3 Weeks Old!!!

I am three weeks old today

Mom did a photo shoot of me this morning..I wouldn't cooperate very well but she got a few good shots!

When we went to the doctor last week I forgot to mention her stats as of 2 weeks old

Height 21 inches - 74%

Weight 8 lbs 6 1/2 oz - 52%

Head 14 1/2 inches - 69%

We really haven't been up to much this week. We had our first outing to Target this morning and that was an adventure but we did just fine. I am trying to start getting her on some what of a schedule and try getting her to sleep in her bassinet, but it is not working out very well. Once she wakes up and realizes that she is flat on her back she wakes up in an all our screaming war...I give it time to try and let her learn to soothe herself somewhat but there is only so long I can let her lay there in a sheer panic....I think every day she has waited a few minutes longer each time before freaking out so hopefully she is getting a little better everyday. I told Jason that she will only fit in her bouncy seat for so long and then we are going to have to do something different..ha!

I figured out when I have to go back to work this week also and it will be April 7..not very thrilled about the thought of it but I know I still have about 7 weeks home with my little girl so I am going to eat up every minute of it. Plus when I go back in April there will only be 8 weeks of school left before I am out for the summer and get to spend another three months with my girl...makes me ease into it a little better.

I feel like my milk has increased this week and she is doing a lot better nursing throughout the day...we do still give her one pumped bottle at night because it seems to help her sleep a little longer and give me a straight 4-5 hours of sleep :)

Here is our little diva thinking this coat is WAY to much mom..but I wanted to get a picture of her in it before it was 90 degrees which doesn't take long in Houston!

What we have been up to.....

One of her newborn pictures!!!

It has been kind of CRAZY around here the past week or so being the reason we are so behind on posts!! Lyla decided she wanted to start sleeping 5 hours at night...which was music to her momma's ears...but along with that sleeping came the afternoons of my hands being filled with a baby from around 5p.m. to 10 p.m. for the past few nights. We have no idea what is going on all I know is that she would only be happy if she was nursing those few hours and it was wearing me out..especially when Jason was working and even when he was here it didn't help much except to go and get me something because she only wanted me. I am praying that I came up with a solution today though. Every time I pump a 3oz bottle she was so content and she would sleep for hours..the reason she was sleeping at night for so long. Well I am thinking that she is just using me as a pacifier for those few hours and not getting her belly completely full. So this week I have decided to only pump bottles, and hoping to get my milk supply

up, and see if she will go back to my happy little Diva she was the first week. So far it is working because Jason fed her a bottle at 12:30 today and it is 4:00 and she is still sound asleep. I am getting to blog, I got a pedicure, got my homework done and it has been a quiet afternoon...I really don't know what to do with myself..ha! Now let's just see if that works for our 5-10 time frame that has been CRAZINESS the past few days.

What Lyla has been doing the past few days....besides being a nursing queen and loving her some momma she has started staying awake for a few hours during the day and afternoon. She is very alert and loves for you to just sit and talk with her. She will just grin and laugh..these are the moments I love. She grins the biggest when she is deep asleep..I just want to hold her and stare at those sweet faces but I know this may be part of our problem of her not wanting to be put down now..ooops! She hates having her diaper changed, unless she has a full belly, and she is not a fan of getting her clothes changed either...She likes to be a warm clothed baby! She still has not slept in her bassinet or pack-n-play all night...her bouncy seat is permanently situated in the middle of our bed..I really need to work on that this week as well. We took our

first outing to the grocery store yesterday and once again after she had her 3oz bottle she just laid in her car seat watching her little duck until she finally dozed off to sleep and stayed that a way for a few hours. Even after we got home I took her out and put her in her swing and she slept like a baby...hence the reason I think the whole pumped bottle thing is going to start getting me more afternoons like this. While we were out she discovered her thumb..it was so cute watching her start sucking on it now she does it a few times a day. We are still waiting for her umbilical cord to fall off so we can have a good bath but she loves to get her hair washed and her sponge baths!! I love to lotion her up after her bath and just snuggle up with a good rock to sleep! Other than that she is the apple of our eye and we love her to the moon and back!! I think daddy is really enjoying the bottle feedings also..he feels like he is helping out and he has no idea how much he really is!!

Today is Valentine's Day so we wish you a Happy Valentine's with much love from our little Diva!!!

Week 1 is here and gone

On our way home for the first night!

Here is our first day at home..we had to make sure we got our sweet little onesie Miss January in before it was too late. She almost didn't make it in time to wear it so we made sure to wear it all day :) Day one went by pretty quickly and sleep came at a mini

mum. We survived each other though and here came day two.

We ordered the stickers from pickysticky.com for our monthly onesie pictures. She is 0 months old today and we made sure to put her colorful bow in her hair :) Day two was a little better. We still didn't get much sleep but we are still getting used to one another.

Day three - We had to put on an outfit for daddy so what better than to rock this razorback outfit. She looked so cute in all her pink :)

Tuesday we went to our first doctor's appointment..it was super chilly outside and I was worried about getting her out but she did wonderful. The doctor said her jaundice was gone so we didn't have to draw any blood, thank goodness! her color is perfectly pink, she has two birth marks one stork bite on the back of her neck and her other one is in the exact same spot and looks identical to mine on her lower back :) No murmur's and she sounds perfect! We are so blessed that our little girl is healthy and growing well. She was down to 8 lbs but they said that is still a perfect weight and from now on she should start gaining. Which I am pretty sure she will because this girl likes to eat!

Photo shoot day!! I wanted to make sure and capture her sweet little newborn days so we loaded up Wednesday morning to get our newborn pictures made. She usually sleeps around 2:30 but today not so much. We had to switch between her paci and taking it out to get some "non screaming I just want to take a nap pictures"...but they turned out WONDERFUL and I am very pleased with them. This is one of my favorites! I can't wait to see how much she changes over the next few weeks!

Daddy decided he wanted to do a photo shoot in her crib yesterday...she is has been staying awake a lot more during the day and being so alter and looking around to see what the heck she has gotten herself in to. The dogs are still curious and trying to figure her out but I think that once they realize she is here to stay we will be one happy family..I pray that is the way it will turn out :) I have been sleeping on the couch with her the past few nights just because it is easier for me to get up and not disturb everyone else every few hours when she wakes to eat. I am hoping to start getting her in the routine of sleeping in her bassinet in the next few days because she is getting spoiled to sleeping in her bouncy seat..but she is just not a big fan of laying down flat or being still for that matter so the vibrations keep her sound asleep :)

We love you to the moon and back and we are so happy that you are finally here for us to love and kiss on you all of the time!!!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

~The story~

Well the wait is finally over...Last Tuesday at my weekly appointment I just knew I was going to be dilated but again NOTHING. She decided to strip my membranes and see if that would speed the process up any. I was feeling terrible by the time I left there and was barely able to drive myself home I called my mom and told her I really thought she should come on because Jason was working that night and I was scared to be alone. So she headed on and got to our house around 9:30. Jason was working swing and would be home around 2:30. Around midnight I started having the worst cramps but thought if I just laid down then they would go away. WELL when everyone said you would know you are having contractions they did not lie. I started counting them and they were 5 minutes apart and I knew it was time to go. Jason got home and I got mom up and we headed out the door and got to the hospital around 3:30a.m.

When we got to the hospital they still were not sure if they were going to admit me but I was thinking yes you are and give me some drugs..ha! Finally around 6 they decided to admit me and the process began.

It started with just getting my IV and everything in and trying to get me as comfortable as possible. They gave me some pain meds to help me sleep for a bit and I woke up in some serious pain. I didn't want to get an epidural until the doctor came in to give me an update. Well she came in around 1:00 and broke my water..worst fear of my life was when she said there was meconium when she broke my water. I almost started crying right then and there thinking I told you she had been in there too long but she acted like it was no big deal and made sure to go ahead and give the NICU team a call to make sure they were on hand when she was born. From then she said to get my epidural and whoa baby was I a happy camper when I did..I was super afraid to get that needle in my back but my pain was increasing and I had the BEST nurses ever so they made it all better. It actually didn't hurt at all or I could have just been singing Amazing Grace so loud to myself in my head and still in shock from how cold the stuff was pre stick that I couldn't even concentrate :)

Now it was just time to sit an wait...they came in later to check me and I was still nothing so they cranked up the pitocin and this is when things started getting tough. It did the job though because I was still at a 2 around 4:00 and by 10:00 I was already 9 1/2. I found the button for more meds to be pumped into me also but by this point it was not relieving any pressure. We started pushing around 10:30 and they were telling me I was doing so good but all I could think of was how hungry I was. By 11:30 there were probably 15 nurses in there and they were all cheering me on with my mom and Jason by my side.

Our little girl decided she did barely want to have a birthday of 1-26-11 with entering this world at 11:54 a.m. she was 8 lbs 8 oz and was 20.5 inches long...I didn't shed one tear until I heard that sweet little cry for the first time and the team working on her said she was perfect!!! From there it was kind of a whirlwind of craziness and recovery.

We finally got situated and they put me in my recovery room where we would stay until Friday night when we got released to go home. Jason went out and got me some yummy whataburger and I was good to go..ha! It was an experience to say the least and for the almost 24 hours of labor it was worth every second!!!

I will talk about our first week of being home in my next post.

Beyond Blessed....with just a little stress!!!

It is amazing to me how much I have changed in just a few years. I went from telling my granny I was never going to get married to getting married two years later...I went from that saying now I am just not sure if we want to have children to sitting here at 40 weeks pregnant waiting for our little girl to arrive.

I laid in bed this morning reflecting on what has happened in just the last few years, and what God has completely blessed me with beyond my imagination. You go into it 40 weeks ago thinking what if I can't get pregnant, to that joyous day you see the two pink lines...from then you begin to think of all the joys a little one can bring you but what if something is just not right and what will you do if this time was just not it. You continue along with your pregnancy rejoicing every time you go to that doctors appointment and hear that sweet little heart beat to finding out what you are having; then the decorating and name suggestions start flowing. You then blink and you are looking at your due date on the calendar, as I am TODAY!

I know with all of my heart that God has had this little girl planned in our lives for a very long time and it will be in his perfect timing that she arrives into this world to bless our little family. Although it is hard to sit here and think that daily while waiting with little patience I know that I have to keep these positive thoughts and know that regardless of what day it is or how I am feeling she is safe and secure and very happy in her little home as of right now and she will be here before we know it and then again I will blink and she will be 18 driving off to college to start her own beginning.

Lyla I know that we will look back and I will tell you that I thought you were just being stubborn "like your daddy" but I know that all of this will be well worth it when you enter this world and I hold you for the first time. You are already the apple of our eyes and we will love you to the moon and back. Now we just need you to get here :)

How far along

40 Weeks you have arrived and I am so thankful that God has made this pregnancy so easy and enjoyable with no complications :) I know and pray it will continue this a way until you arrive.

Size of baby

19-22 inches and probably still 7 1/2 to 8 lbs

Gender

Sweet baby girl...Lyla Faith

Movement

Yes when we went to the hospital to get checked out she was making all kinds of noises on the heart monitor machine because she would not be still.

Sleep

It has been on and off this week but the past two nights I have slept pretty good.

Symptoms

Well we had two false alarms this week. The first one being Sunday when I thought my water may have broke. We went to the hospital (which was a very dramatic experience) and everything posted negative so we got sent back home. Then for my weekly check up on Tuesday my blood pressure was back up so they sent me for observation for a few hours and it went back down so they sent me home yet again to just wait it out.

What I look forward to

The nurse calling me today to let me know our next plan of action with inducing or her just deciding that it is time and coming on her own :)

Another Week goes by...

Well another week goes by....7 to go until I am full term!

How far along

39 weeks...I know that she is so ready to be here, well obviously not, maybe that is me that is going crazy :)

Size of baby

The longer she stays the more she grows...still 19 to 22 inches and I am guessing around 7 1/2 lbs so far.

Gender

Sweet baby girl...Lyla Faith

Movement

She is moving or I guess I should say rolling all over the place because she has obviously ran out of room in there....I just know at any minute she is going to say enough is enough in here I want to get out :)

Sleep

Friday was my last day of work and ever since that day I have slept almost 9 hours each night..I mean I do have to get up and go to the restroom but I go right back to sleep when I lay down. I am thinking this is because I have no worries now. Just getting rest and waiting for this baby to get here. So maybe quitting early was the best thing for us.

Symptoms

I have been having contractions since last Sunday night but they are not steady and they had not done anything as of Tuesday so I guess they are just warming me up for the real thing. I guess I will just wait and see what they say next Tuesday if she hasn't made her entrance yet. I had a pretty rough emotional day on Tuesday I guess with the no progress and just getting used to sitting at home and resting but I have felt pretty good since then..Guess I just needed a good cry :)

What I look forward to

Her GETTING here...I am starting to get very uncomfortable, anxious, and hurting pretty much with every step I take, so getting her here and making sure she is healthy and hearing that first cry is going to be the happiest day of my life (besides marrying my husband of course). So we will continue to count down the days and see what God has in store for us.

A picture of my two dog children who have been very clingy this week since I have been home...they know their lives are about to change also!!!

2 Weeks....14 Days!!!

Whoa baby :)

How far along

38 Weeks..So can't believe I only have 2 weeks left (hopefully sooner though)

Size of baby

19 to 22 inches long and doctor guesses around 7lbs when we went on Tuesday....I have a feeling she is much bigger than that...yikes!

Gender

Sweet baby girl...Lyla Faith

Movement

All the time, I know she is tired of being cramped up in there with these monster blows she is giving to my insides...I keep telling her it is okay to go ahead and join us at any moment :)

Sleep

NO!!! I have reached that stage where no position is comfortable so I toss and turn and just ache...Thank goodness only two more days of work because I am exhausted!!

Symptoms

Still having really bad cramps, my back has started to hurt really bad and my feet are back to swelling up pretty big.

What I look forward to

The day she finally arrives. I am getting so anxious but at the same time very nervous. I hope and pray that everything will turn out fine and I just pray each day that God will watch over us in these next few weeks.

Hopefully this will be my last weekly update of myself and we can start doing them on Lyla..I have a feeling it may be another week or two though :)

My wonderful husband and mom got me a new fancy camera for Christmas so I have been practicing with my dog-children..ha!

Mason trying to sneak snacks out of the treat bag..ha!

Zeus saying...get that camera out of my face!!!