Jayden loves her Daddy

As Jayden naps and I read countless posts on "The Bump" about "How to get a newborn to sleep through the night", or "Why wont my kid stop crying", I realize A) I have the best baby ever, and B) I'm sure there are better ways to spend my time then read the same questions over and over again. So since I'm too lazy to clean, I will write in my very neglected Blog. I never imagined that I could love someone so much until I met my little munchkin. I knew I would love her, but as I listen to her noises and watch her smile, I am so thankful that she is mine. But something I never expected was the way I would feel when I watch my husband with my daughter. I knew he would be a good dad, I wouldn't have married him if I didn't think so. But to see his love for his daughter melts my heart every day. Not afraid to change a diaper or give her a bath, he is definitely a hands on dad. But the best thing is to see her smile at him, as if to say "I love you daddy." And so I will share with you all, the cutest thing in the world, Jayden with her Daddy

Family Pictures

2 Months!

My little angel Jayden is 2 months old today! She had her 2 month well check up and her 2 month shots. Poor baby screamed her head off, her face got soooo red. But her doctor said she looked perfect. She is 23 inches and 12 pounds already. She is in the 90% for length and the 93% for weight. She's such a big girl, but doctor said she is perfect. But of course we already knew that. One of Jeremy's work buddies gave us a floor gym for Jayden and she loves it. Here are some pics....
"What the heck is this thing"

"Actually I think I like it"

Video

Baby stuff that rocks!

I know every baby is different, but these are the things we love and probably would be lost without incase anyone cares =)

Gas drops! - A must have for every meal


Sleep Positioner - Helps her feel secure in the co-sleeper and keeps her from squirming too much.

Aveeno baby wash, works great and doesn't irritate my little gingers skin.

Glowing seahorse - it glows and it plays music, and I'm pretty sure it has crack in it too.

Pampers swaddlers - Best diapers by far

Playtex drop-ins, since we started using these bottles Jayden's gas has reduced dramatically, and the clean up is much easier.

Arms reach co-sleeper - She wouldn't sleep in it at first but now that she will it is the best. It fits right up to the bed and makes overnight feedings way easier.

Carters onesies - Jayden actually wears one of these 24/7. She wears them during the day with pants, and at night under her swaddle blanket.

Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe - This thing is the best! It has velcro and is the only brand we have found that actually keeps her squirmy arms in.


Cloth Diapers - We go through atleast 4 a day, we use them for burb cloths and messy formula feedings

My new baby

As Jayden gets older, I wake up every morning with a new baby. She changes so much from day to day, and everyday she gets more beautiful. She has turned into the most amazing little baby, better than anything I could have hoped for. She sleeps in her bassinet now, which has been the best thing for all of us. All three of us sleep better, especially me! She enjoys the swing now, the vibrating chair, and even let me eat dinner a few times on our vacation while she sat in the vibrating chair. She smiles ALL the time, always wakes up smiling, in the best mood. Her dad calls her "Wubbies" and pedals her legs real fast while saying it, it always makes her giggle. Jayden is very active, it's hard to catch a picture of her without her arms blurring the picture. She has started "talking" making so many cute and fun noises. Overall she is a VERY happy baby. She cries when she's hungry, when she gets her face washed, and her nose suctioned. And occasionally she gets pretty gassy and cries until she farts and burps. We were so proud of her on our trip to California, she didn't cry once on the plane, and sat quietly during the wedding ceremony without making a peep. We are very lucky parents.

I suck at writing blogs!

Well I decided to update incase anyone still reads this. I wouldn't if I were you. Jayden is 6 weeks and 3 days old today. She is the most amazing little person in this world. We are just starting to get the hang of things as a family. Getting to know eachother, and what works and what doesn't. Jayden started out sleeping with us, since the second she got home she refused to sleep in that bassinet. After a lot of stressing and a lot of crying, I decided not to worry about it, and let her sleep with us if that's what she wanted. Well last night she slept in it with no problems all night! It was the best night sleep I think either one of us have had since she came home. She has started smiling, real smiles, not the ones undoubtedly brought on by gas. She's not very cuddly but refuses to be on her own. She loves her daddy and he seems to be able to get her to calm down better than I can. She doesn't usually cry unless something's wrong (usually she's hungry). At her last appointment she already weighed 10 lbs 14oz. She still has all her hair, although it has been changing in color to a little red =) She gets cuter everyday and more social. Here are some more recent pictures of Jayden.

Jayden Paige Hall

Cervix = Fort Knox

I am 38 weeks 4 days today. I had my 38 week appointment yesterday and for the second week in a row I am still fully closed. No progress. When I heard that at my 37 week appointment I was pretty upset, but this time I am ok with it. Only 10 days until my due date, and I'm hoping to have her right around then. I know a lot of first time moms go a little late, but I feel that the risks outweigh the benefits of going past 40/41 weeks. And my doctor agrees. We are hoping to be able to schedule an induction at my next appointment, which is in 6 days. I will keep you all updated, but don't be surprised if it's another 2 weeks =)

37 Weeks!

Today is a BIG deal! i am 37 weeks, which is technically full term! As you can tell by the over abundance of exclamation marks, I am super excited. I am due in 3 weeks, but it could really be any time now. Although I am under strict instruction to keep my legs closed until the cord blood kit gets here. My wonderful parents were so kind to give us and our daughter the best gift ever, cord blood collection and storage. Thanks mommy and daddy!

How far along? 37 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 39 pounds still, I hadn't gained any weight at my last appointment, thanks god!
Maternity clothes? yep, duh! I am running out of things that fit, but refuse to buy more since I'm almost done. In fact some of the earlier maternity shirts I bought have turned into half shirts, going almost above the belly button.
Sleep: Ha ha, what's that? Now I have a hard time getting back to sleep after getting up to pee, which is still around 5-6 times a night =( but I did have two whole nights of decent sleep, only getting up 4 times!
Best moment this week: Um...duh I'm full term.
Movement: I feel a lot of pushing and rolling, sometimes the pushes are pretty painful, she's strong.
Food cravings: same as pre-pregnancy, everything bad, esp. ice cream
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: I have been having some contractions, but nothing time-able. They even kept me awake one night.
Belly Button in or out? I think it's officially out.....although not enough to show through my shirts.
What I miss: sleeping all night, this will probably be my permanent answer...and a normal bladder, after reading pregnancy boards I realize I have it much worse than most pregnant women. These girls complain about having to get up twice a night.... I wish.
What I am looking forward to: Having an outside baby
Weekly Wisdom: If your body is telling you to relax then damn it, relax
Milestones: Um did I mention i am full term?

Warning, giant bare belly pic to follow

35weeks and 4 days

Update

We have been in our new house 2 months now, and we love it! I had Jeremy take me around town today to some of the other areas we were considering before deciding on this house. It just confirmed how much we love this house and this neighborhood. We both feel so lucky to have made such a wise choice with really no help from anyone but my mommy and daddy of course =) Our realtor was absolutely no help, she acted like every house we were at was the best thing in this world. We were very lucky to pick such a great part of town.

Jeremy is officially working days, which is great! But.... he does work about 14 hour days. It is tough but atleast he gets quite a few days off. We are very thankful for his job and that he doesn't have to worry about pay decreases or being laid off. Not to mention the fact that we have yet to pay $1.00 for this pregnancy. In fact we did recieve a bill for $80.00 for the Gestational Diabetes test today, Jeremy called and it's already taken care of. He has also already confirmed that he is able to take paternity leave (10 days) when Jayden gets here.

Speaking of Jayden getting here, it is soooo soon! I am 35 weeks and 3 days today, making it only 4 1/2 more weeks at the most. Our doctor doesn't like to let you go past your due date because of the elevation. I have no idea what that has to do with anything but I don't care, at that point I will be just so excited to have an outside baby. At this point I am definately getting scared. I'm not scared to be a mom, I'm not worried for her health, but I'm not going to lie, I am terrified of giving birth! I know I can do it, but I also know it's going to hurt like hell and there is no way around that. Right now I am enjoying this time I get to spend with my daughter, getting to know her and bond with her while she kicks the crap out of me. Sometimes Jeremy and I just lay there with our hands on my belly trying to make out every kick and every push. Enjoying the last few weeks of just the three of us. It feels like our sweet little secret, instead of something the entire world can see.

35/35

How far along? 35 Weeks, and 35 days to go.
Total weight gain/loss: 39 whopping pounds as of last week, but probably more by now.
Maternity clothes? yep, duh! I am running out of things that fit, but refuse to buy more since I'm almost done.
Sleep: Ha ha, what's that? Now I have a hard time getting back to sleep after getting up to pee, which is still around 5-6 times a night =(
Best moment this week: Getting in some baby and daddy time. He got to feel her moving for almost an hour!
Movement: I feel a lot of pushing and rolling, not a lot of kicks or punches.
Food cravings: same as pre-pregnancy, everything bad, esp. ice cream
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: I have been having some mild contractions, but nothing time-able.
Belly Button in or out? I think it's officially out.....although not enough to show through my shirts.
What I miss: sleeping all night, this will probably be my permanent answer...and a normal bladder, after reading pregnancy boards I realize I have it much worse than most pregnant women. These girls complain about having to get up twice a night.... I wish.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting my little one!!! I can't believe she's almost here!
Weekly Wisdom: I have no wisdom. I'm no expert
Milestones: All of her organs are complete and being finalized.

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks and 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: 39 whopping pounds! I am very ashamed to say.
Maternity clothes? yep, duh! I am running out of things that fit, but refuse to buy more since I'm almost done.
Sleep: Ha ha, what's that?
Best moment this week: Although it was painful she turned! No more breech baby!
Movement: I feel a lot of pushing and rolling, not a lot of kicks or punches.
Food cravings: same as pre-pregnancy, everything bad, esp. ice cream
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None, thank goodness, it's not time yet!
Belly Button in or out? I think it's officially out.....although not enough to show through my shirts.
What I miss: sleeping all night, this will probably be my permanent answer...
What I am looking forward to: My future doctors appointments where we get down to business.
Weekly Wisdom: I have no wisdom. I'm no expert
Milestones: Her liver is done developing, and she's now finishing up development on her lungs.

Nursery Pictures!

Dear bladder

Whisky. Tango. Foxtrot. Bladder, thanks for making me get up a total of 7 times last night to pee. Yeah...thanks for nothing!

33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Not really sure, over 30 pounds as of my last appointment =/
Maternity clothes? yep, duh!
Sleep: Still tired, I don't think that will get better any time soon.It seems physically impossible to get a full pee in as often as I do.
Best moment this week: Pushing on my belly and feeling Jayden push back.
Movement: Much better. Although I do notice I only feel her up high or very low. I think the week i didn't feel her, she was in the middle kicking the placenta.
Food cravings: same as pre-pregnancy, everything bad, esp. ice cream
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: None, thank goodness, it's not time yet!
Belly Button in or out? Kinda both, if I'm full it sticks out a tiny bit, or when i cough.
What I miss: sleeping all night, this will probably be my permanent answer...
What I am looking forward to: My future doctors appointments where we get down to business.
Weekly Wisdom: Should have kept up on working out, it's too late now, and I'm struggling.
Milestones: Her skin turned from red to pink, she's almost done growing "up", now it's time to grow "out"

Join my pitty party, wont you?

Well i know it's normal to feel a little anxious towards the end...but...it's not the end yet. Tomorrow I will be 33 weeks, still leaving 7 more weeks till due date. I am officially uncomfortable. Today Jeremy and I went to see The Ugly Truth, yes I know I'm lucky he will watch these movies with me. Well just as I sat down Jayden decided to wedge her little arm or leg right under my ribs! stretching and walking around didn't help, so I had a hard time enjoying the movie. Yeah I know, waa waa that's life. I feel I have done pretty well this whole time, but now I would like to fast forward 7 weeks and get this little one out of me. Besides i want to meet her already! I'm ready to be able to pick up something off the floor again, and walk more than 20 minutes without a break. Oh and It will be nice to not have to pee atleast twice an hour.... Ok pitty party over. On a brighter note, we put the finishing touches on the nursery today and it's officially done!

My next purchase

I am so getting these!

Anterior Placenta

Well as some of you know, I went into the doctor last Monday for a NST (non-stress test)to check on Jayden. I had noticed pretty significant decreased movement starting Monday. The heartbeat was great so they sent me home. Well her movement didn't pick up for the rest of the week. I went and bought a dopler and checked her heartbeat throughout the week. It was always fine so I waited until my normal appointment today to address this with the doctor. At our 32 week appointment today I told the nurse I was concerned. The doctor hooked me to the machine for another NST, which was fine. After that she wanted to check the amount of fluid I had so we got another ultrasound!!! Have I mentioned I love this doctor. Well she was able to confirm that our little one is still a girl, she is breach =(, about 4 1/2 lbs already, and I have Anterior Placenta, I copied the definition below. It's no big deal, it just explains why I can't feel her sometimes. During the ultrasound she was moving around a lot, I just couldn't feel it. It also explains why it took me so long to start feeling her in the first place, and why the doctors used to have a hard time finding her heartbeat. Overall Jayden is very healthy, moving around plenty, and already 4 1/2 lbs! Right on target!

Anterior Placenta: It means your baby is taking a backseat to the placenta. The term "anterior placenta" refers to the location of the placenta within your uterus. Most of the time, a fertilized egg will situate itself in the posterior uterus — the part closest to your spine, which is where the placenta eventually develops, too. Sometimes, though, the egg implants on the opposite side of the uterus, closest to your abdomen. When the placenta develops, it grows on the front (or anterior) side of your uterus, with the baby behind it.

Does the location of your placenta make any difference? Not to your baby, who doesn't care which side of the uterus he or she is lying on, and it certainly makes no difference to him or her where the placenta lies. And what about to you — or your practitioner? You might be less able to feel your baby's early kicks and punches because the placenta will serve as a cushion between your baby and your tummy. For the same reason, your doctor or midwife may find it a bit harder to hear fetal heart sounds (and it could make amniocentesis slightly more challenging). These situations will resolve if the placenta moves into a more posterior position later on (as anterior placentas commonly do). But the good news here is that, despite those slight inconveniencies, an anterior placenta in and of itself poses no risk to your health.

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up about 3 lbs since my 30 week appointment, a pound and a half a week isn't that bad I guess.
Maternity clothes? yep.
Sleep: Still tired, I don't think that will get better any time soon.
Best moment this week: Getting to see our little sunshine, we had another ultrasound!
Movement: Went about Mon-Fri with hardly anything, picked up yesterday.... check for another post all about that.
Food cravings: same as pre-pregnancy, everything bad
Gender: Still GIRL, thank goodness or his favorite color would have been pink.
Labor Signs: None. BH contrax are starting to give me hell.
Belly Button in or out? In, but strongly threatening to come out
What I miss: sleeping all night, this will probably be my permanent answer...
What I am looking forward to: Getting this baby out of me, I think I'm over this whole pregnancy thing
Weekly Wisdom: If you are paranoid like me, buy a doppler, we got one at our local second hand kid store, best $15 I've spent!
Milestones: Jayden is 4 1/2 pounds and is about 19 inches!

Some new pics

Hospital Tour

We got to tour the hospital where we will be giving birth to our little girl today. It was under construction and a little outdated, but for the most part it was nice. We get our own room the whole time, which I thought would be a given, but apparently it's not. There is also a chair in the overnight room that turns into a bed so Jeremy can spend the night. Also they don't take the baby out of the room at all unless there is an issue, which I'm sure there will not be. I told Jeremy I wanted to ask if they will take her if I ask them too, but I guess that's not very nice. ;) Oh and baby is kicking a lot more today, thank goodness.

Back to work

Not for me, for Jeremy. He has somehow managed to get by since we moved here, with minimal training and a couple days volunteering at the rodeo. He started at work today, on a temporary flight (we still don't know his permanent schedule). Poor guy had to get up at 3:30 this morning to make it there a little after 4, and he wont get home till 6!

Jayden has all of a sudden taken after her mom, and has decided to be lazy the past couple days. I haven't been feeling her move very much yesterday or today. I called the doctor and they had me come in for a non-stress test. Yeah you heard me right, they had me come in, not go to the emergency room. This doctor is awesome! Anyway her heartbeat was great so they sent me home, I loved being able to sit there hooked up to a monitor and hear her heartbeat for a good 20 minutes. Such a wonderful sound. I just wish she would start kicking like she has been for the past couple of weeks.Still no acid reflux and I haven't thrown up in over a week. Although I think I spoke too soon when I said Braxton Hicks didn't hurt, yeah...they do! And p.s. why wasn't I ever informed of the fact that you get two months of "fake" contractions on top of the "real" ones?

Well you will all be proud of me, Jeremy had to work today so I had to take Matt to the airport all by myself, and I did it without getting lost.....dang I'm awesome!

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up about 30 lbs total. Seriously, this is cutting it pretty close, doctor says it's good so far, but I'm not sure how long it will stay ok.
Maternity clothes? yep.
Sleep: I'm exhausted, I keep hearing all these different reasons people can't sleep. For me it's just peeing. I'm up every 2 hours to pee. I think it's mother natures way of getting me ready to be up every two hours with a crying baby.
Best moment this week: Getting the nursery fully finished
Movement: Jayden is very strong, she actually woke me up this morning kicking the crap out of me
Food cravings: same as pre-pregnancy, everything bad
Gender: GIRL
Labor Signs: None. BH contrax are starting to give me hell.
Belly Button in or out? In, but strongly threatening to come out
What I miss: sleeping all night
What I am looking forward to: Getting this baby out of me
Weekly Wisdom: Don't plan to be outside in the sun all day
Milestones: Jayden is almost 4 pounds and is about 17 inches!

Frontier Days

Jeremy's friend Matt is in town and we all went to frontier days. Turns out being almost 8 months pregnant makes it kinda hard to be walking around outside all day. We started out at the fair, which is pretty much exactly like the rodeo threw up on the Pima County Fair. A whole lot of cow skin and rhinestone vests. It was fun though, but after 2 hours of walking around in the sun, I was done. So the boys went to the rodeo and I went home to nap. Overall it was a pretty cool experience.

I got my first Braxton Hicks contraction today. It wasn't too bad, and only lasted a couple minutes..... too bad the real ones aren't that easy. Jayden has also taken a liking to punching me in the kidneys. I took my glucose test about two weeks ago. For those of you who have never had one, they basically make you starve yourself, choke down orange syrup and then they poke you with a needle and take your blood. But really it's not that bad, the worst part is fasting. It's actually pretty cruel how long they make a pregnant woman go without food. Because I'm so awesome, I passed with no problems. Next on the list is crossing my fingers I don't get the weight talk....... we'll see.

30 weeks

I'm 30 weeks and 5 days today. My tummy is growing everyday, but it does seem like it has grown significantly in the last 2 weeks. Jayden has started to limit her movements to mostly pushing, rolling, and of course head butting mommy in the ribs. My doctor prescribed nexium, which is a little magic purple pill that has completely cured my acid reflux, and my throwing up. Since I've been taking those I have been feeling great! I'm getting a little impatient and want to meet my little one soon, but I know she's not ready. We are planning on going to the famous Cheyenne frontier days tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes.