No one ever said it was going to be easy.....

I hate baths!

I'm finally getting some meat on my bones!

My clothes are still way too big but Mommy doesn't care!

Kate's closet....one word....ridiculous!

Daddy's girl

Kate and Aunt GG

I love my butterfly pillow!

I can't believe that Kate will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and that 2 weeks have already passed since I last updated the blog. The days go by so fast now and it seems like there's not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done. And, due to lack of uninterrupted sleep, Chris and I don't know what day it is half the time! During the night, Kate wakes up about every 3 hours to eat. So, even though we're getting sleep, it's in short intervals and it's not the same as sleeping for 6-8 hours straight! But, every new parent goes through this and the amount of time she sleeps is slowly getting longer.

We're having a lot of fun with her, despite the very stinky diapers and spit-up! And she seems to think it's funny to tinkle before she has a diaper on! So, needless to say, the amount of laundry we're doing has increased and we have several wardrobe changes each day (we've already had to wash the car seat cover, too!). She's already very spoiled (thanks to Mommy, Luly, and her aunts) and she already knows what noises to make when she wants to be held....Mommy's a sucker for the whining and fake cries. One thing that produces real tears is bath time (see above pictures)! Wet babies are similar to wet noodles....so this is another new experience that we're muddling our way through. It'll all get easier with time!

Mommy and Kate have already been on several outings (because Mommy needs to get out of the house most days). We've been to my school, mom's school, the library, Dixon Animal Clinic, and Wal-Mart (yuck!). My rationalization for these outings is that Kate has so many cute clothes (again...see above pictures) that it's a shame if I'm the only one that sees them!

I'm going to try not to let this much time pass before I update!
Happy beginning of school and beginning of football season!

We're home!

Crossing my legs like a lady

This hat makes me look like an elf!

Chillin' with Mommy!

My new bed...I'm a little small for it but it's pretty comfy!

My pacifier's almost as big as my head!

After 2 nights in the hospital, we were able to come home on Thursday. Kate's doing pretty well....we're having a few problems sleeping at night. We're not sure if it's tummy problems or if she has her days and nights mixed up. But, needless to say, Mommy and Daddy haven't gotten much sleep the last 2 nights! We're going to try sleeping in the car seat so she's a little more upright! Hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon and we can get into a regular routine. The other 2 members of our family (Cooper and Daphne) came home from camp (AKA Dixon Animal Clinic) yesterday and got to meet their new baby sister. Cooper's still not too sure about her....Daphne doesn't seem to care much one way or the other!

Grandaddy

Aunt Cookie and Kate

G-ma and G-pa

Our tiny baby...I think the camera really does add 10 pounds because she looks a lot bigger in pictures than she really is!

The Galles

She's finally here!

Katelyn Elizabeth Galle arrived yesterday (8/10) at 8:04 AM. She weighs 5 pounds 6 ounces and is 19 inches long. She looks just like her daddy and she's doing great. She had a little trouble maintaining her temperature yesterday because she's so little but we've got it under control today!

So here's what happened.....
When I woke up Monday morning, I had pretty intense contractions but they were different from the other ones I'd been having because they had spread to my back. They got increasingly worse throughout the day so, at 3:45, when they were 10 minutes apart, I called the doctor's office and they told me that, because we lived in Brenham, we should head to the ER when I had them 7 minutes apart for about 30 minutes.

Chris was at home by this point and was doing some work outside. He came in the house at about 7:30 and I told him he needed to take a shower because we would be leaving for the hospital soon. By the time we got to Hwy 105 at 8:15, they were 5 minutes apart. I've never been stabbed, but I imagine it feels something like what I was feeling at that point (and I'm not exaggerating). I'm not sure what I expected labor to feel like, but nothing could've prepared me for what was coming.

We got to the ER at St. Joe's about 9:15 and they took me up to check my progress. At that point, I had to wait another hour and make more progress in order to stay. Otherwise, I'd be going home...for me, that wasn't an option. So after an hour, I had made enough progress to stay. I immediately asked for my epidural....she laughed and said I had to get my IV and do bloodwork first! I finally got the good stuff at about midnight and Chris and I were able to rest a little bit. And for all of those ladies out there who give birth without pain meds, all I can say is....WHY? But, seriously, kudos to you....you're stronger women than I am!

After the epidural, things went pretty fast. My doctor wasn't on call Monday night because she had been on call all weekend. I was pretty upset because, after 9 months, I really wanted my doctor to be the one to deliver Kate. But we got lucky....there was a shift change at 7:00 AM and the on-call doctor called my doctor (they're in the same practice) to let her know that I was close. At that point, she was on her way to a different hospital to check on another patient but she said if we could wait about 45 minutes, she'd be there. So I was very happy to see her when she walked in at 7:50....and Kate was born 14 minutes later! So, needless to say, the actual delivery was very easy for me and didn't last very long!

So, here we are with a new baby and we're doing great and couldn't be happier. Chris is already an awesome dad. He's been so great with her and with me. I also couldn't have asked for a better labor partner....he was so encouraging and was there for me every step of the way. We'll continue to post updates and pictures!

And now we wait.....

There's not a whole lot to report from this morning's doctor's appointment. We've progressed a little bit but not as much as I thought or would've liked! I, of course, got my hopes up and thought that she was going to tell me that today was the day and it was time to check in next door. But, no such luck! I've been having contractions for the last few days but they're not regular or intense enough to go to the hospital. She said it could be this weekend but it could also be after my due date. The good news is, and I quote the doctor "I'm on call this weekend, so, if you bingo, come on in!" So, maybe we'll get lucky and something will happen soon. If not, we go back to the doctor on Thursday. For now, we wait......