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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

We're Are Still Alive!!

Well, hello!  I can't even imagine that I'm writing something that anyone will see because it's been so long since I last blogged.  Sooo much has happened since my last post.  I can't even begin to provide updates about everything, so let's just say this...

Harrison is now 2 years 3 months old, and is the cutest little guy ever!  He is so smart and active and brings such joy to our lives.  Also, Harrison has a new little sister that is 3 weeks old (tomorrow).  Her name is Natalie and she is just perfect!

I just placed the order for Natalie's birth announcements on Shutterfly, and I can't wait to get them.  Here is a preview:

Stationery card
View the entire collection of cards.


I can't promise daily or even weekly updates, but I am going to do my best to start updating this here blog more often than I have in the past two years.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Let's Play Catch-Up

My, my, my, how time flies when you're having fun!!

Harrison is now 6 1/2 months old and more fun than there are words in the dictionary!!  He is growing so fast and learning so many new things each day.

Since my last post, a lot has happened...let's begin:

Christmas came and went so super fast!!  My mom came down for Christmas, and that was such a special treat.  We attended Christmas eve service at our church which was really nice...the theme was Christmas through a child's eyes.  It was very sweet to see the little ones singing Happy Birthday to Jesus!!  It was also a great service!!

Jeff, Harrison, and I spent New Years with our good friends Brett & Kelly Jones.  They are expecting their first baby in March, so Harrison will have a friend very soon.  Miss Emily Claire Jones will be here before we know it!!

My sister, Stephanie, came from Boston for a visit from Jan 5-9.  Having Steph here was so awesome; I miss her so badly and wish that she and Thomas lived closer.  However, she and Thomas are up to some good things up in Boston.  They are opening The Friend Street Hostel in early April along with Thomas' good friend Matt.  It's going to be a great thing for them and for Boston!!

While Stephanie was in town, my mom also came back for a visit, and so did my dad and step-mom.  It's always great having family in town.  Time always seems to go by way too fast, though.

On January 11, my mom got married to her long-time beau Kevin.  I am so happy for the two of them.  They had been dating for close to 8 years, and it was time for them to take the plunge. 

The biggest news since my last recap is that Harrison is now 6 months old.  Harrison turned 6 months old on January 23rd.  He is growing up so fast; it's hard to believe that he's already 1/2 year old!!  So, now let me tell you about all that he's been doing:
  • Harrison began eating solid food (oatmeal and oatmeal/banana cereal) since mid-December.
  • Harrison began eating "real" solid foods in mid-January, just before his 6 month birthday.  We've given him carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, bananas, apples, pears, and peaches.  His least favorites are green beans and peaches.
  • Harrison offically began rolling over about a week ago.  He had rolled over several sporadic times since he was about 4 months old, but it wasn't until last week that he really took off with his rolling skills.
  • At his 6 month check-up, Harrison weighted 17.1 lbs and was 26.5 inches long.
  • Harrison is wearing mostly 6-9 month size clothing, but he does wear 12 month size in some clothes.
  • Harrison really enjoys his bath time
  • Harrison can now sit up, but he is still a little wobbly if he leans too far to one side or the other.
At the end of January, I travel solo to Boston to visit Stephanie and Thomas.  I was so excited to go see them, but I was very sad to leave Jeff and Harrison.  Jeff had Harrison all weekend while I was away until my mom came to help out while I was at a conference in Rhode Island.  I had a blast around Boston with Stephanie and Thomas.  Steph and I had a nice dinner on my first night there...it was a tried and true Italian restaurant...to the point where I could hardly understand our waiter.  He was from Rome, Italy.  The second night, the three of us made homemade pizzas.  Steph and Thomas live in the North End of Boston and are literally walking distance away from everything.  We got fresh veggies from the Haymarket, freshly ground sausage from the local butcher (for our Sunday a.m. breakfast casserole), fresh pizza dough from the local bakery...it was really cool.  The weather wasn't horrible, but it was definitely cold!!

This past weekend, my friends Liz, Courtney, and Alyssa, hosted a baby shower for our super cute friend Kelly that's expecting baby Emily within the next 3-4 weeks.  Time really got away from us and we didn't even start planning this shower until about 3 or 4 weeks ago, but it worked out perfectly.  We had fun games, good food, and the guests showered Kelly, Brett, and baby Emily with super fabulous gifts!!  It was a very fun day.

Jeff and I had a very nice date for Valentines day.  We went out on Friday night and had dinner at 310 Lakeside at Lake Eola.  This was the location where Jeff and I had dinner the night that he proposed to me; although at the time, it was a different restaurant.  It was nice to get out and have a date, but we were both excited to pick Harrison up!!

Well, that brings us to current day.  I have pictures from the various events over the past two months, but I'll do a separate post for them.

Oh, one last thing.  I have started my weight loss journey...I'm down 3.6 lbs in the first week!!  Only 36.4 to go!

:-)

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010 - The Recap

I can't believe that Christmas is just three weeks away.  It feels like it was just New Year's 2010, and now we're knocking on 2011's door!

Anyway, before we can get to Christmas, we have to recap Thanksgiving.

Jeff, Harrison, Marlee, and I visited our family in Charlotte (Jeff's mom, Sister and her family) for Thanksgiving this year.  I was super nervous about the drive up because I was unsure how Harrison would fair.  Well, I don't know why I worried myself so much, because our little Harrison was a super star!  We left O-town around 4:30 pm on Wednesday (about 1.5 hours later than I wanted to, but oh well) and made it to Charlotte at 12:05 am.  Now, keep in mind that the trip normally takes us 8 hours, and this time we stopped twice, and we made it in 7.5 hours.  Do not ask me how it worked out like that; we didn't drive at excessive speeds...promise!

Since we arrived late on Wednesday night, we slept in a little on Thursday (as much as you can sleep in with a 4 month old), and had a late breakfast of bacon, egg, and cheese omlets and English muffins; it was good!!

Wendy and Randy, Jeff's sister and her husband, were our hosts for the big Thanksgiving day meal.  They prepared a delish turkey, with delish sides (sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, etc.). 

Wendy and Randy have two of the most adorable boys, Griffin - 7 and Colton - 3.  Wendy had been telling me for weeks how excited the boys were to finally meet their cousin, Harrison.  Jeff and I were very excited to introduce Harrison to his cousins as well as his Aunt Wendy and Uncle Randy.  Of course, Harrison was a super star and the constant center of attention.  Griffin seemed to be a little excited to see Harrison, but Colton was beyond excited.  That little guy never played outside the entire time we were there; he was with Harrison the entire time, and it was simply adorable.  Colton was fascinated with Harrison's head; maybe because it's super soft!  It was so sweet, any time that Harrison would fuss, Colton would grab his "lovee" and try to wrap Harrison in it.  He grabbed several toys from his room for Harrison to play with, and constantly played with Harrison and talked to him...it was priceless!!

We were in Charlotte until late on Sunday afternoon when we had to make our way back home.  The visits always seem to go by so fast!!

Here are the pictures from Harrison's first Thanksgiving and his first trip to Charlotte.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

4 Months, Already!

These days, time seems to be flying at the speed of light.  As of yesterday, Harrison was four months old.  I swear, it seems like it was just yesterday that we found out we were pregnant.  Anyway, Harrison is such a joy in our lives, and we feel blessed beyond measure; not just because we have a baby, but because we have the best baby in the entire universe.  I'm probably about to jinx it, but oh well.

Harrison is such a sweet spirit.  He is happy and content most all the time, except if he's hungry, has a dirty diaper, or is getting ready for sleep.  By nature, he is not a fussy baby.  He loves to play on his activity mat, and we've recently started him in his ExerSaucer, and he loves it.  He has already turned himself around a couple of times to play with the different characters.  He is fascinated by Baby Einstein and trys to "talk" to the TV when it's on.  We've also let him start watching Hermie; a Christian movie about a catapillar that questions God about himself until he becomes a beautiful butterfly...a very good story!!  On a daily basis, Jeff and I read various books to Harrison as well as count and say our A-B-Cs.  He seems to really enjoy it all!!

Harrison's 4-month check-up with Dr. Finer was last week, and as usual, he got a great report.  He did super with his shots...I gave him some Tylenol before leaving home that day, and he only cried for a short minute after the shots were administered.  He was a little fussy for a couple of days afterwards, but overall, he did really well.

Harrison's Stats:
Weight - 15.1 lbs
Length - 25"
Diapers - Size 2
Clothes - Size 3-6 months
Shoes - Size 1 (getting close to size 2)

Here are a few recent pictures of the handsome little fella:

"Talking" to the birds

Marlee got a little jealous and jumped in Jeff's lap

First time trying Rice Cereal...he wasn't a huge fan!

Mommy and Me

So handsome!

UCF vs. USF...we won!  Harrison is UCF's good luck charm...they've not lost a game (FB or BB) that he's been to!

Harrison's first trip to Reddington Beach...that was all his stuff

He loves the ExerSaucer

Can't believe he's already 4 months old!

We're off to Charlotte today for a wonderul Thanksgiving with family!  Harrison gets to meet his cousins, Griffin and Colton, and his Aunt Wendy and Uncle Randy.  AND, he gets to see Grandma; he hasn't seen her since he was 3 weeks old...she's not going to believe how big he is now!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Don't forget all that we have to be thankful for!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Who Wants FREE Christmas Cards??

Every year, I spend a ton of energy thinking about what I'm going to do for our family Christmas cards.  Prior to getting married, I would always buy some boxed Christmas cards and be done with it.  However, since Jeff and I have been married, I've always used the awesome services of Shuttefly to create fabulous customized cards.  

I have been using Shutterfly to store my pictures and create awesome photo gifts for what seems like forever...it's really only been like 3 or 4 years, but I love Shutterfly!! 

Take a look at the list of cool photo gifts that I've created (for others and myself) with Shutterfly...mouse pads for Harrison's Nana and Grandma, Harrison's birth announcement, photo books, Christmas cards, and I've even created a Share Site that allows all of my friends and family to keep up with our family.

This year, Shutterfly has some really nice options for holiday cards...how will I ever choose the best one??  And, Shutterfly is GIVING AWAY 50 FREE HOLIDAY CARDS to Bloggers!!  Who doesn't love something free??  Interested?  Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly...sign up:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010

I can't wait to see what style you choose for your holiday cards...you'll see mine before you know it! 

Happy Blogging!!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

3 Months

I'm a little behind with this post, but, better late than never; right?

Harrison turned 3 months old on October 23.  Our little guy is growing up right before our very eyes.  It's amazing to watch him discover new things each day.  He's such a joy in our lives, and we certainly cannot imagine life without him now.

Here are some photos of the last month:

This little guy is a stud!

"Hi Mom!"

Great Grandma Hull (Jeff's Maternal Grandmother)

Great Grandma Holmes (Jeff's Paternal Grandmother)

He's focused...

"Whatever, Mom...get that camera out of my face"

"Really?  You woke me up for this??"

"Ok, huntin' for pumpkins isn't so bad..."

Family trip to the Pumpkin Patch

"These fingers taste great!"

Mommy loves her some Harrison!!

Nana brought this hat back from her Boston trip to see Aunt Steph and Uncle Thomas

Harrison's dedication (11-7-10)

Harrison's Dedication Prayer (11-7-10)

I just couldn't resist...he's cute no matter what face he's making!!

In other news, I have begun my weight loss journey.  I gained 50 lbs. during my pregnancy; not something I'm proud of, but it is what it is.  The first 30 lbs. came off within the first three weeks of Harrison's life...and then reality hit.  I hit a brick wall and could not get going with weight loss.  About two weeks ago, I ran across this blog and was amazed at her weight loss journey.  I was totally inspired to get off my butt and get going with losing this weight.  

I officially started my weight loss journey on Harrison's 3 month birthday (10/23), and I'm giving myself until his 1 year birthday (7/23/11) to lose 40 lbs.  In two weeks, I'm already down 5.2 lbs.  I'm doing weight watchers because it is the easiest for me, and I had great success the last time I lost weight (17 lbs. back in 2004/2005).  So, you can do the math and realize that I'm trying to lose an extra 20 lbs. over what I gained during pregnancy.  I was about 15-20 lbs. heavier than I wanted to be when I got pregnant with Harrison, so what better time than the present to kick that extra weight!

I'm keeping a photo journal of my weight loss.  Maybe if I'm brave enough at the end, I'll post the pictures.  Until then (if that day comes), I'm using them as more motivation to kick this weight.  My next big challenge is to get back into the gym...I'll keep you posted on that one.  :-)

Holidays
The holidays are fast approaching, and I'm really excited.  We're planning to visit Jeff's family in Charlotte for Thanksgiving, and I can hardly wait!!!  I'm so excited for Harrison to meet his cousins Griffin and Colton and his Aunt Wendy and Uncle Randy.  And of course, I'm super excited for Harrison to see his Grandma Holmes again!!  About a week or so ago, I got a message from Jeff's sister, Wendy, saying how excited the boys are to meet Harrison.  She said that Colton (3 yrs. in Feb.) told her that he was ready to meet Harrison.  He told her that he was going to read him the Bible and let him play with all of his toys.  Is that not the cutest, most precious, thing EVER!!  My camera is charged and ready for this special family gathering!!

We've not really discussed our plans for Christmas yet...updates will be forthcoming.

Alright, I guess I better go.  I'll have another update next week after Harrison goes for his 4 month check up and shots :-(]

Monday, October 18, 2010

Catching Up

Life with a baby seems to be so much busier than it was before baby came along...imagine that, right?!?!?  I can't believe how fast most days seem to come and go.  It's not that taking care of Harrison is hard or anything, but by the end of the day when he's down for the night, I just don't feel like blogging, so that's the reason for my absence.

Anyway, since my last post, there's been a few events to note.
  1. Harrison slept through the night for the first time on October 10th; one day after his 11 week "birthday."  He's slept through the night since then, and I'm praying he continues to do so.
  2. Harrison moved into size 2 diapers on October 11th.  They're still a little big on him, but he was busting out of the size 1s, so it was time to move up.
  3. Harrison met his great-grandmothers this past Saturday (10/16).  It was such a wonderful day for us as we were really excited to introduce him to Grandma Hull (Jeff's maternal grandma) and Grandma Holmes (Jeff's paternal grandma).  All of the rest of our grandparents are deceased, so this was a special day. 
Here are some pictures from Harrison's visit with the great-grandmothers:

Harrison with Grandma Hull and Daddy

Harrison and Grandma Holmes

Until next time...

Monday, October 4, 2010

10 Weeks

Harrison is now 10 weeks old and making new discoveries every day.  In the past week, he's discovered his hand (9/30) and started sucking his thumb/hand (first noticed by me on 10/1).  While I was out of town for three days last week, my mom was here babysitting, and she said he started trying to put his hand in is mouth then.

Another first for us this past week was Harrison's transition from bath time in the sink to bath time in his "big boy" bath tub.  He loves his bath time, and always smiles the biggest toothless grin when I run water over his head.

Harrison is such a joy in our lives, and people always say that once a baby is in your life, you wonder how you ever lived without them before...that's so true!!  I can't imagine life without him now!

Here are a few pictures of the little guy...

First bath in the "big boy" bath tub

Sucking his thumb...oh so cute...for now anyway  :-)

Ready for church directory pictures

Playing with mommy and daddy

All clean and ready for bed

Oh yeah, he now weighs 12.5 lbs.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Two Months Old

Harrison turns two months old today...so crazy how fast time has gone by.  I will probably say that with each passing month!!

Harrison is such a good baby; I feel so blessed!  He is not yet sleeping through the night, but he typically only wakes up once.  He loves his bath time.  We have established a nighttime routine that starts with bath time; we then give him a bottle, and once that's finished, we swaddle him and lay him down, and he goes off to sleepy land.  Sometimes he still has some energy and doesn't want to go right to bed, though.  He is absolutely adorable when he's wide awake at night; it's as if he knows he is supposed to be asleep, but he thinks it's so funny that he's awake; precious!!

Harrison is currently taking 5 ounce bottles and typically goes between 4 and 5 hours between feedings.  Several times in the last week or so, he's gone 6 hours between his feedings (this is at night when he goes to sleep after his nighttime bottle and bath...something about a warm bath that seems to make him sleep longer).

In the past month, Harrison has really taken off with his sounds.  He coos and ahhhs a lot, and his little toothless grins are simply adorable.  While he doesn't have complete control of his little head, he has really good control of it, and I think it will only be another few weeks before he's 100% in control of his head.

A new development that has really "taken off' in the last week or so is Harrison's drooling.  He will completely soak his little outfits.  Earlier this week, he soaked an outfit even with a bib on...I think he may be getting teeth earlier than "normal" based on this fact.  Jeff says he was a heavy drooler, so maybe Harrison just gets that from him...is drooling hereditary??

Here's a few documentary pictures to round out this update:





Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Two Month Check-Up

Harrison had his two month check-up today (he'll officially be two months old next week), and got a very good report.  Here are his stats:

Weight:  11 lbs, 9 oz
Length:  23 3/4 in
Percentile:  55th

Now that he is two months old, Harrison has to start getting his immunizations.  Today was the first time for the shots, and it was very traumatic for me (and him). 

Today he received vaccines for Polio, Pneumococal Disease, Diptheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (DTaP), Rotavirus, and Hib.  Thankfully, he only had to have two shots (the Rotavirus vaccine is oral, and one shot contained three vaccines).  When the nurse administered the first shot (pneumococcal disease vaccine), he only cried a little.  The nurse warned me, however, that the next shot would make him really cry.  She certainly knew what she was talking about because the instant she stuck his little leg, he belted out a cry so loud it made me shreek.  Then he cried so hard that I had to blow in his little face to get him to breathe...it must have REALLY hurt him.  It made me so sad...he cried "real" tears...they were actually rolling down his precious face. 

I'm thankful that he doesn't have to have shots every day, and I'm even more thankful that we live in a country that has these vaccines available to protect him from these serious diseases.

On a happier note, here's a picture of Harrison at 7 weeks old:

Check out that red hair!!

I'll leave you with this little video of Harrison; enjoy!!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Little Flirt

Today, while at a new mommy luncheon at church, it became very clear to me that Harrison is going to be a ladies man!  There were five new babies at the luncheon; three boys, two girls.  When Harrison was "introduced" to little Charis, he just smiled and cooed and giggled at her non-stop; it was really cute!! 

I guess Jeff and I will have to keep our eyes on him from now on or else he'll have a girlfriend and we won't even know it.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Harrison is One Month Old

Today, Harrison turns 1 month old.  I cannot believe that he's already one month old.  I feel like he was just born last week.

Harrison is growing like a little weed.  He is making new achievements every day, and it is fascinating to watch him grow and learn.

Today we upped his formula to 4.5 oz from 4 oz.  He had been eating 4 oz. at each feeding for about two weeks.  He typically goes three hours between feedings; however, we have gone four hours a few times.

During tummy time the last few days, Harrison has turned his head from one side to the other and back again.  I'm so proud of him.  At times, when he's in his crib, he shows signs of trying to turn over.  Now, I know he's not going to be able to turn over for a little while, but he sure looks like he's trying at times!

Here's a picture commerating his one month birthday.  Happy one month little guy; we love you more than you can imagine!!!

Friday, August 13, 2010

Harrison's 2 Week Check-Up

Harrison had his two week check-up on my birthday, Tuesday, August 10th.  He got a good report, and the doctor said he looks exceptionally healthy, just as he should!!

Harrison's 2 week old stats:
Weight = 8 lbs. 2 oz.
Length = 21 in.

As of today, Harrison is 3 weeks old.  He is such a good baby and only cries when he's hungry or needs a diaper change.  Jeff and I could not be more blessed; we have a precious, absolutely adorable baby boy!!  God is SO good!

Harrison's First Doctor Visit

This post is a little late.

We were discharged from the hospital on Monday, July 26th, and Harrison had his first visit with Dr. Finer the following day on July 27th.

His 4 day old stats:
Weight = 6 lbs. 14 oz.
Length = 20 in

Because he lost almost 10% of his birth weight after birth, we had to supplement with formula.  My milk didn't come in until he was 5 days old, and I couldn't starve my baby.  Anyway, I was worried that he wouldn't continue to gain weight, so we went back to the doctor on Friday, July 30th to check his weight again.  He was back up to 7 lbs. 4 oz.; only 2 oz. away from his birth weight!!

He got a good report at his first visit, the first good report of many!!  YAY!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Harrison's Arrival Story

Although it has almost been three weeks since my little munchkin was born, I couldn't not post about his arrival.  So, here it goes...

On Tuesday, July 20th, I had my 39 week check-up.  I was beyond miserable and not getting any sleep and just really ready for the baby to be here.  So, Dr. Snook and I discussed some options and we decided to go forward with her stripping my membranes.  We scheduled an induction to take place on Thursday, July 22nd.  Dr. S told me that in about 50% of women, labor begins within 24 hours of stripping the membranes...I was hopeful.  I called Jeff and mama on the way home and told them to get ready...baby is on the way!!

Mama quickly wrapped up at work, gathered her things, and started on the six hour drive to Orlando...we didn't want to take any chances of labor beginning and her not being here.  Jeff and I both were in awe of the fact that our boy would be here within a matter of a few days, and we knew it for sure...no more speculating when it would happen.

To those who know me well, it's well known that I love Mexican food.  So, in hopes that some spicyness would move things along more quicklly, we went out for some Mexican food on Tuesday night.  Around 9:30 pm, I started having some mild contractions that were about 10-12 minutes apart.  They weren't very intense, but they were steadily coming every 10-12 minutes.  Mom and I were up most of the night...I think I got about 30 minutes of sleep between 1:00-1:30 am.  Around 3:00 am, the contractions started coming every 4-6 minutes; still not very intense, but coming more frequently.  So, around 5:00 am, we all piled in the car and off to the hospital we went.  I was exhausted, but hopeful that we'd meet our baby boy that day!!

Well, we weren't that lucky.  The triage nurse checked me upon arrival, and I was only 3 cm dilated.  They had me walk the halls for two hours only to return and be checked again and then sent home because while my contractions were regular and coming every 4-5 minutes, they weren't strong enough to cause my cervix to continue dilating.  We spent the rest of Wednesday afternoon trying to rest and get ready for the following day which was my scheduled induction.

Thursday morning rolls around, and I jump up at 4:00 am to get showered and ready to go to the hospital.  I called the nurses station at 5:00 am onlly to be told that they weren't ready for me and to call back at 7:30 am.  I was bummed, but tried to go back to sleep for a little while.  At 6:51 am, my phone rings...it's the hospital telling me they're ready for me.  My heart fluttered and I began getting nervous and anxious.  This was the day...I was going to meet my baby boy!!

We arrived at the hospital just before 8:00 am and were placed in Labor & Delivery room #13...lucky #13!!  My nurse was Tiffany, super nice girl who was also expecting her first baby...a boy, due in early September.  Tiffany got me hooked up to everything, the anesthesiologist got me connected to the IV, and off we were.  The pitocin drip started around 9:00 am, and then we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited some more.  I was so hungry as all I'd had to eat was some toast at 5:00 am.  Well, I was not allowed to eat anything except popcicles and ice chips...I ate about 5 popcicles and a ton of ice chips that day!!

Throughout the day, the nurses would check me only to find that I was not progressing at all...I was still 3 cm dilated.  Dr. S was slated to come by and break my water in the early afternoon, but low and behold, she wasn't needed...my water broke on its own at 2:30 pm.  That was the oddest sensation ever...I felt as if I needed to go to the bathroom, but I couldn't get up before the nurse checked me...I was not looking forward to her checking me, and then, shazaam....my water broke and labor officially began.  I should have put my name on the epidural list as soon as my water broke, but I didn't.  I waited and had to endure a little stint of "real" contractions (because what I'd been having up to that point was like a walk in the park comparitively speaking!).  Anyway, fortunately, I only had to endure serious pain for about two hours and then it was my turn for the needle.

Well, time came and went, and shift change was upon us.  I was so worried that I wouldn't get a good overnight nurse...the triage nurse from the day before was HORRIBLE, and I was terrified that I'd have her again.  Thank the good Lord, I got a super nice nurse instead of that bad one from the day before. 

Anyway, on with the story...I labored for the entire night with only slight progress...by 5:30 am when Dr. S came around, I was only dilated to 8 cm and still only about 80% effaced.  Time for intervention...the baby was stuck per Dr. S.  I have to admit that while I really wanted to deliver Harrison naturally, I was relieved when she said we had to do a C-section.  That had been the longest night of my life and the lives of my beloved husband, awesome mother, and sweet sister.  They were all such troopers...there wasn't enough places for everyone to sleep, so they all had to take turns sleeping on the pull out chair/bed and the floor...I felt so bad for them!!

Okay, so Jeff got suited up and the nurse got me prepped for surgery, and off I go.  I was wheeled into the OR at 6:31 am.  It was an odd feeling...I'd never been in the hospital before, much less had surgery.  The team of doctors and nurses got me all ready, they called Jeff to come back and be with me, and away they went with the C-section.  At 6:53 am, I heard the best noise in the world...my baby crying!!  My eyes filled up with tears, Jeff was grinning from ear to ear under his face mask, and I was just praying prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful gift God had just given us!!  It was the most awesome feeling in the world!!

Harrison arrived weighing 7 lbs., 6 oz., and measured 20".  He was face up, so that's another reason I'm glad I had a C-section...his little face would have been badly bruised if I'd delivered him naturallly.  And, that explained the serious pain I felt in my lower back prior to the epidural and even after the epidural...his spine was bumping with mine, and it was not pleasant!!

After getting stitched back up, Jeff, Harrison, and I headed to recovery for an hour.  I was able to breastfeed my little guy immediately, and he was a natural...he knew exactly what to do.  God is so amazing...he forms us and gives us instincts we need for survival...why are we always so amazed at His work???

I guess it was around 10:00 am, we finally got to go to our home away from home for the next few days...room 1328.  Mama and Stephanie got to see us for the first time and see our precious baby...what a wonderful time.  Too bad Stephanie had to hurry off to get some rest before going to work later that night.

The next few days in the hospital are a bit of a blur to me...I was severely sleep deprived and on pain meds which made me be a crazy woman.  I could not/would not sleep...it was reallly crazy!

We were discharged from the hospital on Monday, July 26th.  We arrived home around 5:30 pm and officially started our journey as mommy and daddy.

I have to say a huge thank you to my mom...without here, I think that Jeff and I would have crapped out the first night home.  She did so much to help us get home from the hospital and get settled into our new lives as parents.  Jeff's mom came down on Wednesday, and we are super thankful to her as well.  God is so good and continues to provide for us and give us such precious gifts in our baby and our mothers.  We are blessed...too blessed to be stressed (a quote from my mama!!)

I'll have more updates in the coming days.  I think this post is long enough to last a few days.  :-)