Ladies Man!

Our niece and Halen's cousin Kayla came to visit us for a few days. We had a fun filled time, going to Fernbank's chocolate exhibit and the new aquarium. Halen slept through most of the fun, but was happy and fascinated when awake. He's getting so big, over 15 pounds now!
We're all feeling much better now too. Halen having a cold was rough on me. I didn't sleep for days. Things are better now. I gotta go now. He's waking up and it's time for him to eat.
Christy

Sick

Halen's first plane ride
We are all officially now sick. I am getting over it, Halen is getting over the hump, and Christy is just starting to get it. There is lots of phlem flying around over here. That is really just about it.

Will you please be my valentine?

with the dogs

here's a couple of pics of Halen hanging out with the dogs. sorry it's been so long. i keep meaning to get on here and write a long post about how wonderful it is to be a mother, but i just can't find the right words or the time. i will though. i have to talk all of you friends of ours into having kids of your own soon.
Later,
mommy

He's a big boy!

Last night we met up with a couple of other babies. One of them was a cute boy who is 3.5 months old! Guess what? He and Halen are the same size. Halen's hands where even bigger than his. It was cute. We forgot our camera, but pictures where taken. I'll try to hunt one down and post it.
Love,
Momma

Mom!!! You're embaressing me!

Ha ha. He's only a month old and I'm already embaressing the boy. Look at how cute he is in the bath with the rubber ducky. I love him!

party and checkup

Halen had a little party last night in his honor. He's a big one month old. He met a girl (and tried to eat her). We had a Dr. appointment this morning. He's 11lbs. 13 oz. and 22.5 inches long. He's growing well. He's in the 90th percentile for weight and height. We're very proud!

One Month

Today is Halen's one month birthday. He is very excited about it and so are we. It has been a crazy month as well as the best.

4 WEEKS!

Well, our little bugger is 4 weeks old today! In those 4 weeks, the longest stretch of sleep I have gotten is 3 hours, yet I am happier than I've ever been. I feel so lucky to be his mom and have him in my life. I am also lucky to have his dad in my life (even if he has done nothing today but play playstation). I love my boys and our life. Here's a cute picture of him sleeping on his 4weekday.

big boy

I can't believe he's 3 weeks old! He's really growing up. He's already practicing being a teenager, with a bit of baby acne. I call him pizza face. He has learned how to blow spit bubbles too. Next, the pythagorean theorem. I'm sure I didn't spell any of that right. Momma isn't the genius that Halen is. We're very happy here, still a bit tired, but happy nonetheless. Come visit us anytime, just bring food with you when you do. Ha ha. here is a picture of the little guy just starting to pitch a fit about all those lights flashing in his face. He's still a handsome devil, even when he's mad.
oh, and we got another dog! Lucy is her name. Pictures of her soon! she's gone to the pet store with daddy.
later
momma

Happy New Year

Halen said good bye to 2005 in style, and then passed out. Happy New Years.

happy days

I could write a book about all the emotions and experiences of the last week, but I'm pretty exhausted, so I won't. Having Halen join our family is the greatest adventure I've ever experienced, and I've been on a few pretty great adventures. His first Christmas was fun. He looked adorable in his little red Christmas outfit. We got a guitar so we can play lullabys for him.
Dan is the best dad in the world. When I see them together, I get so happy and teary.
well, i just wanted to say hi. i could go into details about the birth and stitches and all that, but some people might not want to hear all that stuff. it all doesn't matter as soon as it's over anyway. i'd do it again any day.
later,
christy

The First Few Days

Well things have been going pretty smoothly, hahahaha. Not too bad but the world has kinda been turned on its side, not all the way upside down. Halen still has Jaundice. He looks like he is getting better today. We have to go back to the doctor for the third day in a row since we left the hospital. They keep poking holes in the bottom of his feet for blood samples and it is very sad to watch. Christy has to wake up every two hours to nurse him and now i have to wake up when she is done to supplement with a little soy formula. The next time you see us we will probably look about as bad as you have ever seen us, but we wil still be glowing. I have always wanted to be a dad and it has been better than I had hoped. I am absolutely in love with the little booger and have been since the moment i pulled him, with a little help, out of Christy. Aunt Melanie has been in town for a few days now and has been a huge help which is nice cause Im out of it most of the time.

Halen other than being slightly sick has been perfect. He only cries when we make him so he will eat more or when we change him.

Home Again

After 3 long days at the hospital we are finally back home +1. His name is Halen Hawkins Harrison and we couldnt be happier.
9lbs. 13oz. 22" . More later. Too tired.

i might be in labor

It's 11pm on the 16th, did anyone guess the 17th?

Not a werewolf

Well, the full moon didn't draw him out. I've always been terrified of werewolves anyway, so that's okay by me I guess. Maybe today??? Maybe he wants to come out when the sun is shining and it's not the crappiest weather ever outside! Just like his daddy, rainy weather calls for staying inside and cozy.

I hope my babies head is proportioned like this.

Is that my water...?

...or did I just piss myself again? My bladder is in serious turmoil these days. She'll be the happiest organ in there when this is all over with.
Monday, as I was walking around Target, I got a surge of wet that completely soaked my panties. I thought for sure my water had broke. So, I headed for the door and came home. I called Dan and nonchalantly told him that my water may have broken, but since I've never broken water before, I wasn't sure. We decided to just wait until my midwife appointment and see what she said, unless other symptoms starting progressing. He came home from work early to take me to my appointment, and we packed our hospital bags in the car, just in case. She did a full exam and several tests, but there no sign of amniotic fluid. My cervix was dialated a "real good 1 cm." The baby was +3 cm, which means she could feel his little head 3 cm. up from my cervical opening. She could feel him! He's really in there! I can be dilated like that for days before labor starts though, so don't get too excited. Anyway, she said that after the plug is gone and the cervix is dialating, there is just lots of discharge, some spurts wetter than others. So, that's probably what it was. I'm just wearing pads these days and waiting for that real water to break, if it does. Sometimes they have to break it for you. So, it's not always the first sign. At this point, I think I'm going into labor about every 5 minutes. I have lots of contractions, but they're all just the practice ones. My aunt gets here today, so I'll be more mentally ready. Maybe that's what we've been waiting for. After she gets here, I think I'll eat some spicy food while getting a foot massage. I think I'll do a 'natural labor inducing' google lookup right now and add a few more things to that list.
Oh, and in case you don't know. We can have visitors at the hospital. We'll be at Northside Women's Center, in the labor and delivery area. I'm not positive what the visiting hours are, but they're something like 8-8, so it's a broad time frame. I may or may not be seeing people directly after the birth. No matter what time it is, people are allowed into the actual birthing room after the baby comes, but only if we're ready. We'll only be in there a couple of hours after he's born, then we move to the regular rooms with regular hours. The first thing we'll do after the birth is try the whole breastfeeding thing. After that, we'll let people come in, if there's still time and I'm not too exhausted. It might be easier for people to get in at this point if they have chocolate with them. Just a thought. Also, we still love you if you're sick, but please don't visit us until you're all better. Our baby will be tough as nails of course, but we'd rather not take the risk.
Okay, this momma is gona try to go back to bed. Some nights I sleep great and others I lay there convinced that it's 200 degrees in the house and I can't understand why we're all not spontaneously combusting.
momma

still no baby

I've got a midwife appointment today at 2:00! We'll discuss the mucus plug and see if I'm dilated. I'll let you know. I am so ready, but I'm also holding out for my aunt to get here on Wednesday. She's my support in case Dan faints.
I talked to a woman yesterday at the Indie Craft Experience who just had a baby two months ago. She had a homebirth in Asheville, au naturale. I wish I could have a home birth. Damn Georgia laws! She said it's illegal in N.C. too, but she found a midwife who would do it. Anyway, it's so wonderful to talk to women who have recently given birth. She was very encouraging. I'm actually really looking forward to this experience, pain and all. Bring it on baby, Momma's ready!

This just happened

I remembered our birth class teacher talking about this, so I googled it and found it under a health reports "first signs of labor." I haven't had any contractions today, so it could still be awhile. It's just neat that these things are really happening.

"Bloody show: Loss of mucus plug

During pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus blocks the cervical opening to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to thin and open, this plug may be discharged. You may notice stringy mucus or a thick discharge. It's typically brown and sometimes tinged with blood.

Losing the mucus plug is a sign that labor may begin soon, but it's not a guarantee. Labor may still be a week or more away."