One Month Old Today!

Well it's impossible for me to believe it but today Miss Tula Belle turns one month old! Where did the time go? She has already grown and changed so much. She had her 4 week checkup on Thursday and now weighs 8 pounds 13 ounces. She gained almost an ounce a day the last two weeks, which the doctor seemed happy about. I came home and spend the afternoon going through her clothes and actually managed to put a box of things that were too small away. I can't believe her little self will never fit into those onsies she wore in the hospital. Oh yeah, and she has been out of the newborn diapers an in size 1's for about a week now as well. She is growing too fast!

The last month has brought many happy moments though and I am now into the swing of things (I think). I know I loved her when I brought her home from the hospital but a month later I look back and realize I had no idea how much I was going to love her even more. And I am sure I will feel the same way even more in the future. Every day she brings more light to my life and I now look forward to waking up in the morning to have our little chats. She seems to be most alert first thing in the morning and loves it when I open the window for her and let the sunshine in. She stares out for a few minutes, and then begins to chat. She coos and looks at me and its the most wonderful way to start the day. Her little face reminds me of all the ways I am so fortunate, and that of all of the great things I have been blessed with, she is by far, the greatest.

So Happy One month Birthday to you, my Tula. Mommy and Daddy love you to bits and can't wait to watch you grow more and more everyday. You are our angel!

We had a gathering here at the house last night, mostly a goodbye party for John and a chance for everyone to meet Tula. Here's a pic of Tula in her party dress. I am realizing that without "Grandma with the Camera" here I have no recent pics of the three of us. Next week I am sure I will have lots of family shots to post. for now, here's the Party Girl.....

First "Real" Bath

She loved it!

I got one........

Keep your eyes open when the clock says 13 sec and you'll see!

Three and a Half Weeks

Well I thought I had this blogging thing down before Tula arrived and even the first week afterwards. Now I admit I don't use EVERY free moment as effectively as possible, but it sure is difficult to find the time to sit down and actually write about what's been going on. Lately, it seems much easier to just post a few pictures or a video to keep everyone satisfied. But I want to journal this experience for my self as well, so here I am, banging away on the keyboard as Tula sleeps. This is one of those naps that could end at any given moment, as most of the daytime ones have been for the last week or so, so I will try and be as quick as possible.

Well the last time I wrote she had just had her two week checkup. Obviously, at 3.5 weeks no major milestones have been crossed as of yet, but Tula definitely changes every day. There are a few smiles here and there as she drifts off to sleep, but I have no photographic evidence of this ever happening and they are so rare it's tough to catch them in a picture. But they are beautiful and it's those little moments that a new Mommy lives for. Sometimes when I am rocking her to sleep and she starts doing her little smiles I consider reaching for the camera, but I can't seem to take my eyes off of her face for the moment it would take to do so. Before I know it, she is off into a deep sleep and the smiles are no longer. I will try and get a picture for you all, it really is such a beautiful thing. I imagine she is having wonderful dreams, but from what I have read they are really just gassy facial expressions. :( At 3.5 weeks, her first "real" smiles are right around the corner and I cannot wait.

Oh, last night she lost her umbilical cord! That was exciting, considering we were told it would be gone by two weeks and at over 3 weeks it still seemed to be on strong. Then last night when I was putting alcohol on it, we realized it was hanging on by just a little bit. John played with it a little and it just popped off. It was still a little slimy looking under there so she had her usual sponge bath last night, maybe tonight we will give her her first real bath. I can't wait, she seems to enjoy the sponge bath now so I imagine being able to actually sit in a little bit of the water will make her very happy.

We seem to be getting the whole bedtime routine down, and it is paying off for all of us in sleep hours. Daddy gives her a bath and Mommy gives a little massage. She loves her feet and back rubs, just like me! She just lays there so calm. I dress her and John has a little snuggle and then I feed her and we all go to sleep. She is sleeping between 3 and 4 hour stretches, but doing 3 of them in a row. So if we go to bed at 10 she gets up around 1ish and then again around 5 ish and up for the day around 10 am. We are both getting lots of sleep which makes me so happy. I had heard sleep deprivation was one of the hardest parts and I haven't had to experience much of that yet, knock on wood. Tula really is a good baby.

So I guess at 3 weeks this is a noted "growth spurt" time and that seems to be the case here. I have noticed for the last few days she is sleeping more and eating much more. Some of her newborn clothes are getting a little snug. The onesies she was wearing in the hospital I don't think we would stand a chance of putting her in those again. She has her 4 week checkup on Thursday and I can't wait to see how much weight she has gained, I am guessing she is well over 8 pounds at this point. I am starting to understand all the parents who warned me about how "they grow so fast". This 3 weeks has flown by and I sometimes look at her and cannot believe how much she had grown. I get all teary eyed looking at pictures of her the first week thinking how tiny she was. And it seems like just yesterday. But I think I do a good job of reminding myself that these are the moments I will cherish for the rest of my life, and to take it all in. What more can you do? I already find myself saying, "I wish I had a video of this," or "I wish I would have journaled that." But when these beautiful moments are happening you are too mesmerized by the little one to pull yourself away. And when the beautiful moments aren't happening, you are to sleepy to write about them, lol. Anyways, as you can tell, I am on cloud nine right now and loving being a mom. She keeps me busy all day but I love every second of it.

So that's whats new in Tula's life, and ours is just as ever changing. For those of you who don't know, John officially quit his job last week and will be done at the end of the July. We have our flights to Canada booked for Aug. 6th, we are flying from JFK to Kamloops and will spend a week or so with my family at the lakehouse in BC, then we will all head back to Calgary together. I think my Mom is having some sort of a meet the baby event in mid August for all my family and friends, and I just can't wait to see everyone and for them all to meet Tula. It has been 10 months since I have been home, and it's getting harder and harder to be away as the days go on. I don't think I will EVER go this long in between visits again. We are both really looking forward to the trip, John can't wait to be done work and spend some time with us, I can't wait to have him around all day for a few weeks. He works so hard and really deserves this break, I feel so blessed that he is going to be able to take this time to be with his family and just relax. I have never been there but hear the lake house is beautiful and very relaxing, which is exactly what we both need right now. I can't wait for vacation and to be home! I have been patient long enough!

After our trip to Canada we are heading straight home and I am proud to say that by home I mean Arizona! Finally! Tickets aren't booked yet but sometime near the mid to end of August we will make our way out there and I am even more excited about that. I can't wait to set up Tula's nursery and the rest of the house. We will be very busy for a while but it's all fun jobs so we definitely aren't complaining. Looking forward to getting moved and settled and waiting for you all to come and visit us!!!!

As excited as we both are right now for all the great things ahead, we are both dreading having to say our goodbyes to everyone here. We know we will be missed, and that we will also be missing everyone like crazy. John was born and raised in the area and has a very tight knit family, which I have seen in my last two years living here as well. We are so used to seeing so many people everyday, it will be a huge adjustment not to have them all a part of our daily lives. I guess it's all a part of life and growing up, but it sure is not an easy part. We are going to really just enjoy our last couple weeks here, and have been spending lots of time out on the patio enjoying the weather and conversation with family. This really is a beautiful area of the country, I have been lucky to spend the last two years here.

Well I hear a pip-squeak squirming. She does this funny thing when she is waking up where she does like 12 different stretches and makes the most miserable face like they hurt. She grunts and moans the falls back asleep. It's quite amusing till she actually wakes which you know when she pretty much lets out a giant scream. I don't like waking up either, but this kid takes it to the next level. She pretty much permanently wakes up on the "wrong side of the bed", though it never seems to be much more than what a snuggle from Mom can fix. Such a great feeling.

Hope you are all happy and well, thanks so much for following Tula's blog and keeping so interested. I had no idea she would be getting this many readers! My baby is quite a star already! Well at least we think so.....

Here's a pic of her with her "new" bellybutton.....she was fresh out of the tub and not wanting to be photographed! Enjoy!

Good Morning Sunshine

Tula's First Bottle

So we decided last night to give Tula her first pumped bottle. She is almost 3 weeks and breastfeeding was well enough established that I figured we could try and see what happened. It was pretty cute. John gave it to her and she was totally confused at first. She loved snuggling into her Daddy but isn't really used to eating like that (usually I lay down to feed her). I think the milk comes out from the bottle a lot faster so she was spitting a lot out and choked a couple times, but after a few minutes seemed to get the hang of things. It will definitely take a few more practices before I am willing to leave her with a bottle, but I am glad to know one would go down in case of emergency. Here's a couple pics of Tula's first bottle, she was out like a light immediately afterwards in Daddy's arms.......so sweet.

A Little Video....

Tula's Bad Day

I forget what her problem was here but here's some pics from an "episode" yesterday. How can a two week old already know how to work the bottom lip?

Some Pics.......

My Babysite is being a pain-in-the-you-know-what and not letting me upload pictures. I thought I would add a couple of Tula from this weekend. I will admit, there just aren't as many pictures being taken as the first two weeks. In fact, today is the first day I have not taken one picture of her. I will, before I got to bed, but the cameras are getting a little less use these days.

Things are well and Tula has pretty much been an angel child. She cries when soemthing is wrong, the usual baby troubles. Dirty bum, hunger, or needing to be held (this is always). She loves to be snuggled and it works great for us cause we still love to snuggle her. She is starting to sleep a little longer stretches and has went four hours a few times between feedings. This weekend we were able to take her out quite a bit. Two trips to Costco and a trip tp the Westchester Mall, she really doesn't seem to mind travelling around. Of course after a couple hours she let us know enough was enough and that she was ready for the comforts of home, Thank God we were on our way home anyways.

But she has been a joy and we had an amazing weekend with our little girl. Once again, back to work tomorrow and we will be missing John around here. Nothing like having him home for the weekend. Here's a few pics, I will try and post more of the weekend on my babysite if and when it allows.

First Doctor Visit

Today was Tula's first appointment with her pediatrician. We met with Dr. Beckman or Riverside Pediatrics at 2:30 this afternoon. It started out well, she was asleep when we got there, but that didn't last long. I had to undress her right away to get weighed, which woke her up and set her off. Poor thing, I hate being woken up too so I could understand. They weighed and measured her, she weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces, and the Doctor said that's great gain for the first two weeks. She is in the 40th percentile for weight, a little on the small side. This is clearly not a gene she got from me. She is really quite petite, with long slender limbs. Her length is still 20.5 inches, she actually only measured at 20 inches today, the doctor figured they may have just measured a little wrong at the hospital.

It was a pretty simple appointment, they just measured her and checked her over. When Dr. Beckman was checking her heart she was so quiet and just staring at her, so alert and curious as to what was going on. The only thing that really made her mad was when they checked for dislocated hips. The Doctor just had to bend her knees and push them up to her chest and pull them back out a few times, everything was perfect but Tula freaked out. She did not like having her hips checked and made that perfectly clear to all of us. But as soon as I picked her up and shooshed her for a sec she was back to her calm, cool, collected self (and I felt like Supermom).

All in all, the Doctor said she looked to be in perfect health and getting more than enough to eat judging by her weight gain. It felt great to hear that, I am constantly wondering if she is getting enough and the weight gain is good reassurance that she is. She is a happy and more importantly healthy baby and I could not ask for more. Here's a pic of Tula and Dr. Beckman, there's more on the Babysite.



Tula and I also did our first solo trip to Target. Well, I guess if it's two of us it's not solo but you know what I mean. Just the two of us. She was an angel! I am starting to get the timing thing down too, so I picked a good time to go, around 10 am, early in the morning after a good feed and clean bum. I had her in the moby wrap and she seemed to love it. Well she slept the whole time but that tells me she liked it. I loved it too, it was so nice to have her so close to me but still have my hands free. She was right across my belly and when she would squirm a little it reminded me of being pregnant and her moving around inside of me. Seems like a lifetime ago and it's only been two weeks. Anyways, I got one pic of her in her wrap but it's taken by myself so you can't really get the idea. I will try and get John to take some of her in it and post later. For now, here's my girl in her Moby Wrap....love it.



All in all, today was a good day. I loved being able to go out a little and feel like a member of society again. A few more good experiences like that and leaving the house with just Tula and I will seem a lot less intimidating. I am learning more and more everyday about her routine and when is a good time to leave the house and when is a good time to stay in. Trying to organize my life around her has not been easy but I really feel on days like today like I am starting to get the "swing" of things. Two weeks tomorrow, I can't believe it. Time flies when you are having fun.

So This Is Love..........

I posted some pics of Tula and her Daddy having some "lovey time" yesterday afternoon while we sat outside. Here is one and the rest are all on the babysite. It was so fun to have John home for the weekend, it's only Monday morning and we are missing him like crazy already!

One Week Today!

....and what an amazing week it has been. I had no idea how much I could love this child with every fiber of my being, and feel like she has been a part of me forever. I cannot stop saying "Thank-You" to Jesus for this gift I have been given. Not only did she arrive in perfect health and so safely, she is practically a dream child and absolutely stunning.

So what was Tula's first week like? Well she was born last Friday, and released from the hospital on Sunday morning. John and I took her home and she pretty much spent the whole day cuddling with her Grandpa Matson, who was flying home at 6 pm Sunday night. We let him get in all the snuggles he needed as he probably won't be seeing her for another month or so. Monday everyone was back to work and it was just Tula and me and my mom. Sunday was a rough night sleepwise. My milk hadn't come in yet and she was a hungry girl so it made for a sleepless night. But Monday morning was a different story. After her first big feeding she actually had a THREE HOUR NAP, and in her own crib. I was so excited. Since then and now that she is no longer hungry, life has been grand. Sleeping for 3 hour stretches after a feeding, and getting used to the idea of sleeping in her own bed.

Tuesday morning was Tula's appointment back at Greenwich Hospital with the Lactation Consultant to get weighed and make sure all is well. She weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz, which the nurse said was great that she was already starting to gain weight back from birth. She truly is breastfeeding like a champ. It has been going so smoothly and is such a bonding time for Tula and I, but it was even more of a relief and joy to hear how she is growing and so healthy because of it. I am still amazed that every ounce she put on her tiny body is because of me and my milk. It is one of the true miracles and joys of motherhood. Anyways, the nurse said everything looked and sounded good as far as feedings were concerned. I was a little worried because Tula hadn't pooped since the first day in the hospital, nurse assured me that at this rate she would probably go within the next 24 hours. Well Wednesday morning I woke up to listening to a grunting and groaning in the crib that I knew I had never heard. I went over and smelled her and yikes! This was it, and I have never been more excited to smell poop in my whole life. It was 6 am and I went and woke up both Grandma's to come and watch her first diaper change. She just laid there so chilled out....it was too cute. I would post pics (yes, of course we took some) but they are actually quite nasty. I could not believe how much could come out of such a tiny little bum.

Wednesday was Fourth of July so John had the day off from work. His first holiday home to spend with his little girl. We took her out and ran a couple errands. John was the proud papa pushing the stroller while all the ladies peeked in and looked at her telling him what a "beautiful baby" she is. Watching him beam with pride as her thanked them all and the way he would just keep walking and staring at her made my day. I knew having a child together would change things for us, but I had no idea all the new ways I would fall in love with him. Watching him and Tula together this week has been just beautiful.

Thursday was a tough day for me as it was the last day my mom was going to be here. She flew out Thursday night. It was such an emotional day for both of us. I know it was so hard for her to leave Tula, she has fallen so in love with her, but also hard to leave me as well. This is all so new to me and it has been so great having her here to help all week. Even just having the company is nice. When I was at my wit's end, she was my support and there to remind me I was doing a fabulous job. I have to say that this week has given me a whole new love for my own mother. One could never know just how much their Mommy loves them until they become a mom themselves. It became so clear to me this week, and I am so grateful to have had that week to spend with my mom and realize just how deeply she loves me. She left last night, Thursday night, and I am missing her so much already. Mommy....COME BACK!!!!!! Tula misses "Grandma with the Camera".

So that brings us to today, Friday morning and Tula's one week birthday. She was up at 9 and fed and pretty much went right back down. She sleeps alot (that's what she is currently doing) which is giving me an opportunity to adjust to this new life as a Mommy while still finding the time to do some of my old activities. I am sure it will be too soon before I no longer have the time to do weekly updates and post pictures as often as I have been, but I am taking advantage of it now while I can. There isn't a word or phrase beautiful and deep enough for me to sum up the last week of my life with Tula. She has already grown so much and her Daddy and I are just trying to soak in every passing minute. I find myself looking at pictures of her birthday or Day 1 and 2 and getting teary just thinking about how much she has grown already. So fast!

Well Happy One Week Birthday Tula! Thank you so much for the most amazing week of my life so far. I love being your Mommy and you are sweet perfection to me. Thank you for showing me what the word Mommy really means. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I am loving every minute of it!

A few pics of Miss Tula....

Angel Of The Morning

Okay you guys, as if I have time to post on this website anymore when I have this little ball of perfection to stare at all day long. Thought I would share a little video with you all my Mom took of Tula with one of her stuffed animals she got at the hospital. She is the most enjoyment I have ever known.

Tula's Birth Story....She is finally here!

Tula Belle Coppola arrived gently into this world on Friday, June 29th, 2007 at 2:34 pm EST. She was born at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, CT on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. The birth was assisted by our doula, Alice McNulty, and Tula was delivered by Dr. Rebecca Kleban, with the help of Lynn, our L and D nurse for the day and 2 other nurses. I had wanted a natural childbirth, without intervention and pain relief. Although I did end up having to be induced, I was able to have the med-free birth I had hoped and prayed for. It would not have been possible without the unending support of my husband John throughout the pregnancy and during delivery. He was phenomenal and I couldn't have asked for a better partner through it all.

So picking up where my prior post left off would put us at about 11 am on Friday. I remember while posting that near the end the contractions were getting pretty strong and it was getting tougher to type through them. Things really picked up after that. My contractions were one on top of eachother so the nurse turned down the pictocin from 14 to 6. I knew Dr. Kleban was coming back at 12 to break my water, so I had asked our doula, Alice to be there around noon as well. She arrived right at noon, but Dr. Kleban didn't get there till about 1. This was a good thing, it allowed me to labour for an hour with Alice there, I was a little more relaxed, and when the doctor finally arrived to check me I was between 4 and 5 cm's...this was WAY more than they thought I would be, most inductions are long and drawn out. She broke my water and I immediately got back on the birthing ball (I could not stand being on the bed at all, I have NO IDEA how most women labour on their backs!). Well by 1:45 my contractions started feeling different and I knew I had the urge to push. My doula called the nurse in and the nurse did an internal and said I was 9.5 cm's. I felt like I had just won the lottery. Things were progressing so quickly! She said I had a half cm lip left on the right side so I sat back down on the ball and tried to focus on and roll towards the right. A couple more contractions and I said I needed to push, the nurse sounded skeptical, told me to get back up on the bed and give one push to "see what I could do." I started pushing and she said "Whoa, stop." Baby had went from -1 station to +1 with that one push and she informed me she thought this was going to be a "one push baby". She went and called the doctor and turned off the pictocin. Waiting for the doctor I had 2 more contractions and tried pushing, but they were ineffective. I was a little scared and not letting go the way I needed too. I was getting tired but God blessed me with what felt like and eternity between my last two contractions and it gave me time to prepare and my doula and nurse to eplain pushing and get me ready. Doc had arrived and was standing at the end of the table and then came the surge. I had no idea it could happen that fast. I remember everyone telling me not to stop and John saying "almost, almost" and then she was out. I saw her dangling there in the doctor's hands and it was incredible. They immediatly placed her on my belly and there are no words to describe this story from this point on. Just images and sounds and glances and expressions and cries that will be forever burned into my soul. She looked at me and I knew love. I am forever changed.

Being Tula Belle's mommy for the last three days has been more of a joy than I ever thought possible. Yes, I am sleep deprived. But that is the only complaint. I have perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl to thank God for everyday. Breastfeeding is going so well, next to childbirth the greatest miracle I have ever been a part of. The days are flying by already and I keep reminding myself not to blink. She has aready changed so much.

We brought her home from the hospital this morning around 11 and I had a sleep this afternoon while everyone else had their time with her. She had her first bath, I posted pics of it on my Babysite. I could list a hundred little mommy things she had done in the last 3 days since she arrived, but let me just wrap it up by saying she changed our lives and our love completely. We are now a family, John is an amazing Daddy and I am a Mommy and I have never been happpier!