Thank You...

1. Even though I'm days behind on blogging, this doesn't mean I have forgotten about some important issues. Many thanks go out to Grandma and Grandpa Nichols, Chris's parents. Mrs. Renee came on Thursday just as my mom was leaving, and Mr. Wayne arrived Friday afternoon. They stayed through Sunday evening and were a HUGE help. Mr. Wayne spoiled his new granddaughter with his undivided attention, and Mrs. Renee not only helped take care of Riley, but she kept herself busy around the house, doing many chores for us. We greatly appreciate all your help, and look forward to seeing you again soon.
   
2. I would also like to thank all our family and friends for checking in on us this past week. We are all doing great, and really appreciate everyone thinking of us. A special thanks goes to our Sunday school class who has started bring us a few meals a week for the next few weeks. It's a big help!
   
3. A big thank you goes out to Chris. He has amazed me with everything he has learned about taking care of a baby, and has been a great support system to me, as I get over this hump of hormone changes. He is a great dad to Riley and is such a joy to watch take care of this little girl.
   
4. My last thanks goes out to my newest toy. I have joined my husband and the rest of the Apple community by getting an iPhone. Granted, I have been very resistant to Chris's phone, mostly because it has consumed him since the morning it was released, but now that I have mine, I have some sort of understanding around the hype. I'm by no mean a savvy user, but I'm guilty of playing on it while rocking Riley at 2 am!

3 am joy ride...not so joyful

Let me first say that Riley is a very easy baby. She doesn't cry much, and is pretty content for 90% of the time, but last night was pretty rough for us. She apparently slept too much on Sunday afternoon, and decided last night was her play time. After Chris and I both took turns napping on the living room floor for a few hours with her as she just lay there kicking and squirming, we put her in her car seat and hit the highway...at 3:30 am! We have learned she loves her car seat, and sure enough she fell asleep, only to wake up when we got home!

Needless to say, our goal today is to keep her awake as much as possible this afternoon and evening, in hopes to get a few hours of sleep when it's actually dark outside.

Poor Millie doesn't understand why Riley can't sleep as much as she can. Millie sleeps on average of 18 hours a day, and is waiting on her little sister to figure out this wonderful luxury.

Lesson learned...

Note: Even though the diaper looks like she's finished doing her business, it does lie. In a 14 hour time, I've been pooped and peed on twice! Welcome to motherhood.

How can this cute girl make these types of messes?

Bye Nana B

Sorry it's been a few days since I've last blogged. I'll sum it up with 3 words - we eat, sleep, and poop!

Today we had another outing to the pediatrician. We went to follow up on Riley's slight jaundice the doctor said she had on Monday. We've put on 5 ounces since Monday, which means she's eating like a champ. Also, we have a clean bill of health on her jaundice, which is very reassuring Chris and myself.

This afternoon, Nana B (my mom) left to go back to Hattiesburg. Thanks mom, you were a huge help, and I know Riley enjoyed your company. Right before mom departed, Chris's mom arrived to stay the extended weekend to help out. Mostly, everyone is here to restrict me from doing too much. I'm such a busy body, and I feel like I'm back to normal, they are having to keep a close eye on me to make sure I'm not doing things around the house I'm not supposed to!

Tomorrow afternoon/evening, Mr. Wayne (Chris's dad) will come up, and then Sunday, Mama, Johnny and Karan will come up for a day trip to visit. We feel so honored everyone wants to come and see Chris and me! HAHA!

As always, we've got pictures on Picasa.

First outing

We had our first outing this morning to the pediatricians office. Riley weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz, which means she's only lost 2 oz. since her birth weight, which is a good sign. She may have a slight bit of jaundice, but nothing to be concerned about, and we will continue to monitor her these next couple of days.


**My apologies for the picture size. I can't get them to post any larger, but they are also on Picasa.

She did sleep for a 3 hour section of time last night, which is a step in the right direction. She still has her days and nights mixed up, but I'm hoping this will improve in the next couple of weeks.

Home Sweet Home

Greetings everyone. I'm back to blogging! Riley and I were discharged Friday evening, almost exactly 24 hours after she was born. I've been very lucky to have a very easy recovery, which made it possible for us to leave so soon. We arrived at home with Riley to find this wonderful announcement in our yard, compliments of Maris. I've enjoyed watching the neighborhood traffic slow down as they drive by to observe the stork!

Riley is doing great. We are so fortunate to have such an easy baby. We are still learning to adjust to the nighttime routine, but last night was better than the first, so I think with a little more patience, we will be fine. She's eating great, doesn't cry, except when her diaper is being changed. She is EXTREMELY active. I've mentioned before about the frequent kicks in the ribs during pregnancy, which has turned out to be only practice.

Riley travelled home in the same dress I wore home from the hospital 26 years ago. Mom was able to keep it in great condition, and she looks just so sweet in it!

Her uncle David came Saturday to meet his human niece. Millie greeted him with great excitement! Speaking of Millie, she's still not sure about this "toy" that cries and gets all the attention, but she's slowly adjusting. As soon as she'll get close enough to Riley, we'll get a full family picture!

We want to thank everyone for keeping us all in your thoughts and prayers. Everything has gone so smoothly, so we know the prayers have been answered.

We will continue to upload the majority of our pictures to Picasa. Keep checking the site for new additions.

Baby Pictures

Good Morning! Jessica has asked me to update the blog with some of the pictures from yesterday. Let me start off my saying that we appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers from everyone. Jessica and Riley are doing great, and we will hopefully be able to go home this afternoon. Above are a select few pictures (Daddy's favorites). You can find more as we update them on picasa.