Week 2 with Lucy

Grandma Sherri and Grandpa John finally made it up to visit and were very excited to meet Lucy. They were waiting patiently for Grandma K. to have her time. My mom stayed for over a week. It was so nice to have lots of good conversation while nursing, and have her help entertaining the boys, cooking, and cleaning.

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the week. Lucy in deep thought:

Everyone wants to hang out with Lucy. Nolan wanted to make a bed to be near her. Ez wanted to have snack time with her. Dad wants to take naps with her. And I hold her every chance I get! She is so much fun and such a little snuggler!

Lucy's First Week at Home

It felt so great to be home on Saturday evening. Luckily I felt good enough to come home 30 hours after delivering Lucy, instead of staying the typical 48. The boys were really excited to have us home. Nolan wanted to hold Lucy, and Ezra really wanted to snuggle with Mom (and right away dozed off on my lap). Nolan was also interested in learning all about how the baby gets milk. Very interesting for a 6 yr. old! Grandma K was pretty happy to have the baby, too!

Lacey's family stopped by that evening. Kendyll had been at soccer practice when Lacey visited the hospital, so she was anxious to meet Lucy. Even Travis was excited to hold her.

At bedtime, Nolan wanted Lucy to sleep in his bed.

 Grandma K. stayed the night and went to church with all the boys. After that, our little family was on its own for a while. Good thing Justin is so helpful and was able to take the week off.

The first night was rough. If anyone says that they sleep like a baby, they don't have one! After that, nights have been bearable. 

For the 4th of July, Nolan and Justin ran the 5k that goes along the parade route. Things started off well, but soon Nolan wanted to go faster and Justin needed a breather. Justin told Nolan he could go on ahead, thinking that Nolan would soon slow down and then Justin could catch up after catching his breath. Well, I got a phone call from Justin during the race (I was at home) saying that Nolan was lost. Justin could never catch up! He was found at the end of the race, waiting patiently for Dad and drinking some water. It turns out that Nolan ran the entire way, and finished the last half by himself. He came in 3rd place in his age division and earned a ribbon! Way to go, buddy! Justin, on the other hand, was running alongside an 81 yr. old man for most of the way, and came in 26 out of 27 in his age division. He'll probably be mad that I'm writing this! Anyway, it was a wake up call and now he is running several times a week and finding time to exercise. I'm so proud of these racers! We didn't realize until later that Nolan's shirt says, "SUPERFAST - Can't Catch Us" 

 
Lucy was one week old and looked so cute on July 4th (even though it looks like she has "man hands!").

 During the week, Justin took the boys for a morning hike. They said it was nice and cool; much better than the 100 degrees we'd had in the valley all week.

 
We did some sparklers and drew the attention of our new neighbors. Our cul-de-sac has a few more friends now!

Lucy had a good week, too. She did lots of relaxing!

Grandma K. came back for the 4th of July and took the boys to Jon's house in SLC for the night. I might have to post Grandma K's blog entry about their adventures. While the boys were gone, the three of us watched two movies and ate yummy leftovers from the meals that ward members had brought during the week. We were grateful for such delicious food and loving neighbors! Kathi stayed with us and helped out for another few nights and at the end of the week, Jon and Amanda came to meet Lucy. All week we had been joking that Lucy could bake us some yummy cookies while wearing her little anti-scratch "mitts." When a friend of mine brought over cookies, we couldn't resist taking these:

 
And on Sunday, I took Lucy to church for the first time. Just Sacrament meeting. It felt good to get out of the house. Lucy looked adorable in the dress that great Grandma Petersen sent. What a wonderful week with our little one... it went way too fast!

Hospital Moments

Well, I've had a month of snuggling and loving this baby and now I'm feeling like I should get back to blogging a little. I'll start back at the hospital. First of all, our local hospital is so nice! It's small but everything is new and the best technology. We loved our nurses, too. They weren't very busy (except right during the delivery when another mom was delivering at almost the same time) so they took very good care of us the entire stay. They had great food and a nice pull-out sofa bed for Justin. I'm pretty sure his bed was more comfortable than mine! My bed was the only complaint. It was awful, so that's why we only stayed one night. I've never had a comfortable hospital bed, though. I'm getting ahead of myself. After the delivery, we basked in the joy of our baby girl. Here she is after the excitement of delivery died down.

At our hospital, you don't have to move to a postpartum room. So we relaxed and spread the good news to family. I was thrilled to have some delicious juice and Sprite mixture (it tasted magical, it was that good!)  and then have some lunch. My stomach had been growling all morning! Soon it was time for her first bath. The nurse then let her relax under the warm light for a few minutes. I wish I could have bottled up the smell of "clean newborn Lucy" so that I could always have it forever!

Later that evening, Grandma K. brought Nolan and Ezra to meet their new sister. They had spent the night (since we had to leave at 5:15 a.m.) and all day at Aunt Lacey's house. They had been so excited for a sleepover at their cousin's house! It was such a special moment when the boys walked in to see the baby. They were gentle and loving, and after they had their turns holding her, they wanted to have another. They immediately fell in love! 

Ezra might have been more excited to snuggle with Mom... we're not sure.

Grandma K. finally got a turn to hold the baby. She's been excited to have a baby girl grandchild. After 5 grandboys, it's been a long wait! Keep in mind, at this point we didn't have a name yet. Justin and I always struggle to make a final decision.

 Our family of 5!

This baby already has Dad wrapped around her finger.

That evening, Lacey and Ryan also stopped in for a visit. We had bad evening lighting... I wish the picture with Ryan had turned out!

That night in the hospital wasn't too fun. The baby stayed in the nursery for the first half of the night, and I didn't sleep well without her. I kept thinking they'd bring her in any moment to nurse, so I couldn't doze back to sleep. Not to mention the terribly uncomfortable bed. I should have traded beds with Justin! That morning I knew that it would be good to go home a day early and sleep in my bed. 

After the pediatrician gave Lucy a thorough check-up, the nurses brought her back with a big pink bow! Her first bow ever... so cute!

 
 
Finally, we knew we had to choose a name. It really ended up being between Nellie and Lucy. I had loved Charlotte (and call her "Lottie") but there was news that the royal baby might be named Charlotte if it was a girl. That would be terrible to have the same name as the royal baby! We sure love her name now. Lucy Anna Petersen seems to be the perfect name for her!
The day was spent relaxing. Justin went home for a while to shower and see the boys. I tried to spend more time in the rocking chair and on the couch, instead of the bed that made my bum sore. Justin and I had a yummy dinner together and then it was time to get Lucy into her first outfit to go home. Here she is in her little lady bug suit. "Daddy's Little Lady."

 Headed home with our new precious cargo!