Adam received a book for Christmas from his grandmother called "Father to Daughter" Life Lessons on Raising a Girl. The very first entry really touched us. I thought I would share it with you. *********************************************************************************** Raising a girl takes two parents: A Mom to show her how to be a woman. A dad to show her how to be independent. A dad's job is to make his daughter courageous. Fearless. To make her feel beautiful. To give her a sense of adventure. To make her feel secure and confident. The relationship between a dad and a daughter is very simple. She will love her father and trust him completely, forever. Because he's her first love. Her first hero. The first man in her life. ***********************************************************************************
The book is filled with great advice for raising little girls. Starting in infancy and leading up until the day they are married. As a mother it is incredibly amazing to watch the bond that my daughter and her father have together. There is nothing sweeter to watch.
Generally we do not have pictures of Addyson made professionally...the cost involved is just a little too much for our budgeted family right now...and with a digital camera and email we have found that most friends and family are completely satisfied. :) However, this year we decided to go ahead and get some pictures made for Christmas cards...since this is the last Christmas that Addy will be an only child.
I thought everyone would get a kick out of how the photo session turned out! Gotta love those terrible 2's!
I have been letting this blog slide...and in all honesty...I can't say its because I don't have the time! LOL!
I had my 32 week appointment this past Wednesday...and am happy to report that Annslie is healthy! She looks like she weighs about 4lbs right now! We are expecting that sometime around January 18th is when I will be induced. I have dilated a bit further, but not much. So...continued bedrest is vital. The doctor WAS considering taking me off bedrest at 34 weeks, but he has since changed his mind and says that I can come off at 36 weeks. Which means I will be getting off bedrest RIGHT before Christmas! YAY!
Addyson is growing up entirely too quickly. She has been SUCH a good girl this past week. Adam's work/school schedule have kept him REALLY busy...and she has adjusted to hanging out in bed with momma really well! I put together a box full of her favorite toys and movies, crayons, coloring books, etc. Each morning we pack up a cooler with drinks, snacks, and lunch which has been SO helpful! Also, she has a Dora couch that folds out...and we just stick that up on my bed with her pillow and her Dora blanket...and her and I hang out and watch Playhouse Disney, Nick Jr., or a good kids movie. We have been enjoying coloring, etc. :) It is really nice because her and I are getting some one-on-one time before Annslie arrives!
Yesterday, Addyson and I were talking about how her "Noni" (my mom) is going to be coming when Annslie is ready to "come out of momma's belly". At nap time she was crying for her Noni and I said, "She will be here when Annslie comes out." Addy lifted up my shirt and said, "Come out now baby!" It was SO cute! She switches between not acknowledging that their is even a baby coming, being excited, and being very unhappy. All very normal I am sure.
Adam is wrapping up yet another semester of school! It looks like my Mr. Smarty Pants will be getting 3 A's and 2 B's. He also just got his acceptance letter for the Business Minor in Entrepreneurship program. I wasn't aware that deciding on a minor was such a competitive area. I was under the impression you just declared a minor, and then moved forward with the necessary requirements. However, apparently the program is very competitive and has very high requirements! I am very very proud of him! He has worked really hard to come back from his first time in college! Next semester he is taking another 15 hours...and they all appear extremely difficult to me! I can't believe he is taking on that much...and we are having a new baby! However, he has always done well under pressure...and I am sure this semester will be no different! Adam also has been working for a company called Mosaic. The best way to describe his job is this: You know how when you go into a store there will be reps for other companies? Well, Adam is a rep for Kodak. He works in the local Wal-Mart and Staples stores and is basically there to answer questions people may have about any Kodak products. He is only working part-time, however the pay is really awesome! The other upside to this job is that it looks awesome on his resume. Right now we are trying to focus on how to get him some managerial experience prior to graduation. Also, we are starting to research grad-school programs. We are in that final 2 year stretch of school...and are both really looking forward to him obtaining his degree!
Adam really deserves some kind of medal for "amazing hubby of the year". He has been so supportive during this difficult pregnancy...and while it has been tough on me physically and emotionally, it has been just as much so on him. Between school, work, childcare duties, housecleaning duties, etc...he has been running himself ragged. I am really looking forward to taking back over once Annslie arrives. I have also learned a lot about letting go of control. My house is not even near what I consider to be presentable...yet...in the grand scheme of things...it doesn't really matter.
Please continue to be in prayer for our family as we head into the next phase of life! 2 kiddo's under 3, dad who is a full time student, and a mommy trying to adjust to it all! We are really excited to see what the New Year holds for us!
Well, I thought I would update...as an update is MUCH needed.
We picked up Addyson on Friday night from Abilene and stayed the night in a hotel (there was no way Adam OR I could turn around and drive back 6 hours at 11pm!) When we got there to pick her up she started giggling uncontrollably and was on the floor with her hands over her eyes! LOL. It was so cute! We had a good trip back...it was long and very uncomfortable for me...and very cramped for poor Addyson. My mom went a little crazy on her shopping trips with Addy...and also sent us back with Christmas presents...so our little Toyota Camry was quite full! Just confirmed to Adam and I that we DEFINITELY need a bigger car after Annslie gets here! LOL.
Yesterday, Adam unfortunately had to work for 6 hours in a town about 30 minutes away. Addyson was SO cooperative the first half of the morning...but after nap time it was a different story. My poor little girl was no doubt TIRED of being cooped up in the house...confined to mommy and daddy's bedroom...and she definitely let me know! I was already in quite a bit of pain...and having pretty regular contractions (7-8 minutes apart) so....being up and down chasing around a toddler was definitely not easy! Around 5, I noticed that something was a little different and talked to my mom about it. She encouraged me to call my doctor and see what he said. Sure enough, my doctor wanted me to come in to L&D for monitoring. Obviously, I needed to wait until my hubby came home...so I actually didn't get up to the hospital until 7!
When I got to the hospital they checked my cervix first...and thank the Lord...I hadn't dilated any further, however, I was 30-40% effaced. The nurse thought she felt my bag of water bulging from my cervix...so she had another nurse come in and check me. The second nurse felt something odd too...but wasn't convinced it was my bag of water. I was hooked up to monitors to track contractions and Annslie's heartrate. Annslie looked great! However, we soon found out that I was having contractions 1-2 minutes apart and lasting for 1 minute! Many of my contractions were peaking pretty high. Definitely a diagnosis of preterm labor. I am happy to report though...that I used breathing techniques through many of the hard contractions...and managed to make it through them! My doctor decided to give me a shot of Demmorall w/Phenergan to try and bring the contractions down...and also help with the pain. Unfortunately, the contractions kept on coming in the same pattern. SO...the dreaded Breathine was brought out! :( I just have to mention that this medication makes you feel HORRIBLE. Really shaky, heart racing...etc. I had a dose...and within about 15 minutes my contractions were only lasting 20 seconds and weren't as intense. However, I was still having them 1-2 minutes apart. The nurse checked me again, and luckily...I was still at the same dilation...but it appeared that my cervix had thinned out even further.
I was sent home and had to go in today for a cervical ultrasound to make sure my cervix hadn't shortened any. Unfortunately, it has. Ideally they would like your cervix to be between 3-5 cm. Mine was 2.92. LUCKILY it wasn't too short. I am waiting on one more test tomorrow before we know where we go from here. Adam and I are prepared for strict bedrest...but are still trying to figure out the details! Bedrest is a completely different story when you already have a kiddo!
On a positive note...Annslie weighs 3lbs 4 oz. :) She looks VERY healthy. Now...we just need to keep her cooking for ATLEAST 4 1/2 more weeks!
Thank you for all the prayers! I am still having really strong contractions that I am timing at 6-7 minutes apart (however...its apparent that I am not feeling all of them!) and just that process is exhausting and painful. All completely worth it for the end result!
Well, I had a Dr's appointment yesterday...and unfortunately the news wasn't GREAT. Oh...Annslie is healthy and moving right along...and I seem to be healthy on most fronts. My weight gain is good, my blood pressure is good, Annslie is measuring right on target. However, after telling them about my symptoms the doctor decided to check me...and sure enough I am dilated to a 1 1/2 almost 2. So....stricter bedrest it is.
I must say at this point in my pregnancy it is getting harder and harder to stay positive and upbeat. I am really trying to remind myself of the great blessing I am being given.
Please be in prayer for my family...as we face this difficult time of working through me being on bedrest, dealing with a 2 year old...etc.
I promised I would keep up with this...and here I am 4 weeks after my last post...sorry about that!
Well, Addyson has been gone for 2 weeks now...and I miss my baby girl so much! My parents came up from San Antonio and picked her up when I found out I had the dreaded H1N1! I am so thankful for my family...Adam's mom and step dad brought over face masks and called and checked on me every day...which meant SO much! My parents took time off work to come up and get Addyson...and rearranged their schedules. I feel truly blessed to have such great family! It sounds like Addy is having a blast! Although I can't WAIT for her to come home!!
Adam got a seasonal job as a Brand Ambassador for Kodak! Its a great opportunity for him! It is a marketing type job and is going to look awesome on his resume! A couple of other opportunities have already presented themselves through this job...so we feel very fortunate! Its keeping him away from home quite a bit though...between work and school he is rarely home...but I feel truly blessed that my husband makes such sacrifices for his family!
The pregnancy is going okay. I am SO ready to be done! The contractions are getting more and more intense...and there are days that I have a hard time even getting out of bed. However, it will ALL be worth it in the end! I just keep telling Annslie that she needs to wait ATLEAST another 6-7 weeks! :) I will know more about how everything is progressing on Wednesday. We are just hoping that she is continuing to be healthy...and that regardless of how intense the contractions are...its not causing any changes as to whether she is trying to come early! Bedrest is getting harder to handle. I find myself getting down because there is so much to do...and increasingly less time to do it in. I know it will all come together...and I have some awesome friends and family who have offered their help! I may just end up taking them up on it! :)
I will try and update more later when I find out how things are going on Wednesday!
I have VERY good news to report! Annslie is growing like a weed...weighing in at 2lbs 2 oz! WOW! All my test results look good...so it looks like with continued bed rest we should make it into the safe zone!
Now we are just biding our time until we can meet our precious little princess! Addyson is going to be such a great big sister...and I am so excited to see the bond that forms between them!
We are a fun loving family of 4. Adam is a fulltime student at OSU (GO POKES!) I am blessed to be able to work from home and be with my gorgeous girls, Addyson Grace and Annslie Faith!
