Where Did The Time Go?

It's hard to believe that our baby girl is already a month old. It seems like not that long ago we were on our way to the hospital with so many unknowns. We had taken prenatal classes and read all sorts of information but yet we could not prepare ourselves for what would happen or the emotions that we would feel. To hear the doctor tell us it was little girl and to hear her first cry was unbelievable. I've heard it said that 'A baby's first breath, takes yours away.' How true this is. It's a feel I can't explain.

Our first month has had it's ups and downs as we are adjusting to our new life. We have seen many changes in Natalie's personality and have enjoyed watching her grow. She is starting to 'coo' when we talk to her and she will make you work for it but you can get a smile! Generally she is a content baby but when she's hungry, it seems like it's the end of the world! She is much more alert and attentive to what is going on around her which makes it much easier to interact. She loves to sit up and watch the world move around her. At her last weigh in she was almost 10 lbs and that was over a week ago. I guess there are no doubts if she is getting enough to eat!

We have so much love for our daughter and would not change a thing!!

Happy One Month Natalie!

Just Like Mom

If I could only hold onto one possession from my childhood, it would by blankie! I took that with me everywhere and would always be cuddled up with it at night. I used to chew on the corners of it so mom kept cutting them off. When I got older, I found that they had tried to sneak it into the garbage. I had to rescue it from the burning barrel before they lit it. When I went to Bible School I left it at home (in a safe place) cause I mean, I was grown up...... or trying to be. My old blankie soon got replaced with Carathy's kitty blanket. It had fallen out of the vehicle when they dropped me off back at school after Christmas. Carathy had told me I could keep it so I wouldn't get to lonely. To this day, I have to have that blanket right beside me when I go to sleep. I can leave it at home when we go somewhere but I know it will be there waiting for me when I come home!! What happened to my old blankie? I still have that very worn, misshaped blankie and I can't see myself giving it up anytime soon! Even though it is retired, I still keep a close watch on it!

With that in mind, I can't help but wonder if Natalie is going to have that same connection. Ok so this is only a burping cloth but I put her beside me on the couch and this is the position she moved to! I think its absolutely adorable.

Daddy's Little Girl

From the moment she was born, Natalie has loved to stare into her Daddy's eyes. She could see the love in his eyes when they first put her into his arms. I will never forget that moment. Natalie not only has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger but all ten! He has been such an amazing Dad to her already and her life has only begun. It just amazes me at how calm he can be. She will be screaming at night as we are trying to put her to bed and as I am getting frustrated I look over at Dylan and he just has this great big grin on his face. I asked him the other night why he was smiling and he said because he has a beautiful baby girl and he loves her so much! Sometimes I loose perspective of the situation and this moment always brings me back. It's hard for me not to smile when Dylan gets up to calm her down and through the monitor I can hear him whisper 'Hello Beautiful'.

Pleased to Introduce...

So finally after nine months of waiting, we got to meet our little precious bundle of joy. We are pleased to introduce to you Natalie Joyce Paetkau. She was born on November 15 at 9:33 pm! Weighing in at 8 lbs 8 ozs and measuring 21.5 in long, she really wasn't a small baby. Things didn't quite go as planned and we had to make the decision to have a c-section. The labor part went very quickly but it was extremely hard. Ideally, I did not want to have any pain medication but I had very intense back labor and after a few hours of no break in pain, I asked for an epidural. This brought the relief I needed and helped me to store some energy! After many hours of pushing, we decided that it would be best for baby and for myself that we not wait and deliver right away. But I can not complain because we have a happy healthy baby!!

We had our first Dr appointment today and Natalie has already passed the 9 lb mark! It is reassuring to know that she is eating good!

We are very thankful for this little blessing that God has given us.

Welcome to the world Natalie!