Family Bonding

Shelby is surrounded with such great family! She has really enjoyed getting to know her Uncle Aaron and Aunt Juanita this week. Aaron has learned the joys of cuddling with his niece, while Juanita is an old pro at calming her down. They even babysat for Bryon and I last night so that we could go out to dinner, celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary. We hope Shelby was an angel for them while we were gone!


Mimi has also bonded with "Shelby Belby" (as Bryon likes to call her). Juanita and I met her for dinner to celebrate her birthday. I think this year's present of a new grandchild is one of my better gifts!
I had to throw in one more random picture of our Honey Bear just for fun. Aaron and Juanita have gotten some great shots of her this week, and I can't wait to post some of them. Shelby is such a great model.

Home Depot Shopper

We've had a great weekend celebrating Shelby's two-week birthday. I caught her and Bryon napping together Saturday morning. How adorable! She had her first night out on the town, going out to eat with Mommy and Daddy at Anamia's. As usual, she slept through the entire meal. Our margaritas never tasted better!

Bryon's teaching her the in's and out's of Home Depot with her first trip there this morning. Again, she slept through the entire trip. We made lots of new friends, as everyone wanted to stop and comment on how content she looked. If only Mommy could get some sleep like that!

Shelby's Great-Grandma Susie

My dad's mom, Susie Blackman, gave Shelby this quilt she hemmed by hand. Shelby is lucky to have such a crafty Great-Grandma and come from such a diverse lineage of family.

Miss Shelby had her first real spit-up last night right after we put her to sleep in her Pack 'N Play. It was all over the place, and she even had to get a sponge bath to clean it all up. We are learning the real joys of parenting!

Shelby is Ten (Days...)!

Our little angel couldn't be more perfect! She falls asleep easily, feeds healthily, and dirties diapers on schedule. Shelby loves to sleep with her arms up, like a little cheerleader. Bryon and I just love staring at her. Her first pediatrician appointment was on 6/16/08, and everything checked out well. She is up to 7 pounds, 11 ounces, although I think she has gained even more in the past 2 days! The doctor said she is a VERY strong baby.

She looks more and more like Bryon and nothing like me. Mimi, my mom, has been helping out today while I've been running some errands, and Shelby has just been as mild-mannered as ever. She loves looking at contrasting colors, especially the tree on the wall in nursery. All my hard work has paid off!

Announcing Shelby Lee Pfaff

How are hearts have melted! Shelby Lee Pfaff arrived June 8, 2008 at 4:14 pm, weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. Her long BROWN hair was the biggest surprise. Who knew Bryon and I had a dark hair gene to be found? I went into labor sometime on Saturday and headed to the hospital Saturday night around 10:00 pm. After a night of drama involving lots of pain, vomiting, and finally an epidural, we were informed Sunday morning the contractions had stopped completely.

After getting over the shock of that news, the doctor started me on Pitocin to induce labor once again. Luckily, it kicked in quickly, and within 3 hours I was ready to push. Long story short, I wasted two hours pushing only to find out a C-Section was going to be the only way to meet our new baby. While the news of surgery on such a short notice was a little overwhelming to both Bryon and I, it was all worth it to hear Shelby's first cries and see Daddy hold her for the first time.

Some highlights of our hospital stay include Bryon giving me a beautiful pearl drop necklace with tiny "S"'s on it, our Labor and Delivery nurses (we have a whole new respect for those people), being asked by a teenager in labor for "a lighter" on our way in (classy!), and all the beautiful flowers and gifts everyone brought. We've also enjoyed all the well-wishes everyone has emailed to us.

We are having so much fun with her and were THRILLED to come home a day early. We are convinced she is the most brilliant baby ever, as she is mesmerized by the metal artwork on the wall in our living room. She stared at it for a long time, while Bryon and I stared at her. So far, she is a calm baby that loves to be held and swaddled. I'll be posting lots more pictures. Notice there are none of me yet due to a lack of makeup and sleep so far!

The Final Countdown

Two words from my doctor's visit yesterday~No Change. UGH! Bryon and I are so anxious to meet this little one, and it doesn't look like it will be anytime soon. On the flip side, this waiting gives us a chance to add to our list of parenting rules. While I'm open to the thought that each and every rule will be thrown out the window once we become real parents, the rules we have listed reflect the fact that we do not want to raise a spoiled or sheltered child. Enjoy just a few!

1. Let her fall down the stairs and out of shopping carts so she will learn not to do it again.
2. Do not tolerate picky eating habits. Let her starve if she won't eat what is served.
3. Teach child how to use chopsticks by age 6.
4. First car she drives will have no less than 75,000 miles on it.
5. Discipline enough so that she will not cry in public or act like some of the brats we see at Chili's and Target.
6. Babies have been born and raised for millions of years. A little germ exposure will not be the end of the world.

Friends have also added to our little list. Leslie, Jessica, and Suzanne said to add, "No rules!" Diane insisted that when changing a diaper, make it a rule to never leave the dirty one in a parking lot. Always leave it in the trash. (this was said after finding a little "present" left by my car at Cavender's Boot City...that's a whole other story!) My co-worker, Tamara, said to add, "Do what is right for the child, not what is convenient for the parent." I believe both of our parents followed this last one, so I can only hope we will do the same.

So, I'm off to do more internet searches for "ways to induce labor" while munching on my fresh-cut pineapple (not canned, according to the internet) and spicy food. Keep your fingers crossed!