Bristol's First Polar Vortex ;)

My biggest prayer throughout the pregnancy was that the L&D would go smoothly, that Ryan would be home when I needed to go to the hospital, and that the roads would be clear. I did NOT want to be driving to the hospital in a snowstorm. God is so good. All of these prayers were answered favorably.

It started snowing the day she was born, but it was pretty and didn't stop anyone from coming to visit. The next morning on our way home, the roads were cleared and it was a smooth ride. Once we got home, it was a different story. Snow storms, ice storms, more snow, more ice, -50 degree wind chills. WOWZA! This polar vortex was no joke.  I actually didn't mind a bit. It gave us a reason to stay inside and be cozy. We still had homeschool to do, which was nice because it gives the day some structure. We still had visitors. But naps and slow afternoons were enjoyable. I wasn't sure how I would like having a winter baby, but I loved it. 

Bristol has been doing great. She actually slept 6-7 hours a few nights. I knew I should probably wake her up after 3 hours, but she was just so hard to wake up, and I was tired, so I didn't. She was back to her birth weight a few days after her 2 week birthday. She was going to be a slow gainer just like her sister. I just had to keep reminding myself that Adley was slow out of the gate, too, but she is a tall, slender, healthy 5 year old now!

I'm usually not a huge fan of the newborn phase. I like snuggles but the exhaustion and the constant nursing - which starts out rather painful and stressful - are hard. Bristol has been excellent at nursing from the start, which is HUGE! If nursing is going well, then everything else is going well. And I only had a few days where I felt super tired. Of course, having Ryan home for 3.5 weeks is a major plus! He is so great with babies. And he's a great cook and barista ;) We got into a pretty good rhythm in the mornings of me feeding Bristol, then he would take care of her until the next feeding so I could do school with Parker and Adley.