A week in pictures

We have been out of the house one time this week so nothing too exciting to blog about! But it is in the 60s today so I plan on trying out the stroller this afternoon. I hate this crazy weather- the high tomorrow is 67 then snow and ice Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I like Spring and Winter but not a combination!



She was actually talking to me in the last picture but it kind of looks like she is crying! I know most of the pictures have the polka dot background but her changing table is the place she will lay still and be happy the longest! I could put different blankets under her to change it up- shows how creative I am!

We plan to spend tomorrow afternoon in Branson- I'm just ready to get out of the house!

Happy Friday!

One month!

So I meant to post this yesterday but ran out of time! We've had a busy weekend- we went to mom and dad's yesterday, I sewed my first dress for Halsey, and we ate lunch and dinner with the whole family! I can't believe we have a one month old baby...CRAZY!!

Halsey you are one month (and one day) old!

- You still are wearing newborn clothing and a few 0-3 month outfits. You're so tiny!

- You weigh 9 pounds and 2 ounces and we call you our chunky monkey

- You take after your momma and are a GOOD eater. You nurse every 2-3 hours during the day

- You sleep 6-7 hours at night and have been since you were 3 weeks old. I pray this doesn't change!

- You really are a happy baby. You only fuss when you're hungry or tired but who doesn't?

- You take 2-3 naps throughout the day

- You have to be swaddled or you will wake yourself up within minutes! Your hands get you in trouble alot!

- You don't like your swing. You will sit there for about 5 minutes before you start screaming

- You don't like noisy places. If it's too loud around you, you start to cry and as soon as we turn everything down you're just fine. A little high-maintenance :-)

- You don't like sleeping flat on your back. We have to put a pillow under you to incline your head

- You like taking a bath and have ever since we brought you home. You just lay there and stare at me

- You will take your pacifier about half of the time

- You're starting to smile when we talk to you and it just melts our hearts

- You know mine and your daddy's voice and look for us when you hear us talking. I think it's sweet

- You like to lay on your changing table in your room. You can be fussing alot but as soon as I lay you down there you immediately turn it off and look around at your room

- You have just started making little noises and I love hearing your little voice

- You like riding in your car seat if your belly is full. If you even think you are hungry then forget it- it's a long trip to town!

- You are a noisy sleeper- that you get from your daddy!

You have brought so much joy into our lives the past month and I cannot wait to see what else is in store. I love spending the day with you and I thank God that you are my daughter. I don't think you will ever know how much your daddy and I love you. We absolutely adore you baby girl! Happy one month!

Halsey's Birth Story- the longest post ever!

This is one of the longest post I'll ever make but I want to remember every single detail!

It all started on Monday, December 20th. I went in for my 40 week OB appointment and she asked me if I would want to induce or give it another week. Tyler and I talked it over and decided to go ahead and induce seeing Christmas was that weekend and knowing my luck I would go in labor Christmas Eve. We ran a few errands, ate at Olive Garden,called everyone, then came back and headed up to labor and delivery. It was CRAZY! So many women had came in during the 2 hours we were gone, but they still kept me. Mom got there later that evening with snacks for her and Tyler, but I was limited to ice chips and popsicles. Talk about a bummer! We settled in, watched t.v. and started the Cytotec around 10:30 that night. That was the LONGEST night of my life. I couldn't lay completely flat on my back, not on my stomach, and not all the way on my side because the monitors would lose her heartbeat, go off, the nurse would come in, and we would have to readjust everything. After 3 doses of Cytotec, we started the Pitocin around 11:30 the next morning.

Let me just say that I never felt a single contraction as crazy as that sounds. I was having contractions during the Cytotec and Pitocin but I just couldn't feel them- and I was okay with that! I started to progress and Dr. Markell came to break my water around 12:30. I was still just as comfortable as could be, but the nurse came in and said the anesthesiologist was going home around 3 and if I wanted an epidural, I needed to start getting ready. I got my epidural around 2:30 and then took a nap. The rest of the afternoon and evening I made very little progress and was pretty much stuck at a 4. The nurse came in around 10 that night, checked me, and said that she was almost positive the doctor would want to do a c-section but she would let us know. That was when I started to get nervous! Dr. Smith came in around 11, talked with us, and then it was go time!

The nurse came in, got me prepped, mom and Tyler packed up our room, called the in-laws to tell them to head back to the hospital and then they took me back. I'll never forget laying on that table thinking these were the last minutes Halsey would be in my stomach. I was terrified! Tyler was still outside the room, they would let him in once they had me cut open. The anesthesiologist started giving me the medicine through my epidural and we waited. It wasn't working (which was my biggest fear) on my stomach- I couldn't feel my legs but I could feel them pricking my stomach and I freaked. I quickly told him I could feel it and his response, "Well then you're going all the way out!" Great! I won't have any memory of my daughter actually being born. The last thing I remember was telling the nurses to make sure Tyler took pictures :-)

After I was out, Tyler was able to come in and sit up by my head. He was told if he stook up he could see her and at 12:47 a.m. on December 22nd, Halsey Jayde came into the world. He took three beautiful pictures and I'm so thankful to have those. The doctor also said that I would've ended up with a c-section no matter what, her head was stuck behind my pubic bone. From there things went downhill. Apparently the general anesthesia they gave me, also went to Halsey and she would not breathe on her own. They worked on her for a little while in the room before saying, "We have to get this baby out of here" (Tyler told me all of this by the way) and rushing her into the nursery. No explanation of what was wrong, nothing. She was just gone. And that's when I'm thankful I was out of it. I woke up to Tyler and my mom standing by the bed, I asked if she had hair and how much she weighed. Tyler reassured me she had hair and they hadn't heard her weight yet. I was still oblivious to the fact that something was wrong!



They took me to our room, brought Halsey in to nurse around 3 a.m. and she was hooked up to monitors. The nurse then explained what had happened and that she was intubated for about 10 minutes. They wanted to monitor her in the nursery, so they would bring her to nurse, sit there with us, then take her back. We all got some sleep and waited to see her throughout the day. She finally could stay with us that evening and most of all, she was healthy.

We came home Christmas Eve and have been in love ever since. Halsey- you are the light of our lives and we love you so much!

Happy Friday!



Tuesday Ramblings

We had another low-key weekend- surprise surprise! Oh well, I would rather stay home and have a healthy baby girl than to get out with all those nasty germs! We went to mom and dad's house friday and had a yummy supper. We have laid around the house just lounging and watching t.v. mainly. And kissing these sweet chubby cheeks!

Mom came out Sunday and has stayed the past 2 nights since she was off from work but is going back home...BOO!!! We went and ate lunch with Papa, Poppa, and cousin Ashley today, got a haircut, and went to happy hour at Sonic- the highlight of my week! We're expecting more snow towards the end of the week so another looks like we'll be lazy all week!

Snowy Days

The past couple of days we have had some snow on the ground and it is FREEZING outside so we have been staying cozy in our pajamas all day! This is technically Halsey's first snow but it was pretty pathetic so I'm not going to count it- I didn't even take a picture of it. I'm holding out for the big stuff!

This is basically what I look at most of the day but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Last night she slept from 11:30 until 5 this morning- probably the highlight of my week!

She has been the best baby: sleeping 3-4 hours at a time, not fussy and just overall happy...until Sunday. Sunday evening it just hit her all of a sudden and she would just cry and fight sleep horrible! I figured she would sleep Monday but not a wink. Monday night we were up until about 5 and I could just tell that something was hurting her so first thing Tuesday I called the pediatrician and we went in- can't you tell she was thrilled?  I hated to get her out in the cold but I didn't want another sleepless night! He gave us Zantac for her reflux and so far it has helped. Hope this doesn't jinx it!

Thursday is a good day in tv land. Why? Because of these two shows! It's lame I know but they're so entertaining and addicting!

Happy Thursday!



14 Days

Guess who is 14 days old today...

This sweet girl! I can hardly believe it- time needs to SLOW down. We have been settling in at home and snuggling lots lately :) We went to the pediatrician for our 2 week check-up yesterday and our little monkey weighs 7 lbs and 6 oz! She sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time and is just the happiest baby- we are still so in love with our little snuggle bug!

On a completely different note, last night the Hogs played and didn't do so hot! Me and Halsey went to bed at the end of the 3rd quarter and from what I could hear from the bedroom I'm glad we did. To say the least Tyler didn't come to bed happy and I told him he needed anger management therapy before Halsey gets bigger ;-)

Goodbye 2010!

Ok, so I know this post is a little late but I've been busy with a little something else lately ;-) We spent the weekend bringing in the new year snuggled up with our little lovebug and surrounded by family! Honestly- I wouldn't want it any other way. I wanted to do a post that recapped 2010 a little bit and kind of hit the key parts- and most of it is baby related!

On April 9th I took my first pregnancy test and it was positive. Tyler knew I was going to take them that morning and we were both shocked and completely ecstatic whenever the words "Pregnant" popped up. Waiting for that answer was the longest 3 minutes of my life but from that day forward I thought about our sweet baby every single day!

In May we celebrated our 2 year anniversary! I can't believe that we have been married that long- it has FLOWN by! We spent a weekend in Branson and had an absolute blast!

Also in May our family took a vacation to Jacksonville Beach. This was my first vacation with the in-laws and it was good to get to spend a week together. I was around 12 weeks pregnant and felt exhausted every day but it was a nice beach break!

On August 8th we heard the words, "It looks like a little girl!" I know this picture isn't from that particular ultrasound but I don't have those scanned so this sweet profile picture will have to do! I had felt all along it was a girl and everyone kept telling me a boy so once we heard this I went crazy obsessing over cute, girly things and we started wondering what our daughter would be like. We never expected her to be so perfect and change our lives instantly!

In October and November we had 3d ultrasounds done and we got a sneak peek at baby Halsey! The first time she didn't cooperate so when we went back we got a good look at those chubby little cheeks and precious face. I took one good look at the screen and turned to Tyler to tell him that she looked like him and would probably be a daddy's girl.

On November 20th I lost one of the most amazing women I ever have had the privilege to meet- my grandmother. It was so unexpected and sudden and I experienced one of the hardest weeks of my life. I admire her so much and hope to be half of the woman that she was. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and although I don't understand now and may not for a while, I trust that this was God's timing no matter how difficult it may seem for me. I struggle with the fact that she will never get to see her granddaughter but I know that we will see her again and that she is smiling down on us so for now I will pass on stories and memories to Halsey so she will know how amazing of a woman her Great-Grandmother was.

On December 22nd this little bundle of joy that we have been anxiously awaiting arrived! She has already brought so much joy to our lives and we are CRAZY about her! I'm soaking up every second because I know it will go by so fast but Tyler and I are looking forward to watching her grow up!

I think I can honestly say that 2010 has been one of the best and worst years of my life. I'm so grateful for all of our blessings and I realize that God gives and takes away but he is still in control. We are looking forward to 2011 whatever it may bring and I am SO looking forward to spending my days with this sweet little girl.