Journey Through Parenthood

Twenty Six Months

2012-02-13T13:37:00.003-06:00

Hannah is really enjoying being a big sister. She LOVES to bring me things like the pacifier or burp cloth. If Abigail is crying she will gently pat her and say it's OK. She helps me burp her and requests to hold her from time to time. In the photo above she put her hand on Abigail's head all on her own. So sweet! She is still ever the mimic and it's fun to watch her pretend play. She rocks her toys, wraps them in blankets, puts them to sleep, burps them, tells them it's OK, and changes their diapers.

Hannah is fascinated with words right now. She knows they say things and will point and repeat "that say" over and over until you tell her what it says. We've decided to take advantage and begin teaching her letters. She now knows A,B,C,H,O, and X. We've shown her D once or twice, but she doesn't quite remember it yet. Ever the observer she finds these letters in books, on toys, our clothing, and many other places.

Hannah is finally getting some more teeth. The two canine teeth on the bottom have poked through the gums. Thankfully they weren't too painful and only bothered her a little. You can't see them in this picture, but it's still cute!

LOVE watching Hannah and Nathan play together. She LOVES her daddy. They play all sorts of silly games. She gets excited when he comes home from work and comes running around the corner to give him hugs.

One Month

2012-02-06T20:03:00.004-06:00

Can't believe it's already been a month. We finally finished Abigail's newborn photo session. It was hard! I think we got some cute photos though. Many many thanks to my mom for taking and editing them! Here's a few of my favorites:
Love the hair sticking up!

We started sleep training last week because Miss Abigail would only sleep if one of us was holding her. LOVE snuggling with her, but she needs to learn sleep in her own bed. I am pleased to say training is going well. We still have some rough moments, but for the most part she is going to sleep quicker and staying asleep longer than she was before.

One more photo before I go. Hannah decided she wanted to join the monkey photo this month. Love my sweet girls!

Birthday and Christmas

2012-02-04T17:41:00.003-06:00

I know this is 2 months late, but December and January were very busy. We just had a small family birthday celebration. Thanks to my mom for making the cute cake. Hannah loved it and can still tell you who ate which cupcake! She also enjoyed blowing out the candles. If fact we had to light them 3 times. =)

Hannah was at a very fun age this year. She LOVED opening presents...even if they weren't for her. She helped carry packages to everyone Christmas day and then unwrapped the gift for them. =)

Three Weeks

2012-01-26T15:32:00.004-06:00

I've had several people ask how sweet Abigail is doing so I thought I'd update. Her jaundice is almost totally gone. They checked her bilirubin again last Friday and it was down to 9.3. It's low enough now that they won't need to check it again. We went to full time nursing last week as well. Yeah for no more pumping! =) As of last week Abigail still hadn't quite gained back her birth weight so we went in this morning for a weight check. Happy to report that she is now 8 lbs 14 oz. They doctor is very pleased with how she is doing. We don't go back for another check up until early March.

Abigail really seems to like bath time. I remember Hannah crying for many of her early baths. Abigail just sits there and looks around or sucks on her fingers. This photo isn't from her first bath, but one of early ones.

Abigail is still happiest when held and snuggled. That is sometimes difficult now that Nathan is back and work and I have to take care of Hannah too. =) She has spent more time in my wrap than Hannah ever did. We are slowly figuring out a new routine. I keep telling myself that this is just a stage and it will pass soon. Until then I try to enjoy snuggling, even if it is at 2 am.

I think that's about it for now. Time to get both girls up from their naps. My mom and I are still working on newborn photos. It's much harder than you would think. We are getting some cute shots though and I will post soon!

One Week

2012-01-12T17:15:00.003-06:00

This last week has flown by! Sweet Abigail is still jaundiced, but her bilirubin number is moving in the right direction. We are now only doing formula at every other feeding. We saw our pediatrician this morning too. Abigail weighs 8 pound 2 oz, 6 oz more than when we left the hospital on Sunday. She has already grown 1/2 inch (21 1/2 inches long). We are very pleased with her progress.

She is such a sweetheart! If we snuggle and rock for 15 minutes all swaddled up then she is off to dreamland. Sleep training will come eventually, but for now we are enjoying loving and snuggling with her. No new pictures to post today, but more to come. We are heading to my mom's tomorrow to try and take cute newborn photos with little hats and bows. FUN! Hopefully we can get her sleepy enough to let us pester and play with her. =)

Twenty Five Months

2012-01-12T14:45:00.003-06:00

Hard to believe another month has gone by. December went very quickly with the holidays and preparing for a new baby. Hannah continues to amaze us with her language development. She strings more and more words together everyday. She is constantly repeating everything we say and having conversations with herself. She will ask herself a question and then answer it too. Funny girl!

She can identify 3 letters: A, H, and X. We are still working on counting, she likes to skip 4 and 8. If you hold up your fingers she can tell you numbers 1 - 4. She can also identify 1 and 2 written down. Such a smart girl!

She seems to be adjusting well to being a big sister. She gives sweet gentle hugs and kissed to Abigail and talks about her constantly. She wants to tell her hi and show Abigail her toys and clothes. If Abigail cries she says "Baby Abigail crying, she's sad." We haven't heard "all done baby Abigail" yet, but I'm sure we will at some point. =) Here's some sweet photos of the two girls together.

Abigail Lee McCartney

2012-01-10T15:52:00.004-06:00

Sweet Abigail was born January 5, 2012 at 7:21 am. She was 8 pounds 9 oz and 21 inches long. We are already in love and she's only 5 days old! She seems to be a happy content baby so far, much like big sister. My c-section went well and I am recovering slowly. I feel much better than after having Hannah.

Sadly we are also having jaundice issues just like with Hannah. Abigail is a great at nursing, but her bilirubin levels keep going up. Starting this afternoon we are feeding formula only (which means pumping for me) and going for another check tomorrow. If her levels go up again then we have to start some sort of photo therapy. Sadly we've had nothing but rain since we were released from the hospital so we can't let her sunbathe in the window. Please pray that her numbers start to go down.

We are so thankful for my parents who kept Hannah the entire time we were in the hospital. It was nice not to worry about her. They brought her up to visit every day. So far Hannah is adjusting well to being a big sister. It's almost time for her next update so I'll post more details soon. Nathan and I are SO blessed with our sweet girls!

Yes, we plan to take monthly photos with monkey this time too. All the photos in the post were taken by my mom. So thankful she captured these memories!

Two Years Old

2011-12-14T15:09:00.004-06:00

I swear I was in the hospital giving birth just yesterday and now I have a sweet little girl! I really cannot believe she is already 2! She doesn't really get the whole birthday thing yet, but will say "happy birthday to you." And she if you ask "how old are you?" she can reply two and hold up 2 fingers. We are doing a small family celebration this weekend for Hannah (and my mom) since their birthdays are only 4 days apart. I'm sure baby girl and I will celebrate birthdays together too since they will also be close together. What can I say we crammed 4 birthdays and Christmas into a one month span. =)

Hannah had her two year check up this morning and the doctor said she looks great. She weighs 28.6 pounds (65th percentile) and is 34 inches tall (50th percentile). She has never been that high on the weight chart before! Hannah is getting better about trying what Nathan and I are eating. She still get her own meal, but we're glad she's trying new things. She still hasn't mastered feeding herself with a spoon, but she's getting better. She says "Hannah have turn." Hannah only got one shot this morning and she didn't even cry. She whimpered and I thought she was going to, but she was distracted by the band-aid or "circle sticker" as she called it. Such a big girl!

Hannah is really such a sweet girl. She gives lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles. She knows most of her colors and we're working on numbers. She can count to three, but then wants to skip to 8 and 9. She also knows the letter "x." She's usually really good about picking up her toys before bed or nap. She hardly ever cries when we put her to sleep and she LOVES to help carry things or throw things away. She's going to be a big help when baby sister comes.

Speaking of baby sister...Hannah totes her baby doll all over the house. She hugs her and feeds her a bottle. So sweet! And if you are whispering she says "Shh be quiet, baby sleeping." She's going to be a great big sister!

As promised we took a picture with Hannah's monkey friend for her birthday. I wasn't sure how cooperative she would be, but she did surprisingly well. Of course the toy teapot was a great distraction. =) I bought party hats knowing that monkey would wear one, but not too sure about Hannah. We put monkey's hat on and asked if she wanted to wear one too. She said yes, but when we tried to put it on she said " no, all done hat." She did keep pointing to monkey and asking to wear a hat, but REFUSED to let us put one on her. So I finally asked if she wanted to wear monkey's hat and she excitedly said yes. So I took off monkey's hat and put it on her head and she was happy as a clam. Then I took her hat (which was EXACTLY the same) and put it on monkey. Too funny!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET HANNAH!

Thirty-Five Weeks

2011-12-07T15:32:00.003-06:00

Haven't written about baby in a while so I thought I'd do a short post. This pregnancy has gone really well. No complications. I certainly FEEL pregnant, but nothing major to complain about. My doctor likes that I am a very boring patient. My weight and blood pressure are good, and baby seems to be growing nicely. She's measuring exactly where she's supposed to be and has a good heartbeat.

I am scheduled for a C-section on Jan 5. Since I had to have a C-section with Hannah and it's only been 2 years, my doctor wasn't comfortable with me doing a vaginal birth. She said most of them go really well, but if things go bad it's REALLY scary and happens quickly. Nathan and I did NOT want to mess with that so we opted for another C-section. Hopefully little girl will wait until her scheduled arrival!

There was much less preparation this time, since we already have baby stuff. All the newborn clothes are washed and waiting in her closet. The nursery is all ready since we moved Hannah to a new room. We do need to move the crib up to the highest setting though. =) Nathan's coworkers are having a small shower for us tomorrow so maybe baby girl will have a few NEW clothes to wear. Not that she will care!

Twenty Three Months

2011-11-15T15:05:00.003-06:00

We did lots of fun things in the last month. My mom and I took Hannah to the Dallas Arboretum to take pictures with the pumpkins. Hannah enjoyed riding in her wagon and looking at people, flowers, pumpkins, etc. However, she did NOT want to pose for pictures. She wanted to PLAY. I think we managed to get two good shots and if you look closely you can see that we are holding on tight to keep Hannah still. =) Just realized I don't have those photos from my mom yet, so you'll have to wait until another post.

Hannah has enjoyed her 10 week music class at church. Tomorrow is our last class and I know she will miss going. The week before Halloween they let all the kids come in costume and we took a group picture. LOVE the peacock costume in the middle. That's one creative mommy!

Nathan and I decided months ago that Hannah should dress up as a monkey this year. It's not very girly, but we call her little monkey so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We did add a pink bow and tutu to the costume so she wouldn't look like a boy. =) She wasn't too sure about the costume at first, but warmed up and then asked to wear it. We still wear the tutu some days while playing at home.

Our church has done a Fall Festival for the last several years and our ABF (Sunday School) class always decorates a booth. Hannah enjoyed walking around the festival this year, but didn't really want to play any games. During our shift to work she entertained herself by taking handfuls of candy from the booth bucket and putting them in her bag. She has no idea what candy is and didn't eat any of it. But it sure was fun to grab! =)

Then the following Sunday we met my parents and sister at another local church for their Trunk or Treat. The parking lot was set up with decorated cars and kids walked by and got candy. Hannah even surprised us by agreeing to ride on the pony. She seemed to have fun and got to wear her costume one more time. =)

Dallas Zoo

2011-11-08T15:12:00.004-06:00

So we went to the zoo a month ago and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. Better late than never right! =) We took advantage of cooler weather and rode the DART train down to the zoo. We only saw part of the zoo so Hannah could come home and take a nap. We had lots of fun and enjoyed watching Hannah see the animals. If you ask her about the zoo she can still tell you some of the things she saw. Here's a few pictures!
She posed for the picture and then said "all done elephant."

First ride on a merry-go-round. Not to sure about it.

Waiting for the train to go back home.

Hannah's New Room

2011-10-15T10:29:00.004-05:00

Hannah slept in her new room for the first time last night. We've been talking about her moving for a few weeks and have even gone in there to play a few times. She cried when I laid her down, which she doesn't normally do, but only for 2 or 3 minutes. She slept all night and was happy this morning. She said "fun ladybug bed."

These pictures were taken with my camera so the quality isn't near what it normally is. =) The letters over the crib were made by a friend of Nathan's and painted by my mom. The rocking chair was mine as a little girl.

I'm really glad I decorated my nursery gender neutral. Love the green! But I had SO MUCH FUN making Hannah's room girly! Hopefully she will enjoy it too!

Twenty Two Months

2011-10-11T15:16:00.004-05:00

My sweet girl is getting so big! Our scale says about 26 pounds. She's starting to loose that baby look. She is still growing her mullet (as Nathan says) with most of her hair in the back. However, it's FINALLY long enough to pull into very tiny pigtails. =) Grammy cut just a few bangs that were getting in her eyes. Thankfully the pigtails have helped with the messy bad hair days. She does come by this honestly...my sister and I didn't have much hair until we were 3.

Hannah continues to talk more and more every day. We laugh at her constant running commentary. We are also extra careful about what we say around her, because she will often repeat whatever we say. =) She still loves to sing, dance and read books. She has also discovered coloring. In fact we have to hide the crayons and only get them out when we are ready to color.

The weather has FINALLY cooled off so we've enjoyed time outdoors. We've gone to the park a few times, but Hannah fascination with climbing up and down the stairs has limited our visits. That's ALL she wants to do and Mommy has a hard time following her by herself right now. =) We have enjoyed taking a walk around the block every night after dinner. Of course it takes a good 30 minutes because we have to stop and look at every leaf, acorn, newspaper, etc.

Our big outing this month was a visit to the Dallas Zoo (pictures coming soon). We rode the DART train and saw a few animals before heading home for a nap. Grammy and Aunt Kara got to join us too! Hannah had fun and she can tell you that she saw a baby giraffe, an elephant drinking water, and pet a goat. We look forward to many more visits in the future.

Twenty One Months

2011-09-14T15:09:00.004-05:00

Oh how time flies! I can't believe another month has gone by! Now if only we could get some cooler temperatures! =) We did have a few nice days last week and we took advantage of them by going to the park.

Hannah's language has exploded this last month. She has said at least 50 new words. She will consistently put 2 or 3 words together to tell or ask you something. "Miss Observant" doesn't miss a thing...she will point out every hat, star, monkey, baby, etc. anywhere we go. =) She knows 3 shapes: heart, star, and circle. We are trying to work on numbers and colors, but are not quite there yet. She sort of knows red, blue, one, two, and three. It is so fun watching her figure things out.

Our church offers a mommy and me music class every semester and we finally signed up. We had our first class this morning. Hannah was a little shy, but did do a few motions to the songs and enjoyed shaking her bell. It's a 10 week class so I expect her to warm up as the class continues. So blessed that we can do things like this!!

I finally ordered furniture for Hannah's new room this week. Yeah me! Can't wait to get it all put together. I promise to post pictures of the completed room soon.

22 Weeks

2011-09-09T15:31:00.004-05:00

This will be a short post because there isn't much to tell. My pregnancy seems to be going well. Baby girl is growing nicely and has a nice strong heart beat. My doctor likes that I am a nice boring patient. =) Nathan and are still deciding on a name. We plan to do what we did with Hannah and narrow down to 2 names and decide at the hospital once she is born.

For those wondering...our nursery is going to stay a nursery and Hannah is going to move to a new room. We are converting the guest room into her new room. She is not ready to move into a big girl bed yet, so we are going to buy another convertible crib. We painted the room pale pink last weekend and I can't wait until it is all set up!! Still have lots of work to do including order furniture. We hope to get Hannah moved sometime next month so she gets used to her new room before baby girl comes.

Twenty Months

2011-08-12T16:06:00.004-05:00

Hannah is talking more and more every day. We still teach her the occasional sign, but we are mostly focusing on words now. We will ask her to say certain words and she just looks at us. Then we play and she randomly say things I had know idea she knew. Little turkey! Here's the new things she has said this month: Hannah, hop, hug, hat wow, ad, bow, knee, ear, eye, head, help, hair, arm, off, on, ebow (elbow), ing ing (chimes), ulla (umbrella), emo (Elmo), nom nom (Cookie Monster), ta (tag), ho (hole), ip (lip).

We have been praying with Hannah before meals for months now. She has started putting her hands under her chin when we say it's time to pray. If we ask her who to pray for she will usually include family: momma, dadda, Hannah, baby, etc, and sometimes things like stars, sun, and kitty. It is SO sweet!

Hannah has 3 molars and is working on the 4th. That will bring her tooth total up to 12. This last molar is being really stubborn. Her gum is all red and swollen and she's had a runny nose and slight fever. Poor thing! Overall she is a really happy girl and loves to play, sing, and read. Such a sweetheart!!

Sisters

2011-08-10T15:34:00.003-05:00

I had another sonogram today and it looks like Hannah is going to have a little sister! We would have been happy with either, but it will be nice not to have to buy clothes. =) I hope Hannah and "little one" will be as close as my sister and me. =) Baby seems to be healthy with normal measurements. We couldn't be happier!! Enjoy this picture and stay tuned for an update on Hannah in the next few days!

Nineteen Months

2011-07-12T10:46:00.004-05:00

Can't believe another month has gone by! Hannah continues to learn new things. Her new words: hi, bye bye, up, harp, bue (blue), nu (sun), ca co (rooster), qua qua (duck), da chi (chicken), moo (cow). She likes to help brush her teeth and hair, she will hold her bib under her chin, help rub your legs when putting on sunscreen, and many other things. She is even getting pretty good at putting her toys back in her basket when we're done playing. =)

We've started trying to prepare Hannah for the baby. She will point to my tummy and sign "baby" and give my tummy kisses. So sweet! She will also do the same thing to Nathan as well so she doesn't quite get it. =) We bought her a book called I'm a Big Sister. She will sign that babies cry because they need their diaper changed. She LOVES books and can tell or sign one thing from almost every book. She amazes me! Nathan and I both love to read so we are very glad that Hannah also seems to enjoy books.

It's been SUPER hot here so we've spent lots of time in Grammy's pool. Hannah seems to really enjoy swimming. She will splash and play with her toys on the step and float in her "boat." We're trying to teach her to kick her legs too. We've dunked her twice and she has cried both times. Thankfully she calms down quickly, so we'll keep working on it.

Soon We Will Be Four

2011-07-11T10:46:00.006-05:00

We are excited to finally announce that we are having another baby in January! I am 13 weeks already so we've known for a while. Just wanted to get past the first trimester before sharing. We are super excited!

Things seem to be gong well so far. Baby has a good heart beat and seems to be growing. I've felt nauseous a lot, but haven't actually been sick. Hopefully I will start to feel better in a few weeks. I go for another appointment in 2 weeks.

Can't resist posting my favorite sonogram photo.

I plan to write another post tomorrow about Hannah so stay tuned.

Eighteen Months

2011-06-15T10:13:00.003-05:00

We officially have a walker! She finally gained the confidence about 3 weeks ago to walk unassisted for more than a few steps. She likes to be close to mommy and daddy though so she won't go into another room unless we follow her. She will follow us where ever we go. =)

Hannah is saying lots of new words: ha ha (donkey), haow (hello), grr (bear), yeah, Bob (the tomato from Veggie Tales) and she tried to say "up" today. She will also make a "k k k" sound for my sister Kara, and "t t t" for Tommy (Nathan's mom's husband). Hannah has even learned a few new signs: walrus, keys, yes, blanket, swimming, help, window, and medicine. She tries to help brush her hair and her teeth. She knows what Kleenex is and will help blow her nose.

Hannah asks to listen to music all day long. She can do motions to "Wheels on the Bus, Happy and you Know it, Itsy Bitsy Spider, This Little Light of Mine, Shake your Sillies Out, and a few others I can't remember. She also knows that a piano can play music and likes to play at Grammy's house.

We went to the doctor this morning and they were very pleased with how she is doing. She is 22 pounds 10 oz (20th percentile) and 32 inches (60th percentile). She jumped up on the weight chart which made everyone happy. She got 2 shots, but calmed down very quickly. Hannah has 8 teeth now and is working on a molar.

It's been super HOT here lately. Thankfully Grammy and G-Pa have a pool and the water is warm enough to swim. Hannah cried a little the first time we went swimming this year, but not for long. We taught her the sign for swimming and she can tell you what it is and that she swims with duck and fish. We've gotten in the pool two other times and she's had lots of fun splashing and playing with her toys. =)

That's all I can think of right now. One more cute photo before I go. =)

Seventeen Months

2011-05-14T07:33:00.003-05:00

Hannah is still not officially walking, but she is very close. She loves to walk back and forth from my lap to Nathan's lap. She can take 10 or 12 steps in a row. =) She just doesn't realize she can walk anywhere she wants yet. She is saying a few new words: ba ba (sheep), hoo hoo (owl), and eow (cat). To continue with the animal sound theme the snake says "sss" and if you ask about a lizard she will stick her tongue in and out of her mouth. Too cute! She continues to learn new signs as well: work, apple, cow, banana, pillow, tree, yogurt, Grammy, G-Pa, hippo, ball, bee, bunny, and phone. We just love our sweet little girl! She is SUCH a good baby and so happy. We could not be more blessed!!

Here's a few of my favorite photos:

Easter and Standing

2011-04-30T10:34:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter even though Hannah didn't participate in any egg hunts. We did give her a few plastic eggs to play with and she enjoys pulling them apart. Easter church service was wonderful and then we enjoyed dinner with my family. My mom used to make a lot of my clothes as a child. When Hannah was born she decided to smock her an Easter dress every year. At least until Hannah refuses to wear them. =) Thanks mom!

Hannah finally said mama and dada this week! She would babble those sounds, but didn't make the connection to Nathan and I until recently. Just love hearing her say them...too sweet. She also started standing (for a few seconds) without holding on. Then last night she got herself to a standing position without pulling up on anything. Go Hannah!

Stay tuned for another update in a few weeks.

Sixteen Months

2011-04-13T15:30:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd start off this post with a few funny stories. Hannah has always enjoyed eating yogurt (organic Yo-Baby). Once she learned the sign for "baby" she would point to the picture of the baby on the yogurt container and sign "baby." A few weeks ago she was having yogurt for dinner and we weren't feeding her fast enough. So she signed "please" and we said please what. Then she signed "please more baby." Apparently since there is a baby on the container of yogurt that must be what she's eating. =) We've tried to tell her that she's EATING yogurt even though there is a PICTURE of a baby. Sill girl! Nathan thinks it's hilarious and wants to encourage her "cannibalistic" behavior.

Hannah can tell you that a dog says "oof" and a monkey says "ah ah". However if you ask her what the cat says she will make a purring noise instead of "meow." We were playing with her stuffed cat and I made meowing noises and then I put it on her lap and pet the cat's head. Then I told her when kitties are happy they purr and made purring noises. She does know that a cat meows because if she hears that sound she will sign "cat"...and then make purring noises. =)

We're continuing to work on identifying body parts. Hannah's known head, foot, tummy, ear, and nose for months. She finally figured out where her eyes are this week. Although she has a hard time pointing without poking herself in the eye! She can also find those same body parts on her stuffed toys too. She LOVES to look at pictures of herself (and other family). Most of the time she can point to all the people in our family.

Still not walking and no new verbal words. Here's the new signs she learned: sheep, bird, turtle, bug, mouse, bath, caterpillar, elephant, train, pig, and ice cream. She continues to babble and cruise around the furniture. She is getting more confident in her assisted walking, she's just not ready to let go yet.

Can't post and not include pictures! Here's a few of my recent favorites:

Fifteen Months

2011-03-16T15:44:00.004-05:00

This post is a few days late, but Hannah had her check up this morning so I decided to wait. The doctor was pleased with her weight gain, although she's still on the small side. Also got 3 shots today. Poor baby! =(

Weight: 19 pounds 12 ounces (5th percentile)
Height: 30 inches (50th percentile)

Hannah is finally cruising around the furniture and will take steps if you hold her hands. We have one of those cars that converts into a walker, but she isn't interested in doing anything but play with the toys on the front.

She crawls all over the house and loves to play "find mommy or daddy." She brings her toys to us and LOVES to give them hugs. =) A 5th tooth finally popped through and I think she's working on another one.

Still not really saying more words thought, but the doctor says it's still early. She'll tell you a monkey says "ah ah" and the doggy says "oof." She continues to learn more signs every week and will continue pointing at something until you tell her what it is. Here's the new signs she's learned since last month: book, pretty, toothbrush, duck, swing, music, giraffe, bread, penguin, dog, mommy, baby, chair, whale, diaper, car, tray, pancake, flower, and sandwich. During meal times she will put two signs together and ask for "more please", or "please milk."

Since the weather is beginning to warm up we've had a few fun outings. We went to the Dallas Arboretum with Grammy. We drove to Arkansas for the weekend to visit Nathan's family, and we went to the park with Grammy and Aunt Kara to see ducks.

Fourteen Months

2011-02-12T10:15:00.003-06:00

Hannah is at such a fun age. It seems like she's learning something new all the time. She is developing quite the personality. =) She finally figured out how to pull up, but isn't cruising yet. She'll take a few steps if she's really motivated to get something though. Once she started pulling up it took her about 2 weeks to figure out how to get back down. She is a super speedy crawler and now ventures into other rooms. Thankfully she usually stays in the room we are in, but will follow us if we leave.

Hannah also said her first word about a week ago..."uh oh." She enjoys dropping and knocking things over so she can show off her word. She says "ma ma ma" all the time, but hasn't connected it to me yet. In fact she seems to think I'm just a fixture that is always there. =) Of course, she asks for Nathan (via sign language) multiple times a day. Already a daddy's girl!

Speaking of sign language. She has caught on very well and learns a few new signs every week. She doesn't always to the sign correctly due to limited fine motor skills. But once she learns her version of a sign, she is consistent in the way she does them. Here's a list of what she knows: bye bye, more, all done, milk, water, cheerios, light, fish, monkey, daddy, play, please, thank you, doll, bear, cat, and I love you. Here's a photo of her flashing Grammy an "I love you." This is by far my favorite sign, she will respond if you say I love you to her, but also does it spontaneously. SO SWEET!

Thirteen Months

2011-01-13T14:46:00.004-06:00

December was such a busy month and I was behind so readers get to enjoy two posts this week. That said, I can't believe another month has gone by. =)

My grandma turned 95 at the end of December. I had not seen her since college and she'd never met Nathan or Hannah. So we decided to take a trip to Tucson, AZ. The original plan was to fly, but airfare was expensive. So, my parents (and sister) rented a car and we all piled in for the two day drive. We were supposed to rent a suburban but there was a miscommunication with the rental company and we ended up with a Tahoe. That means 5 adults, a baby, and all our stuff had to fit in the car. Needless to say it was crowded. =}

My grandma on her birthday

It was a fun trip and Hannah did really well. The only thing she had trouble with was napping in the car. She is used to sleeping on her tummy in a quiet dark room so I'm guessing that was the problem. It was really great to see a lot of my family and to introduce them all the Nathan and Hannah. We were even able to meet Nathan's aunt for lunch in New Mexico on the way there.

Lots of my mom's family

Nathan's aunt and her husband
We saw lots of my dad's family too, but no group photos. Not sure when I'll subject Hannah to such a long drive (thankfully AR is only 4 hours away), but I'm glad we were able to take this trip.

We went back to the doctor for Hannah's weight check yesterday and everyone was pleased with her weight gain. She's now just over 18lbs and 29 3/4 inches. That means she gained 2 1/2 pounds and grew 1 1/2 inches in the last month. Go Hannah! She loves milk and peanut butter and doesn't seem to be allergic to either. YEAH!

It is so fun watching Hannah learn new things! She still doesn't say actually words (though she babbles all day), but she does know a few words in sign language. We started signing "more" at 6 months when we introduced food. It took a while for her to pick it up, but now she knows "more", "all done", "milk" and we're working on "water". It's nice that she can tell us what she wants instead of crying. Hannah can also point to her head and belly if you ask her where they are. We're working on foot and ear but don't have it just yet. She is also beginning to do motions to songs ie: clap your hands, wash the spider out, etc. She waves bye bye to people and even to her toys (some of the electronic ones say bye when you turn them off). Too cute!

That's all I can think of to write now. I'll update again in February unless something big happens before then.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T16:11:00.005-06:00

As promised a Christmas post...only 2 weeks late. =)

We began our celebration with a family breakfast at IHOP. YUM!! Then we went back to my parents house were the adults opened presents and Hannah took her morning nap. Hannah woke up about noon, ate lunch, and opened her presents. Hannah was a little overwhelmed at first by her books and shape sorter. Then she unwrapped the Laugh and Learn Puppy from Auntie Kara. It has a learning mode that says hand, foot, tummy, etc if you press the corresponding buttons. It also has a song mode where it sings things like, If You're Happy and You Know It, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Head and Shoulders. As soon as Hannah made the puppy sing she started dancing and was very happy.

Grammy and G-Pa gave Hannah her first dolly. She's very soft and has lots of ribbons and things to pull on. Her one big gift was a red wagon. We let Hannah try it out were excited she seems to like it...got a smile. She even took a ride around the house. =) Can't wait for warmer weather so we can take a walk.

We spent the rest of the day spending time together and then had a yummy casserole for dinner. It was a fun Christmas!

Hannah's First Birthday

2010-12-19T14:55:00.002-06:00

Sorry with the holiday and a trip out of town I didn't have time to post earlier.

We celebrated Hannah's birthday a week late due to Christmas schedules. A friend of my mine made Hannah an adorable outfit. Look at the little princess:

We decided to keep the celebration small so we just invited local family. Grammy and Auntie Kara made a super cute ladybug cake. It was YUMMY and semi healthy. Applesauce cake with real apples, whole wheat flour and cream cheese frosting. Hannah had her own cupcake, but she wasn't sure what to do with it. After feeding her a taste of frosting and breaking off small pieces she began to eat some.

Typical baby enjoyed the wrapping paper and ribbons more than the presents. She is enjoying her toys now though. =) She got a few books, a music cube, a Leap Frog caterpillar, and a special book Grammy made with pictures of the day Hannah was born. It was a fun birthday. Still can't believe my baby is one!!

Twelve Months

2010-12-14T11:32:00.004-06:00

We went to the doctor this morning so I'll start with the latest stats.

Weight - 15 lb 9 oz
Height - 28 1/4 inches

If you look back at the nine month blog post you'll notice Hannah has actually lost 2 oz. The doctors weren't overly concerned. Once babies start crawling they burn more calories. So they said to try and get Hannah to eat more at each meal, introduce whole milk, and we go back for a weight check in January. Hannah does enjoy eating so hopefully we can quickly and easily gain what she needs to. The doctor was pleased to see that Hannah is hitting all her developmental milestones (crawling and babbling).

We put up our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving and I was a little worried Hannah would try to pull up on it or yank ornaments off. So I only put soft nonbreakable things within her reach. I am happy to say that she's been a very good girl. She just sat and looked at the tree for almost a week before she did anything. Now she will very gently touch the branches or the ornaments. We have a dancing musical Santa and Rudolph that we put out every year. Hannah absolutely LOVES them. She dances and waves her arms. She knows they play music and will touch and pull on them, but hasn't figured out the on button yet.

Here's the 12 month monkey photo. Monkey is going into retirement, but will return every year for a birthday photo. We are stopping just in time...this month was quite an adventure. Hannah was NOT interesting in sitting next to monkey. As you can see, she clearly had other places to go. =)

This last week was SUPER busy so we haven't actually celebrated Hannah's birthday yet. Grammy, G-Pa, and Auntie Kara are coming over Saturday for a small party. We'll do cupcakes and presents. A friend of mine made her the cutest outfit to wear. We'll take lots of pictures and I'll do a special birthday post next week.

11 Months

2010-11-12T14:55:00.004-06:00

Can't believe my baby is almost a year old! Where has the time gone? Hannah FINALLY started crawling about 2 weeks ago. She hasn't figured out that she can crawl from one room to another yet. I do get my exercise chasing her away from the few cords we weren't able to block off. =) She also enjoys pulling up on the furniture or me. She only knows how to get to her knees though...I'm sure she'll be pulling up to her feet before I know it.

Hannah is working on her top front teeth. One has broken through the gum and the other is just below the surface. These teeth have been SO SLOW to come in. It seems like she's had an off an on runny nose and whineyness for over a month. Hopefully the last one will break through soon and she'll feel better. Hannah is such a sweetie that she tries to be happy even if she doesn't feel her best.

We're in the copycat stage now. So cute! Hannah will shake her head, clap her hands, make a kissy (fishy) face, and crinkle her nose. She also babbles quite a bit. She hasn't associated any sounds with objects or people yet though. She can say: ba, da, ma, g, and ay ya.

No smiles for the monkey photo this month...teething. Still a cutie though! =)

Stay tuned for next month's birthday celebration. =)

Ten Months

2010-10-13T14:03:00.004-05:00

This has been a fun month! Hannah has entered the copy cat stage. She likes to imitate sounds and shake her head. She has always loved music, but just recently starting dancing along. SUPER CUTE!

Mom and I took Hannah to the Dallas Arboretum for their annual pumpkin patch. She had fun watching other children, trying to eat her tiny pumpkin, and touching the straw. We think she was the cutest "pumpkin" there.

Since the weather FINALLY cooled off a little we've enjoyed being outdoors. There's a great park in our neighborhood with a small playground. Hannah loves the swings, but is not too sure about the slide.

Hannah's personality is definitely beginning to show. We got several cute shots with monkey this month. I can't decide which is my favorite so I decided to post them all. Which one do you like best?

Nine Months

2010-09-21T14:58:00.004-05:00

Sorry this is a little late. We had issues taking our monkey photo this month. Hannah suddenly developed a fear of the monkey. She would take one look at him and CRY!
We spent all of last week playing with the monkey and reminding Hannah that he wasn't scary. Not sure where her fear came from, but glad she's likes her "friend" again. Note to self...spend time each week with the monkey so as not to repeat this experience. =)

Hannah also had her nine month check up last week. She is still on the small side (only 5th percentile for weight) but overall healthy. She is 15 pounds 11 ounces and 27 inches long. We just recently grew into size 6 month clothes. =) I was a small baby so I'm not worried and if she weighs less then she's lighter to carry!

We've added a few new pureed food this month: apples and peaches. Hannah is also enjoying finger food: cheerios, cheese, bread, puffs(gerber puffed rice cereal), blueberries (don't seem to like them), and grapes (still not sure about these either). We just recently finished off our frozen pureed carrots and peas so I plan to steam more and cut them small for her to feed herself.

Last but not least....the successful monkey photo:

Photo Sessions and Out Takes

2010-09-01T11:44:00.005-05:00

So many people comment on all the cute photos of Hannah. I am so thankful for all the great memories we've captured! Thanks mom!!! She is very talented and has been practicing. However, we usually take 50-100 photos in order to get ONE really good one. Babies are HARD to photograph!!! I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the rejects or as we like to call them out takes!
HELP! The monkey is attacking me!

I'd rather eat my bow than wear it!

I'm going away now... you've taken enough photos!

Hannah just recently became interested in the monkey. She was pulling on his arms and picking off the fur. Silly girl!

Eight Months

2010-08-24T11:11:00.006-05:00

Yet another month has flown by. Here's what we've been up to...

We've done lots of swimming at Grammy and G-Pa's, of course who doesn't want to be in the pool when it's almost 100 or above outside. Hannah is doing really well in the water. She likes to splash, ride in her ducky boat (a present from Grammy) and I've actually dunked her twice. That always surprises her, but she hasn't cried. =) We even invited several mommy friends and their little ones to come swimming. It was lots of fun! Here's Hannah and her friend Pete checking each other out.

My grandma also came to visit for a few days. She lives in Arizona so this was her first time meet Hannah. We enjoyed spending time with her and hope to see her again soon. We made sure to take a four generation photo while GG was here.

Hannah is still not crawling yet, but she does enjoy scooting around on the floor. She's really good at going in a circle and backwards. She REALLY wants to go forward and gets frustrated when she can't. We've tried lots of new food in the last month too: peas, green beans, carrots, pears, bananas, avocados, yogurt, and we'll try peaches this week. She's enjoying everything she tries and I'm still liking making baby food.

Hannah has 2 bottom teeth that are big enough to see when she smiles. And I think she's working on another one because she hasn't quite been herself for the last week. We head back to the doctor in 3 weeks for another check up (and more shots). Stay tuned for the latest stats.

Seven Months

2010-07-14T11:26:00.003-05:00

Wow! I can't believe another month has gone by. It really feels like just yesterday Hannah was still in my tummy and I couldn't wait to meet her. =) This is such a fun age...it seems like Hannah is learning or discovering something almost every day.

She is doing really well on eating her solid food. She's tried rice cereal, oatmeal, and butternut squash and we're going to try sweet potatoes today. I have several friends who have chosen to make their own baby food so I thought I'd give it a try too. I've only done two veggies so far, but it's not hard and DEFINITELY cheaper.

Hannah now has one tooth. She ran a low grade fever, had a runny nose, and was kinda whiny for about a week, but she was a trooper. Thankfully she still slept well! I would also call her a "sitter" now. She stays upright for a LONG time before she topples over. She enjoys rolling and scooting around on the floor too. She's not crawling yet, but I think she wants to go somewhere. Then I get to chase her around the house...fun!

I guess that's about all the news for now. Here's this month's monkey photo. What a cutie!!

New Pictures

2010-06-26T07:48:00.005-05:00

As promised here's a few photos from the last few weeks. Hannah decided to show off one of her new tricks in this month's monkey photo. She doesn't quite have sitting up mastered, but she doesn't lean on things for support as often.
You can't read the words on her shirt so we added them as a photo caption. I bought this shirt about a year before I got pregnant. Nathan LOVES all things monkey and I thought it was too cute.

We've taken Hannah swimming twice now. She doesn't love the water yet, but there were less tears the second time than the first. I'm determined to make he like the water so we'll be in the pool often. Luckily Grammy and G-Pa have a pool and only live 20 minutes away!

At least she looks cute in her swimming gear! I'll have to post more pics soon that show off the whole swimsuit.

Six Months

2010-06-14T12:08:00.004-05:00

This has been a busy month for us. Last week we drove to Arkansas for a weekend trip. We wanted to introduce Hannah to Nathan's family and friends. She did a great job riding in the car and napping in strange places. Of course, she charmed everyone she met and even shared a few smiles. =)

We also started rice cereal last week. As you can see from the picture below she wasn't sure what to make it the first day. Since then she's done really well. We're still in the exploring stage where more cereal ends up on her face and hands than in her tummy. But she's getting the hang of it.

We've had a few play dates with friends and we went to Grammy and G-Pa's for a cookout. It's been hot for several weeks now and we've been dreaming of swimming. The pool is finally warm enough so we're going to Grammy's this week to try out the water. Hopefully Hannah will enjoy splashing and floating in her chair.

We saw the doctor this morning and everything still looks great. Here's the latest stats:
Weight: 13 pounds 14 ounces
Length: 25 1/2 inches
Head: 16 1/2 inches

She's slowed down a little, but the doctor isn't concerned. Once she's really eating her cereal and starts veggies she'll catch up. She also got 3 shots today, but calmed down as soon as I picked her up. I'll post swimming pictures and her six month monkey photo soon!

Five Months

2010-05-12T09:12:00.005-05:00

Hannah is five months old today. She continues to be a very happy and good natured baby. As you can see in the photo below she likes to give smiles when you talk to her.

Last week we enjoyed a trip to the arboretum with my mom, a friend and her little boy. The weather was beautiful and Hannah seemed to have fun being outdoors. Here's one of the photos from that day.

Nathan and I are so thankful that my parents live in this area and are willing to babysit from time to time. On Saturday Hannah gets to spend the whole day with Grammy and G-Pa while Nathan and I go with Kara, my sister, and her students to Six Flags. This will be the longest we've ever been away from Hannah so hopefully she'll be a good girl!!

We don't go back to the doctor until Hannah's 6 month check up so I'll update again then, unless something really exciting happens.

Four Months Old

2010-04-13T13:30:00.003-05:00

Well another month has gone by all to fast. We saw the doctor this morning so here's the latest stats: 8 1/2 pounds and 25 inches long. She's been very consistent in her growth...still in the 75th percentile for height, 25th percentile for weight, and 50th percentile for head measurement. Poor baby also got four shots while we were there. =(

Hannah is doing great. She is a FANTASTIC sleeper!! She typically sleeps 10 hours at night and takes 3 to 4 naps during the day as well. While she's awake we play with a few toys, read books, and listen to music or mommy singing. She loves music and often tries to sing along! I am so thankful to be able to stay home with her. We have lots of fun together!

We also enjoy having my parents close by. Hannah and I have a "Grammy Day" about every other week. Grammy LOVES our visits and Hannah makes a good subject for her new hobby photography. In fact just about all the photos that I post have been taken by her. Thanks Grammy!

I had to share the latest monkey photo. Can't believe she almost comes up to the monkey's ear now.

Hannah's Dedication

2010-04-09T18:04:00.005-05:00

On March 14 we had a baby dedication for Hannah at church. It was a sweet time when the pastor prayed for her. You would never know it by looking at the pictures, but she was sick with her cold. She did a great job and didn't cry or sneeze while on stage. =) The BEAUTIFUL dress she's wearing was smocked by my mom. She started making it as soon as we found out we were having a girl.

My parents and sister skipped services at their home churches to be here for this special memory. Before the service started the church photographer took this photo.

This was taken by my mom during the service. It's hard to get good photos in the sanctuary because it's really dark.

A Few Firsts

2010-03-21T15:43:00.003-05:00

Hannah caught her first cold last week. =( She was all stuffy and had a yucky cough, but her chest has stayed clear. Thankfully she's been been pretty happy and not overly fussy. She is almost totally well now, just a little cough left. Hopefully that goes away in the new few days.

Hannah's newest trick is rolling over. She's been working on this for a few weeks and finally figured it out on Thursday. She still seems surprised when she ends up on her back. Cute! Here's a link to the video is you want to watch.

This is how Hannah rolls! http://twitvid.com/18FD3

I can't believe how big she's getting! It seems like just yesterday she was born.

Three Months Old

2010-03-12T19:32:00.004-06:00

Here's this month's photo with the monkey:

Also thought you might enjoy this video of Hannah and Nathan "talking." Too cute!

No Hip Brace For Me

2010-03-06T10:57:00.002-06:00

I took Hannah back to the hospital yesterday afternoon for them to take another look at her hips. Sadly, there was a scheduling mix up and we waited for two hours before being seen. GRRR! But, the wait was worth it have have the doctor give us a normal report. =) The specialist was right and Hannah's left hip tightened on it's own after another month of growing. We are very thankful for the good report!!

I don't have an photos to post today, but my mom took some adorable videos the other day. As soon as I get copies of them I'll have Nathan help me post them. Thanks for reading!

Two Months Old

2010-02-15T10:43:00.004-06:00

I wanted to update on Hannah's appointment with the specialist. I REALLY liked this doctor! He said based on a physical exam, her hips feel completely normal. Then he read the sonogram report which said the left hip showed mild dysplasia. He asked why the sonogram was ordered: because she was breech and my mom was born with hip dysplasia. He asked how my mom was treated and I told him that she wore a brace for about 8 months. He recommended repeating the sonogram at the beginning of March. He feels like it will most likely be normal and Hannah's left hip will have tightened on it's own. However, if it has stayed the same or has gotten worse then he wants us to schedule another appointment and he will recommend a brace. Nathan and I feel like this is a very balanced approach. We were also pleased to learn that the radiologist that did her sonogram has been doing his job for MANY years and the specialist think he's a wonderful doctor. He completely trusts his opinion and wrote a request on the order for the repeat sonogram that the same radiologist do this sonogram too. I'll let you know the results of that sonogram when it's completed.

Just a few other random things before I close this post. We had a record 12 inches of snow last week. Nathan still had to work so we didn't get to make a snowman. =( My parents made one and we took our photo with her instead.

Since Hannah was two months old on Friday it was also time to take her photo with the stuffed monkey again. Look how much she's grown.

Eight Weeks

2010-02-09T16:39:00.006-06:00

Wow! The last few weeks have been really busy. Hannah had the sonogram done of her hips. Her right hip is normal and the left hip shows mild dysplasia when rotated inward. Our doctor seems to think it will most likely tighten on it's own. However, we would like to see a specialist just to make sure she doesn't need a brace. I called and got that appointment scheduled for Thursday morning.

She had her 8 week check up this morning and got 3 of the 4 shots. There is a shortage of one and so we have to go to the health department to get it. I decided 3 shots were enough for one day and we'd get the other one tomorrow. =(

Hannah is now 9 lbs 13 oz (25th percentile) and 23 1/4 inches long (75th percentile). I think she's going to be tall like her daddy. =) She is starting to sleep longer and will often go 5 or 6 hours between feedings at night. I got the official OK from the doctor today to stop waking her up at night to feed. Yeah! We'll see if she'll sleep longer than 6 hours. She has been tracking objects for a few weeks now and is also cooing. Nathan and I enjoy "talking" with her. I think she's going to smile any day now because I've caught many attempts.

A few weeks ago my mom and I had a friend from church come and take some sleepy photos of Hannah before she got too big. Sandra (http://www.sandraedwards.net/) did a great job. Here's some of our favorites:

Hope you enjoyed the photos. I'll post another update in a few days about our appointment with the specialist and more photos.

6 Week Check Up

2010-01-25T15:30:00.002-06:00

Hannah went back to the doctor today and got a great report. She now weighs 9 lbs 1 oz and is 22 3/4 in long. We can finally stop supplementing with formula. YEAH! I think it may take her a few days to get used to not receiving a bottle every feeding. That means she really has to stay awake and eat the whole time. =) I'm sure she'll figure it out though.

Since Hannah was born breech they recommend getting a sonogram of her hips to check for hip dysplasia. Our doctor wrote the order today and I just have to call and schedule the appointment. We go back to the doctor in two weeks for an 8 week check up and 4 shots.

This past weekend Nathan and I enjoyed a visit from his dad. Mike lives in Arkansas and was finally able to come a meet Hannah. It was a short visit, but we enjoyed having him!

Look How I've Grown

2010-01-09T13:11:00.004-06:00

Hannah is 4 weeks old today. We thought it was time to take another picture with the stuffed monkey. Look how big she's getting! She is still REALLY hard to keep awake during feeding so if you're looking for something specific to pray for we'd appreciate it.

1 Week
4 Weeks

Finally Gaining Weight

2010-01-06T15:33:00.003-06:00

Hannah went back to the doctor today and I am happy to report that she has finally surpassed her birth weight. She is now 7 lb 12 oz. Hannah is such a sleepy thing that she just wasn't eating well. Last week we started supplementing with 1 oz of formula at each feeding. The first few days were really rough and she seemed pretty confused. We are in a good routine now though. Our doctor said to keep doing what we're doing until our 6 week check up. If she's still gaining good then we can stop supplementing and go to 4 hr feedings at night. Also the jaundice is completely gone. Glad to have lots of good news to report. Thanks for the continued prayers.

Thought I'd include a photo too. Enjoy!

Doctor Visits for All (except Nathan)

2009-12-23T17:31:00.005-06:00

Hannah and I both got to see the doctor today. Last night I noticed that my incision was kind of red and this morning it was bleeding a little. So I called the office when they opened and they were able to squeeze me in. I had a fluid collection in the middle of my incision. The doctor opened that and drained a LOT of fluid and blood out. She said there is no infection yet, but put me on a preventative antibiotic just in case. Please pray that no infection develops because if it does they have to reopen the entire incision and clean it out. I got back next Tuesday for her to check it again.

We enjoyed showing Hannah off to the doctors and nurses at our family practice office. Nathan and I have been going there for years and it's a small office so they all know us. In fact our doctor and her husband actually attend our church. OK off to the actual update. Today Hannah weighed 6lb 12oz which is what she weighed when we left the hospital. She is also a little jaundiced on her face and chest. Our doctor didn't seem overly concerned about either her weight or the jaundice, but will see Hannah again next week to check her again. In the mean time, we are going to feed every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night. We thought it was hard to wake Hannah to eat every 3 hours...every 2 hours in an even bigger challenge. We're making it work though.

Since it's almost Christmas I've been thinking about all they ways God has blessed us. He gave me an AMAZING husband who is truly my best friend. I am so thankful Nathan's been able to be home with me. He does a great job taking care of me and Hannah. And of course our special blessing of Hannah this year. I am still amazed at how God chose to fulfill our desire to start a family. Hannah is a miracle and we know He has a special plan for her life.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy spending time with family! Thanks for reading and especially for your prayers!

10 Days Old

2009-12-22T09:37:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's been 10 days since Hannah was born. We seem to be adjusting well to life at home. She still pretty much sleeps all the time and it's often a challenge to keep her awake during feedings. When she is awake she is usually a pretty happy girl. We are enjoying every minute with her! She still LOVES to be swaddled while she sleeps. And no one can swaddle as good as Daddy, I come close but Nathan is by far the master. =)

Yesterday, however was a rough day. She didn't nap well and then was too sleepy to eat well and the cycle continued until about midnight. She did really good during the middle of the night though. Decent feedings and went right to sleep. That meant I could catch a few hours of sleep. My body is definitely looking forward to getting more than 2 hours at a time though! Hopefully today will be a better day!

Saturday night I started running fever so I called the on-call doctor. She sent me to the ER so they could run tests. Everything came back normal and they said the keep an eye on the fever and call if any other symptoms developed. I don't usually run fever during the day, but it creeps up at night. Sure wish I knew what was going on. My surgery recovery is going well and I'm not in a lot of pain. The fever makes me feel awful though, freezing cold and achy all over.

We take Hannah to the doctor tomorrow for her first check up. Nathan and I LOVE our family practice doctor and she sees infants as well so we decided not to find a pediatrician. I plan to say something to her about my fever and see if she has any ideas. We're looking forward to seeing how much weight Hannah has gained and make sure everything else looks good. I'll probably post sometime tomorrow and let you know what we find out.

Prayer Requests:

That my fever will go away or they can figure out what's causing it.
That Hannah will sleep and eat better today.

First Day at Home

2009-12-16T10:53:00.002-06:00

Yesterday after lunch we were discharged from the hospital. Hannah did a great job in her car seat. Grammy and Aunt Kara came up for a few hours and took some photos. They also helped me wash and dry my hair (it's really thick and takes 30 mins to do). Hannah seemed to do pretty well being at home versus the hospital. We were glad we had two sizes of blanket to double swaddle her in. She REALLY likes to be wrapped up tight. I call it a "little Hannah burrito!" She slept in her crib and not the pack and play. Our house isn't that big so the nursery shares a wall with the master bedroom and is only a few feet from the room I was sleeping in. Our bed is really high and too hard for me to get in and out of right now.

Feeding seems to be going well too. Every once in a while we'll have one that's not great, but for the most part she knows what she's doing. The hardest part is keeping her awake. We usually have to stop half way through and burp, change diaper, or something to wake her back up. Here's some photos that Nathan took last night. The big monkey was a Christmas present from Aunt Kara last year to Nathan. He LOVES monkeys! The other photo shows how tiny she is compared to her crib and you can see her "burrito" wrap. Enjoy!

Many people have asked how I am recovering. As long as I stay on the pain meds I do pretty good. I did a little too much yesterday afternoon and was REALLY hurting last night. Today I've taken it a much easier. I was encouraged to be able to do night time feeding independently. I still have a hard time getting in and out of chairs especially with Hannah in my arms. The rocker in her nursery works really well though.

Introducing Hannah Grace McCartney

2009-12-12T15:00:00.004-06:00

Last night around 10:00 as I was trying to fall asleep I thought I felt a trickle of water. I woke Nathan up, called the doctor, and they said to go to the hospital to check things out. They didn't want me hanging out at home since she was breech. So off to the hospital we went, where they did some magic test to see if you're leaking amniotic fluid. The test came back negative so we went back home. Lucking it wasn't busy and we were back in bed a little before midnight. At 6:45 the next morning I woke up and everything was wet. I took a shower and then came out to talk to Nathan. He convinced me I needed to call the doctor again even though I felt silly since it had only been a few hours. The doctor said to go back to the hospital for them to check me again. They did the fluid test again and this time it was positive. So they tried to page my doctor and get things started. Apparently my doctor was out of town so they scheduled my C-section for 11:30 with the on call doctor.

At 12:13 pm Hannah Grace McCartney was born. Nathan tried to get the doctor to deliver her at 12:12 so she could be born on 12/12 at 12:12. As you can see from the photo she was definitely a breech baby because her legs want to curl up. I think they look like froggy legs.

After they stitched me up and brought be back to my room they brought her in for me to meet her. It was love at first sight! She was really fussy, would not feed, and could not calm down. So, they brought her back to they nursery and figured out she still had amniotic fluid in her lungs. This is common for C-section babies because the fluid normally gets squeezed out as they go through the birth canal. They laid her on her tummy to help her breathing and after a few hours brought her back to me. We did a few attempts at feeding but she was still pretty fussy. The doctors weren't concerned thought since she was only a few hours old.

By the next morning she was much happier and we were beginning to figure the whole feeding thing out. After each feeding Nathan would get her all swaddled tight (He is quite the expert!) and she would sleep.

One Week To Go

2009-12-08T20:24:00.003-06:00

I had another check up today and our little one is still sitting in the same position. So, I'm officially scheduled for a C-section next Tuesday at 7 am. Stay tuned...we'll update and post pictures when she arrives.

Still Don't Want to Sit on My Head

2009-12-01T21:20:00.004-06:00

As of this evening I am 2 cm dilated, 60% effaced, and still have a breech baby. She was not in a cooperative mood. They tried for about 30 minutes to get her to flip over and she would have none of it. Her behind is apparently wedged into my cervix where her head should be. After 2 hours of monitoring they finally let us go home. It has been a LONG day!

So, the plan is a C-section on Dec 15. They will check me when I come in to see if she has flipped over, in which case they'll just induce normal labor since it's the day before my due date. If I should go into labor on my own before then, they will check her at the hospital and if she's still breech do a C-section then. We will keep you posted on any developments. I go in for another check up next Tuesday afternoon and should have more details about the C-section.

Thanks for reading and we appreciate your prayers!

Nursery is Complete

2009-11-27T15:56:00.006-06:00

My parents and sister came up today and we put the finishing touches on the nursery. It feels really good to have that done. Now she has a place to go when she comes. =) Enjoy the pictures below.

Only 3 More Weeks

2009-11-24T17:35:00.003-06:00

Wow! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone! I am so thankful to have been healthy and not have any major complications.

I went in for another check up yesterday and the doctor discovered our little girl is breech. Apparently she doesn't want to sit upside down. =) So, she's going to check again next Tuesday to see if she decided to flip over. If not, I'm going to head next door to the hospital where they can do an External Cephalic Version. Basically the doctor is going to try and turn her from the outside. If that doesn't work then I will be scheduled for a C-section at 39 weeks. Hopefully she will flip on her own of the doctor can get her to move. I'd rather NOT have to recover from a C-section.

Other than that things are going well. I have one week left to work. YEAH! I'm very ready to say goodbye to my cute but CRAZY class. I plan to spend this weekend finishing up things in the nursery. I'll post pictures once it's completed. And I'll write another update after my appointment on Tuesday.

Prayer Requests:

The baby will flip on her own or that the doctor can move her
Safe and healthy delivery

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

30 Weeks and Counting

2009-10-06T18:06:00.003-05:00

I had another check up today and things are still looking great. Our little girl continues to move around a lot. Sometimes I think she's quite the acrobat. =) I will have appointments every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and then I start going every week. Let the count down begin.

I started my long term sub job almost 2 weeks ago. Things are going OK, but I am definitely TIRED at the end of the day. I miss my class from last years job. I see now how blessed I was to have such a great group. Oh well, Dec 4 is only a little over 8 weeks away.

Thanks for stopping by. Tune for another update soon!

It's a .....

2009-09-14T17:22:00.004-05:00

GIRL!!!!

I had another level 2 sonogram today and we found out that we're having a little girl! Nathan still wanted to be surprised, but was tired of being constantly harassed so he gave in and let me find out. =) Thanks honey!!

The doctor says everything looks great. She was specifically looking at the heart and kidneys and said they both look beautiful. The heart rate was a strong 165. Apparently we have a big girl; she weights 2 lbs 8 oz (in the 85 percentile for weight). According to that, I'm measuring a week ahead of my due date. They won't change the date it just means she might come early. Hopefully she doesn't grow too big (until she leaves my tummy), I'd rather not push out a 9 -10 pound baby.

Here's the latest photo. If you look closely you can see she's sticking out her tongue ( just like daddy does)! =)

Thanks for stopping by to read. I don't have any more sonograms scheduled, but my next check up is in October.

Another Check Up

2009-08-04T11:34:00.004-05:00

I went for another check up with my OB this morning and everything still looks great! The baby's heartbeat was 146. I go back again in September. They said I'm a nice boring patient so there isn't much else to tell!

In other news, school starts in 3 weeks. As of now I don't have any jobs for the first few weeks. I'm sure teachers will call though. I do have a long term job lined up for a Kindergarten teacher for most of the fall semester. Her due date is Sept 21 and she'll be out until Thanksgiving. That should work out perfectly since that's 3 weeks before my due date. I'll be meeting with her once school starts to meet her class and do some planning.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stubborn Husband

2009-07-21T17:40:00.006-05:00

I went for my level 2 sonogram this afternoon and the doctor said everything looks great. She checked out the brain, heart, and kidneys. There was no evidence of any abnormalities. We know that my chances of having a child with a heart defect are very slim, even with my previous history. However, the doctors want to make extra sure and that means extra peaks at the little one. Who could refuse!

For those that don't know, Nathan and I have had an on going "battle" about finding out the gender. I want to know and he wants to be surprised. I was hoping he would just give in at the doctor's office, but he didn't. So at this point the gender is still unknown. I go back for another sonogram in mid September and he says he might change his mind by then. I have my doubts though. =( For now we are both VERY grateful that the baby seems healthy!! Here's my favorite photo...trying to suck it's thumb.

In other news the nursery is painted and no longer blue. YEAH!! And our crib and dresser have been delivered and put together.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

16 Week Check Up and Other Stuff

2009-07-07T14:44:00.003-05:00

I went to the doctor this morning for my 16 week appointment. Everything is still going well! I've finally started gaining weight, up a total of 3 pounds now. I was so nauseous at the beginning that it was hard to eat, even though I wasn't actually throwing up. I go back in four weeks for another check up. In two weeks I go back to the specialist for another level 2 sonogram. They want to check out the baby's heart and kidneys. Hopefully the baby will be cooperative and we can also find out gender. =)

We painted the nursery over the weekend and it looks really good. That room was the previous owners office and he had it painted a really ugly and very bright blue. It's now a light spring/mint green. So much better! I've also ordered my crib and dresser/changer. I wasn't planning on ordering this early, but JC Penney was having a great sale! Hopefully it will be here soon. Once it's put together I'll post pictures.

Guess that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome to the New Blog Address

2009-06-20T16:54:00.005-05:00

Just a quick post to welcome you to our new address. I had a check up with my doctor on Tuesday afternoon. Everything still looks good. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again....nice and strong. I also thought you might enjoy one of the sonogram pictures taken at my first trimester screening (12 weeks).

I go back to the doctor in a few weeks for my 16 week checkup and I'll update again then.

New Blog Address

2009-06-20T15:45:00.001-05:00

If you are receiving this, you have your links / bookmarks / RSS Feeds / etc set up correctly. You are now seeing the new blog in all it's newness. Please blame all design color choices on Jenny. She just asked me to set it up so it looked a little more like "her".

(Nathan)

New Blog Address

2009-06-20T13:53:00.003-05:00

As promised I am officially changing the address of this blog. The new address is:

http://journeythroughparenthood.blogspot.com/

Please update your links. New posts at the new address coming later today.

E-mail subscriptions should still work (or will once Nathan updates it).

Unexpected Blessing

2009-06-17T20:19:00.003-05:00

When Nathan and I decided to pursue adoption we did so because the doctors told us we had a VERY small chance of becoming pregnant naturally. They recommended procedures that involved lots of doctor manipulation. We did not have peace about going down that road so we chose adoption. However we saw no point in going back on birth control. We said if I ever got pregnant it would be because God wanted it to happen. We are excited to announce that God decided that a pregnancy IS in His plan for us! I am 14 weeks pregnant, due December 16. Everything looks great so far, the sonogram showed a good strong heart beat. I also had a first trimester screening for Downs Syndrome and Trisomy 18 and all those results came back normal.

After finding out I was pregnant one of the first things we talked about was how we felt this affected our adoption process. Nathan and I both feel that God has still placed a desire in our hearts to be adoptive parents. We believe that God is in control of timing and don’t even feel a need to put ourselves on hold or anything. We realize this means we have the possibility of having 2 babies very close together. =) We know God will work our all those details though. I’m going to call our agency this week and let them know what’s going on. Once the baby is born we plan to create an additional page to add to our scrapbook.

Here are some things you can pray for:

Healthy pregnancy
Healthy baby
God’s perfect timing on our adoption
Continue to pray for our birth mother

Since this blog will no longer be solely focused on adoption I think I’m going to change the blog’s web address. So be on the look out in the next few days for a post giving the new address. You will want to make sure you update all your bookmarks to the new address once it is in place. We are still on an adoption journey, and this pregnancy is now a part of that journey.

The Waiting Game

2008-11-01T14:50:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, so I thought I'd write today. The agency has our home study report from the social worker and they have received our scrapbook. They have had everything for about a month now. They are sharing our scrapbook with girls they think might be a good match. We know that God is in control of the timing and the right girl will look at our book at the perfect time. That's pretty much it for now. I just wanted to write a short update. I'll try to post again in a month or so. Thanks for your prayers!

Home Study Part Three

2008-08-14T18:14:00.003-05:00

I did our final interview this morning for our home study. I got to answer all the same questions that Nathan did yesterday. The social worker also did an initial walk through of our house, so all she needs to do is come back once we put in the outlet covers and cabinet locks. Hopefully we can get that taken care of in the next week or two and then our home studies will be complete.

Nathan and I also both need to have a basic physical which includes blood work. I did my blood work today and my doctor's appointment is scheduled for next week. Sadly, I have to see a different doctor because mine is out of town. I'd wait for her to get back in town, but she only does physicals in the morning and once I start school I can't do a morning appointment. I'm just glad I can get this taken care of before school starts. Nathan is going to have his physical done at his next transplant appointment in September. It's really hard for him to get off work so it makes sense to do both appointments at the same time. Especially since that office does their own blood work.

I know I've spoiled you all with 3 posts in one week. Don't be surprised if you don't see anything for a while. We promise to keep you updated as things happen. We really appreciate your prayers for us and especially for the birth mother.

Home Study Number Two

2008-08-13T17:22:00.004-05:00

We had our 2nd home study interview this morning. We started out finishing the couple questions mostly about the community. We discussed the things our community has to offer like shopping and theaters as well as many doctors and fantastic hospitals. Then the social worker moved on to Nathan's individual interview. I thought I might have to leave the room, but was allowed to stay. He got to answer questions about his childhood, parents, relationship with his parents and sister, as well as his medical history. Then he talked about the schools he attended, extra curricular school activities, and feelings about school. Nathan also got to talk about me and our marriage. Luckily it was all good stuff so I didn't have to make too many editorial comments. =)

Tune in tomorrow to read about my individual interview.

Home Study Part One

2008-08-12T21:36:00.003-05:00

We had our first home study interview this morning. The social worker came to our house and asked us lots of questions. Most of what we talked about today had to do with us as a couple: why we wanted to adopt, what we have to offer a child, our discipline philosophy, and how we would encourage spiritual growth in a child. We also talked about our feelings toward the birth family and how we would answer questions from our child about their adoption. The social worker also had us look at our application and see if anything had changed in terms of they type of child we hope to adopt (race, age, disability, gender). She also gave us a list of some things the agency would like copies of: insurance forms, W-2, birth certificates, our marriage license, and a notarized form stating we have no criminal history (a state requirement).

Tomorrow we will finish up the last few questions as a couple and then she will do Nathan's individual interview. My individual interview will be Thursday. They don't normally do all the interviews the same week, but we both happened to be off work since I haven't started school and Nathan is recovering from surgery. The social worker also happened to be taking her daughter to VBS at a church down the street from our house, so it worked out well for all of us.

We also received a list of things the social worker will be looking for when she does the actual inspection of the home from a safety stand point. We'll probably head to Home Depot this weekend for plug outlet covers and cabinet locks so everything will ready. Then it's just a matter of scheduling the inspection. Once that's done and we mail all our copies and the scrapbook then it's in God's hands to connect us with the right birth mother.

Home Study

2008-07-24T16:58:00.003-05:00

I received a call this afternoon from our agency about our home study. They have assigned us to a social worker who lives in Wylie, TX. This is good news because Wylie is only about 30 minutes from us, where as the agency is in Tyler, TX and is an hour and a half away. They are mailing the social worker our application and references, and she should be calling us in the next week or so to set up our first interview.

The only down side to having our home study done locally is that I will not be able to deliver our scrapbook to the agency in person. I guess we could make a special trip, but gas is WAY too expensive to consider that. So it will be mailed with all the extra insurance and return/receipt stuff I usually don't pay for.

I also still need to make copies of the scrapbook before I mail it. Most of the girls the agency works with live in Tyler, but some of their girls live in either Austin or Houston. The original scrapbooks are large and expensive to mail, so they asked each couple to give them a copy along with the original. Of course, I will want to make a copy for myself as well, since the original will go the the birth mother that places her child with us.

For those of you who may be asking what can we pray for, here you go.

that the home study would go smoothly and quickly
that Nathan and I would have patience to wait on things to in God's timing
that we make wise financial choices in saving for adoption expenses as well as the addition of a new family member
continue praying for the birth mother, that God would prepare her for the journey she has ahead

That's it for now. We'll keep you posted as things happen.

Background Check: Complete

2008-06-14T16:01:00.005-05:00

Today's Post is from Jenny:

We called the agency last week and found out that our background check has been processed and there were no problems. We didn't expect the background check to turn up anything, but it's good to know it's done. We originally thought our next step was to do an FBI fingerprint check, but it turns out that only couples who have lived outside of Texas in the last 5 years are required to do one.

Our scrapbook is finally finished! We are very pleased with how it turned out. It includes a biography of Nathan and me, lots of pictures, and letters from each of the grandparents-to-be. The agency isn't ready to receive our scrapbook until after we have completed our home study.

What is a home study you ask; let me tell you. The agency will conduct four separate interviews with us: one with Jenny alone, one with Nathan alone, and two as a couple, one of the couple interviews will take place in our home. During these interviews we will be asked many questions, some of them are state requirements and others are questions the agency asks in order to get to know us better. I'm sure we'll have much more to say about our home study once we've actually done it. The agency we're working with is fairly small and only has 2 or 3 people who do home studies. So, we are now waiting until it's our turn.

Once our home study is complete the agency will begin showing our scrapbook (and several others) to girls who are making an adoption plan. They will look at scrapbooks until they find "the one." At that point the agency calls the couple and tells them that a birth mother is interested in them, gives them a little information about her, and asks them to pray about setting up a meeting. Most meetings are scheduled 4-6 weeks before the birth mother delivers. If all goes well at the meeting then the couple has that time to prepare for the baby.

There is lots of waiting in the process so it may be awhile until our next post. We have complete peace that this is where God is leading us right now and we appreciate your prayers!

New Blog - New Subject Matter - New Information?

2008-03-17T12:22:00.005-05:00

Greetings, everyone. I would like to welcome you to my attempt to blog about what is going on in my life. My latest journey is the adoption of a child. My wife, Jenny, and I have decided that our best choice for having children will be adoption.

(If you are not familiar with my medical history, please read: http://nmccart.blogspot.com/)

Today's post is an attempt for me to get everything down on pixels as to what Jenny and I are doing with this adoption and how the journey is progressing (as we move forward).

For starters, we are working with an organization called Living Alternatives (http://www.livalt.org/). They are based in Tyler, TX. They are associated with Youth with a Mission (YWAM). It is a Christian organization that works with Christian couples who are seeking to adopt children. They also work with a maternity home and a crisis pregnancy center in the area. They council pregnant girls and help them decide if they want to place their child for adoption or if they want to single parent. They do not push the girls towards either decision.

As of today, we are in the paperwork process. We have been approved by the agency based on our application. Now, we have to be approved by the State of Texas to be adoptive parents. That means that we have to pass a criminal background check and then get our fingerprints checked with the FBI. Once all that is finished, then the prospective birth mothers can review our scrapbook.

The scrapbook is the next part of the process for us to work on. We need to put together pictures and some information for the birth mothers to read when trying to decide on a couple to place their child with.

Hopefully, this blog will be helpful to me in remembering what all has happened along the way. That way, later on, I can look back at this blog and be reminded of the process. And, if it gives someone else some good information on adoption, then that is a bonus.

Welcome to the New Blog

2008-03-17T11:52:00.001-05:00

This is my first post, just to get the blog up and running. I need to make some adjustments to the layout and such, so it might be a while before you find any real text here.