Thursday, December 19, 2013

Girls Night!

Mommy was happy to clip in those hair extensions, glue on lashes, and strap those leather pants on this post  baby body!  Last Saturday was the annual girls Christmas party, or as we like to call it... "Hopper Holiday 2013!" It was nice to get all dolled up, and look in the mirror and say, "Oh hey!  You're lookin good!" Fashion, hair, and makeup is half the fun for me! :)

I had a good time, and to top it off, I got the amazing Naked 3 pallet as my secret Santa gift!  woohooo!  Every year the girls take turns hosting the party, and this year, we did it at a bar... It wasnt the same.  Usually we have a bigger turn out, and by being at a bar, we didn't get to have too much girly conversation...  The most fun part of the night for me, was the car ride from one bar to the other, blasting Lil' Kim and fist pumping (are moms allowed to do that!?)  Half of me felt like nothing had ever changed, being out with friends, socializing, and drinking, and the other half of me felt awkward, and guilty that I was there!  Hard to explain, I guess its the story of a new mom!

Nino must have had a fun time with Daddy, on their boys night in,  because he slept through the night until 10:30 am!!!!!!!!!!  What baby does that!?!  He had to know that Mommy had a few drinks and needed some extra rest!  He is perfect, totally and completely perfect!





Monday, December 16, 2013

A VERY Merry Christmas!

This is what I had been dreaming about my entire pregnancy- my baby in this santa hat I got on Etsy I literally cried during the photo shoot!  Its just that I had spent hours upon hours, and many sleepless nights on Pinterest getting ideas, and this is like the exact vision that I had in my head! And it's finally here!  The perfect Chistmas card and birth announcement.  Merry Christmas from the Phipps Family!







All photos were taken by the wonderful Lisie at Caught by a Flash Photography

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

HO! HO! HO!

Ho! Ho! Ho!  Baby is 6 weeks old today!

It's gotten a little festive in the Phipps household over the past week! We're all decorated, I cant believe that I actually  have a Christmas Stocking that has "Mommy" written on it! And Nino was introduced to a few "first's!" First Christmas Tree, First visit with Santa, First snow, and first boo boo  :( he scratched himself on his cheek!

And Mommy and Daddy had a date night!!!!  It felt so great!  Of course we had to have SUSHI!!  Oh how I missed my favorite sushi spot for the past year of being preggers!  And Anthony got some quality time with his Nonna!  We were home by 11, and I just wanted to come home and squeeze my baby!!!  We had a good time, but there is honestly nothing else I rather be doing, and no where else I rather be, then home with my Anthony!

A few days this week he had been super fussy, like all day fussy, and he is normally the most perfect, quiet little guy!  So my husband suggested that maybe he could be hungry!  Wow!  He was hungry!  My poor little guy was screaming because I wasn't feeding him enough.  He went from 4.5 oz every 3 hours to 6.5 oz every 4 hours!  I feel so bad for starving my baby! :(   He is turning into quit the little chunker! His little cheeks are really filling out, and we are losing his neck lol.  I love it!  He is wearing his size 3 month clothes well!  And he's really starting to move around!  Kicking and grunting, and really starting to pick his head up!  He's so strong!  I'm starting to introduce tummy time for about 10 minutes at a time!  I can't wait till he can hold his head up and smile at me!!



I'm totally loving every single second of being home with him.  I never want to leave him- EVER!

First Visit with Santa
Picking out his very first Christmas tree!

Posing with my tree!


First Christmas Jammies

Checking out our first snowfall!

Look Mommy!  I'm a cloud!

First Snow


My Aunt got a new camera and was having a photoshoot 
 
First trip to Target
Mommy & Daddy Date night - How cool is my shirt!?!?  Forever 21!  I couldn't type my cc info fast
enough when I found it online!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

1 Month Old!



I know!  I can't believe it!  My baby is a month old!  How did that happen so quickly!?!  Aint he cute!?

LOVES: Baths!  He just loves to lay in his little baby tub! And he LOVES the lighted mobile on his swing, I mean he LOVES it, he can stare it forever!  I need to find one for his crib!

HATES: When his pacifier falls out of his mouth!

EATING: He is a hungry growing boy!  Eating about 4.5 ounces every 3 hours.

SLEEP:  He is sleeping a lot during the day!  And we are trying to get him out of his swing and into the crib, but he is going about 6-7 hours at night, which is AMAZING!  Mommy woke up feeling refreshed this morning!!

NICKNAMES: Neener, Honey bunches, and Pterodactyl Tony - lol

DATES TO REMEMBER:
11/3 - First Sponge Bath
11/ 9- Lost the umbilical cord
11/11 - First Bath

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

A few months ago, not knowing what kind of baby Anthony would be, we decided to have Thanksgiving at our house! Normally, Pat and I visit both of our families... but I still haven't been brave enough to venture out of the house very much since baby has been here...   My mother in law brought the Turkey, my mom made all of sides, and I provided the house!  It turned out really nice, and all of our immediate family was on hand to celebrate Nino's first Turkey Day!  He had three outfit changes (while straightening up his room today, I found another bib I forgot about :(  lol)  He was a perfect little angel baby as always, and just sat peacefully in his Rock and Play ( that is our #1 must have!)  And we finished the evening with a Baltimore Ravens Win against the Steelers!!  Perfect Holiday!
GOBBLE GOBBLE
My first Thanksgiving
Thankful for Turkey & Football!!
Stuffed Turkey!
I am Thankful for my family 
Best part of hosting Thanksgiving... LEFTOVERS!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Cutest Baltimore Ravens Fan EVER!!

After a 6 hour newborn photoshoot with the amazing Lisie, owner of Caught by a Flash Photography I got this as a "sneak peak"  I can not wait to see the rest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Settling in...

Wednsday marked Anthony's THREE WEEK birthday!  I can't even believe how fast these days are going!  Everything has really been great!  Our first week home may have been the best time of my life.  I've never been so happy.  It's like I'm over here living in a love bubble with my husband and perfect baby.  All we did was basically stare at Anthony and repeat over and over about how amazingly gorgeous he is while passing him back and forth- I don't think we even turned on the tv the entire week!   Pat has been so great- especially while in the hospital and at home before he had to go back to work.  He never left my side, and never even blinked at his turn to change a poopie diaper!  And all he kept saying was he couldn't believe he was so in love with another dude! Lol. I think the best moment was on our fist night home I went to bed and Pat took the late shift- and as I lay in bed I overheard him giving the baby a tour of the house!! Haha. "This is the bathroom where you'll be taking your baths... This is your mothers pretty room, where she spends all her free time!" Lol that just about melted my heart. :)

So far everything elase is good-  he has been a great eater, and is on about a 4 hour feeding schedule which is major plus!  Im tired, but I'm so happy with my bundle of joy that it really hasn't phased me much.  Two days ago, I bumped up his formula intake to 4 ounces every feeding, and at night he's been sleeping in increments of about 5 hours- I just about sprung out of bed this morning when I realized that he had gone 5 1\2 hours!! woohoo!  I'm still trying to work out getting him on a schedule!

He has the strongest arms and hands, and doesn't know what to do with them!   The cutest thing is that he holds in his pacifier, and he acts like he is holding his bottle during feedings....  And most of the time they are all up in his face!  So we have been a big fan of mittens to protect him from scratching that beautiful face!  Well, Monday, I finally got up the nerve, with the help of my Mother to file down those fingernails and let his hands be free...  And I got a little thumb sucker!!!  I don't think there is anything cuter!


In the weeks Leading up to his arrival I was so nervous that I wouldn't know what to do, or how to do it when he got home, and every one assured me that my "motherly instincts" would just kick right in, and I think they were right!  How weird is it that they were all so right!?  There is nothing else I rather be doing!           

Monday, November 18, 2013

My Little Punkin'









The past two weeks in Photos & Firsts

Daddy's first Kiss 








Going home!!
.

We're Home!
First night home- Mommy can't sleep bc all she wants to do is STARE AT YOU!!!

Mommy's first glass of champagne!

Baby's first Bath

Anthony's first playdate with cousin Braylon & First Ravens Game!

Baby's first Faux Hawk


Countdown to Anthony

My chalkboard montage :)



The birth story...

It all started last Monday, October 27th.  My first day of maternity leave...  I was so excited to finally be off of work and do all of my last minute errands before baby!  I had big plans to shop and clean and beautify myself... Except when I woke up Monday morning that was NOT happening!  I felt so lazy and tired and completely unmotivated. I didn't even shower, just laid my large pregnant ass on the couch and watched all of my trashy reality TV shows, drank my raspberry leaf tea, and bounced on my ball during commercial breaks.  I was at the point where I was DONE!  Totally over being preggers and anxious that if I was going to have my Halloween baby, I would have to do it like ugh now!  After dinner Pat and I went on a long walk with the puppies around the neighborhood.  He went to bed early, and I stayed up watching the TLC movie (which was pretty good by the way lol.)  I started having what felt like period cramps.  They would come and go, and at first I didn't really pay them any mind.  And they kept coming and going, coming and going... then I thought to myself hmmm... Could this be what I think it is?  Could this be contractions?!  So I did what every person does when they aren't sure of something...  GOOGLE!  And it sounded like I really was having contractions, and that I needed to start timing them...  Well, did you know there is an app for that!?  Who needs a stop watch when you have an iPhone!?  They were few and far between and nothing serious.  So I went to bed, only to be viciously awaken at 2am with what again felt like BAD period cramps...  I laid on the couch all night and kept asking myself, is this happening?  Is this happening?  Is this really happening?  Is this really contractions?   They have to hurt more than this, on tv the woman are screaming!  I mean don't get me wrong, they were uncomfortable, but not yet horrific.  I didn't want to panic - #1 because I had already had a false alarm just a few days ago, and #2 I had my 38 week check up the very next morning at 10am.  So I decided not to wake up Pat, since he had to work in the morning and just really try to make sense of what was happening....  I called my mom at about 5am and told her what was going on and she told me to sit tight, breathe, try to rest, and she would be at my house to take me to my appointment.  And I woke Pat up for work around 7:30 and told him, of course he didn't want to go to work, but I forced the issue and told him to keep his phone close.

By the time Pat went off to work and my mom came to the house the contractions were definitely getting more intense...  We decided  to pack the car with all of our hospital bags just in case the doctor sent me to the hospital.  During my appointment, Dr Lim examined me and told me that I was still at 3 cm dilated and about 85-90% effaced.  And WOW did that hurt, it just about brought me to tears...   She told me that even though I was having contractions, since I was only at 38 weeks they could stop at any moment...  I could have the baby today, or 5 days from now!  She said you  never know-  That was a little discouraging!  I remember walking down that hallway out to the car and almost wanting to cry!  I hadn't slept a wink all night, and I was really just hoping she was going to tell us to meet her at the hospital!

So my mom and I attempted to go about our day-  We said we were going to go to Kohls, so we went, I wanted to walk around, and hopefully walk the baby out-  but we only lasted for about 5 minutes we basically walked in, used the bathroom and walked out - with me grasping on to a rack of clothes here and there to brace myself for the next contraction...  Now they were about 4 minutes or so apart and getting more and more intense...  Walking around in public just wasn't an option, so we went back to my house.

Thank god for my mom without her I dont know what I would have done!!!!  I literally rolled around on my couch for a few hours, bounced on my ball in between contractions, then rolled around in my bed, they were coming more and more fierce, to they point they were starting to bring me to tears-  My mom hands me my phone and says, its time, you're in active labor- call your husband- call your doctor we need to go to the hospital.    So I called Pat, and the second he answered the phone I just started crying and said come come please hurry it's time.  haha  I just remember him saying "Really!?"  "Are you sure?!"

By the time Pat got home, it was full force.  It felt like the longest car ride to the hospital EVER-  I just remember him holding my hand so tight- and of course we hit ever single light!!!!  Since we had that false alarm that Saturday I was really reluctant to go to the hospital too soon- I didn't wanted to be turned away for a second time!!!  I just remember telling Pat please don't be mad at me if they send us home- I'm sorry to make you leave work!  Pat pulled up the front of the hospital, lifted me into a wheelchair and basically ran me to the labor and delivery wing with my mother trailing not far behind.

When they got me into the room, it was roughly about 4:00 and there was no doubt that they were keeping me.  We we not leaving this hospital without a baby!  I was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced.  They asked me if I wanted the epidural and I had decided to wait-  the contractions hurt, but I just felt like they could be worse!  I did NOT want it wearing off when it was time to push!  As the time went on, it got to the point that just about every contraction was bringing me to tears.  My poor grandmother and Mother in Law walked into my room during a contraction, full swing and I yelled that everyone needed to get the hell out!!!!!  I did not want people just sitting around staring at me!  So I got the epidural- I was nervous about getting it, but it was really a piece of cake!!!!  It didn't even hurt!  and shwewwwwwww it felt good!  Better than good!  It felt like I was floating lol!  My doctor then broke my water, and I was a happy little clam!  And by this time my entire family had gathered in the waiting room, so one by one they came in to visit me...  The only problem was, my contractions slowed down - so Dr. Lim gave me some pitocin to speed up the process. And now I was really feeling good!!

A bit of time had passed, then Dr Lim said that I was fully dilated and ready to go- only I wasn't  because of the epidural I was feeling no pain, and I told her that there was no way that I would be able to push!  So we waited a little bit longer... we turned off the lights and rested I was so tired!  About an hour later, she came in the room, gloves on and said, "OK Kristina, its time to push!"  OMG!  I looked at Pat- I was so scared, and thought to myself there was no way in hell I was going to be able to do this!  But with my husband, doctor, and nurse all cheering me on for about an hour and a half I did it!  I pushed out that sweet little baby boy at 2:37 am on October 30th, 2013 - I got my halloween wish!!! :)