Christmas Break!

Hope every one has a wonderful holiday. We are heading to Virginia to see both D and my families and pick up the new addition! I don't know how much posting will be done between now and the New Year, just a warning! Be back in 2011...let's hope it is just as exciting as this year was (orrr maybe not so exciting)!



xo,
H

Ladies Night...

was EVERY night this past week!

D was out of town so Grace, Molly, and I were left to fend for ourselves all week long. Things went really well baby-wise, but I will say that I have a new appreciation for single moms...you are just constantly going 24/7 without a break. I probably averaged 5 or 6 hours of interrupted sleep a night, and not because G didn't sleep well, but because I needed a couple hours after she went down and before she woke up to prep for the following day and have a little "me" time. Me time includes getting bottles ready for daycare, chugging coffee, pumping, getting my work gear ready, packing gym clothes, and making sure the dog was fed and went out once or twice, and trying to remember to brush my teeth.

All in all, the week was a super success. I have had time with just me and the girls while D has been gone in the past, but this was the first time I felt like I rocked it. I turned into that mom. I was able to work full-time, spend mornings and evenings and all day long over the weekend lovin' on my baby. I turned up the domestic goddess heat by trying 2 new recipes, made it to the gym 5 out of 7 days, I baked holiday cookies for the staff at Grace's daycare, and put together little gift bags for her two "teachers". I'm bragging right now and guess what? I don't care. This is my blog where I can brag if I wanna brag! ;) This past week was exactly what I needed in the "new mom confidence" department. Being a mother, wife, and woman with a career is tough, but this week was a nice little reminder that I CAN do it all, even if it takes awhile to get it down. Don't get me wrong- I'm anxiously awaiting my hubby's return right now, vegging on the couch with an excessively large glass of wine, I'm just sayin' it was nice to find out it can be done solo. One day D will probably have to deploy and we will have a lot longer to fend for ourselves, but for now we'll consider this a small victory.

We had several photo shoots this week...ha! Here are some of the bests:

I'm raising my glass of wine to mommies everywhere tonight!

xo,

H

Family News

Let me start by stating what I thought would be obvious:

No. I am not pregnant. And frankly, I'm offended so many people asked!

Now that we have that cleared up, onto the real news. We are expanding our family...just with another furry member. Are we crazy? Maybe. But I couldn't say no to my poor husband who is dying for some more testostorone in this house and like a 3rd grader, announced that"all I want for Christmas is another dog. I don't want anything else!" Awkward.

So, let me introduce you to the newcomer, "Major":

We will be getting Major from the same breeder that we used for Molly and will be picking him up a few days after Christmas on our way back to Louisiana from Virginia. Yes. We will be driving 20+ hours with a 3 month old, a dog, and a 6 week old puppy. I will admit, I'm still on the fence about this decision, but the baby has been so easy going and D has promised that he will take care of him. I'll change baby diapers over picking up dog poo any day.

Our first puppy, Molly, is really a part of our little family. We got her a little over a year ago on our first drive from Virginia to Louisiana, just days after we got married and moved our lives to Fort Polk for D's career. I vividly remember holding her tight as we pulled onto post for the first time and realizing that we really had left all of our friends and family behind. It was just the "three" of us. She was my buddy while D worked and I job searched and she was there with me when I found out I was pregnant. Ha! We are those people who are way to into their dog and talk about it like it is a person. I'm sure its obnoxious. I hope this little pup is just as big a part of our family and I will admit that I'm excited for some pictures of my little roly-poly baby with a wiggly pup!

Because I'm such a proud pup mommy, here are some baby Molly pics. I can hear you all squealing over the cuteness from here. ;)

Wish us luck...

xo,

H

Latest/Shortest T-Day Recap Ever.

For our first major holiday as a new little family, we decided to stay home and have some of our relatives who live close by over to celebrate. Because we just recently came back from Virginia and are planning to return for D's Christmas leave, going again for an extended weekend wasn't really an option. Lucky for us D's brother and his wife, as well as his cousin's hubby and their little family are both stationed at Fort Hood, in Texas, and were able to make the drive here!

No houses were burnt down, no adults or children were poisoned, and all in all it was a successful couple of days. D and I did however learn that we are the a horrible team when it comes to the game "Cranium" and I shouldn't be allowed to bowl in public...

Anyways! Here are a few pictures D's cousin snapped of Gracie. They are my latest faves:

On the photo topic- this weekend's little family photo shoot went really well! I haven't seen anything yet, but the location where we met the photographer was full of cute little downtown buildings that I think will serve as interesting backdrops for our pics. Molly (our pup) behaved like a champ and although G was not pleased with the chilly weather, poor babe, she held up pretty well. I can't wait to see how they turned out. Also- stay tuned for some big news in regards to our family...all I can say for now is that 2010 has been an exciting year for us! :)

xo,

H

Christmas came early!

Or maybe it was a late anniversary gift? I don't know what we're counting it as, but D came home with this little beauty on Friday:

We've already taken a ton of pictures and been so impressed with how much better the quality is, especially because we are literally just pointing and shooting. Yay for easiness! I'll have to post some later this week. Speaking of this week, we have quite the exciting event coming up...our first Battalion Ball on Thursday evening! The last formal dress up event I've been to would probably be D's "Mil Ball" back in his senior year of college. Momma's got a new dress (that we can all pray doesn't get effed up while being altered) and is excited to get out for a little Mommy/Daddy date night. More to come on this topic.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and here's to a great start to the week!

xo,
H

Jumping on the bandwagon

Now that we are officially a family of three, plus dog, we are jumping on the family photo/holiday card bandwagon!

This Sunday D, Grace, myself...and wait for it- our dog, Molly, will all be getting some pictures taken in downtown Leesville, LA. D said that we "had" to include the puppy or else it wouldn't really be our whole family. Cute, however I'm very interested to see how she reacts to the whole ordeal. She may end up having to wait it out in the car! I'm already anticipating how excited you all will be to see the backdrop of our pictures. ;) I know I joke about how we live in the middle of nowhere all the time, and now you'll get a first hand look. If you weren't thinking about the potential for us ending up on awkwardfamilyphotos.com before, I'm sure you are now. Between the dog, a 2 month old, and downtown nowheresville USA, it could be really disasterous!

A little taste of the magic that is Awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Hahaha....and please go check out the site if you need a laugh or some awkwardness added to your day. I almost peed myself for like 2 hours, I meannnn, wayyy too long yesterday checking it out. ;)


xo,
H

BFFs

Some of you have asked how our furbaby and daughter get along. Take a look for yourselves. :)

Note the ball in the picture...and a little bit of fur in the hall...

A little closer...

Playing close by

And it's love.

BFFs for life.

xo,

H

2 Months

Not so sure about the new rocker. ;)

2 Month Stats-

Weight: 11 pounds, 7 ounces...65th percentile

Height: 23 inches...65th percentile

Food: 5 ounces every 2-3.5 hours during the day. Right now we are split almost 50-50 between formula and breastmilk. Baby girl loves both! I hadn't breastfed since Grace was a month, but decided to try last week to see if she remembered how. Random, I know. It went pretty well the first go round, but later she was not having it. Still on bottles 100% of the time!

Sleep: Almost sleeping through the night! We only wake up once these days, and sometimes not even until 5am. Gracie is a great sleeper and "puts herself to sleep" around 7pm. We literally can not wake her up once she goes down- although we are trying to establish more of a bedtime "routine", i.e. bath, pjs, books/last feeding, and in bed with her nighttime music. I am hoping we can get her to bed closer to 8:30pm and have her sleeping until 6am...that would be perfect with our school/work schedule. Grace is still sleeping in the her bassinet in our room, but we have decided that after we come back from Christmas in Virginia, it will be big girl crib time. Really we have no choice, as she is quickly out growing her little bassinet!

Life at 2 months: Life gets easier every day. We have really settled into a routine now that I'm back at work and Grace has adjusted wonderfully. Having a two month old is loads of fun- seriously! There is more "talking"- some cooing- which will just melt you, and lots of smiles. I love picking G up from daycare because as soon as she hears me coming to grab her, she breaks into some of those smiles...again, melt. We are waiting to hear giggles. I can't wait for some baby belly laughs. Speaking of bellies, this little girl has gotten better at tummy time! She doesn't love it, but is certainly getting stronger. Grace got her first set of shots this month and handled them like a champ. After a delayed reaction howl, she decided to smile and "talk" the rest of the time we spent at the doctors. She's a tough cookie. :)

We're well on our way to 3 months now, and are looking forward to our first Christmas as a family of three!

xo,

H

1 Month...

I meant to post this last month and never finished writing, so I wanted to make sure I still capture everything while I can still remember:

1 month! Fussing or pooping...your guess is as good as mine.

One Month Stats-

Weight: ~8.5 lbs...this is an estimate. At our 2 week follow-up appointment Ms. G was only weighing 7lbs, 3oz., still not back to her birth weight. We then began supplementing with formula and saw a quick increase in her weight gain. She was definitely going through a grow spurt around 3 weeks and when my mom her weighed at home at about 5 weeks she was closer to 9.5! Grow baby, grow! :)

Height: ~21.5...another estimate. At her 2 week follow-up they measured her wayyy under her birth height...and although she had a pretty long head after making her grand entrance, we know she didn't shrink as much as they said! Check back for more accurate measurements at 2 months.

Eating: At about 4 weeks I really stopped breastfeeding and turned exclusively to pumping and formula supplementing. Grace takes about 3-4 oz. at a month old and most of her feedings are still breast milk. I'd like to keep pumping through winter to try and keep her as healthy as possible. Really my goal right now is 3 months. Scheduling life around pumping has been fine these days, but we will see what happens once I have to go back to work.

Sleeping: We are currently waking up twice a night for feedings. Once around 1am and a second time at about 4 or 5. Grace takes her last bottle around 10pm- if I can get her up before I go to bed and then lasts about 4 hours. We've noticed that her night feedings are starting to get further apart...let's hope that keeps up!

Life at 1 month: (Written about 6 weeks ago...) I can't believe my little lady will be one month old tomorrow...I also can't believe I'll be heading back to work in 3 weeks. Time is flying, although some days seem to drag. One of those days occurred Monday, when baby girl decided she wanted to fuss every time I put her down and slept a grand total of 30 minutes during the day. Luckily, she made up for it yesterday and seems to be back to her happy little self now. Growth spurt maybe?

Grace really is such a sweet baby. On a typical morning she wakes up happy and the first thing she does is STRETCH! She puts her arms straight above her head and kicks her legs out as far as she can get them. Next we diaper change...this is usually a struggle because after stretching it out, G likes to scrunch her long legs up as close to her as possible. I've also learned that it's not just little boys that pee on you during diaper changes. Yes, Grace has gotten both D and I multiple times...and it's kind of hilarious. Never did I expect pee and poop and boogers and spit up to become something that I don't think twice about. We joke about number 2 a lot more than the normal household and Grace lets out some of the most disgusting old man farts (and "sharts") that I've ever seen come from a baby. She will probably be embarrassed I shared this one day. After diaper changes comes food time. Usually not quick enough for my chunkaroo. This is usually the time she gives me one of my favorite Grace faces: "the T-rex". She brings her arms up close and has her hands close to her chest, scrunches her nose, and chomps vigorously. I will try to get a picture or video of this. Once we've eaten, it's time to play! Morning is our family's favorite Grace time of the day. After breakfast little G likes to look around with wide eyes, give us some of the gummiest smiles, and try to "talk". She will work herself up to making a sound and then finally get something out. A loud "LAAA" is her fave as of late. It looks exhausting, like she is trying so hard! After awhile she starts to get frustrated and gets fussy, so we will move on to new playtime activities. "Tummy time" is not Grace's strong point. She ends up with a face full of carpet or blanket and often times gets upset...she is strong though! When we put her on our chests on her stomach she will push up with her little arms, lift her head and look around. She has some strong legs as well...the way she moves those things around, I have a feeling she might be an early crawler.

Life with our Gracie girl is wonderful. We couldn't have wished for a better baby than Grace. She is very loved by both her daddy and I, her grandparents, and every other friend or family member that meets her. Sometimes it is crazy to think that she is my daughter. I have a child. Ahh, it's still funny to write too!

I love you Gracie baby and can't wait to see what new things next month will bring!

xo,
H aka Momma ;)

Back from the blogging dead.

For real.

I have 3 or 4 draft posts that I had started weeks ago and I'm revving up to get them on here finally. I was reading another blog I follow this morning and her post on her breastfeeding experiences really made me think about all of the things I've had go on myself that I'd like to share.


So without further ado, get ready to be entertained (or bored, either one) by all of the posts I plan to get out this week! And since I can't leave you hanging...

xo,

H

Lately...

I've been too preoccupied to post. Busy with visiting Virginia the last two weeks of my maternity leave, busy getting back to work, and busy adjusting to sending Grace to daycare during the week. When I'm not busy with these things, blogging just doesn't seem as important. Don't get me wrong, I still find time to look at the blogs I follow and to think about things to write...it's just been hard to find time to type it all out. When I do get time it's basically because Grace is napping...and I end up prioritizing my life and trying to get to the million other things I've been putting off, you know, like showering or laundry. So without anymore excuses for the time being, here are some pictures of my sweetie to hold you over until I get my act together:

Daddy's idea of a "bath tub"

Mommy begging for a smile...

andd I finally get one of her smiling at red curtains.

My girl and her giant eyes :)

Some puppy love

And finally, some proof that we are getting more photogenic by the day!

xo,

H

P.S. Will somebody please tell Santa to get me a nice camera for Christmas?!

P.P.S. Grace has requested that someone tell Santa she would like more hair... :)

A small victory...

My engagement/wedding bands fit again! I did a pretty awesome victory dance around the house and now am just telling anyone who I can get to listen...it's the little things these days people.

Now for the 15 pounds that are still hanging around on my legs and mid-section causing absolutely none of my pre-prego pants to fit.

Worth it?

Absolutely. :)

xo,

H

Grace's Arrival- Part 2

So with my mom's arrival at the hospital, it was time to get pushing! D staked out his spot, up by my right shoulder and my mom posted up on my left. D was determined to stay above the knee and try not to get "scarred for life", but that didn't last very long...

When I started to push, we would wait for a contraction and I would take a big breath out, breathe in and bare down for as long as I could, holding that breath. We would try for 3-4 big pushes each contraction. Because we started around 10:45ish, my personal goal was to have a baby by midnight...I thought the 20th sounded like a good birthday at the time, plus I thought having a goal would be motivational! As pushing got underway, things definitely started taking longer than anticipated. First, it took some time to get a hang of the whole "pushing" deal. With my superman epidural, I wasn't feeling much pressure...or much of anything for that matter, so I had to base my pushing off of what I thought was what I should be doing. After awhile I did start to get some feeling back and figured out the correct way to get things going. We also started 10 counts each push to get me to hold them longer- my mom's idea. This was VERY helpful. The nurse had my mom and D each hold one of my legs...thus, moving D down from his "safe zone". I'm happy to say he complied and did an awesome job getting involved. I would grab my legs to pull myself forward and try to curl over my belly, chin to chest, and push as long as I could hold it.

Pushing is hard work. I would equate it to a really intense workout, which I was pleasantly surprised about. There was no screaming or cursing D's name, just some hardcore breathing and the feeling that I was going to burst a blood vessel in my face from pushing so hard. Basically, every push the baby's head would come down further and then when I would stop it would go back up a little bit...very slow going. As things got closer the nurse actually got D to look at the top of the baby's head and once he saw that, he said he watched the rest of the action. I totally wish I had a mirror, but I was so set on continuing to push, I didn't want to break for anything...I was ready to get things over with. The first hour flew by, but I was a little disappointed as midnight approached and there was still a baby lodged in my birth canal. ;) I remember thinking that I was really getting exhausted as we got in to the next hour, but I didn't want to sound like one of those wimpy ladies on "A Baby Story", so I decided not to ask for a break...or a C-section...or to come back and try again another day, but I'll admit, I thought about all three. It was never painful, just extremely exhausting.

A random thing people don't warn you about with labor:

It smells. Horrible. To the point that I was certain that I had pooped all over the delivery table. D and I talked about this later and he admitted that he was trying not to gag at one point. I guess it is logical to think that all of that fluid that has been marinating up inside of you for 9 months might not smell pretty, but again, nobody ever told me to expect that!

Thankfully, soon after things began to get super smelly, the doctor decided to make an appearance and lather the top of Grace's head up with baby shampoo to encourage her to slide on down. She was stuck on the cusp of entering the world for what seemed like foreverrr. Apparently women have internal "bands" and one of them was tight enough to not want her to pass further down. I'm probably making up medical terms and human anatomy facts, but that is how I'm remembering things or how they were relayed to me at the time. As she continued to make her way down further, I was able to touch her head and feel just how close we were getting. This really helped with my motivation. We also started to just push whenever I felt like it and not necessarily wait for contractions, which honestly I couldn't feel much of anyways. Finally, as the top of her head was out, the doctor came in and gave me some instructions for how to finish up pushing. Basically instead of going all out, we would ease into the push and then push hard for the last 5 counts. This would help with Grace making her way out slowly and hopefully not causing too much damage to me in the process. Fabulous.

From this point, things went by very quickly. Her head came out, I felt a lot of pressure (but still no pain), and the biggest relief ever as the rest of her body came out/slash, I'm pretty sure the doctor did some pulling or pushing on my lower stomach...I'll have to ask D again about that. She was immediately put on my chest, all gooey and purple and perfect. I expected to bawl like I do at other baby stories, but honestly I was so relieved and amazed at what I had just done, I just stared at my little girl and tried to breathe. She wasn't on my chest long before they swooped her away to clean off and weigh, measure, and do all of the other newborn tests that are required. One thing I love about our hospital is that they do all of these things in the room, so I could watch her the whole time while the doctor got to inspect the damage and deliver the placenta- which, p.s. is way more uncomfortable than birth. I literally said outloud, "That wasn't too bad, I can do this again...in several years..." Seriously, I will be the spokesperson for epidurals.

The dirty details- I never did poop on the delivery table. How that happened, I have no idea, but has the big day approached I was obsessed with the thought of it happening. I had warned D, had tried to mentally prepare myself, and honestly if it did happen, I seriously would not have cared. After giving birth you become the least self concious, non-private person ever. After multiple people see your who-ha in the worst condition of it's life, you really don't have much to care about. As far as damage control, I somehow walked away (except not walk, because I still had no feeling in my legs) unscathed. I didn't have any stitches and aside from a little internal scrape from that band that didn't want to loosen up, things were pretty good. As far as how things feel afterwards...swollen is the word I'll use. Also, the biggest suggestion I can give people is icepacks. Immediately. They help. The next day I felt pretty sore, but I would compare it to what you might feel like after doing 5,000 squats. Not terribly uncomfortable, just slowww going when it comes to movement. Oh, and one more thing- back to pooing- nobody ever told me that it was normal NOT to be able to go for several days after birth...so I obsessed about it. Now I know that it is normal to go 4-5 days without going numero dos. Weird.

Back to my baby girl. :) She was and is perfect. She looks like her daddy, who is the most proud, helpful daddy I could have asked for. My favorite moment with her after birth was after she was done being cleaned and swaddled and given back to us to hold. She just stared at both D and I, so alert and quiet, just taking us in. It was amazing to meet the little person that I had been carrying around for so long. Now for a ton of photos of my girl...

Minutes old after D cut the umbilical cord :)

Sweet girl

7lbs, 12oz.

20 3/4 inches


Bonding :)

Meeting Nana

Wide awake

One day old

xo,

H

Grace's Arrival- Part 1

Remember a few weeks ago when I said that "Operation Eviction" was going into effect at 37 weeks? Well, I had long forgotten about that little plan and honestly was feeling a tad apprehensive about the whole "labor, pain, and responsibility for another human life" thing. The weekend before G's arrival D and I had a nice little movie date on Friday night and decided that we would use Saturday to run some errands and go out to a nice lunch. I may or may not have been nagging that we would only have so many weekends to spend by ourselves...little did we know, it would definitely be our last!

On Saturday, at approximately 37 weeks, my dumb ass did all of the things on my Operation Eviction list without even realizing it. I walked. I ate some labor inducing food. I walked some more, went to the gym, and lucky for the hubby, even engaged in a little sexy time. We went to bed Saturday night and I was awoken around 4:30am on Sunday morning with some cramp-like pain. When I went to the bathroom I noticed I had some bleeding and just decided I could attribute it to Saturday nights festivities. Still, I did what any neurotic first time mom would do and called both my mom and the Labor & Delivery floor at the hospital to make sure everything was normal. I was assured that the bleeding was nothing to worry about from the hospital and my mom promised to check in with me through out the day. She immediately suspected that things could be a sign of early labor, but I totally thought that there was no way being that 37 weeks, 1 day was just WAY too early for that sort of thing to happen.

I don't think I ever went back to sleep that morning. Instead I lounged, went to the bathroom obsessively to check on things, and googled things like "signs you are in labor". Very healthy.

All day I timed things on and off. They would get closer together, further apart, and then sometimes even stop completely. When my mom got off of work, she started looking at flights and found one that would get her to Louisiana around 10:30am...we just had to make up our minds by 11pm that evening. Fast forward to Sunday night. Contractions stopped completely around 7pm and I told her to not worry about changing her flights. No big deal...it just looked like things were not progressing. I went to bed around 8:30pm, and part of me was relieved, but another part was kind of disappointed that this wasn't the real thing. I had gotten more and more excited about the prospect of meeting our baby girl throughout the day. Luckily I didn't have to wait much longer. I woke up again at 10:30pm with raging contractions that could be easily timed. Molly and I sat up watching Kendra's E True Hollywood Story and kept a log of how far apart things were until about 1am. Then we woke up D and he sat with us and timed things for a little longer. Finally, we decided that we better make our way to the hospital, so at about 2:30am I called my mom, let her know we were going in, and headed out.

Once in Labor and Delivery I was checked to see how much progress we had made and hooked up to a machine to monitor contractions and that babies heart rate for an hour. At the time I was only 2cm dilated (bummer!) and barely effaced. At the end of the hour they checked again and really the only thing that had changed was that things were softening up, so I was about 50% effaced at the time. They sent us home with some Ambien, said to try and get some sleep, and if this was early labor, things would progress while I rested. Unfortunately, sleep never happened and things just continued to intensify. We held out until about 8am, got to shower and make sure everything was in order and then headed right on back to the hospital. This time there was a new staff on duty and the nurse that was monitoring me was awesome. I was almost a 3, but she said that at the end of the hour if I was still close she would try to "stretch" things when she checked me and see if they would admit me even though I was under 4cm. Basically that is exactly the course of action that was taken...and thank goodness, because not 10 minutes after I was in a room and getting hooked up to a monitor my water broke. (Or in my words..."I either peed myself, or my water broke!")

It was officially the real deal!

Rough...about to start pushing.

After my water broke contractions continued to intensify, quickly. Because they were already coming at 1 to 3 minutes apart, with no indication of slowing down, we decided to go ahead and get an epidural after my lab work came back. I had planned on waiting until I was more dilated, but honestly, I figured that if I was going to get it either way, why wait? Plus, I didn't really care if it slowed things down because by this time my mom had found another flight that would get her in around 9 pm and I wasn't in a rush.

Let me tell you something about epidurals: They. Are. Amazing.

I seriously don't know why anyone would opt out on the option. I mean, come on people, this is 2010. We have modern medicine that is literally here to help us...and I decided that my baby would much rather meet a happy mommy than one that was in agony all day and totally exhausted. I completely understand that people have their personal feelings about the whole thing, but in my experience it made for a great day and a happy labor.

I was happy enough that I sent D home to take care of the dog, give our keys to the neighbors, and rent a bunch of movies for us to watch while we were in wait mode. We had a really fun day (at least that is how I remember it now...), relaxing, talking, and getting pumped up for the big event! He was an awesome person to have around. I got trashy gossip mags picked up for me and he dealt with phone calls and letting our family in on what was going on. Things progressed very slowly. We were originally told that our baby would be here around dinner time...but as we approached 7pm and I was still only about a 6, it was clear that we had a few more hours to wait. It took me awhile to get to 4cm, but once I was there, I would say I progressed about a centimeter an hour. Meanwhile, my mom landed around 8:45pm, got on the road from the airport and headed to the hospital. At about 9:30 when the nurse came into check me we were told that I was ready to go! Since I didn't feel an urge to push, we decided to let the baby labor down some on her own and start pushing when my mom arrived. She made her way in to the hospital about 10:15 and things started getting set up for push time! I was so happy to have her there...and who would have thought that she could make it in time with the huge change in schedule!? On Monday evening, as we prepared to start pushing the baby was a gestational age of 37 weeks, 2 days. How's that for an effective eviction plan?

xo,

H

Happy 1 Week, Grace!

Ok, this picture isn't from today...but here's one from her first bath at home a few days ago. I have a perfect, sleeping baby girl right now, so we will take 1 week photos later today. We've been taking tons of pictures each day, so lots more to come! :)

xo,

H

A little something...

I think I finally have an excuse for being a bad blogger. :)

There are so many things I think about writing throughout the day, but the moment I get free time I find something else that seems more important, like you know, staring at my baby.

We came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and had one of the roughest nights of our lives. Things have really gone up since that night. Grace is getting better at sleeping and thanks to my milk coming in, eating has gotten a lot better too, which contributes to the sleep factor. I won't lie- there have been two mini cry sessions on my part...but I think that not sleeping since Sunday and my raging hormones probably had something to do with those.

I have to give major props to the hubby, who has been the most helpful, hands-on daddy I have ever seen and also a huge thanks to my mom who has seriously kept me from quitting breast feeding multiple times and is the best swaddler in the world. Also- she changed her flight and made it to the hospital just in time for me to start pushing. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect situation. I will definitely be writing up a detailed birth story for Grace, full of TMI moments and uncensored, but really, what else would you expect? I love all of the dirty pregnancy details that I have found out in the last few months.

As for the post pregnancy body...I'll have to share on that too. I may post a week 38 update with a pic of the aftermath. It's really not that bad, but everyone is totally right when they say you leave the hospital looking 5-6 months pregnant. The stomach literally gets flatter every day (thank the sweet baby Jesus) and the el-bees really do "fall off". I'm proud to gloat and say that I've officially lost 20 + lbs since Tuesday and once a little more swelling goes down, I expect that to continue to drop. I also imagine each of my boobs weigh about 5 lbs...haha...no, joke...so that has to factor in too, right?! I feel about 95% normal as far as soreness and getting around, but I'll dive deeper in to that during my delivery story. OH- and p.s. since I'm gloating and all, guess who ended up not having stretchmarks? Thank you for being so early Miss Grace. I totally owe you one someday when you ask for a treat or something.

On to my sweet baby girl. She is the most precious thing I have ever seen in my life. I know every parent says that, but it is so true. I can't wait to see her grow and learn more about her little personality, but for now I can say that she is one tough cookie. She has the strongest little legs I have ever seen on a 7lb anything, she has big slate blue eyes, her daddy's nose and feet for sure, and my mouth and hands. I'm sure it will change daily as she grows, but when I look at her I think it is pretty obvious she is D's child, which works for me, cause he's pretty good looking if I do say so myself. ;) She's also a big eater, which solidifies that fact that she is part of our family. I felt so lucky taking her home from the hospital...it was like, "someone is really giving me a baby to keep?!" We are still in learning mode. I am not quite to the point where I feel like she has always been a part of our lives because it really has taken some adjusting and hard work, but I feel a love and protectiveness for her that are out of this world. I couldn't be happier with my little family.

Speaking of the little one, I have tons of pictures to share, so check back for those. Also, thank you for all of your sweet comments and texts, calls, and emails. I'm slowly trying to get back in to communicating with everyone, so bare with me and know that I really do appreciate every one of your well wishes!

Off to check on the little one...

xo,
H

Introducing...

Grace Evelyn "M"

Born on September 21st, 2010 at 12:51am,

weighing 7lbs 12oz. and measuring 20 3/4 in.

xo,
H

Pregnancy Week 36

and a half, but who's counting?

Completely contradicting how I felt last week, I now feel like I really need Miss G to stay put for at least a couple more weeks! I want every little last thing done in our house and my mom has officially booked her flights for early October, so it'd be nice to not have to scramble to change things. Both D and I are getting really excited for her arrival...it's just so hard to not have any control over when and how it happens. I'm sure it will all turn out wonderfully. :)

How far along?: 36 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain: +38.5

Maternity clothes: All bottoms aside from yoga/workout pants, most tops, some dresses.

Sleep: So much better now that I am the proud owner of a body pillow. Seriously, how did I go 35 weeks without one?!

Best moment of the week: Watching the Redskins win Sunday night! Haha...I thought the end to that game might put me in labor...

Movement: Yeah, and she's getting strong.

Food cravings: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...which is super weird because I literally refused to eat these growing up. I honestly don't remember the last time I have had one, if ever, but they are really hitting the spot these days!

Gender: Girl

Belly button: Still the same. I think it's finished going out.

Stretchmarks: I think we may have our first stretchmark...on my belly button ring hole that has been out for several years. The skin between the holes is red and looks angry...not sure what that will turn into after things settle back down, but I totally am regretting getting that stupid piercing now. Ugh...should have listened to mom! :)

What I miss: Nothing really...I'm sleeping, eating, relaxing...life it pretty darn good right now.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our girl!

Weekly wisdom: Don't re-try on your wedding/engagement rings after you've retired them for the rest of your pregnancy...it will just make you sad. Luckily where we live people don't look twice at a pregnant lady without a ring on, but that's another story.

Milestones: Filling out hospital admissions and anesthesia paperwork TODAY! It's really getting close people!

and finally, a badly taken pic...but at least I included it in the post this time:

Ignore the too tight dress. It is actually a cotton Gap maternity dress and used to fit appropriately. I'm at home today, so no one should have to publicly see this "pregnant streetwalker" look.

xo,

H

36 Week Appointment

Everything went great. Grace's heartrate was wonderful, she's still head down...which even though we knew, we got to confirm via a quick little portable ultrasound. It's pretty cramped in there, which made it really heard to make out what was what, but we saw her head, belly, and some longgg legs and little feet. :) It was nice of our doctor to do that for us. Finally he measured and the belly is measuring 38cm, which as usual, puts her a couple weeks ahead size wise. Since I haven't been having any contractions, we decided not to check to see if I am dialated at all, so no news there. I think I appreciate not knowing...if I was I would get all excited and anxious, and if I wasn't I'd probably be annoyed. I can wait a couple more weeks, no biggie.

From here I go back early next week to do some hospital paperwork so that is taken care of and then my next appointments are 38, 39, and 4o weeks...it's crunch time!

Alright...I'm off to get my Mexican food fix and a pedi. Hope every one's weekends are off to a great start!

xo,
H

Product Review- Boppy Body Pillow

So, I originally thought I could make it 9+ months with just my cozy bed and by stealing all but one of the pillows in our home from D. I did an okay job for awhile, but in the last few weeks my hips have started to get increasingly sore and would cause me to wake up in pain and switch sides probably 5-10 times a night in addition to waking up for my 3-5 pee breaks. It was getting a little exhausting to say the least.

Last Friday I got a care package from my mom and in it was this little gem:


It has become the new love of my life. Not only is it cute, but it works like a charm. I was worried that D would get annoyed at the space that it takes up, but I think its actually less bulky than the mountains of pillows...and I'm complaining less, which always goes over well in this house. ;)

I finally understand what momma's with body pillows are talking about and to those of you who haven't yet experienced a need for one of these...just be prepared to get one. Seriously. As soon as you find out you are pregnant, go take the plunge. Or shoot, tell me your pregnant and it will be my congratulations gift to you because it is THAT worth it. I'll probably have to wean myself off of it after the baby gets here...

xo,
H

Random thoughts...

Every time I view my own blog I get SO excited at how far the "ticker" at the top of the screen has progressed to the right. Today as I was taking a peek I got a little nervous...no more mini-milestones left! We are literally right around the corner from D-day...aka delivery day, haha.

Things around here have been going very well lately. D got back on Monday night from being out in the field for work for the previous 5 days and that was last time out before our girl arrives. I'm feeling so relaxed knowing that we shouldn't have a problem getting BOTH of us to the hospital when the time comes and not me by myself frantically trying to get in touch with him. God bless the Army. :)

While he was gone I stayed busy by scheduling some dinners with girlfriends and my mini spa day- which was amazing. I'm so glad I did both the wax and massage. Several people warned me about the pain level of the bikini wax being a little crazy for prego ladies, so I went in knowing that it wasn't going to be pretty. Even the waxer was nervous and said that she would stop if it got too bad...but it never did. I mean, it wasn't nice feeling, but I was so relieved to not have to deal with things myself that I got through it. Totally loved the reader comment on that post...glitter! :) The massage was great as well, unfortunately they only will do them through 36 weeks because they can induce labor (umm, hello, can I bribe anyone here?), so I'll be sticking to pedis and leg massages- another great suggestion.

Switching topics completely, football season is here and I am so into it. We are kicking things off with a little get together tonight to watch the Saints and Vikings, and I'm sure we will do it up even bigger for the Skins v. Cowboys game on Sunday. I just realized that none of my Redskins gear currently fits so I'll have to borrow from the hubby. Hah...so attractive. Since we currently reside in "Who Dat" nation, Washington gear is scarce. Don't tell anyone, but I think I'm rooting for the Vikings tonight. Black and Gold is really starting to get on my nerves!

Tomorrow night a few of the girls here are going out for Mexican and pedis in place of a traditional baby shower. I'm definitely looking forward to a mini night out and mexi food, as usual.

This weekend the hubs and I are gonna do some errand running, hospital bag packing, and I'll be finishing thank yous. It's not a crazy life...but these days, it's seriously the best.

To any mommies out there- what were some of your hospital bag essentials? What did you bring and not use at all?

To anyone reading- What are your thoughts on video cameras? I'm not interested in taping the entire birth, but I think it might be neat to do the whole "we're going to the hospital now...here we are in labor...and then- BAM- here's the baby!" Haha...make it look painless and effortless, not show any goo and guts and be a nice little keepsake for the baby one day. Necessary or no?

That's all I have for now...sorry for the jumpy post, but it's been awhile since I've caught everyone up on the day to day stuff!

xo,
H

Week 35 Pics

I actually took these earlier this week, but I've been super busy and haven't had time to post. I'll be around more tomorrow and get caught up. I also have my 36 week appointment tomorrow afternoon, so if anything interesting comes out of that I will update you as well! Yay for the week almost being over...

xo,

H

Pregnancy Week 35

35 weeks down, 35 days to go! (Less now, since I've procrastinated on posting this.) Crazy, crazy. I've been feeling SO much better than last week- thank God. I'll have to do a weekend review and let you in on how my mini spa day went. I think it was helpful. Now it's already Tuesday and this week is almost halfway over. Love it.


How far along?: 35 weeks
Total weight gain: Let's skip this week and I'll update you after my next appointment. Prob around +36. It's pretty out of control. Good thing I'm planning on having a 12lb baby... ;)
Maternity clothes: I just wear whatever works. Some of my "outfits" look borderline rediculous these days, but I refuse to purchase any more maternity clothes. I'm looking forward to investing in some non-maternity Fall lovelies here in a few weeks.
Sleep: Better than earlier last week. I pee alot, I toss and turn, and I deal with it.
Best moment of the week: My pedicure. Those people seriously know what they're doing.
Movement: Yup. Still rocking out like she's listening to music most of the time. I hope she's not into Miley Cyrus or anything creepy like that. (Minus "Party in the USA"...I love/hate to love that damn song.)
Food cravings: Earlier this week it was anything covered in cheese. Now we have moved onto healthier options and I'm back to loving apples and veggies.
Gender: Girl
Belly Button: Same old flat with the top poking out.
Stretchmarks?: None that I can see. I wonder if they will show up when I "deflate"- you know, once she's not in there pushing everything out into a smooth bump?
What I miss: Still too excited to really miss things. I'm getting anxious for wine and jogging, but we're so close that it's not something I dwell on as much as just look forward to.
What I'm looking forward to: Being off work Monday, dinner with lady friends tomorrow night, being full term in 2 weeks! So much to look forward to these days.
Weekly wisdom: It's okay to park in the Expectant Mother parking spot, even if you could totally walk the extra 20 feet from a regular spot. :)
Milestones: This isn't really a milestone, but just for my own notes to look back on...I've been having Braxton Hicks- aka practice contractions - like crazy lately! Nice to know my body is gearing up for the real deal, which seems just around the corner.


...and now, the moment you've all been waiting for...or not, either one:

Kidding. Again...I will post these later today. I'll do it quickly this time and not make you wait for 3 days, I just thought you might prefer a picture where I don't look like a cracked out homeless lady. :) Check back later.

xo,

H

TGIF

Seriously.

What a week. I hit 34 weeks last Saturday and by Monday, felt like I also had gotten hit by a monster truck. It was shocking what a difference I felt physically and mentally in such a short period of time. I went from being on the go and hitting the gym pretty often to wanting to cry due to sheer exhaustion and passing out before 7:30 pm...only to wake up even more tired the next morning. Getting up every hour on the hour doesn't really equate to a good night's sleep, no matter how long you lay there for.

Then came the sore legs.

I know sore. I know how it feels to recover from a 20 mile run and have every step ache. What I don't know is why I'm feeling the same leg, ankle, and foot pain after doing relatively little the day before. It blows my mind.

I'm puffy. This is not an exaggeration. In fact, I weighed myself last night (like an idiot) and saw that I was 4 pounds heavier than at my doctors appointment a week ago...at which I was 4 pounds heavier than the previous appointment 2 weeks prior. 8+ lbs in 3 weeks? This is bloat at it's finest. If another person tells me I'm not I may strike out and stab them in the eye with a cocktail fork, a la "Hot Tub Time Machine". That is all I will say on that topic.

-End annoying pregnant rant-

I'm not the type to complain, although you wouldn't think that after reading the first portion of this post. I effing love being pregnant- and aside from this week, I've been really good at it. More than being tired and achy and puffy, I'm just annoyed because I really didn't see myself feeling this way for another few weeks. Yes my baby is the size of a 37 weeker at this point, but I really wanted to make it to 37 weeks before I hit a wall. I really can't imagine feeling this way for another 5 ish weeks. So, onto Plan: Pamper Myself Like I'm a Pregnant Heidi Klum. You can call it P.M.L.I.A.P.H.K. for short...

Wednesday night I got an amazing, relaxing, foot rejuvenating pedicure. I may get them weekly from here on out. For realsies. Why not? It's a small price to pay to feel human and walk without a slight limp. I don't even think the hubby will argue, but it really isn't up for discussion at this point, so his opinion doesn't count. (Plus mine counts as 2 right now, so I win every time...muahaha!)

Next, I booked a bikini wax (TMI?) and pregnancy massage for Saturday. Depending on how these both go, they may also become regular occurrences for the next few weeks. Hell, I might throw in a some other fun spa treatments, because if now isn't the time to pamper myself, when is?

I'm going to cut back on the gym- or at least the amount of cardio I've been doing and start walking like there's no tomorrow. That coupled with the absurd amounts of water I will make myself consume should help with the bloat. Plus, I'm going to really start eating as best I can. The more good foods I eat, the better I should start feeling right? Just go with it...I already threw out the Mrs. Field's Cookie Ice Cream sandwiches I bought last night.

My goal is to go to my next appointment in a week and not cry when I see the scale. I'm not trying to lose weight, just cut out some of that puffiness so that my legs don't ache and some of my energy returns. I actually feel better already. I'll attribute some of that to the pedi and some just to the sheer excitement I'm feeling about my first ever massage tomorrow. Let's hope this week was a fluke and I'll be back on the happy preggo train in no time. :)

xo,
H

Breastfeeding Basics Class

Today I learned that the nipple has 9 holes. Just a fun fact I thought I'd share with the group.

Hahaha... :)

xo,
H

Pregnancy Week 34

...aka...the week everyone you run into asks when you are due. Strangers, grocery store cashiers, friends who haven't seen you in awhile ask "when you got so huge"...it's been a blast folks. (Note the sarcasm) It's not that I mind people asking, I'm just getting sick of repeating myself: "About 6 more weeks, we hope!" Mostly because I'm really trying not to focus on a countdown. I'd really like to stay relaxed, keep busy, and let time pass and have little Miss be here when it's time, rather than me start getting miserable waiting.

That being said, "Operation Eviction" will officially be starting around here at 37 weeks. I just plan on doing my part to encourage her arrival...plus extra long walks, spicy food, and sexy time don't sound all that bad! ;)

Now back to the present, here are our week 34 stats:

How far along?: 34 weeks
Total weight gain: + 34 lbs...I'm blaming this on being weighed later in the day and being a little swollen this week...
Maternity clothes: Still a mix, but I have really just been dressing for comfort lately. I could care less if I am outfit repeating or not looking business casual for work. Stretchy pants are my new favorite thing in the world.
Sleep: Still going well. Also, still changing sides throughout the night because of sore hips. Some mornings I put my feet on the ground and am amazed at how sore they and my legs feel after not doing anything super substantial the day before.
Best moment of the week: It was so nice and cool on Saturday morning that D, the pup and I took a nice long walk around the golf course on post, followed by some Starbs treats and errand running. We got the guest bed (which will be delivered tomorrow) and all in all, just had a really good day. I love feeling like things are getting done!
Movement: Lots as usual, although we had a couple days this past week where I was nervous because she wasn't as active as she normally is. It was fine, and she kicked like a mad woman later in the day. I guess her schedule was just a little off for a couple of days.
Food cravings: Same as last week...PB and apples, also hummus and wheat pita bread.
Gender: Baby girl
Belly button: Flat with the top poking out.
Stretchmarks?: Not yet! Another reason I love my new doctor is that when he was measuring my belly he commented that I didn't have any "strechy marks"...I could have kissed him.
What I miss: I don't miss anything...I'm just getting really excited to have an outside baby and get to hold and bond with my little girl. It's getting so close and so real.
What I'm looking forward to: Hitting 35 weeks next Saturday. At 35 weeks there is exactly 35 days until our due date- that's a mini-milestone!
Weekly wisdom: I used to think resting during a perfectly good weekend was a waste of time. Now is feels like a necessity. I gladly lay on the couch with water and a snack while D washes our cars or does some other weekend chore. We both have a habit of not wanting to sit still, so it takes some getting used to, but it really helps!
Milestones: Hmm...one of my weekly emails says that Grace is now peeing a pint per day...haha!

On to pics. Remember this little blast from the past at Week 20ish? I thought I was HUGE:

Now I look back and think I look so tiny...check this week's bad boys out:

In other news, my ass officially looks like I have two Christmas hams tied onto my body. Is it just me, or is my belly looking a tad lower?

xo,

H