[flickr video=5485916350]
Then we enjoyed a lovely walk up to John Rock in the Pisgah National Forest with Brie's friend, Jonah.
Brie is sad the hike is over!
Monday, February 28, 2011
fun times with Brie
It was a beautiful weekend. Brie and I went on a lovely walk with Auntie Sara. Afterwards, Brie and Sara had a giggle fest.
[flickr video=5485916350]
Then we enjoyed a lovely walk up to John Rock in the Pisgah National Forest with Brie's friend, Jonah.
Brie is sad the hike is over!
[flickr video=5485916350]
Then we enjoyed a lovely walk up to John Rock in the Pisgah National Forest with Brie's friend, Jonah.
Brie is sad the hike is over!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A beautiful February weekend
We thought we would go check out a new spot since it looked like Mat had a 4-day weekend. At first, we thought Charleston, then we decided to go big and go to Cumberland Island. Then I called to make camping reservations on the island and they only had 2 spots left. (We weren't the only ones with the brilliant idea of going there!) Brie counted as 1 person, so I wasn't able to make the reservation. So we were going to Charleston. Then Mat called and said he was probably going to work all weekend because he might be on call for fire. Anyway, long story short, he worked Friday and then we enjoyed the next 3 days off together. It was beautiful. We went for a walk along a new section of greenway along the French Broad River. Then we grilled out with some friends. Turns out the evenings still get chilly, so Mat grilled and the rest of us hung out inside.
Tristan entertaining herself with Maddy's dog bowl and some hand sanitizer.
Ava and Brie hanging out on the couch.
Walking Brie around our loop. I've been doing it pretty much every day since it's been nice. She takes her morning nap usually.
Blurry picture of the bird walk. It was a chilly morning and we didn't really see too many birds. But fun to get out and see an area we'd never been to before.
Tristan entertaining herself with Maddy's dog bowl and some hand sanitizer.
Ava and Brie hanging out on the couch.
Walking Brie around our loop. I've been doing it pretty much every day since it's been nice. She takes her morning nap usually.
Blurry picture of the bird walk. It was a chilly morning and we didn't really see too many birds. But fun to get out and see an area we'd never been to before.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
4 months old
Brie turned 4 months on Sunday, and we had her 4 month appointment today with her doctor. She's a fantastic talker/coo-er and has very strong legs. She's also a very happy baby right now.
Her stats:
Weight: 14 pounds, 14 ounces - 75th percentile
Height: 25 inches - 75th percentile
Head: 16 inches - 75th percentile
We'll see if she remains this high on the charts way for the duration of her childhood or if at some point she'll mellow out!
Gabriella Lauren Levine's birth story - 10/13/2010
I realized that I haven't written down Brie's birth story anywhere. I thought I'd better get it done soon, otherwise I might not remember it! I am all ready forgetting the pain of labor, which when you are experiencing it, you think you'll never forget!
Anyway, we went to labor classes and watched lots of videos of births, which was fascinating and was worthwhile. Our friends, Erik and Jess were due with their baby 3 weeks before us in the beginning of October and we were due October 21st. They went into labor on Friday, Oct. 8 or Saturday, Oct. 9 and Ava Marie was born about 3 a.m. October 11th at their home. Mat and I were awake in bed when we received the text, because I told Mat that I thought I might be having labor contractions about an hour before.
Turns out that was the case.
We had the weekly appointment with the doctor that Monday afternoon and when we went I was dilated to a 1. I asked if I would be able to go to work on Wednesday and Dr. Lisa said probably not. Monday morning we walked around the neighborhood while having contractions and we did the same thing Tuesday morning. The contractions started getting stronger and Mat's sister, Sara, who was going to be our doula came over around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. or thereabouts.
We went to the hospital about 3:30 or 4 on Tuesday afternoon and checked in. At this point I was dilated to a 6. I had requested a water room and it wasn't available when we showed up, but one looked like it would be available in an hour, so we just labored in the one room for a bit and then moved over to the water room. Which was amazing to be able to have the contractions in the water, it was very relaxing, which might have been to relaxing, because by 9 or 10 that night I had only dilated to an 8. By 1 or 2 a.m., I was exhausted and when I found out I hadn't dilated any more, that I was still at an 8, I requested an epidural as I was exhausted.
When they came in a couple hours later with the epidural and were explaining all the side effects, I was so exhausted that I was surprised that they had me sign the documents to say it was okay, because I was thinking I am not in a coherent state of mind, shouldn't Mat be signing this paperwork?
It was great to have the epidural, so that the 3 of us could rest for a few hours. I do have to say that I would rather not have needed it. Once they put it in, my left leg just felt horrible like a piece of hot red meat (a ham hock, is how I have been describing it, although I don't know how a ham hock feels!)
Around 6 a.m. or so on Wednesday morning I started pushing and Brie was born at 9:26 a.m. Our doctor was amazing, she really helped to have a great labor and Mat and Sara were awesome support. The doctor had the nurse* turn down the epidural medicine so that I would be able to know when to push and feel the contractions, which was great to be able to do that. It took forever for the pushing part because my contractions were never getting really close together. So, she had me push 5 or 6 times during each of the contractions to see if it would help get the baby out. I guess the contractions normally come quicker, like every couple minutes or less and mine were about every 4 to 5 minutes. (So, LOTS of rest time!) Mat was glad that he'd seen a lot of birth videos because according to him, he was staring at the top of the head for so long and it seemed so small that when it popped out and was blue and big, he could see that as being surprising if he hadn't seen the videos. One benefit of a long and slow "pushing" part of labor was that I didn't tear. Sara also said that Dr. Susan also applied counter pressure which helped. Dr. Susan was great at telling me when to push and when not to push to help with that as well. Our healthy baby girl was born at 9:26 a.m. at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long. We named her Gabriella Lauren Levine. Gabriella was a name we both liked and could agree on. Lauren is the feminine version of my dad's middle name, Lorin.
*Turns out this labor nurse knew Mark and Sara. The care at Mission Hospital was phenomenal and invaluable. I appreciated all the nurses and lactation consultants who helped us while we were there. I was very grateful that Mat and I decided to stay the additional night.
Brie, on her birth day with Ava, who is 3 days old and is our friend's Erik and Jess' baby.
Anyway, we went to labor classes and watched lots of videos of births, which was fascinating and was worthwhile. Our friends, Erik and Jess were due with their baby 3 weeks before us in the beginning of October and we were due October 21st. They went into labor on Friday, Oct. 8 or Saturday, Oct. 9 and Ava Marie was born about 3 a.m. October 11th at their home. Mat and I were awake in bed when we received the text, because I told Mat that I thought I might be having labor contractions about an hour before.
Turns out that was the case.
We had the weekly appointment with the doctor that Monday afternoon and when we went I was dilated to a 1. I asked if I would be able to go to work on Wednesday and Dr. Lisa said probably not. Monday morning we walked around the neighborhood while having contractions and we did the same thing Tuesday morning. The contractions started getting stronger and Mat's sister, Sara, who was going to be our doula came over around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. or thereabouts.
We went to the hospital about 3:30 or 4 on Tuesday afternoon and checked in. At this point I was dilated to a 6. I had requested a water room and it wasn't available when we showed up, but one looked like it would be available in an hour, so we just labored in the one room for a bit and then moved over to the water room. Which was amazing to be able to have the contractions in the water, it was very relaxing, which might have been to relaxing, because by 9 or 10 that night I had only dilated to an 8. By 1 or 2 a.m., I was exhausted and when I found out I hadn't dilated any more, that I was still at an 8, I requested an epidural as I was exhausted.
When they came in a couple hours later with the epidural and were explaining all the side effects, I was so exhausted that I was surprised that they had me sign the documents to say it was okay, because I was thinking I am not in a coherent state of mind, shouldn't Mat be signing this paperwork?
It was great to have the epidural, so that the 3 of us could rest for a few hours. I do have to say that I would rather not have needed it. Once they put it in, my left leg just felt horrible like a piece of hot red meat (a ham hock, is how I have been describing it, although I don't know how a ham hock feels!)
Around 6 a.m. or so on Wednesday morning I started pushing and Brie was born at 9:26 a.m. Our doctor was amazing, she really helped to have a great labor and Mat and Sara were awesome support. The doctor had the nurse* turn down the epidural medicine so that I would be able to know when to push and feel the contractions, which was great to be able to do that. It took forever for the pushing part because my contractions were never getting really close together. So, she had me push 5 or 6 times during each of the contractions to see if it would help get the baby out. I guess the contractions normally come quicker, like every couple minutes or less and mine were about every 4 to 5 minutes. (So, LOTS of rest time!) Mat was glad that he'd seen a lot of birth videos because according to him, he was staring at the top of the head for so long and it seemed so small that when it popped out and was blue and big, he could see that as being surprising if he hadn't seen the videos. One benefit of a long and slow "pushing" part of labor was that I didn't tear. Sara also said that Dr. Susan also applied counter pressure which helped. Dr. Susan was great at telling me when to push and when not to push to help with that as well. Our healthy baby girl was born at 9:26 a.m. at 6 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long. We named her Gabriella Lauren Levine. Gabriella was a name we both liked and could agree on. Lauren is the feminine version of my dad's middle name, Lorin.
*Turns out this labor nurse knew Mark and Sara. The care at Mission Hospital was phenomenal and invaluable. I appreciated all the nurses and lactation consultants who helped us while we were there. I was very grateful that Mat and I decided to stay the additional night.
Brie, on her birth day with Ava, who is 3 days old and is our friend's Erik and Jess' baby.
A lovely spring day in February
We have been enjoying the lovely spring weather that is here in the Asheville area the last 4 days. We went for a walk along the Laurel River with some friends the other day and enjoyed the sun.
Even Maddy had a good time!
Even Maddy had a good time!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Diaper Day
Some people have prayer flags coming off their porch. We like to be different and fly diapers.
Mat did a fantastic job of figuring which cloth diapers to use. These ones have been as easy to use as disposables, quite simple to put on and take off, the only difference is instead of throwing them away, we just have to wash them. Now that we've got the routine down, it's quite easy and it's so nice to not be spending $10 every 4-5 days on another package of diaper. Thanks to all our friends and family who came to our diaper party and set us up with a supply of them. We love them!
Brie's found her voice
[flickr video=5439567330]
and she enjoys hearing herself "talk". She just keeps going and actually is beginning to change her volume. I couldn't resist videoing her today after her diaper change. Brie is getting to be so interactive...it's awesome!
and she enjoys hearing herself "talk". She just keeps going and actually is beginning to change her volume. I couldn't resist videoing her today after her diaper change. Brie is getting to be so interactive...it's awesome!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Gratitude
February is going to be about gratitude for me. I've been feeling a little negative for the following reasons:
1) I received some news that affects my ability to get a permanent job with the Park Service and that is out of my control,
2) I watched Food, Inc. which reinforces my desire to avoid food that I don't know where it came from and it makes me depressed when I see people eat large amounts of food that come from "evil" sources (or what I view as evil), and
3) my allergies are out of control - my head is stuffed, my nose runs all the time and I have a sore throat.
* * * * * * *
So, I've got to change my thought process and maybe my eating habits. Okay. Definitely my eating habits. But it's hard. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to eliminate dairy from my diet for 2 weeks to see if that will help relieve my constantly stuffy nose. It was about last year at this time that I went through this same issue and we got a new vacuum, which has helped immensely, but something new has to happen for me because I can't breathe comfortably which means that I don't sleep.
BUT, at least I'm still breathing and I have the opportunity to make a change to try and figure it out.
I read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair many years ago and couldn't eat meat for a LONG time. And then my memory of the book faded. We hardly eat meat now, but after watching "Food, Inc." I find that I am disgusted by the thought of eating meat that I don't know where it came from. I don't want to eat meat that processes sick cows along with healthy cows and then get worried when there is an E. coli outbreak. There are a few farms around here where we can buy their meat at some of the grocery stores, so that is what I'll do when we need to eat meat. We are getting chickens this spring because you really don't know what kind of life the chicken lives unless you see it for yourself...even if it says organic and cage free. We also have a nice empty shed in a backyard that has been screaming "PUT CHICKENS HERE" since we moved in, we've just been ignoring it.
So, I'm grateful that we live somewhere that is going to allow for us to try this experiment and that we have friends who have all ready done it! I'm also grateful that I live somewhere where I can purchase organic food products which means that there are not any GMOs in the food and that I have a big yard in which I can continue to cultivate my gardening skills.
So, enough of my jabbering about what I've been thinking about. Luckily, I have an awesome husband who enjoys to get outside as much as I do and we have a sweet baby girl who doesn't mind spending that time outside in a pack.
We've been waking up crack of dawn early for Mat's job - really, before the crack of dawn, as it is still pitch black - and that is taking some adjusting to. But last week I had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful sunrise right from my living room. I've also been able to practice some yoga before Brie wakes up for the day, which is lovely.
So, my goal is to be mindful and aware of all the many things I have to be grateful for in this month of February!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
rolling over
[flickr video=5410955540]
Brie rolled over today!
She rolled over several times a couple weeks ago when she was wearing disposable diapers. (We were doing a deep clean on her cloth diapers.) Since then she hasn't rolled over. We figured it must have been her big cloth diaper getting in the way. Today she rolled over twice. The second time is documented in the above video.
Brie also maneuvered herself 90 degrees even before the rolling over action. It's been a big morning here!
Brie rolled over today!
She rolled over several times a couple weeks ago when she was wearing disposable diapers. (We were doing a deep clean on her cloth diapers.) Since then she hasn't rolled over. We figured it must have been her big cloth diaper getting in the way. Today she rolled over twice. The second time is documented in the above video.
Brie also maneuvered herself 90 degrees even before the rolling over action. It's been a big morning here!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A playdate
for the babies and dinner for the parents. I couldn't resist taking pictures of the two of them.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Finally...about the same size. Brie no longer is enormous in comparison!"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="holding hands = BFF aka best friends forever, of course"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Brie's thinking "Wow, I'm exhausted from this playdate! I think I'll just suck on my fingers now.""]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Finally...about the same size. Brie no longer is enormous in comparison!"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="holding hands = BFF aka best friends forever, of course"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Brie's thinking "Wow, I'm exhausted from this playdate! I think I'll just suck on my fingers now.""]
[/caption]daddy time
Brie loves her dad...we love her fat rolls, lips, chubby cheeks, adorable blue eyes! We also love all the smiling, cooing and talking she's doing now! She's changed so much since her birth...I can't begin to imagine what she'll be like in another 3 months and beyond!
Enjoying the break in winter weather
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brie enjoying the view in the baby bjorn"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Content in the baby bjorn"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Mt. Pisgah in the distance"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="skunk cabbage peaking through the soil"]
[/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="faded blooms"]
[/caption]
Last week, we enjoyed some lovely days. Think 60 degree with sunshine after having 30-40 degree weather. We spent as much time as possible outside walking around with Brie.
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Content in the baby bjorn"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Mt. Pisgah in the distance"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="skunk cabbage peaking through the soil"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="faded blooms"]
[/caption]Last week, we enjoyed some lovely days. Think 60 degree with sunshine after having 30-40 degree weather. We spent as much time as possible outside walking around with Brie.
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