and growing!

I am amazed at how much Dorothy changes
from day to day.

She had already put on 11 ounces
at her one week appointment last week.
Her adorable cheeks and thighs are starting
to pudge out.
Yesterday I had to move her from the newborn onesies
to the 0-3 month onesies,
and it hasn't even been 2 weeks!
I love watching this little girl grow,
but it is hard realizing just how quickly things change.

We can't slow time down,
so we're just trying to savor every minute
of her newborn days.

home, happy, and healthy!

I can't believe that Dorothy is just about a week old!
At this time last week I was about halfway through my labor
and wondering when I would get to meet our little girl.

She is such a beautiful and sweet little baby.
She has been sleeping well
and is an excellent nurser!
We can already tell she has put on some good weight,
and we'll find out tomorrow just how much.

It has been a great first week.
We love getting to know our little girl
and we're trying to savor every moment while she is this small!

We've also felt so blessed to have so much family around.
My mom and dad flew in the day we came home from the hospital.
My dad already had to get back for work,
but my mom will be here helping out through Sunday.
It is comforting having her around to ask questions
(it also doesn't hurt that she was a pediatric nurse for years:).
Marty's mom and dad have been great as well.
They've cooked for us
and love coming over to snuggle with their first granddaughter.

It is so fun to see all the things we got for the showers
finally being used by Dorothy.
She seems to like her swing.

And once she is in her car seat,
she usually falls right asleep.
We had our first outing with her yesterday--
the library and target.
She barely made a peep the whole time, sweet girl.

And we love these little leg warmers that grandma V. made.
We were people that kept our thermostat at 65,
and we've hiked it up to 75 with Dorothy home.
But we're always trying to make sure that she is warm enough
until she is better able to regulate her body temperature.

Life is just wonderful with her around!
We are sure blessed!

She is HERE!

Dorothy Mae Vieira
took her time getting here,
but she made it!

This beautiful girl is
6lb14oz,
20 inches,
and a whole lot of sweetness.

I went into early labor Monday night (March 16th)
and had contractions consistently for the next 10 hours.
They still weren't quite close enough to go the hospital
at that point, so we took a walk outside.

The walk brought them about a minute closer together
and when I called the doctor's office
they told me to go ahead and get over to labor and delivery.

When they first checked us at the hospital,
we had progressed to a 3 from the 1/2cm a week before.
However,
7 hours later, I was still only at a 3.
At that point I knew we had a long night ahead of us.

It wasn't until about 2am on the 18th that my body was
finally ready to push.
I was so exhausted that it took another 2 and 1/2
hours of pushing to get Dorothy here.

She was born at 5:07 am on March 18th.

She is a very alert little girl,
taking in as much as she can with her beautiful eyes
when she is awake.

We are so in love with her
and feel so blessed to be her parents.

Labor

Well,
I've been in early labor for a few hours now.
My contractions are about 5 minutes apart.
As soon as they get to be closer to 3 minutes apart,
we will be heading to the hospital!

We'll let you know what happens!

Farm Life

We decided to take a trip over to our
brother and sister-in-law's farm on Saturday.
I figured that I won't be getting over for a few weeks
after Dorothy arrives.

All of the laying ladies were out in full force.
This mix of chickens lay beautiful brown and green/blue eggs.

Tom the turkey cracks me up!
He hangs out with the chickens all day
and struts his stuff for anyone who walks by.

Although they have been cutting back on their cows,
T and Ellen still have about a dozen of this heritage breed.
They are a great looking--short and stocky with wide faces.

These are a few of Ellen's milkers.
Ellen is getting ready to start up production of
fresh goat milk and cheese.
She taught me how to make some cheese last summer,
and I'm hoping to learn more from her this year.

And here are just a few of the sheep and lambs they have this year.
The wool from these animals will be making a good deal of
quilts, sweaters, and hats for next winter.
The little lambs were so sweet--
wanting to come up and suck on our fingers, hoping for milk.

Sometime this late spring/early summer,
T and Ellen will be starting up a small CSA program
(community supported agriculture).
We're thinking about snagging a spot on their list.
Every week we will be able to stop by and pick up a basket
filled with fresh farm goods.
Fresh eggs, milk, cheese, meat, bread, fruits, and veggies
will all make their way into the baskets.

We're also excited to have our own garden space
over at mom and pop V's this summer.
We are hoping to get all of our produce straight from the garden
for at least a few months this year
and to be able to can up tomato sauce, pesto, grape juice, salsa,
and a bunch of other goods for the fall and winter.

As long as the weather cooperates,
planting will start in just a few weeks!
And I'm hoping that the asparagus and rhubarb
will start coming back not too long after our 1 year anniversary.

While I'm all excited about fresh/local eating,
I have to recommend a great book:

I read this last spring
and have just started to read it again this spring.
I love the idea of having almost everything you need to
sustain your family right in your own yard.
Talk about provident living and self-reliance!
Barbara Kingsolver and her family spend an entire year
consuming only (for the most part) local foods, most of which
they grow themselves.

I think it is such a great idea to try and buy
as much local food as possible;
it sustains local agriculture and has the most nutrients for your body.
I can't wait for our experiment
with local foods to begin this summer!

1. days with no agenda
2. flip flops
3. surprises in the mail

Keeping Busy...

...in a most delicious way.

With some extra time at home these last few weeks,
I have been cooking like a nut!
I finally got around to making homemade bagels:
cinnamon raisin one day
and sun dried tomato and basil the next.
The raisin ones needed a little more brown sugar
and the tomato ones a little less salt.
I think the next time I give them a go
they will be perfect.

And what could be better for lunch on a snow day in New England
than homemade pizza?
Please excuse the amoeba-like shape of the crust.
I had made them in advance and frozen them.
They didn't quite come out of their bags
in the same circular shape in which they went.

Only three days left until the due date!
However,
if life is this tasty when I have some free time,
I guess I won't mind if she comes a little late:)

1. trying new recipes
2. sunshine
3. farm fresh eggs

Getting Close...

8 days left until the official due date!
And I am certainly hoping that Dorothy is
a punctual little lady.

We had an appointment last Friday for a final ultrasound.
Our midwife was a little worried that I had
been measuring small at my last few visits,
but the ultrasound showed a healthy girl!
As of Friday,
Dorothy weighed 6lbs 12oz
and everything else looked good.
We're hoping that we'll be meeting her in close to a week
and that she will have grown to just over 7lbs.

The bad news is that the office policy
allows women to go up to 2 weeks past their due date.
So, we could potentially be pregnant until March 31st.
I am REALLY hoping that she comes sooner than that!
I'm still feeling fairly comfortable,
it's just so hard to wait to meet someone you already love.

I'm trying to take these final weeks easy--
taking lots of naps
and reading as much as I can.
Good thing that I am a home-body by nature,
or I think all this time in the apartment would drive me crazy.

Thankfully,
the weather has been beautiful the last few days.
It turned to rain today,
but yesterday we were able to get over to see Marty's horse
and to start thinking about what we want to plant in the garden.
I can't wait for a spring full of new life--
including our little Dorothy!

1. visits from family
2. dishwashers
3. homemade bread