4 week stats

Yesterday marked the four week point of Laura's life outside the womb. While the past four weeks have been long an wearisome in some ways, they have been delightful in many, many more ways. Laura is beginning to settle into more of a routine and she is much more content these days. She seems to engage and make eye contact more often and I suspect that intentional smiles and responses are just around the corner. We can't wait! She still loves to snuggle and has recently welcomed some time in her bouncy seat and swing, which has allowed me some time to nap during most days. One thing that David and I have found most interesting... she is a NOISY sleeper. In fact, she's just a noisy baby. :) She coos and grunts and sighs and squeals. It's pretty amusing, but it does keep us awake at night.

My mom and I took Laura to see the lactation consultant yesterday to check her weight and ask few questions. She weighs... 9 pounds 9 ounces. Wow! She is gaining weight beautifully, more than an ounce a day. We are so very grateful to God for making the nursing process a smooth one. I really enjoy nursing and have had no difficulties up to this point. God has been faithful to answer our prayers.

That's all for today... better take advantage of my small window of opportunity to take a shower while my little noisy sleeper is napping. :) Have a wonderful day!

Bath Time and More...

Despite the disgruntled look on her face, Laura LOVED her first bath. She was so content and seemed to enjoy the whole experience. Then... came the drying off experience. Did she like this? Not so much... She attempted to gnaw off her right thumb in an attempt to sooth herself through the process.

Finally, all dressed, lavender baby lotion applied and... a happy baby once again. Snug as a bug in a rug...

Laura and I decided to try out the front carrier for our evening walk. Worked like a charm. She was out like a light for the next hour and a half.

This is one set of happy grandparents. My parents (AKA Oma and Pap) have been waiting for a grandbaby for a LONG time. :)



Proud Uncle Sean:

David and I enjoyed our time at my dad's 60th birthday bash.

Happy Birthday, Pap!

This photo was taken at a picnic we had for the folks at the urgent care I worked at. They have been a joy to work with and I'll be really sad to part ways with them. (See my prior post - our office is closing next week.)

Um, may I have a glass of milk, please? :)

Laura wasn't so sure about the bouncy seat at first.

She is getting used to it and will sit in it for a few minutes now. Next week, we'll work on the swing. :)

Life with Laura

Well, it's been a little over two weeks with Laura and it's been a delight! I am so grateful that David had two weeks to be home with us. He has been wonderful! I didn't have to do a thing for two weeks except feed and snuggle our little girl. God certainly knows our needs well before we do, doesn't He? My recovery has been much longer (and MUCH more painful) than I expected, but God knew. He provided David with a job that has two weeks of paid paternity leave for their new dads.

Today is my first day at home alone with Laura and, so far, things have gone well. I haven't gotten much done other than caring for her and a few loads of laundry, but I'm really enjoying our day at home. We've been quite busy the past few days, so it's been really nice just to stay home today. If all goes well, we'll make a quick run to the grocery store in a bit... gulp. I haven't even driven in two weeks. Pray for us! :)

On another front... we have a need that we would like to share in hopes that you'll pray with us for God's provision. We know he is Jehovah Jireh, our provider, and He is faithful to provide all we need. Two weeks ago (when Laura was about five days old), I went to a meeting at work where they announced that our office will be closing in one month (about two weeks from today). We have been less-than-profitable, so management has been attempting to cut back on staffing and hours to make ends meet, but it seems that their attempts to save the practice have not worked. What does that mean for me? Well, I'll be "displaced" as many others have been in the past year. They will try to find another location for me to work at, but there is no guarantee. I am scheduled to return to work in mid-September and would like to continue to work only part-time at a location not too far from here. Ideally, I would also like to remain in an urgent care setting. My preferences are pretty specific, so that makes finding a suitable practice match quickly a bit more difficult. BUT, God says to make our requests to him specifically, and so we will. We trust that He will provide the right solution for our family.

I am so grateful to have a husband with mighty faith in our God. He set the tone immediately when we found out that I may be without a job. He was quick to remind me of the faithfulness and kindness of God and that there is no need to fear or to be anxious. Would you please pray along with us for God to provide a suitable job in His perfect timing... or a way for me to remain at home with Laura full-time? We look forward to watching His hand at work and we can't wait to testify of His good works as they unfold. Thank you, friends!

Our Story...

Note: I intended to post the photos below the text, but I can't seem to figure out how to do that today. They're also in reverse chronological order, but we hope you enjoy them nevertheless! :)

Our Sleeping Beauty

We could stare at that adorable face for hours.

Daddy loves his little girl! ...and she adores her Daddy!

Daddy giving Laura her first manicure. Precious.

I'm speechless. She is fearfully and wonderfully made.

On our way home! We were able to go home 24 hours after Laura was born.

Hello, world!

Just after her first bath (at 1am!)

Meet Laura Madeline Doty. Check out the BROWN hair!

Here we go!

Well, it's been quite a week here at the Doty household. David and I have had a WONDERFUL week getting to know our baby girl. We are absolutely in love with her. She is such a good baby and has been a joy to care for. David has been a wonderful husband and daddy and has taken such good care of Laura and I this week as we adjust to life at home. We're really blessed that David works for a company that provides two weeks of paid paternity leave. It's such a joy to spend so much time with him. I had many unfounded fears that this first week would be dreadfully exhausting, full of tears and frustration and it's actually been my favorite week of our marriage (apart from our honeymoon, of course). We have had SO MUCH FUN!!!

I'll back up about a week and share a little about our birth story. Laura's due date was actually June 23, but my OB offered an induction on June 16. I was SO READY at that point to give birth, but we decided to decline. We prayed about it and just didn't sense that it was God's will at that point. We continued to pray through the week and decided that we were definitely ready to meet our little girl and Friday worked well for everyone. So, we headed to the hospital on Friday, June 19 for our 5:00am induction. Actually, when we arrived at the hospital, I was already 4cm and having contractions, although mild. They started the pitocin (the medication that mimics the hormone in our bodies that causes contractions) around 7am, broke my water, and active labor began shortly. I was able to have an epidural (thankfully!) around 10:30am. That was actually, the most painful part of the whole process. Holding still while having active, hard contractions is no easy feat! By 2pm I was fully dilated and ready to push. We pushed (and pushed and pushed) for two hours and there really wasn't much progression. The doctor had a few C sections to tend to, so he asked us to rest for a bit and let the contractions move the baby down. So, we rested for about 1/2 hour and he came back in. Still not much progress. He said that C section or a forceps delivery may be the only options, but he offered to give it a little more time. At that point, we were determined!!! David sent a rash of text messages to ask people to pray, and pray they did! Laura was born shortly after that at 6:08pm. Praise God!

Laura was born and the doctor said, "Wow! That's why this took so long. She's a big baby!" That's our girl. :) Healthy as can be. She weighed 8lb 3oz and 20 1/4 inches long. I have a bit of recovering to do because she was born so quickly in the end it was fairly "traumatic" to my body, if you know what I mean. :) But, I'll take it all in exchange for a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

We were able to breastfeed right away and she clearly is a fast learner! She has nursed beautifully from the first day. God has really answered our prayers. We prayed fervently that she would breastfeed well and not require any supplementation and that has definitely been the case. God is so kind.

We marvel at God's provision through it all. A "natural" delivery, healthy baby, relatively quick recovery, smooth first week... we simply couldn't ask for anything more. Thank you so much for praying with us and for us. We are so grateful for you!

Happy Birthday, Laura Madeline!!!!

She's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can hardly believe it. We are so very grateful to our great and amazing God for allowing us to meet her. Laura was born on Friday, June 19 at 6:08pm. I'll post the full birth story in a few days (and some pictures). She weighed 8lb 3oz, much bigger than we all expected, requiring almost four hours of pushing to help her exit her cozy home. She is 20 1/4 inches long and has lots of beautiful brown hair. Laura is just as sweet as can be and is doing really well. We are absolutely in love with her... Thank you for praying for all of us. Please pray for Laura, that she would continue to nurse well and maintain her weight. Pray for David as he cares for us over the next two weeks at home. He's doing a marvelous job!!!!
Please pray for me as I recover from the delivery. We love you and can't wait for you to meet our baby girl.

Tomorrow is the day!

Well, as it turns out, we have decided to accept Dr. Brandner's offer for an induction. We'll head to the hospital at 5:15am (Friday, June 19).... bright and early! David and I are so excited to meet our little girl and the physician who will be delivering her is wonderful. Please pray with us that the delivery will go smoothly and that Laura would be born healthy. Thanks so much! We'll try to update the blog at some point, but we're not sure if we'll have internet access at the hospital. We'll keep you posted! We can't wait to meet you, baby girl!!!!

To induce or not to induce... that is the question.

Just had my 39 week OB appointment yesterday and got a big surprise. The doctor asked if I was ready to deliver and I gave a hearty "Yes!!!" response. We are ready to meet our little girl and I am quite ready to be on the other side of pregnancy. He subsequently asked if I would be ready for an induction, to which I also responded, "Yes." He said we could show up at 6am on Tuesday (today). What?!?! I definitely wasn't ready for that. :) So, I spoke with David about it and we decided to postpone the induction after considering all of the variables. Although it would be really nice to plan ahead for childcare purposes, I think it would be really fun to be surprised with the day of Laura's birth.

Would you pray with us that God would cause Laura to arrive on her own (this week!!!!)?
We are considering an induction later this week, but we would welcome your thoughts as well. Please let us know what you think.... and please pray!