The Pumpkin Patch

We took Will to the pumpkin patch today! He was asleep for most of it :)

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Starting to wake up

He was not too happy with us by the time this was over 

I think he had had enough!

Happy Halloween!!

One Month Old

(One day early)


Firsts: Everything is a first for you this month! Here are a few: first smile and laugh (every book in the world says this is not possible, but we have seen and heard it, I promise!); first bottle, pacifier, going to Granna and Grandaddy's house, trip to Mimi and Paw Paw's house, going to visit Jenna and Ayden (we are sure you guys will be buddies one day), your first photo shoot (9 days old), going to Nashville for daddy's business trip (you did great by the way), stroller ride down our road, lifting your head for a few seconds, going to  a restaurant - our first trip was to Giovanni's when you wee 2 1/2 weeks old,  first doctors trip (1 and 2 weeks), getting your first sponge bath, and of course....the first exploding poop diaper!

News Headlines: Auburn is currently 8-0 and #1 in the BCS! War Eagle! The Giants and Rangers are headed to the World Series, upcoming midterm elections

Milestones: you can hold your head up for 10 or 15 seconds when on mommy or daddy's shoulders, your umbilical cord stump FINALLY fell off (4 weeks), you are starting to make more noises besides crying, you coo and snort all the time! You love to stretch and do not want to be swaddled. We find you sleeping with your hands above your head all the time.

Measurements: We haven't been to the doctor in 2 weeks, but we're guessing between 8 and 9 pounds. You were 21 and 1/4 inches at your 2 week check up. You are still in Newborn diapers, but we're on our last box- I think we'll move to size 1 soon. You wear newborn size clothes and some 0-3 months. You wore preemie clothes home from the hospital!

Mommy and Daddy's Favorites: It is so hard to choose! We love watching you stare at the ceiling, you are fascinated by something up there. Mommy also loves the sweet noises you make while you are eating. Daddy loves when you try to hold your head up and your forehead gets all wrinkly! Mommy also loves that when you are sleepy, you love to snuggle and be held tightly.

Challenges: Getting on a schedule! You're getting better and usually only wake up 2  times at night to be fed. Also, you have a fussy time of day, and it's always when daddy gets home. You only fuss for a few minutes, but we haven't quite figured out how to soothe you. But overall, you are a very happy baby!

Our Days: You usually wake up between 5 and 6 to be fed, and SOMETIMES go back to sleep for an hour or so. Then, mommy gets up and fixes her breakfast and you sit in your Boppy while she eats. Right now, you eat about every 3 hours, give or take. You usually take a morning nap that can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours- we never know. Daddy usually comes home for lunch, but most of the time, you are sleeping. Sometimes we go for a stroll in the afternoons, and we always take a trip to the mailbox. Daddy gets home from work between 5:30 and 6 and we eat dinner (and so do you). You get some daddy time on the couch while mommy cleans up the kitchen and showers. You usually go to bed between 8 and 9 and wake up around 12 and 3 to eat. Then, we do it all over again! Mommy loves being home from work and spending all this time with you!

Funny Moments: We love to watch you stretch and all of your facial expressions: your wrinkly forehead, making your mouth into an "O", poking out your bottom lip, and smiles of course! Also, we have had several exploding diapers and poop that sprayed across the room!

How we celebrated: We took a trip to Mommy's school! We met her boys and girls (well, kind of- you slept the whole time and I didn't let them get too close). We showed you off to all the teachers and you wore your pumpkin outfit for Halloween. You went with Mommy to a grade-level meeting where we all talked about upcoming events. Mommy loved seeing her kids, but she's not quite ready to go back yet. We still have a few more weeks to spend together!

Will, Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We are so happy that you chose us to be your parents! :)

Here are some pictures from your first month:

Your sweet smile

Your wrinkly forehead! 

You are Memaw June's 11th great-grandchild

This is how you love to sleep, arms up!

Your first sponge bath- you loved it, as long as you were warm!

Bathtime kisses :)

You and daddy napping

The Big Day

Don't worry, I'm not going to go into extreme detail. I want to remember this day forever, and since my memories are fading- I better write it down now! 

I went to the doctor for my 38 week check-up on September 28th. By now, that office was my second home, I was there ALL the time. My pregnancy had been pretty typical, no major concerns. My blood pressure was great, even towards the end. There was just a minor concern with protein showing up in my urine, which it had for several weeks. 

At the end of our appointment, Dr. Thornbury looked at us and said "I want to deliver this baby."  I thought, well of course you do- and will in 2 weeks! He said he was a little concerned that preeclampsia could develop and wanted to go ahead and take him early. He asked us, "How about tomorrow or Thursday?" Jeff almost fell out of his chair and I became very nervous all of a sudden! Wow! I knew it was soon, but I was not prepared for this. Of course, my bags were already packed and the nursery was ready, but suddenly I felt anything BUT ready. Jeff said, "Well, let's go ahead and do it tomorrow." So there it was...the date was set- September 29th was going to be my baby's birthday. (This is also my mother and my nephew's birthday.)

We arrived at the hospital the next morning at 6:00, ready or not. We had hardly slept the night before- it was kinda like when you were a kid, the night before you go to Six Flags. I liked the idea of having a planned induction- it matches my personality perfectly! No rushing around, grabbing things at the last minute. I got hooked up to an IV and they began the Pitocin to get my contractions going. Fast forward 12 hours- Will was born at 6:05 p.m. It was a very long day!! If having a baby could be easy, I would say I had a great experience! No pain, and everything went perfectly. He weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce, and was 20 and 3/4 inches long. He was the most perfect thing we had ever seen!

The last pregnant picture! I had the nurse take this when we got to the hospital that morning.

Pregnancy 101

So I'm going to go back about 10 months ago to where this new part of our lives began. It was Wednesday, February 3, the day after we moved into our new house. I was only one day late, but decided to take a pregnancy test anyway. I remember standing in the bathroom in disbelief staring at that word that would change our lives forever, "Pregnant". I took another one just to make sure. Jeff was not home from work yet, so the next hour was the longest one ever! I imagined him walking through the door, me running up to him shouting "I'm pregnant!" and crying tears of joy. Well, it didn't quite happen that way. He had brought home KFC for dinner (I must have already eaten before he got home). I sat at the table with him, not wanting to interrupt. I waited and waited, I wanted the moment to be just right. After dinner, 30  minutes later, I was literally dying with anticipation- I couldn't wait any longer. As soon as we sat on the couch, I started to tear up (happy tears of course). Jeff looked at me kind of strange and asked what was wrong. I said nothing and pulled the pregnancy tests out of my pocket. He gave me a huge hug and I cried! After about 10 minutes, we looked at each other and said "What now?"

I knew I couldn't be more than 4 weeks pregnant so it was really early. Of course, I wanted to tell everyone right then, but I was afraid it was too soon. We decided to only tell our parents, and I begged him to let us tell them that night. We first went to my in-laws house using some excuse about bringing something over to them. I remember as soon as I said "I'm pregnant!", Kathy screamed and hugged me and we both cried! The look on their faces said it all! Next, we called my parents saying that when unpacking, we found several things that belonged to them and wanted to bring them over. I'm sure they thought that was strange, as it was 8:00 on a Wednesday night. My dad was at choir practice, so we sat with my mom for a few minutes, trying to make small talk without letting the cat out of the bag. As soon as he got home, we told them and their reaction was similar to Bobby and Kathy's.

The next step was to make a doctor's appointment and see if it was official. I called Dr. Thornbury's office from school the next day and made an appointment for the next week. When I went, they confirmed the positive test and told me I was about 5 weeks along. We went ahead and made an appointment for a couple weeks later to get the first ultrasound and fill out a million papers.

I think I waited until I was 6 or 7 weeks to tell my friends and people at school. Early- I know- but I couldn't hold it in any longer.

A quick synopsis of my pregnancy- until about 9 weeks, I felt great! Then....morning sickness hit with a vengeance. Oh boy, I was so sick until about 18 weeks. Some days it would be just when I woke up, and others, it was all day long. I remember having to step out the back door of my classroom and throw up in the grass. My kids got pretty used to it! Gatorade became my best friend and I always had a bottle with me, trying to stay hydrated. The sickness faded and then I started to feel pretty good again, just in time for summer! I remember the first time I felt him move was on Mother's Day morning. What a great present!

All summer, I felt wonderful! We went to the beach and I got lots of rest (which I am dying for now!). I finally looked pregnant, not just fat. We found out it was a boy at 16 weeks, in May, so we were super excited. The summer came to an end, and little did I know, so did my feeling-great days. The heat in August and September was unlike anything I have experienced before. I was huge (and so were my feet) and any elementary teacher will tell you that there is not much sitting down the first few weeks of school. I put in for my maternity leave to begin Friday, October 8th, and my due date was the 12th. Little did I know, Mr. Will had different plans....
  

I'm a Blogger Now

I've never been much of a writer, so here goes nothing! I've been following several friends' blogs for a while now and have recently considered starting one of my own. I have a terrible memory (ask my husband) and I want to hold on to all of the special moments with our son. So really, this blog is for him, our special baby Will, who will maybe one day, look back and see exactly how much we love and cherish every moment we have with him!