Wednesday, January 12, 2011

2 Weeks and 1 Illness Down

Well it has been busy around the Hamilton household lately- this term now has a new meaning to Nick and I since we never knew we could be so busy but not even leave the house! When you are on such a tight schedule of feedings that last an hour and are every 3 hours from the start of the last feeding it doesn't leave much time for anything else. But the good thing is that Adrian and I are beginning to get into a groove and nursing is getting a little bit easier every day.

On her 10th day of life she woke up with a cough and congestion which scared the heck out of us- it is scary enough having a newborn but one that is sick makes you even more on edge. And then of course Nick and I both caught her cold soon after - making it a difficult few days for all of us. Luckily though I think we are all on our way to feeling better. Her cough is still hanging around but her congestion is much much better. During the week of illness we managed to go to the doctor 4 times - 2 were already scheduled and 2 were for her cold- all 4 times showed her adding weight which was such blessing! As of Monday she was back up to her birth weight of 7lb 2 ounces!

We have also been pretty blessed because not only is Adrian a great eater but she also enjoys sleeping. The doctor told us that we could start to let her sleep during the night and have her wake us up instead of the other way around - so for the past 2 nights she slept 5 to 5 1/2 hours straight! Even though we were getting sleep before in increments it is so nice to have it now in one long stretch.

Over the past 2 weeks we have really been able to get to know our little girl..it is so funny because she already has a distinctive personality and traits. Here are a few things we have picked up about her:

-She is very "handsy" - she loves to have her hands out and about touching everything and everyone. She can not keep them tucked into her swaddle and it drives mom crazy when we are trying to nurse.
-When she gets frustrated or mad her face quickly gets bright red- wonder if that will stick with her as she gets older?
-She loves to stretch! As soon as I wake her to eat I have to let her lay there and stretch it out for a good 10 minutes before she will even think about eating.
-She talks in her sleep; all kinds of sounds. Just like her dad.
-Another thing like her father is that she typically sneezes in 3's.
-But she gets the hiccups like her mom every day
-She loves sitting in her swing in the sun
-Hates having her diaper changed but strangely likes bath time
-She knows both of our voices because when either of us walk into a room her eyes will try to find us.
-She rarely ever fusses or cries but when she does you know she means business.
-She loves the car and falls asleep immediately.

Overall Adrian is the perfect baby but I know that we are a bit biased being her parents! The last 2 weeks have flown by which makes me a little nervous for the future as I dont want time to go by so fast. So for now I am trying to stare at her as much as possible and memorize what she looks like today and try not to get too frustrated over the things I cannot control as I want to enjoy my time with her right now. I am sure we will have much more to report soon!
















Monday, January 3, 2011

One Week Full of Love

I never thought I would say this but I already feel as if I have been a mom to Adrian forever. It has been such a natural and instant feeling and has been the most amazing experience I have ever been a part of. Today marks Adrians one week of life and our one week of being parents to her. Over the course of this one week we have had many ups and downs highs and lows but the one thing that has remained constant is our growing love for our new daughter.

The week began with a dramatic entrance of Adrian Joy at 5:01 pm in a OR room at Presby Dallas Hospital. There Nick and I heard our 7 pound 2 ounce babies first cries and saw her open her eyes for the very first time. It was the most overwhelming, emotional experience of both of our lives. The moment I saw her I knew her and loved her and could not wait to begin our lives with her in it.

From there Nick and I spent three days learning the ins and outs of taking care of a newborn 24 hours a day as well as learning all the little quirks that make up Adrian Joy. She had so many wonderful visitors that came to meet her for the first time including all of her grandparents from Dallas, Tulsa and Indiana! She is a very loved little girl and will never go without as long as any of us can help it!

When we left on Thursday afternoon to take our baby girl home for the first time I have never felt so proud- proud to be the mother of Adrian, proud to be the wife of Nick and proud to be part of our new family. When we first arrived home I had to walk her around the house to show her the "ropes" of sorts. I felt that if she was going to be living here that she needed the first grand tour! So far our schedule has fallen into place and Nick and I actually have a groove beginning to be formed- we feed every 3 hours which on average lasts an hour (and yes Nick is a huge help -I couldn't imagine ever having to do this without him- in fact I dont know if I could), change diapers what seems like every 10 minutes and then we sleep when we can. Other than that we find bits of time to do things around the house, shower and eat. We have both really enjoyed our time together as a family so I am going to be sad when Nick has to return back to work.

Life has just truly begun for us and I am looking forward to all of the new shared experiences that we will all go through together. We both realize that it will not always be an easy road but by going through it together we will be able overcome all obstacles and enjoy in all that God has provided to us. We feel so blessed and want to thank all the people that have made the past week and in fact the past 40 weeks go as smoothly as they have!

Welcome to the world Adrian Joy!


Pre Op

Shes Here!

My families first photo

She has a set of lungs on her

Adrians arrival

My sleeping family

Proud daddy!

Very tired but happy family

I could stare at her eyes all day

Checking things out after a feeding




Proud grandparents




Pictures at the hospital

Day 6 of life


39 weeks - about to pop! On the way to the hospital


Heading home


Meeting her grandmas