4 Weeks and a little something extra

Don't miss the post about Christmas below this one!

Evie is 4 weeks old today!  Not much has changed - she is still very small, wearing newborn size clothes and diapers.  However, you can see that she has plenty of baby fat to keep her warm!  She is starting to get her schedule more organized and is beginning to wake more during the day.  She eats every 2-3 hours during the daytime and stretches is out to every 4 hours at night.  That black hair isn't going anywhere, and it's even growing in thicker.  Her eyes are still very dark, but more specifically they are deep blue around the outsides and hazel around the pupil.  I'm interested to see where they end up!  Below the official picture  you'll see some others that I took today.  I got a little snap happy, but I thought at least the grandparents would enjoy these!

Official 4 week pic

Loves looking out the window in her room

Not sure what she's thinking here!

Sometimes she is so serious!  I wonder where she gets that?  (Hint - not from Mom)

We call this the "smile before the storm."  Anyime you see it, a screaming crying fit is imminent.

Christmas/3 Weeks

Here's a peek at our Christmas

3 weeks on Dececmber 24 - this was the best picture I got.  Not a fan of the tutu, Evie?

The Christmas set-up.  No chimney so the stockings were hung on the bookshelf with care...

Fin couldn't wait to see what St. Nick brought him!

Dad, daughter, and her stocking.  Following family tradition I made Evie's stocking, and she'll get a new decorative patch on it each year.  My Mom and her siblings, Mark and I, and now Evie all do this.

Evie's Christmas haul.  Can you find the baby?

Family pic

Evie and Daddy

Evie and Mom - a little close-up for my taste...

Best Buddies

These two are best buddies already!

Finlay did this on his own - no prompting from us!

Evie 2 Weeks

Evie is 2 weeks old today!  I can't believe how quickly time is flying.  We had her 2 week check-up with the base pediatrician today, and everything looks great!  It seems like she is going to potentially take after her maternal grandmother, sizewise, as she is perfectly healthy but tiny.  Her stats are:
Height:  19 1/2 inches, 17th percentile
Weight:  7 pounds, 12th percentile
Head Circumference:  (they didn't give me the actual measurement) 15th percentile
She is eating great - every 3 hours during the day and every 4 at night - and she has to be woken up to eat at night to boot!  The doctor says that after 6 or 8 weeks we can let her go as long as she wants to at night.  I can't wait, but still feel fortunate to have such a great sleeper right now.  She also already has great head control, and is able to lift her head and turn it to one side, then all the way around to the other shoulder and then back again before setting it down during tummy time.  We are amazed by our sweet, tiny little girl!

Thanks, Honey!

I have to give major credit to Nicholas for everything he's been doing around here this week.  He was super-helpful while my mom was here, but since she's been gone he has really been stepping up to take care of Evie and me.  He has changed 90% of the diapers, volunteered for countless extra late-night, post-feeding soothing sessions, and waited on me hand and foot, making and bringing me food, making sure I get my shower and getting-ready time, etc.  And he does it all cheerfully, like there's nothing he'd rather be doing!  Since I'm breastfeeding exclusively, I thought that I might feel like the one doing all the work, but these past several days I've really felt like the lazy one.  I'm going to be so sad to send Nick back to work on the 21st, but until then I feel so fortunate to have such a loving, helpful, and attentive husband at home with me.  Thanks, honey!

Nursery Pics

Entering from the hall

Behind the door



Pretty much the whole set-up.  The room is tiny!



Hard to see, but I made these canvases with her monogram. 



Dresser and closet door

 By popular demand, here are pictures of Evie's nursery.  We pretty much use it for diaper and clothing changes right now, as she sleeps in our room at night.  Of course, once she starts sleeping in the crib the precious blanket, pillows, and bunny will come out.  I'm totally paranoid, hence the absence of bumpers, per the AAP guideline...Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

More Evie!

I'm totally stealing this concept from my friend Anna - 1 week old! 



After a nice bath - Evie actually hated it, but calmed down when she was being held by Dad.




Ready for her close-up!




Please don't make me wake up!



Evie Week One

In the hospital, ready to go home



With Grammy and Edie



With Grandad and Edie




A little hungry




With Grandad




Big brother loves her!




Getting ready for our first doctor's appointment




With Mom and Dad



First walk around the neighborhood



So tiny in my bassinet



Finally caught her eyes open



Big brother is a great watchdog!

Welcome Evie!

Nick and I welcomed our precious daughter Evangeline Claire to the world on Friday, December 3rd at 7:40 p.m. We are already in love with little Evie! (Pronounced E.V. - not eh-vee) She came a little early, and the way she arrived was a pretty big surprise. I'll post more pictures in another post so if that's what you want to see, you can stop reading. However, I'd like to document the labor/delivery process so I'm going to write about it here. If you keep reading from here, kudos to you!


Nick and I went to my regular doctor's appointment on Thursday, and that's where the fun started! During a regular internal exam, I started to bleed pretty heavily. Then I passed a big blood clot and started bleeding even more heavily. Needless to say, Nick and I were pretty terrified at that point. My doctor remained calm, but left the room to consult with the hospital and another doctor, and they decided pretty quickly to send me straight to the hospital to begin an induction. The doctor thinks that I had an infection in my cervix (tmi - so sorry) that caused all the bleeding, and that the bleeding wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

I was really disappointed to be induced, as I had hoped to have a completely natural birth experience, but I was also very anxious due to all the bleeding. Nick and I went across the street to the hospital, and I had started my induction with Cytotech by 5:30pm. We alerted our parents to head on out to Clovis, and hunkered down for a long night of labor. This whole process happened so quickly that we didn't really have time to let anyone else know what was going on, and because I was bleeding so profusely I didn't have the energy to be talking on my phone or even texting so I apologize to those of you who felt out of the loop! Nick was a huge help, and incredibly supportive every step of the way. He dealt with all of the doctors and nurses, and asked questions when they wanted to do something that wasn't in-line with our birth plan. I can't imagine having to go through such a scary experience without him.

From the time I was induced, I labored 19 hours before I broke down and got the epidural. I was really disappointed to cave, but after all the bleeding and the energy required for 19 hours of labor I needed some relief to make it through the rest of the process! We had 7 more hours of labor with the epidural (that's 26 hours of labor if you're counting), and then Evie finally arrived after only 20 minutes of pushing at 7:40. My parents and Nick's mom were able to be there, and the moms were a big help during the delivery (thanks, guys!) Overall, it was an exhausting but ultimately joyful experience,

Evie was 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. Her apgar was 8/9 so she was great, even after all the bleeding and super-long labor. So far, here's what we can tell about her looks. She has a ton of dark hair, Nick's eyes and nose, my mouth and chin, Nick's long, skinny arms and legs, and my long feet. She started nursing like a champ right away and has continued to do so ever since! I was really nervous about this so I'm so glad it wasn't a big struggle. So far, Evie has a great temperament, and pretty much only cries during baths or when we have to wake her up to eat. We are very lucky parents!

More pictures to come tomorrow, I promise.

Pictures!

My computer is all well and back from the doctor - thank goodness! Here are the pictures I wanted to share this morning. There are a few from Thanksgiving and one of the nursery. Enjoy!



Here are Nick, Baby H, and me on Turkey Day




Finlay was so tired by the end of the day that he turned his back to us while we watched football.




This is the entry to Baby H's nursery, with her little bookshelf all stocked with books!  This is the only nursery picture I can show you since all the others show her name or initials - sorry.






Thanksgiving

We are still here, and Baby H is still happily happily hanging out in my belly.  We had a great Thanksgiving this year, and I have a few pictures from the big day.  Unfortunately, my computer got sick and is at the computer doctor, and I'm unable to upload my pictures to Nick's computer.  So sorry!  My parents sent us a Greenberg smoked turkey, and Nick's dad visited and made all of the sides and dessert so I got to just hang out on the couch and rest, which was soooo nice. 
We finished the nursery and decorated for Christmas yesterday so we're ready for baby girl whenever she decides to make her grand entrance.  After a few weeks of feeling lots of energy, I am definitely exhausted pretty much all the time now.  I'm also in a decent level of discomfort all the time, which is to be expected.  However, Nick's right arm is still pretty much useless so we're happy for her to stay put as long as she wants to.  I'll try to post some pictures once my computer comes home all better.  Until then, happy rivalry day, and Gooo Cocks!

Full Term?!?!?!

Since my doctor's office is using December 6th as my official due date (from 12.5 week ultrasound), I am officially full-term today!  I can't believe that this journey is coming to a close, albeit hopefully not anytime too soon.  Our bags are packed for the hospital, and the nursery is just about finished, but I'm still not in any hurry to be done with this pregnancy.  Please continue to pray that our little cupcake cotinues to bake until Nick can at least use his right arm again, which will be sometime around Thanksgiving or a little after.

36 Weeks

Excuse my hair!  This morning's wet weather was not kind to it.

Here I am at 36 weeks.  I'm having to make hodge-podge outfits because I refuse to buy winter maternity clothes.  It just seems silly when baby girl will be here so soon!  This made today especially difficult, though, because it's so cold that it snowed here last night!  At least I can still wear my North Face coat with only the top part zipped and my bump poking out.  Does it look silly?  Yes.  Does it keep me warm?  Absolutely.

We didn't learn much at our 36 week appointment.  I've now learned that the doctor's office here won't check patients until 40 weeks or later.  I guess the timing of little girl's arrival will just remain that much more mysterious!  The midwife estimated her size right now at about 6 pounds and says that she should be 7 or 7.5 at birth.  I guess we'll see how accurate that guess is soon enough!  She is still head down, with her head very low.  I've had some "real" contractions (i.e. painful in front and back) sprinkled here and there, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be much progress toward the big day.  The other night I actually had a tetanic contraction that lasted 8 minutes.  It was not fun, but I'm happy with anything that helps bring her closer to actually being here.

That's all for the 36 week report!

35 Weeks

Not the best picture, but I had to take this with the self-timer while Nick was asleep.

Wow!  I haven't done a weekly post since 29 weeks!  It's been a pretty crazy 6 weeks, as you know, but Baby H and I are still doing great.  People have started to ask me if I'm incredibly ready to have the pregnancy over and done with, and the answer is, well, maybe...sometimes!  I'm really still feeling good and haven't yet felt a strong compulsion to just have it all over with.  I know we'll be elated when she gets here, but right now I'm still feeling pretty patient.
We start weekly check-ups on Wedesday, and I guess that's when they'll start "checking" things to see if anything is happening yet.  I'm NOT looking forward to that process, but it will be nice to know if anything is changing (definitely don't think so).  At our last check-up on Wednesday everything looked great.  She's measuring right on, and my blood pressure has been better the last two office visits.  (It hadn't been bad, just slowly creeping higher).  She's also head-down and low, with her head resting right on top of my bladder - fun times all around!  Because of how she's resting I've been having a good amount of pressure and some dull pain in my pelvic area, along with a little crampiness.  My midwife assures me that all of this is normal, and doesn't mean anything. 
I've been working hard on nursery things the past few days.  There's still more work to do, but I've been pretty crafty!  Unfortunately, since my craft projects involve things like baby girl's name and monogram I can't show you until after she gets here! 
As far as an update on Nick, he's doing okay following his shoulder surgery.  He is in a lot of pain and is having a really hard time sleeping.  The fact that he's now working nights has made it that much worse.  Please pray that he will be able to be comfortable and get some sleep!

Something tells me that after my dog spends all morning at the groomer, I shouldn't immediately be able to brush out this much fur...At least Finlay should be more comfortable now, and my house should collect a little less of his hair!

Weekend Happenings

Mom and Dad visited Clovis this weekend!  They brought with them all of the big items from my Waco shower that I couldn't bring back on the plane in September.  It was so fun getting to see all those cute things all over again!  They also helped with some things that Nick and I, in our compromised states, haven't been able to do, like installing the carseat, rearranging nursery furniture, and other various projects around the house.  I don't know what we would have done without them! 

We also got to go out to the Fall Festival on-base, where they had a static display of the various aircraft that are based at Cannon.  Below is a picture of us with the Predator, which is the aircraft (RPA - remotely piloted aircraft) Nick works with.  I actually got a chance to "fly" the Pred in a training simulator on Friday, during the basewide spouse flights day.  Now I have a much better idea of what Nick does at work all day.

 This year we finally live in a place where we get trick-or-treaters at our house on Halloween!  It's been since 2006, when we lived on- base at Shaw, that we've had trick-or-treaters because people in Columbia apparently just don't do it.  We decided yesterday at about 3pm to actually dress up so our costumes are remnants from college functions.  Nick and Finlay were escaped prisoners from Alcatraz, a costume resurrected from Pi Phi pledge dance circa 2002.  I was a football player in Nick's Baylor Line jersey.  One of our trick-or-treaters asked me if Baylor won on Saturday, and I was elated to say yes!

We have a big week this week - today we go back to Amarillo for Nick's surgery follow-up, and on Wednesday we have Baby H's next Dr. appointment.  I'm at 35 weeks, one week off from how they usually schedule these things, so I don't quite know what to expect.  We'll be sure to keep you up to date, though! 

Two New Posts

Sorry I've been so delinquent in updating the blog.  We've had a few other things going on around here!  Check out the two new posts below to read a little about it.

Nick's Surgery

Santa Fe Babymoon

Nick's Surgery

Does this shot look familiar?  Didn't I just post a picture like this last month?  Yes, for the second time in 5 weeks, Nick went under the knife (figuratively speaking) last Thursday.  He had surgery to repair multiple tears to the muscles and ligaments in his rotator cuff and to remove a massive bone spur on his collar bone, which was in the process of severing a ligament itself.  He's always had trouble with his joints, and having to wear the extremely heavy body armor around all last year in Afghanistan really exacerbated some existing issues and created new problems. 
We've been working toward this surgery since he got home in March, but because of the move and the ridiculous referral process, which required us to see a total of 6 different doctors before landing at the actual orthopaedic surgeon's office in Amarillo, this was literally the soonest that we could have it done.
The good news is that the doctor thinks Nick will be completely back to normal once he is fully recovered.  He'll be able to lift weights and throw a football again, things he hasn't been able to do for a long, long time.  The bad news is that he literally can't move his right arm for at least 4 weeks, and is in for a grueling 3-6 month recovery process following that.  Dr. Parker does think that if things go well Nick will be able to hold Baby H once she is born, as long as she stays in there the full 40 weeks.  Should she decide to arrive early, all bets are off because my "full-term" date coincides with the tail end of Nick's 4 weeks, no movement rule.  So pray that we have an on-time or a late baby!
Nick is recovering well, and in good spirits, although he hates that I have to help him do so much, like washing his hair, driving him everywhere, etc.  It's admittedly tough having an 8-months-preggo and someone recovering from surgery in one house with no other help.  (For a good laugh, try to imagine us getting Baby H's glider into her room from the front porch where the delivery guys left it this morning.  Loads of fun).  We're both uncomfortable, tired, and cranky, but I know that in the end we will be glad that we went ahead and did the surgery now so that Nick can really enjoy his little girl during her first year.  Prayers for Nick's quick recovery and my patience are, however, appreciated!

Santa Fe Babymoon

Many people think that the last several week of pregnancy are a time when mom-to-be is exhausted and "nesting" and as such she should be pampered and cared for by her husband and family. Well, I have been feeling extra-tired, and I have definitely felt the nesting urge and have been working around the house like crazy. However, the last several weeks of this pregnancy will not be filled with foot rubs and Nick doing the laundry and vacuuming as I dreamily decorate the nursery. Why? Because on Thursday Nick had major surgery on his right shoulder and he can't move it or lift anything for 4 weeks (followed by 3-6 months of intense physical therapy before he's back to normal)! But more on that in another post.

Before you start thinking I'm being all sour about a situation Nick can't control and is frankly making him much more miserable than it is me, let me say that I only point out those things to tell you why he whisked me away to Santa Fe last weekend for a babymoon!
He made all the arrangements for us to stay in a great hotel about a block from the Plaza, planned out our daytime excursions, and treated me to several tasty meals out!
We stayed in the Hotel St. Francis. It's in a historic building, and has been completely renovated to reflect a sort of minimalist/historic mission feel, almost like a spa.  It was very romantic and perfect for a couples trip, although due to the size of the rooms (remember, it's a historic building) I wouldn't recommend it for a family excursion.  Here's a picture of Nick in the gorgeous lobby - at night it was completely lit by candles and gas lights. 

The first day there we arrived in the early afternoon.  We had a delicious lunch at Cafe Pasqual, whose chef was nominated for a James Beard Award.  We definitely will be returning to this restaurant!  Here I am outside the door with the James Beard certificates in the window.  (Please try to ignore my huge-ness in all of these pictures - I certainly do!)

While walking around the Plaza downtown, we saw this church, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis.  St. Francis is everywhere in Santa Fe!  I know he is the patron saint of the diocese, but beyond that I have no idea why he is so popular.

 For our first night out we started with drinks at a bar called Atomic Grill.  We were able to sit out on the deck and people-watch while we sipped tasty drinks - Nick tried the Arrogant Bastard Ale, while I enjoyed a hazelnut italian soda. 

 We finished up the night with dinner at India Palace, which was recommended by friends.  Since we can't get any kind of ethnic food (unless you count Mexican, and I don't think you can when you live in New Mexico) in Clovis, we really wanted to have something a little different while we were in Santa Fe.  We were not disappointed!  This place was great!  (Sorry - no pictures).

The next day we woke up, and following a visit to Starbucks for breakfast, (Don't judge!  We can't get Starbucks in Clovis either, so this was a special treat) we drove a bit out of town and headed up the mountain to check out the Santa Fe ski area.  We were excited to see that the mountain looks pretty decent, with lots of blue and black runs, and it will only take us about 4 hours to get to the actual ski area from our front door.  We are super-excited to try this out as soon as possible.  We may even take Baby H up there in her little bunting in February or March so that Nick can try it out.  Our main mission of the morning was to see the ski area, but we were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the trees were!  I've included several pictures, especially for my South Carolina friends who have asked (seriously) whether or not there are trees in New Mexico. 

 View looking up the mountain

 Beautiful vantage point

 Nick on a hiking trail amid all the golden Aspen trees.

Something I haven't mentioned yet, but that is worth saying, is that Santa Fe is a very dog-friendly place!  We saw so many dogs there with their owners, and many of the hotels, shops, and restaurants (with outdoor seating) welcome furry friends.  Dogs are even allowed to hike with you off-leash on the mountain.  We will definitely be bringing Finlay with us the next time we visit!

We spent the rest of the day walking and shopping around the Plaza.  If you haven't ever been, there is a plaza downtown surrounding a monument, and surrounding it are all kinds of shops and art galleries.  It's a really interesting place with an eclectic mix of both things to buy and people buying them.  It's almost just as fun to watch the other shoppers as it is to shop yourself.  If you were ever lucky enough to visit my parents' old house, with the Southwestern themed family room, you may be interested to know that all of the Southwestern decor items, including Kaibab the Coyote, hail from these Plaza area shops and were purchased during a family vacation.

Here I am lounging on the Plaza. 

 After our shopping, we stopped into a rooftop bar before heading in to get ready for dinner.  It looked out onto the Plaza, great for more people-watching!

That night we had dinner at Santacafe, which was recommended by my lifelong friend Beth, who visited Santa Fe this summer.  It was definitely a splurge, but also absolutely splurge-worthy!  If you go to Santa Fe, I can't recommend it highly enough.  It's a mix of continental and Southwestern food - everything we had was delicious!  They also have an in-house pastry chef so be sure to order dessert.  You'll want to do two things if you eat here, though, bring slightly dressier clothes (lots of the guys were in suits although they're not required) and make reservations.  Even on a Monday night this place was absolutely packed, but we were able to make a reservation as late as that afternoon.

This trip was a great way for Nick and me to spend some time together and for me to feel totally pampered going into the next several weeks.  I'm so grateful that my thoughful husband planned this getaway and did all the work to make it happen.  Thanks, honey!