Chloe - 2 Months

Chloe weighed in at 10 lbs 11 oz and was 21.25 inches. She was in the 50% percentile for both height and weight and only the 20% percentile for head circumference. The doctor reassured us that small heads can be smart heads, too. The shots went better than I had anticipated. Our nurse was very sweet and she stopped to give Chloe hugs and kisses in between the shots. She had one oral vaccine and three shots. The oral vaccine was sweet and so she gobbled it right up. The shots, on the other hand, she did not much enjoy. She screamed like I have never heard her scream before for all three. In fact, on the third shot I was on the brink of tears when Chloe farted five adult sized farts in a row. Thankfully, the nurse and I started laughing hysterically, but in reality it was sad because it hurt so bad that she pooed herself. Chloe fell asleep immediately after the shots and slept for three hours before she woke up again to eat. She cried for about a half hour and fell asleep once I gave her a little Tylenol. After that she acted as though nothing had ever happened and I couldn't be happier. Chloe is a tough girl, but I shouldn't be surprised; she is a Tithof/Reiber hybrid after all.

Here are a few 2 month photos:





I plan to go back to work starting April 12. As much as I have loved staying home with Chloe, I am ready to get back at it. I know that I will miss her so much, but it is for the best. I'm really turning into a crazy lady around the house. Like, if you leave a gum wrapper on my end table you better watch it buddy! I know that the house is probably going to spontaneously combust from some sort of toxic combination of dirty plates, sour milk, and soiled laundry once I go back to work, but it is a risk I am willing to take.

I keep telling myself that it really won't be so bad. We found this amazing lady who runs a small day care out of her house. When we went to visit her she seemed to fall in love with Chloe. She held Chloe the entire 2.5 hours we were there and didn't seem to want us to leave. She had these three sweet kids and when we left the little girl asked if I could drop Chloe off early some mornings because "she is just so cute and I want to see her all of the time." When we left her house both Paul and I were like "holy crap, could there be a nicer person in the whole world?" On top of that she is super affordable and we'll only need her twice per week. My mom is going to come to watch her on Thursdays and Fridays and hopefully when Taylor is on summer break Grandma Bobby Kay can come watch her once per week. Until then, I'm going to stay home on Tuesdays.

The only real downside to going back to work right now is that Chloe is just starting to get so cool. She is smiling and cooing all of the time now and it melts my heart. I know that once she starts doing all of her "firsts" it is going to kill me to be away from her.

Leaving on a Jetplane!

We have been dying to meet Baby Hank ever since he was born. The other night Paul and I decided to check into flights to Austin to see if we could afford to take a quick vacation before I resign my life away to a most demanding job. Lucky for us we found a direct flight from Detroit to Austin leaving March 31 and returning April 6. While we aren't going to Mexico or Europe or anything, Paul and I haven't been on a vacation in a really long time and we are super excited. We are expecting the worst in terms of Chloe's behavior on the plane, and we are planning to be "those people" with a screaming newborn baby in a sardine can full of nervous people and recycled air. Wish us luck!

Today marks Chloe's two month birthday, and unfortunately, it also marks her two month check up. In about 45 minutes Chloe will be receiving her first immunizations. I anticipate a lot of tears this afternoon, both hers and mine. I have been praying that everything goes well and that she has no adverse reactions to the immunizations. Please pray for us!

Rough Week

It has been a rough week for me. I woke up on Monday morning with a fever, headache, and body aches, not to mention it felt like someone had pounded my boob with a jackhammer for an hour straight. It turns out I have a nasty case of mastitis. I went to the doctor yesterday and was prescribed an antibiotic. After only three doses I am feeling much better and am very thankful for modern medicine. On top of that I have been dealing with Verizon for almost two weeks now convincing them that my phone DOESN'T WORK! I won't get started on the issue since I'll just get all fired up, but I can't make or receive calls and it is very frustrating. And then just last night Paul "won a $1,000 gift card to Walmart" and, hey, that sounds reasonable, I think I shall click on the link in that email and BAM our computer is possessed and is sending emails about electronics and other junk. Here's hoping that the second half of the week works out all of the kinks.

Chloe was over 10 pounds when I weighed her last Wednesday, and so I have been dressing her in her three month clothes. They are pretty big on her, but she was getting tired of wearing the same old things. Can you blame a girl? In other Chloe news, Paul won the battle for the first smile last Sunday morning. I left the room for a second and then of course she gave him a grin from ear to ear (that's what he says) and so it begins. She's a daddy's girl and I'm just the milk lady.

Chloe and Griff wish everyone a Happy St. Patty's Day!

Big Weekend!

It was a big weekend for our little Chloe Amelia. We headed back to Chesaning for the first time since January. Chloe and Griff both traveled well and we made it home with no major emotional or physical injuries.

Friday night we headed up to the Riverfront Grill for dinner and drinks. Grandma and Grandpa R joined us for dinner and then took Miss Chloe home so that Mommy and Daddy could enjoy a night out. We met Jason & Krissy, Kendra & Chad, David, Kylee & Ryan, and Katie and enjoyed some adult beverages from 9 to 12. It wasn't too crazy of a night, but it was our first night "out" nonetheless.

Saturday we brought Chloe to Kate's shower where she got to meet all of her Great Aunts and second cousins. I found my daughter only once to feed her and the rest of the time she was passed around from one adoring fan to the next. I really enjoyed the break! Andrew and Chloe were showered with kisses!





Saturday night Grandma and Grandpa T got to babysit while Paul and I went to Sara & Matt's couples shower. Getting out of the house was interesting as I scurried around to find dress clothes that would actually fit. While I did have a perfect pregnancy and birth, and yes I am so lucky to have a healthy baby, I have only lost 20 of my 40 pregnancy pounds. That is something like the baby + placenta + amniotic fluid and nothing more. I know, I know - I just had a baby, but I can't walk around with a sign on my forehead that says "I know I'm chubby, but I just had a baby." It is tough going from a tone, flat belly to a jiggly, round one! Other than getting dressed, the night was a success and we had a great time with Sara and Matt at the shower.

Sunday morning we went to my Great Grandma Vrable's house to capture a five generation photo. Great Grandma is a natural with babies as she had 13 children. She also has something like 55+ grandchildren, 65+ great grandchildren, and 10 or so great great grandchildren.

The Ladies of Bradley

Some of my favorite moments of the day are spent in prayer. I often talk to God the way I talk to my friends in that I tend to ramble and often veer off course. Last night I was getting excited for this morning when I get to see the ladies of Bradley at our weekly meeting, and as I was giving thanks for the hope of a new day I got to thinking of how God's path led me straight to these new friends.

I traced it as far back as buying this house. Last summer I spent a lot of time with my neighbor Julianne. When I told her I was pregnant we got to talking about her pregnancy. I told her I wanted to have a natural childbirth and she said that she had a natural birth using the Bradley Method. I had never heard of Bradley and probably never would have heard of it if it weren't for Julianne. Julianne's friend and neighbor, Angie, said that her friends were planning to use the Bradley Method and planned to have a home birth. I thought that her friends must be a bunch of crazy hippies. Little did I know that Paul and I would sit right next to them at our first Bradley Meeting!

I signed up for the last Bradley class of the year on the last possible day. Most of the couples had been signed up for months. I will never forget the first day when we were introducing ourselves and Sally and Michael (aka crazy hippies) went right before us. They talked about their interests, which included their community garden and essentially sustainable living. They also talked about their home birth. Paul and I had to go next... I said something like "yeaaah we aren't very healthy people." I proceeded with our interests that included things like watching television, eating fried foods, playing with our dog, and being lazy. Things like that. I remember thinking that of the five couples gathered in the basement, we couldn't all be more different! Never in a million years did I think we would end up being friends.

But one week we had a night off from class and instead of staying home, Sally suggested we have a dinner party at her house. I think it was about week 7 or 8 of the class so we knew each other a little bit, but not really that well. So we gathered one Monday night for soup, salad, and nonalcoholic beverages. We had a great time and stayed up uncharacteristically late for a group of pregnant women.

We continued to stay in touch once we finished the class and visited each other soon after having our babies. We had our Bradley Reunion two weekends ago, which is best put into words in Sally's blog. More importantly, the ladies of Bradley have been meeting every Wednesday at the Baby Beloved meeting. It is a breastfeeding support group and I think that we actually just use the meeting as an excuse and prelude to our luncheons at Sally's house. That is where we really connect and gripe and fawn over our little ones all at once.

It is wonderful to have a group of friends that is going through the exact same experience. It is effortless to bond with these ladies. They are my war buddies. Together we went through the pregnancy, the birth, and the breastfeeding struggles, and who knows what new challenges we will face together in the future. All I know is that I have God to thank for introducing us to these great people and I am so amazed at the intricacy of His plan. I think that God knew I would need these women for support, and their influence on my life thus far is unmeasurable.

I read this verse recently. In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 It is so interesting to see how all of the small decisions we make in life are actually part of a grander plan. I think that sometimes the biggest challenge is not being able to see the big picture. While the bigger moments of our lives are what tend to define us, it is the smaller moments that lead us there, and I am so grateful for all of the small decisions that led us to our new friends.

Bradley babies from left to right: Sofia, Elouise, Miles, Josie, and Chloe



Bradley mommies from right to left in birth order: Sally, Sarah, Me (I'm a line jumper. I was supposed to be last!), Monica, and Bethany

Who Does She Look Like?

This is probably the question we have been asked most often. To be honest, Chloe seems to be a perfect blend of the two of us. Most of Paul's baby pictures were lost in the fire a few years ago so we don't have a good idea of what he looked like as a baby. She definitely has my mouth, but I think she resembles Paul from the nose up. Right now she has Paul's skin tone. Thank God! I prayed for her that she wouldn't get my pale, moley, easily sunburnable skin. She is olive colored just like Paul. I have a vision of a 15 year old Chloe saying "Oh my gosh mom you burn so easily" as she rubs tanning oil all over her beautiful tan skin and I apply my second coat of 45 sunblock. Unfortunately, both Paul and I have huge feet. I, in particular, have super long toes and she seems to have inherited those. I pray that she gets a few extra inches of height to balance out her large feet. Chloe's hair is still dark brown, but it does seem to be lightening up a bit. Both Paul and I were bald when we were babies and I am surprised that her hair hasn't fallen out yet. It is so fluffy and cute and I hope that it doesn't fall out!