Sunday, November 30, 2014

Thankful for Cousins

Thanks to Aunt EJ who gave Hadley and Savannah these adorable cousin shirts to celebrate Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, middle cousin Harper is missing from these pictures because she was sick on Thanksgiving. After I snapped these photos for Aunt EJ, I realized that some people might get confused because Hadley and Savannah are sisters...not cousins. Oh well...










 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Big Sister Practice

The pictures below are hilarious! Check out Savannah's facial expressions as Hadley goes from 
happy to crying within a few seconds. Savannah kept smiling the whole time...even though she looks a little scared in the last picture!






Sunday, November 23, 2014

Mommy's Sweethearts

 Hadley and Savannah


One of Hadley's first smiles!


Saturday, November 22, 2014

Santa Visit

 On Friday night, I took Hadley and Savannah to the mall to visit Santa: 

Hadley slept through her first visit with Santa!

After visiting Santa, Savannah played in the mall play area,
 rode the train around the mall, and ate an Auntie Anne's pretzel. 
We had a wonderful time kicking off the holiday season!

Hadley
(6 weeks old)


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Sleeping Beauty

This little lady slept 8 hours straight last night (from 10 PM-6 AM)! 
Impressive for a 1 month old! 
Let's hope Hadley continues her solid sleeping pattern!






Pretty in Pink

Hadley, who is one month old, is starting to show her personality! 
I love the photos below because they capture some of 
Hadley's gestures and facial expressions:







  








  
 




 
  



Hadley's Birth Story

This is Hadley's birth story. She was born at 6:40 P.M. on Friday, October 10, 2014 (5 days before her due date!). At 11:00 A.M., my water broke at school, and Hadley was born less than 8 hours later. My labor and delivery were quick and painful. I hadn't planned to have a natural delivery, but Hadley was born before the epidural had a chance to take effect. Thankfully, however, there weren't any complications, and Hadley and I were both healthy.

Friday, October 10, 2014:

6:45 A.M.--I lost my mucus plug before I left for school. I started wondering if I was in the early stages of labor and if Hadley would be born within the next few days.

7:00-11:00 A.M.--As the morning went on, I realized that I was having minor contractions and that labor was beginning.

11:00 A.M.--My water broke. I felt a gush of water when I stood up to get a paper from the printer in my office. I talked to the nurse at the OB office, and she recommended that I go to the hospital. Over the next 1.5 hours, I felt five more gushes of water.

11:45 A.M.--I called Tal at work and said, "My water just broke." He said, "I'm on my way" and hung up. (Later, Tal said that he was shocked when I called and that he never expected me to call him that day and tell him that my water had broken.)

11:45-12:30--My principal arranged coverage for the library and my afternoon classes. I left school and went to pick up Savannah, who was tracked-out of school and on a tumbling field trip off-campus. I waited about 30 minutes for her to arrive.

12:30-1:00--Tal, Savannah, and I packed up some last-minute items at home, and then we drove to the hospital.

1:30 P.M.--Tal, Savannah, and I arrived at the hospital. The nurse confirmed that my water had broken. I was admitted to the hospital and taken to a labor and delivery room.

1:30-4:30 P.M.--I changed into a hospital gown. The nurse gave me an IV. I was 3 cm dilated. As the afternoon went on, my contractions were stronger...but bearable.

4:30 P.M.--Uncle Benny and Grandma Barbara arrived and hung out with us in the hospital room. My contractions were becoming more painful and frequent.

5:00 P.M.--I was in quite a bit of pain. I requested an epidural, but the nurse asked me to wait until 6:30 P.M. when she planned to refill my IV bag.

5:20 P.M.--Grandma Barbara, Uncle Benny, and Savannah left to pick up dinner.

5:45 P.M.--I was trying to wait until 6:30 P.M. to ask for an epidural, but my contractions became unbearable. I felt my belly contracting tightly and my body opening up. My moans and cries became louder (to the point that I felt like yelling). Tal texted Uncle Benny and Grandma Barbara and asked them to watch Savannah in the hospital lobby. We didn't want her to be traumatized by seeing Mommy in pain.

6:10 P.M.--I felt intense pressure like the baby was coming. I begged Tal to go and get the nurse. When the nurse checked me, I was 8 cm dilated. The nurse got the anesthesiologist and OB and prepared the hospital room for delivery.

6:20-6:30 P.M.--The anesthesiologist gave me an epidural. My contractions were so painful that it was difficult to remain calm and still while the anesthesiologist did his job.   

6:30-6:40 P.M.--The anesthesiologist said the epidural would take effect in 10 minutes. I kept asking Tal how many more minutes were left before I would get some pain relief. I felt Hadley coming, but I really didn't want to have a natural delivery. (I have a low pain tolerance.) However, Hadley had a mind of her own. ;) I pushed four times, and Hadley was born less than 10 minutes later at 6:40 P.M. (before the epidural kicked in).

Welcome to the world, Hadley Victoria! We love you and are so glad God gave you to us!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Hadley is 1 Month Old!

Hadley is 1 month old today! On October 10, my water broke at school, and Hadley was born less than 8 hours later. She weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21.5 inches long. Today Hadley weighs 10 lbs. 2 oz and is 22.5 inches long. She's a perfectly healthy and active baby who does a good job eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. Ha!


As expected, our family has experienced some ups and downs over the last month. The seemingly endless crying and lack of sleep have been the most challenging aspects of having a newborn again. Hadley often cries 3-4 hours in the evenings...when everyone is tired and ready for bed.  I average 5 hours of sleep a night and get up 1-3 times each night to feed Hadley. Thankfully, our baby girl often sleeps 5-6 hours straight at night...which is awesome for a newborn (and this tired mommy).

Despite these challenges, our family has done really well adjusting to having a newborn again. Both Tal and I agree that it has been much easier as second-time parents. We are more easy going and experienced with Hadley. Savannah adores her little sister, and she is getting better about using gentle hands and an inside voice around Hadley. Tal and I work really hard to make Savannah feel important by giving her our undivided attention and carving out one-on-one time with her daily.

I'm on maternity leave until February 2, and I love staying home with Hadley. My days are busy with feeding, diapering, and soothing Hadley, as well as pumping, washing and making bottles, and taking a shower. I also drop off and pick up Savannah from Kindergarten, help Savannah with her homework, make her lunch for the next day, and feed her dinner. As time allows, I try to accomplish 2-3 chores daily, including laundry, errands, and straightening up our house. My days are full, but I'm thankful to have this extra time with Hadley and Savannah.