Heaps Mommy Mania!

I love my sisters!

To celebrate Dorothy's arrival,
they both traveled here to Massachusetts
with their little ones.
It was incredible being together with them
and letting all of the cousins meet.

Here is Aunt Eva meeting her newest Niece.

Dorothy meeting her cousin, Cailyn.
Cailyn's first question was, "can I call her princess?"

Uncle Marty meeting Keira!

Aunt Kristi meeting little Dot.

Heaps sister baby swapping.
Keira seemed HUGE next to Dorothy.

We tried to do the Cliff walk in Newport, RI,
but the weather decided to be uncooperative.
I stayed in the car to nurse,
and everyone else braved the wind and rain
for a few quick pictures.

I loved the interactions between the babies.
Keira would coo and get so excited around Dorothy.

All the sisters and cousins together.
I can't believe how the family is growing!

Dinner at Friendly's--
much deserved after a very busy day.

Of course you can't avoid some puke with
so many babies around.
Keira didn't seem to mind and still posed for the camera.

All of the cousins together.
This won't happen again until Christmas,
so I am very grateful that my sisters
were willing to come while Dot is so small.

And a little family photo.

We really loved visiting with everyone
and can't wait until next time!

blood, sweat, and tears

Yesterday was such an emotional day!

The first week we were home with Dorothy,
we got a call from the doctor's office
saying her thyroid results had come back too high.
This was not a surprise
because I take synthroid daily for hypothyroidism.
We were told that we would need to take her in for bloodwork
this week and a hospital was recommended to us.

Marty was able to come with me and Dorothy to the hospital
(thank goodness).
We went through registration and were sent to the lab.
We were thinking that we would be seen by a pediatric nurse;
however,
just the every day Phlebotomist was there.
She assured us she had a lot of work with infants under her belt,
so we took Dorothy's sweater off and got her ready.

Just wiping down her arm and putting the band around
starting her crying a horrible cry I hadn't heard before.
The nurse tried to draw enough blood
but was unsuccessful after two tries.
She told us to take our poor screaming baby back
to the waiting area while she called for a smaller needle.

After she had settled down,
we were called back in.
As soon as we put her down on the table she started
screaming again, knowing what was about to happen.
This time two nurses restrained her
and had to poke her about 4 more times to get blood.
By this point I was crying too,
and I got even more upset when I overheard the nurses
say to each other,
"is that going to be enough?"
"I don't know."
I don't think I can handle that again,
so I am praying that they got enough.

Our sweet girl was so tired after the whole ordeal
that she spent the rest of the night snuggling with her papa.

I am very grateful for modern medicine,
it just seemed so barbaric to hear Dorothy scream
as they poked her over and over.
I hated that I couldn't explain to her why she had to hurt.
But thank goodness it is over now
and hopefully the results will come back fine.

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