Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Almost 3 Weeks Old!!!

My head is spinning as I have a brief moment to sit down and write this blog. Our baby girl will be three weeks old tomorrow. Seems crazy. She is definitely a newborn. I'm not sure what I expected, but it's really a lot harder than I could ever have imagined. My brain is really wired for routine and structure so this baby has really thrown me for a loop. I'm trying to get her on a schedule, but right now it's whatever works in the moment. She's a pretty good baby overall. Eats really well and sleeps in good 2-4 hours spurts. Wish it was more, but I take what I can get. She is really smart and strong. The girl has one strong hand grip. Brandon and I are adjusting to this new life, but at times I do miss our simple quiet life. I know it will get better and I have to remind myself that she is still so little and adjusting to this big world too. I will try to keep up this blog as much as possible, but it's hard to find the time. Here are some new pictures of our baby girl :) These are from our little photo shoot last Saturday. I used these to create her birth announcement that will be going out soon. Enjoy!

Monday, April 4, 2011

1 Week and 5 Days Old

Well little miss has been in the world for almost 2 weeks now. It's so hard to believe. Things are starting to calm down a little. I'm recovering well and feeling better and stronger everyday. My brother and sister-in-law came in from Dallas this weekend to hang out with Hannah and that was so much fun. I think they kinda like her.

We went to the pediatrician this morning and she has passed her birth weight which was 7 lbs 9 oz and now weighs 7 lbs 12 oz. This is really great because a week ago at her weight check she had loss quite a bit of weight and was weighing 6 lbs 11 oz. My little girl can eat though. She has taken to breastfeeding like a champ and takes a few oz of formula as needed. She also grew from 18 1/2" long and now measures at 20". We did learn today that she has a little heart murmur. The doctor says it's fairly common in newborns, but since Hannah developed this after leaving the hospital we should have it checked out. We are scheduled to see a pediatric cardiologist on Wednesday for further evaluation. This is not something I was expecting to hear this morning so we would appreciate your prayers.

Now on to pictures. Here are a few since we've been home as well as the professional ones we had taken on Friday. Enjoy!!!










Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hannah Kate Is Here!!!

Well I have neglected my blog. I think I have a good excuse though. Hannah Kate arrived a week ago on 3.23.11. After my doctor's appointment that Monday (our anniversary) I had progressed enough for us to go ahead and induce on Wednesday. Hannah came into this world not like any of us had planned and someday I will document her birth story. It was very traumatic for everyone involved and I'm still emotionally and physically healing from all of it. However, tonight I'm staring into my precious baby girl's eyes thanking the Lord for her sweet and precious life and all He has done for us. Here are some pics of the last week. Enjoy!!

39 Week Bump Photo (before we left for the hospital)




Daddy and Baby, Love at 1st sight





Well I have to go feed my baby. More photos to come soon :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

39 Weeks Tomorrow!!! 38 Weeks Update

Well I'm 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant today. It's getting closer and closer. We thought we were having a baby on Sunday. I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible cough and stuffy nose. By Sunday morning I felt pretty sick and had a horrible headache. Then at breakfast I threw up. Something wasn't right. So I texted my doctor and she thought maybe we should go up to the hospital to get checked out just in case I wasn't getting the flu.

So we went up to labor and delivery. It was really surreal walking in thinking this is where I will be soon to have my baby. Well they got me in a room, put me in a gown, made me pee in a cup and hooked me up to the heartbeat and contractions monitors. They then made us fill out some paperwork and took my vitals. For the next 4 hours I had every test done on me and all they could determine was I probably was having some sinus congestion and to take Benadryl. They probably would have released me sooner, but they thought maybe I was in labor because I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes. They didn't hurt. In fact, I didn't even know I was having contractions most of the time. At about the 3.5 hour mark they checked me and I was still only at a 1cm. It kinda floored all the nurses and the doctors. The doctor came in and said that I was contracting better than all the women who were there in "active" labor, but because I wasn't dilating he would just send me home. He thought I might be back sooner than later though. WRONG!!!

We did everything to get me to go into labor and nothing worked. I just was worn out and frustrated by Monday and so confused on what my body was trying to tell me. I came to the conclusion though Monday night that she's just not ready yet and she'll come eventually. I mean she can't stay in there forever :)

I'm feeling better and trying to stay positive. We are ready for whenever she's ready and I know it will be soon. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and we'll see what she says.

Today is my dad's 60th birthday and I think we are going to go out to dinner with him. Should be fun.

Here is my 38 weeks bump photo.
I think I look so huge in this photo

Thursday, March 10, 2011

38 Weeks Today!!! 37 Weeks Update

Wow! I'm 38 weeks today. I know this is a little late, but no baby yet. I'm still very very pregnant. Only 2 weeks til baby's due date. I'm praying she comes next week though. I'm so tired. In a word, the 9th month of pregnancy SUCKS! I have loss my ability to stand, sit, eat, sleep, walk, or breathe comfortably. There is no comfortable position I can get into anymore. This baby has taken over my entire body. My belly is so tight I feel like I'm going to explode.

However, as tired and uncomfortable as I am I know it could be always worse. There was another pregnant girl in the doctor's office on Monday that was about 5 times as large as I am and due 4 days after me. She was crying in the waiting room and was so miserable. I'm not at that point yet, but I might be next week.

On another note, we are going to visit an at home day care place today. If you remember a while back we had a plan for where Hannah would be going to day care once I go back to work. She would be going to the day care Brandon's mom ran and we were excited about it. I think we paid the deposit back in October/November and we were all set. Well a few weeks ago I was talking to a friend of mine who was telling me that she had pulled her daughter out of that day care because she had witnessed the workers verbally abusing her child. We have since learned that this particular day care has had several violations with the state and is really not a safe place for our baby.

We were crushed and confused, but after a lot of prayer we will not be sending her to that day care. But now, it's 2 weeks before she will be born and we still don't have a clear answer on where she will go. I will be off 8 weeks and then Brandon plans on taking off the week before Memorial Day so we will probably need to start child care the week of June 1st. It's a huge decision and one I wished I had a clear vision on. We visited this really nice, brand new, learning center last week and loved it, but it's really expensive. We could afford it, but it will mean cutting back in other areas. We don't mind doing that for our baby, but it's still a big decision. Hopefully after today God will speak to us and let us know what we need to do. All prayer in this are would be greatly appreciated.

Here's my 37 Weeks Bump Photo
We took this the other morning so the lighting is a little weird

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

36 Weeks Update

Well I'm 36 weeks and 6 days today. Only 22 days til due date. I feel like I've been waiting for March to get here for such a long time. So glad we made it! I'm officially considered full term tomorrow. So if I do go into labor they won't try to stop it.

I'm feeling a flood of mixed emotions right now. On the one hand I'm uncomfortable, can't sleep, can't eat much, feeling happy one minute sad the next. These emotions make me want her to be here now. But on the other hand, I'm feeling anxious about how our lives are about to change forever. I can't wait to see who she looks like. Will she have dark hair or light or no hair. Will she look like Brandon or more like me. I really have no idea. Lately I've been kinda worried about delivery so please be in prayer that everything will go as smooth as possible and that she will arrive safely in God's perfect timing.

In other news, we had our big Laugh for the Cure event on Thursday. It went amazing and we raised a lot money for Komen and breast cancer research. It was great to be a part of such a fun event.


I went to the doctor on Monday and not too much has changed in a week. I'm still a good 1cm dilated, but now about 50% effaced. Baby is still in a head down position and everything looks good. My blood pressure is excellent, I have no swelling, baby's heartbeat is great, and I'm measuring right on track. She thinks that Hannah won't be a too large or too small baby, but somewhere right in the middle which is exactly what you want to hear. We shall see. I'm planning on working until March 18th unless she comes earlier. I just want to have as much time as possible with her once she is born.

Here is my 36 weeks photo.
If I look tired in this picture it's because I am. Hopefully I can have a better photo made next week :)

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

35 Weeks Update

Wow a post 2 days in a row. I'm on a roll.

Well today I'm 35 weeks and 6 days! Tomorrow I will officially be in my 9th month of pregnancy. It's hard to believe, but I feel like I've been pregnant forever so I guess I do believe it.

Monday I had my doctor's appointment. Everything went wonderful. I got to see my doctor again and we were both excited to see each other. She's amazing!!! I told her I was having a lot of pain and pressure on and off for the past few weeks and she decided to check me. To my surprise (and this might be a little TMI for some readers) I had progressed already. I'm currently sitting at a 1cm dilated, 30% effaced, and the baby's head is down in the pelvis at -2 station. She said that was a good sign that my body knows what to do and is ready for labor. This doesn't mean I'm going into labor tomorrow, but my body is gearing up for it. I don't think I'll make it to my due date, but we'll see. I'm on weekly appointment visits now so I go back on Monday.

In other news, my office through me a baby shower on Friday. It was so nice. We ate a really great stew prepared by my co-worker and feasted on other delicious goodies. I was stuffed. I really didn't have room for all that food so I was pretty miserable afterward. But it was so good. We received some really nice gifts including a baby play mat gym and the Frog Pod for bath time. Here are some photos.







Well that's it for now. Tomorrow is our Laugh for the Cure event and I'm really excited to see how it all comes together. It's such an awesome cause and I was glad to serve on the committee again this year. Even if I feel like I didn't do much do to pregnancy.

Here's my 35 weeks bump photo