What I realized as a first time Mom

As a first time Mom I was not sure what the actual essential items are when having a baby. So, I registered for everything. With the first two weeks under my belt I have realized there are some things that I could not go without! Here is the top 10 list:

10. Teddy Bear Floor Pillow- My Mom picked this up for Savannah when I was only 17 weeks pregnant. I wasn't sure if it would be used... Well, it has been used a bunch of times EACH day!



9. Nursing Pads- I didn't know that these would come in handy so much... I have already gone through a jumbo box!


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8. Breast Pump- My Mom and Dad gave us this Breast Pump. What an interesting piece of equipment. Although I feel like a cow it is SO useful.


7. A Good Rocking Chair- Brian's parents gave us this Rocking Chair and it makes breast feeding so much easier. I was getting back aches before this chair. I realized you need a chair with a tall supportive back.

6. Really Soft Blankets- These are great, and they are so cute in PINK!

5. Boppy Billow- This pillow is great for almost everything. When Savannah is awake I can prop her up in it. It makes nursing SO much easier and even makes holding her more comfortable. Since I use it so much I have to change the slip cover often.


4. Bath Tub and Hooded Towels- I was really afraid of giving Savannah a bath at first, but this tub came with a supportive ramp to help keep her head above water. Also, Savannah loves the warm water, but hates having to get out. Having towels with hoods keeps her head warm and they are really cute too!

3. Wipe Warmer- This really makes a difference. I thought it was a little over the top, but in the middle of the night the last thing Savannah wants is a cold wipe on her precious bottom!

2. Really Supportive Parents- My Mom and Dad have been LIFE SAVERS. They have taken care of Savannah, Brian and I for the past couple weeks. They have cooked, cleaned, ran errands, stocked our refrigerator, have come over twice at 4 AM when I didn't know how to stop Savannah from crying, and have been there for me when I am crying! My Mom has been so amazing. She doesn't tell me how to be a Mom... she is just there to help me be a Mom.

1. My Husband- Brian is such a great Dad. He loves Savannah, Lily and I so much. Today he starts back at school for his final semester of his Bachelors Degree. While I am out on Maternity leave he is working TWO jobs and goes to school full time. What an amazing husband!

More Pictures!

My cousin Brian and his family came in town to go to Knotts Berry Farm. Since it was raining the park was closed. I didn't know that amusement parks closed due to rain. Instead they went to the Discovery Center and then came over to meet Savannah.

Ashlynn finally has a girl cousin to play with!

When Peter was in town he held Savannah a lot, but his biceps is so large that it was hard to hold her in his arms. She preferred laying on his chest.

Bath Time- At first I was terrified to give Savannah a bath, so I had my Mom bath her the first couple days.

Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Matt

One Week Old

Savannah is one week old today. I can't believe how much she has changed just in one week. It is hard to think that she was in my stomach for 9 months and now she is finally here. This past week has been emotionally out of control. There has been so many tears. Tears of joy, tears of pain, and just unexplainable tears. It has been difficult to manage all of the unexplainable tears. Thank goodness for Brian. He is so strong and supportive. I couldn't imagine going though this without him. He is such a good Dad already and is an amazing husband. He does so much for me, Savannah and Lily. I love him so much... oh no... here comes those unexplainable tears!

Lily and Savannah

For the past 3 years Lily has been our very loyal dog. We really have treated her like a child, and my parents have treated her like their grandchild. We were worried about how Lily would react to Savannah. Brian brought Savannah's cap from the hospital home for Lily to sniff before we brought Savannah inside. Lily, like she always does, was jumping all over us when we came in. She was more excited than usual most likely because I had been in the hospital for about 3-4 days and she missed me. Then Lily saw Savannah and got even more excited. We really had to hold Lily back. Now that it has been a couple days we noticed that Lily has been really depressed. She doesn't come to me when I call her. She doesn't run up to us when we get home. She is not eating as much and hides under the couch. Brian and I are trying to give her extra attention, but it is very difficult to get her to respond to us.

(Brian took this picture while we were all napping!)

She is starting to act more protective of Savannah. She likes to lay by Savannah and I while I nurse or while we take naps. It will take Lily a little while to get used to having a baby around, but hopefully she will be just fine.

Brian's family is so far away and haven't met Savannah yet. His parents are coming the first wee of February, so until then I hope the pictures reflect how perfect, sweet and adorable she is!

Savannah Pictures

Savannah went to her first doctor's appointment today... and she is PERFECT.

She is also gorgeous!

Welcome Savannah Jaye Rogers

Savannah Jaye Rogers

Born January 13, 2009

8:44 AM

7 lbs 10 ounces

20.5 inches

Baby Shower

Today my Mom and Dad threw Brian and I a coed baby shower. It was at my Aunt Caroline's house and lots of family and friends came. Since I was on bed rest I sat in a recliner chair the entire time. The women played the fun baby shower games while the guys played poker!

Emily and Erica look more like my Mom's daughters than I do!

Swelling!!

Yesterday I went to see the doctor and I had to weigh in. The first half of the pregnancy the doctor was worried I wasn't gaining enough weight. At the last appointment I gained 4 lbs over the holidays to total 30 lbs in 36 weeks. Well... in seven days since my last appointment I gained 9 lbs! The doctor said it was most likely from the crazy swelling in my legs and feet, but seriously... 9 lbs in 7 days... CRAZY!

Bed Rest

It's official. I am on bed rest. I was leaving work today when my doctor called my cell phone. She said to go to labor and delivery to have my blood pressure checked. Brian and I got there about 7:00 and didn't leave until 11:00. It started with just checking my blood pressure laying down. It was great at 127/65. Then they took it when I was sitting up and it shot up to 140/87. They decided to run it every 10 minutes for an hour sitting up and then laying down. Then they did it for another hour. Apparently they didn't like the results. So, then they put a monitor on my belly. Then they wanted to test my urine. After those results they took blood. A doctor came in and measured the fluid around the baby. The doctor told me I had hypertension and that I had to go on bed rest. ONLY to and from the bathroom and up for meals.

SO... if anyone wants to call or visit me that would be great. Also, I don't really have a good DVD collection so I am looking for DVDs to borrow! A good book would be great!

It is nice that I have a lab top to use in bed- so emails would be awesome.

False Alarm!

On New Year's Day we had a major false alarm. I was woken up with contractions that were getting stronger and closer together. After 3 hours the contractions were about 4 minutes apart so Brian called Labor and Delivery. They asked me a bunch of questions and said to come on in. I decided to take a shower while Brian packed the bag. All of a sudden in the middle of taking a shower the contractions just stopped. We were really disappointed because we want to see Savannah, but the more time she is in there the better.

Last week we had another ultrasound at the hospital. The doctor is concerned about the Savannah's size and that her abdomen is a little underdeveloped. After the ultrasound we went to the doctor's office and they said that Savannah is almost 6 lbs. She is in the 30th percentile for being 36 weeks. When I heard this I was a little worried, but the doctor said they are only concerned with babies that are less than the 5th percentile. She said that Savannah looks perfect!

At the doctor's appointment I officially hit 30 lbs mark for weight gain (4 lbs were gained just since the last appointment... staying at my parent's house for the holidays is like having an all you can eat buffet). Also, my blood pressure is strangely high at 145/78. Usually my blood pressure had been 116/58 so this was really weird. They tested it one more time before we left the office and it was 137/75. Our doctor said that if it doesn't go down by next week's appointment that she is forcing me to stop working.

The last strange thing that happened at the doctor's is that my blood work is really bad (it has been the entire pregnancy). I have an iron deficiency, a B12 deficiency, some other deficiency's and now I have a Vitamin A deficiency. The doctor looked puzzled. She had never seen a Vitamin A deficiency before. Brian and I googled Vitamin A deficiency and found, "Vitamin A deficiency is common in developing countries but rarely seen in developed countries". Here is the map of the world showing the countries that have Vitamin A deficiency... The United States is not one of them. In 2000 the United Nations made a commitment to stamp out Vitamin A deficiency in the world. Apparently Vitamin A deficiency cause: Night blindness; reduced hair growth in children; loss of appetite; dry, rough skin; lowered resistance to infection; dry eyes. It is very important for babies to get Vitamin A so they can develop a good immune system. So, I am am told to eat a lot of... liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, mangoes, spinach, cantaloupe, dried apricots, milk, egg yolks, and mozzarella cheese. Something else that is interesting is that it is a good thing I don't drink alcohol because a combination of Iron deficiency, Vitamin A deficiency and Alcohol is deadly!

Merry Christmas!

Brian and I spent Christmas with my parents in Palm Springs. This is the first time in five years that I have been with my parents on Christmas Day. We were unable to go to Seattle since I am so pregnant. It has been so relaxing here. On Christmas Eve I didn't even get out of my pajamas. Although I don't know if I should be necessarily proud of that fact. On Christmas we woke up and opened presents. Savannah was the big winner with a ton of very cute dresses from Grandma!

For Christmas breakfast we ate tamales (SO GOOD) and then went swimming. I posted the picture that was taken from far away- I am the size of a house and a little self conscious. After a very long nap I woke up to Mom's prime rib dinner. We finished the night by going to the movies. We saw Valkyrie, which was very good. What an awesome Christmas. It was so different from the Seattle Christmas. Seattle had a major snow storm- almost blizzard-like conditions. Maybe it was a good year for us to skip since the airport was closed down for many days.

Here are some pictures from the last week!

This is my study group for the last 16 months. This was taken after a finance study session that lasted about 7 hours! Me (the pregnant Kelly), Kelly (the non-pregnant Kelly), Michael and Mark.

Brian and I at The Melting Pot. I have always wanted to go and he took me to celebrate finishing my MBA. The dessert was my favorite part!

My work Christmas Luncheon at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Orange County. I just thought it was a good candid photo of my baby belly at 33 weeks. I am not sure who actually took this picture. I was handing out the Christmas bonuses and someone must of grabbed my camera and snapped a quick picture.

This was taken at the practice for the Primary program. All the kids are so cute!

I am done (deep breath).

I took my last final at Chapman tonight. I had five finals this week which allowed me to complete the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in a record 16 months.

After the exam I just sat in my car and cried. The past eight months have been the toughest of my life. After Brian and I found out that I was pregnant I put school in overdrive. My advisor told me to drop out. She said it was impossible to go to school more than full time and work full time- all while pregnant. I was determined. I just can't believe I actually did it.

It was a very tearful drive home. It was from joy and exhaustion. I know a lot of my emotions are due to hormones, but I am so overwhelmed by so many feelings. I believe this is what it is like to cross the finish line after running a marathon. I have been in school as long as I can remember. All of a sudden I turned in my finance exam and it was over. Looking back I don't know how I did it. I know it wouldn't have happened without Brian and my parent's support. Thank you.

Baby Shower Weekend

This weekend I was thrown 2 baby showers! On Saturday friends from church threw me a shower. It was at my friend Erika's house. It was so much fun and the food was SO good.

On Sunday a medley of friends came together for a shower. There were people from work, high school, Rainbow, and just friends! It was held at my good friend Kylee's house. It was such a fun afternoon filled with lots of laughter. It felt more like a reunion! Kylee's mom was so generous to let us have the party at her house- which is gorgeous!

My Mom rapping Humpty Dumpty! There were dance moves and everything. She totally won!

Thank you to everyone that came. It was such a special weekend. Now... I just can't wait until she comes!

Peter Moved to Dallas

Peter, my brother, is a News Anchor and Reporter for Fox television. He went from market #99 in El Paso to the BIG TIME market #5 in Dallas. He took the entire month of November off and spent it down here in Palm Springs. My parents drove with him from Palm Springs to El Paso, picked up his stuff, and then drove all the way to Dallas. At least they weren't cramped in the truck the entire time because Peter picked up his brand new car (2009 Honda Accord) while on the way to Dallas. He has an amazing loft on the 20th floor with a view of downtown Dallas. I can't wait to visit him. I am just so excited for him and all the wonderful things happening in his life.

He starts on Monday and soon you can see his stories on the FOX website at http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/.

Thanksgiving 2008

Brian and I are in Palm Springs for Thanksgiving. We participated in the 5k turkey trot with my Mom and Brother. My Mom and I walked and Brian and Peter ran. Peter said that even though I walked that I won my category since I was the only pregnant woman in the race!

Then we took a dip in the spa, watched the Macy's Day Parade and flipped through the paper looking for Black Friday sales. It is a really small group of just the immediate family that will be here for dinner.

4D Ultrasound

My Mom found out about 4D ultrasounds and purchased a sessions for Brian and I as a gift. It was so incredible. My Mom, Dad, and Brother (Peter is in town from Texas) were also able to sit in there too. The room is set up for an audience and the ultrasound is projected on the wall. We all said the baby looks like Brian. The lips and cheeks look like his baby pictures.

Washington-USC Game

Brian's friend Joe came down from Washington to visit last weekend. Although they knew it was going to be a blowout they still went all dressed in Purple and Gold... GO HUSKEY'S!