The family that flys together stays together!

Adrian Joy has officially earned her wings! At only 8 weeks of age she has conquered what many people have not..2 direct flights on American Eagle. We made our initial trip back up to Indiana this past week for 5 days with the Hamilton family. Adrian was met with enough love and kisses to probably last her a life time! Between both sets of aunts and uncles, 8 cousins, grandparents, great grandmas, tons of extended family and too many to friends to count I dont think she was never not in someones loving arms. She was a very spoiled girl and that is just how we like it! See the pictures below from our great long weekend.

It amazes me everyday just how much a difference of 24 hours can make. It seems to me that everyday I wake up my daughter has changed in some slight way. Just in the past few weeks Adrian has begun to smile and almost laugh at funny faces and voices! Every time I am met with a smile from my daughter my heart feels as if it is going to jump out of my chest- the closest feeling I can describe this to is that first time you fall in love and your heart pounds and jumps at the sound of their name. That is exactly how I feel when my daughter laughs and smiles at me! It is amazing to already be so interactive with her and makes us so excited for what the future holds.

I am now 8 weeks into my maternity leave and it really makes me sad to know I only have 4 weeks left. I am looking forward to getting back to my job as I love what I do but I am sad at the thought that I will no longer know exactly what Adrian does all day and when she does it. This time with her has been precious and I am so thankful that I have been blessed with these 12 weeks. So the plan is to soak up the next four weeks. But I cannot promise that the first few weeks back at work will not be difficult and that I wont cry in my morning coffee everyday. I just hope that she loves Prince of Peace as I know that she will be in good hands.

Adrian Stats:

-8 weeks old

-Probably between 9-10 pounds (go back to the doctor on the 4th so we will know more then)

-Eats about 4 ounces when we use a bottle

-Sleeps between 6 -7 hours straight almost every night (!!!!)

-Has almost grown out of her newborn clothes but still a bit too mall for the next size (I say her and I are both in between sizes right now :)

-Is happiest in the morning and loves to sit in her bouncer in the morning sun

-Is starting to like bath time in the baby tub

-She is taking less naps during the day which means more play time for us

-She now smiles all the time and laughs when we make funny noises

-She has found her tongue and sticks it out all the time

-She is going to be a talker- she is constantly making noises and talking to us

Walking through the airport in her sling- she did sooo good!

Happy girl!

On the airplane back to Dallas.

The family!

Playing with her cousins- look close she is smiling.

Sleeping with grandma.

Birthday party for Ciera, Jack and Madison

On the way to Indiana..sleeping on daddy.

Aunt Krista being funny!

Everyone wanted their turn.

Relaxing with grandma.

All the grandkids, grandma and grandpa.

Too pretty for words!

Four generations.

First time in the shop for Adrian.

First bath at grandma Joys- Jack and Madison helped.

Girlie's meeting Adrian.

First time meeting Adrian.

Smiles!

Too cute!

Stir Crazy in Dallas

Today is the 4th day in a row that we are stuck inside the house due to a crazy winter storm that has left North Texas in a sheet of ice. And when Dallas is covered in ice and snow we Southerners have absolutely no idea what we are doing when it comes to driving, walking or really even playing in it. We are completely honest, up front and open about our inabilities to maneuver through the muck but for some reason this does not stop us from venturing out and causing wrecks and havoc. So that is why this time around the metroplex decided to completely shut down and for the longest length of time that I can remember. But with this shut down comes craziness - stir craziness. I know that I should be completely used to being cooped up since I am on maternity leave with a newborn but just as of recent Adrian and I had started to venture out of the house for mother daughter time. Our new found freedom was brought to a quick halt with the weather but we are hoping for clear and warmer skies this weekend- I promised my baby girl her first trip to Target and I intend to keep this promise perhaps Sat or Sunday :)


Other than the weather keeping us busy things are rocking along famously here at the Hamiltons. Adrian is growing like a weed and as of a week ago was up to 8 pounds 7 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. She is hitting all the milestones that they expect from a 5 week old and we could not be more pleased. Overall she is a terrific baby - one that already has her days and nights figured out and only cries when she really needs something. She sleeps 5 to 6 hours straight at night and now only takes a few naps a day (when she feels like it). She is growing up so quickly!


Everyday that goes by I feel more confident and comfortable as a mother and thought I would share a few things that I have learned from being a mom for the last 5 weeks -


1. When changing a diaper ALWAYS have another one ready to go and in position - you never know when you might be interrupting something!

2. She will not break and is not that delicate.

3. A baby will always tell you when they are hungry- not a guessing game!

4. Dont run for the baby in the middle of the night if you hear movement and noises - the odds are that she will go right back to sleep on her own.

5. Sleep when the baby sleeps- this has always been good advice!

6. You cant spoil them at first- I hold her as much as I can while she is letting me!

7. You may have all the cutest clothes in the world for her but really the easiest ones to get off an on for changing diapers are the ones that you put them in all the time.

8.When it comes to my baby- if she is crying then most likely she still needs to burp.

9.Take a shower everyday if you can - it makes a huge difference in my self esteem!

10. And finally dont be afraid to be flexible - nothing ever goes as plan so I cannot get too worked up is she is late for a feeding or bed time..it will all work out in the end!

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!

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

"A Day" = December 27th

Its officially time for a countdown...8 days to be precise. On Monday the 27th at 5:30 pm we will welcome Adrian Joy Hamilton into this world. There are no words to describe the feelings I am having now knowing that in 8 days I will be someones mom and will finally get to lay my eyes on our baby. Our bags are mostly packed, the car seat is in the newly cleaned car, I just received a wonderful pedicure for the hospital and the housekeeper is set to come on Tuesday to clean the house in preparation. I think we are as ready as we can be!

Over dinner tonight Nick and I both made the comment that we wished we didn't have to work this week because we are so excited but before we could put too much thought into that we quickly decided that without work keeping our minds busy we would go crazy with anticipation. Four more days in the office for me...the next 12 weeks will be devoted to little Addi.

Our lives are about to change significantly and I couldn't be more aware or excited. It feels as if we have been waiting for this day forever and I know that once we meet her we will feel as if we have known her forever. I couldn't imagine walking down this path with anyone else other than Nick, my best friend and partner in life. This is just the beginning of our life together and the family we will grow into. I pray that all my friends and loved ones will have a joyous Christmas season and that they receive all that they have asked and dreamed for..I know we will! Next post will be to announce our daughter!

Have a terrific week!

Determined Baby

This baby of ours does not want to change positions at all and in fact is so comfortable in a head up position that I think she is just going to stay that way till the end. And to tell you the truth I dont really blame her- who wants to have all the blood rushing to your head all day!

So because of her determination we are going to go ahead and schedule a C-Section the last week of December. It will be either the 27th, 28th or 29th (TBD based on Doctors schedule). It is not the ideal situation since no one wants to have to go through surgery and then have the recovery time on top of that but I will do whatever is best for Adrian which at this point is going in and getting her! Of course she still has the opportunity to turn south but the odds get smaller and smaller everyday as she gets bigger and there is less room for her to turn - but heres to hoping! And of course I could also go into labor between now and then but for now our new "due date" will be the day of the section.

Here are some positives that could come from having a C-Section (what I have come up with to not be as anxious):
1) Knowing the date is awesome- I can actually somewhat plan around it
2) Babies always look prettier when they dont go through the birth canal
3) Who hasnt wanted a war scar..right?
4) I get an extra 2 weeks off paid my company if you have a c-section- so we now will be looking at 12 weeks instead of 10.
5)Nick will have to do all the heavy lifting around the house for awhile as I wont be able to (not like I do any now!)
6) I will have to stay longer in the hospital (not really a positive) but our family will probably now make it down in time to greet us in the hospital

Really that is all I can think of- if you have more please feel free to comment here to make me feel better about the situation! :)

Also, we found out that Adrian is weighing around 6 pounds and 3 ounces and if we went full term she would be around 8 so most likely she will be in the 7's. I am also closer to 50% effaced now but still the same in dilation.

It was a good morning for the Hamiltons now it is just time for a countdown - Possibly in 19 days we could be a Family of 3! Keep us in your prayers! Love you all.

35 weeks with big news!

We are getting so close! This morning we had our 35 week doctor appointment. No more weight gain (thank goodness) and blood pressure is doing great! I had my first exam though today which I was not expecting till next week so it looks as though I misjudged that a bit. These end of pregnancy exams are somewhat bitter sweet if you ask me- they are pretty painful and leave you very uncomfortable but you walk out of the office with great information that you have been waiting to hear for a long time! So I will take the good with the bad.

The great information we found out today is that at 35 weeks I am about 30% effaced (cervix is thinning) and probably about 1-2 cm dilated! My doctor told me that this was good news because this probably means that I will not go past my due date (which I of course told her that was not an option!) and that most women at 35 weeks are not at all effaced yet.

This news has told me that my body is beginning to get ready to have this baby! And I am so ready for her to be here. To Nick this news has made him a bit worried as we really need her to stay inside cooking till December 14th as this is the day I need to hit to get paid by my company while I am out on leave. But from what I have read women can stay at any dilation or effacement for weeks on end. So hopefully this will be my story as well. But as soon as December 14th comes I am more than ready to welcome Adrian into this world! We cannot stop talking about how much we want to meet her and be a family of three but I am not going to lie... I am ready to once again sleep on my stomach, lay on my back, not huff and puff while walking up stairs and for the Love wear my own clothes again! :)

This is a very exciting time for us and I cannot wait to introduce our newest family member to all of you. Please send your prayers our way so that she stays in till the time is ready and that she and I have a safe and healthily delivery. From here on out we will go every week (every Thursday actually) to the doctor- next week is our last sonogram as we still are not sure if she has turned yet to be head down but we do know that she has started to get low.

Happy holidays!