Hello Everyone!! Sorry it's been so long since my last journal entry...I've been busy with Miss Meredith. Being a mother is the most wonderful thing in the world!!! Meredith is the most beautiful and sweetest baby ever (all mothers probably think that, but she really is) :) I love it when she smiles at me, I just melt (and it brings tears to my eyes). It's so amazing to know that I helped create her...I thank God for her daily!!! She truly is a blessing!!! I'm so thankful He has given her to me to take care of...so thankful!!!
We had to take her to the doctor last week for a rash...turns out it was contact dermatitis from the lavendar in the Johnson's Bedtime Washcloths...the lavendar apparently is hard on babies skin...who knew? They weighed her, and she was 10 lbs 8 oz - yeah!! So glad she's gaining more...she's really looking different now. She's sleeping better at night, and we're finally getting more use out of the pack & play. I usually nurse her around 9:30, and then she goes to sleep until around 2:30, and isn't up again until about 6:30...yeah!! So thankful for more sleep!! But I love waking up to her, no matter how many times it is!!
Meredith smiles all the time now and has been giggling more. She's also cooing some, too. The first time we noticed it was when my dad was talking to her...there must be something about his voice that she loves because she does it a lot to him. It's so cute!!! My mom is still coming over every Monday (on her day off) to spend time with us, and we love it!! We missed seeing her when she was sick with a cold...Monday's just weren't as fun!
Meredith has really been picking up her head, too. And she's rolling onto her side...hasn't rolled all the way over, yet...her arm gets in the way. She tries so hard, and gets so upset that she can't turn over. We've been trying to put her on her tummy more, but she hates it! She thinks it's time to nurse and starts crying after a short time. I still put her down on her stomach a few times a day, though...it just doesn't last long.
I'm going to try to do better about updating the website...I've been slacking the past 8 weeks...so sorry! Can't believe my little girl will be 8 weeks on Thursday...it seems like I just had her. I'm going to miss her so much when I have to go back to work...luckily I still have 8 more weeks to bond with her.
Well, I'm gonna get off here now, and go play with sweet Meredith! She's been in her bouncy seat for a little while while I've been on the computer, and I think is ready for a change in scenery.
Shanda
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
September 06, 2007
Meredith had another appointment on Tuesday, and she has started to gain more weight...such a relief. She weighs 8 lbs 5.5 oz. I was so worried that she was still gaining slowly...she looks so tiny to me, but the appointment went great. Meredith doesn't go back to the doctor until she's two month's old.
Her umbilical cord stump came off on Monday night...it had been looking like it was going to come off for days. I was so excited when it finally came off!! She has the cutest little belly button!!! :)
We had a great night last night. We got her a "swaddle me" and turned on her mommy bear, and they really helped. The night before, she wasn't having the best night...she didn't want to go to sleep, and was fussing in her pack and play. I didn't want her to wake Matt, so I took her into the den...I fell asleep with her laying on top of me on the couch...I freaked out when I woke up three hours later. I had just planned on holding her until she fell asleep, and then I was going to put her in her swing to sleep, but I was so exhausted that I fell asleep too.
Can't believe she's three weeks old today...it has gone by so fast!!! It makes me sad...I still have 13 more weeks with her before I have to go back to work, but I'm sure they'll go by as fast as the last 3. I'm not going to be ready to leave her!!
I was so upset yesterday when I found out that the video from my false alarms and from Meredith in the hospital had been taped over...I cried all afternoon. I'm not sure how that happened, but it just made me sick. Luckily, we have plenty of pictures of everything, but I was so upset about not having the video :(
She is the sweetest baby!!! She loves to snuggle and be rocked. She's more amazing than I imagined...such a miracle!! I love her so much more than I thought was possible!!!!!
Matt is such a great dad!!! He only got a week off of work, so I know it had to be really hard to go back to work so soon. He's always so excited to come home every afternoon to see her. I love watching him with her. I love him more now than ever!! I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and precious little girl!
Well, I'm gonna get off here and go snuggle with my baby!! :)
Shanda
Her umbilical cord stump came off on Monday night...it had been looking like it was going to come off for days. I was so excited when it finally came off!! She has the cutest little belly button!!! :)
We had a great night last night. We got her a "swaddle me" and turned on her mommy bear, and they really helped. The night before, she wasn't having the best night...she didn't want to go to sleep, and was fussing in her pack and play. I didn't want her to wake Matt, so I took her into the den...I fell asleep with her laying on top of me on the couch...I freaked out when I woke up three hours later. I had just planned on holding her until she fell asleep, and then I was going to put her in her swing to sleep, but I was so exhausted that I fell asleep too.
Can't believe she's three weeks old today...it has gone by so fast!!! It makes me sad...I still have 13 more weeks with her before I have to go back to work, but I'm sure they'll go by as fast as the last 3. I'm not going to be ready to leave her!!
I was so upset yesterday when I found out that the video from my false alarms and from Meredith in the hospital had been taped over...I cried all afternoon. I'm not sure how that happened, but it just made me sick. Luckily, we have plenty of pictures of everything, but I was so upset about not having the video :(
She is the sweetest baby!!! She loves to snuggle and be rocked. She's more amazing than I imagined...such a miracle!! I love her so much more than I thought was possible!!!!!
Matt is such a great dad!!! He only got a week off of work, so I know it had to be really hard to go back to work so soon. He's always so excited to come home every afternoon to see her. I love watching him with her. I love him more now than ever!! I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and precious little girl!
Well, I'm gonna get off here and go snuggle with my baby!! :)
Shanda
Monday, August 27, 2007
GROWTH CHART - August 27, 2007 (1.5 weeks old)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
August 22, 2007
Hello!!! I, first of all, want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers!!! We appreciate the visits, flowers, and meals!! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!! Everyone has been so good to us!! Thank you Shannon for making updates on our website for us while we were in the hospital!!!
Meredith is almost a week old...can't believe it!!! She is such a miracle!! I could watch her for hours!! She is such a good baby; we're so lucky!!! She is beautiful!!! The prettiest baby I've ever seen!!!...but I guess all mothers say that. We're still trying to decide who she looks more like...we're thinking she's a good combination of both of us :) The hearing test and all the other tests they completed on her at the hospital came back with great results. (Her APGAR scores were an 8, 9).
The hospital stay was great...we had some wonderful nurses that took good care of Meredith and me. There were lots of babies born the end of last week, so we got moved around the hospital a few times. We started out on the 5th floor, and were moved to the 3rd after recovery. Then, we got moved to the 4th floor...we really enjoyed being on the 4th floor because Matt could go get Meredith out of the nursery anytime...we didn't have to call for her to be brought down to our room. My doctor said I could stay in the hospital until Monday if I wanted, but I decided on Sunday night that I was ready to go home. We packed everything up, and they got the discharge orders for me and Meredith ready, and we left the hospital around 5:00.
She was so good in the hospital, barely crying at all...even when she was in the nursery. We expected things to be the same when we came home. Wow...we were not prepared for Sunday night. We both were tired and Meredith started crying around 1:00...nothing we did made her feel better. We're thinking the pizza I had for dinner did not agree with her...I was trying to be careful with things that might not agree with her, but I really didn't think the pizza would cause that to happen. Luckily my mom stayed with us that night, and she stayed up with her for a while, so that we could get a few hours of sleep.
Meredith had hiccups for the first time on Monday. We thought it would make her cry, but it didn't...she was so cute. They didn't last very long.
On Monday night, my grandmother stayed with us in case it wasn't the pizza and Meredith was going to be a colicky baby. But, everything was perfect...she woke up for feedings about every 2 hours. But with her sleeping in between each feeding we were able to get some sleep. I told Matt that I could totally handle it, if every night was like that.
Meredith had her first sponge bath on Tuesday. She only cried for a few minutes. We put her little bathrobe on her, and she looked precious. She smelled so yummy!!! Matt said it washed the brown off her hair :) In some lights her hair looks light brown and in others it looks blonde. I was really expecting her to have dark brown hair since mine is so dark.
Matt just brought Meredith in here...she had been sleeping for a while, and has just woken up. Better go now, I don't want to miss much of her being awake. I love getting to see her beautiful eyes (they're kind-of a blue grey color right now); she sleeps so much that I so look forward to her waking up and opening her eyes real big.
Hope you all have a great rest of the day!! Thank you for thinking of us!! We all are doing really well!!! I'll try to post more pictures soon.
Shanda
Meredith is almost a week old...can't believe it!!! She is such a miracle!! I could watch her for hours!! She is such a good baby; we're so lucky!!! She is beautiful!!! The prettiest baby I've ever seen!!!...but I guess all mothers say that. We're still trying to decide who she looks more like...we're thinking she's a good combination of both of us :) The hearing test and all the other tests they completed on her at the hospital came back with great results. (Her APGAR scores were an 8, 9).
The hospital stay was great...we had some wonderful nurses that took good care of Meredith and me. There were lots of babies born the end of last week, so we got moved around the hospital a few times. We started out on the 5th floor, and were moved to the 3rd after recovery. Then, we got moved to the 4th floor...we really enjoyed being on the 4th floor because Matt could go get Meredith out of the nursery anytime...we didn't have to call for her to be brought down to our room. My doctor said I could stay in the hospital until Monday if I wanted, but I decided on Sunday night that I was ready to go home. We packed everything up, and they got the discharge orders for me and Meredith ready, and we left the hospital around 5:00.
She was so good in the hospital, barely crying at all...even when she was in the nursery. We expected things to be the same when we came home. Wow...we were not prepared for Sunday night. We both were tired and Meredith started crying around 1:00...nothing we did made her feel better. We're thinking the pizza I had for dinner did not agree with her...I was trying to be careful with things that might not agree with her, but I really didn't think the pizza would cause that to happen. Luckily my mom stayed with us that night, and she stayed up with her for a while, so that we could get a few hours of sleep.
Meredith had hiccups for the first time on Monday. We thought it would make her cry, but it didn't...she was so cute. They didn't last very long.
On Monday night, my grandmother stayed with us in case it wasn't the pizza and Meredith was going to be a colicky baby. But, everything was perfect...she woke up for feedings about every 2 hours. But with her sleeping in between each feeding we were able to get some sleep. I told Matt that I could totally handle it, if every night was like that.
Meredith had her first sponge bath on Tuesday. She only cried for a few minutes. We put her little bathrobe on her, and she looked precious. She smelled so yummy!!! Matt said it washed the brown off her hair :) In some lights her hair looks light brown and in others it looks blonde. I was really expecting her to have dark brown hair since mine is so dark.
Matt just brought Meredith in here...she had been sleeping for a while, and has just woken up. Better go now, I don't want to miss much of her being awake. I love getting to see her beautiful eyes (they're kind-of a blue grey color right now); she sleeps so much that I so look forward to her waking up and opening her eyes real big.
Hope you all have a great rest of the day!! Thank you for thinking of us!! We all are doing really well!!! I'll try to post more pictures soon.
Shanda
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Hayes' Family Update August 18, 2007
Just wanted to give everyone a quick update on how the Hayes' family is doing after the arrival of sweet Meredith! Meredith is beautiful as ever, of course! : ) She is doing great- she sleeps a lot and only cries for short periods of time...hopefully that will continue when they get home! : ) Last night Shanda and Matt were able to get more sleep, but I know they're still exhausted. Shanda started experiencing more pain yesterday...especially last night. She feels ok when her medicine is working, but as soon as it wears off she is in pretty bad pain- please keep her in your prayers! They will probably be coming home sometime tomorrow or Monday. I'll try to continue posting updates and pictures until they get settled at home.
Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers, and visits to the hospital!
Shannon
Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers, and visits to the hospital!
Shannon
Sunday, August 12, 2007
August 12, 2007
Hello everyone!! Meredith still hasn't made an appearance, and we are so anxiously waiting to see her!!!
At our last appointment (9th), the doctor said I was dilated to about a 3 and had thinned out even more (at the previous appointment I was 80% effaced, so it's even greater than that now). We scheduled another ultrasound and appointment for this coming Thursday. Our doctor said she really didn't think I would last that long, but we set up the appointments just in case.
I had another false alarm this past Wednesday...thought my water had broken again!! Everyone says you'll know if it really happens, but we really thought again that it had. Our doctor said she would have sent me to the hospital to get checked out, too...so that made me feel a little better. Hopefully that was the last false alarm, and the next time we go to the hospital it will be the real thing. I was so disappointed after our last trip to the hospital, that I cried the whole way home. I'm so ready to see our precious baby, and ready to not be pregnant (and be rid of this diet).
I was having pretty consistent contractions for a few hours yesterday, about every 4 minutes...but they weren't getting stronger, and were in my abdomen, not starting in my back. We were getting excited thinking that maybe something would happen soon, but the contractions stopped last night. We went to the grocery store, and got lots of snacks to take to the hospital (whenever we go) and things for me when I get back home...I got blueberry muffin mix, brownie mix, skittles, and some mountain dew...just a few of the things that I can't wait to have!!! I've been making a list for weeks now of all the things I've gotta have, as soon as Miss Meredith is born :)
We were able to go to Shannon's 4D ultrasound yesterday; I had really been looking forward to it, and wasn't sure if I would make it. He was precious!!! Just like Meredith, he didn't fully cooperate, but they were able to get a few really great pictures!!! Hope your mommy and daddy select a name soon...can't wait to find out what they decide on!!! :)
Well, maybe today will be the day...we'll make sure to keep everyone informed of my progress. I just can't believe that tomorrow is my due date...wow, the past few months have gone by so fast!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!! Please keep us and sweet Meredith in your prayers over the next few days!!
Shanda
At our last appointment (9th), the doctor said I was dilated to about a 3 and had thinned out even more (at the previous appointment I was 80% effaced, so it's even greater than that now). We scheduled another ultrasound and appointment for this coming Thursday. Our doctor said she really didn't think I would last that long, but we set up the appointments just in case.
I had another false alarm this past Wednesday...thought my water had broken again!! Everyone says you'll know if it really happens, but we really thought again that it had. Our doctor said she would have sent me to the hospital to get checked out, too...so that made me feel a little better. Hopefully that was the last false alarm, and the next time we go to the hospital it will be the real thing. I was so disappointed after our last trip to the hospital, that I cried the whole way home. I'm so ready to see our precious baby, and ready to not be pregnant (and be rid of this diet).
I was having pretty consistent contractions for a few hours yesterday, about every 4 minutes...but they weren't getting stronger, and were in my abdomen, not starting in my back. We were getting excited thinking that maybe something would happen soon, but the contractions stopped last night. We went to the grocery store, and got lots of snacks to take to the hospital (whenever we go) and things for me when I get back home...I got blueberry muffin mix, brownie mix, skittles, and some mountain dew...just a few of the things that I can't wait to have!!! I've been making a list for weeks now of all the things I've gotta have, as soon as Miss Meredith is born :)
We were able to go to Shannon's 4D ultrasound yesterday; I had really been looking forward to it, and wasn't sure if I would make it. He was precious!!! Just like Meredith, he didn't fully cooperate, but they were able to get a few really great pictures!!! Hope your mommy and daddy select a name soon...can't wait to find out what they decide on!!! :)
Well, maybe today will be the day...we'll make sure to keep everyone informed of my progress. I just can't believe that tomorrow is my due date...wow, the past few months have gone by so fast!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!! Please keep us and sweet Meredith in your prayers over the next few days!!
Shanda
Monday, July 23, 2007
False Alarm!!! July 23, 2007
The shower yesterday was wonderful!!! I was so excited that Matt was able to go with me! We had a great time; everything was perfect!! It was so good to see everyone, I haven't been to Shelbyville much during the pregnancy...due to the horrible morning (really all day) sickness and complete exhaustion.
After the shower, Matt stayed in Shelbyville for his tennis tournament, and I came home. We finished getting all the gifts in the house, and my family had all gone home....I was standing in the kitchen trying to decide what I was going to have for dinner when all of a sudden I'm all wet and standing in a small puddle. It happened so fast...I was stunned. I called my mom and told her I thought my water broke. I wasn't sure, but that's how I always imagined it would be. I called Matt's phone next; he was on the tennis court, but his mom answered his phone...I told her that I thought my water had broken, and she went to get him. He said he was on his way, that he would meet me at the hospital. I grabbed a few extra things that I thought I might need, and did a few things around the house real quick. Shannon and Matt came to pick me up, and we headed to the hospital. Shannon even used our video camera to tape some of the action. On the way to the hospital, I started having contractions...which began in my back and came around, which is what is supposed to happen when you're in true labor. We went to the 8th floor for assessment, and they took me straight to a room. Matt, his mom, and some of my family arrived shortly after we did. They would only allow Matt in my room at first, when they did some swab tests to determine if my water had in fact broken. They hooked me up to some monitors, and we could even see my contractions registering. The swab tests did not indicate my water had broken, so the nurse did another one because she also thought it had broken...this also indicated that it had not broken. However, they found ketones in my urine sample...ketones are present when you haven't had enough to eat, and your body starts burning fat. They brought me a tray of food and juice to try to get rid of the ketones, and continued monitoring me...they said ketones can actually cause contractions, so they kept having me eat and drink to try to get them to stop. Some of the contractions were really strong...can't imagine what real labor would feel like because these Braxton Hicks contractions hurt!! I was still only dilated to 2...they said I'm in the first stage of labor, but who knows how long it will last. I asked what might have happened, since I had been standing in a puddle...they said she may have hit my bladder...pretty embarrassing!! :) We had a waiting room full of people hoping to see sweet Meredith (my family was there, Matt's family drove in from Shelbyville, and the best man at our wedding even came)...I felt so bad that everyone came for nothing. I was really sad when I was sent home...I had been so excited when I thought I was in labor, and would see my little girl soon. After being at the hospital for several hours, I was discharged (attached is a picture of me and Matt when we were leaving the hospital). They told me to take some Tylenol PM to help me get some sleep, and to help with the pain of the contractions. We picked some up on the way home, and both took some to help us sleep.
I've had more Braxton Hicks contractions today, none as painful as last night, but I have had a little bit of back pain tonight. I'm so afraid that I won't know when it's the real thing...that I'll think it's just false labor again. Hopefully, no more false alarms! :)
Shanda
After the shower, Matt stayed in Shelbyville for his tennis tournament, and I came home. We finished getting all the gifts in the house, and my family had all gone home....I was standing in the kitchen trying to decide what I was going to have for dinner when all of a sudden I'm all wet and standing in a small puddle. It happened so fast...I was stunned. I called my mom and told her I thought my water broke. I wasn't sure, but that's how I always imagined it would be. I called Matt's phone next; he was on the tennis court, but his mom answered his phone...I told her that I thought my water had broken, and she went to get him. He said he was on his way, that he would meet me at the hospital. I grabbed a few extra things that I thought I might need, and did a few things around the house real quick. Shannon and Matt came to pick me up, and we headed to the hospital. Shannon even used our video camera to tape some of the action. On the way to the hospital, I started having contractions...which began in my back and came around, which is what is supposed to happen when you're in true labor. We went to the 8th floor for assessment, and they took me straight to a room. Matt, his mom, and some of my family arrived shortly after we did. They would only allow Matt in my room at first, when they did some swab tests to determine if my water had in fact broken. They hooked me up to some monitors, and we could even see my contractions registering. The swab tests did not indicate my water had broken, so the nurse did another one because she also thought it had broken...this also indicated that it had not broken. However, they found ketones in my urine sample...ketones are present when you haven't had enough to eat, and your body starts burning fat. They brought me a tray of food and juice to try to get rid of the ketones, and continued monitoring me...they said ketones can actually cause contractions, so they kept having me eat and drink to try to get them to stop. Some of the contractions were really strong...can't imagine what real labor would feel like because these Braxton Hicks contractions hurt!! I was still only dilated to 2...they said I'm in the first stage of labor, but who knows how long it will last. I asked what might have happened, since I had been standing in a puddle...they said she may have hit my bladder...pretty embarrassing!! :) We had a waiting room full of people hoping to see sweet Meredith (my family was there, Matt's family drove in from Shelbyville, and the best man at our wedding even came)...I felt so bad that everyone came for nothing. I was really sad when I was sent home...I had been so excited when I thought I was in labor, and would see my little girl soon. After being at the hospital for several hours, I was discharged (attached is a picture of me and Matt when we were leaving the hospital). They told me to take some Tylenol PM to help me get some sleep, and to help with the pain of the contractions. We picked some up on the way home, and both took some to help us sleep.
I've had more Braxton Hicks contractions today, none as painful as last night, but I have had a little bit of back pain tonight. I'm so afraid that I won't know when it's the real thing...that I'll think it's just false labor again. Hopefully, no more false alarms! :)
Shanda
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