Adisyn's hair designs

For some time now, I've been designing Adisyn's hair bows, even before she was born. It all started when I found a cute headband, which we bought, but it was very over priced. I wanted to use it for inspiration because I thought "I can do that!". So, I experimented with different headbands, clips, bows and flowers. I'm my worse critic because I find something I don't like about them and I decide to do them a different way. But, that's why I experimented, to see what I like!

When we had Adisyn's 3d/4d ultrasound, the technician told us that it looked like Adisyn had a lot of hair. I was really excited and couldn't wait to make some barrettes for that cute hair of hers! I knew baby hair was fine, so I made my own Velcro barrettes, because they're hard to find in the stores.

I then decided that I wanted something that she could use when she's little, when her hair is fine, but then also use as she gets to toddler size. That's when I decided to make some flowers that we're too big looking, even on a newborn size head, and make them out of a hair clip so I could use them now on a headband and later as a stand alone hair clip. I also like the idea of her wearing any color and making it look girly.

Here are some of my creations:

The smallest 2 on the left are Velcro, just dainty enough for even the smallest amount of hair. The rest of the flowers are ones I made with clips on the back. The headbands have loops so I can fit any of my clips through them and walla! fully transferable hair designs!

The Story Behind the Picture - 2 months old!

There's a lot behind this picture. For the past 2 weekends I've been trying to do her 2 month picture (she tured 2 months on March 4th). I really like the idea of doing every month and I love to see how she's changing. Last weekend when Adisyn was officially 2 months old, she wasn't feeling good from getting her 1st shots at the doctor. I tried to take her picture, but she wasn't having it!

This weekend I tried to do the same. I had her in a few different onsys but she has been spitting up so much that she kept getting them all wet! On top of that she just seemed like she had a stomach ache, so needless to say she didn't want to pose for any pictures. After being fussy for most of the day, I decided to put another onsy on to get a quick picture, ready to give up for the weekend and wouldn't you know - she just kept smiling picture after picture! It was perfect! It was a great way to see her personality and I know as the weeks to come we'll get to see it more and more! She's so sweet and I hate to see her not feeling well :(. But, as you'll see in the pictures, she's a cutie!

You Are My Sunshine

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey.

You'll never know, dear,

How much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away

Beach Time!

As the weather is becoming warmer, I hope that Adisyn will have more time outside! It's hard for winter babies because they're so use to being bundled up and indoors when they're first born that they don't get a chance to experience the outdoors!

At the beach! 2/24/12

Adisyn had her 1st trip and we went to Myrtle Beach, SC for the weekend and we brought along Grandma and Grandpa. On the way down there, it was beautiful weather, about 70 degrees. But, Saturday and Sunday were cooler, in the 50 or 60, but very breezy. We walked on the beach and went to Barefoot Landing, which is a outdoor shopping center where you can feed the ducks and fish. I carried Adisyn in a Bjorn carrier and it kept her nice and warm. She really liked being in the carrier and it allowed her to stretch out more than in her car seat in the stroller. Grandma had fun picking up shells for Adisyn, so she'd have them for her 1st trip. I was hoping to take her into the indoor pool, or at least dip her feet in, but we decided the in-room jacuzzi was much better. She loved being in the water! I hope by this summer she'll be ready for the pool!

The view from our room at Myrtle Beach

 

At the beach - I love this picture!

Jacuzzi time with Daddy!

I'm so excited because I'm seeing more smiles and coos everyday! I love that she's becoming more interactive! She has really started reaching more for objects and is liking her play time. She's starting to roll over so with a little more practice, she'll be there! I'm proud of my little girl, I think she's doing great!

Reaching for toys!

Jefferson making the moves on Adisyn 3/2/12

Adisyn also officially met Jefferson. On our first outing with them, we all just went for a walk. This time, though, we took some pictures of the two of them together. I think these pictures will come in handy in about 20 years! She was fussy during our visit which I figured it was because we just left her pediatrician's office, Dr. Jack and she was tired and sore from her 2 month wellness check-up and 1st shots. She is now 8 pounds, 13 oz! He was happy to see her growing good and she's on track. He mentioned that he would like us to see her transition into her own room now, but take it a little at a time. She was fussy the rest of the weekend with diarrhea, she wasn't a happy girl :( She was feeling much better at the beginning of the week. We're so proud of our little girl - she's growing good and learning more each day!

Trey and Jefferson, Mark and Adisyn

Not feeling so good after her doctor's visit :(

Auntie Lala visits!

6 weeks old

It was Adisyn's 1st Valentines Day! I took some cute pictures in her outfit from her grandmother. She doesn't have quite enough hair to put the bow in that I made to match her outfit. She has brown hair in the back and on the sides, but not as much in the front (which is a lot lighter). Her eyelashes are coming in and are brown, but her eyebrows are light blonde. Adisyn is almost getting too long for newborn size now and will soon be moving to 0-3 months for her outfits that have the feet in them...that means she's growing!

Speaking of Valentines Day - Adisyn sent her 1st Valentines Day card to our neighbor across the street - Hunter and Jackson. The neighbors moved in around Halloween last year and they have 3-year-old Jackson and Hunter, who is just 6 weeks older than Adisyn.

Adisyn also went on her 1st play date with Jefferson. He was born January 21st, so he is only about 2 weeks younger than her and was due the same day. We went on a walk with him, his mother Paige, and Paige's sister-in-law, Jennifer. It was really breezy, but Adisyn's Cozy Cover over her car seat really comes in handy by blocking the wind and keeping her warm.

Auntie Lala napping with Adisyn

Auntie "Lala" came to visit this week from Massachusetts. My sister, Laura, spent a long weekend with us. We had such nice weather and we had such a great time with her. We went to Falls Park (which you know we love), went on a long walk, ate lunch by the waterfall and had a great time! We also went to a chili cook off and brought Adisyn along. It was nice to have my sister here because it was the 1st time we had someone (beside my in-laws) come to stay and give us some advice. It was nice to have my family here!


1st time in her Bumbo!

Since the last blog, Adisyn was able to sit up independently in her Bumbo! I didn't realize how much I would really like that thing! I was so impressed and she looks like a big girl! She's been using her hands a lot more, bringing them together, has really good head control and has started reaching more. She loves to reach and touch our faces! She's also been so much more alert and loves when we walk around the house to just look at things. She has smiled some since about 4 weeks, but we're not getting a good, consistent smile yet....she's so close!

She's really growing and we can't wait to see what she does next!

Appreciating the Moment

OK, I have to admit - newborns always terrified me. One thing I worried about as I progressed in my pregnancy was the whole newborn phase. How was I going to do it? Between all the sleepless nights and endless cries, how was it possible? So many women just love the newborn phase and they preach about "enjoying every moment because it goes by so quickly", but how are you going to enjoy every moment when it's 3am in the morning and the baby won't stop crying? To me, that didn't sound like fun. Would I be a bad mother if I didn't enjoy every second?

Then I read the article "Don't Carpe Diem":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html
It really put things into perspective for me. It's ok not to enjoy every second, but I want to appreciate this moment in time.

Everything is a new experience in the eyes of a newborn. What you show them day to day is a learning experience. Adisyn is learning something new every day. She's a blank slate. Even though, when they're a newborn, her activities aren't as exciting as say, her 1st steps, but they're all new. It's the framework for her growth and development.

It sounds crazy for me to say, but so far there are so many things that I love about having a Adisyn as a newborn. It's the little moments that I'm appreciating like:

• when I get up to nurse in the middle of the night, we have our one-on-one time together, when the rest of the house is quiet
• the way Adisyn looks up at me when she's nursing
• the little facial expressions that she makes
• looking forward to everyday, wondering what she's going to do next
• the ability to take Adisyn anywhere and she's just along for the ride
• being able to quiet her cries by just picking her up
• the comfort she gets from laying on me
• the cute, dainty little clothes, hands & feet
• getting to know what her cries mean as she tries to communicate with me
• watching her sleep
• looking at her knowing that she is our little miracle

Playing with daddy and learning to reach out and touch

Also, it's funny how personalities shine though, even this early on. Adisyn is not very fond of being naked or cold. She prefers cuddling up with a warm blanket, perferabliy next to mommy or daddy. She's also a pretty good sleeper. Sometimes she can go 5 hours during the night. I know that I'm new at this, but I think that's pretty good! Trying to get her to fall asleep is a whole other story. She also loves her swing. It's amazing how every time she gets into it, she is more and more intreged by the mirror above her head and the birds going around in a circle.

This past month, we've had some exciting accomplishments. She turned 1 month old! Her 1st "real" bath was quite a success. She wasn't sure what was going on at 1st, but after the warmth of the water, she seemed to really like it. The next bath didn't go as well; apparently a hungry baby and water don't mix! Better luck next time!

Adisyn's 1st bath

On January 24th was Mark's 33rd birthday and Adisyn had her 1st trip to the park. We love Falls Park in Greenville! We went on a 4 mile or so walk and then got a blanket and laid down in front of the waterfall. Adisyn really liked laying down and taking in the sun. It was the warmest day so far, but there was a little breeze. We also go on daily walks around the neighborhood. It seems like the stroller is really relaxing and it takes all her other worries away!

Falls Park in Greenville, SC

It's very difficult raising a newborn, as I imagined, as it takes a lot of patience and you just have to learn as you go. Still, there's so much to appreciate at the same time. So when I'm worn out and just plain exhausted I just have to remind myself that she's growing by the day so I can appreciate the little moments that I love, which make it all worth it!

Adisyn's Birth Story!

I thought this blog would be a good idea to help me remember the good, the bad and the ugly things as Adisyn grows up. With the suggestion of my friend Brandi, she thought this was the perfect way to do it. I realize that along the way we will make so many mistakes, so I hope we can look back and just laugh!

I thought a good starting point was Adisyn's birth story. I'm going to pick up where I left off from my StorkNet journals. What a great way to start off the New Year!

January 4^th, 2012 –

Me & Mark when we arrived at the hospital

5:00am – We arrived at the hospital for my scheduled induction. We were exhausted because we didn’t get a lot of sleep the previous night from both anticipation and for the fact that I was having a lot of contractions. We timed the contractions and they were anywhere from 6-10 minutes apart. We were very close to driving to the hospital when they got to be 6 minutes apart, but they didn’t last more than a half an hour at a time. I told Mark that we needed to make it to 5:00, but I really wasn’t sure if we would!

Waiting for Adisyn's arrival

We were so excited to know that we’d be meeting Adisyn today, but there was still the anxiety in the back of our minds. Adisyn was diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction, which is why they induced at 37 weeks, which is considered full-term. The nurse at the hospital told us that a lot of babies are diagnosed with this, but don’t actually have it but you don’t truly know until delivery. Still, with the threat of the placenta cutting off its supply completely, induction was only option. It was very frightening for us to know that she had this diagnosis, because Ada had a very severe case of this. Mark actually asked the high risk doctor if they felt like something could be genetically going on that wasn’t detected thus far and he said that it is always a possibility.  It felt like we still weren’t in the clear, we were still worried about Adisyn’s health but we had some comfort knowing that she passed all her tests throughout the pregnancy. But still, there’s that uncertainty.

9:00am – My doctor came in and let me know the plan for the day. He was going to break my water, but he wanted to wait until I received my epidural. He checked my cervix and found that I was just 2-3 cm dilated. I was surprised because I was having a lot more contractions which were increasing in intensity so I thought I would’ve progressed more. I decided to get my epidural then because I didn’t want the labor to progress to the point when my contractions were too close and too intense. Having had a very horrific experience in the past, I wanted the labor to be as relaxing as possible so we both could take it all in and enjoy the miracle that was taking place.

10:00am – My epidural appeared to be only on my right side. I was worried about this because I had the same thing happen before. As I lay on my left side, I slowly felt the effects on that side as well. I was relieved because I didn’t want this to create an unnecessary anxiety.

12:00pm – My doctor came back by (apparently he had a surgery in the meantime) to break my water. Mark was so excited to see the whole process! My doctor explained everything as he did it and his prediction was that I’d be delivering sometime around dinner because I was about 4 cm dilated. I was texting my sister and my friend with the play-by-play of how everything was progressing. They both thought that dinner time was a little too optimistic because it sounded to them like it was going to be a long night for us.

12:45pm – I started feeling a lot of increased pressure. The nurse checked Adisyn’s heart rate and the said “I think things are moving very quickly”. She checked my cervix and I was at 7 cm dilated! I asked her when she usually alerts the doctor and without hesitation she said “I’m going to go right now!”

1:00pm – The doctor came in and I told him about my increased pressure and the need to push. He checked my cervix and said “wow! I think we’re ready to go – this is going to be the fastest delivery I’ve ever had!” As everyone was preparing the area, I began to cry. Mark looked at me and was worried something was wrong. Instead I was realizing that this was all surreal to me. I waited for this moment for so long but I was so terrified! What if something was wrong? How do we know if she’s safe and healthy? He comforted me when I told him what was wrong and made me feel so much better.

Just born!!

By this time I was ready! I then said to my doctor “She’s ready! I don’t think I can hold her in any longer!” He laughed and told me that it was ok to push. I felt very calm and relaxed. I was taking in every moment. I felt when I needed to push and was making good progress. Mark was very encouraging and excited at the same time. I loved having him beside me the whole step of the way!

1:08pm - Adisyn Hope was here weighing 5 lbs, 5 oz! It was a magical moment when I heard her roaring lungs cry and all of my fears went completely away. She was immediately placed on my chest and I held her in my arms. Mark was a proud daddy and took all the pictures he could and he cut the cord!  I looked up at him, as I held Adisyn in my arms and we were so overwhelmed with happiness. We dreamt about this day for so long and it was finally here. She was perfect and the delivery couldn’t have gone any smoother.  We loved and appreciated every minute of it!

My doctor made the comment about Adisyn’s placenta and he said that it was very small. This could be the reason why she was a little smaller in size or it could be an indication that the placenta was beginning to break down. Either way, Adisyn’s size was larger than the high risk doctors predicted, which a good thing is in this case! The NICU staff was in the delivery room just in case, but it was a great feeling to see them leave. She was perfectly healthy!

3:00pm – We were finally placed in a “Mother-Baby” room. Mark’s parents were on the floor waiting, and they were so excited to finally meet her! The nurses took her measurements and tested her for jaundice. Adisyn measured 18 ¾ inches long!

Proud daddy!

The rest of the day and night pretty much ran together. We were so overwhelmed with all the nurses, the newborn pictures, visitors, phone calls, lactation consultant, birth certificate, pediatrician, OB, and I think there were so many other people that I just lost track of everything because we were exhausted! That night we took turns sleeping. We were so terrified to let her sleep without watching her! We knew that we had to get over this feeling, but for the 1^st night we just couldn’t bear to not be awake! We realized that this was irrational, but we waited so long for this moment to be in the presence of our little girl, but she was just so tiny, frail and helpless in our eyes. We just wanted to be there with her.

Adisyn and I were discharged on Friday and she weighed 4 lbs. 15 oz. We stayed an extra night to make sure Adisyn was receiving substantial nutrients from breastfeeding exclusively. As the night went on though, they were worried that because of her size, she would require additional calories. They suggested a combination of formula and breastfeeding, which actually was reassuring because we had a better gage of how much she was taking in. After returning home, I started weaning off of the formula as my milk came in and just used the formula in cases when we weren’t sure if she was satisfied, but I didn’t have an ample milk supply yet to keep up, even with pumping. It’s an ongoing learning experience, but we’re starting to get the hang of it.

Now, having a baby after a loss we realize that we view life and our child’s existence differently. We know we’re going to overreact at times; after all, we’re new at this. At first, we were worried at every little movement or lack thereof. Was she breathing? Is she moving? Is this normal? But, now that we are getting use to things a little, we feel so much more at ease. We both think of Ada daily and we always will. As Mark and I were lying on our bed one night I just began to cry again. I love this moment with Adisyn is living and breathing in front of us, which is such a blessing to witness! At the same time, we wish Ada was able to share this moment with us. Then I realize, she always will!

We feel so blessed to have Adisyn as our sweet little girl. We look forward to our next journey as we watch her grow. I did realize amidst of all of this that Mark and I make a great team! I am so thankful for such a wonderful husband, our sweet little Adisyn and our angel in heaven, Ada.