Nilssen Family August 31st Update

We're struggling to get back to "normal" (is life EVER normal with kids?). Since I've posted last, we had a very fun swimming play date, an unsuccessful grocery store trip without Erik (as well as some with him), a one month well visit to Svea's pediatrician, a great afternoon (with lunch) at IKEA, talks in church, and a visit from Papa. PHEW! It feels like I've been cooped up for months, but when I look back at the last 10 days or so, we were pretty busy!

Svea's doctor visit was uneventful. I've got another big baby on my hands - since her visit at 4 days old she gained almost 3 pounds and grew more than 2 inches. Her stats as of August 27th (exactly one month old) are:

Weight: 10 lbs 4 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 23.0 inches (Above 95th percentile)
Head Circ: 14.8 inches (60th percentile)

Both kids got to have a shot. That was fun. Soren's was his flu shot and was a last minute surprise for him. Poor kid. He was crying and saying, "It's not so bad... it's not so bad... I feel better".

Larry's visit went well. Soren had a blast. The boys left Svea and I home to enjoy the A/C and went to the splash park a couple of times. We were also treated with our favorite places to eat - Barro's Pizza AND Ponchos Mexican food. Yummy! Soren was pretty sad today about Papa being gone when he woke up. It's cute to see his emotions and attachment grow and develop.

We're all fighting a touch of a cold today. Hopefully we'll get over it quickly. My random thought of the day: how did I forget how many diapers a newborn goes through? I swear Svea has gone through 250 diapers (3.5 jumbo packs and one of those huge boxes) in her first 5 weeks. Crazy!

Ashley

August 19th Nilssen Update

Click on Soren below to view the whole album:

August 19 Nilssen Update

Well... I think I am finally back. Life has started to calm down for us now that we are officially four instead of three. I've been posting pictures, but here is a quick summary of what has been happening the last few weeks.


Svea was born on Monday, July 27th, after a pretty yucky labor. I had a great labor with Soren and was expecting the same or even easier. The baby was posterior (facing backward) and man oh man it HURT! After making very little progress in combination with lots and lots of pain, I decided to scrap my plan for another natural birth and went with an epidural. The baby arrived kicking and screaming and ready for life 40 minutes later. She was very alert and awake for an hour or so after she was born, and then slept straight for 9 hours.

We had a hard time nailing down a day for my mom to arrive to help us (you can't plan a baby), and I talked to her around 4 am while laboring with Svea. We talked about her coming later in the week to help out. I was excited and surprised when I called her shortly after the birth and she was at the airport and set to arrive in a few hours in Phoenix.

Erik headed home a couple of hours after Svea was born to eat and pick up Soren. (THANKS to the Eager family who picked up my loose ends and let Soren come and stay with them while we were at the hospital. You're lifesavers!) On their way back to the hospital, they picked up my mom at the airport.

I was too excited to sleep while Erik was gone, and spent the time staring at the baby instead. Those hours when a baby is brand new are so amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed that time of quiet thought.

I was thrilled when Erik, Soren and my mom walked through the door - that was my longest time away from my little Soren boy, and I missed him! We spent several more hours in the recovery room and were able to make phone calls and just enjoy the baby. Soren was more interested in the hospital room gadgets then the baby. I think he was avoiding the subject - a new sibling is a lot to swallow.


Svea and I stayed in the hospital until Wednesday around noon. Having my mom here was a great help. She stayed with me in the hospital the first night, then went home with Soren the second so Erik could stay with me. It was such a relief to have someone there to help me with the crazy nights in the hospital - I actually got some sleep.



Bringing the baby home was surreal. It's amazing what an abrupt change a baby brings to life. Suddenly, we were thrown into parenthood all over again. I can't believe how much I forgot about newborns just in the two years since my last one! Svea has been amazingly easy. She has continued the sleepy trend and was awake for less than two hours each day for the first three weeks. Soren has been doing great with her. He loves her, I just have to watch him to keep him from loving her too much!


My mom was here for almost two weeks. She was such a help to me. Soren enjoyed having such a fun playmate here to concentrate on him while I spent time with the baby. I had a nice break from cooking and cleaning while she was here as well. There's nothing like having your mom around when you don't feel 100%.


My dad was also able to come for a visit. He had planned on coming to see Soren even if the baby wasn't born, so it was an added bonus to have her arrive early. Soren had so much fun playing with Grandpa and Grandma.



We decided to bless the baby while my parents were here. It was kind of a last minute decision, and Mom and I got the crazy idea to make a blessing dress for her in just a couple of days. Mom was awesome and got the whole dress sewn (I made the bonnet in the same amount of time - she's a whiz!). I had a hard time making the decision to bless Svea here at home. I missed the support of my wonderful extended family, but we don't know when we are going to be up north again, and both Erik and I felt that we shouldn't wait for months and months to bless this baby.



After giving her the name "Svea Kathryn", Erik gave Svea an amazing blessing. Once again I have been reminded of the deep respect he has for the priesthood he holds. Erik is not a serious guy and we have a lot of fun together, but I am truly thankful for his deep spiritual streak and his rock solid testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After Mom and Dad headed home, we had several meals brought in by sisters in the ward to help me through my first week of real life. I'm so thankful to these dear friends of mine who support me since my family is far away.

Things are going really smoothly now. Svea is a great sleeper at night (6 hours, then 4 hours) and I am starting to feel human again. Soren seems to understand the idea that he and his baby sister have to take turns with me, and that her turns sometimes have to come first. We try to read stories or sing songs together while I am feeding the baby so he doesn't feel left out. The memories of life with just Soren are starting to fade as this baby takes over some of the free time I had before. I'm so thankful for the time we had to get to know our oldest son. He is such a special person and he is going to be a wonderful oldest brother.

Well, I don't have much else to share. Life is hot, hot, hot here. I'm trying to balance keeping the baby out of the heat with entertaining Soren and it is tough. I can't wait for the beautiful winter weather to begin. I'm sure there will be more pictures and updates soon to come. Life is crazy, but it is good!

Ashley

A few more...

And just to mix it up a little, here is a video of Svea's first bath in the tub:

I really am hoping to post something other than pictures very soon! Just give me a little more time...

August 9th: A few more

August 8th: A few more photos

Can I take too many pictures of my favorite boy and baby in the world? Nah....

Worth a thousand words...

August 2nd: Soren and Svea Clips

August 2nd: More Photos

Some live footage of the fam

More dancing from Soren:

Soren runs in to check on the baby throughout the day:

A rare open eyed moment:

More pictures to come later!

July 30th Slideshow: Introducing Svea