Worth a Thousand Words

These two are crazy about each other. Enough said.

Our early reader

I am a huge fan of reading, so naturally, I wanted to start reading to Keira at an early age. Throughout the duration of my pregnancy, I began collecting children's books for this purpose, plus, we got several children's books as gifts from friends and family. Here we are reading one of my favorites, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" This was a gift courtesy of Keira's Great-Great Aunt Velma!

Hanging out with Daddy

Discovering that the Moby Wrap is a lifesaver!

And, of course, our beloved Jack, who is tolerating Keira pretty well. :)

Road Trip

I am happy to report we made it through our first road trip with Keira, which was no small feat! We drove from San Diego to Visalia to Davis and back again, in a span of 5 days. During the trip, several people told me that we were brave to make such a trip with her being so young (just shy of 4 weeks old) and me still recovering from my surgery. I'd have to say, "brave" may not be the best adjective; however, "crazy" seems a little more appropriate. :)


Okay, kidding aside, it was a great trip, although after about an hour in, I was ready to turn the car around and go home. Keira had a couple bouts of screaming while in the car seat, mostly due to hunger, so we stopped several times during the trip so she could eat. Otherwise, she actually slept for big chunks of time during the long drive, so the traveling worked out pretty well.


We got to visit many family members and friends both in Visalia and Davis. Keira got to meet her great-grandparents (my paternal grandparents), which was a special treat. In Davis, Gramma Sheila hosted a special open house for friends and family to come by and meet Keira. We were so excited with the number of people who came to meet our precious girl! Keira also had the opportunity to attend her first musical performance! We all had the pleasure of watching Aunt Laura perform in "The Music Man" with the starring role as Marian the Librarian (she did AWESOME!). Keira seemed to enjoy the musical numbers and would let out a little fuss when the stage got quiet between set changes. :)


So, despite all the driving and Keira being shuffled to and fro, we enjoyed our time with family and friends. Once we got home, Keira had her 1-month check-up at the doctor's. She is now 8lbs, 11 oz and 21 3/4 inches long. She is a healthy and growing girl!

Keira and Great-Grandma Horton

Keira and Great-Grandpa Horton

The Girls

Bring on the pink!

Before Keira's arrival, we didn't stock up on many clothing items, since we didn't know if we needed to buy blue or pink. Therefore, all the baby clothes we had to start with were neutral colors--yellow, green, and white--which I thought were super cute at the time, that is, until all the pink clothes have started to trickle in! Since Keira's arrival, we've had several friends and family members give us lots of CUTE girly clothes, which means, of course, lots of PINK! It has been fun to mix up the neutral outfits with some serious girly-girl cuteness!

Here she is at 3 weeks old, sporting her pink ensemble and hanging out with her new dolly, compliments of Gramma Sheila.

Keira' s Birth Story

Most people who know about this blog have already heard the great news that we are the proud parents of a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Keira Elisabeth Wardrip! For those interested in knowing more about her grand entrance into the world, read on (warning: this is a very long post!)...

For the most part, my pregnancy was uncomplicated, except for some issues with high blood pressure. Most likely my elevated blood pressure was due to my anxiety (or should I say extreme fear) of all things medical. My doctor was very cautious about monitoring my blood pressure very closely throughout my pregnancy. At about 25-26 weeks, my bp had spiked, so my doctor required me to stop working and take it easy at home. Initially, this was a shocking change for me and hard to accept; however, it did turn out to be a blessing to be able to rest a lot, eat well, and not have the stresses of work hanging over my head. On the other hand, being home for 3.5 months before Keira's birth made time go by very slowly.

The last trimester of my pregnancy progressed smoothly. At 37 weeks, my doctor checked my cervix and I was about 2.5 cm dilated. She said, "Well, you could go into labor today or in 3 weeks; there's no way to know for sure." At this news, I was super excited and thought for sure my labor would start soon (boy, was I wrong!).

The next 3 weeks came and went without any inkling of labor starting. At each doctor appt, my cervix was still the same as it had been at week 37. By now, I was beginning to get impatient and time literally felt like it was standing still. Eventually, my doctor concluded that she'd let me wait a few days past my due date for labor to start, but if nothing happened that weekend, she wanted to induce my labor the following Monday morning. Basically, her reasoning was that she was still concerned about my bp and didn't want to let me go too far past my due date.

At this point, I was still confident that labor would start on its own (I still had 5 days until the scheduled induction) and I really did not want to have my labor induced. I began taking several long walks each day, hoping this would get things started. Alas, Monday morning, June 15th, arrived and I still had not gone into labor (4 days past my due date). As a result, Noah and I headed to the hospital, with my mom in tow and his mom scheduled to fly in later that afternoon.
I checked into the hospital at 7am and by 8am they had the IV hooked up and were pumping me with pitocin. After a while, I started feeling the contractions and they steadily got worse and worse. I was doing pretty well breathing through the pain, but at a certain point, I got super nauseous from the pain of each contraction. I had reached my breaking point and asked for the epideral. Although I had had high hopes of being able to endure labor without any pain medication, I must say it was a wonderful relief to not have to experience the immense pain of each contraction. This reprieve allowed me to rest and gave Noah and I the opportunity to finalize our baby name choices.

Sometime around 8 or 8:30pm, the doctor checked me and said my cervix was now fully dilated and it was time to start pushing! With the help of the nurse and Noah by my side, I pushed and pushed for about 2.5 hours, unfortunately, to no avail. When the doctor checked me, she said the baby had not moved into the birth canal at all and the baby was positioned sunny-side up and at a diagonal angle. The doctor's solution: c-section.

At this point, I was more scared than anything. Remember my extreme fear of all things medical?...well, my anxiety level went through the roof as they prepped me for surgery and wheeled me into the ominous operating room. I don't remember much about the surgery because they ended up giving me something to help me relax since I was so scared and couldn't stop shaking. When the surgery was all over, I remember being woken up and when I opened my eyes, Noah said we had a baby girl. Someone placed my hand on my chest, and sure enough, there she was, right on top of me. I couldn't believe it!

As the doctors and nurses finished tending to me, Noah escorted our new baby girl to the nursery where she was given the vitamin K and eye ointment, etc. Shortly thereafter, we were all reunited in our room and I was able to begin nursing right away. I don't think I got a wink of sleep that night, not because Keira was keeping me up, but because I was still processing the day's events and trying to grasp the fact that I was now a mom. What a monumental experience!

The rest of our hospital stay was mostly good. At times, it was difficult to tolerate the constant comings and goings of nurses, doctors, and various other hospital staff; however, the overall care I received at the hospital was outstanding. I must say though, it was a glorious day when we were finally able to go home!

So, that basically sums up Keira's birth story. Unfortunately, my labor and delivery did not go at all how I had hoped; however, the end result--our beautiful and healthy baby girl--made every moment worthwhile. The miracle of giving birth and the sheer joy of holding your child in your arms is truly astounding and a very precious gift. I am so thankful for the privilege God has given me to be Keira's mom. To Him be the glory!

Keira Elisabeth Wardrip

Born 6-15-09 at 11:45pm

Weight: 6 lbs, 13 oz; Height: 20.5 inches

Moments after her birth

Mom & Dad in love with their new baby girl

Heading home with our precious cargo

Virginia is for Lovers

At the end of March, Noah and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Virginia for a week's vacation. We basically spent the whole week on a historical tour of the state, becoming much more acquainted with the founding of our nation. It was an interesting, eye-opening, fun-filled week together. Enjoy the pictures below...

Colonial Williamsburg

More reinactments in Colonial Williamsburg

Civil War Museum, hanging out with Honest Abe

Civil War battlefield site

Capital Building at Colonial Williamsburg

A guy on the bus demanded our camera so he could take a picture of us.

Chowning's Tavern where we ate lunch

Courthouse, Colonial Williamsburg

Noah serving his punishment

Serving my punishment (this was not fun despite the smile on my face).

Noah and Captain John Smith at Jamestown

Me-in-Pocahontas at Jamestown

At Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house

Shenandoah Valley

Shenandoah Valley


At Mt. Vernon, George Washington's house

Mama and baby at Mt. Vernon (we saw her give birth to the second baby lamb right before our eyes!).



The sign says it all...

Battlefield at Yorktown

On the lighter side

I saw this written in a pregnancy magazine and got a good laugh out of it. Any woman who has been pregnant will be able to appreciate the humor (and truth!). :)

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CAFE PREGGERS

We always have just what you want, at any stage of pregnancy--from the queasy beginning to those last weeks when the baby has taken up every ounce of spare room in your belly.

FIRST TRIMESTER MENU

Appetizer

Tums compote

Entree

Fresh saltines on a bed of saltines, lightly seasoned with saltines

Beverage

Ginger ale (IV drip available upon request)

Dessert

Ten minutes in a dim room with an ice bag on your head

SECOND TRIMESTER MENU

Appetizer

Half a roast chicken, extra crispy

Entree*

A succulent leg of lamb smothered in pork chops, served with BBQ ribs and garnished with cheesburgers (all burnt beyond recognition for your safety)

Beverage

Toll-house pie smoothie, prepared with 1/2 pint heavy cream

Dessert

9" x 16" pan of double-fudge brownies

THIRD TRIMESTER MENU

(Each course followed by 15-minute neck massage and/or bathroom break)

Appetizer

Three bites of tossed salad

Entree

Two bites of lasagna

Beverage

None--so you'll have room for dessert

Dessert

A Tic-Tac

*Double portions available if you're expecting twins