Long Overdue Update!

I know, I know it has been way to long since I have last posted. I am so sorry! Where do I begin? My first day back to work was on November 20th. I had puffy eyes from crying so much. It was awful leaving MaKayla to go work. I know she is in good hands with Shannon but it felt like part of my heart was being ripped out. I am doing much better now. I still have my moments when I wish I could just leave work and go pick her up. Especially when I know she has a tummy ache. The evenings seem to be gone in the blink of an eye and there just hasn’t been time for me to do anything besides cooking, cleaning, taking care of MaKayla and getting ready for the next day.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year! Andy and I made the decision that MaKayla was too young to bounce from house to house so we only went to the Masterson’s this year. MaKayla was able to meet her Aunt Jen and Laura for the first time. It was a very nice and relaxing day.

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas just seems to fly bye. I cannot believe Christmas is only 6 days away. Daddy watched MaKayla for 8 hours on Saturday while I went Christmas shopping. Little MaKayla decided to be difficult and show how loud her little voice really can go. Poor Daddy was a trooper and hung in there but he was wiped out by the time I got home.

MaKayla will be three months old tomorrow. Where has the time gone? I promise I will post a picture. Can’t wait until I get a digital camera!!!!!

MaKayla's first friend!

We went to visit Shannon and Lydia so that the girls could get acquainted before the big day on Monday. Both of the girls did very well. Lydia was trying to get MaKayla to play but all she did was lay there =). It is nice that the first week is only three days for all of us. It is going to be a big adjustment for MaKayla, Lydia, Shannon and I. Here are some pictures of the girls together. I think they will be fast friends!

8 Weeks Old

The time has flown by! It doesn’t seem possible that MaKayla is 8 weeks old already! Her personality is really starting to shine now. She has a temper and wants things done her way (she must get that from her Daddy =). She is a very loud little girl with all her grunts and groans. She loves her Winnie the Pooh mobile and characters on her bedding. It is so cute to watch her coo and stare at them. As you can see from her pictures her binky is her new favorite thing. She even holds it with her hands now. We have bath time in the evening followed by a little massage and singing which she loves! It is amazing to see how much she has changed and grown in such a short amount of time.

Indian Summer

Sorry it has been so long since we have posted. Time just seems to by flying by! This past week has been beautiful! Mommy and MaKayla took walks Monday through Thursday with other Mommies and babies in the neighborhood. Now that it is cold again, we are stuck inside. MaKayla is doing well and growing like a weed. We are still working on getting her to sleep in her crib. Just when we think we have it licked she decides that the only good place to sleep is with Mommy and Daddy. I have to go back to work on November 20th and I am already dreading having to leave my baby girl!

Happy Halloween!

MaKayla’s first Halloween. She may be to small to go trick-or-treating but we couldn’t let her go without being dressed up. Doesn’t she look adorable in her little pea in the pod costume? Andy and I took turns answering the door for all the little goblins last night. We had 104 trick-or-treaters last night. That is down from what we have had the years prior. We just love the little ones that come to the door. Ike was dressed up as a black cat (Chewie’s revenge) so the kids wouldn’t be scared of him.

Grandma Morris came to the door all dressed up as a Pilgrim. When I went to the door I thought to myself, "Oh my, the trick-or-treaters get older ever year." I had a handful of candy and then realized who it was. I am so mad, my batteries died in my camera after I got a few shots of MaKayla in her costume. I wish I had more pictures to share. I promise I will buy a digital camera after Christmas!

Our Little Pumpkin!

Doesn’t MaKayla look darling in her little Halloween outfit? Thank you Aunt Vickie for the cute little outfit! Mommy loves that it says, "I love my Mummy!" MaKayla must have had an upset tummy yesterday. She had a rough day and was only content if someone held her. Nana and Papa visited and she was pretty good for them but as soon as they left she cried non-stop for awhile. She gave Andy and I a run for our money with trying to calm her down. She finally fell asleep on Daddy’s chest. We were scared to move her for awhile after that. She is having a better day today. So are Andy and I.

Logan Michael Hanna

Logan Michael Hanna
Born on October 20, 2006 at 3:52 p.m.
6 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 inches long

I am once again a very proud Aunt. My sister Roxanne had a beautiful baby boy! Mom, Dad, Baby and Zach (big brother) are all doing well! I wish I could fly out to Arizona and see everyone, I miss them so much!

Roxanne and I enjoyed sharing our pregnancy journeys. Even though we are thousands of miles apart we were able to share a very special bonding journey through our pregnancies. Talking almost every day via email or phone (usually several times throughout the day) we were able to grow closer. I really enjoyed this time and am looking forward to watching our children grow through the milestones. There were so many similarities between our births. MaKayla and Logan are exactly one month apart and weighed the same at birth. MaKayla was 19.5 inches long and Logan was 19 inches long. We both went into labor and to the hospital at the same time of day (4 a.m.). We delivered within an hour of each other. I delivered at 37 weeks 1 day; Roxy delivered at 38 weeks 1 day.

Andy and I now have four nephews (Zachary, Logan, Luke and Caden) and a niece (Riley)! I see our Christmas budget growing!

1 Month Check Up

MaKayla had her one-month check up on Saturday. Dr. Baptist was quite the comedian. He talked to her as if she could respond to what he was saying. She received her second Hep B shot. Her head turned bright red and she let out a very loud cry. Daddy picked her up right away and loved on her. It was so hard to watch our little daughter go through pain. She has been given orders to grow two more legs because she will be getting four shots at her two-month appointment. We are not looking forward to that appointment. MaKayla now weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces. She was also given a bottle of liquid vitamins, which she does not care for.

4 Weeks Old

"Party In My Crib at 2 a.m.", this shirt is very fitting right now. The past few nights have been challenging. MaKayla has been congested and wants to be held all the time and doesn’t want to sleep at night. I tried to nap with her several times but it seems she knows I want to sleep and then she is wide-awake. She has been a little stinker! She is really starting to fill out. I love the little rolls that are developing on her body. She has her one-month appointment on Saturday. Andy and I were looking at her tonight trying to guess how much we think she will weigh by then. We think she will be around 8 ½ pounds. Let’s see how well our parent’s intuition is working.

3 Weeks Old

Sorry it has been awhile since our last post! We do not have a digital camera. It looks like I am going to have to break down and buy one.

We cannot believe that MaKayla is already three weeks old. It seems like she was just born yesterday. She is growing like a little weed! Everyday we see little changes and can see her personality blossom.

I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a picture with MaKayla in her Halloween shirt that Nana and Papa gave her and her black cat hat from Aunt Roxy. She was a little cranky today and did not want to cooperate so I had to just take one when she finally stopped moving around. I think she is sick of having her picture taken. She has the cutest Halloween costume but you will have to wait to see what it is.

Two Weeks Old Already!

MaKayla in her Harley chick accessories. On Wednesday, I took MaKayla to be weighed. I was worried that she was not gaining weight but she is doing just fine. She is up to 7 pounds already!! I should have known with all of those feedings throughout the night. Little Miss MaKayla has quite the appetite.

Comment added on October 24, 2006:

Okay, we have had a couple of people comment on MaKayla's missing arm. No she is not missing an arm, she just has it tucked under the bib. It can be very challenging getting her to sit still for pictures. This picture is the best one that turned out.

Sleepy Girl

Okay, I have to admit I love to play dress up with MaKayla. As you can tell it doesn’t bother her much! I love these cute little butterfly slippers that Holly gave her, pretty blanket from Ron and Linda and girly hair bow from Shannon. I have never been a pink person before but now I love it!

Daddy's Girl!

Daddy went back to work on Wednesday. We knew it was going to be hard for him so Mommy took pictures pictures of Pea Pod (Daddy's name for MaKayla) and made a brag book that he could take to work with him. He called throughout the day to check in on his little girl. She has already become a Daddy's girl.

Sun bathing

MaKayla has been sun bathing for about 15 minutes a day. This helps her with her jaundice. She actually loves to lay in the sun. I think it is cute how she curls up and falls asleep. This picture was taken at 6 days old.

Pretty in Pink!

I just had to post more pictures of our darling daughter! What can I say, we are proud parents!

First doctor's appointment

We took MaKayla to the doctor’s office yesterday to have her jaundice checked. She lost a little bit of weight and now is 5 lbs. 12 oz. The doctor said she looks fine and to just put her in the sunlight for 10 minutes a day. It still seems so surreal to Andy and I. We have been blessed beyond our dreams!

The stork has made a special delivery!

MaKayla Marie Morris
At 3:00 am on Wednesday, September 20th, I woke up to find that my water had broken. It is funny because I dreamt that I would go into labor this way. Just to be on the safe side, I did purchase a water proof mattress pad that Andy liked to call my pee pad. Good thing I did! Surprisingly, we did not panic. Actually we spent a very relaxing time at home showering, eating breakfast, packing and talking about the upcoming event. We had a very calm ride to Swedish American Hospital. I was started on my IV and was 3 cm dilated at 6:00 am. At 9:00 am the doctor decided to start me on pitocin because my contractions were not as regular and as strong as he would like them to be. Since I tested positive for Group B Strep, Dr. Manas wanted to get things moving and lessen the chance of baby getting an infection.

At 11:00 am the contractions were on top of each other and I received an epidural. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t hurt a bit. At 1:00 pm I was dilated to a 9 and baby’s head was right there. The feeling in my legs was returning and I was beginning to feel the pain of contractions again. At 2:00 p.m. I was begging for more medicine in my epidural but the doctor thought it would be best to leave it alone so I could feel the urge to push. At 1:15 p.m. I began pushing and screaming. My epidural was not working at all and I could feel everything. After a few good pushed, I began to get extremely weak. All those weeks of bedrest really did a number to my muscles. I was struggling with being able to push through an entire contraction. I just didn’t have it in me to push the baby out without assistance. Dr. Manas used forceps and did an episidomy. It was the worst pain in my life! Andy had to make me concentrate on holding my breath and pushing and not screaming. I am sure everyone in the hospital heard me.

The next thing I know our baby was born and Andy was announcing "we have a girl!" Our daughter MaKayla Marie Morris was born at 2:49 p.m. After Andy cut the umbilical cord, the doctor laid her on my tummy. My love for her grew instantly stronger! The nurses took her over to the warming bed to clean her and gave her back to me. After a few more minutes of bonding, she was taken to the nursery to be watched because she was having a hard time keeping her body temperature up and was flaring her nostrils when breathing. It was so hard to be separated from our new daughter. Andy was able to go with her and helped with giving MaKayla her first bath. MaKayla weighed in at 6 lbs. 6 oz. and 19.5 inches long.

Being separated from our daughter was very hard for me. Each minute passed like it was an hour. Around 5:30 p.m., the nurses finally brought MaKayla to my room. Andy and I were left alone to bond with MaKayla and to figure out breast feeding on our own. MaKayla was a champ and latched on perfectly.

Our time at the hospital was a whirlwind of visits with family and friends. It was a very proud moment for Andy and I to show MaKayla off. The doctor gave us the okay to leave the hospital Friday night. We were both very nervous about bringing our new precious daughter home. The first night was a bit rough as expected and we got very little sleep.

I am still very sore and tired. Trying to recover from bedrest and delivery while taking care of a newborn is quite a job! Andy is a very proud dad and likes to fondly call MaKayla his precious gem and pea pod.

The nursery is done in the nick of time!

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Our Winnie the Pooh nursery turned out just as cute as can be! We completed it just in the nick of time! Andy did an awesome job with picking out the colors for the walls and incorporating the theme to include my butterflies. It is kind of hard to tell from the pictures but there are seven butterflies hanging from the ceiling (same number that we let go during our wedding), they look like they are flying around in the clouds that Andy artistically painted. His endless talents never cease to amaze me! There are also four more butterflies that are attached to the walls (another lucky number, keeping up with the Native American legend). We incorporated both the Disney and Classic Winnie the Pooh themes in the room. I couldn’t be happier with the way the nursery turned out! It is hard to believe that just two weeks ago this room was an dual office and a storage place for all my scrapbooking supplies stacked haphazardly in the room. Andy is so happy that my scrapbooking room or what he fondly likes to call the crap room is completed! I have been warned that if anything is left outside my room he has all rights to throw it away! I guess that is only fair since he did build me an awesome craft room! Pictures to come soon of the basement.

Freedom!

36 weeks & 5 days

I have been enjoying my freedom these last few days! It is so nice to be able to get out of the house. I have been looking forward to going out to dinner with Andy for months. Last night we went to Don Pablos and enjoyed being out together as a couple again. After dinner we went to a couple of stores to find a few items that we still need to finish the nursery. I barely made it through Lowe’s so when we went to Wal-Mart Andy pushed me in a wheel chair. Normally I would have been embarrassed to be pushed around just because I am pregnant but not last night. I was too worn out to care!

Today I was able to go to church for the first time in 3 ½ months. It was such a treat! Once again we went to a couple of stores to try and find a shelf and basket for the baby’s room. Finally we were successful at Michael’s. Now I am resting on the couch as Andy is cleaning the house from top to bottom. He wants the house to be squeaky clean for when the baby comes home. I do get up and help for short periods of time then I have to lay down and rest again for awhile. I cannot believe how weak I am. I am getting a little stronger each day.

36 Weeks = 9 Months!!

36 weeks and 2 days pregnant! On Tuesday, September 19th we will be 37 weeks pregnant and considered full-term.

We had our doctor’s appointment today. The doctor said that I am good to go anytime after next Monday. I am 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. He took me off all my meds that have been controlling the contractions and has given me the okay to start taking small ventures out to build up my strength. I feel like I have been let out of jail! I over did it a bit and went shopping and to get my hair cut. It wore me out!!! I have another doctor’s appointment scheduled for next Thursday that is if we don’t have our baby before that. The doctor thinks that with being off the meds and up moving around that it will get things started. Andy and I are both very excited and nervous! It is so hard to believe that our dreams are about to come true!

So it is time to make your bets. Will it be a boy or a girl???? We will know very soon! My toes are painted for the occasion. It is hard to tell from the picture so I will explain it. The right side is painted pink with blue crystals and says "Boy". The left side is painted blue with pink crystals and says "Girl".

35 weeks

It has been a very busy weekend! The basement is pretty much completed. The carpet was installed in Andy’s office and my scrapbook room on Saturday. Thank you Vikki, Nick, Nick’s friend and Mandy for helping to move everything out of the upstairs office and downstairs to our new rooms. Today Andy and Floyd painted the nursery. Andy surprised me with his Winnie the Pooh themed painting. You can see some of his detail work in these pictures. It is a little difficult to see the puffy clouds that he added in the blue area above the yellow line. He also painted a tiny skydiver under one of the clouds. I will take more pictures once we get the furniture installed. Tomorrow we are having the carpets cleaned throughout the house and Andy is picking up the baby furniture. I am getting really excited now! It is so hard to believe that a little person will be occupying this room very shortly. We have waited so long for this moment it just still seems so surreal.

Poor Andy has been going non-stop for months preparing our house for our upcoming new arrival. He has done a wonderful job. I can’t wait to post more pictures of the basement and show off his handy work. I am just waiting until the final cleaning and touchups are complete so you can see the real beauty of everything.

34 Weeks

We have made it further than we ever expected. I am falling in love with my big belly and will miss it when it is gone. We are counting down the final weeks or days...YEAH!!

31 weeks

We made it past the critical 30 weeks! Each day this little one stays inside is a blessing!