The Sweetest Thing...

Just a little update on Hailey...today she is 4 weeks old! I can't believe how fast those 4 weeks have gone! Last week at her check up, she weighed 8lbs 2oz, a gain of 17 oz in 14 days! The doctor was pretty impressed! Hailey is a great sleeper and eater, obviously! She is also very patient with her siblings who fight about who gets to hold her, are usually a little too rough, and generally not conducive to her sleep. She loves her baths, her mommy, and being swaddled tight. And we LOVE her! She is our little angel and brings a lovely calm to our home!

All in a day's work

Kelly is awesome. There is hardly anything he can't do! We are finally seeing our upstairs bathroom come together, and after only 2 years of planning/talking about it! Kelly spent last Saturday laying laminate wood floors in our "new bathroom!" This is something he has never done, but he read all about it, and Wall-La! Beautiful floor finished in half a day! This is something I admire about Kelly, as does the rest of my family...he reads AND comprehends instructions! If ever my dad or mom, but especially my dad, gets anything new, they always joke about having Kelly read the manual and then he can teach them how to use their new 'whatever'. It is really a talent that no one in my side of the family was blessed with...and it works like magic! Thank you Kelly for your hard work to make the bathroom only steps away from me in the middle of the night! What a dream come true!
P.S. Please let Kelly know how sexy he looks in his coveralls! They were 50cents at a garage sale a few years ago, and Kelly has been in love with them ever since.

Mother's Day Granola

Happy late Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers I know! Above is a picture of the Mother's Day present I gave to my mother. This was actually Martha Stewart's idea...she says granola is a great idea for a present because you can personalize it! and I did! I put cashews in instead of walnuts, because cashews are my mom's favorite. The recipe I used was pretty easy and SO tasty! Kelly tried to convince me to only give my mom 1 of the bags, but instead I just made him his own batch a few days later.

My Mother's Day was great! Kelly made his famous french toast, I got a very nice frame with 3 spaces, one for each of the kids, and I didn't have to make OR clean up dinner! Thanks Kelly and kids for a wonderful day!

And then there were 3...

Here they are...all together, and can you believe all three of them are looking at the camera, sort of??!! It's a miracle!

Hailey and I have been at home for a whole week now. I have been spoiled by my sisters with tons of babysitting, and of course the ward has brought some meals, so we're doing good so far. Maybe the hardest adjustments have been the intensity of Laynie's tantrums since we've been home, and that the kids have figured out they need only wait until mommy is nursing, and they can pretty much do whatever they want. Yeah, they are good partners in crime.

I am totally in love with Hailey. You know the feeling that your heart is going to bust right open? I have felt that so often in the last week just looking at Hailey. She has been a great sleeper, only waking up twice a night for the past few days! and she has nursing down pat.

Thanks to everyone who has helped with 'the adjustment'...it has gone pretty smoothly so far!

Hailey Hailey bo bailey...

Okay, it's my turn. I finally feel up to sharing! If you're not interested in reading long entries, you can probably skip this one. This will be a journal entry for sure! I must say, this was the best experience with labor yet. It was wonderful and I keep thinking about what a beautiful experience it was-- thank you to Kelly my doctor and the nurses! I am in baby heaven!

So, most of you already know that I was induced. This was the first time I ever had to be induced, and in spite of all of the horror stories I heard about the process, it really wasn't bad at all! We got to the hospital at noon, They started the Pitocin at 1:30, and Hailey was born about 7:30...so 6 hours of labor...not bad!

I had to have 2 epidurals, the first one only affected my left side, so that wasn't going to work. But the anesthesiologist was super nice about the whole thing, and it wasn't a big deal. I was pretty numb though right up until about an hour before Hailey was born, so I have to say I had a pretty darn easy labor! When the time came to push, they offered to set up a mirror so I could see, I have never done this in the past, but this time I said 'sure' and I'm so glad I did!! It was like watching my very own 'Baby Story'! I loved it. My doctor had me reach down after Hailey's shoulders were out, and pull her up onto my chest. This was such an amazingly emotional experience for me to bond with her in the VERY FIRST moments of life-- I LOVED THAT!

Of course they had Kelly cut the cord, but nothing was rushed, it was a peaceful, calm experience for everyone involved! My doctor grabbed our camera as Kelly was cutting the cord and started taking pictures! She said "I'm the paparazzi!" and took a bunch of very cute pictures!...just ANOTHER reason she was so great!

The hospital was fabulous. They have a massage therapist that comes around giving free massages! and they have great food :) I stayed 2 nights before coming home on Friday morning, and I was so happy with the way I was treated!

I wanted to be sure to include the picture above to show everyone how enamored Kelly is with his newest daughter. He admitted to me a few months ago that he was scared he wouldn't be able to love another child as much as he loves Addy and Laynie. Obviously from this picture you can see that it's not a problem...he absolutely adores his little Hailey.

Some of you have asked us about the name...Kelly and I were really very undecided even while I was in labor. We made a "short list" of possible names...Hailey, Bailey, Carly, and a few others. When I was holding her on my chest in those first minutes, I just kept thinking "she is straight from heaven..." so I don't know if because there's a Hailey's comet in the heavens or what, but Hailey seemed to just fit perfectly. And she has been a perfect baby so far! A great sleeper and a great eater...I couldn't ask for more perfection from a 6-day old :)

More on Hailey

Thank-you everyone for your phone calls and support (Kelly again...fyi). We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from so many friends and family.

Today was another great day. I took the kids this morning to visit, they were so excited, they ran into the room and wanted to hold her and kiss her and kept wanting another turn (not a big deal for Laynie, she does that with a stuffed monkey, but for Addison to pay any real attention is significant). Anyway, they were very gentle and loving.


When I pulled into the driveway this evening with the kids practically the whole neighborhood followed me into the garage (Annie is staying another night, she and Hailey will come home in the morning). I spent the next half hour giving all the neighborhood mommies the play-by-play, they were riveted. They have been so supportive and concerned about Annie through these last few weeks.

This delivery experience for me was unbelievable. Annie's doctor, Dr. Jones, was so relaxed and patient (and fun). The nurses were so informative and helpful. When it was show time there was no sense of being frantic or rushed, all of the hospital personnel were so calm. No one was in a hurry to cut the cord or whisk her away for cleaning and weighing, etc. They were very deliberate in their desire for Annie and I just to savor each moment. I could not have scripted it any better. I was enjoying so much the experience I half-expected the wall to lift and expose the pit orchestra playing something stringy and sappy.

Dr. Jones even grabbed the camera and started shooting pictures for us, I cannot express enough my thanks to her for her fine work. A huge thanks as well to Annie's sisters, Mary and Becca for watching the kids while we enjoy this time.

Here is link to some more pictures

Ahh, here are her stats: 6 pounds 15 oz. 19 inches long.

She's Here!!

We are very excited to announce the arrival of Hailey Jean. She was born wednesday the 30th of April at 7:36 pm. She is doing just great. She and Annie are staying at the hospital overnight (this is Kelly), She requested I post the good news!

I will let her fill you in on all of the wonderful details...I'm tired and going to bed.