Hope?

I received this e-mail last night from one of my best friends who lives in New Orleans:

Mae,

Just want to let you know we are all safe, but we are not sure of the conditions of our home. We are receiving bad reports, but still believing God.

Love ya,
Netta

Please continue praying for those who have lost so much. Keep believing...

Fun w/ the camera...

Ok, so Mommy is burping me and all I really want to do is finish eating and get some zzz's, but NO she has to have a picture... Well fine then. (Disclaimer: I do not have an unusually red right eye all of the time. I just have a tendency to stick my fingers in it and make it appear that way.)

Today we went to see Dr. B (HAH's Dr. B, not Mommy's Dr. B) and I gained 1 lb and 1 oz in 1 1/2 weeks!!! Now I'm in the 10th percentile instead of the 5th ~ Woo Hoo!!!

Also, today Mommy proved once again that she's lost her marbles. She thought she had a hair appointment this afternoon, but she got to the salon and they were closed. It's not until tomorrow... She thinks.

That's the news for now. Til next time. HAH and Momma.

P.S. Isn't my monkey face just the cutest lil thing??!?!?!! Now, if I could only pull my ears out for the full effect...

Lessons Learned

Well, I guess since I've been a mother for two entire weeks that I should enlighten the world on some things Brandon and I have learned about Hadlee...

1. If she isn't hungry, tired, or poopie and she's crying, then it must be a tummy ache.
2. When in doubt, use Mylicon!
3. Her grunts, facial expressions, sighs, snoring, and every other noise are precious.
4. If she's sleeping it doesn't matter how uncomfortable the position looks ~ just let her sleep.
5. The black tar my look gross, but at least it doesn't stink or fly across the room.
6. There isn't a more frightening feeling than not knowing what to do to make her feel better.
7. She loves to watch COPS and Kung Fu Chow movies.
8. The sily songs I make up almost always go to the tune of an Adam Sandler song.
9. When she looks into my eyes, my heart melts.
10. It's an exhausting job, but we wouldn't trade being parents for all the gifts in the world.

Hey baby...

You lookin' at me?

Simple Gifts

This morning after Hadlee's 6:00 feeding as I was laying her back down into her cradle and kissing her precious little baby head I looked over at her father who was sound asleep in our bed. The expressions on thier faces were identical at that particular moment (in case you don't know, Hadlee is an almost exact replica of her Daddy). The song "Simple Gifts" immediately popped into my head and the meaning of "Jesus Loves Me" suddenly had a new impact. Just thought I'd share that with you.

Hadlee

Here's our little snuggle bug ~ isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen??!?!?!!

She is resting peacefully right now in her bassinet, which is vibrating, a TRUE gift from above! I am feeling better each day, but still having blood pressure measurements that are off the charts. I have to take medicine for my bp until my post partumn checkup in a month and then we'll see what happens from there.

I am also working on putting the story of her birth to paper ~ mainly so that she'll be able to look back on it when she is my age and has questions about things. One thing I will try to do on a regular basis is to write down what is happening in our lives (blogging is great for many things!). I just want to know that if Brandon or I are not around for her when she gets curious about things, that she'll have our thoughts and feelings down to see her life from our perspective. Does that sound morbid, or just overly mushy & mommyish?

Ok, I'm tuckered and there is laundry waiting to head to Tide, Downey and Bounce land. Have a fabulous day. Thank you for all of the warm wishes. :)

And the winner is...

Beaner, I think... but Brandon & I got the ultimate gift!!!

Hadlee Anne was born on Sunday, August 14 at 10:32 a.m. She weighs 5 lbs. 13 oz. (not 8 lbs as I mistakenly reported before ~ it's the post~pardom stupids!!!) and is 18 3/4" long. Things for her are beautiful.

I have PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) and had to have a c-section. I'm slowly recovering, but enjoying the fact that I can't vacuum for at least two weeks! :) I'll post pictures of my tiny bundle in the next day or so. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. SHE'S HERE!!!! Thank you Lord! :)

What I am doing...

* Having contractions.
* Not getting very much sleep.
* Trying to do something constructive, fun and educational for my students.
* Trying to get everything ready for this baby to friggin' get here already.
* Trying to finish up school work for the semester.
* Trying not to complain... over and over again.


What I'm not doing...

* Having a baby today ~ Dang it.
* Focusing on one project and completing it.
* Cooking or cleaning.
* Getting much rest.


Where I wish I was right now...

* On the beach w/ my husband and daughter ~ who is in person, not in tummy.
* Sleeping.
* Eating.
* Getting a massage.


The doc's report for today...

* Dilation Factor ~ 1.
* Baby at ~ Minus 2.
* Completely opened (Um, I don't know what that means.).
* Doc's prediction ~ two more weeks and a possible c-section.

Funny quote of the day...

* From Dr. B to Brandon, "Now, don't wait t until you can see hair to put Mae Anne in the car..."

Random thought of the day...

* Why do yappy little dogs only bark at 4:47 a.m.?

Our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

It's official. Dr. B said to keep our hospital bags packed and in the Expedition. AND ~ I've started dilating!!! Right now, I'm all the way to 1, but still, it's further that zero!!!!

I figured that now is as good a time as any (can't tell I'm southern from that phrase, can you?) to begin the "Place Your Bets" game. So my blog friends, I am inviting you to guess the day, time, weight and length of Miss Hadlee Anne Hale. If you want you may also guess the amount of time I'll be in labor, but I will warn you that I refuse to acknowledge any of that. :)

We've got 19 days until the due date. Ready, set, guess!

Boggle Anyone?

Since I was hired to teach a new class one whole day before school began, I feel as if I am perpetually behind. What I am doing is a completely new program so I have to develop the curriculum as I go based on my students' test scores, abilities, and state standards. On top of that, my maternity leave begins in 3 weeks (yes, that's one whole day before the due date) and I have to prepare for the time that I'll be out as well. Good grief! Who said being a teacher was an easy job??!?!?! At least I can wear flip-flops! :)

We have every last thing for Hadlee that we can think of... except for the whole knowing how to be parents thing, which I'm sure will kick in either about the time she leaves for college or calls and needs us to sign a release form for the latest COPS episode. Take your pick.

Classes are almost over for this semester at SCU. Thank goodness! I have put very little effort into the whole grad school deal and my grades will probably reflect it... B's are acceptable every once in a while. Just try your hardest to convince expectant mothers to stay away from grad school and the world will be a place where we can all get along. (Insert random Jon Lennon moment here"Imagine all the people living for today... You may say I'm a dreamer, but I am not the only one. I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one...")

Brandon is back w/ my nightly craving ~ Mad Cows and Fruity Pebbles (Yes, I know they are actually called Brown Cows, but I couldn't remember that when I was trying to explain what I wanted and the term Mad Cow just stuck.) Mmmmmm. Sugar and chocolate the only thing that could make me happier at this moment would be to not be pregnant any more. At least I've got the Mad Cows! :)