4 weeks old!

Part of this video shows Isla sticking her tongue out! She learns something new everyday I feel like!

We had a rough night last night. She just didn't want to sleep more than 1 hour at the most. Finally at 9 this morning she really fell asleep. I slept with her for most of the day. We did get up and go to the breastfeeding support group. I like going to that group because we all breastfeed together and ask questions about different things. Isla was the only girl today...her friends Warren, Carter and Jackson were there!

1st week videos

Dirty Isla

We had a very laid back father's day. We watched the US Open and ate pizza. I also decided to take Isla's hand and foot prints for this cute frame that one of Mark's co-workers had given us. So I inked up her hand thinking it would be simple enough. Not with squirmy pants. I had to call Mark up to help me because by this point Isla and I were both covered in ink. We got it done eventually with "father's" help. But a bath was in order.

Saturday night I went by myself (without Mark and Isla) to the "Chief's Liberation Party." We bought a breast pump on Friday and so decided to put it to the test. I pumped Saturday morning and got about 3 oz of milk total out. We wanted to do a trial run of bottle feeding before I left. Mark fed her so as not to confuse things and she did great. Gulped down both bottles in record time. So I left and when I got back she was still sleeping and didn't even need any more pumped milk. I pumped again this morning and got another ounce. I'm afraid to pump too much because I don't want to not have enough to feed her by breast during the next feeding.

I finally put all the videos from the last three weeks on my computer so I'll be uploading them soon. The first I'm going to load is her three week birthday video. Enjoy! I think she is so dang cute!

Night out with Isla

Last night was the chief resident's graduation. We got Isla all dressed up in the cute pink dress that Donna Berman gave us. Everybody thought she was adorable and she was passed all around. She did great. After dinner was served and the program started I took her to the bathroom to feed quick. Apprentely while I was in there they started handing out some awards. Mark busted into the ladies bathroom and told me I had won an award! Poor Isla...I ripped her off my breast and gave her to Mark. As I ran into the ballroom Isla was wailing in the hallway so I think everyone knew what was going on! It was hilarious! I won the Student Teaching Award which I am very proud to have received.

It is so weird to think that next year I will be up there at graduation with my family. Isla will be one year old then!

Growth Spurt

Isla is 3 weeks old! This is apparently a time for growing! Monday night she was up all night eating! And on Tuesday at my breastfeeding group she weighed 10 pounds! That means she gained 1 pound and 2 oz in a week! She definitely looks more filled out. She is holding her head up longer (about 5 seconds) and more alert during the day. It is incredible how much she is growing each and every day! I did some reading and the 3 week growth spurt should only last a couple of days. This is good since I am starting to get a little hazy from lack of sleep. I am trying to sleep when she does but it's hard when I have a long list of other things to do.

Isla got her first real bath today since her belly button is healed. She actually tolerated it very well and didn't cry at all. I think it reminded her of being in my belly.

On our own!

Grandma and Grandpa Stapleton left this morning bright and early. I am so thankful for the help that both of our sets of parents gave us. Barb stocked our freezer to the brim with beef stroganoff, sloppy joes, lasagna and chicken noodle soup. We actually ate all of the sloppy joes already (I didn't realize Mark was going to defrost all of it in one sitting!) But don't worry...there is plenty of food left! So now we are on our own! We survived the day. It was a rainy, lazy day so we took full advantage of doing NOTHING! Actually that isn't true. I gave Isla a bath after she spit up lying down so it was all over in her hair. Then while she was sleeping I went and got a pedicure! Pure bliss. We watched a movie tonight and sang songs to Isla.

The most exciting news of the day is that Isla lost her belly button!! I looked down at the couch and there was a brown terd on it. But it wasn't a terd...it was Isla's belly button!! Kind of gross but special in a weird way. Now we can wash her in the bath tub!!

Stop picking!!

Today we met with Gretchen our nurse practitioner for the second time since Isla's birth. She is 8 lbs 14 oz today. This is about the 70% for weight. But she is tall (89% percentile) and has a big head (90th%). Everything else looked good on her exam and her belly button is about to fall off! It's kind of gross.
Speaking of gross things, I find myself picking on Isla while I'm feeding her. I've heard other mom's say they do this too but it is kind of annoying. It doesn't annoy Isla but it annoys me that I can't stop doing it. Her skin was peeling this week a little and it was impossible for me to not pick on her!! I even bit her little fingernail for her once (or twice!)
Isla is a little more alert every day. Today she looked and "played" with my sister for almost an hour. Her eyes are so wide and she will look at you and make cute little baby noises. It's so darn cute!
Laura brought both of our baptismal gowns home from Moorhead for me to look at. We are going to have her baptised at Mark's church in Apple Valley on July 3rd. Both of our gowns were hand knit by Leonore Sillers. They are beautiful and I'm excited for Isla to wear one of them for her baptism.
Isla is still up at night a lot. She is hungry about every 90 minutes to 2 hours. And today the nurse said that I should still feed her on demand as she could stand to gain a little more weight. So no rest for the weary. It's tough but at least I am able to take a couple of naps during the day while she is sleeping.
Mark's mom and dad have been helping out which makes it easier. Barb made lasagna last night and made an extra pan to freeze for after they leave.

12 days old

In Isla's second week of life she made a few trips out of the house! We made a visit to the lactation consultant and while at the hospital we stopped by the surgical floor. All of the nurses were gowned and ready to hold her!

Mark and I had Monday and Tuesday just the three of us. Mark had taken those days off of work so that was really nice. We just slept and helped Isla with her eating and her diapers! We had her first doctor's appointment which was really just a weight check. She was 8 lbs 9oz so already almost back up to birth weight! I guess the eating is going fine.

Wednesday was my first day alone and it went just fine. I think I only cried twice that day! Thursday Mark's parents arrived from Minnesota. They have been so helpful and it nice to pass off Isla in the morning to get some extra z's while they watch her!

Yesterday was my friend Robin's baby shower. I dressed Isla in the cutest handmade purple sweater and matching booties made by my friend Rebecca.

Today we took Isla to the Old Port Festival in her cute yellow and green outfit. It was fun but a little bit busy with the stroller. She did great though...slept through the whole thing!

Grandma Ollie

Grandma Ollie passed away last week on June 3rd. Isla will never meet her great-gma Ollie but I have already told her all about what a wonderful person she was. I was very sad to not be able to go back for the funeral as Isla is too little to fly. I wrote something for the visitation that my sister read for me. I wanted to contribute something so that I felt that if I couldn't be there people could hear how much she meant to me. Below is what I wrote...

Last fall I found out I was pregnant and so of course one of the first people I had to call was my Grandma Ollie. She was so excited for me and told me about the joys of motherhood. That conversation was probably one of the last good conversations I had with grandma before she became ill. It was so important for me to hear her words of wisdom since she had raised three wonderful children of her own.
Last week Isla Marie was born. I cannot describe how incredible it is to witness the miracle of birth and the start of a new life. Not until you have your own child can you truly understand it. One week later Grandma Ollie passed away. In the span of a week I watched the beginning of an earthly life for Isla as well as the beginning of a heavenly life for Grandma with Jesus.
Although I am sad that I cannot be with my family today I know that Grandma and Grandpa are smiling down from heaven on me and Isla. I love all of you and will never forget Grandma’s words of wisdom and the example she provided for me as an amazing mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

6 days old

Isla Marie is 6 days new today. Today was a little bit of a sad day for me. My grandma is dying. She hasn't been eating or drinking anything. I am sad because Isla will never meet her sweet great-grandma Ollie. I am also sad because I can't go home for the funeral. Isla can't fly until she is 14 days old. So my dad told me I should write something for them to read for me at the family service. I think I will write about experiencing the miracle of life through Isla's birth and how it makes me happy that grandma will have eternal life in heaven.
I'm really emotional anyways. I've been crying at the drop of a hat. Probably most of it is that I am very tired. Isla was up all night eating every 90 min to 2 hours. Apparently the day or two after your milk comes in the baby feels the need to make up for it by eating constantly. So that was tough. But Mark takes her after I feed her and tries to get her to sleep. But she mostly likes to sleep during the day!
We had a visiting nurse come out today. Lynn was very helpful in reassuring me that my emotions are normal and are not post-partum depression. She weighed Isla and she is back up to 8lbs 6 oz already. I guess she is eating enough to start gaining weight back. She answered all of our questions and will check back with us in a couple of weeks. This is a free service provided to all Portland residents. I found the visit very helpful and I feel much better after hearing that Isla's feeding frenzies will start to space out.
It has been very nice to have some time with just Mark, me and Isla. We are bonding as a family and it is a feeling of love and bonding I have never felt before. Mark has tomorrow off too so looking forward to another day of family time!