Christmas Break

Ryan, Grace and I are in Salt Lake to spend time with our families. There were so many people waiting to meet our baby girl and it has been so much fun so far!

Our car was filled to the max! Babies come with a lot of baggage apparently. :) This was the view from my seat looking back... you can see Grace's little head in the mirror.
We spent some time reading books while Ryan drove...

Grace and her cousin Layla. They are exactly one month and 3 lbs apart. :) They may not look related but we hope they will be the best of friends being so close in age!

Layla has been sharing all her old newborn clothes with Grace and this is one of my favorites so far.

Grace loves it when Daddy helps her at bath time. This is in my parents' sink.

Gracie finally got to meet her Grandma and Grandpa Turner. (She gets her dark complexion from this Grandma's side of the family)
Uncle Jason and Aunt Jacey were color coordinated with her outfit. ;)

Grace's favorite position to be in is laying on someone's chest. In this case my dad was cozy and warm.

Cousins!

Love it.

Great Job, Ryan!

You survived block week! In fact, all 3 of us did. But really, he did a great job this semester and pulled off good grades (even with the rough couple of weeks after Grace was born). I'm so proud of you, Ry. You will make a wonderful doc.

Grace and I gave Ryan a little "end of block week" gift. Look at that tongue... yum... milk...
We celebrated the end of the semester at one of our favorite restaurants - Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ. A much-deserved night out as a family.
The District is so neat during Christmas time. They decorate the whole place with lights and have live music on the weekends.

I can't begin to explain how great it is to know that we have Ryan all to ourselves for almost a whole month!

One Month Old

Can you believe it?! I sure can't.
Grace turned one month old on December 9th. It has been strange to see December 2nd (her actual due date) come and go... and December 9th (the original due date) as well... realizing how lucky we are to have her with us earlier than expected.
Her one month check-up with her new doctor went well. We love our doctor by the way (Dr. Carrie Wijesinghe... not sure if I spelled that right). No shots until next month but they did have to prick her toe to check her hemoglobin (everything was fine with her red blood cells this time).

At one month Grace ...
- weighs 6 lb 11 oz (up 8 oz from birth)
- is 3rd percentile in weight for full term babies, and 10th percentile for preterm babies (yeah... we're working on it)
-is 20 inches long (grown an inch from birth)

-is wearing a few of her newborn sized sleepers and outfits finally. All of her preemie things are a bit snug and short on her.

-is getting less and less sleepy. The longest she's gone staying awake so far is 2 full hours.

-sticks her tongue out a lot.

-loves her binkie.

-is really good at holding her head up on her own.

-slept in her crib last night instead of the bassinet in our room- yay!

Grace is no longer jaundice... but look at this picture! Ryan has an olive complexion, so you can see where she gets it from. But even this picture shows how much darker she is than even Ryan! She definitely doesn't have my fair skin.
I was telling Ryan the other day how lucky she is... dark hair, olive skin, and beautiful blue eyes. She'll be a heart-breaker!
We're working on the smile... This wasn't exactly a true smile - even though I caught her at a moment where it looks like it. But still close! Hopefully soon we'll see those dimples for real.

Grace's Photo Session

Here are a few of the gorgeous shots my friend Melynda took of Grace. For being a super uncooperative baby (both times we tried), Melynda was able to get some really beautiful photos.

Thanks again Melynda!!

Here she is making me feel like a bad mom.

p.s. HAPPY 1 MONTH BIRTHDAY, GRACE!

December!!

I have been looking forward to this month almost all year! It may have been because my due date was December 2nd, but mostly I can hardly wait to spend a couple weeks in Salt Lake with our families and celebrate Christmas. We'll be headed up there in a week and a half. It'll be so great to finally be able to introduce everyone to Grace! They've all been so instrumental in helping her get better so quickly ... because of their faith, prayers, and fasting. It will also be so nice to have lots of time there and not feel rushed to see everyone and do all we want to do.

Ryan's last finals week of the semester starts on monday. But all of the intense/endless studying has already been going on. It's already been a bit rough on me the last couple of days, but I know it's about to get a lot worse come monday. Usually, in order to survive block week, the other wives and kids will get together throughout the week and hang out so we're not too lonely and bored. This is my first week as a mom during block week, and practically all the wives have gone home for christmas... and those who are still in town are dealing with sickness in their home (which we have to stay away from)! I realized too late that I probably should have just gone home to Salt Lake a little early as well so I wouldn't be alone with a newborn this week. But unfortunately Grace and I have doctor's appointments scheduled, so we'll just have to survive it. I'm being more of a complainer than I need to be - we'll be fine. :)

Grace is almost a month old! I can't believe it. Her entire wardrobe has consisted of a few preemie sleepers we've borrowed from friends, some long-sleeve onesies, and newborn sweatpants rolled up twice. (pictured below)
She hasn't been able to fit in any of her cute newborn things we have yet ... and the preemie things we borrowed are now getting a bit too short and snug on her. YAY!! I'm really looking forward to being able to put her cute newborn things on her soon. :) Plus it means she's growing.

Gracie and I went on our first walk in the stroller this week. It was a chilly 40-something degrees that morning and she fell right to sleep. But I enjoyed getting out for a few minutes - even though I realized after only 5 minutes how tired, sore, and out of shape I still am!
This picture is too funny. She was enjoying a little "tummy-time" on the boppy and used her strong neck muscles to lift her head up (she's surprisingly strong, even being a few weeks old). But she's still a little bit of a bobble-head and I caught her funny movement and expression on camera. Silly girl.

I think we'll keep her...

Getting to know you... Getting to know all about you

It's so much fun to watch this little personality emerge! I love spending my days with Grace and having the chance and time to get to know her. One thing that was very apparent right in the beginning of life is how much she loves to be warm and cozy! It probably goes back to the fact that she should technically still be in the womb for another week.
Grace was very jaundice while she was in the NICU. They had her under the bili lights almost constantly for a few days. But no worries! She LOVED it. When the nurse would put the "shades" over Gracie's eyes, and turn on the lights, she would completely chill out. She looked like a little sun-bather! Even if she was mad right before the shades were put on, once her eyes were covered and the lights turned on she would just lay there and enjoy.

Nap time with dad. Grace also LOVES to be wrapped up and snuggling in someone's arms. Even if she is really upset, I can simply hold her in my arms really close for just a few seconds and she'll calm right down. I hope that lasts...
First bath! Surprisingly she didn't hate it. We've realized after a couple baths that she only likes it if the water is at least in the low 90's - she likes it nice and warm, of course! And she'll freak out unless she has a warm wash cloth over her chest and stomach area so no part of her is cold.

Giving Thanks

What are we thankful for this year? Hm... let me think...

Graduation Day

Our sweet Gracie May finally graduated from the NICU this morning!

She was supposed to prove she could gain weight for a few days before the doctors felt she was ready to come home. After several days in a row of losing weight, and a priesthood blessing by her daddy and Grandpa Goates, Grace gained 5 grams. That was 3 nights ago. The next night she gained 15 grams, and last night she surprised everyone by gaining 50 grams! We walked into the NICU for her scheduled feeding this morning and were given the wonderful news that she was ready to be sent home!

Being a perfect baby while we put Grace in her first real outfit.

It's much easier without the cords & monitors attached to her!

Ready to go

Happy Daddy

Pure joy!

Home at last.

We're so glad to have our sweetheart home finally!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us

during these last two weeks.

Love her!

Holding on for dear life.

Sunday photos

I'm sorry - but come on - she's adorable!

Grace's "crib" in the NICU.

Latest update...

We were able to "room in" (sleep-over) with Grace overnight at the hospital on wednesday night. Usually the baby gets to go home the next day when they do the "rooming in" night, and that's what we were told at first... but then the next morning it was official that Grace was not gaining any weight... in fact, she'd lost a little bit more. Her growth chart over the last 11 days has been pretty bad. She was born at 6 lbs 3 oz, and she is at 5 lbs 15 oz right now. We're making a big push to make her eat AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE and make it possible for her to prove she can gain weight. The latest word on when she can come home is "2-3 days of weight gain" but we've also heard something about waiting until she's back up to her birth weight. We just don't know much yet - and we're trying to be patient and upbeat for her sake. It's just a waiting game...

Staying overnight with Grace was a wonderful blessing for us though. To be alone in a room as a family for the first time was so wonderful. It was a sweet experience, and yet 20 times harder to leave the hospital without her the next day. :( But we're hanging in there and we WILL get her home sometime soon. Maybe by thanksgiving?? Goodness, I hope so. We're continuing to pray for miracles! She had another priesthood blessing last night and we've asked the Lord to help her understand that she needs to eat more and stay awake during her feedings. Ryan and I know that not only is Heavenly Father aware of her, but we have also felt the presence of family members who are on the other side of the veil. They're staying close to her and I'm sure she knows as well. We're so grateful for the priesthood and for the Gospel. We have been blessed and humbled through this experience.

Stay tuned for more updates. :) Thanks everyone, for being excited to see pics and videos of her! It's all I can do as far as showing her off and keeps it fun for me during a not-so-fun time. I can't wait for you all to meet her!!

For your viewing pleasure

I know it's not the greatest quality, for some reason, but I hope you all enjoy seeing her in more than just a photo. :)

Our Beautiful Gracie May

Details of labor and delivery are in the previous post (scroll down)...

The night (possibly the morning after) she was born. I really hate these first few pictures because she looks so sick and so tired. The delivery was very traumatic for her little body and she was beginning to fight a major infection.

It kills me to see this picture.
First family picture...
Daddy is in love!
I could kiss those toes everyday!
Right before I was discharged without taking my baby with me... Probably the hardest moment of my life.
Looking MUCH better without the tubes in her mouth and nose. I even love it when she cries.
Gracie was patient with daddy's first diaper change. He did great! (he lucked out with an EASY one)
Ryan feeding Grace a bottle lastnight.
I love her sooooo much. We're going to be the best of friends.
Grandma Goates with Gracie. She was so awake and alert! She's even showing signs of dimples on each cheek... let's see if a little fat on the bones can bring them out!