Looking, looking, looking...

We are almost positive that we've found the lot (2 acres) and also that we've found the house plans. Now all we have to do is buy and build!!! It'll be fun, stressful and a great learning experience. Put your seat belts on 'cuz we're going for a ride!!!!

HAH

Her personality is really beginning to show! This was a couple of Sundays ago when I had her in a very frilly outift ~ she may be a Libery Overall girl as opposed to a pearls & lace diva.

The picture on the right is from this afternoon when she was smiling and kind of laughing. I love it!!

This is "the freaks come out week" a.k.a. Fair Week. Tomorrow night Hadlee is staying w/ Abuelita & Papi for a couple of hours so B and I can get some greasy food and funnel cakes ~ Mmmm. We may even walk around and watch the pig races or tractor pull ~ YEEEEE HAW!!!

Mommy Mush

So, I've been thinking of slogans / t-shirt / bumper sticker sayings for new moms. Here are a few that I've come up w/...

*Spit up ~ the new fragrance from Baby.
*Got milk?
*Good vibrations ~ not just a song by the Beach Boys.
*Engorgement ~ every husbands' Freudian fantasy.
*Poop ~ what color is your baby's?
*Wipies ~ they clean it all.
*I tore all the way ~ what have you done today?
*Giving birth ~ it's the trump card for life.
*My baby smiles and then passes gas ~ what can yours do?
*Baby in carrier + diaper bag + two trips a day to anywhere = buff arms.
*Catheters ~ can't all have one?
*C-sections ~ we're a club all our own.
*Under eye circles ~ the new makeup trend.
*Mommy Olympics categories: Fastest shower time. Can you change a stinky diaper w/ 2 wipes or less? Who has the longest leg hair? Math skills: mulitply the number of ounces your baby eats by the number of diapers you change in a day and divide it by the amount per wipie...
*Sleep ~ who needs to function on 8 hours when you can do it in 3 1/2?
*Babies: Slippery when wet.

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I had Hadlee's newborn pictures taken a couple of weeks ago and yesterday I got to see the proofs, narrow the poses down and pick out which package we wanted in order to officially file for bankruptcy (seriously, $30 for 1 5x7, can you say highway robbery?). They will be back in two more weeks and I can't wait!!!

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My parent's met B, HAH and I at the house we were thinking of buying to get the "carpenter's eye" on things... Daddy's words were, "Stay away." We weren't planning on buying this one, we were more interested in the floor plan and the lot but the price had been reduced by several thousand dollars and so we were thinking more seriously about putting in a low ball offer and seeing what happened. So now were back to the original plan of waiting until next spring / summer to begin building. We're looking at lots and going through house plans imagining what we'd like to have and what all we can do on our own or contract out to people who owe Daddy favors in order to really save money. It's an interesting and fun process. My question for you is ~ what do you have that works really well and what did you think you wanted that has turned out to be less than great in your home?

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Ok, delirium has officially set in. Please add to the list of slogans. Peas out...

What to do, what to do...

If for some reason your 5 week old daughter is keeping you up b/c she refuses to sleep from, oh, say 12:11 - 2: 22 am, I highly suggest that you pick up a floor plan catalog and begin building your dream house. Also, blame the horrific sleeping habits over the past 3 nights on the full moon ~ and give it a good howl while you're at it.

If you want to check out the house that B and I are thinking of buying (or, in actuality having built and tweaking the floor plans) go to Coffee County Realty, click on "our agents," then Freda Jones, then her second page (or is it the third?) and the address is 0 Hunter's Landing ~ a 2 story brick traditional. Tell me what you think...

I'm now going to take the slumbering baby to her cradle and the next time she wakes up it's Brandon's turn to look at house plans!

P.S. What the heck is up w/ Blogger's new big ol' honkin' font? I can read this from Texas... that is where everything's bigger, right girls??? :)

P.P.S. I'M GOING TO ZOE!!! See you all in a few weeks ~ WOO HOO!!!

Forever changed...

My dear, sweet baby girl,

One month ago today you entered our lives after having been in our hearts and on our minds for years on end. One month ago today you changed my life forever. One month ago today, I experienced true unconditional love. One month ago today I looked into your precious eyes and knew that no matter what happens in this world your Daddy and I would always have each other, you, and the love of God.

We have learned so many things in the past 30 days... Your different cries and how to (hopefully) get them to subside, that you love to sleep on my chest, that you'll only take your passi when it's good for you ~ forget what we want!, that you love to go for evening walks and the bumpy road will not give you shaken baby syndrome!, that your cousin Halle thinks you're the best thing on earth next to strawberry milk, that you love to be in Gramma's arms, that Tylenol and Mylicon can fix almost any cry that we can't, and on and on...

It's so funny how much you have changed and grown in such a short amount of time. You went from hardly filling out preemie outfits to fully filling out newborn outfits literally in one day! Your beautiful smile is showing up more and more, your wrinkly little forehead less and less, but when it's there you are truly your father's child! People look at you and always comment on how beautiful you are, how pretty your skin is and how perfectly round your head... And I smile, say thank you, and think "Thank you God, for our precious gift."

There are some days that you love bath time and others when you absolutely hate it... Sunday mornings Daddy usually gets you ready so that I have time to put on makeup and not scare the entire congregation w/ the bags and dark circles under my eyes. He woke you up, gave you some breakfast, a bath and then brought you to our room... You were so mad!!! The look on your face was priceless ~ and I must say, you were truly your mother's child at that moment! I don't think you've ever looked more like me as you did right then. Daddy and I laughed until we cried, and of course I had to get a picture. :)

I can't even begin to tell you how much we all love you.. Me, Daddy, Gramma, Pawpaw Boo, Abuelita, Papi, your aunts, uncles, cousins, and the entire rest of our little world. We are so thankful to have you in our lives. You are a true blessing from above.

You have my heart and you always will. I love you Hadlee.

Always,
Momma

Randomness

I'm up w/ the baby in the second half of her "I love to be awake at 2:00 am." session. Basically, it's the only time I really have to sit down and write... who knows how coherent this will be???

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On Friday B and I met our realtor in a swanky neighborhood to look at houses. (BTW, did you know that lumber prices have gone up 33% since Katrina came roaring through?) While I absolutely love the idea and reality of looking for and building or buying our dream home, I couldn't help but feel more than a twinge of guilt. There are people nearby who have nothing, not even family members to cling to and we're here looking at homes that we don't even have the furniture to fill.

I don't know if it's feelings of guilt, inadequacy, or simply... I don't even know what. But in the back of my mind, while I was trying to place our existing furniture and doing what my carpenter's daughter's mind does best ~ adjusting and tweaking the floor plan and kitchen arrangements ~ all I could think about was how we could use our money to help others instead of buying a big home. Does that make any sense?

We are working to do things for Katrina survivors, but I still feel as if I should personally be doing more. I just don't know... any other bloggies out there with similar feelings?

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My time at home w/ Hadlee is flying by. I can't believe that she was born four weeks ago!!! There are so many moments with her that I want to freeze and put into a glass bottle so I can go back and experience them again and again... and yet others that I think, "Dear God, please let this pass quickly." Such as projectile spit up being in my hair and down my back, arms and legs ~ BUICK!!!

I still have five more weeks to stay at home with her. When I return to "work" (Who can really call it work (minus the " "'s when you have only one student and a full time aid?) HAH is going to stay w/ my step-mom (who is SOOO excited). I think it will be a wonderful experience and bonding time for the two of them and daddy (who has Mon - Wed off of work). It's so funny, b/c B and I talked about never being "one of those couples" who depends on their parents to take care of their children. We weren't planning on it. In fact, I had a place for her to go and when my parents found out they decided that they REALLY wanted Hadlee to stay with them (Have I told you they are THE busiest people on the face of the earth?). We weren't going to ask either of the grandmothers to watch her. Our feelings on the situation are that they put in their time raising us and have the God given right to say, "I have three hours on Thursday afternoon and I'd love to have one-on-one time w/ the baby." But when the gift horse is knocking on our door...

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I think it's about time to head back to bed. Our wonderful vibrating bassinet as done the trick once again... the real test is putting Hadlee into her cradle and seeing if she stays asleep. Lord, please let her stay asleep for at least three more hours!!!

Tomorrow we're taking a family day to head over to our old stomping grounds at Ethridge for a day of food, fellowship, and some mean games of Rook and Rummicube. It will be great!

You are getting veeerrry sleeeppppyyy...

Our first...

1. Family picture
2. Hadlee's first Sunday service
3. Family dinner out (at El Molcajete ~ YUMMY!!)
4. Daddy's first experience giving Hadlee a bath and getting her ready to go (it went really well!)
5. Memories together...

Ain't life together grand???

More Hadlee pics...

She's 3 1/2 weeks old and growing like a weed in a rain storm. Last week I tried to put one of her preemie outfits on her and it didn't fit anymore. I don't know when I've cried more tears. Sigh... the time really is flying.

Relief

I am putting together boxes of supplies, gift cards, and money to send to my New Orleans family who has been displaced to Hornbeck, LA. They are expecting around 250 people to join them and are trying to set up their organization (through their church) in order to continue to help those who are arriving even as you read this. If you are interested in helping touch these families and fellow Christians directly, please e-mail me through the blog and I'll send you mailing information.

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! :)

So, I got this job...

and it pays about 3 times more than I've ever made in my life. Plus, right now I only have one student, an assistant and a special ed teacher in the room to help move things along. Yep, I'm getting paid to basically socialize a "troubled teen" and get him back on his merry little way. I get to model and teach restaurant etiquette and then we get to take a field trip to O'Charleys as a test ~ it's all about the hands on learning here people! Seriously, it's for real. AND, I don't even have to worry about the half days that I'll miss due to dr. appointments... cuz they're cool like that. AND I can even wear flip flops to work, no kiddin'.

Ok, now I must finish a paper on counseling couples dealing with infertility. It only has to be five pages... under normal circumstances I could probably spill out about 50, but I'm so tired and consumed w/ this whole "job" thing that it's taking me longer to get the paper done. Once that's finished (by tonight) I have 3 more papers to do by Friday night (including watching three 3 hour classes, not so much fun) and I'll be finished w/ another graduate class. Woo~hoo!!!

We're going shopping this weekend for the last of the Hadlee things (until she gets here, anyway). Target makes me happy and getting things for our daughter just makes me down right ecstatic!!!

26 more days.

Thank you all SOOOOO MUCH for the advice about the baby stuff. I felt much better after reading it ~ and I have a list which always calms my nerves. Ya'll are great ~ blugs! :)