Valuable Lessons about Crying

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Everyday I learn new things about newborns, Rachel, and mommy hood. Yesterday it clicked that sometimes she is just going to cry no matter what I do and that is okay. Crying will not scar her for life. She will not require years of expensive counseling because mommy could not soothe her immediately every time she cried. There are times when I have fed her, changed her diaper, rocked her, changed her environment, wrapped her in a blanket, and shushed her until light headed and she continues to alternate between fussing and screaming until she turns a nice shade of reddish purple. I am learning she will continue to cry and scream while I hold and rock her until she finally falls asleep and that is okay. She will still feel loved and taken care of. Being a baby is a tough job.

I'm awake

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Brian Here,

Well, Rachel didn't really want to go back to sleep after feeding this morning at 5:45 am. So I've been up for a while holding her keeping her happy.

Yesterday Rachel was awake for a long time in the morning and I suspect she will be awake a while this morning too. Hopefully she will be nice at quiet during church.

We have the two week appointment coming up on Tuesday afternoon and Rebekah and I are hoping that the doctor tells us that we only have to feed her when she wakes up and is asking for it. Waking her up every 3 hours at night is getting a little old. Of course, last night she woke up her self every 2:45.

Watch "The Good Guys"

Fox does not have the greatest track record when it comes to keeping good shows on the air.  Arrested Development was comic genius and only managed to last 2 and a half seasons in spite of the great reviews critics were giving it.  And then there was Firefly which only lasted one season.  I didn't even hear about the show until after it had already been canceled.  Imagine my disappointment when I reached the end of the DVD series and realized just how good the show was!

So we all need to watch, tape, dvr, or catch on Hulu the show "The Good Guys" which is an action comedy cop show.  It had it's first 6 episodes air this summer and it's back for a full season starting tonight!   I really enjoyed the first 6 episodes and I expect it to stay really good. So everyone, watch this show or at least tell someone about it!

Here is the link http://www.fox.com/goodguys

How to Increase Your Popularity

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Have a baby! Now, this is not a recommendation since babies are a huge life changing commitment. Rather an observation. Strangers in stores and people at church come up to us to ask about her and share stories and advice. Being the proud parents that we are we have no problem talking about Rachel as long as people stay out of her bubble. Yes, it is true babies are little people and have personal bubbles just like big people. Rachel is letting me know it is time to eat again, so that is all for now.

The Arrival of Rachel Bethany Bjork

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Well Rachel could not wait to meet every one so she came a little early. In fact she was so excited she could not wait until my maternity leave started. Here is the story of her arrival:

At 10:00 pm on Tuesday September 7th I went to take a shower and my water broke. A very interesting experience I am thankful happened at home rather than in public. We called Kaiser and let them know we would be coming. However, we could not leave until I emailed work to give instructions for my last two IEPs, report my absence, and pack up stuff for Brian. I had wisely packed my bag that morning feeling like I had better get that done because I was sure little Miss Rachel was coming early.

We arrived at Kaiser at 11 pm and started the labor process. The doctor decided to wait to administering Pitocin to see what my body would do. Well my body must have gotten the message because I enjoyed back labor med free all night. Our nurse was awesome. He talked me through contractions and helped me with positions to make her turn which she must have done at some point.

By morning the pain thing had gotten old and I broke down and was given narcotics and later an epidural. Some time after lunch we started pushing. Her heart rate kept dropping because her cord was wrapped around her neck; however, once she came out she was fine.

Rachel Bethany Bjork was born at 2:25pm Wednesday September 8, 2010. She weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long. Oh, and of course perfect.

The Blog is Live

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Hello everyone out there!  Brian and Rebekah here and this is our first post for our blog.  Now that Rachel has been born there are going to be lots of people who want to see pictures of her.  A blog seems to be a great way to share those pictures!  Woo Hoo!