A Blessed Christmas...

So we had such a blast over the Christmas break and it was so nice to see most of our family and friends. Although she's only 6 months old, Skylar sure was spoiled! Never too young to spoil 'em right?!

Okay, so Christmas Eve we had Matthew's family over to do lunch, dessert and of course PRESENTS!! I decided to make his family's recipe of chicken pot pie. It tasted great but looked a little rough. I accidentally used the wrong type of crust. But thankfully, my sister n law also made one which was tasty and pretty!! I also made an apple pie which was gorgeous and scrumptious! Everyone gobbled it down which was such a compliment. All the girls got to open their gifts and since Skylar received so many, I'll just highlight a couple.

Her Mimi Melissa and Paw Paw Jack bought her this vtech dancing tower. It's so cool!! I think I'm having more fun with it then she is at the moment. lol. She also got a stuffed puppy and some zoo animals.

Christmas morning we woke up early and found that Santa came!! I put Skylar in front of her gifts and she seemed a bit overwhelmed. Well, that and she kept eating the bows. She would get so excited at times and then fussy right after. She didn't know what to think of everything!! Once again, she got a lot of goodies from mommy and daddy.

I was quite spoiled as well! Matthew bought me a new calphalon cookware set. I am really starting to cook now and enjoying it so much. Before, I think I approached it as a chore but now, it's really a break from the cleaning, paying bills and changing dirty diapers all day. It's "mommy time." I also got a brand new camera! wooohooo! I've been wanting one for so long now and finally, Matt bought me a Nikon D60. I'm still trying to figure out how the whole thing works but I'll get it...

After we did Christmas at our house, then we went to my parents house...Mimi and Papa Hart. There Skylar got more toys of course and a really awesome car seat...whoo hooo! It's a Britax and the style is Mariposa! I can't wait to get her in it....so exciting.Skylar was napping most of the day, so Matthew and I opened her presents from my parents. My mom slid over this big box which has been wrapped for a while now and we tried our hardest to make our guesses. I guessed a toy box and Matt guessed a doll house. You know who won?!! Neither!!! It was a new Dell computer! My sneaky parents!! If you haven't noticed, I haven't been staying on top of my blogs as usual and that's because my old computer (which is a laptop), Matt had to start taking to work with him. But NOW....I have my own desktop!! Spoiled huh?!

Oh...and a couple more things...

Skylar got her first tooth Christmas day. After all the tears, slobber and upset tummy...we finally have a pearly. Temporary relief until the next bout!

AND THE BIGGEST AND GREATEST NEWS OF ALL!!!!!!

My dad and I went to Texas Childrens last Tuesday for her ultrasound and the doctor informed us that it appears she has NO MORE HYDRONEPHROSIS!! Can you believe it?!!! God is so awesome! The doctor asked that we bring her back in 6 months just to make sure everything still looks the same! Praise God for answered prayers!!

Phew - a ton of updating to do!!

Okay, so formula is going great! She took to it quite well and everything went smooth on mommy's side too! She's now up to 6 oz and knows EXACTLY when it's time to eat. She's growing a bit impatient these days and I just have to sit back and smile.

Thanksgiving was a blast. First, we visited my husband's family in Kosse, TX which is just outside of Waco. It was Skylar's first time to meet a lot of her family and she was such a little flirt. During our visit, Granny Lou (Matthew's mom) slipped Skylar some "pink stuff" (cottage cheese and fruit) so needless to say, Skylar REALLY loves her Granny Lou. Ha! Ha! After that, we drove back to Houston to have Thanksgiving with my family. We all had a great time and Skylar got to wear Adley's tutu!

She is now wearing two bracelets (one on each arm) and everyone seems to adore them. The one on her left arm daddy bought for her that has her named engraved on it. And the one on her right arm is called a "cocoa pod" bracelet and it's from Trinidad. Our neighbors are from there and were kind enough to bring one home for her. They are both absolutely perfect and at 6 months old, she already knows how to accessorize (so her Auntie Saysa says).

She started sitting up at the end of November and was a bit wobbly but NOW she's doing great. In fact, if she's about to fall she'll catch herself....sometimes. She's trying really hard to crawl now and she gets so frustrated. It makes me laugh. She almost looks like a see-saw. First she'll put her arms down and raise up her head and chest. Then as she lowers herself she puts her knees underneath her and lifts her bottom. It won't be long now till she figures how to do both at the same time and then I'm really in trouble. She says mamamamma and dadadadadada on a regular basis. I know she has no clue what she's saying but it's cute all the same. She loves playing with her Mimi (my mom). She's completely fascinated with my moms crocs and each time my mom will roll her ankles, Skylar will mimic her and her feet go round and round. She has also discovered how to shake her head from side to side. The other morning she was in her highchair and acting up and I said "Skylar May, no no" shaking my head at the same time. She looked up at me and started shaking her head right along with me. SO CUTE!! AND SO SMART!! She is quite the pro at rolling over but still can't go from her tummy to her back and she gets so mad when she is stuck. While she's on her tummy, she almost looks like a superhero just waiting to take off. She'll lift her arms and legs at the same time as if she's flying...all she needs is a cape.

My parents have both come up with a few nicknames for her. My mom calls her "kissy face" and my dad calls her "pissy pants." She is still teething after all and so I would have to agree that my dads nickname for her is appropriate....at times! :)

Her first Christmas is almost here and Santa has SPOILED her rotten. We have a ton of gifts underneath the tree and wouldn't you know, most seem to have Skylar's name on them. She just had her 6 month check up and everything is looking great. She is 16lbs 3oz and 26 1/2 inches. She is in the 50-75 percentile for her weight and in the 70th percentile for her height. The doctor was pretty impressed at how well she sits up and just as she was asking if she's reaching yet, Skylar grabbed the stethoscope right out of her hands. We both laughed. She's approved to start on her solids now and we are so excited. My doctor wants us to do greens first (green beans and peas), then yellows and oranges (squash and carrots) and then fruit. Each we have to do one at a time for a week. Right now she's almost done with the green beans and it's so funny to watch her with her first bite. Her eyes get real big and she gets so excited for the next bite.

On to the kidneys...
So she had her Lasik Scan which wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. She did very well and her urologist called back to say that everything appeared normal by report. We take her in on Tuesday so that he can see the films for himself and then do an ultrasound to see how everything looks. So please continue to pray.

Prayer request...
Please pray for a dear friend of mine little girl. She is meeting with a specialist to discuss issues with an irregular heartbeat.

It brings me to tears to think of how fast my little girl is growing. Don't get me wrong, it is very exciting...its just so emotional to watch them grow. I promise to add pics in a bit...just wanted to start with the updating part first! ;-)

Going Formula...

The day has finally come when my baby can no longer tolerate mama's milk. We discovered a while back that she had a cows milk allergy which meant that I had to avoid all dairy to keep her safe. So by doing so I switched to soy.

Now we've just found out that she is also allergic to soy. So...she's going to formula now. I can still breastfeed but would have to make sure that I avoid so many things. So to be on the safe side, we're just going with Nutramigen. The formula is very expensive but no cost is too great when it comes to your baby, right?

Buh-bye Ear Tags!!

So yesterday Skylar had her surgery to remove her ear tags on her right ear. She's had them since birth and we were advised to go ahead and remove them now before they got any bigger.
She's doing great and we're praying for a fast and easy recovery. Still no word on the results from the kidney scan but I will post as soon as we know something.

Ready, Set, ACTION

Wooohoo! So today was a very great day because my hunny bought me a new camera! I've been wanting one for so long now and finally we have one!

So pretty soon we will be putting up little video clips of her so stay tuned...

Oooooh the weather outside is frightful...

Okay, really the weather is perfect but I couldn't think of a better title for this post. The other morning Skylar and I were getting ready to walk daddy out to the car (our morning ritual) when we noticed that it was quite chilly.

I remembered that I had quite a few hats and such given to me before she was born so I ran in the other room, grabbed a bonnet and ran back to the door so we could send daddy on his way. I didn't really even notice what it looked like on her until Matt said "oh, would you look at that."

Our little pooh bear...

And around and around we go...

Alrighty...so there was a bit of miscommunication on the part of Skylar's pediatrician and the urologist. My nurse thought that after having the VCUG come back normal that must mean that the hydronephrosis is gone. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. We met with the urologist last Thursday who informed us that the only purpose for the VCUG was to rule out reflux (urine shooting back up into the bladder and then kidney). She does not have reflux but instead had to go today for a kidney scan to see if maybe there's an obstruction.

The test went well and she did so great. We are just waiting for the specialist to give us a call back. Lord, please take care of our princess...

Thank you guys for continuing to pray! We love u all!

Granny Time

So my Granny who I haven't seen in FOREVER was just in town recently and we got to stop by for a visit. This is Skylar's great grandmother on my mom's side and we don't get to see them but maybe once every few years.

Skylar just loved hanging out with her and sitting on her lap. I think she really enjoyed listening to her talk since she has a deep southern accent being from Georgia and all. I'm pretty sure that my Granny fell in love with her because she kept mentioning "rollin' her a little ball and takin' her back home."

We really enjoyed the visit and hope to see her again real soon! We love you Granny Shirley!

Butterfly Kisses!

Happy First Halloween my sweet baby girl.

So for my little girls first Halloween we decided to make her a butterfly. I looked and looked all over for the perfect costume and when I came across the butterfly I couldn't think of anything more fitting since I was once a "butterfly" in high school.

We first went to our neighbors house who Skylar refers to as Auntie Kris and Uncle Jon. Then we went over to Mimi and Papa Hart's house where she got tons of lovin! Jack and little Adley toot were also their to celebrate. They are Skylar's second cousins. Jack was dressed as the 'cat in the hat' and Adley was a little pumpkin and I must admit that she was probably the cutest pumpkin I've ever seen!

So for the most part, our first Halloween was great!

Rice Cereal - Take 2

yay for rice cereal!!!

We were told by many of family and friends to try again with the rice cereal and give her at least 10 days to get used to it. So we did as we were told and tada...she LOVES her cereal!

I'll give her a spoonful and before I can get another spoon ready, she starts banging on her tray and grunting very loudly. She's just a bit impatient...just like me! hahahaha

10 Facts About Me (tagged by Kristen)

Alright so 10 facts about me....hmm...
1. I am a huge procrastinator. I love to make projects for myself but then take FOREVER to complete them.
2. I love to be outdoors doing stuff. Walking around, shopping, fishing...all of it.
3. I love all furry little animals...animals NOT insects. Whenever I see a little puppy, I want to bring it home with me and completely forget what a handful they can be.
4. I used to love scary movies but now I hate, hate, hate them! I do not like that feeling of suspense or just waiting for something bad to happen...ugh!
5. I am very much a practical joker. I love to play little tricks on family and friends or to hide behind a door and scare my husband! So much fun!
6. I love ebay and amazon..both sites have so much fun stuff and at discounted prices, who can beat that?!
7. I hate stupid people. lol. By stupid people I mean like those that drive while talking on their cell phone and are completely oblivious to those around them...ahhhh! It drives me nuts! I don't mind people talking on their phones while driving but I do mind if it directly affects me...like your all over the road...driving below the speed limit....I feel myself getting angry...on to the next..
8. Its no secret that I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am very sensitive and I will let people walk all over me...I'm working on that little by little.
9. I hate confrontation and I cant stay mad at somebody for long. Even if I know that I'm the one who was right, I will be the first to apologize to make things better. I do not like the feeling of carrying anger around.
AND last but not least...
10. I am a very passionate person and feel that I am in constant wars with myself on how to be a better wife, mother, daughter, etc. I love to make my family happy and each day I try to do better than yesterday. I lean on Gods understanding to guide me through each day and am loving every minute of being a mother!
I guess that's it....there's so much more than 10 but these were the first to come to mind...

Baby Dedication

Okay, this is a little late but I have been so busy lately that I'm running behind on updating my blog.

So on October 19th, Skylar was dedicated to the Lord at Woodsedge Community Church. It was a lovely service and I had to try really hard to hold back tears. I think I had a few sniffles but I wanted to just boo-hoo.

Her Papa Hart chose her verse for her which is Zephaniah 3:17...

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

When he chose this verse for her he said that it was one of his favorites and that its not really well known and when she was dedicated the pastor said the same thing...too funny! And just a little brag note...when they showed her picture on the large screens, everyone went....awwwww! Of course they would, right?!

Hydronephrosis??? Not my baby!!!

WOOOOOOHOOOOO! Skylar had her VCUG on Tuesday and I received a call from her doctor on Wednesday with some wonderful news....

The radiologist sent notes that said her bladder, kidney's and ureters all look normal and everything is functioning the way it should be!!! The nurse who called was very confused and said she couldn't understand how this is possible since she just recently had a bladder infection. I thought to myself (and should have said it over the phone) NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD! He truly is amazing and I thank Him everyday for the miracles he performs!

Just to be on the safe side, we are still meeting with the specialist to discuss the results. We're hoping that he will take her off the antibiotics (since she's supposed to be on it for a year) and that we hear good news that she's outgrown the problem!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone who prayed for my little girl and thank you God for always having your hand of blessing on our family!!

Rice Cereal!!

So she had her four month appointment last week which went very well. She now weighs 14lbs and is 25 1/4" long! Growing like a weed!!

She had her shots which were better this time. Last time she screamed and cried for quite a while before I could finally calm her down. This time she had a few tears but calmed down right away.

Her doctor said that she can finally start on her rice cereal and explained what to do. Matt and I both were so excited and thought that this was going to be some magical experience and that angels would come down from heaven and sing....but nope, not at all! She was so fussy and we got more rice cereal on her nighty then we did in her mouth. She was so tired and so confused as to why I was doing this to her. You could tell she was like...mommy, just feed me the real thing please. Poor little baby...we shall try again in a few more days...

My 4 month old!!

Life has presented itself with many obstacles along the way but to see my little girl smile, giggle and coo makes every journey worth it! She is growing right before my eyes and it's an amazing feeling to watch your little baby discover new things everyday.

She's recently discovered...

*fake coughing - she loves this little game and although cute, mommy does NOT like it. She will cough and then look around like "mommy where are you?"

*her hand - she's known for quite a while about her hand but now she will look at it with such amazement and then of course it goes straight to the mouth...

*how to pull her pacifier in and out of her mouth - this one is a little tricky but she's getting quite good at pulling her "gee" out of her mouth and putting it back in.

*gagging herself - ya this one is soooo much fun. She has this fascination with shoving her fist in her mouth until she gags. My sister n law assures me that its quite normal but it's still SO scary!

*her feet - she loves to pull her feet up to her head and sometimes will chew on her toes! The cutest part is she looks at me with a big grin as if to say...look what I can do!!

and my FAVORITE...

*her daddy - of course she has always loved her daddy but now I can see the transition taking place; from mommy's girl to daddy's girl. She loves to stare at him or watch him walk through the room. And she laughs with him better then she laughs with anybody. She loves his whisker-kisses and he loves her big "gummy" grin. They're two peas in a pod - FOR SURE!

She's such a joy and her personality shines through more and more each day. Thank you God for my four month old!!

"Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was, that they escaped teething." -Mark Twain

So alas we have entered the wonderful world of teething. Oh how I love the irritability, mood swings, refusing to eat...and oh yes, the drool! Did I mention the mood swings?! She IS a girl alright...m-o-o-d-y!

I've heard of babies that will teethe for months before actually sprouting a tooth and I prayed and prayed that we are NOT in that boat! While my parents were over a couple of nights ago, my mom and I took a quick peek into her mouth and tada! There's a little bulge on her gums and it's almost as if you can see the tooth through the skin! Kind of strange though because I've always been told that babies either get there top or bottom front teeth first and this one is on the bottom but like one tooth over. Is that okay?

Anyway...so my doctor does not recommend baby orajel or teething tablets. My husband and I finally had enough with seeing her in so much pain so I bought the teething tablets, brought them home and wouldn't you just now that the stupid things have LACTOSE! You have to be kidding me!! So as of now, we are freezing teething rings and giving her infant tylenol when it's really bad! She seems to be doing okay with that.

I just pray that she cuts like 6 at a time so we can just get this over with! My poor little girl...

Sleeping through the night - For real this time...!!

Finally...our little angel is sleeping 10-12 hours each night!!! Hooray!!

A couple of weeks ago I started this new book called "Preparation for Parenting" which was recommended to me by my sister n law! I was a bit apprehensive about reading it since it's main points were scheduling. I kind of went back and forth between the idea of putting her on a set schedule since so many of the books I read advised against it.

Well I'm here to say that it works wonderfully for both her and I!! Right before we left to go to Dallas (fleeing from Hurricane Ike) I was working with her schedule. I figured that going to a new place out of her home would completely mess with her and we would have to start all over when we got back...but I was wrong! The first night we were there she slept 10 hours. In fact, when I woke up I darted over to her bassinet fearful that she may not be breathing since I hadn't heard from her and there she was just smiling and cooing! Its so great!

Once we got back we moved her to her own bedroom which I know is a little late. I'm just a very scared momma and wasn't ready for the transition. But she's doing so well and now all of us are finally getting some goooooood rest! With her in her pics is "Dina" her dinosaur. Whenever I first found out I was expecting Matt bought me this gift cause he thought we were going to have a boy. He wanted to take it back but I wouldn't let him and now you can see that Dina is her best friend!

My three month old!!

I remember a time when my dad sat me down and told me to enjoy life as much as possible because time flies by way too fast. I, a teenager at the time, just rolled my eyes and thought 'whatever'!

Here I am... a wife and a mother and oh, how my dad was right! It seemed like just yesterday we found out we were having a baby and now here she is, three and half months old already!

Her recent accomplishments are giggling out loud, rolling over and teething!!! Got to love the teething part! She also is loving this little indian game we play. Right when she starts to get fussy, I tap my hand over her mouth to make a kind of indian sound and sure enough she stops fussing and then just keeps making sounds to mimic the noise! It's sooo cute! She's also starting to tuck her knees underneath her when I put her down for tummy time and she'll kick her legs back and forth as if she's trying very hard to figure out how to crawl!

She weighs 13lbs 8oz now and is truly a chunk!! Despite whatever medical mess we're going through, my girl can eat!!!!! Speaking of which, no new news on the kidney thing. We're waiting for her to finish her antibiotics and then we can schedule her next testing thingy. I promise to keep everyone updated.

Hydronephrosis :(

Alright folks, it appears that my little princess does have hydronephrosis afterall.

**Hydronephrosis is distention (dilation) of the kidney with urine, caused by backward pressure on the kidney when the flow of urine is obstructed. **

So yada, yada, yada... the doctor told us that basically her left kidney appears to be dilated and that could be caused from either an obstruction in her ureter or the ureter is entering the bladder in the wrong area causing reflux. So when her kidney tries to pass urine through to the bladder it's coming back up and returning to her kidney.

The radiologist who read the report said that her case is mild to moderate which is good. She may be in slight pain but nothing like those who are moderate to severe. As far as treatment is concerned, we have to wait to see how exactly she's being affected. I will keep everyone updated as we continue on this journey. As you can see from the image below, she is still a healthy and happy baby! We are blessed!! Thank you again for your many prayers and words of encouragement. We love you all!

Kidney Update

Today was our visit with the specialist at Texas Childrens to determine if there was any need for concern with her kidneys. The specialist basically said that she is a healthy little girl and he doesn't see anything on the report that makes him concerned.
All he asks is that we bring her back when she's about 5 or 6 months old to do one more ultrasound just to make sure that everything looks the same!! I truly believe in the power of prayer and ask that everyone continue to pray for my little girl! I praise God everyday for her and am so thankful to have a beautiful and healthy little girl!! :)

This just in...
My baby now has a UTI which is something the specialist told us to look out for. So we're not quite out of the kidney scare just yet. So that everyone knows exactly what it is we're talking about...the condition is called hydronephrosis. There's a possibility that one of her kidney's is dilated because the fluid can't pass through properly. The doctors say that it could be reflux or it could be a blockage in one of her ureters. Either way, we're praying very hard that God will take care of her and heal this problem! She has an ultrasound on Monday morning to see if the kidney is enlarged at all...so once again I ask all of my brothers and sisters in Christ to be praying. There is no task to big for God as long as we all gather in prayer. I promise to keep everyone updated with her progress! Thank you and much love to all of you!! :-)

Just Beachy

So for our Labor Day weekend we decided to join my parents on a trip to Galveston. It was a very much needed trip as Matt and I haven't really had a chance to do anything since the baby's been born. She still went with us of course but my mom, Mimi, took care of her most of the time. Skylar didn't actually go out to the beach or to the pool but it was still her first trip all the same!!! I am still the ever-paranoid momma and was not quite ready for beach or pool time.

For the most part our trip was just spent lounging around and getting some rest! My parents are such a blessing and we're all looking forward to next years South Padre vacation which will include a lot of my dad's family!! I'm pretty sure by then I'll be okay with her getting her feet wet....but we shall see.... lol.

First Cold

My poor baby has come down with her first little cold.

Last Friday, Matt and I noticed that she didn't look like she was feeling very well. By late evening, she had a low-grade fever and was very fussy. She didn't want to eat or sleep. She just wanted her momma to hold her.

By Saturday, she had a little cough and was sneezing all over the place. But by Sunday, everything seemed like it was back to normal. I was relieved to think that maybe it was just a quick little bug but then yesterday, it started in again. I took her to the doctor this morning and found out that she has a cold. Sniff.

Looking at the picture, she looks like a happy and pretty baby right? Well, as momma was getting her dressed this morning I told her...just cause you're a sick baby doesn't mean you still can't be a cute baby. So...tada...

My Buddy, My buddy and Me

Before Skylar, there was Roxy...

Roxy was the baby of the family and so very spoiled! She has her own little bed and her own little basket of toys and while I was prego, we went on walks everyday!!

Then came baby Skylar and poor Roxy's life changed. She was no longer our little baby but now our little dog. She moved from a bed to a kennel and walks were no more. She could no longer crawl in mommy's lap when she wanted to and everything became "no, Roxy!"

So because of all this negative attention, Matt and I were afraid that Roxy may not get along with the baby. But we forgot what a good dog she really is. Skylar just loves to look at her and had her first giggle when Roxy licked her fingers. Of course mommy was right there wiping her hands off and then Roxy ate the wipey! Sigh.

I'm just so glad that they like each other and that Roxy feels like part of the family again...

Rub-a-dub-dub...

So for the longest time now I've still been giving Skylar a bath on our bed. The hospital provides you with a little blue bowl and a little blue brush. I was quite comfortable with just her little sponge baths and didn't want to change.

But alas the time has come for a big girl bath. She's become quite stinky and sweats all the time so her little sponge bath was just not cutting it anymore. My parents have already given her a bath in the sink and told me that if you line the bottom with a towel, it's not so slippery.

She really enjoyed it and Matt and I just giggled at how calm she was. And thank God she didn't poop in the water!!

Little Diva's

Okay so I'm the eldest grandchild on my dad's side of the family and it goes without saying that yes, I picked on my cousins. My grandmother has 8 grandchildren and there are only two girls; myself and my cousin Jaymee.

When we were young, Jaymee used to follow me around all the time and mimic most things that I did. She always wanted us to be close and I always gave her such a hard time. There's one story that has been marked in the family history books and every now and again comes up in conversation. When we were very young, Jaymee was getting ready to leave our house and as everyone was loading up in the car, she looked up at me and said "give me a hug." I of course was a snot and told her no. She asked again and this time I asked why? She, in a overly dramatic tone, cried out "because Sarah, we're cousins!" To this day I can never live that story down nor can she.

But oh, how the tables have turned. Jaymee and I surprised our family and both ended up pregnant within a couple months of each other. Her daughter Adley, was born April 14th 2008 and as you know, Skylar was born on June 12th 2008. So they are almost exactly two months apart and already Adley is filling the role of "older cousin" quite nicely.

Jaymee and I thought it would be cute to have them in matching outfits for their lunch with GG and as you can see, Adley was not too happy about that. Her looks says it all....uh, why is that baby wearing my dress?! My poor baby what have I done....

Shots, Shots, Go Away...

Wednesday morning started off productive. Skylar and I had breakfast and watched a little TV. I gave her a bath and put her in this little outfit which I swear makes her look like a baby clown. When I bought the outfit, I thought it was just a cute little polka dotted outfit but once I put it on her, I just laughed! It has ruffles around the neck and poofy shoulders! LOL! She's a baby clown!

We called my mom (Mimi) and asked that she meet us at the doctors office at 9:30. When we got there, Skylar was in such a happy mood. She was looking around and taking everything in. We undressed her and weighed her. She weighs 11# 4oz and is 23 1/2 inches long!! She's still in the 90th percentile for her weight and I LOVE IT! She's my chunk! Anyway, the doctor came in and asked how everything was going and then explained that the nurse would be in to give her four shots and one medication by mouth. 4 shots!!! And not only that but they put three into one little leg!

So the nurse came in and asked that I put her on the table. I leaned over the top of her and started telling her that I love her and it will be over soon. She's still just as happy as can be, sucking on her gee. Then all of the sudden the nurse jabs one of the needles into her little thigh and Skylar's face expression was so sad. The only way I can describe it was just shock followed by shear pain. She was just laying there minding her own and then her face froze, gee fell out and she looked at me with such desperation. It was so sad and yes, I cried just a bit. I did a lot better then I thought I was going to but my eyes still filled with tears. She screamed and cried for only a couple of minutes and then it was lights out!

She wasn't too fussy, just really sleepy! I love her so much and glad that we got all of that over with. Well...at least until the next appointment at four months! *sniff *sniff

2 Months and growing...

Happy 2 months baby girl!

That's right, our little newborn is already 2 months old. Once again I find myself in awe of how fast time goes after they're born. She's growing up too fast and has already accomplished so much...

A couple of weeks ago she started reaching out for her toys in her jungle gym. She would hit the toys before but we could tell it was just little reflexes. Now you can see her try really hard to reach for a toy and when she finally grabs hold of it...she has a big smile! She's also becoming quite the little talker and her favorite word is "ah-goo." She seems amused when mommy says it with her. I can almost see her rolling her eyes like...you're not saying it right mom! Let's see...Oh, she's getting really good at holding her head up. It's still a little wobbly here and there but she's doing so well. She recognizes smiley faces! She has a couple of toys that have a big smile and every time she makes eye contact, her face just lights up!

My favorite times are in the morning. She will wake me up with a little grunting here and there and I always feel soooooo tired! But as soon as I pick her up and lay her on the bed, she gives me a HUGE grin like "good morning momma" or maybe its more like "you have no idea what I've got in store for you with this diaper change!" Either way, my heart melts.

Tomorrow is her 2 month check up and I'm so scared. She gets her first set of shots and from what I've heard, it's awful! My mom is going with me, thank God! So please be praying for the both of us. For her that its not to painful to endure and for me that its not too painful to watch.

6 Week Check-up

SO yesterday was our six week mark! I can't believe that its already been six weeks! Ahhh - time is going by too fast!
I was so surprised at how much weight I had lost! Praise God! I still have a little bit to go but it was nice to see that I had made a dent! Note to all who are preggers with their first...really try to only gain the weight they allow you to. My doctor said between 30 and 35 and I thought...oh, I'll be fine with whatever I gain, I lose weight quickly.
Ya...I never anticipated gaining 62 pounds!!! That's right folks...62! And believe me, it is really hard to get rid of the last 20-25 pounds! Either way, I look at my precious baby and think...she was TOTALLY worth every pound! :-)

Sleeping through the night??!!!!

I think that just maybe my little baby is finally starting to sleep through the night. Last night I fed her at 7:30 and she didn't get up to eat again until 2:30! 7 whole hours!!!!

I have to admit that although it was nice to sleep, I was almost sad to think that she wasn't getting any food for that long! I guess she's moving out of newborn stage...sniff sniff.

Baby Announcements Are Finally Here!!

Yay! So we finally got our announcements in and I'm so excited. Just so everyone knows, my husband took these photos and he's very proud of them. We did take her to have her infant portraits done and they all turned out sooooo good. I'll post when I can but for now, here's the announcement!

Ultrasound Update

So we went to the doctor yesterday for her follow up ultrasound and boy, was that a mess! We waited and waited and finally got called back where she pooped on the table, then wanted to eat and proceeded to scream her lungs off for the remaining part of the appointment.

Her pediatrician called us back the same day (which is unheard of) and said that the radiologist is saying that the scan is "inconclusive." The nurse basically said that there doesn't appear to be any problems but he didn't want to say that. They'd rather have a specialist look to make sure that there isn't any problems with her kidneys. So we have yet another appointment...this time downtown at Texas Childrens.

Please continue to pray for my little one. I know that God will protect and watch over her but prayer is always nice!

Moo Moo Allergy

That's right folks! As of today we found that our little baby girl is allergic to cows milk! It was so sad! I knew something was wrong and everyone assured me that I was just being a paranoid first time mom! But nope, sometimes moms know best!

Soooooo being that she's a breastfed baby, mommy is going soy! Yummo! Aren't you jealous?!! As long as I avoid all dairy, mylittle pumpkin head should be just fine! We could do formula of course but I really want to breastfeed so please be praying. Stay tuned and we will keep everyone posted on how the soy is going!

Lunch with Papa Hart and GG (Great Gramma)

Today was a nice day. Skylar and I had lunch with her Papa and GG. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable about getting her out and about, we went to GG's apartment and had Long John Silvers.

Skylar slept for most of the visit then woke up for a quick meal and diaper change. She was a bit fussy and seemed to only want momma to hold her. She talked with GG for a little while and I know she's going to be spoiled.

Papa loves to see her smile and is convinced that she's doing it cause she's happy when really she's gassy! But there is no changing his mind about it...he cracks up every time she gets a big grin on her face! My dad has a bad back but yet seems to bend over every which way to hold his granddaughter. He's in love. But really, can you blame him?

My first blog...

So now that my little baby has arrived, I feel compelled to join in on the blogging world. So here goes...

As many already know, we recently had our first baby and she's precious! My husband Matthew and I tried for quite a long time and endured many hard trials before finally being blessed with our little miracle. We named her Skylar Elizabeth. Matt chose Skylar which means "shelter" and I chose Elizabeth which means "consecrated to God." She was born June 12th at 1:55pm, weighing 7 lbs 14oz and was 20 1/2" long.

Its funny how in the last month of pregnancy, time just seems to drag on and on but now it's flying by. Already my little girl is almost a month old and weighing in over 9 lbs and is about 2 inches longer. She's started crossing her eyes which cracks me up. She loves to eat and eat and eat! I know it sounds horrible but I almost love to tease her to see her make that birdie face like "gimme gimme."

She has a follow up ultrasound on the 14th so please be praying. No biggy...just checking on those kidneys.

I think that's it for now but I'm sure there will be plenty more to come! Stay tuned!