Babysitting & Photography Session

How lucky are we that when we drop Vienna off at Gramps and Nini's we come back to getting full photo printouts of our baby girl. We know that as soon as we leave, Gramps gets the camera out. See the beautiful pictures he took on Sunday below. We love you Gramps!

Lake Travis Vacation

This is a little out of sequence since we took the trip to Austin before Mother's Day, but I still wanted to post a few photos. A couple weeks ago we decided to rent a little cabin on Lake Travis for a mini vacation. I hadn't spent time away from our house in a very long time (the hospital stay doesn't count!). We packed up Vienna and Stella and drove four hours south. We were a little nervous about how Vienna would handle the car ride, especially since she had her two month shots the day before. She actually was really good and slept almost all the way there.

The cabin sat at the top of a steep cliff with a view of the lake. By the time we got to the cabin it was already dark outside and we weren't familiar with the surroundings which made us a little nervous about Stella taking off to find the water nearby. We had no doubt she could smell it and would want to get in it asap for a dip. Stella was very well behaved and stayed near us on the patio. The next morning we walked her down to a boat launch area so she could swim.

We spent the day exploring the area. Chad took us to a state park he used to go to when he was in college. The park sits on Lake Travis as well so we were once again able to let Stella swim to her hearts content. We now joke that the trip was actually Stella's trip. We think she had the most fun of all of us! Chad took us to one area of the park known for it's high cliffs. Although not recommended by the park rangers, people often engage in cliff diving. Chad did as well when he was in college, and after seeing the cliffs, I think he was crazy! We headed home and grilled out and just relaxed on the patio.

After spending two nights in the cabin, we decided to head into Austin for lunch at Trudy's and then head home. It was a great little getaway, I look forward to our next trip. Vienna was relatively easy to travel with and actually slept quite a bit. We're thinking about camping in the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to tent camp with a newborn, we may end up renting another little cabin. Stay tuned.....

She loves her carseat

Vienna loves her carseat and I just had to post this photo! She is pretty darn cute!

Mother's Day

We had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. Juliet was in town visiting for the weekend from Los Angeles. She was so happy to meet Vienna and spend some time at the house just hanging out. Sunday we had brunch with Juliet, Nini and Gramps at Agave, a new restaurant in our area with amazing mexican food. It was my very first Mother's Day and so nice to be surrounded by my loved ones. Chad planted some beautiful Tiger Lilies for me. Here are a few photos from Sunday.

Just a few favorite photos from Gramps

One long night

Saturday night was our first experience with a very upset little baby. Vienna spent most of the day wide awake, never took any of her usual catnaps. She was very fussy in the evening until we finally got her to sleep around midnight. Then at 3:30 in the morning she woke up crying. I tried the usual, changing her, feeding her, rocking in the glider, walking around the house patting her butt, putting her in the stroller and wheeling her around the house, swaying from side to side, bouncing up and down, nothing was working. As her cries turned into screams I knew we were in trouble. Chad somehow managed to sleep through this, unless he was pretending. I walked over to him, sat her on his chest and said, time to get up, we need to go for a ride. He got up in a stupor, and within minutes we were out the door with the baby and Stella. As we drove away Vienna started to doze off. She was alseep in minutes but we didn't want to chance it and decided to take our time and drive a little further. We stopped at 7-11 for a cold drink and proceeded on. Finally when we got home around 4:30 am, we all headed back into the house. We left Vienna in her carseat sleeping, parked in the stroller at the foot of the bed. The next day mommy and daddy were a little tired, to say the least. In the afternoon when we were waiting for Nini and Gramps to come over, I found Chad and Vienna snoozing in the glider. I just love this photo! I just hope we never have a night like that again, or not for awhile at least. Who knows what our neighbors will think of us leaving at all hours of the night!

7-1/2 Weeks

Today marks seven and a half weeks since Vienna's birth. My how time flies! It's been awhile since my last blog entry. I think I just needed a break. It was that, or the fact that every time I try to update this site, Vienna wakes up or needs me, it never fails. Hopefully I can get this posted today!

Vienna is changing daily. As expected, our first couple of weeks were challenging, specifically adjusting to our new sleep schedule, or lack thereof. Of course she's not yet sleeping through the night, that will take some time. She is however sleeping a little longer each night. I usually get up once or twice a night to feed her. Lucky for me, most times she falls right back asleep as do I. I've come to realize Chad requires much more sleep, or uninterrupted sleep than I do. Maybe it was the sleepless nights during pregnancy that prepared me ;)

We have been lucky to have many visitors in the past few weeks including uncle Clay and Hayley from Los Angeles, Nicole from Minnesota, and lots of friends and family here in Texas. Juliet will be visiting in a couple of weeks, also from Los Angeles. We feel constantly blessed to have Nini and Gramps living nearby. They have been able to see Vienna several days a week and share in our excitement to see her everchanging personality.

Vienna has started smiling from time to time. Who would have known a little smile, even if it's quick, could make me so happy. I can't wait until she's laughing and making more sounds. Recently she's had some new screams, some happy, some not so happy. Of course I prefer the happy ones :) Vienna is getting stronger everyday, I don't think it will be too long until she's holding her head up on her own. Chad plays "tummy time" with her almost everyday on her playmat. Between the playmat, the playpen, the boppy chair and the new Graco swing, our living room is starting to look like BabiesRUs!!!

Unfortunately it would take me forever to sum up the last 7 weeks in one blog post, I'll do my best to post more often, even if it's just photos. Vienna is waking up, I have to run!

Close Ups

Per recent requests, here are a few more photos, including some close ups of Vienna.

Chad drying Vienna off after her first bath:



Vienna sticking her tongue out:

Vienna catching flies, ewwww:

Just after a long feeding:

Bringing Baby Home

We were finally able to bring our little girl home from the hospital on Wednesday, March 4th. One of our favorite nurses, Patricia, brought me and Vienna out to the car to meet Chad. How is it that we seemed to be surrounded by every fast/crazy driver in Dallas all the way home? We were so happy to pull into our driveway.

Nini decided to take a 1/2 day off work and come over to help us out. She picked up lunch and then sat with Vienna in the nursery for awhile so Chad and I could eat and get settled in. Gramps came over and they left to do a little grocery shopping for us. We're so blessed to have them so close by to help out. Vienna is already wondering when they'll be back.

Last night we had some much needed family alone time, it was nice not having a nurse come in every 15-30 minutes. We all slept much better. Vienna had us up only twice last night for feedings. She's doing really well so far. She doesn't do much more than eat, sleep and poop. There are only a few times during the day that her eyes are actually open. As soon as she eats, she's out cold. I am too for that matter. I didn't realize how much energy the feedings can take out of the mom as well.

Today has been a great day. Vienna is starting to get more comfortable with feedings and diaper changes. She had her very first bath. I'm still struggling with moving around, getting up and down, so Chad had to be the one to sit near the tub and bathe her. She didn't cry near as much as we thought she would.

We're taking our new life together day by day, and look forward to the new experiences and challenges. Speaking of, tomorrow Stella comes home. We've missed her so much and can't wait to spend some time with her. We can't wait for her to meet her little sister.

Hospital Visitors

We were so lucky to have so many nice visitors while we were in the hospital as well as phone calls from our out of town friends and family. We were admitted to the hospital very early Saturday morning and within hours Susan and Gary (Nini and Gramps) were there ready for a long day awaiting baby Vienna's arrival. Uncle Bob and Aunt Beth joined them in the waiting room. They were all very excited as I started labor. As we mentioned earlier, plans changed and I had to get prepped for a C-Section. Chad went into the waiting room to deliver the news. From what I heard later on from Chad, Nini and Gramps started to get very worried. Luckily Uncle Bob just so happens to be an obgyn and was able to explain in greater the situation as well as calm some concerns. After the delivery, everyone took turns coming into see us, including Chad's cousin Mike and his daughter Julie Ann.

Nini, Gramps, Chad and Vienna:

Over the next couple of days Nini and Gramps were our biggest supporters and were at the hospital almost every day. Jason and Jana, our friends who are so generously babysitting Stella right now, stopped by. Garrett and Sandy also came by after work one day. Kenny came by with Gary one day to help install the car seat base in my car. The car seat has to be 100% ready to go in the proper position or the hospital is not allowed to let you leave. Bob and Beth came by another day and enjoyed holding the baby as much as they could. Tami, Mike and Julie Anne also came by one evening. Of course when it was Julie Anne's turn to hold the baby, she got fussy. Julie Anne, please come out to the house and give it another shot. We'd love to have you visit. No event would be complete without a visit from the Christies. Paula, Shea and Paige came by and took the baby off my hands for awhile. I think Vienna was in one of her calmest moods when Paula held her, she's a natural when it comes to motherhood and especially grandmotherhood.

Garrett, Sandy, Chad, Pam & Vienna:

Jana and Vienna:

I was overwhelmed with how generous everyone was and just how many phone calls we received as well as emails and facebook entries. It will take me awhile to get caught up responding to everyone. One day I'll go through Vienna's baby book with her and explain just how wonderful you all are! Thank you so much for all of your well wishes, love and support.

Our Early Arrival

As many of you have already heard, our baby girl arrived early this weekend! As of our last doctor's appointment we were still on target for delivering March 17th, but sure enough, just after midnight Friday night, my water broke. I was getting ready for bed, Chad was watching tv in the livng room. When it happened I wasn't entirely sure that it was what it was. I told Chad that I thought my water broke. He quickly jumped to his feet. We called the hospital and described our situation. The nurse advised us to "come on in".

At this point I was not yet having contractions. The hospital told me to go ahead and take my time finishing packing my bags. Chad and I wandered around the house trying to comprehend what was really happening. I am just like my mom in that when I know I'm going to be gone for a few days, I prefer to leave the house clean, dishes washed, laundry done, things put away. So there I was 37 weeks pregnant, water broken, unloading and loading the washer and dryer. Chad must have thought I was crazy, but I just kept thinking I wanted to bring our baby girl to a warm, clean, inviting home. At one point Chad was standing in the bathroom with his hand on his head. He looked at me and said, "I'm not ready for this." I too felt the same way, it was all happening so fast. We called Susan and Gary to tell them our news and asked them if we could drop Stella off to spend the night with them until our friends could pick her up the next day. We finished packing our hospital bags and headed out the door.

We arrived at the hospital around 2:00 am Saturday morning. Because it was so late, the hospital was very quiet. They were able to get me into my delivery room immediately. At this point I was still awaiting contractions. The nurse checked me and I was only 1 cm dialated. Chad and I were so tired but too excited to sleep. We turned the lights down and tried to relax. Once the contractions started, sleep became next to impossible. The nurse told me at that point I could go ahead and get my epidural whenever I wanted it. The contractions weren't that bad at that point so I just pushed through them. However, as soon as they grew stronger, I decided if I was going to have an epidural anyway, I might as well get it earlier than later and give myself a chance to sleep. The epidural was very scary to me. The doctor came in and walked me through the process. Chad had to leave the room. I can't say it really hurt, but I was shaking and very nervous. I've never been admitted to a hospital before so I really am a bit of a baby when it comes to anything hospital related. Overall the epidural went very smoothly. Chad and I then were able to fall into a deep sleep for a couple hours. The nurse came in and I was 4-5 cm dialated. It didn't take long until I was already at 6-7. In the meantime Susan and Gary arrived and sat with us as we patiently awaited for me to progress. At some point later that afternoon I was finally ready to start pushing. The nurse seemed very optimistic and encouraged us as we pushed through the first hour. She really thought it would only be another hour at the most. That second hour seemed to drag on and I really didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. Finally the doctor came in. He determined almost immediately that the baby was most likely going to need to be delivered via C-Section.

I can honestly say that I never, in a million years, would have thought I'd need a C-Section. I had it in my head that they were for at-risk babies or for women who were too small to deliver a big baby. It just so happened our girl was posterior when she should have been anterior, she was in fact a "big" baby and apparently I have a small pelvis. Those things combined would make it very difficult, if even possible to deliver vaginally. So there we were, making the decision to have a C-Section. I had tears streaming down my face. This was not part of my plan. Before I knew it I was being given more drugs and Chad was stepping into his scrubs. They wheeled me to the OR, where there were a ton of people. All I could see was the blue sheet in front of me. I was so out of it and nervous that I was starting to feel nauseous. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Finally they brought Chad in and started the procedure. I slept through most of it. I came to when they announced we had a baby girl and I could hear her crying. Again, the crocodile tears started flowing. Finally they brought the baby to me. It was nothing short of amazing.

We were then brought back to our orignial delivery room where we got to spend some time with the baby before she needed to go off to the nursery for her first bath. We moved to our private room and got some much needed rest. The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. We will be at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital for the next couple of days and will post more photos and info soon. I'm off to take a nap now.

Here are the baby's stats:

Name: Vienna Marie Blockley

Date Born: February 28th, 2009

Time Born: 4:06 pm

Weight: 8 pounds, 8 ounces

Length: 20 inches

On our way to the operating room............

37 Weeks - Day at the Lake

Yesterday marked 37 weeks along for Baby Blockley. We saw our doctor on Monday and he confirmed she is in the right position and moving downward. I'm already a whole centimeter dialated, only 9 to go! The doctor said we're still on target for a March 17th delivery. He's pretty sure she won't be late, in fact, she very well could be early. I'm all for early! This last week has come with a new challenge, sleep insomnia. I think it's a combination of being uncomfortable and having so much on my mind. Of course this means Chad has been affected as well. Maybe this is preparing us for what's to come. However, everyone keeps telling us to sleep as much as possible now, easier said than done. I've resorted to nightly baths and reading a fun "non-baby" book to relax me before bedtime. I think the baths and aromatherapy bubble bath really are helping. We're now in "waiting" mode.

Since the weather has been so beautiful here we decided to pass some time and take Stella to the lake. She absolutely LOVES it and we want to try to do as much with her as possible before the baby comes. I'm guessing we'll go back again today or tomorrow. All we have to say is the magic words "go swimming" and she is waiting at the front door, ball in mouth. We're all trying to enjoy the calm before the storm ;).

Dallas Baby Shower - Our Last Hurrah

We had our last baby shower on Saturday in Dallas. Our dear friends Jana and Jason hosted the shower at Primo's Restaurant on McKinney, directly across the street from where Chad and I first lived when we moved to Dallas. Seeing as my due date is still set for St. Patrick's Day, the shower had a St. Patty's Day theme.

This shower was for guys and gals. Who says baby showers are only for women? Chad is just as much a part of this as I am. It was very low key and gave us a chance to simply catch up with friends. We played one game which involved our guests guessing just how round I am by cutting off a piece of measuring tape that they thought would wrap around me. Then each guest took a turn and measured their guess on me. Almost everyone guessed WAY too big. Our winner was Jana, our host. Is it fair for the hostess to win the only shower game??? We thought so, way to go Jana!

And the winner.........

After the game, some appetizers and cake, we moved onto gifts. Our friends are all so generous and really have the BEST taste. Chad's reps gave us our Diaper Genie and a huge box of over 200 diapers, exactly what we need! Carol gave us a Fisher Price playmat and a beautiful photography book called Hollywood Dads. This was one of Chad's favorite gifts. We also received some bath toys, beautiful soft stuffed animals, some trendy onesies courtesy of Mari, a Leapfrog Learn and Groove toy from Kenny and Leslie, a Woobee water resistant blanket - the latest rage from Sandy and Garrett, an adorable flower bath wrap towel from Debbie - sure to be seen in a future baby photo, as well as many many other much needed items including our diaper changing pad and cover. No shower would be complete without a Baby on Board yellow car window sign - you think of everythign Mari. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends. I saved one gift for last, which was a diaper bag from me to Chad filled with all sorts of goodies. I thought it would be fun to have a sort of gag gift for him to open, so after reading aloud a little message from me, he preceded to pull out items from the gift bag. He started with the basics - baby bottle, diapers, baby wipes, pacifiers, and moved on to the necessary diaper changing tools - rubber gloves, a face mask, goggles, tongs, hand sanitizer, etc. I also included a can of Red Bull and some Excederin to keep Chad going - all in good fun of course.

All in all it was a great shower. It was our last hurrah before the baby comes. Thank you Jana and Jason for hosting this very special day for us!