Chubs, Pop, and Daddy

the Princess and her Daddy - I don't know who's cuter

Less than a week old and look at those cheeks and chins

Hanging out with Pop before bedtime

Sleeping with Daddy and Dutch

Miss November

The night after Thanksgiving, we ventured up north to Craig Ranch for dinner with Benton's parents, my parents, and my Grandma Gladys. As usual, it was like private dining because there is never anyone there. Haven didn't do too bad, but it was challenging since she eats about every 3 hours and it takes about 45 minutes to get out there from our house. I'm not sure if each trip builds up our confidence in taking her out or makes us just want to stay home!

Haven and Grandma Gladys

So Thankful

We are so blessed and always have a lot to be thankful for, but this year was extra special with our healthy little addition. We are so thankful for our sweet baby girl and all the incredible friends and family that have helped us welcome her into the world.

We managed to get out of the house at a reasonable time in the morning and spent the day at my parents house with a good crowd of about 20 close friends and family and tons of food. Of course Haven slept most of the day, but did get passed around a little. It was a great first Thanksgiving as a family of four!

Bathing Beauty

Haven's umbilical cord fell off early and apparently without notice. On Tuesday (after she was born on Friday) I went upstairs to change her diaper and noticed the stump was gone. I yelled down to Benton to see if he knew that it had fallen off and he said he did not. Luckily, we found it on the floor right under the changing table. It would have been so disgusting if Dutch had found it first - yuck! So, with the stump gone, Haven got her first bath the night before Thanksgiving and she loved it and was adorable!

Little bunny

The 'Hood

One of our favorite family activities has become going for walks through the neighborhood (and often ending up at Starbucks), so we took Haven for her first walk the day before Thanksgiving. It was really nice for all of us (including Dutch) to get out of the house for awhile and we definitely LOVE the Bob (thank you Betsy, Eliza, and Sarah!). It makes for a much smoother ride through this old 'hood.

First Doctor Visit

Dr. Curtis saw Haven in the hospital and (of course) said she was perfect :) but we went to see her at her office for the first time on Tuesday, November 24 for her final jaundice check and to meet the lactation nurse. The lactation nurse was super nice and said everything looked and sounded good and Dr. Curtis said her coloring is great, so no jaundice.

all ready to go see Dr. Curtis

she was down to 6lbs 11oz when we left the hospital and lost another .5oz from Sunday to Tuesday

exhausted after her first trip out of the house

Home Sweet Home

I imagine that we had about as great of a hospital experience as you can have, however we were not sad to leave and were so ready to go home. It was so nice to sleep in our own comfy bed on Sunday night (even if it was only for very short intervals).

Benton so sweetly and carefully picked out Haven's entire going home outfit, but unfortunately she was too little for it so we had to go with a makeshift backup. I was finally wheeled out around noon-ish by a sweet lady with a mouthful of gold teeth. She was a big fan of Haven's outfit and thought the blanket my grandma made was Bur-Berry.

Haven was not a fan of her car seat at first, but luckily she did calm down pretty quickly. We feared it was going to be a very long 7 minute drive home.

Ready to load Haven into the car

Right before the total meltdown

with Daddy (mid-meltdown)

in the driveway read to go in the house

meeting Dutch for the first time

Both Benton and my mom brought Dutch a hat and a blanket that Haven had used in the hospital before we brought her home, but he reportedly wasn't very interested in either. He did growl at her twice (probably right after the above picture), but he got over it and now loves to lick her and is very concerned when she cries. He's turned out to be a much better dog than anyone expected!

Fun Times at Baylor

We spent two and a half whirlwind days at Baylor. Haven got to meet lots of family and some very dear friends during that time. She got her first bath...

got dolled up for pictures...

met her Grandpa...

and got a little bit of sleep...

The hospital is definitely not a restful place though. There is someone coming in to do or check something constantly. Haven stayed with us in the room for most of our stay with the exception of when they took her to the nursery for tests/screenings and for a couple of hours both nights (the first night at the nurses suggestion and the second at our request so we could all get some sleep). Benton wasn't a fan of the "bed" they provided for him, so he and I shared mine. It was comfortable and cozy, but I'm sure the nurses thought we were odd.

Haven's Birthday

What a long, yet quick and incredible day! We got up and moving shortly after 4am on Friday and headed to the hospital about 5:40 a.m. We got checked in pretty quickly then answered about 30 minutes worth of questions. They put some medicine on my cervix about 6:30 and the contractions became fairly regular pretty quickly, but were definitely manageable. Dr. Martin came by about 8:30 a.m. and said I was a "tight 2 cm" dilated. Benton had too much coffee and was pacing around and learning everything he could about all of the machinery in the room :)

They started the pitocin and the contractions got a lot more intense (and seemed constant like I wasn't getting a break between them) almost immediately. The intensity continued to increase, but I did eventually feel like I was getting a break between them rather than just constant pain. My mom came in and hung out with us for awhile, then they came to check me again and I asked for the epidural. I was 4 cm dilated and -2 station and the epidural was in about 11:45 a.m. Getting the epidural was a little scary since I was having pretty intense contractions (which made me want to move around) and knew that they were sticking a huge needle in my spine. Boy was there a huge difference between before and after the epidural - it was smooth sailing after!

Amy and Faye showed up around 12:30 and Sarah got there about 1ish. The nurse (Teresa) came in at 1:40p.m. to check me again and said "What do you want to be?" I said 9cm and she said "you are fully dilated and +2 station, are you ready to start pushing?" I thought Benton was going to throw up - he wasn't ready to start pushing :) Teresa was caught off guard that I had progressed so quickly, so she had to set everything up and call Dr. Martin to get the "okay" for me to start pushing. She explained to Benton and I what each of us needed to do and told us to be prepared because some people have to push for two hours. I started pushing at 1:57 p.m. and Haven was born at 2:17 p.m. (Luckily Dr. Martin is two blocks from the hospital, so she did make it.) We had a couple of minor hiccups with my blood pressure dropping and Haven's heartbeat, so I had to use the oxygen mask between each contraction and turned on my side once or twice. Other than that, it could not have gone any smoother or been any easier...drugs are good! (However, I did hate not being able to feel anything for so long after Haven was born.)

When Dr. Martin delivered Haven she immediately put her on my chest. Benton had tears in his eyes, which was the sweetest moment. He cut the umbilical cord and then went with her while she got checked out and weighed. We went up to the post-partum room about two hours later where Haven got to meet her Grammy, Giddy, Aunt Amy, Aunt Sarah, and Aunt B. Her Uncle Cloud made an appearance later on that night. She is perfect and one loved little gal!

Hanging out on Friday morning

Haven's first picture

7lbs 1.2oz

Daddy putting on the first diaper

Last OB Appointment

Last Wednesday was our final OB appointment. Haven's heartbeat was back up to 150 which "nurse normal" did not report as normal, however Dr. Martin said she was fine as long as it was below 160. We also received another sad report of no change in dilation or effacement. So rather than making another appointment for this week, we set an induction appointment for 6AM on November 20th. We were hoping and praying Miss Haven would come on her own before then, but it doesn't appear that will be happening so we are headed to the hospital bright and early tomorrow morning. We are anxious, excited, apprehensive...you name it I think one of us is feeling it. Obviously we've been planning and preparing for Haven's arrival for months now, yet it still seems very surreal that we are finally going to meet her tomorrow. I can't wait to see her sweet face!

Finito!

November 6th was my last day of work until at least March 15th. It was a very strange feeling - letting go of everything and handing it over to someone else. I definitely felt very lost the first few days (or week). I couldn't keep myself from checking email every time my phone beeped on the first Monday, but I have gotten over that now (for the most part). Not working has given me some real insight into just how much my job consumes my life. I was able to get a lot of things done - some Christmas shopping, scrap booking, cooking, blogging - and yet probably not as much as I thought I would. I am so thankful that I had these last two weeks to decompress and get work off the brain before our little bundle graces us with her presence.

She Get it From Her Momma

Technically, she got most of it from Grammy, but this girl has a got a serious shoe collection. Like mother, like daughter :)

She's got a pretty good clothing collection too...

0-3 months
3-6 mos

and 6-12 mos

Little girl clothes are just too cute to pass up. I hope Haven enjoys playing dress up as much as everyone has enjoyed shopping for her!

A Few of My Favorite Things

We have been so blessed and have received some truly amazing things for Haven. Some of my favorites have been things that people have made - it is incredible how talented some of our friends and family are.

Haven has three gorgeous handmade blankets - one from Benton's 6th grade teacher, Judy Major, one from my mom's friend, Debra Sepp, and one from my Grandma Gladys. My Grandma Lillian made booties for her future great-grandchildren before she died in 2002. I had no idea she had done this, so you can imagine how special of a gift that was to receive at my shower. A neighbor of ours also made a pair of adorable white booties for Haven - she could sell them they are so perfectly cute.

The one thing I am still in total awe about is this one:

My best friend from high school, Simon, made the chair and sewed the cushions completely on his own. I was totally surprised and could not love it more! It is so detailed and perfect - truly A-MAZ-ING. To make it even more special, he asked us to write a letter to Haven that he has tucked away under the seat that she can some day take a piece of the wood off to read it. Words cannot describe how special this chair is to me and Benton (and will be to Haven).

This is not handmade by anyone we know, but the cradle is where I slept as a baby. My niece, Emily, used it as well and we will continue to pass it through the family.
I slept in the cradle because I did not sleep in this moses basket. However, my dad, his three sisters, my brother and sister, Emily, and all of my cousins slept in the moses basket as babies. (I have a cousin that is a week younger than me who slept in it which is why I didn't...tear.)
And last but not least - the chandelier. It has no sentimental value, hasn't been passed down, but the blood, sweat, and tears that Benton put into getting it up and working makes it one of my favorite things. He spent an entire Saturday afternoon frustrated with this thing, but it totally makes the room and I appreciate his determination in getting it up and working!

Three Years

Benton and I celebrated our third anniversary on November 4th. We spent a good portion of the late morning/early afternoon at the doctor, then went to Mi Cocina in West Village for lunch, and dinner at Local. Your options are fairly limited when you are 38 weeks pregnant, but it was great just to get to spend most of the day together.

It's been an incredible three years that have surpassed my expectations and I can't imagine spending them with anyone else. Benton, you are an amazing husband and I am looking forward to the many more we have to come!

Three Babies

or two puppies and a big belly, however you want to look at it. Either way, pardon my rough appearance and focus on how cute these two are! Amy "rescued" them in October and after having them home for four days, they came and stayed with us for a night while she went to Kansas (again) for our cousins wedding. They are adorable and were really easy...MUCH easier than Dutch was when he was a puppy. Dutch didn't really know what to do with them, but he is getting better each time he is around them.

Bogey and Bashful

Haven's Haven

A tour around the room...

Chest of drawers with the hamper and giraffe seat you can barely see on either side

Dresser/changing table and hutch

Chandelier, Crib, and "Cowgirl" corner (that you can barely see in this pic)

Crib and most comfortable rocker (we already spend time sitting in it)

Looking at the window from across the room

We absolutely LOVE how Haven's room turned out. The pictures taken during the day show off the colors better than the others I took at night, but either way we could not be happier with everything!

Progress (or lack thereof)

We had an appointment at 35.5 weeks and I had the first pelvic exam. I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Dr. Martin said Haven is a small kid and she guesstimated her to be 5lbs 4oz. Pretty solid guess - we'll see if she was right.

At our next appointment (36.5), she said I was measuring small so we did a quick sonogram to check the amniotic fluid. We got to see a really good shot of Haven's face with her chubby cheeks and big lips which was much more exciting than doing another pelvic exam. Dr. Martin said the fluid levels look good, so there was no cause for concern.

At 37.5 weeks, we had a more official sonogram with the sonographer to get actual measurements. Haven's heartbeat was 134 and she weighed in at 5.8 lbs. We got a few more pictures, but they aren't very good because her head is down so low. At one of these two appointments, someone said she is either going to be a big eater or talker because she is constantly moving her lips :) After the ultrasound, I had another pelvic exam and was 75% effaced and a "big" 1 cm dilated (whatever that means).

At our appointment last Wednesday, Dr. Martin stripped the membranes (but said not very aggressively so I could finish my last week of work) and reported no change in dilation or effacement. Haven's heartbeat was down to 130. We go back again on Wednesday and will do another round of stripping the membranes and set a date for induction, but of course we are hoping not to make it to that date.

Decisions, Decisions

So many decisions and I am terrible at making them. Benton and I have met with four pediatricians trying to choose the best for Haven and a good fit for us. We've narrowed it down to two and now I feel like I am making a life altering decision choosing between the two. I'm sure we will all be fine with either, so I'm not sure why I am making it a bigger deal than it needs to be.

We also keep going back and forth about the cord blood banking and REALLY need to pull the trigger on that one way or the other. I feel like there is such a small chance that we will need it that I don't want to do it, but at the same time I don't want to be kicking myself for not doing it if we could use it down the road. It's basically paying for a fairly inexpensive insurance policy, but I hate paying for insurance. What to do???

Baby Education

Benton and I are doing everything we can to be prepared for our little girls arrival, so I signed us up for four classes at the hospital. The first one was Prepared Childbirth for 3.5 hours for three Sundays. I think they should make you take this class before you get pregnant. We watched a natural childbirth video that made me cringe and question whether or now I am cut out for this. Then we watched a c-section video that showed an epidural (that made my back hurt) and the c-section (that made me nauseous). I'll get through it, but they were all very eye opening!

My mom took infant and child CPR with us, which hopefully none of us will ever have to use but we should know it if we do. Finally, we took the Basics of Baby Care and Breastfeeding classes. I'm not sure how helpful the last two were, but I'm sure they didn't hurt. The highlight of the Basics of Baby Care class was one of my sorority sisters, Allison Estep Ballard, was in there too so I got to catch up with her for a few minutes. I hadn't seen Allison in years, so it was great to run into her. If her baby girl is early and Haven is late, maybe we will see her at Baylor again.

Afternoon Showers

One of my favorite aunts, Dee, and my cousin-in-law, Erika, gave me another fabulous shower on October 10. Dee and Erika were fantastic hostesses - the food was good, the cake was incredible and the company was the best. It was an intimate group which was perfect for getting to visit with everyone and Haven got tons of adorable things. We are so appreciative of everyone who has celebrated with us. We have the most amazing friends and family you could hope for.

34.5 weeks
Mom, Dee, me, Erika, and Amy

*Notice the bibs in the background. Erika's mom made them and everyone at the shower decorated the backs. Such a good idea - they are beautiful and useful too!

Kristi and Lisa - best of friends since we were 5

Bestie, Ms. Sarah Chanel, came to Dallas for the second weekend in a row. How great of a friend is she?!!

Everyone minus Gail