First Family Walk!

Casey goes for a dip in the Red River
Sophia modeling!
Sophia in her car seat, ready for a family walk (the carseat snaps into a stroller)
The stroller
Travis with Casey, Charlie and Sophia by the Red River
Me with the kids!

Today we had our first family walk! We walked a little over 20 blocks to the bike path along the Red River. I was surprised by how fun and easy it was...Travis handled both dogs with no problem and I had the stroller, which turned out to be quite a smooth ride for little Sophia! There's a little window in her canopy so I could see her chilling out in her little "pod" (we covered her stroller with a blanket to keep out the wind). She had her eyes open and was just kind of hanging out quietly through the whole walk! It was a beautiful day and it was so fun to be out together as a family--and the dogs were grateful for some attention and canine fun-time! Also, yesterday Sophia went to her first wedding. Again, she was a perfect angel through the whole thing--no crying even when she needed her diaper changed and some nursing (which we did in a back room). She was passed around and held and ogled over by lots of people, and she pretty much slept through the whole thing! The wedding was beautiful and lots of fun...I'm so glad we went! For one thing we are gaining confidence in our ability to resume normal lives, with Sophia included. I don't know how long her good behavior will last, but for now Travis and I feel really blessed and we are completely enjoying her and our first 5 days as parents. :)

A little bit about Sophia

Hi everyone! Sophia Joy is sleeping quietly next to me, so I think I might be able to get through a little post right now! She isn't difficult at all...all she does is sleep, eat, and poop and pee. She doesn't cry very much...when she's hungry she'll start making cute little noises and licking her lips, which is enough to wake me out of a dead sleep at 3am (miracle, I know!). She cries when she poops her diaper, but as soon as we lay her on the changing table she quiets down. It's so amazing to me that we're already starting to understand her...the day that I brought her home was so scary, and I worried that I would never be able to soothe her because she was so unfamiliar!
Sophia was born at 6:46am on Tuesday the 8th. She weighed just 6lbs, 2oz! She was 18" long and came out with her eyes open and screaming! My water actually broke on the 4th of July, but it was a really slow leak and so I chalked it up to peeing my pants. Finally, on the 7th, I thought that maybe we should check with the hospital, just to be safe. I called and told them that I wasn't sure if I was leaking amniotic fluid or not, and they told me that it was probably nothing, but that I should come in to get checked out, just to be safe.
Travis and I got to the hospital at 7pm on Monday night and they checked me out, and told me that my water was broken! Since it had been broken for a few days they said I needed to be induced, because of the risk of infection. I was so stunned! I did not feel like having a baby, and was disappointed that I would have to be induced. Travis and I skipped and hopped and power-walked circles around the birthing center until midnight, trying to get my labor revved up naturally, but to no avail. At midnight they induced me and I labored for about 6 hours. I didn't have any pain killers, and the contractions were definitely very intense. I spent my whole labor in the jacuzzi tub! To be honest, I couldn't even get out. Every time I tried I would have a contraction and would slip back into the water! Not that a tub is a bad place to labor.
I started pushing right around 6am. It was so amazing to feel the pressure of her head right away, and everyone kept exclaiming over how much hair she had! Travis was in tears and encouraging me the whole time, and I really latched onto the strength of his love during pushing. Pushing was hard work, and I'm glad it lasted for a little under an hour!
Birthing Sophia was the least painful and most wonderful part...she just slipped out and they put her up on my chest and I felt so overwhelmed. I expected that I would cry, but I didn't...it just felt so surreal!
We spent that whole day in the hospital and had visitors from 9am to almost 9pm, which sounds intense, but I was so happy to see everybody and didn't even feel tired! That first night was really scary because Sophia wouldn't stop crying. Finally at 3am I had to ask a nurse to take her for an hour so that I could take a nap...I hadn't slept in about 40 hours at that point and giving birth is rather taxing! After they brought Sophia back things got a lot better, and she moved out of her crying phase.
We left the hospital on Wednesday at about noon (so, we checked in on Mon at 7pm, gave birth on Tues at 6:46am, and left on Wednesday!). It felt great to get home, and we've spent our time since then just holding Sophia and taking naps, watching movies, organizing the nursery, getting some work done around the house, hanging out with family, and we went to Pier 1 with her yesterday! Her first outing! :) She was great, but doesn't like being strapped into the carseat.
So, there's the run-down! I should go take a shower while she's still sleeping...we're going to a wedding today! So, that also means that Sophia's getting her first bath today...yikes! Haha. We'll pull through.
Some amazing things about her? How tiny and beautiful she is (Travis keeps saying that it's so hard to objectively ascertain whether or not she truly is the most beautiful baby he's ever seen!), the amount of poop something so small can generate, the way nursing her feels, how heartbreakingly adorable all her little noises and faces are, and how intensely we love her already. She is a miracle, and there is no better middle name for our little Sophia Joy.

Pictures of Sophia Joy

Last pregnancy pictures! Note that I'm "pole dancing" with my IV pole. :) (I was getting antibiotics through the IV)

More Pics...

One of our first visitors in the hospital! Jason Tinker

Travis reading a psychology book to Sophia

Sophia in the warmer

More Pics...

My supervisor, Jodi, with Sophia

A co-worker, Aida, with Sophia

A coworker, Paul, with Sophia (notice how he holds her like a football!)

Family pics!

Family photo! Me, Travis, Grandpa Ralph, Great Grandma Mary and Sophia!

Generation Photo...Sophia with her mommy, grandma, and great-grandma

Sophia with Grandma Carmen

Sophia with Sureshi (whose wedding we're going to today!)

Pictures at home

Cousin Magdalene, Aunt Lindsey, Cousins Jaylin and Gabriella

Jaylin holding her newest cousin
Cousins Magdalene and Gabriella

Sophia with Mommy and Daddy!

Welcome to the world, Sophia Joy!

Well, somebody's crying so I don't really have time for a good post, but here she is! I'll put up more pictures and write more later. Here's a little taste of our baby love!

Rosie the Third Doggie

Casey spooning Rosie
Casey lays a protective (gigantic) paw on her
Charlie and Rosie cuddling in Charlie's Bed

We recently added--and lost--a new doggie addition to our family. Rosie was an adorable little miniature dachsund that her owners no longer wanted, and weren't very nice to. Travis offered to adopt her (she belonged to some truckers that Travis met at work) and we agreed to give Rosie a shot. She is ADORABLE--the closest thing to a "frou-frou" dog we'll ever have!--and is really sweet. She and Charlie got along a little too well (they were trying very hard to make babies, even though Charlie is neutered) and she and Casey grew to love each other. It was so funny watching her and Casey try to play together! He would roll her over and over with his big nose.

My supervisor, Jodi, has been looking for a companion for her mini doxie, Daisey. When she heard about Rosie she eagerly offered to take her in. Travis and I decided that, with a baby on the way, it would probably be best to accept Jodi's offer. Plus, what's most important is that Rosie have a good home with a family that will be nice to her and love her, and I know Jodi's family will! Travis and I also realized that 3 dogs is not very good for us...it was difficult to walk all of them, and it was hard to divide our attention equally. It wasn't fair to Casey and Charlie, and it would have been selfish of us to keep Rosie when there was another family that was so willing to provide a wonderful home for her. So, last night Daisey came over to meet Rosie (they were like 2 lost sisters, they loved each other so much!) and Jodi and her family took Rosie home. I know that Jodi's son, Darien, is going to be a good friend for Rosie-Posie! I was a little disturbed that Rosie took to her new family and dog sister so easily and happily...but, I guess that's a good sign! Hopefully she is finally, really home for good.

So, that's the story of our almost new addition to the family!