Getting big...

Harper had her 2 week appointment today. Her weight was 7lb 11oz (35th percentile). Thanks to such a great weight gain, we no longer have to wake her up in the night to eat! YEA! I realize she will wake us up, but it will make such a difference not waking her up when she is still so tired. We had our first day all by ourselves today, and I think we were successful. I had planned her feedings perfectly for her appointment, but the doctor was running late. So by the time she got in the room, Harper was STARVING and so upset! We got everything taken care of, including a meal... and by the time we got home, she was sacked out! Since she didn't have a morning nap and then such a crying spell, she has been sleeping most of the afternoon. I hope this isn't going to mess up her night time sleep! I'm certainly hoping for the best! Here are a few pictures from the last few days. 

First time in her chair... she loves that it vibrates! 

As Corby said... How can someone be so young and look so old? 

Clearly he's referring to how high her pants are coming up! 

Newborn clothes are just so huge on her! 

Despite the looks of this picture, she really did enjoy her first real bath. 

It's the lotion that puts her over the edge! 

So tired from her hard day at the doctor! 

She's fancy!

It's obviously clear that I love big bows, and I love picking out Harper's outfit each day. This is what she wore to my doctor's appointment on Friday, and the nurses just loved it! I wanted to thank everyone for the encouragement and advice regarding sleeping at night. She did wonderful last night... waking up to eat but then went right back to sleep! I felt like a whole new woman when I woke up this morning! I think we are heading in the right track. We have had a great weekend so far. My mom watched Harper last night so Corby and I could go to dinner. We were so tired that it felt like work to come up with conversation, but we eventually snapped out of it! It was so weird to not have her with me- first time in over 9 months! :) Today my mom heads home, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do without her. She has kind of taken on the role of "maid", and it has been SO helpful! Harper is definitely going to miss having her Kay-Kay around! I hope that you have all had a great weekend! 

Just like my uncle...

Dear Uncle Chris,

Guess what?!?!?  I saw some pictures of you and after looking at my hair in the mirror today, I realized that we have the same hair style! My mom has laughed several times at my hair today, but since I think you are so cool, I don't mind looking like you. I miss you so much and can't wait to see you again! 

Love, 

Harper

Days=Nights

I am certainly noticing a trend in our days and nights. We have only had one good night where I had to wake her up for each feeding. Other than that, she just isn't sleeping well. The issue would simply be that she sleeps so soundly during the day, why in the world would she need to also sleep at night?!?! When does this end? I will welcome any advice on how to keep a tired baby awake during the day. Or do they eventually just catch on to sleeping at night? I'm looking forward to not having to wake her in the night for feedings because she is always soundly sleeping before the first one... it makes me wonder how long she would really sleep! Other than this first picture, she is thoroughly enjoying her sleep in all of the other ones. Enjoy!

I realize she probably needs a bow with this outfit, but the cardigan has ruffles.... the check-out lady at Target thought she was a boy :(

I loved her arms being behind her head! 

I love this outfit on her. The pants are huge, but I guess that happens when you're little! 

This baby lulu outfit is also a favorite of mine! 

Holding daddy's fingers... it is just precious! 

Couldn't make it without him...

Corby has been such an amazing dad and husband over the last 2 weeks. I mean, he's always been a wonderful husband... but he has definitely gone above and beyond since Harper's birth. At the hospital and while he was off work, he woke up during every feeding to keep me company. He also reads to her while she's eating... how precious is that?!?! Even now that he's working, he'll wake up and come into the den to hang out in the middle of the night. However, I always tell him to go back to bed since he has to work... he never disagrees. I love watching him with Harper. It is going to be such a great relationship to watch as Harper grows up. I am so thankful for a husband who is so supportive during this time. Since I'm incredibly sleep deprived, I can't imagine not having his help!

He kisses her like crazy... she loves it! 

To my Papa G

Dear Papa G,

I hope that you have a great birthday! Maybe next year we can celebrate our birthdays together! I bet you are glad to have someone share the month of March with you, since it seems everyone else was born in August (except Aunt Leah)! Thank you for visiting me last week. I can't wait to see you again... mommy told me she'd bring me to Little Rock as soon as she's feeling better! I love you!

Love,

Harper 

PS: Eliana told me that you give GREAT Christmas presents. I don't even know what Christmas is, but I'm already excited about it!

Happy 1 week Birthday!!!

It really is so hard to believe that Harper has been here an entire week! The time has flown by, and we are loving every minute (some minutes more than others) of it. Here are a few more pictures from her first week. 

Spa Day... she needed a manicure

She thoroughly enjoyed her hair being washed

About to go to the pediatrician... the hat she's wearing was knitted by my high school math teacher- Shout out to L-Train! 

Look at what a genius she is... holding her pacifier with her hands! 

Her love for being swaddled + my love for the way it looks= tons of pictures! 

Harper's First Week

I know... in my last post, I said I'd upload pictures the next day and clearly I didn't. I think I forgot that I had just had a baby and major surgery. So here are a few pictures from her first week. She has been such an amazing baby so far. Her facial expressions are hilarious, and I think she knows it too! She has been eating and sleeping pretty well, and I'm adjusting to the 2 hours of sleep at a time. My mom heads home this afternoon, but she'll be back on Saturday for her spring break- Praise the Lord! I am still in so much pain, so I can't imagine being by myself next week. Corby is going to be home for the rest of the week, so I'm really looking forward to being together as a family for a few days. It will hopefully be a relaxing time for all of us. I hope you enjoy these pictures... I'll try to do a post soon with pictures of Harper and all of her visitors. 

Our first family picture

Jill was our night nurse and she was AMAZING! 

Harper's first car ride

Harper's going home outfit- it was a little large

Finally home with our baby girl

I love how she looks in her swaddle

Biggest bow ever... and I LOVE IT! 

I love my baby girl more than I could've ever imagined! 

Introducing...

Harper Ann Pardue

7lb 3 oz

19 3/8 inches

Our sweet baby girl finally arrived at 5:42 pm today! We ended up having to do a c-section because she became too stressed with the contractions. At first I was really upset since I had such a long day, but I was so ready for her to be here... it just didn't matter in the end. Here are a few pictures that Mare and LC took. I am so tired right now, so I don't have the energy to upload photos... I'll do that tomorrow. Enjoy! 

Kathy is my new best friend...

Clearly, with the popularity of the name Kathy, I am not referring to last night's Kathy. I'll call my new friend today, Kath... I like her that much. For some reason a very small amount of pitocin caused my uterus to go CRAZY, so my contractions were out of control... and Harper wasn't a fan. So I called for an epidural, and Kath saved the day! I was at 4 cm at that time, so I don't feel like such a pansy. I went from 1-4 in about 2 hours. However, it appears that time has stopped because I was just checked and am only a 5... such a bummer. At noon my nurse assumed I'd have her by 5 with the way I was going, but no such luck. I can finally have the computer on my stomach and see it, since I'm not wearing the stinking oxygen mask anymore. Yes, Harper also wasn't a fan of one of my cervical exams, and she let us know about it! Hopefully things will start moving a little faster... you know, so that I'm not laying here all night long! 

Also, in case you're wondering, the IV that Kathy put in last night had to be changed today by my wonderful nurse, Tracey. She had no idea why it was placed in my hand and not in my arm. I wish I could say I was surprised, but let's be honest... it's Kathy we're talking about here! 

Thanks, but no thanks Cervadil

Well.... it wasn't completely useless. My cervix is a little bit thinner and softer, but not what I had hoped it would be. I just showered, dried and even chi-ed my hair (Thanks Tiff!). I know it may shock you, but last night when I asked Kathy about taking a shower, she chuckled and told me I'd only have 30 minutes. Well, because Tiff was back with me this morning, she allowed me all the time I wanted... simply because she said she'd be the same way. So at least I feel really clean... obviously this feeling won't last very long. My doctor is headed down to break my water and probably start the pitocin soon after. Just pray that all of this works! Thanks so much! 

Don't let the smile fool you... pretty sure it's only temporary! 

Oh Ambien... at least you tried!

So, I'm sitting here and it's 5:30am. I've slept MAYBE 3 hours, but that would mean in intervals of 30 minutes or so. It's rather difficult to sleep when you have 2 monitors strapped to your stomach, an IV tube in your hand (that isn't pleasant!), and a blood pressure sleeve on your arm- that randomly takes my blood pressure through the night... yes, it's uncomfortable. It also doesn't help that every time I move, the nurses seem to lose Harper's heart beat, so they have to come in and adjust the monitor- which translates to waking me up and putting more of that sticky gel on me! 

Last night went really well though. Baylor is very organized. I was in my gown, in my bed, strapped with monitors right at 8pm (we arrived around 7:45). I got the cervadil medicine at 9 and started contracting almost instantly. Not don't be jealous, but the only way I knew I was having a contraction was because the monitor was showing them... I didn't feel a thing. However, as the night progressed, I began to feel them. They aren't horrible, but they aren't enjoyable either! (side note: as I typed those last 2 sentences, the blood pressure monitor went off 2 times! Glad I wasn't asleep... it would've definitely woken me up!) I really like my nurse, Tiffany. She has made me feel right at home. There was a time when Tiff (I assume we're on a nickname basis by now) had to go help deliver a baby, so Kathy stepped in. Let's just say the ridicule I received from her regarding the amount of belongings I brought to the hospital put her on my "do not return" list. She is a nice woman, but seriously?!?! Leave me alone! I clearly have an over-packing issue, and when you aren't sure how long you'll be staying somewhere... you need to be prepared. And no, Kathy, I don't plan on wearing one of this awful gown the entire time! Okay... glad that's off my chest :) 

For those of you concerned about Corby, he's sleeping like a baby! I tried to take some pictures of both of us in our beds with photobooth, but the room is too dark. I figured that if I turned on the light and it woke him up, my reasoning for needing the light might not go over well. Okay, I don't believe there's anything else to report. I'll make sure my sister updates my blog when there is something worth saying! 

40 weeks...

Well, today marks my due date, March 9th. I think if I didn't know she'd be here on Wednesday, I would be a little stressed today. I'm feeling really good about heading to the hospital tomorrow night. I have to be there at 8pm to do some steps leading up to the induction, and then I'll be induced on Wednesday morning. Wow... she'll be here so soon! I will finally see her beautiful face and know what she looks like! I simply can't wait. She, on the other hand, is quite content and has been having a blast today. She was especially active from 5:30am-7:30.... I wish she would've chosen different hours to let me know how much fun she's having, but I'm so thankful she's still very active! I'm curious if I'm going to miss that feeling of her moving around. Other than that, I don't believe there are too many other aspects of pregnancy that I'm going to miss. Since I didn't buy nice maternity jeans, I have been looking frumpy in my Gap and Old Navy elastic waist jeans. I am SO ready to wear jeans that fit my body!!! I will NOT miss maternity jeans (although I think I'm in the minority on this one)! Another thing I'm curious about... will I start drinking caffeine again??? I decided not to drink any during my pregnancy, so I'm clearly used to water... but I must say, I would love a coke right about now! So who knows? I'm sure I'll end up caving in, but for now, I'd like to think I could be strong enough to just continue with water! Okay, enough pregnancy rambling... I'll make sure my blog gets updated over the next few days! Enjoy your week! 

A few specific prayer requests:

-that Corby and I will both be able to sleep well on Tues night at the hospital

-for the night time procedure to work well and thin my cervix (sorry if that's too much info!)

-everything to go well on Wednesday

-for Harper to be healthy (and not angry with us for making her come out!)

-for all of our family to get here safely

Thanks!!!  

Snug as a bug in a rug...

...And that bug would be our little Harper. It seems she is still enjoying the comfort my ribs provide because she is still in the highest position! I was convinced that she had dropped some based on how my stomach has looked this week, but my doctor would clearly know better than me! There weren't any other changes either... all is the same as last week! Well, one thing has changed- the date of my induction. The labor and delivery rooms were all full on the 12th, so I was moved to the 11th! So if Harper hasn't come by then, we will go in on the evening of the 10th to start the process. We'll see what happens though- she could easily decide to come tonight! That's the beauty of it all... you just never know! 

I'll definitely make sure to have someone update the blog whenever she comes. I appreciate your prayers for labor to go well and for Harper to be super healthy! Thanks!!!

And thank you everyone for your encouraging words from my last post!!! I really appreciated everything you said. I am feeling much better about everything today!!! 

It's sinking in...

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand." Isaiah 41:10

Well... it would be a lie if I told you that everything was fine inside my head and heart right now. The last few days I have been bombarded with ridiculous and irrational hypotheticals regarding labor and being a mom, and it has brought out so much fear in me. On the outside, I appear just fine... you might even think I'm looking forward to child birth. But on the inside, Satan is completely attacking me! This morning, I have spent a ton of time with the Lord... essentially, casting all of my cares on Him. I already feel a sense of His peace, just through the verses I read this morning. But I know how easily this fear can creep right back into me. I am simply praying that the Lord will calm my fears and allow these next few days to be relaxing and enjoyable. 

I'm convinced that Harper likes her current home because I can still feel her up in my ribs. Thankfully my doctor and I discussed a possible induction date, just in case she really decides to stay put. It has really helped my mind knowing that she will definitely be here by the 12th. Honestly, I don't want to be induced, but since I'm not in charge... I need to get over it. So I am resting in the truth that the Lord knows what is best for both me and Harper, and He will allow it to happen in His timing. Until then, I will continue to do what I do best... sit (I know I should be walking, but it KILLS my back, so I'm just choosing to be lazy today!).