BABY!!!!!

I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged last. I will be better from now on. I am basically getting a new kick start on life I decided :). LYLA ROSE ERICKSON came on May 25th, 2012. She was 7lbs. 5 oz. and it was the best day of our lives so far. Those of you who know me well, know that means I was in labor on the evening of my Birthday. That is totally okay, it was the best present I could ever receive. However, my sweet hubby picked up a birthday basket full of my favorite things (Riddle Skittles, Twix bars, Comfy flip-flops, bite size cheese cakes and a love letter;). We went out to dinner with our good friends (Alyson, Andy, Mike, & Kristen) at Olive Garden. We laughed and chatted until Brett and I got the green light to head into the hospital for my induction. I was sooo grateful to my friend Joslin for talking me through dos and don'ts for an induction (I basically talked to her for like an hour and a 1/2). So I was pretty prepared and not really nervous just soo excited. I love how everyone tells you to sleep as much as you can in the hospital... WHAT a JOKE;). I was so sleep deprived by the time she got here, it took about 22 hours, but once I started pushing she came in about a half an hour. She had meconium issues and the minutes before she really started crying were probably the longest of my life. Brett was by my side every step of the way and when they finally placed her in my arms, I looked into her face and then into my sweet husbands and I knew that my life was truly blessed. I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with my unbelievably sweet husband and daughter.

The days that followed are still a blur. I probably got about 24 hours combined between the 4 or 5 nights after her birth. I remember learning to nurse was a big struggle, but we eventually figured it out. The night my milk came in I was freaking out, sleep deprivation, a stressed out crying baby, weird birthing side effects, and a pups rash accompanied rock hard chest that hurt like the dickens. My mother-in-law Bonnie stayed at our house that night and helped me out like a guardian angel. I was soo grateful for her help, and level headedness.

Lyla is now a little over 14 weeks old, and she weighs almost 15lbs. She was 90th percentile for weight and height at our last doctor's appointment. I HATE Pediatrician appointments. They stick my baby every time with multiple shots and it is the worst experience for her and I. I know it is for her benefit, but I just hate it.

I have absolutely loved watching Brett become a father. He is such a good daddy, he helps soo much with Lyla and he is completely wrapped around her teeny little finger. The other day he was just talking to her and she was laughing soo hard. I ran in from the kitchen to see it, Brett was laughing soo hard I thought he was going to cry. I ran in to grab the camera to record it and 5 minutes later when she stopped laughing as much, I realized I hadn't pressed the extra button required to get the camera recording. I am soo dumb, it would have been one for the record books. I am in the process of losing the baby weight now. I lost about 30 lbs. in Lyla and water, about 2 wks after the birth, then I had about 20 lbs. to go to get back to my pre-baby weight. I have finally gotten down 10 more lbs. in 3 months and it has been a fight, so I have about 10 more lbs. to go... but if I could lose a little more that wouldn't hurt either;)