little valentine

Yesterday Stella went for her two week check up, and she has grown so much already! Her stats:
Weight: 8lb 3oz (50%)
Height: 21 1/8 inches (75%)

She is almost back to her birth weight, and has already grown over an inch in two weeks! No wonder she's sleeping so much! She is still eating well, but has seemed to have trouble breathing a bit. We talked to the doctor yesterday and she said it's most likely something called Tracheomalacia. Basically she has a soft trachea, which ends up closing or compressing when she breathes, and can sometimes cause difficulty breathing and eating. Babies will outgrow it eventually, but we may need to see an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist if she begins to decline food or isn't eating enough. For now she just breaths like she has a cold, and sometimes seems to gasp to catch her breath. The doctor assured us it doesn't hurt her, so it's just a matter of watching it to make sure it doesn't get worse. 

Otherwise we have been having fun with both Grandmas coming through town, and Hudson seems to be adapting a bit more to her presence in the house. I know it will still be a while before we find our groove as a family of four, but it's nice to have Hudson taking a little more of a break from his yelling, throwing, and hitting. He still has his tender moments and loves kissing her - so we'll keep taking pictures of that!

 I found this adorable dress about a month ago and had to get it for Valentine's day. I came down with some kind of stomach bug yesterday so didn't get her in it until today, and though she was only in it for about 10 minutes, we got a couple cute pictures!! 

cutie pie

10 days old, and Stella continues to be a wonderful baby. Hudson is still struggling with the adjustment, lashing out with hits and throwing things, yelling and saying no more than we've ever heard. We know it's a lot to adjust to, so we are doing our best to understand and hope that it gets better soon. He is still an amazing little boy, and I don't want this temporary behavior to cloud my view of that. I know in time we will all fall into a place that works for us as a family. In the mean time, having Oma here and Grandma coming tomorrow are definitely helping keep our sanity!! :)

baby and the bath

 Yesterday Stella had her first bath, and i have to say she did better than Hudson on his first bath time. She didn't cry like he did, but she certainly didn't enjoy it either. This picture pretty much captures her reaction to it...

S&H

Proud big brother…loves holding sister on his lap. He is so gentle with her when she's like this, it's very sweet. 

ONE WEEK OLD! Can't believe it's been a week already - and our Stella is doing amazing. She has been sleeping well at night, eating great, and really only cries when she's hungry! She also has the sweetest disposition, and is typically happy just looking around when she's awake, taking everything in. What a precious girl - Stella, we are so happy to have you in our lives!

Siblings...

Stella Inez Rosdil

 Stella Inez Rosdil

Born Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at Rose Medical Center in Denver, CO

10:20am after 15 minutes of pushing!

20 inches long, 8lbs 4oz

 Our sweet Stella

I woke up at about 1:15am on Wednesday with some contractions, which only got worse over time. By 3:30 i was getting to a hospital room and anxious for something to ease the pain of the contractions that had started coming every 2-4 minutes. The epidural helped, but it also slowed down the contractions, so by 10am she was ready to make her entrance into the world!

 First meeting with big brother (he had a bloody nose and a fever of 101 - made for an interesting afternoon).

 Lsat night Hudson wanted to hold baby sister on his lap - he was so gentle and loving the entire time (he's got it in there when he wants to use it!) She even got a kiss on the head from big brother!

 Thank goodness Oma is here to help with the transition - so far Hudson's reaction is 1/8 "I love baby sister", and 7/8 "who is this kid getting all the attention that should be going to me???"

Almost time

Here we are, days away from meeting our new baby girl. Being in this place again reminds me of the final days before we met Hudson for the first time - nervous, anxious, excited, scared, not sure what to expect. It's funny how many of the same feelings have returned, not knowing what it will be like with two children, a girl, a new house, etc.

I feel ready, but am also cherishing these last days with Hudson as an only child. He is such an amazing kid, and so great to be with. He melts my heart every day, and I truly can't get enough of his hugs, laughs, and all the awesome things he likes to talk about now. It's hard to imagine loving a second child as much as I love him, though i'm sure baby girl will find her place in our hearts right from the start. Though Hudson shifts between kissing mommy's belly and saying hi to baby sister and telling me how he is not going to share his toys with her, I know he will be a great big brother (it may take some getting used to first though!). He is such a caring, loving little boy, and so observant and sensitive.

So we'll see if this girl wants to show up on time, or if she's going to need an eviction notice like her brother did. :) Whenever you're ready little girl, we're here to greet you with lots of love and kisses.

Christmas in Denver

 Not every kid is lucky enough to have TWO Christmas mornings! Hudson definitely developed a liking for opening up presents! Thank you to everyone who gave so generously to each of us! 

 puppy love

Final Countdown

The end of the third trimester - and yes, Hudson is naked again. This kid loves his nakey time!

 Beginning of the second trimester…looking forward to wearing those clothes again! :)

Christmas 2012 and 36 weeks pregnant

The four Reeves girls (one is still cooking in my belly, but she's very much present!) and Hudson!

Reeves Christmas in Sacramento

Airplanes with Oma and slides with Uncle Josh at the park, and a nice Christmas nap with Uncle Jonathan - sounds fun to me!

2012 was a year full of ups and downs for the three of us here in Denver. We were blessed to go to California 5 times and Kauai once, got to spend lots of time with family both here in Denver and out in Ca. We spent a couple weeks in the hospital with Hudson, with a positive end result - thankfully, found out we are expecting our second little baby at the end of January 2013, rented our first house and moved into a larger rental house about 2 blocks away, changed daycares, celebrated our four year anniversary, transitioned Hudson to the big boy bed, and both Andy and I have been extremely busy at work.

our first christmas, and now

What a difference - seven years ago, I flew out to Chicago to spend the days right after Christmas with Andy. We had been dating for about 7 months at this point…

and now, with a two year old and the second one almost here…who would have thought. 

(not the best picture of me, by far, but pretty much the only one that's been taken since i've been pregnant!)

Baby room part two

We've been working slowly on the room, and as you can see the dresser is done, and the flowers are going up! It looks A LOT better with the flower stencils, so i'm excited to see how it will look when we're all done! I've got a few more things in mind to pull it all together, i just hope i get it done in time. If not, I have a feeling i'll have some time being home alone for 10 weeks to work on it (aside from those couple weeks when we'll have company).

big boys

Since the weekend of Thanksgiving, Hudson has started sleeping full time in his twin sized bed. The first night was rough, but after that he has refused to set foot in his crib. He loves telling us about his bed, and seems to love the new freedom it has brought his night time routine. He'll hop out of bed once or twice to tell us he heard an airplane or wants his back rubbed, but otherwise he's been staying in all night (knock on wood) successfully!

He's also been telling us more and more when he needs to go potty, and successfully uses his little potty rather than the diaper! We weren't going to push the potty training with the new baby coming, but if he wants to potty train himself, we are fine with that! We talk about it and encourage it of course, but are not in a hurry to get there 100%.

Otherwise Hudson talks more than Andy and I combined now, and is always telling us about something or showing us something he sees, etc. He LOVES all the Christmas lights, pointing out the moon, narrating what his toys are doing as he plays with them, etc. He is truly amazing to be around, even when he is defiant. Though it's not fun, it's interesting to watch his perspective on time out, listening, when it's time to do things, etc. and how he reacts to things. There are tactics that work, and techniques i think he probably laughs at when we try to use them. We're always trying to figure out the best way to communicate with him, while still allowing him to experience and learn. What an adventure!

This week I got a bad cold, possibly the flu, and have been feeling horrible. I mean, horrible. I don't typically get sick like this, and having a big baby belly, a two year old, and trying to get the house ready as well as prep to be gone from work for 10 weeks has been a bit beyond challenging the last few days. I go to the doctor today to make sure everything is ok, but trust that it is. Hudson has helped me through by giving hugs and asking me if i'm ok when i have felt the worst - he's even given me a few little back rubs! The house is no fun when i'm down for the count - eveyrone else suffers, but the boys have done a good job of working together to eat dinner, take baths, and play while I have layed on the couch feeling miserable. YAY Andy and Hudson!

Christmas right next door

Our neighbors house could compete with the Grizwalds when it comes to the Christmas decor in her front yard. Two full days with at least two guys working on it, this yard has transformed our Christmas. Every night (since it was set up this last week), we have gone next door to check out the light show. Hudson walks through every part, counting candy canes, saying hello to santa and the snowman, touching the flowers, and pointing out the train. 

Yes, this is awesome. We have already thanked our neighbor for bringing Christmas cheer to our little boy, and i know we'll thank her again every time we see her until the season ends.

the third trimester

It's hard to believe we're in the third tri-mester of this pregnancy. This little girl will be here before we know it, and the life we currently feel is busier than ever, will be taken to a whole other level. We've finally started to prepare for her (and the guests who will come to help us with her and Hudson when she arrives). Since her room was already painted purple (not a color we would pick), we decided to paint a stripe down the middle to "tone it down" but still keep it on the girly side. We found a dresser on Craigs list that we (Andy) will refinish and paint white, and i found the rug on Overstock on a great sale. So it's a big step forward from the empty room that was there just a couple weeks ago. We'll see how it turns out when we're done - i'm looking for some flower decals to put on the wall, and think i'm almost ready to purchase some that both Andy and I like. Good times. With our luck the little girl will never use the room, and will just share with Hudson. But there will still be a nice guest room! :)

We're still thinking of names, and are definitely open to suggestions! There are a few we like, but nothing that stands out to me like Hudson did. Hopefully that name will show up soon! Maybe we should start asking Hudson what her name should be...

In the mean time i am feeling more pregnant than ever, and since she is sitting lower than Hudson i'm already having a hard time getting my shoes on and off. Don't even ask me about my toe nails. She is moving quite a bit, enough that i can clearly tell when she is awake or asleep. I'm sure she enjoys all the chatter Hudson brings the darkness she's in! I think he is grasping more and more that he will be getting  a sister (maybe), but i know he will be a great big brother no matter what. And Andy's heart already has a soft spot for her, so i'll be shocked if she's not a daddy's girl within 24 hours of being born. :)