We loved our hospital choice...

A little late on this post, but I didn't want to leave it out...our experience at Winter Park Memorial Hospital was wonderful. Matt & I were so happy with our choice to give birth there. Every nurse we had was great, a huge help, never in a rush and so happy to help. Carla was our labor & delivery nurse, who we loved! We felt so lucky to have such great care. The outdated atmoshphere wasn't even a factor, which we suspected. And...we lucked out and got a bigger recovery room, a suite, even. Still not huge, but definitely bigger than the standard "sardine" type rooms, so that was nice. Matt's fold out bed/chair he slept on was probably the only downfall of our experience there, definitely not very comfortable, but thankfully it was for only 2 nights. He survived : )

2 Weeks

Well, we have managed to survive 2 weeks of newborn madness! People aren't joking when they tell you it's not easy. Thankfully, breastfeeding is going a lot better, so that's a big help. All the technical aspects are working, but I still have to deal with the constant demand of it all. She eats every 2-3 hours, so Mom isn't getting too much done around the house these days! Thankfully Matt has been home with me, I don't know what I would do without him! He's been a lifesavor. He has 2 more weeks off from work, so hopefully I'll have a good handle on things by the time he goes back to work and I'm flying solo with Ripley.

Left - in her new boppy lounger her Aunt Michelle got her. She loves this!

Right - chilling out in her swing. She loves the tropical, Jamaican type music it plays. It makes Mommy want a margarita though!

Thank You

Having a baby, means you get spoiled. Family & friends really show their love for you at a time like this. We feel so blessed. Some of our friends have brought over food this week, which has been such a huge help! Us not having to cook when we're occupied with Ripley and functioning on little sleep is a great relief. Especially since the food was soooo good! Kate & Chris brought over lasagna, soup & cornbread and our friend Leah brought over a massive chicken pot pie and sugar cookies. What a better way to refuel than some home cooking? Thank you!!

Another thanks goes out to all of our family & friends who have visited and brought over or mailed us gifts for Ripley. We have gotten so many girly outfits, I'm in Heaven! Now she just has to grow a bit so she can fit into them : ) We have also received books for her, which is great, since we don't have many and we're all about reading to her at an early age. So fun!

Thanks again, we love you guys!

Ripley is 1 Week Old Today

This past week has been a blurr. I can't believe Ripley is already a week old! We came home from the hospital on Tuesday. My Dad & JoAnne stayed with us for the week and just left today. They were a huge help! Cooking, cleaning, mowing our lawn, helping with Ripley, it was great! I can already tell she is going to be one spoiled little girl!

As for Matt & I, all I can say is - Sleep Deprivation! The nights are the hardest, waking up every 3 hours to feed Ripley. Which means we're getting about 2 hours (sometimes less) of straight sleep at once. And yet somehow we still manage to function throughout the day, a little scary! But of course, definitely worth it. I'm told it will get easier and more rewarding too, since right now we're really the only ones giving, giving, giving. Thankfully she is a cutie that melts our hearts, even at 3am when she's screaming for food : )

Left - Ripley & Aunt Kate

Right: Ripley & Grandma J

Left: Matt calls this one the "motorcycle.

Right: One of my faves

Baby Demaray Has Arrived!!!

It's a GIRL!!!!!!!

Ripley Judith Demaray was born on Sunday, April 15 at 5:03 p.m. She weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was just over 18 inches long. All of us are home and doing well.

Below are a few pictures so you can see how precious our little Angel is.

She can't wait to meet all of you!

Lots of love,
Kathleen, Matt & Ripley

(Left) Ripley's first picture, right after birth.
(Right) Ripley all swaddled up.

(Left) Ripley with Daddy.
(Right) Her first car ride - coming home!

The Nursery

Here are some pictures of the nursery. It's not completely finished just yet, we still need to add some art & pictures to the walls and drapes to the window, but for the most part, it's ready for baby! Matt stained the dresser and changer himself, they turned out better than we ever expected. Both pieces go really well with the crib.

Last Supper

With Baby Demaray arriving in the next 2 weeks, I decided it was a must to get my girlfriends together for one last night out before baby, diapers, breastfeeding & exhaustion takes over. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to our world being turned upside down with the new love in our life, but at the same time, I'm hoping to squeeze all of the "me" time out before that day comes. So last night a group of the girls went out to dinner for some girl bonding, great food & what else? Gossip! Matt also took advantage and got a group of his guy friends together for some good Irish food, beer & darts. And after dinner, the Ladies decided to crash their party. It has been sooo long since I have been in a bar, it was kinda strange with my belly being as big as it is now, but still fun. I hung out out sipping on my non-alcoholic beer, belly and all.

2 weeks left!

Today marks 2 weeks away from the baby's due date. The clock is ticking! The baby is now considered full-term and really could come at anytime, but I'm hoping nothing happens for at least a week. Yesterday was my last day at work, so I'm looking forward to some time off at home before Mommyhood is in full force! We're getting really excited. Stay tuned....