DAPHNE'S FIRST WEEK!

Our adorable baby girl is already a week old! She has been doing well despite having a case of Jaundice that we have been trying to take care of. She is also gaining back her birth weight, and is spending a little more time awake than she did initially. We just look at her and our hearts melt!

A few things about Daphne:

~She loves to move her arms and legs. No matter how tight we swaddle her, she still manages to get her arms out somehow.

~She is an excited eater, yet nursing makes her fall asleep. We have tried everything trying to keep our little sleeper awake to eat.

~She loves when daddy burps her; mommy doesn't seem to have the right touch yet.

~Stroking her eyebrows makes her go to sleep.

~She loves to put her hands up by her face no matter if she is asleep or awake.

~She loves to crinkle up her forehead and arch her eyebrows.

~She makes a grunting sound sometimes when she is sleeping and eating.

~Daphne is the cutest baby in the world!

Daphne sporting her fashionable Billi-Blanket to help get rid of her Jaundice

Our Billi-Blanket glow worm

Daphne wide-awake

Daphne and Mama on her one week birthday!

SHE'S FINALLY HERE!!

Our sweet baby girl is finally here! Daphne Wilcock entered the world on January 21st, 2011 at 4:16 am. She weighed 6 pounds 3.5 ounces and was 19 inches long. She is precious and beautiful and we are so blessed to be parents to this little girl! We can't believe that she is ours!!

We thought we would tell our labor and delivery story...

On Thursday, January 20th, we went to see the doctor for our 38 week appointment. I had been on bed rest trying to keep my very high blood pressure down, so we were thinking that Daphne would probably be coming a little early. However, nothing really prepared us for the doctor asking, "How do you feel about having a baby today? Have you packed your toothbrush?" We headed over to the hospital at 1:00 pm, and I was induced at 1:30 in the afternoon. Everything went well and quite smoothly; I was dilating well and the contractions were manageable. The doctor came to check on me at about 9:00 pm, broke my water, and two contractions after that I was incredibly ready for an epidural. It took the anesthesiologist two tries to get into my "very strong ligament" back, but I felt so much more comfortable afterwards. Between 1:30 am and 2:30 am, I dilated from a 5 to a 9, started pushing at 3:30 am, and our sweet Daphne was born at 4:16 am! She was amazing and healthy, despite swallowing a large amount of amniotic fluid as she was being born. We were shocked to see how much beautiful hair she has! It looks light brown, so we will be excited to see what her final hair color turns out to be. Her eyes are dark blue, and she has long, pretty fingers. She is such a doll!

We're ready to have our baby!

~Daphne Wilcock~

One of my favorite hospital pictures of us- look at all that hair!

Our first family picture

Daddy and Daphne

THE JOYS OF BED REST

So I have officially been put on bed rest as of this past Monday! That darn high blood pressure... it's been creeping up for awhile this last trimester, so now my days consist of laying on my side. Jared has been a trooper and has taken such great care of me. Bed rest is definitely not glamorous; yesterday was the first time all week I had actually gotten ready. I had an appointment yesterday where the doctor told me to go straight over to Labor & Delivery to get monitored. After 3 fun-filled hours at the hospital, they let me go home with even more strict instructions to do nothing. Fortunately, the baby is still doing great despite my blood pressure spikes! She's a little over 6 pounds and growing more everyday! We sure are excited for her to come!

LAST LOGAN MOMENTS

The biggest event that happened in our lives this past month: moving out of our beloved Aggie Village. It was so sad! We will miss our wonderful friends, the cinder-block walls, and microscopic oven. We are now on to new adventures!

To recap our month of December: we went to our last USU basketball game as students...

My cute brother went through the Logan Temple in preparation for his mission...

I made little tiny baby bracelets for our baby girl...

Us in our empty apartment on moving day....

I got swollen legs, ankles, and hands (I can no longer wear my wedding ring) for the first time during my pregnancy...

And I am getting huge! The baby is about five pounds this week, and continues to grow! We are so excited for her to join our family!

The most exciting thing by far is that Jared was a trooper and finished his Bachelor's Degree! He is amazing and I am so proud of him!

CATCHING UP...

We thought that it was about time to catch up!! We are happily 29 weeks along, and our baby girl is growing and moving! She is about 2 and a half pounds and 15 inches long! It is so much fun to feel her move more now, and she usually gives us a little kick when Jared talks to her through my belly. Everything is going well with the pregnancy, despite not being able to see my toes anymore. Bending over has gotten quite a bit more difficult the last couple of weeks, so if something drops on the floor then I usually don't bother getting it unless I absolutely need it. Jared has also started helping me put on my shoes. Here's a picture of my ever-growing belly:

And this week, the baby is the size of a... butternut squash! How cute.
These next pictures sum up our last couple of weeks:

For my brother's birthday this year, we all went go-karting (I of course was only the support person who watched). Everyone got a stylish head shield to wear underneath the helmets, and we thought it was photo-worthy. Jared's at the bottom, then my little sister Michelle, my dad, and my brother Pete. They all raced like champs!

Jared and I have discovered a true pleasure in life: Lee's Marketplace French bread. Pregnancy lets you eat half a loaf at a time without thinking twice about it.

A few of my good friends from school and I were able to get together for lunch last week at Cafe Sabor. Good food, but better company. They are fabulous!

One of the absolute best days in the last couple of weeks was the beautiful baby shower given by the Wilcock side of the family. I am so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws who worked so hard to make this shower so fantastic. My mother-in-law even went to the trouble of making sushi!! I had about 8 California rolls and was in heaven. My sister-in-law also set up a scrumptious chocolate fountain. My dream come true. We are so grateful for everyone's generosity and love!

And just in case you want a comparison picture, this is me at 27 weeks.

THE GROWING CONTINUES!!

Baby Girl Wilcock is now a healthy one and a half pounds and 13 and a half inches long!! We are so thankful for the wonderful blessing of families. 15 weeks left until we meet our sweet baby girl!

My growing tummy

Although a very ugly vegetable, this rutabaga is about the size of our very cute baby

BYU HOMECOMING RACE

A couple of weeks ago, my very athletic in-laws competed in the 5K at BYU! They all did amazing and ran at the speed of light. I had the excuse this year of being pregnant, so I didn't have to run... however, my post-pregnancy goal is to run (and actually do well) in next year's race!

Jared and his fabulous sister, Alaina

Our nephew, Nathan, who is displaying his medal proudly!