Merry Christmas, Ho Ho HO

Hello party people! We've had quite the busy week since last I have posted.  The Man flew in last Friday night, so we've been hanging out with him as much as possible.  We had a very Merry Christmas, even though it was a bit overwhelming for Blythe I think.  She slept pretty much the whole day yesterday and is asleep in my lap as I type this.  

  Blythe lost her crazy cord stump on Sunday, although I think she might have had some help from a too big diaper.  That is one downside to having a 7lb. baby.  If you notice most everything starts at fitting an 8lb. baby, including diapers.  Which is why we have also had our first blow out in an ill-fitting diaper.  We've gotten really good at reading the signs and ducking for cover though.  It only takes a couple times of being hit with projectile poop before you get pretty quick on your feet!  

  Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Happy One Week Birthday, Blythe!

Here are some of my favorite moments from the past 7 days, in no particular order...

1.  The moment I saw her.  We locked eyes and she held my fingers and the past 12 hours were completely and totally worth every second.

2.  Seeing Caleb with his daughter.  I am truly blessed with an amazing husband, who is an even more amazing Dad.  Even though he is already completely wrapped around her little finger, and at this point that little finger is pretty stinkin' little. 

3.  When she smiled the first time.  I don't care what they say about gas, I choose to believe she is smiling on purpose at me, and she even got her dad's dimples... Hooray!

4.  The grandparents.  All 4 of our parents are movers and shakers.  They rarely will sit still for 10 consecutive minutes... especially Papa Tim who is always so hopped up on caffeine I don't think you could physically hold him in place for 2 minutes.  But put a grand baby in their arms and they will sit in one place for hours.  And they don't really even want to be talked to.  They are completely content just sitting and staring at her.

5.  When Grammie Lou met her.  Grammie did really good.  I was expecting her to just burst into tears the moment she walked in the door.  If ya'll know my Grammie or have heard about her, you know she cries often and can pretty much set off anyone within a 10 foot radius.  Somehow I am more susceptible to this and if I'm within 2 miles of her and she so much as tears up I will start bawling.  But she held Blythe and talked to her and did just fine until she went to hand her back to me and leave.  Well, she couldn't do it.  Started crying and had to stay another 10 minutes before she could actually let go of the baby.  During that 10 minutes, we were looking at pictures and she looks at me and Caleb and says, "Do you two know..." and then got all choked up and couldn't finish.  She finally just goes "Well you guys know," and left the room.  Still holding Blythe, mind you.  I still don't know what exactly it is that I apparently already know.

It's been a great week.  Thank you to all our family and friends who are taking such amazing care of us!  I don't think I've eaten this good in my entire life.  We love you and are so blessed to have all of you!

Dear Uncle Sam

We have decided that Uncle Sam (Caleb's brother) will just be called "The Man" by Blythe.  The Man has voiced his less than thrilled opinion of our choice of the name Blythe and just her girliness in general.  So a couple nights ago our little anarchist in the making had this to say.  I realize she can't talk, but I think we all get her point...

She is saying "Dang the Man, Save the Empire!"

**This quote was edited for content as this is a family friendly page.  We all know the Chief does not approve of cursing even for comedic purposes or movie quoting accuracy.

I will admit Caleb helped her out a little with this one.  But can't you just picture her having just chunked her drumsticks into the crowd yelling "ROCK ON DALLAS, GOODNIGHT!!"

1/3 Leg

I'm alive!  Sorry, I haven't been good about answering my phone or really responding to anything in anyway.  They don't call it labor for nothing, but I would say I'm at about 88% and should be good as new sometime this week.  We are all doing smashingly and Blythe had actually gained weight at her 2 day check up instead of lost it, hooray for us!  Caleb is going to work half days this week, and we are easing back into life.  

 Remember how me and Blythe were having ice wars before she was born because she was killing my rib cage?  It turns out Ms. Blythe actually moved one of my ribs.  You know how when you feel down your rib cage your ribs are all nice and evenly spaced?  Well, on my left side, when you feel down there's a noticeable hole and then the next rib is sticking out about an 1/8 of an inch.  Apparently, it will go back in, but I wasn't kidding about this kid being all up in my business.  Having now met her I can see what the problem was.

  She was 21" long when she was born and I just measured her legs to be 8-1/2" long.  More than a third of her is leg.  You know how most babies sit with their legs bent kind of like frogs... not my baby.  She sits like this...

With her legs stretched as far as she can get them.  God love her, she's too cute to be mad at!  

Even Grandmothers Like Babies

Now Introducing, Blythe Louise Johnson

Born 12:17AM 

12/12/2007
7lbs. & 1/2oz
21 inches long

Courtney starting having consistent contractions about noon on Tuesday. We decided to go to the birthing center about 1:00PM and arriving about 1:30PM.

The contractions were about 3 minutes apart from 1:30PM until 9:30PM. Her water broke about 10:30PM and the active labor lasted just past midnight.

Courtney showed amazing endurance and strength through the entire event. Everyone is at home and resting as of this morning.

Business Caleb

First things first... no baby.  

I don't know how many of you have had the pleasure of meeting business Caleb.  The only person I can think of for sure would be Clay, as Caleb has self-appointed himself Chief Financial Advisor of the Rozell family.  I'm not sure they are aware of that, but he has.

Business Caleb looks just like the Caleb we all know and love, but do not be fooled.  Business Caleb uses a completely different tone of voice and even different hand gestures than normal Caleb.  He's kind of pompous and condescending and rants about interest rates and marketing campaigns.  I just got back from dinner with Business Caleb.  We started discussing college funds for young Blythe, even though she appears to never be coming out of my belly, and all of the sudden I found myself stuck at the table with Business Caleb.  Even his humor takes this sad dive into office humor.  I had to tell him 3 times that he was not funny and to get back to me when my Caleb returned.  The discussion ended in the car on the way home when I threatened to pull out every hair of his beard one by one if he said time value of money to me one more time.  

He is now panting to get on the computer so he can make an excel sheet forecasting how much money we would have at different interest rates in 18 years, so I must wrap this up.  I leave you with this.... if ever you are out with what appears to be normal, humorous, intelligent, kind-hearted Caleb, and he says anything about interest rates or the time value of money RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.  

My First Day

  Today was my first day of being a stay at home mom.  This, of course, is infinitely easier right now as my kid is still packed nicely away in my belly... so I'm basically a stay at home pregnant girl.  

  Mostly today I sat at our desk and worked on getting the new computer set up.  So it was a nice easing into my new job, as that's pretty much what I did at my old job.  Only now instead of talking to Janet, I talk to Sasquatch.  Janet was confined to her desk so couldn't escape me.  Squatch left the room after about 30 minutes.  

  So after a rough weekend of crying if Caleb looked at me sideways, and that's not in anyway an exaggeration... there was at least 3 instances of that being all it took to set me off... I actually cried at Elf, if that is any indication of the hormone levels I got going on right now.   It was a highly successful first day of being home all day long.