Radioactive Baby!

Here's Melia under the phototherapy lights to rid her of the jaundice... It worked! She only had to be in the hospital for Christmas day and night.

Melia Jae Rutherford arrives!!!

Melia (Mah-lee-ah, like Maria with an l) was born at 4:22 AM on Saturday, Dec 22nd. She weighed in at an astonishing 7 lbs, 5 oz, considering she was 3 1/7 weeks early, and was 19 in long. We were able to take her home on Christmas Eve, but due to a mild case of Jaundice we are back in the hospital for phototreatment. However, after only 2 hours of treatment her Jaundice has decreased so we expect to be able to take her home on the 26th for good.

Proud, very tired parents!

Practical, environmental, and online!

Casey and I have decided we would like to use cloth diapers.
Apparently there are new fangled types that are almost as convenient and
leak-proof as disposables.
Here are some reasons why we want to do cloth:
-less costly (in the long-run, despite buying fancy pants)
-less non-biodegradable plastic in the landfill
-theoretically less diaper rash

If you want to support us in this endeavor, spread the word that the diapers
we are planning on purchasing/would love to receive as gifts are:
Bum Genius brand 2.0 (the 3.0 style came out Dec. 10th so we'd accept those too,
but 2.0 is on clearance now.).
Here's why we decided on these "fancy pants (as I like to call them).":
-they are a one-size diaper that adjusts to fit until the kid is potty trained,
so theoretically we only have to buy once.
(also, when kid #2 comes around (if the diapers aren't worn out yet)
the "diaper drawer" and diaper bag are simplified)
-they are easy to use
-they are recommended to us by Matt and Kristi who have similar busy lives,
yet aren't usually the "let's get what's cool, trendy, and expensive because of the label"
type people...
-we got to see one of Charlotte's (Matt and Kristi's baby)

Anyway... you can find them online at various stores,
just google "Bum Genius 2.0" and you'll get a bunch of places to shop.
"Cotton Babies" is the first to come up- but I've seen them tons of different places.
They are the one-size bum genius brand diapers and seem to be clearancing for $14.95
or so each. However, with the debut of the 3.0 version, perhaps they'll get cheaper...

Christmas is coming!

Christmas is approaching quickly. It will be slightly strange this year not going to G-rock. Since I'll be about 37 weeks along we figure traveling far from the hospital of our choice where our insurance is accepted may not be the best plan. Plus, I hardly feel like I fit in the car now! Our families will be visiting us, so at least we won't be missing out on that. Here's a pic of our Christmas tree!

Belly Shot!

There have been request(s) for "belly shots" to be included on the blog. There are already different pics on various Rutherford fridgerators, but now there's one on the www. I have had a variety of comments regarding the belly- some saying I'm really small, others that I look like I'm "about to pop." Well, let's hope she waits to come until January...

Halloween!

Baby's first Halloween costume was a picture of a bun pinned to Mommy's belly. There's a bun in the oven...

Changing Seasons

Fall! What a great season! Look at the cool pumpkin wreath that Alyssa made with her mom. Now our house has a cute little decoration out front!

Baby had another photo op

I had another ultrasound the other day so they could measure baby's spine (she wasn't facing the right way before). They were able to get the measurement they needed, and I have more pictures. However, since we are scanner-less the pics may not ever get posted.

Baby moves almost everyday. Sometimes my stomach pokes out when she kicks!

It's a girl!

These are pictures from the ultrasound Alyssa had 20 weeks into the pregnancy. Baby looks and measures healthy! We got to see her in many different ways: 2D, 3D and 4D! The 4D allowed us to see her actual movements!

We love the Newton House

Although we really loved living with 6 other people on the North Side, we thought it might be time to move into our own place. Having physically moved from our community, we don't want to ever abandon the bond we had with our house mates. Hopefully we can continue to "live to be inconvenienced" and love each other deeper than friends. We wish for God's blessing on them in a time of transition and new house mates. We hope for many dinners that begin with the prayer of St. Francis and end in fellowship with our community.

Flinck Family Reunion

The Flinck Family Picnic on the 21st was fun! It was good to see cousins and relatives we don't normally see! Can anyone figure out what's "wrong" with this family picture?
picture taken by David Flinck

New House!

We closed on our new house today! We're excited! We'll move sometime in August before school starts again.