A December To Remember

Susannah is changing so much!  Her little cheeks are filling out, her little belly isn't so little, she's grown at least 2 inches since birth, and she's so expressive!  I've noticed the last few nights that when I put her back to bed after our 3AM-ish feeding, she "talks" in her sleep for a while before drifting off to the deep sleep - it is so stinkin cute.  Even at 4:00 in the morning, I love listening to her little noises.

She really has the best expressions ever!

In my last post, I forgot to mention that Susie had her first babysitter earlier this month!  Pete wanted to take me out to eat for my birthday, so our dear friend and neighbor Angie hung out with Susannah for a couple hours while we went to dinner.  It is a blessing to have someone we can trust nearby to watch our girl from time to time, even though we're not quite at the point yet of "just needing a break."  I'm sure those days will come eventually, so I'm very thankful for Angie.

One of Susannah's favorite spots

Figgy came in town the week before Christmas, which has been so much fun!  Susannah loved all the songs Figgy sang to her and all the time they got to spend together.  Just like when my mom stayed with us for a while, it was SO NICE to have an extra set of hands to help with daily tasks -- things like vacuuming and other super fun chores don't exactly make it to the top of my list when I have this adorable baby to stare at all day.  It was also really nice having someone to hang out with during the day while Pete was at work who can actually talk back to me!

Girl time

We enjoyed our first Christmas as a family of 3 in Harrisonburg with Pete's family.  Harrisonburg is a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house, so this was going to be our first long-ish trip with a baby in a carseat.  Susannah has always done pretty well in the car for short trips here and there, so we were optimistic.  Suffice it to say, Susannah prefers to NOT be in a carseat for over, say, an hour.

Oh gosh...

It was a long 4 hours!  (30 minutes added because we had to stop TWENTY MINUTES out of Harrisonburg so I could nurse the poor, inconsolable baby.)  Hopefully she'll eventually be okay with the carseat for longer trips, or I'm not going anywhere without Pete to drive so I can down some wine before leaving...

We had a great time once we got to Harrisonburg, seeing family and eating good food.  Susannah's Gilbert cousins - Charis, Hannah, and Bethany - adore her, and I know they'll be fast friends once she's old enough to play.  Unfortunately, the Gilbert girls had colds, so I didn't get any pics of them together, but I know there will be plenty of opportunities for that in the future!

Snuggling with Figgy

Christmas dinner.  Brae, Uncle Steve, and Ben

She was so excited about Christmas, she fell asleep being carried like this

This baby LOVES getting her diaper changed!  In all seriousness, she is the happiest on her changing table (or changing mat, as pictured).

Snuggling with my sleeping babies

Hannah and Charis are excited about Christmas!

So Many New Faces!

And so many new sounds!  I swear, Susannah is changing literally everyday.  She is 5 weeks old today, and it is truly hard to believe we've had her for that long -- while at the same time, it is truly hard to believe that we haven't always had her.  I'm beginning to forget what life was like without that little nugget!  I do have one fond, though quite vague, memory of what a full-night's sleep felt like...it seems so long ago...  But, oh, the privilege of being the only one the Lord made able to provide nourishment for our sweet girl!  I am so happy to spend those moments in the wee hours of the night nursing her, looking at her, loving her, and praying for her.  Seriously, what a privilege.

Here are a few of her adorable faces:

I could just eat her up.  Couldn't you?  She's making lots of fun little noises now, too, which provide even more endless entertainment for Pete and me.  She's also figuring out how many decibels her cry can reach.  It's quite impressive.

Susannah is over 9 pounds now!  We had her one-month checkup last week, and what we suspected was yet again confirmed: she is one amazing baby!  Her head circumference has also increased since her 2-week checkup, putting her now in the NINETY-FIFTH percentile for that measurement... just another piece of tangible evidence that she is her father's daughter.  She also impressed everyone with how totally awesome and super chilled out she is while there:

I may have fed her in the parking lot before entering the office to induce a milk coma to make sure she kept her cool, but we can just keep that between us.  I also chose to not worry her with the details of what was going to happen during this appointment: a SHOT.  To be specific, the Hepatitis B shot.  If I could have captured that baby's face when the needle went in, we'd all be crying right now.  Though I didn't snap a pic at the time of the prick, I had to document the sweet bandaid they gave her:

BARBIE!  It may not have made her feel better since she hasn't been introduced to Barbie yet nor can she read, but it made her mommy feel better (a little, anyway).  She really only cried for about 10 seconds, so it wasn't too awful; but it seriously warms my heart that the second I picked her up off the table, she calmed down.  That made me want to cry more than the shot did.  I love that just holding that girl comforts her.  I hope that effect never subsides.  

A Week of Introductions

Susannah was introduced to several fun and very important things this past week. First of all, her Aunt KK and Uncle Bear (Katie and Brian) came all the way from Denver to meet her, which was so much fun!

Best of friends

Pals

Aunt KK was able to come for 8 whole days (Uncle Bear came later in the week), which was awesome for both Susannah and me.  Poor Pete had to put up with our twin antics for more days than he ever has before, but he was a good sport and seemed to dismiss our weird ways relatively easily.  PopPop and SuSu also came in town this week to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.  We had an amazing time hosting the four of them, though we were definitely missing Eric, Lauren, and the boys, as well as our Acker family.

Susannah also experienced her first Iron Bowl! 

Ready to cheer on the Auburn Tigers

And what a game it was!  Our sweet girl didn't last too long, though -- the excitement and anticipation must have been too much for her to handle because she was asleep by the 2nd quarter.  She didn't even wake up when I was literally jumping in the air with her in my arms in jubilation as Auburn won the game with no time left on the clock.  One day, I'm sure, she will know and appreciate the 2013 victory over Alabama...

Passed out on the couch

And in celebration of Auburn's win over Alabama, Susannah got to celebrate around her first bonfire.  It was chilly outside, so I, of course, bundled our girl up in preparation for sub-zero temperature.

"Seriously, Mom?"

Pete's got crazy eyes, I've got tired eyes, and Susannah's fast asleep

Pete and Brian built the bonfire in our backyard, and it turned out great.  It also offered a nice change of scenery for Baby and me, seeing as we pretty much just hang out inside all day now that it's chilly out!

Today, I pulled out the Moby wrap that Brae gave me to try out, and it works pretty well!

Susannah fussed a little bit when Pete and I were figuring out how to get her in there, but as soon as she was settled, that girl CONKED OUT!  Hands-free cuddling was great!  After about 20 minutes of wearing her and her still being fast asleep, I unstrapped that precious bundle and transferred her to her swing, where she continued to sleep for another half hour.  This may very well come in handy for us!  

And lastly, if you don't think Susannah looks like her daddy in the below picture, you're crazy.

Definitely an Acker!

Two Full Weeks and 647 Full Diapers

Our angel baby

Today marks 2 weeks since Susannah was born and 1 week until her due date!  What a whirlwind the past 2 weeks have been.  I couldn't be more thankful that our baby loves to eat, loves to sleep, and REALLY loves to poop.  She thinks it's hilarious - get this - to poop just enough to necessitate a diaper change; wait until the chosen diaper-changer has the soiled diaper off her little bum; then let loose on all the poopy she was holding in to see just how talented said diaper-changer is in catching it all with a clean diaper, wipes, or bare hands (depending on how prepared he/she was going into the changing).  During today's version of this scenario, Susannah successfully pooped in 3 different diapers in less than 3 minutes.  Maybe less than 2.  Yes, we know, she's extremely talented and advanced among the rest.  

I still think back over the events that took place 2 weeks ago on a daily basis, and I realized the other day that I never gave some props where props were due.  The internet gives you all these checklists of things to do in each month of pregnancy, and I didn't do pretty much any of them until about month 8.  So about a week prior to the day we went into labor, I had drawn up a birth plan, written scriptures on notecards, gathered DVDs and other "comfort" objects, and had every intention of talking with Pete about what his role would probably need to look like once it was go-time.  I never did get around to that last one, outside of telling him I would not want him hovering all lovey-dovey over me like the husbands in our childbirth class video.  Looking back, I really don't know what I would have asked Pete to do or not do - I had absolutely no clue what was coming, nor did he.  The Lord granted Pete discernment that day and gave him the exact words to say and the exact things to do at the exact moments that I needed them.  With each contraction, Pete reminded me that it was "one more down."  And during a contraction, he would say, "Just a few more seconds, Sal.  You can do it, just a few more seconds."  And he recited scripture from memory to me because the notecards I wrote previously never made it out of the suitcase.  And he let me grip his arm when necessary.  And held the oxygen mask to my face between pushing.  And told me over and over again how proud he was of me.  And prayed for all 3 of us.

We both knew what my role was for that day: woman who pushes baby out.  But as for Pete's, who would have known beforehand that I needed any of that from him?  I am so thankful that I married a man who prays! And one who is receptive to the Lord's instruction in his life.  Little Susannah's first definition of her heavenly Father is going to come from what she sees in her earthly father, and I do believe it will be a great and wonderful association.

And without further ado, some preciousness:

A short video of the Hiccup Queen.  There is nothing exciting here, just little girl hiccupping, which I find absolutely adorable now that she's no longer afflicted with them in the womb.

And some pics:

It's hard to see, but her hair after a bath is hilarious!  It will not comb down regardless of any adult efforts.  I think we may have some curly locks on our hands.

Daddy snuggling with Baby Girl in the blanket he was wrapped in as a mere babe!

Sunbathing for some Vitamin D and showing off the fact that she, in fact, has a belly button!

Tour de Nursery de Susannah

Well, Mom and I just finished the nursery today, 8 days AFTER Susannah decided to join us.  Better late than never, right?  I am pretty much obsessed with her room - it's just too bad she may never sleep in there if my postpartum emotions don't slow down sometime soon.  (Kidding...kind of.)

The first night we were home from the hospital, Mom asked me, "Where is baby going to sleep tonight?"  I was very confused by this question, and responded matter-of-factly, "In her crib -- that's her room."  Well, once bedtime came, I put little 7 pound Susannah (that was her weight upon leaving the hospital) in that massive crib, walked into my room, crawled into bed, and proceeded to bawl my eyes out to Pete, explaining between sobs that "I j-j-just ca-a-a-an't leave h-h-her in there toni-i-ight..."  We have since attempted naps in the crib, but still no nighttime sleeps.  Mommy just isn't ready for that yet.  She's been sleeping in the awesome swing Aunt Sarah gave us in our room, and we will hopefully upgrade to the crib soon -- maybe by the age of 4...

So here are some pictures of her amazing nursery.  

The first thing you see when you walk in the door, her changing table / dresser

Window treatment, courtesy of the amazing SuSu

Crib skirt, courtesy of the amazing SuSu

The verse in the frame is James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above."

Her little bookshelf -- if you know me at all, you know we will be reading a TON!

Seeing it in real life is much better, so come visit us!  I'll even let you change a diaper or two on that fancy changing table.

The Arrival of Miss Susannah Jane Acker

Introducing for the very first time on Acker Country Living...
Miss Susannah Jane Acker!

What a surprise to have our sweet baby girl join us three weeks before her due date!  She knew what she was doing though, and I am so thankful to have birthed a 7 1/2 pound baby 3 weeks early rather than a 10 1/2 pound baby on her due date.  Gracious.  The following is the story of how everything went down with her arrival, and it gets a little lengthy, seeing as I now have an awesome blog-updating companion (see below) and not a whole lot I'm allowed to do just following a natural labor; so put your reading glasses on before proceeding...

(There are pictures at the end if you'd prefer to pass by the birth story and look at the good stuff!)

Photo cred: the amazing SuSu

On Sunday afternoon last week, after a weekend of things being a little different in my belly than it had been, I told Pete, "I know I've been wrong about almost every prediction I've made with this pregnancy, but I think this girl is going to come this week..."  To which we both laughed and talked vaguely like, "yeah, maybe..." and "that'd be cool..." and "we'll see..."  Who knew just how right on I would be.

Pete was planning on hitting the woods at 4:00am the next morning (Monday), and I was exhausted from your general 3rd trimester lack of sleep; so we both went to bed early that night.  Around 10, my stomach began to feel a little like I had food poisoning, so I got out of bed, thinking that I might be having false-labor contractions.  Just for kicks, I began to time them.  Though they were consistently 4 1/2 minutes apart, I had convinced myself they'd eventually stop because of the varying level of intensity of each one and I'd go back to bed.

After calling my sister-in-law Lauren shortly thereafter to pick her brain on what I should be doing, I jumped in the shower to try to relax and see if these darn false-labor contractions would finally begin to wane.  Upon hearing the shower kick on at the midnight hour, Pete woke up and immediately felt around on the bed for puddles of amniotic fluid, deliriously convinced my water had broken and I was calm enough to get out of bed without shouting expletives.  Once realizing the impossibility of that situation, he came to check on me, and I nonchalantly told him I was just having false-labor contractions and would be back in bed soon -- so he should do the same.  After asking me 25+ questions to confirm said false labor, he headed back to bed, and I headed to the living room to continue timing my false labor, you know, just in case...*

By about 2:15am, the intensity of my not-so-false labor contractions had increased significantly to the point of doubling me over, so I decided to wake up Pete in order to head to the hospital.  When we finally reached our destination at about 3:15, I told the receptionist very honestly that I had no prior knowledge of contractions but was pretty sure I was in labor and had been for about 5 hours, to which she replied, "Oh, well, if you're actually in labor, your contractions now are nothing compared to what they will be..."  Very optimistic, thanks for that.  

We were all under the impression that I would be something like 3 cm dilated or just around the beginning stages of labor since this was my first pregnancy and those labors tend to last 15+ hours.  Upon the nurses' inspection, the one checking me up looked at the other nurse in the room, started dying laughing, and said, "Um, well, you're aboouuut....8-9 cm!"  Excuse me, WHAT?!  

Before we had time to absolutely freak out or get remotely nervous about the fact that we were a centimeter away from birthing a baby, they moved us to the delivery room, hooked me up to an IV, called the OB, and told me to chew on ice and try to breathe.  Suffice it to say, once the OB arrived, it was go-time; I started pushing at 4:15am and precious Susannah was crying in the room with us at 5:02!

I know how seemingly ideal this situation was for a first-time mother, and I can't thank the Lord enough for our labor story.  Now with that said, it was not an "easy" labor, by any means.  In fact, it was by far the most painful thing I've ever experienced.  But my goodness, in the words of my sweet sister-in-law Beth, I "now know what it's like to have my heart on the outside of my body."  I can't even begin to describe the amount of love I feel for our baby girl.  Postpartum emotions aside, my cup is overflowing, and I love every second I've had with her this past week, even the seconds that take place in the wee hours of the morning.

Susannah is a GOOD and PERFECT gift from above (James 1:17), and we cannot wait to introduce her to all of you!

*Please know that I am not an idiot!  I had read page 269 of What to Expect When You're Expecting (false labor vs. real labor) 18 times, and my symptoms fit both categories.  Just wanted to set the record straight!

And now for some pictures...

Meeting her very sweaty mommy for the first time.  She looks huge from this angle!

The enamored Figgy

The proud SuSu

The in-love Daddy and happy Pops

The doting PopPop

This Month!

Who's excited about meeting Miss Susannah Jane Acker THIS MONTH?!  

My goodness, I can't get over the fact that we have officially made it to November...where have the last 8 months gone?  We have three weeks and some change until the due date, so I'm taking advantage of these last few days of justifying the following (all of which were purchased and partially consumed yesterday):

CARBS

CARBS AND SUGAR

CARBS AND MORE SUGAR

SUGAR AND MORE SUGAR!

I also made a lovely broccoli, cabbage, and kale salad, of which I took 3 bites.  So there's that.  Other items we're checking off the list for Baby's arrival are as follows:

Baby swing assembled...check

Thanks, Aunt Sarah!  Now all it needs is one sweet little Susie!

DVDs selected for delivery room contraction distraction...check

The 3 movies I can recite by memory, of course

Deer antlers mounted on mantle...check and check!

Baby Girl's gotta know what's priority around here, man.

I've never had so much fun waiting on and preparing for something in my whole life.  Susannah's big debut will be here before we know it!  Godspeed, little girl!