Hanging with the Hamiltons

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

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!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

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!

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!