Top 10 signs you are a new parent...

1. Your day is a success if the dishwasher is loaded and you get a shower.

2. You wake up to your spouse accidentally burping you in his sleep.

3. Your laundry consists of 100% pajamas.

4. The idea of going grocery shopping is exciting and exotic.

5. Your camera's memory card has eight billion new pictures to upload.

6. Facebook has become your primary source of communication to the outside world.

7. You rejoice when you get four hours of continuous sleep.

8. You suddenly have nothing else to talk about but the baby.

9. Spit up has become a standard part of your uniform.

10. Everyday you wake up just to see this face:

It may be due to gas, but its still a smile!

Up an at 'em.

So. Getting out of the house these days takes more planning than I ever thought possible. Yesterday, my good friend Adrienne married her best friend Jared in the Salt Lake Temple. We were invited to a lovely reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial to celebrate their nuptials. We haven't taken the baby out much, but I really wanted to get to this schendig. This is how our day went.

10:30: Wake up from morning nap. Feed the baby.

11:00: Wonder what I am going to wear to the wedding reception.

12:00 Get baby down to sleep.

12:30 Take a shower, eat some sort of lunch

1:30 Start hair. (Its only 1:30. START HAIR. THIS EARLY)

2:00 Put on makeup (AGAIN, NOTICE THE EARLINESS)

2:15 Worry about outfit again

2:30 Feed the baby

3:30 Bathe and dress the baby

3:45 Stop to smell delicious clean baby smell

4:00 Sign card, write heartfelt note

4:15 Panic about outfit, finish hair

4:30 Pump to feed baby later

4:50 Go into outfit chaos mode

4:55 Strap baby in carseat, pack diaper bag

5:00 Throw on whatever fits me

5:05 Head out the door

Once we are out, we are good to go for a few hours. But man, it takes some serious coordination and planning. Anyway, the reception was awesome and totally Adrienne's style. I am happy to report that little Isabelle behaved the entire time. That is, until she got home and decided she never wanted to fall asleep again.

Fancy Jazz with his Fancy Baby

The new Mrs. Jared Cardon

Bath time...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I'm naked! And cold!

Wait a minute. This isn't so bad. This is kind of warm now. This soap smells good.

I love bath time. Let's do this everyday.


All clean!

*Special thanks to Jazz for taking such tasteful pictures without showing her lady parts.

News News News

3 Items of Business

1. The winner of our Baby Sorensen Prediction Givewaway!! is....Maria! Who guessed: "October 4th at 2:42pm. She will be 8lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long." Bri you had the date right- Maria just beat you with the time. Alene and Amanda, had Isabelle been born 27 minutes later, you would have been in contention for the prize.

Maria is my good friend from BYU- except she wasn't a student, she was my harp professor. I took private lessons from her for a few years, she is hands down the best harpist in Utah. She has her hands full with a harp studio, two beautiful girls, and twin boys that just arrived last spring! Maria- look for the giftcard in the mail! Get a pedicure or something fun, you deserve it.

2. My brother Scott and his wife JaNae have started a blog- YIPPEE! They live in Redding with their adorable daughter Madilyn. We miss living close to them, so this will be a great way to keep up with their family. See their blog here.

3. Big news, big news, big news. My other brother Sean and his wife Rachel are expecting a baby come February, and its a BOY BABY! The first boy grandchild, how exciting is that? It's raining babies! I'm so excited that Isabelle will have cousins close in age. Sean and Rachel will make great parents and we can't wait for this little dude to arrive. (Sean, Hot Ham Water still makes me laugh)

Now we just have to work on getting Sumsion Street set up so we can all live in the same neighborhood and our kids can grow up together. Any tips?

2 Weeks

Dear Little Isabelle,

Today you are two whole weeks old. Your dad and I have enjoyed every minute of the last 14 days with you, and it is hard to remember a time before you were part of our family. Your bring this wonderful peaceful spirit into our home and we love you more than you will ever know.

You have ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes, your entire body is a perfect miniature. Your skin is so soft and flawless and your fluffy hair at the nape of your neck is like fur. Your little legs are so froggy and curled up and getting a diaper on you is a challenge every time. Your skin is like porcelain and your little lips form a tiny perfect heart. There are parts of you that resemble me, and parts that resemble your dad, and we can't wait to see how you will grow.

I love the way your tiny head fits perfectly under my chin when we snuggle. You love to sleep with your hand up by your face- just like your dad does. You always manage to get that little fist out of your tight swaddle. When you are really hungry, you do Frantic Shark Face, this frenzied back and forth open mouth thing that makes me laugh every single time. You love to sleep, almost as much as I do. I can never complain about getting up with you in the night though because when I come to get you from your moses basket, you look up at me with these big dark eyes and I melt every time.

You are so sweet and so special, you are proof that our Heavenly Father loves us and has a plan for us. Welcome to our family, little one, we are so glad you are here.

xoxoxox

Momma

Ode to My Mom

I can't go another day without writing something about my mom. I know everyone says that they have the best mom in the world, but I really do have the best mom in the whole entire world.

Mom came out the day after little Isabelle was born, she flew in from our home town of Redding. She kept me company at the hospital when Jazz was at work. She helped change Izzie when it was hard for me to get up. She kept me hydrated. We watched movies together and talked and laughed. Except I did more of a low haaaaaa so I wouldn't bust a stitch. Sometimes it was just too funny and I would laugh a little too hard and it would hurt but it was worth it.

When we came home from the hospital, Mom came with us. She made us meals everyday- even some for our freezer for later. She bought groceries and kept our fridge stocked to the brim with healthy snacks. And she cleaned- oh this woman can CLEAN. Scrubbed floors and vacuumed and swept the porch, polished our bathroom and washed all of our linens. She also kept up on our regular laundry to make sure Jazz didn't go to work naked.

Mom also doted on little Isabelle. She held her and changed her and gave her little sponge baths. She got up in the night when she was fussy, when she wouldn't sleep- rocked her for hours. She played with her when she was awake, sang her songs, and told her stories. My mom has this way with babies and children, they are drawn to her. They love her. She is the type of person that has coloring books and stickers in her church bag even though her baby is 21 years old.

Most of all, she spent the week (and the last 25 years) teaching me how to be a mom.

I can't express how much I appreciate her being here and helping us do everything. I really mean it when I say that we could not have done it without her.

And mom, thanks for not looking at my bum.

Isabelle's Birthday

So.

You probably want to hear a bit about how Isabelle came into this world. Plus, I want to record it before I forget any important details. Although, her extreme cuteness already makes her birthday a bit hazy. That, and all the drugs.

We met with our doctor on Friday and he recommended an induction due to being almost a week overdue, potential size of the baby, and my overall mental well being. Sunday morning Jazz and I went to the hospital at 7 AM to be induced. All was going well, and by early afternoon I received an epidural. Man, that thing was heaven sent. I always wondered what it would feel like to have a numb lower half. Everyone- it feels weird.

We watched General Conference and Emperor's New Groove and I complained about not being able to eat... I was starving. Like ravenous hungry mean starving. But Jazz was a good sport and kept me entertained.

By 4 pm I had progressed from 2 cms to 4 cms. Not great, but it was progress. By 6 pm, I was still a 4. By 8 pm, I was on maximum pitocin...and still a 4. We tried everything we could think of to get my body to progress, with no results. At 8 pm our doctor came in and discussed potential options, including a c-section. We agreed to give it until about 11 pm to see if I could progress anymore- even just one centimeter- before we decided on how to proceed. Though I was having steady contractions and was 100% effaced, at 11 pm I was still a 4.

At 11, we agreed that a c-section was the best method of delivery. And so I did what every disappointed laboring woman would do- I cried. I cried and I cried and I cried. The really deep ugly cry. I felt so devastated, that my body had failed me, that all these women in the world could do this every single day- but I couldn't. I felt so cheated out of a birth experience that I had always envisioned. I felt like I had carried this baby for the entire 40 week marathon, only to stop with the finish line in sight. And so I cried.

I was prepped and in the OR before I knew it, and soon Jazz joined my side. In a matter of minutes, our little purple baby was born, screaming her little lungs out. Jazz brought her over to me after she was cleaned off and wrapped up- I felt so relieved that she had arrived, that she was healthy, and it didn't matter how she was delivered. After I was sewn up and back in recovery, I got to hold her. And she was perfectly pink and round and peacefully sleeping, and the c-section was the furthest thing from my mind.

I've thought a lot about the entire birth experience, and now, 9 days later, I feel at peace with everything. We don't know why I didn't dilate, although we found out Izzie was sunny side up and slightly twisted. Recovery has been as smooth as possible given the circumstances, and I have had a lot of great help from Jazz and my Mom. Thank goodness for percocet. I guess what I am staying is that 25 staples in my stomach are a small price to pay for such an amazing little blessing.

Since Isabelle was born, it has been non-stop baby time. She is so alert and awake sometimes and she looks at me with these big eyes, like she has known me forever. She has this dark fuzzy hair and its longer in the back and its so soft and fluffy. She doesn't fit into any of her 0-3 outfits, since she is so small (when we left the hospital she was 6 pounds 9 ounces) so we just keep rotating the same four sleepers and onesies.

Sleeping is a series of naps at this point, but she is so adorable it doesn't really matter. Jazz has been amazing throughout this experience. He held my hand during the epidural, and wiped my tears when I was being prepped for surgery. He gets up in the night when Izzie is fussy, and he makes sure I am eating and drinking enough. I literally could not have done this without him, I am so thankful to be married to such a selfless and giving person. Not to mention, watching him play with Isabelle is so precious I die a little bit every time I see them together.

I'll leave you with just one picture. Because what is cuter than teeny tiny baby pants?

An update..

I'm working on a post about how Isabelle made her entrance into the world- but for now here is a quick photo update. I had to narrow these down from about 300 pictures that we have taken, and I really could have put all of them on here. Seriously, she is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen.

We are home now and doing well. My mom is here staying with us and has been a HUGE help making meals and doing laundry and also she is the Queen Burper of the Land. Jazz has stepped into his role as a father beautifully, he loves this little baby so much. He checks on her in the night and helps with feedings and rocks her back to sleep when she is fussy. I could not do any of this without him, he is such a great husband. I loved him a lot before we had this baby but I love him even more now that she is here and I see them interact. I am one lucky girl.

As for Isabelle- she is amazing. She smells like sweet puffs of heaven and her skin is the softest thing I have ever felt. When she is awake, she is so alert and she opens her big dark eyes. When she sleeps she cuddles and coos and has these big sighs that are so precious. I had no idea how small she would really be- her little fingers are teeny and she has these chicken legs that I just want to nibble on.

Anyway. Here are some pictures from the hospital.

She loves loves loves to stretch her legs.

I love this face. I'm sure we will see this when she is a teenager.

Proud Dad

Time to go home!

Our family of three

La Bambina

Isabelle Shaw Sorensen

Born October 4th, 2009, 11:33 PM

7 pounds, 4 ounces, 20 inches long.

She has my nose, Jazzy's chin

and she is perfect.

...more to come...

Week Four Million

5 Weeks vs 40+ Weeks

In case you are wondering, I am still pregnant. Today I hit 40 Weeks, 3 Days, which means I am in my 41st week of this pregnancy. Eleven more weeks and it will be an ENTIRE YEAR OF GESTATION. Okay I know I am being dramatic but whatever, I am allowed to be at this stage in the game.

We had yet another doctor's appointment this morning- I was so hoping to have made some significant progress, for my doctor to just smile and send me to labor and delivery. Of course, instead he just smiled at me, told me I'm "about the same" and then defended himself when I lept off of the table and attacked him.

I thought for sure my day yesterday would have done SOMETHING to make me progress. I walked for an hour, bounced on my exercise ball- I cleaned and cleaned, scrubbed floors and vacuumed, organized, did laundry, etc. Today I can barely move. I look like I'm warming up for my opening night as the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz. I hobbled to my appointment, to the mall, and to the grocery store- where for the first time, I seriously considered shopping around in an electric moby-cart.

Alright let's move on to that picture up top. *Please let this be my last pregnant photo* Left side, 5 weeks pregnant, right after we found out. On the right side, about ten minutes ago, huge huge huge. Yes, I cropped out my head. Surprise. Deal with it. I remember taking that first picture and making Jazz take a few different ones because I looked so fat or my head was weird or my chin looked chubby or whatever. WHAT WAS I THINKING. I looked awesome. I have cheek bones! And a waist! And nothing about my outfit has elastic! Oh, the good old days.

So what do we do now? Basically we wait. And hope she comes on her own. But, due to her size and gestational age, there will come a point in time when she will be evicted whether she likes it or not. Until then-you can find me at home keeping busy with naps and tivo.