5-6 months

• A NEW BABY!!! She is happy and smiles always! We have turned a corner!
• Aaron and I can finally eat a meal together, because she will play by herself!
• She bubbles with lips and tongue. Daddy taught her that one!
• She always cries when I leave the room.
• Getting stronger because of the excersaucer. She loves it!
• We went to Aaron’s rehearsal for his annual Yuletide Feast at O’Connor and she was quiet though the whole show. Thank goodness. We enjoyed showing her off.
• He most frequent compliment “She is so alert!”
• December 2^nd, She holds bottle by herself (kind of).
• December 4^th, Starting to do Mini push-ups…so strong.
• December 12^th, She fell asleep to Baby Einstein video.
• I am only breastfeeding her 50% of the time.
• She will not go to sleep! We spend a lot of time singing her to sleep (Blue Sky’s and Rainbows) as she swings in her swing.
• She found her feet…her new toy! Ha!
• She is a happy baby who can play by herself! I never thought this day would come. We are in a good place!
• December 9^th, She can sit up unassisted! I am so proud!
• She played under the Christmas tree at Mimi’s house. So cute. She loves the lights and shiny balls.
• I hate to be away from her for SACC rehearsals.
• In late December, Rachel had her first plane ride- Christmas in Missouri -she was an absolute angel. I will never drive to Missouri again!
• December 26th, she crawls backwards.
• December 31^st, she pulls her knees up under her and rocks.

4-5 months

November 30th

• November 15^th, we switched her formula to soy and she showed much improvement.
• November 15^th, Rachel started to play by herself. She was okay playing in the floor occasionally.
• November 15^th, we borrowed an excersaucer from Keesha. It is the best invention ever!
• We are really noticing how little and petit she is compared to other kids her age.
• She rapidly moves arm back and forth when tired to keep herself awake. “Go to sleep, Rachel.”
• Mimi bought her a phone rattle and it is her favorite toy…Thanks Mimi!
• We discovered that she loves baby videos.
• We went to Abilene for Thanksgiving and Tim took family photos.

3-4 months

• Early October, she was diagnosed with acid reflux and prescribed medicine for her excessive spitting up.

• October 14^th- She rolled over for the first time in her crib that morning (back to front). I think it took her so long to roll over, because we had to hold her ALL the time. She is very strong, but didn’t spend a lot of time on the floor awake, because she would just cry and cry.

• Rachel fell asleep in the swing for the first time (with the blowdryer on of course) …YES!!! That is HUGE!
• She falls asleep every night in the swing with the blowdryer (3 ½ - 5 ½ mos).
• I started taking Rachel to the gym with me. She didn’t like to be away from me so she cried a lot. I was paged often, because she was inconsolable.
• October 30^th was the first Sunday the nursery did not page me out of church.
• Late October, MawMaw and PawPaw came to visit. She screamed all the way home from picking Nan and Brad up from the airport. I will never forget that. It was awful. I still don’t know what was wrong with her.
• October 31^st, we visited the Gastroenterologist for excessive spitting up and constant stomach aches. The previous medication did not help much. The doctor prescribed some more medicine that didn’t help much. He encouraged us and said that it is just a matter of time before she grows out of it…hang in there.
• My best guesses as to why she cries all the time: Reflux or gas. She also refuses to eat when I know that she is hungry.

2-3 months

• September – “Lunch at La Cantera.” I started meeting with my friends every Thursday for lunch at the food court…so much fun!

• Best compliment- “She is so alert!”
• Rachel cries often but is consoled by the bouncy excersize ball we sit on and the blowdryer. We spend HOURS doing this.
• She still hates the swing.
• I watched TV the most this month, because she demanded to be held and breastfed constantly.
• The nursery lady told me to let her “cry it out” and it upset me. I wanted to tell her, “My baby is hurting! …not spoiled! I may be new at this, but I know her better than anybody in this world and certainly better than you!” In retrospect, I think she was trying to help, but it made me feel like she was questioning me as a mother. I was very emotional!
• She liked to sit on my lap and lean against my legs while facing me.

1-2 months old

• First movie- Beauty and the Beast
• If she was awake….she was crying!
• In pain all the time.
• She still does not like the swing.
• 6 weeks old- First road trip to Abilene. She slept almost the whole way, but screamed when we got there, and everyone wanted to take her away from me which made me sad and full of anxiety. I could not stop her from screaming.

A New Season

I am finally done with school and I am really enjoying this new season of my life. Right now there is nothing I would rather do than take care of my precious 9 pound ball of flesh! Wow…how drastically my life has changed. It is almost August and I feel like I should be signing up for classes at UTSA. I don’t know what it will be like not to have to go to school. I just finished my master’s degree and it was the most challenging experience I have ever had. The summer is almost over and soon Aaron will be back in the swing of things. I think I will really enjoy being a full-time Mommy. I plan to teach a few students, but my goal is to not have to put Rachel in daycare.
I enjoy working out …and it’s a good thing, because I have a lot of work to do! My pre-pregnancy weight was 125lbs. At 41 weeks, my last doctor’s appointment, I weighed 168 and currently I weigh 149. Yikes! Will I ever see 125lbs again?
Aaron and I moved into our first house in January. I really enjoy spending time here. Aaron planted a garden this summer and painted all the bedrooms. We have really made this place our own. I love holding Rachel on the back porch while I sing to her. She loves the warm summer air.

Letter from Mommy

Dear Rachel,

I have prayed for you countless times, and you are now the most precious gift I have ever received from God. I am so thankful you are here and healthy. I tell you that I love you everyday and hope that even at this young age you know and feel that unconditional love. Aaron and I have prepared our hearts and home for you as best we know how.
As you grow, I hope you know how much you mean to me. I promise to do my very best to give you all the opportunities you need to succeed in life. My prayer is that you will grow up to be a woman who loves the Lord with all her heart.
You are not even a month old and I already can’t imagine my life without you.! You are so real and animated and beautiful. I couldn’t ask for more. I hope I never forget this time I am spending with you now. I love you! Kiss, kiss, hug, hug!

Mommy

0-1 month

First Days Home
Home visitors (brought food)- Chris Van Heerde, Lee and Rachel Epperson, Annie Gipson, Jennifer Zaccagni, Patti and fam, Chris and Rebekah Georges, Jesus and Suzie Rocha, Gileos, Eleazers, Rich and Cheryl Gochis, Jeff Kleck, Jill Peavey, Rozlyn Wurtz, Peggy and Kay Portillo. Other visitors include- Snodgrass, Mannings, Dyers.
Rachel was born on a Sunday. Mom and Dad stayed here at the house for the first night, but had to leave in the morning. Nan stayed until Thursday. Nan was a lot of help. She got Rachel to take a pacifier, and she stopped her from crying several times too. I was able to rest more because Nan was there. The Forth of July and Aaron’s birthday were quite uneventful. I gave Aaron an IPod.
Emily and Tim came Wednesday night and left Friday morning (July 6-8). Tim took the most adorable pictures of Rachel, and I will cherish them forever (5 days old). She didn’t cry the whole hour and a half, but peed 4 times on me, Aaron, the changing table and Aaron’s leather chair! Tim and Emily were fascinated with her. Rachel’s expressions were sleepy and serious.
Mom returned Friday morning and spent another week with me. Mom wanted to be here on Saturday so that Aaron and I could have an Anniversary date. Aaron and I went to Texas Land and Cattle steak house for our 6th year anniversary and it was my first time away from the baby. It was so nice to get out of the house for a while.
One of Rachel’s favorite things to look at is Grandmommy’s quilt that hangs on the wall in our guest room. She loves all the colors and shapes. When she was concentrating on a face or object her eyes would cross…so hilarious! Rachel always opens her eyes really wide and pushes her eyebrows down for a very humorous facial expression. Amber really thinks it is funny. Aaron enjoys calling her Yoda!!! His other favorite nickname for her is Kuvahmach- Star Trek reference. Aaron is so helpful. He can’t get enough of her. He changes most of her diapers and is good at soothing her.
In the beginning (the first two weeks), I felt very distant from Rachel. It was so hard to believe that she came from my stomach. She didn’t seem to know me …or I her, at all. The longer I am with her, the more I know and love her. Now, it is hard to imagine my life without her. She seems to know (now at 4 weeks old) that I am the one who feeds her…and that is good enough for me! I learn more and more about her everyday. Strangely enough, when Mom left and Aaron went to work, Rachel and I started to really bond. Even though it was hard, it helped to have her all to myself and take care of her. My confidence grew in these weeks (2 - 4weeks). I had never changed a diaper before Rachel!
Last night, I was thrilled, because she slept for 5 hours…halleluia! Ever since she was born, she has struggled with belly aches. I feel so sorry for her and helpless because I can’t always fix it. The doctor told me not to eat or drink dairy products, and so we will see if that helps…weird, I know. I was thankful that I was able to breastfeed Rachel. She latched on very aggressively the first time, but wanted to eat all the time which made me incredibly sore. Tears streamed down my face at times, but I’m a pro now!
We have tried everything to make her feel better. At just 3 weeks old, she will not allow you to bend her over to burp her. She stiffens out her legs to stand instead (3weeks-4 mos). She is obviously very uncomfortable. She hates the swing and must be held at all times. Aaron and I found that bouncing on the exercise ball while cradling her helps, but nothing is as magical as the blow-dryer! We discovered that the constant sound of the blow-dryer soothes her and stops her from crying almost instantly (2 weeks old). Whatever WORKS! The doctor has advised us not to expose her to public places until she is six weeks old. She loves car rides so Aaron, and I go on dates to Sonic. Two birds with one stone.

Impressions and Expectations

First Impressions
• Mom told me that I would think she was the most beautiful baby on the planet …and she was right. I really do think that! She couldn’t be more beautiful!
• Her ears are the cutest and stick out just a little bit like her mommy. She also has the unique ability of spreading her toes far apart…something she also gets from her mommy.
• Her chin is definitely her daddy’s. From the first time we looked at her, we noticed a slight cleft!...so cute!
• We noticed early on that she has very healthy lungs! Her cry is quite loud, which means of course that she will be a great singer someday!!!
• Rachel hiccups ALL THE TIME! This is of course no surprise to me since she got them quite often before she was even born!
Expectations
• I expected to dread changing her diaper, but since she likes it and it doesn’t smell that bad, I don’t mind so much.
• I expected to have a hard time breastfeeding and at first I did. She is a very aggressive sucker…my little piranha! I was actually thankful for that, but she made me quite sore for a good two weeks. I stuck with it though because I know that it was best for her.
• I expected her to have darker hair. It is surprisingly blonde.

What does your name mean?

We wanted to find a biblical and meaningful name. I have always wanted to have a little girl named Rachel and Aaron desired to name you after a family member. We both loved the name Elizabeth and considered that for your first name. Elizabeth is the middle name of Nan, Jenny, and Grandma Roberta’s first name. One night we were looking online and found a site that tells the meaning of names. We typed in Rachel Elizabeth and found that the two names together mean, “Innocent lamb consecrated to God.” It was the perfect name for our soon-to-be baby!

Tim's pics...5 days old

LABOR!

I was scheduled to be induced at 9:00am on July 2nd- one week after due date…Finally! However, I went into natural labor at midnight. I thought I was having braxton-hicks contractions, so I got in the bathtub hoping to relax those muscles. I was counting on having a restful night before I would be in the hospital for several days, but that didn’t happen. After being in the bathtub for 45 minutes, I started to think my contractions might actually be labor. I woke up Aaron and he held my hand while he continued to be half asleep. As I continued to moan, Aaron realized that my pain was increasing and soon was giving me full attention. He started looking at the clock to time my contractions and they were only five minutes apart. Aaron insisted that we go to the hospital and kept trying to convince me. I kept thinking the contractions would stop or just go away. I didn’t want to have a “false alarm,” but as the pain increased, I was CONVINCED…we needed to go! As Aaron loaded up our pre-packed bag, I went to the guest room and woke up Mom and Nan. Mom was totally out and it took a few shakes to wake her, then she jumped and was worried something was wrong. I said “Its time!” They threw on some clothes and we were off to the hospital. Aaron drove Mom’s Durango. Nan rode in the front seat and Mom rode in the back with me. I was doubled over and Mom felt helpless. Aaron was speeding and trying to time my contractions at the same time. Mom was irritated that he wasn’t going slower over the bumps, but Aaron was gonna get me their FAST! My contractions were 2 minutes apart. The pain was unbearable. We arrived at the hospital around 2:00am. I kept asking when I could get my epidural. I had to wait until a full bag of fluid had gone though my ivy. The anesthesiologist walked through the door at around 3:00am, and I have never been so happy to see anyone in my whole life! At this time, they checked me and I was dilated 8 centimeters. I was not scared to get the shot, just trying to be as still as possible. Once the epidural kicked in things slowed down dramatically. I felt so good. I had not felt that good in MONTHS! Aaron encouraged me to rest and sleep, so that I could have energy later when the baby was born. So I did. Mom called the family. Amber and Jeremy drove down from Leander and arrived at about 4:30am. I was so happy about that. When Daddy got the news, he hopped on his motorcycle and drove all the way down here. He said he froze towards the end of the trip because it started to drizzle. He made good timing (of course) and tried out his new DVD player that he mounted on the bike! That’s my Daddy! He made it just in time to see me right before I started to push at 8:15am. My doctor was busy with another patient, so the nurse coached me through the pushing. Aaron was on one side and Mom was on the other. It felt like I pushed forever with little progress. Aaron counted to 10 each time and was intensely encouraging me. Then, all the sudden, Rachel’s head popped out. The nursed was visibly panicked as she yelled “OK, STOP PUSHING!” Luckily the doctor had just walked in the room and was putting on her rubber gloves. Dr. Beciero coached me through the last few pushes and soon was holding Rachel in her hands-born at 9:10am. She commented on Rachel’s size and was sure she was a 9 pounder. Aaron cut the umbilical cord and they quickly cleaned her and bundled her up. My epidural had worn off quite a bit and the doctor had to give me local anesthesia for the stitches. No wonder it hurt so bad! Rachel weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 19inches long. I was in labor for 9 hours. I couldn’t wait to hold her. I could not believe how beautiful she was. The nurses bundled her up like a burrito, and she was content. I was so happy to FINALLY have her in my arms. Many people visited and we all went home the next day (Monday morning).
• Hopital visitors- Mom and Daddy, Nan, Amber and Jeremy, Lisa Arnold, Suzie and Jesus Rocha, Lee and Rachel Epperson, Patti Ted and Kelsey, Jennifer Zaccagni and Amanda Herring