Meeting Great Grandma and Grandpa DeKruyter and Uncle Bryant!

We had more visitors from Michigan this past weekend.  My Grandma and Grandpa DeKruyter were able to come and meet Briana.  My brother, Bryant, and his girlfriend Kaitlin were able to come with them and this was their first time meeting Brie as well!  This is my grandparents first Great-Grandchild, so very exciting!  It was such a great weekend, we are so blessed to have family willing to come all this way to share this special time with us!

Bath Time!

Brie will probably be super mad at me someday for putting a mostly nudey picture of her online, but its too cute not too :)  She LOVES bath time, she just lays there in the warm water and takes it all in.  So nice now that her cord is off (fell off around 2wks) that she can actually go in her tub, no more sponge baths for her!  

Pumpkin Patch

We decided to brave it and go get a few pumpkins at a pumpkin farm 45min away. Well after arriving to the place we realized Briana needed a diaper change, so got that going then got her all bundled to go in the carrier. Well then of course she filled her pants again, changed her again. Then she decided she had to eat right then! So 40min later we finally made it out of the car!  We opted out of taking the hay ride to the field, and picked a few pre-picked pumpkins. Much easier!  All that work for about 15min of pumpkin picking :). My how things have changed!!  It was fun though to get out as a new family!

Newborn Pictures

I have said this so many times, but I am so thankful my mother-in-law is a photographer! I look around my living room and all but a couple pictures are ones that she has taken. She is so talented and enjoys doing it!  Once again she out did herself and took amazing newborn pictures of our little Briana.

Briana Louise

Hard to believe but our baby girl is finally here!  I can't believe it sometimes, when I stop and think about it I am just blown away and in awe.  

Briana Louise DeLange

9lbs 2oz    21in

10/4/12 @5:59pm

Its been a smooth adjustment thus far, I am recovering nicely (slowly....but getting there).  Brie is still figuring out when is night time and when is day time, but no complaints since the last two nights she had a 4hr stretch of sleep!!  She is great at eating and that has all been going really well too.  We are just so glad to be home and all together.  My mom is here this entire week which has been AWESOME!  She has been cooking, cleaning up, helping out in the early morning hours when Brie is up and fed just not asleep, and just generally teaching us how to deal with a newborn.  Kinda struck gold here having our own live-in labor and delivery/mom-baby nurse :)  She does this for a living, and Alec and I are more than thankful to tap into her wisdom!!

The rest of my family came up as well this past weekend.  Bryant is the only one that hasn't been here yet, but he is coming later this week.  Alec's parents were able to also come for a couple days this week, so glad they were able to make the trip and meet Briana.  We were a bit worried living so far away from our family, but it has been great so far!  

Well more pictures I'm sure to come, but these are the initial pictures of Briana's life!  

Due date tomorrow...

Well tomorrow is my due date.....I still don't have a baby.  Are you kidding me?!  Ridiculous....I know.  I worked yesterday, and before going into work dreaded what all my patients would say.  "Wow, when are you due?"  "Wow, and you are still working?!"  "When are you feeling like you are going to have the baby?"  BAH!  Needless to say I am feeling very done with pregnancy.  I am so thankful I had a great pregnancy and was able to work through my entire pregnancy, but the end has come!


I found this online today and it really made me laugh and I can COMPLETELY relate:

http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/09122011-week-38-the-5-stages-of-waiting-for-labor/

The 5 stages of waiting for labor are the same as the stages of grief, at least for me.

In the last few days I have been talking to myself more and more. I’ve had the restraint to keep the conversations within my head, but sometimes I chatter out loud. In those cases I like to pretend I’m talking to my baby, but I’m really talking to my uterus.

Stage 1: Denial

It all started with shock. I can’t believe I haven’t had this baby yet. I predicted I would be having him early- yesterday to be specific- but that did not happen. How is it possible that I’m still pregnant? I thought my belly dropped, but maybe it didn’t? Maybe I’m not as pregnant as I thought I was.

Stage 2: Anger

I’m angry at my uterus. How dare it punish me with scary contractions from 26 weeks on with nothing to show for it?

I’m angry at my mobility. As I roll over in bed (correction: attempt to roll over) I silently curse.

I’m angry that my baby is not yet ready to join the world. I am ready for him.

Stage 3: Bargaining

Pleaaaaaaaaaase let me go into labor today.

…today passes into tomorrow..

Pleaaaaaaaaaase let me go into labor today. If I walk until my feet want to fall off, will you let me going into labor? Please?

…today passes into tomorrow.. Rinse and repeat.

Stage 4: Depression

I don’t want to get out of bed. I do anyway. I walk to the market and stare longingly at the bundle of someone else’s joy in his cute little stroller, the mom walking sans waddle. I temporarily retreat back to stage 2 (read: anger) and want to slap her for having her baby already. Instead, my eyes well up and I cry right there in front of everyone.

Stage 5: Acceptance

We’ve finally arrived.

This baby will come when he is ready. I’ve accepted that he is already an independent man and will join the world on his own terms. That might be today but it also might be 2+ weeks from now. Either way, the end, and the beginning, is in sight.

Pregnancy can’t last forever, right? 

So we continue to wait and learn a thing or two about patience at this point.