Emily Smiles

We hit a new milestone this week! My Emily smiled at mommy for the 1st time! Well, she's been smiling since she got here, but this was the first time she actually recognized my voice and smiled at me. I think the other smiles were dream or gas smiles. =) So fun!

Happy 1 Month Emily!

Emily is 1 month old today! I can't believe how fast the time is flying by with her! Her Aunt Lisa bought a cookie cake to celebrate her 1st Month Bday. =) I took her 1 month pics the other day with her wearing her "coming home outfit" and also a little red gown (both mine when I was little). I found some pics of me wearing these same outfits. It's so funny. She does look a lot like me, but I can see her daddy in her too. She for sure shares has his nose, blood type, and birthday!

I've been thinking about my mom a ton lately - with Emily around and the holidays coming up, she is constantly on my mind. I wish so much that she was here to see my Emily. She would love seeing Emily in these little outfits that use to be mine. Plus, she would be going crazy this Christmas - her first Christmas with her granddaughters. I know I'm incredibly blessed to have a beautiful, healthy baby girl, but this special time would be so much sweeter if mama was here. However, while she is not here physically, she is always with me...

When I'm holding Emily, when I'm putting her to bed, when I'm giving her "baby kisses" as mama called them...she is with me.

I can hear her voice saying..."Jenn, don't give that baby a paci - she isn't acting like she wants it." (A habit I've gotten into doing). =)

I can hear her saying, "isn't that darling" about various outfits and pictures I've taken of her.

Mama (Mimi) is always with us. She watches over all of her girls (Emily, Abby, Lisa, and me) everyday and night.

1 Month Old - Wearing Her "Coming Home" Dress - Was Also My "Coming Home" Dress

Me In Same Dress

1 Month Old - Wearing My Christmas Gown

Me In My Christmas Gown

Her Mimi Watches Over Her While She Sleeps

Just For Fun - Hanging In Her Bouncy Seat

3 Weeks In Pictures...

Thought I'd post a summary of Emily's 1st 3 weeks using pics...

1st Family Photo - Day We Came Home From Hospital

Meeting Ms. Mandi and New Friend, Anna Lauren

Hanging In Her Swing

Quality Time With Pawpaw

Small Baby

4 Day Old Check Up - Off To River Oaks

1st Bath

Meeting Abby Grace

Uncle Bo Holding Her For The First Time - Him and Abby Missed Out On Hospital Time With Her b/c They Had Both Been Sick. =(

Michael Surprised Me With My "Push" Present A Few Days After We Came Home From The Hospital

Photoshoot - With Some Help From Gracie =)

One Of My Favs From The Millions of Photoshoots We've Had...We'll Post Some More of These Soon!

1st Halloween - Thanks For the Outfit Aunt Lisa!

Just Hanging Out - A Typical Morning...No, We Don't Always Have to Match Our Outfits. =)

Cranky

2 Week Old Check Up With Dr. Jo!

Emily and Her Brandi

Gracie Napping With Emily

Wearing Her Soccer Onesie For Daddy

1st Walk

1st Time To Sleep In Her Bed (Slept In Pack N Play In Our Room for 1st 3 Weeks)

We've Had Lots of Help From Aunt Lisa and Cuz, Abby - They Are Worn Out!

Abby Loves Cuz, Emily...She Already Wants To Hold Her

Some Girl Time With "Great" Grandma

Mommy and Emily

Daddy and Emily

Aunt Lisa and Emily

Smiling for her Mommy!

1st Party - My "Surprise" 30th BDay!

Hanging In Hadley's PJ's...Thanks Hadley!

Meeting The Babb Family

Took This Pic Today...Just Hanging Out With Mommy

4 Generations of Girls

My Grandma (mom's mom) came over for a visit today. It was her first time to really see and hold my Emily. She saw her at the hospital when she was born, but only thru the glass. =( My Grandma is the sweetest person in the world. While her mind is somewhat starting to wonder a bit, one thing is clear in her mind..."I love my girls." "I have three girls" she tells us all the time referring to my mom and her two sisters. I wish with all my heart my mom was here - she would be on cloud nine with her granddaughters around! I know she is watching down from Heaven though.

It's weird and probably crazy to think, but I swear I feel her presence sometimes when I'm holding Emily. Emily will start looking off into space so intently at something. I think babies can see things we can't - maybe angels? Today, while Grandma was watching her, she started REALLY staring at the ceiling. Even Grandma started asking her, what are you looking at??! I bet mama was there with us and she was seeing her. =) At least, I like to think so. =)

Sweet

Abby's such a big girl! At almost 5 months old, this sweet girl really tried to hold her cousin Emily...love her!

Emily Elaine's Birth

It's been a while since I've posted - things have been a bit crazy around our house with our new addition, Miss Emily Elaine. Crazy how our lives have changed in the 3 weeks she has been here. She is the sweetest thing - I could just look at her all day long, which is pretty much all I did for the first week and a big reason for why there hasn't been any pics or blog entries posted. =)

Check out the cute slideshow Lisa made...

Turn the volume down at the bottom of the blog before clicking play.....

Anyways, her birth story is crazy...

On Wed (10/21), I went for my 38 week check up, which included a stress test. My OB was slightly concerned about her weight (she was weighing in at a small 5 lbs, 13 oz at my 37 week check up), so she ordered the test. No issues were found, but she also ordered a sonogram, which found that her fluid level was very low (2.1 - anything below a 5 is considered to be low). She told me we needed to go ahead and get her out and I would need to be admitted to the hospital that day! I cried when she told me this - just out of disbelief that the time had finally come. I'd never been in the hospital before and the whole idea scared me a little.

Michael and I went home and got everything together, kissed our sweet girls good bye and headed to River Oaks to have our baby girl. I was sad to leave Gracie and Harlee b/c I knew their little lives would never be the same once we returned. =(

I was given a cervidil around 6 that night to start the labor process. My OB wanted me to have a "balloon procedure," but I was VERY hesitant about this since my friend, Leah, had this procedure done and said it was VERY painful and didn't work for her anyways. I was so torn as to what to do b/c I REALLY wanted a normal delivery - no c-section - and my OB explained that this would basically guarantee it for me. I ended up deciding to only have the cervidil and if it didn't take, try the balloon thing the next morning. This is the same procedure Lisa had done with Abby and it worked great for her. Lisa's didn't hurt her, but mine about killed me! Of course, I was dilated 1 cm already and Lisa hadn't dilated at all, so maybe that's the difference.

I didn't start having pain until around midnight. I was given staydal to "take the edge off" my contractions. I must have gotten up a million times in the night to pee (poor Michael), which was not easy when you're attached to an IV and monitors on your belly.

My OB broke my water around 7 am and said I was 3 - almost 4 cm dilated. Once she broke my water, I almost immedietly started having severe contractions. I was in so much pain and felt like I was going to hyperventilate at times. I was trying really hard to remember the breathing stuff from my birth class, but it wasn't helping me too much. I kept begging for my epidural and asking Michael to go find him ASAP!

Finally, I heard the nurse tell Michael to leave (come back in 20 minutes, she told him) b/c the epidural people had arrived. Right about that time, I felt a huge urge to push - an unexplainable, uncontrollable urge. I told my nurse (who was AMAZING, by the way), and she told me to wait. She checked me, then looked me in the eye and said:

"Jennifer, look at me...you are dilated to 10 cm...there isn't time for an epidural...you're going to have this baby right now." Then, she said..."you can do this."

All I could say was Michael, where's Michael. Then, I started pushing some - I couldn't control it. I probably pushed about 2 or 3 times without Michael even in the room. I was screaming the whole time - not out of pain really, but out of an urge to GET THIS KID OUT OF ME! I was told later that a girl down the hall who had just rec'd her epidural told her husband and nurse, "we need to pray for that girl." The entire hall heard me screaming!

I kept asking for Michael and the nurses were saying they were looking for him. I asked for my cell phone and they found it. I called Michael (who had left with his mom to get breakfast) and told him to come back, I'm pushing!). Needless to say, he freaked out and almost missed her being born!

He walked in and couldn't even speak to get into the Labor and Delivery area. All the nurses were laughing at him. He walked in and about 2 pushes later, we had a baby girl!

I dialated from 4 cm to 10 in less than 50 minutes and pushed 5 times! Emily was IN A HURRY to get out! Something tells me this will be how she will live her life - always in a hurry...just like her Daddy. =)

Poor Lisa...she missed her arrival by about 10 minutes and was so upset about it (she was supposed to be in there with me like I was with Abby), but Emily waits for no one - not even her daddy! I was glad she missed all the screaming anyways. I had actually told my nurse ealier in the morning that I didn't want anyone, but Michael in the room when I was in this much pain. Lisa arrived just in time to get some amazing pics of my sweet girl right after she was born.

She also did a great job capturing the entire experience right up until Gracie and Harlee meeting her.

Emily's Here!!

This is Lisa posting for Jenn. . . .

Little Emily Elaine decided to make her entrance a little sooner than expected arriving at 7:58 this morning. She weighed in at 5 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 18 1/2 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing WONDERFUL!!