Fall Pic Photo Session 1

I was going to have a friend of mine take some pics but her kids keep getting sick and her studio is in her house. So I took some myself but these are not all that I am going to do. She started getting upset so I will do more tomorrow. What do you think of my first attempt at this? The only thing I didn't like is having her diaper on but she wouldnt let me take it off lol.

It's The Weekend!!

We are going to our annual retreat for church this weekend. We spend alot of time just being with the people in our church and relaxing. It will be much different then last years retreat. Last year we had just lost Shain 2 weeks before and this time we will be taking our almost 5 weeks old little one. It should be alot of fun. I know that Aydan will be held alot there because the woman just can't get enough of her! I hope everyone out there has a great weekend.

Oh here are some pics. I have a new photo editing software and this is what I have done so far on some of my pics. How are they? Let me know what you think.

Pics Galore and A Doctor's Visit

(No takers on my little give-a-way huh. oh well. I tried)

So we took Aydan for her 1 month check-up. She has gained alittle over a pound since birth weighing in at 7 lbs 10.5 oz. She has also gotten 2 inches longer. Poor baby had to get a shot and screamed the entire time she was getting it. As soon as I picked her up she was fine though. As the title says here is a whole bunch of pictures the first ones are the prof pics I got taken at my work. The other ones are ones from our trip.

We're Back! And A Give-A-Way!

We had a good time and yesterday was not as bad as I thought it would be. We didn't really do anything but we talked about him alot and cuddled with Aydan. It was a nice little getaway though we really didn't leave our place. We went to a waterpark one day because we had received free tickets. We had fun even though one of us had to sit out at any given time to be with peanut. We did take her into the kiddie pool and she kinda liked it. I think it was a little more chilly then what shes used to. Her bath waters are always warm. But she dd not scream or cry in it til after being in there for 15 mins. I think we might have a little water baby on our hands! Which is great because I love the water! Teressa and I spent every night in front of a nice warm fire. I wish we could have had more time. I think we really bonded as a family. Aydan has not been as fussy and last night she even slept for 7 hrs! I have pics at the end of our trip.

Now for the giveaway. As yall have read I had to stop breastfeeding. But I have some stuff that I had bought that I now cannot use. The first is an Amed@ purl.ey yours pump. It has been sterilized and is in great condition. I got it for free from someone who never used it and I only used it for 2 weeks. It has all the parts except for the 2 bottles to pump into. But any reg sized bottles will fit and if you use play.tex bottles I am also giving away the adapters for it. Here is the pump.

As above I am also giving away the play.tex one step storage kit. It comes with 2 adaptors that fit on most pumps and 12 sets for the drop in bags. You can pump right into them or into another container and then pour in the the bags. You then can screw the lid on and put them right in the freezer. Mine never made it into the freezer but only because I just never produced enough. Here is the pic of that.

And then I don't know if anyone wants them but I have a box of nursing pads. I did open the box but they are in a zip lock bag. I had bought a big box and barely used any.

Now if you would like any of this leave a comment with your email. If you do not want to leave your email then comment and then email me at megxta@yahoo.com. It will be a first come thing so be sure to comment. And last but not least here are some pics of our trip.

Chillin on the Couch

Our Cabin

Playing Cards

Swimming

(I will post more pics from the trip over this weekend)

One Year Ago

I know she's not 3 weeks yet but we are only a few days away. She is just growing way to fast. I can't believe that she is almost 3 weeks already. And I am halfway through my maternity time. Teressa will be staying home with her and I love that. That they will get to bond and get to know each other so well. I am just going to miss her so much at work. Esp. since I work with little ones all day. I'm going to be taking care of them and wondering how my little one is doing. She has been really fussy the last week. Not quite sure why. She went from sleeping for 4 to 5 hour stints at night to 2 hr stints. And the day is not any better, she only sleeps for 2 hours at a time. Now last night was a little better because after every waking time she did go right back to sleep. But it does make for some very sleep deprived mommies. Other then the sleep though shes doing great. Shes up to eating 3 to 4 oz at each feeding every 4 hrs. She only has about 1 more days worth of breast milk left but she doesn't mind the formula. Though both me and Teressa can tell she like the breast milk best. She eats it much faster. oh can I say what a pain that was drying up. I hurt so bad and finally I said forget it and I pumped to relieve me a little and only got out 1 once. All that pain for nothing. But since I did that I have not hurt and it's been 3 days. So I think its pretty much gone now. Makes me feel really sad.

We gave Aydan her first real bath the other day. Her cord finally came off so she took a bath with me. She loves the water! She didn't like the sponge baths at all. I think she could have stayed in there forever. I have a pic of her after her bath.

We will be gone for a week. We are going away to remember Shain. On the 15th of last year we lost our little boy. We did not want to be home so we are going away. I am not quite sure how I will be on the 15th. I think having Aydan will help a lot but it will still be a very sad day. Oct. 15th also marks the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. So here is to all the people who have lost little ones. I know that little Shain is watching over Aydan and keeping her safe. I will post more when we get back.

2 Weeks

Today marks 2 weeks since Aydan made her way into the world. She is getting bigger. Her face is starting to fill out more. She is doing great and is such a joy! We have had a couple of rough nights the last couple of nights. She wakes up and decides she she does not want to go back to sleep. We still have not had to switch her over to formula yet, I think we have at least 1 more week before we will. Tomorrow I am taking her by my work for the girls to see her. They are so excited to met her. I am also having her pic takin while I am there because the center is having pics taken of the kids. We bought a cute little dress and are hoping the pictures come out really cute. Here are a couple pics to leave you with.Sorry not longer, I'm really tired and am going to try to get in a nap. lol.

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The Bar Is Closing

Well I believe my breastfeeding is coming to an end. As much as I don't want it to. Little Aydan never latched on and every day I pump less and less. No matter how often I do it, nothing is boosting my supple. When my milk first came in I was pumping almost 6 oz every 3 to 4 hrs. Now here I am and every time I pump I am lucky if I get 1 1/2 oz. I am waking myself up even when she is sleeping to pump and at this point I am so exhausted its not even funny. I find myself getting frustrated and antsy when she is awake because I am so tired. And Teressa tries to tell me to go take a nap but I just can't seem to sleep when she is awake. I did consult a lactation consult again and still no luck. So I think the best thing for all of us is to close shop. Luckily I did produce alot when my milk first came in that I have about 1 weeks worth in the freezer. When that runs out we will be switching to formula.

On another note all together at the doctor's on Monday, She gained 2.5 oz in weight. So she is weighing 6 lbs 9.5 oz. The doctor said she looked great and no sign of jaundice. I have more pics but I haven't downloaded them yet. I promise to do that soon.

The First Week

Tomorrow marks the first week of little Aydan's life. Can I just say that every day I feel so blessed. I have waited for this time it seems like forever. I know that we had it easy trying wise since it happened very quickly. But when I was eighteen I was told I could not have children. To me that was possibly the worst news. I come from a big family (12 siblings) and have always wanted one also. When I got older I was told that it would be ok to have kids but I need to do it before I turn 27. I have a bad liver and it gets a little worse every year. I turn 27 this year so I cut it really close. But lets get back to the little peanut.

She has been doing very good. The first 2 days in the hospital she slept the entire time. Teressa said that while she got her bath and shots she barely made a peep. The nurses said she was the mellowest baby there. In the room she was also great. She had to have her blood checked every 4 hours and each time she never cried. When we brought her home she had a rough first night. We did not get home til 6 pm that night and she was only slept in 30 minute intervals. Finally at 3 am she fell asleep for 3 hrs. Now the rest of the nights she has done great. She sleeps for 4 hrs, eats, I change her (or Mama does), and then she goes back to sleep. During the day is much like the night right now but she stays awake longer before she goes back to sleep.

The only hurdle we seem to be having is latching issues. She just does not want to. No matter how much I try she just doesn't latch. She'll suck for a second then stop. We try and try and all that ends up is her being very frustrated. So I try and if she doesn't drink then we give her some pumped milk and then I pump. Its going ok. So far we have not had to give her formula because I am pumping enough. I just worry if she never latches I will not produce enough to keep up with her.

We go to the doctors tomorrow for her first visit. It will be interesting to see how much she has gained or lost. And of course here are some pics.

R meeting Aydan for the first time

Big Yawn

Look at those Big Eyes

Birth Story

As all of you know when I went in I was already 4 cm and 75 %. Saturday 9-19 I started having some bad cramping that was not going away. Since the OB told me to come in if they did not stop, that's what we did. When we got to the hospital they hooked me up to the machines and I was having contractions every 2 to 3 mins but I was not feeling them. They watched me for 1/2 an hour and then checked me. I was now 5 cm and 75 %. I was hooked up to an IV in case I needed insulin throughout labor and that's when everything stopped. I stopped having contractions and every time they checked me I was still the same. I was not going to have this little one today after all. We were upset because this meant I was going to have to be induced after all on Monday. And I just really wanted to things to start on their own which they were doing until the IV. We know without a doubt that if I had not been given the fluids things would have progressed more. But I was sent upstairs since it was already 9 am on Sunday and I was scheduled for the morning anyways. Also if things started back up then I was right there. I knew nothing was going to go on because I was still hooked up to the fluids.

Monday morning I was sent downstairs at 9 am and started the pitocin drip. They started the drip of slowly and hooked me up to the monitors. After 30 mins of having the drip I started having regular contractions that were 4 to 5 mins apart. I was not feeling them and I was able to walk around for awhile. They checked me several times and each time I had not changed at all. my contractions had not gotten closer either so they upped the pitocin. At this point the contractions did get closer at every 2 mins but I was still not feeling any of them.

At 12:30 they checked me and I was still 5 cm and 75% and she was still up high. They asked me if they could break my waters to help things along. I talked to Teressa and we decided to go ahead and do that. So they broke my water and also upped the pitocin a little. This is when things got bad. Within 20 mins of them breaking my water I started having bad contractions. I had a real hard time breathing through them and I could barely stand. I wanted to use the labor tub but it was unavailable and by the time the labor ball was brought in for me to use I couldn't get on it. I was having contractions every minute without a break in between.They were just one on top the other. I don't remember much of what Teressa did the next 2 hours but I know she did all that she could to help me. I couldn't lay down and I couldn't walk. I spent those 2 hours squatted besides the bed. Teressa rubbed my back and tried to help me focus and it didn't get better but I was doing it. Pain and all. That's when they came and checked me. After 2 hours of this I had not changed one bit. I was mentally and physically exhausted at this point. I decided to go ahead and get an epidural.

This was not an easy thing for me at all. I felt as though I had given up in a way. That I was wimping out. I cried after I told them I wanted one. I cried because I felt like a failure. I mean woman have labored like that for hours and hours and here I was backing out after 2. Teressa tried to reassure me that I was not a wimp or a failure but at that moment I was just to upset. Teressa had always told me it was my decision and she would back me on whatever I choose. The anesthesiologist came in and I did not change my mind. I went ahead and got it. The main reason I went ahead and got it is because I was afraid of when the time came to push, going the way I had been going, I was not going to have the energy to do it. I got the epi at 3:30 and within 5 mins I was pain free.

I took an hour nap and talked to my mother on the phone. I really wished she could have been here. At 5:15 I was checked again and I was now 10 cm and 100 % she was just still up high. They told me in about an hour I should be good to push unless I started to get the urge to push. At 6:15 the came and checked me and all signs pointed to YES. I started to push at 6:20 and after 25 mins she was crowning. The nurse told me to stop pushing she was getting the doctor but there was no stopping her from coming. I was not even pushing and she was coming out. The doctor came through the door in just enough time to catch her. She did not even have time to suit up. Aydan was born at exactly 6:50 pm after 30 mins of pushing. Teressa got to cut the cord and I have never seen her be more proud then right at that moment.

She was then sent upstairs for a bath. Because of my blood thing it had to be done first thing. I did get to hold her for a min before she went up though. Teressa also went up with her to be with her during her first bath and all the things they had to do. I spent the next 2 hours being stitched up. Because she came so fast, I was unable to stretch like i should have. I received a bad tear inside and a 3rd degree tear outside. I had 3 doctors working on me. I just kept watching the clock and wanting to be with my baby. Finally at almost 9 pm they finished up. I went upstairs and finally got to be with her. She was all wrapped up and just sleeping away. They asked if I wanted her to stay or to go to the nursery for the night. There was no way she was leaving me! lol. We kept her with us the entire time. The only time she went back to the nursery was to redo her hearing test. She had not passed the first time in her left ear but passed the second time. Her sugars were good the entire time and did not need to be put on an iv or be given anything.

I'm going to end here but rest assured I will post more updates on just about everything lol. I will leave you with some pics because how can I not. I can't take enough of them.

Me on Saturday

Right after delivery

Being Weighed

Today's Pic

Aydan Marie Is Here!!

We got home yesterday evening from the hospital. I will post her birth story later for now I'll just say it did not go as planned but in the end I have a beautiful little girl! She was born on September 21st 2009 at 6:50 pm. Weighing in at 6 lbs 7 ozs with a head full of black hair. I'm going to leave with a pic of our little angel for now but there will defiantly be more to come.