The Holidays and Some Firsts

It's been a while since Mom and Dad have posted anything here...  Being that we've had a few holidays and that we've gone through a few milestones with Rose, there's lots to share.

Back in September, we went to our first Hog Roast!  Mom just pointed out that it's a shame we didn't get pictures at the Hog Roast, but at least we got some nice pictures with Grandma Polster.  We got to spend the whole weekend with Rose's cousins Ronan and Kali (Stella was still on the way).

Boy, we thought she had a lot of hair then, but the pictures show otherwise...  We also got to hang out with all our cousins (Hunter, Parker and Aiden) at Grandpa Dave's house on Labor Day.  We've got lots of cousins to play with when we grow up!

Oh, we had an exciting first Halloween!  Mom's favorite holiday.  Mom dressed up like a victorian zombie, while Rose dressed up as a spooky witch!  Mom didn't like the hat that came with Rose's costume, so she decided to make one.  How crafty...

With fall in the air, it was also our first season of Purdue football!  Judging by the look on her face, apparently Rose was not pleased with the coaching this year either.

Over the last month or so, Rose finally started to sit up and eat!  We have so much fun eating carrots, butternut squash, pears, and all other sorts of fun foods.

Around Thanksgiving, we got some nice family photos out in the woods, and Rose got baptized.  She was such a little angel during the actual baptism, but she needed something to keep her occupied during mass.

The month of December came, and Dad finally got a new camera...  Lots and lots more pictures to choose from now, since Dad likes to play with his new toy.  Rose loves the bath...  We just started letting her sit up on her own in the tub.  It's lots of fun!

Yay!  Christmas morning!  Our first Christmas was a fun one...  We spent time with all our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  We got lots of new toys for Rose to play with.  She's well kept.  Rose has a new best friend for life.  Her cousin that she shares a birthday with, Kali.  Kali is more than happy to hang out with 'Sose' and they are already having fun together.

Opening gifts is not as fun yet as it will be someday, but Rose definitely likes playing with all the tissue paper. She actually does like some of the gifts once they're unwrapped, too.  Here's one of her favorites from this year.  The toy remote is a winner.

Shes's a lot of fun!  We're not crawling yet, but all the basics are there...  Tune in soon for mobility (and childproofing)!

Growing up is hard to do...

It's been a busy summer!  Mom and Dad have fixed a few air conditioners, bought a new car and practically remodeled Dad's rental home in Lafayette!  Rose in the meantime has nearly tripled in size...  It's amazing how fast things can change.

As of the date of this post, she now comes in around 13 pounds (by our home scale).  Rose is now 4 months old and is starting to show signs of personality.  One thing she loves, if she's in the mood, is having her feet and legs messed with...  Either tickling or just shaking them, she gets a kick out of it.

But getting here wasn't so easy.  Since the last post, Rose has really gone through a huge change.  Here she is napping away around the time of our last post.  So little!  It's easy to forget just how small she was.

Very lucky for Mom and Dad, Rose loves bath time!  She almost never cries when she's getting a bath, and she usually is actually pretty happy to be there.  And she looks so cute with her little hooded towels afterwards.  With a couple of practical parents that couldn't have cared less about a hood on a towel, it's now a staple when we get a bath.

We had our first big trip this summer when we went to cousin Andy's wedding in Lansing.  We bought a nice new dress for Rose so she could look pretty for everyone.  Of course, all she did at the reception was sleep in her car seat.  She manages to show off her sleeping skills right next to the DJ stand!

Finally, after long months of waiting, Rose started to gain interest in toys!  Her first favorite toy was the O-ball, which she loves to try to stick in her mouth.  Her other favorite toy came from Aunt Allison.  She can't get enough of that little plush doll...

And it all comes back to today...  She's so chubby and cute.  When she's happy, it's as good as it gets.  Here she is meeting Tink, up close and personal.  Poor Tink...  She's got so many years of torment that she never expected.  :)  Once Rose decides it's time to get moving, the rest of the dogs need to watch out!

My First Photo Shoot

Poor Rose...  We took you in for your first official photo shoot when you were just 3 weeks.  At first, you took it in stride, and gave us a few beautiful pictures.  You look so peaceful, even when you're awake.

 You started getting a little sassy after the first outfit change, but still not too bad.  Look at you with your little tongue sticking out!

We still managed some good shots after that though.  Of course we had to feed you and change you and hold your passifier in your mouth until right before the pictures!  Here's one with you tucked into a little pod that your mother crocheted just for you.

We tried getting one in a little hat she made for you, but you just weren't having it anymore.  The solo pictures were OVER!

 There were a few pictures we got to take of your hands and feet...  You could cry all you want!  Look at how little your hand was in ours.  You're 5 weeks now and your hand is already a lot bigger! 

We finished everything off with a few family portraits.  You didn't seem to mind these as much since we got to hold you.  You've always been partial to being held.

Fortunately, you were so worn out from the photo shoot that you slept "like a baby" in your car seat the whole way home.  Mom and Dad even got to eat "out" for the first time since you came along.  Noodles and Co. never tasted so good.  :)

New to the world...

We were blessed with the arrival of our beautiful, healthy baby girl on May 3, 2012 at 11:45 AM.  She was delivered by c-section, and cried the very second she came out.  Both her mother and father agree that it was the most beautiful sound in the world.  The nurses called her "feisty" while they were cleaning her up and checking her out...  We couldn't agree more.  She weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs, 0.1 oz. (yeah, they actually wrote down 0.1 oz.) and measured 19 in long.  Even though she was the size of a 35 week old fetus, everything was well developed and she seemed to be perfectly healthy.  We got to go home on Sunday afternoon, a warm, sunny day.  As we were bringing Rose into the house for the first time, Dad got inspired by the beautiful rose bush in the front that was in full bloom and decided to take the following picture (as corny as it is).

Since then, it has been a whirlwind, as any parent could probably tell you.  Actually, her first few days were false advertisement...  She was a very calm newborn.  She would sleep 4 or 5 hours at a time if you let her.  We literally had to wake her up to feed her.  This has most definitely changed!  She would gladly eat every 30-45 minutes if you let her, and will absolutely not let us go for more than 2 or 3 hours.  Not to mention, it takes probably 2-3 times more to satisfy her...  Oh well.  Both Mom and Dad agree that it's totally worth it.  She's such a beautiful young girl that it's a pleasure to take care of her.  Still, we are looking forward to hearing what she has to say.  :)

-Chris, Candace and Rose

The Journey

Rose,

Just so you know, we found out that you were on the way the evening that we were traveling to Evanston for the Hog Roast.  You were giving your mother a hard time, hard enough that we ended up in the emergency room to make sure you were okay.  We had to go to the doctor again as soon as we got home so they could see if things were normal.  This is what they found...

Yes, that 0.207 cm blip was you.  This made your Mom and Dad feel a lot better about things, but she was still feeling pretty rough.  In the meantime, we already had planned a trip to Baton Rouge to visit your Mom's Tigers and to see some old south landscapes.

We had a great time, but your Mom couldn't eat any of her favorite cajun food because it made her sick...  :(  When we got back, it was time for another checkup with the doctor to see how you were doing.

Once again, we felt blessed that you seemed okay (and that we could see you this time).  We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the while impatiently waiting for the appointment where they could tell us if you were a boy or a girl.

It was so cool to be able to see you so well...  As the ultrasound tech so boldly typed on the image above, "IT'S A GIRL!!!"  95% sure to be exact is what she told us.  I don't think we were convinced by the images, but she was sure.  In any case, in the couple of days that followed, we made a snap decision to go on a cruise to St. Thomas/St. Maarten.  This turned out to be an excellent choice, since we had such a great time and more importantly got to extend our Christmas vacation by another week.

That's your mother and I at Magen's Bay in St. Thomas.  The way she puts it, she was in "her favorite place with her favorite person."  (That was at least true until you came along...  But I guess you were there too.)  In the next few months, you could say that we were "nesting".  We spent a bundle of time getting the house up to snuff so that you wouldn't be born into a world where all the walls were white.  From mid-January through early April, we managed to paint 8 rooms, add a backsplash to the kitchen, and completely remodel a bathroom...  We were busy, but the work paid off.  The house is much more comfortable and inviting.  Of course, towards the end of the pregnancy, your mom couldn't do as much, so we took it easy.  We also had other opportunities to see you, since you were kind of small.

 Such a pretty little face...  But you gave us a surprise, because as sure as the ultrasound tech was the first time she checked, now she didn't know if you were a boy or a girl!  We still believed you were a girl, but we had to think about it a little more just in case.  This was the second to last time we got to see you before you came.  Two weeks later we went back to check on your size, and you hadn't grown!  Dr. Szentes (The Hoff, or Patrick Swayze, depending on who you ask) quickly informed us that you were coming the next day, whether we were ready or not.  So the next day (May 3, 2012) you came, and we finally got to meet you.

We love you Rose, and we're blessed to have you as a healthy baby girl.