Daycare

Well we are working on our first week at daycare and have had a few bumps in the road so far but overall I think it is going to be a good fit for us.

As far as the issue what happened was on the second day of day care I had the parent watch up on my computer at work and was checking it often. I love having parent watch cause it allows me to feel like im there with her and still know what she is doing during the day. I DONT have it to watch the teachers I know that they know what they are doing and I trust them. I wouldnt have taken her there if i didnt think they did.

Well as I was watching parent watch i noticed that she was in the swing for going on 6 hours and I had yet to see her eat. I started to get a little upset so i called Matt who was trying to convince me to call up there and check on it but I inisisted that she was fine and if she was that hungry she would let them know like she does when im with her at home. Well I happen to get online and was talking to my friend Chris who's wife Lauren works at the daycare and I just vented that parent watch was maybe going to drive me crazy cause she hadnt eaten all day. Chris was worried and called Lauren who checked and she indeed had not eaten in going on 6 hours. She told the ladies that it was ok to wake Addy to feed her, and all was well till.....

Ola the asst manager at the daycare called me cause she heard I was upset, and being the emotional wreck you can expect from a new mom who has just gone back to work and put her baby in daycare. I got upset and started crying on the phone with her. She then turned the issue in to something else and made me feel bad for going to Lauren and Chris about my issue instead of her.

Little back ground on Ola and Lauren. Ola is the asst manager and Lauren is the manager under her. Apparently they are the greatest of friends. So Ola basically made me feel that I was in the wrong for going to them and should always come to her first. When all other parents are allowed to go to Lauren. I personally am taking Addy to daycare there because of the fact Lauren works there and I know that if i ever have an issue she will take care of it right away as she did.

OK well this all is not the main issue. After talking to Ola I talked to Chris and told him what happened and he then told Lauren. THEN Ola sent Chris a text message saying that "Your friend is a lier, I was never rude to her and there is something wrong with her". I found this to be extremly unprofessional that she would text another parent talking about me.

Well that is what happened. I had a meeting with the director to discuss all that happened and she assured me I am more than able to go to Lauren with problems, and that she would take care of Ola.

So all is well... Sorry this is so long I didnt know how to tell the whole story with out all of this :)

Here is a picture of Miss Addy on her first day of daycare. Needless to say mommy was not smiling this big :(

2 Months

Well my Addy is 2 months old today!! She got her shots and did very well I'm my opinion she was through being upset before I even got her to the counter to check out.

Here are her stats from birth and now:

Birth:
6lb 6 oz
19 inches

2 Months:
10lb 1oz
21 1/2 inches
25th percentile for both

Doctor says she is going to be a petite girl just like her mom but was perfectly happy with her growth so far.

Here are some pictures from our trip to the doctor.

I now understand....

Why so many women decide to become stay at home moms once they get on maternity leave. I was laying in be last night thinking about how much time Addison and I have had to just hang out, relax, bond, take naps, shop and all the other things we have done since she was born and I honestly cant imagine how it will be when I "HAVE" to go back to work. I say have because I dont have the luxury of deciding to stay home if we want to have enough money to feed ourselves and her :(

I always said that I could never be a stay home mom because I wouldnt like being home all day and I cant afford to go shopping everyday,. This is still true, it can get rough being in the house all the time but when I think about going back to work I realize that means I will only get to spend a whole 3 and 1/2 hours with Addy a night. Which most of the night will be filled with cooking, dishes, laundry, bathing little miss and then putting her to bed. Thats not much time to just enjoy each other and relax at all. I know I will have the weekends but we are usually on the go on the weekends and when we go out with family I NEVER get to hold my baby. She is usually scooped up the second we walk in the room and I have to actually ask for her back at the end of the night just so we can leave. It sucks! I want people to be able to love on her but im still very greddy and want her to myself!


Alright thats enough complaining for one day :(

1 Month Old

Well first off let me just say I'm so excited to know that people actually do read this blog and I'm not just updating it for my health :) (HI DAD!)

OK now on to business... Our little pumpkin is 1 month old today! I cant believe how fast time is flying. I thought the pregnancy went fast but now that she is here is is moving even faster!! Before i know it we will be forking out thousands for a wedding :(

Here are some things that Miss A has started to do over the past month...

- Smiling some and not just gas smiles

- As of today she does not hate tummy time and will lay there content for at least 5-10 min. This is progress because the first couple times we tried it all she would do was cry :(

- She is staying awake for bigger chunks of time. Don't get me wrong she still likes a nice long nap or two a day but she is becoming more alert every day.

- Bath times are great! She loves getting a bath but hates being taken out of the water to be dried off. I think she would be content if i let her stay in the water till she shriveled up like a prune.

- She is eating 4 oz of formula every 3-4 hours like clock work!

- Making cute little sounds while playing or being talked to. (Check out the video at the bottom)

- Were still not sleeping through the night but since she is only 4 weeks i know there is still more time to work on this.

Overall we have had a great month and were ready for many more with lots of milestones to go

And just cause i know all anyone really wants to see when they come to a blog is the pictures. So here you go :)

Addison's 1st Halloween

We took Miss A to take some pictures at a local pumpkin patch and dressed her up and took some pictures at home. She did not like the tutu i made on bit. I have pictures to prove how much she hated it, but i did get a few good shots too. Now I'm excited for next year when she will be more interactive at things like this :)

Addison's 1st Pictures

October 11th (1 week 1 day old) we had newborn pictures of Addison taken. She did very well, she was awake for some and asleep for others so we could pose her. Only cried once and we gave her a bottle and she was content and ready to keep going. Heather Bush at http://www.chunkymonkeyphototgraphy.com/ is fantastic!! I cant believe how great all of our pictures came out.

Here are a few of my favorites:

As our world turns...

Hey guys!

Maternity leave is going great. Addy truly is a great baby, the only issue we have ran into the past two nights is she wants to be held when she should be sleeping which makes it very hard for me to sleep. I get her changed/feed and to sleep and as soon as i lay her in her crib and get in bed and start to fall asleep she wakes up. I try and let her cry it out for a while to see if she will put her self back to sleep but that doesn't work. As soon as i go pick her up she is fine and falls right back to sleep. Its so sweet that she wants me to hold her but she is going to have to get over that and go back to being the good sleeping baby i got used to the first week :)

In time I'm sure we will work a schedule out. Other than that things are great and we are enjoying relaxing at home together although i cant wait to take her out and run errands but due to the h1n1 stuff the pediatrician has advised me that we should keep it inside till she is 6 weeks. Tomorrow is 2 weeks so 4 weeks to go then were hitting the mall :)

Well here is my post partum survey just cause I'm bored while Miss Addy naps.

How far along were you when you had your baby? 37 weeks 6 days

How long was labor? 6 1/2 hours... I was lucky!

Total weight gain: 15 lbs

Total weight loss since: 17 lbs... Again I am lucky!

Back into your own clothes yet? Yep

Did you get stretch marks? Only on the boobies...

Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? Vaginally.

Best moment this week: Watching Addison sleep so peacefully on my chest even if it is the middle of the night!

What I miss about being pregnant: Feeling her moving inside me.

How big is baby: 6lb 5oz as of her Dr appointment last Thursday.

Baby's temperament? Content. She is really only fussy when she is hungry.

What I am looking forward to: Giving her a real bath :)

And now for a few pictures

Addison's Birth Story

Ok well I'm sitting here with a baby with a full belly and perfectly content so I'm going to try and get this birth story written :)

The week before Addy's birth i started having contractions off and on, mostly ones that would wake me up every hour sometimes closer in the middle of the night but never seemed to get any closer together. Then Tuesday morning (Sept 29th) i started losing my mucus plug and continued to lose that in chunks all week. Called the Dr because i was having mild contractions every 5 min, but she said that unless i could breathe and talk through them it was not time. So i took off work just in case and spent the day with Matt. We even went to the mall :)

On Wednesday (Sept 30th) i went to work and had a Dr's appointment at noon. I was 2 cm and 75% effaced which means i had dilated 1 more cm since my last appointment so the contractions were moving something along, but the Dr said she thought i still had about 1 more week in me. So i left kinda bummed but excited that at least there was progress to show for all the sleepless nights of contractions.

Thursday and Friday went buy the same... contractions all night but never increasing in intensity or getting closer together so i went to work both days and just dealt with it during the day!

Saturday, Oct 3rd i didn't sleep at all the night before contractions every 15 min and getting stronger, but since the Dr seemed so sure i would make it another week i was in denial that this could be the start of it. So i tried to relax at home and rest. Finally around 11 am i called my mom and told her what was happening. In the 20 min that i talked to her i had 5 contractions that i couldn't talk through. (Not that they were that painful i just couldn't think while trying to concentrate on breathing) So she urged me to go to the hospital and get checked out... but i was STILL in denial. So i told Matt that it could be the day but i wasn't sure but we should shower and get ready just in case. After getting ready i still wasn't convinced so i sent Matt to the grocery store since that is what we had planned to do that day. While he was gone i started getting some even more intense contractions so i called him and told him we would go when he got back home.

We arrived at the hospital at 2:00 pm. Contractions were about 5-7 min apart. Some were intense and some not so bad. In triage they checked me and i was 3 cm. So they hooked me up to the monitor and told me that they would monitor for 1 hour and unless i dilated to a 4 in the hour then they would be sending me home. The nurse said she thought i would most likely go home :(

So we sat there for about 45 min and i felt a little trickle during a contraction. I told Matt that i thought i may have either broke my water or peed (ha ha) So when the nurse came back over i forewarned her that i may have peed. She said it didn't look like pee and swabbed me to test for amniotic fluid. While she was waiting for the test to work she checked me and i was 4cm... and the test came back positive for my water breaking! So they admitted us!!!

They moved us upstairs to L&D right away. When i was checked up there i was already at 5 cm in 20 min! Things were progressing really fast, and they asked if i was going to get an epidural. At this time the contractions weren't to bad at all but i did want the epidural and if i was going to get it they were going to have to give it to me before i dilated any more. So they pumped me with iv fluids. While i was waiting for my epidural i had one REALLY bad contraction!!! The nurse even came in and asked if i was ok cause she saw it on the monitor.

Dr came in gave me my epidural which they had to put in twice! : ( during a contraction both times! Then it started to kick in and was WONDERFUL!! Nurse checked me again and i was already at 7 cm. Around this time i had a bunch of contractions in a row (couldn't feel) and the babies heart rate decreased very fast so the nurses came in and had me roll over and put some oxygen on me. Addy bounced right back and was fine.

Around 7:30 they came in and checked me and i was 9 cm and moving really fast. Around 7:50 i told the nurse i had this pressure like i had to go #2. So they checked again and i was 10 cm!!! Everyone started getting ready to have this baby! At 8:05 i was told to push. 10 count for 3 times through every contraction. Pushed through 3 contractions and she was here!!! 15 min of pushing and that was it!!!!! I couldn't believe how fast it all went. Within in 6 hours of getting to the hospital and she was born! It almost seemed too easy! I'm still in disbelief!


Addison Lynn
Born October 3, 2009 @ 8:20pm
6lb 6oz and 19 inches

Addison is here!!!

Born Oct 3,2009, 6lb 6 oz and 19 inches. Birth story to come....

Dr Appt Update...

Well i never thought i would get to the point where i just feel miserable but it is here. I think partly because i have been fighting a chest cold, the fact that she has dropped and the middle of the night contractions for 3 nights in a row...

With that being said i would have thought that at my dr appointment that i would have made more progress but honestly any progress is progress in my opinion. Last time i went to the dr i was almost 1 cm and 75% effaced (2 weeks ago) now i am 2 full cm and still 75% effaced. She said that she thinks i have another week left in me but well see. The way i feel today i dont see how i can make it 7 more days with out hurting someone :(

Ill keep you all posted... I also plan to get someone to blog my labor so stay tuned for that :)

Check out....

MY TICKER!!! woo hoo its at the very end, no where else to go!! Cant belive how close its getting!! :)

Lots of updates....

First off... Matt and I had maternity pictures taken the weekend before last at the Las Colinas Canal. Heather Bush with Chunky Monkey Photography did such a great job. Here are just a few of my favorites :)

Secondly... I had my 35 week appointment yesterday that went very well. They did the Group B Strep test which I will know the results of tomorrow, and they checked my cervix. I am currently 75% effaced and almost 1 cm dialated. The dr said that is really impressive since im a first time mom and things normally dont progress so fast. She also doesnt think I will make it to my due date, which is fine by me. So far the baby is perfectly healthy and if I were to go in to labor she said she would not stop it. So yeah for being so close!!

We are now on a weekly dr appt schedule every Wednesday usually around lunch time. I will continue to update as I know more. I will not be checked again till 38 weeks so I wont know if im making progress in that area but maybe I will learn other things :)

Thirdly... Matt and I went and looked at 2 daycares yesterday and it just upset me so bad. The daycares were crap. I didnt even want to be there longer than I had to, so I know I will not feel comfortable leaving Addison there. Our issue is that we live in Ft Worth and work in Arlington with a 30-45 min commute with no traffic. If there is traffic or for some reason I have to work late there is no way we can guarantee we will be back in Ft Worth by 6:30 to pick up Addy. So we have to try and find a daycare that is on our way to and from work. Leaving our options to be either up I30 or I20.

After my bad experience with the daycares I talked to my friend Lauren who works for a daycare and got her opinion. I would really love to take Addison to the daycare that she works for but it is a little out of the way and seemed to be high priced compared to the daycares that are in our area in Ft Worth, but after looking at a few you get what you pay for and were just going to have to cut back in other area's cause im not sacraficing her saftey to save a couple hundred a month. So needless to say if you cant tell im really concidering making the extra drive and cost to have her go to daycare with Lauren. Well see... Matt has never been there so im taking him by next week after the dr to check it out. Hopefully we can make it all work :)

Shanda :)

35 weeks ~ 35 days to go

Well time is going by sooooo fast! We are 35 weeks today with only 35 days to go or less! I cant wait : ) Here is a sneak peak from our maternity pictures taken last Sunday (34 weeks) and a survey just to kill some time as I lay around on this rainy football Sunday!



How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +11 lb

Maternity clothes? Still the same ~ all my pants and a few shirts. I can for the most part still wear all my pre-pregnancy shirts as long as i wear a longer undershirt underneath

Stretch marks? none on the belly! 5 weeks to go maybe I can make it by with none for the whole pregnancy :)

Sleep: not too terrible. Im up about 3-5 times a night to potty and I feel akward when i have to roll over but once i fall asleep its all good

Best moment this week: Realizing she could be here in less than a month, and hearing Matt talk about how anxious he is for her to be here

Movement: Still all the time!!! :)

Food cravings: Peanut butter sandwiches and Fruit

Gender: GIRL!!

Labor Signs: Some false back pain labor but nothing serious

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: being able to sit at my desk with out my back hurting

What I am looking forward to: Making it to full term in 2 weeks :)

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy just laying around the house doing nothing for a whole weekend. Who knows when you will get another weekend like it again...

Milestones: hmmm.... nothing really this week

Baby Shower :)

Yesterday was my baby shower thrown by my two sisters, Megan and Kaylyn. It was so perfect and i cant believe how many wonderful things Addison got.

After the shower my Mom and Megan came over and we got to play with everything and do laundry!!! Ohhh the laundry!!! This little girl is going to be by far the best dressed girl i have ever known.

After the shower i dont think we have much left to buy for the baby just a few odd and ends and now we play the waiting game :)

Maternity pictures today cant wait! :)

Shanda

31w4d Dr Appointment

Well we had our growth ultrasound at the dr today and everything is looking great! She is 4lbs3oz right now and about 16 inches long. She is measuring 5 days ahead of schedule moving my due date to Oct 13th but who knows she will come when she wants :)

My next appointment is September 2nd...

September is going to be a very busy month but that is good the faster it goes by the sooner we will see our little girl!

I have my baby shower in 2 weeks and I cant wait! My sisters have been so excited and planning away. I havent asked much about it cause im excited for the suprise!!

Well thats it for now!!!
Shanda

Ticker...

Everyone notice that my ticker is one step closer to the end!! YEAH!!!

30 Weeks

Well we have made it to 30 weeks. Just 7 more till full term and 10 till my due date! Cant believe how fast the time is flying. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure and a 30 week survey :)

Showing my Champ some love :)

How far along? 30weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +8 lb

Maternity clothes? All my pants and a few shirts

Stretch marks? only on the boobies... Finally broke down and bought a bigger bra! That was nice! :)

Sleep: slowly getting worse, but not to bad yet

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby roll around. Never gets old!

Movement: All the time

Food cravings: Nothing really

Gender: GIRL!!

Labor Signs: Heck no!

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Walking with out my hip hurting

What I am looking forward to: Babyshower that is coming up in a few weeks!

Weekly Wisdom: i got nothing!

Milestones: Making it 3/4 of the way done :)

Meet my newest nephew Hayden

My nephew Hayden was born yesterday at 4:27pm, 9 lbs 6oz. Mommy and Daddy (Victoria & Anthony) are doing great as well as baby.

Victoria was induced at 6 am yesterday morning, dialated to a 4 by 10:30 and got her epidural, 6 cm around 1-2pm, then started pushing at 3:15pm.

Here are a few pictures :)

Hayden

Daddy and Hayden

Uncle Matt and Hayden

Help my company out :)

The marketing research company I work for is looking for liquor drinkers between the ages of 21 and 54 to participate in a taste test. The taste tests will be held during the weeks of August 10 and August 17 at Decision Analyst in Arlington, TX (near the intersection of I-30 and Hwy. 360-across from Six Flags). If you qualify and participate in the test, you will receive $40.

Please take the following short survey to determine whether or not you qualify to participate. If you do qualify, you will be contacted later by Anne Parks of American Consumer Opinion® (a division of Decision Analyst) to confirm the date and time for the test.

http://www.daisurvey.com/jsh/090376f/index.asp?s=90

**Please forward this on to any friends in the area that you think might be interested :)

Thanks for your help!
Shanda

Month 7 (week 29-32)

Here is what Addison is up to for the next few weeks :)

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

I cant believe how fast this pregnancy is going. I know i probably wont be saying that when it gets to the last few weeks but so far it has all happened so fast. Matt and I are about as prepared as we ever will be. Only a few things left to buy and then its just the waiting game.

My baby shower is in a month and i can not wait! My sisters are both so excited about it and they have kept some of it a secret so im anxious to see what all they have been working on :)

In other baby news, our friends Chris and Lauren had their little girl last Thursday, and my sister in law is due today! So anyday now we will be celebrating another birth! I cant wait, its just so exciting and im glad they all get to go first so they can tell me what i really need to know to be prepared haha!

I guess that is it for now. I go to the dr again on Wednesday for just a general appointment so nothing to exciting. Then two weeks after that i get another ultrasound :)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Shanda

Kayla Ann is here...

Our friends Chris and Lauren had their little girl this morning via c section.


Kayla Ann
8 lbs 11 oz
20 inches

Making progress...

I passed my 1 hour glucose test! Althought it wasnt that horrible it was not great either. Within 5 minutes of drinking my fruit punch drink i was shaking all over, and felt like passing out. It really did a number to me. Im not one to take in alot of sugar any ways so it caused me to have a extreme sugar rush then i bottomed out and just wanted to sleep. None the less i still passed so that is great news!

I was supposed to work from home when i got home but all i wanted to do was lay down. So i slept from 4 pm till 7 last night!

On another note i am now down to two week appointments. This is all going by so fast for me!

August 5th - regular check up
August 20th - Ultrasound :)

In total i have gained 8 lbs which i thought was not enough but the dr assures me all is well im just gaining baby weight and not any where else!! WOO HOO! :)

I guess that is it for now! I will update you more when i know more!

3rd Trimester!!

Woo Hooo we made it to the 3rd tri!

How far along? 27 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +9 lb (could be more ill find out on Wed at the dr)

Maternity clothes? pretty much all of them now

Stretch marks? few on the boobies :(

Sleep: besides getting up to potty a couple times a night im still enjoying my sleep

Best moment this week: Letting Stephanie watch the baby move. She gets so excited :)

Movement: Just about all the time! I love it!

Food cravings: Bone Daddy's queso that i still have not got to eat yet :(

Gender: GIRL!!

Labor Signs: just the usual braxton hicks

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: being not so hormonal! :(

What I am looking forward to: the rocker i ordered coming in this week

Weekly Wisdom: try not to let everything get to you. I find myself crying over everything...not cool at all

Milestones: Making it to the 3rd trimseter... all down hill from here i hope!

6 1/2 months...

I feel like i have been growing at an incredible rate these past few weeks so here are some belly pictures :)

Fabulous 4th of July

Well we had a wonderful 4th of July and hope everyone else did the same :) Our 4th consisted of family, friends, swimming and steak!! It was the best day all around. Our Dad was out of town and graciously allowed us to use the pool and grill while he was away. (Thanks Dad) So my sisters and our men decided that we would cook out and swim. Here are a few pictures :)

Matt and I :) (Yes im 6 months pregnant and still rocking a 2 piece!! Dont hate haha)

Megan and Richard acting silly (anyone want to chicken fight??)

Kaylyn and David (cute as always)

Matt and I again just getting some sun

Just me posing for Kay :)

Hope everyone else had a nice weekend... Tomorrow is back to the grind!

Shanda Renee <3>