Three Months Old

Lilah Jo: 3 months old
14 lbs. 12 oz.

-You took your first trip to Destin to the beach! You absolutely LOVED the water and had so much fun!

-You LOVE to stand with help! Your legs are SOOO strong!!

-You LOVE your hands and cannot keep them out of your mouth!
-You are in Size 2 Diapers!
-You hold and play with your toys! You love your elephant!
-You finally got to meet your boyfriend, Arlie, and had a super fun weekend with him!

-You rolled over for the first time!
-You got your FIRST HAIRCUT!! You got 1 inch cut off the back! Your mullet is gone! ;)

-You went to your first Hogs game! You got so hot on the walk up there, that you were so upset at the beginning of the game, but you ended up LOVING it!!

-You love to stroll in your stroller, like a BIG girl!

-You have a personality all your own! You are spoiled rotten and NEVER want to be put down!

Happy 3 months Lilah Jo!
We love you!!

Two Months Old

Lilah Jo: Two Months Old
13 lbs. 10 oz.
24 inches long

-You now have baby rice cereal in every bottle because of reflux. It helps a little.
-You have started responding to mommy and daddy's voices
-You have found your own voice, and boy do you LOVE to use it!! You talk about everything! :)
-You had your first trip to the lake at Greers Ferry! You loved the boat rides with the breeze blowing your hair!

-You are in Size 2 Diapers now!
-You went to Unlce Hunny and Aunt Alex's wedding and you were ohh so cute in nothing but you're diaper and bloomers! :)

-You so have your momma's personality and Temper!!

We love you Lilah Jo!
Happy 2 months!

One Month Old

Lilah Jo: One month old
10 lbs. 9 oz.
22.5 inches long

-You had your first bottle at 4 days old.. You were too aggressive of a nurser for momma, so pumped milk it is...
-You are in Size 1 diapers.. Newborns never fit you, chunky monkey!
-You went to your first movie.. Cars 2 at 2.5 weeks old. You made mommy miss the last 10 minutes of it, but you were so worth it! ;)

-You smiled at mommy and daddy at 3 weeks old
-You sleep about 6-7 hours straight at night
-You started holding your head up really well at 3 weeks old
-You LOVE to eat!!

You are so much fun and getting so big already!
We Love you Lilah Jo!

Lilah Jo Roeder: June 5, 2011

So, I know I'm a little behind on the birth story, but I've been a little busy. :) So here it is...

My due date was May 31 and the entire pregnancy I was told I would NEVER make it that far! Boy was everyone wrong! May 31 came and went and still NO BABY!! On Wednesday, June 1, I had an appointment with my OB. She checked my cervix and it was still Very high and Very closed! She scheduled me an ultrasound for that afternoon to make sure everything was okay and also went ahead and scheduled me for induction on Sunday night, June 5. I had the ultrasound done and everything looked GREAT! Still tons of fluid and the ultrasound tech said Lilah was measuring around 7 lbs. 4 oz. and wouldn't probably be any bigger than 7 lbs. something when she was born. Once again, boy were they wrong!

At this point, I still had not had ONE single contraction or pain. So, Chip and I prepared for induction in 5 days, even though it was so not what I wanted. I wanted to be able to go into labor on my own, make that mad dash to the hospital and then have her a few hours later with no complications. That was my dream and I never thought it would come true! My mom was in labor for 48 hours + with both Hunter and me, so I just knew I was doomed for a long labor!

The next few days passed by SO SLOWLY, but on Saturday, June 4, I finally started having a few contractions here and there. They started about 11 am that morning and I would have 1 about every 30 minutes or so. I still just knew that I was going to have to wait and get induced. Around 9pm that night, the contractions picked up immensely! At 10pm, they were about 6 mins apart lasting about 1 minute. I decided I wanted to take a shower and fix my hair! hah :) The contractions were getting so strong and close together I could barely dry my hair. By 11pm, they were coming every 4-5 minutes and lasting for about 90 seconds! We ended up leaving our house and heading to the hospital!

We arrived at the hospital at midnight and were checked in and taken up to labor and delivery. They checked my cervix as soon as we arrived and I was 3 cm dialated. Even though I wasn't "technically" in active labor yet, they allowed me to stay, because I was supposed to be induced the following night. It's a very good thing they kept me! I told them I wanted the epidural as soon as possible. At 1 am on Sunday, June 5, they checked my cervix again right before I was given the epidural. I was 7cm dialated!! They checked me again at 1:30 am after I had received the epidural and I was completely dialated! So, in 1 hour 30 minutes, I dialated from 3 to 10 cm!!! No wonder those contractions were hurting so bad!

At this point, the epidural was working perfectly! (I mean PERFECTLY!!!) I literally did not feel one thing the entire delivery, which was Awesome! My water still had not broken. The nurse kept telling me that was the only thing that was keeping this baby in! They decided not to break my water just yet and to let the on call doctor sleep!!!! They finally called her around 4:30 and told her to get up there! At 5:50 am, the doctor broke my water and I started pushing! The nurses kept saying, she has tons of hair! Little did I know, she really had TONS OF HAIR!! :) At 6:14 am (Mine and Chip's anniversary is 6-14), on Sunday, June 5, Lilah Jo Roeder was born! She weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. (yes! NOTHING near the 7 lbs. they said she was going to be!) and was 19.5 inches long!! She was absolutely PERFECT with jet black hair and blue eyes! Lilah Jo was born on June 5, her momma, Mallory Jo, was born on November 5 and her Lolli, Pamela Jo, was born on October 5! :)

The labor and delivery could not have gone ANY better! I am so thankful to God for this precious new blessing and have been told by numerous people, NEXT TIME.. there is no taking a shower and fixing my hair! haha With only a 5 hour labor with my first child, everyone says with my next one to get straight to the hospital! We shall see... :)

Lilah at 29 weeks!

So this morning, Chip and I went in for our 4-D ultrasound. Since this was an elective ultrasound, we had to pay for it. Let me just say, it was worth EVERY penny!! Technology is simply amazing these days. We spent an hour with the ultrasound tech and got over 50 pictures of our sweet girl and a video of the live ultrasound in 4-D!! We had heard mixed reviews on these ultrasounds beforehand (it ruins the surprise at birth, not worth the money, etc) but believe me, I am definitely a HUGE fan now! I will never have another pregnancy and not get this done.

Lilah was again measuring about 1.5 weeks ahead and we were told she will most likely be a BIG baby! :) Her weight was estimated at 3.5 lbs! We were able to see HAIR, yes hair! My baby girl is not going to be bald! haha This was my biggest fear! She definitely has my nose, Chip's chin, and Chip's long fingers! This ultrasound just makes it SO much more exciting! I cannot contain myself and I am just so ready for our little girl to get here so I can kiss all over her chubby cheeks! :)

Here is a slideshow of all of her ultrasound pictures today! I would LOVE to hear who you think she looks like! :)

I will try to post the video of the live ultrasound in just a little bit! :)

Our Dream Come True

I know it has been a while since my last post, but saying we were busy in the last 3 months is such an understatement. I will say on the front end, this will be long... It's hard to catch family and friends up on over 3 months of our lives in one blog post! :)
Since November, I endured my most hectic yet rewarding Krazy Daizy winter season yet! It is such a blessing from God to be able to work from home and travel and do something I absolutely love, even if it was not what I went to school for 3 years of my life to be! God always knows what is best for us, no matter what our plans might be for ourselves and I am certain this job that he has blessed me with is going to be Perfect for when Lilah is here!
In December, Chip and I made a trip to Austin, Texas for his work, a trip home to West Memphis for Christmas with his family and a week long trip to Montana with my family for Christmas. Every time I go to Montana, I am in awe of God's work here on Earth. You simply can not look at this picture and tell me there is no God. I mean really?!

In January, as soon as we got back into town from Montana, we headed on a 6 hour road trip there and 11 hour road trip back to New Orleans to go the Sugar Bowl. Although the game didn't exactly end as we had hoped, we had a blast sitting on the 3rd row, 50 yard line thanks to Jerry Franklin, who is by the way, the best player on the team! :)
Now that February has rolled around, our lives have seemed to kick into high gear again! We received 23 inches, YES!! 23 inches in Arkansas, of SNOW to start the month off. And Chip and I chose to drive in it. A normal 5 hour road trip from West Memphis to Rogers took us Only 10 hours!!! It was crazy, but we had a blast together the entire time!
As the end of February draws near and I am almost 26 weeks pregnant, I am just in complete shock of how short of time we have left as a family of 2! In just 14 short weeks, more or less, we will no longer be a family of 2 but a family of 3! It seems so crazy and so unreal still, even though my belly is growing to a size where there is definitely no denying there is a little one on the way (it's been that way for weeks, now! Who am I kidding?!) :) I am still feeling GREAT! I mean, I seriously cannot complain! My heart problems have lessened, which is amazing, and I still have tons of energy! The only problem I am having is with the weight gain. Yes, I know I'm pregnant and Yes I know I'm supposed to gain weight, BUT when you have been the exact same size, exact same weight since Junior High School it is definitely a very WEIRD experience to say the least. I have already gained 24 pounds in 25 weeks!!! And my doctor wants me to gain a total of 40-45 lbs in total! This will put me at a weight that you could have Never told me I would ever reach! I know she is so worth every pound already, but it terrifies me that I won't be able to get 45 lbs. off as quick as I want to!
Okay.. Enough about me... More about Lilah, Our Dream Come True! :)

The first frame I made for her room! :)
Ever since finding out I was pregnant for the second time in 2 months, I have always called this child my miracle baby. She is such a blessing to us already and I just cannot wait for her to be here... Seriously! Bring on the crying, the diapers, the no sleep, the craziness! I am SO ready!!
This past week, Chip, myself and my dad worked on painting Lilah's room. There are pictures of the full room on Facebook, but here are a few of some vinyl I just added to her room.
My mom has always been great at writing poems, so she wrote one especially for Lilah. I fell in love with it so much, I knew it had to go in her room somewhere.
Here is the poem:

My child as I sit and watch you sleep
And touch your precious face,
I'm reminded of God's goodness,
His mercy & His grace.

I dream of everything you'll be
And the plans God has for you.
I pray that He will keep you close
And guide everything you do!

So sleep in peace, enjoy God's world.
His love is precious and true.
No matter what you do in life,
It can't change my love for you!

Here it is in her room!

I also added this super cute bird to match the mobile! I love how both turned out!

I still have a few more things to add, but it is definitely getting there finally! No we just need a sweet baby girl to make the room complete!
Sorry this turned out so long, but I warned you, I had a lot to write about! :)
I want to end with this poem my wrote to me on my first birthday! It is still my favorite ever and is to sweet not to mention on here. She truly has a gift!

Happy Birthday Mallory,
You're 1 year old today.
I'm writing you this poem,
As I sit and watch you play.

Your dad and I had no idea
How special you would be.
We just hoped that you'd be healthy
And I hoped you'd look like me!

Well a year has past since you were born,
And it makes me a little sad,
But as much as I hate to admit it,
You look just like your dad!

God has given us many special gifts
Since the day that we were married,
But none were quite as special
As the little girl I carried.

I guess I am trying to tell you
Is that no matter what you do,
You will always be surrounded,
By the love we have for you!

~Mallory

Baby Roeder Update...

Baby Roeder is growing right along.. We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time last week and it was an amazing sound. Baby R's heartbeat was really strong in the 150's. I go again for a check up on the 20th and then the date is set for my next ultrasound. January 3rd is the Big day! Hopefully, if baby cooperates, we should know whether Baby R is a He or a She! :) It cannot come soon enough!! I am so glad I have lots of things to do over Christmas Break to keep me occupied until then!
This past weekend, Chip and I went to Austin, TX for a conference for Chip's work and his secretary came along. For fun, she begged me to take the DrainO test. I don't know if any of you have done this before, but I would Love to hear if it turned out true for you! This test is supposed to predict the gender. Well... after watching for a reaction, there was none, so DrainO says we are having a Girl!! We shall see in a month if it is correct or not! :)
I have been feeling Great finally! I'm like a totally new person now! :) I am having some heart problems though. All through high school, I went to several different cardiologists because my heart would constantly skip beats and then just take off super fast. After seeing several cardiologists, they basically all told me I just had a "weird" heart. I was constantly monitored and no doctor could come up with an explanation. For the past few years, I have not had any problems... until I got pregnant.
I know this is normal in pregnancy, but in my case it's been extra fast and constant. This weekend my heart raced for an hour and half straight. Chip kept checking my pulse the entire time and i was in the 100s. It happens several times a day, along with constant black outs, ringing in my ears and skipped beats. I will be meeting with a cardiologist in the next week to get checked out again. Please pray that this is not harming the baby. It is VERY annoying to me, so I can only imagine what it is doing to baby. I will keep everyone posted on what the cardiologist says.
For those who have been wanting a new picture... Here is baby Roeder today at 15 weeks!! :) My belly is definitely growing and super hard. I don't know how it will stretch any more.

Here are two pictures of our living room decorated for Christmas! I just had to add these because I absolutely LOVE Christmas and would leave the tree up All year long if I could get away with it! :)

And here are my babies in their favorite spots in the house...
Nemo :)

And Jane! ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!