Riley is the Cutest

My baby is three and a half weeks old. She is growing up but she is still so tiny. :) I adore her.

Well, here's an update on our lives:

Jeff is nearly done with school. He has a just over a week left. He has been so helpful with Riley and he is still handling school. I am always so impressed by all he can juggle. It's amazing! We are sleep-deprived, but happy.Yesterday it hit me how much I like being a mom. Notwithstanding the struggles of having a baby, being a mom is pretty rad.

Riley likes long walks and laying on her changing pad. She calms down almost immediately when we hold her close to our chest. She likes car rides and being outside. She has got some strong little neck muscles and she has rolled from her stomach to her side three times in the last two days (1. Is that considered rolling over? 2. Is it normal for that to happen this early?) Anyway, she is a little champ. 

I finally made a birth announcement today as well, so, you know... Now it's official. :)

I hope you have a great week!

You Are So Loved

 This baby is surrounded by people who love her. It is so lovely to watch her grow. Riley is two and a half weeks old. She is a precious, perfect baby (although she does have some gas pain that comes and goes). She has really blessed our lives and we adore her.

I'm trying to document her life pretty thoroughly. I really want to remember all the details. I am afraid that I will caught up in the lost sleep and parenting learning curve and look down one day and realized I missed the newborn stage. Lately I remind myself of things like today is the smallest Riley will be for the rest of her life or that today is the only day Riley will be 18 days old. That helps. It makes it easier to look past the petty struggles and makes cuddling seem much more important.

Anyway, I really love her. Here are a bunch of pictures. :)  

Little, (blurry,) sleepy smile 

Also, I have to give a shout out to my mother in law, Michelle. She came down to help us after Riley was born. Let me tell you, folks. Her visit was a total game changer. She nailed it. We are so grateful! She cleaned our house, ran errands, helped with Riley in the middle of the night, made us delicious freezer meals, and even helped out with a photo shoot. I don't know how we would have done it alone and I can't emphasize enough how grateful I am for her help! She is an amazing person. We are so lucky and we love her. Riley loves her, too. :)

Well, I hope everyone is having a great week. We sure are. :)

A(nother) Photo Shoot and a One Week Old

 Riley has been with us for one week. She looks just like Jeff. Don't believe me? Ask the 50-some people who said so on Facebook and in text messages.

 That will serve her well because Jeff has some great genetics. :) Anyway, pictures. :) As a random aside worth documenting for us, Riley just lost her umbilical stump. They grow up so fast.

Happy Birthday, Riley Aspen!

Hello, everyone!

Well, guess what. We have a baby! Her name is Riley Aspen and I am so very lucky to be her mama.

I don't think I will include very many details here about the birth story. Instead I will post a bunch of pictures! In a nutshell, my water broke while I was in the bathroom (blessings), I had little contractions through the night, got an epidural the following afternoon, and pushed for 30 minutes. Hats off to Jeff and the nurses who made all my hospital-picture dreams come true.

Our baby is an angel. She was born at 3:44 PM Friday, April 10, 2015. She was 6 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 and 3/4 inches long.

Riley was born the day of the Cadaver Ball (an end-of-the-year medical school celebration). Obviously we were occupied with more pressing matters, but we found out that they announced Jeff as medical student of the year! I guess everyone was like, "They're having a baby!!!" Needless to say, I am very proud of Jeff and all his hard work this year. What a day.

So there you go; we produced a human being and Jeff killed it in medical school this year.

 

Already back in the grind. This is Jeff's preferred way to study now. It's precious.

We love our baby with all our hearts. Welcome, Riley!