Another Bath

Mom gave me another bath today. This time I got to go in the bathtub since my cord has fallen off. The bathtub was a lot better than the sink! Mom let my big sister, Jetta, into the kitchen today. She's feeling bad because its been too windy to take her for a walk so she's been in the kennel most of the week. Plus, Jetta's cousin, Zukie (Uncle Aaron's golden retriever), slipped a disc this week and his back legs are paralyzed. That made Mom feel extra bad about ignoring my big sis!

That's all for now. I'm so busy eating and sleeping there's hardly time to play! Love, H

Dad's Turkey

Dad got home late last night. He was pretty excited that he got a turkey. He said something about he and Uncle Will's turkeyless streak together finally being broken. Dad got his jake just before the fat lady started singing (whatever that means); after he and Uncle Will staked out the roost trees Sunday night. Dad said Grandpa wouldn't be impressed by stooping to roost tree hunting, but Uncle Will said when opportunity knocks, knock it down! I guess we'll be having turkey for Thanksgiving!

Dad even brought me back an elk antler. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it, but he seemed pretty impressed that he got me something.

Aunt Angela

Aunt Angela had to leave on Saturday. Mom and I took her to the airport in Boise. We were both sad. Now we are home alone (Sunday) because Dad is still turkey hunting with Uncle Will.

A Nap for Me

Wow, what an exciting two days. Time for a nice nap - well at least for another 3 minutes, I'm starting to feel a little hungry................MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

My New Stroller

My Aunt Angela came yesterday. Her flight got diverted to Colorado Springs because it was too foggy to land in Denver. She eventually made it to Boise, but her luggage didn't. Mom and I had some spare time so we went to REI to pick up my new BOB stroller. Mom said it was her "push present" from Dad and Grandma Wiese. Dad said it was a Mother's day present. Whatever - its mine! I love presents!

Mom and I picked up Aunt Angela and headed home. Whew! What a long day. We were so tired. Aunt Angela's luggage arrived at 11 pm. Dad almost didn't wake up for the phone call. Then he had to get dressed and went out to the front gate because the delivery truck was locked out. I slept through the whole thing - I think Dad dreamed it!

Today Aunt Angela, Mom, and I went to Twin Falls for pedicures. That was my Aunt's first pedicure! I begged Mom for one, but she wouldn't give in. I think Dad told her "no". I think that might have been a first for Mom too!

After we got home, we went for a walk with my big sister. Mom and Dad stopped to pick wild asparagus because the garden asparagus grew two feet overnight. I knew they should have picked it yesterday! My big sister swam all the way across the pond chasing a duck. She's such a good swimmer - I'm going to swim like that someday!

My Birthday!

It's my birthday! I'm two weeks old today! It seems like I was just born yesterday, but guess what; I wasn't! Mom even made my favorite meal today: breast milk spiked with onion diet. That really makes some fun diapers for Dad to change!

My birth announcement was published in the Sunday edition of the Times News in the Stork Report section. Harley Annette Wiese, 7lbs 14 oz, Born April 7, 2010 to Amber Adele Wiese and Nathaniel James Wiese. Yep, I'm official. Now if the federalies would just hurry up with my social security card so Mom and Dad can start a 529 plan for my college education! I'm planning on going to University of Alaska Anchorage for at least 7 years (that's my lucky number by the way)! Ahh, for now I'll settle for just being so darn cute, my paperwork can wait........love, harley.

Jetta and Me

I got to hang out with my big sister today. I wore my "Big Sister" shirt from Mom's best friend Brandi. She sent me lots of neat clothes to wear. Mom and Dad gave Jetta a bath so she doesn't smell so bad. We spent the morning working in the garden, took a nap this afternoon, and went for a walk in the evening. Now its bedtime. I've got to get some beauty sleep because Aunt Angela will be here Tuesday!

Oh, I almost forgot. Uncle Will called today. He got shot a turkey. My dad is so excited. Mom told him he can go turkey hunting next weekend when Aunt Angela is here. Nobody said anything about me - I want to go too!

Jetta's Toy

I survived my doctor's appointment yesterday. I weighed 7 lbs 14 oz, back to my birthday weight and in the 50 percentile. I'm still 21 inches long (95 percentile) and my head is 13 inches in circumference (5 percentile). All and all I think I'm right where I should be - that's what the doc said!

Ms. Cassie came over to visit me today, so Mom dressed me up again. After she left we all went for a walk. It was really nice today, almost 75 F. Jetta found me a new toy, a deer leg, but Mom made her leave it on the side of the road. I thought it smelled kind of nice, Mom didn't!

Dad planted some potatoes with our neighbor Eric. He says he's going to do some more gardening today, but he seems to like taking naps more than gardening. Dad found out that Grandpa shot a turkey yesterday and he's sure my Uncle Will is going to get one today. Poor Dad, Grandpa told him he didn't want his granddaughter going turkey hunting at only 10 days old.....I promise I won't tell!

Fish Fry

Mom and Dad had a fish fry with the fish we caught last night. I got to hang outside with Jetta because it was so nice out (70 F). I was being good, but Jetta got yelled at for dragging a dead fish back to our house. She was so proud of it that she rolled on it before Dad could get it away from her and bury it. After I went in for the night, Dad wasn't paying much attention so she dug it back up and ate it. And they thought my diapers were messy!

Today I go back to the doctor for my 10-day check-up. I hope they don't want to draw blood again - a little girl only has so much to give.

More Presents

Mom and Dad forgot to shut the front door. When we walked back from fishing, they found more presents hanging on the door knob from our neighbors Eric, Elizabeth, and Erica. Good thing we live in a gated community!

They got me a new camo sleeper. I think its the best ever! Mom says I have to grow into it, but Dad let me model it anyhow.

My First Fishing Trip

After all my visitors left, Dad wanted to take us fishing. Mom finally gave in and we all had fun. Especially Jetta. She's so funny rolling around in the dead worms and trying to eat the fish we catch. Dad says she's the worst fishing dog in the world; Mom even agrees now.

I played it cool in my stroller. A girl doesn't want to get her new clothes all dirty on her one-week birthday!

Aunt Anna

Aunt Anna brought me pretty flowers. I got to sit on her lap. I like her, I think she should be my new babysitter!

Chad and Andrea brought Mom and Dad dinner so they didn't have to cook. I still get the same Mom milk every day - what about little Harley?

Hanging With Dad

Dad and I hung out in the living room and waited for our company. I'm so cute everyone wants to come visit me!

Getting Dressed Up

Dad worked all day long today. He wasn't home until 3:30. Good thing Mom and I can see him from the window while he's working :)

Dad helped me get dressed after work for our visitors; Anna from work and Mom's friends Chad and Andrea. Something besides sleepers, finally! It is my one week birthday after all!

Big Walk

Dad and I went for a walk today to see Mr Nix while Mom took a nap. He lives down the road a mile and a half. My big sister, Jetta, had a great time, but I was pretty tired after that long in the stroller. Mr. Nix gave us all a ride back. I sat in the front seat with my dad (in my carseat of course!) and my big sis got to ride in the back. Her tongue was hanging out the whole way - that looked like fun!

Story Time

Dad read me Make Way for Ducklings. I'd rather have my pacifier, but I let him read the first 4 pages just so he felt better before I started crying. Afterwards, dad was so proud of himself for putting me to sleep that he went to work on his turkey decoys in the basement. I woke up to hideous racket of nail pounding. What was he thinking? He says he's going to take me turkey hunting. I'm not going if its that noisy!

Bath Time!

Dad went to work this morning to put the steelhead babies on the fish trucks. After Dad got home, Mom and Dad decided to try their water boarding skills with me. I don't need to be tortured! Mom said I smelled better. I promptly fixed that with a dirty diaper that Dad had to change. Ahh, back to baby bliss.........

Gifts for Jeremy and Miranda

I took gifts over to our neighbors Jeremy and Miranda today. They said I was cute, but I already knew that! We also walked to Hagerman Fish Hatchery today and handed out more gifts. I'm pretty popular around here!

Dad's Blankets

Dad let me sleep on his "blankets" today. I thought they were comfy. Mom wasn't as impressed. Dad says he'll take me trapping next fall - Mom said no way. I think I'll break the tie for dad - ha Mom!

Dad's Cigars

Dad is pretty excited about the box of cigars he bought to pass out to his co-workers. Mom even gave him little pink "Harley Annette" stickers for them. He told me not spill the beans that he sent most of the good cigars from Carlos to Grandpa. He knew Grandpa would appreciate a real cigar. Now Dad is muttering something about the smoking policy at the Fish Hatchery. Mom already said they couldn't smoke in front of our house!

More Presents & Flowers!

Mom and Dad took me to see the doctor today. I wore another yellow sleeper - Dad picked it out. The doctor said I looked a little yellow. Doc thought it was jaundice. Dad thought he should have picked a pink sleeper. I had a bilrubin test. The nurse pricked my foot and drew almost half my blood supply. No wonder I'm turning yellow! I let the whole hospital know that I wasn't happy and peed right through my diaper onto Dad for good measure. That will teach them!

The Doc let us leave while the test results were brewing. Mom and Dad went to the store to buy me more presents: a night light, baby monitor, clock, and a diaper can. Grandma Eide even got me some more flowers! What day. Mom kept looking at me funny. Dad told her to quit worrying about me turning yellow because her hair was starting to turn gray!

We went back to the doc after shopping and found out my bilrubin level was 7. Not high enough for a UV blanket from Norco and special medicines. Dad said I saved him a bunch of money. Mom got some of the color back in her face. The doc said I was fine to come back in 10 days for another check-up. I knew that all along, I just wanted some more presents!

Finally Sleeping

I really fooled Mom and Dad last night. They thought I was yawning because I was sleepy. Yeah right - I've been living in the dark for the past nine months. I was stretching out for a night of partying (wailing in mommy language). After a long night of fun, I was really sleepy at 8 am. Time for a nap...........

So Sleepy

I'm so tired. I've eaten 9 times already today. Mom is getting pretty good at feeding me. Time for another nap. Tomorrow I'm going back to visit the doctors for my 3-day check-up.

My Big Sister

Josh and Cassie came over to visit me this afternoon. They brought lunch for Mom and Dad. Dad and Josh smoked a cigar and Mom made them leave their clothes outside.

Mom did let Dad bring my big sister, Jetta, in the house this afternoon. She's crazy. She tried to take my hat off and play with it. Doesn't she know that hats are for wearing, not playing? My big sister did take my Mom and I for a walk. That was fun for awhile, but then I got hungry again....

Goodmorning!

Its day two of Harley's big adventure. Mom and I are sooooo tired. We stayed up all night having fun. At least I thought so, Mom didn't seem to agree. Dad put me in the bassinet and left Mom on the couch. He said something about doing laundry....

Wow, I'm already 39 hours old. Is that a wrinkle on my forehead?.......

My Room

I finally made it home. What neat room - and its all mine!

The Trip Home

I really didn't want to leave the hospital. It was only my first day there! I let Mom and Dad know I wasn't happy about, but we still left. As if they know better than me!

The Diaper Board

Mommy and Daddy got another new nurse in postpartum after the shift change at 11 pm. Mom called Mindy at 1 am because I was puking up more mucous. Mindy and Dad took me down to the NICU for some stomach pumping. I wasn't real happy, but I felt a little better afterwards.

Mindy told Mom and Dad to keep track of my dirty diapers. I needed to have at least one "wet" and several "messy" ones during my hospital stay. Daddy wasn't very experienced at changing diapers so I helped him on the first one. He thought it was clean until he lifted my legs up. It gave me just enough leverage to squirt him with a messy one. Mommy laughed.......

We all made it through the night. I don't know why Mommy and Daddy wanted to sleep so much.......I didn't want to miss one minute of my first 24 hours. Besides, I had to sleep in a little box compared to Mommy's hospital bed and Daddy's chair.

The nurses gave me some more shots and came in to check me and Mommy every hour. They even took my hand and foot imprints!

Some people even sent us flowers!

Sponge Bath Anyone?

I got a new nurse for my trip to postpartum. She gave me a sponge bath. I thought I was already clean enough, so for good measure I threw-up my first meal on her after she got done torturing me.

She wasn't mad long, who could be? Look at how cute I am!

A new shirt

Tina's shift was over so she left for the night, but not before she gave me a new shirt. I've got to be the cutest baby in this ward. Mom and even brought a scrunchy bow headband.

I would have opened my eyes, but Daddy couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash. Didn't he know that I've been hanging out in the dark for the last 9 months?

Hi Mom

I was pretty excited to see my Mom. I think she was too. I was really hungry. My Mom pried me off after an hour so we could get ready to go to the postpartum room. Sometimes Mom's just don't understand!

The Big Push

Tina kept checking Mommy to see if she had dilated to 10 cm. Daddy read that first-time Mom's dilated 1 cm per hour. But, I didn't read the book. Only three hours after Mr. Mac fixed Mom's pain, she was dilated to 8 cm. An hour later, Tina said we were ready to push. Mom couldn't feel her contractions because of the epidural, so Tina told her when to push.

On Mom's first push, Tina showed Daddy the top of my head. I guess she didn't learn after his first two near-feinting experiences. But, Daddy wasn't even fazed now. Dr. Smith came in for the "catch", but realized he was a little too early. He went back outside to drink coffee while Tina continued coaching Mommy. Good thing Dr. Smith didn't go far, because 8 contractions later, Mommy was able to touch the top of my head. Now I just had to squeeze the rest of the way out.

Dr. Smith sauntered back in and made a quick assessment. My head was too big to fit. A quick flash of his scissors and he made an episiotomy in Mommy. Apparently, Tina didn't warn him that Daddy was already light-headed. That extra shot of blood almost sent Daddy tumbling into Mommy. But, before he could, the rest of my head popped out. Nobody could feint after seeing my cute face. One more push, and I was out in the world. See Mommy, that wasn't so bad - only 30 minutes of pushing. I was worth every minute!

Daddy cut the umbilical cord, and I was free. Free until the nurse snatched me away for an Apgar test. I scored a 9 out of 10. Not bad for a little girl, if I do say so myself. Dr. Smith stitched up Mommy, and my new tormentor weighed and measured me. 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long. Born at 5:30 pm on April 7th. Yep, that's my birthday, same as Russell Crowe's birthday. Mommy thinks he's cute, but Daddy thinks I won't be bringing any boys home for another 22 years....

Mr. Mac

After an hour of trying to get the original epidural to work, Tina called in another anthesiologist, Mr. Mac. On look at my Mom in pain, and Mr. Mac went to work. Mom thought he looked more like a truck driver than a doctor, but Mr. Mac knew what he was doing. In no time, Mommy was in pain-free bliss. Daddy watched Mr. Mac sliding in the 6 inch long needle until Tina asked him if he was alright. Tina said Daddy was starting to turn green!

Daddy and Tina had to start telling Mommy when she was having contractions by watching the computer monitor. What a relief! Mommy took a much needed nap and Daddy went to the cafeteria to get some food for what Tina called the "long haul ahead".

Labor Contractions

Tina, our nurse, got Mom situated on the bed for the doctor. Mom and Dad went to a suite of eight doctors, so they were never sure who would deliver me. As it turned out, Dr. Smith was on duty, but I already knew that. He's the best one anyhow, with his funny jokes and round-rimmed spectacles; he reminds me of a nutty professor.

Dr. Smith told Mom that her four hours of contractions hadn't dilated her past 1 cm. He suggested rupturing the bag of waters to speed things along. Daddy watched Dr. Smith perform the procedure. He probably shouldn't have, he's pretty queasy about seeing stuff gush out of Mom. But, he didn't completely faint. I think Dr. Smith was impressed because he told Dad he could stay for the rest of the delivery.

After Mom's water was broken, her contractions started coming harder and more often. Mom wasn't sure what she had gotten herself into. The pain was starting to become unbearable. Dad wasn't sure how much longer he could endure. Mom's fingernails were starting to draw blood on his arm.

Thankfully, Tina suggested an epidural and fudged a little on Mom's progress. Epidurals are usually given when Moms are dilated at least 3 cm. My mom was only 2 cm, but Tina helped Mom out. The anesthesiologist put a catheter tube in Mommy's back and pumped in some medical marvels. Mom was in heaven for the first two contractions, but then medication started wearing off. Mom was in more pain than she had been before............

The Trip to the Hospital

Mom and Dad were finally ready to leave Hagerman at 8:45. Mom's contractions were only 5 minutes apart and lasting 45-60 seconds. Dad was getting a little worried so he put a whole pile of towels in the back seat - just in case.

Mom decided she had to pee when they reached the town of Buhl, halfway on the 45-minute journey to the hospital. Dad stopped at the Valley Co-op store. Mom made it out of the car and to the front door before she had another contraction. Dad saved his smart remarks to himself as the color drained from the faces of the high schooler cashiers. Mom had another contraction in the bathroom and just for good measure, I made her double over one more time on the way out. Mom was starting to get quite the audience, but Dad was sure they could still make the hospital.

Besides, I didn't want to be born next to the tack and horse bedding aisle. Like I said, a girl like me is looking for more.......

Dad got Mom to the hospital at 9:30 am. In Mom's distracted state, she couldn't remember what floor labor and delivery was on. Unfortunately for Dad, the resident doctor he asked couldn't remember either. The doctor stammered "four, no three, hmmmm....." Luckily, the security guard saw Mom having a contraction and yelled "Floor 2!". Dad punched the "two" button and the door close simultaneously and left the bewildered doctor. I sure hope he isn't supposed to deliver me!

Mom and Dad got checked and they gave mom a nice bed to hang out on and a not so pretty gown. Dad got her to model it for him while they waited for the doctor.

Here Comes Harley!

On April 6, my mom went to see the doctor. The doctor said she was dialated to 1 cm and effaced 70%. Mom was a little discouraged, because the last week's doctor said she was 1 cm and 75% effaced and my due date was April 7th.

The new doctor said not to worry, because I would come out when I was ready. He stripped Mom's membranes and sent her home. The next morning, mom woke up with cramps. My dad found her bouncing on a giant exercise ball in the living room at 5:30 am. Dad convinced Mom that contractions feel a lot like cramps (with a lot of help from the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book).

Mom agreed, but she still needed to get ready to go the hospital. You can't expect to deliver me without doing you're hair and make-up first. A little girl deserves that at least!