up immediately. I didn't get to hold her for what seemed like forever but was probably somewhere around 20 minutes. I was glad they didn't take her out of the room, so I was still able to see her. It is amazing to finally have her here and in my arms. I didn't want to give her back to the nurses for her bath!

I am finding out the downside of childbirth and that's the recovery. Since there is no longer that amazing thing referred to as an epidural, I am in lots of pain. It's difficult to get up and down and well just around even just pulling myself up in bed. I am walking like an old women. However I can say it is totally worth it a million times over.

Ramona has blue eyes (for now) and a full head of dark hair which come as a surprise to both of us. We can't even put into words how much we love this precious little girl.

Ramona Pics

I will give more of an update later, but for now, here are some pics from the last couple of days.

The Labor Part

It's that time! We arrived at the hospital at 7 am for me to be induced. I got my IV (so not fun). I opted for the epidural pretty much after the 1st contraction with the meds. I figured I might as well do it immediately since they'd let me. The numbing part of the epidural was awful. I squirmed despite my best efforts. The rest wasn't too terrible definitely worth it thus far. Nick has been video taping on and off since our departure from the house. He wasn't feeling that great this morning due to allergies. He's feeling better now and anticipating Ramona's grand entrance!

Lolli and Mimi arrived shortly after the epidural around 9:00 anxiously awaiting the arrival of their sweet granddaughter Ramona. Lolli's first grandchild and Mimi's third.

I'm keeping myself busy with conversation, facebook, and of course the blog!

40 Weeks

I made it all the way to her due date. I'm a bit surprised, but glad that she's cooperated with the remodel timeline. We have a date set to induce Tuesday the 6th. I am super nervous but ready to meet Ramona! I am going to go to work on Monday because I think I might just drive myself into a manic frenzy if I don't!

Last Doctor's Visit

I went to my last doctor's appointment today. There has been no physical change since the first initial shock a couple of weeks ago. I haven't gained any weight either. I will be under my 30 pound goal! Awesome. I went ahead and schedule to be induced on Tuesday. I would really like for her to arrive this weekend but at least I know there's a definite end in sight. It won't be long until I get to hold our precious baby girl in my arms! We are going to be working on the house all weekend. Let's hope we get semi-settled before she arrives. We still need the trim to be installed which will make such a huge difference and the floors will really look amazing! Amazing how everything is coming together. God is so great and has worked everything out.